Stopped reading after the bolded statement… I will finish, but:
Pause.
I completely disagree. Blaziken doesn’t hinder the creative aspect of team building, it encourages it. In fact, it’s a lack of creativity that gives Blaziken the free reign to demolish damn near everything in the meta game. You say that Azumarill and/or Talonflame are the only ways to beat Blaziken… Out of 700+ Pokemon and who knows how many moves/items/abilities, you can’t put together anything more than CB Azumarill and Gale Wings Talonflame to beat Blaziken? That doesn’t make any sense. If you want to be creative, be creative. It doesn’t seem like people want to, though… Everyone wants to use the same cookie-cutter sets and strategies with impunity, and that isn’t going to happen. Do you see how terrified people get when new things come around? That’s because it takes them out of their comfort zone. Instead of figuring it out, they go for the easy option that allows them to keep playing the way they were: Ban it. Blaziken is powerful, don’t get me wrong, but it’s only as powerful as its opponents let it be. (This goes for any Pokemon in the game that isn’t broken by design.) It’s completely one-dimension in a game that heavily relies on predicting your opponents’ moves. Keep telling yourself that you can’t beat something before you try, and you’ll keep losing at the Team Preview.
I have no problems with Blaziken. Why? Because it’s transparent. My Greninja easily takes it out… It’s not even designed to, it just does. Example:
I’m trying to get you to do what Po has been trying to since the game was released: Think outside the box.
Edit: And before I get hit with the “you not having a problem with it isn’t a good argument for why it isn’t broken,” let me say this: I don’t have a problem with it because I don’t allow myself to. If I see a weakness in my team, I look for a way to cover it. That’s what team building is all about… It isn’t always going to be a quick, easy fix, but it’s possible. Deviate from the norm; the standard, and you’ll find yourself having a lot more fun with a lot less problems.
azumarill and talonflame are the only things that 100% stop blaziken, that set doesn’t stop baton pass sets, it can’t switch into blaziken without fearing a 2HKO from either move, pretty sure greninja dies to a +2 flare blitz anyways and you gotta hope hazards are off the field as a +1 blaziken outspeeds you
it doesn’t beat blaziken and if it does, it won’t work the next match and besides, he can pass his boosts to something else like a cloyster or something to sweep your team
nothing 100% stops blaziken except azumarill and talonflame
you’re greninja is a check, a small one at that, barely stops the inevitable and will probably only work once against the same player
Ok, I guess I do have to explain it… Let’s give Blaziken +6 Speed and +2 Attack in this scenario, as it doesn’t even matter.
Blaziken uses HJK. Greninja uses Shadow Sneak. Greninja changes to Ghost-type. Shadow Sneak hits for x% damage. HJK misses due to immunity. Blaziken takes recoil damage. If Blaziken doesn’t die from the recoil, the next Shadow Sneak will kill it. Blaziken loses.
Blaziken uses Flare Blitz. Greninja lives with 1 HP due to Focus Sash. Blaziken takes 33% recoil damage. Greninja uses Hydro Pump. Blaziken Loses.
Blaziken uses Flare Blitz. Greninja uses Shadow Sneak. Shadow Sneak hits for x% damage. Greninja lives with 1 HP due to Focus Sash. Blaziken takes 33% recoil damage. Greninja uses Shadow Sneak. Blaziken Loses.
Blaziken uses Stone Edge. Greninja lives with 1 HP due to Focus Sash. Greninja uses Hydro Pump. Blaziken loses.
The only way Blaziken wins is if Greninja uses Shadow Sneak and it uses Stone Edge, and that’s assuming Shadow Sneak doesn’t 2HKO.
I’m not worried about Hazards… I have an Espeon with Magic Bounce. I also highly doubt anything he hypothetically passes his boosts to is going to give my team any trouble either.
Edit: Btw, I finished reading your post. More or less, I have no issues with what you said about Gengar and Kangaskhan.
I’ve played things when they were unbanned, and now I’m playing with them banned.
Lack of Blaziken and Mega Kanga has directly lead to more variety in teams, but lack of Mega Gengar hasn’t opened up new options in the top tier metagame, if it leaves a pokemon with the slightest amount of health it dies.
He would be a solid counter to this ABUNDANCE of Rotom-W and he’s not too powerful to compete in the OU metagame. In fact, regular Gengar is arguably just as good as Mega Gengar(I say that, because I’ve played against some crazy stuff as of late).
I’ll agree with moodforfood just because of anecdoctal evidence of playing against these Pokemon with the highest tier of threats.
EDIT: Keep MegaGengar, ban Blaziken and MegaKanghaskhan.
So, you’re telling me Blaziken lives after two Shadow Sneaks and recoil damage from Flare Blitz?
How do I lose if it Baton Passes? There’s no scenario involved, and you don’t even state what it’s Baton Passing to, but I lose? How does this work?
You don’t always have to switch in. Let it kill something you no longer need, come in safe, and the scenario plays out. Even if I lose my Greninja, I have an Azumarill… My Aegislash doesn’t give too many fucks about Blaziken either.
It won’t be. I guarantee this is how the thread will be every day until people come to some kind of conclusion. And when that happens, half the thread will leave pissed off and the thread will just get merged with the main Pokemon thread anyway.
Greninja has Base 98 Atk, and Base 105 SpA… They aren’t too far off.
Nah, the only thing that can possibly save it is Stone Edge, since there’s no recoil, but that’s assuming I don’t just go for Hydro Pump. Honestly, the only reason I wouldn’t go for Hydro Pump is out of fear that I’d miss, but Stone Edge doesn’t exactly have perfect accuracy either. The odds are in my favor.
if it BPs away, you now have to deal with something at +2/+2, like megakanga or megalucario, or even azumarill. it doesn’t matter what i BP to, you didn’t stop blaziken from setting up the team
aegislash dies to flare blitz
only max 252 HP / 252 Atk adamant choice band azumarill stops it completely, belly drum dies to a +2 hjk
and since your greninja can only revenge kill, blaziken has already killed 1 of your pokes, which means you’re probably at the disadvantage, and your greninja is essentially useless after it tries to revenge kill blaziken as a flare blitz does 142.8% min to your greninja after shadow sneak, so if i have ttar on the team, he’s essentially done (or anything for the matter)
your greninja set only checks it, it is not a counter, it’s a revenge killer to blaziken and doesn’t do the best job at that either as blaziken is probably +2/+2 at this point, and anything at+2/+2 is fucking deadly
it’s too strong and supports the team way too good, it does way more than sweep
also, aegislash is OHKO’d by flare blitz unless it runs 252 HP / 252 Def AND positive nature…it better give a fuck about blaziken, and it can’t do any damage to blaziken without dying
But I’ve seen more moveset variety when Blaziken left the building. He’s stoppable but at the cost of 2-3 teammates for one of their things. Being unburnable is kinda what really put him over the top, if your team is weakened he’ll sure clean shit up for you.
If there is a concession to be made, at least ban Mega Blaziken. He’s so fast, you don’t even have to run protect or swords dance, and Blaziken’s movepool is deep and he can run an ice attack due to a special attack increase.
High Jump Kick/Flare Blitz/Earthquake/Hidden Power Ice
Mega Blaziken is OP as shit and kills everything without priority. Regular Blaziken has very few options for attacks and has to set up before killing you.
MegaKen goes right into fucking you with no lube/vaseline. Shell smashing was so obsolete with mega ken legal. Shell smashers already get raped by this crazy amount of priority in the game. Getting out ran after boosting is the fucking worst. I’m like “Damn nigga, how you do that without priority. Ho ass nigga”
If Azumarill Belly Drums on something it forces out, Blaziken can’t do shit. It doesn’t even need to Belly Drum to OHKO Blaziken.
Whatever it Baton Passes to is a whole different story. Hell, it even having Baton Pass is a whole different story, as you either have to give up SD or Protect.
I’m not at a disadvantage if Blaziken killed something I no longer need, like I said. Greninja’s only real job is to set up some Spikes, do a little damage with Shadow Sneak, maybe kill or cripple something, then die. It’s by no means the core of my team.
That’s the thing… It’s not supposed to, it just does. A product of running something other than the usual set.
True, but that doesn’t make it broken, it makes it good.
Assuming Blaziken doesn’t run into a King’s Shield…
