Is Gloom Good?

No, Gloom is not good as a standalone Pokémon. It is a slow, defensively vulnerable middle-stage evolution strictly meant to be evolved into Vileplume or Bellossom. While Sleep Powder and Giga Drain offer decent mid-game utility during story playthroughs, its poor stats make it completely unviable in competitive PvP.

Gloom is merely a stepping stone with decent status moves, entirely outclassed until you use a Sun or Leaf Stone.

Rating 3.5/10 · Tier Unranked (PvP) / C-(In-Game) · Role : Status Utility / Evolution Fodder

Strengths

• Access to highly accurate Sleep Powder for easy captures and momentum.
• Chlorophyll ability doubles its sluggish Speed in Sun teams during playthroughs.
• Reliable self-recovery via Moonlight and Giga Drain.

Weaknesses

• Abysmal Speed tier leaves it outsped by almost every offensive threat.
• Weak to common offensive types like Flying, Fire, Ice, and Psychic.
• Offensive output is too low to secure one-hit KOs without evolving.
• Requires an Eviolite to survive neutral hits in mid-to-late game routes.

Gloom operates strictly as an NFE (Not Fully Evolved) utility piece during the early-to-mid stages of a playthrough. In any competitive format, including Scarlet and Violet ranked ladders, it is entirely unviable. It lacks the defensive stats to function as a wall and the offensive presence to act as a sweeper.

Its primary role in a story team is applying status conditions. With access to Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, and Stun Spore, Gloom serves as a dedicated disrupter. You send it in, put a target to sleep, and either chip away with Giga Drain or switch to a better damage dealer.

The Eviolite Reliance

If you choose to delay its evolution, Gloom absolutely requires an Eviolite to survive. This held item boosts its Defense and Special Defense by 50%, transforming it from a fragile liability into a passable mid-game sponge. However, relying on Eviolite means sacrificing passive recovery from Leftovers or damage boosts from Miracle Seed.

Even with enhanced bulk, Gloom's sluggish Speed means it will always take a hit before acting. In modern games where offensive power creep is significant, taking a neutral hit just to land a Sleep Powder is rarely a winning trade.

Gloom finds its best use early in a regional journey. When you first encounter it, its Grass/Poison typing provides excellent resistances against early-game Water, Grass, and Fighting-type trainers. It easily walls low-level physical attackers that lack coverage moves.

Its most valuable in-game application is as a catching companion. Sleep Powder is arguably the best status move for capturing wild Pokémon. By combining Sleep Powder with its natural bulk against low-level encounters, Gloom makes filling out your Pokédex significantly easier.

Synergy with Sun Teams

If you are running a weather-based team in your playthrough, Gloom's Chlorophyll ability offers a massive tactical advantage. Under Harsh Sunlight, its Speed doubles, allowing it to actually outspeed mid-tier threats.

• Sunny Day Setup: Allows Gloom to outspeed and land a preemptive Sleep Powder.
• Instant Solar Beam: Bypasses the charge turn, giving Gloom a much-needed burst of damage.
• Boosted Moonlight: Heals 66% of its maximum HP instead of the usual 50%, making it incredibly difficult to KO.

Despite these perks, setting up Sun just to enable an unevolved Gloom is highly inefficient compared to supporting a fully evolved Chlorophyll sweeper.

The most important decision regarding Gloom is how and when to evolve it. Keeping Gloom in its middle stage offers no long-term benefits. Your choice dictates the role the Pokémon will play for the rest of your playthrough.

Using a Sun Stone yields Bellossom. This path drops the Poison typing, leaving a pure Grass-type. Bellossom gains access to Quiver Dance, one of the best setup moves in the franchise, turning it into a bulky setup sweeper. However, losing the Poison typing makes it vulnerable to Toxic and removes its resistance to Fighting and Bug moves.

The Vileplume Route

Using a Leaf Stone yields Vileplume, which retains the Grass/Poison typing. Vileplume boasts a significantly higher Special Attack stat, making it an immediate offensive threat.

• Better STAB: Sludge Bomb hits incredibly hard off Vileplume's Special Attack.
• Fairy Check: The Poison typing gives Vileplume a distinct advantage against modern Fairy-type trainers.
• Effect Spore: Vileplume's alternative ability punishes physical attackers with random status conditions.

For most playthroughs, including upcoming titles like Pokémon Legends: Z-A where Fairy-types are expected to be prominent, Vileplume is the superior and more reliable choice.

Gloom's flaws are deeply tied to its status as a middle-stage evolution. Its most glaring weakness is its Speed. It is outsped by almost every offensive threat, meaning it is forced to take damage before it can execute any strategy. This makes it a massive liability against hard-hitting opponents.

Its typing, while defensively useful against Water and Grass, comes with severe vulnerabilities. Gloom is weak to Fire, Ice, Flying, and Psychic—four of the most common offensive types in the franchise. A single STAB Flamethrower or Psychic from a similarly leveled opponent will easily OHKO an Eviolite-less Gloom.

Predictability and Taunt Vulnerability

Because Gloom relies heavily on status moves and recovery to be useful, it is completely shut down by Taunt. Once prevented from using Sleep Powder or Moonlight, Gloom is forced to rely on its mediocre Special Attack to deal damage, which rarely ends well.

Furthermore, Grass-type opponents are completely immune to Leech Seed and Sleep Powder. If Gloom faces another Grass-type, it is reduced to a stalling match where it can only slowly chip away with weak Poison attacks.

Do not use Gloom if you are looking for a fast, offensive presence. If your playstyle revolves around outspeeding opponents and securing one-hit knockouts, Gloom will only slow down your momentum and require constant healing items.

Avoid keeping Gloom unevolved for the late-game. Past level 35, opponent stats scale too high for Gloom to keep up, even with an Eviolite. If you do not have a Sun Stone or Leaf Stone, bench Gloom until you find one.

Superior Alternatives

If you need a Grass/Poison type with actual utility and bulk, there are far better options available in Scarlet/Violet and beyond.

• Amoonguss: The undisputed king of Grass/Poison utility. It has Spore (100% accurate sleep), Regenerator for free healing, and vastly superior natural bulk.
• Toedscruel: While a Ground/Grass type, it offers Spore and Rapid Spin utility with a much higher Speed tier, making it a better disrupter.
• Venusaur: If available via transfer or raids, Venusaur does everything Gloom wants to do, but with better stats, Leech Seed access, and a viable Mega Evolution (highly relevant for Legends: Z-A).