Support is key
Charizard is the first 7-Star Tera Raid in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, and it’s a doozy. If you go in unprepared, Charizard will beat you down with an onslaught of Fire, Flying, and Dragon-Type attacks. That said, with the right team and setup, Charizard will fall quickly.
You are only allowed to catch Charizard once, but you can continuously fight Charizard as often as you’d like while the raid is active. This is great, since drop rates appear to be notably better from Charizard than 6-Star Tera Raids! What’s more, Charizard is always a Dragon Tera-Type, which means you can build Pokemon to specifically counter it. Here are some tips to take it down, whether you’re with friends or random groups.
Is Azumarill good?
Azumarill with Huge Power and Belly Drum is a wildly popular build for Tera Raids. Read our detailed guide to build one from scratch yourself. Azumarill’s Water/Fairy Typing is excellent for this encounter since it will resist fire attacks and have immunity to Charizard’s Tera Blast. That said, Belly Drum is much riskier here since the damage from Charizard is very high. You’ll also spend much of the fight trying to break its shield, which reduces your recovery from Shell Bell. Here is my generalist moveset for Azumarill, which does not require rebuilding it from scratch.
The addition of Light Screen and Helping Hand allows you to adapt to your party and play support if needed. Charizard exclusively uses Special Attacks, so Light Screen provides key defense to your party. Helping Hand is also useful if you are paired with another Azumarill who gets a Belly Drum off in the first turn. Charizard will remove your party’s stat buffs when its shield goes up, so time your Belly Drum after that moment if you aren’t taking the lead on DPS.
Sitrus Berry can be more helpful than Shell Bell in this build. That said, consider holding the Covert Cloak to prevent both burn and confusion. This is a new item in Generation 9, and it can be purchased from Delibird Presents in Levincia.
Should I use Rain Dance?
Rain Dance seems like an obvious choice here. Not only does it debuff Charizard’s Fire attacks, but you can also cancel out Charizard’s Sunny Day with it. The problem is Charizard’s preferred Flying-Type attack: Hurricane. While this typically has a 70% accuracy rating, it gets boosted to 100% in the rain. Rain Dance can goad Charizard into spamming this attack over and over, which is particularly deadly if you are running Azumarill.
If most of your party does not resist Fire-Type attacks, Rain Dance may be worthwhile to cancel Sunny Day. That said, this specific mechanic has other counters. Skill Swap can be used to prevent Charizard from boosting its Special Attack in the sun. A dedicated support Pokemon like Umbreon or Grimmsnarl can also use Taunt and prevent Charizard from using Sunny Day altogether. It’s possible to muscle through this mechanic too, so the ideal approach is up to you.
Can other Pokemon be used in this fight?
Yes, several! In fact, some of them are arguably better than Azumarill. Here are some top picks:
Sylveon: Sylveon is capable of fantastic damage against Charizard. It can go for support, using Moonblast and Fake Tears to lower Charizard’s Special Attack and Special Defense respectively. Its Hidden Ability Pixelate also boosts the efficacy of Normal-Type attacks and transforms them into Fairy-Type, letting it absolutely unleash with moves like Hyper Voice and Hyper Beam. It even has HP regeneration in Draining Kiss, which gives it a notable advantage over Azumarill.
A group of Sylveons has powerful synergy, since you can fully debuff Charizard’s Special Defense in one turn. Sylveon comes highly recommended if you are trying to clear this encounter solo.
Flutter Mane: Similar to Sylveon, Flutter Mane is a strong special attacker that can debuff Charizard and sustain itself via Draining Kiss. While Booster Energy is almost certainly your best bet as a Held Item, you can opt to let Charizard activate Protosynthesis when it uses Sunny Day later in the fight.
Use these Pokemon for dedicated support
Chansey/Blissey: If you’re in a group with Azumarills, a dedicated healer can make a world of difference. Chansey holding an Evolite or Blissey have the special defense to take Charizard’s hits, and they can run consistent party heals on top of Light Screen and Helping Hand for support. The Hidden Ability Healer can be effective if your party members don’t resist status conditions.
If you’re looking for other Pokemon to play healer, Gardevoir and Hatterene can fill this niche as well. Not only can they learn dedicated healing moves, their fairy typing will resist Charizard’s Tera Blast.
Grimmsnarl: This is another fantastic support option. Taunt will lock Charizard out of Sunny Day, which will help the end of the fight move smoothly. Additionally, Grimmsnarl can reliably harass Charizard’s Special Attack stat with Spirit Break on top of Special Defense with Fake Tears.
Umbreon: While its typing isn’t as ideal as Grimmsnarl for this encounter, Umbreon is a great support Pokemon regardless. Screech in particular is powerful if you are in a party with Azumarill. If you already have an Umbreon built for raiding, it can excel here.
Figure out what works for you
These tips were written to cover a wide variety of situations you might encounter while playing multiplayer. However, there is no single right answer to take down Charizard. In fact, if you coordinate with a group of three friends, you can bring Charizard to its knees with massively unorthodox strategies. You can even make a case for Pokemon like Dachsbun, whose ability Well-Baked Body gives it immunity to Charizard’s Fire-Type attacks.
Having said that, this event is temporary. Invest resources in Pokemon you can use in many raids, not just counters for Charizard. That said, if you can beat Charizard consistently, you’ll have the resources to build plenty of Pokemon and try many different strategies for fun. Happy farming!
