Blaziken, The Blaze Pokémon. In battle, Blaziken blows out intense flames from its wrists and attacks foes courageously. The stronger the foe, the more intensely this Pokémon's wrists burn. Blaziken has incredibly strong legs-it can easily clear a 30-story building in one leap. This Pokémon's blazing punches leave its foes scorched and blackened.
Overview
Blaziken has been the epitome of coolness ever since it was introduced on RSE. After a wild ride throughout various generations, Blaziken is still one of the most fiery sweepers in Singles. Thanks to its Hidden Ability, Speed Boost, it gains more Speed every turn allowing it to easily snowball against weakened teams. Combined with a small buff in gaining access to Close Combat, Blaziken finally got access to a more reliable Fighting STAB. It's coverage is also good enough including options such as Earthquake, Thunder Punch or even Knock Off, to hit the Pokemon that can resist its dual STAB combination.
Unfortunately, Sw/Sh has introduced more Pokemon capable of revenge killing it or checking it such as Dragapult. Without its Mega Evolution, Blaziken has a very average Speed stat meaning that even at +1, it will easily be revenge killed by faster opponents such as Choice Scarf Tapu Lele. Blaziken's defenses aren't great either meaning that it will easily get revenge killed by priority moves and struggles to pull out a set-up move due to its frailty. It also struggles to compete with Cinderace who offers a higher raw Speed stat and more raw power with excellent coverage on its Libero ability. Despite these shortcomings, Blaziken is still a massive threat in Singles and underestimating it will make you think twice on buying spicy chicken nuggets for the next time.
Positives
It's Fire/Fighting STAB combination offers decent coverage along with the necessary coverage options to hit whatever resists its STAB combination.
Speed Boost is the biggest blessing Blaziken can have as it pretty much allows it to become faster on each turn.
Blaziken also gains access to Baton Pass meaning that it can reliably pass its Speed boosts to other sweepers allowing them to snowball more efficiently against an unprepared opponent.
It's base 120 Attack and often overlooked base 110 Special Attack are two excellent offensive stats allowing Blaziken to hit hard from either side of the spectrum.
Negatives
It's defensive typing and bulk is pretty average as base 80/70/70 is not good enough to reliably allow Blaziken to set up Swords Dance multiple times.
Without a boost, its base 80 Speed leaves a lot to be desired as faster revenge killers such as Dragapult and Scarf Tapu Lele can easily revenge kill it.
Blaziken suffers from 4 moveslot syndrome meaning that it can't run everything to cover its checks. Depending on the coverage move it chooses, other Pokemon that resists its STAB combination such as Tapu Lele, Dragonite or Chandelure can become effective checks and counters.
Movesets
MOTOSTOKE FRIED CHICKEN
- Swords Dance
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- Thunder Punch / Protect / Knock Off
Item Attached: Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs and Nature:
252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
With Speed Boost and its solid Attack, Blaziken becomes a huge threat capable of snowballing through weakened teams. Swords Dance allows Blaziken to increase its attack to jaw-dropping levels and obliterate anything that does not resist its STAB combination. Close Combat is Blaziken's best STAB capable of obliterating walls such as Blissey while providing good enough coverage. Flare Blitz covers the majority of the opponents that resist Fighting attacks and offer decent neutral coverage. It deep fries Corviknight and Skarmory, keeping them sizzling and spicy. Thunder Punch allows Blaziken to hit Tapu Fini for super-effective damage while retaining coverage on Toxapex. Protect is also an option in case you prefer to keep on building on Speed Boosts, although, if you are using Blaziken as one of your main Dynamaxing options, it becomes kind of redundant. Knock Off is an option if you prefer to destroy Dragapult and Jellicent instead.
DYNAMAX:
This Blaziken set is an excellent Dynamax sweeper as it does not need to rely on Max Airstream to gain speed. Blaziken appreciates the extra bulk gained from Dynamax but also receives extremely good buffs from the side effects of its Max attacks. Max Knuckle only makes things worse for the opponent as it increases its Attack stat while Max Flare raises Sunlight, which powers up its Fire attacks once Dynamax is over. Max Lightning will hit Tapu Fini and Toxapex much more harder although it is preferred to have used a Swords Dance boost before actually using this move against them.
EVs and Items:
Max Attack and Speed is what Blaziken needs to efficiently sweep its opponents. A Jolly nature is requires as otherwise Blaziken fails to outspeed Dragapult at +1 without the extra Speed. Adamant is still a valid option if you don't mind losing that match-up. Life Orb powers up Blaziken moves to high levels although if you are concerned about Blaziken's health getting battered due to Flare Blitz, you can use items such as a Weakness Policy if you plan to abuse Dynamax.
Partners:
Blaziken appreciates partners that are capable of checking Water types such as Jellicent, Tapu Fini and Slowbro that are capable of resisting its dual STAB. Tapu Koko is a great partner as it checks all of these Pokemon and it is capable of generating momentum in favor of Blaziken thanks to U-turn. Rillaboom deserves a special mention as thanks to Grassy Surge, it helps Blaziken recover some of its lost health while generating momentum with a slower U-turn and it absolutely demolishes Tapu Fini. Blaziken also appreciates hazard control as due to its nature as a sweeper, it won't last long between Life Orb and Flare Blitz recoil. This makes Zapdos a good partner that is not only able of checking Tapu Fini and non-Dragon STAB Dragonite but also allows it to remove hazards. Clefable is a great support Pokemon that is able to check Dragapult while also providing Stealth Rock and Wish support towards Blaziken.
THE COLONEL'S RECIPE
- Swords Dance
- Baton Pass
- Protect
- Close Combat
Item Attached: Focus Sash / Weakness Policy
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs and Nature:
252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
If Blaziken cannot sweep the team by itself, don't worry, he can always delegate the job to someone else who can take advantage of its Speed Boosts. Protect is absolutely mandatory because it allows Blaziken to scout the opponent's move but also build up on Speed Boosts thanks to its ability and run kicking with Baton Pass. On this set, Close Combat is the only STAB required as it still allows Blaziken to walk past Blissey and Heatran while retaining good coverage. You can also still hit Ferrothorn and it does not cause Blaziken to lost a lot of HP unlike Flare Blitz.
Once your Dragonite, Metagross or Mimikyu receives the boosts, it is time to bring out the pain. Bulk Up is also an option in case you prefer to pass down Defense boosts making your receiver more resistant towards physical attacks. However, the immediate power from Swords Dance sometimes it is too good to pass.
DYNAMAX:
Because this set is more focused on supporting another teammate or sweeper, you don't really want to use this Blaziken as one of your Dynamaxing options due to its lack of coverage.
EVs and Items:
While this set only has one attack, it still needs as much speed and power as possible to do its job. As long as there is no sand or priority move users, Focus Sash guarantees Blaziken can either set up a Swords Dance or at least collect enough Speed Boost to pass boosts to its teammates. On the other hand, Weakness Policy is an option as Blaziken can often survive through nerfed Max attacks with Protect and it can easily trigger it.
Partners:
Make sure your team has good Baton Pass recepients. Some Pokemon to consider include Mimikyu, Landorus-T, Dragonite, and Metagross.
CIRCHESTER SPICY FAJITA STRIPS
- U-turn
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- Knock Off / Thunder Punch
Item Attached: Choice Band
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs and Nature:
252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Did you know? Blaziken also gets access to U-turn which pretty much makes him a really good candidate for a Choice Band set. While it may seem contradictory to restrict its choices to one attack, Blaziken can effectively sweep late-game once its checks are gone. Because Blaziken will force plenty of switches, U-turn allows it to escape from unfavorable match-ups and scout the opponent's reaction against Blaziken. Flare Blitz is a brutally strong STAB capable of denting opponents such as Corviknight, Clefable and Melmetal. Close Combat is a more reliable STAB that does not chips away Blaziken's HP but it is strong enough to dent through bulky walls like Quagsire. Knock Off is the preferred last move as it allows Blaziken to remove the opponent's item while being a good move to spam. Thunder Punch is a good option if you prefer to smack Toxapex and Tapu Fini on the switch.
DYNAMAX:
This Blaziken set is more of a hit-and-run attacker but you can definitely make use of Dynamax on a pinch scenario where Blaziken is locked on an extremely inconvenient move. You'll most likely want another teammate to take advantage of Dynamax instead.
EVs and Items:
Max Attack and Speed gives Blaziken as much power as possible while being able to deal absurd amount of damage thanks to the Choice Band boost. A Jolly nature is crucial as otherwise it allows Blaziken to outspeed Dragapult at +1 and dispatch quickly if weakened. Adamant is also an option for higher wall-breaking power.
Partners:
Because this Blaziken forces a lot more switch-ins, it wants to have all the support it can get from its hazard setters. Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Swampert are good options to set up hazards on the opponent's side which allows Blaziken to grab more KOs. Rotom-W and Tapu Koko can form a good U-turn core with Blaziken as they can easily swap into each other's checks and generate more momentum in our favor. Rillaboom is a crazy good partner as thanks to Grassy Surge, Blaziken takes less damage from Ground attacks and it allows it to recover some health while Blaziken can easily destroy its checks such as Skarmory and Corviknight. Dragonite is a fantastic partner that can take advantage of the holes Blaziken can punch in and set up with Dragon Dance.
Other Options:
Blaziken has a decent base 110 SpA which can effectively use with options such as Aura Sphere, Fire Blast and Solarbeam. However, the biggest issue comes from it being unable to increase its Special Attack unless it decides to use a Weakness Policy.
Earthquake is also a usable move as it hits Toxapex harder than anything else while being able to increase its Special Defense under Dynamax. However, it is a very poor coverage move as it leaves Blaziken walled against Gyarados and Dragonite.
Stone Edge is also another option that hits Chandelure and the flying dragons for super-effective coverage. This leaves Blaziken vulnerable against Water types.
Countering Blaziken
Pokemon that resist Blaziken's dual STAB are primary options to stop Blaziken's sweep. If running Thunder Punch, Dragonite and Dragapult perform admirably as Blaziken checks. Dragonite, most notably, has access to Dual Wing Beat which bypasses Focus Sash and also carries Extreme Speed to deal with a weakened Blaziken. Unless it runs Knock Off, Dragapult does well as an offensive check, although if Blaziken has a +2 boost under Sun, it will be doom for it.
While Slowbro is hit super-effectively by Thunder Punch, it's sheer physical bulk and Regenerator makes it the primary option to stop Blaziken's sweep. However, don't let it build too many boosts as otherwise Slowbro could also get overwhelmed. Toxapex has the advantage of being able to remove Blaziken's boosts via Haze which makes it a very reliable check against it.
Azumarill deserves a special mention thanks to Aqua Jet. While it hates being hit by Thunder Punch, it doesn't have to worry about Blaziken's Speed Boosts, because it can easily revenge kill it with its priority STAB Aqua Jet.
Faster Choice Scarfers that can still outspeed Blaziken after a Speed Boost are decent options to check it. Pokemon like Scarf Latios or Scarf Tapu Lele are great options as they can easily outspeed it at +1 and OHKO with their STABs.
Locations in Games
Red/Blue/Yellow:
Not in game
Gold/Silver/Crystal:
Not in game
Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald:
Evolve Combusken
FireRed/LeafGreen:
Trade from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald
Colosseum/XD:
Trade from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald
Diamond/Pearl/Platinum:
Trade from HeartGold/SoulSilver
HeartGold/SoulSilver:
Evolve Combusken
Black/White:
Transfer from Generation IV
Black 2/White 2:
Transfer from Generation IV
X/Y:
Trade from Omega Ruby/Alpa Sapphire
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire:
Evolve Combusken
Sun/Moon:
Trade from Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon
Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon:
Evolve Combusken
Let's Go, Pikachu!/Let's Go, Eevee!:
Not in game
Sword/Shield:
Dynamax Adventures
Anime Appearences
