[OVERVIEW]
Kadabra sets itself apart from other Psychic-types thanks to Magic Guard, which lets it hold Focus Sash without worrying about it getting broken by residual damage, thus making Kadabra a good revenge killer. Due to its good Speed tier, high Special Attack, and good number of coverage options, it fares well against offensive teams. Kadabra also has some good support moves in Encore and Thunder Wave, both of which aid in neutralizing setup sweepers. Once its Focus Sash is broken, however, Kadabra is incredibly easy to revenge kill due to its paper-thin defenses. Moreover, it faces competition from Pokemon like Liepard and Sawk that are also good at taking out offensive threats. Kadabra is also relatively weak, especially because it often holds Focus Sash, meaning that it struggles to break through bulkier foes such as Musharna and Mega Audino.
[SET]
name: Revenge Killer
move 1: Psychic / Psyshock
move 2: Signal Beam
move 3: Hidden Power Ground / Energy Ball
move 4: Encore / Thunder Wave
item: Focus Sash
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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Psychic deals good damage to targets such as Sawk, Gurdurr, Garbodor, and Weezing. Psyshock is an alternative to hit specially bulky foes harder, most notably Assault Vest Hariyama and Magmortar, as well as Calm Mind users. Signal Beam lets Kadabra revenge kill Pokemon such as Shiftry, Liepard, Cacturne, and Malamar while also letting it deal meaningful damage to Mesprit, Jynx, and Exeggutor. Hidden Power Ground hits Skuntank as well as Steel-types such as Klinklang and Mawile. Energy Ball is an alternative to primarily revenge kill Rhydon after a Rock Polish boost as well as target Lanturn, Quagsire, and other bulky Water-types. Encore prevents Pokemon such as Calm Mind Musharna and Mega Audino from setting up freely on Kadabra and can lock a foe into an unfavorable move in general. Thunder Wave is an alternative to cripple faster Pokemon such as Archeops, Tauros, and Floatzel as well as Speed-boosting sweepers such as Lilligant and Vivillon. Hidden Power Fire maintains coverage against Klinklang and Mawile, with the bonus of nailing Ferroseed.
Set Details
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Maximum Speed EVs with a Timid nature ensure that Kadabra outspeeds Pokemon such as Jynx and Haunter, while maximum Special Attack EVs let it hit as hard as it possible. Magic Guard lets Kadabra avoid any sort of residual damage, keeping its Focus Sash intact until it takes direct damage. Focus Sash lets Kadabra effectively revenge kill faster Pokemon or cripple a foe that has set up, such as Quiver Dance Lilligant, with Thunder Wave.
Usage Tips
========
As this set plays mostly as a revenge killer, it is absolutely critical to not directly switch Kadabra in; only switch it in after a Pokemon has fainted or with a slow Volt Switch or U-turn. When Kadabra is brought in, use the appropriate STAB or coverage move to revenge kill a problematic foe. Try to keep its Focus Sash intact if it's vital for it to be around to check a sweeper. Against bulkier foes such as Musharna and Mega Audino, use Encore to lock them into an unfavorable move, switch out to a teammate, and respond accordingly. Encore is also useful to prevent Klinklang from setting up Substitute or Shift Gear for free and to lock defensive Pokemon into recovery moves. It also has a neat utility in locking Pokemon such as Cacturne and Shiftry into Sucker Punch, which can give a teammate a free opportunity to set up. If running Thunder Wave, it is best to use it against a fast Pokemon that the team struggles with otherwise, such as Archeops, Tauros, Scyther, or +1 Lilligant or Vivillon.
Team Options
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This set generally fits best on offensive teams that want a nice blanket check to a variety of fast Pokemon and threatening setup sweepers. Dark-types such as Shiftry and Cacturne make for good teammates, as they appreciate Kadabra's ability to revenge kill Pokemon such as Sawk, Gurdurr, and Hariyama, while the Dark-types are able to switch in on Psychic-types such as Mesprit and Musharna in return. Rhydon can switch in on Skuntank, one of Kadabra's most consistent answers, and either threaten it with Earthquake or take advantage of it to set up Rock Polish. Encore makes this even easier, as Kadabra can lock Skuntank into Sucker Punch or Pursuit. In a similar vein, Fighting-types are also decent switch-ins to Skuntank, as are other Dark-types such as Liepard and Pawniard. Setup sweepers such as Klinklang and Swords Dance Samurott can also take advantage of a Pokemon locked into Encore by setting up freely, while the former appreciates Fighting-types weakened in order for it to sweep. Garbodor gets a special mention, as it punishes physical attackers by wearing them down with Rocky Helmet damage and provides Spikes support, which goes well with Kadabra's ability to force switches.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Life Orb gives Kadabra much more firepower behind its attacks, with Magic Guard negating the recoil, but Kadabra's main niche lies in revenge killing Pokemon, and Mesprit is generally a better Life Orb user due to it having much better overall bulk. Calm Mind can be used to significantly increase Kadabra's Special Attack, but its general frailty and being slower than several offensive Pokemon generally make this an inferior option. Hidden Power Fighting can be used mainly to hit Pawniard while still dealing super effective damage to Klinklang and Ferroseed. Taunt has use in preventing Pokemon from recovering, setting up entry hazards, or removing entry hazards with Defog. Dazzling Gleam still hits Dark-types while nailing the likes of Zweilous, but it doesn't provide much coverage otherwise.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Pokemon such as Mega Audino and Musharna can take hits from Kadabra quite easily due to their fantastic natural bulk and recover off any damage taken with Wish and Moonlight, respectively. Both can take advantage of Kadabra to set up Calm Mind, but do note that Kadabra can take advantage of this by using Encore.
**Skuntank**: Skuntank can switch in on all of Kadabra's moves except for Hidden Power Ground and can trap it with Pursuit or revenge kill it with Sucker Punch; however, Kadabra can lock Skuntank into Sucker Punch with Encore and switch to another teammate.
**Steel-types**: Without the appropriate Hidden Power type, Steel-types such as Ferroseed, Pawniard, and Klinklang can freely switch in on Kadabra, with the latter two being able to set up on it. Klinklang is also notable for its ability to bypass Kadabra's Focus Sash with Gear Grind.
**Priority**: Due to Kadabra's pitiful bulk, almost any priority move can pick it off. Kangaskhan is notable in that it can break Kadabra's Focus Sash with Fake Out and follow up with Sucker Punch, preventing Kadabra from doing anything. Other priority users such as Samurott and Kabutops can pick off Kadabra once its Focus Sash is broken; however, neither of them appreciate getting crippled by Thunder Wave.
**Revenge Killers**: Faster Pokemon such as Tauros, Archeops, Liepard, and Pyroar are all capable of outspeeding and eliminating Kadabra; however, these Pokemon are only effective checks once its Focus Sash is broken, as Kadabra can cripple all of them with Thunder Wave. However, Liepard gets a special mention for its ability break Kadabra's Focus Sash with U-turn and switch out to a teammate to take a hit or absorb Thunder Wave.
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