[Overview]
<p>Azelf has been an offensive powerhouse since the fourth generation, sporting huge 125 base Attack and Special Attack
stats and a nice 115 base Speed to complement them. It has an enormous
offensive movepool
, both physical and special, in addition to a decent support movepool. Azelf has access to fantastic coverage moves in Fire Blast, Thunderbolt, Grass Knot, and Ice Punch, to name a few. Perhaps its most devastating set is the Nasty Plot set which is easily capable of 2HKOing Eviolite Chansey with Psyshock after a boost. Its supporting movepool includes U-turn, Stealth Rock,
Reflect and Light Screen dual screens, Taunt, and even Trick. Unfortunately, its average defenses, HP, and weakness to Pursuit hinders its sweeping potential. However, Azelf is very versatile, which is partly what makes it so dangerous, and should not be underestimated at any cost.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Psyshock
move 3: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 4: Grass Knot / Thunderbolt
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Nasty Plot is a boosting move allocated to a select few Pokemon, Azelf being one of them, being able to hit 696 Special Attack after a boost, even without factoring in the Life Orb boost. Psyshock is listed instead of Psychic
as since after a Nasty Plot boost, Azelf can easily 2HKO Eviolite Chansey with Psyshock. Fire Blast hits Steel-types that otherwise wall Azelf, but Flamethrower is an option with more PP and accuracy at the expense of less power. Grass Knot destroys the typical bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Milotic while also OHKOing
lesser-
seen threats
such as like Quagsire and Gastrodon. However, Thunderbolt is a great alternative to Grass Knot due to its great neutral coverage, landing neutral hits on Houndoom and Victini who
would otherwise wall this set since Water Absorb Quagsire and Gastrodon are decimated by a +2 Psyshock anyway.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Psychic is an option over Psyshock if Chansey isn't a problem, as it
still does severe damage after a Nasty Plot boost. Shadow Ball is an option to destroy other Psychic-types at +2 such as Deoxys-D, but leaves you walled by most Dark-types, especially Houndoom. Life Orb is the item of choice and provides a significant power increase to all of Azelf's attacks. The EV spread maximizes Special Attack and Speed. Hidden Power Fighting is an option to take out Dark-types such as Houndoom, but
it is an inferior option due to the lowered Speed IV, causing you to speed tie with Raikou. Teammates who can easily switch in on Azelf's weaknesses such as Heracross and Escavalier are recommended to aid Azelf's sweep
. , and also Other effective teammates
include Pokemon such as Houndoom, that can switch in on every super effective attack aimed at Azelf. As with most sweepers, entry hazards help Azelf get easier KOs, especially when Nasty Plot hasn't been set up. Entry hazards also slightly weaken powerful, bulky
, sweepers such as Rhyperior and Victini so that Azelf can get in a clean OHKO with the prior damage from entry hazards. Powerful Fighting-types or Pokemon with Fighting-type moves to take out
Dark-type Pursuit users are greatly appreciated so that Azelf can sweep unhindered. Since Choice Scarf users can easily destroy Azelf, a Pokemon with priority or a powerful Pursuit user is necessary to eliminate them.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Choice
move 1: Zen Headbutt
move 2: Fire Punch
move 3: Ice Punch
move 4: U-turn / Trick
item: Choice Band / Choice Scarf
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Choiced Azelf is a force to be reckoned with as it can immediately put pressure on the opponent with its powerful attacks or U-turn. Zen Headbutt provides obligatory STAB while Fire Punch and Ice Punch provide excellent coverage, hitting Steel-types and Dragon-types
supereffectively, respectively. U-turn is an excellent choice to scout for dangerous switch-ins and also deals reasonable damage, and may also OHKO offensive variants of Celebi. If U-turn is not needed, Trick is an excellent option to cripple switch-ins such as Eviolite Chansey and Hippopotas. A Jolly nature is preferred with Choice Band to tie with other Base 115s such as Ambipom while an Adamant nature is preferred with Choice Scarf to provide more power while still outspeeding Pokemon in the
Base base 100 range.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Azelf also has access to Thunderpunch to form the infamous BoltBeam combination with Ice Punch, but
must sacrifice sacrifices the coverage that Fire Punch provides on Steel-types or lose
s the utility of U-turn and Trick. Explosion is also an option in the final slot to go out with a bang, but Azelf has better things to do than
just sacrificing itself, especially with the nerf that Explosion received this generation. Again, the EV spread is fairly straightforward, maximizing Attack and Speed. Other than the aforementioned, Azelf doesn't have too many other viable options
on from the physical spectrum. Being locked into a Psychic-type move spells danger for Azelf and attracts Pursuit users, so strong Fighting-types are recommended to rid Azelf of this omnipresent threat.</p>
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Psyshock
move 2: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 3: Grass Knot
move 4: U-turn / Stealth Rock
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>With the new Psyshock that targets the opponent's Defense using the
attacker's Special Attack stat, even special walls such as Chansey cannot wall Azelf effectively. Psyshock provides
obligatory STAB and hits the weaker Defense of special walls such as Chansey. Fire Blast hits Steel-types and Grass-types for massive damage and Grass Knot destroys bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Suicune. U-turn is
used for scouting while Stealth Rock supports the rest of the team.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Life Orb provides a nice power boost to Azelf's attacks. The EV spread is standard,
employing a Timid nature and maximizing Speed and Special Attack
, along with a Timid nature. Explosion can be used in the last moveslot with a Naive nature, but
this is not recommended as without Attack investment and the nerf, it won't be doing too much damage. Thunderbolt is an option over Grass Knot to hit Victini and Houndoom, but then Azelf loses coverage on Ground- and Rock-types, and Houndoom can OHKO Azelf with a STAB priority Sucker Punch or Pursuit if Azelf switches out. Psychic hits several Fighting-types harder such as Hitmontop, but losing the advantage against Chansey and other special walls usually isn't worth it. Fire Blast is a stronger
albeit , but less accurate option over Flamethrower. Hidden Power Ice can be used to destroy Dragon-types, but most are already hit hard enough by Azelf's STAB moves. When using Azelf, it is important to have teammates that can take out the opponent's Pursuit users as Dark-type
s Pursuit users such as Weavile can easily switch in on a Psychic-type move and threaten Azelf with STAB Pursuit.</p>
[SET]
name: Dual Screens
move 1: Reflect
move 2: Light Screen
move 3: Taunt
move 4: U-turn / Stealth Rock / Explosion
item: Leftovers / Light Clay
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>With its blistering Speed, Azelf can easily set up
Light Screen and Reflect screens and also cushion the following blows. Taunt and U-turn provide the most utility to get set up sweepers in safely, but Stealth Rock is an option as well to provide some easier KOs for the rest of the team. The reason to use Azelf over Uxie for dual screens is its high speed which usually guarantees
it to be able to put up at least one screen. Explosion is an option to leave a dent in the opposition, but then maximum investment in Attack must be utilized, especially with the fifth generation nerf.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Maximum investment in HP and Speed with a Jolly Nature
ensures that Azelf will reliably get
both screens up unless Taunted and makes Azelf reasonably bulky. Leftovers provide some durability to Azelf, as Focus Sash is pointless since most attacks won't OHKO after screens are set up. Light Clay is an option over Leftovers to extend the duration of the screens, but Azelf loses out on the instant recovery from Leftovers. With
Light Screen and Reflect dual screens, Azelf can support set-up sweepers such as Shell Smash users, and can also assist a Baton Pass chain.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Explosion is an option on any physical set to do major damage, but sacrifices Azelf unnecessarily. Azelf can also set up a quick Rain Dance or Sunny Day to support its team, but usually has better move options and there are better contenders to set up weather. A set with Substitute and three attacks could possibly work, but will be walled in some manner depending on its moveset. Azelf is very versatile and can run a variety of different sets, but other than the aforementioned, nothing else is quite as effective.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Azelf has quite a few checks in the form of Dark-types and faster opponents, but very few true counters due to its versatility, especially the Nasty Plot set, which is equivalent to the Psycho-Killer
Mewtwo of BW UU. Anything faster than Azelf that is even remotely powerful such as Crobat and Aerodactyl can revenge kill easily. Most Choice Scarf users such as Flygon can OHKO Azelf with little effort. Most Dark-types can easily switch in and threaten with super effective STAB moves such as Houndoom's Sucker Punch or Weavile's Night Slash. Choice Specs Jolteon can outspeed and OHKO with a super effective Shadow Ball. Escavalier walls Azelf without Fire-type moves and can easily OHKO with Megahorn or Pursuit if Azelf switches out. Strong priority users such as Choice Band Azumarill can finish off even
slightly-
weakened Azelf. Bulky Pokemon that can take a hit such as Deoxys-D or Celebi and either dish one back or slap Azelf with a crippling status such as Toxic or paralysis are decent checks, but must beware of the Nasty Plot set.</p>
