Hooray Alan.
For reference: http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73216
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/breloom
STATUS: Work In Progress
[Overview]
<p>As the Pokemon with OU's third lowest Base Stat Total, Breloom is an excellent example of a Pokemon capable of overcoming its middling stats through use of a fantastic ability, an item that caters specifically to its needs, and a movepool that gives it all the necessary tools to fully utilize its advantages. Breloom's unique typing allows it to switch into top threats such as Tyranitar with ease, and Spore almost guarantees the incapacitation of at least one opponent. Combine that with a multitude of ways to abuse Substitute, as well as a unique ability that heals it while allowing it to completely ignore incoming status, and Breloom goes from a mediocre mushroom with middling stats to one of the most difficult Pokemon to deal with in the OU metagame.</p>
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move1: Substitute
move2: Focus Punch
move3: Seed Bomb / Stone Edge
move4: Spore
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Between Spore, STAB Focus Punch, and its unique ability, Poison Heal, Breloom is quite possibly the most tailor-made SubPuncher ever created. The strategy is simple; set up a Substitute, then start firing off Breloom's brutal STAB Focus Punches. With its massive 130 base Attack and the 150 Base Power of Focus Punch, it's nearly impossible to just "shrug off" Breloom's attacks. As an example, the standard Life Orb Starmie takes 58.6% - 69.3% from Adamant Focus Punch, which makes it quite difficult to find a Pokemon that can reliably switch into Breloom.</p>
<p>Substitute and Focus Punch form the crux of this set, as Substitute allows Breloom to use Focus Punch without fear of interruption. Substitute is especially effective on Breloom because of Poison Heal, as it can heal off the HP lost from Substitute in a mere 2 turns. Seed Bomb is the best coverage move available to Breloom, as it can be used as a reliable attack against bulky Water-types, and also to hit Rotom-A hard. However, Stone Edge is more effective against a number of Pokemon who resist Focus Punch, such as Gyarados, Dragonite, and Zapdos. Spore is Breloom's signature move, and is the only 100% accurate sleep-inducing move in the entire game. This allows Breloom to incapacitate one of its counters as it switches in, and can also make it easy for Breloom to set up the first Substitute and start its rampage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>252 Attack EVs are used to achieve maximum damage output on this set, 12 HP EVs allow Poison Heal to heal the maximum amount of HP per turn, and the rest are dropped into Speed. This allows Breloom to outpace defensive variants of Suicune and Rotom-A. An alternative spread of 36 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe with a Jolly nature is also usable, allowing Breloom to outpace opponents such as Defensive Celebi / Zapdos, Modest Heatran, all variants of Empoleon, and the majority of opposing Breloom.</p>
<p>Despite the difficulty of countering Breloom, there are still a couple of Pokemon that can give it trouble. Celebi is the most obvious one, as it boasts solid defensive stats, resists both of Breloom's STABs, and has Natural Cure to remove the effects of Spore. Tyranitar can help eliminate Celebi, as it can easily switch into both Psychic and Hidden Power Fire, the only two attacks that Celebi regularly carries that are effective against Breloom. If Sandstorm isn't your style, Heatran can grab a Flash Fire boost from Celebi's HP Fire, and can use either Choice Scarf or Shuca Berry to evade the massive damage from a potential Earth Power. Other main issues for SubPunch Breloom include RestTalk Rotom-A, which can easily absorb Spore from Breloom and hit back with Shadow Ball, and RestTalk Gyarados, which shrugs off Breloom's attacks and can Roar it out. Scarfed Tyranitar can deal with both, eliminating Rotom-A with Crunch or Pursuit, and firing off STAB Stone Edges at Gyarados.</p>
[SET]
name: SubSeed
move1: Spore
move2: Substitute
move3: Leech Seed
move4: Focus Punch
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Impish / Adamant
evs: 236 HP / 252 Def / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While the previous set is more geared towards hammering the opponent with powerful STAB attacks, this set aims to stick around and whittle away at the opposing team. Though the SubSeed combination is by no means new, Breloom brings a number of special toys to the table, as far as SubSeeders go. First, Spore guarantees that not only will Breloom be able to incapacitate at least one opponent, but also get a Substitute or Leech Seed up in the process. Second, Toxic Orb + Poison Heal makes it easy for Breloom to replenish the health lost from setting up Substitutes, as well as blocking any incoming status moves. Finally, its powerful STAB Focus Punch makes Breloom a veritable threat even without investment in its offenses, allowing it to hit hard when immediate damage is needed over stalling.</p>
<p>The moveset is fairly self-explanatory. Spore is the best reason to use Breloom, as a 100% accuracy sleep move is indispensable. Leech Seed slowly drains the health of foes while replenishing Breloom's, allowing it to bring down even the bulkiest of foes while setting up Substitutes with ease. Substitute synergizes well with both Leech Seed and Poison Heal, as it allows Breloom to take no more than 25% damage per turn while healing nearly as much at the end of each turn. Focus Punch rounds out the set, allowing Breloom to deal significant damage to enemies from behind a Substitute if need be.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Since this set is designed to stall opponents out rather than hit them hard, defensive EVs are preferred. 236 HP EVs provide maximum recovery from Poison Heal, while 252 Defense EVs and an Impish nature allows Breloom to take resisted hits from opponents such as Tyranitar and Gyarados, which Breloom can effectively wall barring some rare coverage moves. The leftover EVs are dropped into Speed, to help outpace Skarmory and other opponents in that Speed range. An Impish nature is preferred to help Breloom take hits, but Adamant can be used to increase the power of Focus Punch. An alternative spread of 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe is usable for a more offensive approach to the set. 44 HP EVs are a Poison Heal number, with 252 Atk for boosting damage output and 212 Spe to outpace Adamant Tyranitar.</p>
<p>While Celebi is a nuisance to the previous set, it's even more of a terror for this set. It takes a pittance from Focus Punch, is immune to Leech Seed, and packs either Psychic or Hidden Power Fire to hit Breloom. This makes Tyranitar, especially Scarfed variants, an effective teammate for Breloom. This has the extra benefit of instant Sandstorm, which negates the Leftovers recovery of non-immune foes, making Leech Seed more effective at stalling them out. Tentacruel can also cause significant issues for Breloom, as Liquid Ooze turns Leech Seed into a liability, while Sludge Bomb and Ice Beam are both effective at eliminating Breloom. Grass-types in general are also dangerous for this set, as immunity to Leech Seed makes them especially effective checks, though they can be in danger if they switch into a Substitute instead of a Leech Seed due to Focus Punch. Because of this, Heatran works especially well alongside this set, as it can switch into most Grass-types without problems, and can also take an Earth Power from Shaymin or Celebi if need be with the help of Shuca Berry. Tentacruel also works well as a partner, as it can switch into most Grass-types and proceed to set up Toxic Spikes, which greatly help expedite Leech Seed's stalling effects. However, keep in mind that Toxic Spikes will limit the use of Spore to levitating Pokemon, Steel-types, and Poison-types.</p>
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move1: Spore
move2: Facade / Stone Edge
move3: Seed Bomb
move4: Superpower / Sky Uppercut / Mach Punch
item: Toxic Orb / Life Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While the first two sets focus on Breloom's ability to abuse Substitute, this set is more focused on Breloom's massive 130 base Attack and solid type coverage. Breloom's Poison Heal ability allows it to act as a powerful offensive status absorber and also gives it constant healing and a devastating 140 Base Power Facade to abuse.</p>
<p>As always, Spore is a fantastic move for Breloom; On this set, it is used less as a setup aid and more as a way to cripple or temporarily take a counter out of the picture, making it easier to abuse this Breloom's excellent power and type coverage. Facade is one of the big draws of this set, as it provides more power than even some of Breloom's STAB attacks. Alternatively, Breloom can use Stone Edge alongside Life Orb to provide a powerful coverage move against Flying-types that would otherwise resist its dual STAB. Seed Bomb provides solid Grass-type STAB, while there are a couple of choices for Fighting-type STAB. Superpower provides Breloom with the strongest possible initial attack, but the stat drops often force Breloom to switch out. Sky Uppercut provides a reliable Fighting STAB, while Mach Punch gives Breloom a form of priority, allowing it to pick off weakened targets.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs on this set are fairly straightforward. Attack and Speed are maximized as this set isn't designed to take hits or set up, but to directly attack. Jolly nature is used to outspeed Adamant Base 80s as well as Adamant Gyarados. Toxic Orb is used to activate Poison Heal and power up Facade, but Life Orb can be used to give Breloom's relatively low Base Power STABs a little more punch. Remember that if Life Orb is chosen, Breloom can still switch into Toxic or Toxic Spikes, thus granting Breloom both the power increase from Life Orb and the benefits of Poison Heal, the most notable of which is negating the recoil from Life Orb.</p>
<p>Since this Breloom doesn't have a Substitute to hide behind, it has issues standing up to many faster sweepers, which can revenge kill it with ease due to its middling stats. Especially notable ones include Ghost-types such as Rotom-A and Gengar, which are immune to Facade and Breloom's Fighting-type STAB of choice. Packing a Pursuit user, especially Scarfed ones such as Scizor or Tyranitar, can help remove these pesky Ghost-types and allow Breloom deal as much damage as possible. These Pursuit users can also function effectively against Celebi, as defensive variants can still shrug off a Facade, and offensive variants often carry either Psychic or Hidden Power Fire, both of which can easily eliminate Breloom. Gyarados can also be an issue for Facade variants of this set, so using Pokemon like Vaporeon and Suicune can help deal with Gyarados. These Bulky Water-types are also good counters for Heatran, which can switch into Facade, Stone Edge, and Seed Bomb with ease and dispatch Breloom with a STAB Flamethrower or Fire Blast.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move1: Swords Dance
move2: Mach Punch
move3: Seed Bomb / Stone Edge
move4: Spore / Facade
item: Toxic Orb / Life Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Adamant
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While the previous set is focused more on breaking through an opponent's defenses with powerful attacks, this set aims to use Breloom's powerful STAB Mach Punch, alongside Swords Dance, in order to circumvent its middling speed and sweep the opponent's team. Luckily, between Spore, Poison Heal's healing and status immunity, and Breloom's solid set of resistances, it's easy to find an opportunity to set up a Swords Dance and begin Breloom's reign of terror.</p>
<p>Mach Punch is the preferred Fighting-type STAB attack on this set, as after a Swords Dance boost, it allows Breloom to pick off many faster offensive Pokemon. Seed Bomb and Stone Edge both vie for the second slot. While Seed Bomb provides secondary STAB and reliable power, Stone Edge hits Gyarados and other Flying-types that would otherwise wall Breloom super effectively. The final slot is a toss-up; Spore allows Breloom to incapacitate an opponent, making it easier to set up, but Swords Dance-boosted Facade hits like a truck, and provides excellent neutral coverage alongside Mach Punch, Seed Bomb, or Stone Edge.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>An Adamant nature is used on this set due to the presence of Mach Punch, which somewhat negates the need for a Jolly nature. Attack is maxed out, providing maximum offensive power, and 12 EVs are placed in HP to provide optimal healing from Poison Heal. The remaining EVs are placed into Speed in order to outspeed defensive variants of Pokemon such as Rotom-A and Suicune. Toxic Orb gives Breloom additional survivability, as well as an immunity to status, which can otherwise incapacitate it. However, Life Orb boosts Breloom's power significantly, and it still has the option of gaining the benefits of Poison Heal by switching into Toxic Spikes or Toxic.</p>
<p>As with any other Breloom set, Celebi can cause significant problems for this Breloom. However, Celebi lacking Psychic or a super effective Hidden Power can find themselves unable to stop this set from setting up and sweeping anyway, as Grass Knot does a pittance to Breloom, allowing it to easily Swords Dance up to +6. In addition, Hidden Power fails to OHKO Breloom, while a +2 Toxic Orb Facade deals 61-72% damage, and a Life Orb Stone Edge deals 57-67%. As such, merely weakening Celebi with entry hazards can allow Breloom to break through Celebi, its most notable counter. The best counters to this set are therefore faster Pokemon that resist or are immune to Mach Punch, such as Starmie, Gengar, Rotom-A, and Gyarados (note that unless Gyarados carries Ice Fang or Bounce, it will be unable to hit Breloom effectively). Tyranitar and Scizor make excellent allies for this set, as they can Pursuit many of the Dark-weak Psychic- and Ghost-types that resist Mach Punch. Tyranitar also packs a powerful Stone Edge to punish opposing Flying-types, and works especially well against Zapdos. Its Sandstorm also helps to wear down Celebi, and its powerful Pursuit and Crunch can deal enough damage so that Celebi may not be able to handle Breloom later on in the game.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move1: Spore
move2: Superpower
move3: Seed Bomb
move4: Stone Edge
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While 70 Base Speed isn't especially impressive, it's plenty for an effective Choice Scarf set. With a Scarf attached, Breloom can easily incapacitate a faster foe with Spore early on in the match, and then later, return to revenge kill opponents with its powerful dual STAB. Choice Scarf allows it to outspeed any Pokemon with less than 130 base Speed, thus giving it the surprise revenge kill on many opponents, such as Starmie, Infernape, and Adamant Gyarados with a +1 boost.</p>
<p>Like with all Breloom sets, the moveset is fairly self-explanatory. Spore allows Breloom to remove an opponent from play with sleep, and is even more effective with the Speed boost from Choice Scarf. Seed Bomb and Superpower make up Breloom's dual STAB combination. Superpower is the preferred Fighting STAB due to its massive power and Breloom's status as a hit-and-run revenge killer. Stone Edge rounds out Breloom's type coverage nicely, hitting Flying-types that wall Breloom's dual STAB for super effective damage, as well as providing neutral coverage against Pokemon such as Celebi and Gengar, which also resist both of Breloom's STAB attacks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are fairly straightforward, with Attack and Speed maximized, and the remainder dropped into HP. A Jolly nature is used, as it gives Scarf Breloom 393 Speed, enough to outspeed all Pokemon with less than 130 base Speed. It also notably allows Breloom to outspeed +1 Adamant Gyarados and eliminate it with Stone Edge.</p>
<p>Since this Breloom is meant to be a hit-and-run Pokemon that chooses its targets, dealing with its counters becomes a lot less important. However, with Choice Scarf locking it into a single attack, Breloom's counters become even more notable. Celebi can switch into any of Breloom's attacks with ease, and use Natural Cure to remove sleep as it switches out. RestTalk Rotom-A can also cause problems for Scarf Breloom, as it can mitigate Spore with Sleep Talk, and Breloom's offensive moves do not pose a significant threat to it. Zapdos can deal with these two Pokemon, as they rarely carry attacks that can threaten Zapdos, while Zapdos can retaliate with either Toxic or Heat Wave.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Status
move1: Spore
move2: Stun Spore
move3: Focus Punch / Superpower / Sky Uppercut
move4: Seed Bomb / Stone Edge
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Adamant
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to use Breloom as a platform for spreading status around the opposing team. Often, after the opponent switches out their designated sleep absorber, they will head immediately to their Breloom counter; this allows Breloom to take advantage of the switch by paralyzing the incoming Pokemon with Stun Spore, potentially crippling two opponents and remaining healthy enough to take on further members of the opposing team.</p>
<p>Spore is, as always, one of the big draws of this set. Stun Spore provides great synergy by capitalizing on the switches created by Spore, crippling faster opponents looking to deal with Breloom. Focus Punch is Breloom's most powerful attack, but without Substitute, Breloom is forced to use it only on predicted switches or status moves. For this reason, Superpower and Sky Uppercut are viable options to provide Breloom with a more reliable Fighting-type STAB. The final slot is for coverage. Seed Bomb provides secondary STAB, but Stone Edge hits Flying-types hard, and has excellent coverage alongside Breloom's Fighting-type STAB.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>252 Attack EVs are used to achieve maximum damage output on this set. 12 HP allows Poison Heal to heal the maximum amount of HP per turn, and the rest are dropped into Speed. This allows Breloom to outpace defensive variants of Suicune and Rotom-A. An alternative spread of 36 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe with a Jolly nature is also usable, allowing Breloom to outpace opponents such as Defensive Celebi / Zapdos, Modest Heatran, all variants of Empoleon, and the majority of opposing Breloom. Finally, a spread of 236 HP / 248 Atk / 24 Spe with an Adamant nature can be used for a more defensive approach to the set, allowing Breloom to spread more paralysis throughout the match, though it loses the ability to outspeed a number of slower offensive Pokemon.</p>
<p>Continuing with the trend set by other Breloom sets, Celebi is absolutely the most difficult opponent for this Breloom to get around, as Natural Cure not only cures the sleep induced by Spore, but also the paralysis induced by Stun Spore. RestTalk Rotom-A also works well, as it can either Sleep Talk to negate Spore or Rest to eliminate paralysis. Choice Scarf Tyranitar can switch into the most common attacks aimed at Breloom by these Pokemon, though Choice Band can be a superior option to take advantage of the paralysis that Breloom inflicts. Zapdos can also do the same, and offensive sets can benefit from Breloom paralyzing faster opponents.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Breloom is the kind of Pokemon that doesn't need a whole lot of support to bring out its full potential, but there are a number of ways that its abilities can be bolstered by its teammates. Since Breloom tends to force switches often, entry hazard support is appreciated; Skarmory and Forretress easily fit the bill, though they can cause problems by doubling up on Breloom's Fire weakness. Toxic Spikes are generally ineffective in conjunction with Breloom, considering its reliance on Spore; however, they can work well alongside the SubSeed set, as once Breloom starts the cycle of Leech Seed, it can become incredibly difficult to take out, allowing both Toxic and Leech Seed damage to rack up very quickly. Spore in this case sees use against opponents not affected by Toxic Spikes, such as Heatran, Rotom-A, and Gengar.</p>
<p>There are some notable issues that have to be dealt with when using Breloom, depending on the set. When using sets like the All Out Attacker, Swords Dance, or Choice Scarf, it becomes important to eliminate the speedy resisters of Fighting and Grass that plague Breloom's existence. Choice Scarf Tyranitar and Scizor are extremely effective at performing this task, as their fast Pursuit can put Pokemon such as Gengar, Starmie, and Celebi in checkmate positions, and if they elect not to switch, Crunch/U-turn easily puts them in their place. Tyranitar is preferred, as it can also deal with Zapdos effectively, and it resists Fire, thus covering Breloom's weakness. However, Sandstorm can limit Breloom's durability, which is a problem, and Scizor also provides valuable resistances to types such as Steel and Ice.</p>
<p>The Swords Dance set gets a special mention here, as it is designed to be a sweeper and the focus of a team, so it requires the most support to operate effectively. As with other attacking sets, Choice Scarf Tyranitar and Scizor can eliminate the fast Psychic- and Ghost-types that resist or are immune to Mach Punch, but there are also bulky Pokemon out there that can take a hit from Mach Punch and still otherwise outspeed, such as Suicune, Jirachi, or Gyarados packing Ice Fang or Bounce. Defensively, bulky Water-types can reliably take on most of these Pokemon, and on top of that, with a little prediction, they can lure in Celebi and nail it with Ice Beam. Offensively, Pokemon like Zapdos and Rotom-A work well, as their powerful Electric attacks can deal plenty of damage to many of Swords Dance Breloom's counters, allowing Breloom to pick them off later in the match once it gets a Swords Dance up.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Breloom's options are pretty much entirely covered in the sets listed above. Still, there are a couple of notable options. ThunderPunch can be used to guarantee a KO on Gyarados, though Stone Edge generally does well enough considering Gyarados's weakness to Rock. However, the loss of Stone Edge does cause issues against Pokemon such as Dragonite and Zapdos. Bulk Up is an option, but 60/80/60 defenses aren't doing Breloom any favors, and on top of that, many of its counters are specially-based, limiting the defensive value of Bulk Up and making Swords Dance a significantly more appealing choice.</p>
[Counters]
<p>If ever there was a Pokemon tailor-made to counter Breloom, it's Celebi. From Natural Cure to shrug off Spore with, to the resistance to Breloom's dual STAB, to its solid STAB Psychic, Celebi has Breloom cornered all day long. However, there are a number of other solid Pokemon that can deal with Breloom effectively. Sleep Talk Rotom-A is one of the best Breloom counters, as it is capable of dealing significant damage to Breloom with Shadow Ball, and can still break Breloom's Substitutes with Thunderbolt. RestTalk Gyarados has Intimidate to soften the blows of Breloom's powerful Seed Bomb and Focus Punch, though Stone Edge can prove problematic.</p>
<p>However, once Breloom has successfully put a Pokemon to sleep, it becomes much easier to deal with. Gengar is immune to Focus Punch and resistant to Seed Bomb, allowing it to sponge Breloom's attacks and hit back with its powerful STAB Shadow Ball. Zapdos packs a resistance to both of Breloom's STABs, and can eliminate Breloom with Heat Wave or Hidden Power Ice. Dragonite's 4x resistance to Grass and excellent bulk also gives it a leg-up against Breloom, as it can easily come in on Seed Bomb or Focus Punch and start dishing out damage. However, like many of Breloom's other checks, Stone Edge can cause problems, and Facade also deals significant damage. Aside from these Pokemon, there are still many ways to deal with Breloom. Sets without Substitute can easily be dispatched by getting a faster Pokemon in on a resistance, such as Starmie coming in on a Fighting-type attack from the All-out Attacker, Swords Dance, or Substitute sets, or Jirachi coming in on Seed Bomb, Facade, or Stone Edge. Breloom is also extremely susceptible to being revenge killed, as a Breloom without a Substitute up isn't that hard to take down.</p>
For reference: http://www.smogon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73216
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/breloom
STATUS: Work In Progress
[Overview]
<p>As the Pokemon with OU's third lowest Base Stat Total, Breloom is an excellent example of a Pokemon capable of overcoming its middling stats through use of a fantastic ability, an item that caters specifically to its needs, and a movepool that gives it all the necessary tools to fully utilize its advantages. Breloom's unique typing allows it to switch into top threats such as Tyranitar with ease, and Spore almost guarantees the incapacitation of at least one opponent. Combine that with a multitude of ways to abuse Substitute, as well as a unique ability that heals it while allowing it to completely ignore incoming status, and Breloom goes from a mediocre mushroom with middling stats to one of the most difficult Pokemon to deal with in the OU metagame.</p>
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move1: Substitute
move2: Focus Punch
move3: Seed Bomb / Stone Edge
move4: Spore
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Between Spore, STAB Focus Punch, and its unique ability, Poison Heal, Breloom is quite possibly the most tailor-made SubPuncher ever created. The strategy is simple; set up a Substitute, then start firing off Breloom's brutal STAB Focus Punches. With its massive 130 base Attack and the 150 Base Power of Focus Punch, it's nearly impossible to just "shrug off" Breloom's attacks. As an example, the standard Life Orb Starmie takes 58.6% - 69.3% from Adamant Focus Punch, which makes it quite difficult to find a Pokemon that can reliably switch into Breloom.</p>
<p>Substitute and Focus Punch form the crux of this set, as Substitute allows Breloom to use Focus Punch without fear of interruption. Substitute is especially effective on Breloom because of Poison Heal, as it can heal off the HP lost from Substitute in a mere 2 turns. Seed Bomb is the best coverage move available to Breloom, as it can be used as a reliable attack against bulky Water-types, and also to hit Rotom-A hard. However, Stone Edge is more effective against a number of Pokemon who resist Focus Punch, such as Gyarados, Dragonite, and Zapdos. Spore is Breloom's signature move, and is the only 100% accurate sleep-inducing move in the entire game. This allows Breloom to incapacitate one of its counters as it switches in, and can also make it easy for Breloom to set up the first Substitute and start its rampage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>252 Attack EVs are used to achieve maximum damage output on this set, 12 HP EVs allow Poison Heal to heal the maximum amount of HP per turn, and the rest are dropped into Speed. This allows Breloom to outpace defensive variants of Suicune and Rotom-A. An alternative spread of 36 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe with a Jolly nature is also usable, allowing Breloom to outpace opponents such as Defensive Celebi / Zapdos, Modest Heatran, all variants of Empoleon, and the majority of opposing Breloom.</p>
<p>Despite the difficulty of countering Breloom, there are still a couple of Pokemon that can give it trouble. Celebi is the most obvious one, as it boasts solid defensive stats, resists both of Breloom's STABs, and has Natural Cure to remove the effects of Spore. Tyranitar can help eliminate Celebi, as it can easily switch into both Psychic and Hidden Power Fire, the only two attacks that Celebi regularly carries that are effective against Breloom. If Sandstorm isn't your style, Heatran can grab a Flash Fire boost from Celebi's HP Fire, and can use either Choice Scarf or Shuca Berry to evade the massive damage from a potential Earth Power. Other main issues for SubPunch Breloom include RestTalk Rotom-A, which can easily absorb Spore from Breloom and hit back with Shadow Ball, and RestTalk Gyarados, which shrugs off Breloom's attacks and can Roar it out. Scarfed Tyranitar can deal with both, eliminating Rotom-A with Crunch or Pursuit, and firing off STAB Stone Edges at Gyarados.</p>
[SET]
name: SubSeed
move1: Spore
move2: Substitute
move3: Leech Seed
move4: Focus Punch
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Impish / Adamant
evs: 236 HP / 252 Def / 20 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While the previous set is more geared towards hammering the opponent with powerful STAB attacks, this set aims to stick around and whittle away at the opposing team. Though the SubSeed combination is by no means new, Breloom brings a number of special toys to the table, as far as SubSeeders go. First, Spore guarantees that not only will Breloom be able to incapacitate at least one opponent, but also get a Substitute or Leech Seed up in the process. Second, Toxic Orb + Poison Heal makes it easy for Breloom to replenish the health lost from setting up Substitutes, as well as blocking any incoming status moves. Finally, its powerful STAB Focus Punch makes Breloom a veritable threat even without investment in its offenses, allowing it to hit hard when immediate damage is needed over stalling.</p>
<p>The moveset is fairly self-explanatory. Spore is the best reason to use Breloom, as a 100% accuracy sleep move is indispensable. Leech Seed slowly drains the health of foes while replenishing Breloom's, allowing it to bring down even the bulkiest of foes while setting up Substitutes with ease. Substitute synergizes well with both Leech Seed and Poison Heal, as it allows Breloom to take no more than 25% damage per turn while healing nearly as much at the end of each turn. Focus Punch rounds out the set, allowing Breloom to deal significant damage to enemies from behind a Substitute if need be.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Since this set is designed to stall opponents out rather than hit them hard, defensive EVs are preferred. 236 HP EVs provide maximum recovery from Poison Heal, while 252 Defense EVs and an Impish nature allows Breloom to take resisted hits from opponents such as Tyranitar and Gyarados, which Breloom can effectively wall barring some rare coverage moves. The leftover EVs are dropped into Speed, to help outpace Skarmory and other opponents in that Speed range. An Impish nature is preferred to help Breloom take hits, but Adamant can be used to increase the power of Focus Punch. An alternative spread of 44 HP / 252 Atk / 212 Spe is usable for a more offensive approach to the set. 44 HP EVs are a Poison Heal number, with 252 Atk for boosting damage output and 212 Spe to outpace Adamant Tyranitar.</p>
<p>While Celebi is a nuisance to the previous set, it's even more of a terror for this set. It takes a pittance from Focus Punch, is immune to Leech Seed, and packs either Psychic or Hidden Power Fire to hit Breloom. This makes Tyranitar, especially Scarfed variants, an effective teammate for Breloom. This has the extra benefit of instant Sandstorm, which negates the Leftovers recovery of non-immune foes, making Leech Seed more effective at stalling them out. Tentacruel can also cause significant issues for Breloom, as Liquid Ooze turns Leech Seed into a liability, while Sludge Bomb and Ice Beam are both effective at eliminating Breloom. Grass-types in general are also dangerous for this set, as immunity to Leech Seed makes them especially effective checks, though they can be in danger if they switch into a Substitute instead of a Leech Seed due to Focus Punch. Because of this, Heatran works especially well alongside this set, as it can switch into most Grass-types without problems, and can also take an Earth Power from Shaymin or Celebi if need be with the help of Shuca Berry. Tentacruel also works well as a partner, as it can switch into most Grass-types and proceed to set up Toxic Spikes, which greatly help expedite Leech Seed's stalling effects. However, keep in mind that Toxic Spikes will limit the use of Spore to levitating Pokemon, Steel-types, and Poison-types.</p>
[SET]
name: All-out Attacker
move1: Spore
move2: Facade / Stone Edge
move3: Seed Bomb
move4: Superpower / Sky Uppercut / Mach Punch
item: Toxic Orb / Life Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While the first two sets focus on Breloom's ability to abuse Substitute, this set is more focused on Breloom's massive 130 base Attack and solid type coverage. Breloom's Poison Heal ability allows it to act as a powerful offensive status absorber and also gives it constant healing and a devastating 140 Base Power Facade to abuse.</p>
<p>As always, Spore is a fantastic move for Breloom; On this set, it is used less as a setup aid and more as a way to cripple or temporarily take a counter out of the picture, making it easier to abuse this Breloom's excellent power and type coverage. Facade is one of the big draws of this set, as it provides more power than even some of Breloom's STAB attacks. Alternatively, Breloom can use Stone Edge alongside Life Orb to provide a powerful coverage move against Flying-types that would otherwise resist its dual STAB. Seed Bomb provides solid Grass-type STAB, while there are a couple of choices for Fighting-type STAB. Superpower provides Breloom with the strongest possible initial attack, but the stat drops often force Breloom to switch out. Sky Uppercut provides a reliable Fighting STAB, while Mach Punch gives Breloom a form of priority, allowing it to pick off weakened targets.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs on this set are fairly straightforward. Attack and Speed are maximized as this set isn't designed to take hits or set up, but to directly attack. Jolly nature is used to outspeed Adamant Base 80s as well as Adamant Gyarados. Toxic Orb is used to activate Poison Heal and power up Facade, but Life Orb can be used to give Breloom's relatively low Base Power STABs a little more punch. Remember that if Life Orb is chosen, Breloom can still switch into Toxic or Toxic Spikes, thus granting Breloom both the power increase from Life Orb and the benefits of Poison Heal, the most notable of which is negating the recoil from Life Orb.</p>
<p>Since this Breloom doesn't have a Substitute to hide behind, it has issues standing up to many faster sweepers, which can revenge kill it with ease due to its middling stats. Especially notable ones include Ghost-types such as Rotom-A and Gengar, which are immune to Facade and Breloom's Fighting-type STAB of choice. Packing a Pursuit user, especially Scarfed ones such as Scizor or Tyranitar, can help remove these pesky Ghost-types and allow Breloom deal as much damage as possible. These Pursuit users can also function effectively against Celebi, as defensive variants can still shrug off a Facade, and offensive variants often carry either Psychic or Hidden Power Fire, both of which can easily eliminate Breloom. Gyarados can also be an issue for Facade variants of this set, so using Pokemon like Vaporeon and Suicune can help deal with Gyarados. These Bulky Water-types are also good counters for Heatran, which can switch into Facade, Stone Edge, and Seed Bomb with ease and dispatch Breloom with a STAB Flamethrower or Fire Blast.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move1: Swords Dance
move2: Mach Punch
move3: Seed Bomb / Stone Edge
move4: Spore / Facade
item: Toxic Orb / Life Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Adamant
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While the previous set is focused more on breaking through an opponent's defenses with powerful attacks, this set aims to use Breloom's powerful STAB Mach Punch, alongside Swords Dance, in order to circumvent its middling speed and sweep the opponent's team. Luckily, between Spore, Poison Heal's healing and status immunity, and Breloom's solid set of resistances, it's easy to find an opportunity to set up a Swords Dance and begin Breloom's reign of terror.</p>
<p>Mach Punch is the preferred Fighting-type STAB attack on this set, as after a Swords Dance boost, it allows Breloom to pick off many faster offensive Pokemon. Seed Bomb and Stone Edge both vie for the second slot. While Seed Bomb provides secondary STAB and reliable power, Stone Edge hits Gyarados and other Flying-types that would otherwise wall Breloom super effectively. The final slot is a toss-up; Spore allows Breloom to incapacitate an opponent, making it easier to set up, but Swords Dance-boosted Facade hits like a truck, and provides excellent neutral coverage alongside Mach Punch, Seed Bomb, or Stone Edge.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>An Adamant nature is used on this set due to the presence of Mach Punch, which somewhat negates the need for a Jolly nature. Attack is maxed out, providing maximum offensive power, and 12 EVs are placed in HP to provide optimal healing from Poison Heal. The remaining EVs are placed into Speed in order to outspeed defensive variants of Pokemon such as Rotom-A and Suicune. Toxic Orb gives Breloom additional survivability, as well as an immunity to status, which can otherwise incapacitate it. However, Life Orb boosts Breloom's power significantly, and it still has the option of gaining the benefits of Poison Heal by switching into Toxic Spikes or Toxic.</p>
<p>As with any other Breloom set, Celebi can cause significant problems for this Breloom. However, Celebi lacking Psychic or a super effective Hidden Power can find themselves unable to stop this set from setting up and sweeping anyway, as Grass Knot does a pittance to Breloom, allowing it to easily Swords Dance up to +6. In addition, Hidden Power fails to OHKO Breloom, while a +2 Toxic Orb Facade deals 61-72% damage, and a Life Orb Stone Edge deals 57-67%. As such, merely weakening Celebi with entry hazards can allow Breloom to break through Celebi, its most notable counter. The best counters to this set are therefore faster Pokemon that resist or are immune to Mach Punch, such as Starmie, Gengar, Rotom-A, and Gyarados (note that unless Gyarados carries Ice Fang or Bounce, it will be unable to hit Breloom effectively). Tyranitar and Scizor make excellent allies for this set, as they can Pursuit many of the Dark-weak Psychic- and Ghost-types that resist Mach Punch. Tyranitar also packs a powerful Stone Edge to punish opposing Flying-types, and works especially well against Zapdos. Its Sandstorm also helps to wear down Celebi, and its powerful Pursuit and Crunch can deal enough damage so that Celebi may not be able to handle Breloom later on in the game.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move1: Spore
move2: Superpower
move3: Seed Bomb
move4: Stone Edge
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Jolly
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>While 70 Base Speed isn't especially impressive, it's plenty for an effective Choice Scarf set. With a Scarf attached, Breloom can easily incapacitate a faster foe with Spore early on in the match, and then later, return to revenge kill opponents with its powerful dual STAB. Choice Scarf allows it to outspeed any Pokemon with less than 130 base Speed, thus giving it the surprise revenge kill on many opponents, such as Starmie, Infernape, and Adamant Gyarados with a +1 boost.</p>
<p>Like with all Breloom sets, the moveset is fairly self-explanatory. Spore allows Breloom to remove an opponent from play with sleep, and is even more effective with the Speed boost from Choice Scarf. Seed Bomb and Superpower make up Breloom's dual STAB combination. Superpower is the preferred Fighting STAB due to its massive power and Breloom's status as a hit-and-run revenge killer. Stone Edge rounds out Breloom's type coverage nicely, hitting Flying-types that wall Breloom's dual STAB for super effective damage, as well as providing neutral coverage against Pokemon such as Celebi and Gengar, which also resist both of Breloom's STAB attacks.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are fairly straightforward, with Attack and Speed maximized, and the remainder dropped into HP. A Jolly nature is used, as it gives Scarf Breloom 393 Speed, enough to outspeed all Pokemon with less than 130 base Speed. It also notably allows Breloom to outspeed +1 Adamant Gyarados and eliminate it with Stone Edge.</p>
<p>Since this Breloom is meant to be a hit-and-run Pokemon that chooses its targets, dealing with its counters becomes a lot less important. However, with Choice Scarf locking it into a single attack, Breloom's counters become even more notable. Celebi can switch into any of Breloom's attacks with ease, and use Natural Cure to remove sleep as it switches out. RestTalk Rotom-A can also cause problems for Scarf Breloom, as it can mitigate Spore with Sleep Talk, and Breloom's offensive moves do not pose a significant threat to it. Zapdos can deal with these two Pokemon, as they rarely carry attacks that can threaten Zapdos, while Zapdos can retaliate with either Toxic or Heat Wave.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Status
move1: Spore
move2: Stun Spore
move3: Focus Punch / Superpower / Sky Uppercut
move4: Seed Bomb / Stone Edge
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Adamant
evs: 12 HP / 252 Atk / 244 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set aims to use Breloom as a platform for spreading status around the opposing team. Often, after the opponent switches out their designated sleep absorber, they will head immediately to their Breloom counter; this allows Breloom to take advantage of the switch by paralyzing the incoming Pokemon with Stun Spore, potentially crippling two opponents and remaining healthy enough to take on further members of the opposing team.</p>
<p>Spore is, as always, one of the big draws of this set. Stun Spore provides great synergy by capitalizing on the switches created by Spore, crippling faster opponents looking to deal with Breloom. Focus Punch is Breloom's most powerful attack, but without Substitute, Breloom is forced to use it only on predicted switches or status moves. For this reason, Superpower and Sky Uppercut are viable options to provide Breloom with a more reliable Fighting-type STAB. The final slot is for coverage. Seed Bomb provides secondary STAB, but Stone Edge hits Flying-types hard, and has excellent coverage alongside Breloom's Fighting-type STAB.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>252 Attack EVs are used to achieve maximum damage output on this set. 12 HP allows Poison Heal to heal the maximum amount of HP per turn, and the rest are dropped into Speed. This allows Breloom to outpace defensive variants of Suicune and Rotom-A. An alternative spread of 36 HP / 252 Atk / 224 Spe with a Jolly nature is also usable, allowing Breloom to outpace opponents such as Defensive Celebi / Zapdos, Modest Heatran, all variants of Empoleon, and the majority of opposing Breloom. Finally, a spread of 236 HP / 248 Atk / 24 Spe with an Adamant nature can be used for a more defensive approach to the set, allowing Breloom to spread more paralysis throughout the match, though it loses the ability to outspeed a number of slower offensive Pokemon.</p>
<p>Continuing with the trend set by other Breloom sets, Celebi is absolutely the most difficult opponent for this Breloom to get around, as Natural Cure not only cures the sleep induced by Spore, but also the paralysis induced by Stun Spore. RestTalk Rotom-A also works well, as it can either Sleep Talk to negate Spore or Rest to eliminate paralysis. Choice Scarf Tyranitar can switch into the most common attacks aimed at Breloom by these Pokemon, though Choice Band can be a superior option to take advantage of the paralysis that Breloom inflicts. Zapdos can also do the same, and offensive sets can benefit from Breloom paralyzing faster opponents.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Breloom is the kind of Pokemon that doesn't need a whole lot of support to bring out its full potential, but there are a number of ways that its abilities can be bolstered by its teammates. Since Breloom tends to force switches often, entry hazard support is appreciated; Skarmory and Forretress easily fit the bill, though they can cause problems by doubling up on Breloom's Fire weakness. Toxic Spikes are generally ineffective in conjunction with Breloom, considering its reliance on Spore; however, they can work well alongside the SubSeed set, as once Breloom starts the cycle of Leech Seed, it can become incredibly difficult to take out, allowing both Toxic and Leech Seed damage to rack up very quickly. Spore in this case sees use against opponents not affected by Toxic Spikes, such as Heatran, Rotom-A, and Gengar.</p>
<p>There are some notable issues that have to be dealt with when using Breloom, depending on the set. When using sets like the All Out Attacker, Swords Dance, or Choice Scarf, it becomes important to eliminate the speedy resisters of Fighting and Grass that plague Breloom's existence. Choice Scarf Tyranitar and Scizor are extremely effective at performing this task, as their fast Pursuit can put Pokemon such as Gengar, Starmie, and Celebi in checkmate positions, and if they elect not to switch, Crunch/U-turn easily puts them in their place. Tyranitar is preferred, as it can also deal with Zapdos effectively, and it resists Fire, thus covering Breloom's weakness. However, Sandstorm can limit Breloom's durability, which is a problem, and Scizor also provides valuable resistances to types such as Steel and Ice.</p>
<p>The Swords Dance set gets a special mention here, as it is designed to be a sweeper and the focus of a team, so it requires the most support to operate effectively. As with other attacking sets, Choice Scarf Tyranitar and Scizor can eliminate the fast Psychic- and Ghost-types that resist or are immune to Mach Punch, but there are also bulky Pokemon out there that can take a hit from Mach Punch and still otherwise outspeed, such as Suicune, Jirachi, or Gyarados packing Ice Fang or Bounce. Defensively, bulky Water-types can reliably take on most of these Pokemon, and on top of that, with a little prediction, they can lure in Celebi and nail it with Ice Beam. Offensively, Pokemon like Zapdos and Rotom-A work well, as their powerful Electric attacks can deal plenty of damage to many of Swords Dance Breloom's counters, allowing Breloom to pick them off later in the match once it gets a Swords Dance up.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Breloom's options are pretty much entirely covered in the sets listed above. Still, there are a couple of notable options. ThunderPunch can be used to guarantee a KO on Gyarados, though Stone Edge generally does well enough considering Gyarados's weakness to Rock. However, the loss of Stone Edge does cause issues against Pokemon such as Dragonite and Zapdos. Bulk Up is an option, but 60/80/60 defenses aren't doing Breloom any favors, and on top of that, many of its counters are specially-based, limiting the defensive value of Bulk Up and making Swords Dance a significantly more appealing choice.</p>
[Counters]
<p>If ever there was a Pokemon tailor-made to counter Breloom, it's Celebi. From Natural Cure to shrug off Spore with, to the resistance to Breloom's dual STAB, to its solid STAB Psychic, Celebi has Breloom cornered all day long. However, there are a number of other solid Pokemon that can deal with Breloom effectively. Sleep Talk Rotom-A is one of the best Breloom counters, as it is capable of dealing significant damage to Breloom with Shadow Ball, and can still break Breloom's Substitutes with Thunderbolt. RestTalk Gyarados has Intimidate to soften the blows of Breloom's powerful Seed Bomb and Focus Punch, though Stone Edge can prove problematic.</p>
<p>However, once Breloom has successfully put a Pokemon to sleep, it becomes much easier to deal with. Gengar is immune to Focus Punch and resistant to Seed Bomb, allowing it to sponge Breloom's attacks and hit back with its powerful STAB Shadow Ball. Zapdos packs a resistance to both of Breloom's STABs, and can eliminate Breloom with Heat Wave or Hidden Power Ice. Dragonite's 4x resistance to Grass and excellent bulk also gives it a leg-up against Breloom, as it can easily come in on Seed Bomb or Focus Punch and start dishing out damage. However, like many of Breloom's other checks, Stone Edge can cause problems, and Facade also deals significant damage. Aside from these Pokemon, there are still many ways to deal with Breloom. Sets without Substitute can easily be dispatched by getting a faster Pokemon in on a resistance, such as Starmie coming in on a Fighting-type attack from the All-out Attacker, Swords Dance, or Substitute sets, or Jirachi coming in on Seed Bomb, Facade, or Stone Edge. Breloom is also extremely susceptible to being revenge killed, as a Breloom without a Substitute up isn't that hard to take down.</p>
