Breloom (Analysis)

Birkal

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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>
 
-Slash Stone Edge after Swords Dance.
-Mention a bulkier 244 HP or so spread in AC
-Add more to Other Options: Subpunch, etc
 

Nix_Hex

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Also it's a good idea to mention that it has an excellent chance to OHKO Gliscor if all 5 seeds hit, and although it seems obvious, it's imperative to mention that Breloom makes mince meat of Tyranitar, just to emphasize how effectively it checks sand teams. Perhaps mention Stone Edge to kill Volcarona on the switch, since Bullet Seed probably isn't too effective.
 

alamaster

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Does Gliscor really need to be mentioned? Maybe I could mention him once I put in the Toxic Orb set as a counter to that but Gliscor has no business switching in on Tech Loom. Good points though. I'll add those along with Tobes' stuff.
 
Nah, Life Orb gets all the KOes it needs, and limiting Breloom to one move spells certain doom for it, i.e. it cannot use Spore to cripple Chandelure switch-ins, etc.
 

Lemonade

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Since Breloom absolutely destroys Tyranitar, and sets up on the common Steel-types, I would mention some Pokemon that love dead Tyranitar / Steel-types. Latios can pretty much spam its Draco Meteor without worrying about being trapped by Pursuit or being walled, for example. Also, in OO I think there should be a mention of Jolly, which can outspeed neutral base 80s but is not preferred due to the sparseness of said base 80s. Next, I would put Toxicroak as a check. It's faster and usually carries Sub, resists Breloom's STABs, and heals a ton in rain. Though Breloom will boost much faster than Croak's BU Defense boosts, Croak's Drain Punch will keep it healthy and presumably the victor since Breloom isn't boosting its Defense. Obviously it isn't a sure fire win since lucky Bullet Seeds or whatever will leave Croak low on HP and Subless.
 
I actually think a CB set is pretty good. With Rock Tomb, it can KO slower primary switches like Dragonite, Volcarona, and Chandelure, luring them effeciently. Low Kick does the same as well. I've used it to a degree of success. Your opponent's probably going to expect a Spore, and when they switch in something they won't enjoy a delightful Band'd move. It also frees up moveslots as well, which is something people keep forgetting.

Breloom @ Choice Band
Trait: Technician
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Rock Tomb
- Low Sweep
 

Birkal

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Hey ala. I dunno if you are still sticking around on the forums or not. If you aren't, just VM me and I will take this analysis over for you.

If you do decide to stick around (please do we'd miss you!!), I would agree with Princess Bri that I would like a Choice Band set added. Don't use Rock Tomb though, it is less powerful than Stone Edge and still has terrible accuracy. Basically, read through this post to reach a better understanding. It is such a large threat and can really mess up a lot of the tier. I'd also like to see Poison Heal options listed in the OO. Although they are heavily outclassed, they still have some value (status absorber / SubPunch). Best of luck!
 
ala gave this up. Whoever wants it better hurry and take it or I'm likely to take it myself once I finish Garchomp.
 

Birkal

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Writing this over the weekend. I'm going to use ala's original work since I agree with a lot of it (unless he'd prefer I start over from scratch). I'm basically going to be adding a Choice Band set, tweaking a few things, and then pushing this through QC. If anything, this is more his work than mine; he gets the credit for the analysis~
 
errrrr, why are there no EVs on the CB set >__>

Also these would get fixed in GP but I might as well address some formatting errors while I'm here:

  • put ability before nature on both sets (the correct order is item ability nature evs)
  • get rid of the (+Atk, -SAtk) next to Adamant on both sets
  • change the EVs on the first set to Smogon's conventions: SDef should be SpD and Spd should be Spe
  • only one line break between the [SET] tag and the set name, not two
formatting looks fine otherwise, good job Birkal!
 

Birkal

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lol I think a lot of that was ala since this is his write-up + Birkal's
I guess it was more half and half; I provided the CB set and OO. ala did the main set, intro, and counters. Doesn't really matter to me though, I just want this up on site, haha.

Anyways, when I said check, I meant that I'd like another DST S&P mod to give this a look over. Thanks!
 

Lemonade

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Overview
Good

Standard AC:

  • mention that Shed Shell is also good since you don't take that much from sand stacking on LO
  • but also say that Chandelure can't blindly switch in due to Spore and lucky Bullet Seeds. A well played Chandelure still checks ofc.
  • BP Blaziken as a partner with 3 attacks (or even 2 if you feel lucky) Breloom. Decent synergy, and Breloom with Speed and Swords Dance is uncanny.
CB:

  • AC: teammates that deal with Chandelure since it can still come in on Fighting moves
  • I guess also middle Speed sweepers since Breloom's Low Sweep does a number
  • hazard setters! Deoxys-S is the best.

OO:

  • Drain Punch
  • Bulk Up
Checks and Counters:

  • faster Psychic-types in general check Breloom, such as Espeon, Deoxys-S, and Starmie. Just note that they can't switch in directly.


Alright, hope I got the important stuff. APPROVED
 

Birkal

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is a Top Artistis a Top CAP Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnus
Changes made; ready for GP! Sorry that I use the double space when I start every sentence. I'll fix all instances of it when implementing the first grammar check.

All the ladies know I be tryin' to correct this~
 
[Overview]

<p>Breloom has had moderate success in the standard OU metagame, where it is best known for the its Toxic Orb set. but in the In Dream World tier it, however, Breloom gains the ability Technician ability, This which beefs up Breloom's its attacks turning 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 pokemon threats in <who?>, Breloom proves that it is able to hang with the best thanks to its ability to fully abuse make use of its superb Attack stat.</p>

[SET]
remove space
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 serves has two main purposes with this set. Firstly, it is used midgame to: firstly, it can put an opponent’s Pokemon to sleep with Spore mid-game, allowing itself or another pokemon 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 from Technician. On average Bullet Seed will; it will on average hit for 112.5 Base Power, making the attack it Breloom’s most powerful option for a STAB Grass move 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 Life Orb, which boosts its 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 2HKOs on threats such as Blaziken and 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 who is, 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; Breloom it always wants as much Attack as possible to maximize its efficiency for sweeping capabilities. Maximum Speed allows Breloom to outrun most walls and hit them with a Spore to begin a setting up. Jolly is listed as a secondary option for its nature in order to let Breloom outpace base 80 Speed Pokemon, such as Mamoswine 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 <who?>, 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>Since As Chandelure checks Breloom with relative ease, a good partner is Tyranitar since it can Pursuit, who can Pursuit Chandelure for the KO. please do note, however, that Chandelure must be wary of Spore and Bullet Seed. Shed Shell is a great item for Breloom to use because it allows Breloom to set up in the future without worry that Chandelure will switch in and ruin those plans. Furthermore, the lack of Life Orb keeps Breloom a bit less prone to residual damage in the DW metagame, which is filled with entry hazards and Sandstorm. (note: moved the part about Life Orb and Shed Shell to previous paragraph -- stick to talking about items there and teammates here. also removed Chandelure bit altogether; that belongs in Checks and Counters) Breloom has no problem dealing with bulky Water-types; as such, it makes a great partner to sweepers like such as Excadrill and Garchomp, who have trouble getting past these Pokemon. Breloom has trouble with Dragon-, Flying-, and Psychic-types, most notably <who?>, meaning Steel- and Dark-typed Pokemon, in particular <who?>, are solid partners defensively. Politoed can be a decent partner as well since it negates Breloom’s weakness to Fire, because the rain it summons negates Breloom’s weakness to Fire <does rain enable Breloom to counter significant pokes it couldnt before?>. Stealth Rock is a great asset to Breloom since as Dragonite, Salamence, Volcarona, Zapdos, Chandelure, and many others take 25% or more from hazard damage upon switching in, This which limits their effectiveness to as counters to Breloom; good choices to set this up include <who?>. Finally, Blaziken can Baton Pass stat boosts, thanks to Speed Boost and Swords Dance, boosts to Breloom in order to make it an nearly unstoppable threat.</p>

<p>Breloom can utilize Stone Edge over Swords Dance to gain more coverage. This hits a good portion of Breloom’s counters for Super Effective damage. However, it is a risky option since most of them are faster, forcing Breloom to predict their switch in.</p>
(moved to earlier part of this section)

[SET]
remove space
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 Breloom with a Choice Band. Right out of the gate, Breloom has access to a raw base Attack stat of 591. That This, combined with the extra boost from Technician, makes it 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 abuses 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 enables 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 it 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 is the last move forgrants Breloom coverage against the likes of Dragonite, and, to a lesser degree, Salamence.<p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>An Adamant nature is essentially required on this set for maximum power; Jolly can be used while Jolly enables Breloom to outspeed natural base 130 Pokemon who are that switching into on Low Sweep, the the extra power is almost always preferable. The EVs listed are standard: maximum Attack and Speed serve this set perfectly. With them, Breloom is able to perform some incredible feats; for example, it can outright OHKO bulky Excadrill with Mach Punch. Switching into this set can be nigh impossible, thanks to Breloom's incredible tool belt. Low Sweep allows it to always 2HKO Salamence on the switch in after Stealth Rock Damage, even WITH the attack drop from Intimidate. Even Latios, who resists Low Sweep, is 2HKO'd with a little bit of previous damage. Bullet Seed is another fantastic move that gives Breloom some ridiculous KO's on Pokemon that should be able to switch in safely, like Gengar, Thundurus, and Chandelure after Stealth Rock damage.</p>
(moved these to SET COMMENTS -- you're talking about moves listed on the set! another option might be to leave them as a list of damage calculations; for reference, the format's here)

<p>In terms of teammates for this set, anythingPokemon that can deal with Chandelure makes for excellent partners, such as Garchomp and bulky wWaters, make for excellent partners. Getting trapped into a Fighting-type move against Chandelure can allow it to set up and sweep your team; be wary. Breloom also greatly appreciates hazard support, in order towhich 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. You One could potentially utilize Force Palm for its handy 30% paralysis rate to spread some status throughout the opponent's team. However, it's almost always more safe to go with Low Sweep on the Choice Band set, 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, Please 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 ability Poison Heal ability to use some of its with its more famous sets from OU (like, such as SubPunch and Bulk Up), but those are heavily outclassed by the strength pure power that Technician grants. Fighting Gem is an option for some surprise OHKOs, most notably on the likes of <who?>, but it is rather gimmicky and requires perfect prediction; Breloom is almost always better off with Life Orb or Choice Band to finish off the opponent 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 may one might have to sacrifice a Pokemon to the sleep move before countering Breloom. Similarly, fast Psychic-types, such as Espeon, Starmie, and Deoxys-S, Latios, and Latias, can serve as a check in a pinch. However, they don't have a chance at of switching in to Breloom's excellent 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 is a viable option for Dragonite, giving it one free switch in to Spore Lum Berry variants can even take one Spore. Salamence can also switch into on anything but Spore and proceed to OHKO with Outrage or a Fire attack. Volcarona occasionally carries a Chesto Berry or Substitute, both of which let it wall Breloom completely.</p>

<p>The best check in the game to Breloom is Chandelure since as it traps and KOes Breloom without fear thanks to being immune its immunity to Mach Punch. However, it has trouble switching in since a combination of Stealth Rock and Bullet Seed hitting 4 times will KO Chandelure 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 as Chandelure with regard to switching in. Latios/Latias outspeed and KO with Psyshock or Draco Meteor. Gengar can use Disable on Breloom’s Bullet Seed, to rendering it powerless as Gengar makes sets up a Substitute for itself.</p>
[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 in <who?>, Breloom proves that it is able to hang with the best thanks to its ability to fully make 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 112.5 Base Power, making it Breloom's most powerful STAB Grass 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 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 such as Blaziken and 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. Jolly is a secondary option to let Breloom outpace base 80 Speed Pokemon, such as Mamoswine 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 <who?>, 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 <who?>, meaning Steel- and Dark-type Pokemon, in particular <who?>, are solid partners defensively. Politoed can be a decent partner as well, because the rain it summons negates Breloom's weakness to Fire <does rain enable Breloom to counter significant pokes it couldnt before?>. 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 <who?>. Finally, Blaziken can Baton Pass Speed Boost and Swords Dance boosts to Breloom to make it a nearly unstoppable threat.</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 enables 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 enables Breloom to outspeed base 130 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 Waters, 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, most notably on the likes of <who?>, 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 let 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>




gp approved 1/2
 

Birkal

We have the technology.
is a Top Artistis a Top CAP Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Admin Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnus
Added in sirn's changes. Oh, and I removed Blaziken.

I don't have an answer for what you'd want to use Fighting Gem for, but it is at least an option if you're somehow looking for extra oopmh.
 

Engineer Pikachu

Good morning, you bastards!
is a Contributor Alumnus
MINE
[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 fully makemake 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: f. 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 112.5 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 to let, letting Breloom outpace base 80 Speed Pokemon, such as Mamoswine 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 enableallows 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 enablets Breloom to 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>
[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 112.5 Base Power <doesn't it 3.16666 times on average instead of 3, which would make it 118.75 BP?>, 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 80 Speed Pokemon, such as Mamoswine and other Breloom <Breloom has 70 Spe, not 80 Spe>. 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>


GP [2/2]
 

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