[SET]
name:
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Sleep Talk / Punishment
item: Choice Band
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Ho-Oh's greatest weakness has historically been Stealth Rock, which has dissuaded the use of Choice items on it. However, with Regenerator Ho-Oh is able to switch in and out more freely, allowing it to wield the fearsome power of a Choice Band with far less risk. With a Choice Band, Ho-Oh becomes incredibly difficult to switch into; while a Life Orb also grants a comparable level of power, Choice Band's lack of recoil is appealing—even with Regenerator, Ho-Oh does not want to deal with additional passive damage when Stealth Rock is up. Choice Band-boosted Sacred Fire has amazing power in the sun, doing things such as OHKOing Arceus and Dialga after Stealth Rock and providing a comfortable 2HKO on physically defensive Groudon. It also ensures that Ho-Oh can take lead Deoxys-S down to its Focus Sash and—due to the chance of burn—limit Deoxys-S to one layer of hazards 47.5% of the time. Brave Bird is also incredibly powerful, OHKOing Kyogre and Palkia with no prior damage. It also 2HKOes Giratina-O, Forretress, most physically defensive Arceus formes, and can even nab a 2HKO on physically defensive Giratina with Stealth Rock and a layer of Spikes. Earthquake covers Tyranitar, Rock Arceus, Kabutops, Omastar, Heatran, and Dialga in rain. Sleep Talk allows Ho-Oh to provide a relatively safe switch-in to Darkrai's dreaded Dark Void, while Punishment can be used to smash Calm Mind users weak to it, such as Ghost Arceus, Giratina-O, and Latias.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Heavy HP investment gives Ho-Oh more bulk and makes the use of Brave Bird much less risky. Alternatively, maximum Speed can be used to get the drop on as many other base 90 Pokemon as possible, but the loss in bulk is noticeable. Ho-Oh's movepool is quite sparse, so what's listed here is about as good as it gets. Very niche options for the fourth slot include Aerial Ace to guarantee a connection against an Evasion booster, and Recover to help deal with residual damage if a free turn is presented—this is of course very risky on a Choice-locked Pokemon.</p>
<p>Rapid Spin support is actually more important for this set than sunlight. Unlike other sets, which have access to recovery, this Ho-Oh will be switching out often and relying on Regenerator to keep itself alive. Forretress can Rapid Spin while also providing entry hazards and switch-in opportunities with Volt Switch. Excadrill can switch into Zekrom fairly safely, and can provide Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock as well. Groudon is also an important supporter for this set—while the raw power of Brave Bird allows this set to function even in rain, Ho-Oh greatly appreciates boosted Sacred Fires and a neutrality to Water-type moves. Groudon can provide Stealth Rock as well, which makes Multiscale Lugia easier to handle and ensures a few important OHKOes and 2HKOes. Offensively, Extreme Killer Arceus is an excellent complement to this set, as is Rock Polish Groudon. Both greatly enjoy this set's ability to cripple opposing Giratina and Groudon, and Sacred Fire's burn rate can grant easy set-up opportunities for them. Ho-Oh is also an excellent switch-in to Choice Scarf Genesect, something which can interfere with a weakened Extreme Killer Arceus's sweep. Defensively, partners that can switch into Kyogre are very important; Latias and Palkia are good examples.</p>
