His Eminence Lord Poppington II
proverb:the fish who eats most dies still too
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Substitute / Earthquake / Whirlwind
move 4: Recover / Roost
item: Leftovers
ability: Regenerator
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Ho-Oh's Defense may not seem like much, but when fully invested and with the assistance of Sacred Fire burns, the rainbow phoenix can take its fair share of physical abuse. This Ho-Oh aims to spread burns through Sacred Fire and act as an excellent pivot through Regenerator. Full investment in Defense allows Ho-Oh to take a myriad of physical attacks much more comfortably; Extreme Killer's +2 ExtremeSpeed, Rayquaza's +1 Outrage, Mewtwo's + 1 Psystrike, and Support Groudon's Stone Edge all fail to OHKO.</p>
<p>Sacred Fire is needed to spread burns, and Brave Bird is the other obligatory STAB attack that still deals respectable damage, even with minimum investment. Substitute is the primary option to ease prediction and protect Ho-Oh from status. Earthquake can also be used to hit Heatran and the Rock-types that plague Ho-Oh. Whirlwind is anther option to rack up hazard damage and scout switches, and it is especially effective because Ho-Oh forces out a lot of Pokemon. Recover gives Ho-Oh some much needed longevity outside of switching out repeatedly. Roost can be used with a faster spread to absorb mitigated Ice-, Rock-, and Electric-type attacks.</p>
<p>The EV spread is simple as it maximizes Defense and maintains an odd HP number to round down Stealth Rock damage. The leftover EVs are placed in Attack to give a little kick to Sacred Fire and Brave Bird. Combined with Regenerator, this Ho-Oh can switch endlessly into both Giratina Formes, only taking significant damage from invested Outrage. Ho-Oh still has massive Special Defense, meaning it can still perform its normal duties of switching into the powerful special attacks thrown about in Ubers.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Like all other Ho-Oh sets, the removal of Stealth Rock is greatly appreciated; Forretress, Tentacruel, and Excadrill are all excellent spinners in Ubers. Groudon isn't nearly as necessary for this set as other Ho-Oh sets, as Sacred Fire's primary job is to spread burns. A physically defensive Ghost Pokemon, such as RestTalk Giratina-O, pairs excellently with this Ho-Oh, absorbing the weak attacks of burned Pokemon and phazing with Dragon Tail. Ferrothorn is also a great partner to this set, as it handles the majority of rain teams as well as walling Choice Scarf Zekrom. Latias, Palkia, Chansey, and Blissey also make for great defensive partners, absorbing the strong special attacks that Ho-Oh can't.</p>
<p>This set still fears rain-boosted Water-type attacks from Pokemon such as Kyogre and Palkia, in addition to Thunders thrown around, although those will not KO. Stone Edge from any offensively inclined Pokemon will still KO Ho-Oh, although defensive Groudons has a chance not to. Jolly Choice Scarf Zekrom's Bolt Strike has a chance not to KO, but Adamant is still guaranteed.<p>
<p>Thunder Wave can be used over one of the attacking options, as it is very annoying for opposing Ho-Oh, and can cripple other threats that rely on their speed, such as over eager Choice Scarf Kyogre looking to switch in on Sacred Fire. Toxic is also viable, crippling Lugia, and Arceus Rock, two of Ho-Oh's greatest checks, but they don't exactly appreciate Thunder Wave either.</p>
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Substitute / Earthquake / Whirlwind
move 4: Recover / Roost
item: Leftovers
ability: Regenerator
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Ho-Oh's Defense may not seem like much, but when fully invested and with the assistance of Sacred Fire burns, the rainbow phoenix can take its fair share of physical abuse. This Ho-Oh aims to spread burns through Sacred Fire and act as an excellent pivot through Regenerator. Full investment in Defense allows Ho-Oh to take a myriad of physical attacks much more comfortably; Extreme Killer's +2 ExtremeSpeed, Rayquaza's +1 Outrage, Mewtwo's + 1 Psystrike, and Support Groudon's Stone Edge all fail to OHKO.</p>
<p>Sacred Fire is needed to spread burns, and Brave Bird is the other obligatory STAB attack that still deals respectable damage, even with minimum investment. Substitute is the primary option to ease prediction and protect Ho-Oh from status. Earthquake can also be used to hit Heatran and the Rock-types that plague Ho-Oh. Whirlwind is anther option to rack up hazard damage and scout switches, and it is especially effective because Ho-Oh forces out a lot of Pokemon. Recover gives Ho-Oh some much needed longevity outside of switching out repeatedly. Roost can be used with a faster spread to absorb mitigated Ice-, Rock-, and Electric-type attacks.</p>
<p>The EV spread is simple as it maximizes Defense and maintains an odd HP number to round down Stealth Rock damage. The leftover EVs are placed in Attack to give a little kick to Sacred Fire and Brave Bird. Combined with Regenerator, this Ho-Oh can switch endlessly into both Giratina Formes, only taking significant damage from invested Outrage. Ho-Oh still has massive Special Defense, meaning it can still perform its normal duties of switching into the powerful special attacks thrown about in Ubers.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Like all other Ho-Oh sets, the removal of Stealth Rock is greatly appreciated; Forretress, Tentacruel, and Excadrill are all excellent spinners in Ubers. Groudon isn't nearly as necessary for this set as other Ho-Oh sets, as Sacred Fire's primary job is to spread burns. A physically defensive Ghost Pokemon, such as RestTalk Giratina-O, pairs excellently with this Ho-Oh, absorbing the weak attacks of burned Pokemon and phazing with Dragon Tail. Ferrothorn is also a great partner to this set, as it handles the majority of rain teams as well as walling Choice Scarf Zekrom. Latias, Palkia, Chansey, and Blissey also make for great defensive partners, absorbing the strong special attacks that Ho-Oh can't.</p>
<p>This set still fears rain-boosted Water-type attacks from Pokemon such as Kyogre and Palkia, in addition to Thunders thrown around, although those will not KO. Stone Edge from any offensively inclined Pokemon will still KO Ho-Oh, although defensive Groudons has a chance not to. Jolly Choice Scarf Zekrom's Bolt Strike has a chance not to KO, but Adamant is still guaranteed.<p>
<p>Thunder Wave can be used over one of the attacking options, as it is very annoying for opposing Ho-Oh, and can cripple other threats that rely on their speed, such as over eager Choice Scarf Kyogre looking to switch in on Sacred Fire. Toxic is also viable, crippling Lugia, and Arceus Rock, two of Ho-Oh's greatest checks, but they don't exactly appreciate Thunder Wave either.</p>