[RATE MY TEAM] Original Mega Blaziken Team

[DanielJames]

So I spend a lot of time building and testing teams out on Showdown, trying to find a balanced team that works well. I created a team around Mega Blaziken a few weeks back not expecting a whole lot. Mega Blaziken is often overlooked for its non-Mega counterpart because it still has access to it's Speed Boost ability without Mega Evolving. Mega Blaziken does have the advantage of having increased base stats though, and I wanted to play around with a Mega that's not as common in the VGC format. As I started testing the team out, I quickly came to the realization that this is one of the best teams I have ever built, winning about 75% of my matches on Showdown (that's not a hard number, I'm just guessing). The team is very offensive, but has great support. This RMT may be a little long, but I'm looking for any feedback you may have. There's always room for improvement and I want to get other people's opinions.


Blaziken @ Blazikenite
Ability: Speed Boost
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 176 SpA / 80 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Protect
- Flare Blitz
- Superpower
- Hidden Power [Ice]

With one of the best abilities in the game and the power to back it up, Mega Blaziken applies immediate offensive pressure. Running HP Ice on Blaziken has become more common in VGC and the boost that Mega Blaziken gets towards its Special Attack stat helps it deal with Pokémon that would normally give it trouble, mainly Landorus-T and Mega Salamence.

176 SpA Mega Blaziken Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-T: 156-188 (94.5 - 113.9%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
176 SpA Mega Blaziken Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Mega Salamence: 144-172 (84.2 - 100.5%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO

As you can see, it deals a significant chunk of damage, possibly even knocking them out in one shot. After maxing out its Attack stat, I dumped the rest in speed so it could still be faster than most opponents’ after a Speed Boost or two. While Mega Blaziken hits hard and fast, its still frail and needs support, whether it’s from other offensive Pokémon or redirection support. I’ll explain more on that later.


Greninja @ Expert Belt
Ability: Protean
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Extrasensory
- Protect

I wanted to build a hyper-offensive core and Greninja was the first Pokémon that came to mind. Greninja is not as popular in VGC because it’s a frail Pokémon that can be double-teamed and taken down in one turn, but that doesn’t take away from its pure offensive power. Greninja, like Blaziken, has a super handy ability in Protean, allowing it to change its type for STAB attacks and taking what would normally be super-effective attacks. Greninja is also unpredictable because it can run a physical set, a special set, or both. I opted from a special set because of Intimidate. Scald and Ice Beam are self-explanatory attacks that hit a wide range of Pokémon. I chose Extrasensory for two reasons: Mega Venusaur and Fighting-types like Conkeldurr. I was initially running Dark Pulse for Pokémon like Cresselia, but I’m running Dark Pulse on Thundurus-T so I opted for Extrasensory instead, and it has worked incredibly well.

252 SpA Expert Belt Protean Greninja Extrasensory vs. 252 HP / 52 SpD Mega Venusaur: 118-139 (63.1 - 74.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Expert Belt Protean Greninja Extrasensory vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Assault Vest Conkeldurr: 132-158 (62.5 - 74.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Thundurus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Volt Absorb
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect

Rounding out my offensive core is Thundurus-T. Thundurus-T is able to deal with bulky Water-types that give Blaziken trouble and can also deal with Cresselia, along with other Pokémon, that are weak to Dark Pulse. HP Ice is used as a coverage move. Life Orb lets Thundurus-T pack more of a punch. I was surprised by how many times I’d lead with Thundurus-T/Greninja or Thundurus-T/Blaziken to apply immediate pressure. I’m used to running Thundurus-I but I have to say that I prefer running this offensive build.


Clefairy @ Eviolite
Ability: Friend Guard
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 SpD
Bold Nature
- Follow Me
- Helping Hand
- Moonblast
- Protect

Because my offensive core is made up of relatively frail Pokémon, redirection support is a must. Clefairy can usually soak up around 3-4+ hits, allowing it to use Follow Me numerous times while my other Pokémon attack freely. Helping Hand allows Blaziken’s HP Ice to KO Mega Salamence in one shot, as well as power up other attacks to get necessary KOs. I was originally running Moonlight over Moonblast to heal Clefairy so it could stay on the field longer, but realized I needed at least one attacking move in case of being Taunted. As far as the EV spread goes, I can’t remember what the exact spread does, but it has worked extremely well for me.


Whimsicott @ Focus Sash
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Taunt
- Encore
- Leech Seed
- Giga Drain

Going back to my offensive core, I needed a Taunt user to stop Prankster Pokémon and Trick Room setters from crippling my team. There are numerous builds that Whimsicott can utilize, but this is the most effective set I’ve run. Taunt/Encore shuts Pokémon down. Leech Seed is great at chipping away damage while healing Whimsicott. Giga Drain is there to provide an offensive move in case Whimsicott is hit with Taunt. I invested in max speed so Whimsicott is faster than other Prankster users and max HP so it can take an extra hit or two. All in all, Whimsicott is great at disrupting my opponent while protecting my team from status moves.


Aegislash @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Stance Change
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 236 SpA / 4 SpD / 12 Spe
Modest Nature
- King's Shield
- Wide Guard
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon

I wanted a defensive Pokémon to soak up hits intended for my offensive core. The build I’m using isn’t anything innovative so I won’t go into too much detail. Wide Guard is incredibly useful because my team does not want to take Hyper Voice and Rock Slide attacks. The EV spread is split up mostly into HP and Special Attack with a few EVs in Speed to speed creep other Aegislash and the remaining 8 EVs split into it’s defenses.

[Delta]

I don't exactly know what to say. I mean, it looks like you have an amazing team all in all. Assault Vest Conkeldurr could give you problems because, well, it is Assault Vest Conkeldurr. That dude is bulky as all hell. You don't have very much to handle rain teams, and once your Blazikin is wiped out, another Aegislash, probably with Weakness Policy, will be dangerous. Doubling down on an Aegislash is dangerous, but, it could be a game changer. I love how few physical attackers are on your team, so now Intimidate will not be doing much. On the other hand, barring Greninja, few things could take out a bulky Goodra. What does this all mean? I don't know. I wouldn't change a thing. I would love to fight this team and see how it plays.

[DanielJames]

(Aug 21, 2015, 08:01 PM)Delta Wrote: I don't exactly know what to say. I mean, it looks like you have an amazing team all in all. Assault Vest Conkeldurr could give you problems because, well, it is Assault Vest Conkeldurr. That dude is bulky as all hell. You don't have very much to handle rain teams, and once your Blazikin is wiped out, another Aegislash, probably with Weakness Policy, will be dangerous. Doubling down on an Aegislash is dangerous, but, it could be a game changer. I love how few physical attackers are on your team, so now Intimidate will not be doing much. On the other hand, barring Greninja, few things could take out a bulky Goodra. What does this all mean? I don't know. I wouldn't change a thing. I would love to fight this team and see how it plays.

Thanks! Another problem I've run into is Gastrodon because the only Pokémon I have that can do super effective damage to him is Whimsicott who's not built to be a special attacker. I was thinking of running some calcs to see if I could take some if it's HP EVs and put them in Special Attack but I don't know if it'd make much of a difference.

Conkeldurr is tough to take on, but I usually double up on him and he doesn't cause too much of a problem. I don't run into many Goodra either so it hasn't been a problem so far.

We can definitely battle though! I have this team on my Omega Ruby game or we can battle on Showdown sometime.

[Delta]

I have a team in OR as well, but it is in use right as I speak. Showdown works great. Would now work? My Showdown name is JVP15

[AidanC97]

This team is definately one of my favorite teams to see built, combined with a smooth explanation of each of the pokemon. IDK how to build teams this good, but even if i did i couldnt make a team this good. Well done sir!

[DanielJames]

(Aug 21, 2015, 08:15 PM)Delta Wrote: I have a team in OR as well, but it is in use right as I speak. Showdown works great. Would now work? My Showdown name is JVP15

I was asleep when you replied back! I'm free all day today so if there's a time that works for you let me know. My Showdown name is TheGhostofMeekMill.

(Aug 21, 2015, 09:01 PM)AidanC97 Wrote: This team is definately one of my favorite teams to see built, combined with a smooth explanation of each of the pokemon. IDK how to build teams this good, but even if i did i couldnt make a team this good. Well done sir!

Thanks a lot, Aidan! I appreciate it. You can build good teams too! There's tons of useful information on these forums on how to construct a competitive team. The "Competitve Pokemon Movesets" forum is especially helpful. I just did a lot of testing on Showdown. Pick a Pokemon you like and build a team around it covering it's weaknesses and playing to it's strengths. After testing it out a bit, you'll get a feel for what kind of holes you need to fill and make the necessary changes to make the team better.

[Marcusube]

This team has a nice hyper offensive core with M-Blaziken + Greninja + Thundurus-T. The other mons on the team also support each very well to be honest. The problem I see is that your team will have trouble playing around more defensive teams. A major problem here is that you literally have zero ease in switching meaning if you lead incorrectly, you will most likely have to sack a mon to get a free switch. Hyper offense is what it is I guess.

I'm not so sure as to why you opt for Mega Blaziken over the standard Life Orb set seeing as how the Life Orb set picks up more KOs than the mega but anyways. I think if the goal of HP Ice is to OHKO Salamence and Landorus then you should invest enough to at least KO both 75% of the time. Lets be real, 6.3 is a very low chance and a mon like Mega Salamence threatens your team if you don't have Greninja on the field to take care of it. To outspeed scarfed Landorus-T, you need to invest more into speed. Last thing. After using Superpower, you're pretty much forced to switch. You need a more solid defensive core to support Blaziken.

Special Greninja is pretty much hit or miss at this stage in the meta. I would suggest going for Gunk Shot, Low Kick/Acrobatics, Ice Beam and Protect to be honest but this is your team, not mine. Greninja really needs the Life Orb to put in damage. Expert Belt doesn't pull its weight enough in my opinion. Also, for an offensive build, I'd go Hydro Pump over Scald for the damage but burns are cool too I guess.

The Thundurus-T you have here is pretty much standard so no complaints.

252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus-T Dark Pulse vs. 220 HP / 92+ SpD Cresselia: 88-104 (39.4 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
4 SpA Cresselia Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Thundurus-T: 68-80 (44.1 - 51.9%) -- 12.1% chance to 2HKO

That little detail just came to mind when you said you run Dark Pulse for Cresselia. To be real here, Thundurus can't counter Cresselia especially if its the Calm Mind set. I'd say run Thundurus-I as an offensive set with Nasty Plot, Protect/Thunder Wave/Taunt, Thunderbolt and HP Ice.

Redirection doesn't really assist frail mons. As a matter of fact, it is better used to redirect attacks from a set up sweeper. If your mons are too frail, you can invest in bulkier Pokemon and maybe even use Light Screen, Reflect, Will-o-Wisp or get an Intimidater. These are more proactive solutions seeing as they work in more situations than a Pokemon with redirection support. With Hyper Voice and Heat Wave being such common spread moves this year, redirection really isn't that valuable anymore.

Whimsicott is great for hyper offensive teams but it appears as a weak link. All you really need it for is Taunt, as far as I can tell. Thundurus-I can do Whimsicott's job easily and provides more offensive pressure. Also Whimsicott is super frail and your team lacks a stable defensive core. I'd suggest going for a stronger grass type like Ferrothorn or Mega Venusaur. Grass coverage on this team is super necessary in dealing with bulky water types. Another thing is these mons have very strong defenses, great defensive typing and great offensive coverage. Your team still has trouble dealing with Rotom-W, Suicune, Milotic, Gastrodon and more, so why not

Safety Goggles Aegislash is decent I guess but why Goggles if you have answers to mons that use Powder moves. The item seems pretty redundant. Leftovers, Life Orb or even Expert Belt would do better here

http://pastebin.com/ZZizistB
http://www.teammagma.net/teambuilder/?25...98|681|423

These are links to the changes I would make to your team if you're interested. :]

Overall strong team. There are some holes in the team that need patching. Also, consider running Fake Tears on Whimsicott to pick up more KOs with your special attackers.

[AidanC97]

Quote:Thanks a lot, Aidan! I appreciate it. You can build good teams too! There's tons of useful information on these forums on how to construct a competitive team. The "Competitve Pokemon Movesets" forum is especially helpful. I just did a lot of testing on Showdown. Pick a Pokemon you like and build a team around it covering it's weaknesses and playing to it's strengths. After testing it out a bit, you'll get a feel for what kind of holes you need to fill and make the necessary changes to make the team better.

Your welcome Daniel! I have a team set up on X, but one of my moves (double-edge) isnt in X/Y which sucks because i really liked how my Slaking looked on Showdown...

[DanielJames]

(Aug 22, 2015, 08:01 AM)Marcusube Wrote: This team has a nice hyper offensive core with M-Blaziken + Greninja + Thundurus-T. The other mons on the team also support each very well to be honest. The problem I see is that your team will have trouble playing around more defensive teams. A major problem here is that you literally have zero ease in switching meaning if you lead incorrectly, you will most likely have to sack a mon to get a free switch. Hyper offense is what it is I guess.

I'm not so sure as to why you opt for Mega Blaziken over the standard Life Orb set seeing as how the Life Orb set picks up more KOs than the mega but anyways. I think if the goal of HP Ice is to OHKO Salamence and Landorus then you should invest enough to at least KO both 75% of the time. Lets be real, 6.3 is a very low chance and a mon like Mega Salamence threatens your team if you don't have Greninja on the field to take care of it. To outspeed scarfed Landorus-T, you need to invest more into speed. Last thing. After using Superpower, you're pretty much forced to switch. You need a more solid defensive core to support Blaziken.

Special Greninja is pretty much hit or miss at this stage in the meta. I would suggest going for Gunk Shot, Low Kick/Acrobatics, Ice Beam and Protect to be honest but this is your team, not mine. Greninja really needs the Life Orb to put in damage. Expert Belt doesn't pull its weight enough in my opinion. Also, for an offensive build, I'd go Hydro Pump over Scald for the damage but burns are cool too I guess.

The Thundurus-T you have here is pretty much standard so no complaints.

252 SpA Life Orb Thundurus-T Dark Pulse vs. 220 HP / 92+ SpD Cresselia: 88-104 (39.4 - 46.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
4 SpA Cresselia Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Thundurus-T: 68-80 (44.1 - 51.9%) -- 12.1% chance to 2HKO

That little detail just came to mind when you said you run Dark Pulse for Cresselia. To be real here, Thundurus can't counter Cresselia especially if its the Calm Mind set. I'd say run Thundurus-I as an offensive set with Nasty Plot, Protect/Thunder Wave/Taunt, Thunderbolt and HP Ice.

Redirection doesn't really assist frail mons. As a matter of fact, it is better used to redirect attacks from a set up sweeper. If your mons are too frail, you can invest in bulkier Pokemon and maybe even use Light Screen, Reflect, Will-o-Wisp or get an Intimidater. These are more proactive solutions seeing as they work in more situations than a Pokemon with redirection support. With Hyper Voice and Heat Wave being such common spread moves this year, redirection really isn't that valuable anymore.

Whimsicott is great for hyper offensive teams but it appears as a weak link. All you really need it for is Taunt, as far as I can tell. Thundurus-I can do Whimsicott's job easily and provides more offensive pressure. Also Whimsicott is super frail and your team lacks a stable defensive core. I'd suggest going for a stronger grass type like Ferrothorn or Mega Venusaur. Grass coverage on this team is super necessary in dealing with bulky water types. Another thing is these mons have very strong defenses, great defensive typing and great offensive coverage. Your team still has trouble dealing with Rotom-W, Suicune, Milotic, Gastrodon and more, so why not

Safety Goggles Aegislash is decent I guess but why Goggles if you have answers to mons that use Powder moves. The item seems pretty redundant. Leftovers, Life Orb or even Expert Belt would do better here

http://pastebin.com/ZZizistB
http://www.teammagma.net/teambuilder/?25...98|681|423

These are links to the changes I would make to your team if you're interested. :]

Overall strong team. There are some holes in the team that need patching. Also, consider running Fake Tears on Whimsicott to pick up more KOs with your special attackers.

Thank you so much for the in-depth analysis! All of your suggestions are extremely helpful. I'm going to make the necessary changes and test the team out. I'm running Mega Blaziken for three reasons: I simply like Mega Blaziken :P, it's a Mega that's not typically run, and it enables me to run Life Orb on another team member.