Introduction
Pokemon Black and White certainly took the metagame by storm and left us with a tonne of new toys to play with. The most notable of all is the new Dream World abilities that brought some of the most overlooked Pokemon into the limelight. Of all of these, the one that stood out the most was Blaziken.
Having been overshadowed for an entire generation by THAT APE WHICH SHALL NOT BE NAMED, Blaziken was relegated to UU in an almost insulting manner. Here we have what was once the premier mixed-attacker and the GO-TO SkarmBliss counter in RSE and all of a sudden this upstart APE comes along and usurps Blaziken's crown in the wallbreaking department. Speed was the only thing that plagued Blaziken since it came out and it was speed that THAT APE had over Blaziken.
Now with B/W and Dream World, Blaziken has come back with a vengeance. With a whole new array of toys to play with, Blaziken is about to open a new can of whoop ass on the metagame. Speed Boost is like a sucker punch to the gut to Infernape. "You want speed? Here's your motherf*cking speed" Blaziken says, as he boosts his speed every turn to levels Infernape can only dream of. And as one last big F*CK YOU to the face, Blaziken gained High Jump Kick, 130 Base Power of pure whoop ass that tops Infernape's Close Combat by 10 Base Power. Sure, it has its risks but screw that risk! Fortune favours the bold. Blaziken laughs in the face of danger and throws caution to the wind. Only wusses play it safe.
Team Building Process
Alright I may have overdone the intro but here's the gist of the team. If you haven't figured it out by now, this team is based around Blaziken. More specifically, MixKen 2011. With Speed Boost, 120 Att and 110 SpAtt, this guy breaks walls like they're toilet paper.
But I didn't just want a wall breaker, I wanted something that can beat the living crap out of everything that comes into contact with Blaziken. So entry hazards was a good way of softening them up. Enter Deoxys-S, one of the best Hazard starters this side of Gen-5. Stealth Rocks, Spikes, and tools to eff up anyone's attempt of stopping it from setting the spikes are what make this Pokemon gold.
Next thing that came to mind for me was a spin blocker as the LAST thing I'd want is anything jeopardizing Blaziken's chances of total annihilation. So I look through the list and lo and behold I find Jellicent. Not only is he bulky as hell, but he also serves as the go-to water sponge for Blaziken.
It was obvious what would come next. Yeah you guessed it, Ferrothorn. Not only does it have good synergy with Jellicent, it provides key resistances especially against Dragons as well as a much needed counter to bulky waters. It only helps that it could complete the 3-layer spikes that Deoxys-S normally wouldn't be able to complete.
From here on out, it was necessary to bring in a couple of counters to metagame favourites like Garchomp, Salamence, Gyarados and the like. I needed something that could come in, outspeed +1 Speeded dragons and OHKO back with a truck. Latios was almost tailor made for this job. When Scarfed, he outspeeds all manner of +1 Speed dragons and Draco Meteor/Thunderbolt right back for the OHKO. Also, being a Dragon he brings with him some key resistances to elemental attacks.
The next thing I had in mind was a counter to Tyranitar and the ever so annoying Reuniclus, both of whom would give me huge problems if left unchecked. Who better to do this than T-tar's own arch-nemesis Scizor. I went with the bulky Swords Dance variant. It provides my second set of steel resistances and another check to Outrage.
With the newest change, I've replaced Deoxys-S and Latios for Gliscor and Hydreigon respectively. They allow me to cover my weaknesses much better without compromising anything.
Changes in BOLD
In-depth Look:
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Nature: Relaxed
EV: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 Special Defense
Speed IV: 0
-Spikes
-Stealth Rock
-Power Whip
-Gyro Ball
Ferrothorn would set up Stealth Rock or Spikes whenever he is at the convenience to do so. Entry hazards are crucial to this team but at the same time, I won't play Ferrothorn like a suicide lead (ie setup hazards at all costs) as he has a much bigger role to play as one of the tanks in this team. He provides the key anti-bulky water check in Power Whip. This pretty shuts down any Swampert, Quagsire, Politoed, Slowbro/king or even Tyranitar if he doesn't carry Flamethrower. Gyroball is a good second STAB that hits like a truck on speedier Pokemon. Dragon Dancers especially would be getting a Gyro Ball right in the teeth. He also does quite well in Rain teams. With Power Whip, Ferrothorn make any bulky water stupid enough to stay in regret their folly.
Jellicent @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Calm
EV: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 Spd
-Scald
-Will-o-Wisp
-Ice Beam
-Recover
Jellicent and Ferrothorn form the defensive backbone of this team, a combo they are notorious for. This guy counters the likes Blaziken, Infernape, Volcarona, Heatran and even Excadrill. Scald and WoW completely shuts down physical sweepers not named Conkeldurr and Machamp. Ice Beam allows it to counter Dragons and Gliscor.
Hydreigon@ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EV: 252 Sp Att / 252 Spd / 4 HP
-Draco Meteor
-Dark Pulse
-Fire Blast
-Surf
My revenge killer. This guy outspeeds every single dragon with +1 Speed (sans Garchomp) and OHKOs back with full force. Normally the first thing I would do is send him out, bluff a Draco Meteor and instead shoot a Fire Blast for the PREDICTABLE AS HELL steel switch-in. That takes care of that problem. In the case of Heatran being their Steel type, I'd use Surf. Since most teams only have 1 Steel type, they are pretty much left wide open after this to eat as many Draco Meteors as my evil heart sees fit. Dark Pulse is a check against Sigilyph who can't touch Hydreigon. This thing also a complete road block to Chandelure.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Nature: Impish
EV: 252 HP / 236 Def / 20 Spd
- Swords Dance
- Taunt
- Facade
- Earthquake
My check against Conkeldurr and Breloom. With Toxic Orb, Gliscor eats status effects for breakfast and effectively making Breloom 90% less effective. Taunt screws over people's attempts at setting up or impairing Gliscor. This thing stops Conkeldurr dead in its tracks, being able to take hits like a champ and setting up on the poor bastard.
Scizor @ Lum Berry
Ability: Technician
Nature: Adamant
EV: 252 HP / 40 Att / 216 Sp Def
-Bullet Punch
-Bug Bite
-Swords Dance
-Roost
Bulky Scizor right here. It can setup right on top of things like Gliscor, Ferrothorn and Reuniclus and there's nothing they can do about it. This is my main answer to Reuniclus who I would have HUGE problems with without Scizor. Given the chance, Scizor can sweep entire teams if he enough SDs. With SR and spikes support, even stuff that normally resists Bullet Punch will fall like flies with enough switches. Lum Berry allows Scizor to eat one T-wave or WoW, which would have otherwise crippled him.
Blaziken @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
Nature: Rash
EV: 80 Att / 200 Sp Att / 228 Spd OR 60 Att / 252 Sp Att / 196 Spd
-Fire Blast
-Hi Jump Kick
-Stone Edge
-Hidden Power: Ice/Electric/Grass
And here comes the star of the show. He comes in on something weak against him and proceeds to beat the crap out of anything and everything. With all those entry hazards and a couple of rounds of switching, the opponent's team should have been worn out and ripe for the picking. MixKen is capable of 2HKO'ing or OHKO'ing just about everything in the metagame. I found the two EV spreads to be interchangeable. The first set allows me to outspeed Chomp after 2 Speed Boosts and the second provides me with much more power on my Special Attacks. The choice of HP depends on who I want to hit. I run Ice with the first EV spread to OHKO Garchomp and Gliscor and Electric with the second spread to OHKO Gyarados. Grass is for the likes of Hippo, Quagsire and Swampert who would die after eating a Fire Blast of a Hi Jump Kick on the switch.
Pokemon Black and White certainly took the metagame by storm and left us with a tonne of new toys to play with. The most notable of all is the new Dream World abilities that brought some of the most overlooked Pokemon into the limelight. Of all of these, the one that stood out the most was Blaziken.
Having been overshadowed for an entire generation by THAT APE WHICH SHALL NOT BE NAMED, Blaziken was relegated to UU in an almost insulting manner. Here we have what was once the premier mixed-attacker and the GO-TO SkarmBliss counter in RSE and all of a sudden this upstart APE comes along and usurps Blaziken's crown in the wallbreaking department. Speed was the only thing that plagued Blaziken since it came out and it was speed that THAT APE had over Blaziken.
Now with B/W and Dream World, Blaziken has come back with a vengeance. With a whole new array of toys to play with, Blaziken is about to open a new can of whoop ass on the metagame. Speed Boost is like a sucker punch to the gut to Infernape. "You want speed? Here's your motherf*cking speed" Blaziken says, as he boosts his speed every turn to levels Infernape can only dream of. And as one last big F*CK YOU to the face, Blaziken gained High Jump Kick, 130 Base Power of pure whoop ass that tops Infernape's Close Combat by 10 Base Power. Sure, it has its risks but screw that risk! Fortune favours the bold. Blaziken laughs in the face of danger and throws caution to the wind. Only wusses play it safe.
Team Building Process
Alright I may have overdone the intro but here's the gist of the team. If you haven't figured it out by now, this team is based around Blaziken. More specifically, MixKen 2011. With Speed Boost, 120 Att and 110 SpAtt, this guy breaks walls like they're toilet paper.
But I didn't just want a wall breaker, I wanted something that can beat the living crap out of everything that comes into contact with Blaziken. So entry hazards was a good way of softening them up. Enter Deoxys-S, one of the best Hazard starters this side of Gen-5. Stealth Rocks, Spikes, and tools to eff up anyone's attempt of stopping it from setting the spikes are what make this Pokemon gold.
Next thing that came to mind for me was a spin blocker as the LAST thing I'd want is anything jeopardizing Blaziken's chances of total annihilation. So I look through the list and lo and behold I find Jellicent. Not only is he bulky as hell, but he also serves as the go-to water sponge for Blaziken.
It was obvious what would come next. Yeah you guessed it, Ferrothorn. Not only does it have good synergy with Jellicent, it provides key resistances especially against Dragons as well as a much needed counter to bulky waters. It only helps that it could complete the 3-layer spikes that Deoxys-S normally wouldn't be able to complete.
From here on out, it was necessary to bring in a couple of counters to metagame favourites like Garchomp, Salamence, Gyarados and the like. I needed something that could come in, outspeed +1 Speeded dragons and OHKO back with a truck. Latios was almost tailor made for this job. When Scarfed, he outspeeds all manner of +1 Speed dragons and Draco Meteor/Thunderbolt right back for the OHKO. Also, being a Dragon he brings with him some key resistances to elemental attacks.
The next thing I had in mind was a counter to Tyranitar and the ever so annoying Reuniclus, both of whom would give me huge problems if left unchecked. Who better to do this than T-tar's own arch-nemesis Scizor. I went with the bulky Swords Dance variant. It provides my second set of steel resistances and another check to Outrage.
With the newest change, I've replaced Deoxys-S and Latios for Gliscor and Hydreigon respectively. They allow me to cover my weaknesses much better without compromising anything.
Changes in BOLD
In-depth Look:
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
Nature: Relaxed
EV: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 Special Defense
Speed IV: 0
-Spikes
-Stealth Rock
-Power Whip
-Gyro Ball
Ferrothorn would set up Stealth Rock or Spikes whenever he is at the convenience to do so. Entry hazards are crucial to this team but at the same time, I won't play Ferrothorn like a suicide lead (ie setup hazards at all costs) as he has a much bigger role to play as one of the tanks in this team. He provides the key anti-bulky water check in Power Whip. This pretty shuts down any Swampert, Quagsire, Politoed, Slowbro/king or even Tyranitar if he doesn't carry Flamethrower. Gyroball is a good second STAB that hits like a truck on speedier Pokemon. Dragon Dancers especially would be getting a Gyro Ball right in the teeth. He also does quite well in Rain teams. With Power Whip, Ferrothorn make any bulky water stupid enough to stay in regret their folly.
Jellicent @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Calm
EV: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 Spd
-Scald
-Will-o-Wisp
-Ice Beam
-Recover
Jellicent and Ferrothorn form the defensive backbone of this team, a combo they are notorious for. This guy counters the likes Blaziken, Infernape, Volcarona, Heatran and even Excadrill. Scald and WoW completely shuts down physical sweepers not named Conkeldurr and Machamp. Ice Beam allows it to counter Dragons and Gliscor.
Hydreigon@ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
EV: 252 Sp Att / 252 Spd / 4 HP
-Draco Meteor
-Dark Pulse
-Fire Blast
-Surf
My revenge killer. This guy outspeeds every single dragon with +1 Speed (sans Garchomp) and OHKOs back with full force. Normally the first thing I would do is send him out, bluff a Draco Meteor and instead shoot a Fire Blast for the PREDICTABLE AS HELL steel switch-in. That takes care of that problem. In the case of Heatran being their Steel type, I'd use Surf. Since most teams only have 1 Steel type, they are pretty much left wide open after this to eat as many Draco Meteors as my evil heart sees fit. Dark Pulse is a check against Sigilyph who can't touch Hydreigon. This thing also a complete road block to Chandelure.
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Nature: Impish
EV: 252 HP / 236 Def / 20 Spd
- Swords Dance
- Taunt
- Facade
- Earthquake
My check against Conkeldurr and Breloom. With Toxic Orb, Gliscor eats status effects for breakfast and effectively making Breloom 90% less effective. Taunt screws over people's attempts at setting up or impairing Gliscor. This thing stops Conkeldurr dead in its tracks, being able to take hits like a champ and setting up on the poor bastard.
Scizor @ Lum Berry
Ability: Technician
Nature: Adamant
EV: 252 HP / 40 Att / 216 Sp Def
-Bullet Punch
-Bug Bite
-Swords Dance
-Roost
Bulky Scizor right here. It can setup right on top of things like Gliscor, Ferrothorn and Reuniclus and there's nothing they can do about it. This is my main answer to Reuniclus who I would have HUGE problems with without Scizor. Given the chance, Scizor can sweep entire teams if he enough SDs. With SR and spikes support, even stuff that normally resists Bullet Punch will fall like flies with enough switches. Lum Berry allows Scizor to eat one T-wave or WoW, which would have otherwise crippled him.
Blaziken @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
Nature: Rash
EV: 80 Att / 200 Sp Att / 228 Spd OR 60 Att / 252 Sp Att / 196 Spd
-Fire Blast
-Hi Jump Kick
-Stone Edge
-Hidden Power: Ice/Electric/Grass
And here comes the star of the show. He comes in on something weak against him and proceeds to beat the crap out of anything and everything. With all those entry hazards and a couple of rounds of switching, the opponent's team should have been worn out and ripe for the picking. MixKen is capable of 2HKO'ing or OHKO'ing just about everything in the metagame. I found the two EV spreads to be interchangeable. The first set allows me to outspeed Chomp after 2 Speed Boosts and the second provides me with much more power on my Special Attacks. The choice of HP depends on who I want to hit. I run Ice with the first EV spread to OHKO Garchomp and Gliscor and Electric with the second spread to OHKO Gyarados. Grass is for the likes of Hippo, Quagsire and Swampert who would die after eating a Fire Blast of a Hi Jump Kick on the switch.
