Finishing this up for Angeela.
Changes implemented from second check.
Requires a third and final check.
Overview
########
Breloom is the universal lead of Battle Spot. With an amazing moveset at its disposal, there's no reason you'd have another lead on most teams. It has the ability to bluff its lead role and can be used as a late-game sweeper, finishing off weakened Pokemon with Mach Punch. One thing that makes Breloom stand out compared to other leads is its access to Spore, which can have a great effect on the outcome of a battle. However, Breloom suffers from weak defensive stats, so using an item besides Focus Sash is quite risky. To add on to that, lots of Pokemon wall Breloom, from Aegislash, which resists any move Breloom can throw at it, to Ferrothorn, which can hurt Breloom without even attacking it. Breloom also suffers from a low base 70 Speed, so a plethora of commonly used Pokemon, such as Rotom-W and Landorus, can easily use a pivot move to avoid a Spore.
Offensive Spore
########
name: Offensive Spore
move 1: Spore
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Bullet Speed
move 4: Rock Tomb
ability: Technician
item: Focus Sash
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly
Moves
========
With no Sleep Clause, Breloom is sure to put more than one foe to sleep with Spore. It can be used on a predicted switch to ease prediction, unless a Grass-type or Pokemon with Overcoat, such as Venusaur and Mandibuzz, happens to still be alive. Technician-boosted Mach Punch is Breloom's essential STAB priority move. It is Breloom's primary revenge killing tool and helps to wear down opposing Pokemon. Bullet Seed is Breloom's strongest STAB move after the Technician boost, and it is useful for breaking Focus Sash and Sturdy users. Rock Tomb is extremely practical for lowering the Speed of predicted switch-ins. Rock Tomb also lets Breloom hit Pokemon such as Charizard, Talonflame, and Thundurus, which would otherwise resist any move Breloom could throw at it.
Set Details
========
This set is optimized to get the best out of Technician while abusing the fact that there is no Sleep Clause. The EVs are maxed out in Attack and Speed for Breloom to get the most out of its hits and so Breloom can outspeed Pokemon such as Mega Swampert. Adamant is used for increased power, but Jolly can be used to ensure that Breloom outspeeds and puts as many Pokemon to sleep as possible.
Usage Tips
========
This Breloom set is best described as a suicide lead. With no Sleep Clause, Breloom causes plenty of switches, whether it's to take care of a Spore or to just absorb any hit. When predicting a switch, use Spore so that whatever is switching in is put to sleep and thus rendered useless. However, because Grass-types are immune to Spore, if you predict that the foe is going to switch one in, use it as an opportunity to double switch and gain the advantage. If you predict something slightly faster to switch in such as Talonflame always use Rock Tomb to either lower its Speed or KO it altogether. Pokemon with Lum Berry or Sleep Talk put a dent in this set because they won't have to worry about Spore at any point and can use that situation to break its Focus Sash, thus rendering Breloom useless. Mega Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Lopunny have no problem breaking Breloom's Focus Sash with Fake Out, making problematic for Breloom. Even though they are weak to Mach Punch, they both can survive any hit Breloom uses at max health.
If you are facing a sandstorm team, you might want to reconsider using Breloom as a lead, as sandstorm damage will break its Focus Sash. However, although it might be tempting to stay in and go for the Mach Punch on Tyranitar or the Bullet Seed on Hippodown, you must analyze the situation to see if you will need to use Breloom's Focus Sash later in the match.
Team Options
========
Fire-types such as Heatran are great partners for Breloom; Heatran resists all of Breloom's weaknesses and counters Talonflame as well as checking Aegislash, two of the most common Pokemon in the metagame that have positive matchups against Breloom. Mega Charizard Y can help Breloom avoid getting its Focus Sash broken by weather because of Drought. Mega Gengar can come in on a sleeping foe, trap it, and use a boosted STAB Hex as well as use Destiny Bond on any troublesome Pokemon that can affect the team as a whole. Rock-types such as Tyranitar and Rhyperior can also help Breloom deal with Fire- and Flying-types that can cause Breloom a lot of trouble. Water-types such as Suicune and Quagsire are good partners for Breloom because they can deal with physical Fire-types such as Mega Charizard X, Talonflame, and Blaziken as well as provide a nice general bulky Water presence and support. Breloom also helps Calm Mind Suicune and Raikou set up and sweep by eliminating opposing Water- and Ground-types, respectively. Flying-types such as Mega Salamence, Mega Pinsir, and Talonflame are good partners because they can beat Breloom's most common counters, Mega Venusaur and Chesnaught, with their STAB Flying-type moves. Talonflame can also use Tailwind, which can help Breloom's low base Speed by making it outspeed a plethora of threats. Breloom also suffers from being frail and slow, which is why bulky Pokemon such as Rocky Helmet Cresselia and Rocky Helmet Zapdos help out against Mega Lopunny and Mega Kangaskhan, which are big threats to Breloom. Zapdos and Cresselia wall these threats and deal passive damage with Rocky Helmet, making them great partners for Breloom. Lunar Dance Cresselia is also an option, as it can bring back Breloom to full health, which is great if Breloom hasn't lost its Focus Sash. To help with Breloom's low Speed, fast Fighting-types such as Blaziken can assist with threats by having a chance to OHKO Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan with High Jump Kick.
Other Options
########
Poison Heal is an option over Technician for Breloom if you want to surprise your opponents. With Poison Heal, Breloom can also take advantage of the fact that it can recover more health than it would with Leftovers. It can get a free Focus Punch out of using Substitute as well. If Breloom is doing too little damage, it can run Swords Dance, although it is hard to fit into a move set without losing coverage. You can use Life Orb if you don't want to lose power, although because Breloom is quite frail, it is not the best option. Choice Scarf is an option, although it is not the best choice because it forces Breloom to be locked into one move. However, with no Sleep Clause, it is able to spam a fast Spore repeatedly.
Checks & Counters
########
**Bulky Grass-types**: Bulky Grass-types such as Chesnaught, Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Tangrowth are immune to Spore, often have access to recovery moves, and can easily deal with Breloom.
**Fire-types**: With entry hazard support, Fire-types such as Mega Charizard Y, Talonflame, and Blaziken can outspeed Breloom and OHKO it with their STAB moves.
**Entry Hazards**: Entry hazards break Breloom's Focus Sash, which significantly lowers Breloom's effectiveness due to its frailty and low Speed.
**Aegislash**: Aegislash is immune to any Fighting-type moves that Breloom has, resists Rock Tomb, and can KO Breloom with its STAB moves.
**Mandibuzz**: Mandibuzz is a huge issue for Breloom. With its ability Overcoat, it is immune to Spore, and it is bulky enough to avoid being 2HKOed by any move Breloom can throw at it.
**Safety Goggles**: Safety Goggles allows any Pokemon holding them to be be unaffected by Spore.
**Ferrothorn**: Ferrothorn can break Breloom's Focus Sash with Iron Barbs and is immune to Spore. Additionally, Mach Punch 3HKOes Ferrothorn, while Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball OHKOes Breloom.
**Mega Gengar**: Mega Gengar can trap and KO Breloom, as it is faster and immune to Mach Punch. Mega Gengar can also burn Breloom with Will-O-Wisp, rendering any move besides Spore practically useless, as well as letting Mega Gengar live a couple of Rock Tombs.
**Mega Lopunny and Mega Kangaskhan**: Both Mega Lopunny and Mega Kangaskhan are capable of breaking Breloom's Focus Sash with a Fake Out and are able to survive a Mach Punch and outspeed Breloom for an evident KO. Mega Kangaskhan can also beat Breloom regardless of whether it uses Fake Out or not, as its ability, Parental Bond, causes its moves to hit twice.
Changes implemented from second check.
Requires a third and final check.
Overview
########
Breloom is the universal lead of Battle Spot. With an amazing moveset at its disposal, there's no reason you'd have another lead on most teams. It has the ability to bluff its lead role and can be used as a late-game sweeper, finishing off weakened Pokemon with Mach Punch. One thing that makes Breloom stand out compared to other leads is its access to Spore, which can have a great effect on the outcome of a battle. However, Breloom suffers from weak defensive stats, so using an item besides Focus Sash is quite risky. To add on to that, lots of Pokemon wall Breloom, from Aegislash, which resists any move Breloom can throw at it, to Ferrothorn, which can hurt Breloom without even attacking it. Breloom also suffers from a low base 70 Speed, so a plethora of commonly used Pokemon, such as Rotom-W and Landorus, can easily use a pivot move to avoid a Spore.
Offensive Spore
########
name: Offensive Spore
move 1: Spore
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Bullet Speed
move 4: Rock Tomb
ability: Technician
item: Focus Sash
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly
Moves
========
With no Sleep Clause, Breloom is sure to put more than one foe to sleep with Spore. It can be used on a predicted switch to ease prediction, unless a Grass-type or Pokemon with Overcoat, such as Venusaur and Mandibuzz, happens to still be alive. Technician-boosted Mach Punch is Breloom's essential STAB priority move. It is Breloom's primary revenge killing tool and helps to wear down opposing Pokemon. Bullet Seed is Breloom's strongest STAB move after the Technician boost, and it is useful for breaking Focus Sash and Sturdy users. Rock Tomb is extremely practical for lowering the Speed of predicted switch-ins. Rock Tomb also lets Breloom hit Pokemon such as Charizard, Talonflame, and Thundurus, which would otherwise resist any move Breloom could throw at it.
Set Details
========
This set is optimized to get the best out of Technician while abusing the fact that there is no Sleep Clause. The EVs are maxed out in Attack and Speed for Breloom to get the most out of its hits and so Breloom can outspeed Pokemon such as Mega Swampert. Adamant is used for increased power, but Jolly can be used to ensure that Breloom outspeeds and puts as many Pokemon to sleep as possible.
Usage Tips
========
This Breloom set is best described as a suicide lead. With no Sleep Clause, Breloom causes plenty of switches, whether it's to take care of a Spore or to just absorb any hit. When predicting a switch, use Spore so that whatever is switching in is put to sleep and thus rendered useless. However, because Grass-types are immune to Spore, if you predict that the foe is going to switch one in, use it as an opportunity to double switch and gain the advantage. If you predict something slightly faster to switch in such as Talonflame always use Rock Tomb to either lower its Speed or KO it altogether. Pokemon with Lum Berry or Sleep Talk put a dent in this set because they won't have to worry about Spore at any point and can use that situation to break its Focus Sash, thus rendering Breloom useless. Mega Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Lopunny have no problem breaking Breloom's Focus Sash with Fake Out, making problematic for Breloom. Even though they are weak to Mach Punch, they both can survive any hit Breloom uses at max health.
If you are facing a sandstorm team, you might want to reconsider using Breloom as a lead, as sandstorm damage will break its Focus Sash. However, although it might be tempting to stay in and go for the Mach Punch on Tyranitar or the Bullet Seed on Hippodown, you must analyze the situation to see if you will need to use Breloom's Focus Sash later in the match.
Team Options
========
Fire-types such as Heatran are great partners for Breloom; Heatran resists all of Breloom's weaknesses and counters Talonflame as well as checking Aegislash, two of the most common Pokemon in the metagame that have positive matchups against Breloom. Mega Charizard Y can help Breloom avoid getting its Focus Sash broken by weather because of Drought. Mega Gengar can come in on a sleeping foe, trap it, and use a boosted STAB Hex as well as use Destiny Bond on any troublesome Pokemon that can affect the team as a whole. Rock-types such as Tyranitar and Rhyperior can also help Breloom deal with Fire- and Flying-types that can cause Breloom a lot of trouble. Water-types such as Suicune and Quagsire are good partners for Breloom because they can deal with physical Fire-types such as Mega Charizard X, Talonflame, and Blaziken as well as provide a nice general bulky Water presence and support. Breloom also helps Calm Mind Suicune and Raikou set up and sweep by eliminating opposing Water- and Ground-types, respectively. Flying-types such as Mega Salamence, Mega Pinsir, and Talonflame are good partners because they can beat Breloom's most common counters, Mega Venusaur and Chesnaught, with their STAB Flying-type moves. Talonflame can also use Tailwind, which can help Breloom's low base Speed by making it outspeed a plethora of threats. Breloom also suffers from being frail and slow, which is why bulky Pokemon such as Rocky Helmet Cresselia and Rocky Helmet Zapdos help out against Mega Lopunny and Mega Kangaskhan, which are big threats to Breloom. Zapdos and Cresselia wall these threats and deal passive damage with Rocky Helmet, making them great partners for Breloom. Lunar Dance Cresselia is also an option, as it can bring back Breloom to full health, which is great if Breloom hasn't lost its Focus Sash. To help with Breloom's low Speed, fast Fighting-types such as Blaziken can assist with threats by having a chance to OHKO Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan with High Jump Kick.
Other Options
########
Poison Heal is an option over Technician for Breloom if you want to surprise your opponents. With Poison Heal, Breloom can also take advantage of the fact that it can recover more health than it would with Leftovers. It can get a free Focus Punch out of using Substitute as well. If Breloom is doing too little damage, it can run Swords Dance, although it is hard to fit into a move set without losing coverage. You can use Life Orb if you don't want to lose power, although because Breloom is quite frail, it is not the best option. Choice Scarf is an option, although it is not the best choice because it forces Breloom to be locked into one move. However, with no Sleep Clause, it is able to spam a fast Spore repeatedly.
Checks & Counters
########
**Bulky Grass-types**: Bulky Grass-types such as Chesnaught, Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Tangrowth are immune to Spore, often have access to recovery moves, and can easily deal with Breloom.
**Fire-types**: With entry hazard support, Fire-types such as Mega Charizard Y, Talonflame, and Blaziken can outspeed Breloom and OHKO it with their STAB moves.
**Entry Hazards**: Entry hazards break Breloom's Focus Sash, which significantly lowers Breloom's effectiveness due to its frailty and low Speed.
**Aegislash**: Aegislash is immune to any Fighting-type moves that Breloom has, resists Rock Tomb, and can KO Breloom with its STAB moves.
**Mandibuzz**: Mandibuzz is a huge issue for Breloom. With its ability Overcoat, it is immune to Spore, and it is bulky enough to avoid being 2HKOed by any move Breloom can throw at it.
**Safety Goggles**: Safety Goggles allows any Pokemon holding them to be be unaffected by Spore.
**Ferrothorn**: Ferrothorn can break Breloom's Focus Sash with Iron Barbs and is immune to Spore. Additionally, Mach Punch 3HKOes Ferrothorn, while Ferrothorn's Gyro Ball OHKOes Breloom.
**Mega Gengar**: Mega Gengar can trap and KO Breloom, as it is faster and immune to Mach Punch. Mega Gengar can also burn Breloom with Will-O-Wisp, rendering any move besides Spore practically useless, as well as letting Mega Gengar live a couple of Rock Tombs.
**Mega Lopunny and Mega Kangaskhan**: Both Mega Lopunny and Mega Kangaskhan are capable of breaking Breloom's Focus Sash with a Fake Out and are able to survive a Mach Punch and outspeed Breloom for an evident KO. Mega Kangaskhan can also beat Breloom regardless of whether it uses Fake Out or not, as its ability, Parental Bond, causes its moves to hit twice.
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