What If I Get Another Bad IV?
So Ho-oh is my most favoritest shiny EVER (:D), but the problem is that despite the high number of raids I did this past time when Ho-oh was out, I still wasn't able to get that shiny. :( I've had to trade for him instead, and so far I got one that was 54% (yuck) and one that was...well, I didn't even bother to check because it was "not likely to make much headway in battle..." (Didn't want to depress myself by staring at the 30% or whatever it would have been.)
So, I have one more trade lined up for a shiny Ho-oh. (It won't happen for another month, but still.) Trading for all these shiny Ho-oh is really draining my shiny inventory, and it is becoming harder and harder to find people willing to give them up. If I get another bad IV from this next trade, I will probably just call it quits, because I don't have a whole lot left to trade with after that. However, if it DOES turn out to be sub-50%, would it still be okay-ish to power up the 54% at least somewhat so I can use him for some stuff? (I know, gross, but seriously, he is my favorite shiny and I NEED to use him. :D) How great a difference is there between like, say, an 80% Ho-oh and a 54%?
Answers
If performance matters, HP type is more important than IVs indeed. But Ho-Oh is not the best at anything when performance matters anyway... In your case, the fun factor dominates, so I wouldn't worry. You seem to be looking for a reason to use a shiny Ho-Oh at what it can do best, or least bad (which is totally fine!). So just check out what HP types your candidates have, see which is the most useful and go for it. A 98% with rock HP will be less powerful than a 54% with grass HP ;) But then you could also rule that if you get a 80% with a shitty HP type, you could just give it say Extrasensory/Brave Bird and use it as a very good Machamp counter (if Machamp dosn't have rock slide).
If you like it then it’s more than Okay to level up... Honestly IV’s are super over hyped, the average player isn’t really going to see the difference between something with an IV 54% and 80% other than an increase in stardust cost in hitting break points and bulk points... The extra stardust spent to use a Pokémon you really love seems a fair trade to me... it’s just game and what’s the point if you can’t get some fun out of it!??!
Totally agreed with the previous comments: IVs are pretty overhyped by the player-base. This is probably because they're pretty much the one feature of a Pokémon that can't be altered by the player in some form. (at the time of writing this.)
But I believe instances where they come closest to making a noticeable difference are with Pokémon that are extraordinarily low in a specific stat. Ho-Oh couldn't be further from that example; he's got great attack, defense, and stamina, so IVs are a drop in the bucket for him.
If I were you'd I'd definitely look past his IVs and enjoy one of your favorite Pokémon of all time.
What? I've never seen someone invest so many resources into a single pokemon. Incredible. What if you get another bad IV? So what? I mean really. That's generally how it happens. Nearly always (hence your woe). For most people it's once bitten twice shy, but you just keep getting bitten and keep sticking your hand in front of the mouth.
I guess if you're primary source of joy in Pokemon Go is owning a high IV shiny Ho-Oh then keep on throwing an exorbitant amount of stuff at it. Me personally, I worked too hard to get all the stuff you're just throwing away at it.
But just keep on rolling the dice. Odds are not with you. You've already paid far too much for it IMO.
You could use your Ho-Oh as a tanky attacker in Machamp raids, with extrasensory and brave bird I believe, it's not amazing, but can serve a use still. I've never used it in PVP, but it might be good in Ultra league I'm guessing. If you want to power it up, do it, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise
