Houndoom
[Overview]
<p>The fifth generation has seen a host of new, powerful sweepers join UU. The results for Houndoom are mixed; on one hand, the newcomers have usurped Houndoom's crown as UU's most powerful Nasty Plot sweeper, and Houndoom's once auspicious base 95 Speed unfortunately leaves it lagging behind the now-common base 100s. On the other hand, the rise of Psychic-types gives Houndoom a renewed purpose as one of the best anti-metagame Pokemon in the tier. Its excellent STAB combination nails top threats such as Victini, Heracross, Mew, Azelf, and Celebi for super effective damage, and with access to both Sucker Punch and Pursuit, Houndoom can easily put its targets in a checkmate position. Flash Fire and an immunity to Psychic-type moves also make Houndoom a powerful psychological weapon as soon as it appears in team preview; its mere presence on your team prevents opposing Victini, Azelf, and Mew from ever feeling comfortable using their powerful STAB attacks. It's not the fastest or most powerful sweeper in the tier, but with the ability to check some of the metagame's top threats or sweep at a moment's notice with Nasty Plot, Houndoom is still one hell of a hound.</p>
[SET]
name: Mixed Attacker
move 1: Pursuit
move 2: Sucker Punch
move 3: Fire Blast / Overheat
move 4: Crunch / Hidden Power Grass
item: Life Orb
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Hasty
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>With so many dangerous Psychic-types terrorizing UU, mixed Houndoom is a fantastic anti-metagame Pokemon. The combination of Pursuit and Sucker Punch forces Azelf, Victini, Mew, and Celebi into a mindgame where mispredicting is fatal; Sucker Punch will OHKO if they try to attack, and Pursuit will do the same if they attempt to flee. Of course, prediction is a two-way street, and a Houndoom user with poor instincts will end up accomplishing very little; however, with intelligent play, Houndoom can drag any opponent that relies on Psychic- and Ghost-types down into a dark, fiery hell.</p>
<p>While the main draw of this set is the deadly Pursuit + Sucker Punch combination, the other two moves are also quite important. Fire Blast puts Houndoom's excellent base 110 Special Attack stat to good use by roasting Bug- and Steel-types such as Heracross and Cobalion for OHKOs. Overheat is a fine alternative, as it has more initial power and accuracy, and Houndoom will rarely be using special attacks more than once before switching out anyway; the only drawback is that Houndoom loses the ability to reliably 2HKO Registeel, which can force Houndoom out with the threat of Earthquake or Thunder Wave. In the final slot, Crunch may seem like a strange choice alongside two other physical Dark-type attacks, but Pursuit and Sucker Punch are both situational moves while Crunch is a consistent, spammable STAB attack. If you find Crunch unnecessary and wish to improve Houndoom's coverage instead, Hidden Power Grass is also a solid option to hit Rhyperior, Quagsire, and other Pokemon with 4x Grass-type weaknesses extremely hard.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Dark Pulse can go in the last slot to 2HKO physically defensive Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Slowbro, Deoxys-D, and Dusclops, all of which can survive two hits from Crunch. Thunder Fang hits Water- and Flying-types super effectively, but it's only approximately 8% more powerful than a neutral Crunch, and Crunch has much greater general utility.</p>
<p>The listed EV spread is straightforward: 252 Attack EVs power up Pursuit and Sucker Punch, while 252 Speed EVs and a Hasty nature maximize Houndoom's Speed without reducing its Special Attack. Houndoom has an unfortunate weakness to Stealth Rock, so it partners well with Rapid Spin users, especially Hitmontop. Ghost-types will often try to block Rapid Spin and burn Hitmontop with Will-O-Wisp; Houndoom can switch in on Will-O-Wisp for a free Flash Fire boost and eliminate the spinblocker with Pursuit. Entry hazards of your own help ensure Sucker Punch OHKOes Victini, Mew, and Celebi. Stealth Rock is sufficient for Victini, but offensive Mew and Celebi require either three layers of Spikes or a combination of Stealth Rock and at least one layer of Spikes. Deoxys-D is perhaps the most reliable Spikes-stacker in UU due to its tremendous defenses and acceptable Speed. Roserade is also very effective at laying Spikes and can scare away bulky Water-types that threaten Houndoom. Aside from bulky Water-types, Arcanine is Houndoom's most dangerous counter, as it resists Fire Blast, can brush off Sucker Punch thanks to Intimidate, and easily OHKOes Houndoom with Close Combat. Slowbro can easily take on Arcanine and nearly any other physical attacker that threatens Houndoom. Although Houndoom destroys offensive variants of Mew and Celebi, they can both use Baton Pass to escape, so your team should not rely on Houndoom to stop them from passing boosts; instead, carry at least one Pokemon with Taunt, Haze, Perish Song, or another phazing move that prevents a Baton Pass chain from getting out of hand.</p>
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Taunt / Hidden Power Grass
item: Life Orb / Passho Berry
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Though newcomers such as Azelf and Porygon-Z have stolen Houndoom's title as the most powerful Nasty Plot user in UU, it remains one of the most lethal thanks to its phenomenal STAB combination. Very few common UU Pokemon resist both Fire Blast and Dark Pulse, so most teams lack a Pokemon that will enjoy switching in once Houndoom has a boost. Finding opportunities to set up is not difficult, as many Psychic- and Ghost-types fail to carry a move that covers Houndoom, allowing it to force them out and use Nasty Plot; with some luck, Houndoom may even pick up a Flash Fire boost by switching into Will-O-Wisp or V-create. With a Nasty Plot boost and Flash Fire activated, Fire Blast deals a minimum of 61% to Chansey, a guaranteed 2HKO on what is by far the best special wall in UU.</p>
<p>Houndoom's item and final move depend on what role it is playing. On teams that need a standalone sweeper, Life Orb and Taunt are the optimal choices. Life Orb gives Houndoom the power it needs to slice through the opponent's team, while Taunt shuts down Chansey and other dedicated walls, allowing Houndoom to overcome them with or without a Flash Fire boost. Taunt also makes Houndoom a handy check to popular Baton Pass users such as Mew. On the other hand, with a Passho Berry and Hidden Power Grass, Houndoom becomes a deadly lure for bulky Water-types. Passho Berry allows Houndoom to always survive a Surf from Milotic, Suicune, Empoleon, or Blastoise, while Hidden Power Grass 2HKOes each of them after a Nasty Plot (except Empoleon, which takes at least 66% from Fire Blast). This makes Houndoom an excellent teammate for Pokemon such as Dragon Dance Kingdra that can demolish opposing teams once Milotic and Empoleon are gone.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>This set is extremely difficult to switch into, especially before you reveal what item Houndoom is running. Thick Fat Snorlax and Hariyama are the only true counters; none of Houndoom's moves will 2HKO either of them, while both can OHKO back with powerful physical attacks. Specially defensive Poliwrath can survive Hidden Power Grass and OHKO Houndoom with STAB Brick Break. If Houndoom lacks Taunt, Chansey can come in and use Toxic to put a time limit on its sweep. Without a Passho Berry, Houndoom loses to most bulky Water-types, although Dark Pulse will deal a hefty chunk of damage first, so they must be relatively healthy in order to successfully stop Houndoom. Hitmontop forces Snorlax and Chansey out with Close Combat and can clean up Houndoom's leftovers with its Technician-boosted Mach Punches. Celebi handles Hariyama and Water-types nicely and attracts Fire-type moves for Houndoom to switch in on for a Flash Fire boost.</p>
<p>While this set may be hard to wall, it is easy to revenge kill. Houndoom's base 95 Speed leaves it outsped by many of UU's most popular attackers, and its pitiful Defense stat leaves it unable to withstand even neutral physical hits. To cover this weakness, Houndoom can run a mixed Nasty Plot set with Sucker Punch in the fourth slot and a spread of 220 Atk / 64 SpA / 224 Spe with a Hasty nature. With Sucker Punch and these EVs, Houndoom becomes much more difficult to revenge kill; Sucker Punch OHKOes Victini and Dugtrio after Stealth Rock damage and deals heavy damage to many other fast, frail attackers, forcing them to be near full health to successfully take Houndoom down. Sucker Punch also gives Houndoom utility throughout a match, even if it never gets a chance to set up, by allowing it to revenge kill opposing Psychic-types. However, the loss of Taunt makes setting up more difficult, and the reduced Special Attack makes Houndoom much easier to wall, so it will rarely manage to carry out a successful sweep with a mixed set.</p>
<p>As you might expect, Houndoom dislikes Stealth Rock on its side of the field and loves it on the opponent's side. The Passho Berry lure especially dislikes taking damage from entry hazards, as it needs to be near full health to guarantee it can survive Surf or Hydro Pump from bulky Water-types that choose to invest in Special Attack; if Houndoom switches into Stealth Rock, Life Orb Milotic and Empoleon can both OHKO even with Passho Berry halving their damage output. Meanwhile, specially defensive Milotic spreads have a chance to survive two hits from Hidden Power Grass if there are no entry hazards up. Donphan can set up Stealth Rock and also use Rapid Spin effectively, and it often attracts Will-O-Wisp from Ghost-types, which gives Houndoom an opportunity to switch in and activate Flash Fire.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Scarf
move 1: Overheat
move 2: Pursuit
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Hidden Power Grass / Flamethrower
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Flash Fire
nature: Hasty
evs: 160 Atk / 172 SpA / 176 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Houndoom is often let down by its base 95 Speed, which forces it to depend on the inconsistent Sucker Punch to take on many of UU's most dangerous threats. A Choice Scarf solves that problem and allows Houndoom to reliably revenge kill a wide assortment of sweepers. Overheat is Houndoom's most powerful move; it OHKOes Heracross, Mamoswine, Celebi, Weavile, Zoroark, and Cobalion (even after a Calm Mind boost). Pursuit does heavy damage to Psychic- and Ghost-types that attempt to flee, OHKOing the frailer ones such as Mismagius. Dark Pulse provides more consistent power against bulkier Psychic-types and will always OHKO Azelf. In the last slot, Hidden Power Grass is the best choice to hit Rock Polish Rhyperior, Curse Quagsire, and most Shell Smash sweepers for huge damage. However, if none of these Pokemon are threats to your team, Flamethrower can go in this slot to give Houndoom a consistent Fire-type move to clean up with at the end of matches.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Crunch always OHKOes Mismagius, which can survive Dark Pulse when healthy and hit back with Hidden Power Fighting. However, Dark Pulse has more power in general, and Houndoom cannot OHKO Azelf with Crunch unless Stealth Rock is on the field. Toxic is a nasty surprise for bulky Water-types that switch in to wall Houndoom, so it can go in the final slot if you don't need Hidden Power Grass. The EVs are somewhat flexible, but there are certain benchmarks that Houndoom benefits from meeting. 160 Attack EVs give Pursuit a high chance to OHKO a fleeing Azelf after Stealth Rock damage. 176 Speed EVs and a Hasty nature ensure Houndoom outspeeds Jolly Choice Scarf Heracross and Timid Choice Scarf Nidoking. The remaining EVs are dumped into Special Attack to power up Overheat and Dark Pulse. Some additional EVs can be transferred from Attack to Special Attack if desired, but a minimum of 84 Attack EVs are necessary to guarantee Pursuit will OHKO a retreating Mismagius.</p>
<p>This set can help any team that needs a revenge killer. Heracross and Mamoswine can both wreck some of the most popular defensive cores and run over most offensive Pokemon, so the ability to outspeed and OHKO both of them (along with plenty of other threats) makes Choice Scarf Houndoom a valuable addition to many teams. With no way of boosting its power, Houndoom has no chance of breaking through most defensive Pokemon, especially bulky Water-types. Grass- and Electric-types such as Celebi and Raikou can switch in on most of Houndoom's counters and force them out, perhaps opening up an opportunity to boost with Calm Mind and begin a sweep. Just like any other Pokemon with a weakness to Stealth Rock, Houndoom appreciates Rapid Spin support, especially since this set will want to switch in and out several times to change moves and reset Overheat's power. Hitmontop, Donphan, and Blastoise are all solid Rapid Spin users with good physical bulk and the ability to bypass spinblockers with Foresight or Odor Sleuth; which one to use depends mostly on the resistances your team needs most.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Houndoom can run a decent Choice Specs set with Overheat, Flamethrower, Dark Pulse, and Hidden Power Grass, but it's better left to Rotom-H, which has STAB Thunderbolt to hit Water-types and Trick to cripple Chansey. Like most Fire-types, Houndoom can use Sunny Day to remove its Water-type weakness, increase Fire Blast's power, and allow the use of SolarBeam, but a Nasty Plot set holding Passho Berry accomplishes essentially the same thing, except with more power and no time limit on its sweep. Flame Charge is available to increase Houndoom's Speed, but Houndoom is weak to common priority attacks and lacks the raw power to sweep without any offensive boosts.</p>
<p>Will-O-Wisp is a possibility, but Houndoom is too frail to use it effectively. Magic Coat can protect Houndoom from paralysis or sleep, although most opponents will simply attack Houndoom rather than trying to cripple it with status effects. Houndoom can try Hidden Power Rock or Hidden Power Water to hit Fire-types harder and guarantee a victory in mirror matchups with opposing Houndoom. Punishment, Foul Play, and Beat Up are all alternative physical STAB attacks with situational usefulness, but in most cases you'll be better off with Crunch. Finally, Houndoom can use Rest with its other ability, Early Bird, to act as a stallbreaker. With Early Bird, Houndoom will only stay asleep for one turn, and with access to Taunt, Toxic, Super Fang, and Flamethrower, it can quickly give stall teams headaches. Unfortunately, Houndoom's physical bulk is so pathetic that any team with a decent physical attacker can 2HKO Houndoom as it sleeps, making this set a liability against all but the most defensive teams.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Hariyama and Snorlax are the best counters; with Thick Fat and gargantuan HP stats, they can shrug off even Nasty Plot-boosted attacks and OHKO Houndoom with powerful physical moves. Poliwrath resists both of Houndoom's STABs and destroys Houndoom with STAB Brick Break or Circle Throw, but it requires heavy investment in Special Defense to survive a boosted Hidden Power Grass. In general, bulky Water-types such as Milotic, Suicune, and Blastoise can handle Houndoom quite well, although the Passho Berry lure is always a threat. Chansey walls any Houndoom set that lacks Taunt and can cripple Houndoom with Thunder Wave or Toxic. Azumarill and Hitmontop cannot take boosted attacks from Houndoom, but they can switch in on resisted hits or as Houndoom sets up and easily OHKO it with super effective STAB priority moves. Bulky Arcanine sets can take a hit from Houndoom and reply with Close Combat or ExtremeSpeed. Houndoom resists all of its own standard moves, so a set with a super effective Hidden Power will defeat most opposing Houndoom. Stealth Rock limits the number of times Houndoom can switch in and makes it easier to pick off with neutral attacks. Finally, most physical attackers that outspeed Houndoom can OHKO it before it gets a chance to do anything, although frailer revenge killers must beware of Sucker Punch or a Choice Scarf set.</p>
[Dream World]
<p>Houndoom's Dream World ability is Unnerve, which prevents the opposing Pokemon's berry from activating. Berries are very uncommon in UU, so Unnerve is useless in most battles. The immunity to Fire-type attacks and potential power boost granted by Flash Fire are far more useful in nearly any situation.</p>
