Ho-Oh

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Inspirited

There is usually higher ground.
is a Contributor Alumnus
Taken over from Fireburn


QC: 3/3 (shrang, Blue Jay, Nayrz)
GP: 2/2 (P Squared, Winry)

DONE!

[OVERVIEW]

Ho-Oh's relatively high Attack stat, strong STAB Brave Bird, and powerful STAB Sacred Fire, which also has a high chance to burn, make it one of the most difficult Pokemon to switch into. Its typing, annoyingly high Special Defense, access to Recover, and fantastic ability in Regenerator give it the staying power to continually apply pressure to the opposing team, as well as the ability to check many threats, including Geomancy Xerneas. Ho-Oh also received a godsend in two new, reliable Magic Bounce users in Mega Diancie and Mega Sableye, which can keep Stealth Rock off the field for it. Latios and Latias also regained their Soul Dew, making them some of the best users of Defog in the game in order to help Ho-Oh with its crippling weakness.

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Recover
move 4: Thunder Wave / Earthquake
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 196 Atk / 52 SpD / 12 Spe

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

Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's primary move for doing damage. It has 180 Base Power after STAB and few foes resist it, making Ho-Oh very good at breaking down teams with it by applying pressure to important Steel- and Rock-types. Sacred Fire is a decently reliable and powerful STAB attack that allows Ho-Oh to bypass Steel-types that resist Brave Bird and has a very nasty 47.5% chance to burn its target when factoring in Sacred Fire's 95% accuracy; it also helps discourage Tyranitar and Zekrom switch-ins, as a burn heavily cripples them. Recover gives Ho-Oh recovery outside of Regenerator in order to bolster its already annoying longevity and nullify Stealth Rock damage if necessary. Thunder Wave allows Ho-Oh to cripple Choice Scarf and Geomancy Xerneas and paralyze Rock Arceus or Mega Salamence for a teammate. Earthquake 2HKOes Tyranitar and forces Rock Arceus to Recover. It will hardly ever be a safer move than Sacred Fire or Brave Bird, though.

Set Details
========

Even with Ho-Oh's gargantuan special bulk, it still needs near-maximum HP investment along with 52 Special Defense EVs in order to always survive a +2 Thunder from Geomancy Xerneas. Earthquake Ho-Oh runs 12 Speed EVs minimum in order to stay in and Earthquake Diancie before it Mega Evolves. The remaining EVs are used in Attack in order to put as much power behind Brave Bird and Sacred Fire as possible. If Ho-Oh's team already has a very good backbone that checks Geomancy Xerneas, running maximum Attack investment is also an option.

Usage Tips
========

This is Ho-Oh's bread-and-butter set for doing damage, paralyzing Rock Arceus and Xerneas, and overall being a large pain for the opponent when Stealth Rock is out of play. Use Ho-Oh's team to aggressively keep Stealth Rock off the field if Ho-Oh is important to its team's game plan. Most Steel- and Fairy-types allow Ho-Oh to switch in and use very low-cost attacks because of their importance to their team and inability to directly threaten Ho-Oh; use this to your advantage in every way possible. If you need one of Ho-Oh's checks badly poisoned, recklessly using Sacred Fire or Thunder Wave may be a bad idea; use Brave Bird instead. Even when Ho-Oh is low on health, clever uses of Regenerator will keep it in the game.

Team Options
========

Ho-Oh always wants two forms of Stealth Rock prevention on its team. This can come from Defog users such as Latias, Latios, Water Arceus, or Rock Arceus; Magic Bounce users such as Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie; the Tyranitar and Excadrill duo because of Excadrill's ability to Rapid Spin; or Mega Gengar, which traps and removes the Stealth Rock user while also using Taunt if Stealth Rock has not yet been set up. Water Arceus and Focus Blast Mega Gengar help check or remove the Rock-types that plague Ho-Oh. Water Arceus, Latios, and Latias help a Ho-Oh that doesn't carry Earthquake deal with Stone Edge Primal Groudon. Latias, Latios, Power Whip Ferrothorn, and Primal Groudon help keep Primal Kyogre in check, although defensive variants annoy them all. Other Flying-types such as Mega Salamence and Rayquaza benefit from Ho-Oh's powerful Brave Bird and ability to spread burns to their checks with Sacred Fire. Paralyzing a Rock Arceus is a massive boon for both also.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Choice Band
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 196 Atk / 52 SpD / 12 Spe

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

Choice Band-boosted Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's primary move for huge damage while pressuring Steel-types and Rock-types alike for its partners. Sacred Fire not only has a ridiculous burn rate but also does enough damage to be used liberally with a Choice Band. Sacred Fire's burn chance also heavily cripples most of Ho-Oh's would-be checks 47.5% of the time, making it extremely hard to switch into. Earthquake 2HKOes Tyranitar, forces Rock Arceus to Recover, and 2HKOes maximum HP Primal Groudon. Sleep Talk gives Ho-Oh the ability to punish Darkrai, something other Ho-Oh sets lack. Sleep Talk's randomness also makes a sleeping Ho-Oh even harder to switch into.

Set Details
========

Near-maximum HP investment along with 52 Special Defense EVs is used to always survive a +2 Thunder from Geomancy Xerneas. 12 Speed EVs are used in order to outrun Diancie before it Mega Evolves. The remaining EVs are used in Attack in order to put as much power behind Brave Bird, Earthquake, and Sacred Fire as possible. If Ho-Oh's team already has a very good backbone that checks Geomancy Xerneas, running maximum Attack and Speed investment with an Adamant or Jolly nature works also in order to allow Ho-Oh not to be scared out Kyogre and other base 90 Speed Pokemon such as Primal Groudon. This is especially usable because offensive Primal Kyogre variants are OHKOed by a Choice Band-boosted Brave Bird after any chip damage.

Usage Tips
========

When using Choice Band Ho-Oh instead of Life Orb Ho-Oh, keep in mind that it trades the ability to switch moves, paralyze Xerneas, and use Recover for the ability to absorb Dark Void from Darkrai, hit harder, and take less recoil per hit. This means it does more for its offensive partners but has slightly less defensive utility, which is made up for by its ability to take Dark Void. When deciding whether to use Sacred Fire or Brave Bird, there are several factors to take into consideration, as both are very low-risk moves that do a bunch of damage and possibly burn their targets. Primal Kyogre should be the first Pokemon you look for, because heavy rain makes it immune to Sacred Fire; therefore using Brave Bird or switching is a better play if it is on your opponent's team unless you wish to force it in. Mega Salamence is the second Pokemon you should look for, as Refresh variants can set up on a Ho-Oh locked into Sacred Fire; Brave Bird forces Refresh Salamence to Roost stall Ho-Oh, therefore keeping it at bay. If Tyranitar or Rock Arceus is present, scoring a Sacred Fire burn can be very beneficial for both Ho-Oh and its Flying-type teammates, as Ho-Oh can now do a monstrous load of damage to burned Rock Arceus in particular with Earthquake. Clever use of Regenerator and Ho-Oh's entry hazard control teammates can result in Ho-Oh doing damage throughout the entire game. Use Ho-Oh's team to keep Stealth Rock off its side of the field at all costs.

Team Options
========

A stronger Xerneas backbone consisting of Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Klefki, Excadrill with Tyranitar, Aegislash, Extreme Killer Arceus, and Lugia should be considered when using Choice Band Ho-Oh, as while Ho-Oh will deal a very large amount of damage to Geomancy Xerneas, it will never OHKO it from full HP. Two forms of Stealth Rock prevention are required when using Choice Band Ho-Oh. Latias, Latios, and Water Arceus all use Defog for Ho-Oh and pair well with Magic Bounce users as an added bonus. The viable Magic Bounce users to choose from are Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie, while Rapid Spin can come from Excadrill with Tyranitar. Mega Gengar can trap and KO Stealth Rock users and can also KO Tyranitar and Rock Arceus with Focus Blast or Destiny Bond depending on the situation; Tyranitar is almost always the Stealth Rock user on its team anyhow. Primal Groudon, Latios, and Latias all switch into Primal Kyogre should Ho-Oh need to lock itself into Sacred Fire or Earthquake while Primal Kyogre is still in play. Klefki and Ferrothorn also help handle the Rock-types Ho-Oh cannot get past. Other Flying-types and physical attackers that pair well with Ho-Oh are required, as otherwise you are better off using Life Orb Ho-Oh. Rayquaza, offensive Yveltal, and Extreme Killer Arceus are all very good examples of these.

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

A defensive Ho-Oh with an Impish nature, an EV spread of 248 HP / 208 Def / 52 SpD, and a moveset of Recover, Sacred Fire, Brave Bird, and Whirlwind can be used, but it doesn't really do much in a metagame where Stalltwo doesn't perform well at all and Extreme Killer Arceus carry Stone Edge commonly. It has to compete with Lugia and specially defensive Primal Groudon cores as well. Toxic can be used to ruin Lugia's and Rock Arceus's staying power for other Ho-Oh and its teammates. Tailwind can be used on the Life Orb set to double Ho-Oh's team's Speed for three turns after use. Flame Charge will give a longer-lasting Speed boost, but it costs a Life Orb hit and cannot be utilized by Ho-Oh's teammates.

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

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock might be very difficult to set up, but it takes away any defensive utility Ho-Oh provides. Ho-Oh cannot effectively abuse switching or Regenerator and is therefore crippled heavily while Stealth Rock is up.

**Rock-types**: Rock Arceus is the best Ho-Oh switch-in the game has. Sacred Fire burns and Earthquake can wear it down pretty easily and Thunder Wave is problematic for it, so Rock Arceus needs to be careful around Ho-Oh despite being the closest thing to a counter Ho-Oh has. Tyranitar hates Sacred Fire burns and Earthquake but can set up Stealth Rock on Ho-Oh in most cases, forcing it out into a Defog, Magic Bounce, or Rapid Spin user. Tyranitar can OHKO Ho-Oh with Rock Slide if it is not burned or can attempt to paraflinch Ho-Oh with Thunder Wave and Rock Slide if Ho-Oh lacks Earthquake or is locked into another move. Mega Diancie outspeeds and OHKOes Ho-Oh with Diamond Storm. It can also 2HKO Ho-Oh with Diamond Storm while burned, but it must watch out for Earthquake if it cannot KO Ho-Oh in one turn.

**Stone Edge users**: Primal Groudon can take any one hit from Ho-Oh and easily OHKO with Stone Edge. Ground Arceus, Extreme Killer Arceus, and Fairy Arceus all outspeed and OHKO Ho-Oh with Stone Edge, but it is less common on Fairy Arceus and is only common on Extreme Killer; Ground Arceus will always have Stone Edge.

**Water-types**: Primal Kyogre will either outspeed or take any one hit from Ho-Oh, and it can then KO Ho-Oh with its Water-type STAB. Water Arceus with Judgment beats Ho-Oh a very good amount of the time if Thunder Wave doesn't score too many turns of full paralysis.

**Refresh Mega Salamence**: Bulky Mega Salamence with Refresh can set up on Ho-Oh locked into Sacred Fire pretty easily due to Refresh nullifying Sacred Fire's high burn rate. It forces Life Orb Ho-Oh out with the combination of Roost stalling for Life Orb and Brave Bird recoil and attacking when Ho-Oh attempts to Recover.

**Zekrom**: Zekrom hates Sacred Fire burns and Earthquake, but it resists both of Ho-Oh's STAB attacks and can OHKO it with Bolt Strike.

**Lugia**: Lugia hates Sacred Fire burns, but it can Roost stall most Ho-Oh out of Sacred Fire PP if it is locked into the move, or with Life Orb and Brave Bird recoil until it is safe to use Toxic on Ho-Oh's Recover. Lugia will likely be paired with a cleric of some kind, so a burn won't be hindering it for very long.

**Toxic**: Toxic causing extra damage alongside Brave Bird and Life Orb recoil cuts into Ho-Oh's staying time significantly, despite it having Regenerator. Life Orb Ho-Oh in particular is a recoil machine and should be kept away from Toxic at all costs if you want it to do anything significant.
 
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I think recover > roost

The old rationale for roost was that you could burn stall support groudon and do some other misc. stuff like roosting on slower ice beams/thunders sometimes. strong boltbeam in this meta almost solely come from pkyogre so you don't really have any use for the latter while the former is of no use due to support groudon not being common. Instead you got pdon which you can't burn, meaning it will always have a full powered pblades to hit you with on roost turns (or just a full powered stone edge to hit you with when you don't roost).

I think since many pdon that use a special fire move skip stone edge altogether, recover has a stronger niche as it allows you to heal without the fear of getting predicted.

This is of course implying speed creep on ho-oh that exceeds support pdons, but I think it's a valid point nevertheless.
 

Inspirited

There is usually higher ground.
is a Contributor Alumnus
This is ready (finally). I moved the defensive set to OO because its main niches are goneand I got tired of writing xppppp. Stalltwo no longer functions well and Mega Sableye exists, making its Stalltwo proofing niche with Tyranitar on stall no more. Extreme Killer now carries Stone Edge and it can no longer burn Kyogre on the switch, making it even harder to justify. Whirlwind isn't very helpful either, other than phazing Xerneas seeing how hazards are now very hard to set up and keep up. Lugia now walls much more of the metagame than it did in XY, making it harder for this Ho-Oh to justify its slot, and Specially Defensive Primal Groudon (the Rest Talk one) makes it even harder to justify yet! The only saving grace for it is keeping MMY Y at bay, and having an 86% chance to do the same to Life Orb Mewtwo, which is not even in the ballpark of enough to fit on a team imo. I left it in Other Options in case other QC members think differently, but I really don't like how little it does. Its just a terrible mon in my eyes. I did try for the unteenth time to build with it today, but once again I ran into the same problem of it not doing remotely enough.

There are a few more changes here and there, but this is ready for its final check! :D
 

Minority

Numquam Vincar
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Maybe my style of analysis writing is more fluffy or something, but I think the moves section of the CB set should be expanded a bit. I get the appeal of having just one short and sweet sentence for each move, but there are other important details to talk about in regards to CB Ho-Oh's move set.

I think the opening sentence for this section should explain exactly why you would use CB over LO, you're giving up recovery and ability to switch up attacks to deal more damage and provide a better answer to Darkrai. I'm just speculating here, but I don't think the average person fully understands why the LO set is first and the CB set is second when the CB set is more powerful and provides a decent way of handling Darkrai, maybe explain why this is. When talking about Brave Bird in regards to CB Ho-Oh, maybe provide some examples of kills that CB Ho-Oh can get that LO doesn't. Although such situations are rarely so cut and dry in an actual battle, it still demonstrates exactly how much stronger CB is than LO and where this might be worthwhile for a build. In the moves details of the LO set you mention that Sacred Fire's burn rate makes it difficult for Tyranitar to switch in, but you could extend that to many more Pokemon that otherwise might make better Ho-Oh checks. I think the important thing to hit here is that Scared Fire's burn rate in combination with Brave Bird makes Ho-Oh very difficult to switch into. On Earthquake you could extend the list of targets; this move doesn't OHKO Darkrai when pulled from Sleep Talk so it's being used for more than ttar and Arc Rock, the later of which still outspeeds and OHKOs Ho-Oh.

Like I already mentioned, if you want to keep the moves section much shorter and concise I get it, but these are the things that I would have brought to attention if I was writing that section.
 

Inspirited

There is usually higher ground.
is a Contributor Alumnus
Ok added a bit of minority's point since they are very good ones. Also read this over in large font, so I am positive this is GP ready!
 

P Squared

a great unrecorded history
is a Site Content Manageris a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
GP 1/2
add remove comment
[OVERVIEW]

Ho-Oh keeps on getting better and better in the Ubers metagame. Its relatively high Attack stat, strong STAB Brave Bird, and powerful STAB Sacred Fire's power and burn rate, which also has a chance to burn, still make it one of the most difficult Pokemon to switch into. Its typing, annoyingly high Special Defense, access to Recover, and its fantastic ability in Regenerator give it the staying power to continually apply pressure to the opposing team, as well as and the ability to check many threats, including Geomancy Xerneas. Ho-Oh also received a godsend in two 2 new, reliable Magic Bounce users in Mega Diancie and Mega Sableye, which can in order to keep Stealth Rock off the field for it. Latios and Latias also regained their Soul Dew, making them some of the best users of Defog in the game in order to help Ho-Oh with its crippling weakness. Overall, Ho-Oh is one of the biggest threats in the due to its insane attributes and Stealth Rock being harder to set up than ever before. (this doesn't really provide any new info :\ add some or I'll have to remove it)

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Recover
move 4: Thunder Wave / Earthquake
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 196 Atk / 52 SpD / 12 Spe

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

Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's primary move for doing damage. It has 180 Base Power after STAB and few foes that resist it has few resistances, making Ho-Oh very good at breaking down teams with it by applying pressure to important Steel- and Rock-types. Sacred Fire is a decently reliable and powerful STAB attack that allows Ho-Oh to bypass Steel-types that resist Brave Bird and has a very nasty 47.5% chance to burn its target when factoring in Sacred Fire's 95% accuracy; it helps discourage Tyranitar and Zekrom switch-ins, as since a burn heavily cripples them. Recover gives Ho-Oh recovery outside of Regenerator in order to bolster its already annoying longevity survivability and nullify Stealth Rock damage if necessary. Thunder Wave allows Ho-Oh to cripple Choice Scarf and Geomancy Xerneas and paralyze Rock Arceus or Mega Salamence for a teammate. Earthquake 2HKOes Tyranitar and forces Rock Arceus to Recover. It will hardly ever be a safer move than Sacred Fire or Brave Bird, though.

Set Details
========

Even with Ho-Oh's gargantuan special bulk, it still needs near-maximum HP investment along with 52 Special Defense EVs in order to always survive a +2 Thunder from Geomancy Xerneas. Earthquake Ho-Oh runs 12 Speed EVs minimum in order to stay in and Earthquake Diancie before it Mega Evolves. The remaining EVs are used in Attack in order to put as much power behind Brave Bird and Sacred Fire as possible. If Ho-Oh's team already has a very good backbone that checks Geomancy Xerneas, running maximum Attack investment is an option also.

Usage Tips
========

This is Ho-Oh's bread and butter set for doing damage, paralyzing Rock Arceus and Xerneas, and overall being a large pain for the opponent when Stealth Rock is out of play. Use Ho-Oh's team to aggressively keep Stealth Rock off the field should Ho-Oh be important to its team's game plan. Steel- and most Fairy-types allow Ho-Oh to use very low-cost attacks,; (ASC) (prob bc I don't know much about Ubers but I have no idea why this is the case lol, explain?) use this to your advantage in every way possible. If you need one of Ho-Oh's checks badly poisoned, recklessly using Sacred Fire or Thunder Wave may be a bad idea; use Brave Bird instead. Even when Ho-Oh is low on health, clever uses of Regenerator will still keep it in the game.

Team Options
========

Ho-Oh always wants two forms of Stealth Rock prevention on its team. This can come from Defog users such as Latias, Latios, Water Arceus, or Rock Arceus,; (ASC) Magic Bounce users in Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie,; (ASC) the Tyranitar and Excadrill duo because of Excadrill's ability to Rapid Spin,; (ASC) or Mega Gengar, which who traps and removes the Stealth Rock user while also being able to use using Taunt if Stealth Rock has not yet been set up. Water Arceus and Focus Blast Mega Gengar help check or remove the Rock-types that plague Ho-Oh. Water Arceus, Latios, and Latias help a Ho-Oh that doesn't carry Earthquake deal with Stone Edge Primal Groudon. Latias, Latios, Power Whip Ferrothorn, and Primal Groudon help keep Primal Kyogre in check, (AC) although defensive variants annoy them all. Other Flying-types such as Mega Salamence and Rayquaza benefit from Ho-Oh's powerful Brave Bird and ability to spread burns to their checks with Sacred Fire. Paralyzing a Rock Arceus is a massive boon for both also.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Choice Band
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 196 Atk / 52 SpD / 12 Spe

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

Choice Band-boosted Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's primary move for dealing huge damage while pressuring Steel-types and Rock-types alike for its partners. Sacred Fire not only has a ridiculous burn rate but also does enough damage to be used liberally with a Choice Band Scared Fire's burn chance ruins most (this is worded strangely; idk what to do with it. at the very least it should be Sacred > Scared haha) of Ho-Oh's would be checks 50% of the time, making it extremely hard to switch into;, (AC) especially with the Choice Band boost. Earthquake 2HKOes Tyranitar, forces Rock Arceus to Recover, and also 2HKOes maximum HP Primal Groudon. Sleep Talk gives Ho-Oh the ability to punish Darkrai, something other Ho-Oh sets lack unlike its other sets. Sleep Talk's randomness also makes a sleeping Ho-Oh even harder to switch into.

Set Details
========

Near-maximum HP investment along with 52 Special Defense EVs is used to always survive a +2 Thunder from Geomancy Xerneas. 12 Speed EVs are used in order to outrun Diancie before it Mega Evolves. The remaining EVs are used in Attack in order to put as much power behind Brave Bird, Earthquake, and Sacred Fire as possible. If Ho-Oh's team already has a very good backbone that checks Geomancy Xerneas, running maximum Attack and Speed investment with an Adamant or Jolly nature works also in order to limit (the effectiveness of?) Kyogre and other base 90s Speed Pokemon. This is especially usable because offensive Primal Kyogre variants are OHKOed by a Choice Band-boosted Brave Bird after any chip damage.

Usage Tips
========

When using a Choice Band Ho-Oh instead of Life Orb Ho-Oh, keep in mind that it trades the ability to switch moves, paralyze Xerneas, and use Recover for the ability to absorb Dark Void from Darkrai, hit harder, and take less recoil per hit. This means it does more for its offensive partners, (RC) but has slightly less defensive utility made up for (what does this mean?) its ability to take Dark Void. When deciding whether to use Sacred Fire or Brave Bird, there are several factors to take into consideration, (AC) as both are very low-risk moves that do a bunch of damage and possibly burn their targets. Primal Kyogre should be the first Pokemon you look for, (AC) because heavy rain makes it immune to Sacred Fire,; (ASC) therefore, using Brave Bird or switching are is a better plays if it is on your opponent's team unless you wish to force it in. Mega Salamence is the second Pokemon you should look for, as Refresh variants can set up on Sacred Fire locked Ho-Oh locked into Sacred Fire; Brave Bird forces Refresh Salamence to Roost stall Ho-Oh, therefore keeping it at bay. If Tyranitar or Rock Arceus are is present, scoring a Sacred Fire burn can be very beneficial for both Ho-Oh and its Flying-type teammates, (AC) as Ho-Oh can now do a monstrous load of damage to burned Rock Arceus in particular with Earthquake. Clever use of Regenerator and Ho-Oh's hazard control teammates can result in Ho-Oh doing damage throughout the entire game. Use Ho-Oh's team to keep Stealth Rock off its side of the field at all costs.

Team Options
========

A stronger Xerneas backbone consisting of Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Klefki, Excadrill with Tyranitar, Aegislash, Extreme Killer Arceus, or and Lugia should be considered when using Choice Band Ho-Oh, (AC) as while Ho-Oh will deal a very large amount of damage to Geomancy Xerneas, it will never OHKO it from full HP. Two forms of Stealth Rock prevention are required when using Choice Band Ho-Oh. Latias, Latios, and Water Arceus all use Defog for Ho-Oh and pair well with Magic Bounce users as an added bonus. The viable Magic Bounce users to choose from are Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie, while Rapid Spin can come from Excadrill with Tyranitar. Mega Gengar can trap and KO the Stealth Rock users and can also KO Tyranitar and Rock Arceus with Focus Blast or Destiny Bond depending on the situation; Tyranitar is almost always the Stealth Rock user on its team anyhow. Primal Groudon, Latios, and Latias all switch into Primal Kyogre should Ho-Oh need to lock itself into Sacred Fire or Earthquake while Primal Kyogre is still in play. Klefki and Ferrothorn also help handle the Rock-types Ho-Oh cannot get past passed. Other Flying-types and physical attackers that pair well with Ho-Oh are required, as otherwise you are better off using Life Orb Ho-Oh. Rayquaza, offensive Yveltal, and Extreme Killer Arceus are all very good examples of these.

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

A defensive Ho-Oh with an Impish nature, a spread of 248 HP / 208 Def / 52 SpD, and and 248 HP, 208 Defense, and 52 Special Defense EVs with a moveset of Recover, Sacred Fire, Brave Bird, and Whirlwind can be used, but it doesn't really do much in a metagame where Stalltwo doesn't perform well at all and Extreme Killer Arceus carry Stone Edge commonly. It has to compete with Lugia and specially defensive Primal Groudon cores as well also. Toxic can be used to ruin Lugia's and Rock Arceus's staying power for Ho-Oh and its teammates other threats and itself. Tailwind can be used on the Life Orb set to double Ho-Oh's team's Speed for 3 three turns. Flame Charge will give a longer-lasting Speed boost, but it costs a Life Orb hit and cannot be utilized by Ho-Oh's teammates. (AP)

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

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock may might be very difficult to set up, but it takes away any defensive utility Ho-Oh provides. Ho-Oh cannot effectively abuse switching or Regenerator and is therefore crippled heavily while Stealth Rock is up.

**Rock-types**: Rock Arceus is the best Ho-Oh switch-in the game has. Sacred Fire burns and Earthquake can wear it down pretty easily and Thunder Wave is problematic for it, so Rock Arceus needs to be careful around Ho-Oh despite being the closest thing to a counter Ho-Oh has. Tyranitar hates Sacred Fire burns and Earthquake but can set up Stealth Rock on Ho-Oh in most cases;, (AC) forcing it out into a Defog, Magic Bounce, or Rapid Spin user. Tyranitar can OHKO Ho-Oh with an un-burned Rock Slide if it is not burned or can attempt to Thunder Wave and Rock Slide flinch paraflinch Ho-Oh with Thunder Wave and Rock Slide if Ho-Oh lacks Earthquake is not carried or it is locked into another move. Mega Diancie outspeeds and OHKOes Ho-Oh with Diamond Storm. It can also 2HKO Ho-Oh with burned Diamond Storm while burned also, but it must watch out for Earthquake if it cannot KO Ho-Oh in one turn.

**Stone Edge Users**: Primal Groudon with Stone Edge can take any one hit from Ho-Oh and easily OHKO with Stone Edge it. Ground Arceus, Extreme Killer Arceus, and Fairy Arceus all outspeed and OHKO Ho-Oh with Stone Edge, but it is less common on Fairy Arceus, only common on Extreme Killer, and must be used on Ground Arceus only. (match the order here if you don't mind; should be Ground/Extreme/Fairy. either way, I'm not sure what "must be used on Ground Arceus only" means)

**Water-types**: Primal Kyogre will either outspeed or take any one hit from Ho-Oh, and it can then KO with its Water-type STAB move. Water Arceus with Judgment beats Ho-Oh a very good amount of the time if Thunder Wave doesn't score too many turns of full paralysis paralyses.

**Refresh Mega Salamence**: Bulky Mega Salamence with Refresh can set up on Sacred Fire locked Ho-Oh locked into Sacred Fire pretty easily due to Refresh nullifying Sacred Fire's high burn rate. It forces Life Orb Ho-Oh out with the combination of Recover stalling for Life Orb and Brave Bird recoil, (RC) and attacking when Ho-Oh attempts to Recover.

**Zekrom**: Zekrom hates Sacred Fire burns and Earthquake, but it resists both of Ho-Oh's STAB attacks and can OHKO it with Bolt Strike.

**Lugia**: Lugia hates Sacred Fire burns, but it can Roost stall most Ho-Oh out of Sacred Fire PP if it is locked into the move, or with Life Orb and Brave Bird recoil until it is safe to use Toxic on Ho-Oh's Recover. Lugia will likely be paired with a cleric of some kind, so a burn won't be hindering it for very long.

**Toxic**: Toxic causing extra damage alongside Brave Bird and/or Life Orb recoil cuts into Ho-Oh's staying time significantly, despite it having Regenerator. Life Orb Ho-Oh in particular is a recoil machine (haha) and should be kept away from Toxic at all costs if you want it to do anything significant.
 

Inspirited

There is usually higher ground.
is a Contributor Alumnus
GP 1/2
Overall, Ho-Oh is one of the biggest threats in the due to its insane attributes and Stealth Rock being harder to set up than ever before. (this doesn't really provide any new info :\ add some or I'll have to remove it)[...]
I removed this. I was just trying to solidify just how threatening Ho-Oh is right now.

[...]Steel- and most Fairy-types allow Ho-Oh to use very low-cost attacks,; (ASC) (prob bc I don't know much about Ubers but I have no idea why this is the case lol, explain?) use this to your advantage in every way possible.[...]
I ended up writing this: "Most Steel- and Fairy-types allow Ho-Oh to switch in and use very low cost attacks because of their importance to their team and inability to directly threaten Ho-Oh; use this to your advantage in every way possible."

[...]Sacred Fire not only has a ridiculous burn rate but also does enough damage to be used liberally with a Choice Band Scared Fire's burn chance ruins most (this is worded strangely; idk what to do with it. at the very least it should be Sacred > Scared haha) of Ho-Oh's would be checks 50% of the time, making it extremely hard to switch into;, (AC) especially with the Choice Band boost. Earthquake 2HKOes Tyranitar, forces Rock Arceus to Recover, and also 2HKOes maximum HP Primal Groudon.[...]
I ended up rewording this to:
"Sacred Fire not only has a ridiculous burn rate but also does enough damage to be used liberally with a Choice Band. Sacred Fire's burn chance also heavily cripples most of Ho-Oh's would be checks 47.5% of the time, making it extremely hard to switch into."

[...]If Ho-Oh's team already has a very good backbone that checks Geomancy Xerneas, running maximum Attack and Speed investment with an Adamant or Jolly nature works also in order to limit (the effectiveness of?) Kyogre and other base 90s Speed Pokemon.[...]
You are correct here. Changed.

[...]This means it does more for its offensive partners, (RC) but has slightly less defensive utility made up for (what does this mean?) its ability to take Dark Void.[...]
Reworded to:
"This means it does more for its offensive partners but has slightly less defensive utility, which is made up for by its ability to take Dark Void."

[...]
(match the order here if you don't mind; should be Ground/Extreme/Fairy. either way, I'm not sure what "must be used on Ground Arceus only" means)[...]
I changed this to:
"This means it does more for its offensive partners but has slightly less defensive utility, which is slightly made up for by its ability to take Dark Void."

I think that was all of the comments. The rest is implemented.
 

Winry

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[OVERVIEW]

Ho-Oh's keeps on getting better and better in the Ubers metagame. Its relatively high Attack stat, strong STAB Brave Bird, and powerful STAB Sacred Fire, [add space] which also has a high chance to burn, make it one of the most difficult Pokemon to switch into. Its typing, annoyingly high Special Defense, access to Recover, and fantastic ability in Regenerator give it the staying power to continually apply pressure to the opposing team, as well as the ability to check many threats, including Geomancy Xerneas. Ho-Oh also received a godsend in two new, reliable Magic Bounce users in Mega Diancie and Mega Sableye, [ac] which can keep Stealth Rock off the field for it. Latios and Latias also regained their Soul Dew, making them some of the best users of Defog in the game in order to help Ho-Oh with its crippling weakness.

[SET]
name: Tank
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Recover
move 4: Thunder Wave / Earthquake
item: Life Orb
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 196 Atk / 52 SpD / 12 Spe

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

Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's primary move for doing damage. It has 180 Base Power after STAB and few foes resist it, making Ho-Oh very good at breaking down teams with it by applying pressure to important Steel- and Rock-types. Sacred Fire is a decently reliable and powerful STAB attack that allows Ho-Oh to bypass Steel-types that resist Brave Bird and has a very nasty 47.5% chance to burn its target when factoring in Sacred Fire's 95% accuracy; it also helps discourage Tyranitar and Zekrom switch-ins, [ac] as a burn heavily cripples them. Recover gives Ho-Oh recovery outside of Regenerator in order to bolster its already annoying longevity and nullify Stealth Rock damage if necessary. Thunder Wave allows Ho-Oh to cripple Choice Scarf and Geomancy Xerneas and paralyze Rock Arceus or Mega Salamence for a teammate. Earthquake 2HKOes Tyranitar and forces Rock Arceus to Recover. It will hardly ever be a safer move than Sacred Fire or Brave Bird, though.

Set Details
========

Even with Ho-Oh's gargantuan special bulk, it still needs near-maximum HP investment along with 52 Special Defense EVs in order to always survive a +2 Thunder from Geomancy Xerneas. Earthquake Ho-Oh runs 12 Speed EVs minimum in order to stay in and Earthquake Diancie before it Mega Evolves. The remaining EVs are used in Attack in order to put as much power behind Brave Bird and Sacred Fire as possible. If Ho-Oh's team already has a very good backbone that checks Geomancy Xerneas, running maximum Attack investment is also an option also.

Usage Tips
========

This is Ho-Oh's bread-and-butter set for doing damage, paralyzing Rock Arceus and Xerneas, and overall being a large pain for the opponent when Stealth Rock is out of play. Use Ho-Oh's team to aggressively keep Stealth Rock off the field if should Ho-Oh be important to its team's game plan. Most Steel- and Fairy-types allow Ho-Oh to switch in and use very low-cost attacks because of their importance to their team and inability to directly threaten Ho-Oh and inability to directly threaten Ho-Oh; use this to your advantage in every way possible. If you need one of Ho-Oh's checks badly poisoned, recklessly using Sacred Fire or Thunder Wave may be a bad idea; use Brave Bird instead. Even when Ho-Oh is low on health, clever uses of Regenerator will keep it in the game.

Team Options
========

Ho-Oh always wants two forms of Stealth Rock prevention on its team. This can come from Defog users such as Latias, Latios, Water Arceus, or Rock Arceus; Magic Bounce users such as Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie; the Tyranitar and Excadrill duo because of Excadrill's ability to Rapid Spin; or Mega Gengar, which traps and removes the Stealth Rock user while also using Taunt if Stealth Rock has not yet been set up. Water Arceus and Focus Blast Mega Gengar help check or remove the Rock-types that plague Ho-Oh. Water Arceus, Latios, and Latias help a Ho-Oh that doesn't carry Earthquake deal with Stone Edge Primal Groudon. Latias, Latios, Power Whip Ferrothorn, and Primal Groudon help keep Primal Kyogre in check, although defensive variants annoy them all. Other Flying-types such as Mega Salamence and Rayquaza benefit from Ho-Oh's powerful Brave Bird and ability to spread burns to their checks with Sacred Fire. Paralyzing a Rock Arceus is a massive boon for both also.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Sleep Talk
item: Choice Band
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 196 Atk / 52 SpD / 12 Spe

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

Choice Band-boosted Brave Bird is Ho-Oh's primary move for huge damage while pressuring Steel-types and Rock-types alike for its partners. Sacred Fire not only has a ridiculous burn rate but also does enough damage to be used liberally with a Choice Band. Sacred Fire's burn chance also heavily cripples most of Ho-Oh's would-be checks 47.5% of the time, making it extremely hard to switch into. Earthquake 2HKOes Tyranitar, forces Rock Arceus to Recover, and 2HKOes maximum HP Primal Groudon. Sleep Talk gives Ho-Oh the ability to punish Darkrai, something other Ho-Oh sets lack. Sleep Talk's randomness also makes a sleeping Ho-Oh even harder to switch into.

Set Details
========

Near-maximum HP investment along with 52 Special Defense EVs is used to always survive a +2 Thunder from Geomancy Xerneas. 12 Speed EVs are used in order to outrun Diancie before it Mega Evolves. The remaining EVs are used in Attack in order to put as much power behind Brave Bird, Earthquake, and Sacred Fire as possible. If Ho-Oh's team already has a very good backbone that checks Geomancy Xerneas, running maximum Attack and Speed investment with an Adamant or Jolly nature works also in order to allow Ho-Oh not to be scared out Kyogre and other base 90 Speed Pokemon such as Primal Groudon. This is especially usable because offensive Primal Kyogre variants are OHKOed by a Choice Band-boosted Brave Bird after any chip damage.

Usage Tips
========

When using Choice Band Ho-Oh instead of Life Orb Ho-Oh, keep in mind that it trades the ability to switch moves, paralyze Xerneas, and use Recover for the ability to absorb Dark Void from Darkrai, hit harder, and take less recoil per hit. This means it does more for its offensive partners but has slightly less defensive utility, which is made up for by its ability to take Dark Void. When deciding whether to use Sacred Fire or Brave Bird, there are several factors to take into consideration, as both are very low-risk moves that do a bunch of damage and possibly burn their targets. Primal Kyogre should be the first Pokemon you look for, because heavy rain makes it immune to Sacred Fire; therefore using Brave Bird or switching is a better play if it is on your opponent's team unless you wish to force it in. Mega Salamence is the second Pokemon you should look for, as Refresh variants can set up on a Ho-Oh locked into Sacred Fire; Brave Bird forces Refresh Salamence to Roost stall Ho-Oh, therefore keeping it at bay. If Tyranitar or Rock Arceus is present, scoring a Sacred Fire burn can be very beneficial for both Ho-Oh and its Flying-type teammates, as Ho-Oh can now do a monstrous load of damage to burned Rock Arceus in particular with Earthquake. Clever use of Regenerator and Ho-Oh's entry hazard control teammates can result in Ho-Oh doing damage throughout the entire game. Use Ho-Oh's team to keep Stealth Rock off its side of the field at all costs.

Team Options
========

A stronger Xerneas backbone consisting of Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Klefki, Excadrill with Tyranitar, Aegislash, Extreme Killer Arceus, and Lugia should be considered when using Choice Band Ho-Oh, as while Ho-Oh will deal a very large amount of damage to Geomancy Xerneas, it will never OHKO it from full HP. Two forms of Stealth Rock prevention are required when using Choice Band Ho-Oh. Latias, Latios, and Water Arceus all use Defog for Ho-Oh and pair well with Magic Bounce users as an added bonus. The viable Magic Bounce users to choose from are Mega Sableye and Mega Diancie, while Rapid Spin can come from Excadrill with Tyranitar. Mega Gengar can trap and KO Stealth Rock users and can also KO Tyranitar and Rock Arceus with Focus Blast or Destiny Bond depending on the situation; Tyranitar is almost always the Stealth Rock user on its team anyhow. Primal Groudon, Latios, and Latias all switch into Primal Kyogre should Ho-Oh need to lock itself into Sacred Fire or Earthquake while Primal Kyogre is still in play. Klefki and Ferrothorn also help handle the Rock-types Ho-Oh cannot get past. Other Flying-types and physical attackers that pair well with Ho-Oh are required, as otherwise you are better off using Life Orb Ho-Oh. Rayquaza, offensive Yveltal, and Extreme Killer Arceus are all very good examples of these.

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

A defensive Ho-Oh with an Impish nature, an EV spread of 248 HP / 208 Def / 52 SpD, and a moveset of Recover, Sacred Fire, Brave Bird, and Whirlwind can be used, but it doesn't really do much in a metagame where Stalltwo doesn't perform well at all and Extreme Killer Arceus carry Stone Edge commonly. It has to compete with Lugia and specially defensive Primal Groudon cores as well. Toxic can be used to ruin Lugia's and Rock Arceus's staying power for other Ho-Oh and its teammates. Tailwind can be used on the Life Orb set to double Ho-Oh's team's Speed for three turns after it use. Flame Charge will give a longer-lasting Speed boost, but it costs a Life Orb hit and cannot be utilized by Ho-Oh's teammates.

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

**Stealth Rock**: Stealth Rock might be very difficult to set up, but it takes away any defensive utility Ho-Oh provides. Ho-Oh cannot effectively abuse switching or Regenerator and is therefore crippled heavily while Stealth Rock is up.

**Rock-types**: Rock Arceus is the best Ho-Oh switch-in the game has. Sacred Fire burns and Earthquake can wear it down pretty easily and Thunder Wave is problematic for it, so Rock Arceus needs to be careful around Ho-Oh despite being the closest thing to a counter Ho-Oh has. Tyranitar hates Sacred Fire burns and Earthquake but can set up Stealth Rock on Ho-Oh in most cases, forcing it out into a Defog, Magic Bounce, or Rapid Spin user. Tyranitar can OHKO Ho-Oh with Rock Slide if it is not burned or can attempt to paraflinch Ho-Oh with Thunder Wave and Rock Slide if Ho-Oh lacks Earthquake or is locked into another move. Mega Diancie outspeeds and OHKOes Ho-Oh with Diamond Storm. It can also 2HKO Ho-Oh with Diamond Storm while burned, but it must watch out for Earthquake if it cannot KO Ho-Oh in one turn.

**Stone Edge users**: Primal Groudon can take any one hit from Ho-Oh and easily OHKO with Stone Edge. Ground Arceus, Extreme Killer Arceus, and Fairy Arceus all outspeed and OHKO Ho-Oh with Stone Edge, but it is less common on Fairy Arceus and is only common on Extreme Killer; Ground Arceus will always have Stone Edge.

**Water-types**: Primal Kyogre will either outspeed or take any one hit from Ho-Oh, and it can then KO Ho-Oh with its Water-type STAB. Water Arceus with Judgment beats Ho-Oh a very good amount of the time if Thunder Wave doesn't score too many turns of full paralysis.

**Refresh Mega Salamence**: Bulky Mega Salamence with Refresh can set up on Ho-Oh locked into Sacred Fire pretty easily due to Refresh nullifying Sacred Fire's high burn rate. It forces Life Orb Ho-Oh out with the combination of Roost stalling for Life Orb and Brave Bird recoil and attacking when Ho-Oh attempts to Recover.

**Zekrom**: Zekrom hates Sacred Fire burns and Earthquake, but it resists both of Ho-Oh's STAB attacks and can OHKO it with Bolt Strike.

**Lugia**: Lugia hates Sacred Fire burns, but it can Roost stall most Ho-Oh out of Sacred Fire PP if it is locked into the move, or with Life Orb and Brave Bird recoil until it is safe to use Toxic on Ho-Oh's Recover. Lugia will likely be paired with a cleric of some kind, so a burn won't be hindering it for very long.

**Toxic**: Toxic causing extra damage alongside Brave Bird and Life Orb recoil cuts into Ho-Oh's staying time significantly, despite it having Regenerator. Life Orb Ho-Oh in particular is a recoil machine and should be kept away from Toxic at all costs if you want it to do anything significant.
2/2
 
Last edited:

Inspirited

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Check implemented, thanks.
After what feels like forever and a day since its analysis was started, Ho-Oh is now DONE!
 
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