[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.