Cresselia has returned to Raid Battles ahead of the much-anticipated arrival of Pokemon Go’s GO Battle League Season 1.
The Lunar Pokemon is an interesting species to have on your team due to its impressive defense and stamina stats. Respectively, it is ranked 12th and 18th best in the entire game.
Cresselia will be available in five-star raids from Tuesday, March 10, 8am to Thursday, March 12, 1pm (local time). Registeel will also be available – another species with excellent defense stats.
How to defeat Cresselia – counters
As five-star Raid Bosses go, Cresselia has a relatively low CP of 33,794. Don’t get this confused, however; it is still difficult to take down but is easier than some other five-star raids.
The legendary half of the Lunar Duo is a pure psychic-type, making its counters easier to determine. It is resistant to fighting and psychic attacks but is weak to bug, dark and ghost-types.
Chandelure
Arguably Cresselia’s best counter may come as a surprise to some trainers – Chandelure. The dual fire and ghost-type is ranked the 20th best attacker in the game. If you do have a Chandelure make sure it has the ghost-type moves Hex and Shadow Ball at its disposal – otherwise it won’t be effective at all.
To help you prepare for #GOBattle League, Pokémon competitive in Trainer Battles, like Registeel and Cresselia, are arriving in raids. Prepare to battle them starting on March 10 at 8 a.m. local time. ? pic.twitter.com/u9QXTDEvQH
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) March 9, 2020
Origin Forme Giratina
The next best counter is Origin Forme Giratina. The Renegade Pokemon may not have the attacking stats of Chandelure but it does have a lot defense, meaning it won’t faint as often.
What’s also very useful about Origin Forme Giratina is that it only has ghost-type moves available. Ideally, though, it will have Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball.
Gengar
Gengar is another good option but you’ll need a lot of them unless you’re raiding in a big group. Unfortunately, while Gengar has great attack stats, its defense and stamina are so weak that it won’t last long.
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Most of Gengar’s moves are ghost and dark-types however – just be careful yours doesn’t have any of Focus Blast, Psychic or Sludge Bomb though.
Mewtwo
Mewtwo may not seem a great pick due to its psychic typing. However, while Cresselia is resistant to psychic moves, the Genetic Pokemon can leak Shadow Ball.
Mewtwo’s attack in Pokemon Go is legendary, so if you can combine this ghost-type move with its power then it becomes an excellent counter for the likes of Cresselia.
Tyranitar
The Armor Pokemon always seems to be a useful asset in Pokemon Go. Its well-rounded stats and multi-typed moveset mean it’s one of the more must-have species in the mobile game.
Cresselia is another in a long list which Tyranitar is effective against, providing it has Bite and Crunch. These moves will pay dividends against it’s dark-type weakness.
Cresselia a useful addition to GBL?
Cresselia’s natural bulk, due to its aforementioned defense and stamina stats, makes it a great option for PvP Great League. However, curiously, you won’t be getting one that’s eligible through Raid Battles as its minimum CP is 1,555.
Don’t worry though, because it’s also an excellent option for the Ultra League. You will need to level it up though, as even with a weather boost the maximum CP you can get one at is 2,041.
Both forms of Giratina are probably preferable but Cresselia remains a good option to have. GO Battle League kicks off with Great League on Friday, March 13.
