>>34719867It was not a mainstay to a deck, it was mostly support and a mindgame piece. It was good, but not in the way a kid might try and use it.
In theory, you'd be using anything else most of the time, because Charizard is not sustainable. Attacking will probably leave it unable to retreat, unless you have a switch card or a surplus of energy, and 120 HP is nowhere near as bulky as it sounds, especially considering how many turns have likely gone by before this puppy hits the table and can actually kill something.
Instead, Charizard was far more effective as a boogyman. Keeping a Charmeleon on your bench with three or four energy alone was enough to make someone more cautious with their key pokemon, let alone actually having a fully loaded Charizard. It tends to make players more careful with their Switch cards, and more hesitant to use their win conditions.
Beyond that, Charizard was best used to delete something important from the other guy's team. Whatever you used it on had to count, because 2 energy, and leaving a pumpkin out on the field is a bad idea. Or else just keep a Switch card. Just roasting something with it was not a good trade, unless it was the last pokemon. It had to be a careful tactical decision.
