Pokemon GO Shadow Ho-Oh weaknesses, best counters & Shiny details
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 |   Click to enlarge |
| Diancie | Rock Throw/Rock Slide |  Click to enlarge |
| Aerodactyl | Rock Throw/Rock Slide |  Click to enlarge |
| Kyogre | Watefall/Origin Pulse |  Click to enlarge |
| Rhyperior | Smack Down/Rock Wrecker |  Click to enlarge |
| Rampardos | Smack Down/Rock Slide |  Click to enlarge |
| Tyrantrum | Rock Throw/Meteor Beam |  Click to enlarge |
| Gigalith | Smack Down/Meteor Beam |  Click to enlarge |
| Swampert | Water Gun/Hydro Cannon |  Click to enlarge |
| Terrakion | Smack Down/Rock Slide |  Click to enlarge |
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.
