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Ho-Oh

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Raid Guides

Ho-Oh Raid Counter Guide
Ho-oh-Duo
Ho-Oh Duo Raid Guide

Table of Contents

Click for Shadow Ho-Oh
How Shiny is Acquired
Raids, Research Encounter
  • Original
  • Shiny

Pokemon Ratings

Attacker Tier List See all B+
Great League PVP Rating See all 2 / 5
Ultra League PVP Rating See all 3.5 / 5
Master League PVP Rating See all 5 / 5

Pokemon Stats

Type
199.00 kg Weight
3.81 m Height
Pokemon Max CP
Level 50: 4,367
Level 40: 3,863
Level 25: 2,759 (Raid + Weather)
Level 20: 2,207 (Raid)
Level 15: 1,655 (Research Tasks)
ATK 239
DEF 244
STA 214

PVE Movesets Grades

Quick Charge ATK DEF
Extrasensory
Brave Bird
A-
Hidden Power (Flying)
Brave Bird
A
Incinerate
Fire Blast
B
Incinerate
Brave Bird
A
Incinerate
Sacred Fire++
A
Incinerate
Sacred Fire*
A-
Show Suboptimal/Unranked Movesets

PVE Offensive Moves Explanation

  • Incinerate is the best fast move available due to STAB. 

  • Extrasensory is better for effectiveness vs. Fighting-types specifically.

  • Hidden Power is only viable if it is Flying type. Otherwise, Incinerate or even Extrasensory are better options.

  • Steel Wing is mostly useless.

  • Sacred Fire++ is exclusive to Apex Purified Ho-Oh, and makes Ho-Oh a competent Fire-type attacker. However, Ho-Oh's performance drops when it is purified.

  • For all other Ho-Oh, Sacred Fire remains the best Fire-type charge move at its disposal. However, its performance is rather lacking.

  • Brave Bird is the best charge move available, and benefits from STAB. 

  • Fire Blast is much slower and doesn't perform as well, except against Ice or Steel-types. It is also outclassed by Sacred Fire.

  • Solar Beam is the charged move of choice against Water, Ground, and Rock-type Pokemon, but lacks STAB. 

  • Earthquake is a bit of an awkward move on attack for Ho-oh and doesn't do much for it.

PVE Overview

Even after years since its release, and with Sacred Fire being introduced into the game, Ho-Oh remains just disappointingly adequate in raid viability. Its strong stats and resistances allow it to be used in many raids, but it is often outclassed by many other Fire-type options. Sacred Fire's parameters are nothing to write home about, being not much better than the existing Fire Blast. Ho-Oh is best used against Grass- and Bug- type raid bosses, as they are weak to both Incinerate and Brave Bird, its best attacks. Additionally, if you are lucky with the Hidden Power roulette, Ho-Oh is actually a fairly competent Flying-type attacker. However, bosses where Flying is optimal is rather scarce.

For those who bought the GO Tour: Johto ticket, Apex Shadow Ho-Oh will be available as one of the rewards in the Masterwork Research. It comes with the exclusive move Sacred Fire+, and said move becomes Sacred Fire++ when Ho-Oh is purified. With this move, Apex Purified Ho-Oh becomes a competent Fire-type attacker, with a performance surpassing Moltres. However, purifying Apex Shadow Ho-Oh results in a significant decrease in DPS despite the move's upgrade. As Apex Shadow Ho-Oh is one of the best Fire-type attackers in the game, and players will only receive one, purifying it is not recommended.

PVP Movesets Grades

Quick Charge ATK
Incinerate
Brave Bird
Earthquake*
A-
Incinerate
Brave Bird
Sacred Fire*
A

PvP Moveset Explanation

Incinerate + Brave Bird and Sacred Fire* or Earthquake* 

Incinerate is Ho-Oh's only viable fast move option due to its high STAB damage and energy generation, though it is quite cumbersome being a 5 turn fast move. Extrasensory and Steel Wing are both inferior choices by a considerable margin, though they don't suffer nearly as much from the slow animation that Incinerate has. Hidden Power is not a great attack in PVP, but it can have some niche utility on Ho-Oh if given the proper typing.

Brave Bird demands quite a bit of energy, but is the cheapest charge move available to Ho-Oh. While its self-debuff makes it somewhat risky, its high STAB damage makes it considerably threatening if unshielded. Sacred Fire is a very powerful STAB move with a 50% Attack debuff chance, and burns down Steel-type targets. Earthquake provides coverage against Rock types and certain targets such as Zekrom. Solar Beam and Fire Blast are among the most expensive charge moves in the game energy-wise, but the former provides coverage against Water and Rock Pokemon that Ho-Oh can struggle against, while the latter is best avoided because it is completely outclassed by Sacred Fire.

PvP Rating Explanation

Great League: 2 / 5

Ho-Oh can only join the Great League if obtained as a research breakthrough reward and traded afterwards to reroll its IVs. This makes Ho-Oh very costly and unlikely to have a shot at Great League, but nonetheless it has its niches. Being more slightly more bulky than Charizard is attractive as a Fire/Flying type, but access to slow charge moves often causes Ho-Oh to lose matchups if the opponent commits 2 shields. Overall Ho-Oh is mostly a one-trick-pony that has a lot of potential when shields are down, but otherwise can struggle compared to other meta picks. Ho-Oh also faces stiff competition from Talonflame, who possesses similar stats and moves, but can pressure shields more effectively with Flame Charge.

Ultra League: 3.5 / 5

Ho-Oh has better performance in the Ultra League, where it starts to wield the only real advantage afforded to it; a good stat-spread. Here, it acts primarily as a closer, using its powerful but slow charged moves to finish off opponents lacking shields. It also has good matchups against tier-relevant pokemon such as Alolan Muk, Venusaur, and Registeel. Due to its double weakness however, Pokemon with Rock-type coverage tend to counter Ho-Oh, while Water and Dragon Pokemon are also quite common in this league. Like with Great League, Ho-Oh also faces competition with Talonflame in Ultra League, perhaps even moreso.

Master League: 5 / 5

Ho-Oh shines brightest in the Master League, now being able to make full use of its great stats. Its relatively unique Fire/Flying typing presents it with key resistances to Fairy-, Fighting- and Ground-type attacks, allowing Ho-Oh to take on Groudon, Togekiss, Metagross, and Zacian. Ho-Oh's ability to hard counter non Wild Charge Zacian is unique in the Master League, making it a valuable teammate to various Dragon-types.

While Ho-Oh packs an incredibly potent closing and hit-and-run capabilities, it does often find itself struggling against shields due to taxing side effects of its charge moves. Ho-Oh additionally has trouble against some of the metagame's titans, such as Kyogre, both formes of Giratina, Zekrom, and Palkia. Its double weakness to Rock-type attacks can leave it vulnerable to Melmetal, both formes of Landorus, and Excadrill when its shields are down. Finally, Incinerate's long duration can be unforgiving, making it difficult for Ho-Oh to switch out to catch its opponent's move, and can leave it vulnerable to getting sniped down by high damage fast moves at low HP.

Fast Moves

12
Extrasensory
More Info

Psychic

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS EPU DPS DPS w/STAB True DPS
1.10
0.20
10.91
10.91
13.64
11
Steel Wing
More Info

Steel

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS EPU DPS DPS w/STAB True DPS
0.80
0.30
7.50
13.75
17.19
15
Hidden Power
More Info

Normal

.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS EPU DPS DPS w/STAB True DPS
1.50
0.30
10.00
10.00
12.50
29
Incinerate
More Info

Fire

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS EPU DPS DPS w/STAB True DPS
2.30
1.80
8.70
12.61
15.76

Charge Moves

130
Brave Bird
More Info

Flying

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
2.00
0.60
0.00
 1.30
65.00
81.25
 84.50
140
Fire Blast
More Info

Fire

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
4.20
0.80
0.00
 1.40
33.33
41.67
 46.67
180
Solar Beam
More Info

Grass

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
4.90
2.00
0.00
 1.80
36.73
45.92
 66.12

Elite Charge Moves

140
Earthquake
More Info

Ground

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
3.60
0.80
0.00
 1.40
38.89
48.61
 54.44
120
Sacred Fire
More Info

Fire

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
2.60
1.20
0.00
 1.20
46.15
57.69
 55.38

Purified Charge Moves

35
Return
More Info

Normal

.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
0.70
0.25
0.00
 1.06
50.00
62.50
 53.03
155
Sacred Fire++
More Info

Fire

1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
1.6x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
2.60
1.20
0.00
 1.55
59.62
74.52
 92.40

Secondary Charge Move Unlock Cost

Candy 100
Stardust 100,000

Purification Cost

Candy 20
Stardust 20000

Other

Flee Rate 4.0 %
Buddy Distance 20 km
Capture Rate2.0 %

Pokemon Type Chart

Vulnerable

160% damage
256% damage
160% damage

Resistant

39.1% damage
62.5% damage
62.5% damage
62.5% damage
39.1% damage
62.5% damage
62.5% damage

Raid Boss Catch Rate

Fire Medal

None
Bronze
Silver
Gold

Flying Medal

None
Bronze
Silver
Gold
Normal Nice! Great! Excellent!
No Berry -
Curve
Razz Berry -
Curve
Golden Razz Berry -
Curve

Related Articles

Typing Review: An Overview of Fire Types for Raids in Pokemon Go
Sacred Fire: Ho-oh in the Master League
The Apex Legends: The Power of Upgraded Moves in Raids and Gyms
Official Announcement Reveals Raid Bosses for Go Fest 2021
Niantic Confirms Shadow Ho-oh for Giovanni Encounters in June

Pokemon Min/Max CP Values

How to use: You need to know your Pokemon's exact level. To find exactly what level your Pokémon is, power up your Pokémon following this chart until you're certain of your level from Stardust cost changes.

A Pokémon's minimum level is 1.

Every time you power up, your Pokémon gains half a level.

StardustLevelMin CPMax CP
20014854
2001.599112
2002151171
2002.5202229
4003254287
4003.5305346
4004357404
4004.5408462
6005460521
6005.5511579
6006563637
6006.5614696
8007666754
8007.5717812
8008768870
8008.5820929
10009871987
10009.59231045
1000109741104
100010.510231159
13001110721214
130011.511211269
13001211691324
130012.512181380
16001312671435
160013.513151490
16001413641545
160014.514131600
19001514611655
190015.515101711
19001615591766
190016.516081821
22001716561876
220017.517051931
22001817541986
220018.518022042
25001918512097
250019.519002152
25002019492207
250020.519972262
30002120462318
300021.520952373
30002221442428
300022.521922483
35002322412538
350023.522902594
35002423392649
350024.523872704
40002524362759
400025.524852814
40002625332870
400026.525822925
45002726312980
450027.526803035
45002827283090
450028.527773146
50002928263201
500029.528753256
50003029233311
500030.529483339
60003129723367
600031.529963394
60003230213422
600032.530453449
70003330703477
700033.530943504
70003431183532
700034.531433560
80003531673587
800035.531913615
80003632163642
800036.532403670
90003732643698
900037.532893725
90003833133753
900038.533373780
100003933623808
1000039.533863835
100004034113863
Show All

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