Bellossom Movesets & Competitive Sets

Moves Strength Sap allows Bellossom to not fall prey to strong physical attackers such as Hitmonchan by lowering their Attack by one stage while also recovering Bellossom's HP. Giga Drain recovers Bellossom's HP, which in tandem with Strength Sap increases Bellossom's longevity significantly. Moonblast gives Bellossom coverage for Dragon-types such as Altaria and Drampa. Alternatively, Safeguard grants Bellossom the ability to mainly avoid being put on a timer and forced out by Toxic damage or being slowed down by paralysis. Set Details Maximum HP investment allows Bellossom to take a multitude of attacks once it starts getting Special Defense boosts and Attack drops, such as Stoutland's Return. Maximum Speed investment with a Timid nature allows Bellossom to outspeed Pokemon around the base 100 Speed mark such as non-Choice Scarf Swanna after a Quiver Dance, although it is worth noting that Bellossom needs two Quiver Dances set up to outspeed non-Choice Scarf Dodrio. Chlorophyll allows Bellossom to exploit opposing sun teams by being able to set up on the likes of Shiftry and outspeeding the rest of their team at +1 Speed in sun. Grassium Z enables Strength Sap to 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 also be used to turn Giga Drain into a 140-Base Power Bloom Doom, allowing Bellossom to even break through weakened specially defensive Pokemon such as Throh and Hitmonchan. Leftovers is an alternative to Grassium Z, being able to increase Bellossom's longevity on top of Strength Sap and Giga Drain, and is mostly used when your team already has a Z-Move user. 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 to tank hits from hard-hitting sweepers and some wallbreakers such as Stoutland and Aggron. Bellossom shouldn't attempt to switch in to start boosting on threats such as Lycanroc and Kangaskhan that it can effectively remove after being boosted, due to them being able to break through Bellossom before it boosts. Instead, it should switch in to start boosting on passive defensive walls that can't deal any significant damage to Bellossom such Audino. 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 in preparation to sweep the opponent's remaining Pokemon. If needed, Bellossom can take on some of its checks such as specially defensive Pokemon like Munchlax and non-Calm Mind Clefairy without team help, utilizing Safeguard to prevent them from inducing status with Toxic and setting up Quiver Dances on them to break through them. Safeguard can also be used to prevent the team from being induced with status. Be careful of reducing the opposing Pokemon's Attack stat too much, since this can cause Strength Sap to recover minimal amounts of HP and force Bellossom to rely on Giga Drain for recovery. Team Options Bellossom's underwhelming offensive stats and bulk leave it extremely mediocre on more offensive playstyles, allowing it to fit only on balanced and bulky offensive teams. If forgoing Moonblast, Pokemon that can check Drampa such as Hitmonchan are well appreciated due to Bellossom's inability to deal significant damage to it because of its Sap Sipper ability. Hitmonchan can also spin away problematic hazards such as Toxic Spikes. Bellossom appreciates Pokemon such as Eelektross and Regirock that can handle opposing Flying- and Fire-type Pokemon due to their resistance to Giga Drain. Ice-types such as Abomasnow and Alolan Sandslash can be huge nuisances for Bellossom due to their hard-hitting STAB attacks in Blizzard and Icicle Crash, respectively, meaning Fire-, Steel-, and Fighting-type Pokemon that can check these Pokemon, such as Combusken, Alolan Sandslash, and Gurdurr, make for respectable teammates. However, Fire-type and other Steel-Type Pokemon like Combusken and Metang will have to watch out for Abomasnow and Alolan Sandslash's Earthquake. Even with Safeguard, Toxic Spikes proves to be a major issue for Bellossom, due to them putting it on a timer and hindering its longevity. Because of this, Bellossom appreciates Defog support from the likes of Swanna and Skuntank. Skuntank can even absorb Toxic Spikes with its Poison typing and appreciates Bellossom's ability to remove checks such as Regirock. Due to Strength Sap's ability to force physical sweepers and wallbreakers to switch, entry hazard support from the likes of defensive Qwilfish and Regirock is appreciated to punish those switches, weakening foes and allowing Bellossom to knock them out.

Moves Solar Beam is Bellossom's strongest attack by far. Hidden Power Fire hits Grass- and Steel-types, which resist Solar Beam, such as Roselia and Metang. Hidden Power Rock is an option over Hidden Power Fire, as it can deal super effective damage against Fire-types, which can trouble Bellossom. Moonblast hits Dragon-types such as Fraxure super effectively, although it barely outdamages even a resisted Solar Beam unless it's super effective. Sleep Powder allows Bellossom to put bulkier foes capable of surviving an attack to sleep for an easier 2HKO. Set Details Maximum Special Attack EVs with a Modest nature and a Life Orb allow Bellossom to hit as hard as possible, and maximum Speed investment helps it outspeed nearly every unboosted Pokemon in the metagame when sun is set up. Usage Tips Bellossom can be used as either a wallbreaker or a late-game cleaner in tandem with other sun sweepers. Sleep Powder should be used on foes capable of surviving a hit from Bellossom, as well as to cripple foes capable of walling Bellossom's teammates. Solar Beam should be the go-to move, as even neutrally it hits as hard as a super effective Hidden Power Fire under the sun and a super effective Moonblast, making it Bellossom's easiest move to spam. Keep in mind that, despite Chlorophyll doubling its Speed, Bellossom will still be slower than all common Choice Scarf users and Ninjask. Team Options Bellossom should only be used on sun-based teams. Sunny Day users such as Onix and Volbeat are essential for setting sun for Bellossom and its teammates, and other sun abusers such as Sawsbuck and Weepinbell are good Pokemon to use alongside Bellossom to overload their checks and counters. Fire-types such as Rapidash not only see use on sun teams thanks to the sun boosting their STAB attacks but can also help check opposing Fire-types that threaten Bellossom, such as Ninetales, as well as Steel-types that wall it, such as Metang. Rock-types such as Probopass are useful for checking Ninjask, which can outspeed and OHKO Bellossom even under sun; however, Ninjask is still capable of U-turning out as Bellossom switches either way. Bulky pivots such as Grumpig and the aforementioned Probopass can be used to check the Choice Scarf users that can outspeed Bellossom even under sun, such as Mr. Mime and Simipour.

Bellossom's best bet is running a niche dual powder set, checking Pokemon such as specially offensive Samurott, Ludicolo, and Musharna. Sleep Powder and Stun Spore spread status throughout the opposing team, giving Bellossom's teammates several chances to set up. Giga Drain is a solid STAB attack that also grants Bellossom nifty recovery. Hidden Power Rock hits all of the Pokemon that switch into Giga Drain, such as Bug-, Fire-, and Flying-types. However, Synthesis is a reliable recovery option that can be used over Hidden Power Rock if Bellossom's longevity is important. Sweepers such as Shell Smash Carracosta and Shift Gear Klang are great partners for Bellossom because they synergize well with it and can easily set up on a sleeping or paralyzed foe. Metang is a good defensive partner as it has similar symmetry to Klang, but it also supports the team with Stealth Rock. Lastly, Fighting-types make great partners because they can eliminate Sap Sipper Pokemon that walk all over this set.

Leaf Blade is the chosen attacking move for Bellossom, as it allows it to beat most Calm Mind users that may try and set up on it, most notably Misdreavus, Golduck, and Substitute Mantine. Energy Ball is another option, as it uses Bellossom's slightly higher Special Attack to get OHKOs on Rhydon and Relicanth. Sleep Powder is one of Bellossom's most useful moves, as it allows it to essentially eliminate one of its switchi-ns, notably Victreebel. Leech Seed helps provide Bellossom with more passive recovery, while Stun Spore can be used to help cripple foes like Murkrow that might otherwise switch into Bellossom freely. Bellossom's ability to check most Water-types makes it a great partner for Pokemon like Magmar, Rhydon, and Relicanth that normally are threatened by or have trouble breaking through bulky Water-types like Quagsire and Mantine. Rhydon and Relicanth also deal with Muk very easily, which Bellossom greatly appreciates. Monferno is an option to help with opposing Grass-types like Tangela and Victreebel that Bellossom can't damage well as well as providing U-turn support. Bellossom also appreciates Water-type teammates like Politoed and Mantine to switch into Fire-type moves from opposing Magmar.

This set is best used as a late-game sweeper, hopefully once the opponent's Fire-, Poison-, and Fire-types have been sufficiently weakened. The idea is simply to get Bellossom in, set up Sunny Day, and pummel the foe with Solar Beam and Hidden Power Fire. Sleep Powder is Bellossom's ace in the hole, allowing it to safely switch out of a dangerous situation or potentially break through a foe that it wouldn't normally have a chance against, such as Golbat or Flareon. With Sunny Day up, Bellossom safely outspeeds the entire tier unless the opponent is packing Tangela, and Hidden Power Fire gains a pseudo-STAB boost to give Bellossom great two-move coverage. The major downside to using Bellossom as a weather sweeper compared to its main competition in Huntail is that Bellossom is fairly vulnerable without Sunny Day up; Solar Beam needs to charge without sun and Hidden Power Fire is pretty weak. With the given EV spread, Bellossom is as strong as possible while outspeeding the entire tier with Sunny Day up. A Timid nature is certainly doable, as it allows Bellossom to at worst Speed tie other Bellossom in the sun and outspeed as much as possible before setting up Sunny Day, giving it the chance to potentially put something like Modest Huntail or maximum Speed Octillery to sleep with Sleep Powder beforehand. A bulkier EV spread of 252 HP / 100 SpA / 52 SpD / 104 Spe with a Modest nature allows Bellossom to completely avoid the 2HKO from Timid Huntail's Ice Beam while still outspeeding the tier in the sun. The only move on this set that's replaceable is Sleep Powder, which should only be done if sleep moves make an appearance elsewhere on your team. If this is the case, Sleep Powder can be replaced with Moonlight to give Bellossom a ton of longevity in and out of the sun. It can also be replaced with a secondary Grass-type STAB move such as Giga Drain so that Bellossom isn't quite so vulnerable out of the sun. Bellossom 2HKOes a decent portion of the tier but OHKOes very little, highlighting the importance of making sure that Bellossom is saved for the late-game once the opponent's team is sufficiently weakened. Flareon and other Fire-types present the largest roadblock to successfully sweeping with Bellossom, as they take a pittance from Bellossom's attacks and gain a super boost to their STAB moves in the sun. Hitmonchan thus makes a good teammate, as it can switch into and weaken or KO the Fire-types in the tier with Earthquake, as well as take on other special walls like Kecleon and Lickitung with its Fighting-type STAB moves. A special mention needs to go to Diglett here, as it can trap and KO the Fire-types in the tier thanks to Arena Trap, as well as take out Swalot and Arbok, guaranteeing they are out of the way for Bellossom later in the match. Flying-types also present a tough obstacle for Bellossom, making a lure like Stun Spore Venomoth a good teammate to cripple them.

By sheer stats, Bellossom is one of the specially bulkiest Pokemon available in the NU tier, and this set attempts to make the most of that fact. This set should be used on teams that need a solid counter to Huntail, Haunter, and Plusle in one slot, which other similar specially bulky Pokemon like Dewgong and Flareon cannot provide. Otherwise, Roselia will probably fit better on teams in this Bellossom's place due to the Spikes it provides. Sleep Powder is one of the major draws to using Bellossom, and it is almost non-negotiable on this set in order to cripple dangerous offensive Pokemon looking to use Bellossom as setup bait. Giga Drain is recommended as the primary STAB move due to the secondary healing it provides, although Hidden Power Grass is a viable alternative, as it is stronger and has way more PP. Stun Spore pairs very well with Sleep Powder and can cripple common switch-ins to Bellossom like Murkrow to allow for a teammate to sweep later in the match. Toxic is a good alternative in the third slot, as it will allow Bellossom to beat other defensive Pokemon like Sableye and Chimecho one-on-one. The last slot goes to Moonlight to provide Bellossom with a reliable source of healing and allow it to effectively counter Huntail throughout the match. Maximum Special Defense investment is recommended so that Bellossom is bulky enough to take on Huntail and other special attackers throughout the match. Some Defense investment can be run so that Bellossom is better equipped to check the Rock-types in the tier, although Bellossom requires significant investment to avoid the 2HKO from Choice Band Relicanth and Graveler, and at that point you're probably better off using Tangela. Protect is the most prominent alternative that should be put over Moonlight, as it can help Bellossom stall for Toxic damage and scout Choice Band attackers' moves. Hidden Power Fire is usable in the last moveslot to ward off opposing Grass- and Bug-types that will otherwise have an easy switch into Bellossom, particularly Roselia, since it also doesn't mind status thanks to Natural Cure. Defensive Bellossom fits best on balance teams as part of a defensive backbone to support frailer attackers that need a safety net against a variety of special threats in a single teamslot. With Bellossom covering these, a physically defensive teammate is needed to complete the core. Relicanth is highly recommended for this reason, as they have fantastic synergy together; Sableye and Wailord are also good teammates to consider. Bellossom tends to force a lot of switches because of the status that it throws out, meaning it fits particularly well on Spikes-centered teams. To avoid stacking type weaknesses, Glalie therefore makes the best Spiker to pair with Bellossom. Swalot completely mangles this set thanks to Liquid Ooze and its fantastic special bulk, making a teammate that can eliminate it like Chimecho or Piloswine much appreciated. Chimecho also helps significantly with Roselia, and in return Bellossom covers Huntail and Dark-type attacks aimed Chimecho.

Set Description The goals of this set are two-fold: spread paralysis to foes beyond just passive RestTalk users and turn Bellossom into a damage-dealing threat rather than relegating it to a purely supportive role. With Swords Dance to boost its attack, Bellossom can topple some of its usual status absorber checks like Hypno and Ampharos, as, despite their impressive bulk, they cannot withstand boosted physical attacks for long. This buys Bellossom an opportunity to either attempt to take something down with its physical move of choice or land crippling paralysis on a more desirable target with Stun Spore. Return is the standard attacking option and comes without any drawback, although Double-Edge grants Bellossom enough power that it can cleanly 2HKO Scyther and Dodrio after using Swords Dance, albeit at the cost of taking recoil. Crafty opponents will realize that this physical threat comes at the cost of possible coverage attacks and potentially wall Bellossom with Omastar, Haunter, or Magneton. While the standard choice for a fourth move is to take advantage of Bellossom's healing moves like Moonlight, which allows Bellossom to play a defensive role alongside its offensive strategy, an alternative option is to forgo reliable healing and take a more offensive route by choosing Giga Drain, which allows it to remain effective against Slowbro and Slowking and OHKO or come close to OHKOing Omastar, Kabutops, and Graveler. Another alternative is Hidden Power Ground, which allows it to OHKO Magneton all of the time and Haunter about half of the time after a Swords Dance boost. Should this more offensive route be chosen, Bellossom will require a much greater amount of support from its teammates and will not reliably be able to check foes like Electabuzz and Nidoqueen as it usually can. In contrast, with Moonlight and Stun Spore, Bellossom retains much of its usual defensive efficacy and makes for an excellent supporter, especially for Normal-types such as Granbull, Dodrio, and Lickitung. Whereas more passive sets such as those with Leech Seed are well suited to reactive play, this set benefits more from playing aggressively to force reactive play from opponents, which will lead to Bellossom being in a better position to spread status without risking taking heavy hits from foes such as Qwilfish and Scyther. Team Options Swords Dance Bellossom makes for a great addition to a paralysis-based offensive team. Its knack for spreading paralysis to Normal-resistant Pokemon makes Pokemon like Hidden Power Ground Granbull and Dodrio even more difficult to deal with. Other foes that Swords Dance Bellossom tends to be able to target with Stun Spore include Qwilfish, Scyther, and Nidoqueen. Setup sweepers such as Kabutops, Pinsir, Victreebel, and Politoed greatly appreciate these Pokemon being paralyzed, as their sweeps are often cut short by these foes. Teammates that generally appreciate paralysis, such as Belly Drum Quagsire, Belly Drum Politoed, Substitute Pikachu, Substitute Sandslash, and Substitute Mr. Mime, are also good choices for teammates. As Bellossom struggles to beat Curse Granbull due to it accruing Defense boosts, teammates such as Haunter and Magneton also make for sensible choices. Omastar can also be solid choice for this purpose despite its tendency to feature more often on defensive teams, as it is capable of running a more offensive set with Thief or Ancient Power to increase its threat level. As Swords Dance Bellossom often lacks Grass-type STAB attacks, assistance in taking on Ground-types such as Piloswine, Nidoqueen, and Sandslash is appreciated; bulky Water-types such as Slowbro and Blastoise make for good choices in this regard and can also double as status absorbers. Despite being known primarily for their defensive prowess, these bulky Water-types also have substantial damage output that is enough to scare out many offensive Pokemon that Bellossom has inflicted with paralysis.

Set Description Bellossom aims to spread status and force switches with this set. With adequate defensive stats and useful typing, Bellossom has no trouble finding opportunities to switch in, from which point it can spread paralysis with Stun Spore or put something to sleep with Sleep Powder. Leech Seed is a solid option for Bellossom, as it forces most foes to retreat, which can allow Bellossom to target additional foes with Stun Spore. Should resilient foes such as Hypno aim to prevent Bellossom from spreading status by staying in, they make for easy opportunities for Bellossom's teammates to set up boosts. Bellossom has a couple of alternatives for its STAB attack; Hidden Power Grass is perfectly accurate and has a decent Base Power but requires Bellossom to sacrifice HP DVs, whereas Razor Leaf is a weaker option that is not obtainable on the same set as Leech Seed but has no major drawback. If Bellossom uses Razor Leaf, this frees up Hidden Power to be used as a coverage attack. Hidden Power Ice or Hidden Power Fire can be used to hit foes such as Scyther, Dodrio, Magneton, and opposing Grass-types that would wall Leech Seed Bellossom, such as Jumpluff and Victreebel, super effectively. Scyther is particularly dangerous due to its access to Swords Dance and Baton Pass, so these options can be useful to deter it. The choice between the two comes down to a couple of factors; Hidden Power Fire hits the more common Magneton hard but requires the sacrifice of a substantial amount of HP due to DV requirements, whereas Hidden Power Ice can threaten Dodrio. However, even hitting super effectively, Bellossom's damage output is rather underwhelming, so Leech Seed is the preferred option. Moonlight is a strong recovery option with no major drawback that provides Bellossom with a moveslot advantage over RestTalk users such as Hypno and Slowking. Team Options Bellossom makes for an excellent support Pokemon to a wide variety of offensive Pokemon. Setup sweepers such as Pinsir, Curse Granbull, Sandslash, and Quagsire can strongly benefit from having their checks paralyzed before they attempt to set up. Pokemon that can effectively use Substitute such as Pikachu, Mr. Mime, and Sandslash also become more threatening if foes have been paralyzed by Bellossom. Defensively, Bellossom finds it helpful for Granbull to be safely checked, so Omastar, Haunter, and Magneton make for useful teammates. Omastar in particular has solid defensive synergy with Bellossom, as Bellossom can handle some of the Electric-types, bulky Water-types, and Ground-type attacks that often target it. As Bellossom lacks Rest to cure status effects, Heal Bell Granbull can be a very useful teammate. Granbull also relieves Bellossom against a potential Fire Blast Nidoqueen, which comes quite close to 2HKOing Bellossom and is therefore dangerous to deal with. Blastoise is another teammate that is useful in this regard while also providing Rapid Spin support. Furthermore, Blastoise easily withstands the tier's few special STAB attacks that hit Bellossom super effectively, such as Piloswine's Ice-type moves and STAB attacks from Fire-types, giving the pair great synergy. If Bellossom can paralyze Qwilfish, not only will sweepers like Pinsir and Sandslash have a much easier time, but Blastoise will also find it easier to keep Spikes off the field and keep Qwilfish under pressure to stop it from firing off attacks. Ideally, Bellossom does not want to have to deal with Electric-types that often sport Ice- or Fire-type coverage; Ground-types that can shrug off Ice- and Fire-type attacks such as Nidoqueen, Quagsire, and Piloswine can assist with patching this weakness. As Scyther and Pinsir are dangerous sweepers and threaten an OHKO on Bellossom after a Swords Dance, it is useful to have Flying-types such as Crobat, Gligar, Gyarados, and Scyther to help deal with them; Crobat reliably prevents Scyther from passing Swords Dance boosts; Gligar checks both adequately and, alongside Bellossom, makes for a combination that can take on most Nidoqueen reliably, as it can wall Fire Blast variants safely; Gyarados threatens both with STAB Hidden Power Flying and has access to Roar to prevent Scyther from passing boosts; and Scyther makes for a decent Pinsir check and can help finish off a weakened, paralyzed opposing Scyther safely. Finally, as Bellossom can force switches effectively, Spikes from Qwilfish can be useful to punish foes switching in.