Blaziken(Analysis)(QC 2/3)

[Kingler]

ME > INFERNAPE! SPEED BOOOOOST

http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/blaziken-qc-1-3.3487431/

QC approvals: Lucariojr, Mizuhime

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[Overview]

-Great coverage
-Speed Boost lets it outrun most of the tier after a Protect
-Not bulky (relatively bulky for a sweeper)
-Strong
-Weakened by rain
-Loses to Trick Room
-Like Darmanitan (both fast since Darm runs Choice Scarf, strong, and frail)

[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower / Hi Jump Kick
move 3: Stone Edge / Brave Bird
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb / Fire Gem
ability: Speed Boost
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

-Fire / Fighting coverage can hit most of the tier hard
-Superpower gives Blaziken a strong Fighting-type STAB move
-Hi Jump Kick can be used over Superpower since the latter drops Blaziken's attacking stats and is weaker, but the prevalence of Protect is an annoyance
-Stone Edge hits Chandelure, which otherwise walls this set, and can give Blaziken a way to hit Pokemon such as Thundurus without taking massive recoil damage
-Brave Bird nails Fighting-types such as Conkeldurr and Hitmontop (also hits Pokemon such as Latios, Latias, and Chandelure for solid damage)
-Protect lets Blaziken stall for a turn and boost its Speed, and is always useful in Doubles

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

-Life Orb gives it as much power as possible
-Fire Gem boosts first Flare Blitz
-Fighting Gem can be used but is not as useful
-EVs maximize its sweeping capabilities (252 Speed Adamant is enough to Speed tie with Shaymin-S after a Speed Boost)
-Jolly isn't really necessary due to Speed boost
-Appreciates weather control, as Drizzle can really mess up Blaziken, weakening Flare Blitz and allowing Swift Swim Pokemon such as Kingdra to outrun it, even at +2
-Blaziken using Protect can be very predictable, so appreciates partners such as Hitmontop that can Fake Out the opposition and stop Blaziken from having to rely on Protect as much
-Ninetales is a great partner since it sets up Sunny Day (Sableye and Cresselia are also good partners since they can set up Sunny Day)
-Sableye gets Feint + Fake Out, which can help
-Cresselia can reverse Trick Room and learns Helping Hand
-Appreciates Pokemon that can prevent others from using moves such as Trick Room and Tailwind, as Blaziken really relies on its Speed
-Pokemon such as Thundurus can be good for this
-Wide Guard support can be nice to stop Earthquake (Hitmontop)

[Other Options]

-Lum Berry for status
-Choice Band for power (cannot use Protect though)
to Attack Blaziken, but it compounds with Life Orb and Flare Blitz Recoil
-the same is true for Swords Dance
-Hidden Power Ice KOs Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Garchomp (also useful after Intimidate) (use a Naughty nature if using this)
-Special set with Heat Wave, Focus Blast, HP Ice, and Protect (Overheat is an option, as are Flamethrower and Fire Blast)
-Sky Uppercut is an alternate Fighting-type move
-Acrobatics
-Earthquake is a spread move and can hit Pokemon such as Chandelure
-Rock Slide is another spread move option
-Sunny Day is an option and can be useful if the opposition predicts Protect
-Blaze Kick is an alternative to Flare Blitz with no recoil in exchange for a lot of power
-Cannot use Feint or Baton Pass due to illegalities with Speed Boost
-Lum Berry + Swagger (on partner)

[Checks and Counters]

-Blaziken is pretty easy to deal with for the first couple of turns, but after 3 turns, it can be a major force
-Feint users can spell major trouble for Blaziken, so Pokemon such as Hitmontop can be a solid way to beat it
-Intimidate can neuter Blaziken's offensive presence, so Pokemon such as the aforementioned Hitmontop, Salamence, Gyarados, and Landorus-T are good counters
-Politoed can set up Drizzle, allowing Pokemon such as Kingdra to destroy Blaziken
-Trick Room can be a major problem for Blaziken
-Thundurus-I can get off a Prankster Thunder Wave and essentially "kill" Blaziken
-Latias and Latios can tank any hit and KO back
-Very bulky Pokemon such as Cresselia can tank a hit easily and KO Blaziken or Thunder Wave it (the aforementioned Intimidate users work well for this too)
-Fast Choice Scarf users can outrun Blaziken even after 1 Speed Boost, so Pokemon such as Landorus-T are good in this regard
-Excadrill outruns +2 Blaziken in the sand

[Overview]

<p>Blaziken enters the Doubles tier as a Pokemon that can wreak havoc given the proper support. With a great Attack stat along with great STAB coverage further boosted by weather, Blaziken is hits very hard. However, what really makes it worth using is its ability, Speed Boost&mdash;this boosts its lackluster Speed to quite high levels, outpacing the entire unboosted metagame. This rare coveted ability is what makes Blaziken a threatening Pokemon in Doubles. It has the ability to threaten common Pokemon such as Metagross, Scizor, and Tyranitar; being able to mow through the latter is notable, as it is a huge problem for many sun team, a common archetype Blaziken is run on.</p>

<p>However, not all is well for it&mdash;it requires a lot of support to work well. While it can hit hard in sun, the everpresent Politoed and Tyranitar replace sun with their own respective weathers, preventing it from fulfilling its task. In addition, they can threaten Ninetales with their respective STAB moves. Sun is one of the harder weathers to maintain, meaning that more often than not, sun will not be up, reducing Blaziken's switch-in opportunities. It is also burdened by rather mediocre bulk&mdash;compound this with a weakness to common spread moves, such as Earthquake and Surf, and Blaziken has quite a few flaws to deal with. The abundance of speed control in Doubles hurts it a lot. Trick Room in particular can turn the tables on Blaziken, as it heavily relies on its Speed to function. Doubles is also filled with many bulky threats, such as Cresselia, that can take a hit and KO it back. Many Pokemon with Intimidate completely shut Blaziken down, immeditately forcing it out. In addition, it faces competition from Pokemon such as Heatran for a teamslot as a Fire-type Pokemon. Nevertheless, due to its powerful STAB moves, access to Speed Boost, and a STAB boosted by weather, Blaziken is an good Pokemon in the Doubles metagame, and one that should be prepared for.</p>

[SET]
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower / Hi Jump Kick
move 3: Stone Edge / Brave Bird
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb / Fire Gem
ability: Speed Boost
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With its great dual high-powered STAB moves, Blaziken can hit hard right off the bat. This set aims to hit as hard as possible and rip holes in the opponent's team. Flare Blitz is the primary STAB move and hits most threats, such as Cresselia, for good damage. However, it comes with a severe drawback in the form of recoil, and while Blaziken can do a lot of damage, that meann that it will be taking massive recoil as well, limiting its time on the battlefield. Superpower is the secondary STAB move, and provides good coverage with Flare Blitz, hitting Pokemon such as Terrakion and Tyranitar that resist Flare Blitz super-effectively. Hi Jump Kick is also an option, but the ubiquity of Protect in Doubles makes it ineffective. While Superpower is more accurate and does not have a chance of taking recoil, Hi Jump Kick lets it attack without the nasty stat drops. There are two options in the last slot. Of these, Brave Bird hits Fighting-type Pokemon, such as Conkeldurr and Hitmontop, as well as Latias and Latios, harder outside sun, but Stone Edge can be used to hit Victini and Chandelure, the latter of which completely walls this set.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>An Adamant nature is chosen for maximum power, while allowing Blaziken to Speed tie with Shaymin-S after a boost. Life Orb is the preferred option for maximum power to both of Blaziken's STABs. Fire Gem is also an option to further boost Flare Blitz's power, allowing Blaziken to always OHKO standard Landorus-T, factoring in sun and Intimidate. A Fighting Gem can boost the power of Superpower or Hi Jump Kick, guaranteeing an OHKO on 252 / 0 Politoed, as well as an OHKO on physically defensive variants with a Helping Hand boost. It must be noted that the aforementioned OHKOs cannot be obtained with a Life Orb.</p>

<p>As far as partners go, Sableye is one of the best, as it provides Fake Out support, making Blaziken a lot less reliant on Protect. It also provides Feint support, as well as priority Sunny Day support in a pinch. Hitmontop can remedy its weakness to spread moves by using Wide Guard, and provides Fake Out support, making it a good partner as well, but it stacks weaknesses and is generally redundant with Blaziken. Amoonguss can absorb Water-type moves for Blaziken using Rage Powder, although it cannot direct spread moves, such as Muddy Water and Surf. Cresselia makes for another good partner as it can reverse Trick Room by using the move of its own, as it is a rather common strategy that gives Blaziken a lot of trouble. It can also use Helping Hand, which gives Blaziken a much-needed power boost that nabs KOs on bulkier threats that would otherwise be able to survive Blaziken's attacks, such as Garchomp, although it still will not OHKO Pokemon such as Cresselia. Pokemon with access to Taunt help Blaziken out as they prevent the opponent's Pokemon from using Tailwind or Trick Room. The aforementioned Sableye, as well as Thundurus, are great options due to access to priority Taunt. Defiant Tornadus in particular is an excellent option as it is faster than most Pokemon utilizing those moves, and it discourages Pokemon with Intimidate that would normally come in on Blaziken from switching in. Ninetales makes for a decet partner as it can prevent Drizzle from making Blaziken as well as provide sun, powering up Blaziken's main Fire-type STAB. However, it stacks up a Water-type weakness, meaning that if Ninetales is run, your team should carry a Water-resist.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>Lum Berry is a decent alternative over Life Orb, as it can cure the paralysis that Blaziken abhors. On a similar note, Lum Berry in conjunction with Swagger is a strategy Blaziken can use on its teammate, but it is better off attacking. Choice Band boosts Blaziken's power through the roof, but this set can easily be outsped and revenge killed by the myriad of Pokemon utilizing a Choice Scarf, or even a faster Pokemon, as it cannot use Protect to get a free boost to its Speed. It can choose to act as a setup sweeper with Swords Dance, but boosting moves are generally ineffective in Doubles. Blaziken can utilize Acrobatics in conjunction with Flying Gem, but it does not get a STAB boost from it and Blaziken prefers the boost to its Fire-type STAB. Hidden Power Ice can be used to OHKO Landorus-T and Garchomp, both of which can live a hit from Blaziken and OHKO. On a similar note, an all-out specially attacking set utilizing its movepool consisting of Heat Wave, Focus Blast, and Hidden Power Ice can be used, though it is outclassed by physically attacking variants. While Earthquake provides redundant coverage, it is a decently powerful spread move that hits Chandelure and Victini. Sunny Day allows Blaziken to control weather on its own, but it cannot spare a moveslot for it. Blaze Kick is an alternative Fire-type STAB that allows Blaziken to stay on the battlefield significantly longer, but it is very weak and doesn't allow Blaziken nearly as much wallbreaking power as Flare Blitz does. While Feint and Baton Pass seem appealing, they are unfortunately illegal with Speed Boost.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>The best way to deal with Blaziken is changing the weather, as it relies heavily on the sun to be effective. Politoed is an excellent option for this, although it is OHKOed by a Fighting Gem-boosted Superpower. Outside of changing the weather, Jellicent is the arguably the best option to deal with Blaziken as it can easily stomach any move and proceed to hit Blaziken hard with STAB Water Spout. Pokemon with Intimidate, such as Gyarados, Salamence, and Landorus-T can give Blaziken trouble, with the former two resisting its STABs as well. Latias and Latios, despite their poor physical bulk, are not OHKOed by anything Blaziken does and can OHKO back. Suicune with its massive physical bulk can stomach any hit from Blaziken and OHKO back with its Water-type STAB move of choice. Feint users can break Blaziken's invulnerability after Protect, making it easy for the Feint user's teammate to KO. It also lets Swift Swim Pokemon such as Kingdra outspeed Blaziken even at +2 and easily OHKO. Trick Room is a strategy that hurts Blaziken a lot, as it relies on its Speed to destroy the opponent's Pokemon, especially since common Trick Room setters such as Jellicent, Slowking, Chandelure, and Cresselia give it trouble regardless. While Thundurus is OHKOed by a Life Orb-boosted Flare Blitz, it can cripple Blaziken with priority Thunder Wave, rendering it nearly useless, and open to an OHKO from Thundurus's teammate. On a similar note, Cresselia can take a hit and Thunder Wave Blaziken, or hit it hard with STAB Psychic.</p>

<p>While Blaziken is hard to revenge kill due to Speed Boost, it can still be outsped by certain Pokemon. The aforementioned Kingdra and Excadrill are two weather abusers that can outspeed Blaziken at +2 and OHKO. Keep in mind, though, that if Blaziken uses Protect then, at +3 it will outspeed the aforementioned Pokemon. Similarly, after it has boosted its Speed once, Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Rotom-W can OHKO it, but will be outsped at +2. Hitmontop gets access to Intimidate, but it is 2HKOed by Flare Blitz regardless, making it a shaky check.</p>

 

[Kingler]

Atm I want input on the Overview; in most of the analyses I've done, it usually needs work, so help would be appreciated.
Edit:whoops my bad title edited
Edit2: wow i suck thanks spareaacount, edited.

 

[shadowpandax]

You're spelling Blaziken wrong. It's not Blazekin.

 

[Kingler]

i fixed this as soon as I saw it, but w/e i've fixed it. Anyway, i've done everything except the second para of AC, OO and C&C.

 

[Kingler]

Ok, I finally wrote the whole thing up. QC checks?

 

[Audiosurfer]

ok, some things here:

• you're overhyping blaziken in this writeup. for example, saying things like how it's a "behemoth" are just not true and give the reader an exaggerated impression of blaziken's viability. toning that down a little would be a good idea (so yeah no things like "it truly destroys" since it really doesnt. saying that it is a great poke in sun is fine tho as long as you don't overuse it)
  
• Replace mention of Water Spout in Overview with Surf. Water Spout is in no way common since only common mon that gets it is Jellicent, and it doesn't even have it on every set
• Remove mention of it being banned in OU. I get what you're trying to do w/ that but for the most part it's not too relevant, especially since Blaziken is a lot less good in dubs than in OU
• In the set analysis, you really need to go further to describe the use of the moves beyond a type chart description. Not asking for a paragraph on each move or anything but as the reader I need to know exactly why I'm using these moves. For example, when you say Superpower has good coverage with Flare Blitz, you don't really say why. Something like "it hits Pokemon like Tyranitar and Terrakion that don't mind a Flare Blitz" is what I'm looking for.
  
• When talking about Superpower vs. HJK, you need to go into more depth comparing them, since you really don't say why you'd bother choosing between them (you don't go into any of Superpower's flaws for example). Main points you need to know are that superpower has no risk of 50% recoil, isnt screwed by protect and is more accurate while hjk has a bit more power and doesn't come with the nasty stat drops.
  
• When mentioning Stone Edge and Brave Bird, you need to do a better job seperating them, since right now it gives off the feeling that they're interchangeable when in reality they serve different purposes. Think "Stone Edge can be used in this slot for xyz. On the other hand, Brave Bird is a nice option to do abc" or something like that.
  
• Also, when talking about Brave Bird, don't just say it hits Fighting-types. Give specific examples of common Fighting-types it can hit, such as Hitmontop and Conkeldurr. In addition, mention how it hits Lati@s for decent damage.
• Remove the EV explanation in the set AC. You don't need to explain 252/252 spreads.
• "Sableye provides Fake Out support, making Blazikrn" <---- spelling error there
• When mentioning Sableye, also say how it can use Prankster Sunny Day to power up Flare Blitz in a pinch
• When talking about Taunt, mention Tornadus as well, specifically Defiant Tornadus since it can outspeed and Taunt those mons anyways while discouraging Intimidates that neuter Blaziken's offensive presence
• Mention of Lum Berry in the OO is worded kinda strangely as of right now, just something saying that Lum Berry is nice to cure paralysis is sufficient.
  
• "Hidden Power Ice can be used to OHKO Landorus-T and Garchomp, both of which can live a hit and OHKO." <--- be sure to clarify that you mean they live a hit from its other moves, otherwise you might confuse someone.
• "On a similar note, an all-out specially attacking set utilizing its movepool consisting of Heat Wave, Focus Blast, and Hidden Power Ice, though they are outclassed by physically attacking variants.' <--- this sentence doesn't really make sense. am assuming you meant to add something like "you can use " somewhere in there. also change "they are" to it is, since you're talking about one set.
• "While Blaziken is very hard to counter due to its excellent dual STABs, Speed Boost, and a weather-boosted Flare Blitz, it can still be countered." <--- overhyped, so fix this. all speed boost does really is make it hard to check through outspeeding anyways.
• Should also be mentioned that Gyarados and Salamence resist both of its STABs, makin them even better ways to deal with it than other Intimidators.
• Move mention of Hitmontop to the bottom part of C&C It is a shakier check since both of its sets get 2HKOd by Adamant LO Flare Blitz even after an Intimidate drop, so it shouldn't be mentioned too early. Here are the calcs just to show you what I mean (don't include em tho): (-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Blaziken Flare Blitz vs. 124 HP / 0 Def Hitmontop: 185-218 (68.01 - 80.14%) -- guaranteed 2HKO) (-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Blaziken Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 64 Def Hitmontop: 173-204 (56.9 - 67.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO)
• "Politoed can summon rain, which means that Blaziken's main STAB is weakened, making it a good answer to Blaziken." edit in bolded part
• When talking about Trick Room, mention specific setters, particularly Cresselia, Jellicent, Chandelure, and Slowking, since they all dont care about Blaziken anyways
• Add Chandelure and Victini to C&C
• "Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Landorus-T can OHKO it, but will be outsped at +2." <---- mention Rotom-W here too

Don't be discouraged by all the bullet points Kingler12345 , this wasn't a bad writeup or anything (especially for your first one, mine was alot worse lol) so good job :). Anyways, once you've implemented all these I can come back and give you a stamp.

 

[Kingler]

Added all that in. Also Audiosurfer ,

Pokemon with Intimidate, such as Gyarados, Salamence, and Landorus-T can give Blaziken trouble, with the former two resisting its STABs as well.

I already mentioned gyara and mence resisting STABs c:

 

[noobcubed]

Audiosurfer tidied it up for the most part, but a couple of additional comments:

I think a large part of Blaziken's problem is that it lacks a spread move (which is why I have a higher opinion of special-attacking Blaziken than most other people). Mention that in the overview - it has been done for other fast Pokemon with the same problem.

AC - you mention that Amoonguss can redirect Water-type attacks. I might drop this because most common Water-type attacks are spread moves anyway. If you do keep it I'd change Amoonguss to Gastrodon, who can do the same trick but without having to use up a move turn to do it.

Mention Cresselia's ability to set up Sunny Day. Bisharp is perhaps worth a mention as a partner who can both take on the likes of Jellicent and Cresselia and deter the opponent from using Intimidate.

C&C - no mention of Politoed? Toed really needs to be there.

This is a really great analysis though - I for one hope it's the first of many :)

 

[Kingler]

Thanks! Actually, I've mentioned Politoed in C&C. Idk about removing amoonguss, it can take most moves well. I could mention Gastrodon but it doesn't work on sun teams imo. As for spread move, idk if i should mention it. Can qc weigh in on this? Thanks.

 

[noobcubed]

First of all you don't have to run Blaziken on sun teams. Blaziken is fine on all archetypes except rain and Trick Room. Secondly Gastrodon is pretty good on sun actually, probably more so than Amoonguss who will be OHKO'd by STAB Fire-type attacks it would otherwise tank. Meanwhile Gastrodon gives you a way to combat rain, sand and Trick Room, while also having Earth Power to destroy Heatran and Ice Beam to take down Dragon-types, both of which are problems for sun abusers, and so is pretty useful.

Oh yeah Toed is there. My bad.

 

[Pocket]

Note that Fighting Gem Superpower is useful for scoring an OHKO on max HP Politoed (it can OHKO max HP / max Def Bold Politoed with HH support).

Brave Bird's selling point is its good neutral coverage and base power to hit Pokemon that resists Flare Blitz outside of sun. In the sun, even a resisted Flare Blitz inflicts more damage than a neutral Brave Bird. Make sure you emphasize the part in bold in addition to what you already have written.

Stone Edge also inflicts super effective damage to Gyarados and Salamence, so that's worth mentioning

 

[tofucocoa]

[Overview]

<p>Blaziken enters the Doubles tier as a solid Pokemon that can wreak havoc given the proper support. With a great Attack stat along with excellent STAB coverage further boosted by weather, Blaziken is quite the wallbreaker. Rephrase this. There is no place for the term 'wallbreaker' in doubles. However, what really makes it worth using is its ability, Speed Boost&mdash; this boosts its lacklustre Speed to quite high levels, outpacing the entire unboosted metagame. This rare coveted ability is what makes Blaziken a threatening Pokemon in Doubles.</p>

<p>However, not all is well for it&mdash; while it can hit hard in sun, the everpresent rain and sand teams prevent it from fulfilling its task. Mention Politoed and Tyranitar specifically, as they can be on teams that don't completely rely on their weathers. It is also burdened by rather mediocre bulk &mdash; compound this with a weakness to common spread moves such as Earthquake and Surf, and Blaziken has quite a few flaws to deal with. Nevertheless, Blaziken is an good Pokemon in the Doubles metagame and one that should be prepared for. Very cliche ending.</p>

You didn't mention ANYWHERE how badly it gets fucked by Trick Room, the general bulkiness of most Pokemon in Doubles, how easily it's checked by Hitmontop (Intimidate, Fake Out, Feint) and other Intimidators, how it basically requires a turn to set up, and how it absolutely cannot deal with bulky Thundurus and Cresselia. In other words, you're ignoring basically everything that makes Blaziken bad in doubles and as a result, you're overselling it. Note that Trick Room was in the skeleton, yet you did not include it, along with the Darmanitan comparison.

[SET]

name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Superpower / Hi Jump Kick
move 3: Stone Edge / Brave Bird
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb / Fire Gem
ability: Speed Boost
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

<p>With its excellent dual high-powered STAB moves, Blaziken makes for a great late game sweeper. Do not use 'sweeper' in Doubles. This set aims to hit as hard as possible and rip holes in the opponent's team. Flare Blitz is the primary STAB move as it is very powerful, especially with a boost from sunny weather. Superpower is the secondary STAB move, and provides good coverage with Flare Blitz, hitting Pokemon such as Terrakion and Tyranitar that resist Flare Blitz super-effectively. Hi Jump Kick is also an option, but the ubiquity of Protect in Doubles makes it ineffective. While Superpower is more accurate and does not have a chance of taking recoil, Hi Jump Kick lets it attack without the nasty stat drops. In the last slot, Brave Bird hits Fighting-type Pokemon such as Conkeldurr and Hitmontop, as well as get solid damage on Latias and Latios, but Stone Edge can be used to hit Victini and Chandelure, the latter of which completely walls this set. Echoing what Pocket said about Brave Bird.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>An Adamant nature is chosen to Speed tie with Shaymin-S after a boost. So uh, we're not using Adamant for power? Life Orb is the preferred option for maximum power to both of Blaziken's STABs. Fire Gem is also an option to further boost Flare Blitz's power, turning Blaziken into a nuke that can do over 60% in the sun to Jellicent, which is its main counter. Ugh. More on this later. A Fighting Gem can boost the power of Superpower or Hi Jump Kick, but this does not do nearly as much damage due to not being boosted by weather. Again, you're ignoring your own skeleton. It mentions Fighting Gem, yet you exclude it here.</p>

<p>As far as partners go, Ninetales makes for a great partner as it can both prevent Drizzle from ruining Blaziken's sweep and provide sun, which can let Blaziken wreck most weatherless teams. Again with the word 'Sweep'. Blaziken is not good with a broom. Sableye provides Fake Out support, making Blaziken a lot less reliant on Protect. It also provides Feint support, as well as priority Sunny Day support in a pinch. Hitmontop can remedy its weakness to spread moves by using Wide Guard, and provides Fake Out support, making it a good partner as well. Idk how we missed this, but Hitmontop just stacks weaknesses and is generally redundant with Blaziken because of CC/Superpower. Amoonguss can absorb Water-type moves for Blaziken using Rage Powder. Cresselia makes for another good partner as it can reverse Trick Room by using the move of its own, as it is a rather common strategy that gives Blaziken a lot of trouble. You're just now mentioning this? It can also use Helping Hand, which turns Blaziken's Flare Blitz into powerful nukes that can destroy even the sturdiest of walls. Pokemon with access to Taunt help Blaziken out as they prevent the opponent's Pokemon from using Tailwind or Trick Room. The aforementioned Sableye, as well as Thundurus, are great options due to access to priority Taunt. Defiant Tornadus in particular is an excellent option as it is faster than most Pokemon utilizing those moves, and it discourages Pokemon with Intimidate that would normally come in on Blaziken from switching in.</p>

[Other Options]
(space)
<p>Out of the many options Blaziken can utilize, Lum Berry is a decent alternative, as it can cure the paralysis that Blaziken abhors. This sentence sounds weird. You start off like what you're about to list is the best thing ever but then say 'decent'. Choice Band boosts Blaziken's power through the roof, but this set can easily be outsped and revenge killed by the myriad of Pokemon utilizing a Choice Scarf, or even a faster Pokemon, as it cannot use Protect to get a free boost to its Speed. It can choose to act as a setup sweeper, but Blaziken is very frail and worn down easily, and Doubles is a lot more offensive and fast-paced than the Singles tiers. I don't think we should talk about different tiers outside of the overview, except maybe to discourage boosting moves and stealth rock. Blaziken can utilize Acrobatics in conjunction with Flying Gem, but it does not get a STAB boost from it and Blaziken prefers the boost to its Fire-type STAB. Hidden Power Ice can be used to OHKO Landorus-T and Garchomp, both of which can live a hit from Blaziken and OHKO. On a similar note, an all-out specially attacking set utilizing its movepool consisting of Heat Wave, Focus Blast, and Hidden Power Ice can be used, though it is outclassed by physically attacking variants. While Earthquake provides redundant coverage, it is a decently powerful spread move that hits Chandelure and Victini. Sunny Day allows Blaziken to control weather on its own, but it cannot spare a moveslot for it. Blaze Kick is an alternative Fire-type STAB that allows Blaziken to stay on the battlefield significantly longer, but it is very weak and doesn't allow Blaziken nearly as much wallbreaking power as Flare Blitz does. While Feint and Baton Pass seem appealing, they are unfortunately illegal with Speed Boost. Lum Berry in conjunction with Swagger is a strategy Blaziken can use on its teammate, but it is better off attacking. Why didn't you mention this in the first sentence when you're introducing Lum?</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Jellicent is the best option to deal with Blaziken as it can easily stomach any move and proceed to hit Blaziken hard with STAB Surf. Surf is a terrible move outside of the even more horrible surfspam teams. Pokemon with Intimidate, such as Gyarados, Salamence, and Landorus-T can give Blaziken trouble, with the former two resisting its STABs as well. Latias and Latios, despite their poor physical bulk, are not OHKOed by anything Blaziken does and can OHKO back. Feint users can break Blaziken's invulnerability after Protect, making it easy for the Feint user's teammate to KO. Politoed can summon rain, which means that Blaziken's main STAB is weakened, making it a good answer to Blaziken. This should've been first on the list, seeing as you say it's blaziken's bane in the overview. It also lets Swift Swim Pokemon such as Kingdra outspeed Blaziken even at +2 and easily OHKO. Trick Room is a strategy that hurts Blaziken a lot, as it relies on its Speed to destroy the opponent's Pokemon, especially since common Trick Room setters such as Jellicent, Slowking, Chandelure, and Cresselia give it trouble regardless. While Thundurus is OHKOed by a sun-boosted Flare Blitz, it can cripple Blaziken with priority Thunder Wave, rendering it nearly useless. On a similar note, Cresselia can take a hit and Thunder Wave Blaziken, or hit it hard with STAB Psychic.</p>

<p>While Blaziken is hard to revenge kill due to Speed Boost, it can still be outsped by certain Pokemon. Kingdra and Excadrill are two weather abusers that can outspeed Blaziken at +2 and OHKO. You just mentioned Kingdra in the previous paragraph. Keep in mind, though, that if Blaziken uses Protect then, at +3 it will outspeed the aforementioned Pokemon. Similarly, after it has boosted its Speed once, Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Rotom-W can OHKO it, but will be outsped at +2. Hitmontop gets access to Intimidate, but it is 2HKOed by Flare Blitz regardless, making it a shaky check. You just mentioned Intimidate in the previous paragraph. Why did you even include this?</p>

You use a lot of Singles slang, oversell Blaziken, and the analysis as a whole seems hastily written. Especially when you overuse periods. Like this.

I also don't like how you keep emphasizing sun teams when the purpose of sun should be to get rid of rain, i.e., a supportive role that should not be built around. This makes me doubt how experienced you are with Blaziken.

also, i just wanna mention that i stamped the skeleton. i wouldn't stamp it now, especially seeing how much stuff audio had to fix and how i still had to fix major stuff afterwards.

 

[Kingler]

Just noticed the above posts, and will edit this.

EDIT-
Lucariojr, thanks for checking it again! Although I DID mentoon fighting gem the first time.
Also, audiosurfer said hitmontop was a very shaky check, so I put it in the second paragraph.
Also, does that mean I now need 4 QC checks(since you said you wouldn't have stamped this)??

 

[Nollan]

Overview

• In general I think you oversell Blaziken. While it certainly has merits which you mention, it is not very "solid". Its flaws are very crippling and Superpower forces it to switch around a lot. Not to mention common bulky threats like Cresselia can handle it reliably (also backing lucariojr's request that you should mention how generally bulky threats can tank a hit and take it out). Finally, the abundance of speed control and priority in the tier heavily limit the advantages Speed Boost provides.
• Remove the Darmanitan mention, as it is hardly a common threat in the sun; however, you should mention somewhere in the Overview that it needs sun support to function at its best (More common Fire-types, notably Heatran, are where its real competition tends to come from, as Heatran functions better under Trick Room and Speed is only a mild issue with some Icy Wind/TWave support)

Set Comments

• Once again, I think you are overselling Blaziken, rather than just saying that "Flare Blitz is a powerful STAB attack", also add some of the problems it can present, for example (note that this is heavily generalized; I do not recommend simply copying this sentence): "Flare Blitz is Blaziken's most powerful STAB attack and can dish out heavy damage to a variety of threats (use examples), though the heavy recoil will often leave you susceptible to priority attacks" (Do this for every move if it has any drawbacks, not merely Flare Blitz).
• You say "in the last slot", which isn't very clear imo. It would be better off worded as "There are two options for the last slot" or such.

Additional Comments

• You word Jellicent as the "best counter to Blaziken", which is heavily arguable. It is a better idea to use more flexible wording here, such as "one of the best counters". Also, you should probably aim for things it gains over Life Orb, rather than something that barely matters and is highly situational.
• "A Fighting Gem can boost the power of Superpower or Hi Jump Kick, but this does not do nearly as much damage due to not being boosted by weather." -The Fighting-type has far better offensive coverage than the Fire-type overall, which more than makes up for the lack of a boost from sun, so remove the last section of the sentence and discuss what it accomplishes
  
• "As far as partners go, Ninetales makes for a great partner as it can both prevent Drizzle from making Blaziken as well as provide sun, which can let Blaziken wreck most weatherless teams." -Poorly worded; fix this to make it more clear
  
• "Amoonguss can absorb Water-type moves for Blaziken using Rage Powder." -Mention that Muddy Water & Surf (the most common Water-type moves imo) will still hit Blaziken.
  
• "It can also use Helping Hand, which turns Blaziken's Flare Blitz into powerful nukes that can destroy even the sturdiest of walls." Again you are overselling things, the power boost also means more recoil, which can become a big issue. I also think you need to run some calcs, as common Pokemon such as Cresselia can still tank a Helping Hand & LO boosted Flare Blitz. You also suggest retaining Sun on the field is pretty easy throughout this write up, which is by no means true.

Since there is still a lot to be fixed, I'll cut it off here for now, so you don't have as much work to do at once (it can be pretty annoying imo). I'll add on some more after you implement these changes. In general, I get the gist that you are rushing through this analysis a bit. I'd recommend you take it slower and add things on a bit more carefully, it will save more time in the long run.

 

[Kingler]

Implemented the above, ready to implement the further changes c:

 

[Nollan]

Implemented the above, ready to implement the further changes c:

Alright, it's looking better, but some things didn't go the way I was aiming for (which is possibly my fault)

Overview

• I did say not to put it in as "solid", which you did, but in general it would be better to just take "good" out of the sentence. "Blaziken enters the Doubles tier as a Pokemon that can wreak havoc given the proper support." This looks a bit better. However, I also mentioned how you are overselling Blaziken in general, so the end of the sentence is yet another example of overselling. In general, make sure you let the reader know that Blaziken is not easy to use, as the abundance of speed control (sometimes priority Thunder Waves) and bulky threats (Cress) can take it out easily. You definitely mention its flaws, but it needs to be made clear throughout the report that Blaziken will struggle without A LOT of support against a well built and played team. "Wreaking havoc" makes it sound like something incredibly dangerous, which isn't all that true in Doubles.

Set Comments

• I really feel that the heavy recoil Blaziken takes needs to be mentioned somewhere, either the comments here or the Overview

Additional Comments

• This is mostly on me since I mentioned the poor worded Jellicent when I didn't need to, but I said afterwards that Jellicent isn't really a good example and you should focus on what Fire Gem will achieve in terms of KOs. If there isn't any good reason, it should probably be removed, though I'm assuming there is.
• You did a really nice job on rephrasing the Fighting Gem imo, so just wanted to mention that. It would be a nice idea to mention that the Fighting Gem always KOs Politoed while LO can't (mention LO for good measure), though.
• "As far as partners go, Ninetales makes for a great partner as it can both prevent Drizzle from making Blaziken as well as provide sun, powering up Blaziken's main Fire-type STAB." -This is a nice improvement, and again this is probably on me for not specifying, but I meant the beginning here, specifically the "as it can both prevent Drizzle from making Blaziken", which is very unclear at best.
  
• "It can also use Helping Hand, which gives Blaziken a much-needed power boost to break through certain walls, although it still will not OHKO Pokemon such as Cresselia." -This is much better. I'm still not keen on the word "wall" though, as lucariojr mentioned, it is "Singles slang". There aren't truly any walls. I'd word it as "much-needed power boost that nabs KOs on bulkier threats that would otherwise be able to survive Blaziken's attacks, such as [x] and [y] (give examples)".
  
• Earlier I said, "You also suggest retaining Sun on the field is pretty easy throughout this write up, which is by no means true." -This is in general. I recommend you look over the write up to make sure that A) you do not make it sound as though sun support is easy to use / dominant over other weathers, and B) you make sure to mention that other weathers (especially rain) will often be problematic to Blaziken, especially if you are using a dedicated sun team (w/ Ninetales).
  
• Ninetales is imo not a very good partner, because it stacks up two type weaknesses (both of which are very common) and shares similar offensive coverage with Blaziken (Shares Fire-type STAB). Cresselia or Sableye are (imo) better choices. You can mention Ninetales, but certainly don't make it sound like the best choice, and make it sound more like a side option if you are running heavily dedicated sun (aka w/ Chlorophyll abusers and all that on it).

 

[Kingler]

Ok, added the changes in, Nollan, I also tried to reduce the hype and add how difficult sun is to maintain :)

 

[Kingler]

Bump

 

[Pocket]

Overview: You went a bit too much into detail about sun's challenges. You don't need to talk about the inferiority of Ninetales in a Blaziken's Overview. I would also prefer if you wrapped the section up by summarizing SPECIFIC Blaziken's niche in OU - the reason to use it in Doubles. Simply concluding with "Despite its flaws, it's a good Pokemon," gives 0 information and does not serve the purpose of a conclusion (a concise summary of the Overview)

 

[Kingler]

Hmm.........well, should I add that it really needs fm support or that prankster twave messes with it or that even if it koes one Pokemon it can be koed by a teammate?

 

[Pocket]

I'm saying to replace the super vague-and-cliche "Despite its flaws it's a good Pokemon," with "Despite its <insert specific flaw(s)>, <insert distinctive, good qualities> are reasons for using Blaziken in Doubles" or something of that nature. Your concluding sentence offers 0 substance; make it more meaningful by offering specific reasons why a user would want to use it in Doubles.

Here are some good examples of an effective Overview:

http://puu.sh/4muh3.png - Iconic's OU Sharpedo
http://puu.sh/4iANA - RU Munchlax
http://puu.sh/4iB49 - Danilo's ADV Charizard
Icecream's Doubles Latios

 

[Kingler]

Ok, then. My overviews often need work, but I try to improve, I'll try to shorten it a bit as well.

 

[Audiosurfer]

ok, im sorry, but this is going to have to be reassigned. even after full checks by 3 qc members (nollan checked it twice i think) and further coaching from pocket this still isn't at the level of quality it needs to be. in some places the information stated is till p. sketchy, and is exaggerated (such as how there's still an overemphasis on sun in the overview. in some places you deviate fom blaziken to talk about it completely) and in others the witing just isn't very clear ("Lum Berry in conjunction with Swagger is a strategy Blaziken can use on its teammate, but it is better off attacking" <--- this sentence makes it sounds like blaziken will be using swagger on its partner and not the other way around. in addition, some of the statements in the overviw show a lack of knowledge about the tier. for example, "However, it stacks up a Water-type weakness, meaning that if Ninetales is run, your team should carry a Water-resist.". This isn't something that leads me to believe that you have enough experience w/ either the mon or the tier to write a full analysis on it. that sort of information is very basic and provides a bare, surface level portrayal of team synergy. Like, most people who've played any amount of competitive battling, even in single, think that having a water-resist is important, but the statement really doesn't give any in-depth advice beyond that, which is a problem. i hope that once you have some more experience w/ the tier and all you decide to try it again, but for now this isn't working.

 

[Stratos]

even though i was the one who asked for this to be reassigned, i feel really bad about this, kingler12345. I want to reiterate that this isn't at all a problem of attitude or work ethic: you've been entirely accommodating to QC's suggestions without complaint, and you've put a ton of time into this analysis. It's not even a problem of having to lurk more (though i'd suggest you lurk a lot more before you post—or like a post—again in Firebot if you want to maintain any positive rep on this site).

The problem is simply a lack of experience in higher-level doubles play. QC is here to point out errors and biases in judgment in analyses, yes, but they can only do that to a certain extent before the writing becomes muddled and self-contradictory with no clear voice. As such, the less changes we have to make to the original work, the better, and unfortunately you just didn't come in with enough experience—this analysis has become too muddled and confused, and it still has a good amount of work to be done. The bad news is you probably will never get enough experience through ladder play because the ladder is shit, but the good news is if you join #doubles on irc and don't make a nuisance of yourself, people in the channel will be glad to teach you the tier. I look forward to working with someone as motivated as you after you make an effort to improve your knowledge of the meta.