How Should I EV Train Oddish Evolution For Competitive Play?

My brain lights up whenever someone asks about Oddish in 'Pokémon GO' because that little blue plant has one of those evolution branches that actually makes you think about choices. Here’s how it works in simple steps: catch or hatch an Oddish, gather candies, and evolve it into Gloom for 25 candies. From there, Gloom is the fork in the road — you can evolve Gloom into Vileplume for 100 candies, or into Bellossom for 100 candies plus a Sun Stone. The key detail that trips people up is that you can’t skip straight from Oddish to Bellossom; the Sun Stone applies when evolving Gloom, not Oddish, so you need the intermediate Gloom first. I personally like to hoard a few Oddish when there’s a grass or community day event, because candies pour in and sometimes new moves drop during events. If you’ve got a shiny Oddish, the shiny coloration cascades through evolution, so a shiny Oddish becomes shiny Gloom and then shiny Vileplume or shiny Bellossom depending on which evolution path you pick — something I always double-check before throwing that Sun Stone on because shiny scarcity makes them special. Also, if you’re deciding which final form to keep, think about what you want: Vileplume brings that grass/poison twist and is useful in certain raid and gym matchups, while Bellossom is pure grass with sometimes more niche utility. Check moves and IVs before burning 100 candies — nothing hurts more than evolving a mon right before you realize it has mediocre moves. Little player tips from my oddball collection: use Pinap Berries when catching Oddish to speed up candy collection, set Oddish as your buddy if you’re trying to build candy slowly for a rainy day, and watch for events that give extra candy or introduced new charged moves (they’ve historically rotated special moves for grass community days). If you want to minimize regret, save evolving until you can appraise IVs and, if possible, wait for a move re-roll window during an event. I usually keep one Vileplume and one Bellossom for variety — it’s a small stash strategy that keeps battling flexible and my Pokédex happy.

I've always loved the little branching evolutions in 'Pokémon'—they make choices feel meaningful. For Oddish the path is pretty simple mechanically: Oddish levels up into Gloom (usually at level 21), and Gloom is the branching point. If you want Vileplume, you use a Leaf Stone on Gloom; if you want Bellossom, you use a Sun Stone on Gloom. Those stones are the actual triggers, not a special location or time of day. A practical tip from my playthroughs: wait to see Gloom learn moves you like before using a stone. Evolving with a stone skips further level-up moves, so if you want something like a status move or a tutor-exclusive move, teach or learn it first. Also, remember different games might give you stones at different points—sometimes shops, hidden items, or NPCs hand them out—so plan accordingly. If you play spin-offs like 'Pokémon GO' or other titles, evolution rules can be tweaked, but in the mainline series Leaf Stone = Vileplume and Sun Stone = Bellossom. I tend to keep one Gloom unevolved for a while so I can pick the evolution that fits my team vibe later.

I still get a little giddy whenever I think about evolving Pokémon, and Oddish in 'Pokemon Sword and Shield' is one of those straightforward but satisfying cases. Oddish evolves into Gloom when it reaches level 21 — that’s the automatic, level-based evolution. Once it’s Gloom, it won’t evolve any further by leveling; instead you choose its final form with an evolution stone. If you want Vileplume, use a Leaf Stone on Gloom. If you prefer Bellossom, use a Sun Stone. The stones can be used at any time after Gloom exists, and if you ever regret evolving, you can always trade for another Oddish or breed one later. Also remember you can cancel evolution by pressing B if you change your mind mid-flash — saved me once when I wanted a specific move set. Small tip from my playthrough: if you’re trying to learn certain moves from leveling, hold off evolving until you get them, then stone-evolve.

Back in my handheld days with a scratched-up copy of 'Pokémon Silver', finding a shiny felt like pure, dumb luck magic — and Oddish was one of those little surprises that could make you jump out of your chair. If you want the short technical bit up front: in Generation 2 the chance of encountering a shiny Oddish (or any shiny wild Pokémon / bred egg) is 1 in 8,192. That’s the direct probability that the Oddish you meet or hatch will already be shiny before you ever press the A button to evolve it. Why 1/8,192? Gen 2’s shininess is determined by hidden DVs (Deter Values) rather than the later PID/TID system, and a Pokémon is shiny only if those DVs line up in a very specific way. Concretely, Attack, Defense, and Speed DVs each must be exactly 10 (which is a 1/16 chance for each), and the Special DV must be one of eight particular values (8 out of 16, or 1/2). Multiply that out: (1/16)^3 * 1/2 = 1/8,192. So whether an Oddish evolves into a shiny Gloom (and then a shiny Vileplume or shiny Bellossom) depends entirely on whether that Oddish was already shiny — evolution itself doesn’t change the shiny status. A few practical details from my own grind sessions: evolving a non-shiny Oddish won’t suddenly flip it to shiny — if you want a shiny Vileplume or Bellossom in Gen 2, you need to start with a shiny Oddish or get a shiny Gloom already. Breeding didn’t boost your odds either; eggs hatched in Gen 2 had the same 1/8,192 rate. Trading doesn’t alter shininess either, so you can safely trade a shiny Gloom to a friend and it’ll stay shiny on their game. Also, remember Gloom evolves to Vileplume with a Leaf Stone and to Bellossom with a Sun Stone (Bellossom being Gen 2’s brand-new option), and both evolution paths preserve the color variant. If you’re in the mood for old-school shiny hunting nostalgia, my favourite way back then was late-night walking through the grassy patches in 'Pokémon Gold' with the volume low and my hopes high — I still get a spark of excitement when I picture the tiny green Oddish palette. If you’re trying for one now, go into it knowing it’s a pure roll-of-the-dice situation in Gen 2, and maybe bring some snacks; those 8,192 odds can feel like a test of endurance. If you want, I can share a few modern tricks and tools people use nowadays to track encounters and make the grind feel less brutal — or we can just swap shiny catch stories.

I still get a little giddy talking about oddish and that classic branching evolution — it’s one of those simple but charming systems in the series. In the mainline games, Oddish evolves into Gloom when it reaches level 21. That’s pretty consistent from 'Pokémon Red/Blue' through the latest generations. Gloom is the middle stage and won’t change types on its own; it just sits there until you decide which path to take. From Gloom you can evolve into two different Pokémon using evolution items: use a 'Leaf Stone' to get Vileplume (Grass/Poison), or a 'Sun Stone' to get Bellossom (pure Grass) — Bellossom was added in 'Pokémon Gold/Silver'. You can’t directly stone Oddish into either final form in the standard main-series method; the level-up to Gloom comes first, then the stone on Gloom. A couple of practical tips: if you want Gloom to learn a late-level move, hold off on using the stone (or give Gloom an Everstone) until it learns the move. Also, think about team roles — Vileplume often keeps access to more Poison moves and bulky grass support, while Bellossom tends to fit sunny teams and has a different movepool and stat spread. I usually pick based on what my team needs rather than pure nostalgia.

I've always loved fiddling with evolution stones in the older Pokémon games because they felt like little cheat codes tucked into a bag of items. If you're talking specifically about Oddish and its line, the items that actually trigger evolution are the Leaf Stone and the Sun Stone — but there’s a key detail: Oddish itself doesn't evolve by stone, Gloom does. In the earliest games like 'Red' and 'Blue' you only had the Leaf Stone option for getting to Vileplume; Bellossom didn’t even exist until Gen II, so no Sun Stone path back then. Back when I was playing 'Red' on a scratched-up cartridge, I remember being frantic about where to use the stone so I didn't waste it. The mechanic is simple: Oddish evolves into Gloom by leveling (it hits level 21), and then you can use a Leaf Stone on that Gloom to get Vileplume. From 'Gold'/'Silver' onward, you gained the alternative: use a Sun Stone on Gloom to evolve it into Bellossom. So if you’re playing an older title, check which generation the game belongs to. In Gen I (the oldest) only Leaf Stones are relevant for this family; in Gen II and later, Leaf Stone and Sun Stone are both valid tools for Gloom. A couple of practical tips from my own runs: always save before using a rare evolution stone — especially in older cartridges where losing a save felt like a cliffhanger. If you care about move sets, hold off on stone evolution until Gloom learns its last desirable move by leveling (unless that move can be learned later via a move tutor or TM). Also, if you’re into breeding, remember that the evolution stone step doesn’t change whether you can breed Oddish; it just affects which final form you choose. In Gen II and after, Bellossom vs. Vileplume choices are largely stylistic, but they also change typing strategies and movepools, so make the choice intentionally. So, short checklist for older games: Oddish -> level to Gloom (level 21), then use Leaf Stone to get Vileplume (available in Gen I+), or use Sun Stone to get Bellossom (only from Gen II onward). I usually hoard a Leaf Stone for a Greninja nostalgia run, but for Oddish I like picking based on whether I'm building a physical or special attacker — it’s fun choosing a look and a role at the same time.

Picking moves for Oddish's evolutions is one of those fun little puzzles I love — they can be utility monsters or sneaky sweepers depending on the evolution and how you build the rest of the team. I usually think in terms of three roles: a bulky special support (classic Vileplume), a sun-powered sweeper (Chlorophyll Vileplume/Bellossom), and a niche utility lead for hazard/support plays. For a bulky Vileplume, the staples I reach for are Sleep Powder or Stun Spore, Giga Drain, Sludge Bomb, and Synthesis (or Moonlight). Sleep Powder gives you control and momentum; Giga Drain is your reliable STAB that keeps you healthy; Sludge Bomb hits Fairy types and pressures switch-ins; and Synthesis lets you sponge hits and stall. Item-wise, Leftovers or Big Root is my go-to, and for EVs I build defensively (maximum HP and bulk with a Calm or Bold nature) so Vileplume can soak hits and cripple foes. Effect Spore on Vileplume is great for an aggressive contact deterrent, but if you can run Chlorophyll instead, it changes the whole game. Switching tone a bit — when I’m in a hurry to finish a game, I treat the Chlorophyll set like a tiny sun-boosted glass cannon. For this you want Growth or Solar Beam, Sleep Powder, Giga Drain (or Sludge Bomb if you’re Vileplume and need coverage), and either Weather Ball or Protect depending on the format. Put a Life Orb or Choice Specs on it, go Timid or Modest with full Special Attack and Speed EVs, and the pairing with a sun setter (like a Darmanitan or Torkoal in older metas) makes this deceptively scary; two boosts from Growth in sun will let Giga Drain or SolarBeam hit like a truck. If you’re using Bellossom instead, the sun sweeper route still works but Bellossom is usually a bit less frail than Vileplume and can run a slightly more mixed kit with Synthesis and coverage moves. Finally, for a quirky lead/support option I often slap on a Focus Sash and build for disruption: Sleep Powder, Leech Seed, Giga Drain, and a coverage slot (Hidden Power Fire if you need Steels, or Sludge Bomb on Vileplume). This lets you cripple a switch-in, steal a turn of momentum, and either pivot or let a teammate clean up. If you prefer playing the patient, stall-y game I’ll replace Sleep Powder with Stun Spore and stack Special Defense HP EVs, using Leftovers and playing the long game with Leech Seed + Giga Drain + Synthesis. In general, prioritize Sleep Powder for control, Giga Drain for STAB and recovery, Sludge Bomb for coverage on Vileplume, and Synthesis/Moonlight for staying power; SolarBeam/Growth/Weather Ball are your friends on sun teams. Playstyle matters a lot here — I’ve had surreal wins where one well-timed Sleep Powder turned the tide, and other times I regretted not bringing a sun partner. Try both bulky support and sun sweeper builds and see which fits your team vibe.

Man, I love little evolution puzzles like this — Oddish is one of my favorites because it feels like a tiny gardening project in the game. In 'Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!' and 'Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!', Oddish evolves into Gloom at level 21, and then you can choose how to finish it: use a Leaf Stone to get Vileplume or a Sun Stone to turn Gloom into Bellossom. The real question is where to actually find those stones, since they don’t drop every five steps. From my playthroughs and wandering around Kanto, here’s what I’d recommend checking first and how I personally hunt for them. The quickest wins come from looking for sparkling items on the overworld. In Let’s Go, evolution stones often show up as the little sparkles on the map, so I make it a habit to run through every route I haven’t fully scoured yet — especially around towns and in caves after big story events. Celadon City is a great hub to revisit; a lot of players report finding stones in and around big towns or in the item-heavy spots like department stores (I’d check all floors if you see items for sale). Another neat trick I used: use Pokémon with the Pick Up ability in your party and grind a little on low-level trainers — Pick Up can occasionally snag evolution stones as a random reward, which saved me a lot of wandering when I just wanted to evolve someone during a short commute. If you’re the kind of person who likes a methodical checklist, also try NPC trades and revisit NPCs who give items after certain events — Let’s Go sometimes hides goodies behind progress gates. If you’re connected with friends, trading is an easy option too; someone might have an extra Leaf or Sun Stone lying around. I once got lucky by revisiting Mt. Moon and Route areas late-game and finding stones tucked away where I’d missed them earlier. Also, don’t ignore the in-game shops on different visits; stock changes or new items sometimes appear as you advance the story. Finally, if collecting is getting tedious, I’ve found a couple of community swaps (forums and friends) where people will trade stones for low-cost items — fast and friendlier than grinding. To wrap it up: target Leaf Stones for Vileplume and Sun Stones for Bellossom, comb the world for sparkles, rotate Pokémon with Pick Up, check big city shops like Celadon, and trade if you can. I got my Bellossom by accident after a late-night sweep of a route I’d already beaten — so my tip is to poke around the same areas more than once. Happy evolving, and if you want I can sketch a short route checklist for where I personally found stones on my playthrough (made me feel like a scavenger-hunt champ).