Mobile special-fire opening
Charmander
Should you invest? Ember matches special 1.03. Compared with Fuecoco, lower HP buys speed; choose movement rather than assuming it survives more hits.
How to get Charmander: it is one of the 29 official starter choices. Decline the personality-test suggestion to choose another. Do not spend tickets chasing a species available from this selection. It also has 1-star rarity in the Kanto banner; no unconditional species pull percentage is implied.
Opening move: Ember is special: 18 raw damage, 18 base runtime damage and 0.52 s cooldown. Evolution requires level 5 plus a Power stat card taken during this run, followed by the evolution offer. Permanent purchases are not that run card.
Build direction: base stats favor special investment. Consider Nasty Plot and verified natural attacks such as Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Heat Wave as later choices, not a guaranteed card order. The natural pool is Normal plus its own types; taught TMs add species-specific exceptions. A Bond can combine attacks after you decide which should fire together.
Compare before spending coins: Fuecoco has HP 100, speed 93, physical ×0.95 and special ×1.05, versus Charmander: 88, 105, ×0.99 and ×1.03. This comparison excludes nature, abilities, permanent upgrades and items; no farming time or clear percentage was measured.
Where Charmander actually loses: Ember's 0.52 s cooldown means a stream of small hits, so armour and resistances remove a larger share of the damage than they would against one slow, heavy strike. That is the argument for adding a second fire source such as Fire Spin instead of a third special multiplier, and the reason one defensive card early can beat one more damage card. Compare with Fuecoco before spending coins, not after.
Survival limits: fire determines weaknesses and natural attacks. Consult this game's softened type chart, not main-series multipliers. The 20% own-type bonus requires an attack matching its single type. Leftovers heals while Quick Claw reduces cooldown. Only one held item fits, and neither replaces dodging.
| Dex / region | 004 / Kanto |
|---|---|
| Types / rarity | fire / 1 stars |
| HP / speed | 88 / 105 |
| Physical / special | ×0.99 / ×1.03 |
| Defense / special defense | 43 / 50 |
| Start / evolution | Ember; level 5 + Power → Ember + |
| Source version | 680c3e1; reviewed 2026-10-27 |
Questions
Is Charmander a starter?
Yes. It appears in the official 29-entry selection; decline the personality suggestion to choose another.
What powers Ember?
Special attack. The physical and special multipliers are separate, and the base fields do not already include a nature or own-type bonus.
Is this a tested best build?
No. It is a source-based starter decision with natural-pool directions. No clears, farming times or win rates were measured.
Sources
- Official starter selection (680c3e1; checked 2026-10-27)
- Official species stats (680c3e1; checked 2026-10-27)
- Official move and evolution data (680c3e1; checked 2026-10-27)
- Official English names (680c3e1; checked 2026-10-27)
- Official held items (680c3e1; checked 2026-10-27)
Last checked 2026-11-03. Numbers above are omitted when a source did not state them.