[Overview]
<p>The metagame of Doubles is vastly different from Singles, and no Pokemon attests to this fact more then Cresselia. A forgotten relic of a long gone age in Singles, Cresselia absolutely shines in this metagame, often known as the "queen of Doubles." Possessing absolutely insane 120 / 120 / 130 bulk, a typing that is rather okay defensively, a useful immunity to Earthquake, and a large supporting movepool more robust than a Swiss Army knife, Cresselia is the ultimate supporter in Doubles, able to both reliably and consistently do her job under almost any circumstance. While she is weak to a few top tier threats such as Tyranitar and Bisharp, it is hard to call Cresselia anything other then the best Pokemon in the tier, and she should always be considered if you need a support Pokemon.</p>
[SET]
name: Speed Control
move 1: Icy Wind / Thunder Wave
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Helping Hand
move 4: Rest / Protect
item : Chesto Berry / Sitrus Berry
nature: Calm
evs: 240 HP / 12 Def / 40 SpA / 216 SpD
ivs: 0 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Useful at any stage in the game, this Cresselia set aims to gain control of the enemy's Speed as well as possibly bolster the power of your team's attacks. Icy Wind and Thunder Wave are the best choices for the primary move, and they both have their upsides and downsides. Icy Wind lowers the Speed of both enemies at once and deals decent damage to Pokemon weak to Ice-type attacks, but it also raises the Attack of Defiant Pokemon by two stages, does not work on Clear Body Pokemon, and is reset by the enemy switching out. Thunder Wave has a slightly greater effect and lasts for the duration of the match until healed, but it does not work on Ground-type Pokemon and can only affect one target at once. Psyshock is the main attacking move, and it's recommended due to targeting the opponent's Defense, a stat not as commonly boosted in Doubles as Special Defense. Helping Hand is the recommended option the third slot for boosting the power of Cresselia's partner. Finally, while Rest is used in the third slot to help Cresselia survive as long as possible, Protect can be used to avoid attacks such as Crunch and stall for time against field effects such as Trick Room and Tailwind.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>For items, if you are using Rest, use a Chesto Berry to instantly wake Cresselia up. Otherwise, use a Sitrus Berry so that she lives longer. The EVs are set up to 2HKO Hariyama, Virizion, and Hitmontop with Psyshock and avoid being OHKOed by Dark Gem Tyranitar's Crunch, with the rest of the EVs shoved into Special Defense and HP to maximize bulk.</p>
<p>This Cresselia set works on pretty much any team in existence, but it is especially good as a partner for Pokemon such as Breloom and Kyurem-B who really appreciate being able to get the jump on their enemies. Heatran deserves a special mention, as not only does it threaten Bug-, Dark-, and Ghost-type Pokemon (such as Darkrai, Volcarona, and Bisharp) which give Cresselia a hard time, but it can also fully take advantage of Cresselia's speed control as well as Helping Hand.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick Room
move 1: Trick Room
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Helping Hand
move 4: Protect / Safeguard
item : Sitrus Berry / Mental Herb
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 60 Def / 196 SpD
ivs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Cresselia and Trick Room work extremely well together; Cresselia has the bulk to reliably set up Trick Room and the movepool to be useful for more then just this, and she really appreciates partners that can defeat her foes for her due to being incapable of utilizing Trick Room herself. Quite possibly the most useful and consistent Trick Room setter in existence, Cresselia should be considered for any Trick Room Team, as it is really hard to pass up her bulk and movepool.</p>
<p>Trick Room is used because, well, obviously this is a Trick Room set—it would be quite difficult to set up Trick Room without having Trick Room. In the second slot Psyshock is recommended due to targeting the opponent's Defense, a stat not as commonly boosted in Doubles as Special Defense. In the third slot, Helping Hand is generally preferred to boost the power of Cresselia's partner. Finally, Protect is used in the last slot to help Cresselia survive for as long as possible to keep setting up Trick Room. Safeguard is also an option if you are concerned about burns and paralysis, two things that Trick Room teams loathe.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Mental Herb is the item of choice if you wish for Cresselia to avoid Taunt once; otherwise, Sitrus Berry allows Cresselia to stay around for significantly longer. The EVs are set so Cresselia can avoid being 2HKOed by Tyranitar's Crunch and otherwise focus on increasing her bulk as much as possible. While a Sassy nature is recommended, it is viable to go with a Relaxed nature if your team requires more Defense.</p>
<p>Ideal partners for this set, first and foremost, are Fake Out users, such as Hitmontop and Scrafty, and Rage Powder and Follow Me users such as Jirachi and Amoonguss, all of which greatly assist Cresselia in setting up Trick Room. Once Trick Room is up, slow, bulky, and powerful Pokemon such as Conkeldurr, Heatran, Tyrantiar, Rypherior, and Escavalier all make for excellent partners, as they can fully take advantage of Trick Room.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Psyshock
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Icy Wind / Ice Beam
move 4: Helping Hand / Protect / Trick Room
item : Expert Belt / Psychic Gem
nature: Modest
evs: 140 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 112 Spe
ivs: 0 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set might seem confusing, but Cresselia is actually a very useful attacker, able to deal a shocking amount of damage in conjunction with the great bulk she has. Psyshock is the main attacking move, which is recommended due to targeting the opponent's Defense, a stat not as commonly boosted in Doubles as Special Defense. Hidden Power Fire is used to target Pokemon such as Scizor, Bisharp, and Ferrothorn that are expecting the supporting sets, which cannot do much to them. Icy Wind is the preferred option in the third slot, as it is still reasonably powerful against Pokemon weak to Ice-type attacks and also allows your team to control the speed of a match, but Ice Beam is also an option for significantly more power. Finally, while Helping Hand is the preferred option in the final slot to boost the power of Cresselia's partner if need be, Protect and Trick Room are also viable alternatives depending on if you need Cresselia to live longer or if you are using her on a Trick Room team, respectively. If you are, remember to use Ice Beam over Icy Wind.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Expert Belt is used to bluff a defensive set as well as still provide reasonable levels of power and not damage Cresselia with recoil. Psychic Gem allows Cresselia to bluff one of its other sets as well and also enables her to OHKO max HP Hitmontop with Psyshock. While the EVs might seem a bit odd, 112 Speed EVs enables Cresselia to outpace Timid Latios after a single Icy Wind—if you are using Ice Beam and/or Trick Room, make sure to reassign the EVs to HP and give Cresselia a Quiet nature.</p>
<p>Ideal partners for this set include Pokemon that can beat those that wall Cresselia. Ground-types such as Excadrill, Landorus, Landorus-T, and Garchomp can not only can murder Tyranitar and Steel-types that give Cresselia headaches but also don't have to worry about hitting her with Earthquake thanks to Levitate. Fighting-types such as Hitmontop, Blaziken, and Scrafty also work wonders in this regard; with the exception of Scrafty they must watch out for Psychic-type Pokemon, which Cresselia cannot touch.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Given Cresselia's amazing movepool, it is only natural that the she would have a plethora of other options. Leftovers is an option over Sitrus Berry if you foresee Cresilla commonly living for more than four turns. Psychic is always an option for a little more power against Defense-heavy Pokemon. A Calm Mind set is viable, but it must beware critical hits, status conditions, Taunt, and strong physical Dark-type attacks. Sunny Day is always an option, as it beats Swift Swim and Sand Rush Pokemon and pairs nicely with Heatran, a common partner with Cresselia. Psycho Shift with a Burn Orb is an interesting option that allows Cresselia to spread burns, something she otherwise cannot reliably do. Lunar Dance is a great option for certain teams, as it can give certain key Pokemon a second lease on life. Gravity is a somewhat powerful field effect in Doubles, but it leaves Cresselia open to Ground-type attacks. Some Pokemon such as Heatran appreciate having Levitate, so Skill Swap is always an option, one that can sometimes be used against the opponent as well, such as to remove Storm Drain from Gastrodon. Magic Coat is an option to reflect moves that Cresselia does not enjoy taking such as Taunt and Toxic. Finally, Swagger can be used with a Lum Berry carrying teammate to give it +2 Attack or as a risky gambit against the opponent in order to confuse them.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>While Cresselia is mighty, she is not unstoppable. First and foremost, Cresselia really doesn't like Fake Out, as it can stop Trick Room, crucial Icy Winds, and all sorts of important support moves. Tying in with this, Cresselia absolutely loathes Taunt, as the move can shut down a lot of her support options. Trick Room and Calm Mind Cresselia both dislike Roar, as it will both erase Calm Mind boosts and phaze Cresselia before she can use Trick Room due to its higher priority. Powerful Dark-types such as Tyranitar and Bisharp are also deadly, with Bisharp being especially such due to gaining +2 Attack every time Cresselia uses Icy Wind against it. Chandelure can deal large chunks of damage to Cresselia with STAB Shadow Ball, while the absolute best Cresselia can do in return is Psyshock. Hydreigon can 2HKO or 3HKO most of Cresselia's sets with Dark Pulse, but it must watch out for the Speed drop from Icy Wind, which will absolutely cripple it until it switches out. Volcarona threatens Cresselia heavily with its STAB Bug Buzz and can even use Quiver Dance to raise its power and give Cresselia even more of a hard time. Genesect's +1 U-turn can seriously damage Cresselia, but it fails to make a significant impact otherwise. Heracross's Megahorn coming off of a Guts boost can also do major damage. Escavalier fears only Hidden Power Fire but avoids being OHKOed by it and deals intense damage with Megahorn. Finally, Scizor only fears Hidden Power Fire from the offensive set, and it threatens Cresselia with its high-power STAB Technician-boosted Bug Bite.</p>
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