Breloom in SoulGold: Triage makes Drain Punch a +3 priority move

Breloom is my favorite ‘mon in SoulGold, and Triage is why. At Lv 95 its Drain Punch goes first almost every turn, hits hard, and heals it. Put a Focus Sash on it and nothing can OHKO it from full HP, so you always get that punch in.

Why Breloom is broken

Triage gives every healing move +3 priority, and Drain Punch is a healing move. That puts Drain Punch in the same bracket as Fake Out. It goes before Mach Punch (+1) and Extreme Speed (+2), and before every normal move no matter how fast the target is. At 95 the punch is 75 base power, times 1.2 from Iron Fist, times 1.5 from STAB, and Breloom heals 50% of the damage it deals.

Here’s the full ladder:

• Ability: Effect Spore or Poison Heal, or Technician as the hidden ability (moves with 60 base power or less do 50% more).
• Lv 75, Plantation: damaging moves have a 30% chance to seed a non-Grass target.
• Lv 85, Iron Fist: punching moves do 20% more. That covers Drain Punch and Mach Punch.
• Lv 95, Triage: healing moves get +3 priority.

The first time I watched it outspeed a Choice Scarf user with a fighting move and heal off the hit, I rebuilt my whole Title Defense team around it.

The Breloom set

Move	Why
Drain Punch	TM85, from the item ball on Route 39. At 95 it’s +3 priority STAB that heals you.
Spore	Sleep on anything that can be put to sleep. Breloom learns it at Lv 1, so take it from the move relearner on the summary screen.
Bullet Seed	Grass STAB from the Olivine City tutor. Technician boosts every hit.
Swords Dance	From the Olivine City tutor. Spore something, then set up while it sleeps.

Mach Punch is the swap if your Breloom isn’t 95 yet. It learns Mach Punch on evolution, and with Iron Fist at 85 it’s still a useful +1. Rock Tomb (TM39, item ball on Route 35) is there if Flying types keep walling you.

The Olivine City tutor lives in the top-right house. Pay 44,444 once and you can teach tutor moves from the summary screen forever.

Item: Focus Sash. It means the first hit never takes you out from full, and from then on Drain Punch keeps topping you up.

Ability: Technician. Poison Heal wants a Toxic Orb, and that item slot belongs to the Sash. Use an Ability Patch to unlock Technician.

Nature and EVs: I run Adamant with 252 Attack, 252 Speed and 4 HP. Triage takes care of Drain Punch’s speed, but Spore and Bullet Seed still need the Speed. Mints are sold at the Olivine beach café, and the EX vitamins max a stat in one go.

Where to get Shroomish and Breloom

Breloom isn’t in the wild. You catch Shroomish and evolve it.

Where	Level	Rate
Ilex Forest (grass)	10 to 15	30%
Goldenrod Shore Hidden Grotto	20	25%

Shroomish evolves into Breloom at Lv 23. The grotto one is closer to that already.

Here’s how I’d put it together:

1. Catch Shroomish in Ilex Forest, or in the Goldenrod Shore grotto.
2. Level it to 23 and let it evolve. It learns Mach Punch on evolution.
3. Pick up TM85 Drain Punch from the item ball on Route 39.
4. Pay the Olivine City tutor and teach Bullet Seed and Swords Dance.
5. Pull Spore from the relearner on the summary screen.
6. Use an Ability Patch to get Technician. They’re item balls on Route 27, Snowtop Mountain B1F, Tin Tower 4F and Whirl Islands Descent, a hidden item in Union Cave B2F, a Buena’s Password prize, and stock in the Battle Factory lobby mart.
7. Grab the Focus Sash from the Kitakami Temple Training Room, and you’re ready to grind it to 95.

The Training Room Sash is a one-time gift. If you want spares for other teams, the Battle Pyramid lobby mart sells them in the postgame.

When Breloom comes online

Triage turns on at Lv 95. The story’s level cap stops at 70 until you’re Champion, so in the main game Breloom has none of its innates. Plantation arrives at 75 and Iron Fist at 85.

Title Defense challengers and the Elite Four rematches are Lv 85. You can take an 85 Breloom in there with Iron Fist, but the +3 Drain Punch needs your Breloom at 95. I fed mine Exp Candy XL from the Battle Tower BP shop rather than grind it the slow way.

The battle facilities skip the wait. In the Battle Tower, Factory, Pyramid and Battle Café challenges, every innate is on at any level. A Lv 50 Breloom in Classic mode already has Triage, Iron Fist and Plantation. That’s where I’d try the set first.

If you want it in the main story, the Artifact of Chaos in Elm’s lab turns on every innate from Lv 1. It does that for every trainer you fight too.

What beats Breloom

• Psychic Terrain. Priority moves can’t hit grounded targets in it, so Drain Punch loses its jump.
• Dazzling, Queenly Majesty and Armor Tail. These block priority moves aimed at their holder. Check the target’s innates before you click Drain Punch.
• Flying types. Grass/Fighting takes four times damage from Flying moves. A fast Flying attacker can break the Sash turn and still win. Rock Tomb helps, but it won’t save you every time.
• Anything Spore can’t touch. Grass types, Overcoat, Safety Goggles, Insomnia, Vital Spirit, and Electric or Misty Terrain all stop it. Without Spore you lose your free Swords Dance turn.

Go grab that Shroomish in Ilex Forest, then look at the best innate combos for what to put next to it.