Alakazam

Four generations have passed since Alakazam's glory days in RBY, and each one has brought something new to spite it, while giving it almost nothing back in return. GSC's special split not only ruined Alakazam's special bulk, but also made Snorlax a more potent foe, and also added Blissey and Tyranitar to the fray. ADV added abilities, which improved just about every Pokemon in the game except Alakazam, and also introduced Choice Band, which increased the strength of the physical attackers that Alakazam hates. It was DPP, however, that gave Alakazam the final push into obscurity, with the introduction of Choice Scarf to undermine Alakazam's godlike Speed, the physical / special split to make both Pursuit and the elemental punches physical, and of course the rise of the ubiquitous Technician Scizor, in which Alakazam has at last met its match. Additionally, for the first time since its introduction, Alakazam became close-to-outclassed by a non-Uber Pokemon, Azelf, who has slightly lower Speed and Special Attack, but an arguably better movepool that most notably includes Nasty Plot. While its old rivals Gengar and Starmie still get by on their slightly larger movepools and better typings, Alakazam lacks the necessary traits to be a special sweeper in this metagame. Primarily, it lacks notable resistances, priority moves, and usable setup moves. Furthermore, it is as frail as a glass thimble and its STAB is resisted by half the OU metagame, all of which combine to make it less than half the threat it used to be.

However, do not be so hasty as to condemn it to disuse. While the metagame seems to have passed it by, Alakazam still has all the traits that made it so good back in the day: its titanic base 135 Special Attack stat, the highest of any non-Uber Pokemon, as well as its equally impressive base 120 Speed stat, which allows it to outrun nearly the entirety of the unboosted OU metagame. Aside from raw power, however, Alakazam is also known for its plethora of annoying tricks in Encore, Trick, and Taunt. All in all, when played correctly, Alakazam can become as threatening as any other offensive Pokemon. It might have fallen from grace, but popularity is by no means a definition of power.