roman
Banned deucer.
[OVERVIEW]
Cresselia's incredible 120 / 120 / 130 bulk, ability in Levitate, and access to reliable recovery turn it into one of the most threatening defensive Pokemon in the tier, capable of checking devastating Pokemon like Salazzle, Dragalge, and Virizion. A reasonably good base Speed stat of 85 lets Cresselia outpace and OHKO Pokemon like Pangoro with a bit of Speed investment. Its amazing support movepool with options like Thunder Wave, Toxic, and Lunar Dance allows Cresselia to support its teammates well. However, Cresselia is commonly labelled as a "do-nothing" Pokemon, and for good reason. Its lackluster Special Attack and lack of any way to beat opposing walls other than Toxic will leave it helpless against other balance staples like Registeel and stallbreaker Mandibuzz. Cresselia's mediocre defensive typing means that it'll only be resisting a couple of attacking types while losing to a plethora of Bug-, Dark-, and Ghost-types. Moonlight's limited PP will quickly leave Cresselia struggling to switch into attackers like Dragalge. Cresselia also has a massive vulnerability to status, notably Toxic poison and paralysis. For example, if Cresselia has been inflicted with Toxic poison, it'll struggle to consistently switch into Pokemon like Shaymin, Salazzle, and Roserade. In the same way, once Cresselia is paralyzed, it will no longer be able to outpace and check Pokemon like Bewear and Pangoro.
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Moonlight
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Moonblast
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Moonlight is Cresselia's form of reliable recovery, healing half of its HP in a single turn. Cresselia's main STAB move is Psyshock and is used used over Psychic because it reliably 2HKOes Virizion. Moonblast lets Cresselia hit Dark- and Dragon-types like Pangoro and Flygon. Toxic lets Cresselia cripple switch-ins like Porygon2 that would otherwise wall it.
Set Details
========
144 Speed EVs let Cresselia outpace Pokemon like Pangoro and Honchkrow so it can OHKO them with Moonblast without having to worry about taking a powerful hit. The rest of the EVs are dumped into HP and Defense to maximize Cresselia's potential to soak up physical attacks. A Bold nature improves Cresselia's already respectable Defense stat. Leftovers gives Cresselia passive recovery and lets it more easily switch into attackers like Gardevoir and Nidoqueen. Levitate allows Cresselia to consistently switch into Ground-type attacks from Pokemon like Nidoqueen.
Usage Tips
========
Avoid Toxic from Pokemon like Registeel and Gligar at all costs, as once Cresselia gets badly poisoned, it will struggle to switch into a plethora of Pokemon. In the same way, avoid paralysis, as Cresselia will struggle to check Pokemon like Pangoro when paralyzed. Be careful not to burn through Cresselia's Moonlight, as once its mere 8 PP has been used, Cresselia will struggle to check threats like Salazzle and Choice Scarf Flygon. Be careful to not give Pokemon like Escavalier, Ninetales, and Doublade a free switch, since they can do a great amount of damage. Use Cresselia to consistently check Pokemon like Nidoqueen and Virizion.
Team Options
========
Status absorbers like Snorlax and Gligar work well with Cresselia. Gligar works especially well, as it can clear entry hazards for Cresselia too. Cresselia works best on balance teams, so make sure to pair it up with common balance picks like hazard removers such as Mega Blastoise and Gligar and Choice Scarf users such as Shaymin or and Gardevoir. Pokemon that can help mitigate Cresselia's weakness to Steel-, Bug-, and Dark-types make great teammates. For example, Bewear can beat Steel-types for Cresselia, and Tyrantrum and Gardevoir can take care of Bug- and Dark-types, respectively. Clerics like Umbreon can work decently with Cresselia, being able to heal any status, especially Toxic poison, that Cresselia could potentially be inflicted with. Pokemon resistant to Bug like Registeel work well with Cresselia, as they can come in on threatening Bug-types like Yanmega. A plethora of Pokemon work well with Cresselia depending on which other option it utilizes. For example, setup sweepers like Virizion appreciate Cresselia's ability to cripple revenge killers like Choice Scarf Drapion and Gardevoir with Thunder Wave. They also appreciate Healing Wish to heal them late-game. Shaymin synergizes well with Hidden Power Fire Cresselia, which can beat Steel-types like Escavalier.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Colbur Berry lets Cresselia avoid the threatening predictions that Pursuit trappers like Choice-locked Drapion impose. For example, Cresselia can simply heal on Drapion as it attacks and make the most optimal play from there. Hidden Power Fire lets Cresselia beat nuisances such as Escavalier and Mega Abomasnow. Thunder Wave cripples Choice Scarf users like Tyrantrum and Gardevoir, letting teammates like Virizion and Salazzle more easily sweep. Lunar Dance lets you play more aggressively with Cresselia and wreak more havoc with your sweepers early-game, as it can revive them later on with Lunar Dance. Dumping the Defense EVs into Special Defense and running a Calm nature lets Cresselia more easily check specially offensive threats like Shaymin and Dragalge. Cresselia can run Fairium Z on stall teams to allow it to OHKO threats like Swords Dance Bewear and Honchkrow. It also improves Cresselia's matchup against Pursuit trappers like Drapion, as the Z-Crystal lowers Knock Off's damage output. Cresselia can run a bulky sweeper set with Calm Mind / Substitute / Moonblast / Moonlight or Psyshock. It should run enough Speed investment for outspeeding Taunt + Toxic Mandibuzz but can also use more investment to outspeed Timid Mega Blastoise, depending on what team needs. This set should run a Timid nature, and the rest of the EVs should go into HP and Defense.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bug-types**: Bug-types like Yanmega run right through Cresselia, beating it with their super effective STAB moves.
**Setup Sweepers**: Setup sweepers like Snorlax use Cresselia's low offensive stats to freely set up on it.
**Steel-types**: Pokemon like Registeel, Bronzong, and Escavalier are all not affected by Toxic and take very little damage from Cresselia's attacks. They stall Cresselia out with Toxic, or, in Escavalier's case, use it as setup fodder or outright OHKO it.
**Dark-types**: Dark-types like Drapion beat Cresselia with their super effective STAB moves. Drapion and other Dark-types like Sneasel can also threaten Cresselia with Pursuit.
**Status**: Status, especially Toxic poison and paralysis, heavily cripples Cresselia. The former forces it to heal constantly so it doesn't get too worn down, and the latter prevents it from checking Pokemon like Bewear and Pangoro.
**Taunt**: Taunt from Pokemon like Mandibuzz and Nidoqueen shuts down Cresselia, as it can't heal and is forced to switch out or rely on its lackluster Special Attack to get it out of a sticky situation.
Cresselia's incredible 120 / 120 / 130 bulk, ability in Levitate, and access to reliable recovery turn it into one of the most threatening defensive Pokemon in the tier, capable of checking devastating Pokemon like Salazzle, Dragalge, and Virizion. A reasonably good base Speed stat of 85 lets Cresselia outpace and OHKO Pokemon like Pangoro with a bit of Speed investment. Its amazing support movepool with options like Thunder Wave, Toxic, and Lunar Dance allows Cresselia to support its teammates well. However, Cresselia is commonly labelled as a "do-nothing" Pokemon, and for good reason. Its lackluster Special Attack and lack of any way to beat opposing walls other than Toxic will leave it helpless against other balance staples like Registeel and stallbreaker Mandibuzz. Cresselia's mediocre defensive typing means that it'll only be resisting a couple of attacking types while losing to a plethora of Bug-, Dark-, and Ghost-types. Moonlight's limited PP will quickly leave Cresselia struggling to switch into attackers like Dragalge. Cresselia also has a massive vulnerability to status, notably Toxic poison and paralysis. For example, if Cresselia has been inflicted with Toxic poison, it'll struggle to consistently switch into Pokemon like Shaymin, Salazzle, and Roserade. In the same way, once Cresselia is paralyzed, it will no longer be able to outpace and check Pokemon like Bewear and Pangoro.
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Moonlight
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Moonblast
move 4: Toxic
item: Leftovers
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Moonlight is Cresselia's form of reliable recovery, healing half of its HP in a single turn. Cresselia's main STAB move is Psyshock and is used used over Psychic because it reliably 2HKOes Virizion. Moonblast lets Cresselia hit Dark- and Dragon-types like Pangoro and Flygon. Toxic lets Cresselia cripple switch-ins like Porygon2 that would otherwise wall it.
Set Details
========
144 Speed EVs let Cresselia outpace Pokemon like Pangoro and Honchkrow so it can OHKO them with Moonblast without having to worry about taking a powerful hit. The rest of the EVs are dumped into HP and Defense to maximize Cresselia's potential to soak up physical attacks. A Bold nature improves Cresselia's already respectable Defense stat. Leftovers gives Cresselia passive recovery and lets it more easily switch into attackers like Gardevoir and Nidoqueen. Levitate allows Cresselia to consistently switch into Ground-type attacks from Pokemon like Nidoqueen.
Usage Tips
========
Avoid Toxic from Pokemon like Registeel and Gligar at all costs, as once Cresselia gets badly poisoned, it will struggle to switch into a plethora of Pokemon. In the same way, avoid paralysis, as Cresselia will struggle to check Pokemon like Pangoro when paralyzed. Be careful not to burn through Cresselia's Moonlight, as once its mere 8 PP has been used, Cresselia will struggle to check threats like Salazzle and Choice Scarf Flygon. Be careful to not give Pokemon like Escavalier, Ninetales, and Doublade a free switch, since they can do a great amount of damage. Use Cresselia to consistently check Pokemon like Nidoqueen and Virizion.
Team Options
========
Status absorbers like Snorlax and Gligar work well with Cresselia. Gligar works especially well, as it can clear entry hazards for Cresselia too. Cresselia works best on balance teams, so make sure to pair it up with common balance picks like hazard removers such as Mega Blastoise and Gligar and Choice Scarf users such as Shaymin or and Gardevoir. Pokemon that can help mitigate Cresselia's weakness to Steel-, Bug-, and Dark-types make great teammates. For example, Bewear can beat Steel-types for Cresselia, and Tyrantrum and Gardevoir can take care of Bug- and Dark-types, respectively. Clerics like Umbreon can work decently with Cresselia, being able to heal any status, especially Toxic poison, that Cresselia could potentially be inflicted with. Pokemon resistant to Bug like Registeel work well with Cresselia, as they can come in on threatening Bug-types like Yanmega. A plethora of Pokemon work well with Cresselia depending on which other option it utilizes. For example, setup sweepers like Virizion appreciate Cresselia's ability to cripple revenge killers like Choice Scarf Drapion and Gardevoir with Thunder Wave. They also appreciate Healing Wish to heal them late-game. Shaymin synergizes well with Hidden Power Fire Cresselia, which can beat Steel-types like Escavalier.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Colbur Berry lets Cresselia avoid the threatening predictions that Pursuit trappers like Choice-locked Drapion impose. For example, Cresselia can simply heal on Drapion as it attacks and make the most optimal play from there. Hidden Power Fire lets Cresselia beat nuisances such as Escavalier and Mega Abomasnow. Thunder Wave cripples Choice Scarf users like Tyrantrum and Gardevoir, letting teammates like Virizion and Salazzle more easily sweep. Lunar Dance lets you play more aggressively with Cresselia and wreak more havoc with your sweepers early-game, as it can revive them later on with Lunar Dance. Dumping the Defense EVs into Special Defense and running a Calm nature lets Cresselia more easily check specially offensive threats like Shaymin and Dragalge. Cresselia can run Fairium Z on stall teams to allow it to OHKO threats like Swords Dance Bewear and Honchkrow. It also improves Cresselia's matchup against Pursuit trappers like Drapion, as the Z-Crystal lowers Knock Off's damage output. Cresselia can run a bulky sweeper set with Calm Mind / Substitute / Moonblast / Moonlight or Psyshock. It should run enough Speed investment for outspeeding Taunt + Toxic Mandibuzz but can also use more investment to outspeed Timid Mega Blastoise, depending on what team needs. This set should run a Timid nature, and the rest of the EVs should go into HP and Defense.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Bug-types**: Bug-types like Yanmega run right through Cresselia, beating it with their super effective STAB moves.
**Setup Sweepers**: Setup sweepers like Snorlax use Cresselia's low offensive stats to freely set up on it.
**Steel-types**: Pokemon like Registeel, Bronzong, and Escavalier are all not affected by Toxic and take very little damage from Cresselia's attacks. They stall Cresselia out with Toxic, or, in Escavalier's case, use it as setup fodder or outright OHKO it.
**Dark-types**: Dark-types like Drapion beat Cresselia with their super effective STAB moves. Drapion and other Dark-types like Sneasel can also threaten Cresselia with Pursuit.
**Status**: Status, especially Toxic poison and paralysis, heavily cripples Cresselia. The former forces it to heal constantly so it doesn't get too worn down, and the latter prevents it from checking Pokemon like Bewear and Pangoro.
**Taunt**: Taunt from Pokemon like Mandibuzz and Nidoqueen shuts down Cresselia, as it can't heal and is forced to switch out or rely on its lackluster Special Attack to get it out of a sticky situation.
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