Dynamax Azelf
Psychic
Dynamax Azelf is one of the Lake Trio Legendary Pokémon that debuted recently, alongside Mesprit and Uxie. It also marked the first time ever a Max Pokémon is region-locked, as Azelf is only be available in Americas and Greenland region.
Of the three, Azelf represents the more attack-oriented one that trades off DEF and HP for a massive ATK value of 270 – the highest of the Lake Guardian trio by a wide margin. Just by looking at its ATK value, it makes sense to be hopeful that Azelf gets ranked highly compared to other Psychic attackers. At the same time, it is understandable that Azelf should never be utilized defensively, after all, no one should bring a Pokémon with 151 DEF, who lacks a 0.5s fast attack move into Max Battles as a tank.
Dynamax Azelf: Stats, Typing, and Moves
| Max CP (Level 50) | 3629 |
|---|---|
| ATK | 270 |
| DEF | 151 |
| HP | 181 |
| Weak to | Bug Dark Ghost |
| Resists | Fighting Psychic |
| Strong against | Fighting Poison |
| Fast Attacks |
|
| Max Attacks |
|
As an Attacker: A Premium Psychic-type Damage Dealer
The tables below compare every Pokémon at a 15 ATK IV value. Percentages are calculated relative to D-Max Azelf’s ATK value.
Psychic-type Damage: Within Touching Distance of #1
| Ranking | Pokémon | Max Attack Damage vs. D-Max Azelf |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Dynamax Alakazam
|
+0.4% |
| 2 |
Dynamax Azelf
|
– |
| 3 |
Dynamax Latios
|
-0.7% |
| 4 |
Dynamax Espeon
|
-3.2% |
| 5 |
Dynamax Metagross
|
-4.6% |
At 270 ATK, Dynamax Azelf lands at #2 among current Psychic damage dealers, a mere 0.4% behind Dynamax Alakazam – a gap so close that it can be interpreted in two completely contradictory ways.
On one hand, it can be argued that Azelf is the co-best Psychic attacker in the current meta, with its damage output so similar to Alakazam’s, and thus making it worth farming for during its debut Max Battle Day event, especially for trainers who want a team filled with Legendaries and Mythicals.
On the other, Azelf being region-locked to the Americas and Greenland means that it can get extremely costly to farm one up, particularly for those who don’t live in these regions, unless they plan to use Rare Candies / Rare Candy XL to max one out; thus it makes a lot more financial sense to build up an Alakazam instead.
The final choice differs from trainer to trainer, depending on their resources; but either way, despite ranking really high as a Psychic damage dealer, in the long run, Azelf will slip down to #8, trailing behind a series of other Legendaries and Mythicals, such as Deoxys (Attack Forme) at +50%, Deoxys (Normal Forme) at +26%, Hoopa Unbound at +14%, and Mewtwo at +10%… None of them has a Dynamax form yet, so Azelf still has some rooms to breathe for now.
: Is Azelf The Best Choice Against Every Typing That Is Weak to Psychic?
While being arguably the co-best Psychic attacker with Alakazam, it is also worth comparing Dynamax Azelf against other typings that also deal super effective damage to Fighting and Poison-type Pokémon to ultimately conclude whether the Being of Willpower is indeed the ultimate choice that is worth serious investment into.
The table below compares Dynamax Azelf against the top damage dealers across every type that deals Super Effective damage to either Fighting or Poison-type Pokémon.
| Ranking | Pokémon | Damage Type | Max Attack Damage vs. D-Max Azelf |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Dynamax Azelf
|
|
– |
| 2 |
Dynamax Excadrill
|
 |
-5.3% |
| 3 |
Dynamax Moltres
|
 |
-6.7% |
| 4 |
Dynamax Rhyperior
|
|
-10.2% |
| 5 |
Dynamax Gardevoir
|
 |
-11.6% |
| 5 |
Dynamax Hatterene
|
|
-11.6% |
vs. Fighting (weak to , , )
Azelf is comfortably distance ahead of the current #1 -type attacker i.e. Dynamax Moltres, and current #1 Fairy-type attacker i.e. Dynamax Gardevoir and Dynamax Hatterene, making it the current best counter to any Fighting-type Pokémon in Max Battles.
vs. Poison (weak to , )
Azelf also comes out on top by at least 5% ahead of the current top Ground-type attackers i.e. Dynamax Excadrill and Dynamax Rhyperior, making it also the best choice in the current meta when dealing with any Poison-type Pokémon in Max Battles.
Verdict: A Near-S-rank Psychic Attacker
Dynamax Azelf is the only Lake Guardian that earns a spot at the top of the attacker ranking, sitting just a hair behind Dynamax Alakazam and ahead of every other current Psychic attacker. Azelf does its attacking role so well that it is arguably the co-best damage dealer against Fighting and Poison-type Pokémon, pushing ahead by at least 5% compared to , Fairy and Ground attackers.
This makes Azelf the most worth it to farm among the Lake Guardian trios. It is, however, worth noting that Azelf remains a premium investment unless you are loaded with Rare Candies / Rare Candy XL. Alakazam could do a very similar job with much less pressure on farming up candies. Nevertheless, if you decide to go for it, farm out a 15 ATK IV and enjoy a premium Psychic attacker that will stay relevant for a long time.
