Charcoal is a classic held item at this point, but it’s taken on renewed relevance in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. With multiple hard-hitting fire Pokemon enjoying relevance in the metagame, several can take advantage of Charcoal to boost their power further.
Even in an era of held items with elaborate effects, such as Room Service and the newly added Booster Energy, items like Charcoal can still be effective in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. This is particularly important because of the long list of steel Terastallized Pokemon, who often necessitate a fire-type Pokemon.
Of course, players need to actually get Charcoal before they can actually take advantage of its power. Here’s how to get Charcoal in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, what it does, and which Pokemon benefit from it most.
Where to Get Charcoal in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
Players can get Charcoal in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet from any of the Delibird Presents locations in Mesagoza. The item is found in the Battle Items section and costs $3,000. The item can be purchased at any time.
The item gives a 20% boost to fire-type moves, making it a decent option for any Fire-type Pokemon. That said, there are some Pokemon where it’s almost a must-use.
Best Charcoal Users
The best Charcoal users in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are Armarouge and Torkoal. That said, there are many other Pokemon that can benefit from the item in different styles of play.
For clearing the game’s story, Charcoal is beneficial for any given Pokemon that uses Fire-type moves. Players that choose Fuecoco as their starter should invest in Charcoal early on to boost its damage output, especially for Skeledirge’s signature Torch Song move. Things change quite a bit in ranked battles, though.
In ranked battles, the best options for using Charcoal are Torkoal and Armarouge.
For Torkoal, Charcoal is the preferred held item. Torkoal can do absurd damage to opponents by setting up Trick Room, then boosting the powerful Eruption move with harsh sunlight, a fire Tera Type, and the Charcoal item. Putting all these together lets Torkoal score a one-hit knockout on almost anything that takes neutral damage from fire Pokemon.
Charcoal is also a situational option for Armarouge. Though players often look to utilize Psychic Terrain-empowered Expanding Force, players can deal huge damage by having an ally proc the Weak Armor ability and then following it up with Heat Wave or Armor Cannon boosted by fire Tera Typing and Charcoal.
This is a cheesier build that requires a more elaborate setup than Torkoal, but it can still deal enormous damage if it’s pulled off effectively.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.
