[OVERVIEW]
Alakazam and its Mega counterpart are both terrifying revenge killers that can swiftly sweep teams, especially late-game. An outstanding base 150 Speed stat after Mega Evolving enables Mega Alakazam to outspeed the entire metagame bar Mega Aerodactyl and Electrode, which both Speed tie it. Mega Alakazam also packs great power alongside a decent special movepool to complement it, with options such as Shadow Ball and Dazzling Gleam alongside its STAB attack allowing it to hit the majority of the metagame for at least neutral damage. Calm Mind further increases its offensive prowess to frightening levels. Unfortunately, despite great Special Defense, Mega Alakazam bears little to no defensive presence due to abysmal HP and Defense, meaning it will often rely on foddering a teammate or pivoting in order to come in safely. Checks such as Melmetal and Alolan Muk are seen on a majority of teams, meaning that Mega Alakazam can often struggle to break through teams carrying the aforementioned threats unless they have been significantly worn down.
[SET]
name: Wallbreaker
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Dazzling Gleam / Recover
move 3: Shadow Ball / Recover
move 4: Calm Mind
item: Alakazite
nature: Timid
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Information
========
Psychic is Mega Alakazam's most powerful STAB option and can break through the majority of its targets while providing a small chance to lower the foe's Special Defense to ease breaking through it. Dazzling Gleam hits Alolan Muk for neutral damage, providing Mega Alakazam the chance to chip it down every time it is forced in. It also has the added benefit of 2HKOing Mega Gyarados after Stealth Rock damage, enabling Mega Alakazam to circumvent an otherwise nuisance to it. Shadow Ball complements Psychic well, targeting Steel- and Psychic-types such as Melmetal and Mew that resist Psychic. Calm Mind can boost Mega Alakazam's offensive presence even further, enabling it to sweep late-game once checks such as Alolan Muk and Melmetal have been significantly weakened. Recover can be useful as a means to increase Mega Alakazam's longevity; however, its poor defenses deny it many chances from doing so often. Furthermore, using Recover forces Mega Alakazam to forego one of its coverage options, meaning that it can have a much more difficult time sweeping when dealing with opposing checks. A Timid nature enables Mega Alakazam to outspeed as many threats as possible alongside letting it Speed tie with Mega Aerodactyl. A Modest nature can be used to offer Mega Alakazam the chance to score 2HKOs against the likes of Melmetal and Snorlax after Stealth Rock. However, this leaves Mega Alakazam outsped by Mega Beedrill and loses out on the Speed tie against Mega Aerodactyl and Electrode.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Alakazam should not be directly switched into attacks, as the majority of moderately strong attackers threaten to OHKO it. Therefore, it is advised to bring it in safely through slow pivoting or by foddering off another teammate. While Mega Alakazam should be spamming its STAB attack the majority of the time, Dazzling Gleam and Shadow Ball should be used to target common switch-ins such as Alolan Muk and Melmetal which Mega Alakazam often forces in and can chip down severely with repeated attacks. Calm Mind should be used versus special attackers or when Mega Alakazam can force a switch out, as its meager defenses dissuade it from stacking boosts safely. Additionally, Mega Alakazam shouldn't set up until checks such as Alolan Muk and Snorlax are in range of boosted attacks, preventing any halts in a sweep. Beware of priority users such as Sucker Punch Alolan Dugtrio, as it can threaten to KO Mega Alakazam before it can even inflict any damage itself.
Team Options
========
Team members such as Nidoqueen and Poliwrath that can help deal with checks such as Alolan Muk and Melmetal are much appreciated. Other offensive threats such as Dragonite, Melmetal, and Alolan Dugtrio can help apply pressure to Mega Alakazam's common switch-ins, while they appreciate Mega Alakazam's ability to revenge kill threatening foes such as Mega Beedrill and Mega Gengar. Alolan Dugtrio also provides Stealth Rock support, which can get crucial chip damage on the opposing team. Pivots such as Mew and Zapdos enable Mega Alakazam to come in more frequently without needing to sacrifice another teammate in order to bring it safely. Mew can also effectively lure in and remove some of Mega Alakazam's checks such as Alolan Muk when running coverage options such as Earthquake and set up moves such as Bulk Up, increasing Mega Alakazam's sweeping potential.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Substitute can be a great way to punish switches, as it allows Mega Alakazam to get off at least two hits in the majority of cases. However, foregoing coverage options can hamper Mega Alakazam's ability to dent checks such as Alolan Muk and Melmetal. Encore can be used to lock opposing Pokemon into non-harmful moves such as Stealth Rock and recovery options as well as generally weak moves that do not dent Mega Alakazam greatly. However, as with Substitute, Mega Alakazam often lacks the ability to pull off this option without risking a worse matchup against its checks.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Alolan Muk**: Alolan Muk is one of the only viable Dark-types in the tier apart from Mega Gyarados, meaning it can switch into Mega Alakazam's STAB Psychic safely, while its additional Poison typing offers it a neutrality to Dazzling Gleam. However, Alolan Muk is prone to being worn down and can be chipped enough to the point where Mega Alakazam can KO.
**Alolan Dugtrio**: Alolan Dugtrio can threaten to revenge kill Mega Alakazam with Sucker Punch before it even has the chance to retaliate, however it cannot switch into Mega Alakazam's coverage moves safely unless it is at near full health.
**Melmetal**: While Melmetal may not posses the greatest Special Defense, its typing still offers it the chance to tank STAB Psychic from Mega Alakazam at least twice, while it can OHKO Mega Alakazam with its own STAB move in return. However, Shadow Ball can still severely dent Melmetal, especially if Mega Alakazam is offered the chance to set up a Calm Mind.
**Chansey and Snorlax**: Chansey and Snorlax's high special bulk enables them to switch into Mega Alakazam comfortably, as they can usually avoid being 2HKOed, while the former can cripple Mega Alakazam via Thunder Wave, and the latter can threaten to OHKO it with Facade. However, Snorlax's lack of reliable recovery means it cannot switch into Mega Alakazam repeatedly.
**Mega Gyarados**: Once Mega Evolved, Mega Gyarados can check Mega Alakazam by switching into Psychic and Shadow Ball with little remorse and threaten to OHKO it in return with Crunch. However, it must look out for Dazzling Gleam, especially when Stealth Rock is up, as Mega Alakazam can easily 2HKO it.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Funbot28, 255984]]
- Quality checked by: [[Hayburner, 291554], [Theorymon, 29010], [Ezaphs, 375272]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216 ], [Rabia, 336073]]
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