Can you solo defeat Shadow Ho-Oh in Pokemon GO 5-star Shadow Raids?

Trainers wishing to solo defeat Shadow Ho-Oh in Pokemon GO 5-star Shadow Raids are in for some disappointment as the creature cannot be taken down by lone trainers. The creature will take over Gyms from 2 pm to 5 pm local time on January 19, 2025, as part of the Raid Day event.

This article breaks down the reasons why it is impossible to solo defeat Shadow Ho-Oh in Pokemon GO 5-star Shadow Raids.

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Why is it impossible to solo defeat Shadow Ho-Oh in Pokemon GO 5-star Shadow Raids?

Ho-Oh in the anime (Image via TPC)

It is impossible to solo defeat Shadow Ho-Oh in Pokemon GO 5-star Shadow Raids for the following reasons:

• Ho-Oh has a massive Attack and Defense stat along with the fixed 15,000 HP healthbar of 5-star raid bosses. This means it takes little damage from your moves while hitting back hard.
• Ho-Oh has a double weakness to Rock-type moves. However, the best attackers of this type do not match up to the power level of Mega Rayquaza, the Primals, or the Necrozma Fusions.
• The enraged mechanic boosts Shadow Ho-Oh's Attack and Defense by 81% and 200%, respectively. It also regenerates health over time. This makes it increasingly difficult for solo trainers to deal damage. Moreover, single trainers can use only five Purified Gems, while it takes eight to pacify the raid boss. This means that once Shadow Ho-Oh is enraged, it will stay in this state for the rest of the battle.

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Minimum number of raiders needed to defeat Shadow Ho-Oh in Pokemon GO

While you can't solo defeat Shadow Ho-Oh in Pokemon GO, you can take it down comfortably with three trainers — possibly even without using Purified Gems.

If you have the perfect counters and use boosts like Weather, Party Power, Best Friend bonus, and have access to sufficient Purified Gems, you may be able to defeat Shadow Ho-Oh with two trainers.

Here are the best counters to challenge Shadow Ho-Oh 5-star raids with:

• Mega or Shadow Rhyperior with Smack Down and Rock Wrecker
• Shadow or Mega Tyranitar with Smack Down and Stone Edge
• Mega Diancie with Rock Throw and Rock Slide
• Shadow Rampardos with Smack Down and Rock Slide
• Tyrantrum with Rock Throw and Meteor Beam
• Primal Kyogre with Waterfall and Origin Pulse

For more details on these battles, check out our in-depth Pokemon GO Shadow Ho-Oh raid guide.

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Check out our other Pokemon GO guides:

• Ditto disguises
• Buddy Evolution Adventure Together guide
• Best Fast Attacks in Pokemon GO
• Sierra counters
• Cliff counters
• Arlo counters
• Giovanni counters
• Team GO Rocket Grunts
• Pokemon GO Evolution Calculator