http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/cresselia
With Cresselia’s recent fall into UU, I wanted to post this analysis for a Cresselia set that I’ve been using in OU for a while now. It works quite well and plays to Cresselia’s strength. Any edits or help you guys can offer is greatly appreciated.
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[SET]
name: Psycho Shift (OU)
move 1: Psycho Shift
move 2: Rest
move 3: Sleep Talk
move 4: Psychic / Ice Beam
item: Flame Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 60 SpD / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Two of Cresselia’s biggest problems have always been her lack of reliable recovery and her Pursuit weakness. This set attempts to remedy both problems while turning Cresselia into a sturdy RestTalker that passes status afflictions onto the opponent’s team.</p>
<p>Psycho Shift is the crux of the set and it offers Cresselia a unique kind of attack that can be used offensively or defensively, depending on the situation at hand. The idea is to switch into something that will likely be forced out in the face of Cresselia’s powerful defenses. Upon switching into battle, her Flame Orb will activate, letting Cresselia use Psycho Shift to inflict a burn status on the opposing Pokémon. This will make it extremely difficult for Pursuit users like Tyranitar and Scizor to defeat Cresselia the old fashioned way.</p>
<p>Despite the fact that the OU metagame is dominated by physical attackers, your opponent could just as easily switch in a special attacker and try to defeat Cresselia that way. This is where Rest and Sleep Talk play a very important role on this set. While sleeping under the effects of Rest, Cresselia will use Sleep Talk and have a one in three chance of selecting Psycho Shift. If this should occur and Cresselia selects Psycho Shift while asleep, her sleep affliction will be transferred to the opponent’s Pokémon, thus waking her and allowing you to switch to a proper counter or send out a set up sweeper.</p>
<p>Cresselia’s fourth and final move isn’t nearly as important as the rest of the set. It does, however, still deserve careful consideration. There are two viable options for the last move: Psychic and Ice Beam, both of which have their merits. Psychic seems to be the slightly better choice, offering a reliable STAB that hits Pokémon like Infernape, Heracross, and Machamp for super effective damage. It’s also worth noting that all of the aforementioned Pokémon have the potential to not worry about receiving a status ailment from Psycho Shift. Ice Beam on the other hand, has good Base Power and excellent offensive typing that will hit Dragon-types like Salamence and Flygon for super effective damage.</p>
<p>This particular Cresselia is best used on a defensive or more stall-oriented team, and as such, requires adequate team support to function as its best. One of the biggest threats to this set are Pokémon utilizing Taunt. Expert Belt Jirachi makes a great partner to Cresselia, since two of the most notable users of Taunt, Gyarados and Gliscor, will both fall to Thunderbolt and Ice Punch, respectively. This set can also run into problems against Pokémon using Substitute. Heatran gets a special mention since it resists both Psychic and Ice Beam, and is immune to being burned. For these reasons, it can be extremely useful to have a bulky phazer on your team. Suicune and Vaporeon make great Heatran counters and both can utilize Roar to get rid of troublesome Substitute users.</p>
<p>The EVs given are to ensure maximum bulk while outspeeding a few key threats. 252 HP EVs let Cresselia soak up hits from both sides of the spectrum. The 196 Speed EVs along with a Timid nature make you faster than the standard Taunt wielding Gyarados and Skarmory, but most importantly, you outspeed Adamant Lucario by a single point. The remaining EVs are poured into Special Defense to help Cresselia take some weaker special attacks better, like Celebi’s Grass Knot and Vaporeon’s Surf. Alternatively, if the rest of your team is relatively fast or you don’t feel the need to outspeed threats like Taunt Gyarados and Adamant Lucario, then a bulkier EV spread, 252 HP / 108 Def / 148 SpD with a Calm nature, can be used. The HP and Defense EVs assure that you take little damage from Pokemon like Choice Scarf Flygon and bulky variants of Gyarados. Without Choice Specs, a Calm nature and 148 Special Defense EVs make it impossible for many powerful special attackers like Heatran, Latias, and Salamence to 2HKO Cresselia, factoring in Stealth Rock and a turn of damage from Flame Orb.</p>
With Cresselia’s recent fall into UU, I wanted to post this analysis for a Cresselia set that I’ve been using in OU for a while now. It works quite well and plays to Cresselia’s strength. Any edits or help you guys can offer is greatly appreciated.
-----------------------------------------------
[SET]
name: Psycho Shift (OU)
move 1: Psycho Shift
move 2: Rest
move 3: Sleep Talk
move 4: Psychic / Ice Beam
item: Flame Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 60 SpD / 196 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Two of Cresselia’s biggest problems have always been her lack of reliable recovery and her Pursuit weakness. This set attempts to remedy both problems while turning Cresselia into a sturdy RestTalker that passes status afflictions onto the opponent’s team.</p>
<p>Psycho Shift is the crux of the set and it offers Cresselia a unique kind of attack that can be used offensively or defensively, depending on the situation at hand. The idea is to switch into something that will likely be forced out in the face of Cresselia’s powerful defenses. Upon switching into battle, her Flame Orb will activate, letting Cresselia use Psycho Shift to inflict a burn status on the opposing Pokémon. This will make it extremely difficult for Pursuit users like Tyranitar and Scizor to defeat Cresselia the old fashioned way.</p>
<p>Despite the fact that the OU metagame is dominated by physical attackers, your opponent could just as easily switch in a special attacker and try to defeat Cresselia that way. This is where Rest and Sleep Talk play a very important role on this set. While sleeping under the effects of Rest, Cresselia will use Sleep Talk and have a one in three chance of selecting Psycho Shift. If this should occur and Cresselia selects Psycho Shift while asleep, her sleep affliction will be transferred to the opponent’s Pokémon, thus waking her and allowing you to switch to a proper counter or send out a set up sweeper.</p>
<p>Cresselia’s fourth and final move isn’t nearly as important as the rest of the set. It does, however, still deserve careful consideration. There are two viable options for the last move: Psychic and Ice Beam, both of which have their merits. Psychic seems to be the slightly better choice, offering a reliable STAB that hits Pokémon like Infernape, Heracross, and Machamp for super effective damage. It’s also worth noting that all of the aforementioned Pokémon have the potential to not worry about receiving a status ailment from Psycho Shift. Ice Beam on the other hand, has good Base Power and excellent offensive typing that will hit Dragon-types like Salamence and Flygon for super effective damage.</p>
<p>This particular Cresselia is best used on a defensive or more stall-oriented team, and as such, requires adequate team support to function as its best. One of the biggest threats to this set are Pokémon utilizing Taunt. Expert Belt Jirachi makes a great partner to Cresselia, since two of the most notable users of Taunt, Gyarados and Gliscor, will both fall to Thunderbolt and Ice Punch, respectively. This set can also run into problems against Pokémon using Substitute. Heatran gets a special mention since it resists both Psychic and Ice Beam, and is immune to being burned. For these reasons, it can be extremely useful to have a bulky phazer on your team. Suicune and Vaporeon make great Heatran counters and both can utilize Roar to get rid of troublesome Substitute users.</p>
<p>The EVs given are to ensure maximum bulk while outspeeding a few key threats. 252 HP EVs let Cresselia soak up hits from both sides of the spectrum. The 196 Speed EVs along with a Timid nature make you faster than the standard Taunt wielding Gyarados and Skarmory, but most importantly, you outspeed Adamant Lucario by a single point. The remaining EVs are poured into Special Defense to help Cresselia take some weaker special attacks better, like Celebi’s Grass Knot and Vaporeon’s Surf. Alternatively, if the rest of your team is relatively fast or you don’t feel the need to outspeed threats like Taunt Gyarados and Adamant Lucario, then a bulkier EV spread, 252 HP / 108 Def / 148 SpD with a Calm nature, can be used. The HP and Defense EVs assure that you take little damage from Pokemon like Choice Scarf Flygon and bulky variants of Gyarados. Without Choice Specs, a Calm nature and 148 Special Defense EVs make it impossible for many powerful special attackers like Heatran, Latias, and Salamence to 2HKO Cresselia, factoring in Stealth Rock and a turn of damage from Flame Orb.</p>
