[OVERVIEW]
Flying
========
Celesteela's stellar defensive typing, handy resistances, and impressive mixed bulk make it a potent defensive pivot for Flying teams, allowing it to check physical and special threats and soft check Pokemon like Kyurem. Its Steel typing allows it to check Rock- and Ice-type threats such as Terrakion, Tyranitar, Nihilego, and Weavile. It also has quite the colorful movepool, ranging from options such as Leech Seed, Toxic, Flamethrower, Meteor Beam, and Autotomize, letting it run defensive or offensive sets. Even as a defensive wall, Celesteela has offensive potential with Heavy Slam and Flamethrower, letting it beat Pokemon such as Dragonite and Bisharp, which its competitors like Defog Corviknight fail to do. However, Celesteela lacks a reliable recovery move unlike Corviknight, which can also act as a wincon with Bulk Up or provide Defog support. A lack of a reliable recovery move and its over reliance on Leech Seed + Protect on its defensive set can be taken advantage of by setup sweepers like Bisharp, Garchomp, and Aegislash. Additionally, it also makes it unable to (spacing) recover against Grass-types, making it harder for it to beat certain bulky Grass-types like Amoonguss. It also cannot stomach ridiculously strong wallbreakers like Choice Band Urshifu-R and Choice Specs Aegislash. Celesteela is also easily shut down by stallbreakers like Mew and Mandibuzz.
[SET]
name: Defensive (Flying)
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Protect
move 3: Heavy Slam
move 4: Flamethrower / Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
Leech Seed allows Celesteela to heal back health while simultaneously wearing down opposing Pokemon and works amazingly well in conjunction with Toxic to wear down opposing teams fast. Protect is needed to safely get Leech Seed's recovery and scout against Pokemon like Galarian Darmanitan and Choice Specs Tapu Koko. Heavy Slam is important to deal with threatening Rock-. Fairy-, and Ice-types like Tyranitar, Tapu Lele, and Weavile and also hits neutral targets like Nidoking, Tapu Koko, and Dragapult decently hard. Flamethrower is important, as it allows Celesteela to deal with Steel-types such as Ferrothorn, Aegislash, and opposing Celesteela. Toxic allows Celesteela to wear down walls such as Swampert, Slowking, Mandibuzz, Mantine, and Hippowdon, making it much easier for Celesteela's offensive teammates like Thundurus-T, Dragonite, and Galarian Zapdos to shine.
The entirety of Flying-type teams benefit from Celesteela's presence. Ice- and Rock-weak (spacing) Pokemon like Landorus-T, Dragonite, and Zapdos appreciate Celesteela taking on threats like Mamoswine and Tyranitar. In return, (spacing) Landorus-T covers Electric-type attacks and deals with threats like Tapu Koko and Zeraora. Thundurus-T also covers Electric-type attacks for Celesteela while threatening Water-type teams for it. Physically defensive Celesteela can struggle to take on strong special attackers like Galarian Moltres, Hydreigon, and Heatran, so Pokemon like Mantine should be used to form a pair with it, as it can check such Pokemon while also covering Water- and Fire-types like Urshifu-R and Volcarona. Galarian Moltres is a great setup sweeper and wallbreaker that can break down passive defensive walls for Celesteela like Toxapex, Gastrodon, and Slowbro. Zapdos is another great teammate, as it can run a variety of sets to support it; the specially defensive set forms a defensive core with it, while the more threatening Choice Specs set simply blasts away Pokemon like Toxapex, Gastrodon, and Ferrothorn, making it easier for Celesteela to defensively threaten opposing teams. Galarian Zapdos can take care of opposing Steel-types for Celesteela, especially when Flamethrower is not used on the set. In return, Galarian Zapdos appreciates Celesteela weakening teams for it.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Flying
--------
An offensive set with Autotomize, Meteor Beam, and Power Herb can be used to act as a threatening cleaner; however, such a set is mostly confined (spacing) to offensive Flying-type teams and suffers from four-moveslot syndrome, having to choose between Air Slash, Flash Cannon, Giga Drain, and Flamethrower. A specially defensive set can also be used to better deal with threats like Choice Specs Kyurem and Nidoking.
Checks and Counters
===================
Flying
--------
**Wallbreakers**: Powerful wallbreakers like Urshifu-R, Urshifu-S, Dracovish, Nidoking, and Choice Specs Spectrier can easily break apart Celesteela and prevent it from checking physical attackers.
**Residual Damage**: As a defensive Pokemon, Celesteela is susceptible to Knock Off and residual damage from burns and Stealth Rock that can wear it down over time.
**Stallbreakers**: Pokemon like Mew, Mandibuzz, and Drapion can shut down Celesteela and remove its item with Knock Off, denying its recovery and making it vulnerable to being worn out throughout the match.
**Walls**: Celesteela struggles to get past certain defensive Pokemon such as Toxapex, Slowbro, and Rotom-W, (spacing) all of which can leave Celesteela crippled with a burn or paralysis.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Harpp, 320110]]
- Flying analysis by: [[Harpp, 320110]]
- Quality checked by: [[Decem, 362454], [Maple, 473171]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Milak, 262594], [Estronic, 240732]]
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