This is up a day late (blame my computer), but that's given me an opportunity to fix some things.
Hopefully these additions aren't mind-numbingly incorrect or anything. There's some areas I'm not very confident about, but oh well. I did my best, I have no regrets.
Changes:
name: Trick Specs
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Signal Beam
move 4: Trick / Hidden Power Fire
Item: Choice Specs
Ability: Synchronize
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 SpA / 6 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Alakazam's Trick set has gotten a couple upgrades from ADV, namely Focus Blast and Choice Specs. With amazing Speed the highest Special Attack stat in OU, Alakazam is truly a force to be reckoned with. Choice Specs boosted Psychic coming off of base 135 Special Attack is nothing to scoff at, dealing massive damage to anything that doesn't resist it. While Psychic unfortunately is resisted by quite a few OU Pokemon, Focus Blast is here to pick up the slack. Between Focus Blast and Signal Beam, Alakazam can easily 2HKO anything with resistance to Psychic, including Tyranitar, Celebi, and Metagross. Even the now-standard 148 / 0 Blissey can be 2HKOed, though in most cases Stealth Rock is required, and any Blissey running extra Special Defense will be out of Alakazam's reach. Signal Beam hits both Dark- and Psychic-types very hard, allowing Alakazam to take down Celebi, Weavile, Starmie, and Azelf in a single hit, while Cressilia and Tyranitar are easily 2HKOed. Hidden Power Fire can be used to OHKO Scizor switch-ins and deal reasonable damage to Metagross, Bronzong and Jirachi.</p>
<p>Even if Alakazam struggles to reduce Blissey's HP, it can still deal a significant blow with Trick. With Blissey locked into its attacks and without Leftovers recovery, it should be fairly easy to pick off with the rest of your team. Trick also deals a huge blow to Tyranitar switch-ins, which usually do not run any Special Attacks.</p>
<p>Without Hidden Power Fire, you are easily walled by certain Steel-types. In particular, Metagross and the occasional Bronzong can cause serious problems. Metagross can generally be stopped by Bronzong with some Defense investment, or Heatran, who shrugs of Meteor Mash with ease. Bronzong can be dealt with Magnezone or Heatran.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Electric
move 3: Focus Blast / Signal Beam
move 4: Trick
Item: Choice Scarf
Ability: Synchronize
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 SpA / 6 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a Choice Scarf equipped, Alakazam will easily outrun almost everything in the game, allowing you to prevent Speed boosted Pokemon from sweeping your team even without a proper check for them. Timid Alakazam outspeeds both Gyarados and Tyranitar after two Dragon Dances, and Salamence after one; and although Alakazam cannot use both hidden Power Ice and Electric on the same set, it does have other options. Psychic is Alakazam's most powerful STAB attack, dealing up to 60% damage to 4 / 0 Salamence, often enough to take it down between Stealth Rock and some other residual damage (e.g. Sandstorm or Life Orb recoil). If Tyranitar is not a problem, or if you wish to forgo Trick, you can run both Hidden Power Ice and Shock Wave to handle both Salamence and Gyarados with the same set. Signal Beam can also provide decent coverage, usually netting both an OHKO on Celebi after Stealth Rock damage and a 2HKO on Tyranitar with the same condition.</p>
<p>Trick is a very important move on this set, as it allows Alakazam to deal a major blow to Blissey, Snorlax, and Latias (which is usually not 2HKOed even after Stealth Rock damage). It is also a general help against stall teams, since in that matchup the extra Speed is likely useless and being locked in to an attack can give the opponent a chance to set up Spikes or use Rapid Spin.</p>
<p>Timid is the recommended nature to outrun Gyarados and Kingdra after two Dragon Dances, as well as slower Choice Scarf users such as Gengar and Infernape. However, if the drop in power is concerning, Modest Alakazam will still outspeed any Dragon Dancer with only a +1 Speed boost.</p>
<p>Like in the previous set, Bronzong and Metagross are your greatest problems. Heatran is your best option for Bronzong. If you're willing to risk being hit by Earthquake, Heatran can take care of Metagross; as well, however, Magnezone does that job better. Bronzong is also somewhat noteworthy against Metagross, being able to put a decent dent in Metagross's HP while resisting most of Metagross's attacks. Rotom-A and Skarmory are also viable options.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Encore
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Encore
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Signal Beam
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Timid
EVs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 16 SpD / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Encore is a unique move and can be used to allow Alakazam to set up a Substitute. This can also work effectively as a lead, allowing you to Encore Stealth Rock or another support move and then Substitute as your foe switches. If you do opt to use this as a lead, Inner Focus is the recommended ability, since it will allow Alakazam to bypass the flinch from Infernape or Ambipom's Fake Out.</p>
<p>Probably the most frequent use of this set is to set up a Substitute on a status user and then Encore it the next turn. But the usefulness does not stop there. With good prediction, Alakazam can switch into opponents using Calm Mind, Substitute, or another support move and Encore them. Pokemon like Suicune, Jirachi, and Breloom suddenly become much less threatening, as you switch to a physical attacker or use Substitute yourself while they use the same move over and over. Additionally, Baton Pass teams are severely crippled by Alazakam.</p>
<p>Psychic is Alakazam's STAB attack, and Signal Beam is used on this to hit both Psychic and Dark-type foes. Substitute protects Alakazam from Weavile and Tyranitar, who will likely switch in and try to use Pursuit. The EVs allow Alakazam to make four Substitutes, and Leftovers will allow it to make a fifth if it does not take any extra damage. Special Attack is maxed, and the Speed EVs and nature provided generate 363 Speed, which will outrun Pokemon with base 115 Speed. The surplus is put into Special Defense.</p>
<p>The largest issue with this set is Metagross, particularly those of the Choice Band variety. CB Metagross generally has no issue with its Meteor Mash being encored, which can easily break Alakazam's Substitute. As Meteor Mash will most frequently come your way, Magnezone is an excellent switch-in. Resisting Meteor Mash 4x and trapping it with Magnet Pull is a devastating blow to Metagross, who is 2HKOed by Magnezone's Thunderbolt. Heatran too, poses a threat to this set. Encore can pose a problem to Substitute sets, however those are fairly uncommon. Choice Sets will generally attempt to Fire Blast Alakazam. A switch to a Heatran of your own will negate this issue.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screen
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Encore / Taunt
move 4: Psychic
Item: Light Clay
Nature: Timid
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 HP / 40 SpD / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Alakazam is the fastest user of the Dual Screen strategy in standard play, and this gives it a distinct advantage as a lead. With base 120 Speed, Alakazam can set up screens in the first few turns, likely before the foe will be mounting any kind of major attack. This makes it much easier to set up your sweepers, or to give a Pokemon time to set up stat boosts for a Baton Pass.
<p>Alakazam has clear advantages over other Dual Screen leads such as Azelf. First off, it has Inner Focus to get the jump on Fake Out leads such as Infernape, Weavile, and Ambipom. Secondly, it outspeeds Azelf and possesses the rare move Encore, which will prevent almost any set up attempts from your opponent. Psychic can be used in the last slot to get rid of Gengar and not waste Alakazam's impressive Special Attack. Still, it is sometimes useful to have both Taunt and Encore, in case you do not want your opponent to use an entry hazard, a status attack, or a Speed boosting move.</p>
<p>216 EVs in Speed lets you outrun non-Scarf Azelf; maximum HP is used to better survive attacks; and with 40 EVs in SpD, Alakazam has a decent chance of surviving Timid Gengar's Shadow Ball. For an idea of it's bulk, after a Reflect, Alakazam will survive Choice Band Tyranitar's Pursuit if it does not switch, as well as Weavile's Night Slash.</p>
<p>Offensively, this set is weak. Dark-types, Steel-types, and Psychic-types will be large threats, particularly the latter two. Dark types like Tyranitar fear strong Fighting-types like Machamp, as do Steel-types. Psychic-types are vulnerable to Tyranitar or Heracross, who will KO with ease.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Focus Blast / Signal Beam
move 4: Psychic
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 152 HP / 176 SpD / 180 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> Alakazam doesn't have access to Nasty Plot like some of his peers, but Calm Mind is usually enough to do the trick. Alakazam can easily set up on Flamethrower/Toxic Blissey, Celebi, Cresselia, and more. Substitute blocks status, while Calm Mind boosts Alakazam's offense and defense. Eventually your Substitutes will be nearly unbreakable by special attacks and you can start sweeping. Psychic and Focus Blast is walled by Psychics, while Psychic and Signal Beam is walled by Steels. </p>
<p> With the given Special Defense EVs, your Substitute will survive a Grass Knot from Celebi or an Ice Beam from Blissey or Cressilia over 95% of the time. This allows you to put up a Substitute without fear of it being broken before you can Calm Mind a few times. Leftovers is generally the item of choice, but a Salac Berry can also be used, so you outrun everything when you've finished setting up. </p>
<p>Pokemon such as Gyarados or Kingdra can be a serious issue for this set. Defensive Grass-types such as Tangrowth or Celebi will generally take care of them quickly, however.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Signal Beam
item: Life Orb
ability: Synchronize
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Alakazam may not have access to Nasty Plot like its fellow Psychic-type Azelf, but it boasts the advantages of more Speed and Special Attack and access to the powerful Focus Blast. A single Calm Mind can give Alakazam the extra power it needs to sweep.</p>
<p> The boost provided from Calm Mind and a Life Orb is 1.95x, giving Alakazam over 700 Special Attack after a single boost. When this immense power is paired with Alakazam's high Speed, it is very difficult to take down. Simply bring Alakazam in on something it can scare off, Calm Mind on the switch, and start bringing the pain. </p>
<p>Even with the Life Orb and a Calm Mind boost, Alakazam can only muster 59% to Blissey with Focus Blast. You'll have to either remove it, or weaken it beforehand if you want to have any chance at getting a sweep.</p>
<p>Strong Physical Sweepers that resist your main attacking moves, like Salamence, can potentially stop you if you haven't set up yet. Substitute users such as Breloom also pose threats. These two in particular can be dealt with by a quick switch to Scarf Heatran, who can seriously dent both. Ultimately, though, not much is going to stand in the way of an Alakazam with over 600 Special Attack.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Alakazam's lack of any serious defenses force it to rely heavily on being fast and powerful. When it can't do the damage it needs to, there isn't much to do. Pokemon with access to Calm Mind will stop Alakazam the fastest. PHazers, or just Pokemon that force switches in general are extremely helpful. Naturally, entry hazards are of great use too. It's much easier to deal with an enemy that's at 87.5% HP than 100% for any Pokemon, but Alakazam needs all the help it can get. </p>
<p>Alakazam will have serious troubles with Steel-types in general. Most sets don't have room for Hidden Power Fire, and as such Pokemon like Bronzong who take neutral damage from Focus Blast have the potential to stop you. Fire-types and Ground-types in general solve these issues, doing the super-effective damage Alakazam can't do. Strong special walls like Blissey cause numerous problems for Alakazam. Alakazam sets that do not use Choice Specs can't touch Blissey, even with Focus Blast. Additionally, Blissey will often throw a Thunder Wave at Alakazam in attempt to cripple it. Physical Ground-types like Rhyperior and Dugtrio can resolve this issue - Dugtrio also gives the added benefit of trapping Blissey with Arena Trap. Cresselia presents more of a Problem if you're not using Signal Beam, however, Cresselia can be dealt with by Tyranitar or Heracross.</p>
<p>Defensively, Alakazam isn't that solid. Bug-types will pose serious threats to you. Bugs-type moves aren't exactly common, however these can be dealt with by having a decent Steel or Fire-type Pokemon. Scizor in particular will be a serious issue. Scizor can come in on Psychic and do serious damage with Bullet Punch or Pursuit, and is best dealt with by either Gyarados or Zapdos, who will often KO or force switches. The occasional Spiritomb can also be a threat, taking no damage from Psychic or Focus Blast. However, when it comes to Pokemon like Spiritomb that whip around status and Dark-type moves, Heatran can take the hit quite easily. Heatran will absorb Will o' Wisp and then dish out heavy damage with Fire Blast.</p>
<p>As mentioned before, Thunder Wave can be an issue to Alakazam - but it's also somewhat predictable. While Alakazam certainly isn't Gyarados when it comes to luring Electric-type moves, it does tend to draw in Thunder Waves. This can be used to your advantadge by switching to Pokemon like Electivire and Jolteon who absorb and benefit from Electric attacks.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Alakazam gets Knock Off, Thunder Wave, Snatch, Recover, Recycle and more. Due to his frailty, they are usually better used on another Pokémon, unless you have a very specific purpose in mind. As far as offensive options, Alakazam gets a few notable moves. Charge Beam and Shock Wave are his only Electric attacks. Charge Beam can be used over Calm Mind on the offensive set, but generally Calm Mind is the superior choice. Grass Knot and Energy Ball are his options for Grass attack. Shadow Ball hits Ghosts and Psychics hard, but generally Signal Beam is recommended for hitting Psychics, as it allows you to hit Dark-types without relying on Focus Blast. Signal Beam is also better because it makes a good move for situations where your opponent has both a Celebi and a Tyranitar (for example) and you need something that will hurt both. Hidden Power Fighting can be considered over Focus Blast if you are worried about the latter's accuracy; however, the damage output will be disappointing against Tyranitar and Heatran.</p>
<p>Ignore any physical attacks in Alakazam's movepool. Even though he gets some nifty moves like the elemental punches, his Attack is so low that it'd be a waste of your time to try using it, even with significant EV investment.</p>
[EVs]
<p>On offensive sets, you should always give Alakazam a Timid nature, 252 Special Attack EVs, and at least 216 Speed EVs. This will allow Alakazam to outrun any base 115 Speed Pokemon, and since Alakazam is fairly infrequent in OU, this should be enough. If you are not worried about outspeeding Azelf and Raikou, you can give Alakazam 180 Speed EVs, which will outrun Gengar, Latias, and defensive Starmie (which typically has 352 Speed). Although tempting, a Modest nature is generally a bad choice, as there are a great many Pokémon sitting between 339 and 372 Speed which Alakazam cannot afford to be hit by.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Alakazam is among the fastest and most powerful Pokémon in the game, sporting the highest Special Attack (tied with Porygon-Z) and one of the highest Speed stats of all the Pokémon allowed in standard play. Combined with its acceptable attacking movepool and fantastic support movepool, it can either ravage through teams or set field effects to aid its teammates in sweeping.</p>
<p>The transition from ADV to D/P gave Alakazam some new tricks, but it really could have used more. Alakazam still has terrible defenses and HP, leaving it prone to being heavily damaged by even relatively weak attacks. This may seem like a nonissue considering its high Speed, but the popularity of both Choice Scarf and priority attacks make either bulk or good typing a must for sweepers, and Alakazam sadly has neither. Additionally, the split in physical and special attacks means that Alakazam cannot use the elemental punches in this generation, and the 70% accuracy Focus Blast is not enough to make up for the lost coverage.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Blissey is generally a good counter to Alakazam, soaking up even super effective Focus Blasts with ease, but tread carefully as Trick and Encore can be an annoyance. Snorlax is in a similar situation, and even has Pursuit; however, it can be 2HKOed by a Choice Specs Focus Blast, so be careful if you do not know the set. Heatran can switch into anything but Focus Blast, which will still only 2HKO if Heatran invests in HP and Special Defense or if Alakazam is without Choice Specs.</p>
<p>Steel-types like Bronzong, Scizor, Jirachi and Metagross are excellent Alakazam counters. Hidden Power Fire will wear them down quickly, but it is absent from most Alakazam sets, so you should not worry about it too much. Other Psychic-types are decent choices, as they resist both Psychic and Focus Blast, but if you switch into a Signal Beam it could hurt quite a bit. Latias can safely switch in to anything except for Signal Beam, and it usually will not mind being Tricked Choice Specs. Spiritomb is probably the best Alakazam counter there is, with immunity to both Psychic and Focus Blast and access to both Pursuit and Sucker Punch.</p>
<p>Alakazam is easily revenge killed, because anything he cannot kill in one hit will severely wound him. If Weavile or Tyranitar switch into a Choiced Psychic, Alakazam is as good as gone, as Pursuit will OHKO. Scizor can switch in on just about anything besides Hidden Power Fire and OHKO Alakazam with either Bullet Punch or Pursuit. Dugtrio can easily trap Alakazam and OHKO with Sucker Punch, or go for a Speed tie with Earthquake.</p>
<p>Thunder Wave will effectively ruin Alakazam as it relies on its high speed to be effective.</p>
Hopefully these additions aren't mind-numbingly incorrect or anything. There's some areas I'm not very confident about, but oh well. I did my best, I have no regrets.
Changes:
- Added team options to each set
- Added team options sections
- Fixed the rare grammatical error
name: Trick Specs
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Signal Beam
move 4: Trick / Hidden Power Fire
Item: Choice Specs
Ability: Synchronize
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 SpA / 6 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Alakazam's Trick set has gotten a couple upgrades from ADV, namely Focus Blast and Choice Specs. With amazing Speed the highest Special Attack stat in OU, Alakazam is truly a force to be reckoned with. Choice Specs boosted Psychic coming off of base 135 Special Attack is nothing to scoff at, dealing massive damage to anything that doesn't resist it. While Psychic unfortunately is resisted by quite a few OU Pokemon, Focus Blast is here to pick up the slack. Between Focus Blast and Signal Beam, Alakazam can easily 2HKO anything with resistance to Psychic, including Tyranitar, Celebi, and Metagross. Even the now-standard 148 / 0 Blissey can be 2HKOed, though in most cases Stealth Rock is required, and any Blissey running extra Special Defense will be out of Alakazam's reach. Signal Beam hits both Dark- and Psychic-types very hard, allowing Alakazam to take down Celebi, Weavile, Starmie, and Azelf in a single hit, while Cressilia and Tyranitar are easily 2HKOed. Hidden Power Fire can be used to OHKO Scizor switch-ins and deal reasonable damage to Metagross, Bronzong and Jirachi.</p>
<p>Even if Alakazam struggles to reduce Blissey's HP, it can still deal a significant blow with Trick. With Blissey locked into its attacks and without Leftovers recovery, it should be fairly easy to pick off with the rest of your team. Trick also deals a huge blow to Tyranitar switch-ins, which usually do not run any Special Attacks.</p>
<p>Without Hidden Power Fire, you are easily walled by certain Steel-types. In particular, Metagross and the occasional Bronzong can cause serious problems. Metagross can generally be stopped by Bronzong with some Defense investment, or Heatran, who shrugs of Meteor Mash with ease. Bronzong can be dealt with Magnezone or Heatran.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Electric
move 3: Focus Blast / Signal Beam
move 4: Trick
Item: Choice Scarf
Ability: Synchronize
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 SpA / 6 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With a Choice Scarf equipped, Alakazam will easily outrun almost everything in the game, allowing you to prevent Speed boosted Pokemon from sweeping your team even without a proper check for them. Timid Alakazam outspeeds both Gyarados and Tyranitar after two Dragon Dances, and Salamence after one; and although Alakazam cannot use both hidden Power Ice and Electric on the same set, it does have other options. Psychic is Alakazam's most powerful STAB attack, dealing up to 60% damage to 4 / 0 Salamence, often enough to take it down between Stealth Rock and some other residual damage (e.g. Sandstorm or Life Orb recoil). If Tyranitar is not a problem, or if you wish to forgo Trick, you can run both Hidden Power Ice and Shock Wave to handle both Salamence and Gyarados with the same set. Signal Beam can also provide decent coverage, usually netting both an OHKO on Celebi after Stealth Rock damage and a 2HKO on Tyranitar with the same condition.</p>
<p>Trick is a very important move on this set, as it allows Alakazam to deal a major blow to Blissey, Snorlax, and Latias (which is usually not 2HKOed even after Stealth Rock damage). It is also a general help against stall teams, since in that matchup the extra Speed is likely useless and being locked in to an attack can give the opponent a chance to set up Spikes or use Rapid Spin.</p>
<p>Timid is the recommended nature to outrun Gyarados and Kingdra after two Dragon Dances, as well as slower Choice Scarf users such as Gengar and Infernape. However, if the drop in power is concerning, Modest Alakazam will still outspeed any Dragon Dancer with only a +1 Speed boost.</p>
<p>Like in the previous set, Bronzong and Metagross are your greatest problems. Heatran is your best option for Bronzong. If you're willing to risk being hit by Earthquake, Heatran can take care of Metagross; as well, however, Magnezone does that job better. Bronzong is also somewhat noteworthy against Metagross, being able to put a decent dent in Metagross's HP while resisting most of Metagross's attacks. Rotom-A and Skarmory are also viable options.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Encore
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Encore
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Signal Beam
Item: Leftovers
Nature: Timid
EVs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 16 SpD / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Encore is a unique move and can be used to allow Alakazam to set up a Substitute. This can also work effectively as a lead, allowing you to Encore Stealth Rock or another support move and then Substitute as your foe switches. If you do opt to use this as a lead, Inner Focus is the recommended ability, since it will allow Alakazam to bypass the flinch from Infernape or Ambipom's Fake Out.</p>
<p>Probably the most frequent use of this set is to set up a Substitute on a status user and then Encore it the next turn. But the usefulness does not stop there. With good prediction, Alakazam can switch into opponents using Calm Mind, Substitute, or another support move and Encore them. Pokemon like Suicune, Jirachi, and Breloom suddenly become much less threatening, as you switch to a physical attacker or use Substitute yourself while they use the same move over and over. Additionally, Baton Pass teams are severely crippled by Alazakam.</p>
<p>Psychic is Alakazam's STAB attack, and Signal Beam is used on this to hit both Psychic and Dark-type foes. Substitute protects Alakazam from Weavile and Tyranitar, who will likely switch in and try to use Pursuit. The EVs allow Alakazam to make four Substitutes, and Leftovers will allow it to make a fifth if it does not take any extra damage. Special Attack is maxed, and the Speed EVs and nature provided generate 363 Speed, which will outrun Pokemon with base 115 Speed. The surplus is put into Special Defense.</p>
<p>The largest issue with this set is Metagross, particularly those of the Choice Band variety. CB Metagross generally has no issue with its Meteor Mash being encored, which can easily break Alakazam's Substitute. As Meteor Mash will most frequently come your way, Magnezone is an excellent switch-in. Resisting Meteor Mash 4x and trapping it with Magnet Pull is a devastating blow to Metagross, who is 2HKOed by Magnezone's Thunderbolt. Heatran too, poses a threat to this set. Encore can pose a problem to Substitute sets, however those are fairly uncommon. Choice Sets will generally attempt to Fire Blast Alakazam. A switch to a Heatran of your own will negate this issue.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screen
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Encore / Taunt
move 4: Psychic
Item: Light Clay
Nature: Timid
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 HP / 40 SpD / 216 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Alakazam is the fastest user of the Dual Screen strategy in standard play, and this gives it a distinct advantage as a lead. With base 120 Speed, Alakazam can set up screens in the first few turns, likely before the foe will be mounting any kind of major attack. This makes it much easier to set up your sweepers, or to give a Pokemon time to set up stat boosts for a Baton Pass.
<p>Alakazam has clear advantages over other Dual Screen leads such as Azelf. First off, it has Inner Focus to get the jump on Fake Out leads such as Infernape, Weavile, and Ambipom. Secondly, it outspeeds Azelf and possesses the rare move Encore, which will prevent almost any set up attempts from your opponent. Psychic can be used in the last slot to get rid of Gengar and not waste Alakazam's impressive Special Attack. Still, it is sometimes useful to have both Taunt and Encore, in case you do not want your opponent to use an entry hazard, a status attack, or a Speed boosting move.</p>
<p>216 EVs in Speed lets you outrun non-Scarf Azelf; maximum HP is used to better survive attacks; and with 40 EVs in SpD, Alakazam has a decent chance of surviving Timid Gengar's Shadow Ball. For an idea of it's bulk, after a Reflect, Alakazam will survive Choice Band Tyranitar's Pursuit if it does not switch, as well as Weavile's Night Slash.</p>
<p>Offensively, this set is weak. Dark-types, Steel-types, and Psychic-types will be large threats, particularly the latter two. Dark types like Tyranitar fear strong Fighting-types like Machamp, as do Steel-types. Psychic-types are vulnerable to Tyranitar or Heracross, who will KO with ease.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Calm Mind
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Calm Mind
move 3: Focus Blast / Signal Beam
move 4: Psychic
item: Leftovers
nature: Timid
evs: 152 HP / 176 SpD / 180 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> Alakazam doesn't have access to Nasty Plot like some of his peers, but Calm Mind is usually enough to do the trick. Alakazam can easily set up on Flamethrower/Toxic Blissey, Celebi, Cresselia, and more. Substitute blocks status, while Calm Mind boosts Alakazam's offense and defense. Eventually your Substitutes will be nearly unbreakable by special attacks and you can start sweeping. Psychic and Focus Blast is walled by Psychics, while Psychic and Signal Beam is walled by Steels. </p>
<p> With the given Special Defense EVs, your Substitute will survive a Grass Knot from Celebi or an Ice Beam from Blissey or Cressilia over 95% of the time. This allows you to put up a Substitute without fear of it being broken before you can Calm Mind a few times. Leftovers is generally the item of choice, but a Salac Berry can also be used, so you outrun everything when you've finished setting up. </p>
<p>Pokemon such as Gyarados or Kingdra can be a serious issue for this set. Defensive Grass-types such as Tangrowth or Celebi will generally take care of them quickly, however.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Signal Beam
item: Life Orb
ability: Synchronize
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Alakazam may not have access to Nasty Plot like its fellow Psychic-type Azelf, but it boasts the advantages of more Speed and Special Attack and access to the powerful Focus Blast. A single Calm Mind can give Alakazam the extra power it needs to sweep.</p>
<p> The boost provided from Calm Mind and a Life Orb is 1.95x, giving Alakazam over 700 Special Attack after a single boost. When this immense power is paired with Alakazam's high Speed, it is very difficult to take down. Simply bring Alakazam in on something it can scare off, Calm Mind on the switch, and start bringing the pain. </p>
<p>Even with the Life Orb and a Calm Mind boost, Alakazam can only muster 59% to Blissey with Focus Blast. You'll have to either remove it, or weaken it beforehand if you want to have any chance at getting a sweep.</p>
<p>Strong Physical Sweepers that resist your main attacking moves, like Salamence, can potentially stop you if you haven't set up yet. Substitute users such as Breloom also pose threats. These two in particular can be dealt with by a quick switch to Scarf Heatran, who can seriously dent both. Ultimately, though, not much is going to stand in the way of an Alakazam with over 600 Special Attack.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Alakazam's lack of any serious defenses force it to rely heavily on being fast and powerful. When it can't do the damage it needs to, there isn't much to do. Pokemon with access to Calm Mind will stop Alakazam the fastest. PHazers, or just Pokemon that force switches in general are extremely helpful. Naturally, entry hazards are of great use too. It's much easier to deal with an enemy that's at 87.5% HP than 100% for any Pokemon, but Alakazam needs all the help it can get. </p>
<p>Alakazam will have serious troubles with Steel-types in general. Most sets don't have room for Hidden Power Fire, and as such Pokemon like Bronzong who take neutral damage from Focus Blast have the potential to stop you. Fire-types and Ground-types in general solve these issues, doing the super-effective damage Alakazam can't do. Strong special walls like Blissey cause numerous problems for Alakazam. Alakazam sets that do not use Choice Specs can't touch Blissey, even with Focus Blast. Additionally, Blissey will often throw a Thunder Wave at Alakazam in attempt to cripple it. Physical Ground-types like Rhyperior and Dugtrio can resolve this issue - Dugtrio also gives the added benefit of trapping Blissey with Arena Trap. Cresselia presents more of a Problem if you're not using Signal Beam, however, Cresselia can be dealt with by Tyranitar or Heracross.</p>
<p>Defensively, Alakazam isn't that solid. Bug-types will pose serious threats to you. Bugs-type moves aren't exactly common, however these can be dealt with by having a decent Steel or Fire-type Pokemon. Scizor in particular will be a serious issue. Scizor can come in on Psychic and do serious damage with Bullet Punch or Pursuit, and is best dealt with by either Gyarados or Zapdos, who will often KO or force switches. The occasional Spiritomb can also be a threat, taking no damage from Psychic or Focus Blast. However, when it comes to Pokemon like Spiritomb that whip around status and Dark-type moves, Heatran can take the hit quite easily. Heatran will absorb Will o' Wisp and then dish out heavy damage with Fire Blast.</p>
<p>As mentioned before, Thunder Wave can be an issue to Alakazam - but it's also somewhat predictable. While Alakazam certainly isn't Gyarados when it comes to luring Electric-type moves, it does tend to draw in Thunder Waves. This can be used to your advantadge by switching to Pokemon like Electivire and Jolteon who absorb and benefit from Electric attacks.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Alakazam gets Knock Off, Thunder Wave, Snatch, Recover, Recycle and more. Due to his frailty, they are usually better used on another Pokémon, unless you have a very specific purpose in mind. As far as offensive options, Alakazam gets a few notable moves. Charge Beam and Shock Wave are his only Electric attacks. Charge Beam can be used over Calm Mind on the offensive set, but generally Calm Mind is the superior choice. Grass Knot and Energy Ball are his options for Grass attack. Shadow Ball hits Ghosts and Psychics hard, but generally Signal Beam is recommended for hitting Psychics, as it allows you to hit Dark-types without relying on Focus Blast. Signal Beam is also better because it makes a good move for situations where your opponent has both a Celebi and a Tyranitar (for example) and you need something that will hurt both. Hidden Power Fighting can be considered over Focus Blast if you are worried about the latter's accuracy; however, the damage output will be disappointing against Tyranitar and Heatran.</p>
<p>Ignore any physical attacks in Alakazam's movepool. Even though he gets some nifty moves like the elemental punches, his Attack is so low that it'd be a waste of your time to try using it, even with significant EV investment.</p>
[EVs]
<p>On offensive sets, you should always give Alakazam a Timid nature, 252 Special Attack EVs, and at least 216 Speed EVs. This will allow Alakazam to outrun any base 115 Speed Pokemon, and since Alakazam is fairly infrequent in OU, this should be enough. If you are not worried about outspeeding Azelf and Raikou, you can give Alakazam 180 Speed EVs, which will outrun Gengar, Latias, and defensive Starmie (which typically has 352 Speed). Although tempting, a Modest nature is generally a bad choice, as there are a great many Pokémon sitting between 339 and 372 Speed which Alakazam cannot afford to be hit by.</p>
[Opinion]
<p>Alakazam is among the fastest and most powerful Pokémon in the game, sporting the highest Special Attack (tied with Porygon-Z) and one of the highest Speed stats of all the Pokémon allowed in standard play. Combined with its acceptable attacking movepool and fantastic support movepool, it can either ravage through teams or set field effects to aid its teammates in sweeping.</p>
<p>The transition from ADV to D/P gave Alakazam some new tricks, but it really could have used more. Alakazam still has terrible defenses and HP, leaving it prone to being heavily damaged by even relatively weak attacks. This may seem like a nonissue considering its high Speed, but the popularity of both Choice Scarf and priority attacks make either bulk or good typing a must for sweepers, and Alakazam sadly has neither. Additionally, the split in physical and special attacks means that Alakazam cannot use the elemental punches in this generation, and the 70% accuracy Focus Blast is not enough to make up for the lost coverage.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Blissey is generally a good counter to Alakazam, soaking up even super effective Focus Blasts with ease, but tread carefully as Trick and Encore can be an annoyance. Snorlax is in a similar situation, and even has Pursuit; however, it can be 2HKOed by a Choice Specs Focus Blast, so be careful if you do not know the set. Heatran can switch into anything but Focus Blast, which will still only 2HKO if Heatran invests in HP and Special Defense or if Alakazam is without Choice Specs.</p>
<p>Steel-types like Bronzong, Scizor, Jirachi and Metagross are excellent Alakazam counters. Hidden Power Fire will wear them down quickly, but it is absent from most Alakazam sets, so you should not worry about it too much. Other Psychic-types are decent choices, as they resist both Psychic and Focus Blast, but if you switch into a Signal Beam it could hurt quite a bit. Latias can safely switch in to anything except for Signal Beam, and it usually will not mind being Tricked Choice Specs. Spiritomb is probably the best Alakazam counter there is, with immunity to both Psychic and Focus Blast and access to both Pursuit and Sucker Punch.</p>
<p>Alakazam is easily revenge killed, because anything he cannot kill in one hit will severely wound him. If Weavile or Tyranitar switch into a Choiced Psychic, Alakazam is as good as gone, as Pursuit will OHKO. Scizor can switch in on just about anything besides Hidden Power Fire and OHKO Alakazam with either Bullet Punch or Pursuit. Dugtrio can easily trap Alakazam and OHKO with Sucker Punch, or go for a Speed tie with Earthquake.</p>
<p>Thunder Wave will effectively ruin Alakazam as it relies on its high speed to be effective.</p>
