Is Ho-Oh good in Pokemon GO?

Yes. Ho-Oh is A-tier for Master League and has 7 other ranked roles.

Is Ho-Oh a good raid attacker?

Ho-Oh ranks #29 of 238 flying attackers with 13.4 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.

Can Ho-Oh be shiny in Pokemon GO?

Yes. Shiny Ho-Oh is available from photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.

Is Shadow Ho-Oh worth keeping?

Shadow Ho-Oh hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. The Shadow form is B-tier for Flying raid attacker, so keep it.

#250 · Generation 2

Ho-Oh

fire flyingLegendary

Max CP (L40 / L50): 3,863 / 4,367
Raid catch CP (L20 / L25): 2,207 / 2,759
Research CP (L15): 1,655
Buddy distance: 20 km
2nd charged move: 100,000 dust · 100 candy

Shiny
Shadow
Tradable
Mega
Dynamax

Keep

Ho-Oh earns its spot: A-tier Master League and A-tier Max Battle tank.

Battle roles

A
Master League#25 of 409 · score 89.4
It is ranked #25 in Master League on PvPoke with Incinerate / Brave Bird / Sacred Fire.
A
Max Battle tankdynamax#10 of 157 tanks
A-tier Max Battle tank (#10 of 157 by Defence × HP): it takes the boss's hits and shields the party with Max Guard.
B
Flying raid attackershadow#13 Flying · 15.9 DPS
As a Shadow it ranks #13 of 238 Flying-type attackers with Incinerate / Brave Bird.
B
Max Battle attackerdynamax#7 Fire · 235 per Max Move
Dynamax Ho-Oh ranks #7 of 20 Fire-type Max attackers: 235 damage per Max Flare at level 40 (fast move Incinerate). Only a copy caught in a Max Battle can use it.
C
Flying raid attacker#29 Flying · 13.4 DPS
It ranks #29 of 238 Flying-type attackers with Incinerate / Brave Bird.
C
Grass raid attackershadow#21 Grass · 14.0 DPS
As a Shadow it ranks #21 of 344 Grass-type attackers with Incinerate / Solar Beam.
C
Ground raid attackershadow#21 Ground · 13.7 DPS
As a Shadow it ranks #21 of 302 Ground-type attackers with Incinerate / Earthquake (needs an Elite TM).
C
Max Battle healerdynamax#28 of 157 healers
C-tier Max Battle healer (heals 29 HP per Max Spirit, #28 of 157): Max Spirit heals a share of its own HP to every ally.
–
Great League#757 of 1154 · score 67.4
Ranked #757 of 1154; not competitive in Great League.
–
Ultra League#326 of 851 · score 78.3
Ranked #326 of 851; not competitive in Ultra League.

Collection value

Legendary: keep at least one, and hold on to hundos and shinies.
Can Dynamax: only copies caught in Max Battles can Dynamax, so keep at least one Max copy.
1 costume/event variant: costumed copies cannot be re-obtained outside their event.
Shadow version exists: Shadows hit 20% harder and are worth a raid slot even with low IVs.

Tiers: S = meta-defining, A = strong, B = playable, C = niche. PvP from PvPoke overall rankings; raids from computed DPS/TDO within each attacking type; Max Battles from GO Hub tier lists.

Base stats

Attack239

Defense244

Stamina214

Base stats. Bars are scaled to the strongest Pokemon in the game.

Weak to

rock×2.56
electric×1.6
water×1.6

Resists

bug×0.391
grass×0.391
fairy×0.625
fighting×0.625
fire×0.625
ground×0.625
steel×0.625

Evolution line

Does not evolve.

Check your Pokemon's IVs

Ranks all 4,096 spreads for each league

Loading IV checker…

PvP rankings (GO Battle League)

League	Tier	Rank	Score	Recommended moves	Typical build
Great League	–	#757 / 1154	67.4	Incinerate · Brave Bird · Sacred Fire	L14 · 7/13/15
Great LeagueShadow	–	#861 / 1154	63.6	Incinerate · Brave Bird · Sacred Fire	L14 · 7/13/15
Ultra League	–	#326 / 851	78.3	Incinerate · Brave Bird · Sacred Fire	L23.5 · 5/15/13
Ultra LeagueShadow	–	#492 / 851	72.5	Incinerate · Brave Bird · Sacred Fire	L23.5 · 5/15/13
Master League	A	#25 / 409	89.4	Incinerate · Brave Bird · Sacred Fire	L50 · 15/15/15
Master LeagueShadow	B	#56 / 409	82.6	Incinerate · Brave Bird · Sacred Fire	L50 · 15/15/15

Source: PvPoke overall rankings. Score is relative to the league meta (100 = best). Typical build is the IV spread PvPoke assumes.

Max Battles (Dynamax & Gigantamax)

Ho-Oh can Dynamax. Only copies caught in Max Battles (or from Max research) can enter Power Spot battles.

Max Moves

psychicMax Mindstormfrom Extrasensory250 / 300 / 350 power
steelMax Steelspikefrom Steel Wing250 / 300 / 350 power
normalMax Strikefrom Hidden Power250 / 300 / 350 power
fireMax Flarefrom Incinerate250 / 300 / 350 power
Max Guard+20 / +40 / +60 HP shield
Max Spiritheals 8 / 12 / 16% HP

Max Battle roles

AttackerB Dynamax
Tank (Max Guard)A Dynamax
Healer (Max Spirit)C Dynamax

Max Move power is per level 1 / 2 / 3; levels are unlocked with Max Particles and Candy. Tiers are computed from level-3 Max Move damage, Defence × HP and HP at level 40; thresholds on the guide page.

Raid attacker rankings

Attacking type	Tier	Rank	DPS	TDO	Best moves
flyingShadow	B	#13 / 238	15.9	365	Incinerate · Brave Bird
grassShadow	C	#21 / 344	14.0	321	Incinerate · Solar Beam
groundShadow	C	#21 / 302	13.7	314	Incinerate · EarthquakeElite TM
fireShadow	C	#27 / 263	14.9	341	Incinerate · Sacred FireElite TM
flying	C	#29 / 238	13.4	370	Incinerate · Brave Bird
ground	–	#49 / 302	11.6	318	Incinerate · EarthquakeElite TM
grass	–	#51 / 344	11.8	325	Incinerate · Solar Beam
fire	–	#56 / 263	12.6	346	Incinerate · Sacred FireElite TM

Level 40, 15/15/15, neutral target. DPS = damage per second, TDO = total damage output before fainting. Rank is among every Pokemon using that attacking type.

Moves

Fast move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	DPS	PvP power	PvP energy	Speed
Extrasensory	psychic	11	+11	1.0s	11.0	8	+10	3 turns
Steel Wing	steel	14	+8	1.0s	14.0	7	+5	2 turns
Hidden Power	normal	15	+15	1.5s	10.0	9	+8	3 turns
IncinerateSTAB	fire	32	+22	2.5s	12.8	20	+20	5 turns

Charged move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	Dmg/energy	PvP power	PvP energy	Effects
Brave BirdSTAB	flying	130	-100	2.0s	1.30	130	-55	100% chance: -3 own Def
Fire BlastSTAB	fire	140	-100	4.0s	1.40	140	-80
Solar Beam	grass	180	-100	5.0s	1.80	150	-80
EarthquakeElite TM	ground	140	-100	3.5s	1.40	120	-65
Sacred FireElite TMSTAB	fire	120	-100	2.5s	1.20	130	-65	50% chance: -1 foe Atk

Questions people ask

Is Ho-Oh good in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Ho-Oh is A-tier for Master League and has 7 other ranked roles.
Should I keep or transfer Ho-Oh?: Ho-Oh earns its spot: A-tier Master League and A-tier Max Battle tank.
Is Ho-Oh a good raid attacker?: Ho-Oh ranks #29 of 238 flying attackers with 13.4 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.
Can Ho-Oh be shiny in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Shiny Ho-Oh is available from photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.
Is Shadow Ho-Oh worth keeping?: Shadow Ho-Oh hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. The Shadow form is B-tier for Flying raid attacker, so keep it.

PoGo Dex is free and gets fresh data every week. If it saved you from a bad transfer, you can buy me a coffee.

Donate on Ko-fi

Costumes & event variants (1)

SEvent costume

Verdict: Keep