Alakazam

[Cipher Admin Lovrina]

Sub doesn't do much that Alakazam couldn't do before... it just does it while dying slower. Sash seems like the main option, while Sub could be a secondary option mainly to take advantage of a possible free turn from an opponent thinking you have Sash.

Psychic/Focus Blast/Shadow Ball... What's the 4th move? I was going to do Hidden Power Fire--just in case :p

 

[Bologo]

Why not use Protect as the 4th move? That way, you can actually screw with CB Scizor quite easily.

Basically, you predict the Scizor switch-in with Focus Blast. Then you use Protect to see which move it picked. If it chose Bullet Punch, switch out to a resist. If it chose U-turn/Pursuit, just use Focus Blast a second time to kill it. It's kind of like the Protect/HP Fire/Shadow Ball/Focus Blast Gengar that was so popular in 4th Gen.

 

[Cipher Admin Lovrina]

Why not use Protect as the 4th move? That way, you can actually screw with CB Scizor quite easily.

Basically, you predict the Scizor switch-in with Focus Blast. Then you use Protect to see which move it picked. If it chose Bullet Punch, switch out to a resist. If it chose U-turn/Pursuit, just use Focus Blast a second time to kill it. It's kind of like the Protect/HP Fire/Shadow Ball/Focus Blast Gengar that was so popular in 4th Gen.

Disable could be fun, too. I forgot he got Disable. Does an HP Fire or Fighting Alakazam get outsped too easily by anything?

 

[AccidentalGreed]

Protect doesn't sound like such a bad idea. Alakazam is now available in Pokemon Online, so there's lots of ways to go about here. Actually, the only real thing to consider about Alakazam is its move in the fourth slot, or what item it's holding.

Disable could be fun, too. I forgot he got Disable. Does an HP Fire or Fighting Alakazam get outsped too easily by anything?

In my opinion, it's not as useful as Substitute or Encore due to its reliance on the opponent's next move. With Encore, you can just lock Thundurus into Nasty Plot or Substitute without having to predict its next move, while Substitute just eases prediction. Not sure what disable would do.

 

[lordkira]

i've run across quite a lot of sashed alakazams on PO and most of the users try to use it as if it had LO. And one thing I've noticed and carved into my heart and soul was that there is HUGE difference between sashed and lo alakazam sets in terms of power....HUGE motherfucking difference.

 

[Cipher Admin Lovrina]

Protect doesn't sound like such a bad idea. Alakazam is now available in Pokemon Online, so there's lots of ways to go about here. Actually, the only real thing to consider about Alakazam is its move in the fourth slot, or what item it's holding.


In my opinion, it's not as useful as Substitute or Encore due to its reliance on the opponent's next move. With Encore, you can just lock Thundurus into Nasty Plot or Substitute without having to predict its next move, while Substitute just eases prediction. Not sure what disable would do.

I guess you'd need Sub or Protect for that... I might run HP Fire in that case!

 

[Olijolly]

i've run across quite a lot of sashed alakazams on PO and most of the users try to use it as if it had LO. And one thing I've noticed and carved into my heart and soul was that there is HUGE difference between sashed and lo alakazam sets in terms of power....HUGE motherfucking difference.

I would like to fucking agree to that.
I do like using sashed kazam for countering certain sweeper bitches though
*cough cough* fagdrill

 

[Raj]

If you really want to take out Tar/Sciz/etc use Counter with a Focus Sash. With Magic Guard, you don't have to worry about SS or entry hazards hindering your guaranteed take-all hit, which of course you can rebound for the kill.

i've run across quite a lot of sashed alakazams on PO and most of the users try to use it as if it had LO. And one thing I've noticed and carved into my heart and soul was that there is HUGE difference between sashed and lo alakazam sets in terms of power....HUGE motherfucking difference.

At to that^^ statistically it's getting a 30% boost, not exactly a "HUGE motherfucking difference"

 

[Drifloon]

If you really want to take out Tar/Sciz/etc use Counter with a Focus Sash. With Magic Guard, you don't have to worry about SS or entry hazards hindering your guaranteed take-all hit, which of course you can rebound for the kill.



At to that^^ statistically it's getting a 30% boost, not exactly a "HUGE motherfucking difference"

That 30% provides a huge difference from 2hkos to ohkos

 

[lordkira]

If you really want to take out Tar/Sciz/etc use Counter with a Focus Sash. With Magic Guard, you don't have to worry about SS or entry hazards hindering your guaranteed take-all hit, which of course you can rebound for the kill.



At to that^^ statistically it's getting a 30% boost, not exactly a "HUGE motherfucking difference"

What I meant by a huge motherfucking diff was that focus sashed set misses out on quite a few ko's and one can notice the diff between the two sets when attempting to use them as late-game sweepers. i generally see sashed alakazam as more of a revenge killer, specifically useful against many sweepers.

 

[Olijolly]

What I meant by a huge motherfucking diff was that focus sashed set misses out on quite a few ko's and one can notice the diff between the two sets when attempting to use them as late-game sweepers. i generally see sashed alakazam as more of a revenge killer, specifically useful against many sweepers.

I actually use sashed alakazam as a late-game sweeper, very late-game.
It works quite well on my recent team and actually brought up my rating on PO from 1400-ish to mid-high 1500 (yeah i know PO right?). But I do agree with you in terms of smashing ability difference between the two. Though I love the sashed set for being able to demolish sweepers, particularly escadrille (I hate missing with gay blast

If you really want to take out Tar/Sciz/etc use Counter with a Focus Sash. With Magic Guard, you don't have to worry about SS or entry hazards hindering your guaranteed take-all hit, which of course you can rebound for the kill.



At to that^^ statistically it's getting a 30% boost, not exactly a "HUGE motherfucking difference"

30% difference is noticeable actually.

 

[Thorhammer]

When you're hitting as hard as Alakazam does, 30% is the difference between 80% and 104%. That difference can decide games.

 

[Pocket]

Although HP Fire doesn't let Alakazam take out threats that a Sub + 3 Atks could, it does do 2 things:

1) Eases the pressure on using Focus Blast to hit most Steels
2) Provides the best insurance against Scizor (with Sash), since Zam doesn't need to be behind a Substitute when its cornered by a Scizor.

 

[Cipher Admin Lovrina]

Although HP Fire doesn't let Alakazam take out threats that a Sub + 3 Atks could, it does do 2 things:

1) Eases the pressure on using Focus Blast to hit most Steels
2) Provides the best insurance against Scizor (with Sash), since Zam doesn't need to be behind a Substitute when its cornered by a Scizor.

Yay, I'm not crazy. I'm going to use sash with Psychic/Hidden Power/Focus Blast/Shadow Ball.

 

[SharKing]

If you really want to take out Tar/Sciz/etc use Counter with a Focus Sash.

DW Alakazam can't have Counter. Sorry, kid.

 

[Vratix]

I've been waiting excitedly for MG-zam for quite a while now but there is another bizarre fact to consider.

Alakazam is currently RU. That means until the tiers change (after this season) Alakazam will continue to be RU.

If people who play RU think Yanmega was broken, look out, Magic Guard Alakazam is going to severely upset the balance of power in (likely) both of the lower tiers. Specifically the LO set which has a problem with exactly 1 pokemon (honchkrow) and can be easily "revenged" by 1 other pokemon in the top 15 of RU. And both of those pokemon are cold-cocked by Rhyperior/don.

 

[waterwarrior]

Alakazam in RU will be amazing, but I doubt broken. With Sash, it doesnt OHKO all it could, and with LO, it dies to anything it doesn't OHKO, most importantly Clefable with an attack thats not ST, Munchlax, Uxie, even Honchkrow (it can come in on an FBlast if Rocks aren't up, and Spinning isn't hard in RU).

 

[Whimsicott]

Alakazam in RU will be amazing, but I doubt broken. With Sash, it doesnt OHKO all it could, and with LO, it dies to anything it doesn't OHKO, most importantly Clefable with an attack thats not ST, Munchlax, Uxie, even Honchkrow (it can come in on an FBlast if Rocks aren't up, and Spinning isn't hard in RU).

Alakazam isn't that frail. It can tank Munchlax, Uxie and Clefable and Honchkrow won't be living a focus blast.... Alakazam can hide behind substitutes as it wrecks. You don't really know how broken it is until you face it or tiill you use it...

 

[lordkira]

Alakazam isn't that frail. It can tank Munchlax, Uxie and Clefable and Honchkrow won't be living a focus blast.... Alakazam can hide behind substitutes as it wrecks. You don't really know how broken it is until you face it or tiill you use it...

munchlax, uxie, clefable, honchkrow...
no offense but are you joking or...

 

[420]

He's talking about RU, where those pokemon are common.

Alakazam will probably move up to low OU, or at the very least UU once everything's said and done.

 

[yaya0]

Have we mentioned SPEED CREEP yet?

</troll>

 

[lordkira]

so how is everyone feeling about alakazam?
while the LO set is fantastic, I can't help but feel that the psychic is too frail.
Priorities are painful.

 

[Cipher Admin Lovrina]

Is the Sash Calm Mind set any good?

 

[Olijolly]

so how is everyone feeling about alakazam?
while the LO set is fantastic, I can't help but feel that the psychic is too frail.
Priorities are painful.

I've been using both the LO and sash sets and they are nice.
Priority moves will always rape this psychic's face.
However, the sash set is quite nice to finish up most sweepers (preferably weakened roflmaofuckermaomaomaopenismaoaoama).

 

[lordkira]

Is the Sash Calm Mind set any good?

Never tried it out but I'd say it wouldn't really make a great CMer due to its incredible frailty.