Cresselia

[Theorymon]

The overhyped duck of early DP gets her revenge in battle spot!


[OVERVIEW]

Cresselia is one of the most prominent defensive Pokemon in Battle Spot Singles. With defenses on par with those of Ubers and an excellent defensive ability in Levitate, Cresselia is capable of checking some of Battle Spot Singles's biggest threats, such as Mega Kangaskhan, Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence! Additionally, Cresselia has an excellent support movepool to take advantage of her bulk, with game-changing moves such as Lunar Dance, Thunder Wave, and Trick Room, and access to a recovery move in Moonlight. Few Pokemon in Battle Spot Singles can come close to Cresselia's combination of support and checking power!

Sadly, Cresselia's wonderful defensive qualities are hampered by her mediocre Psychic typing. The only particularly useful resistance she has is Fighting, while her typing leaves her vulnerable to deadly special attackers such as Mega Gengar, Aegislash, Greninja, and Hydreigon and even hinders her against some physical threats such as Tyranitar and Scizor. Furthermore, Cresselia's poor offenses mean that these threats can usually come in with very few issues and that Cresselia is often setup bait.

[SET]
name: Defensive Support
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Moonlight
move 3: Psychic / Lunar Dance
move 4: Lunar Dance / Thunder Wave / Trick Room / Toxic
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Ice Beam is Cresselia's main checking tool, KOing important threats that are 4x weak to Ice, such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence. Moonlight restores Cresselia's health, maintaining her ability to check important physical threats. Psychic is a good secondary attack, allowing Cresselia to 2HKO her archnemesis, Mega Gengar, making it think twice about switching in. Psychic also 2HKOes Fighting-types such as Blaziken and Mega Lopunny and does decent chip damage to Mega Kangaskhan. One of Cresselia's most potentially devastating support options is Lunar Dance. Lunar Dance might seem like a strange option on such a defensive Pokemon, as Cresselia will immediately faint after using it. However, the ability to completely restore the health and PP of a battle-weary sweeper can lead to a devastating turn of events for your opponent, making it a great move to use when Cresselia has outlived her usefulness.

If you're more interested in early-game support options, Thunder Wave is an excellent choice, crippling Cresselia's faster offensive checks and clearing the way for your own sweepers. Cresselia also happens to be one of the most reliable users of Trick Room around, allowing your slow, bulky attackers to become fearsome speed demons for five turns! Toxic is Cresselia's most passive support option. While it won't immediately cripple offensive threats, Toxic gives Cresselia the edge against opposing Cresselia and Porygon2 and does a great job of wearing down physical threats. Finally, if your team can handle Fighting-types and Mega Gengar effectively, you can even opt to replace Psychic with Lunar Dance, giving Cresselia room for these support options.

Set Details
========

A Bold nature and maximum investment in HP and Defense are required for Cresselia to check Battle Spot's many dangerous physical threats. The extra 4 EVs go in Special Defense because winning Speed ties won't aid Cresselia in the slightest. Rocky Helmet is by far Cresselia's best item choice. Because Cresselia's offenses are lackluster, Rocky Helmet picks up the slack by dealing damage to any Pokemon using a contact move. This is what makes Cresselia an effective check to Mega Kangaskhan, forcing it to lose around 32% of its health any time it attacks Cresselia! If another one of your Pokemon is already using Rocky Helmet, you can opt to use a Sitrus Berry or Leftovers to give Cresselia some extra sustainability. Just note that this makes Cresselia a less effective Mega Kangaskhan check.

Usage Tips
========

Cresselia is at its best early on in the match. Simply switch Cresselia into dangerous physical threats with contact moves, such as Mega Kangaskhan, Garchomp, Mega Salamence, and Mega Lopunny, and use the appropriate attacking move or recover Cresselia's health with Moonlight. Strong, boosted attacks have the potential to severely damage Cresselia, so switching it into these threats before they boost is a good idea.

If Cresselia has taken down one of its targets, don't be afraid to sacrifice Cresselia. Using Lunar Dance to restore a battle-weary sweeper's HP or simply switching Cresselia into a powerful move so a faster Pokemon can revenge kill the foe is a fine choice if Cresselia has taken down its targets, because keeping Cresselia around longer than it is useful can actually backfire due to its minimal offensive presence.

Pay attention to Team Preview, as there are two big factors that can affect Cresselia before the battle even begins! The first factor is Mega Gengar. Mega Gengar's ability to trap and defeat Cresselia is a huge problem, so if you feel like you must use Cresselia, using Psychic or Thunder Wave on predicted Gengar switch-ins can save Cresselia from assassination attempts! Wobbuffet can pose similar issues; due to its typing, Cresselia does extremely poorly against Wobbuffet. Additionally, Cresselia has a difficult time making an impact on stall teams due to its poor offenses. When seeing a stall team or Wobbuffet in Team Preview, consider benching Cresselia if at all possible.

If using Trick Room Cresselia, it might be tempting to set up Trick Room as soon as possible. However, Cresselia's offensive presence is rather poor, usually forcing you to switch her out for a more potent threat. This wastes a valuable turn of Trick Room, meaning that using Trick Room early in the match isn't always the correct choice. If you are unsure whether your opponent is running foes that check your choice of Trick Room sweepers, it is usually best to let the match play out until you feel that Trick Room will make a big impact on the battlefield.

Team Options
========

As Cresselia is primarily a defensive Pokemon, covering its weaknesses to Dark-, Ghost-, and, to a lesser extent, Bug-type Pokemon is highly recommended. Ferrothorn is a unique threat to Cresselia, using its Steel typing and Leech Seed to simply stall Cresselia out of Moonlight's PP. Fighting-types such as Mega Heracross, Blaziken, Mega Lopunny, and Terrakion (which notably gets an Attack boost from Dark-type attacks) are effective switch-ins for Dark- and Bug-type moves, and effectively slam Ferrothorn. Mega Mawile's and Azumarill's Fairy typing makes them effective checks to most Dark- and Bug-types as well. Dark-types such as Hydreigon and Mega Gyarados also happen to pair well with Cresselia, covering Cresselia's weaknesses to Dark- and Ghost-type attacks while Cresselia tanks Fighting-type attacks. Porygon2's Normal typing makes it immune to Ghost-type moves, and its good bulk allows it to check Greninja and Aegislash effectively. While Heatran only covers Cresselia's weakness to Bug-type attacks, it is notable for forming an effective defensive partnership with Cresselia thanks to its ability to lure in Ground- and Fighting-type attacks for Cresselia to take advantage of.

Additionally, Mega Mawile and Azumarill are particularly notable threats, as they can use Cresselia's poor offensive presence to set up and break through Cresselia's team. These Pokemon can be particularly hard to wall, meaning that less defensive options to Cresselia's checks can work well, too. Talonflame makes for a particularly powerful teammate, using its strong priority Brave Bird to smash through Belly Drum Azumarill and frail special attackers such Greninja and Mega Gengar and using Flare Blitz to fry Mega Mawile and weakened Aegislash. Mega Charizard Y is another notable offensive teammate, roasting Steel-types and slamming Azumarill with Solar Beam. Mega Charizard Y's Drought also gets rid of the dreaded sandstorm and replaces it with sunny weather, which boosts Moonlight! Mega Gengar can toy with Cresselia's defensive threats effectively thanks to Shadow Tag and its immunity to Toxic, and it can also sacrifice itself with Destiny Bond to remove some of Cresselia's offensive checks.

Lunar Dance is an amazing support move, so teaming Cresselia up with decently bulky attackers is highly recommended. Mega Kangaskhan stands out as the most brutal teammate, as restoring Mega Kangaskhan to full health can annihilate worn-down teams! Other good recipients for Lunar Dance include Mega Salamence, Aegislash, Garchomp, Belly Drum Azumarill, Mega Mawile, Dragonite, and Mega Charizard X.

If your Cresselia is equipped with Thunder Wave, make sure to take advantage of it with her teammates! Slow, powerful Pokemon such as Mega Mawile, Azumarill, and Conkeldurr work well here. You can also use Pokemon that, while not slow, have more awkward Speed tiers. Great examples of teammates in this category include Landorus-T, Hydreigon, and Mega Heracross.

Cresselia variants that are being used as Trick Room supporters need to be paired with some slow, powerful Pokemon to work effectively. Mega Mawile is the premier teammate under Trick Room, becoming extremely difficult to check when it outspeeds the majority of the metagame! Other good choices include Azumarill, Escavalier (which provides a Spore immunity with Overcoat), Rhyperior, and Conkeldurr. Also, realize that your entire team shouldn't focus on functioning under Trick Room, as this reduces your team's matchup versatility.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Calm Mind is appealing, but Cresselia's low offensive presence means that she requires a large number of Calm Mind boosts before she has any chance of sweeping. If using Calm Mind, Psyshock is recommended, as it allows Cresselia to defeat Suicune and Sylveon one-on-one. Shadow Ball can also be used with Calm Mind to eventually prevail over Aegislash after a large number of boosts. Moonblast can be used to deal a large amount of damage to Hydreigon and hit Tyranitar for decent damage. If hitting Tyranitar harder is your primary concern, Grass Knot can be used, although this still won't even always 4HKO Tyranitar.

On the support side, Cresselia has access to Skill Swap, which allows it to weaken Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Salamence and make Gliscor's Toxic Orb backfire. Icy Wind is another form of speed control, but it's pathetically weak compared to Ice Beam. Gravity might seem like a poor idea due to it nullifying Levitate, but it can be paired with powerful Ground-types to wreak havoc. Magic Coat can be a surprise move to deal with status and Taunt, although it requires good prediction to be used effectively. Cresselia has access to Reflect and Light Screen, which can be used in combination with Light Clay and Lunar Dance to help a sweeper set up.

Item-wise, Safety Goggles is a reasonable choice if your team fears Breloom. An odd but somewhat effective strategy is to use Psycho Shift Cresselia with Flame Orb. This allows Cresselia to cripple physical threats with a burn. However, Flame Orb drastically reduces Cresselia's lifespan, and the set is extremely predictable the moment Cresselia gets burned. Cresselia also has access to the disruptive Trick. This can be used with a Choice Scarf or Choice Specs to cripple defensive Pokemon, but Cresselia's low offenses make it a poor Choice user. Shed Shell can be used to escape Mega Gengar and Wobbuffet if your team is especially fearful of them.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Mega Mawile**: Mega Mawile doesn't care about anything Cresselia can do besides the rare Skill Swap and can set up on Cresselia with Swords Dance.

**Mega Gengar**: Mega Gengar hates paralysis and Psychic, but it can trap Cresselia and 2HKO with Shadow Ball.

**Wobbuffet**: Wobbuffet, after using Encore, either uses Cresselia as setup bait for dangerous sweepers or defeats her with Mirror Coat.

**Bisharp**: Bisharp's typing gives it a resistance to Ice Beam and an immunity to Psychic, and its Sucker Punch makes attempts at speed control useless. Bisharp's STAB Knock Off and Pursuit severely damage Cresselia, and Defiant takes advantage of Intimidate from Mawile and Landorus-T, common Cresselia teammates.

**Azumarill**: Azumarill can set up Belly Drum and OHKO Cresselia with Play Rough as long as it hasn't taken too much prior damage.

**Aegislash**: Aegislash laughs at Cresselia's attempts to inflict it with status and 2HKOes her with Shadow Ball. Aegislash can even Cresselia with Swords Dance or Substitute.

**Ferrothorn**: Ferrothorn has nothing to worry about from Cresselia's status moves and can stall her Moonlight out with Leech Seed.

**Anti-Status Calm Mind Users**: Suicune and Sylveon use Cresselia to setup with Calm Mind thanks to Rest and Sleep Talk. Mega Sableye can't even be hit by Psyshock, and it has Magic Bounce to status Cresselia with her own moves.

**Tyranitar**: Dragon Dance variants of Tyranitar will dislike Thunder Wave, but Sand Stream will weaken Moonlight and Tyranitar can destroy Cresselia with its Dark-type STAB moves.

**Special Dark-types**: Special Dark-types such as Hydreigon and Greninja can bust through Cresselia's Special Defense with their STAB Dark Pulse. However, both of them hate Thunder Wave.

**Mega Heracross**: Mega Heracross bypasses Cresselia's Rocky Helmet and vanquishes her with its Skill Link-boosted Pin Missile. Mega Heracross is even bulky enough to avoid a 2HKO from Psychic.

**Offensive Bug-types**: Scizor, Volcarona, Heracross, and Escavalier can hit Cresselia hard with their STAB Bug-type attacks. Scizor and Volcarona, in particular, can even attempt to set up on Cresselia!

**Trick**: Tricking Cresselia a Choice item destroys her walling capability. The most common user of Trick is Rotom-W, but Rotom-H and Togekiss are also viable users of Trick.

**Toxic**: Toxic slowly but surely ruins Cresselia's walling capabilities, making it vulnerable to the very Pokemon it attempts to check!

**Taunt**: Taunt prevents Cresselia from using its valuable support moves, leaving her as a sitting duck waiting to be set up on due to her weak attacks. Common users include Talonflame, Thundurus and Gyarados.

 

[Theorymon]

Damn I forgot what sleep was. Oh well, the skeleton is done now!

Paging the QC team: Jibaku Hulavuta cant say Montsegur DragonWhale ethan06

 

[DragonWhale]

Heatran as a teammate. Cresstran cores are really hard to push past (not as much as 5th gen now that Heatran lost the dark resist, but still)

Minor, but Skill Swap messes up Gliscor as well. Toxic counter keeps rising while poison healing, so if Gliscor loses its ability on the 15th turn, it will die unless it's at full HP (counter stops at 15/16, unfortunately) and a poisoned Poison Heal Cresselia is a beast.

Otherwise, looks good. 1/3

finally got to use the stamp yay

 

[Hulavuta]

OMG I forgot I never posted this before I left, at least it was saved as a draft. Anyway I agree with Gliscor that DragonWhale mentioned

Are we sure we want to have Trick Room as a slash on a standard defensive set? Usually Trick Room gets its own dedicated sets due to having their very own specific way of being played and team options. For example, on Trick Room as its own set it would play a little differently than defensive (more emphasis on switching) and you could have both Lunar Dance and Trick Room, rather than slashing them together, to support your sweepers even more. They play a little bit different, even if they use mostly the same moves, so I think you should consider making them two different sets with an expanded teammates and usage tips section for the Trick Room set.

 

[Theorymon]

OMG I forgot I never posted this before I left, at least it was saved as a draft. Anyway I agree with Gliscor that DragonWhale mentioned

Are we sure we want to have Trick Room as a slash on a standard defensive set? Usually Trick Room gets its own dedicated sets due to having their very own specific way of being played and team options. For example, on Trick Room as its own set it would play a little differently than defensive (more emphasis on switching) and you could have both Lunar Dance and Trick Room, rather than slashing them together, to support your sweepers even more. They play a little bit different, even if they use mostly the same moves, so I think you should consider making them two different sets with an expanded teammates and usage tips section for the Trick Room set.

I actually thought about doing this, but I'm not sure after if that's needed after testing out Trick Room.

Basically, Porygon2 got a separate set because it played dramatically differently, in an often sucidally offensive way. Cresselia's offenses on the other hand, aren't really salvageable, so its still forced to go defensive. So when I tested out Trick Room Cresselia... it actually played almost exactly the same o_O. It basically was still focusing on checking big threats, with the bonus of setting up Trick Room when I knew I could wreck stuff with another mon. Meanwhile, something like Porygon2 would usually immedilty Trick Room, since its trying to hurt mons directly itself.

I figured slashing it in was enough, since you don't really see status moves with Trick Room: You only really see Lunar Dance or Psychic as the last move on that (its actually part of the reason why Lunar Dance is slashed in the third slot, it works with the other 3 support options as well!) I think I'll be able to cover all its differences with just a paragraph about trick room teammates, and maybe a small paragraph explaining that you don't want to Trick Room right away, because otherwise, it still pretty much played like Cresselia.

If for any reason things get too clunky though, we could split them up. I just don't think it will since unlike Porygon2, Cresselia using Trick Room is more of a "bonus" rather than a set defining thing imo.

 

[Hulavuta]

Okay, that sounds fine to me. I think Flame Orb + Psycho Shift (and Trick, although that's less effective) also deserves a mention in Other Options as a unique way to spread burns, although it hurts Cresselia as a downside and is very predictable once you see Cress burns herself. MythTrainerInfinity made it work really well back in XY and I think it's still worth a mention now.

Aside from that, I think everything's there unless I missed something. 2/3

 

[Theorymon]

Awesome, I'll get to writing this asap (also, implemented all the other suggestions) =D

 

[Theorymon]

I finished this in record time! I just need a final QC check!

 

[Jibaku]

Add Bisharp to Checks & Counters. Resistance to Ice Beam and immunity to Psychic and Toxic, the ability to Knock Off Cress' Rocky Helmet, and the threat of Pursuit can make Cresselia sad. It does have issues with Thunder Wave, but Sucker Punch can sometimes work around that. Furthermore, Bisharp can really threaten most of Cresselia's common partners (+bonus for screwing over Mawile and Landorus-T's Intimidates).


QC 3/3

 

[Theorymon]

Thanks Jibaku! I already mentioned Heracross in "Bug-types", but honestly Mega Heracross is such a nasty check that I decided give it its own section (I do still mention regular Heracross under bug types though).

Anyways, This is ready to be grammar checked!

 

[deinosaur]

amcheck boi

additions
deletions
comments

Hide

[OVERVIEW]
Cresselia is one of the most prominent defensive Pokemon in Battle Spot Singles. With defenses on par with Ubers like Arceus,(RC) and an excellent defensive ability in Levitate, Cresselia is capable of checking some of Battle Spot Single's biggest threats,(RC) (i'm gonna put this to stay consistent with what you did in the second sentence) such as Mega Kangaskhan, Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence! Additionally, Cresselia has an excellent support movepool to take advantage of its bulk,(RC) with game changing moves such as Lunar Dance, Thunder Wave, and Trick Room, and access to a recovery move in Moonlight.

Sadly, Cresselia's wonderful defensive qualities are hampered by her mediocre Psychic-typing Psychic typing. The only particularly useful resistance she has is Fighting, while its her typing leaves her vulnerable to deadly Special Attackers attackers such as Mega Gengar, Aegislash, Greninja, and Hydreigon, and even hinders her against some physical threats such as Tyranitar and Scizor. Furthermore, Cresselia's poor offenses mean that these threats can usually come in with little very little few issues, and they (referring back to offenses) leave Cresselia vulnerable to being set up on. While these are serious flaws to consider when choosing Cresselia as your defensive Pokemon, they are by no means overwhelming flaws (consider removing due to redundancy), as few Pokemon can offer her combination of bulk and support!

[SET]
name: Defensive Support
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Moonlight
move 3: Psychic / Lunar Dance
move 4: Lunar Dance / Thunder Wave / Trick Room / Toxic
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Ice Beam is Cresselia's main checking tool, KOing important doubly Ice-weak(AH) threats such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence. Moonlight restores Cresselia's health, maintaining her ability to check important physical threats. Psychic is a good secondary attack, allowing Cresselia to 2HKO her arch nemesis, Mega Gengar, making it less safe to switch in of a switch-in. Psychic also 2HKOs Fighting-types such as Blaziken and Mega Lopunny, and does decent chip damage to Mega Kangaskhan. One of Cresselia's most potentially devastating support options is Lunar Dance. Lunar Dance may seem like a strange option on such a defensive Pokemon, since Cresselia will immediately faint after using it. However, the ability to completely restore the health and PP of a battle-weary(AH) sweeper can be a devastating turn of events for your opponent, making it a great move to use when Cresselia has outlived her usefulness.

If you're more interested in early game support options, Thunder Wave is an excellent choice, crippling Cresselia's faster offensive checks,(RC) and clearing the way for your own sweepers. Cresselia also happens to be one of the most reliable users of Trick Room around, allowing your slow, bulky attackers to become fearsome speed demons for five turns! Toxic is Cresselia's most passive support option. While it won't immediately cripple offensive threats, Toxic gives Cresselia the edge against opposing Cresselia and Porygon2, and does a great job of wearing down physical threats. Finally, if your team can handle Fighting-types and Mega Gengar effectively, you can even opt to replace Psychic with Lunar Dance, giving Cresselia room for these support options.

Set Details
========
A Bold nature and maximum investment in HP and Defense is required for Cresselia to check Battle Spot's many dangerous physical threats, with the extra 4 EVs going in Special Defense,(AC) since winning speed ties won't aid Cresselia in the slightest. Rocky Helmet is by far Cresselia's best item choice. Since Cresselia's offenses are lackluster, Rocky Helmet picks up for the slack by dealing damage to any Pokemon using a contact move. This in particular is what makes Cresselia an effective check to Mega Kangaskhan, forcing it to lose around 32% of its health any time Cresselia is attacked! If another one of your Pokemon is already using Rocky Helmet, then you can opt to use a Sitrus Berry or Leftovers to give Cresselia some extra sustainability suitability. Just note that this makes Cresselia a less effective Mega Kangaskhan check.

Usage Tips
========
Cresselia is at its best early on in the match. Simply switch Cresselia into dangerous physical threats with contact moves such as Mega Kangaskhan, Garchomp, Mega Salamence, and Mega Lopunny, and use the appropriate attacking move or recover Cresselia's health with Moonlight. Strong, boosted attacks have the potential to severely damage Cresselia, so switching it into these threats before they boost is a good idea.

If Cresselia has taken down one of its targets, don't be afraid to sacrifice Cresselia. Lunar Dancing to restore a battle-weary(AH) sweeper, or simply switching Cresselia into a powerful move so a faster Pokemon can revenge kill is a fine choice if Cresselia has taken down its targets, because keeping Cresselia around longer than its it is useful can actually backfire due to its minimal offensive presence.

Pay attention to team preview, as there are two big factors that can effect Cresselia before the battle even begins! The first factor is Mega Gengar. Mega Gengar's ability to trap and defeat Cresselia is a huge problem, so if you feel like you must use Cresselia, using Psychic or Thunder Wave on predicted Gengar switch-ins can save Cresselia from assassination attempts! Wobbuffet can pose similar issues, but since due to its typing, Cresselia does extremely poorly against Wobbuffet. Aditionally Additionally, Cresselia has a difficult time making an impact on stall teams due to its poor offenses. When seeing a stall team or Wobbuffet in team preview, consider benching Cresselia if at all possible.

If using Trick Room Cresselia, it may be tempting to set up Trick Room as soon as possible. However, Cresselia's offensive presence is rather poor, usually forcing you to switch her out for a more potent threat. This wastes a valuable turn of Trick Room, meaning that using Trick Room early in the match isn't always the correct choice. If you are unsure if your opponent is running foes that check your choice of Trick Room sweepers, then its it is usually best to let the match play out until you feel that Trick Room will make a big impact on the battlefield.

Team Options
========

Since Cresselia is primarily a defensive Pokemon, covering its weaknesses to Dark, Ghost, and to a lesser extent, Bug-type Pokemon,(AC) is highly recommended. Additionally, Mega Mawile and Azumarill are particularly notable threats, as they can use Cresselia's poor offensive presence to set up and break through Cresselia's defenses. Finally, Ferrothorn is a unique threat to Cresselia, using its Steel-typing and Leech Seed to simply stall Cresselia out of its Moonlight PP. Fighting-types such as Mega Heracross, Blaziken, Mega Lopunny Loppuny, and Terrakion (who notably gets an Attack boost from Dark-type attacks) are effective switch-ins into Dark and Bug-type moves, despite the latter three's poor defenses. Mega Mawile and Azumarill's Fairy-typing make them effective checks to most Dark and Bug-types as well. Dark-types such as Hydreigon and Mega Gyarados also happen to pair well with Cresselia, with them covering Cresselia's weakness to Dark and Ghost-type attacks, while Cresselia tanks Fighting-type attacks. Porygon2's Normal typing makes it immune to Ghost-type moves, and its good bulk allows it to check Greninja and Aegislash effectively. While Heatran only cover's Cresselia's weakness to Bug-type attacks, its it is notable for forming an effective defensive partnership thanks to its ability to lure in Ground and Fighting-type attacks for Cresselia to take advantage of.

Less defensive options to Cresselia's checks can work well,(AC) too. Talonflame makes a particularly powerful teammate, using its strong priority Brave Bird to smash through Belly Drum Azumarill,(RC) and frail special attackers like Greninja and Mega Gengar, and Flare Blitz to fry Mega Mawile and weakened Aegislash. Mega Charizard Y is another notable offensive teammate, roasting Steel-types and slamming Azumarill with Solar Beam. Mega Charizard Y's Drought also gets rid of the dreaded Sandstorm, and replaces it with a Moonlight-boosting(AH) sunny weather! Mega Gengar can toy with Cresselia's defensive problems effectively thanks to Shadow Tag and its immunity to Toxic, and can also sacrifice itself with Destiny Bond to remove some of Cresselia's offensive checks.

Lunar Dance is an amazing support move, so teaming Cresselia up with decently bulky attackers is highly recommended. Mega Kangaskhan stands out as the most brutal teammate, as returning Mega Kangaskhan to full health can annihilate worn down teams! Other good options for Lunar Dance recovery include Mega Salamence, Aegislash, Garchomp, Belly Drum Azumarill, Mega Mawile, Dragonite, and Mega Charizard X.

If your Cresselia is equipped with Thunder Wave, make sure to take advantage of it with her teammates! Slow, powerful Pokemon such as Mega Mawile, Azumarill, and Conkeldurr work well here. You can also use Pokemon that, while not slow, have more awkward speed tiers. Great examples of teammates in this category include Landorus-T, Hydreigon, and Mega Heracross.

Cresselia who are being used as Trick Room support need to be paired with some slow, powerful Pokemon to work effectively. Mega Mawile is the premier teammate under Trick Room, becoming extremely difficult to check when it outspeeds the majority of the metagame! Other good choices include Azumarill, Escavalier (who provides a Spore immunity with Overcoat), Rhyperior, and Conkeldurr Conkeldur. Also, realize that your entire team shouldn't focus on functioning under Trick Room, as this reduces your team's match up versatility. (this sentence doesn't need to be here imo)

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Calm Mind is an appealing move on such a bulky Pokemon, but Cresselia's low offensive presence means that she requires a large amount of Calm Mind boosts before she has any chance of sweeping. If using Calm Mind, Psyshock is recommended, as it allows Cresselia to defeat Suicune and Sylveon one on one. Shadow Ball can also be used with Calm Mind to eventually prevail over Aegislash after a large amount of boosts. Moonblast can be used to deal a large amount of damage to Hydreigon,(RC) and hit Tyranitar for decent damage. If hitting Tyranitar harder is your primary concern, Grass Knot can be used, although this still won't even always 4HKO Tyranitar.

On the support side, Cresselia has access to Skill Swap, which allows it to weaken Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Salamence, and make Gliscor's Toxic Orb backfire. Icy Wind is another form of Speed control, but its a pathetically weak move compared to Ice Beam. Gravity may seem like a poor idea due to it nullifying Levitate, but it can be paired with powerful Ground-types to wreck havoc. Magic Coat can be a surprise move to deal with status and Taunt, although it requires good prediction to use effectively. Cresselia has access to Reflect and Light Screen, which it can be used in combination with Light Clay and Lunar Dance to set up a sweeper.

Item-wise, Safety Goggles is a reasonable choice if your team fears Breloom. An odd but somewhat effective strategy is to use Psycho Shift Cresselia with Flame Orb. This allows Cresselia to cripple physical threats with a burn. However, Flame Orb drastically reduces Cresselia's life span, and the set is extremely predictable the moment Cresselia gets burned. Cresselia also has access to the disruptive Trick. This can be used with a Choice Scarf or Choice Specs to cripple defensive Pokemon, but Cresselia's offenses make it a poor choice user.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Mega Mawile**: Mega Mawile doesn't care about anything Cresselia can do besides the rare Skill Swap, and it can use Cresselia as set up setup bait with Swords Dance.

**Mega Gengar**: Mega Gengar hates paralysis and Psychic, but can trap and 2HKO Cresselia with Shadow Ball.

**Wobbuffet**: Wobbuffet uses Cresselia as either set up setup bait for dangerous sweepers, or can Encore an attack and defeat her with Mirror Coat.

**Bisharp**: Bisharp's typing gives it a resistance to Ice Beam and an immunity to Psychic makes it resist Ice Beam, immune to Psychic, and its reliance on Sucker Punch makes attempts at Speed control useless. Bisharp's STAB Knock Off and Pursuit severely damage Cresselia, and Defiant takes advantage of Mawile and Landorus-T's Intimidate, who are common Cresselia teammates.

**Azumarill**: Azumarill can set up Belly Drum and OHKO Cresselia with Play Rough as long as it hasn't taken too much prior damage.(AP)

**Aegislash**: Aegislash laughs at Cresselia's attempt at status, and 2HKOs her with Shadow Ball. Aegislash can even use Cresselia to set up a Swords Dance or Substitute.

**Ferrothorn**: Ferrothorn has nothing to worry about from Cresselia's status moves, and can stall her Moonlight out with Leech Seed.

**Anti Status Calm Mind users**: Suicune and Sylveon,(RC) use Cresselia as an easy target for setting up Calm Mind thanks to Rest and Sleep Talk. Mega Sableye in particular can't even be hit by Psyshock, and has Magic Bounce to status Cresselia with its own moves.

**Tyranitar**: Dragon Dance variants will dislike Thunder Wave, but Sandstream Sand Stream and its Dark-type STAB cripples Cresselia's walling capabilities due to the weaker Moonlight.

**Specially Offensive Dark-types**: Hydreigon and Greninja can bust through Cresselia's Special Defense with their STAB Dark Pulse. However, both of these hate Thunder Wave.

**Mega Heracross**: Mega Heracross deserves a special mention due to its powerful Skill Link Pin Missile Missle, which bypasses Cresselia's Rocky Helmet and vanquishes her. Mega Heracross is even bulky enough to avoid a 2HKO from Psychic.

**Other Offensive Bug-types**: Scizor, Volcarona, Heracross, and Escavalier can hit Cresselia hard with their STAB Bug-type attacks. Scizor and Volcarona in particular may even attempt to set up on Cresselia!

**Trick**: Tricking a choice item destroys Cresselia's walling capability. The most common user of Trick is Rotom-W, but Rotom-H and Togekiss are also viable users of Trick.

**Toxic**: Toxic slowly but surely ruins Cresselia's walling capabilities, making it vulnerable to the vary very Pokemon it attempts to check!

**Taunt**: Taunt prevents Cresselia from using its valuable support moves, leaving it as a sitting duck waiting to be set up on with its weak attacks. Common users include Talonflame, Thundurus, and Gyarados.

 

[P Squared]

i'm terrible..............sorry for the wait; 1/2! used some of Deinosaur's stuff. my colors are all the lighter ones

Hide

[OVERVIEW]
Cresselia is one of the most prominent defensive Pokemon in Battle Spot Singles. With defenses on par with those of Ubers like Arceus,(RC) and an excellent defensive ability in Levitate, Cresselia is capable of checking some of Battle Spot Singles's biggest threats, such as Mega Kangaskhan, Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence! Additionally, Cresselia has an excellent support movepool to take advantage of its bulk, with game-changing moves such as Lunar Dance, Thunder Wave, and Trick Room, and access to a recovery move in Moonlight.

Sadly, Cresselia's wonderful defensive qualities are hampered by her mediocre Psychic-typing Psychic typing. The only particularly useful resistance she has is Fighting, while its her typing leaves her vulnerable to deadly Special Attackers special attackers such as Mega Gengar, Aegislash, Greninja, and Hydreigon, (RC) and even hinders her against some physical threats such as Tyranitar and Scizor. Furthermore, Cresselia's poor offenses mean that these threats can usually come in with little very little few issues, (RC) and that leave Cresselia is often setup bait vulnerable to being set up on. While these are serious flaws to consider when choosing Cresselia as your defensive Pokemon, they are by no means overwhelming flaws (consider removing due to redundancy), as few Pokemon can offer her combination of bulk and support!

[SET]
name: Defensive Support
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Moonlight
move 3: Psychic / Lunar Dance
move 4: Lunar Dance / Thunder Wave / Trick Room / Toxic
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Ice Beam is Cresselia's main checking tool, KOing important doubly Ice-weak(AH) threats (or "important threats that are 4x weak to Ice, such as") such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence. Moonlight restores Cresselia's health, maintaining her ability to check important physical threats. Psychic is a good secondary attack, allowing Cresselia to 2HKO her archnemesis, Mega Gengar, making it less safe to switch in of a switch-in. (the "it" is fairly ambiguous, so try something like ", making it think twice about switching in" or ", discouraging it from switching in" to make it clear that it = Gengar) Psychic also 2HKOes Fighting-types such as Blaziken and Mega Lopunny, (RC) and does decent chip damage to Mega Kangaskhan. One of Cresselia's most potentially devastating support options is Lunar Dance. Lunar Dance may seem like a strange option on such a defensive Pokemon, since as Cresselia will immediately faint after using it. However, the ability to completely restore the health and PP of a battle-weary(AH) sweeper can be lead to (the ability itself can't be a devastating turn of events; it leads to one) a devastating turn of events for your opponent, making it a great move to use when Cresselia has outlived her usefulness.

If you're more interested in early-game support options, Thunder Wave is an excellent choice, crippling Cresselia's faster offensive checks,(RC) and clearing the way for your own sweepers. Cresselia also happens to be one of the most reliable users of Trick Room around, allowing your slow, bulky attackers to become fearsome speed demons for five turns! Toxic is Cresselia's most passive support option. While it won't immediately cripple offensive threats, Toxic gives Cresselia the edge against opposing Cresselia and Porygon2, (RC) and does a great job of wearing down physical threats. Finally, if your team can handle Fighting-types and Mega Gengar effectively, you can even opt to replace Psychic with Lunar Dance, giving Cresselia room for these support options.

Set Details
========

A Bold nature and maximum investment in HP and Defense is are required for Cresselia to check Battle Spot's many dangerous physical threats, with the. The extra 4 EVs going in Special Defense since because winning Speed ties won't aid Cresselia in the slightest. Rocky Helmet is by far Cresselia's best item choice. Since Because Cresselia's offenses are lackluster, Rocky Helmet picks up for the slack by dealing damage to any Pokemon using a contact move. This, (AC) in particular , (AC) is what makes Cresselia an effective check to Mega Kangaskhan, forcing it to lose around 32% of its health any time it attacks Cresselia is attacked! If another one of your Pokemon is already using Rocky Helmet, then you can opt to use a Sitrus Berry or Leftovers to give Cresselia some extra sustainability suitability. ("longevity" is better) Just note that this makes Cresselia a less effective Mega Kangaskhan check.

Usage Tips
========

Cresselia is at its best early on in the match. Simply switch Cresselia into dangerous physical threats with contact moves, (AC) such as Mega Kangaskhan, Garchomp, Mega Salamence, and Mega Lopunny, and use the appropriate attacking move or recover Cresselia's health with Moonlight. Strong, boosted attacks have the potential to severely damage Cresselia, so switching it into these threats before they boost is a good idea.

If Cresselia has taken down one of its targets, don't be afraid to sacrifice Cresselia. Using Lunar Dancinge to restore a battle-weary(AH) sweeper's HP, (RC) or simply switching Cresselia into a powerful move so a faster Pokemon can revenge kill the foe is a fine choice if Cresselia has taken down its targets, because keeping Cresselia around longer than its it is useful can actually backfire due to its minimal offensive presence.

Pay attention to Team Preview, as there are two big factors that can effect affect Cresselia before the battle even begins! The first factor is Mega Gengar. Mega Gengar's ability to trap and defeat Cresselia is a huge problem, so if you feel like you must use Cresselia, using Psychic or Thunder Wave on predicted Gengar switch-ins can save Cresselia from assassination attempts! Wobbuffet can pose similar issues, but; (semicolon) due to its typing, Cresselia does extremely poorly against Wobbuffet. Aditionally Additionally, Cresselia has a difficult time making an impact on stall teams due to its poor offenses. When seeing a stall team or Wobbuffet in Team Preview, consider benching Cresselia if at all possible.

If using Trick Room Cresselia, it may be tempting to set up Trick Room as soon as possible. However, Cresselia's offensive presence is rather poor, usually forcing you to switch her out for a more potent threat. This wastes a valuable turn of Trick Room, meaning that using Trick Room early in the match isn't always the correct choice. If you are unsure if whether your opponent is running foes that check your choice of Trick Room sweepers, then its it is usually best to let the match play out until you feel that Trick Room will make a big impact on the battlefield.

Team Options
========

Since As Cresselia is primarily a defensive Pokemon, covering its weaknesses to Dark-, Ghost-, and, (AC) to a lesser extent, Bug-type Pokemon is highly recommended. Additionally, Mega Mawile and Azumarill are particularly notable threats, as they can use Cresselia's poor offensive presence to set up and break through Cresselia's defenses. Finally, Ferrothorn is a unique threat to Cresselia, using its Steel typing and Leech Seed to simply stall Cresselia out of its Moonlight PP. Fighting-types such as Mega Heracross, Blaziken, Mega Lopunny Loppuny, and Terrakion (who which notably gets an Attack boost from Dark-type attacks) are effective switch-ins into for Dark- and Bug-type moves, despite the latter three's poor defenses (add ", and they have no trouble dealing with Ferrothorn" or something? otherwise I'm not sure why you brought up Ferrothorn. also, because you first talk about teammates that can deal with Mega Mawile and Azumarill in the next paragraph (Talonflame), I would move the "Mega Mawile and Azumarill are particularly notable threats" sentence down there too. Otherwise it'll be confusing as to why you're listing threats but not teammates despite this being the Team Options section). Mega Mawile's and Azumarill's Fairy typing makes them effective checks to most Dark- and Bug-types as well. Dark-types such as Hydreigon and Mega Gyarados also happen to pair well with Cresselia, with them covering Cresselia's weaknesses to Dark- and Ghost-type attacks, while Cresselia tanks Fighting-type attacks. Porygon2's Normal typing makes it immune to Ghost-type moves, and its good bulk allows it to check Greninja and Aegislash effectively. While Heatran only cover's covers Cresselia's weakness to Bug-type attacks, its it is notable for forming an effective defensive partnership with Cresselia thanks to its ability to lure in Ground- and Fighting-type attacks for Cresselia to take advantage of.

Less defensive options to Cresselia's checks can work well,(AC) too. Talonflame makes for a particularly powerful teammate, using its strong priority Brave Bird to smash through Belly Drum Azumarill,(RC) and frail special attackers like such Greninja and Mega Gengar, (RC) and using Flare Blitz to fry Mega Mawile and weakened Aegislash. Mega Charizard Y is another notable offensive teammate, roasting Steel-types and slamming Azumarill with Solar Beam. Mega Charizard Y's Drought also gets rid of the dreaded Sandstorm, sandstorm and replaces it with a Moonlight-boosting sunny weather, which boosts Moonlight! Mega Gengar can toy with Cresselia's defensive problems threats effectively thanks to Shadow Tag and its immunity to Toxic, and it can also sacrifice itself with Destiny Bond to remove some of Cresselia's offensive checks.

Lunar Dance is an amazing support move, so teaming Cresselia up with decently bulky attackers is highly recommended. Mega Kangaskhan stands out as the most brutal teammate, as returning restoring Mega Kangaskhan to full health can annihilate worn down teams! Other good options recipients for Lunar Dance recovery include Mega Salamence, Aegislash, Garchomp, Belly Drum Azumarill, Mega Mawile, Dragonite, and Mega Charizard X.

If your Cresselia is equipped with Thunder Wave, make sure to take advantage of it with her teammates! Slow, powerful Pokemon such as Mega Mawile, Azumarill, and Conkeldurr work well here. You can also use Pokemon that, while not slow, have more awkward Speed tiers. Great examples of teammates in this category include Landorus-T, Hydreigon, and Mega Heracross.

Cresselia variants that who are being used as Trick Room supporters need to be paired with some slow, powerful Pokemon to work effectively. Mega Mawile is the premier teammate under Trick Room, becoming extremely difficult to check when it outspeeds the majority of the metagame! Other good choices include Azumarill, Escavalier (who which provides a Spore immunity with Overcoat), Rhyperior, and Conkeldurr Conkeldur. Also, realize that your entire team shouldn't focus on functioning under Trick Room, as this reduces your team's matchup versatility. (this sentence doesn't need to be here imo) (idk)

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Calm Mind is an appealing move on such a bulky Pokemon, but Cresselia's low offensive presence means that she requires a large amount number of Calm Mind boosts before she has any chance of sweeping. If using Calm Mind, Psyshock is recommended, as it allows Cresselia to defeat Suicune and Sylveon one-on-one. Shadow Ball can also be used with Calm Mind to eventually prevail over Aegislash after a large amount number of boosts. Moonblast can be used to deal a large amount of damage to Hydreigon,(RC) and hit Tyranitar for decent damage. If hitting Tyranitar harder is your primary concern, Grass Knot can be used, although this still won't even always 4HKO Tyranitar.

On the support side, Cresselia has access to Skill Swap, which allows it to weaken Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Salamence, (RC) and make Gliscor's Toxic Orb backfire. Icy Wind is another form of speed control, but it's a pathetically weak move compared to Ice Beam. Gravity may seem like a poor idea due to it nullifying Levitate, but it can be paired with powerful Ground-types to wreck wreak havoc. Magic Coat can be a surprise move to deal with status and Taunt, although it requires good prediction to use effectively. Cresselia has access to Reflect and Light Screen, which it can be used in combination with Light Clay and Lunar Dance to help a sweeper set up a sweeper.

Item-wise, Safety Goggles is a reasonable choice if your team fears Breloom. An odd but somewhat effective strategy is to use Psycho Shift Cresselia with Flame Orb. This allows Cresselia to cripple physical threats with a burn. However, Flame Orb drastically reduces Cresselia's lifespan, and the set is extremely predictable the moment Cresselia gets burned. Cresselia also has access to the disruptive Trick. This can be used with a Choice Scarf or Choice Specs to cripple defensive Pokemon, but Cresselia's low/mediocre/something offenses make it a poor Choice user.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Mega Mawile**: Mega Mawile doesn't care about anything Cresselia can do besides the rare Skill Swap, and it can use Cresselia as set up setup bait with Swords Dance.

**Mega Gengar**: Mega Gengar hates paralysis and Psychic, but it can trap Cresselia and 2HKO Cresselia it with Shadow Ball.

**Wobbuffet**: Wobbuffet either uses Cresselia as either set up setup bait for dangerous sweepers, (RC) or can Encore an attack and defeat her with Mirror Coat.

**Bisharp**: Bisharp's typing gives it a resistance to Ice Beam and an immunity to Psychic makes it resist Ice Beam, immune to Psychic, and its reliance on Sucker Punch makes attempts at speed control useless. Bisharp's STAB Knock Off and Pursuit severely damage Cresselia, and Defiant takes advantage of Intimidate from Mawile and Landorus-T's Intimidate, who which are common Cresselia teammates.

**Azumarill**: Azumarill can set up Belly Drum and OHKO Cresselia with Play Rough as long as it hasn't taken too much prior damage.(AP)

**Aegislash**: Aegislash laughs at Cresselia's attempts to inflict it with at status, (RC) and 2HKOes her with Shadow Ball. Aegislash can even use Cresselia as setup bait for to set up a Swords Dance or Substitute.

**Ferrothorn**: Ferrothorn has nothing to worry about from Cresselia's status moves, (RC) and can stall her Moonlight out with Leech Seed.

**Anti-Status Calm Mind Users**: Suicune and Sylveon,(RC) use Cresselia as an easy target for setting up Calm Mind thanks to Rest and Sleep Talk. Mega Sableye(AC) in particular(AC) can't even be hit by Psyshock, and it has Magic Bounce to status Cresselia with its own moves.

**Tyranitar**: Dragon Dance variants will dislike Thunder Wave, but Sandstream Sand Stream and Tyranitar's its Dark-type STAB move will cripples Cresselia's walling capabilities due to sand weakening the weaker Moonlight.

**Specially Offensive Dark-types**: Hydreigon and Greninja can bust through Cresselia's Special Defense with their STAB Dark Pulse. However, both of these them hate Thunder Wave.

**Mega Heracross**: Mega Heracross deserves a special mention due to its powerful Skill Link-boosted Pin Missile Missle, which bypasses Cresselia's Rocky Helmet and vanquishes her. Mega Heracross is even bulky enough to avoid a 2HKO from Psychic.

**Other Offensive Bug-types**: Scizor, Volcarona, Heracross, and Escavalier can hit Cresselia hard with their STAB Bug-type attacks. Scizor and Volcarona(AC) in particular(AC) may might even attempt to set up on Cresselia!

**Trick**: Tricking Cresselia a Choice item destroys its Cresselia's walling capability. The most common user of Trick is Rotom-W, but Rotom-H and Togekiss are also viable users of Trick.

**Toxic**: Toxic slowly but surely ruins Cresselia's walling capabilities, making it vulnerable to the vary very Pokemon it attempts to check!

**Taunt**: Taunt prevents Cresselia from using its valuable support moves, leaving it as a sitting duck waiting to be set up on with due to its weak attacks. Common users include Talonflame, Thundurus, and Gyarados.

 

[Theorymon]

P Squared and Deinosaur : Thanks for the grammar check! I implemented most of the stuff there. Sorry it took so long, I had a really serious family emergency to attend to!

The only big judgment call I made was that I left that sentence about not going full Trick Room in. Reason I feel its needed is because a lot of people, when they try out Trick Room for the first time, go full Trick Room, not realizing that this usually isn't as effective as just having a team with a "Trick Room mode".

Otherwise, this only needs one more grammar check!

 

[GatoDelFuego]

Theorymon

REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS

Hide

[OVERVIEW]
Cresselia is one of the most prominent defensive Pokemon in Battle Spot Singles. With defenses on par with those of Ubers like Arceus and an excellent defensive ability in Levitate, Cresselia is capable of checking some of Battle Spot Singles's biggest threats, such as Mega Kangaskhan, Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence! Additionally, Cresselia has an excellent support movepool to take advantage of its you use 'she' later on, so make sure this is consistent bulk, with game-changing moves such as Lunar Dance, Thunder Wave, and Trick Room, and access to a recovery move in Moonlight.

Sadly, Cresselia's wonderful defensive qualities are hampered by her mediocre Psychic typing. The only particularly useful resistance she has is Fighting, while her typing leaves her vulnerable to deadly special attackers such as Mega Gengar, Aegislash, Greninja, and Hydreigon and even hinders her against some physical threats such as Tyranitar and Scizor. Furthermore, Cresselia's poor offenses mean that these threats can usually come in with very few issues and that Cresselia is often setup bait. While these are serious flaws to consider when choosing Cresselia as your defensive Pokemon, they are by no means overwhelming as few Pokemon can offer her combination of bulk and support! If you want to say nothing can offer this crazy level of support, say that in like the first paragraph.

[SET]
name: Defensive Support
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Moonlight
move 3: Psychic / Lunar Dance
move 4: Lunar Dance / Thunder Wave / Trick Room / Toxic
item: Rocky Helmet
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Ice Beam is Cresselia's main checking tool, KOing important threats that are 4x weak to Ice, such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Mega Salamence. Moonlight restores Cresselia's health, maintaining her ability to check important physical threats. Psychic is a good secondary attack, allowing Cresselia to 2HKO her archnemesis, Mega Gengar, making it think twice about switching in. Psychic also 2HKOes Fighting-types such as Blaziken and Mega Lopunny and does decent chip damage to Mega Kangaskhan. One of Cresselia's most potentially devastating support options is Lunar Dance. Lunar Dance may might seem like a strange option on such a defensive Pokemon, as Cresselia will immediately faint after using it. However, the ability to completely restore the health and PP of a battle-weary sweeper can lead to a devastating turn of events for your opponent, making it a great move to use when Cresselia has outlived her usefulness.

If you're more interested in early-game support options, Thunder Wave is an excellent choice, crippling Cresselia's faster offensive checks and clearing the way for your own sweepers. Cresselia also happens to be one of the most reliable users of Trick Room around, allowing your slow, bulky attackers to become fearsome speed demons for five turns! Toxic is Cresselia's most passive support option. While it won't immediately cripple offensive threats, Toxic gives Cresselia the edge against opposing Cresselia and Porygon2 and does a great job of wearing down physical threats. Finally, if your team can handle Fighting-types and Mega Gengar effectively, you can even opt to replace Psychic with Lunar Dance, giving Cresselia room for these support options.

Set Details
========

A Bold nature and maximum investment in HP and Defense are required for Cresselia to check Battle Spot's many dangerous physical threats. The extra 4 EVs go in Special Defense because winning Speed ties won't aid Cresselia in the slightest. Rocky Helmet is by far Cresselia's best item choice. Because Cresselia's offenses are lackluster, Rocky Helmet picks up the slack by dealing damage to any Pokemon using a contact move. This, in particular, is what makes Cresselia an effective check to Mega Kangaskhan, forcing it to lose around 32% of its health any time it attacks Cresselia! If another one of your Pokemon is already using Rocky Helmet, you can opt to use a Sitrus Berry or Leftovers to give Cresselia some extra sustainability. Just note that this makes Cresselia a less effective Mega Kangaskhan check.

Usage Tips
========

Cresselia is at its best early on in the match. Simply switch Cresselia into dangerous physical threats with contact moves, such as Mega Kangaskhan, Garchomp, Mega Salamence, and Mega Lopunny, and use the appropriate attacking move or recover Cresselia's health with Moonlight. Strong, boosted attacks have the potential to severely damage Cresselia, so switching it into these threats before they boost is a good idea.

If Cresselia has taken down one of its targets, don't be afraid to sacrifice Cresselia. Using Lunar Dance to restore a battle-weary sweeper's HP or simply switching Cresselia into a powerful move so a faster Pokemon can revenge kill the foe is a fine choice if Cresselia has taken down its targets, because keeping Cresselia around longer than it is useful can actually backfire due to its minimal offensive presence.

Pay attention to Team Preview, as there are two big factors that can affect Cresselia before the battle even begins! The first factor is Mega Gengar. Mega Gengar's ability to trap and defeat Cresselia is a huge problem, so if you feel like you must use Cresselia, using Psychic or Thunder Wave on predicted Gengar switch-ins can save Cresselia from assassination attempts! Wobbuffet can pose similar issues; due to its typing, Cresselia does extremely poorly against Wobbuffet. Additionally, Cresselia has a difficult time making an impact on stall teams due to its poor offenses. When seeing a stall team or Wobbuffet in Team Preview, consider benching Cresselia if at all possible.

If using Trick Room Cresselia, it may might be tempting to set up Trick Room as soon as possible. However, Cresselia's offensive presence is rather poor, usually forcing you to switch her out for a more potent threat. This wastes a valuable turn of Trick Room, meaning that using Trick Room early in the match isn't always the correct choice. If you are unsure whether your opponent is running foes that check your choice of Trick Room sweepers, it is usually best to let the match play out until you feel that Trick Room will make a big impact on the battlefield.

Team Options
========

As Cresselia is primarily a defensive Pokemon, covering its weaknesses to Dark-, Ghost-, and, to a lesser extent, Bug-type Pokemon is highly recommended. Additionally, Mega Mawile and Azumarill are particularly notable threats, as they can use Cresselia's poor offensive presence to set up and break through Cresselia's team defenses. I feel this lends a bit more of an urgency to dealing with these Pokemon Finally, Ferrothorn is a unique threat to Cresselia, using its Steel typing and Leech Seed to simply stall Cresselia out of Moonlight's PP. Fighting-types such as Mega Heracross, Blaziken, Mega Lopunny, and Terrakion (which notably gets an Attack boost from Dark-type attacks) are effective switch-ins for Dark- and Bug-type moves, and effectively slam Ferrothorn. Mega Mawile's and Azumarill's Fairy typing makes them effective checks to most Dark- and Bug-types as well. Dark-types such as Hydreigon and Mega Gyarados also happen to pair well with Cresselia, covering Cresselia's weaknesses to Dark- and Ghost-type attacks, (RC) while Cresselia tanks Fighting-type attacks. Porygon2's Normal typing makes it immune to Ghost-type moves, and its good bulk allows it to check Greninja and Aegislash effectively. While Heatran only covers Cresselia's weakness to Bug-type attacks, it is notable for forming an effective defensive partnership with Cresselia thanks to its ability to lure in Ground- and Fighting-type attacks for Cresselia to take advantage of.

Additionally, Mega Mawile and Azumarill are particularly notable threats, as they can use Cresselia's poor offensive presence to set up and break through Cresselia's defenses team. Perhaps the previous sentence should be removed, if it's being repeated here? These Pokemon can be particularly hard to wall, meaning that less defensive options to Cresselia's checks can work well, too. Talonflame makes for a particularly powerful teammate, using its strong priority Brave Bird to smash through Belly Drum Azumarill and frail special attackers such Greninja and Mega Gengar and using Flare Blitz to fry Mega Mawile and weakened Aegislash. Mega Charizard Y is another notable offensive teammate, roasting Steel-types and slamming Azumarill with Solar Beam. Mega Charizard Y's Drought also gets rid of the dreaded sandstorm and replaces it with sunny weather, which boosts Moonlight! Mega Gengar can toy with Cresselia's defensive threats effectively thanks to Shadow Tag and its immunity to Toxic, and it can also sacrifice itself with Destiny Bond to remove some of Cresselia's offensive checks.

Lunar Dance is an amazing support move, so teaming Cresselia up with decently bulky attackers is highly recommended. Mega Kangaskhan stands out as the most brutal teammate, as restoring Mega Kangaskhan to full health can annihilate worn-down teams! Other good recipients for Lunar Dance recovery include Mega Salamence, Aegislash, Garchomp, Belly Drum Azumarill, Mega Mawile, Dragonite, and Mega Charizard X.

If your Cresselia is equipped with Thunder Wave, make sure to take advantage of it with her teammates! Slow, powerful Pokemon such as Mega Mawile, Azumarill, and Conkeldurr work well here. You can also use Pokemon that, while not slow, have more awkward Speed tiers. Great examples of teammates in this category include Landorus-T, Hydreigon, and Mega Heracross.

Cresselia variants that are being used as Trick Room supporters need to be paired with some slow, powerful Pokemon to work effectively. Mega Mawile is the premier teammate under Trick Room, becoming extremely difficult to check when it outspeeds the majority of the metagame! Other good choices include Azumarill, Escavalier (which provides a Spore immunity with Overcoat), Rhyperior, and Conkeldurr. Also, realize that your entire team shouldn't focus on functioning under Trick Room, as this reduces your team's matchup versatility.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Calm Mind is an appealing move on such a bulky Pokemon, but Cresselia's low offensive presence means that she requires a large number of Calm Mind boosts before she has any chance of sweeping. If using Calm Mind, Psyshock is recommended, as it allows Cresselia to defeat Suicune and Sylveon one-on-one. Shadow Ball can also be used with Calm Mind to eventually prevail over Aegislash after a large number of boosts. Moonblast can be used to deal a large amount of damage to Hydreigon and hit Tyranitar for decent damage. If hitting Tyranitar harder is your primary concern, Grass Knot can be used, although this still won't even always 4HKO Tyranitar.

On the support side, Cresselia has access to Skill Swap, which allows it to weaken Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Salamence and make Gliscor's Toxic Orb backfire. Icy Wind is another form of speed control, but it's a pathetically weak move compared to Ice Beam. Gravity may might seem like a poor idea due to it nullifying Levitate, but it can be paired with powerful Ground-types to wreak havoc. Magic Coat can be a surprise move to deal with status and Taunt, although it requires good prediction to be used effectively. Cresselia has access to Reflect and Light Screen, which can be used in combination with Light Clay and Lunar Dance to help a sweeper set up.

Item-wise, Safety Goggles is a reasonable choice if your team fears Breloom. An odd but somewhat effective strategy is to use Psycho Shift Cresselia with Flame Orb. This allows Cresselia to cripple physical threats with a burn. However, Flame Orb drastically reduces Cresselia's lifespan, and the set is extremely predictable the moment Cresselia gets burned. Cresselia also has access to the disruptive Trick. This can be used with a Choice Scarf or Choice Specs to cripple defensive Pokemon, but Cresselia's low offenses make it a poor Choice user. Shed Shell can be used to escape Mega Gengar and Wobbuffet if your team is especially fearful of them.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Mega Mawile**: Mega Mawile doesn't care about anything Cresselia can do besides the rare Skill Swap, (RC) and it can set up on use Cresselia as setup bait it doesn't 'use Cresselia WITH Swords Dance'; it either uses Cresselia as setup bait, full stop, or uses Swords Dance with Swords Dance.

**Mega Gengar**: Mega Gengar hates paralysis and Psychic, but it can trap Cresselia and 2HKO it with Shadow Ball.

**Wobbuffet**: Wobbuffet, after using Encore, either uses Cresselia as setup bait for dangerous sweepers or can Encore an attack and defeats her with Mirror Coat.

**Bisharp**: Bisharp's typing gives it a resistance to Ice Beam and an immunity to Psychic, and its reliance on Sucker Punch makes attempts at speed control useless. Bisharp's STAB Knock Off and Pursuit severely damage Cresselia, and Defiant takes advantage of Intimidate from Mawile and Landorus-T, who are common Cresselia teammates.

**Azumarill**: Azumarill can set up Belly Drum and OHKO Cresselia with Play Rough as long as it hasn't taken too much prior damage.

**Aegislash**: Aegislash laughs at Cresselia's attempts to inflict it with status and 2HKOes her with Shadow Ball. Aegislash can even use set up on Cresselia as setup bait for a with Swords Dance or Substitute.

**Ferrothorn**: Ferrothorn has nothing to worry about from Cresselia's status moves and can stall her Moonlight out with Leech Seed.

**Anti-Status Calm Mind Users**: Suicune and Sylveon use Cresselia as an easy target for to setting up with in this case they set up with Calm Mind rather than use Calm Mind thanks to Rest and Sleep Talk. Mega Sableye, in particular, There's no particular, because Mega Sableye wasn't part of a previously described set of things can't even be hit by Psyshock, and it has Magic Bounce to status Cresselia with its her own moves.

**Tyranitar**: Dragon Dance variants of Tyranitar will dislike Thunder Wave, but Sand Stream and Tyranitar's Dark-type STAB move will cripple Cresselia's walling capabilities due to sand weakening Moonlight and Tyranitar can destroy Cresselia with its Dark-type STAB move.

**Specially Offensive Dark-types**: Special Dark-types such as Hydreigon and Greninja can bust through Cresselia's Special Defense with their STAB Dark Pulse. However, both of them hate Thunder Wave.

**Mega Heracross**: Mega Heracross deserves a special mention due to its powerful Skill Link-boosted Pin Missile, which bypasses Cresselia's Rocky Helmet and vanquishes her with its Skill Link-boosted Pin Missile. Mega Heracross is even bulky enough to avoid a 2HKO from Psychic.

**Other Offensive Bug-types**: Scizor, Volcarona, Heracross, and Escavalier can hit Cresselia hard with their STAB Bug-type attacks. Scizor and Volcarona, in particular, might can even attempt to set up on Cresselia!

**Trick**: Tricking Cresselia a Choice item destroys her walling capability. The most common user of Trick is Rotom-W, but Rotom-H and Togekiss are also viable users of Trick.

**Toxic**: Toxic slowly but surely ruins Cresselia's walling capabilities, making it vulnerable to the very Pokemon it attempts to check!

**Taunt**: Taunt prevents Cresselia from using its valuable support moves, leaving it her as a sitting duck waiting to be set up on due to her weak attacks. Common users include Talonflame, Thundurus, and Gyarados.

2/2

 

[Theorymon]

Thanks a lot GatoDelFuego , this is now done!