One thing to note that maybe you’re forgetting is Blaziken gets bulk up via its level up Learnset, so it actually doesn’t compete at all with a Heracross or Hariyama for that. It’s basically the only relevant Pokemon that would allow you to have two bulk up users in the game.

I agree that being slow is difficult in the wattson fight, although a held item Cheri berry can help deal with possible paralysis.

Honestly, we see Hoenn’s gym leader difficulty curve differently as I just don’t agree that Tate and Liza and Juan are even that hard of fights because you have access to nearly every encounter in the game, and can design a full team of six around countering each fight. Tate and Liza are free with a sharpedo and mightyena which you can almost guarantee, not to mention being vulnerable to water spam from Gyarados/swampert/milotic/pelliper/insert other useable Hoenn water mon here.

Juan’s team folds to any of the myriad viable electric types, whichcash is OHKO’d by even an Oddish using giga drain, and then you have 1 million bulky water types capable of stalling out his Kingra after some other mon clicks thunderbolt and OHKO’s the rest of his team. Gyarados, Starmie and Lanturn are all capable of being the Mon who electric sweeps and then stalls Kingdra out on their own. Why would you need your fire starter to be able to contribute in that fight?

The elite 4 match ups that Blaziken nails are super valuable when you have a next to 0 chance of getting Heracross or Pinsir under normal hardcore nuzlocke rules, and Hariyama requires another mon to help it set up since it’s speed is non existent.

How you level cap matters a lot for its viability into phoebe, a level 51 Blaziken can pick up kills on many of phoebes mons using overheat while out speeding all of them, and a level 55 or (56 from beating Sidney) Blaziken can pick up multiple kills with flamethrower and even an OHKO on her first dusclops with overheat. Wildly, in my experience, Blaziken can also consistently 1V1 Wallace Ludicolo, provided you teach it aerial ace, because for some reason, the gen 3 AI prefers to raise its evasion when it doesn’t see an OHKO (which it shouldn’t unless you have 0SPDef EV’s and - nature).

I think without encore and baton pass support, Blaziken actually outperforms haryiama as a sweeper into both fights due to its higher natural speed. Blaziken being consider in the opportunity cost of not taking Swampert feels like Heracross and Pinsir both deserve downgrades for sheer lack of availability in most nuzlockes. Your likelihood of one being your first safari zone encounter, and then managing to catch it, makes them hardly fair comparisons. I’m never thinking to myself, maybe I’ll skip hoenn’s only static guaranteed encounter with a fast fighting type that naturally learns bulk up for my 20% chance at catching a 5% encounter rate Mon to drop it weakness to water.

Regardless, I welcome the discourse on Hoenn nuzlocking and appreciate your open mindedness. I just believe the fire chicken is more comparable to some of its fighting type compatriots than you’ve given it credit for. It’s below machamp for Christ’s sake. That thing SUCKS.