Which is more powerful - Life Orb Magic Guard Alakazam or Mega Alakazam?

Question

By more powerful, I mean does more damage with attacks. I realise that the mega also gets more Speed and slightly better defences, but I am only interested in the difference in damage output between the two.

Answer 1

Technically life orb increases the damage of an attacking move by 30% not a stat. This means you'd have to use the increased damage and low atk vs the low damage and high atk and that's just a lot of math that smogon already solved for us.

252 SpA Life Orb Alakazam Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Sunkern: 484-569 (240.7 - 283%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 SpA Mega Alakazam Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Sunkern: 451-532 (224.3 - 264.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

So yeah life orb is more powerful.

(BTW gligurr, ik your answer is good. It's just you didn't calculate the life orb calculations properly and you had no hard evidence)

Answer 2

Life Orb boosts the attack stat by 1.3, and Alakazam's regular form special attack is 135 and it's mega is 175. 135 x 1.3 is 175.5, so Alakazam with Life Orb has a better special attack than Mega Alakazam with a Life Orb, but only by a minimal .5.