Pokémon is a wonderful and mythical world of fantastical creatures that has survived for a quarter century in the form of anime, playing cards, collectible toys, and of course, a role-playing video game. Longtime fans can name a large percentage of the 896 creatures that either have been released or announced for release with the next round of DLC for Sword and Shield. Some people’s knowledge of Pokémon begins and ends with Pikachu. There is nothing at all wrong with that kind of casual fandom, but I feel like I must do a service and at least let you know about the other wonderful creatures you can raise in the universe where these monsters do battle, play, work, and keep people company. It’s time to play WHO’S THAT POKÉMON???!?!?
BLAZIKEN (No. 237)
Evolutionary Line – Torchic → Combusken (at lv. 16) → Blaziken (lv. 36)
Type – Fire/Fighting
First Appears In – Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
Blaziken is the first of three Fire/Fighting final-form starters in the Pokémon series. A chicken hotter than the kind you’ll find in Nashville, Blaziken wasn’t as hyped up as the other two starters from the Hoenn region, Sceptile and Swampert, even though they were probably the coolest looking of the three. Over the years, their abilities and function have caught up with their form, making that flaming hot poultry a formidable foe and a potent part of any well-balanced team.
Aesthetics and Biology – Blaziken is slender and stands at the same height as the average human at 6’3”. While the lack of heft might lead you to believe they don’t pack a punch, their aerodynamic build along with impressive agility makes them among the hardest-hitting Pokémon in the Hoenn region. The plumage on their head arcs down and back almost like a helmet, and the feathers on their legs resemble pants one might buy at Hot Topic. Their look definitely feels like it was designed by what a skater teen in the early Aughts might think a cool martial artist would look like, but it works.
In the Games – Torchic is one of the three Pokémon one can choose at Professor Birch’s laboratory in Littleroot Town. In the tradition of the Generation I games, choosing Torchic would yield difficulties on the first gym without proper early team selection, as Fire-type attacks are ineffective against the Rock-types that Roxanne employs in the first gym. In fact, the Hoenn region in general is quite inhospitable to Fire-type Pokémon given how much of it involves routes traversing over water. That doesn’t make Torchic and eventually Blaziken awful companions, especially given how useful the secondary Fighting-type becomes. For example, Fighting is the only type that can super-effectively damage Normal types, and a little bit of over-leveling will get you to a point where you can have Blaziken going up against Norman at the Petalburg Gym. His Slaking can be tough for those who can’t make a dent in their massive HP totals, even with their “Truant” ability making them take every other turn off.
Where Blaziken will be a godsend is when you get to the Elite 4. Again, no one Pokémon will win or lose the game for you, as a team that is well-rounded and contains six complementary Pokémon on it can make the RPG portion of the games quite easy for even beginners. However, Blaziken’s dual Fire/Fighting-type makes it a powerhouse against three of the five of the Elite 4/Champion gauntlet you must face to beat the main portion of the game. Sidney, Glacia, and Champion Steven Stone all quake in fear when Blaziken is on the field. As it turns out, having two of the most effective offensive STABs on a single Pokémon can free up slots for other monsters on the team to create a formidable squad that may end up invincible even against the most sophisticated computer-backed opposition.
The Nerd Section – The knock on Blaziken before Generation V was that they were not fast enough. With a base 80 speed, they could outrun some of the usual defensive stalwarts but would fall victim to faster attackers who would render them unusable in higher tiers in the metagame. Then Pokémon Black and White introduced the concept of the Hidden Ability. Blaziken received Speed Boost, which boosts the subject Pokémon’s speed after every turn without needing to use an active move. This ability also comes standard with Blaziken’s Mega Evolution, which is available in both Generation VI and VII. With this improvement in speed, Blaziken has now become a formidable foe with 120 Attack and 110 Special Attack bases from which they can work.
With no quadruple weaknesses, Blaziken, though not exactly sturdy, has a little more with which to work in the process of switching in. Unlike a lot of other Fire-type Pokémon popular in the metagame, Blaziken doesn’t fear Stealth Rock as much either thanks to that secondary Fighting-typing. With Fire and Fighting STAB at their disposal, Blaziken is one of the most potent offensive threats across the board. Here are two sets I am quite fond of, one drawing off their big attack stat and the other drawing off their not-as-big-but-still-impressive special attack stat.
Standard Set No. 1 – Nashville Hot
Adamant Nature (Attack↑, Special Attack↓)
Ability – Speed Boost
EVs – 4 HP/252 Attack/252 Speed
Hold Item – Life Orb/Blazikenite
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- Brave Bird/Thunder Punch
- Stone Edge
This set feels about as classic a set as you would and should find on Blaziken. Attackers like these are around for a good time, not a long time, so attacks with recoil such as Flare Blitz or that lower stats like Close Combat aren’t a concern if you can knock out a good chunk of your opponent’s team with them. Stone Edge feels like a natural complement here to ward off any rogue Flying-type Pokémon looking to exploit a weakness within the Fighting-type. Brave Bird is an attack I like because it can check other Fighting types that switch in or provide neutral damage to other threats. However, if you want to go with Thunder Punch to check some pesky Water-types who might want to switch in on you, you won’t go wrong.
Standard Set No. 2 – Ghost Pepper Wings
Modest Nature (Special Attack↑, Attack↓)
Ability – Speed Boost
EVs – 4 HP/252 Special Attack/252 Speed
Hold Item – Life Orb
- Flamethrower/Fire Blast
- Aura Sphere/Focus Blast
- Scorching Sands
- Focus Energy
Blazikenite is out as an option here because it’s incompatible with the best possible moveset given what’s available in the games themselves. Anyway, the attacking options outside of the STAB attacks aren’t as prevalent on the special side, but through the Isle of Armor Move Tutors, Blaziken gets Scorching Sands to add bonus defensive potential through inflicting of burns. I go with Focus Energy rather than Solar Beam, which needs Sunny Day to be worth the slot, or another high-impact Fire move like Overheat. Upping the critical hit rate can be crucial in a tough battle, especially against a neutral opposing Pokémon. Your mileage may vary though.
Finale – Blaziken oftentimes gets overlooked because they reside in perhaps the best generation of starters in all the Pokémon games to date. However, you will get mileage if you know how to use them in battle. If you want some spicy chicken in your mix, Blaziken is the Pokémon for you.