It’s safe to say that Charizard is the most popular Pokemon for collectors of the TCG.
The Flame Pokemon generally commands the highest fees of any Pokemon and therefore, has people chasing it.
This means that when The Pokemon Company can release a Charizard card, they do and there have been no fewer than 19 already in the Sword and Shield era.
Ahead of the Charizard Ultra Premium Collection’s release, which will contain three Charizard alternate art cards, we’ve ranked every card released this generation so far. Enjoy.
23. Darkness Ablaze Charizard VMAX
- Set: Darkness Ablaze
- Set Number: 020/189
- Rarity: Pokemon VMAX
- Average Price: £35/$30
Charizard VMAX from Darkness Ablaze takes the dreaded bottom place on this list.
VMAX cards are generally uninteresting with their generic backgrounds and adding Charizard to it does nothing. It just looks very orange and very rotund.
22. Pokemon GO Charizard
- Set: Pokemon GO
- Set Number: 010/078
- Rarity: Holo Rare
- Average Price: £2/$3
The Pokemon GO set has to be one of this generation’s biggest letdowns. It had disappointing cards and even worse pull rates.
This Charizard card isn’t bad, with the Pokemon soaring amongst skyscrapers, however, it’s really nothing special.
21. Rainbow Charizard VMAX
- Set: Champion’s Path
- Set Number: 074/073
- Rarity: Rainbow Secret Rare
- Average Price: £160/$200
VMAX cards aren’t great and neither are rainbow rares.
Put the two together and you get this. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not top-tier.
20. Lance’s Charizard V
- Set: Black Star Promo (Lance’s Charizard V Box)
- Set Number: SWSH133
- Rarity: Black Star Promo
- Average Price: £4/$4
There’s nothing particularly wrong with this Charizard Pokemon Card that was released as part of 2021’s Celebration set, it’s just a little too cartoony to the point where it looks a bit out of place.
19. Brilliant Stars Charizard V
- Set: Brilliant Stars
- Set Number: 017/172
- Rarity: Pokemon V
- Average Price: £7/$7
Standard V cards are pretty generic, and while this one’s fine, it does nothing to stand out from the crowd.
18. Darkness Ablaze Charizard V
- Set: Darkness Ablaze
- Set Number: 019/189
- Rarity: Pokemon V
- Average Price: £6/$8
A slightly better-looking V than the one above, but the same comments still apply.
17. Radiant Charizard
- Set: Pokemon GO
- Set Number: 011/078
- Rarity: Radiant
- Average Price: £15/$15
The Radiant cards are a great idea and Charizard is obviously a very good pick.
This card, however, has been let down by its super generic background that doesn’t really do it justice.
16. Rainbow Charizard VSTAR
- Set: Charizard VSTAR
- Set Number: 174/172
- Rarity: Rainbow Secret Rare
- Average Price: £80/$80
Definitely one of the better Rainbow Rares in the TCG, this Brilliant Stars Charizard is a good-looking card and one that’ll no doubt hold its value.
15. Vivid Voltage Charizard
- Set: Vivid Voltage
- Set Number: 025/185
- Rarity: Non-Holo Rare
- Average Price: £4/$5
Just outside of the top 10, this Charizard features Leon commanding it in battle.
A pretty nice looking card for a Non-holo rare.
14. Shining Fates: Shiny Vault Charizard
- Set: Shining Fates (Shiny Vault)
- Set Number: SV107/SV122
- Rarity: Shiny Vault Subset
- Average Price: £80/$100
A beefy shiny Charizard.
I’ve made it clear previously that I don’t particularly like the design of this Charizard, but the fact that it’s shiny gives it plenty of bonus points.
13. Brilliant Stars Charizard VSTAR
- Set: Brilliant Stars
- Set Number: 018/072
- Rarity: VSTAR
- Average Price: £15/$15
This Charizard VSTAR Pokemon Card isn’t bad.
The design of the Pokemon flying out of the card is pretty cool and I’m one of the minority who likes the design of the VSTARs.
12. Champion’s Path Elite Trainer Box Charizard Promo
- Set: Black Star Promo (Champion’s Path ETB)
- Set Number: SWSH050
- Rarity: Black Star Promo
- Average Price: £6/$5
This card is likely to be one of the most graded Pokemon cards of all time.
The combination of its good looks, the fact it’s Charizard and the ease of access to it are all contributing factors.
11. Champion’s Path Charizard
- Set: Champion’s Path
- Set Number: 079/073
- Rarity: Secret Rare
- Average Price: £130/$150
The second-highest-ranking shiny Charizard card on this list and definitely the chase card from the underwhelming Champion’s Path set.
While the Charizard model is the same as that from the promo above, its shininess gives it the edge.
10. Radiant Charizard
- Set: Crown Zenith
- Set Number: 20/159
- Rarity: Radiant
- Average Price: £15/$20
This Radiant Charizard card is far more appealing than the one released as part of the Pokemon GO set.
It features a far more appealing background and generally, a better picture of Charizard. It’s a fitting tribute to Crown Zenith.
9. Charizard VMAX Promo
- Set: Charizard Ultra Premium Collection
- Set Number: SWSH261
- Rarity: Black Star Promo
- Average Price: £15/$25
Easily the weakest card from the Charizard Ultra Premium Collection. That’s not to say it’s bad, it still ranks nicely on this list, it’s just not as good as the other two from the box.
It does look like a scene from a Godzilla movie, though, which does earn it bonus points.
8. Celebrations Charizard
- Set: Celebrations Classic Collection
- Set Number: 4/102
- Rarity: Classic Collections Subset
- Average Price: £75/$70
It’s safe to say that the Base Set Charizard is one of the most popular cards ever created, and this Celebrations reprint of it does it justice.
It’s only so far down on the list as it’s received multiple releases over the years.
7. Brilliant Stars – Charizard V
- Set: Brilliant Stars
- Set Number: 153/172
- Rarity: Full Art Ultra Rare
- Average Price: £35/$35
One of five Charizard cards released in Brilliant Stars, this full art is a banger.
One of the best designs of the actual Charizard on any SWSH card and the background contrasts nicely.
6. Vivid Voltage Promo Charizard
- Set: Black Star Promo (Vivid Voltage Pre-Release)
- Set Number: SWSH066
- Rarity: Black Star Promo
- Average Price: £75/$50
Released as one of the four Vivid Voltage pre-release promos, this Charizard is well deserving of fourth place.
A great card that was released as part of a very solid pre-release, joining Donphan, Snorlax and Lugia.
5. Special Delivery Charizard
- Set: Black Star Promo (Pokemon Center UK Opening)
- Set Number: SWSH075
- Rarity: Black Star Promo
- Average Price: £45/$70
One of the more recent releases, the Special Delivery Charizard was released to commemorate the opening of the UK Pokemon Center store.
It follows Special Delivery Pikachu and Bidoof in the series and is a very cool card.
4. Lost Origin Charizard
- Set: Lost Origin
- Set Number: TG03/TG30
- Rarity: Trainer Gallery Subset
- Average Price: £10/$10
The Trainer Gallery Charizard card is very nice.
It depicts Sword and Shield’s Leon chilling out with his Charizard on what looks like a sofa. It might not be the most valuable, but it’s definitely one of the best looking.
3. Charizard VSTAR Promo
- Set: Charizard Ultra Premium Collection
- Set Number: SWSH262
- Rarity: Black Star Promo
- Average Price: £25/$30
The VSTAR promo from the Ultra Premium collection is another awesome alternate card, depicting an epic battle between Mewtwo and Charizard.
The reverse of this card can be found in the last Sword and Shield set, Crown Zenith, and is incidentally the most expensive card in that set.
2. Charizard V Promo
- Set: Charizard Ultra Premium Collection
- Set Number: SWSH260
- Rarity: Black Star Promo
- Average Price: £20/$25
Narrowly missing out on the top spot on this list is the Charizard V from last year’s Ultra Premium Collection.
It features an awesome-looking Charizard taking a break, with a menacing Venusaur in the background. It looks like a continuation of the Golurk alternate art in Evolving Skies.
1. Brilliant Stars – Charizard V
- Set: Brilliant Stars
- Set Number: 154/172
- Rarity: Alternate Art
- Average Price: £130/$170
Not only the best Charizard card in Sword and Shield but arguably in all of the TCG.
The card depicts two Gen 1 titans going head-to-head in battle. It looks to be an earlier scene in the battle that featured the two from a previous XY Promo.
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Sam Woods
@captainwoodsy
Sam Woods has been in the games media space for around three years now, starting as a Staff Writer at DualShockers in 2020 before taking up the Managing Editor position there. After DualShockers was sold in 2022, Sam became GRV Media’s Global Head of Gaming Content, looking after HITC Gaming and Forever Geek, ensuring not only top-quality gaming content makes its way on the two sites but also TV, entertainment, anime, manga, tabletop and more. Outside of gaming, Sam is a big football (soccer) fan and avidly follows Ipswich Town.
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