Ubers Ho-Oh

ckw

Tired
is a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
[OVERVIEW]

* Ho-Oh's great Attack stat paired with its Fire / Flying typing makes it an incredible offensive threat.
* Access to two very strong STAB moves combined with excellent coverage makes Ho-Oh a very dangerous Pokemon versus any team that lacks good defensive switch-ins or ways of pressuring entry hazard removers.
* Ho-Oh avoids four-moveslot syndrome thanks to its great STAB coverage, letting it run a variety of moves like Toxic, Curse, and Substitute as its last move.
* Ho-Oh's Regenerator ability and great Special Defense allow it to take on special attackers like Yveltal, Xerneas, Calm Mind Arceus formes, and special varaints of Primal Groudon.
* Ho-Oh's typing also makes it a good check to a few physical attackers lacking Rock-type coverage such as Marshadow, Mega Lucario, Ultra Necrozma, and Necrozma-DM.
* Ho-Oh's weakness to Rock means it loses half of its HP to Stealth Rock. This makes Ho-Oh much less splashable than most other offensive threats and a Pokemon that a team must be built around to properly support.

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Recover
move 4: Toxic / Curse / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Flyinium Z
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Sacred Fire is Ho-Oh's strongest physical Fire-type STAB move and lets it hit Steel-types like Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn while also having a 50% chance to burn the foe.
* Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's strongest Flying-type attack and lets it 2HKO most of the offensive metagame.
* Recover is Ho-Oh's most reliable form of recovery; it allows Ho-Oh to stay healthy throughout the game and is important for checking threats such as Marshadow, Mega Lucario, and Xerneas.
* Toxic lets Ho-Oh cripple switch-ins like support Arceus formes, Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C, and Lugia by setting them on a timer.
* Curse is an option that is highly recommended when running Flyinium Z because it makes Ho-Oh even more threatening. It allows Ho-Oh to beat Zygarde and Mega Salamence one-on-one thanks to the boost in Defense.
* Substitute is an option that lets Ho-Oh avoid getting inflicted with status from support Arceus formes, making it easier to play around them.
* If Ho-Oh runs Life Orb, Hidden Power Ice is a good option that lets Ho-Oh always OHKO Mega Salamence and OHKO Zygarde that have taken damage from Brave Bird.
* Earthquake can hit Primal Groudon and Toxapex without incurring recoil from Brave Bird while also 2HKOing Rock-types such as Tyranitar and the rare Arceus-Rock.


Set Details
========

* 104 HP EVs allow Ho-Oh to keep its health at an odd number and lose less HP from Life Orb recoil.
* 152 Speed EVs let Ho-Oh outspeed Adamant Necrozma-DM and hit it hard with Sacred Fire, potentially causing a burn and thus avoiding a potenial OHKO from +2 Searing Sunraze Smash.
* 252 Attack EVs maximize Ho-Oh's damage output.
* Ho-Oh can opt for a more basic EV spread of 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD instead. This is more sensible on Curse sets, which do not need to outspeed anything.
* Life Orb gives Ho-Oh more initial power in exchange for recoil every turn. Flyinium Z can be used instead when Ho-Oh is running Curse, as +1 Supersonic Skystrike can eliminate Zygarde, Giratina, and Lugia after taking damage from Stealth Rock.

Usage Tips
========

* Ho-Oh relies heavily on teammates with Defog or Rapid Spin to keep Stealth Rock off of your side of the field so it can function properly.
* Teams with Ho-Oh must put as much pressure as possible on the opposing team's Stealth Rock setter in order to keep Ho-Oh from taking massive damage prior to making a move. Run a Steel-type, and try to use it to lure Primal Groudon, which is the one of the best Stealth Rock setters, and set it on a timer with Toxic.
* Against teams with Necrozma-DM, scout for Rock-type coverage like Stone Edge and Power Gem before using Ho-Oh to check it. It is best to switch Ho-Oh in on its use of Stealth Rock, as this avoids taking damage from Stealth Rock, giving Ho-Oh an open chance to attack.
* Sending Ho-Oh in on predicted Steel-types like Magearna, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn will then allow it to apply pressure onto the opposing team.
* Go for Toxic on predicted switches into defensive threats like support Arceus formes and Lugia; they need to be crippled for Ho-Oh to break through them.
* Be cautious when going for Sacred Fire, as the move only has 8 PP. You might prefer crippling certain defensive threats like Lugia with Toxic over burning them with Sacred Fire as well.
* Scout for Rock-type coverage from physical threats like Primal Groudon, Ultra Necrozma, Marshadow, and Mega Lucario, which Ho-Oh can often switch into otherwise.
* Take advantage of Regenerator by switching Ho-Oh out and sacrificing less important teammates to gain health.

Team Options
========

* Entry hazard removers such as Arceus-Dark, Defog Mega Salamence, Defog Xerneas, and Giratina-O are the best teammates for Ho-Oh due to its weakness to Stealth Rock. Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie make great teammates as well thanks to their ability to bounce back Stealth Rock.
* Marshadow has a great matchup against offensive teams, as it is able to check Arceus, Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and Mega Gengar, and appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to deal with Marshadow, Arceus-Fairy, and Toxapex.
* Mega Gengar is able to take advantage of Sacred Fire burns and trap nuisances to Ho-Oh like Lugia.
* Primal Groudon can provide Stealth Rock support as well as a secondary check to Xerneas and a good check to Primal Kyogre.
* Zygarde-C can switch into physical threats to Ho-Oh such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Primal Groudon, and Mega Salamence. Ho-Oh can check Pokemon that Zygarde-C usually struggles against like Arceus-Fairy, Xerneas, Ferrothorn, and Celesteela.
* Ferrothorn is able to check Primal Kyogre and provide Spikes support for Ho-Oh.
* Magearna is able to relieve Ho-Oh of the pressure of checking special attackers like Yveltal, Xerneas, and Calm Mind variants of Ultra Necrozma. It can also run Volt Switch to bring Ho-Oh in safely or carry Heal Bell to cure teammates of status conditions.
* Necrozma-DM appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to switch into Steel-types that easily wall it. In exchange, Necrozma-DM is able to act as the primary check to Xerneas while also providing Stealth Rock support.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Recover
move 4: Toxic / Whirlwind
item: Leftovers
ability: Regenerator
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 52 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Sacred Fire lets Ho-Oh hit Steel-types like Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn and potentially burn physical threats.
* Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's most spammable move and hits most Pokemon for neutral damage.
* Recover is Ho-Oh's most reliable form of recovery; it allows Ho-Oh to stay healthy throughout the game and is important for checking threats such as Marshadow, Mega Lucario, mixed Primal Groudon, and Xerneas.
* Toxic lets Ho-Oh cripple defensive threats such as support Arceus formes, Primal Groudon, Zygarde, and Lugia.
* Whirlwind can be run over Toxic to phaze setup sweepers like Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Arceus formes.


Set Details
========

* Ho-Oh runs 252 HP to get maximum recovery from Leftovers and take minimal damage from Stealth Rock. 52 Special Defense EVs allow Ho-Oh to take +2 Thunder or Hidden Power Rock from Xerneas and check Mega Gengar, Lunala, and Calm Mind Arceus formes like Arceus-Fairy. The rest of the EVs are invested into Defense to check physical threats lacking Rock-type coverage such as Marshadow, Necrozma-DM, and Mega Lucario as well as Extreme Killer Arceus but only when it gets burned by the first Sacred Fire.
* Leftovers is required for its consistent source of recovery.
* Regenerator is the one of the best abilities a defensive Pokemon can get, letting Ho-Oh recover a third of its health whenever it switches out.

Usage Tips
========

* This Ho-Oh set fits best on defensive teams that tend to use entry hazards and Toxic to slowly weaken opposing teams.
* Make sure to keep Stealth Rock off the field as much as possible in order to bring in Ho-Oh freely.
* If Stealth Rock is unable to be removed, try to keep Ho-Oh as healthy as possible with the help of Roost and Regenerator.
* Switch Ho-Oh into Steel-types that it can wall very easily.
* Use Toxic on common switch-ins to Ho-Oh like Primal Groudon, Lugia, Giratina, and Tyranitar to set them on a timer, making them easier to beat.
* Avoid getting badly poisoned from Toxic, as this will prevent Ho-Oh from checking threats such as Calm Mind Arcues formes like Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Ground.
* Use Sacred Fire with caution versus bulkier teams; battles with such teams tend to be long, making it easy to use up all of Sacred Fire's PP.
* Scout for Rock-type coverage from physical threats such as Ultra Necrozma, Marshadow, and Mega Lucario. Ho-Oh can check special attacking variants of Primal Groudon, so scout for Rock Tomb or Stone Edge from it as well.

Team Options
========

* This Ho-Oh set is somewhat passive and thus fits best on balance or stall teams where there is not much need for offensive presence.
* Entry hazard removers such as support Arceus formes, Defog Giratina, and Skarmory are the best teammates for Ho-Oh due to its weakness to Stealth Rock. Mega Sableye is a great partner as well thanks to Magic Bounce and appreciates a check to Xerneas and Yveltal in Ho-Oh.
* Defensive walls such as Zygarde, Lugia, and Giratina can take care of physical attackers like Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and opposing Ho-Oh. They all carry a method of phazing, which is good for the defensive teams this Ho-Oh usually fits best in.
* Checks to Primal Kyogre like Primal Groudon and Ferrothorn make good teammates. Primal Groudon can also provide Stealth Rock support, while Ferrothorn is able to run either Stealth Rock or Spikes, which pairs really well with Ho-Oh running Whirlwind. Blissey is able to switch into special variants of Primal Kyogre and can provide cleric support with Heal Bell.
* Mega Gengar is able to take advantage of Ho-Oh's ability to status switch-ins with Sacred Fire and Toxic by trapping bulky threats and KOing them with Hex.
* This Ho-Oh set struggles versus stall due to its lack of power, making Mega Gyarados a great teammate.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Toxic
item: Choice Band
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Sacred Fire lets Ho-Oh hit Steel-types like Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn and potentially burn threats.
* Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's most spammable move, deals great neutral damage, and 2HKOes most defensive threats.
* Earthquake lets Ho-Oh 2HKO Primal Groudon and Toxapex without taking recoil damage from Brave Bird. It can also 2HKO Tyranitar.
* Toxic lets Ho-Oh cripple switch-ins like Lugia and support Arceus formes so that the next time Ho-Oh is brought in, it can use Brave Bird to apply pressure on them.


Set Details
========

* The given EV spread allows Ho-Oh to deal maximum damage and outspeed almost all defensive threats apart from Lugia and support Arceus formes. However, it can also go for a 248 HP / 208 Atk / 52 SpD EV spread if it wants to make use of its natural bulk.
* Choice Band lets Ho-Oh deal massive damage, allowing it to 2HKO most defensive threats apart from Lugia and Giratina.
* Regenerator helps with Ho-Oh's weakness to Stealth Rock by recovering health when Ho-Oh switches out.

Usage Tips
========

* Switching Ho-Oh into Steel-types like Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn can let it gain a ton of momentum and exert pressure on the opposing team thanks to its STAB combination and coverage.
* Try to switch in Ho-Oh as much as possible early- to mid-game in order to weaken bulkier threats such as Zygarde, Primal Groudon, support Arceus formes, and Mega Salamence for teammates to clean up late-game.
* Go for Toxic on predicted switches to Lugia and support Arceus formes. This makes them easier for Ho-Oh to break through.
* Sacred Fire should be used conservatively versus defensive teams, as such games tend to be long and it is easy to use up all 8 PP when spamming it.
* Try to keep Stealth Rock off the field as much as possible because Choice Band Ho-Oh cannot fit Recover into its moveset, making Regenerator its only method of recovering health.

Team Options
========

* Choice Band Ho-Oh is usually used as a method to break through bulky teams and can fit in most teams in need of such a role.
* Defog users such as Giratina-O, Mega Salamence, Arceus-Dark, and Choice Scarf Xerneas make for good teammates, as they are able to remove Stealth Rock. Pokemon with Rapid Spin like Excadrill and Cloyster are good teammates as well. They can also provide entry hazards in the form of Stealth Rock and Spikes, respectively.
* Marshadow appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to deal with Arceus-Fairy, Choice Scarf Xerneas, and Toxapex and can deal with most threats on offensive teams that Ho-Oh usually struggles against like Arceus, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza.
* Magearna makes a good teammate, as it is able to relieve Ho-Oh of the pressure of checking special attackers like Yveltal, Xerneas, and Calm Mind variants of Ultra Necrozma. It can also run Volt Switch to act as a pivot and bring in Ho-Oh safely or carry Heal Bell to cure teammates of status conditions.
* Arceus-Fairy can provide Stealth Rock support and forms a great core with Ho-Oh that breaks through defensive teams. Arceus-Fairy is also able to deal with Zygarde.
* Primal Groudon can provide Stealth Rock support and check Primal Kyogre and Xerneas. It can also go for an offensive approach by running Overheat or Swords Dance instead.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

* Ho-Oh can opt for Defog over Toxic to perform the role of a secondary Defog user.
* Choice Band Ho-Oh can opt for Sleep Talk over Toxic, as it allows Ho-Oh to switch into sleep-inducers like Smeargle and the rare Z-Hypnosis Lunala. However, there are very few actual cases where this is handy.
* Z-Celebrate is another option for Ho-Oh but is very difficult to execute due to its weakness to Stealth Rock. It also cannot have Regenerator when running Celebrate, making it even more weak to Stealth Rock.
* Ho-Oh could run Flame Charge to boost its Speed and give it a shot at sweeping late-game. Unfortunately, its Speed is too low at +1 to outspeed threatening Choice Scarf users such as Yveltal and Thunder Xerneas.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Stealth Rock**: Ho-Oh has a crippling weakness to Stealth Rock, which is carried on almost every viable team. Users of the move include support Arceus formes like Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Ground, Necrozma-DM, Deoxys-S, and Excadrill.

**Zygarde-C**: Zygarde-C is able to take hits from Ho-Oh with ease thanks to its great physical bulk and can proceed to paralyze Ho-Oh with Glare or KO it with Thousand Arrows. Zygarde-C also usually carries Rest, which makes it difficult to weaken with Toxic, and thus one of the best checks to Ho-Oh. Offensive sets with Substitute can also set up on Ho-Oh by avoiding burns from Sacred Fire.

**Water-types**: Arceus-Water is bulky enough to take a Brave Bird from Ho-Oh and stall it out with Toxic or 2HKO it with Judgment; however, Ho-Oh can go for Toxic as Arceus-Water switches in, setting it on a timer. Primal Kyogre can outspeed some variants of Ho-Oh and proceed to deal heavy damage if not OHKO with a Water-type STAB move; however, faster variants of Ho-Oh can OHKO Primal Kyogre after it takes damage from Stealth Rock. Defensive variants of Primal Kyogre can take a Brave Bird and deal heavy damage back with Scald.

**Primal Groudon**: Primal Groudon is resistant to Sacred Fire and immune to burn, and its high Defense stat allows it to tank a hit and proceed to OHKO back with Rock Tomb. However, Primal Groudon has no form of reliable recovery and gets crippled by Toxic.

**Mega Salamence**: Bulky variants of Mega Salamence can stall out Brave Bird with Roost to the point where Ho-Oh KOes itself due to recoil. It can also absorb Sacred Fire with no fear of getting burned thanks to Refresh and Facade.

**Zekrom**: Zekrom resists both of Ho-Oh's STAB moves and can OHKO it with Bolt Strike. However, Zekrom cannot switch in directly, as it can get crippled by a burn from Sacred Fire.

**Rock-type attacks**: Rock-types such as Arceus-Rock and Tyranitar can OHKO Ho-Oh with their Rock-type STAB moves. Ho-Oh's typing makes it very vulnerable to Rock-type attacks, which are usually run by Ultra Necrozma, Necrozma-DM, Marshadow, and Arceus-Ground and occasionally by Arceus-Fairy and Mega Lucario.

**Giratina**: Thanks to its ability Pressure and great defensive stats, Giratina is able to cripple Ho-Oh with Toxic and proceed to PP stall it with Rest. It can also phaze Curse Ho-Oh with Dragon Tail.

**Lugia**: Lugia can easily Toxic stall Ho-Oh with Roost. However, since many Ho-Oh sets carry Toxic, it is difficult for Lugia to switch into Ho-Oh, and it must avoid Toxic in order to preserve its Multiscale.

**Toxic**: Toxic users such as Primal Groudon and support Arceus formes can cripple Ho-Oh, which forces it out frequently, since the damage can easily rack up; however, Regenerator can reduce the effects of Toxic. Arceus-Dragon, for example, is able to cripple Ho-Oh with Toxic and proceed to beat it one-on-one thanks to neutral STAB Judgment dealing considerable damage. However, this leaves Arcues-Dragon weak and susceptible.
 
Last edited:

Minority

Numquam Vincar
is a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Tutor Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
248 HP and 52 Special Defense EVs allow Ho-Oh to take a +2 Thunder or Hidden Power Rock from Xerneas
+2 252+ SpA Xerneas Hidden Power Rock vs. 252 HP / 52 SpD Ho-Oh: 384-456 (92.3 - 109.6%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO

Hidden Power Rock Geomancy Xerneas has fallen pretty out of favor, but regardless I think QC might want to have a discussion as to if the standard Ho-Oh spread should try to check Thunder Xerneas. To me this might be something we stick in set details where it gets applied to Ho-Oh teams only if they need the extra protection vs. Xerneas. The same applies to the defensive Ho-Oh set.

Ho-Oh can be switched freely into Steel-types like Necrozma-DM
You have to watch out though, so it's not very free. Necrozma-DM can smack you with Toxic, or worse, Stone Edge. It can also SD or CM and proceed to OHKO you with Psychic STAB, Stone Edge, or Power Gem.

Make sure to keep Stealth Rock off of your side of the field throughout the match if Ho-Oh is a key component for victory
I realize that you've grossly simplified things here for analysis purposes and that literally an entire flying press article several thousand words long could be written on the nuances of hazard war and Ho-Oh, but maybe the analysis might want to focus a bit more on this very important point.

Mention Sleep Talk on CB Ho-Oh in OO. Sleep has dramatically fallen out of prevalence since ORAS, but I think its appropriate for OO. There's no mention of Magearna anywhere in the analysis, and I think Ho-Oh can be a potentially good punish vs. Mage (Volt Switch does help Mage though) and I think it also makes for a good teammate.

With Zygarde-C in C&C, you can add that defensive sets can remove Toxic or burns via rest and are very difficult for Ho-Oh to break on its own.

Add Giratina and Arceus-Dragon somewhere in C&C.


QC: 1/3
 
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Toxic
item: Choice Band
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Ho-Oh should always use the leftover 4 EVs in HP to reach a Regenerator number. It is KO'd by the same number of Stealth Rock switch-ins regardless, so it's better to just recover an additional point of HP per switch-out to marginally help with Brave Bird recoil. Putting the 4 EVs in Defense and especially Special Defense often doesn't even reduce damage from attacks anyway.
 

Fireburn

BARN ALL
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
LO spread could be changed to 104 HP/252 Atk/152 Speed Adamant. This lets you outspeed Adamant 252 Speed Necrozma-DM and smash it with Sacred Fire before it can use +2 SSS to drop you. +0 SSS never OHKOes. 104 HP keeps HP odd and hits a Life Orb number I think. Max HP can still be mentioned in Set Details if using Curse. Sub can probably be slashed, you can often get one up vs Dusk since you can abuse your Speed advantage to scare it off. EQ should go in Moves for Rocks.

Note that Curse Ho-Oh can 1v1 defensive Zygarde-C (at +1 Defense you survive 2 Thousand Arrows) and Giratina-A. It also wrecks Mence switchins, and Mence is a very common Ho-Oh check.

Some things you want to mention for the hazard game: Ho-Oh teams generally want to kill the enemy SR user as fast as possible. This often means using a Steel-type with Toxic as a lure (for something like PDon). Necrozma-DM is a bit trickier since its more resistant to passive damage, but one way to punish it is to switch Ho-Oh in as they use SR, giving it a free attack, and then having something else Defog later.

Calm Mind probably isn't worth mentioning in OO lol. You could put Flame Charge there.

Also do all of the things Minority said.

QC 2/3
 
I think mentioning that Z-Celebrate has to run Pressure would be important since it is more affected by Stealth Rock than usual
 
  • Like
Reactions: ckw

GP 1/2
remove add comments

[OVERVIEW]

* Ho-Oh's great Attack stat paired with its Fire / Flying type combination makes it an incredible offensive threat in this metagame.
* Access to two very strong STAB moves and the coverage they provide, with excellent combined coverage makes Ho-Oh a very dangerous threat Pokemon versus any team that lacks good defensive switch-ins or ways of pressuring entry hazard removers or defensive threats. (i think this is what you mean, original sentence can be read as 'teams unable to pressure removers OR defenders)
* Ho-Oh has lesser issues with avoids four-moveslot syndrome thanks to its great STAB coverage and lets letting it run a variety of moves like Toxic, Curse, and Substitute as its 4th last move.
* Ho-Oh's Regenerator ability and great Special Defense allows it to take on special attackers like Yveltal, Xerneas, Calm Mind Arceus formes, as well as and special varaints of Primal Groudon. This is also coupled with a great defensive ability in Regenerator.
* Ho-Oh's typing also makes it a good check to a few physical attackers lacking Rock-(hyphen)type coverage such as Marshadow, Mega Lucario, Ultra Necrozma, and Necrozma-DM.
* Ho-Oh's weakness to Rock-types means it takes about half every time it switches in loses half of its HP to Stealth Rock. This cripples the viability of makes Ho-Oh as it is much less splashable than most other offensive threats and is usually a Pokemon that a the team is centered team must be built around to properly support.

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Recover
move 4: Toxic / Curse / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Flynium Z
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Sacred Fire is its Ho-Oh's strongest physical Fire-type STAB move and lets it hit Steel-types like Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn while also having a 50% chance to burn the foe.
* Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's strongest Flying-type attack and STAB that lets it 2HKO most of the offensive metagame.
* Recover is its Ho-Oh's most reliable forme of recovery; (semi) it allows Ho-Oh that allows it to stay healthy through(space)out the game and is important for checking threats such as Marshadow, Mega Lucario, and Xerneas.
* Toxic lets it Ho-Oh cripple switch-(hyphen)ins like support Arceus formes, Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C, and Lugia, (comma) by setting them on a timer.
* Curse is an option that is highly recommended when running Flynium Z which lets it boost its Attack and Defense, making it because it makes Ho-Oh even more threatening. This It allows Ho-Oh to beat Zygarde and Mega Salamence one on one one-on-one thanks to the boost in Defense.
* Substitute is an option that lets Ho-Oh avoid getting inflicted by with status from support Arceus formes, (comma) making it easier to play around them.
* If Ho-Oh runs Life Orb, Hidden Power Ice is a good option as this because it lets Ho-Oh always OHKO Mega Salamence from full and OHKO Zygarde after taking prior that have taken damage from Brave Bird.
* Earthquake can hit Primal Groudon and Toxapex without taking incurring recoil from Brave Bird while also 2HKOing Rock-types such as Tyranitar and the rare Arceus-Rock.

Set Details
========
* 104 HP EVs allow Ho-Oh to keep its health at an odd number and it also hits a Life Orb value, meaning that it loses less HP than usual from Life Orb recoil.
* 152 Speed EVs let Ho-Oh outspeed Adamant Necrozma-DM and hit it hard with Sacred Fire, potentially catching causing a burn and thus avoiding a potenial OHKO if it is at +2 from a +2 Searing Sunraze Smash.
* 252 Attack EVs maximizes Ho-Oh's damage output which is boosted even more thanks to its Life Orb.
* Ho-Oh can opt for a more basic spread of 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD instead. This is more sensible to be run on Curse sets, (comma) which do not need to outspeed anything that will not require to be faster.
* Life Orb boost gives Ho-Oh more initial power straight off the bat in exchange for recoil every turn. Flynium Z can be used instead when Ho-Oh is running Curse, (comma) as +1 Supersonic Skystrike can basically nuke something at +1 Attack eliminate something like Zygarde, Giratina, and or Lugia after taking damage from Stealth Rock.

Usage Tips
========

* Ho-Oh relies heavily on teammates with Defog and or Rapid Spin to keep Stealth Rock off of your side of the field throughout the match in order to so it can function properly.
* Teams with Ho-Oh must put as much pressure as possible on the opposing team's Stealth Rock setter in order to avoid keep Ho-Oh from taking so much massive damage prior to making a move. Run a Steel-(hyphen)type and try to position yourself in a situation where you are able use it to lure Primal Groudon, which is the one of the best Stealth Rock setters, (comma) and set it on a timer with Toxic.
* Against teams with Necrozma-DM, scout for Rock-type coverage like Stone Edge or and Power Gem before using Ho-Oh to check it. It is best to switch Ho-Oh in on it, (comma) as this avoids taking damage from its Stealth Rock, giving it an open chance to attack.
* Forcing a predicted switch into Ho-Oh on Sending Ho-Oh in on predicted Steel-types like Magearna, Celesteela, (comma) and Ferrothorn will then allow it to apply pressure onto the opposing team with its strong STAB moves, setup up Substitute, or boost with Curse.
* Go for Toxic on predicted switches into defensive threats like support Arceus formes and Lugia; (semi) they need that is required to be crippled first for Ho-Oh to break through them.
* Be cautious when going for Sacred Fire, (comma) as the move only has 8 PPs and its very easy to use them up in long games. You might prefer to cripple crippling certain defensive threats like Lugia with Toxic than be burned from over burning them with Sacred Fire as well.
* Scout for Rock-type coverage from physical threats like Primal Groudon, Ultra Necrozma, Marshadow, and Mega Lucario, (comma) which Ho-Oh can often switch into otherwise.
* Take advantage of Regenerator and switch out Ho-Oh or use combination of foddering of by switching Ho-Oh out and sacrificing less important teammates to gain health.


Team Options
========

* Entry hazard removers such as Arceus-Dark, Defog Mega Salamence, Defog Xerneas, and Giratina-O are the best teammates for Ho-Oh due to its weakness to Stealth Rock. Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie make great teammates as well thanks to their ability to bounce back Stealth Rock.
* Marshadow has a great matchup against offensive teams, as it is able to check Arceus, Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and Mega Gengar and appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to deal with Marshadow, Arceus-Fairy, and Toxapex.
* Mega Gengar is also a great offensive team for Ho-Oh as it is able to take advantage of Sacred Fire burns as well as and trap nuisances to Ho-Oh like Lugia.
* Primal Groudon can provide Stealth Rock support as well as a secondary check to Xerneas and a good check to Primal Kyogre.
* Zygarde-C can switch into physical threats to Ho-Oh such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Primal Groudon, and Mega Salamence. (per) is greatly appreciated by Ho-Oh which on the other hand, can check Pokemon that Zygarde-C usually struggles against like Arceus-Fairy, Xerneas, Ferrothorn, and Celesteela.
* Ferrothorn is a great teammate as well, since it is able to check Primal Kyogre and provide Spikes support for Ho-Oh.
* Magearna makes a good teammate as it is able to relief relieve Ho-Oh from of the pressure of checking special attackers like Yveltal, Xerneas, and Calm Mind variants of Ultra Necrozma. It can also run Volt Switch to act as a pivot to switch in Ho-Oh in safely or carry Heal Bell to cure teammates from of status conditions.
* Necrozma-DM appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to switch into Steel-types that easily wall it. In exchange, Necrozma-DM is able to act as the primary check to Xerneas while also providing Stealth Rock support.


[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Recover
move 4: Toxic / Whirlwind
item: Leftovers
ability: Regenerator
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 52 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Sacred Fire lets Ho-Oh hit Steel-types like Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn, (comma) while also potentially burning the opposing and potentially burn physical threats.
* Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's most spammable move and lets it hits most Pokemon for neutral damage.
* Recover is its Ho-Oh's most reliable forme of recovery; (semi) it allows Ho-Oh that allows it to stay healthy through(space)out the game and is important for checking threats such as Marshadow, Mega Lucario, mixed Primal Groudon, and Xerneas.
* Toxic lets it Ho-Oh cripple defensive threats such as support Arceus formes, Primal Groudon, Zygarde, and Lugia.
* Whirlwind can be run over Toxic to phaze setup sweepers like Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Arceus formes.


Set Details
========

* Ho-Oh runs 252 HP thanks to its base HP stat that lets it gain 6.25% health from Leftovers every turn and has higher HP whenever it switches into Stealth Rock to get maximum recovery from Leftovers and take minimal damage from Stealth Rock. 52 Special Defense EVs allow Ho-Oh to take a +2 Thunder or Hidden Power Rock from Xerneas while also letting it and enable Ho-Oh to check Mega Gengar, Lunala, and Calm Mind Arceus formes like Arceus-Fairy. The rest of the EVs are invested into its Defense to check physical threats lacking Rock-type coverage such as Marshadow, Necrozma-DM, and Mega Lucario, (comma) as well as Extreme Killer Arceus but only when it can get a burn on gets burned by the first Sacred Fire.
* Leftovers is required for its consistent source of recovery.
* Regenerator is the one of the best abilities a defensive Pokemon can get, (comma) letting which lets Ho-Oh recover a third of its full health whenever it switches out.


Usage Tips
========

* This Ho-Oh set fits best on defensive teams that usually tend to use entry hazards and Toxic to slowly weaken opposing teams.
* Make sure to keep Stealth Rock off the field as long much as possible in order to bring in Ho-Oh freely on longer games.
* Incase of If Stealth Rock is unable to be removed, try to keep Ho-Oh as healthy as possible with the help of Roost and Regenerator.
* Switch in Ho-Oh on into Steel-types that It can wall very easily.
* Use Toxic to cripple on common switch-(hyphen)ins to Ho-Oh like Primal Groudon, Lugia, Giratina, and Tyranitar to set them on a timer, making them easier to beat.
* Avoid getting badly poisoned from Toxic, (comma) as this will prevent Ho-Oh from checking threats such as Calm Mind Arcues formes like Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Ground.
* Use Sacred Fire with caution versus bulkier teams; (semi) battles with such teams tend to be long, making it easy to use up all of Sacred Fire's PP such teams tend to be usually long and it is pretty easy to use up all 8 PPs.
* Scout for Rock-type coverage from physical threats such as Ultra Necrozma, Marshadow, and Mega Lucario. Ho-Oh can check special attacking variants of Primal Groudon, (comma) so scout for Rock Tomb or Stone Edge from it as well.



Team Options
========

* This set of Ho-Oh set is somewhat passive and thus fits best on balance or stall teams where there is not much need for offensive presence.
* Entry hazard removers such as support Arceus formes, Defog Giratina, and Skarmory are the best teammates for Ho-Oh due to its weakness to Stealth Rock. Mega Sableye is a great partner as well thanks to Magic Bounce. (per) It also and appreciates a check to Xerneas and Yveltal in Ho-Oh.
* Defensive walls such as Zygarde, Lugia, and Giratina can take care of physical attackers like Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, as well as and opposing Ho-Oh. They all carry a method of phazing, (comma) which is good for the defensive teams this Ho-Oh away threats which are good in defensive teams, which this set of Ho-Oh usually fits best in.
* Checks to Primal Kyogre like Primal Groudon and Ferrothorn make good teammates. Primal Groudon can also provide Stealth Rock support, (comma) while Ferrothorn is able to run either Stealth Rock or Spikes, (comma) which pairs really well if Ho-Oh runs Whirlwind as its last move with Ho-Oh running Whirlwind. Blissey is able to switch into special variants of Primal Kyogre and can also provide cleric support for its team with Heal Bell.
* Mega Gengar is able to take advantage of Ho-Oh's ability to status switchins switch-ins with Sacred Fire and Toxic by trapping and KOing bulky threats with Hex.
* This set of Ho-Oh set struggles versus stall due to the its lack of power, making Mega Gyarados a great teammate as it is able to improve the matchup versus said playstyle.



[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Toxic
item: Choice Band
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Sacred Fire lets Ho-Oh hit Steel-types like Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn, (comma) while also potentially burning the opposing and potentially burn threats.
* Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's most spammable move, (comma) deals great neutral damage, and lets it deal great neutral damage, thanks to the move's high Base Power and 2HKOes most defensive threats.
* Earthquake lets Ho-Oh 2HKO Primal Groudon and Toxapex without taking recoil damage from Brave Bird. It can also outspeed and 2HKO Tyranitar.
* Toxic lets Ho-Oh cripple switch-(hyphen)ins like Lugia, (comma) and support Arceus formes so that the next time Ho-Oh is brought in, it can use Brave Bird to apply pressure on switch ins them.

Set Details
========

* The simple EV spread allows Ho-Oh to deal maximum damage while also and outspeed almost all defensive threats apart from Lugia and support Arceus formes. However, it can also go for a 248 HP / 208 Atk / 52 SpD spread if it wants to make use of its natural bulk.
* Choice Band boosts Ho-Oh's attack and lets it deal massive damage to the foe lets Ho-Oh deal massive damage, allowing it to 2HKO most defensive threats apart from Lugia and Giratina.
* Regenerator helps with Ho-Oh's weakness to Stealth Rock as this allows it to recover health by switching out by recovering health when Ho-Oh switches out.

Usage Tips
========

* Switching Ho-Oh into Steel-types like Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn can let it gain a ton of momentum and be able to exert pressure on the opposing team thanks to its STAB combination and coverage.
* Try to switch in Ho-Oh as much as possible early-(hyphen) to mid-game in order to weaken bulkier threats such as Zygarde, Primal Groudon, support Arceus formes, and Mega Salamence for teammates to clean up late-game.
* Go for Toxic on predicted switches into Lugia and support Arceus formes. By crippling them, This makes it them easier for Ho-Oh to break through.
* Sacred Fire should be used conservatively versus more defensive teams, (comma) as such games usually tend to be long and it is easy to use up all 8 PPs when spamming it.
* Try to keep Stealth Rock off the field as much as possible since because Choice Band Ho-Oh cannot fit Roost into its moveset, making Regenerator its only method of recovering health.

Team Options
========

* Choice Band Ho-Oh is usually used as a method to break through bulky teams and can fit in most teams in need of such a role.
* Defog users such as Giratina-O, Mega Salamence, Arceus-Dark, and Scarf Xerneas make for good teammates, as they are able to remove Stealth Rock and support Ho-Oh. Pokemon with Rapid Spin like Excadrill and Cloyster are good teammates as well. They can also provide entry hazards in the form of Stealth Rock and Spikes, (comma) respectively.
* Marshadow appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to deal with Arceus-Fairy, Choice Scarf Xerneas, and Toxapex while it on the other hand, and can deal with most threats on offensive teams that Ho-Oh usually struggles against like Arceus, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza that Ho-Oh usually struggle again.
* Magearna makes a good teammate, (comma) as it is able to relief relieve Ho-Oh from of the pressure of checking special attackers like Yveltal, Xerneas, and Calm Mind variants of Ultra Necrozma. It can also run Volt Switch to act as a pivot to switch in Ho-Oh safely or carry Heal Bell to cure teammates from of status conditions.
* Arceus-Fairy can provide Stealth Rock support which, paired with Ho-Oh can form and forms a great core to that breaks through defensive teams with Ho-Oh. Arceus-Fairy is also able to deal with Zygarde which is a problem for Ho-Oh.
* Primal Groudon can also provide Stealth Rock support, (comma) as well as and check Primal Kyogre and Xerneas. It can also go with for an offensive approaching by running Overheat or Swords Dance instead.


[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

* Ho-Oh can opt for running Defog over Toxic to perform the role of a secondary Defog user.
* Choice Band sets of Ho-Oh can opt for Sleep Talk over Toxic, (comma) as it allows Ho-Oh to switch into sleep inducers like Smeargle and the rare Z-(hyphen)Hypnosis Lunala. However, this move has dropped in viability due to the lack of purpose in the metagame, since there are very rare cases where Sleep Talk would come in handy there are very few actual cases where this is handy.
* Z-(hyphen)Celebrate is another option for Ho-Oh but is very difficult to execute due to its weakness to Stealth Rock. It also cannot have Regenerator when running Celebrate, making it even more weak to Stealth Rock.
* Ho-Oh could run Flame Charge to boost its Speed and give it a shot at sweeping late-(hyphen)game. Unfortunately, its Speed is too low at +1 to outspeed threatening and can become a victim to Choice Scarf users such as Yveltal and Thunder Xerneas.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Stealth Rock**: Ho-Oh's has a crippling weakness to Stealth Rock, which is carried on almost every viable team. Carried by Users include support Arceus formes like Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Ground, Necrozma-DM, Deoxys-S, and Excadrill make it difficult for Ho-Oh to function properly.

**Zygarde-C**: Zygarde-C is able to take hits from Ho-Oh with ease thanks to its great physical bulk and can proceed to paralyze Ho-Oh with Glare or KO it with Thousand Arrows. Zygarde-C also usually carries Rest, (comma) which makes it difficult to weaken it with Toxic, making it one of the best checks to Ho-Oh. Offensive sets with Substitute can also set(space)up on Ho-Oh if Zygarde-C is carrying Substitute which lets it avoid burn by avoiding burns from Sacred Fire.

**Water-types**: Arceus-Water is bulky enough to take a Brave Bird from Ho-Oh and proceed to stall it out with Toxic or 2HKO it with Judgment; however, Ho-Oh can go for Toxic on the switch into as Arceus-Water switches in, setting it on a timer. Primal Kyogre can outspeed some variants of Ho-Oh and proceed to deal heavy damage to if not OHKO it with a Water-type STAB move; however, faster variants of Ho-Oh can OHKO it after it takes damage from Stealth Rock. It must also be noted that Defensive variants of Primal Kyogre can take a Brave Bird and deal heavy damage back with Scald. . (per)

**Primal Groudon**: Primal Groudon is resistant to Sacred Fire and immune to burn, and its high Defense stat allows it to tank a hit and proceed to OHKO back with Rock Tomb. However, Primal Groudon has no form of reliable recovery and gets crippled by Toxic, which sets it on a timer.

**Mega Salamence**: Bulky variants of Mega Salamence can stall out Brave Bird with Roost to the point where Ho-Oh KOes itself due to recoil. It can also absorb Sacred Fire with no fear of getting burned thanks to Refresh and Facade.

**Zekrom**: Zekrom resists both of Ho-Oh's STAB moves and can OHKO it with Bolt Strike. However, Zekrom cannot switch in directly, as it can get crippled by burn from Sacred Fire.

**Rock-type attacks**: Rock-types such as Arceus-Rock and Tyranitar can OHKO Ho-Oh with their Rock-type STAB moves.(space)Ho-Oh's typing makes it very vulnerable to Rock-type attacks, which are usually run by Ultra Necrozma, Necrozma-DM, Marshadow, and Arceus-Ground and occasionally by Arceus-Fairy and Mega Lucario.

**Giratina**: Thanks to its ability Pressure and great defensive stats, Giratina is able to cripple Ho-Oh with Toxic and proceed to PP stall it with Rest. It can also phaze Curse sets of Ho-Oh with Dragon Tail.

**Lugia**: Lugia can easily Toxic stall Ho-Oh with Roost. However, since many Ho-Oh sets carry Toxic, it is diificult difficult for Lugia to switch into Ho-Oh and must avoid it Toxic in order to preserve its Multiscale.

**Toxic**: Toxic users such as Primal Groudon, (comma) and support Arceus formes can go for Toxic on Ho-Oh, which forces it out frequently since the damage can easily rack up; however, Regenerator can try to reduce the effects of Toxic. For example, Arceus-Dragon, (comma) for example, is able to cripple Ho-Oh with Toxic and proceed to beat it 1v1 one-on-one thanks to neutral STAB Judgment dealing considerable amount and can KO Ho-Oh eventually damage. However, this leaves you with a very crippled Arceus forme that is very low and susceptible Arcues-Dragon weak and susceptible.

This was frankly exhausting. Please pay attention to what I fix and why I fixed it; keeping such things in mind will make your analyses much more pleasant to check in the future. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me, find me on Discord, or talk with all of us on the GP Discord channel.
 
Last edited:

Fireflame

Silksong when
is a Top Contributoris a Smogon Media Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnus
Remove Add Comments (AC)= add comma (RC)= remove comma (AH)= add hyphen (RH)= remove hyphen
[OVERVIEW]

* Ho-Oh's great Attack stat paired with its Fire / Flying type combination typing makes it an incredible offensive threat.
* Access to two very strong STAB moves combined with excellent combined coverage makes Ho-Oh a very dangerous Pokemon versus any team that lacks good defensive switch-ins or ways of pressuring entry hazard removers.
* Ho-Oh avoids four-moveslot syndrome thanks to its great STAB coverage,(AC) letting it run a variety of moves like Toxic, Curse, and Substitute as its last move.
* Ho-Oh's Regenerator ability and great Special Defense allow it to take on special attackers like Yveltal, Xerneas, Calm Mind Arceus formes, and special varaints of Primal Groudon.
* Ho-Oh's typing also makes it a good check to a few physical attackers lacking Rock-type coverage such as Marshadow, Mega Lucario, Ultra Necrozma, and Necrozma-DM.
* Ho-Oh's weakness to Rock means it loses half of its HP to Stealth Rock. This makes Ho-Oh much less splashable than most other offensive threats and a Pokemon that a team must be built around to properly support.

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Recover
move 4: Toxic / Curse / Substitute
item: Life Orb / Flynium Flyinium Z
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 152 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Sacred Fire is Ho-Oh's strongest physical Fire-type STAB move and lets it hit Steel-types like Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn while also having a 50% chance to burn the foe.
* Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's strongest Flying-type attack and lets it 2HKO most of the offensive metagame.
* Recover is Ho-Oh's most reliable form of recovery; it allows Ho-Oh to stay healthy throughout the game and is important for checking threats such as Marshadow, Mega Lucario, and Xerneas.
* Toxic lets Ho-Oh cripple switch-ins like support Arceus formes, Primal Groudon, Zygarde-C, and Lugia by setting them on a timer.
* Curse is an option that is highly recommended when running Flynium Flyinium Z because it makes Ho-Oh even more threatening. It allows Ho-Oh to beat Zygarde and Mega Salamence one-on-one thanks to the boost in Defense.
* Substitute is an option that lets Ho-Oh avoid getting inflicted with status from support Arceus formes, making it easier to play around them.
* If Ho-Oh runs Life Orb, Hidden Power Ice is a good option because it that lets Ho-Oh always OHKO Mega Salamence and OHKO Zygarde that have taken damage from Brave Bird.
* Earthquake can hit Primal Groudon and Toxapex without incurring recoil from Brave Bird while also 2HKOing Rock-types such as Tyranitar and the rare Arceus-Rock.


Set Details
========

* 104 HP EVs allow Ho-Oh to keep its health at an odd number and lose less HP from Life Orb recoil.
* 152 Speed EVs let Ho-Oh outspeed Adamant Necrozma-DM and hit it hard with Sacred Fire, potentially causing a burn and thus avoiding a potenial OHKO from a +2 Searing Sunraze Smash.
* 252 Attack EVs maximizes maximize Ho-Oh's damage output.
* Ho-Oh can opt for a more basic EV spread of 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD instead. This is more sensible on Curse sets, which do not need to outspeed anything.
* Life Orb gives Ho-Oh more initial power in exchange for recoil every turn. Flynium Flyinium Z can be used instead when Ho-Oh is running Curse, as +1 Supersonic Skystrike can eliminate something like Zygarde, Giratina, or and Lugia after taking damage from Stealth Rock.

Usage Tips
========

* Ho-Oh relies heavily on teammates with Defog or Rapid Spin to keep Stealth Rock off of your side of the field so it can function properly.
* Teams with Ho-Oh must put as much pressure as possible on the opposing team's Stealth Rock setter in order to keep Ho-Oh from taking massive damage prior to making a move. Run a Steel-type,(AC) and try to use it to lure Primal Groudon, which is the one of the best Stealth Rock setters, and set it on a timer with Toxic.
* Against teams with Necrozma-DM, scout for Rock-type coverage like Stone Edge and Power Gem before using Ho-Oh to check it. It is best to switch Ho-Oh in on its use of Stealth Rock, (assuming this is what you meant) as this avoids taking damage from its Stealth Rock, giving it Ho-Oh an open chance to attack.
* Sending Ho-Oh in on predicted Steel-types like Magearna, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn will then allow it to apply pressure onto the opposing team.
* Go for Toxic on predicted switches into defensive threats like support Arceus formes and Lugia; they need to be crippled for Ho-Oh to break through them.
* Be cautious when going for Sacred Fire, as the move only has 8 PP. You might prefer crippling certain defensive threats like Lugia with Toxic over burning them with Sacred Fire as well.
* Scout for Rock-type coverage from physical threats like Primal Groudon, Ultra Necrozma, Marshadow, and Mega Lucario, which Ho-Oh can often switch into otherwise.
* Take advantage of Regenerator by switching Ho-Oh out and sacrificing less important teammates to gain health.

Team Options
========

* Entry hazard removers such as Arceus-Dark, Defog Mega Salamence, Defog Xerneas, and Giratina-O are the best teammates for Ho-Oh due to its weakness to Stealth Rock. Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie make great teammates as well thanks to their ability to bounce back Stealth Rock.
* Marshadow has a great matchup against offensive teams, as it is able to check Arceus, Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and Mega Gengar,(AC) and appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to deal with Marshadow, Arceus-Fairy, and Toxapex.
* Mega Gengar is able to take advantage of Sacred Fire burns and trap nuisances to Ho-Oh like Lugia.
* Primal Groudon can provide Stealth Rock support as well as a secondary check to Xerneas and a good check to Primal Kyogre.
* Zygarde-C can switch into physical threats to Ho-Oh such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Primal Groudon, and Mega Salamence. Ho-Oh can check Pokemon that Zygarde-C usually struggles against like Arceus-Fairy, Xerneas, Ferrothorn, and Celesteela.
* Ferrothorn is able to check Primal Kyogre and provide Spikes support for Ho-Oh.
* Magearna is able to relieve Ho-Oh of the pressure of checking special attackers like Yveltal, Xerneas, and Calm Mind variants of Ultra Necrozma. It can also run Volt Switch to switch bring Ho-Oh in safely or carry Heal Bell to cure teammates of status conditions.
* Necrozma-DM appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to switch into Steel-types that easily wall it. In exchange, Necrozma-DM is able to act as the primary check to Xerneas while also providing Stealth Rock support.

[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Recover
move 4: Toxic / Whirlwind
item: Leftovers
ability: Regenerator
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 52 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Sacred Fire lets Ho-Oh hit Steel-types like Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn,(RC) and potentially burn physical threats.
* Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's most spammable move and hits most Pokemon for neutral damage.
* Recover is Ho-Oh's most reliable form of recovery; it allows Ho-Oh to stay healthy throughout the game and is important for checking threats such as Marshadow, Mega Lucario, mixed Primal Groudon, and Xerneas.
* Toxic lets Ho-Oh cripple defensive threats such as support Arceus formes, Primal Groudon, Zygarde, and Lugia.
* Whirlwind can be run over Toxic to phaze setup sweepers like Geomancy Xerneas and Calm Mind Arceus formes.


Set Details
========

* Ho-Oh runs 252 HP to get maximum recovery from Leftovers and take minimal damage from Stealth Rock. 52 Special Defense EVs allow Ho-Oh to take a +2 Thunder or Hidden Power Rock from Xerneas and enable Ho-Oh to check Mega Gengar, Lunala, and Calm Mind Arceus formes like Arceus-Fairy. The rest of the EVs are invested into Defense to check physical threats lacking Rock-type coverage such as Marshadow, Necrozma-DM, and Mega Lucario as well as Extreme Killer Arceus but only when it gets burned by the first Sacred Fire.
* Leftovers is required for its consistent source of recovery.
* Regenerator is the one of the best abilities a defensive Pokemon can get, letting Ho-Oh recover a third of its health whenever it switches out.

Usage Tips
========

* This Ho-Oh set fits best on defensive teams that tend to use entry hazards and Toxic to slowly weaken opposing teams.
* Make sure to keep Stealth Rock off the field as much as possible in order to bring in Ho-Oh freely.
* If Stealth Rock is unable to be removed, try to keep Ho-Oh as healthy as possible with the help of Roost and Regenerator.
* Switch Ho-Oh into Steel-types that It it can wall very easily.
* Use Toxic on common switch-ins to Ho-Oh like Primal Groudon, Lugia, Giratina, and Tyranitar to set them on a timer, making them easier to beat.
* Avoid getting badly poisoned from Toxic, as this will prevent Ho-Oh from checking threats such as Calm Mind Arcues formes like Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Ground.
* Use Sacred Fire with caution versus bulkier teams; battles with such teams tend to be long, making it easy to use up all of Sacred Fire's PP.
* Scout for Rock-type coverage from physical threats such as Ultra Necrozma, Marshadow, and Mega Lucario. Ho-Oh can check special attacking variants of Primal Groudon, so scout for Rock Tomb or Stone Edge from it as well.

Team Options
========

* This Ho-Oh set is somewhat passive and thus fits best on balance or stall teams where there is not much need for offensive presence.
* Entry hazard removers such as support Arceus formes, Defog Giratina, and Skarmory are the best teammates for Ho-Oh due to its weakness to Stealth Rock. Mega Sableye is a great partner as well thanks to Magic Bounce and appreciates a check to Xerneas and Yveltal in Ho-Oh.
* Defensive walls such as Zygarde, Lugia, and Giratina can take care of physical attackers like Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and opposing Ho-Oh. They all carry a method of phazing, which is good for the defensive teams this Ho-Oh usually fits best in.
* Checks to Primal Kyogre like Primal Groudon and Ferrothorn make good teammates. Primal Groudon can also provide Stealth Rock support, while Ferrothorn is able to run either Stealth Rock or Spikes, which pairs really well with Ho-Oh running Whirlwind. Blissey is able to switch into special variants of Primal Kyogre and can provide cleric support for its team with Heal Bell.
* Mega Gengar is able to take advantage of Ho-Oh's ability to status switch-ins with Sacred Fire and Toxic by trapping bulky threats and KOing bulky threats them with Hex. (parallel sentence structure. Gengar doesn't trap bulky threats with Hex)
* This Ho-Oh set struggles versus stall due to its lack of power, making Mega Gyarados a great teammate.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Toxic
item: Choice Band
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Sacred Fire lets Ho-Oh hit Steel-types like Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn and potentially burn threats.
* Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's most spammable move, deals great neutral damage, and 2HKOes most defensive threats.
* Earthquake lets Ho-Oh 2HKO Primal Groudon and Toxapex without taking recoil damage from Brave Bird. It can also 2HKO Tyranitar.
* Toxic lets Ho-Oh cripple switch-ins like Lugia and support Arceus formes so that the next time Ho-Oh is brought in, it can use Brave Bird to apply pressure on them.


Set Details
========

* The simple given EV spread allows Ho-Oh to deal maximum damage and outspeed almost all defensive threats apart from Lugia and support Arceus formes. However, it can also go for a 248 HP / 208 Atk / 52 SpD EV spread if it wants to make use of its natural bulk.
* Choice Band lets Ho-Oh deal massive damage, allowing it to 2HKO most defensive threats apart from Lugia and Giratina.
* Regenerator helps with Ho-Oh's weakness to Stealth Rock by recovering health when Ho-Oh switches out.

Usage Tips
========

* Switching Ho-Oh into Steel-types like Necrozma-DM, Celesteela, and Ferrothorn can let it gain a ton of momentum and exert pressure on the opposing team thanks to its STAB combination and coverage.
* Try to switch in Ho-Oh as much as possible early- to mid-game in order to weaken bulkier threats such as Zygarde, Primal Groudon, support Arceus formes, and Mega Salamence for teammates to clean up late-game.
* Go for Toxic on predicted switches to Lugia and support Arceus formes. This makes them easier for Ho-Oh to break through.
* Sacred Fire should be used conservatively versus defensive teams, as such games tend to be long and it is easy to use up all 8 PP when spamming it.
* Try to keep Stealth Rock off the field as much as possible because Choice Band Ho-Oh cannot fit Roost Recover into its moveset, making Regenerator its only method of recovering health.

Team Options
========

* Choice Band Ho-Oh is usually used as a method to break through bulky teams and can fit in most teams in need of such a role.
* Defog users such as Giratina-O, Mega Salamence, Arceus-Dark, and Choice Scarf Xerneas make for good teammates, as they are able to remove Stealth Rock. Pokemon with Rapid Spin like Excadrill and Cloyster are good teammates as well. They can also provide entry hazards in the form of Stealth Rock and Spikes, respectively.
* Marshadow appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to deal with Arceus-Fairy, Choice Scarf Xerneas, and Toxapex and can deal with most threats on offensive teams that Ho-Oh usually struggles against like Arceus, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza.
* Magearna makes a good teammate, as it is able to relieve Ho-Oh of the pressure of checking special attackers like Yveltal, Xerneas, and Calm Mind variants of Ultra Necrozma. It can also run Volt Switch to act as a pivot to switch and bring in Ho-Oh safely or carry Heal Bell to cure teammates of status conditions.
* Arceus-Fairy can provide Stealth Rock support and forms a great core with Ho-Oh that breaks through defensive teams with Ho-Oh. Arceus-Fairy is also able to deal with Zygarde.
* Primal Groudon can provide Stealth Rock support and check Primal Kyogre and Xerneas. It can also go for an offensive approach by running Overheat or Swords Dance instead.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

* Ho-Oh can opt for Defog over Toxic to perform the role of a secondary Defog user.
* Choice Band Ho-Oh can opt for Sleep Talk over Toxic, as it allows Ho-Oh to switch into sleep-(AH)inducers like Smeargle and the rare Z-Hypnosis Lunala. However, there are very few actual cases where this is handy.
* Z-Celebrate is another option for Ho-Oh but is very difficult to execute due to its weakness to Stealth Rock. It also cannot have Regenerator when running Celebrate, making it even more weak to Stealth Rock.
* Ho-Oh could run Flame Charge to boost its Speed and give it a shot at sweeping late-game. Unfortunately, its Speed is too low at +1 to outspeed threatening Choice Scarf users such as Yveltal and Thunder Xerneas.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Stealth Rock**: Ho-Oh has a crippling weakness to Stealth Rock, which is carried on almost every viable team. Users of the move include support Arceus formes like Arceus-Fairy and Arceus-Ground, Necrozma-DM, Deoxys-S, and Excadrill.

**Zygarde-C**: Zygarde-C is able to take hits from Ho-Oh with ease thanks to its great physical bulk and can proceed to paralyze Ho-Oh with Glare or KO it with Thousand Arrows. Zygarde-C also usually carries Rest, which makes it difficult to weaken with Toxic,(RC) making it and thus one of the best checks to Ho-Oh. Offensive sets with Substitute can also set up on Ho-Oh by avoiding burns from Sacred Fire.

**Water-types**: Arceus-Water is bulky enough to take a Brave Bird from Ho-Oh and stall it out with Toxic or 2HKO it with Judgment; however, Ho-Oh can go for Toxic as Arceus-Water switches in, setting it on a timer. Primal Kyogre can outspeed some variants of Ho-Oh and proceed to deal heavy damage if not OHKO with a Water-type STAB move; however, faster variants of Ho-Oh can OHKO it Primal Kyogre after it takes damage from Stealth Rock. Defensive variants of Primal Kyogre can take a Brave Bird and deal heavy damage back with Scald.

**Primal Groudon**: Primal Groudon is resistant to Sacred Fire and immune to burn, and its high Defense stat allows it to tank a hit and proceed to OHKO back with Rock Tomb. However, Primal Groudon has no form of reliable recovery and gets crippled by Toxic.

**Mega Salamence**: Bulky variants of Mega Salamence can stall out Brave Bird with Roost to the point where Ho-Oh KOes itself due to recoil. It can also absorb Sacred Fire with no fear of getting burned thanks to Refresh and Facade.

**Zekrom**: Zekrom resists both of Ho-Oh's STAB moves and can OHKO it with Bolt Strike. However, Zekrom cannot switch in directly, as it can get crippled by a burn from Sacred Fire.

**Rock-type attacks**: Rock-types such as Arceus-Rock and Tyranitar can OHKO Ho-Oh with their Rock-type STAB moves. Ho-Oh's typing makes it very vulnerable to Rock-type attacks, which are usually run by Ultra Necrozma, Necrozma-DM, Marshadow, and Arceus-Ground and occasionally by Arceus-Fairy and Mega Lucario.

**Giratina**: Thanks to its ability Pressure and great defensive stats, Giratina is able to cripple Ho-Oh with Toxic and proceed to PP stall it with Rest. It can also phaze Curse Ho-Oh with Dragon Tail.

**Lugia**: Lugia can easily Toxic stall Ho-Oh with Roost. However, since many Ho-Oh sets carry Toxic, it is difficult for Lugia to switch into Ho-Oh,(AC) and it must avoid Toxic in order to preserve its Multiscale.

**Toxic**: Toxic users such as Primal Groudon and support Arceus formes can go for Toxic on cripple Ho-Oh, which forces it out frequently,(AC) since the damage can easily rack up; however, Regenerator can reduce the effects of Toxic. Arceus-Dragon, for example, is able to cripple Ho-Oh with Toxic and proceed to beat it one-on-one thanks to neutral STAB Judgment dealing considerable damage. However, this leaves Arcues-Dragon weak and susceptible.
GP 2/2
 
  • Like
Reactions: ckw

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top