Pokemon GO Shadow Ho-Oh weaknesses, best counters & Shiny details

Pokemon GO Shadow Ho-Oh weaknesses, best counters & Shiny details

If you're keen to take on Shadow Ho-Oh when it arrives in Pokemon GO, check out this guide to find out what its weaknesses are and what counters you should use.

26th Jan 2024 12:28

Images via Niantic

If you're like me, the iconic Johto bird Ho-Oh is one of your favourite Legendary Pokemon, and it's making its return to Pokemon GO in the new Taken Treasures event. So we've put together this raid guide to help you out!

Shadow Ho-Oh is being added to Pokemon GO on Saturday, January 27th 2024, and will be there until Sunday, January 28th at 10pm local time. That's not a lot of time, so you'd better make sure you complete it this weekend. 

To help you out with that, we've compiled the best counters for this Pokemon to ensure you can take it down, as well as its weaknesses and shiny details.

Shadow Ho-Oh weaknesses in Pokemon GO

Ho-Oh is a Fire/Flying-type Pokemon, so it's weak to Rock, Water and Electric, with Rock being the preferred type as it's effective against both Fire and Flying.

With a full team of Rock-type attackers, you'll be dealing the maximum amount of damage to Ho-Oh. You'll need it too, as Ho-Oh is a five-star raid and can dish out some serious damage in return.

Water is the second-best option, as the type resists the Fire moves Ho-Oh will be throwing at you. Electric-types can hit Ho-Oh for super-effective damage, but they won't be resisting its attacks like Water can, so if you don't have a full team of good Rock-types, I recommend slotting in some Water Pokemon.

Best counters to defeat Shadow Ho-Oh

As we mentioned in the weaknesses section above, Ho-Oh's primary weakness is Rock-type. That's why most of the counters below will be Rock-type Pokemon.

These counters are ideal for taking on Shadow Ho-Oh, and if you have any of their Mega or Primal versions I highly recommend using those.

Pokemon Best Moveset Sprite
Tyranitar Smack Down/Stone Edge Tyranitar from Pokemon Home.
Diancie Rock Throw/Rock Slide Mega Diancie from Pokemon Home.
Aerodactyl Rock Throw/Rock Slide Aerodactyl from Pokemon Home.
Kyogre Watefall/Origin Pulse Kyogre from Pokemon Home.
Rhyperior Smack Down/Rock Wrecker Rhyperior from Pokemon Home.
Rampardos Smack Down/Rock Slide Rampardos from Pokemon Home.
Tyrantrum Rock Throw/Meteor Beam Tyrantrum from Pokemon Home.
Gigalith Smack Down/Meteor Beam Gigalith from Pokemon Home.
Swampert Water Gun/Hydro Cannon Swampert from Pokemon Home.
Terrakion Smack Down/Rock Slide Terrakion from Pokemon Home.

Can you get a shiny Shadow Ho-Oh in Pokemon GO?

In short, yes, you can find a Shiny Shadow Ho-Oh if you're lucky.

There's a small chance that any Ho-Oh you take down and catch can be a Shiny version. You might have to fight multiple Ho-Ohs before you find a Shiny one though, as it's quite rare. This event is the first time you'll be able to encounter a Shiny Shadow Ho-Oh.

And that just about covers everything you need to know about taking on Shadow Ho-Oh in Pokemon GO!

For more Pokemon GO raid guides, check out our homepage. Additionally, here's our previous raid guides for Hisuian Typhlosion and Wyrdeer so you can be prepared for whenever they return.

Dani Cross

About The Author

Dani Cross

Dani is a Guides Writer for GGRecon. She graduated from university with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, then worked as a freelance writer before joining the GGRecon team as a full-time writer in 2023. In her opinion, the best game of all time is Elden Ring – but her favourite is Halo: Reach, a game that created lifelong friendships and somehow started her down the path to a career in media. She’s also way too invested in Pokemon cards, and a big fan of guinea pigs, cats and other cute creatures.

2024 GGRecon. All Rights Reserved