Professor Geekbeak’s Raid Research: Shadow Cresselia
A scholarly analysis of Shadow Cresselia raid counters from the Pokebattler Pokémon Research Institute: the top counters, their best movesets, ratings and trainers needed.
Professor Noctowl's Raid Research: Shadow Cresselia
A Scholarly Analysis from the Pokebattler Pokémon Research Institute
Raid Introduction
Hello students! My name is Professor Geekbeak, and today, I wish to draw attention to Shadow Cresselia. While this monthly shadow option might be dissapointing to those with strong psychic options, it still has use if you don’t have a great option for psychic raids, or psychic PvP choices. Grab your notebooks, class is in session. For those who wish to do their research independently, our raw data can be found here. And for those who wish for a simple visual guide, go ahead and take a look at the below visual guide by CaptGoldfish.
Visual Guide
Raid Syllabus
Course Schedule
This raid will be taking place from May 6th to June 2nd. It is the monthly shadow raid for the month of May, being preceded by Shadow Latios.
Type Effectiveness & Moveset List
Shadow Cresselia shares weaknesses with pure psychic types, meaning Bug, Ghost and Dark are all strong options.
| Effectiveness | Types |
|---|---|
| Double Resist (0.4x) | — |
| Resist (0.6x) |
|
| Neutral |
|
| Super Effective (1.6x) |
|
| Double Super Effective (2.6x) | — |
Fighting
Flying
Ground
Rock
Fire
Water
Electric
Dragon
Bug
Moonblast
Aurora Beam
Future Sight
Frustration
Grass Knot
The Dean's List - Top 5 Counters
The Dean’s List consists of the top 5 counters to Shadow Cresselia. As always, the Valedictorian, Salutatorian, and the Third Ranked will have their best moveset alternatives in a table with their rankings and a table detailing their defensive prowess against the charge moves listed above.
- Rank 1
Necrozma - Dawn Wings A
Shadow Claw / Moongeist Beam- DPS
- Tank
- Reliability
4Lvl 40 trainers
- Rank 2
Mega Gengar A
Lick / Shadow Ball- DPS
- Tank
- Reliability
4Lvl 40 trainers
- Rank 3
Shadow Darkrai A
Snarl / Shadow Ball- DPS
- Tank
- Reliability
4Lvl 40 trainers
- Rank 4
Shadow Regigigas A
Hidden Power / Crush Grip- DPS
- Tank
- Reliability
4Lvl 40 trainers
- Rank 5
Mega Tyranitar A
Bite / Brutal Swing- DPS
- Tank
- Reliability
4Lvl 40 trainers
Also Noteworthy
Mega Absol
Best movesets
| Quick move | Charged move | Efficacy |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow Claw | Moongeist Beam | 100% |
| Psycho Cut | Moongeist Beam | 94% |
 Metal Claw | Moongeist Beam | 91% |
| Shadow Claw | Dark Pulse | 64% |
| Shadow Claw | Future Sight | 55% |
| Shadow Claw | Iron Head | 55% |
| Quick move | Charged move | Efficacy |
|---|---|---|
| Lick | Shadow Ball | 100% |
| Shadow Claw | Shadow Ball | 99% |
| Sucker Punch | Shadow Ball | 98% |
| Hex | Shadow Ball | 96% |
| Shadow Claw | Shadow Punch | 80% |
| Shadow Claw | Dark Pulse | 79% |
| Quick move | Charged move | Efficacy |
|---|---|---|
| Snarl | Shadow Ball | 100% |
| Snarl | Dark Pulse | 97% |
| Feint Attack | Shadow Ball | 95% |
| Feint Attack | Dark Pulse | 93% |
| Snarl |  Sludge Bomb | 74% |
| Feint Attack | Sludge Bomb | 73% |
Defensive Grades for Top 3
| Boss move |  Necrozma - Dawn Wings |  Mega Gengar |  Shadow Darkrai |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moonblast | Neutral | Resist | Weak |
| Future Sight | Resist | Weak | Double resist |
| Aurora Beam | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral |
Honor Roll - The Bottom 5
We here at Pokebattler Pokémon Research Institute can’t expect you to have the best counters every time. So, here are some of our other best options, most of which will be easier to find than the members of the Dean’s List.
- Rank 6
Shadow Tyranitar A
Bite / Brutal Swing- DPS
- Tank
- Reliability
4Lvl 40 trainers
- Rank 7
Shadow Chandelure A
Hex / Shadow Ball- DPS
- Tank
- Reliability
4Lvl 40 trainers
- Rank 8
Mega Banette A
Hex / Shadow Ball- DPS
- Tank
- Reliability
5Lvl 40 trainers
- Rank 9
Shadow Absol A
Snarl / Brutal Swing- DPS
- Tank
- Reliability
5Lvl 40 trainers
- Rank 10
Shadow Weavile A
Snarl / Foul Play- DPS
- Tank
- Reliability
5Lvl 40 trainers
Honorable Mentions
Of course, besides our 10 best counters, there are plenty of Pokémon that also work against Shadow Cresselia. Here are a few star choices, worthy of praise.
Mega Heracross
Mega Houndoom
Mega Pinsir
Blacephalon
Shadow Hydreigon
Shadow Vikavolt
Mega Rayquaza
Shadow Mewtwo
Lunala
Black Kyurem
Shadow Houndoom
Shadow Kleavor
Shadow Gengar
Mega Salamence
Necrozma - Dusk Mane- Darkrai
Tyranitar
Mega Alakazam
Chandelure
Weather Specialists
Sometimes, the weather can be your most powerful ally. In certain weather conditions, certain Pokémon on our list excel. The most transformative cases are noted below.
Rainy- Mega Heracross 3.4
- Mega Pinsir 3.6
- Shadow Kleavor 3.7
Windy- Mega Rayquaza 3.7
- Shadow Tyranitar 3.9
- Eternatus 3.9
Snow- Zacian - Crowned Sword 3.8
Fog- Shadow Tyranitar 3.2
- Mega Absol 3.3
- Shadow Chandelure 3.3
Raid Conclusion
Overall, Shadow Cresselia is a great trial run for Mega Mewtwo later this month. As a pure psychic type, this is a great time to check if you have the counters. If not, now might be a good time to look for some good counters. Of course, if you wish to do more research on your box’s best Pokémon for the job, Pokebattler.com itself can be a great help! Remember, the best counter is the one you have powered up and ready to go. I grant extra credit to those who use their best friend bonus and the weather to their advantage. Class dismissed!