Ho-Oh
[Overview]
<p>Ho-Oh still holds its position as one of the top threats in the game. With its huge base 130 Attack, coupled with its powerful STAB options in Sacred Fire (which carries an impressive 50% burn rate) and Brave Bird, Ho-Oh can easily put serious hurt on anything that dares to stand up to it. Ho-Oh's amazing 106 base HP, 90 base Defense, and 154 base Special Defense in conjunction with reliable recovery mean that the rainbow phoenix will be very hard to take down. Ho-Oh also received a great new toy in the form of Flame Charge, which remedies its middling Speed and turns it from just a powerful attacker into a dangerous sweeper. Unfortunately, Stealth Rock will continue to be Ho-Oh's biggest weakness, as it despises losing 50% of its HP on every switch-in. Nevertheless, Ho-Oh remains a top tier threat that can incinerate even the toughest of teams with ease.</p>
[SET]
name: Physical Sweeper
move 1: Flame Charge / Tailwind
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Brave Bird
move 4: Roost / Earthquake
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly
[Set Comments]
<p>Previously, one of Ho-Oh's biggest problems was its middling base 90 Speed. However, in this generation, Ho-Oh can rectify this problem by using Flame Charge or the improved Tailwind to boost its Speed to sky-high levels. Throw in sunlight support to power up Ho-Oh's STAB Sacred Fire and you'll have one deadly sweeper on your hands.</p>
<p>Choosing between Flame Charge and Tailwind is tough. Flame Charge's Speed boost will last until Ho-Oh switches out, and it also allows Ho-Oh to soften up the opponent's Ho-Oh check with a light smack before going on the offensive. However, Tailwind offers a significantly higher Speed boost. For example, Ho-Oh requires a Jolly Nature and 252 Speed EVs just to Speed tie with positive nature base 90 Speed Pokemon that have a Choice Scarf. However, Ho-Oh, after a single use of Tailwind can outrun max Speed base 108 Pokemon equipped with Choice Scarf while itself running a neutral Speed nature and only 172 Speed EVs. Tailwind also benefits the entire team; just in case Ho-Oh needs to switch out, a counter to your opponent's Ho-Oh check can step in and perform a mini-sweep on its own using the boosted Speed granted by Tailwind. However, Tailwind only lasts 3 turns after being used, meaning that Ho-Oh's sweep may end prematurely.</p>
<p>Sacred Fire is the main attack Ho-Oh will be using, and when backed by STAB and sunlight, outright OHKOes many Pokemon in the Uber tier such as Mewtwo, and will at least 2HKO anything that does not resist it. Brave Bird, Ho-Oh's other incredibly potent STAB move of choice, nails Kyogre, Reshiram, and Palkia for assured OHKOs after Stealth Rock damage. Brave Bird also provides Ho-Oh with a very strong sweeping attack in case the weather is not in its favor. Roost rounds out the set brilliantly to help Ho-Oh recover damage incurred from Stealth Rock and Life Orb, as well possibly allowing it to gain multiple Flame Charge Boosts or to set up Tailwind repeatedly. Ho-Oh is also an excellent defensive Pokemon as well as an offensive one, and can serve as a check to many threats such as Shaymin-S, Steel-types, Darkrai, most Calm Mind variants of Arceus, and Reshiram. However, although Fire- and Flying-type STABs are a good combination, it will leave Ho-Oh walled by Zekrom, Heatran (it needs Toxic or Hidden Power Rock to beat Ho-Oh one on one, however), and Rock-type Pokemon. Earthquake solves this problem by OHKOing Zekrom after it takes damage from Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes, always OHKOing Heatran, and 2HKOing at worst any Rock-type Pokemon not named Solrock, Lunatone, or Aerodactyl, all Pokemon unfit for Ubers play. However, without Roost, Ho-Oh will become extremely vulnerable to Stealth Rock, so solid Rapid Spin support will be necessary.</p>
<p>The EVs are fairly simple. Maximum Attack is wanted to hit as hard as possible, and the Speed EVs enable Ho-Oh to hit 418 Speed after a Nitro Charge, which lets it outpace everything below Choice Scarf Heatran. If using Tailwind, it is best to run 172 Speed EVs, which will allow Ho-Oh to outspeed Choice Scarf Terrakion. Adamant is preferred because it affords Ho-Oh a large amount of much-needed power. However, Jolly allows Ho-Oh to outspeed Deoxys-A and tie with other Choice Scarf base 90 Speed Pokemon such as Dialga after a Flame Charge boost and Jolly Max Speed Excadrill in the sand after a Tailwind.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>This set most appreciates sunlight, to boost the power of Ho-Oh's STAB Sacred Fire to astonishing levels, and Rapid Spin, to aid Ho-Oh in setting up by removing the crippling Stealth Rock from its side of the field. Groudon, with its great bulk and everlasting sunlight courtesy of Drought, fulfills Ho-Oh's sunlight needs perfectly. Groudon can also set up Stealth Rock to help Ho-Oh nab some important OHKOs. Forretress's good defenses and many resistances allow it to fulfill the Rapid Spinning role perfectly as well, and it can even set up Spikes to facilitate Ho-Oh's sweep.</p>
<p>The best counter to this set is Rock Arceus, as it packs resistances to both of Ho-Oh's STAB moves, is bulky enough to take an Earthquake, and can easily destroy Ho-Oh with one Judgment. Ho-Oh also isn't a fan of Kyogre and Zekrom, as the formers disposes of Ho-Oh's beloved sunlight and the latter can handle one hit from Ho-Oh and OHKO it back with Bolt Strike. Rock-types also pose a problem if Ho-Oh lacks Earthquake, as due to Ho-Oh's 4X weakness to said type, any decently powerful Rock-type attack will bring it down. Thankfully, Groudon's bulk and very powerful STAB Earthquake make it an excellent counter to Zekrom and Rock-types, including Rock Arceus. Palkia can easily come in on Kyogre's powerful Water-type strikes and defeat it with Thunder. Grass Arceus is capable of checking pretty much all of Ho-Oh's counters, either crippling them with status or setting up on them with Calm Mind.</p>
[SET]
name: Tank Sweeper
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Earthquake / Substitute / Whirlwind
move 4: Recover
item: Life Orb / Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
nature: Adamant
[Set Comments]
<p>Instead of boosting its Speed to sweep, this Ho-Oh set takes advantage of its incredible defenses to take hits and dish out even more painful ones. This Ho-Oh, in particular, serves as a great defensive counter for a lot of threats, such as most Calm Mind variants of Arceus, Darkrai, any Steel-type, Shaymin-S, Heatran, Palkia, Reshiram, Dialga, and much more.</p>
<p>Sacred Fire and Brave Bird are once again the main attacks, the former doing tremendous damage to anything that doesn't resist it as well as spreading burns to help make up for Ho-Oh's below-average Defense, and the latter annihilating Kyogre, Palkia, and Reshiram. Earthquake rounds out the coverage superbly, 2HKOing all forms of Zekrom (and OHKOing offensive variants after absorbing damage from Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes) and most Rock-types, as well as always OHKOing Heatran. Recover is chosen over Roost as the recovery option this time. Ho-Oh is not running much Speed at all with this set, and therefore, it will usually not be able to take advantage of the temporary Electric-type neutrality that Roost brings. Instead, Recover is better so Ho-Oh will always have its immunity to Ground-type attacks. Roost still does have some merit in allowing Ho-Oh to stall out a burned Groudon's Stone Edges, so long as Groudon is slower than Ho-Oh. Substitute affords Ho-Oh status protection while giving it a way to strike at its checks without having to predict them switching in. Whirlwind allows Ho-Oh to become a great phazer, spreading passive damage around like wildfire while easily shrugging off damage with its excellent bulk and Recover.</p>
<p>The EVs are, once again, fairly straightforward. Maximum Attack with an Adamant nature is used to hit as hard as possible, and the HP EVs provide Ho-Oh with a great amount of bulk. The remaining EVs go toward Speed to keep Ho-Oh's HP at an odd number so it can switch into Stealth Rock twice without being KOed from full HP. This also lets it outrun defensive Pokemon such as Kyogre. Life Orb is the preferred item as it grants Ho-Oh a ton of firepower. However, Leftovers can also be used over Life Orb on this set. Ho-Oh will not be as powerful and will lose a few OHKOs, but it will be able to live for a much longer time. Leftovers is best used in conjunction with Substitute or Whirlwind, and is a good choice if Ho-Oh is being used on a more Stall-oriented team. It can also help Ho-Oh take more attacks from threats such as Darkrai and Mewtwo more effectively, should Ho-Oh be used for that purpose. If using Leftovers, the preferred spread for this set is 192 HP / 248 Atk / 76 SpD with the same nature. This EV spread allows Ho-Oh decent power while also enabling it to always survive a Life Orbed Dark Pulse from Timid Darkrai after it has used Nasty Plot twice.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>This Ho-Oh set, aside from working well with the same support and teammates mentioned in the first set, really appreciates paralysis support to make up for its low Speed. Grass Arceus can easily deter Ground-type from switching in thanks to its typing, allowing it to easily slow a large chunk of the enemy team with Thunder Wave. Dialga, Groudon, Lugia, and Zekrom, Jirachi, and Blissey can all also spread paralysis very effectively. Lots of entry hazards of any kind are also recommended if using Whirlwind. Forretress can set up all three entry hazards, and Ho-Oh can easily come in on Fire-type attacks aimed at Forretress and begin to Whirlwind away.</p>
<p>Of special mention for this set is Toxic Spikes provided by the previously mentioned Forretress. Toxic Spikes, when combined with Substitute and Recover or Roost, can allow Ho-Oh to outstall many threats simply by spamming Substitute and Recover while the hapless foes slowly lose their life from increasingly powerful Poison. For example, Ho-Oh can come in on something that it walls but is faster, such as Choice Scarf Palkia, and set up a Substitute as Palkia faints from the Toxic Spikes poison. From there, Ho-Oh can easily net another KO or two while safely behind its baby Rhydon doll.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Punishment
item: Choice Scarf
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
[Set Comments]
<p>Choice Scarf patches up Ho-Oh's meager Speed to a respectable 459, beating every Pokemon in Ubers except for Deoxys-S that does not hold Choice Scarf, allowing Ho-Oh to become a great revenge killer and late-game cleaner.</p>
<p>Sacred Fire, even without a Life Orb boost, is still a ridiculously powerful attack in the sunlight that will maim anything that does not resist it. Brave Bird also stands as a very powerful secondary STAB that 2HKOes most types of Kyogre and Palkia. Earthquake is there to cover things such as Zekrom, Terakion, Heatran, and Tyranitar. However, using Earthquake is risky due to the sheer number of Flying-types/Levitators in the Uber environment, so exercise caution before going ahead with the attack. Punishment is a useful little tool that serves as a failsafe against things such as Calm Mind Mewtwo, Calm Mind Giratina-O, and Calm Mind Arceus. As it increases in power as they gain Calm Mind boosts, Ho-Oh can easily use Punishment to save your team from utter ruin if the enemy Calm Mind user has acquired multiple boosts.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Once again, any teammate from the previous sets will also work well with this one. However, due to this Ho-Oh's considerably lower power, defensive Kyogre is now able to wall it and Wobbuffet to trap it with Shadow Tag and Counter it to oblivion. Choice Band Zekrom is able to stomp all over Kyogre with its powerful STAB Bolt Strike, and can also weaken Wobbuffet to the point where it can no longer trap Ho-Oh. Mixed attackers such as Palkia and Dialga can bluff a Choice Scarf by holding an item such as Lustrous Orb or Expert Belt to lure Wobbuffet in. As it Counters or Mirror Coats, expecting a physical or special attack, Wobbuffet will quickly find itself being wiped off the face of the planet from an attack on the opposite side. Toxic Spikes from Forretress also badly mess up Wobbuffet.</p>
<p>This Ho-Oh set has no recovery whatsoever, so Rapid Spin support from Forretress is a must. Using Wish support is also a good idea to keep as both an extra defense against Stealth Rock and to help Ho-Oh switch into resisted attacks. Jirach is probably the best user of Wish in Ubers due to access to U-turn, great bulk, and numerous resistances, including a resistance to Rock-type attacks. Blissey is also notable as it can pass Wishes so enormous that they will often fully heal the Rainbow Phoenix.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Ho-Oh can utilize Reflect, Light Screen, and/or Toxic to become a very good staller with Pressure. Ho-Oh can also don a Choice Band to pump up its Attack to obscene levels, but Stealth Rock damage, Ho-Oh's middling Speed, and lack of recovery mean that Ho-Oh will usually faint too fast to take advantage. Ho-Oh is also a good spreader of paralysis with Thunder Wave. It is very unlikely that Ground-type Pokemon such as Garchomp will switch into Ho-Oh due to the risk of getting burned by Sacred Fire. Safeguard can also be used to give Ho-Oh status protection. Finally, Ho-Oh can use Calm Mind or Choice Specs and run a decent special attacking set with its good base 110 Special Attack, but it's generally outclassed by Reshiram in that respect due to much higher Special Attack and STAB Dragon-type attacks.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Ho-oh has no true counter as nothing can safely switch in on its devastating attacks. Only smart prediction and having the right combination of resistances will bring it down.</p>
<p>That said, Rock Arceus is probably the closest thing Ho-Oh has to a true counter. It resists both Sacred Fire and Brave Bird, has the bulk to take multiple hits, and can OHKO Ho-Oh with a swift Judgment. However, Rock Arceus really hates switching in on Earthquake repeatedly. Zekrom also resists both of Ho-Oh's STABS and can easily fell it with Bolt Strike. However, Zekrom loathes a possible burn and a Life Orb Earthquake will bring it to its knees. Kyogre is an issue for Ho-Oh because of Drizzle, which cancels out Ho-Oh's beloved sunlight, and a Surf from the giant blue sea titan will easily drown the rainbow phoenix. However, Kyogre can't really take a Brave Bird at all. Palkia is in the same boat as Kyogre, and even though it possesses STAB Water-type attacks, Ho-Oh actually walls Palkia in the sunlight unless it carries Power Gem. Giratina-A can soak up Ho-Oh's attacks somewhat comfortably, but needs Stone Edge to actually KO. Rayquaza also outspeeds Ho-Oh and can Outrage it into oblivion, but Rayquaza can only really come in on Earthquake. Anything faster than Ho-Oh, such as Choice Scarf Tyranitar, Garchomp, or Terakion can easily revenge kill it.</p>
<p>The easiest way to keep Ho-Oh at bay is Stealth Rock. A Ho-Oh at 50% HP is much more palatable than one at full strength. Keeping a sturdy Ghost-type such as Giratina-O or Ghost Arceus is recommended to make sure Stealth Rock doesn't get removed by Rapid Spin as well.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Ho-Oh receives the ability Regenerator from the Dream World. This is a fantastic addition for Ho-Oh as the added recovery reduces the overall toll Stealth Rock takes on its health, and should Stealth Rock not be up, greatly increases Ho-Oh's ability to take hits. Regenerator should be used on every Ho-Oh set if it's ever released as the added recovery is much more beneficial than the PP reduction from Pressure. However, Regenerator and Roost are an illegal combination. While this may seem to be bad at first, it's honestly not a big deal as Ho-Oh still has access to Recover for healing. It should also be noted that Regeneration is illegal with Tailwind.</p>
