Jolteon (Yawn)

[Alchemator]

So I played around with this quite a bit and found it working exceptionally well, and is a boatload of fun to boot. Currently Yawn is only mentioned in OC, but I believe it needs its own set.

Analysis

QC Accepted: 3/3
Grammar: 2/2 [Fatecrashers, Snorlaxe]

[SET]
name: Yawn
move 1: Yawn
move 2: Protect / Substitute
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

[Set Comments]

<p>Although a respectable force in OU, Jolteon is often quickly shut down by Blissey, or other Pokemon who resist or are immune to his attacks. This set aims to avoid being put in an awkward position by forcing the opponent to fight Jolteon with their secondary checks. The strategy is simple, force a switch using Jolteon's offensive presence and use Yawn on the switch-in. Normally, this will be a faster, Choice Scarf-equipped Pokemon aiming to gain momentum or KO Jolteon. Use Protect after Yawn to block any attacks. If, instead of Protect, you are using Substitute, only use it if Jolteon is faster than your opponent's Pokemon. If Jolteon is slower, switch out. Substitute is particularly useful if your opponent switches a second time to avoid falling asleep from Yawn. If your opponent stays in, however, they will fall asleep and be easily taken advantage of by Jolteon or one of your otherPokemon. Teams only tend to carry one solid check for Jolteon, so if said check gets slept, Jolteon's usefulness increases tenfold.</p>

[Additional Comments]

<p>Yawn and Protect form the sleep-inducing combo that is key to this set, while the rest of Jolteon's moves are dedicated to capitalizing on his good power and coverage. Thunderbolt is the obligator STAB attack, while Hidden Power Grass is used to hit Swampert. Hidden Power Ice can be used instead to hit Flygon and Gliscor, but it is often better to let another one of your Pokemontake advantage of these sleeping foes instead of going for the kill. The EVs are as simple as can be, with investment focused in Special Attack and Speed, as is standard for most Jolteon. Though all variations of Jolteon are made more potent with entry hazard support, this set becomes especially destructive. Yawn will undoubtedly force many switches, racking up entry hazard damage and enabling a clean late-game sweep. Baton Pass can be used to switch to an appropriate counter to whomever your opponent switches in. This is especially useful if Jolteon can safely set up a Substitute. Shadow Ball can be used over Hidden Power to hit Rotom-A for decent damage, but it is often not worth the loss in coverage. Another option is Wish, but due to Jolteon's general frailty, it is not recommended.</p>

<p>Dragonite makes a fantastic partner for this set. Choice Scarf Flygon is a primary check for Dragon Dance Dragonite, and with it fast asleep, Dragonite is free to sweep. Jolteon can also easily eliminate problem Pokemon for Dragonite, such as Skarmory and, if using Hidden Power Grass, Swampert. Dragonite also has a handy immunity to Ground-type attacks, Jolteon's sole weakness. Lucario also benefits from this set's sleeping capabilities, though it lacks the type synergy that Dragonite and Jolteon possess. Jolteon can put Hippowdon to sleep, who would otherwise reliably check Lucario. As with every Jolteon set, Blissey utterly walls it. As if to make matters worse, Blissey also has Natural Cure to get rid of sleep as it switches out. Blissey can be dealt with by powerful Pursuit users such as Scizor and Tyranitar. If using Hidden Power Ice, Swampert will cause some problems, even if it gets put to sleep. RestTalk Rotom-A can also absorb sleep and is not 3HKOed by any of Jolteon's attacks.</p>

Skeleton

[SET]
name: Yawn
move 1: Yawn
move 2: Protect / Substitute
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Ice
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SAtk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Why this set deserves to be on site:
- Lures and dispatches Scarf Flygon and ground types like no other
- Teams usually only carry one check to Jolteon, which you can sleep
- Still hits extremely hard without Choice Specs

Additional Comments:
- Protect is to get the jump on Flygon: usually they will assume you are switching out and use U-turn. With substitute they will still U-turn out and lose the effects of Yawn. Protect blocks against U-turn completely, meaning that they will be slept.
- Hidden Power Grass can be used to hit Swampert, but you miss out on key Pokémon such as Flygon
- Leftovers can be used for the extra survivability, but the offensive nature of Life Orb is preferred.
- Entry Hazard support makes this set very potent: by itself it can shuffle the opponent's team, and then proceed to clean up with its great speed and power.
- Baton Pass can be used over Protect to gain momentum and allow other members of your team to set up on a Blissey switching in.
- Shadow Ball can be used over Hidden Power to hit Rotom-A, though the loss in coverage is generally not worth it
- Wish can be used to recover health.

Teammates and Counters:
- Dragonite makes a great partner - it's immune to Ground moves and appreciates scarf Flygon being neutered.
- Lucario works in a similar vein: Flygon can revenge kill it and it doesn't OHKO Hippowdon. With these Pokémon slept using Jolteon, it can KO them / use Swords Dance again / whatever, it beats them.
- Blissey, as always, makes a showing as a Jolteon counter. This is especially apparent when using Yawn, as with Natural Cure it can easily switch out and be rid of the sleep.
- Swampert takes this on easily even when asleep if lacking HP Grass.
- Restalk Rotom-A can absorb the sleep and isn't 3HKO'd by any of Jolteon's moves.

 

[tobi10]

I have used this set before and I can attest to its usefulness, I guess you can mention the use of entry hazards and mention Baton Pass; it is really good to cause switches and rack up residual damage. Here is an example: use Yawn on a Pokemon that Jolteon threatens to OHKO like Suicune or Skarmory while they bring in Choice Scarf Tyranitar, you now Baton Pass, if they switched out, then you can play accordingly, and if he decided to attack you can send in a Pokemon that is able to set up on it, like Scizor or Machamp. I also like Baton Pass because it means that Blissey might get set up on if played correctly. Nice set!

Edit** Since you are using Protect / Substitute, Leftovers should be slashed before Life Orb.

 

[Alchemator]

Noted, thanks!

Edit** Since you are using Protect / Substitute, Leftovers should be slashed before Life Orb, in my opinion.

SubLO? eww!

In all seriousness when playing with Life Orb I was slightly disappointed with dying so quickly. Leftovers is something which is pretty obligatory with Substitute on such a frail Pokémon, I haven't actually tested it. The key question is whether not using Life Orb misses out on any KOs, and though this can be negated with hazards and the natural shuffling possible with Yawn I'll still have to look into this.

E: It's the bit about the KOs I'm not sure about, looking into it.

 

[tobi10]

name: Yawn
move 1: Yawn
move 2: Protect / Substitute
move 3: Thunderbolt
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Grass
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SAtk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

I agree with you, what I meant is that Leftovers should go first, instead of Life Orb (Leftovers / Life Orb)

 

[Fatecrashers]

Resttalk Rotom-A might be worth mentioning as a counter or check to this set, as it can switch in, absorb the Yawn, and even with Life Orb Jolteon fails to 3HKO with Thunderbolt or Hidden Power. You can run Shadow Ball over Hidden Power to cover this but it's likely not worth losing the coverage for other things.

 

[Alchemator]

Resttalk Rotom-A might be worth mentioning as a counter or check to this set, as it can switch in, absorb the Yawn, and even with Life Orb Jolteon fails to 3HKO with Thunderbolt or Hidden Power. You can run Shadow Ball over Hidden Power to cover this but it's likely not worth losing the coverage for other things.

Thanks for the input! Mentioned Shadow Ball in AC and added Restalk Rotom-A to counters, don't know why I didn't think of that.

It would be nice if more people could weigh in on Leftovers / Life Orb, since I'm unsure.

 

[Zystral]

This is essentially just the LO set with Yawn over Charge Beam....
It should stay in OC, imo, since anyone using Yawn should be good enough to figure out that you need Protect with it. And I'd still rather run HP Grass, since if you sleep Flygon or Gliscor or whatever it is HP Ice also hits, they're going to switch, so you want an option for KOing the other counter - Swampert and Mamoswine.

 

[Alchemator]

This is essentially just the LO set with Yawn over Charge Beam....

This is just the LO set but with the most important moves being completely different. The Life Orb Jolteon concentrates on a sweep using the boosts from Charge Beam, while this set works more as a lure and shuffler for offensive teams.

HP Grass is now the primary option.

E: Faladran, Leftovers is definitely going to be a slash for that reason, it's a question of whether it has more utility when not using Substitute.

 

[Faladran]

I always prefer Leftovers on Jolteon sets utilizing Substitute. The extra recovery adds a lot to Jolteon's survivability, and allows it to create more Subs in the long run.

 

[Alchemator]

Substitute is now only getting a mention in AC, due to general IRC consensus.

E: EddieD, as I said in the very first point in AC:

- Protect is to get the jump on Flygon: usually they will assume you are switching out and use U-turn. With substitute they will still U-turn out and lose the effects of Yawn. Protect blocks against U-turn completely, meaning that they will be slept.

 

[-Eddie-]

How does this dispatch Scarf Flygon? Can't it just U-Turn away?

 

[viol and bass]

Not if you use Protect.

 

[Shimrit As]

Hey, this is really a nifty idea, but it seems to work only against Flygon. Swampert, Tyranitar and other common switch-ins can't be beaten that easily since they can always switch out. Thus Spikes support is really necessary otherwise this Jolteon will be somewhat a dead weight against all teams without a Flygon lol. Jolteon is really weak with Leftovers (it's sad that HP Grass doesn't even KO Swampert).

Anyway, DD Tyranitar and CM Jirachi really appreciate these bulky grounds gone. I would really like to try this set out alongside them ^^

EDIT: I tested this set with Wish over the secondary attack, moving all the SpA EVs into HP. Jolteon did really well, supporting my team by forcing switches and healing. Wish + Protect and Yawn + Protect are excellent combinations as well.

EDIT2: THIS SET IS REAL FUN.

 

[Alchemator]

Flump.

 

[Chou Toshio]

The whole Protect + Yawn thing seems pretty gimmicky to me honestly. People were going on about how its combo can stop Scizor from walking over Umbreon, but frankly:

1) You have to get the timing right on the switch in (ie, if flygon doesn't come directly into Yawn, it's useless). If it comes into Thunderbolt (very plausible), it's the same as any other jolteon. When Flygon switches into Jolteon's HP Ice or Substitute, it's in no better situation really (Jolteon can just sub again as they use U-Turn).

2) If this set actually became popular, people would immediately switch back out instead of U-Turning. Protect + Yawn is a gimmick that can only work as long as the set is non-standard. Making it a standard set totally defeats this purpose.

3) In other words, once this set becomes popularized, you become extremely predictable, to the point of almost completely depleting the set's use.

4) Unless it is easy to read an incoming thunderbolt (ie. you're in a situation where there is a lot of pressure on you to use thunderbolt, like you are facing a +1 Gyarados or something), Flygon should not be switching in directly to Jolteon anyway because of HP Ice.

Doing this to something like Flygon is even more worthless than Umbreon doing it to Scizor, because unlike Scizor, Flygon is almost completely immune to passive damage such as SR and Spikes. Switching in and out costs it almost nothing.

 

[Alchemator]

1) You have to get the timing right on the switch in (ie, if flygon doesn't come directly into Yawn, it's useless). If it comes into Thunderbolt (very plausible), it's the same as any other jolteon. When Flygon switches into Jolteon's Thunderbolt or Substitute, it's in no better situation really (Jolteon can just sub again as they use U-Turn)

If you'd like to fire off Thunderbolts go ahead. If they reveal that they have a Flygon, used Yawn on a switch instead.

Your other points are correct, though this will hardly be its main set (normal Life Orb set would take precedence, making this viable).

 

[Chou Toshio]

It doesn't have to become main though. If it is at least "known" than people will simply stop using U-Turn after getting yawn'd. It is not like they need to predict. If they know of this set, than they know they have been Yawn'd, they know you will protect. There is no prediction needed to take the free switch while you are (pretty much forced) to protect there.

 

[Alchemator]

It doesn't have to become main though. If it is at least "known" than people will simply stop using U-Turn after getting yawn'd. It is not like they need to predict. If they know of this set, than they know they have been Yawn'd, they know you will protect. There is no prediction needed to take the free switch while you are (pretty much forced) to protect there.

This is why entry hazards are strongly recommended. Granted, Flygon is immune but you can keep forcing it out with Yawn. With entry hazard support and Yawning a Flygon on the switch, it is actually your opponent who is in the corner - they let their best Jolteon counter get swept or have <Pokémon> damaged by entry hazards, hopefully enough for Jolteon to kill them. Flygon could switch in again, but then it just comes down to prediction.

 

[Chou Toshio]

There is no doubt that the other pokemon could be racking up damage. I am only pointing out the weakness should the opponent happen to have 2 pokemon that can check Jolteon (it doesn't have to counter Jolteon, as Flygon switching to it as Jolteon protects gives the pokemon a free switch in). Something like a near-full health Heatran, Kingdra or Machamp would be sufficient. There are plenty of pokemon who could take 1 of Jolt's hits and 1hko it or bash Jolteon's teammates hard. Especially the aforementioned Machamp who is also resistant to SR.

Of course Tyranitar, a common teammate of Flygons, would completely shut jolteon down should it be paired with Flygon like this.

I'm not saying that this set cannot be effective, nor that it doesn't do a fair job of wracking up hazard damage, but I am simply pointing out weaknesses that make its inclusion in the analysis questionable, especially when Yawn is already mentioned in the comments.

 

[Friar]

I would definitely slash in Wish with the Hidden Powers as previously noted. Wish helps keep Jolteon and teammates alive while it sleeps its main check and waits for Electric resistances to die. Jolteon's main use is wiping the floor with Electric STAB lategame anyway so the hidden power isnt missed to much and the healing is welcome. Also Wish may make Life Orb more viable.

 

[Shizzle]

While I do think that Jolteon is quite capable of using Yawn effectively, I do not think it has the option of using it often with any safety whatsoever. I mean your opponent might not want to switch out their Vappy or something because they have nothing to take a Thunderbolt, my point is, I do not think that Yawn would work well because it relies heavily on your opponent switching, and Jolteon does not have the bulk to take any hit, especially without Leftovers.

 

[Alchemator]

While I do think that Jolteon is quite capable of using Yawn effectively, I do not think it has the option of using it often with any safety whatsoever. I mean your opponent might not want to switch out their Vappy or something because they have nothing to take a Thunderbolt, my point is, I do not think that Yawn would work well because it relies heavily on your opponent switching, and Jolteon does not have the bulk to take any hit, especially without Leftovers.

Bolded part is extremely unlikely. Generally you should Thunderbolt the first time Jolteon is in to scout for whatever - if they leave their Vaporeon in then it's dead. If they have nothing else to take a Thunderbolt, gg. Once you know they have a counter (Flygon on first switch-in or whatever) then you can Yawn against something you threaten.

Also, due to base 95 SDef, Jolteon doesn't actually roll over and die at absolutely everything.

E: Baton Pass is already being mentioned in AC, not getting a slash.

 

[DarXidE]

i'd say baton pass could be slashed over the hidden powers...this set causes many many switches, so getting the better switch is very usefull.

 

[MetaNite]

I think set can be altered a bit to incorporate another one of Jolteon's abilities: Wish. Wish + Protect is incredibly viable I've learned. You can counter bulky Water-types and leave the battle with max health. Or Wish as a Flygon comes in, then your counter is healed of Stealth Rock damage and U-turn or whatever damage (I'm looking at you Gyarados). Wish also allows you to beat Rotom-A one on one if you can avoid a Special Defense drop. I'd slash it with Yawn, not Hidden Power. You can name it like "Utility" Jolteon or something like that. Mention Gyarados as a partner!

 

[cim]

I would much rather see a Yawn / Sub set with Leftovers or something. It seems like such a waste to have to either predict them staying in (Protect) or switching (attack) when you could hedge your bets with Sub. It's particularly viable on Jolteon because 90% of the time it's faster. I mean you still have to predict versus Scarf Flygon but you already had to anyway so instead of using Protect you just switch in your EQ immune Pokemon and then it's asleep and you win. Plus if you have to switch out you could just Yawn again right away for free to make it easier!