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Charizard (QC 3/3) (GP2/2)
- Thread starter Safes
- Start date
Now that I'm finally caught up on my own threads, time to take a crack at this one:
[Overview]
[Swords Dance]
[Solar Power]
Make these changes and I'll look at it again to approve it.
[Overview]
- This feels... awkward. Charizard being the most beloved starter of all really has nothing to do with how good or bad it is. Remove that part.
- I would move the Swords Dance point to the top of its advantages since that is its primary set in RU.
- Its speed is actually pretty good. Base 100 is good for the fastest non-Scarf Fire-type in RU (ties with Typhlosion and any non-physical Entei)
- Remove the "blessed" part with the SR weakness. Just mention its 4x SR weakness makes Rapid Spin support a necessity and leave it at that.
[Swords Dance]
- Remove mentions of the EV spread. If there's no comments needed on it, don't use any comments on it.
- Um, the only Fire-types that can really stop this set cold are Moltres and Choice Scarf Emboar, neither of which are too scared of Kabutops considering its low Special Defense and weakness to Wild Charge, the move Emboar will use to revenge Charizard. I guess Entei can revenge with ESpeed too.
- Of the Water-types you list, the only two that stand a chance against Aerodactyl's LO Stone Edge are Slowking and Seismitoad. (Rott and Gatr need Aqua Jet to have any shot) Torterra resists this and can tank a Fire Blast too if need be.
[Solar Power]
- Kind of all over the place here. The tidbit about Leftovers and Flame Plate needs to be in AC.
- The Life Orb and Tailwind tidbits come before teammates.
Make these changes and I'll look at it again to approve it.
Thank you for the check, Eonx-! I've gone through the analysis and fixed all the things that had to be fixed (at least, of the ones that you addressed). Just a doubt on Water-types partners for the SD set...
I removed Rott and Gatr for the moment, but I feel like they could do something against Aerodactyl with their SD sets ( but if by "standing a chance", you mean "always avoiding the 2HKO" then Seismitoad is the only one that stands a chance); anyway, when writing this part, I was thinking of troublesome Rock-types in general (Aerodactyl, Regirock, even Archeops when SR is not up), rather than the sole Aerodactyl. Maybe the whole part is just not clear enough :/
Let me know what you think ^^
I removed Rott and Gatr for the moment, but I feel like they could do something against Aerodactyl with their SD sets ( but if by "standing a chance", you mean "always avoiding the 2HKO" then Seismitoad is the only one that stands a chance); anyway, when writing this part, I was thinking of troublesome Rock-types in general (Aerodactyl, Regirock, even Archeops when SR is not up), rather than the sole Aerodactyl. Maybe the whole part is just not clear enough :/
Let me know what you think ^^
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Well, avoiding the 2HKO is what I meant by "not standing a chance" since you need your Rock-type check / counter to directly switch in if you want to save Charizard. Aqua Jet is the only hope Rott and Gatr have of dealing with the offensive Rock-types you mentioned (Aero and Archeops) They obviously fare much better against Regirock (Mixed Samurott especially) but I was just going off of the way of dealing with Aerodactyl. If you want to keep Rott and Gatr in, that's fine, but be sure to stress they need Aqua Jet to effectively deal with Aero and Archeops and that they only have one switch in opportunity into the likely Stone Edge.
Ok, so I'm not allowed to stamp again, but I'll mention what I can to make the next guy's job a bit easier haha.
Overview:
Solar Power:
Overview:
- Very picky, but remove "apparently" from the first sentence in the overview, it makes it sound as though you were told to put that in, but don't really agree with it yourself lol
- I would have to disagree that its competitors would "kill for Swords Dance", unless I've somehow overlooked the potency of SD Moltres .-. I'd rephrase to reflect that this trait (alongside STAB Acrobatics, which should be noted here as well) separates itself from the other Fire-types of the tier, as none of them can really function as physically-based set-up sweeper
- Another first-sentence thing, but the wording is really confusing. I would possibly forgo the mentions of beating common Fire-type checks until the section where you mention Slowking and Drudd, for the sake of better flow.
- I'd really like to say that the partners section in Additional Comments can be trimmed down a lot, since a fair amount of it comes across as fluff. For instance, the entire bit about Rock-types and how they threaten it could be trimmed down as something to effect of "Rock-types, such as Aerodactyl and Rhydon, naturally impede Charizard, being able to comfortably switch in to most of its attacks and proceed to threaten it with their STAB moves. For this reason, Water-types, such as Slowking and Seismitoad, are excellent partners, being able to switch into and immediately pressure such Pokemon, while continuing to offer good offensive and defensive synergy alongside Charizard"
Solar Power:
- Remove the bit that references "the first set"; traditionally, these sort of comments are omitted, for the reason that at times the sets will be swapped around to reflect any possible shifts in effectiveness, and therefore will no longer be applicable. It's minor, but should it be decided at a later date that Solar Power is better than SD, it'd be better just to avoid that issue :P
- Give a brief explanation on the application of Roost (recouping itself somewhat on a predicted switch or 'mon with low offensive presence, mitigating Solar Power recoil somewhat), just so the reader knows when Roost comes into usefulness.
- I'd tone down the Air Slash bashing a bit haha. It's still useful, particularly under the circumstances that the user cannot get up Sun right away, and shouldn't be addressed solely as a toss-away (if it was, then it'd be better off in AC :P )
- Expand the first sentence of the partners section of the AC into two separate points; you don't have a character limit, no need to clutter things up like you do :>
Really wondering why and if Fire Blast should get a stronger mention on the SD set. I mean, all the targets of Charizard's Fire move are physical walls or physical tanks. The only two I can think of that would put you more at a disadvantage are Eelektross (not very common) and Rotom (may be Scarfed anyway) So wouldn't it be more effective to use Fire Blast as your Fire-type move to hit these physically defensive Steel- and Grass-types harder? Unless I'm missing something, it seems a lot like when it comes to Salamence using a DD set in OU. (a Pokemon that, to my knowledge, has always used Fire Blast despite the Attack boost since the targets of the Fire move are physically defensive) Some damage calcs on the primary targets of Charizard's Fire-type move on this set: (all assume a 252 Atk / 4 SAtk / 252 Spe EV spread with Naive as the nature and the EV spreads used on the defending Pokemon are the most optimal for them in the current meta imo)
So, in a nutshell, I guess I'm really just asking this: what does Flare Blitz / Fire Punch do that Fire Blast can't? Fire Blast takes care of basically every defensive threat Charizard needs its Fire STAB move to get rid of with much more consistency and without the need to boost or have its Flying Gem left. I'd like a bit more input on it, but unless I'm missing something, I feel as though Fire Blast is the better move to use despite the fact its an SD set.
4 SpA Charizard Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Tangrowth: 486-572 (120.29 - 141.58%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 Atk Charizard Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tangrowth: 360-426 (89.1 - 105.44%) -- 31.25% chance to OHKO
4 SpA Charizard Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 160 SpD Steelix: 320-378 (90.39 - 106.77%) -- 56.25% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 Atk Charizard Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 96+ Def Steelix: 272-324 (76.83 - 91.52%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
4 SpA Charizard Fire Blast vs. 132 HP / 0 SpD Occa Berry Escavalier: 270-318 (85.98 - 101.27%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 Atk Charizard Flare Blitz vs. 132 HP / 0 Def Occa Berry Escavalier: 560-660 (178.34 - 210.19%) -- guaranteed OHKO
I shouldn't have to do the calcs on Ferroseed, but do note that the use of Fire Blast will avoid Iron Barbs damage against it.
+2 252 Atk Charizard Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tangrowth: 360-426 (89.1 - 105.44%) -- 31.25% chance to OHKO
4 SpA Charizard Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 160 SpD Steelix: 320-378 (90.39 - 106.77%) -- 56.25% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 Atk Charizard Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 96+ Def Steelix: 272-324 (76.83 - 91.52%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
4 SpA Charizard Fire Blast vs. 132 HP / 0 SpD Occa Berry Escavalier: 270-318 (85.98 - 101.27%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252 Atk Charizard Flare Blitz vs. 132 HP / 0 Def Occa Berry Escavalier: 560-660 (178.34 - 210.19%) -- guaranteed OHKO
I shouldn't have to do the calcs on Ferroseed, but do note that the use of Fire Blast will avoid Iron Barbs damage against it.
So, in a nutshell, I guess I'm really just asking this: what does Flare Blitz / Fire Punch do that Fire Blast can't? Fire Blast takes care of basically every defensive threat Charizard needs its Fire STAB move to get rid of with much more consistency and without the need to boost or have its Flying Gem left. I'd like a bit more input on it, but unless I'm missing something, I feel as though Fire Blast is the better move to use despite the fact its an SD set.
It's a situation of accuracy and PP vs recoil. The recoil doesn't matter that much with the SD set since you'll be using Acrobatics/Earthquake the most anyway. Plus, with SR and maybe a layer of Spikes you're getting those KOs that you listed a majority of the time (minus Steelix but Steelix doesn't have anything to hit you with anyway except Roar).
IMO, Fire Punch/Flare Blitz should be kept as the main slashes.
IMO, Fire Punch/Flare Blitz should be kept as the main slashes.
No worries, I didn't have a tight schedule ^^
On a lesser note, I'll take the blame for noting something and not pointing it out (cos I'm lazy and partly cos I was waiting for you to come).
Going straight to the point, there is no Drudd mention in the C&C section, when it actually is one of the few mons that can take two hits from the Solar Power set; should I add that?
On a lesser note, I'll take the blame for noting something and not pointing it out (cos I'm lazy and partly cos I was waiting for you to come).
Going straight to the point, there is no Drudd mention in the C&C section, when it actually is one of the few mons that can take two hits from the Solar Power set; should I add that?
Yeah, go ahead and do that (specify the variant if its only the defensive one though)
"Life Orb is an option to secure the OHKOs Lanturn and Slowking (the latter just after Stealth Rock), but it severely limits Charizard's staying power."
id mention grass gem here instead: it doesnt compromise charizards survivability and guarantees the ohko on slowking without stealth rock
id mention grass gem here instead: it doesnt compromise charizards survivability and guarantees the ohko on slowking without stealth rock
I've already suggested Grass gem as a viable option, but a QC member didn't really like to have gems on analyses in general (I think it was Swamp-rocket but I don't want to check u.u). I would still use it over LO most of the time though ^^
I'll add the Drudd part later; on the topic, I think that all Drudd sets do a good job at countering Zard. The Support set is only 2HKOed 30% of the time by Sun-boosted Fire Blasts after SR, but can't really do much to Zard, apart from phazing. Offensive sets can tank a Fire Blast and easily OHKO in return with the residual damage from Solar Power.
I'll add the Drudd part later; on the topic, I think that all Drudd sets do a good job at countering Zard. The Support set is only 2HKOed 30% of the time by Sun-boosted Fire Blasts after SR, but can't really do much to Zard, apart from phazing. Offensive sets can tank a Fire Blast and easily OHKO in return with the residual damage from Solar Power.
well, SR said that if someone else can vouch for it its ok, and i certainly can; ive used the set extensively in the past
also i do sort of wish scarfzard was included, as spinning in this tier is easy, and scarfzard in the sun is a truly terrifying pokemon, especially when its paired with chlorophyll mons who can easily take out bulky water types. if qc is against it though, thats fine
also i do sort of wish scarfzard was included, as spinning in this tier is easy, and scarfzard in the sun is a truly terrifying pokemon, especially when its paired with chlorophyll mons who can easily take out bulky water types. if qc is against it though, thats fine
This is finally ready for GP checks!
After heavy consulting and surveying, I've seen that there is little support for a Scarf set; Oglemi told me that if anyone has experience with it, the set can be added later ^^
The Grass Gem bit has been added, making clear what you gain and what you lose by using that item (hopefully). Druddigon has been added to C&C.
I also hope that my prose isn't too terrible lol
After heavy consulting and surveying, I've seen that there is little support for a Scarf set; Oglemi told me that if anyone has experience with it, the set can be added later ^^
The Grass Gem bit has been added, making clear what you gain and what you lose by using that item (hopefully). Druddigon has been added to C&C.
I also hope that my prose isn't too terrible lol
Safes wow this has been sitting around for a while
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GP 1/2!
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[Overview]
<p>In the RU tier, Charizard is usually outclassed by a plethora of powerful Fire-types, with Moltres taking the lead by virtue of their shared secondary typing. However, Charizard has a few tricks up its sleeve that make it worth using over its Fire-type brethren. First of all, it has a rather varied expansive movepool by RU standard, with a wide selection of both physically and specially damaging moves and access to several boosting moves, the most notable being Swords Dance; this last move, combined with Acrobatics, allows it to function as a physical set(remove space)up sweeper, a role that none of its competitors can fill efficiently. Second, it has usable stats to take advantage of said movepool, with a fairly high Special Attack stat and a 100 Base base Speed stat, which allows it to speed- Speed tie with Timid Typhlosion and Entei, the fastest Fire-types in RU. Third, its DW Dream World ability, Solar Power, raises its Special Attack to unparalleled heights under the Sun sun, making special sets very difficult to wall. Said that That said, it's clear that Charizard in RU must necessarily capitalize on these peculiar traits if it doesn't want to be outclassed in RU, but even then, unfortunately, it requires a lot of team support to alleviate its shortcomings. In fact, its easily exploitable weaknesses and the prominence of faster threats make it prone to being revenge killed; moreover, Charizard has a terrible 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, that which makes Rapid Spin support absolutely required. necessary.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Acrobatics
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Punch / Flare Blitz / Roost
item: Flying Gem
ability: Blaze
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Despite its low Base base Attack stat, Charizard can pull off an effective Swords Dance set. Luckily, Charizard is threatening enough to force switches and this grants it plenty of opportunities to grab a boost; once it is at +2, the Pokemon that would wall special sets, the most significant of which are most significantly Slowking and Druddigon, are easily OHKOed by a Flying Gem-boosted Acrobatics. Earthquake is Charizard's best move alongside Acrobatics, as it hits most of the Pokemon that resist Flying-type resists for a hefty amount of damage, leaving just a few threats uncovered. A Fire-type STAB move in the fourth slot rounds out the coverage and hits Steelix, Ferroseed,(AC) and Rotom harder; Fire Punch is slashed before Flare Blitz due to the absence of recoil. Roost is still a viable option if you don't feel the need for the added coverage; in this case, though, its ability, Blaze, goes from being situational to being completely useless.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The nature could can be changed from Jolly to Naive if you opt for Fire Blast in the fourth slot. Despite this being a physical set, this move is still its safest option to take out Steelix, Ferroseed and Tangrowth, even without boosts and without consuming its vital Flying Gem.</p>
<p>Rapid Spin users, the best being Kabutops and Cryogonal, are obvious choices as teammates. Charizard also has decent sinergy synergy with them, seeing that it can take on Grass-types for Kabutops and Fighting-types for Cryogonal. Choice Scarf users and priority users must be eliminated beforehand to have a chance to actually sweep. On more defensive teams, you may need a partner to deal with Charizard's weaknesses; Ground-types, especially Torterra and Seismitoad, being neutral and immune to Water-type attacks,(AC) respectively, can cover Rock- and Electric-type attacks, and in particular deter the opponent from spamming fast Volt Switches against Charizard. Defensive versions variants of Torterra and Cryogonal, when paired together, can counter most of the revenge killers that threaten Charizard, offering at the same time the invaluable Rapid Spin support.</p>
<p>Rock-types are natural counters to this set, as they can switch in to most of its attacks and proceed to threaten it with their STAB moves. As a result, Water-types are excellent partners; Slowking and Seismitoad are the only two capable of switching into their attacks, pressuring them while continuing to offer good offensive and defensive synergy alongside with Charizard. More specifically, Aqua Jet users, such as Feraligatr, Kabutops and Samurott, are immediately threatening to Rhydon and Regirock (especially Samurott with its mixed set), but they can't switch more than once into powerful Rock-type attacks, making them shakier checks to Aerodactyl and Archeops. In addition, these Pokemon greatly appreciate Charizard's ability to wear down certain physical walls, such as Alomomola and Tangrowth. Lastly, Pokemon that benefit from the elimination of Fire-type resists, such as Entei, are good partners.</p>
[SET]
name: Solar Power
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: SolarBeam
move 4: Roost / Air Slash
item: Flame Plate / Leftovers
ability: Solar Power
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> This set revolves around setting up Sun sun and capitalizing on the subsequent Special Attack boost, granted by Solar Power, to turn Charizard into a fearsome wallbreaker. When Sun sun is up, in fact, its Fire Blast OHKOes literally everything but the bulkiest resists Pokemon that resist it, with just a bit of entry hazards hazard support. SolarBeam is its best choice for the third slot in order to beat Water-types, easily 2HKOing defensive variants of Slowking and Lanturn. Actually, given the insane damage output of a Sun sun-boosted Fire Blast, SolarBeam is the only coverage move you will need in most situations. This is also the reason why Charizard can forgo a damaging move in the fourth slot, favoring Roost over Air Slash. Roost gives it the possibility to heal off Solar Power damage, especially against Pokemon with a below-average offensive presence, possibly allowing Charizard to set up Sun sun more than once during the match. On the other hand, Air Slash certainly is a good coverage option for those situations in which you Charizard can't set up Sun sun (without this move, in neutral weather this basically is a mono-attacking set); however, when Sun sun is up, Fire Blast is almost always the best choice, as there's nothing significant that Air Slash accomplishes and Fire Blast doesn't.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is the classic for special sweepers, and dropping Speed EVs for bulk doesn't accomplish anything worth of note. A Timid nature is the only one you should choose, in order to make the best use of its Charizard's solid Speed. As far as items go, Leftovers enhances Charizard's durability, but Flame Plate gives a little boost to its most important move, which is greatly needed the achieve some crucial OHKOs, especially on Fire-types, such as Entei and Emboar, and on against bulky Pokemon like Clefable and Uxie. Life Orb is an option to secure the OHKOs on Lanturn and Slowking (the latter just after Stealth Rock), while generally increasing the damage output of its other moves, but it severely limits Charizard's staying power; equipping Charizard with a Grass Gem, on the other hand, makes it even more efficient in eliminating bulky Water-types, but with the obvious downside of having a one-use item which doesn't boost your its most powerful move. An interesting support move for the fourth slot is Tailwind, which can be useful when you Charizard just needs a speed Speed boost to clean a weakened team, and gives Charizard another decent way to support its teammates.</p>
<p>This Charizard set obviously needs Rapid Spin support, which can be provided by Kabutops or Cryogonal, and benefits from having teammates that deal with its weaknesses; Ground-types are a good fit for this role. In addition, Chlorophyll users are valuable partners on more offensively-(RH)oriented teams, since as they resist Water- and Electric-type moves that trouble Charizard and become fast revenge killers in the Sun sun, using the remaining turns for a late-game sweep; Heat Rock can be the item of choice in this case. Lilligant and Sawsbuck are ideal because of their ability to function even outside of Sun sun, unlike other Sun sun sweepers,(RC) such as Shiftry and Victreebell.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Every Special specially attacking set non not employing Solar Power would be completely outclassed by Moltres, which has better bulk and higher Special Attack. The sheer wallbreaking power of a Choice Specs set in the Sun sun may look appealing, but generally Moltres outclasses Charizard in choiced when it comes to Choiced sets, as the former is less reliant on team support to function and has access to Hurricane and U-Turn turn. It must be noted,(AC) though,(AC) that Choice Specs Charizard has an insane amount of power, and can actually 2HKO a fully invested Slowking with Sun a sun- and Solar Power-boosted Fire Blasts Blast. Physical boosting sets with Belly Drum or Dragon Dance are either too frail or too weak to perform adequately, and these boosting moves are illegal with Acrobatics, arguably its best physical move.</p>
<p>Notable moves in Charizard's arsenal are Dragon Pulse and Will-oO-Wisp. The former has perfect neutral coverage in RU alongside Fire Blast, but the threats that you need to cover are hit harder by SolarBeam, while the latter sees better use on a Pokemon that actually has the bulk to play a supporting role.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to check all Charizard's sets is to keep Stealth Rock on the field, as it saps half of its health every time it switches in. Also, scarfers Choice Scarf users and priority users (if the priority is different from Mach Punch), will,(AC) in most cases,(AC) put an end to its sweep. Given that Charizard lacks a reliable way to boost its speed Speed, basically every Pokemon in RU with more than 100 Base base Speed, barring Scyther and Cryogonal, can outspeed and OHKO it. Aerodactyl needs special attention, because it can also switch into Charizard in neutral weather.</p>
<p>Druddigon stands out from the crowd as one of the best and most viable answers to the Solar Power set; it can easily come in while it sets up Sun sun, not fearing its unboosted attacks, and force it to switch out with the threat of a powerful Dragon-type STAB move. It must be noted, though, that Druddigon can be easily worn down during the match and that it must be at almost full health to successfully counter Charizard, seeing that a Sun sun-boosted Fire Blast will put a huge dent in it. The Specially Defensive specially defensive variant takes hits a little better and can employ a RestTalk strategy to remain sufficiently healthy to stop it, threatening to cripple Charizard with Glare or to phaze it away with Dragon Tail. Flareon and Altaria, even though they are NU, can wall this set, especially if it lacks Air Slash. More defensive teams can deal with this Charizard's set the Solar Power set by stalling out Sun sun turns, using either smart switching or Protect. Even after a boost, the Swords Dance set is walled by Quagsire, thanks to Unaware, and by Regirock, thanks to its massive physical bulk. The latter doesn't have reliable recovery, but can easily tank a hit and retaliate with a super-(RH)effective Rock-type STAB move. Furthermore, if Charizard is not running Flare Blitz, Steelix cannot be 2HKOed, and Eelektross and defensive versions of Rotom can take a hit and OHKO back. </p>
<p>In the RU tier, Charizard is usually outclassed by a plethora of powerful Fire-types, with Moltres taking the lead by virtue of their shared secondary typing. However, Charizard has a few tricks up its sleeve that make it worth using over its Fire-type brethren. First of all, it has a rather varied expansive movepool by RU standard, with a wide selection of both physically and specially damaging moves and access to several boosting moves, the most notable being Swords Dance; this last move, combined with Acrobatics, allows it to function as a physical set(remove space)up sweeper, a role that none of its competitors can fill efficiently. Second, it has usable stats to take advantage of said movepool, with a fairly high Special Attack stat and a 100 Base base Speed stat, which allows it to speed- Speed tie with Timid Typhlosion and Entei, the fastest Fire-types in RU. Third, its DW Dream World ability, Solar Power, raises its Special Attack to unparalleled heights under the Sun sun, making special sets very difficult to wall. Said that That said, it's clear that Charizard in RU must necessarily capitalize on these peculiar traits if it doesn't want to be outclassed in RU, but even then, unfortunately, it requires a lot of team support to alleviate its shortcomings. In fact, its easily exploitable weaknesses and the prominence of faster threats make it prone to being revenge killed; moreover, Charizard has a terrible 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, that which makes Rapid Spin support absolutely required. necessary.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Acrobatics
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Punch / Flare Blitz / Roost
item: Flying Gem
ability: Blaze
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Despite its low Base base Attack stat, Charizard can pull off an effective Swords Dance set. Luckily, Charizard is threatening enough to force switches and this grants it plenty of opportunities to grab a boost; once it is at +2, the Pokemon that would wall special sets, the most significant of which are most significantly Slowking and Druddigon, are easily OHKOed by a Flying Gem-boosted Acrobatics. Earthquake is Charizard's best move alongside Acrobatics, as it hits most of the Pokemon that resist Flying-type resists for a hefty amount of damage, leaving just a few threats uncovered. A Fire-type STAB move in the fourth slot rounds out the coverage and hits Steelix, Ferroseed,(AC) and Rotom harder; Fire Punch is slashed before Flare Blitz due to the absence of recoil. Roost is still a viable option if you don't feel the need for the added coverage; in this case, though, its ability, Blaze, goes from being situational to being completely useless.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The nature could can be changed from Jolly to Naive if you opt for Fire Blast in the fourth slot. Despite this being a physical set, this move is still its safest option to take out Steelix, Ferroseed and Tangrowth, even without boosts and without consuming its vital Flying Gem.</p>
<p>Rapid Spin users, the best being Kabutops and Cryogonal, are obvious choices as teammates. Charizard also has decent sinergy synergy with them, seeing that it can take on Grass-types for Kabutops and Fighting-types for Cryogonal. Choice Scarf users and priority users must be eliminated beforehand to have a chance to actually sweep. On more defensive teams, you may need a partner to deal with Charizard's weaknesses; Ground-types, especially Torterra and Seismitoad, being neutral and immune to Water-type attacks,(AC) respectively, can cover Rock- and Electric-type attacks, and in particular deter the opponent from spamming fast Volt Switches against Charizard. Defensive versions variants of Torterra and Cryogonal, when paired together, can counter most of the revenge killers that threaten Charizard, offering at the same time the invaluable Rapid Spin support.</p>
<p>Rock-types are natural counters to this set, as they can switch in to most of its attacks and proceed to threaten it with their STAB moves. As a result, Water-types are excellent partners; Slowking and Seismitoad are the only two capable of switching into their attacks, pressuring them while continuing to offer good offensive and defensive synergy alongside with Charizard. More specifically, Aqua Jet users, such as Feraligatr, Kabutops and Samurott, are immediately threatening to Rhydon and Regirock (especially Samurott with its mixed set), but they can't switch more than once into powerful Rock-type attacks, making them shakier checks to Aerodactyl and Archeops. In addition, these Pokemon greatly appreciate Charizard's ability to wear down certain physical walls, such as Alomomola and Tangrowth. Lastly, Pokemon that benefit from the elimination of Fire-type resists, such as Entei, are good partners.</p>
[SET]
name: Solar Power
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: SolarBeam
move 4: Roost / Air Slash
item: Flame Plate / Leftovers
ability: Solar Power
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p> This set revolves around setting up Sun sun and capitalizing on the subsequent Special Attack boost, granted by Solar Power, to turn Charizard into a fearsome wallbreaker. When Sun sun is up, in fact, its Fire Blast OHKOes literally everything but the bulkiest resists Pokemon that resist it, with just a bit of entry hazards hazard support. SolarBeam is its best choice for the third slot in order to beat Water-types, easily 2HKOing defensive variants of Slowking and Lanturn. Actually, given the insane damage output of a Sun sun-boosted Fire Blast, SolarBeam is the only coverage move you will need in most situations. This is also the reason why Charizard can forgo a damaging move in the fourth slot, favoring Roost over Air Slash. Roost gives it the possibility to heal off Solar Power damage, especially against Pokemon with a below-average offensive presence, possibly allowing Charizard to set up Sun sun more than once during the match. On the other hand, Air Slash certainly is a good coverage option for those situations in which you Charizard can't set up Sun sun (without this move, in neutral weather this basically is a mono-attacking set); however, when Sun sun is up, Fire Blast is almost always the best choice, as there's nothing significant that Air Slash accomplishes and Fire Blast doesn't.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is the classic for special sweepers, and dropping Speed EVs for bulk doesn't accomplish anything worth of note. A Timid nature is the only one you should choose, in order to make the best use of its Charizard's solid Speed. As far as items go, Leftovers enhances Charizard's durability, but Flame Plate gives a little boost to its most important move, which is greatly needed the achieve some crucial OHKOs, especially on Fire-types, such as Entei and Emboar, and on against bulky Pokemon like Clefable and Uxie. Life Orb is an option to secure the OHKOs on Lanturn and Slowking (the latter just after Stealth Rock), while generally increasing the damage output of its other moves, but it severely limits Charizard's staying power; equipping Charizard with a Grass Gem, on the other hand, makes it even more efficient in eliminating bulky Water-types, but with the obvious downside of having a one-use item which doesn't boost your its most powerful move. An interesting support move for the fourth slot is Tailwind, which can be useful when you Charizard just needs a speed Speed boost to clean a weakened team, and gives Charizard another decent way to support its teammates.</p>
<p>This Charizard set obviously needs Rapid Spin support, which can be provided by Kabutops or Cryogonal, and benefits from having teammates that deal with its weaknesses; Ground-types are a good fit for this role. In addition, Chlorophyll users are valuable partners on more offensively-(RH)oriented teams, since as they resist Water- and Electric-type moves that trouble Charizard and become fast revenge killers in the Sun sun, using the remaining turns for a late-game sweep; Heat Rock can be the item of choice in this case. Lilligant and Sawsbuck are ideal because of their ability to function even outside of Sun sun, unlike other Sun sun sweepers,(RC) such as Shiftry and Victreebell.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Every Special specially attacking set non not employing Solar Power would be completely outclassed by Moltres, which has better bulk and higher Special Attack. The sheer wallbreaking power of a Choice Specs set in the Sun sun may look appealing, but generally Moltres outclasses Charizard in choiced when it comes to Choiced sets, as the former is less reliant on team support to function and has access to Hurricane and U-Turn turn. It must be noted,(AC) though,(AC) that Choice Specs Charizard has an insane amount of power, and can actually 2HKO a fully invested Slowking with Sun a sun- and Solar Power-boosted Fire Blasts Blast. Physical boosting sets with Belly Drum or Dragon Dance are either too frail or too weak to perform adequately, and these boosting moves are illegal with Acrobatics, arguably its best physical move.</p>
<p>Notable moves in Charizard's arsenal are Dragon Pulse and Will-oO-Wisp. The former has perfect neutral coverage in RU alongside Fire Blast, but the threats that you need to cover are hit harder by SolarBeam, while the latter sees better use on a Pokemon that actually has the bulk to play a supporting role.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to check all Charizard's sets is to keep Stealth Rock on the field, as it saps half of its health every time it switches in. Also, scarfers Choice Scarf users and priority users (if the priority is different from Mach Punch), will,(AC) in most cases,(AC) put an end to its sweep. Given that Charizard lacks a reliable way to boost its speed Speed, basically every Pokemon in RU with more than 100 Base base Speed, barring Scyther and Cryogonal, can outspeed and OHKO it. Aerodactyl needs special attention, because it can also switch into Charizard in neutral weather.</p>
<p>Druddigon stands out from the crowd as one of the best and most viable answers to the Solar Power set; it can easily come in while it sets up Sun sun, not fearing its unboosted attacks, and force it to switch out with the threat of a powerful Dragon-type STAB move. It must be noted, though, that Druddigon can be easily worn down during the match and that it must be at almost full health to successfully counter Charizard, seeing that a Sun sun-boosted Fire Blast will put a huge dent in it. The Specially Defensive specially defensive variant takes hits a little better and can employ a RestTalk strategy to remain sufficiently healthy to stop it, threatening to cripple Charizard with Glare or to phaze it away with Dragon Tail. Flareon and Altaria, even though they are NU, can wall this set, especially if it lacks Air Slash. More defensive teams can deal with this Charizard's set the Solar Power set by stalling out Sun sun turns, using either smart switching or Protect. Even after a boost, the Swords Dance set is walled by Quagsire, thanks to Unaware, and by Regirock, thanks to its massive physical bulk. The latter doesn't have reliable recovery, but can easily tank a hit and retaliate with a super-(RH)effective Rock-type STAB move. Furthermore, if Charizard is not running Flare Blitz, Steelix cannot be 2HKOed, and Eelektross and defensive versions of Rotom can take a hit and OHKO back. </p>
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GP 2/2
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[Overview]
<p>In the RU tier, Charizard is usually considered to be outclassed by a plethora of other powerful Fire-types, with Moltres taking the lead most notably Moltres by virtue of their shared secondary typing. However, Charizard has a few tricks up its sleeve that can make it worth using over its Fire-type brethren. First of all, it has a rather expansive movepool by RU standard standards, with a wide selection of both physically and specially damaging moves physical and special attacks as well as and access to several boosting moves, the most notable being of which is Swords Dance.(full stop) ;(remove) this This last move, when combined with Acrobatics, allows it to function as a physical setup sweeper, which is a role that none of its competitors can fill efficiently. Second, it has usable stats with which to take advantage of said movepool, with including a fairly high Special Attack stat and a 100 base Speed stat, which allows it to Speed tie with Timid Typhlosion and Entei, the fastest Fire-types in RU. Third, its Dream World hidden ability, Solar Power, raises its Special Attack to unparalleled heights under the sun, making special sets very difficult to wall. That said, it's clear that Charizard must necessarily has to capitalize on these peculiar singular traits if it doesn't want to be outclassed in RU, but even then, unfortunately, it requires a lot of team support to alleviate its shortcomings. In fact, its easily exploitable weaknesses and the prominence of faster threats make it prone to being revenge killed; moreover, Charizard has a terrible 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, which makes Rapid Spin support absolutely necessary.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Acrobatics
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Punch / Flare Blitz / Roost
item: Flying Gem
ability: Blaze
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Despite its low base Attack stat, Charizard can pull off an effective Swords Dance set. Luckily, Charizard is threatening enough to force switches and this grants it plenty of opportunities to grab a boost; once it is at +2, the Pokemon that would wall special sets, most significantly such as Slowking and Druddigon, are easily OHKOed by a Flying Gem-boosted Acrobatics. Earthquake is Charizard's best move alongside Acrobatics, as it hits most of the Pokemon that resist Flying for a hefty amount of damage, leaving just a few threats uncovered. A Fire-type STAB move in the fourth slot rounds out the coverage and hits Steelix, Ferroseed, and Rotom harder; Fire Punch is slashed before Flare Blitz due to the absence of recoil. Roost is still a viable option alternative if you don't feel the need for the added coverage; in this case, though, its ability, Blaze, goes from being situational to being almost completely useless.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The nature can be changed from Jolly to Naive if you opt for Fire Blast in the fourth slot. Despite this being a physical set, this move is still its safest option to take out Steelix, Ferroseed,(comma) and Tangrowth, as it can be done even without boosts and without consuming its vital Flying Gem.</p>
<p>Rapid Spin users, the best being Kabutops and Cryogonal, are obvious choices as teammates. Charizard also has decent synergy with them, seeing that it can take on Grass-types for Kabutops and Fighting-types for Cryogonal. Choice Scarf users and priority users must be eliminated beforehand for Charizard to have a chance to actually sweep. On more defensive teams, you may need a partner to deal with Charizard's weaknesses; Ground-types, especially Torterra and Seismitoad, being who are also neutral and immune to Water-type attacks, respectively, can cover Rock- and Electric-type attacks, and in particular deter the opponent from spamming fast Volt Switches against Charizard. Defensive variants of Torterra and Cryogonal, when paired together, can counter most of the revenge killers that threaten Charizard, while at the same time offering at the same time the invaluable Rapid Spin support.</p>
<p>Rock-types are natural counters to this set, as they can switch into most of its attacks and proceed to threaten it with their STAB moves. As a result, Water-types are also excellent partners; Slowking and Seismitoad are the only two that are not only capable of switching into their attacks,(remove) and pressuring them,(comma) but also continue while continuing to offer good offensive and defensive synergy with Charizard. More specifically, Aqua Jet users, such as Feraligatr, Kabutops,(comma) and Samurott, are immediately threatening to Rhydon and Regirock (especially Samurott with its mixed set), but they can't switch more than once into powerful Rock-type attacks, making them shakier checks to Aerodactyl and Archeops. In addition, these Pokemon greatly appreciate Charizard's ability to wear down certain physical walls, such as Alomomola and Tangrowth. Lastly, Pokemon that benefit from the elimination of Pokemon that resist Fire-type resists attacks, such as Entei, are also good partners.</p>
[SET]
name: Solar Power
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: SolarBeam
move 4: Roost / Air Slash
item: Flame Plate / Leftovers
ability: Solar Power
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set revolves around setting up sun and capitalizing on the subsequent Special Attack boost, granted by Solar Power, to turn Charizard into a fearsome wallbreaker. When sun is up, in fact, its Fire Blast OHKOes literally everything,(comma) bar but the bulkiest Pokemon that resist it, with just a bit of entry hazard support. SolarBeam is its best choice for the third slot in order to beat Water-types, as it easily 2HKOing 2HKOes defensive variants of Slowking and Lanturn. Actually, given the insane damage output of a sun-boosted Fire Blast, SolarBeam is the only coverage move you will need in most situations. This is also the reason why Charizard can forgo a damaging move in the fourth slot, thus favoring Roost over Air Slash. Roost gives it the possibility ability to heal off Solar Power damage, especially against Pokemon with a below-average offensive presence, possibly allowing Charizard to set up Sun sun more than once during the match. On the other hand, Air Slash certainly is a good coverage option for those situations in which Charizard can't set up sun (without this move, in neutral weather this basically is a mono-attacking set); however, when the sun is up, Fire Blast is almost always the best choice, as there's nothing significant that Air Slash accomplishes and Fire Blast doesn't.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is the classic for special sweepers, and dropping Speed EVs for bulk doesn't accomplish anything worth worthy of note. A Timid nature is the only one you should choose, in order to make the best use of Charizard's solid Speed. As far as items go, Leftovers enhances Charizard's durability, but Flame Plate gives a little boost to its most important move, which is greatly needed the achieve some crucial OHKOs, especially on Fire-types, such as Entei and Emboar, and against bulky Pokemon like Clefable and Uxie. Life Orb is an option to secure the OHKOs on Lanturn and Slowking (the latter just only after Stealth Rock), while generally increasing the damage output of its other moves, but it severely limits Charizard's staying power; equipping Charizard with a Grass Gem, on the other hand, makes it even more efficient in eliminating bulky Water-types, but with the obvious downside of having a one-use item which doesn't boost its most powerful move. An interesting support move for the fourth slot is Tailwind, which can be useful when Charizard just needs a Speed boost to clean a weakened team, and gives Charizard another decent way to support its teammates.</p>
<p>This Charizard set obviously needs Rapid Spin support, which can be provided by Kabutops or Cryogonal, and benefits from having teammates that deal with its weaknesses; Ground-types are a good fit for this role. In addition, Chlorophyll users are valuable partners on more offensively oriented teams, as they resist the Water- and Electric-type moves that trouble Charizard and become fast revenge killers in the sun, using the remaining turns for a late-game sweep; Heat Rock can be the item of choice in this case. Lilligant and Sawsbuck are ideal because of their ability to function even outside of sun, unlike other sun sweepers such as Shiftry and Victreebell Victreebel.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Every specially attacking set not employing Solar Power would be completely outclassed by Moltres, which has better bulk and higher Special Attack. The sheer wallbreaking power of a Choice Specs set in the sun may look appealing, but generally Moltres outclasses Charizard when it comes to Choiced sets, as the former is less reliant on team support to function and has access to Hurricane and U-turn. It must be noted, though, that Choice Specs Charizard has an insane amount of power, and can actually 2HKO a fully invested Slowking with a sun- and Solar Power-boosted Fire Blast. Physical boosting sets with Belly Drum or Dragon Dance are either too frail or too weak to perform adequately, and these boosting moves are illegal with Acrobatics, arguably its best physical move.</p>
<p>Notable other moves in Charizard's arsenal are Dragon Pulse and Will-O-Wisp. The former has perfect neutral coverage in RU alongside Fire Blast, but the threats that you need to cover are hit harder by SolarBeam, while the latter sees better use on a Pokemon that actually has the bulk to play a supporting role.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to check all of Charizard's sets is to keep Stealth Rock on the field, as it saps half of its health every time it switches in. Also, Choice Scarf users and priority users (if the priority is different from barring Mach Punch users), will, in most cases, put an end to its sweep. Given that Charizard lacks a reliable way to boost its Speed, basically every Pokemon in RU with more than 100 base Speed, barring Scyther and Cryogonal, can outspeed and OHKO it. Aerodactyl needs special attention, because it can also switch into Charizard in neutral weather.</p>
<p>Druddigon stands out from the crowd as one of the best and most viable answers to the Solar Power set; it can easily come in while it Charizard sets up sun, not fearing without fear of its unboosted attacks, and force it to switch out with the threat of a powerful Dragon-type STAB move. It must be noted, though, that Druddigon can be easily worn down during the match and that it must be at almost full health to successfully counter Charizard, seeing that a sun-boosted Fire Blast will put a huge dent in it. The specially defensive variant takes hits a little better and can employ a RestTalk strategy to remain sufficiently healthy to stop it, all while threatening to cripple Charizard with Glare or to phaze it away with Dragon Tail. Flareon and Altaria, even though they are NU, can wall this set, especially if it lacks Air Slash. More defensive teams can deal with the Solar Power set by stalling out sun turns, using either smart switching or Protect. Even after a boost, the Swords Dance set is walled by Quagsire, thanks to Unaware, and Regirock, thanks to its massive physical bulk. The latter doesn't have reliable recovery, but can easily tank a hit and retaliate with a super effective Rock-type STAB move. Furthermore, if Charizard is not running Flare Blitz, Steelix cannot be 2HKOed, and Eelektross and defensive versions of Rotom can take a hit and OHKO back.</p>
<p>In the RU tier, Charizard is usually considered to be outclassed by a plethora of other powerful Fire-types, with Moltres taking the lead most notably Moltres by virtue of their shared secondary typing. However, Charizard has a few tricks up its sleeve that can make it worth using over its Fire-type brethren. First of all, it has a rather expansive movepool by RU standard standards, with a wide selection of both physically and specially damaging moves physical and special attacks as well as and access to several boosting moves, the most notable being of which is Swords Dance.(full stop) ;(remove) this This last move, when combined with Acrobatics, allows it to function as a physical setup sweeper, which is a role that none of its competitors can fill efficiently. Second, it has usable stats with which to take advantage of said movepool, with including a fairly high Special Attack stat and a 100 base Speed stat, which allows it to Speed tie with Timid Typhlosion and Entei, the fastest Fire-types in RU. Third, its Dream World hidden ability, Solar Power, raises its Special Attack to unparalleled heights under the sun, making special sets very difficult to wall. That said, it's clear that Charizard must necessarily has to capitalize on these peculiar singular traits if it doesn't want to be outclassed in RU, but even then, unfortunately, it requires a lot of team support to alleviate its shortcomings. In fact, its easily exploitable weaknesses and the prominence of faster threats make it prone to being revenge killed; moreover, Charizard has a terrible 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, which makes Rapid Spin support absolutely necessary.</p>
[SET]
name: Swords Dance
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Acrobatics
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Fire Punch / Flare Blitz / Roost
item: Flying Gem
ability: Blaze
nature: Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Despite its low base Attack stat, Charizard can pull off an effective Swords Dance set. Luckily, Charizard is threatening enough to force switches and this grants it plenty of opportunities to grab a boost; once it is at +2, the Pokemon that would wall special sets, most significantly such as Slowking and Druddigon, are easily OHKOed by a Flying Gem-boosted Acrobatics. Earthquake is Charizard's best move alongside Acrobatics, as it hits most of the Pokemon that resist Flying for a hefty amount of damage, leaving just a few threats uncovered. A Fire-type STAB move in the fourth slot rounds out the coverage and hits Steelix, Ferroseed, and Rotom harder; Fire Punch is slashed before Flare Blitz due to the absence of recoil. Roost is still a viable option alternative if you don't feel the need for the added coverage; in this case, though, its ability, Blaze, goes from being situational to being almost completely useless.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The nature can be changed from Jolly to Naive if you opt for Fire Blast in the fourth slot. Despite this being a physical set, this move is still its safest option to take out Steelix, Ferroseed,(comma) and Tangrowth, as it can be done even without boosts and without consuming its vital Flying Gem.</p>
<p>Rapid Spin users, the best being Kabutops and Cryogonal, are obvious choices as teammates. Charizard also has decent synergy with them, seeing that it can take on Grass-types for Kabutops and Fighting-types for Cryogonal. Choice Scarf users and priority users must be eliminated beforehand for Charizard to have a chance to actually sweep. On more defensive teams, you may need a partner to deal with Charizard's weaknesses; Ground-types, especially Torterra and Seismitoad, being who are also neutral and immune to Water-type attacks, respectively, can cover Rock- and Electric-type attacks, and in particular deter the opponent from spamming fast Volt Switches against Charizard. Defensive variants of Torterra and Cryogonal, when paired together, can counter most of the revenge killers that threaten Charizard, while at the same time offering at the same time the invaluable Rapid Spin support.</p>
<p>Rock-types are natural counters to this set, as they can switch into most of its attacks and proceed to threaten it with their STAB moves. As a result, Water-types are also excellent partners; Slowking and Seismitoad are the only two that are not only capable of switching into their attacks,(remove) and pressuring them,(comma) but also continue while continuing to offer good offensive and defensive synergy with Charizard. More specifically, Aqua Jet users, such as Feraligatr, Kabutops,(comma) and Samurott, are immediately threatening to Rhydon and Regirock (especially Samurott with its mixed set), but they can't switch more than once into powerful Rock-type attacks, making them shakier checks to Aerodactyl and Archeops. In addition, these Pokemon greatly appreciate Charizard's ability to wear down certain physical walls, such as Alomomola and Tangrowth. Lastly, Pokemon that benefit from the elimination of Pokemon that resist Fire-type resists attacks, such as Entei, are also good partners.</p>
[SET]
name: Solar Power
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: SolarBeam
move 4: Roost / Air Slash
item: Flame Plate / Leftovers
ability: Solar Power
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set revolves around setting up sun and capitalizing on the subsequent Special Attack boost, granted by Solar Power, to turn Charizard into a fearsome wallbreaker. When sun is up, in fact, its Fire Blast OHKOes literally everything,(comma) bar but the bulkiest Pokemon that resist it, with just a bit of entry hazard support. SolarBeam is its best choice for the third slot in order to beat Water-types, as it easily 2HKOing 2HKOes defensive variants of Slowking and Lanturn. Actually, given the insane damage output of a sun-boosted Fire Blast, SolarBeam is the only coverage move you will need in most situations. This is also the reason why Charizard can forgo a damaging move in the fourth slot, thus favoring Roost over Air Slash. Roost gives it the possibility ability to heal off Solar Power damage, especially against Pokemon with a below-average offensive presence, possibly allowing Charizard to set up Sun sun more than once during the match. On the other hand, Air Slash certainly is a good coverage option for those situations in which Charizard can't set up sun (without this move, in neutral weather this basically is a mono-attacking set); however, when the sun is up, Fire Blast is almost always the best choice, as there's nothing significant that Air Slash accomplishes and Fire Blast doesn't.
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>The EV spread is the classic for special sweepers, and dropping Speed EVs for bulk doesn't accomplish anything worth worthy of note. A Timid nature is the only one you should choose, in order to make the best use of Charizard's solid Speed. As far as items go, Leftovers enhances Charizard's durability, but Flame Plate gives a little boost to its most important move, which is greatly needed the achieve some crucial OHKOs, especially on Fire-types, such as Entei and Emboar, and against bulky Pokemon like Clefable and Uxie. Life Orb is an option to secure the OHKOs on Lanturn and Slowking (the latter just only after Stealth Rock), while generally increasing the damage output of its other moves, but it severely limits Charizard's staying power; equipping Charizard with a Grass Gem, on the other hand, makes it even more efficient in eliminating bulky Water-types, but with the obvious downside of having a one-use item which doesn't boost its most powerful move. An interesting support move for the fourth slot is Tailwind, which can be useful when Charizard just needs a Speed boost to clean a weakened team, and gives Charizard another decent way to support its teammates.</p>
<p>This Charizard set obviously needs Rapid Spin support, which can be provided by Kabutops or Cryogonal, and benefits from having teammates that deal with its weaknesses; Ground-types are a good fit for this role. In addition, Chlorophyll users are valuable partners on more offensively oriented teams, as they resist the Water- and Electric-type moves that trouble Charizard and become fast revenge killers in the sun, using the remaining turns for a late-game sweep; Heat Rock can be the item of choice in this case. Lilligant and Sawsbuck are ideal because of their ability to function even outside of sun, unlike other sun sweepers such as Shiftry and Victreebell Victreebel.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Every specially attacking set not employing Solar Power would be completely outclassed by Moltres, which has better bulk and higher Special Attack. The sheer wallbreaking power of a Choice Specs set in the sun may look appealing, but generally Moltres outclasses Charizard when it comes to Choiced sets, as the former is less reliant on team support to function and has access to Hurricane and U-turn. It must be noted, though, that Choice Specs Charizard has an insane amount of power, and can actually 2HKO a fully invested Slowking with a sun- and Solar Power-boosted Fire Blast. Physical boosting sets with Belly Drum or Dragon Dance are either too frail or too weak to perform adequately, and these boosting moves are illegal with Acrobatics, arguably its best physical move.</p>
<p>Notable other moves in Charizard's arsenal are Dragon Pulse and Will-O-Wisp. The former has perfect neutral coverage in RU alongside Fire Blast, but the threats that you need to cover are hit harder by SolarBeam, while the latter sees better use on a Pokemon that actually has the bulk to play a supporting role.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>The best way to check all of Charizard's sets is to keep Stealth Rock on the field, as it saps half of its health every time it switches in. Also, Choice Scarf users and priority users (if the priority is different from barring Mach Punch users), will, in most cases, put an end to its sweep. Given that Charizard lacks a reliable way to boost its Speed, basically every Pokemon in RU with more than 100 base Speed, barring Scyther and Cryogonal, can outspeed and OHKO it. Aerodactyl needs special attention, because it can also switch into Charizard in neutral weather.</p>
<p>Druddigon stands out from the crowd as one of the best and most viable answers to the Solar Power set; it can easily come in while it Charizard sets up sun, not fearing without fear of its unboosted attacks, and force it to switch out with the threat of a powerful Dragon-type STAB move. It must be noted, though, that Druddigon can be easily worn down during the match and that it must be at almost full health to successfully counter Charizard, seeing that a sun-boosted Fire Blast will put a huge dent in it. The specially defensive variant takes hits a little better and can employ a RestTalk strategy to remain sufficiently healthy to stop it, all while threatening to cripple Charizard with Glare or to phaze it away with Dragon Tail. Flareon and Altaria, even though they are NU, can wall this set, especially if it lacks Air Slash. More defensive teams can deal with the Solar Power set by stalling out sun turns, using either smart switching or Protect. Even after a boost, the Swords Dance set is walled by Quagsire, thanks to Unaware, and Regirock, thanks to its massive physical bulk. The latter doesn't have reliable recovery, but can easily tank a hit and retaliate with a super effective Rock-type STAB move. Furthermore, if Charizard is not running Flare Blitz, Steelix cannot be 2HKOed, and Eelektross and defensive versions of Rotom can take a hit and OHKO back.</p>
GP 2/2