Competitive Information for Ho-Oh [Sword/Shield]
Fire / Flying
Abilities:
If this Pokemon is the target of a foe's move, that move loses one additional PP.
This Pokemon restores 1/3 of its maximum HP, rounded down, when it switches out.
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Movesets for Singles
Looking for a competitive moveset for Ho-oh? These builds are optimized for Sword/Shield Single Battles. The movesets and EVs are designed to maximize damage against common opponents and threats in the Sword/Shield metagame. Check out the expert movesets below to boost your battle performance and dominate your opponents!
Meet Ho-Oh, the outstanding Pokémon of Fire and Flying types! It's a sight to see Ho-Oh out in the 8th generation battlefield. It is weak to Electric, Rock, and Water-typed attacks. Discover Ho-Oh's movesets below and unleash its potential in battles!
Item: Charti Berry / Shell Bell
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Flare Blitz / Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird / Sky Attack
- Double-Edge / Strength
- Earthquake / Bulldoze
Ho is an extraordinary Physical Sweeper to use for single battles. It's primary goal is to crush rivals using formidable physical attacks. The Shell Bell item option is to help Ho recover from the recoil damage it may take from Double-Edge, Flare Blitz and Brave Bird. With Pressure, if Ho is the target of a foe's move that move loses one additional pp. With a Charti Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective rock-type attack then the Charti Berry gets consumed.
◆ Sacred Fire is a physical STAB-boosted 100-base power Fire-type move (50% chance to burn the target. Thaws Ho).
◆ Brave Bird is a physical STAB-boosted 120-base power Flying-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Sky Attack is a physical STAB-boosted 140-base power Flying-type move (charges, then hits turn 2. 30% flinch. High crit).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Strength is a physical 80-base power Normal-type move that deals a large amount of damage.
◆ Earthquake is a physical 100-base power Ground-type move (hits adjacent pokemon).
◆ Bulldoze is a physical 60-base power Ground-type move (100% chance lower adjacent Pokemon speed by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/maafa
Item: Charti Berry / Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Burn Up / Overheat
- Air Cutter / Air Slash
- Earth Power
- Thunderbolt
Ho excels as a terrific Special Sweeper during single battles. This moveset focuses to take down the opponent's team with formidable special power. Life Orb boosts the power of Ho's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Pressure, if Ho is the target of a foe's move that move loses one additional pp. With a Charti Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective rock-type attack then the Charti Berry gets consumed.
◆ Overheat is a special STAB-boosted 130-base power Fire-type move (lowers your Ho's special attack by 2 stages).
◆ Air Cutter is a special STAB-boosted 60-base power Flying-type move (high critical hit ratio. Hits adjacent foes).
◆ Air Slash is a special STAB-boosted 75-base power Flying-type move (30% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Earth Power is a special 90-base power Ground-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
◆ Thunderbolt is a special 90-base power Electric-type move (10% chance to paralyze the target).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/mbafa
Movesets for Doubles
Need a strong doubles moveset for Ho-oh? These builds are perfect for VGC (Pokémon Video Game Championship) and other competitive Sword/Shield Double Battles. The VGC is the ultimate test of strategy and skill, and these movesets and EVs are designed to excel against multiple opponents at once while providing essential support to your team. Dominate the Sword/Shield metagame with these expert-crafted setups!
Item: Weakness Policy
Ability: Regenerator
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 156 Hp / 252 Atk / 12 Def / 4 SpD / 84 Spe
Moveset:
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Earthquake
- Protect
Prepare for double battles with Ho as a pretty decent Physical Tank. This build had its heyday in earlier tourneys. It tries to withstand physical attacks and hit back effectively. Weakness Policy activates if Ho is hit by a super effective move. The Weakness Policy is consumed and its Attack and Special Attack are increased by two stages each. With Regenerator, Ho restores 1/3 of its maximum hp rounded down when it switches out.
◆ Brave Bird is a physical STAB-boosted 120-base power Flying-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Earthquake is a physical 100-base power Ground-type move (hits adjacent pokemon).
◆ Protect is a status move (prevents moves from affecting your Ho this turn).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/naafa
Item: Charti Berry / Shell Bell
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
- Flare Blitz / Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird / Sky Attack
- Earthquake / Bulldoze
- Double-Edge / Strength
Ho thrives as a stupendous Physical Sweeper perfect for double battles. This strategy is built to crush rivals using overwhelming physical power. The Shell Bell item option is to help Ho recover from the recoil damage it may take from Double-Edge, Flare Blitz and Brave Bird. With Pressure, if Ho is the target of a foe's move that move loses one additional pp. With a Charti Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective rock-type attack then the Charti Berry gets consumed.
◆ Sacred Fire is a physical STAB-boosted 100-base power Fire-type move (50% chance to burn the target. Thaws Ho).
◆ Brave Bird is a physical STAB-boosted 120-base power Flying-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Sky Attack is a physical STAB-boosted 140-base power Flying-type move (charges, then hits turn 2. 30% flinch. High crit).
◆ Earthquake is a physical 100-base power Ground-type move (hits adjacent pokemon).
◆ Bulldoze is a physical 60-base power Ground-type move (100% chance lower adjacent Pokemon speed by 1 stage).
◆ Double-Edge is a physical 120-base power Normal-type move (has 33% recoil).
◆ Strength is a physical 80-base power Normal-type move that deals a large amount of damage.
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/nbafa
Item: Charti Berry / Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Moveset:
- Heat Wave / Burn Up
- Air Cutter / Air Slash
- Thunderbolt / Hyper Voice
- Earth Power
Ho thrives as a remarkable Special Sweeper perfect for double battles. This strategy is built to crush rivals using brute special attacks. Life Orb boosts the power of Ho's damaging moves by 1.3x but it then loses 1/10 its max HP immediately after the attack. With Pressure, if Ho is the target of a foe's move that move loses one additional pp. Thunderbolt was added to provide additional threat coverage. With a Charti Berry equipped to it, halves damage taken from a supereffective rock-type attack then the Charti Berry gets consumed.
◆ Burn Up is a special STAB-boosted 130-base power Fire-type move (Ho's fire type becomes typeless; must be fire).
◆ Air Cutter is a special STAB-boosted 60-base power Flying-type move (high critical hit ratio. Hits adjacent foes).
◆ Air Slash is a special STAB-boosted 75-base power Flying-type move (30% chance to make the target flinch).
◆ Thunderbolt is a special 90-base power Electric-type move (10% chance to paralyze the target).
◆ Hyper Voice is a special 90-base power Normal-type move (no additional effect. Hits adjacent foes).
◆ Earth Power is a special 90-base power Ground-type move (10% chance to lower the target's special defense by 1 stage).
Link (click to copy):
https://hohoushome.com/b/ncafa
Movepool
Want to know what moves Ho-oh can learn? Check out the full list of moves available in the Pokemon Sword/Shield generation.
Sort and organize the learnset by type, category, accuracy, and power. Moves in bold get the same-type attack bonus (STAB) when used by Ho-oh.
Damage Modifiers:
Combo List
These are a list of several common move combinations Ho-oh can perform in Sword/Shield. Not every combo going to be game-changing, but some can be pretty fun to play with. Sometimes these can be easily overlooked or forgotten, hence why we find and list them here. Discover what items, abilities, and moves this Pokemon can use in combination with each other to gain a strategic advantage in competitive battles.
Competitive SS Move and Ability Combos for Ho-oh
- Moves: Sunny day + Solar beam
- Moves: Mimic + Imprison
- Moves: Swagger + Psych up
- Moves: Rain dance + Thunder
- Moves: Rest + Sleep talk
- Moves: Rest + Snore
- Move: Swagger + Item: Mirror Herb
- Move: Facade + Item: Flame Orb
- Move: Facade + Item: Toxic Orb
- Item: Blunder Policy + Move: Zap Cannon
- Moves with Priority: Detect, Endure, Helping Hand, Protect
- Moves that Break Screens: Defog
- Moves that inflict status: Scorching Sands, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, Toxic
Moves that boost Ho-oh's stats
- Ancient Power
- Calm Mind
- Charge Beam
- Curse
- Flame Charge
- Steel Wing
Most notable and possible best moves for Ho-oh
- Earthquake
- Light Screen
- Protect
- Reflect
- Rest
- Roost
- Toxic
Common Effort Values for Ho-oh in Sword and Shield
- Adamant Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Modest Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Jolly Nature ( 0/252/0/0/0/252 )
- Timid Nature ( 0/0/0/252/0/252 )
- Bold Nature ( 252/0/252/0/0/4 )
- Calm Nature ( 252/0/0/0/252/4 )
- Relaxed Nature ( 252/0/88/0/168/0 )
- Sassy Nature ( 252/0/4/0/252/0 )
- Optimize Ho-oh's Defensive EV-spread for Pokemon Sword and Shield
Usage Data
Explore the latest analytical usage data for this Pokémon from various VGC and online competitions. We use this data to develop our strategies and movesets. The data is categorized by competition and skill level: top-ranking trainers, mid-level players, and entry-level players.
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Here are the best movesets for Ho-oh. Top rated Ho-oh Sword/Shield movesets. You can find Ho-oh builds Sword/Shield. Ho-oh movesets Sword/Shield are listed here. VGC Ho-oh Competitive Movesets can be found here. Find various EV spreads, find the best nature for Ho-oh in Sword/Shield along with competitive movesets. Basic info and Movesets for evolution