Is Charizard good in Pokemon GO?

Yes. Charizard is B-tier for Great League and has 2 other ranked roles.

What are the best Charizard IVs for Great League?

The rank-1 Great League spread is 5/14/15 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 1500 CP cap at level 19. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.

What are the best Charizard IVs for Ultra League?

The rank-1 Ultra League spread is 4/13/14 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 2500 CP cap at level 34. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.

Is Charizard a good raid attacker?

Charizard ranks #59 of 263 fire attackers with 14.0 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.

Can Charizard be shiny in Pokemon GO?

Yes. Shiny Charizard is available from evolution, photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.

Is Shadow Charizard worth keeping?

Shadow Charizard hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. The Shadow form is B-tier for Great League, so keep it.

#006 · Generation 1

Charizard

fire flying

Forms & variants

Max CP (L40 / L50): 2,889 / 3,266
Raid catch CP (L20 / L25): 1,651 / 2,064
Research CP (L15): 1,238
Buddy distance: 3 km
2nd charged move: 10,000 dust · 25 candy

Shiny
Shadow
Tradable
Mega
Dynamax

Keep

Keep to evolve

Charizard will not win battles on its own, but Charizard is B-tier for Fire raid attacker. Keep the good-IV copies and the candy to evolve one.

Battle roles

B
Great Leagueshadow#157 of 1154 · score 83.9
The Shadow version is ranked #157 in Great League on PvPoke with Ember / Blast Burn / Air Cutter.
B
Ultra League#102 of 851 · score 85.7
It is ranked #102 in Ultra League on PvPoke with Dragon Breath / Blast Burn / Air Cutter.
C
Max Battle attackerdynamax#12 Fire · 220 per Max Move
Dynamax Charizard ranks #12 of 20 Fire-type Max attackers: 220 damage per Max Flare at level 40 (fast move Fire Spin). Only a copy caught in a Max Battle can use it.
–
Master League#184 of 409 · score 65.7
Ranked #184 of 409; not competitive in Master League.

Worth evolving into

Mega Charizard X
B Fire raid attacker (mega)
Mega Charizard Y
A Fire raid attacker (mega)

Collection value

Can Mega Evolve: keep your highest-Attack copy for raid days.
Has a Gigantamax form (G-Max Wildfire): Gigantamax copies only come from Max Battle Days and cannot be re-obtained otherwise.
2 costume/event variants: costumed copies cannot be re-obtained outside their event.
Shadow version exists: Shadows hit 20% harder and are worth a raid slot even with low IVs.

Tiers: S = meta-defining, A = strong, B = playable, C = niche. PvP from PvPoke overall rankings; raids from computed DPS/TDO within each attacking type; Max Battles from GO Hub tier lists.

Base stats

Attack223

Defense173

Stamina186

Base stats. Bars are scaled to the strongest Pokemon in the game.

Weak to

rock×2.56
electric×1.6
water×1.6

Resists

bug×0.391
grass×0.391
fairy×0.625
fighting×0.625
fire×0.625
ground×0.625
steel×0.625

Evolution line

Charmander
→25 candyCharmeleon
→100 candyCharizard

Check your Pokemon's IVs

Ranks all 4,096 spreads for each league

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PvP rankings (GO Battle League)

League	Tier	Rank	Score	Recommended moves	Typical build
Great League	C	#222 / 1154	81.6	Ember · Blast Burn · Air Cutter	L19 · 5/14/15
Great LeagueShadow	B	#157 / 1154	83.9	Ember · Blast Burn · Air Cutter	L19 · 5/14/15
Ultra League	B	#102 / 851	85.7	Dragon Breath · Blast Burn · Air Cutter	L34 · 4/13/14
Ultra LeagueShadow	B	#127 / 851	84.8	Dragon Breath · Blast Burn · Air Cutter	L34 · 4/13/14
Master League	–	#184 / 409	65.7	Dragon Breath · Blast Burn · Air Cutter	L50 · 15/15/15
Master LeagueShadow	–	#204 / 409	62.5	Dragon Breath · Blast Burn · Dragon Claw	L50 · 15/15/15
Ultra Premier	–	#256 / 689	81.2	Dragon Breath · Blast Burn · Air Cutter
Ultra PremierShadow	–	#263 / 689	81	Dragon Breath · Blast Burn · Air Cutter
Master Premier	–	#118 / 274	67.3	Dragon Breath · Blast Burn · Air Cutter	L50 · 15/15/15
Master PremierShadow	–	#122 / 274	66.8	Dragon Breath · Blast Burn · Air Cutter	L50 · 15/15/15

Source: PvPoke overall rankings. Score is relative to the league meta (100 = best). Typical build is the IV spread PvPoke assumes.

Max Battles (Dynamax & Gigantamax)

Charizard can Dynamax, and a Gigantamax version exists. Only copies caught in Max Battles (or from Max research) can enter Power Spot battles.

Max Moves

fireMax Flarefrom Fire Spin250 / 300 / 350 power
flyingMax Airstreamfrom Air Slash250 / 300 / 350 power
dragonMax Wyrmwindfrom Dragon Breath250 / 300 / 350 power
Max Guard+20 / +40 / +60 HP shield
Max Spiritheals 8 / 12 / 16% HP

The Gigantamax form swaps its fire Max Move for G-Max Wildfire (350 / 400 / 450 power).

Max Battle roles

AttackerA GigantamaxC Dynamax

Max Move power is per level 1 / 2 / 3; levels are unlocked with Max Particles and Candy. Tiers are computed from level-3 Max Move damage, Defence × HP and HP at level 40; thresholds on the guide page.

Raid attacker rankings

Attacking type	Tier	Rank	DPS	TDO	Best moves
fireShadow	–	#31 / 263	16.4	240	Fire Spin · Blast BurnElite TM
fire	–	#59 / 263	14.0	245	Fire Spin · Blast BurnElite TM
flyingShadow	–	#66 / 238	12.3	180	Fire Spin · Air Cutter
dragonShadow	–	#76 / 168	13.1	191	Fire Spin · Dragon Claw
flying	–	#85 / 238	10.4	183	Fire Spin · Air Cutter
dragon	–	#94 / 168	11.0	193	Fire Spin · Dragon Claw

Level 40, 15/15/15, neutral target. DPS = damage per second, TDO = total damage output before fainting. Rank is among every Pokemon using that attacking type.

Moves

Fast move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	DPS	PvP power	PvP energy	Speed
Fire SpinSTAB	fire	13	+9	1.0s	13.0	11	+10	3 turns
Air SlashSTAB	flying	12	+8	1.0s	12.0	9	+9	3 turns
EmberElite TMSTAB	fire	10	+10	1.0s	10.0	4	+9	2 turns
Wing AttackElite TMSTAB	flying	10	+11	1.0s	10.0	5	+8	2 turns
Dragon BreathElite TM	dragon	6	+4	0.5s	12.0	3	+4	1 turn

Charged move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	Dmg/energy	PvP power	PvP energy	Effects
Fire BlastSTAB	fire	140	-100	4.0s	1.40	140	-80
Dragon Claw	dragon	45	-33	1.5s	1.36	80	-50
OverheatSTAB	fire	160	-100	4.0s	1.60	130	-55	100% chance: -2 own Atk
Air CutterSTAB	flying	55	-50	2.5s	1.10	60	-40	12% chance: +1 own Atk
Blast BurnElite TMSTAB	fire	120	-50	3.5s	2.40	110	-50
FlamethrowerElite TMSTAB	fire	65	-50	2.0s	1.30	90	-55

Questions people ask

Is Charizard good in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Charizard is B-tier for Great League and has 2 other ranked roles.
Should I keep or transfer Charizard?: Charizard will not win battles on its own, but Charizard is B-tier for Fire raid attacker. Keep the good-IV copies and the candy to evolve one.
What are the best Charizard IVs for Great League?: The rank-1 Great League spread is 5/14/15 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 1500 CP cap at level 19. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.
What are the best Charizard IVs for Ultra League?: The rank-1 Ultra League spread is 4/13/14 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 2500 CP cap at level 34. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.
Is Charizard a good raid attacker?: Charizard ranks #59 of 263 fire attackers with 14.0 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.
Can Charizard be shiny in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Shiny Charizard is available from evolution, photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.
Is Shadow Charizard worth keeping?: Shadow Charizard hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. The Shadow form is B-tier for Great League, so keep it.

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Costumes & event variants (2)

Party HatEvent costume
CloneEvent costume