Gen 2 Houndoom (OU Revamp) [QC 2/2] [GP 2/2]

[Akir]

[OVERVIEW]
Houndoom is the proud owner of the strongest Pursuit in the entire GSC metagame, with enough coverage and firepower to truly take advantage of Pursuit's utility. While other Pursuit users fail to do notable damage or even force out their targets for said Pursuit, Houndoom's strength forces Ghost- and Psychic-types to choose between getting 2HKOed by a STAB attack or potentially fainting to such a strong Pursuit. Combined with good neutral coverage in its STAB types, good Speed, and even better Special Attack, Houndoom is very difficult to switch into and out of overall. Houndoom's typing also makes it the best offensive check to Jynx and Exeggutor by resisting both of their STAB moves and having a pick of super effective STAB attacks to hit back. It can even run a Sunny Day set to become even stronger. However, Houndoom's low Defense stat means that even neutral hits can 2HKO the poor dog. Houndoom is also walled by very common Pokemon, most notably Snorlax and Tyranitar, and can struggle to achieve proper 2HKOs against some of its more valuable targets. Regardless, Houndoom's combination of utility and power makes it an addition worth considering.

[SET]
name: Pursuit Trapper
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Roar / Counter
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Fire Blast is Houndoom's primary STAB move, with Crunch being excellent coverage for would-be threats like Gengar and Starmie on the switch. Being forced to switch out for fear of taking a strong Fire Blast or Crunch plays directly into Houndoom's excellent Pursuit, allowing it to trap valuable targets such as Exeggutor, Gengar, Jynx, Misdreavus, and even Cloyster effectively. Houndoom further differentiates itself from fellow Pursuit user Tyranitar by resisting Giga Drain from Exeggutor, making the Pursuit trap considerably cleaner. Houndoom can also relatively easily double switch in on its preferred targets due to how predictable they can be coming in. A Gengar coming in to block Rapid Spin against Forretress or a Cloyster seeing an easy opportunity to set Spikes against Golem are both fairly easy double switches for Houndoom to Pursuit trap. In fact, thanks to Houndoom's frailty, it prefers this method of coming in.

Roar and Counter are both good choices for the fourth moveslot. Roar prevents threats such as Snorlax from using Houndoom as a setup opportunity, and it can also drag in a valuable Pursuit target on which to force heavy damage. Due to its negative priority, however, Roar can leave Houndoom open to attack, which is risky due to its low defenses. Counter is another option for punishing what would normally be a safe attack from Snorlax, but a Counter used at the wrong time loses all surprise factor, and it makes Houndoom a true sitting duck against Curse Snorlax.

Team Options
========
Houndoom's Pursuit is extremely effective at removing Ghost- and Psychic-types. This is heavily appreciated by partners such as Snorlax, Machamp, and Golem, which can struggle against Pokemon such as Misdreavus and Exeggutor otherwise. Teammates that can switch in on the common Water- and Ground-type attacks thrown at Houndoom, such as Exeggutor, are also appreciated to help offset Houndoom's low bulk and improve team cohesion. Machamp gets a special mention for its ability to reliably switch in on Tyranitar and ward off Snorlax, Houndoom's two biggest counters. Ground-types such as Nidoking are also useful for switching into Electric-types such as Raikou that Houndoom is not keen on taking on.

Spikes support is always handy for additional damage to further solidify potential 2HKOs and 3HKOs. It also lets Roar rack up more damage. Cloyster and Forretress both excel in setting Spikes and can even keep Spikes off of Houndoom's side. Houndoom doubles down on the synergy by Pursuit trapping the Ghost-types that would try to block the aforementioned spinners.

[SET]
name: SunnyBeam
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Solar Beam
move 4: Pursuit
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
This set trades some of the utility of a more focused Pursuit set for more firepower and an improved matchup against Water-types, allowing Houndoom to wallbreak better. Sunny Day lets Fire Blast 2HKO even neutral foes and do as much as 40% to Snorlax, making it a potentially shaky switch-in where it is a reliable check otherwise. It also lowers the accuracy of Thunder, which is a problem for the very popular Electric-types Zapdos and Raikou. Sunny Day also allows Houndoom to use Solar Beam, improving its matchups against Rock- and Water-types, most notably 3HKOing Vaporeon and Suicune. Pursuit remains the main justification to using Houndoom and gives it versatility. However, lacking Crunch means that the set is less reliable for KOing Gengar and Misdreavus.

This set does not need to set up sun in order to function. Houndoom's Fire Blast is still strong without sun, and its ability to Pursuit trap is always invaluable; keep in mind that Pursuit damage is sometimes more valuable than setting up sun. Additionally, due to Houndoom's low defenses and common checks, setting up sun can be difficult, so it is sometimes better to simply attack and wait for a better moment to set up sun, such as when the opponent has made it clear that they will switch to a Water-type, Electric-type, or sleeping Snorlax against Houndoom.

Team Options
========
Even with the power boost from Sunny Day, Houndoom can have a difficult time breaking through specially defensive Pokemon such as Blissey and RestTalk Snorlax. Because of this, partners that can pressure or simply eliminate these walls, such as Machamp or Explosion Cloyster, are a great help. Prior Spikes can make the difference between 2HKOs and 3HKOs, encouraging setters like Cloyster and Forretress. Golem is also noteworthy for providing Rapid Spin while being able to check Snorlax thanks to its resistances.

Even though this set takes a more offensive focus, Houndoom is still able to support its team. Pursuit can still be reliably used to KO Ghost- and Psychic-types early- and mid-game, which is a big help for teammates like Machamp. This set is primarily a wallbreaker and less of wincon, great at wearing down foes for sweepers later in the game. Excellent choices for these sweepers include Machamp, which also provides defensive synergy, as well as Tentacruel and Vaporeon.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Sleep Talk gives Houndoom additional opportunities to switch in against Jynx and Exeggutor because sleep is the most reliable way for these foes to escape from being Pursuit trapped by Houndoom. The move lets Houndoom work as a general sleep absorber, though a full RestTalk set can have mixed results due to Houndoom's less-than-stellar bulk. Houndoom is also unable to Pursuit trap while asleep. Miracle Berry is a viable option that is arguably more effective at dealing with sleep inducers because it gives Houndoom a chance to Pursuit trap them even if it switches in as a sleep move is used.

Toxic is an option to wear down common bulky checks, such as Snorlax and Tyranitar, but it can struggle to be justified because Houndoom is very frail. Toxic is ideally paired with Roar, but using both means that Houndoom will have to give up another attack.

Hidden Power Grass can hit foes such as Golem and Rhydon hard, but Crunch already hits them hard and Hidden Power Grass fails to OHKO. Similarly, Hidden Power Fighting can be used to hit Tyranitar as it switches in, as Tyranitar would otherwise completely wall Houndoom. However, it fails to 2HKO Tyranitar from full health, and therefore Houndoom's standard options are recommended.

Checks and Counters
===================
**Specially Defensive Walls**: Pokemon such as Snorlax and Blissey can consistently soak up any damage that Houndoom throws at them. Snorlax does have to be careful about a potential Counter, and Fire Blast in the sun can 3HKO, but Snorlax remains an excellent stop to Houndoom.

**Water-types**: Water-types such as Suicune and Vaporeon do not fear Fire Blast or Crunch, and they only mildly fear the rare Solar Beam. This allows them to consistently switch into Houndoom and threaten it with their STAB attacks, and RestTalk variants can stall out Sunny Day as well. Even Starmie can revenge kill Houndoom with its superior Speed, but it has to be wary of switching into a potential Crunch or Sunny Day. Tentacruel is also worth mentioning thanks to its resistance to Fire Blast and its high Special Defense stat.

**Rock-types**: Tyranitar can switch into a Fire Blast or Crunch with ease and potentially OHKO Houndoom with a STAB Rock Slide. Golem and Rhydon also resist Fire Blast and threaten Houndoom with their STAB attacks, but they're more afraid of Grass-type coverage and chip damage from Crunch.

**Zapdos and Raikou**: Zapdos and Raikou both outspeed Houndoom and can threaten a 2HKO or paralysis with Thunder, whereas Houndoom can only hope to 3HKO in return. The SunnyBeam set puts this matchup in jeopardy, though, as the sun lowers Thunder's already-shaky accuracy further and makes Houndoom's Fire Blast a solid 2HKO.

**Bulky Physical Attackers**: Pokemon such as Machamp and Marowak can take a hit from Houndoom and OHKO in return without even having to set up. These Pokemon need to be relatively healthy, however, as Houndoom can muscle through them if they are below 50%.


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Akir, 231726]]
- Quality checked by: [[Earthworm, 15210], [M Dragon, 21345]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [Muk, 33374]]

 

[Diophantine]

[SET 2]
name: SunnyBeam
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Solarbeam
move 4: Pursuit
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

• This set trades some of the utility of the first set for more firepower (harhar) and an improved matchup against Water-Types.
• Sunny Day cuts Water damage in half, effectively eliminating Houndoom's Water weakness.
• Sunny day also powers up Houndoom's Fire Blast even further, making it an attack that 2HKOs Pokemon that take even neutral damage from the attack. Fire Blast can even do as much as 40% to Snorlax, making Snorlax a potentially shaky switchin where it is a reliable check otherwise.
• Sunny Day also allows Houndoom to use Solarbeam, allowing it to have an improved matchup against Rock and Water, most noticeably OHKOing Cloyster more often than not and always after Spikes damage.
• Pursuit remains on the set due to the versatility it gives Houndoom, allowing Houndoom to Pursuit trap key threats. Pursuit still stands as Houndoom's primary niche, and gives Houndoom the ability to contribute to the team outside of having Sunny Day up and wallbreaking. It is important to keep in mind that sometimes the Pursuit damage is more valuable than setting up Sunny Day.
• The downfall of this set lies in its strength: without Sunny Day, this set is hobbled. No sun means that Houndoom loses its primary coverage move in Solarbeam effectively entirely and the drop in Fire Blast's power is noticeable. Additionally, due to Houndoom's low defenses and common checks, setting up Sunny Day can be too difficult to do consistently if even worth it at all.

I think it's worth mentioning that Thunder's accuracy becomes 50% when Sun is up, so Sunny Day Houndoom can attempt to cheese more easily past the Electrics in a desperation assault.

Sleep Talk makes Houndoom into a much stronger switch-in against Jynx

I think it's quite important to say that while you're asleep you can't Pursuit trap anything - I know people have ran Miracle Berry to try to get around it. Maybe this is worth mentioning.

Golem can switch into a Fire Blast or Crunch with ease and OHKO Houndoom with a STAB Rock Slide

I disagree with this. Crunch is a 3HKO with Spikes up and Golem generally wants to have as much health as it can retain as it wants to Spin, Roar or threaten Explosion. Also, Golem tends to not run Rock Slide in GSC OU and it's not an OHKO on Houndoom and, while this is kinda nitpicking, Tyranitar OHKOs Houndoom only 7.7% of the time.

**Bulky Physical Attackers**: Pokemon such as Machamp, Marowak, and Nidoking can all take a hit from Houndoom and respond with a crushing OHKO attack such as Cross Chop or Earthquake without even having to set up. All of these Pokemon need to be relatively healthy however, as Houndoom can muscle through if any of these are below 50%.

Would say that Machamp and Marowak want to be as healthy as possible to perform their functions as sweepers, so players may be reluctant to throw them in. I guess they're only checks in the sense that if they're both in at the same time them they both beat Houndoom one-on-one.

[SET 1]
name: Pursuit Trapper
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Roar / Counter
item: Leftovers

I would personally put Toxic or Thief over Counter as the slashed option and have Counter as an OO as I find they are far less situational, and giving Snorlax a chance to Curse up is really bad for offensive teams - which is the only playstyle Houndoom really fits on.

 

[Earthworm]

[OVERVIEW]

• Strongest Pursuit in the game!
• Good neutral coverage for almost the entire metagame with Fire/Dark
• Good Speed and even better SpAtk for general wallbreaking
• Sunny Day set also makes for a good wallbreaking set
• Low defense means that even neutral hits can be a 2HKO
• Walled by very common Pokemon, like Snorlax and Tyranitar
• Still a good boy!

Overview is looking okay at the moment, will review again once fleshed out.

[SET 1]
name: Pursuit Trapper
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Roar
item: Leftovers

imo slash Counter on move 4.

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
[*]Fire Blast is primary STAB, with Crunch providing excellent coverage against threats like Starmie.

I see Crunch as primarily being useful for the 2HKO on Gengar (often Crunch + Pursuit KOes too), which can threaten Houndoom back pretty hard. It is definitely important as a deterrent to Starmie too though.

[*]Pursuit is the primary reason to use Houndoom, as Houndoom has the strongest Pursuit in the game. This allows Houndoom to trap valuable targets such as Exeggutor, Gengar, and Misdreavus extremely effectively.

I would tone down the hyperbole a little here, mainly because of Gengar's crazy arsenal of ways to get around Houndoom.


Counter needs describing here.
Team options are missing from this set.

[SET 2]
name: SunnyBeam
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Solarbeam
move 4: Pursuit
item: Leftovers

This looks fine.

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
[*]This set trades some of the utility of the first set for more firepower (harhar) and an improved matchup against Water-Types.
[*]Sunny Day cuts Water damage in half, effectively eliminating Houndoom's Water weakness.
[*]Sunny day also powers up Houndoom's Fire Blast even further, making it an attack that 2HKOs Pokemon that take even neutral damage from the attack. Fire Blast can even do as much as 40% to Snorlax, making Snorlax a potentially shaky switchin where it is a reliable check otherwise.
[*]Sunny Day also allows Houndoom to use Solarbeam, allowing it to have an improved matchup against Rock and Water, most noticeably OHKOing Cloyster more often than not and always after Spikes damage.
[*]Pursuit remains on the set due to the versatility it gives Houndoom, allowing Houndoom to Pursuit trap key threats. Pursuit still stands as Houndoom's primary niche, and gives Houndoom the ability to contribute to the team outside of having Sunny Day up and wallbreaking. It is important to keep in mind that sometimes the Pursuit damage is more valuable than setting up Sunny Day.
[*]The downfall of this set lies in its strength: without Sunny Day, this set is hobbled. No sun means that Houndoom loses its primary coverage move in Solarbeam effectively entirely and the drop in Fire Blast's power is noticeable. Additionally, due to Houndoom's low defenses and common checks, setting up Sunny Day can be too difficult to do consistently if even worth it at all.

There is a lot of obvious and repeated information in here. The key points should (imo) be:
- This set is more optimistic about sweeping and general wallbreaking when the opportunity arises, but retains the ability to Pursuit trap.
- Houndoom is one of very few Fire-types with access to Solar Beam, making it a much more viable Sunny Day user since it can realistically threaten Water-types to some extent.
- Sunny Day levels the playing field versus the ultra-common Electric types and even allows Houndoom to threaten Snorlax.
- The lack of Crunch means it will be less reliable at taking out Gengar.
- Don't be tempted into using Sunny Day every time Houndoom comes out; it can function perfectly well without setting it up. It is often best to wait for the opportune moment before setting up to wall break.

Team Options
========
[*]As a wallbreaker, Spikes support is always handy for additional damage to further solidify potential 2HKOs and 3HKOs. This is even moreso the case for Houndoom that are using Roar, as the forced switch rakes up even more Spikes damage. Cloyster and Forretress both excel in setting Spikes, and can even keep Spikes off of Houndoom's side.

I would move this further down and put the Pokemon Houndoom supports uniquely well up top.

[*]Houndoom's Pursuit is extremely effective at removing Ghosts. That aspect is heavily appreciated by partners such as Snorlax and Machamp, who can struggle against Ghosts such as Misdreavus otherwise.

Add in Exeggutor and Ground-types like Quagsire and Marowak that can benefit from Eggy's removal. Explicitly mention Mono and Firelax.

[*]The strong Pursuit combined with Houndoom's STAB Fire Blast is effective for eliminating many common checks to Boom Offense as well.

Needs examples. Perhaps mention the reciprocation offered by Pokemon with Explosion being able to heavily damage Snorlax for Houndoom.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

This section looks fine.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Rock-Types**: Tyranitar can switch into a Fire Blast or Crunch with ease and OHKO Houndoom with a STAB Rock Slide. Golem can also do the same, but fears Crunch or Solarbeam.

The roll is in Houndoom's favour to live RS. This is misleading. If you are going to mention Golem, Rhydon should also be mentioned.

**Faster Pokemon**: While Houndoom has good speed, faster Pokemon such as Zapdos and Raikou can outspeed Houndoom and revenge kill it with their own STAB moves.

I'd change this to Zapdos and Raikou and then state that their fast Thunder can 2HKO and threatens Houndoom with paralysis whereas Houndoom 3HKOes in return. But Sunny Day puts the matchup in jeopardy for the electric types, and the matchup is not reliable due to Thunder's accuracy in the first place.

**Bulky Physical Attackers**: Pokemon such as Machamp, Marowak, and Nidoking can all take a hit from Houndoom and respond with a crushing OHKO attack such as Cross Chop or Earthquake without even having to set up. All of these Pokemon need to be relatively healthy however, as Houndoom can muscle through if any of these are below 50%.

Nidoking isn't close to a guaranteed OHKO.

 

[Earthworm]

Pursuit Trapper
Team Options
[*]The strong Pursuit combined with Houndoom's STAB Fire Blast is effective for eliminating many common checks to Boom Offense as well, such as Gengar and Steelix.

Is this suggesting hitting Steelix with Pursuit as it switches out of Houndoom? Or is it suggesting Steelix will stay in as Houndoom uses Fire Blast? Either way, I think this can be combined with the above point.

[*]As a wallbreaker, Spikes support is always handy for additional damage to further solidify potential 2HKOs and 3HKOs. This is even moreso the case for Houndoom that are using Roar, as the forced switch rakes up even more Spikes damage. Cloyster and Forretress both excel in setting Spikes, and can even keep Spikes off of Houndoom's side.

There's also synergy between Rapid Spin Forretress and Pursuit Houndoom that is worth mentioning here.

It might be worth mentioning the defensive synergy offered by Machamp against Tyranitar as well as that of Ground-types like Quagsire and Nidoking against Tyranitar and as a pivot / threat against Electric-types, which this Houndoom set typically doesn't want to take on.

SunnyBeam
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
[*]Sunny Day also allows Houndoom to use Solarbeam, allowing it to have an improved matchup against Rock and Water, most noticeably OHKOing Cloyster more often than not and always after Spikes damage.

Just going to mention that Fire Blast is more likely to OHKO Cloyster under sun despite only having 85 acc. So I would suggest not making that the point of emphasis here. The 3HKO on even bulky waters like Vap/Cune might be more notable, as is 2HKOing Tyranitar after Spikes (although I guess that would mean trading for Rock Slide, which is pretty bad unless you can take advantage of the extra damage on Ttar with something else).

There should also be a comparison to the other SunnyBeaming Fire-type (Entei) here. Basically Houndoom can 3HKO Snorlax under sun while Entei almost always fails to and Houndoom has Pursuit to trap Psychic- and Ghost-types, but Entei is faster and significantly bulkier otherwise.

Team Options
========

• Even with Sun's increase in power, Houndoom can have a difficult time breaking specially defensive Pokemon such as Blissey. Because of this, partners that can switch into these walls such as Skarmory can help Houndoom by providing an easy switch out of the situation.

• 
  It is fairly trivial to switch into most GSC OU walls. I would instead mention offensive synergies like Machamp and Explosion users like Cloyster and Exeggutor that might be able to pressure them or take them out for Houndoom.
  

  [*]Houndoom's Speed is above average but can still be outsped by faster threats like Raikou. As such, Houndoom loves Paralysis support from Starmie and Zapdos and other Raikou.

  I don't think this point is necessary here as I don't think Sunny Day Houndoom really benefits moreso than other Pokemon from paralysis support. But this is just my opinion, others may disagree.
  

  [*]This set is primarily a wallbreaker and less of a win condition. This means that Houndoom will excel is wearing down opponents for sweepers later in the game. Excellent choices for this include Pokemon that love Snorlax and Raikou worn down such as Vaporeon. Other options that appreciate the wallbreaking power and the Pursuit Trapping include Machamp.

  Machamp is probably the best complementing offensive Pokemon for Houndoom. Vaporeon and Tentacruel can be mentioned as secondary options.
  
  
  Golem should be mentioned in the team options sections for both as it offers both Explosion for offensive presence and a Normal resistance for Snorlax, which is one of Houndoom's biggest problems.
  
  

  [STRATEGY COMMENTS]
  Other Options
  =============
  
  

  • Houndoom has a large variety of other potential support options. Sleep Talk makes Houndoom into a much stronger switch-in against Jynx and Exeggutor by negating the only option those threats feasibly have against Houndoom: sleep. This move also lets Houndoom work as a general sleep absorber, but a full Resttalk set can have mixed results due to Houndoom's less-than-stellar bulk.

  • Mention that it can no longer trap anything while asleep as a drawback. I also wouldn't describe the other options as "support options".
    

    [*]Thief can be used to steal Leftovers from the opponent to limit their longevity, but the low power even after STAB makes this option strictly support that is not as attractive as the other listed options.

    This is actually a pretty good option for helping to wear down a Snorlax switch-in, but it is overall worse than the other options in my opinion. I think the real issue is that Houndoom tends to lack opportunities to switch in safely, so it can be hard to find a turn to use Thief without taking aggressive risks. Miracle Berry can also be mentioned with Thief since it allows Houndoom to switch into Exeggutor and Jynx without fear of being statused. Might be worth seeking further opinions about whether it is a worthwhile slash (Miracle Berry) on the main set.
    

    [*]Toxic is another option to wear down common bulky switchins to Houndoom, such as Snorlax, but is only sometimes the subjectively superior choice.

    and Tyranitar. Also has problemsome 4mss since it would ideally have Roar alongside Toxic to rack up damage on Pokemon that want to switch in and Rest it off.
    

    [*]HP Grass and Fighting can also be used to hit common switchins such as Suicune or Tyranitar, but in going this route you are usually better off with using Solarbeam in the case of Grass or just using Entei in the case of Fighting.

    Suicune is a terrible target for HP Grass. Mention Golem/Rhydon/Quagsire if you are going to keep HP Grass.
    
    

    Checks and Counters
    ===================
    
    **Specially Defensive Walls**: Pokemon such as Snorlax and even Blissey can consistently soak up any damage that Houndoom throws at them. At absolute best Houndoom can hope to 3HKO Snorlax in the sun and 4HKO usually, which gives Snorlax plenty of opportunities to set up or simply KO Houndoom.

    FB in Sun is almost always a 3HKO on Lax. However, since it has to set sun up for the 3HKO and gets absolutely decimated in return, it remains a very solid counter. The increase in RestTalk Snorlax makes matters worse for Houndoom. Mention that Snorlax should watch out for Counter though.
    
    

    **Water-Types**: Water Pokemon such as Suicune and Vaporeon do not fear Fire Blast or Crunch, and only mildly fear the rare Solarbeam. This allows them to consistently switch into Houndoom and threaten it with their STAB Water attacks. Even Starmie can potentially revenge kill Houndoom with its superior Speed but has to be wary of switching into a potential Crunch.

    I would mention that RestTalk variants are particularly troublesome because they have a good chance of stalling out the sun / coming out on top even under sun. Tenta might be worth a mention too since it resists Fire, has high SpDef, and isn't weak to Solar Beam

 

[Earthworm]

[OVERVIEW]

Houndoom is the proud owner of the strongest Pursuit in the entire GSC metagame. Combined with good neutral coverage in its Fire and Dark STABs, good Speed, and even better Special Attack, Houndoom can prove to be formidable. Houndoom can even run a Sunny Day set to become even stronger. However, Houndoom's low Defense stat means that even neutral hits can 2HKO. Houndoom is also walled by very common Pokemon as well, most notably Snorlax and Tyranitar. Regardless, Houndoom's utility and power makes it an addition worth considering.

I know this is an overview but I think you can expand on some of these points a little bit more. e.g. How does having the strongest Pursuit in the game benefit Houndoom and its team? Does its typing and speed grant it any specific advantages over other Pursuit users? In what ways is it formidable?

[SET 1]
name: Pursuit Trapper
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Roar / Counter
item: Leftovers

Need to remove the "1" from SET 1

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Fire Blast is primary STAB, with Crunch being excellent coverage for would-be threats like Gengar or Starmie on the switch-in.

I think Crunch should be mentioned as being important for taking down foes that try to stay in and fight Houndoom to avoid being Pursuit trapped. The threat of these moves is the reason why Houndoom can effectively pursuit trap, whereas for example non-Fire Blast / Crunch Tyranitar might fail to trap a Giga Drain Exeggutor, and an Umbreon can't even trap a poisoned Starmie reliably because it has no threatening STAB move and less PP. (you don't need to include all of that information though)

This allows Houndoom to trap valuable targets such as Exeggutor, Gengar, and Misdreavus effectively.

Jynx should definitely be mentioned here, and I think Cloyster is also a pretty good Pokemon to mention.

Roar also can force out a valuable Pursuit target that can then be hit for heavy damage with said Pursuit as they try to rectify the switch.

Just to be clear I would suggest saying "drag in" instead of "force out".

Counter is another option for punishing what would normally be a safe attack from Snorlax or Tyranitar, but a Counter used at the wrong time loses all surprise factor and makes Houndoom a true sitting duck against these threats.

It might be worth mentioning how Rock Slide has a chance to OHKO Houndoom as well as the flinch chance. So it's a pretty risky move to use Counter against Tyranitar.



Another point worth bringing up for this set is how Houndoom is one of the best Pokemon to double switch into its target. Not only because it is rather frail (so you can avoid taking a hit on the switch by double switching) but also because some of its targets switch in at very obvious times. e.g. Gengar and Misdreavus might think switching into Forretress is relatively free, and Cloyster might think that Golem is a fairly safe opportunity to switch in to lay Spikes back down. This can either go here or in the team options.

Team Options
========

Houndoom's Pursuit is extremely effective at removing Ghosts and Psychics. That aspect is heavily appreciated by partners such as Snorlax, Machamp, and Firelax, who can struggle against Ghosts and Psychics such as Misdreavus or Exeggutor otherwise.

Snorlax contains Firelax. So I think you can instead say Monolax and Firelax. Or even just Snorlax variants that lack Earthquake.

Golem can be mentioned here as well (as a Snorlax check and way to get Cloyster to switch in predictably as I mentioned above). Quagsire, Marowak, and Rhydon can be mentioned as Pokemon that benefit from Houndoom removing Exeggutor.

[SET 2]
name: SunnyBeam
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Solarbeam
move 4: Pursuit
item: Leftovers

The 2 needs to be removed from "SET 2".

Team Options
========

Even with Sun's increase in power, Houndoom can have a difficult time breaking specially defensive Pokemon such as Blissey.

Add RestTalk Snorlax here.

Sunny Day also has a limited utility in patching up weaknesses to Water for teammates like Nidoking.

This can probably be removed, seems very dubious to me since it also reduces Thunder's accuracy.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Houndoom has a variety of other potential options. Sleep Talk makes Houndoom into a much stronger switch-in against Jynx and Exeggutor by negating the only option those threats feasibly have against Houndoom: sleep. This move also lets Houndoom work as a general sleep absorber, but a full Resttalk set can have mixed results due to Houndoom's less-than-stellar bulk. Houndoom is also unable to Pursuit Trap while it is napping.

Mention Miracle Berry as an alternative solution to having to switch into status moves from these Pokemon.


QC 1/2 once implemented.

 

[Akir]

I know this is an overview but I think you can expand on some of these points a little bit more. e.g. How does having the strongest Pursuit in the game benefit Houndoom and its team? Does its typing and speed grant it any specific advantages over other Pursuit users? In what ways is it formidable?

Need to remove the "1" from SET 1

I think Crunch should be mentioned as being important for taking down foes that try to stay in and fight Houndoom to avoid being Pursuit trapped. The threat of these moves is the reason why Houndoom can effectively pursuit trap, whereas for example non-Fire Blast / Crunch Tyranitar might fail to trap a Giga Drain Exeggutor, and an Umbreon can't even trap a poisoned Starmie reliably because it has no threatening STAB move and less PP. (you don't need to include all of that information though)
Jynx should definitely be mentioned here, and I think Cloyster is also a pretty good Pokemon to mention.

Just to be clear I would suggest saying "drag in" instead of "force out".

It might be worth mentioning how Rock Slide has a chance to OHKO Houndoom as well as the flinch chance. So it's a pretty risky move to use Counter against Tyranitar.



Another point worth bringing up for this set is how Houndoom is one of the best Pokemon to double switch into its target. Not only because it is rather frail (so you can avoid taking a hit on the switch by double switching) but also because some of its targets switch in at very obvious times. e.g. Gengar and Misdreavus might think switching into Forretress is relatively free, and Cloyster might think that Golem is a fairly safe opportunity to switch in to lay Spikes back down. This can either go here or in the team options.

Snorlax contains Firelax. So I think you can instead say Monolax and Firelax. Or even just Snorlax variants that lack Earthquake.

Golem can be mentioned here as well (as a Snorlax check and way to get Cloyster to switch in predictably as I mentioned above). Quagsire, Marowak, and Rhydon can be mentioned as Pokemon that benefit from Houndoom removing Exeggutor.

The 2 needs to be removed from "SET 2".

Add RestTalk Snorlax here. This can probably be removed, seems very dubious to me since it also reduces Thunder's accuracy.

Mention Miracle Berry as an alternative solution to having to switch into status moves from these Pokemon.


QC 1/2 once implemented.

done, 1/2

 

[M Dragon]

1 minor thing:
You could probably mention that Houndoom's typing allows it to be the best offensive Exeggutor and Jynx check in the game, because it resits all of Psychic, Giga Drain (unlike the other Pursuitter, Tyranitar, which is weak to it) and HP Fire in Exeggutor's case and IB + Psychic in Jynx's case, and can Pursuit them.

QC 2/2

 

[Adeleine]

Add/Fix Remove Comment
(AC): Add Comma

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[OVERVIEW]

Houndoom is the proud owner of the strongest Pursuit in the entire GSC metagame, with enough coverage and firepower to truly make something out of the utility that Pursuit brings take advantage of Pursuit's utility. While other Pursuit users fail to do notable damage or even force out their targets for said Pursuit, Houndoom's strength forces the opponent Ghost- and Psychic-types (I imagine this makes sense?) to choose between getting 2HKOed by Fire Blast or potentially losing their Ghost or Psychic fainting to such a strong Pursuit. Combined with good neutral coverage in its Fire and Dark STABs STAB types, good Speed, and even better Special Attack, Houndoom can prove to be formidable thanks to the sheer difficulty of switching into and out of it. is very difficult to switch into and out of overall. Houndoom's typing also makes it the best offensive check to Jynx and Exeggutor by resisting both of their STAB moves and having a pick of super effective (removed hyphen) STAB attacks to hit back. Houndoom It can even run a Sunny Day set to become even stronger. However, Houndoom's low Defense stat means that even neutral hits can 2HKO the poor dog. Houndoom is also walled by very common Pokemon as well, most notably Snorlax and Tyranitar, and can struggle to achieve proper 2HKOs against some of its more valuable targets. Regardless, Houndoom's utility and power makes it an addition worth considering.

[SET]
name: Pursuit Trapper
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Roar / Counter
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Fire Blast is primary STAB move, with Crunch being excellent coverage for would-be threats like Gengar or and Starmie on the switch-in. This interaction of being switch. Being forced to switch out for fear of taking a strong Fire Blast or Crunch plays directly into Houndoom's excellent Pursuit, however. The opponent wants to switch out against Houndoom's offensive pressure, which gives Houndoom plenty of opportunities to Pursuit. This allows Houndoom allowing it to trap valuable targets such as Exeggutor, Gengar, Jynx, Misdreavus, and even Cloyster effectively. Houndoom further differentiates itself from fellow Pursuit user Tyranitar by being able to resisting Giga Drain from Exeggutor, making the Pursuit trap considerably cleaner. Houndoom can also relatively easily double switch in on its preferred targets due to how obvious they can be coming in. A Gengar coming in to block Rapid Spin against Forretress, (AC) or a Cloyster seeing an easy opportunity to set Spikes against Golem, (AC) are all both fairly easy double switches that Houndoom can perform and for Houndoom to Pursuit trap. In fact, thanks to Houndoom's frailty, Houndoom it prefers this method of coming in.

Roar and Counter are both good choices for the fourth slot, with pros and cons to each. Roar can be used to prevent moveslot. Roar prevents threats such as Snorlax from using Houndoom as an opportunity for themselves to set up. Roar also can drag in a valuable Pursuit target that can then be hit for heavy damage with said Pursuit as they try to rectify the switch. Roar, a setup opportunity, and it can also drag in a valuable Pursuit target to force heavy damage onto them. Thanks to its negative priority, however, can also Roar can leave Houndoom open to retaliation from the target. A Pokemon opting to simply muscle through Houndoom's low defenses can sometimes make Roar a risky decision. attack, risky due to its low defenses. Counter is another option for punishing what would normally be a safe attack from Snorlax, but a Counter used at the wrong time loses all surprise factor, (AC) and it makes Houndoom a true sitting duck against Curse Snorlax.

Team Options
========

Houndoom's Pursuit is extremely effective at removing Ghost- and Psychic-types. That aspect is heavily appreciated by partners such as Snorlax, Machamp, and Golem, who which can struggle against Pokemon such as Misdreavus or and Exeggutor otherwise. Pokemon such as Exeggutor, who which can switch in on the common Water and Ground Water- and Ground-type attacks thrown at Houndoom, are also appreciated to help buffer Houndoom's low bulk and improve team cohesion. Machamp also gets an honorable mention as a great teammate for being able to reliably switch for reliably switching in on Tyranitar and warding off Snorlax, which are Houndoom's two biggest counters. Ground-types such as Nidoking also make for good teammates are also useful for switching into Electric-types such as Raikou that Houndoom is not keen on taking on.

Spikes support is always handy for additional damage to further solidify potential 2HKOs and 3HKOs. This is even moreso the case for Houndoom that are using Roar, as the forced switch rakes up even more Spikes damage. It also lets Roar rack up more damage. Cloyster and Forretress both excel in setting Spikes (RC) and can even keep Spikes off of Houndoom's side. The synergy is doubled down on the fact that Houndoom can Pursuit Houndoom doubles down on the synergy by Pursuit trapping the Ghost-types that would try to block the aforementioned spinners.

[SET]
name: SunnyBeam
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Solar Beam
move 4: Pursuit
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

This set trades some of the utility of the first set a more focused Pursuit set for more firepower and an improved matchup against Water-types to make it a better wallbreaker without giving up Pursuit's utility. Sunny Day powers up Houndoom's Fire Blast even further, making it an attack that 2HKOes Pokemon that take even neutral damage from the attack. Fire Blast can even do as much as 40% to Snorlax, making Snorlax wallbreak better. Sunny Day lets Fire Blast 2HKO even neutral foes and do as much as 40% to Snorlax, making it a potentially shaky switch-in where it is a reliable check otherwise. Sunny Day It also lowers the accuracy of Thunder, which is a problem for the very popular Electric-types Zapdos and Raikou. Sunny Day also allows Houndoom to use Solar Beam, allowing it to have an improved improving its matchups against Rock- and Water-types, most notably 3HKOing Vaporeon and Suicune. Pursuit remains on the set due to the versatility it gives Houndoom, allowing Houndoom to Pursuit trap key threats. Pursuit still stands as Houndoom's primary niche, and gives Houndoom the ability to contribute to the team outside of having Sunny Day up and wallbreaking. It is important to keep in mind that sometimes the Pursuit damage is more valuable than setting up Sunny Day. However, the loss of Pursuit remains the main justification to using Houndoom and gives it versatility. However, lacking Crunch means that the set is less reliable for KOing Gengar and Misdreavus. (collapsed paragraphs into one. moved "pursuit damage more valuable" point into lower paragraph)

This set does not need to set up Sunny Day sun in order to function. No sun does mean that Houndoom loses its primary coverage move in Solar Beam effectively entirely and the drop in Fire Blast's power is noticeable. In spite of this, Houndoom's Fire Blast is still strong without sun, (AC) and its ability to Pursuit Trap is invaluable regardless of Sun trap is always invaluable; keep in mind that Pursuit damage is sometimes more valuable than setting up sun. Additionally, due to Houndoom's low defenses and common checks, setting up Sunny Day can be too difficult to do consistently sun can be difficult, (AC) so it is sometimes better to simply attack and wait for a better moment to set up sun.

Team Options
========

Even with sun's increase in power, Houndoom can have a difficult time breaking specially defensive Pokemon such as Blissey and RestTalk Snorlax. Because of this, partners that can pressure or simply eliminate these walls such as Machamp or Explosion Cloyster can help Houndoom by providing an easy answer to the situation. The difference between KOing a target with this set in two hits and three hits can sometimes be decided with prior Spikes damage. Teammates like Cloyster and Forretress can reliably set up Spikes and help wear down opponents. are great help. Prior Spikes can make the difference between 2HKOs and 3HKOs, encouraging setters like Cloyster and Forretress. Golem is also noteworthy for providing Rapid Spin while being able to take check Snorlax thanks to its resistances.

Even though this set takes a more offensive focus, Houndoom is still able to help support the team. Pursuit can still be reliably used to KO Ghost- and Psychic-types in the early- and mid-game, which is a big help for teammates like Machamp. This set is primarily a wallbreaker and less of a win condition. This means that Houndoom will excel at wearing down opponents wincon, great at wearing down foes for sweepers later in the game. Excellent choices for this include Machamp, who which also gives defensive synergy, as well as Tentacruel and Vaporeon.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Houndoom has a variety of other potential options. Sleep Talk makes Houndoom into it a much stronger switch-in against Jynx and Exeggutor by negating the only option those threats feasibly have against Houndoom: sleep because sleep is their only feasible option against it. This move also lets Houndoom work as a general sleep absorber, but a full RestTalk set can have mixed results due to Houndoom's less-than-stellar bulk. Houndoom is also unable to Pursuit trap while it is napping resting. Miracle Berry can also be used as a way to absorb sleep once.

Toxic is another option to wear down common bulky answers to Houndoom checks, such as Snorlax and Tyranitar, but is only sometimes the subjectively superior choice. Utilizing Toxic also ideally means also using Roar alongside it, but the addition of both Toxic and Roar on the set it can struggle to justify itself. Toxic is ideally paired with Roar, but using both (I imagine "struggle to justify" makes sense?) means that Houndoom will have to give up another attack.

Hidden Power Grass and Hidden Power Fighting can also be used to hit common switch-ins such as Golem or and Tyranitar, but in going this route you are usually better off with using Solar Beam for Grass-type coverage or just using Entei in the case of Hidden Power Fighting.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Specially Defensive Walls**: Pokemon such as Snorlax and Blissey can consistently soak up any damage that Houndoom throws at them. Snorlax does have to be careful about the a potential Counter, (AC) and Fire Blast in the Sun can result in a sun can 3HKO, but neither of these factors stop Snorlax from being Snorlax remains an excellent stop to Houndoom.

**Water-types**: Water-types such as Suicune and Vaporeon do not fear Fire Blast or Crunch, and they only mildly fear the rare Solar Beam. This allows them to consistently switch into Houndoom and threaten it with their STAB Water attacks, (AC) and RestTalk variants can stall out any potential Sunny Day as well. Even Starmie can potentially revenge kill Houndoom with its superior Speed, (AC) but it has to be wary of switching into a potential Crunch or Sunny Day. Tentacruel is also worth mentioning thanks to it resisting Fire Blast and having a high Special Defense stat.

**Rock-types**: Tyranitar can switch into a Fire Blast or Crunch with ease and potentially OHKO Houndoom with a STAB Rock Slide. Golem and Rhydon can also threaten Houndoom by resisting Fire Blast and threaten with their STAB attacks as well, but are less comfortable doing so than Tyranitar due to the threat of also resist Fire Blast and threaten Houndoom with their STAB attacks, but they're more afraid of Grass-type coverage or and chip damage from Crunch.

**Zapdos and Raikou**: Zapdos and Raikou both can outspeed Houndoom and 2HKO with Thunder with the further chance to paralyze, whereas Houndoom can only hope to 3HKO in return. The SunnyBeam set puts this matchup in jeopardy, (AC) though, as the sun lowers Thunder's already-shaky accuracy further and the extra damage the sun gives to Fire Blast makes it makes Fire Blast a solid 2HKO.

**Bulky Physical Attackers**: Pokemon such as Machamp and Marowak can all take a hit from Houndoom and respond with a crushing OHKO attack such as Cross Chop or Earthquake OHKO without even having to set up. These Pokemon need to be relatively healthy, (AC) however, as Houndoom can muscle through if any of these them are below 50%.


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Akir, 231726]]
- Quality checked by: [[Earthworm, 15210], [M Dragon, 21345]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [, ]]

1/2

 

[Akir]

i always feel bad about the first GP cuz these come out looking like rainbows. even so, i appreciate the help. GP 1/2

 

[Muk]

Changes in bold, GP 2/2

Hide

[OVERVIEW]

Houndoom is the proud owner of the strongest Pursuit in the entire GSC metagame, with enough coverage and firepower to truly take advantage of Pursuit's utility. While other Pursuit users fail to do notable damage or even force out their targets for said Pursuit, Houndoom's strength forces Ghost- and Psychic-types to choose between getting 2HKOed by a STAB attack or potentially fainting to such a strong Pursuit. Combined with good neutral coverage in its STAB types, good Speed, and even better Special Attack, Houndoom is very difficult to switch into and out of overall. Houndoom's typing also makes it the best offensive check to Jynx and Exeggutor by resisting both of their STAB moves and having a pick of super effective STAB attacks to hit back. It can even run a Sunny Day set to become even stronger. However, Houndoom's low Defense stat means that even neutral hits can 2HKO the poor dog. Houndoom is also walled by very common Pokemon as well, most notably Snorlax and Tyranitar, and can struggle to achieve proper 2HKOs against some of its more valuable targets. Regardless, Houndoom's combination of utility and power makes it an addition worth considering.

[SET]
name: Pursuit Trapper
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Crunch
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Roar / Counter
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

Fire Blast is Houndoom's primary STAB move, with Crunch being excellent coverage for would-be threats like Gengar and Starmie on the switch. Being forced to switch out for fear of taking a strong Fire Blast or Crunch plays directly into Houndoom's excellent Pursuit, allowing it to trap valuable targets such as Exeggutor, Gengar, Jynx, Misdreavus, and even Cloyster effectively. Houndoom further differentiates itself from fellow Pursuit user Tyranitar by resisting Giga Drain from Exeggutor, making the Pursuit trap considerably cleaner. Houndoom can also relatively easily double switch in on its preferred targets due to how predictable they can be coming in. A Gengar coming in to block Rapid Spin against Forretress, or a Cloyster seeing an easy opportunity to set Spikes against Golem, (remove commas in this sentence) are both fairly easy double switches for Houndoom to Pursuit trap. In fact, thanks to Houndoom's frailty, it prefers this method of coming in.

Roar and Counter are both good choices for the fourth moveslot. Roar prevents threats such as Snorlax from using Houndoom as a setup opportunity, and it can also drag in a valuable Pursuit target on which to force heavy damage onto them. Due to its negative priority, however, Roar can leave Houndoom open to attack, which is risky due to its low defenses. Counter is another option for punishing what would normally be a safe attack from Snorlax, but a Counter used at the wrong time loses all surprise factor, and it makes Houndoom a true sitting duck against Curse Snorlax.

Team Options
========

Houndoom's Pursuit is extremely effective at removing Ghost- and Psychic-types. This is heavily appreciated by partners such as Snorlax, Machamp, and Golem, which can struggle against Pokemon such as Misdreavus and Exeggutor otherwise. Teammates that can switch in on the common Water- and Ground-type attacks thrown at Houndoom, such as Exeggutor, are also appreciated to help offset Houndoom's low bulk and improve team cohesion. Machamp also gets a special mention for its ability to reliably switch in on Tyranitar and ward off Snorlax, which are Houndoom's two biggest counters. Ground-types such as Nidoking are also useful for switching into Electric-types such as Raikou that Houndoom is not keen on taking on.

Spikes support is always handy for additional damage to further solidify potential 2HKOs and 3HKOs. It also lets Roar rack up more damage. Cloyster and Forretress both excel in setting Spikes and can even keep Spikes off of Houndoom's side. Houndoom doubles down on the synergy by Pursuit trapping the Ghost-types that would try to block the aforementioned spinners.

[SET]
name: SunnyBeam
move 1: Sunny Day
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Solar Beam
move 4: Pursuit
item: Leftovers

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========

This set trades some of the utility of a more focused Pursuit set for more firepower and an improved matchup against Water-types, allowing Houndoom to wallbreak better. Sunny Day lets Fire Blast 2HKO even neutral foes and do as much as 40% to Snorlax, making it a potentially shaky switch-in where it is a reliable check otherwise. It also lowers the accuracy of Thunder, which is a problem for the very popular Electric-types Zapdos and Raikou. Sunny Day also allows Houndoom to use Solar Beam, improving its matchups against Rock- and Water-types, most notably 3HKOing Vaporeon and Suicune. Pursuit remains the main justification to using Houndoom and gives it versatility. However, lacking Crunch means that the set is less reliable for KOing Gengar and Misdreavus.

This set does not need to set up sun in order to function. Houndoom's Fire Blast is still strong without sun, and its ability to Pursuit trap is always invaluable; keep in mind that Pursuit damage is sometimes more valuable than setting up sun. Additionally, due to Houndoom's low defenses and common checks, setting up sun can be difficult, so it is sometimes better to simply attack and wait for a better moment to set up sun.

Team Options
========

Even with the power boost from Sunny Day, Houndoom can have a difficult time breaking through specially defensive Pokemon such as Blissey and RestTalk Snorlax. Because of this, partners that can pressure or simply eliminate these walls, (AC) such as Machamp or Explosion Cloyster, (AC) are a great help. Prior Spikes can make the difference between 2HKOs and 3HKOs, encouraging setters like Cloyster and Forretress. Golem is also noteworthy for providing Rapid Spin while being able to check Snorlax thanks to its resistances.

Even though this set takes a more offensive focus, Houndoom is still able to support its team. Pursuit can still be reliably used to KO Ghost- and Psychic-types early- and mid-game, which is a big help for teammates like Machamp. This set is primarily a wallbreaker and less of a wincon, great at wearing down foes for sweepers later in the game. Excellent choices for these sweepers include Machamp, which also provides defensive synergy, as well as Tentacruel and Vaporeon.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

Houndoom has a variety of other potential options. Sleep Talk makes it a much stronger switch-in against Jynx and Exeggutor because sleep is their only feasible option against Houndoom. The move also lets Houndoom work as a general sleep absorber, though a full RestTalk set can have mixed results due to Houndoom's less-than-stellar bulk. Houndoom is also unable to Pursuit trap while asleep. Miracle Berry is an option to absorb sleep once.

Toxic is another option to wear down common bulky checks, such as Snorlax and Tyranitar, but it can struggle to justify itself. Toxic is ideally paired with Roar, but using both means that Houndoom will have to give up another attack.

Hidden Power Grass and Hidden Power Fighting hit common switch-ins such as Golem and Tyranitar, but you are usually better off with using Solar Beam for Grass-type coverage or just using Entei in the case of Hidden Power Fighting.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Specially Defensive Walls**: Pokemon such as Snorlax and Blissey can consistently soak up any damage that Houndoom throws at them. Snorlax does have to be careful about a potential Counter, and Fire Blast in the sun can 3HKO, but Snorlax remains an excellent stop to Houndoom.

**Water-types**: Water-types such as Suicune and Vaporeon do not fear Fire Blast or Crunch, and they only mildly fear the rare Solar Beam. This allows them to consistently switch into Houndoom and threaten it with their STAB attacks, and RestTalk variants can stall out Sunny Day as well. Even Starmie can revenge kill Houndoom with its superior Speed, but it has to be wary of switching into a potential Crunch or Sunny Day. Tentacruel is also worth mentioning thanks to its resistance to Fire Blast and its high Special Defense stat.

**Rock-types**: Tyranitar can switch into a Fire Blast or Crunch with ease and potentially OHKO Houndoom with a STAB Rock Slide. Golem and Rhydon also resist Fire Blast and threaten Houndoom with their STAB attacks, but they're more afraid of Grass-type coverage and chip damage from Crunch.

**Zapdos and Raikou**: Zapdos and Raikou both can outspeed Houndoom and can threaten a 2HKO or paralysis with Thunder, whereas Houndoom can only hope to 3HKO in return. The SunnyBeam set puts this matchup in jeopardy, though, as the sun lowers Thunder's already-shaky accuracy further and makes Houndoom's Fire Blast a solid 2HKO.

**Bulky Physical Attackers**: Pokemon such as Machamp and Marowak can all take a hit from Houndoom and OHKO in return without even having to set up. These Pokemon need to be relatively healthy, however, as Houndoom can muscle through them if they are below 50%.


[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Akir, 231726]]
- Quality checked by: [[Earthworm, 15210], [M Dragon, 21345]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Finland, 517429], [, ]]

 

[Earthworm]

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