Gen 1 From the Other Side - GyaraJolt [RBY OU]

Plague von Karma

Banned deucer.
This is what the cool kids do, right...right?
Heya, I'm here with my weird experiments again. I was teambuilding with Enigami in the RBY Community Discord when I was thinking about ways to use Lead Jolteon. Jolteon is a really odd lead in RBY OU that tends to get used alongside a Cloyster in the back, but I wanted to explore other options that could potentially work. Enigami dropped the idea of Gyarados as a meme, but when I actually tried it...it worked surprisingly well. I wouldn't say this is some major metagame discovery or even a staple, but this team seems to work well against MieDon and JoltCloy teams. Gyarados used to be popular prior to 2010, but dropped off a cliff thereafter. Regardless, it's nice to remind people of what this thing can do.

I also brought this team to two tour games: against emma in the RBY Winter Seasonal (games here and here), and against Alumn in Batzi's Premier League (game here, also called APL/Arrow's Premier League). I'm not sure if I did the hottest, especially against Alumn where I absolutely could have 2HKOed the Tauros with Gyarados but tried to predict Starmie...but it's still good enough, I suppose. I also have some test games against Oiseau Bleu and Inmundo here and here, respectively. Thanks to them all for dealing with my bullshit!

April 2nd Edit: I used this against LordThorx in RBYPL and it performed really well!

:gyarados:Teambuilding Process:jolteon:
:jolteon: So I was looking to get more experience with Lead Jolteon. Thus, it became the first pick on the team. Most teams pick their lead near the end of teambuilding, but context says "yeah let's go jolt". Oiseau Bleu pointed out an idea of using Starmie + Sing Chansey for a more flexible comp but I didn't like it due to this team's already pressing Zapdos/Jolteon weakness. Starmie can beat Zapdos, but it's still iffy, at least in my opinion.

:gyarados: Enigami dropped the idea of Gyarados being used. This is interesting since Gyarados helps Jolteon's ground weakness while absolutely destroying Rhydon. With Thunderbolt coverage on top of this, it becomes a nice breaker against a few of the standard teams. It's really not as bad as it looks, at least to me. Definitely an inconsistent one, though.

:chansey::snorlax::tauros: The 3 Normals. I initially went RefIB Chansey + BoomLax, but after some test games, I changed them to what you'll see in a bit. Tauros is obviously going to be here, nothing fancy. Need I say more?

:exeggutor: This team ended up needing a consistent sleeper as well as some backbone against Psychic-types. As a result, Exeggutor fits this team like a glove, I would never drop it on this team at all.

Anyway, onto the team, once again featuring some of the many sprites in my archives. I decided to go with nicknames based on Welsh heroes. I won't dwell on their history - this isn't the place for that - but by all means, look them up or DM me!

:gyarados:The Team:jolteon:
jolteon-trimmy.png

Llywelyn Fawr (Jolteon)
Ability: none
- Thunder Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Double Kick
- Rest​
Jolteon is this team's lead, an unconventional but effective choice for what it aspires to do. I chose Jolteon for its ability to almost always force out lead Starmie, which has been seeing quite a bit of usage lately, especially on JoltCloy teams that actually remember Zapdos exists before they load it. Being faster than most conventional leads, Jolteon gets near-guaranteed paralysis as well, which is massive in the long-run, as Gyarados will often find its way in to cleave something open early-game. I also wanted to use Exeggutor, as it synergizes with Jolteon and Gyarados well, and didn't want to risk the Jynx matchup more than I wanted to. Since Chansey often comes in on Jolteon turn 1, doubling to Exeggutor will often force the lead back in for sleep...if that's Starmie, that's a massive advantage right out the gate. I think this lead deserves a bit more credit, even though its matchups aren't the finest.

Many Lead Jolteons use Pin Missile and, frankly, I really don't like it. It helps against Jynx and Exeggutor, but it doesn't make a meaningful difference, at least for me. Most of the time where I used Pin Missile, I would have got more mileage off of paralysis, as it supports Gyarados and is (usually) permanent. Maybe I'm just not experienced enough, I'm not sure what the odds look like. There's also this team's big weakness to Zapdos to keep in mind, so having Rest ensures I can check it more consistently. So with Pin Missile off the table, I decided to take some hints from Jynx's strategy instead. If I choose to trade paralysis or take it at all, Jolteon can Rest up, thus nullifying the mileage they possibly got off of it. Plus, this gives the team some much-needed defensive backbone against Zapdos. It's difficult to wake up, but in the event of a Zapdos matchup, it's perfectly serviceable. Huh? What if I face a sleep lead? Well, I paralyze it and sack Jolteon. It's not the end of the world: if they try to bring in Tauros or Rhydon while I try to farm sleep turns, it's a perfect opening to double to Gyarados, as it wins against both of them from full HP.

Part of why the core works is Jolteon's extremely high Speed, forcing out all Water-types in the game. Normally, they go to Rhydon or Chansey, both of which are ripe for exploitation from Gyarados, at least if Chansey lacks Thunderbolt. Even in the case Rhydon comes in and I don't switch, it gets chipped by Double Kick and Gyarados still has a fair shot at coming in on Earthquake. However, I do have to be a bit wary of Body Slam and Rock Slide, so this isn't sprung on the opponent too soon: scouting for the Rhydon user's habits is essential. Against JoltCloy it depends on the lead, but they normally go to Chansey regardless, which Exeggutor covers, often forcing Chansey to go back to the lead and sack them to sleep: it's still a Gyarados win.

SW99 Gyarados Reconstructed.png

Owain Glyndŵr (Gyarados)
Ability: none
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
1614468122704.png
Here's the heat. I went with Hydro Pump over Surf, as it 2HKOes Tauros and 3HKOes Snorlax, which I absolutely adore. This gives Gyarados a very fair shot at beating Standard Tauros if the opponent tries to goad me into a mirror, provided it doesn't miss. Plus, a critical hit is sending that bull straight to Gen 8. Think Lapras before it started falling off. Do you see it? I hope you do, or I'll feel like a right pillock.

"But May, why use this when you can use Starmie?" glad you asked, voice in my head! Gyarados has some great physical attacking prowess backing it up, while also outspeeding Cloyster. These are two very nice points in its favour: scouting with Body Slam lets it punish Starmie, Hyper Beam lets it run over Alakazam and Chansey, all while outrunning Cloyster for a Thunderbolt 2HKO and anti-Clamp strategies. There is a very defined niche here: beating down Cloyster is extremely helpful, it has to hard switch to not take the chip, which is when Gyarados can start scouting with Body Slam. If Cloyster doesn't switch, it's running the risk of being paralyzed, making a Rest or Explosion much more likely short-term.

So when used alongside Jolteon, Gyarados is one of the best punishes to Rhydon, especially if it's overextending with Earthquake. Rhydon is forced out, that thing cannot stay in at all unless it wants to bank on a Hydro Pump miss...which it definitely can if it wants to win the Rock Slide lottery itself, it hits really hard. Thus, against a player that's shat their actual pants remembering that Gyarados exists, I can start scouting with Body Slam while dealing sizable chip damage. If Gyarados paralyzes something or gets a crit, this team gets into a very good position. Late-game, Hyper Beam sweeps are very plausible, and paralysis support isn't too necessary with that weird Speed stat.

Don't be afraid to switch to Jolteon when predicting a nasty switch-in; especially if it's Starmie, as that's the point of the core. If Starmie switches in, expect a BlizzBolt build and scout the Thunderbolt. Once that's shaken down, counterplay should become much easier alongside Exeggutor. You want to make that starfish as uncomfortable as possible (or ideally, sleep it in the opening). Remember that Gyarados can take a Thunderbolt from Starmie, it's one bulky motherfucker. All of this applies to Lapras only you need to be careful of Sing. You can replace Thunderbolt with Blizzard, as it gives this team a much better play against Exeggutor. I think it may be better, but I'm not sure...it needs testing. It's currently used so Gyarados can outright win against the various Water-types, as aforementioned.

Disclaimer: Before you start going into hype mode, I really don't think Gyarados would go beyond D Rank on the Viability Rankings. There are some team matchups where this thing is just dead in the water, like Gar+Birds and stuff like that. It really, really wants to fight standard "Something + Water" teams to do well. As a result, I think this core is mostly a counter-teaming strategy against people who play standard. Electrics - and coverage in general, frankly - are a massive pain in the ass, and with Jolteon gone, shit can really, really hit the fan.

exeggutor-trimmy.png

Dafydd ap Gwilym (Exeggutor)
Ability: none
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Double-Edge​
This team needed a sleeper, and Exeggutor was the best option, as I didn't need anything else to make the GyaraJolt core work. Don't underestimate this walking palm tree just because it's no longer in high society with the 3 Normal-types; as SPL has shown, it still kicks ass. Jolteon often attracts Chansey switch-ins on Turn 1, which Exeggutor will punish really hard with its slightly higher Speed and more consistent sleep. Oftentimes, this forces Chansey out...and sleep along with it. If fighting a LeadMie team (which is often how JoltCloy plays), this is amazing for Gyarados, as putting it out of commission leaves a gaping hole for my team to exploit. Plus, being able to explode on Chansey and muscle past Jynx with Double-Edge is a nice touch. Lastly, having an Electric resist other than Jolteon really helps keep the pressure off the team. People are in absolute cryostasis over Exeggutor right now, and let me tell you: people will be in for a rude awakening once SPL is over and they start looking back on it. It's had an incredible win rate despite the usage, and that's just great.

chansey-trimmy.png

Nest ferch Rhys (Chansey) (F)
Ability: none
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave​
In my quest for Chansey builds that aren't based around telling Snorlax to suck a fat one, I decided on...the standard BoltBeam set. Anti-climactic? Yeah. Gyarados takes some pressure off of Chansey, as it can beat standard EQLax sets pretty convincingly. You could say this makes Counter a good option, as it goads Snorlax into using Body Slam more, but BBChansey (as I will call it, shut up) has worked just fine and I haven't seen it as necessary. However, Gyarados also saddles Chansey with more pressure to beat the Recover Psychic-types, but at least it gets free paralysis in the event that they're forced to fight. I'd even argue this helps since it makes them much easier to defeat long-term.

snorlax-trimmy.png

Rhodri Mawr (Snorlax)
Ability: none
- Body Slam
- Reflect
- Rest
- Earthquake​
My Snorlax check is, of course, my own Reflect Snorlax. We all know what Reflect Snorlax does by now, so I won't dwell on that. I decided on Earthquake for the last slot for two reasons: checking for Counter Chansey, and holy shit this team does NOT deal with Gengar teams too well without it. The general playline is to paralyze the Gengar, take sleep, then have Snorlax send it to Cinnabar Island. If it explodes, Snorlax takes it well enough, so long as it isn't a critical hit or something. Why didn't I do this against Alumn? Well, I forgot! I did originally run Ice Beam to force out opposing Snorlax more consistently, but eh...that's what Gyarados is for.

tauros-trimmy.png

Brenin Arthur (Tauros) (M)
Ability: none
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake​
Tauros is the best revenge killer and sweeper so you're obligated to use it, yada yada yada, same shit different day. I'm using Earthquake so this team has another Gengar answer, which it otherwise struggles mightily against. Luckily, Gengar often kills itself before I end up getting to the point I have to use Tauros, so it's not the end of the world, I suppose. No need to deviate from the old standard when it works just fine, moving on.

:gyarados:Flaws:jolteon:
So this team does have some notable flaws that I'm looking to address. They're not that bad, it may just be my own incompetence.

:jynx: Lead Jynx puts this team in an odd spot, as I'll likely have to sack Jolteon for sleep. I suppose it isn't the end of the world either, but waking up Jolteon is infamously difficult in some matchups. I think the play is to paralyze Jynx and then BSlam+HB it with Gyarados? Or muscle past with DEdge Egg? I dunno man, the matchup is pretty weird and difficult to play around. Since Jynx MieDon is among the only cores left that I'd say are "good", this is the main hurdle the team has to go over. Jynx does die from Gyarados Hyper Beam after a Jolteon Thunderbolt, maybe that's the play!

:gengar: Gengar doesn't really mind much of my team, nothing beats it convincingly without paralysis. I'm currently reserved to using Earthquake Tauros/Snorlax and luring Explosion with Chansey. I suppose Jolteon can wall it as well as threaten with paralysis, but it's awkward. It should also be noted that Gyarados can 3HKO Gengar with Hydro Pump, so it can't repeatedly switch in there if it anticipates Body Slam. Gengar teams often bring Articuno and Zapdos, which this team has massive amounts of trouble beating as well, which is why I'm kind of scared of it.

:zapdos: Whoa, nelly. If Jolteon is incapacitated, then as implied when going over it, this bird is a demon. Gyarados can't do jack against this thing, Zapdos strides over to Exeggutor like "you dropped this king" and pecks it, and finally, it has a weird tendency to always crit my Chansey twice. You get the idea. If there's a Zapdos, all hands are on Jolteon: it has to win that electric mirror, which it absolutely can, it's just far from ideal. This plays into my issues with the Gar+Birds matchup: it's a big problem. This thing is lowkey stupid in the current metagame and people are juuuust starting to wake up.

:dragonite::victreebel: Not found the weird kid who uses VicNite on the ladder yet, but on paper, I'm not a fan of the matchup. A lot of pressure is on Snorlax/Chansey to score a miss and smack Dragonite out of the sky with Ice Beam. This is another reason I would use Blizzard on Gyarados, as it outspeeds Dragonite by a single point. Victreebel is significantly less of an issue, luckily, as paralysis just kind of kills the thing and we have Jolteon to come in on Wrap. These teams very frequently use Zapdos these days though, so I gotta keep my eyes open...this only puts more pressure on Jolteon, it's gotta stay alive.

:gyarados:Options:jolteon:
:gyarados: Gyarados can be fine-tuned to have Surf for consistency, but losing out on those KOs is big. In my opinion, the stupid strong Hydro Pump this thing has is its call to action for OU viability. You can run Blizzard over Thunderbolt for sure, as I write this it becomes much more appealing.

:chansey::snorlax: There's probably...what, 10 different Chansey/Snorlax combinations this team can use that I'm too stupid to figure out. I don't think I've drawn out their full potential yet at all, especially Chansey. It's a weird situation, I'm not used to building for team compositions like these. I've currently built the two around taking advantage of the openings Gyarados gives against The Big 3, but maybe we can go further.

:starmie::alakazam: Oiseau Bleu proposed using a different lead, which I can definitely see, but it's a case of what I would use in this case. It could follow the direction of my Kingler team where I went with Gengar, but eh, I don't see it working the same way. Nothing else really fills the same hole as Exeggutor, except maybe Alakazam. Here's a Sing Chansey + Alakazam version that I cooked up as an alternative, but it doesn't force out LeadMie anywhere near as convincingly as Jolteon does.

:gyarados:Special Thanks:jolteon:
These players helped me figure out the general objective of this team, and some provided test games to iron out some flaws.

Pokepaste for Zoomers
Jolteon
Ability: none
- Thunder Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Double Kick
- Rest

Gyarados
Ability: none
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam

Exeggutor
Ability: none
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Explosion
- Double-Edge

Chansey (F)
Ability: none
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave

Snorlax
Ability: none
- Body Slam
- Reflect
- Rest
- Earthquake

Tauros (M)
Ability: none
- Body Slam
- Hyper Beam
- Blizzard
- Earthquake
 
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Hey cool team, I've run similar stuff in the past, and lead Jolteon can really put in some work. I just want to warn you though that once most Rhydons scare out an electric type on the switch, they're not going to use Earthquake. Much more often, they are going to either Rock Slide, Body Slam, or Sub, none of which are good for Gyara, and why the fast Electric leads are unfortunately very inconsistent: Rhydon is an absolute beast if you give it free turns. I think there's definitely some merit to the idea of running a different lead, as Jolteon can be super potent mid- and late-game with Rock types out of the way, though I'm not sure about lead alternatives. Really cool team overall, best of luck with it.
 

Plague von Karma

Banned deucer.
I just want to warn you though that once most Rhydons scare out an electric type on the switch, they're not going to use Earthquake. Much more often, they are going to either Rock Slide, Body Slam, or Sub, none of which are good for Gyara, and why the fast Electric leads are unfortunately very inconsistent: Rhydon is an absolute beast if you give it free turns.
I go over this already;
However, I do have to be a bit wary of Body Slam and Rock Slide, so this isn't sprung on the opponent too soon: scouting for the Rhydon user's habits is essential.
Rhydon obviously won't click Earthquake every time, it's scouting with Body Slam to paralyze a switch-in and dunk on it. It's about predicting Rhydon coming in and doubling to Gyarados, in which the Rhydon player is put into an extremely bad situation. This is obviously quite ad hoc, but it's one of the many ways the core forces MieDon into uncomfortable positions. It's not like I can't risk Body Slam either, as Body Slam -> Rock Slide from Rhydon fails to KO, making paralysis worth the risk. If Rhydon does come in without Gyarados active, chances are I'm going to Snorlax or Tauros first, the latter of which works well if I predict Body Slam. Even if Rhydon gets a good roll and puts Tauros into single slam -> HB range, the mirror remains volatile and Gyarados wins the mirror, so it's still a fair situation for the team. Rhydon is naturally a difficult Pokemon to switch into, it's all about the context.
 
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