[COMPLETED] Alakazam

Gary

Can be abrasive at times (no joke)
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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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Gary

Can be abrasive at times (no joke)
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
I'm still a bit unsure with how well my Mega Alakazam preview is written, as the two are so similar aside from a few key differences that set them apart, so Mega Alakazam pretty hard to write without sounding so repetitive. There could also be a few things I'm missing from the preview itself, such as leaving out key new Pokemon that I have forgot about or something obvious. I still haven't played enough of 6th gen to recognize the potential OU threats aside from the obvious like Aegislash, Greninja, and the Megas, so bare with me on some things. I'll keep this a WIP until I know for sure if my Mega Alakazam is good enough or if it needs any major tweaks.
 

Bughouse

Like ships in the night, you're passing me by
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Since Mega Alakazam can't hold Focus Sash, it's not the right comparison, obviously. You rightly compare it to LO. However, some more in depth discussion of just how much better Mega Zam is than LO Zam is a good idea, since you're only allowed one Mega Evo per team. That alone might actually mean LO Zam continues to be better, just so you can use MegaTar or MegaWile or whatever else you want.

This means, to me, that LO deserves to get an official item slash on the Focus Sash set. Not just AC.
 

Gary

Can be abrasive at times (no joke)
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Since Mega Alakazam can't hold Focus Sash, it's not the right comparison, obviously. You rightly compare it to LO. However, some more in depth discussion of just how much better Mega Zam is than LO Zam is a good idea, since you're only allowed one Mega Evo per team. That alone might actually mean LO Zam continues to be better, just so you can use MegaTar or MegaWile or whatever else you want.

This means, to me, that LO deserves to get an official item slash on the Focus Sash set. Not just AC.
The biggest thing that separates LO Alakazam from Mega Alakazam is its significantly higher base Speed stat while still providing the same to more power. Technically, this does give little reason to use Life Orb Alakazam for that reason, but to tell you the truth I completely forgot about how Life Orb Alakazam doesn't take up a Mega slot, and that alone is actually pretty huge. I'll definitely add that in, thanks.

EDIT: Made changes.
 
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Gary

Can be abrasive at times (no joke)
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
In regards to the revenge-killer thing, Mega Kazam's Trace allows it to outspeed ALL weather sweepers (Excadrill, Kingdra, etc). I think this is a pretty notable advantage that should be mentioned somewhere. Trace isn't as great as Magic Guard, but it does have some pretty swell utility. It wouldn't hurt to mention this.
Yeah good point, that's definitely something obviously huge going for Trace, as it allows Mega Zam to always revenge kill these threats where Sash Zam has to have its Sash intact in order to do this. Added into the OP. Thank you.
 
-I would rephrase the 'anything with priority can check zam quite easily', Mach punch users won't be doing that so just to be accurate you can replace that with most priority users.
-It also has the advantage of outspeeding Pokemon it couldn't before, such as Mega Gengar (maybe replace it with Crobat since there was no mega Gengar before) and Weavile.
-In regards to Aegislash, due to its amazing bulk in shield form, you have no reason not to use a non-priority move on turn 1 then follow up with SS after its sash is broken.
-Make mention of Greninja and Noivern's U-Turn if Zam's sash is intact.

Aside from that, nothing else to say looks like you killed it, good job
 

alexwolf

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In regards to the revenge-killer thing, Mega Kazam's Trace allows it to outspeed ALL weather sweepers (Excadrill, Kingdra, etc). I think this is a pretty notable advantage that should be mentioned somewhere. Trace isn't as great as Magic Guard, but it does have some pretty swell utility. It wouldn't hurt to mention this.
This is a very valid point. However, be sure to mention that Mega Alakazam can't outspeed weather sweepers the turn it MEvolves, as the Speed of each Pokemon is determined before MEvolving, and you won't have Trace before MEvolving (obviously. This means that against weather teams you should MEvolve Alakazam as fast as possible if you don't want to get overwhelmed by the opponent's weather sweepers.
 

Gary

Can be abrasive at times (no joke)
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
-I would rephrase the 'anything with priority can check zam quite easily', Mach punch users won't be doing that so just to be accurate you can replace that with most priority users.
-It also has the advantage of outspeeding Pokemon it couldn't before, such as Mega Gengar (maybe replace it with Crobat since there was no mega Gengar before) and Weavile.
-In regards to Aegislash, due to its amazing bulk in shield form, you have no reason not to use a non-priority move on turn 1 then follow up with SS after its sash is broken.
-Make mention of Greninja and Noivern's U-Turn if Zam's sash is intact.

Aside from that, nothing else to say looks like you killed it, good job
What I meant by the bolded text was that Mega Alakazam can outspeed Mega Gengar, and by "before" I meant when it used to be regular Alakazam, which can't outspeed Mega Gar. I didn't mean it to sound like Mega Gengar is a past gen Pokemon or anything. I'll change up the wording to sound less confusing.

All of your other changes are also implemented. Thanks!
 
This is a very valid point. However, be sure to mention that Mega Alakazam can't outspeed weather sweepers the turn it MEvolves, as the Speed of each Pokemon is determined before MEvolving, and you won't have Trace before MEvolving (obviously. This means that against weather teams you should MEvolve Alakazam as fast as possible if you don't want to get overwhelmed by the opponent's weather sweepers.
Once you add this consider this...

QC APPROVED 1/3
 
did someone say gp
well not exactly but
Amcheck
Additions
Subtractions

Comments
[Pros]

<ul>
<li>One of the best revenge killers in the game</li>
<li>Magic Guard makes it immune to all forms of residual damage</li>
<li>Very fast; base 120 base Speed lets it outspeed most of the metagame</li>
<li>High Special Attack and good movepool</li>
<li>Very hard to switch into</li>
<li>Gets a faster, more powerful Mega Evolution</li>
</ul>

[Cons]

<ul>
<li>Very frail physically</li>
<li>Most Pokemon with priority can check Alakazam quite easily</li>
<li>Psychic-(RH)typing leaves it vulnerable to common Dark-(AH), Bug-(AH), and Ghost-type attacks</li>
<li>Mega Evolution loses Magic Guard and the ability to hold a Focus Sash</li>
</ul>

<p>Alakazam @ Focus Sash / Life Orb<br />
Ability: Magic Guard<br />
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe<br />
Timid Nature<br />
- Psyshock<br />
- Focus Blast<br />
- Shadow Ball<br />
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire</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-(AH) and Fighting-types, and it is able to hit Pokemon like Blissey and Goodra with a higher Special Defense stat harder than Psychic. Focus Blast is mandatory coverage that Alakazam needs in order to beat Tyranitar and potentially Ferrothorn. Shadow Ball allows Alakazam to hit other Psychic-types and Aegislash, while potentially revenge killing it if its Alakazam's Focus Sash is still intact. The choice between Hidden Power Ice and Hidden Power Fire comes down to personal preference; the former hitting 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.(AP)</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>In the current metagame, there isn't much that can properly switch into any of Alakazam's moves. Chansey is probably the best because it can avoid the 2HKO from Psyshock and threaten to cripple it with Thunder Wave. Sableye is immune to both Focus Blast and Psyshock, and it can threaten back with Foul Play. Scizor is a decent switch-in if Alakazam is running Hidden Power Ice. Specially defensive Hippowdon takes next to nothing from Hidden Power Ice, and can simply OHKO Alakazam with Earthquake. On the flip side, Dragonite, Garchomp and Gliscor can also switch into variants that run Hidden Power Fire. Sylveon is a fantastic counter if it chooses to invest heavily in Defense, as otherwise it's 2HKOed by Psyshock.</p>

<p>Checking Alakazam is much easier once its Focus Sash is broken, as most of Pokemon that can check it are actually OHKOed by one of Alakazam's coverage moves. Priority is easily the best way in checking it. Azumarill, Scizor, Talonflame, and Metagross are all good examples of priority users. Aegislash threatens Alakazam with Shadow Sneak, but it's is very vulnerable to Shadow Ball the following turn if Alakazam's Focus Sash is intact. The same can be said about Mega Lucario's Bullet Punch and Mega Absol's Sucker Punch. Mega Gengar threatens Alakazam with Shadow Ball. Weavile can trap it with Pursuit. Noivern and Greninja can both U-turn on Alakazam into something to counter it, as they are both faster.</p>


[Set Recommendations]

<p>Alakazam @ Alakazite<br />
Ability: Trace<br />
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe<br />
Timid / Modest Nature<br />
- Psyshock<br />
- Focus Blast<br />
- Shadow Ball<br />
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire</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 Mega Gengar and Weavile. Psyshock is offers nice coverage against Poison-(AH) 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 to hit Psychic-types for super-effective damage and Ghost-types such as Trevenant and Gourgeist for super effective damage. Hidden Power Ice hits Dragon-types like 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, while also sSpeed tying with Mega Aerodactyl and other Mega Alakazam. A Modest nature is perfectly viable though, because it allows Alakazam to clean up more efficiently. Calm Mind can be used over Shadow Ball to make 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.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Mega Alakazam is pretty much impossible to counter due to its incredibly high Special Attack stat. One of the only Pokemon that can switch into this thing is Chansey, as it is 3HKOed by Psyshock and can threaten to cripple it with Thunder Wave or even Toxic. Sableye is also one of the very few decent switch-ins because it's immune to both Focus Blast and Psyshock, and it can threaten back with Foul Play.</p>

<p>Checking Mega Alakazam is surprisingly somewhat easier then than its Focus Sash counterpart. Because it can no longer carry Focus Sash, most forms of priority are extremely effective in dealing with it. Scizor, Mega Absol, Mega Lucario, Azumarill, Talonflame, Aegislash, Metagross, and Azumarill can all OHKO Mega Alakazam with their respectable respective priority moves. Choice Scarf users such as Garchomp can outspeed and KO it with pretty much any of its moves.</p>
 

JockeMS

formerly SuperJOCKE
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Good check, just wanted to point out some stuff in the Mega Alakazam paragraphs:
<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 Mega Gengar and Weavile. Psyshock is offers nice coverage against Poison-(AH) 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-types for super-effective damage and Ghost-types such as Trevenant and Gourgeist for super effective damage. Hidden Power Ice hits Dragon-types like 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, while also sSpeed tying with Mega Aerodactyl and other Mega Alakazam. A Modest nature is perfectly viable though, because as it allows Alakazam to clean up more efficiently. Calm Mind can be used over Shadow Ball to make 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.</p>
Made my changes a bit darker in color.

Anyways:


GP Approved 1/1
 

Gary

Can be abrasive at times (no joke)
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
did someone say gp
well not exactly but
Amcheck
Additions
Subtractions

Comments
[Pros]

<ul>
<li>One of the best revenge killers in the game</li>
<li>Magic Guard makes it immune to all forms of residual damage</li>
<li>Very fast; base 120 base Speed lets it outspeed most of the metagame</li>
<li>High Special Attack and good movepool</li>
<li>Very hard to switch into</li>
<li>Gets a faster, more powerful Mega Evolution</li>
</ul>

[Cons]

<ul>
<li>Very frail physically</li>
<li>Most Pokemon with priority can check Alakazam quite easily</li>
<li>Psychic-(RH)typing leaves it vulnerable to common Dark-(AH), Bug-(AH), and Ghost-type attacks</li>
<li>Mega Evolution loses Magic Guard and the ability to hold a Focus Sash</li>
</ul>

<p>Alakazam @ Focus Sash / Life Orb<br />
Ability: Magic Guard<br />
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe<br />
Timid Nature<br />
- Psyshock<br />
- Focus Blast<br />
- Shadow Ball<br />
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire</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-(AH) and Fighting-types, and it is able to hit Pokemon like Blissey and Goodra with a higher Special Defense stat harder than Psychic. Focus Blast is mandatory coverage that Alakazam needs in order to beat Tyranitar and potentially Ferrothorn. Shadow Ball allows Alakazam to hit other Psychic-types and Aegislash, while potentially revenge killing it if its Alakazam's Focus Sash is still intact. The choice between Hidden Power Ice and Hidden Power Fire comes down to personal preference; the former hitting 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.(AP)</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>In the current metagame, there isn't much that can properly switch into any of Alakazam's moves. Chansey is probably the best because it can avoid the 2HKO from Psyshock and threaten to cripple it with Thunder Wave. Sableye is immune to both Focus Blast and Psyshock, and it can threaten back with Foul Play. Scizor is a decent switch-in if Alakazam is running Hidden Power Ice. Specially defensive Hippowdon takes next to nothing from Hidden Power Ice, and can simply OHKO Alakazam with Earthquake. On the flip side, Dragonite, Garchomp and Gliscor can also switch into variants that run Hidden Power Fire. Sylveon is a fantastic counter if it chooses to invest heavily in Defense, as otherwise it's 2HKOed by Psyshock.</p>

<p>Checking Alakazam is much easier once its Focus Sash is broken, as most of Pokemon that can check it are actually OHKOed by one of Alakazam's coverage moves. Priority is easily the best way in checking it. Azumarill, Scizor, Talonflame, and Metagross are all good examples of priority users. Aegislash threatens Alakazam with Shadow Sneak, but it's is very vulnerable to Shadow Ball the following turn if Alakazam's Focus Sash is intact. The same can be said about Mega Lucario's Bullet Punch and Mega Absol's Sucker Punch. Mega Gengar threatens Alakazam with Shadow Ball. Weavile can trap it with Pursuit. Noivern and Greninja can both U-turn on Alakazam into something to counter it, as they are both faster.</p>


[Set Recommendations]

<p>Alakazam @ Alakazite<br />
Ability: Trace<br />
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe<br />
Timid / Modest Nature<br />
- Psyshock<br />
- Focus Blast<br />
- Shadow Ball<br />
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire</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 Mega Gengar and Weavile. Psyshock is offers nice coverage against Poison-(AH) 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 to hit Psychic-types for super-effective damage and Ghost-types such as Trevenant and Gourgeist for super effective damage. Hidden Power Ice hits Dragon-types like 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, while also sSpeed tying with Mega Aerodactyl and other Mega Alakazam. A Modest nature is perfectly viable though, because it allows Alakazam to clean up more efficiently. Calm Mind can be used over Shadow Ball to make 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.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Mega Alakazam is pretty much impossible to counter due to its incredibly high Special Attack stat. One of the only Pokemon that can switch into this thing is Chansey, as it is 3HKOed by Psyshock and can threaten to cripple it with Thunder Wave or even Toxic. Sableye is also one of the very few decent switch-ins because it's immune to both Focus Blast and Psyshock, and it can threaten back with Foul Play.</p>

<p>Checking Mega Alakazam is surprisingly somewhat easier then than its Focus Sash counterpart. Because it can no longer carry Focus Sash, most forms of priority are extremely effective in dealing with it. Scizor, Mega Absol, Mega Lucario, Azumarill, Talonflame, Aegislash, Metagross, and Azumarill can all OHKO Mega Alakazam with their respectable respective priority moves. Choice Scarf users such as Garchomp can outspeed and KO it with pretty much any of its moves.</p>
Good check, just wanted to point out some stuff in the Mega Alakazam paragraphs:

Made my changes a bit darker in color.

Anyways:


GP Approved 1/1
Thanks guys! This is done.
 

Stratos

Banned deucer.
in the mega set comments, you have "Psyshock is offers" which should only be psyshock is or psyshock offers
 
Tiny fix in your last paragraph. Don't worry about reading through, just see the bolded:

<p>Checking Mega Alakazam is surprisingly somewhat easier than its Focus Sash counterpart. Because it can no longer carry Focus Sash, most forms of priority are extremely effective in dealing with it. Scizor, Mega Absol, Mega Lucario, Azumarill, Talonflame, Aegislash, Metagross, and Azumarill can all OHKO Mega Alakazam with their respective priority moves. Choice Scarf users such as Garchomp can outspeed and KO it with pretty much any of its moves.</p>

Azumarill is amazing and all, but I don't think it needs to be listed twice :P
 

Gary

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Tiny fix in your last paragraph. Don't worry about reading through, just see the bolded:

<p>Checking Mega Alakazam is surprisingly somewhat easier than its Focus Sash counterpart. Because it can no longer carry Focus Sash, most forms of priority are extremely effective in dealing with it. Scizor, Mega Absol, Mega Lucario, Azumarill, Talonflame, Aegislash, Metagross, and Azumarill can all OHKO Mega Alakazam with their respective priority moves. Choice Scarf users such as Garchomp can outspeed and KO it with pretty much any of its moves.</p>

Azumarill is amazing and all, but I don't think it needs to be listed twice :P
Woops can't believe I missed that. Thanks!
 

Gary

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Done. I'll go ahead and format all of my other analysis to be like this as well.

Hey GP team, is there anyway you guys could give this one extra check? I had to completely rewrite the C&C section, as well as edit a few things here and there, so I'd like this to be checked one last time before I make this completed again. Thanks guys!
 

Arkian

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[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 like Blissey and Goodra witwith a higher Special Defense stat, such a higher Special Defense stats 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 otherpposing Psychic-types and Aegislash, whileand it can potentially revenge killing it 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 Blaziken are perfect for breaking through special walls likethat wall Alakazam, such as Blissey, Chansey, and Tyranitar that wall Alakazam.</p>

[Mega Evolution Recommendations and Play]

<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: Trace<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-(hyphen)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 Mega Gengar and Weavile. Psyshock offers nice coverage against Poison- and Fighting-types,(RC) 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-types 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,(RC) while and also Speed tyingie with Mega Aerodactyl and otherpposing 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 make 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,(AC) 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-(hyphen)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(space)up Spikes and have good defensive synergy with Mega Alakazam. Pairing Mega Alakazam with powerful physical attackers such as Garchomp, Blaziken, 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 both areAlakazam 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 OHKO 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 itstheir moves.</p>


Very well done ^-^


GP Approved 2/2
 
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