Pokémon GO Ho-Oh Raid Guide
Below is a table showing all of the best counters against Ho-Oh in Pokémon GO, but first we have some tips, tricks, and other information to walk you through the raid. Let's start by answering some of the biggest questions about Ho-Oh raids.
When the Ho-Oh raids begin and end
Ho-Oh will be available in Legendary Five Star Raids in Pokémon GO starting Friday, January 1, 2021 at 16 p.m. EST. Raids will appear randomly in gyms around the world over the next few days, ending at 10 a.m. local time, according to Niantic.
How many trainers are needed
Ho-Oh is one of the easiest Legendary Raid Bosses in Pokémon GO. With a full set of counters turned on, you can beat him with just two trainers in the fight. However, most didn't, so we recommend at least four trainers in total for any Raid Battles against Fire and Flying Pokémon.
What weather to watch
Given its dual Fire and Flying typing, Ho-Oh will be boosted by sunny and windy weather. If you want an extra challenge with a better reward from a stronger Ho-Oh waiting at the end, you can look at either one to catch the energized Pokemon. However, if you want an easier time in your Legendary Raid, you can wait for partly cloudy weather, which will increase the Rock-type Pokémon you use to counter Ho-Oh.
CP and Perfect IVs range
Ho-Oh's IVs will increase his CP from 2119 to 2207 CP without increasing weather conditions. If you get to the capture screen and see 2207 CP, be sure to use Golden Razz Berries and go for some great throws because it's a 100% perfect IV Ho-Oh. If the time passes in Sunny or Windy the range will drop from 2649 to 2759 CP, so be even more careful catching that level of 2759 CP because it will be a level 25, perfect IV Ho-Oh if you get it. But in order to do that, you have to win the fight, so here are the best counters against Ho-Oh in Pokémon GO for January 2021.
The best Ho-Oh counters in January 2021
The theme of all Ho-Oh counters is Rock, Rock, and Rock. Smack Down specifically because it's the most powerful fast move for the guy. You have a lot of good options, but note that any version of Shadow will do more damage despite IVs. So if you have them with the right set of moves, make sure you get them started on your team. Otherwise, here is the table of all the best Ho-Oh counters in Pokémon GO for January 2021.
As I said, there is a specific theme here. If you don't have one or if they don't have the correct moveset, you can search "@smack down" to find anything with that move. Also, just finding Rock-type Pokémon and sorting by CP should give you a lot of good choices. They will deal a lot of damage even if they are not the ideal counter.
How to get Shiny Ho-Oh
Once you've defeated the Legendary Bird, you have a chance to get a Shiny Ho-Oh as a reward. There's no way to increase those odds, so the only trick to getting a Shiny Ho-Oh in Pokémon GO is to do as many raids as you can while you can. Once one appears, know that the catch is guaranteed if the ball connects, so feel free to use a Pinap Berry to get some extra candy.
And here's our Pokémon GO Ho-Oh raid guide for January 2021, showing you all of the top counters and how to beat the Legendary Bird.
