Overview
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Although the rise of Intimidate and Will-O-Wisp and the introduction of Talonflame have lowered Breloom's usage, it is still a great Pokemon in VGC 2015. Aside from Smeargle, which generally runs Dark Void, Breloom has access to the fastest Spore in the game. Breloom, however, is very frail and still somewhat slow, but it mitigates these problems by having a great Attack stat as well as a good movepool for Technician.
Offensive Spore
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name: Offensive Spore
move 1: Spore
move 2: Mach Punch / Superpower
move 3: Bullet Seed / Superpower
move 4: Protect
ability: Technician
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
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Spore is used to put opposing Pokemon to sleep. Mach Punch is a priority move that helps mitigate Breloom's mediocre Speed and can allow Breloom to KO Bisharp. Bullet Seed will be Breloom's main Grass-type STAB move and allows Breloom to deal massive damage against bulky Water-types, such as Suicune and Rotom-W, and Ground-types. Superpower is a more powerful Fighting-type STAB move that can pick up KOs that Mach Punch cannot, such as against Heatran and Mega Kangaskhan. Protect allows Breloom to scout out moves and provides protection against opposing Pokemon that can OHKO Breloom such as Talonflame.
Set Details
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Focus Sash can help with Breloom's bad defenses but is generally used if you are more concerned with using Spore a lot. Life Orb is the alternative to use if you're more focused on damage. A Jolly nature is used over an Adamant nature considering that Adamant Breloom gets outsped by a lot of Pokemon, particularly those that are built to outspeed Bisharp, while a Jolly nature can allow Breloom to outrun Bisharp. Adamant should only be used when you need specific KOs. Maximum Speed and Attack EVs are used, as running bulk isn't necessary on Breloom due to its frailness.
Usage Tips
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Breloom pairs up really well with Pokemon that can use Fake Out, Encore, or moves that can control speed (besides Thunder Wave, considering you want to use Spore as often as possible). This can allow your team to put massive pressure on your opponent. Protect is handy to keep Breloom alive because many opponents will try to double target Breloom to prevent it from incapacitating entire teams with Spore.
Remember that if you use Spore before the foe attacks, they can wake up the very next turn. With that in mind, it is sometimes safer to just attack and pick up KOs. Also remember that Bullet Seed can miss out on KOs if it triggers Sitrus Berry and it might only hit 2 times, so prepare for the worst-case scenario.
Team Options
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Pokemon that can provide Tailwind support, such as Suicune and Talonflame, are great partners for Breloom. Not only does Suicune provide an alternative speed control option in the form of Icy Wind, but it can also check Talonflame, other Flying-types, and Fire-types. Other speed control Pokemon are Cresselia and Rotom-W with Icy Wind and Electroweb, respectively. Rotom-W, like Suicune, is a fantastic partner due to its ability to check Talonflame, Fire-types, and Flying-types. Pokemon with Fake Out, such as Mega Kangaskhan and Liepard, are great partners. Mega Kangaskhan, in conjunction with Breloom, can put massive offensive pressure on your opponent. Redirection to help mitigate Breloom's frailness is a wonderful support option for Breloom's partner to have. Examples of Pokemon that can provide this support include Volcarona, Togekiss (which also has access to Tailwind), and Clefable (which has access to Icy Wind). Breloom also works nicely with Heatran and Mega Charizard Y, as Breloom is able to check Rock- and Water-types. Those two also put massive pressure on opponents due to their powerful spread STAB moves. Breloom also helps Heatran set up Substitutes easier with Spore.
Other Options
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Seed Bomb is an alternative Grass-type STAB move should you not want to gamble on Bullet Seed's multi-hitting. Rock Tomb and Rock Slide are options to hit slower Fire-types as well as Flying-types, but keep in mind that Rock Slide is not boosted by Technician in doubles. A Substitute set with Toxic Orb and Poison Heal works as well. Alternate item choices include Choice Scarf, to improve Breloom's mediocre Speed, and Choice Band, should you want to increase Breloom's damage output.
Checks & Counters
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**Flying-types**: Flying-types, such as Talonflame, Staraptor, and Mega Salamence, are great checks to Breloom, as they are able to OHKO it easily. Both Talonflame and Mega Salamence resist Breloom's STAB moves.
**Multi-Target Moves**: Mega Gardevoir's Hyper Voice, Mega Charizard Y's Heat Wave, and Sylveon's Hyper Voice can KO Breloom easily; multi-target moves also bypass redirection, which can oftentimes render Breloom's partner useless.
**Taunt and Safety Goggles**: Pokemon with Taunt, such as Thundurus, Sableye, and Gengar, are great checks to Breloom, as they are able to shut down Breloom's most important move. Pokemon that carry Safety Goggles, including Zapdos, Togekiss, and Clefable, are also great checks, as they are immune to Spore. The first two resist all of Breloom's STAB moves and Zapdos can threaten Breloom with Heat Wave or Hidden Power Ice and Togekiss can threaten it with Air Slash.
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