[Overview]
Heavy-Duty Boots rids Ho-Oh of its most crippling flaw, its Stealth Rock weakness, making it a critical defensive Pokemon in the metagame. Thanks to Regenerator, its huge Special Defense, and good defensive typing, Ho-Oh is an important glue Pokemon for teambuilding, as it compresses a myriad of roles into one. Ho-Oh is able to check Xerneas lacking Ingrain, Marshadow without a Rock-type move, and be great backup check to Calyrex-S. It is able to consistently switch into Necrozma-DM, the most common Stealth Rock setter in the tier, and use Defog, giving its team good entry hazard control. Offensively, Ho-Oh is no slouch either, as the Choice Band set is underprepared for and is able to punch serious holes into the vast majority of teams. Ho-Oh has become such a metagame-defining force that it's often specifically prepared for in teambuilding; Ho-Oh’s massive weakness to Rock-type attacks can be easy to exploit, and it must constantly be on the lookout for Knock Off and Toxic users.
[SET]
name: Defensive
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Defog
move 3: Toxic / Thunder Wave / Brave Bird
move 4: Whirlwind / Brave Bird
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Regenerator
nature: Impish
evs: 248 HP / 208 Def / 52 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
This is the standard Ho-Oh set. Sacred Fire is a great STAB attack, and it has an impressive 50% burn chance. However, you should be careful about using it, as its PP is low—and even lower against Eternatus switch-ins. Ho-Oh is a great user of Defog, as it is able to repeatedly come into Necrozma-DM. Toxic is a good option to stall out Pokemon that don’t particularly mind burns or are immune to them, such as Yveltal and opposing Ho-Oh. Thunder Wave is a great option for Eternatus, which is a very common switch-in that is immune to Toxic and not bothered by burns. Whirlwind is to phaze Xerneas, although it also has its uses for other setup sweepers such as Zygarde-C, Cosmic Power Eternatus, and Calyrex-S. However, you need to watch out for Ingrain Xerneas. Brave Bird is a strong secondary STAB option that hits Fire-resistant Pokemon like Eternatus and Kyogre much harder, and it helps with Sacred Fire's low PP. The given EV spread allows Ho-Oh to always survive a +2 Xerneas's Thunder, with the leftover EVs put into Defense to better deal with physical attackers such as Marshadow. If you run Thunder Wave, a spread of 248 HP / 192 Def / 52 SpD / 16 Spe should be used to let Ho-Oh outspeed Choice Specs Calyrex-S after paralysis.
Smart switching is the key to using this set, both in terms of Regenerator recovery and scouting for status or Rock-type coverage moves. Marshadow, Xerneas, and Calyrex-S are too threatening to leave Ho-Oh as your only check to them. Choice Band Marshadow can 2HKO with Poltergeist or Spectral Thief, while Xerneas can threaten to KO Ho-Oh with a boosted Thunder if Ho-Oh has taken damage, or use Ingrain to prevent Ho-Oh from phazing it. Choice Specs Calyrex-S will 2HKO Ho-Oh outright. As such, Pokemon such as Yveltal, Necrozma-DM, Zarude, Buzzwole, Lunala, and Tangrowth make good defensive partners. Necrozma-DM can provide a solid defense against Ice-Types, Offensive Eternatus, and Xerneas, as well as give Stealth Rock and status support, while Yveltal will keep Calyrex-S at bay. Lunala, Buzzwole, and Tangrowth also offer good defense against Groudon, Zekrom, and Zygarde-C, while the latter two offer a good pivot against Marshadow. Eternatus and Blissey are excellent teammates for their ability to switch into Kyogre. All of the aforementioned Pokemon appreciate Ho-Oh's ability to serve as a backup check to the tier's biggest sweepers, as well as Defog. Zarude in particular likes Ho-Oh’s ability to Defog, as Zarude often replaces Yveltal on teams, and in return, Zarude can role compress a Calyrex-S check and Ground-type check into one. Ho-Oh can consistently switch into entry hazard setters such as Necrozma-DM and Ferrothorn and force them out, even if they hit it with Knock Off. However, if Ho-Oh hard switches into these Pokemon every time, it can becomd predictable and be taken advantage of by double switches. Ho-Oh must be wary of alternative setters of Stealth Rock, such as Groudon and Tyranitar. Having a secondary Defog user, such as Yveltal, can be useful for providing more security against such Pokemon, as well as against Sticky Web and other offensive playstyles, depending on your team structure. Alternatively, Ho-Oh can be used to free up moveslots on Pokemon such as Yveltal and Necrozma-DM, who now don’t need to run Defog or check Xerneas, respectively.
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Sacred Fire
move 2: Brave Bird
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Whirlwind / Flare Blitz / Defog
item: Choice Band
ability: Regenerator
nature: Adamant
evs: 248 HP / 208 Atk / 52 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Choice Band Ho-Oh is one of the best wallbreakers in the tier, with most teams having to resort to offensive pressure, soft checks, and status to try to stop it. Brave Bird does massive damage to anything that resists Sacred Fire, and its recoil is minimized thanks to Regenerator. Earthquake rounds out Ho-Oh's coverage and is its strongest option against Eternatus and Zekrom. The last move is flexible. Whirlwind is generally preferred, as it gives Ho-Oh more defensive utility in phazing opposing Ho-Oh and Zygarde-C in a pinch. Flare Blitz does massive damage and is stronger than Sacred Fire; it also makes up for Sacred Fire’s low PP. Defog can be used in emergency situations to clear away Stealth Rock. The given EVs allow Ho-Oh to survive a +2 Xerneas Thunder, with the remaining EVs put into Attack to maximize Ho-Oh’s power. 16 Attacks EVs can be moved to Speed to make Ho-Oh faster than a paralyzed Calyrex-S. It's not advisable to go much faster than this, though, because Choice Band Ho-Oh functions best as an offensive tank, and it would rather not lose significant breaking power or the ability to check special threats.
While this set is immensely strong, the major flaw is its vulnerability to Stealth Rock. Because of this, Choice Band Ho-Oh is usually a Pokemon that teams specifically build around. At least two Defog users are recommended: Yveltal, Lunala, Xerneas, Giratina, and Corviknight are good possible partners. Xatu is notable for having Magic Bounce and being able to switch into Stealth Rock setters such as Necrozma-DM repeatedly. Additionally, teammates that can lure and break through defensive Zygarde-C are appreciated. Groudon is a good partner for this, and it can also provide sun to make Ho-Oh even stronger and to lower Thunder's accuracy. Teammates that like Eternatus being gone, such as Marshadow, synergize well, as this set often breaks through Eternatus.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Curse sets are an option, but they generally just get statused or phazed. They are also easy to revenge kill due to their lowered Speed. Roost provides a more consistent source of recovery, although it is generally not needed thanks to Heavy-Duty Boots and Regenerator.
Pressure is an option in combination with Roost to PP stall opposing Pokemon, but the opportunity cost of not having Regenerator is a severe detriment. Life Orb sets can be used similarly to how the Choice Band set is used, with the freedom to choose moves. Do note that, even with Regenerator, Life Orb and Brave Bird recoil can add up quickly.
Checks and Counters
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**Rock-type Moves**: Rock-type moves are often thrown on sets for the sole purpose of taking out Ho-Oh. Meteor Beam Eternatus, Rock Tomb Marshadow, Power Gem Dialga, and Stone Edge Necrozma-DM are a few examples of Pokemon you need to keep in mind when using Ho-Oh.
**Eternatus**: Eternatus doesn’t mind burns and can stall out defensive sets. Physically defensive sets can typically stomach Choice Band Ho-Oh, but specially defensive sets have to be extremely careful around it.
**Zygarde-C**: Defensive Zygarde-C with Rest will take anything Ho-Oh throws at it and status it in return. However, offensive Zygarde-C sets must be wary of status or a Choice Band Brave Bird on the switch.
**Kyogre**: Kyogre can come in on Sacred Fire or Defog and then proceed to use its strong attacks.
**Zekrom**: Zekrom hates status from Ho-Oh, but it is resistant to Ho-Oh’s STAB attacks and can threaten it with a powerful Bolt Strike.
**Knock Off + Stealth Rock**: Ho-Oh is limited if Stealth Rock has been set up, as it then needs to be wary of Knock Off from Pokemon like Yveltal, Necrozma-DM, Ferrothorn, and Tangrowth. Certain Stealth Rock setters, such as Groudon and Tyranitar, do not mind Ho-Oh switching in. Stealth Rock heavily limits Choice Band Ho-Oh.
**Toxic**: While the threat of Toxic is lowered thanks to Regenerator, its damage can add up, especially in late-game scenarios. The residual damage can prevent Ho-Oh from checking threats it otherwise could. Eternatus, Yveltal, Necrozma-DM, and opposing Ho-Oh all can badly poison Ho-Oh.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Manaphy, 50695]]
- Quality checked by: [[Fc, 511624], [Minority, 222996]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [Muk, 33374]
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