Is Cresselia with Grass Knot good in Pokemon GO PvP and PvE?

Cresselia with Grass Knot was available in Pokemon GO for the first time during the Throwback Challenge 2020: Sinnoh and then during its appearance in 5-star raids in November 2021. Outside of events, Cresselia can only learn this Legacy Move using Elite Charged TMs. If you want to add the creature to your squad or already have one without Grass Knot, you might be wondering about the move's viability in PvP and PvE settings.

This article discusses whether Cresselia with Grass Knot is better or worse than the version of the Pocket Monster without this move.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely reflect the opinions of the writer

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Is Cresselia with Grass Knot worth using in Pokemon GO Battle League?

Cresselia in the anime (Image via TPC)

To find out if Cresselia's exclusive move in Pokemon GO does it any good, it is important to take note of the creature's elemental typing, stats, and move pool:

• Type: Psychic
• Attack: 152
• Defense: 258
• Stamina: 260
• Fast Attacks: Psycho Cut and Confusion
• Charged Attacks: Aurora Beam, Future Sight, Moonblast, Grass Knot (exclusive)

With or without the exclusive move, the Lunar Pokemon is one of the strongest picks in the Great and Ultra League of GO Battle League. However, Cresselia with Grass Knot hits different because of two reasons.

Firstly, Grass Knot, a Grass-type Charged Attack with 90 base damage costing 50 energy, is the critter's most viable bait move. Its other powerful moves — Future Sight and Moonblast — hit very hard but cost 65 and 60 energy, respectively. Despite having relatively fast pacing with Psycho Cut as its Fast Attack, Cresseila greatly benefits from being able to bait out shields with Grass Knot.

Secondly, Grass Knot gives Cresselia excellent coverage in the meta, especially in the Great League, which is filled with Water, Ground, and Rock-type critters.

In the one-shield matchup against the Great League meta, Cresselia with Grass Knot wins 27 out of 43 matchups, while the version with double nukes wins only 21, according to PvPoke simulations. The difference is even more stark in two-shield situations, where the former sees 21 wins in comparison to the latter's 10.

In the Ultra League, the difference is less stark, but with Grass Knot, Cresselia sees more wins in two-shield matchups.

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Is Cresselia with Grass Knot worth using in Pokemon GO Gym and Raid battles?

Regular and Shiny Cresselia (Image via TPC)

Cresselia is not known for its damage output, and Mythical Pocket Monsters are not eligible to be Gym Defenders in Pokemon GO. Therefore, Cresselia is not a very good PvE pick in general.

However, if you wish to use it nevertheless, Psycho Cut and Future Sight is the direction you would want to go in. This combination has a DPS of 10.15 and TDO of 528.6. In comparison, Psycho Cut and Grass Knot only deal 9.66 DPS for 503.5 TDO.

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How to get a Cresselia with Grass Knot in Pokemon GO

As of writing, Cresselia with Grass Knot can be caught only during the Raid Hour on February 20, 2023 (between 6 - 7 pm local time). If you complete the required challenges in the Road to Sinnoh: Raid Challenge, you will also be eligible to receive a version of the critter that knows the exclusive move.

Alternatively, you can teach Cresseila Grass Knot using an Elite Charged TM. In fact, if you have a Cresselia for either the Great League or the Ultra League, this is one of the best places in which to invest this precious item.

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