[OVERVIEW]
Alakazam is one of the fastest out of the common leads in the RBY Ubers metagame, making it a valuable paralysis spreader for some teams. It outspeeds Gengar and can Thunder Wave to increase odds of Hyponsis not landing then fire off a powerful Psychic if not put to sleep, making it one of the few leads who can guarantee to at least status Gengar. While it does compete with Jolteon for this role of fast Thunder Wave user, Alakazam has a few key traits that keeps it above them. Reliable recovery and its choice of Seismic Toss or Counter are great against other leads and making progress long term, so combined with its much higher Special it helps Alakazam carve out a different niche from them. Alakazam isn't without its flaws, however, as it matches poorly into another common lead being Exeggutor and struggles to deal damage as the game goes on since Mew and Mewtwo are on all teams and are very naturally bulky.
[SET]
name: Paralysis Lead
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Thunder Wave
move 3: Seismic Toss / Counter
move 4: Recover
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Psychic, Thunder Wave, and Recover are mandatory, allowing Alakazam to keep up in the status heavy lead metagame and deal heavy damage, while also being able to Recover stall Pokemon like Chansey in the middle or late game. Seismic Toss and Counter are both good choices, while Seismic Toss gives solid reliable damage to chip Pokemon that aren't hit too hard by Psychic like Exeggutor or opposing Alakazam, Counter helps for catching opposing Tauros leads off guard should they try and Body Slam, as well as against hits from the likes of Snorlax. Counter doesn't OHKO Tauros or Snorlax after a Body Slam, though, while also running the risk of paralysis or a critical hit, so it's reliant on prior chip damage or to be used only if the extra damage compared to Psychic is necessary.
Alakazam gets its main usefulness out of trading status on lead and potentially absorbing an otherwise very threatening sleep, so it should essentially always be used in the lead. Unless it is put to sleep it doesn't usually make it much further in the game, aside from when it is used as a sacrifice. If it manages to trade status against another paralysis lead or against Tauros and can safely make it into the later game, then it should usually be the answer to the opponent's lead if it also survives or used against Chansey to stall it out of Soft Boiled and attacking moves.
Given the limited pool of Pokemon, Alakazam pairs quite well with almost everything available in the RBY Ubers metagame. It especially fits on paraspam teams, though, helping the likes of Rhydon, Snorlax, and Soft Boiled + Swords Dance Mew break through walls more reliably if they are paralyzed. Sing Chansey or Sleep Powder Exeggutor are also very good partners, making up for Alakazam being a lead that doesn't induce sleep. Pokemon like Stomp Tauros and Wrap Dragonite or Victreebel also appreciate the fact that Alakazam is a reliable Thunder Wave lead, allowing for more hax opportunities.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Kinesis can be used to lower accuracy against Pokemon like Mew, Snorlax, Tauros, or Mewtwo in a pinch which could otherwise sweep through a weakened team reliably. Kinesis is preferred to Flash due to the accuracy because the PP difference will very rarely matter, but it is still generally outclassed by Seismic Toss or Counter.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Jolteon**: Jolteon is one of the few paralysis leads faster than Alakazam, and unlike the even faster Electrode it can heavily threaten Alakazam with a no drawback Pin Missile, being able to 2HKO with 5 hits or some critical hits that have high odds.
**Mewtwo**: Mewtwo can survive multiple Seismic Toss and Recover while setting up with Amnesia. It also sometimes appreciates being hit by Thunder Wave, as it can then avoid being frozen by Ice Beam from opposing Mewtwo or Chansey.
**Exeggutor**: Exeggutor can Sleep Powder Alakazam then proceed to fire off powerful Psychics or Stun Spore to either take down Alakazam or heavily weaken an incoming teammate, which is something Alakazam lead tries hard to avoid. If Exeggutor has Rest, it's very difficult to remove without a lot of paralysis luck meaning it will stick around a game after the lead with its status healed.
**Bulky Normal-types**: Snorlax and Chansey are slow enough to not mind paralysis, and Snorlax can threaten to 2HKO Alakazam with Body Slam or potentially OHKO with Hyper Beam, while Chansey can inflict paralysis, sleep, or freeze on Alakazam in an extended interaction while doing a sizable amount of damage with Seismic Toss, forcing Alakazam to be vulnerable and use Recover.
**Slowbro**: Slowbro doesn't mind Thunder Wave and can use Alakazam to set up Amnesia while healing off any damage with Rest.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Fc, 511624]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
Alakazam is one of the fastest out of the common leads in the RBY Ubers metagame, making it a valuable paralysis spreader for some teams. It outspeeds Gengar and can Thunder Wave to increase odds of Hyponsis not landing then fire off a powerful Psychic if not put to sleep, making it one of the few leads who can guarantee to at least status Gengar. While it does compete with Jolteon for this role of fast Thunder Wave user, Alakazam has a few key traits that keeps it above them. Reliable recovery and its choice of Seismic Toss or Counter are great against other leads and making progress long term, so combined with its much higher Special it helps Alakazam carve out a different niche from them. Alakazam isn't without its flaws, however, as it matches poorly into another common lead being Exeggutor and struggles to deal damage as the game goes on since Mew and Mewtwo are on all teams and are very naturally bulky.
[SET]
name: Paralysis Lead
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Thunder Wave
move 3: Seismic Toss / Counter
move 4: Recover
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Psychic, Thunder Wave, and Recover are mandatory, allowing Alakazam to keep up in the status heavy lead metagame and deal heavy damage, while also being able to Recover stall Pokemon like Chansey in the middle or late game. Seismic Toss and Counter are both good choices, while Seismic Toss gives solid reliable damage to chip Pokemon that aren't hit too hard by Psychic like Exeggutor or opposing Alakazam, Counter helps for catching opposing Tauros leads off guard should they try and Body Slam, as well as against hits from the likes of Snorlax. Counter doesn't OHKO Tauros or Snorlax after a Body Slam, though, while also running the risk of paralysis or a critical hit, so it's reliant on prior chip damage or to be used only if the extra damage compared to Psychic is necessary.
Alakazam gets its main usefulness out of trading status on lead and potentially absorbing an otherwise very threatening sleep, so it should essentially always be used in the lead. Unless it is put to sleep it doesn't usually make it much further in the game, aside from when it is used as a sacrifice. If it manages to trade status against another paralysis lead or against Tauros and can safely make it into the later game, then it should usually be the answer to the opponent's lead if it also survives or used against Chansey to stall it out of Soft Boiled and attacking moves.
Given the limited pool of Pokemon, Alakazam pairs quite well with almost everything available in the RBY Ubers metagame. It especially fits on paraspam teams, though, helping the likes of Rhydon, Snorlax, and Soft Boiled + Swords Dance Mew break through walls more reliably if they are paralyzed. Sing Chansey or Sleep Powder Exeggutor are also very good partners, making up for Alakazam being a lead that doesn't induce sleep. Pokemon like Stomp Tauros and Wrap Dragonite or Victreebel also appreciate the fact that Alakazam is a reliable Thunder Wave lead, allowing for more hax opportunities.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Kinesis can be used to lower accuracy against Pokemon like Mew, Snorlax, Tauros, or Mewtwo in a pinch which could otherwise sweep through a weakened team reliably. Kinesis is preferred to Flash due to the accuracy because the PP difference will very rarely matter, but it is still generally outclassed by Seismic Toss or Counter.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Jolteon**: Jolteon is one of the few paralysis leads faster than Alakazam, and unlike the even faster Electrode it can heavily threaten Alakazam with a no drawback Pin Missile, being able to 2HKO with 5 hits or some critical hits that have high odds.
**Mewtwo**: Mewtwo can survive multiple Seismic Toss and Recover while setting up with Amnesia. It also sometimes appreciates being hit by Thunder Wave, as it can then avoid being frozen by Ice Beam from opposing Mewtwo or Chansey.
**Exeggutor**: Exeggutor can Sleep Powder Alakazam then proceed to fire off powerful Psychics or Stun Spore to either take down Alakazam or heavily weaken an incoming teammate, which is something Alakazam lead tries hard to avoid. If Exeggutor has Rest, it's very difficult to remove without a lot of paralysis luck meaning it will stick around a game after the lead with its status healed.
**Bulky Normal-types**: Snorlax and Chansey are slow enough to not mind paralysis, and Snorlax can threaten to 2HKO Alakazam with Body Slam or potentially OHKO with Hyper Beam, while Chansey can inflict paralysis, sleep, or freeze on Alakazam in an extended interaction while doing a sizable amount of damage with Seismic Toss, forcing Alakazam to be vulnerable and use Recover.
**Slowbro**: Slowbro doesn't mind Thunder Wave and can use Alakazam to set up Amnesia while healing off any damage with Rest.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Fc, 511624]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
Last edited:
