[Set]
name: Offensive
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Defog
move 4: Thunder Wave / Whirlwind / Earthquake
item: Heavy Duty Boots
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 176 Atk / 16 Def / 56 SpD / 12 Spe
tera type: Grass / Flying / Ground
[SET COMMENTS]
* Offensive Ho-Oh avoids a proclivity for passivity that can be exploited by common Pokemon such as Taunt Calm Mind Arceus formes, Dragon Dance Zygarde, and wallbreaker Eternatus. Consequently, many balance and bulky offense structures prefer offensive Ho-Oh, as it is more proactive while retaining most of the traits that enable Ho-Oh to function as a strong support Pokemon. Offensive Ho-Oh retains its spot as the best entry hazard removal, a blanket special wall, and a pivot with excellent longevity. However, Ho-Oh's offensive presence comes at the cost of its physical bulk, which renders it a poor switch-in to Pokemon such as Zacian-C and Marshadow.
* Sacred Fire's burn chance dissuades most physical attackers such as Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground and Rayquaza from switching in. Brave Bird heavily chunks Pokemon that would otherwise easily switch in to Sacred Fire such as Eternatus, Primal Groudon, and Primal Kyogre. Brave Bird's high damage and PP also prevents Pokemon Calm Mind Arceus formes from attempting to stall out Sacred Fire and use Ho-Oh as setup fodder. These traits combine to make Brave Bird Ho-Oh's most spammable move.
* Ho-Oh's last moveslot is quite flexible and easily tailored to meet the needs of its team. Thunder Wave cripples Pokemon such as Zacian-C and Eternatus, allowing teammates to handle them easily should Ho-Oh be unable to. Whirlwind's phasing prevents some threats such as Coil Zygarde lacking Dragon Tail, Meteor Beam Eternatus, and Calm Mind Arceus formes lacking Taunt from getting out of hand in a pinch, especially given Coil Zygarde in particular can use Ho-Oh lacking Whirlwind as setup fodder. Earthquake is more specific and should always be used alongside Tera Ground, but it enables Ho-Oh to more directly challenge Primal Groudon and Eternatus.
* 56 Special Defense EVs causes Eternatus's +1 Dynamax Cannon to 3HKO. 16 Defense EVs enable Ho-Oh to survive Zacian-C's +1 Wild Charge. 12 Speed EVs enable Ho-Oh to outspeed paralyzed Zacian-C. 176 Attack EVs enable Ho-Oh to break Tera Ground Zygarde-C's Substitute with Sacred Fire. If Ho-Oh is not using Thunder Wave nor has paralysis support from a teammate, an alternative EV spread of 248 HP / 176 Atk / 28 Def / 56 SpD enables Ho-Oh to survive Swords Dance Utility Primal Groudon's Rock Tomb after one turn of Toxic chip.
* Tera Grass covers many of the sparse holes in Ho-Oh's defensive profile, enabling it to survive boosted Zacian-C's Wild Charge and Eternatus's Meteor Beam and paralyze or phase these threats. Ho-Oh benefits from its newfound Electric-, Water, and Ground-type resistances to pivot into Primal Kyogre and Coil Zygarde. Although Ho-Oh cannot beat Coil Zygarde long-term, the ability to easily phase it before it has accumulated enough boosts to become an offensive threat is incredibly valuable and allows teammates to position themselves to prevent it from getting out of hand.
* If a more offensive approach is desired, Tera Flying transforms Ho-Oh from a Pokemon that is difficult to switch into to proper wallbreaker that cleaves through bulkier teams; the power boost enables Ho-Oh to 2HKO defensive Eternatus and support Arceus formes. Tera Ground is a niche option for teams that struggle with Meteor Beam Eternatus, protecting Ho-Oh from the move and causing Earthquake to OHKO after Stealth Rock while providing benefits against offensive Primal Groudon and Zacian-C. Tera Dark is an alternative for teams that struggle with Ultra Necrozma and Yveltal.
* Ho-Oh is immensely flexible in-game. Against hyper offense teams, Ho-Oh's role is often limited to removing hazards and dealing with a significant threat such as Zacian-C or Eternatus, as it is rarely left with enough HP to use Regenerator to check multiple Pokemon. This often has an outsized impact on the match due to relieving the defensive burden on teammates such as Primal Groudon and Zygarde, leading to easier victories.
* Ho-Oh plays a more active role against balance and bulky offense teams, as the slower pace often enables it to show off its defensive prowess. Ho-Oh can be played quite freely, but should be wary of Pokemon that commonly use Rock-type coverage such as Primal Groudon
and Eternatus until scouted. Sacred Fire's burn plays a pivotal role in breaking through bulkier Pokemon such as Calm Mind Arceus formes and Eternatus, as the chip prevents them from shrugging off Brave Bird. Despite soft checking the majority of the metagame, some caution should be exercised with physical attackers. For example, despite the ability to trade with Zacian-C, offensive Ho-Oh cannot switch in safely to do so.
* Primal Groudon is a near-mandatory teammate: it switches into the few Pokemon Ho-Oh cannot—namely Primal Kyogre and Zacian-C —while providing entry hazards. It appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to check Arceus-Ground lacking Rock-type coverage, Calm Mind Arceus-Dark, and Eternatus. If Thunder Wave is used, Primal Groudon should consider investing a couple EVs in Speed to outpace paralyzed Eternatus and Zacian-C.
* Calm Mind Arceus-Dark is an excellent teammate due to its ability to compress essential defensive roles such as checking Ultra Necrozma and Life Orb Yveltal, and a Ghost-type resistance that forces Choice Band Marshadow to predict properly—all while serving as a potent wincon—while appreciating Ho-Oh checking Zacian-C and Arceus-Fairy. Choice Band Marshadow is an incredibly effective revenge killer and wallbreaker further enabled by the sturdy defensive backbone Ho-Oh helps to reinforce. In particular, Ho-Oh appreciates Marshadow's ability to revenge kill Extreme Killer Arceus and Ultra Necrozma while dissuading wallbreakers such as Calm Mind Arceus formes, Swords Dance Utility Primal Groudon, and Primal Kyogre from setting up.
[SET CREDITS]
Set(s) by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bumboclaat.523420/
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bumboclaat.523420/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zrp200.327515/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sami.604820/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zrp200.327515/
name: Offensive
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Defog
move 4: Thunder Wave / Whirlwind / Earthquake
item: Heavy Duty Boots
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 176 Atk / 16 Def / 56 SpD / 12 Spe
tera type: Grass / Flying / Ground
[SET COMMENTS]
* Offensive Ho-Oh avoids a proclivity for passivity that can be exploited by common Pokemon such as Taunt Calm Mind Arceus formes, Dragon Dance Zygarde, and wallbreaker Eternatus. Consequently, many balance and bulky offense structures prefer offensive Ho-Oh, as it is more proactive while retaining most of the traits that enable Ho-Oh to function as a strong support Pokemon. Offensive Ho-Oh retains its spot as the best entry hazard removal, a blanket special wall, and a pivot with excellent longevity. However, Ho-Oh's offensive presence comes at the cost of its physical bulk, which renders it a poor switch-in to Pokemon such as Zacian-C and Marshadow.
* Sacred Fire's burn chance dissuades most physical attackers such as Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground and Rayquaza from switching in. Brave Bird heavily chunks Pokemon that would otherwise easily switch in to Sacred Fire such as Eternatus, Primal Groudon, and Primal Kyogre. Brave Bird's high damage and PP also prevents Pokemon Calm Mind Arceus formes from attempting to stall out Sacred Fire and use Ho-Oh as setup fodder. These traits combine to make Brave Bird Ho-Oh's most spammable move.
* Ho-Oh's last moveslot is quite flexible and easily tailored to meet the needs of its team. Thunder Wave cripples Pokemon such as Zacian-C and Eternatus, allowing teammates to handle them easily should Ho-Oh be unable to. Whirlwind's phasing prevents some threats such as Coil Zygarde lacking Dragon Tail, Meteor Beam Eternatus, and Calm Mind Arceus formes lacking Taunt from getting out of hand in a pinch, especially given Coil Zygarde in particular can use Ho-Oh lacking Whirlwind as setup fodder. Earthquake is more specific and should always be used alongside Tera Ground, but it enables Ho-Oh to more directly challenge Primal Groudon and Eternatus.
* 56 Special Defense EVs causes Eternatus's +1 Dynamax Cannon to 3HKO. 16 Defense EVs enable Ho-Oh to survive Zacian-C's +1 Wild Charge. 12 Speed EVs enable Ho-Oh to outspeed paralyzed Zacian-C. 176 Attack EVs enable Ho-Oh to break Tera Ground Zygarde-C's Substitute with Sacred Fire. If Ho-Oh is not using Thunder Wave nor has paralysis support from a teammate, an alternative EV spread of 248 HP / 176 Atk / 28 Def / 56 SpD enables Ho-Oh to survive Swords Dance Utility Primal Groudon's Rock Tomb after one turn of Toxic chip.
* Tera Grass covers many of the sparse holes in Ho-Oh's defensive profile, enabling it to survive boosted Zacian-C's Wild Charge and Eternatus's Meteor Beam and paralyze or phase these threats. Ho-Oh benefits from its newfound Electric-, Water, and Ground-type resistances to pivot into Primal Kyogre and Coil Zygarde. Although Ho-Oh cannot beat Coil Zygarde long-term, the ability to easily phase it before it has accumulated enough boosts to become an offensive threat is incredibly valuable and allows teammates to position themselves to prevent it from getting out of hand.
* If a more offensive approach is desired, Tera Flying transforms Ho-Oh from a Pokemon that is difficult to switch into to proper wallbreaker that cleaves through bulkier teams; the power boost enables Ho-Oh to 2HKO defensive Eternatus and support Arceus formes. Tera Ground is a niche option for teams that struggle with Meteor Beam Eternatus, protecting Ho-Oh from the move and causing Earthquake to OHKO after Stealth Rock while providing benefits against offensive Primal Groudon and Zacian-C. Tera Dark is an alternative for teams that struggle with Ultra Necrozma and Yveltal.
* Ho-Oh is immensely flexible in-game. Against hyper offense teams, Ho-Oh's role is often limited to removing hazards and dealing with a significant threat such as Zacian-C or Eternatus, as it is rarely left with enough HP to use Regenerator to check multiple Pokemon. This often has an outsized impact on the match due to relieving the defensive burden on teammates such as Primal Groudon and Zygarde, leading to easier victories.
* Ho-Oh plays a more active role against balance and bulky offense teams, as the slower pace often enables it to show off its defensive prowess. Ho-Oh can be played quite freely, but should be wary of Pokemon that commonly use Rock-type coverage such as Primal Groudon
and Eternatus until scouted. Sacred Fire's burn plays a pivotal role in breaking through bulkier Pokemon such as Calm Mind Arceus formes and Eternatus, as the chip prevents them from shrugging off Brave Bird. Despite soft checking the majority of the metagame, some caution should be exercised with physical attackers. For example, despite the ability to trade with Zacian-C, offensive Ho-Oh cannot switch in safely to do so.
* Primal Groudon is a near-mandatory teammate: it switches into the few Pokemon Ho-Oh cannot—namely Primal Kyogre and Zacian-C —while providing entry hazards. It appreciates Ho-Oh's ability to check Arceus-Ground lacking Rock-type coverage, Calm Mind Arceus-Dark, and Eternatus. If Thunder Wave is used, Primal Groudon should consider investing a couple EVs in Speed to outpace paralyzed Eternatus and Zacian-C.
* Calm Mind Arceus-Dark is an excellent teammate due to its ability to compress essential defensive roles such as checking Ultra Necrozma and Life Orb Yveltal, and a Ghost-type resistance that forces Choice Band Marshadow to predict properly—all while serving as a potent wincon—while appreciating Ho-Oh checking Zacian-C and Arceus-Fairy. Choice Band Marshadow is an incredibly effective revenge killer and wallbreaker further enabled by the sturdy defensive backbone Ho-Oh helps to reinforce. In particular, Ho-Oh appreciates Marshadow's ability to revenge kill Extreme Killer Arceus and Ultra Necrozma while dissuading wallbreakers such as Calm Mind Arceus formes, Swords Dance Utility Primal Groudon, and Primal Kyogre from setting up.
[SET CREDITS]
Set(s) by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bumboclaat.523420/
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/bumboclaat.523420/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zrp200.327515/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sami.604820/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/zrp200.327515/
Last edited:
as usual
