Thugly Duckling
I play TCG now
Winry said herself its a good read, I just thought I might ask for some depth about it.
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Ubers [ORAS] Blaziken
- Thread starter Thugly Duckling
- Start date
Thugly Duckling
I play TCG now
Nice idea lol, I just thought "Long Live Blaze" fits since Blaziken has come a long way throughout the generations, and the fact that it's still stupid good despite all of the new Mega Evolutions and such.
Thugly Duckling
REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS
2/3
I'd like to have another person run through this just by how much prose changes/wording needs to be changed.
REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS
Overview
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In XY, Blaziken was given a fast and strong Mega Evolution that is nearly impossible to revenge kill without a strong priority attack. In this metagame, Blaziken became notorious for its immediate strength and fearsome ability to force switches and wallbreak with Swords Dance, and was a serious threat that every team needed to prepare for.
remove space
However, Blaziken has been nerfed significantly in ORAS. The tier the shift towards bulky offense is a far cry from the hyper offensive teams that Blaziken fit into in XY, and it just isn't much of a place for a glass cannon like Blaziken to thrive. Newcomers such as Primal Groudon and Mega Salamence check Blaziken well have effectively lengthened its list of checks, and dominance of the heavy weather abilities have stolen away its best wallbreaking tool: five-turn sun. Being prone to all forms of entry hazards and over-reliant on Flare Blitz puts Blaziken on a timer, and its subpar 80 / 80 / 80 bulk as Mega Blaziken in Mega forme means it is not going to last long. Blaziken's best set also takes up a Mega slot, and it suffers quite a bit of opportunity cost in comparison to other Mega Evolutions such as Mega Salamence or Mega Gengar. Despite all of this, Blaziken still shines out as an absolute wrecking ball. It remains to be one of the few nightmares of balance and stall, and still packs enough juice to remain a serious threat despite how bulky the metagame has gotten. Play Blaziken to its strengths, and this Blazin' Kickin' Chicken will not disappoint you.
There's no reason to write a history lesson about Blaziken. What does it do, what does it not do, straight to the point.
Offensive
########
name: Long Live Blaze
move 1: Protect / Swords Dance
move 2: Flare Blitz
move 3: Low Kick
move 4: Stone Edge / Knock Off
ability: Speed Boost
item: Blazikenite / Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Protect is a fantastic move on Blaziken. It not only allows it to safely Mega Evolve, but it also lets it rack up Speed boosts and scout the opponent's plays. Swords Dance turns Blaziken into a disgustingly powerful wallbreaker, shortening its list of checks with only a single turn of setup. However, keep note that opportunities to set up are quite limited because of how lackluster Blaziken's bulk is; so for overall consistency, Protect is much rather preferred. Flare Blitz is ridiculously strong and is Blaziken's most consistent physical STAB attack. Low Kick is also stupidly all the "stupidly powerful" "disgustingly awesome" lingo is starting to wear a bit thin with how not-good-ish Blaziken is made out to be. Low Kick isn't even THAT strong powerful and hits most of the metagame as a 120 Base Power move due to how heavy the tier is, and, in tandem with Flare Blitz, Blaziken is granted excellent coverage, hitting hits almost the entire tier for at least neutral damage. High Jump Kick is an option over Low Kick in order to OHKO Mega Diancie and to beat the extremely rare Unaware Quagsire. With a Swords Dance boost, Blaziken can even OHKO 56+ Defense Primal Groudon after Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes with High Jump Kick. Stone Edge is the best coverage move for Blaziken because it provides a way for Blaziken to hit Mega Salamence hard and has other select targets such as Ho-Oh, Lugia, and physically defensive Yveltal. Another superb coverage option is Knock Off, as it OHKOes Latias after Stealth Rock and Latios regardless of prior damage and is Blaziken's only way to hit Giratina for considerable damage. In the last slot, Baton Pass can also be put to good use. For instance, if Blaziken has grabbed a Swords Dance boost but is face-to-face with a Pokemon it does not have a good type matchup against, such as Primal Groudon, Blaziken can pass its boosts to a more appropriate sweeper for the situation, like such as Rayquaza.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed investment give Blaziken the immediate strength that it is most well-known for, immediately putting it to work upon entering the battlefield. An Adamant nature should always be used, as it secures some key OHKOs such as those on Latios and Latias with Knock Off and offensive Kyogre with Low Kick. The slashes represent two possible sets; Protect + 3 attacks or Swords Dance + 3 attacks. A set of Swords Dance + Protect + 2 attacks can be used, but Blaziken will miss the coverage against Mega Salamence or the Giratina formes. If the opportunity cost of using Mega Blaziken's Mega forme is too much for one to even consider using it, do realize that Life Orb is a fine replacement over the Blazikenite. The two main concerns of using Life Orb is the added 10% recoil after every landed attack and the more fragile 80 / 70 / 70 bulk of regular forme, meaning Blaziken will die be worn down even faster to Flare Blitz recoil and be even further susceptible to priority attacks, two already prevalent issues with Mega Blaziken. However, normal Blaziken with a Life Orb is, in fact, slightly stronger than Mega Blaziken, does this make a notable difference in any matchups? and the open Mega slot can vastly expand teambuilding possibilities.
Usage Tips
========
Blaziken has very poor bulk, so it shouldn't be switched into any neutral or powerful resisted attacks. To get it into battle, it is important to double switch or bring it in on something that he has a severe type advantage over, such as Steel-types. If Protect is used, feel free to use it liberally, as it allows Blaziken to gain +1 Speed from its ability every turn it is used, effortlessly giving it Blaziken offensive momentum and pressuring the opposition. It also has the utility of revealing what the opponent would have done the turn it is used, allowing you to utilize that information to either make your own predictions or to cause your opponent to overthink. But mention the possibility for setup by the opponent Do not mindlessly spam Flare Blitz, as the recoil racks up quickly, especially if Life Orb is used. Your opponent can easily take advantage of this and pile up the recoil damage from Flare Blitz and perhaps Life Orb by luring Flare Blitz with Pokemon that resist Fighting-type resists and switching into Fire-type resistances, ultimately causing Blaziken to faint from recoil. To avoid this, it is important to make predictions and capitalize on the switches Blaziken forces. Also, be aware of potential priority users such as Arceus, Rayquaza, and Deoxys-A, as they can make short work of Blaziken before it even gets the chance to do some work.
Team Options
========
Wobbuffet is an outstanding partner to the Swords Dance variant. It can easily trap support Pokemon and provide both Encore support for easy setup opportunities and has access to Safeguard to halt any status users, namely ones with access to Prankster Thunder Wave. Yveltal and other Dark-types work wonders for Blaziken. They can easily check and even dispose of both Lugia and Giratina, two of Blaziken's premiere checks. Extreme Killer Arceus is the best offensive partner for Blaziken, mainly because of how much their checks overlap. In this core, Blaziken will heavily dent the opposition and even eliminate some of Arceus's checks, such as Mega Scizor, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn. With such Pokemon weakened or disposed of, Arceus can more successfully pull off a sweep. A good check to Primal Groudon is mandatory, as Blaziken will need it either removed from battle or weakened significantly; so levitating Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, and Landorus-T make for excellent partners, and the latter can even provide Stealth Rock support. Because Blaziken is prone to all forms of entry hazards, Rapid Spin support is highly appreciated. A fantastic user of the move is Forretress, which can provide Spikes and Toxic Spikes support while also being able to get Blaziken into battle unscathed with its slow Volt Switch. Defog support from the likes of Latios and Latias can be appreciated, but keep in mind that Blaziken needs entry hazards on the opponent's side of the field to have an easier time sweeping. Sun support is invaluable to Blaziken, but it is quite difficult to fit on teams because how predominant Primal Groudon is over normal Groudon.
Other Options
########
A dedicated Baton Pass set consisting of Baton Pass, Protect, and Substitute or Roar, (AC) and Flare Blitz with Leftovers and an EV spread of 12 HP / 244 Atk / 252 Spe and a Jolly nature can be used, but it is better done by Scolipede, whose main niche lies in being a Spikes-setting lead. Hidden Power Ice and some Special Attack investment can be used on the offensive set to OHKO Gliscor, Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza, but has just about no utility outside of that. Shadow Claw can be used on the offensive set to hit Giratina-O a little bit harder than it would with Knock Off, but the secondary effect of Knock Off and the added Base Power when hitting a Pokemon holding an item will be missed. Earthquake may also be used to OHKO Mega Diancie and Relaxed Groudon after Stealth Rock damage with a Swords Dance boost, but it causes Blaziken to have very redundant type coverage for what it needs to be able to hit in the tier. Hone Claws alongside High Jump Kick is usable in order to guarantee that High Jump Kick always lands, but the immediate power of a Swords Dance boost is much rather preferred.
Checks & Counters
########
**Giratina**: Giratina is a nightmare for Blaziken. Both formes are immune to Blaziken's Fighting-type STAB moves and resist Flare Blitz, allowing them to comfortably sponge any of Blaziken's attacks bar a boosted Knock Off. They can also hit Blaziken hard with Dragon Tail, phazing it and any boosts that it has acquired. Giratina-O especially poses a threat to Blaziken with its powerful Draco Meteor, Dragon Claw, and Earthquake, (comma) even picking off weakened Blaziken with Shadow Sneak.
**Lugia**: If Multiscale is intact, Lugia will wall even a Swords Dance-boosted Blaziken to hell and back. It won't enjoy losing its Leftovers to Knock Off, but it can hit back hard with Aeroblast, phaze out Blaziken with Whirlwind, or Toxic stall while recovering any damage taken with Roost. However, if Lugia switches into Stealth Rock, a boosted Blaziken will plow through it with Stone Edge or Knock Off.
**Primal Groudon**: Defensive Primal Groudon will struggle with the Swords Dance variant, but it can comfortably tank any unboosted hit that Blaziken can throw at it. In return, Primal Groudon can easily dispose of Blaziken with a Ground-type STAB move. But Primal Groudon is easily worn down by entry hazards, and it will fall to a salvo of Low Kicks if it has switched into Stealth Rock too many times.
**Diancie**: Diancie's light weight and Rock typing allows it to take pitiful damage from Low Kick and Flare Blitz, respectively. Disappointingly, it Mega forme Mega Diancie is 2HKOed by Flare Blitz regardless of whether or not it has a Defense-lowering nature, but it can hit Blaziken back with a powerful Earth Power before fainting to repetitive Flare Blitzes. Both Mega and non-Mega Diancie formes have huge trouble with the rare High Jump Kick, however.
**Mega Salamence**: Mega Salamence will give Blaziken a run for its money, as it can utilize Intimidate before it Mega Evolves to comfortably tank any of Blaziken's STAB attacks. (period) but, However, it'll succumb to a +1 Stone Edge if it lacks significant bulk investment and has taken Stealth Rock damage.
**Rayquaza**: In a similar vain to Mega Salamence, Rayquaza's severe type advantage over Blaziken allows it to be a decent check, especially because it has Extreme Speed. Even so, if Rayquaza has taken Stealth Rock damage, it will faint to a +2 Flare Blitz or Knock Off, and even to an unboosted Stone Edge.
**Landorus-T**: Landorus-T can keep Blaziken in check with its respectable physical bulk after the Intimidate drop and super effective Earthquake, but it is easily worn down by Stealth Rock and has no reliable recovery to withstand Blaziken's assaults.
**Gyarados**: Non-Mega Gyarados resists both of Blaziken's STAB moves and has Intimidate to back up its physical bulk. It can also play mind games with Blaziken on the turn it Mega Evolves, forcing Blaziken to choose between landing a Low Kick in attempt to predict the Mega Evolution or to go for a Stone Edge in attempt to predict that Gyarados stay unevolved; even switching out entirely can result in a set-up Gyarados. It also threatens Blaziken with its STAB Waterfall or powerful Earthquake, both with the strength to put Blaziken out of the match.
**Ho-Oh**: Stone Edge mauls Ho-Oh, but with a physically defensive set, Ho-Oh can wall even a boosted Blaziken on the condition that it lacks Stone Edge and Stealth Rock is clear off the field.
**Arceus-Ghost**: An immunity to Low Kick helps Arceus-Ghost, but it will take a big chunk of damage from Flare Blitz if it lacks significant Defense investment. (period) However, after the recoil received from Flare Blitz, Blaziken will be in KO range of Arceus-Ghost's powerful Judgement.
**Arceus-Fairy, -Psychic, and -Poison**: All three of these Arceus formes Fairy, Psychic, and Poison Arceus resist Low Kick, but they'll take a huge number from Flare Blitz unless they have significant Defense and HP investment. However, after Flare Blitz recoil, Blaziken is put into OHKO range of Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Poison's powerful Judgement, whilst wheras Arceus-Psychic OHKOes Blaziken with Psyshock or Judgement regardless of prior damage. Arceus-Poison also experiences great opportunity cost from being completely helpless against Primal Groudon unless it carries Calm Mind and Earth Power; but by that measure, Arceus-Poison would no longer be capable of checking Blaziken. How is this relevant at all?
**Arceus-Water**: Arceus-Water's resistance to Flare Blitz is a great benefit for it, but it will easily fall to a volley of Low Kicks, especially after entry hazard damage. It threatens Blaziken with an OHKO from its Water-type Judgement, but its opportunity cost of being a free switch-in to Primal Groudon deters it from even being usable; yet alone a Blaziken check. Is it a check or not? If it's a check, just say how it is, no need to say how to use the Arceus forme here
**Entry Hazards**: Blaziken is prone to all forms of entry hazards and is forced out by quite a few things depending on what coverage it runs, (comma) forcing Blaziken to be further worn down by entry hazards each time it switches in.
**Strong Priority Attacks**: Strong priority users such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Deoxys-A, and Rayquaza effectively provide damage control to Blaziken's parade, picking it off after some prior damage or hitting it first to force a faint from Flare Blitz recoil.
########
In XY, Blaziken was given a fast and strong Mega Evolution that is nearly impossible to revenge kill without a strong priority attack. In this metagame, Blaziken became notorious for its immediate strength and fearsome ability to force switches and wallbreak with Swords Dance, and was a serious threat that every team needed to prepare for.
remove space
However, Blaziken has been nerfed significantly in ORAS. The tier the shift towards bulky offense is a far cry from the hyper offensive teams that Blaziken fit into in XY, and it just isn't much of a place for a glass cannon like Blaziken to thrive. Newcomers such as Primal Groudon and Mega Salamence check Blaziken well have effectively lengthened its list of checks, and dominance of the heavy weather abilities have stolen away its best wallbreaking tool: five-turn sun. Being prone to all forms of entry hazards and over-reliant on Flare Blitz puts Blaziken on a timer, and its subpar 80 / 80 / 80 bulk as Mega Blaziken in Mega forme means it is not going to last long. Blaziken's best set also takes up a Mega slot, and it suffers quite a bit of opportunity cost in comparison to other Mega Evolutions such as Mega Salamence or Mega Gengar. Despite all of this, Blaziken still shines out as an absolute wrecking ball. It remains to be one of the few nightmares of balance and stall, and still packs enough juice to remain a serious threat despite how bulky the metagame has gotten. Play Blaziken to its strengths, and this Blazin' Kickin' Chicken will not disappoint you.
There's no reason to write a history lesson about Blaziken. What does it do, what does it not do, straight to the point.
Offensive
########
name: Long Live Blaze
move 1: Protect / Swords Dance
move 2: Flare Blitz
move 3: Low Kick
move 4: Stone Edge / Knock Off
ability: Speed Boost
item: Blazikenite / Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Protect is a fantastic move on Blaziken. It not only allows it to safely Mega Evolve, but it also lets it rack up Speed boosts and scout the opponent's plays. Swords Dance turns Blaziken into a disgustingly powerful wallbreaker, shortening its list of checks with only a single turn of setup. However, keep note that opportunities to set up are quite limited because of how lackluster Blaziken's bulk is; so for overall consistency, Protect is much rather preferred. Flare Blitz is ridiculously strong and is Blaziken's most consistent physical STAB attack. Low Kick is also stupidly all the "stupidly powerful" "disgustingly awesome" lingo is starting to wear a bit thin with how not-good-ish Blaziken is made out to be. Low Kick isn't even THAT strong powerful and hits most of the metagame as a 120 Base Power move due to how heavy the tier is, and, in tandem with Flare Blitz, Blaziken is granted excellent coverage, hitting hits almost the entire tier for at least neutral damage. High Jump Kick is an option over Low Kick in order to OHKO Mega Diancie and to beat the extremely rare Unaware Quagsire. With a Swords Dance boost, Blaziken can even OHKO 56+ Defense Primal Groudon after Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes with High Jump Kick. Stone Edge is the best coverage move for Blaziken because it provides a way for Blaziken to hit Mega Salamence hard and has other select targets such as Ho-Oh, Lugia, and physically defensive Yveltal. Another superb coverage option is Knock Off, as it OHKOes Latias after Stealth Rock and Latios regardless of prior damage and is Blaziken's only way to hit Giratina for considerable damage. In the last slot, Baton Pass can also be put to good use. For instance, if Blaziken has grabbed a Swords Dance boost but is face-to-face with a Pokemon it does not have a good type matchup against, such as Primal Groudon, Blaziken can pass its boosts to a more appropriate sweeper for the situation, like such as Rayquaza.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed investment give Blaziken the immediate strength that it is most well-known for, immediately putting it to work upon entering the battlefield. An Adamant nature should always be used, as it secures some key OHKOs such as those on Latios and Latias with Knock Off and offensive Kyogre with Low Kick. The slashes represent two possible sets; Protect + 3 attacks or Swords Dance + 3 attacks. A set of Swords Dance + Protect + 2 attacks can be used, but Blaziken will miss the coverage against Mega Salamence or the Giratina formes. If the opportunity cost of using Mega Blaziken's Mega forme is too much for one to even consider using it, do realize that Life Orb is a fine replacement over the Blazikenite. The two main concerns of using Life Orb is the added 10% recoil after every landed attack and the more fragile 80 / 70 / 70 bulk of regular forme, meaning Blaziken will die be worn down even faster to Flare Blitz recoil and be even further susceptible to priority attacks, two already prevalent issues with Mega Blaziken. However, normal Blaziken with a Life Orb is, in fact, slightly stronger than Mega Blaziken, does this make a notable difference in any matchups? and the open Mega slot can vastly expand teambuilding possibilities.
Usage Tips
========
Blaziken has very poor bulk, so it shouldn't be switched into any neutral or powerful resisted attacks. To get it into battle, it is important to double switch or bring it in on something that he has a severe type advantage over, such as Steel-types. If Protect is used, feel free to use it liberally, as it allows Blaziken to gain +1 Speed from its ability every turn it is used, effortlessly giving it Blaziken offensive momentum and pressuring the opposition. It also has the utility of revealing what the opponent would have done the turn it is used, allowing you to utilize that information to either make your own predictions or to cause your opponent to overthink. But mention the possibility for setup by the opponent Do not mindlessly spam Flare Blitz, as the recoil racks up quickly, especially if Life Orb is used. Your opponent can easily take advantage of this and pile up the recoil damage from Flare Blitz and perhaps Life Orb by luring Flare Blitz with Pokemon that resist Fighting-type resists and switching into Fire-type resistances, ultimately causing Blaziken to faint from recoil. To avoid this, it is important to make predictions and capitalize on the switches Blaziken forces. Also, be aware of potential priority users such as Arceus, Rayquaza, and Deoxys-A, as they can make short work of Blaziken before it even gets the chance to do some work.
Team Options
========
Wobbuffet is an outstanding partner to the Swords Dance variant. It can easily trap support Pokemon and provide both Encore support for easy setup opportunities and has access to Safeguard to halt any status users, namely ones with access to Prankster Thunder Wave. Yveltal and other Dark-types work wonders for Blaziken. They can easily check and even dispose of both Lugia and Giratina, two of Blaziken's premiere checks. Extreme Killer Arceus is the best offensive partner for Blaziken, mainly because of how much their checks overlap. In this core, Blaziken will heavily dent the opposition and even eliminate some of Arceus's checks, such as Mega Scizor, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn. With such Pokemon weakened or disposed of, Arceus can more successfully pull off a sweep. A good check to Primal Groudon is mandatory, as Blaziken will need it either removed from battle or weakened significantly; so levitating Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, and Landorus-T make for excellent partners, and the latter can even provide Stealth Rock support. Because Blaziken is prone to all forms of entry hazards, Rapid Spin support is highly appreciated. A fantastic user of the move is Forretress, which can provide Spikes and Toxic Spikes support while also being able to get Blaziken into battle unscathed with its slow Volt Switch. Defog support from the likes of Latios and Latias can be appreciated, but keep in mind that Blaziken needs entry hazards on the opponent's side of the field to have an easier time sweeping. Sun support is invaluable to Blaziken, but it is quite difficult to fit on teams because how predominant Primal Groudon is over normal Groudon.
Other Options
########
A dedicated Baton Pass set consisting of Baton Pass, Protect, and Substitute or Roar, (AC) and Flare Blitz with Leftovers and an EV spread of 12 HP / 244 Atk / 252 Spe and a Jolly nature can be used, but it is better done by Scolipede, whose main niche lies in being a Spikes-setting lead. Hidden Power Ice and some Special Attack investment can be used on the offensive set to OHKO Gliscor, Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza, but has just about no utility outside of that. Shadow Claw can be used on the offensive set to hit Giratina-O a little bit harder than it would with Knock Off, but the secondary effect of Knock Off and the added Base Power when hitting a Pokemon holding an item will be missed. Earthquake may also be used to OHKO Mega Diancie and Relaxed Groudon after Stealth Rock damage with a Swords Dance boost, but it causes Blaziken to have very redundant type coverage for what it needs to be able to hit in the tier. Hone Claws alongside High Jump Kick is usable in order to guarantee that High Jump Kick always lands, but the immediate power of a Swords Dance boost is much rather preferred.
Checks & Counters
########
**Giratina**: Giratina is a nightmare for Blaziken. Both formes are immune to Blaziken's Fighting-type STAB moves and resist Flare Blitz, allowing them to comfortably sponge any of Blaziken's attacks bar a boosted Knock Off. They can also hit Blaziken hard with Dragon Tail, phazing it and any boosts that it has acquired. Giratina-O especially poses a threat to Blaziken with its powerful Draco Meteor, Dragon Claw, and Earthquake, (comma) even picking off weakened Blaziken with Shadow Sneak.
**Lugia**: If Multiscale is intact, Lugia will wall even a Swords Dance-boosted Blaziken to hell and back. It won't enjoy losing its Leftovers to Knock Off, but it can hit back hard with Aeroblast, phaze out Blaziken with Whirlwind, or Toxic stall while recovering any damage taken with Roost. However, if Lugia switches into Stealth Rock, a boosted Blaziken will plow through it with Stone Edge or Knock Off.
**Primal Groudon**: Defensive Primal Groudon will struggle with the Swords Dance variant, but it can comfortably tank any unboosted hit that Blaziken can throw at it. In return, Primal Groudon can easily dispose of Blaziken with a Ground-type STAB move. But Primal Groudon is easily worn down by entry hazards, and it will fall to a salvo of Low Kicks if it has switched into Stealth Rock too many times.
**Diancie**: Diancie's light weight and Rock typing allows it to take pitiful damage from Low Kick and Flare Blitz, respectively. Disappointingly, it Mega forme Mega Diancie is 2HKOed by Flare Blitz regardless of whether or not it has a Defense-lowering nature, but it can hit Blaziken back with a powerful Earth Power before fainting to repetitive Flare Blitzes. Both Mega and non-Mega Diancie formes have huge trouble with the rare High Jump Kick, however.
**Mega Salamence**: Mega Salamence will give Blaziken a run for its money, as it can utilize Intimidate before it Mega Evolves to comfortably tank any of Blaziken's STAB attacks. (period) but, However, it'll succumb to a +1 Stone Edge if it lacks significant bulk investment and has taken Stealth Rock damage.
**Rayquaza**: In a similar vain to Mega Salamence, Rayquaza's severe type advantage over Blaziken allows it to be a decent check, especially because it has Extreme Speed. Even so, if Rayquaza has taken Stealth Rock damage, it will faint to a +2 Flare Blitz or Knock Off, and even to an unboosted Stone Edge.
**Landorus-T**: Landorus-T can keep Blaziken in check with its respectable physical bulk after the Intimidate drop and super effective Earthquake, but it is easily worn down by Stealth Rock and has no reliable recovery to withstand Blaziken's assaults.
**Gyarados**: Non-Mega Gyarados resists both of Blaziken's STAB moves and has Intimidate to back up its physical bulk. It can also play mind games with Blaziken on the turn it Mega Evolves, forcing Blaziken to choose between landing a Low Kick in attempt to predict the Mega Evolution or to go for a Stone Edge in attempt to predict that Gyarados stay unevolved; even switching out entirely can result in a set-up Gyarados. It also threatens Blaziken with its STAB Waterfall or powerful Earthquake, both with the strength to put Blaziken out of the match.
**Ho-Oh**: Stone Edge mauls Ho-Oh, but with a physically defensive set, Ho-Oh can wall even a boosted Blaziken on the condition that it lacks Stone Edge and Stealth Rock is clear off the field.
**Arceus-Ghost**: An immunity to Low Kick helps Arceus-Ghost, but it will take a big chunk of damage from Flare Blitz if it lacks significant Defense investment. (period) However, after the recoil received from Flare Blitz, Blaziken will be in KO range of Arceus-Ghost's powerful Judgement.
**Arceus-Fairy, -Psychic, and -Poison**: All three of these Arceus formes Fairy, Psychic, and Poison Arceus resist Low Kick, but they'll take a huge number from Flare Blitz unless they have significant Defense and HP investment. However, after Flare Blitz recoil, Blaziken is put into OHKO range of Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Poison's powerful Judgement, whilst wheras Arceus-Psychic OHKOes Blaziken with Psyshock or Judgement regardless of prior damage. Arceus-Poison also experiences great opportunity cost from being completely helpless against Primal Groudon unless it carries Calm Mind and Earth Power; but by that measure, Arceus-Poison would no longer be capable of checking Blaziken. How is this relevant at all?
**Arceus-Water**: Arceus-Water's resistance to Flare Blitz is a great benefit for it, but it will easily fall to a volley of Low Kicks, especially after entry hazard damage. It threatens Blaziken with an OHKO from its Water-type Judgement, but its opportunity cost of being a free switch-in to Primal Groudon deters it from even being usable; yet alone a Blaziken check. Is it a check or not? If it's a check, just say how it is, no need to say how to use the Arceus forme here
**Entry Hazards**: Blaziken is prone to all forms of entry hazards and is forced out by quite a few things depending on what coverage it runs, (comma) forcing Blaziken to be further worn down by entry hazards each time it switches in.
**Strong Priority Attacks**: Strong priority users such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Deoxys-A, and Rayquaza effectively provide damage control to Blaziken's parade, picking it off after some prior damage or hitting it first to force a faint from Flare Blitz recoil.
2/3
I'd like to have another person run through this just by how much prose changes/wording needs to be changed.
Last edited:
Thugly Duckling
I play TCG now
Last edited:
Thugly Duckling
I play TCG now
Paging GatoDelFuego. Sorry for the argument, this is my first C&C analysis and I didn't know what to expect from the GP or QC teams. I added an intro sentence, it'd be great if you look over it. Also implemented your edits.
Alright, let me check over this again.
Thugly Duckling
REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS
done/done
On the overview: while the previous versions that you wrote were well-written, it's just not the smogon policy to have wordy overviews to pokemon. They're designed to quickly give a snapshot of what the pokemon is capable of to people checking it for the first time, and really nothing more. We have a couple of outliers, especially in older generations, but in the past couple generations we've been working toward trying to make them as concise as possible for information's sake. However, in something like a Smog Article spotlight, what you'd had written would've been great!
I know some of my comments on my previous check were a bit hasty and could be interpreted badly, so I apologize for that. I didn't realize this was your first time writing also! I tired to elaborate in this check and make the wording in the above one more "official" and to-the-point rather than expositionary. That's sort of the goal of analyses anyway. It's not wrong to have something be a pleasure to read, but if it makes crucial information harder to pick out, it's not good to have fluff in our analyses.
On the 2 things in the checks and counters: saying that Poison or Water Arceus are shaky against Primal Groudon doesn't really have bearing on how well they check Blaziken. Just because something is not very usable doesn't make it not a good check. Now, I'm not a Pokemon player, but are Blaziken and Groudon used together, often? In that case, you should try and reword that segment into saying something like "because Primal Groudon and Blaziken work well together, they are less of a successful check against Blaziken" or something. If Primal Groudon + Blaziken isn't that common, then you should probably just remove the bits about those arceus formes not being that helpful because it doesn't have any relevance to Arceus vs Blaziken.
I apologize if anything I'd hastily done before gave the wrong impression, and I look forward to seeing more of your work with us here :)
Thugly Duckling
REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS
Overview
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Returning to another round of Ubers as the first, and currently only, (AC) starter Pokemon to be Uber, Blaziken has become notorious for its immediate strength and fearsome ability to force switches and wallbreak with Swords Dance. However, the shift towards bulky offense is a far cry from the hyper offensive teams that Blaziken fit into in XY, and it just isn't much of a place for a glass cannon like Blaziken to thrive. Newcomers Primal Groudon and Mega Salamence check Blaziken well, and dominance of the heavy weather abilities have stolen away its best wallbreaking tool: five-turn sun. Being prone to all forms of entry hazards and over-reliant on Flare Blitz puts Blaziken on a timer, and its subpar 80 / 80 / 80 bulk as Mega Blaziken means it is not going to last long. Blaziken's best set also takes up a Mega slot, and it suffers quite a bit of opportunity cost in comparison to other Mega Evolutions such as Mega Salamence or Mega Gengar. Despite all of this, Blaziken remains one of the few nightmares of balance and stall, and still packs enough juice to remain a serious threat despite how bulky the metagame has gotten.
Offensive
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name: Long Live Blaze
move 1: Protect / Swords Dance
move 2: Flare Blitz
move 3: Low Kick
move 4: Stone Edge / Knock Off
ability: Speed Boost
item: Blazikenite / Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Protect is a fantastic move on Blaziken. It not only allows it Blaziken to safely Mega Evolve, but it also lets it Blaziken rack up Speed boosts and scout the opponent's plays. Swords Dance turns Blaziken into a disgustingly powerful wallbreaker with only a single turn of setup. However, keep note that opportunities to set up are quite limited because of how lackluster Blaziken's bulk is; so for overall consistency, Protect is much rather much-preferred. Flare Blitz is ridiculously strong and is Blaziken's most consistent physical STAB attack. Low Kick is also very powerful and hits most of the metagame as a 120 Base Power move due to how heavy the tier is, and, (RC) in tandem with Flare Blitz lets Blaziken hits almost the entire tier for at least neutral damage. High Jump Kick is an option over Low Kick in order to OHKO Mega Diancie and to beat the extremely rare Unaware Quagsire. With a Swords Dance boost, Blaziken can even OHKO 56+ Defense Primal Groudon after Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes with High Jump Kick. Stone Edge is the best coverage move for Blaziken because it provides a way for Blaziken to hit Mega Salamence hard and has other select targets such as Ho-Oh, Lugia, and physically defensive Yveltal. Another superb coverage option is Knock Off, as it OHKOes Latias after Stealth Rock and Latios regardless of prior damage and is Blaziken's only way to hit Giratina for considerable damage. In the last slot, Baton Pass can be put to good use. For instance, if Blaziken has grabbed a Swords Dance boost but is face-to-face with a Pokemon it does not have a good type matchup against, such as Primal Groudon, Blaziken can pass its boosts to a more appropriate sweeper for the situation, such as Rayquaza.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed investment give Blaziken the immediate strength that it is most well-known for, immediately putting it to work upon entering the battlefield. An Adamant nature should always be used, as it secures some key OHKOs such as those on Latios and Latias with Knock Off and offensive Kyogre with Low Kick. The slashes represent two possible sets; Protect + 3 attacks or Swords Dance + 3 attacks. I'd eliminated this sentence before because it's not really necessary, as most people reading this would know that slashes on Smogon sets mean different sets. It's not wrong, just not really needed, but it certainly doesn't hurt the analysis here A set of Swords Dance + Protect + 2 attacks can be used, but Blaziken will miss the coverage against Mega Salamence or the Giratina formes. If the opportunity cost of using Mega Blaziken is too much for one to even consider using it, do realize that Life Orb is a fine replacement over the Blazikenite. The two main concerns of using Life Orb is the added 10% recoil after every landed attack and the more fragile 80 / 70 / 70 bulk, meaning Blaziken will be worn down even faster to Flare Blitz recoil and be even further susceptible to priority attacks. However, normal Blaziken with a Life Orb is, in fact, slightly stronger than Mega Blaziken, be sure to mention if this helps secure a key KO. I don't know any as I'm not a player, but it's good information to include. But if it just helps with chip damage, this is fine. and the open Mega slot can vastly expand teambuilding possibilities.
Usage Tips
========
Blaziken has very poor bulk, so it shouldn't be switched into any neutral or powerful resisted attacks. To get it into battle, it is important to double switch or bring it in on something that he has a severe type advantage over, such as Steel-types. If Protect is used, feel free to use it liberally, as it allows Blaziken to gain +1 Speed every turn it is used, effortlessly giving Blaziken offensive momentum and pressuring the opposition. It also has the utility of revealing what the opponent would have done the turn it is used, allowing you to utilize that information to either make your own predictions or to cause your opponent to overthink. However, do note that your opponent can predict a Protect to set up their own Pokemon. Do not mindlessly spam Flare Blitz, as the recoil racks up quickly, especially if Life Orb is used. Your opponent can easily take advantage of this and pile up the recoil damage from Flare Blitz and perhaps Life Orb by luring Flare Blitz with Pokemon that resist Fighting and switching into Fire-type resistances, ultimately causing Blaziken to faint from recoil. To avoid this, it is important to make predictions and capitalize on the switches Blaziken forces. Also, be aware of potential priority users such as Arceus, Rayquaza, and Deoxys-A, as they can make short work of Blaziken before it even gets the chance to do some work.
Team Options
========
Wobbuffet is an outstanding partner to the Swords Dance variant. It can easily trap support Pokemon and provide both Encore support for easy setup opportunities and has access to Safeguard to halt any status users, namely ones with access to Prankster Thunder Wave. Yveltal and other Dark-types work wonders for Blaziken. They can easily check and even dispose of both Lugia and Giratina, two of Blaziken's premier checks. Extreme Killer Arceus is the best offensive partner for Blaziken, mainly because of how much their checks overlap. In this core, Blaziken will heavily dent the opposition and even eliminate some of Arceus's checks, such as Mega Scizor, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn. With such Pokemon weakened or disposed of, Arceus can more successfully pull off a sweep. A good check to Primal Groudon is mandatory, as Blaziken will need it either removed from battle or weakened significantly; levitating Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, and Landorus-T make for excellent partners, and the latter can even provide Stealth Rock support. Because Blaziken is prone vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards, Rapid Spin support is highly appreciated. A fantastic user of the move is Forretress, which can provide Spikes and Toxic Spikes support while also being able to get Blaziken into battle unscathed with its slow Volt Switch. Defog support from the likes of Latios and Latias can be appreciated, but keep in mind that Blaziken needs entry hazards on the opponent's side of the field to have an easier time sweeping. Sun support is invaluable to Blaziken, but it is quite difficult to fit on teams because how dominant Primal Groudon is over normal Groudon.
Other Options
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A dedicated Baton Pass set consisting of Baton Pass, Protect, Substitute or Roar, and Flare Blitz with Leftovers and an EV spread of 12 HP / 244 Atk / 252 Spe and a Jolly nature can be used, but it is better done by Scolipede, whose main niche lies in being a Spikes-setting lead. Hidden Power Ice and some Special Attack investment can be used on the offensive set to OHKO Gliscor, Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza, but has just about no utility outside of that. Shadow Claw can be used on the offensive set to hit Giratina-O a little bit harder than it Blaziken would with Knock Off, but the secondary effect of Knock Off and the added Base Power when hitting a Pokemon holding an item will be missed. Earthquake may also be used to OHKO Mega Diancie and Relaxed Groudon after Stealth Rock damage with a Swords Dance boost, but it causes Blaziken to have very redundant type coverage for what it needs to be able to hit in the tier. Hone Claws alongside High Jump Kick is usable in order to guarantee that High Jump Kick always lands, but the immediate power of a Swords Dance boost is much rather much-preferred.
Checks & Counters
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**Giratina**: Giratina is a nightmare for Blaziken. Both formes are immune to Blaziken's Fighting-type STAB moves and resist Flare Blitz, allowing them to comfortably sponge any of Blaziken's attacks bar a boosted Knock Off. They can also hit Blaziken hard with Dragon Tail, phazing it and any boosts that it has acquired. Giratina-O especially poses a threat to Blaziken with its powerful Draco Meteor, Dragon Claw, and Earthquake, even picking off weakened Blaziken with Shadow Sneak.
**Lugia**: If Multiscale is intact, Lugia will wall even a Swords Dance-boosted Blaziken to hell and back. It won't enjoy losing its Leftovers to Knock Off, but it can hit back hard with Aeroblast, phaze out Blaziken with Whirlwind, or Toxic stall while recovering any damage taken with Roost. However, if Lugia switches into Stealth Rock, a boosted Blaziken will plow through it with Stone Edge or Knock Off.
**Primal Groudon**: Defensive Primal Groudon will struggle with the Swords Dance variant, but it can comfortably tank any unboosted hit that Blaziken can throw at it. In return, Primal Groudon can easily dispose of Blaziken with a Ground-type STAB move. But Primal Groudon is easily worn down by entry hazards, and it will fall to a salvo of Low Kicks if it has switched into Stealth Rock too many times.
**Diancie**: Diancie's light weight and Rock typing allow it to take pitiful damage from Low Kick and Flare Blitz, respectively. Disappointingly, Mega Diancie is 2HKOed by Flare Blitz regardless of whether or not it has a Defense-lowering nature, but it can hit Blaziken back with a powerful Earth Power before fainting to repetitive Flare Blitzes. Both Mega and non-Mega Diancie have huge trouble with the rare High Jump Kick, however.
**Mega Salamence**: Mega Salamence will give Blaziken a run for its money, as it can utilize Intimidate before it Mega Evolves to comfortably tank any of Blaziken's STAB attacks. However, it'll succumb to a +1 Stone Edge if it lacks significant bulk investment and has taken Stealth Rock damage.
**Rayquaza**: Rayquaza's severe type advantage over Blaziken allows it to be a decent check, especially because it has Extreme Speed. Even so, if Rayquaza has taken Stealth Rock damage, it will faint to a +2 Flare Blitz or Knock Off, and even to an unboosted Stone Edge.
**Landorus-T**: Landorus-T can keep Blaziken in check with its respectable physical bulk after the Intimidate drop and super effective Earthquake, but it is easily worn down by Stealth Rock and has no reliable recovery to withstand Blaziken's assaults.
**Gyarados**: Non-Mega Gyarados resists both of Blaziken's STAB moves and has Intimidate to back up its physical bulk. It can also play mind games with Blaziken on the turn it Mega Evolves, forcing Blaziken to choose between landing a Low Kick in attempt to predict the Mega Evolution or to go for a Stone Edge in attempt to predict that Gyarados stay unevolved; even switching out entirely can result in a set-up Gyarados. It also threatens Blaziken with its STAB Waterfall or powerful Earthquake, both with the strength to put Blaziken out of the match.
**Ho-Oh**: Stone Edge mauls Ho-Oh, but with a physically defensive set, Ho-Oh can wall even a boosted Blaziken on the condition that it lacks Stone Edge and Stealth Rock is clear of the field.
**Arceus-Ghost**: An immunity to Low Kick helps Arceus-Ghost, but it will take a big chunk of damage from Flare Blitz if it lacks significant Defense investment. (period) However, after the recoil received from Flare Blitz, Blaziken will be in KO range of Arceus-Ghost's powerful Judgement.
**Arceus-Fairy, -Psychic, and -Poison Fairy, Psychic, and Poison Arceus**: Fairy, Psychic, and Poison Arceus resist Low Kick, but they'll take a huge number from Flare Blitz unless they have significant Defense and HP investment. However, after Flare Blitz recoil, Blaziken is put into OHKO range of Fairy Arceus-Fairy and Poison Arceus's-Poison's powerful Judgement, wheras Psychic Arceus-Psychic OHKOes Blaziken with Psyshock or Judgement regardless of prior damage. Poison Arceus-Poison also experiences great opportunity cost from being completely helpless against Primal Groudon unless it carries Calm Mind and Earth Power; but by that measure, Poison Arceus-Poison would no longer be capable of checking Blaziken by eschewing power for bulk.***see comments below
**Water Arceus-Water**: Arceus-Water's Water Arceus's resistance to Flare Blitz is a great benefit for it, but it will easily fall to a volley of Low Kicks, especially after entry hazard damage. It threatens Blaziken with an OHKO from its Water-type Judgement, but its opportunity cost of being a free switch-in to Primal Groudon deters it from even being usable; yet alone a Blaziken check.
**Entry Hazards**: Blaziken is prone to all forms of entry hazards and is forced out by quite a few things depending on what coverage it runs, forcing Blaziken to be further worn down by entry hazards each time it switches in.
remove extra space
**Strong Priority Attacks**: Strong priority users such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Deoxys-A, and Rayquaza effectively provide damage control to Blaziken's parade, picking it off after some prior damage or hitting it first to force a faint from Flare Blitz recoil.
########
Returning to another round of Ubers as the first, and currently only, (AC) starter Pokemon to be Uber, Blaziken has become notorious for its immediate strength and fearsome ability to force switches and wallbreak with Swords Dance. However, the shift towards bulky offense is a far cry from the hyper offensive teams that Blaziken fit into in XY, and it just isn't much of a place for a glass cannon like Blaziken to thrive. Newcomers Primal Groudon and Mega Salamence check Blaziken well, and dominance of the heavy weather abilities have stolen away its best wallbreaking tool: five-turn sun. Being prone to all forms of entry hazards and over-reliant on Flare Blitz puts Blaziken on a timer, and its subpar 80 / 80 / 80 bulk as Mega Blaziken means it is not going to last long. Blaziken's best set also takes up a Mega slot, and it suffers quite a bit of opportunity cost in comparison to other Mega Evolutions such as Mega Salamence or Mega Gengar. Despite all of this, Blaziken remains one of the few nightmares of balance and stall, and still packs enough juice to remain a serious threat despite how bulky the metagame has gotten.
Offensive
########
name: Long Live Blaze
move 1: Protect / Swords Dance
move 2: Flare Blitz
move 3: Low Kick
move 4: Stone Edge / Knock Off
ability: Speed Boost
item: Blazikenite / Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant
Moves
========
Protect is a fantastic move on Blaziken. It not only allows it Blaziken to safely Mega Evolve, but it also lets it Blaziken rack up Speed boosts and scout the opponent's plays. Swords Dance turns Blaziken into a disgustingly powerful wallbreaker with only a single turn of setup. However, keep note that opportunities to set up are quite limited because of how lackluster Blaziken's bulk is; so for overall consistency, Protect is much rather much-preferred. Flare Blitz is ridiculously strong and is Blaziken's most consistent physical STAB attack. Low Kick is also very powerful and hits most of the metagame as a 120 Base Power move due to how heavy the tier is, and, (RC) in tandem with Flare Blitz lets Blaziken hits almost the entire tier for at least neutral damage. High Jump Kick is an option over Low Kick in order to OHKO Mega Diancie and to beat the extremely rare Unaware Quagsire. With a Swords Dance boost, Blaziken can even OHKO 56+ Defense Primal Groudon after Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes with High Jump Kick. Stone Edge is the best coverage move for Blaziken because it provides a way for Blaziken to hit Mega Salamence hard and has other select targets such as Ho-Oh, Lugia, and physically defensive Yveltal. Another superb coverage option is Knock Off, as it OHKOes Latias after Stealth Rock and Latios regardless of prior damage and is Blaziken's only way to hit Giratina for considerable damage. In the last slot, Baton Pass can be put to good use. For instance, if Blaziken has grabbed a Swords Dance boost but is face-to-face with a Pokemon it does not have a good type matchup against, such as Primal Groudon, Blaziken can pass its boosts to a more appropriate sweeper for the situation, such as Rayquaza.
Set Details
========
Maximum Attack and Speed investment give Blaziken the immediate strength that it is most well-known for, immediately putting it to work upon entering the battlefield. An Adamant nature should always be used, as it secures some key OHKOs such as those on Latios and Latias with Knock Off and offensive Kyogre with Low Kick. The slashes represent two possible sets; Protect + 3 attacks or Swords Dance + 3 attacks. I'd eliminated this sentence before because it's not really necessary, as most people reading this would know that slashes on Smogon sets mean different sets. It's not wrong, just not really needed, but it certainly doesn't hurt the analysis here A set of Swords Dance + Protect + 2 attacks can be used, but Blaziken will miss the coverage against Mega Salamence or the Giratina formes. If the opportunity cost of using Mega Blaziken is too much for one to even consider using it, do realize that Life Orb is a fine replacement over the Blazikenite. The two main concerns of using Life Orb is the added 10% recoil after every landed attack and the more fragile 80 / 70 / 70 bulk, meaning Blaziken will be worn down even faster to Flare Blitz recoil and be even further susceptible to priority attacks. However, normal Blaziken with a Life Orb is, in fact, slightly stronger than Mega Blaziken, be sure to mention if this helps secure a key KO. I don't know any as I'm not a player, but it's good information to include. But if it just helps with chip damage, this is fine. and the open Mega slot can vastly expand teambuilding possibilities.
Usage Tips
========
Blaziken has very poor bulk, so it shouldn't be switched into any neutral or powerful resisted attacks. To get it into battle, it is important to double switch or bring it in on something that he has a severe type advantage over, such as Steel-types. If Protect is used, feel free to use it liberally, as it allows Blaziken to gain +1 Speed every turn it is used, effortlessly giving Blaziken offensive momentum and pressuring the opposition. It also has the utility of revealing what the opponent would have done the turn it is used, allowing you to utilize that information to either make your own predictions or to cause your opponent to overthink. However, do note that your opponent can predict a Protect to set up their own Pokemon. Do not mindlessly spam Flare Blitz, as the recoil racks up quickly, especially if Life Orb is used. Your opponent can easily take advantage of this and pile up the recoil damage from Flare Blitz and perhaps Life Orb by luring Flare Blitz with Pokemon that resist Fighting and switching into Fire-type resistances, ultimately causing Blaziken to faint from recoil. To avoid this, it is important to make predictions and capitalize on the switches Blaziken forces. Also, be aware of potential priority users such as Arceus, Rayquaza, and Deoxys-A, as they can make short work of Blaziken before it even gets the chance to do some work.
Team Options
========
Wobbuffet is an outstanding partner to the Swords Dance variant. It can easily trap support Pokemon and provide both Encore support for easy setup opportunities and has access to Safeguard to halt any status users, namely ones with access to Prankster Thunder Wave. Yveltal and other Dark-types work wonders for Blaziken. They can easily check and even dispose of both Lugia and Giratina, two of Blaziken's premier checks. Extreme Killer Arceus is the best offensive partner for Blaziken, mainly because of how much their checks overlap. In this core, Blaziken will heavily dent the opposition and even eliminate some of Arceus's checks, such as Mega Scizor, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn. With such Pokemon weakened or disposed of, Arceus can more successfully pull off a sweep. A good check to Primal Groudon is mandatory, as Blaziken will need it either removed from battle or weakened significantly; levitating Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, and Landorus-T make for excellent partners, and the latter can even provide Stealth Rock support. Because Blaziken is prone vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards, Rapid Spin support is highly appreciated. A fantastic user of the move is Forretress, which can provide Spikes and Toxic Spikes support while also being able to get Blaziken into battle unscathed with its slow Volt Switch. Defog support from the likes of Latios and Latias can be appreciated, but keep in mind that Blaziken needs entry hazards on the opponent's side of the field to have an easier time sweeping. Sun support is invaluable to Blaziken, but it is quite difficult to fit on teams because how dominant Primal Groudon is over normal Groudon.
Other Options
########
A dedicated Baton Pass set consisting of Baton Pass, Protect, Substitute or Roar, and Flare Blitz with Leftovers and an EV spread of 12 HP / 244 Atk / 252 Spe and a Jolly nature can be used, but it is better done by Scolipede, whose main niche lies in being a Spikes-setting lead. Hidden Power Ice and some Special Attack investment can be used on the offensive set to OHKO Gliscor, Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza, but has just about no utility outside of that. Shadow Claw can be used on the offensive set to hit Giratina-O a little bit harder than it Blaziken would with Knock Off, but the secondary effect of Knock Off and the added Base Power when hitting a Pokemon holding an item will be missed. Earthquake may also be used to OHKO Mega Diancie and Relaxed Groudon after Stealth Rock damage with a Swords Dance boost, but it causes Blaziken to have very redundant type coverage for what it needs to be able to hit in the tier. Hone Claws alongside High Jump Kick is usable in order to guarantee that High Jump Kick always lands, but the immediate power of a Swords Dance boost is much rather much-preferred.
Checks & Counters
########
**Giratina**: Giratina is a nightmare for Blaziken. Both formes are immune to Blaziken's Fighting-type STAB moves and resist Flare Blitz, allowing them to comfortably sponge any of Blaziken's attacks bar a boosted Knock Off. They can also hit Blaziken hard with Dragon Tail, phazing it and any boosts that it has acquired. Giratina-O especially poses a threat to Blaziken with its powerful Draco Meteor, Dragon Claw, and Earthquake, even picking off weakened Blaziken with Shadow Sneak.
**Lugia**: If Multiscale is intact, Lugia will wall even a Swords Dance-boosted Blaziken to hell and back. It won't enjoy losing its Leftovers to Knock Off, but it can hit back hard with Aeroblast, phaze out Blaziken with Whirlwind, or Toxic stall while recovering any damage taken with Roost. However, if Lugia switches into Stealth Rock, a boosted Blaziken will plow through it with Stone Edge or Knock Off.
**Primal Groudon**: Defensive Primal Groudon will struggle with the Swords Dance variant, but it can comfortably tank any unboosted hit that Blaziken can throw at it. In return, Primal Groudon can easily dispose of Blaziken with a Ground-type STAB move. But Primal Groudon is easily worn down by entry hazards, and it will fall to a salvo of Low Kicks if it has switched into Stealth Rock too many times.
**Diancie**: Diancie's light weight and Rock typing allow it to take pitiful damage from Low Kick and Flare Blitz, respectively. Disappointingly, Mega Diancie is 2HKOed by Flare Blitz regardless of whether or not it has a Defense-lowering nature, but it can hit Blaziken back with a powerful Earth Power before fainting to repetitive Flare Blitzes. Both Mega and non-Mega Diancie have huge trouble with the rare High Jump Kick, however.
**Mega Salamence**: Mega Salamence will give Blaziken a run for its money, as it can utilize Intimidate before it Mega Evolves to comfortably tank any of Blaziken's STAB attacks. However, it'll succumb to a +1 Stone Edge if it lacks significant bulk investment and has taken Stealth Rock damage.
**Rayquaza**: Rayquaza's severe type advantage over Blaziken allows it to be a decent check, especially because it has Extreme Speed. Even so, if Rayquaza has taken Stealth Rock damage, it will faint to a +2 Flare Blitz or Knock Off, and even to an unboosted Stone Edge.
**Landorus-T**: Landorus-T can keep Blaziken in check with its respectable physical bulk after the Intimidate drop and super effective Earthquake, but it is easily worn down by Stealth Rock and has no reliable recovery to withstand Blaziken's assaults.
**Gyarados**: Non-Mega Gyarados resists both of Blaziken's STAB moves and has Intimidate to back up its physical bulk. It can also play mind games with Blaziken on the turn it Mega Evolves, forcing Blaziken to choose between landing a Low Kick in attempt to predict the Mega Evolution or to go for a Stone Edge in attempt to predict that Gyarados stay unevolved; even switching out entirely can result in a set-up Gyarados. It also threatens Blaziken with its STAB Waterfall or powerful Earthquake, both with the strength to put Blaziken out of the match.
**Ho-Oh**: Stone Edge mauls Ho-Oh, but with a physically defensive set, Ho-Oh can wall even a boosted Blaziken on the condition that it lacks Stone Edge and Stealth Rock is clear of the field.
**Arceus-Ghost**: An immunity to Low Kick helps Arceus-Ghost, but it will take a big chunk of damage from Flare Blitz if it lacks significant Defense investment. (period) However, after the recoil received from Flare Blitz, Blaziken will be in KO range of Arceus-Ghost's powerful Judgement.
**Arceus-Fairy, -Psychic, and -Poison Fairy, Psychic, and Poison Arceus**: Fairy, Psychic, and Poison Arceus resist Low Kick, but they'll take a huge number from Flare Blitz unless they have significant Defense and HP investment. However, after Flare Blitz recoil, Blaziken is put into OHKO range of Fairy Arceus-Fairy and Poison Arceus's-Poison's powerful Judgement, wheras Psychic Arceus-Psychic OHKOes Blaziken with Psyshock or Judgement regardless of prior damage. Poison Arceus-Poison also experiences great opportunity cost from being completely helpless against Primal Groudon unless it carries Calm Mind and Earth Power; but by that measure, Poison Arceus-Poison would no longer be capable of checking Blaziken by eschewing power for bulk.***see comments below
**Water Arceus-Water**: Arceus-Water's Water Arceus's resistance to Flare Blitz is a great benefit for it, but it will easily fall to a volley of Low Kicks, especially after entry hazard damage. It threatens Blaziken with an OHKO from its Water-type Judgement, but its opportunity cost of being a free switch-in to Primal Groudon deters it from even being usable; yet alone a Blaziken check.
**Entry Hazards**: Blaziken is prone to all forms of entry hazards and is forced out by quite a few things depending on what coverage it runs, forcing Blaziken to be further worn down by entry hazards each time it switches in.
remove extra space
**Strong Priority Attacks**: Strong priority users such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Deoxys-A, and Rayquaza effectively provide damage control to Blaziken's parade, picking it off after some prior damage or hitting it first to force a faint from Flare Blitz recoil.
done/done
On the overview: while the previous versions that you wrote were well-written, it's just not the smogon policy to have wordy overviews to pokemon. They're designed to quickly give a snapshot of what the pokemon is capable of to people checking it for the first time, and really nothing more. We have a couple of outliers, especially in older generations, but in the past couple generations we've been working toward trying to make them as concise as possible for information's sake. However, in something like a Smog Article spotlight, what you'd had written would've been great!
I know some of my comments on my previous check were a bit hasty and could be interpreted badly, so I apologize for that. I didn't realize this was your first time writing also! I tired to elaborate in this check and make the wording in the above one more "official" and to-the-point rather than expositionary. That's sort of the goal of analyses anyway. It's not wrong to have something be a pleasure to read, but if it makes crucial information harder to pick out, it's not good to have fluff in our analyses.
On the 2 things in the checks and counters: saying that Poison or Water Arceus are shaky against Primal Groudon doesn't really have bearing on how well they check Blaziken. Just because something is not very usable doesn't make it not a good check. Now, I'm not a Pokemon player, but are Blaziken and Groudon used together, often? In that case, you should try and reword that segment into saying something like "because Primal Groudon and Blaziken work well together, they are less of a successful check against Blaziken" or something. If Primal Groudon + Blaziken isn't that common, then you should probably just remove the bits about those arceus formes not being that helpful because it doesn't have any relevance to Arceus vs Blaziken.
I apologize if anything I'd hastily done before gave the wrong impression, and I look forward to seeing more of your work with us here :)
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Thugly Duckling
I play TCG now
Well, Primal Groudon is S+ Rank, quite literally interpretable as Primal Groudon is on every ORAS Ubers team. Plenty of mons have become borderline unusable because of PDon alone, and because there is opportunity cost using the aforementioned Arceus forms on a team as a whole; there is also opportunity cost of using them as Blaziken checks because of PDons overbearing presence in the metagame. I think the sentence I have now about those two arceus formes makes sense to knowledgeable Ubers players, but for the sake of new players it probably should be reworded. Give me the go if you want me to change it :)
EDIT: About the part explaining Life Orb Blaziken, I only included that to ensure to players that there is no power drop between Mega Blaziken and Non-Mega Blaziken.
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Instead of going in depth into why these two Arceus formes are rare, why not just simply say they're rare in this metagame? This is an analysis of Blaziken after all, not the Arceus-formes or Primal Groudon. Poison and Water Arceus do still check Blaze well (water especially), and should not be discounted as checks beyond a very simple statement saying that they are borderline unviable, or extremely rare in this metagame (take your pick). Simplicity where Blaze is not directly involved is key here I feel. These are just suggestions based on how I would approach this as a fellow analysis writer, so please take them as you will.
I am no GP expert of any kind or QC member, so I am tagging GatoDelFuego to this thread, again. Sorry if this is becoming annoying to either of you.
Edit: Remember that if any of these rare statements do become untrue as the metagame evolves and ideas take hold, you, or someone, can always suggest changes via the Analysis Discussion Thread. This is a very nice tool here and it makes trying to write analyses a lot easier since we no longer have to think of analysis longevity as much.
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Yeah, the checks and counters sections should really just be about how they perform in relation to blaziken. If you really wanted to include a bit with groudon, you could reword it as something like "Though it fares poorly against Primal Groudon, Water Arceus etc etc etc". However, if the formes are really unusable because of groudon's presence, they probably shouldn't even be listed. We don't say poliwrath is a check to greninja, after all.
Thugly Duckling
I play TCG now
Looks good to me, you can mark this as done and we'll get it uploaded.
Thugly Duckling
I play TCG now
GDI OU, why did you have to get bored and suspect Greninja? Making me change the first sentence in my OP and shit...
Thugly Duckling
I play TCG now
I added the skeleton, originally I forgot to add it.
Greninja's banned now, so this statement isn't accurate anymore.===>
Karate Bird
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Overview
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Returning to another round of Ubers as the first, and currently only, starter Pokemon to be Uber, Blaziken has become notorious for its immediate strength and fearsome ability to force switches and wallbreak with Swords Dance.
AND YES, THIS IS OF CRUCIAL IMPORTANCE
Thugly Duckling
I play TCG now
I addressed this as a concern already two posts above this post. Read before you comment please.
Sorry, I actually did read it, but I noticed that it was posted on the 27th and thought you might have forgotten. It's OK though, I wasn't being terribly serious anyways, if you couldn't tell.
add Latias in the list of Blaziken's checks, she resists both STABs and doesn't take too many damages from SE, too. Also, since Blaziken rly doesn't want be walled by Mega Salamence, it tends nowadays to not run Knock Off to be able to use SE. Obviously you need to take Latias healthy to check Ken, but imo she does an okay job at doing it and therefore should be listed as a Ken check.
Thugly Duckling
I play TCG now
Shrang told me to remove Latias as a check (2HKOed by Stone Edge, dies to boosted Stone Edge after SR damage). I don't mean to sound rude to you, this should go to all readers of the analysis; please read the posts by the QC team before suggesting moves/correcting info. The analysis is finished and any serious changes in the metagame regarding the effectiveness and or viabilty of this Pokemon and its checks/counters are to be done by myself when asked by a tier leader, a tier leader, or the uploaders of the analyses. No longer will any nitpicky comments be made in this thread. Paging Fireburn to lock this thread.
Thugly Duckling
I play TCG now
I really don't want to be torn betweem the opinions of two QC members, please argue with Shrang if you'd like to defend Latias as a check because I ultimately don't have the decision-making powers over what goes into this community's analyses.
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