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The best Charizard Pokémon cards

These are the best Charizard cards, the most powerful, rarest, and most iconic Pokémon cards featuring the first fire-type final evolution.

Charizard Pokemon card art featuring Charizard fighting Mewtwo

Charizard Pokémon cards are prized among Pokémon fans. They're some of the rarest, most beautiful, and most valuable pieces of paper that can be added to a TCG collection. Beyond their sentimental, aesthetic, and financial value, many are also perfectly playable in a strong Pokémon deck. This guide lists the best Charizard Pokémon cards for all kinds of player.

Many of our list's entries can also be found in the rare Pokémon cards hall of fame. Meanwhile, others are (or, at least, at some point were) among the best Pokémon cards to take down an opponent with. A range of Pokémon sets are represented here, so there's a lot of Charizard history to admire.

Shadowless First Edition Charizard

Shadowless First Edition Charizard

The original Charizard

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Shadowless First Edition Charizard specifications:
First released 1999
TCG expansion Base set
Pros
  • One of the rarest cards in Pokémon history
  • The original card for everyone's favorite Pokémon
Cons
  • Can be eye-wateringly expensive
  • Only worth the big bucks in pristine condition

Let's just get this one out the way first, shall we? The first English Charizard card ever printed, First Edition Charizard is one of the rarest cards out there and is widely considered to be the 'holy grail' of Pokémon. When we were only wee, this was the card everyone dreamed about adding to their collection. Everyone had that breathtaking moment they thought they might own the card, only to sadly realize that what they held was in fact a later printing.

Of all the Charizard Pokémon cards on the list, this is the most iconic, and hardest to get hold of. Even severely damaged versions can go for a pretty penny.

Rainbow Charizard VMAX

Rainbow Charizard VMAX

The best all-rounder.

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Rainbow Charizard VMAX specifications:
First released 2020
TCG expansion Champion's Fate
Pros
  • Gorgeous full art in sparkly rainbow colors
  • Rare and valuable
  • Very playable
Cons
  • Low value compared to the top Charizards

One of the most sought-after Charizard cards of recent years, Charizard VMAX is one of the top chase cards from Shining Fates, and the rainbow version printed in the set Champion's Fate is the rarest version of all.

Originally a Japan-exclusive promo card, awarded in tournaments – this colorful variant goes for a little more than the Shiny version. While originally touted as a $1000 card, the sheer number of Shiny VMAXs on the market means you can pick up a good quality black Charizard VMAX for under $100).

Power-wise, this is an impressive Charizard card too, not offering any fancy tricks, just devastating foes with raw strength. With 300 damage on its ultimate attack, it could knock out almost anything.

Tera Charizard ex

Tera Charizard ex

One of the most powerful Charizards.

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Tera Charizard ex specifications:
First released 2023
TCG expansion Obsidian Flames
Pros
  • Worth playing in your best Charizard decks
  • Beautiful art
Cons
  • Not much financial or sentimental value

There's a new best Charizard on the block. Tera Charizard ex has a great typing, a powerful attack that only gets stronger if you're behind, and a versatile ability that lets it share fire energy cards with your whole team.

The proof is in the pudding, and Tera Charizard ex has already delivered tournament-winning results, claiming first place in the Pokémon EUIC.

Shining Charizard

Shining Charizard

Another extremely valuable card.

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Shining Charizard specifications:
First released 2002
TCG expansion Neo Destiny
Pros
  • A rare and valuable Charizard card
  • Historical and sentimental value
Cons
  • Not much play value
  • May be too expensive for budget collectors

It's fair to say that Charizard has one of the coolest shiny forms in all of Pokémon – the badass dragon just looks better in black. So it only makes sense that Shining Charizard from the 2002 Pokémon TCG expansion Neo Destiny is an incredibly sought-after Charizard card. The art is just perfect, almost looking like a silhouette.

Shining Pokémon were an exciting addition to the game in the early years of the Pokémon TCG. They featured multiple energy types for their attacks, and you were limited to one copy per deck. They were rare, with pull chances listed at about 1 in 300. The result? A good quality Shining Charizard can now easily go for over $1,000.

Charizard Plasma Storm

Charizard Plasma Storm

One of the best modern Charizards.

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Charizard Plasma Storm specifications:
First released 2013
TCG expansion Plasma Storm
Pros
  • Awesome artwork
  • Pretty playable
  • A rare and valuable card
Cons
  • Not budget-friendly
  • Outshone by more iconic Charizard cards

Yet another holo shiny Charizard card, this secret rare is the most valuable card from its set (Plasma Storm, 2013). A rarer reprint of a card from Boundaries Crossed, it features badass art, a cool Pokedex entry, and an attack that can whittle away at the bench. Interestingly, the Charizard Plasma Storm card was printed wrong, displaying a Fighting energy requirement on its attack, rather than Fire.

Reshiram & Charizard GX

Reshiram & Charizard GX

A budget-friendly Charizard.

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Reshiram & Charizard GX specifications:
First released 2019
TCG expansion Unbroken Bonds
Pros
  • Extremely budget-friendly
  • A fairly competitive Charizard card
Cons
  • Not much financial value for collectors

Charizard gets some legendary help in this tag team card with Reshiram. With multiple powerful attacks, including a GX move that can incinerate anything in your way, this card has had some competitive success, appearing in some of the best Pokémon decks in the 2019 World Championships, where it helped secure third and fourth place.

One of the most affordable Charizard cards on this list, there is of course a special rainbow Reshiram & Charizard GX variant that's about eight times more pricy. But something about the artwork on the original speaks to us.

Charizard Gold Star Delta

Charizard Gold Star Delta

The best shiny Charizard.

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Charizard Gold Star Delta specifications:
First released 2006
TCG expansion Dragon Frontiers
Pros
  • Part of the highly popular Gold Star series
  • A rare and valuable Charizard
  • Stunning art
Cons
  • Not great to play with

There's a darkness type Tera Charizard card featured in the new Pokémon set Obsidian Flame, but hardcore fans of this fiery boy will know that we already had a Charizard with this Pokémon card type all the way back in 2006, with the set Dragon Frontiers. Thanks to its stunning high contrast art that bursts through the frame, a unique typing, and a shiny rare holo rarity, Charizard Gold Star Delta is much-desired, and very expensive.

In terms of its actual power though, it's a bit of a letdown. Charizard cards generally have a 'discarding energy' problem, and this one is worse than most – discarding all five of the energy required to power its ultimate the moment you use it.

Flashfire Charizard EX Pokémon Card Game Art Collection

Flashfire Charizard EX Pokémon Card Game Art Collection

The most beautiful Charizard.

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Flashfire Charizard EX Pokémon Card Game Art Collection specifications:
First released 2016
TCG expansion XY-P promotional cards
Pros
  • Outstanding art of Charizard
  • A rare and valuable find
Cons
  • Not as iconic as older Charizard cards

Two years after its initial printing in Flashfire, 2014, Flashfire Charizard EX Pokémon Card Game Art Collection promo featuring art by Hitoshi Ariga was released in the September Pokémon Card Game Art Collection. Only available in Japanese, this stunning full-art card shows a Charizard who's surely just about to absolutely cook a poor Venusaur (though admittedly the leafy dinofrog seems to be giving as good as he gets).

Art from Plasma Storm Charizard, one of the best Charizard Pokemon cards

For more TCG guides, here's all you need to know about the newest Pokémon set, plus the best Pokémon packs to buy right now. Or why not read our up-to-date answer to the question: how many Pokémon are there?