[OVERVIEW]
Ho-Oh, as one of the most bulky threats in the metagame, finds a cozy home on Balance and BO teams alike. With its impeccable bulk it serves as a check to many threats in the meta, such as Arceus, Calyrex-S, and Necrozma-DM. Not only that, but Ho-Oh has the ability to also deal big damage, nuking the likes of Zacian-C and Koraidon for massive damage.
[SET]
Defensive Pivot (Ho-Oh) @ Heavy-Duty-Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpDef
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Recover
- Whirlwind
[SET COMMENTS]
Paragraph 1:
Ho-Oh is one of, if not the best tanks in the meta. With the ability to hit hard and take hard hits, ignoring this Pokemon can lead to a disaster. Being very naturally bulky, Ho-Oh is a necessary piece in the metagame, being able to take hits from the overpowered Calyrex-S. Sacred Fire and Brave Bird serve as dual STAB, both doing good damage while Recover provides good recovery without being forced to switch out. Whirlwind is able to force out set up threats such as Koraidon, Calyrex-S, and Arceus, which pairs well with its natural bulk, allowing it to phaze Pokemon without getting KOed. The EV spread allows Ho-Oh to survive +2 Scale Shot from Koraidon while still being able to soak up +2 Astral Barrage from Calyrex-S.
Paragraph 2:
Ho-Oh, being able to hit foes like Koraidon and Zacian-C really well, is a great partner for Ting-Lu, which tends to struggle against the aforementioned threats. Necrozma-DM is another great partner which appreciates Ho-Oh's rather favorable matchup into Calyrex-S and Koraidon. Ho-Oh tends to struggle into threats such as Miraidon, which can hit it hard and fast. Arceus-Water can be another issue, being able to hit it hard with Judgement or under it with Thunder Wave. Kyogre can also be scary, hitting hard with Origin Pulse and Water Spout. Ting-Lu is a great way to deal with Miraidon, soaking up hits and dishing nice damage back. Miraidon can nuke these two Water-type threats, while Koraidon can shut down Kyogre's weather, weakening it significantly.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ho-Oh has a few other options, one being Earthquake which generally takes the slot of Whirlwind. This works in conjunction with another niche option in Tera Ground, providing a nice way to deal with Miraidon. This requires an alternate EV spread which can focus more on attack, turning it into a more offensive Pokemon. This can weaken the Kyogre and Arceus-Water matchup to a further extent, though. And without Whirlwind (the option that is usually dropped), Ho-Oh's role of forcing out set up sweepers is revoked. Will-O-Wisp is a very niche option that can hinder physical sweepers, although these, including the likes of Zacian-C and Koraidon, tend to run Tera Fire while others, namely Arceus, can sometimes run Lum Berry to avoid this. Whirlwind can generally fill this roll better, though.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Miraidon**: Miraidon is easily able to come in and resist a Sacred Fire or Brave Bird, while dishing massive damage back. Some sets can also abuse this set's rather passive nature to set up with Agility.
**Arceus-Water**: Arceus-Water, being as bulky as it is, can easily switch on Sacred Fire or Brave Bird, Recover off the damage, and then hit hard with Judgement
**Kyogre**: Kyogre can revenge KO Ho-Oh with very low risk, while also coming in on Sacred Fire and hitting hard with Origin Pulse or Water Spout.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/penguguy1.650323/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.102/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
Ho-Oh, as one of the most bulky threats in the metagame, finds a cozy home on Balance and BO teams alike. With its impeccable bulk it serves as a check to many threats in the meta, such as Arceus, Calyrex-S, and Necrozma-DM. Not only that, but Ho-Oh has the ability to also deal big damage, nuking the likes of Zacian-C and Koraidon for massive damage.
[SET]
Defensive Pivot (Ho-Oh) @ Heavy-Duty-Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpDef
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Recover
- Whirlwind
[SET COMMENTS]
Paragraph 1:
Ho-Oh is one of, if not the best tanks in the meta. With the ability to hit hard and take hard hits, ignoring this Pokemon can lead to a disaster. Being very naturally bulky, Ho-Oh is a necessary piece in the metagame, being able to take hits from the overpowered Calyrex-S. Sacred Fire and Brave Bird serve as dual STAB, both doing good damage while Recover provides good recovery without being forced to switch out. Whirlwind is able to force out set up threats such as Koraidon, Calyrex-S, and Arceus, which pairs well with its natural bulk, allowing it to phaze Pokemon without getting KOed. The EV spread allows Ho-Oh to survive +2 Scale Shot from Koraidon while still being able to soak up +2 Astral Barrage from Calyrex-S.
Paragraph 2:
Ho-Oh, being able to hit foes like Koraidon and Zacian-C really well, is a great partner for Ting-Lu, which tends to struggle against the aforementioned threats. Necrozma-DM is another great partner which appreciates Ho-Oh's rather favorable matchup into Calyrex-S and Koraidon. Ho-Oh tends to struggle into threats such as Miraidon, which can hit it hard and fast. Arceus-Water can be another issue, being able to hit it hard with Judgement or under it with Thunder Wave. Kyogre can also be scary, hitting hard with Origin Pulse and Water Spout. Ting-Lu is a great way to deal with Miraidon, soaking up hits and dishing nice damage back. Miraidon can nuke these two Water-type threats, while Koraidon can shut down Kyogre's weather, weakening it significantly.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ho-Oh has a few other options, one being Earthquake which generally takes the slot of Whirlwind. This works in conjunction with another niche option in Tera Ground, providing a nice way to deal with Miraidon. This requires an alternate EV spread which can focus more on attack, turning it into a more offensive Pokemon. This can weaken the Kyogre and Arceus-Water matchup to a further extent, though. And without Whirlwind (the option that is usually dropped), Ho-Oh's role of forcing out set up sweepers is revoked. Will-O-Wisp is a very niche option that can hinder physical sweepers, although these, including the likes of Zacian-C and Koraidon, tend to run Tera Fire while others, namely Arceus, can sometimes run Lum Berry to avoid this. Whirlwind can generally fill this roll better, though.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Miraidon**: Miraidon is easily able to come in and resist a Sacred Fire or Brave Bird, while dishing massive damage back. Some sets can also abuse this set's rather passive nature to set up with Agility.
**Arceus-Water**: Arceus-Water, being as bulky as it is, can easily switch on Sacred Fire or Brave Bird, Recover off the damage, and then hit hard with Judgement
**Kyogre**: Kyogre can revenge KO Ho-Oh with very low risk, while also coming in on Sacred Fire and hitting hard with Origin Pulse or Water Spout.
[SET CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/penguguy1.650323/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user3.102/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user4.103/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/user5.104/
Last edited: