Azelf Pokémon

Introduced in generation four, with the Pokemon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum games, Azelf is a monotype psychic Pokemon. It is not known to evolve from or into any other Pokemon and it is classified as a legendary Pokemon. Azelf is classified by the Pokedex as the “Willpower Pokemon” which is a nod to its role in the trio of the Lake Guardians. This guide will showcase Azelf’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Azelf.

About Azelf

Despite being a legendary Pokemon, Azelf first appeared in the Diamond and Pearl season of the anime with the episode Pruning a Passel of Pals!, instead of its own movie. This was a rather minor appearance, especially for a legendary Pokemon, as it only appeared briefly to Ash as a “soul”. Since it is a legendary Pokemon, it is not known to evolve from or into any other Pokemon. The Pokedex states that when Azelf first came to be, it gave people the willpower to do things.

Azelf Base Stats

Appearance

Azelf is a small, fairy-like creature that appears to be bipedal, but is often depicted floating or flying. It is almost entirely light blue with a blue face and there is a single red gem affixed on its forehead. There is a long tail at Azelf’s base that is split into two and each tail resembles half of a lotus. It has two short arms and legs, but as a psychic Pokemon it tends to use its mind rather than its limbs. Azelf is a small Pokemon at only 1 foot, or 0.3 meters, tall.

Behavior

Not much is known about Azelf’s behavior and it tends to work through mystical psychic powers. In the anime, it was shown to be quite powerful and needed to be freed from Team Rocket’s clutches before they used it to take over the world. Azelf’s spirit is capable of leaving its own body without dying and it can return to it whenever it wants to. The Pokedex states that harming Azelf could kill the willpower in all humans and its existence was the birth of willpower.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Azelf has incredible physical and special attack stats along with a fast speed stat. While this does make for a powerful offensive Pokemon, a lot of its stats are wasted as most Pokemon will function as a physical or special attacker rather than both. As a monotype psychic Pokemon, Azelf takes 2x damage from ghost, dark, and bug type moves. Thanks to its ability Levitate, Azelf is immune to ground type moves and is resistant to fighting and psychic type moves.

Shiny Azelf

It is very easy to distinguish between regular Azelf and Shiny Azelf as almost the entirety of its color palette is swapped save for Shiny Azelf’s eye and gem color. Most of Shiny Azelf’s body is changed to beige/yellow colour while the blue on its face becomes a much darker shade. A Shiny Azelf’s eye and gem color remain the same yellow and red respectively. Like all shiny Pokemon, Shiny Azelf gains a starry animation upon entering battle.

Credit to TrainerParshen on DeviantArt for the below picture.

Best Moveset

If you would like to run Azelf on your team in competitive play, you will need to ensure that the format allows legendary Pokemon. Most legendary Pokemon tend to have inflated base stat totals and Azelf is no exception. You can run Azelf as an offensive option if it is available in your preferred format. Consider running Nasty Plot, Psyshock/Psychic, Flamethrower/Fire Blast, and Dazzling Gleam. Nasty Plot can ensure that Azelf is capable of a sweep, Psyshock/Psychic are interchangeable depending on which psychic type option you prefer, Flamethrower and Fire Blast are interchangeable as fire type coverage options, and Dazzling Gleam is to ensure that your offensive sweeper has the most type coverage possible.

How to Catch Azelf in Pokemon Go

If you would like to obtain an Azelf in Pokemon Go, the only way to do so is to find one in a tier five raid battle in Pokemon Gyms. As a legendary Pokemon, Azelf cannot be hatched from eggs. While Azelf can actually spawn in the wild, it is extraordinarily rare and will only spawn in North America and Greenland. The only truly viable option is to keep an eye on tier five raid battles to have an opportunity to catch Azelf. Most tier five raid battles require a good group of trainers in order to defeat, so gather some friends to attempt catching Azelf. Since Azelf has no evolutions to worry about, you can reserve any candies you obtain into powering it up.

Trivia

1. The inspiration for Azelf’s design likely comes from the Imperial Regalia of Japan which were also known as the Three Sacred Treasures. Azelf embodied the Kusanagi which represents valor.
2. The name Azelf is a combination of the words azure and elf.

Video

FAQ

Is Azelf any good?

Azelf has very high physical and special attack stats along with a strong speed stat. It fulfills an offensive role in many teams and if the format allows Azelf, you will likely need to have an answer to Azelf in the competitive bracket. While it is not particularly good defensively, you can expect Azelf to outspeed many Pokemon if you are not considering set ups.

Who is the Strongest Lake Guardian?

Azelf is by far the strongest in terms of offensive capabilities. Uxie is the best for a defensive set and Mesprit is the balanced option out of the trio. If you want an offensive Pokemon, the choice is clear with Azelf and if you want a defensive Pokemon your choice ought to be Uxie. Azelf is also typically ranked higher than the other Lake Guardians thanks to its offensive potential.

Is Azelf a Legendary Pokemon?

Azelf is classified as a legendary Pokemon in the franchise. It is a member of the Lake Guardian trio and represents the willpower of man. It fulfills all the classifications for legendary Pokemon as it cannot be bred at a Pokemon Daycare, you can only encounter one per save file, and its catch rate is among the lowest in the game.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Willpower Pokemon”. Azelf has managed to remain relevant in competitive play since its introduction as a powerful offensive Pokemon. While the other members of the Lake Guardians trio have fallen into obscurity, Azelf offers one of the most powerful offensive sets you can run with a monotype psychic Pokemon. Reserve a slot on your team for Azelf if you want an offensive psychic type Pokemon.