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QC 3/3 (Cynara, Minority, CKW)
GP 2/2 (A Cake Wearing A Hat, Fireflame479)
[OVERVIEW]
* Ho-Oh stands out in Ubers as both a defensive and offensive cornerstone to balance teams.
* The combination of Ho-Oh's typing, stats, movepool, and most importantly, Regenerator offer the potential to fulfill multiple roles, ranging from a Defog user to an offensive wallbreaker.
* Regenerator is the most important aspect of Ho-Oh's viability. It helps to offset the many forms of residual damage it may face and also makes it very difficult to take down without proper Stealth Rock support, and the user of Stealth Rock may have to contend with Ho-Oh itself to keep Stealth Rock up.
* From a defensive standpoint, Ho-Oh's resistances to Fire, Fairy, and Steel and immunity to Ground when combined with its high Special Defense offer it great matchups against many top threats in Ubers such as Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM, Yveltal, and Xerneas.
* This extends to Ho-Oh's potential as a Defog user, as it is capable of switching into and using Defog against most Stealth Rock variants of Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM.
* Ho-Oh is also very threatening offensively, as its STAB coverage when paired with the threat of Toxic makes it a nightmare to switch into, regardless of its role on a team.
* The main drawback to Ho-Oh is that the requirement of additional anti-hazard support limits the teams it can fit into. Being forced out by the common Zygarde-C and Mega Salamence is also a notable downside that can limit its effectiveness.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Defog / Brave Bird
item: Leftovers
ability: Regenerator
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 52 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
* Sacred Fire is Ho-Oh's ideal STAB move, and it combines well with Toxic to put a lot of pressure on Pokemon that attempt to switch in due to its high burn rate. Without Sacred Fire, Steel-types such as Necrozma-DM are capable of easily forcing Ho-Oh out and setting Stealth Rock against it.
* Recover is necessary to keep Ho-Oh healthy, as Regenerator cannot be solely relied on to maintain longevity. Recover is chosen over Roost to prevent predicted Ground-type moves from the likes of Primal Groudon from catching Ho-Oh as it attempts to heal.
* Toxic alongside Sacred Fire spreads status very easily, as the threat of Sacred Fire prevents Steel-types from switching in to take Toxic. It also makes beating various Arceus formes far easier and puts a lot of pressure on Primal Groudon.
* Defog may seem strange on a Pokemon that is 4x weak to Stealth Rock, but the common Stealth Rock setters in Ubers such as Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM tend to lack the coverage to set Stealth Rock and feasibly beat Ho-Oh at the same time. Ho-Oh's matchup against Spikes setters such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn is also very one sided, making it an attractive choice to keep entry hazards away.
* Brave Bird can be used if the removal of entry hazards is sufficiently covered elsewhere and offers more damage against most Pokemon resistant to Sacred Fire such as Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. Fighting-types such as Marshadow and Mega Blaziken are also hit much harder by Brave Bird.
Set Details
========
* Maximum HP investment alongside 52 Special Defense EVs prevent +2 Xerneas from OHKOing Ho-Oh with Thunder.
* A notable trait of maximum HP investment is that Ho-Oh hits 416 HP, which means that it will gain 26 HP from Leftovers recovery compared to 25 if running 248 HP EVs. This Ho-Oh set prefers to avoid Stealth Rock damage as much as possible, so the use of an even HP number is a good trade off.
* The remaining EVs go into Ho-Oh's lesser Defense stat with an Impish nature so it can better handle physical attacks from the likes of Marshadow, avoiding a 2HKO from Spectral Thief.
* Leftovers and Regenerator provide Ho-Oh with a means of constant healing, minimizing chip damage from the likes of Toxic, resisted attacks, and Brave Bird recoil.
Usage Tips
========
* Ho-Oh's main priority with this set is to be a durable check to top threats. Ho-Oh has a good matchup against Primal Groudon, Necrozma-DM, and Marshadow variants that lack Rock-type moves, and it also does well against most Xerneas and Yveltal variants.
* If used as a Defogger, some risky assessments may have to be made to ensure Ho-Oh is not switching into an unfavorable matchup. Switching into an unscouted Primal Groudon or Necrozma-DM can lead to a nasty surprise if they are carrying Rock-type coverage. Look out for indications that Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM are not using an offensive set, such as the usage of Overheat or Toxic from Primal Groudon and Leftovers recovery on Necrozma-DM, to make a better judgment.
* At the same time, Ho-Oh needs to switch into the usage of Stealth Rock before it can take damage from it if it wants to successfully use Defog. If in doubt, switch to a secondary check that can take on Primal Groudon or Necrozma-DM, assuming they are carrying Rock-type coverage.
* Passive Steel-types such as Skarmory and Ferrothorn are easily dealt with by Ho-Oh. Magearna is an odd case, as it can pivot out with Volt Switch when Ho-Oh comes in, making it a bit more annoying to handle. Necrozma-DM and Mega Lucario require careful play to avoid potential Rock-type coverage moves or, in the case of Necrozma-DM, a surprise Ultra Necrozma set.
* Look for opportunities to switch Ho-Oh in and out of battle if it is low on HP, such as against foes using non-damaging moves. Multiple turns of Regenerator recovery can bring Ho-Oh back up to a healthy state with little risk.
* Spread status with Sacred Fire and Toxic against Ho-Oh's common switch-ins such as Mega Salamence, Tyranitar, and Zygarde-C to wear them down, eventually forcing a recovery move to take advantage of.
* If Stealth Rock does go up, Ho-Oh's effectiveness as a defensive check can go down the drain. Prioritize its removal if Ho-Oh is needed to check various threats.
Team Options
========
* As a Pokemon best suited to balance teams, Ho-Oh's best partners are those that can defensively cover its weaknesses and still provide some offensive pressure.
* It should be noted that Ho-Oh should not be the only anti-hazard Pokemon in most teams it is used on, as some Stealth Rock users such as Tyranitar and Swords Dance + Stealth Rock Primal Groudon are capable of winning against Ho-Oh in a one-on-one situation. Alternative Defoggers such as support Arceus formes and both Giratina formes or Magic Bounce from users like Mega Sableye should be strongly considered on Ho-Oh teams to prevent it from being ineffective in certain matchups.
* Arceus-Water stands out as a very good partner. It can provide an alternative check to Primal Groudon and Necrozma-DM, and it also acts as a pivot against Water-type moves and as an extra user of Defog to help Ho-Oh out if it is unable to keep Stealth Rock away by itself.
* Clerics such as Magearna and Xerneas are great for mitigating Toxic damage on Ho-Oh and supporting the rest of the team.
* Mega Sableye can assist Ho-Oh in shutting down passive Pokemon that may attempt to check it. An important trait of Mega Sableye is that it can handle Ultra Necrozma, something Ho-Oh struggles against. Magic Bounce can also come in handy against status and entry hazard users.
* Primal Groudon can act as an offensive wallbreaker or a Stealth Rock setter for Ho-Oh to maintain pressure with. It also helps against many of the Pokemon Ho-Oh usually intends to check such as Steel- and Fairy-types.
* Other Ground-types such as Zygarde-C and Arceus-Ground offer alternative Primal Groudon checks to take some of the pressure off of Ho-Oh. Zygarde-C in particular is helpful against Rock-type coverage from the likes of Marshadow. Support Arceus-Ground can also assist against Mega Salamence, a common Ho-Oh switch-in.
* Mega Gengar can use Hex to take advantage of the status Ho-Oh can spread across the enemy team, and it can revenge kill troublesome Pokemon to Ho-Oh such as Ultra Necrozma.
* Necrozma-DM is a formidable Xerneas check that can afford to choose between a Stealth Rock set or an offensive one thanks to the support of Ho-Oh. It also assists against Mega Salamence and uncommon Rock-type Pokemon such as Tyranitar.
* Both formes of Giratina can help Ho-Oh against Pokemon it may struggle with such as Arceus-Ground and Primal Groudon variants that carry Rock-type coverage, and they also give Ho-Oh the ability to forgo Defog and run Brave Bird for better offensive pressure. Giratina is a better fit to stall teams, while Giratina-O's offensive potential suits balance teams better.
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