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Charizard, one of the all-time great Pokemon, returns again to be an elite force in Generation VIII.
Like all of the Kanto starters, Charizard got a Gigantamax form in Pokemon Sword and Shield. This gave Charizard a new weapon in G-Max Wildfire, which passively damages opponents for four turns after the move has been used.
The passive damage (1/6th of the opponents health) can be very useful for both Charizard and partners in double battles, who can finish off opponents once their health has been chipped down on enough. Charizard is also a powerful Pokemon (base 109 Special Attack) that gets a wide movepool. This moveset works great on Charizard:
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the opinion of the writer.
The best moveset for Charizard in Pokemon Sword and Shield
This moveset takes into consideration both normal Charizard and Gigantamax Charizard. Since it’s so powerful, it’s highly recommended that the player use Gigantamax Charizard whenever possible.
- Flamethrower
- Air Slash
- Dragon Pulse
- Roost
Flamethrower serves a few purposes. The first is that it’s the best Fire-type move, especially taking its power and consistency into account. The other is that this is a great move to power up G-Max Wildfire.
This move is going to demoralize opponents. The passive damage is going to make Charizard’s job much easier, since Pokemon that won’t faint to a Flamethrower will likely drop after the G-Max Wildfire damage. Since the passive damage lasts for five turns, it makes Charizard a threat even after its Gigantamax turns expire.
Air Slash is another move that is decent normally, but has a greater use in Gigantamax form. Max Airstream raises the speed of the Pokemon and its partner if it’s in a doubles match. With base 100 Speed, there are a number of Pokemon that outspeed Charizard (Alakazam, Garchomp, Jolteon and more).
This makes the speed boost from Max Airstream quite valuable for Charizard, since it will be able to damage threats before they can hit it. It’s one of the best Dynamax moves in the game in general, and any fast Pokemon that wants to sweep opponents will benefit from Max Airstream.
Dragon Pulse is in a slot where plenty of other moves can go, but none really fit too well. Dragon Pulse doesn’t hit anything really hard; it just gets decent damage against many Pokemon.
The real value from this move comes from being able to Max Wyrmwind opposing Dragon-type Pokemon. Many of these Pokemon (Garchomp, Haxorus, Salamence, etc.) can take Charizard’s attacks while responding either with a strong Dragon-type move, or a Stone Edge or Rock Slide, both of which do 4x super effective damage.
Another option for this slot is Solarbeam, but that makes more sense for regular Dynamax Charizard, where Max Flare could set up the sun for it. Nobody really wants to wait a turn for Solarbeam to set up. It would only be useful to Max Overgrowth Water-type Pokemon in Gigantamax form.
Roost offers reliable recovery for Charizard. After using G-Max Wildfire, Charizard could Roost when it loses Gigantamax in front of a Pokemon that still takes damage. Charizard could then Flamethrower that Pokemon for the KO. Keeping Charizard alive can put it in a position where it is capable of beating entire teams on its own.
