Dog
LucaroarkZ's skeleton
[Overview]
<p>Arguably the most effective of Eevee's myriad evolutionary paths, Jolteon possesses a blistering Speed stat of 130, giving it a distinct advantage in the OU metagame by allowing it to run circles around every unboosted Pokemon. Jolteon's 110 base Special Attack and access to STAB Thunder make it a powerhouse in the rain, and Volt Switch makes it easy to keep up the momentum that Jolteon's speed creates by coming into key threats, such as Keldeo, Thundurus-T, and Starmie. On top of all that, Jolteon's ability, Volt Absorb, makes it easy for it to absorb Thunders and Volt Switches from the opposing team.</p>
<p>That said, Jolteon isn't without its flaws. While Jolteon's Thunder gives it plenty of offensive presence, its coverage moves are weak and few in number, making it tough for Jolteon to take on the increasingly common Electric resistances that Thunder's power is forcing into the forefront. Furthermore, Jolteon has defenses resembling a wet paper bag, and while it can absorb a Thunder or Volt Switch, one wrong prediction could lead to a whole lot of pain and a useless Jolteon. Jolteon also struggles against common threats, such as Ferrothorn and Hippowdon, which stop it from spamming its powerful STABs. Like it wasn't enough, the dog also faces heavy competition from Thundurus-T, and the only advantages Jolteon has over it are a better Speed stat and no Stealth Rock weakness. Finally, Choice Scarf makes it easy to find a Pokemon capable of outspeeding Jolteon, making sweeps unlikely. Still, Jolteon has a combination of speed and power that lets it take on some of OU's more prominent threats, and while it's not a Pokemon for every team, it brings plenty to the table.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Thunder / Thunderbolt
move 2: Volt Switch
move 3: Signal Beam
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Specs / Life Orb
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>If you are looking for something fast and powerful, you should look no further. Jolteon's blazing Speed, which allows it to outspeed common +1 threats such as Dragonite, coupled with a great Special Attack stat turns this dog into a threatening revenge killer and cleaner in OU. Although it has a hard time switching in, when it gets to the battlefield it dishes out substantial damage to almost everything in the tier.</p>
<p>Thunder is Jolteon's main STAB move, hitting everything that doesn't resist it for great damage and easily sweeping late-game. If not running Jolteon under rain, Thunderbolt should be used, as the consistency it provides is more important than the power of Thunder. Volt Switch is a great move as it gives momentum to your team while dealing good damage. Signal Beam is a great coverage move that hits Celebi, Abomasnow, and Tyranitar harder than anything else and also hits Psychic-types, such as Reuniclus, for super effective damage. Hidden Power Ice completes the set as a nice option to hit common Ground-types, such as Hippowdon and Landorus, as well as Dragon-types, such as Garchomp and Dragonite. </p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are simple, maximizing Speed and Special Attack. The item choice, however, is tough. Jolteon can use Choice Specs for the amazing power it provides, but it can also go for Life Orb to avoid being locked into one move. Shadow Ball can be used over Signal Beam to increase the chance of getting a 2HKO on Deoxys-D while also hitting Ghost-types, such as Gengar, super effectively, but this will leave you weak to Tyranitar, Celebi, and Abomasnow. Jolteon can also run Hidden Power Grass to hit Gastrodon, Mamoswine, and Quagsire while maintaining coverage against Ground-types, but threats such as Landorus, Garchomp, Gliscor, and Dragonite are more important. Another option is running Baton Pass over Volt Switch to avoid being Pursuit trapped by Tyranitar and to avoid being blocked by Ground-types, but the damage output of Volt Switch makes it generally superior.</p>
<p>Jolteon is best paired with a Water-type Pokemon. Gyarados and Politoed are great teammates, as the former attracts Electric-type attacks, which Jolteon can switch into, while the latter also provides eternal rain, allowing Jolteon to run Thunder instead of Thunderbolt. Water-types can also switch into common Ground-types, such as Hippowdon, that otherwise give Jolteon trouble. Fighting-types are also good teammates because they can easily defeat Chansey, Blissey, and Ferrothorn. Some nice examples are Breloom and Lucario, the former also being able to defeat Gastrodon. U-turn users such as Landorus-T and Scizor are also great partners because they form a VoltTurn core with Jolteon. Landorus-T is also immune to Jolteon's only weakness.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Baton Pass
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Baton Pass
move 3: Thunder / Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Leftovers / Life Orb
ability: Volt Absorb
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Jolteon is a Pokemon that forces lots of switches, so using Substitute is a nice option to ease prediction. Jolteon can easily pass Substitutes due to its amazing Speed stat and nice immunity to Electric-type moves. If Jolteon finds itself against one of its common counters, it can simply pass its Substitute to a teammate with a more suitable matchup. Despite resorting to only two attacking moves in Thunder and Hidden Power Ice, Jolteon still has great coverage, resisted only by Magnezone and Mamoswine in OU. Thunderbolt, however, should be selected over Thunder when Jolteon is not paired with rain support. This set's biggest advantage over the special attacker is its ability to maintain momentum without risking Volt Switch being blocked by a Ground-type Pokemon. You should be aware that because of Jolteon's frailty, once the opponent discovers this set, it will get a lot harder to set up with it.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Leftovers increases longevity but forgoes power, while Life Orb is the other way around. Expert Belt is another option that increases power output without Life Orb's recoil and can also fake a Choice Specs, but as Expert Belt only boosts damage on super effective hits, Life Orb's reliability is usually the better path. Zap Plate can also be used to raise your STAB move's power without resorting to Life Orb's recoil or Expert Belt's reliance on hitting super effectively.</p>
<p>Teammates that can take on common Jolteon switch-ins are great. Gyarados is for sure the best teammate for this set, as it can switch into Ground-types attacks aimed at Jolteon and also greatly appreciates being behind a Substitute. Lucario also works well because it can easily defeat Ferrothorn and Blissey, although other Fighting-types, such as Terrakion, are also great options. Pokemon that can set up on Ferrothorn are great. This includes Volcarona and Dragonite, both of which appreciate the ability to set up against common Jolteon counters without fearing status.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Jolteon's movepool is pretty bad, so it does not have many other options. Expert Belt is Jolteon's best bet at running a different item. While only boosting its attacks when hitting super effectively, Expert Belt can be used to fake a Choice item while hitting some threats hard. A Choice Scarf can also be used to outspeed every +1 threat in the tier, but Jolteon already has a blazing Speed stat and the lack of power will hold it back. Charge Beam and Work Up can be used to try a boosting sweeper role, but there are other Pokemon that do this better, such as Latias and Thundurus-T. Jolteon's Dream World ability, Quick Feet, is not bad, but having an Electric immunity is far more useful than an unreliable and unnecessary boost to Jolteon's Speed. Some other moves, such as Yawn, Wish, and Protect, can be used, but Jolteon can't afford to lose a coverage move to run them.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Blissey and Chansey are Jolteon's best counters, easily switching into anything it throws at them while recovering HP with Softboiled and Wish. Ferrothorn is also a great counter, as Jolteon can't do much to it while it sets up hazards. Mamoswine and Gastrodon don't fear Jolteon at all and can easily dispose of it with Earthquake, although they will have trouble if Jolteon is running Hidden Power Grass. Specially defensive Hippowdon takes little damage from anything Jolteon can throw at it and can KO back with Earthquake. Dugtrio can switch into Jolteon's STAB move and KO it with Earthquake, but Dugtrio is outsped, so make sure Jolteon is running Choice Specs. If Jolteon is locked into an Electric-type move, common Ground-types, such as Gliscor, Garchomp, and Landorus, can easily set up on it. Kyurem and Kyurem-B can also switch in on anything Jolteon throws at them and easily KO it back with the proper move. Since Jolteon is frail, it is easily felled by powerful priority moves, such as Breloom's Mach Punch and Dragonite's ExtremeSpeed. Choice Scarf users that outspeed Jolteon, such as Hydreigon and Salamence, can surprise the Lightning Pokemon and KO it with ease. In general, anything that can take a hit from Jolteon and hit it back with a STAB move will usually defeat it.</p>
