The 10 Most Iconic Charizard Cards of All Time
From the 1999 Charizard to a rainbow VMAX, ten Charizard cards read from their scans, and the price eight of them pay for their biggest attack.
The most iconic Charizard cards are the ones collectors name without a number: the Base Set holo, the Shining, the Gold Star, the Dark Charizard from Team Rocket. Ten of them, from 1999 to 2024.
The countdown runs from 10 to 1 in the order of the carousel this list comes from, ranked by how iconic each card is. Read the attack costs as you go: Charizard hits hard, and almost every time it pays for it.
10. Charizard VMAX, 2020 rainbow
aky CG Works drew the Gigantamax Charizard in rainbow colours from claw to flame, so big it barely fits the card. 330 HP, numbered 074/073, one above the size of its set.
Claw Slash does 100. G-Max Wildfire does 300, and the text right under it asks for the bill: discard 2 Energy from this Pokémon.
9. Charizard ex, 2024 Tera
Akira Egawa drew Charizard as a dark creature made of crystal shards, wings spread, on a background that looks like broken glass. The type in the corner is Darkness, not Fire, and two gold stars sit next to 234/091.
Infernal Reign does the opposite of most cards on this list: when it evolves, you search your deck for up to 3 basic Fire Energy and attach them. Burning Darkness does 180, plus 30 for each Prize card your opponent has taken.
8. Charizard V, 2022
Ryota Murayama painted Charizard swooping low over a valley, close enough to fill the card, while a green Pokémon with a pink flower on its back stands on a ledge behind it. Sparks drift through the foreground.
Incinerate does 90 and first discards every Pokémon Tool on your opponent's Active Pokémon. Heat Blast does 180 with no strings attached, one of only two big attacks here that cost Charizard nothing.
7. Charizard ex, 2023
miki kudo made Charizard small for once: a silhouette crossing a pink sky above a canyon, a volcano glowing on the left. 330 HP, 199/165, two gold stars.
Brave Wing does 60, or 160 if Charizard is already damaged. Explosive Vortex does 330, the biggest number on the list, and discards 3 Energy from Charizard.
6. Charizard GX, 2019 shiny
5ban Graphics drew the black Charizard with red wings, in smooth 3D, on a white background with gold sparkles. The number, SV49/SV94, places it in a subset numbered apart from the main set.
Wing Attack does 70. Crimson Storm does 300 and discards 3 Fire Energy. Raging Out GX discards the top 10 cards of your opponent's deck, once per game.
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5. Dark Charizard, 1st Edition
Ken Sugimori gave Charizard a narrower face and a meaner look, its tail flame curling over its head on a dark starry holo. A 1st Edition stamp sits under the art, and the flavour text sets the tone: seemingly possessed, it spews fire like a volcano, trying to burn all it sees.
Nail Flick does 10. Continuous Fireball flips one coin per Fire Energy on Dark Charizard, does 50 per heads, then discards one Fire Energy per heads. The harder it hits, the more it burns.
Dark Charizard also holds a spot in our list of the Pokémon cards with the most aura, for that same face against the dark holo.
4. Charizard 146/144, 2003
Kouki Saitou drew Charizard lunging straight at you, claws first, on a holo full of sparkles. The number, 146/144, sits above the size of its set, and the card wears the barcode stripes of its era along the edges.
Crystal Type changes Charizard's type to match the Fire, Lightning or Fighting Energy you attach. Fireblast does 40 and discards an Energy. Dragon Tail flips 2 coins for 50 each.
3. Charizard Gold Star, 2006
A gold star after the name, a black body, and a Darkness type: Masakazu Fukuda's Charizard is a Delta Species card, breathing a huge burst of flame across a green and black sky. The card reminds you that you can't have more than 1 Pokémon ☆ in your deck.
Rotating Claws does 20 and lets you swap an Energy for one from your discard pile. Dark Swirl does 150, then discards every Energy on Charizard and the top 3 cards of your opponent's deck.
2. Shining Charizard, 1st Edition
Hironobu Yoshida drew a black Charizard gliding over a pale yellow landscape. The top line limits you to one in your deck, and the number, 107/105, sits above the size of its set. The flavour text: flames so hot they can melt anything.
White-hot Flame does 100, but only if you discard a Fire Energy and a Lightning Energy, and on tails Charizard takes 30 damage itself. It is the only card on the list that can hurt its owner.
1. Charizard, Base Set 1st Edition
Mitsuhiro Arita drew the Charizard everyone pictures: wings up, mouth open, roaring at a red and gold holo full of stars. 120 HP, 4/102, the 1st Edition stamp under the art, and a flavour text about fire hot enough to melt boulders.
Energy Burn turns all its Energy into Fire Energy for the turn. Fire Spin does 100 and discards 2 Energy cards to do it. The first Charizard already paid for its big attack.
What Charizard's iconic cards have in common
Charizard hits hard: 100 in 1999, 300 on the GX and the VMAX, 330 on the 2023 ex. Eight of the ten cards make it pay for that, by throwing away its own Energy.
Fire Spin discards 2, White-hot Flame 2, Fireblast 1, Crimson Storm 3, Explosive Vortex 3, G-Max Wildfire 2. Continuous Fireball burns one per heads, Dark Swirl burns them all. The two exceptions are recent: Heat Blast on the 2022 V, and the 2024 ex, whose Ability fetches Energy instead.
The second thread is fire itself. Three flavour texts on the list talk about flames that melt or burn everything, and the 2023 ex flies past a volcano. Yet three of the ten are not Fire type: the Gold Star and the 2024 ex are Darkness, and the 2003 card changes colour with its Energy.
“Charizard's biggest attacks always come with a bill.”
Kouki Saitou, who drew number 4, shows up on the other side of the scale in our ranking of the ugliest Charizard cards.
Iconic cards are the ones collectors keep. Stakd shows what each Charizard in your binder is worth, from the 1999 holo to the 2024 Tera ex.
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