UU Cresselia (revamp)

That duck that wouldn’t fucking stay alive in that one mission in PMD. Also kinda stealing ehT’s format cause it’s cool af.

QC: martha / Amane Misa / Hilomilo
GP: Fireflame679 / The Dutch Plumberjack
Finished!

[OVERVIEW]

Cresselia has a niche on bulkier teams due to its ability to remove multiple stallbreakers in the tier like Crawdaunt and Haxorus. Cresselia's humongous bulk also allows it to stomach hits from the strong physical wallbreakers in the tier such as Terrakion and Mamoswine. However, Cresselia not only provides defensive teams with a mixed wall and an emergency way to deal with the aforementioned threats but also can be a bulky wincon through the use of Calm Mind. Its defensive typing and ability are also decent, providing it with a good resistance to Fighting-types and a Ground-immunity to allow it to check Cobalion, Nidoking, and Choice Band Swampert, but its Psychic typing also makes it more susceptible to Pursuit and U-turn from Scizor while failing to offer resistances to anything else. Cresselia does get completely walled by Steel-types if it attempts to set up and is setup fodder against other setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Scizor, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Curse Mega Steelix. Cresselia's Twinkle Tackle is also unfortunately pretty weak and fails to OHKO even Pokemon that are weak to it such as Latias and Mega Altaria. It often needs a Calm Mind boost to take them out, but this can take up a turn where it must take another hit to remove the threat. Furthermore, Cresselia's only form of recovery, Moonlight, can be unreliable due to its low PP in longer games, and its lacking recovery also makes it a little more susceptible to constant chip damage from entry hazards and status.

[SET]
name: Defensive Z-Move
move 1: Psyshock
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Calm Mind
item: Fairium Z
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Psyshock works as Cresselia's primary attack, hitting Blissey and other special walls while also nailing Poison-types like Nidoking, Nihilego, and Tentacruel. It also improves Cresselia's matchup against Calm Mind users such as Latias and Suicune. Moonblast enables Cresselia to lure in and damage common Dark-types that assume they have no issues switching in like Krookodile and Hydreigon. Calm Mind is on this set to allow Cresselia to muscle through and OHKO Terrakion, Heracross, and more offensive variants of Mega Altaria with Twinkle Tackle while also giving it a stronger Psyshock for Blissey. Cresselia can also be a possible bulky wincon through accumulating multiple Calm Mind boosts. Toxic can be used over Calm Mind to wear down passive threats and stallbreakers that aren't immune to Poison such as Jellicent and Mega Houndoom but this prevents Cresselia from being a wincon and OHKOing the aforementioned threats.

Set Details
========

16 EVs in Speed allow Cresselia to outspeed Adamant Crawdaunt and OHKO it with Twinkle Tackle. The rest of the investment into Defense allows Cresselia to survive two Stone Edges from Choice Band Terrakion or Outrage from a boosted Dragon Dance Haxorus. Fairium Z lets Cresselia use a Twinkle Tackle and also reduces the damage of Knock Off from Krookodile and Mamoswine.

Usage Tips
========

Twinkle Tackle should be used as a last resort against any stallbreakers that have gone out of control that the rest of your team cannot handle. It is also useful to surprise Dark-types that believe that they can come in with no penalty, so use careful predictions and scouting to ensure you make the most out of Twinkle Tackle. Avoid Toxic, as it cripples Cresselia as a possible bulky wincon by reducing its longevity. Burn damage can also be an issue, as it places Cresselia in range of being knocked out from Pokemon it's supposed to check such as Terrakion, Mega Altaria, and Choice Band Infernape. Toxic and Calm Mind are massive assets to Cresselia, so they must be used correctly depending on the situation. Calm Mind should be used when Cresselia needs to possibly break through and OHKO an offensive threat like Crawdaunt, Haxorus, or Terrakion. Use cleric support whenever it is necessary to assist Cresselia in removing status ailments so it isn't crippled by Toxic and other status. Even in quicker games, liberally using Moonlight can waste its PP and make Cresselia a complete liability for the rest of the game. Only use Moonlight when necessary to restore health to allow it to stomach a hit from a wallbreaker or avoid the KO from fast threats like Terrakion.

Team Options
========

Cresselia fits best on stall and bulkier teams that can be troubled by frightening stallbreakers while appreciating a defensive sweeper. Cresselia appreciates cleric and Wish support from Blissey and Umbreon, as it keeps Cresselia from having to use up Moonlight PP and stops it from being crippled. Cresselia is easily pressured by Dark-types, so Mega Altaria, Sylveon, and Florges are able to stomach blows from them, and the last two can also pass Wishes. Steel-types such as Mega Aggron, Mega Steelix, and Stakataka can use Cresselia to remove Fighting-types that trouble them while also dealing with Bug-types like Scizor and Mega Beedrill that attempt to put a dent into Cresselia while gaining momentum. Entry hazards are key to chip Cresselia's victims down into range of Twinkle Tackle while also letting it sweep much more easily. The aforementioned Steel-types double as Stealth Rock setters for Cresselia due to their defensive typing to deal with Bug-types. Chesnaught works as a bulky Spikes setter that can handle Dark-types for Cresselia. Gligar and Moltres check Scizor and other Steel-types that Cresselia cannot harm while also providing pivoting through slow U-turns to give Cresselia more opportunities to come in without risking any damage.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Hidden Power Fire can be used over Moonblast to lure in and remove Scizor, but this removes one of Cresselia's biggest niches in its Fairy coverage to eliminate traditional answers to Psychic-types such as Crawdaunt. If Cresselia can't afford to run a Z-Move, it still can use Leftovers to offer passive recovery throughout the match; however, Cresselia lacks the power it needs from Twinkle Tackle to remove threats such as Crawdaunt and Terrakion. Cresselia is seen on dedicated Trick Room teams as a defensive setter with a Mental Herb in order to guarantee setup once throughout the match and Lunar Dance to give a sweeper a second chance to setup. The archetype itself, however, is almost a gimmick in the tier and has many negative matchups against many different teams.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Toxic-Immune Setup Sweepers**: Cresselia is still prone to being setup fodder to Swords Dance Scizor and Mega Steelix, which shrug off Toxic and resist both of its attacks.

**Status**: Cresselia is seriously susceptible to status, especially Toxic, as it cripples it as a bulky sweeper while also wearing it down much faster due to a lack of passive recovery. Status from opposing walls such as Blissey and Slowbro can harm Cresselia immensely because of this.

**Steel-types**: Most Steel-types such as Mega Aggron and Stakataka do not care for Cresselia's attacks and are immune to Toxic. They can easily capitalize on this and gain free turns to set up entry hazards or deal damage.

**Dark-types**: While some Dark-types have to be wary of Twinkle Tackle, Hydreigon and Mega Sharpedo can beat out Cresselia, while Bisharp and Mega Houndoom have the added advantage of taking neutral damage from it. These Dark-types outside of Bisharp also need to wary of possible poison.

**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types like Chandelure and Doublade use Cresselia as setup fodder, while Jellicent is able to use Taunt on Cresselia and prevent it from recovering. However, Chandelure and Jellicent cannot freely come in and risk getting poisoned.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[BackAtYouBro, 451000]]
- Quality checked by: [[martha, 384270], [Amane Misa, 312356], [Hilomilo, 313384]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Fireflame679, 231476], [The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216]]
 
Last edited:

autumn

only i will remain
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C&C Leader
[OVERVIEW]
  • Cresselia has a niche on bulkier teams due to it being capable of removing multiple stallbreakers in the tier like Crawdaunt, Mega Altaria, and Haxorous. (Mega Altaria isn't a stallbreaker, so either remove this or reword the point)
  • Cresselia's humongous bulk also allows it to stomach hits from the strong physical wallbreakers in the tier such as Terrakion and Mamoswine.
  • Talk about its typing with both positives and negatives. It can switch into Fighting-type moves. Ground immunity with Levitate is also nice
  • Negatives are mainly vulnerability to Dark-type moves (Pursuit) and U-turn from stuff like CB Scizor. It also only has 2 resistances so isn't a super reliable defensive option. It also has only one STAB option that's resisted by a lot of key threats, and even with Moonblast you're still hard walled by most Steel-types.
  • Cresselia is still fairly passive and it can be exploited by other set-up sweepers like Swords Dance Scizor, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Curse Mega Steelix.
  • Cresselia’s Twinkle Tackle is also unfortunately pretty weak and fails to OHKO the aforementioned threats. (The aforementioned threats here are Steelix and Scizor because those are the Pokemon mentioned right before. Reword this to talk about the threats it actually cannot OHKO) It often needs a Calm Mind boost to take them out but this can take up a turn where it must take another hit to remove the threat.
  • Cresselia’s only form of recovery being Moonlight can be fairly unreliable due to its low PP being detrimental in longer games. (Talk about how it's also susceptible to chip damage and status as well, which can force it to recover more)

[SET]
name: Defensive Z-Move
move 1: Psyshock
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Toxic / Calm Mind
move 4: Moonlight
item: Fairium Z
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe

(make moonlight move 3 and toxic / cm move 4 so the slashed stuff is last)

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

  • Psyshock works as Cresselia’s primary attack and as a way to hit Blissey and other Special walls. (It also hits Poison-types like Nidoking/Nihilego/Tentacruel hard too, which can switch into Moonblast)
  • Talk about Moonblast here. It's a key focus of the set and because it has a Z-Move in Set Details it needs to be explained here, and Moonblast isn't the most intuitive choice for new players as non-STAB, so talk about its targets with or without Z.
  • Toxic is used to wear down passive threats and stallbreakers that aren’t immune to Poison. (Give some examples here)
  • Calm Mind is an alternative to allow Cresselia to muscle through the stallbreakers it checks with Twinkle Tackle (give some examples here; it cleanly OHKOes Terrakion at +1 etc) while also giving a stronger Psyshock for Blissey.

Set Details
========

  • 16 Speed EVs allows Cresselia to outspeed Adamant Crawdaunt which helps it avoid the 2HKO from Knock Off or Crunch if you hard switch Cresselia in. (Running Speed doesn't technically "avoid the 2HKO" because that's moreso defensive investment. Speed for these Pokemon means that Cresselia can outspeed and OHKO Crawdaunt)
  • You can also talk about run physical investment is run here (to check breakers it needs to and comfortably take attacks).
  • Fairium Z not only provides a Twinkle Tackle but also reduces the damage of Knock Off from Krookodile and Mamoswine.
Usage Tips
========

  • Cresselia should usually be sent in on weaker attacks so that it doesn’t have to use Moonlight as much. (This can be understood as using Cresselia by continually switching it in on weaker attacks, which isn't fully true because switching it in on weaker attacks often means it gets chipped down and with no passive recovery you're forced to rely on Moonlight. Talk about how Cresselia shouldn't be switched into every attack that it can take here and only if necessary because it's very susceptible to chip)
  • However, if a physical wallbreaker like Choice Band Terrakion is threatening your team, Cresselia should be used to stomach a blow from them and then remove them through Twinkle Tackle.
  • Twinkle Tackle should be used as a last resort against any stallbreakers that have gone out of control that the rest of your team cannot handle. (It can also be used to KO a threat that Cresselia lures in, and it can be used to eliminate a threat early as well as just being a last resort. Scouting and not wasting the Z-Move is very important when doing this though)
  • Talk about playing with Cresselia more - you want to be sure to avoid status because Toxic shuts it down and forces it to rely on Moonlight a lot, and with no passive recovery, burns also can slowly wear Cresselia down turn by turn into range of stronger attacks.
  • Talk about using Toxic / CM by using Toxic to pressure a bulkier switch-in that Cresselia cannot do much toand thus crippling it, or using CM to boost to take some special attacks as well as being able to break past bulky switch-ins more easily. Calm Mind can also be crucial in getting KOs too.
  • Use Wish support whenever it is necessary to assist Cresselia before sending it so it doesn’t have to use Moonlight to recover.
  • Even with all of this in mind, learn when it is necessary to recover through Moonlight especially during longer games to conserve it. (An analysis is a resource for newer players, and telling them to "learn when to use Moonlight" isn't helpful or informative. Instead, explain when to use it. It should be used when Cresselia is severely weakened and needs HP to check and deal with a breaker, and it can also be used when it has to take an attack from a faster foe and using Moonlight on the same turn avoid Cresselia being weakened or KOed) Even in quicker games, liberally clicking Moonlight can waste its PP, and make Cresselia a complete liability for the rest of the game.
Team Options
========

  • Cresselia fits best on Stall and bulkier teams who can be troubled by frightenening stallbreakers.
  • Cresselia often wants Wish support from clerics (A cleric isn't a Pokemon that uses Wish, it's one that uses Heal Bell / Aromatherapy) like Blissey and Alomomola due to their high health providing sufficient healing for Cresselia and so that it does not overrely on Moonlight.
  • You also want to talk about cleric support - Cresselia is extremely vulnerable to status (mainly Toxic) and a way to alleviate this weakness is good.
  • Mega Aggron, Mega Steelix, and Stakataka can turn over to Cresselia and use it as a Fighting-resist while also setting up Rocks to give Cresselia some chip damage to help it remove threats with Twinkle Tackle. (Team Options points are better generalised for teh roles that Cresselia appreciates. Talking about them as Stealth Rock setters first and foremost allows more flexibility in team options instead of those three being the only options)
  • Chesnaught helps Cresselia as a bulky Spike setter to add more chip damage on the threats that Cresselia seeks to take out with Twinkle Tackle.
  • Magneton can provide Cresselia a way to remove Scizor so that Cresselia doesn’t become a burden against Swords Dance variants. Cresselia also gives a Ground-immunity to assist Magneton. (Magneton really don't fit on bulky teams at all, particularly stall. It doesn't have any defensive utiltiy aside from trapping and can just become a liability. Talk about other Scizor checks and answers to Steel-types in geeral, but Magneton on this type of team isn't a great recommendation for an analysis)
  • Talk about Dark-type checks. While Cresselia can lure them in and hit them on the switch with a Z-Move as well as outspeed Crawdaunt to eliminate that, it's really pressused by a lot of them, particularly Hydreigon.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

  • Hidden Power Fire can be used over Psychic to lure in Scizor but this allows Nidoking and Nihilego to exploit Cresselia and gain free turns.
  • Add Ice Beam for Gligar / Grounds in general.
  • Add Leftovers if the set can't afford a Z-Move.
  • Cresselia is seen on dedicated Trick Room teams as a defensive setter with a Mental Herb in order to guarantee set-up once throughout the match and Lunar Dance to give a sweeper a second chance to set-up. The archetype itself however is almost a gimmick in the tier and has many negative matchups against many different teams.
  • Cresselia can use a set using Calm Mind in tandem with RestTalk to make it a strong bulky set-up sweeper but it does face an overwhelming amount of competition from Suicune whose ability and much more spammable Scald is able to stall out far more opponents while setting up with relative ease. (Remove this)

Checks and Counters
===================

**Status-Immune Set-Up Sweepers**: (These examples aren't status-immune because status is burn / poison / paralysis / sleep / freeze and the Steel-types you list are only immune to Toxic. You can rename this Toxic Immune Setup Sweepers) Cresselia is still prone to being set-up fodder from Swords Dance Scizor, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Mega Steelix who shrug off Toxic and resist both of its attacks. (Togekiss isn't immune to Toxic in any way, and not all sets run Heal Bell. It also doesn't resist Psychic or Fairy so remove it or reword so you're not saying this)

**Steel-Types**: Most Steel-types do not care for Cresselia’s attacks such as Mega Aggron and Stakataka and they can easily capitalize on this and gain free turns. (You can talk about Toxic immunity and resistance to both STAB attacks (unless Cobalion/Bisharp/Lucario) here instead, as it's more accurate)

**Dark-Types**: While some Dark-Types have to be wary of Twinkle Tackle, Hydreigon and Mega Sharpedo can beat out Cresselia while Bisharp and Mega Houndoom have the added advantages of taking neutral damage from it.

**Ghost-Types**: Ghost-Types like Chandelure and Doublade use Cresselia as set-up fodder while Jellicent is able to Taunt Cresselia and prevent it from recovering. Gengar needs to be wary of Psyshock, but it still beats Cresselia with a Ghostium Z. (Ghostium isn't a super good set because most Gengar run Substitute + Fight Z to deal with Steel-types and Krookodile)

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[BackAtYouBro, 451000]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
Implement all of this then tag me here or on Discord for me to stamp it.
 

autumn

only i will remain
is a Site Content Manageris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
C&C Leader
That duck that wouldn’t fucking stay alive in that one mission in PMD. Also kinda stealing ehT’s format cause it’s cool af.

QC: */ */ */
GP: */ */

[OVERVIEW]
  • Cresselia has a niche on bulkier teams due to it being capable of removing multiple stallbreakers in the tier like Crawdaunt and Haxorous. (Haxorus)
  • Cresselia's humongous bulk also allows it to stomach hits from the strong physical wallbreakers in the tier such as Terrakion and Mamoswine.
  • Its defensive typing and ability are also decent which provides it a good resistance to Fighting-types and a Ground-immunity (talk about some Pokemon these allow Cresselia to switch into and check)
  • but its typing is more of a double-edged sword that makes it more susceptible to Pursuit and U-turn (krookodile and scizor are good examples here) while failing to offer resistances to anything else. Cresselia's offensive prowess is also completely walled by Steel-types.
  • Cresselia is still fairly passive and it can be exploited by other set-up sweepers like Swords Dance Scizor, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Curse Mega Steelix.
  • Cresselia’s Twinkle Tackle is also unfortunately pretty weak and fails to OHKO even Pokemon that are weak to this move such as Latias and Mega Altaria. It often needs a Calm Mind boost to take them out but this can take up a turn where it must take another hit to remove the threat.
  • Cresselia’s only form of recovery being Moonlight can be fairly unreliable due to its low PP being detrimental in longer games. Cresselia’s lacking recovery also makes it far more susceptible to constant chip damage from hazards and status.

[SET]
name: Defensive Z-Move
move 1: Psyshock
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Toxic / Calm Mind
item: Fairium Z
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

  • Psyshock works as Cresselia’s primary attack and as a way to hit Blissey and other Special walls while also nailing Poison-types like Nidoking, Nihilego, and Tentacruel.
  • Moonblast enables Cresselia to lure in and damage common Dark-types that assume they have no issues switching in like Krookodile and Hydreigon.
  • Toxic is used to wear down passive threats and stallbreakers that aren’t immune to Poison such as Nasty Plot Infernape and Calm Mind Chandelure. (Infernape is weak to Psyshock and Calm Mind Chandelure runs Subsititute so they aren’t the best examples here. You should also give some examples of passive Pokemon here because they’re better Toxic targets)
  • Calm Mind is an alternative to allow Cresselia to muscle through and OHKO Terrakion, Heracross, and more offensive variants of Mega Altaria with Twinkle Tackle while also giving a stronger Psyshock for Blissey.

Set Details
========

  • 16 Speed EVs allows Cresselia to outspeed Adamant Crawdaunt and OHKO it with a Twinkle Tackle.
  • The rest of the investment placed into bulk (I said to explain why Defense > Special Defense, and bulk refers to HP + both defense stats so just say that it runs Defense investment without the “rest of the EVs” because HP EVs don’t really require explanation) allows Cresselia to live through 2 Stone Edges from Choice Band Terrakion while also taking an Outrage from a boosted Dragon Dance Haxorous.
  • Fairium Z not only provides a Twinkle Tackle but also reduces the damage of Knock Off from Krookodile and Mamoswine.
Usage Tips
========

  • Cresselia should occasionally be sent in on some weaker attacks but not all as it can stomach some and conserve Moonlight more. It only needs to be switched in when it is necessary due to its huge susceptibility to chip. (This point following your changes really isn’t clear. Talk about how it can switch into weaker attacks and it’s a good way to bring Cresselia in when needed, but switching it recklessly into weak attacks leaves it chipped and means it has to use Moonlight PP too early. Switching it into too many weak attacks can also put it in range of stronger ones from the breakers it wants to check)
  • However, if a physical wallbreaker like Choice Band Terrakion is threatening your team, Cresselia should be used to stomach a blow from them and then remove them through Twinkle Tackle.
  • Twinkle Tackle should be used as a last resort against any stallbreakers that have gone out of control that the rest of your team cannot handle. It is also useful to lure in Dark-types that believe that they can come in with no penalty so use careful predictions and scouting to ensure you make the most out of Twinkle Tackle.
  • Avoid Toxic as it forces Cresselia to leave Moonlight as its crutch without any passive recovery to counteract it. (This isn’t written clearly either - you want to mainly avoid Toxic so Cresselia isn’t chipped down every turn and forced to recover too much) Burn damage can also be an issue as it places Cresselia in range of being knocked out from Pokemon it's supposed to check such as Crawdaunt and Terrakion.
  • Toxic and Calm Mind are massive assets to Cresselia so they must be used correctly depending on the situation. Toxic should be used when passive threats are brought in that Cresselia cannot dent (give some examples of these) or use Calm Mind when necessary to break through these bulkier Pokemon or to land crucial KOs on Mega Altaria, Terrakion, or Crawdaunt.
  • Use Wish support whenever it is necessary to assist Cresselia before sending it so it doesn’t have to use Moonlight to recover.
  • Even with all of this in mind, learn when it is necessary to recover through Moonlight especially during longer games to conserve it. (Please remove “learn when it’s necessary” because it’s really not helpful to someone new to the tier even with the updated explanation. All this point needs to do is explain when and when not to use Moonlight) Even in quicker games, liberally clicking Moonlight can waste its PP, and make Cresselia a complete liability for the rest of the game. Only use Moonlight when necessary to restore health to allow it to stomach a hit from a wallbreaker or to be able to avoid the KO from fast threats like Krookodile.
Team Options
========

  • Cresselia fits best on Stall and bulkier teams who can be troubled by frightenening stallbreakers.
  • Cresselia often wants Wish support from users like Blissey and Alomomola due to their high health providing sufficient healing for Cresselia and so that it does not over rely on Moonlight.
  • Cleric support from Blissey and Umbreon is able to pass Wishes to Cresselia so it doesn't need to use Moonlight as recovery and they also turn to Cresselia as a resistance to Fighting-types.
  • Stealth Rock support helps Cresselia get necessary chip to remove threats through Twinkle Tackle. Mega Aggron, Mega Steelix, and Stakataka provide this support while also appreciating the Fighting immunity (it’s not immune to fighting) that Cresselia offers.
  • Chesnaught helps Cresselia as a bulky Spike setter to add more chip damage on the threats that Cresselia seeks to take out with Twinkle Tackle.
  • Gligar and Moltres act as checks for Scizor and other Steel-types that Cresselia cannot harm while also providing pivoting through slow U-turns to give Cresselia more opportunities to come in without risking any damage.
  • Cresselia is easily pressured by Dark-types, so Mega Altaria, Sylveon, and Florges are able to stomach blows from them and in the last twos case, can also pass Wishes.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

  • Hidden Power Fire can be used over Psychic (Psyshock is the move on the set and Psychic isn’t kentioned anywhere else) to lure in Scizor but this allows Nidoking and Nihilego to exploit Cresselia and gain free turns.
  • Cresselia is seen on dedicated Trick Room teams as a defensive setter with a Mental Herb in order to guarantee set-up once throughout the match and Lunar Dance to give a sweeper a second chance to set-up. The archetype itself however is almost a gimmick in the tier and has many negative matchups against many different teams. (put this last)
  • Ice Beam gives Cresselia coverage against Gligar and other bulky Grounds but Cresselia usually struggles to fit it into its set.
  • If Cresselia can't afford to run a Z-Move, it still can use Leftovers to offer passive recovery throughout the match but Cresselia lacks the power it needs from Twinkle Tackle to remove threats such as Crawdaunt and Terrakion.
  • Cresselia can use a set using Calm Mind in tandem with RestTalk to make it a strong bulky set-up sweeper but it does face an overwhelming amount of competition from Suicune whose ability and much more spammable Scald is able to stall out far more opponents while setting up with relative ease. (I said in the first check to remove this)

Checks and Counters
===================

**Toxic-Immune Set-Up Sweepers**: Cresselia is still prone to being set-up fodder from Swords Dance Scizor and Mega Steelix who shrug off Toxic and resist both of its attacks.

**Steel-Types**: Most Steel-types do not care for Cresselia’s attacks and are immune to any Toxic such as Mega Aggron and Stakataka and they can easily capitalize on this and gain free turns to set-up (set up entry hazards mainly - the Steel-types that set up on Cresselia are in the above category) or deal damage.

**Dark-Types**: While some Dark-Types have to be wary of Twinkle Tackle, Hydreigon and Mega Sharpedo can beat out Cresselia while Bisharp and Mega Houndoom have the added advantages of taking neutral damage from it.

**Ghost-Types**: Ghost-Types like Chandelure and Doublade use Cresselia as set-up fodder while Jellicent is able to Taunt Cresselia and prevent it from recovering.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[BackAtYouBro, 451000]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
QC 1/3
 

Amane Misa

Bring Them Home Now!
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Overview
  • Not only does Cresselia provide a bulky mixed wall for slower teams, but it also provides them with a wincon. Mention that when talking about what does Cresselia offers to teams.
  • Does Cresselia really care about Krookodile? It can't remove Cresselia's item and its attacks do literally nothing to it.
  • I wouldn't say that Cresselia's lack of passive recovery makes it far more susceptible to hazards because it still does have Levitate, which makes it immune to Spikes and to Toxic Spikes.
Defensive Z-Move
Moves
  • Mention that Psyshock also improves Cresselia's matchup against opposing Calm Mind users.
  • On the Toxic line, I would replace the Mamoswine and Slowbro mentions. The former loses to Cresselia regardless of whether does Cresselia afflict it with Toxic or not, and the latter beats Cresselia if it is Block + Calm Mind.
Usage Tips
Cresselia should occasionally be sent in on some weaker attacks but not recklessly as it hinders its reliability to check threats its supposed to remove with Twinkle Tackle and makes it waste Moonlight PP.
  • Cresselia is probably going to be a member on a defensive team, which means that the rest of the team necessarily has countermeasures to weaker attacks. Switching Cresselia in would just force it to eventually spend Moonlight's PP. Furthermore, by occasionally switching into attacks, Cresselia also risks itself with being afflicted with a status ailment. Eliminate this point.
However, if a physical wallbreaker like Choice Band Terrakion is threatening your team, Cresselia should be used to stomach a blow from them and then remove them through Twinkle Tackle.
  • Because we eliminated the first point, use this point to describe when Cresselia should be switching in. Cresselia should be switching in early- to mid-game only if it really needs to. Now, Cresselia should be switching in late-game when all its checks are weakened in order to attempt a sweep.
  • I think that the main reason Cresselia should be avoiding Toxic is that it prevents it from sweeping. Mention that in the Toxic-avoiding line.
Use Wish support whenever it is necessary to assist Cresselia before sending it so it doesn’t have to use Moonlight to recover.
  • You haven't talked about healing Cresselia from a status ailment, which is pretty mandatory while playing with it. By simply replacing the word "Wish" here with "cleric" and editing the end of the sentence, not only did you mention both Wish and Heal Bell/Aromatherapy support, but you also haven't hinted that Cresselia should be necessarily paired with a Wish user (which it shouldn't).
Even in quicker games, liberally clicking Moonlight can waste its PP, and make Cresselia a complete liability for the rest of the game. Only use Moonlight when necessary to restore health to allow it to stomach a hit from a wallbreaker or to be able to avoid the KO from fast threats like Krookodile.
Code:
252 Atk Krookodile Knock Off vs. 252 HP / 240+ Def Cresselia: 128-152 (28.8 - 34.2%) -- 1.8% chance to 3HKO
  • ?
Team Options
  • Cresselia also fits in defensive teams that are in need of a setup sweeper.
Cresselia often wants Wish support from users like Blissey and Alomomola due to their high health providing sufficient healing for Cresselia and so that it does not over rely on Moonlight.

Cleric support from Blissey and Umbreon is able to pass Wishes to Cresselia so it doesn't need to use Moonlight as recovery and they also turn to Cresselia as a resistance to Fighting-types.
  • You can honestly just combine those two points and shorten the paragraph's length.
  • You talked about Steel-types in the Stealth Rock point, but because they pair so well with Cresselia I would dedicate an entire point for them. Divide this point into two points; one point will talk about the importance of hazards (Stealth Rocks, as well as Spikes because they help chip Steel-types) in supporting Cresselia, and the other point will talk about how Steel-types aid Cresselia. Mention that they can take on Bug-types like Scizor and Mega Beedrill for Cresselia. The Chesnaught point should be combined with the latter point here.
Cresselia is easily pressured by Dark-types, so Mega Altaria, Sylveon, and Florges are able to stomach blows from them and in the last twos case, can also pass Wishes.
  • Move this point so it's after the cleric support point. Those two points kind of relate to each other.
Checks and Counters
  • Dedicate a point for status ailments, especially Toxic.
  • Mention in the Dark-types and Ghost-types points that they do not appreciate being afflicted with Toxic, and that Doublade can also avoid Toxic from Cresselia.
I will not stamp this yet because there's some discussion that needs to be done in the QC chat that has yet to be done, but do implement the above. I will stamp this later, when the discussion is done.

EDIT:
After quick discussion, the new Cresselia set is now the following:

[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Psyshock
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Calm Mind
item: Fairium Z
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe

Toxic will be a Moves mention.

In Other Options, remove the Ice Beam point because it really only hits Gligar and it doesn't worth the slot because Calm Mind Cresselia beats Gligar even without Ice Beam if Gligar is lacking Toxic. Also, on the Hidden Power Fire mention, if anything Hidden Power Fire should replace Moonblast, so edit that point accordingly.

2/3 when you have implemented all of the above. Let me know if you have any question.
 
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Hilomilo

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Overview
* 'Cresselia's offensive prowess is also completely walled by Steel-types. However, Cresselia is still fairly passive, and it can be exploited by other set-up sweepers like Swords Dance Scizor, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Curse Mega Steelix.' - these two sentences sound a little off next to each other. Try finding a better transition than 'however' that gives these sentences better flow with each other.

Set/Moves
* Replace the Raikou example with Latias, which is a much better and more common Calm Mind user.
* The Toxic line should be rephrased, since right now you're kind of making it sound like it's the better option over Calm Mind. State its purpose like you already have, but say after doing so that it prevents Cresselia from acting as a win condition.

Usage Tips
* Remove Crawdaunt as an example of a Pokemon you say Cresselia is supposed to check, considering it checks Crawdaunt offensively and not defensively (even with Fairium Knock Off does a ton of damage). Something like Choice Band Infernape is probably a better example.
*"Toxic should be used when passive threats are brought in that Cresselia cannot dent such as Hippowdon, Slowbro, or Blissey or use Calm Mind when necessary to break through these bulkier Pokemon or to land crucial KOs on Mega Altaria, Terrakion, or Crawdaunt." - this line doesn't read very clearly considering Toxic and Calm Mind are never run together and that's sort of implied. I'd just separate the moves into different sentences or remove the Toxic mention.

Good work, 3/3 when this is implemented.
 
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Fireflame

Silksong when
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Remove Add Comments (AC)= add comma (RC)= remove comma (AH)= add hyphen (RH)= remove hyphen
[OVERVIEW]

Cresselia has a niche on bulkier teams due to it being capable of removing multiple stallbreakers in the tier like Crawdaunt and Haxorus. Cresselia's humongous bulk allows it to stomach hits from the strong physical wallbreakers in the tier such as Terrakion and Mamoswine. Cresselia not only provides defensive teams with a mixed wall and an emergency way to deal with the aforementioned threats,(RC) but it can also be a bulky wincon through the use of Calm Mind. Its defensive typing and ability are also decent,(AC) which provides provide it with a good resistance to Fighting-types and a Ground-immunity to allow it to check Cobalion, Nidoking, and Choice Band Swampert, but its typing is more of a double-edged sword that also makes it more susceptible to Pursuit and U-turn from Scizor while failing to offer resistances to anything else. Cresselia does get completely walled by Steel-types if it attempts to set-up set up while also being set-up setup fodder against other set-up setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Scizor, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Curse Mega Steelix. Cresselia’s Cresselia's (some apostrophes are slanted, which messes up dex formatting, so some changes are to fix them to straight apostrophes) Twinkle Tackle is also unfortunately pretty weak and fails to OHKO even Pokemon that are weak to this move it such as Latias and Mega Altaria. It often needs a Calm Mind boost to take them out,(AC) but this can take up a turn where it must take another hit to remove the threat. Cresselia’s Cresselia's only form of recovery being Moonlight can be unreliable due to its low PP being detrimental in longer games. Cresselia’s Cresselia's lacking recovery also makes it a little more susceptible to constant chip damage from entry hazards and status.

[SET]
name: Defensive Z-Move
move 1: Psyshock
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Calm Mind
item: Fairium Z
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Psyshock works as Cresselia’s Cresselia's primary attack,(AC) hitting and as a way to hit Blissey and other special walls while also nailing Poison-types like Nidoking, Nihilego, and Tentacruel. It also improves Cresselia's matchup against Calm Mind users such as Latias and Suicune. Moonblast enables Cresselia to lure in and damage common Dark-types that assume they have no issues switching in like Krookodile and Hydreigon. Calm Mind is on this set to allow Cresselia to muscle through and OHKO Terrakion, Heracross, and more offensive variants of Mega Altaria with Twinkle Tackle while also giving it a stronger Psyshock for Blissey. Cresselia can also be a possible bulky wincon through accumulating multiple Calm Mind boosts. Toxic can be used over Calm Mind to wear down passive threats and stallbreakers that aren’t aren't immune to Poison such as Jellicent and Mega Houndoom,(AC) but this prevents Cresselia from being a wincon while also preventing it from and OHKOing the aforementioned threats.

Set Details
========

16 EVs in Speed allow Cresselia to outspeed Adamant Crawdaunt and OHKO it with a Twinkle Tackle. The rest of the investment into physical Defense allows Cresselia to live through 2 survive two Stone Edges from Choice Band Terrakion while also taking an Outrage from a boosted Dragon Dance Haxorous Haxorus. Fairium Z not only provides a lets Cresselia use Twinkle Tackle but and also reduces the damage of Knock Off from Krookodile and Mamoswine.

Usage Tips
========

Twinkle Tackle should be used as a last resort against any stallbreakers that have gone out of control that the rest of your team cannot handle. It is also useful to lure in surprise (The move doesn't lure Dark-types, Cresselia does) Dark-types that believe that they can come in with no penalty,(AC) so use careful predictions and scouting to ensure you make the most out of Twinkle Tackle. Avoid Toxic,(AC) as it cripples Cresselia as a possibly possible bulky wincon and by reducing its longevity. Burn damage can also be an issue,(AC) as it places Cresselia in range of being knocked out from Pokemon it's supposed to check such as Terrakion, Mega Altaria, and Choice Band Infernape. Toxic and Calm Mind are massive assets to Cresselia,(AC) so they must be used correctly depending on the situation. Calm Mind should be used when Cresselia needs to possibly break through and OHKO an offensive threat like Crawdaunt, Haxorus, or Terrakion. Use cleric support whenever it is necessary to assist Cresselia in removing status ailments so that it isn't crippled by possible Toxic and other status. Even in quicker games, liberally clicking using Moonlight can waste its PP,(RC) and make Cresselia a complete liability for the rest of the game. Only use Moonlight when necessary to restore health to allow it to stomach a hit from a wallbreaker or to be able to avoid the KO from fast threats like Terrakion.

Team Options
========

Cresselia fits best on stall and bulkier teams who that can be troubled by frightenening frightening stallbreakers while also being a possible appreciating a defensive sweeper. Cresselia appreciates cleric and wish support from Blissey and Umbreon,(AC) as it keeps it Cresselia from having to use up Moonlight PP while also keeping it from being crippled as a bulky wincon. Cresselia is easily pressured by Dark-types, so Mega Altaria, Sylveon, and Florges are able to stomach blows from them,(AC) and in the last twos case,(RC) two can also pass Wishes. Steel-types such as Mega Aggron, Mega Steelix, and Stakataka can use Cresselia to remove Fighting-types that trouble them while also dealing with Bug-types like Scizor and Mega Beedrill that attempt to put a dent on Cresselia while gaining momentum. Entry hazards are key to chip Cresselia's victims down to put them in range of Twinkle Tackle while also letting it sweep much easier. The aforementioned Steel-types are great Stealth Rock setters of Stealth Rock for Cresselia due to their defensive typing to deal with Bug-types. Chesnaught also works as a bulky Spikes setter that can handle Dark-types for Cresselia. Gligar and Moltres act as checks for Scizor and other Steel-types that Cresselia cannot harm while also providing pivoting through slow U-turns to give Cresselia more opportunities to come in without risking any damage.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Hidden Power Fire can be used over Moonblast to lure in Scizor,(AC) but this removes one of its biggest niches in its Fairy coverage to eliminate traditional answers to Psychic-types such as Crawdaunt. If Cresselia can't afford to run a Z-Move, it still can use Leftovers to offer passive recovery throughout the match,(AC) but Cresselia lacks the power it needs from Twinkle Tackle to remove threats such as Crawdaunt and Terrakion. Cresselia is seen on dedicated Trick Room teams as a defensive setter with a Mental Herb in order to guarantee set-up setup once throughout the match and Lunar Dance to give a sweeper a second chance to set-up set up. The archetype itself,(AC) however,(AC) is almost a gimmick in the tier and has many negative matchups against many different teams.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Toxic-Immune Set-Up Setup Sweepers**: Cresselia is still prone to being set-up setup fodder from Swords Dance Scizor and Mega Steelix,(AC) which who shrug off Toxic and resist both of its attacks.

**Status**: Cresselia is seriously susceptible to status,(AC) especially Toxic,(AC) as it cripples it as a bulky sweeper while also chips wearing it down much faster due to a lack of passive recovery. Status from opposing walls such as Blissey and Slowbro can harm Cresselia immensely because of this.

**Steel-types**: Most Steel-types such as Mega Aggron and Stakataka do not care for Cresselia’s Cresselia's attacks and are immune to any Toxic.(period) such as Mega Aggron and Stakataka and They can easily capitalize on this and gain free turns to set-up set up entry hazards or deal damage.

**Dark-types**: While some Dark-types have to be wary of Twinkle Tackle, Hydreigon and Mega Sharpedo can beat out Cresselia,(AC) while Bisharp and Mega Houndoom have the added advantages advantage of taking neutral damage from it. These Dark-types outside of Bisharp also need to wary of possible poison.

**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types like Chandelure and Doublade use Cresselia as set-up setup fodder,(AC) while Jellicent is able to use Taunt on Cresselia and prevent it from recovering. However, Chandelure and Jellicent cannot freely come in and risk getting poisoned.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[BackAtYouBro, 451000]]
- Quality checked by: [[martha, 384270], [Amane Misa, 312356], [Hilomilo, 313384]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
GP 1/2
 

Lumari

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is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris an Administrator Alumnus
TFP Leader
remove add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 2/2
[OVERVIEW]

Cresselia has a niche on bulkier teams due to it being capable of removing its ability to remove multiple stallbreakers in the tier like Crawdaunt and Haxorus. Cresselia's humongous bulk also allows it to stomach hits from the strong physical wallbreakers in the tier such as Terrakion and Mamoswine. However, Cresselia not only provides defensive teams with a mixed wall and an emergency way to deal with the aforementioned threats but can also can be a bulky wincon through the use of Calm Mind. Its defensive typing and ability are also decent, which provide providing it with a good resistance to Fighting-types and a Ground immunity (RH) to allow it to check Cobalion, Nidoking, and Choice Band Swampert, but its Psychic typing also makes it more susceptible to Pursuit and U-turn from Scizor while failing to offer resistances to anything else. Cresselia does get completely walled by Steel-types if it attempts to set up while also being and is setup fodder against other setup sweepers such as Swords Dance Scizor, Nasty Plot Togekiss, and Curse Mega Steelix. Cresselia's Twinkle Tackle is also unfortunately pretty weak and fails to OHKO even Pokemon that are weak to it such as Latias and Mega Altaria. It often needs a Calm Mind boost to take them out, but this can take up a turn where it must take another hit to remove the threat. Furthermore, Cresselia's only form of recovery, (AC) being Moonlight, (AC) can be unreliable due to its low PP being detrimental in longer games, (comma) Cresselia's and its lacking recovery also makes it a little more susceptible to constant chip damage from entry hazards and status.

[SET]
name: Defensive Z-Move
move 1: Psyshock
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Moonlight
move 4: Calm Mind
item: Fairium Z
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

Psyshock works as Cresselia's primary attack, and hitting Blissey and other special walls while also nailing Poison-types like Nidoking, Nihilego, and Tentacruel. It also improves Cresselia's matchup against Calm Mind users such as Latias and Suicune. Moonblast enables Cresselia to lure in and damage common Dark-types that assume they have no issues switching in like Krookodile and Hydreigon. Calm Mind is on this set to allow Cresselia to muscle through and OHKO Terrakion, Heracross, and more offensive variants of Mega Altaria with Twinkle Tackle while also giving it a stronger Psyshock for Blissey. Cresselia can also be a possible bulky wincon through accumulating multiple Calm Mind boosts. Toxic can be used over Calm Mind to wear down passive threats and stallbreakers that aren't immune to Poison such as Jellicent and Mega Houndoom, (AC) but this prevents Cresselia from being a wincon and OHKOing the aforementioned threats.

Set Details
========

16 EVs in Speed allow Cresselia to outspeed Adamant Crawdaunt and OHKO it with Twinkle Tackle. The rest of the investment into Defense allows Cresselia to survive two Stone Edges from Choice Band Terrakion while also taking or an Outrage from a boosted Dragon Dance Haxorus. Fairium Z lets Cresselia use a Twinkle Tackle and also reduces the damage of Knock Off from Krookodile and Mamoswine.

Usage Tips
========

Twinkle Tackle should be used as a last resort against any stallbreakers that have gone out of control that the rest of your team cannot handle. It is also useful to surprise Dark-types that believe that they can come in with no penalty, so use careful predictions and scouting to ensure you make the most out of Twinkle Tackle. Avoid Toxic, as it cripples Cresselia as a possible bulky wincon by reducing its longevity. Burn damage can also be an issue, as it places Cresselia in range of being knocked out from Pokemon it's supposed to check such as Terrakion, Mega Altaria, and Choice Band Infernape. Toxic and Calm Mind are massive assets to Cresselia, so they must be used correctly depending on the situation. Calm Mind should be used when Cresselia needs to possibly break through and OHKO an offensive threat like Crawdaunt, Haxorus, or Terrakion. Use cleric support whenever it is necessary to assist Cresselia in removing status ailments so it isn't crippled by Toxic and other status. Even in quicker games, liberally using Moonlight can waste its PP and make Cresselia a complete liability for the rest of the game. Only use Moonlight when necessary to restore health to allow it to stomach a hit from a wallbreaker or avoid the KO from fast threats like Terrakion.

Team Options
========

Cresselia fits best on stall and bulkier teams that can be troubled by frightening stallbreakers while appreciating a defensive sweeper. Cresselia appreciates cleric and Wish support from Blissey and Umbreon, as it keeps Cresselia from having to use up Moonlight PP while also keeping and stops it from being crippled. Cresselia is easily pressured by Dark-types, so Mega Altaria, Sylveon, and Florges are able to stomach blows from them, an and the last two can also pass Wishes. Steel-types such as Mega Aggron, Mega Steelix, and Stakataka can use Cresselia to remove Fighting-types that trouble them while also dealing with Bug-types like Scizor and Mega Beedrill that attempt to put a dent on into Cresselia while gaining momentum. Entry hazards are key to chip Cresselia's victims down to put them into range of Twinkle Tackle while also letting it sweep much easier more easily. The aforementioned Steel-types are double as Stealth Rock setters for Cresselia due to their defensive typing to deal with Bug-types. (not sure I'm seeing the causal link here) Chesnaught also works as a bulky Spikes setter that can handle Dark-types for Cresselia. Gligar and Moltres act as checks for Scizor and other Steel-types that Cresselia cannot harm while also providing pivoting through slow U-turns to give Cresselia more opportunities to come in without risking any damage.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Hidden Power Fire can be used over Moonblast to lure in and remove Scizor, but this removes one of its Cresselia's biggest niches in its Fairy coverage to eliminate traditional answers to Psychic-types such as Crawdaunt. If Cresselia can't afford to run a Z-Move, it still can use Leftovers to offer passive recovery throughout the match; (SC) but however, (AC) Cresselia lacks the power it needs from Twinkle Tackle to remove threats such as Crawdaunt and Terrakion. Cresselia is seen on dedicated Trick Room teams as a defensive setter with a Mental Herb in order to guarantee setup once throughout the match and Lunar Dance to give a sweeper a second chance to setup. The archetype itself, however, is almost a gimmick in the tier and has many negative matchups against many different teams.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Toxic-immune Setup Sweepers**: Cresselia is still prone to being setup fodder from to Swords Dance Scizor and Mega Steelix, which shrug off Toxic and resist both of its attacks.

**Status**: Cresselia is seriously susceptible to status, especially Toxic, as it cripples it as a bulky sweeper while also wearing it down much faster due to a lack of passive recovery. Status from opposing walls such as Blissey and Slowbro can harm Cresselia immensely because of this.

**Steel-types**: Most Steel-types such as Mega Aggron and Stakataka do not care for Cresselia's attacks and are immune to Toxic. They can easily capitalize on this and gain free turns to set up entry hazards or deal damage.

**Dark-types**: While some Dark-types have to be wary of Twinkle Tackle, Hydreigon and Mega Sharpedo can beat out Cresselia, while Bisharp and Mega Houndoom have the added advantage of taking neutral damage from it. These Dark-types outside of Bisharp also need to wary of possible poison.

**Ghost-types**: Ghost-types like Chandelure and Doublade use Cresselia as setup fodder, while Jellicent is able to use Taunt on Cresselia and prevent it from recovering. However, Chandelure and Jellicent cannot freely come in and risk getting poisoned.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[BackAtYouBro, 451000]]
- Quality checked by: [[martha, 384270], [Amane Misa, 312356], [Hilomilo, 313384]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Fireflame679, 231476], [, ]]
 
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