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Shadow Ho-Oh

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Raid Guides

Shadow Ho-oh Raid Guide

Table of Contents

Click for Ho-Oh
Shiny Variant Not Available
  • Original
  • Shiny

Pokemon Ratings

Attacker Tier List See all A+ Tier
Great League PVP Rating See all 3 / 5
Ultra League PVP Rating See all 3.5 / 5
Master League PVP Rating See all 3.5 / 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

PVE Offensive Moves Explanation

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

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

  • Steel Wing is mostly useless.

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

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

  • Sacred Fire* is Ho-Oh's signature move, and makes it a respectable Fire attacker. However, it requires an Elite TM.

  • Sacred Fire+* is exclusive to Apex Shadow Ho-Oh and it's objectively stronger than its base version.

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

  • 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

Shadow Ho-Oh gains improvements in PvE thanks to the ATK buff from being a Shadow Pokemon. It has received its signature move, Sacred Fire. However, Sacred Fire's parameters aren't much better than Fire Blast's, making Shadow Ho-Oh an inferior Fire attacking choice compared to Shadow Moltres, Shadow Entei, Shadow Charizard, and Reshiram. Additionally, Sacred Fire is gated behind an Elite TM for Shadow Ho-Oh. Nonetheless, Shadow Ho-Oh is a very respectable Flying attacker thanks to Brave Bird's power, further improved if you are lucky enough to roll Hidden Power Flying. As Fire and Flying have some overlaps in coverage, Shadow Ho-Oh can pair Incinerate and Brave Bird together to dominate Grass- and Bug-type raid bosses.

For players who paid for GO Tour: Johto, they have access to Apex Shadow Ho-Oh. This variant of Ho-Oh naturally comes with Sacred Fire+, a stronger version of Sacred Fire. With this move, Apex Shadow Ho-Oh is one of the top Fire attackers in the game, with an overall performance rivaling that of Shadow Moltres and Shadow Entei. Do not purify Apex Shadow Ho-Oh if you care about raid dps, as it loses a considerable amount of dps despite receiving Sacred Fire++.

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.

Sacred Fire+ is functionally identical to Sacred Fire in PvP

PvP Rating Explanation

Great League: 3 / 5

Being released as a Shadow Pokemon enables Ho-Oh to participate in Great League much more easily. The trade-off of having an ATK buff and a DEF nerf as a Shadow Pokemon is actually more favorable for Ho-Oh due to the high damage output from its moveset, enabling more wins in certain scenarios than regular Ho-Oh. However its cumbersome charge moves leave Ho-Oh in a difficult spot when shields are available and it doesn't have a typing advantage. Ho-Oh would prefer to play as a closer in the end game when shields are gone, or at the least with an energy farming advantage to pressure shields more comfortably. 

Ultra League: 3.5 / 5

Shadow Ho-Oh acts primarily as a closer, using its powerful but slow charged moves to finish off opponents lacking shields. Its performance in 2-shield fights is quite poor, and it has close competition with Charizard and Talonflame, to which it loses to when shields are in play. Since Ho-Oh is a legendary Pokemon, it also has to contend with Giratina who has a decently comfortable time beating the Rainbow Pokemon. Wins against bulky Psychic-type legendaries in this league are largely 1-shield one-tricks, while the battle against Melmetal shows how painfully slow Ho-Oh's moveset truly is. For all this hurt, the devastating damage from Ho-Oh's charge moves should not be underestimated, if it can ever get to them. 

Master League: 3.5 / 5

Shadow Ho-Oh has an explosive closing potential thanks to its immense coverage and wide coverage. A Brave Bird can almost delete Kyogre and Palkia from full HP. Shadow Ho-Oh can be tricky to use, however, as the added frailty from being a Shadow Pokemon makes it less consistent at reaching its charge moves. Most egregiously, Rock Slide from Melmetal, Excadrill, and Landorus-I can almost instantly delete it, while regular Ho-Oh can survive quite comfortably. Shields are especially tough for Shadow Ho-Oh to overcome.

Nonetheless, Shadow Ho-Oh is still bulky enough to utilize its useful Fairy-, Fighting-, Ground-, and Steel-type resistances that define regular Ho-Oh's role in the metagame. Players who find farming opportunities with Shadow Ho-Oh can look forward to the satisfying feeling of watching enemy health bars instantly disappear.

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

Exclusive Charge Moves

10
Frustration
More Info

Normal

.714x DamageVS
.714x DamageVS
.51x DamageVS
0.7 secs
CD DW EPS DPE DPS DPS w/STAB DPE*DPS
2.00
0.80
0.00
 0.30
5.00
6.25
 1.52
135
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
 1.35
51.92
64.90
 70.10

Secondary Charge Move Unlock Cost

Candy 120
Stardust 120,000

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

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
Apex Shadow Pokemon and Go Tour: Johto Details Revealed
IVs in Pokemon Go: The Last Barrier to Optimized Gameplay

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
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