p2
Banned deucer.
qc gary / hootie / cm
gp tdp / cryogyro
[OVERVIEW]
Celesteela is one of the best Pokemon in the tier, with a fantastic defensive typing, well-rounded stats, and a large movepool. Steel / Flying typing along with massive bulk allows Celesteela to check many threats in the tier such as Tapu Lele, Mega Alakazam, Latios, Garchomp, Tapu Bulu, and Landorus-T. Even though Celesteela lacks reliable recovery, access to Leech Seed allows it to sustain itself against non-Grass-types. Celesteela also has the option of offensive sets that can snowball extremely quickly with Beast Boost, but those lack Speed and can be easily outsped by fast Choice Scarf users even after an Autotomize boost. Despite being a fantastic Pokemon in OU, Celesteela struggles with the high usage of Zapdos, which shuts down all sets and PP stalls Leech Seed easily. On top of this, many Pokemon Celesteela is supposed to beat are constantly adapting to its presence and running Z-Moves in order to remove it or drastically weaken it, with examples being Electrium Z on Tapu Lele and Latios.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Protect
move 3: Heavy Slam
move 4: Flamethrower
item: Leftovers
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Leech Seed allows Celesteela to heal against non-Grass-types and annoy a lot of switch-ins that would be safe otherwise such as Heatran. It's also the closest thing Celesteela has to reliable recovery. Protect allows Celesteela to scout Choice item users as well as potential Z-Move users while also letting it heal additional HP from Leftovers and Leech Seed. Heavy Slam is Celesteela's strongest STAB move and deals very solid damage to Pokemon that don't resist it. Flamethrower hits Steel-types that resist Heavy Slam such as Skarmory, Mega Scizor, and Magnezone and hits Grass-types immune to Leech Seed such as Tangrowth and Ferrothorn. Earthquake is an option to hit Heatran and deal more damage to Magnezone, but losing out on Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and opposing Celesteela is a huge deal.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP investment along with maximum Special Defense investment makes Celesteela as specially bulky as possible, allowing it to survive some impressive hits like Magnet Tapu Koko's Thunderbolt. It also makes handling Fairy-types like Tapu Lele much easier. A Sassy nature is used to preserve the power of Heavy Slam and Flamethrower. Leftovers provides additional passive recovery, which is useful alongside Protect and Leech Seed. A more physically defensive EV spread can be used to take on threats such as Landorus-T and Garchomp more easily, but this comes at the cost of being weaker to the likes of Tapu Lele.
Usage Tips
========
Celesteela should be sent out against Pokemon it can easily wall like Tapu Lele, Mega Pinsir, most variants of Protean Greninja, Landorus-T, and most Garchomp sets. Be wary of moves that can easily break down Celesteela or lure it such as Rockium Z Landorus-T and Electrium Z Tapu Lele. While Protect can be used to scout these, be careful your opponent doesn't take advantage of this by setting up further or preserving their Z-Move. Avoid letting Celesteela get too weak because a healthy Celesteela is one of the most annoying things to face in the entire tier. This includes avoiding Knock Off and using Leech Seed with Protect whenever necessary.
Team Options
========
Toxapex completes the well-known CelePex core, a very strong defensive core that mostly relies on passive damage to break down threats. Although they compound a weakness to Electric-types, Celesteela takes on many Psychic-types that threaten Toxapex while appreciating Toxic Spikes support from Toxapex.Tangrowth is another Regenerator user that fits very well with Celesteela because it helps take on Electric-types and serve as a sponge for powerful Water-type attacks from the likes of Keldeo. Clefable is a solid option alongside Celesteela because it can switch into weaker Electric-types such as Thundurus lacking Sludge Wave and takes on strong physical breakers such as Mega Medicham and Mega Heracross. It can also spread paralysis with Thunder Wave or remove items from threatening Pokemon such as Heatran with Knock Off. Zygarde and other Ground-types are great breakers to pair with Celesteela because they can help break down Pokemon capable of walling Celesteela like Tangrowth, Amoonguss, and Mega Venusaur. They also effectively threaten Electric-types such as Tapu Koko and Thundurus. Other bulky options for taking on Electric-types include bulkier Ground-types such as Hippowdon. Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Chansey can also take on most Electric-types to an extent.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Autotomize
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Giga Drain / Earthquake
item: Flyinium Z
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Autotomize allows Celesteela to sharply raise its Speed, letting it pressure offensive teams very easily and making it difficult for non-Choice Scarf users to revenge kill it. Air Slash is Celesteela's strongest Flying-type STAB attack and has very solid neutral coverage. It is also used in conjunction with Flyinium Z to provide a one-time nuke that breaks down Pokemon such as Landorus-T very easily. Fire Blast nails Steel-types that resist Air Slash such as Skarmory, Magearna, Mega Mawile, and opposing Celesteela. It also picks off Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor easily. Giga Drain hits Water-types, notably OHKOing Greninja and Keldeo at +1. This also allows Celesteela to heal versus weakened Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Zygarde, and Tyranitar. Earthquake is an option for hitting Heatran, Tyranitar, and Assault Vest Magnezone, but it doesn't accomplish too much outside of that.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed investment with a neutral-Speed nature allows +2 Celesteela to outspeed everything slower than Mega Alakazam. This includes all Choice Scarf users with a Speed tier of base 80 or lower as well as other threats such as Ash-Greninja and Tapu Koko. Maximum Special Attack investment with a Modest nature ensures Celesteela hits as hard as possible, as it needs as much power as it can get because its main offensive moves have low Base Power. Flyinium Z is used to give Celesteela a high-powered Flying-type STAB move that can allow it to easily activate Beast Boost when it attempts to sweep.
Usage Tips
========
Generally, avoid trying to sweep with Celesteela until Pokemon that threaten it, such as Tapu Koko and Zapdos, are weakened enough to be OHKOed by its attacks. Also ensure that faster Choice Scarf users have been picked off or are incapable of touching Celesteela when it tries to sweep; the same goes for priority users. If Celesteela is unable to sweep in a game, it's worth using as a standalone breaker, using its resistances and immunities to switch in and pick off something with a powerful Z-Move or coverage move.
Team Options
========
Pokemon commonly found on hyper offense fit very well alongside offensive Celesteela; however, this doesn't mean that offensive Celesteela has no use on slightly bulkier teams. These include suicide leads such as Azelf, Skarmory, and Garchomp to set up entry hazards as soon as possible. Smeargle is a great option too because it sets Sticky Web, which can be very useful in slowing down fast Choice Scarf users such as Keldeo, Kartana, and Greninja. Greninja is a great option too because it brings a lot of power to the table as well as Spikes, which Celesteela really appreciates when taking on grounded Pokemon. Other Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Mimikyu, Mega Medicham, and Landorus-T fit well on this kind of teamstyle, and they can all contribute to allowing Celesteela to sweep easily. Wallbreakers that can pressure Zapdos such as Mega Pinsir and Tyranitar fit nicely with Celesteela. Physical wallbreakers like the aforementioned Mega Medicham, Mega Pinsir, and Tyranitar are also great for pressuring Chansey, which walls Celesteela. Dugtrio is an option for trapping Heatran and most variants of Chansey.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Physically based Autotomize sets with Heavy Slam / Earthquake / Fire Blast as offensive moves can be used, but those are easier to shut down with Intimidate users such as Landorus-T and Gyarados. Air Slash can be used on defensive sets to further pressure bulky Grass-types and punish the likes of Volcarona. Rockium Z with Stone Edge on Autotomize sets can be used to lure Zapdos and break it, allowing a teammate such as Mega Pinsir to sweep. Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Grass-types and Fire-types that aren't Heatran.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Zapdos**: Zapdos is one of few Pokemon that can wall Celesteela completely, as it takes negligible damage from all of Celesteela's common offensive options and can PP stall Leech Seed very easily. It also hits Celesteela super effectively with its Electric-type STAB attacks. The only things Zapdos fears are uncommon lure sets such as Rockium Z and Toxic.
**Other Electric-types**: Electric-types such as Tapu Koko, Thundurus, and Magnezone can apply heavy pressure to Celesteela because they can KO or trap it. However, they can struggle to deal with a boosted Celesteela, especially if they have been heavily weakened. They can also be massively annoyed by switching into Leech Seed often, especially if entry hazards have been set up.
**Various Offensive Lures**: Many Pokemon in OU often run lure Z-Moves in order to pick off Celesteela or weaken it to the point where it cannot do much. Some examples include Tapu Lele, Magearna, and Latios, which can run Electrium Z to obliterate Celesteela; Garchomp, which can run Firium Z; and Landorus-T, which commonly runs Rockium Z. Alternatively, the likes of Tornadus-T and Clefable can remove Leftovers with Knock Off.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types take little damage from most of Celesteela's options and can hit back with high-powered STAB moves. Mega Charizard Y, Heatran, and Volcarona are all examples of Pokemon that can power through Celesteela with extreme ease or set up on it. Lesser-used Fire-types such as Volcanion and Mega Charizard X can also be very troublesome for Celesteela.
gp tdp / cryogyro
[OVERVIEW]
Celesteela is one of the best Pokemon in the tier, with a fantastic defensive typing, well-rounded stats, and a large movepool. Steel / Flying typing along with massive bulk allows Celesteela to check many threats in the tier such as Tapu Lele, Mega Alakazam, Latios, Garchomp, Tapu Bulu, and Landorus-T. Even though Celesteela lacks reliable recovery, access to Leech Seed allows it to sustain itself against non-Grass-types. Celesteela also has the option of offensive sets that can snowball extremely quickly with Beast Boost, but those lack Speed and can be easily outsped by fast Choice Scarf users even after an Autotomize boost. Despite being a fantastic Pokemon in OU, Celesteela struggles with the high usage of Zapdos, which shuts down all sets and PP stalls Leech Seed easily. On top of this, many Pokemon Celesteela is supposed to beat are constantly adapting to its presence and running Z-Moves in order to remove it or drastically weaken it, with examples being Electrium Z on Tapu Lele and Latios.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Leech Seed
move 2: Protect
move 3: Heavy Slam
move 4: Flamethrower
item: Leftovers
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Sassy
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Leech Seed allows Celesteela to heal against non-Grass-types and annoy a lot of switch-ins that would be safe otherwise such as Heatran. It's also the closest thing Celesteela has to reliable recovery. Protect allows Celesteela to scout Choice item users as well as potential Z-Move users while also letting it heal additional HP from Leftovers and Leech Seed. Heavy Slam is Celesteela's strongest STAB move and deals very solid damage to Pokemon that don't resist it. Flamethrower hits Steel-types that resist Heavy Slam such as Skarmory, Mega Scizor, and Magnezone and hits Grass-types immune to Leech Seed such as Tangrowth and Ferrothorn. Earthquake is an option to hit Heatran and deal more damage to Magnezone, but losing out on Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and opposing Celesteela is a huge deal.
Set Details
========
Maximum HP investment along with maximum Special Defense investment makes Celesteela as specially bulky as possible, allowing it to survive some impressive hits like Magnet Tapu Koko's Thunderbolt. It also makes handling Fairy-types like Tapu Lele much easier. A Sassy nature is used to preserve the power of Heavy Slam and Flamethrower. Leftovers provides additional passive recovery, which is useful alongside Protect and Leech Seed. A more physically defensive EV spread can be used to take on threats such as Landorus-T and Garchomp more easily, but this comes at the cost of being weaker to the likes of Tapu Lele.
Usage Tips
========
Celesteela should be sent out against Pokemon it can easily wall like Tapu Lele, Mega Pinsir, most variants of Protean Greninja, Landorus-T, and most Garchomp sets. Be wary of moves that can easily break down Celesteela or lure it such as Rockium Z Landorus-T and Electrium Z Tapu Lele. While Protect can be used to scout these, be careful your opponent doesn't take advantage of this by setting up further or preserving their Z-Move. Avoid letting Celesteela get too weak because a healthy Celesteela is one of the most annoying things to face in the entire tier. This includes avoiding Knock Off and using Leech Seed with Protect whenever necessary.
Team Options
========
Toxapex completes the well-known CelePex core, a very strong defensive core that mostly relies on passive damage to break down threats. Although they compound a weakness to Electric-types, Celesteela takes on many Psychic-types that threaten Toxapex while appreciating Toxic Spikes support from Toxapex.Tangrowth is another Regenerator user that fits very well with Celesteela because it helps take on Electric-types and serve as a sponge for powerful Water-type attacks from the likes of Keldeo. Clefable is a solid option alongside Celesteela because it can switch into weaker Electric-types such as Thundurus lacking Sludge Wave and takes on strong physical breakers such as Mega Medicham and Mega Heracross. It can also spread paralysis with Thunder Wave or remove items from threatening Pokemon such as Heatran with Knock Off. Zygarde and other Ground-types are great breakers to pair with Celesteela because they can help break down Pokemon capable of walling Celesteela like Tangrowth, Amoonguss, and Mega Venusaur. They also effectively threaten Electric-types such as Tapu Koko and Thundurus. Other bulky options for taking on Electric-types include bulkier Ground-types such as Hippowdon. Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Chansey can also take on most Electric-types to an extent.
[SET]
name: Offensive
move 1: Autotomize
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Fire Blast
move 4: Giga Drain / Earthquake
item: Flyinium Z
ability: Beast Boost
nature: Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Autotomize allows Celesteela to sharply raise its Speed, letting it pressure offensive teams very easily and making it difficult for non-Choice Scarf users to revenge kill it. Air Slash is Celesteela's strongest Flying-type STAB attack and has very solid neutral coverage. It is also used in conjunction with Flyinium Z to provide a one-time nuke that breaks down Pokemon such as Landorus-T very easily. Fire Blast nails Steel-types that resist Air Slash such as Skarmory, Magearna, Mega Mawile, and opposing Celesteela. It also picks off Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor easily. Giga Drain hits Water-types, notably OHKOing Greninja and Keldeo at +1. This also allows Celesteela to heal versus weakened Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Zygarde, and Tyranitar. Earthquake is an option for hitting Heatran, Tyranitar, and Assault Vest Magnezone, but it doesn't accomplish too much outside of that.
Set Details
========
Maximum Speed investment with a neutral-Speed nature allows +2 Celesteela to outspeed everything slower than Mega Alakazam. This includes all Choice Scarf users with a Speed tier of base 80 or lower as well as other threats such as Ash-Greninja and Tapu Koko. Maximum Special Attack investment with a Modest nature ensures Celesteela hits as hard as possible, as it needs as much power as it can get because its main offensive moves have low Base Power. Flyinium Z is used to give Celesteela a high-powered Flying-type STAB move that can allow it to easily activate Beast Boost when it attempts to sweep.
Usage Tips
========
Generally, avoid trying to sweep with Celesteela until Pokemon that threaten it, such as Tapu Koko and Zapdos, are weakened enough to be OHKOed by its attacks. Also ensure that faster Choice Scarf users have been picked off or are incapable of touching Celesteela when it tries to sweep; the same goes for priority users. If Celesteela is unable to sweep in a game, it's worth using as a standalone breaker, using its resistances and immunities to switch in and pick off something with a powerful Z-Move or coverage move.
Team Options
========
Pokemon commonly found on hyper offense fit very well alongside offensive Celesteela; however, this doesn't mean that offensive Celesteela has no use on slightly bulkier teams. These include suicide leads such as Azelf, Skarmory, and Garchomp to set up entry hazards as soon as possible. Smeargle is a great option too because it sets Sticky Web, which can be very useful in slowing down fast Choice Scarf users such as Keldeo, Kartana, and Greninja. Greninja is a great option too because it brings a lot of power to the table as well as Spikes, which Celesteela really appreciates when taking on grounded Pokemon. Other Pokemon such as Tapu Koko, Mimikyu, Mega Medicham, and Landorus-T fit well on this kind of teamstyle, and they can all contribute to allowing Celesteela to sweep easily. Wallbreakers that can pressure Zapdos such as Mega Pinsir and Tyranitar fit nicely with Celesteela. Physical wallbreakers like the aforementioned Mega Medicham, Mega Pinsir, and Tyranitar are also great for pressuring Chansey, which walls Celesteela. Dugtrio is an option for trapping Heatran and most variants of Chansey.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Physically based Autotomize sets with Heavy Slam / Earthquake / Fire Blast as offensive moves can be used, but those are easier to shut down with Intimidate users such as Landorus-T and Gyarados. Air Slash can be used on defensive sets to further pressure bulky Grass-types and punish the likes of Volcarona. Rockium Z with Stone Edge on Autotomize sets can be used to lure Zapdos and break it, allowing a teammate such as Mega Pinsir to sweep. Toxic can be used to cripple bulky Grass-types and Fire-types that aren't Heatran.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Zapdos**: Zapdos is one of few Pokemon that can wall Celesteela completely, as it takes negligible damage from all of Celesteela's common offensive options and can PP stall Leech Seed very easily. It also hits Celesteela super effectively with its Electric-type STAB attacks. The only things Zapdos fears are uncommon lure sets such as Rockium Z and Toxic.
**Other Electric-types**: Electric-types such as Tapu Koko, Thundurus, and Magnezone can apply heavy pressure to Celesteela because they can KO or trap it. However, they can struggle to deal with a boosted Celesteela, especially if they have been heavily weakened. They can also be massively annoyed by switching into Leech Seed often, especially if entry hazards have been set up.
**Various Offensive Lures**: Many Pokemon in OU often run lure Z-Moves in order to pick off Celesteela or weaken it to the point where it cannot do much. Some examples include Tapu Lele, Magearna, and Latios, which can run Electrium Z to obliterate Celesteela; Garchomp, which can run Firium Z; and Landorus-T, which commonly runs Rockium Z. Alternatively, the likes of Tornadus-T and Clefable can remove Leftovers with Knock Off.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types take little damage from most of Celesteela's options and can hit back with high-powered STAB moves. Mega Charizard Y, Heatran, and Volcarona are all examples of Pokemon that can power through Celesteela with extreme ease or set up on it. Lesser-used Fire-types such as Volcanion and Mega Charizard X can also be very troublesome for Celesteela.
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