What it does
Fire-type moves hit 20% harder. No recoil, no lock, no cost. Non-Fire moves get nothing.
Who runs it
Torkoal at 92% is the highest rate across all nine items in this group. Torkoal sets Drought on entry and attacks with Eruption or Heat Wave. Sun already gives Fire moves ×1.5; Charcoal's ×1.2 on top brings the effective multiplier to ×1.8. Choice Specs would lock Torkoal out of support moves like Body Press or Stealth Rock — Charcoal doesn't. That flexibility is worth more than the extra 30% from Choice.
Charizard at 48% pairs with Torkoal on sun teams, stacking sun and Charcoal for devastating Flamethrower damage. Ninetales at 45% is a steady Fire STAB user on sun teams. Volcarona at 3% is already powerful after a Quiver Dance — stacking multipliers on top makes individual moves punishing.
How to use it
Turn 1: Torkoal enters, drought activates immediately. From there, Fire attackers operate at ×1.8 effective multiplier. Eruption at full HP has base power 150; at ×1.8 that's an effective 270 — among the highest expected single-turn damage in the game.
Torkoal's Charcoal value is highest when it maintains both roles: weather setter and attacker. Locking it into one move with Choice loses that dual function.
Tips & strategy
Eruption's power scales down with HP. Opponents will try to chip Torkoal specifically to reduce its output. Protect it with Follow Me or Wide Guard redirects — preserving full HP keeps Charcoal's effective multiplier at its ceiling.
Outside sun, Charcoal still works at ×1.2. Ceruledge at 5% is the clearest non-sun example: Bitter Blade provides recovery, and Charcoal keeps Fire STAB sharp without Life Orb competing with that heal.