Celebi Movesets & Competitive Sets

Psychic is critical for threatening Flying-types like Togekiss and Crobat. Aura Sphere is a great complement to Psychic, hitting Guzzlord, Umbreon, and Steel-types, while Earth Power is better against Metagross. Leaf Storm immediately threatens Reuniclus and Water-types such as Starmie and Milotic; threatening these Water-types is important, as they can otherwise safely pivot into a teammate, and Haze Milotic can even beat Celebi. On more offensive or balance teams that do not require Celebi's longevity, Recover can be dropped for Leaf Storm. Heavy-Duty Boots makes Celebi a better check to pivot Raikou and Xurkitree, Leftovers is better on non-Recover sets, and Life Orb lets Celebi 2HKO Umbreon with Aura Sphere and OHKO Togekiss with +2 Psychic. Noivern and Crobat can help pivot Celebi in against Diancie, Steelix, and Gastrodon to give it setup opportunities. Celebi struggles to break through Umbreon, Reuniclus, and opposing Celebi. Bewear and Pangoro can take advantage of Umbreon, while Escavalier and Haze Milotic can help handle Reuniclus. Togekiss, Umbreon, and Bronzong can check opposing Celebi. Celebi is easily forced out by Flying-types like Crobat and Choice Scarf Togekiss, so Flying-resistant Pokemon such as Registeel, Diancie, and Steelix are good teammates; in return, they appreciate Celebi's ability to check Water-types. Golisopod, Heracross, Escavalier, and Incineroar are good at luring in checks to Celebi such as Crobat and Togekiss with Knock Off, removing their Heavy-Duty Boots and leaving them vulnerable to Stealth Rock.

Moves Psychic is a reliable STAB move with great neutral coverage. When Psychium Z is activated, it turns into a powerful Shattered Psyche that, when boosted, OHKOes offensive variants of Scizor after Stealth Rock damage. It also reliably powers through various Pokemon that could tank a hit from full and punish Celebi, like Rotom-Heat, Kyurem, Moltres, and Togekiss. Giga Drain allows Celebi to stay healthy throughout a match, recovering any residual damage it takes while pressuring Ground- and Water-types like Hippowdon and Crawdaunt. Leaf Storm is an option over Giga Drain for its greater damage output against bulkier foes, allowing Celebi to immediately threaten Suicune and bulky Primarina sets more effectively. If running Leaf Storm, Celebi should opt for Recover in its fourth slot in order to maintain longevity throughout a match. Alongside Grassium Z, Leaf Storm becomes an immensely powerful Bloom Doom after a boost, allowing Celebi to hit even targets that resist it like Hydreigon and Bisharp for a potential OHKO after Stealth Rock damage while improving its one-on-one matchup against Blissey. Dazzling Gleam is Celebi's best option if running Psychium Z, allowing it to hit otherwise reliable checks in Hydreigon and Latias for super effective damage. Recover is primarily used alongside Leaf Storm to maintain longevity, improving Celebi's matchup against Blissey and most defensive teams by extension. It is still an option when Celebi is using Psychium Z, however, for providing more reliable staying power than Giga Drain. This leaves Celebi unable to beat Hydreigon, though. Hidden Power Fire allows Celebi to lure and take out Scizor without using a Z-Move, giving it more freedom to run Colbur Berry. It should be noted, however, that this usually ends up costing more valuable coverage and often requires Celebi to slowly work around checks like Hydreigon through chip damage with its STAB moves on the switch, which is a less reliable strategy. On Psychium Z sets, U-turn can be used over Dazzling Gleam to generate momentum off its common switches in like Latias and Scizor for a teammate to take advantage of. Set Details Psychium Z allows Celebi to power through bulkier targets more easily with Shattered Psyche. Grassium Z provides Celebi with a strong nuke in Bloom Doom that it can use to blow past Hydreigon in offensive matchups while, alongside Recover, taking on Blissey and bulky Steel-types like Mega Aggron more reliably in defensive matchups, powering through them after multiple boosts. While this worsens Celebi's matchups against Scizor, Latias, Togekiss, and Moltres, it can still overwhelm the likes of Rotom-Heat and Gligar quite easily. If a Z-Crystal is used elsewhere on the team, Celebi can opt for Colbur Berry as its item, easing its matchup against Hydreigon and Choice Scarf Krookodile and allowing it to avoid heavy damage from Pursuit. Natural Cure allows Celebi to absorb status from defensive Pokemon, further strengthening its stallbreaking capabilities. Usage Tips Celebi can most easily come in on defensive Ground- and Water-type Pokemon, such as Empoleon, Hippowdon, and Alomomola, in order to set up. Despite Natural Cure, it should be wary of getting inflicted with Toxic on the switch so as not to hinder its chances of setting up and maintaining a sweep. Recover can help with this somewhat if it's being run, though Celebi should still switch out of play relatively early if inflicted with status before setting up. Some offensive Pokemon that Celebi can force out, such as Feraligatr, Primarina, and Nidoking, also make decent setup targets, though their ability to hit Celebi hard with a strong STAB attack or super effective coverage makes this a less reliable strategy. A few defensive Pokemon run moves that can damage Celebi a fair amount, meaning it should scout their movesets before attempting to use them as setup fodder. The main examples in this case are Tentacruel and Gligar, which can both dent Celebi with Sludge Bomb and U-turn, respectively. If Psychium Z is being run, it should be activated against Scizor, which is usually KOed from full after Stealth Rock chip damage unless it's a bulky variant. It can also be used to power through various Pokemon that otherwise wouldn't drop to Celebi's attacks in one hit, like Gligar, Togekiss, Rotom-Heat, and if Celebi isn't running Dazzling Gleam, Mega Altaria and Kyurem. Shattered Psyche can also be used to do a decent amount of damage to some of Celebi's common Steel-type checks, like Doublade and Klefki, chipping them into range of another attack or weakening them for a teammate to finish off. Grassium Z is slightly more layered in its uses than Psychium Z, given that it has different applications depending on the matchup. When Blissey is on the opposing team, Celebi should do its best to preserve Grassium Z, as if Blissey switches in as it sets up, Celebi can power through it through the careful combination of further setup, a well-timed Z-Move, and using Leaf Storm to finish Blissey off after chipping it down. Should Blissey use Toxic as Celebi further sets up or if Celebi is low on HP, Celebi should use Recover as needed during this process. In more offensive matchups, Bloom Doom should be used to power through some of Celebi's conventional offensive blanket checks, like Hydreigon and Bisharp, while generally functioning as a strong, perfectly accurate nuke against targets that don't resist it. It can also be used to chip down Steel-type checks barring Scizor to an even larger extent than Psychium Z, often improving Celebi's one-on-one matchups against them. One should note that, since Celebi needs to forgo Dazzling Gleam for Recover alongside Leaf Storm for longevity, its Latias matchup will be quite a bit weaker. If running Colbur Berry, Celebi should use the item to ease prediction against Dark-type Pokemon. It doesn't need to worry as much about Krookodile and Hydreigon wielding Choice Scarf, allowing it to more easily bypass the former using Giga Drain or the latter with Dazzling Gleam. If Celebi isn't running Dazzling Gleam, it should work more carefully around Hydreigon, chipping it on the switch with Grass-type STAB moves and relying on teammates to adequately wear it down or outright remove it. Depending on Celebi's moveset and item selection, situational checks should be removed before it attempts sweeping. If opting for U-turn, it should be used often to chip down Hydreigon and Latias while getting partners into a favorable position to remove them for Celebi to sweep. If it doesn't have the coverage necessary to beat Hydreigon on its own, for instance, Hydreigon should be removed or weakened by a teammate prior to setup. Pokemon capable of outrunning and overwhelming Celebi, like Mega Aerodactyl, Nihilego, Infernape, and Terrakion, should also be removed from play in order to minimize its chances of getting revenge killed. Natural Cure should be used to pivot in on predicted status moves from various defensive Pokemon, such as Klefki's Thunder Wave and Swampert's Toxic, allowing Celebi to act as a decent status absorber for its team. If a Pursuit user like Mega Aerodactyl or Krookodile is on the opposing team, Celebi should do its best to preserve health with Recover in order to force mind games with them, making it much harder to get trapped and KOed. This is particularly important in stall matchups, as usually Pursuit is the only method of counterplay to Celebi found on defensive builds. It can also do this with Giga Drain if it isn't running Recover, though not as reliably. Team Options Celebi is a comfortable fit on offensive and balance teams alike thanks to its simultaneous abilities to sweep, wallbreak, and stallbreak with Nasty Plot. Entry hazard support is extremely important in allowing Celebi to achieve various KOs, such as the OHKO on Scizor with +2 Shattered Psyche after Stealth Rock. This makes Stealth Rock setters like Mega Steelix, Cobalion, and Nihilego reliable options as teammates. Krookodile is particularly helpful, as in addition to providing Stealth Rock support, it can run Pursuit to handle Latias and Gengar for Celebi while using Knock Off to remove items like Choice Scarf from Hydreigon and opposing Krookodile, preventing them from reliably revenge killing Celebi. Tentacruel is another solid option for a teammate, as it can pivot in on Fire- and Poison-type attacks for Celebi, provide Rapid Spin support, and use Toxic Spikes to help improve Celebi's already strong stall matchup. It also provides a strong check to a few Fighting-types that Celebi can't reliably check on its own, like Infernape and Cobalion. Celebi's average Speed for an offensive Pokemon makes Choice Scarf users like Infernape, Krookodile, and Nihilego good options for teammates, as they can revenge kill the fast Pokemon often used to pick Celebi off. Other types of revenge killers, like Choice Band Scizor and Mimikyu, can also accomplish this. Dark-type checks like Cobalion and Mega Altaria can ease Celebi's uneasy matchups against Pokemon like Hydreigon, Bisharp, and Mega Sharpedo. Both Pokemon also appreciate Celebi's ability to muscle past Amoonguss and Moltres, while the latter also enjoys Celebi's ability to weaken most Steel-types a fair amount. Steel-type checks like Volcanion, Nidoqueen, and Mega Blastoise can also be helpful teammates through their ability to help Celebi more easily overwhelm checks like Mega Aggron, Doublade, and Klefki. Pursuit support from Krookodile, Alolan Muk, Mega Aerodactyl, and Bisharp eases Celebi's matchup against opposing Celebi, Latias, and Gengar. Pivots like Scizor, Gligar, and Moltres can reliably bring Celebi into play, letting it avoid directly switching in to stay healthy as it sets up. Scizor and Gligar can lure in several Water-types, like Alomomola and Suicune, for Celebi to set up on, while Moltres can lure another easy setup target in Rhyperior. Some Pokemon have weaker stall matchups and thus appreciate Celebi's ability to take on defensive teams relatively well. Examples include Mimikyu, Suicune, and Choice item variants of Hydreigon. Pokemon that have trouble breaking Water- or Ground-types, like Doublade and Mega Manectric, respectively, also enjoy Celebi for its ability to take most on quite reliably.

Moves Giga Drain is a mandatory STAB move to hit the Rock-, Ground-, and Water-types that Celebi checks such as Mega Diancie, Hippowdon, Rotom-W, and Keldeo. Recover replenishes Celebi's health and is essential for its survival throughout the battle when Giga Drain's recovery is not enough. Thunder Wave is a solid choice to cripple common switch-ins such as Mega Metagross, Tornadus-T, Mega Gardevoir, Latios, and both of Charizard's Mega Evolutions. In addition, Thunder Wave prevents Celebi from being setup fodder for some of the aforementioned Pokemon as well as offensive Dragon Dance Mega Altaria. Celebi is an excellent Stealth Rock setter due to its solid matchup versus many opposing Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin users, such as Hippowdon, Terrakion, Excadrill, and Starmie. Alternatively, Healing Wish can be used to revive weakened teammates, particularly setup sweepers. Lastly, Perish Song is an option to put a timer on bulky setup sweepers such as Calm Mind Clefable and Calm Mind Mega Slowbro. Note that Giga Drain and Recover are the only two mandatory moves on this set, and any combination of the other support moves in the last two slots can work perfectly fine depending on your team's needs. Set Details The given EV spread and a Bold nature maximize Celebi's overall bulk, notably avoiding the 2HKO from Adamant Mega Lopunny's Return after Stealth Rock damage while outspeeding Adamant Bisharp to cripple it with Thunder Wave. A faster EV spread of 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 Spe can be used if Jolly Bisharp is an issue for your team. Using an EV spread of 252 HP / 144 Def / 96 SpD / 16 Spe gives Thundurus a significantly smaller chance to 2HKO Celebi with Life Orb-boosted Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock. Lastly, Leftovers is necessary for passive recovery throughout the match. Usage Tips This set best functions as a glue and pivot for balanced and offensive teams. As such, Celebi should pivot into the Pokemon it checks, such as Mega Lopunny, Mega Diancie, Manaphy, Thundurus, and Keldeo. Use Recover to replenish Celebi's health when necessary and to stall out more Life Orb recoil on foes such as Thundurus. Use Thunder Wave to cripple Celebi's switch-ins for a teammate to finish them off later on. Thunder Wave can occasionally pack a bit of a surprise factor, so try not to reveal it too early on. Be sure to scout for coverage moves from Pokemon that Celebi can typically switch into, such as Hidden Power Bug or Icy Wind from Keldeo as well as Fire Blast from Slowbro. Team Options Fire-types such as Heatran, Talonflame, and Charizard partner well with Celebi, as they appreciate Celebi checking bulky Water-, Rock-, and Ground-types. Heatran sets itself apart from other Fire-types in that it also checks Flying-types such as Talonflame and Tornadus-T. Despite sharing a Flying weakness, Fighting-types such as Keldeo, Conkeldurr, and Mega Lopunny check Dark-types such as Bisharp, which are a major thorn in Celebi's side. Setup sweepers in general make for excellent teammates, as they greatly appreciate either Stealth Rock support to wear down their checks and counters or Healing Wish to give them another chance at sweeping. Good examples include Mega Houndoom, Volcarona, Azumarill, (Mega) Gyarados, and Dragonite.

Moves Nasty Plot transforms Celebi into a decent threat capable of hitting hard while staying resilient thanks to Giga Drain's STAB and side effect. Recover only adds to Celebi's self-sustainability, giving it a consistent chunk of recovery in situations where Giga Drain's HP drain recovery isn't enough or reliable. Earth Power is preferred in the last slot for better Base Power and neutral two-move coverage; it is extremely effective against Heatran in particular, as well as other Steel- and Fire-type checks such as Bisharp, Mega Metagross, and Mega Charizard X. Hidden Power Fire, while much weaker, allows Celebi to eliminate Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory more efficiently while still maintaining coverage on other Steel-types except Heatran. Alternatively, Psychic can be used as a secondary STAB move, allowing Celebi to hit neutral targets even harder while gaining coverage against Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss, and Talonflame (on the switch). However, it leaves Celebi vulnerable to many Steel-types as well as Dark-types. Set Details The given EV spread, along with a Bold nature, allows Celebi to outrun Jolly base 70 Speed Pokemon, Bisharp in particular, while giving it as much physical bulk as is allowed. With 252 HP / 148 Def, Celebi can reliably switch into and avoid being felled by common attacks; for example, it avoids the 2HKO from Azumarill's Knock Off and Play Rough, Jolly Mega Lopunny's Return, and Life Orb Excadrill's Iron Head, and it avoids the OHKO from Life Orb Jolly Bisharp's Knock Off and Landorus-T's U-turn. If Celebi runs Hidden Power Fire, then an alternate spread of 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 Spe should be used. Given this set's pivotal nature, Leftovers is essential for passive recovery. Alternative EV spreads with a more offensive nature can be used for an offensive-focused playstyle rather than a defensive one. For instance, a spread of 84 HP / 252 SpA / 172 Spe with a Modest nature lets Celebi outspeed Timid Heatran and provides maximum damage output. More Speed investment with any nature is optional but lessens Celebi's bulk and consequently the number of Pokemon it can reliably check. Usage Tips While Nasty Plot may make this set seem fitted for sweeping, this set actually functions as a more aggressive and less passive method of utilizing Celebi's supportive traits. With two attacks in tow, Celebi gains better overall coverage, giving it leverage against its usual counters, such as Skarmory, Bisharp, Heatran, and (Mega) Scizor. Note that Celebi tends to lure these threats in, so with the appropriate coverage attack, it can easily eliminate or severely weaken them. Nasty Plot is used simply to augment Celebi's power, allowing it to be both a great defensive and offensive threat at once whenever required in the battle. As noted in the Set Details, Celebi is able to avoid KOs from a number of attacks, so it has plenty of opportunities to switch into such attacks, Recover the damage off, and set up. Keep in mind, however, that without investment, Celebi requires quite a few Nasty Plot boosts to be remotely threatening to several threats. For instance, Celebi can never OHKO bulkier variants of the aforementioned Steel-types without being at +2, while neutral targets such as Mega Gardevoir, Mega Gallade, Chansey, and Mew require a few more boosts for Celebi to safely 2HKO them or stall with Giga Drain. Additionally, if hard checks or counters such as Weavile, Charizard, or Talonflame are present, it is not recommended to set up Nasty Plot too early lest you instantly lose a good lure and pivot. It is also wise to scout for dangerous moves beforehand, including Hidden Power Bug from Keldeo, Life Orb-boosted Ice Beam from Starmie, and Encore from Mega Lopunny. Team Options Generally speaking, this Celebi set is for teams that appreciate its supportive and pivoting capabilities with an offensive twist. This set tends to perform best on balanced teams; unlike more offensive teams, they tend to not mind Celebi's slower Speed and lack of good coverage, and they usually employ defensive Pokemon that synergize well with Celebi. Heatran is one such Pokemon that is capable of switching into common Bug-, Ice-, and Fire-type attacks while compensating for Celebi's coverage issues with Fire- and Ground-type attacks of its own. Water-types such as Politoed and Rotom-W handle Fire- and Ice-type attacks as well; the former is notable for removing Celebi's Fire-type weakness and supporting other Water-type sweepers (such as Kingdra and Keldeo) with Drizzle, while the latter can provide general utility with Will-O-Wisp and Volt Switch. Celebi's typing and offensive presence also allow it to function well on sandstorm teams, as it can easily switch into Fighting-, Water-, and Grass-type attacks typically aimed at typical sandstorm-based Pokemon and then retaliate with an attack or use Recover to restore health and pivot out. In turn, Tyranitar, Excadrill, and Hippowdon can cover Celebi's usual counters and weak points, especially its tendency to become dead weight or setup bait for the likes of Talonflame, Mega Charizard X and Y, Mega Altaria, and Latias. Moreover, if Celebi opts to run Hidden Power Fire, it can lure in and significantly weaken Skarmory and Ferrothorn, giving Excadrill much more breathing room to sweep without interruption. The luring aspect also benefits non-sandstorm-based attackers, such as Kingdra, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Altaria, Mega Gyarados, Clefable, and Mega Diancie, all of which require certain Steel-types to be weakened or eliminated before sweeping.

Moves Celebi can exploit its defensive strengths by using the much-desired Nasty Plot. By doubling its Special Attack, Celebi quickly transforms from a special wall into an offensive threat that is not as afraid of status or stray damage because of its Natural Cure ability and access to Recover, allowing it to often boost multiple times per match. Leaf Storm might seem counterintuitive at first sight, since it wipes Celebi's Nasty Plot boosts, but the extra damage allows for crucial OHKOs. After a boost, it will KO staples such as Landorus-T and Excadrill without entry hazards while having the capacity to OHKO Garchomp and Tyranitar after Stealth Rock. Giga Drain is a good alternative Grass-type STAB move depending on the team's gameplan. The bonus recovery, higher PP, perfect accuracy, and lack of a drawback makes it much better when Celebi's team is less offensive, although the drop in power results in it struggling to outpace Reuniclus's Calm Mind boosts with its own Nasty Plot and KO it. Hidden Power Fire is crucial for taking down Steel-types such as Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Forretress. Without it, these Pokemon can easily wall Celebi, shrugging off any hits and either setting hazards or boosting themselves. If Celebi is supported by Magnezone to remove Steel-types, Hidden Power Ice fends off Dragon- and Flying-types that could set up on it, primarily Dragonite, Latios, and Thundurus-T, while also being able to beat Landorus-T without a Nasty Plot. Recover gives Celebi the option to heal itself, letting it switch in with much more freedom against common threats like Keldeo and Latios while also allowing it to potentially use Nasty Plot multiple times per match. The aforementioned combination of Nasty Plot and Recover is what gives this set its specific niche, hence those being the only two moves set in stone. Set Details Considering Hidden Power Fire requires Celebi to run imperfect Speed IVs, an investment of 188 Speed EVs with a Timid nature allows it to hit the much-desired 310 Speed benchmark, a common Speed tier for Pokemon aiming to outspeed Landorus-T. Celebi's HP stat is maximized, and the rest is put in Special Defense in order to help it check common special attackers like Keldeo, Latios, and Thundurus-T as consistently as possible. An alternative investment of 112 Speed and 144 Special Defense EVs and a Calm nature grants Celebi even more bulk while allowing it to still outrun neutral-natured base 80s, such as Mamoswine, as well as lead Skarmory in order to 2HKO it with Hidden Power Fire. Team Options Nasty Plot Celebi finds its natural home on sand structures thanks to the synergy it has with common sand teammates. Naturally, Tyranitar is the first to consider, eliminating the threatening rain and helping cover the big Volcarona gap left by Celebi's typing. As mentioned earlier, Magnezone is a great partner; by trapping and removing Steel-types, Celebi is able to use the more offensive Hidden Power Ice. Eliminating the entry hazard setters from the game also eases the burden of Celebi switching in, as Spikes are very detrimental to its gameplan, forcing it to use Recover in more situations. Celebi will ideally be paired with a Rapid Spin user, most commonly Excadrill, which also works best on a sand team thanks to its Sand Force ability as well as its versatility to fulfill multiple roles. Finally, another option worth mentioning would be Heatran; while not as common, its typing fits perfectly with Celebi's to provide wonderful defensive synergy, as what one falters to the other excels against.

Moves Psychic allows Celebi to threaten Fighting- and Poison-types like Keldeo, Terrakion, and Tentacruel for solid damage. Baton Pass allows Celebi to utilize its bulk to scout switches and bring in teammates safely; it is used over U-turn so that Celebi cannot get trapped by Tyranitar's Pursuit. Giga Drain and Grass Knot allow Celebi to threaten Ground- and Water-types like Mamoswine, Politoed, and Jellicent; Giga Drain provides Celebi with additional recovery, while Grass Knot deals more damage to Tyranitar. If Celebi uses Substitute, it can use Baton Pass to bring in threatening teammates in safely while giving them a Substitute to protect them from status and powerful attacks. Celebi can also use the opportunities it gets against Water-types to set up Stealth Rock, though it tends to invite in dangerous sweepers like Dragonite and Volcarona, which are the Pokemon you want Stealth Rock for the most. Celebi can instead use Thunder Wave to slow down them and other setup sweepers like Reuniclus and Scizor. An interesting option is Perish Song; while Celebi can tank Reuniclus's attacks fairly handily, it doesn't threaten Reuniclus in return, so Reuniclus will just set up Calm Mind on it. Perish Song will force out Reuniclus in a way unlike any other move Celebi can learn, though it should not be used in conjunction with Baton Pass, as Celebi would be KOing its own teammate if it is used with one turn left on the Perish Song timer. This can also be used as a last ditch against other sweepers like Volcarona and Dragonite, though their immediate power compared to Reuniclus allows them to reliably get a KO before being forced to switch out. Set Details 16 Speed EVs allow Celebi to outspeed Adamant Breloom. The rest of the EVs maximize its special bulk, allowing it to check powerful foes like Keldeo and Thundurus-T. Maximizing its HP is additionally beneficial if using Substitute, as it produces 101 HP Substitutes that do not get broken by Clefable's and Blissey's Seismic Toss and Jellicent's Night Shade. Team Options Bulky Celebi is mostly seen on sand teams, which appreciate its ability to check dangerous attackers in rain, especially Keldeo and Thundurus-T. It resists Keldeo's STAB combination and can escape Pursuit from Keldeo's teammate, Tyranitar, with Baton Pass, making it one of the best Keldeo checks in the game. What's more, Thundurus-T's Hidden Power Ice only 3HKOes it, so it can pivot into Thundurus-T and bring in a teammate that would rather switch into Hidden Power Ice such as Tyranitar. Its special bulk is so immense that it can even swallow two unboosted Draco Meteors from Latios, though Celebi should not be considered a Latios check. Celebi's ability to take on Water-types like the aforementioned Keldeo, Rotom-W, Politoed, and Jellicent benefits Ground-types that dislike facing them, including Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Mamoswine. In return, these Pokemon threaten Steel-types and Tyranitar that Celebi can struggle against. Celebi can be worn down by entry hazards and particularly Spikes, so a spinner is a great teammate for it; Excadrill is the best teammate for this purpose and is a Ground-type that appreciates Celebi as mentioned before. Wallbreakers like Terrakion appreciate Celebi's ability to bring them in safely, especially if they receive a Substitute, and sponge hits from Pokemon that could revenge kill them. In return, Terrakion can check Volcarona, which sets up on Celebi. Alternative Stealth Rock setters like Landorus-T and Heatran can free up Celebi to use Substitute and Thunder Wave instead of requiring that it be the main Stealth Rock setter of its team. Because Celebi dislikes U-turn from the likes of Landorus-T and Scizor, a teammate that can handle them, like your own Landorus-T, is appreciated. Pokemon that threaten Steel-types like Ferrothorn and Skarmory alleviate Celebi's weak matchup into them; the aforementioned Terrakion, Keldeo, Heatran, Magnezone, and Swords Dance Sand Force Excadrill can break through them. Grass Knot Celebi is great at damaging Tyranitar for the benefit of other Pokemon that get checked by it, namely Alakazam and Latios.

Moves Celebi's many resistances and bulk allow it to be an effective wall. Beyond obligatory recovery, Celebi is able to support its team, spreading paralysis with Thunder Wave or setting up Stealth Rock. Thunder Wave helps Celebi wall threats effectively, as Grass Knot and Leaf Storm dissuade Ground-types immune to Thunder Wave from switching in. If this is not needed, Celebi is a superb user of Stealth Rock, as it threatens the most common spinner in Starmie. As the main offensive option, Grass Knot is the preferred choice, as it reliably hits many threats hard, such as Gyarados, Tyranitar, Suicune, and Swampert. However, as some threats such as Clefable, Rotom-A, and Gliscor take comparatively little from Grass Knot, Leaf Storm is a powerful alternative, as it doesn't care about weight and provides a strong first hit. Beware of the stat drops forcing Celebi out, however. A much stronger Grass-type attack distinguishes Celebi from Latias, as while Latias's Grass Knot is fairly weak, Celebi's Grass Knot easily OHKOes Swampert, 2HKOes Tyranitar and Suicune, and 3HKOes Gyarados, giving them less time to threaten Celebi offensively. The last slot determines additional coverage and potentially other support moves. The most prominent option is Hidden Power Fire, as it damages Skarmory, Scizor, Forretress, and Roserade and prevents them from setting up with impunity. Hidden Power Ice is another option for 2HKOing Dragonite and Gliscor while also hitting Latias. Both of these options hit Breloom, but Psychic is the best of these, OHKOing frail Breloom and being the best option for Gengar and Machamp. Beware of the poor coverage other with Psychic, however. Another option is to make Celebi a bulky pivot with U-turn, as being able to absorb a hit and then keep momentum with U-turn is another niche it has over Latias. Unfortunately, unlike Baton Pass, U-turn is affected by Pursuit if Celebi is faster than the user, so it should be used on the switch in to chip Tyranitar. Set Details Celebi is required to run a physically defensive set. The Speed investment given outspeeds Tyranitar with the 30 Speed IV from Hidden Power Fire while the remaining EVs are put into HP and Defense. Celebi's niche is its increased physical bulk over Latias, and needs to have nearly maximum investment to have a noticeable impact. With this investment, Celebi is extraordinarily bulky—unlike Latias, it survives 2 Ice Fang from +1 Gyarados, +1 Dragon Dance Tyranitar Crunch after Stealth Rock, and +2 Lucario Crunch 50% of the time after Stealth Rock. The bulk also lets Celebi survive U-turn more comfortably and continuously absorb Breloom's attacks, even while asleep. It thus needs to Recover less often, making it less vulnerable to critical hits as it tries to heal. Usage Tips Celebi should generally only switch into threats it walls, such as Gyarados lacking Bounce, Swampert, and Breloom, and use its utility move such as Thunder Wave or Stealth Rock if the team needs to set it up. Celebi can more reliably switch into Gyarados and Swampert than Latias, as it has Natural Cure to shrug off a potential freeze from Ice-type attacks. Celebi can also switch in an emergency, such as against boosted Lucario and Tyranitar to live the boosted hit and mitigate the threat. Keep Celebi away from Pokemon setting up entry hazards, Clefable, and offensive Pokemon with U-turn. However, against more offensive teams that lack these options, Celebi is restrictive to play against, as it can come in repeatedly to wall even boosted threats and spread paralysis. With U-turn, Celebi can come in more often, as it generates momentum on its checks and counters. Celebi can also take Thunder Wave, Will-O-Wisp, or Toxic and then U-turn rid itself of status with Natural Cure. Avoid trying to use Recover too much, as continuous healing on an attack such as Empoleon's Ice Beam can lead to Celebi getting frozen or faint to a critical hit. Celebi is not as weak to Pursuit Tyranitar as other Psychic-types due to its bulk and ability to 2HKO Tyranitar with Grass Knot, but still should be careful against Tyranitar, as Crunch 2HKOes without a boost and Choice Band Crunch will put Celebi at very low health. Team Options Celebi requires extensive support to function without being outclassed by defensive Latias, as Celebi generally occupies the same niche. Celebi only fits on defensive teams, as its lack of offensive pressure and exploitable weaknesses force a large support network. To counteract Toxic Spikes, Celebi needs either a spinner such as Forretress, Starmie, and Tentacruel or a grounded Poison-type to absorb Toxic Spikes, such as Nidoqueen and Tentacruel due to Roserade’s poor fit. Forretress is especially helpful, as it can set up Spikes and Celebi assists against sweepers trying to take advantage of it. Celebi also supports Leftovers Heatran well, as they resist a huge number of types in the game between the two of them including all of their respective weaknesses. Heatran also threatens entry hazard setters such as Skarmory and Forretress while being a strong Jirachi counter. Heatran and Starmie fit well together in a Fire-Water-Grass core by Rapid Spinning away Spikes and also spreading paralysis. Celebi appreciates back up answers to special threats, as offensive Water-types can score a critical hit or freeze as it tries to heal off their attacks. Clefable and Blissey help in this regard. Celebi also enjoys help against opposing Clefable, as it switches into every option it has and uses Knock Off or sets up with Calm Mind. Choice Band Tyranitar and one’s own Clefable are sufficient for this. Celebi does appreciate Magnezone support, however, it is often difficult to fit all of the pieces needed to support Celebi alongside Magnezone without being vulnerable to Roserade. Generally, Latias fits better alongside Magnezone. Other stall stalwarts such as Wish + Protect Jirachi, RestTalk Gyarados, Gliscor, Leftovers Bronzong, Zapdos, Rotom-A, and Skarmory work as teammates, as they provide additional defensive support and appreciate the back up against strong physical sweepers Celebi provides.

Moves Celebi has a unique niche as a boosting Grass-type with Nasty Plot, allowing it to take advantage of its resistances to go on the offensive. Nasty Plot compliments it well, as it doesn't have a lot of longevity and needs as much power as it can get. The STAB move typically comes down to the rest of the team. Leaf Storm is the preferred move with Nasty Plot; despite resetting Nasty Plot, the power is needed to have a chance to OHKO Clefable. Leaf Storm also can break through utility and defensive Tyranitar, while even soft resists such as offensive Latias take a lot of damage from a +2 Leaf Storm. Grass Knot and Psychic are more reliable options, but Grass Knot does not damage Clefable and Rotom-A effectively, while Psychic is resisted by much of the tier and gives Tyranitar free entry. Earth Power is critical for offensive Celebi, as it OHKOes Heatran after a boost and heavily damages prominent Ground-weak Pokemon such as Jirachi, Metagross, Tyranitar (should Celebi have Psychic), and Lucario. The final move completes Celebi’s coverage: Hidden Power Ice is the main option as it has perfect coverage outside of Bronzong and hits Latias and Dragonite hard while OHKOing Flygon without reducing its Special Attack. Hidden Power Fire is also helpful for hitting Steel-types neutral to Ground hard, such as Skarmory, Scizor, and Bronzong. However, beware of the lower Speed IV needed, causing it to tie with maximum Speed Rotom-A and always be outsped by maximum Speed Zapdos, Jirachi, and Flygon. Celebi can also run Recover over the Hidden Power slot. Celebi loses super effective coverage on Breloom unless it uses Psychic should it go down this route, however. Set Details Celebi generally needs all the power it can get, and a simple maximum Special Attack, maximum Speed Modest EV spread emphasizes this. This gives Celebi a desirably speed tier—as offensive Celebi checks threats with its Speed and power, outspeeding all variants of Suicune, Heatran, Rotom-A, and Gyarados allows it to hit hard before taking damage. The Modest nature also gives Celebi the best chance to OHKO Clefable at +2, OHKO Dragon Dance Gyarados after Stealth Rock and Suicune after a Calm Mind at +0, and OHKO maximum HP Heatran with Earth Power at +0. Timid is also possible to outspeed as much as possible, including Gliscor before it can U-Turn, at least tie with maximum Speed Zapdos, Jirachi, and Flygon, and outspeed Roserade and Lucario. Celebi can invest around 88 HP EVs to survive Choice Scarf Tyranitar’s Crunch after Stealth Rock. There are many different possible item choices for this Celebi. As Celebi is vulnerable to many types of residual damage, Leftovers gives it the maximum amount of chances to fire off strong attacks. This is especially important against defensive teams, as once Celebi sets up a Nasty Plot, the opponent can pivot around to wear it down. If Celebi uses Leaf Storm into a Latias or Jirachi, it may be too weak to set up another Nasty Plot. However, Celebi has no chance to OHKO Clefable without a boosting item at +2, while Meadow Plate gives it an 87.5% chance to do so. It also maximizes the chance to OHKO utility Tyranitar after Stealth Rock at +0, while even resists such as specially defensive Jirachi and defensive Latias can be 2HKOed by +4 into +2 Leaf Storm with Meadow Plate. However, Celebi is quite vulnerable to Choice Scarf Tyranitar on defensive teams; Colbur Berry variants easily absorb its Crunch and OHKOes back with +0 Leaf Storm after two rounds Stealth Rock. Other resistance berries such as Occa Berry for Heatran and Infernape as well as Kasib Berry for Rotom-A and Gengar are possible, but are more niche. Usage Tips How this Celebi is used depends on the match-up; against offensive teams, Celebi rarely gets to set up and checks offensive Water-types, Breloom, and Lucario. Celebi needs to be close to full HP to check these, however, so keeping it healthy before this purpose is critical. It also is easily forced out both after it uses Leaf Storm and by super effective coverage such as from Flygon, Rotom-A, and Heatran or U-turn from various revenge killers. Against more defensive teams, leverage the expectation that Celebi is defensive to set up a Nasty Plot. Due to Celebi’s weakness to entry hazards and especially Toxic Spikes, it should be brought in early against walls that don’t threaten it like Milotic and defensive Breloom. Opponents will often send in Clefable or Skarmory to set up hazards or use Knock Off on Celebi due the defensive set’s passivity, giving an opportunity to set up and attack. Be careful about when to use Leaf Storm, as Celebi’s coverage hits many common Leaf Storm answers such as Latias, Skarmory, and Jirachi very hard and more importantly doesn’t lower its stats. Against sturdier special walls such as Blissey, Celebi should set up to +4 or +6 before attacking—a +4 into +2 Leaf Storm KOes Blissey after Stealth Rock with a Meadow Plate while +6 OHKOes outright. With Recover, Celebi can be more flexible when to come in, but beware of Clefable’s Encore as Psychic only OHKOes at +6. Team Options This Celebi generally is used with on teams with weak answers to offensive Water-types that can afford Celebi’s flaws. The more prominent of these is on Magnezone offenses, as Magnezone can trap Bronzong and Skarmory, allowing Celebi to freely run Hidden Power Ice. Celebi also appreciates other common choices on these teams; offensive Trick Room Bronzong teams typically struggle against Water-types and Breloom, giving Celebi an easy switch-in. Gengar gives another answer to Breloom, as this Celebi doesn’t absorb its hits as well and can be 2HKOed by Focus Punch. Choice Scarf Flygon can revenge kill threats that set up on a -2 Celebi, such as Dragonite. In return, Choice Scarf revenge killers with U-turn such as opposing Flygon struggle with Trick Room Bronzong while Choice Band Tyranitar can help break through defensive teams. Offensive Heatran is an excellent partner, as it break through bulky Steel-types such as Skarmory, Bronzong, and Jirachi while Celebi resists all of its weakness. Swampert also appreciates Magnezone and supports Celebi, as it can tank hits from Tyranitar and Jirachi as well as resist Heatran’s Fire-type coverage. Heatran and Swampert can potentially form a Fire-Water-Grass core alongside Celebi. Celebi fits on hyper offense teams due to these teams struggling against offensive Calm Mind Suicune and Dragon Dance Gyarados, but Leaf Storm can be a huge momentum sink. With Recover, Celebi appreciates partners that maximize its longevity, such as Toxic Spikes absorbers such as Nidoqueen and counters to Choice Scarf Flygon such as Milotic and Skarmory.

Set Description Utility Celebi is unique in the metagame as a mixed wall that can deal with Electric-types, Water-types, and Snorlax as well as exert constant pressure with Leech Seed and the threat of trapper support. Leech Seed and Celebi's accompanying bulk are the main features of this set. Leech Seed is a move with both offensive and defensive utility that allows Celebi to chip a number of Pokemon while maintaining momentum via passive recovery for itself or its teammates. Offensively, the chip damage is excellent at wearing down bulky physical tanks, potentially putting Metagross and Tyranitar into OHKO range of boosted Salamence's, Aerodactyl's, and Dugtrio's Earthquake. It can also place Tyranitar into OHKO range of defensive Metagross and potentially into 2HKO range of Snorlax's Earthquake. Leech Seed is also excellent at wearing down Flying-types because of their lack of recovery and, in some cases, lack of sand immunity, allowing Water-types to threaten weakened Zapdos more easily, putting Moltres into 2HKO range of Pursuit Tyranitar, and placing Skarmory into OHKO range of Timid Magneton. Defensively, Leech Seed allows Claydol to keep spinning in the face of Drill Peck Skarmory, forcing Skarmory to switch out first, hence leaving no Spikes on the field. It is also serves to check Suicune and Snorlax by forcing them to Rest repeatedly, allowing a teammate to exploit those free turns. Finally, Leech Seed's passive recovery and ability to force switches can either provide Choice Band users like Salamence and Heracross with some added longevity or let them switch in freely. Recover allows Celebi to stick around for a long time and is especially needed in the face of repeated hits from Snorlax; Ice-type coverage from Water-types, Zapdos, and Gengar; Will-O-Wisp from Gengar; and Toxic from Blissey, Milotic, Swampert, and Zapdos. Celebi is bulky and does not have to use Recover frequently if it pivots only into resisted attacks. If the opponent has Dugtrio, though, Celebi should be kept near full HP through Recover, even though it can be tempting to maintain the pressure with repeated Leech Seeds. Psychic hits Gengar very hard, which is important because many teams rely exclusively on Celebi to pivot into its Will-O-Wisp. It also makes progress against many switch-ins, like Salamence, Moltres, Aerodactyl, Flygon, and Heracross, and helps Celebi deal with Zapdos a bit more easily. Although most Zapdos are unable to severely threaten Celebi, Leech Seed's PP can easily be drained through Zapdos's Pressure, and the occasional Substitute Zapdos can completely turn the tables on Celebi lacking Psychic. Hidden Power Grass allows Celebi to OHKO Dugtrio with minimal Special Attack investment, hits Tyranitar hard, and allows Celebi to be a Starmie pivot. On Spikes teams, it allows Celebi to threaten the two common spinners—Claydol and Starmie—should they attempt to spin on Celebi. Hidden Power Grass is mostly run when Celebi is not paired with Dugtrio or Porygon2. When paired with either, the preferred move is Baton Pass, as Celebi can scout for a Tyranitar or Dugtrio switch-in and pass out to either trapper. If Celebi is at full HP, it can also tank Hidden Power Bug and trap opposing Dugtrio by passing to one's own Dugtrio. When used with Magneton, Baton Pass also helps to catch Skarmory. As for less commonly used moves, Substitute in conjunction with Leech Seed and Baton Pass makes Celebi adept at inducing chip damage, eases trapping, and generates free turns for huge threats like Aerodactyl. Reflect neuters Metagross's Explosion and Snorlax's Self-Destruct, protecting one's bulky Water-types and also Celebi itself. Reflect also provides a crucial setup turn for sweepers like Curse Snorlax and Dragon Dance Salamence. Heal Bell can be helpful for teammates with Rest like Suicune, Snorlax, and Zapdos. Light Screen helps Forretress and Skarmory avoid being trapped and taken out by Magneton; Forretress can then KO back with Earthquake, while Skarmory can phaze Magneton and a reverse trap can be set with Dugtrio later on. Perish Song is a phazing move that stops Calm Mind users in their tracks and also deals with bulky setup sweepers in the endgame. The downside to using these alternative moves is that dropping a STAB move or Baton Pass for any of them compromises Celebi's ability to deal with both Gengar and Dugtrio at the same time. Gengar is easier to deal with than Dugtrio because Celebi can simply be paired with a Pursuit trapper, so Hidden Power Grass is frequently the attacking move kept when Celebi sports these alternate moves. The EVs are fashioned to survive Choice Band Aerodactyl's Hidden Power Bug and Salamence's Hidden Power Flying in sand, and they let Celebi comfortably survive Hidden Power Bug from Dugtrio. 40 Special Attack EVs are required to OHKO Dugtrio with Hidden Power Grass; variants lacking the said move can place the EVs in Special Defense or Speed. 32 Speed EVs are required to outrun all Tyranitar. Celebi can go for a faster benchmark like 136 Speed EVs, which gets the jump on Adamant Heracross and most offensive Suicune. Substitute Celebi can use a spread of 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 Spe with a Timid nature to survive Adamant Dugtrio while outrunning Timid Moltres and neutral-natured Salamence, Zapdos, Flygon, and Charizard. With this spread, Celebi can also Baton Pass out of a significant number of Taunt Gengar that are EVed to survive Pursuit Tyranitar under sand and Dragon Dance Salamence. If Celebi is important as a special wall, a specially defensive spread of 252 HP / 64 Def / 40 SpA / 120 SpD / 32 Spe with a Calm nature can be used; this spread also allows Celebi to survive Adamant Dugtrio's Hidden Power Bug. The key to using Celebi successfully is to generate entry opportunities for strong threats and trappers and to rack up enough chip damage to allow sweepers to run their course. Try to use Leech Seed to force switches and heal passively so that powerful threats can enter the field while taking minimum damage, but be careful to combine that with smart pivoting so as not to burn through Leech Seed's PP too quickly; common Leech Seed targets, especially Pokemon with Pressure like Zapdos and Suicune, tend to have the bulk to last quite a while. Conserving PP allows Celebi to be more threatening throughout the game, especially in the closing stages. Also, take advantage of Celebi drawing in many trappable checks, like Tyranitar, Metagross, Dugtrio, and Skarmory, especially by using Baton Pass if it is run. Finally, an aggressive sequence of consecutive Leech Seeds, especially with Spikes, can generate a lot of chip damage without having Celebi take any damage. Team Options Trappers are very common partners to utility Celebi. Magneton gets rid of Skarmory, which easily comes in and sets up Spikes on any variant of utility Celebi. Leech Seed also has nifty synergy with Substitute Magneton, which can trap and indefinitely wear down seeded Metagross and defensive Jirachi. Dugtrio traps chipped Tyranitar, Metagross, and opposing Celebi and can also take out opposing Dugtrio locked into Hidden Power Bug either from KOing or getting Baton Passed out of by Celebi. While Dugtrio does not directly help with Spikes control, taking out the bulky offensive Pokemon that exploit Celebi with Spikes around can allow Celebi to function reasonably well even under Spikes. Porygon2 is also a splendid partner that removes opposing Dugtrio and can indefinitely wall Salamence, one of the few common checks to Celebi that cannot be removed easily by trapping. Pursuit Tyranitar frees up Celebi to use a filler move instead of Psychic and can wear down Choice Band Salamence and Aerodactyl locked into a resisted move. Winning the Spikes war is one option for teams using utility Celebi. Bulky Spikers like Skarmory and Forretress are great for exploiting Celebi's switch forcing abilities. Together with Leech Seed, Spikes can generate a lot of chip damage for a sweeper like Aerodactyl to clean up the opposing team. Defensively, these Pokemon also help Celebi to deal with physical Metagross and Salamence. Claydol spins Spikes away, which is useful given Celebi's extraordinary propensity to attract Skarmory, and it can make use of Leech Seed's healing to stand its ground against Drill Peck Skarmory. Flygon's Spikes immunity and role as an Electric- and Rock-type check also help to compensate for Celebi's Skarmory attracting tendencies. Secondary special walls with a niche of their own, like Curse Snorlax and Rest Zapdos, make the team more robust against special attacks while offering their own utility. Celebi acts as a mid-game special wall, protecting Snorlax from taking chip so that it has the HP to perform a Curse sweep, while Snorlax can support Celebi should it falter against more potent special threats like Starmie, Calm Mind Suicune, Jirachi, and Celebi. Rest Zapdos helps Celebi deal with Suicune and other special threats, especially when Spikes are present, and can phaze Calm Mind Celebi. Hard-hitting physical Pokemon, like Heracross and Choice Band Salamence, benefit from the entry or healing opportunities presented by Celebi's Leech Seed and from their mutual synergy with trappers. Heracross batters down Salamence, which Celebi can threaten later with Psychic, and Celebi can absorb Thunderbolt from Zapdos should it be the opponent's Heracross check. Heracross also benefits from Celebi synergistically luring in Dugtrio to be revenge killed by one's own Dugtrio. Salamence provides robust defensive utility against Heracross and draws in Swampert and Zapdos, which Celebi can easily pivot in on. Bulky Water-types are appreciated teammates, as Celebi's checks are mostly physical attackers. Milotic is a physical and mixed wall that can continuously soak up hits from Salamence, Tyranitar, Metagross, and Flygon, which love coming in on Celebi. Suicune is less robust than Milotic, but it can make full use of Leech Seed's recovery to provide some mid-game utility and play a more targeted endgame through a Calm Mind sweep. These Water-types benefit from the Dugtrio synergy, which reduces the heavy burden of Tyranitar and Metagross using unresisted Rock Slide or Explosion on them. Using Swampert might be tempting, but the prevalence of Fire-types with Grass-type coverage makes the Celebi + Swampert core unreliable for the long haul, and such cores must win the game through aggressive plays and trades on the more offensive side of the team. Finally, as Celebi has a propensity to wear down physically defensive Pokemon, sweepers like Aerodactyl, Dragon Dance Salamence, Dragon Dance Tyranitar, and Agility Metagross are all fine partners for taking down weakened teams.

Set Description Offensive Celebi plays a unique role in ADV OU as a special sweeper and mixed wallbreaker. Although it is not as fast as Starmie and needs at least a turn to set up, it notably differs from other sweepers in that it frequently has the bulk to trade KOs with its checks, making it great at maintaining momentum. Unlike most special sweepers, many of its checks are physically bulky, allowing Celebi also to function as a wallbreaker for physically offensive Pokemon. With a boost, Giga Drain 2HKOes Tyranitar, Suicune, Claydol, and possibly Milotic, and it OHKOes Starmie, Dugtrio, and Swampert. Don't underestimate Giga Drain's healing abilities—it can increase Celebi's odds of surviving being trapped by Dugtrio by bringing it back to full HP after a KO as well as healing back the damage Dugtrio did to it, keeping Celebi out of sand KO range. Giga Drain's regeneration also helps Celebi survive Hidden Power Bug from Tyranitar and helps it when facing fast foes like Starmie. Notably, with enough boosts, Giga Drain in conjunction with Psychic gives Celebi a way to muscle past Blissey lacking a status move. Again requiring a boost, Hidden Power Fire 2HKOes Metagross, often 2HKOes Skarmory, helps in tussles against Celebi and Jirachi, and usually OHKOes Forretress and Magneton. Psychic is Celebi's strongest STAB move and is the primary move used to wear down Snorlax and Blissey. With a boost, it also 2HKOes airborne Pokemon—Salamence, offensive Zapdos, Moltres, and Flygon—that would check or phaze Celebi, and it OHKOes Gengar and the Fighting-types Heracross and Breloom. Offensive Celebi can be used either mid-game or late-game. As a mid-game wallbreaker, bring it in against Zapdos or Swampert, and use it to trade KOs with mixed Salamence, Moltres, Snorlax, Metagross, and Tyranitar. It also prevents Skarmory from setting up Spikes by forcing it to phaze Celebi. With the aforementioned Pokemon worn down or removed, Celebi can also sweep late-game. Team Options Offensive Celebi fits mostly on special offense teams, especially in conjunction with Calm Mind users, but can sometimes be used with Spikes. Ironically, it can also fit on physically offensive teams due to its ability to trade KOs with physical tanks like Tyranitar, Metagross, and Salamence, wear down Skarmory, get ahead of and take out Moltres, and pivot into Gengar's Will-O-Wisp. Dugtrio is a useful partner, and it is almost mandatory on special offense. It revenge kills opposing Dugtrio that end up trapping Celebi and can remove checks like Blissey, chipped Tyranitar and Metagross, and weakened Snorlax. Offensive Jirachi is an excellent partner. With almost the same coverage and natural bulk and shared Calm Mind usage, Jirachi is a Celebi lookalike. They share essentially all their checks, and a trade with one paves the way for the other to sweep. Speaking of trading checks, one common way to eliminate Dugtrio should Jirachi go down first is Porygon2, which also indefinitely checks Dragon Dance Salamence. Offensive Suicune is also an offensive pivot for Dragon Dance Salamence on Calm Mind teams. With Celebi around, Regice is a good secondary special check to Zapdos, Starmie, and Suicune that can also lure in and use Explosion on Blissey and Snorlax without worrying too much about compromising the team's special bulk. Regice also draws in and wears down Tyranitar and Metagross, which can be helpful for turning Celebi's 2HKOs into OHKOs. Offensive Celebi can be used on some Spikes teams too. Aggressive setters like Taunt Skarmory and Cloyster are possible partners. Gengar's spinblocking abilities are always useful with Spikes, but defensive Gengar also helps the team survive against Dragon Dance Salamence, while offensive Gengar's rainbow of coverage can provide the chip needed for Celebi to finish the opposing team off. Celebi is always a nice Aerodactyl partner, as it turns the tide on Electric- and Water-types. However, using offensive Celebi instead of defensive Celebi also makes Skarmory and Cloyster's weakness to Electric-types more pronounced, so having Aerodactyl to exert immense pressure on Zapdos is helpful.

Set Description Swords Dance Celebi's main purpose is to pivot into special attacks or passive Pokemon and Baton Pass Attack boosts to physically offensive teammates. Leech Seed wears down physical tanks for the Baton Pass target and helps to force switches so that Celebi can set up on something favorable. This set is most effective when Swords Dance has not been revealed, as Celebi can surprise a Roar-less Zapdos or Blissey sent in to stall out Leech Seed PP with a boost and subsequent pass to Aerodactyl or Metagross. Recover helps Celebi to function as a tank akin to utility sets. Attacking filler moves can also be used to hit phazers and setup sweepers that try to ruin the pass. After a boost, Hidden Power Fighting OHKOes or comes close to OHKOing Tyranitar, Shadow Ball OHKOes Taunt Gengar, and Ancient Power has good odds to 2HKO defensive Zapdos and OHKOes Moltres. Hidden Power Bug is an option over Hidden Power Fighting when only a single attacking filler move is used. It still hits Tyranitar pretty hard and can finish off weakened defensive Taunt Gengar that barely survived Tyranitar's Pursuit. This set has several EV options with their own tradeoffs. The listed spread survives Aerodactyl's Hidden Power Bug and Choice Band Salamence's Hidden Power Flying under sand while also outspeeding Adamant Heracross. The slower option of 252 HP / 124 Def / 96 SpD / 36 Spe can be used to still outspeed all Tyranitar. When using attacking moves, 76 Attack EVs allow Celebi to OHKO Tyranitar and Gengar after a boost; take EVs out of Special Defense if need be. Alternatively, one can also go the fast route with 252 HP / 76 Atk / 180 Spe to outspeed Moltres, neutral-natured Salamence, and neutral-natured Flygon. Taking EVs out of Attack for 252 HP / 40 Def on the prior spread can also be done to survive Jolly Salamence's Hidden Power Flying while still outspeeding and passing out of Adamant Salamence. When not using Hidden Power Fighting, which requires 30 Speed IVs, Jolly Celebi can Speed tie with Speed-invested Salamence and Flygon, though this is extremely dangerous because Choice Band variants can OHKO Celebi should they win the tie. Note, however, that being slow can be advantageous, as Celebi taking the foe's move shields the pass target from any damage or status. This is helpful when passing to Aerodactyl or Agility Metagross, for example. Team Options Swords Dance Celebi requires quite a bit of support. Magneton is almost always required to stop Skarmory from switching into Celebi and walling all its physically offensive teammates. Pursuit Tyranitar is needed for Gengar if Celebi is not carrying Shadow Ball or Ancient Power; Taunt Gengar prevents Celebi from passing, and is generally a huge threat to physical sweepers due to Will-O-Wisp and Ice- and Electric-type coverage to OHKO Salamence and Gyarados. Pursuit also limits the longevity of Choice Band Salamence and Aerodactyl, which otherwise enter freely on Celebi. Ice Beam on Tyranitar also allows it to pivot in on Dragon Dance Salamence and land an OHKO. Milotic is great as a reliable physically defensive wall that can continuously pivot into Salamence, which, again, Celebi can barely touch. As far as recipients go, Agility Metagross is a nice sweeper that can either use Explosion to take out bulky Water-types or boost and sweep. Dragon Dance Gyarados is one of the few pass recipients that does not fold to bulky Water-types. Notably, with a Swords Dance and a Dragon Dance boost, Gyarados OHKOes Zapdos with Double-Edge and OHKOes Aerodactyl that has been chipped by Pursuit Tyranitar. Dragon Dance Salamence has better coverage and power at the cost of being weak to Ice Beam; one can consider running a Jolly nature on it to outrun Moltres, neutrally invested Zapdos, and neutrally invested mixed Salamence. Substitute + Liechi Berry Aerodactyl is a very fast cleaner that needn't risk taking attacks for a boost, unlike Dragon Dance Salamence, despite being a little weaker. Mixed Zapdos can make use of the Attack boost to break past Blissey, Celebi, and Tyranitar or pass it further to another target. Lum Berry can be helpful on it to avoid Blissey's status moves. Finally, Snorlax is a decent physically offensive special tank that, when passed a boost, can OHKO Metagross and Tyranitar, lest the eventual Baton Pass target take an Explosion or be set up upon.

Set Description Defensive Calm Mind Celebi is a late-game sweeper. Early-game, it functions like typical utility Celebi, but Calm Mind provides pressure against PP stallers like Snorlax, Blissey, Suicune, Claydol, Zapdos, and other defensive Celebi, making this set more prone to drawing in phazers like Skarmory and Roar Tyranitar or bulky offensive Pokemon like Metagross, Tyranitar, Salamence, and Moltres. Such pressure can be used to wear down or trap Celebi's checks. With only defensive Pokemon left on the field, Calm Mind + Leech Seed is adept at cleaning up the game. Leech Seed, apart from its variety of functions shared with its role on utility sets, also helps Celebi to plow past Blissey, Curse Snorlax, and Rest Suicune in the endgame. Psychic is the chosen STAB move over Hidden Power Grass, as this set's attack option needs to pressure threats that cannot be reliably trapped like Salamence, Zapdos, Moltres, and Flygon. The Defense EVs are tailored to survive Choice Band Aerodactyl's Hidden Power Bug and Choice Band Salamence's Hidden Power Flying in sand. The Speed EVs allow Celebi to outrun Endeavor Swampert. A modest amount of Special Attack investment allows Celebi to OHKO Dugtrio after a Calm Mind boost. It also allows Celebi to 2HKO Salamence and Moltres after a boost. That said, these EVs are not really needed with Spikes and should go into Special Defense otherwise. The rest of the EVs are placed into Special Defense to minimize the odds of Swampert's Ice Beam 2HKOing Celebi under sand. Alternatively, a spread of 252 HP / 64 Def / 76 SpA / 96 SpD / 20 Spe with a Calm nature can be used for better robustness against special threats, especially when trying to set up repeatedly against bulky Water-types using Ice Beam. 40, 76, and 176 Speed EVs with a Timid nature to outrun Adamant Heracross, Modest Moltres, and Timid Moltres, respectively, are also options. Team Options Most of the partners from utility Celebi sets apply, but with slight variations. Where it comes to trappers, Dugtrio features prominently, as Calm Mind forces out more passive Celebi pivots in favor of bulky physical Pokemon like Tyranitar and Metagross, and the lack of Hidden Power Grass means Tyranitar switches in almost freely. Given that Tyranitar poses a massive offensive threat, one must have a very good reason not to use Dugtrio with this Celebi set. Magneton is still a suitable partner, but a team dedicated to supporting Calm Mind Celebi would not need Magneton to remove Skarmory in its role as a physical wall, so a spinner like Claydol or occasionally Starmie can be more useful for Spikes control. Porygon2 is also a theoretical possibility, but if one uses it, it might be hard to fit all the support this Celebi appreciates in a team. Defensively, Milotic and Suicune are good partners for full coverage against Tyranitar and Salamence that switch in repeatedly, and Celebi's propensity to chip Zapdos also helps these bulky Water-types in return. Swampert is also a possible partner, but it compounds the team's weakness to Moltres and benefits a little less from Dugtrio's ability to trap. Flygon's Spikes and Electric-type immunities help the team defensively against both physical and special threats, especially given Celebi's tendency to attract Skarmory. Rest Zapdos forms a nice specially defensive core with this Celebi set, especially because Celebi without Hidden Power Grass is a little shakier at dealing with offensive Water-types like Starmie and Suicune. Calm Mind Jirachi, Celebi, and Dugtrio form a core where Celebi and Dugtrio lure in and remove bulky physical Pokemon, and countertrapping opposing Dugtrio from a revenge kill on Celebi can open the way for a Jirachi sweep. Finally, just to comment on additional subtleties of using Calm Mind as opposed to a more standard utility set: it's not as common to see Calm Mind Celebi used with Heracross or Curse Snorlax. These two pretty much have the same trappable checks as Celebi, and their physical presence does not need Celebi's Calm Mind to pressure passive Pokemon, so Baton Pass is preferable for those pairings.

Set Description Calm Mind + Baton Pass Celebi is an excellent offensive momentum reverser that can support both wallbreakers and sweepers. It is one of the few Pokemon on offense teams that can shrug off Zapdos's Thunderbolt and offensive Swampert's Hydro Pump and pressure the opponent by setting up. Its coverage moves hit phazers hard and force opposing Metagross and Snorlax to navigate a tricky decision of sacrificing themselves with Explosion or Self-Destruct, lest they miss their chance to take out an attacking Celebi or waste the sacrifice on an unfavorable target. Calm Mind does not merely function as a stat boost for passing, though—it provides Celebi with both offensive and defensive utility as well. Boosted Giga Drain allows Celebi to stay in on a Tyranitar switch-in and threaten to 2HKO it. The recovery allows Celebi to be brought back to full HP from any chip damage it might have received from pivoting in, giving it better survivability against Hidden Power Bug from Tyranitar. The boost also allows Celebi to OHKO Starmie under sand with Giga Drain, protecting it from the latter's Ice Beam. Boosted Giga Drain also OHKOes Dugtrio and heals back whatever HP was lost from taking a Hidden Power Bug, which might otherwise place Celebi into sand range. Finally, Giga Drain allows Celebi to take down any Swampert or Suicune that are brave enough to stay in to phaze or continue chipping down Celebi. Psychic is a notable alternative that allows Celebi to hit Taunt Gengar, Moltres, Roar Zapdos, Salamence, Heracross, Flygon, and Charizard hard, especially after a Calm Mind boost. Note also that the Special Defense boost protects Celebi from Moltres and mixed Salamence too. Hidden Power Fire hits Skarmory hard, forcing it to waste a turn phazing Celebi so that no Spikes are laid on the field, and threatens Metagross. It also prevents Jirachi and other Celebi from checking this set easily by engaging in a Calm Mind war. Baton Pass is mostly used for passing Calm Mind boosts, but it can also be used without any to aid Dugtrio or Porygon2 in trapping incoming Metagross, Tyranitar, or Dugtrio. After all, the last thing a Baton Pass Celebi team wants is Metagross using a free Explosion or Tyranitar setting up on the Baton Pass target. All EVs spreads come with tradeoffs. The listed EVs give boosted Celebi good odds to 2HKO bulky Tyranitar and the assured OHKO on offensive Starmie in sand while outspeeding Timid Moltres and Adamant Salamence. They also give Celebi a chance to OHKO Dugtrio without a boost. The HP investment helps Celebi to survive Hidden Power Bug from Jolly Dugtrio and provides extra bulk against Ice-type coverage. Alternatively, one can place the Special Attack EVs into Defense to always survive Adamant Tyranitar's Hidden Power Bug under sand at the expense of all the odds and assurances above. A spread of 76 HP / 252 SpA / 180 Spe can be used to heavily pressure Skarmory with an almost assured 2HKO and turns all the above rolls into certainties. However, such a set is likely to be OHKOed by Hidden Power Bug from Dugtrio and Tyranitar. Finally, one can even lower the Speed investment to the level of outspeeding Adamant Heracross in order to strengthen Special Attack, resulting in a spread of 252 HP / 120 SpA / 136 Spe. This turns the offensive rolls into certainties without sacrificing bulk. Team Options Calm Mind + Baton Pass Celebi is usually found on special and mixed offense teams. The key to choosing recipients for the Calm Mind boost is understanding which targets pivot nicely into Celebi's checks. The hard-hitting checks that Celebi cannot deal with reliably using its coverage moves fall into three categories: bulky physical threats such as Metagross, Tyranitar, and Snorlax; physical Flying-types such as Salamence and Aerodactyl; and Fire-types such as Moltres and Charizard. Additionally, Blissey is a counter that falls into none of these categories. On mixed offense teams, one can consider the following Baton Pass targets. Offensive Swampert comes in safely on Metagross, Tyranitar, and Salamence lacking Choice Band, as well as on Thunder Wave Blissey. A Calm Mind boost allows Swampert to OHKO Tyranitar with Hydro Pump, as well as Metagross while in Torrent range. The Special Defense boost also prevents Swampert from getting 2HKOed by Dragon Dance + Hidden Power Grass Tyranitar, and if Swampert comes in at full HP, it can also prevent mixed Salamence from OHKOing it with Hidden Power Grass. Should Swampert enter the game first, it easily lures in Zapdos, which lets Celebi switch in easily. Fire-types like Charizard and Moltres are high-pressure wallbreaking pivots into Metagross that can also threaten Skarmory should the opponent send it in as Celebi Baton Passes out. Mixed Metagross is a nice Snorlax and Blissey pivot that can 2HKO Swampert with Psychic after a boost. Mixed Tyranitar and Dragon Dance + Hidden Power Grass Tyranitar can also pivot into Snorlax; a Calm Mind boost allows mixed Tyranitar to often OHKO Swampert and Metagross and allows Dragon Dance + Hidden Power Grass Tyranitar to comfortably 2HKO Swampert without worrying about getting taken out by Torrent-boosted Hydro Pump. On special offense teams, one can use the following Baton Pass targets instead. Calm Mind Suicune, Jirachi, and Raikou all appreciate boosts as a head start in the attempt to muscle through Blissey. Suicune acts as a pivot into Fire-types and physical attackers, and upon Celebi's first entry, it can use the fear of Celebi's potential Psychic pressuring Moltres to attack directly to avoid Will-O-Wisp. Jirachi acts as a much-needed source of Rock resistance and is the most reliable Calm Mind user to take down Blissey lacking Thunder Wave and Snorlax. Porygon2 can trap Dugtrio, and though it does not have much offensive presence, it can come in indefinitely on Salamence's Hidden Power Flying. Regice is a great secondary special check to Zapdos, Suicune, and Starmie, and with Calm Mind boosts, it really pressures Blissey and Snorlax to come in and take the Explosion. The chip damage that Regice can induce on Tyranitar and Metagross is also highly appreciated by the other Calm Mind users. Kingdra can use a boost to nail the much-appreciated OHKOs on Zapdos, Gengar, and Skarmory with Hydro Pump. Starmie can also take advantage of a boost, and its Speed helps to maintain the team's momentum by minimizing revenge kill opportunities after being passed a boost. Finally, Dugtrio is a fine partner on any sort of team, and here it can remove Metagross and Tyranitar or trade Celebi with them, revenge kill opposing Dugtrio, and use the Special Defense boosts to safely take Blissey's Ice Beams to possibly 2HKO with Earthquake.

Set Description Leech Seed + 3 Attacks Celebi combines the coverage of offensive Calm Mind sets with the ability to force switches and heal in Leech Seed. This Celebi set takes advantage of the huge HP stat of special walls such as Blissey and Snorlax to potentially force them out to hit their teammates with strong coverage. Despite getting 3HKOed by Blissey’s Ice Beam, getting potentially even 2HKOed by Snorlax’s Shadow Ball, and despising potential paralysis or poison, hitting them with Leech Seed is often enough to force them out. Even without much defensive investment, Celebi is still bulky enough to switch into offensive Zapdos’s Thunderbolt and Swampert’s Hydro Pump, allowing it to heal off the damage with Leech Seed as it threatens them out. Giga Drain is highly valuable on Celebi to OHKO Swampert and Dugtrio, as well as potentially 2HKO Tyranitar and frailer Water-types such as Starmie. It also threatens Milotic and Suicune, but beware of its 8 PP. Giga Drain in conjunction with Leech Seed also helps keep Celebi healthy. Hidden Power Fire hits Skarmory, Metagross, Forretress, Jirachi, and opposing Celebi hard. While it only 3HKOes Skarmory, Metagross, and Jirachi, Leech Seed can potentially chip them into KO range. Psychic rounds off its coverage, pressuring Pokemon such as Gengar, Moltres, Zapdos, Flygon, Heracross, Salamence, and Charizard. Generally, offensive versions of these Pokemon are 2HKOed, while defensive versions are outsped and at least 3HKOed and none of them enjoy Leech Seed. The additional coverage is often surprising alongside Leech Seed, allowing Celebi to hit them hard with its coverage. Celebi has lots of possible EV spreads. As Celebi is pretty close to KO thresholds on Pokemon such as 2HKOing Tyranitar with Giga Drain, 2HKOing Skarmory with Hidden Power Fire, and 2HKOing Moltres with Psychic, it often runs maximum Special Attack EVs. To facilitate threatening Moltres, Heracross, slower Zapdos, and slower Salamence, the given EV spread outspeeds Moltres and neutral-natured Zapdos and Salamence. As Celebi is most often taking special hits such as Blissey’s Ice Beam, Swampert’s Ice Beam, and Gengar’s Ice Punch, the remaining EVs are put in Special Defense to help Celebi survive these attacks more easily. Beware that Dugtrio will almost always OHKO Celebi with Hidden Power Bug, however. The choice of a Modest or Timid nature depends on how valuable it is to outspeed faster Pokemon such as Salamence, Timid Moltres, and offensive Flygon. Modest is often preferred to pressure Skarmory more easily. There are many other choices, however. An example faster EV spread is 168 SpA / 160 SpD / 180 Spe with a Timid nature to outspeed up to Timid Moltres and avoid the 2HKO after Spikes to Modest Blissey’s Ice Beam. If Speed isn’t as important, Celebi can invest as low as 32 Speed EVs with an EV spread of 252 HP / 224 SpA / 32 Spe to outspeed positive-natured Tyranitar and be as bulky as possible. Celebi also doesn’t have to invest in Special Defense; it can invest the extra EVs in Defense, such as 140 Defense EVs to survive neutral-natured Dugtrio’s Hidden Power Bug or in HP to survive as much as possible. Team Options Leech Seed + 3 Attacks Celebi is excellent alongside more offensive teammates as a token Zapdos and Water-type check. Even with Leech Seed, Celebi doesn’t have a lot of longevity and needs an aggressive pace to compensate. One of its best teammates is Skarmory, as Spikes in conjunction with Leech Seed help wear down walls such as Blissey and Snorlax, making it more likely Celebi forces them out. Another excellent teammate is mixed or Dragon Dance Tyranitar, as they both threaten common defensive cores and Water-types trying to check them give Celebi a free switch-in. In a similar vein, other common choices include Agility Metagross and offensive Swampert, as these check Tyranitar and Aerodactyl, two Pokemon that can switch-in and potentially OHKO Celebi. Agility Metagross especially appreciates Celebi wearing down Zapdos and Skarmory. Other fast, strong offensive Pokemon such as Aerodactyl, offensive Gengar, offensive Starmie, and mixed Salamence can maintain the pace needed and appreciate Celebi wearing down foes. Offensive Starmie and Gengar are particularly good partners, as they can help Celebi check offensive Suicune, which if it gets Calm Mind, powers past Celebi. Celebi can also fit alongside another good special check such as defensive Jirachi, offensive Snorlax, or Blissey. These Pokemon ease Celebi’s burden of switching into both Zapdos and offensive Water-types, meaning it can use Leech Seed and its coverage offensively. Two common synergetic partners with these Pokemon are Claydol and defensive Starmie, as they spin away Spikes to maintain Celebi’s longevity. As Celebi is often faster than Heracross, it can lure in and KO it before it threatens Starmie and Claydol with an OHKO with Megahorn. Especially if Celebi is paired with Jirachi, offensive RestTalk Suicune is another common teammate, as it covers Charizard and Moltres, the two special threats they do not cover. Alongside Snorlax, Celebi fits well with common mixed offensive teammates such as Tyranitar, Agility Metagross, offensive Zapdos, Charizard, and offensive Swampert.

This is a support set and pretty much all that Celebi has going for it in GSC. Heal Bell helps the rest of the team, Recover helps Celebi itself, Psychic gets STAB and uses Celebi's good Special Attack, and Leech Seed can force switches.