OU Alakazam

DarkNostalgia

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Taken over from Josh Morales

QC: Bluwing | Henry | ben gay
GP: Psywaves | GatoDelFuego

Overview
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+ High Special Attack allows it to be a great wallbreaker and late-game sweeper
+ Coupled with great Speed both before and after Mega Evolving enable it to be a great revenge killer; has an advantage over other non-Scarfed Psychic-types in the sense that it outspeeds Scarf Tyranitar
+ Both the base and mega evolution have excellent abilities in Magic Guard and Trace, respectively
+ Magic Guard allows the base form to be an excellent revenge killer as Focus Sash will stay intact regardless of hazards and status
+ Trace enables Mega Alakazam to copy the opponent's ability and can revenge kill weather sweepers such as Mega Swampert and Excadrill in respective weathers
+ A wide array of utility options such as Thunder Wave, Encore and Taunt
- Mediocre Psychic typing
- Vulnerability to Priority
- Relies on having prior damage on opponent to actually be able to OHKO them
- Paper-thin defenses on both sides of the spectrum renders Alakazam unable to take even resisted physical hits

Mega Alakazam
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name: Mega Alakazam
move 1: Psychic / Psychock
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball / Dazzling Gleam
move 4: Substitute / Taunt / Hidden Power Fire / Encore
ability: Magic Guard
item: Alakazite
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========

Psychic is a strong STAB and hits physically defensive foes such as Landorus-Therian and Mega Venusaur harder
Psyshock is an option to deal more damage to Chansey and Blissey
Focus Blast provides good coverage and has a high BP and hits Dark- and Steel- types
Shadow Ball hits other Psychic types, which Psychic and Focus Blast fail to hit
Dazzling Gleam prevents Mega Alakazam from being completely walled by Mega Sableye and also deals decent damage to Latios and Latias
Hidden Power Fire hits Scizor and Ferrothorn harder than Focus Blast and has more reliable accuracy
Substitute help ensure safe Mega Evolution as well as evading status and Sucker Punch
Taunt shuts down defensive Pokemon such as Chansey, Slowbro and Alomomola
Encore also shuts down Pokemon such Bisharp and Ferrothorn by locking them into only one move
Set Details
========

A Timid Nature is preferred so that Alakazam can revenge kill Pokemon slower such as Mega Lopunny, Manectric, Beedrill, Sceptile as well as 216 Speed Aerodactyl which cannot be outsped if using Modest
Maximum Speed to tie with Mega Aerodactyl and opposing Mega Alakazam running full investment; also HP investment doesn't benefit Alakazam
Full Special Attack is to hit as hard as possible
Magic Guard is the chosen ability before Mega Evolving to not get worn down by hazards and non-volatile status
Trace is the only ability Mega Alakazam has and gives Alakazam the unique ability to outspeed weather sweepers such as Kingdra and Excadrill and revenge kill them first

Usage Tips
========

Mega Alakazam can manually switch-in against weaker special attacks such as Heatran's Lava Plume or Rotom-W's Hydro Pump
Because of it's frail defenses Mega Alakazam is unable to switch-in against even resisted physical hits such as Close Combat and Zen Headbutt, so Alakazam is best swapped in after a teammate has fallen or by VoltTurn support
Use Alakazam as a late-game sweeper or a revenge killer with it's stellar Special Attack and Speed stats
Use utility moves to cripple defensive foes such as Chansey and Clefable, also feels great to Encore Bisharp into Sucker Punch

Team Options
========

Mega Alakazam struggles with Steel- and Dark- types the most, since it has to rely on an inaccurate Focus Blast to damage them; Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Terrakion can easily take these out
Fairies such as Clefable and Sylveon can also eliminate Dark-types such as Sableye and Tyranitar which Alakazam struggle with; they can also weaken Steel-types so that Alakazam can break through them easier
Strong wallbreakers such as Landorus-Incarnate and Crawdaunt can also wear down foes for a late-game sweep from Alakazam
Heatran is a great partner as well since it deals with Scizor and Sableye as well as checking most Talonflame
Hazards are mandatory for Alakazam to get crucial OHKOs, particularly Latios after Stealth Rock with Shadow Ball
Pursuit support coming from Bisharp and Tyranitar is great as well because Alakazam struggles with bulky Psychic-type Pokemon
Because Mega Alakazam struggles to manually switch-in, pivots such as Scizor, Rotom-W and Landorus-Therian can patch up this weakness by providing switch-in opportunities

Revenge Killer
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name: Revenge Killer
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Grass Knot / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Thunder Wave
ability: Magic Guard
item: Focus Sash
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========

Psychic has higher BP than Psyshock and can break through physically defensive foes such as Mega Venusaur, Landorus-Therian and Rotom-W
Focus Blast hits Dark- and Steel-types such as Bisharp, Tyranitar and Ferrothorn that Psychic cannot hit for much damage; however the accuracy is a drawback
Hidden Power Ice OHKOs Garchomp and Landorus-Therian as well as 2HKOing Specially Defensive Gliscor; with the sash Alakazam is a great revenge killer to the aforementioned
Grass Knot deals with bulky Ground-, Rock-types and Water-types such as Hippowdon, Tyranitar and Mega Gyarados, and is chosen over Energy Ball for the increased damage output against the above. Energy Ball is an option to hit Manaphy and Rotom-W much harder but they do not appreciate a Psychic anyway
Hidden Power Fire is an option as well to 2HKO Ferrothorn and (Mega) Scizor, and is a more reliable tool than Focus Blast to hit Steel-types bar Heatran with
Thunder Wave is a great utility option for the last slot to cripple threats that Alakazam may not outright KO such as Mega Charizard X and Altaria; it is also a great option to avoid Sucker Punch from Bisharp whilst crippling it in the process
Though it may sound gimmicky, Psych Up is a decent option to copy the stat boosts of the foe, such as Calm Mind Landorus and Keldeo, revenge kill it with the Sash and proceed to sweep the opposing team unless they have Priority
Shadow Ball can be used to hit bulkier Psychic-types but without its Mega Alakazam is relatively weak and does not 2HKO Celebi, Jirachi and Cresselia

Set Details
========

Magic Guard is the chosen ability since it allows Alakazam to evade status and hazard damage
Focus Sash takes advantage of a stellar ability in Magic Guard so that Alakazam needs not worry about hazards and status breaking the Sash and hindering Alakazam's ability to revenge kill
Maximum Speed and Special Attack to be as fast and hit as hard as possible, respectively; with a Timid Nature Alakazam outspeeds most of the metagame and thus can revenge kill more effectively
Because of it's occupancy of a great speed tier Alakazam can usually get more than one hit off the opponent

Usage Tips
========

Since this set is, primarily, a revenge killing set, Alakazam should only be switched in after a teammate faints or by the use of VoltTurn to deal damage to the opponent
Alakazam cannot take even resisted physical hits such as Close Combat very well due to so it is advised to not manually switch Alakazam aimlessly into such hits
Preserve the Focus Sash so that Alakazam can still revenge kill Pokemon later on
Alakazam can act as an emergency check to Pokemon such as Rock Polish Landorus and Substitute + Calm Mind Keldeo if the team doesn't have checks for those
When facing a Pokemon that outspeeds Alakazam and cannot be OHKOed by it or when Alakazam is at low health and cannot do much to the opponent, Thunder Wave can be used to cripple the foe, allowing a teammate to finish it off.

Team Options
========

This set struggles to break bulkier Pokemon such as Chansey so Pokemon that can take it out is a good partner to Alakazam; Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Mega Lopunny can all acheve this, and trappers such as Gothitelle and Wobbufet as well
Entry hazards and some prior damage are important to score some crucial OHKOs such as Hidden Power Fire on Scizor; Stealth Rock from the likes of Excadrill, Tyranitar and Garchomp are really beneficial to Alakazam
Pursuit support from Bisharp, Tyranitar and Scizor are also viable since Alakazam struggles with bulkier Psychic-types such as Slowbro, Reuniclus and Latias
VoltTurn support is almost mandatory because of the near zero chances that Alakazam can come into battle; pivots such as Scizor and Rotom-W can score free momentum for Alakazam

Offensive Zam
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name: Offensive Zam
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Encore
ability: Magic Guard
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========

Psychic is the main STAB and chosen over Psyshock for the increased damage output as well as Physically defensive foes such as bulky Garchomp
Focus Blast deals with Dark- and Steel-types that Psychic misses out on
Shadow Ball provides great all-around coverage with Psychic and Focus Blast and hits bulky Psychic- and Ghost- types that the aforementioned coverage cannot deal with
Hidden Power Ice OHKOes both Landorus formes, specially defensive Gliscor as well as Garchomp and Multiscale-broken Dragonite
Encore could also be used to shut down defensive cores such as Alomomola + Heatran by locking them into only one move

Set Details
========

Max special attack and speed with a Timid Nature so that Alakazam can be as fast and hit as hard as possible, as well as tying with opposing Alakazam and Dugtrio as well Base 110s-115s such as Latios, Gengar and Starmie
Magic Guard is the superior ability so that Alakazam is not worn down by repeated switches into hazard and status
Life Orb takes advantage of Magic Guard to have a recoil-less boost to its offensives, making Alakazam a terrifying wallbreaker and late-game cleaner

Usage Tips
========

Because of Alakazam's frailty, it should only be brought in on extremely weak Special Attacks, by VoltTurn support or after a teammate has fainted
As this set excels against Stall archetypes and also during late-game, Alakazam should take advantage of this and switch in when available and start dealing damage
Don't be afraid of using Encore to break Stall as well as locking setup sweepers into one move, allowing for easy switches and predictions

Team Options
========

Because of Alakazam's frailty, VoltTurn support is really appreciated so that Alakazam can switch in safely; Pokemon such as Rotom-W and Landorus-Therian can lure in and pivot out of Pokemon that Alakazam beat such as Chansey and Alomomola
Pursuit support is really appreciated to weaken bulkier Psychic-types such as Metagross and Latias
As this set does great against stall-oriented Pokemon such as Chansey and Clefable, Pokemon that generally struggle against them are ideal partners. Examples include Mega Manetric and Latios who have trouble breaking through them.

Other Options
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Energy Ball is an option on Mega Alakazam to hit bulky Water-types such as Alomomola, Quagsire, Seismitoad and Rotom-W, as well as outspeeding and OHKOing rain sweepers such as Kabutops, Omastar and Mega Swampert due to Trace, but loses quite a bit of coverage compared to other options
A dedicated Stallbreaker Set with Taunt + Encore is great for shutting down defensive and balanced cores as well as having decent offensive presence.
Disable is an option as well to shut down defensive Pokemon such as Chansey and Alomomola
Calm Mind is an option as well, albeit sub-par, and allows Alakazam to break through defensive and balanced cores easier, but against offense Alakazam will find near zero opportunities to set-up
Recover can help Alakazam regain health especially for the Focus Sash set so that it can revenge kill even more; however it's poor bulk and typing means the Alakazam will be hard-pressed to find opportunities to recover
Dazzling Gleam gets past Sableye who otherwise hard-walls Mega Alakazam as well as hitting Dragon- and Dark-types such as Latios and Tyranitar for decent damage
Taunt on the Life Orb Alakazam is also an option to deny bulky Pokemon such as Clefable and Chansey their recovery
Protect allows Alakazam to safely Mega Evolve, but is strongly discouraged as it has many more useful moves for the fourth moveslot
Signal Beam is an option to hit Celebi harder than Shadow Ball does as well as dealing with Psychic-types such as Slowbro

Checks & Counters
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**Dark-Types** Because Alakazam typically relies on Focus Blast, a move with shaky accuracy, to actually damage Dark-types, they are one of the top checks to Alakazam, capable of OHKOing it with their respective STAB moves. Bisharp, Tyranitar and Sableye are prime examples of this.

**Pursuit** Pokemon such as Scizor and Bisharp can easily Pursuit-trap Alakazam as Alakazam will normally switch-out of them in these scenarios. Scizor is not really damaged by any of Alakazam's moves bar Hidden Power Fire and Bisharp can play mind-games with Alakazam with Sucker Punch and Pursuit.

**Priority** Powerful Priority users such as Azumarill, Bisharp, Scizor and Talonflame can all come in on Alakazam and easily OHKO it with their respective Priority moves due to Alakazam's frail defenses.

**Psychic-Types** Many Psychic-types such as Latios, Starmie and Reuniclus can easily deal with Alakazam as well, resisting the Psychic-Fighting coverage that Alakazam most commonly uses. Shadow Ball is quite weak as it is not STAB and barely 2HKOes offensive Latios and Starmie whilst missing out on Reuniclus, Cresselia and Slowking entirely.


Overview
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Alakazam and its Mega Evolution both have an excellent Special Attack stat, coupled with a fantastic Speed tier, which allows it to function effectively as a wallbreaker, revenge killer, and late-game sweeper. In addition, both Alakazam and Mega Alakazam have access to stellar abilities in Magic Guard and Trace, respectively; Magic Guard allows Alakazam to be an excellent revenge killer, as a Focus Sash will stay intact regardless of entry hazards and damaging status, as well as negating Life Orb recoil, and Trace enables Mega Alakazam to copy the foe's ability, and thus it can revenge kill weather sweepers such as Mega Swampert, Kingdra, and Excadrill. Last but not least, Alakazam has a wide array of utility options in its arsenal such as Thunder Wave, Encore, and Taunt, letting it function well against both offensive and defensive teams.

However, Alakazam possesses a mediocre Psychic typing, leaving it vulnerable to the omnipresent Knock Off as well as Pursuit and U-turn users such as Bisharp and Scizor. To add insult to injury, Alakazam has paper-thin defenses due to its low HP and Defense stats, rendering it extremely susceptible to numerous priority attacks as well as reducing Alakazam's opportunities to switch in. Finally, Alakazam is also extremely reliant on entry hazard damage to nab some KOs.

Mega Alakazam
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name: Mega Alakazam
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Encore / Substitute
ability: Magic Guard
item: Alakazite
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========

Psychic is Mega Alakazam's obligatory STAB move, and it is chosen to hit physically defensive foes such as Landorus-T and Mega Venusaur harder than Psyshock as well as the increased Base Power; however, Psyshock is an option to deal with specially defensive foes such as Chansey or Blissey. Focus Blast provides good coverage with Psychic and deals with Dark- and Steel-types that resist Psychic. Shadow Ball hits other Psychic-types, which Psychic and Focus Blast fail to hit, such as Celebi and Jirachi. The last slot is really team-dependent. Encore provides great utility by shutting down Pokemon such as Bisharp and Ferrothorn by locking them into only move; meanwhile, Substitute evades status and Sucker Punch and allows Mega Alakazam to scout.
Dazzling Gleam is also an option to prevent Mega Alakazam from being hopelessly walled by Mega Sableye as well as dealing decent damage to Dark- and Dragon-types such as Latios and Tyranitar. Taunt shuts down defensive Pokemon such as Chansey, Alomomola, and Slowbro by denying their recovery and preventing them from inflicting status on Mega Alakazam. Hidden Power Fire allows Mega Alakazam to reliably 2HKO Scizor and Ferrothorn on the switch, as well as having more accuracy than Focus Blast to deal with Steel-types. Calm Mind allows Mega Alakazam to potentially sweep, especially against balanced or stall teams; however, due to its lackluster defenses, Mega Alakazam does not find many opportunities to set up.


Set Details
========

The EVs on the set are quite straightforward; maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs are so that Mega Alakazam can be as powerful and as fast as possible, Speed tying with opposing Mega Alakazam and Aerodactyl. A Timid nature is preferred so that Mega Alakazam can revenge kill Pokemon such as Mega Lopunny, Mega Manectric, Mega Beedrill, and Mega Sceptile, which Mega Alakazam misses out on if running a Modest nature. Magic Guard is the chosen ability before Mega Evolving to not get worn down by entry hazards and non-volatile status, and Trace is the only ability Mega Alakazam has and gives it the unique ability to revenge kill weather sweepers as well as potentially getting great abilities such as Adaptability or Prankster.


Usage Tips
========

Because of Mega Alakazam's near non-existent defenses, it is unable to switch in on even resisted physical hits such as Close Combat and Zen Headbutt, so Mega Alakazam is best switched in after a teammate has fainted, by Volt Switch or U-turn support, or against extremely weak special attacks such as Alomomola's Scald. Mega Alakazam should be used as a late-game cleaner and/or revenge killer by virtue of its stellar offensive stats when the opposition is weakened, and it should use utility moves to cripple defensive foes such as Chansey and Clefable, plus it is great to Encore Bisharp into Sucker Punch.


Team Options
========

Because Mega Alakazam struggles with Steel- and Dark- types the most, as it has to rely on an inaccurate Focus Blast to damage them, Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Terrakion are great partners for Mega Alakazam, as they can easily deal with Steel- and Dark-types. Fairy-types such as Clefable and Sylveon are also good partners that can also eliminate Dark-types such as Sableye and Tyranitar, which Mega Alakazam struggles with; they can also weaken Steel-types so that Alakazam can break through them more easily. Mega Alakazam also appreciates strong wallbreakers such as Landorus and Crawdaunt, which can wear down foes for a potential late-game sweep from Mega Alakazam. Entry hazard support is mandatory for Alakazam to get crucial KOs, particularly Latios after Stealth Rock with Shadow Ball, so Stealth Rock setters such as Ferrothorn and Heatran are greatly appreciated. Heatran in particular is a great partner because it deals with Scizor and Mega Sableye as well as checking most Talonflame. In addition, Pursuit support coming from Bisharp, Tyranitar, or Scizor is great because Mega Alakazam struggles with bulky Psychic-type Pokemon that can shrug off Shadow Ball easily, such as Jirachi and Reuniclus. Finally, because Mega Alakazam struggles to manually switch in due to abysmal bulk, pivots such as Scizor, Rotom-W, and Landorus-T can patch up this weakness by providing free switches.

Offensive Zam
########
name: Offensive Zam
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Encore
ability: Magic Guard
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========

Psychic is chosen over Psyshock for the increased damage output as well as the ability to hit physically defensive foes such as bulky Garchomp and Landorus-T much harder. Focus Blast deals with Dark- and Steel-types, which Psychic misses out on, such as Tyranitar and Bisharp. Shadow Ball provides great all-around coverage with Psychic and Focus Blast and hits bulky Psychic- and Ghost- types that the aforementioned two moves cannot deal with. Hidden Power Ice boasts the ability to OHKO both Landorus formes, specially defensive Gliscor, as well as Garchomp and Dragonite after Multiscale has been broken. Encore shuts down defensive cores such as Alomomola and Heatran effectively by locking them into only one move. Substitute can also be used, as it allows Alakazam to evade Sucker Punch, status, and scout the foe's moves.

Set Details
========

Maximum Special Attack and Speed EVs with a Timid nature are used so that Alakazam can be as fast and hit as hard as possible, as well as tying with opposing Alakazam and Dugtrio and outspeeding Pokemon that hit base 110-115 Speed, such as Latios, Gengar, and Starmie. Magic Guard is the superior ability here so that Alakazam is not worn down by repeated switches into entry hazard and status. A Life Orb takes advantage of Magic Guard to give a recoil-less boost to Alakazam's offensives, making Alakazam a terrifying wallbreaker and late-game cleaner.

Usage Tips
========

Because of Alakazam's frailty, it should only be brought in on extremely weak special attacks, by Volt Switch or U-turn support, or after a teammate has fainted. This set excels against stall archetypes because of Magic Guard preventing status, and, during the late-game, Alakazam should take advantage of this and switch in when possible and start dealing damage. Don't be afraid of using Encore to break stall-oriented archetypes as well as locking setup sweepers into one move, allowing for easy switches and predictions.

Team Options
========

Because of Alakazam's frailty, Volt Switch or U-turn support is really appreciated so that Alakazam can switch in safely and grab free momentum. Users of said support include Pokemon such as Rotom-W and Landorus-T; they can also lure in and pivot out of Pokemon that Alakazam can beat easily, such as Chansey and Alomomola. Moreover, Pursuit support is really appreciated to weaken bulkier Psychic-types such as Metagross and Latias so that Alakazam can have an easier time dealing with them. As this set does great against stall-oriented Pokemon such as Chansey and Clefable, Pokemon that generally struggle against them are ideal partners. Examples include Mega Manetric and Latios, which struggle against stall in general.

Revenge Killer
########
name: Revenge Killer
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Grass Knot / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Thunder Wave
ability: Magic Guard
item: Focus Sash
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

Moves
========

Psychic has a higher Base Power than Psyshock and can break through physically defensive foes such as Mega Venusaur, Landorus-T and, Rotom-W much more easily. Focus Blast is a mandatory coverage move, as it deals with Dark- and Steel-types such as Bisharp, Tyranitar, and Ferrothorn, which Psychic cannot hit for much damage, or any at all in the case of Dark-types; however, its accuracy is a minor drawback. Hidden Power Ice OHKOes Garchomp and Landorus-T and 2HKOes specially defensive Gliscor. With Focus Sash, Alakazam is a great revenge killer to these Pokemon. Grass Knot deals with bulky Ground-, Rock-, and Water-types such as Hippowdon, Tyranitar, and Mega Gyarados and is chosen over Energy Ball for the increased damage output against them. Energy Ball is an option to hit Manaphy and Rotom-W much harder, but they do not appreciate a Psychic anyway, so Grass Knot is generally preferred. Hidden Power Fire is an option as well to 2HKO Ferrothorn and (Mega) Scizor, and it is a more reliable tool than Focus Blast to hit Steel-types bar Heatran with. Thunder Wave is a great utility option in general for the last slot, allowing Alakazam to cripple threats that it might not outright KO such as Mega Charizard X and Altaria, and it is also a great option to avoid Sucker Punch from Bisharp whilst crippling it in the process and thus is a great fail-safe. Though it might sound like a gimmick, Psych Up is a decent option to copy the stat boosts of the foe, such as Calm Mind boosts Landorus and Keldeo have obtained, revenge kill the foe after taking a hit with Focus Sash and proceed to sweep the opposing team unless they have priority moves. Lastly, Shadow Ball can also be used to hit bulkier Psychic-types, but without its Alakazite or Life Orb, Alakazam is relatively weak and does not 2HKO Shadow Ball's main targets, such as Celebi, Jirachi, and Cresselia.

Set Details
========

Because this set focuses on Alakazam's fantastic ability to revenge kill, Focus Sash is subsequently used to capitalize on such as stellar ability as Magic Guard, which will keep Focus Sash intact regardless of entry hazards or status, allowing Alakazam to reliably take any one hit and retaliate back. Maximum investment in Speed and Special Attack is for Alakazam to be as fast and hit as hard as possible, and with a Timid nature Alakazam outspeeds most of the metagame and thus can revenge kill more effectively. It is to be noted that because of its occupancy of a great Speed tier, Alakazam can usually get more than one hit on the foe.

Usage Tips
========

Because this set is primarily a revenge killing set, Alakazam should only be switched in after a teammate faints or by the use of Volt Switch or U-turn to deal damage to the foe. Because of Alakazam's frailty in general, it cannot take even resisted physical hits such as Close Combat very well, so it is advised to not manually switch Alakazam aimlessly into such hits. Preserve Focus Sash so that Alakazam can still revenge kill Pokemon later on. Alakazam can act as a good emergency check to Pokemon such as Rock Polish Landorus and Substitute + Calm Mind Keldeo if the team doesn't have checks for those available. When facing a Pokemon that outspeeds Alakazam and cannot be OHKOed by it, or when Alakazam is at low health and cannot do much to the foe, Thunder Wave can be used to cripple the foe, allowing a teammate to finish it off more easily or leaving it near-useless for the rest of the match.

Team Options
========

Without Alakazite, Alakazam struggles to break through bulkier Pokemon such as Chansey, so Pokemon that can take it out are good partners to Alakazam; Fighting-types such as Keldeo and Mega Lopunny can achieve this, and trappers such as Gothitelle and Wobbuffet can also do so as well. Entry hazards and some prior damage on the foe are important to score some crucial OHKOs, such as Hidden Power Fire on Scizor, which make Alakazam's late-game sweeping or revenge killing much easier; thus, Stealth Rock from the likes of Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, and Garchomp is really beneficial to Alakazam. Pursuit support from Bisharp, Tyranitar, and Scizor is also recommended because Alakazam struggles with bulkier Psychic-types such as Slowbro, Reuniclus, and Latias because it is relatively weak, especially when using a non-STAB Ghost-type move. Last but not least, Volt Switch or U-turn support is almost mandatory because of the near zero chances Alakazam has to come into battle; pivots such as Scizor and Rotom-W can score free momentum for Alakazam.

Other Options
########

A dedicated stallbreaker set with Taunt + Encore is great for shutting down defensive and balanced cores as well as having decent offensive presence, but Mega Sableye really is a thorn in its side, and Mega Alakazam is best used as a late-game cleaner anyway. Disable is an option as well to shut down defensive Pokemon such as Chansey and Alomomola. Additionally, Calm Mind is an option too, albeit sub-par, and allows Alakazam to break through defensive and balanced cores with greater ease, but against more offensive teams, Alakazam will really struggle to set up due to its lack of bulk. Recover can help Alakazam regain health especially for the Focus Sash set so that it can revenge kill more foes later on, but its poor bulk and typing means that Alakazam will be hard-pressed to find opportunities to recover. Protect allows Alakazam to safely Mega Evolve, but is strongly discouraged, as Mega Alakazam has many more useful utility or attacking moves for the fourth moveslot. Lastly, Signal Beam is an option to hit Celebi harder than Shadow Ball does, as well as dealing with Psychic-types such as Slowbro; however, it misses out on Jirachi, Bronzong, and Victini.

Checks & Counters
########

**Dark-types**: Because Alakazam typically relies on Focus Blast, a move with shaky accuracy, to actually damage Dark-types, they are one of the top checks to Alakazam, capable of OHKOing it with their respective STAB moves. Tyranitar's good special bulk coupled with sand allow it to take Focus Blast quite well and can proceed to trap Alakazam with Pursuit; Sableye is immune to Psychic and Focus Blast, is not 2HKOed by Shadow Ball, and can KO back with a Knock Off; and Mandibuzz resists both Psychic and Shadow Ball, is not 2HKOed by Focus Blast even after Stealth Rock, and can deal heavy damage with Foul Play or Knock Off.

**Pursuit**: Pokemon such as Scizor and Bisharp can easily Pursuit trap Alakazam, as it will normally switch out of them in these scenarios. Scizor is not really damaged by any of Alakazam's moves bar Hidden Power Fire, and Bisharp can play mind games with Alakazam with Sucker Punch and Pursuit.

**Priority**: Powerful priority users such as Bisharp, Scizor, and Talonflame can all come in on Alakazam and easily OHKO it with their respective priority moves due to Alakazam's frail defenses.

**Psychic-types**: Many Psychic-types such as Latios, Starmie, and Reuniclus can easily deal with Alakazam as well, resisting the Psychic/Fighting coverage that Alakazam most commonly uses. Shadow Ball is quite weak, as it is not STAB-boosted and fails to 2HKO Reuniclus, Cresselia, and Slowking.

**Faster Pokemon**: Faster Choice Scarf users such as Latios and Landorus-T can revenge kill Mega Alakazam due to its dismal bulk, with Latios 2HKOing with Draco Meteor and Landorus-T grabbing an easy OHKO with Earthquake. Pokemon such as Tornadus-T and Mega Lopunny, which naturally outspeed Alakazam, can also score easy KOs with Knock Off and Return, respectively.
 
Last edited:
Some minor things I noticed:

Overview

-Mention Alakazam's ability to outspeed and OHKO Scarf Tyranitar. This is a very large advantage over other Psychics.
-Mention Alakazam's vulnerability to priority

Set 1

-Remove Mega Gallade from team options
-Add heatran to the teammates section. It can deal with Sableye and Scizor rather easily, while also checking some talonflame.

Set 2

-Psych Up in Moves. Its a situational move, but Alakazam can copy CM boost from things like weakened Landorus, live the hit due to focus sash, and proceed to sweep the opponent's team assuming they have no revenge killers.
-In usage tips, mention that, at full health, Alakazam can act as an emergency check to things like weakened RP landorus-I and scarf keldeo if the team has no reliable switch ins to these threats

C&C
-Replace tyranitar with Bisharp. CS Tyranitar is outsped and OHKOed by focus blast.
 

Pent

dumb broad
Just a quick, but why isn't encore disable mentioned? That thing is a bitch to go against :S
 
Just a quick, but why isn't encore disable mentioned? That thing is a bitch to go against :S
The combination of the two is pretty gimmicky, you don't the bulk to take advantage of the combination more than once, seeing as attackers will bring you into KO range and support users will just switch out. Additionally, you're stuck with only one coverage move to go with your STAB. Probably best for consistency's sake to go with a single status move, maybe mention Sub + Encore to take advantage of support moves (still pretty gimmicky though, OO at best)
 

DarkNostalgia

Fading in, fading out, on the edge of paradise
is a Contributor Alumnus
Some minor things I noticed:
Overview
-Mention Alakazam's ability to outspeed and OHKO Scarf Tyranitar. This is a very large advantage over other Psychics.
-Mention Alakazam's vulnerability to priority
Set 1
-Remove Mega Gallade from team options
-Add heatran to the teammates section. It can deal with Sableye and Scizor rather easily, while also checking some talonflame.
Set 2
-Psych Up in Moves. Its a situational move, but Alakazam can copy CM boost from things like weakened Landorus, live the hit due to focus sash, and proceed to sweep the opponent's team assuming they have no revenge killers.
-In usage tips, mention that, at full health, Alakazam can act as an emergency check to things like weakened RP landorus-I and scarf keldeo if the team has no reliable switch ins to these threats

C&C
-Replace tyranitar with Bisharp. CS Tyranitar is outsped and OHKOed by focus blast.
Oh yeah I forgot Alakazam outspeeds Scarf tar, will implement. Thanks :)
 

Bluwing

icequeen
is a Tutor Alumnus
okay so ive talked with the other qc'ers and we think the life orb stallbreaker set should be added.

Offensive Zam
########
name: Offensive Zam
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Shadow Ball
move 4: Hidden Power Ice / Encore
ability: Magic Guard
item: Life Orb
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

then mention dazzling gleam and taunt in other options.

i would also like u to split the pros and cons to give the analysis a better overview from the get go and it also looks a lot better. 1/3
 
Last edited:
pasted from previous thread as the original writer didnt make changes


All zam sets should just have 252 SpA and 252 Spe timid, no exceptions. Any hp investment is next to useless. In regards to the first set, get rid of protect completely: it's not useful and alakazam has much more to offer in a 4th moveslot. Also, replace protect with taunt, and remove taunt from OO as it's a more than viable option and should often be strongly considered ( I would put order as Substitute/Taunt/ HP Fire), with protect in OO but strongly discouraged

Dazzling gleam is an ok choice but essentially only deals with mega sableye so put that in OO as well. Ghost coverage is amazing and very difficult to pass up, and you'll find yourself using shadow ball much more often than you would dazzling gleam with celebi, jirachi etc everywhere

In the sash set, thunder wave is extremely important in checking things that trouble offense/balance, and can be a great failsafe. Therefore, make sure Thunder wave is standard on the focus sash set, and put HP Fire/HP Ice and Grass Knot in place of shadow ball, as it's too weak to beat what mzam can deal with like celebi and jirachi. Normal alakazam should be used more as an anti-offensive pkmn, making 4x super effective moves like hp ice and hp fire very useful for netting a quick kill, or twave for crippling a threat.
In summary:




Revenge Killer
########
name: Revenge Killer
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Hidden Power Ice / Grass Knot / Hidden Power Fire
move 4: Thunder Wave
ability: Magic Guard
item: Focus Sash
evs: 4 SpDef / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid


In addition, a dedicated stallbreaker set is surprisingly useful albeit not seen, but is interesting in that it can bother offense with its great speed in tandum with offensive presence.

Mega Alakazam
########
name: Stall breaker
move 1: Psychic / Psyshock
move 2: Focus Blast
move 3: Taunt / Encore
move 4: Calm Mind / Recover
ability: Magic Guard
item: Alakazite
evs: 4 SpDef / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
nature: Timid

Mention how it can provide offensive presence in addition to troubling stall or balance, and has a variety of support moves in order to excel at what it does, and can throw teams' momentum and rhythm under the assumption that it can simply wear it down over time with recover (essentially, just list the benefits to every option lol)


ill edit for 2/3 when u make these changes
 

DarkNostalgia

Fading in, fading out, on the edge of paradise
is a Contributor Alumnus
Ok, I'm in the middle of implementing. What exactly does Grass Knot do that Energy Ball doesn't? Doesn't energy ball hit things like rotom-w and manaphy harder?
 
Sub is a better option than HP Fire imo. Sub allows Megazam to avoid being revenge killed by priorities (also lets Megazam beat Bisharp) and some Scarfers.
Scizor is not that common you need prediction to hit him with HP Fire, if you guess wrong, you're forced out. Ferrothorn is already beaten by Focus Blast. I know the accuracy can be problematic, but HP Fire doesn't OHKO Ferro anyway.
 
You might want To add Talonflame in the CnC under Priority , as Even jolly with sharpbeak has like a 80% Chance to OHKO, while CB cleanly does so :)

252 Atk Sharp Beak Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Alakazam: 243-286 (96.8 - 113.9%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
 
mega aerodactyl only runs 216 speed jolly these days, so wouldn't like 220 speed timid be sufficient or is max speed preferred to tie with max speed zam / aerodactyl?
 

aim

pokeaimMD
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Yo edit the title to say [qc 2/3] not written. And then change that and write this up when you can for final check lol
 
Hey you might want to add Signal beam on the other options, it has a niche in this meta, since it hits Celebi harder which is rather common at the moment.
 

DarkNostalgia

Fading in, fading out, on the edge of paradise
is a Contributor Alumnus
Ok, will write this up soon. One thing - do I add in the 'dedicated stallbreaker set' that Henry mentioned? If I do, I might need help since I've never used it before.
 

bruno

is a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Past WCoP Champion
World Defender
Make sure to suggest Thunder Wave on another options on the focus sash set. It can help on a lot of circunstances, like stopping something to sweep thanks to focus sash or just slowing threats down in general. n_n
 

DarkNostalgia

Fading in, fading out, on the edge of paradise
is a Contributor Alumnus
Thunder Wave is already on as the 4th slot... should I move it back to OO or keep it as a main move?
 

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