Battle Spot Doubles (VGC '15)
(OO is used to avoid slashing five or six moves. For each set, the listed options are in paragraph three)
Trick Room
- Trick Room
- Ice Beam
- Psychic
- Helping Hand / [OO]
Item Attached: Sitrus Berry / Mental Herb
Ability: Levitate
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 140 HP / 156 Def / 212 SpA
Relaxed Nature
Trick Room allows Cresselia to support it's slower teammates by allowing them to move first. Ice Beam's excellent super-effective coverage makes up for Cresselia's lower base Special Attack stat, allowing it to potentially 1HKO 4x Ice-weak Pokemon such as Landorus-T and 2HKO those 2x Ice-weak. Psychic 2HKOs physically defensive Amoonguss which would otherwise be problematic for the majority of Trick Room teams, and provides a stronger neutral alternative to Ice Beam. Helping Hand is useful for maintaining offensive pressure by boosting the power of a partner's attacks.
Sitrus Berry is by far the preferred item, as it near-guarantees a 3HKO from Adamant Mega-Kangaskhan's Double Edge in addition to further complimenting Cresselia's already excellent bulk. However, Mental Herb is a fine alternative for hard Trick Room teams as it further increases the chance of setting up against Taunt users. The listed EVs in combination with a Relaxed nature are very specific; defensively they allow Cresselia to survive both a Choice Band Bisharp's Knock Off 15/16 times and Choice Specs Hydreigon's Dark Pulse. They also prevent a number of 2HKOs including: Modest Charizard-Y's Heat Wave 15/16 times, Choice Specs Sylveon's Hyper Voice and Jolly Mega-Kangaskhan's Return. Offensively 212 SpA EVs guarantee the KO on 4 HP Landorus-T with Ice Beam, and also KOs 44 HP variants 15/16 times.
As with most Cresselia sets, there are a lot of other options for the fourth slot. Rest in combination with a Chesto Berry can recover health faster from big hits and provides a check against opposing Spore users such as Amoonguss and Breloom. Psyshock is a potential replacement for Psychic if picking up a 2HKO on Amoonguss is less crucial (for example, if the aforementioned Chesto Berry is used) as it hits most other Psychic-weak Pokemon harder. Swagger can be a useful deterrent against special attackers as, under Trick Room, Cresselia can likely confuse them before they have a chance to move. Swagger can also be used in self-Swagger combos with a partner's Lum or Persim Berry to boost the Attack stat of a teammate by two stages. Lastly, Sunny Day synergizes very well on teams featuring Fire-types like Mega-Camerupt or Heatran by aiding them both offensively and defensively.
Slow and offensive Pokemon that can not only take advantage of Trick Room, but also support Cresselia in setting it up are the best partners. Sylveon, Mega-Mawile, Hariyama and Scrafty all provide offensive synergy alongside Cresselia's main attacks, and defend it against Dark-types that threaten to remove Cresselia from the field. Hariyama and Scrafty are both also notable for providing Fake Out support. Amoonguss can likewise help set up Trick Room with Rage Powder and is able to abuse it's access to Spore once set up with it's low speed stat. Fire-types like Mega-Camerupt and Heatran make good partners as they deal with opposing Steel-types which would otherwise wall this set. Lastly, Ground-types like Rhyperior also deal with Steel-types, and are able to use Earthquake without damaging Cresselia thanks to Levitate.
Speed Control
- Icy Wind / Thunder Wave
- Psyshock
- Helping Hand / [OO]
- Light Screen / [OO]
Item Attached: Rocky Helmet / Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs and Nature:
EVs: 252 HP / 244 Def / 12 SpA
Bold Nature
Icy Wind is the primary option, as it provides Ice-type coverage without sacrificing another move slot for Ice Beam and leaves the option for teammates to inflict their own status on opponents. Thunder Wave however is applied pseudo-permanently; not being reset when the opponent switches out like with Icy Wind. It also synergizes with moves that cause confusion like Cresselia's potential Swagger, or flinches from teammates, as they increase the chance of an opponent being unable to move. Psyshock is Cresselia's best STAB option against Psychic-weak opponents as most are hit harder by it than Psychic, which is particularly relevant given a lack of Special Attack investment. Helping Hand and Light Screen are listed as the primary last two options as they are generally the most versatile, supporting teammates both offensively and defensively.
A Rocky Helmet in combination with near-max physical Defense investment maximizes the chance that Cresselia will avoid 2HKOs from Jolly Mega-Kangaskhan and Adamant Mega-Salamence's Double-Edge, some of the strongest physical attacks in the format, whilst passively inflicting significant recoil damage in return. This is also effective against Fake Out users, opponents carrying a Focus Sash, or other Pokemon that also rely on recoil moves like Talonflame. 12 SpA EVs are used to guarantee a 2HKO on 4 HP Terrakion with Psyshock. Sitrus Berry is an optional alternative to Rocky Helmet as it's still a great item, and may be preferred to keep Cresselia on the field for as long as possible.
This set probably has the most other options of any other Pokemon in the format, but here are mentions of the most common ones. Ice Beam should be a very strong contender for sets not using Icy Wind, as Ice-type coverage is highly sought after in a metagame filled with both 2x and 4x Ice-weak Pokemon. Skill Swap works well in combination with Ground-weak teammates, like Heatran, as Cresselia can pass it's Levitate ability to them. Ability dependent opposing Pokemon like Sylveon or Kangaskhan don't appreciate having their abilities stolen with Skill Swap either. Safeguard prevents opponents from normalizing speed with their own Thunder Wave users, and provides a check against other status effects like sleep and confusion. Swagger can be used both preventatively against Special Attackers, but also in combination with a Lum or Persim Berry to form a self-Swagger combo; raising the attack of an ally by two stages. Using both Safeguard and Swagger also allows you to freely Swagger your own physical attackers without the need for a berry. Lastly, Moonlight is a strong option alongside Mega-Charizard Y as it heals for a massive amount when the sun is up. Moonlight is also notably potent with Rocky Helmet as you'll usually recover more HP than you can lose to a single hit whilst inflicting recoil damage back to your opponent's physical attackers.