The only set which required major cut downs was the Spore Puncher, because the author digressed a lot on the effect of the single moves like Spore and Focus Punch. I also edited marginally the other sets and the Team Options section leaving the rest untouched as it seemed ok. Should someone not agree with this, however, I'm open to suggestions.
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/breloom
Spore Puncher
<p>The Spore Puncher is Breloom’s trademark set, and brings together almost all of its merits – Spore, monstrous Attack, powerful STAB, and Poison Heal into one powerful moveset. This subtle blend of support and offense makes Breloom very unique, and one of the biggest threats you can face.</p>
<p>Spore is Breloom’s greatest asset, and is almost guaranteed to render one Pokemon on the opponent’s team useless. Breloom’s Focus Punch is more powerful than Slaking’s Return, and in tandem with Spore, its negative side-effect is not as crippling. Seed Bomb is Breloom’s secondary STAB move, which gives it a more reliable way to cause damage when not protected, and hits bulky Water- and Ground-types hard. It also helps against Rotom-A and other Ghost-types. Breloom has a number of options for the last slot; Stone Edge is perhaps the best option, as it allows Breloom to do considerable damage to Gyarados and Salamence switching in, almost always a clear 2HKO even on bulky variants. Substitute is another option and has excellent synergy with Spore and Focus Punch, similarly to the SubSeed set. Breloom can set up a Substitute after putting a Pokemon to sleep, allowing it to scout for a switch while also allowing it a lifeline against the opponent’s team if it doesn’t switch. Another option is Facade, which takes advantage of Breloom’s Toxic Orb and, while it doesn’t hit anything in particular, does have a lot of neutral coverage and can take care of the Flying-type foes who plague Breloom, as well as dealing a useful 40% to 252 HP Celebi. Mach Punch is another interesting option, granting you a priority move to bypass Breloom’s poor Speed, and also allowing Breloom to act as a makeshift revenge-killer for threats such as weakened Heatran and Weavile lacking Ice Shard. </p>
<p>Toxic Orb works very well in tandem with Breloom’s ability, Poison Heal, granting it twice as much recovery as Leftovers and preventing it from being afflicted with any crippling status. Due to the increased health gained per turn, Breloom can even heal itself during a Sandstorm, though to a lesser extent. Toxic Orb also boosts Facade’s power to 140, making it a much more useful option. The EVs are fairly straightforward, with maximum Attack and an Adamant nature to make the best use of Breloom’s best stat, its base 130 Attack, as well as to maximize the power of Focus Punch. 208 Speed is the given Speed to outrun 4 Speed Gliscor, so that you can Spore it before it has a chance to attack. The remaining EVs are placed in HP.</p>
<p>Assuming he does not include a sleep absorber on his team, your opponent will generally either switch in something that Breloom can barely hurt, such as physically defensive Celebi, and then stall the Breloom out, or allow the Pokemon currently out to take the Spore, then switch his best check in. Pokemon who benefit from the disabling of Salamence, Weezing, or Zapdos, such as Dragon Dance Gyarados or Swords Dance Scizor make quite good partners. Breloom has a tendency to want to come in on Pokemon such as Swampert or Tyranitar due to its unique typing, and should either of them be neutralized, Pokemon such as Heatran have a much easier time with the opponent’s team. Stealth Rock support is recommended too, since Breloom will force a lot of switches thanks to the combined threat of Spore and Focus Punch, and a lot of the Flying-types like Zapdos and Gyarados which usually trouble Breloom will get seriously hampered.</p>
SubSeed
<p>Breloom has two unique things going for it as a user of the Substitute + Leech Seed combination. The first is the ever useful Spore. The second is Poison Heal, which allows Breloom to heal twice as much health as Leftovers to create more Substitutes. Although at first no Attack investment seems foolish, it allows Breloom to take advantage of its many useful resistances and makes it easier to Leech Seed the foe and set up a Substitute. For example, Breloom is able to Leech Seed a Vaporeon, survive the incoming Ice Beam, and then proceed to set up a Substitute. With the given Defense investment, Breloom will never be 2HKOed by Choice Band Tyranitar's Stone Edge, nor Choice Band Scizor's Bullet Punch. More defensive Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Swampert, and Gliscor can't even hope to break your Substitutes with Earthquake. You should be wary of Swampert's Ice Beam and Gliscor's Aerial Ace, although neither will outright OHKO Breloom. Breloom's Substitutes can also withstand weaker U-turns from the likes of Choice Scarf Jirachi and Flygon which can be helpful in the right situation. With resistances to Dark-, Rock-, Water-, and Ground-type attacks, Breloom can even counter Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Rhyperior, Vaporeon, and said Ground-types. However, even if Breloom resists Gyarados’ main attacks, it risks being caught on the switch by Bounce or Ice Fang, and if Gyarados carries Taunt, it can shut down Breloom with ease.</p>
<p>Unlike the previous set, you should not use Spore right off the bat. Instead, save it for when Breloom's life depends on it, and you are not able to continue using Substitute and Leech Seed. Pokemon who would warrant being put to sleep would be Skarmory, Salamence, and Gengar, all of whom can OHKO Breloom, while not being threatened by Focus Punch. However, even with no Attack investment, Focus Punch still hits very hard, being able to 2HKO Metagross as well as many other Pokemon neutral to it. The given HP EVs allow maximum recovery from Poison Heal, while 24 Speed EVs is enough to outrun most Skarmory. The rest are put into Defense. An alternative EV spread is 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe with an Adamant. This is a more offensive approach to the 'SubSeed' strategy. Focus Punch will hit anything not immune for high damage with max Attack and a boosting nature. The main advantage of this EV spread is being able to Spore Suicune before it can use Ice Beam, and also Spore Rotom-H before it uses Overheat. The 44 HP EVs give optimal Poison Heal recovery, while 212 Speed EVs are enough to outpace Adamant Tyranitar to avoid the occasional Flamethrower or Ice Beam.</p>
<p>Few Pokemon can switch into Breloom while not minding Spore or Focus Punch. Celebi is probably the best counter to SubSeed Breloom, since it is immune to Leech Seed, resists Focus Punch and Seed Bomb, and can use STAB Psychic or Hidden Power Fire to bring Breloom down. Having a Pokemon to lay down Toxic Spikes can help, as you can then stall Celebi with Substitute as it slowly dies from poison damage. Tentacruel works out decently as it resists Fire-type attacks that trouble Breloom. Tentacruel with Sludge Bomb and Liquid Ooze makes a great counter to Celebi itself thanks to its high Special Defense. Pokemon with Rest and Sleep Talk who also resist Fighting-type moves can also stall Breloom out. Rotom-A, being immune to Focus Punch, can hit Breloom with Shadow Ball while using Rest to recover damage lost by Leech Seed. Gyarados is another decent switch in if it has Rest, although Stealth Rock damage and damage from Focus Punch will add up quickly. Having a Rotom-A of your own can help, as it can shut down any RestTalker, Tricking a Choice Scarf onto them, and can also use STAB Thunderbolt for OHKOing Gyarados and Shadow Ball to 2HKO enemy Rotom-A. Many faster Substitute users will shut Breloom down as it prevents them from being put to sleep with Spore, and blocks Leech Seed. Gengar, Mismagius, and Rotom-A in particular are also immune to Focus Punch. A powerful Pursuit user such as Scizor or Tyranitar will help out a lot against Rotom-A and Celebi. Even in a sandstorm, Breloom will be healing health equal to Leftovers recovery, although it will still slightly diminish Breloom's Substitute-making potential.</p>
Non-Choice Attacker
<p>A slightly different take on Breloom, this set is aimed not simply to cause your opponent prolonged grief, as with the Spore Puncher, but to cause as much damage as possible. The difference between this Breloom and other hit-and-run attackers is the ability to use Spore as a way to disable anything it can't directly beat. Poison Heal, combined with Breloom's useful resistances, as well as the fact that it does not have to run a Choice item or Life Orb to hit hard with its three high-powered core moves, allows it to stay around longer than many other, frailer attackers. An important aspect of this Breloom is its ability to beat Pokemon who are usually considered hard counters to Breloom, such as Gyarados, Celebi, and Zapdos, without sacrificing the threat it poses to its usual fodder, such as Swampert.</p>
<p>Similarly to the SubSeed set, it is recommended not to use Spore until you are faced with a pokemon whom you cannot otherwise defeat, and whom you know you can outrun. Superpower, backed by 359 Attack, is going to hurt anything not resistant to it. Seed Bomb provides a secondary STAB move for times when Superpower's stat drops are undesirable, and prevents bulky Water- and Ground-types from walling the set. The last slot is reserved for Breloom's secret weapon - Facade. Thanks to Toxic Orb, it can deal a significant hit to anything that does not resist it. It can score a 3HKO against Celebi, Zapdos, and Gyarados, as well as dealing over 50% to any offensive-minded Latias who thinks it can switch in for free. The higher Speed packed by this Breloom may also surprise defensive variants of the Pokémon listed above as they think you will be slower and either put them to sleep with Spore or finish them if they suffered enough damage. Stone Edge and Mach Punch are also there for hitting airborne foes and priority, respectively.</p>
<p>Even with absolute maximum Speed, Breloom is still slower than many of its counters. Salamence and Heatran for example, while afraid to switch in on a Facade/Stone Edge or Superpower respectively, can both revenge-kill with Fire Blast and will almost always outrun. In this situation, a bulky Water-type such as Suicune is the best choice, as it is able to take an attack and hit back with Ice Beam or STAB Surf. Celebi is still as much a threat as ever for Breloom, as it has Natural Cure to heal sleep, so it is not completely shut down. In addition, it can use itself as a lure to cause another Pokemon to take the Spore, ruining Breloom's best chance of beating it by virtue of Sleep Clause. A Heatran of your own can be a big help against Celebi, especially as it resists Hidden Power Fire, Hidden Power Ice, and Psychic, the three attacks Celebi would likely use against Breloom, while also resisting Grass Knot. A Scizor or Specially-defensive Tyranitar with Pursuit could also work for this purpose, though the former needs to be careful of Hidden Power Fire and the latter of Grass Knot.</p>
Swords Dance
<p>While Breloom occupies some very exclusive niches in the metagame, that does not mean it cannot adopt more conventional battling tactics. It has access to Swords Dance, and this in tandem with its massive base 130 Attack can turn it into a very powerful sweeper in certain situations. Although its Speed is relatively poor compared to other popular sweepers, it does have access to priority, making this less of an issue, and can always use Spore to win itself free turns to stat up, as well as allowing it to disable Pokemon who pose it the biggest threat, such as Celebi or Skarmory.</p>
<p>Swords Dance is, naturally, the core move of this set, boosting Breloom’s already impressive Attack stat sky-high, reaching a value of over 1000 with a Life Orb equipped. Mach Punch overcomes Breloom’s middling Speed and it is the only priority move available to it, but packs ferocious power with the backing of Swords Dance and Breloom’s naturally high Attack, almost always OHKOing Infernape and other fast-but-frail sweepers after Stealth Rock damage. Breloom does have mild four-slot syndrome on this set, and cannot always run all the attacks it may need to, and lacking even one can mean a premature end to your sweep. For its last two slots, Seed Bomb is a good choice, as it gains STAB and is Breloom’s most reliable attack against most opponents. In particular, it hits Hippowdon and Gliscor for far more damage than most of its other attacks would, and also hits Rotom-A harder than any of its other attacks, usually OHKOing with Life Orb. Stone Edge gains better coverage alongside Mach Punch, and is vital for taking out Flying-type threats such as Zapdos and Salamence, who are likely to be serious problems for you otherwise. Spore is the old standby for Breloom, allowing you to disable Skarmory before it can OHKO you, and if you are feeling brave it also enables you to rack up more Swords Dances, allowing you an even wider range of OHKOs on more defensive Pokemon. If you are running Spore, then Stone Edge is the best choice alongside Mach Punch as it gives the best coverage, however if you are using three offensive moves then Seed Bomb is generally the most powerful option. Lastly, Facade can be used if you are using Toxic Orb for neutral coverage, as it hits harder than a neutral Seed Bomb and will always 2HKO 252/220 Bold Celebi, as well as being able to do a great amount to most Flying-types whom you cannot hit with Seed Bomb, making Stone Edge less of a necessity. This is worth consideration because Breloom, especially if it is running Life Orb, is very fragile and cannot usually afford to miss even once, making Stone Edge far less appealing.</p>
<p>Breloom also has an important choice to make for the items, as they will affect the moves that you choose as well. Life Orb is the usual hold item for boosting sweepers, granting Breloom an Attack stat of 1024 after one Swords Dance and giving the power necessary to gain several important OHKOs. However, one should remember that Breloom is already very fragile and easily revenge-killed, and using Life Orb only makes it easier for your opponent to do so. Toxic Orb is the secondary option, and should generally only be used when using Facade. The advantages are obvious – when using Toxic Orb, Breloom has much greater bulk, so a higher survivability rate, immunity to burns and paralysis, and the ability to use Facade and thus to defeat most Celebi and Weezing. The damage calculations below demonstrate Breloom’s ability to take on a wide variety of foes, assuming the correct item and moveset:</p>
<ul><li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Seed Bomb vs 252 HP / 40 Def Impish Gliscor: 76.55% - 90.11% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Seed Bomb vs 252 HP / 168 Def Bold Rotom-A: 89.80% - 100% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Seed Bomb vs 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Cresselia: 53.38% - 63.06% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Stone Edge vs 252 HP / 176 Def Impish Skarmory: 55.69% - 65.57% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Stone Edge vs 252 HP / 144 Def Relaxed Forretress: 53.67% - 63.28% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom (Toxic Orb activated), 252 Atk Facade vs 252 HP 220 Def Bold Celebi: 61.14% - 72.03% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom (Toxic Orb activated), 252 Atk Facade vs 252 HP 252 Def Bold Weezing: 63.77% - 75.15% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Mach Punch vs 80 HP Flygon: 70.40% - 83.18% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Mach Punch vs 4 HP Heatran: 100% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Mach Punch vs 0 HP Infernape: 84.30% - 99.66% </li></ul>
<p>Poison Heal should always be used as an ability, since even if you are not running Toxic Orb you can benefit from Toxic Spikes and other Poison-inducing attacks, and is the superior choice to the slightly useless Effect Spore. The EVs are very similar to the Spore Puncher set, with 208 Speed EVs given up to outrun no-Speed Gliscor and anything slower, so that you can Spore it before it can use Aerial Ace. Attack is then maximised and the leftover EVs are thrown into HP to help out Breloom’s rather poor defenses. If you want, you can give Breloom 220 EVs to outrun 88 Speed Rotom-A, allowing you to beat it before it can use Overheat or Shadow Ball. Again, an Adamant nature is used to make best use of Breloom’s massive Attack stat.</p>
<p>Entry hazards, as with all boosting sweepers, are heavily advisable for use alongside this Breloom. Stealth Rock weakens the Flying-, Fire-, and Bug-types whom Breloom hates, making them easier to take on, and also weakening walls makes Breloom’s job easier. Celebi and Weezing are Pokemon whom Breloom has difficulty dealing with if it lacks Toxic Orb; although they can be 2HKOed by a Swords Danced Facade, they are more than capable of killing Breloom before it can beat them. Heatran is the best choice to deal with them – It is immune to Weezing’s Sludge Bomb, Fire Blast, and Will-O-Wisp, while being able to attack back with its own STAB Fire Blast. Against Celebi, Fire Blast is usually an easy OHKO, while it resists Grass Knot, Psychic, Hidden Power Fire, and Hidden Power Ice. It only fears Thunder Wave or Earth Power, but most Celebi would never think to use either of those moves on Breloom, especially if it runs Toxic Orb. Heatran is also a big help against Forretress, Skarmory, and Rotom-A. Both Breloom and Heatran detest the very sight of Salamence, Gyarados, and Latias, all of whom are fast, bulky, resist Mach Punch and are by far the best counters to Swords Dance Breloom, although Gyarados and Salamence hate Stone Edge. A bulky Water-type such as Vaporeon or defensive Starmie can help with Gyarados and Salamence, while Tyranitar or Scizor can usually deal with Latias; Tyranitar in particular has good offensive synergy with Breloom, being able to take out most of their respective counters with little trouble.</p>
Choice Scarf
<p>Breloom’s greatest burden, compared to other standard sweepers, has always been is mediocre Speed. By holding a Choice Scarf, however, the problem is fixed, allowing Breloom to pose quite a threat as a fast revenge-killer. It can take advantage of its unique typing to switch into threats such as Tyranitar and Swampert with little risk, OHKOing both with little trouble thanks to its STAB moves. It can also work as a decent anti-lead to a reasonable extent, outrunning and outgunning common leads such as Swampert and Heatran, as well as disabling those it cannot beat with Spore. Using Spore is generally the best move first turn in any case, as most leads that are aware that you can kill them will likely not stay in to take the hit.</p>
<p>There are very few variants of Breloom who cannot make good use of Spore, and the Choice Scarfer is no exception. Breloom can usually disable anything threatening before they strike it, outrunning everything below Jolly Aerodactyl and other positive-natured base 130 Pokemon. Breloom’s most powerful Fighting-type move other than Focus Punch, which is unusable on this set due to its negative priority, is Superpower, which is very useful for punching great holes in the opponent’s team, and since Breloom will be switching often with this set, its negative side-effect is not so crippling. Seed Bomb is again Breloom’s secondary STAB move, and while not as powerful as Superpower, it is far more reliable, making it useful for sweeping purposes should the opportunity arise. For the final moveslot, Stone Edge is the advised choice to deal with Flying-types who may present a problem, such as Gyarados or Salamence. Facade is inadvisable on this set as, without Toxic Orb, you are not assured the status condition required, and Facade becomes a lot less threatening. Poison Heal is, again, chosen over Effect Spore so that if you are struck by a Poison-inducing move you will benefit from it. For the EVs, Speed is pretty much everything, and 252 EVs with a Jolly nature allows you to outspeed everything up to and including Jolly Weavile, eliminating one of Breloom’s usual checks. Attack should then be maxed as usual, with the four remaining EVs placed in HP.</p>
<p>Choice Scarf Breloom is usually found in one of two locations on a team; either as a fast revenge-killer or anti-lead. In the latter position, Breloom is very good at neutralizing threats lacking Lum Berry, such as Infernape and Azelf, and preventing them from setting up, though this involves locking it into Spore, and forcing it to switch out on the next turn, so you will want partners able to regain momentum for your team as soon as possible. Gyarados can switch in on disabled Infernape and Metagross and begin setting up. Gyarados also benefits greatly from the absence of Stealth Rock caused by disabling the opponent’s lead, allowing it a free switch-in. If you believe your opponent will switch, it is useful to note that the most common switch-ins to Breloom are Scizor, Salamence, and Latias, all of whom have different strengths and thus need different ways of dealing with. Latias is most vulnerable to physical Dark- or Bug-type moves, and so a specially defensive Tyranitar or Scizor is the best choice to deal with them. Salamence and Scizor are both easily ended by Ice or Fire attacks respectively, and as there are few Pokemon who can use both move types outside of Hidden Power, you may need to keep different checks to both.</p>
Choice Band
<p>Breloom’s Choice Band set appears quite similar at first glance to the Choice Scarf set, however the two are played differently. While the Choice Scarfer dedicates itself to revenge-killing and taking advantage of its fast Sleep move, the Choice Bander is more suited to wall breaking, relying on sheer power to overcome slower opponents. While it is not able to outrun the vast majority of Pokemon in the Standard tier, it can be very difficult to switch in on, and benefits from a useful set of resistances, a unique STAB typing and solid STAB moves, access to priority, a massive Attack stat, and Spore. While this set may seem slightly outclassed by Scizor, it is important to note that, while Scizor flourishes in weakening its opponents while allowing its team free switches, Breloom can attempt to push past foes with sheer force, and while not one of the best at its job it has its own special niches which make it as good a choice as any.</p>
<p>Again, Breloom has its own special trinity of moves. Superpower allows Breloom to hit hard, while the switching nature of the set means that the drops are not as crippling as they would be on a sweeper. Seed Bomb acts as Breloom’s reliable STAB move of choice, and Stone Edge is useful to take down Flying- and Bug-types who resist its STAB moves. Only in the last slot is there any real change in moves – Mach Punch can be used to bypass Breloom’s relatively low Speed, and with a Choice Band boost it hits very hard indeed, and can be useful for revenge-killing purposes. Spore is the other worthwhile option – putting a Pokemon to sleep, especially one that Breloom could not bypass in any other way, is always a worthy endeavour, but since Breloom is then locked into the move, it is forced to switch out, meaning it cannot take advantage of the free turn, so it is less efficient than other Breloom variants in that regard. Facade is the only other worthwhile option, though without Toxic Orb, it is a waste of space if you do not happen to run into Toxic or Toxic Spikes. The EVs generate the maximum possible Attack to hit hard off the bat, while keeping enough Speed to outrun 252 Speed Adamant Tyranitar, and the remaining 72 EVs are used to give Breloom’s defensive stats a boost.</p>
<p>As previously mentioned, Choice Band Breloom’s primary purpose is to break or weaken walls, usually to an extent sufficient to allow another Pokemon to exploit the weaknesses and possibly bring about a sweep. Breloom can switch in on Pokemon such as Swampert and Tyranitar with relative ease, disposing of them readily with its STAB moves, thus allowing a gap for other Pokemon to exploit, such as Heatran or a Tyranitar of your own. Again, Salamence, Latias, and Gyarados will be among the most common switches into Breloom, but if they lack a recovery move, you can weaken them over repeated assaults and open the doors to Lucario or a Gyarados on your own later.</p>
Team Options
<p>Stealth Rock is an important support to consider when using Breloom as a Swords Dance sweeper. It weakens the faster but frailer Pokemon over time, easing them into Mach Punch KO range for the most part, and accumulating good overall damage, letting Breloom kill before being killed. Aside from this, however, Breloom is generally a Pokemon more accustomed to supporting than being supported; however, on the SubSeed set, Toxic Spikes are worth consideration for hastening the death of your opponent, should they stay in.</p>
<p>The most difficult Pokemon for Breloom to bypass are usually Flying- or Psychic-typed, such as Celebi, Latias, and Salamence. Tyranitar makes for a good partner in these situations, as specially defensive variants can Pursuit or Crunch away the Psychic- and Ghost-types who trouble Breloom, while beating Flying-types such as Zapdos with Stone Edge. It can also take on Heatran, another problem for Breloom. In turn, Breloom is one of the best choices for taking on bulky Water- or Ground-types such as Swampert, Hippowdon, and Gliscor lacking Aerial Ace, allowing Tyranitar to have an easier time with the opponent’s team as well. Being able to take out Swampert and Tyranitar also makes Heatran a good partner for Breloom, as Substitute variants can use the free turns against potential counters to set up. If Breloom manages to Sleep one of its counters coming in, such as Celebi, Latias, or Zapdos, it can be an excellent opportunity for a set-up sweeper that has trouble with them usually, such as Swords Dance Lucario or Dragon Dance Gyarados to begin setting themselves up. Rotom-A and Starmie are both reasonable options to take on troublesome Flying-types such as Skarmory, Salamence, and Gyarados; both have Thunderbolt for the former and the latter, while Starmie can usually switch in on Mixmence, survive, outspeed, and OHKO Salamence with Ice Beam while healing off damage with Recover, and Rotom-A can use Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp against physically-inclined variants. Rotom-A can also be used to block Rapid Spin, making it harder for Salamence and Gyarados to keep switching.</p>
<p>Breloom’s unique typing gives it five weaknesses, but Flying-type attacks do not usually come from a powerful offensive stat most users of Poison-type STABs have alternative STABs to use, and while Psychic presents a problem, Latias, Celebi, and Cresselia do not always carry their STAB moves. This leaves the Fire- and Ice-type weaknesses. Both of these can be covered by bulky Water-types like Vaporeon and Suicune, which also can beat Salamence, Gyarados, and Heatran, all big threats to Breloom, as well as being able to take on Scizor to a reasonable extent. In return, Breloom itself resists Water-type’s Grass and Electric weaknesses, although there are few of either type in OU whom Breloom can take on to a satisfactory extent. Despite weakness to Psychic, Tentacruel is also a fairly solid teammate, able to take on Celebi well, something that most other bulky Water-types cannot achieve. Adding a bulky Water, however, will make your team quite weak to Celebi or Zapdos if you do not include Tyranitar, whose Sand Stream can be more a hindrance than an asset. Latias can also be a big help against these threats, resisting Grass Knot, Psychic, and Hidden Power Fire from Celebi and Thunderbolt, Heat Wave, and Hidden Power Grass from Zapdos. Even if they run Hidden Power Ice, Latias can Calm Mind up and tank hits with its excellent Special Defense, while healing itself with Recover.</p>
<p>Heatran is a common partner to Celebi, since together they resist all of each other’s weaknesses. Heatran also resists all of Latias’s weaknesses, so is a common partner to Latias as well, and is also commonly seen on offensive teams with Salamence and occasionally Gyarados. While Heatran is a threat to Breloom, being able to OHKO with its STAB Fire-type moves, a STAB Focus Punch or Swords Danced Mach Punch easily brings it down. If you are worried about Heatran revenge-kills, Tyranitar or a bulky Water can easily stop it if they switch in on a STAB Fire-type move. Another common partner for Celebi, Zapdos, and Latias, Breloom’s biggest foes, is Jirachi. Jirachi is not fond of a STAB Focus Punch, but has good defensive stats and can hit back with Iron Head. Bulky Water-types are again your best bet against most variants, particularly the physical ones. Jirachi is however perfectly capable of running a special set as well, though most special sets without Flash Cannon or Grass Knot are dealt with by Tyranitar. Gyarados and Salamence are often used together on offensive teams, and so when facing them you will often need to be prepared for two potential Breloom counters on one team. Lastly, Scizor appear pretty much everywhere, though again bulky Water-types can deal with it just fine. Rotom-H can also be used if you are seriously worried, being able to OHKO with Overheat or cripple with Will-O-Wisp.</p>
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And this is all. I will probably glance at this in next days, but I think everything I left is useful in one way or another. The Swords Dance set in particular, while looking particularly verbose, is impossible to trim down without removing vital information on how the set should be used, since, with all the Swords Dance users available, the author had to explain in great detail the strengths of the set.
Any suggestion is welcome, in particular, grammar check would be appreciated (although, since I kept the original sentences for the most part, there should not be many mistakes).
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/breloom
Spore Puncher
<p>The Spore Puncher is Breloom’s trademark set, and brings together almost all of its merits – Spore, monstrous Attack, powerful STAB, and Poison Heal into one powerful moveset. This subtle blend of support and offense makes Breloom very unique, and one of the biggest threats you can face.</p>
<p>Spore is Breloom’s greatest asset, and is almost guaranteed to render one Pokemon on the opponent’s team useless. Breloom’s Focus Punch is more powerful than Slaking’s Return, and in tandem with Spore, its negative side-effect is not as crippling. Seed Bomb is Breloom’s secondary STAB move, which gives it a more reliable way to cause damage when not protected, and hits bulky Water- and Ground-types hard. It also helps against Rotom-A and other Ghost-types. Breloom has a number of options for the last slot; Stone Edge is perhaps the best option, as it allows Breloom to do considerable damage to Gyarados and Salamence switching in, almost always a clear 2HKO even on bulky variants. Substitute is another option and has excellent synergy with Spore and Focus Punch, similarly to the SubSeed set. Breloom can set up a Substitute after putting a Pokemon to sleep, allowing it to scout for a switch while also allowing it a lifeline against the opponent’s team if it doesn’t switch. Another option is Facade, which takes advantage of Breloom’s Toxic Orb and, while it doesn’t hit anything in particular, does have a lot of neutral coverage and can take care of the Flying-type foes who plague Breloom, as well as dealing a useful 40% to 252 HP Celebi. Mach Punch is another interesting option, granting you a priority move to bypass Breloom’s poor Speed, and also allowing Breloom to act as a makeshift revenge-killer for threats such as weakened Heatran and Weavile lacking Ice Shard. </p>
<p>Toxic Orb works very well in tandem with Breloom’s ability, Poison Heal, granting it twice as much recovery as Leftovers and preventing it from being afflicted with any crippling status. Due to the increased health gained per turn, Breloom can even heal itself during a Sandstorm, though to a lesser extent. Toxic Orb also boosts Facade’s power to 140, making it a much more useful option. The EVs are fairly straightforward, with maximum Attack and an Adamant nature to make the best use of Breloom’s best stat, its base 130 Attack, as well as to maximize the power of Focus Punch. 208 Speed is the given Speed to outrun 4 Speed Gliscor, so that you can Spore it before it has a chance to attack. The remaining EVs are placed in HP.</p>
<p>Assuming he does not include a sleep absorber on his team, your opponent will generally either switch in something that Breloom can barely hurt, such as physically defensive Celebi, and then stall the Breloom out, or allow the Pokemon currently out to take the Spore, then switch his best check in. Pokemon who benefit from the disabling of Salamence, Weezing, or Zapdos, such as Dragon Dance Gyarados or Swords Dance Scizor make quite good partners. Breloom has a tendency to want to come in on Pokemon such as Swampert or Tyranitar due to its unique typing, and should either of them be neutralized, Pokemon such as Heatran have a much easier time with the opponent’s team. Stealth Rock support is recommended too, since Breloom will force a lot of switches thanks to the combined threat of Spore and Focus Punch, and a lot of the Flying-types like Zapdos and Gyarados which usually trouble Breloom will get seriously hampered.</p>
SubSeed
<p>Breloom has two unique things going for it as a user of the Substitute + Leech Seed combination. The first is the ever useful Spore. The second is Poison Heal, which allows Breloom to heal twice as much health as Leftovers to create more Substitutes. Although at first no Attack investment seems foolish, it allows Breloom to take advantage of its many useful resistances and makes it easier to Leech Seed the foe and set up a Substitute. For example, Breloom is able to Leech Seed a Vaporeon, survive the incoming Ice Beam, and then proceed to set up a Substitute. With the given Defense investment, Breloom will never be 2HKOed by Choice Band Tyranitar's Stone Edge, nor Choice Band Scizor's Bullet Punch. More defensive Pokemon such as Hippowdon, Swampert, and Gliscor can't even hope to break your Substitutes with Earthquake. You should be wary of Swampert's Ice Beam and Gliscor's Aerial Ace, although neither will outright OHKO Breloom. Breloom's Substitutes can also withstand weaker U-turns from the likes of Choice Scarf Jirachi and Flygon which can be helpful in the right situation. With resistances to Dark-, Rock-, Water-, and Ground-type attacks, Breloom can even counter Pokemon such as Tyranitar, Rhyperior, Vaporeon, and said Ground-types. However, even if Breloom resists Gyarados’ main attacks, it risks being caught on the switch by Bounce or Ice Fang, and if Gyarados carries Taunt, it can shut down Breloom with ease.</p>
<p>Unlike the previous set, you should not use Spore right off the bat. Instead, save it for when Breloom's life depends on it, and you are not able to continue using Substitute and Leech Seed. Pokemon who would warrant being put to sleep would be Skarmory, Salamence, and Gengar, all of whom can OHKO Breloom, while not being threatened by Focus Punch. However, even with no Attack investment, Focus Punch still hits very hard, being able to 2HKO Metagross as well as many other Pokemon neutral to it. The given HP EVs allow maximum recovery from Poison Heal, while 24 Speed EVs is enough to outrun most Skarmory. The rest are put into Defense. An alternative EV spread is 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe with an Adamant. This is a more offensive approach to the 'SubSeed' strategy. Focus Punch will hit anything not immune for high damage with max Attack and a boosting nature. The main advantage of this EV spread is being able to Spore Suicune before it can use Ice Beam, and also Spore Rotom-H before it uses Overheat. The 44 HP EVs give optimal Poison Heal recovery, while 212 Speed EVs are enough to outpace Adamant Tyranitar to avoid the occasional Flamethrower or Ice Beam.</p>
<p>Few Pokemon can switch into Breloom while not minding Spore or Focus Punch. Celebi is probably the best counter to SubSeed Breloom, since it is immune to Leech Seed, resists Focus Punch and Seed Bomb, and can use STAB Psychic or Hidden Power Fire to bring Breloom down. Having a Pokemon to lay down Toxic Spikes can help, as you can then stall Celebi with Substitute as it slowly dies from poison damage. Tentacruel works out decently as it resists Fire-type attacks that trouble Breloom. Tentacruel with Sludge Bomb and Liquid Ooze makes a great counter to Celebi itself thanks to its high Special Defense. Pokemon with Rest and Sleep Talk who also resist Fighting-type moves can also stall Breloom out. Rotom-A, being immune to Focus Punch, can hit Breloom with Shadow Ball while using Rest to recover damage lost by Leech Seed. Gyarados is another decent switch in if it has Rest, although Stealth Rock damage and damage from Focus Punch will add up quickly. Having a Rotom-A of your own can help, as it can shut down any RestTalker, Tricking a Choice Scarf onto them, and can also use STAB Thunderbolt for OHKOing Gyarados and Shadow Ball to 2HKO enemy Rotom-A. Many faster Substitute users will shut Breloom down as it prevents them from being put to sleep with Spore, and blocks Leech Seed. Gengar, Mismagius, and Rotom-A in particular are also immune to Focus Punch. A powerful Pursuit user such as Scizor or Tyranitar will help out a lot against Rotom-A and Celebi. Even in a sandstorm, Breloom will be healing health equal to Leftovers recovery, although it will still slightly diminish Breloom's Substitute-making potential.</p>
Non-Choice Attacker
<p>A slightly different take on Breloom, this set is aimed not simply to cause your opponent prolonged grief, as with the Spore Puncher, but to cause as much damage as possible. The difference between this Breloom and other hit-and-run attackers is the ability to use Spore as a way to disable anything it can't directly beat. Poison Heal, combined with Breloom's useful resistances, as well as the fact that it does not have to run a Choice item or Life Orb to hit hard with its three high-powered core moves, allows it to stay around longer than many other, frailer attackers. An important aspect of this Breloom is its ability to beat Pokemon who are usually considered hard counters to Breloom, such as Gyarados, Celebi, and Zapdos, without sacrificing the threat it poses to its usual fodder, such as Swampert.</p>
<p>Similarly to the SubSeed set, it is recommended not to use Spore until you are faced with a pokemon whom you cannot otherwise defeat, and whom you know you can outrun. Superpower, backed by 359 Attack, is going to hurt anything not resistant to it. Seed Bomb provides a secondary STAB move for times when Superpower's stat drops are undesirable, and prevents bulky Water- and Ground-types from walling the set. The last slot is reserved for Breloom's secret weapon - Facade. Thanks to Toxic Orb, it can deal a significant hit to anything that does not resist it. It can score a 3HKO against Celebi, Zapdos, and Gyarados, as well as dealing over 50% to any offensive-minded Latias who thinks it can switch in for free. The higher Speed packed by this Breloom may also surprise defensive variants of the Pokémon listed above as they think you will be slower and either put them to sleep with Spore or finish them if they suffered enough damage. Stone Edge and Mach Punch are also there for hitting airborne foes and priority, respectively.</p>
<p>Even with absolute maximum Speed, Breloom is still slower than many of its counters. Salamence and Heatran for example, while afraid to switch in on a Facade/Stone Edge or Superpower respectively, can both revenge-kill with Fire Blast and will almost always outrun. In this situation, a bulky Water-type such as Suicune is the best choice, as it is able to take an attack and hit back with Ice Beam or STAB Surf. Celebi is still as much a threat as ever for Breloom, as it has Natural Cure to heal sleep, so it is not completely shut down. In addition, it can use itself as a lure to cause another Pokemon to take the Spore, ruining Breloom's best chance of beating it by virtue of Sleep Clause. A Heatran of your own can be a big help against Celebi, especially as it resists Hidden Power Fire, Hidden Power Ice, and Psychic, the three attacks Celebi would likely use against Breloom, while also resisting Grass Knot. A Scizor or Specially-defensive Tyranitar with Pursuit could also work for this purpose, though the former needs to be careful of Hidden Power Fire and the latter of Grass Knot.</p>
Swords Dance
<p>While Breloom occupies some very exclusive niches in the metagame, that does not mean it cannot adopt more conventional battling tactics. It has access to Swords Dance, and this in tandem with its massive base 130 Attack can turn it into a very powerful sweeper in certain situations. Although its Speed is relatively poor compared to other popular sweepers, it does have access to priority, making this less of an issue, and can always use Spore to win itself free turns to stat up, as well as allowing it to disable Pokemon who pose it the biggest threat, such as Celebi or Skarmory.</p>
<p>Swords Dance is, naturally, the core move of this set, boosting Breloom’s already impressive Attack stat sky-high, reaching a value of over 1000 with a Life Orb equipped. Mach Punch overcomes Breloom’s middling Speed and it is the only priority move available to it, but packs ferocious power with the backing of Swords Dance and Breloom’s naturally high Attack, almost always OHKOing Infernape and other fast-but-frail sweepers after Stealth Rock damage. Breloom does have mild four-slot syndrome on this set, and cannot always run all the attacks it may need to, and lacking even one can mean a premature end to your sweep. For its last two slots, Seed Bomb is a good choice, as it gains STAB and is Breloom’s most reliable attack against most opponents. In particular, it hits Hippowdon and Gliscor for far more damage than most of its other attacks would, and also hits Rotom-A harder than any of its other attacks, usually OHKOing with Life Orb. Stone Edge gains better coverage alongside Mach Punch, and is vital for taking out Flying-type threats such as Zapdos and Salamence, who are likely to be serious problems for you otherwise. Spore is the old standby for Breloom, allowing you to disable Skarmory before it can OHKO you, and if you are feeling brave it also enables you to rack up more Swords Dances, allowing you an even wider range of OHKOs on more defensive Pokemon. If you are running Spore, then Stone Edge is the best choice alongside Mach Punch as it gives the best coverage, however if you are using three offensive moves then Seed Bomb is generally the most powerful option. Lastly, Facade can be used if you are using Toxic Orb for neutral coverage, as it hits harder than a neutral Seed Bomb and will always 2HKO 252/220 Bold Celebi, as well as being able to do a great amount to most Flying-types whom you cannot hit with Seed Bomb, making Stone Edge less of a necessity. This is worth consideration because Breloom, especially if it is running Life Orb, is very fragile and cannot usually afford to miss even once, making Stone Edge far less appealing.</p>
<p>Breloom also has an important choice to make for the items, as they will affect the moves that you choose as well. Life Orb is the usual hold item for boosting sweepers, granting Breloom an Attack stat of 1024 after one Swords Dance and giving the power necessary to gain several important OHKOs. However, one should remember that Breloom is already very fragile and easily revenge-killed, and using Life Orb only makes it easier for your opponent to do so. Toxic Orb is the secondary option, and should generally only be used when using Facade. The advantages are obvious – when using Toxic Orb, Breloom has much greater bulk, so a higher survivability rate, immunity to burns and paralysis, and the ability to use Facade and thus to defeat most Celebi and Weezing. The damage calculations below demonstrate Breloom’s ability to take on a wide variety of foes, assuming the correct item and moveset:</p>
<ul><li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Seed Bomb vs 252 HP / 40 Def Impish Gliscor: 76.55% - 90.11% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Seed Bomb vs 252 HP / 168 Def Bold Rotom-A: 89.80% - 100% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Seed Bomb vs 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Cresselia: 53.38% - 63.06% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Stone Edge vs 252 HP / 176 Def Impish Skarmory: 55.69% - 65.57% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Stone Edge vs 252 HP / 144 Def Relaxed Forretress: 53.67% - 63.28% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom (Toxic Orb activated), 252 Atk Facade vs 252 HP 220 Def Bold Celebi: 61.14% - 72.03% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom (Toxic Orb activated), 252 Atk Facade vs 252 HP 252 Def Bold Weezing: 63.77% - 75.15% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Mach Punch vs 80 HP Flygon: 70.40% - 83.18% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Mach Punch vs 4 HP Heatran: 100% </li>
<li>+2 Breloom, Life Orb, 252 Atk Mach Punch vs 0 HP Infernape: 84.30% - 99.66% </li></ul>
<p>Poison Heal should always be used as an ability, since even if you are not running Toxic Orb you can benefit from Toxic Spikes and other Poison-inducing attacks, and is the superior choice to the slightly useless Effect Spore. The EVs are very similar to the Spore Puncher set, with 208 Speed EVs given up to outrun no-Speed Gliscor and anything slower, so that you can Spore it before it can use Aerial Ace. Attack is then maximised and the leftover EVs are thrown into HP to help out Breloom’s rather poor defenses. If you want, you can give Breloom 220 EVs to outrun 88 Speed Rotom-A, allowing you to beat it before it can use Overheat or Shadow Ball. Again, an Adamant nature is used to make best use of Breloom’s massive Attack stat.</p>
<p>Entry hazards, as with all boosting sweepers, are heavily advisable for use alongside this Breloom. Stealth Rock weakens the Flying-, Fire-, and Bug-types whom Breloom hates, making them easier to take on, and also weakening walls makes Breloom’s job easier. Celebi and Weezing are Pokemon whom Breloom has difficulty dealing with if it lacks Toxic Orb; although they can be 2HKOed by a Swords Danced Facade, they are more than capable of killing Breloom before it can beat them. Heatran is the best choice to deal with them – It is immune to Weezing’s Sludge Bomb, Fire Blast, and Will-O-Wisp, while being able to attack back with its own STAB Fire Blast. Against Celebi, Fire Blast is usually an easy OHKO, while it resists Grass Knot, Psychic, Hidden Power Fire, and Hidden Power Ice. It only fears Thunder Wave or Earth Power, but most Celebi would never think to use either of those moves on Breloom, especially if it runs Toxic Orb. Heatran is also a big help against Forretress, Skarmory, and Rotom-A. Both Breloom and Heatran detest the very sight of Salamence, Gyarados, and Latias, all of whom are fast, bulky, resist Mach Punch and are by far the best counters to Swords Dance Breloom, although Gyarados and Salamence hate Stone Edge. A bulky Water-type such as Vaporeon or defensive Starmie can help with Gyarados and Salamence, while Tyranitar or Scizor can usually deal with Latias; Tyranitar in particular has good offensive synergy with Breloom, being able to take out most of their respective counters with little trouble.</p>
Choice Scarf
<p>Breloom’s greatest burden, compared to other standard sweepers, has always been is mediocre Speed. By holding a Choice Scarf, however, the problem is fixed, allowing Breloom to pose quite a threat as a fast revenge-killer. It can take advantage of its unique typing to switch into threats such as Tyranitar and Swampert with little risk, OHKOing both with little trouble thanks to its STAB moves. It can also work as a decent anti-lead to a reasonable extent, outrunning and outgunning common leads such as Swampert and Heatran, as well as disabling those it cannot beat with Spore. Using Spore is generally the best move first turn in any case, as most leads that are aware that you can kill them will likely not stay in to take the hit.</p>
<p>There are very few variants of Breloom who cannot make good use of Spore, and the Choice Scarfer is no exception. Breloom can usually disable anything threatening before they strike it, outrunning everything below Jolly Aerodactyl and other positive-natured base 130 Pokemon. Breloom’s most powerful Fighting-type move other than Focus Punch, which is unusable on this set due to its negative priority, is Superpower, which is very useful for punching great holes in the opponent’s team, and since Breloom will be switching often with this set, its negative side-effect is not so crippling. Seed Bomb is again Breloom’s secondary STAB move, and while not as powerful as Superpower, it is far more reliable, making it useful for sweeping purposes should the opportunity arise. For the final moveslot, Stone Edge is the advised choice to deal with Flying-types who may present a problem, such as Gyarados or Salamence. Facade is inadvisable on this set as, without Toxic Orb, you are not assured the status condition required, and Facade becomes a lot less threatening. Poison Heal is, again, chosen over Effect Spore so that if you are struck by a Poison-inducing move you will benefit from it. For the EVs, Speed is pretty much everything, and 252 EVs with a Jolly nature allows you to outspeed everything up to and including Jolly Weavile, eliminating one of Breloom’s usual checks. Attack should then be maxed as usual, with the four remaining EVs placed in HP.</p>
<p>Choice Scarf Breloom is usually found in one of two locations on a team; either as a fast revenge-killer or anti-lead. In the latter position, Breloom is very good at neutralizing threats lacking Lum Berry, such as Infernape and Azelf, and preventing them from setting up, though this involves locking it into Spore, and forcing it to switch out on the next turn, so you will want partners able to regain momentum for your team as soon as possible. Gyarados can switch in on disabled Infernape and Metagross and begin setting up. Gyarados also benefits greatly from the absence of Stealth Rock caused by disabling the opponent’s lead, allowing it a free switch-in. If you believe your opponent will switch, it is useful to note that the most common switch-ins to Breloom are Scizor, Salamence, and Latias, all of whom have different strengths and thus need different ways of dealing with. Latias is most vulnerable to physical Dark- or Bug-type moves, and so a specially defensive Tyranitar or Scizor is the best choice to deal with them. Salamence and Scizor are both easily ended by Ice or Fire attacks respectively, and as there are few Pokemon who can use both move types outside of Hidden Power, you may need to keep different checks to both.</p>
Choice Band
<p>Breloom’s Choice Band set appears quite similar at first glance to the Choice Scarf set, however the two are played differently. While the Choice Scarfer dedicates itself to revenge-killing and taking advantage of its fast Sleep move, the Choice Bander is more suited to wall breaking, relying on sheer power to overcome slower opponents. While it is not able to outrun the vast majority of Pokemon in the Standard tier, it can be very difficult to switch in on, and benefits from a useful set of resistances, a unique STAB typing and solid STAB moves, access to priority, a massive Attack stat, and Spore. While this set may seem slightly outclassed by Scizor, it is important to note that, while Scizor flourishes in weakening its opponents while allowing its team free switches, Breloom can attempt to push past foes with sheer force, and while not one of the best at its job it has its own special niches which make it as good a choice as any.</p>
<p>Again, Breloom has its own special trinity of moves. Superpower allows Breloom to hit hard, while the switching nature of the set means that the drops are not as crippling as they would be on a sweeper. Seed Bomb acts as Breloom’s reliable STAB move of choice, and Stone Edge is useful to take down Flying- and Bug-types who resist its STAB moves. Only in the last slot is there any real change in moves – Mach Punch can be used to bypass Breloom’s relatively low Speed, and with a Choice Band boost it hits very hard indeed, and can be useful for revenge-killing purposes. Spore is the other worthwhile option – putting a Pokemon to sleep, especially one that Breloom could not bypass in any other way, is always a worthy endeavour, but since Breloom is then locked into the move, it is forced to switch out, meaning it cannot take advantage of the free turn, so it is less efficient than other Breloom variants in that regard. Facade is the only other worthwhile option, though without Toxic Orb, it is a waste of space if you do not happen to run into Toxic or Toxic Spikes. The EVs generate the maximum possible Attack to hit hard off the bat, while keeping enough Speed to outrun 252 Speed Adamant Tyranitar, and the remaining 72 EVs are used to give Breloom’s defensive stats a boost.</p>
<p>As previously mentioned, Choice Band Breloom’s primary purpose is to break or weaken walls, usually to an extent sufficient to allow another Pokemon to exploit the weaknesses and possibly bring about a sweep. Breloom can switch in on Pokemon such as Swampert and Tyranitar with relative ease, disposing of them readily with its STAB moves, thus allowing a gap for other Pokemon to exploit, such as Heatran or a Tyranitar of your own. Again, Salamence, Latias, and Gyarados will be among the most common switches into Breloom, but if they lack a recovery move, you can weaken them over repeated assaults and open the doors to Lucario or a Gyarados on your own later.</p>
Team Options
<p>Stealth Rock is an important support to consider when using Breloom as a Swords Dance sweeper. It weakens the faster but frailer Pokemon over time, easing them into Mach Punch KO range for the most part, and accumulating good overall damage, letting Breloom kill before being killed. Aside from this, however, Breloom is generally a Pokemon more accustomed to supporting than being supported; however, on the SubSeed set, Toxic Spikes are worth consideration for hastening the death of your opponent, should they stay in.</p>
<p>The most difficult Pokemon for Breloom to bypass are usually Flying- or Psychic-typed, such as Celebi, Latias, and Salamence. Tyranitar makes for a good partner in these situations, as specially defensive variants can Pursuit or Crunch away the Psychic- and Ghost-types who trouble Breloom, while beating Flying-types such as Zapdos with Stone Edge. It can also take on Heatran, another problem for Breloom. In turn, Breloom is one of the best choices for taking on bulky Water- or Ground-types such as Swampert, Hippowdon, and Gliscor lacking Aerial Ace, allowing Tyranitar to have an easier time with the opponent’s team as well. Being able to take out Swampert and Tyranitar also makes Heatran a good partner for Breloom, as Substitute variants can use the free turns against potential counters to set up. If Breloom manages to Sleep one of its counters coming in, such as Celebi, Latias, or Zapdos, it can be an excellent opportunity for a set-up sweeper that has trouble with them usually, such as Swords Dance Lucario or Dragon Dance Gyarados to begin setting themselves up. Rotom-A and Starmie are both reasonable options to take on troublesome Flying-types such as Skarmory, Salamence, and Gyarados; both have Thunderbolt for the former and the latter, while Starmie can usually switch in on Mixmence, survive, outspeed, and OHKO Salamence with Ice Beam while healing off damage with Recover, and Rotom-A can use Thunder Wave or Will-O-Wisp against physically-inclined variants. Rotom-A can also be used to block Rapid Spin, making it harder for Salamence and Gyarados to keep switching.</p>
<p>Breloom’s unique typing gives it five weaknesses, but Flying-type attacks do not usually come from a powerful offensive stat most users of Poison-type STABs have alternative STABs to use, and while Psychic presents a problem, Latias, Celebi, and Cresselia do not always carry their STAB moves. This leaves the Fire- and Ice-type weaknesses. Both of these can be covered by bulky Water-types like Vaporeon and Suicune, which also can beat Salamence, Gyarados, and Heatran, all big threats to Breloom, as well as being able to take on Scizor to a reasonable extent. In return, Breloom itself resists Water-type’s Grass and Electric weaknesses, although there are few of either type in OU whom Breloom can take on to a satisfactory extent. Despite weakness to Psychic, Tentacruel is also a fairly solid teammate, able to take on Celebi well, something that most other bulky Water-types cannot achieve. Adding a bulky Water, however, will make your team quite weak to Celebi or Zapdos if you do not include Tyranitar, whose Sand Stream can be more a hindrance than an asset. Latias can also be a big help against these threats, resisting Grass Knot, Psychic, and Hidden Power Fire from Celebi and Thunderbolt, Heat Wave, and Hidden Power Grass from Zapdos. Even if they run Hidden Power Ice, Latias can Calm Mind up and tank hits with its excellent Special Defense, while healing itself with Recover.</p>
<p>Heatran is a common partner to Celebi, since together they resist all of each other’s weaknesses. Heatran also resists all of Latias’s weaknesses, so is a common partner to Latias as well, and is also commonly seen on offensive teams with Salamence and occasionally Gyarados. While Heatran is a threat to Breloom, being able to OHKO with its STAB Fire-type moves, a STAB Focus Punch or Swords Danced Mach Punch easily brings it down. If you are worried about Heatran revenge-kills, Tyranitar or a bulky Water can easily stop it if they switch in on a STAB Fire-type move. Another common partner for Celebi, Zapdos, and Latias, Breloom’s biggest foes, is Jirachi. Jirachi is not fond of a STAB Focus Punch, but has good defensive stats and can hit back with Iron Head. Bulky Water-types are again your best bet against most variants, particularly the physical ones. Jirachi is however perfectly capable of running a special set as well, though most special sets without Flash Cannon or Grass Knot are dealt with by Tyranitar. Gyarados and Salamence are often used together on offensive teams, and so when facing them you will often need to be prepared for two potential Breloom counters on one team. Lastly, Scizor appear pretty much everywhere, though again bulky Water-types can deal with it just fine. Rotom-H can also be used if you are seriously worried, being able to OHKO with Overheat or cripple with Will-O-Wisp.</p>
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And this is all. I will probably glance at this in next days, but I think everything I left is useful in one way or another. The Swords Dance set in particular, while looking particularly verbose, is impossible to trim down without removing vital information on how the set should be used, since, with all the Swords Dance users available, the author had to explain in great detail the strengths of the set.
Any suggestion is welcome, in particular, grammar check would be appreciated (although, since I kept the original sentences for the most part, there should not be many mistakes).
