Le' Mustache is back.
[Pros]
<ul>
<li>Alakazam is one of the best revenge killers in the game.</li>
<li>Magic Guard makes it immune to all forms of residual damage.</li>
<li>It is very fast; base 120 Speed lets it outspeed most of the metagame.</li>
<li>Still possesses a high Special Attack stat and a good movepool.</li>
<li>It is very hard to switch into.</li>
<li>Alakazam now has a faster, more powerful Mega Evolution to use.</li>
</ul>
[Cons]
<ul>
<li>Alakazam is very frail physically.</li>
<li>Most Pokemon with priority can check Alakazam quite easily.</li>
<li>Psychic typing leaves it vulnerable to common Dark-, Bug-, and Ghost-type attacks.</li>
<li>Its Mega Evolution loses Magic Guard and the ability to hold a Focus Sash.</li>
</ul>
[Set Recommendations]
<p>name: Special Attacker<br />
move 1: Psyshock<br />
move 2: Focus Blast<br />
move 3: Shadow Ball<br />
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire<br />
ability: Magic Guard<br />
item: Focus Sash / Life Orb<br />
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe<br />
nature: Timid</p>
<p>With a Focus Sash and the ability Magic Guard, Alakazam is guaranteed to take at least two hits. Psyshock is Alakazam's STAB move of choice to hit Poison- and Fighting-types, and it is able to hit Pokemon with a higher Special Defense stat, such as Blissey and Goodra, harder than Psychic. Focus Blast provides mandatory coverage that Alakazam needs in order to beat Tyranitar and potentially Ferrothorn. Shadow Ball allows Alakazam to hit opposing Psychic-types and Aegislash, and it can potentially revenge kill the latter if Alakazam's Focus Sash is still intact. The choice between Hidden Power Ice and Hidden Power Fire comes down to personal preference; the former hits Dragon-types and Gliscor while the latter OHKOes Scizor and Ferrothorn.</p>
<p>This set is specifically designed for revenge killing, so there aren't many other options it can run without hindering it in some way. A Life Orb can be used to bump up the damage output significantly and allows Alakazam to become more of a hard hitter, but it becomes much less reliable at revenge killing. Substitute can be used to ease prediction, but Alakazam loses out on valuable coverage. Because Alakazam will primarily be used for revenge killing, entry hazards work well alongside it to make its job a lot easier. Klefki, Skarmory, and Forretress are good users of Spikes that have great defensive synergy with Alakazam. Physical attackers such as Aegislash and Lucario are perfect for breaking through special walls that wall Alakazam, such as Blissey, Chansey, and Tyranitar.</p>
<p>name: Mega Attacker<br />
move 1: Psyshock<br />
move 2: Focus Blast<br />
move 3: Shadow Ball<br />
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire<br />
ability: Magic Guard<br />
item: Alakazite<br />
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe<br />
nature: Timid / Modest</p>
<p>Mega Alakazam is much faster and much more powerful than its regular form. Although it lacks the ability to revenge kill certain Pokemon, it now packs an insane amount of power and can outspeed almost everything in the OU tier. Mega Alakazam is best used as a late-game cleaner, as it is able to easily clean up most teams once its checks and counters are gone. It also has the advantage of outspeeding Pokemon that regular Alakazam can't, such as Noivern, Greninja, and Weavile. Psyshock offers nice coverage against Poison- and Fighting-types while hitting Blissey, Chansey, and Goodra harder than Psychic. Focus Blast is specifically for Tyranitar and Ferrothorn who wall this set otherwise. Shadow Ball is used to hit Psychic- and Ghost-types such as Trevenant and Gourgeist for super effective damage. Hidden Power Ice hits Dragon-types such as Garchomp and Dragonite hard while Hidden Power Fire can KO Scizor on the switch-in.</p>
<p>A Timid nature is preferred so that Alakazam can outspeed every single Pokemon in the OU tier and also Speed tie with Mega Aerodactyl and opposing Mega Alakazam. A Modest nature is perfectly viable though, as it allows Alakazam to clean up more efficiently. Calm Mind can be used over Shadow Ball to boost Mega Alakazam's Special Attack to astounding levels, but it loses out on valuable coverage. Substitute is useful for keeping priority users such as Scizor and Azumarill from revenge killing it, but once again it will miss the coverage that Shadow Ball gives it. Keep in mind that Mega Alakazam ironically faces competition from standard Life Orb Alakazam, as they both have similar power, but it doesn't take up the Mega slot. The key advantage here is Mega Alakazam's huge Speed stat, which gives it the edge over faster Pokemon. Trace is also a useful because it allows Mega Alakazam to revenge kill weather sweepers such as Kingdra, Excadrill, and Venusaur. Keep in mind that it can't outspeed the turn it Mega-Evolves, but it can any turn after that. Mega Alakazam appreciates entry hazards just as much as its regular counterpart. Klefki, Skarmory, and Forretress can set up Spikes and have good defensive synergy with Mega Alakazam. Pairing Mega Alakazam with powerful physical attackers such as Garchomp, Lucario, and Aegislash to break through special walls can make it much easier for Mega Alakazam to clean up.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Both Alakazam and its Mega counterpart share very similar checks and counters. One of the best hard counters out there has got to be Sableye, because it's immune to both of their Psychic-type STAB and Focus Blast, while taking little damage from Shadow Ball. Blissey and Chansey both avoid the 2HKO from Alakazam's Psyshock and can threaten to cripple it with Thunder Wave the following turn, but only Chansey can avoid the 2HKO from Modest Mega Alakazam's Psyshock. Scizor is a great check if Alakazam is running Hidden Power Ice, while Gliscor, Dragonite, and Garchomp can check the Hidden Power Fire variants relatively well. Both forms of Alakazam are extremely vulnerable to priority moves due to their pitiful physical bulk. Scizor, Mega Absol, Mega Lucario, Talonflame, Aegislash, Metagross, and Azumarill can all deal a ton of damage to both forms of Alakazam with their respective priority moves. Choice Scarf users such as Garchomp can outspeed and KO Alakazam with pretty much any of their moves.</p>
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