Kadabra
Psychic
Best attacking moveset: Confusion and Shadow Ball, worth 12.1 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Kadabra can learn 6 combinations. Confusion with Shadow Ball does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confusion | Psychic | 19 | 1.5s | +14 |
| Psycho Cut | Psychic | 4 | 0.5s | +7 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dazzling Gleam | Fairy | 100 | 3.5s | -50 |
| Psybeam | Psychic | 65 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Shadow Ball | Ghost | 100 | 3.0s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Kadabra has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, evolution, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 2,328 at level 50, 2,059 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,176 CP at level 20, or 1,471 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,109 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 232 attack · 117 defense · 120 stamina |
What it costs
| Candy to evolve | 100 Candy |
|---|---|
| Second charged move | 50,000 Stardust and 50 Candy |
| Buddy distance | 3 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 3,000 Stardust and 3 Candy |
| Size | 1.3 m and 56.5 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Kadabra does not have one best moveset, it has 5. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Fighting, Poison, Ghost.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Fighting | Confusion + Dazzling Gleam | 17.9 |
| Poison | Confusion + Psybeam | 16.7 |
| Ghost | Psycho Cut + Shadow Ball | 16.5 |
| Psychic | Psycho Cut + Shadow Ball | 15.4 |
| Dragon | Psycho Cut + Dazzling Gleam | 15.3 |
| Dark | Psycho Cut + Dazzling Gleam | 14.3 |
| Confusion + Shadow Ball | 12.1 | |
| Ground | Confusion + Shadow Ball | 12.1 |
| Rock | Confusion + Shadow Ball | 12.1 |
| Bug | Confusion + Shadow Ball | 12.1 |
| Fire | Confusion + Shadow Ball | 12.1 |
| Water | Confusion + Shadow Ball | 12.1 |
| Grass | Confusion + Shadow Ball | 12.1 |
| Electric | Confusion + Shadow Ball | 12.1 |
| Ice | Confusion + Shadow Ball | 12.1 |
| Fairy | Confusion + Shadow Ball | 12.1 |
| Normal | Confusion + Dazzling Gleam | 11.5 |
| Steel | Psycho Cut + Shadow Ball | 10.5 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Kadabra is actually for.
Counters: what beats Kadabra
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Blacephalon | FireGhost | Astonish + Shadow Ball | 44.5 |
 Pheromosa | BugFighting | Bug Bite + Bug Buzz | 42.9 |
 Darkrai | Dark | Snarl + Shadow Ball | 40.0 |
 Chandelure | GhostFire | Hex + Shadow Ball | 39.7 |
 Gengar | GhostPoison | Lick + Shadow Ball Legacy | 39.7 |
 Absol | Dark | Snarl + Brutal Swing Legacy | 38.9 |
 Eternatus | PoisonDragon | Poison Jab + Dynamax Cannon Legacy | 38.0 |
 Dragapult | DragonGhost | Astonish + Shadow Ball | 37.9 |
 Hoopa | PsychicGhost | Astonish + Shadow Ball | 37.2 |
 Lunala | PsychicGhost | Shadow Claw + Shadow Ball | 37.1 |
Ranked by damage per second against Kadabra's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.