Phantom of the Opera
[Overview]
<p>Ever since her debut in DPP, Cresselia always had difficulty competing in OU. The transition to BW2 is no different; new threats, such as Drizzle Politoed, put a hamper on Cresselia's effectiveness, while old threats, namely Scizor and Tyranitar, are still prominent in today's metagame. Despite Cresselia's stupendous defenses, her lackluster typing and barren movepool keep her from functioning as the defensive juggernaut she was meant to be. However, BW2 wasn't entirely unkind; along with Drizzle Politoed, Drought Ninetales also took center stage. Under the sunlight, Moonlight, an otherwise mediocre recovery move, restores Cresselia's health by a staggering 67%. This, along with her excellent ability, Levitate, allows Cresselia to wall some of the most powerful Pokemon in OU, such as Garchomp, Landorus, and Terrakion, all of which are troublesome Pokemon for sun teams. Moreover, sun staples, such as Victini and Dugtrio, reciprocate the support by removing Cresselia's counters. With infinite sun rays guiding her, Cresselia becomes an incredible asset to her team and a phenomenal mixed wall.</p>
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Moonlight
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Ice Beam / Psychic
move 4: Psychic / Reflect / Hidden Power Fire
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>The combination of sun support, supreme bulk, and reliable recovery makes Cresselia one of the premier walls for sun balanced and stall teams. Moonlight is Cresselia's only reliable recovery move; together with Toxic and sunlight, Cresselia can stall out most physical and special attackers in the tier. Cresselia can use Ice Beam to slay Dragon-types, rather than stall with Toxic and Moonlight, ensuring more longevity. Psychic is the most reliable STAB attack, used to take out the Fighting-types that plague the tier. When using Psychic, Cresselia can counter almost ever Fighting-type in OU. Reflect does a few things: allow Cresselia to wall physical attackers more easily, soften the impact of Tyranitar's and Scizor's Pursuit, and provide a temporary defensive wall for Cresselia's teammates. Hidden Power Fire dents Scizor and various other Steel-types; without it, they could set up on Cresselia. Scizor can even Pursuit trap Cresselia if it's lacking Hidden Power Fire, thus dealing considerable damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EVs are maximized in Defense so that Cresselia can wall powerful physical attackers, such as Terrakion, Garchomp, and Lucario. However, Cresselia can run 40 Special Attack EVs to OHKO Choice Band Scizor after Stealth Rock with Hidden Power Fire in the sun. 0 Speed IVs with a Relaxed nature and Trick Room in the fourth move slot can be used to support Trick Room Victini and Quiet Eruption Heatran. If Cresselia is utilizing Hidden Power Fire, then the IVs should be changed to 2 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe, minimizing Confusion and Foul Play damage while retaining a strong Hidden Power Fire.</p>
<p>Thunder Wave is an acceptable option over Toxic. With Thunder Wave, Cresselia can cripple fast sweepers, such as Terrakion, Keldeo, and Alakazam, making it easier for her teammates to sweep. Due to the fact the Cresselia often lures in status moves and Taunt, Magic Coat can be used to bounce back entry hazards and those same incoming status afflictions. Moonlight is often dependent on optimal weather conditions to work; as such, Cresselia can utilize the well-known ChestoRest strategy as a single, reliable healing method to restore her health and remove status afflictions.</p>
<p>Sun support is recommended if you intend on using Cresselia. Without sun support, Cresselia will be hindered by the presence of other weathers, as Moonlight's recovery becomes a measly 25%. Moreover, under the sunlight, Moonlight becomes a 67% healing move, optimizing Cresselia's defensive potential. Sun teams also appreciate Cresselia's presence, as she can wall troublesome Pokemon, namely Mamoswine, Landorus, and Terrakion. In return, common sun sweepers, such as Victini and Darmanitan, have no difficulty taking out Scizor and Jirachi. Venusaur and Cresselia also form an excellent partnership, as Venusaur can deal with Rotom-W and Gastrodon while Cresselia can take on Latios and Dragonite. Gothitelle and Dugtrio are incredible assets to Cresselia and her team thanks to their ability to dispose of opposing weather inducers. Chansey also works well with Cresselia by providing Wish support and relieving Cresselia of status afflictions with Heal Bell. Chansey also has the added benefit of being one of the few sun Pokemon that can beat Calm Mind Latias. Rapid Spin support from Tentacruel and Forretress can help keep Ninetales healthy, which in return benefits Cresselia by sustaining the sunlight. This allows Cresselia to use moonlight to its fullest potential. Entry hazard support from Forretress is helpful in breaking down the opposing team. Finally, other excellent partners include Pokemon that deal with Tyranitar, such as Terrakion.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Lunar Dance
move 4: Thunder Wave / Ice Beam
item: Light Clay
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 112 Def / 12 SpD / 136 Spe
ivs: 0 atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Cresselia's incredible bulk along with her signature move, Lunar Dance, set her apart from other dual screen users, making her a great supporter for a variety of offensive teams. Reflect and Light Screen go hand in hand, improving the overall defensive prowess of her teammates. Lunar Dance is a game-changing move; sacrificing Cresselia, Lunar Dance restores an injured sweeper back to full health. When backed by the support of Cresselia's dual screens, a once frail and injured sweeper has enough health and bulk to set up. Due to Cresselia's phenomenal bulk, Lunar Dance is best used mid-game, as Cresselia will normally have more than one opportunity to set up dual screens. In the final slot, Thunder Wave can be used to cripple faster sweepers, giving a teammate more opportunities to set up. Ice Beam is also useful for its ability to weaken Dragon-types, which is helpful for sweepers such as Venusaur.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>With Reflect activated, the given EVs allow Cresselia to survive three Crunches from Choice Scarf Tyranitar after Stealth Rock and outspeed Adamant Breloom, thus giving Cresselia more chances to set up dual screens. The Attack IVs are zero so that Cresselia will take minimal confusion and Foul Play damage. Cresselia can opt for a 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD defensive spread with a Relaxed nature, 0 Speed IVs, and Trick Room in the fourth slot to act as a reliable dual screens user for Trick Room teams.</p>
<p>Cresselia can utilize quite few other options in the fourth move slot. Psychic can be used as a reliable STAB to dent Fighting-types. Toxic can be used to cripple walls, thus allowing her teammates to run through the opposing team more easily. Magic Coat is also an option so that Cresselia isn't Taunt bait. This Cresselia partners well with frail setup sweepers. Volcarona, Venusaur, and Salamence can all use dual screens effectively to accumulate boosts and ravage through the opposing team. Thundurus-T and Lucario are also excellent partners for Cresselia, as they can also take advantage of the extra bulk provided by dual screens to set up Agility and Swords Dance, respectively.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>There are a few other methods Cresselia can use to heal herself. RestTalk is one; however, it is rather unreliable and forces Cresselia to acquire two move slots to be used effectively. A Chesto Berry can be used with Rest and Recycle; it's slightly more reliable, but it gives Cresselia a severe case of four moveslot syndrome. Psycho Shift and Flame Orb can be used on the defensive set, giving Cresselia the opportunity to spread burns and cripple her counters. Psycho Shift can also be used with RestTalk to spread sleep; however, because of Sleep Clause, it can only be used once. Solarbeam can work on a set using both RestTalk and Psycho Shift; it will never be picked by Sleep Talk and can be used fairly well on the sun teams Cresselia is found on. Speaking of status afflictions, Cresselia can use Safeguard to fend them off. Sunny Day is an excellent way to grab momentum from opposing weather inducers. Finally, Cresselia can use an offensive or defensive Calm Mind set, but it is outclassed by other Psychic-types, such as Jirachi and Reuniclus.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to beat Cresselia is to change the weather to sand, hail, or rain. Under these weather conditions, Cresselia loses most of her defensive merits, as Moonlight can no longer restore Cresselia's health by 67% and instead recovers a measly 25%. The two best counters to Cresselia are Choice Band Tyranitar and Heatran. Tyranitar can remove Cresselia's favored weather condition, take very little damage from any of her attacks, and threaten to 2HKO. Heatran is the next best if not the best counter, as Heatran takes nothing from any of Cresselia's attacks and can either 2HKO Cresselia with a Choice Specs-boosted Fire Blast in the sun or stall it out with Toxic. Politoed is a good check, just like Tyranitar, it can remove Cresselia's favored weather condition, though it has to watch out for an incoming Toxic, as it will be easily worn down. Abomasnow and Hippowdon are both decent checks, though Abomasnow has to be wary of Hidden Power Fire while Hippowdon must watch out for Toxic.</p>
<p>Outside of altering the weather condition, Calm Mind Latias with either Substitute or Refresh is very threatening to Cresselia and her team, as it can use Cresselia as setup bait and proceed to demolish her party. Defensive Starmie doesn't care about anything Cresselia can do, and can eventually burn it with Scald, limiting her longevity. Provided that sun is up, Fire-types such as Volcarona and Victini are good checks, as they can switch-in relatively easy and greatly threaten Cresselia. Reuniclus is a decent check, thanks to Magic Guard and its well rounded bulk, Reuniclus can potentially outstall Cresselia while taking very little from any of her attacks. As long as Cresselia lacks Hidden Power Fire, Steel-types such as Scizor, Jirachi, and Ferrothorn make excellent counters as well. Scizor can also destroy Cresselia with its Bug-type STAB attacks. Jirachi and Ferrothorn can use Cresselia as setup bait. Thanks to its ability, Prankster, Sableye can effectively shut down Cresselia and heal off any acquired damage, though Toxic will cripple it. Speaking of Toxic, it is another way to beat Cresselia, as she has very few methods of removing the status affliction. Finally, bulky Taunt users such as Gyarados make good counters to Cresselia as well.</p>
Skeleton
[Overview]
name: Defensive Pivot
move 1: Moonlight
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Ice Beam / Psychic
move 4: Psychic / Reflect / Hidden Power Fire
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Lunar Dance
move 4: Thunder Wave / Ice Beam
item: Light Clay
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 80 Def / 44 SpD / 136 Spe
ivs: 0 atk
[SET COMMENTS]
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
[Checks and Counters]
- Incredible defensive stats make it one of the bulkiest Pokemon in the game
- Great ability and defenses allow it to counter Landorus, Mamoswine, fighting-types, and
physical dragon-types while also avoiding (Toxic) Spike damage - A rather barren movepool, but it is enough to secure cresselia a niche in ou
- Great member for sun stall or balanced sun teams as it can defeat troublesome sun threats, while sun teams can also help aid cresselia by eliminating her counters and accentuating moonlight's recovery
- can even work on HO sun teams as an excellent defensive pivots to cushion any ground-, rock-, and water-type attacks, in return sun staples such as Dugtrio and victini will have no problem getting rid of Scizor, tyranitar, and Heatran
- good base 85 speed for a wall allows it to outpace a multitude if slower walls such as ferrothorn and jellicent
- Cresselia's lackluster typing is what keeps her from being a defensive behemoth and ultimtley makes her prey for Scizor and tyranitar, two common ou pokemon
- Morning sun is a pitful recovery move in hail sand and rain, but an excellent move in sun and mediocre in weatherless
- Depends on sun to perform in its prime, as it will be lackluster under any weather condition and mediocre in no weather
- When played to its strengths (used in sun teams), cresselia can be an incredible asset to its team and a phenomenal mixed wall
name: Defensive Pivot
move 1: Moonlight
move 2: Toxic
move 3: Ice Beam / Psychic
move 4: Psychic / Reflect / Hidden Power Fire
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
- Unleashes its full potential in sun teams, while also being a remarkable asset
- moonlight is cresselia's only decent recovery move, and in conjunction with toxic and sunlight, cresselia can outstall Pokemon such as latios with ease
- Psychic is cresselia's best STAB to take out fighting-types and deal overall decent damage to everything that doesn't resist it
- Ice Beam nails Dragon-types and is what allows cresselia to counter them easily, 2HKOing almoist every Dragon-type in OU
- Hidden Power Fire destroys Scizor, Ferrothorn, Skarmory, Forretress under the sun who would otherwise threaten it or setup on it
- Reflect allows it to escape pursuit from either Tyrantar or Scizor and provides a little exra support for its team
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- sticking cresselia on a sun team is mandatory to get the most out of her walling capabilities
- sun teams can give cresselia's moonlight an insane 67% healing, while also fending off opposing weathers that cripple cresselia
- in return, cresselia can beat pokemon such as landorus, mamoswine, and dragon-types with ease, pokemon that all plague sun teams, making cresselia an excellent cushion
- Magic coat can be used to bounce back status or hazards
- Chesto-rest as a one time consistent recovery move
- Thunder Wave to screw over fast threats such as Terrakion and tornadus, allowing slower sweeper such as victini to destroy the other team
- Hydriegon and Dragonite are good teammates that can help get rid of cresselia's counters and benefit from her ability to deal with their counters
- so is SubSeed Venusaur who can beat tyranitar and outstall most versions of heatran while destroying Scizor with Hidden Power Fire
- Dugtrio to get rid of tyranitar and heatran
- Gothitelle to dispose of Politoad, Abomasnow, or Hippowdon
- Cresselia is often vulnerable to Toxic damage, so pairing her up with a cleric such as Chansey will help extend her life span
- Entry hazard support from Forretress allows cresselia to wear out offensive threats much faster, while Rapid Spin support from either Tentacruel or Forretress will help Cresselia maintain longevity
- Max defense to allow cresselia to perform its vital role as a wall and take powerful Outrages and Stone Edges
- 40 spa evs to OHKO scizor in the sun after SR with ivs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Minimum ivs to avoid as much confusion/Foul Play damage as possible and still have a strong HP fire
- 0 Sped ivs and a quite nature with trick room in the last slot allows it to support slow, powerful Pokemon such as Quit Eruption Heatran
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Lunar Dance
move 4: Thunder Wave / Ice Beam
item: Light Clay
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 80 Def / 44 SpD / 136 Spe
ivs: 0 atk
[SET COMMENTS]
- Uhh, Kinda self-explanatory Dual Screens to help support Teammates
- Healing Wish to restore an injured poke, best used mid game
- Thunder Wave to screw over an offensive sweeper and fits more characteristically with the set
- Ice Beam is just a great coverage move that allows you to screw over Dragon-types
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
- Psychic to nail fighting types
- Toxic to screw over walls
- Magic Coat to not be taunt bait, and maybe bounce back status?
- Works well with Volcarona, DD Salamence, Agility Thunderus, Growth Venusaur, and a bunch of other frail setup sweepers as it will be able
to give them more bulk, thus they will have more setup opportunities to ravage through the opposing team - Outspeeds Adamant Breloom with the Spe evs in order to set up both Reflect and Light Screen before being put to sleep or attacked
- Def evs allow it to survive 2 CB crunches from Tyranitar after SR
- Relaxed nature, 0 Spe evs, and trickroom in the fourth slot
- Psycho Shift + Flame Orb set + RestTalk (sleep clause limits the amount of times sleep can be Psycho shifted)
- Sunny Day
- Grass Knot
- Signal Beam
- Psyshock
- Calm Mind
- Charge Beam
- Safeguard
- Rest-talk
[Checks and Counters]
- Change the weather to sand, hail or rain. Cresselia will lose all of its defensive merits under the aforementioned conditions
- Tyranitar
- Heatran
- Reuniclus
- Sableye
- Jirachi
- Scizor (only under rain or in full health in no weather)
- Bulky Taunt users such as Gyarados
- Toxic damage