Ubers Ho-oh [GP 2/2]

Sorry for taking so long. But it is done now.
Additions
Removals
(Comments)
Overview
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Ho-Oh is a massive force in the Ubers tier. Boasting a good base 130 base Attack, coupled with two extremely potent and strong STAB moves in Sacred Fire and Brave Bird, as well as a massive 154 base Special Defense, a alongside the wonderful ability in Regenerator, which restores a third of its HP when it switches out, and reliable recovery in Roost, Ho-Oh is a resilient bulky attacker capable of 2HKOing the majority of Pokemon in the tier. While Fire- and Flying-typing complement each other very well offensively for excellent neutral coverage in the tier, it also brings it a glaring 4x weakness to Rock-type moves, causing Ho-Oh to lose half of its health if it switches in while Stealth Rock is up on its side of the field. This However, this weakness may not be is not as bad as it appears, as XY the buff to Defog introduced a reliable new (you mention the reliability later) means of removing Stealth Rock with the move Defog, which is generally more reliable than Rapid Spin and Magic Bounce ever was were. Even But even with this buff, Ho-Oh's 4x weakness to Rock-type moves is still exploitable, as most Rock-type moves thrown around in the tier will fell it in one or two hits.

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name: Tank
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Roost / Recover
move 4: Substitute / Earthquake
ability: Regenerator
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 248 HP / 252 Atk / 4 8 Spd

Moves
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Brave Bird is really strong STAB move that hits practically 2HKOs whatever 2HKOes anything that doesn't resist it, including max HP Arceus Formes formes. Another notable aspect of the move is that it 2HKOs It also 2HKOes any Kyogre variant with thanks to the boost from Life Orb boosting its power. Speaking of Life Orb, the recoil adding up together with Brave Birds side-effect can be quite upsetting at times, but don't forget that in conjunction with your recovery move of choice and Regenerator, the lost HP can be gained back quite reliably easily. Your Its secondary STAB, Sacred Fire, is extremely potent. Even if a Pokemon resisting that resists it switches in on this move, you have Ho-Oh still has a 50% chance to leave it with a burn, assuming you hit it hits. Few switch ins switch-ins enjoy the residual damage from burns, with Arceus formes like such as Water and Rock are a being prime example of this examples. The burn rate really discourages just about all physical attackers to switch from switching into Ho-oh, as a burn since burns will render them useless for the course rest of the game. Zekrom, who resists both Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's STAB moves, is a good example of this. Under harsh sunlight, Sacred Fire is also boosted by 50%, making it Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's strongest attack- to the point where the chance of 2HKOing even the most defensive variants of Groudon is quite prevalent. It cannot be understated that Sacred Fire's power in combination with its side effect is what makes Ho-oh Ho-Oh such a difficult Pokemon to directly switch into.

A recovery move is mandatory. When you give a Pokemon has Regenerator, base 154 special defense Special Defense, and base 130 attack Attack, and with two almost unresisted near-unresisted STABs, you are that's already pushing it. Giving it Roost is almost taking the term bulky attacker too far, as with it, Ho-Oh's your longevity easily outmatches just about everything in the game, as long as - when Stealth Rock are is off the field. The choice between Roost and Recover is a preference issue. Roost will help you against some would be would-be super effective hits, especially with paralysis support, while Recover is nice vs against Earthquake users that are trying to predict your landing. However, with Recover, Pokemon like a burned Groudon can easily get back to smashing you Ho-Oh with Stone Edge after you revealed reveal the move, so beware.

Substitute eases prediction and it's rather easy to recover that the lost health anyway. In conjunction with a Toxic lure for Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's biggest counter, Arceus-Rock Rock Arceus, this move puts a lot of pressure on said counter, by repeatedly using Substitute as it switches in to rack up Toxic damage. Since your attacks are very powerful, a free Substitute can sometimes mean that your opponent will almost always have to sacrifice a Pokemon such as Kyogre just to break your Rhydon-doll it (Rhydon-doll isn't clear enough, and I always thought it looked like the baby Kangaskhan). One of the biggest assets of Substitute is what being able to take advantage of the free turns that could come with potential paralysis support (this sentence was very confusing, I hope it's better now). Against some threats like such as Xerneas and Palkia (in sun) that you managed manage to paralyse paralyze, you will be able to spam Substitute and Roost until they get fully paralyzed, giving you a free Substitute. If Substitute isn't your thing, Earthquake is very viable and hits as it 2HKOes Tyranitar, Zekrom, and Arceus-Rock Rock Arceus, while OHKOing and Heatran very hard, 2HKOing all three former, and OHKOs the latter. Aside from the potential free Substitutes you can use to cushion potential revenge killers or put pressure on switch ins, However, giving up on Substitute means you will have a tougher time protecting yourself from revenge killers and status as well.

Ho-oh Ho-Oh also has two options that can go in the last move slot to attempt to patch up its mediocre speed Speed. The first one, Flame Charge, has the advantage of dealing damage at the same time as boosting, and the speed Speed boost given is permanent until Ho-oh Ho-Oh switches out. Option two The other option, Tailwind, doubles Ho-oh's speed Ho-Oh's Speed as well as doubling any team mate's speed teammate's Speed as well. However, Tailwind only lasts for three turns, so the boost is quite inconsistent. The opportunity cost for losing Substitute or Earthquake is also quite big large, but if your team needs the specific advantages that either of these two moves bring, then by all means, use them. Also, remember to invest in speed Speed accordingly - Flame Charge sets generally needs max speed Speed investment in order to outspeed Mega Mewtwo Y after one boost, while Tailwind sets like having 176 Speed EVs to outspeed Choice-Scarf Choice Scarf Terrakion when while Tailwind is in play.

Set Details
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This set appreciates the high damage output that comes with Life Orb, but Leftovers are is still usable if you want to increase your tanking ability and take less mitigate recoil damage. The However, the power loss is quite big large (large just sounds better than big okay), as for example, defensive Kyogre are now 3HKOd and can only be 3HKOed while defensive Giratina is only 4HKOd for example 4HKOed.

An Adamant nature with maximum investment in Attack is rather self-explainatory self-explanatory for a bulky attacker like this Ho-Oh, and it usually is the best option to maximize your damage output. However, settling for a specialized number catered to a specific team's needs is of course viable as well. 252 HP EVs gives you great bulk, allowing you to cushion most neutral special attacks comfortably.

Usage Tips
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For optimal performance, Ho-oh Ho-Oh will need Stealth Rock off its own side of this field in order to reliably switch in, as well as abusing and take maximum advantage of Regenerator to the max. It is therefore important to play your Defog user or Rapid Spinner in such a way so that it outlasts the opponents Stealth Rock setter. Keep in mind that the most common Defog users user, Arceus-Formes are Arceus, is vulnerable to Toxic, so keep them away from Stealth Rock users that carry the move at all time possible. When you see the chance of getting Ho-oh in to do some damage, take that chance. Dishing out hits and regenerating your health puts a lot of pressure on opponents, especially if they don't carry a dedicated check to it.

As Ho-oh Ho-Oh has a very exploitable weakness it is important to scout for surprise Rock-type moves properly. Mixed Xerneas can use Rock Slide, Giratina-O can possibly have Stone Edge and Aegislash can have Head Smash in its arsenal. Even the possibility some Arceus formes carry Stone Edge it just to ruin your day exists. Understanding how metagame defining Ho-oh Ho-Oh is and accepting that players can prepare and use moves just for it should always be accounted for. As Ho-oh Ho-Oh is brutally weak to Stealth Rock, another thing to keep in mind is to get rid off it from the field, which requires a teammate's support.

Do not make the mistake of using this as you only way to stop a boosted Xerneas. It's hard to rely on Defog at all times, and Ho-oh Ho-Oh can't OHKO Xerneas either. In general, use Ho-oh as the powerful wallbreaker it is, but don't rely on it as a check to too much stuff. Try to build your team in a way so that you can use Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's qualities to the maximum potential, but at the same time in a way so that it won't be overly reliant on Ho-oh Ho-Oh to perform.

Team Options
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Defog support is on the brink of mandatory when using Ho-oh Ho-Oh. Rapid Spin works too, but the spinners themselves are underpowered in terms of Uber by Ubers standards and old strategizes like Spikes-stacking with your spinner to double up roles isn't as spikes setter are harder too pull off since Defog can simply remove those hazards very easily (honestly, I still have trouble understanding what you're trying to say here. Besides, as background information, it's VERY far from necessary). However, spinning can still work with some smart teambuilding. The most reliable Defog users are Arceus-Formes the Arceus formes due to their high speed Speed, good bulk and access to Recover. Water Arceus Water has pretty good synergy with Ho-oh Ho-Oh, taking on Kyogre, Groudon and Rock Arceus Rock quite well. Grass Arceus Grass floats in the same boat, but is weaker to the omnipresent Gengar and has a hard time fitting in Stone Edge on its Defog set, meaning you'll give opposing Ho-oh Ho-Oh a lot of free turns. Since Arceus Grass is generally very weak to Ho-oh Ho-Oh, this can limit your teambuilding options a lot. Arceus-Fariy Fairy Arceus is another notable Defog user-, as just like most Arceus formes, it can cripple the Stealth Rock users that also happen to check Ho-oh Ho-Oh, such a as Landorous-T Landorus-T and Groudon. Some lesser used Defogers less common Defog users are viable as well. Lugia can act like as an extra wall and check to a lot of things, while Scizor helps out tremendously when it comes to making your team solid against Geomancy Xerneas.

Groudon is another terrific teammate. It takes on Zekrom pretty well, and it sets up Stealth Rocks Rock for your team, something Ho-oh that Ho-Oh appreciates as it heaps up the pressure on anything the opposing team would want to switch into it. Groudon's ability, Drought, also provides Sun support, and despite only lasting five turns, it is still sufficient, considering Ho-oh that Ho-Oh has an easy time coming in a against some things that threaten Groudon in the sun, such as like Palkia, Arceus-Grass Grass Arceus, and Kyurem-White. In a similar vein to why Groudon is a good partner, Landorous-T Landorus-T is too a good partner as well. The distinction between the both are that while While Groudon can phaze, use Thunder Wave, or strike with Fire-type moves, Landorous-T Landorus-T has the ability to check Mega-Blaziken as well as checking other opposing Groudon better.

Palkia deserves a mention as a good teammates teammate as well. It has great synergy with Ho-oh Ho-Oh, as it checks all Kyogre variants, and the combined force of the two threats pressures defensive teams. Lastly, Ho-oh Ho-Oh fits quite well together with Kyogre, Ho-oh Ho-Oh can help by checking out Arceus-Grass that walls it Grass Arceus, and Kyogre can pressure out Arceus-Rock Rock Arceus for Ho-oh Ho-Oh.

Any Pokemon with Thunder Wave support is a good partner for Ho-oh Ho-Oh as it can possibly get free Substitutes or outspeed things it normally wouldn't. Groudon, Lugia, Kyogre, Klefki, Thundurus and Dialga are some examples of common Thunder Wave users in the tier, but a lot of other Ubers such as Palkia can surprisingly learn the move too, so cater your the support to your team's needs.

Physically defensive Defensive
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name: Physically defensive Defensive
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Roost / Recover
move 4: Toxic / Whirlwind
ability: Regenerator
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd

Moves
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Brave Bird is mandatory on this set as well. It hits decently hard without investment and having such attacking power for a defensively inclined Pokémon differentiates it from Giratina and Lugia. Sacred Fire is especially useful on this set for its side-effect side effect. Spreading burns on physical attackers makes them easier to wall, and the residual damage can helps help with stalling out many threats that cannot recover health. A recovery move is obviously a must for a defensive set. Roost is better than Recover here since outstalling a slower Groudon is much easier with this set, since a predicted Earthquake from a burnt Groudon on a your Ho-Oh's faster Roost will not deal too much damage. Finally, the last slot is dedicated to either Toxic, which can cripple many common switch ins switch-ins like Rock and Water Arceus Rock and Water, while Whirlwind phazes out set up sweepers like Extremekiller Extreme Killer Arceus and Geomancy Xerneas.

Set Details
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Maximum Defense EVs and an Impish nature makes Ho-oh make Ho-Oh surprisingly durable one on the physical side, allowing it to take on threats such like Extremekiller such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Mewtwo, Foul Play Yveltal, and Stone Edge-less Lucario without Stone Edge, well well (don't need either of those) when as long as Stealth Rock are is not up. With maximum HP investment, Ho-oh tanks Ho-Oh can tank special attacks just fine thanks to its naturally high Special Defense stat, however, if you wish to abuse better utilize its gargantuan special bulk to the maximum, investing all Defense EVs in Special Defense instead can be feasible if it fits your team's needs.

Usage Tips
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Again, keep Stealth Rock off of your side of the field in order to make this Pokémon help Ho-Oh function optimally. Don't be afraid to do more "reckless" switch ins to switches into support Arceus formes that you should be able to wall with this set. While the above offensive set takes 80-94% from a -atk -Atk Arceus's Stone Edge, but this variant of Ho-oh Ho-Oh fares way far better against it, so you can mostly just switch out to Regenerate regain a good portion of the damage through Regenerator anyway. Since this set has a much higher Defense stat than the above one Because of this, the need of always scouting to scout is somewhat lesser lower, as demonstrated above.

Do not note that even with the big Defense full defensive investment, Ho-oh Ho-Oh still has trouble taking on some common physical attackers, regardless of whether or not Stealth Rock being on your field or not is up. Zekrom, Groudon, and Mega Mewtwo X (which often carries a Rock-type move) are examples of physical attackers that busts can bust through your invested Ho-Oh's defenses quite easily. As the a mixed defensive tank, Ho-oh becomes with the given spread, it should also be played to the Ho-Oh should take advantage of the fact that it can check both physical and special threats from both sides of the spectrum. Extremekiller Extreme Killer Arceus, Blaziken and sometimes even other Ho-oh Ho-Oh are physical attackers that this Ho-oh Ho-Oh can switch into.

Even though this set has a lot defensive investment, it's Ho-Oh's Special Defense is still higher, so take on special attackers if as you see it fit. Especially with Whirlwind, Ho-oh Ho-Oh functions as a great Xerneas counter, should Stealth Rock not be up. It is also notable in that is Ho-Oh can take on Mega Mewtwo Y very well under the right circumstances, as Psystrike is not a cannot OHKO.

Team Options
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As explained previously, Defog support is a must when using Ho-oh Ho-Oh, and this set is no exception. Arceus formes such as Fairy, Water, Rock, Grass, and Ghost can provide more or less some synergy with Ho-oh aside from Ho-Oh while also helping it with hazard removal. Giratina-O is not recommended as a a Defog user to pair with this Ho-oh because of the Ho-Oh due to this set's more defensively inclined nature, meaning that Giratina-O, who has no recovery, is likely to be outlasted by the opposing Stealth Rock user. Mega-Scizor Mega Scizor can work as a Defog user to pair with this Ho-oh Ho-Oh. Although it's quite slow and therefore more prone to Taunt, the metal bug Scizor can handily checks check Groudon and semi checks check Zekrom for Ho-oh, while Ho-oh checks Ho-Oh can check opposing Ho-oh Ho-Oh in return.

It's always wise to pair Ho-oh Ho-Oh with a Ground type Ground-type Pokémon in order to milder the threat that is help deal with Zekrom. Landorous-T Landorus-T and Groudon spring to mind as they can both provide Stealth Rock support. A Swords Dance Ground-Arceus Ground Arceus appreciates Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's ability to absorb burns from the likes of Giratina, but keep in mind that there is a big opportunity cost to not using a Defog Arceus with Ho-oh Ho-Oh.

Of course Ho-oh Ho-Oh needs to be paired with something that can handle Kyogre. That something is usually Palkia, but if you want to hit two birds in one stone, then Water Arceus Water is viable as both a Water move deterrent for Water-type moves and a Defoger Defog user. Grass Arceus Grass is similar, except it trades boasts a strong STAB to hit Kyogre and Groudon with for at the cost of a tendency to get removed from the game by Mega Gengar. Both these Arceus formes can also check Arceus-Rock Rock Arceus extremely good as well.

Once again, Kyogre is once again a solid option to pressure Arceus-Rock for pressuring Rock Arceus. Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, or specially defensive variants all fit well with Ho-oh Ho-Oh. Keep in mind that your team will have two Electric weaknesses stacked Electric-weak Pokemon, so a Ground-type is nearly mandatory at this stage.

Choice Band
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name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Sleep Talk
ability: Regenerator
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd

Moves
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Hit Ho-Oh hits hard as hell with Brave Bird. This move will is now It's guaranteed to always OHKO Palkia, 0 HP Kyogre, and many among other threats. When By equipping a Choice Band instead of a Life Orb, Ho-Oh's your Brave Bird is stronger and the recoil damage is lesser lower. With the Defog buff and Regenerator, this set is pretty much the pinnacle of hit and run tactics. If you thought Brave Bird was strong, a sun-boosted Sacred Fire is absolutely ridiculous, being able to OHKO 4 HP Arceus Formes with only Stealth Rock support up. It also OHKOs OHKOes max HP Arceus with the help of a burn! Even the most defensive Groudon variants are guaranteed to fall in two hits, regardless of you landing the burn on it whether or not Sacred Fire lands a burn.

Earthquake is a solid and powerful coverage move and hits Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's best checks and counters very hard. Arceus-Rock Rock Arceus will find itself in a very sticky spot if it switches in on an Earthquake when burned from a previous assault, since Earthquake can max out on hits a maximum of about 81% damage. Lastly, Sleep Talk is a good move to have against Darkrai. Your attacks are very powerful and with few drawbacks, meaning the random pick factor isn't as bad as it seems.

Set Details
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Maximum Attack investment is self-explanatory, along with the Choice Band and high powered STAB moves it pumps up Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's attacking power to extreme levels. With 252 EVs invested in HP, Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's ability to tank hits is retained quite well, although the lack off Roost off course hurts that aspect of the phoenix it.

There are two alternative EV spreads that this set could use. First off is a a A faster spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd, with a Jolly nature is viable in order to ensure maximum chances of outspeeding Pokémon like Pokemon such as netural natured specs Choice Specs Kyogre, Yveltal, and Xerneas for example. The other alternative spread is 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd with an Adamant nature. It retains a lot of the qualities Physcially Defensive Ho-oh that physically defensive Ho-Oh has, trading but it trades off Roost for higher attacking power.

Usage Tips
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It cannot be understated how important it is to play the entry hazards game well when using Ho-oh Ho-Oh. This applies even more so for this set, which as it likes having Stealth Rock up on the opponent's side of the field in order to still be able to punish possible misprediction as well as mispredictions, while also having Stealth Rock off of its side of the field for obvious reason reasons. Another big reason that it is absolutely detrimental to keep them off is to that this set doesn't have a Recovery recovery move and must rely on Regenerator to gain damage health back. Therefore, it is equally important for this set to utilize Regenerator to gain for maximum recovery - pivot switching in on resisted hits and such is a big part of how to play a Choice Banded Ho-oh Ho-Oh.

The second part on this sets set's usage is the key of prediction. Even though Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's attacks are strong and unresisted together, it is good to have a plan on what to do when initiating combat. There are a few roads you can go here, the first being throwing out Sacred Fires all over the place to spread burns. After your switch ins the opponent's switch-ins are burnt, Ho-oh Ho-Oh can now pressure them harder with its coverage moves. However, if one wants you want to take advantage of an obvious Kyogre switching in switch-in to sponge a Sacred Fire, then by all means do it. If you suspect Arceus-Rock being Rock Arceus to be your opponents opponent's Arceus forme, then go ahead and throw out an Earthquake early in situation when situations where it's safe to do so.

Team Options
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Defog support again please, just always Always use it Defog support with Ho-oh Ho-Oh. Aside from the common support Arceus Formes, Defog Giratina-O can work on a team with a Choice Band Ho-oh, usually Ho-Oh since you are aiming to smash up your opponent the opposition faster than with usual other sets,- which makes Giratina-O's inability to Defog consistently throughout a the game is less of a problem. Thunder Wave support from teammates such as Groudon, Lugia, or Kyogre are just some examples of Thunder Wave users in the tier can also be a big help. Being faster than the opponent gives Ho-oh Ho-Oh more time to dish out hits without worrying about possible Brave Bird the possibility of Brave Bird's recoil bringing it down.

Groudon As usual, Drought support from Groudon is nice as usual. Most other Ground types Ground-types are also nice good teammates. , Landorous-T Landorus-T, for example, functions similarly to Groudon. Again, Swords Dance Groundceus Ground Arceus can be a good partner if you have a Defog user that is not an another Arceus forme. Since Ho-oh Ho-Oh pressures Giratina, Bronzong, and Landorous-T Landorus-T, which are common counter counters to Ground Arceus Ground, it will get better opportunities to sweep. Palkia, Arceus-Water Water Arceus, Arceus-Grass Grass Arceus, or anything else you can find for checking Kyogre is mandatory as well, but luckily, Kyogre's Kyogre checks tend to synergize well with Ho-oh Ho-Oh.

Other Options
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Ho-oh is Ho-Oh has some other options to use. Choice Scarf is an interesting one, as it allows Ho-oh Ho-Oh to revenge kill most notably Mega Mewtwo X among and other threats. Generally However, the loss in power and bulk loss with this item is makes this choice discouraged. Thunder Wave is as explained an excellent form of support for Ho-oh Ho-Oh, but Ho-oh Ho-Oh using it itself using it leaves it with a mit bit of a four moveslots moveslot syndrome, for it won't be able to abuse use both Substitute together with and Thunder Wave without having to give up on either coverage or recovery. However, if forgoing foregoing Substitute, Ho-oh Ho-Oh can always throw out paralysis on fast switch ins switch-ins such a as Kyogre and Arceus formes, not making it far from useless option. Punishment can be used to punish (fucking triple pun GP remove this) (sorry, I disagree. 0u0) Calm Mind Ghost Arceus Ghost, but Sacred Fire usually hits hard enough and Calm Mind Ghost Arceus Ghost being is much rarer than it used to be, making makes this option useless.


Checks & Counters
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Ho-oh Ho-Oh is incredibly difficult to counter. It must be treaded around with maximum caution if it gets in safely. Except even Even teams that have some of the listed checks and counter counters listed below to actually can still fall to it Ho-Oh's might. The main reason is that Ho-oh Ho-Oh can always go for Earthquake along with its STAB moves to retain perfect coverage. The other reason is Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's inability to be worn down without Stealth Rock being up on its side of the field. Teams have the options of either having solid switch ins switch-ins (that can still fall but their success is far from guarenteed) or having a sufficient plan at pressuring Ho-oh Ho-Oh with both Stealth Rock and offensive pressure.

**Stealth Rock**: The number one counter is not a Pokemon, it is this entry hazard. The rocks strip 50% of Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's health every time it switches in, limiting its ability's power healing capabilities as well as the tanking power of the phoenix itself. Since every team should have Stealth Rock, this analysis won't go in depth about which one to use. The important thing is how you play your Stealth Rock user. It is of absolute grave importance to wear Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's Defog supporter down and try to keep your Stealth Rock user alive if you want to keep rocks up against Ho-oh Ho-Oh. Usually something as simple as Toxic on your Stealth Rock user can go a long way, considering it cripples Defog Arceus really badly. What is also important to realize is that all checks to Ho-oh Ho-Oh function somewhat differently, and therefore they cannot be lumped together in sections as with other Pokémon.

**Rock Arceus Rock**: This is the single Pokémon Pokemon that has the best chances of switching in and safely forcing Ho-oh Ho-Oh out safely. It resists Ho-oh' Ho-Oh's dual STAB STABs but it is weak to Earthquake. It Thankfully it is thankfully faster and can OHKO Ho-Oh with a Judgment.

**Water Arceus Water**: Even though a 252 HP variant takes above 50% from a Life Orb boosted Brave Bird, it can still switch into Sacred Fire and Earthquake and do about 50% to Ho-oh Ho-Oh in return with a super effective Judgment. However, it will have a touch tough time switching into a Ho-oh Ho-Oh in sun. A physically defensive variant of this Pokémon Pokemon can perform the task a bit better, though.

**Hippowdown**: Hippowdown isn't 2HKOd 2HKOed by any Life Orb boosted hit, but the Choice Band set rips it apart with two consectutive Brave Birds. The hippo has reliable recovery and Stealth Rock to boot, so it qualifies as a good sponge for Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's attacks, but it can't really hurt it back directly.

**Kyogre**: By far the most practical way of handlingHo-oh Ho-Oh is offensive pressure. Kyogre is often faster than Ho-oh due to investing in speed Ho-Oh as it invests in Speed, and it can therefore then force it Ho-Oh out and dish out impressive damage on to its counters as well. As for switching in, even the most defensive variants of Kyogre are 2HKOd 2HKOed by a simple Life Orb-boosted Brave Bird, while offensive sets have a chance of getting OHKOd OHKOed. Switching in on Sacred Fire is usually fine for obvious reasons due to its Fire-type resistance (I know it's obvious, but it's no more difficult to actually explain than to SAY it's obvious here).

**Heatran**: Another Pokemon that resists Ho-oh's dual type both of Ho-Oh's STAB moves. Heatran is similar to Hippowdown in that it sets can set up Stealth Rock vs Ho-oh against Ho-Oh, but it takes Brave Birds better and totally shuts down Sacred Fire. However, it has a very exploitable 4x weakness to Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's favorite coverage move, Earthquake.

**Tyranitar**: Tyranitar hates burns, but does also provide Stealth Rock combined with the fact that a Stone Edge, even when burnt, will do a tonne ton of damage. However, Tyranitar is like most of the STAB resisting checks, also weak to Earthquake.

**Groudon**: Groudon is another way of forcing Ho-oh out Ho-Oh with offensive presure pressure. A fast Earth Plate Groudon can OHKO Ho-oh Ho-Oh with Stone Edge or set up Stealth Rocks Rock on the fleeing bird. It can switch in in if there's an emergency, but it fears the burn burns and inconveniently boosts Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire, meaning it really cannot really get in without taking big major damage.

**Landorous-T Landorus-T**: Thanks to Intimidate, Landorous-T Landorus-T sponges Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's attacks quite okay well, and while it fears the burn, it does have Stealth Rock to set up and doesn't boost Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's attacks like Groudon. It also carries Stone Edge, which that will OHKO Ho-oh unless Landorous-T is Ho-Oh as long as Landorus-T isn't burnt. Intimidate also makes it easier for Landorous-T's Landorus-T's teammates to pivot switch in.

**Physically defensive Ho-oh's Defensive Ho-Oh**: Can Physically defensive Ho-Oh can work as a decent sponge to for anything that isn't except Brave Bird. It is especially useful against Choice Band sets that incorporate a Flying-type resistance. This way, Ho-oh Ho-Oh can switch in to scout, Regenerate regenerate its health, and switch to the resistance if it gets in on a Brave Bird.

**Zekrom**: Interestingly enough, Zekrom both resists Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's STAB moves and provides offensive pressure as well, something few other Pokémon Pokemon can do. In practice, however, Zekrom tends to fear the possible possibility of a Sacred Fire burn too much to switch in directly unless it has to, but if it gets in, it forces Ho-oh Ho-Oh out and can possibly build momentum via Volt Switch.

**Faster Pokémon Pokemon that can OHKO**: Aside from the mentioned aforementioned Zekrom, Kyogre, Groudon etc. there are some other revenge killers that can be used as a last resort for to force Ho-oh Ho-Oh out. Terrakion and Mega Mewtwo X with Stone Edge are two examples of this.

**Lures**: Since Ho-oh's Ho-Oh's 4x weakness to Rock is very apparent, it usually a very good strategy to exploit it in the forme of lures. Rock Slide Xerneas, Head Smash Aegislash, Stone Edge Grass or Fairy Arceus Grass or Fairy, Stone Edge Giratina-O, and Stone Edge Mega-Lucario Mega Lucario are some popular lures that Ho-oh Ho-Oh can fall to with some smart play. The key with Stone Edge Arceus is generally to lure Ho-oh Ho-Oh into a false sense of safety security and then smacking to smack it when it is in the OHKO range, as a 252 HP Ho-oh Ho-Oh “only” takes 80-94 % from a support Arceus's Stone Edge from support Arceus.

**Toxic**: Lastly, since Ho-oh Ho-Oh has enormous staying power, putting Toxic on a Pokemon that it commonly switches in to, such as Aegislash, can at least puts put a timer on the phoenix and racks up the residual damage, especially with recoil from Life Orb and Brave Bird recoil.
Overview
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Ho-Oh is a massive force in the Ubers tier. Boasting a good base 130 Attack, two extremely potent STAB moves in Sacred Fire and Brave Bird, a massive 154 base Special Defense, a wonderful ability in Regenerator, and reliable recovery in Roost, Ho-Oh is a resilient bulky attacker capable of 2HKOing the majority of Pokemon in the tier. While Fire- and Flying-typing complement each other very well offensively for excellent neutral coverage in the tier, it also brings it a glaring 4x weakness to Rock-type moves, causing Ho-Oh to lose half of its health if it switches in while Stealth Rock is up on its side of the field. However, this weakness is not as bad as it appears, as the buff to Defog introduced a new means of removing Stealth Rock, which is generally more reliable than Rapid Spin and Magic Bounce ever were. But even with this buff, Ho-Oh's 4x weakness to Rock-type moves is still exploitable, as most Rock-type moves thrown around in the tier will fell it in one or two hits.

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name: Tank
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Roost / Recover
move 4: Substitute / Earthquake
ability: Regenerator
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd

Moves
========

Brave Bird is really strong STAB move that hits practically 2HKOes anything that doesn't resist it, including max HP Arceus formes. It also 2HKOes any Kyogre variant thanks to the boost from Life Orb. Speaking of Life Orb, the recoil adding up together with Brave Birds side-effect can be quite upsetting at times, but don't forget that in conjunction with your recovery move of choice and Regenerator, the lost HP can be gained back quite easily. Its secondary STAB, Sacred Fire, is extremely potent. Even if a Pokemon that resists it switches in on this move, Ho-Oh still has a 50% chance to leave it with a burn, assuming it hits. Few switch-ins enjoy the residual damage from burns, with Arceus formes such as Water and Rock being prime examples. The burn rate really discourages just about all physical attackers from switching into Ho-oh, as a burn will render them useless for the rest of the game. Zekrom, who resists both Ho-Oh's STAB moves, is a good example of this. Under harsh sunlight, Sacred Fire is also boosted by 50%, making it Ho-Oh's strongest attack to the point where the chance of 2HKOing even the most defensive variants of Groudon is quite prevalent. It cannot be understated that Sacred Fire's power in combination with its side effect is what makesHo-Oh such a difficult Pokemon to directly switch into.

A recovery move is mandatory. When a Pokemon has Regenerator, base 154 Special Defense, base 130 Attack, and two near-unresisted STABs, that's already pushing it. Giving it Roost is almost taking the term bulky attacker too far, as with it, Ho-Oh's longevity easily outmatches just about everything in the game, as long as Stealth Rock is off the field. The choice between Roost and Recover is a preference issue. Roost will help you against some would-be super effective hits, especially with paralysis support, while Recover is nice against Earthquake users that are trying to predict your landing. However, with Recover, Pokemon like a burned Groudon can easily get back to smashing Ho-Oh with Stone Edge after you reveal the move, so beware.

Substitute eases prediction and it's rather easy to recover the lost health anyway. In conjunction with a Toxic lure for Ho-Oh's biggest counter, Rock Arceus, this move puts a lot of pressure on said counter by repeatedly using Substitute as it switches in to rack up Toxic damage. Since your attacks are very powerful, a free Substitute can sometimes mean that your opponent will almost always have to sacrifice a Pokemon such as Kyogre just to break your it. One of the biggest assets of Substitute being able to take advantage of the free turns that could come with potential paralysis support . Against threats such as Xerneas and Palkia (in sun) that you manage to paralyze, you will be able to spam Substitute and Roost until they get fully paralyzed, giving you a free Substitute. If Substitute isn't your thing, Earthquake is very viable as it 2HKOes Tyranitar, Zekrom, and Rock Arceus, while OHKOing Heatran. However, giving up on Substitute means you will have a tougher time protecting yourself from revenge killers and status.

Ho-Oh also has two options that can go in the last move slot to attempt to patch up its mediocre Speed. The first one, Flame Charge, has the advantage of dealing damage at the same time as boosting, and the Speed boost given is permanent until Ho-Oh switches out. The other option, Tailwind, doubles Ho-Oh's Speed as well as doubling any teammate's Speed as well. However, Tailwind only lasts for three turns, so the boost is quite inconsistent. The opportunity cost for losing Substitute or Earthquake is also quite large, but if your team needs the specific advantages that either of these two moves bring, then by all means, use them. Also, remember to invest in Speed accordingly - Flame Charge sets generally needs max Speed investment in order to outspeed Mega Mewtwo Y after one boost, while Tailwind sets like having 176 Speed EVs to outspeed Choice Scarf Terrakion while Tailwind is in play.

Set Details
========

This set appreciates the high damage output that comes with Life Orb, but Leftovers is still usable if you want to increase your tanking ability and mitigate recoil damage. However, the power loss is quite large, as for example, defensive Kyogre can only be 3HKOed while defensive Giratina is only 4HKOed.

An Adamant nature with maximum investment in Attack is rather self-explanatory for a bulky attacker like Ho-Oh, and it usually is the best option to maximize your damage output. However, settling for a specialized number catered to a specific team's needs is of course viable as well. 252 HP EVs gives you great bulk, allowing you to cushion most neutral special attacks comfortably.

Usage Tips
========

For optimal performance, Ho-Oh will need Stealth Rock off its own side of this field in order to reliably switch in and take maximum advantage of Regenerator. It is therefore important to play your Defog user or Rapid Spinner in such a way so that it outlasts the opponents Stealth Rock setter. Keep in mind that the most common Defog user, Arceus, is vulnerable to Toxic, so keep them away from Stealth Rock users that carry the move at all time possible. When you see the chance of getting Ho-oh in to do some damage, take that chance. Dishing out hits and regenerating your health puts a lot of pressure on opponents, especially if they don't carry a dedicated check to it.

As Ho-Oh has a very exploitable weakness it is important to scout for surprise Rock-type moves properly. Mixed Xerneas can use Rock Slide, Giratina-O can possibly have Stone Edge and Aegislash can have Head Smash in its arsenal. Even the possibility some Arceus formes carry Stone Edge it just to ruin your day exists. Understanding how metagame defining Ho-Oh is and accepting that players can prepare and use moves just for it should always be accounted for. As Ho-Oh is brutally weak to Stealth Rock, another thing to keep in mind is to get rid off it from the field, which requires a teammate's support.

Do not make the mistake of using this as you only way to stop a boosted Xerneas. It's hard to rely on Defog at all times, and Ho-Oh can't OHKO Xerneas either. In general, use Ho-oh as the powerful wallbreaker it is, but don't rely on it as a check to too much stuff. Try to build your team in a way so that you can use Ho-Oh's qualities to the maximum potential, but at the same time in a way so that it won't be overly reliant on Ho-Oh to perform.

Team Options
========

Defog support is on the brink of mandatory when using Ho-Oh. Rapid Spin works too, but the spinners themselves are underpowerered by Ubers standards. However, spinning can still work with some smart teambuilding. The most reliable Defog users are the Arceus formes due to their high Speed, good bulk and access to Recover. Water Arceus has pretty good synergy with Ho-Oh, taking on Kyogre, Groudon and Rock Arceus quite well. Grass Arceus floats in the same boat, but is weaker to the omnipresent Gengar and has a hard time fitting in Stone Edge on its Defog set, meaning you'll give opposing Ho-Oh a lot of free turns. Since Arceus Grass is generally very weak to Ho-Oh, this can limit your teambuilding options a lot. Fairy Arceus is another notable Defog user, as just like most Arceus formes, it can cripple the Stealth Rock users that also happen to check Ho-Oh, such as Landorus-T and Groudon. Some less common Defog users are viable as well. Lugia can act as an extra wall and check a lot of things, while Scizor helps out tremendously when it comes to making your team solid against Geomancy Xerneas.

Groudon is another terrific teammate. It takes on Zekrom pretty well and sets up Stealth Rock for your team, something that Ho-Oh appreciates as it heaps up the pressure on anything the opposing team would want to switch into it. Groudon's ability, Drought, also provides Sun support, and despite only lasting five turns, it is still sufficient, considering that Ho-Oh has an easy time coming in against some things that threaten Groudon in the sun, such as Palkia, Grass Arceus, and Kyurem-White. Landorus-T is a good partner as well. While Groudon can phaze, use Thunder Wave, or strike with Fire-type moves, Landorus-T has the ability to check Mega-Blaziken opposing Groudon better.

Palkia deserves a mention as a good teammate as well. It has great synergy with Ho-Oh, as it checks all Kyogre variants, and the combined force of the two threats pressures defensive teams. Lastly, Ho-Oh fits quite well together with Kyogre, Ho-Oh can help by checking Grass Arceus, and Kyogre can pressure Rock Arceus for Ho-Oh.

Any Pokemon with Thunder Wave is a good partner for Ho-Oh as it can possibly get free Substitutes or outspeed things it normally wouldn't. Groudon, Lugia, Kyogre, Klefki, Thundurus and Dialga are some examples of common Thunder Wave users, but a lot of other Ubers such as Palkia can learn the move too, so cater the support to your team's needs.

Physically Defensive
########
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Roost / Recover
move 4: Toxic / Whirlwind
ability: Regenerator
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd

Moves
========

Brave Bird is mandatory on this set as well. It hits decently hard without investment and having such attacking power for a defensively inclined Pokémon differentiates it from Giratina and Lugia. Sacred Fire is especially useful on this set for its side effect. Spreading burns on physical attackers makes them easier to wall, and the residual damage can help with stalling out threats that cannot recover health. A recovery move is obviously a must for a defensive set. Roost is better than Recover here since outstalling a slower Groudon is much easier with this set, since a predicted Earthquake from a burnt Groudon on Ho-Oh's faster Roost will not deal too much damage. Finally, Toxic can cripple many common switch-ins like Rock and Water Arceus, while Whirlwind phazes out set up sweepers like Extreme Killer Arceus and Geomancy Xerneas.

Set Details
========

Maximum Defense EVs and an Impish nature make Ho-Oh surprisingly durable on the physical side, allowing it to take on threats such such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Mewtwo, Foul Play Yveltal, and Lucario without Stone Edge, as long as Stealth Rock is not up. With maximum HP investment, Ho-Oh can tank special attacks just fine thanks to its naturally high Special Defense, however, if you wish to better utilize its gargantuan special bulk, investing all Defense EVs in Special Defense instead can be feasible if it fits your team's needs.

Usage Tips
========

Again, keep Stealth Rock off of your side of the field in order to help Ho-Oh function optimally. Don't be afraid to do more "reckless" switches into support Arceus formes that you should be able to wall with this set. While offensive set takes 80-94% from a -Atk Arceus's Stone Edge, this variant of Ho-Oh fares far better against it, so you can mostly just switch out to regain a good portion of the damage through Regenerator anyway. Because of this, the need to scout is somewhat lower.

Do note that even with full defensive investment, Ho-Oh still has trouble taking on some common physical attackers, regardless of whether or not Stealth Rock is up. Zekrom, Groudon, and Mega Mewtwo X (which often carries a Rock-type move) are examples of physical attackers that can bust through Ho-Oh's defenses quite easily. As a mixed defensive tank, Ho-Oh should take advantage of the fact that it can check both physical and special threats. Extreme Killer Arceus, Blaziken and sometimes even other Ho-Oh are physical attackers that this Ho-Oh can switch into.

Even though this set has a lot defensive investment, Ho-Oh's Special Defense is still higher, so take on special attackers as you see it fit. Especially with Whirlwind, Ho-Oh functions as a great Xerneas counter, should Stealth Rock not be up. It is also notable that Ho-Oh can take on Mega Mewtwo Y under the right circumstances, as Psystrike cannot OHKO.

Team Options
========

As explained previously, Defog support is a must when using Ho-Oh, and this set is no exception. Arceus formes such as Fairy, Water, Rock, Grass, and Ghost can provide some synergy with Ho-Oh while also helping it with hazard removal. Giratina-O is not recommended as a a Defog user to pair with this Ho-Oh due to this set's more defensively inclined nature, meaning that Giratina-O, who has no recovery, is likely to be outlasted by the opposing Stealth Rock user. Mega Scizor can work as a Defog user to pair with this Ho-Oh. Although it's quite slow and more prone to Taunt, Scizor can handily check Groudon and semi check Zekrom, while Ho-Oh can check opposing Ho-Oh in return.

It's always wise to pair Ho-Oh with a Ground-type Pokémon in order to help deal with Zekrom. Landorus-T and Groudon spring to mind as they can both provide Stealth Rock support. Swords Dance Ground Arceus appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to absorb burns from the likes of Giratina, but keep in mind that there is a big opportunity cost to not using a Defog Arceus with Ho-Oh.

Ho-Oh needs to be paired with something that can handle Kyogre. That something is usually Palkia, but if you want to hit two birds in one stone, then Water Arceus is viable as both a deterrent for Water-type moves and a Defog user. Grass Arceus is similar, except it boasts a strong STAB to hit Kyogre and Groudon with at the cost of a tendency to get removed from the game by Mega Gengar. Both these Arceus formes can also check Rock Arceus extremely well.

Once again, Kyogre is a solid option for pressuring Rock Arceus. Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, or specially defensive variants all fit well with Ho-Oh. Keep in mind that your team will have two Electric-weak Pokemon, so a Ground-type is nearly mandatory.

Choice Band
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Sleep Talk
ability: Regenerator
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd

Moves
========

Ho-Oh hits hard as hell with Brave Bird. It's guaranteed to OHKO Palkia, 0 HP Kyogre, and many other threats. By equipping a Choice Band instead of a Life Orb, Ho-Oh's Brave Bird is stronger and the recoil damage is lower. With the Defog buff and Regenerator, this set is pretty much the pinnacle of hit and run tactics. If you thought Brave Bird was strong, a sun-boosted Sacred Fire is absolutely ridiculous, being able to OHKO 4 HP Arceus with only Stealth Rock up. It also OHKOes max HP Arceus with the help of a burn! Even the most defensive Groudon variants are guaranteed to fall in two hits, regardless of whether or not Sacred Fire lands a burn.

Earthquake is a solid and powerful coverage move and hits Ho-Oh's best checks and counters very hard. Rock Arceus will find itself in a very sticky spot if it switches in on an Earthquake when burned from a previous assault, since Earthquake hits a maximum of about 81% damage. Lastly, Sleep Talk is a good move to have against Darkrai. Your attacks are very powerful and with few drawbacks, meaning the random pick factor isn't as bad as it seems.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack investment is self-explanatory, along with the Choice Band and high powered STAB moves it pumps up Ho-Oh's attacking power to extreme levels. With 252 EVs invested in HP, Ho-Oh's ability to tank hits is retained quite well, although the lack off Roost hurts that aspect of it.

There are two alternative EV spreads that this set could use. A faster spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd with a Jolly nature is viable in order to ensure maximum chances of outspeeding Pokemon such as netural natured Choice Specs Kyogre, Yveltal, and Xerneas. The other alternative spread is 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd with an Adamant nature. It retains a lot of the qualities that physically defensive Ho-Oh has, but it trades off Roost for higher attacking power.

Usage Tips
========

It cannot be understated how important it is to play the entry hazards game well when using Ho-Oh. This applies even more for this set, as it likes having Stealth Rock up on the opponent's side of the field in order to punish possible mispredictions, while also having Stealth Rock off of its side of the field for obvious reasons. Another big reason that it is absolutely detrimental to keep them off is that this set doesn't have a recovery move and must rely on Regenerator to gain health back. Therefore, it is equally important for this set to utilize Regenerator for maximum recovery - pivot switching in on resisted hits and such is a big part of how to play a Choice Banded Ho-Oh.

The second part on this set's usage is the key of prediction. Even though Ho-Oh's attacks are strong and unresisted together, it is good to have a plan on what to do when initiating combat. There are a few roads you can go here, the first being throwing out Sacred Fires all over the place to spread burns. After the opponent's switch-ins are burnt, Ho-Oh can pressure them harder with its coverage moves. However, if you want to take advantage of an obvious Kyogre switch-in to sponge a Sacred Fire, then by all means do it. If you suspect Rock Arceus to be your opponent's Arceus forme, then throw out an Earthquake early in situations where it's safe to do so.

Team Options
========

Always use Defog support with Ho-Oh. Aside from the common support Arceus, Defog Giratina-O can work on a team with a Choice Band Ho-Oh since you are aiming to smash up the opposition faster than with other sets, which makes Giratina-O's inability to Defog consistently throughout the game is less of a problem. Thunder Wave support from teammates such as Groudon, Lugia, or Kyogre can also be a big help. Being faster than the opponent gives Ho-Oh more time to dish out hits without worrying about the possibility of Brave Bird's recoil bringing it down.

As usual, Drought support from Groudon is nice. Most other Ground-types are also good teammates. Landorus-T, for example, functions similarly to Groudon. Swords Dance Ground Arceus can be a good partner if you have a Defog user that is not another Arceus forme. Since Ho-Oh pressures Giratina, Bronzong, and Landorus-T, which are common counters to Ground Arceus, it will get better opportunities to sweep. Palkia, Water Arceus, Grass Arceus, or anything else you can find for checking Kyogre is mandatory as well, but luckily, Kyogre's checks tend to synergize well with Ho-Oh.

Other Options
========

Ho-Oh has some other options to use. Choice Scarf is an interesting one, as it allows Ho-Oh to revenge kill Mega Mewtwo X and other threats. However, the loss in power and bulk makes this choice discouraged. Thunder Wave is an excellent form of support for Ho-Oh, but Ho-Oh using it itself leaves it with a bit of four moveslot syndrome, for it won't be able to use both Substitute and Thunder Wave without having to give up on either coverage or recovery. However, if foregoing Substitute, Ho-Oh can always throw out paralysis on fast switch-ins such as Kyogre and Arceus, making it far from useless. Punishment can be used to punish Calm Mind Ghost Arceus, but Sacred Fire usually hits hard enough and Calm Mind Ghost Arceus is much rarer than it used to be, making this option useless.


Checks & Counters
########
Ho-Oh is incredibly difficult to counter. It must be treaded around with maximum caution if it gets in safely. Even teams that have some of the checks and counters listed below can still fall to Ho-Oh's might. The main reason is that Ho-Oh can always go for Earthquake along with its STAB moves to retain perfect coverage. The other reason is Ho-Oh's inability to be worn down without Stealth Rock being up on its side of the field. Teams have the options of either having solid switch-ins (but their success is far from guarenteed) or having a sufficient plan at pressuring Ho-Oh with both Stealth Rock and offensive pressure.

**Stealth Rock**: The number one counter is not a Pokemon, it is this entry hazard. The rocks strip 50% of Ho-Oh's health every time it switches in, limiting its ability's healing capabilities as well as the tanking power of the phoenix itself. Since every team should have Stealth Rock, this analysis won't go in depth about which one to use. The important thing is how you play your Stealth Rock user. It is of absolute grave importance to wear Ho-Oh's Defog supporter down and try to keep your Stealth Rock user alive if you want to keep rocks up against Ho-Oh. Usually something as simple as Toxic on your Stealth Rock user can go a long way, considering it cripples Defog Arceus really badly. What is also important to realize is that all checks to Ho-Oh function somewhat differently, and therefore they cannot be lumped together in sections as with other Pokémon.

**Rock Arceus**: This is the single Pokemon that has the best chances of switching in and safely forcing Ho-Oh out. It resists Ho-Oh's dual STABs but it is weak to Earthquake. Thankfully it is faster and can OHKO Ho-Oh with Judgment.

**Water Arceus**: Even though a 252 HP variant takes above 50% from a Life Orb boosted Brave Bird, it can still switch into Sacred Fire and Earthquake and do about 50% to Ho-Oh in return with a super effective Judgment. However, it will have a tough time switching into a Ho-Oh in sun. A physically defensive variant of this Pokemon can perform the task a bit better, though.

**Hippowdown**: Hippowdown isn't 2HKOed by any Life Orb boosted hit, but the Choice Band set rips it apart with two consectutive Brave Birds. The hippo has reliable recovery and Stealth Rock to boot, so it qualifies as a good sponge for Ho-Oh's attacks, but it can't really hurt it back directly.

**Kyogre**: By far the most practical way of handlingHo-Oh is offensive pressure. Kyogre is often faster than Ho-Oh as it invests in Speed, and it can then force Ho-Oh out and dish out impressive damage to its counters as well. As for switching in, even the most defensive variants of Kyogre are 2HKOed by a simple Life Orb-boosted Brave Bird, while offensive sets have a chance of getting OHKOed. Switching in on Sacred Fire is usually fine due to its Fire-type resistance.

**Heatran**: Another Pokemon that resists both of Ho-Oh's STAB moves. Heatran is similar to Hippowdown in that it can set up Stealth Rock against Ho-Oh, but it takes Brave Birds better and totally shuts down Sacred Fire. However, it has a very exploitable 4x weakness to Ho-Oh's favorite coverage move, Earthquake.

**Tyranitar**: Tyranitar hates burns, but does also provide Stealth Rock combined with the fact that a Stone Edge, even when burnt, will do a ton of damage. However, Tyranitar is also weak to Earthquake.

**Groudon**: Groudon is another way of forcing out Ho-Oh with offensive pressure. A fast Earth Plate Groudon can OHKO Ho-Oh with Stone Edge or set up Stealth Rock on the fleeing bird. It can switch in if there's an emergency, but it fears burns and inconveniently boosts Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire, meaning it cannot really get in without taking major damage.

** Landorus-T**: Thanks to Intimidate, Landorus-T sponges Ho-Oh's attacks quite well, and while it fears the burn, it does have Stealth Rock to set up and doesn't boost Ho-Oh's attacks like Groudon. It also carries Stone Edge, which will OHKO Ho-Oh as long as Landorus-T isn't burnt. Intimidate also makes it easier for Landorus-T's teammates to switch in.

**Physically Defensive Ho-Oh**: Physically defensive Ho-Oh can work as a decent sponge for anything except Brave Bird. It is especially useful against Choice Band sets that incorporate a Flying-type resistance. This way, Ho-Oh can switch in to scout, regenerate its health, and switch to the resistance if it gets in on a Brave Bird.

**Zekrom**: Interestingly enough, Zekrom both resists Ho-Oh's STAB moves and provides offensive pressure as well, something few other Pokemon can do. In practice, however, Zekrom tends to fear the possibility of a Sacred Fire burn too much to switch in directly unless it has to, but if it gets in, it forces Ho-Oh out and can possibly build momentum via Volt Switch.

**Faster Pokemon that can OHKO**: Aside from the aforementioned Zekrom, Kyogre, Groudon etc. there are some other revenge killers that can be used as a last resort to force Ho-Oh out. Terrakion and Mega Mewtwo X with Stone Edge are two examples of this.

**Lures**: Since Ho-Oh's 4x weakness to Rock is very apparent, it usually a very good strategy to exploit it in the forme of lures. Rock Slide Xerneas, Head Smash Aegislash, Stone Edge Grass or Fairy Arceus, Stone Edge Giratina-O, and Stone Edge Mega Lucario are some popular lures that Ho-Oh can fall to with some smart play. The key with Stone Edge Arceus is generally to lure Ho-Oh into a false sense of security and then to smack it when it is in the OHKO range, as a 252 HP Ho-Oh “only” takes 80-94 % from a support Arceus's Stone Edge.

**Toxic**: Lastly, since Ho-Oh has enormous staying power, putting Toxic on a Pokemon that it commonly switches in to, such as Aegislash, can at least put a timer on the phoenix and racks up residual damage, especially with recoil from Life Orb and Brave Bird.
LUGPstamp.gif

GP approved 1/2
EDIT: Since this check STILL hasn't been implemented, I went ahead and fixed the EV spread as specified 6 comments down.
 
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oh fuck there was some things i wanted to re nitpick I just fell asleep earlier cause it was late (like i'm about to do now) IDK if it'll be too much but i'll try to get to it early tomorrow so this doesn't mess with gp too much.


edit: spoke with hack on irc
 
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and old strategizes like Spikes-stacking with your spinner to double up roles isn't as spikes setter are harder too pull off since Defog can simply remove those hazards very easily (totally irrelevant).
Click to expand...

No, it isn't irrelevant. It's background explanation to why it's harder to justify a team slot for a spinner in this metagame, hence why spinners are considered less viable partners to Ho-oh than they were...
 
Just nitpicking at grammer mistakes.
Hack He Must said:
Overview
########
Ho-Oh is a massive force in the Ubers tier. Boasting a good 130 base Attack coupled with two extremely potent and strong STAB moves in Sacred Fire and Brave Bird, as well as a massive 154 base Special Defense alongside the wonderful ability Regenerator, which restores a third of its HP when it switches out, and reliable recovery in Roost, Ho-Oh is a resilient bulky attacker capable of 2HKOing the majority of Pokemon in the tier. While Fire- and Flying-typing complement each other very well offensively for excellent neutral coverage in the tier, it also brings it a glaring 4x weakness to Rock-type moves, causing Ho-Oh to lose half of its health if it switches in while Stealth Rock is up on its side of the field. This weakness may not be as bad as it appears, as XY introduced a reliable means of removing Stealth Rock with the move Defog, which is generally more reliable than Rapid Spin and Magic Bounce ever was. Even with this buff, Ho-Oh's 4x weakness to Rock-type moves is still exploitable, as most Rock-type moves thrown around in the tier will fell it in one or two hits.

########
name: Tank
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Roost / Recover
move 4: Substitute / Earthquake
ability: Regenerator
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd

Moves
========

Brave Bird is really strong STAB move that hits practically 2HKOs whatever that doesn't resist it, including max HP Arceus Formes. [Brave Bird is a really strong STAB move that hits practically 2HKOs...] Another notable aspect of the move is that it 2HKOs any Kyogre variant with Life Orb boosting its power. Speaking of Life Orb, the recoil adding up together with Brave Birds [Bird's] side-effect can be quite upsetting at times, but don't forget that in conjunction with your recovery move of choice and Regenerator the lost HP can be gained back quite reliably. Your secondary STAB, Sacred Fire is extremely potent. Even if a Pokemon resisting it switches in on this move, you have a 50 % chance to leave it with a burn, assuming you hit. Few switch ins [switch-ins] enjoy the residual damage from burns, Arceus formes like Water and Rock are a prime example of this. The burn rate really discourages just about all physical attackers to switch into Ho-oh since burns will render them useless for the course of the game. Zekrom, who resists both Ho-oh's STAB moves is a good example of this. Under harsh sunlight, Sacred Fire is also boosted by 50 %, making it Ho-oh's strongest attack-[remove the hyphen] to the point where the chance of 2HKOing even the most defensive variants of Groudon is quite prevalent. It cannot be understated that Sacred Fire's power in combination with its side effect is what makes Ho-oh such a difficult Pokemon to directly switch into.

A recovery move is mandatory. When you give a Pokemon Regenerator, 154 special defense and 130 attack with two almost unresisted STABs you are pushing it. Giving it Roost is almost taking the term bulky attacker too far, with it your longevity easily outmatches just about everything in the game-[remove the hyphen] when Stealth Rock are off the field. The choice between Roost and Recover is a preference issue. Roost will help you against some would be super effective hits, especially with paralysis support, while Recover is nice vs Earthquake users trying to predict your landing. However, with Recover, Pokemon like a burned Groudon can easily get back to smashing you with Stone Edge after you revealed the move so beware.

Substitute eases prediction and it's rather easy to recover that lost health anyway. In conjunction with a Toxic lure for Ho-oh's biggest counter, Arceus-Rock, this move puts a lot of pressure on said counter, by repeatedly using Substitute as it switches in to rack up Toxic damage. Since your attacks are very powerful, a free Substitute can sometimes mean that your opponent will almost have to sacrifice a Pokemon such as Kyogre just to break your Rhydon-doll. One of the biggest assets of Substitute is what could come with potential paralysis support. Against some threats like Xerneas and Palkia (in sun) that you managed to paralyse, you will be able to spam Substitute and Roost until they get fully paralyzed, giving you a free Substitute. If Substitute isn't your thing, Earthquake is very viable and hits Tyranitar, Zekrom, Arceus-Rock and Heatran very hard, 2HKOing all three former, and OHKOs the latter. Aside from the potential free Substitutes you can use to cushion potential revenge killers or put pressure on switch ins, giving up on Substitute means you will have a tougher time protecting yourself from status as well.

Ho-oh also has two options that can go in the last move slot to attempt to patch up its mediocre speed. The first one, Flame Charge, has the advantage of dealing damage at the same time as boosting, and the speed boost given is permanent until Ho-oh switches out. Option two, Tailwind, doubles Ho-oh's speed as well as doubling any team mate's speed as well. However, Tailwind only lasts for three turns, so the boost is quite inconsistent. The opportunity cost for losing Substitute or Earthquake is also quite big, but if your team needs the specific advantages these two moves bring, then by all means use them. Also, remember to invest in speed accordingly- Flame Charge sets generally needs max speed investment to outspeed Mega Mewtwo Y after one boost, while Tailwind like having 176 EVs to outspeed Choice-Scarf Terrakion when Tailwind is in play.

Set Details
========

This set appreciates the high damage output that comes with Life Orb, but Leftovers are still usable if you want to increase your tanking ability and take less recoil. The power loss is quite big, defensive Kyogre are now 3HKOd and defensive Giratina is only 4HKOd for example.

An Adamant nature with maximum investment in Attack is rather self-explainatory [self-explanatory] for bulky attacker like this, and it usually is the best option to maximize your damage output. However, settling for a specialized number catered to a specific team's needs is of course viable as well. 252 HP EVs gives you great bulk, allowing you to cushion most neutral special attacks comfortably.

Usage Tips
========

For optimal performance, Ho-oh will need Stealth Rock off its own side of this field to reliably switch in, as well as abusing Regenerator to the max. It is therefore important to play your Defog user or Rapid Spinner in such a way so that it outlasts the opponents Stealth Rock setter. Keep in mind that the most common Defog users, Arceus-Formes are vulnerable to Toxic, so keep them away from Stealth Rock users that carry the move at all time possible. When you see the chance of getting Ho-oh in to do some damage, take that chance. Dishing out hits and regenerating your health puts a lot of pressure on opponents, especially if they don't carry a dedicated check to it.

As Ho-oh has a very exploitable weakness it is important to scout for surprise Rock-moves properly. Mixed Xerneas can use Rock Slide, Giratina-O can possibly have Stone Edge and Aegislash can have Head Smash in its arsenal. Even the possibility some Arceus formes carry Stone Edge it just to ruin your day exists. [This sentence is grammatically wrong but i can't tgink of what to put here :)]Understanding how metagame defining Ho-oh is and accepting that players can prepare and use moves just for it should always be accounted for. As Ho-oh is brutally weak to Stealth Rock, another thing to keep in mind is to get rid off [off] it from the field, which requires a teammate's support.

Do not make the mistake of using this as you [your] only way to stop a boosted Xerneas. It's hard to rely on Defog at all times, and Ho-oh can't OHKO Xerneas either. In general, use Ho-oh as the powerful wallbreaker it is, but don't rely on it as a check to too much stuff. Try to build your team in a way so that you can use Ho-oh's qualities to the maximum potential, but at the same time in a way so that it won't be overly reliant on Ho-oh to perform.

Team Options
========

Defog support is on the brink of mandatory when using Ho-oh. Rapid Spin works too but the spinners themselves are underpowered in terms of Uber standards and old strategizes [strategies] like Spikes-stacking with your spinner to double up roles isn't as spikes setter are harder too pull off since Defog can simply remove those hazards very easily. However, spinning can still work with some smart teambuilding. The most reliable Defog users are Arceus-Formes due to their high speed, bulk and access to Recover. Arceus Water [Arceus-Water] has pretty good synergy with Ho-oh, taking on Kyogre, Groudon and Arceus Rock quite well. Arceus Grass [Arceus-Grass] floats in the same boat, but is weaker to the omnipresent Gengar and has a hard time fitting in Stone Edge on its Defog set, meaning you'll give opposing Ho-oh a lot of free turns. Since Arceus Grass [Arceus-Grass] is generally very weak to Ho-oh, this can limit your teambuilding options a lot. Arceus-Fariy is another notable Defog user-[remove the hyphen] just like most Arceus formes it can cripple Stealth Rock users that also happen to check Ho-oh, such a Landorous-T and Groudon. Some lesser used Defogers are viable as well. Lugia can act like an extra wall and check to a lot of things, while Scizor helps out tremendously when it comes to making your team solid against Geomancy Xerneas.

Groudon is another terrific teammate. It takes on Zekrom pretty well, and it sets up Stealth Rocks for your team, something Ho-oh appreciates as it heaps up the pressure on anything the opposing team would want to switch into it. Groudon's ability Drought also provides Sun support, and despite only lasting five turns, it is still sufficient, considering Ho-oh has an easy time coming in a against some things that threaten Groudon in the sun like Palkia, Arceus-Grass and Kyurem-White. In a similar vein to why Groudon is a good partner, Landorous-T is too. The distinction between the both are that while Groudon can phaze, use Thunder Wave or Fire-moves, Landorous-T has the ability to check Mega-Blaziken as well as checking other Groudon better.

Palkia deserves a mention as a good teammates as well. It has great synergy with Ho-oh, as it checks all Kyogre variants and the combined force of the two threats pressures defensive teams. Lastly, Ho-oh fits quite well together with Kyogre, Ho-oh can help by checking out Arceus-Grass that walls it, and Kyogre can pressure out Arceus-Rock for Ho-oh.

Any Pokemon with Thunder Wave support is a good partner for Ho-oh as it can possibly get free Substitutes or outspeed things it normally wouldn't. Groudon, Lugia, Kyogre, Klefki, Thundurus and Dialga are some examples of Thunder Wave users in the tier, but a lot of Ubers such as Palkia can surprisingly learn the move so cater your support to your team's needs.

Physically defensive
########
name: Physically defensive
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Roost / Recover
move 4: Toxic / Whirlwind
ability: Regenerator
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd

Moves
========

Brave Bird is mandatory on this set as well. It hits decently hard without investment and having such attacking power for a defensively inclined Pokémon differentiates it from Giratina and Lugia. Sacred Fire is especially useful on this set for its side-effect. Spreading burns on physical attackers makes them easier to wall, and the residual damage can helps stalling out many threats that cannot recover health. A recovery move is obviously a must for a defensive set. Roost is better than Recover here since outstalling a slower Groudon is much easier with this set, a predicted Earthquake from a burnt Groudon on a your faster Roost will not deal too much damage. Finally, the last slot is dedicated to either Toxic, which can cripple many common switch ins like Arceus Rock and Water, while Whirlwind phazes out set up sweepers like Extremekiller Arceus and Geomancy Xerneas.

Set Details
========

Maximum Defense EVs and an Impish nature makes Ho-oh surprisingly durable one the physical side, allowing it to take on threats such like Extremekiller Arceus, Mewtwo, Foul Play Yveltal, and Stone Edge-less Lucario well well when Stealth Rock are not up. With maximum HP investment, Ho-oh tanks special attacks just fine thanks to its naturally high Special Defense stat, however, if you wish to abuse its gargantuan special bulk to the maximum, investing all Defense EVs in Special Defense instead can be feasible if it fits your team's needs.

Usage Tips
========

Again, keep Stealth Rock off your side of the field to make this Pokémon function optimally. Don't be afraid to do more "reckless" switch ins to support Arceus formes that you should be able to wall with this set. While the above set takes 80-94 % from a -atk Arceus's Stone Edge, but this variant of Ho-oh fares way better so you can mostly just switch out to Regenerate a good portion of the damage anyway. Since this set has a much higher Defense stat than the above one the need of always scouting is somewhat lesser, as demonstrated above.

Do not [note] that even with the big Defense investment, Ho-oh still has trouble taking on some common physical attackers, regardless of Stealth Rock being on your field [your side of field] or not. Zekrom, Groudon and Mega Mewtwo X (which often carries a Rock-move) are examples of physical attackers that busts through your invested defenses quite easily. As the mixed defensive tank Ho-oh becomes with the given spread, it should also be played to the advantage that it can check threats from both sides of the spectrum. Extremekiller Arceus, Blaziken and sometimes even other Ho-oh are physical attackers that this Ho-oh can switch into.

Even though this set has a lot defensive investment, it's Special Defense is still higher so take on special attackers if you see it fit. Especially with Whirlwind, Ho-oh functions as a great Xerneas counter, should Stealth Rock not be up. It is also notable in that is can take on Mega Mewtwo Y very well under the right circumstances as Psystrike is not a OHKO [an OHKO].

Team Options
========

As explained previously, Defog support is a must when using Ho-oh, and this set is no exception. Arceus formes such as Fairy, Water, Rock, Grass and Ghost can provide more or less some synergy with Ho-oh aside from helping it with hazard removal. Giratina-O is not recommended as a a Defog user to pair with this Ho-oh because of the set's more defensively inclined nature, meaning Giratina-O who has no recovery is likely to be outlasted by the opposing Stealth Rock user. Mega-Scizor can work as a Defog user to pair with this Ho-oh. Although it's quite slow and therefore more prone to Taunt, the metal bug handily checks Groudon and semi checks Zekrom for Ho-oh, while Ho-oh checks opposing Ho-oh in return.

It's always wise to pair Ho-oh with a Ground type to milder the threat that is Zekrom. Landorous-T and Groudon spring to mind as they both provide Stealth Rock support. A Swords Dance Ground-Arceus appreciates Ho-oh's ability to absorb burns from the likes of Giratina, but keep in mind that there is a big opportunity cost not using a Defog Arceus with Ho-oh.

Of course Ho-oh needs to be paired with something that can handle Kyogre. That something is usually Palkia, but if you want to hit two birds in one stone then Arceus Water is viable as both a Water move deterrent and a Defoger. Arceus Grass is similar, except it trades a strong STAB to hit Kyogre and Groudon with for a tendency to get removed from the game by Mega Gengar. Both these Arceus formes check Arceus-Rock extremely good as well.

Kyogre is once again a solid option to pressure Arceus-Rock. Choice Scarf, Choice Specs or specially defensive variants all fit well with Ho-oh. Keep in mind that your team will have two Electric weaknesses stacked so a Ground-type is mandatory at this stage.

Choice Band
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Sleep Talk
ability: Regenerator
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd

Moves
========

Hit hard as hell with Brave Bird. This move will is now guaranteed to always OHKO Palkia, 0 HP Kyogre among other threats. When equipping a Choice Band instead Life Orb your Brave Bird is stronger and the recoil damage is lesser. With the Defog buff and Regenerator this set is pretty much the pinnacle of hit and run tactics. If you thought Brave Bird was strong, a sun-boosted Sacred Fire is absolutely ridiculous, being able to OHKO 4 HP Arceus Formes with only Stealth Rock support. It also OHKOs max HP Arceus with the help of a burn! Even the most defensive Groudon variants are guaranteed to fall in two hits, regardless of you landing the burn on it.

Earthquake is solid and powerful coverage move and hits Ho-oh's best checks and counters very hard. Arceus-Rock will find itself in a very sticky spot if it switches in on an Earthquake when burned from a previous assault since Earthquake can max out on about 81 % damage. Lastly, Sleep Talk is a good move to have against Darkrai. Your attacks are very powerful and with few drawbacks, meaning the random pick factor isn't as bad as it seems.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack investment is self-explanatory, along with the Choice Band and high powered STAB moves it pumps up Ho-oh attacking power to extreme levels. With 252 EVs invested in HP, Ho-oh's ability to tank hits is retained quite well, although the lack off Roost off [of] course hurts that aspect of the phoenix.

There are two alternative spreads this set could use. First off is a a faster spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd, Jolly nature is viable to ensure maximum chances of outspeeding Pokémon like netural natured specs Kyogre, Yveltal and Xerneas for example. The other alternative spread is 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd with an Adamant nature. It retains a lot of the qualities Physcially Defensive Ho-oh has, trading off Roost for higher attacking power.

Usage Tips
========

It cannot be understated how important it is to play the entry hazards game well when using Ho-oh. This applies even more so for this set, which likes having Stealth Rock up on the opponent's side of the field to still be able to punish possible misprediction as well as having Stealth Rock off its side of the field for obvious reason. Another big reason that it is absolutely detrimental to keep them off is to that this set doesn't have a Recovery move and must rely on Regenerator to gain damage back. Therefore it is equally important for this set to utilize Regenerator to gain maximum recovery-[remove the hyphen] pivot switching in on resisted hits and such is a big part of how to play a Choice Banded Ho-oh.

The second part on this sets usage is the key of prediction. Even though Ho-oh's attacks are strong and unresisted together it is good to have a plan on what to do when initiating combat. There are a few roads you can go here, the first being throwing out Sacred Fires all over the place to spread burns. After your switch ins are burnt, Ho-oh can now pressure them harder with its coverage. However, if one wants to take advantage of an obvious Kyogre switching in to sponge a Sacred Fire, then by all means do it. If you suspect Arceus-Rock being your opponents Arceus forme, then go ahead and throw out an Earthquake early in situation when it's safe to do so.

Team Options
========

Defog support again please, just always use it with Ho-oh. Aside from the common support Arceus Formes, Defog Giratina-O can work on a team with a Choice Band Ho-oh, usually since you are aiming to smash up your opponent faster than with usual sets- which makes Giratina-O's inability to Defog consistently throughout a game is less of a problem Thunder Wave support from Groudon, Lugia, Kyogre are just some examples of Thunder Wave users in the tier. Being faster than the opponent gives Ho-oh more time to dish out hits without worrying about possible Brave Bird recoil bringing it down.

Groudon support is nice as usual. Most other Ground types are also nice, Landorous-T functions similarly to Groudon. Again, Swords Dance Groundceus can be a good partner if you have a Defog user that is not an Arceus forme. Since Ho-oh pressures Giratina, Bronzong and Landorous-T, common counter to Arceus Ground, it will get better opportunities to sweep. Palkia, Arceus-Water, Arceus-Grass or anything else you can find for checking Kyogre is mandatory as well, luckily Kyogre checks tend to synergize well with Ho-oh.

Other Options
========

Ho-oh is [has] some other options to use. Choice Scarf is an interesting one,[as] it allows Ho-oh to revenge kill most notably Mega Mewtwo X among other threats. Generally, the power and bulk loss with this item is discouraged. Thunder Wave is as explained an excellent form of support for Ho-oh, but Ho-oh itself using it leaves it with a mit [bit] of a four moveslots syndrome, it won't be able to abuse Substitute together with Thunder Wave without having to give up on coverage or recovery. However if forgoing Substitute, Ho-oh can always throw out paralysis on fast switch ins such a Kyogre and Arceus formes, not making it useless option. Punishment can be used to punish (fucking triple pun GP remove this) Calm Mind Arceus Ghost, but Sacred Fire usually hits hard enough and Calm Mind Arceus Ghost being much rarer than it used to be makes this option useless.


Checks & Counters
########
Ho-oh [is] incredibly difficult to counter. It must be treaded around with maximum caution if it gets in safely. Except even teams that have listed checks and counter below to actually fall to it. The main reason is that Ho-oh can always go for Earthquake along with its STAB moves to retain perfect coverage. The other reason is Ho-oh's inability to be worn down without Stealth Rock being up on its side of the field. Teams have the options of either having solid switch ins (that can still fall) or having a sufficient plan at pressuring Ho-oh with both Stealth Rock and offensive pressure.


Stealth Rock

The number one counter is not a Pokemon, it is this entry hazard. The rocks strip 50 % of Ho-oh's health every time it switches in, limiting its ability's power as well as the tanking power of the phoenix itself. Since every team should have Stealth Rock, this analysis won't go in depth about which one to use. The important thing is how you play your Stealth Rock user. It is of absolute grave importance to wear Ho-oh's Defog supporter down and try to keep your Stealth Rock user alive if you want to keep rocks up against Ho-oh. Usually something as simple as Toxic on your Stealth Rock user can go a long way considering it cripples Defog Arceus really badly. What is also important to realize is that all checks to Ho-oh function somewhat differently, and therefore they cannot be lumped together in sections as with other Pokémon.

**Arceus Rock**: This is the single Pokémon that has the best chances of switching in and forcing Ho-oh out safely. It resists Ho-oh' dual STAB but is weak to Earthquake. It is thankfully faster and can OHKO with a Judgment.

**Arceus Water**: Even though a 252 HP variant takes above 50 % from a Life Orb boosted Brave Bird, it can still switch into Sacred Fire and Earthquake and do about 50 % to Ho-oh in return with a super effective Judgment. However, it will have a touch [tough] time switching into a Ho-oh in sun. A physically defensive variant of this Pokémon can perform the task a bit better, though.

**Hippowdown**: Hippowdown isn't 2HKOd by any Life Orb boosted hit, but Choice Band rips it apart with two consectutive Brave Birds. The hippo has reliable recovery and Stealth Rock to boot, so it qualifies as a good sponge for Ho-oh's attacks, but it can't really hurt it back directly.

**Kyogre**: By far the most practical way of handling Ho-oh is offensive pressure. Kyogre is often faster than Ho-oh due to investing in speed and can therefore force it out and dish out impressive damage on its counters as well. As for switching in, even the most defensive variants of Kyogre are 2HKOd by a simple Life Orb Brave Bird, while offensive sets have a chance of getting OHKOd. Switching in on Sacred Fire is usually fine for obvious reasons.

**Heatran**: Another Pokemon that resists Ho-oh's dual type. Heatran is similar to Hippowdown in that it sets up Stealth Rock vs Ho-oh, but it takes Brave Birds better and totally shuts down Sacred Fire. However, it has a very exploitable 4x weakness to Ho-oh's favorite coverage move Earthquake.

**Tyranitar**: Tyranitar hates burns, but does also provide Stealth Rock combined with the fact that a Stone Edge, even when burnt, will do a tonne of damage. Tyranitar is like most of the STAB resisting checks, weak to Earthquake.

**Groudon**: Groudon is another way of forcing Ho-oh with offensive presure. A fast Earth Plate Groudon can OHKO Ho-oh with Stone Edge or set up Stealth Rocks on the fleeing bird. It can switch in in an emergency, but fears the burn and inconveniently boosts Ho-oh's Sacred Fire, meaning it really cannot get in without taking big damage.

**Landorous-T**: Thanks to Intimidate, Landorous-T sponges Ho-oh's attacks quite okay, and while it fears the burn, it does have Stealth Rock to set up and doesn't boost Ho-oh's attacks like Groudon. It also carries Stone Edge that will OHKO Ho-oh unless Landorous-T is burnt. Intimidate also makes it easier for Landorous-T's teammates to pivot switch in.

**Physically defensive Ho-oh**: Can work as a decent sponge to anything that isn't Brave Bird. It is especially useful against Choice Band sets that incorporate a Flying-resistance. This way Ho-oh can switch in to scout, Regenerate its health and switch to the resistance if it gets in on a Brave Bird.

**Zekrom**: Interestingly enough, Zekrom both resists Ho-oh's STAB and provides offensive pressure as well, something few other Pokémon can do. In practice, however, Zekrom tends to fear the possible Sacred Fire burn too much to switch in directly unless it has to, but if it gets in, it forces Ho-oh out and can possibly build momentum via Volt Switch.



**Faster Pokémon that can OHKO**: Aside from the mentioned Zekrom, Kyogre, Groudon etc. there are some other revenge killers that can be used as a last resort for force Ho-oh out. Terrakion and Mega Mewtwo X with Stone Edge are two examples of this.

**Lures**: Since Ho-oh's 4x weakness to Rock is apparent, it usually a very good strategy to exploit it in the forme of lures. Rock Slide Xerneas, Head Smash Aegislash, Stone Edge Arceus Grass or Fairy, Stone Edge Giratina-O and Stone Edge Mega-Lucario are some popular lures that Ho-oh can fall to with some smart play. The key with Stone Edge Arceus is generally to lure Ho-oh into a false sense of safety and then smacking it when it is in OHKO range as a 252 HP Ho-oh “only” takes 80-94 % from a Stone Edge from support Arceus.

**Toxic**: Lastly, since Ho-oh has enormous staying power, Toxic on a Pokemon it commonly switches in to, such as Aegislash at least puts a timer on the phoenix and racks up the residual damage, especially with Life Orb and Brave Bird recoil.
Click to expand...

This is my first time. So, sorry in advance for any mistake i make. Delete this post if it is in wrong format.:]
 
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indian, sorry, but you've checked an outdated version of the analysis. Although I haven't looked over every change, it seems that a lot of them you made have already been done in my GP check about 4 posts above. If you like, you can still give it another go on the newer one, just copy and paste the copypastable version and you're good to go!

Also, note that "Arceus-Type" is actually wrong, just "Type Arceus" is correct.

By the way, Hack He Must, it's been quite a while since I've done that GP check, and you still haven't implemented it. I blame myself for simply editing in the approval rather than actually notifying you of it. So I guess I'm just doing that now in this post. Sorry about that.
 
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Hey guys, i have a really small observation - i thought that 248 HP on Ho-Oh was best because of the whole 2 switchins to SR? The first set has 252 HP written on it that's all - i might be wrong tho cause i don't know what factoring in Regenerator changes the HP to each time :)


He's right ~MM2
 
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Amateur GP check.

Changes are in blue.
Subtractions in red.
Comments in pink.
Moving sentences elsewhere in turquoise.
No idea what this sentence means or is trying to say. Rework or rewrite.

Some other general comments are capitalisation of Ho-Oh - the second 'o' needs to be capitalised. Landorus is spelt as I have shown it - not with the 'rous' at the end. The same with Hippowdon - not Hippowdown.

Overview
########

Ho-Oh is a massive force in the Ubers tier. Boasting a good 130 base Attack coupled with two extremely potent and strong STAB moves in Sacred Fire and Brave Bird, Ho-Oh is able to do whatever it is Ho-Oh does best - you'll need to add this in here. To complement this, Ho-Oh is equipped with: as well as a massive 154 base Special Defense, alongside the wonderful ability Regenerator which restores a third of its HP when it switches out, and reliable recovery in Roost. These assetts make Ho-Oh is a resilient bulky attacker capable of 2HKOing the majority of Pokemon in the tier. This is far too long. Even with the punctuation, it's unreadable. Have a think about some of the changes I've put in. While Fire- and Flying-typing complement each other very well offensively for excellent neutral coverage in the tier, it also brings it Ho-Oh a glaring 4x weakness to Rock-type moves, causing Ho-Oh to lose half of its health if it switches in while Stealth Rock is up on its side of the field. This weakness may not be as bad as it appears, as XY introduced a reliable means of removing Stealth Rock with the move Defog, which is generally more reliable than Rapid Spin and Magic Bounce ever was were. Even with this buff, Ho-Oh's 4x weakness to Rock-type moves is still exploitable, as most Rock-type moves thrown around in the tier will fell it in one or two hits.

########
name: Tank
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Roost / Recover
move 4: Substitute / Earthquake
ability: Regenerator
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd

Moves
========

Brave Bird is a really strong STAB move that hits practically 2HKOs whatever that doesn't resist it, including max HP Arceus Formes. Another notable aspect of the move is that it 2HKOs any Kyogre variant with Life Orb boosting its power. Speaking of Life Orb, the recoil adding up together with Brave Birds side-effect can be quite upsetting at times, but don't forget that in conjunction with your recovery move of choice and Regenerator the lost HP can be gained back quite reliably. Your secondary STAB, Sacred Fire, is extremely potent. Even if a Pokemon resisting it switches in on this move, you have a 50 % chance to leave it with a burn, assuming you hit.Why assuming you hit? Is its accuracy shady? Are there any other moves available to rectify this? Few switch ins enjoy the residual damage from burns, Arceus formes, like Water and Rock, are a prime example of this. The burn rate really discourages just about all physical attackers to switch into Ho-oh since burns will render them useless for the course of the game. Zekrom, who resists both Ho-oh's STAB moves is a good example of this. Can the Zekrom sentence be moved elsewhere with the Arceus comment? Under harsh sunlight, Sacred Fire is also boosted by 50 %, making it Ho-oh's strongest attack- to the point where the chance of 2HKOing even the most defensive variants of Groudon is quite prevalent. It cannot be understated that Sacred Fire's power in combination with its side effect is what makes Ho-oh such a difficult Pokemon to directly switch into.

A recovery move is mandatory. When you give a Pokemon Regenerator, 154 special defense and 130 attack with two almost unresisted STABs you are pushing it. Giving it Roost is almost taking the term bulky attacker too far, with it your longevity easily outmatches just about everything in the game- when Stealth Rocks are (If not Stealth Rock(s) are needs to change to (is) off the field. The choice between Roost and Recover is a preference issue. Roost will help you against some would be super effective hits, especially with paralysis support, while Recover is nice vs Earthquake users trying to predict your landing. However, with Recover, Pokemon like a burned Groudon can easily get back to smashing you with Stone Edge after you revealed the move so beware.

Substitute eases prediction and it's rather easy to recover that lost health anyway. In conjunction with a Toxic lure for Ho-oh's biggest counter, Arceus-Rock, this move puts a lot of pressure on said counter, by repeatedly using Substitute as it switches in to rack up Toxic damage. Since your attacks are very powerful, a free Substitute can sometimes mean that your opponent will almost have to sacrifice a Pokemon such as Kyogre just to break your Rhydon-doll. One of the biggest assets of Substitute is what could come with potential paralysis support. Against some threats like Xerneas and Palkia (in sun) that you managed to paralyse, you will be able to spam Substitute and Roost until they get fully paralyzed, giving you a free Substitute. Where has this discussion of Toxic and Paralysis appeared from? Neither move are listed in the moveset. Who paralysed/poisoned them? Ho-Oh? Or other team members?
If Substitute isn't your thing, Earthquake is very viable and hits Tyranitar, Zekrom, Arceus-Rock and Heatran very hard, 2HKOing all three former, and OHKOs the latter. Aside from the potential free Substitutes you can use to cushion potential revenge killers or put pressure on switch ins, giving up on Substitute means you will have a tougher time protecting yourself from status as well.

Ho-oh also has two options that can go in the last move slot to attempt to patch up its mediocre speed. The first one, Flame Charge, has the advantage of dealing damage at the same time as boosting, and the speed boost given is permanent until Ho-oh switches out. Option two, Tailwind, doubles Ho-oh's speed as well as doubling any team mate's speed as well. However, Tailwind only lasts for three turns, so the boost is quite inconsistent. The opportunity cost for losing Substitute or Earthquake is also quite big, but if your team needs the specific advantages these two moves bring, then by all means use them. Also, remember to invest in speed accordingly- Flame Charge sets generally needs max speed investment to outspeed Mega Mewtwo Y after one boost, while Tailwind like having 176 EVs to outspeed Choice-Scarf Terrakion when Tailwind is in play. These aren't listed in the move set above.

Set Details
========

This set appreciates the high damage output that comes with Life Orb, but Leftovers are still usable if you want to increase your tanking ability and take less recoil. The power loss is quite big,; defensive Kyogre are now 3HKOd and defensive Giratina is only 4HKOd for example.

An Adamant nature with maximum investment in Attack is rather self-explainatory for bulky attacker like this, and it usually is the best option to maximize your damage output. However, settling for a specialized number catered to a specific team's needs is of course viable as well. 252 HP EVs gives you great bulk, allowing you to cushion most neutral special attacks comfortably.

Usage Tips
========

For optimal performance, Ho-oh will need Stealth Rock off its own side of this field to reliably switch in, as well as abusing Regenerator to the max. It is therefore important to play your Defog user or Rapid Spinner in such a way, so that it outlasts the opponent's Stealth Rock setter. Keep in mind that the most common Defog users, Arceus-Formes, are vulnerable to Toxic, so keep them away from Stealth Rock users that carry the move at all time(s) when? possible. When you see the chance of getting Ho-oh in to do some damage, take that chance. Dishing out hits and regenerating your health puts a lot of pressure on opponents, especially if they don't carry a dedicated check to it.

As Ho-oh has a very exploitable weakness it is important to scout for surprise Rock-moves properly. Mixed Xerneas can use Rock Slide, Giratina-O can possibly have Stone Edge and Aegislash can have Head Smash in its arsenal. Even the possibility some Arceus formes carry Stone Edge it just to ruin your day exists. Understanding how metagame defining Ho-oh is and accepting that players can prepare and use moves just for it should always be accounted for. As Ho-oh is brutally weak to Stealth Rock, another thing to keep in mind is to get rid off it from the field, which requires a teammate's support.

Do not make the mistake of using this as you only way to stop a boosted Xerneas. It's hard to rely on Defog at all times, and Ho-oh can't OHKO Xerneas either. In general, use Ho-oh as the powerful wallbreaker it is, but don't rely on it as a check to too much stuff. Try to build your team in a way so that you can use Ho-oh's qualities to the maximum potential, but at the same time in a way so that it won't be overly reliant on Ho-oh to perform.

Team Options
========

Defog support is on the brink of mandatory when using Ho-oh. Rapid Spin works too, but the spinners themselves are underpowered in terms of Uber standards and old strategizes strategies, like Spikes-stacking with your spinner to double up roles isn't as spikes setter are harder too pull off since Defog can simply remove those hazards very easily. However, spinning can still work with some smart teambuilding. To me this sentence in green doesn't make sense. The most reliable Defog users are Arceus-Formes due to their high speed, bulk, and access to Recover. Arceus Water has pretty good synergy with Ho-oh, taking on Kyogre, Groudon and Arceus Rock quite well. Arceus Grass floats in the same boat, but is weaker to the omnipresent Gengar and has a hard time fitting in Stone Edge on its Defog set, meaning you'll give opposing Ho-oh a lot of free turns. Since Arceus Grass is generally very weak to Ho-oh, this can limit your teambuilding options a lot. Arceus-Fariy Fairy is another notable Defog user- just like most Arceus formes it can cripple Stealth Rock users that also happen to check Ho-oh, such as Landorous-T and Groudon. Some lesser used Defoggers are viable as well; Lugia can act like an extra wall and check to a lot of things, while Scizor helps out tremendously when it comes to making your team solid against Geomancy Xerneas.

Groudon is another terrific teammate. It takes on Zekrom pretty well, and it sets up Stealth Rocks for your team, something Ho-oh appreciates as it heaps up the pressure on anything the opposing team would want to switch into it. Groudon's ability Drought also provides Sun support, and despite only lasting five turns, it is still sufficient, considering Ho-oh has an easy time coming in a against some things that threaten Groudon in the sun, like Palkia, Arceus-Grass and Kyurem-White. In a similar vein to why Groudon is a good partner, Landorous-T is too. The distinction between the both are that while Groudon can phaze, use Thunder Wave or Fire-moves, Landorous-T has the ability to check Mega-Blaziken as well as checking and other Groudon better.

Palkia deserves a mention as a good teammates as well. It has great synergy with Ho-oh, as it checks all Kyogre variants and the combined force of the two threats pressures defensive teams. Lastly, Ho-oh fits quite well together with Kyogre, Ho-oh can help by checking out Arceus-Grass that walls it, and Kyogre can pressure out Arceus-Rock for Ho-oh.

Any Pokemon with Thunder Wave support is a good partner for Ho-oh as it can possibly get free Substitutes or outspeed things it normally wouldn't. Groudon, Lugia, Kyogre, Klefki, Thundurus and Dialga are some examples of Thunder Wave users in the tier, but a lot of Ubers such as Palkia can surprisingly learn the move so cater your support to your team's needs.

Physically defensive
########
name: Physically defensive
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Roost / Recover
move 4: Toxic / Whirlwind
ability: Regenerator
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd

Moves
========

Brave Bird is mandatory on this set as well. It hits decently hard without investment, and having such attacking power for a defensively inclined Pokémon differentiates it from Giratina and Lugia. Sacred Fire is especially useful on this set for its side-effect. Spreading burns on physical attackers makes them easier to wall, and the residual damage can helps stalling out many threats that cannot recover health. A recovery move is obviously a must for a defensive set. Roost is better than Recover here since outstalling a slower Groudon is much easier with this set, a predicted Earthquake from a burnt Groudon on a your faster Roost will not deal too much damage. Finally, the last slot is dedicated to either Toxic, which can cripple many common switch ins like Arceus Rock and Water, or Whirlwind which phazes out set up sweepers like Extremekillerspeed Arceus and Geomancy Xerneas.

Set Details
========

Maximum Defense EVs and an Impish nature makes Ho-oh surprisingly durable one the physical side, allowing it to take on threats such like as Extremekiller Arceus, Mewtwo, Foul Play Yveltal, and Stone Edge-less Lucario well well when Stealth Rock(s to keep are, otherwise use is) are not up. With maximum HP investment, Ho-oh tanks special attacks just fine thanks to its naturally high Special Defense stat, however, if you wish to abuse its gargantuan special bulk to the maximum, investing all Defense EVs in Special Defense instead can be feasible if it fits your team's needs.

Usage Tips
========

Again, keep Stealth Rock off your side of the field to make this Pokémon function optimally. Don't be afraid to do more "reckless" switch ins to support Arceus formes that you should be able to wall with this set. While the above set (which set? This set or the tank set?) takes 80-94 % from a -atk Arceus's Stone Edge, but this variant of Ho-oh fares way better so you can mostly just switch out to Regenerate a good portion of the damage anyway. Since this set has a much higher Defense stat than the above one the need of always scouting is somewhat lesser, as demonstrated above.

Do not that (pardon?) even with the big Defense investment, Ho-oh still has trouble taking on some common physical attackers, regardless of Stealth Rock being on your field or not. Zekrom, Groudon and Mega Mewtwo X (which often carries a Rock-move), are examples of physical attackers that busts breaks through your invested defenses quite easily. As the mixed defensive tank Ho-oh becomes a mixed defensive tank with the given spread, but it should also be played to the advantage that it can check threats from both sides of the spectrum. Extremekiller Arceus, Blaziken and sometimes even other Ho-oh are physical attackers that this Ho-oh can switch into.

Even though this set has a lot defensive investment, it's Special Defense is still higher so take on special attackers if you see it fit. Especially with Whirlwind, Ho-oh functions as a great Xerneas counter, should Stealth Rock not be up. It is also notable in that ist can take on Mega Mewtwo Y very well under the right circumstances as Psystrike is not a OHKO.

Team Options
========

As explained previously, Defog support is a must when using Ho-oh, and this set is no exception. Arceus formes such as Fairy, Water, Rock, Grass and Ghost can provide more or less some synergy with Ho-oh, aside from helping it with hazard removal. Giratina-O is not recommended as a a Defog user to pair with this Ho-oh because of the set's more defensively inclined nature, meaning Giratina-O who has no recovery is likely to be outlasted by the opposing Stealth Rock user. Mega-Scizor can work as a Defog user to pair with this Ho-oh. Although it's quite slow and therefore more prone to Taunt, the metal bug handily checks Groudon and semi checks Zekrom for Ho-oh, while Ho-oh checks opposing Ho-oh in return.

It's always wise to pair Ho-oh with a Ground type to milder - pardon? the threat that is Zekrom. Landorous-T and Groudon spring to mind as they both provide Stealth Rock support. A Swords Dance Ground-Arceus appreciates Ho-oh's ability to absorb burns from the likes of Giratina, but keep in mind that there is a big opportunity cost not using a Defog Arceus with Ho-oh.

Of course Ho-oh needs to be paired with something that can handle Kyogre. That something is usually Palkia, but if you want to hit two birds in with one stone, then Arceus Water is viable as both a Water move deterrent and a Defogger. Arceus Grass is similar, except it trades a strong STAB to hit Kyogre and Groudon with, for a tendency to get removed from the game by Mega Gengar. Both these Arceus formes check Arceus-Rock extremely good well. as well.

Kyogre is once again a solid option to pressure Arceus-Rock. Choice Scarf, Choice Specs or specially defensive variants all fit well with Ho-oh. Keep in mind that your team will have two Electric weaknesses stacked, so a Ground-type is mandatory at this stage.

Choice Band
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Sleep Talk
ability: Regenerator
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spd

Moves
========

Hit hard as hell with Brave Bird. This move will is now guaranteed to always OHKO Palkia and 0 HP Kyogre, amongst other threats. When equipping a Choice Band instead Life Orb your Brave Bird is stronger and the recoil damage is lesser. With the Defog buff and Regenerator, this set is pretty much the pinnacle of hit-and-run tactics. If you thought Brave Bird was strong, a sun-boosted Sacred Fire is absolutely ridiculous, being able to OHKO 4 HP Arceus Formes with only Stealth Rock support. It also OHKOs max HP Arceus with the help of a burn! Even the most defensive Groudon variants are guaranteed to fall in two hits, regardless of you landing the burn on it.

Earthquake is a solid and powerful coverage move and hits Ho-oh's best checks and counters very hard. Arceus-Rock will find itself in a very sticky spot if it switches in on an Earthquake when burned from a previous assault since Earthquake can max out on about 81 % damage. Lastly, Sleep Talk is a good move to have against Darkrai. Your attacks are very powerful and with few drawbacks, meaning the random pick factor isn't as bad as it seems.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack investment is self-explanatory, along with the Choice Band and high powered STAB moves it pumps up Ho-oh attacking power to extreme levels. With 252 EVs invested in HP, Ho-oh's ability to tank hits is retained quite well, although the lack off Roost off course hurts that aspect of the phoenix.

There are two alternative spreads this set could use. First off is a a faster spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd. Jolly nature is viable to ensure maximum chances of outspeeding Pokémon like netural natured specs Kyogre, Yveltal and Xerneas for example. The other alternative spread is 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spd with an Adamant nature. It retains a lot of the qualities Physcially physically defensive Ho-oh has, trading off Roost for higher attacking power.

Usage Tips
========

It cannot be understated how important it is to play the entry hazards game well when using Ho-oh. This applies even more so for this set, which likes having Stealth Rock up on the opponent's side of the field to still be able to punish possible misprediction as well as having Stealth Rock off its Ho-Oh's / your side of the field for obvious reason. Another big reason that it is absolutely detrimental essential to keep them off is to that this set doesn't have a Recovery move and must rely on Regenerator to gain damage back. Therefore it is equally important for this set to utilize Regenerator to gain maximum recovery- pivot switching in on resisted hits and such is a big part of how to play a Choice Banded Ho-oh.

The second part on this sets usage is the key of prediction. Even though Ho-oOh's attacks are strong and unresisted together, it is good to have a plan on what to do when initiating combat. There are a few roads you can go here, the first being throwing out Sacred Fires all over the place to spread burns. After your switch ins are burnt, Ho-oh can now pressure them harder with its coverage. However, if one wants to take advantage of an obvious Kyogre switching in to sponge a Sacred Fire, then by all means do it. If you suspect Arceus-Rock being your opponents Arceus forme, then go ahead and throw out an Earthquake early in situation when it's safe to do so. What is the second road?

Team Options
========

Defog support again please,- just always use it with Ho-oOh. Aside from the common support Arceus Formes, Defog Giratina-O can work on a team with a Choice Band Ho-oOh, usually since you are aiming to smash up your opponent faster than with usual sets- which makes Giratina-O's inability to Defog consistently throughout a game is less of a problem Thunder Wave support from Groudon, Lugia, Kyogre are just some examples of Thunder Wave users in the tier. (Rework that last sentence) Being faster than the opponent gives Ho-oh more time to dish out hits without worrying about possible Brave Bird recoil bringing it down.

Groudon support is nice as usual. Most other Ground types are also nice, Landorous-T functions similarly to Groudon. Again, Swords Dance Groundceus can be a good partner if you have a Defog user that is not an Arceus forme. Since Ho-oh pressures Giratina, Bronzong and Landorous-T, all common counters to Arceus Ground, it will get better opportunities to sweep. Palkia, Arceus-Water, Arceus-Grass or anything else you can find for checking Kyogre is mandatory as well, ; luckily Kyogre checks tend to synergize well with Ho-oh.

Other Options
========

Ho-oh is has some other options to use. Choice Scarf is an interesting one, it allows Ho-oh to revenge kill most notably Mega Mewtwo X among other threats. Generally, the power and bulk loss with this item is discouraged. Thunder Wave is as explained an excellent form of support for Ho-oh, but Ho-oh itself using it leaves it with a mit of a four moveslots syndrome, it won't be able to abuse Substitute together with Thunder Wave without having to give up on coverage or recovery. However if forgoing Substitute, Ho-oh can always throw out paralysis on fast switch ins such as Kyogre and Arceus formes, not making it useless option. Punishment can be used to punish (fucking triple pun GP remove this) - you remove it Calm Mind Arceus Ghost, but Sacred Fire usually hits hard enough and Calm Mind Arceus Ghost being much rarer than it used to be makes this option useless.


Checks & Counters
########
Ho-oh can be/is incredibly difficult to counter. It must be treaded around with maximum caution if it gets in safely. Except Expect even teams that have the listed checks and counters below to actually fall to it. The main reason is that Ho-oh can always go for Earthquake along with its STAB moves to retain perfect coverage. The other reason is Ho-oOh's inability to be worn down without Stealth Rock being up on its side of the field. Teams have the options of either having solid switch ins (that can still fall) or having a sufficient plan at pressuring Ho-oh with both Stealth Rock and offensive pressure.


Stealth Rock

The number one counter is not a Pokemon, it is this entry hazard. The rocks strip 50 % of Ho-oh's health every time it switches in, limiting its ability's power as well as the tanking power of the phoenix itself. Since every team should have Stealth Rock, this analysis won't go in depth about which one to use. The important thing is how you play your Stealth Rock user. It is of absolute grave (one or the other) importance to wear Ho-oh's Defog supporter down and try to keep your Stealth Rock user alive if you want to keep rocks up against Ho-oh. Usually something as simple as Toxic on your Stealth Rock user can go a long way considering it cripples Defog Arceus really badly. What is also important to realize is that all checks to Ho-oh function somewhat differently, and therefore they cannot be lumped together in sections as with other Pokémon.

**Arceus Rock**: This is the single Pokémon that has the best chances of switching in and forcing Ho-oh out safely. It resists Ho-oh's dual STAB but is weak to Earthquake. It is thankfully faster and can OHKO with a Judgment.

**Arceus Water**: Even though a 252 HP variant takes above 50 % from a Life Orb boosted Brave Bird, it can still switch into Sacred Fire and Earthquake and do about 50 % to Ho-oh in return with a super effective Judgment. However, it will have a touch time switching into a Ho-oh in sun. A physically defensive variant of this Pokémon can perform the task a bit better, though.

**Hippowdown**: Hippowdown isn't 2HKOd by any Life Orb boosted hit, but Choice Band rips it apart with two consectutive Brave Birds. The hippo has reliable recovery and Stealth Rock to boot, so it qualifies as a good sponge for Ho-oh's attacks, but it can't really hurt it back directly.

**Kyogre**: By far the most practical way of handling Ho-oh is offensive pressure. Kyogre is often faster than Ho-oh due to investing in speed and can therefore force it out and dish out impressive damage on its counters as well. As for switching in, even the most defensive variants of Kyogre are 2HKOd by a simple Life Orb Brave Bird, while offensive sets have a chance of getting OHKOd. Switching in on Sacred Fire is usually fine for obvious reasons.

**Heatran**: Another Pokemon that resists Ho-oh's dual type. Heatran is similar to Hippowdown in that it sets up Stealth Rock vs Ho-oh, but it takes Brave Birds better and totally shuts down Sacred Fire. However, it has a very exploitable 4x weakness to Ho-oh's favorite coverage move Earthquake.

**Tyranitar**: Tyranitar hates burns, but does also provide Stealth Rock combined with the fact that a Stone Edge, even when burnt, will do a tonne of damage. Tyranitar, is like most of the STAB resisting checks, is weak to Earthquake.

**Groudon**: Groudon is another way of forcing Ho-oh with offensive presure. A fast Earth Plate Groudon can OHKO Ho-oh with Stone Edge or set up Stealth Rocks on the fleeing bird. It can switch in in an emergency, but fears the burn and inconveniently boosts Ho-oh's Sacred Fire, meaning it really cannot get in without taking big damage.

**Landorous-T**: Thanks to Intimidate, Landorous-T sponges Ho-oh's attacks quite okay well, and whilest it fears the burn, it does have Stealth Rock to set up and doesn't boost Ho-oh's attacks like Groudon. It also carries Stone Edge that will OHKO Ho-oh unless Landorous-T is burnt. Intimidate also makes it easier for Landorous-T's teammates to pivot switch in.

**Physically defensive Ho-oh**: Can work as a decent sponge to anything that isn't Brave Bird. It is especially useful against Choice Band sets that incorporate a Flying-resistance. This way Ho-oh can switch in to scout, Regenerate its health and switch to the resistance if it gets in on a Brave Bird.

**Zekrom**: Interestingly enough, Zekrom both resists Ho-oh's STAB and provides offensive pressure as well, something few other Pokémon can do. In practice, however, Zekrom tends to fear the possible Sacred Fire burn too much to switch in directly unless it has to, but if it gets in, it forces Ho-oh out and can possibly build momentum via Volt Switch.



**Faster Pokémon that can OHKO**: Aside from the mentioned Zekrom, Kyogre, Groudon etc. there are some other revenge killers that can be used as a last resort for forceing Ho-oh out. Terrakion and Mega Mewtwo X with Stone Edge are two examples of this.

**Lures**: Since Ho-oh's 4x weakness to Rock is apparent, it usually a very good strategy to exploit it in the forme of lures. Rock Slide Xerneas, Head Smash Aegislash, Stone Edge Arceus Grass or Fairy, Stone Edge Giratina-O and Stone Edge Mega-Lucario are some popular lures that Ho-oh can fall to with some smart play. The key with Stone Edge Arceus is generally to lure Ho-oh into a false sense of safety and then smacking it when it is in OHKO range as a 252 HP Ho-oh “only” takes 80-94 % from a Stone Edge from support Arceus.

**Toxic**: Lastly, since Ho-oh has enormous staying power, Toxic on a Pokemon it commonly switches in to, such as Aegislash at least puts a timer on the phoenix and racks up the residual damage, especially with Life Orb and Brave Bird recoil.
Click to expand...
 
I worked on top of Legitimate Username's check, so this is GP 2/2! This analysis was huge, so please read over the changes I've made (I might have missed something). Hope this helps! :) If you can copy / paste this into the first post, then this is done!
Overview
########

Ho-Oh is a massive force in the Ubers tier. Boasting a good base 130 Attack, two extremely potent STAB moves in Sacred Fire and Brave Bird, a massive 154 base Special Defense, a wonderful ability in Regenerator, and reliable recovery in Roost, Ho-Oh is a resilient bulky attacker capable of 2HKOing the majority of Pokemon in the tier. While its Fire and Flying typings complement each other very well offensively for excellent neutral coverage, they also brings it a glaring 4x weakness to Rock-type moves, causing Ho-Oh to lose half of its health if it switches in while Stealth Rock is up on its side of the field. However, this weakness is not as bad as it appears, as the buff to Defog introduced a new means of removing Stealth Rock, which is generally more reliable than Rapid Spin and Magic Bounce ever were. But even with this buff, Ho-Oh's 4x weakness to Rock-type moves is still exploitable, as most Rock-type moves will fell it in one or two hits.


Tank
########
name: Tank
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Roost / Recover
move 4: Substitute / Earthquake
ability: Regenerator
item: Life Orb
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Brave Bird is a strong STAB move that hits practically 2HKOes any Pokemon that doesn't resist it, including max HP Arceus formes. It also 2HKOes any Kyogre variant thanks to the boost from Life Orb. The recoil from Life Orb and Brave Bird can be quite upsetting at times, but don't forget that in conjunction with Regenerator and the recovery move of your choice, the lost HP can be gained back quite easily. Its secondary STAB move, Sacred Fire, is extremely potent. Even if a Pokemon that resists it switches in on this move, Ho-Oh still has a 50% chance of leaving it with a burn, assuming it hits. Few switch-ins enjoy the residual damage from burns, with Arceus formes such as Water and Rock being prime examples. The burn rate discourages just about all physical attackers from switching into Ho-Oh, as a burn will render them useless for the rest of the game. Zekrom, which resists both of Ho-Oh's STAB moves, is a good example. Under harsh sunlight, Sacred Fire is boosted by 50%, making it Ho-Oh's strongest attack, and has a good chance of 2HKOing even the most defensive variants of Groudon. It cannot be understated that Sacred Fire's power in combination with its side effect is what makes Ho-Oh such a difficult Pokemon to switch into.

A recovery move is mandatory. When a Pokemon has Regenerator, a base 154 Special Defense, a base 130 Attack, and two nearly unresisted STAB moves, that's already pushing it. Giving it Roost is almost taking the term bulky attacker too far, as with it, Ho-Oh's longevity easily outmatches just about everything else in the game as long as Stealth Rock is off the field. The choice between Roost and Recover is a preference issue. Roost helps Ho-Oh against some would-be super effective hits, especially with paralysis support, while Recover is nice against Earthquake users that try to predict when it will land. However, with Recover, Pokemon such as a burned Groudon can easily get back to smashing Ho-Oh with Stone Edge after you reveal the move.

Substitute eases prediction, and it's rather easy for Ho-Oh to recover the lost health. In conjunction with a Toxic lure for Ho-Oh's biggest counter, Rock Arceus, this move puts a lot of pressure on said counter by forcing it to rack up Toxic damage. As Ho-Oh's attacks are very powerful, a free Substitute means that your opponent will almost always have to sacrifice a Pokemon just to break it. One of the biggest assets of Substitute is that Ho-Oh can take advantage of the free turns that can come with potential paralysis support. Against paralyzed threats such as Xerneas and Palkia (in sun), Ho-Oh can spam Substitute and Roost until they are fully paralyzed, giving it a free Substitute. If Substitute isn't your thing, Earthquake is very viable as it 2HKOes Tyranitar, Zekrom, and Rock Arceus, while OHKOing Heatran. However, giving up on Substitute means Ho-Oh will have a tougher time protecting itself from revenge killers and status.

Ho-Oh has two options that can go in the last moveslot to attempt to patch up its mediocre Speed. The first one, Flame Charge, deals damage and provides a boost to Ho-Oh's Speed that remains until it switches out. The other option, Tailwind, doubles Ho-Oh's Speed as well as those of its teammates. However, Tailwind only lasts for three turns, so the boost is inconsistent. The opportunity cost of losing Substitute or Earthquake is large, but if your team needs the specific advantages that either of these two moves bring, then by all means, use them. Also, remember to invest in Speed accordingly - Flame Charge sets generally need max Speed investment in order to outspeed Mega Mewtwo Y after one boost, while Tailwind sets like having 176 Speed EVs to outspeed Choice Scarf Terrakion while Tailwind is in play.

Set Details
========

This set appreciates the high damage output that comes with Life Orb, but Leftovers is usable to increase Ho-Oh's tanking ability and mitigate recoil damage. However, the power loss is quite large, as for example, defensive Kyogre can only be 3HKOed while defensive Giratina is only 4HKOed.

An Adamant nature with maximum Attack investment is rather self-explanatory for a bulky attacker like Ho-Oh, and it is usually the best option to maximize its damage output. However, settling for a specialized number catered to a specific team's needs is of course viable as well. 252 HP EVs gives Ho-Oh great bulk, allowing it to cushion most neutral special attacks comfortably.

Usage Tips
========

For optimal performance, Ho-Oh will need Stealth Rock off its own side of this field in order to reliably switch in and take maximum advantage of Regenerator. It is therefore important to play your Defog user or Rapid Spinner in such a way so that it outlasts the opponents Stealth Rock setter. Keep in mind that Arceus formes, the most common Defog users, are vulnerable to Toxic, so keep them away from Stealth Rock users that carry the move. When you have the chance to get Ho-Oh in, take it. Dishing out hits and regenerating Ho-Oh's health puts a lot of pressure on opponents, especially if they don't carry a dedicated check to it.

As Ho-Oh has a very exploitable weakness, it is important to properly scout for surprise Rock-type moves. Mixed Xerneas can use Rock Slide, Giratina-O can carry Stone Edge, and Aegislash can have Head Smash in its arsenal. Even some Arceus formes carry Stone Edge just to ruin Ho-Oh's day. Understanding how metagame defining Ho-Oh is and accepting that players can prepare and use moves just for it should always be accounted for. As Ho-Oh is brutally weak to Stealth Rock, the entry hazard must be kept off the field, therefore requiring a teammate's support.

Do not make the mistake of using this set as your only way to stop a boosted Xerneas. It's hard to rely on Defog at all times, and Ho-Oh cannot OHKO Xerneas. In general, use Ho-Oh as the powerful wallbreaker it is, but don't rely on it as a check to too many Pokemon. Try to build your team in a way that you can use Ho-Oh's qualities to their maximum potential, but make sure that it isn't overly reliant on Ho-Oh's performance.

Team Options
========

Defog support is on the brink of mandatory when using Ho-Oh. Rapid Spin works too, but the spinners themselves are underpowered by Ubers standards. However, spinning can work with some smart teambuilding. The most reliable Defog users are Arceus formes due to their high Speed, good bulk, and access to Recover. Water Arceus has pretty good synergy with Ho-Oh, taking on Kyogre, Groudon, and Rock Arceus quite well. Grass Arceus floats in the same boat, but is weaker to the omnipresent Gengar and has a hard time fitting Stone Edge on its Defog set, meaning that it gives opposing Ho-Oh a lot of free turns. Since Grass Arceus is generally very weak to Ho-Oh, this can limit your teambuilding options a lot. Fairy Arceus is another notable Defog user, as just like most Arceus formes, it can cripple the Stealth Rock users that also happen to check Ho-Oh, such as Landorus-T and Groudon. Some less common Defog users are viable as well. Lugia can act as an extra wall and check a lot of Pokemon, while Scizor helps out tremendously when it comes to making your team solid against Geomancy Xerneas.

Groudon is another terrific teammate, as it takes on Zekrom pretty well and can set up Stealth Rock, which Ho-Oh appreciates. Entry hazards heap up the pressure on opposing Pokemon that try to switch into Ho-Oh. Groudon's ability, Drought, provides sun support, and despite only lasting five turns, it is sufficient, considering that Ho-Oh has an easy time coming in against some Pokemon that threaten Groudon in the sun, such as Palkia, Grass Arceus, and Kyurem-White. Landorus-T is a good partner as well. While Groudon can phaze, use Thunder Wave, and strike with Fire-type moves, Landorus-T better checks Mega Blaziken.

Palkia deserves a mention as a good teammate as well. It has great synergy with Ho-Oh, as it checks all Kyogre variants, and the combined force of the two threats pressures defensive teams. Lastly, Ho-Oh fits quite well together with Kyogre; Ho-Oh can help by checking Grass Arceus while Kyogre can pressure Rock Arceus.

Any Pokemon with Thunder Wave is a good partner for Ho-Oh, as it can possibly get free Substitutes or outspeed Pokemon it normally doesn't. Groudon, Lugia, Kyogre, Klefki, Thundurus, and Dialga are some examples of common Thunder Wave users, but a lot of other Ubers such as Palkia can learn the move too, so cater the support to your team's needs.


Physically Defensive
########
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Roost / Recover
move 4: Toxic / Whirlwind
ability: Regenerator
item: Leftovers
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
nature: Impish

Moves
========

Brave Bird is mandatory on this set, as it hits decently hard without investment, and having such attacking power for a defensively inclined Pokemon differentiates Ho-Oh from Giratina and Lugia. Sacred Fire is especially useful on this set for its side effect. Spreading burns on physical attackers makes them easier to wall, and the residual damage can help with stalling out threats that cannot recover health. A recovery move is obviously a must for a defensive set. Roost is better than Recover here since outstalling a slower Groudon is much easier with this set, since a predicted Earthquake from a burnt Groudon on Ho-Oh's faster Roost will not deal too much damage. Finally, Toxic can cripple many common switch-ins such as Rock and Water Arceus, while Whirlwind phazes out setup sweepers such as Extreme Killer Arceus and Geomancy Xerneas.

Set Details
========

Maximum Defense EVs and an Impish nature make Ho-Oh surprisingly durable on the physical side, allowing it to take on threats such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Mewtwo, Foul Play Yveltal, and Lucario without Stone Edge, as long as Stealth Rock is not up. With maximum HP investment, Ho-Oh can tank special attacks just fine thanks to its naturally high Special Defense; however, if you wish to better utilize its gargantuan special bulk, shifting the EVs in Defense to Special Defense can be feasible.

Usage Tips
========

Keep Stealth Rock off of your side of the field in order to help Ho-Oh function optimally. Don't be afraid to do more "reckless" switches into support Arceus formes that Ho-Oh should be able to wall. While offensive sets takes 80-94% from a -Atk Arceus's Stone Edge, this variant of Ho-Oh fares far better against it and can switch out to regain a good portion of the damage through Regenerator. Because of this, the need to scout is somewhat lower.

Do note that even with full defensive investment, Ho-Oh still has trouble taking on some common physical attackers, regardless of whether or not Stealth Rock is up. Zekrom, Groudon, and Mega Mewtwo X (which often carries a Rock-type move) are examples of physical attackers that can bust through Ho-Oh's defenses quite easily. As a mixed defensive tank, Ho-Oh should take advantage of the fact that it can check both physical and special threats. Extreme Killer Arceus, Blaziken, and sometimes even opposing Ho-Oh are physical attackers that this Ho-Oh can switch into.

Although this set has a lot of defensive investment, Ho-Oh's Special Defense is higher, so take on special attackers as you see fit. With Whirlwind, Ho-Oh functions as a great Xerneas counter, should Stealth Rock not be up. It is also notable that Ho-Oh can take on Mega Mewtwo Y under the right circumstances, as Psystrike cannot OHKO it.

Team Options
========

Defog support is a must when using Ho-Oh, and this set is no exception. Arceus formes such as Fairy, Water, Rock, Grass, and Ghost Arceus can provide some synergy with Ho-Oh while also helping it with hazard removal. Giratina-O is not recommended as a Defog user to pair with this Ho-Oh due to this set's more defensively inclined nature. This is because Giratina-O, which has no recovery, is likely to be outlasted by the opposing Stealth Rock user. Mega Scizor can work as a Defog user to pair with this Ho-Oh; although it's quite slow and more prone to Taunt, it can handily check Groudon and semi-check Zekrom, while Ho-Oh can check opposing Ho-Oh in return.

It's always wise to pair Ho-Oh with a Ground-type in order to help deal with Zekrom. Landorus-T and Groudon spring to mind as they can both provide Stealth Rock support. Swords Dance Ground Arceus appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to absorb burns from the likes of Giratina, but keep in mind that there is a big opportunity cost in not using a Defog Arceus with Ho-Oh.

Ho-Oh needs to be paired with a Pokemon that can handle Kyogre, which is usually Palkia. However, if you want to hit two birds with one stone, Water Arceus is viable as both a deterrent for Water-type moves and a Defog user. Grass Arceus is similar except it boasts a strong STAB to hit Kyogre and Groudon with, but comes at the cost of being vulnerable to Mega Gengar. Both of these Arceus formes can also check Rock Arceus extremely well.

Once again, Kyogre is a solid option for pressuring Rock Arceus. Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, and specially defensive variants all fit well with Ho-Oh. Keep in mind that your team will have two Pokemon weak to Electric-type moves, so a Ground-type is nearly mandatory.


Choice Band
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Sleep Talk
ability: Regenerator
item: Choice Band
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Ho-Oh hits extremely hard with Brave Bird. It's guaranteed to OHKO Palkia, 0 HP Kyogre, and many other threats. By equipping a Choice Band instead of a Life Orb, Ho-Oh's Brave Bird is stronger and has lower amounts of recoil damage. With the Defog buff and Regenerator, this set is pretty much the pinnacle of hit and run tactics. If you thought Brave Bird was strong, a sun-boosted Sacred Fire is absolutely ridiculous, being able to OHKO 4 HP Arceus with only Stealth Rock up. It also OHKOes max HP Arceus if it manages to burn! Even the most defensive Groudon variants are guaranteed to fall in two hits, regardless of whether or not Sacred Fire lands a burn.

Earthquake is a solid and powerful coverage move and hits Ho-Oh's best checks and counters very hard. A burned Rock Arceus will find itself in a very sticky spot if it switches in on Earthquake, as the move hits a maximum of about 81% damage. Lastly, Sleep Talk is a good move to have against Darkrai. Ho-Oh's attacks are very powerful and have few drawbacks, so the element of randomness that Sleep Talk introduces isn't as bad as it seems.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack investment is self-explanatory, as along with the Choice Band and high powered STAB moves, it pumps up Ho-Oh's attacking power to extreme levels. With 252 EVs invested in HP, Ho-Oh can tank hits quite well, although the lack of Roost hurts.

There are two alternative EV spreads that this set can use. A faster spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe with a Jolly nature is viable in order to ensure that Ho-Oh has the best chances of outspeeding Pokemon such as neutral natured Choice Specs Kyogre, Yveltal, and Xerneas. The other alternative spread is 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe with an Adamant nature. It retains a lot of the qualities that physically defensive Ho-Oh has, but it trades off Roost for higher attacking power.

Usage Tips
========

It cannot be understated as to how important it is to play the entry hazards game well. Ho-Oh loves having Stealth Rock up on the opponent's side of the field in order to punish possible mispredictions, while also having Stealth Rock off of its side of the field for obvious reasons. Another big reason that it is required to keep Stealth Rock away from Ho-Oh is that this set doesn't have a recovery move and must rely on Regenerator to gain health back. Therefore, it is equally important for this set to utilize Regenerator for maximum recovery - pivot switching in on resisted hits is a big part of how Choice Band Ho-Oh should be played.

Prediction is incredibly important for Ho-Oh; although its attacks are strong and unresisted together, it is good to have a plan as to what to do when initiating combat. There are a few roads you can go here, the first being spamming Sacred Fire with Ho-Oh to spread burns. After the opponent's switch-ins are burnt, Ho-Oh can pressure them harder with its coverage moves. However, if you want to take advantage of an obvious Kyogre switch-in to sponge a Sacred Fire, then by all means do it. If you suspect that Rock Arceus is your opponent's Arceus forme, then throw out Earthquake early in situations where it's safe to do so.

Team Options
========

Always use Defog support with Ho-Oh. Aside from the common support Arceus, Defog Giratina-O can work on a team with Choice Band Ho-Oh since you are aiming to smash the opposition faster than with other sets, making Giratina-O's inability to Defog consistently throughout the game less of a problem. Thunder Wave support from teammates such as Groudon, Lugia, and Kyogre can also be a big help. Being faster than the opponent gives Ho-Oh more time to dish out hits without worrying about the possibility of Brave Bird's recoil bringing it down.

Drought support from Groudon is nice, and most other Ground-types are also good teammates. Landorus-T, for example, functions similarly to Groudon. Swords Dance Ground Arceus can be a good partner if you have a Defog user that is not another Arceus forme. Since Ho-Oh pressures Giratina, Bronzong, and Landorus-T, which are common counters to Ground Arceus, it will get better opportunities to sweep. Palkia, Water Arceus, Grass Arceus, or another check to Kyogre is mandatory as well, but luckily, Kyogre's checks tend to synergize well with Ho-Oh.


Other Options
========

Ho-Oh has some other options to use. Choice Scarf is an interesting one, as it allows Ho-Oh to revenge kill Mega Mewtwo X and other threats. However, the loss in power and bulk makes this choice discouraged. Thunder Wave is an excellent way to support Ho-Oh, but the move leaves it with a bit of four-moveslot syndrome, as it cannot use both Substitute and Thunder Wave without giving up on either coverage or recovery. However, if foregoing Substitute, Ho-Oh can paralyze fast switch-ins such as Kyogre and Arceus, making it far from useless. Punishment can be used to punish Calm Mind Ghost Arceus, but Sacred Fire usually hits hard enough and Calm Mind Ghost Arceus is much rarer than it used to be.


Checks & Counters
########

Ho-Oh is incredibly difficult to counter. It must be worked around with maximum caution if it gets in safely. Even teams that have some of the checks and counters listed below can still fall to Ho-Oh's might. The main reason is that Ho-Oh can always go for Earthquake along with its STAB moves to retain perfect coverage. The other reason is Ho-Oh's inability to be worn down without Stealth Rock being up on its side of the field. Teams can either carry solid switch-ins (though their success is far from guaranteed) or pressure it with Stealth Rock and offensive pressure.

**Stealth Rock**: The number one counter to Ho-Oh is not a Pokemon, but this entry hazard. Stealth Rock strips 50% of Ho-Oh's health every time it switches in, limiting its ability to heal itself and tank hits. Since every team should have Stealth Rock, this analysis won't go in depth about which user to carry. The important thing is how you play your Stealth Rock user. It is of grave importance to wear Ho-Oh's Defog supporter down and try to keep your Stealth Rock user alive if you want to keep rocks up against Ho-Oh. Usually something as simple as Toxic on your Stealth Rock user can go a long way, considering that it cripples Defog Arceus. What is also important to realize is that all checks to Ho-Oh function somewhat differently, and therefore they cannot be lumped together in sections as with other Pokemon.

**Rock Arceus**: This is the Pokemon that has the best chance of switching in and safely forcing Ho-Oh out. It resists Ho-Oh's dual STABs but it is weak to Earthquake. Thankfully, it is faster and can OHKO Ho-Oh with Judgment.

**Water Arceus**: Even though a 252 HP variant of Water Arceus takes more than 50% from a Life Orb-boosted Brave Bird, it can switch into Sacred Fire and Earthquake and do about 50% to Ho-Oh in return with a super effective Judgment. However, it has a tough time switching into Ho-Oh in sun. A physically defensive variant of this Pokemon can perform the task a bit better though.

**Hippowdon**: Hippowdon isn't 2HKOed by any Life Orb-boosted hit, but the Choice Band set rips it apart with consecutive Brave Birds. Hippowdon has reliable recovery and Stealth Rock, so it qualifies as a good sponge for Ho-Oh's attacks, but cannot hurt it back directly.

**Kyogre**: By far the most practical way of handling Ho-Oh is with offensive pressure. Kyogre is often faster than Ho-Oh as it invests in Speed, and it can force Ho-Oh out and dish out impressive damage to its counters as well. Defensive variants of Kyogre are 2HKOed by a Life Orb-boosted Brave Bird while offensive sets have a chance of getting OHKOed, so Kyogre has a hard time switching in. Switching in on Sacred Fire is usually fine due to its resistance to Fire-type moves.

**Heatran**: Heatran is another Pokemon that resists both of Ho-Oh's STAB moves. Heatran is similar to Hippowdon in that it can set up Stealth Rock, but it takes Brave Birds better and totally shuts down Sacred Fire. However, it has a very exploitable 4x weakness to Earthquake.

**Tyranitar**: Tyranitar hates burns, but can provide Stealth Rock support, and even when burnt, can do a ton of damage to Ho-Oh with Stone Edge. However, Tyranitar is weak to Earthquake.

**Groudon**: Groudon can force Ho-Oh out with offensive pressure. A fast Earth Plate Groudon can OHKO Ho-Oh with Stone Edge or set up Stealth Rock as it flees. Groudon can switch in if there's an emergency, but it fears burns and inconveniently boosts Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire with Drought, meaning it cannot get in without taking major damage.

**Landorus-T**: Thanks to Intimidate, Landorus-T sponges Ho-Oh's attacks quite well, and while it fears burns, it has access to Stealth Rock and doesn't boost Ho-Oh's attacks like Groudon does. It also carries Stone Edge, which will OHKO Ho-Oh as long as Landorus-T isn't burnt. Intimidate makes it easier for Landorus-T's teammates to switch in.

**Physically Defensive Ho-Oh**: Physically defensive Ho-Oh can work as a decent sponge for any move except for Brave Bird. Alongside a Pokemon that resists Flying-type moves, it is especially useful against Choice Band sets, as Ho-Oh can switch in to scout, regenerate its health, and switch to the resistance if it gets in on Brave Bird.

**Zekrom**: Zekrom resists Ho-Oh's STAB moves and provides offensive pressure, something few other Pokemon can do. However, Zekrom generally fears the possibility of a Sacred Fire burn too much to switch in directly. However, if it gets in, it forces Ho-Oh out and can potentially build momentum via Volt Switch.

**Revenge Killers**: Aside from the aforementioned Zekrom, Kyogre, Groudon, etc. there are some other revenge killers that can be used as a last resort to force Ho-Oh out. Terrakion and Mega Mewtwo X with Stone Edge are two examples.

**Lures**: As Ho-Oh's 4x weakness to Rock is very apparent, luring it out is a very good strategy. Rock Slide Xerneas, Head Smash Aegislash, Stone Edge Grass and Fairy Arceus, Stone Edge Giratina-O, and Stone Edge Mega Lucario are some popular lures that Ho-Oh can fall to with some smart play. The key with Stone Edge Arceus is generally to lure Ho-Oh into a false sense of security and then to smack it when it is in OHKO range, as a 252 HP Ho-Oh “only” takes 80-94 % from a support Arceus's Stone Edge.

**Toxic**: As Ho-Oh has enormous staying power, putting Toxic on a Pokemon that it commonly switches into, such as Aegislash, can put it on a timer and rack up residual damage, especially with recoil from Life Orb and Brave Bird.
Overview
########

Ho-Oh is a massive force in the Ubers tier. Boasting a good base 130 Attack, two extremely potent STAB moves in Sacred Fire and Brave Bird, a massive 154 base Special Defense, a wonderful ability in Regenerator, and reliable recovery in Roost, Ho-Oh is a resilient bulky attacker capable of 2HKOing the majority of Pokemon in the tier. While its Fire- and Flying- typings complement each other very well offensively for excellent neutral coverage in, the tier, ity also brings it a glaring 4x weakness to Rock-type moves, causing Ho-Oh to lose half of its health if it switches in while Stealth Rock is up on its side of the field. However, this weakness is not as bad as it appears, as the buff to Defog introduced a new means of removing Stealth Rock, which is generally more reliable than Rapid Spin and Magic Bounce ever were. But even with this buff, Ho-Oh's 4x weakness to Rock-type moves is still exploitable, as most Rock-type moves thrown around in the tier will fell it in one or two hits.


Tank
########
name: Tank
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Roost / Recover
move 4: Substitute / Earthquake
ability: Regenerator
item: Life Orb
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Brave Bird is really strong STAB move that hits practically 2HKOes anything Pokemon that doesn't resist it, including max HP Arceus formes. It also 2HKOes any Kyogre variant thanks to the boost from Life Orb. Speaking ofThe recoil from Life Orb, the recoil andding up together with Brave Birds side-effect can be quite upsetting at times, but don't forget that in conjunction with youRegenerator and the recovery move of your choice and Regenerator, the lost HP can be gained back quite easily. Its secondary STAB move, Sacred Fire, is extremely potent. Even if a Pokemon that resists it switches in on this move, Ho-Oh still has a 50% chance tof leaveing it with a burn, assuming it hits. Few switch-ins enjoy the residual damage from burns, with Arceus formes such as Water and Rock being prime examples. The burn rate really discourages just about all physical attackers from switching into Ho-oOh, as a burn will render them useless for the rest of the game. Zekrom, whoich resists both of Ho-Oh's STAB moves, is a good example of this. Under harsh sunlight, Sacred Fire is also boosted by 50%, making it Ho-Oh's strongest attack to the point where the, and has a good chance of 2HKOing even the most defensive variants of Groudon is quite prevalent. It cannot be understated that Sacred Fire's power in combination with its side effect is what makes Ho-Oh such a difficult Pokemon to directly switch into.

A recovery move is mandatory. When a Pokemon has Regenerator, a base 154 Special Defense, a base 130 Attack, and two near-ly unresisted STAB moves, that's already pushing it. Giving it Roost is almost taking the term bulky attacker too far, as with it, Ho-Oh's longevity easily outmatches just about everything else in the game, as long as Stealth Rock is off the field. The choice between Roost and Recover is a preference issue. Roost will help yous Ho-Oh against some would-be super effective hits, especially with paralysis support, while Recover is nice against Earthquake users that are trying to predict yourwhen it will landing. However, with Recover, Pokemon likesuch as a burned Groudon can easily get back to smashing Ho-Oh with Stone Edge after you reveal the move, so beware.

Substitute eases prediction, and it's rather easy for Ho-Oh to recover the lost health anyway. In conjunction with a Toxic lure for Ho-Oh's biggest counter, Rock Arceus, this move puts a lot of pressure on said counter by repeatedly usforcing Substitute as it switches in to rack up Toxic damage. Since yourAs Ho-Oh's attacks are very powerful, a free Substitute can sometimes means that your opponent will almost always have to sacrifice a Pokemon such as Kyogre just to break your it. One of the biggest assets of Substitute being able tois that Ho-Oh can take advantage of the free turns that couldan come with potential paralysis support . Against paralyzed threats such as Xerneas and Palkia (in sun) that you m, Ho-Oh canage to paralyze, you will be able to spam Substitute and Roost until they getare fully paralyzed, giving youit a free Substitute. If Substitute isn't your thing, Earthquake is very viable as it 2HKOes Tyranitar, Zekrom, and Rock Arceus, while OHKOing Heatran. However, giving up on Substitute means youHo-Oh will have a tougher time protecting youritself from revenge killers and status.

Ho-Oh also has two options that can go in the last move slot to attempt to patch up its mediocre Speed. The first one, Flame Charge, has the advantage of dealings damage at the same timend provides as boosting, and the to Ho-Oh's Speed boost given is permanentthat remains until Ho-Ohit switches out. The other option, Tailwind, doubles Ho-Oh's Speed as well as doubling anythose of its teammate's Speed as well. However, Tailwind only lasts for three turns, so the boost is quite inconsistent. The opportunity cost ofor losing Substitute or Earthquake is also quite large, but if your team needs the specific advantages that either of these two moves bring, then by all means, use them. Also, remember to invest in Speed accordingly - Flame Charge sets generally needs max Speed investment in order to outspeed Mega Mewtwo Y after one boost, while Tailwind sets like having 176 Speed EVs to outspeed Choice Scarf Terrakion while Tailwind is in play.

Set Details
========

This set appreciates the high damage output that comes with Life Orb, but Leftovers is still usable if you want to increase yourHo-Oh's tanking ability and mitigate recoil damage. However, the power loss is quite large, as for example, defensive Kyogre can only be 3HKOed while defensive Giratina is only 4HKOed.

An Adamant nature with maximum Attack investment in Attack is rather self-explanatory for a bulky attacker like Ho-Oh, and it is usually is the best option to maximize yourits damage output. However, settling for a specialized number catered to a specific team's needs is of course viable as well. 252 HP EVs gives youHo-Oh great bulk, allowing youit to cushion most neutral special attacks comfortably.

Usage Tips
========

For optimal performance, Ho-Oh will need Stealth Rock off its own side of this field in order to reliably switch in and take maximum advantage of Regenerator. It is therefore important to play your Defog user or Rapid Spinner in such a way so that it outlasts the opponents Stealth Rock setter. Keep in mind that Arceus formes, the most common Defog users, Arceus, isare vulnerable to Toxic, so keep them away from Stealth Rock users that carry the move at all time possible. When you sehave the chance tof getting Ho-oOh in to do some damage, take ithat chance. Dishing out hits and regenerating yourHo-Oh's health puts a lot of pressure on opponents, especially if they don't carry a dedicated check to it.

As Ho-Oh has a very exploitable weakness, it is important to properly scout for surprise Rock-type moves properly. Mixed Xerneas can use Rock Slide, Giratina-O can possiblcarry have Stone Edge, and Aegislash can have Head Smash in its arsenal. Even the possibility some Arceus formes carry Stone Edge it just to ruin yourHo-Oh's day exists. Understanding how metagame defining Ho-Oh is and accepting that players can prepare and use moves just for it should always be accounted for. As Ho-Oh is brutally weak to Stealth Rock, another thing to keep in mind is to ge entry hazard must be kept rid off it from the field, whichtherefore requiresing a teammate's support.

Do not make the mistake of using this set as your only way to stop a boosted Xerneas. It's hard to rely on Defog at all times, and Ho-Oh can'not OHKO Xerneas either. In general, use Ho-oOh as the powerful wallbreaker it is, but don't rely on it as a check to too much stuffany Pokemon. Try to build your team in a way so that you can use Ho-Oh's qualities to their maximum potential, but at thmake samure time in a way so that it woisn't be overly reliant on Ho-Oh to's performance.

Team Options
========

Defog support is on the brink of mandatory when using Ho-Oh. Rapid Spin works too, but the spinners themselves are underpowerered by Ubers standards. However, spinning can still work with some smart teambuilding. The most reliable Defog users are the Arceus formes due to their high Speed, good bulk, and access to Recover. Water Arceus has pretty good synergy with Ho-Oh, taking on Kyogre, Groudon, and Rock Arceus quite well. Grass Arceus floats in the same boat, but is weaker to the omnipresent Gengar and has a hard time fitting in Stone Edge on its Defog set, meaning you'llthat it gives opposing Ho-Oh a lot of free turns. Since Grass Arceus Grass is generally very weak to Ho-Oh, this can limit your teambuilding options a lot. Fairy Arceus is another notable Defog user, as just like most Arceus formes, it can cripple the Stealth Rock users that also happen to check Ho-Oh, such as Landorus-T and Groudon. Some less common Defog users are viable as well. Lugia can act as an extra wall and check a lot of thingsPokemon, while Scizor helps out tremendously when it comes to making your team solid against Geomancy Xerneas.

Groudon is another terrific teammate. I, as it takes on Zekrom pretty well and can sets up Stealth Rock for your team, something thatwhich Ho-Oh appreciates. Entry hazards it heaps up the pressure on anything the opposing team would wanPokemon that try to switch into itHo-Oh. Groudon's ability, Drought, also provides Ssun support, and despite only lasting five turns, it is still sufficient, considering that Ho-Oh has an easy time coming in against some thingsPokemon that threaten Groudon in the sun, such as Palkia, Grass Arceus, and Kyurem-White. Landorus-T is a good partner as well. While Groudon can phaze, use Thunder Wave, orand strike with Fire-type moves, Landorus-T has the ability tobetter checks Mega- Blaziken opposing Groudon better.

Palkia deserves a mention as a good teammate as well. It has great synergy with Ho-Oh, as it checks all Kyogre variants, and the combined force of the two threats pressures defensive teams. Lastly, Ho-Oh fits quite well together with Kyogre,; Ho-Oh can help by checking Grass Arceus, and while Kyogre can pressure Rock Arceus for Ho-Oh.

Any Pokemon with Thunder Wave is a good partner for Ho-Oh, as it can possibly get free Substitutes or outspeed thingsPokemon it normally woulddoesn't. Groudon, Lugia, Kyogre, Klefki, Thundurus, and Dialga are some examples of common Thunder Wave users, but a lot of other Ubers such as Palkia can learn the move too, so cater the support to your team's needs.


Physically Defensive
########
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Roost / Recover
move 4: Toxic / Whirlwind
ability: Regenerator
item: Leftovers
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spde
nature: Impish

Moves
========

Brave Bird is mandatory on this set, as well. Iit hits decently hard without investment, and having such attacking power for a defensively inclined Pokéemon differentiates itHo-Oh from Giratina and Lugia. Sacred Fire is especially useful on this set for its side effect. Spreading burns on physical attackers makes them easier to wall, and the residual damage can help with stalling out threats that cannot recover health. A recovery move is obviously a must for a defensive set. Roost is better than Recover here since outstalling a slower Groudon is much easier with this set, since a predicted Earthquake from a burnt Groudon on Ho-Oh's faster Roost will not deal too much damage. Finally, Toxic can cripple many common switch-ins likesuch as Rock and Water Arceus, while Whirlwind phazes out set up sweepers likesuch as Extreme Killer Arceus and Geomancy Xerneas.

Set Details
========

Maximum Defense EVs and an Impish nature make Ho-Oh surprisingly durable on the physical side, allowing it to take on threats such such as Extreme Killer Arceus, Mewtwo, Foul Play Yveltal, and Lucario without Stone Edge, as long as Stealth Rock is not up. With maximum HP investment, Ho-Oh can tank special attacks just fine thanks to its naturally high Special Defense,; however, if you wish to better utilize its gargantuan special bulk, shiftinvestg the EVs ing all Defense EVs into Special Defense instead can be feasible if it fits your team's needs.

Usage Tips
========

Again, kKeep Stealth Rock off of your side of the field in order to help Ho-Oh function optimally. Don't be afraid to do more "reckless" switches into support Arceus formes that youHo-Oh should be able to wall with this set. While offensive sets takes 80-94% from a -Atk Arceus's Stone Edge, this variant of Ho-Oh fares far better against it, so you and can mostly just switch out to regain a good portion of the damage through Regenerator anyway. Because of this, the need to scout is somewhat lower.

Do note that even with full defensive investment, Ho-Oh still has trouble taking on some common physical attackers, regardless of whether or not Stealth Rock is up. Zekrom, Groudon, and Mega Mewtwo X (which often carries a Rock-type move) are examples of physical attackers that can bust through Ho-Oh's defenses quite easily. As a mixed defensive tank, Ho-Oh should take advantage of the fact that it can check both physical and special threats. Extreme Killer Arceus, Blaziken, and sometimes even otherpposing Ho-Oh are physical attackers that this Ho-Oh can switch into.

Even Although this set has a lot of defensive investment, Ho-Oh's Special Defense is still higher, so take on special attackers as you see it fit. Especially wWith Whirlwind, Ho-Oh functions as a great Xerneas counter, should Stealth Rock not be up. It is also notable that Ho-Oh can take on Mega Mewtwo Y under the right circumstances, as Psystrike cannot OHKO it.

Team Options
========

As explained previously, Defog support is a must when using Ho-Oh, and this set is no exception. Arceus formes such as Fairy, Water, Rock, Grass, and Ghost Arceus can provide some synergy with Ho-Oh while also helping it with hazard removal. Giratina-O is not recommended as a a Defog user to pair with this Ho-Oh due to this set's more defensively inclined nature, meaning that. This is because Giratina-O, whoich has no recovery, is likely to be outlasted by the opposing Stealth Rock user. Mega Scizor can work as a Defog user to pair with this Ho-Oh. A; although it's quite slow and more prone to Taunt, Scizorit can handily check Groudon and semi -check Zekrom, while Ho-Oh can check opposing Ho-Oh in return.

It's always wise to pair Ho-Oh with a Ground-type Pokémon in order to help deal with Zekrom. Landorus-T and Groudon spring to mind as they can both provide Stealth Rock support. Swords Dance Ground Arceus appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to absorb burns from the likes of Giratina, but keep in mind that there is a big opportunity cost toin not using a Defog Arceus with Ho-Oh.

Ho-Oh needs to be paired with somethinga Pokemon that can handle Kyogre. That something, which is usually Palkia. However, but if you want to hit two birds inwith one stone, then Water Arceus is viable as both a deterrent for Water-type moves and a Defog user. Grass Arceus is similar, except it boasts a strong STAB to hit Kyogre and Groudon with, but comes at the cost of a tendency to get removed from the game bybeing vulnerable to Mega Gengar. Both of these Arceus formes can also check Rock Arceus extremely well.

Once again, Kyogre is a solid option for pressuring Rock Arceus. Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, orand specially defensive variants all fit well with Ho-Oh. Keep in mind that your team will have two Pokemon weak to Electric-weak Pokemontype moves, so a Ground-type is nearly mandatory.


Choice Band
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Brave Bird
move 2: Sacred Fire
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Sleep Talk
ability: Regenerator
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
nature: Adamant

Moves
========

Ho-Oh hits extremely hard as hell with Brave Bird. It's guaranteed to OHKO Palkia, 0 HP Kyogre, and many other threats. By equipping a Choice Band instead of a Life Orb, Ho-Oh's Brave Bird is stronger and thas lower amounts of recoil damage is lower. With the Defog buff and Regenerator, this set is pretty much the pinnacle of hit and run tactics. If you thought Brave Bird was strong, a sun-boosted Sacred Fire is absolutely ridiculous, being able to OHKO 4 HP Arceus with only Stealth Rock up. It also OHKOes max HP Arceus with the help of aif it manages to burn! Even the most defensive Groudon variants are guaranteed to fall in two hits, regardless of whether or not Sacred Fire lands a burn.

Earthquake is a solid and powerful coverage move and hits Ho-Oh's best checks and counters very hard. A burned Rock Arceus will find itself in a very sticky spot if it switches in on an Earthquake when burned from, a previous assault, since Earthquakthe move hits a maximum of about 81% damage. Lastly, Sleep Talk is a good move to have against Darkrai. YourHo-Oh's attacks are very powerful and withave few drawbacks, so the elemeaning thent of random pick factorness that Sleep Talk introduces isn't as bad as it seems.

Set Details
========

Maximum Attack investment is self-explanatory, as along with the Choice Band and high powered STAB moves, it pumps up Ho-Oh's attacking power to extreme levels. With 252 EVs invested in HP, Ho-Oh's ability to can tank hits is retained quite well, although the lack off Roost hurts that aspect of it.

There are two alternative EV spreads that this set couldan use. A faster spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spde with a Jolly nature is viable in order to ensure maximumthat Ho-Oh has the best chances of outspeeding Pokemon such as netutral natured Choice Specs Kyogre, Yveltal, and Xerneas. The other alternative spread is 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spde with an Adamant nature. It retains a lot of the qualities that physically defensive Ho-Oh has, but it trades off Roost for higher attacking power.

Usage Tips
========

It cannot be understated as to how important it is to play the entry hazards game well when using. Ho-Oh. This applies even more for this set, as it lik loves having Stealth Rock up on the opponent's side of the field in order to punish possible mispredictions, while also having Stealth Rock off of its side of the field for obvious reasons. Another big reason that it is absolutely detrimentalrequired to keep Stealthem off Rock away from Ho-Oh is that this set doesn't have a recovery move and must rely on Regenerator to gain health back. Therefore, it is equally important for this set to utilize Regenerator for maximum recovery - pivot switching in on resisted hits and such is a big part of how to play a Choice Banded Ho-Oh.

The second part hould be played.

Prediction this set's usage is the key of pncrediction. Even bly important for Ho-Oh; although Ho-Oh'its attacks are strong and unresisted together, it is good to have a plan as ton what to do when initiating combat. There are a few roads you can go here, the first being throwspamming out Sacred Fires all over withe place Ho-Oh to spread burns. After the opponent's switch-ins are burnt, Ho-Oh can pressure them harder with its coverage moves. However, if you want to take advantage of an obvious Kyogre switch-in to sponge a Sacred Fire, then by all means do it. If you suspect that Rock Arceus to beis your opponent's Arceus forme, then throw out an Earthquake early in situations where it's safe to do so.

Team Options
========

Always use Defog support with Ho-Oh. Aside from the common support Arceus, Defog Giratina-O can work on a team with a Choice Band Ho-Oh since you are aiming to smash up the opposition faster than with other sets, which makesing Giratina-O's inability to Defog consistently throughout the game is less of a problem. Thunder Wave support from teammates such as Groudon, Lugia, orand Kyogre can also be a big help. Being faster than the opponent gives Ho-Oh more time to dish out hits without worrying about the possibility of Brave Bird's recoil bringing it down.

As usual, Drought support from Groudon is nice. M, and most other Ground-types are also good teammates. Landorus-T, for example, functions similarly to Groudon. Swords Dance Ground Arceus can be a good partner if you have a Defog user that is not another Arceus forme. Since Ho-Oh pressures Giratina, Bronzong, and Landorus-T, which are common counters to Ground Arceus, it will get better opportunities to sweep. Palkia, Water Arceus, Grass Arceus, or anyothing else you can find for checking to Kyogre is mandatory as well, but luckily, Kyogre's checks tend to synergize well with Ho-Oh.


Other Options
========

Ho-Oh has some other options to use. Choice Scarf is an interesting one, as it allows Ho-Oh to revenge kill Mega Mewtwo X and other threats. However, the loss in power and bulk makes this choice discouraged. Thunder Wave is an excellent form ofway to support for Ho-Oh, but Ho-Oh using it itselfthe move leaves it with a bit of four -moveslot syndrome, foras it won't be able tocannot use both Substitute and Thunder Wave without hagiving to give up on either coverage or recovery. However, if foregoing Substitute, Ho-Oh can always throw out paralysis onze fast switch-ins such as Kyogre and Arceus, making it far from useless. Punishment can be used to punish Calm Mind Ghost Arceus, but Sacred Fire usually hits hard enough and Calm Mind Ghost Arceus is much rarer than it used to be, making this option useless.


Checks & Counters
########

Ho-Oh is incredibly difficult to counter. It must be treadworked around with maximum caution if it gets in safely. Even teams that have some of the checks and counters listed below can still fall to Ho-Oh's might. The main reason is that Ho-Oh can always go for Earthquake along with its STAB moves to retain perfect coverage. The other reason is Ho-Oh's inability to be worn down without Stealth Rock being up on its side of the field. Teams have the options ofcan either havingcarry solid switch-ins (buthough their success is far from guareanteed) or having a sufficient plan at pressuring Ho-Oh with boe it with Stealth Rock and offensive pressure.

**Stealth Rock**: The number one counter to Ho-Oh is not a Pokemon, it isbut this entry hazard. The rStealth Rocks strips 50% of Ho-Oh's health every time it switches in, limiting its ability's to healing capabilities as well as thef and tanking power of the phoenix itself. Since every team should have Stealth Rock, this analysis won't go in depth about which oneuser to usecarry. The important thing is how you play your Stealth Rock user. It is of absolute grave importance to wear Ho-Oh's Defog supporter down and try to keep your Stealth Rock user alive if you want to keep rocks up against Ho-Oh. Usually something as simple as Toxic on your Stealth Rock user can go a long way, considering that it cripples Defog Arceus really badly. What is also important to realize is that all checks to Ho-Oh function somewhat differently, and therefore they cannot be lumped together in sections as with other Pokéemon.

**Rock Arceus**: This is the single Pokemon that has the best chances of switching in and safely forcing Ho-Oh out. It resists Ho-Oh's dual STABs but it is weak to Earthquake. Thankfully, it is faster and can OHKO Ho-Oh with Judgment.

**Water Arceus**: Even though a 252 HP variant of Water Arceus takes abovemore than 50% from a Life Orb -boosted Brave Bird, it can still switch into Sacred Fire and Earthquake and do about 50% to Ho-Oh in return with a super effective Judgment. However, it will haves a tough time switching into a Ho-Oh in sun. A physically defensive variant of this Pokemon can perform the task a bit better, though.

**Hippowdown**: Hippowdown isn't 2HKOed by any Life Orb -boosted hit, but the Choice Band set rips it apart with two consectutive Brave Birds. The hHippowdon has reliable recovery and Stealth Rock to boot, so it qualifies as a good sponge for Ho-Oh's attacks, but it can't reallynot hurt it back directly.

**Kyogre**: By far the most practical way of handling Ho-Oh is with offensive pressure. Kyogre is often faster than Ho-Oh as it invests in Speed, and it can then force Ho-Oh out and dish out impressive damage to its counters as well. As for switching in, even the most dDefensive variants of Kyogre are 2HKOed by a simple Life Orb-boosted Brave Bird, while offensive sets have a chance of getting OHKOed, so Kyogre has a hard time switching in. Switching in on Sacred Fire is usually fine due to its resistance to Fire-type rmovesistance.

**Heatran**: AHeatran is another Pokemon that resists both of Ho-Oh's STAB moves. Heatran is similar to Hippowdown in that it can set up Stealth Rock against Ho-Oh, but it takes Brave Birds better and totally shuts down Sacred Fire. However, it has a very exploitable 4x weakness to Ho-Oh's favorite coverage move, Earthquake.

**Tyranitar**: Tyranitar hates burns, but does alsocan provide Stealth Rock combined with the fact thatsupport, a Stone Edge, even when burnt, willcan do a ton of damage to Ho-Oh with Stone Edge. However, Tyranitar is also weak to Earthquake.

**Groudon**: Groudon is canother way of forcing oute Ho-Oh out with offensive pressure. A fast Earth Plate Groudon can OHKO Ho-Oh with Stone Edge or set up Stealth Rock on theas it fleeing bird. Its. Groudon can switch in if there's an emergency, but it fears burns and inconveniently boosts Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire with Drought, meaning it cannot really get in without taking major damage.

** Landorus-T**: Thanks to Intimidate, Landorus-T sponges Ho-Oh's attacks quite well, and while it fears the burns, it does havehas access to Stealth Rock to set up and doesn't boost Ho-Oh's attacks like Groudon does. It also carries Stone Edge, which will OHKO Ho-Oh as long as Landorus-T isn't burnt. Intimidate also makes it easier for Landorus-T's teammates to switch in.

**Physically Defensive Ho-Oh**: Physically defensive Ho-Oh can work as a decent sponge for anything move except for Brave Bird. IAlongside a Pokemon that resists Flying-type moves, it is especially useful against Choice Band sets that incorporate a Flying-type resistance. This way,, as Ho-Oh can switch in to scout, regenerate its health, and switch to the resistance if it gets in on a Brave Bird.

**Zekrom**: Interestingly enough, Zekrom both resists Ho-Oh's STAB moves and provides offensive pressure as well, something few other Pokemon can do. In practice, hHowever, Zekrom tends togenerally fears the possibility of a Sacred Fire burn too much to switch in directly unless it has to, but. However, if it gets in, it forces Ho-Oh out and can possibtentially build momentum via Volt Switch.

**Faster Pokemon that can OHKORevenge Killers**: Aside from the aforementioned Zekrom, Kyogre, Groudon, etc. there are some other revenge killers that can be used as a last resort to force Ho-Oh out. Terrakion and Mega Mewtwo X with Stone Edge are two examples of this.

**Lures**: SinceAs Ho-Oh's 4x weakness to Rock is very apparent, luring it out isually a very good strategy to exploit it in the forme of lures. Rock Slide Xerneas, Head Smash Aegislash, Stone Edge Grass orand Fairy Arceus, Stone Edge Giratina-O, and Stone Edge Mega Lucario are some popular lures that Ho-Oh can fall to with some smart play. The key with Stone Edge Arceus is generally to lure Ho-Oh into a false sense of security and then to smack it when it is in the OHKO range, as a 252 HP Ho-Oh “only” takes 80-94 % from a support Arceus's Stone Edge.

**Toxic**: Lastly, sinceAs Ho-Oh has enormous staying power, putting Toxic on a Pokemon that it commonly switches in to, such as Aegislash, can at least putput it on a timer on the phoenix and racks up residual damage, especially with recoil from Life Orb and Brave Bird.
GP 2/2
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I noticed that you have Electric Arceus mentioned in your skeleton, but He's nowhere to be found in the actual analysis. Is this an error on your part, or does He not seem like an effective check/counter?
 
i didn't actually read the entire analysis so this may not be all, but just pointing this out - there are some pretty gaping typos at like the very top of the page lol

e.g. in the overview: "Ubers tier" and "they also brings it"

moves section of the first set: "hits practically 2HKOes"
 
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Not too sure how big of a mention it deserves but physically defensive Yveltal does 60% minimum with Foul Play against 252+ Atk Ho-Oh, meaning it checks offensive sets after Stealth Rock. It only takes 62.1% maximum from Choice Band Brave Bird too, the most damaging attack Ho-Oh can muster doesn't come close to OHKOing after Stealth Rock. It's not too reliable though, Foul Play is affected by burn and the amount of EVs Ho-Oh invests into Atk, Stealth Rock support is required to even stand a chance to check.
 
I wonder if 224 HP EVs is worth a slight mention the Set Details of the Defensive Bird set. The only real reason to use those specific EVs is because it gives you a perfect Regenerator HP number and leaves it odd. I'm not sure if it should get a mention, or if this is an optimization that players should make in their own. It's more of a fun fact than anything because of how minute the difference is.
 
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