Everyone likes whenever a darker and edgier version of a character comes out, and the world of Pokemon is no exception. The Team Rocket Expansion for the card game has a dark Charizard inside the pack, and unlike other Charizards, it is pretty common. Chances are you will be seeing this card if you ever get the Team Rocket booster packs, and here’s a guide on how to use the card effectively.
Dark Charizard Stats
| Health | 80 hp |
| Attacks | Nail Flick (10 damage) Continuous Fireball (50X damage) |
| Weaknesses | Water type attacks |
| Resistances | Fighting Type attacks |
What Is The Dark Charizard?
The Dark Charizard Card is a fire type monster and has 80 hp. Retreating with the Dark Charizard costs three normal energy. It is weak to water type attacks and is resistant to fighting type attacks with a -30 damage to any fighting type attacks that hit it. IT has two attacks, and the first one is Nail Flick, which does 10 damage and costs 1 normal energy.
The second attack is called Continuous Fireball, and the text states: Flip a number of coins equal to the number of Fire Energy cards attached to Dark Charizard. This attack does 50 damage times the number of heads. Discard a number of Fire Energy cards attached to Dark Charizard equal to the number of heads.
Let’s break down the continuous fireball attack for a second, because it is a very powerful attack. It requires two fire energy to use, and you will need to flip two coins, one for each energy card. For every head, you can do 50 points of damage to the enemy Pokemon. Then you will discard a number of fire energy cards for every head.
So if you flipped two coins and got two heads, you would deal 100 damage from the continuous fireball and then discard the two fire tokens. Now, here’s the cool part, because while you are limited to attaching one energy card to one Pokemon a turn, there is no limit to how many energy cards you can attach to your pokemon, as long as you can hold out the required number of turns.
Let’s say your team has managed to battle the enemy to a standstill over 10 turns, and for 5 of those ten turns, you place a fire token on your Dark Charizard. Whenever you finally use the continuous flame attack, you would flip 5 coins, and let’s say you get three heads. 50 multiplied by 3 is 150 points of damage, and then you would discard three fire tokens.
Not only are you dealing 150 points of damage to your enemy, but you also have the required two fire tokens to launch the attack again. It’s only 100 max damage, but being able to do 250 points of damage in a row can be a game-changer!
Why Are Their ‘Dark’ Pokemon?
Of course, we all know about the dark type of Pokemon. These Pokemon aren’t evil, but dark types do tend to be on the spookier side! However, regular pokemon with dark in their names, such as the Dark Charizard, is different.
They are considered corrupted versions of their normal selves, and this is all because of Team Rocket. Almost all of the corrupted Pokemon have been introduced in the Team Rocket expansion for the card game.
They are made corrupt because Team Rocket is very dangerous and also a very corrupt institution, so naturally, they train their Pokemon that way. Other expansions for the card game would touch on the impact a Pokemon trainer has made on their Pokemon. Dark Pokemon also appeared in the Neo Destiny expansion for the game.
This expansion pack was all about how the destiny of a Pokemon can change because of how it is brought up by its trainer. It also finally addressed how ‘Dark’ and corrupted Pokemon were different from actual dark type Pokemon. Mostly how it was the way they were brought up and taught by their trainer, rather than simply any inborn evil or wickedness.
Finally, the latest appearance of dark and corrupted Pokemon are in the expansion pack: EX Team Rocket Returns. This didn’t just unleash more Dark creatures onto the Pokemon world, but it also showed off the Pokemon Star cards, which were pokemon with different coloration than the rest of their species.
If that wasn’t enough, this pack introduced the Pokemon ex series, which helps to make Pokemon even stronger and gives them a host of new attacks and abilities.
What Are Light Pokemon?
Neo Destiny also brings in the Light Pokemon who act as an antithesis to the darker Pokemon and also focus on aiding and buffing their teammates. They also often have higher HP than normal Pokemon as well, and again focus on being caring and kind, just like their trainer.
Sadly, they only appeared in the Neo Destiny expansion and there are only 20 of them, but if you manage to snag some for your deck they are often enough to turn the tide of battle and get injured Pokemon back in the fight.
While you don’t need them to beat Dark Pokemon or even to be a good Pokemon player, they are great cornerstone teammates that can help you out of a pinch if you happen to need the help!
When Does Dark Charizard Evolve?
Can you evolve a Dark Charizard from a regular Charmeleon? No, while a normal Charmander can be evolved into either a normal Charmeleon or a Dark Charmeleon, the second phase of the evolution needs to be dark as well. A dark charmeleon is a fire type with 50 HP, a weakness to water type attacks, and it has the same -30 damage reduction to fighting type attacks that Dark Charizard has.
It has two attacks, with the first being a simple Tail Slap that does 20 damage and costs two normal energy to use. It also has a fireball attack that does 70 damage, costs three fire energy to use, and has this description: Use this attack only if there are any Fire Energy cards attached to Dark Charmeleon. Flip a coin. If heads, discard 1 of those Energy cards. If tails, this attack does nothing (not even damage).
There’s something very interesting about this attack. To use the attack, you already need three fire energy cards, but you will need to flip a coin.
If it is heads, you remove one of your energy cards and then do the attack as normal, but if you end up flipping tails, then the attack fizzles out and no damage is done. You don’t lose any fire energy cards on your Charmeleon, but you do lose the opportunity to attack and do the damage you would have done.
This can be devastating in a close battle, one of those where every single turn counts and every point of damage separates the players from victory and defeat! It’s a risk, and that’s a theme with Dark Pokemon. They have a lot of powerful attacks, but a lot of them are dependent on coin flips or other random chance, which can cause them to fizzle out and give the enemy the advantage.
Dark Charizard Summary Of Appearances in Pokemon Versions and Media (Games, Anime, Movies)
No, Dark Pokemon are exclusive to the card game, but Charizard, while not evil, was a bit of a jerk whenever he first met Ash. Although when he was Charmander he was happy and friendly, Charmelon’s skill level exceeded Ash’s whenever he evolved, and so he began disobeying orders.
When he evolved into Charizard, he became lazy and arrogant, but that all changed during a battle with a Poliwrath. Ash’s Charizard was hit by a water gun and then an ice beam, freezing him and almost extinguishing the flame on his tail. Ash focused on keeping his Charizard warm, working all night until the flame could be restored. Due to this event, Charizard regained his full loyalty to Ash and it grew to the point where he was one of Ash’s most loyal Pokemon.
He even worked with Ash to defeat the Poliwrath during their rematch and has continued to form friendships with other Pokemon and even train with them. The loyalty he has for Ash, and his commitment to training, makes him one of Ash’s strongest Pokemon. Shame he isn’t used more often because it could really boost Ash’s chances.
Do We Encounter Dark Pokemon Anywhere Else?
We only see Dark Pokemon in the card game expansion, and not in the video games or anime. Whenever Ash and his friends or the players is Pokemon video games encounter Team Rocket (and the Pokemon we can assume they trained) they are always normal type Pokemon and seem to act as normal too.
It’s a bit sad that the idea of dark and light Pokemon only made it to the card game, because it could be very exciting to learn more about how the role of the trainer influences the Pokemon.
Dark Charizard Strengths
Dark Charizard should be one of your team’s heaviest hitters, and while Nail Flick might not be the greatest Pokemon attack that a fully evolved creature should have, the Continuous fireball attack is a really good one if you can set it up properly. Placing as many fire tokens on your Dark Charizard as you can while your other pokemon hold the line is a really good strategy.
Then, when the enemy’s most powerful Pokemon comes out, you can unleash Dark Charizard and open fire with a Continuous Fireball that can deal a lot of damage. At higher counts, it can even one-shot most enemies. However, even using the attack in its base form for 2 coin flips and 100 damage is still pretty powerful. It can take out most Pokemon and even severely damage the higher leveled ones, so even a few nail flicks can finish them off.
Dark Charizard Weaknesses
Of course, just like in the anime, fire-type Pokemon are weak to water types. So if you are battling with other water types during your Pokemon battle, you might as well pull him back and fight with something else because the Dark Charizard takes double damage from those attacks. If you are taking on a very powerful water-type pokemon, you might even lose your Dark Charizard!
Dark Charizard Guide: FAQs
Question: How Does Team Rocket Corrupt Their Pokemon?
Answer: Since all dark versions of normal Pokemon are created by Team Rocket and come with their expansion packs for the card game, it begs the question those of us who love Pokemon don’t want to think about. How is Team Rocket taking Normal Pokemon and corrupting them?
Well, Team Rocket does care about their Pokemon, we see that in plenty of episodes. Based on the attacks and abilities of Dark Pokemon, it seems like Team Rocket has an ‘all or nothing’ focus on their Pokemon. They become stronger and work better alone rather than as part of a team, but their increased power comes with the risk of their attacks failing more often.
These Pokemon aren’t evil either but are rather trained to be the strongest and that winning fights equals being rewarded. Maybe with a kinder trainer than Team Rocket you could bring one back to its non-corrupted state.
Question: Do I Need Light Pokemon To Battle Dark Pokemon?
Answer: Thankfully, while the Light Pokemon have the ability to grant powerful advantages through their abilities and the power of their trainer, they are by no means needed to defeat Dark Pokemon. The Dark Pokemon still have the same weaknesses and vulnerabilities as other Pokemon, so they can be defeated by normal types without too much trouble.
So if you find yourself facing down some Dark Pokemon, don’t panic. Instead, trust in the team of Pokemon that you do have and use strategy to defeat them. Here’s a good strategy for you, if a Dark Pokemon attack misses or does less damage than it should, make sure to take advantage of that!
Question: Is There A Light Version of Charizard?
Answer: Sadly, there is not an official version of a light Charizard out there. Charizard does have some different evolutions though, including a Charizard V and Rainbow Charizard (VMAX version), Mega Charizard X using Chrizardite X, Mega Charizard Y using Charizardite Y, and its video game only Gigantamax Version.
So, even though there isn’t a Light version of Charizard from the Neo Destiny expansion pack, there’s still plenty of ways to get a new look at an old favorite whether it is for the video game or the card game.
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