[OVERVIEW]
Fire-types may be disappointing in RBY on the whole, but Charizard completely warps NU around it thanks to its incredibly threatening combination of Swords Dance, base 100 Speed, and Earthquake coverage. It may not be on every team, but every team needs overlapping Charizard checks to avoid getting obliterated if it ever finds a free turn. Terrifyingly, this is not the extent of Charizard's power. It also makes an excellent lead, mixed attacker, and revenge killer, packing options like Fire Blast, Slash, and Counter to cover a variety of situations. Charizard crucially outspeeds Venomoth, serving as the most consistent way to block its entry and prevent it from putting something to sleep, and Mr. Mime, allowing it to revenge kill effectively. It also exploits Fire-type opposition like Moltres, which cannot do much to stop it from setting up Swords Dance and tearing through the enemy team. Earthquake is the real clincher, though; Earthquake hits many would-be Charizard checks well, helping it break through Kabutops and Nidoking and giving it a chance against Golem.
For all these upsides, Charizard is still held back by its lack of physical STAB, mediocre Attack stat, and horrible defensive typing. It's terrifying once it sets up Swords Dance against a worn-down team, but without STAB and with only base 84 Attack, it cannot OHKO most foes at +2. In fact, +2 Hyper Beam only has a 31% chance to OHKO the frail Mr. Mime, so it heavily relies on team support to wear foes down into range. Its weaknesses to Water, Ice, Electric, and Rock allow most foes to hit it super effectively, and its bulk is not good enough to compensate—every prominent Pokemon in NU can 2HKO it except for Wigglytuff, Raticate, and Charizard, and Golem outright OHKOes it with Rock Slide. Additionally, paralysis completely ruins its ability to sweep and revenge kill; it becomes a great sleep blocker when paralyzed but has to hope to switch in safely on Venomoth, which can backfire if it lands a critical hit or Special drop with Psychic.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Charizard can mix and match moves between sets with ease; just about any set can utilize moves like Counter, Slash, and Hyper Beam to secure damage ranges or exploit specific matchups. Counter can, for example, heavily punish opposing Charizard for attacking at +2 or using Slash, and it can allow Charizard to switch into and return a +2 Hyper Beam from Charizard, Kabutops, or Kingler. It can even use Counter on Clefable's Hyper Beam to leave it in range of Fire Blast or Hyper Beam, or it can come in to revenge kill Raticate and use Counter to catch whatever it switches out to. This can be especially devious if Charizard takes paralysis, lulling the opponent into expecting it to switch out. Reflect can be run with Swords Dance to win an arms race with opposing Swords Dance Charizard, blocking even a +6 Hyper Beam. Toxic appears viable with Fire Spin at first, but this is an incredibly inconsistent strategy that leaves Charizard with poor coverage; a single miss usually results in Charizard getting KOed after blessing opposing Pokemon with an easy way to block sleep and paralysis.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Paralysis**: Once paralyzed, Charizard is limited to sleep blocking and revenge killing paralyzed foes. This is a major problem for Charizard due to its plethora of common weaknesses, mediocre bulk, and inability to KO anything at full HP even after using Swords Dance. If Charizard does take paralysis, its best move is to sleep block Venomoth a few times to delay the opponent from landing sleep, hopefully giving its own team a chance to put something to sleep first. Paralysis often comes at a cost as well, as Mr. Mime, Clefable, and Wigglytuff all take massive damage from Fire Blast.
**Water-types**: Charizard has a difficult time with Water-types. For starters, they all 2HKO Charizard with their choice of STAB move, but they each have other advantages as well. The ubiquitous Blastoise 2HKOes Charizard and usually survives even +2 Earthquake into Hyper Beam, and it threatens a brutal Counter against Hyper Beam or as Charizard switches out after using Slash or Body Slam. Kingler's impressive physical bulk nearly matches Blastoise's, and it's guaranteed to KO Charizard with Body Slam followed by Crabhammer, letting it fish for paralysis before dealing the coup de grace. Crabhammer also hits Charizard for at least 77%, letting Kingler secure a KO after minor chip from teammates. Both Blastoise and Kingler also survive a +4 Hyper Beam, so Charizard cannot try to reach +4 against them to sweep if they're at full health. Seadra is not quite as bulky, but it has Agility to set up a countersweep, and its Hydro Pump deals a minimum of 78%, allowing it to snipe Charizard similarly to Kingler. Kabutops is the odd one out, as its Earthquake weakness hampers its matchup and makes it a poor check; if Charizard uses Swords Dance or Earthquake as it switches in, it easily wins one-on-one, potentially even setting up a second Swords Dance in front of it before KOing it, but Kabutops can still check a weakened Charizard.
**Golem**: Golem is only rarely 3HKOed by Earthquake and OHKOes Charizard with Rock Slide, allowing it to switch into even a set-up Charizard and drive it out easily. Golem has a major issue, though; if it gets burned, it becomes setup bait for Charizard, which can use Swords Dance to reapply the burn Attack drop and cut Golem's damage to pathetic levels. After a single reapplication, Rock Slide deals a laughable maximum of 34%, letting Charizard easily continue boosting in front of its hapless foe.
**Electrode**: Electrode outspeeds and 2HKOes Charizard, and its 27.3% critical hit rate makes it especially terrifying. However, Charizard 2HKOes back with Earthquake, so if Electrode switches into an Earthquake or Swords Dance, it cannot win without a critical hit or luck with paralysis. Electrode can also use Thunder Wave to stop a Charizard sweep, usually suffering an OHKO immediately after
**Clefable**: Clefable is bulky enough to switch into Charizard and paralyze it in an emergency, even surviving a +2 Hyper Beam comfortably; a +4 Hyper Beam has a 33% chance to OHKO, and the potential for a critical hit lowers these odds further. After paralyzing it, Blizzard 2HKOes Charizard consistently, allowing Clefable to outright win the matchup rather than just weaken it.
**Charizard**: Charizard can be its own worst enemy. In a Charizard mirror match, either Charizard can potentially run away with the game by boosting to +4 or even +6, so luck can swing the game heavily—Body Slam paralysis, Hyper Beam misses, and Speed tie luck can allow one Charizard to KO the other while taking minimal damage, which can then allow it to take another KO or even end the game in a mid- to late-game scenario.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mrsoup.375193/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/juoean.486979/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/p-squared.168392/
Fire-types may be disappointing in RBY on the whole, but Charizard completely warps NU around it thanks to its incredibly threatening combination of Swords Dance, base 100 Speed, and Earthquake coverage. It may not be on every team, but every team needs overlapping Charizard checks to avoid getting obliterated if it ever finds a free turn. Terrifyingly, this is not the extent of Charizard's power. It also makes an excellent lead, mixed attacker, and revenge killer, packing options like Fire Blast, Slash, and Counter to cover a variety of situations. Charizard crucially outspeeds Venomoth, serving as the most consistent way to block its entry and prevent it from putting something to sleep, and Mr. Mime, allowing it to revenge kill effectively. It also exploits Fire-type opposition like Moltres, which cannot do much to stop it from setting up Swords Dance and tearing through the enemy team. Earthquake is the real clincher, though; Earthquake hits many would-be Charizard checks well, helping it break through Kabutops and Nidoking and giving it a chance against Golem.
For all these upsides, Charizard is still held back by its lack of physical STAB, mediocre Attack stat, and horrible defensive typing. It's terrifying once it sets up Swords Dance against a worn-down team, but without STAB and with only base 84 Attack, it cannot OHKO most foes at +2. In fact, +2 Hyper Beam only has a 31% chance to OHKO the frail Mr. Mime, so it heavily relies on team support to wear foes down into range. Its weaknesses to Water, Ice, Electric, and Rock allow most foes to hit it super effectively, and its bulk is not good enough to compensate—every prominent Pokemon in NU can 2HKO it except for Wigglytuff, Raticate, and Charizard, and Golem outright OHKOes it with Rock Slide. Additionally, paralysis completely ruins its ability to sweep and revenge kill; it becomes a great sleep blocker when paralyzed but has to hope to switch in safely on Venomoth, which can backfire if it lands a critical hit or Special drop with Psychic.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Charizard can mix and match moves between sets with ease; just about any set can utilize moves like Counter, Slash, and Hyper Beam to secure damage ranges or exploit specific matchups. Counter can, for example, heavily punish opposing Charizard for attacking at +2 or using Slash, and it can allow Charizard to switch into and return a +2 Hyper Beam from Charizard, Kabutops, or Kingler. It can even use Counter on Clefable's Hyper Beam to leave it in range of Fire Blast or Hyper Beam, or it can come in to revenge kill Raticate and use Counter to catch whatever it switches out to. This can be especially devious if Charizard takes paralysis, lulling the opponent into expecting it to switch out. Reflect can be run with Swords Dance to win an arms race with opposing Swords Dance Charizard, blocking even a +6 Hyper Beam. Toxic appears viable with Fire Spin at first, but this is an incredibly inconsistent strategy that leaves Charizard with poor coverage; a single miss usually results in Charizard getting KOed after blessing opposing Pokemon with an easy way to block sleep and paralysis.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Paralysis**: Once paralyzed, Charizard is limited to sleep blocking and revenge killing paralyzed foes. This is a major problem for Charizard due to its plethora of common weaknesses, mediocre bulk, and inability to KO anything at full HP even after using Swords Dance. If Charizard does take paralysis, its best move is to sleep block Venomoth a few times to delay the opponent from landing sleep, hopefully giving its own team a chance to put something to sleep first. Paralysis often comes at a cost as well, as Mr. Mime, Clefable, and Wigglytuff all take massive damage from Fire Blast.
**Water-types**: Charizard has a difficult time with Water-types. For starters, they all 2HKO Charizard with their choice of STAB move, but they each have other advantages as well. The ubiquitous Blastoise 2HKOes Charizard and usually survives even +2 Earthquake into Hyper Beam, and it threatens a brutal Counter against Hyper Beam or as Charizard switches out after using Slash or Body Slam. Kingler's impressive physical bulk nearly matches Blastoise's, and it's guaranteed to KO Charizard with Body Slam followed by Crabhammer, letting it fish for paralysis before dealing the coup de grace. Crabhammer also hits Charizard for at least 77%, letting Kingler secure a KO after minor chip from teammates. Both Blastoise and Kingler also survive a +4 Hyper Beam, so Charizard cannot try to reach +4 against them to sweep if they're at full health. Seadra is not quite as bulky, but it has Agility to set up a countersweep, and its Hydro Pump deals a minimum of 78%, allowing it to snipe Charizard similarly to Kingler. Kabutops is the odd one out, as its Earthquake weakness hampers its matchup and makes it a poor check; if Charizard uses Swords Dance or Earthquake as it switches in, it easily wins one-on-one, potentially even setting up a second Swords Dance in front of it before KOing it, but Kabutops can still check a weakened Charizard.
**Golem**: Golem is only rarely 3HKOed by Earthquake and OHKOes Charizard with Rock Slide, allowing it to switch into even a set-up Charizard and drive it out easily. Golem has a major issue, though; if it gets burned, it becomes setup bait for Charizard, which can use Swords Dance to reapply the burn Attack drop and cut Golem's damage to pathetic levels. After a single reapplication, Rock Slide deals a laughable maximum of 34%, letting Charizard easily continue boosting in front of its hapless foe.
**Electrode**: Electrode outspeeds and 2HKOes Charizard, and its 27.3% critical hit rate makes it especially terrifying. However, Charizard 2HKOes back with Earthquake, so if Electrode switches into an Earthquake or Swords Dance, it cannot win without a critical hit or luck with paralysis. Electrode can also use Thunder Wave to stop a Charizard sweep, usually suffering an OHKO immediately after
**Clefable**: Clefable is bulky enough to switch into Charizard and paralyze it in an emergency, even surviving a +2 Hyper Beam comfortably; a +4 Hyper Beam has a 33% chance to OHKO, and the potential for a critical hit lowers these odds further. After paralyzing it, Blizzard 2HKOes Charizard consistently, allowing Clefable to outright win the matchup rather than just weaken it.
**Charizard**: Charizard can be its own worst enemy. In a Charizard mirror match, either Charizard can potentially run away with the game by boosting to +4 or even +6, so luck can swing the game heavily—Body Slam paralysis, Hyper Beam misses, and Speed tie luck can allow one Charizard to KO the other while taking minimal damage, which can then allow it to take another KO or even end the game in a mid- to late-game scenario.
[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mrsoup.375193/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/juoean.486979/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/p-squared.168392/
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