This is a Partial Rewrite of an on-site analysis. The tone of this analysis was generally quite harsh and some meta advancements were made by AM during UUFPL which are not noted, making it very outdated. There is also a desire to upgrade it to a full with it being ranked on the VR now, which this should resolve.
[Overview]
Charizard is defined by Swords Dance in RBY UU, which, when combined with its near-unresisted coverage in Body Slam and Earthquake, lets it threaten a large portion of the tier once set up. Additionally, STAB Fire Blast lets it immediately threaten teams featuring Grass-types like Tangela and Venusaur, which normally perform admirably against teams using staple Normal-types like Persian and Kangaskhan. Plus, it can Speed tie tier-king Tentacruel while threatening significant damage with Earthquake or a burn with Fire Blast, the latter of which severely dampens its Wrap. Thus, Charizard is a fine pick on offensive teams that need a specialised wallbreaker that can spread burns.
However, Charizard's typing is generally not suitable for UU, being weak to some of the most common offensive types in the tier, which makes it much frailer than it lets on. In addition, Charizard suffers greatly from Wrap; AgiliWrap Dragonite shuts it down and can set up on it very consistently, and slower Wrap users force it to choose between switching out and losing Swords Dance boosts or being worn down. In Tentacruel's case, Charizard can potentially win the Speed tie if it stays in, but Surf often causes it to lose if it hasn't set up prior. Because Charizard is reliant on its Speed to succeed, it is also ruined by paralysis, and the threat of this frequently forces it out before it can deal any significant damage.
[SET]
Name: Swords Dance Wallbreaker
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Body Slam / Slash
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Swords Dance is essential for Charizard to do any significant damage to many foes, as its Attack is initially quite mediocre. Fire Blast is very powerful, 2HKOing Articuno, Venusaur, and Tangela. The burn chance is also highly beneficial for incapacitating resistant Pokemon such as Aerodactyl, Tentacruel, and some Dragonite and Gyarados variants. However, it arguably benefits Persian, which can no longer be paralyzed—and Slash bypasses the Attack drop. Earthquake is Charizard's best chance at beating Tentacruel during the Speed ties. At +2, it OHKOes Electabuzz, Raichu, and Haunter, as well as Tentacruel half the time; it also 2HKOes Omastar. Charizard's last moveslot is largely based on its team, but one of the two choices is crucial for providing near-unresisted coverage alongside Earthquake. Body Slam is a solid fourth move for its paralysis chance, giving Charizard a midground option and having much higher damage output when boosted with Swords Dance. On the other hand, Slash is a near-guaranteed critical hit, making it almost equal to Hyper Beam and thus giving Charizard immediate power; however, it ignores boosts and thus lacks synergy with Swords Dance.
Charizard succeeds as a wallbreaker and is thus an effective punishment for Pokemon using Rest. Most notably, it can switch in on a predicted Rest from Hypno, set up Swords Dance, and threaten up to 51.2% damage with Earthquake. This forces Hypno to either attempt to Rest stall or switch out, both of which are less than ideal situations. Similarly, Pokemon like Omastar fail to wall Charizard if it switches in on their Rests. Despite this, Charizard should not set up without prior scouting, as the mere risk of it setting up often prompts an immediate switch-in from the opponent, which can be anything from a counter to a paralysis spreader, the latter of which makes it little more than death fodder. Charizard is very capable of sweeping late-game once such checks are removed.
Charizard is best used on teams that struggle against those featuring Venusaur and Tangela, which often employ Articuno to set up against a sleeping Pokemon and sweep. Persian makes another excellent partner, being faster than Tentacruel while profiting heavily from the openings Charizard can provide against common defensive cores. Like many Pokemon, Charizard benefits significantly from Hypno, which grants it significant openings with its longevity, paralysis, and sleep. Teams using Charizard should account for its lack of defensive utility: the most it can offer is double switching into Earthquake. Bulky Water-types like Omastar and Dewgong cover its weaknesses very well, being resistant to Ice and Water at once; Omastar particularly benefits thanks to Charizard's immunity to Earthquake. Pokemon immune to Electric also very helpful, coming with the added bonus of limiting the spread of Thunder Wave paralysis. Dugtrio works particularly well, as its Speed and power ensure it keeps momentum after absorbing Thunder Wave. Charizard also tends to draw in Grass- or Water-types that try to check it, allowing Dugtrio to force damage onto them; however, other Pokemon like Aerodactyl and Gyarados can also perform this task admirably. Because Charizard cannot normally deal with Dragonite without a Fire Blast burn, Dragonite checks such as the ubiquitous Tentacruel, Gyarados, Articuno, and Toxic users such as Aerodactyl, Persian, Dugtrio, and Kangaskhan are all viable teammates.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Charizard has a very wide movepool. Replacing Fire Blast or its fourth moveslot is feasible, though it loses its near-unresisted coverage in the process. This can end up hurting Charizard's matchups against either Grass-types like Tangela and Venusaur or Gyarados and Dragonite, both of which are hard to work around.
Charizard can use Fire Spin to pivot out against its checks, making it more versatile and supplementing its offense. This can improve its Dragonite matchup, letting it pivot out to a Pokemon with Toxic, such as Persian. However, the punishment for missing with Charizard can be paralysis, which it can't afford with its wallbreaking role. Worse still, Fire Spin often ends up inviting in checks like Tentacruel, Gyarados, and Vaporeon, which take minimal damage while forcing Charizard out. Other Pokemon tend to make better use of Fire Spin, most notably Moltres, which has higher Special, and Rapidash, which has higher Speed, notably outpacing Tentacruel. Both have access to Agility as well, letting them use the aggressive AgiliSpin combination.
Counter is a fringe option for Persian, Kangaskhan, and Dodrio, all of which have powerful Normal-type STAB moves. Counter is useful if Charizard survives a Hyper Beam to fire back during the recharge turn, which indirectly gives Charizard a switch-in opportunity. Charizard can also use Hyper Beam itself, which is an incredibly strong finisher if one decides to use an even more aggressive set. In fact, Charizard can even 2HKO Vaporeon with +2 Earthquake followed by Hyper Beam. However, this further increases Charizard's reliance on Swords Dance and leaves it without a midground option. Mega Kick is also a valid option for 2HKOing Vaporeon half the time, though its utility outside of this is questionable. Toxic is a nice niche option to check the infamous AgiliWrap Dragonite and Dragonair, as well as incapacitating other minor wrappers such as Moltres; however, Fire Blast's power and burn chance are already sufficient in many cases.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Paralysis**: Charizard cannot deal with paralysis at all, often being forced out by the threat of it. Without its Speed, Charizard loses its valuable Speed tie against Tentacruel and can be chipped down by Wrap and dispatched with Surf. Kadabra and Electabuzz outspeed Charizard while threatening it with Thunder Wave,making them common switch-ins to Swords Dance attempts. Electabuzz is particularly notable for having STAB Thunderbolt, which 2HKOes Charizard. Thus, these Pokemon must be paralyzed—or ideally, removed—if Charizard is to attempt a sweep. Charizard can situationally win if they're paralyzed, as +2 Earthquake OHKOes Electabuzz and has a small chance to OHKO Kadabra. Furthermore, Body Slam paralyzing them on the switch can completely turn the tables on them. Tangela, while being 2HKOed by Fire Blast and disliking burns, can paralyze Charizard with Stun Spore, meaning it should be chipped into KO range. Body Slam users such as Dodrio, Kangaskhan, Gyarados, Dragonite, and Vaporeon are also minor ways for Charizard to be paralyzed.
**Dragonite**: Without Toxic, Fire Spin, or a lucky Fire Blast burn, Charizard can't hinder AgiliWrap Dragonite, thus letting it switch in, set up, and take over the game from there. Furthermore, even non-AgiliWrap variants can threaten Charizard directly with a 2HKO from Blizzard or paralysis from Body Slam, as well as a 2HKO from Thunderbolt with minor chip damage prior.
**Water-types**: Without switching in on a predicted Rest and setting up, Charizard fails to make an impact against the Water-types of the tier. Gyarados is notable for being immune to Earthquake, only being remotely threatened with a 3HKO from +2 Body Slam, and KOing Charizard with Hydro Pump if it's taken even minor damage. Vaporeon and Dewgong can survive a 2HKO from +2 Earthquake while threatening back with their STAB moves, dealing massive damage. Omastar can OHKO Charizard a quarter of the time with Hydro Pump but takes significant damage from +2 Earthquake. Tentacruel can shut Charizard down with Wrap and deals massive damage with Surf, but +2 Earthquake OHKOes it half the time, making this a matchup it can't really afford to play into due to its high value. Generally, if any Water-type uses Rest and Charizard switches in, it can make use of those free turns to win, but it must KO them by the turn they wake up to not lose momentum.
**Aerodactyl**: Aerodactyl is the only Pokemon in the entire game to resist the combination of Fire, Normal, and Ground, which makes it effective at revenge killing Charizard. While it can't afford to take a burn, Aerodactyl shrugs off any attack Charizard throws at it while threatening a 3HKO with two Double-Edge uses followed by Hyper Beam. Aerodactyl can also use Toxic on rare Fire Spin variants to cause Charizard to take more damage than Fire Spin deals.
**Rock-type Coverage**: Dugtrio and Kangaskhan can't switch in on Fire Blast by threat of a burn, but both 2HKO Charizard with Rock Slide. Dugtrio is of particular note for excellently revenge killing Charizard, as it outspeeds it. However, Dugtrio cannot switch in on Body Slam, which may incapacitate it with paralysis. Additionally, if Dugtrio or Kangaskhan has taken damage, Charizard is likely to come out on top with Fire Blast, which has a strong probability to 2HKO both. Golem, while rare, can OHKO Charizard with Rock Slide, but it is threatened with a 2HKO from +2 Earthquake, and Fire Blast burns ruin its valuable Explosion.
**Articuno**: While outsped and 2HKOed by Fire Blast, Articuno can OHKO Charizard with Blizzard half the time, so Charizard can only really afford to fight Articuno if it has already taken damage. Articuno has ample opportunity to switch in on Earthquake as well, which forces Charizard to either gamble on a critical hit or switch out. In the event Charizard uses Fire Spin, it can chip Articuno down to Fire Blast range, but this will take around seven turns at minimum without critical hits, all of which risk a miss or low Fire Spin duration.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rosewing, 540631]]
- Quality checked by: [[May, 236353], [Amaranth, 265630], [phoopes, 96315]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
[Overview]
Charizard is defined by Swords Dance in RBY UU, which, when combined with its near-unresisted coverage in Body Slam and Earthquake, lets it threaten a large portion of the tier once set up. Additionally, STAB Fire Blast lets it immediately threaten teams featuring Grass-types like Tangela and Venusaur, which normally perform admirably against teams using staple Normal-types like Persian and Kangaskhan. Plus, it can Speed tie tier-king Tentacruel while threatening significant damage with Earthquake or a burn with Fire Blast, the latter of which severely dampens its Wrap. Thus, Charizard is a fine pick on offensive teams that need a specialised wallbreaker that can spread burns.
However, Charizard's typing is generally not suitable for UU, being weak to some of the most common offensive types in the tier, which makes it much frailer than it lets on. In addition, Charizard suffers greatly from Wrap; AgiliWrap Dragonite shuts it down and can set up on it very consistently, and slower Wrap users force it to choose between switching out and losing Swords Dance boosts or being worn down. In Tentacruel's case, Charizard can potentially win the Speed tie if it stays in, but Surf often causes it to lose if it hasn't set up prior. Because Charizard is reliant on its Speed to succeed, it is also ruined by paralysis, and the threat of this frequently forces it out before it can deal any significant damage.
[SET]
Name: Swords Dance Wallbreaker
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Body Slam / Slash
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Swords Dance is essential for Charizard to do any significant damage to many foes, as its Attack is initially quite mediocre. Fire Blast is very powerful, 2HKOing Articuno, Venusaur, and Tangela. The burn chance is also highly beneficial for incapacitating resistant Pokemon such as Aerodactyl, Tentacruel, and some Dragonite and Gyarados variants. However, it arguably benefits Persian, which can no longer be paralyzed—and Slash bypasses the Attack drop. Earthquake is Charizard's best chance at beating Tentacruel during the Speed ties. At +2, it OHKOes Electabuzz, Raichu, and Haunter, as well as Tentacruel half the time; it also 2HKOes Omastar. Charizard's last moveslot is largely based on its team, but one of the two choices is crucial for providing near-unresisted coverage alongside Earthquake. Body Slam is a solid fourth move for its paralysis chance, giving Charizard a midground option and having much higher damage output when boosted with Swords Dance. On the other hand, Slash is a near-guaranteed critical hit, making it almost equal to Hyper Beam and thus giving Charizard immediate power; however, it ignores boosts and thus lacks synergy with Swords Dance.
Charizard succeeds as a wallbreaker and is thus an effective punishment for Pokemon using Rest. Most notably, it can switch in on a predicted Rest from Hypno, set up Swords Dance, and threaten up to 51.2% damage with Earthquake. This forces Hypno to either attempt to Rest stall or switch out, both of which are less than ideal situations. Similarly, Pokemon like Omastar fail to wall Charizard if it switches in on their Rests. Despite this, Charizard should not set up without prior scouting, as the mere risk of it setting up often prompts an immediate switch-in from the opponent, which can be anything from a counter to a paralysis spreader, the latter of which makes it little more than death fodder. Charizard is very capable of sweeping late-game once such checks are removed.
Charizard is best used on teams that struggle against those featuring Venusaur and Tangela, which often employ Articuno to set up against a sleeping Pokemon and sweep. Persian makes another excellent partner, being faster than Tentacruel while profiting heavily from the openings Charizard can provide against common defensive cores. Like many Pokemon, Charizard benefits significantly from Hypno, which grants it significant openings with its longevity, paralysis, and sleep. Teams using Charizard should account for its lack of defensive utility: the most it can offer is double switching into Earthquake. Bulky Water-types like Omastar and Dewgong cover its weaknesses very well, being resistant to Ice and Water at once; Omastar particularly benefits thanks to Charizard's immunity to Earthquake. Pokemon immune to Electric also very helpful, coming with the added bonus of limiting the spread of Thunder Wave paralysis. Dugtrio works particularly well, as its Speed and power ensure it keeps momentum after absorbing Thunder Wave. Charizard also tends to draw in Grass- or Water-types that try to check it, allowing Dugtrio to force damage onto them; however, other Pokemon like Aerodactyl and Gyarados can also perform this task admirably. Because Charizard cannot normally deal with Dragonite without a Fire Blast burn, Dragonite checks such as the ubiquitous Tentacruel, Gyarados, Articuno, and Toxic users such as Aerodactyl, Persian, Dugtrio, and Kangaskhan are all viable teammates.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Charizard has a very wide movepool. Replacing Fire Blast or its fourth moveslot is feasible, though it loses its near-unresisted coverage in the process. This can end up hurting Charizard's matchups against either Grass-types like Tangela and Venusaur or Gyarados and Dragonite, both of which are hard to work around.
Charizard can use Fire Spin to pivot out against its checks, making it more versatile and supplementing its offense. This can improve its Dragonite matchup, letting it pivot out to a Pokemon with Toxic, such as Persian. However, the punishment for missing with Charizard can be paralysis, which it can't afford with its wallbreaking role. Worse still, Fire Spin often ends up inviting in checks like Tentacruel, Gyarados, and Vaporeon, which take minimal damage while forcing Charizard out. Other Pokemon tend to make better use of Fire Spin, most notably Moltres, which has higher Special, and Rapidash, which has higher Speed, notably outpacing Tentacruel. Both have access to Agility as well, letting them use the aggressive AgiliSpin combination.
Counter is a fringe option for Persian, Kangaskhan, and Dodrio, all of which have powerful Normal-type STAB moves. Counter is useful if Charizard survives a Hyper Beam to fire back during the recharge turn, which indirectly gives Charizard a switch-in opportunity. Charizard can also use Hyper Beam itself, which is an incredibly strong finisher if one decides to use an even more aggressive set. In fact, Charizard can even 2HKO Vaporeon with +2 Earthquake followed by Hyper Beam. However, this further increases Charizard's reliance on Swords Dance and leaves it without a midground option. Mega Kick is also a valid option for 2HKOing Vaporeon half the time, though its utility outside of this is questionable. Toxic is a nice niche option to check the infamous AgiliWrap Dragonite and Dragonair, as well as incapacitating other minor wrappers such as Moltres; however, Fire Blast's power and burn chance are already sufficient in many cases.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Paralysis**: Charizard cannot deal with paralysis at all, often being forced out by the threat of it. Without its Speed, Charizard loses its valuable Speed tie against Tentacruel and can be chipped down by Wrap and dispatched with Surf. Kadabra and Electabuzz outspeed Charizard while threatening it with Thunder Wave,making them common switch-ins to Swords Dance attempts. Electabuzz is particularly notable for having STAB Thunderbolt, which 2HKOes Charizard. Thus, these Pokemon must be paralyzed—or ideally, removed—if Charizard is to attempt a sweep. Charizard can situationally win if they're paralyzed, as +2 Earthquake OHKOes Electabuzz and has a small chance to OHKO Kadabra. Furthermore, Body Slam paralyzing them on the switch can completely turn the tables on them. Tangela, while being 2HKOed by Fire Blast and disliking burns, can paralyze Charizard with Stun Spore, meaning it should be chipped into KO range. Body Slam users such as Dodrio, Kangaskhan, Gyarados, Dragonite, and Vaporeon are also minor ways for Charizard to be paralyzed.
**Dragonite**: Without Toxic, Fire Spin, or a lucky Fire Blast burn, Charizard can't hinder AgiliWrap Dragonite, thus letting it switch in, set up, and take over the game from there. Furthermore, even non-AgiliWrap variants can threaten Charizard directly with a 2HKO from Blizzard or paralysis from Body Slam, as well as a 2HKO from Thunderbolt with minor chip damage prior.
**Water-types**: Without switching in on a predicted Rest and setting up, Charizard fails to make an impact against the Water-types of the tier. Gyarados is notable for being immune to Earthquake, only being remotely threatened with a 3HKO from +2 Body Slam, and KOing Charizard with Hydro Pump if it's taken even minor damage. Vaporeon and Dewgong can survive a 2HKO from +2 Earthquake while threatening back with their STAB moves, dealing massive damage. Omastar can OHKO Charizard a quarter of the time with Hydro Pump but takes significant damage from +2 Earthquake. Tentacruel can shut Charizard down with Wrap and deals massive damage with Surf, but +2 Earthquake OHKOes it half the time, making this a matchup it can't really afford to play into due to its high value. Generally, if any Water-type uses Rest and Charizard switches in, it can make use of those free turns to win, but it must KO them by the turn they wake up to not lose momentum.
**Aerodactyl**: Aerodactyl is the only Pokemon in the entire game to resist the combination of Fire, Normal, and Ground, which makes it effective at revenge killing Charizard. While it can't afford to take a burn, Aerodactyl shrugs off any attack Charizard throws at it while threatening a 3HKO with two Double-Edge uses followed by Hyper Beam. Aerodactyl can also use Toxic on rare Fire Spin variants to cause Charizard to take more damage than Fire Spin deals.
**Rock-type Coverage**: Dugtrio and Kangaskhan can't switch in on Fire Blast by threat of a burn, but both 2HKO Charizard with Rock Slide. Dugtrio is of particular note for excellently revenge killing Charizard, as it outspeeds it. However, Dugtrio cannot switch in on Body Slam, which may incapacitate it with paralysis. Additionally, if Dugtrio or Kangaskhan has taken damage, Charizard is likely to come out on top with Fire Blast, which has a strong probability to 2HKO both. Golem, while rare, can OHKO Charizard with Rock Slide, but it is threatened with a 2HKO from +2 Earthquake, and Fire Blast burns ruin its valuable Explosion.
**Articuno**: While outsped and 2HKOed by Fire Blast, Articuno can OHKO Charizard with Blizzard half the time, so Charizard can only really afford to fight Articuno if it has already taken damage. Articuno has ample opportunity to switch in on Earthquake as well, which forces Charizard to either gamble on a critical hit or switch out. In the event Charizard uses Fire Spin, it can chip Articuno down to Fire Blast range, but this will take around seven turns at minimum without critical hits, all of which risk a miss or low Fire Spin duration.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rosewing, 540631]]
- Quality checked by: [[May, 236353], [Amaranth, 265630], [phoopes, 96315]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429]]
Last edited:
