[Balanced Hackmons] Ho-Oh Revamp

I will write this analysis, even though I did not intend to get approval.
approved by wishes
QC: morogrim / Uselesscrab / E4 Flint
GP: Rare Poison / GatoDelFuego


[OVERVIEW]

Ho-Oh's main niche is a check to strong special attackers such as Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Gengar, Pixilate Mega Diancie, and Gale Wings Mega Rayquaza. It has a good Attack stat that gives Ho-Oh reasonable offensive presence. Its typing is also reasonably good, as offensively, Fire and Flying have good neutral coverage, only missing out on Rock-types and Flash Fire Steel-types. Defensively, two of its weaknesses in Water and Electric are uncommon, and the Fairy-type resistance allows it to check Pixilate Mega Diancie.

However, Ho-Oh's main drawback is its low physical bulk, leaving it very vulnerable to powerful physical attackers such as Kyurem-B, Mega Mewtwo X, Regigigas, and Mega Tyranitar. Furthermore, its 4x Stealth Rock weakness limits Ho-Oh to running Magic Guard sets and thus preventing it from running other, arguably better, abilities. The presence of Diamond Storm + Poison Heal Mega Tyranitar, which is able switch in on Ho-Oh's STAB moves and easily KO back with Diamond Storm, is no help either. Thousand Arrows also leaves Ho-Oh vulnerable to other Ground-type moves.

[SET]
name: Defensive Magic Guard
move 1: Recover
move 2: Flare Blitz / Knock Off
move 3: Whirlwind
move 4: U-turn / Stealth Rock / Defog
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Sassy
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD

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

Recover keeps Ho-Oh healthy throughout the match and allows it to keep checking special attackers. Flare Blitz is Ho-Oh's main STAB move due to it being highly spammable with Magic Guard negating recoil. Sacred Fire can be used for the high burn chance, allowing Ho-Oh to wear down walls, cripple physical attackers, KO Sturdy Shedinja that lack Lum Berry, and make up for Ho-Oh's weak Defense, but it has significantly lower PP. If hitting Pokemon that resist Fire such as Giratina and Mega Rayquaza is a priority, Brave Bird can be used, but then Ho-Oh will have no way to touch Steel-types. It also makes Ho-Oh more vulnerable to Imposter users, as Ho-Oh takes neutral damage from Flying. Knock Off can be used over Flare Blitz for general utility, removing items such as Eviolite from Chansey, Life Orb, Safety Goggles, and Spooky Plate from Mega Gengar, and Toxic Orb from Poison Heal users. Will-O-Wisp can be used over Knock Off if a more reliable way to spread burns is desired. Ho-Oh's Fire typing makes it immune to burns, thus making it not a problem if opposing Magic Bounce users switch in and end up bouncing back the move. However, you lose out on removing useful items. Whirlwind can stop some setup sweepers such as Tail Glow Mega Rayquaza and Shell Smash Mega Gengar. U-turn works well with Ho-Oh's relatively low Speed, getting most teammates in safely. Stealth Rock allows Ho-Oh to get chip damage on the opponent's team. It meshes well with Ho-Oh's Fire typing due to forcing out many Magic Bounce Steel-types with Flare Blitz. It can backfire, however, if the opponent has bulky Magic Bounce users that aren't Steel-type or if Ho-Oh uses Brave Bird over Flare Blitz, in which case Steel-types can safely switch in. Defog could also be used in the last slot, as Ho-Oh gets many opportunities to switch in and use the move to remove entry hazards.

Set Details
========

A simple spread of maximum HP and maximum Special Defense gives Ho-Oh the bulk it needs to check most special attackers, including taking a +2 Judgment from Mega Gengar, while a Sassy nature and 0 Speed IVs make Ho-Oh's U-turn as slow as possible, enabling it to easily bring a sweeper in safely. Magic Guard allows Ho-Oh to avoid residual damage from Stealth Rock, Leech Seed, weather, and Curse, as well as recoil damage from Flare Blitz (or Brave Bird, if it is used). Toxic Orb meshes well with Magic Guard, as Ho-Oh being badly poisoned allows it to be immune to status once Toxic Orb activates, letting Ho-Oh switch in on Spore and Dark Void freely, stopping frail sweepers that carry the move as well as Prankster Registeel.

Usage Tips
========

Getting Ho-Oh in without taking a Knock Off is important, as it won't be immune to status before its Toxic Orb activates. After Toxic Orb activates, Ho-Oh is a good Knock Off absorber due to the lack of need for its item unless you have a cleric on the team. If possible, use Stealth Rock to provide chip damage on the opposing team. Flare Blitz, or Brave Bird if it is used over Flare Blitz, is highly spammable due to Magic Guard negating recoil. The high Base Power of both moves make them good options to use when you don't know what is going to switch in. Use Whirlwind if a Flash Fire Pokemon switches in, such as Aegislash, or if something else, like Mega Rayquaza, is already behind a Substitute. U-turn should be used to get a Pokemon in safely. This helps when a strong physical attacker like Mega Mewtwo X, Kyurem-B, Regigigas, or Mega Rayquaza switches in, as Ho-Oh can U-turn to a check or counter like Registeel, Giratina, or Fur Coat Chansey. Knock Off should be used on predicted switches to remove items from would-be checks like Safety Goggles and Spooky Plate from Mega Gengar and Eviolite from Chansey, as well as Toxic Orbs from Pokemon with Poison Heal, but it must be used as they switch in or else Toxic Orb will activate.

Team Options
========

Steel-type walls such as Registeel and Aegislash are almost mandatory due to their ability to check Mega Rayquaza and Kyurem-B. Physical walls such as Giratina, Mega Slowbro, and Fur Coat Mega Audino that can switch in on physical attackers such as Mega Mewtwo X and Regigigas are helpful due to Ho-Oh's lack of physical bulk. Pokemon that appreciate the extra damage from Stealth Rock to secure KOs, such as Kyurem-B, Mega Mewtwo X and Y, and Mega Rayquaza, make good teammates.

[SET]
name: Offensive Magic Guard
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: High Jump Kick
move 4: Shift Gear / U-turn
item: Life Orb / Toxic Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe

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

Flare Blitz and Brave Bird are powerful and highly spammable due to recoil being ignored by Magic Guard. Sacred Fire can be used over Flare Blitz; though it is weaker and has less PP, the higher burn rate can potentially allow Ho-Oh to beat Sturdy Shedinja that carry Safety Goggles. High Jump Kick allows Ho-Oh to OHKO Mega Tyranitar and 2HKO Regirock, both of which can switch in on everything else and potentially OHKO Ho-Oh with Diamond Storm. Crash damage is ignored due to Magic Guard, making High Jump Kick a strong and very spammable coverage move. Shift Gear boosts Ho-Oh's Attack and Speed, giving Ho-Oh the power and speed it needs to clean up late-game. U-turn can be used to gain momentum upon predicting a switch or to bring in a teammate safely in order to deal with strong physical attackers. It is very difficult to fit on this set, though, due to a loss of a reliable way to clean late-game.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack EVs and an Adamant nature allow Ho-Oh to hit as hard as possible, while 16 Speed EVs enable Ho-Oh to outrun everything up to positive-natured base 150 Speed Pokemon such as Timid Mega Sceptile and Jolly Mega Aerodactyl after a Shift Gear. The rest of the EVs go into HP, which allows Ho-Oh to narrowly avoid the 2HKO from Spooky Plate Mega Gengar Judgment or avoid the OHKO if Mega Gengar is already at +2. Magic Guard makes Ho-Oh immune to indirect damage, such as recoil damage from Flare Blitz and Brave Bird, as well as crash damage from High Jump Kick. Due to this, Ho-Oh can afford to run Life Orb for a free power boost, but it can also run Toxic Orb if the immunity to status is preferred. However, if it runs Toxic Orb, Ho-Oh will be significantly weaker.

Usage Tips
========

It is best to save setting up for late-game, when all of Ho-Oh's counters have been removed. Flare Blitz and Brave Bird are highly spammable due to Magic Guard nullifying recoil. High Jump Kick should be used to OHKO Mega Tyranitar and 2HKO Regirock. This Ho-Oh variant can also be used as a wallbreaker, dealing high damage and then switching out. It can still switch into special attackers like Mega Gengar, but it will take significantly more damage than if it is brought in via a slow U-turn from RegenVest Regirock or another slow pivot.

Team Options
========

A check to your own Ho-Oh is required if this set gets copied by an Imposter Chansey if it is already boosted. Some good checks are Unaware or Fur Coat Giratina and Mega Slowbro. Because this variant of Ho-Oh has less bulk and no recovery, it is mandatory to have checks to physical attackers. As such, Giratina, especially with Fur Coat, as well as Fur Coat Chansey are vital to check Mega Mewtwo X and Regigigas. Steel-types like Registeel and Aegislash can check -ate variants of Mega Rayquaza and Kyurem-B. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Mold Breaker Giratina can easily secure KOs such as High Jump Kick on Regirock. As a bonus, Giratina can eliminate Sturdy Shedinja with Pursuit, giving Ho-Oh more room to set up and sweep. Walls like Regirock and Registeel can provide a slow U-turn to bring Ho-Oh in safely.

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

Ho-Oh can run Dark Void if Knock Off isn't being used. However, it has lower accuracy than Spore and only really fits on the defensive set due to that running Toxic Orb anyway. Both sets can run Spore to put counters and Imposter Chansey to sleep. It is best used with Knock Off to remove Safety Goggles so more foes will switch out against Ho-Oh, making Stealth Rock optimal for chip damage. However, Spore is not easy to fit on the offensive set and makes Ho-Oh weaker because it needs to run Toxic Orb for the sleep immunity in case it encounters a Magic Bounce user. On the defensive set, Ho-Oh can run High Jump Kick to function as a Mega Tyranitar lure. Will-O-Wisp and Leech Seed also fit on the defensive set because if they are bounced, they do nothing to Ho-Oh because of its Fire typing and Magic Guard, respectively. Will-O-Wisp in conjunction with Knock Off and Leech Seed also helps in beating Sturdy Shedinja. Non-Magic Guard sets are usually very bad due to having a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, but Water Absorb or Desolate Land can be used to beat Water-types such as Kyogre and Mega Slowbro. Ho-Oh can also run a decent Unburden set to lure in Imposter Chansey after using Belly Drum and OHKOing with Diamond Storm. However, Ho-Oh will have an enormous Stealth Rock weakness and the Unburden set will need a lot of support. Psycho Shift can, in theory, spread poison around the opponent's team. In practice, it's pretty bad, since Psycho Shift removes Ho-Oh's poison, which means Ho-Oh is no longer a good Knock Off absorber, and this tactic can potentially poison a Pokemon with Poison Heal.

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

**Physical Attackers and Psystrike Users**: Physical attackers such as Mega Rayquaza and Kyurem-B can easily take down Ho-Oh with Fake Out + Extreme Speed. Mega Mewtwo X and Regigigas can leave Ho-Oh severly weakened with their strong physical moves. Mega Latios and Mega Mewtwo Y can easily take down Ho-Oh with STAB Psystrike, which hits Ho-Oh's weaker Defense.

**Extremely Strong Special Attackers**: Though Ho-Oh has very high special bulk, extremely strong special attacks like Mega Rayquaza's Aerilate Boomburst can 2HKO it.

**Rock-type Pokemon and Moves**: Rock-types such as Regirock and Mega Tyranitar can switch in on nearly any move from Ho-Oh and OHKO it with Diamond Storm. The former will be left heavily weakened if Ho-Oh is already at +1 though, and the latter must be wary of High Jump Kick, as it will be OHKOed. Pokemon that Ho-Oh can check sometimes carry Rock-type moves just to beat it as well. A notable example is Diamond Storm Mega Diancie.

**Flash Fire Steel-types** If a Steel-type with Flash Fire, such as Aegislash or Registeel, can get in on Ho-Oh, it can force out Ho-Oh with Entrainment, making it take damage from Toxic Orb or Life Orb on the defensive and offensive set, respectively. The offensive set also will take large amounts of recoil from Flare Blitz, Brave Bird, and High Jump Kick missing or being blocked by Spiky Shield or King's Shield.

**Imposter Chansey**: Imposter Chansey can beat the offensive set even if Ho-Oh has already set up, as it can counter sweep a team that lacks a counter to its own Ho-Oh set.

**Physical Walls**: Ho-Oh cannot break through Giratina, Mega Slowbro, and Fur Coat Chansey due to their reliable recovery. Giratina can also block damage and wear down Ho-Oh with Spiky Shield, and all three can weaken Ho-Oh severely with King's Shield due to all of Ho-Oh's common attacking moves making contact. Mega Slowbro can even force Ho-Oh to switch out with Perish Song or weaken it with Parting Shot.

**Poison Heal Pokemon**: Physical attackers with Poison Heal, such as Mega Garchomp, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Tyranitar, are all capable of switching in on most of Ho-Oh's moves and dealing heavy damage, leaving Ho-Oh severely weakened and unable to check what it needs to. On the other hand, Poison Heal physical walls, such as Giratina or Mega Audino, can easily take hits from Ho-Oh and damage it with Spiky Shield or weaken it with King's Shield due to Ho-Oh's attacking moves making contact.

**Water-types**: Although the only two relevant Water-types are Kyogre and Mega Slowbro, they can easily take down Ho-Oh with Scald or Steam Eruption. They lose if Ho-Oh runs Water Absorb or Desolate Land, though.
 
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If you're pessimistic that this will actually get off the ground you probably shouldn't be writing the analysis in the first place. Not trying to be rude but you need to be confident in your work in order to actually write an analysis. This isn't just something for fun, it's to show anyone who wants to know why ho-oh is viable in the balanced hackmons metagame. Also baconbagon literally just said 2 posts above you to not mass tag the qc team. ._.
 
How am I supposed to alert the QC team?

yeah i'm going to avoid spamming this thread. the idea is that you just leave it and wait as the team regularly checks this subforum. if it's been left lying for a while, i'll post in their private chat and notify them - bacon
 
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morogrim

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
[OVERVIEW]

- This does not check Mega Lati as they usually carry Psystrike, but it is a good check to special attackers such as mmy (usually doesn't carry Psystrike), GW Mega Ray, Mega Gengar, and Pixilate Mega Diancie.
- Mention its crippling weakness to Rock in the second bullet point and say that this weakness holds it back due to the prevalence of that type in BH (combine with the last bullet imo).
- Mention its weakness to Tarrows as it is also a common move in the meta.
- Say that its weakness to Stealth Rock forces Ho-Oh to run a specific Ability (MG) to be able to function properly, which holds it back.


[SET]: Defensive MG
- 248 HP for Stealth Rock, I'd also use - Spe nature and 0 Spe IVs for slowest possible U-turns.
- Add Defog for the 4th moveslot, don't forget to also add an explanation of it in the other related sections (Ho-Oh gets many free switchin opportunities which it could use for Defogging).
- Sacred Fire only beats Safety Goggles Shedinja, Lum Berry Shed usually carries Recycle and doesn't care about Sacred Fire burns. Instead mention that Sacred Fire can burn walls to wear them down in addition to crippling physical attackers which makes up for Ho-Oh's weak Def.
- Mention Removing Tox Orb from PH users.
- Mention having Rocks on Ho-Oh could backfire if the opponent has a Magic Bounce user.
- Say that Brave Bird also makes Ho-Oh less Imposter-proof.
- In Team Options, say Steel-type walls such as... are almost mandatory
- FC Chansey isn't rly a counter to Regigigas or Mmx depending on its set, replace with something more appropriate like Mega Slowbro or FC Mega Audino.


[SET]: Offensive MG
- Only needs 16 Spe to outspeed base 150s after a Shift Gear
- Switch to Adamant nature and dump the rest into HP which is 240 (could optimize between HP and SpD but I doubt you could find anything to optimize for).
- Once again, Sacred Fire won't beat the common Lum Berry Shed. I'd remove Sacred Fire from slashes and mention it only in moves or in set details as an alternative to beat the less common Goggles Shed.
- Where is the slashed moveslot for U-turn?
- In Team Options, why do the walls have to be RegenVest to provide slow pivot? If the RegenVest users are actually checking something for Ho-Oh mention that, otherwise just say slow walls such as...
- Giratina alone won't be able to Imposter-proof if the Imposter has a lot of boosts, specify the ability (Unaware, FC, etc). Once again, FC Chansey is a shaky answer, Mega Slowbro is a better Ho-Oh check here byfar.
- The Imposter counter is required, not recommended.


[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
- Mention an example spread with some Atk investment and explain what that Atk investment allows Ho-Oh to do.
- Remove Poison Heal.
- Also mention Dark Void if Koff isn't being used but add the risk of having lower accuracy, also mention that this is easier to fit into the defensive set since you are using Tox Orb anyway.
- "Non-Magic Guard sets are usually very bad due to now having a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock." and then mentioning a bunch of non-MG sets in OO is very contradicting, remove either the non-MG sets or that comment. If you decide to keep the non-MG sets make sure you mention in each of them that being weak to Rocks is a huge issue and makes it much less viable and prone to being outclassed by other mons.
- Mention Mega Bro in the C&C


[QC 1/3] after you implement the changes mentioned
 
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Overview
I don't think Rock-type moves are especially common in the meta so get rid of that half of that sentence

Set 1
Add that Flare Blitz is only spammable because of Magic Guard in the Moves section itself.
Add that Sacred Fire knocks out Shedinja for this set (as well as the second one)
Get rid of your first Usage Tips line, it doesn't really mean anything
I don't think Xerneas is a good example of a Substitute user. Perhaps Mega Rayquaza would be better? Up to you.

Set 2
Make sure the "it" in reference to Shedinja having Safety Goggles is clearly referencing Shedinja
Mention some of the specific fast threats that Ho-oh outspeeds after Shift Gear
Your High Jump Kick usage tip makes it sound like Mega Tyranitar doesn't get KO'd, so fix that.

OO
You have to mention Water Absorb/Desolate Land (checks Kyogre and other stuff) here to make your C&C mention of them make sense.

C&C
Entrainment also makes Ho-oh take recoil from its attacks, not just from Life Orb, so be a bit more specific.
I would merge Rock-types and Unexpected Coverage into a single "Rock-type Attacks" bullet point.

In general, be careful of your pronouns. You use a lot of "it"'s and it's not exactly clear what their antecedents are. That said, GP will help you with this.

This is a really solid analysis so far imo

QC 2/3

***

It doesn't exactly endear you to the QC team when you complain about having to take on an analysis that you asked about the availability of, insist on taking the analysis you supposedly didn't want and then refer to it as potentially "a hopeless mess," make passive-aggressive statuses about it, delete those statuses and then delete their responses to those statuses (in addition to other past profile posts of theirs, by the way), constantly tag them in spite of being told not to, and use phrases like "I need you to" QC the analysis after all that.

I'm sorry for making you wait — I really do feel bad about it — but consider the way you deal with us in the future.
 
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E4 Flint

-inactive in BH due corrupt leader-
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Hello

Ho-Oh (Redo)

Overview:
  • With Toxic Orb and its typing, HoOh can be a premier status absorber blocking mons like PH defensive Yveltal completely
  • The physical bulk is a major symptom of why Ho-Oh has bad matchup vs Tyranitar and Thousand Arrows; it should come before maybe in conjunction with the Rock weakness e.g. "Its main drawbacks are low physical bulk combined with weaknesses to rock and thousand arrows". This is especially because you mention Mega Tar again later
  • Specify Mega Tyranitar as PH with Diamond Storm
  • The SR weakness bit is more important than Ttar since it fundamentally limits what you can do with HoOh while you can at least run coverage for Tar

Set Defensive Magic Guard
Moves

  • If you mention Sacred, I'd also mention Willo; it also has good connection with Knock Off, though at the cost of WW. Willo has more pp and HoOh can avoid Magic Bounce

Set Details
  • Particularly, max in both lets it surive +2 Judgment from Mega Gengar comfortably

Usage Tips
  • After being Poisoned though, Ho-Oh can be a good Knock Off absorber since it doesn't worry much about losing its item (unless you plan on Heal belling etc)
  • I think you can rephrase the last sentence to simply be "Knock Off is a better move to use for switches in general" of which getting rid of Toxic Orbs from Poison Healers before they activate is a good example

Team Options
  • Reorder so that "Physical walls" is the second one instead of the third mentioned

Set Offensive Magic Guard
Moves

  • You are saying Blitz and Bird are "highly spammable"; you can just put them both in the first sentence as its highly spammable STAB moves with great coverage, missing out only on Rock and FF steel types
  • HJK cannot OHKO regirock from Ho-Oh: 252+ Atk Life Orb Ho-Oh High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 16+ Def Regirock: 198-234 (54.3 - 64.2%)
  • SG can be difficult to fit in because you have to fit in a good anti-imposter for this then. Mention that you need to do this, since you mention the con of having Uturn

Set Details
  • "Immunity to [status like] sleep", not just sleep

Usage Tips
  • This HoOh is also useful in bursts, for dealing high damage hit and run throughout the battle

Team Options
  • Since this HoOh is itself a Physical attacker, it is best to have an imposter proof/resistant mon that is generally for Physical attackers. Bring the imposter check part to the front

OO
  • Investment isn't really needed for HoOh with Knock Off on Gengar; once the plate is gone, Gengar can't threaten HoOh effectively for it to matter, unless it has Sludge Wave
  • Low Kick can be a decent option on defensive sets to kill Tyranitar by surprise
  • Willo and Leech are good status moves since when bounced they do nothing to HoOh; WoW with Koff and Leech help in killing Shedinja better as well
  • Mention how Psycho Shift can be a decent idea in theory to spread Toxic, but in practice it's not very effective since it makes it much more costly to be Knocked Off even after being poisoned, and could potentially Poison a PH mon you Knocked Off yourself. It's a good pointer for new players
  • Unburden can be a good surprise set since with Belly Drum and DStorm it can OHKO imposter and be faster

Checks and Counters
  • Have to put Physical attackers first since they are the most reliable way to beat HoOh
  • Since you specifically mention the defensive set, FF Registeel and FF steels in general block that set pretty easily
  • Physical walls with PH block almost everything HoOh can do. PH Giratina and Audino are good counters for both sets
  • PH physical attackers in general are good against HoOh: Garchomp, TTar and GyaradosMega
  • Scald is used more than Steam Eruption on those mons. Replace or put it before

QC3/3
 

Conni

katharsis
AMCHECK
-----------
add remove (comment) AC = Add Comma RC = Remove Comma


[OVERVIEW]

Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's main niche is a check to strong special attackers such as Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Gengar, Pixilate Mega Diancie, and Gale Wings Mega Rayquaza. It has a good attack Attack stat that gives Ho-oh Ho-Oh reasonable offensive presence. Its typing is also reasonably good, as offensively, Fire and Flying have good neutral coverage, only missing out on Rock-types and Flash Fire Steel-types, and defensively, two of its weaknesses in Water and Electric are uncommon, and the Fairy-type resistance allows it to check Pixilate Mega Diancie.

However, Ho-oh Ho-Oh's main drawbacks are low physical bulk, leaving it very vulnerable to powerful physical attackers such as Kyurem-B, Mega Mewtwo X, Regigigas, and Mega Tyranitar, combined with weaknesses to Rock, which can be bad due to a Stealth Rock weakness limiting Ho-oh Ho-Oh to running Magic Guard sets and thus preventing it from running other, arguably better abilities. The presence of Diamond Storm Poison Heal Mega Tyranitar, which is able switch in on Ho-Oh's STAB moves and easily KO back with Diamond Storm, is no help either;(Add Semicolon).(Remove Period) and Thousand Arrows also leaves it vulnerable to other Ground-type moves if it gets hit by the move.

[SET]
name: Defensive Magic Guard
move 1: Recover
move 2: Flare Blitz / Knock Off
move 3: Whirlwind
move 4: U-turn / Stealth Rock / Defog
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Sassy
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD

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

Recover keeps Ho-Oh healthy throughout the match and allows it to keep checking special attackers, and Flare Blitz is Ho-Oh's main STAB move due to being highly spammable with Magic Guard. Sacred Fire can be used due to the high burn chance, allowing Ho-Oh to wear down walls, cripple physical attackers, knock out KO Sturdy Shedinja that lack Lum Berry, and make up for Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's weak Defense, but it has significantly lower PP. Will-O-Wisp can be used over Knock Off if a more reliable way to spread burn is desired. Its Fire-typing Fire typing makes it immune to burns, thus not being effected affected if Magic Bounce bounces back the move. However, however, you lose out on removing useful items. If hitting Pokemon that resist Fire, such as Giratina and Mega Rayquaza is a priority, Brave Bird can be used, but then Ho-Oh will have no way to touch Steel-types. It also makes Ho-oh less imposter-resistant Ho-Oh less resistant to Imposter, as Ho-oh Ho-Oh takes neutral damage from Flying. Knock Off can be used over Flare Blitz for general utility, removing items such as Eviolite from Chansey, Life Orb, Safety Goggles, Spooky Plate from Mega Gengar, and Toxic Orb from Poison Heal users. Whirlwind can stop some setup sweepers, such as Tail Glow Mega Rayquaza and Shell Smash Mega Gengar. U-turn works well with Ho-Oh's relatively low Speed, getting most teammates in safely. Stealth Rock allows Ho-Oh to get chip damage on the opponent's team. It meshes well with its Fire-typing Fire typing due to forcing out many Magic Bounce Steel-types with Flare Blitz. It can backfire, however, if the opponent has Magic Bounce users that aren't Steel-type but are bulky, or if Ho-oh Ho-Oh uses Brave Bird over Flare Blitz, in which case Steel-types can safely switch in. Defog also could be used in the last slot, as Ho-oh Ho-Oh gets many switch-in opportunities opportunities to switch in to and use the move and to remove entry hazards.

Set Details
========

A simple spread of maximum HP and maximum Special Defense gives Ho-oh Ho-Oh the bulk it needs to check most special attackers, including taking a +2 Judgment from Mega Gengar quite nicely, while a Sassy nature and 0 Speed IVs make Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's U-turn as slow as possible, enabling Ho-oh to easily bring a sweeper in safely. Magic Guard allows Ho-Oh to avoid residual damage from Stealth Rock, Leech Seed, weather, and Curse, as well as recoil damage from Flare Blitz (or Brave Bird, if it is used.) Toxic Orb meshes well with Magic Guard, as being badly poisoned allows it to be immune to status once it activates, letting Ho-Oh switch in on Spore and Dark Void freely, stopping frail sweepers that carry the move, as well as Prankster Registeel after Toxic Orb activates.

Usage Tips
========

Getting Ho-Oh in without taking a Knock Off is important, as it won't be immune to status before its Toxic Orb activates. After Toxic Orb activates, Ho-oh Ho-Oh is a good Knock Off absorber due to the lack of need for its item unless you have a cleric on the team. If possible, use Stealth Rock to provide chip damage on the opposing team. Flare Blitz or Brave Bird, if it is used over Flare Blitz, are both highly spammable due to Magic Guard. The high Base Power of both moves make them good options to use when you don't know what is going to switch in. Use Whirlwind if a Flash Fire Pokemon switches in, such as Aegislash, or if something else, like Mega Rayquaza, is already behind a Substitute. U-turn should be used to get a Pokemon in safely. This , this helps when a strong physical attacker like Mega Mewtwo X, Kyurem-B, Regigigas, or Mega Rayquaza switches in, as Ho-Oh can U-turn to a check or counter like Registeel, Giratina, or Fur Coat Chansey. Knock Off should be used on switches to remove items like Safety Goggles, Spooky Plate from Mega Gengar, and Eviolite from Chansey, as well as Toxic Orbs from Pokemon with Poison Heal, but it must be used as they switch in, or else Toxic Orb will activate.

Team Options
========

Steel-type walls such as Registeel and Aegislash are almost mandatory due to their ability to check Mega Rayquaza and Kyurem-B. Physical walls such as Giratina, Mega Slowbro, and Fur Coat Mega Audino to switch in on physical attackers such as Mega Mewtwo X and Regigigas are helpful due to Ho-Oh's lacking physical bulk. Pokemon who appreciate the extra damage from Stealth Rock to secure KOs, such as Kyurem-B, the Mega Mewtwo formes, or Mega Rayquaza, make good teammates.

[SET]
name: Offensive Magic Guard
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: High Jump Kick
move 4: Shift Gear / U-turn
item: Life Orb / Toxic Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe

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

Flare Blitz and Brave Bird are Ho-Oh's main STAB moves and are highly spammable due to recoil being ignored by Magic Guard. Sacred Fire can be used over Flare Blitz; though it is weaker and has less PP, the higher burn rate can potentially allow Ho-Oh to beat Sturdy Shedinja that carry Safety Goggles. High Jump Kick allows Ho-Oh to OHKO Mega Tyranitar and 2HKO Regirock, both of which can switch in on everything else and potentially OHKO Ho-Oh with Diamond Storm. Crash damage is ignored due to Magic Guard, making it a strong, very spammable coverage move. Shift Gear boosts Ho-Oh's Attack and Speed, giving Ho-Oh the power and speed it needs to clean up late game. It's quite difficult to fit, because then you'll need an anti-Imposter Pokemon. U-turn can be used to gain momentum upon predicting a switch or to bring in a teammate safely in order to deal with strong physical attackers. It is very difficult to fit on this set though, due to a loss in coverage or a reliable way to clean late game.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and an Adamant nature allows Ho-Oh to hit as hard as possible, while 16 Speed EVs allow Ho-Oh to outrun base 150 Speed Pokemon such as Timid Mega Sceptile and Jolly Mega Aerodactyl after a Shift Gear. The rest of the EVs go into HP, which allow Ho-Oh to narrowly avoid the 2HKO from Spooky Plate Mega Gengar Judgment, or avoid the OHKO if it is already at +2. Magic Guard makes Ho-Oh immune to indirect damage, such as recoil damage from Flare Blitz and Brave Bird, as well as crash damage from High Jump Kick. Due to this, it can afford to run Life Orb for a free power boost, but Toxic Orb can be run if the immunity to status like sleep is preferred. However, Ho-Oh will be significantly weaker.

Usage Tips
========

It is best to save setting up for late game, when all of Ho-Oh's counters are removed. Flare Blitz and Brave Bird are highly spammable due to Magic Guard nullifying recoil. High Jump Kick should be used if Mega Tyranitar or Regirock switch in, as they will take heavy damage, OHKOing Mega Tyranitar and 2HKOing Regirock. This Ho-Oh variant can be useful in bursts as well, dealing high damage and then switching out. It can still switch into special attackers like Mega Gengar but will take significantly more damage; combined with no recovery, it is best to bring it in via a slow U-turn from RegenVest Regirock or another slow pivot.

Team Options
========

A check to your own Ho-Oh is required if this set gets copied by an Imposter Chansey if it is already boosted. Some good checks are Unaware/Fur Coat Giratina and Mega Slowbro. Because this variant of Ho-oh Ho-Oh has less bulk and no recovery, it is mandatory to check physical attackers. As such, Giratina, especially with Fur Coat, as well as Fur Coat Chansey are vital to check Mega Mewtwo X and Regigigas. Steel-types like Registeel and Aegislash can check -ate variants of Mega Rayquaza and Kyurem-B. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Mold Breaker Giratina can easily secure KOs such as High Jump Kick on Regirock. As a bonus, it can eliminate Sturdy Shedinja with Pursuit, giving Ho-Oh more room to set up and sweep. Slow walls like Regirock and Registeel can provide U-turn to bring it in safely.

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

Dark Void can be run if Knock Off isn't being used. However, it has lower accuracy than Spore and only really fits on the defensive set due to that running Toxic Orb anyway. Both sets can run Spore to put counters and Imposter Chansey to sleep. It is best used with Knock Off to remove Safety Goggles so more foes will switch out of Ho-Oh, making Stealth Rock optimal for chip damage. However, it is not easy to fit on the offensive set and makes Ho-Oh weaker due to wanting to run Toxic Orb for the sleep immunity if encountering a Magic Bounce user. On the Defensive set, Ho-oh Ho-Oh can run High Jump Kick to lure and KO Mega Tyranitar. Will-O-Wisp and Leech Seed also fit on the Defensive set because if bounced, they do nothing to Ho-Oh because of Fire-typing and Magic Guard, respectively. Will-O-Wisp in conjunction with Knock Off and Leech Seed also help in beating Sturdy Shedinja. Non-Magic Guard sets are usually very bad due to now having a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, but Water Absorb or Desolate Land can be used to beat Water-types such as Kyogre and Mega Slowbro. Ho-oh Ho-Oh can also run a decent Unburden set to lure in Imposter Chansey after using Belly Drum and OHKOing with Diamond Storm. However, Ho-oh Ho-Oh will have an enormous Stealth Rock weakness and the Unburden set will need a lot of support. Psycho Shift, can, in theory, spread Toxic poison around the opponent's team. In practice, it's pretty bad, since it's more costly to switch into Knock Off even after being poisoned, as well as potentially poisoning a Pokemon with Poison Heal.

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

**Physical Attackers and Psystrike Users**: Physical attackers such as Mega Rayquaza and Kyurem-B can easily take down Ho-Oh with Fake Out + Extreme Speed. Mega Mewtwo X and Regigigas can easily leave Ho-Oh severly weakened with their strong physical moves. Mega Latios and Mega Mewtwo Y can easily take down Ho-Oh with STAB Psystrike, which hits Ho-Oh's weaker defense.

**Extremely Strong Special Attackers**: Though Ho-Oh has very high special bulk, extremely strong attacks like Mega Rayquaza's Aerilate-boosted Boomburst can 2HKO it.

**Rock-type Pokemon and moves**: Rock-types such as Regirock and Mega Tyranitar can switch in on nearly any move and OHKO with Diamond Storm. The former will be left heavily weakened if Ho-Oh is already at +1 though, and the latter must be wary of High Jump Kick, as it will OHKO. Pokemon that Ho-Oh can check can carry Rock-type moves just to beat it as well. Notable examples include Diamond Storm Mega Diancie.

**Flash Fire Steel-types** If a Steel-type with Flash Fire, such as Aegislash or Registeel, can get in on Ho-Oh, it can force out Ho-Oh with Entrainment, making it take damage from Toxic Orb on both sets, but mainly the defensive set, or Life Orb recoil and recoil on its attacking moves on the offensive set.

**Imposter Chansey**: Imposter Chansey can beat the offensive set even if Ho-Oh has already set up, countersweeping if the team lacks a counter to its own Ho-Oh set.

**Physical Walls**: Giratina, Mega Slowbro, and Fur Coat Chansey are not possible for Ho-Oh to break through due to reliable recovery and way to block damage with Spiky Shield with Giratina or weaken Ho-Oh severely with King's Shield due to all of Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's common attacking moves making contact. Mega Slowbro can even force Ho-oh Ho-Oh to switch out with Perish Song or weaken it with Parting Shot.

**Poison Heal Pokemon**: Physical attackers with Poison Heal, such as Mega Garchomp, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Tyranitar are all capable of switching in on most of Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's moves and dealing heavy damage, leaving Ho-oh Ho-Oh heavily weakened and unable to check what it needs to, while Poison Heal physical walls, such as Giratina or Mega Audino, can easily take hits from Ho-Oh and damage it with Spiky Shield or weaken it with King's Shield due to Ho-Oh's attacking moves making contact.

**Water-types**: Although the only two relevant Water-types are Kyogre and Mega Slowbro, they can easily take down Ho-Oh with Scald or Steam Eruption. They lose if Ho-Oh runs Water Absorb or Desolate Land, though.
 

Rare Poison

if im butter then ur a hot knife
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
GP 1/2

add/change; remove; (comment); (AC) = add comma; (RC) = remove comma
[OVERVIEW]

Ho-Oh's main niche is a check to strong special attackers such as Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Gengar, Pixilate Mega Diancie, and Gale Wings Mega Rayquaza. Its (edit: I fixed an apostrophe mistake) has a good Attack stat that gives Ho-Oh it a reasonable offensive presence. Its typing is also reasonably good, as offensively, Fire and Flying have good neutral coverage, only missing out on Rock-types and Flash Fire Steel-types, and defensively, two of its weaknesses in Water and Electric are uncommon, and the Fairy-type resistance allows it to check Pixilate Mega Diancie. (you may want to split up this sentence into separate ones or use a semicolon because it's quite long. let me know if you need help doing this)

However, Ho-Oh's main drawbacks are is its (when you are saying "X combined with Y", it is singular) low physical bulk, leaving it very vulnerable to powerful physical attackers such as Kyurem-B, Mega Mewtwo X, Regigigas, and Mega Tyranitar, combined with its 4x weaknesses to Stealth Rock, which can be bad due to a Stealth Rock weakness limiting limits Ho-Oh to running Magic Guard sets and thus preventing it from running other, arguably better, (AC) abilities. The presence of Diamond Storm + Poison Heal Mega Tyranitar, which is able switch in on Ho-Oh's STAB moves and easily KO back with Diamond Storm, is no help either; Thousand Arrows also leaves it Ho-Oh vulnerable to other Ground-type moves if it gets hit by the move.

[SET]
name: Defensive Magic Guard
move 1: Recover
move 2: Flare Blitz / Knock Off
move 3: Whirlwind
move 4: U-turn / Stealth Rock / Defog
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Sassy
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD

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

Recover keeps Ho-Oh healthy throughout the match and allows it to keep checking special attackers, and Flare Blitz is Ho-Oh's main STAB move due to it being highly spammable with Magic Guard. Sacred Fire can be used due to for the high burn chance, allowing Ho-Oh to wear down walls, cripple physical attackers, KO Sturdy Shedinja that lack Lum Berry, and make up for Ho-Oh's weak Defense, but it has significantly lower PP. Will-O-Wisp can be used over Knock Off if a more reliable way to spread burns is desired. Its Ho-Oh's Fire typing makes it immune to burns, thus making it not being affected by Will-O-Wisp if opposing Magic Bounce bounces back the move, (RC) . (period) (the way you had it before the amcheck was correct) However, you lose out on removing useful items. If hitting Pokemon that resist Fire, (RC) such as Giratina and Mega Rayquaza is a priority, Brave Bird can be used, but then Ho-Oh will have no way to touch Steel-types. It also makes Ho-Oh less resistant more vulnerable to Imposter users, as Ho-Oh takes neutral damage from Flying. Knock Off can be used over Flare Blitz for general utility, removing items such as Eviolite from Chansey, Life Orb, Safety Goggles, and Spooky Plate from Mega Gengar, and Toxic Orb from Poison Heal users. Whirlwind can stop some setup sweepers, (RC) such as Tail Glow Mega Rayquaza and Shell Smash Mega Gengar. U-turn works well with Ho-Oh's relatively low Speed, getting most teammates in safely. Stealth Rock allows Ho-Oh to get chip damage on the opponent's team. It meshes well with its Ho-Oh's Fire-typing (remove hyphen) due to forcing out many Magic Bounce Steel-types with Flare Blitz. It can backfire, however, if the opponent has Magic Bounce users that aren't Steel-type but are bulky, (RC) or if Ho-Oh uses Brave Bird over Flare Blitz, in which case Steel-types can safely switch in. Defog also could be used in the last slot, as Ho-Oh gets many opportunities to switch in and use the move to remove entry hazards.

Set Details
========

A simple spread of maximum HP and maximum Special Defense gives Ho-Oh the bulk it needs to check most special attackers, including taking a +2 Judgment from Mega Gengar quite nicely, while a Sassy nature and 0 Speed IVs make Ho-Oh's U-turn as slow as possible, enabling Ho-Oh it to easily bring a sweeper in safely. Magic Guard allows Ho-Oh to avoid residual damage from Stealth Rock, Leech Seed, weather, and Curse, as well as recoil damage from Flare Blitz (or Brave Bird, if it is used). (period outside the parenthesis) Toxic Orb meshes well with Magic Guard, as Ho-Oh being badly poisoned allows it to be immune to status once it Toxic Orb activates, letting Ho-Oh switch in on Spore and Dark Void freely, stopping frail sweepers that carry the move, (RC) as well as Prankster Registeel after Toxic Orb activates.

Usage Tips
========

Getting Ho-Oh in without taking a Knock Off is important, as it won't be immune to status before its Toxic Orb activates. After Toxic Orb activates, Ho-Oh is a good Knock Off absorber due to the lack of need for its item unless you have a cleric on the team. If possible, use Stealth Rock to provide chip damage on the opposing team. Flare Blitz, (AC) or Brave Bird, (RC) if it is used over Flare Blitz, are both is highly spammable due to Magic Guard. The high Base Power of both moves make them good options to use when you don't know what is going to switch in. Use Whirlwind if a Flash Fire Pokemon switches in, such as Aegislash, or if something else, like Mega Rayquaza, is already behind a Substitute. U-turn should be used to get a Pokemon in safely, (RC) . (period) (again, this was correct before the amcheck) This helps when a strong physical attacker like Mega Mewtwo X, Kyurem-B, Regigigas, or Mega Rayquaza switches in, as Ho-Oh can U-turn to a check or counter like Registeel, Giratina, or Fur Coat Chansey. Knock Off should be used on switches to remove items like Safety Goggles, (RC) and Spooky Plate from Mega Gengar, and Eviolite from Chansey, as well as Toxic Orbs from Pokemon with Poison Heal, but it must be used as they switch in, (RC) or else Toxic Orb will activate.

Team Options
========

Steel-type walls such as Registeel and Aegislash are almost mandatory due to their ability to check Mega Rayquaza and Kyurem-B. Physical walls such as Giratina, Mega Slowbro, and Fur Coat Mega Audino to switch in on physical attackers such as Mega Mewtwo X and Regigigas are helpful due to Ho-Oh's lacking lack of physical bulk. Pokemon who that appreciate the extra damage from Stealth Rock to secure KOs, such as Kyurem-B, the Mega Mewtwo formes, or and Mega Rayquaza, make good teammates.

[SET]
name: Offensive Magic Guard
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: High Jump Kick
move 4: Shift Gear / U-turn
item: Life Orb / Toxic Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe

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

Flare Blitz and Brave Bird are Ho-Oh's main STAB moves and are highly spammable due to recoil being ignored by Magic Guard. Sacred Fire can be used over Flare Blitz; though it is weaker and has less PP, the higher burn rate can potentially allow Ho-Oh to beat Sturdy Shedinja that carry Safety Goggles. High Jump Kick allows Ho-Oh to OHKO Mega Tyranitar and 2HKO Regirock, both of which can switch in on everything else and potentially OHKO Ho-Oh with Diamond Storm. Crash damage is ignored due to Magic Guard, making it High Jump Kick a strong, very spammable coverage move. Shift Gear boosts Ho-Oh's Attack and Speed, giving Ho-Oh it the power and speed it needs to clean up late-game. (hyphen) It's quite difficult to fit in, however, (AC) because then you'll need an anti-Imposter Pokemon. U-turn can be used to gain momentum upon predicting a switch or to bring in a teammate safely in order to deal with strong physical attackers. It is very difficult to fit on this set, (AC) though, due to a loss in coverage or (as you have the set now, U-turn is only shown as an alternative for Shift Gear, not any coverage moves) a reliable way to clean late-game. (hyphen)

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and an Adamant nature allows Ho-Oh to hit as hard as possible, while 16 Speed EVs allow Ho-Oh to outrun base 150 Speed Pokemon such as Timid Mega Sceptile and Jolly Mega Aerodactyl after a Shift Gear. The rest of the EVs go into HP, which allows (in this case, you're not talking about the EVs themselves, you're talking about the act of having EVs invested in HP, which is singular) Ho-Oh to narrowly avoid the 2HKO from Spooky Plate Mega Gengar Judgment, (RC) or avoid the OHKO if it Mega Gengar is already at +2. Magic Guard makes Ho-Oh immune to indirect damage, such as recoil damage from Flare Blitz and Brave Bird, as well as crash damage from High Jump Kick. Due to this, it Ho-Oh can afford to run Life Orb for a free power boost, but it can also run Toxic Orb can be run if the immunity to status like sleep is preferred. However, if it runs Toxic Orb, (AC) Ho-Oh will be significantly weaker.

Usage Tips
========

It is best to save setting up for late-game, (hyphen) when all of Ho-Oh's counters are have been removed. Flare Blitz and Brave Bird are highly spammable due to Magic Guard nullifying recoil. High Jump Kick should be used to if Mega Tyranitar or Regirock switch in, as they will take heavy damage, OHKOing Mega Tyranitar and 2HKOing Regirock. This Ho-Oh variant can be useful in bursts as well, dealing high damage and then switching out. It can still switch into special attackers like Mega Gengar but will take significantly more damage; combined with no recovery, than if it is best to bring it brought in via a slow U-turn from RegenVest Regirock or another slow pivot.

Team Options
========

A check to your own Ho-Oh is required if this set gets copied by an Imposter Chansey if it is already boosted. Some good checks are Unaware/Fur Coat Unaware or Fur Coat Giratina and Mega Slowbro. Because this variant of Ho-Oh has less bulk and no recovery, it is mandatory to have checks to physical attackers. As such, Giratina, especially with Fur Coat, as well as Fur Coat Chansey are vital to check Mega Mewtwo X and Regigigas. Steel-types like Registeel and Aegislash can check -ate variants of Mega Rayquaza and Kyurem-B. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Mold Breaker Giratina can easily secure KOs such as High Jump Kick on Regirock. As a bonus, it Giratina can eliminate Sturdy Shedinja with Pursuit, giving Ho-Oh more room to set up and sweep. Slow walls like Regirock and Registeel can provide U-turn to bring it Ho-Oh in safely.

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

Ho-Oh can run Dark Void can be run if Knock Off isn't being used. However, it has lower accuracy than Spore and only really fits on the defensive set due to that running Toxic Orb anyway. Both sets can run Spore to put counters and Imposter Chansey to sleep. It is best used with Knock Off to remove Safety Goggles so more foes will switch out of against Ho-Oh, making Stealth Rock optimal for chip damage. However, it Spore is not easy to fit on the offensive set and makes Ho-Oh weaker due to wanting to run because it needs to run Toxic Orb for the sleep immunity if in case it encounters encountering a Magic Bounce user. On the defensive set, Ho-Oh can run High Jump Kick to lure in and KO Mega Tyranitar. Will-O-Wisp and Leech Seed also fit on the defensive set because if they are bounced, they do nothing to Ho-Oh because of its Fire-typing (remove hyphen) and Magic Guard, respectively. Will-O-Wisp in conjunction with Knock Off and Leech Seed also helps (same as the "X combined with Y" thing) in beating Sturdy Shedinja. Non-Magic Guard sets are usually very bad due to now having a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, but Water Absorb or Desolate Land can be used to beat Water-types such as Kyogre and Mega Slowbro. Ho-Oh can also run a decent Unburden set to lure in Imposter Chansey after using Belly Drum and OHKOing with Diamond Storm. However, Ho-Oh will have an enormous Stealth Rock weakness and the Unburden set will need a lot of support. Psycho Shift, (RC) can, in theory, spread Toxic poison around the opponent's team. In practice, it's pretty bad, since it's more costly to switch into Knock Off even after being poisoned, as well as and it can potentially poisoning poison a Pokemon with Poison Heal.

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

**Physical Attackers and Psystrike Users**: Physical attackers such as Mega Rayquaza and Kyurem-B can easily take down Ho-Oh with Fake Out + Extreme Speed. Mega Mewtwo X and Regigigas can easily leave Ho-Oh severly weakened with their strong physical moves. Mega Latios and Mega Mewtwo Y can easily take down Ho-Oh with STAB Psystrike, which hits Ho-Oh's weaker defense.

**Extremely Strong Special Attackers**: Though Ho-Oh has very high special bulk, extremely strong attacks like Mega Rayquaza's Aerilate-boosted Boomburst can 2HKO it.

**Rock-type Pokemon and Moves**: Rock-types such as Regirock and Mega Tyranitar can switch in on nearly any move from Ho-Oh and OHKO it with Diamond Storm. The former will be left heavily weakened if Ho-Oh is already at +1 though, and the latter must be wary of High Jump Kick, as it will be OHKOed. Pokemon that Ho-Oh can check can carry Rock-type moves just to beat it as well. A notable examples include is Diamond Storm Mega Diancie.

**Flash Fire Steel-types** If a Steel-type with Flash Fire, such as Aegislash or Registeel, can get in on Ho-Oh, it can force out Ho-Oh with Entrainment, making it take damage from Toxic Orb on both sets, but mainly the defensive set, or Life Orb recoil and recoil on its attacking moves on the offensive set.

**Imposter Chansey**: Imposter Chansey can beat the offensive set even if Ho-Oh has already set up, counter(space)sweeping if the team if it lacks a counter to its own Ho-Oh set.

**Physical Walls**: Giratina, Mega Slowbro, and Fur Coat Chansey are not possible for Ho-Oh to break through due to their reliable recovery. (period) and way to Giratina can also block damage with Spiky Shield with Giratina or and all three can weaken Ho-Oh severely with King's Shield due to all of Ho-Oh's common attacking moves making contact. (this was what I could come up with to make it less awkward. I think I interpreted it correctly but let me know if I mistakenly changed some of your content) Mega Slowbro can even force Ho-Oh to switch out with Perish Song or weaken it with Parting Shot.

**Poison Heal Pokemon**: Physical attackers with Poison Heal, such as Mega Garchomp, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Tyranitar, (AC) are all capable of switching in on most of Ho-Oh's moves and dealing heavy damage, leaving Ho-Oh heavily weakened and unable to check what it needs to, (RC) . (period) while On the other hand, (what you had was technically correct, but your sentence was too long so I separated it) Poison Heal physical walls, such as Giratina or Mega Audino, can easily take hits from Ho-Oh and damage it with Spiky Shield or weaken it with King's Shield due to Ho-Oh's attacking moves making contact.

**Water-types**: Although the only two relevant Water-types are Kyogre and Mega Slowbro, they can easily take down Ho-Oh with Scald or Steam Eruption. They lose if Ho-Oh runs Water Absorb or Desolate Land, though.


nice work PleaseDontBanMe

Conni nice job catching all the improper capitalizations (among other things) in your amcheck but make sure you don't jam two independent clauses together with a comma. :)
 
Last edited:

Fireflame

Silksong when
is a Top Contributoris a Smogon Media Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnus
AMCHECK:
This will not count as one of the two required checks unless it is stamped by an official GP member.

Remove Add Comments (AC)= add comma (RC)= remove comma

[OVERVIEW]

Ho-Oh's main niche is a to check to strong special attackers such as Mega Mewtwo Y, Mega Gengar, Pixilate Mega Diancie, and Gale Wings Mega Rayquaza. It has a good Attack stat that gives Ho-Oh reasonable offensive presence. Its typing is also reasonably good decent (reduce redundancy), as offensively, Fire and Flying have good neutral coverage, only missing out on Rock-types and Flash Fire Steel-types. Defensively, two of its weaknesses in Water and Electric are uncommon, and the Fairy-type resistance allows it to check Pixilate Mega Diancie.

However, Ho-Oh's main drawback is its low physical bulk, leaving it very vulnerable to powerful physical attackers such as Kyurem-B, Mega Mewtwo X, Regigigas, and Mega Tyranitar.(end sentence),(RC) Furthermore,(AC) combined with its x4 4x Stealth Rock weakness,(RC) which limits Ho-Oh to running Magic Guard sets and thus preventing it from running other, arguably better, abilities (sounds clearer). The presence of Diamond Storm + Poison Heal Mega Tyranitar, which is able switch in on Ho-Oh's STAB moves and easily KO back with Diamond Storm, is no help either; Thousand Arrows (are you talking about Tyranitar's Thousand Arrows or just the move in general. If you're NOT talking about Tyranitar's Thousand Arrows, then get rid of the semicolon and start a new sentence) also leaves Ho-Oh vulnerable to other Ground-type moves.

[SET]
name: Defensive Magic Guard
move 1: Recover
move 2: Flare Blitz / Knock Off
move 3: Whirlwind
move 4: U-turn / Stealth Rock / Defog
item: Toxic Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Sassy
evs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD

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

Recover keeps Ho-Oh healthy throughout the match and allows it to keep checking special attackers.(end sentence),(RC) and Flare Blitz is Ho-Oh's main STAB move due to it being highly spammable with Magic Guard. Sacred Fire can be used for the high burn chance, allowing Ho-Oh to wear down walls, cripple physical attackers, KO Sturdy Shedinja that lack Lum Berry, and make up for Ho-Oh's weak Defense, but it has significantly lower PP. Will-O-Wisp can be used over Knock Off if a more reliable way to spread burns is desired. Ho-Oh's Fire typing makes it immune to burns, thus making it not a problem if opposing Magic Bounce users switch in and end up bouncing back the move. However, you lose out on removing useful items. (see below comment) If hitting Pokemon that resist Fire such as Giratina and Mega Rayquaza is a priority, Brave Bird can be used, but then Ho-Oh will have no way to touch Steel-types. It also makes Ho-Oh more vulnerable to Imposter users, as Ho-Oh takes neutral damage from Flying-(add hyphen) type moves. Knock Off can be used over Flare Blitz for general utility, removing items such as Eviolite from Chansey, Life Orb, Safety Goggles, and Spooky Plate from Mega Gengar, and Toxic Orb from Poison Heal users. Will-O-Wisp can be used over Knock Off if a more reliable way to spread burns is desired. Ho-Oh's Fire typing makes it immune to burns, thus making it not a problem if opposing Magic Bounce users switch in and end up bouncing back the move. However, you lose out on removing useful items. (you said that you can use will-o-wisp instead of knock off without even mentioning knock off, so I moved this part until after you mentioned Knock Off) Whirlwind can stop some setup sweepers such as Tail Glow Mega Rayquaza and Shell Smash Mega Gengar. U-turn works well with Ho-Oh's relatively low Speed, getting most teammates in safely. Stealth Rock allows Ho-Oh to get chip damage on the opponent's team. It meshes well with Ho-Oh's Fire typing due to forcing out many Magic Bounce Steel-types with Flare Blitz. It can backfire, however, if the opponent has bulky Magic Bounce users that aren't Steel-type but are bulky (sounds clearer) or if Ho-Oh uses Brave Bird over Flare Blitz, in which case Steel-types can safely switch in. Defog also could could also be used in the last slot, as Ho-Oh gets many opportunities to switch in and use the move to remove entry hazards.

Set Details
========

A simple spread of maximum HP and maximum Special Defense gives Ho-Oh the bulk it needs to check most special attackers, including taking a +2 Judgment from Mega Gengar quite nicely, while a Sassy nature and 0 Speed IVs make Ho-Oh's U-turn as slow as possible, enabling it to easily bring a sweeper in safely. Magic Guard allows Ho-Oh to avoid residual damage from Stealth Rock, Leech Seed, weather, and Curse, as well as recoil damage from Flare Blitz (or Brave Bird, if it is used). Toxic Orb meshes well with Magic Guard, as Ho-Oh being badly poisoned allows it to be immune to status once Toxic Orb activates, letting Ho-Oh switch in on Spore and Dark Void freely, stopping frail sweepers that carry the move as well as Prankster Registeel.

Usage Tips
========

Getting Ho-Oh in without taking a Knock Off is important, as it won't be immune to status before its Toxic Orb activates. After Toxic Orb activates, Ho-Oh is a good Knock Off absorber due to the lack of need for its item unless you have a cleric on the team. If possible, use Stealth Rock to provide chip damage on the opposing team. Flare Blitz, or Brave Bird if it is used over Flare Blitz, is highly spammable due to Magic Guard. The high Base Power of both moves make them good options to use when you don't know what is going to switch in. Use Whirlwind if a Flash Fire Pokemon switches in, such as Aegislash, or if something else, like Mega Rayquaza, is already behind a Substitute. U-turn should be used to get a Pokemon in safely. This helps when a strong physical attacker like Mega Mewtwo X, Kyurem-B, Regigigas, or Mega Rayquaza switches in, as Ho-Oh can U-turn to a check or counter like Registeel, Giratina, or Fur Coat Chansey. Knock Off should be used on switches to remove items like Safety Goggles and Spooky Plate from Mega Gengar, and Eviolite from Chansey, as well as Toxic Orbs from Pokemon with Poison Heal, but it must be used as they switch in or else Toxic Orb will activate.

Team Options
========

Steel-type walls such as Registeel and Aegislash are almost mandatory due to their ability to check Mega Rayquaza and Kyurem-B. Physical walls such as Giratina, Mega Slowbro, and Fur Coat Mega Audino to that can switch in on physical attackers such as Mega Mewtwo X and Regigigas are helpful due to Ho-Oh's lack of physical bulk. Pokemon that appreciate the extra damage from Stealth Rock to secure KOs, such as Kyurem-B, the Mega Mewtwo formes, and Mega Rayquaza, make good teammates.

[SET]
name: Offensive Magic Guard
move 1: Flare Blitz
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: High Jump Kick
move 4: Shift Gear / U-turn
item: Life Orb / Toxic Orb
ability: Magic Guard
nature: Adamant
evs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe

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

Flare Blitz and Brave Bird are Ho-Oh's main STAB moves and are highly spammable due to recoil being ignored by Magic Guard. Sacred Fire can be used over Flare Blitz; though it is weaker and has less PP, the higher burn rate can potentially allow Ho-Oh to beat Sturdy Shedinja that carry Safety Goggles. High Jump Kick allows Ho-Oh to OHKO Mega Tyranitar and 2HKO Regirock, both of which can switch in on everything else and potentially OHKO Ho-Oh with Diamond Storm. Crash damage is ignored due to Magic Guard, making High Jump Kick a strong,(RC) and very spammable coverage move. Shift Gear boosts Ho-Oh's Attack and Speed, giving Ho-Oh the power and speed it needs to clean up late-game. It's quite difficult to fit in however, because then you'll need an anti-Imposter Pokemon (such as...?). U-turn can be used to gain momentum upon predicting a switch or to bring in a teammate safely in order to deal with strong physical attackers. It is very difficult to fit on this set, though, due to a loss in a reliable way to clean late-game.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack and an Adamant nature allow Ho-Oh to hit as hard as possible, while 16 Speed EVs allow enable (reduce redundancy) Ho-Oh to outrun everything up to base 150 Speed Pokemon such as Timid Mega Sceptile and Jolly Mega Aerodactyl after a Shift Gear. The rest of the EVs go into HP, which allows Ho-Oh to narrowly avoid the 2HKO from Spooky Plate Mega Gengar Judgment or avoid the OHKO if Mega Gengar is already at +2. Magic Guard makes Ho-Oh immune to indirect damage, such as recoil damage from Flare Blitz and Brave Bird, as well as crash damage from High Jump Kick. Due to this, Ho-Oh can afford to run Life Orb for a free power boost, but it can also run Toxic Orb if the immunity to status like sleep is preferred. However, if it runs Toxic Orb, Ho-Oh will be significantly weaker.

Usage Tips
========

It is best to save setting up for late-game,(RC) when all of Ho-Oh's counters have been removed. Flare Blitz and Brave Bird are highly spammable due to Magic Guard nullifying recoil. High Jump Kick should be used to OHKO Mega Tyranitar and 2HKO Regirock. This Ho-Oh variant can be useful in bursts as well, dealing high damage and then switching out (wouldn't this be called wallbreaking?). It can still switch into special attackers like Mega Gengar,(AC) but it will take significantly more damage than if it is brought in via a slow U-turn from RegenVest Regirock or another slow pivot.

Team Options
========

A check to your own Ho-Oh is required if this set gets copied by an Imposter Chansey if it is already boosted. Some good checks are Unaware or Fur Coat Giratina and Mega Slowbro. Because this variant of Ho-Oh has less bulk and no recovery, it is mandatory to have checks to physical attackers. As such, Giratina, especially with Fur Coat, as well as Fur Coat Chansey are vital to check Mega Mewtwo X and Regigigas. Steel-types like Registeel and Aegislash can check -ate "-ate" (add quotation marks) variants of Mega Rayquaza and Kyurem-B. Entry hazard support from Pokemon such as Mold Breaker Giratina can easily secure KOs,(AC) such as High Jump Kick on Regirock. As a bonus, Giratina can eliminate Sturdy Shedinja with Pursuit, giving Ho-Oh more room to set up and sweep. Slow walls Walls like Regirock and Registeel can provide a slow U-turn to bring Ho-Oh in safely. (I'm pretty sure that's what you were getting at, so I made it clearer)

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

Ho-Oh can run Dark Void if Knock Off isn't being used. However, it has lower accuracy than Spore and only really fits on the defensive set due to that running Toxic Orb anyway. Both sets can run Spore to put counters and Imposter Chansey to sleep. It is best used with Knock Off to remove Safety Goggles so more foes will switch out against Ho-Oh, making Stealth Rock optimal for chip damage. However, Spore is not easy to fit on the offensive set and makes Ho-Oh weaker because it needs to run Toxic Orb for the sleep immunity in case it encounters a Magic Bounce user. On the defensive set, Ho-Oh can run High Jump Kick to lure in and KO Mega Tyranitar. Will-O-Wisp and Leech Seed also fit on the defensive set because if they are bounced, they do nothing to Ho-Oh because of its Fire typing and Magic Guard, respectively. Will-O-Wisp in conjunction with Knock Off and Leech Seed also helps in beating Sturdy Shedinja. Non-Magic Guard sets are usually very bad due to having a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock, but Water Absorb or Desolate Land can be used to beat Water-types such as Kyogre and Mega Slowbro. Ho-Oh can also run a decent Unburden set to lure in Imposter Chansey after using Belly Drum and OHKOing with Diamond Storm. However, Ho-Oh will have an enormous Stealth Rock weakness and the Unburden set will need a lot of support. Psycho Shift can, in theory, spread Toxic poison ("Toxic poison" is super redundant) around the opponent's team. In practice, it's pretty bad, since it's more costly to switch into Knock Off even after being poisoned, and it can potentially poison a Pokemon with Poison Heal.

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

**Physical Attackers and Psystrike Users**: Physical attackers such as Mega Rayquaza and Kyurem-B can easily take down Ho-Oh with Fake Out + Extreme Speed. Mega Mewtwo X and Regigigas can easily leave Ho-Oh severly weakened with their strong physical moves. Mega Latios and Mega Mewtwo Y can easily take down Ho-Oh with STAB Psystrike, which hits Ho-Oh's weaker defense Defense.

**Extremely Strong Special Attackers**: Though Ho-Oh has very high special bulk, extremely strong special attacks like Mega Rayquaza's Aerilate Boomburst can 2HKO it.

**Rock-type Pokemon and Moves**: Rock-types such as Regirock and Mega Tyranitar can switch in on nearly any move from Ho-Oh and OHKO it with Diamond Storm. The former will be left heavily weakened if Ho-Oh is already at +1 though, and the latter must be wary of High Jump Kick, as it will be OHKOed. Pokemon that Ho-Oh can check can sometimes (reduce redundancy) carry Rock-type moves just to beat it as well. A notable example is Diamond Storm Mega Diancie.

**Flash Fire Steel-types** If a Steel-type with Flash Fire, such as Aegislash or Registeel, can get in on Ho-Oh, it can force out Ho-Oh with Entrainment, making it take damage from Toxic Orb or Life Orb on the defensive and offensive set,(AC) respectively.(end sentence) both sets, but mainly the defensive set, or Life Orb recoil and recoil on its attacking moves on the offensive set. (This flows much better)

**Imposter Chansey**: Imposter Chansey can beat the offensive set even if Ho-Oh has already set up, as it can (sounded weird without that change, but this is a subjective change) counter sweeping the team if it lacks a counter to its own Ho-Oh set.

**Physical Walls**: Giratina, Mega Slowbro, and Fur Coat Chansey are not possible for Ho-Oh to break through due to their reliable recovery. Giratina can also block damage and wear down Ho-Oh with Spiky Shield,(AC) and all three can weaken Ho-Oh severely with King's Shield due to all of Ho-Oh's common attacking moves making contact. Mega Slowbro can even force Ho-Oh to switch out with Perish Song or weaken it with Parting Shot.

**Poison Heal Pokemon**: Physical attackers with Poison Heal, such as Mega Garchomp, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Tyranitar,,(RC) (remove second comma) are all capable of switching in on most of Ho-Oh's moves and dealing heavy damage, leaving Ho-Oh heavily severely (reduce redundancy) weakened and unable to check what it needs to. On the other hand, Poison Heal physical walls, such as Giratina or Mega Audino, can easily take hits from Ho-Oh and damage it with Spiky Shield or weaken it with King's Shield due to Ho-Oh's attacking moves making contact.

**Water-types**: Although the only two relevant Water-types are Kyogre and Mega Slowbro, they can easily take down Ho-Oh with Scald or Steam Eruption. They lose if Ho-Oh runs Water Absorb or Desolate Land, though.
 
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