Dilwar
Hi
Seeing how well Ho-oh is doing in SPL, as well as being my favourite legendary, I wanted to build a team around it. Unlike most teams I build, this one is more balanced, because it's hard to fit Ho-oh into pure offense. I don't really find time to enter tournaments so my best achievement with this team is using it to get into Indigo Plateau, in which I went 44-6 on the ladder. I peaked at 4th, which is technically 2nd since Lord Outrage and his many alts took up the spots 1-3. I stopped there because he ladders way too much for anyone to even keep up o.o. Anyway, I felt to RMT the team because there's always room for improvement (which I'm looking for) and it pretty much did its job.
TEAM PREVIEW
Ho-oh
The team is built around it.
Ho-oh and Kyogre were a very strong offensive core in XY and this hasn't changed in ORAS with Primal Kyogre. The core became stronger now that Primal Kyogre's rain goes away upon switching out, thus allowing Ho-oh to spam Sacred Fire without fear of being weakened by rain. So, Primal Kyogre's pick was naturally chosen as I wanted to test out this boosted core. The best of Ho-oh's few, shaky switch ins lie in Arceus-Rock, Gliscor, Arceus-Water, defensive Yveltal and the unorthodox Rhyperior. Between Origin Pulse, Thunder and Ice Beam, Primal Kyogre demolishes these Pokemon. On the other hand, Primal Kyogre's best switch-ins lie in Ferrothorn, Lati twins, Blissey and Arceus-Grass. Ho-oh destroys these Pokemon and wins 1v1 vs the Latis. Primal Groudon can be added but it's incredibly easy to weaken that by predicting with Ice Beam as it lacks recovery. Support variants which are more commonly used for P-Kyogre often lack a rock move, thus allowing Ho-oh to counter them. Both of Ho-oh and P-Kyogre are incredible powerhouses and very difficult to switch in to, so my match up against stall was already pretty strong.
The offensive core was massively weak to Zekrom and I wanted a Rocks setter. Primal Groudon seemed by far the best choice as it filled many roles in one slot, being a Xerneas, Zekrom, Kyogre and to some extent a Mega Salamence check, as well as most other strong physical attackers. Honestly though, there's little reason to ever not use this mon, so its pick is pretty self-explanatory.
Hazard removal on a team packing Ho-oh is a neccessity. I didn't want to go the traditional, boring route of adding Mega Diancie and Defog Lati for hazard control as it's really common so most teams are ready for a style like that. That core is also massively weak to E-Killer and dancing Primal Groudon, leaving limited options for the remaining slots. So essentially I wanted something that could pack Defog and not make me massively weak to E-Killer or Primal Groudon. Gira-O was considered, who while a solid pick was underwhelming for me as it lacks recovery, making it incredibly easy to open up holes for one of the aforementioned two to sweep. It also cannot switch in to Ho-oh.
Enter Mega Salamence. Mega Salamence has Defog, Intimidate, recovery and can switch in to Ho-oh comfortably. So I had hazard removal on the fourth slot with the added benefit on not being weak to Ekiller, P-Don and Ho-oh. Its pick was made more attractive as by this point, I had answers to the premier Uber threats - Xerneas, Primal Groudon, E-killer, Primal Kyogre and Darkrai through the bulk of Ho-oh and P-Ogre.
At this point I looked at the not as prominent threats, and I needed a little more offensive pressure outside of Ho-oh and Kyogre. Yveltal and the Lati twins stood out the most as threats to the team, so Xerneas was added to help with this. It also gave a solid win-con and forced teams to play the way I wanted, forcing out and weakening Primal Groudon for example which was beneficial to P-Kyogre. It's gauranteed to punch a hole into any team just by getting a Geo up, so I liked this pick as a Pokemon as good as Xerneas is never bad.
Ekiller was added to round out the offense spectrum and give a secondary win-con. It also gave a back up Xern check as Groudon can be pressured quite often while lacking recovery, and Ho-oh of course isn't the best check out there as it needs to be at 100%. Honestly though this literal God is just so solid, 120 stats across the board is insane. It has strong priority and fantastic natural bulk so it helps immensely if I'm in a sticky situation. For example P-Groudon gets a free Rock Polish, this thing takes a hit and Earthquakes followed up with Espeed. Or if Darkrai gets out of hand, it can do a good job revenge killing by getting 1 or 2 Espeeds off depending on its HP. It puts in massive work vs HO and gave the team a safety net, so I had no second thoughts in choosing it.
RAINB-OH (Ho-Oh) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 196 Atk / 52 SpD / 12 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Thunder Wave
- Recover
BLUE WHALE (Kyogre-Primal) @ Blue Orb
Ability: Primordial Sea
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Origin Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Sleep Talk
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 56 Def / 204 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Precipice Blades
- Lava Plume
- Dragon Tail
- Stealth Rock
Ability: Aerilate
EVs: 248 HP / 200 / 60 Spe
Impish Nature
- Return
- Dragon Tail
- Roost
- Defog
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 48 HP / 28 Def / 248 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Geomancy
- Aromatherapy
- Focus Blast
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Threat List
- This thing with Thunder can get past the bulk of Ho-oh and P-Kyogre and then punch huge holes in the team. Thankfully though Sludge Bomb is the superior option, and Ekiller can live any +2 hit from Dark Pulse or Thunder. If its Focus Blast, P-Ogre and Ho-oh have no problems checking it, but it's a threat because you don't usually expect Thunder.
- this kinda just spams Psyshock once it realises Mence isn't faster than it, so it can dish out big damage to the team pretty easily. However it can be dealt with by playing around with predicted switches or revenge killing with Arceus, Xerneas or Ho-oh.
- this or regular Life Orb Mewtwo. Taunt / CM + 3 Attacks can dish out big damage pretty easily and it outspeeds everything on the team. I just have to beat it with Xerneas, Ho-oh, P-Don or P-Ogre in a 1v1 situation, but will take massive damage in the process.
Thanks for reading!
EDIT: added in some changes after some suggestions (highlighted in italics)
Proof of ladder record (ladder alt)
TEAM PREVIEW
BUILDING PROCESSHo-oh
The team is built around it.
Primal Kyogre
Ho-oh and Kyogre were a very strong offensive core in XY and this hasn't changed in ORAS with Primal Kyogre. The core became stronger now that Primal Kyogre's rain goes away upon switching out, thus allowing Ho-oh to spam Sacred Fire without fear of being weakened by rain. So, Primal Kyogre's pick was naturally chosen as I wanted to test out this boosted core. The best of Ho-oh's few, shaky switch ins lie in Arceus-Rock, Gliscor, Arceus-Water, defensive Yveltal and the unorthodox Rhyperior. Between Origin Pulse, Thunder and Ice Beam, Primal Kyogre demolishes these Pokemon. On the other hand, Primal Kyogre's best switch-ins lie in Ferrothorn, Lati twins, Blissey and Arceus-Grass. Ho-oh destroys these Pokemon and wins 1v1 vs the Latis. Primal Groudon can be added but it's incredibly easy to weaken that by predicting with Ice Beam as it lacks recovery. Support variants which are more commonly used for P-Kyogre often lack a rock move, thus allowing Ho-oh to counter them. Both of Ho-oh and P-Kyogre are incredible powerhouses and very difficult to switch in to, so my match up against stall was already pretty strong.
Primal Groudon
The offensive core was massively weak to Zekrom and I wanted a Rocks setter. Primal Groudon seemed by far the best choice as it filled many roles in one slot, being a Xerneas, Zekrom, Kyogre and to some extent a Mega Salamence check, as well as most other strong physical attackers. Honestly though, there's little reason to ever not use this mon, so its pick is pretty self-explanatory.
Mega Salamence
Hazard removal on a team packing Ho-oh is a neccessity. I didn't want to go the traditional, boring route of adding Mega Diancie and Defog Lati for hazard control as it's really common so most teams are ready for a style like that. That core is also massively weak to E-Killer and dancing Primal Groudon, leaving limited options for the remaining slots. So essentially I wanted something that could pack Defog and not make me massively weak to E-Killer or Primal Groudon. Gira-O was considered, who while a solid pick was underwhelming for me as it lacks recovery, making it incredibly easy to open up holes for one of the aforementioned two to sweep. It also cannot switch in to Ho-oh.
Enter Mega Salamence. Mega Salamence has Defog, Intimidate, recovery and can switch in to Ho-oh comfortably. So I had hazard removal on the fourth slot with the added benefit on not being weak to Ekiller, P-Don and Ho-oh. Its pick was made more attractive as by this point, I had answers to the premier Uber threats - Xerneas, Primal Groudon, E-killer, Primal Kyogre and Darkrai through the bulk of Ho-oh and P-Ogre.
Xerneas
At this point I looked at the not as prominent threats, and I needed a little more offensive pressure outside of Ho-oh and Kyogre. Yveltal and the Lati twins stood out the most as threats to the team, so Xerneas was added to help with this. It also gave a solid win-con and forced teams to play the way I wanted, forcing out and weakening Primal Groudon for example which was beneficial to P-Kyogre. It's gauranteed to punch a hole into any team just by getting a Geo up, so I liked this pick as a Pokemon as good as Xerneas is never bad.
Arceus
Ekiller was added to round out the offense spectrum and give a secondary win-con. It also gave a back up Xern check as Groudon can be pressured quite often while lacking recovery, and Ho-oh of course isn't the best check out there as it needs to be at 100%. Honestly though this literal God is just so solid, 120 stats across the board is insane. It has strong priority and fantastic natural bulk so it helps immensely if I'm in a sticky situation. For example P-Groudon gets a free Rock Polish, this thing takes a hit and Earthquakes followed up with Espeed. Or if Darkrai gets out of hand, it can do a good job revenge killing by getting 1 or 2 Espeeds off depending on its HP. It puts in massive work vs HO and gave the team a safety net, so I had no second thoughts in choosing it.
SETS
Rainbow PhoenixRAINB-OH (Ho-Oh) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 196 Atk / 52 SpD / 12 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Thunder Wave
- Recover
I used the standard spread for a back up Xerneas check, as sometimes in longer battles P-Don can be worn down to the point where it can't check Xerneas anymore and Ekiller was sometimes not strong enough to finish off bulkier variants. Life Orb was chosen over Choice Band, because although CB is my favourite set, I don't think it's as good in this meta, as new threats M-Mence, P-Don and P-Ogre can really take advantage if it's locked in to the wrong move. Of course this was a problem in XY too, but there were way fewer things that didn't mind one of its moves back then. It is also really helpful against stall, as they can't switch around as well since it eases prediction. In tandem with Recover (over Roost because it beats non-rock move P-Don), it worked great. Another advantage of Life Orb is it allowed for Thunder Wave, which prevents M-Mence setting up on it and eases the match up against HO with Deo-S leads. I did not opt for Sleep Talk, because there were too many times Stealth Rock was up, and Darkrai managed to beat Ho-oh, rendering my check to it useless. So, I put Sleep Talk on P-Ogre instead, who proved way more reliable. Looking at it though, with the 248 HP / 52 SpD spread, sometimes I don't even have to rely on Kyogre to check Darkrai, as this spread walls Darkrai really well provided rocks aren't up. Ho-oh was also my answer to the many CM Arc forms, as it eats up Judgements, while burning, birding and recovering. The Speed EVs let it outspeed max speed Diancie before mega which can be clutch if it's not running Protect. Ho-oh's unorthodox Speed tier doesn't really need big investment in Speed anyway as it won't achieve much. 248HP and 52SpDef checks Xerneas and the rest was put into Attack with an Adamant nature for maximum power.
King Of The Sea
BLUE WHALE (Kyogre-Primal) @ Blue Orb
Ability: Primordial Sea
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Origin Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Sleep Talk
I used the offensive set with a little focus on bulk to check Darkrai better as well as Primal Groudon. Origin Pulse, Ice Beam and Thunder are self-explanatory if you read the teambuilding process. They give amazing coverage and hit everything Ho-oh hates. Sleep Talk is of course to sleep absorb and beat Darkrai. The Speed EVs let it outspeed the majority of Primal Groudons and the 172HP gaurantees the live on Precipice Blades, with a good chance after Stealth Rock. This let P-Kyogre be a back up check to it. Max Special Attack was used to wallbreak and punish switches as hard as possible. Seriously this thing hits stupidly hard, it has a 87.5% chance to OHKO offensive Yveltal and gaurantees if the Yveltal is Rash natured (which they always are). However, Calm Mind over Thunder is a good option too to break walls better, 2HKOing Blissey or Chansey at +1 for example. This does make you weaker to opposing Kyogre though.
King Of The Land
FIREPTILE (Groudon-Primal) @ Red OrbAbility: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 56 Def / 204 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Precipice Blades
- Lava Plume
- Dragon Tail
- Stealth Rock
Since Primal Groudon was checking or countering all of Xerneas, Zekrom, P-Ogre and M-Mence, as well as setting rocks, I definitely needed a support spread. So, I chose the standard mixed wall spread. The SpDef investment allows it to check Xerneas very reliably and switch into P-Ogre at least 3 times. The Defense investment lives +2 EQ from LO Ekiller after SR, so I was comfortable with this benchmark as it showed what a physical behemoth P-Don is. This also comfortably lives any hit from +1 M-Mence (even crits) so it was nice as I could D-Tail it out, dealing some good damage in the process. Precipice Blades was chosen over Earthquake because EQ is weak af. There were a few too many times Earthquake couldn't finish Xerneas so I had enough and used Blades. This power difference was very noticeable, 180 Atk with a 120BP STAB even uninvested let it hard ridiculously hard, and since then it's always managed to revenge Xerneas. Lava Plume was chosen because it hits Ferrothorn without taking Iron Barbs damage, since P-Don has no recovery, I feel it appreciates every last bit of HP. Mostly though, I use it to fish for burns and it has come through a lot, burning things like Ekiller and M-Mence. It also makes him a pretty strong mixed attacker. Dragon Tail was chosen to phase things out, so M-Mence cannot set up on me, and it's nice to toss things about for SR damage when I have momentum. It also was helpful for people running evasion on the ladder, as Espeon cannot bounce it back. Another perk is that Latis are common switch ins so Dragon Tailing them right back out, dealing big damage in the process really helps. This prevents Defog and gets momentum.
Rayquaza's Apprentice
MEGA CROISSANT (Salamence-Mega) @ SalamenciteAbility: Aerilate
EVs: 248 HP / 200 / 60 Spe
Impish Nature
- Return
- Dragon Tail
- Roost
- Defog
Since Salamence was packing Defog, as well as being my hard check to Arceus and Ho-oh, a bulky spread on it was only logical. This spread has a 100% chance to live +3 Extremespeed from LO Ekiller after Stealth Rock. That way, upon switching in (including Intimidate), Ekiller has to set up another SD before it can break Salamence. So, I get off two Returns which is enough to 2HKO it after SR, and 16.4% chance without. However that 16.4% chance does not factor in LO recoil, so really it's always reliable. This was a major reason why I didn't opt for Body Slam, since that was simply too weak, and deterred Mence from checking Ekiller reliably. The Speed EVs reach 291, which is enough to outspeed neutral natured Yveltal, Rayquaza and Kyu-W. Dragon Tail was chosen as this Salamence has less offensive pressure, so it phases things trying to set up on it, particularly Ekiller and Primal Groudon. Similarly to Primal Groudon, it tosses things about to rack up damage and prevents Latis switching in and Defogging. It is pretty crucial to the set as without it you can be set up on and lose to things like Double Dance Primal Groudon. Roost is obviously there for the mandatory recovery.
Yggdrasil - Tree Of Life
UNICORN (Xerneas) @ Power HerbAbility: Fairy Aura
EVs: 48 HP / 28 Def / 248 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Geomancy
- Aromatherapy
- Focus Blast
The Speed EVs on Xerneas outspeed Adamant / Modest base 90s, so that includes things like Kyogre, Groudon and Ho-oh, which is pretty big considering they never really are +Speed nature. This prevents Modest Primal Kyogre from doing (95% - 112%), basically one shotting me with Origin Pulse. That way I can either revenge kill it or set up on it, which is pretty clutch. This Speed benchmark also outspeeds Adamant Exca, and actually came through for me once as I played someone using the classic T-Tar + Excadrill (Xern check) core. Outspeeding the Excadrill won me the game. The Defense EVs make it greater than SpDef so Genesect does not get the Attack boost, and the rest goes into HP. This investment still allows it to live +2 Espeed from LO Ekiller. Aromatherapy was chosen as I had to sacrifice Refresh on M-Mence for the importance of Dragon Tail, so this gave team support and prevented toxic or burn shutting down Salamence, as well as give second chances to burned Ekiller. The move is immensely useful against stall. Focus Blast, though having shaky accuracy are what I feel is Xern's best coverage, as it hits P-Don, Klefki, Ferro, Scizor and Heatran. Three of those are among the most common checks to Xerneas so this was chosen over Thunder. Thunder only lets you get past Ho-oh, and although this made me slightly weaker to Ho-oh (all teams are) I compensated for it by running Stone Edge Ekiller.
The Lord
HORSEUS (Arceus) @ Life OrbAbility: Multitype
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Ekiller's set is pretty straightforward, with not much to talk about. Life Orb was chosen over things like Lum because I already had a Darkrai check, and it helps with revenge killing significantly. Earthquake hits the widest range of targets coverage wise, and the team didn't need lure like Overheat, as I already have P-Don and Ho-oh for the things it hits. Stone Edge was chosen to OHKO Ho-oh as people like to switch it in to Ekiller sometimes, and it also gets past defensive Yveltal and Salamence - two of the most common checks to Ekiller right now. This made Stone Edge the superior option, but Shadow Claw is always an acceptable option to hit Gira-O and Ghostceus a lot harder.Threat List
Thanks for reading!
EDIT: added in some changes after some suggestions (highlighted in italics)
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