What it does
Beak Blast is a Fire-type physical move — 120 Base Power in Champions (8 PP). The mechanic runs backwards from most moves: at the start of the turn the user enters a charging state, then the attack resolves. Any Pokémon that hits the charging user with a contact move gets burned — regardless of Speed, regardless of whether they 'go first.'
Burn halves the burned Pokémon's Attack stat and deals 1/16 max HP damage each turn. A physical attacker that walks into Beak Blast with a contact move effectively cripples itself for the rest of the match.
The charge is not an action that can be interrupted. Unlike Focus Punch, getting hit during the charge does not cancel Beak Blast — it triggers burn on the attacker and the move still fires. Sleep and paralysis also cannot disrupt the charge.
In doubles, both opposing Pokémon can trigger the burn in the same turn if they both use contact moves. That's a rare scenario, but it does happen.
Who runs it
Toucannon (79%) is the primary user. It fits Beak Blast because its playstyle is built around threatening the opponent with contact punishments, not outspeeding them. 120 Base Power Fire-type coverage hits most targets hard, and the burn threat reshapes how the opponent has to play around it.
How to use it
The strategic value is deterrence. Your opponent has to decide whether using a contact move is worth getting burned — and for physical attackers, getting burned is often a bigger loss than the damage they deal. You don't even need to trigger the burn for it to matter; the threat changes their decision-making.
Pair Beak Blast with Protect to scout and control tempo. Protect one turn to read their intentions, then Beak Blast the next. If they switched to a special attacker to dodge the burn, you still get 120 Base Power on whatever is in front of you.
If the opponent brings special attackers to deal with Toucannon, the burn never triggers — special moves are not contact. The move is still 120 Base Power damage, just without the extra effect.
Tips & strategy
Lum Berry and Rawst Berry cure burn immediately. If the opponent has either, walking into Beak Blast with a contact move costs them their berry but removes the burn the same turn — cutting the long-term value significantly. Stripping those items first changes the equation.
Steel resists Fire, so Beak Blast only does half damage to Steel types — leaning on it for raw output there is weak. The burn still works, though: a Steel that hits you with a contact move still gets burned and loses half its Attack. One thing to keep straight — it's Fire types that are immune to burn, not Steel; a Steel takes a normal burn.
The burn window is largest when Toucannon is slower than the opponent. They move first with a contact move, the charging-state burn triggers, then Toucannon fires the 120 Base Power attack. The move is designed to reward taking the first hit — the opponent's aggression becomes their liability.