Gen 2 Bellossom (UU) [QC 2/2] [GP 2/2]

[OVERVIEW]
In a metagame full of Water-, Ground-, and Psychic-types, Bellossom's mono-Grass typing, ample defensive stats, and access to a wide variety of support moves allow it to twirl its way into a niche of its own. It stands out by checking a wide array of threats that have very few reliable answers, such as Electabuzz, Nidoqueen, Slowbro, and Quagsire. It is also an awkward Pokemon to switch into owing to its access to Stun Spore and Sleep Powder, and it can force switches with Leech Seed or Swords Dance to spread these status afflictions to more foes. This strong ability to spread status helps cement Bellossom's status as one of the premier support Pokemon in the tier. However, while it performs well as a supporter, Bellossom is lacking in both good STAB attacks and coverage attacks, and thus its damage dealing ability is quite limited. Furthermore, being a Pokemon that relies on instant recovery, it is particularly susceptible to status, a weakness that very often leads to its downfall.

[SET]
name: Standard Supporter
move 1: Stun Spore / Sleep Powder
move 2: Hidden Power Grass / Razor Leaf
move 3: Leech Seed / Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Moonlight
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Bellossom aims to spread status and force switches with this set. With adequate defensive stats and useful typing, Bellossom has no trouble finding opportunities to switch in, from which point it can spread paralysis with Stun Spore or put something to sleep with Sleep Powder. Leech Seed is a solid option for Bellossom, as it forces most foes to retreat, which can allow Bellossom to target additional foes with Stun Spore. Should resilient foes such as Hypno aim to prevent Bellossom from spreading status by staying in, they make for easy opportunities for Bellossom's teammates to set up boosts. Bellossom has a couple of alternatives for its STAB attack; Hidden Power Grass is perfectly accurate and has a decent Base Power but requires Bellossom to sacrifice HP DVs, whereas Razor Leaf is a weaker option that is not obtainable on the same set as Leech Seed but has no major drawback. If Bellossom uses Razor Leaf, this frees up Hidden Power to be used as a coverage attack. Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Fire can be used to hit foes such as Scyther, Dodrio, Magneton, and opposing Grass-types that would wall Leech Seed Bellossom, such as Jumpluff and Victreebel, super effectively. Scyther is particularly dangerous due to its access to Swords Dance and Baton Pass, so these options can be useful to deter it. The choice between the two comes down to a couple of factors; Hidden Power Fire hits the more common Magneton hard but requires the sacrifice of a substantial amount of HP due to DV requirements, whereas Hidden Power Ice can threaten Dodrio. However, even hitting super effectively, Bellossom's damage output is rather underwhelming, so Leech Seed is the preferred option. Moonlight is a strong recovery option with no major drawback that provides Bellossom with a moveslot advantage over RestTalk users such as Hypno and Slowking.

Team Options
========
Bellossom makes for an excellent support Pokemon to a wide variety of offensive Pokemon. Setup sweepers such as Pinsir, Curse Granbull, Sandslash, and Quagsire can strongly benefit from having their checks paralyzed before they attempt to set up. Pokemon that can effectively use Substitute such as Pikachu, Mr. Mime, and Sandslash also become more threatening if foes have been paralyzed by Bellossom. Defensively, Bellossom finds it helpful for Granbull to be safely checked, so Omastar, Haunter, and Magneton make for useful teammates. Omastar in particular has solid defensive synergy with Bellossom, as Bellossom can handle some of the Electric-types, bulky Water-types, and Ground-type attacks that often target it. As Bellossom lacks Rest to cure status effects, Heal Bell Granbull can be a very useful teammate. Granbull also relieves Bellossom against a potential Fire Blast Nidoqueen, which comes quite close to 2HKOing Bellossom and is therefore dangerous to deal with. Blastoise is another teammate that is useful in this regard while also providing Rapid Spin support. Furthermore, Blastoise easily withstands the tier's few special STAB attacks that hit Bellossom super effectively, such as Piloswine's Ice-type moves and STAB attacks from Fire-types, giving the pair great synergy. If Bellossom can paralyze Qwilfish, not only will sweepers like Pinsir and Sandslash have a much easier time, but Blastoise will also find it easier to keep Spikes off the field and keep Qwilfish under pressure to stop it from firing off attacks. Ideally, Bellossom does not want to have to deal with Electric-types that often sport Ice- or Fire-type coverage; Ground-types that can shrug off Ice- and Fire-type attacks such as Nidoqueen, Quagsire, and Piloswine can assist with patching this weakness. As Scyther and Pinsir are dangerous sweepers and threaten an OHKO on Bellossom after a Swords Dance, it is useful to have Flying-types such as Crobat, Gligar, Gyarados, and Scyther to help deal with them; Crobat reliably prevents Scyther from passing Swords Dance boosts; Gligar checks both adequately and, alongside Bellossom, makes for a combination that can take on most Nidoqueen reliably, as it can wall Fire Blast variants safely; Gyarados threatens both with STAB Hidden Power Flying and has access to Roar to prevent Scyther from passing boosts; and Scyther makes for a decent Pinsir check and can help finish off a weakened, paralyzed opposing Scyther safely. Finally, as Bellossom can force switches effectively, Spikes from Qwilfish can be useful to punish foes switching in.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Stun Spore
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Return / Double-Edge
move 4: Moonlight / Giga Drain / Hidden Power Ground
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
The goals of this set are two-fold: spread paralysis to foes beyond just passive RestTalk users and turn Bellossom into a damage-dealing threat rather than relegating it to a purely supportive role. With Swords Dance to boost its attack, Bellossom can topple some of its usual status absorber checks like Hypno and Ampharos, as, despite their impressive bulk, they cannot withstand boosted physical attacks for long. This buys Bellossom an opportunity to either attempt to take something down with its physical move of choice or land crippling paralysis on a more desirable target with Stun Spore. Return is the standard attacking option and comes without any drawback, although Double-Edge grants Bellossom enough power that it can cleanly 2HKO Scyther and Dodrio after using Swords Dance, albeit at the cost of taking recoil. Crafty opponents will realize that this physical threat comes at the cost of possible coverage attacks and potentially wall Bellossom with Omastar, Haunter, or Magneton. While the standard choice for a fourth move is to take advantage of Bellossom's healing moves like Moonlight, which allows Bellossom to play a defensive role alongside its offensive strategy, an alternative option is to forgo reliable healing and take a more offensive route by choosing Giga Drain, which allows it to remain effective against Slowbro and Slowking and OHKO or come close to OHKOing Omastar, Kabutops, and Graveler. Another alternative is Hidden Power Ground, which allows it to OHKO Magneton all of the time and Haunter about half of the time after a Swords Dance boost. Should this more offensive route be chosen, Bellossom will require a much greater amount of support from its teammates and will not reliably be able to check foes like Electabuzz and Nidoqueen as it usually can. In contrast, with Moonlight and Stun Spore, Bellossom retains much of its usual defensive efficacy and makes for an excellent supporter, especially for Normal-types such as Granbull, Dodrio, and Lickitung. Whereas more passive sets such as those with Leech Seed are well suited to reactive play, this set benefits more from playing aggressively to force reactive play from opponents, which will lead to Bellossom being in a better position to spread status without risking taking heavy hits from foes such as Qwilfish and Scyther.

Team Options
========
Swords Dance Bellossom makes for a great addition to a paralysis-based offensive team. Its knack for spreading paralysis to Normal-resistant Pokemon makes Pokemon like Hidden Power Ground Granbull and Dodrio even more difficult to deal with. Other foes that Swords Dance Bellossom tends to be able to target with Stun Spore include Qwilfish, Scyther, and Nidoqueen. Setup sweepers such as Kabutops, Pinsir, Victreebel, and Politoed greatly appreciate these Pokemon being paralyzed, as their sweeps are often cut short by these foes. Teammates that generally appreciate paralysis, such as Belly Drum Quagsire, Belly Drum Politoed, Substitute Pikachu, Substitute Sandslash, and Substitute Mr. Mime, are also good choices for teammates. As Bellossom struggles to beat Curse Granbull due to it accruing Defense boosts, teammates such as Haunter and Magneton also make for sensible choices. Omastar can also be solid choice for this purpose despite its tendency to feature more often on defensive teams, as it is capable of running a more offensive set with Thief or Ancient Power to increase its threat level. As Swords Dance Bellossom often lacks Grass-type STAB attacks, assistance in taking on Ground-types such as Piloswine, Nidoqueen, and Sandslash is appreciated; bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Blastoise make for good choices in this regard and can also double as status absorbers. Despite being known primarily for their defensive prowess, these bulky Water-types also have substantial damage output that is enough to scare out many offensive Pokemon that Bellossom has inflicted with paralysis.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
Bellossom can make reasonably good use of Reflect to help its teammates switch into powerful physical attacks or set up without fearing a strong response from a physical attacker. However, supporting its teammates with paralysis or sleep tends to be the more effective option. Giga Drain can be considered as a STAB option alongside Leech Seed or Hidden Power Ice, but it is fairly weak, only has 8 PP, and can leave Bellossom helpless against foes such as Substitute Sandslash. Bellossom can also drop its recovery move to fit in an additional coverage or support move, but this should only be done on fast-paced teams because it will sharply reduce Bellossom's longevity.

Checks and Counters
========
**Granbull and Chansey**: Granbull and Chansey take little from Bellossom's STAB attacks and can undo all of Bellossom's hard work spreading status with Heal Bell. Chansey needs to beware of Sleep Powder and Swords Dance variants, but it has access to Present and a wide array of status moves with which it can cripple Bellossom. Granbull also poses a significant threat to Bellossom with its powerful Return, dealing up to 50% unboosted, and Curse variants are even more dangerous, although they can potentially be forced out with Leech Seed.

**Magneton and Ampharos**: Magneton and Ampharos, particularly RestTalk variants given they are less concerned about status, are difficult for Bellossom to deal with. Magneton resists most of Bellossom's attacks, outspeeds it, and threatens it with Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Fire, but it becomes a less reliable answer if Bellossom has Hidden Power Fire or Hidden Power Ground. Ampharos similarly outspeeds Bellossom and beats it in the long run with Hidden Power Ice or Fire Punch. Both Magneton and Ampharos can also typically fish for paralysis against Bellossom with Thunder if they are lacking Thunder Wave. Magneton also runs Substitute occasionally, which allows it to block status from Bellossom.

**Poison-types**: While Qwilfish despises paralysis and should be wary of Sleep Powder, it can use Bellossom as an opportunity to set up Spikes and can force it out with the threat of STAB Sludge Bomb. Other Poison-types such as Crobat, Victreebel, and Haunter also pose a threat to Bellossom, the former two with their super effective STAB attacks and Haunter with Explosion. Haunter is particularly good against mono-attacking variants of the Swords Dance set. However, all of these Pokemon are very much dependent on their Speed to perform their roles effectively and must be prepared to sacrifice this if they are considering switching into Bellossom.

**Hypno**: While Hypno struggles to take Bellossom down, with RestTalk it can easily absorb Bellossom's status inflictions and potentially inflict status with Thunder Wave or run Bellossom out of recovery PP. However, it must also beware of being used as setup fodder when affected by Leech Seed or against Swords Dance Bellossom variants.

**Scyther and Pinsir**: Scyther and Pinsir have powerful STAB attacks that hit Bellossom super effectively. They both typically struggle with status but still pose a significant threat to Bellossom while paralyzed, potentially OHKOing it after boosting their attack with Swords Dance. RestTalk Pinsir is particularly problematic, as it can use Bellossom as setup fodder.

**Dodrio**: Dodrio typically doesn't have many opportunities to switch in freely throughout a game, but Bellossom is one of the few Pokemon Dodrio can switch into without taking a hefty chunk of damage. It does risk getting paralyzed or put to sleep, but RestTalk variants won't mind too much. Once it has come in, any STAB attack will deal hefty damage to Bellossom that it won't be able to withstand for long.

**Status and Secondary Effects**: Unlike many other defensive Pokemon, Bellossom cannot cure itself of status, which makes it particularly susceptible to moves like Thunder Wave and Stun Spore. Pokemon like Slowking with Thunder Wave can cripple Bellossom despite the typing disadvantage. In addition, Bellossom is commonly depended upon to switch into Pokemon like Nidoqueen and Electabuzz that can deal a chunk of damage to it but fail to 2HKO it. It commonly switches into moves like Thunder, Psychic, Fire Blast, Ice Beam, and Ice Punch, all of which have secondary effects that can make Bellossom unable to fulfill its usual defensive roles if they activate. Moreover, if Bellossom takes too much damage on the switch, it will often have to spend the next turn recovering, which can provide another opportunity to Pokemon wielding these moves to fish for secondary effects that will allow them to bypass Bellossom.

**Fire-types**: While Fire-types are fairly uncommon in the metagame, Pokemon like Arcanine and Magmar deal upwards of 70% to Bellossom with STAB Fire Blast, although they must beware of status moves.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Earthworm, 15210]]
- Quality checked by: [[Century Express, 234737], [Diophantine, 370164]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Finland, 517429]]
 
Last edited:

Century Express

melodies of life
is a Tutoris a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Former Old Generation Tournament Circuit Champion
World Defender
[OVERVIEW]
In a metagame full of Water-, Ground-, and Psychic-types, Bellossom's mono-Grass typing, ample defensive stats, and access to a wide variety of support moves allow it to twirl its way into a niche of its own. It has the unique ability to check a wide array of threats that have very few reliable answers, such as Electabuzz, Nidoqueen, Slowbro, and Quagsire. It is also an awkward Pokemon to switch into owing to its access to Stun Spore and Sleep Powder, and it can pair these moves with Leech Seed or Swords Dance to force status afflictions onto further foes. This strong ability to spread status helps cement Bellossom's status as one of the premier support Pokemon in the tier. However, being a Pokemon that relies on instant recovery, it is particularly susceptible to status, a weakness that very often leads to its downfall.

- Overwiew is great overall, i'd just reserve a brief sentence to showcase other Bellossom's notable flaws (e: lack of a powerful STAB or coverage, subpar movepool, etc.)

[SET]
name: Standard Supporter
move 1: Stun Spore / Sleep Powder
move 2: Hidden Power Grass / Razor Leaf
move 3: Leech Seed / Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Moonlight
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Bellossom aims to spread status and force switches with this set. With excellent (just nitpicking here, i'd reword to something like above average or just very solid) defensive stats and useful typing, Bellossom has no trouble finding opportunities to switch in, from which point it can spread paralysis with Stun Spore or put something to sleep with Sleep Powder. Hidden Power Grass is Bellossom's most reliable STAB attack, but it can be replaced by Razor Leaf if Hidden Power is being used for coverage. Leech Seed is a solid option for Bellossom as it forces most foes to retreat, which can allow Bellossom to target additional foes with Stun Spore. Should resilient foes such as Hypno aim to prevent Bellossom from spreading status by staying in, they make for easy opportunities for Bellossom's teammates to set up boosts. Alternatively, Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Fire can be used to hit foes such as Scyther, Dodrio, Jumpluff, and Magneton super effectively. Scyther is particularly dangerous due to its access to Swords Dance and Baton Pass, so these options can be useful to deter it. The choice between the two comes down to a couple of factors; Hidden Power Fire hits the more common Magneton hard but requires the sacrifice of a substantial amount of HP due to DV requirements, whereas Hidden Power Ice can threaten Dodrio (Alongside these perks, it should be mention that Hidden Power provides super-effective coverage against opposing Grass-types, since they're immune to Leech Seed). However, even hitting super effectively, Bellossom's damage output is rather underwhelming, so Leech Seed is the preferred option. Moonlight is a strong recovery option with no major drawback which provides Bellossom with a moveslot advantage over its RestTalking competition such as Hypno and Slowking.

Team Options
========
Bellossom makes for an excellent support Pokemon to a wide variety of offensive Pokemon. Setup sweepers such as Pinsir, Curse Granbull, Sandslash, and Quagsire can strongly benefit from having their checks paralyzed before they attempt to set up. Pokemon that can effectively use Substitute such as Pikachu, Mr. Mime, and Sandslash also become more threatening if foes have been paralyzed by Bellossom. Defensively, Bellossom finds it helpful for Granbull to be safely checked, so Haunter and Magneton make for useful teammates As Bellossom lacks Rest to cure status effects, Heal Bell Granbull can be a very useful teammate. Granbull also relieves Bellossom against a potential Fire Blast Nidoqueen, which comes quite close to 2HKOing Bellossom and is therefore dangerous to deal with. Blastoise is another teammate that is useful in this regard while also providing Rapid Spin support. Further, very few of the tier's special STAB attacks that hit Bellossom super effectively, with notable exceptions being Piloswine and Fire-types. Blastoise therefore has great defensive synergy with Bellossom that covers most of the special attacks in the metagame. If Bellossom can paralyze Qwilfish, not only will sweepers like Pinsir and Sandslash have a much easier time, but Blastoise will also find it easier to keep Spikes off the field and keep Qwilfish under pressure to stop it from firing off attacks. Ideally, Bellossom does not want to have to deal with Electric-types that often sport Ice or Fire coverage; Ground-types that can shrug off Ice- and Fire-type attacks such as Nidoqueen, Quagsire, and Piloswine can assist with patching this weakness. As Scyther and Pinsir are dangerous sweepers and threaten an OHKO on Bellossom after a Swords Dance, it is useful to have Flying-types such as Crobat, Gligar, Gyarados, and Scyther to help deal with them; Crobat reliably prevents Scyther from passing Swords Dance, Gligar checks both adequately and alongside Bellossom makes for a combination that can take on most Nidoqueen reliably as it can wall Fire Blast variants safely, Gyarados threatens both with STAB Hidden Power Flying and has access to Roar to prevent Scyther from passing boosts, and Scyther makes for a decent Pinsir check and can help finish off a weakened, paralyzed opposing Scyther safely.

- Under Team Options, i'd reserve a brief sentence for Omastar, which is a fantastic partner sinergy-wise, and provides the very important safety net against Granbull, while Bellossom covers Omastar's issues against Electabuzz, Nidoqueen, and opposing Bulky-waters.

- Qwilfish can be mentioned here as a teammate. Spikes is one of the most effective ways of taking advantage of Leech Seed, which is definitely welcome to force a good Paralyze / Sleep spread.


[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Stun Spore
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Return
move 4: Moonlight / Giga Drain / Hidden Power Ground
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
The goals of this set are twofold—spread paralysis beyond just passive RestTalk users and turn Bellossom into a damage-dealing threat rather than relegating it to a purely supportive role. With Swords Dance to boost its attack, Bellossom can topple some of its usual status absorber checks like Hypno and Ampharos, as despite their impressive bulk, they cannot withstand boosted physical attacks for long. This buys Bellossom an opportunity to either attempt to take something down with Return or land crippling paralysis on a more desirable target with Stun Spore. Crafty opponents will realize that this physical threat comes at the cost of possible coverage attacks and potentially wall Bellossom with Omastar, Haunter, or Magneton. While the standard choice for a fourth move is to take advantage of Bellossom's healing moves like Moonlight, which allows Bellossom to play a defensive role alongside its offensive strategy, an alternative option is to forgo reliable healing and take a more offensive route by choosing Giga Drain, which allows it to remain effective against Slowbro and Slowking and OHKO or come close to OHKOing Omastar, Kabutops, and Graveler. Another alternative is Hidden Power Ground, which allows it to OHKO Magneton all of the time and Haunter about half of the time after a Swords Dance boost. Should this more offensive route be chosen, Bellossom will require a much greater amount of support from its teammates and will not reliably be able to check foes like Electabuzz and Nidoqueen as it usually can. In contrast, with Moonlight and Stun Spore, Bellossom retains much of its usual defensive efficacy and makes for an excellent supporter, especially for Normal-types such as Granbull, Dodrio, and Lickitung. Whereas a more passive set such as those with Leech Seed is well-suited to reactive play, this set benefits more from playing aggressively to force reactive play from opponents, which will lead to Bellossom being in a better position to spread status without risking taking heavy hits from foes such as Qwilfish and Scyther.

Team Options
========
Swords Dance Bellossom makes for a great addition to a paralysis-based offensive team. Its knack for spreading paralysis to Normal-resistant Pokemon makes Pokemon like Hidden Power Ground Granbull and Dodrio even more difficult to deal with. Other targets that Swords Dance Bellossom tends to be able to target with Stun Spore include Qwilfish, Scyther, and Nidoqueen. Setup sweepers such as Kabutops, Pinsir, Victreebel, and Politoed greatly appreciate these Pokemon being paralyzed, as their sweeps are often cut short by these foes. Teammates that generally appreciate paralysis, such as Belly Drum Quagsire, Belly Drum Politoed, Substitute Pikachu, Substitute Sandslash, and Substitute Mr. Mime are also good choices for teammates. As Bellossom struggles to beat Curse Granbull due to it accruing Defense boosts, teammates such as Haunter and Magneton also make for sensible choices. As Swords Dance Bellossom often lacks Grass STAB attacks, assistance in taking on Ground-types such as Piloswine, Nidoqueen, and Sandslash is appreciated; bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Blastoise make for good choices in this regard and can also double as status absorbers. Despite being known primarily for their defensive prowess, these bulky Water-types also have substantial damage output that is enough to scare out many offensive Pokemon that Bellossom has inflicted with paralysis.

- I'd mention Omastar here again for the aforementioned reasons in the @ Support set.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
Bellossom can make reasonably good use of Reflect to help its teammates switch into powerful physical attacks or set up without fearing a strong response from a physical attacker. However, supporting its teammates with paralysis or sleep tends to be the more effective option. Bellossom can also drop its recovery move to fit in additional coverage or support moves, however this should only be done on fast-paced teams as it will sharply reduce Bellossom's longevity. (Double-Edge can be mentioned here if the extra power is desirable, since it allows Bellossom to achieve the clean 2HKO on Scyther and Dodrio).

Checks and Counters
========
**Granbull and Chansey**: Granbull and Chansey take little from Bellossom's STAB attacks and can undo all of Bellossom's hard work spreading status with Heal Bell. Chansey needs to beware of Sleep Powder and Swords Dance variants, however. In terms of attacks, Chansey has access to Present and a wide array of status moves with which it can cripple Bellossom. Granbull also poses a significant threat to Bellossom with its powerful Return, dealing up to 50% unboosted, and Curse variants are even more dangerous, although they can potentially be forced out with Leech Seed.

**Magneton and Ampharos**: Magneton and Ampharos, particularly RestTalk variants which are less concerned about status, are difficult for Bellossom to deal with. Magneton resists most of Bellossom's attacks, outspeeds it, and threatens it with Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Fire, however it becomes a less reliable answer if Bellossom has Hidden Power Fire or Hidden Power Ground. Ampharos similarly outspeeds Bellossom and beats it in the long run with Hidden Power Ice or Fire Punch. Both Magneton and Ampharos can also typically fish for paralysis against Bellossom with Thunder if they are lacking Thunder Wave. Magneton also runs Substitute occasionally, which allows it to block status from Bellossom.

**Qwilfish**: While Qwilfish despises paralysis and should be wary of Sleep Powder, it can use Bellossom as an opportunity to set up Spikes and can force it out with the threat of STAB Sludge Bomb.

**Hypno**: While Hypno struggles to take Bellossom down, with RestTalk it can easily absorb Bellossom's status inflictions and potentially inflict status with Thunder Wave or run Bellossom out of recovery PP. However, it must also beware of being used as setup fodder when affected by Leech Seed or against Swords Dance Bellossom variants.

**Scyther and Pinsir**: Scyther and Pinsir have powerful STAB attacks that hit Bellossom super effectively. They both typically struggle with status but still pose a significant threat to Bellossom while paralyzed, potentially OHKOing it after boosting their attack with Swords Dance. RestTalk Pinsir is particularly problematic as it can use Bellossom as setup fodder.

**Dodrio**: Dodrio typically doesn't have many opportunities to switch in freely throughout a game, but Bellossom is one of the few Pokemon Dodrio can switch into without taking a hefty chunk of damage. It does risk getting paralyzed or put to sleep, but RestTalk variants won't mind too much. Once it has come in, any STAB attack will deal hefty damage to Bellossom that it won't be able to withstand for long.

**Status and Secondary Effects**: Unlike many other defensive Pokemon, Bellossom cannot cure itself of status, which makes it particularly susceptible to moves like Thunder Wave and Stun Spore. Pokemon like Slowking with Thunder Wave can cripple Bellossom despite the typing disadvantage. In addition, Bellossom is commonly depended upon to switch into Pokemon like Nidoqueen and Electabuzz that can deal a chunk of damage to it but fail to 2HKO it. It commonly switches into moves like Thunder, Psychic, Fire Blast, Ice Beam, and Ice Punch, all of which have secondary effects that can make Bellossom unable to fulfill its usual defensive roles if they activate. Moreover, if Bellossom takes too much damage on the switch, it will often have to spend the next turn recovering, which can provide another opportunity to Pokemon wielding these moves to fish for secondary effects that will allow them to bypass Bellossom.

**Fire-types**: While Fire-types are fairly uncommon in the metagame, Pokemon like Arcanine and Magmar deal upwards of 70% to Bellossom with STAB Fire Blast, although they must beware of status moves.

**Poison-types**: Very niche as well, but it's still worth to reserve a brief mention to Haunter, Crobat (and to a lesser extent, Victreebel and Vileplume), although all of their efficacy are mostly limited to the Swords Dance variants, and skeptical of status inducing moves as well.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Earthworm, 15210]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

I don't have too much else to suggest othat than the aforementioned points, this analysis is looking super informative overall
 
Last edited:

Diophantine

Banned deucer.
It might be worth mentioning that Bellossom can't run Leech Seed and Razor Leaf, so Leech Seed means you're more than likely going to have to give up some valuable HP DVs.

Other than that, it looks great. QC 2/2
 

Rabia

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GP & NU Leader
add remove comments
[OVERVIEW]

In a metagame full of Water-, Ground-, and Psychic-types, Bellossom's mono-Grass typing, ample defensive stats, and access to a wide variety of support moves allow it to twirl its way into a niche of its own. It has the unique ability to check a wide array of threats that have very few reliable answers, such as Electabuzz, Nidoqueen, Slowbro, and Quagsire. It is also an awkward Pokemon to switch into owing to its access to Stun Spore and Sleep Powder, and it can pair these moves with Leech Seed or Swords Dance to force status afflictions onto further foes. This strong ability to spread status helps cement Bellossom's status as one of the premier support Pokemon in the tier. However, while it performs well as a supporter, Bellossom is lacking in both good STAB attacks and coverage attacks,(AC) and thus its damage dealing ability is quite limited. Furthermore, being a Pokemon that relies on instant recovery, it is particularly susceptible to status, a weakness that very often leads to its downfall.

[SET]
name: Standard Supporter
move 1: Stun Spore / Sleep Powder
move 2: Hidden Power Grass / Razor Leaf
move 3: Leech Seed / Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Moonlight
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Bellossom aims to spread status and force switches with this set. With adequate defensive stats and useful typing, Bellossom has no trouble finding opportunities to switch in, from which point it can spread paralysis with Stun Spore or put something to sleep with Sleep Powder. Leech Seed is a solid option for Bellossom,(AC) as it forces most foes to retreat, which can allow Bellossom to target additional foes with Stun Spore. Should resilient foes such as Hypno aim to prevent Bellossom from spreading status by staying in, they make for easy opportunities for Bellossom's teammates to set up boosts. Bellossom has a couple of alternatives for its STAB attack; Hidden Power Grass is perfectly accurate and has a decent Base Power but requires Bellossom to sacrifice HP DVs, whereas Razor Leaf is a weaker option that is not obtainable on the same set as Leech Seed but has no major drawback. If Bellossom uses Razor Leaf, this frees up Hidden Power to be used as a coverage attack. Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Fire can be used to hit foes such as Scyther, Dodrio, Magneton, and opposing Grass-types that would otherwise wall Leech Seed Bellossom,(AC) such as Jumpluff and Victreebel,(AC) super effectively. Scyther is particularly dangerous due to its access to Swords Dance and Baton Pass, so these options can be useful to deter it. The choice between the two comes down to a couple of factors; Hidden Power Fire hits the more common Magneton hard but requires the sacrifice of a substantial amount of HP due to DV requirements, whereas Hidden Power Ice can threaten Dodrio. However, even hitting super effectively, Bellossom's damage output is rather underwhelming, so Leech Seed is the preferred option. Moonlight is a strong recovery option with no major drawback which that provides Bellossom with a moveslot advantage over its RestTalking competition RestTalk users such as Hypno and Slowking.

Team Options
========

Bellossom makes for an excellent support Pokemon to a wide variety of offensive Pokemon. Setup sweepers such as Pinsir, Curse Granbull, Sandslash, and Quagsire can strongly benefit from having their checks paralyzed before they attempt to set up. Pokemon that can effectively use Substitute such as Pikachu, Mr. Mime, and Sandslash also become more threatening if foes have been paralyzed by Bellossom. Defensively, Bellossom finds it helpful for Granbull to be safely checked, so Omastar, Haunter,(AC) and Magneton make for useful teammates. Omastar in particular has solid defensive synergy with Bellossom, as Bellossom can handle some of the Electric-types, bulky Water-types, and Ground-type attacks that often target it. As Bellossom lacks Rest to cure status effects, Heal Bell Granbull can be a very useful teammate. Granbull also relieves Bellossom against a potential Fire Blast Nidoqueen, which comes quite close to 2HKOing Bellossom and is therefore dangerous to deal with. Blastoise is another teammate that is useful in this regard while also providing Rapid Spin support. Furthermore, very few of the tier's special STAB attacks that hit Bellossom super effectively, with notable exceptions being Piloswine and Fire-types. Blastoise therefore has great defensive synergy with Bellossom that covers most of the special attacks in the metagame. If Bellossom can paralyze Qwilfish, not only will sweepers like Pinsir and Sandslash have a much easier time, but Blastoise will also find it easier to keep Spikes off the field and keep Qwilfish under pressure to stop it from firing off attacks. Ideally, Bellossom does not want to have to deal with Electric-types that often sport Ice- or Fire-type coverage; Ground-types that can shrug off Ice- and Fire-type attacks such as Nidoqueen, Quagsire, and Piloswine can assist with patching this weakness. As Scyther and Pinsir are dangerous sweepers and threaten an OHKO on Bellossom after a Swords Dance, it is useful to have Flying-types such as Crobat, Gligar, Gyarados, and Scyther to help deal with them; Crobat reliably prevents Scyther from passing Swords Dance boosts;(comma -> semicolon) Gligar checks both adequately and alongside Bellossom makes for a combination that can take on most Nidoqueen reliably,(AC) as it can wall Fire Blast variants safely;(comma -> semicolon) Gyarados threatens both with STAB Hidden Power Flying and has access to Roar to prevent Scyther from passing boosts;(comma -> semicolon) and Scyther makes for a decent Pinsir check and can help finish off a weakened, paralyzed opposing Scyther safely. Finally, as Bellossom can force switches effectively, Spikes from Qwilfish can be useful to punish foes switching in.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Stun Spore
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Return / Double-Edge
move 4: Moonlight / Giga Drain / Hidden Power Ground
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

The goals of this set are twofold—spread two-fold: spread paralysis to foes beyond just passive RestTalk users and turn Bellossom into a damage-dealing threat rather than relegating it to a purely supportive role. With Swords Dance to boost its attack, Bellossom can topple some of its usual status absorber checks like Hypno and Ampharos, as despite their impressive bulk, they cannot withstand boosted physical attacks for long. This buys Bellossom an opportunity to either attempt to take something down with its physical move of choice or land crippling paralysis on a more desirable target with Stun Spore. Return is the standard attacking option and comes without any drawback, although Double-Edge grants Bellossom enough power that it can cleanly 2HKO Scyther and Dodrio after using Swords Dance, albeit at the cost of taking recoil. Crafty opponents will realize that this physical threat comes at the cost of possible coverage attacks and potentially wall Bellossom with Omastar, Haunter, or Magneton. While the standard choice for a fourth move is to take advantage of Bellossom's healing moves like Moonlight, which allows Bellossom to play a defensive role alongside its offensive strategy, an alternative option is to forgo reliable healing and take a more offensive route by choosing Giga Drain, which allows it to remain effective against Slowbro and Slowking and OHKO or come close to OHKOing Omastar, Kabutops, and Graveler. Another alternative is Hidden Power Ground, which allows it to OHKO Magneton all of the time and Haunter about half of the time after a Swords Dance boost. Should this more offensive route be chosen, Bellossom will require a much greater amount of support from its teammates and will not reliably be able to check foes like Electabuzz and Nidoqueen as it usually can. In contrast, with Moonlight and Stun Spore, Bellossom retains much of its usual defensive efficacy and makes for an excellent supporter, especially for Normal-types such as Granbull, Dodrio, and Lickitung. Whereas a more passive set such as those with Leech Seed is well suited(RH) to reactive play, this set benefits more from playing aggressively to force reactive play from opponents, which will lead to Bellossom being in a better position to spread status without risking taking heavy hits from foes such as Qwilfish and Scyther.

Team Options
========

Swords Dance Bellossom makes for a great addition to a paralysis-based offensive team. Its knack for spreading paralysis to Normal-resistant Pokemon makes Pokemon like Hidden Power Ground Granbull and Dodrio even more difficult to deal with. Other targets that Swords Dance Bellossom tends to be able to target with Stun Spore include Qwilfish, Scyther, and Nidoqueen. Setup sweepers such as Kabutops, Pinsir, Victreebel, and Politoed greatly appreciate these Pokemon being paralyzed, as their sweeps are often cut short by these foes. Teammates that generally appreciate paralysis, such as Belly Drum Quagsire, Belly Drum Politoed, Substitute Pikachu, Substitute Sandslash, and Substitute Mr. Mime,(AC) are also good choices for teammates. As Bellossom struggles to beat Curse Granbull due to it accruing Defense boosts, teammates such as Haunter and Magneton also make for sensible choices. Omastar can also be solid choice for this purpose despite its tendency to feature more often on defensive teams, as it is capable of running a more offensive set with Thief or Ancient Power to increase its threat level. As Swords Dance Bellossom often lacks Grass-type STAB attacks, assistance in taking on Ground-types such as Piloswine, Nidoqueen, and Sandslash is appreciated; bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Blastoise make for good choices in this regard and can also double as status absorbers. Despite being known primarily for their defensive prowess, these bulky Water-types also have substantial damage output that is enough to scare out many offensive Pokemon that Bellossom has inflicted with paralysis.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========

Bellossom can make reasonably good use of Reflect to help its teammates switch into powerful physical attacks or set up without fearing a strong response from a physical attacker. However, supporting its teammates with paralysis or sleep tends to be the more effective option. Giga Drain can be considered as a STAB option alongside Leech Seed or Hidden Power Ice, but it is fairly weak, only has 8 PP, and can leave Bellossom helpless against foes such as Substitute Sandslash. Bellossom can also drop its recovery move to fit in additional coverage or support moves, however but this should only be done on fast-paced teams as because it will sharply reduce Bellossom's longevity.

Checks and Counters
========

**Granbull and Chansey**: Granbull and Chansey take little from Bellossom's STAB attacks and can undo all of Bellossom's hard work spreading status with Heal Bell. Chansey needs to beware of Sleep Powder and Swords Dance variants, however. In terms of attacks, Chansey has access to Present and a wide array of status moves with which it can cripple Bellossom. Granbull also poses a significant threat to Bellossom with its powerful Return, dealing up to 50% unboosted, and Curse variants are even more dangerous, although they can potentially be forced out with Leech Seed.

**Magneton and Ampharos**: Magneton and Ampharos, particularly RestTalk variants which given they are less concerned about status, are difficult for Bellossom to deal with. Magneton resists most of Bellossom's attacks, outspeeds it, and threatens it with Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Fire, however but it becomes a less reliable answer if Bellossom has Hidden Power Fire or Hidden Power Ground. Ampharos similarly outspeeds Bellossom and beats it in the long run with Hidden Power Ice or Fire Punch. Both Magneton and Ampharos can also typically fish for paralysis against Bellossom with Thunder if they are lacking Thunder Wave. Magneton also runs Substitute occasionally, which allows it to block status from Bellossom.

**Poison-types**: While Qwilfish despises paralysis and should be wary of Sleep Powder, it can use Bellossom as an opportunity to set up Spikes and can force it out with the threat of STAB Sludge Bomb. Other Poison-types such as Crobat, Victreebel, and Haunter also pose a threat to Bellossom, the former two with their super effective STAB attacks and Haunter with Explosion. Haunter is particularly good against mono-attacking variants of the Swords Dance set. However, all of these Pokemon are very much dependent on their Speed to perform their roles effectively and they must be prepared to sacrifice this if they are considering switching into Bellossom.

**Hypno**: While Hypno struggles to take Bellossom down, with RestTalk it can easily absorb Bellossom's status inflictions and potentially inflict status with Thunder Wave or run Bellossom out of recovery PP. However, it must also beware of being used as setup fodder when affected by Leech Seed or against Swords Dance Bellossom variants.

**Scyther and Pinsir**: Scyther and Pinsir have powerful STAB attacks that hit Bellossom super effectively. They both typically struggle with status but still pose a significant threat to Bellossom while paralyzed, potentially OHKOing it after boosting their attack with Swords Dance. RestTalk Pinsir is particularly problematic,(AC) as it can use Bellossom as setup fodder.

**Dodrio**: Dodrio typically doesn't have many opportunities to switch in freely throughout a game, but Bellossom is one of the few Pokemon Dodrio can switch into without taking a hefty chunk of damage. It does risk getting paralyzed or put to sleep, but RestTalk variants won't mind too much. Once it has come in, any STAB attack will deal hefty damage to Bellossom that it won't be able to withstand for long.

**Status and Secondary Effects**: Unlike many other defensive Pokemon, Bellossom cannot cure itself of status, which makes it particularly susceptible to moves like Thunder Wave and Stun Spore. Pokemon like Slowking with Thunder Wave can cripple Bellossom despite the typing disadvantage. In addition, Bellossom is commonly depended upon to switch into Pokemon like Nidoqueen and Electabuzz that can deal a chunk of damage to it but fail to 2HKO it. It commonly switches into moves like Thunder, Psychic, Fire Blast, Ice Beam, and Ice Punch, all of which have secondary effects that can make Bellossom unable to fulfill its usual defensive roles if they activate. Moreover, if Bellossom takes too much damage on the switch, it will often have to spend the next turn recovering, which can provide another opportunity to Pokemon wielding these moves to fish for secondary effects that will allow them to bypass Bellossom.

**Fire-types**: While Fire-types are fairly uncommon in the metagame, Pokemon like Arcanine and Magmar deal upwards of 70% to Bellossom with STAB Fire Blast, although they must beware of status moves.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Earthworm, 15210]]
- Quality checked by: [[Century Express, 234737], [Diophantine, 370164]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]

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Adeleine

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[OVERVIEW]
In a metagame full of Water-, Ground-, and Psychic-types, Bellossom's mono-Grass typing, ample defensive stats, and access to a wide variety of support moves allow it to twirl its way into a niche of its own. It has the ability to can check a wide array of threats that have very few reliable answers, such as Electabuzz, Nidoqueen, Slowbro, and Quagsire. It is also an awkward Pokemon to switch into owing to its access to Stun Spore and Sleep Powder, and it can pair these moves force switches (I imagine?) with Leech Seed or Swords Dance to force spread these status afflictions onto more foes. This strong ability to spread status helps cement Bellossom's status as one of the premier support Pokemon in the tier. However, while it performs well as a supporter, Bellossom is lacking in both good STAB attacks and coverage attacks, and thus its damage dealing ability is quite limited. Furthermore, being a Pokemon that relies on instant recovery, it is particularly susceptible to status, a weakness that very often leads to its downfall.

[SET]
name: Standard Supporter
move 1: Stun Spore / Sleep Powder
move 2: Hidden Power Grass / Razor Leaf
move 3: Leech Seed / Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Moonlight
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Bellossom aims to spread status and force switches with this set. With adequate defensive stats and useful typing, Bellossom has no trouble finding opportunities to switch in, from which point it can spread paralysis with Stun Spore or put something to sleep with Sleep Powder. Leech Seed is a solid option for Bellossom, as it forces most foes to retreat, which can allow Bellossom to target additional foes with Stun Spore. Should resilient foes such as Hypno aim to prevent Bellossom from spreading status by staying in, they make for easy opportunities for Bellossom's teammates to set up boosts. Bellossom has a couple of alternatives for its STAB attack; Hidden Power Grass is perfectly accurate and has a decent Base Power but requires Bellossom to sacrifice HP DVs, whereas Razor Leaf is a weaker option that is not obtainable on the same set as Leech Seed but has no major drawback. If Bellossom uses Razor Leaf, this frees up Hidden Power to be used as a coverage attack. Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Fire can be used to hit foes such as Scyther, Dodrio, Magneton, and opposing Grass-types that would otherwise wall Leech Seed Bellossom, such as Jumpluff and Victreebel, super effectively. Scyther is particularly dangerous due to its access to Swords Dance and Baton Pass, so these options can be useful to deter it. The choice between the two comes down to a couple of factors; Hidden Power Fire hits the more common Magneton hard but requires the sacrifice of a substantial amount of HP due to DV requirements, whereas Hidden Power Ice can threaten Dodrio. However, even hitting super effectively, Bellossom's damage output is rather underwhelming, so Leech Seed is the preferred option. Moonlight is a strong recovery option with no major drawback that provides Bellossom with a moveslot advantage over RestTalk users such as Hypno and Slowking.

Team Options
========
Bellossom makes for an excellent support Pokemon to a wide variety of offensive Pokemon. Setup sweepers such as Pinsir, Curse Granbull, Sandslash, and Quagsire can strongly benefit from having their checks paralyzed before they attempt to set up. Pokemon that can effectively use Substitute such as Pikachu, Mr. Mime, and Sandslash also become more threatening if foes have been paralyzed by Bellossom. Defensively, Bellossom finds it helpful for Granbull to be safely checked, so Omastar, Haunter, and Magneton make for useful teammates. Omastar in particular has solid defensive synergy with Bellossom, as Bellossom can handle some of the Electric-types, bulky Water-types, and Ground-type attacks that often target it. As Bellossom lacks Rest to cure status effects, Heal Bell Granbull can be a very useful teammate. Granbull also relieves Bellossom against a potential Fire Blast Nidoqueen, which comes quite close to 2HKOing Bellossom and is therefore dangerous to deal with. Blastoise is another teammate that is useful in this regard while also providing Rapid Spin support. Furthermore, very few of the Blastoise easily withstands the tier's few special STAB attacks that hit Bellossom super effectively, with notable exceptions being most notably Piloswine's Ice-type moves and STAB attacks from Fire-types, (period -> comma) Blastoise therefore has great defensive synergy with Bellossom, as it can easily withstand attacks from the Pokemon wielding these attacks giving the pair great defensive synergy. If Bellossom can paralyze Qwilfish, not only will sweepers like Pinsir and Sandslash have a much easier time, but Blastoise will also find it easier to keep Spikes off the field and keep Qwilfish under pressure to stop it from firing off attacks. Ideally, Bellossom does not want to have to deal with Electric-types that often sport Ice- or Fire-type coverage; Ground-types that can shrug off Ice- and Fire-type attacks such as Nidoqueen, Quagsire, and Piloswine can assist with patching this weakness. As Scyther and Pinsir are dangerous sweepers and threaten an OHKO on Bellossom after a Swords Dance, it is useful to have Flying-types such as Crobat, Gligar, Gyarados, and Scyther to help deal with them; Crobat reliably prevents Scyther from passing Swords Dance boosts; Gligar checks both adequately and, (AC) alongside Bellossom, (AC) makes for a combination that can take on most Nidoqueen reliably, as it can wall Fire Blast variants safely; Gyarados threatens both with STAB Hidden Power Flying and has access to Roar to prevent Scyther from passing boosts; and Scyther makes for a decent Pinsir check and can help finish off a weakened, paralyzed opposing Scyther safely. Finally, as Bellossom can force switches effectively, Spikes from Qwilfish can be useful to punish foes switching in.

[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Stun Spore
move 2: Swords Dance
move 3: Return / Double-Edge
move 4: Moonlight / Giga Drain / Hidden Power Ground
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
The goals of this set are two-fold: spread paralysis to foes beyond just passive RestTalk users and turn Bellossom into a damage-dealing threat rather than relegating it to a purely supportive role. With Swords Dance to boost its attack, Bellossom can topple some of its usual status absorber checks like Hypno and Ampharos, as, (AC) despite their impressive bulk, they cannot withstand boosted physical attacks for long. This buys Bellossom an opportunity to either attempt to take something down with its physical move of choice or land crippling paralysis on a more desirable target with Stun Spore. Return is the standard attacking option and comes without any drawback, although Double-Edge grants Bellossom enough power that it can cleanly 2HKO Scyther and Dodrio after using Swords Dance, albeit at the cost of taking recoil. Crafty opponents will realize that this physical threat comes at the cost of possible coverage attacks and potentially wall Bellossom with Omastar, Haunter, or Magneton. While the standard choice for a fourth move is to take advantage of Bellossom's healing moves like Moonlight, which allows Bellossom to play a defensive role alongside its offensive strategy, an alternative option is to forgo reliable healing and take a more offensive route by choosing Giga Drain, which allows it to remain effective against Slowbro and Slowking and OHKO or come close to OHKOing Omastar, Kabutops, and Graveler. Another alternative is Hidden Power Ground, which allows it to OHKO Magneton all of the time and Haunter about half of the time after a Swords Dance boost. Should this more offensive route be chosen, Bellossom will require a much greater amount of support from its teammates and will not reliably be able to check foes like Electabuzz and Nidoqueen as it usually can. In contrast, with Moonlight and Stun Spore, Bellossom retains much of its usual defensive efficacy and makes for an excellent supporter, especially for Normal-types such as Granbull, Dodrio, and Lickitung. Whereas a more passive sets such as those with Leech Seed is are well suited to reactive play, this set benefits more from playing aggressively to force reactive play from opponents, which will lead to Bellossom being in a better position to spread status without risking taking heavy hits from foes such as Qwilfish and Scyther.

Team Options
========
Swords Dance Bellossom makes for a great addition to a paralysis-based offensive team. Its knack for spreading paralysis to Normal-resistant Pokemon makes Pokemon like Hidden Power Ground Granbull and Dodrio even more difficult to deal with. Other targets foes that Swords Dance Bellossom tends to be able to target with Stun Spore include Qwilfish, Scyther, and Nidoqueen. Setup sweepers such as Kabutops, Pinsir, Victreebel, and Politoed greatly appreciate these Pokemon being paralyzed, as their sweeps are often cut short by these foes. Teammates that generally appreciate paralysis, such as Belly Drum Quagsire, Belly Drum Politoed, Substitute Pikachu, Substitute Sandslash, and Substitute Mr. Mime, are also good choices for teammates. As Bellossom struggles to beat Curse Granbull due to it accruing Defense boosts, teammates such as Haunter and Magneton also make for sensible choices. Omastar can also be a solid choice for this purpose despite its tendency to feature more often on defensive teams, as it is capable of running a more offensive set with Thief or Ancient Power to increase its threat level. As Swords Dance Bellossom often lacks Grass-type STAB attacks, assistance in taking on Ground-types such as Piloswine, Nidoqueen, and Sandslash is appreciated; bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Blastoise make for good choices in this regard and can also double as status absorbers. Despite being known primarily for their defensive prowess, these bulky Water-types also have substantial damage output that is enough to scare out many offensive Pokemon that Bellossom has inflicted with paralysis.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
========
Bellossom can make reasonably good use of Reflect to help its teammates switch into powerful physical attacks or set up without fearing a strong response from a physical attacker. However, supporting its teammates with paralysis or sleep tends to be the more effective option. Giga Drain can be considered as a STAB option alongside Leech Seed or Hidden Power Ice, but it is fairly weak, only has 8 PP, and can leave Bellossom helpless against foes such as Substitute Sandslash. Bellossom can also drop its recovery move to fit in an additional coverage or support moves, but this should only be done on fast-paced teams because it will sharply reduce Bellossom's longevity.

Checks and Counters
========
**Granbull and Chansey**: Granbull and Chansey take little from Bellossom's STAB attacks and can undo all of Bellossom's hard work spreading status with Heal Bell. Chansey needs to beware of Sleep Powder and Swords Dance variants, however. In terms of attacks, Chansey but it (subjective, if you prefer the tone of the previous i get it) has access to Present and a wide array of status moves with which it can cripple Bellossom. Granbull also poses a significant threat to Bellossom with its powerful Return, dealing up to 50% unboosted, and Curse variants are even more dangerous, although they can potentially be forced out with Leech Seed.

**Magneton and Ampharos**: Magneton and Ampharos, particularly RestTalk variants given they are less concerned about status, are difficult for Bellossom to deal with. Magneton resists most of Bellossom's attacks, outspeeds it, and threatens it with Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Fire, but it becomes a less reliable answer if Bellossom has Hidden Power Fire or Hidden Power Ground. Ampharos similarly outspeeds Bellossom and beats it in the long run with Hidden Power Ice or Fire Punch. Both Magneton and Ampharos can also typically fish for paralysis against Bellossom with Thunder if they are lacking Thunder Wave. Magneton also runs Substitute occasionally, which allows it to block status from Bellossom.

**Poison-types**: While Qwilfish despises paralysis and should be wary of Sleep Powder, it can use Bellossom as an opportunity to set up Spikes and can force it out with the threat of STAB Sludge Bomb. Other Poison-types such as Crobat, Victreebel, and Haunter also pose a threat to Bellossom, the former two with their super effective STAB attacks and Haunter with Explosion. Haunter is particularly good against mono-attacking variants of the Swords Dance set. However, all of these Pokemon are very much dependent on their Speed to perform their roles effectively and must be prepared to sacrifice this if they are considering switching into Bellossom.

**Hypno**: While Hypno struggles to take Bellossom down, with RestTalk it can easily absorb Bellossom's status inflictions and potentially inflict status with Thunder Wave or run Bellossom out of recovery PP. However, it must also beware of being used as setup fodder when affected by Leech Seed or against Swords Dance Bellossom variants.

**Scyther and Pinsir**: Scyther and Pinsir have powerful STAB attacks that hit Bellossom super effectively. They both typically struggle with status but still pose a significant threat to Bellossom while paralyzed, potentially OHKOing it after boosting their attack with Swords Dance. RestTalk Pinsir is particularly problematic, as it can use Bellossom as setup fodder.

**Dodrio**: Dodrio typically doesn't have many opportunities to switch in freely throughout a game, but Bellossom is one of the few Pokemon Dodrio can switch into without taking a hefty chunk of damage. It does risk getting paralyzed or put to sleep, but RestTalk variants won't mind too much. Once it has come in, any STAB attack will deal hefty damage to Bellossom that it won't be able to withstand for long.

**Status and Secondary Effects**: Unlike many other defensive Pokemon, Bellossom cannot cure itself of status, which makes it particularly susceptible to moves like Thunder Wave and Stun Spore. Pokemon like Slowking with Thunder Wave can cripple Bellossom despite the typing disadvantage. In addition, Bellossom is commonly depended upon to switch into Pokemon like Nidoqueen and Electabuzz that can deal a chunk of damage to it but fail to 2HKO it. It commonly switches into moves like Thunder, Psychic, Fire Blast, Ice Beam, and Ice Punch, all of which have secondary effects that can make Bellossom unable to fulfill its usual defensive roles if they activate. Moreover, if Bellossom takes too much damage on the switch, it will often have to spend the next turn recovering, which can provide another opportunity to Pokemon wielding these moves to fish for secondary effects that will allow them to bypass Bellossom.

**Fire-types**: While Fire-types are fairly uncommon in the metagame, Pokemon like Arcanine and Magmar deal upwards of 70% to Bellossom with STAB Fire Blast, although they must beware of status moves.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Earthworm, 15210]]
- Quality checked by: [[Century Express, 234737], [Diophantine, 370164]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Finland, 517429]]


GP 2/2
 

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