Bellossom (QC 2/3) Currently Writing

[MrSnowBro]

[OVERVIEW]

• Bellossom's exclusive access to both Strength Sap and Quiver Dance provides Bellossom with a very unique niche, allowing Bellossom to stand out from its fellow Grass-Type sweepers such as Lilligant by performing the role of a bulky Quiver Dance sweeper within the PU metagame.
• The first of Bellossom's great niches lies in Strength Sap granting Bellossom the ability to lower an opponent's Attack stat by one stage while simultaneously healing its HP, increasing Bellossom's longevity while also making up for Bellossom's little defensive investment, allowing Bellossom to force physical attackers such as Gurdurr and Kangaskhan to switch out after lowering their Attack.
• Bellossom's other great niche lies in Quiver Dance, boosting Bellossom's Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed by 1 stage, which allows Bellossom to avoid becoming overwhelmed with special attackers, while also granting Bellossom the ability to avoid becoming a passive wall, instead allowing Bellossom to outspeed and deal significant damage to non-resisted targets, even sometimes sweeping if Bellossom's checks and counters are removed or weakened.
• Straying away from its niche in Strength Sap and Quiver Dance causes Bellossom to be outclassed by the multitude of other Grass-Types in PU such as Lilligant, Shiftry, Ferroseed, and Gourgeist due to their much better stats, movepools, and in the case of Shiftry, Ferroseed, and Gourgeist, typing.
• Bellossom has incredibly average stats before and even after boosting, which can cause it to be overwhelmed by physical and special wallbreakers such as Nasty Plot Jynx and Choice Band Primeape or outsped by the likes of Choice Scarf Pyroar and Slush Rush Alolan Sandslash under hail who all can OHKO or 2HKO Bellossom before and after boosting.
• Bellossom's poor bulk leaves Bellossom with a very small amount of Pokemon it can set up on, if any. This is especially problematic due to Bellossom's inability to create opportunities unless it carries Sleep Powder, taking up one of its coveted moveslots.

[SET]
name: Bulky Quiver Dance
move 1: Strength Sap
move 2: Quiver Dance
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Safeguard / Moonblast
item: Grassium Z / Leftovers
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Strength Sap allows Bellossom to not fall prey to strong physical attackers such as Stoutland by being able to lower their Attack by one stage while also recovering Bellossom's HP, causing Bellossom to not get overwhelmed by physical attackers. Alternatively, Bellossom can use Grassium-Z to turn Strength Sap into Z-Strength Sap to obtain a Defense boost which allows Bellossom to live attacks from similar physical attackers however, with them unable to simply switch out to reset their stat changes and come back in to pressure Bellossom.
• Quiver Dance allows Bellossom to amplify its Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed to incredible levels, allowing Bellossom to outspeed anything that isn't holding a Choice Scarf or boosted, deal decent damage to most things in the metagame, and tank hits from the likes of Swanna and Oricorio-G.
• Giga Drain is Bellossom's STAB move of choice, hitting most things that don't resist it in the metagame for decent damage after one or two boosts while also recovering Bellossom's HP, which in tandem with Strength Sap, increases Bellossom's longevity greatly.
• Safeguard protects Bellossom from status for five turns, granting Bellossom the ability to mainly avoid being put on a timer and forced out by Toxic damage or being slowed down by paralysis.
• Moonblast is a separate option from Safeguard, giving Bellossom the ability to not be walled by the likes of Drampa and Alolan Exeguttor due to Drampa's Sap Sipper or Alolan Exeguttor's 4x resistance to Giga Drain. Moonblast also allows to hit Grass-Types such as Shiftry and Lilligant before Quiver Dance harder than Giga Drain can.

Set Details
========

• Maximum HP investment allows Bellossom to maximize its bulk allowing it to live a multitude of attacks once it starts getting Special Defense boosts and Attack drops such as Kangaskhan's Double Edge, Choice Band Stoutland's Return, and Choice Specs Mesprit's Psychic. Maximum Speed investment with Timid nature allows Bellossom to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame and even some of the boosted metagame with Bellossom being able to outspeed up to positive natured base 83 Pokemon holding a Choice Scarf.
• Chlorophyll is the chosen ability, as it allows Bellossom to abuse an opponent's harsh sunlight and heavily punish the team.
• Grassium-Z enables Strength Sap to become Z-Strength Sap and boost Bellossom's Defense by one stage, allowing it to tank hits from physical attackers without them just being able to switch and eliminate the Attack drop from Strength Sap. Grassium-Z can be also used to turn Giga Drain into a base 140 power Bloom Doom, allowing Bellossom to even break through the likes of weakened specially defensive Pokemon such as Throh and Clefairy.
• Leftovers is an alternative option to Grassium-Z, being able to increase Bellossom's longevity on top of Strength Sap and Giga Drain by recovering 1/16th of Bellossom's HP per turn.

Usage Tips
========

• Bellossom should be used as a bulky sweeper, utilizing Quiver Dance's Special Defense boosts, Strength Sap's Attack drops, and Z-Strength Sap's one-time Defense boost in order to tank hits from hard-hitting sweepers and some wallbreakers within the metagame such as Stoutland and offensive Mesprit while also making use of Quiver Dance's Special Attack and Speed boosts in order to outspeed these Pokemon and deal significant damage to them, 2HKOing them most of the time at +2, thus, allowing Bellossom to avoid becoming an incredibly passive Pokemon and instead being able to cause sweeps when its checks and counters are removed or severely weakened.
• Bellossom shouldn't attempt to switch in to start boosting on the top-tier threats such as Mesprit and Kangaskhan that it can effectively remove after being boosted, due to them being able to break through Bellossom like butter before it boosts. Instead, Bellossom should switch in to start boosting on passive defensive walls that can't deal any significant damage to Bellossom such as Gastrodon and defensive Carracosta. Bellossom, however, must be wary when switching into these kinds of Pokemon due to their tendency to carry Toxic, which can severely limit Bellossom's ability to sweep.
• Bellossom should only begin boosting up with Quiver Dance and Z-Strength Sap after its checks and counters have all been eliminated or heavily weakened due to their ability to force Bellossom out in fear of a KO, which causes Bellossom to lose all of its boosts. Once this has been accomplished, Bellossom should immediately start setting up with Quiver Dance once it comes into play, boosting its Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed in preparation to sweep the opponent's remaining Pokemon.
• If needed, Bellossom can take on some of its checks such as specially defensive Pokemon such as Audino and Clefairy without team help, utilizing Safeguard to prevent them from using Toxic and setting up Quiver Dances on them in order to break through them.
• Strength Sap can be utilized in long, stalling sections due its ability to heal Bellossom even when the opponent has -6 Attack drops, which saves the power points of Bellossom's only move in Giga Drain, preventing Bellossom from becoming dead weight for the rest of match.

Team Options
========

• Bellossom's underwhelming offensive stats and bulk cause Bellossom to fit only on balanced teams, due to these stats performing extremely mediocre in more offensive playstyles.
• If forgoing Moonblast, Pokemon that can check the likes of Drampa and Alolan Exeggutor such Hitmonchan are well appreciated due to Bellossom unable to deal significant damage to them because of Drampa's Sap Sipper ability and Alolan Exeguttor's 4x resistance to Giga Drain.
• Along with forgoing Moonblast, Pokemon that can handle Flying-Type and opposing Grass-Type Pokemon such as Eelektross and Typhlosion are well appreciated due to Bellossom unable to hit them for significant damage with a resisted Giga Drain.
• Even with both Moonblast and Giga Drain, Bellossom still has difficulty getting past Fire-Type and Steel-Types such as Togedemaru and Magmortar due to them resisting both Moonblast and Giga Drain so in turn, Pokemon that can check these types such as Carracosta and Magmortar.
• Ice-Types such as Abomasnow and Alolan Sandslash can be huge nuisances for Bellossom due to their hard-hitting Ice-Type STABs in Blizzard and Icicle Crash, respectively, meaning Fire-Type, Steel-Type, and Water-Type Pokemon that can check the likes of these Pokemon, such as Typhlosion and Togedemaru make for respectable teammates, however, Fire-Type and Steel-Type Pokemon will have to watch out for Abomasnow and Alolan Sandslash's Earthquake and Water-Types will need to watch out for Abomasnow's Grass-Type STAB.
• Even with Safeguard, Toxic Spikes prove to be a major issue for Bellossom, due to them putting it on a timer and hindering its longevity. Because of this, Defog support from the likes of Swanna and Skuntank are highly appreciated. Skuntank can even absorb Toxic Spikes with its Poison typing, and appreciates Bellossom's ability to remove checks such as Weezing.
• Due to Strength Sap's ability to force physical sweepers and wallbreakers to switch due to their lowered Attack, hazard support from the likes of defensive Mesprit and Regirock can punish those switches, weakening them down and allowing Bellossom to KO them. Mesprit is further appreciated by Bellossom due to Mesprit's ability to provide Bellossom with a slow U-turn and even a second chance at sweeping with Healing Wish.
• Wallbreakers such as Life Orb Hitmonchan can help break the likes of specially defensive and physically defensive walls that Bellossom cannot break through such as Ferroseed.

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

• A multitude of sets can be optionally ran on Bellossom such as specially offensive Quiver Dance, Chlorophyll sweeper, and physically offensive Swords Dance, however, all of these sets are outclassed by other Grass-Types within the metagame such as Lilligant and Shiftry.\
• Sleep Powder is an interesting option for Bellossom due how it allows Bellossom to set up easily and break through some walls that it couldn't other break otherwise, however, Bellossom has trouble find space for it on its moveset.
• Leech Seed is an optional move that can be ran in order to force even more switches while further increasing Bellossom's longevity by healing 1/8th of its HP at the end of every turn, however, Bellossom has trouble finding a spot for it on its moveset.

Checks and Counters
===================


**Fire-Type Pokemon**: Fire-Type Pokemon such as Typhlosion and Pyroar prove to be a huge issues for Bellossom, due to them easily being able to switch in on any of Bellossom's moves, taking very little from even boosted Moonblast and Giga Drain due to their resistance to both moves, and their ability to easily OHKO or 2HKO Bellossom with their STAB Fire Blast.

**Flying-Type Pokemon**: Flying-Type Pokemon such as Oricorio and Swanna can threaten Bellossom with their Flying-Type STABs, usually OHKOing or doing massive damage to Bellossom. Swanna can even run a physical set which can surprise Bellossom and OHKO it, while all Oricorio formes can take advantage of Bellossom's reliance on Quiver Dance with Dancer, copying Bellossom's Quiver Dance and being able to force out Bellossom and possibly even sweep its team.

**Opposing Grass-Type Pokemon**: Opposing Grass-Type Pokemon such as Leafeon, Shiftry, Alolan Exeggutor, and Roselia can prove to be incredibly difficult for Bellossom to face due their resistance to Bellossom's Giga Drain, as well as Leafeon and Shiftry's access to Swords Dance and Alolan Exeggutor and Roselia's amplified resistances to Giga Drain with their Dragon and Poison typing respectively. However, Shiftry and Alolan Exeggutor prove to be ineffective to Moonblast variants of Bellossom.

**Toxic Spikes**: Toxic Spikes from the likes of Weezing and Roselia prove to be a hazardous thing for Bellossom to encounter due to Toxic Spikes poisoning Bellossom before it has a chance to set-up Safeguard, which can put Bellossom on a timer and eventually force it to switch and make it loose all of its boosts due to it.

**Super Effective Wallbreakers**: Even if Bellossom can deal with a decent chunk of feared wallbreakers within PU after being boosted, there are some wallbreakers that can break through Bellossom even if boosted. Good examples of these include Aurorus, Alolan Sandslash, and Skuntank.

**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Specially defensive Pokemon such as Throh, Type: Null, Clefairy, Audino prove to be hard for Bellossom to break past, with Throh being able to easily phaze Bellossom out with Circle Throw, Type: Null being able to rest off any damage done to it and set up with Swords Dance, and Clefairy and Audino being able to poison Bellossom with Toxic if Safeguard is not up. Clefairy and Audino can even prove to be more difficult with Encore, due to them being able to lock Bellossom into a single move, allowing checks such as Skuntank to come in and force Bellossom out. Going even further, Audino can prove to be an even bigger issue with Wish.

 

[MZ]

Bellossom @ Grassium Z
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Giga Drain
- Strength Sap
- Safeguard / Moonblast

This is the only Bellossom set that should ever be used. I'm not entirely sure why offensive was done here instead, but there's no way we can keep an analysis on such an outclassed set. If you want to continue with Bellossom you're going to pretty much just have to redo this for the actual set, although if you don't have any experience with the right set then it may be better to drop this and choose a different mon you have more experience with to do an analysis on. But yeah, definitely not to offensive LO QD Bellossom.

 

[MrSnowBro]

Alright. I'll rewrite this analysis with the set you listed later. To be honest, Offensive Quiver Dance wasn't the best set to write up since like I had mentioned in the analysis, it's heavily outclassed by Lilligant and it's outdated like you said. I did think Strength Sap would give it something over Lilligant but I just didn't make a set over it. So I apologize and I'll write this up instead. :)

 

[MrSnowBro]

Analysis has been rewritten and is ready for QC.

 

[MZ]

[OVERVIEW]

• Bellossom's ability to take even super-effective hits from the likes of feared wallbreakers such as non-Psyshock variants of Choice Specs Mesprit why specify psyshock? it doesnt do that much more than psychic, Choice Band Stoutland, and Kangaskhan after boosts from Quiver Dance and Attack drops from Strength Sap makes Bellossom a decent mixed wall except it's not a wall at all, it's a bulky sweeper. it doesnt switch into strong things or anything so idgi, making it useful on stall and balanced playstyles.
• Bellossom's fantastic niche in Strength Sap shared only by Shiinotic it's not only shard by shiino (jumpluff is way more viable) but there's no point in mentioning the comparison anyway allows Bellossom to lower an opponent's Attack stat by one stage while simultaneously healing its HP, increasing Bellossom's longevity while also allowing Bellossom to force physical sweepers such as Gurdurr and Kangaskhan off the field after lowering their Attack.
• Bellossom's access to Quiver Dance allows it to boost its mediocre Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed stats to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame, deal decent damage to Pokemon that don't resist it, and be able to tank even the hardest hits from the likes of Floatzel, Ludicolo, and non-Psyshock variants of Choice Specs Mesprit after 2 boosts. this right here is one of the most massive issues with the analysis, the way it repeats the same 6 examples like every single time. just use 1-2 examples and keep mixing it up so it doesnt get incredibly boring after like 2 examples. im not gonna point out every instance of this, it just needs to be fixed. also u really need to go more into how it functions as a quiver sweeper here and what its niche is, reading the overview gives me the complete opposite impression of what bellossom actually does (strength sap wall vs qd bulky sweeper)
• Straying away from its niche in Strength Sap causes Bellossom to be outclassed by the multitude of other Grass-Types in PU such as Lilligant in Quiver Dance set-up sweeper sets, Shiftry in Swords Dance sets, and Gourgeist and Ferroseed in defensive sets due to their better stats, movepool, and in the context of Shiftry, Gourgeist, and Ferroseed, typing.
• A shallow list of Moonblast, Sludge Bomb, and Hidden Power as coverage options leaves Bellossom able to check some of its checks, however, not of all of them, forcing Bellossom to switch and lose its Quiver Dance boosts in fear of being KOed by the likes of Drampa, Lilligant, and Skuntank. also zero point in this bullet since it only runs one of those moves, only runs it sometimes, and the move isnt very important to how it plays
• Bellossom has incredibly average stats before and even after boosting, which can cause it to be overwhelmed by physical and special wallbreakers such as Psyshock-variants of Choice Specs Mesprit, Choice Band Primeape, and Magmortar or outsped by the likes of Choice Scarf Pyroar and Slush Rush Alolan Sandslash who all can OHKO or 2HKO Bellossom before and after boosting.

so i say this in the comments but basically this doesnt give a very good overview of what bellossom actually does. in fact it barely talks about how qd functions or why you'd use bellossom at all and instead focuses on things like coverage and strength sap which arent as important to talk about

[SET]
name: Z-Strength Sap + Quiver Dance just call it Bulky Quiver Dance or somth
move 1: Strength Sap
move 2: Quiver Dance
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Safeguard / Moonblast
item: Grassium Z / Leftovers (sorry these shouldve been on here from the start)
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Strength Sap allows Bellossom to not fall prey to strong physical attackers such as Kangaskhan and Stoutland by being able to lower their Attack by one stage while also recovering Bellossom's HP, causing Bellossom to live their strong attacks unless they switch out "survive their strong attacks unless they switch out" is really overwritten, it's a lot of detail over something simple (not get overwhelmed by physical attackers) and if you read that sentence it doesnt make any sense. Alternatively, Bellossom can use Grassium-Z to turn Strength Sap into Z-Strength Sap to obtain a Defense boost which allows Bellossom to live attacks from similar physical attackers however, with them unable to simply switch out to reset their stat changes and come back in to pressure Bellossom.
• Quiver Dance allows Bellossom to amplify its Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed to incredible levels, allowing Bellossom to outspeed anything that isn't holding a Choice Scarf or boosted, deal decent damage to most things in the metagame, and tank hits from the likes of Haunter, Swanna, and non-Calm Mind variants of Oricorio-G also a weird level of specificity that only makes things more confusing, just say oricorio-g.
• Giga Drain is Bellossom's STAB move of choice, hitting most things that don't resist it in the metagame for decent damage after one or two boosts while also recovering Bellossom's HP, which in tandem with Strength Sap, increases Bellossom's longevity greatly.
• Safeguard protects Bellossom from status for five turns, granting Bellossom the ability to mainly avoid being put on a timer and forced out by increasing poison damage or being slowed down and having the chance to potentially miss a turn by paralysis.
• Moonblast is a separate option from Safeguard, giving Bellossom the ability to not be walled by the likes of Drampa, Alolan Exeguttor, and Miltank, due to their Sap Sipper ability in Drampa's and Miltank's case or their 4x resistance to Giga Drain in Alolan Exeguttor's case. Moonblast also allows to hit Grass-Types such as Shiftry and Lilligant before Quiver Dance harder than Giga Drain can.

Set Details
========

• Maximum HP investment allows Bellossom to maximize its bulk allowing it to live a multitude of attacks once it starts getting Special Defense boosts and Attack drops such as Kangaskhan's Double Edge, Choice Band Stoutland's Return, and Choice Specs Mesprit's Psychic. Maximum Speed investment with Timid nature allows Bellossom to outspeed up to neutral natured base 59 Pokémon such as Golurk before boosting golurk is not base 59, go by what's relevant not by what you can technically do, allowing Bellossom to start boosting with Quiver Dance or lowering Attack with Strength Sap before the opponent can move.
• Chlorophyll is the chosen ability, as it allows Bellossom to abuse an opponent's harsh sunlight and heavily punish the team, while also being more competitively viable in singles than Healer is.
• Grassium-Z enables Strength Sap to become Z-Strength Sap and boost Bellossom's Defense by one stage, allowing it to tank hits from physical attackers without them just being able to switch and eliminate the Attack drop from Strength Sap.

add lefties here

Usage Tips
========

• Bellossom should be used as a mixed wall, utilizing Strength Sap and Quiver Dance in order to make up for the little or no investment in Special Defense and Defense to tank hits from the likes of Kangaskhan, non-Psyshock variants of Mesprit, Floatzel, Ludicolo, and Choice Band Stoutland. most obvious and egregious example of way way overusing examples if i wasnt clear above
• Bellossom shouldn't be brought in directly against these fearsome sweepers due to its average stats before boosting. Bellossom should first switch in onto walls that it can force out such as Palossand, defensive Carracosta, and Gastrodon in order to start boosting up with Quiver Dance.
• Slow Volt Switch or U-turn users such as Eelektross, defensive Mesprit, or Lanturn, hard switching in on resisted moves, or after a teammate has fainted are some of the best ways to bring Bellossom in safely in order to begin boosting up. this is a team option, not usage tip. move it to the right section
• After switching in, Bellossom should use Quiver Dance, especially if it is brought in against a wall it can force out, in order to begin gaining boosts. If you are up against a wall you do not force out, such as Audino, then Safeguard should be used in order to prevent Audino from using Toxic against you. Once a sweeper comes in, depending on the type of sweeper, use Quiver Dance or Strength Sap in order to help Bellossom tank their attacks.

ok so this is the section most in need of a major overhaul because it totally misses the point and I'd consider reassigning just based on the complete lack of knowledge shown about how bellossom works but the rest of the analysis is quite good for a first time effort so im giving another shot. Bellossom is not a mixed wall, that whole bullet is just wrong and not helpful. a lot of the mons you want it to switch in on run toxic so at least a mention of being careful would be good. and the last bullet about how to use QD is way too specific and overprecise. meanwhile there's a lot of potentially useful info about qd missing from here, like about when u want to set it up and how to handle the mons that just wall bellossom and how strength sap works over long stalling sections... anyway yeah this needs a lot of work and u might also wanna talk to ppl with more bellossom experience

Team Options
========

• If forgoing Moonblast, Pokemon that can check the likes of Drampa, Alolan Exeguttor, and Miltank such Hitmonchan are well appreciated due to Bellossom unable to deal significant damage to them because of Drampa and Miltank's Sap Sipper ability and Alolan Exeguttor's 4x resistance to Giga Drain. Along with forgoing Moonblast, Pokemon that can handle Flying-Type and opposing Grass-Type Pokemon such as Eelektross and Magmortar are well appreciated due to Bellossom unable to hit them for significant damage with a resisted Giga Drain.
• Even with both Moonblast and Giga Drain, Bellossom still has difficulty getting past Fire-Type, Steel-Type, and Poison-Type Pokemon such as Togedemaru, Magmortar, and Weezing due to them resisting both Moonblast and Giga Drain so in turn, Pokemon that can check these types such as Mesprit, Carracosta, and Magmortar are very well appreciated. mesp/costa/magmortar are not fire/steel/poison resists. u gotta order the type and the mons the same or it looks like u mean mesprit is the fire resist. also magmortar is a sucky fire resist. also "poison resist" isnt a thing, our 1 relevant offensive poison has a stronger secondary dark typing. also u dont need examples of the pokemon of each type that check bellossom, it can sometimes enhance a section but here it really drags every bullet out into a lot of extra writing
• Even with Safeguard, Toxic Spikes proves to be an issue to Bellossom as they activate before Bellossom can set up Safeguard unlike Toxic or Thunder Wave, putting Bellossom on a timer and forcing it out after a few turns, meaning Poison-Type Pokemon or Flying-Type Defoggers such as Skuntank and Swanna are highly appreciated by Bellossom. Skuntank gets special mention here as it gets Defog and is a Poison-Type simultaneously which allows it to remove both Toxic Spikes along with other hazards such as Spikes and Stealth Rock on Bellossom's team.
• Due to Strength Sap's ability to force physical sweepers and wallbreakers to switch due to their lowered Attack, hazard support from the likes of Mesprit and Regirock can punish those switches, weakening them down and allowing Bellossom to KO them.

i would say somth about how bellossom is going to fit better on more bulkier balanced teams, how ur gonna want to keep ice resists around since alolan sandslash and abomasnow are fairly notable pains for it, and how certain wallbreakers are good because bellossom is quite weak and cant break a lot of stuff

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

• A multitude of sets can be optionally ran on Bellossom such as specially offensive Quiver Dance, Chlorophyll sweeper, and physically offensive Swords Dance, however, all of these sets are outclassed by other Grass-Types within the metagame such as Lilligant and Shiftry.
• Leftovers can be ran over Grassium-Z to give Bellossom even more recovery, however, Bellossom becomes more prone to strong physical sweeper and wallbreakers such as Kangaskhan and Choice Band Stoutland that way. drop from here bc slashing
• Leech Seed is an optional move that can be ran in order to force even more switches while further increasing Bellossom's longevity by healing 1/8th of its HP at the end of every turn, however, Bellossom has trouble finding a spot for it on its moveset.

id also give sleep powder a mention, u cant find the space for it but otherwise it'd be nice

Checks and Counters
===================

**Grass-Type Resistant Types**: Fire-Type, Steel-Type, Flying-Type, Poison-Type, Dragon-Type, Bug-Type, and opposing Grass-Type Pokemon such as Magmortar, Alolan Sandslash, Alolan Exeggutor, Articuno, Skuntank, Lilligant, and Pinsir can prove to be difficult for Bellossom to get past especially without Moonblast. Fire-Type, Steel-Type, and Poison-Type Pokemon are incredibly hard to get past due to them being able to resist Moonblast as well as Giga Drain. ok no. this needs to be split into a few different sections. one for fires, one for flyers, one for sap sipper, and one for grass types. slapping all these together is just not rly how c&c works since they all check bellossom in mildly different ways (fires very well, flyers mostly hitting special defense but also dancer and phys scarf swan add another layers, grasses bulk it out but some get set up on, sap sipper is obv unique). dragons are covered by sap sipper and grass types (except turtonator and dragonvally, the former is irrelevant and the latter loses to bellossom), poisons are just skuntank in SE breakers and the tspikers, we dont rly have relevant bugs except pinsir which doesnt beat u very well at all, and bellossom beats like every steel except alolaslash which goes in SE breakers. so yeah, this desperately needs to get split up

**Toxic Spikes**: Toxic Spikes, even with Safeguard this (mentioning safeguard once here once later) is repetitive and Toxic Spikes' limited users in the metagame this (limited users) doesnt need to be mentioned, proves to be a hazardous thing for Bellossom to encounter due to Toxic Spikes poisoning Bellossom before it has a chance to set-up Safeguard, which can put Bellossom on a timer and eventually force it to switch and make it loose all of its boosts due to it. specifically mention weezing and rose

**Super Effective Wallbreakers**: Even if Bellossom can deal with a decent chunk of feared wallbreakers within PU after being boosted, there are some wallbreakers that can break through Bellossom even if boosted. Good examples of these include Magmortar, Aurorus, and Pyroar. mention skuntank and dont mention mons that already fit into one of the above sections. aurorus and alolan sandslash in particular would be good to both mention here

**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Specially bulky Pokemon such as Drampa, Magmortar, Articuno can tank hits from Bellossom very easily even if it is boosted and can 2HKO it back in most cases, while, specially defensive Pokemon such as Miltank, specially defensive Clefairy, and Audino can prove to be difficult for Bellossom to break past, however, unless they can poison Bellossom, they tend to have difficulty breaking through Bellossom as well. Drampa and Miltank get special mention here as they completely wall any Bellossom without Moonblast with Sap Sipper along drop drampa and miltank from here as per above and add somth about av chan, throh, and type null. also u need to mention how bellossom will still beat toxic clef/dino if it's running encore so they're not always reliable stops, and how encore audino can still be an issue

implement this and I'll look over the analysis again

 

[MrSnowBro]

Implemented.

 

[MZ]

[OVERVIEW]

• Bellossom's exclusive access to both Strength Sap and Quiver Dance provides Bellossom with a very unique niche, allowing Bellossom to stand out from its fellow Grass-Type sweepers such as Lilligant by performing the role of a bulky Quiver Dance sweeper within the PU metagame.
• The first of Bellossom's fantastic niches lies in Strength Sap granting Bellossom the ability to lower an opponent's Attack stat by one stage while simultaneously healing its HP, increasing Bellossom's longevity while also making up for Bellossom's little defensive investment, allowing Bellossom to force physical attackers such as Gurdurr and Kangaskhan to switch out after lowering their Attack.
• Bellossom's most important niche lies in Quiver Dance, allowing Bellossom to boost its mediocre Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed stats to increased proportions, granting Bellossom the ability to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame and deal significant amounts of damage while also allowing Bellossom to tank attacks from the likes of special attackers. These boosts, along with Strength Sap, give Bellossom the ability to outspeed and 2HKO most top-tier threats such as Carracosta and offensive Mesprit while also being able to avoid OHKOs from the likes of these Pokemon. this is kinda repetitive with the first point, ur mostly just restating "it runs quiver dance" and explaining what that does (which is for the moves section) rather than explaining how it defines bellossom's niche
• Straying away from its niche in Strength Sap and Quiver Dance causes Bellossom to be outclassed by the multitude of other Grass-Types in PU such as Lilligant in Quiver Dance set-up sweeper sets lacking Strength Sap, Shiftry in physical Swords Dance sets, and Gourgeist and Ferroseed in defensive sets due to their better stats, movepool, and in the context of Shiftry, Gourgeist, and Ferroseed, typing. u also dont need to talk about how other sets suck in the overview. that bellossom has a lot of better competition is absolutely worth noting, but it's not just if it runs other sets
• Bellossom has incredibly average stats before and even after boosting, which can cause it to be overwhelmed by physical and special wallbreakers such as Nasty Plot Jynx, Choice Band Primeape, and Magmortar or outsped by the likes of Choice Scarf Pyroar and Slush Rush Alolan Sandslash who all can OHKO or 2HKO Bellossom before and after boosting.

[SET]
name: Bulky Quiver Dance
move 1: Strength Sap
move 2: Quiver Dance
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Safeguard / Moonblast
item: Grassium Z / Leftovers
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Strength Sap allows Bellossom to not fall prey to strong physical attackers such as Stoutland by being able to lower their Attack by one stage while also recovering Bellossom's HP, causing Bellossom to not get overwhelmed by physical attackers. Alternatively, Bellossom can use Grassium-Z to turn Strength Sap into Z-Strength Sap to obtain a Defense boost which allows Bellossom to live attacks from similar physical attackers however, with them unable to simply switch out to reset their stat changes and come back in to pressure Bellossom.
• Quiver Dance allows Bellossom to amplify its Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed to incredible levels, allowing Bellossom to outspeed anything that isn't holding a Choice Scarf or boosted, deal decent damage to most things in the metagame, and tank hits from the likes of Swanna and Oricorio-G.
• Giga Drain is Bellossom's STAB move of choice, hitting most things that don't resist it in the metagame for decent damage after one or two boosts while also recovering Bellossom's HP, which in tandem with Strength Sap, increases Bellossom's longevity greatly.
• Safeguard protects Bellossom from status for five turns, granting Bellossom the ability to mainly avoid being put on a timer and forced out by increasing poison damage or being slowed down and having the chance to potentially miss a turn by paralysis.
• Moonblast is a separate option from Safeguard, giving Bellossom the ability to not be walled by the likes of Drampa, Alolan Exeguttor, and Miltank, due to their Sap Sipper ability in Drampa's and Miltank's case or their 4x resistance to Giga Drain in Alolan Exeguttor's case. Moonblast also allows to hit Grass-Types such as Shiftry and Lilligant before Quiver Dance harder than Giga Drain can.

Set Details
========

• Maximum HP investment allows Bellossom to maximize its bulk allowing it to live a multitude of attacks once it starts getting Special Defense boosts and Attack drops such as Kangaskhan's Double Edge, Choice Band Stoutland's Return, and Choice Specs Mesprit's Psychic. Maximum Speed investment with Timid nature allows Bellossom to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame and even some of the boosted metagame with Bellossom being able to outspeed up to positive natured base 83 Pokemon holding a Choice Scarf.
• Chlorophyll is the chosen ability, as it allows Bellossom to abuse an opponent's harsh sunlight and heavily punish the team, while also being more competitively viable in singles than Healer is.
• Grassium-Z enables Strength Sap to become Z-Strength Sap and boost Bellossom's Defense by one stage, allowing it to tank hits from physical attackers without them just being able to switch and eliminate the Attack drop from Strength Sap.
• Leftovers is an alternative option to Grassium-Z, being able to increase Bellossom's longevity on top of Strength Sap and Giga Drain by recovering 1/16th of Bellossom's HP per turn.

Usage Tips
========

• Bellossom should be used as a bulky sweeper, utilizing Quiver Dance's Special Defense boosts, Strength Sap's Attack drops, and Z-Strength Sap's one-time Defense boost in order to tank hits from hard-hitting sweepers and some wallbreakers within the metagame such as Floatzel and Choice Specs Mesprit both of these commonly run ice beam so idk why they're mentioned as defense boost examples while also making use of Quiver Dance's Special Attack and Speed boosts in order to outspeed these Pokemon and deal significant damage to them, 2HKOing them most of the time at +2, thus, allowing Bellossom to avoid becoming an incredibly passive Pokemon and instead being able to cause sweeps when its checks and counters are removed or severely weakened.
• Bellossom shouldn't attempt to switch in to start boosting on the top-tier threats that it can effectively remove after being boosted, due to them being able to break through Bellossom like butter before it boosts. Instead, Bellossom should switch in to start boosting on passive defensive walls that can't deal any significant damage to Bellossom such as Gastrodon, defensive Carracosta, and Palossand. Bellossom, however, must be wary when switching into these kinds of Pokemon due to their tendency to carry Toxic, which can severely limit Bellossom's ability to sweep.
• Bellossom should only begin boosting up with Quiver Dance and Z-Strength Sap after its checks and counters have all been eliminated or heavily weakened due to their ability to force Bellossom out in fear of a KO, which causes Bellossom to lose all of its boosts. Once this has been accomplished, Bellossom should immediately start setting up with Quiver Dance once it comes into play, boosting its Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed in preparation to sweep the opponent's remaining Pokemon.
• If needed, Bellossom can take on some of its checks such as specially defensive Pokemon such as Audino and Clefairy without team help, utilizing Safeguard to prevent them from using Toxic and setting up Quiver Dances on them in order to break through them.
• Strength Sap can be utilized in long, stalling sections due its ability to heal Bellossom even when the opponent has -6 Attack drops, which saves the power points of Bellossom's only move in Giga Drain, preventing Bellossom from becoming dead weight for the rest of match.

Team Options
========

• Bellossom's poor stats before boosting prevents Bellossom from performing well in hyper offensive and stall playstyles due to Bellossom's need for walls and wallbreakers that can handle Bellossom's checks and counters, this instead, allows Bellossom to perform well in balanced playstyles especially more bulkier playstyles.
• If forgoing Moonblast, Pokemon that can check the likes of Drampa, Alolan Exeguttor this is spelt with 2 g's, not t's, and Miltank such Hitmonchan are well appreciated due to Bellossom unable to deal significant damage to them because of Drampa and Miltank's Sap Sipper ability and Alolan Exeguttor's 4x resistance to Giga Drain. Along with forgoing Moonblast, Pokemon that can handle Flying-Type and opposing Grass-Type Pokemon such as Eelektross and Magmortar are well appreciated due to Bellossom unable to hit them for significant damage with a resisted Giga Drain.
• Slow Volt Switch or U-turn users such as Eelektross, defensive Mesprit, or Lanturn, hard switching in on resisted moves, or after a teammate has fainted are some of the best ways to bring Bellossom in safely in order to begin boosting up yeah delete this point, it doesnt really need slow pivoting and it can help but it's such an obligatory point on most analyses anyway. it's just a c&c thing
• Even with both Moonblast and Giga Drain, Bellossom still has difficulty getting past Fire-Type and Steel-Types such as Togedemaru and Magmortar due to them resisting both Moonblast and Giga Drain so in turn, Pokemon that can check these types such as Carracosta and Magmortar.
• Ice-Types such as Abomasnow and Alolan Sandslash can be huge nuisances for Bellossom due to their hard-hitting Ice-Type STABs in Blizzard and Icicle Crash, respectively, meaning Fire-Type, Steel-Type, and Water-Type Pokemon that can check the likes of these Pokemon, such as Magmortar and Togedemaru make for respectable teammates, however, Fire-Type and Steel-Type Pokemon will have to watch out for Abomasnow and Alolan Sandslash's Earthquake and Water-Types will need to watch out for Abomasnow's Grass-Type STAB.
• Even with Safeguard, Toxic Spikes proves to be an issue to Bellossom as they activate before Bellossom can set up Safeguard unlike Toxic or Thunder Wave, putting Bellossom on a timer and forcing it out after a few turns, meaning Poison-Type Pokemon or Flying-Type Defoggers such as Skuntank and Swanna are highly appreciated by Bellossom. Skuntank gets special mention here as it gets Defog and is a Poison-Type simultaneously which allows it to remove both Toxic Spikes along with other hazards such as Spikes and Stealth Rock on Bellossom's team.
• Due to Strength Sap's ability to force physical sweepers and wallbreakers to switch due to their lowered Attack, hazard support from the likes of defensive Mesprit and Regirock can punish those switches, weakening them down and allowing Bellossom to KO them.
• Wallbreakers such as Magmortar and Life Orb Hitmonchan can help break the likes of specially defensive and physically defensive walls that Bellossom cannot break through such as Ferroseed and Miltank.

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

• A multitude of sets can be optionally ran on Bellossom such as specially offensive Quiver Dance, Chlorophyll sweeper, and physically offensive Swords Dance, however, all of these sets are outclassed by other Grass-Types within the metagame such as Lilligant and Shiftry.
• Leech Seed is an optional move that can be ran in order to force even more switches while further increasing Bellossom's longevity by healing 1/8th of its HP at the end of every turn, however, Bellossom has trouble finding a spot for it on its moveset.
• Sleep Powder is an interesting option for Bellossom due how it allows Bellossom to set up easily and break through some walls that it couldn't other break otherwise, however, Bellossom has trouble find space for it on its moveset.

Checks and Counters
===================


**Fire-Type Pokemon**: Fire-Type Pokemon such as Magmortar and Pyroar prove to be a huge issues for Bellossom within the metagame, due to them easily being able to switch in on any of Bellossom's moves, taking very little from even boosted Moonblast and Giga Drain due to their resistance to both moves, and their ability to easily OHKO or 2HKO Bellossom with their STAB Fire Blast.

**Flying-Type Pokemon**: Flying-Type Pokemon such as Oricorio and Swanna can threaten Bellossom with their Flying-Type STABs, usually OHKOing or doing massive damage to Bellossom. Swanna can even run a physical set which can surprise Bellossom and OHKO it, while all Oricorio formes can take advantage of Bellossom's reliance on Quiver Dance with Dancer, copying Bellossom's Quiver Dance and being able to force out Bellossom and possibly even sweep its team.

**Sap Sipper**: Sap Sipper Pokemon such as Drampa and Miltank are some of the best counters to Bellossom, being able to switch in onto any Bellossom lacking Moonblast and force it out due to their immunity to Giga Drain, and deal heavy damage or inflict status to the teammate switching in.

**Opposing Grass-Type Pokemon**: Opposing Grass-Type Pokemon such as Ferroseed and Alolan Exeggutor prove to be amazing switch-ins onto Bellossom due to them resisting Giga Drain and even Moonblast in some cases, and can threaten Bellossom with their coverage or other STAB moves. However, some Grass-Types such as Gourgeist prove to be ineffective against Bellossom due to Bellossom being able to easily set-up on them and break through them. bellossom beats ferroseed the same way it beats gourgeist. the grasses that should go here are eggy, leafeon (SD will win bc u cant do much back), shiftry (if it's SD vs safeguard bellossom), and roselia

**Toxic Spikes**: Toxic Spikes from the likes of Weezing and Roselia prove to be a hazardous thing for Bellossom to encounter due to Toxic Spikes poisoning Bellossom before it has a chance to set-up Safeguard, which can put Bellossom on a timer and eventually force it to switch and make it loose all of its boosts due to it.

**Super Effective Wallbreakers**: Even if Bellossom can deal with a decent chunk of feared wallbreakers within PU after being boosted, there are some wallbreakers that can break through Bellossom even if boosted. Good examples of these include Aurorus, Alolan Sandslash, and Skuntank.

**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Specially bulky Pokemon such as Assault Vest Hitmonchan, Articuno, and Assault Vest Magmortar u already mentioned mag in fire types, dont put it here. also hitmonchan doesnt do enough to bellossom, it'll strength sap up and set up on chan so idk why it's here. just stick to the 2nd part of this section and add cuno to it can survive any hit Bellossom can throw at them and can retaliate with either super-effective STAB or coverage, usually OHKOing or 2HKOing even boosted Bellossom. On the other hand, specially defensive Pokemon such as Throh, Type: Null, Clefairy, and Audino prove to be hard for Bellossom to break past, with Throh being able to easily phaze Bellossom out with Circle Throw, Type: Null being able to rest off any damage done to it and set up with Swords Dance, and Clefairy and Audino being able to poison Bellossom with Toxic if Safeguard is not up. Clefairy and Audino, however, are not always reliable stops due to how easily they are set-up on, even with Encore. Unlike Clefairy though, Audino can still be an issue though with Wish, allowing it to pass a Wish to a check of Bellossom's and force Bellossom out. this last bit gets a little overly long and specific about dino when it's not super necessary

1/3 once u implement this

 

[MrSnowBro]

Implemented.

 

[asa]

View attachment 105124
[OVERVIEW]

• Bellossom's exclusive access to both Strength Sap and Quiver Dance provides Bellossom with a very unique niche, allowing Bellossom to stand out from its fellow Grass-Type sweepers such as Lilligant by performing the role of a bulky Quiver Dance sweeper within the PU metagame.
• The first of Bellossom's fantastic ('fantastic' isn't the word i'd use.) niches lies in Strength Sap granting Bellossom the ability to lower an opponent's Attack stat by one stage while simultaneously healing its HP, increasing Bellossom's longevity while also making up for Bellossom's little defensive investment, allowing Bellossom to force physical attackers such as Gurdurr and Kangaskhan to switch out after lowering their Attack.
• Bellossom's most important niche lies in Quiver Dance, boosting Bellossom's Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed by 1 stage, which allows Bellossom to avoid becoming overwhelmed with special attackers, while also granting Bellossom the ability to avoid becoming a passive wall, instead allowing Bellossom to outspeed and deal significant damage to non-resisted targets, even sometimes sweeping if Bellossom's checks and counters are removed or weakened. (i'd argue that strength sap is bellossom's bigger niche, since it gives it some use over lilligant. switch these two points around to reflect this.)
• Straying away from its niche in Strength Sap and Quiver Dance causes Bellossom to be outclassed by the multitude of other Grass-Types in PU such as Lilligant, Shiftry, Ferroseed, and Gourgeist due to their much better stats, movepools, and in the case of Shiftry, Ferroseed, and Gourgeist, typing.
• Bellossom has incredibly average stats before and even after boosting, which can cause it to be overwhelmed by physical and special wallbreakers such as Nasty Plot Jynx, Choice Band Primeape, and Magmortar (i'll save you and us too lol the time by saying to remove magmortar mentions. suspect might not be over. but shit's gone.) or outsped by the likes of Choice Scarf Pyroar and Slush Rush Alolan Sandslash (specifically under hail.) who all can OHKO or 2HKO Bellossom before and after boosting.
• Gonna say it here and then provide an example later: A lot of this analysis could just be simplified in order to make it easier to read, including portions of this overview.
• Mention that finding setup opportunities can be annoying, since it lacks the bulk to set up on stuff and Sleep Powder isn't on the main set, so you can't create them either.

[SET]
name: Bulky Quiver Dance
move 1: Strength Sap
move 2: Quiver Dance
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Safeguard / Moonblast
item: Grassium Z / Leftovers
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Strength Sap allows Bellossom to not fall prey to strong physical attackers such as Stoutland by being able to lower their Attack by one stage while also recovering Bellossom's HP, causing Bellossom to not get overwhelmed by physical attackers. Alternatively, Bellossom can use Grassium-Z to turn Strength Sap into Z-Strength Sap to obtain a Defense boost which allows Bellossom to live attacks from similar physical attackers however, with them unable to simply switch out to reset their stat changes and come back in to pressure Bellossom.
• Quiver Dance allows Bellossom to amplify its Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed to incredible levels, allowing Bellossom to outspeed anything that isn't holding a Choice Scarf or boosted, deal decent damage to most things in the metagame, and tank hits from the likes of Swanna and Oricorio-G.
• Giga Drain is Bellossom's STAB move of choice, hitting most things that don't resist it in the metagame for decent damage after one or two boosts while also recovering Bellossom's HP, which in tandem with Strength Sap, increases Bellossom's longevity greatly.
• Safeguard protects Bellossom from status for five turns, granting Bellossom the ability to mainly avoid being put on a timer and forced out by increasing poison damage (just say toxic lol) or being slowed down and having the chance to potentially miss a turn by paralysis.
• Moonblast is a separate option from Safeguard, giving Bellossom the ability to not be walled by the likes of Drampa, Alolan Exeguttor, and Miltank, (rip miltank.) due to their Sap Sipper ability in Drampa's and Miltank's (rip miltank.) case or their 4x resistance to Giga Drain in Alolan Exeguttor's case. Moonblast also allows to hit Grass-Types such as Shiftry and Lilligant before Quiver Dance harder than Giga Drain can.

Set Details
========

• Maximum HP investment allows Bellossom to maximize its bulk allowing it to live a multitude of attacks once it starts getting Special Defense boosts and Attack drops such as Kangaskhan's Double Edge, Choice Band Stoutland's Return, and Choice Specs Mesprit's Psychic. Maximum Speed investment with Timid nature allows Bellossom to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame and even some of the boosted metagame with Bellossom being able to outspeed up to positive natured base 83 Pokemon holding a Choice Scarf.
• Chlorophyll is the chosen ability, as it allows Bellossom to abuse an opponent's harsh sunlight and heavily punish the team, while also being more competitively viable in singles than Healer is. (remove the bit about being more viable in singles, that's unnecessary info.)
• Grassium-Z enables Strength Sap to become Z-Strength Sap and boost Bellossom's Defense by one stage, allowing it to tank hits from physical attackers without them just being able to switch and eliminate the Attack drop from Strength Sap. (nothing about how it can make giga drain turn into bloom doom.)
• Leftovers is an alternative option to Grassium-Z, being able to increase Bellossom's longevity on top of Strength Sap and Giga Drain by recovering 1/16th of Bellossom's HP per turn.

Usage Tips
========

• Bellossom should be used as a bulky sweeper, utilizing Quiver Dance's Special Defense boosts, Strength Sap's Attack drops, and Z-Strength Sap's one-time Defense boost in order to tank hits from hard-hitting sweepers and some wallbreakers within the metagame such as Stoutland and offensive Mesprit while also making use of Quiver Dance's Special Attack and Speed boosts in order to outspeed these Pokemon and deal significant damage to them, 2HKOing them most of the time at +2, thus, allowing Bellossom to avoid becoming an incredibly passive Pokemon and instead being able to cause sweeps when its checks and counters are removed or severely weakened.
• Bellossom shouldn't attempt to switch in to start boosting on the top-tier threats (specific examples, please.) that it can effectively remove after being boosted, due to them being able to break through Bellossom like butter before it boosts. Instead, Bellossom should switch in to start boosting on passive defensive walls that can't deal any significant damage to Bellossom such as Gastrodon, defensive Carracosta, and Palossand (rip palossand.). Bellossom, however, must be wary when switching into these kinds of Pokemon due to their tendency to carry Toxic, which can severely limit Bellossom's ability to sweep.
• Bellossom should only begin boosting up with Quiver Dance and Z-Strength Sap after its checks and counters have all been eliminated or heavily weakened due to their ability to force Bellossom out in fear of a KO, which causes Bellossom to lose all of its boosts. Once this has been accomplished, Bellossom should immediately start setting up with Quiver Dance once it comes into play, boosting its Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed in preparation to sweep the opponent's remaining Pokemon.
• If needed, Bellossom can take on some of its checks such as specially defensive Pokemon such as Audino and Clefairy without team help, utilizing Safeguard to prevent them from using Toxic and setting up Quiver Dances on them in order to break through them.
• Strength Sap can be utilized in long, stalling sections due its ability to heal Bellossom even when the opponent has -6 Attack drops, which saves the power points of Bellossom's only move in Giga Drain, preventing Bellossom from becoming dead weight for the rest of match.

Team Options
========

• Bellossom's poor stats before boosting prevents Bellossom from performing well in hyper offensive and stall playstyles due to Bellossom's need for walls and wallbreakers that can handle Bellossom's checks and counters, this instead, allows Bellossom to perform well in balanced playstyles especially more bulkier playstyles. (this could very easily just say bellossom fits only on balance teams, since it lacks the bulk and offensive stats to fit well on more offensive teams.)
• If forgoing Moonblast, Pokemon that can check the likes of Drampa, Alolan Exeggutor, and Miltank (rip miltank.) such Hitmonchan are well appreciated due to Bellossom unable to deal significant damage to them because of Drampa and Miltank's Sap Sipper ability and Alolan Exeguttor's 4x resistance to Giga Drain. Along with forgoing Moonblast, Pokemon that can handle Flying-Type and opposing Grass-Type Pokemon such as Eelektross and Magmortar are well appreciated due to Bellossom unable to hit them for significant damage with a resisted Giga Drain. (this second bit should be its own point.)
• Even with both Moonblast and Giga Drain, Bellossom still has difficulty getting past Fire-Type and Steel-Types such as Togedemaru and Magmortar due to them resisting both Moonblast and Giga Drain so in turn, Pokemon that can check these types such as Carracosta and Magmortar.
• Ice-Types such as Abomasnow and Alolan Sandslash can be huge nuisances for Bellossom due to their hard-hitting Ice-Type STABs in Blizzard and Icicle Crash, respectively, meaning Fire-Type, Steel-Type, and Water-Type Pokemon that can check the likes of these Pokemon, such as Magmortar and Togedemaru make for respectable teammates, however, Fire-Type and Steel-Type Pokemon will have to watch out for Abomasnow and Alolan Sandslash's Earthquake and Water-Types will need to watch out for Abomasnow's Grass-Type STAB.
• Even with Safeguard, Toxic Spikes proves to be an issue to Bellossom as they activate before Bellossom can set up Safeguard unlike Toxic or Thunder Wave, putting Bellossom on a timer and forcing it out after a few turns, meaning Poison-Type Pokemon or Flying-Type Defoggers such as Skuntank and Swanna are highly appreciated by Bellossom. Skuntank gets special mention here as it gets Defog and is a Poison-Type simultaneously which allows it to remove both Toxic Spikes along with other hazards such as Spikes and Stealth Rock on Bellossom's team. (this is what i was gonna mention for my example of the points being dragged out. like, this could easily just be, 'Bellossom appreciates the removal of Toxic Spikes, since they hinder its longevity, making Pokemon such as Skuntank and Swanna good partners. Skuntank can absorb Toxic Spikes courtesy of its Poison typing, and appreciates Bellossom removing checks like Weezing.')
• Due to Strength Sap's ability to force physical sweepers and wallbreakers to switch due to their lowered Attack, hazard support from the likes of defensive Mesprit and Regirock can punish those switches, weakening them down and allowing Bellossom to KO them. (mesprit provides a slow u-turn and can also give bellossom a second chance with healing wish.)
• Wallbreakers such as Magmortar and Life Orb Hitmonchan can help break the likes of specially defensive and physically defensive walls that Bellossom cannot break through such as Ferroseed and Miltank.

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

• A multitude of sets can be optionally ran on Bellossom such as specially offensive Quiver Dance, Chlorophyll sweeper, and physically offensive Swords Dance, however, all of these sets are outclassed by other Grass-Types within the metagame such as Lilligant and Shiftry.
• Leech Seed is an optional move that can be ran in order to force even more switches while further increasing Bellossom's longevity by healing 1/8th of its HP at the end of every turn, however, Bellossom has trouble finding a spot for it on its moveset.
• Sleep Powder is an interesting option for Bellossom due how it allows Bellossom to set up easily and break through some walls that it couldn't other break otherwise, however, Bellossom has trouble find space for it on its moveset. (this should be higher up, since it gives bello an easier time with setting up.)

Checks and Counters
===================


**Fire-Type Pokemon**: Fire-Type Pokemon such as Magmortar and Pyroar prove to be a huge issues for Bellossom within the metagame, due to them easily being able to switch in on any of Bellossom's moves, taking very little from even boosted Moonblast and Giga Drain due to their resistance to both moves, and their ability to easily OHKO or 2HKO Bellossom with their STAB Fire Blast. (i'm fairly certain that they struggle with breaking it if it accrues enough boosts in spdef, but idk.)

**Flying-Type Pokemon**: Flying-Type Pokemon such as Oricorio and Swanna can threaten Bellossom with their Flying-Type STABs, usually OHKOing or doing massive damage to Bellossom. Swanna can even run a physical set which can surprise Bellossom and OHKO it, while all Oricorio formes can take advantage of Bellossom's reliance on Quiver Dance with Dancer, copying Bellossom's Quiver Dance and being able to force out Bellossom and possibly even sweep its team.

**Sap Sipper**: Sap Sipper Pokemon such as Drampa and Miltank (rip miltank) are some of the best counters to Bellossom, being able to switch in onto any Bellossom lacking Moonblast and force it out due to their immunity to Giga Drain, and deal heavy damage or inflict status to the teammate switching in. (you could probably just axe this whole point, you have mb for drampa.)

**Opposing Grass-Type Pokemon**: Opposing Grass-Type Pokemon such as Leafeon, Shiftry, Alolan Exeggutor, and Roselia can prove to be incredibly difficult for Bellossom to face due their resistance to Bellossom's Giga Drain, as well as Leafeon and Shiftry's access to Swords Dance and Alolan Exeggutor and Roselia's amplified resistances to Giga Drain with their Dragon and Poison typing respectively. However, Shiftry and Alolan Exeggutor prove to be ineffective to Moonblast variants of Bellossom.

**Toxic Spikes**: Toxic Spikes from the likes of Weezing and Roselia prove to be a hazardous thing for Bellossom to encounter due to Toxic Spikes poisoning Bellossom before it has a chance to set-up Safeguard, which can put Bellossom on a timer and eventually force it to switch and make it loose all of its boosts due to it.

**Super Effective Wallbreakers**: Even if Bellossom can deal with a decent chunk of feared wallbreakers within PU after being boosted, there are some wallbreakers that can break through Bellossom even if boosted. Good examples of these include Aurorus, Alolan Sandslash, and Skuntank.

**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Specially defensive Pokemon such as Throh, Type: Null, Clefairy, Audino prove to be hard for Bellossom to break past, with Throh being able to easily phaze Bellossom out with Circle Throw, Type: Null being able to rest off any damage done to it and set up with Swords Dance, and Clefairy and Audino being able to poison Bellossom with Toxic if Safeguard is not up. Clefairy and Audino, however, are not always reliable stops due to how easily they are set-up on, even with Encore. (nah, if you're not z-move and you get encored, you let in stuff like skuntank and then it forces you out.) Unlike Clefairy though, Audino can still be an issue though with Wish.

implement this and i'll look it over again. make sure to remove mag mentions and simplify the analysis as a whole.

 

[MrSnowBro]

Implemented.

 

[asa]

View attachment 105124
[OVERVIEW]

• Bellossom's exclusive access to both Strength Sap and Quiver Dance provides Bellossom with a very unique niche, allowing Bellossom to stand out from its fellow Grass-Type sweepers such as Lilligant by performing the role of a bulky Quiver Dance sweeper within the PU metagame.
• The first of Bellossom's great niches lies in Strength Sap granting Bellossom the ability to lower an opponent's Attack stat by one stage while simultaneously healing its HP, increasing Bellossom's longevity while also making up for Bellossom's little defensive investment, allowing Bellossom to force physical attackers such as Gurdurr and Kangaskhan to switch out after lowering their Attack.
• Bellossom's other great niche lies in Quiver Dance, boosting Bellossom's Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed by 1 stage, which allows Bellossom to avoid becoming overwhelmed with special attackers, while also granting Bellossom the ability to avoid becoming a passive wall, instead allowing Bellossom to outspeed and deal significant damage to non-resisted targets, even sometimes sweeping if Bellossom's checks and counters are removed or weakened.
• Straying away from its niche in Strength Sap and Quiver Dance causes Bellossom to be outclassed by the multitude of other Grass-Types in PU such as Lilligant, Shiftry, Ferroseed, and Gourgeist due to their much better stats, movepools, and in the case of Shiftry, Ferroseed, and Gourgeist, typing.
• Bellossom has incredibly average stats before and even after boosting, which can cause it to be overwhelmed by physical and special wallbreakers such as Nasty Plot Jynx and Choice Band Primeape or outsped by the likes of Choice Scarf Pyroar and Slush Rush Alolan Sandslash under hail who all can OHKO or 2HKO Bellossom before and after boosting.
• Bellossom's poor bulk leaves Bellossom with a very small amount of Pokemon it can set up on, if any. This is especially problematic due to Bellossom's inability to create opportunities unless it carries Sleep Powder, taking up one of its coveted moveslots.

[SET]
name: Bulky Quiver Dance
move 1: Strength Sap
move 2: Quiver Dance
move 3: Giga Drain
move 4: Safeguard / Moonblast
item: Grassium Z / Leftovers
ability: Chlorophyll
nature: Timid
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Strength Sap allows Bellossom to not fall prey to strong physical attackers such as Stoutland by being able to lower their Attack by one stage while also recovering Bellossom's HP, causing Bellossom to not get overwhelmed by physical attackers. Alternatively, Bellossom can use Grassium-Z to turn Strength Sap into Z-Strength Sap to obtain a Defense boost which allows Bellossom to live attacks from similar physical attackers however, with them unable to simply switch out to reset their stat changes and come back in to pressure Bellossom.
• Quiver Dance allows Bellossom to amplify its Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed to incredible levels, allowing Bellossom to outspeed anything that isn't holding a Choice Scarf or boosted, deal decent damage to most things in the metagame, and tank hits from the likes of Swanna and Oricorio-G.
• Giga Drain is Bellossom's STAB move of choice, hitting most things that don't resist it in the metagame for decent damage after one or two boosts while also recovering Bellossom's HP, which in tandem with Strength Sap, increases Bellossom's longevity greatly.
• Safeguard protects Bellossom from status for five turns, granting Bellossom the ability to mainly avoid being put on a timer and forced out by Toxic damage or being slowed down by paralysis.
• Moonblast is a separate option from Safeguard, giving Bellossom the ability to not be walled by the likes of Drampa and Alolan Exeguttor due to Drampa's Sap Sipper or Alolan Exeguttor's 4x resistance to Giga Drain. Moonblast also allows to hit Grass-Types such as Shiftry and Lilligant before Quiver Dance harder than Giga Drain can.

Set Details
========

• Maximum HP investment allows Bellossom to maximize its bulk allowing it to live a multitude of attacks once it starts getting Special Defense boosts and Attack drops such as Kangaskhan's Double Edge, Choice Band Stoutland's Return, and Choice Specs Mesprit's Psychic. Maximum Speed investment with Timid nature allows Bellossom to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame and even some of the boosted metagame with Bellossom being able to outspeed up to positive natured base 83 Pokemon holding a Choice Scarf.
• Chlorophyll is the chosen ability, as it allows Bellossom to abuse an opponent's harsh sunlight and heavily punish the team.
• Grassium-Z enables Strength Sap to become Z-Strength Sap and boost Bellossom's Defense by one stage, allowing it to tank hits from physical attackers without them just being able to switch and eliminate the Attack drop from Strength Sap. Grassium-Z can be also used to turn Giga Drain into a base 140 power Bloom Doom, allowing Bellossom to even break through the likes of weakened specially defensive Pokemon such as Throh and Clefairy.
• Leftovers is an alternative option to Grassium-Z, being able to increase Bellossom's longevity on top of Strength Sap and Giga Drain by recovering 1/16th of Bellossom's HP per turn.

Usage Tips
========

• Bellossom should be used as a bulky sweeper, utilizing Quiver Dance's Special Defense boosts, Strength Sap's Attack drops, and Z-Strength Sap's one-time Defense boost in order to tank hits from hard-hitting sweepers and some wallbreakers within the metagame such as Stoutland and offensive Mesprit while also making use of Quiver Dance's Special Attack and Speed boosts in order to outspeed these Pokemon and deal significant damage to them, 2HKOing them most of the time at +2, thus, allowing Bellossom to avoid becoming an incredibly passive Pokemon and instead being able to cause sweeps when its checks and counters are removed or severely weakened.
• Bellossom shouldn't attempt to switch in to start boosting on the top-tier threats such as Mesprit and Kangaskhan that it can effectively remove after being boosted, due to them being able to break through Bellossom like butter before it boosts. Instead, Bellossom should switch in to start boosting on passive defensive walls that can't deal any significant damage to Bellossom such as Gastrodon and defensive Carracosta. Bellossom, however, must be wary when switching into these kinds of Pokemon due to their tendency to carry Toxic, which can severely limit Bellossom's ability to sweep.
• Bellossom should only begin boosting up with Quiver Dance and Z-Strength Sap after its checks and counters have all been eliminated or heavily weakened due to their ability to force Bellossom out in fear of a KO, which causes Bellossom to lose all of its boosts. Once this has been accomplished, Bellossom should immediately start setting up with Quiver Dance once it comes into play, boosting its Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed in preparation to sweep the opponent's remaining Pokemon.
• If needed, Bellossom can take on some of its checks such as specially defensive Pokemon such as Audino and Clefairy without team help, utilizing Safeguard to prevent them from using Toxic and setting up Quiver Dances on them in order to break through them.
• Strength Sap can be utilized in long, stalling sections due its ability to heal Bellossom even when the opponent has -6 Attack drops, which saves the power points of Bellossom's only move in Giga Drain, preventing Bellossom from becoming dead weight for the rest of match.

Team Options
========

• Bellossom's underwhelming offensive stats and bulk cause Bellossom to fit only on balanced teams, due to these stats performing extremely mediocre in more offensive playstyles.
• If forgoing Moonblast, Pokemon that can check the likes of Drampa and Alolan Exeggutor such Hitmonchan are well appreciated due to Bellossom unable to deal significant damage to them because of Drampa's Sap Sipper ability and Alolan Exeguttor's 4x resistance to Giga Drain.
• Along with forgoing Moonblast, (what does this point have to do with forgoing moonblast? you'll want flying-type checks regardless.) Pokemon that can handle Flying-Type and opposing Grass-Type Pokemon such as Eelektross and Typhlosion (rip typh.) are well appreciated due to Bellossom unable to hit them for significant damage with a resisted Giga Drain.
• Even with both Moonblast and Giga Drain, Bellossom still has difficulty getting past Fire-Type and Steel-Types such as Togedemaru and Magmortar (you missed a mag mention.) due to them resisting both Moonblast and Giga Drain so in turn, Pokemon that can check these types such as Carracosta and Magmortar. (another one.)
• Ice-Types such as Abomasnow and Alolan Sandslash (may as well mention aurorus too.) can be huge nuisances for Bellossom due to their hard-hitting Ice-Type STABs in Blizzard and Icicle Crash, respectively, meaning Fire-Type, Steel-Type, and Water-Type Pokemon that can check the likes of these Pokemon, such as Typhlosion (rip typh.) and Togedemaru make for respectable teammates, however, Fire-Type and Steel-Type Pokemon will have to watch out for Abomasnow and Alolan Sandslash's Earthquake and Water-Types will need to watch out for Abomasnow's Grass-Type STAB. (more solid checks to ice-types would be appreciated, since toge gets fucked by focus blast / earth power and still takes a ton from aurorus's blizzard.)
• Even with Safeguard, Toxic Spikes prove to be a major issue for Bellossom, due to them putting it on a timer and hindering its longevity. Because of this, Defog support from the likes of Swanna and Skuntank are highly appreciated. Skuntank can even absorb Toxic Spikes with its Poison typing, and appreciates Bellossom's ability to remove checks such as Weezing.
• Due to Strength Sap's ability to force physical sweepers and wallbreakers to switch due to their lowered Attack, hazard support from the likes of defensive Mesprit and Regirock can punish those switches, weakening them down and allowing Bellossom to KO them. Mesprit is further appreciated by Bellossom due to Mesprit's ability to provide Bellossom with a slow U-turn and even a second chance at sweeping with Healing Wish.
• Wallbreakers such as Life Orb Hitmonchan (list more examples, and make sure that they're common bc lo chan isn't a common wallbreaker.) can help break the likes of specially defensive and physically defensive walls that Bellossom cannot break through such as Ferroseed.

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

• A multitude of sets can be optionally ran on Bellossom such as specially offensive Quiver Dance, Chlorophyll sweeper, and physically offensive Swords Dance, however, all of these sets are outclassed by other Grass-Types within the metagame such as Lilligant and Shiftry.\
• Sleep Powder is an interesting option for Bellossom due how it allows Bellossom to set up easily and break through some walls that it couldn't other break otherwise, however, Bellossom has trouble find space for it on its moveset. (when i said higher up, i meant the first point, though that's my fault for failing to specify.)
• Leech Seed is an optional move that can be ran in order to force even more switches while further increasing Bellossom's longevity by healing 1/8th of its HP at the end of every turn, however, Bellossom has trouble finding a spot for it on its moveset.
• Modest.

Checks and Counters
===================


**Fire-Type Pokemon**: Fire-Type Pokemon such as Typhlosion (rip typh.) and Pyroar prove to be a huge issues for Bellossom, due to them easily being able to switch in on any of Bellossom's moves, taking very little from even boosted Moonblast and Giga Drain due to their resistance to both moves, and their ability to easily OHKO or 2HKO Bellossom with their STAB Fire Blast.

**Flying-Type Pokemon**: Flying-Type Pokemon such as Oricorio and Swanna can threaten Bellossom with their Flying-Type STABs, usually OHKOing or doing massive damage to Bellossom. Swanna can even run a physical set which can surprise Bellossom and OHKO it, while all Oricorio formes can take advantage of Bellossom's reliance on Quiver Dance with Dancer, copying Bellossom's Quiver Dance and being able to force out Bellossom and possibly even sweep its team.

**Opposing Grass-Type Pokemon**: Opposing Grass-Type Pokemon such as Leafeon, Shiftry, Alolan Exeggutor, and Roselia can prove to be incredibly difficult for Bellossom to face due their resistance to Bellossom's Giga Drain, as well as Leafeon and Shiftry's access to Swords Dance and Alolan Exeggutor and Roselia's amplified resistances to Giga Drain with their Dragon and Poison typing respectively. However, Shiftry and Alolan Exeggutor prove to be ineffective to Moonblast variants of Bellossom.

**Toxic Spikes**: Toxic Spikes from the likes of Weezing and Roselia prove to be a hazardous thing for Bellossom to encounter due to Toxic Spikes poisoning Bellossom before it has a chance to set-up Safeguard, which can put Bellossom on a timer and eventually force it to switch and make it loose all of its boosts due to it.

**Super Effective Wallbreakers**: Even if Bellossom can deal with a decent chunk of feared wallbreakers within PU after being boosted, there are some wallbreakers that can break through Bellossom even if boosted. Good examples of these include Aurorus, Alolan Sandslash, and Skuntank.

**Specially Defensive Pokemon**: Specially defensive Pokemon such as Throh, Type: Null, Clefairy, Audino prove to be hard for Bellossom to break past, with Throh being able to easily phaze Bellossom out with Circle Throw, Type: Null being able to rest off any damage done to it and set up with Swords Dance, and Clefairy and Audino being able to poison Bellossom with Toxic if Safeguard is not up. Clefairy and Audino can even prove to be more difficult with Encore, due to them being able to lock Bellossom into a single move, allowing checks such as Skuntank to come in and force Bellossom out. Going even further, Audino can prove to be an even bigger issue with Wish. (cm clefairy can set up alongside you.)

2/3. write this up and such. also new stamp!!!!

 

[yogi]

how's this coming along?

 

[MrSnowBro]

My apologies for getting back to you so late. I've been currently focused on my new job and haven't really been working on this. I'll have it done as soon as I possibly can.

 

[yogi]

Any progress on this?

 

[asa]

This is being taken over by Taskr due to inactivity and stuff.