Together with Pikachu and Eevee, Charizard is one of the most popular Pokemon in the history of the long-running franchise. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise to see a special Charizard-themed event coming to Pokemon Scarlet & Violet so soon after their release, especially with Pikachu and Eevee having both already been treated to their own special events early on in the games' lifecycle.
The Dragon Charizard Tera Raid Event will be coming to Pokemon Scarlet & Violet in December of 2022 and will give players the chance to not only battle Charizard but also to catch one for themselves. Given that there is currently no other way to get Charizard in the Gen 9 games, this limited-time event will likely be seen as an unmissable opportunity by many players, so being prepared for it is going to be incredibly important.
When is the Dragon Charizard Tera Raid Event?
The Dragon Charizard Tera Raid Event is a seven-star raid that will take place over two three-day periods during December of 2022. The first will begin at 7 PM (Eastern) on Thursday, December 1 and will run until 7 PM on the fourth. The second will start at 7 PM (Eastern) on Thursday, December 15 and will run until 7 PM on the eighteenth. In order to participate in the raid, players will first need to unlock five and six-star raids by completing the main story, unlocking the Academy Ace Tournament, and then hosting five-star raids until Jacq contacts them to let them know that six-star raids have appeared.
- Period 1: December 1 19:00 - December 4 18:59 (Eastern)
- Period 2: December 15 19:00 - December 18 18:59 (Eastern)
The Best Dragon Charizard Counters
When trying to decide on the best counter for Dragon Charizard in the Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Tera Raid event, players need to take a few things into consideration. First and foremost is type. As a Dragon Tera Type, Charizard will be weak against Dragon, Fairy, and Ice-type attacks while its Dragon-type attacks won't be very effective against Steel-types. However, it will presumably still have access to Fire and Flying-type moves, which players will also need to take into account.
Charizard's powerful Fire-type attacks will make Steel and Ice-types poor choices for counters, whilst its Dragon Tera Type rules out Dragon-types as well. With this in mind, Fairy-type Pokemon are the best counters for Dragon Charizard, particularly those with a high Special Defense stat, as Charizard's base Special Attack stat is considerably higher than its Attack. Its Special Defense is a little higher than its Defense, though perhaps not enough to make a massive difference.
Fairy-types are completely immune to Dragon-type attacks and are damaged normally by Fire and Flying-type moves. What's more, unless the Gen 9 games make changes to its learnset or the moves that it can learn via TM, Charizard doesn't have access to Steel or Poison-type moves, so players won't have to worry about being hit with any Super Effective attacks during the special raid event.
With all this in mind, Florges is a solid choice, as it boasts a massive 154 Special Defense stat and a very respectable 112 Special Attack. It has access to powerful Fairy-type moves like Dazzling Gleam and Moonblast for damage (the latter of which can lower the target's Special Attack), can heal itself with Wish or Draining Kiss, and can buff the damage done by its allies by a massive 50% by using Helping Hand. The effects of the latter are cumulative too, so with a little coordination, three players can boost one of their teammates' attack power by 237.5%.
Finding a Florges is a little tricky, however, as although they do spawn in North Province (Area 3), they are incredibly rare. With this in mind, players should instead look to catch themselves a Floette and evolve it using a Shiny Stone. Floette can be found in all three areas of North Province as well as in the Asado Desert and areas five and six of South Province. As for Shiny Stones, players can get them from the Porto Marinada Auction House, as a Pokedex completion reward for catching 150 Pokemon, or from golden sparkles in South Province (Area Six).
Another great option is the Paradox Pokemon Flutter Mane as it has 135 Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed stats. When in harsh sunlight or while holding Booster Energy, players can boost either its Special Attack or Special Defense by a further 30% or its Speed by 50% by finding one with a nature that strengthens that stat. Special Attack (Modest) or Special Defence (Calm) would be better as it's already much faster than Charizard. Players can catch Flutter Mane in Area Zero, though only in Pokemon Scarlet, meaning Violet players will need to trade with a friend.
Alternatively, players may want to opt for Azumarill, whose ability to use Belly Drum and Play Rough makes it a great counter for Dragon Charizard in the Tera Raid Event. Players can get a Belly Drum Azumarill through breeding if they have the patience, but the fastest way of obtaining one is by using Mirror Herbs to transfer egg moves. They will need a bit of money for the latter method, but it's arguably well worth it due to how strong a Belly Drum Azumarill can be against Charizard.
How to Get Charmander, Charmelion & Charizard in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
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At the time of writing, neither Charizard nor its two pre-evolutions are part of the Paldea Pokedex, meaning that there's no way for players to find them out in the wild. However, once the Dragon Charizard Tera Raid Event is up and running, players will be able to catch a Charizard by successfully completing the raid. Sadly, they won't be able to trade Charizard, though they will be able to breed it to get Charmander and Chameleon.
At the time of writing, players are unable to trade any of the Charmander evolution line, nor are they able to use them in online Tera Raid battles.
Those lucky enough to get a female Charizard will be able to breed it with a Pokemon from either the Monster or Dragon egg group to get a Charmander egg. Anyone with a male Charizard will need to breed it with a Ditto or a female Charizard, as the egg Pokemon is usually determined by the female Pokemon. After hatching the egg, they can then evolve Charmander into Charmelion by reaching level 16 and Charmelion into Charizard by getting to level 36.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now for the Nintendo Switch.