[OVERVIEW]
Sporting high Speed, good coverage, and exceptional Special Attack, Kadabra is a fierce offensive threat in GSC UU and a tough Pokemon to switch into for most offensive teams. Kadabra is best played aggressively, brought in on double switches or a predicted Rest or Psychic from a foe such as Slowbro. It also threatens many common Pokemon such as Nidoqueen, Haunter, and Qwilfish with its strong Psychic and can keep itself healthy throughout a game with Recover. Its Speed is also excellent, outpacing naturally fast Pokemon such as Haunter, Dodrio, and Mr. Mime while only being outsped by Jumpluff and Electrode and Speed tying with Scyther. Access to useful moves such as Encore and Thunder Wave also lets it support its team well. However, Kadabra's defensive stats are pitiful, leaving it 2HKOed by a lot of Pokemon in the tier, and it loses much of its effectiveness when paralyzed. Furthermore, it faces competition from other Psychic-types such as Mr Mime and Hypno, which generally bring more utility to teams and are more consistent due to their wider movepools and greater bulk.
[SET]
name: Utility Attacker
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Thunder Punch
move 3: Recover
move 4: Encore / Thunder Wave
item: Leftovers
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set takes advantage of Kadabra's high Speed and Special Attack to make it an offensive threat with crucial utility in Encore or Thunder Wave. STAB Psychic 3HKOes a significant proportion of foes that don't resist it. Thunder Punch is important for hitting Slowbro and Slowking, which otherwise completely wall Kadabra. The extra power is also appreciated against other bulky Water-types such as Blastoise, Gyarados, and Politoed, which are not 3HKOed by Psychic. Recover gives Kadabra greater longevity when battling threats such as Slowbro. Encore can lock a foe into an undesirable move, such as Rest for passive Pokemon or a boosting move for setup Pokemon. However, this is very risky due to Kadabra's frailty, especially against Scyther, with which Kadabra Speed ties. Encore can also help immensely against Baton Pass teams, since Kadabra's fast Encore lets it disrupt the momentum of Mr. Mime. Alternatively, Thunder Wave can support slower wallbreaking teammates such as Sandslash and Granbull and cripple foes such as Jumpluff, Scyther, Electabuzz, Bellossom, Hypno, and Chansey.
Team Options
========
Spikes support from Qwilfish is crucial for maximizing pressure from Kadabra. Nidoqueen pairs well with Kadabra, since bulky Electric-types like Magneton and Ampharos are reliable switch-ins to Kadabra, and Nidoqueen can switch into them easily while maintaining offensive momentum. Pokemon that can check Dodrio, Scyther, and Pinsir, such as Fire Blast Nidoqueen and Haunter, can help Kadabra with its defensive issues. Setup sweepers such as Scyther, Granbull, Pinsir, and Kabutops can take advantage of Encore from Kadabra to acquire a risk-free opportunity to switch in; ideal scenarios include locking Chansey into Soft-Boiled and locking Hypno into Light Screen. Haunter is a good partner for Kadabra, as the two have the same Psychic- and Electric-type coverage and similar checks, meaning Haunter can cripple them with Thief, Hypnosis, Explosion, or Destiny Bond. Mr. Mime can be used as a secondary offensive Psychic-type that supports Kadabra with Thunder Wave, Encore, Thief, Hypnosis, or a passed Substitute. Pokemon that can take advantage of Hypno, such as Granbull, Hidden Power Bug Scyther and Pinsir, and specially bulky RestTalkers such as Ampharos are appreciated. Finally, secondary checks to Slowbro and Slowking such as Electabuzz work well, since Kadabra generally doesn't want to be stuck using Recover versus their Surfs; this can give them a free opportunity to switch out, and Kadabra is vulnerable to critical hits.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Fire Punch can be used to 2HKO Magneton and deal more damage to Pokemon such as Pinsir and Bellossom, but its use beyond that is limited. With Kadabra's frailty, it can make good use of Counter, which allows it to get a surprise KO on foes such as Piloswine and Granbull. Thief can cripple a bulky Pokemon such as Hypno or Ampharos that attempts to switch into Kadabra. Hidden Power Dark can be used alongside Fire Punch and Psychic; these three moves hit every viable Pokemon in the metagame for neutral damage, although this makes Kadabra worse off against Slowbro due to its low chance to 3HKO with Hidden Power Dark. Substitute can be used to exploit Thunder's low accuracy from Pokemon such as Magneton and Lanturn and lets Kadabra safely avoid potential status inflictions from non-Seismic Toss Hypno.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Opposing Psychic-types**: Hypno takes negligible damage from anything Kadabra can use against it and can cripple it with Thunder Wave or set up Light Screen for its teammates. Mr. Mime threatens Kadabra with paralysis and a 3HKO from Thunder while not being hurt much in return, although Mr. Mime fears Thunder Wave from Kadabra. Slowking is only 4HKOed by Thunder Punch and can hit Kadabra hard and Thunder Wave variants can cripple Kadabra. RestTalk Psychic-types are also a significant challenge for Kadabra to deal with, especially since Encore fails against Sleep Talk. However, all of these Pokemon dislike Thief Kadabra and can be forced out by Encore Kadabra if it switches in on a resisted attack or recovery move, or when the foe uses Substitute.
**Specially Bulky Pokemon**: Ampharos and Lanturn are only 4HKOed by Psychic and can hit Kadabra very hard in return with Thunder. Bellossom is similarly 4HKOed and can cripple Kadabra with Stun Spore while keeping itself healthy with Moonlight. Chansey takes pitiful damage from Kadabra and can threaten it with Present or paralysis from Zap Cannon, although it can be forced out by Encore.
**Fast Pokemon**: Jumpluff outspeeds Kadabra and can lock it into an undesirable move with Encore or cripple it with Stun Spore, although variants without Synthesis can be worn down by Psychic and Jumpluff greatly fears paralysis from Thunder Wave or Thunder Punch. Electrode is faster, can set up Light Screen, and can threaten Kadabra with Explosion. Lastly, Scyther and Electabuzz Speed tie with Kadabra and can hit it very hard; Electabuzz can even Pursuit trap Kadabra and Scyther can OHKO with Hidden Power Bug, although they are both 3HKOed by Psychic.
**Magneton**: Magneton resists Psychic and Thunder Punch and deals heavy damage with Thunder, although it must watch for Fire Punch, which can 2HKO.
**Physical Attackers**: Although they cannot switch in safely due to their middling Special Defense stats, physical attackers such as Granbull, Piloswine, and Pinsir pose a significant threat to Kadabra if they switch in as it uses Encore or Recover. Granbull comes close to OHKOing with unboosted Frustration, Piloswine deals over 70% with Earthquake, and Pinsir OHKOes with unboosted Hidden Power Bug.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Reeece, 508601]]
- Quality checked by: [[Century Express, 234737], [Diophantine, 370164]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [P Squared, 168392]]
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