[OVERVIEW]
Thanks to its ability Speed Boost, Blaziken can create its own speed control method, and its STAB coverage allows it to beat a lot of Pokemon that are really common in the VGC metagame, such as Mega Kangaskhan, Amoonguss, Aegislash, and Heatran. However, Blaziken has poor defenses, and its mediocre base 80 Speed forces it to use Protect the first turn so it can get the Speed boost, which the opponent can capitalize on. Speed Boost also makes Blaziken very weak to Trick Room.
[SET]
set name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Overheat / Fire Blast
move 2: Superpower
move 3: Hidden Power Ice
move 4: Protect
item: Life Orb
ability: Speed Boost
nature: Naive
evs: 68 Atk / 196 SpA / 244 Spe
ivs: 30 HP / 30 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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Overheat's great Base Power allows Blaziken to pick up multiple OHKOs against Pokemon that are weak to it, such as Aegislash and Amoonguss, while doing a lot of damage to neutral targets such as Volcarona and Gardevoir. Superpower is used as the secondary STAB move and hits Dark-types, Normal-types, and Steel-types that Overheat can't KO, such as Hydreigon, Mega Kangaskhan, and Heatran. Hidden Power Ice deals with many Pokemon that the Blaziken's STAB moves can't hit, such as Mega Salamence, Landorus-T, and Garchomp.
Set Details
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The given EV spread allows Blaziken to outspeed Choice Scarf Adamant Landorus-T at +1. The Special Attack investment allows it to OHKO uninvested Mega Salamence with Hidden Power Ice, and provides an almost guaranteed OHKO on even the bulkier Kangaskhan versions.
Usage Tips
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Blaziken's Protect causes quite a bit of mind games. You can lead the opponent to think you will use Protect the first turn and then fire off an attack, or you can use Protect when expecting the opponent to fall for it. Blaziken doesn't like leading, as it cannot break through some bulkier Pokemon without prior damage, and it likes to stay in the back until the point where the opponent's team is weakened enough for Blaziken to sweep.
Team Options
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Blaziken likes Pokemon capable of breaking through bulky Water-types so it's easier for it to sweep. Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Thundurus, and Amoonguss can do this task really well. In the same vein, Pokemon that can break through Pokemon such as Sylveon, Psychic-types, Mega Charizard Y, and Talonflame, which resist Blaziken's STAB moves and take little damage from them, give Blaziken an easier time breaking through teams; good options include Aegislash, Bisharp and Landorus-T.
Redirection support from Pokemon such as Amoonguss and Gastrodon helps Blaziken stay on the battlefield for more turns and lets it not play less defensively than it normally does.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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The mixed set can run either Low Kick or Heat Wave over Superpower and Overheat, trading the stat drops for consistency but losing a lot of power, which means that Blaziken won't be able to OHKO some Pokemon with them. A physical set of Flare Blitz, Low Kick, Rock Slide, and Protect can be run as well, but this comes at the cost of versatility and being hindered by Intimidate. Another option is a more supportive set with the move Baton Pass. With Baton Pass, Blaziken can pass a Substitute or a few Speed boosts to one of its partners. Knock Off can be used to hit some of the Pokemon that Blaziken usually struggles with, such as Cresselia and Jellicent. High Jump Kick is a really strong Fighting-type move that can 2HKO a lot of Pokemon even when resisted, at the cost of reliability and a bit of accuracy.
Check & Counters
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**Bulky Water-types**: Blaziken can barely do around 40% damage to some bulky Water-types, and Pokemon like Suicune, Rotom-W, Gastrodon, Jellicent and Milotic can KO back with ease.
**Fast Flying-types**: Fast Flying-types force Blaziken to Protect so it can outspeed next turn, and even then, Talonflame's priority Brave Bird makes Blaziken a easy target for it. While redirection can usually save Blaziken from being hurt by a Flying-type move, Aerilate Hyper Voice from Mega Salamence will ignore it.
**Bulky Psychic- and Fairy-types**: Bulky Psychic- and Fairy-types play the same role as bulky Water-types, although Blaziken can KO some of them if they're low on health. Depending on the set, Sylveon, Mega Gardevoir, and Clefable are pretty good checks for it. Additionally, Cresselia can ignore every single one of Blaziken's moves and hit back hard with Psychic.
**Bulky Attackers**: Due to its low defenses, Blaziken often gets OHKOed by many attacks in the VGC metagame, so any Pokemon that can take a hit and hit back hard will give Blaziken some trouble. Pokemon such as Assault Vest Landorus-T and Scrafty can take Blaziken's attacks and even KO it afterwards.
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