Gloom

Using Gloom in a Playthrough

The Oddish line provides a status-oriented Grass option that branches after Gloom into the Grass/Poison Vileplume or pure Grass Bellossom. Oddish and Gloom can contribute through Grass STAB and powder-based status moves, while Vileplume develops greater direct special offense and retains Poison STAB and the defensive traits of Grass/Poison typing. Bellossom trades away the Poison typing and follows a more defensively oriented path, with later generations also giving it access to setup options such as Quiver Dance. Availability and movepool timing strongly affect the line's usefulness between games; for example, Bellossom cannot be obtained during the main story of FireRed and LeafGreen because Gloom's evolution into it is blocked until the National Pokedex is obtained.

Gloom in Competitive Pokémon

Vileplume has historically found lower-tier competitive niches as a bulky Grass/Poison Pokemon using tools such as Sleep Powder, Giga Drain, Effect Spore, and in later generations Strength Sap. Strength Sap is particularly valuable because it simultaneously restores Vileplume's health and lowers an opponent's Attack, allowing it to repeatedly disrupt physical attackers while remaining healthy. Bellossom follows a different competitive path and has used Quiver Dance together with recovery such as Strength Sap or Giga Drain to attempt late-game sweeps, but Smogon analyses generally note that competition from stronger Grass-types limits its viability. The branch therefore offers two distinct roles: Vileplume is usually the more established defensive and disruptive option, while Bellossom is more associated with setup.

Gloom in Nuzlockes

The Oddish line can be highly useful in Nuzlockes when obtained before important Water-, Ground-, or Electric-oriented sections of a game, particularly because status moves give it options beyond direct damage. FireRed community analysis places Vileplume favorably because Oddish is available before several useful matchups, Vileplume has enough bulk to survive neutral attacks, and delaying evolution can provide access to recovery such as Moonlight depending on the desired moveset. Its Grass/Poison typing also creates serious weaknesses to Psychic, Fire, Ice, and Flying attacks that require planned switching rather than blind use. Bellossom can provide an alternative with different defensive properties where Sun Stones and the evolution itself are available, but in FireRed and LeafGreen it cannot be used for the main story.

Gloom continuously produces a sticky nectar from its mouth that resembles drool and can act as fertilizer for plants. Both this nectar and the flower on its head emit an extremely strong odor capable of causing humans to faint from more than a mile away, although the smell also attracts prey and is pleasant to a small minority of people. Gloom's odor becomes stronger when it senses danger and is suppressed when it feels safe, making the smell part of an active defensive response rather than merely a constant by-product. The odor is also sufficiently distinctive to be used as an ingredient in perfume production.