Joltik [BW2 Update] [QC 3/3] [GP 3/3]

Approved by Blarajan



Cutest thing ever

[Overview]

<p>As the smallest Pokemon in existence, Joltik is often overlooked in favor of bigger, tougher-looking choices such as Magnemite, Chinchou, and Larvesta. As a matter of fact, Joltik is sometimes outclassed by them as an offensive threat, as it doesn't have the same offensive presence or durability. Although, Joltik does have three key redeeming qualities: its typing, movepool, and awesome cuteness. Bug / Electric typing is a blessing in the current metagame. Like Magnemite, Joltik can threaten Water- and Flying-type opponents. However, unlike Magnemite, it sports a valuable resistance to Fighting-type moves. Joltik can also single-handedly defeat almost all Grass-type threats in the tier, such as Foongus and Shroomish&mdash;Pokemon that Chinchou struggles with. Larvesta, meanwhile, can only dream of having the Speed and movepool Joltik does.</p>

<p>However, Joltik still struggles to find a place in many teams, as it's not powerful enough to sweep teams on its own and its near-useless abilities give it a difficult time shining. While it doesn't have a crippling quadruple weakness to Stealth Rock like Larvesta, it still should have a Rapid Spin user as a teammate, as its frailness and reliance on offensive items won't let it last long enough. Joltik's ability to hit almost all of the tier neutrally gives it an incredibly useful niche on hyper offensive teams. All in all, with Joltik's attractive qualities, it shouldn't be treated as just a cute bug.</p>


[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Swarm
nature: Modest
evs: 36 Def / 220 SpA / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik can use its great typing, access to Volt Switch, and decent Speed to fulfill a classic scout role. STAB Volt Switch is the main attacking option, as it will hit hard while keeping momentum on your side. Thunderbolt is a more powerful option, hitting many threats harder while having a chance of paralysis. Although, in most cases, Bug Buzz is a more reliable STAB move as nothing is immune to it and hits Grass-types trying to tank Joltik's Electric attacks for super effective damage. Giga Drain is the main selling point of Joltik, as it lets it hit Pokemon immune to Electric-type moves, such as Ground-types and Chinchou, for super effective damage. It even gives Joltik some nice recovery, which it appreciates because of its frailness.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>With the listed EV spread, Joltik can also work as an effective revenge killer, as it hits 16 Speed, which, when coupled with a Choice Scarf, lets it outspeed the whole unboosted metagame and common Pokemon at +1 such as Scraggy, Snover, Dratini, and Axew. It also maximizes damage output when running a Modest nature. The small investment in Defense lets Joltik better handle most common priority attacks, such as Murkrow's Sucker Punch and Tirtouga's Aqua Jet. The only specially-based priority move, Vacuum Wave, deals little damage thanks to Joltik's Bug typing. Joltik can run a Timid nature to avoid Speed ties against common Choice Scarf users, such as Adamant Mienfoo, Modest Chinchou, Cranidos, and Larvesta; however, the loss of power is very noticeable and Joltik has trouble against all of them either way.</p>

<p>Swarm is the ability of choice, as without HP investment switching into Stealth Rock four times will give Bug Buzz a much-needed boost. Although it could be seen as contradictory when running Giga Drain, the other abilities are less useful. Unnerve could be used, but Oran Berry is rare and Joltik shouldn't be staying in against Dwebble, the most common user of it. Compoundeyes is even more situational, as all of the listed moves have perfect accuracy, so it would only be helpful against Sand Veil and Snow Cloak users, but neither ability is used enough to warrant Compoundeyes.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are the best teammates for Joltik, as entry hazards heavily limit its switch-ins. Drilbur is the best choice, boasting the ability to set up Stealth Rock on the opponent's side as well, allowing Joltik to take better advantage of the numerous switches it forces. As this set is intended to support the team and not the other way around, it can fit into most teams. Unlike most other Electric-types, however, Joltik cannot defeat Murkrow without team support, so Roost Archen and Tirtouga make excellent partners. Archen can also form a VoltTurn core with Joltik; just note that the stacked Rock-type weaknesses make a Rapid Spin user mandatory. Mienfoo can also form a VoltTurn core with Joltik due to its great defensive synergy, resisting Rock-type attacks. Defensive Pokemon such as Porygon, Munchlax, and Lickitung can tank most hits and recover their health. Magnemite, the only Pokemon in the tier that resists every attack on this set, can also switch into Joltik without fear. Additionally, Fighting-type attackers, such as Timburr and Mienfoo, can defeat all of the Pokemon mentioned above. Bulky Misdreavus only resists Bug Buzz, but it won't be bothered by Joltik's other attacks, so a Pokemon that can handle Ghost-types, such as Stunky, Houndour, or Vullaby is appreciated. Payback Timburr and bulky Croagunk can also defeat Misdreavus while retaining the ability to hit defensive walls, so they make great Joltik partners.</p>

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Life Orb / Eviolite
ability: Unnerve
nature: Modest
evs: 36 Def / 220 SpA / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik's speed and access to Agility make it a formidable late-game cleaner. Hyper offensive teams will appreciate this ability to clean up weakened teams. This set aims to boost up with Agility when the opponent switches to a Ground-type or Chinchou in an attempt to absorb a Volt Switch. With a boost under its belt, Joltik can attack with Bug Buzz, Thunderbolt, or Giga Drain. Bug Buzz will be the most-used STAB, as nothing is immune to it and it has a handy Special Defense drop chance, which can turn the tides of a tight match. Thunderbolt is the strongest STAB in Joltik's movepool and hits Fighting- and Flying-type opponents, which resist Bug Buzz, hard. Giga Drain allows Joltik to defeat all Ground-types except for Numel and gives it a little recovery so it can last longer.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread and nature aim to maximize damage output. Defense EVs are useful to defend Joltik from priority. It's possible to move those EVs to HP, but they won't make any difference in survivability because of such recoil. A Life Orb is needed for this set, as it adds power to all of Joltik's attacks. Eviolite, however, is another option to help Joltik boost up in front of threats it can't scare out, but the damage output won't be enough to secure many OHKOs, such as the ones on non-Eviolite Mienfoo, Pawniard, Houndour, and Dwebble. A Timid nature should also be dismissed even though it allows Joltik to outspeed Adamant Drilbur in the sand and Naughty Drifloon after a boost. Drifloon will easily defeat non-boosted Joltik if Unburden has been activated; if it isn't, it has to be wary of Joltik's Thunderbolt. Drilbur, on the other hand, has to take a major risk switching in due to Joltik's Life Orb-boosted Giga Drain, which can potentially OHKO it, making Timid an inferior option. Unnerve is the ability of choice, as Compoundeyes is nearly useless, and Joltik's frailty in addition to Life Orb recoil means that Swarm will give a one-time boost to Bug Buzz and then Joltik will die, making it an inferior option. Unnerve, however, will prevent the odd Oran Berry user, such as Dwebble or Recycle Bronzor, from stalling out Joltik.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are good partners. Drilbur, Staryu, and Tentacool are excellent choices, having good defensive synergy with Joltik. Entry hazard setters are also a great option because they allow Joltik to secure OHKOs on threats such as Eviolite Drilbur, bulky Houndour, Murkrow, Vullaby, and Slowpoke. Dwebble and Ferroseed are also solid partners, as they can lay both Stealth Rock and Spikes. Dwebble can act as a suicide lead on hyper offensive teams, while Ferroseed can defeat opposing Rapid Spin users. Bulky Ghost-type partners, such as Misdreavus, can also help in keeping entry hazards up. Golett can set up Stealth Rock and defeat common Joltik counters, most notably Magnemite and Numel; Joltik, in turn, can easily beat the Water- and Grass-types that can stop Golett. It can also defeat Natu so that Golett won't have to worry about its Stealth Rock being bounced back. Creating setup opportunities is needed for Joltik to succeed, as it is very frail. Memento Diglett can provide such opportunities and wear down special walls and Rock-types under sand with its own Life Orb-boosted attacks. Joltik's coverage and Speed make it a good Nasty Plot recipient through Baton Pass. Mime Jr. can use Encore on a weak attack, use Nasty Plot, and then Baton Pass the boost allowing Joltik to more easily sweep through the opposing team.</p>

<p>Hard-hitting offensive partners can overwhelm the opposing team so Joltik can clean up afterwards. Bulky Chinchou can form a devastating offensive core with it, as it attracts Joltik's counters and can weaken them enough for Joltik to defeat them. Houndour is also a nice option, being able to take out Bronzor and Magnemite; it can also take advantage of the Fire-type attacks Joltik lures with Flash Fire. Ponyta can defeat Magnemite and cripple physical priority users with Flame Body. Roost Archen is also a very good offensive partner, as it has a high Attack stat and can thus obliterate walls. Heavy hitters such as Nasty Plot Misdreavus, Dragon Dance Scraggy, and Life Orb Murkrow can also weaken teams enough so Joltik can switch in, boost up, and sweep through the opposing team. Joltik can also switch roles with many of these Pokemon by weakening walls so the other can finish them off.</p>

<p>Electro Ball is a decent option over Thunderbolt, as it can reach 150 Base Power against slow threats such as Slowpoke and Munchlax. However, it isn't useful against Joltik's common counters, as they are not OHKOed. Energy Ball is a similar case because it always OHKOes Life Orb Drilbur, something Giga Drain fails to do sometimes.</p>

[SET]
name: Eviolite
move 1: Thunderbolt / Discharge
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Thunder Wave / Volt Switch
item: Eviolite
ability: Unnerve / Swarm
nature: Impish
evs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpA / 116 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik's typing leaves it with only two weaknesses&mdash;Fire and Rock&mdash;that are both fairly uncommon. This coupled with its good resistances to Fighting and Grass makes Joltik a viable user of a bulky set. With its decent offensive coverage, Joltik plays an important role on balanced teams. Thunderbolt and Bug Buzz are reliable STABs that have useful secondary effects. Discharge is a good option over Thunderbolt, as this set is meant to slowly wear down the opposing team, and Discharge can spread paralysis on fast threats, such as Misdreavus and Murkrow. Giga Drain rounds off Joltik's coverage and provides much-needed recovery. In the last slot, Thunder Wave can be used to guarantee paralysis on opponents that aren't Ground-type. Volt Switch, however, provides a scouting move and works well if Discharge is used.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread gives Joltik a high and odd-numbered HP to minimize damage from Stealth Rock. The defensive spread with a Bold Nature is useful for switch into Fighting-type attacks. It also gives Joltik a chance to survive two Brave Birds from Murkrow and retaliate with an Electric-type attack. Special Defense investment provides Joltik the ability to switching into Grass-type attacks, while the Special Attack EVs boost its offensive presence. Modest is an option to deal more damage, as is Calm to balance its defenses, but those natures won't make any notable difference in damage dealt or given, while the listed Bold nature will significantly help in taking physical attacks. Either of the two listed abilities can be used, as both are equally situational. Oran Berry users are uncommon, so Unnerve won't be helping too much, and getting into Swarm range would only slightly boost Bug Buzz, which won't be enough because this set lacks power. This set has many other possible move choices, such as Disable and Sucker Punch, but paralysis and scouting are usually superior to situational extra threat coverage.</p>

<p>Having a Rapid Spin user is mandatory. Drilbur can set up Stealth Rock, while Staryu's Speed and offenses enable it to revenge kill threats weakened by Joltik. Tentacool has high Special Defense, allowing it to tank special attacks aimed at Joltik; can spread Toxic to wear down special walls, such as Lileep and Porygon; and use Knock Off to get rid of Eviolite. Water- and Ground-type Pokemon in general can help Joltik defeat Numel and Magnemite, two common Joltik counters. Chinchou and Golett can defeat said counters one-on-one, so they are the top choices for teammates. Knock Off users can help Joltik into wearing the opponent down and benefit from the paralysis spread by Joltik, as they are slow and durable. Mienfoo can threaten special walls with its Fighting-type STAB, while Vullaby can carry Taunt to stop recovery moves which greatly adds entry hazard damage set by other teammates. As this set causes a lot of switches, entry hazard setters are good partners: Dwebble can defeat Fire-type Pokemon and set up Stealth Rock and Spikes at the same time. Defensive Steel-types are difficult to handle for Joltik, so bulky Magnemite makes for a very good partner. As Joltik can switch into Fighting-types and deal heavy damage to them, Pokemon that benefit from seeing them gone or weakened are good partners. Swords Dance Pawniard, Curse Lickitung, Rock Polish Cranidos, and Nasty Plot Zorua are some decent examples of such Pokemon.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Joltik has a wide movepool, allowing it to run many different sets. A set with Substitute and three attacks coupled with Swarm and a pinch Berry can theoretically be devastating, but it is hard to pull off, as Joltik's Speed is not enough against common threats such as Misdreavus and Murkrow that won't switch out from it. A set running Substitute and Disable is very useful, as most Pokemon carry only one super effective move to hit Joltik with. However, Gastly outclasses it in this role, sporting superior Speed and two useful immunities to make better use of a set like this one. As surprising as it can be, Joltik, unlike most Electric-types, has a wide physical movepool, including X-Scissor, Wild Charge, Sucker Punch, and other coverage options, but Joltik should make use of its superior Special Attack, as it won't hit hard enough even with a fairly powerful priority attack.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Stealth Rock is the most prominent obstacle for any Bug-type, and Joltik is no exception as it will take heavy damage each time it switches in with them on the field. If Stealth Rock is not present, the best counter for Joltik is Magnemite due to its resistances to all of its common attacks and can hit Joltik back with Hidden Power Fire for super effective damage. Speaking of the Fire-type, any Fire-type can deal with Joltik, but most of them are frail and can't comfortably take a Modest Life Orb-boosted Thunderbolt. However, Numel won't mind any of Joltik's attacks and can use it as setup bait. Rock-types under Sandstorm can survive Giga Drain and send Joltik packing. Lileep is hit hard by Bug Buzz, but it does survive and can retaliate with Toxic or an attacking move. A Fighting-type that run a Rock-type coverage move can decimate Joltik and score a surprise KO on it while Joltik is trying to check it.</p>

<p>Oddly enough, Joltik can't defeat Murkrow, as it will either be heavily damaged by Brave Bird or outright KOed by Heat Wave, meaning it loses no matter what the scenario. Choice Scarf Murkrow stands out, being able to outspeed the standard Choice Scarf set and carrying Heat Wave. In fact, every Choice Scarf user that hits at least 17 Speed, such as Gastly, can outspeed and defeat the Choice Scarf set, as it is very frail. However, this set is the most difficult to counter because it can survive most priority attacks and will usually switch out after scoring a KO. If those counters are down, Misdreavus is bulky enough to survive any hit and can wear Joltik down until it's defeated. Along those lines, common special walls, such as Porygon, Lickitung, and Munchlax, don't mind any of Joltik's attacks and can stall out Life Orb damage or set up on it. Phazers and Clear Smog users can remove its Agility boosts, as most of them are bulky enough to survive its attacks. If you are not running any of those, paralysis is generally the best way to handle it, with Prankster Murkrow and Cottonee being able to bypass its heightened Speed and proceed to paralyze it, though they are unable to switch into Joltik easily. If all else fails, Joltik's frailty and lack of recovery mean it will inevitably fall at some point in the battle.</p>
 
Numel is neutral to grass due to its additional ground typing, but don't expect it to do much damage anyways.
 

iss

let's play bw lc!
is a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnus
Move Energy Ball to AC or OO unless it gets some KOes over Giga Drain, it's just adding unnecessary clutter atm. Other than that this looks pretty solid.

[qc]1/2[/qc]
 
@ Kavatika: Noted, made a mention in CC and removed it from Overview. It actually 2HKOes Flame Charge Numel with Giga Drain or Energy Ball... Not that it's important.

@Iss: I've only found that Energy Ball always OHKOes LO Drilbur while Giga Drain has only a 68.75% chance with Modest + LO. Removed all the slashes and only made a mention of that in the AC of Agility Set. Also made a small note in OO.

Thanks :).

EDIT: On second though, even if Giga Drain can't OHKO Drilbur, the recoil will LOL.

I've found Agility set to be less effective than the Bulky Attacker set, should I move it up? Scarf is definitly the best set but Agility doesn't have the power to plow through balanced teams without Hazards but I dunno, maybe I'm just bad at HO strategy.
 

Celestavian

Smooth
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Compoundeyes isn't necessary on a SubDisable set, since Disable now has 100% accuracy, but that's my only gripe. Good work!



QC Approved 2/2
 
Thanks, Hawk.

Removed Compoundeyes and added Heat Wave Krow in CC as it can surprise Joltik trying to spam Volt Switch...

Should be writing this in no time.
 

Oglemi

Borf
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[Overview]

<p>As the smallest Pokemon in existence, Joltik is often overlooked in favor of bigger, tougher looking choices like Magnemite, Chinchou, or Larvesta. As a matter of fact, Joltik is sometimes outclassed by them as an offensive threat as it doesn't have the offensive presence or durability they have. Even then, Joltik has three key redeeming qualities: its typing, its movepool, and its awesome cuteness. Bug / Electric typing is a blessing in the current metagame as Joltik sports a valuable resistance to Fighting while still threatening Water- and Flying-type opponents, a feat Magnemite would kill to have. Joltik can also single-handedly defeat almost all Grass-type threats like Foongus and Shroomish, Pokemon that Chinchou struggles with. Larvesta, meanwhile, wishes to have the speed and movepool Joltik has.</p>

<p>
However, Joltik still struggles to find a place in many teams as it's not powerful enough to sweep teams on its own and its near-useless abilities give it a difficult time to shine. While it doesn't have a crippling 4x weakness to Stealth Rock like Larvesta, it still needs a Rapid Spin user as a teammate as its frailness and reliance on offensive items won't let it last long enough. Joltik's ability to hit almost all the LC tier neutrally with only three moves and its utility as team supporter in hyper offensive strategies gives it an incredibly useful niche in such playstyles. All in all, with Joltik's awesome qualities, it shouldn't be treated as just a cute bug.</p>

[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Swarm
nature: Modest
evs: 36 Def / 220 SpA / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik can use its awesome typing, access to Volt Switch, and good Speed to fulfill a classic scout role. STAB Volt Switch is the main attacking option as it will hit hard while maintaining momentum on your side. Thunderbolt is a more powerful option, hitting a lot of threats harder while having a chance of paralysis. Bug Buzz is a more reliable STAB as it doesn't have any immunities and hits Grass-types trying to tank Electric attacks for super effective damage. Giga Drain in the last slot is, however, the main selling point of Joltik as it lets it hit for Super Effective damage Pokemon who are immune to Electric-type moves, such as Ground-types and Chinchou, for super effective damage. It even gives Joltik some nice recovery, which it appreciates because of its frailness.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>With the EV spread listed, Joltik can also work as an effective revenge killer as it hits 16 Speed which, when coupled with a Choice Scarf, lets it outspeed the whole unboosted metagame and most common Pokemon at +1 such as Scraggy, Snover, Dratini, and Axew. It also maximizes damage output when running a Modest nature. The little investment in Defense lets Joltik better handle most common priority attacks like Murkrow's Sucker Punch and Tirtouga's Aqua Jet. The only specially based priority move, Vacuum Wave, deals little damage thanks to its typing. Joltik can run a Timid nature to avoid Speed ties against common Choice Scarf users like Adamant Mienfoo, Modest Chinchou, Cranidos, and Larvesta; however, the loss of power is very noticeable and Joltik won't be heavily damaged by the former two and shouldn't be staying in against the latter two.</p>

<p>Swarm is the ability of choice as, without HP investment, Joltik switching into Stealth Rock four times will give Bug Buzz a very needed boost. Although it could be seen as a contradiction when running Giga Drain, the other abilities are less useful. Unnerve could be used, but Oran Berry is rare and Joltik shouldn't be staying in against Dwebble, the most common user of it. Compoundeyes is even more situational as all of the moves have top accuracy, and it would only be helpful against Sand Veil or Snow Cloak users and neither one is used enough to warrant the use of this ability.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are the best teammates for Joltik as it won't be staying around long with entry hazards on the field. Drilbur is the best choice as it can also set up Stealth Rock on the opponent's side, which works very well with Joltik's continuous switching which forces the opponent to do the same. As this set is intended to support the team and not the other way around, it can fit most playstyles. Unlike most other Electric-types, Joltik cannot defeat Murkrow without team support, so Roost Archen and Tirtouga make excellent partners. Archen also forms a VoltTurn core with Joltik, but they stack up on Rock weakness meaning a Rapid Spin user is mandatory. Defensive Pokemon like Porygon, Munchlax, and Lickitung can tank continuous damage and recover health. Magnemite, the only Pokemon in the tier resisting all this set's attacks, can also switch into Joltik without fear. Fighting-type attackers like Timburr and Mienfoo can defeat all of them. Mienfoo can also form a VoltTurn core with Joltik. Bulky Misdreavus only resists Bug Buzz but it won't be bothered by Joltik's other attacks, so a Ghost counter like Stunky, Houndour, or Vullaby will be appreciated. Payback Timburr and bulky Croagunk can also defeat Misdreavus while retaining the ability to hit defensive walls, so they are best suited for a team with Joltik on it.</p>

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Life Orb / Eviolite
ability: Unnerve
nature: Modest
evs: 36 Def / 220 SpA / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik's speed and access to Agility makes it a formidable cleaner in the late-game. Hyper offensive teams will appreciate Joltik's fantastic coverage to finish off weakened opponents. Unlike the previous set, this one This set aims to boost up with Agility when the opponent switches to a Ground-type or Chinchou looking to absorb a Volt Switch. With a boost under its belt, Joltik can attack with Bug Buzz, Thunderbolt, or Giga Drain. Bug Buzz is the primary STAB as nothing is immune to it and has a handy Special Defense drop chance which can switch the tides on a tight match. Thunderbolt is the strongest STAB in Joltik's movepool and hits Fighting- and Flying-type opponents resisting Bug Buzz. Giga Drain in the last slot allows Joltik to defeat all Ground-types except for Numel, it also gives Joltik a little recovery so it can last longer.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread and nature aims to maximize damage output. Defense EVs are useful to defend itself from priority. They could also switch those EVs into HP as Joltik misses the 19 HP stat which minimizes Life Orb recoil, but it won't make any difference in survivability because of such Life Orb recoil. This item is needed for this set as it adds power to all of Joltik's attacks. Eviolite is another option so Joltik can boost up against threats it can't scare out, but the damage output won't be enough to secure many OHKOs such as those on non-Eviolite Mienfoo, Pawniard, Houndour, and Dwebble. Timid nature is also dismissed even though it allows Joltik to outspeed Adamant Drilbur in the sand and Naughty Drifloon after a boost. Drifloon will easily defeat non-boosted Joltik if Unburden has activated or is defeated by Joltik's Thunderbolt if it isn't. Drilbur, on the other hand, already risks a Life Orb-boosted Giga Drain which can potentially OHKO it, making Timid an inferior option. Unnerve is the ability of choice as Compoundeyes is nearly useless and Joltik's frailty and Life Orb recoil means that Swarm will give a one-time boost to Bug Buzz and then Joltik will die, making it not useful enough. Unnerve, however, will prevent odd Oran Berry users, such as Dwebble and Recycle Bronzor, from stalling Joltik's health away.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are good partners. Drilbur, Staryu, and Tentacool are good choices and they have good synergy with Joltik. Hazard setters are also important so Joltik can secure many OHKOs on threats such as Eviolite Drilbur, bulky Houndour, Murkrow, Vullaby, and Slowpoke. Dwebble and Ferroseed are good partners as they can lay both Stealth Rock and Spikes. Dwebble can act as a suicide lead on hyper offensive teams while Ferroseed can defeat opposing Rapid Spin users. Bulky Ghost-type partners such as Misdreavus can also help keeping hazards up. Golett can set Stealth Rock and defeat common Joltik counters, most notably Magnemite and Numel; Joltik, in turn, can easily beat Water- and Grass-types trying to stop Golett. It can also defeat Natu so it won't bounce hazards back. Set up opportunities are needed as Joltik is very frail. Memento Diglett can provide such opportunities and wear down special walls and Rock-types under sand with its own Life Orb-boosted attacks. Joltik's coverage and Speed makes it a good Nasty Plot recipient through Baton Pass. Mime Jr. can use Encore on a weak attack, use Nasty Plot, and then Baton Pass the boost so Joltik can sweep through the opposing team.</p>

<p>Heavy offensive partners can overwhelm the opposing team so Joltik can clean up afterwards. Bulky Chinchou can form a dual STAB combo as it attracts Joltik's counters and can weak them enough for Joltik to defeat them. Houndour is a nice option as it can take out Bronzor and Magnemite; it can also boost up with Flash Fire as Joltik lures Fire-type attacks. Ponyta can defeat Magnemite and it also comes in on physical priority users and can burn them with Flame Body. Roost Archen is a very good offensive partner as it has high Attack and can debilitate walls. Heavy hitters such as Nasty Plot Misdreavus, Dragon Dance Scraggy, and Life Orb Murkrow can also debilitate teams enough so Joltik can switch in, boost up, and sweep through the opponents. Joltik can also act in reverse by weakening walls so those Pokemon can finish them off.</p>

<p>Oddly enough, Electro Ball is an option over Thunderbolt as it can reach 150 Base Power against slow threats such as Slowpoke and Munchlax. However, it isn't useful against common Joltik's counters as they are not OHKOed. Energy Ball is a similar case since it always gets a OHKO against Life Orb Drilbur, something Giga Drain fails to do sometimes.</p>

[SET]
name: Eviolite
move 1: Thunderbolt / Discharge
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Thunder Wave / Volt Switch
item: Eviolite
ability: Unnerve / Swarm
nature: Impish
evs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpA / 116 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik's typing leaves it with only two fairly uncommon weaknesses: Fire and Rock. This, coupled with its good resistances to Fighting and Grass, makes Joltik a good user of a bulky set. With its good offensive coverage, Joltik plays an important role on balanced teams. Thunderbolt and Bug Buzz are reliable STABs and have a small chance of either paralyzing the opponent in the case of the former, or lowering their Special Defense as the latter does. Discharge is a good option over Thunderbolt as this set is meant to slowly wear down the opposing teams and this move can spread paralysis on fast threats like Misdreavus or Murkrow. Giga Drain rounds off coverage and provides much needed recovery. In the last slot, Thunder Wave can be used to further spread paralysis. Volt Switch, however, provides a scouting move and works well if Discharge is used.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread gives Joltik a high odd HP to minimize damage from Stealth Rock. The defensive spread with a Bold nature is useful to switch into Fighting-type attacks. It also gives Joltik the possibility to survive two Brave Birds from Murkrow and retaliate with an Electric-type attack. Special Defense investment provides Joltik the chance of switching into Grass-type attacks and the Special Attack EVs boost its offensive presence. Modest is an option to deal more damage, as is Calm to balance its defenses, but those natures won't make any notable difference in damage dealt or given as a Bold nature will with physical attacks. Any of those abilities can be used as both are highly situational. This set is very versatile as it can run many filler moves in the last slot such as Disable and Sucker Punch, but paralysis and scouting are superior options.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are mandatory. Drilbur can set hazards up while Staryu's speed and offenses can revenge kill threats weakened by Joltik. Tentacool has high Special Defense to tank special attacks aimed at Joltik, can spread Toxic to wear down special walls like Lileep and Porygon, and use Knock Off to get rid of Eviolite. Water- and Ground-type Pokemon in general can help Joltik defeat Numel and Magnemite, two common counters for it: Chinchou and Golett can defeat them one-on-one so they are the top choices for teammates. Knock Off users can help Joltik in wearing down the opponent and benefit from the paralysis spread by Joltik as they are slow and durable. Mienfoo can threaten special walls with its Fighting STAB and Vullaby can also carry Taunt to stop recovery moves. As this set causes a lot of switches, hazard setters are good partners: Dwebble can defeat Fire-type Pokemon and set up Stealth Rock and Spikes at the same time. Defensive Steel-types are difficult to handle for Joltik, so bulky Magnemite makes a very good partner to trap and kill them.</p>

<p>As Joltik can switch into Fighting-types and deal heavy damage to them, Pokemon that benefit from seeing them gone or weakened are good partners. Swords Dance Pawniard, Curse Lickitung, Rock Polish Cranidos, and Nasty Plot Zorua are good partners so they can sweep once they are gone.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Joltik has a versatile movepool, allowing it to run many different sets. A strategy with Substitute and three attacks coupled with Swarm and pinch Berries can be devastating, but is hard to pull off as Joltik's Speed is not enough against common threats like Misdreavus or Murkrow who won't switch out from it. A set running Substitute and Disable is very useful as most Pokemon carry only one super effective move to hit Joltik with. However, Gastly outclasses it as it sports superior Speed and two useful immunities to make better use of this strategy. As surprising as it can be, Joltik, unlike most Electric-types, has a wide physical movepool including X-Scissor, Wild Charge, Sucker Punch, and other coverage options, but Joltik should make use of its superior Special Attack as it won't hit hard enough even with a powerful priority.</p>

<p>Energy Ball is an option over Giga Drain on every set, but the increase in power is almost non-existent and Giga Drain is more useful because of the recovery. Hidden Power Ice can be used as a coverage option to get the classic BoltBeam combo, but it is redundant with its STAB and a neutral STAB Bug Buzz only hits slightly weaker than a Super Effective Hidden Power Ice, and there aren't any 4x Ice-weak Pokemon in Little Cup for it to see use. Hidden Power Ground retains coverage on Chinchou while scoring surprise hits on Magnemite, Numel, and Fire- and Rock-types, but Ground-type Pokemon, most notably Drilbur, will be harder to defeat. Charge Beam is an option when coupled with Agility, but Joltik is frail and won't last enough to boost to appropriate levels. Electroweb can force switches and slow down faster threats such as Murkrow and Misdreavus, but it's hard to find a spot on the sets and Thunder Wave's paralysis will last longer with even better effects. Pursuit can make Joltik a good Ghost-type counter, but none of them will switch out of Joltik except for Frillish which is hit harder by Thunderbolt. Gastro Acid is a fun option to neutralize abilities such as Mienfoo's Regenerator, Murkrow's and Riolu's Prankster, and Chinchou's Volt Absorb, but Joltik should stick to attacking those threats as it doesn't have the bulk to make good use of it.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Stealth Rock is the most prominent enemy for any Bug-type, and Joltik is no exception as it will take heavy damage each time it switches in with them on the field. If Stealth Rock is not present, the best counter for Joltik is Magnemite as it resists every move except for the rare Hidden Power Ground and can hit it with Hidden Power Fire for super effective damage. Speaking of fire, any Fire-type can deal with Joltik, but most of them are frail and won't be happy to receive a Modest Life Orb-boosted Thunderbolt. However, Numel won't mind any of Joltik's attacks and can set up on it. Rock-types under sand can survive Giga Drain and send it packing. Lileep, in particular, is hit hard by Bug Buzz, but it will survive and retaliate with Toxic or an attacking move. Fighting-types running the odd Rock-type coverage moves can decimate Joltik and score surprise KOs on it while it's trying to check them.</p>

<p>Oddly enough, Joltik can't defeat Murkrow as it will be heavily damaged by Brave Bird or outright KOed by Heat Wave. Choice Scarf Murkrow stands out as it outspeeds the Choice Scarf set and carries Heat Wave. In fact, every Choice Scarf user above the 16 Speed tier such as Gastly can outspeed and defeat the Choice Scarf set as it is very frail. However, this set is the most difficult to counter as it survives most priority attacks and will usually switch out after scoring a KO. If those counters are down, Misdreavus is bulky enough to survive any hit and can wear down Joltik until it's defeated. Along those lines, premiere special walls such as Porygon, Lickitung, and Munchlax won't mind any of Joltik's attacks and will just stall out Life Orb damage or boost up on it. Phazers and Clear Smog users can delete its Agility boost as most of them are bulky enough to survive its hits. If not running any of those, paralysis will defeat the purpose of the set: Prankster Murkrow and Prankster Cottonee will bypass its Speed and hit it with the status, though they cannot switch into it as it has a super effective move for both of them. Even if that fails, Joltik is very frail and its lack of reliable recovery will be its doom.</p>


please remember to always capitalize Pokemon next time

and super effective is not capitalized

physical and special aren't capitalized in almost every situation, unless you're talking specifically about the Special Attack or Special Defense stats

[gp]1/2[/gp]
 

Arkian

this is the state of grace
is a Contributor Alumnus
Amcheck:
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COMMENTS

[Overview]

<p>As the smallest Pokemon in existence, Joltik is often overlooked in favor of bigger, thougher looking choices like Magnemite, Chinchou, or Larvesta. As a matter of fact, Joltik is sometimes outclassed by them as an offensive threat as because it doesn't have the offensive presence or durability they have. Even then Although, Joltik does hasve three key redeeming qualities: its typing, its movepool, and its awesome cuteness. Bug / Electric typing is a blessing in the current metagame; as Joltik sports a valuable resistance to Fighting-type moves, while still threatening Water- and Flying-type opponents, a feat Magnemite would kill to have Magnemite can threaten Water- and Flying-type opponens, just doesn't resist Fighting-type moves. Joltik can also single-handedly defeat almost all Grass-type threats like Foongus and Shroomish, Pokemon that Chinchou struggles with. Larvesta, meanwhile, wishes to have the speed and movepool Joltik has does.</p>

<p>However, Joltik still struggles to find a place in many teams as it's not powerful enough to sweep teams on its own and its near-useless abilities give it a difficult time to shine. While it doesn't have a crippling 4x weakness to Stealth Rock like Larvesta, it still needs a Rapid Spin user as a teammate as its frailness and reliance on offensive items won't let it last long enough. Joltik's ability to hit almost all the LC tier neutrally with only three moves and its utility as a team supporter in hyper offensive strategies gives it an incredibly useful niche in such playstyles. All in all, with Joltik's awesome qualities, it shouldn't be treated as just a cute bug.</p>


[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Swarm
nature: Modest
evs: 36 Def / 220 SpA / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik can use its awesome typing, access to Volt Switch and good Speed to fulfill a classic scout role. STAB Volt Switch is the main attacking option as it will hit hard while maintaining I'd rather use the word "keeping" but its up to you momentum on your side. Thunderbolt is a more powerful option, hitting a lot of threats harder while having a chance of paralysis. Bug Buzz is a more reliable STAB as it doesn't have any immunities nothing is immune to it and hits Grass-types trying to tank its Electric attacks for super effective damage. However, Giga Drain in the last slot is, however, the main selling point of Joltik as it lets it hit Pokemon immune to Electric-type moves, such as Ground-types and Chinchou, for super effective damage. It even gives Joltik some nice recovery, which it appreciates because of its frailness.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>With the EV spread listed, Joltik can also work as an effective revenge killer as it hits 16 Speed which, when coupled with a Choice Scarf, lets it outspeed the whole unboosted metagame and most common Pokemon at +1 such as Scraggy, Snover, Dratini, and Axew. It also maximizes damage output when running a Modest nature. The little investment in Defense lets Joltik better handle most common priority attacks like Murkrow's Sucker Punch and Tirtouga's Aqua Jet. The only specially based priority move, Vacuum Wave, deals little damage thanks to its typing. Joltik can run a Timid nature to avoid Speed ties against common Choice Scarf users like such as Adamant Mienfoo, Modest Chinchou, Cranidos, and Larvesta; however, the loss of power is very noticeable and Joltik won't be heavily damaged by the former two and shouldn't be staying in against the latter two.</p>

<p>Swarm is the ability of choice as, without HP investment, switching into Stealth Rock four times will give Bug Buzz a very needed boost. Although it could be seen as a contradiction when running Giga Drain, the other abilities are less useful. Unnerve could be used, but Oran Berry is rare and Joltik shouldn't be staying in against Dwebble, the most common user of it. Compoundeyes is even more situational as all of the listed moves have top perfect accuracy, and it would only be helpful against Sand Veil or Snow Cloak users, but and neither one is used enough to warrant the use of this ability.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are the best teammates for Joltik as it won't be staying around long with entry hazards on the field. Drilbur is the best choice as it can also set up Stealth Rock on the opponent's side which works very well with Joltik's continuously forcing switchinges. As this set is intended to support the team and not the other way around, it can fit most playstyles. Unlike most other Electric-types, Joltik cannot defeat Murkrow without team support, so Roost Archen and Tirtouga make excellent partners. Archen also forms a VoltTurn core with Joltik, but they stack up on Rock weaknesses meaning a Rapid Spin user is mandatory. Defensive Pokemon like Porygon, Munchlax, and Lickitung can tank continuous damage and recover health. Magnemite, the only Pokemon in the tier resisting all this set's attacks every attack on this set, can also switch into Joltik without fear. Fighting-type attackers like Timburr and Mienfoo can defeat all of them the pokemon mentioned above. Mienfoo can also form a VoltTurn core with Joltik. Bulky Misdreavus only resists Bug Buzz but it won't be bothered by Joltik's other attacks, so a Ghost counter like Stunky, Houndour, or Vullaby will be appreciated. Payback Timburr and bulky Croagunk can also defeat Misdreavus while retaining the ability to hit defensive walls, so they are best suited for a team with Joltik oin it.</p>

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Life Orb / Eviolite
ability: Unnerve
nature: Modest
evs: 36 Def / 220 SpA / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik's speed and access to Agility makes it a formidable late-game cleaner in the late-game. Hyper offensive teams will appreciate Joltik's fantastic coverage to finish off weakened opponents. This set aims to boost up with Agility when the opponent switches to a Ground-type or Chinchou to absorb a Volt Switch. With a boost under its belt, Joltik can attack with Bug Buzz, Thunderbolt, or Giga Drain. Bug Buzz is the primary STAB as nothing is immune to it and has a handy Special Defense drop chance which can switch the tides on a tight match. Thunderbolt is the strongest STAB in Joltik's movepool and hits Fighting- and Flying-type opponents that resisting Bug Buzz. Giga Drain in the last slot allows Joltik to defeat all Ground-types except for Numel, it also gives Joltik a little recovery so it can last longer.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread and nature aims to maximize damage output. Defense EVs are useful to defend itself Joltik from priority. They You could also switch those EVs into HP as Joltik misses the 19 HP stat which minimizes Life Orb recoil, but it won't make any difference in survability because of such recoil. This item Life Orb is needed for this set as it adds power to all of Joltik's attacks. Eviolite, however, is another option so to help Joltik can boost up against in front of threats it can't scare out, but the damage output won't be enough to secure many OHKOs such as those on non-Eviolite Mienfoo, Pawniard, Houndour, and Dwebble. Timid nature is also dismissed even though it allows Joltik to outspeed Adamant Drilbur in the sand and Naughty Drifloon after a boost. Drifloon will easily defeat non-boosted Joltik if Unburden has activated or , but it is defeated by Joltik's Thunderbolt if it isn't. Drilbur, on the other hand, already risks a Life Orb-boosted Giga Drain which can potentially OHKO it, making Timid an inferior option. Unnerve is the ability of choice as Compoundeyes is nearly useless and Joltik's frailty and Life Orb recoil means that Swarm will give a one-time boost to Bug Buzz and then Joltik will die, making it not useful enough a lesser option. Unnerve, however, will prevent odd Oran Berry users, such as Dwebble and Recycle Bronzor, from stalling Joltik's health away.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are good partners. Drilbur, Staryu, and Tentacool are good excellent Reason: the word "good" appears too much in just two sentences choices and they have good synergy with Joltik. Hazard setters are also important so Joltik can secure many OHKOs on threats such as Eviolite Drilbur, bulky Houndour, Murkrow, Vullaby, and Slowpoke. Dwebble and Ferroseed are good partners as they can lay both Stealth Rock and Spikes. Dwebble can act as a suicide lead on hyper offensive teams while Ferroseed can defeat opposing Rapid Spin users. Bulky Ghost-type partners such as Misdreavus can also help keeping hazards up. Golett can set up Stealth Rock and defeat common Joltik counters, most notably Magnemite and Numel;. Joltik, in turn, can easily beat Water- and Grass-types trying to stop Golett. It can also defeat Natu so it won't bounce hazards back. Set up opportunities are needed as Joltik is very frail. Memento Diglett can provide such opportunities and wear down special walls and Rock-types under sand with its own Life Orb-boosted attacks. Joltik's coverage and Speed makes it a good Nasty Plot recipient through Baton Pass. Mime Jr. can use Encore on a weak attack, use Nasty Plot, and then Baton Pass the boost so allowing Joltik can to sweep through the opposing team.</p>

<p>Heavy offensive partners can overwhelm the opposing team so Joltik can clean up afterwards. Bulky Chinchou can form a dual STAB comboination as it attracts Joltik's counters and can weaken them enough for Joltik to defeat them. Houndour is a nice option as it can take out Bronzor and Magnemite; it can also boost up with Flash Fire as Joltik lures in Fire-type attacks. Ponyta can defeat Magnemite and it also comes in on physical priority users and can burn them with Flame Body. Roost Archen is a very good offensive partner as it has a high Attack stat and can debilitate walls. Heavy hitters such as Nasty Plot Misdreavus, Dragon Dance Scraggy, and Life Orb Murkrow can also debilitate teams enough so Joltik can switch in, boost up and sweep through the its opponents. Joltik can also act in reverse by weakening walls so those Pokemon can finish them off.</p>

<p>Oddly enough, Electro Ball is an option over Thunderbolt as it can reach 150 Base Power against slow threats such as Slowpoke and Munchlax. However, it isn't useful against common Joltik's counters as they are not OHKOed. Energy Ball is a similar case since it always gets a OHKO against Life Orb Drilbur, something Giga Drain fails to do sometimes.</p>

[SET]
name: Eviolite
move 1: Thunderbolt / Discharge
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Thunder Wave / Volt Switch
item: Eviolite
ability: Unnerve / Swarm
nature: Impish
evs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpA / 116 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Joltik's typing leaves it with only two fairly uncommon weaknesses: Fire and Rock. This, coupled with its good resistances to Fighting and Grass, makes Joltik a good user of a bulky set. With its good offensive coverage, Joltik plays an important role on balanced teams. Thunderbolt and Bug Buzz are reliable STABs and have a small chance of either paralyzing the opponent in the case of the former, or lowering their Special Defense as the latter does, respectively. Discharge is a good option over Thunderbolt as this set is meant to slowly wear down the opposing teams and this move can spread paralysis on fast threats like Misdreavus or Murkrow. Giga Drain rounds off coverage and provides much needed recovery. In the last slot, Thunder Wave can be used to further spread guarantee paralysis on non Ground-type opponents. Volt Switch, however, provides a scouting move and works well if Discharge is used.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread gives Joltik a high odd HP to minimize damage from Stealth Rock. The defensive spread with a Bold Nature is useful to switch into Fighting-type attacks. It also gives Joltik the possibility to survive two Brave Birds from Murkrow and retaliate with an Electric-type attack. Special Defense investment provides Joltik the chance of switching into Grass-type attacks and the Special Attack EVs boost its offensive presence. Modest is an option to deal more damage, as is Calm to balance its defenses, but those natures won't make any notable difference in damage dealt or given as a the listed a Bold nature will with physical attacks. Any of the listed abilities can be used as both are highly equally situational. This set is very versatile as it can run many filler moves in the last slot such as Disable and Sucker Punch, but paralysis and scouting are superior options.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are mandatory. Drilbur can set hazards up while Staryu's speed and offenses can revenge kill threats weakened by Joltik. Tentacool has high Special Defense to tank special attacks aimed at Joltik, can spread Toxic to wear down Special walls like Lileep and Porygon, and use Knock Off to get rid of Eviolite. Water- and Ground-type pokemon in general can help Joltik defeat Numel and Magnemite, two common counters for it:; Chinchou and Golett can defeat them one-on-one so they are the top choices for teammates. Knock Off users can help Joltik into wearing down the opponent down and benefit from the paralysis spread by Joltik as they are slow and durable. Mienfoo can threaten special walls with its Fighting STAB and Vullaby can also carry Taunt to stop recovery moves. As this set causes a lot of switches, hazard setters are good partners:; Dwebble can defeat Fire-type Pokemon and set up Stealth Rock and Spikes at the same time. Defensive Steel-types are difficult to handle for Joltik, so bulky Magnemite makes a very good partner to trap and kill them.</p>

<p>As Joltik can switch into Fighting-types and deal heavy damage to them, Pokemon that benefit from seeing them gone or weakened are good partners. Swords Dance Pawniard, Curse Lickitung, Rock Polish Cranidos, and Nasty Plot Zorua are good partners so they can sweep once they Fighting-types are gone.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Joltik has a versatile movepool, allowing it to run many different sets. A strategy with Substitute and three attacks coupled with Swarm and pinch Berries can be devastating, but is hard to pull off as Joltik's Speed is not enough against common threats like Misdreavus or Murkrow who won't switch out from it. A set running Substitute and Disable is very useful as most Pokemon carry only one super effective move to hit Joltik with. However, Gastly outclasses it as it sports superior Speed and two useful immunities to make better use of this strategy. As surprising as it can be, Joltik, unlike most Electric-types, has a wide physical movepool including X-Scissor, Wild Charge, Sucker Punch, and other coverage options but Joltik should make use of its superior Special Attack as it won't hit hard enough even with a powerful priority.</p>

<p>Energy Ball is an option over Giga Drain on every set, but the increase in power is almost non-existent and Giga Drain is more useful because of the recovery. Hidden Power Ice can be used as a coverage option to get the classic BoltBeam combo, but it is redundant with its STAB and a neutral STAB Bug Buzz is only hits slightly weaker than a Super Effective Hidden Power Ice, and there aren't any 4x Ice-weak Pokemon in Little Cup for it to see use. Hidden Power Ground retains coverage on Chinchou while scoring surprise hits on Magnemite, Numel, and other Fire- and Rock-types, but Ground-type Pokemon, most notably Drilbur, will be harder to defeat. Charge Beam is an option when coupled with Agility, but Joltik is frail and won't last enough to boost to appropriate levels. Electroweb can force switches and slow down faster threats such as Murkrow and Misdreavus, but it's hard to find a spot on the sets and Thunder Wave's paralysis will last longer with even better effects. Pursuit can make Joltik a good Ghost-type counter, but none of them will switch out of Joltik except for Frillish which is hit harder by Thunderbolt. Gastro Acid is a fun option to neutralize abilities such as Mienfoo's Regenerator, Murkrow's and Riolu's Prankster, and Chinchou's Volt Absorb, but Joltik should stick to attacking those threats as it doesn't have the bulk to make good use of the move.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Stealth Rock is the most prominent enemy for any Bug-type, and Joltik is no exception as it will take heavy damage each time it switches in with them on the field. If Stealth Rock is not present, the best counter for Joltik is Magnemite as it resists every move except for the rare Hidden Power Ground and can hit it with Hidden Power Fire for super effective Ddamage. Speaking of fire, any Fire-type can deal with Joltik but most of them are frail and won't be happy to receive a Modest Life Orb-boosted Thunderbolt. However, Numel won't mind any of Joltik's attacks and can use it as set-up on it bait. Rock-types under sand can survive Giga Drain and send it Joltik packing. Lileep, in particular, is hit hard by Bug Buzz, but it will survive and retaliate with Toxic or an attacking move. Fighting-types running the odd Rock-type coverage moves can decimate Joltik and score surprise KOs on it while it's trying to check them.</p>

<p>Oddly enough, Joltik can't defeat Murkrow as it will be heavily damaged by Brave Bird or outright KOed by Heat Wave. Choice Scarf Murkrow stands out as it outspeeds the Choice Scarf set and carries Heat Wave most of the time. In fact, every Choice Scarf user above the 16 Speed tier such as Gastly can outspeed and defeat the Choice Scarf set as it is very frail. However, this set is the most difficult to counter as it survives most priority attacks and will usually switch out after scoring a KO. If those counters are down, Misdreavus is bulky enough to survive any hit and can wear down Joltik down until it's defeated. Along those lines, premiere special walls such as Porygon, Lickitung, and Munchlax won't mind any of Joltik's attacks and will just stall out Life Orb damage or boost up on it. Phazers and Clear Smog users can delete its Agility boosts as most of them are bulky enough to survive its hits. If not running any of those, paralysis will defeat the purpose of the set:; Prankster Murkrow and Prankster Cottonee will bypass its Speed and hit it with the status proceed to paralyze it, though they cannot switch into it Joltik Reason: a bit too many "its" as it has a super effective move for both of them. Even if that fails, Joltik is very frail and its lack of reliable recovery will be its doom.</p>
 
Thank you, Rohail17.

Magnemite can threaten Water- and Flying-tuype opponens, just doesn't resist Fighting-type moves.
I reworded this so it's clearer what I meant.

Compoundeyes is even more situational as all of the listed moves have top perfect accuracy
I implemented "listed" but I'm unsure about the word perfect as the moves CAN miss, unlike Aerial Ace (or something like that) which cannot miss.

You could also switch those EVs into HP [...]
I'm not very fond about using you so I reworded the sentence, hope that's ok.

and carries Heat Wave most of the time
I've never seen a ScarfKrow without Heat Wave so I'm unsure if I should include that.

Everything else has been implemented :).
 

Arkian

this is the state of grace
is a Contributor Alumnus
According to Smogon, the listed moves have 100% accuracy, which is technically perfect. The only way they can miss is if the opponent has an accuracy lowering item or is using an accuracy lowering move. So "perfect" would be the right word to use.

The Smogon Spelling and Grammar Standards state that you're always supposed to refer to the battler as "you", so that is the reason I made that change.

Also, I don't play much LC so I didn't know that Heat Wave is a common move on ScarfKrow, sorry :)
 
According to Smogon, the listed moves have 100% accuracy, which is technically perfect. The only way they can miss is if the opponent has an accuracy lowering item or is using an accuracy lowering move. So "perfect" would be the right word to use.
Ok, I'll do that change :).

The Smogon Spelling and Grammar Standards state that you're always supposed to refer to the battler as "you", so that is the reason I made that change.
Ok, that's good to know.

Also, I don't play much LC so I didn't know that Heat Wave is a common move on ScarfKrow, sorry :)
It's ok.

Again, thanks for the check :D.
 
Hi, decided to try my hand at GP, so here's my first amcheck.
Overall pretty good, but remember your commas and word "entry" in the phrase "entry hazards"!

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[COMMENTS]
[Overview]

<p>As the smallest Pokemon in existence, Joltik is often overlooked in favor of bigger, thougher looking choices like Magnemite, Chinchou, or Larvesta. As a matter of fact, Joltik is sometimes outclassed by them as an offensive threat as it doesn't have the offensive presence or durability they have. Although, Joltik does have three key redeeming qualities: its typing, its movepool, and its awesome cuteness. Bug / Electric typing is a blessing in the current metagame. Like Magnemite, Joltik can threaten Water- and Fliying-type opponents. Howeverbut, unlike Magnemite, it also sports a valuable resistance to Fighting-type moves. Joltik can also single-handedly defeat almost all Grass-type threats in the tier, likesuch as[Slight overuse of "like" and "unlike"] Foongus and Shroomish, Pokemon that Chinchou struggles with. Larvesta, meanwhile, wishes to have the impressive speed and movepool Joltik does.</p>

<p>However, Joltik still struggles to find a place in many teams as it's not powerful enough to sweep teams on its own and its near-useless abilities give it a difficult time to shine. While it doesn't have a crippling 4x weakness to Stealth Rock like Larvesta, it still needsshould have a Rapid Spin user as a teammate as its frailness and reliance on offensive items won't let it last long enough. Joltik's ability to hit almost all of the LC tier neutrally with only three moves and its utility as team supporter in hyper offensive strategies gives it an incredibly useful niche in such playstyles. All in all, with Joltik's awesome qualities, it shouldn't be treated as just a cute bug.</p>


[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Swarm
nature: Modest
evs: 36 Def / 220 SpA / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik can use its awesome typing, access to Volt Switch and good Speed to fulfill a classic scout role. STAB Volt Switch is the main attacking option as it will hit hard while keeping momentum on your side. Thunderbolt is a more powerful option, hitting a lot ofmany threats harder while also having a chance of paralysis. Bug Buzz is a more reliable STAB as nothing is immune to it and it hits Grass-types trying to tank itJoltik's[It has been a while since Joltik's proper name has been used] Electric attacks for super effective damage. However, Giga Drain in the last slot is the main selling point of Joltik as it lets it hit Pokemon immune to Electric-type moves, such as Ground-types and Chinchou, for super effective damage. It even gives Joltik some nice recovery, which it appreciates because of its frailness.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>With the listed EV spread listed, Joltik can also work as an effective revenge killer as it hits 16 Speed which, when coupled with a Choice Scarf, lets it outspeed the whole unboosted metagame and common Pokemon at +1 such as Scraggy, Snover, Dratini, and Axew. It also maximizes damage output when running a Modest nature. The littlesmall[Little is generally used to describe a literal size] investment in Defense lets Joltik better handle most common priority attacks likesuch as Murkrow's Sucker Punch and Tirtouga's Aqua Jet. The only specially based priority move, Vacuum Wave, deals little damage thanks to its Fighting typing. Joltik can run a Timid nature to avoid Speed ties against common Choice Scarf users such as Adamant Mienfoo, Modest Chinchou, Cranidos, and Larvesta; however, the loss of power is very noticeable and Joltik won't be heavily damaged by the former two and shouldn't be staying in against the latter two.</p>

<p>Swarm is the ability of choice as, without HP investment, switching into Stealth Rock four times will give Bug Buzz a very needed boost. Although it could be seen as a contradiction when running Giga Drain, the other abilities are less useful. Unnerve could be used, but Oran Berry is rare and Joltik shouldn't be staying in against Dwebble, the most common user of it. Compoundeyes is even more situational as all of the listed moves have perfect accuracy, and it would only be helpful against Sand Veil or Snow Cloak users, but neither one is used enough to warrant the use of this ability.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are the best teammates for Joltik as it won't be staying around long with entry hazards on the field. Drilbur is the best choice as it can also set up Stealth Rock on the opponent's side which works very well with Joltik continuously forcing switches. As this set is intended to support the team and not the other way around, it can fit most playstyles. Unlike most other Electric-types, however, Joltik cannot defeat Murkrow without team support, so Roost Archen and Tirtouga make excellent partners. Mienfoo forms a decent VoltTurn core with Joltik. Archen can also forms a VoltTurn core with Joltik, but they stack up on Rock weaknesses meaning a Rapid Spin user is mandatory. Defensive Pokemon like Porygon, Munchlax, and Lickitung can tank continuous damagemost hits and recover health. Magnemite, the only Pokemon in the tier resisting every[Space added] attack on this set, can also switch into Joltik without fear. Also, Fighting-type attackers like Timburr and Mienfoo can defeat all of the Pokemon mentioned above. Mienfoo can also form a VoltTurn core with Joltik.[Moved this sentence earlier, revising it slightly.] Bulky Misdreavus only resists Bug Buzz but it won't be bothered by Joltik's other attacks, so a Ghost counter like Stunky, Houndour, or Vullaby will be appreciated. Payback Timburr and bulky Croagunk can also defeat Misdreavus while retaining the ability to hit defensive walls, so they are best suited for a team with Joltik on it.</p>

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Life Orb / Eviolite
ability: Unnerve
nature: Modest
evs: 36 Def / 220 SpA / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik's speed and access to Agility makes it a formidable late-game cleaner. Hyper offensive teams will appreciate Joltik's fantastic coverage to finish off weakened opponents. This set aims to boost up with Agility when the opponent switches to a Ground-type or Chinchouin an attempt to absorb a Volt Switch. With a boost under its belt, Joltik can attack with Bug Buzz, Thunderbolt, or Giga Drain. Bug Buzz is the primary STAB as nothing is immune to it and has a handy Special Defense drop chance which can switch the tides on a tight match. Thunderbolt is the strongest STAB in Joltik's movepool and hits Fighting- and Flying-type opponents that resist Bug Buzz. Giga Drain allows Joltik to defeat all Ground-types except for Numel, it and also gives Joltik a little recovery so it can last longer.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread and nature aims to maximize damage output. Defense EVs are useful to defend Joltik from priority. It's possible to switch those EVs into HP as Joltik misses the 19 HP stat which minimizes Life Orb recoil, but it won't make any difference in survability because of such recoil. This item is needed for this set as it adds power to all of Joltik's attacks. Eviolite, however, is another option to help Joltik boost up in front of threats it can't scare out but the damage output won't be enough to secure many OHKOs such as those on non-Eviolite Mienfoo, Pawniard, Houndour, and Dwebble. Timid nature is also dismissed even though it allows Joltik to outspeed Adamant Drilbur in the sand and Naughty Drifloon after a boost. Drifloon will easily defeat non-boosted Joltik if Unburden has activated, but is defeated by Joltik's Thunderbolt if it isn't. Drilbur, on the other hand, already risks a Life Orb-boosted Giga Drain which can potentially OHKO it, making Timid an inferior option. Unnerve is the ability of choice as Compoundeyes is nearly useless and Joltik's frailty and Life Orb recoil means that Swarm will give a one-time boost to Bug Buzz and then Joltik will die, making it a lesser option. Unnerve, however, will prevent odd Oran Berry users, such as Dwebble and Recycle Bronzor, from stalling Joltik.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are good partners. Drilbur, Staryu, and Tentacool are excellent choices and they have good synergy with Joltik. Entry hHazard setters are also important soa great option because it allows Joltik canto secure many OHKOs on threats such as Eviolite Drilbur, bulky Houndour, Murkrow, Vullaby, and Slowpoke. Dwebble and Ferroseed are good partners as they can lay both Stealth Rock and Spikes. Dwebble can act as a suicide lead on hyper offensive teams while Ferroseed can defeat opposing Rapid Spin users. Bulky Ghost-type partners such as Misdreavus can also help with[Alternatively, "by" can be used over "with"] keeping entry hazards up. Golett can set Stealth Rock and defeat common Joltik counters, most notably Magnemite and Numel; Joltik, in turn, can easily beat Water- and Grass-types trying to stop Golett. It can also defeat Natu so it won't bounce hazards back. Set up opportunities are needed as Joltik is very frail. Memento Diglett can provide such opportunities and wear down special walls and Rock-types under sand with its own Life Orb-boosted attacks. Joltik's coverage and Speed makes it a good Nasty Plot recipient through Baton Pass. Mime Jr. can use Encore on a weak attack, use Nasty Plot, and then Baton Pass the boost, allowing Joltik to more easily sweep through the opposing team.</p>

<p>Heavyard-hitting offensive partners can overwhelm the opposing team so Joltik can clean up afterwards. Bulky Chinchou can form a dual STAB combination as it attracts Joltik's counters and can weaken them enough for Joltik to defeat them. Houndour is also a nice option as it can take out Bronzor and Magnemite; it can also boost up its Fire-type attacks with Flash Fire as Joltik lures in opposing Fire-type attacks. Ponyta can defeat Magnemite and it also comes in on physical priority users and can burn them with Flame Body. Roost Archen is a very good offensive partner as it has a high Attack stat and can debilitate walls. Heavy hitters such as Nasty Plot Misdreavus, Dragon Dance Scraggy, and Life Orb Murkrow can also debilitate teams enough so Joltik can switch in, boost up and sweep through the opposing team. Joltik can also act in reverse by weakening walls so those Pokemon can finish them off.</p>

<p>Oddly enough, Electro Ball is an option over Thunderbolt as it can reach 150 Base Power against slow threats such as Slowpoke and Munchlax. However, it isn't useful against common Joltik's common counters as they are not OHKOed. Energy Ball is a similar case since it always gets a OHKO against Life Orb Drilbur, something Giga Drain fails to do sometimes.</p>

[SET]
name: Eviolite
move 1: Thunderbolt / Discharge
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Thunder Wave / Volt Switch
item: Eviolite
ability: Unnerve / Swarm
nature: Impish
evs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpA / 116 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Joltik's typing leaves it with only two fairly uncommon weaknesses: Fire and Rock. This, coupled with its good resistances to Fighting and Grass, makes Joltik a goodviable user of a bulky set. With its good offensive coverage, Joltik plays an important role on balanced teams. Thunderbolt and Bug Buzz are reliable STABs and have a small chance of paralyzing the opponent or lowering their Special Defense, respectively. Discharge is a good option over Thunderbolt as this set is meant to slowly wear down the opposing teams and this moveDischarge can spread paralysis on fast threats like Misdreavus or Murkrow. Giga Drain rounds off coverage and provides much needed recovery. In the last slot, Thunder Wave can be used to guarantee paralysis on non Ground-type opponents. Volt Switch, however, provides a scouting move and works well if Discharge is used.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread gives Joltik a high odd HP to minimize damage from Stealth Rock. The defensive spread with a Bold Nature is useful tofor switching into Fighting-type attacks. It also gives Joltik the possibility to survive two Brave Birds from Murkrow and retaliate with an Electric-type attack. Special Defense investment provides Joltik the chance of switching into Grass-type attacksand, while the Special Attack EVs boost its offensive presence. Modest is an option to deal more damage, as is Calm to balance its defenses, but those natures won't make any notable difference in damage dealt or given as the listed Bold nature will with physical attacks. Any of the listed abilities can be used as both are equally situational.[How, exactly? Elaborate for those who skipped the other sets.] This set is very versatile as it can run many filler moves in the last slot such as Disable and Sucker Punch, but paralysis and scouting are usually superior options.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are mandatory. Drilbur can set hazards up while Staryu's speed and offenses can revenge kill threats weakened by Joltik. Tentacool has high Special Defense to tank special attacks aimed at Joltik, can spread Toxic to wear down Special walls like Lileep and Porygon and use Knock Off to get rid of Eviolite. Water- and Ground-type pokemon in general can help Joltik defeat Numel and Magnemite, two common counters for itJoltik. Chinchou and Golett can defeat themsaid counters one-on-one so they are the top choices for teammates. Knock Off users can help Joltik into wearing the opponent down and benefit from the paralysis spread by Joltik as they are slow and durable. Mienfoo can threaten special walls with its Fighting STAB and Vullaby can also carry Taunt to stop recovery moves. As this set causes a lot of switches, entry hazard setters are good partners: Dwebble can defeat Fire-type Pokemon and set up Stealth Rock and Spikes at the same time. Defensive Steel-types are difficult to handle for Joltik, so bulky Magnemite makes a very good partner toas it can trap and kill them.</p>

<p>As Joltik can switch into Fighting-types and deal heavy damage to them, Pokemon that benefit from seeing them gone or weakened are good partners. Swords Dance Pawniard, Curse Lickitung, Rock Polish Cranidos, and Nasty Plot Zorua are good partners so they can sweep once theopposing Fighting -types[Should be a space, not a hyphen.] are gone.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Joltik has a versatile movepool, allowing it to run many different sets. A strategy with Substitute and three attacks coupled with Swarm and pinch Berries can theoretically be devastating, but is hard to pull off as Joltik's Speed is not enough against common threats like Misdreavus or Murkrow who won't switch out from it. A set running Substitute and Disable is very useful as most Pokemon carry only one super effective move to hit Joltik with. However, Gastly outclasses it as it sports superior Speed and two useful immunities to make better use of this strategy. As surprising as it can be, Joltik, unlike most Electric-types, has a wide physical movepool including X-Scissor, Wild Charge, Sucker Punch, and other coverage options, but Joltik should make use of its superior Special Attack as it won't hit hard enough, even with a powerful priority.</p>

<p>Energy Ball is an option over Giga Drain on every set, but the increase in power is almost non-existent and Giga Drain is more useful because of the recovery. Hidden Power Ice can be used as a coverage option to get the classic BoltBeam combo, but it is redundant with its STAB and a neutral STAB Bug Buzz is only slightly weaker than a Super Effective Hidden Power Ice, and there aren't any 4x Ice-weak Pokemon in Little Cup for it to see use. Hidden Power Ground retains coverage on Chinchou while scoring surprise hits on Magnemite, Numel, and other Fire- and Rock-types; however, but Ground-type Pokemon, most notably Drilbur, will be harder to defeat. Charge Beam is an option when coupled with Agility, but Joltik is too frail and won't last enough to boost to apropriate levels. Electroweb can force switches and slow down faster threats such as Murkrow and Misdreavus, but it's hard to find a spot on the sets and Thunder Wave's paralysis will last longer with even better effects. Pursuit can make Joltik a good Ghost-type counter, but none of them will switch out of Joltik except for Frillish, whicho is hit harder by Thunderbolt. Gastro Acid is a fun option to neutralize abilities such as Mienfoo's Regenerator, Murkrow's and Riolu's Prankster, and Chinchou's Volt Absorb, but Joltik should stick to attacking those threats as it doesn't have the bulk to make good use of the move.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Stealth Rock is the most prominent enemy for any Bug-type, and Joltik is no exception as it will take heavy damage each time it switches in with them on the field. If Stealth Rock is not present, the best counter for Joltik is Magnemite as it resists every move except for the rare Hidden Power Ground and can hit itJoltik back with Hidden Power Fire for super effective damage. Speaking of fire, any Fire-type can deal with Joltik, but most of them are frail and won't be happy to receive a Modest Life Orb-boosted Thunderbolt. However, Numel won't mind any of Joltik's attacks and can use him as set-up bait. Rock-types under sSandstorm can survive Giga Drain and send Joltik packing. Lileep is hit hard by Bug Buzz, but it will survive and retaliate with Toxic or an attacking move. Fighting-types running the odd Rock-type coverage moves can decimate Joltik and score surprise KOs on it while it's trying to check them.</p>

<p>Oddly enough, Joltik can't defeat Murkrow as it will be heavily damaged by Brave Bird or outright KOed by Heat Wave. Choice Scarf Murkrow stands out as it outspeeds the standard Choice Scarf set and carries Heat Wave. In fact, every Choice Scarf user above the 16 Speed tier, such as Gastly, can outspeed and defeat the Choice Scarf set as it is very frail. However, this set is the most difficult to counter as it survives most priority attacks and will usually switch out after scoring a KO. If those counters are down, Misdreavus is bulky enough to survive any hit and can wear Joltik down until it's defeated. Along those lines, premiere special walls such as Porygon, Lickitung, and Munchlax won't mind any of Joltik's attacks and will just stall out Life Orb damage or boost up on it. Phazers and Clear Smog users can delete its Agility boosts as most of them are bulky enough to survive its hits. If not running any of those, paralysis will defeat the purpose of the set: Prankster Murkrow and Prankster Cottonee will bypass its Speed and proceed to paralyze it, though they cannot switch into Joltik as it has a super effective move for both of them. Even if that fails, Joltik is very frail and its lack of reliable recovery will be its doom.</p>
 
Thanks, Unoriginal Name, that has been implemented. I noticed I didn't implement one of the corrections on Rohail's check, thankfully you corrected it too. So it didn't slip.

I rechecked both checks (lol) to be sure I implemented everything :).
 

Arkian

this is the state of grace
is a Contributor Alumnus
Unoriginal Name said:
<p>As Joltik can switch into Fighting-types and deal heavy damage to them, Pokemon that benefit from seeing them gone or weakened are good partners. Swords Dance Pawniard, Curse Lickitung, Rock Polish Cranidos, and Nasty Plot Zorua are good partners so they can sweep once theopposing Fighting -types[Should be a space, not a hyphen.] are gone.</p>
No, the hyphen should be there and the space shouldn't. This is all according to Smogon's Spelling and Grammar Standards.
 

Governess

A Beautiful Blossom Waiting to Bloom
is a Researcher Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Hihi, those are great amchecks, but please, please don't forget commas. Let me show you a quick taste of what I mean:

Overview said:
Larvesta, meanwhile, wishes to have the impressive speed and movepool Joltik does.
Capitalize Speed.

Overview said:
However, Joltik still struggles to find a place in many teams,as it's not powerful enough to sweep teams on its own, and its near-useless abilities give it a difficult time to shine. While it doesn't have a crippling 4x weakness to Stealth Rock like Larvesta, it still should have a Rapid Spin user as a teammate, as its frailness and reliance on offensive items won't let it last long enough.
Missing a lot of necessary commas that separate thoughts.

Overview said:
Joltik's ability to hit almost all of the LC tier neutrally with only three moves and its utility as team supporter in hyper offensive strategies gives it an incredibly useful niche in such playstyles.
Kind of a run-on sentence imo. Maybe re-word it, or add a comma somewhere? I'm not exactly sure how to fix this without fixing the wording of it, so yeah, you can manage that.

Set #1 said:
Joltik can use its awesome typing, access to Volt Switchv and good Speed to fulfill a classic scout role. STAB Volt Switch is the main attacking option, as it will hit hard while keeping momentum on your side.
Same thing as before; STAB Volt Swotch from the get-go just sounds weird without Its; GP, tell me if I'm wrong, though.

Set #1 said:
Although, In most cases, Bug Buzz is a more reliable STAB move, as nothing is immune to it, and it hits Grass-types trying to tank Joltik's Electric attacks for super effective damage.
Set #1 said:
However, Giga Drain is the main selling point of Joltik, as it lets it hit Pokemon immune to Electric-type moves, such as Ground-types and Chinchou, for super effective damage.
You don't need to compare the movesets to each other for each one, slightly subjective, though.

EDIT: Ok, Jukain, ty. I'll make sure I'll keep that in mind for the next time around. Took out the Bug / Electric mention and the end bit.
 

Jukain

!_!
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Actually Governess isn't entirely correct:

First of all, "its" is not necessary in reference to Joltik's traits. Bug / Electric typing is a blessing in the current metagame. Adding "its" does not change the meaning whatsoever.

Many of your changes are sound, but there's one other thing that irks me. You don't need predicate one, and predicate two. The comma is unnecessary and makes the sentence sound choppy. If it's too choppy without the comma, restructure the sentence. Changing phrases that being with "that" to ", which" often does the job.
 
I can finally post to adress everything said.

No, the hyphen should be there and the space shouldn't.
Damage control done. Thanks Rohail.

Missing a lot of necessary commas that separate thoughts.
I just noticed two. I fixed them.

Kind of a run-on sentence imo. Maybe re-word it, or add a comma somewhere? I'm not exactly sure how to fix this without fixing the wording of it, so yeah, you can manage that.
I see what you mean and I got rid of the second part as it wasn't clear enough.

You don't need to compare the movesets to each other for each one, slightly subjective, though.
Gotcha, it sounded really weird to me as well. Fixed.

This still waits the last GP approval :).
 

Jukain

!_!
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
[Overview]

<p>As the smallest Pokemon in existence, Joltik is often overlooked in favor of bigger, tougher-(add hyphen)looking choices like Magnemite, Chinchou, orand Larvesta. As a matter of fact, Joltik is sometimes outclassed by them as an offensive threat, (AC) as it doesn't have the same offensive presence or durability they have. Although, Joltik does have three key redeeming qualities: its typing, its movepool, and its awesome cuteness. Bug / Electric typing is a blessing in the current metagame. Like Magnemite, Joltik can threaten Water- and Flying-type opponents. However, unlike Magnemite, it sports a valuable resistance to Fighting-type moves. Joltik can also single-handedly defeat almost all Grass-type threats in the tier, (AC) such as Foongus and Shroomish, &mdash;Pokemon that Chinchou struggles with. Larvesta, meanwhile, wishes tocan only dream of haveing the Speed and movepool Joltik does.</p>

<p>However, Joltik still struggles to find a place in many teams, as it's not powerful enough to sweep teams on its own and its near-useless abilities give it a difficult time to shineing. While it doesn't have a crippling 4xquadruple weakness to Stealth Rock like Larvesta, it still should have a Rapid Spin user as a teammate, as its frailness and reliance on offensive items won't let it last long enough. Joltik's ability to hit almost all of the LC tier neutrally gives it an incredibly useful niche ion hyper offensive playstyleams. All in all, with Joltik's awesomttractive qualities, it shouldn't be treated as just a cute bug.</p>


[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Swarm
nature: Modest
evs: 36 Def / 220 SpA / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik can use its awesomegreat typing, access to Volt Switch, and goodecent Speed to fulfill a classic scout role. STAB Volt Switch is the main attacking option, as it will hit hard while keeping momentum on your side. Thunderbolt is a more powerful option, hitting many threats harder while having a chance of paralysis. Although, in most cases, Bug Buzz is a more reliable STAB move as nothing is immune to it and hits Grass-types trying to tank Joltik's Electric attacks for super effective damage. Giga Drain is the main selling point of Joltik, 9AC) as it lets it hit Pokemon immune to Electric-type moves, such as Ground-types and Chinchou, for super effective damage. It even gives Joltik some nice recovery, which it appreciates because of its frailness.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>With the listed EV spread, Joltik can also work as an effective revenge killer, (AC) as it hits 16 Speed, (AC) which, when coupled with a Choice Scarf, lets it outspeed the whole unboosted metagame and common Pokemon at +1 such as Scraggy, Snover, Dratini, and Axew. It also maximizes damage output when running a Modest nature. The small investment in Defense lets Joltik better handle most common priority attacks, (AC) such as Murkrow's Sucker Punch and Tirtouga's Aqua Jet. The only specially-(add hyphen)based priority move, Vacuum Wave, deals little damage thanks to Joltik's Bug typing. Joltik can run a Timid nature to avoid Speed ties against common Choice Scarf users, (AC) such as Adamant Mienfoo, Modest Chinchou, Cranidos, and Larvesta; however, the loss of power is very noticeable and Joltik won't be heavily damaged byhas the former two and shoubldn't be staying in against all of the lattm either twoway.</p>

<p>Swarm is the ability of choice, (AC) as,(RC) without HP investment,(RC) switching into Stealth Rock four times will give Bug Buzz a very much-needed boost. Although it could be seen as a contradictionory when running Giga Drain, the other abilities are less useful. Unnerve could be used, but Oran Berry is rare and Joltik shouldn't be staying in against Dwebble, the most common user of it. Compoundeyes is even more situational, (AC) as all of the listed moves have perfect accuracy, andso it would only be helpful against Sand Veil orand Snow Cloak users, but neither oneability is used enough to warrant the use of this abilityCompoundeyes.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are the best teammates for Joltik, (AC) as it won't be staying around long with entry hazards on the fieldentry hazards heavily limit its switch-ins. Drilbur is the best choice, boas it can alsting the ability to set up Stealth Rock on the opponent's side which workas very well, allowithng Joltik contito take better advantage of the numerously forcing switches it forces. As this set is intended to support the team and not the other way around, it can fit into most playstyleams. Unlike most other Electric-types, however, Joltik cannot defeat Murkrow without team support, so Roost Archen and Tirtouga make excellent partners. Archen can also form a VoltTurn core with Joltik, bu; just note that they stack up oned Rock-type weaknesses makeaning a Rapid Spin user is [mandatory / compulsory]. Mienfoo can also form a VoltTurn core with Joltik asdue to its great defensive synergy, (AC) resistsing Rock-type attacks. Defensive Pokemon likesuch as Porygon, Munchlax, and Lickitung can tank most hits and recover their health. Magnemite, the only Pokemon in the tier that resistings every attack on this set, can also switch into Joltik without fear. Alsodditionally, Fighting-type attackers like, (AC) such as Timburr and Mienfoo, (AC) can defeat all of the Pokemon mentioned above. Bulky Misdreavus only resists Bug Buzz, (AC) but it won't be bothered by Joltik's other attacks, so a GhosPokemon that counter likan handle Ghost-types, (AC) such as Stunky, Houndour, or Vullaby will beis appreciated. Payback Timburr and bulky Croagunk can also defeat Misdreavus while retaining the ability to hit defensive walls, so they are best suited for a tmake gream with Joltik on itpartners.</p>

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Life Orb / Eviolite
ability: Unnerve
nature: Modest
evs: 36 Def / 220 SpA / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik's speed and access to Agility makes it a formidable late-game cleaner. Hyper offensive teams will appreciate this Joltik's fantastic coverage to finish offability to clean up weakened opponentteams. This set aims to boost up with Agility when the opponent switches to a Ground-type or Chinchou in an attempt to absorb a Volt Switch. With a boost under its belt, Joltik can attack with Bug Buzz, Thunderbolt, or Giga Drain. Bug Buzz iswill be the primarymost-used STAB, (AC) as nothing is immune to it and it has a handy Special Defense drop chance, (AC) which can switchturn the tides onf a tight match. Thunderbolt is the strongest STAB in Joltik's movepool and hits Fighting- and Flying-type opponents that, (AC) which resist Bug Buzz, (AC) hard. Giga Drain allows Joltik to defeat all Ground-types except for Numel and also gives Joltikit a little recovery so it can last longer.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread and nature aims to maximize damage output. Defense EVs are useful to defend Joltik from priority. It's possible to switchmove those EVs into HP as Joltik misses the 19 HP stat which minimizes Life Orb recoil, but ithey won't make any difference in survivability because of such recoil. This itemA Life Orb is needed for this set, (AC) as it adds power to all of Joltik's attacks. Eviolite, however, is another option to help Joltik boost up in front of threats it can't scare out, (AC) but the damage output won't be enough to secure many OHKOs, (AC) such as the onese on non-Eviolite Mienfoo, Pawniard, Houndour, and Dwebble. A Timid nature ishould also be dismissed even though it allows Joltik to outspeed Adamant Drilbur in the sand and Naughty Drifloon after a boost. Drifloon will easily defeat non-boosted Joltik if Unburden has been activated, bu; if it is defeated bn't, (AC) it has to be wary of Joltik's Thunderbolt if it isn't. Drilbur, on the other hand, alreadyhas to take a major risks a switching in due to Joltik's Life Orb-boosted Giga Drain, (AC) which can potentially OHKO it, making Timid an inferior option. Unnerve is the ability of choice, (AC) as Compoundeyes is nearly useless, and Joltik's frailty andin addition to Life Orb recoil means that Swarm will give a one-time boost to Bug Buzz and then Joltik will die, making it a lessn inferior option. Unnerve, however, will prevent the odd Oran Berry users, such as Dwebble andor Recycle Bronzor, from stalling out Joltik.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are good partners. Drilbur, Staryu, and Tentacool are excellent choices and they, (AC) haveing good defensive synergy with Joltik. Entry hazard setters are also a great option because they allow Joltik to secure many OHKOs on threats such as Eviolite Drilbur, bulky Houndour, Murkrow, Vullaby, and Slowpoke. Dwebble and Ferroseed are gooalso solid partners, (AC) as they can lay both Stealth Rock and Spikes. Dwebble can act as a suicide lead on hyper offensive teams, (AC) while Ferroseed can defeat opposing Rapid Spin users. Bulky Ghost-type partners, (AC) such as Misdreavus, (AC) can also help within keeping entry hazards up. Golett can set up Stealth Rock and defeat common Joltik counters, most notably Magnemite and Numel; Joltik, in turn, can easily beat the Water- and Grass-types trying tohat can stop Golett. It can also defeat Natu so ithat Golett won't have to worry about its Stealth Rock being bounce hazards back. Set Creating set(remove space)up opportunities areis needed asfor Joltik to succeed, (AC) as it is very frail. Memento Diglett can provide such opportunities and wear down special walls and Rock-types under sand with its own Life Orb-boosted attacks. Joltik's coverage and Speed makes it a good Nasty Plot recipient through Baton Pass. Mime Jr. can use Encore on a weak attack, use Nasty Plot, and then Baton Pass the boost allowing Joltik to more easily sweep through the opposing team.</p>

<p>Hard-hitting offensive partners can overwhelm the opposing team so Joltik can clean up afterwards. Bulky Chinchou can form a dual STABevastating offensive combinationre with it, (AC) as it attracts Joltik's counters and can weaken them enough for Joltik to defeat them. Houndour is also a nice option as it can, (AC) being able to take out Bronzor and Magnemite; it can also boost up itstake advantage of the Fire-type attacks with Flash Fire as Joltik lures in opposingwith Flash Fire-type attacks. Ponyta can defeat Magnemite and it also comes in oncripple physical priority users and can burn them with Flame Body. Roost Archen is also a very good offensive partner, (AC) as it has a high Attack stat and can debithus obliterate walls. Heavy hitters such as Nasty Plot Misdreavus, Dragon Dance Scraggy, and Life Orb Murkrow can also debilitateweaken teams enough so Joltik can switch in, boost up, (AC) and sweep through the opposing team. Joltik can also act in revertka switch roles with many of these Pokemon by weakening walls so those Pokemonother can finish them off.</p>

<p>Oddly enough, Electro Ball is a decent option over Thunderbolt, (AC) as it can reach 150 Base Power against slow threats such as Slowpoke and Munchlax. However, it isn't useful against Joltik's common counters, (AC) as they are not OHKOed. Energy Ball is a similar case becausince it always gets a OHKO againstes Life Orb Drilbur, something Giga Drain fails to do sometimes.</p>

[SET]
name: Eviolite
move 1: Thunderbolt / Discharge
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Thunder Wave / Volt Switch
item: Eviolite
ability: Unnerve / Swarm
nature: Impish
evs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpA / 116 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
(add line break)
<p>Joltik's typing leaves it with only two fairly uncommon weaknesses: &mdash;Fire and Rock&mdash;that are both fairly uncommon. This,(RC) coupled with its good resistances to Fighting and Grass,(RC) makes Joltik a viable user of a bulky set. With its goodecent offensive coverage, Joltik plays an important role on balanced teams. Thunderbolt and Bug Buzz are reliable STABs andthat have a small chance of paralyzing the opponent or lowering their Special Defense, respuseful secondary effectivelys. Discharge is a good option over Thunderbolt, (AC) as this set is meant to slowly wear down the opposing teams, (AC) and Discharge can spread paralysis on fast threats like, (AC) such as Misdreavus orand Murkrow. Giga Drain rounds off Joltik's coverage and provides much-(add hyphen)needed recovery. In the last slot, Thunder Wave can be used to guarantee paralysis on nopponents that aren't Ground-type opponents. Volt Switch, however, provides a scouting move and works well if Discharge is used.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
(add line break)
<p>The EV spread gives Joltik a high and odd-numbered HP to minimize damage from Stealth Rock. The defensive spread with a Bold Nature is useful for switch into Fighting-type attacks. It also gives Joltik tha chance possibility to survive two Brave Birds from Murkrow and retaliate with an Electric-type attack. Special Defense investment provides Joltik the chance ofability to switching into Grass-type attacks, while the Special Attack EVs boost its offensive presence. Modest is an option to deal more damage, as is Calm to balance its defenses, but those natures won't make any notable difference in damage dealt or given as, (AC) while the listed Bold nature will withsignificantly help in taking physical attacks. AnyEither of the two listed abilities can be used, (AC) as both are equally situational. Oran Berry users are odduncommon, (AC) so Unnerve won't be helping too much, (AC) and getting into Swarm range would only slightly boost Bug Buzz, (AC) which won't be enough because this set lacks power. This set is very versatile as it can run many filhas many other possibler moves in the last slot choices, such as Disable and Sucker Punch, but paralysis and scouting are usually superior opto situationsal extra threat coverage.</p>

<p>Having a Rapid Spin user is are mandatory. Drilbur can set hazards up Stealth Rock, (AC) while Staryu's sSpeed and offenses canenable it to revenge kill threats weakened by Joltik. Tentacool has high Special Defense, allowing it to tank special attacks aimed at Joltik,; can spread Toxic to wear down Sspecial walls like, (AC) such as Lileep and Porygon; and use Knock Off to get rid of Eviolite. Water- and Ground-type pPokemon in general can help Joltik defeat Numel and Magnemite, two common Joltik counters for Joltik. Chinchou and Golett can defeat said counters one-on-one, (AC) so they are the top choices for teammates. Knock Off users can help Joltik into wearing the opponent down and benefit from the paralysis spread by Joltik, (AC) as they are slow and durable. Mienfoo can threaten special walls with its Fighting-type STAB and, (AC) while Vullaby can also carry Taunt to stop recovery moves I'd add something along the lines of "and thus enhance the effectiveness of entry hazards set up by Joltik's teammates" but it's not required. As this set causes a lot of switches, entry hazard setters are good partners: Dwebble can defeat Fire-type Pokemon and set up Stealth Rock and Spikes at the same time. Defensive Steel-types are difficult to handle for Joltik, so bulky Magnemite makes for a very good partner as it can t. (merge paragrap and kill them.</p>

<p>
hs) As Joltik can switch into Fighting-types and deal heavy damage to them, Pokemon that benefit from seeing them gone or weakened are good partners. Swords Dance Pawniard, Curse Lickitung, Rock Polish Cranidos, and Nasty Plot Zorua are good partners so they can sweep once opposing Fighting-types are gme decent examples of such Pokemone.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Joltik has a versatilwide movepool, allowing it to run many different sets. A strategyet with Substitute and three attacks coupled with Swarm and a pinch Berriesy can theoretically be devastating, but it is hard to pull off, (AC) as Joltik's Speed is not enough against common threats such as Misdreavus orand Murkrow whothat won't switch out from it. A set running Substitute and Disable is very useful, (AC) as most Pokemon carry only one super effective move to hit Joltik with. However, Gastly outclasses it as in this role, (AC) sportsing superior Speed and two useful immunities to make better use of a set like this strategyone. As surprising as it can be, Joltik, unlike most Electric-types, has a wide physical movepool, (AC) including X-Scissor, Wild Charge, Sucker Punch, and other coverage options, (AC) but Joltik should make use of its superior Special Attack, as it won't hit hard enough even with a powerful priority.</p>

<p>Energy Ball is an option over Giga Drain on every set, but the increase in power is almost non-existent and Giga Drain is more useful because of the recovery. Hidden Power Ice can be used as a coverage option to get the classic BoltBeam combo, but it is redundant with its STAB and a neutral STAB Bug Buzz i(AC) as only slightly weaker than a Super Effective Hidden Power Ice, and there aren't any 4x Ice-weak Pokemon in Little Cup for it to see use. Hidden Power Ground retains coverage on Chinchou while scoring surprise hits on Magnemite, Numel, and other Fire- and Rock-types. However, Ground-type Pokemon, most notably Drilbur, will be harder to defeat. Charge Beam is an option when coupled with Agility, but Joltik is frail and won't last enough to boost to apropriate levels. Electroweb can force switches and slow down faster threats such as Murkrow and Misdreavus, but it's hard to find a spot on the sets and Thunder Wave's paralysis will last longer with even bett power effects. Pursuit can make Joltik a good Ghost-type counter, but none of them will switch out of Joltik except for Frillish who is hit harder by Thunderbolt. Gastro Acid is a fun option to neutralize abilities such as Mienfoo's Regenerator, Murkrow's and Riolu's Prankster, and Chinchou's Volt Absorb, but Joltik should stick to attacking those threats as it doesn't have the bulk to make good use of the move.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Stealth Rock is the most prominent enemyobstacle for any Bug-type, and Joltik is no exception as it will take heavy damage each time it switches in with them on the field. If Stealth Rock is not present, the best counter for Joltik is Magnemite asdue to its resists every move except for the rare Hidden Power Groundances to all of its common attacks and can hit Joltik back with Hidden Power Fire for super effective damage. Speaking of fthe Fire-type, any Fire-type can deal with Joltik, (AC) but most of them are frail and wocan't be happcomfortably to receivake a Modest Life Orb-boosted Thunderbolt. However, Numel won't mind any of Joltik's attacks and can use it as set-up bait. Rock-types under Sandstorm can survive Giga Drain and send Joltik packing. Lileep is hit hard by Bug Buzz, but it willdoes survive and can retaliate with Toxic or an attacking move. A Fighting-types that running the odd a Rock-type coverage moves can decimate Joltik and score a surprise KOs on it while Joltik it's trying to check ithem.</p>

<p>Oddly enough, Joltik can't defeat Murkrow, (AC) as it will either be heavily damaged by Brave Bird or outright KOed by Heat Wave, meaning it loses no matter what the scenario. Choice Scarf Murkrow stands out, (AC) being as itble to outspeeds the standard Choice Scarf set and carriesying Heat Wave. In fact, every Choice Scarf user thabove t hits at least 167 Speed tier, (AC) such as Gastly, (AC) can outspeed and defeat the Choice Scarf set, (AC) as it is very frail. However, this set is the most difficult to counter because it can survives most priority attacks and will usually switch out after scoring a KO. If those counters are down, Misdreavus is bulky enough to survive any hit and can wear Joltik down until it's defeated. Along those lines, premierecommon special walls, (AC) such as Porygon, Lickitung, and Munchlax w, (AC) don't mind any of Joltik's attacks and will justcan stall out Life Orb damage or booset up on it. Phazers and Clear Smog users can deletremove its Agility boosts, (AC) as most of them are bulky enough to survive its hitattacks. If you are not running any of those, paralysis will defeatis generally the purpose of the set:best way to handle it, with Prankster Murkrow and Prankster Cottonee willbeing able to bypass its heightened Speed and proceed to paralyze it, though they cannotare unable to switch into Joltik as it has a super effective move for both of them. Even if thateasily. If all else fails, Joltik is very's frailty and its lack of reliable recovery mean it will be its doinevitably fall at some point in the battle.</p>

[Overview]

<p>As the smallest Pokemon in existence, Joltik is often overlooked in favor of bigger, tougher-looking choices like Magnemite, Chinchou, and Larvesta. As a matter of fact, Joltik is sometimes outclassed by them as an offensive threat, as it doesn't have the same offensive presence or durability. Although, Joltik does have three key redeeming qualities: its typing, movepool, and awesome cuteness. Bug / Electric typing is a blessing in the current metagame. Like Magnemite, Joltik can threaten Water- and Flying-type opponents. However, unlike Magnemite, it sports a valuable resistance to Fighting-type moves. Joltik can also single-handedly defeat almost all Grass-type threats in the tier, such as Foongus and Shroomish&mdash;Pokemon that Chinchou struggles with. Larvesta, meanwhile, can only dream of having the Speed and movepool Joltik does.</p>

<p>However, Joltik still struggles to find a place in many teams, as it's not powerful enough to sweep teams on its own and its near-useless abilities give it a difficult time shining. While it doesn't have a crippling quadruple weakness to Stealth Rock like Larvesta, it still should have a Rapid Spin user as a teammate, as its frailness and reliance on offensive items won't let it last long enough. Joltik's ability to hit almost all of the tier neutrally gives it an incredibly useful niche on hyper offensive teams. All in all, with Joltik's attractive qualities, it shouldn't be treated as just a cute bug.</p>


[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Volt Switch
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Swarm
nature: Modest
evs: 36 Def / 220 SpA / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik can use its great typing, access to Volt Switch, and decent Speed to fulfill a classic scout role. STAB Volt Switch is the main attacking option, as it will hit hard while keeping momentum on your side. Thunderbolt is a more powerful option, hitting many threats harder while having a chance of paralysis. Although, in most cases, Bug Buzz is a more reliable STAB move as nothing is immune to it and hits Grass-types trying to tank Joltik's Electric attacks for super effective damage. Giga Drain is the main selling point of Joltik, 9AC) as it lets it hit Pokemon immune to Electric-type moves, such as Ground-types and Chinchou, for super effective damage. It even gives Joltik some nice recovery, which it appreciates because of its frailness.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>With the listed EV spread, Joltik can also work as an effective revenge killer, as it hits 16 Speed, which, when coupled with a Choice Scarf, lets it outspeed the whole unboosted metagame and common Pokemon at +1 such as Scraggy, Snover, Dratini, and Axew. It also maximizes damage output when running a Modest nature. The small investment in Defense lets Joltik better handle most common priority attacks, such as Murkrow's Sucker Punch and Tirtouga's Aqua Jet. The only specially-based priority move, Vacuum Wave, deals little damage thanks to Joltik's Bug typing. Joltik can run a Timid nature to avoid Speed ties against common Choice Scarf users, such as Adamant Mienfoo, Modest Chinchou, Cranidos, and Larvesta; however, the loss of power is very noticeable and Joltik has trouble against all of them either way.</p>

<p>Swarm is the ability of choice, as without HP investment switching into Stealth Rock four times will give Bug Buzz a much-needed boost. Although it could be seen as contradictory when running Giga Drain, the other abilities are less useful. Unnerve could be used, but Oran Berry is rare and Joltik shouldn't be staying in against Dwebble, the most common user of it. Compoundeyes is even more situational, as all of the listed moves have perfect accuracy, so it would only be helpful against Sand Veil and Snow Cloak users, but neither ability is used enough to warrant Compoundeyes.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are the best teammates for Joltik, as entry hazards heavily limit its switch-ins. Drilbur is the best choice, boasting the ability to set up Stealth Rock on the opponent's side as well, allowing Joltik to take better advantage of the numerous switches it forces. As this set is intended to support the team and not the other way around, it can fit into most teams. Unlike most other Electric-types, however, Joltik cannot defeat Murkrow without team support, so Roost Archen and Tirtouga make excellent partners. Archen can also form a VoltTurn core with Joltik; just note that the stacked Rock-type weaknesses make a Rapid Spin user [mandatory / compulsory]. Mienfoo can also form a VoltTurn core with Joltik due to its great defensive synergy, resisting Rock-type attacks. Defensive Pokemon such as Porygon, Munchlax, and Lickitung can tank most hits and recover their health. Magnemite, the only Pokemon in the tier that resists every attack on this set, can also switch into Joltik without fear. Additionally, Fighting-type attackers, such as Timburr and Mienfoo, can defeat all of the Pokemon mentioned above. Bulky Misdreavus only resists Bug Buzz, but it won't be bothered by Joltik's other attacks, so a Pokemon that can handle Ghost-types, such as Stunky, Houndour, or Vullaby is appreciated. Payback Timburr and bulky Croagunk can also defeat Misdreavus while retaining the ability to hit defensive walls, so they make great Joltik partners.</p>

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Thunderbolt
move 3: Bug Buzz
move 4: Giga Drain
item: Life Orb / Eviolite
ability: Unnerve
nature: Modest
evs: 36 Def / 220 SpA / 236 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik's speed and access to Agility make it a formidable late-game cleaner. Hyper offensive teams will appreciate this Joltik's ability to clean up weakened teams. This set aims to boost up with Agility when the opponent switches to a Ground-type or Chinchou in an attempt to absorb a Volt Switch. With a boost under its belt, Joltik can attack with Bug Buzz, Thunderbolt, or Giga Drain. Bug Buzz will be the most-used STAB, as nothing is immune to it and it has a handy Special Defense drop chance, which can turn the tides of a tight match. Thunderbolt is the strongest STAB in Joltik's movepool and hits Fighting- and Flying-type opponents, which resist Bug Buzz, hard. Giga Drain allows Joltik to defeat all Ground-types except for Numel and gives it a little recovery so it can last longer.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread and nature aim to maximize damage output. Defense EVs are useful to defend Joltik from priority. It's possible to move those EVs to HP, but they won't make any difference in survivability because of such recoil. A Life Orb is needed for this set, as it adds power to all of Joltik's attacks. Eviolite, however, is another option to help Joltik boost up in front of threats it can't scare out, but the damage output won't be enough to secure many OHKOs, such as the ones on non-Eviolite Mienfoo, Pawniard, Houndour, and Dwebble. A Timid nature should also be dismissed even though it allows Joltik to outspeed Adamant Drilbur in the sand and Naughty Drifloon after a boost. Drifloon will easily defeat non-boosted Joltik if Unburden has been activated; if it isn't, it has to be wary of Joltik's Thunderbolt. Drilbur, on the other hand, has to take a major risk switching in due to Joltik's Life Orb-boosted Giga Drain, which can potentially OHKO it, making Timid an inferior option. Unnerve is the ability of choice, as Compoundeyes is nearly useless, and Joltik's frailty in addition to Life Orb recoil means that Swarm will give a one-time boost to Bug Buzz and then Joltik will die, making it an inferior option. Unnerve, however, will prevent the odd Oran Berry user, such as Dwebble or Recycle Bronzor, from stalling out Joltik.</p>

<p>Rapid Spin users are good partners. Drilbur, Staryu, and Tentacool are excellent choices, having good defensive synergy with Joltik. Entry hazard setters are also a great option because they allow Joltik to secure OHKOs on threats such as Eviolite Drilbur, bulky Houndour, Murkrow, Vullaby, and Slowpoke. Dwebble and Ferroseed are also solid partners, as they can lay both Stealth Rock and Spikes. Dwebble can act as a suicide lead on hyper offensive teams, while Ferroseed can defeat opposing Rapid Spin users. Bulky Ghost-type partners, such as Misdreavus, can also help in keeping entry hazards up. Golett can set up Stealth Rock and defeat common Joltik counters, most notably Magnemite and Numel; Joltik, in turn, can easily beat the Water- and Grass-types that can stop Golett. It can also defeat Natu so that Golett won't have to worry about its Stealth Rock being bounced back. Creating set(remove space)up opportunities is needed for Joltik to succeed, as it is very frail. Memento Diglett can provide such opportunities and wear down special walls and Rock-types under sand with its own Life Orb-boosted attacks. Joltik's coverage and Speed make it a good Nasty Plot recipient through Baton Pass. Mime Jr. can use Encore on a weak attack, use Nasty Plot, and then Baton Pass the boost allowing Joltik to more easily sweep through the opposing team.</p>

<p>Hard-hitting offensive partners can overwhelm the opposing team so Joltik can clean up afterwards. Bulky Chinchou can form a devastating offensive core with it, as it attracts Joltik's counters and can weaken them enough for Joltik to defeat them. Houndour is also a nice option, being able to take out Bronzor and Magnemite; it can also take advantage of the Fire-type attacks Joltik lures with Flash Fire. Ponyta can defeat Magnemite and cripple physical priority users with Flame Body. Roost Archen is also a very good offensive partner, as it has a high Attack stat and can thus obliterate walls. Heavy hitters such as Nasty Plot Misdreavus, Dragon Dance Scraggy, and Life Orb Murkrow can also weaken teams enough so Joltik can switch in, boost up, and sweep through the opposing team. Joltik can also tka switch roles with many of these Pokemon by weakening walls so the other can finish them off.</p>

<p>Electro Ball is a decent option over Thunderbolt, as it can reach 150 Base Power against slow threats such as Slowpoke and Munchlax. However, it isn't useful against Joltik's common counters, as they are not OHKOed. Energy Ball is a similar case because it always OHKOes Life Orb Drilbur, something Giga Drain fails to do sometimes.</p>

[SET]
name: Eviolite
move 1: Thunderbolt / Discharge
move 2: Bug Buzz
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Thunder Wave / Volt Switch
item: Eviolite
ability: Unnerve / Swarm
nature: Impish
evs: 116 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpA / 116 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>Joltik's typing leaves it with only two weaknesses&mdash;Fire and Rock&mdash;that are both fairly uncommon. This coupled with its good resistances to Fighting and Grass makes Joltik a viable user of a bulky set. With its decent offensive coverage, Joltik plays an important role on balanced teams. Thunderbolt and Bug Buzz are reliable STABs that have useful secondary effects. Discharge is a good option over Thunderbolt, as this set is meant to slowly wear down the opposing team, and Discharge can spread paralysis on fast threats, such as Misdreavus and Murkrow. Giga Drain rounds off Joltik's coverage and provides much-needed recovery. In the last slot, Thunder Wave can be used to guarantee paralysis on opponents that aren't Ground-type. Volt Switch, however, provides a scouting move and works well if Discharge is used.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
(add line break)
<p>The EV spread gives Joltik a high and odd-numbered HP to minimize damage from Stealth Rock. The defensive spread with a Bold Nature is useful for switch into Fighting-type attacks. It also gives Joltik a chance to survive two Brave Birds from Murkrow and retaliate with an Electric-type attack. Special Defense investment provides Joltik the ability to switching into Grass-type attacks, while the Special Attack EVs boost its offensive presence. Modest is an option to deal more damage, as is Calm to balance its defenses, but those natures won't make any notable difference in damage dealt or given, while the listed Bold nature will significantly help in taking physical attacks. Either of the two listed abilities can be used, as both are equally situational. Oran Berry users are uncommon, so Unnerve won't be helping too much, and getting into Swarm range would only slightly boost Bug Buzz, which won't be enough because this set lacks power. This set has many other possible move choices, such as Disable and Sucker Punch, but paralysis and scouting are usually superior to situational extra threat coverage.</p>

<p>Having a Rapid Spin user is mandatory. Drilbur can set up Stealth Rock, while Staryu's Speed and offenses enable it to revenge kill threats weakened by Joltik. Tentacool has high Special Defense, allowing it to tank special attacks aimed at Joltik; can spread Toxic to wear down special walls, such as Lileep and Porygon; and use Knock Off to get rid of Eviolite. Water- and Ground-type Pokemon in general can help Joltik defeat Numel and Magnemite, two common Joltik counters. Chinchou and Golett can defeat said counters one-on-one, so they are the top choices for teammates. Knock Off users can help Joltik into wearing the opponent down and benefit from the paralysis spread by Joltik, as they are slow and durable. Mienfoo can threaten special walls with its Fighting-type STAB, while Vullaby can carry Taunt to stop recovery moves I'd add something along the lines of "and thus enhance the effectiveness of entry hazards set up by Joltik's teammates" but it's not required. As this set causes a lot of switches, entry hazard setters are good partners: Dwebble can defeat Fire-type Pokemon and set up Stealth Rock and Spikes at the same time. Defensive Steel-types are difficult to handle for Joltik, so bulky Magnemite makes for a very good partner. (merge paragraphs) As Joltik can switch into Fighting-types and deal heavy damage to them, Pokemon that benefit from seeing them gone or weakened are good partners. Swords Dance Pawniard, Curse Lickitung, Rock Polish Cranidos, and Nasty Plot Zorua are some decent examples of such Pokemon.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Joltik has a wide movepool, allowing it to run many different sets. A set with Substitute and three attacks coupled with Swarm and a pinch Berry can theoretically be devastating, but it is hard to pull off, as Joltik's Speed is not enough against common threats such as Misdreavus and Murkrow that won't switch out from it. A set running Substitute and Disable is very useful, as most Pokemon carry only one super effective move to hit Joltik with. However, Gastly outclasses it in this role, sporting superior Speed and two useful immunities to make better use of a set like this one. As surprising as it can be, Joltik, unlike most Electric-types, has a wide physical movepool, including X-Scissor, Wild Charge, Sucker Punch, and other coverage options, but Joltik should make use of its superior Special Attack, as it won't hit hard enough even with a fairly powerful priority attack.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Stealth Rock is the most prominent obstacle for any Bug-type, and Joltik is no exception as it will take heavy damage each time it switches in with them on the field. If Stealth Rock is not present, the best counter for Joltik is Magnemite due to its resistances to all of its common attacks and can hit Joltik back with Hidden Power Fire for super effective damage. Speaking of the Fire-type, any Fire-type can deal with Joltik, but most of them are frail and can't comfortably take a Modest Life Orb-boosted Thunderbolt. However, Numel won't mind any of Joltik's attacks and can use it as setup bait. Rock-types under Sandstorm can survive Giga Drain and send Joltik packing. Lileep is hit hard by Bug Buzz, but it does survive and can retaliate with Toxic or an attacking move. A Fighting-type that run a Rock-type coverage move can decimate Joltik and score a surprise KO on it while Joltik is trying to check it.</p>

<p>Oddly enough, Joltik can't defeat Murkrow, as it will either be heavily damaged by Brave Bird or outright KOed by Heat Wave, meaning it loses no matter what the scenario. Choice Scarf Murkrow stands out, being able to outspeed the standard Choice Scarf set and carrying Heat Wave. In fact, every Choice Scarf user that hits at least 17 Speed, such as Gastly, can outspeed and defeat the Choice Scarf set, as it is very frail. However, this set is the most difficult to counter because it can survive most priority attacks and will usually switch out after scoring a KO. If those counters are down, Misdreavus is bulky enough to survive any hit and can wear Joltik down until it's defeated. Along those lines, common special walls, such as Porygon, Lickitung, and Munchlax, don't mind any of Joltik's attacks and can stall out Life Orb damage or set up on it. Phazers and Clear Smog users can remove its Agility boosts, as most of them are bulky enough to survive its attacks. If you are not running any of those, paralysis is generally the best way to handle it, with Prankster Murkrow and Cottonee being able to bypass its heightened Speed and proceed to paralyze it, though they are unable to switch into Joltik easily. If all else fails, Joltik's frailty and lack of recovery mean it will inevitably fall at some point in the battle.</p>


[gp]2/3[/gp]

Requesting a third GP check, as I don't feel comfortable with this going on-site yet due to the amount of changes I had to make. I'd also recommend someone else double checking the quality, as it also seemed off.
 
I was so right asking you for the check :). Thank you Jukain. I knew I had issues with commas but I never thought it was so bad :P.

Implemented, this needs another GP and another QC before going up.
 

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