OU Cresselia once again.
Update: Overview, Additional Comments, Optional Changes. Moved some set paragraphs around (namely EVs so they aren't in the Additional Comments part.)
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/cresselia
Status: Done.
[Overview]
<p>Cresselia has outstanding overall defenses that allow her to wall many attacks. Combine that with an instant recovery move in Moonlight and she is extremely hard to take down. However, she has many exploitable weaknesses. The OU metagame is not kind to her, as the prevalence of sandstorm severely limits her healing capabilities. Cresselia also fears two extremely common counters: Tyranitar and Scizor. Additionally, Cresselia faces competition from Latias, who can not only wall moves due to her wide array of resistances but also severely damage the opponent back due to her higher Special Attack and Speed. Cresselia's better overall defenses still make her viable in the OU metagame, though not to the extent she was in the past.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Moonlight / Rest
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Thunder Wave / Psychic
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Cresselia is the bulkiest Pokemon in the OU metagame and can easily support her team. Her high defensive stats allow her to easily take hits and recover them off, which then allows her to cripple opposing Pokemon.</p>
<p>Reflect allows Cresselia and the team to take reduced damage from physical attacks, which Cresselia tends to fear. Moonlight heals off any damage that Cresselia might have taken. However, due to the prevalence of sandstorm in the OU metagame, Moonlight can only heal 25% health instead of the normal 50%. Because of this, you may choose to use Rest in place of Moonlight for a healing move, but this option will come with the disadvantage of being asleep for two turns. Ice Beam takes down any Dragon-type Pokemon who can pose a major threat to your team. Thunder Wave cripples any Pokemon who try to set up against Cresselia. Psychic may be used as a STAB attack to take down Infernape and any unsuspecting Gengar who may try to 2HKO you with Shadow Ball. However, Psychic has poor coverage in OU, and Thunder Wave is still more useful because it can cripple those two anyway.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Cresselia's two main nemeses are Tyranitar and Scizor. Both of them can heavily damage Cresselia with their respective STAB attacks or catch a fleeing Cresselia with Pursuit. Tyranitar's ability also sets up sandstorm, reducing the effectiveness of Moonlight. Gengar also poses a threat, as a Life Orbed Shadow Ball will 2HKO Cresselia. Blissey can easily outstall Cresselia with Toxic and Softboiled or Wish while Cresselia can't do much back. Finally, any Pokemon who has either Substitute, Rest, or Taunt can easily set up in front of Cresselia, not minding her weak attacks or Thunder Wave.</p>
<p>Scizor is a great partner for Cresselia, as both Bullet Punch and U-turn will take down Tyranitar. It can also switch easily into Dark- and Ghost-type attacks from Tyranitar and Gengar, respectively, and easily threaten both. Scizor can also deal with Blissey, as long as it does not switch into a Flamethrower, threatening a U-turn or a Superpower to remove it. Magnezone can help deal with opposing Scizor, trapping it and removing it with either Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire. Magnezone also resists the Dark- and Ghost-type attacks that Cresselia fears, while Cresselia resists Fighting-type moves and is immune to Ground-type moves. Non-Seismic Toss Blissey can be used to check Gengar due to her massive Special Defense stat. A check or a Pokemon with Roar or Whirlwind can easily deal with stat uppers. Swampert, Suicune, and Skarmory are all common phazers and can remove the stat boosts with either Roar or Whirlwind. Choice Scarf Rotom-H can handle many of the stat uppers who try to set up in front of Cresselia, like Metagross, Scizor, and Lucario. It does bear a weakness to both Dark- and Ghost-type moves, though. Jirachi or Scizor can both handle Dragon Dance Tyranitar, who can easily set up on Cresselia. Gliscor can handle Metagross, Lucario, and Tyranitar also should you choose to use it.</p>
[SET]
name: Sleep Talk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Charge Beam / Thunder Wave / Psychic
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Because sandstorm is so common in the OU metagame due to Tyranitar and Hippowdon, Moonlight's effectiveness is reduced. Moonlight also only has 8 PP, allowing Cresselia to be easily stalled out. Finally, Cresselia is very susceptible to status, which Moonlight cannot cure. This set attempts to remedy these problems by using a combination of Rest and Sleep Talk to lengthen Cresselia's vitality.</p>
<p>Rest allows Cresselia to heal back up to full HP and remove any status effects that Cresselia might have. Sleep Talk allows Cresselia not to become full setup bait while sleeping and can also help with PP issues. Ice Beam is once again used to take care of any Dragon-type Pokemon who your team might have problems with. Charge Beam rounds out the moveset, working well alongside Ice Beam. However, due to Rest and Sleep Talk, Cresselia can nab many Special Attack boosts, allowing her to become a formidable tank. Thunder Wave may be used as a crippling move like in the first moveset, but Sleep Talk might select it when the opponent's Pokemon is already statused. Psychic functions as a STAB source and can also be used to take care of Infernape and Gengar, but will not OHKO either without Stealth Rock and one turn of both sandstorm and Life Orb recoil.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>While this set allows Cresselia to last longer than the previous set, she has even more problems with Tyranitar, Scizor, and Gengar because she does not necessarily have Thunder Wave to cripple them. Because of this, most stat uppers will be dangerous to Cresselia. Scizor can once again be used to remove Tyranitar and Gengar and use its resistances to absorb any super effective attacks heading towards Cresselia. Magnezone can get rid of opposing Scizor too. Finally, Pokemon to beat the various stat uppers will be needed. Once again, Skarmory, Swampert, and Suicune can phaze any potential threats to Cresselia. Scarf Rotom-H, Jirachi, and Gliscor all handle several of the threats who can set up against Cresselia.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Moonlight
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
ivs: 26 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Cresselia can also take an offensive approach by using Calm Mind. Her bulkiness allows her to easily set up several boosts and proceed to outlast the opponent while dealing damage.</p>
<p>Calm Mind begins the set, boosting Cresselia's poor Special Attack to acceptable levels, along with boosting her already impressive Special Defense. Psychic is a source of STAB, dealing plenty of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Hidden Power Fire is used as a second attack, hitting mainly Scizor along with other Steel-type Pokemon who resist Psychic. Hidden Power Fighting is still viable if you cannot remove Tyranitar and provides acceptable coverage in tandem with Psychic. Ice Beam may be used for Latias, but you're better off having eliminated her first so she can't Calm Mind along Cresselia or Trick her a Choice item. Moonlight rounds out the set, providing instant recovery so Cresselia can continue using Calm Mind and recover off any potential damage.</p>
<p>The current EV spread is used for Hidden Power Fire. 252 HP EVs allow for maximum bulkiness, while 252 Special Attack EVs along with a Modest nature allow for maximum damage output. The 4 Speed EVs allow you to Speed tie with other 4 Speed Suicune and Cresselia. If you are using Hidden Power Fighting, go with an EV spread of 188 HP / 252 SpA / 68 Spe to outspeed maximum Speed Adamant Tyranitar. A 22 Attack IV is needed for a suitable Hidden Power Fighting.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Rest may be used over Moonlight because sandstorm cripples Moonlight. However it does force Cresselia to stay asleep for two turns, allowing a Pokemon such as Scizor or Tyranitar to come in and force it out.</p>
<p>Depending on which Hidden Power type you use, Cresselia will have problems with either Scizor and Steel-type Pokemon or Tyranitar. With Hidden Power Fire, Tyranitar will be the main issue, being immune to Psychic and taking barely any damage from Hidden Power Fire. With Hidden Power Fighting, Scizor can come in and easily U-turn or Pursuit Cresselia for massive damage. It also means that most Steel-type Pokemon will be hit for neutral damage. A lure is appreciated in order to take down the problems Cresselia has. Latias can lure both Scizor and Tyranitar, KOing them either Grass Knot, Surf, or Hidden Power Fire. Protect or Substitute Gengar can also be a good teammate to Cresselia, KOing Scizor with Hidden Power Fire and Tyranitar with Focus Blast. However, similarly to Latias, it adds an additional Ghost- and Dark-type weakness.</p>
<p>As for other ideal Pokemon, Magnezone can trap and KO Scizor with either Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire. Scizor can take Crunches from Tyranitar and Bullet Punch or U-turn out, while Gliscor can take any of Tyranitar's attacks and hit it back with a STAB Earthquake. As for residual damage, Toxic Spikes support is also appreciated, as Cresselia's impressive bulk allows residual damage to build up. Roserade can set them up at the beginning of the game, while Forretress' Steel-typing allows it to soak up Dark- and Bug-type attacks aimed at Cresselia. Unlike the previous sets, Cresselia can set up along with opposing Pokemon; however, a revenge killer might still be useful for any physically-based sweepers. Jirachi and Rotom-H once again are reliable in taking down these Pokemon.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Lunar Dance
move 4: Thunder Wave / Ice Beam / Psychic
item: Light Clay
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 40 SpD / 68 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to Cresselia's enormous bulk, she can easily be used to set up Reflect and Light Screen for your team. She also has one more trick that other screeners don't: Lunar Dance. Cresselia can provide all this in order for one of your remaining Pokemon to set up and sweep the opponent's team.</p>
<p>Reflect and Light Screen halve physical and special attacks, respectively. Lunar Dance is Cresselia's secret weapon, letting her sacrifice herself to allow another Pokemon to come in fully healed and cured of any status ailments it might hold. Thunder Wave gives Cresselia more time to set up screens, while Ice Beam handles Dragon-type Pokemon like Salamence and also Gliscor, who is a common mid-game Taunter. Psychic, should you choose to use it, provides STAB and a way to handle Infernape.</p>
<p>The EVs of this set are built to withstand the onslaught of attacks towards Cresselia. The given HP and Defense EVs allow you to never be 2HKOed by Choice Band Tyranitar's Crunch after Reflect, Stealth Rock, and one turn of sandstorm damage. The 68 Speed EVs ensure that Cresselia outspeeds Choice Band Tyranitar and Swords Dance Scizor, allowing her to get a Reflect up before they Crunch or Bug Bite, respectively. The remaining EVs go into Special Defense to take special attacks better. Light Clay is chosen so that both Reflect and Light Screen remain for eight turns instead of the regular five.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Cresselia's bulk allows her to come in many times and set up Reflect and Light Screen. Once she has done that, you can switch to your primary sweeper and start launching attacks left and right, not caring about damage or status because Lunar Dance will heal them. Once your sweeper is down to low HP, bring in Cresselia again, set up dual screens, and then Lunar Dance to revitalize your sweeper. Many teams can't handle the same Pokemon twice, allowing you to break through their defenses. Plenty of Pokemon appreciate dual screens; however, there are a few that pair up especially well with Cresselia. Lucario and Tyranitar can capitalize on the Dark-type moves that your opponent will be launching at Cresselia to bring her down. Salamence will be a lot harder to handle, as many teams rely on Scizor or Latias to handle it, which should be taken care of the first sweep around.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Cresselia relies a lot on her teammates due to her common weaknesses in Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type attacks. Tyranitar, Gengar, and Scizor in particular threaten her most. Scizor can be handled by a variety of Pokemon. Magnezone can easily trap Scizor and KO it with either Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire. Its Steel-typing also gives it a resistance to the previously mentioned type attacks. Ironically, Scizor is also a good partner for Cresselia, handling the Dark- and Ghost-type attacks due to its Steel-typing and handling Tyranitar and Gengar with Bullet Punch, U-turn, or Pursuit. Gengar can also handle Scizor and Tyranitar, as long as it has some way to tell if Scizor's using Bullet Punch or Pursuit. This can be accomplished by having Substitute or Protect. A more defensive way to handle Gengar would be Blissey, as her special bulk allows her to take Gengar's attacks with ease.</p>
<p>Offensively, Cresselia has trouble getting past certain Pokemon depending on her Hidden Power type. Should she choose Hidden Power Fire, Tyranitar will be a large issue. Luckily, the aforementioned Scizor handles it. Gliscor can also handle Tyranitar due to its physical bulkiness and hit it back with a STAB Earthquake. If Cresselia was to use Hidden Power Fighting, then Scizor would be a pain to fight. Magnezone once again can trap and KO Scizor, while Gengar and Latias can lure it out and KO it with Hidden Power Fire.</p>
<p>Even though Cresselia can take a lot of hits, she generally can't do much back to Pokemon that set up. Therefore, a revenge killer or a check is needed for those Pokemon. When Cresselia is switching out of Tyranitar, it can set up a Dragon Dance. Therefore, Gliscor and Swampert can be used to check Tyranitar. Choice Scarf Jirachi and Choice Band Scizor can also hit is with their STAB attacks, although watch out for Fire Punch and Babiri Berry. Scizor can set up a Swords Dance also, but is a lot easier to handle. Zapdos, Rotom-H, and Heatran can all hit Scizor with super effective Fire-type moves and easily KO it. Metagross and Lucario can also set up in front of Cresselia, although they have to watch out for Thunder Wave even more because they can't immediately threaten Cresselia. Once again, Gliscor and Choice Scarf Rotom-H can handle both, hitting them with super effective attacks.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Cresselia can use Psycho Shift to debilitate her counters. A set of Psycho Shift, Trick, Ice Beam, and Rest while holding a Flame Orb allows Scizor and Tyranitar to be crippled unless the opponent has a cleric on his or her team. She can also be used as a Trick receiver, passing on a Flame Orb to the opponent. However, many players will realize that Cresselia is burnt and will not switch in physically-based Pokemon. Grass Knot can be used to take care of Swampert should your team not have any other way to take care of it, but Grass is a terrible attacking type in general. Hidden Power Electric allows Cresselia to 2HKO offensive Gyarados and to 2HKO RestTalk Gyarados after Stealth Rock damage. Cresselia can also set up weather for the rest of your team, either Sunny Day or Rain Dance. Sunny Day also helps with her Moonlight, as it gets a healing boost from the sunlight. Cresselia is also bulky enough to set up Gravity and Trick Room. Toxic can be used if you want to slowly kill the opposing Pokemon instead of slowing them down. Protect can be used in conjunction with Toxic in order to stall out the opponent to its death.</p>
<p>As for EV changes, you may choose to move 68 Defense EVs into Speed on the Support set in order to outspeed Adamant Tyranitar and Swords Dance Scizor, allowing you to get up a Reflect or cripple them with Thunder Wave before they hit you with their STAB attacks.</p>
[Counters]
<p>As mentioned throughout the analysis, Tyranitar and Scizor are Cresselia's biggest nemeses. Tyranitar can hit Cresselia with a Choice Banded Crunch or catch a fleeing one with Pursuit, and the sandstorm it generates reduces Moonlight's effectiveness. Scizor can also trap an opposing Cresselia and hit her with Pursuit, or severely damage one that stays in with either U-turn or Bug Bite. Snorlax can Curse up in front of Cresselia, not caring about Thunder Wave due to its already low Speed and Ice Beam due to Thick Fat. Heracross and Weavile, although more rare, can hit Cresselia with a STAB Megahorn or a STAB Night Slash, respectively, for large amounts of damage. Thunder Wave and Reflect help to mitigate these, but the sheer offensive power is usually too much for Cresselia to handle.</p>
<p>Gengar can hit Cresselia with a STAB Shadow Ball as long as she doesn't have Psychic. Gengar can also set up a Substitute to prevent Thunder Wave. Heatran can switch into Cresselia and Toxic her. Due to Cresselia not having a way to cure status, Toxic will slowly wear her down if she doesn't carry Rest. Heatran too can set up a Substitute to prevent any statuses or Taunt Cresselia to prevent it from statusing Heatran or healing back the damage she has taken. Blissey can perform a role similar to Heatran with Toxic, except she can actually heal herself with either Wish or Softboiled. Any general Pokemon with Taunt can also cripple Cresselia. Gyarados with Taunt can set up in front of those that don't have Charge Beam, as all she can do is hit Gyarados with a neutral Ice Beam.</p>
<p>The main way to beat Cresselia is to overpower her. Moonlight has limited PP, and the prevalence of sandstorm limits its effectiveness. Once Moonlight is gone, it'll only be a matter of time before Cresselia is gone too.</p>
Update: Overview, Additional Comments, Optional Changes. Moved some set paragraphs around (namely EVs so they aren't in the Additional Comments part.)
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/cresselia
Status: Done.
[Overview]
<p>Cresselia has outstanding overall defenses that allow her to wall many attacks. Combine that with an instant recovery move in Moonlight and she is extremely hard to take down. However, she has many exploitable weaknesses. The OU metagame is not kind to her, as the prevalence of sandstorm severely limits her healing capabilities. Cresselia also fears two extremely common counters: Tyranitar and Scizor. Additionally, Cresselia faces competition from Latias, who can not only wall moves due to her wide array of resistances but also severely damage the opponent back due to her higher Special Attack and Speed. Cresselia's better overall defenses still make her viable in the OU metagame, though not to the extent she was in the past.</p>
[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Moonlight / Rest
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Thunder Wave / Psychic
item: Leftovers
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Cresselia is the bulkiest Pokemon in the OU metagame and can easily support her team. Her high defensive stats allow her to easily take hits and recover them off, which then allows her to cripple opposing Pokemon.</p>
<p>Reflect allows Cresselia and the team to take reduced damage from physical attacks, which Cresselia tends to fear. Moonlight heals off any damage that Cresselia might have taken. However, due to the prevalence of sandstorm in the OU metagame, Moonlight can only heal 25% health instead of the normal 50%. Because of this, you may choose to use Rest in place of Moonlight for a healing move, but this option will come with the disadvantage of being asleep for two turns. Ice Beam takes down any Dragon-type Pokemon who can pose a major threat to your team. Thunder Wave cripples any Pokemon who try to set up against Cresselia. Psychic may be used as a STAB attack to take down Infernape and any unsuspecting Gengar who may try to 2HKO you with Shadow Ball. However, Psychic has poor coverage in OU, and Thunder Wave is still more useful because it can cripple those two anyway.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Cresselia's two main nemeses are Tyranitar and Scizor. Both of them can heavily damage Cresselia with their respective STAB attacks or catch a fleeing Cresselia with Pursuit. Tyranitar's ability also sets up sandstorm, reducing the effectiveness of Moonlight. Gengar also poses a threat, as a Life Orbed Shadow Ball will 2HKO Cresselia. Blissey can easily outstall Cresselia with Toxic and Softboiled or Wish while Cresselia can't do much back. Finally, any Pokemon who has either Substitute, Rest, or Taunt can easily set up in front of Cresselia, not minding her weak attacks or Thunder Wave.</p>
<p>Scizor is a great partner for Cresselia, as both Bullet Punch and U-turn will take down Tyranitar. It can also switch easily into Dark- and Ghost-type attacks from Tyranitar and Gengar, respectively, and easily threaten both. Scizor can also deal with Blissey, as long as it does not switch into a Flamethrower, threatening a U-turn or a Superpower to remove it. Magnezone can help deal with opposing Scizor, trapping it and removing it with either Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire. Magnezone also resists the Dark- and Ghost-type attacks that Cresselia fears, while Cresselia resists Fighting-type moves and is immune to Ground-type moves. Non-Seismic Toss Blissey can be used to check Gengar due to her massive Special Defense stat. A check or a Pokemon with Roar or Whirlwind can easily deal with stat uppers. Swampert, Suicune, and Skarmory are all common phazers and can remove the stat boosts with either Roar or Whirlwind. Choice Scarf Rotom-H can handle many of the stat uppers who try to set up in front of Cresselia, like Metagross, Scizor, and Lucario. It does bear a weakness to both Dark- and Ghost-type moves, though. Jirachi or Scizor can both handle Dragon Dance Tyranitar, who can easily set up on Cresselia. Gliscor can handle Metagross, Lucario, and Tyranitar also should you choose to use it.</p>
[SET]
name: Sleep Talk
move 1: Rest
move 2: Sleep Talk
move 3: Ice Beam
move 4: Charge Beam / Thunder Wave / Psychic
item: Leftovers
nature: Calm
evs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Because sandstorm is so common in the OU metagame due to Tyranitar and Hippowdon, Moonlight's effectiveness is reduced. Moonlight also only has 8 PP, allowing Cresselia to be easily stalled out. Finally, Cresselia is very susceptible to status, which Moonlight cannot cure. This set attempts to remedy these problems by using a combination of Rest and Sleep Talk to lengthen Cresselia's vitality.</p>
<p>Rest allows Cresselia to heal back up to full HP and remove any status effects that Cresselia might have. Sleep Talk allows Cresselia not to become full setup bait while sleeping and can also help with PP issues. Ice Beam is once again used to take care of any Dragon-type Pokemon who your team might have problems with. Charge Beam rounds out the moveset, working well alongside Ice Beam. However, due to Rest and Sleep Talk, Cresselia can nab many Special Attack boosts, allowing her to become a formidable tank. Thunder Wave may be used as a crippling move like in the first moveset, but Sleep Talk might select it when the opponent's Pokemon is already statused. Psychic functions as a STAB source and can also be used to take care of Infernape and Gengar, but will not OHKO either without Stealth Rock and one turn of both sandstorm and Life Orb recoil.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>While this set allows Cresselia to last longer than the previous set, she has even more problems with Tyranitar, Scizor, and Gengar because she does not necessarily have Thunder Wave to cripple them. Because of this, most stat uppers will be dangerous to Cresselia. Scizor can once again be used to remove Tyranitar and Gengar and use its resistances to absorb any super effective attacks heading towards Cresselia. Magnezone can get rid of opposing Scizor too. Finally, Pokemon to beat the various stat uppers will be needed. Once again, Skarmory, Swampert, and Suicune can phaze any potential threats to Cresselia. Scarf Rotom-H, Jirachi, and Gliscor all handle several of the threats who can set up against Cresselia.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Fighting
move 4: Moonlight
item: Leftovers
nature: Modest
evs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
ivs: 26 Atk
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Cresselia can also take an offensive approach by using Calm Mind. Her bulkiness allows her to easily set up several boosts and proceed to outlast the opponent while dealing damage.</p>
<p>Calm Mind begins the set, boosting Cresselia's poor Special Attack to acceptable levels, along with boosting her already impressive Special Defense. Psychic is a source of STAB, dealing plenty of damage to anything that doesn't resist it. Hidden Power Fire is used as a second attack, hitting mainly Scizor along with other Steel-type Pokemon who resist Psychic. Hidden Power Fighting is still viable if you cannot remove Tyranitar and provides acceptable coverage in tandem with Psychic. Ice Beam may be used for Latias, but you're better off having eliminated her first so she can't Calm Mind along Cresselia or Trick her a Choice item. Moonlight rounds out the set, providing instant recovery so Cresselia can continue using Calm Mind and recover off any potential damage.</p>
<p>The current EV spread is used for Hidden Power Fire. 252 HP EVs allow for maximum bulkiness, while 252 Special Attack EVs along with a Modest nature allow for maximum damage output. The 4 Speed EVs allow you to Speed tie with other 4 Speed Suicune and Cresselia. If you are using Hidden Power Fighting, go with an EV spread of 188 HP / 252 SpA / 68 Spe to outspeed maximum Speed Adamant Tyranitar. A 22 Attack IV is needed for a suitable Hidden Power Fighting.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Rest may be used over Moonlight because sandstorm cripples Moonlight. However it does force Cresselia to stay asleep for two turns, allowing a Pokemon such as Scizor or Tyranitar to come in and force it out.</p>
<p>Depending on which Hidden Power type you use, Cresselia will have problems with either Scizor and Steel-type Pokemon or Tyranitar. With Hidden Power Fire, Tyranitar will be the main issue, being immune to Psychic and taking barely any damage from Hidden Power Fire. With Hidden Power Fighting, Scizor can come in and easily U-turn or Pursuit Cresselia for massive damage. It also means that most Steel-type Pokemon will be hit for neutral damage. A lure is appreciated in order to take down the problems Cresselia has. Latias can lure both Scizor and Tyranitar, KOing them either Grass Knot, Surf, or Hidden Power Fire. Protect or Substitute Gengar can also be a good teammate to Cresselia, KOing Scizor with Hidden Power Fire and Tyranitar with Focus Blast. However, similarly to Latias, it adds an additional Ghost- and Dark-type weakness.</p>
<p>As for other ideal Pokemon, Magnezone can trap and KO Scizor with either Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire. Scizor can take Crunches from Tyranitar and Bullet Punch or U-turn out, while Gliscor can take any of Tyranitar's attacks and hit it back with a STAB Earthquake. As for residual damage, Toxic Spikes support is also appreciated, as Cresselia's impressive bulk allows residual damage to build up. Roserade can set them up at the beginning of the game, while Forretress' Steel-typing allows it to soak up Dark- and Bug-type attacks aimed at Cresselia. Unlike the previous sets, Cresselia can set up along with opposing Pokemon; however, a revenge killer might still be useful for any physically-based sweepers. Jirachi and Rotom-H once again are reliable in taking down these Pokemon.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Lunar Dance
move 4: Thunder Wave / Ice Beam / Psychic
item: Light Clay
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 40 SpD / 68 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Due to Cresselia's enormous bulk, she can easily be used to set up Reflect and Light Screen for your team. She also has one more trick that other screeners don't: Lunar Dance. Cresselia can provide all this in order for one of your remaining Pokemon to set up and sweep the opponent's team.</p>
<p>Reflect and Light Screen halve physical and special attacks, respectively. Lunar Dance is Cresselia's secret weapon, letting her sacrifice herself to allow another Pokemon to come in fully healed and cured of any status ailments it might hold. Thunder Wave gives Cresselia more time to set up screens, while Ice Beam handles Dragon-type Pokemon like Salamence and also Gliscor, who is a common mid-game Taunter. Psychic, should you choose to use it, provides STAB and a way to handle Infernape.</p>
<p>The EVs of this set are built to withstand the onslaught of attacks towards Cresselia. The given HP and Defense EVs allow you to never be 2HKOed by Choice Band Tyranitar's Crunch after Reflect, Stealth Rock, and one turn of sandstorm damage. The 68 Speed EVs ensure that Cresselia outspeeds Choice Band Tyranitar and Swords Dance Scizor, allowing her to get a Reflect up before they Crunch or Bug Bite, respectively. The remaining EVs go into Special Defense to take special attacks better. Light Clay is chosen so that both Reflect and Light Screen remain for eight turns instead of the regular five.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Cresselia's bulk allows her to come in many times and set up Reflect and Light Screen. Once she has done that, you can switch to your primary sweeper and start launching attacks left and right, not caring about damage or status because Lunar Dance will heal them. Once your sweeper is down to low HP, bring in Cresselia again, set up dual screens, and then Lunar Dance to revitalize your sweeper. Many teams can't handle the same Pokemon twice, allowing you to break through their defenses. Plenty of Pokemon appreciate dual screens; however, there are a few that pair up especially well with Cresselia. Lucario and Tyranitar can capitalize on the Dark-type moves that your opponent will be launching at Cresselia to bring her down. Salamence will be a lot harder to handle, as many teams rely on Scizor or Latias to handle it, which should be taken care of the first sweep around.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Cresselia relies a lot on her teammates due to her common weaknesses in Dark-, Ghost-, and Bug-type attacks. Tyranitar, Gengar, and Scizor in particular threaten her most. Scizor can be handled by a variety of Pokemon. Magnezone can easily trap Scizor and KO it with either Thunderbolt or Hidden Power Fire. Its Steel-typing also gives it a resistance to the previously mentioned type attacks. Ironically, Scizor is also a good partner for Cresselia, handling the Dark- and Ghost-type attacks due to its Steel-typing and handling Tyranitar and Gengar with Bullet Punch, U-turn, or Pursuit. Gengar can also handle Scizor and Tyranitar, as long as it has some way to tell if Scizor's using Bullet Punch or Pursuit. This can be accomplished by having Substitute or Protect. A more defensive way to handle Gengar would be Blissey, as her special bulk allows her to take Gengar's attacks with ease.</p>
<p>Offensively, Cresselia has trouble getting past certain Pokemon depending on her Hidden Power type. Should she choose Hidden Power Fire, Tyranitar will be a large issue. Luckily, the aforementioned Scizor handles it. Gliscor can also handle Tyranitar due to its physical bulkiness and hit it back with a STAB Earthquake. If Cresselia was to use Hidden Power Fighting, then Scizor would be a pain to fight. Magnezone once again can trap and KO Scizor, while Gengar and Latias can lure it out and KO it with Hidden Power Fire.</p>
<p>Even though Cresselia can take a lot of hits, she generally can't do much back to Pokemon that set up. Therefore, a revenge killer or a check is needed for those Pokemon. When Cresselia is switching out of Tyranitar, it can set up a Dragon Dance. Therefore, Gliscor and Swampert can be used to check Tyranitar. Choice Scarf Jirachi and Choice Band Scizor can also hit is with their STAB attacks, although watch out for Fire Punch and Babiri Berry. Scizor can set up a Swords Dance also, but is a lot easier to handle. Zapdos, Rotom-H, and Heatran can all hit Scizor with super effective Fire-type moves and easily KO it. Metagross and Lucario can also set up in front of Cresselia, although they have to watch out for Thunder Wave even more because they can't immediately threaten Cresselia. Once again, Gliscor and Choice Scarf Rotom-H can handle both, hitting them with super effective attacks.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Cresselia can use Psycho Shift to debilitate her counters. A set of Psycho Shift, Trick, Ice Beam, and Rest while holding a Flame Orb allows Scizor and Tyranitar to be crippled unless the opponent has a cleric on his or her team. She can also be used as a Trick receiver, passing on a Flame Orb to the opponent. However, many players will realize that Cresselia is burnt and will not switch in physically-based Pokemon. Grass Knot can be used to take care of Swampert should your team not have any other way to take care of it, but Grass is a terrible attacking type in general. Hidden Power Electric allows Cresselia to 2HKO offensive Gyarados and to 2HKO RestTalk Gyarados after Stealth Rock damage. Cresselia can also set up weather for the rest of your team, either Sunny Day or Rain Dance. Sunny Day also helps with her Moonlight, as it gets a healing boost from the sunlight. Cresselia is also bulky enough to set up Gravity and Trick Room. Toxic can be used if you want to slowly kill the opposing Pokemon instead of slowing them down. Protect can be used in conjunction with Toxic in order to stall out the opponent to its death.</p>
<p>As for EV changes, you may choose to move 68 Defense EVs into Speed on the Support set in order to outspeed Adamant Tyranitar and Swords Dance Scizor, allowing you to get up a Reflect or cripple them with Thunder Wave before they hit you with their STAB attacks.</p>
[Counters]
<p>As mentioned throughout the analysis, Tyranitar and Scizor are Cresselia's biggest nemeses. Tyranitar can hit Cresselia with a Choice Banded Crunch or catch a fleeing one with Pursuit, and the sandstorm it generates reduces Moonlight's effectiveness. Scizor can also trap an opposing Cresselia and hit her with Pursuit, or severely damage one that stays in with either U-turn or Bug Bite. Snorlax can Curse up in front of Cresselia, not caring about Thunder Wave due to its already low Speed and Ice Beam due to Thick Fat. Heracross and Weavile, although more rare, can hit Cresselia with a STAB Megahorn or a STAB Night Slash, respectively, for large amounts of damage. Thunder Wave and Reflect help to mitigate these, but the sheer offensive power is usually too much for Cresselia to handle.</p>
<p>Gengar can hit Cresselia with a STAB Shadow Ball as long as she doesn't have Psychic. Gengar can also set up a Substitute to prevent Thunder Wave. Heatran can switch into Cresselia and Toxic her. Due to Cresselia not having a way to cure status, Toxic will slowly wear her down if she doesn't carry Rest. Heatran too can set up a Substitute to prevent any statuses or Taunt Cresselia to prevent it from statusing Heatran or healing back the damage she has taken. Blissey can perform a role similar to Heatran with Toxic, except she can actually heal herself with either Wish or Softboiled. Any general Pokemon with Taunt can also cripple Cresselia. Gyarados with Taunt can set up in front of those that don't have Charge Beam, as all she can do is hit Gyarados with a neutral Ice Beam.</p>
<p>The main way to beat Cresselia is to overpower her. Moonlight has limited PP, and the prevalence of sandstorm limits its effectiveness. Once Moonlight is gone, it'll only be a matter of time before Cresselia is gone too.</p>
