shrang
General Kenobi
Okay, did a revamp of Charizard.
Changes made:
-Moved BellyZard to bottom and combined the two versions
-Separated DD and SD, they are quite different
-Added Special Attacking set
-Removed mixed and Choice Specs
-Reintroduced the Sunnybeamer set, but is different
QC - 2/2, GP - 2/2
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/charizard
[Overview]
<p>Apart from its huge Stealth Rock weakness, you probably couldn't find anything noticeably wrong with Charizard. It has decent stats with a fantastic movepool; however, the reason that Charizard is banished to the depths of NU is the fact that its sets are either outclassed by a better Pokemon or just plain ineffective in the metagame it's trying to compete in. Nonetheless, Charizard is still very capable of being quite deadly in the right hands.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Roost
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Charizard is most effective as a special attacker; although it seems outclassed by Moltres, which hits a lot harder, Charizard still has some useful perks over the fire bird. Firstly, Charizard's base 100 Speed allows it to outrun, and prevent itself from being revenge killed, by Pokemon that would outspeed Moltres, such as Rotom and Arcanine. Secondly, Charizard's ability, Blaze, gives its Fire-type attacks a significant boost when its health falls below 33%. Charizard's Fire-type STAB attack has excellent coverage alongside its secondary STAB move, Air Slash, while Hidden Power Grass hits Pokemon that resist both Fire- and Flying-type moves. Roost allows Charizard to recover health from Life Orb recoil and Stealth Rock damage.</p>
<p>The choice between Fire Blast and Flamethrower boils down to whether you prefer power or accuracy; Fire Blast is preferred since Charizard's Special Attack is comparatively poor to Moltres, and because it needs all the power it can get. Life Orb gives Charizard a boost in its power without locking it into a move.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Charizard's special movepool extends further than just the moves suggested; Dragon Pulse has perfect coverage alongside Fire Blast and allows Charizard to hit Altaria super effectively without using Hidden Power. Focus Blast is Charizard's most powerful move against Regirock and Clefable, if you can stand to rely on its terrible accuracy.</p>
<p>When deciding which EVs to invest in with Charizard, take advantage of Charizard's decent Special Attack and Speed. As for its nature, Timid is almost always preferred, as using a Modest nature means that Charizard is completely outclassed by Timid Moltres, which sports higher Special Attack, superior Speed, and better bulk. Modest Charizard should only be used if you run Charizard alongside Moltres in a "double-Fire" combination, using Moltres to break apart walls for Charizard to clean up later. It should be noted that Charizard and Moltres both have a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock as well as sharing common weaknesses.</p>
<p>Aside from the omnipresent Stealth Rock, Charizard is hindered by bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Slowking. Specially defensive Pokemon such as Regirock, Altaria, and Chansey are fantastic checks to Charizard too. Good teammates for Charizard obviously need to provide Rapid Spin support to clear away Stealth Rock while also taking advantage of the aforementioned problematic Pokemon. Hitmontop and Blastoise are arguably the best Rapid Spinners to run alongside Charizard, since they both are relatively bulky and have good defensive synergy with Charizard. Hitmontop resists Rock-type attacks and Foresight allows him to hit Ghosts with Rapid Spin to clear away Stealth Rock. Hitmontop can also scare away Chansey with its powerful STAB Close Combat, but Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan are both viable alternatives if more attacking power is desired. Blastoise can do the same but it instead sports a resistance to Water-type attacks. Although it shares a weakness to Water-type attacks with Charizard, Donphan is a decent Rapid Spinner that can defeat common spinblockers with moves like Assurance, Head Smash, and Earthquake. Venusaur is a fantastic switch-in to bulky Water-types, such as Milotic and Slowking, causing havoc with its powerful STABs or Sleep Powder. Dugtrio is also a good partner to run alongside Charizard as it can trap and KO Chansey with Beat Up or Earthquake.</p>
[SET]
name: Sunny Day
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 3: SolarBeam
move 4: Roost / Air Slash
item: Life Orb / Heat Rock
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With this set, Charizard aims to defeat its bulky Water-type rivals. Again, Moltres largely outclasses Charizard in such a role, but Charizard's higher Speed and rare ability in Blaze help it compete for a team spot. After using Sunny Day, Charizard's Fire-type STAB attacks are powered up to ridiculous levels. In the sun, SolarBeam does not require its charging turn, allowing Charizard to 2HKO Milotic and Slowking, its two biggest counters. The last slot depends on how offensively you want Charizard to operate. Roost allows Charizard to recover from Stealth Rock and Life Orb recoil, while Air Slash gives Charizard maximum coverage. Finally, Charizard's item choice depends on the type of team it is in. If Charizard is part of a Sunny Day team, Heat Rock should be considered so Charizard can support the team as well as itself. Life Orb is preferred in most other cases due to the higher damage output it provides.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Like all Charizard sets, Rapid Spin support is essential, especially if it's not running Roost. Hitmontop and Blastoise are both bulky spinners that synergize well with Charizard and have reliable ways of dealing with spinblockers. Donphan is viable as well, as it can usually deal with spinblockers with its powerful attacks. Chansey makes a fairly decent counter to Sunny Day Charizard, although it risks getting 2HKOed by sun-boosted Fire Blasts if Blaze is activated. If Charizard is not running Air Slash, Flash Fire Pokemon, such as Houndoom and Arcanine, absolutely wall Charizard. Dugtrio with Substitute can trap and remove Houndoom with some prediction, while Rhyperior is a decent switch-in to most Arcanine.</p>
<p>Since SunnyBeam Charizard is good at luring and defeating bulky Water-types, Pokemon that can take advantage of their absence make fantastic teammates. Rock Polish Rhyperior, Dragon Dance Feraligatr, and Nasty Plot Houndoom are a few Pokemon that can sweep when opposing bulky Water-types (especially Milotic) are removed.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Flare Blitz
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: ThunderPunch
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With usable Attack and Speed and a workable physical movepool, Dragon Dance Charizard can be very difficult to deal with late-game, especially if you're running an offensive team. With a single Dragon Dance under its belt, Charizard reaches 492 Speed, beating Choice Scarf Rotom and Hitmonlee, two of the fastest revenge killers commonly seen in UU. Flare Blitz is Charizard's main STAB move and is very powerful after a Dragon Dance. Even though Flare Blitz's recoil may be unappealing, Fire Punch is too weak at +1, and Charizard needs all the power it can get. Earthquake punishes Rock-types such as Rhyperior and Regirock, while ThunderPunch is Charizard's best answer to Water-types. Roost can used over Earthquake or Thunderpunch, but Charizard rarely finds opportunities to use both Roost and Dragon Dance.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If you find Charizard's power a bit lacking, an Adamant nature can be used, provided your team has a reliable way of removing Choice Scarf Rotom, Choice Scarf Hitmonlee, and other revenge killers. Dragon Claw is an option for coverage if your team has trouble with Altaria.</p>
<p>Slowbro is arguably the best counter to Dragon Dance Charizard thanks to its enormous physical Defense. Physically defensive Milotic also counters Charizard very well. Regirock and Rhyperior can take a +1 Earthquake and OHKO Charizard in return. Due to all of this, Charizard is better used in the late-game when every Pokemon on the opposing team has been significantly weakened or crippled, allowing it to clean up. The aforementioned Pokemon and Stealth Rock need to be cleared before Charizard attempts its sweep. Venusaur can easily switch into Slowbro and Milotic and threaten them with Sleep Powder or its STAB Grass-type attacks. Torterra can also switch into Slowbro and set up Rock Polish. Toxicroak does a similar job against Milotic, boosting its stats with Swords Dance or Nasty Plot, and can easily punch holes in the opponent's team. Rhyperior is an excellent switch-in to Regirock that can set up Rock Polish or Substitute to terrorize the opponent. Rapid Spinners are essential to run alongside Charizard, especially when it lacks Roost and its main STAB causes recoil. Hitmontop, Blastoise, and Donphan are all good Rapid Spinners to run alongside Charizard.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Flare Blitz / Fire Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: ThunderPunch
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With Charizard's naturally high Speed, it can forego Dragon Dance to boost its attack even further with Swords Dance, allowing it to reach a very high 534 Attack after a boost. Again, Flare Blitz is Charizard's main STAB for its sheer power, but since Charizard is now at +2 after a boost instead of +1, Fire Punch is acceptable if you don't like the absurd amount of residual damage that Charizard would be taking from Flare Blitz. For Charizard's coverage options, Earthquake hits Rock-types and ThunderPunch hits Water-types for super effective damage. Like the Dragon Dance set, Roost can be used over Earthquake or ThunderPunch, though Charizard finds it hard to boost and heal at the same time. Similarly, if your team is having trouble with Altaria, Dragon Claw can be used. To demonstrate Charizard's power after a Swords Dance, here are some damage calculations:</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>+2 Flare Blitz vs 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Uxie: 64.41% - 75.71%</li>
<li>+2 Flare Blitz vs 252 HP / 0 Def Mesprit: 100%</li>
<li>+2 ThunderPunch vs 252 HP / 200 Def Milotic: 77.66% - 91.37</li>
<li>+2 ThunderPunch vs 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Slowbro: 54.31% - 64.47%</li>
<li>+2 Earthquake vs 252 HP / 0 Def Regirock: 62.64% - 74.18%</li>
<li>+2 Earthquake vs 140 HP / 32 Def Rhyperior: 60.59% - 71.18%</li>
</ul>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Without the Speed boost from Dragon Dance, Charizard is revenge killed a lot more easily. Due to this, it is best to scout opposing revenge killers before attempting to set up a sweep. Swords Dance Charizard is especially good at luring out bulky Water-types that expect Charizard to be a special attacking variant (such as Milotic and Slowking) and deal a lot of damage to them with a +2 ThunderPunch. Due to this, Pokemon that can take advantage of a weakened bulky Water-type make excellent partners to Swords Dance Charizard. Dragon Dance Feraligatr and Rock Polish Rhyperior are especially dangerous when opposing Milotic are weakened.</p>
<p>Like all offensive Pokemon, Charizard appreciates entry hazard support to achieve some important KOs; for example, 252 HP / 200 Def Milotic is OHKOed by ThunderPunch after she switches into Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes. Omastar can set up both Stealth Rock and Spikes while luring Grass-, Ground-, and Fighting-type attacks for Charizard to switch into. Cloyster can set up Spikes while using Rapid Spin to clear away Stealth Rock. On the topic of Stealth Rock, Rapid Spin support is, again, essential for Charizard's effectiveness. Hitmontop, Blastoise, and Donphan are good Rapid Spinners to run alongside Charizard.</p>
[SET]
name: BellyZard
move 1: Belly Drum
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Fire Punch
move 4: Thunderpunch / Earthquake
item: Salac Berry
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
ivs: 30 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Charizard is the only Pokemon in the game, apart from Smeargle, to learn the combination of Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, and Belly Drum. BellyZard, once the epitome of an offensive powerhouse, is now possibly one of the highest-risk, relatively-lowest-reward sets in the 4th generation. Still, it is still quite potent when used unexpectedly. Utilizing BellyZard follows quite a strict format. The first step is to switch into a Pokemon that cannot hurt Charizard and scare it out, allowing for Charizard to set up Substitute. Proceed to use Belly Drum to max out Charizard's Attack stat while simultaneously activating Salac Berry and Blaze. From there, Charizard (hopefully) proceeds to sweep with 1068 Attack and 492 Speed. Fire Punch is Charizard's main STAB, which is boosted to acceptable levels with Blaze. ThunderPunch takes out bulky Water-types, while Earthquake takes out Rock-types.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If you are more daring, Double-Edge can be used over Substitute. The idea behind it is to use Belly Drum first, possibly luring out a bulky Water-type, which are then KOed with Double-Edge, which allows Charizard to reach Salac Berry and Blaze activation range. The EVs are simple: let Charizard be as fast as possible so it is as difficult to revenge-kill as possible. 30 HP IVs are used so Charizard's HP is divisible by 4, allowing Salac Berry to activate after Substitute and Belly Drum. Earthquake or Thunderpunch can replace Substitute if the coverage is more important to Charizard than the Speed boost.</p>
<p>While BellyZard looks horrifically scary on paper, it is very easy to stop in practice. Firstly, if Stealth Rock is up, Charizard will be unable to pull off a successful Belly Drum. Physically defensive Hariyama with Thick Fat can take a hit from Charizard and KO it in return. If Charizard lacks ThunderPunch, bulky Water-types can stop him, while if he lacks Earthquake, Rhyperior and Regirock are hard stops to it. Priority attacks also cut Charizard's sweep very short. These include Aqua Jet Azumarill, ExtremeSpeed Arcanine, and Sucker Punch Toxicroak. Sand Stream and Snow Warning make Charizard sad as well, since they force it to sweep on a timer. Before bringing Charizard out, scouting the opponent's team is extremely important. Rapid Spinners can clear away Stealth Rock for Charizard, while anti-leads such as Taunt Ambipom, Electrode, and Choice Scarf Venusaur can prevent them from going up in the first place. Spiritomb, Mesprit, and Uxie are good switch-ins to Hariyama. Claydol is great for switching into Hariyama and also has the ability to use Rapid Spin to clear away Stealth Rock.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Charizard's biggest problem in the metagame is Stealth Rock. Due to this, Rapid Spinners and Pokemon that prevent it from being set up are always the best teammates to Charizard. Hitmontop and Blastoise synergize well with Charizard and have Foresight, allowing Rapid Spin to remove Stealth Rock even against Ghost-types. Ambipom, Electrode, and Choice Scarf Venusaur can outspeed common leads and use Taunt or Sleep Powder to stop Stealth Rock from going up. Outside of Stealth Rock, bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Slowking are Charizard's biggest enemies. Venusaur is an excellent partner to run alongside Charizard, as it can switch into bulky Water-types and threaten devastation with Sleep Powder or its powerful STAB attacks. Toxicroak can switch into Milotic with ease and set up with either Swords Dance or Nasty Plot.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Charizard has a very big movepool and many options that it can use. On the special side, Charizard has access to Focus Blast, Overheat, and Dragon Pulse, while on the physical side, it has Rock Slide, Focus Punch, and Return. A Choice Specs set is usable, but the 4x weakness to Stealth Rock really limits its ability switch in and out, not to mention that Moltres is a better candidate overall. Charizard can also use a Blaze + Sunny Day + Petaya Berry set that makes it absurdly powerful but, like the Belly Drum set, it is extremely hard to stop and difficult to set up. Charizard can also attempt a mixed wallbreaking set with Air Slash, Brick Break, Fire Blast, and Roost, but Charizard generally lacks the power to do so.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Charizard has two huge enemies; one is Stealth Rock, and the other is bulky Water types. Milotic is the best general counter for Charizard, while Slowking can handle special variants and Slowbro can handle physical variants. Specially defensive Regirock is also an excellent check to Charizard, being able to take most of its attacks while OHKOing back with Stone Edge or Rock Slide. Chansey and Clefable wall any special variant of Charizard as well. In most cases, keep a priority user handy (especially Aqua Jet Azumarill), keep Stealth Rock on the field, don't give it a chance to set up, and you'll fare just fine.</p>
Changes made:
-Moved BellyZard to bottom and combined the two versions
-Separated DD and SD, they are quite different
-Added Special Attacking set
-Removed mixed and Choice Specs
-Reintroduced the Sunnybeamer set, but is different
QC - 2/2, GP - 2/2
http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/charizard
[Overview]
<p>Apart from its huge Stealth Rock weakness, you probably couldn't find anything noticeably wrong with Charizard. It has decent stats with a fantastic movepool; however, the reason that Charizard is banished to the depths of NU is the fact that its sets are either outclassed by a better Pokemon or just plain ineffective in the metagame it's trying to compete in. Nonetheless, Charizard is still very capable of being quite deadly in the right hands.</p>
[SET]
name: Special Attacker
move 1: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 2: Air Slash
move 3: Hidden Power Grass
move 4: Roost
item: Life Orb
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Charizard is most effective as a special attacker; although it seems outclassed by Moltres, which hits a lot harder, Charizard still has some useful perks over the fire bird. Firstly, Charizard's base 100 Speed allows it to outrun, and prevent itself from being revenge killed, by Pokemon that would outspeed Moltres, such as Rotom and Arcanine. Secondly, Charizard's ability, Blaze, gives its Fire-type attacks a significant boost when its health falls below 33%. Charizard's Fire-type STAB attack has excellent coverage alongside its secondary STAB move, Air Slash, while Hidden Power Grass hits Pokemon that resist both Fire- and Flying-type moves. Roost allows Charizard to recover health from Life Orb recoil and Stealth Rock damage.</p>
<p>The choice between Fire Blast and Flamethrower boils down to whether you prefer power or accuracy; Fire Blast is preferred since Charizard's Special Attack is comparatively poor to Moltres, and because it needs all the power it can get. Life Orb gives Charizard a boost in its power without locking it into a move.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Charizard's special movepool extends further than just the moves suggested; Dragon Pulse has perfect coverage alongside Fire Blast and allows Charizard to hit Altaria super effectively without using Hidden Power. Focus Blast is Charizard's most powerful move against Regirock and Clefable, if you can stand to rely on its terrible accuracy.</p>
<p>When deciding which EVs to invest in with Charizard, take advantage of Charizard's decent Special Attack and Speed. As for its nature, Timid is almost always preferred, as using a Modest nature means that Charizard is completely outclassed by Timid Moltres, which sports higher Special Attack, superior Speed, and better bulk. Modest Charizard should only be used if you run Charizard alongside Moltres in a "double-Fire" combination, using Moltres to break apart walls for Charizard to clean up later. It should be noted that Charizard and Moltres both have a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock as well as sharing common weaknesses.</p>
<p>Aside from the omnipresent Stealth Rock, Charizard is hindered by bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Slowking. Specially defensive Pokemon such as Regirock, Altaria, and Chansey are fantastic checks to Charizard too. Good teammates for Charizard obviously need to provide Rapid Spin support to clear away Stealth Rock while also taking advantage of the aforementioned problematic Pokemon. Hitmontop and Blastoise are arguably the best Rapid Spinners to run alongside Charizard, since they both are relatively bulky and have good defensive synergy with Charizard. Hitmontop resists Rock-type attacks and Foresight allows him to hit Ghosts with Rapid Spin to clear away Stealth Rock. Hitmontop can also scare away Chansey with its powerful STAB Close Combat, but Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan are both viable alternatives if more attacking power is desired. Blastoise can do the same but it instead sports a resistance to Water-type attacks. Although it shares a weakness to Water-type attacks with Charizard, Donphan is a decent Rapid Spinner that can defeat common spinblockers with moves like Assurance, Head Smash, and Earthquake. Venusaur is a fantastic switch-in to bulky Water-types, such as Milotic and Slowking, causing havoc with its powerful STABs or Sleep Powder. Dugtrio is also a good partner to run alongside Charizard as it can trap and KO Chansey with Beat Up or Earthquake.</p>
[SET]
name: Sunny Day
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Fire Blast / Flamethrower
move 3: SolarBeam
move 4: Roost / Air Slash
item: Life Orb / Heat Rock
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With this set, Charizard aims to defeat its bulky Water-type rivals. Again, Moltres largely outclasses Charizard in such a role, but Charizard's higher Speed and rare ability in Blaze help it compete for a team spot. After using Sunny Day, Charizard's Fire-type STAB attacks are powered up to ridiculous levels. In the sun, SolarBeam does not require its charging turn, allowing Charizard to 2HKO Milotic and Slowking, its two biggest counters. The last slot depends on how offensively you want Charizard to operate. Roost allows Charizard to recover from Stealth Rock and Life Orb recoil, while Air Slash gives Charizard maximum coverage. Finally, Charizard's item choice depends on the type of team it is in. If Charizard is part of a Sunny Day team, Heat Rock should be considered so Charizard can support the team as well as itself. Life Orb is preferred in most other cases due to the higher damage output it provides.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Like all Charizard sets, Rapid Spin support is essential, especially if it's not running Roost. Hitmontop and Blastoise are both bulky spinners that synergize well with Charizard and have reliable ways of dealing with spinblockers. Donphan is viable as well, as it can usually deal with spinblockers with its powerful attacks. Chansey makes a fairly decent counter to Sunny Day Charizard, although it risks getting 2HKOed by sun-boosted Fire Blasts if Blaze is activated. If Charizard is not running Air Slash, Flash Fire Pokemon, such as Houndoom and Arcanine, absolutely wall Charizard. Dugtrio with Substitute can trap and remove Houndoom with some prediction, while Rhyperior is a decent switch-in to most Arcanine.</p>
<p>Since SunnyBeam Charizard is good at luring and defeating bulky Water-types, Pokemon that can take advantage of their absence make fantastic teammates. Rock Polish Rhyperior, Dragon Dance Feraligatr, and Nasty Plot Houndoom are a few Pokemon that can sweep when opposing bulky Water-types (especially Milotic) are removed.</p>
[SET]
name: Dragon Dance
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Flare Blitz
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: ThunderPunch
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With usable Attack and Speed and a workable physical movepool, Dragon Dance Charizard can be very difficult to deal with late-game, especially if you're running an offensive team. With a single Dragon Dance under its belt, Charizard reaches 492 Speed, beating Choice Scarf Rotom and Hitmonlee, two of the fastest revenge killers commonly seen in UU. Flare Blitz is Charizard's main STAB move and is very powerful after a Dragon Dance. Even though Flare Blitz's recoil may be unappealing, Fire Punch is too weak at +1, and Charizard needs all the power it can get. Earthquake punishes Rock-types such as Rhyperior and Regirock, while ThunderPunch is Charizard's best answer to Water-types. Roost can used over Earthquake or Thunderpunch, but Charizard rarely finds opportunities to use both Roost and Dragon Dance.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If you find Charizard's power a bit lacking, an Adamant nature can be used, provided your team has a reliable way of removing Choice Scarf Rotom, Choice Scarf Hitmonlee, and other revenge killers. Dragon Claw is an option for coverage if your team has trouble with Altaria.</p>
<p>Slowbro is arguably the best counter to Dragon Dance Charizard thanks to its enormous physical Defense. Physically defensive Milotic also counters Charizard very well. Regirock and Rhyperior can take a +1 Earthquake and OHKO Charizard in return. Due to all of this, Charizard is better used in the late-game when every Pokemon on the opposing team has been significantly weakened or crippled, allowing it to clean up. The aforementioned Pokemon and Stealth Rock need to be cleared before Charizard attempts its sweep. Venusaur can easily switch into Slowbro and Milotic and threaten them with Sleep Powder or its STAB Grass-type attacks. Torterra can also switch into Slowbro and set up Rock Polish. Toxicroak does a similar job against Milotic, boosting its stats with Swords Dance or Nasty Plot, and can easily punch holes in the opponent's team. Rhyperior is an excellent switch-in to Regirock that can set up Rock Polish or Substitute to terrorize the opponent. Rapid Spinners are essential to run alongside Charizard, especially when it lacks Roost and its main STAB causes recoil. Hitmontop, Blastoise, and Donphan are all good Rapid Spinners to run alongside Charizard.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Flare Blitz / Fire Punch
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: ThunderPunch
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With Charizard's naturally high Speed, it can forego Dragon Dance to boost its attack even further with Swords Dance, allowing it to reach a very high 534 Attack after a boost. Again, Flare Blitz is Charizard's main STAB for its sheer power, but since Charizard is now at +2 after a boost instead of +1, Fire Punch is acceptable if you don't like the absurd amount of residual damage that Charizard would be taking from Flare Blitz. For Charizard's coverage options, Earthquake hits Rock-types and ThunderPunch hits Water-types for super effective damage. Like the Dragon Dance set, Roost can be used over Earthquake or ThunderPunch, though Charizard finds it hard to boost and heal at the same time. Similarly, if your team is having trouble with Altaria, Dragon Claw can be used. To demonstrate Charizard's power after a Swords Dance, here are some damage calculations:</p>
<ul class="damage_calculation">
<li>+2 Flare Blitz vs 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Uxie: 64.41% - 75.71%</li>
<li>+2 Flare Blitz vs 252 HP / 0 Def Mesprit: 100%</li>
<li>+2 ThunderPunch vs 252 HP / 200 Def Milotic: 77.66% - 91.37</li>
<li>+2 ThunderPunch vs 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Slowbro: 54.31% - 64.47%</li>
<li>+2 Earthquake vs 252 HP / 0 Def Regirock: 62.64% - 74.18%</li>
<li>+2 Earthquake vs 140 HP / 32 Def Rhyperior: 60.59% - 71.18%</li>
</ul>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Without the Speed boost from Dragon Dance, Charizard is revenge killed a lot more easily. Due to this, it is best to scout opposing revenge killers before attempting to set up a sweep. Swords Dance Charizard is especially good at luring out bulky Water-types that expect Charizard to be a special attacking variant (such as Milotic and Slowking) and deal a lot of damage to them with a +2 ThunderPunch. Due to this, Pokemon that can take advantage of a weakened bulky Water-type make excellent partners to Swords Dance Charizard. Dragon Dance Feraligatr and Rock Polish Rhyperior are especially dangerous when opposing Milotic are weakened.</p>
<p>Like all offensive Pokemon, Charizard appreciates entry hazard support to achieve some important KOs; for example, 252 HP / 200 Def Milotic is OHKOed by ThunderPunch after she switches into Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes. Omastar can set up both Stealth Rock and Spikes while luring Grass-, Ground-, and Fighting-type attacks for Charizard to switch into. Cloyster can set up Spikes while using Rapid Spin to clear away Stealth Rock. On the topic of Stealth Rock, Rapid Spin support is, again, essential for Charizard's effectiveness. Hitmontop, Blastoise, and Donphan are good Rapid Spinners to run alongside Charizard.</p>
[SET]
name: BellyZard
move 1: Belly Drum
move 2: Substitute
move 3: Fire Punch
move 4: Thunderpunch / Earthquake
item: Salac Berry
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
ivs: 30 HP
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Charizard is the only Pokemon in the game, apart from Smeargle, to learn the combination of Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, and Belly Drum. BellyZard, once the epitome of an offensive powerhouse, is now possibly one of the highest-risk, relatively-lowest-reward sets in the 4th generation. Still, it is still quite potent when used unexpectedly. Utilizing BellyZard follows quite a strict format. The first step is to switch into a Pokemon that cannot hurt Charizard and scare it out, allowing for Charizard to set up Substitute. Proceed to use Belly Drum to max out Charizard's Attack stat while simultaneously activating Salac Berry and Blaze. From there, Charizard (hopefully) proceeds to sweep with 1068 Attack and 492 Speed. Fire Punch is Charizard's main STAB, which is boosted to acceptable levels with Blaze. ThunderPunch takes out bulky Water-types, while Earthquake takes out Rock-types.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>If you are more daring, Double-Edge can be used over Substitute. The idea behind it is to use Belly Drum first, possibly luring out a bulky Water-type, which are then KOed with Double-Edge, which allows Charizard to reach Salac Berry and Blaze activation range. The EVs are simple: let Charizard be as fast as possible so it is as difficult to revenge-kill as possible. 30 HP IVs are used so Charizard's HP is divisible by 4, allowing Salac Berry to activate after Substitute and Belly Drum. Earthquake or Thunderpunch can replace Substitute if the coverage is more important to Charizard than the Speed boost.</p>
<p>While BellyZard looks horrifically scary on paper, it is very easy to stop in practice. Firstly, if Stealth Rock is up, Charizard will be unable to pull off a successful Belly Drum. Physically defensive Hariyama with Thick Fat can take a hit from Charizard and KO it in return. If Charizard lacks ThunderPunch, bulky Water-types can stop him, while if he lacks Earthquake, Rhyperior and Regirock are hard stops to it. Priority attacks also cut Charizard's sweep very short. These include Aqua Jet Azumarill, ExtremeSpeed Arcanine, and Sucker Punch Toxicroak. Sand Stream and Snow Warning make Charizard sad as well, since they force it to sweep on a timer. Before bringing Charizard out, scouting the opponent's team is extremely important. Rapid Spinners can clear away Stealth Rock for Charizard, while anti-leads such as Taunt Ambipom, Electrode, and Choice Scarf Venusaur can prevent them from going up in the first place. Spiritomb, Mesprit, and Uxie are good switch-ins to Hariyama. Claydol is great for switching into Hariyama and also has the ability to use Rapid Spin to clear away Stealth Rock.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>Charizard's biggest problem in the metagame is Stealth Rock. Due to this, Rapid Spinners and Pokemon that prevent it from being set up are always the best teammates to Charizard. Hitmontop and Blastoise synergize well with Charizard and have Foresight, allowing Rapid Spin to remove Stealth Rock even against Ghost-types. Ambipom, Electrode, and Choice Scarf Venusaur can outspeed common leads and use Taunt or Sleep Powder to stop Stealth Rock from going up. Outside of Stealth Rock, bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Slowking are Charizard's biggest enemies. Venusaur is an excellent partner to run alongside Charizard, as it can switch into bulky Water-types and threaten devastation with Sleep Powder or its powerful STAB attacks. Toxicroak can switch into Milotic with ease and set up with either Swords Dance or Nasty Plot.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Charizard has a very big movepool and many options that it can use. On the special side, Charizard has access to Focus Blast, Overheat, and Dragon Pulse, while on the physical side, it has Rock Slide, Focus Punch, and Return. A Choice Specs set is usable, but the 4x weakness to Stealth Rock really limits its ability switch in and out, not to mention that Moltres is a better candidate overall. Charizard can also use a Blaze + Sunny Day + Petaya Berry set that makes it absurdly powerful but, like the Belly Drum set, it is extremely hard to stop and difficult to set up. Charizard can also attempt a mixed wallbreaking set with Air Slash, Brick Break, Fire Blast, and Roost, but Charizard generally lacks the power to do so.</p>
[Counters]
<p>Charizard has two huge enemies; one is Stealth Rock, and the other is bulky Water types. Milotic is the best general counter for Charizard, while Slowking can handle special variants and Slowbro can handle physical variants. Specially defensive Regirock is also an excellent check to Charizard, being able to take most of its attacks while OHKOing back with Stone Edge or Rock Slide. Chansey and Clefable wall any special variant of Charizard as well. In most cases, keep a priority user handy (especially Aqua Jet Azumarill), keep Stealth Rock on the field, don't give it a chance to set up, and you'll fare just fine.</p>