RBY 4U (Under3U) Abra [GP Ready]

Abra
Type: Psychic
Stats: 25 | 20 | 15 | 105 | 90

Introduction

Abra is the frailest Pokemon in the game, with so little defense it is susceptible to being OHKO'd by non-STAB Hyper Beam or Slash, and has such a low HP stat that even its high Special doesn't help much against strong Special attacks. However, thanks to TMs, Psychic-typing and a very ideal stat distribution for its BST, Abra turned out to be a strong sweeper once it was no longer in the shadow of the evolved Psychics. Its speed is good, and the power of its Psychic combined with the threat of Special drops and devastating critical hits as well as access to Thunder Wave can make switching into an Abra very difficult. Provided it avoids paralysis, it also is a strong check to Nidoking and Venomoth, two very powerful common Pokemon on teams. Despite its terrible bulk, it even ironically fills a defensive niche due to it being one of the only Psychic resists in the tier. Abra is fairly easy to fit onto teams, and tends to be a valuable asset to most any team it is on.

Sets

Standard

Abra
-Psychic
-Seismic Toss
-Thunder Wave
-Counter / Substitute

Set Details

Psychic is Abra's main attack, heavily pressuring opposing Pokemon with its combination of power and 1/3 chance of reducing the opponent's Special stat. Seismic Toss keeps opposing the few remaining Psychics from completely walling it, and inflicts significant damage against opposing Abras. Thunder Wave is mostly used on predicted switches or to cripple the opposing Abra as it lacks the bulk to take strong unresisted attacks. Counter punishes the use of Normal-type attacks Abra can survive, and can give it the edge in Abra vs. Abra battles if the opponent uses Seismic Toss. When given an opportunity such as facing a sleeping/frozen Pokemon or predicting an opponent switching in fodder, Substitute provides a much needed buffer from attacks, and canbe used to fish for full paralysis against paralyzed Pokemon. It can also be used on a predicted Counter from opposing Abra, making it safer to use Seismic Toss afterwards.

Other Options

While risky, Flash can be used to annoy opponents, in particular Slowpoke if it tries to setup with Amnesia. Body Slam combines the benefits of Thunder Wave and Seismic Toss against an unparalyzed Abra if Body Slam's paralysis takes effect, as the damage inflicted is sufficient to put the opposing Abra into range of being KO'd by two Seismic Tosses. Psywave avoids Counter from opposing Abras and can even 2HKO if RNG is generous, but it is extremely unreliable and inflicts less damage than Seismic Toss on average.

Checks and Counters

Slowpoke is Abra's strongest counter. It resists Psychic, is 4HKO'd by Seismic Toss, doesn't mind Paralysis and threatens to cripple Abra with Thunder Wave or set up in front of it with Amnesia. Scyther, Arcanine, Ninetales and Rapidash don't like taking Thunder Wave, but they all outspeed, are 3HKO'd by Psychic (47% chance for Arcanine) and all but Ninetales threaten OHKOs with Hyper Beam (or Slash for Scyther), and Ninetales can KO Abra with two Body Slams or Fire Spin + Hyper Beam. Omastar's enormous Special bulk allows it to take Psychic well and 2HKO Abra with Hydro Pump, and can even attempt a Body Slam to paralyze it and follow up with Hydro Pump for a 75% chance to KO. Tangela and Porygon can switch into Abra and threaten to inflict status, scaring out Abra. Hyper Beam Magneton and Electrode take Psychic decently and KO Abra in two turns with Thunderbolt or Double-Edge + Hyper Beam, and if anything goes wrong on switch-in Electrode can always explode. Kabutops is 2HKO'd if it takes a critical hit Psychic or Special drop, but it can OHKO Abra with Slash or Hyper Beam. Anything that has enough HP left to survive a Psychic and threaten Abra with paralysis or a very strong physical attack (such as Nidoking) can serve as a check to some degree.