What is a good moveset for Alakazam?

Question

If you have a good competitive moveset for Alazkazam, post an answer below and upvote the best ones. Movesets for any of its pre-evolutions can also be shared on this thread.

Be sure to include full set details in your post, e.g. items, abilities, natures and EVs. Some detail, including the intended game mode for your set, is also appreciated. Access the full list of guidelines here.

Alakazam Pokédex and learnset for reference.

Comments

why do most people use life orb

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Because Magic Guard prevents damage from Life Orb.

Answer 1

Skill Swap Supporter

(For Double and Triple Battles)

Alakazam @ Alakazite
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 95 Def / 200 SpA / 215 Spe
Bold Nature
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Recover
- Skill Swap

Stealing abilities with Trace and Skill Swap and passing on for allies is kinda evil, isn't it? There's nothing to explain on Psychic, just a great STAB + Sp. Def lowering, HP Fighting covers Dark and some other types too, and Recover keeps you alive.

Comments

Alakazam has terrible physical bulk, so you would need max EVs in HP and defense for any sort of physical protection. I like the idea of the set, though!

Answer 2

Da Spoon God:

Alakazam @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
- Psyshock
- Dazzling Gleam / Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Calm Mind

Psyshock is great STAB, and unlike the rest of the set, can hit Chansey and Blissey. Dazzling Gleam is for coverage against dark types, but Focus Blast is if you want more power in exchange for accuracy. Shadow Ball is great coverage against ghost types, and is amazing when you are against Ultra Necrozma, thanks to trace. Calm Mind is great for setting up when you predict a switch.

Answer 3

Alakazam (M) @ Alakazite
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 56 HP / 34 Def / 56 SpA / 252 SpD / 112 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
- Barrier

• Psychic (STAB, Fighting and Poison type coverage)
• Shadow Ball (Ghost and Psychic type coverage)
• Dazzling Gleam (Dark, Fighting, and Dragon type coverage)
• Barrier (boosts it's low Defense, I tested it, it works)

Note: this Alakazam set only works if you Mega Evolve.

Answer 4

Mr. Spoons The Alakazam!

Alakazam (M) @ Focus Sash / Life Orb / Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
Timid / Modest Nature
EVs 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Energy Ball
- Shadow Ball / Calm Mind
- Focus Blast / Dazzling Gleam

THESE MOVES ARE AWESOMEEEE

Answer 5

Gen 8 UU / National Dex

Alakazam @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature

• Psychic
• Focus Blast
• Shadow Ball
• Recover / Energy Ball / Hidden Power [Ice]

Psychic is STAB. Focus Blast covers Dark and Steel types. Shadow Ball is coverage for Ghost types. Recover to heal, Energy Ball is neutral coverage, Hidden Power [Ice] is coverage for the many Pokemon weak to it (National Dex only).

Answer 6

Gen 8 UU / Gen 8 OU / National Dex

Alakazam @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 HP, 0 Def, 0 SpD
Timid Nature

• Psychic / Psyshock
• Focus Blast
• Nasty Plot
• Counter

With Magic Guard, Alakazam takes no damage from weather, status, or damaging entry hazards, so its Sash cannot be broken (unless you use Fake Out.) Psychic is STAB, Psyshock is STAB that hits specially defensive Pokemon for more. Focus Blast covers Dark types. Nasty Plot to boost Focus Blast and your Psychic STAB, you are essentially guaranteed to set it up because of Sash and Magic Guard. Counter to do heavy damage to powerful physical attackers. It's a shame Urshifu-S is gone, it would've been a great target.

Answer 7

Gen 7 OU

Alakazam-Mega @ Alakazite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid/ Modest Nature

• Psychic / Psyshock
• Focus Blast
• Substitute / Shadow Ball
• Calm Mind / Energy Ball / Hidden Power [Ice]

Psychic and Psyshock are STAB, Psyshock does more to specially defensive Pokemon or Pokemon that have accumulated SpD boosts like Calm Mind Clefable. Focus Blast rips through Dark types, as well as the Psychic resistant Steel types. Substitute to block hits and set up (more on that later), Shadow Ball for Ghost types. Calm Mind is set up and works well if behind a Substitute, Energy Ball is coverage, Hidden Power Ice is coverage.

Let's talk about Trace

Trace is useful in several of the following ways in OU:

• Copying Intimidate and forcing Landorus-Therian to switch out
• Copying Swift Swim and removing Mega Swampert in rain with Energy Ball, also screwing the entire rain team in the process
• Copying Regenerator and getting free healing from switching out. Regenerator also heals more than Stealth Rock + 2 Spikes layers damages.
• Copying Natural Cure and laughing at any Toxic attempts from Chansey
• Copying Unaware to ignore Calm Mind Clefable if running Psychic, and to also ignore the occasional Moonblast SpA drop
• Copying Beast Boost or Soul-Heart and sweeping a weakened team
• Walling Heatran by Tracing Flash Fire
• Copying Magic Bounce and bouncing back Mega Diancie's Stealth Rock, as well as bouncing back Mega Sableye's Will-O-Wisp and forcing free chip damage on it in the process.
• Trapping Magnezone by tracing Magnet Pull, and destroying it with Focus Blast
• Let's say you got hit by a Toxic. Come in on Gliscor and get free healing.
• If your prediction is good enough, you can come in on Protean Greninja, remove it with Focus Blast or Energy Ball, and then end the game right there.
• Trace Rough Skin or Iron Barbs and wear down Garchomp or Ferrothorn.
• Being immune to Kommo-o's Clanging Scales or Clangorous Soulblaze

Answer 8

Ah yes, the OG glass cannon (Excluding SDef). Time to sweep entire teams!!!

GEN VIII
Alakazam @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid / Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam / Energy Ball

Life Orb and Magic guard together makes so Alakazam have even more power without worring about HP
Hopefully it's already clear why Psychic is here
Both Focus Blast and Shadow Ball covers types that resists Psychic, just be careful with Focus Blast bad accuracy
Dazziling Gleam and Energy Ball are other good coverage moves, both of them makes so no pokémon resists
this moveset

Answer 9

My explosive alakazam in gen 8 doubles paired with Tapu Lele

Alakazam (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Expanding Force
- Dazzling Gleam
- Nasty Plot
- Recover

Ok well let's start with expanding force it's stab + power doubled in psychic terrain with tapu lele + life orb, Let's just think for a while 80 (base power) 2 (psychic terrain) 1.3 (life orb) * 1.5 (Stab) = 312 base power hitting both opposing Pokemon combined with nasty plot and 135 base special attack and 120 speed not even boosted by EVs and IVs and Nature is devastating.
Dazzling Gleam is for coverage against dark and dragon types and it too hits both opponents.
Nasty Plot is what you call killer preparation that's all I have for it isn't it self explanatory?
Recover is obvious recovery from opponent damage.

This guy is literally explosive hits hard and strong setup with reliable healing is what my alakazam is all about it is a example of a strong Pokemon made stronger with support.

Hope this devastating guy helped you a lot :)

Answer 10

Kind of a different and unexpected set but I really like using it!

Gen 8 (OU)
Alakazam @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Counter
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Shadow Ball

• Counter-Focus Sash+Counter to remove dangerous physical attackers
• Psychic-Great STAB
• Focus Blast-Coverage
• Shadow Ball-Coverage

Answer 11

Gen 8 BDSP PU

Kadabra @ Focus Sash / Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Energy Ball / Dazzling Gleam
- Shadow Ball
- Calm Mind / Charge Beam

Kadabra is one of the best Psychic-type Pokemon in BDSP PU. Psychic is used for your STAB move. Energy Ball is used as coverage against Pokemon like Lumineon, Floatzel, Dugtrio, and hits Probopass for nuetral damage. You could use Dazzling Gleam instead, but it only realistically hits Gabite for super effective damage. Shadow Ball lets you hit opposing Psychic- and Ghostt-types such as Kadabra, Grumpig, Misdreavus, and Dusclops. Calm Mind boosts your Special Attack so you can hit harder. Charge Beam is used on Life Orb sets as you use Charge Beam on a predicted switch to deal chip damage and get the Special Attack boost. Focus Sash with Magic Guard lets you live a hit so you can revenge kill a Pokemon since Focus Sash won't be broken by Stealth Rock. Life Orb can be used as a tradeoff of being able to live a hit for more power. With Magic Guard, Kadabra won't take Life Orb recoil, which is something Kadabra appreciates since it is really frail.

Answer 12

Gen 8 SS Monotype (Psychic)

Alakazam @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psych Up
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast
- Dazzling Gleam

Psych Up Alakazam is used as a way for Alakazam to turn the tables on setup special sweepers such as Quiver Dance Volcarona after they boost their stats. You should get Alakazam on the field either through Teleport support, or when a Pokemon of yours fainted. Psych Up lets Alakazam copy stat boosts from opposing Pokemon, which means Alakazam can get the Quiver Dance boost(s) from Volcarona. Since you have Magic Guard Focus Sash, Alakazam can live a hit from Volcarona and get the stat boosts. Psyshock is used for the Psychic STAB to get rid of Volcarona since you outspeed it due to your higher base speed upon using Psych Up on the Quiver Dance boosted bug. Psyshock is useful for Pokemon such as Blissey. Focus Blast lets you deal super effective damage to Pokemon such as Heatran, Ferrothorn, Magnezone, and Tyranitar. Dazzling Gleam is used for Pokemon such as Mandibuzz, Hydreigon, and Galarian Moltres.

Answer 13

I found a similar one to this, but it was missing stuff it probably should have had.
Alakazam @ Focus Sash / Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Encore
- Disable
- Recover
- Seismic Toss / Night shade

First turn torment. Then use encore. The end. (Unless they switch or have mental herb) Recover is to heal struggle damage, and sciesmic toss is so you don't have to invest in attacking stats. This can also be interchanged with night shade. I'd recommend night shade thought, as ghost types will switch in to try and hit you with STAB ghost moves.

Comments

If you use torment and then encore, they only struggle every other turn

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Oops. Disable works tho, and it learns it. I'll edit that.