Finished
Credit Flounder who wrote the original analysis. All I did was make it more accurate competitively and revise for grammar.
---
[SET]
name: Choice 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: 40 Def / 252 SpA / 216 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 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 almost everything resistant to Psychic, including Tyranitar, Celebi, and Metagross. 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, Latias 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>Blissey can give this set quite a bit of trouble, but that is where Trick proves its use. 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, who usually do not run any Special Attacks. Once Blissey is holding a Choice Specs, it is rendered pretty much useless for the remainder of the battle, making it a lot easier for you to sweep with another special sweeper, such as Suicune or Jirachi.</p>
<p>Without Hidden Power Fire, Steel-types such as Metagross and Jirachi will easily wall you. This makes Heatran or Swampert a good choice here. Heatran easily torches any Steel-types that might stand in your way, and Swampert can switch in on just about anything either Pokemon has to offer, and fire back with a STAB Earthquake.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Focus Blast / Signal Beam
move 4: Trick
Item: Choice Scarf
Ability: Synchronize
Nature: Timid
EVs: 40 Def / 252 SpA / 216 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. With the given EVs, Alakazam will outspeed even other Choice Scarf Pokemon, namely Starmie. It can also outpace Pokemon such as Salamence even after a Dragon Dance. 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 a Salamence with minimum Defense and 4 HP EVs, 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. Hidden Power Fire is a reliable option if your team already has a solution for Dragon Dancers.</p>
<p>Trick is a very important move on this set, as it is Alakazam's best defense against Pokemon with the ability to wall it, such as Blissey or a Skarmory that invests in Special Defense. or who can wall this set all day. It is also a great move against stall teams in general: The slow Pokemon common on stall teams will likely find the extra speed useless, and will hate being locked into an attack.</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>You can instead put 4 EVs in Defense and maximize Speed, so that at worst, you tie in Speed against Sceptile and other Alakazam.</p>
<p>Like in the previous set, Jirachi and Metagross are your greatest problems, and Heatran or Swampert is your best partner. Magnezone also handles both fairly well, although it generally needs Magnet Rise against Metagross, as even with Choice Specs it will not OHKO. Rotom-A and Skarmory are also viable options, respectively, against Jirachi and Metagross.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Encore
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Encore
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Signal Beam / Hidden Power Fire
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>With good prediction, Alakazam can ruin most attempts to sweep. Alakazam can switch into opponents using Calm Mind, Substitute, or another support move, and Encore them, completely turning the tables on your opponent. Furthermore, Encore is invaluable against Baton Pass teams, forcing them to switch and start all over.</p>
<p>Psychic is Alakazam's STAB attack, and Signal Beam is used on this to hit both Psychic and Dark-type foes. Substitute allows Alakazam to safely switch out against Pokemon with Pursuit, such as Weavile or Tyranitar. Hidden Power Fire is another option here, as it allows Alakazam to deal with Scizor and other Steel-types, who will likely switch in after you have Encored their original Pokemon. 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 Pokemon holding a Choice item, since they are locked into a move either way, and will usually be able to break Alakazam's Substitute in a single turn. Narrowing this down further, Choice Pokemon that resist Psychic, such as Metagross, will really give this set trouble. Magnezone thus enjoys being paired up with Alakazam, as it can trap pesky Steel-types that will try to ruin this set. Skarmory also makes an excellent partner. Not only does it wall most Steel-types, but entry hazards have excellent synergy with Encore, in both directions. You can Encore a non-threatening move, then bring out Skarmory and start setting up Spikes or Stealth Rock; or you can set them up before hand, and use Encore to force switches, quickly racking up damage against your opponent.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screen
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Encore / Taunt
move 4: Taunt/ 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>
<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 greatly hinders your opponent's ability to set up. It is invaluable to have both Taunt and Encore, however Psychic is an option if you do not want to be stuck without an attack.</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. Swords Dance Lucario is an almost perfect partner here, as it can easily take advantage of the effects of Reflect and/or Light Screen and threaten your opponent with a game-ending sweep.</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 its peers, but Calm Mind is usually enough to do the trick. Alakazam can easily set up on Pokemon like Flamethrower/Toxic Blissey, Celebi, Cresselia, using Substitute to block status effects and things like Leech Seed. After a few Calm Minds, Alakazam's Substitutes will be nearly unbreakable by special attacks, and Alakazam will be ready to sweep. Your choice for the 3rd move slot depends on what the rest of your team is more apt to handle. 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 an Ice Beam from Blissey or Cressilia over 95% of the time. This means your initial Substitute will not be broken in one turn, giving you more opportunity to Calm Mind.</p>
<p>No matter which move you chose out of Focus Blast and Signal Beam, Heatran is your best bet for a partner. It resists both Psychic and Steel, and furthermore, can easily dispose of most Steel-types with its STAB Fire attacks coming from 130 base Special Attack. Most pure Psychic-types are fragile, and thus Heatran has no problem disposing of them as well.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Fire
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. This combined with 120 base Speed make Alakazam a very potent sweeper. 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. However other than Blissey, very few Pokemon stand a chance against Alakazam, making it a great late-game sweeper.</p>
<p>Even though Alakazam reaches over 600 Special Attack after a single Calm Mind, this set does have its problems. Without a Substitute to protect it, Scizor can come in on anything but Hidden Power Fire and easily dispose of Alakazam with a CB Bullet Punch. Dark-types (not Tyranitar, who fears Focus Blast and can never outspeed Alakazam) such as Drapion and Spiritomb can also give this set quite a bit of trouble. Both are immune to Psychic and take neutral damage from practically everything else in Alakazam's movepool. Magnezone immediately stands out as an excellent partner here. While it only handles two out of the three aforementioned threats, the ability to trap Scizor and score a guaranteed OHKO is invaluable. Magnezone also makes a great switch-in against Spiritomb, since it walls all its attacks, doesn't care to be burned, and can zap Spiritomb with its 130 base Special Attack Thunderbolts. Taunt Skarmory is another, more consistent option, as it easily walls all three Pokemon, (just be careful not to switch into Will-O-Wisp from Spiritomb) and can use the time to set up Spikes or Stealth Rock.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>When you think of things that beat Alakazam, Blissey should be the first come to mind. As such, Toxic Spikes pairs well with Alakazam, since Blissey is forced to switch out and back in every few turns, preventing it from effectively walling Alakazam.</p>
<p>Steel-types will almost always give Alakazam a lot of trouble, making Magnezone an excellent team partner. Not only can it trap Steels with its ability, Magnet Pull, but its great defensive typing means it can easily switch in on most of the attacks your opponent will throw at Alakazam, namely Bullet Punch, U-Turn, and Pursuit.</p>
<p>Anything that can set up in the face of Pokemon like Scizor, will make a good partner. Some examples include Gyarados and Suicune. Both can easily switch in on Scizor, and scare it off, using the turn to get in a Dragon Dance or Calm Mind, respectively.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Alakazam can fill the support role fairly well with moves like Knock Off, and Thunder Wave. However, it is extremely frail, and will struggle to find the time to use such moves. Recover is another option, as it gives Alakazam the ability to stay in on attacks such as Blissey's Seismic Toss, but the resulting loss in offensive coverage is usually not worth this benefit. Snatch is a great move, but not really usable on Alakazam, since your opponent will usually just try to KO Alakazam as soon as possible, and not bother using the set-up moves that Snatch works on.</p>
<p>Offensively, Alakazam also has quite a few options. While Charge Beam might seem inferior to Calm Mind, it gives Alakazam a free moveslot for something else, particularly on the sweeper movesets. The boost from Charge Beam is not reliable however, and this strategy is only recommended when you need to make room for Encore or another support move. Alakazam also learns Shock Wave, but you will rarely find a use for it, since few Pokemon take more from Shock Wave than they do from Psychic. Furthermore, Hidden Power Electric is stronger, and thus Shock Wave should only be used on sets where Alakazam is already using a Hidden Power of another type.</p>
<p>Energy Ball and Grass Knot are great options if you need coverage against Water, Rock, and Ground-types, however this is only useful on certain teams, since Psychic will usually do enough damage. Shadow Ball hits Ghosts and Psychics hard, but generally Signal Beam is generally more reliable, as it also lets you hit Dark-types without relying on Focus Blast. 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 Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Heatran.</p>
<p>Alakazam gets quite a few options on the physical side, but with only 50 base Attack, they will rarely prove of any use.</p>
<p>Lum Berry can be used in combination with Synchronize, letting you switch in to a move such as Thunder Wave or Toxic, inflicting the status effect on your opponent while Alakazam is essentially unscathed. Salac and Petaya Berry are also options, since either boost makes it a little easier for Alakazam to sweep, however Alakazam really misses Leftovers, especially on sets with Substitute. Furthermore, with the omnipresence of residual damage, namely Sandstorm, Alakazam will be quickly worn out without the aid of Leftovers.</p>
[EVs]
<p>On offensive sets, it is recommended you use 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). On the other hand, 252 EVs in Speed lets you tie with other Alakazam and Dutrio, and also lets you outspeed Tyranitar after a single Dragon Dance, a nice surprise if you are running Focus Blast. Although tempting, a Modest nature is generally a bad choice, as there are numerous Pokemon sitting between 339 and 372 Speed, and the majority of them pose threats to Alakazam. </p>
<p>If you want to do more damage with the Choice Scarf set, you could instead run 212 Speed EVs, and use a Modest nature. This puts Alakazam at 493 Speed after the Choice Scarf boost, meaning it is still guaranteed to outrun Salamence after a Dragon Dance. The remaining 44 EVs can be put in Defense.</p>
<p>On any set with Leftovers, if you favor more defensive spreads, you can also invest some EVs in HP. 120 HP / 176 Special Attack / 212 Speed is recommended here, as it is not favorable to sacrifice Special Attack too much, and Alakazam cannot afford to be outsped very often.</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% accurate 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 caution is advised. 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>Almost anything can KO Alakazam, the tricky part is finding something that resists all of its attacks. For Bulkier Steel-types such as Jirachi and Bronzong, even a boosted Hidden Power Fire is not enough to OHKO, so they have no problem coming in and disposing of Alakazam. Metagross and Scizor also get special mention, since they can each switch in and abuse Bullet Punch to remove Alakazam before it can even attack. 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 a 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. Choice Scarf Pokemon that can reach 249 Speed or higher will always outspeed Alakazam, making Choice Scarf Heatran an excellent choice.</p>
<p>Succesfully inflicting paralysis on Alakazam before it gets comfortable is another good strategy against it, as this opens the door for almost anything to come in and KO Alakazam, who relies on Speed to be effective.</p>
Credit Flounder who wrote the original analysis. All I did was make it more accurate competitively and revise for grammar.
---
[SET]
name: Choice 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: 40 Def / 252 SpA / 216 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 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 almost everything resistant to Psychic, including Tyranitar, Celebi, and Metagross. 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, Latias 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>Blissey can give this set quite a bit of trouble, but that is where Trick proves its use. 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, who usually do not run any Special Attacks. Once Blissey is holding a Choice Specs, it is rendered pretty much useless for the remainder of the battle, making it a lot easier for you to sweep with another special sweeper, such as Suicune or Jirachi.</p>
<p>Without Hidden Power Fire, Steel-types such as Metagross and Jirachi will easily wall you. This makes Heatran or Swampert a good choice here. Heatran easily torches any Steel-types that might stand in your way, and Swampert can switch in on just about anything either Pokemon has to offer, and fire back with a STAB Earthquake.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Electric / Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Focus Blast / Signal Beam
move 4: Trick
Item: Choice Scarf
Ability: Synchronize
Nature: Timid
EVs: 40 Def / 252 SpA / 216 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. With the given EVs, Alakazam will outspeed even other Choice Scarf Pokemon, namely Starmie. It can also outpace Pokemon such as Salamence even after a Dragon Dance. 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 a Salamence with minimum Defense and 4 HP EVs, 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. Hidden Power Fire is a reliable option if your team already has a solution for Dragon Dancers.</p>
<p>Trick is a very important move on this set, as it is Alakazam's best defense against Pokemon with the ability to wall it, such as Blissey or a Skarmory that invests in Special Defense. or who can wall this set all day. It is also a great move against stall teams in general: The slow Pokemon common on stall teams will likely find the extra speed useless, and will hate being locked into an attack.</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>You can instead put 4 EVs in Defense and maximize Speed, so that at worst, you tie in Speed against Sceptile and other Alakazam.</p>
<p>Like in the previous set, Jirachi and Metagross are your greatest problems, and Heatran or Swampert is your best partner. Magnezone also handles both fairly well, although it generally needs Magnet Rise against Metagross, as even with Choice Specs it will not OHKO. Rotom-A and Skarmory are also viable options, respectively, against Jirachi and Metagross.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + Encore
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Encore
move 3: Psychic
move 4: Signal Beam / Hidden Power Fire
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>With good prediction, Alakazam can ruin most attempts to sweep. Alakazam can switch into opponents using Calm Mind, Substitute, or another support move, and Encore them, completely turning the tables on your opponent. Furthermore, Encore is invaluable against Baton Pass teams, forcing them to switch and start all over.</p>
<p>Psychic is Alakazam's STAB attack, and Signal Beam is used on this to hit both Psychic and Dark-type foes. Substitute allows Alakazam to safely switch out against Pokemon with Pursuit, such as Weavile or Tyranitar. Hidden Power Fire is another option here, as it allows Alakazam to deal with Scizor and other Steel-types, who will likely switch in after you have Encored their original Pokemon. 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 Pokemon holding a Choice item, since they are locked into a move either way, and will usually be able to break Alakazam's Substitute in a single turn. Narrowing this down further, Choice Pokemon that resist Psychic, such as Metagross, will really give this set trouble. Magnezone thus enjoys being paired up with Alakazam, as it can trap pesky Steel-types that will try to ruin this set. Skarmory also makes an excellent partner. Not only does it wall most Steel-types, but entry hazards have excellent synergy with Encore, in both directions. You can Encore a non-threatening move, then bring out Skarmory and start setting up Spikes or Stealth Rock; or you can set them up before hand, and use Encore to force switches, quickly racking up damage against your opponent.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screen
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Encore / Taunt
move 4: Taunt/ 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>
<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 greatly hinders your opponent's ability to set up. It is invaluable to have both Taunt and Encore, however Psychic is an option if you do not want to be stuck without an attack.</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. Swords Dance Lucario is an almost perfect partner here, as it can easily take advantage of the effects of Reflect and/or Light Screen and threaten your opponent with a game-ending sweep.</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 its peers, but Calm Mind is usually enough to do the trick. Alakazam can easily set up on Pokemon like Flamethrower/Toxic Blissey, Celebi, Cresselia, using Substitute to block status effects and things like Leech Seed. After a few Calm Minds, Alakazam's Substitutes will be nearly unbreakable by special attacks, and Alakazam will be ready to sweep. Your choice for the 3rd move slot depends on what the rest of your team is more apt to handle. 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 an Ice Beam from Blissey or Cressilia over 95% of the time. This means your initial Substitute will not be broken in one turn, giving you more opportunity to Calm Mind.</p>
<p>No matter which move you chose out of Focus Blast and Signal Beam, Heatran is your best bet for a partner. It resists both Psychic and Steel, and furthermore, can easily dispose of most Steel-types with its STAB Fire attacks coming from 130 base Special Attack. Most pure Psychic-types are fragile, and thus Heatran has no problem disposing of them as well.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Fire
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. This combined with 120 base Speed make Alakazam a very potent sweeper. 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. However other than Blissey, very few Pokemon stand a chance against Alakazam, making it a great late-game sweeper.</p>
<p>Even though Alakazam reaches over 600 Special Attack after a single Calm Mind, this set does have its problems. Without a Substitute to protect it, Scizor can come in on anything but Hidden Power Fire and easily dispose of Alakazam with a CB Bullet Punch. Dark-types (not Tyranitar, who fears Focus Blast and can never outspeed Alakazam) such as Drapion and Spiritomb can also give this set quite a bit of trouble. Both are immune to Psychic and take neutral damage from practically everything else in Alakazam's movepool. Magnezone immediately stands out as an excellent partner here. While it only handles two out of the three aforementioned threats, the ability to trap Scizor and score a guaranteed OHKO is invaluable. Magnezone also makes a great switch-in against Spiritomb, since it walls all its attacks, doesn't care to be burned, and can zap Spiritomb with its 130 base Special Attack Thunderbolts. Taunt Skarmory is another, more consistent option, as it easily walls all three Pokemon, (just be careful not to switch into Will-O-Wisp from Spiritomb) and can use the time to set up Spikes or Stealth Rock.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>When you think of things that beat Alakazam, Blissey should be the first come to mind. As such, Toxic Spikes pairs well with Alakazam, since Blissey is forced to switch out and back in every few turns, preventing it from effectively walling Alakazam.</p>
<p>Steel-types will almost always give Alakazam a lot of trouble, making Magnezone an excellent team partner. Not only can it trap Steels with its ability, Magnet Pull, but its great defensive typing means it can easily switch in on most of the attacks your opponent will throw at Alakazam, namely Bullet Punch, U-Turn, and Pursuit.</p>
<p>Anything that can set up in the face of Pokemon like Scizor, will make a good partner. Some examples include Gyarados and Suicune. Both can easily switch in on Scizor, and scare it off, using the turn to get in a Dragon Dance or Calm Mind, respectively.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Alakazam can fill the support role fairly well with moves like Knock Off, and Thunder Wave. However, it is extremely frail, and will struggle to find the time to use such moves. Recover is another option, as it gives Alakazam the ability to stay in on attacks such as Blissey's Seismic Toss, but the resulting loss in offensive coverage is usually not worth this benefit. Snatch is a great move, but not really usable on Alakazam, since your opponent will usually just try to KO Alakazam as soon as possible, and not bother using the set-up moves that Snatch works on.</p>
<p>Offensively, Alakazam also has quite a few options. While Charge Beam might seem inferior to Calm Mind, it gives Alakazam a free moveslot for something else, particularly on the sweeper movesets. The boost from Charge Beam is not reliable however, and this strategy is only recommended when you need to make room for Encore or another support move. Alakazam also learns Shock Wave, but you will rarely find a use for it, since few Pokemon take more from Shock Wave than they do from Psychic. Furthermore, Hidden Power Electric is stronger, and thus Shock Wave should only be used on sets where Alakazam is already using a Hidden Power of another type.</p>
<p>Energy Ball and Grass Knot are great options if you need coverage against Water, Rock, and Ground-types, however this is only useful on certain teams, since Psychic will usually do enough damage. Shadow Ball hits Ghosts and Psychics hard, but generally Signal Beam is generally more reliable, as it also lets you hit Dark-types without relying on Focus Blast. 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 Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Heatran.</p>
<p>Alakazam gets quite a few options on the physical side, but with only 50 base Attack, they will rarely prove of any use.</p>
<p>Lum Berry can be used in combination with Synchronize, letting you switch in to a move such as Thunder Wave or Toxic, inflicting the status effect on your opponent while Alakazam is essentially unscathed. Salac and Petaya Berry are also options, since either boost makes it a little easier for Alakazam to sweep, however Alakazam really misses Leftovers, especially on sets with Substitute. Furthermore, with the omnipresence of residual damage, namely Sandstorm, Alakazam will be quickly worn out without the aid of Leftovers.</p>
[EVs]
<p>On offensive sets, it is recommended you use 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). On the other hand, 252 EVs in Speed lets you tie with other Alakazam and Dutrio, and also lets you outspeed Tyranitar after a single Dragon Dance, a nice surprise if you are running Focus Blast. Although tempting, a Modest nature is generally a bad choice, as there are numerous Pokemon sitting between 339 and 372 Speed, and the majority of them pose threats to Alakazam. </p>
<p>If you want to do more damage with the Choice Scarf set, you could instead run 212 Speed EVs, and use a Modest nature. This puts Alakazam at 493 Speed after the Choice Scarf boost, meaning it is still guaranteed to outrun Salamence after a Dragon Dance. The remaining 44 EVs can be put in Defense.</p>
<p>On any set with Leftovers, if you favor more defensive spreads, you can also invest some EVs in HP. 120 HP / 176 Special Attack / 212 Speed is recommended here, as it is not favorable to sacrifice Special Attack too much, and Alakazam cannot afford to be outsped very often.</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% accurate 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 caution is advised. 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>Almost anything can KO Alakazam, the tricky part is finding something that resists all of its attacks. For Bulkier Steel-types such as Jirachi and Bronzong, even a boosted Hidden Power Fire is not enough to OHKO, so they have no problem coming in and disposing of Alakazam. Metagross and Scizor also get special mention, since they can each switch in and abuse Bullet Punch to remove Alakazam before it can even attack. 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 a 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. Choice Scarf Pokemon that can reach 249 Speed or higher will always outspeed Alakazam, making Choice Scarf Heatran an excellent choice.</p>
<p>Succesfully inflicting paralysis on Alakazam before it gets comfortable is another good strategy against it, as this opens the door for almost anything to come in and KO Alakazam, who relies on Speed to be effective.</p>
