Why was Alakazam OU in Gen 5?

Question

After being OU in Gen 1, Alakazam fell to UUBL and even reached UU in Gen 4. What made Alakazam rise back to OU in Gen 5 after struggling for previous generations? How has power creep not sent it spiraling down the tiering system?

Comments

This is more of an assumption than an actual answer, but with the introduction of its Hidden Ability Magic Guard, it was able to be unaffected by Toxic, hazards, as well as passive damage from sandstorm. The introduction of Psyshock in Gen 5 also allowed it to not be walled by special walls.

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Magic Guard Life Orb as well

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Not a full answer, but https://www.smogon.com/dex/bw/pokemon/alakazam/

Answer 1

The shortest answer is that it is a combination of speed, power and ability. The last one is key as in many cases, teams won't bother running a spinner. Instead, those teams would have hazard stacking of their own so as they're getting worn down, so too would the enemy team. Just that fact that something this strong and fast is unaffected by hazards makes it a very strong threat. The speed is also key as aside from scarfers, nothing outspeeds it. Zam sits at the top and combined with a strong 135 spa, it hits really hard. Alakazam's smogon analysis page also straight up tells you why

Alakazam is one of the best Pokemon in the metagame. It's the fastest unboosted Pokemon in the entire tier, outspeeding even Latios and Keldeo. Its strength and many coverage options in Focus Blast, Grass Knot, Signal Beam, and Hidden Power Ice let it threaten many common Pokemon, being especially destructive alongside Spikes