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.

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.

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)	Fighting Psychic
Neutral	Normal Flying Poison Ground Rock Steel Fire Water Grass Electric Ice Dragon Fairy
Super Effective (1.6x)	Bug Ghost Dark
Double Super Effective (2.6x)	—

Shadow Cresselia’s moveset includes the following charge moves:

• Moonblast
• Aurora Beam
• Future Sight
• Frustration
• Grass Knot

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.

Necrozma - Dawn Wings A

Best Moveset: Shadow Claw / Moongeist Beam

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★★★

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge 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%

Mega Gengar A

Best Moveset: Lick / Shadow Ball

DPS★★★★★

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★☆☆☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge 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%

Shadow Darkrai A

Best Moveset: Snarl / Shadow Ball

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Quick Move	Charge 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
Moonblast	—	🛡	⚔
Future Sight	🛡	⚔	🛡🛡
Aurora Beam	—	—	—

Shadow Regigigas A

Best Moveset: Hidden Power / Crush Grip

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Tyranitar A

Best Moveset: Bite / Brutal Swing

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★★

Reliability★★★★★

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Also Noteworthy: A: Mega Absol

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.

Shadow Tyranitar A

Best Moveset: Bite / Brutal Swing

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★★☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Chandelure A

Best Moveset: Hex / Shadow Ball

DPS★★★★☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

4

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Mega Banette A

Best Moveset: Hex / Shadow Ball

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★★☆☆

5

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Absol A

Best Moveset: Snarl / Brutal Swing

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★★★☆

5

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

Shadow Weavile A

Best Moveset: Snarl / Foul Play

DPS★★★☆☆

Tank★★★☆☆

Reliability★★☆☆☆

5

Trainers
(Lvl 40)

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.

A	Mega HeracrossMega HoundoomMega PinsirBlacephalonShadow HydreigonShadow VikavoltMega RayquazaShadow MewtwoLunalaBlack KyuremShadow HoundoomShadow KleavorShadow GengarMega SalamenceNecrozma - Dusk ManeDarkraiTyranitarMega AlakazamChandelure

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)

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!