[OVERVIEW]
- Charizard boasts an impressive Special Attack stat, which combined with a potent dual-STAB combination and solid coverage options such as Focus Blast and Earthquake make Charizard a premier wallbreaker in the NU tier.
- Charizard also has a usable Attack stat and a solid phyical movepool, making it a more versatile and unpredictable option than other Fire-types.
- Charizard's unique Fire-Flying typing gives it useful resistances to Fighting and Ground-type attacks, further differentiating Charizard from other Fire-types such as Pyroar and Magmortar.
- Conversely, Charizard's additional Rock-typing gives it a 4x weaknesses to Rock, making Stealth Rock even more of an issue for it and restricting teambuilding when using Charizard.
- Charizard's Speed is solid, but falls short of outpacing many of NU's top offensive threats such as Tauros, Archeops, and Floatzel.
- Charizard also faces heavy competition from other Fire-types such as Pyroar, Magmortar, and Combusken, who are either faster, stronger, or bulkier than Charizard.
[SET]
name: Life Orb
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Hidden Power Grass / Earthquake / Focus Blast
move 4: Roost
item: Life Orb
ability: Blaze
nature: Timid / Naive
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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- Fire Blast is Charizard's most powerful Fire STAB, dealing massive damage to even neutral targets.
- Air Slash serves as a weaker, secondary STAB that notably hits Hariyama who otherwise switches into Fire Blast easily. It also comes with a useful 30% chance to Flinch.
- Hidden Power Grass targets Pokemon that resist Charizard's dual STAB such as Rhydon, Omastar, Kabutops, and Lanturn.
- Earthquake is an alternative to hit Assault Vest Magmortar and Lanturn.
- Focus Blast is also a less accurate option that still hits the targets of Hidden Power Grass just as hard, with the addition of 2HKOing Regirock.
- Roost lets Charizard restore lost HP from Life Orb recoil, Stealth Rock, and other various forms of chip damage.
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- Maximum Special Attack EVs allow Charizard to hit as hard as possible.
- Maximum Speed EVs plus a Jolly nature are crucial for letting Charizard outspeed the likes of Rotom, Kangaskhan, and Lilligant.
- Blaze is the ability of choice, as it gives Charizard an additional boost in power should it be brought down to a third of its HP or less.
- Life Orb is chosen to give an increase in power for all of Charizard's attacks, as well as let it switch between its moves.
- Choice Specs is also an option for additional power without the recoil, but forcing Charizard to lock itself into its moves means it cannot properly utilize Roost, and as such, it should use an attack in the last slot instead.
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- This Charizard set lacks longevity, so avoid switching it into attacks. Instead, bring Charizard in on a free turn, such as after an opposing Pokemon has fainted or with a slow U-turn or Volt Switch and fire off a powerful attack.
- It is usually preferred to play aggressively with Charizard, so predicting an opponents switch into a Rhydon or Lanturn for example and using a coverage move is often optimal.
- Use Roost when it is beneficial to lose your Flying-type, to avoid Sucker Punches from Pokemon such as Shiftry, Cacturne, and Skuntank, and and also when Charizard is below 50% health with Stealth Rock up on your side of the field.
- Beware of Rock-type coverage options from Pokemon Charizard can usually check, such as Hidden Power Rock Lilligant, Stone Edge Primeape, and Stone Edge Hitmonchan.
Team Options
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- Entry hazard removal is necessary when using Charizard, so Pokemon such as Mantine, Claydol, Hitmonchan, and Prinplup who can reliably remove Stealth Rock with Defog and Rapid Spin respectively are solid partners.
- Fighting types such as Primeape, Hitmonchan, and Hariyama that can break through bulky Rock-types such as Rhydon and Regirock which plague Charizard make for excellent teammates.
- Grass-types such as Vileplume, Lilligant, and Roselia combat Water and Electric-types that are troublesome for Charizard, making them useful partners alongside it.
- Volt Switch and U-turn users such as Manectric, Scyther, and Rotom generate momentum which provides Charizard with free switch ins to start demolishing opposing teams.
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Acrobatics
move 3: Will-O-Wisp
move 4: Roost
item:
ability: Blaze
nature: Jolly
evs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Swords Dance boost Charizard's Attack to decent levels, letting it clean weakened teams late-game.
- Acrobatics is Charizard's most powerful physical Flying STAB that boasts good neutral coverage.
- Will-O-Wisp is used to cripple Charizard's checks such as Rhydon, Archeops, and Kabutops, as well as let it set up Swords Dance more comfortably against burned physical attackers.
- Roost is used to ensure Charizard stays healthy throughout the match, so that it's able to set up when its checks are weakened. Also comes with a nice added effect in removing its Flying-type, letting it take attacks that normally would KO.
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- Maximum Speed and HP allow Charizard to be as fast and bulky as possible.
- A Jolly nature is chosen to out-speed threats such as Jynx, Primeape, and Lilligant.
- No item is used on this set to increase the power of Acrobatics, and has the added niche of making Charizard a solid Knock Off absorber.
- Blaze is the ability of choice, as although the set doesn't use a Fire-type attack, Charizard doesn't lose 1/8th of its HP every turn under the sun due to Solar Power.
Usage Tips
========
- Unlike other Charizard sets, this variant is better able to switch in on Fighting-type Pokemon such as Primeape, Hariyama, and Throh, although it must still be careful of Rock type coverage moves that these Pokemon often carry.
- It is usually safe to click Wil-O-Wisp, as any Pokemon immune to it fears Acrobatics the next turn, and often cannot do much damage back to Charizard regardless.
- If your opponent has a check to Charizard such as Lanturn, Rhydon, or Steelix, burn it on the switch in during the early- mid-game, and attempt to sweep with Charizard in the late-game once said check has been properly weakened.
- Roost when Charizard is below 50% health with Stealth Rock up on your side of the field, or when losing its Flying typing is helpful, such as when facing a Rotom.
- Avoid switching Charizard in when Stealth Rock are up when possible, as this often forces Charizard to use Roost, losing momentum during the battle.
Team Options
========
- Entry hazard removal from Pokemon such as Pelipper, Kabutops, and Claydol is necessary when using Charizard, as Stealth Rock hinder it greatly throughout a battle.
- Fighting-type Pokemon such as Hitmonchan, Poliwrath, and Primeape are great teammates, as they can break through the bulky Rock-type Pokemon that Charizard is troubled with.
- Lanturn is a solid partner alongside Charizard in particular, as the two have terrific defensive synergy, and Charizard can demolish the Grass-types which plague Lanturn while in turn Lanturn deals with Electric and Water-types that bother Charizard.
- Hitmonchan should also be noted as a great partner for Charizard, as it not only breaks down bulky Rock-types but also Rapid Spins away Stealth Rock for Charizard.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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- A Dragon Dance three attack set is plausible, as it boosts Charizard's only average Speed making it very difficult to revenge kill for offensive teams, but this set is very weak in comparison to the Swords Dance set, and cannot make use of Acrobatics as it is incompatible with Dragon Dance.
- A Belly Drum + Salac Berry set can be extremely dangerous, but is very inconsistent and prone to being revenge killed by common priority attacks such as Aqua Jet and Fake Out.
- Charizard can make decent use of Choice Scarf, but this set is incredibly weak compared to Life Orb or Choice Specs, struggles to take advantage of Charizard's expansive movepool, and is particularly hindered by Stealth Rock as it is forced to switch out more than other variants.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock are Charizard's largest weakness, taking 50% of Charizard's HP upon switching in and often forcing Charizard to play defensively throughout the battle.
**Rock-type Pokemon**: Rock-type Pokemon such as Rhydon and Regirock resist Charizard's dual STAB, and in return can do huge damage to Charizard with STAB 4x super effective Rock-type attacks.
**Lanturn**: Lanturn resists Charizard's dual STAB, and can threaten Charizard out in fear of either of its STABs, and use Volt Switch to gain momentum on Charizard.
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