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I'm going to do the Analysis a bit different this time:
OU
Statistics Min- Min Max Max+
HP 100 - 341 404 -
Atk 100 212 236 299 328
Def 100 212 236 299 328
SpA 100 212 236 299 328
SpD 100 212 236 299 328
Spe 100 212 236 299 328
Name Item Nature
Defensive Leftovers Bold
Moveset EVs
~ Leech Seed / Thunder Wave / Reflect
~ Grass Knot
~ Recover
~ Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ice / Earth Power
252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe
With Recover and solid base 100 defenses, Celebi is an excellent candidate for a defensive set. Leech Seed will quickly frustrate most of its opponents, and Recover just makes life harder for them. Leech Seed also works well if you surround the opponent's side of the field with Stealth Rock and Spikes, since it will often force switches. Thunder Wave is useful for the ability to cripple sweepers such as Gyarados, Salamence, and Azelf. Reflect is an option if your team is lacking in physical defense, or if you want more confidence against Salamence and Ice Fang Gyarados. Grass Knot is easily Celebi's most reliable attacking move, as it has STAB, 20 PP (32 with PP max) and is surprisingly powerful on many of the Pokemon that thrive in the OU metagame, most notably Tyranitar and Gyarados. Celebi's last move mostly depends on the trainer's need. Hidden Power Fire gives Celebi the opportunity to hit Steel-types such as Forretress, Scizor, and Metagross reasonably hard, whereas Hidden Power Ice severely dents Salamence and Gliscor. Earth Power is a decent option if your team has trouble with Heatran, and it hurts Metagross more than Hidden Power Fire; however it has very little utility otherwise.
Stealth Rock can be considered for your utility option if your team lacks it. Light Screen can be used if your team has trouble dealing with special attacks.
The EVs give Celebi the best overall physical defenses while still outrunning Jolly Tyranitar. This particular Celebi set is often used as a utility counter in a team, as its typing and magnificent defenses allow it to safely handle threats such as Gyarados and Breloom.
Name Item Nature
Cleric Leftovers Bold
Moveset EVs
~ Psychic / Grass Knot
~ Recover
~ Heal Bell
~ Leech Seed
252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe
The focus of this set is Heal Bell. Like with Aromatherapy on Blissey, it has major pros and cons. On the plus side, it gets rid of status on your entire team: gone is the freeze which Weavile inflicted on your Metagross, the unsuspected paralysis or burn Gallade gave your Salamence, or that surprising Toxic on your bulky Water. On the other hand, Heal Bell is pretty much telegraphed to your opponent if you send in Celebi after one or more of your Pokémon got inflicted with status. It does nothing to repel nasty opponents at all, and it gives things like Tyranitar an invitation ticket to come in for free and do horrible things with Celebi and/or its team mates. Occasionally you can use this to your advantage, however, since your opponent may assume they have a “free” turn and make a risky play, which you may be able to punish with Grass Knot or at least make worthless with Leech Seed. At any rate, if you think you can afford to trade a turn for nursing all your Pokémon, use this Celebi, but beware, as that one turn may cost you the game.
The rest of the deal is pretty obvious: attack or Leech Seed counters on the switch, and if you have suffered a wound so severe that Leftovers and Leech Seed don't cure it fast enough, Recover it off. It's the way this set worked in GSC and Advance, and it will probably remain this way forever.
Name Item Ability Nature
Lead Occa Berry / Focus Sash Natural Cure Modest
Moveset EVs
~ Stealth Rock
~ Leaf Storm
~ Earth Power
~ U-turn
76 HP / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
Sporting good defenses, above average Speed, access to Stealth Rock, and the ability to counter many popular leads, Celebi proves to be a reliable lead. The idea is simple; if you are faster than the opposing lead, you're free to set up Stealth Rock. If not, you go on the offensive or break their sash with a U-turn and switch to a reliable counter.
For common leads faster than you, straight out offense or U-turn are most often the safest options. Aerodactyl is always 2HKOed by Leaf Storm and Azelf's sash is broken with U-turn, allowing priority users such as Scizor to pick them off (thanks to Occa Berry and Celebi's lower Speed, Scizor will always get in unscathed). Infernape can prove to be a nuisance, especially if it's running U-turn. If it's not, Occa Berry allows Celebi to either get Stealth Rock up or switch out to safety depending on whether Infernape Taunts or sets up after the inevitable Fake Out.
As for the bulkier leads, things become more simple. Swampert and Hippowdon are both OHKOed by Leaf Storm. You outspeed Metagross and 2HKO it, or you can just set up Stealth Rock right away in both cases. Bronzong is slower than you and if it puts you to sleep with Hypnosis, Natural Cure will remedy that. U-turn breaks any sashes Tyranitar might have and allows you to switch to a reliable counter right away. Celebi beats all forms of Heatran leads, surviving Fire Blast thanks to Occa Berry and OHKOing Scarfed ones and outspeeding Shuca Berry variants for a swift 2HKO. The unpredictable Jirachi can be annoying but unless it leads off with a U-turn, you will get Stealth Rock up and this particular Celebi set doesn't mind getting a Choice Scarf tricked on it at all.
Energy Ball or Grass Knot can be used over Leaf Storm for STAB, but are not recommended since the higher Base Power is needed to OHKO some common leads such as Hippowdon. Earth Power is needed to deal with Steel- and Fire- types. U-turn is necessary to switch out lest you become cannon fodder for Pursuit users. Occa Berry is the preferred item to take Fire attacks from Infernape and Heatran, but Focus Sash deserves a mention for its ability to allow Celebi survival through Infernape's and Jirachi's U-turns.
Name Item Nature
Tinkerbell Life Orb Modest
Moveset EVs
~ Thunder Wave
~ Leaf Storm
~ Psychic / Hidden Power Fire / U-turn
~ Rest / Recover
232 HP / 244 SpA / 32 Spe
This is a good multipurpose set that acts as a deterrent to Celebi's usual counters. Most things that switch into Celebi will not enjoy being crippled by paralysis, which makes you faster than the myriad of offensive Pokemon eager to blast through one of Celebi's seven weaknesses. Leaf Storm, backed up by a Life Orb and heavy EV investment, is a new definition of pain, smashing even a Max HP Tyranitar's defenses for an OHKO with the aid of Stealth Rock.
The last two slots can be tailored to what you would like Celebi to handle. Psychic is a strong STAB option that will dispatch of Gengar, Heracross, and Infernape. Hidden Power Fire will easily OHKO Forretress and Scizor switch-ins, and deal hefty damage to Steel-types not named Heatran. U-turn is great for getting Celebi out of there after you've crippled something with Thunder Wave. Rest is the primary method of healing here, as Celebi can fully replenish its HP against a faster opponent and remove its status as it switches out thanks to Natural Cure. Recover is also a great alternative, as it allows you to scout for a full paralysis before switching.
The EVs let you outspeed Jolly Tyranitar so you can kill it before it even thinks about setting up. It also makes sure that you take the minimum damage from Life Orb with the highest possible HP.
Name Item Nature
Calm Mind Passer Leftovers Timid
Moveset EVs
~ Calm Mind
~ Grass Knot / Psychic
~ Baton Pass
~ Recover
252 HP / 80 Def / 176 Spe
Celebi is one of the most reliable Calm Mind/Baton Passers in the game. It has the defensive stats, Recover, and resistances to take a few beatings, and this version has enough Speed to ensure it gets in a Baton Pass against anything slower than 308, which includes neutral natured base 100s, non-Scarf Tyranitar, and - most importantly - base 90 Speed Pokémon that run a Speed boosting nature, such as Lucario, Porygon-Z, and Roserade. While Psychic used to be the most popular attacking move on Celebi, Grass Knot helps Celebi to better defend itself against Tyranitar, Weavile, and other Dark type Pursuit users; and Celebi can Baton Pass out against Salamence and non-Choice Scarf Heracross anyway. As a bonus, it nearly OHKOes Dugtrio, though it isn't as threatening to Celebi as it was in Advance since Hidden Power Bug is now special, so you should be safe barring a critical hit from Night Slash. A great thing about Baton Passing Celebi is that it helps against Pursuiters: if the Pursuiter is faster it will deal damage with 40 Base Power, and if it's slower it will hit your recipient.
Psychic can still be used if you want to hurt Heracross and Salamence on the switch. Infernape certainly will not be pleased either.
Name Item Nature
Physical Baton Pass Leftovers Jolly
Moveset EVs
~ Baton Pass
~ Swords Dance
~ Seed Bomb
~ Recover / Substitute / Zen Headbutt
252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 Spe
Celebi's defenses are phenomenal and usually allow it to survive enough hits that it can find the time for at least one Swords Dance. Celebi can then either sweep with boosted Seed Bombs or Baton Pass away to a more dangerous threat such as Lucario.
Its two STAB moves, Seed Bomb and Zen Headbutt are the best physical options Celebi has. The former is recommended here because nothing is immune to it, though Zen Headbutt may be used as well if you wish to take advantage of its flinch rate, and don't mind losing Recover. With 80 EVs in attack, Seed Bomb has an 87% chance of OHKOing maximum HP Tyranitar after a Swords Dance if it switches into Stealth Rock. If you have other means of dealing with Tyranitar and would rather just Baton Pass out against it, you may shift those EVs to one of your defenses instead.
In addition to Attack boosts, Celebi is also well-suited to passing bulky 101 HP Substitutes.
Name Item Nature
Choice Specs Choice Specs Modest / Timid
Moveset EVs
~ Leaf Storm
~ Psychic
~ Signal Beam / U-turn / Trick
~ Hidden Power Fighting / Hidden Power Fire / Earth Power
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Unlike most of the other sets recommended, this one puts Celebi on the offensive. Leaf Storm will hurt anything not resistant—which is unfortunate since a fair number of things are—and that is why you have Psychic for secondary STAB. Beware, though: a Choice-locked Psychic makes Celebi Pursuit bait for Tyranitar, Weavile, or one of the Pursuiting Steels, so it is best to scout the opposing team before using it. The third slot is reserved to hit other Psychics: Signal Beam will obviously do more damage, but U-turn allows you to scout, possibly bluff what set you are using, and deal extra Stealth Rock damage as you switch to an appropriate counter or offensive threat. If damaging other Psychic types is of little concern, Trick is an interesting alternative to cripple common Celebi counters such as Blissey, Snorlax, and Cresselia. The fourth slot deals with Celebi's obvious weaknesses: Hidden Power Fighting hurts Dark-types with Pursuit, such as Tyranitar and Weavile, while Hidden Power Fire beats up Steels, in particular Scizor and Forretress, and other Grass types. Earth Power pulverizes Heatran and Metagross, so if your team has trouble with them then that is probably your best bet.
Name Item Nature
Choice Scarf Choice Scarf Timid
Moveset EVs
~ Leaf Storm
~ Psychic / Earth Power
~ Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ice
~ U-turn / Trick
100 HP / 252 SpA / 156 Spe
Traditionally, Celebi is not seen as much of an offensive threat. However, when utilizing a Choice Scarf, it has the potential to be one of the best revenge killers in the game. Leaf Storm is used for sheer power, hitting 210 Base Power after taking STAB into account. Psychic is another useful STAB option; although be sure to scout the team before using, as Celebi it may leave Celebi open to Pursuit, especially from Tyranitar and Weavile. Earth Power is another solid option for hitting Steel-types, in particular Heatran who can always be revenge killed, and Fire-types. Hidden Power Fire is there to keep Scizor in check, as well as providing you a with a move to hit Bronzong and Skarmory. Hidden Power Ice can be used to get the jump on Salamence and other Dragon-types, but comes at the cost of Scizor switching in for free and freely using Pursuit or U-turn. The last move is a toss-up between U-turn and Trick. U-turn can be used to scout teams’ counters while getting in a light hit and gaining advantageous match-up for yourself. Trick, on the other hand, is capable of crippling most Pokémon that are not already packing a Choice item, as well as many common switch ins (Blissey, Snorlax, Zapdos).
If you opt for Psychic in the second slot, you'll want to use Hidden Power Fire to damage Steel-types not named Heatran. If your choice is Earth Power, you'll want to use Hidden Power Ice in the third slot to specifically combat Zapdos and Salamence. The final slot can be replaced with another attacking move or even with Rest to abuse Natural Cure.
The EVs here are pretty straightforward. Using a Timid nature and 156 Speed EVs allows you to outspeed +1 neutral natured base 100 Speed Pokémon, such as Salamence. Celebi's Special Attack is maximized to ensure it reaches its full offensive potential. Notably, this allows Celebi to 2HKO 252 HP/0 SpD Tyranitar with Leaf Storm, and OHKO 4 HP / 0 SpD Tyranitar. The leftover 100 EVs were placed into HP to allow for a reasonable amount of bulk; however they can be moved to Speed if you are aiming to beat Pokemon faster than +1 neutral base 100s.
Name Item Nature
Offensive CM Life Orb Timid
Moveset EVs
~ Calm Mind
~ Grass Knot
~ Recover / Psychic
~ Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ice / Earth Power
76 HP / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
Offensive CM Celebi works much like offensive Suicune. However, unlike Suicune, it gets Recover, which gives Celebi more turns to attack. This also allows Celebi to take more hits and set up.
Grass Knot gives Celebi a powerful STAB attack. In the third slot, Recover is preferred as Life Orb damage really adds up quickly. However, if it is desired that Celebi have as much type coverage as possible, Psychic is an option; when paired with Hidden Power Fire it hits every OU Pokemon excluding Tyranitar, Starmie, and Heatran for at least neutral damage. There are three choices for the final slot: Hidden Power Fire, Hidden Power Ice, and Earth Power. Hidden Power Fire hits Steels and other Grass types. Hidden Power Ice also hits other Grass Pokemon, while also dealing hefty damage to Dragons, such as Salamence and Flygon. Earth Power nails the common Heatran switch-in, and also is your best option against Jirachi and Metagross.
The EVs give you maximum sweeping potential with 252 Special Attack EVs. 180 Speed EVs lets you outspeed all base 90 Speed Pokemon such as Timid Roserade and Jolly Lucario when using Hidden Power Fire. The remaining EVs are delegated to HP for some bulk.
Name Item Nature
SubSeed Leftovers Timid
Moveset EVs
~ Substitute
~ Leech Seed
~ Baton Pass / Recover / Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ice
~ Psychic
252 HP / 80 SpA / 176 Spe
A Celebi with this set takes ages to get rid of if your opponent only has slow Celebi counters like Metagross and Tyranitar. Leech Seed opponents, repeatedly use Substitute to wear them down, and finish off with Psychic. Use of Stealth Rock and/or Spikes is encouraged to punish people trying to switch out of Leech Seed. Psychic is the better attacking option here because you'll want something to hit other Grass-types, which are immune to Leech Seed. As for the final slot: Baton Pass can hand some other team mate a 101 HP Substitute to work with, Recover makes Celebi's durability nearly overkill, and the Hidden Powers can be used to hit for super effective damage on other Grass types as well as specific threats.
Name Item Nature
More Leech Seed and Calm Mind Leftovers Bold
Moveset EVs
~ Leech Seed
~ Calm Mind
~ Recover / Substitute
~ Psychic / Grass Knot
252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe
Both Leech Seed Celebi and Calm Mind Celebi can be horribly annoying, depending on what you're sending in as a counter. Imagine the face of your opponent when it turns out that you have both! This kind of Celebi not only stalls like a Brazilian on the losing end of a rated match on NetBattle, but also can actually sweep entire teams, given enough Calm Minds. Try not to get greedy, though: the chance of your opponent scoring a critical hit with six attacks is only slightly less than 1/3, and many a Pokemon game has been lost on much slimmer odds.
A bias to Defense is present in this set to avoid taking heavy damage from Pursuit, and to give Celebi sturdy defenses all-around after a Calm mind. However, a Calm nature with a sizable EV investment in Special Defense is also viable, allowing you to more easily set up against special attackers. Even those that would hit for super effective will have trouble, if they don't have Choice Specs or STAB behind them.
Name Item Nature
Perish Song Leftovers Bold
Moveset EVs
~ U-turn
~ Grass Knot
~ Perish Song
~ Recover
252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe
Perish Song Celebi is an excellent addition to any stall-oriented team. Many stall teams will find themselves helpless against a "last Pokemon" Curselax or Calm Mind / Rest Suicune since they will be unable to pseudo-haze it out via Whirlwind or Roar and status attacks such as Toxic will be futile due to rest. However, this Celebi can simply switch in, Perish Song, and wait out the turns until the last Pokemon is KOed once the count hits zero. Perish Song also provides a safe way to stop most Baton Pass teams that lack a Soundproof Pokemon.
Escape is crucial when the last turn of Perish Song is upon Celebi, and U-turn helps Celebi escape while still getting in a light hit. Without U-turn, Celebi could be trapped by Dugtrio on the last count from Perish Song. Dugtrio will faint thanks to residual damage and Celebi’s Grass Knot, but Celebi will be taken down with Dugtrio in the process.
Recover allows Celebi a reliable method to heal and Grass Knot is chosen for obvious STAB. Any number of Celebi's support options can work decently over U-turn, but U-turn is the most reliable choice.
Name Item Nature
Life Orb Sweeper Life Orb Timid
Moveset EVs
~ Recover
~ Leaf Storm
~ Psychic
~ Hidden Power Fire / Earth Power / U-turn
36 Def / 252 SpA / 220 Spe
This set's purpose is to deal as much damage as possible to the opposition. Only Heatran and Houndoom resist the attacking combination of Fire + Grass + Psychic, and the latter is extremely scarce in OU. Recover is on the set to heal off residual Life Orb recoil damage, as Celebi will have many opportunities to switch in and heal due to its useful Fighting and Ground resistances. Earth Power can be used to deal damage to Fire Pokemon switching in on Celebi, like Heatran, Houndoom, and Arcanine. U-turn can be considered in order to save Celebi from bad match-ups and rack up Stealth Rock and spikes damage, and it works well in conjunction with Leaf Storm due to the -2 Special Attack drop.
Timid is chosen over Modest because it is impossible to have a Speed IV of 31 with Hidden Power Fire, meaning Celebi would always be slower than other neutral base 100 Speed Pokemon. 319 Speed allows Celebi to always outspeed and KO Lucario, Roserade, Porygon-Z, and Electivire unless they hold a Choice Scarf.
Life Orb is the optimal item on this set instead of Expert Belt because Celebi will hit most of its targets for neutral damage. As for Leftovers, this particular Celebi set is not meant to take a large number of hits anyway.
Name Item Nature
Trick Orb Flame Orb Timid
Moveset EVs
~ Trick
~ U-Turn
~ Psychic
~ Recover
252 HP / 80 Def / 176 Spe
Pokemon such as Scizor, Tyranitar, Salamence, Metagross, and Lucario will often switch into Celebi, expecting to take a weak Grass Knot and use the time to set up. This set relies on Celebi's ability to lure in these common physical threats and Trick a Flame Orb onto them, crippling them with the burn status. Celebi can then U-turn out and rid itself of the burn with Natural Cure. Psychic is used so that Heracross and Infernape are not guaranteed a free switch in since neither of them (Heracross in particular, due to Guts) really mind getting a Flame Orb.
Name Item Nature
Uber Lead Leftovers Calm
Moveset EVs
~ Thunder Wave
~ Recover
~ Grass Knot
~ Stealth Rock / Earth Power / Hidden Power Fire / Leech Seed
252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
This Celebi is designed to give the user information about the opponent's team, paralyze the opponent’s Pokemon, and allow you to respond accordingly. Its Defense EVs allow it to never be OHKOed by a Life Orb Groudon's Fire Punch, and its Special Defense EVs allow it to never be OHKOed by a Choice Specs Mewtwo's Ice Beam.
On the first turn, Celebi Thunder Waves and notes how much damage it takes. If it took 80%+, the opponent was most likely Banded / Speced and now crippled due to Thunder Wave. Celebi can switch to an appropriate counter, having given information to the user and still having the chance to remain relevant late battle with Recover. Thunder Wave and Recover allow Celebi to beat most Kyogre, Deoxys-A, Mewtwo (non Specs or Taunt versions) and Groudon (low Speed versions) one on one.
The choice for the fourth slot is a team issue. Stealth Rock will help attackers like Rayquaza and Groudon sweep more effectively. Earth Power is an excellent choice for the ability to dent Dialga, Heatran, and Metagross. Leech Seed can be served to Pokemon like Blissey, Lugia and Giratina, who all generally force Celebi to switch out. Finally, Hidden Power Fire is there to deal damage to both Scizor and Forretress.
Other Options
Celebi gets three different Grass moves worth considering. Energy Ball works better than Grass Knot if the opponent is rather light—it has 80 Base Power, which wins against Weavile, Dugtrio and Vaporeon. However, Grass Knot has a lot more power against Milotic, Tyranitar, Rhyperior and others, so the vast majority of the time it is a superior option. Leaf Storm has only been mentioned on the all-out offensive sets, but is a worthwhile option on any set that doesn’t involve Calm Mind. Celebi has to hop in and out a lot in order to make the Special Attack drop less significant, but the extra power is welcome. The low PP, however, is not, which is why Giga Drain isn't getting much more mentioning than the following: it was quite useful in Advance to take out Dugtrio in one hit and still have some HP to spare, but in this generation Dugtrio isn't an effective Celebi killer and there are many powerful alternatives.
Charge Beam has a few cool uses. For one, it nets Celebi a nice boost in Special Attack 63% of the time you use it (factoring in the 90% accuracy). It's also a nice way of self defense against the monster that is Gyarados as well as against Skarmory. The fact that you can Baton Pass these lucky boosts makes it all the more worth considering. The Base Power is beyond pathetic though; if you want something a little better than that you can use Hidden Power Electric. If you don't have access to Hidden Powers like that, Shock Wave can be a substitute, but it is quite weak as well.
Stealth Rock also has found its way into Celebi's movepool. While Spikes would have been preferable on a Pokémon with as much durability as this floating head of lettuce, it is better than nothing. Still, Celebi has so many awesome options that you're better off rounding out some other Pokémon's moveset with it. Stealth Rock hits quite hard on Celebi's "good friends" Salamence and Gyarados though, so it complements it nicely wherever you choose to put it on your team. Protect can stall for Leftovers and Leech Seed recovery and scout your opponent, which is useful since Celebi will often be facing down choice users (Tyranitar, Heracross, and Scizor in particular).
Celebi makes a very good user of Trick Room for the same reason Bronzong and Dusknoir do: it can take a hit or two and therefore get it in more than once without rolling over and dying. So if you're looking for something to set it up for you, be sure to glance in Celebi's direction (though Celebi’s high speed certainly is not any help here). Reflect and Light Screen can help with the initial switch after using Trick Room; in fact, both are generally great for adding some extra defense to your team. It should be noted that Reflect is generally the better option on Celebi in order curb damage from Pursuit.
EVs
Unless Celebi is running an offensive set (and even then in some cases), it should max out HP to take hits well from both sides. 244, 305, and 308 are the Speed stats it should be aiming at most of the time: 244 beats Jolly Tyranitar to the punch and 305 gets the jump on Adamant Salamence with a few EVs to spare — though if you elect to invest to 305, you might as well go the full stretch and run 308 to outspeed all base 90 Speed Pokémon without Choice Scarf. Most of the EVing is obvious and outlined under each specific set, but generally you'll want to focus on one defense with your leftover EVs.
Opinion
In Advance, there were a lot of doubts as to Celebi’s status as an OU Pokemon. Diamond/Pearl pretty much declared Celebi "a good standard" by giving Pursuit to some extremely big threats, adding/evolving more Pokémon to counter it (Weavile and Heatran, most notably), and creating useful new moves in all of its seven weaknesses. However, it is still a highly viable Pokémon in OU play. Dugtrio, a main counter in Advance, lost a lot of power against this plant pixie with both Hidden Power and Sludge Bomb becoming special attacks. Celebi also received Thunder Wave, Leaf Storm, U-turn, Trick, and Grass Knot to toy with while keeping all of its old options. It can be a pretty good offensive threat with Choice Specs and Calm Mind, but much more notable are its refusal to die to anything not named Megahorn and its ability to stall everything that doesn't carry that. Celebi's movepool is so insane and its stats complement it so well that it can easily stray from the recommended sets above and do just about whatever it wants. None of its moves are necessary, but nearly all of them are useful.
Counters
You probably saw it coming: Celebi's #1 counters pack Pursuit. Tyranitar and Weavile have been mentioned before: both of them have great Attack scores and get STAB on Pursuit. Tyranitar may be weak to Grass Knot, but his Special Defense boost in Sandstorm almost negates that. However, switching Tyranitar in is easier said than done, since Tyranitar is 2HKOed by Grass Knot after Stealth Rock damage. Tyranitar also needs to be holding a Choice Band or Life Orb, and pack the move Payback (which almost no Tyranitar runs) in order to guarantee an OHKO on defensive Celebi. Weavile can switch into Grass Knot, but must be wary of Thunder Wave, Reflect, Leech Seed and Hidden Power Fire. Thunder Wave especially is quite disabling to Weavile in the long run, disintegrating its famed Speed stat to that of the likes of Snorlax and Torkoal; Reflect will completely wall Weavile's moves and prevent it from getting past Celebi; and a Seeded Weavile also struggles to bypass Celebi unless it is holding a Choice Band. Even then, Ice Punch will not score an OHKO, and Celebi can safely use Recover to avoid destruction from a well-predicted Pursuit. Houndoom also resists Grass Knot and is immune to Psychic, and can perform a STABed Pursuit, though its attack is rather unimpressive and it is rarely seen in OU.
Skarmory learns Pursuit as well but obviously isn't going to use it. Instead, he will use his huge amount of free time against Celebi (earned courtesy of his resistance to both of Celebi's STAB attacks) to rack up Spikes or get in Stealth Rock. He can Whirlwind away Celebi's stat boosts and Substitute as well. Forretress can set up Toxic Spikes and Spikes against any Celebi not running HP Fire, or take the time to blow away entry hazards with Rapid Spin or take a chunk out of Celebi with Bug Bite. Scizor can not only Pursuit from 130 base Attack, but also use the horrifying U-turn to OHKO Celebi, or at the very least scout Celebi’s switch and rack up Stealth Rock damage. Celebi’s one bit of solace here is that most players know that it commonly carries HP Fire, which, if nothing else, will make them cautious about sending in a slow Scizor or Forretress. While not strictly a counter, Flygon can make Celebi a liability by switching in on Thunder Wave, and then threatening massive damage with U-turn or the advantageous switch if Celebi switches out.
These Pursuiters will pose a big threat to Celebi, but their trap is not guaranteed to work. If Celebi goes out using Baton Pass, Pursuit remains 40 Base Power. The same goes when a slower Celebi uses U-turn.
Salamence is 4x resistant to Grass. Usually you will find a Salamence coming into Celebi throwing a Life Orb Fire Blast at you, which will be a 2HKO. Latias is also an excellent counter to Celebi as it can easily shrug off virtually any of its attacks and set up with Calm Mind. Dusknoir's Pressure can deplete PP pretty quickly, but he won't really harm Celebi without a lot of Attack investment and he won't do a thing against the Baton Passing variants.
Heatran does a great job at stopping Celebi dead in its tracks. It shares the resistances to its STAB moves that Skarmory has, but it deals much more damage with its STAB Fire moves. However, Heatran must be wary of Earth Power, and it cannot really stop a Baton Passing Celebi unless it is carrying a Choice Scarf, in which case it must avoid Thunder Wave at all costs.
Azelf resists Psychic and takes a pathetic 20 Base Power attack from Grass Knot, and can seriously dent Celebi with Flamethrower or U-turn. If that Azelf carries Taunt, it can stop Celebi from Calm Minding, Swords Dancing, Recovering, Seeding, Heal Belling, etc. However, it is OHKOed by the Choice Specs set and is 2HKOed by Energy Ball assuming Celebi gets a Calm Mind in when Azelf switches into it.
Weezing can Haze away Celebi's stat-ups and hit it with a super effective Sludge Bomb. Only use him if you made sure the particular Celebi you're facing is one without Psychic or you won't get your healthy Weezing back. Suicune should play the reverse way when Roaring away stat-ups. Its generally more sturdy against special attacks, but it shouldn't be taking Leaf Storms or Grass Knots.
Information taken from: http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/celebi
OU
Statistics Min- Min Max Max+
HP 100 - 341 404 -
Atk 100 212 236 299 328
Def 100 212 236 299 328
SpA 100 212 236 299 328
SpD 100 212 236 299 328
Spe 100 212 236 299 328
Name Item Nature
Defensive Leftovers Bold
Moveset EVs
~ Leech Seed / Thunder Wave / Reflect
~ Grass Knot
~ Recover
~ Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ice / Earth Power
252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe
With Recover and solid base 100 defenses, Celebi is an excellent candidate for a defensive set. Leech Seed will quickly frustrate most of its opponents, and Recover just makes life harder for them. Leech Seed also works well if you surround the opponent's side of the field with Stealth Rock and Spikes, since it will often force switches. Thunder Wave is useful for the ability to cripple sweepers such as Gyarados, Salamence, and Azelf. Reflect is an option if your team is lacking in physical defense, or if you want more confidence against Salamence and Ice Fang Gyarados. Grass Knot is easily Celebi's most reliable attacking move, as it has STAB, 20 PP (32 with PP max) and is surprisingly powerful on many of the Pokemon that thrive in the OU metagame, most notably Tyranitar and Gyarados. Celebi's last move mostly depends on the trainer's need. Hidden Power Fire gives Celebi the opportunity to hit Steel-types such as Forretress, Scizor, and Metagross reasonably hard, whereas Hidden Power Ice severely dents Salamence and Gliscor. Earth Power is a decent option if your team has trouble with Heatran, and it hurts Metagross more than Hidden Power Fire; however it has very little utility otherwise.
Stealth Rock can be considered for your utility option if your team lacks it. Light Screen can be used if your team has trouble dealing with special attacks.
The EVs give Celebi the best overall physical defenses while still outrunning Jolly Tyranitar. This particular Celebi set is often used as a utility counter in a team, as its typing and magnificent defenses allow it to safely handle threats such as Gyarados and Breloom.
Name Item Nature
Cleric Leftovers Bold
Moveset EVs
~ Psychic / Grass Knot
~ Recover
~ Heal Bell
~ Leech Seed
252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe
The focus of this set is Heal Bell. Like with Aromatherapy on Blissey, it has major pros and cons. On the plus side, it gets rid of status on your entire team: gone is the freeze which Weavile inflicted on your Metagross, the unsuspected paralysis or burn Gallade gave your Salamence, or that surprising Toxic on your bulky Water. On the other hand, Heal Bell is pretty much telegraphed to your opponent if you send in Celebi after one or more of your Pokémon got inflicted with status. It does nothing to repel nasty opponents at all, and it gives things like Tyranitar an invitation ticket to come in for free and do horrible things with Celebi and/or its team mates. Occasionally you can use this to your advantage, however, since your opponent may assume they have a “free” turn and make a risky play, which you may be able to punish with Grass Knot or at least make worthless with Leech Seed. At any rate, if you think you can afford to trade a turn for nursing all your Pokémon, use this Celebi, but beware, as that one turn may cost you the game.
The rest of the deal is pretty obvious: attack or Leech Seed counters on the switch, and if you have suffered a wound so severe that Leftovers and Leech Seed don't cure it fast enough, Recover it off. It's the way this set worked in GSC and Advance, and it will probably remain this way forever.
Name Item Ability Nature
Lead Occa Berry / Focus Sash Natural Cure Modest
Moveset EVs
~ Stealth Rock
~ Leaf Storm
~ Earth Power
~ U-turn
76 HP / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
Sporting good defenses, above average Speed, access to Stealth Rock, and the ability to counter many popular leads, Celebi proves to be a reliable lead. The idea is simple; if you are faster than the opposing lead, you're free to set up Stealth Rock. If not, you go on the offensive or break their sash with a U-turn and switch to a reliable counter.
For common leads faster than you, straight out offense or U-turn are most often the safest options. Aerodactyl is always 2HKOed by Leaf Storm and Azelf's sash is broken with U-turn, allowing priority users such as Scizor to pick them off (thanks to Occa Berry and Celebi's lower Speed, Scizor will always get in unscathed). Infernape can prove to be a nuisance, especially if it's running U-turn. If it's not, Occa Berry allows Celebi to either get Stealth Rock up or switch out to safety depending on whether Infernape Taunts or sets up after the inevitable Fake Out.
As for the bulkier leads, things become more simple. Swampert and Hippowdon are both OHKOed by Leaf Storm. You outspeed Metagross and 2HKO it, or you can just set up Stealth Rock right away in both cases. Bronzong is slower than you and if it puts you to sleep with Hypnosis, Natural Cure will remedy that. U-turn breaks any sashes Tyranitar might have and allows you to switch to a reliable counter right away. Celebi beats all forms of Heatran leads, surviving Fire Blast thanks to Occa Berry and OHKOing Scarfed ones and outspeeding Shuca Berry variants for a swift 2HKO. The unpredictable Jirachi can be annoying but unless it leads off with a U-turn, you will get Stealth Rock up and this particular Celebi set doesn't mind getting a Choice Scarf tricked on it at all.
Energy Ball or Grass Knot can be used over Leaf Storm for STAB, but are not recommended since the higher Base Power is needed to OHKO some common leads such as Hippowdon. Earth Power is needed to deal with Steel- and Fire- types. U-turn is necessary to switch out lest you become cannon fodder for Pursuit users. Occa Berry is the preferred item to take Fire attacks from Infernape and Heatran, but Focus Sash deserves a mention for its ability to allow Celebi survival through Infernape's and Jirachi's U-turns.
Name Item Nature
Tinkerbell Life Orb Modest
Moveset EVs
~ Thunder Wave
~ Leaf Storm
~ Psychic / Hidden Power Fire / U-turn
~ Rest / Recover
232 HP / 244 SpA / 32 Spe
This is a good multipurpose set that acts as a deterrent to Celebi's usual counters. Most things that switch into Celebi will not enjoy being crippled by paralysis, which makes you faster than the myriad of offensive Pokemon eager to blast through one of Celebi's seven weaknesses. Leaf Storm, backed up by a Life Orb and heavy EV investment, is a new definition of pain, smashing even a Max HP Tyranitar's defenses for an OHKO with the aid of Stealth Rock.
The last two slots can be tailored to what you would like Celebi to handle. Psychic is a strong STAB option that will dispatch of Gengar, Heracross, and Infernape. Hidden Power Fire will easily OHKO Forretress and Scizor switch-ins, and deal hefty damage to Steel-types not named Heatran. U-turn is great for getting Celebi out of there after you've crippled something with Thunder Wave. Rest is the primary method of healing here, as Celebi can fully replenish its HP against a faster opponent and remove its status as it switches out thanks to Natural Cure. Recover is also a great alternative, as it allows you to scout for a full paralysis before switching.
The EVs let you outspeed Jolly Tyranitar so you can kill it before it even thinks about setting up. It also makes sure that you take the minimum damage from Life Orb with the highest possible HP.
Name Item Nature
Calm Mind Passer Leftovers Timid
Moveset EVs
~ Calm Mind
~ Grass Knot / Psychic
~ Baton Pass
~ Recover
252 HP / 80 Def / 176 Spe
Celebi is one of the most reliable Calm Mind/Baton Passers in the game. It has the defensive stats, Recover, and resistances to take a few beatings, and this version has enough Speed to ensure it gets in a Baton Pass against anything slower than 308, which includes neutral natured base 100s, non-Scarf Tyranitar, and - most importantly - base 90 Speed Pokémon that run a Speed boosting nature, such as Lucario, Porygon-Z, and Roserade. While Psychic used to be the most popular attacking move on Celebi, Grass Knot helps Celebi to better defend itself against Tyranitar, Weavile, and other Dark type Pursuit users; and Celebi can Baton Pass out against Salamence and non-Choice Scarf Heracross anyway. As a bonus, it nearly OHKOes Dugtrio, though it isn't as threatening to Celebi as it was in Advance since Hidden Power Bug is now special, so you should be safe barring a critical hit from Night Slash. A great thing about Baton Passing Celebi is that it helps against Pursuiters: if the Pursuiter is faster it will deal damage with 40 Base Power, and if it's slower it will hit your recipient.
Psychic can still be used if you want to hurt Heracross and Salamence on the switch. Infernape certainly will not be pleased either.
Name Item Nature
Physical Baton Pass Leftovers Jolly
Moveset EVs
~ Baton Pass
~ Swords Dance
~ Seed Bomb
~ Recover / Substitute / Zen Headbutt
252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 Spe
Celebi's defenses are phenomenal and usually allow it to survive enough hits that it can find the time for at least one Swords Dance. Celebi can then either sweep with boosted Seed Bombs or Baton Pass away to a more dangerous threat such as Lucario.
Its two STAB moves, Seed Bomb and Zen Headbutt are the best physical options Celebi has. The former is recommended here because nothing is immune to it, though Zen Headbutt may be used as well if you wish to take advantage of its flinch rate, and don't mind losing Recover. With 80 EVs in attack, Seed Bomb has an 87% chance of OHKOing maximum HP Tyranitar after a Swords Dance if it switches into Stealth Rock. If you have other means of dealing with Tyranitar and would rather just Baton Pass out against it, you may shift those EVs to one of your defenses instead.
In addition to Attack boosts, Celebi is also well-suited to passing bulky 101 HP Substitutes.
Name Item Nature
Choice Specs Choice Specs Modest / Timid
Moveset EVs
~ Leaf Storm
~ Psychic
~ Signal Beam / U-turn / Trick
~ Hidden Power Fighting / Hidden Power Fire / Earth Power
4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Unlike most of the other sets recommended, this one puts Celebi on the offensive. Leaf Storm will hurt anything not resistant—which is unfortunate since a fair number of things are—and that is why you have Psychic for secondary STAB. Beware, though: a Choice-locked Psychic makes Celebi Pursuit bait for Tyranitar, Weavile, or one of the Pursuiting Steels, so it is best to scout the opposing team before using it. The third slot is reserved to hit other Psychics: Signal Beam will obviously do more damage, but U-turn allows you to scout, possibly bluff what set you are using, and deal extra Stealth Rock damage as you switch to an appropriate counter or offensive threat. If damaging other Psychic types is of little concern, Trick is an interesting alternative to cripple common Celebi counters such as Blissey, Snorlax, and Cresselia. The fourth slot deals with Celebi's obvious weaknesses: Hidden Power Fighting hurts Dark-types with Pursuit, such as Tyranitar and Weavile, while Hidden Power Fire beats up Steels, in particular Scizor and Forretress, and other Grass types. Earth Power pulverizes Heatran and Metagross, so if your team has trouble with them then that is probably your best bet.
Name Item Nature
Choice Scarf Choice Scarf Timid
Moveset EVs
~ Leaf Storm
~ Psychic / Earth Power
~ Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ice
~ U-turn / Trick
100 HP / 252 SpA / 156 Spe
Traditionally, Celebi is not seen as much of an offensive threat. However, when utilizing a Choice Scarf, it has the potential to be one of the best revenge killers in the game. Leaf Storm is used for sheer power, hitting 210 Base Power after taking STAB into account. Psychic is another useful STAB option; although be sure to scout the team before using, as Celebi it may leave Celebi open to Pursuit, especially from Tyranitar and Weavile. Earth Power is another solid option for hitting Steel-types, in particular Heatran who can always be revenge killed, and Fire-types. Hidden Power Fire is there to keep Scizor in check, as well as providing you a with a move to hit Bronzong and Skarmory. Hidden Power Ice can be used to get the jump on Salamence and other Dragon-types, but comes at the cost of Scizor switching in for free and freely using Pursuit or U-turn. The last move is a toss-up between U-turn and Trick. U-turn can be used to scout teams’ counters while getting in a light hit and gaining advantageous match-up for yourself. Trick, on the other hand, is capable of crippling most Pokémon that are not already packing a Choice item, as well as many common switch ins (Blissey, Snorlax, Zapdos).
If you opt for Psychic in the second slot, you'll want to use Hidden Power Fire to damage Steel-types not named Heatran. If your choice is Earth Power, you'll want to use Hidden Power Ice in the third slot to specifically combat Zapdos and Salamence. The final slot can be replaced with another attacking move or even with Rest to abuse Natural Cure.
The EVs here are pretty straightforward. Using a Timid nature and 156 Speed EVs allows you to outspeed +1 neutral natured base 100 Speed Pokémon, such as Salamence. Celebi's Special Attack is maximized to ensure it reaches its full offensive potential. Notably, this allows Celebi to 2HKO 252 HP/0 SpD Tyranitar with Leaf Storm, and OHKO 4 HP / 0 SpD Tyranitar. The leftover 100 EVs were placed into HP to allow for a reasonable amount of bulk; however they can be moved to Speed if you are aiming to beat Pokemon faster than +1 neutral base 100s.
Name Item Nature
Offensive CM Life Orb Timid
Moveset EVs
~ Calm Mind
~ Grass Knot
~ Recover / Psychic
~ Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ice / Earth Power
76 HP / 252 SpA / 180 Spe
Offensive CM Celebi works much like offensive Suicune. However, unlike Suicune, it gets Recover, which gives Celebi more turns to attack. This also allows Celebi to take more hits and set up.
Grass Knot gives Celebi a powerful STAB attack. In the third slot, Recover is preferred as Life Orb damage really adds up quickly. However, if it is desired that Celebi have as much type coverage as possible, Psychic is an option; when paired with Hidden Power Fire it hits every OU Pokemon excluding Tyranitar, Starmie, and Heatran for at least neutral damage. There are three choices for the final slot: Hidden Power Fire, Hidden Power Ice, and Earth Power. Hidden Power Fire hits Steels and other Grass types. Hidden Power Ice also hits other Grass Pokemon, while also dealing hefty damage to Dragons, such as Salamence and Flygon. Earth Power nails the common Heatran switch-in, and also is your best option against Jirachi and Metagross.
The EVs give you maximum sweeping potential with 252 Special Attack EVs. 180 Speed EVs lets you outspeed all base 90 Speed Pokemon such as Timid Roserade and Jolly Lucario when using Hidden Power Fire. The remaining EVs are delegated to HP for some bulk.
Name Item Nature
SubSeed Leftovers Timid
Moveset EVs
~ Substitute
~ Leech Seed
~ Baton Pass / Recover / Hidden Power Fire / Hidden Power Ice
~ Psychic
252 HP / 80 SpA / 176 Spe
A Celebi with this set takes ages to get rid of if your opponent only has slow Celebi counters like Metagross and Tyranitar. Leech Seed opponents, repeatedly use Substitute to wear them down, and finish off with Psychic. Use of Stealth Rock and/or Spikes is encouraged to punish people trying to switch out of Leech Seed. Psychic is the better attacking option here because you'll want something to hit other Grass-types, which are immune to Leech Seed. As for the final slot: Baton Pass can hand some other team mate a 101 HP Substitute to work with, Recover makes Celebi's durability nearly overkill, and the Hidden Powers can be used to hit for super effective damage on other Grass types as well as specific threats.
Name Item Nature
More Leech Seed and Calm Mind Leftovers Bold
Moveset EVs
~ Leech Seed
~ Calm Mind
~ Recover / Substitute
~ Psychic / Grass Knot
252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe
Both Leech Seed Celebi and Calm Mind Celebi can be horribly annoying, depending on what you're sending in as a counter. Imagine the face of your opponent when it turns out that you have both! This kind of Celebi not only stalls like a Brazilian on the losing end of a rated match on NetBattle, but also can actually sweep entire teams, given enough Calm Minds. Try not to get greedy, though: the chance of your opponent scoring a critical hit with six attacks is only slightly less than 1/3, and many a Pokemon game has been lost on much slimmer odds.
A bias to Defense is present in this set to avoid taking heavy damage from Pursuit, and to give Celebi sturdy defenses all-around after a Calm mind. However, a Calm nature with a sizable EV investment in Special Defense is also viable, allowing you to more easily set up against special attackers. Even those that would hit for super effective will have trouble, if they don't have Choice Specs or STAB behind them.
Name Item Nature
Perish Song Leftovers Bold
Moveset EVs
~ U-turn
~ Grass Knot
~ Perish Song
~ Recover
252 HP / 220 Def / 36 Spe
Perish Song Celebi is an excellent addition to any stall-oriented team. Many stall teams will find themselves helpless against a "last Pokemon" Curselax or Calm Mind / Rest Suicune since they will be unable to pseudo-haze it out via Whirlwind or Roar and status attacks such as Toxic will be futile due to rest. However, this Celebi can simply switch in, Perish Song, and wait out the turns until the last Pokemon is KOed once the count hits zero. Perish Song also provides a safe way to stop most Baton Pass teams that lack a Soundproof Pokemon.
Escape is crucial when the last turn of Perish Song is upon Celebi, and U-turn helps Celebi escape while still getting in a light hit. Without U-turn, Celebi could be trapped by Dugtrio on the last count from Perish Song. Dugtrio will faint thanks to residual damage and Celebi’s Grass Knot, but Celebi will be taken down with Dugtrio in the process.
Recover allows Celebi a reliable method to heal and Grass Knot is chosen for obvious STAB. Any number of Celebi's support options can work decently over U-turn, but U-turn is the most reliable choice.
Name Item Nature
Life Orb Sweeper Life Orb Timid
Moveset EVs
~ Recover
~ Leaf Storm
~ Psychic
~ Hidden Power Fire / Earth Power / U-turn
36 Def / 252 SpA / 220 Spe
This set's purpose is to deal as much damage as possible to the opposition. Only Heatran and Houndoom resist the attacking combination of Fire + Grass + Psychic, and the latter is extremely scarce in OU. Recover is on the set to heal off residual Life Orb recoil damage, as Celebi will have many opportunities to switch in and heal due to its useful Fighting and Ground resistances. Earth Power can be used to deal damage to Fire Pokemon switching in on Celebi, like Heatran, Houndoom, and Arcanine. U-turn can be considered in order to save Celebi from bad match-ups and rack up Stealth Rock and spikes damage, and it works well in conjunction with Leaf Storm due to the -2 Special Attack drop.
Timid is chosen over Modest because it is impossible to have a Speed IV of 31 with Hidden Power Fire, meaning Celebi would always be slower than other neutral base 100 Speed Pokemon. 319 Speed allows Celebi to always outspeed and KO Lucario, Roserade, Porygon-Z, and Electivire unless they hold a Choice Scarf.
Life Orb is the optimal item on this set instead of Expert Belt because Celebi will hit most of its targets for neutral damage. As for Leftovers, this particular Celebi set is not meant to take a large number of hits anyway.
Name Item Nature
Trick Orb Flame Orb Timid
Moveset EVs
~ Trick
~ U-Turn
~ Psychic
~ Recover
252 HP / 80 Def / 176 Spe
Pokemon such as Scizor, Tyranitar, Salamence, Metagross, and Lucario will often switch into Celebi, expecting to take a weak Grass Knot and use the time to set up. This set relies on Celebi's ability to lure in these common physical threats and Trick a Flame Orb onto them, crippling them with the burn status. Celebi can then U-turn out and rid itself of the burn with Natural Cure. Psychic is used so that Heracross and Infernape are not guaranteed a free switch in since neither of them (Heracross in particular, due to Guts) really mind getting a Flame Orb.
Name Item Nature
Uber Lead Leftovers Calm
Moveset EVs
~ Thunder Wave
~ Recover
~ Grass Knot
~ Stealth Rock / Earth Power / Hidden Power Fire / Leech Seed
252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
This Celebi is designed to give the user information about the opponent's team, paralyze the opponent’s Pokemon, and allow you to respond accordingly. Its Defense EVs allow it to never be OHKOed by a Life Orb Groudon's Fire Punch, and its Special Defense EVs allow it to never be OHKOed by a Choice Specs Mewtwo's Ice Beam.
On the first turn, Celebi Thunder Waves and notes how much damage it takes. If it took 80%+, the opponent was most likely Banded / Speced and now crippled due to Thunder Wave. Celebi can switch to an appropriate counter, having given information to the user and still having the chance to remain relevant late battle with Recover. Thunder Wave and Recover allow Celebi to beat most Kyogre, Deoxys-A, Mewtwo (non Specs or Taunt versions) and Groudon (low Speed versions) one on one.
The choice for the fourth slot is a team issue. Stealth Rock will help attackers like Rayquaza and Groudon sweep more effectively. Earth Power is an excellent choice for the ability to dent Dialga, Heatran, and Metagross. Leech Seed can be served to Pokemon like Blissey, Lugia and Giratina, who all generally force Celebi to switch out. Finally, Hidden Power Fire is there to deal damage to both Scizor and Forretress.
Other Options
Celebi gets three different Grass moves worth considering. Energy Ball works better than Grass Knot if the opponent is rather light—it has 80 Base Power, which wins against Weavile, Dugtrio and Vaporeon. However, Grass Knot has a lot more power against Milotic, Tyranitar, Rhyperior and others, so the vast majority of the time it is a superior option. Leaf Storm has only been mentioned on the all-out offensive sets, but is a worthwhile option on any set that doesn’t involve Calm Mind. Celebi has to hop in and out a lot in order to make the Special Attack drop less significant, but the extra power is welcome. The low PP, however, is not, which is why Giga Drain isn't getting much more mentioning than the following: it was quite useful in Advance to take out Dugtrio in one hit and still have some HP to spare, but in this generation Dugtrio isn't an effective Celebi killer and there are many powerful alternatives.
Charge Beam has a few cool uses. For one, it nets Celebi a nice boost in Special Attack 63% of the time you use it (factoring in the 90% accuracy). It's also a nice way of self defense against the monster that is Gyarados as well as against Skarmory. The fact that you can Baton Pass these lucky boosts makes it all the more worth considering. The Base Power is beyond pathetic though; if you want something a little better than that you can use Hidden Power Electric. If you don't have access to Hidden Powers like that, Shock Wave can be a substitute, but it is quite weak as well.
Stealth Rock also has found its way into Celebi's movepool. While Spikes would have been preferable on a Pokémon with as much durability as this floating head of lettuce, it is better than nothing. Still, Celebi has so many awesome options that you're better off rounding out some other Pokémon's moveset with it. Stealth Rock hits quite hard on Celebi's "good friends" Salamence and Gyarados though, so it complements it nicely wherever you choose to put it on your team. Protect can stall for Leftovers and Leech Seed recovery and scout your opponent, which is useful since Celebi will often be facing down choice users (Tyranitar, Heracross, and Scizor in particular).
Celebi makes a very good user of Trick Room for the same reason Bronzong and Dusknoir do: it can take a hit or two and therefore get it in more than once without rolling over and dying. So if you're looking for something to set it up for you, be sure to glance in Celebi's direction (though Celebi’s high speed certainly is not any help here). Reflect and Light Screen can help with the initial switch after using Trick Room; in fact, both are generally great for adding some extra defense to your team. It should be noted that Reflect is generally the better option on Celebi in order curb damage from Pursuit.
EVs
Unless Celebi is running an offensive set (and even then in some cases), it should max out HP to take hits well from both sides. 244, 305, and 308 are the Speed stats it should be aiming at most of the time: 244 beats Jolly Tyranitar to the punch and 305 gets the jump on Adamant Salamence with a few EVs to spare — though if you elect to invest to 305, you might as well go the full stretch and run 308 to outspeed all base 90 Speed Pokémon without Choice Scarf. Most of the EVing is obvious and outlined under each specific set, but generally you'll want to focus on one defense with your leftover EVs.
Opinion
In Advance, there were a lot of doubts as to Celebi’s status as an OU Pokemon. Diamond/Pearl pretty much declared Celebi "a good standard" by giving Pursuit to some extremely big threats, adding/evolving more Pokémon to counter it (Weavile and Heatran, most notably), and creating useful new moves in all of its seven weaknesses. However, it is still a highly viable Pokémon in OU play. Dugtrio, a main counter in Advance, lost a lot of power against this plant pixie with both Hidden Power and Sludge Bomb becoming special attacks. Celebi also received Thunder Wave, Leaf Storm, U-turn, Trick, and Grass Knot to toy with while keeping all of its old options. It can be a pretty good offensive threat with Choice Specs and Calm Mind, but much more notable are its refusal to die to anything not named Megahorn and its ability to stall everything that doesn't carry that. Celebi's movepool is so insane and its stats complement it so well that it can easily stray from the recommended sets above and do just about whatever it wants. None of its moves are necessary, but nearly all of them are useful.
Counters
You probably saw it coming: Celebi's #1 counters pack Pursuit. Tyranitar and Weavile have been mentioned before: both of them have great Attack scores and get STAB on Pursuit. Tyranitar may be weak to Grass Knot, but his Special Defense boost in Sandstorm almost negates that. However, switching Tyranitar in is easier said than done, since Tyranitar is 2HKOed by Grass Knot after Stealth Rock damage. Tyranitar also needs to be holding a Choice Band or Life Orb, and pack the move Payback (which almost no Tyranitar runs) in order to guarantee an OHKO on defensive Celebi. Weavile can switch into Grass Knot, but must be wary of Thunder Wave, Reflect, Leech Seed and Hidden Power Fire. Thunder Wave especially is quite disabling to Weavile in the long run, disintegrating its famed Speed stat to that of the likes of Snorlax and Torkoal; Reflect will completely wall Weavile's moves and prevent it from getting past Celebi; and a Seeded Weavile also struggles to bypass Celebi unless it is holding a Choice Band. Even then, Ice Punch will not score an OHKO, and Celebi can safely use Recover to avoid destruction from a well-predicted Pursuit. Houndoom also resists Grass Knot and is immune to Psychic, and can perform a STABed Pursuit, though its attack is rather unimpressive and it is rarely seen in OU.
Skarmory learns Pursuit as well but obviously isn't going to use it. Instead, he will use his huge amount of free time against Celebi (earned courtesy of his resistance to both of Celebi's STAB attacks) to rack up Spikes or get in Stealth Rock. He can Whirlwind away Celebi's stat boosts and Substitute as well. Forretress can set up Toxic Spikes and Spikes against any Celebi not running HP Fire, or take the time to blow away entry hazards with Rapid Spin or take a chunk out of Celebi with Bug Bite. Scizor can not only Pursuit from 130 base Attack, but also use the horrifying U-turn to OHKO Celebi, or at the very least scout Celebi’s switch and rack up Stealth Rock damage. Celebi’s one bit of solace here is that most players know that it commonly carries HP Fire, which, if nothing else, will make them cautious about sending in a slow Scizor or Forretress. While not strictly a counter, Flygon can make Celebi a liability by switching in on Thunder Wave, and then threatening massive damage with U-turn or the advantageous switch if Celebi switches out.
These Pursuiters will pose a big threat to Celebi, but their trap is not guaranteed to work. If Celebi goes out using Baton Pass, Pursuit remains 40 Base Power. The same goes when a slower Celebi uses U-turn.
Salamence is 4x resistant to Grass. Usually you will find a Salamence coming into Celebi throwing a Life Orb Fire Blast at you, which will be a 2HKO. Latias is also an excellent counter to Celebi as it can easily shrug off virtually any of its attacks and set up with Calm Mind. Dusknoir's Pressure can deplete PP pretty quickly, but he won't really harm Celebi without a lot of Attack investment and he won't do a thing against the Baton Passing variants.
Heatran does a great job at stopping Celebi dead in its tracks. It shares the resistances to its STAB moves that Skarmory has, but it deals much more damage with its STAB Fire moves. However, Heatran must be wary of Earth Power, and it cannot really stop a Baton Passing Celebi unless it is carrying a Choice Scarf, in which case it must avoid Thunder Wave at all costs.
Azelf resists Psychic and takes a pathetic 20 Base Power attack from Grass Knot, and can seriously dent Celebi with Flamethrower or U-turn. If that Azelf carries Taunt, it can stop Celebi from Calm Minding, Swords Dancing, Recovering, Seeding, Heal Belling, etc. However, it is OHKOed by the Choice Specs set and is 2HKOed by Energy Ball assuming Celebi gets a Calm Mind in when Azelf switches into it.
Weezing can Haze away Celebi's stat-ups and hit it with a super effective Sludge Bomb. Only use him if you made sure the particular Celebi you're facing is one without Psychic or you won't get your healthy Weezing back. Suicune should play the reverse way when Roaring away stat-ups. Its generally more sturdy against special attacks, but it shouldn't be taking Leaf Storms or Grass Knots.
Information taken from: http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/celebi