There are two sets I want to put up; a support set and a dual screen set. The support set is somewhat similar to Lugia, but it counters the DD set as well as the SD set. Plus it's the best Groudon, Garchomp, and Rayquaza counter in existence. Purpose of dual screen set is obvious.
STATUS: Done
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http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/cresselia
[SET]
name: Great Wall
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Moonlight
move 3: Reflect
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave / Hidden Power Fire
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Whilst Cresselia is often compared to the great beast Lugia, she does not have the weaknesses associated with the Flying-type. Unlike Lugia, she does not fear Stone Edge, cannot shed her Ground-immunity with Roost, and does not lose 25% of her HP from Stealth Rock. Hence she can more reliably counter Groudon, Rayquaza, and Garchomp than Lugia, as well as taking less damage from the ever common Ice Beam and Thunder. Even +4 Life Orb Groudon's Stone Edge will never OHKO Cresselia. Also, in the sun, Moonlight heals 66.7% of her HP, which is more efficient than Lugia's Roost if Kyogre is kept off the field.<p>
<p>Ice Beam is needed to counter Rayquaza, Groudon, and Garchomp, the three main physical powerhouses in Ubers. Reflect halves physical attacks in half, and is especially helpful against enemy Pursuiters or if rain is on the field, severely reducing Moonlight's effectiveness. Toxic is recommended for the last slot; Ice Beam does little damage to any Pokémon without a 4x Ice weakness. Furthermore, it will do more damage over time to Groudon than a single Ice Beam. Whilst it is a lesser option with Toxic Spikes support, it can still be useful for hitting Lugia and the Lati twins. Thunder Wave may hit incoming Pokémon on the switch, and the two most common Pokémon in Ubers that are immune to Thunder Wave, Groudon and Garchomp, would never switch into Cresselia. Hidden Power Fire prevents Forretress from using Cresselia as set up bait and can also punish Scizor, who loves to switch in on Cresselia and use U-turn to either hit her hard or scout your switch-in. Hidden Power Fire is also Cresselia's most powerful attack in the sunlight.</p>
<p>The EVs guarantee a OHKO on 32 HP / 8 SpD Rayquaza with Ice Beam after Stealth Rock damage and net a 2HKO on Garchomp. If you are using Hidden Power Fire, the EVs also net a 2HKO on max/max Forretress after Stealth Rock damage in any weather other than the rain, in which case, it may not even 4HKO thanks to Leftovers recovery. The HP and Defense EVs provide Cresselia with great bulk. Cresselia can survive a +1 Adamant Rayquaza's Outrage after Stealth Rock damage, and only has a 9.60% chance of being 2HKOed by Jolly Rayquaza's Outrage with one turn of Leftovers recovery and without Stealth Rock damage.</p>
<p>Leftovers is generally the preferred option for the HP recovery, reducing the number of times Cresselia will have to resort to using Moonlight's precious PP. However, Shed Shell is viable in Ubers, enabling Cresselia to switch out of Wobbuffet. Otherwise, Wobbuffet can switch into Cresselia, trap it with its ability, Shadow Tag, and use a combination of Encore and many Tickles. After Wobbuffet is done Tickling Cresselia, the opponent can switch to Scizor, Tyranitar, or Weavile to eliminate Cresselia with Pursuit. Alternatively, Wobbuffet can enable a powerful sweeper to switch in for free.</p>
<p>Cresselia is offensively inept with her pathetic base 75 Special Attack. As such, she should only be used on stall teams; she is dead-weight on any offensive team. Cresselia should always be used alongside Groudon, setting up the sun so Moonlight will heal 66.7% of Cresselia's HP, and removing any rain on the field. Blissey as a teammate can absorb special assaults directed at Cresselia whilst she takes physical attacks aimed at Blissey, forming a pseudo SkarmBliss combo. Blissey can also provide Aromatherapy support to rid Cresselia of a poison or burn, or use Wish to heal Cresselia should there be rain on the field. In return, Blissey will more than appreciate the support provided by Reflect. An allied Latias acts similarly to Blissey. However, Latias shares Cresselia's weaknesses. When using these two together, one of them should use Hidden Power Fire to deal with Scizor. Cresselia hates Toxic, so it may help to have an ally that is either immune to Toxic, such as Dialga, Forretress, or Scizor, or can take advantage of it like Guts Heracross.</p>
<p>Kyogre is Cresselia's number one enemy, because Cresselia can do nothing to hurt it outside of Toxic, whilst its ability, Drizzle, reduces Moonlight's recovery to only 25%. Timid Kyogre can 2HKO with Surf after Stealth Rock damage over 97% of the time (and Specs Kyogre can OHKO Cresselia with Water Spout). Palkia can handle Choiced Kyogre, whilst Latias can handle all Kyogre sets. Tyranitar can also reduce Moonlight's recovery and severely dent Cresselia with Crunch or Pursuit. Fortunately, Groudon handles Tyranitar. Darkrai can block any status attempts with Substitute or Taunt, set up Nasty Plot and remove Cresselia with Dark Pulse. Heracross and Primeape can counter Darkrai without fearing Dark Void, but should Sleep clause be activated, Scizor or revenge killers like Scarf Palkia or Dialga can check Darkrai too. Without HP Fire, Scizor and Forretress can comfortably switch into Cresselia and U-turn or set up entry hazards respectively. Ho-oh, Dialga, and Groudon can roast them with Sacred Fire, Fire Blast, and Fire Punch respectively, whilst taking little damage from U-turn. If Cresselia lacks a Shed Shell, Wobbuffet can easily switch in, and use the Encore + Tickle combination to lower Cresselia's Defense to the point that an opposing Pursuit user, such as Tyranitar and Scizor, can easily OHKO Cresselia. Unfortunately, Cresselia cannot switch out of Wobbuffet due to Shadow Tag. As most Pursuit users are Choiced, an allied Scizor and Dialga can come in after Cresselia is fainted, and in Scizor's case, use U-turn to scout the opponent's switch-in (Dialga has a myriad of options available to it, like Fire Blast and Bulk Up). Scizor also deals heavy damage to Wobbuffet with U-turn, but it will not OHKO. However, if a Ghost-type switches in after U-turn, Wobbuffet's Counter will fail, and the switch-in will take no damage.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screener
move 1: Light Screen
move 2: Reflect
move 3: Lunar Dance
move 4: Thunder Wave / Moonlight / Ice Beam
item: Light Clay
nature: Timid
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Spe / 24 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Switch Cresselia in on a Pokémon that can do little to harm Cresselia, such as Blissey, Lugia, Giratina, Groudon, or even Forretress if you do not mind your opponent setting up entry hazards. Then proceed to set up dual screens. Late game, use Lunar Dance to fully heal one of your teammates, preferably a late game sweeper, under the protection of dual screens. The last move is up to user preference. Thunder Wave provides extra team support, paralyzing Pokémon to support a late game sweep. Additionally, by paralyzing faster opponents, Cresselia can set up a screen before they attack her. Moonlight can keep Cresselia healthy and is useful if you want to set up dual screens more than once. Ice Beam enables Cresselia to check Rayquaza, Garchomp, and Groudon without Toxic. Even with no Defense EVs, Cresselia makes a comfortable counter for Swords Dance Rayquaza, outspeeding Adamant Rayquaza and always surviving +2 Jolly Life Orb Dragon Claw after Stealth Rock damage. However, keep in mind that +1 Jolly Rayquaza's Outrage is likely to OHKO Cresselia after Stealth Rock damage, so Cresselia is not a reliable Dragon Dance Rayquaza counter. One should not use Ice Beam for the sole purpose of not Struggling when Taunted, because all the common Taunt users have nothing to fear from Cresselia's Ice Beam and can easily use a Taunted Cresselia as set-up bait.<p>
<p>The Speed EVs enable Cresselia to outrun Adamant Rayquaza and the many base 90 Speed Ubers without a +Speed nature, so she can set up a screen before being attacked, enabling her to easily set up dual screens against Groudon, Dialga, Ho-oh, and Rayquaza. Against these foes, you should only switch Cresselia in on them after a KO, so that you are not attacked without a screen. One may also give Cresselia a Bold or Calm nature, and put all the Speed EVs into Defense and Special Defense respectively, to better protect Cresselia from one side. This is helpful for setting up against Pokémon that will always be faster than Cresselia, like Choice Scarf Dialga and Garchomp.</p>
<p>Cresselia will rarely be on the offensive, if at all. She should be paired alongside a late game sweeper that benefits from dual screen support, such as Giratina-O, Mewtwo, or Rock Polish Groudon with Swords Dance. Giratina-O can also switch into Brick Break and attempt a sweep, but any screens will still be broken. Cresselia may be paired with Mew, as the protection from dual screen can help it set up and pass the boosts to a late game sweeper. Lunar Dance also enables Mew to Baton Pass boosts twice, as Mew will often lose lots of HP after Baton Passing the first time. You should have teammates that both lure out Pokémon that Cresselia can easily set up on and benefit from dual screens themselves, like using Groudon to lure out Lugia or Giratina. Scizor can not only lure in Pokémon that Cresselia can easily set up on (for example, Groudon, Giratina, Forretress, and Skarmory), but it can also provide support for your late game sweepers by checking many fast Choice Scarf Pokémon such as Darkrai and Shaymin-S that can revenge kill your late game sweepers.</p>
<p>Few Pokémon can switch in on Cresselia and prevent her from setting up double screens. Choice Specs Kyogre can 2HKO her with Water Spout if Light Screen is up, whilst Choice Band Tyranitar will always 2HKO with Crunch after Stealth Rock damage and one turn of Sandstorm damage if Reflect up. Palkia and Latias can switch in on Choice Specs Kyogre, whilst Groudon or Scizor can switch in on Tyranitar's Crunch or Pursuit. Scizor also comfortably handles Mewtwo, Mew, Darkrai, and Deoxys-S, the most common users of Taunt, who would otherwise completely shut down Cresselia. However, Scizor must avoid Fire Blast from Mewtwo and a Nasty Plot boosted Focus Blast from Darkrai.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>When using Moonlight, always use Groudon. Its ability, Drought, allows Cresselia to heal 66.7% of her HP with Moonlight. Stealth Rock is a must, so Cresselia can OHKO Rayquaza with Ice Beam. Fortunately, Groudon can set this up along with the sun. Opposing Groudon, Lugia, and even Garchomp may attempt to use Toxic on Cresselia as it switches in, which greatly hinders her walling capabilities. Aromtherapy Blissey can easily solve this issue. An ally with Light Screen support can enable Cresselia to stand up to many special attackers as long as the sun is out, meaning that Cresselia can stall them with Moonlight, whilst the opponent loses HP from Cresselia's Toxic or Toxic Spikes if you have Forretress to set them up. Blissey can once again provide this support, however, it may be redundant in such a scenario, as Blissey walls many different special attackers without the need for Light Screen.</p>
<p>Cresselia has trouble handling the high-powered special attacks that are common in Ubers. Kyogre is the most threatening, as its ability, Drizzle, removes the sunlight needed to make Moonlight worth using, whilst rain boosted STAB Water-type attacks hit very hard. The next biggest threats are those that can easily set up on Cresselia, especially if they have Substitute or Taunt to block Toxic and Thunder Wave, like Darkrai and Mewtwo. Darkrai behind a Substitute can easily put a would-be counter to sleep with Dark Void, making it even more threatening. Blissey can wall Darkrai, Mewtwo, and non-Rest Kyogre that are not locked into Water Spout, and retaliate with status or Seismic Toss. However, Darkrai can cripple Blissey with Dark Void or a +2 Focus Blast, and Mewtwo can beat Blissey if it has 101 HP Substitutes. Scizor can easily dispatch of Mewtwo without Fire Blast, but fortunately, any Mewtwo with Substitute or Taunt is very unlikely to have Fire Blast as well. Scizor also handles Darkrai well, as long as it avoids a +2 Life Orb Focus Blast. Ho-oh also comfortably handles Darkrai and Mewtwo, as long as sleep clause has been activated and Mewtwo does not have Thunder. Ho-oh also has the benefit of luring in Kyogre, and then dealing severe damage to Kyogre with Brave Bird. Tyranitar is one of the few physical attackers whom Cresselia cannot stand up to thanks to its super effective Dark-type attacks and Sand Stream removing the sunlight. Fortunately, Groudon easily disposes of it, and Scizor also deals severe damage to it with Bullet Punch and U-turn. Wobbuffet can Encore Cresselia without Lunar Dance or Shed Shell and either give an opposing sweeper a free switch in or Tickle Cresselia so an enemy Pursuit user can OHKO Cresselia. Whilst Wobbuffet has no counters (thanks to Shadow Tag), if one predicts a Wobbuffet switch in, he can send in Darkrai, whom can hit Wobbuffet super-effective with Dark Pulse whilst possessing an immunity to Mirror Coat thanks to its Dark-type.</p>
<p>The Pokémon that threaten Cresselia most, Kyogre, Mewtwo, Darkrai, and Tyranitar, are generally paired with an offensive Dragon-type such as Palkia, Dialga, Rayquaza, or Garchomp. Blissey can take the special attacks of special orientated Dragon-type Pokémon. Fortunately, Cresselia handles Rayquaza and Garchomp herself with Ice Beam. If she does not have Ice Beam, Lugia or Groudon can handle physical Dragon-type attackers, including Bulk Up Dialga, which uses Cresselia as set-up bait. Mix attacker Dragons such as Palkia and Mixquaza require prediction to beat, but otherwise, they are easily revenge killed by any faster Pokémon with a super effective attack, like Mewtwo or Scarf Dialga, Palkia, and Metagross.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>If you do not want to rely on Moonlight and the sun, Rest can be used, but you will need cleric support. Sleep Talk provides reliable recovery when paired with Rest, but Cresselia needs to immediately attack Rayquaza with Ice Beam in order to reliably counter it, as Rayquaza poses a 2HKO threat, and Sleep Talk will only select Ice Beam 1/3 of the time. Whilst Rest and Sleep Talk makes Cresselia effective at PP stalling, it will make Cresselia even larger set-up bait, and almost anything with a set-up move will beat Cresselia one on one.</p>
<p>Grass Knot can be used for a stronger attack on most Ubers than Ice Beam, in particular Groudon, Kyogre, and Tyranitar. However, Cresselia will still deal very little damage with her pathetic 75 base Special Attack, and she will be unable to stand up against Kyogre and Tyranitar. Cresselia's Special Attack also makes Calm Mind a poor option, because it will take many Calm Minds for Cresselia to actually dent the opposing Pokémon (and even +6 Cresselia can be easily walled by Blissey, Kyogre, or Latias). Perhaps more importantly, Lugia generally makes better use of Calm Mind thanks to its higher base stat total. Light Screen is an option on the Great Wall set alongside with Toxic to stall out special attackers. However, any Steel-type will render the attempt useless.</p>
<p>Cresselia also gains access to Trick Room and Gravity, and are viable choices if you build a team around them. When using Trick Room, use a -Speed nature and 0 IVs to ensure you are slower than neutral nature Tyranitar. Keep in mind that under Gravity, Cresselia will not be able to counter Swords Dance Groudon, as she can be hit by Groudon's Earthquake, and it will deal too much damage with a Swords Dance boost.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Cresselia should always have maximum HP to provide durability on both sides of the spectrum. When using Ice Beam, 144 SpA EVs ensure a OHKO on 32 HP / 8 SpD Rayquaza with Stealth Rock damage. Place any remaining EVs in Defense. A Defense stat of 335 (116 EVs with a Bold nature) will guarantee that Cresselia survives a +1 Outrage from Adamant Rayquaza even after Stealth Rock, but more EVs are optimum in case you are unable to get the sun up, meaning Cresselia will be hard-pressed for self-recovery.</p>
<p>When deciding on Speed, there are a few stats to consider. The first is 222 (64 EVs), enabling you to outrun Adamant Tyranitar. The second is 245 (156 EVs), outrunning Jolly Tyranitar and most Giratina-O. 280 (196 EVs and a Timid nature) will outrun the multitude of base 90 Ubers and Lucario assuming that they don't run +natures. Finally, there is 290 (232 EVs and a Timid nature) to outrun Adamant Rayquaza. However, Cresselia should only be EVed in Speed if she wants to set up a screen before being attacked by a particular foe.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Lugia gives Cresselia stiff competition thanks to a greater movepool and a higher base Special Defense and Speed. Lugia can also function well in any weather thanks to Roost, whilst Cresselia needs the sun up for reliable recovery. Moonlight also has half the PP of Roost. However, sun is fairly rampant with Groudon everywhere, making Moonlight more useful in Ubers than in the Sandstorm-dominated OU play. Cresselia takes roughly the same amount of damage from physical attacks than Lugia, but due to not sporting Lugia's weakness to Stealth Rock and Stone Edge, she usually ends up with more HP. Lugia also exposes itself to Groudon's Earthquake after Roost. Hence Cresselia makes for a more reliable Groudon, Rayquaza, and Garchomp counter than the great beast. She also makes a better dual screener thanks to less weaknesses and her unique move, Lunar Dance. However, that is pretty much all that Cresselia's got. Otherwise, you are better off with Lugia.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Kyogre turns the weather into rain, reducing Moonlight's recovery to a pathetic 25%, and threatens Cresselia with STAB boosted Water-type attacks. Tyranitar also removes the sunlight with Sand Stream and can severely dent Cresselia with STAB Crunch or Pursuit. Scizor, Heracross, and Weavile can also hit Cresselia hard with their STAB attacks whilst only fearing Hidden Power Fire (and Thunder Wave in Weavile's case). Blissey with Toxic also has no problems against Cresselia without Rest. However, Cresselia can easily set up dual screens and finish off with Lunar Dance against Blissey. Wobbuffet shrugs off Ice Beam and can trap Cresselia with Shadow Tag, Encore any attack, and use Tickle till Cresselia loses enough Defense to be OHKOed by an opposing Pursuit user. Lunar Dance Cresselia can, however, escape from Wobbuffet by sacrificing herself.
<p>Anything with Taunt will beat Cresselia, as her pathetic 75 base Special Attack means she cannot hit hard unless she hits for 4x super effective damage. The most common users of Taunt in Ubers are Mewtwo, Mew, Darkrai, and Deoxys (any forme), all of which can easily use Cresselia as set-up bait. They just need to avoid Toxic and Thunder Wave when switching in. The same applies for users of Substitute without a weakness to Ice Beam, like Mewtwo and Darkrai once again. Their Substitutes can also withstand once Ice Beam. However, Substitute does not stop Cresselia from setting up dual screens and using Lunar Dance.</p>
<p>It's also important to note that whilst Cresselia handles physical variants of Rayquaza well, Mixquaza is guaranteed to 2HKO her with the combination of Draco Meteor and Outrage after Stealth Rock damage, and as such, Mixquaza makes a great Cresselia lure.</p>
STATUS: Done
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http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/cresselia
[SET]
name: Great Wall
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Moonlight
move 3: Reflect
move 4: Toxic / Thunder Wave / Hidden Power Fire
item: Leftovers / Shed Shell
nature: Bold
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Whilst Cresselia is often compared to the great beast Lugia, she does not have the weaknesses associated with the Flying-type. Unlike Lugia, she does not fear Stone Edge, cannot shed her Ground-immunity with Roost, and does not lose 25% of her HP from Stealth Rock. Hence she can more reliably counter Groudon, Rayquaza, and Garchomp than Lugia, as well as taking less damage from the ever common Ice Beam and Thunder. Even +4 Life Orb Groudon's Stone Edge will never OHKO Cresselia. Also, in the sun, Moonlight heals 66.7% of her HP, which is more efficient than Lugia's Roost if Kyogre is kept off the field.<p>
<p>Ice Beam is needed to counter Rayquaza, Groudon, and Garchomp, the three main physical powerhouses in Ubers. Reflect halves physical attacks in half, and is especially helpful against enemy Pursuiters or if rain is on the field, severely reducing Moonlight's effectiveness. Toxic is recommended for the last slot; Ice Beam does little damage to any Pokémon without a 4x Ice weakness. Furthermore, it will do more damage over time to Groudon than a single Ice Beam. Whilst it is a lesser option with Toxic Spikes support, it can still be useful for hitting Lugia and the Lati twins. Thunder Wave may hit incoming Pokémon on the switch, and the two most common Pokémon in Ubers that are immune to Thunder Wave, Groudon and Garchomp, would never switch into Cresselia. Hidden Power Fire prevents Forretress from using Cresselia as set up bait and can also punish Scizor, who loves to switch in on Cresselia and use U-turn to either hit her hard or scout your switch-in. Hidden Power Fire is also Cresselia's most powerful attack in the sunlight.</p>
<p>The EVs guarantee a OHKO on 32 HP / 8 SpD Rayquaza with Ice Beam after Stealth Rock damage and net a 2HKO on Garchomp. If you are using Hidden Power Fire, the EVs also net a 2HKO on max/max Forretress after Stealth Rock damage in any weather other than the rain, in which case, it may not even 4HKO thanks to Leftovers recovery. The HP and Defense EVs provide Cresselia with great bulk. Cresselia can survive a +1 Adamant Rayquaza's Outrage after Stealth Rock damage, and only has a 9.60% chance of being 2HKOed by Jolly Rayquaza's Outrage with one turn of Leftovers recovery and without Stealth Rock damage.</p>
<p>Leftovers is generally the preferred option for the HP recovery, reducing the number of times Cresselia will have to resort to using Moonlight's precious PP. However, Shed Shell is viable in Ubers, enabling Cresselia to switch out of Wobbuffet. Otherwise, Wobbuffet can switch into Cresselia, trap it with its ability, Shadow Tag, and use a combination of Encore and many Tickles. After Wobbuffet is done Tickling Cresselia, the opponent can switch to Scizor, Tyranitar, or Weavile to eliminate Cresselia with Pursuit. Alternatively, Wobbuffet can enable a powerful sweeper to switch in for free.</p>
<p>Cresselia is offensively inept with her pathetic base 75 Special Attack. As such, she should only be used on stall teams; she is dead-weight on any offensive team. Cresselia should always be used alongside Groudon, setting up the sun so Moonlight will heal 66.7% of Cresselia's HP, and removing any rain on the field. Blissey as a teammate can absorb special assaults directed at Cresselia whilst she takes physical attacks aimed at Blissey, forming a pseudo SkarmBliss combo. Blissey can also provide Aromatherapy support to rid Cresselia of a poison or burn, or use Wish to heal Cresselia should there be rain on the field. In return, Blissey will more than appreciate the support provided by Reflect. An allied Latias acts similarly to Blissey. However, Latias shares Cresselia's weaknesses. When using these two together, one of them should use Hidden Power Fire to deal with Scizor. Cresselia hates Toxic, so it may help to have an ally that is either immune to Toxic, such as Dialga, Forretress, or Scizor, or can take advantage of it like Guts Heracross.</p>
<p>Kyogre is Cresselia's number one enemy, because Cresselia can do nothing to hurt it outside of Toxic, whilst its ability, Drizzle, reduces Moonlight's recovery to only 25%. Timid Kyogre can 2HKO with Surf after Stealth Rock damage over 97% of the time (and Specs Kyogre can OHKO Cresselia with Water Spout). Palkia can handle Choiced Kyogre, whilst Latias can handle all Kyogre sets. Tyranitar can also reduce Moonlight's recovery and severely dent Cresselia with Crunch or Pursuit. Fortunately, Groudon handles Tyranitar. Darkrai can block any status attempts with Substitute or Taunt, set up Nasty Plot and remove Cresselia with Dark Pulse. Heracross and Primeape can counter Darkrai without fearing Dark Void, but should Sleep clause be activated, Scizor or revenge killers like Scarf Palkia or Dialga can check Darkrai too. Without HP Fire, Scizor and Forretress can comfortably switch into Cresselia and U-turn or set up entry hazards respectively. Ho-oh, Dialga, and Groudon can roast them with Sacred Fire, Fire Blast, and Fire Punch respectively, whilst taking little damage from U-turn. If Cresselia lacks a Shed Shell, Wobbuffet can easily switch in, and use the Encore + Tickle combination to lower Cresselia's Defense to the point that an opposing Pursuit user, such as Tyranitar and Scizor, can easily OHKO Cresselia. Unfortunately, Cresselia cannot switch out of Wobbuffet due to Shadow Tag. As most Pursuit users are Choiced, an allied Scizor and Dialga can come in after Cresselia is fainted, and in Scizor's case, use U-turn to scout the opponent's switch-in (Dialga has a myriad of options available to it, like Fire Blast and Bulk Up). Scizor also deals heavy damage to Wobbuffet with U-turn, but it will not OHKO. However, if a Ghost-type switches in after U-turn, Wobbuffet's Counter will fail, and the switch-in will take no damage.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screener
move 1: Light Screen
move 2: Reflect
move 3: Lunar Dance
move 4: Thunder Wave / Moonlight / Ice Beam
item: Light Clay
nature: Timid
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Spe / 24 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Switch Cresselia in on a Pokémon that can do little to harm Cresselia, such as Blissey, Lugia, Giratina, Groudon, or even Forretress if you do not mind your opponent setting up entry hazards. Then proceed to set up dual screens. Late game, use Lunar Dance to fully heal one of your teammates, preferably a late game sweeper, under the protection of dual screens. The last move is up to user preference. Thunder Wave provides extra team support, paralyzing Pokémon to support a late game sweep. Additionally, by paralyzing faster opponents, Cresselia can set up a screen before they attack her. Moonlight can keep Cresselia healthy and is useful if you want to set up dual screens more than once. Ice Beam enables Cresselia to check Rayquaza, Garchomp, and Groudon without Toxic. Even with no Defense EVs, Cresselia makes a comfortable counter for Swords Dance Rayquaza, outspeeding Adamant Rayquaza and always surviving +2 Jolly Life Orb Dragon Claw after Stealth Rock damage. However, keep in mind that +1 Jolly Rayquaza's Outrage is likely to OHKO Cresselia after Stealth Rock damage, so Cresselia is not a reliable Dragon Dance Rayquaza counter. One should not use Ice Beam for the sole purpose of not Struggling when Taunted, because all the common Taunt users have nothing to fear from Cresselia's Ice Beam and can easily use a Taunted Cresselia as set-up bait.<p>
<p>The Speed EVs enable Cresselia to outrun Adamant Rayquaza and the many base 90 Speed Ubers without a +Speed nature, so she can set up a screen before being attacked, enabling her to easily set up dual screens against Groudon, Dialga, Ho-oh, and Rayquaza. Against these foes, you should only switch Cresselia in on them after a KO, so that you are not attacked without a screen. One may also give Cresselia a Bold or Calm nature, and put all the Speed EVs into Defense and Special Defense respectively, to better protect Cresselia from one side. This is helpful for setting up against Pokémon that will always be faster than Cresselia, like Choice Scarf Dialga and Garchomp.</p>
<p>Cresselia will rarely be on the offensive, if at all. She should be paired alongside a late game sweeper that benefits from dual screen support, such as Giratina-O, Mewtwo, or Rock Polish Groudon with Swords Dance. Giratina-O can also switch into Brick Break and attempt a sweep, but any screens will still be broken. Cresselia may be paired with Mew, as the protection from dual screen can help it set up and pass the boosts to a late game sweeper. Lunar Dance also enables Mew to Baton Pass boosts twice, as Mew will often lose lots of HP after Baton Passing the first time. You should have teammates that both lure out Pokémon that Cresselia can easily set up on and benefit from dual screens themselves, like using Groudon to lure out Lugia or Giratina. Scizor can not only lure in Pokémon that Cresselia can easily set up on (for example, Groudon, Giratina, Forretress, and Skarmory), but it can also provide support for your late game sweepers by checking many fast Choice Scarf Pokémon such as Darkrai and Shaymin-S that can revenge kill your late game sweepers.</p>
<p>Few Pokémon can switch in on Cresselia and prevent her from setting up double screens. Choice Specs Kyogre can 2HKO her with Water Spout if Light Screen is up, whilst Choice Band Tyranitar will always 2HKO with Crunch after Stealth Rock damage and one turn of Sandstorm damage if Reflect up. Palkia and Latias can switch in on Choice Specs Kyogre, whilst Groudon or Scizor can switch in on Tyranitar's Crunch or Pursuit. Scizor also comfortably handles Mewtwo, Mew, Darkrai, and Deoxys-S, the most common users of Taunt, who would otherwise completely shut down Cresselia. However, Scizor must avoid Fire Blast from Mewtwo and a Nasty Plot boosted Focus Blast from Darkrai.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>When using Moonlight, always use Groudon. Its ability, Drought, allows Cresselia to heal 66.7% of her HP with Moonlight. Stealth Rock is a must, so Cresselia can OHKO Rayquaza with Ice Beam. Fortunately, Groudon can set this up along with the sun. Opposing Groudon, Lugia, and even Garchomp may attempt to use Toxic on Cresselia as it switches in, which greatly hinders her walling capabilities. Aromtherapy Blissey can easily solve this issue. An ally with Light Screen support can enable Cresselia to stand up to many special attackers as long as the sun is out, meaning that Cresselia can stall them with Moonlight, whilst the opponent loses HP from Cresselia's Toxic or Toxic Spikes if you have Forretress to set them up. Blissey can once again provide this support, however, it may be redundant in such a scenario, as Blissey walls many different special attackers without the need for Light Screen.</p>
<p>Cresselia has trouble handling the high-powered special attacks that are common in Ubers. Kyogre is the most threatening, as its ability, Drizzle, removes the sunlight needed to make Moonlight worth using, whilst rain boosted STAB Water-type attacks hit very hard. The next biggest threats are those that can easily set up on Cresselia, especially if they have Substitute or Taunt to block Toxic and Thunder Wave, like Darkrai and Mewtwo. Darkrai behind a Substitute can easily put a would-be counter to sleep with Dark Void, making it even more threatening. Blissey can wall Darkrai, Mewtwo, and non-Rest Kyogre that are not locked into Water Spout, and retaliate with status or Seismic Toss. However, Darkrai can cripple Blissey with Dark Void or a +2 Focus Blast, and Mewtwo can beat Blissey if it has 101 HP Substitutes. Scizor can easily dispatch of Mewtwo without Fire Blast, but fortunately, any Mewtwo with Substitute or Taunt is very unlikely to have Fire Blast as well. Scizor also handles Darkrai well, as long as it avoids a +2 Life Orb Focus Blast. Ho-oh also comfortably handles Darkrai and Mewtwo, as long as sleep clause has been activated and Mewtwo does not have Thunder. Ho-oh also has the benefit of luring in Kyogre, and then dealing severe damage to Kyogre with Brave Bird. Tyranitar is one of the few physical attackers whom Cresselia cannot stand up to thanks to its super effective Dark-type attacks and Sand Stream removing the sunlight. Fortunately, Groudon easily disposes of it, and Scizor also deals severe damage to it with Bullet Punch and U-turn. Wobbuffet can Encore Cresselia without Lunar Dance or Shed Shell and either give an opposing sweeper a free switch in or Tickle Cresselia so an enemy Pursuit user can OHKO Cresselia. Whilst Wobbuffet has no counters (thanks to Shadow Tag), if one predicts a Wobbuffet switch in, he can send in Darkrai, whom can hit Wobbuffet super-effective with Dark Pulse whilst possessing an immunity to Mirror Coat thanks to its Dark-type.</p>
<p>The Pokémon that threaten Cresselia most, Kyogre, Mewtwo, Darkrai, and Tyranitar, are generally paired with an offensive Dragon-type such as Palkia, Dialga, Rayquaza, or Garchomp. Blissey can take the special attacks of special orientated Dragon-type Pokémon. Fortunately, Cresselia handles Rayquaza and Garchomp herself with Ice Beam. If she does not have Ice Beam, Lugia or Groudon can handle physical Dragon-type attackers, including Bulk Up Dialga, which uses Cresselia as set-up bait. Mix attacker Dragons such as Palkia and Mixquaza require prediction to beat, but otherwise, they are easily revenge killed by any faster Pokémon with a super effective attack, like Mewtwo or Scarf Dialga, Palkia, and Metagross.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>If you do not want to rely on Moonlight and the sun, Rest can be used, but you will need cleric support. Sleep Talk provides reliable recovery when paired with Rest, but Cresselia needs to immediately attack Rayquaza with Ice Beam in order to reliably counter it, as Rayquaza poses a 2HKO threat, and Sleep Talk will only select Ice Beam 1/3 of the time. Whilst Rest and Sleep Talk makes Cresselia effective at PP stalling, it will make Cresselia even larger set-up bait, and almost anything with a set-up move will beat Cresselia one on one.</p>
<p>Grass Knot can be used for a stronger attack on most Ubers than Ice Beam, in particular Groudon, Kyogre, and Tyranitar. However, Cresselia will still deal very little damage with her pathetic 75 base Special Attack, and she will be unable to stand up against Kyogre and Tyranitar. Cresselia's Special Attack also makes Calm Mind a poor option, because it will take many Calm Minds for Cresselia to actually dent the opposing Pokémon (and even +6 Cresselia can be easily walled by Blissey, Kyogre, or Latias). Perhaps more importantly, Lugia generally makes better use of Calm Mind thanks to its higher base stat total. Light Screen is an option on the Great Wall set alongside with Toxic to stall out special attackers. However, any Steel-type will render the attempt useless.</p>
<p>Cresselia also gains access to Trick Room and Gravity, and are viable choices if you build a team around them. When using Trick Room, use a -Speed nature and 0 IVs to ensure you are slower than neutral nature Tyranitar. Keep in mind that under Gravity, Cresselia will not be able to counter Swords Dance Groudon, as she can be hit by Groudon's Earthquake, and it will deal too much damage with a Swords Dance boost.</p>
[EVs]
<p>Cresselia should always have maximum HP to provide durability on both sides of the spectrum. When using Ice Beam, 144 SpA EVs ensure a OHKO on 32 HP / 8 SpD Rayquaza with Stealth Rock damage. Place any remaining EVs in Defense. A Defense stat of 335 (116 EVs with a Bold nature) will guarantee that Cresselia survives a +1 Outrage from Adamant Rayquaza even after Stealth Rock, but more EVs are optimum in case you are unable to get the sun up, meaning Cresselia will be hard-pressed for self-recovery.</p>
<p>When deciding on Speed, there are a few stats to consider. The first is 222 (64 EVs), enabling you to outrun Adamant Tyranitar. The second is 245 (156 EVs), outrunning Jolly Tyranitar and most Giratina-O. 280 (196 EVs and a Timid nature) will outrun the multitude of base 90 Ubers and Lucario assuming that they don't run +natures. Finally, there is 290 (232 EVs and a Timid nature) to outrun Adamant Rayquaza. However, Cresselia should only be EVed in Speed if she wants to set up a screen before being attacked by a particular foe.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Lugia gives Cresselia stiff competition thanks to a greater movepool and a higher base Special Defense and Speed. Lugia can also function well in any weather thanks to Roost, whilst Cresselia needs the sun up for reliable recovery. Moonlight also has half the PP of Roost. However, sun is fairly rampant with Groudon everywhere, making Moonlight more useful in Ubers than in the Sandstorm-dominated OU play. Cresselia takes roughly the same amount of damage from physical attacks than Lugia, but due to not sporting Lugia's weakness to Stealth Rock and Stone Edge, she usually ends up with more HP. Lugia also exposes itself to Groudon's Earthquake after Roost. Hence Cresselia makes for a more reliable Groudon, Rayquaza, and Garchomp counter than the great beast. She also makes a better dual screener thanks to less weaknesses and her unique move, Lunar Dance. However, that is pretty much all that Cresselia's got. Otherwise, you are better off with Lugia.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Kyogre turns the weather into rain, reducing Moonlight's recovery to a pathetic 25%, and threatens Cresselia with STAB boosted Water-type attacks. Tyranitar also removes the sunlight with Sand Stream and can severely dent Cresselia with STAB Crunch or Pursuit. Scizor, Heracross, and Weavile can also hit Cresselia hard with their STAB attacks whilst only fearing Hidden Power Fire (and Thunder Wave in Weavile's case). Blissey with Toxic also has no problems against Cresselia without Rest. However, Cresselia can easily set up dual screens and finish off with Lunar Dance against Blissey. Wobbuffet shrugs off Ice Beam and can trap Cresselia with Shadow Tag, Encore any attack, and use Tickle till Cresselia loses enough Defense to be OHKOed by an opposing Pursuit user. Lunar Dance Cresselia can, however, escape from Wobbuffet by sacrificing herself.
<p>Anything with Taunt will beat Cresselia, as her pathetic 75 base Special Attack means she cannot hit hard unless she hits for 4x super effective damage. The most common users of Taunt in Ubers are Mewtwo, Mew, Darkrai, and Deoxys (any forme), all of which can easily use Cresselia as set-up bait. They just need to avoid Toxic and Thunder Wave when switching in. The same applies for users of Substitute without a weakness to Ice Beam, like Mewtwo and Darkrai once again. Their Substitutes can also withstand once Ice Beam. However, Substitute does not stop Cresselia from setting up dual screens and using Lunar Dance.</p>
<p>It's also important to note that whilst Cresselia handles physical variants of Rayquaza well, Mixquaza is guaranteed to 2HKO her with the combination of Draco Meteor and Outrage after Stealth Rock damage, and as such, Mixquaza makes a great Cresselia lure.</p>
