This is a straightforward attacking Alakazam with some paralysis support thrown in. Psychic and Recover are must-haves, and Fire Punch is nice for Steel-types and Grass-types. Thunder Wave paralyzes things that Alakazam can't take on so that whatever you switch in has an easier time handling whatever it may be. Other popular attacks include Ice Punch and ThunderPunch. Other OptionsWhile Alakazam is a great attacker, it can also support decently. You can use Toxic to assist in damaging special walls (Snorlax comes to mind) and things that Alakazam can't hit with a super effective attack. Encore is also a great choice to catch Cursers and other set-up Pokémon by surprise and give you free turns to attack. It has actually become more of a standard since Thunder Wave can sometimes be viewed as obsolete because of Heal Bell's prevalence. On top of that, Alakazam also learns both Light Screen and Reflect for pseudo-passing for the entire team. Finally, Counter is a surprisingly delightful choice for a Pokémon with as horrible Defense as Alakazam. When they attack it for massive damage, it can Counter back for even more massive damage and (more than likely) a KO. OpinionAlakazam seems to be overlooked due to its low Defense and HP, but it isn't exactly going to stay in for more than 2-3 turns when it comes out. Alakazam is fast, can hit very hard, and support the rest of the team on just one set. Recover gives it extra survivability. However, unless you have Heal Bell, do NOT let Alakazam get hit with a status affliction; it cannot afford to lose health every turn or have reduced Speed. CountersBlissey and Snorlax present problems to Alakazam. Both have good HP and Special Defense (though Blissey clearly outdoes Snorlax in both departments, taking at most 16% from Psychic, as opposed to 25% with Snorlax), and can easily wear Alakazam down. Blissey will most likely be relying on a combination of Toxic and Seismic Toss, while Snorlax is capable of hitting much harder with Double-Edge or Body Slam. Dark Pokémon generally fare well as they are immune to Alakazam's most powerful attack. In particular, Houndoom, Tyranitar, and Umbreon can cause Alakazam many problems. Tyranitar and Houndoom can both quickly dispatch Alakazam with STAB Crunch. Umbreon can wear Alakazam down with Toxic while easily recovering from the little damage Alakazam is able to deal to it in return. Water/Psychic Pokemon such as Slowbro and Starmie can counter Alakazam so long as it isn't carrying ThunderPunch, but if it is they will suffer a swift 2HKO. |
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