When it comes to classic Pokémon, it doesn’t get much more iconic than the adorable Charmander! That’s why the Lizard Pokémon is the fiery star of Pokémon GO’s September 2023 Community Day Classic on September 2, 2023, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. local time. During the event, Charmander will appear more frequently in the wild, and Trainers might even encounter a Shiny Charmander—if they’re lucky! Community Day–themed Timed Research and Field Research will also be available, as well as PokéStop Showcases for Trainers to show off their Charmander. Best of all, Trainers can evolve Charmeleon (Charmander’s Evolution) during the event or up to two hours afterward to get a Charizard that knows the Dragon-type Fast Attack Dragon Breath and the Fire-type Charged Attack Blast Burn.

Trainers can make the most of these blazing event bonuses:

• 3× Stardust for catching Pokémon.

• Lure Modules activated during the event will last for three hours.

• Incense (excluding Daily Adventure Incense) activated during the event will last for three hours.

• Take a few snapshots during Community Day for a surprise!

Sizzling Special Research Story

A ticket for a Charmander Community Day Classic–exclusive Special Research story will be available in the in-game shop for US$1.00 (or the equivalent pricing tier in your local currency). Don’t forget that you can also purchase tickets for friends that you’ve achieved a friendship level of Great Friends or higher with. To gift a Special Research ticket, simply tap the “Gift” button instead of the “Buy” button.

Seizing the (Community Classic) Day

As cute as Charmander is, it eventually evolves into the powerful Fire- and Flying-type Pokémon Charizard. In addition to being a solid Pokémon in raids, Charizard is a popular Pokémon in the GO Battle League’s Great League and Ultra League. And while Charizard is no longer the strongest Fire type in Pokémon GO, Mega Evolving it into Mega Charizard Y can catapult it right back towards the top echelon of Fire-type Pokémon.

To make the most of Charizard’s potential, it’s useful to have a Charizard under 1,500 CP for the Great League, a Charizard under 2,500 for the Ultra League, and a maximally powered up Charizard for Raid Battles. Charizard is even stronger with a second Charged Attack, which requires a lot of Stardust and Charmander Candies. Fortunately, there are plenty of Charmander available to catch during Community Day Classic—and making use of the extended duration of Incense and Lure Modules will allow you to catch even more. And if you want to be even more efficient, Pinap Berries will ensure you receive extra Candy when catching Pokémon, while Star Pieces will grant you 50% additional Stardust for 30 minutes.

Lastly, it’s important to ensure your Pokémon have access to the best possible attacks. What qualifies as “the best” depends on your battle strategy. For the GO Battle League, where energy generation is incredibly important, it’s worth noting that the Fast Attack Wing Attack boasts superior energy generation. For raids, you might prefer a Fire-type Fast Attack like Fire Spin. And whether you’re using Charizard in raids or the GO Battle League, Blast Burn is one of its strongest Charged Attacks—so take advantage of this opportunity to obtain a Charizard that knows it without having to use an Elite TM.

Fan the flames of fun, Trainers!