Birkal
We have the technology.
This is ala's analysis, really. I'm just adding the CB set, OO, and getting it pushed through QC / GP. Credit goes to him. Love ya, ala <3
Whadda champ.
[Overview]
<p>Breloom has had moderate success in the standard OU metagame, where it is best known for its Toxic Orb set. In Dream World, however, Breloom gains the Technician ability, which beefs up its attacks and turns it into a fantastic sweeper. Breloom is able to make short work of the majority of the tier with its STAB attacks, which have great coverage. Despite the addition of some formidable threats found within the Dream World metagame, Breloom proves that it is able to hang with the best thanks to its ability to make full use of its superb Attack stat.</p>
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Spore
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Mach Punch
move 4: Bullet Seed
item: Life Orb / Shed Shell
ability: Technician
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Breloom fortunately has all of the tools it needs in four moveslots to become one of the most dangerous Pokemon in the metagame. This Breloom has two main purposes. Firstly, it can put an opponent's Pokemon to sleep with Spore mid-game, allowing itself or a teammate to set up for a sweep. Secondly, Breloom can come in late-game and pick off weakened Pokemon with a powered-up Mach Punch. Thanks to Technician, Bullet Seed's Base Power per hit becomes a boosted 37.5; it will, on average, hit for 118.75 Base Power, making it Breloom's most powerful STAB Grass-type attack. Swords Dance gives Breloom the boost it needs to OHKO the majority of the tier after just one use.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There are two great options for Breloom when it comes to picking an item. The first option is a Life Orb, which boosts Breloom's already fearsome Attack to even greater levels. With the 30% boost from Life Orb, Breloom gets the guaranteed OHKO on Excadrill with Mach Punch and 2HKO on threats like Genesect. Breloom is so powerful that it does not mind the recoil, as it is able to take out a good portion of the opponent's team in ten turns or less. The other option is Shed Shell, which allows Breloom to evade Chandelure, one of the greatest checks to Breloom in the tier. The lack of Life Orb recoil also keeps Breloom a bit less prone to residual damage in the DW metagame, where both entry hazards and sandstorm are prevalent.</p>
<p>The EVs for Breloom are pretty simple; it always wants as much Attack as possible to maximize its sweeping capabilities. Maximum Speed allows Breloom to outrun most walls and hit them with Spore to begin setting up. A Jolly nature is a secondary option, letting Breloom outpace base 70 Speed Pokemon, such as Politoed, Cloyster, and other Breloom. With regard to other moves, Breloom can utilize Stone Edge over Swords Dance to gain more coverage, as it hits a good portion of Breloom's counters, such as Chandelure, Salamence, and Dragonite, for super effective damage. However, it is a risky option as most of these Pokemon are faster, so Breloom must predict and hit them on the switch-in.</p>
<p>As Chandelure checks Breloom with relative ease, a good partner is Tyranitar, who can Pursuit Chandelure for the KO. Breloom has no problem dealing with bulky Water-types; as such, it makes a great partner to sweepers such as Excadrill and Garchomp, who have trouble getting past these Pokemon. Breloom has trouble with Dragon-, Flying-, and Psychic-types, most notably Dragonite, Garchomp, Xatu, and Salamence, meaning Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon, in particular Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Tyranitar, are solid partners defensively. Politoed can be a decent partner as well, because the rain it summons negates Breloom's weakness to Fire-type attacks from the likes of Gengar and Genesect. Stealth Rock is a great asset to Breloom as Dragonite, Salamence, Volcarona, Zapdos, Chandelure, and many others take 25% or more from hazard damage upon switching in, which limits their effectiveness as counters to Breloom; good choices to set this up include Deoxys-S and Forretress.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Mach Punch
move 2: Bullet Seed
move 3: Low Sweep
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Technician
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set sacrifices the luxury of switching attacks for the sheer power of a Choice Band. Right out of the gate, Breloom has access to a raw base Attack stat of 591. This, combined with the extra boost from Technician, makes Breloom a frightening force. Every move on this set is essential for coverage purposes. Mach Punch allows Breloom to bypass its lackluster Speed stat and attack first with a STAB Fighting attack that gains a Technician boost. Notably, it lets Breloom OHKO even bulky Excadrill. However, be wary of getting locked into a Fighting-type move, as this can allow an opposing Chandelure to set up and sweep your team.</p>
<p>Bullet Seed is another fantastic option that has the added bonus of being able to break through an opponent's Substitute; its power after Technician is such that it allows Breloom to KO even the likes of Gengar, Thundurus, and Chandelure after Stealth Rock damage. Low Sweep is another very important move in Breloom's arsenal; it lowers the Speed of the opponent by one stage, allowing Breloom to 2HKO many switch-ins, such as Latios after a little prior damage, and Salamence after Stealth Rock damage and Intimidate. Finally, Stone Edge grants Breloom coverage against the likes of Dragonite, and to a lesser degree, Salamence.<p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>An Adamant nature is required on this set for maximum power; while Jolly lets Breloom outspeed base 130 Speed Pokemon that switch in on Low Sweep, the extra power is almost always preferable. The EVs listed are standard; maximum Attack and Speed serve this set perfectly.</p>
<p>In terms of teammates for this set, Pokemon that can deal with Chandelure, such as Garchomp and bulky Water-types, make for excellent partners. Breloom also greatly appreciates hazard support, which assist it in its sweep; Deoxys-S is naturally the best option for this role.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Breloom doesn't have a plethora of other options available. One could potentially utilize Force Palm for its handy 30% paralysis rate, but it's almost always safer for the Choice Band set to go with Low Sweep to guarantee 2HKOs. Breloom also has access to Bulk Up and Drain Punch for some more bulky offense-oriented sets, but note that Breloom typically performs better using its excellent physical offense to devastate opponents; it often will not find time to set up. Breloom can also use its Poison Heal ability with its more famous sets from OU, such as SubPunch and Bulk Up, but those are heavily outclassed by the pure power that Technician grants. Fighting Gem is an option for some surprise OHKOs, but it is rather gimmicky and requires perfect prediction; Breloom is almost always better off with the consistent power boost of Life Orb or Choice Band.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>One of the best counters to Breloom is Xatu; it resists both of Breloom's STAB moves, and with Magic Bounce, it is immune to Spore as well. Any other checks and counters must be wary of Spore, and one might have to sacrifice a Pokemon to the sleep move before countering Breloom. Similarly, fast Psychic-types, such as Espeon, Starmie, Deoxys-S, Latios, and Latias, can serve as a check in a pinch. However, they don't have a chance of switching in to Breloom's powerful attacks; even resisted hits can leave a dent. As long as Stealth Rock is off the field, Dragonite can switch into any of Breloom's attacks except for Spore without worry; Lum Berry variants can even take one Spore. Salamence can also switch into anything but Spore and proceed to OHKO with Outrage or a Fire attack. Volcarona occasionally carries a Chesto Berry or Substitute, both of which lets it wall Breloom completely.</p>
<p>The best check in the game to Breloom is Chandelure, as it traps and KOes Breloom without fear, thanks to its immunity to Mach Punch. However, it has trouble switching in if Stealth Rock is up, as four hits of Bullet Seed will leave it KOed. Zapdos can OHKO with Hidden Power Ice and resists Breloom's STAB attacks, but has the same problem as Chandelure with regard to switching in. Gengar can Disable Breloom's Bullet Seed to render it powerless.</p>
Whadda champ.
[Overview]
<p>Breloom has had moderate success in the standard OU metagame, where it is best known for its Toxic Orb set. In Dream World, however, Breloom gains the Technician ability, which beefs up its attacks and turns it into a fantastic sweeper. Breloom is able to make short work of the majority of the tier with its STAB attacks, which have great coverage. Despite the addition of some formidable threats found within the Dream World metagame, Breloom proves that it is able to hang with the best thanks to its ability to make full use of its superb Attack stat.</p>
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Spore
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Mach Punch
move 4: Bullet Seed
item: Life Orb / Shed Shell
ability: Technician
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Breloom fortunately has all of the tools it needs in four moveslots to become one of the most dangerous Pokemon in the metagame. This Breloom has two main purposes. Firstly, it can put an opponent's Pokemon to sleep with Spore mid-game, allowing itself or a teammate to set up for a sweep. Secondly, Breloom can come in late-game and pick off weakened Pokemon with a powered-up Mach Punch. Thanks to Technician, Bullet Seed's Base Power per hit becomes a boosted 37.5; it will, on average, hit for 118.75 Base Power, making it Breloom's most powerful STAB Grass-type attack. Swords Dance gives Breloom the boost it needs to OHKO the majority of the tier after just one use.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There are two great options for Breloom when it comes to picking an item. The first option is a Life Orb, which boosts Breloom's already fearsome Attack to even greater levels. With the 30% boost from Life Orb, Breloom gets the guaranteed OHKO on Excadrill with Mach Punch and 2HKO on threats like Genesect. Breloom is so powerful that it does not mind the recoil, as it is able to take out a good portion of the opponent's team in ten turns or less. The other option is Shed Shell, which allows Breloom to evade Chandelure, one of the greatest checks to Breloom in the tier. The lack of Life Orb recoil also keeps Breloom a bit less prone to residual damage in the DW metagame, where both entry hazards and sandstorm are prevalent.</p>
<p>The EVs for Breloom are pretty simple; it always wants as much Attack as possible to maximize its sweeping capabilities. Maximum Speed allows Breloom to outrun most walls and hit them with Spore to begin setting up. A Jolly nature is a secondary option, letting Breloom outpace base 70 Speed Pokemon, such as Politoed, Cloyster, and other Breloom. With regard to other moves, Breloom can utilize Stone Edge over Swords Dance to gain more coverage, as it hits a good portion of Breloom's counters, such as Chandelure, Salamence, and Dragonite, for super effective damage. However, it is a risky option as most of these Pokemon are faster, so Breloom must predict and hit them on the switch-in.</p>
<p>As Chandelure checks Breloom with relative ease, a good partner is Tyranitar, who can Pursuit Chandelure for the KO. Breloom has no problem dealing with bulky Water-types; as such, it makes a great partner to sweepers such as Excadrill and Garchomp, who have trouble getting past these Pokemon. Breloom has trouble with Dragon-, Flying-, and Psychic-types, most notably Dragonite, Garchomp, Xatu, and Salamence, meaning Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon, in particular Ferrothorn, Forretress, and Tyranitar, are solid partners defensively. Politoed can be a decent partner as well, because the rain it summons negates Breloom's weakness to Fire-type attacks from the likes of Gengar and Genesect. Stealth Rock is a great asset to Breloom as Dragonite, Salamence, Volcarona, Zapdos, Chandelure, and many others take 25% or more from hazard damage upon switching in, which limits their effectiveness as counters to Breloom; good choices to set this up include Deoxys-S and Forretress.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Mach Punch
move 2: Bullet Seed
move 3: Low Sweep
move 4: Stone Edge
item: Choice Band
ability: Technician
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set sacrifices the luxury of switching attacks for the sheer power of a Choice Band. Right out of the gate, Breloom has access to a raw base Attack stat of 591. This, combined with the extra boost from Technician, makes Breloom a frightening force. Every move on this set is essential for coverage purposes. Mach Punch allows Breloom to bypass its lackluster Speed stat and attack first with a STAB Fighting attack that gains a Technician boost. Notably, it lets Breloom OHKO even bulky Excadrill. However, be wary of getting locked into a Fighting-type move, as this can allow an opposing Chandelure to set up and sweep your team.</p>
<p>Bullet Seed is another fantastic option that has the added bonus of being able to break through an opponent's Substitute; its power after Technician is such that it allows Breloom to KO even the likes of Gengar, Thundurus, and Chandelure after Stealth Rock damage. Low Sweep is another very important move in Breloom's arsenal; it lowers the Speed of the opponent by one stage, allowing Breloom to 2HKO many switch-ins, such as Latios after a little prior damage, and Salamence after Stealth Rock damage and Intimidate. Finally, Stone Edge grants Breloom coverage against the likes of Dragonite, and to a lesser degree, Salamence.<p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>An Adamant nature is required on this set for maximum power; while Jolly lets Breloom outspeed base 130 Speed Pokemon that switch in on Low Sweep, the extra power is almost always preferable. The EVs listed are standard; maximum Attack and Speed serve this set perfectly.</p>
<p>In terms of teammates for this set, Pokemon that can deal with Chandelure, such as Garchomp and bulky Water-types, make for excellent partners. Breloom also greatly appreciates hazard support, which assist it in its sweep; Deoxys-S is naturally the best option for this role.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Breloom doesn't have a plethora of other options available. One could potentially utilize Force Palm for its handy 30% paralysis rate, but it's almost always safer for the Choice Band set to go with Low Sweep to guarantee 2HKOs. Breloom also has access to Bulk Up and Drain Punch for some more bulky offense-oriented sets, but note that Breloom typically performs better using its excellent physical offense to devastate opponents; it often will not find time to set up. Breloom can also use its Poison Heal ability with its more famous sets from OU, such as SubPunch and Bulk Up, but those are heavily outclassed by the pure power that Technician grants. Fighting Gem is an option for some surprise OHKOs, but it is rather gimmicky and requires perfect prediction; Breloom is almost always better off with the consistent power boost of Life Orb or Choice Band.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>One of the best counters to Breloom is Xatu; it resists both of Breloom's STAB moves, and with Magic Bounce, it is immune to Spore as well. Any other checks and counters must be wary of Spore, and one might have to sacrifice a Pokemon to the sleep move before countering Breloom. Similarly, fast Psychic-types, such as Espeon, Starmie, Deoxys-S, Latios, and Latias, can serve as a check in a pinch. However, they don't have a chance of switching in to Breloom's powerful attacks; even resisted hits can leave a dent. As long as Stealth Rock is off the field, Dragonite can switch into any of Breloom's attacks except for Spore without worry; Lum Berry variants can even take one Spore. Salamence can also switch into anything but Spore and proceed to OHKO with Outrage or a Fire attack. Volcarona occasionally carries a Chesto Berry or Substitute, both of which lets it wall Breloom completely.</p>
<p>The best check in the game to Breloom is Chandelure, as it traps and KOes Breloom without fear, thanks to its immunity to Mach Punch. However, it has trouble switching in if Stealth Rock is up, as four hits of Bullet Seed will leave it KOed. Zapdos can OHKO with Hidden Power Ice and resists Breloom's STAB attacks, but has the same problem as Chandelure with regard to switching in. Gengar can Disable Breloom's Bullet Seed to render it powerless.</p>