Houndour is technically a pre-evolution of Houndoom, but it holds its own in formats where Eviolite is allowed. Flash Fire absorbs Fire moves and powers up its own, adding extra value. Psychic moves can't touch it, which offsets the 4 weaknesses somewhat.
Houndour's spread isn't flashy. Sp. Atk leads, Defense trails, 1 stats clear the bar. Common in the wild and worth 1 Sp. Atk EV, on a slow 1.25M XP grind.
It conveys its feelings using different cries. It works in a pack to cleverly take down prey.
Houndour Weakness
GoodHoundour is weak to Water, Fighting, Ground, and Rock-type moves. On the flip side, it's immune to Psychic-type moves entirely. 6 resistances give it solid defensive coverage on top of that. Flash Fire grants an additional Fire immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
Houndour evolves into Houndoom. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. A massive partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are average hatch time. Evolving adds up to 170 stat points total.
How to Evolve
Breed Houndour easily with 131 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Beat Up, Counter, Fire Fang and 9 more to offspring.
Best Build
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 4.
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Egg moves make a real difference. Houndour gets Beat Up and Counter exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Coverage across 8 types rounds out the picture alongside Overheat and Fire Blast.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
No wild encounters for Houndour in Diamond & Pearl. It's available in Gold, Crystal, or Scarlet and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.
Houndour is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Catch in the wild in:
Then trade to Diamond & Pearl.
Also found in:
Houndour isn't fully evolved, so it's not built for competitive play. You'll want to evolve it into Houndoom to unlock its full potential. At 330 BST, it's a stepping stone rather than a team anchor.
Houndour evolves into Houndoom at level 24. Houndour is the base form of this evolutionary line.
Run Flash Fire on Houndour. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Houndour also gets Early Bird and Unnerve, but they don't compare.
Houndour fills the balanced role. It's a special attacker with base 80 Sp. Atk. At base 65 Speed, it won't be moving first often. And it's fragile — can't afford to take many hits.
Houndour appears in 17 games, including Gold & Silver, Crystal, and Ruby & Sapphire.
Houndour first appeared in Gold & Silver and has been available in 17 games across 8 generations. Obtainable through catching or hatching as a base form in most titles where it appears.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A