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Levitate
- This Pokémon is immune to Ground-type moves.
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
75
|
- |
291 |
354 |
- |
| Atk |
125
|
257 |
286 |
349 |
383 |
| Def |
70
|
158 |
176 |
239 |
262 |
| SpA |
125
|
257 |
286 |
349 |
383 |
| SpD |
70
|
158 |
176 |
239 |
262 |
| Spe |
115
|
239 |
266 |
329 |
361 |
Overview
Azelf's movepool and Speed make it one of the most consistent leads; it can almost always lay Stealth Rock while preventing your opponent from doing the same. Furthermore, it has the offensive prowess to score a kill later in the match as well. The dual screen variant is also the best at what it does: setting up heavy offense teams perfectly. In addition, Azelf's excellent combination of Speed and power, both physically and specially, make it a potent offensive threat as well. Nasty Plot further boosts its attacking potential by instantly doubling its Special Attack, and even counters should tread carefully around the threat of Trick and Explosion. Despite its frailty, Levitate provides Azelf with sufficient opportunities to switch in. On the whole, Azelf is a frightening offensive threat, held back only by its lackluster typing; ignore this harmless-looking pixie at your peril.
Azelf is one of the most common leads, and rightfully so. With Focus Sash and its high Speed, Azelf will nearly always manage to lay Stealth Rock, stop the opponent from doing likewise with Taunt, and then hopefully take out a member of the opponent's team as well with Explosion.
Stealth Rock is the basis of this set, as it allows Pokemon such as Lucario to achieve the OHKOs or 2HKOs they need to sweep; it also greatly reduces the staying power of opposing Dragonite, Gyarados, and Zapdos. Taunt prevents slower leads from setting up Stealth Rock, and also stops non-Choice Scarf Roserade and Smeargle leads from putting Azelf to sleep. Fire Blast hits many common threats which aren't hurt by Explosion, such as Scizor and Jirachi. Flamethrower can replace Fire Blast should you prefer reliability, but the loss of power means that Azelf won't OHKO Metagross leads. Explosion allows Azelf to go out with a bang and heavily damage everything that doesn't resist it. Psychic can be used over Fire Blast for a reliable and powerful STAB option, but Explosion often works fine for such purposes.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Lead Azelf doesn't have a great deal of issues itself as its primary goal is to set up Stealth Rock, cause a bit of damage, then blow up something with Explosion. That said, there are some common leads who can give Azelf some problems. More often than not, Choice Scarf Jirachi will render Azelf useless by flinching it to death. Occa Berry Metagross is also problematic as Azelf cannot OHKO it with Fire Blast, and is 2HKOed in return by Bullet Punch. Fake Out Infernape can also limit lead Azelf's usefulness by forcing it to choose between either setting up Stealth Rock or bringing Infernape down to its Focus Sash at the cost of its own life. Lead Tyranitar, particularly the Choice Band variant, inhibits Azelf's usefulness substantially as it can OHKO Azelf with Pursuit whether or not Azelf switches; as it also resists Azelf's entire moveset, Azelf will usually only be able to set up Stealth Rock when matched up against it. Aerodactyl can also cause Azelf problems by outspeeding it and preventing Stealth Rock with Taunt. Azelf can 2HKO Aerodactyl with Psychic, but Aerodactyl will by then have accomplished its goal of laying Stealth Rock and preventing Azelf from doing so.
It is worth noting that Psychic 2HKOes 252/0 Rotom-A, who is immune to Explosion. A purely physical set with Zen Headbutt is also viable; the lack of need to split EVs grants Azelf a more powerful Explosion. Generally, however, Fire Blast makes the special set better. Azelf can also run Trick in conjunction with a Choice Scarf to incapacitate many opposing leads, or simply outspeed and KO them.
Lead Azelf is largely a standalone player and doesn't require great team support, but there are some teammates who can help lead Azelf be more effective. Magnezone can be useful against lead Jirachi with its 4x resistance to Iron Head; Timid Magnet Rise Magnezone can also beat Metagross by trapping it, outrunning it, and using Magnet Rise before it can hit Magnezone with Earthquake. Swampert is another decent partner as it can take anything from the leads that trouble Azelf, sans Jirachi's Trick and Metagross's Explosion.
This set takes advantage of Azelf's reasonable bulk to negate the need for a Focus Sash, which allows it to use a Colbur Berry to defeat the Machamp and Tyranitar leads that plague other lead Azelf sets.
The moveset is fairly self-explanatory. Stealth Rock is extremely useful to rack up damage from turn one, and Azelf excels at laying it down. Taunt allows Azelf to prevent slower leads from laying down hazards of their own, and can be used mid-game as well to prevent opponents from setting up on Azelf. U-turn enables Azelf to scout while dealing fairly significant damage to Starmie, Tyranitar, and opposing Azelf. Explosion lets Azelf go out with a bang and OHKO nearly all foes that don't resist it; it also deals significant damage to Pokemon such as Skarmory and Heatran, whom Azelf cannot otherwise threaten.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The magic of this set lies in its finely tuned EV spread. 8 HP EVs guarantee that 252+ Atk Metagross's Meteor Mash will never OHKO Azelf; this allows Azelf to set up Stealth Rock, then switch out to become death fodder later in the match. 144 Special Defense EVs let Azelf survive 252 SpA Roserade's Leaf Storm; Azelf can then Taunt her, lay down Stealth Rock, and then switch out to a teammate that can set up on a Taunted, -2 Roserade. As these are the strongest physical and special attacks, respectively, in the OU lead metagame, Azelf will by extension survive all other attacks, such as Life Orb Starmie's Hydro Pump and Shuca Berry Heatran's Fire Blast. As it does not need to Speed tie with Starmie and other Azelf, Azelf should run 216 Speed EVs and a Jolly nature to outrun the likes of Gengar and Infernape. The remaining EVs are placed into Attack to pump up the power of Azelf's U-turn and Explosion.
While leads typically do not require a lot of support, this one benefits from a couple of specific teammates. Choice Scarf variants of Tyranitar and Scizor can outspeed and OHKO Starmie and Azelf with Pursuit, which will prevent Azelf from laying Stealth Rock if it chooses to Taunt first thing. Aside from that, the rest of the team should be able to handle the few leads who give Azelf trouble, namely Choice Specs Heatran and Choice Scarf Jirachi. Magnezone can trap and eliminate Jirachi locked into Iron Head, and can also take out Metagross while taking minimal damage from its STABs. A bulky Water-type, such as Suicune, Vaporeon, or even Kingdra, can absorb Heatran's powerful Fire-type attacks while also shrugging off Jirachi's Iron Heads, as can a Heatran of your own.
With Reflect and Light Screen, Azelf is a potent support Pokemon; its combination of high Speed and access to Taunt and Explosion make it one of the best dual screen supporters. Azelf's Speed almost always affords it one turn to place screens or use Taunt in the face of opposing Taunt or status users. All in all, this Azelf makes for one of the most effective leads for a hyper offensive team.
Reflect and Light Screen are the main focus of this set, as they double your team's Defense and Special Defense respectively. Taunt prevents the opposing team from setting up Stealth Rock, which can help the likes of Gyarados, Kingdra, and Dragonite capitalize on screen support even more. Finally, Explosion allows Azelf to ruin a troublesome wall or get a sweeper in scot-free. Stealth Rock is an option in either of the last two moveslots if your team doesn't already have another user of the move.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The sole goal of this Azelf is to set up another Pokemon, so look to strong attackers for partners to this Azelf. Notable options are Baton Pass Gliscor, Dragon Dance Kingdra, Dragon Dance Dragonite, and Dragon Dance Gyarados.
Physical Azelf, unlike other Azelf sets, can be a powerful scout with a boosted U-turn or an effective revenge killer with a Choice Scarf Explosion or Zen Headbutt. Choice Band gives Azelf added physical strength, while Choice Scarf allows it to function as more of a revenge killer that outspeeds +1 Kingdra and Gyarados, and by extension almost any other boosting sweeper, to eliminate them with a powerful Explosion or the appropriate attack.
Zen Headbutt is Azelf's main form of offense, as it provides Azelf with a powerful STAB hit against anything that doesn't resist it. Ice Punch takes down Dragons, while Fire Punch gives coverage on Steel-types who would otherwise switch in with impunity; watch out for Flash Fire Heatran, however. Explosion allows Azelf to deal heavy damage on its way out. Even Jolly Choice Band Explosion deals an average of 77% to standard Skarmory, but beware of Ghost-types. U-turn allows for scouting while dealing a hefty amount to Weavile and Tyranitar that attempt to switch in and Pursuit. Trick can cripple switch-ins such as Bronzong.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Despite playing differently, Azelf still suffers from several of the same checks and some new ones. While Snorlax, Blissey, and Cresselia are no longer substantial threats, Metagross and Bronzong are now threats to Azelf due to the reduced damage output of Fire Punch compared to Fire Blast. Once again, Timid Magnet Rise Magnezone is an excellent complement to deal with the problematic Steel-types that trouble this physical Azelf so much.
After a Nasty Plot boost, few foes will be able to take an attack from Azelf; its combination of high Speed and Special Attack makes it a potent sweeper under the right conditions. Psychic provides STAB; with a Nasty Plot boost and a Life Orb attached, it 2HKOes Snorlax and 3HKOes Blissey. It is also Azelf's most powerful move against most Pokemon as it attempts a sweep, and at +2 OHKOes common Pokemon such as Kingdra, Gyarados, and standard Rotom-A. Flamethrower gives Azelf important coverage on most Steel-types that resist Psychic, such as Skarmory, Bronzong, Metagross, Jirachi, and most importantly, Scizor. The last moveslot provides further coverage; Grass Knot for bulky Ground- and Water-types, as well as Tyranitar, or Hidden Power Fighting to hit Heatran and Dark-types immune to Psychic, including the aforementioned Tyranitar.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
If running Hidden Power Fighting, drop Azelf's Speed EVs to 228 and put the leftovers in HP. This allows Azelf to outspeed everything it can with a 30 Speed IV while providing it with a touch of extra bulk. The choice of item depends on the importance of Azelf's durability to your team. Life Orb provides more power, which can be important in specific situations, including the +2 OHKO on Tyranitar after Stealth Rock, but it comes at the cost of 10% health a turn. In contrast, Leftovers greatly increases Azelf's longevity in sandstorm, and also lets it better sponge weak or resisted attacks, such as Swampert's Ice Beam, Infernape's Close Combat, and Dusknoir's Shadow Sneak. Expert Belt offers a balance of both; it doesn't cause recoil damage but still boosts the power of Azelf's super effective attacks.
Specially defensive Blissey can beat Azelf one-on-one with Toxic and the combination of Wish + Protect, or simply halt Azelf's sweep with Thunder Wave. While Snorlax can be 2HKOed by +2 Psychic, Choice Band Snorlax can OHKO in return with Crunch. Heatran resists all Azelf's attacks bar Hidden Power Fighting, and can finish Azelf off with its Fire-type move of choice. Scizor can switch in on anything but Flamethrower and threaten Azelf with Bullet Punch, or play mindgames and pick off Azelf with Pursuit as it attempts to switch out. Similarly, Weavile can switch in on anything but Flamethrower or Hidden Power Fighting and threaten to OHKO with Choice Band Pursuit. This is also true of Choice Band Tyranitar, but Tyranitar will require decent Special Defense investment to survive +2 Life Orb Grass Knot. Alternatively, Choice Scarf Tyranitar can also switch into Psychic, outspeed Azelf, and OHKO it with Crunch. Choice Scarf users are in general a significant threat as Azelf is frail and easily revenge killed. Thick Fat Hariyama is an interesting complement to Nasty Plot Azelf, as it can effectively deal with all the aforementioned Pokemon, namely Blissey, Snorlax, Tyranitar, Weavile, and Heatran. Hariyama's access to Force Palm, which has a 30% paralysis rate, can also help to cripple some of the Choice Scarf users that threaten Azelf. Scizor is another effective partner as it can neuter Weavile and Tyranitar, as well as lure in Heatran and OHKO it with Superpower; Scizor's ability to switch into and eliminate Choice Scarf Gengar is also a great aid to Azelf's sweep.
Stealth Rock support substantially enhances Azelf's sweeping potential. Swampert is a good choice to set up Stealth Rock and deal with Tyranitar, Weavile, and Heatran, while Azelf's ability to take Grass Knot without issue makes it an excellent switch-in to Swampert's nemesis, Celebi. Cleric Blissey can heal Azelf of crippling paralysis while Azelf can cover Blissey's weakness to Fighting, but note that Azelf is too frail to take more than one of these attacks. Blissey can also spread paralysis to hinder Choice Scarf Pokemon that threaten Azelf, barring Flygon and other Pokemon immune to Thunder Wave.
Azelf's Speed, power, and coverage make it an excellent late-game cleaner. Like any late-game sweeper, Azelf finishes off whole teams once they are weakened and faster Pokemon are taken out or paralyzed. Psychic is Azelf's main attack; it deals a hefty amount of damage to many common offensive Pokemon and takes them out after they have been weakened. Flamethrower provides coverage on common Steel-types, such as Skarmory and Jirachi, while Grass Knot hits bulky Water-types and Tyranitar hard. Specifically, it lands a 2HKO on Tyranitar and OHKO on Swampert, but Psychic will in fact hit Vaporeon than Grass Knot will. Hidden Power Ground takes out Heatran, who otherwise completely walls this set; alternatively, U-turn allows Azelf to do some scouting, and does some damage to Tyranitar, who is a common switch-in to Azelf.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
This set is harder to counter than other Azelf sets as it has both great coverage and the ability to switch moves. That said, many of the same threats and complements remain true for this Azelf as well. It should be noted that this Azelf works best against a team that has been weakened by Stealth Rock and Spikes damage, because the power boost from just Life Orb alone isn't enough to overcome common checks, despite the more diverse moveset.
A Choice item makes Azelf a more fearsome attacker without any prior setup being necessary. However, with Azelf's Pursuit weakness, note that locking it into a move—especially Psychic—can be dangerous. Psychic is Azelf's main STAB and best option against most Pokemon; to illustrate, Choice Specs Psychic always OHKOes 4/0 neutral Rotom-A after Stealth Rock, while Choice Scarf Psychic 2HKOes it. Flamethrower provides Azelf with coverage against Steel-types that resist Psychic; Choice Specs variants easily OHKO standard Skarmory, while Choice Scarf variants land the OHKO more than half of the time after Stealth Rock as well. Grass Knot hits Tyranitar that try to come in to Pursuit Azelf. Choice Specs Grass Knot deals a minimum of 63% to 164/0 Tyranitar, but Choice Scarf Azelf only has a 60% chance to 2HKO with Stealth Rock damage.
The last moveslot allows Azelf to deal with Pokemon who otherwise stop this set. Trick cripples bulky Pokemon that dislike not being able to switch moves, and also rids Azelf of its Choice item, which lets it clean up more easily at the end of the game. U-turn enables Azelf to scout switch-ins while dealing light damage. It is especially helpful against Tyranitar and Weavile, as it not only hits both super effectively, but also allows Azelf to escape Pursuit. Explosion allows Azelf to go out with a bang and OHKO both Blissey and Snorlax.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
If running a physical attack on Azelf, use a Naive nature and move the HP EVs to Attack. Of the two listed items, Choice Specs is generally superior as many of Azelf's counters won't enjoy taking boosted attacks. Choice Scarf on the other hand, allows Azelf to outspeed almost everything, which makes it a decent revenge killer. For instance, Choice Scarf Azelf can outrun +1 Kingdra and Gyarados and deal a decent amount of damage with Psychic, or use Explosion for the OHKO on either.
Most of the threats to specially based Choice Azelf are nearly identical to those of Nasty Plot Azelf; however, Blissey and Cresselia are less troublesome due to the threat of Trick or Explosion. Unfortunately, being Choice-locked heightens the risk of being Pursuit bait, so even greater caution is necessary when using this Azelf.
Other Options
Thunderbolt is useful, particularly to hit Gyarados and Togekiss, but Grass Knot hits most of Thunderbolt's targets just as well, while also denting Tyranitar. Shadow Ball gives coverage on fellow Psychic-types, such as Cresselia. Hidden Power Ice is viable, but only for Flygon and Dragonite, but the former is already heavily damaged by Psychic. Signal Beam provides coverage on both Dark-types and other Psychic-types, but the sharp decrease in power against Tyranitar compared to Grass Knot hurts its viability. Taunt or Safeguard can be fit onto the Nasty Plot set to prevent status; of the two, Taunt is generally superior as it also stops the likes of Baton Pass Celebi and Calm Mind Blissey from setting up. Safeguard, however, lasts longer than Taunt and is the better team support move. Azelf's leading capabilities can also be put to use in setting up Rain Dance or Sunny Day on weather-based teams. Magic Coat is an option on the lead set to bounce sleep back at Roserade, Smeargle, and Breloom. Finally, Protect can see use on the Life Orb set to decrease the amount of prediction required when facing Choice Band Scizor.
Checks and Counters
Spiritomb is probably the most solid counter to Azelf as it is immune to both Explosion and Psychic, and also has a multitude of super effective STAB options—namely Sucker Punch, Shadow Sneak, Dark Pulse, and Shadow Ball—with which to threaten Azelf. Heatran has an immunity to Fire-type moves in addition to resistances to Psychic and Explosion, while Tyranitar can take anything but Nasty Plot-boosted Grass Knot and Hidden Power Fighting, then eliminate Azelf with Pursuit. Weavile outspeeds Azelf and can OHKO with Choice Band Pursuit or Night Slash, but it fears a predicted Flamethrower. Nonetheless, note that 36/0 Azelf will survive Jolly Choice Band Weavile's Pursuit. Scizor can similarly switch in on anything but a Fire-type move and threaten Azelf with Bullet Punch and Pursuit.
Paralysis is particularly crippling to Azelf. Blissey and Cresselia take Azelf's attacks with ease while threatening with Thunder Wave; however, both fear Explosion and Trick. Azelf's fellow pixies, Uxie and Mesprit, perform a similar function but take more damage from Azelf's attacks, while Togekiss only fears the uncommon Thunderbolt. Snorlax can take Azelf's assaults and threaten to KO it with Crunch or Body Slam.
Lead variants have their own counters to go along with their different goals. Faster Taunt users, such as Aerodactyl, can keep Azelf from using Taunt or Stealth Rock; Choice Scarf Jirachi can also beat Azelf if it gets the Iron head flinch. Finally, Occa Berry Metagross and Tyranitar can keep Azelf from doing anything but laying Stealth Rock by taking it out before it can make a second move.
