Okay, so I talked to Pocket and he said I could take this over. I've made a large amount of edits to Kingler12345's write-up.
<p>Blaziken enters the Doubles tier as a Pokemon that can wreak havoc. With a great Attack stat along with great STAB coverage further boosted by weather, Blaziken hits very hard. However, what really makes it worth using is its ability, Speed Boost. This boosts its lackluster Speed to high levels, nearly outpacing the entire unboosted metagame, making Blaziken a relatively threatening Pokemon in Doubles. It also threatens common Pokemon such as Metagross, Scizor, and Tyranitar, the last of which being incredibly notable, as it is a huge detriment for many sun teams, a common archetype Blaziken is found on.</p>
<p>However, not all is well for Blaziken in Doubles. While it can hit hard in the sun, the ever-present Politoed and Tyranitar easily replace sun with their own respective weathers, limiting Blaziken's attacking power. Despite their high Base Power, Blaziken's Fighting-type STAB moves, Hi Jump Kick and Superpower, also both have terrible drawbacks that make them inconsistent, especially Hi Jump Kick. Blaziken is also burdened by its rather mediocre bulk, which is only compounded by its weakness to common spread moves, such as Earthquake and Surf. The abundance of speed control in Doubles also greatly limits its potential, as Blaziken relies on its high Speed to be effective. Trick Room in particular can easily turn the tables on Blaziken. Doubles is also filled with many bulky threats, such as Cresselia, Hitmontop, and Thundurus, that can take a hit and severely cripple Blaziken. In addition, it faces competition from Pokemon such as Heatran for a teamslot as a Fire-type Pokemon. Overall, despite Blaziken's amazing power and speed, the prevalence of Tyranitar and Politoed, speed control, and bulky Pokemon such as Cresselia and Hitmontop greatly limit Blaziken's potential in Doubles.</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 high-powered STAB moves, Blaziken can hit hard right off the bat and rip holes in the opponent's team. Flare Blitz is the primary STAB move and hits common threats such as Cresselia for a large amount of damage under the sun. However, Flare Blitz comes with a severe drawback of recoil and being weather-reliant, making it extremely inconsistent. Superpower is the recommended secondary STAB move and provides decent coverage with Flare Blitz, hitting Pokemon such as Terrakion and Tyranitar for super effective damage. Hi Jump Kick can also be used, as it hits harder than Superpower and does not lower Blaziken's stats, but the high use of Protect in Doubles makes it ineffective in most situations. Stone Edge is the recommended option in the third slot, as it hits Pokemon such as Victini, Chandelure, and Thundurus. However, Brave Bird is also an option, as it hits Pokemon such as Latios, Volcarona, Hitmontop, and Jellicent harder than Flare Blitz outside of the sun. Protect is used to not only guarantee that Blaziken's Speed will be boosted, but also to avoid a potentially fatal attack.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>An Adamant nature is recommended for maximum power, having the added benefit of allowing Blaziken to Speed tie with Shaymin-S after a boost. Life Orb is the preferred item choice, as it boosts both of Blaziken's STAB moves unlike the Fire Gem. 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 HP / 0 Def Politoed, as well as an OHKO on physically defensive variants with a Helping Hand boost which it could normally not do with a Life Orb. However, Blaziken's Fighting-type attacks have drawbacks far worse than that of Flare Blitz, making it an inferior item choice.</p>
<p>As far as partners go, Sableye is one of the best, providing Fake Out support and making Blaziken a lot less reliant on Protect. It also provides Feint support and priority Sunny Day support, making it easier for Blaziken to rip holes in the foe's team. Hitmontop provides Fake Out support and can remedy Blaziken's weakness to spread moves such as Earthquake by using Wide Guard, but it stacks weaknesses and is generally redundant with Blaziken. Amoonguss can absorb Water-type moves for Blaziken by using Rage Powder while keeping Water-types in check with Giga Drain. However, it cannot redirect spread moves, such as Muddy Water and Surf. Cresselia makes for another great partner, as it can reverse Trick Room, a rather common strategy that gives Blaziken a lot of trouble. Cresselia can also set up Sunny Day reliably and use Helping Hand to give Blaziken a much-needed power boost that nabs KOs on bulkier threats, such as Garchomp, that would otherwise be able to survive Blaziken's attacks although it still will not OHKO Pokemon such as Cresselia. Pokemon with access to Taunt prevent the opponent's Pokemon from using Tailwind or Trick Room. Defiant Tornadus in particular is an excellent option as it is faster than most Pokemon utilizing those moves and discourages Pokemon with Intimidate that would normally come in on Blaziken from switching in. The aforementioned Sableye, as well as Thundurus, are also great options due to their access to priority Taunt. Ninetales makes for a decent partner as it can provide sun, powering up Blaziken's main Fire-type STAB. However, it stacks up Water- and Ground-type weakness and lacks any utility outside of setting up sun.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Lum Berry is a decent alternative over Life Orb, as it can cure the paralysis that Blaziken abhors. Lum Berry can also be used in conjunction with a teammate using the move Swagger as a way to give Blaziken a free attack boost. 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 Blaziken cannot use Protect to get a free boost to its Speed. Blaziken can choose to run Swords Dance to greatly increase its power, but will be hard-pressed to set up a Swords Dance thanks to its pitiful bulk. Blaziken can utilize Acrobatics in conjunction with Flying Gem, but using this combination does not do anything notable that a Life Orb-boosted Brave Bird cannot. Hidden Power Ice can be used to OHKO Landorus-T and Garchomp, both of which can live a hit from Blaziken and OHKO it with a STAB super effective Earthquake. On a similar note, a specially based or mixed set utilizing moves such as Heat Wave, Focus Blast, Hidden Power Ice, Fire Blast, and Solar Beam 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. Shadow Claw can be used to hit Latias, Latios, Jellicent, Slowking, Victini, and Chandelure, all of which resist Blaziken's dual STAB, for super effective damage. However, it lacks power and is only slightly more powerful than a resisted sun-boosted Flare Blitz. Sunny Day allows Blaziken to control the weather on its own, but Blaziken is too frail to use this move effectively and is generally better off attacking. Blaze Kick is an alternative Fire-type STAB that allows Blaziken to stay on the battlefield significantly longer, but it is extremely weak, having only slightly more than 2/3 of Flare Blitz's Base Power. 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 by changing the weather, as it relies heavily on the sun to be effective. Politoed is an excellent option for this, as apart from the rare Fighting Gem-boosted Superpower, it is not OHKOed by anything Blaziken uses against it and can OHKO with a rain-boosted Scald. Outside of changing the weather, Jellicent is arguably the best option to deal with Blaziken, as it can easily stomach any move and proceed to hit Blaziken hard with a STAB Water Spout or Scald. Pokemon with Intimidate, such as Gyarados, Salamence, and Landorus-T, can give Blaziken trouble as they lower Blaziken's attacking power, with the former two resisting its STABs and the last hitting Blaziken hard with a super effective Earthquake. Latias and Latios, despite their poor physical bulk, are not OHKOed by anything Blaziken can use and can OHKO back with either Draco Meteor or Psyshock. 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 from Protect, allowing the Feint user's teammate to KO. It also allows Kingdra and Excadrill to eliminate a +2 Blaziken that is using Protect to become faster than them in their respective weather the following turn. Trick Room is a strategy that hurts Blaziken a lot, as it relies on its Speed to destroy the opponent's Pokemon, especially seeing that common Trick Room setters such as Jellicent, Slowking, Chandelure, and Cresselia already give it trouble regardless. While Thundurus is OHKOed by a Life Orb-boosted Flare Blitz and Stone Edge, it can cripple Blaziken with a 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, it will outspeed both Pokemon in the next turn at +3. Similarly, even after Blaziken has boosted its Speed once, Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Rotom-W can still 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>
[Overview]Current Progress said:
<p>Blaziken enters the Doubles tier as a Pokemon that can wreak havoc. With a great Attack stat along with great STAB coverage further boosted by weather, Blaziken hits very hard. However, what really makes it worth using is its ability, Speed Boost. This boosts its lackluster Speed to high levels, nearly outpacing the entire unboosted metagame, making Blaziken a relatively threatening Pokemon in Doubles. It also threatens common Pokemon such as Metagross, Scizor, and Tyranitar, the last of which being incredibly notable, as it is a huge detriment for many sun teams, a common archetype Blaziken is found on.</p>
<p>However, not all is well for Blaziken in Doubles. While it can hit hard in the sun, the ever-present Politoed and Tyranitar easily replace sun with their own respective weathers, limiting Blaziken's attacking power. Despite their high Base Power, Blaziken's Fighting-type STAB moves, Hi Jump Kick and Superpower, also both have terrible drawbacks that make them inconsistent, especially Hi Jump Kick. Blaziken is also burdened by its rather mediocre bulk, which is only compounded by its weakness to common spread moves, such as Earthquake and Surf. The abundance of speed control in Doubles also greatly limits its potential, as Blaziken relies on its high Speed to be effective. Trick Room in particular can easily turn the tables on Blaziken. Doubles is also filled with many bulky threats, such as Cresselia, Hitmontop, and Thundurus, that can take a hit and severely cripple Blaziken. In addition, it faces competition from Pokemon such as Heatran for a teamslot as a Fire-type Pokemon. Overall, despite Blaziken's amazing power and speed, the prevalence of Tyranitar and Politoed, speed control, and bulky Pokemon such as Cresselia and Hitmontop greatly limit Blaziken's potential in Doubles.</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 high-powered STAB moves, Blaziken can hit hard right off the bat and rip holes in the opponent's team. Flare Blitz is the primary STAB move and hits common threats such as Cresselia for a large amount of damage under the sun. However, Flare Blitz comes with a severe drawback of recoil and being weather-reliant, making it extremely inconsistent. Superpower is the recommended secondary STAB move and provides decent coverage with Flare Blitz, hitting Pokemon such as Terrakion and Tyranitar for super effective damage. Hi Jump Kick can also be used, as it hits harder than Superpower and does not lower Blaziken's stats, but the high use of Protect in Doubles makes it ineffective in most situations. Stone Edge is the recommended option in the third slot, as it hits Pokemon such as Victini, Chandelure, and Thundurus. However, Brave Bird is also an option, as it hits Pokemon such as Latios, Volcarona, Hitmontop, and Jellicent harder than Flare Blitz outside of the sun. Protect is used to not only guarantee that Blaziken's Speed will be boosted, but also to avoid a potentially fatal attack.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>An Adamant nature is recommended for maximum power, having the added benefit of allowing Blaziken to Speed tie with Shaymin-S after a boost. Life Orb is the preferred item choice, as it boosts both of Blaziken's STAB moves unlike the Fire Gem. 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 HP / 0 Def Politoed, as well as an OHKO on physically defensive variants with a Helping Hand boost which it could normally not do with a Life Orb. However, Blaziken's Fighting-type attacks have drawbacks far worse than that of Flare Blitz, making it an inferior item choice.</p>
<p>As far as partners go, Sableye is one of the best, providing Fake Out support and making Blaziken a lot less reliant on Protect. It also provides Feint support and priority Sunny Day support, making it easier for Blaziken to rip holes in the foe's team. Hitmontop provides Fake Out support and can remedy Blaziken's weakness to spread moves such as Earthquake by using Wide Guard, but it stacks weaknesses and is generally redundant with Blaziken. Amoonguss can absorb Water-type moves for Blaziken by using Rage Powder while keeping Water-types in check with Giga Drain. However, it cannot redirect spread moves, such as Muddy Water and Surf. Cresselia makes for another great partner, as it can reverse Trick Room, a rather common strategy that gives Blaziken a lot of trouble. Cresselia can also set up Sunny Day reliably and use Helping Hand to give Blaziken a much-needed power boost that nabs KOs on bulkier threats, such as Garchomp, that would otherwise be able to survive Blaziken's attacks although it still will not OHKO Pokemon such as Cresselia. Pokemon with access to Taunt prevent the opponent's Pokemon from using Tailwind or Trick Room. Defiant Tornadus in particular is an excellent option as it is faster than most Pokemon utilizing those moves and discourages Pokemon with Intimidate that would normally come in on Blaziken from switching in. The aforementioned Sableye, as well as Thundurus, are also great options due to their access to priority Taunt. Ninetales makes for a decent partner as it can provide sun, powering up Blaziken's main Fire-type STAB. However, it stacks up Water- and Ground-type weakness and lacks any utility outside of setting up sun.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Lum Berry is a decent alternative over Life Orb, as it can cure the paralysis that Blaziken abhors. Lum Berry can also be used in conjunction with a teammate using the move Swagger as a way to give Blaziken a free attack boost. 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 Blaziken cannot use Protect to get a free boost to its Speed. Blaziken can choose to run Swords Dance to greatly increase its power, but will be hard-pressed to set up a Swords Dance thanks to its pitiful bulk. Blaziken can utilize Acrobatics in conjunction with Flying Gem, but using this combination does not do anything notable that a Life Orb-boosted Brave Bird cannot. Hidden Power Ice can be used to OHKO Landorus-T and Garchomp, both of which can live a hit from Blaziken and OHKO it with a STAB super effective Earthquake. On a similar note, a specially based or mixed set utilizing moves such as Heat Wave, Focus Blast, Hidden Power Ice, Fire Blast, and Solar Beam 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. Shadow Claw can be used to hit Latias, Latios, Jellicent, Slowking, Victini, and Chandelure, all of which resist Blaziken's dual STAB, for super effective damage. However, it lacks power and is only slightly more powerful than a resisted sun-boosted Flare Blitz. Sunny Day allows Blaziken to control the weather on its own, but Blaziken is too frail to use this move effectively and is generally better off attacking. Blaze Kick is an alternative Fire-type STAB that allows Blaziken to stay on the battlefield significantly longer, but it is extremely weak, having only slightly more than 2/3 of Flare Blitz's Base Power. 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 by changing the weather, as it relies heavily on the sun to be effective. Politoed is an excellent option for this, as apart from the rare Fighting Gem-boosted Superpower, it is not OHKOed by anything Blaziken uses against it and can OHKO with a rain-boosted Scald. Outside of changing the weather, Jellicent is arguably the best option to deal with Blaziken, as it can easily stomach any move and proceed to hit Blaziken hard with a STAB Water Spout or Scald. Pokemon with Intimidate, such as Gyarados, Salamence, and Landorus-T, can give Blaziken trouble as they lower Blaziken's attacking power, with the former two resisting its STABs and the last hitting Blaziken hard with a super effective Earthquake. Latias and Latios, despite their poor physical bulk, are not OHKOed by anything Blaziken can use and can OHKO back with either Draco Meteor or Psyshock. 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 from Protect, allowing the Feint user's teammate to KO. It also allows Kingdra and Excadrill to eliminate a +2 Blaziken that is using Protect to become faster than them in their respective weather the following turn. Trick Room is a strategy that hurts Blaziken a lot, as it relies on its Speed to destroy the opponent's Pokemon, especially seeing that common Trick Room setters such as Jellicent, Slowking, Chandelure, and Cresselia already give it trouble regardless. While Thundurus is OHKOed by a Life Orb-boosted Flare Blitz and Stone Edge, it can cripple Blaziken with a 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, it will outspeed both Pokemon in the next turn at +3. Similarly, even after Blaziken has boosted its Speed once, Choice Scarf Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Rotom-W can still 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>
Last edited:
