This is from a draft that was kept prior to the launch of the RBY UU Analysis Project.
[OVERVIEW]
Even though Kadabra isn't fully evolved, it is one of the premier choices in RBY UU due to its base 105 Speed and base 120 Special. These stats give it a high volatility factor, with a 20.5% critical hit rate combined with the 33.2% chance of a Special drop from an already powerful Psychic. It outspeeds many other Pokemon in the tier and can either hit them hard or cripple them with paralysis. This includes the ever-present Tentacruel, which is outsped and takes massive damage from the strongest Psychic in the tier or loses a lot of its effectiveness if paralyzed. This makes Kadabra an effective anti-lead choice, as Tentacruel is perhaps the most common lead in UU. Due to Kadabra's high Special stat, it can also switch in and tank special attacks surprisingly well.
However, Kadabra is not quite in the conversation for being the best Pokemon in the tier. It is walled hard by Hypno, arguably the second-best Pokemon in RBY UU behind Tentacruel. It's almost a given that when your Kadabra is in, your opponent's Hypno will not be far behind, as Kadabra can only really chip it with Seismic Toss or fish for a Special drop with Psychic. In addition, Kadabra is pitifully frail on the physical side, with only base 40 HP and 30 Defense. It has to watch out for Persian especially, which outspeeds it and hits it hard with STAB Slash. Many other physical attackers like Kangaskhan and Dodrio can 2HKO or even OHKO Kadabra, meaning that you need to tread carefully, especially if Kadabra is paralyzed. That said, its positives as a strong and fast Psychic-type far outweigh its negatives, and it can find a place on most RBY UU teams.
[SET]
name: Standard
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Thunder Wave
move 3: Seismic Toss
move 4: Recover
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This is the bread-and-butter set that you'll see virtually every Kadabra run, and for good reason. As mentioned before, Kadabra has the strongest Psychic in the tier and will hit pretty much everything except Hypno and opposing Kadabra for consistent damage. Thunder Wave is used to paralyze foes, most notably dangerous Wrap users like Tentacruel and Dragonite. After paralysis, Wrap only connects about 66% of the time, which severely hampers the Wrap user's effectiveness. Seismic Toss is Kadabra's go-to damage option against Hypno and opposing Kadabra, and Recover increases Kadabra's longevity, especially over the course of long games where you may need to PP stall opposing Psychic-types. For example, against Hypno that may opt for Hypnosis over Seismic Toss, Kadabra will have the upper hand.
Using Kadabra is an exercise in how well you can spread damage with Psychic and paralysis with Thunder Wave while avoiding it taking physical attacks and paralysis yourself. This can mean having to predict your opponent's switches, which is not always an easy task. This is why Kadabra appreciates Wrap users like Tentacruel and Dragonite on its side to get a free switch-in. Once switched in, Kadabra's job is made a little easier because just by using Psychic, it can get good luck with its naturally high 20.5% critical hit rate and 33.2% chance to drop the other Pokemon's Special. That said, relying on that volatility can put Kadabra in a bad spot against Pokemon that can exploit its physical frailty. Clever switching or a Thunder Wave to catch and paralyze such an attacker may be what is needed to turn the tide of battle in your favor. Just keep in mind that your opponent could have Dugtrio lurking to absorb paralysis, and then your Kadabra could be in trouble, as Dugtrio outspeeds Kadabra and KOes it with Earthquake if it is at about 70% health.
Kadabra is certainly not dead weight when it's paralyzed, as paralysis actually allows it to be an effective sleep absorber against oppsing Hypno. However, it does become harder to use and much easier to revenge kill. Thus, pairing it with a Ground-type that can absorb opposing Thunder Waves like Dugtrio or Golem is a good choice. Just be sure that your Ground-type has enough health to deal with the Thunder Wave user it is switching into. In addition, Flying-types such as Dragonite, Articuno, and Dodrio can help deal with the aforementioned Dugtrio problem by switching in for free on an Earthquake. Haunter is also a good partner for Kadabra given the prevalence of strong Normal-type moves in RBY. Haunter is immune to these moves that can KO Kadabra easily, as well as Wrap. Bulky Water-types such as Omastar and Vaporeon can also check these strong physical attackers. Haunter and Omastar notably form the strongest anti-Wrap core in RBY UU; this is a godsend for a physically frail Pokemon like Kadabra. They pair well with Kadabra because wasting sleep turns against Wrap users to wake Kadabra up is not ideal, as Kadabra takes 6-7% from Tentacruel and 9.1-10.9% from Dragonite on each hit.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
If you're replacing any move, Seismic Toss is the one to replace. Counter can surprise physical attackers and net some surprise KOs, especially in the niche scenario where you use Explosion with Haunter or Golem and then bring Kadabra in and Counter your own Explosion. Counter can also force Hypno to have to use Rest sooner if it is spamming Seismic Toss. However, your own Seismic Toss is generally a better and more consistent damage dealer, especially to opposing Psychic-types. Reflect can be used to increase survivability, but even with this Defense boost, Kadabra is still pretty frail; it still takes over 50% on Hyper Beams from some of the stronger physical attackers in the tier, such as Kangaskhan and Dodrio. Again, Seismic Toss is almost always the better choice here.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Hypno**: Hypno is easily the best check to Kadabra, as it's on the vast majority of RBY UU teams anyway and stonewalls everything that Kadabra tries to do. If you bring in Kadabra to attempt a revenge kill, you can be sure that your opponent will bring in Hypno to negate your plans with ease. Hypno can easily tank Psychic and is only 4HKOed by Seismic Toss, meaning that it can recover off any damage Kadabra deals and rid itself of Thunder Wave paralysis with Rest. Therefore, outside of getting lucky with Special drops from Psychic or full paralysis, you probably won't be KOing Hypno with Kadabra, and Kadabra will most likely need to use Recover and switch out. Worse still, Hypno can paralyze Kadabra with Thunder Wave, hampering its usefulness for the rest of the game, or even put it to sleep with Hypnosis, which is normally a death sentence in any RBY tier.
**Opposing Kadabra**: Kadabra also does a decent job at checking itself. If the opponent's Kadabra is already paralyzed, it can switch in to absorb a Thunder Wave from your Kadabra. From there, it can threaten with its own Thunder Wave. Most Kadabra versus Kadabra matchups start with them paralyzing each other, and then it becomes a battle of Seismic Toss and Recover until one switches out or faints.
**Dugtrio**: Dugtrio gets a special mention as a check because it can switch in on a Thunder Wave for free and threaten a KO on Kadabra if it is at 70% health or below. Dugtrio is one of the few Pokemon that can outspeed Kadabra and 2HKO it; unless Kadabra scores a critical hit with Psychic, Dugtrio wins the head-to-head matchup from full health. Furthermore, since Kadabra is the best Tentacruel check in the entire tier, it often comes in on Wrap to wait out the attack and then scare out Tentacruel once it ends, but since Wrap immobilizes Kadabra and does chip damage, Tentacruel can whittle Kadabra down just enough so that Dugtrio can switch in while Kadabra is unable to attack and is in the range of Earthquake.
**Strong Physical Attackers**: Due to Kadabra's low HP and Defense, many strong physical attackers threaten it. To start, Persian outspeeds Kadabra and easily 2HKOes with Slash, meaning, much like Dugtrio, it wins the one-on-one from full health unless Psychic lands a critical hit. Dodrio and Kangaskhan are both outsped by Kadabra and don't like being paralyzed, but they have a guaranteed OHKO on Kadabra with Hyper Beam, making them scary to face. Raticate also can OHKO Kadabra 74.4% of the time with Hyper Beam, putting it in a similar category to the aforementioned Normal-types. Other physical attackers that can OHKO Kadabra with Hyper Beam include Dragonite and Gyarados. Though these attackers have much lower chances to OHKO, they are still scary in their own right with Body Slam. Finally, Aerodactyl has proven its worth in RBY UU and can outspeed and KO Kadabra from 74.9-88.3% health with Hyper Beam.
**Articuno**: Articuno, though not as common of a selection as some previously mentioned Pokemon, is similar to Hypno as a check because it can sponge hits and heal off damage and paralysis with Rest. Both Psychic and Seismic Toss are only 4HKOs on Articuno, meaning that it should be able to survive most encounters. Articuno can also use Agility to shrug off the paralysis Speed drop and become akin to a Hustle sweeper in later generations with a 75% chance to move. What makes Articuno an especially good check, however, is that it can 2HKO Kadabra over 80% of the time with two Blizzards, or always 2HKO with Blizzard into Hyper Beam. Add in the threat of freeze with Blizzard or Ice Beam, and Articuno is a check that can send Kadabra running.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[phoopes, 96315], [Shellnuts, 491544], [Volk, 530877], [Plague von Karma, 236353]]
- Quality checked by: [[EB0LA, 423005], [Plague von Karma, 236353]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [Kris, 241023]]
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