Is Charmeleon good in Pokemon GO?

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

Is Charmeleon a good raid attacker?

Charmeleon ranks #176 of 263 fire attackers with 8.3 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.

Should I evolve Charmeleon?

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 Charmeleon for candy.

Can Charmeleon be shiny in Pokemon GO?

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

Is Shadow Charmeleon worth keeping?

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

#005 · Generation 1

Charmeleon

fire

Max CP (L40 / L50): 1,653 / 1,868
Raid catch CP (L20 / L25): 944 / 1,180
Research CP (L15): 708
Buddy distance: 3 km
2nd charged move: 10,000 dust · 25 candy

Shiny
Shadow
Tradable
Mega
Dynamax

Keep

Keep to evolve

Charmeleon 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

–
Great Leagueshadow#568 of 1154 · score 73
Ranked #568 of 1154; not competitive in Great League.

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.
1 costume/event variant: 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

Attack158

Defense126

Stamina151

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

→ Charizard: 100 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
Great League	–	#676 / 1154	70.2	Ember · Fire Punch · Return	L38.5 · 4/14/13
Great LeagueShadow	–	#568 / 1154	73	Ember · Fire Punch · Flamethrower	L38.5 · 4/14/13

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)

Charmeleon 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	–	#166 / 263	9.5	86	Fire Fang · Flamethrower
fire	–	#176 / 263	8.3	91	Fire Fang · 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
Fire FangSTAB	fire	13	+9	1.0s	13.0	8	+6	2 turns
ScratchElite TM	normal	6	+4	0.5s	12.0	3	+4	1 turn

Charged move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	Dmg/energy	PvP power	PvP energy
Fire PunchSTAB	fire	50	-33	2.0s	1.52	60	-40
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 Charmeleon 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 Charmeleon?: Charmeleon 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 Charmeleon a good raid attacker?: Charmeleon ranks #176 of 263 fire attackers with 8.3 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.
Should I evolve Charmeleon?: 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 Charmeleon for candy.
Can Charmeleon be shiny in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Shiny Charmeleon is available from evolution, photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.
Is Shadow Charmeleon worth keeping?: Shadow Charmeleon 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 (1)

Party HatEvent costume