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Pokémon Go Cresselia counters, weaknesses and moveset explained

How to defeat the legendary Psychic-type Pokémon, Cresselia, in Pokémon Go.

Cresselia, outlined in white, on a daytime background from Pokémon Go.
Image credit: Eurogamer/The Pokémon Company
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Guide by Lottie Lynn Guides Editor
Additional contributions by Nic Bunce
Updated on

Cresselia, the Lunar Pokémon, has arrived with pleasant dreams in Pokémon Go.

Having this Psychic-type Legendary Pokémon in raids is pretty good for fans of Go Battle League, Pokémon Go's competitive mode, with Cresselia being reliable in both the Great League and Ultra League metas. Plus, if you really want to show if, you obviously get (totally imaginary) style points for bring a shiny Cresselia to battle.

Like other Legendary Pokémon and its partner in the Lunar Duo, Darkrai, Cresselia will be available in five-star raids. This means that, if you want to defeat it, you’ll need to fight alongside other trainers to defeat Cresselia.

On this page:

Cresselia counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go

Below you’ll find everything you need to know about Cresselia’s counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go, helping you add it to your Pokédex:

  • Cresselia type: Psychic-type
  • Cresselia is weak against: Bug, Dark and Ghost-type attacks
  • Cresselia is resistant to: Fighting and Psychic-type moves
  • Cresselia Mega counters: Mega Gengar (Lick, Shadow Ball) is your best Mega, with Mega Tyranitar (Bite, Brutal Swing) or Mega Absol (Snarl, Brutal Swing) coming in second or third.
  • Cresselia counters: Dawn Wings Necrozma is easily your best bet, outperforming even Mega Gengar when it runs Shadow Claw and Moongeist Beam. This is followed by Shadow Darkrai (Snarl, Shadow Ball), Shadow Chandelure (Hex, Shadow Ball) and Shadow Tyranitar (Bite, Brutal Swing).
  • Number of players to beat Cresselia: You’re looking at three, but ideally five to seven Trainers with fully optimal counters if you want an easy time.
  • Tactics: There’s no double-weakness here, so pick your strongest Dark or Ghost-types and go to town! If that's six Necrozmas, lucky you!

Cresselia CP in Pokémon Go

Cresselia will have the following CP ranges when you try to battle and catch it in Pokémon Go:

  • Raid Boss CP - 33,794 CP
  • Max CP range when being caught - 1633 CP
  • Max weather boosted (Windy) CP range when being caught - 2041 CP

Cresselia Moveset in Pokémon Go

My recommendation for Cresselia's best moveset in Pokémon Go is Psycho Cut as a Fast Move and Future Sight as a Charged Move. When it comes to unlocking a second Charged Move for Cresselia, keep in mind that the best option, Grass Knot, as a Legacy Move so you'll need an Elite Charged TM to access it.

Shiny Cresselia

Cresselia can use a variety of charged and fast moves in Pokémon Go:

Cresselia Fast Moves:

  • Confusion (Psychic)
  • Psycho Cut (Psychic)

Cresselia Charged Moves:

  • Aurora Beam (Ice)
  • Future Sight (Psychic)
  • Moonblast (Fairy)

Cresselia Legacy Moves:

  • Grass Knot (Grass)

The High Voltage event is currently running. There's a lot to do in Pokémon Go outside of the current event! First, it's worth learning about the level update. After this, you might want to fight in the Go Battle League, use Party Play, compete in a PokéStop Showcase or explore a Route for its Gift Exchange. Keep an eye out for rare Pokémon and don't forget to collect Max Particles, so you can battle Dynamax Pokémon in Max Battles.

Everything we know about Cresselia

Darkrai – the other member of the Lunar Duo.

As a member of the Lunar Duo, Cresselia is said to give people pleasant dreams. This is the opposite of its counterpart, the literal nightmare fuel that is Darkrai.

According to its official Pokédex entry: 'When it flies, it releases shiny particles from its veil-like wings. It is said to represent the crescent moon.'

Cresselia’s home, Fullmoon Island, can be found in the Sinnoh region and is located directly opposite Newmoon Island - the home of Darkrai. This geographical detail highlights how the two Pokémon are each other’s direct opposite.

Cresselia first appears in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. If you return to Canalave City after becoming the Champion of the Sinnoh League, you’ll encounter Sailor Eldritch. He’ll beg you to help him save his son from an endless nightmare by visiting Fullmoon Island.

Cresselia has no known evolutions. (Image: pokemon.com)

When you reach the island, you’ll find Cresselia awaiting you in a glade. The Legendary Pokémon will depart, leaving a Lunar Wing that you can use to heal the sailor’s son.

From this point on in the game, Cresselia will become a Roaming Pokémon, making you travel to various routes in an effort to catch it, which, as we all know, is a lot of fun and not irritating at all.

Good luck catching Cresselia in Pokémon Go!

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