[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Psychic
move 2: Flamethrower
move 3: Grass Knot
move 4: U-Turn
item: Life Orb
ability: Levitate
nature: Naive
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set combines Azelf’s great movepool with the ability to switch moves as well as hitting hard off the bat. Thanks to Azelf’s great Special Attack and blistering Speed this set can easily finish off teams once its Pokémon are weakened and faster Pokémon or ones with priority have been Paralysed or killed. Psychic is a strong STAB move that is much more useful now Chansey and Alakazam have left UU. Flamethrower hits the Steel-types that resist Psychic such as Cobalion, Bronzong, Bisharp and Escavalier. Grass Knot provides additional coverage by hitting the omnipresent bulky waters in UU such as Suicune, Blastoise and Swampert, as well hitting Rhyperior for 4x damage. U-Turn allows Azelf to scout its counters early game, weakening them for its sweep and provding momentum for the team in general.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p> The EVs are simple. Max Special Attack and max Speed with a Naive Nature grant Azelf the ability to hit hard and fast, and the negligible remainder is put into Defense to give Azelf a slimmer of durability. It is important to note that this set functions best late-game when the opponents team has been weakened because a Life Orb is not enough for Azelf to do extensive damage to certain walls. Therefore entry hazard support is greatly appreciated because it means that the opponents team will be worn down even more by all the switching U-Turn causes.</p>
<p> Although Krookodile and Victini are less of an issue thanks to U-Turn, this set must still be extremely wary of Houndoom who takes little from any of Azelf’s attacks (and appreciates a Flamethrower). Bulky waters such as Swampert or Blastoise make great teammates for Azelf because they take out the aforementioned Pokémon, Swampert can set up Stealth Rock and Blastoise can spin away rocks. Entry hazards are essential for this set to work and therefore Pokémon such as Scolipede and Deoxys-D make good teammates thanks to their ability to get hazards through Speed (Scolipede) and bulk (Deoxys-D).</p>
