For a brief time, you and other Pokémon Go players can add Shadow Ho-Oh to your collection. When you do, you’ll have an opportunity to use it on your team, and you’ll want to make sure it can use the best moveset it can learn.
Like all Pokémon, Shadow Ho-Oh can learn a variety of attacks. However, only a handful are the best combination. As a Shadow Pokémon, you’ll want to remove its Frustration as quickly as possible to unlock these attacks, which means you can only do it at select times. After you’ve removed Frustration, the next step is to pick what attacks to teach it. We’ll break down the best moves you should teach your Shadow Ho-Oh and if it’s better than the standard version in Pokémon Go.
Shadow Ho-Oh’s best moveset in Pokémon Go
When using Shadow Ho-Oh, it has an increased attack than its standard version. Like all Shadow Pokémon, Shadow Ho-Oh receives a 20% increase in its attack power, but its defenses go down by the same percentage. This makes you reconsider how to use it in battle best, as it loses some of its bulk. However, the moveset remains the same in Pokémon Go. The best attacks to give Shadow Ho-Oh are the fast move Incinerate and the charged moves Brave Bird and Sacred Fire.
| Attack Name | Attack Type | Damage Type | Damage | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incinerate | Fast Move | Fire-type | 20 | 4 |
| Brave Bird | Charged Move | Flying-type | 130 | 55 |
| Sacred Fire | Charged Move | Fire-type | 130 | 65 |
When it comes to giving Shadow Ho-Oh a fast move, there are several options other than Incinerate, but it’s the best choice. You have Extrasensory, Hidden Power, or Steel Wing. Extrasensory is a Psychic-type attack that does eight damage and generates 3.3 energy per turn, less damage and energy than Incinerate. Hidden Power only does nine damage and only provides 2.6 energy per turn. Finally, Steel Wing is a Steel-type attack that does seven damage and provides three energy per turn. Among them all, they do less damage than Incinerate and provide less energy. You want to generate as much energy on Shadow Ho-Oh as possible so it can unleash its charged moves.
For the charged moves, there are several other options to consider. These are all the charged moves Shadow Ho-Oh can learn in Pokémon Go.
- Brave Bird (Flying-type)
- Earthquake (Ground-type)
- Fire Blast (Fire-type)
- Sacred Fire (Fire-type)
- Solar Beam (Grass-type)
If you’re looking for the best combination of charged moves for Shadow Ho-Oh, go with Brave Bird and Sacred Fire. This is the best combination that can output the highest amount of damage and are ones you can use relatively quickly. Brave Bird is a Flying-type move that does 130 damage and only requires 55 energy, but it debuffs the user by lowering their defense by three ranks. If you’re using Shadow Ho-Oh, it already has low defense, which can be a problem. Sacred Fire is a Fire-type move that does 130 damage and requires 65 energy. It needs more energy to use it but doesn’t have a debuff.
Although Brave Bird and Sacred Fire are the best combination, swapping out Sacred Fire for Earthquake could be an option if you want to use Ho-Oh in the Great League. You have a higher chance to hit Pokémon that take a lot of damage from Earthquake compared to Sacred Fire, but it’s not so good in the Master League, which is where you typically see Legendary Pokémon. The same goes for Solar Beam, despite it being a great counter when facing off against Ground, Rock, or Water-type Pokémon.
Is Shadow Ho-Oh good in Pokémon Go?
When comparing Shadow Ho-Oh to its standard form, the two are similar. The downside to using Shadow Ho-Oh is the drop in defense. It takes a massive hit to its bulk, one of the appealing aspects of this Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Go. You can still use it in raids, though.
However, despite losing its bulk, if you were to reserve it as your final Pokémon in a battle, it could surprise an opponent. You likely would have an opponent who has wasted all their shields, and they couldn’t withstand the massive attacks coming from this Shadow Pokémon. If you plan to use Shadow Ho-Oh against other players in Pokémon Go, save it for the Master League, and make sure it’s the last Pokémon you use. You can surprise opponents and force them to take the hardest hits this Pokémon can throw out, securing your victory.
