Is Shadow Ho-Oh good in Pokémon GO?

On Sunday, Jan. 19 Shadow Ho-Oh features in a Pokémon GO Shadow Raid Day. We've had Shadow Raid Days in Pokémon GO before, but for a lot of players they can take a lot of effort. Is Shadow Ho-Oh good in Pokémon GO and should you get out there and do these Raids?

In addition, you can battle Shadow Ho-Oh Raids remotely for the first time ever. That means you have more chances to battle this Pokémon, especially if you are far away from a community. Remote Raids are expensive, so it's extra important to make sure you know if this is a Pokémon worth raiding for.

So, here is everything you need to know to evaluate if Shadow Ho-Oh is good in Pokémon GO.

Overall, Shadow Ho-Oh is a good Pokémon in Pokémon GO. It is a good option in the Master League, and is a solidly powerful Fire-type attacker. It does struggle a little bit as a Flying-type attacker, partly down to the lack of a Flying-type Fast Attack in its move pool.

There are some drawbacks, Shadow Ho-Oh isn't as good as some other Shadow Pokémon, like Shadow Heatran. It is also expensive, and standard Ho-Oh is better than it is in PvP and costs less.

With that said, here is a breakdown of how Shadow Ho-Oh stacks up in PvP and Raids in Pokémon GO.

As a Raid Attacker, Shadow Ho-Oh is only really relevant in the Fire-type category.

As a Flying-type, it sits in 19th place overall and is bettered by much cheaper, and more common Pokémon like Staraptor, Braviary, Salamance and of course Legendary Pokémon like Rayquaza and Yveltal. Shadow Ho-Oh is also bettered by Shadow Zapdos, Shadow Moltres and Shadow Lugia.

In the Fire-type category, it sits a lot better in 11th. It is bettered by some powerful Pokémon, including both Heatran and Shadow Heatran but four of the ten Pokémon above it are Mega Pokémon. Shadow Heatran is also much less avaliable, having been limited by appearing as a Giovanni reward and not in Raids.

It should be said that Fire-type Pokémon aren't super useful in Raids, Fire moves being effective against Bug, Steel, Grass and Ice-type Pokémon. There aren't many difficult Raids in these categories.

Additionally, like all Shadow Pokémon, Shadow Ho-Oh is very expensive to power up. Shadow Ho-Oh can't be a good Raid Attacker in Pokémon GO if you don't take it to at least Level 40.

In Pokémon GO PvP, Shadow Ho-Oh is a bit of a better prospect. It is currently ranked #13 in the Master League, making it a very viable option. It ranks much lower in the Great and Ultra Leagues. However, the standard version of Palkia ranks #10.

That means that really, you would be better with a standard Ho-Oh. It is cheaper to power up, and isn't much worse in Raids to justify the slightly weaker PvP performance.

That said, if you don't have a good IV Ho-Oh and you do get a good Shadow Ho-Oh this weekend it would be a very good Pokémon to use in the Master League. Being ranked #13 is still very impressive and the difference between them is very small.

Just be warned that in the Master League your Pokémon need to be Level 50 if you want to go far. That will require a lot of Stardust and Ho-Oh Candy XL. Unlike in Raids, where a Level 35 or 40 option could be possible, it is Level 50 or bust here if you want to go far.

In addition, viability isn't always long lived too. A new Pokémon getting introduced, or a new move, can shift the meta substantially.

Overall, Shadow Ho-Oh is a good Pokémon in Pokémon GO, even if it isn't as good as some other shadow options like Shadow Palkia or Shadow Heatran. If you get a good IV Shadow Ho-Oh this weekend it is worth powering up. This is especially true for players who want the absolute best power in Raids.

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