Disclaimer: I am making this post without anywhere near full understanding of all the new pokemon/moves/etc.
While this is a new generation, I think there is a lot to learn from 4th Gen, because if anything, this generation is going to be even more difficult to pull off sweeps, and be even more packed with speed-boosting-item/ability users and priority users than the last.
Keeping this in mind, let's go over some facts we know from 4th Gen:
In 4th Gen, here is a list of all the successful OU setup sweepers that had paper-thin defenses:
. . .
. . .
Yeah. I think you get my point. I guess you could argue for Lucario, but we all know that only worked because of a ridiculously powerful priority move and fantastic resistances to abuse while setting up Swords Dance. Blaziken lacks good defensive stats and good resistances. The point is that in a metagame with powerful priority users and also extremely powerful enemy defensive pokemon, you will be extremely hard-pressed to setup sweep without good bulk.
Pokemon with high speed and power but paper thin defenses were generally Wall Breakers, high speed and power without any real setup-- just blast off the bat. Maybe abuse substitute, but that was the extent of "setup." Think about Starmie, Infernape, Jolteon, Gengar, etc. etc. and you will see this clearly.
Frankly speaking, speed boost certainly seems astounding at first, but the more I think about it the more disappointing it seems. Immediate speed and power were always infernape's most powerful weapons-- Infernape never tried (or never successfully) boosted to sweep, because if it failed to attack the turn it came in, it would most likely be forced out without accomplishing anything.
Without Protect, Blaziken cannot come in and threaten as many enemies as Infernape, this is the simple fact. Furthermore, Protect is not an ideal solution against initially faster opponents, giving the opponent essentially an easily predictable turn to switch or setup themselves. We also know that Infernape needed all 4 of its move slots to achieve good coverage on its mixed set (Fire/Fighting/Grass/Ice was the most common for most of the generation) unless it wanted to rely on fail-edge, and seeing as Rock didn't get any new and better attacks, this is a problem that will continue. Blaziken's dependance on Protect or Substitute is a definite hinderance.
Essentially, Speed Boost's value is extremely questionable in the role of a Wall Breaker (mixsweeper) assuming you'll simply be forced out in 2-3 turns. As a sweeper though, we run into the issue of Blaziken's abysmal resistances and defensive stats. ;/
It's really not so simple to figure out just what's the best way to abuse its Speed Boost ability.
Honestly, I think Substitute + 3 Attacks against slower pokemon like Blissey/Skarm seems to be the most effective setup, and simply use Substitute to enhance your Mixed Wall-Breaking abilities (like Tyraniboah, but insanely fast), letting you kill one enemy and severely beat face on a second. Something sort of between a wall break and sweep strategy, with potential for both. Even something like Substitute with Blaze and potentially Petaya in your back pocket and blaziken's ridiculous offensive stats should be enough power to seriously intimidate your opponent without even having to touch Swords Dance.
The one thing any Blaziken user should realize, is that Blaziken is never going to be an extreme reliable sweeper like Lucario or Empoleon-- it simply does not have the defenses which are so critically important.
So I think it's safe to establish the following as undeniable:
a) Blaziken will never be able to reliably setup and sweep like Empoleon, Lucario, or Metagross.
b) Blaziken lacks the initial speed to match Infernape in pure Wall Breaking, as it cannot threaten as many enemies on that first, critical turn.
But, Blaziken can certainly aim for a strategy that falls between those two extremes of offensive attacking. On one hand, there are pokemon in OU who are initially slower than it, and if it comes in on them it can serious reek havoc Wall-Breaker style. On the other, it can potentially sweep a whole team, without even needing a power boost should the opponent be careless. While Infernape and Empoleon both have to specialize their movesets and effectively limit themselves to only 1 style (type) of offensive threat, Blaziken presents the constant threat of both to the opponent-- a dual danger in one pokemon that will be extremely difficult to deal with, and can potentially force stupid decisions that allow Blaziken's team mates to sweep.
On a final note, all I can say is that it's a true shame Speed Boost + Baton Pass is illegal. :/
While this is a new generation, I think there is a lot to learn from 4th Gen, because if anything, this generation is going to be even more difficult to pull off sweeps, and be even more packed with speed-boosting-item/ability users and priority users than the last.
Keeping this in mind, let's go over some facts we know from 4th Gen:
In 4th Gen, here is a list of all the successful OU setup sweepers that had paper-thin defenses:
. . .
. . .
Yeah. I think you get my point. I guess you could argue for Lucario, but we all know that only worked because of a ridiculously powerful priority move and fantastic resistances to abuse while setting up Swords Dance. Blaziken lacks good defensive stats and good resistances. The point is that in a metagame with powerful priority users and also extremely powerful enemy defensive pokemon, you will be extremely hard-pressed to setup sweep without good bulk.
Pokemon with high speed and power but paper thin defenses were generally Wall Breakers, high speed and power without any real setup-- just blast off the bat. Maybe abuse substitute, but that was the extent of "setup." Think about Starmie, Infernape, Jolteon, Gengar, etc. etc. and you will see this clearly.
Frankly speaking, speed boost certainly seems astounding at first, but the more I think about it the more disappointing it seems. Immediate speed and power were always infernape's most powerful weapons-- Infernape never tried (or never successfully) boosted to sweep, because if it failed to attack the turn it came in, it would most likely be forced out without accomplishing anything.
Without Protect, Blaziken cannot come in and threaten as many enemies as Infernape, this is the simple fact. Furthermore, Protect is not an ideal solution against initially faster opponents, giving the opponent essentially an easily predictable turn to switch or setup themselves. We also know that Infernape needed all 4 of its move slots to achieve good coverage on its mixed set (Fire/Fighting/Grass/Ice was the most common for most of the generation) unless it wanted to rely on fail-edge, and seeing as Rock didn't get any new and better attacks, this is a problem that will continue. Blaziken's dependance on Protect or Substitute is a definite hinderance.
Essentially, Speed Boost's value is extremely questionable in the role of a Wall Breaker (mixsweeper) assuming you'll simply be forced out in 2-3 turns. As a sweeper though, we run into the issue of Blaziken's abysmal resistances and defensive stats. ;/
It's really not so simple to figure out just what's the best way to abuse its Speed Boost ability.
Honestly, I think Substitute + 3 Attacks against slower pokemon like Blissey/Skarm seems to be the most effective setup, and simply use Substitute to enhance your Mixed Wall-Breaking abilities (like Tyraniboah, but insanely fast), letting you kill one enemy and severely beat face on a second. Something sort of between a wall break and sweep strategy, with potential for both. Even something like Substitute with Blaze and potentially Petaya in your back pocket and blaziken's ridiculous offensive stats should be enough power to seriously intimidate your opponent without even having to touch Swords Dance.
The one thing any Blaziken user should realize, is that Blaziken is never going to be an extreme reliable sweeper like Lucario or Empoleon-- it simply does not have the defenses which are so critically important.
So I think it's safe to establish the following as undeniable:
a) Blaziken will never be able to reliably setup and sweep like Empoleon, Lucario, or Metagross.
b) Blaziken lacks the initial speed to match Infernape in pure Wall Breaking, as it cannot threaten as many enemies on that first, critical turn.
But, Blaziken can certainly aim for a strategy that falls between those two extremes of offensive attacking. On one hand, there are pokemon in OU who are initially slower than it, and if it comes in on them it can serious reek havoc Wall-Breaker style. On the other, it can potentially sweep a whole team, without even needing a power boost should the opponent be careless. While Infernape and Empoleon both have to specialize their movesets and effectively limit themselves to only 1 style (type) of offensive threat, Blaziken presents the constant threat of both to the opponent-- a dual danger in one pokemon that will be extremely difficult to deal with, and can potentially force stupid decisions that allow Blaziken's team mates to sweep.
On a final note, all I can say is that it's a true shame Speed Boost + Baton Pass is illegal. :/
