[overview]
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 3-5 points
**Overview**: Although it is banned from using Last Respects, Houndstone is a solid cheap Ghost-type with two usable roles to fill on an otherwise complete team. It can be a physically defensive Fluffy spinblocker with multiple utility options and a serviceable wallbreaker that can function with or without Sand Rush. It provides more defensive utility than similarly-priced Ghost-types and synergizes well with typical sand cores. All this being said, its stats are mediocre at best, especially its Speed. It also has to rely on Rest and Pain Split for recovery and typically does not have enough raw power to clean up teams without significant support.
Common Roles
========
**Defensive Utility / Spinblocker**: Houndstone can utilize Fluffy to defensively check physical attackers that rely on contact moves such as Knock Off and threaten them with damage or a burn in return. Body Press also allows it to deal meaningful damage to foes that resist its STAB moves, and it has multiple utility options to benefit its teammates and hamper its foes. It is also a defensive Ghost-type that does not lose to most foes that carry Rapid Spin, giving it extra utility for teams that rely on entry hazards staying up.
**Sand Sweeper**: Sand Rush allows Houndstone to outspeed most unboosted foes with ease and threaten frail teams that struggle resisting Ghost. It has strong synergy with sand team staples like Tyranitar and Excadrill, being a secondary sweeper or wallbreaker to Excadrill as well as a Fighting immunity for both.
**Wallbreaker**: Although it is not as viable without Sand Rush's Speed increase, Houndstone can function as a decent bulky physical attacker against Ghost-weak teams thanks to its STAB moves plus decent coverage when combined with a damage-boosting item.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Poltergeist, Shadow Sneak
**Utility Moves**: Will-O-Wisp, Destiny Bond, Memento, Roar, Night Shade, Pain Split, Rest, Sleep Talk, Trick, Yawn
**Coverage**: Body Press, Stomping Tantrum, Play Rough, Ice Fang, Fire Fang, Psychic Fangs
Niche Moves
========
**Endure + Endeavor**: Houndstone can combine Endure with any combination of Endeavor, Destiny Bond, and Custap Berry to catch opponents off guard and threaten standard checks and counters. Endeavor can even be used alone alongside Fluffy to reliably deal far more damage to foes than it normally could.
**Bulldoze**: Bulldoze allows both Houndstone and its teammates to outspeed foes.
**Curse**: Curse is an alternative to Memento that allows Houndstone to potentially remove itself from the field and prevent opposing Defog while pressuring foes to switch out with constant damage instead of reduced offensive stats, allowing its teammates space to set up.
**Sandstorm**: In some cases, Houndstone can use Sandstorm to activate Sand Rush on its own to become a fast offensive threat, even if its team does not have a natural sand setter.
Common Items
========
**Rocky Helmet**: Defensive Houndstone appreciates the additional chip damage that Rocky Helmet provides against foes it checks while still gaining some value if the player anticipates switching in on a Knock Off.
**Leftovers**: Houndstone appreciates passive recovery if it expects to sit on the field for multiple turns or if it does not have room for Rest or Pain Split.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots allows Houndstone to avoid chip damage from entry hazards, helping to prevent it from getting chipped down if it is expected to switch in repeatedly.
**Damage-boosting Items**: Offensive Houndstone needs as much additional damage as possible, so Life Orb, Spell Tag, and Choice Band can all help it break through foes more effectively. Choice Band has the additional benefit of being given to physical walls with Trick.
Niche Items
========
**Custap Berry**: Houndstone can use Custap Berry alongside Endure to either use Endeavor on a foe to then threaten it with Shadow Sneak or use Destiny Bond to hopefully take a crucial foe down with it.
**Chesto Berry**: If Houndstone needs to heal with Rest but either has no room for Sleep Talk or doesn't want to risk the inherent randomness, Chesto Berry allows it one free, reliable full heal.
**Choice Scarf**: Although Houndstone lacks the Speed, power, and pivoting potential to make the best use of Choice Scarf, it can at least use Trick against bulky foes or catch typically faster foes with status. In rare matchups against teams that struggle resisting Ghost, it can be used more offensively.
**Resistance Berries**: Houndstone can use Colbur Berry or Kasib Berry to lure Dark- or Ghost-type foes, respectively, into attacking it, allowing it to survive and threaten them with Body Press or Poltergeist. Colbur Berry can also weaken Knock Off's initial damage further than other items could.
**Sitrus Berry**: Houndstone can utilize Sitrus Berry to survive an extra hit from strong attackers, weaken future Knock Off uses, and synergize with Curse to keep itself healthy while forcing foes to switch out.
Tera
========
Houndstone is almost never the preferred option as a Tera Captain, as its Ghost typing is one of its main appeals, and many other mid- and lower-tier Pokemon prefer to be a secondary Captain instead. In situations where Houndstone is the only viable option, it can use offensive Tera types like Tera Fighting and Fairy to bolster its coverage, while Tera Poison and Fire can allow it to avoid status and defensively check more types of foes.
Draft Strategy
========
Houndstone has very specific niches that make it stand out over other budget options, mainly being a defensive spinblocker and a potential sand sweeper.
**Entry Hazard Setters**: Entry hazard-stacking compositions with teammates like Glimmora, Ribombee, and Deoxys-S appreciate Houndstone preventing Rapid Spin while also having options to remove itself from the field to prevent Defog.
**Sand Setters**: Teams built around sand—or at least, those that drafted Tyranitar earlier on—can find synergy in Houndstone's Sand Rush ability and Fighting immunity.
Checks and Counters
========
**Special Attackers**: Houndstone's defensive profile does not do well against most prominent special attackers, making it weak against foes like Greninja, Darkrai, and Enamorus.
**Physical Walls**: Offensive Houndstone sets struggle to break through physically defensive foes that aren't threatened by its common coverage like Dondozo, Torkoal, and Ting-Lu or have reliable recovery like Corviknight, Moltres, and Mandibuzz.
**Single-use Items**: Poltergeist relies on the foe holding an item, so single-use items like Kasib Berry, Sitrus Berry, and Red Card can severely reduce its offensive presence, as it must rely on non-STAB moves or weaker priority attacks.
**Chip Damage**: Houndstone lacks reliable healing and typically switches multiple times per battle, so damage from entry hazards, status effects, Rocky Helmet, and opposing attacks can make it a much less reliable defensive check over time.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/xand.614716/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
**Draft Order**: Round 7 onwards
**Price Range**: 3-5 points
**Overview**: Although it is banned from using Last Respects, Houndstone is a solid cheap Ghost-type with two usable roles to fill on an otherwise complete team. It can be a physically defensive Fluffy spinblocker with multiple utility options and a serviceable wallbreaker that can function with or without Sand Rush. It provides more defensive utility than similarly-priced Ghost-types and synergizes well with typical sand cores. All this being said, its stats are mediocre at best, especially its Speed. It also has to rely on Rest and Pain Split for recovery and typically does not have enough raw power to clean up teams without significant support.
Common Roles
========
**Defensive Utility / Spinblocker**: Houndstone can utilize Fluffy to defensively check physical attackers that rely on contact moves such as Knock Off and threaten them with damage or a burn in return. Body Press also allows it to deal meaningful damage to foes that resist its STAB moves, and it has multiple utility options to benefit its teammates and hamper its foes. It is also a defensive Ghost-type that does not lose to most foes that carry Rapid Spin, giving it extra utility for teams that rely on entry hazards staying up.
**Sand Sweeper**: Sand Rush allows Houndstone to outspeed most unboosted foes with ease and threaten frail teams that struggle resisting Ghost. It has strong synergy with sand team staples like Tyranitar and Excadrill, being a secondary sweeper or wallbreaker to Excadrill as well as a Fighting immunity for both.
**Wallbreaker**: Although it is not as viable without Sand Rush's Speed increase, Houndstone can function as a decent bulky physical attacker against Ghost-weak teams thanks to its STAB moves plus decent coverage when combined with a damage-boosting item.
Common Moves
========
**Primary STAB Moves**: Poltergeist, Shadow Sneak
**Utility Moves**: Will-O-Wisp, Destiny Bond, Memento, Roar, Night Shade, Pain Split, Rest, Sleep Talk, Trick, Yawn
**Coverage**: Body Press, Stomping Tantrum, Play Rough, Ice Fang, Fire Fang, Psychic Fangs
Niche Moves
========
**Endure + Endeavor**: Houndstone can combine Endure with any combination of Endeavor, Destiny Bond, and Custap Berry to catch opponents off guard and threaten standard checks and counters. Endeavor can even be used alone alongside Fluffy to reliably deal far more damage to foes than it normally could.
**Bulldoze**: Bulldoze allows both Houndstone and its teammates to outspeed foes.
**Curse**: Curse is an alternative to Memento that allows Houndstone to potentially remove itself from the field and prevent opposing Defog while pressuring foes to switch out with constant damage instead of reduced offensive stats, allowing its teammates space to set up.
**Sandstorm**: In some cases, Houndstone can use Sandstorm to activate Sand Rush on its own to become a fast offensive threat, even if its team does not have a natural sand setter.
Common Items
========
**Rocky Helmet**: Defensive Houndstone appreciates the additional chip damage that Rocky Helmet provides against foes it checks while still gaining some value if the player anticipates switching in on a Knock Off.
**Leftovers**: Houndstone appreciates passive recovery if it expects to sit on the field for multiple turns or if it does not have room for Rest or Pain Split.
**Heavy-Duty Boots**: Heavy-Duty Boots allows Houndstone to avoid chip damage from entry hazards, helping to prevent it from getting chipped down if it is expected to switch in repeatedly.
**Damage-boosting Items**: Offensive Houndstone needs as much additional damage as possible, so Life Orb, Spell Tag, and Choice Band can all help it break through foes more effectively. Choice Band has the additional benefit of being given to physical walls with Trick.
Niche Items
========
**Custap Berry**: Houndstone can use Custap Berry alongside Endure to either use Endeavor on a foe to then threaten it with Shadow Sneak or use Destiny Bond to hopefully take a crucial foe down with it.
**Chesto Berry**: If Houndstone needs to heal with Rest but either has no room for Sleep Talk or doesn't want to risk the inherent randomness, Chesto Berry allows it one free, reliable full heal.
**Choice Scarf**: Although Houndstone lacks the Speed, power, and pivoting potential to make the best use of Choice Scarf, it can at least use Trick against bulky foes or catch typically faster foes with status. In rare matchups against teams that struggle resisting Ghost, it can be used more offensively.
**Resistance Berries**: Houndstone can use Colbur Berry or Kasib Berry to lure Dark- or Ghost-type foes, respectively, into attacking it, allowing it to survive and threaten them with Body Press or Poltergeist. Colbur Berry can also weaken Knock Off's initial damage further than other items could.
**Sitrus Berry**: Houndstone can utilize Sitrus Berry to survive an extra hit from strong attackers, weaken future Knock Off uses, and synergize with Curse to keep itself healthy while forcing foes to switch out.
Tera
========
Houndstone is almost never the preferred option as a Tera Captain, as its Ghost typing is one of its main appeals, and many other mid- and lower-tier Pokemon prefer to be a secondary Captain instead. In situations where Houndstone is the only viable option, it can use offensive Tera types like Tera Fighting and Fairy to bolster its coverage, while Tera Poison and Fire can allow it to avoid status and defensively check more types of foes.
Draft Strategy
========
Houndstone has very specific niches that make it stand out over other budget options, mainly being a defensive spinblocker and a potential sand sweeper.
**Entry Hazard Setters**: Entry hazard-stacking compositions with teammates like Glimmora, Ribombee, and Deoxys-S appreciate Houndstone preventing Rapid Spin while also having options to remove itself from the field to prevent Defog.
**Sand Setters**: Teams built around sand—or at least, those that drafted Tyranitar earlier on—can find synergy in Houndstone's Sand Rush ability and Fighting immunity.
Checks and Counters
========
**Special Attackers**: Houndstone's defensive profile does not do well against most prominent special attackers, making it weak against foes like Greninja, Darkrai, and Enamorus.
**Physical Walls**: Offensive Houndstone sets struggle to break through physically defensive foes that aren't threatened by its common coverage like Dondozo, Torkoal, and Ting-Lu or have reliable recovery like Corviknight, Moltres, and Mandibuzz.
**Single-use Items**: Poltergeist relies on the foe holding an item, so single-use items like Kasib Berry, Sitrus Berry, and Red Card can severely reduce its offensive presence, as it must rely on non-STAB moves or weaker priority attacks.
**Chip Damage**: Houndstone lacks reliable healing and typically switches multiple times per battle, so damage from entry hazards, status effects, Rocky Helmet, and opposing attacks can make it a much less reliable defensive check over time.
[credits]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/xand.614716/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/jscurf.608304/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/techno.527276/
Last edited:
