The DON of Blaziken

[ShootingStarmie]

Introduction

Sup guys. I'm here bringing you another RMT. This is my first RMT for generation 6, and so far I've had so much fun abusing Blaziken. This team is extremely offensive, relying on extremely hard hitters, and powerful priority to overwhelm the opponent. The general idea of the team is to wall break so one of my sweepers can clean up late game. This team got me to top 50 on PS!, but that doesn't say too much considering the quality of the ladder, and while I generally like the team, I think it can be improved. So, lets get to the team building process.

Team Building Process

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So with Azumarill gaining a Fairy type, I wanted to see how great it actually is in this metagame.

Latios has incredible synergy with Azumarill, as it takes on Amoonguss and Venusaur that hard counter Azumarill, while Azumarill takes on Ice, Dark, and Dragon type attacks aimed at Latios.

Blaziken was added since Azumarill + Latios are generally pretty weak to Aegislash and Scizor, so I needed a check to them. Blaziken also shares incredible synergy with both Azumarill and Latios, as well as potentially pasting boosts to Azumarill.

Since this team is about breaking down my sweepers walls, I wanted a nice wall breaker for this team. Aegislash is perfect for this team, as it lures in Azumarill and Blaziken's checks really nicely for the 2HKO. For some weird reason, everyone is running Swords Dance Aegislash on the ladder, forgetting that it also has an equal Special Attack.

Rotom-W supports the team really nicely, as it checks so many threats right now, as well as forming a really nice Volt-turn core with Blaziken to gain momentum and force switches.

I didn't really think about the last option too much. I just added Scizor mainly because it's just so good. It gains momentum with U-turn, has powerful priority, and shares great synergy with the rest of the team.

The team was okay, but even with Blaziken on the team to check Aegislash, I was still generally losing to the Swords Dance set, and the team also lacked Stealth Rock (which wasn't nearly as big of a deal as you might think), but I had to replace Scizor with a check to Aegislash, and a Stealth Rock user. Enter Garchomp.

A closer look

Azumarill (M) @ Splash Plate / Leftovers
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 208 HP / 48 Spd / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Superpower / Belly Drum

Azumarill gets better every generation. With generation 6, Azumarill gained Fairy typing, allowing Azumarill to check basically every Dragon type in OU, as well as allowing Azumarill much more switch in opportunities thanks to it's resistances to Fighting, Bug, and Dark type attacks. Aqua Jet is priority, allowing Azumarill to pick off weakened Pokemon. Waterfall hits extremely hard on neutral threats, and has solid netral coverage. Play Rough is Azumarill's Fairy STAB of choice, as it has a nice base power of 90, and a decent 90% accuracy. Finally, Superpower is used for coverage to hit Ferrothorn. Splash Plate is used to boost the power of Waterfall and Aqua Jet, but using Leftovers is an option to stop Azumarill from bring worn down so easily. The EVs are used to out speed Blissey, maximising attack, and placing the rest into HP for bulk. Belly Drum is an option over Superpower just because I never really find myself using it, mainly because my team easily deals with Ferrothorn. However, Belly Drum also isn't used much as I generally already have boosts from Blaziken.

Blaziken @ Blazikenite
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Baton Pass
- Swords Dance
- High Jump Kick
- Flare Blitz

Blaziken is incredible right now. For the team, it acts as a wall breaker, late game sweeper, momentum gainer, and boost passer. Baton Pass in general is a great move, as it gains a ton of momentum for my team, as well as potentially passing boosts to my other sweepers. Swords Dance is used to boost Blaziken's Attack, as well as allowing Blaziken's team mates to receive attack boosts. Hi Jump Kick is STAB, and hits really really really really hard, but the downside to using Hi Jump Kick is it's shaky accuracy and terrible recoil if it misses. Flare Blitz is also STAB and hits very hard too, but the recoil is pretty nasty. The main question here is why I'm not using regular Blaziken with Life Orb. There are two big reasons for this. The first is that Mega Blaziken has 20 more base speed, allowing Blaziken to run Adamant nature with much more breathing room considering I'm not running Protect. The second reason is the recoil. 10% + the Flare Blitz recoil I feel is too much, so I chose to use Mega Blaziken instead. EVs are used to max Attack and Speed, making it a terrifying sweeper.

Latios (M) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Surf / Thunderbolt
- Defog

Latios has great synergy with Azumarill, and supports the team nicely with it's ability to eliminate hazards. Draco Meteor is STAB that hits stupidly hard coming off of Latios' incredible special attack when factoring the boost from Soul Dew. Psyshock is also STAB and keeps Fighting and Poison types at bay. Surf offers nice coverage, as it hits Steel types and Tyranitar that can easily take on Latios' STAB attacks. Finally, Defog is used to eliminate hazards, allowing my team to easily gain momentum with Baton Pass and Volt Switch. Expert Belt is the item of choice, mainly because I feel the recoil from Life Orb is too much for Latios, and Expert Bbelt sometimes nets a few surprise KOes. Thunderbolt is also an option to catch Togekiss and Azumarill off gaurd with, but Surf in general has been my main move. Roost and HP Fire are options over Defog, but I generally like the ability of switching my Pokemon in without the worry of being worn down by hazards.

Aegislash @ Weakness Policy / Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 HP / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- King's Shield
- Shadow Ball
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head

Aegislash hit number one in the latest usage stats, and for good reason. It's ability Stance Change and access to King's Shield allows Aegislash to essentially have base 150 stats in Attack, Special Attack, Defense, and Special Defense. King's Shield allows Aegislash to switch forms, allowing Aegislash to easily take a super effective hit, which activates Weakness Policy, making it an incredible wall breaker. Shadow Ball is STAB and allows Aegislash to 2HKO common switch ins like Hippowdon and Skarmory, which helps Blaziken and Azumarill sweep past these two walls. Shadow Sneak offers priority, and allows Aegislash to pick off weakened Pokemon, as well as checking Mega Gengar. Iron Head is STAB and has nice general coverage. Leftovers is an option over Weakness Policy because the 6% really racks up after a few turns when using King's Shield and what not. A Quiet nature + 0 Speed IVs are used so that I can hit opposing Aegislash after they attack me, allowing me to stay in Defense mode as they attack, which then means I can hit them back as they are in Attack mode. The EVs are used to max Special Attack and HP, allowing Aegislash to tank hits and hit back very hard. Sacred Sword is an option over Iron Head for better general coverage, but when you don't invest in Attack, it really doesn't hit that hard.

Garchomp @ Yache Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance

Garchomp is my Stealth Rock setter, while also potentially wall breaking with Swords Dance. Stealth Rock inflicts damage every time my opponent switches in, slowly wearing them down for an easier sweep. Dragon Claw is my main STAB option, as I don't really need to power from Outrage, and being locked into Outrage is something I can't afford with Fairy types running around everywhere at the moment. Earthquake is a great STAB move, as it has solid power, coverage, and accuracy. Swords Dance is used to allow Garchomp to wall break once Garchomp has set up Stealth Rocks. Yache Berry is the item of choice as it allows Garchomp to somewhat check Thundurus which can be dangerous for this team. EVs are used to maximise Speed and Power, and a Jolly nature is used to out speed non Scarfed Genesect, Thundurus-T, and Landorus-I. I've been considering Mamoswine in this slot as it also sets up Stealth Rocks and offers priority, but Mamoswine can't wall break nearly as well as Garchomp can, although it is an option of course.

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 188 SAtk / 232 HP / 88 Spd
Modest Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump

Rotom-W offers my team a great switch into dangerous threats such as Talonflame, Azumarill, and Greninja, which are all extremely popular in this metagame. Rotom-W also gains a ton of momentum for my team and beats most checks to my Pokemon like Gliscor and Skarmory. Will-O-Wisp nails Rotom-W's comon switch ins, like Ferrothorn, Chesnaught, and Gourgeist. Pain Split keeps Rotom-W nice and healthy for the majority of the match. Volt Switch is STAB and gains momentum for my team by providing me with switch advantage. Hydro Pump is STAB that prevents most Ground types from switching in trying to absorb the Volt Switch. Leftovers is the main item of choice, as Rotom-W can be easily worn down because it's always switching and taking resisted attacks. The EVs are used to allow Rotom-W to outspeed all Adamant Scizor, while also packing a punch. The rest of the EVs are placed into HP, allowing Rotom-W to tank hit's better. Using a Resto Chesto set is an option, but I've generally had more success with this set.

Conclusion

Well, there's my first real gen 6 team. I've had a ton of fun using this team, and it's really great learning about this metagame. As far as I know this team checks nearly everything when played correctly, and I've done decently on the ladder (I'm currently 50th on the ladder?). Thanks for reading this RMT, and feel free to use the team.

Importable

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Azumarill (M) @ Splash Plate
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 208 HP / 48 Spd / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Play Rough
- Belly Drum

DON (Latios) (M) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Surf
- Defog

Blaziken @ Blazikenite
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Baton Pass
- Swords Dance
- High Jump Kick
- Flare Blitz

Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 HP / 252 SAtk
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- King's Shield
- Shadow Ball
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head

Garchomp @ Yache Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 188 SAtk / 232 HP / 88 Spd
Modest Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump

Replays

Since a few people have been asking for some replays, I thought I'd post some of the best battles I've had with the team. Bare in mind that a few moves might be different and what not, because these were generally test battles.

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http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/pokebankoubeta-60647212 - A somewhat haxy game and I make a few misplays, but overall pretty nice

http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/pokebankoubeta-60350556 - Mega Houndoom on a sun team is scary

http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/pokebankoubeta-60708604 - Overall good battle

http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/pokebankoubeta-60354466 - Blaziken swees mid game, and Baton Passes boosts to Azumarill late game

http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/pokebankoubeta-60740761 - Facing a stall team

http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/pokebankoubeta-60801944 - Decent battle, the guy rages hard at the end

 

[welsknight]

Nice team overall, just be very careful of Malamar's Topsy-Turvy. When all your boosts get reversed, it's going to be a bad day. Not to mention superpower on Malamar increases its Defense, so it can weather a few hits from just about anything that isn't a bug-type move. In fact, since your team is strongly based around Stat Boosts, I would say that you almost need at least one bug-type move in there somewhere.

Luckily, Malamar doesn't seem to be used often, but I have a feeling that it's only going to grow in popularity.

 

[tab]

Soul Dew is banned... have you tested this?

 

[Kavatika]

Soul Dew is banned... have you tested this?

Unfortunately, despite Soul Dew being unbanned, currently it's still illegal on PS!, so I actually use Expert Belt for now.

This team got me to top 50 on PS!,

This team looks pretty solid, not much off the top of my head to be fixed. Of course I haven't done much XY OU yet.

 

[Halcyon.]

Ok, bear with me because I play much more OU than Pokebank OU. Still, you and I have talked about this team plenty of times, and I've seen you use it, so I think I have a few good suggestions.

I think there's a lot of pressure on Rotom-W to tank hits. It beats Talonflame, Mega Pinsir, and Mamoswine, which all look to be problems for your team otherwise. I don't think it's a bad thing necessarily, but since this team makes a lot of switches naturally due to the good synergy between the pokemon, I think it might be easy to wear down Rotom-W after an extended period of time. A well played Talonflame, Mega Pisir, or Mamoswine will certainly give you a headache if they are able to wear down Rotom-W (not too hard since its only recovery is the unreliable Pain Split on top of the afact that it checks so many threats to your team). Because of this pressure, I think it might be better to change your Rotom-W to a defensive set. I understand that this might seem odd due to the offensive nature of this team, but it really looks like Bulky offense to mea, and I see no harm in running a defensive Rotom on a bulky offense team. To put it simply, this set lets Rotom handle the pressure much more easily. Mega Pinsir can OHKO Rotom-W at +2 after Stealth Rock with an Aerialte Return, Double Edge has even more of a chance. In other words, if your current Rotom-W takes just about any prior damage, your team will have a serious issue. Instead, Rotom-W takes around 60% from a +2 Return from Pinsir. The same can be said about Mamoswine, which can score an easy 2HKO on Rotom-W if it switches in on a Superpower (not an actual 2HKO because of the Attack drop, but Rotom can no longer switch into Mamoswine without wasting a turn to Pain Split), especially since Adamant Mamoswine is becoming more and more popular now that Breloom is much less of a threat.

Anyway, that's really the only suggestion I can think of. The team looks really solid. Great job with this one ShootingStarmie!

Set

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 Def
Bold Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split

 

[Kavatika]

@Halycon About that set that you listed, the SAtk EVs are for OHKOing Gliscor, but only in 5th gen where Hydro Pump has 120 power. It now takes ~120 EVs, so just max defenses throw the rest in SAtk or something SS.