[OVERVIEW]
Jolteon holds a niche in Ubers as a lead thanks to its paralysis spreading capabilities, STAB Thunderbolt, decent coverage in Double Kick and Pin Missile, and amazing 130 base Speed, which allows it to get the jump on every relevant foe aside from Mewtwo, and gifts it with a 25.39% critical hit rate.
Naturally one would compare Jolteon to the premier Ubers Electric-type, Zapdos, who it shares quite a few differences with. Jolteon is far faster than Zapdos, notably outspeeding Tauros, Mew, and tying Mewtwo, while Zapdos does not. This higher base Speed also gives Jolteon a 5.86% higher critical hit rate than Zapdos. Jolteon also lacks Zapdos's Flying- typing, giving it no weakness to Ice-type attacks such as Mewtwo's Ice Beam. Zapdos is far physically bulkier than it, notably being 3HKOed by Tauros and Snorlax while Jolteon is 2HKOed by both. Zapdos also has a much higher base Attack and access to Drill Peck, which disuades Exeggutor and Chansey from switching into it, while Jolteon has to rely on the weak and unreliable Double Kick and Pin Missile to cover these matchups.
Unfortunately, Jolteon is mostly outclassed by Zapdos as a lead, as while it has a blistering base Speed and no Ice-type weakness, its poor base Attack and need to rely on the weak Double Kick and Pin Missile to deal with Chansey and Exeggutor mean it's quite easy to respond to efficiently without it having achieved much value at all. Jolteon is also completely crippled by paralysis, as it relies heavily on its high Speed stat to accomplish anything of value, and has no way to heal it off outside of the unreliable Rest. This directly interferes with its role as a paralysis spreader, as it will usually have to take paralysis itself in order to spread it across the opposing team. It also has to rely on critical hits to do any sort of significant damage to any foe on the bulkier side.
[SET]
name: Paralysis Lead
move 1: Thunderbolt
move 2: Thunder Wave
move 3: Pin Missile / Rest
move 4: Double Kick / Rest
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Thunderbolt is Jolteon's primary attack, hitting nearly the entire tier for good damage, and doing alright damage to bulkier foes. Pin Missile is its best option against Exeggutor and the rare Victreebel, doing anything from a 5HKO to an OHKO depending on damage rolls. Double Kick 4HKOs Chansey, it also does decent chip damage to Rhydon and Golem. Rest can be used over Double Kick or Pin Missile to remove paralysis and increase Jolteon's longevity, however, it's quite hard to wake up after using the move due to its frailty, it also lets in strong foes such as Snorlax, Tauros, Mew, and Mewtwo while asleep.
Jolteon wants to immediately Thunder Wave in front of virtually every common lead to be able to keep its Speed over the foe, as it will likely be incurring paralysis itself by staying in. If it is facing Exeggutor, it may want to Pin Missile turn 1, but it can also choose to Thunder Wave if it has a teammate in the back that benefits from the opposing Exeggutor being paralyzed, such as Rhydon or Slowbro. After it lands Thunder Wave turn 1 it will want to either attack, or Thunder Wave again to anticipate a switchout. This will depend on what Jolteon is facing. From there it can either choose to stay in and attack or spread paralysis until it goes down, or switchout and act as a sleep blocker or death sack.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Jolteon can potentially be used as a lategame sweeper or midgame paralysis spreader instead of as a lead. It aims to do this by forcing out important foes with the threat of paralysis and critical hits. It also is able to do a decent job of cleaning up and revenge killing against a very chipped team, as most of Jolteons checks need to be healthy in order to confidently answer it.
Agility can be used over Double Kick or Pin Missile to allow Jolteon to ignore the Speed drop from paralysis, however, the crucial coverage dropped to fit Agility, combined with the lack of longevity can make Jolteon easily revenge killed by the likes of Exeggutor or Chansey. Jolteon is also quite passive, meaning it is unlikely to majorly threaten anything outside of paralyzing them before it gets revenge killed. Thunderbolt can be dropped in place of Thunder to get better KO ranges on many foes, notably 2HKOing Tauros, and 3HKOing Gengar, Hypno, and Zapdos 47.1% of the time, however, Thunder is far too unreliable to be worth using most of the time due to its low accuracy.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Ground-types**: Rhydon, Golem, and Sandslash can switch into Jolteon with ease and set up a Substitute or Swords Dance, however, Rhydon and Golem have to be wary of getting worn down over time by Double Kick.
**Paralysis**: Once paralyzed, Jolteon losses much of its appeal, becoming incredibly exploitable by strong attackers due to its frailty. Its only way to remove the paralysis is with Rest, which is unreliable and leaves it susceptible to the likes of Mewtwo, Mew, Snorlax, and Tauros.
**Mewtwo**: Mewtwo speed ties Jolteon, is only 5HKOed by its Thunderbolt, and 3HKOes it in return with Psychic. It can also set up Amnesia in front of Jolteon. However, if Mewtwo becomes paralyzed it becomes vulnerable to strong physical attackers such as Snorlax, Rhydon, and Tauros, as well as being exploded on.
**Grass-types**: Exeggutor and Victreebel can switch into most of Jolteon's attacks risk free and threaten it with status and a 3HKO from Psychic and Razor Leaf. Exeggutor can also use Explosion for a near guaranteed OHKO against it. However, both dislike paralysis, especially Victreebel, and have to be wary of Pin Missile, which can do anything from a 5HKO to an OHKO depending on damage rolls.
[CREDITS]
Written by
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/notverycake.625260/
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