Ho-Oh
Dynamax
The legendary Guardian of the Skies Ho-Oh, is set to make its Dynamax debut in Pokémon GO during the Max Battle Weekend from Saturday, 31 January to Sunday, 1 February. As one of the most iconic Legendary Pokémon, Ho-Oh arrives with sky-high expectations from the trainers for use in Max content, where survivability, Max meter generation, and their potential role as an attacker, healer or tank matters far more than nostalgia.
In this article, we will look into how Dynamax Ho-Oh performs in the current Max meta, and, more importantly, how future-proof it is likely to be as both a support and an attacker as more Pokémon gain access to Max forms.
Dynamax Ho-Oh as a Support: Massive Potential, but Lacking a good Fast Attack
On paper, Dynamax Ho-Oh looks like a formidable tanking support; and numerically speaking, it should be… if we strictly look at how much damage it can soak up.
Being a duo-type Fire/ Pokémon, Ho-Oh comes packed with 2x resistance against Bug and Grass, and 1x resistance against Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Ground and Steel type attacks. Coupled with its relatively high 244 DEF and 214 HP values, based on the number of hits it can take, Ho-Oh is:
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The undisputed #1 support vs. Grass, both in the current Max meta and even in a fully expanded future where every Pokémon has its Max form.
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The #1 support vs. Fairy among the released pool of Max Pokémon, and still an impressive #6 across the entire Pokédex in the future.
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The #2 support vs. Bug, both now and in the long term.
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Ranked within the top 5 supports vs.Steel, Fire, Ground and Fighting.
What ultimately cripples Dynamax Ho-Oh in practice is not its stats, but its lack of a 0.5-second Fast Attack – the same issue that Dynamax Lugia faces.
In Max content, the single most important mechanical priority for supports is to charge the Max Meter, which will help push the team to Max Phase as quickly as possible. The current top-tier supports, e.g. Crowned Shield Zamazenta, Crowned Sword Zacian, Dynamax Blissey, Dynamax Latias… all rely on 0.5-second Fast Attacks, allowing them to generate meter at the fastest speed possible while still being able to absorb damage coming from the Max Boss. This, unfortunately, often outweighs the importance of superior resistances or raw bulk, making the support Pokémon a lot less impactful than it should be if it charges up the Max Meter slowly.
Ho-Oh, unfortunately, does not have access to any 0.5s Fast Attack. Its shortest-duration options are Steel Wing (Steel, 1.0s) and Extrasensory (Psychic, 1.0s). This means Ho-Oh takes roughly twice as long to charge the Max Meter compared to elite tanks that rely on 0.5s Fast Moves.
That said, Ho-Oh’s story isn’t finished… although, we have to be in hopeful territory here. If Pokémon GO ever decides to add a 0.5s Fast Attack to Ho-Oh’s movepool – similar to how Suicune was recently given Water Gun – Ho-Oh would instantly be immortalized as one of the most dominant and future-proof supports in Max content. With faster meter generation, its already-elite resistances against Grass, Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Ground and Steel would then finally be fully realized.
Dynamax Ho-Oh as an Attacker: Only an Average, and Costly Choice
Having Fast Attacks spanning across three effective elements: Fire, Psychic, and Steel (not counting Normal since its attacks do not deal super effective damage to any other elements), Dynamax Ho-Oh does show some flexibility in its moveset, and trainers can change its Max Move to the preferred element depending on what their roster is currently lacking. However, at 239 ATK and being in a Dynamax form only, Dynamax Ho-Oh is unfortunately outclassed by other Pokémon currently available in Max content in every single one of its available elements.
As a Fire damage dealer, Ho-Oh faces tough competition from existing Gigantamax attackers in Gigantamax Cinderace and Gigantamax Charizard, and even falls behind several Dynamax options such as Darminatan, Moltres and Flareon. With the exception of Moltres, these Pokémon, and their candies, are also much easier to obtain, making them cheaper and faster to build. In comparison, Ho-Oh requires grinding out raids and costly Max battles just to gather barely enough resources – making it a poor choice for this element.
| Fire | ||
| Ranking | Pokémon | Damage Output vs. Ho-Oh |
| 1 |
Gigantamax Cinderace
|
+28% |
| 2 |
Gigantamax Charizard
|
+20% |
| 3 |
Dynamax Darmanitan
|
+10% |
| 4 |
Dynamax Moltres
|
+5% |
| 5 |
Dynamax Flareon
|
+3% |
| 6 |
Dynamax Ho-Oh
|
– |
As a Psychic attacker, Ho-Oh still falls behind Alakazam, Latios, Espeon, and Metagross by up to 13% in damage output. And similar to the Fire types, these options (except for Latios) are far easier to farm for candies, making Ho-Oh a less attractive choice.
| Psychic | ||
| Ranking | Pokémon | Damage Output vs. Ho-Oh |
| 1 |
Dynamax Alakazam
|
+13% |
| 2 |
Latios
|
+12% |
| 3 |
Dynamax Espeon
|
+9% |
| 4 |
Dynamax Metagross
|
+8% |
| 5 |
Dynamax Ho-Oh
|
– |
For the Steel-type, this is unfortunately Crowned Sword Zacian’s territory. With an ATK value of 332, the legendary wolf separates itself from the pack as the #1 Steel attacker now and for the foreseeable future. Ho-Oh falls 39% behind Zacian in damage output, and it also sits behind much more accessible Dynamax options such as Metagross and Excadrill.
| Steel | ||
| Ranking | Pokémon | Damage Output vs. Ho-Oh |
| 1 |
Crowned Sword Zacian
|
+39% |
| 2 |
Dynamax Metagross
|
+8% |
| 3 |
Dynamax Excadrill
|
+7% |
| 4 |
Dynamax Ho-Oh
|
– |
In summary, as a damage dealer, while Dynamax Ho-Oh has access to different elements depending on the need of the trainers’ roster and the requirements of the battles, it does not excel in any of them, losing out to various readily available Dynamax and Gigantamax Pokémon in the current meta.
Final Thoughts & Recommendation
Given the intense competition with other existing damage dealers, Dynamax Ho-Oh is not recommended as a Max attacker. Its true value lies in its tanking potential, where it shines as the top tier support, or even #1 futureproof support among every element that it is resisted against, i.e. Bug, Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Grass, Ground and Steel.
The lack of a 0.5s Fast Attack, however, is the single factor holding Ho-Oh back from being a truly dominant tank in Max Battles today. In a mode where speed of Max Meter generation is king, this limitation makes Ho-Oh feel less viable despite its bulkiness and resistance. If it ever receives a 0.5s Fast Attack – just as Suicune did – its tanking capability will finally be fully recognized and unleashed.
As such, for the upcoming Max Battle Weekend event, our recommended approach is to use up your free Max Particles for both days; and if you want to build up Ho-Oh, choose the one with the highest IV for DEF and HP.
