[OVERVIEW]
Breloom is one of BDSP OU's iconic physical wallbreakers. Its sky-high Attack and insane movepool, highlighted by Spore, make it incredibly difficult to switch into. Using Technician gives Breloom both strong priority in Mach Punch and insane wallbreaking potential with Bullet Seed. Breloom can also run a SubPunch Poison Heal set to punish Pokemon like Skarmory that normally switch into it. Each ability's set needs different counterplay, and Breloom even has niche sets that require their own answers. However, Breloom relies mightily on Mach Punch to break through faster Pokemon due to its low Speed; unfortunately, both Latios and Alakazam, which outspeed and OHKO it, resist Mach Punch. It is also forced out by common wallbreakers like Dragonite and Infernape. While Spore is threatening, the opponent can sacrifice a Pokemon as sleep fodder, reducing the pressure Breloom exerts; furthermore, physically defensive Gliscor is easily capable of switching into Spore—and Breloom in general—once its Toxic Orb activates. Despite Breloom's Grass typing, its most common set cannot stay in on the most common Water-type in the tier, Rotom-W, for fear of Will-O-Wisp. Common physically defensive walls like Clefable and Tangrowth switch into Breloom quite easily. Despite all this, though, Breloom remains a hallmark of the tier.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Bullet Seed
move 4: Spore
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
ability: Technician
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance turns Breloom into a powerful wallbreaker and sweeper. Combined with Technician, Mach Punch and Bullet Seed can break through many of the tier's offensive threats. Spore serves two purposes: it makes Breloom harder to switch into and it gives Breloom the free turns it needs to set up. Rock Tomb is an option that provides excellent neutral coverage; however, it can be difficult to justify over any of Breloom's other moves. Life Orb greatly increases Breloom's sweeping and wallbreaking prowess; however, Focus Sash is a powerful option on hyper offense teams, particularly when leading Breloom, giving it a guaranteed free turn to set up or use Spore.
Because Breloom is forced out by Psychic-types like Alakazam and Latios, Jirachi and Scizor are excellent teammates, switching into these threats and pivoting Breloom in safely with U-turn. Starmie pressures Latios with Ice Beam and can remove entry hazards with Rapid Spin. Heatran notably pressures Clefable, Roserade, and Tangrowth lacking Earthquake. Rotom-W can bait Tangrowth in and cripple it with Trick or Will-O-Wisp; it also can provide Breloom a free switch with Volt Switch. Breloom cannot effectively pressure Rotom-W before having set up for fear of Will-O-Wisp; accordingly, teammates like Latios are appreciated. Breloom is best paired with offensive partners like Lucario, Dragonite, Garchomp, and Infernape that take advantage of Spore and the holes Breloom punches in opposing walls.
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Focus Punch
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Spore
move 4: Seed Bomb
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Adamant
evs: 108 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def / 140 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
This set takes advantage of the many switches Breloom forces to set up Substitute land powerful Focus Punches on foes. Substitute, in conjunction with Poison Heal, lets Breloom circumvent the chip damage its other sets often take. Spore helps it break through physically bulky Pokemon like Skarmory and Scizor with Focus Punch. Seed Bomb hits the Water-types that resist Focus Punch like Slowbro, Starmie, and Azumarill. Facade is an option over Seed Bomb that provides better overall neutral coverage but makes Mismagius a counter and loses an OHKO on Crawdaunt. The given Speed investment allows Breloom to outspeed Adamant Crawdaunt and KO it with Seed Bomb, while the bulk investment lets Breloom's Substitute tank Gliscor's U-turn without breaking.
SubPunch Breloom appreciates pivot support from Scizor, Gliscor, and Rotom-W to set up Substitute on foes like defensive Rotom-W and Gliscor. Magnezone is a helpful teammate for trapping and KOing Skarmory and dealing massive damage to Scizor. Latios can break through physically defensive Pokemon like Tangrowth and Gliscor, while Heatran also pressures Tangrowth and can switch into Clefable. Starmie is another wallbreaker that pairs well with Breloom, as it can pressure many of the Pokemon that Breloom fears such as Latios, Gliscor, and Tangrowth.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Breloom is capable of running a Choice Band set for a more immediate offensive presence; however, its sweeping potential is much lower than the Swords Dance set's, and due to Breloom's mediocre bulk, it is forced out by many of the tier's offensive Pokemon. A Choice Scarf set can be run to land Spore on faster targets like Latios while breaking through Focus Sash Alakazam; however, this set relies mightily on its surprise factor, and it is not as consistent as other Choice Scarf users like Rotom-W and Garchomp. A bulky Bulk Up set with Poison Heal can turn Breloom into a threatening sweeper that is difficult to get rid of, but this set is walled by the same Pokemon as the Swords Dance set without providing nearly as much power.
Checks and Counters
====
**Tangrowth and Roserade**: Tangrowth is Breloom's single true counter. It can switch into any of Breloom's moves, especially Spore, and force it out with Sludge Bomb, all while staying healthy with Regenerator. Roserade resists both of Breloom's STAB moves, ignores Spore, and forces it out with Sludge Bomb; however, due to its lower physical bulk, it can be chipped into range of +2 Mach Punch.
**Physically Defensive Walls**: Clefable, Gliscor, and Skarmory can switch into Breloom and either force it out or safely pivot into a revenge killer. Spore can make these Pokemon less consistent at switching into Breloom, however, though Gliscor ignores it once Toxic Orb activates. It should be noted that Gliscor does not directly offensively pressure Breloom, so it can struggle to deal with the Swords Dance set. Togekiss resists both of Breloom's STAB moves and forces it out with Air Slash.
**Revenge Killers**: Weavile, Infernape, Latios, Alakazam, and Azelf all outspeed Breloom and force it out with their super effective STAB moves. Latios is particularly notable, as it resists both of Breloom's STAB types and can run Sleep Talk to circumvent Spore. Infernape, on the other hand, must be wary of getting chipped into range of Mach Punch. Dragonite outspeeds Breloom if it is Jolly, resists all of Breloom's STAB moves, and can hit it very hard with Extreme Speed or Fire Punch.
**Status**: Burn from Rotom-W and paralysis from Clefable severely limits Breloom's wallbreaking and sweeping capabilities. Rotom-W can still be 2HKOed by Bullet Seed after burn, however. Poison Heal Breloom is immune to these status conditions once its Toxic Orb activates, but, as a result, it is much more weak to them before it activates.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[dex, 277988]]
- Quality checked by: [[tuthur, 369076][Kris, 241023]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
Breloom is one of BDSP OU's iconic physical wallbreakers. Its sky-high Attack and insane movepool, highlighted by Spore, make it incredibly difficult to switch into. Using Technician gives Breloom both strong priority in Mach Punch and insane wallbreaking potential with Bullet Seed. Breloom can also run a SubPunch Poison Heal set to punish Pokemon like Skarmory that normally switch into it. Each ability's set needs different counterplay, and Breloom even has niche sets that require their own answers. However, Breloom relies mightily on Mach Punch to break through faster Pokemon due to its low Speed; unfortunately, both Latios and Alakazam, which outspeed and OHKO it, resist Mach Punch. It is also forced out by common wallbreakers like Dragonite and Infernape. While Spore is threatening, the opponent can sacrifice a Pokemon as sleep fodder, reducing the pressure Breloom exerts; furthermore, physically defensive Gliscor is easily capable of switching into Spore—and Breloom in general—once its Toxic Orb activates. Despite Breloom's Grass typing, its most common set cannot stay in on the most common Water-type in the tier, Rotom-W, for fear of Will-O-Wisp. Common physically defensive walls like Clefable and Tangrowth switch into Breloom quite easily. Despite all this, though, Breloom remains a hallmark of the tier.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Mach Punch
move 3: Bullet Seed
move 4: Spore
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
ability: Technician
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Swords Dance turns Breloom into a powerful wallbreaker and sweeper. Combined with Technician, Mach Punch and Bullet Seed can break through many of the tier's offensive threats. Spore serves two purposes: it makes Breloom harder to switch into and it gives Breloom the free turns it needs to set up. Rock Tomb is an option that provides excellent neutral coverage; however, it can be difficult to justify over any of Breloom's other moves. Life Orb greatly increases Breloom's sweeping and wallbreaking prowess; however, Focus Sash is a powerful option on hyper offense teams, particularly when leading Breloom, giving it a guaranteed free turn to set up or use Spore.
Because Breloom is forced out by Psychic-types like Alakazam and Latios, Jirachi and Scizor are excellent teammates, switching into these threats and pivoting Breloom in safely with U-turn. Starmie pressures Latios with Ice Beam and can remove entry hazards with Rapid Spin. Heatran notably pressures Clefable, Roserade, and Tangrowth lacking Earthquake. Rotom-W can bait Tangrowth in and cripple it with Trick or Will-O-Wisp; it also can provide Breloom a free switch with Volt Switch. Breloom cannot effectively pressure Rotom-W before having set up for fear of Will-O-Wisp; accordingly, teammates like Latios are appreciated. Breloom is best paired with offensive partners like Lucario, Dragonite, Garchomp, and Infernape that take advantage of Spore and the holes Breloom punches in opposing walls.
[SET]
name: SubPunch
move 1: Focus Punch
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Spore
move 4: Seed Bomb
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Poison Heal
nature: Adamant
evs: 108 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Def / 140 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
This set takes advantage of the many switches Breloom forces to set up Substitute land powerful Focus Punches on foes. Substitute, in conjunction with Poison Heal, lets Breloom circumvent the chip damage its other sets often take. Spore helps it break through physically bulky Pokemon like Skarmory and Scizor with Focus Punch. Seed Bomb hits the Water-types that resist Focus Punch like Slowbro, Starmie, and Azumarill. Facade is an option over Seed Bomb that provides better overall neutral coverage but makes Mismagius a counter and loses an OHKO on Crawdaunt. The given Speed investment allows Breloom to outspeed Adamant Crawdaunt and KO it with Seed Bomb, while the bulk investment lets Breloom's Substitute tank Gliscor's U-turn without breaking.
SubPunch Breloom appreciates pivot support from Scizor, Gliscor, and Rotom-W to set up Substitute on foes like defensive Rotom-W and Gliscor. Magnezone is a helpful teammate for trapping and KOing Skarmory and dealing massive damage to Scizor. Latios can break through physically defensive Pokemon like Tangrowth and Gliscor, while Heatran also pressures Tangrowth and can switch into Clefable. Starmie is another wallbreaker that pairs well with Breloom, as it can pressure many of the Pokemon that Breloom fears such as Latios, Gliscor, and Tangrowth.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
====
Breloom is capable of running a Choice Band set for a more immediate offensive presence; however, its sweeping potential is much lower than the Swords Dance set's, and due to Breloom's mediocre bulk, it is forced out by many of the tier's offensive Pokemon. A Choice Scarf set can be run to land Spore on faster targets like Latios while breaking through Focus Sash Alakazam; however, this set relies mightily on its surprise factor, and it is not as consistent as other Choice Scarf users like Rotom-W and Garchomp. A bulky Bulk Up set with Poison Heal can turn Breloom into a threatening sweeper that is difficult to get rid of, but this set is walled by the same Pokemon as the Swords Dance set without providing nearly as much power.
Checks and Counters
====
**Tangrowth and Roserade**: Tangrowth is Breloom's single true counter. It can switch into any of Breloom's moves, especially Spore, and force it out with Sludge Bomb, all while staying healthy with Regenerator. Roserade resists both of Breloom's STAB moves, ignores Spore, and forces it out with Sludge Bomb; however, due to its lower physical bulk, it can be chipped into range of +2 Mach Punch.
**Physically Defensive Walls**: Clefable, Gliscor, and Skarmory can switch into Breloom and either force it out or safely pivot into a revenge killer. Spore can make these Pokemon less consistent at switching into Breloom, however, though Gliscor ignores it once Toxic Orb activates. It should be noted that Gliscor does not directly offensively pressure Breloom, so it can struggle to deal with the Swords Dance set. Togekiss resists both of Breloom's STAB moves and forces it out with Air Slash.
**Revenge Killers**: Weavile, Infernape, Latios, Alakazam, and Azelf all outspeed Breloom and force it out with their super effective STAB moves. Latios is particularly notable, as it resists both of Breloom's STAB types and can run Sleep Talk to circumvent Spore. Infernape, on the other hand, must be wary of getting chipped into range of Mach Punch. Dragonite outspeeds Breloom if it is Jolly, resists all of Breloom's STAB moves, and can hit it very hard with Extreme Speed or Fire Punch.
**Status**: Burn from Rotom-W and paralysis from Clefable severely limits Breloom's wallbreaking and sweeping capabilities. Rotom-W can still be 2HKOed by Bullet Seed after burn, however. Poison Heal Breloom is immune to these status conditions once its Toxic Orb activates, but, as a result, it is much more weak to them before it activates.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[dex, 277988]]
- Quality checked by: [[tuthur, 369076][Kris, 241023]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
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