Charizard may be one of the most popular Pokémon in the entire franchise, but it doesn’t come without its weaknesses. The Pokémon series does a great job of giving every creature a real weakness that can be exploited by strategic and intelligent trainers who prepare properly.
The only workaround to avoiding these weaknesses is to power level your Pokémon or out strategize your opponent at every turn. Let’s now take a look at and rank the 10 worst Pokémon battle matchups for Charizard through Pokémon Sword & Shield.
10 Kabutops
Kabutops is a Water and Rock dual-type which means it hits two of Charizard’s three weaknesses. Considering the wannabe dragon is both Fire and Flying-type that means that Kabutops has access to moves that exploit both typings.
The ability to have STAB, which is a bonus a Pokémon gets when using a move with the same typing as itself, can make it even more formidable in battle. Kabutops doesn’t have any major downsides when looking at its base stats, but since it is hard to obtain as it is a fossil Pokémon, it lands lower on the list.
9 Barbaracle
Is Barbaracle ugly? Yes, beyond quantifiable measure. Does it make a case for itself that trainers should catch and train it? Well, it’s typing automatically means it has a favorable matchup against Charizard, but the question is whether its the best option available.
If you’re playing Pokémon Sword & Shield then chances are you have access to catching a Chewtle and training it into a Drednaw. The problem with Barbaracle isn’t that it can’t be useful against Charizard, it’s that you shouldn’t settle for ground beef when you can get a Wagyu ribeye steak.
8 Stonjourner
Stonjourner is the Pokémon epitome of embracing your typing fully and evolving accordingly. It comes equipped with high levels of health and top-tier potential in both physical attack and defense. If you’re expecting it to do anything in the realm of special attack and defense, you shouldn’t hold your breath as they’re both worse than abysmal.
Most trainers give their Charizard a moveset packed with Fire-type special attacks which means it will likely wreck Stonjourner if it can outspeed it. Thankfully, the Big Rock Pokémon has decent speed.
7 Omastar
You might be wondering why a Rock and Water dual-type is so low on the list when it’’s 4x resistant to Charizard. What’s wrong with Omastar you might be asking yourself? Well, to begin with, it’s not the easiest Pokémon to get a hold of as it happened to be one of the fossil Pokémon acquired in the Kanto region.
Secondly, it has a terrible speed stat, which means it will almost always go second, Lastly, and this may seem superficial, this thing is tough to look at and most trainers will opt for other Pokémon who are more visually appealing.
6 Rampardos
Rampardos is interesting since it only learns Normal and Dark-type moves until it evolves. This means that you really shouldn’t try fighting a Charizard with it until it’s at least level 36. The problem with Rampardos is that it boasts a top-tier base physical attack stat, but is extremely slow.
This means that its power is often wasted as most Pokémon it battles outspeed it and knock it out. If you’re able to give it a Quick Claw item or maybe even increase its speed stat you can turn this ancient dinosaur Pokémon into a solid battler.
5 Carracosta
The only reason Carracosta isn’t higher on the list is that Drednaw came into existence. The Prototurtle Pokémon that calls both land and sea home is often lauded as a defensive wall, but its physical attack is pretty respectable as well.
Any Pokémon who can be born with the ability Sturdy has a chance in battle as their trainers know they’ll never be knocked out in one hit. Its other ability, Solid Rock, makes it so the damage taken from super-effective attacks is reduced, something they likely won’t need when facing Charizard.
4 Alolan Golem
Golem from the Kanto region is a decent matchup for Charizard, but its Alolan variant becomes a stonewall for the Fire/Flying-type fan favorite. It swaps its secondary Ground-typing for Electric which makes it even more dangerous as electric moves annihilate flyers.
Normally opponents would be afraid of Golem using the move Self-destruct, which becomes even scarier for a Charizard since Alolan Golem’s hidden ability called Galvanize makes it so Normal-type moves become Electric-type and have their power boosted.
3 Lycanroc
Not only is Lycanroc a Rock-type which is a bad matchup in and of itself, but it also happens to have three different form variants. So trainers may know their opponent has a Lycanroc, but each form has its base stats with varied strengths and weaknesses.
This automatically gives Lycanroc the advantage from the beginning. Of course, it can learn a host of solid Rock-type moves, but a secret weapon is that it can learn Toxic via technical machines. Though it’s not a direct weakness for Charizard, the move is devastating to any Pokémon when inflicted early in the battle.
2 Gigalith
Gigalith may look like the run of the mill Rock-type Pokémon the franchise is known for including in every generation, but when facing off with Charizard it more than proves its worth.
Combining the Rock-type moves Rock Slide and Stone Edge, this thing can set itself up with a pretty devastating moveset. Each of its abilities can also stifle Charizard as its Sturdy ability prevents it from being knocked out, while it’s Sand Stream ability kicks up a flurry of dust that inflicts Pokémon and damages them with every passing turn.
1 Drednaw
The champion of the Galar region is a trainer named Leon who boasts a powerful Charizard as his primary ally. This makes the inclusion of Drednaw as a Pokémon trainers can obtain rather early and level up feel planned from the beginning.
Its Rock and Water dual-typing means it harnesses both of Charizard’s glaring weaknesses and is 4x resistant to Fire-type moves. Charizard’s original rival was Blastoise, and the inclusion of another turtle who stops Charizard in its tracks feels like sweet Pokémon poetic justice.
NEXT: Pokémon: The Best Electric-Type Pokémon Of Every Generation, Ranked
