Welcome to Pokemon of the Week. This week, we are going to focus on the original Psychic badass Pokemon that single-handedly ran 1st gen OU. This week we're discussing Alakazam.

Alakazam was introduced in Generation 1, and has been a powerful threat from the get-go. It was one of the four Pokemon in that generation to evolve by trade, but boy if you had a friend and a link cable back then, you had access to one of the best Pokemon in Red and Blue. Through the generations, Alakazam struggled more and more. Gen 2 brought in two new types that made life harder for it. Generation 3 brought about Calm Mind, which gave Alakazam a needed boost again, making it able to compete again, though Gardevoir gave it competition. Generation 4 was where the mustache magician put his spoons down and gave up on battling in OU, no longer able to compete with the powerful threats that the new wave had brought in.

In his days of slumber since generation 4, Alakazam has awakened with a new ability that has given it an incredible niche that no other Pokemon in OU can fill.

With Alakazam's newly found ability, Magic Guard, he is now a very capable revenge-killer. No damage taken from entry hazards means that Alakazam is one of few Pokemon that can run a Focus Sash set viably. Even with this, however, Alakazam still has problems, mostly in the form of Pursuit-killers, namely Scizor, if it opts out of Hidden Power Fire. Bulky threats in general can get around Alakazam if they're not threatened Super-Effectively.

Alakazam@ Focus Sash / Life Orb Magic Guard Timid nature (+Speed, -Attack) EVs: 252 Speed / 252 Sp. Attack / 4 HP Psyshock / Psychic Signal Beam Focus Blast Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire / Substitute

This is the staple set Alakazam uses this time around, and it's effective at what it does. Psyshock is the STAB of choice, for the reason of getting around Chansey and Blissey, who aren't very threatened otherwise, even by Focus Blast. Psychic is a usable alternative, as it hits physically defensive Pokemon harder, and has higher base power. The choice depends on your team, what you have troubles with, and what you'd like Alakazam to be able to deal with in general. Signal Beam allows Alakazam to hit opposing Psychic types, such as Celebi, Latios and Latias, all of which are common threats in OU. Focus Blast hits Steel and Dark types hard, even OHKOing nearly all standard Tyranitar, and 2HKOing specially defensive versions.

The last slot offers Alakazam very important coverage for revenge-killing. Hidden Power Ice allows Alakazam to pick off weakened Dragons and Landorus-T, while Fire allows him to roast Scizor, who would otherwise trap and kill Alakazam. As usual, this is down to preference and what worries you most. Substitute is an odd choice for Alakazam, but it serves a few nice purposes. Firstly, it helps ease prediction. If used as the opponent switches, you can respond in kind with an appropriate move to deal with the new threat. Keep in mind, however, that your coverage is now cut severely without a Hidden Power. Also keep in mind that Alakazam isn't the fastest Pokemon in OU (even with great base 120 Speed), and faster threats, as well as Choice Scarf users can hit Alakazam before he has the chance to Sub and drop him to 1 HP or knock him out completely before he has the chance to do any damage at all, so this is a risky choice, and must be played carefully.

Life Orb is a very risky option for Alakazam, and not one I can recommend too strongly, but there is a niche for it. It gives Alakazam extra power without the recoil, thanks to Magic Guard, and if the opponent switches out of Alakazam, it can give you an edge by hitting with extra power. However... it also opens Alakazam up to being OHKOd by any physical move, and Alakazam can no longer be counted on as a revenge-killer. If you use Life Orb, Substitute may be necessary to play safely, which seems to defeat the purpose of the added power in the first place, but it's still an option regardless.

In-Game is where Alakazam shines, as there aren't the myriad of offensive threats and the threat of constant switching involved. Raising Alakazam is easy and rewarding, providing any team with a fast and powerful special attacker that can deal with most opponents on his own. An Alakazam can be obtained by an in-game trade, but what I'd really recommend is getting one from Spooky Manor in Dream World, since it will have Magic Guard, which shuts out damage from poison, burn and other passive damage. Here is what I'd recommend:

Alakazam Psychic / Psyshock Focus Blast Shadow Ball Charge Beam / Energy Ball

Alakazam's movepool is small, but he's got everything he needs for flawless neutral coverage. Psychic or Psyshock provide Alakazam with his best STAB attack, hitting many threats very hard. Focus Blast deals with Dark and Steel types better than anything else Alakazam has. Shadow Ball hits opposing Psychic types and Ghosts. Finally, Charge Beam is a great coverage move that allows Alakazam a 30% chance to raise his special attack after hitting an opponent with it. Energy Ball is more of a niche attack, hitting Ground types hard, if they're a problem for you.

This guy right here. This guy may be single-handedly responsible for getting me into competitive battling in the first place. I remember using the rental Alakazam in Pokemon Stadium cups to great success, spamming that Psychic or Psybeam, whatever it had in any given cup, and winning a majority of battles that way. His power bought him a place on nearly all of my Stadium teams. In terms of design, there's nothing wrong here. A humanoid alien kinda guy with a mustache and spoons... of course I like it! He's not the overpowered, broken Pokemon he once was, but Alakazam has always had a certain magical quality, even before Gen 5.

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