Houndour is technically a pre-evolution of Houndoom, but it holds its own in formats where Eviolite is allowed. Psychic moves can't touch it, which offsets the 4 weaknesses somewhat. Known as the Dark Pokemon. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets.
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 uses different kinds of cries for communicating with others of its kind and for pursuing its prey.
To corner prey, they check each other’s location using barks that only they can understand.
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.
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
- Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
Houndour evolves into Houndoom. It's a two-stage chain with the method shown below. Plenty of partners 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 66 breeding partners from the Ground egg group. Pass egg moves like Beat Up, Counter, Fire Spin and 4 more to offspring.
Best Build
Gen 2 build content has limited support (no abilities).
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
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 Fire Blast and Flamethrower.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Houndour sits at moderate rates across 2 spots in early-game routes. Pick one from the sorted list and commit to it. Jumping between areas wastes more time than waiting in the right location.
Best Locations
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.
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