You've seen the Mewtwo ex decks. You've definitely seen the Pikachu ex spam. Honestly, playing the ladder in Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket can feel like a repetitive loop of the same three meta-monsters until your eyes bleed. But then there’s Alakazam.
Alakazam is weird.
👉 See also: Mystic Flour Cookie: Why This Beast Cookie Actually Broke the Meta
It isn't a "braindead" deck where you just attach energy and swing for 150 damage. If you try to play an Alakazam deck Pokemon Pocket build like it’s a standard aggro deck, you are going to lose. Badly. You’ll sit there with a Kadabra getting knocked out by a random Spearow while you wait for a Psychic Energy that never comes. But if you actually understand how the bench manipulation works in this game, Alakazam becomes a terrifying gatekeeper that punishes players for simply playing the game.
The Psychic Math Most Players Mess Up
Let's talk about the elephant in the room: Alakazam’s "Psychic" attack. It does 60 damage, plus 30 more for every energy attached to your opponent's active Pokémon.
In a vacuum, that sounds... fine? Not amazing. But think about the current meta.
Most heavy hitters like Charizard ex or Dragonite need three or four energies to actually function. If you're staring down a Charizard with four energies, Alakazam is hitting for a massive 180 damage. That’s a one-hit knockout on almost everything in the game. You're effectively using their own momentum against them. It’s some real "stop hitting yourself" energy.
The problem is getting there.
Abra is a glass cannon. With only 40 or 50 HP depending on the variant, a stiff breeze from a Misty-boosted Articuno ex will delete it before you can say "Teleport." This is why the deck lives or dies by its support core. You aren't just playing Alakazam; you're playing a survival horror game until turn four.
Why Mr. Mime and Jynx are Mandatory
You cannot run a pure Alakazam line. You just can't.
I’ve seen people try to splash it with Mewtwo ex, and while it looks cool on paper, it’s a logistical nightmare. You end up with two stage-two lines fighting for the same Psychic energies. It’s clunky. Instead, the most successful Alakazam deck Pokemon Pocket lists right now are leaning into "stall and chip" tactics.
Enter Mr. Mime.
His ability to mitigate damage or confuse the opponent buys you the one thing Alakazam needs: time. While your opponent is coin-flipping to see if they can even attack, you’re slowly evolving in the background. Jynx is another weirdly effective partner. If you can land a sleep status, you’ve basically skipped your opponent's turn.
In Pokémon Pocket, turns are everything. Because the decks are only 20 cards, you see your whole engine very quickly. If you can force your opponent to waste two turns being confused or asleep, you’ve already won the resource war.
Setting the Trap: The Sabrina Factor
If you aren't running two copies of Sabrina in your Alakazam build, you're playing a different game entirely.
Sabrina is the heart of the Psychic control archetype. Since Alakazam deals damage based on energy, your opponent will often try to "hide" their powered-up attackers on the bench. They’ll send out a "sacrificial lamb"—usually a Meowth or a Doduo—just to soak up a hit while they build up a Mewtwo in the back.
Sabrina says no.
By forcing them to swap, you bring that energy-heavy target into the active spot. Suddenly, that Mewtwo ex with three energies isn't a threat; it's a liability. You hit it for 150, take your two points, and the game is basically over. It’s about psychological warfare. You want your opponent to be afraid of attaching energy. Imagine that. Making a Pokémon player scared to power up their cards. That’s the Alakazam way.
Common Mistakes That Will Tank Your Win Rate
- Evolving too early. If you have a Kadabra on the bench and an Alakazam in hand, sometimes it’s better to wait. If they have a Red Card or a way to pull your bench forward, you want to make sure you have the energy ready to actually attack the moment you evolve.
- Ignoring the HP thresholds. Alakazam has 130 HP. That’s a "safe" number against most non-ex cards, but it’s a "death zone" for the big meta decks. You have to know when to retreat.
- Over-benching. Don't fill your bench with Abras. You only need one Alakazam to win. Filling the bench just gives your opponent easy targets for Giovanni or multi-hit attacks.
The Giovanni and Hand Research Synergy
Because this deck is a "piece-reliant" combo deck, you need to dig. Professor’s Research is obvious—everyone runs two. But Giovanni is where it gets interesting.
💡 You might also like: Why Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Is Better Than You Remember
That extra 10 damage might seem small. It’s not.
There are so many Pokémon in the current Pocket meta with 70 or 100 HP. If your Alakazam is hitting for 60 (base) + 30 (one energy) = 90, you’re just short of a knockout on a basic ex or a high-health Stage 1. Giovanni pushes you over that hump. It turns a "nearly dead" Pokémon into a "collected card."
How to Beat the Mirror Match
If you run into another Alakazam deck Pokemon Pocket user, God help you. It becomes a game of chicken. Neither of you wants to attach the third energy because the other person will immediately one-shot you.
In the mirror, the winner is usually the person who plays their items better. Potion matters here. X-Speed matters here. If you can bait out their Sabrina early, you can control the flow of the match. It’s a slow, agonizing grind, but it’s one of the few matchups where genuine skill and patience outweigh lucky top-decks.
Is it actually Top-Tier?
Honestly? No.
It’s Tier 1.5. A Tier 1 deck like Pikachu ex is consistent because it’s fast. Alakazam is inconsistent because it’s a Stage 2. If your Abra is at the bottom of your deck, you’re cooked. If you get a bad opening hand against a Misty/Articuno deck that gets three heads on turn one, you’re cooked.
But for climbing the ladder and actually having fun? It’s arguably the best deck in the game. It requires you to think three turns ahead. You have to anticipate what your opponent is going to attach and where. It’s a thinking person's deck in a meta currently dominated by "coin-flip and win" mechanics.
📖 Related: Cards Against Humanity Bonus Card Sets You Probably Missed
Actionable Strategy for Your Next Session
If you’re going to sleeve up (digitally speaking) this deck today, follow these rules for the first ten matches:
- Patience over Power: Do not move Abra into the active spot until it is at least a Kadabra with one energy attached. Let a "tank" like a Lickitung or even a sacrificial basic take the hits.
- The Energy Cap: Try to keep your own energy attachments to the minimum required for the attack. You want to save your hand energy for when you inevitably have to set up a second attacker after your first Alakazam goes down.
- Sabrina Timing: Don't just use Sabrina because you have her. Save her for the turn where your opponent thinks their ex-card is safe on the bench. That is the "tilt" moment that wins games.
- Check the Math: Always count the energy on their active. Do it twice. If you're 10 damage short, look for your Giovanni. If you can't get the KO, consider using a status-inflicting secondary attacker instead of wasting a turn with a partial hit.
Alakazam isn't about raw strength. It’s about being the smartest person in the match. When you pull off that 180-damage swing against a fully loaded Charizard, the "Well Played" emote from your opponent feels earned. Focus on the control, manage your bench carefully, and stop playing into your opponent's hands. Optimize your list for consistency—cut the "tech" cards that don't help you find Abra—and you'll find that the psychic master is much more formidable than the meta-slaves give him credit for.