Is Houndoom Good in Diamond & Pearl Playthrough?
Dark/Fire with AbilityFlash Fire absorbing Fire for an immunity. If imported, Houndoom handles Fantina, Candice, Byron, and Aaron. Fast special attacker with rare type coverage. One of the few imports that genuinely fills a gap in Sinnoh's roster.
Houndoom has the type edge here and should clean up Roark's team.
Houndoom has the type edge here and should clean up Gardenia's team.
Houndoom trades roughly evenly with Maylene's team.
Houndoom has the type edge here and should clean up Crasher Wake's team.
Houndoom resists most of Fantina's coverage and hits back hard.
Houndoom resists most of Byron's coverage and hits back hard.
Houndoom resists most of Candice's coverage and hits back hard.
Houndoom trades roughly evenly with Volkner's team.
Houndoom has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Houndoom has the type edge here and should clean up Bertha's team.
Houndoom has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Houndoom has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Houndoom resists most of Mars's coverage and hits back hard.
Houndoom has the type edge here and should clean up Jupiter's team.
Houndoom resists most of Saturn's coverage and hits back hard.
Houndoom has the type edge here and should clean up Cynthia's team.
Catchable
Catch Houndoom on Route 215 (Poké Radar, Lv 20-22, common).
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM38FireFire BlastPower 180Accuracy 85%PP 5Lake Verity
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- TM22GrassSolar BeamPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 10Veilstone Department Store
- LV 48FireFlamethrowerPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Volkner
- TM79DarkDark PulsePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15Victory Road
- LV 54DarkCrunchPower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- Post-Game
- TM50FireOverheatPower 210Accuracy 90%PP 5Stark Mountain
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
How to Get Houndoom in Diamond & Pearl
Houndoom chains off the Poke Radar on two Pearl routes, common at level 20 up. Diamond owners get the line only by trading, since both Houndour and its evolution sit on the Pearl side.
2 locations to catch Houndoom
Badge 2
Badge 3Where To Catch Houndoom in DP
- Step 1Obtain HoundourBREEDINGAvailableLeave Houndoom with a compatible partner at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Houndour egg.
- Step 2Houndoom ✓or evolve from Houndour (Step 1)
Not landing the catch? Calculate Houndoom catch rates for Diamond & Pearl by ball, status, and HP.
How to Get Shiny Houndoom in Diamond & Pearl
Houndoom prowls Route 214 and Route 215 in Pearl, where a PokeRadar chain in that grass brings its shiny to 1 in 200. Compare Shiny Houndoom odds across every game
Diamond & Pearl Shiny Houndoom Calculator
3 MethodsThe best route is PokeRadar Chain at full boosts, about 1 in 200 on each try. Tune it below.
PokeRadar Chain: Chain shaking-grass patches without breaking the combo. The rate peaks at a chain of 40.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 22-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 58-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 139-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 460-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Want exact numbers for your session? Calculate your shiny odds in Diamond & Pearl with Houndoom preloaded.
Houndoom Weakness
Water, Fighting, Ground, and Rock moves hit Houndoom for super-effective damage. The upside? Psychic-type moves can't touch it at all. With 6 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. Flash Fire grants an additional Fire immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Houndoom's special bulk (base 80 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Water, Fighting, Ground, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Grass, Ice, Ghost, Dark, Steel |
| 0x (Immune) | Psychic |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Houndoom Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Houndoom
 Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Houndoom View Heracross builds →Focus Punch 2x233-274%KO Earthquake 2x104-123%KO Rock Slide 2x79-94% | ||
 Marowak Ground | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Houndoom View Marowak builds →Earthquake 2x111-131%KO Focus Punch 2x110-130%KO Rock Slide 2x55-66% | ||
 Monferno FireFighting | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Chimchar (Lake Verity Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Houndoom View Monferno builds →Focus Punch 2x163-191%KO Rock Slide 2x55-66% | ||
 Gliscor Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Houndoom View Gliscor builds →Earthquake 2x127-150%KO Brick Break 2x63-74% Rock Slide 2x63-74% | ||
 Machoke Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Houndoom View Machoke builds →Focus Punch 2x195-230%KO Earthquake 2x88-104%KO Rock Slide 2x66-79% | ||
 Sandslash Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Houndoom View Sandslash builds →Focus Punch 2x130-153%KO Earthquake 2x132-156%KO Rock Slide 2x66-79% | ||
 Gastrodon WaterGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Houndoom View Gastrodon builds →Earthquake 2x114-134%KO Water Pulse 2x54-64% Rock Slide 2x57-68% Rock Smash 2x32-38% | ||
 Floatzel Water | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Houndoom View Floatzel builds →Focus Punch 2x135-160%KO Water Pulse 2x51-61% Rock Tomb 2x47-55% | ||
 Donphan Ground | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Houndoom View Donphan builds →Earthquake 2x151-179%KO Rock Slide 2x78-91% Rock Smash 2x41-49% | ||
 Probopass RockSteel | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Houndoom View Probopass builds →Rock Slide 2x65-77% Earthquake 2x55-66% Rock Smash 2x23-28% | ||
 Bibarel NormalWater | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Houndoom View Bibarel builds →Focus Punch 2x115-136%KO Water Pulse 2x37-45% Rollout 2x24-30% | ||
 Aerodactyl Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodOreburgh City Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Houndoom View Aerodactyl builds →Rock Slide 2x102-121%KO Earthquake 2x91-109%KO Rock Smash 2x37-45% | ||
 Sudowoodo Rock | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Houndoom View Sudowoodo builds →Focus Punch 2x130-153%KO Rock Slide 2x100-118%KO Earthquake 2x88-104%KO | ||
 Gabite DragonGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Houndoom View Gabite builds →Earthquake 2x121-144%KO Rock Slide 2x61-72% Rock Smash 2x34-40% | ||
Houndoom Evolutions
Evolved from Houndour. Houndoom is the final form in this two-stage line. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs take an average time to hatch. HP grew the most through evolution (+30 over Houndour), and Houndoom peaks at 500 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Houndoom to get Houndour eggs easily using 131 partners from the Field egg group. Notable egg moves include Beat Up, Counter, Fire Fang and 9 more.
DP Houndoom Best Moveset
110 Sp. Atk paired with Dark/Fire coverage hits both physical and special tanks from angles they don't expect. AbilityFlash Fire gives a free switch into Fire moves for a power boost. The moveset runs special Dark and Fire attacks at 95 Speed, though 25% from MoveStealth Rock per switch limits staying power.
Best Build
Houndoom best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Dark Pulse
- Sucker Punch
- Fire Blast
- Nasty Plot
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Without breeding, Houndoom misses out on Beat Up and Counter. That's 12 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Overheat and Fire Blast, with coverage across 8 types rounding things out.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
35 of 38 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
Long ago, people imagined its eerie howls to be the call of the grim reaper.
Houndoom Diamond & Pearl Guide
Mega Evolution isn't available in Diamond & Pearl, but Houndoom does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Houndoom hits 600 BST.
In Diamond & Pearl, use Houndoom as an attacker. Splits damage between physical and special. Speed is middling,
For Diamond & Pearl, build your team around Forretress, Heracross, and Crobat. These have the highest co-usage rates with Houndoom in competitive formats. They cover each other's weaknesses.
For Diamond & Pearl, run Hasty on Houndoom. +Speed is what matters, and the -Defense cut doesn't hurt this set. Fits the attacker role.
Game Availability
Since debuting in Gold & Silver, Houndoom has appeared in 17 titles over 8 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 6, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORASMega
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
Explore
Where to go next after Houndoom.
Keep playing · Diamond & PearlDiamond & Pearl Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Diamond & Pearl Tier List