Metagame - SV OU Metagame Discussion v4 [OLT CYCLE 3] (2024)

Morkal said:

Jolteon
View attachment 648078

"Jolteon creates electricity using an organ in its lungs, which causes crackling noises as it exhales. It can also generate low-level electricity in its cells, which is amplified by the negative ions it gathers and generates in its fur, allowing it to discharge 10,000-volt lightning bolts." - Bulbapedia

See Also

Project - RarelyUsed Teambuilding Competition: week 23: AmoongussMetagame - SV OU Metagame Discussion v4 [OLT CYCLE 3]Gen 7 - Genesis Soup-ernova (Mew) [QC: 0/2]Metagame - SV OU Metagame Discussion v4 [OLT CYCLE 3]

"Hi everyone, sorry for the long absence. I can't be on as much as I used to be, but I figure that a new long-form analysis is quite overdue even if it's not as long as usual." - Morkal​

BASE STATS	BST: 525
HP: 65	240 - 334​
Attack: 65	121 - 251​
Defense: 60	112 - 240​
Sp. Atk: 110	202 - 350​
Sp. Def: 95	175 - 317​
Speed: 130	238 - 394​

Introduction​

Jolteon is... well he's Jolteon, he's part of that select group of Generation One Pokemon that even people who haven't touched a Pokemon game since 1995 know about even to this day. While Jolteon is beloved in the public eye, his performance in competitive singles took a nosedive starting with XY's OU metagame and things have not looked particularly good for him otherwise. However, Jolteon has been woefully underlooked in this generation despite having gained some incredible new traits along with deceptively favorable metagame conditions. Jolteon is an incredible choice for offensive teams in need of its particular talents.

Jolteon Summarization
This section contains a "TLDR" of Jolteon's key advantages in the SV DLC2 OU metagame for those who don't want to read through the long-form essay analysis.​

• Jolteon is one of the few Pokemon that (when terastallized) can completely wall Raging Bolt thanks to dual-STAB immunity from Tera Fairy and its ability Volt Absorb.
• Jolteon's incredible base 130 speed outpaces every single OU Pokemon except for Deoxys-Speed, Dragapult, and Zamazenta. This is critical as it's one of the few Pokemon that can outspeed blazing-fast Pokemon such as Darkrai and Weavile and threaten them.
• Jolteon's offensive role compression thanks to its speed, coverage, and solid base 110 Special Attack stat is incredible - allowing it to threaten key metagame threats such as Alomomola, Corviknight, Dondozo, Enamorus, Samurott-Hisui, and Skarmory.
• Jolteon's newfound access to Tera Fairy allows it to stay in on and threaten or outright KO multiple problematic threats such as Darkrai, Dragapult, Great Tusk, Iron Valiant, and Kyurem.
• Jolteon's newfound access to Alluring Voice as a Fairy-type coverage move allows it to bypass Substitute. Additionally, Jolteon's access to Weather Ball and STAB Thunder means that it's potent on Rain teams.
• Jolteon can fit on a variety of offensive teams thanks to having STAB Volt Switch to be a fast pivot, and it pairs quite well with metagame staples such as Swords Dance Gliscor, Landorus-Therian, Great Tusk, and Zamazenta.
• Jolteon's flexibility with Tera adds some newfound unpredictability to its game, as it can use Tera Ice to take on threats like Gliscor while it can use Tera Fighting to take on Kingambit and other specific threats.

Disclaimer: Jolteon is specifically meant for offensive teams in need of its specific talents; it does not fit well on more defensive builds, as the item choice it requires on those teams limits its power to levels that limit its usefulness. I very highly recommend checking out the wonderful SV OU Speed Tiers thread that Mada posted along with specific movesets for Jolteon's meta matchups. Also, this analysis will be smaller than my usual posts due to my slammed schedule + Jolteon's more narrow focus. So aspects such as defensive utility and teammates will be a brief overview.

View attachment 648082
Jolteon @ Expert Belt
Ability: Volt Absorb
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 SpA / 24 SpD / 232 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
-

Thunderbolt

/Thunder (For Rain Teams)
- Volt Switch
-

Shadow Ball

/Weather Ball (For Rain Teams)
- Tera Blast/

Alluring Voice

Special thanks to Bog Monster for reminding me that Alluring Voice is a great move that exists; that I blank-brained on for some reason, it's worth a slash-in here. Also special thanks to DaddyBuzzwole and Heatranator for talking through the benefits of Jolteon's access to Weather Ball alongside STAB Thunder on Rain teams.

Set Breakdown
View attachment 648091
​

This analysis will be comparatively shorter when compared to my other long-form analysis posts as this set is pretty straightforward. 232-speed EVs with a Timid nature puts Jolteon at 389, allowing it to outspeed neutral 252 EV +1 Dragonite, Hoopa-U, Mamoswine, and Blaziken who are locked at 388; this also keeps its speed advantage over threats like neutral 252 EV Dragapult and Timid/Jolly 252 EV Darkrai/Weavile. Special Attack requires the full 252 EV investment along with Expert Belt to hit specific damage benchmarks, while the extra EVs are put into Jolteon's workable base 95 Special Defense and can allow it to avoid the OHKO and 2HKO on some pretty gnarly moves in a pinch.

So what can Jolteon take on? Let's take a look at some of Jolteon's damage benchmarks with its two STAB moves - Thunderbolt and Tera Blast Fairy/Alluring Voice along with its coverage move Shadow Ball (we'll exclusively be focusing on Expert Belt-boosted attacks here).

Damage Thresholds
View attachment 648096
Jolteon - OHKO/OHKO chances

252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Alomomola: 583-686 (109.1 - 128.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Corviknight: 360-425 (90 - 106.2%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO

252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Darkrai: 305-360 (108.5 - 128.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Dondozo: 446-526 (88.4 - 104.3%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO

252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0- SpD Dragapult: 396-468 (124.9 - 147.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Dragapult: 355-420 (111.9 - 132.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Enamorus: 377-446 (130.4 - 154.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Thunderbolt vs. 244 HP / 16 SpD Tera Water Gliscor: 389-461 (110.5 - 130.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Great Tusk: 463-547 (106.6 - 126%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Iron Valiant: 425-499 (146.5 - 172%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. +1 4 HP / 0 SpD Iron Valiant: 283-334 (97.5 - 115.1%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kommo-o: 533-634 (183.1 - 217.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Meowscarada: 374-442 (127.6 - 150.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Moltres: 362-427 (94.5 - 111.4%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Roaring Moon: 552-653 (157.2 - 186%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Samurott-Hisui: 446-526 (138.9 - 163.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Samurott-Hisui: 396-468 (123.3 - 145.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Skarmory: 425-499 (127.2 - 149.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Skarmory: 326-389 (97.6 - 116.4%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO)

252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 12 HP / 0 SpD Walking Wake: 326-389 (95.3 - 113.7%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Weavile: 319-377 (113.5 - 134.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

View attachment 648096
Jolteon - 2HKO/2HKO chances

252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Multiscale Dragonite: 140-166 (43.3 - 51.3%) -- 5.9% chance to 2HKO
(If Dragonite is chipped, it's gone. 252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Dragonite: 281-331 (86.9 - 102.4%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO)

252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp: 324-382 (77.1 - 90.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gholdengo: 202-238 (64.1 - 75.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Gholdengo: 204-240 (53.9 - 63.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Hatterene: 182-216 (57.2 - 67.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Iron Boulder: 175-206 (54.5 - 64.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kyurem: 305-360 (78 - 92%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 8 SpD Primarina: 276-326 (75.8 - 89.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Thunderbolt vs. 80 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Primarina: 182-218 (56.6 - 67.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 64 HP / 0 SpD Raging Bolt: 310-367 (76.1 - 90.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Zamazenta: 247-295 (63.6 - 76%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

View attachment 648096
Jolteon - 3HKOs

252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Iron Crown: 118-139 (36.7 - 43.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Jolteon Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 240+ SpD Slowking-Galar: 127-151 (32.2 - 38.3%) -- 97.4% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Tera Fairy Jolteon Tera Blast (80 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Vessel of Ruin Ting-Lu: 175-209 (34 - 40.6%) -- 39.9% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

Additional Information + Conclusion
View attachment 648130
​

Jolteon has a phenomenal offensive presence on its team as you can see from the thresholds and unique threat combinations that it hits super effectively. Jolteon's minor Special Defense EVs allow it to perform feats such as avoiding an OHKO from Earth Power Kyurem pre-Tera and avoiding the 2HKO from Earth Power Kyurem post-tera. Jolteon partners exceptionally well with Zamazenta and the duo creates a phenomenal speed core along with covering each other's biggest issues. Dragapult, Great Tusk, and Kyurem also make incredible partners for Jolteon to help make up for some of its negative traits such as its quite poor physical bulk.

Jolteon has some unpredictability with Tera as well, as you can run Tera Ice to stuff Gliscor or Tera Fighting to whomp Kingambit. Jolteon is a straightforward offensive Pokemon with a specific niche toolkit and wonderful overall stats that have been made much better in the advent of SV's Terastallized metagame. Additionally, Jolteon can use Weather Ball, allowing it to decimate key threats on weather teams; Rain teams in particular appreciate Jolteon's talents and they also allow Jolteon to run Thunder instead of Thunderbolt, significantly buffing its damage output along with potentially crippling any non-immune switch-ins.

(I'm sorry the analysis is shorter than usual. I wanted to get this post about Jolteon up within my limited free time and I felt that with a straightforward offensive Pokemon with a specific niche like this, it would be informative enough as is!)

Click to expand...

From another fallen OU titan to another, I love this post a lot. Pretty cool to see Jolteon being talked about in modern day OU and ideas of niches for it being brought up considering it's one of my favorite Pokémon OAT