[Overview]
<p>
Although Despite its tier placement last generation
may indicate otherwise, Alakazam has always been
a Pokemon with purpose ? dont really get what you mean by this,
reportedly being highly praised earning high praise in UU
and as well as "usable"
decent usage in OU. For the most part, it exceeded most of its Psychic-type brethren and performed extremely well as a single offensive threat, but even that wasn't enough to receive recognition in the higher tiers. Even today, Alakazam suffers from
a lack of poor defense
s,
fewer notable resistances
(in comparison to fellow special sweepers Latios and Starmie
), and
a more usable one less STAB and
a smaller movepool to abuse.
The fifth generation BW, however, provided
it with a small form of salvation in Psyshock
, and
, more importantly
, a new ability: Magic Guard.</p>
<p>Though Alakazam's flaws are
imposing several / significant,
its arguably
its most dangerous and defining attribute is its ability to overwhelm the opposition. Excellent type coverage is difficult to ignore on something as naturally powerful as Alakazam,
which who sports the second highest Special Attack stat in OU
(surpassed by only Chandelure). Alakazam's special attacking
prowess is
made even better further enhanced by Magic Guard, which
by grant
ing it an immunity to all forms of passive damage
, effectively mak
es Alakazam one of the most dangerous Life Orb
and or Focus Sash abusers in OU. Perhaps what makes Alakazam so
fearful fearsome! is that it can abuse this power effectively with its base 120 Speed, which surpasses most of the unboosted metagame
where slower threats lurk (think Latios), even relatively fast threats such as Starmie, Latios, and the muskeeters. A Pokemon with this much offensive potential is certainly one to consider on your team, and, should you have the misfortune of encountering it, one to be wary of.</p>
[SET]
name: Substitute + 3 Attacks
move 1: Substitute
move 2: Psychic / Psyshock
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>
Using three attacks has been one of Alakazam's defining points Due to Alakazam's frailty and excellent coverage, a Sub + 3 Attacks build has long been one of its standards;, and this has only improved in the generation shift thanks to
the utility of Magic Guard and
popularity the introduction of
many relatively slower Pokemon in the metagame. The mere presence of Alakazam often forces the opposing Pokemon to switch out in fear of a strong attack
, or perhaps stay in hopes of bringing in a counter safely. Substitute takes advantage of this opportunity, allowing Alakazam to scout the opponent's response to it and maintain protection against
status paralysis, support moves
(such as Encore
), and most importantly,
revenge kills from Choice Scarfers or priority moves. If Alakazam manages to keep its Substitute or Focus Sash intact, it is also likely to KO the next target it faces, making it
a prime candidate for a
very dangerous special attacker
on your team indeed.
Between With the combination of Focus Blast, Shadow Ball, and Alakazam's chosen Psychic-type attack
providing perfect neutral coverage, almost no team is safe from taking heavy damage from it.</p>
<p>The choice between Psychic and Psyshock may be frustrating at first, but due of the popularity of physically defensive threats such as Gliscor and Rotom-W, Psychic is often the preferred choice
for overall power. If
you feel you already have these
types of threats covered, Psyshock can be used to
check break through special walls, especially Blissey. The item choice also depends on what it is targeting specifically. Life Orb
should be fairly obvious for the power boost and Alakazam's immunity to its recoil is an obvious choice, providing a free power boost as Alakazam is immune to its recoil. However, Focus Sash should always be considered for an important reason: thanks to Magic Guard, Alakazam is also immune to entry hazards, sandstorm, and hail, so it will never be OHKOed with Focus Sash.
With this in mind, Alakazam can
therefore function on your team
as not only
as a great attacker, but
also as a
deterrent against check to various speedy setup attackers, including but not limited to Dragon Dance users,
Shell Smash + Baton Pass recipients
you don't check full pass, and weather abusers.
By then, these threats will usually have fainted or sustained enough damage for your own priority user to take advantage of. While this may conflict with Substitute, there will always be times where Alakazam will not require a Substitute
if there's any way this can be elaborated on further that'd be great, because it seems like a tacked-on afterthought atm.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Simply maximizing Speed and Special Attack with a Timid nature will suffice. If
the increased power is relevant to you more power is needed,
the a Modest nature
is optimal, allow
s Alakazam to tie with positive-natured base 105 opponents.
Consequently However, doing so will leave Alakazam vulnerable to
many popular a whole host of faster threats, especially Terrakion, Latios, and Choice Scarf Tyranitar. Similarly, since bulk isn't particularly relevant to Alakazam, don't bother lowering the Speed EVs for a certain Speed tier, either.</p>
<p>Be aware that Alakazam will mainly function as a revenge killer or check
at any part of the game, and if holding Focus Sash,
it can
eliminate or weaken any enemies before fainting beforehand even switch in to slower threats without you first having to sacrifice a Pokemon. Therefore, it will fit on any offensive team that requires specific threats, mainly faster weather abusers, to be eliminated. Due to its frailty, Alakazam will
also likely
also attract revenge killers, mainly priority users such as Scizor and Mamoswine. While Focus Sash and / or Substitute eases this setback somewhat, alternative methods of eliminating these threats are highly advised. For example, Nasty Plot Infernape and Lucario would appreciate Alakazam's ability to eliminate faster attackers, while they can switch into certain priority with ease. Other teammates that can keep up the offensive momentum while beating revenge killers and defensive Pokemon, such as Chandelure, Scizor, Rotom-W, and Mienshao, would also benefit by being
paired with Alakazam.</p>
[SET]
name: Offensive Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Psyshock / Psychic
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Shadow Ball
item: Life Orb / Focus Sash
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Although Alakazam naturally packs power, it often lacks the strength to break through some dedicated defensive threats, mainly Ferrothorn and Blissey
, without prior damage. Calm Mind alleviates this concern
somewhat, boosting Alakazam's already fantastic Special Attack and decent Special Defense stats to more than decent levels. Additionally, Alakazam doesn't even have to function with a Calm Mind boost, as it is still capable of dishing out heavy damage without one. Please keep in mind that
this Alakazam should function primarily as an attacker, because its
natural frailty
and low base HP may hold it back
, even in the face of special attackers. Psyshock is more advisable on this set than Psychic, allowing Alakazam to more easily power through the likes of Blissey, Chansey, and other special walls after a boost. Otherwise, resistant or immune targets are punished by the appropriate coverage move.</p>
<p>As for items, Life Orb further amplifies Alakazam's power, regardless of whether it uses Calm Mind or not, so it isn't too reliant on the boost. Focus Sash, however, grants Alakazam more leeway in attacking, and also aids Alakazam in gaining a boost if it absolutely needs one
example? none are really immediately obvious.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Despite this set including Calm Mind, Alakazam isn't exactly intended to sweep after a boost (as, evidently, it can do so without one) so the same teammates mentioned previously still apply.
In an event Alakazam is required to use Calm Mind again, example, however, dual screen support may prove useful to prevent dire damage, especially those coming from revenge killers. Dual screen support can also provide Alakazam with more opportunities to set up a Calm Mind and protect it from revenge kills; however, be warned
, however, that most dual screen users are Psychic-type
d, which may lead to some redundancy and thus have poor type synergy with Alakazam. Ideally, Alakazam should also be paired up with other offensive teammates
if it comes into trouble to deal with certain threats beforehand. Scizor, Lucario, Infernape, and Chandelure are notable
out of many due to for their ability to force out counters
example and sponge priority moves aimed at Alakazam.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Although Substitute and Calm Mind are listed as main options, another support move or coverage attack can replace either of these moves to fend off certain threats. Encore is
particularly notable
above all others for its great payoffs: while Alakazam
is out, it can
use Encore on a slower foe using
a non-attacking move, likely forcing it to switch and the switch-in to acquire extra entry hazard damage.
Using A speedy Encore also provides an opportunity for a fellow teammate to set up and sweep while the opponent struggles to
regain momentum. Other attacks
than that can replace Substitute include specific Hidden Powers and Energy Ball
, both reserved for threats with 4x weaknesses
: (mainly Gyarados, Dragonite, Scizor, and Gastrodon
).
However, Alakazam can
, however, surpass these threats with
its standard moves and entry hazard damage.</p>
<p>
The advent of Magic Guard pretty much rules out any
good reason to use Choice items and Alakazam's
previous other abilities, as both are outclassed by Life Orb and Magic Guard itself, respectively. Other than the coverage moves listed above, Alakazam does offer a number of colorful options within Magic Guard's legal boundaries. Particular
ly, it can use crippling item and / or move combinations
, includ
e Substitute + Encore, Disable + Substitute, Calm Mind + Encore, Calm Mind + Recover, and Flame Orb + Trick. While these
combinations gimmicks are useful in their own ways, they are also circumstantial
and largely inferior; be braced for disappointment if things don't go according to plan
with any of the combinations. </p>
<p>As for other support moves, Alakazam has access to
field dual screens and weather-inducing moves, though in the latter's case,
only Rain Dance is
only remotely useful for setting up
for Swift Swim users. Conversely, weather does mostly nothing for Alakazam itself, so use Sunny Day or Rain Dance
hail? (with Focus Sash) only if your team has trouble with specific types of weather
-oriented teams.</p>
[
Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to get by Alakazam is simply by exploiting its frailty, eliminating it before it does major damage
to the opposing team. Attempting to outrun Alakazam is a challenge
in itself due to its base 120 Speed, so foes will typically resort to Choice Scarf and priority users, mainly Scizor
and Excadrill. Sets utilizing Focus Sash or Substitute, however,
tend to bypass these kind of checks and counters thwart such solutions, while bulkier opponents will struggle
to stomach against sets with boosting moves
or items. The most general counters are those that Alakazam can't 2HKO instantly; Jirachi is a common example of this, capable
to of setting up with Calm Mind or threatening with paralysis. Both Sableye and Spiritomb are immune to Psychic and Focus Blast, and only neutral to Shadow Ball, giving them time to
off damage Alakazam before being KOed themselves. Other examples of bulky and powerful Pokemon that
could can counter Alakazam
(given the right conditions) include Scizor, Metagross, and Reuniclus. If Alakazam lacks Psyshock, it has obviously trouble getting past special walls, though at this point, we've reached the bottom of the barrel. Generally speaking, if Alakazam can't outspeed or
immediately eliminate a threat
in time,
you can expect the frail magician to go down quickly and quietly.</p>
