[OVERVIEW]
Cresselia finds success in the Doubles metagame thanks to its absurd bulk and a powerful, slow setup set with a Terrain Seed and Calm Mind, which sweeps unprepared teams with how difficult it is to take down. In addition, it also has access to various utility options to aid teammates, allowing for some flexibility. Its only real shortcoming lies in its offensive presence, with a somewhat poor attacking movepool and mediocre Special Attack stat. As a result, the Calm Mind set is nigh useless in taking down fairly common threats that wall it like Mega Metagross and Incineroar and has generally unimpressive damage output without multiple boosts. Utility sets are also left reliant on allies to retain momentum. Still, Cresselia's bulk often forces opponents to spend multiple turns trying to take it down, giving its partners a bit more time to do their job.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Psyshock
move 2: Icy Wind
move 3: Calm Mind
move 4: Moonlight
item: Electric Seed / Grassy Seed
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 68 SpA / 52 SpD / 120 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Psyshock offers this set a way to take advantage of Calm Mind boosts and is chosen over Psychic for its ability to take on Chansey, Calm Mind Tapu Fini, and Seed Zapdos. Icy Wind can deal decent damage to Ice-weak targets, especially when boosted, but it's primarily used for speed control; allies become more likely to move first, and Cresselia gets to recover with Moonlight more safely. Calm Mind offers defensive utility while also making Cresselia offensively threatening. Moonlight keeps Cresselia healthy and is especially useful in sun thanks to its boosted healing.
Set Details
========
Either an Electric Seed or Grassy Seed boosts Cresselia's Defense. With the given spread, Cresselia gains the ability to outrun Tornadus and Mega Metagross after hitting them with Icy Wind, which also 2HKOes uninvested Mega Salamence after Cresselia has used Calm Mind once. Defensively, Cresselia is guaranteed to take maximum Attack Tapu Bulu's Wood Hammer in Grassy Terrain, even if it scores a critical hit, and the remaining 52 EVs are put in Special Defense.
Usage Tips
========
There are a few key checks that can stop Cresselia in its tracks, primarily Toxic users like Chansey, phazers like Whirlwind Zapdos, and Taunt Pokemon like Tapu Koko, which can also carry Nature's Madness. Be sure to scout foes' movesets before setting up with Cresselia, as it often has trouble setting up a second time due to the loss of its Seed boost and starting from a weakened or statused state. On that note, avoid sending Cresselia in when its Seed will activate unless you're planning to leave it on the field for the long haul. This includes the opponent potentially setting the associated Terrain as well, so be vigilant. If Cresselia isn't able to act as a wincon, Icy Wind can still be useful to its teammates, so don't necessarily throw it out just because its setup fails. With the amount of pressure opponents often have to exert to take Cresselia down, make sure you keep it healthy enough to withstand double targeting.
Team Options
========
Mega Charizard Y stands out as one of the best teammates for Calm Mind Cresselia thanks to its ability to check Steel-types, which resist both of Cresselia's attacks, and its summoned sun offering a boost to the efficacy of Moonlight. Other offensive answers to Steel-types like Volcanion, Incineroar, and Zygarde can also be useful. Cresselia also needs a Terrain setter for its corresponding Seed, so it looks to Tapu Koko or Tapu Bulu for this. Tapu Koko also offers Taunt to prevent opposing Whirlwind, Taunt, and Toxic, making it especially valuable. Incineroar and Tyranitar are two of the most common threats that both wall Cresselia and threaten it offensively, so bringing checks to them such as Landorus-T and Scrafty is incredibly important. Wallbreakers with a middling Speed tier like Kyurem-B and Fightinium Z Kartana benefit from Icy Wind support and open up teams to being cleaned by a boosted Cresselia. Using either Fake Out support from Zeraora or redirection from Amoonguss or Volcarona can ease setup, but Cresselia rarely needs it, so it's just a nice thing to have—not a priority for the team Cresselia finds itself on. Avoid adding too many passive teammates; Cresselia can't do much damage while it's setting up, and it will require the rest of its team to keep up the offensive pressure.
[SET]
name: Trick Room Utility
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Trick Room
move 3: Psychic / Toxic
move 4: Helping Hand / Toxic / Ally Switch
item: Wiki Berry
ability: Levitate
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 28 SpA / 64 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
A variety of popular threats like Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Mega Salamence are extremely susceptible to Ice-type attacks, so Ice Beam acts as Cresselia's primary attack. Trick Room provides support for slower teammates. Psychic is beneficial for teams that need Cresselia to have a way of damaging Ice-resistant threats like Volcanion and Kyurem-B. Helping Hand provides Cresselia with a way to increase its team's offensive pressure, as it rarely exerts much on its own. Toxic chips away at supremely bulky foes, making it useful against both setup users like Mega Latias and support Pokemon like Porygon2. Ally Switch offers another form of support by allowing Cresselia to take a frailer teammate's place, with its great bulk, immunity to Ground, and resistance to Psychic and Fighting often coming in handy for taking these incoming attacks. Icy Wind provides an alternate method of speed control and can be used instead of or in conjunction with Trick Room to be flexible in its ability to ensure its teammates' ability to move first. None of these moves are strictly required for Cresselia to function well; some form of speed control and some sort of attack are strongly advised, but depending on its team, Cresselia could thrive with any combination of the moves listed here.
Set Details
========
252 HP and 164 Defense EVs are used to ensure that Cresselia will take standard Tapu Bulu's Bloom Doom, even after incurring Stealth Rock damage. With 64 Special Defense EVs and a Sassy nature, Cresselia is also guaranteed to survive the combination of Kingdra's Muddy Water and Hydro Vortex from Hydro Pump when rain is set. A Wiki Berry offers burst recovery and is especially nice for such a bulky Pokemon that is rarely taken out by attacks above its activation range. A Speed-reducing nature is used for maximum efficacy in Trick Room, and you can also minimize Cresselia's Speed IVs if you want to lower its Speed further. However, on semi-Trick Room teams, Cresselia usually prefers retaining some Speed for those times that Trick Room isn't set.
Usage Tips
========
This set has limited offensive potential, so Cresselia should only attack in specific situations, such as against a foe that's hit super effectively or that an ally needs Cresselia to weaken or finish off. For the most part, stick to using Trick Room and then make a teammate more threatening with Helping Hand. However, Cresselia's bulk allows it to set Trick Room multiple times during the match, and the limited number of turns available often makes switching Cresselia out a stronger play. Ally Switch, if carried, should be used primarily to protect a teammate rather than Cresselia itself; Cresselia can't do much with the additional safety that turn.
Team Options
========
Tyranitar, with or without its associated Mega Stone, is a great teammate, as it thrives under Trick Room and takes on some of Cresselia's greatest obstacles like Incineroar and Zapdos. It can even use coverage like Low Kick or Flamethrower to take on opposing Tyranitar or Genesect, respectively. Fire-types appreciate Cresselia's solid matchup against Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Mega Salamence, and they generally take on the Steel-types that often wall Cresselia, such as Mega Metagross. Volcanion is particularly notable, as it also takes on Incineroar well. Other slow Pokemon that benefit from Trick Room support like Tapu Bulu and Mega Camerupt are also strong picks, especially as they offer significant damage output to make up for Cresselia's difficulty in taking foes down on its own.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Kee Berry acts similarly to Terrain Seeds for the Calm Mind set for teams without Tapu Koko or Tapu Bulu, but its lack of instant activation can be unideal. Some utility sets sometimes prefer Sitrus Berry to Wiki Berry; with Sitrus Berry, attacks that deal just over half damage no longer 2HKO, and opponents can't just chip Cresselia until it's just above Wiki range to prepare for the knockout. Sunny Day can disrupt rain teams and boost an ally's Fire-type attacks, but Cresselia rarely finds room for the move.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Most Dark-types in the tier, including Tyranitar, Incineroar, and Hoopa-U, can significantly damage Cresselia and also benefit from an immunity to Psychic.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types resist the most common attacking moves found on Cresselia's sets, and some like Genesect and Aegislash can also be offensively threatening.
**Taunt**: Cresselia often relies on setup or utility moves, so Taunt users like Tapu Koko and Gothitelle can be disruptive to its success.
**Toxic**: Toxic wears Cresselia down steadily and greatly hampers the Calm Mind set's ability to sweep, so it should be wary of common users like Chansey and Porygon2.
**Phazers**: With single-use items, a boosted Calm Mind Cresselia loses much of its ability to succeed if it is forced out by Whirlwind Zapdos, Roar Suicune, or other phazers.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[talkingtree, 232101]]
- Quality checked by: [[Level 51, 118474], [MajorBowman, 188164]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Fireflame479, 231476]]
Cresselia finds success in the Doubles metagame thanks to its absurd bulk and a powerful, slow setup set with a Terrain Seed and Calm Mind, which sweeps unprepared teams with how difficult it is to take down. In addition, it also has access to various utility options to aid teammates, allowing for some flexibility. Its only real shortcoming lies in its offensive presence, with a somewhat poor attacking movepool and mediocre Special Attack stat. As a result, the Calm Mind set is nigh useless in taking down fairly common threats that wall it like Mega Metagross and Incineroar and has generally unimpressive damage output without multiple boosts. Utility sets are also left reliant on allies to retain momentum. Still, Cresselia's bulk often forces opponents to spend multiple turns trying to take it down, giving its partners a bit more time to do their job.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Psyshock
move 2: Icy Wind
move 3: Calm Mind
move 4: Moonlight
item: Electric Seed / Grassy Seed
ability: Levitate
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 68 SpA / 52 SpD / 120 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Psyshock offers this set a way to take advantage of Calm Mind boosts and is chosen over Psychic for its ability to take on Chansey, Calm Mind Tapu Fini, and Seed Zapdos. Icy Wind can deal decent damage to Ice-weak targets, especially when boosted, but it's primarily used for speed control; allies become more likely to move first, and Cresselia gets to recover with Moonlight more safely. Calm Mind offers defensive utility while also making Cresselia offensively threatening. Moonlight keeps Cresselia healthy and is especially useful in sun thanks to its boosted healing.
Set Details
========
Either an Electric Seed or Grassy Seed boosts Cresselia's Defense. With the given spread, Cresselia gains the ability to outrun Tornadus and Mega Metagross after hitting them with Icy Wind, which also 2HKOes uninvested Mega Salamence after Cresselia has used Calm Mind once. Defensively, Cresselia is guaranteed to take maximum Attack Tapu Bulu's Wood Hammer in Grassy Terrain, even if it scores a critical hit, and the remaining 52 EVs are put in Special Defense.
Usage Tips
========
There are a few key checks that can stop Cresselia in its tracks, primarily Toxic users like Chansey, phazers like Whirlwind Zapdos, and Taunt Pokemon like Tapu Koko, which can also carry Nature's Madness. Be sure to scout foes' movesets before setting up with Cresselia, as it often has trouble setting up a second time due to the loss of its Seed boost and starting from a weakened or statused state. On that note, avoid sending Cresselia in when its Seed will activate unless you're planning to leave it on the field for the long haul. This includes the opponent potentially setting the associated Terrain as well, so be vigilant. If Cresselia isn't able to act as a wincon, Icy Wind can still be useful to its teammates, so don't necessarily throw it out just because its setup fails. With the amount of pressure opponents often have to exert to take Cresselia down, make sure you keep it healthy enough to withstand double targeting.
Team Options
========
Mega Charizard Y stands out as one of the best teammates for Calm Mind Cresselia thanks to its ability to check Steel-types, which resist both of Cresselia's attacks, and its summoned sun offering a boost to the efficacy of Moonlight. Other offensive answers to Steel-types like Volcanion, Incineroar, and Zygarde can also be useful. Cresselia also needs a Terrain setter for its corresponding Seed, so it looks to Tapu Koko or Tapu Bulu for this. Tapu Koko also offers Taunt to prevent opposing Whirlwind, Taunt, and Toxic, making it especially valuable. Incineroar and Tyranitar are two of the most common threats that both wall Cresselia and threaten it offensively, so bringing checks to them such as Landorus-T and Scrafty is incredibly important. Wallbreakers with a middling Speed tier like Kyurem-B and Fightinium Z Kartana benefit from Icy Wind support and open up teams to being cleaned by a boosted Cresselia. Using either Fake Out support from Zeraora or redirection from Amoonguss or Volcarona can ease setup, but Cresselia rarely needs it, so it's just a nice thing to have—not a priority for the team Cresselia finds itself on. Avoid adding too many passive teammates; Cresselia can't do much damage while it's setting up, and it will require the rest of its team to keep up the offensive pressure.
[SET]
name: Trick Room Utility
move 1: Ice Beam
move 2: Trick Room
move 3: Psychic / Toxic
move 4: Helping Hand / Toxic / Ally Switch
item: Wiki Berry
ability: Levitate
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 28 SpA / 64 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
A variety of popular threats like Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Mega Salamence are extremely susceptible to Ice-type attacks, so Ice Beam acts as Cresselia's primary attack. Trick Room provides support for slower teammates. Psychic is beneficial for teams that need Cresselia to have a way of damaging Ice-resistant threats like Volcanion and Kyurem-B. Helping Hand provides Cresselia with a way to increase its team's offensive pressure, as it rarely exerts much on its own. Toxic chips away at supremely bulky foes, making it useful against both setup users like Mega Latias and support Pokemon like Porygon2. Ally Switch offers another form of support by allowing Cresselia to take a frailer teammate's place, with its great bulk, immunity to Ground, and resistance to Psychic and Fighting often coming in handy for taking these incoming attacks. Icy Wind provides an alternate method of speed control and can be used instead of or in conjunction with Trick Room to be flexible in its ability to ensure its teammates' ability to move first. None of these moves are strictly required for Cresselia to function well; some form of speed control and some sort of attack are strongly advised, but depending on its team, Cresselia could thrive with any combination of the moves listed here.
Set Details
========
252 HP and 164 Defense EVs are used to ensure that Cresselia will take standard Tapu Bulu's Bloom Doom, even after incurring Stealth Rock damage. With 64 Special Defense EVs and a Sassy nature, Cresselia is also guaranteed to survive the combination of Kingdra's Muddy Water and Hydro Vortex from Hydro Pump when rain is set. A Wiki Berry offers burst recovery and is especially nice for such a bulky Pokemon that is rarely taken out by attacks above its activation range. A Speed-reducing nature is used for maximum efficacy in Trick Room, and you can also minimize Cresselia's Speed IVs if you want to lower its Speed further. However, on semi-Trick Room teams, Cresselia usually prefers retaining some Speed for those times that Trick Room isn't set.
Usage Tips
========
This set has limited offensive potential, so Cresselia should only attack in specific situations, such as against a foe that's hit super effectively or that an ally needs Cresselia to weaken or finish off. For the most part, stick to using Trick Room and then make a teammate more threatening with Helping Hand. However, Cresselia's bulk allows it to set Trick Room multiple times during the match, and the limited number of turns available often makes switching Cresselia out a stronger play. Ally Switch, if carried, should be used primarily to protect a teammate rather than Cresselia itself; Cresselia can't do much with the additional safety that turn.
Team Options
========
Tyranitar, with or without its associated Mega Stone, is a great teammate, as it thrives under Trick Room and takes on some of Cresselia's greatest obstacles like Incineroar and Zapdos. It can even use coverage like Low Kick or Flamethrower to take on opposing Tyranitar or Genesect, respectively. Fire-types appreciate Cresselia's solid matchup against Landorus-T, Zygarde, and Mega Salamence, and they generally take on the Steel-types that often wall Cresselia, such as Mega Metagross. Volcanion is particularly notable, as it also takes on Incineroar well. Other slow Pokemon that benefit from Trick Room support like Tapu Bulu and Mega Camerupt are also strong picks, especially as they offer significant damage output to make up for Cresselia's difficulty in taking foes down on its own.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
A Kee Berry acts similarly to Terrain Seeds for the Calm Mind set for teams without Tapu Koko or Tapu Bulu, but its lack of instant activation can be unideal. Some utility sets sometimes prefer Sitrus Berry to Wiki Berry; with Sitrus Berry, attacks that deal just over half damage no longer 2HKO, and opponents can't just chip Cresselia until it's just above Wiki range to prepare for the knockout. Sunny Day can disrupt rain teams and boost an ally's Fire-type attacks, but Cresselia rarely finds room for the move.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Dark-types**: Most Dark-types in the tier, including Tyranitar, Incineroar, and Hoopa-U, can significantly damage Cresselia and also benefit from an immunity to Psychic.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types resist the most common attacking moves found on Cresselia's sets, and some like Genesect and Aegislash can also be offensively threatening.
**Taunt**: Cresselia often relies on setup or utility moves, so Taunt users like Tapu Koko and Gothitelle can be disruptive to its success.
**Toxic**: Toxic wears Cresselia down steadily and greatly hampers the Calm Mind set's ability to sweep, so it should be wary of common users like Chansey and Porygon2.
**Phazers**: With single-use items, a boosted Calm Mind Cresselia loses much of its ability to succeed if it is forced out by Whirlwind Zapdos, Roar Suicune, or other phazers.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[talkingtree, 232101]]
- Quality checked by: [[Level 51, 118474], [MajorBowman, 188164]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Rabia, 336073], [Fireflame479, 231476]]
Last edited:
