Overview
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As one of the bulkiest Pokemon in the entire game, Cresselia stands out as a great defensive and support Pokemon in the tier. Her unparalleled bulk allows her to check a huge variety of threats, including Mega Aerodactyl, Salamence, Nidoqueen, most Fighting-types, and many more. Her ability, Levitate, gives her a useful immunity to Ground attacks, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes, making her even harder to weaken. Cresselia has a great support movepool with access to Thunder Wave, dual screens, Trick Room, and Lunar Dance along with semi-reliable recovery in Moonlight. Despite her fantastic defensive prowess, Cresselia has a mediocre offensive presence and is rather reliant on Calm Mind boosts to deal significant damage. Her subpar mono-Psychic typing grants her a single resistance to Fighting-type attacks but leaves her weak to Dark-, Bug-, and Ghost-type attacks. Finally, Cresselia is very vulnerable to all forms of status and can be easily worn down with burn and poison.
Calm Mind
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name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Moonblast / Ice Beam
move 4: Moonlight / Substitute
item: Leftovers
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
nature: Bold
Moves
========
Calm Mind boosts Cresselia's Special Attack and Special Defense, increasing her offensive presence while making her insanely hard to KO with neutral special attacks. Psyshock is Cresselia's main STAB move and allows her to beat other Calm Mind users such as Suicune and Florges by hitting their unboosted Defense. Moonblast provides useful coverage alongside Psyshock and gives Cresselia a super effective move against Dark- and Dragon-types so that they cannot switch in or set up for free. Ice Beam may be used over Moonblast to hit specific targets, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Pidgeot, and Salamence, harder. Moonlight allows Cresselia to restore her HP and set up more comfortably against special attackers such as Nidoqueen and Mega Blastoise. Moonlight also lets Cresselia reliably check physical attackers such as Haxorus and Mienshao by keeping herself healthy. Substitute can be used instead to prevent status and allow Cresselia to set up more easily in certain scenarios.
Set Details
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Cresselia can boost her Special Defense with Calm Mind, so maximum investment is placed into HP and Defense with a Bold nature, allowing her to easily tank most non-super effective physical hits. 16 EVs are placed into Speed to outspeed uninvested base 85s, such as Suicune and Gligar, as well as uninvested Rotom formes. Leftovers gives Cresselia passive recovery, making up for the HP lost from creating Substitutes and lessening her need to use Moonlight.
Usage Tips
========
Calm Mind Cresselia works best on balanced and stall teams as a physical wall and a win condition that can defeat opposing CroCune. Cresselia should not try to set up while powerful wallbreakers with super effective STAB moves, such as Hydreigon and Heracross, are still on the opposing side of the field. She should scout for Toxic from Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Empoleon to avoid being crippled and put on a timer. Cresselia can set up on a wide range of both physical and special attackers, such as Mienshao and Nidoqueen, as well as various support Pokemon, such as Vaporeon.
Team Options
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Cresselia should be paired with teammates that can take strong Dark- and Bug-type attacks from Pokemon such as Mega Absol and Heracross. Status absorbers and clerics are useful if Cresselia opts for Moonlight over Substitute. Florges can fulfill both of these roles and is a useful partner for Cresselia. Cresselia needs teammates to weaken or eliminate bulky Steel-types, such as Mega Aggron and Empoleon, that she struggles to KO before being phazed or worn down. Entei can check these Pokemon and spread burns, giving Cresselia an easier time setting up, and also appreciates Cresselia's ability to beat Suicune. Heracross and Machamp with Guts are also good offensive partners, as they threaten most of Cresselia's checks and also absorb status directed at Cresselia.
Defensive
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name: Defensive
move 1: Moonlight
move 2: Thunder Wave / Toxic
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Moonblast / Ice Beam
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
nature: Bold
Moves
========
Moonlight keeps Cresselia healthy and is her only form of recovery besides Leftovers. Thunder Wave cripples offensive Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, and Toxic can be used instead to put sweepers and defensive Pokemon on a timer. Psychic is Cresselia's main STAB move, though it is very weak from an uninvested low base Special Attack. Moonblast gives Cresselia super effective coverage on Dark- and Dragon-types, while Ice Beam hits specific Pokemon, particularly Salamence, harder.
Set Details
========
Maximum investment is placed into HP and Defense with a Bold nature to allow Cresselia to take hits from physical attackers such as Salamence, Mega Aerodactyl, and Lucario easily. Leftovers is used for passive recovery.
Usage Tips
========
Defensive Cresselia fits best on balanced teams that need an answer to powerful physical attackers and setup sweepers. Because of its limited PP, Moonlight should be used sparingly.
Team Options
========
Cresselia needs teammates that can check Dark- and Bug-types, especially if she runs Ice Beam over Moonblast. Florges is a good partner that can also check various threats such as Heracross and remove any status inflicted on Cresselia. Teammates that can answer to Steel-types such as Mega Aggron and Forretress are appreciated, making bulky Water-types such as Swampert good partners.
Support
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name: Support
move 1: Light Screen
move 2: Reflect
move 3: Lunar Dance
move 4: Moonblast
item: Light Clay
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Light Screen and Reflect reduce damage taken by Cresselia and her teammates for several turns and can provide them with extra opportunities to set up or attack. Lunar Dance restores a weakened teammate and grants them a safe switch in. Moonblast prevents Cresselia from being complete Taunt fodder and is used over a STAB move to avoid being taken advantage of by Dark-types. Thunder Wave can be used over Moonblast to cripple Pokemon and allow Cresselia's teammates even safer setup and attacking opportunities.
Set Details
========
252 EVs are placed into Speed for Cresselia to safely set up dual screens against as many Pokemon as possible and to give her a better chance at using Lunar Dance. 252 EVs are placed into HP to allow Cresselia to take hits while she sets up. Light Clay is the preferred item to maximize Light Screen and Reflect turns.
Usage Tips
========
Dual screens Cresselia works best on hyper offense teams with setup sweepers that can take advantage of the support Cresselia provides. Cresselia should set up screens early game and switch out as soon as possible to allow a teammate to set up or attack. She should set up the appropriate screen to reduce damage taken from the foe on the field at the time. Later in the game, Cresselia can set up screens again if possible and use Lunar Dance to heal up a teammate, giving it a second chance at a sweep.
Team Options
========
Cresselia should be used with setup sweepers such as Salamence, Slurpuff, and Lucario. She also needs teammates that threaten common Defog users, which can remove her screens. Mega Aerodactyl can KO or Taunt Defog users and enjoys the support of dual screens and Lunar Dance. Finally, Cresselia's team needs Stealth Rock and appreciates Spikes to aid other teammates in sweeping.
Other Options
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Mental Herb can guarantee Trick Room being set to allow Pokemon such as Mega Abomasnow to open holes early in the game and then have another chance to sweep later on thanks to Lunar Dance. Cresselia has access to Trick, which can be used in conjunction with a Choice item to cripple a target. Finally, Cresselia's bulk allows her to be a reliable manual weather setter that can also support weather-based sweepers, such as Kingdra, with Lunar Dance.
Checks & Counters
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**Steel-types**: Mega Aggron and Empoleon can easily take boosted attacks from Cresselia and phaze her. Doublade can take anything Cresselia has to offer and set up on her.
**Dark-types**: Mega Sharpedo, Krookodile, and Hydreigon can threaten Cresselia out with their powerful STAB moves, though they must be wary of switching into Moonblast.
**Bug-types**: Heracross and Mega Beedrill can both do enormous damage to Cresselia with Megahorn and U-turn, respectively, although neither can safely switch into a Psychic-type move or Thunder Wave. Escavalier does not fear anything from Cresselia and can threaten her with Megahorn or get valuable chip damage with Pursuit. Yanmega can can threaten Cresselia and hit her through a potential Substitute with Bug Buzz.
**CurseLax**: Snorlax can set up on Cresselia and can beat Calm Mind variants, taking little damage from Psyshock thanks to Curse and outdamaging Moonblast and Ice Beam with Body Slam or Return.
**Status**: Cresselia's defensive and sweeping capabilities are forfeited if she is badly poisoned. Burn and poison can wear down Cresselia, force her to use Moonlight frequently, and severely hinder her ability to take hits.
**Taunt**: With only a few weak attacks, Cresselia can't do much under Taunt and can be worn down or beaten 1v1 by Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl.
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As one of the bulkiest Pokemon in the entire game, Cresselia stands out as a great defensive and support Pokemon in the tier. Her unparalleled bulk allows her to check a huge variety of threats, including Mega Aerodactyl, Salamence, Nidoqueen, most Fighting-types, and many more. Her ability, Levitate, gives her a useful immunity to Ground attacks, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes, making her even harder to weaken. Cresselia has a great support movepool with access to Thunder Wave, dual screens, Trick Room, and Lunar Dance along with semi-reliable recovery in Moonlight. Despite her fantastic defensive prowess, Cresselia has a mediocre offensive presence and is rather reliant on Calm Mind boosts to deal significant damage. Her subpar mono-Psychic typing grants her a single resistance to Fighting-type attacks but leaves her weak to Dark-, Bug-, and Ghost-type attacks. Finally, Cresselia is very vulnerable to all forms of status and can be easily worn down with burn and poison.
Calm Mind
########
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Moonblast / Ice Beam
move 4: Moonlight / Substitute
item: Leftovers
evs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
nature: Bold
Moves
========
Calm Mind boosts Cresselia's Special Attack and Special Defense, increasing her offensive presence while making her insanely hard to KO with neutral special attacks. Psyshock is Cresselia's main STAB move and allows her to beat other Calm Mind users such as Suicune and Florges by hitting their unboosted Defense. Moonblast provides useful coverage alongside Psyshock and gives Cresselia a super effective move against Dark- and Dragon-types so that they cannot switch in or set up for free. Ice Beam may be used over Moonblast to hit specific targets, such as Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Pidgeot, and Salamence, harder. Moonlight allows Cresselia to restore her HP and set up more comfortably against special attackers such as Nidoqueen and Mega Blastoise. Moonlight also lets Cresselia reliably check physical attackers such as Haxorus and Mienshao by keeping herself healthy. Substitute can be used instead to prevent status and allow Cresselia to set up more easily in certain scenarios.
Set Details
========
Cresselia can boost her Special Defense with Calm Mind, so maximum investment is placed into HP and Defense with a Bold nature, allowing her to easily tank most non-super effective physical hits. 16 EVs are placed into Speed to outspeed uninvested base 85s, such as Suicune and Gligar, as well as uninvested Rotom formes. Leftovers gives Cresselia passive recovery, making up for the HP lost from creating Substitutes and lessening her need to use Moonlight.
Usage Tips
========
Calm Mind Cresselia works best on balanced and stall teams as a physical wall and a win condition that can defeat opposing CroCune. Cresselia should not try to set up while powerful wallbreakers with super effective STAB moves, such as Hydreigon and Heracross, are still on the opposing side of the field. She should scout for Toxic from Pokemon such as Hippowdon and Empoleon to avoid being crippled and put on a timer. Cresselia can set up on a wide range of both physical and special attackers, such as Mienshao and Nidoqueen, as well as various support Pokemon, such as Vaporeon.
Team Options
========
Cresselia should be paired with teammates that can take strong Dark- and Bug-type attacks from Pokemon such as Mega Absol and Heracross. Status absorbers and clerics are useful if Cresselia opts for Moonlight over Substitute. Florges can fulfill both of these roles and is a useful partner for Cresselia. Cresselia needs teammates to weaken or eliminate bulky Steel-types, such as Mega Aggron and Empoleon, that she struggles to KO before being phazed or worn down. Entei can check these Pokemon and spread burns, giving Cresselia an easier time setting up, and also appreciates Cresselia's ability to beat Suicune. Heracross and Machamp with Guts are also good offensive partners, as they threaten most of Cresselia's checks and also absorb status directed at Cresselia.
Defensive
########
name: Defensive
move 1: Moonlight
move 2: Thunder Wave / Toxic
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Moonblast / Ice Beam
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
nature: Bold
Moves
========
Moonlight keeps Cresselia healthy and is her only form of recovery besides Leftovers. Thunder Wave cripples offensive Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl, and Toxic can be used instead to put sweepers and defensive Pokemon on a timer. Psychic is Cresselia's main STAB move, though it is very weak from an uninvested low base Special Attack. Moonblast gives Cresselia super effective coverage on Dark- and Dragon-types, while Ice Beam hits specific Pokemon, particularly Salamence, harder.
Set Details
========
Maximum investment is placed into HP and Defense with a Bold nature to allow Cresselia to take hits from physical attackers such as Salamence, Mega Aerodactyl, and Lucario easily. Leftovers is used for passive recovery.
Usage Tips
========
Defensive Cresselia fits best on balanced teams that need an answer to powerful physical attackers and setup sweepers. Because of its limited PP, Moonlight should be used sparingly.
Team Options
========
Cresselia needs teammates that can check Dark- and Bug-types, especially if she runs Ice Beam over Moonblast. Florges is a good partner that can also check various threats such as Heracross and remove any status inflicted on Cresselia. Teammates that can answer to Steel-types such as Mega Aggron and Forretress are appreciated, making bulky Water-types such as Swampert good partners.
Support
########
name: Support
move 1: Light Screen
move 2: Reflect
move 3: Lunar Dance
move 4: Moonblast
item: Light Clay
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Timid
Moves
========
Light Screen and Reflect reduce damage taken by Cresselia and her teammates for several turns and can provide them with extra opportunities to set up or attack. Lunar Dance restores a weakened teammate and grants them a safe switch in. Moonblast prevents Cresselia from being complete Taunt fodder and is used over a STAB move to avoid being taken advantage of by Dark-types. Thunder Wave can be used over Moonblast to cripple Pokemon and allow Cresselia's teammates even safer setup and attacking opportunities.
Set Details
========
252 EVs are placed into Speed for Cresselia to safely set up dual screens against as many Pokemon as possible and to give her a better chance at using Lunar Dance. 252 EVs are placed into HP to allow Cresselia to take hits while she sets up. Light Clay is the preferred item to maximize Light Screen and Reflect turns.
Usage Tips
========
Dual screens Cresselia works best on hyper offense teams with setup sweepers that can take advantage of the support Cresselia provides. Cresselia should set up screens early game and switch out as soon as possible to allow a teammate to set up or attack. She should set up the appropriate screen to reduce damage taken from the foe on the field at the time. Later in the game, Cresselia can set up screens again if possible and use Lunar Dance to heal up a teammate, giving it a second chance at a sweep.
Team Options
========
Cresselia should be used with setup sweepers such as Salamence, Slurpuff, and Lucario. She also needs teammates that threaten common Defog users, which can remove her screens. Mega Aerodactyl can KO or Taunt Defog users and enjoys the support of dual screens and Lunar Dance. Finally, Cresselia's team needs Stealth Rock and appreciates Spikes to aid other teammates in sweeping.
Other Options
########
Mental Herb can guarantee Trick Room being set to allow Pokemon such as Mega Abomasnow to open holes early in the game and then have another chance to sweep later on thanks to Lunar Dance. Cresselia has access to Trick, which can be used in conjunction with a Choice item to cripple a target. Finally, Cresselia's bulk allows her to be a reliable manual weather setter that can also support weather-based sweepers, such as Kingdra, with Lunar Dance.
Checks & Counters
########
**Steel-types**: Mega Aggron and Empoleon can easily take boosted attacks from Cresselia and phaze her. Doublade can take anything Cresselia has to offer and set up on her.
**Dark-types**: Mega Sharpedo, Krookodile, and Hydreigon can threaten Cresselia out with their powerful STAB moves, though they must be wary of switching into Moonblast.
**Bug-types**: Heracross and Mega Beedrill can both do enormous damage to Cresselia with Megahorn and U-turn, respectively, although neither can safely switch into a Psychic-type move or Thunder Wave. Escavalier does not fear anything from Cresselia and can threaten her with Megahorn or get valuable chip damage with Pursuit. Yanmega can can threaten Cresselia and hit her through a potential Substitute with Bug Buzz.
**CurseLax**: Snorlax can set up on Cresselia and can beat Calm Mind variants, taking little damage from Psyshock thanks to Curse and outdamaging Moonblast and Ice Beam with Body Slam or Return.
**Status**: Cresselia's defensive and sweeping capabilities are forfeited if she is badly poisoned. Burn and poison can wear down Cresselia, force her to use Moonlight frequently, and severely hinder her ability to take hits.
**Taunt**: With only a few weak attacks, Cresselia can't do much under Taunt and can be worn down or beaten 1v1 by Pokemon such as Mega Aerodactyl.
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