Charizard
[Overview]
<p>Ever since its debut as the mascot of Pokemon Red, Charizard has always been a fan favorite, but it's never quite been able to keep up with the standards in competitive play. Last generation was particularly rough for Charizard, with the prevalence of Stealth Rock causing the fiery dragon to fall all the way to NU. Thankfully, the Dream World brings Charizard a much-needed upgrade: Solar Power, its new ability, gives it unprecedented power in sunlight, which can easily be arranged thanks to the introduction of Drought Ninetales. Charizard is predictable, frail, and heavily reliant on support from its teammates, but when the conditions are right it can demolish teams with terrifying ease.</p>
[SET]
name: Solar Power
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Focus Blast
move 4: Hidden Power Ice
item: Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
ability: Solar Power
nature: Modest / Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>When the sun is shining, Solar Power instantly transforms Charizard into one of the most lethal special attackers in the game. Fire Blast receives the equivalent of three STAB boosts, making it a devastatingly powerful move that can quickly reduce an opponent's team to ashes. Even bulky Pokemon that resist Fire-type attacks, such as Latios and Jellicent, cannot switch in without being swiftly 2HKOed. Chansey and Blissey, the ultimate special walls, are both cleanly 2HKOed if Charizard carries Choice Specs. Without an immunity to Fire-type attacks or the ability to change the weather, stopping Charizard can be extremely difficult.</p>
<p>While Fire Blast is unquestionably Charizard's most powerful attack, there will be occasions when another move is required. Air Slash has less than half the power of Fire Blast with the sun up, but it gives Charizard a more reliable, accurate STAB attack to fall back on when you cannot afford a miss or when the weather has been changed; it is also Charizard's best option against Chandelure. Focus Blast is crucial, as it allows Charizard to always at least 2HKO Tyranitar and Heatran, both of which would otherwise counter Charizard completely. Finally, Hidden Power Ice covers troublesome Dragon-types, especially Dragonite. Keep in mind that a neutral sun-boosted Fire Blast is more than twice as powerful as any of the other moves on this set, so unless you predict a switch to Tyranitar, Politoed, or a Pokemon with Flash Fire or a 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks, Fire Blast will almost always be the best choice.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>SolarBeam can replace Air Slash in order to hit Water-types harder, notably OHKOing revenge killers such as Starmie and Azumarill on the switch. Being locked into SolarBeam is extremely risky if the opponent possesses a weather changer, however, as it allows them to freely set up while Charizard is forced to waste a turn charging up. Because of this, SolarBeam should never be used while the opponent has a healthy Politoed, Tyranitar, Hippowdon, or Abomasnow. Nevertheless, it is still a powerful option worth considering for a moveslot, especially since Charizard depends so much on sunlight anyway; whether it has SolarBeam or not, Charizard will have a hard time sweeping so long as the opponent can change the weather at will. If you decide SolarBeam isn't worth the trouble, Hidden Power Grass is a much safer option to hit certain Water-types. Defensive Politoed is 2HKOed with Choice Specs, and Pokemon such as Omastar and Kabutops are easily OHKOed. However, most other Water-types take almost as much damage from Fire Blast as they do from Hidden Power Grass, and without Hidden Power Ice, Charizard will struggle to beat Dragonite.</p>
<p>Choice Scarf is generally the best item for Charizard; even without a damage-boosting item, Fire Blast is powerful enough to OHKO a huge portion of the metagame, so increasing Charizard's Speed is much more important. However, Choice Specs can help Charizard 2HKO some of its most durable checks, such as Blissey, Chansey, and Kingdra. Modest is the recommended nature with a Choice Scarf, as there are very few other Choice Scarf users around Charizard's Speed tier that a Speed-boosting nature would allow it to beat, and the additional power aids Charizard against certain bulky Water-types, such as Jellicent and Tentacruel. With Choice Specs, Timid is the optimal choice to ensure at least a tie with other Pokemon with 100 base Speed, although Modest does guarantee a 2HKO on Chansey. Regardless of item and nature, the EV spread is simple: Charizard is an all-out offensive Pokemon, so 252 EVs each are placed in Special Attack and Speed, with the remaining point going towards Special Defense to avoid making Charizard's HP even. Investing in bulk is an utter waste, as Solar Power will quickly ruin any semblance of durability Charizard has.</p>
<p>Charizard's effectiveness rises and sets with the sun, so Drought support from Ninetales is absolutely essential, and eliminating opposing weather changers quickly is critical. While Charizard's Fire Blast will keep Hippowdon and Abomasnow at bay, Tyranitar and Politoed are trickier to deal with. Venusaur can slice through both with its STAB Grass-type moves and is an excellent Drought sweeper in its own right, making it a fantastic partner for Charizard. If you need a surefire way to remove specific threats, Wobbuffet can trap and defeat Politoed and physical Tyranitar.</p>
<p>Stealth Rock is a huge problem for Charizard; the instant loss of 50% of its HP combined with the residual damage from Solar Power drastically reduces its lifespan and ensures it can only come into the match one time. Furthermore, Ninetales and several other Pokemon commonly found on Drought teams are also weak to Stealth Rock, making Rapid Spin or Magic Bounce support vital. Unfortunately, many of the best Rapid Spin users in OU do not enjoy permanent sunlight, but Claydol, Donphan, and Hitmontop are all decent choices; the former two enjoy the weakening of Water-type attacks that Drought brings, while Hitmontop's Fighting-type STAB allows it to check Tyranitar and Heatran effectively. Charizard also appreciates Wish support to help counteract the effect of Solar Power. Chansey and Blissey can completely restore Charizard's HP with a single Wish, but Vaporeon should also be considered for its ability to set up Wishes on Politoed easily.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>If locking Charizard into an attack is an unappealing prospect, there are several other items that Charizard can equip. Expert Belt increases the power of super effective hits and can fool the opponent into thinking Charizard is using the standard Choice set, which may allow Charizard to surprise and defeat its own counters. Life Orb provides a more consistent power boost and makes Charizard extremely difficult to switch into, but the associated recoil in conjunction with Solar Power will add up very quickly. Leftovers may seem like an odd choice on such a blatantly offensive Pokemon, but it can prolong a sweep by offsetting the residual damage from Solar Power somewhat. Although these alternatives may all seem tempting, remember that the vast majority of Pokemon are hit harder by Fire Blast than any of Charizard's other moves; once its few specific checks have been eliminated, there is little reason to use any other move, so the ability to switch attacks becomes less valuable compared to the powerful upgrades given by Choice Scarf and Choice Specs.</p>
<p>While Fire Blast's combination of power and consistency generally makes it Charizard's best STAB option, Flamethrower and Overheat can be useful replacements in certain situations. Flamethrower is significantly less powerful than Fire Blast, but it does have perfect accuracy; an untimely miss could easily bring an end to Charizard's sweep, so Flamethrower is an acceptable alternative if you fear Lady Luck. On the other hand, Overheat's initial power is extraordinary, granting Charizard some additional OHKOs that it could not otherwise guarantee, such as against Starmie with Choice Scarf and Latios with Choice Specs. However, Overheat's secondary effect typically makes it a poor option, as Charizard is not a Pokemon that enjoys switching in and out of the field repeatedly.</p>
<p>Charizard has access to numerous boosting moves, including Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, Flame Charge, and Belly Drum. While a physical set taking advantage of these moves could catch an opponent off guard, Charizard will rarely find an opportunity to safely set up, and even if it does, its low Attack and middling Speed will prevent it from sweeping effectively. Roost and Dragon Pulse round out Charizard's movepool; the former would be useful to restore HP lost to Solar Power, and the latter would give Charizard a more powerful option against Latios, Latias, and Kingdra. Unfortunately, both are illegal with Solar Power.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The simplest way to counter Charizard is to ensure Stealth Rock is set up on its side of the field. With this accomplished, Charizard will be limited to a single sweeping opportunity; as soon as it switches out, it becomes nothing more than death fodder. As far as Pokemon go, Politoed is undoubtedly Charizard's worst nightmare. Simply by switching in and activating Drizzle, it cuts Fire Blast's power by over 75%. If Charizard is carrying Choice Specs, Air Slash or Hidden Power Grass can 2HKO offensive versions of Politoed, but Politoed can simply use a Choice Scarf to outspeed and OHKO Charizard with Surf. Tyranitar similarly removes Charizard's Solar Power boost and brushes off Fire-type attacks, but it must be wary of Focus Blast, which has a decent chance of OHKOing even the most specially defensive variants. Note that while Hippowdon and Abomasnow can also disrupt Charizard by changing the weather, Fire Blast will 2HKO and OHKO them respectively anyway, so switching them into Charizard should be a last resort.</p>
<p>Heatran and Chandelure both love coming in to absorb Fire Blast, as Flash Fire and sunlight will boost the power of their own Fire-type attacks to incredible levels. However, Charizard can 2HKO each with the appropriate coverage move. Thanks to Multiscale, Dragonite can come in on Fire Blast and paralyze Charizard, but it will take heavy damage in the process, and Hidden Power Ice will easily 2HKO it. Azumarill, Kabutops, and Carracosta can live through Fire Blast and KO a weakened Charizard with Aqua Jet despite the sun. Plenty of Choice Scarf users can outspeed Charizard and revenge kill it, especially as residual damage from Solar Power racks up. Intelligent prediction is very important when facing Charizard; it only has a limited number of turns to dish out as much damage as possible, so just a couple of smart switches can be the difference between losing half your team and escaping unharmed.</p>
