What it does
Trailblaze deals damage and raises the user's Speed by one stage when the move connects. The power is low enough that you would not pick it purely for damage output. The Speed boost is the reason it earns a moveslot.
In doubles, Speed determines turn order, and turn order determines survival. One stage of Speed might not seem like much in isolation, but stack it across two or three turns and you can shift from being outsped to being the one setting the pace. Against teams without dedicated Speed control, Trailblaze accumulates an advantage that keeps paying off.
It also gives you Grass coverage and a Speed boost from a single slot — handling two distinct needs at once.
Who runs it
Heracross runs Trailblaze at 16%. It already has decent base Speed, and Trailblaze extends that into a Speed buffer — Grass coverage on the side. Against Water-, Ground-, and Rock-type threats, the Grass typing also becomes relevant for dealing meaningful damage.
Chesnaught uses Trailblaze at 8%. Chesnaught's base Speed is low, and without Speed investment it gets outsped by most of the field. Trailblaze is one of the few proactive Speed-climbing tools it has access to, and the Grass STAB is genuine coverage. It will not turn Chesnaught into a Speed demon overnight, but each hit moves the needle forward.
How to use it
Trailblaze is a mid-game move. The opening turns usually have more urgent threats to address. Once the board is stable and you expect to stay on the field for two or more turns, dropping a Trailblaze to bank a Speed boost makes sense.
The Speed boost lasts until the Pokémon is switched out or the boost is cleared by a move like Haze or Topsy-Turvy.
If your partner is setting Tailwind, Trailblaze can stack on top for an even wider Speed margin.
Tips & strategy
The Speed boost is not situational — it fires every time the move lands. Two hits across two turns gives you +2 Speed, which is enough to outrun most unboosted threats. The compounding nature is what separates Trailblaze from simple coverage.
Grass type coverage hits Water, Ground, and Rock types for super-effective damage. Against those matchups, Trailblaze pulls double duty: coverage hit and Speed climb in one.
Practical cutoff: if the game is effectively over in one turn, the Speed boost is dead value. In a position where you need to keep winning, the compounding return on Trailblaze is worth it.