Houndstone Best Moveset
Ghost at 101 Attack and 100 Defense with AbilityFluffy halving contact damage but doubling Fire damage. MoveLast Respects gains 50 base power for each fainted ally (caps at 350 with 5 fainted). The moveset tanks physical contact, then fires Last Respects at increasing power as the team falls. C-Tier through Last Respects snowball potential.
Houndstone landed at C-Tier in Gen IX. This was Houndstone's competitive peak. Its most popular set ran Fluffy with Leftovers, favoring a Adamant nature.
Best Moves
Best Build
Houndstone best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Sweeper Moveset
- Will O Wisp
- Poltergeist
- Shadow Sneak
- Play Rough
Recommended Teammates
Houndstone Weakness
Houndstone is weak to Ghost and Dark. On the flip side, it's immune to Normal and Fighting-type moves entirely. With 72 HP and balanced defenses, Houndstone can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ghost, Dark |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Poison, Bug |
| 0x (Immune) | Normal, Fighting |
What is Houndstone Weak Against
ExcellentBest Pokemon Against Houndstone
Rillaboom's Knock Off hits Houndstone for 80-94%.
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityGrassy Surge ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Houndstone View Rillaboom builds →Knock Off 2x80-94% U Turn21-25% Wood Hammer73-87% | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureRelaxed Moves
Damage vs Houndstone View Alomomola builds →Flip Turn12-14% Scald10-12% | ||
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemRocky Helmet NatureImpish Moves
Damage vs Houndstone View Corviknight builds →U Turn8-9% | ||
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureSassy Moves View Slowking-Galar builds →
| ||
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemRocky Helmet NatureJolly Moves View Landorus-Therian builds →
| ||
Evolution
Houndstone is the evolved form of Greavard. Breeding produces Greavard eggs, and they're average hatch time. Evolving from Greavard gave Houndstone the biggest boost in Sp.Def (+42), bringing the total to 488 stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Houndstone to get Greavard eggs easily using 278 partners from the Ground egg group.
How to Get Houndstone
Houndstone starts showing up in late-game routes at moderate rates across 58 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
Where To Catch Houndstone in SV
Greavard is your first catch on the way to Houndstone. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 22-56 across 116 total spots in the chain.
Step 1Catch GreavardNorth Province (Area One) - RuinsLv.22-34OverworldRate 29%West Province (Area Three) - RuinsLv.22-34OverworldRate 29%East Province (Area One) - MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%Glaseado MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%North Province (Area One) - MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%South Province (Area Five) - MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%South Province (Area Four) - MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%South Province (Area Six) - MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%South Province (Area Two) - MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%The Great Crater of PaldeaLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%West Province (Area One) - MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%Casseroya Lake - SnowLv.42-56OverworldRate 5%Glaseado MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 5%North Province (Area One) - SnowLv.42-56OverworldRate 5%North Province (Area Three) - SnowLv.42-56OverworldRate 5%Asado Desert - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%Casseroya Lake - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%East Province (Area Two) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%Glaseado MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%South Province (Area Five) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%South Province (Area Four) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%South Province (Area One) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%South Province (Area Six) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%South Province (Area Three) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%South Province (Area Two) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%West Province (Area One) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%- Step 2Houndstone ✓East Province (Area One) - MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%Glaseado MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%North Province (Area One) - MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%South Province (Area Five) - MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%South Province (Area Four) - MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%South Province (Area Six) - MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%South Province (Area Two) - MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%The Great Crater of PaldeaLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%West Province (Area One) - MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 8%Casseroya Lake - SnowLv.42-56OverworldRate 5%Glaseado MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 5%North Province (Area One) - SnowLv.42-56OverworldRate 5%North Province (Area Three) - SnowLv.42-56OverworldRate 5%Asado Desert - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%Casseroya Lake - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%East Province (Area Two) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%Glaseado MountainLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%North Province (Area One) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%South Province (Area Five) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%South Province (Area Four) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%South Province (Area One) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%South Province (Area Six) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%South Province (Area Three) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%South Province (Area Two) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%West Province (Area One) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%West Province (Area Three) - RuinsLv.42-56OverworldRate 3%or evolve from Greavard (Step 1)
Houndstone can't be caught in Legends: Z-A. Transfer Greavard from Scarlet & Violet and evolve through the 2-stage line to get it. The step cards below map the full chain.
How to Obtain Houndstone in LZA
- Step 1Obtain GreavardCARTRIDGE TRADEfrom Scarlet & VioletAvailableCatch in Scarlet & Violet via Overworld · West Province (Area Three), then trade to the current game via link cable.
- Step 2Houndstone ✓
Base Stats
Houndstone's spread favors balanced defenses over offense. Attack leads the defensive side, Sp. Atk eats the cost. Yields 2 Attack EVs per defeat. 1.06M XP medium-slow curve to level.
Houndstone spends most of its time sleeping in graveyards. Among all the dog Pokémon, this one is most loyal to its master.
Houndstone Guide
Don't let Houndstone's 488 base stat total fool you. Sand Rush is what makes it tick. It punches way above its weight class. We rate it C-Tier as an attacker.
Run Sand Rush on Houndstone. It's the ability that defines how you build around it and the main reason it holds a competitive niche. Houndstone also gets Fluffy, but they don't compare.
Houndstone fills the attacker role. It's a mixed attacker with base 101 Attack and 50 Sp. Atk. At base 68 Speed, it won't be moving first often. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
The core moveset is Will O Wisp, Poltergeist, Shadow Sneak, and Play Rough. Will O Wisp leads at 0% usage. Poltergeist provides reliable STAB damage.
Game Availability
Introduced in Scarlet & Violet, Houndstone has appeared in 2 games across 2 generations. Later debuts mean fewer total appearances, but it's been a consistent presence since its introduction.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
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 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SVDebut
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves