Pokémon Go Dynamax Azelf counters, weaknesses and best moveset

Dynamax Azelf, the ultimate form of the Willpower Pokémon, is here in the world of Pokémon Go. Like all Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokémon, Dynamax Azelf can’t be caught in the wild. You must first head to the relevant Power Spot and beat it in a Max Battle.

Below you’ll find Dynamax Azelf’s counters and weaknesses to help you succeed in Pokémon Go. Once caught, you can use your Dynamax Azelf in future Max Battles.

On this page:

• Dynamax Azelf counters and weaknesses
• How to beat Azelf
• Dynamax Azelf CP
• Best Dynamax Azelf moveset
• Is Azelf shiny in Pokémon Go?
• Everything we know about Azelf

To see this content please enable targeting cookies.

Dynamax Azelf counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go

Here are the Dynamax Azelf counters and weaknesses in Pokémon Go:

Dynamax Azelf weaknesses

Weak against:

• Bug
• Dark
• Ghost

Resistant to:

• Fighting
• Psychic

Dynamax Azelf offensive counters

The top picks for counters against Dynamax Azelf are Gigantamax Gengar, followed at some distance by Gigantamax Grimmsnarl. Failing that, it's another equally large step down to Dynamax Gengar, Dynamax Hydreigon, Dynamax Single-Strike Urshifu and Dynamax Weavile.

Dynamax Azelf defensive counters

The top picks for defenders against Dynamax Azelf are Dynamax Lugia, Dynamax Blissey, Dynamax Regirock and Dynamax Umbreon.

How to beat Dynamax Azelf

In order to take part in a Dynamax Azelf raid you will need the following:

• Have 800 Max Particles
• Be in the Americas or Greenland (or be friends with someone who is)
• Have IRL friends who play the game or use a Remote Raid Pass
• Find a Power Spot with a Dynamax Azelf (or be invited to one)

The upside to doing Max Battles IRL is that this is obviously a money-saver for the player (travel notwithstanding). The downside is that you need to find people to play with in real life, rather than remoting in. As with previous Dynamax battles, we strongly recommend travelling to an urban centre for a pre-arranged meet-up. You have little chance of doing this solo or with a small group in a rural area.

If you'd rather remote in, you should be aware of the following:

• You need to use both a Remote Raid Pass and 800 Max Particles, rather than just using a pass
• You use the pass as soon as you start a Max Battle, regardless of the outcome
• If you lose the battle and leave the lobby or the Raid rotates, you will lose your pass

That said, don't worry if you fail the first time, you can simply re-enter the same lobby and try again. As long as you have enough Revives and Potions, you can keep trying until you run out of battery!

Dynamax Azelf tactics

Max raids are a little more complicated than traditional raids in Pokémon Go.

First, be aware that your Fast move governs your Max move, so make sure your counters have a Fast move that Dynamax Azelf is weak against.

If you're one of the attackers, you need to focus on using your Fast Move as much possible, to unleash your Max Attack as quickly and often as possible.

If you're one of the defenders, you should focus on spamming a quick move that boosts your max move so you can use Max Guard or Max Spirt. A little teamwork here goes a long way!

This means that your best team of four to defeat Dynamax Azelf are: two Gigantamax Gengar, Dynamax Lugia and Dynamax Blissey.

Ideally, you want a full raid of 40 trainers as you will all work together despite being split into teams of four. Remember, each team of four wants two attackers, one healer and one defender.

Rewards for beating Dynamax Azelf

For taking down a 6* Dynamax Azelf, you will receive 25,000 Stardust, 25,000 XP, 1 Rare Candy XL, 30 Azelf Candy, 1 Azelf Candy XL and 10 Premier Balls. Don't forget to crack a Star Piece and a Lucky Egg beforehand if you want to maximise your Max rewards!

The ever first Minior Shower is occuring this week! Want to know what's happening this month? Then take a look at the October schedule if you're already looking ahead. Don't forget to keep an eye out for both the rarest Pokémon and the best Pokémon in your travels.

Dynamax Azelf CP in Pokémon Go

Unlike with Raids, there is no visible CP on a Max Battle boss. Instead, it just has a giant health bar that gets slightly smaller with each hit. It's also worth noting that because these battles take place in their own special arena, there is no weather boost available. This means there's only one number you need to care about: Dynamax Azelf's max CP, as this will tell you whether the Pokémon you encounter is a 'hundo' with perfect IVs.

Dynamax Azelf hundo CP

• Max CP when being caught - 1,834 CP

Best Azelf moveset in Pokémon Go

Dynamax Azelf joins the game alongside its cousins Dynamax Mesprit and Dynamax Uxie. Of these, Dmax Uxie has the highest defense and Dmax Azelf has the highest attack. Dmax Mesprit has equal attack and defense, but slightly higher HP than the other two.

This means that of the three, Dmax Azelf the best Max Raid attacker - as far as Psychic-type attackers go, it's second only to Dynamax Alakazam at release. Note however that it's pretty poor at regular raids, so you won't be using it there...

If you want to use Dynamax Azelf in a Max Battle (and again, you should), its optimum moveset is Extrasensory and Max Mindstorm.

Here are all the Fast and Charged moves Azelf can use in Pokémon Go:

Fast Moves:

• Confusion (Psychic)
• Extrasensory (Psychic)

Charged Moves:

• Fire Blast (Fire)
• Future Sight (Psychic)
• Swift (Normal)

Max Move:

• Max Mindstorm (Psychic)

Is Azelf shiny in Pokémon Go?

Yes, Azelf is shiny in Pokémon Go! Shiny Azelf was released in September 2021, alongside its cousins Uxie and Mesprit.

As you can see, shiny Azelf takes the swaps its blue-grey body for the golden yellow colour it traditionally has on its face and head. Its blue locks turn a darker shade, while its rubies in the tail and forehead remain pretty much the same.

It's a perfectly fine shiny, and the idea behind it runs across the all three Lake Guardian Pokémon, which is pretty cool.

Everything we know about Azelf

According to its official Pokédex page, Azelf is 'Known as 'The Being of Willpower'. It sleeps at the bottom of a lake to keep the world in balance.'

Amusingly, you might expect this to mean that this is the member of the trio that keeps its eyes shut; but that would be incorrect. That would be Uxie, who will MIB your memories away if you look into its eyes. Also, as dyed in the Wooloo insomniacs, we would like to add that if sleeping were a matter of willpower, we would have far fewer coffee-fuelled bad puns in our writing.

Azelf is a member of the Lake Guardians who originate from the Sinnoh region. Along with Uxie and Mesprit, Azelf was created by Arceus - i.e. Poké-god - and made its home at Lake Valor in eastern Sinnoh.

Legends tell that Arceus tasked the Lake Guardians with two important tasks - the first was to calm Dialga and Palkia if they ever went into a rage, and the second was to teach certain abilities to humans. Since Azelf is the Pokémon of willpower, it taught humans the ability of willpower, giving them free will.

Other stories, however, demonstrate a less benevolent side of Azelf, claiming that the Pokémon, wanting to be left alone, would steal the willpower of humans to send them away so that it could be left undisturbed.

Interestingly, the Lake Guardians are currently the only legendary trio in the Pokémon universe that all share the same exact typing.

Good luck finding a perfect Azelf in Pokémon Go!