Is Charmander good in Pokemon GO?

Not on its own, but Charizard is B-tier for Great League, so a good copy is worth evolving.

Is Charmander a good raid attacker?

Charmander ranks #246 of 263 fire attackers with 4.8 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.

Should I evolve Charmander?

Charizard is B-tier for Great League; Mega Charizard X is B-tier for Fire raid attacker; Mega Charizard Y is A-tier for Fire raid attacker. Evolve the copy with the best IVs for that role and transfer spare Charmander for candy.

Can Charmander be shiny in Pokemon GO?

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

Is Shadow Charmander worth keeping?

Shadow Charmander hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. It has no ranked role of its own, so treat it like a normal copy.

#004 · Generation 1

Charmander

fire

Max CP (L40 / L50): 980 / 1,108
Raid catch CP (L20 / L25): 560 / 700
Research CP (L15): 420
Buddy distance: 3 km
2nd charged move: 10,000 dust · 25 candy

Shiny
Shadow
Tradable
Mega
Dynamax

Keep

Keep to evolve

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

Battle roles

–
Little Cupshadow#124 of 168 · score 63.9
Ranked #124 of 168; not competitive in Little Cup.

Worth evolving into

Charizard
B Great League (shadow)B Ultra League
Mega Charizard X
B Fire raid attacker (mega)
Mega Charizard Y
A Fire raid attacker (mega)

Collection value

Can Dynamax: only copies caught in Max Battles can Dynamax, so keep at least one Max copy.
3 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

Attack116

Defense93

Stamina118

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

Weak to

ground×1.6
rock×1.6
water×1.6

Resists

bug×0.625
fairy×0.625
fire×0.625
grass×0.625
ice×0.625
steel×0.625

Evolution line

Charmander
→25 candyCharmeleon
→100 candyCharizard

→ Charmeleon: 25 candy

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
Little Cup	–	#127 / 168	63.6	Ember · Flame Charge · Flamethrower	L19.5 · 5/15/13
Little CupShadow	–	#124 / 168	63.9	Ember · Flame Charge · Flamethrower	L19.5 · 5/15/13

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)

Charmander can Dynamax. Only copies caught in Max Battles (or from Max research) can enter Power Spot battles.

Max Moves

fireMax Flarefrom Ember250 / 300 / 350 power
normalMax Strikefrom Scratch250 / 300 / 350 power
Max Guard+20 / +40 / +60 HP shield
Max Spiritheals 8 / 12 / 16% HP

Max Battle roles

Below the tier thresholds as a Max Battle attacker, tank, or healer.

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	–	#243 / 263	5.1	29	Scratch · Flame Charge
fire	–	#246 / 263	4.8	32	Scratch · Flamethrower

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
EmberSTAB	fire	10	+10	1.0s	10.0	4	+9	2 turns
Scratch	normal	6	+4	0.5s	12.0	3	+4	1 turn

Charged move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	Dmg/energy	PvP power	PvP energy	Effects
Flame ChargeSTAB	fire	70	-33	4.0s	2.12	65	-50	100% chance: +1 own Atk
Flame BurstSTAB	fire	70	-50	2.5s	1.40	70	-55
FlamethrowerSTAB	fire	65	-50	2.0s	1.30	90	-55

Questions people ask

Is Charmander good in Pokemon GO?: Not on its own, but Charizard is B-tier for Great League, so a good copy is worth evolving.
Should I keep or transfer Charmander?: Charmander will not win battles on its own, but Charizard is B-tier for Great League. Keep the good-IV copies and the candy to evolve one.
Is Charmander a good raid attacker?: Charmander ranks #246 of 263 fire attackers with 4.8 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.
Should I evolve Charmander?: Charizard is B-tier for Great League; Mega Charizard X is B-tier for Fire raid attacker; Mega Charizard Y is A-tier for Fire raid attacker. Evolve the copy with the best IVs for that role and transfer spare Charmander for candy.
Can Charmander be shiny in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Shiny Charmander is available from egg, photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.
Is Shadow Charmander worth keeping?: Shadow Charmander hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. It has no ranked role of its own, so treat it like a normal copy.

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Costumes & event variants (3)

Party HatEvent costume
Pikachu Visor (GO Fest 2020)Event costume
Cubone HatEvent costume