A guide to best Mega Houndoom counters in Pokémon GO. The strongest Pokémon to use against a Mega Houndoom are Kyogre, Rhyperior, Conkeldurr and Mega Blastoise.
Regardless of your stance on mega evolution, Mega Houndoom is set up to be one of the strongest dark attackers in Pokémon GO, making it worth gathering energy for. Upcoming bosses such as Origin Giratina and Mega Gengar will give Mega Houndoom plenty of mileage really soon.
Its bulk is average and its counters are some of the best Pokémon in the game, so 3-4 should be an adequate amount of trainers with average teams. A weatherless duo is tough, but possible. Rainy, Cloudy and Partly Cloudy weather make a duo more manageable, as well as a Mega’s boost, namely Blastoise.
Information
Houndoom (Mega)
DarkFire
|
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| Max CP 3842 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATK 289 | DEF 194 | HP 181 | |||
| Weak to | Strong Against | ||||
| Rock Fighting Water Ground | Grass Fire Steel Ghost Dark Ice Psychicx2 | ||||
You receive a base form Houndoom after the raid instead of the mega. It can be caught at these CP ranges:
- 1432 – 1505 Level 20, without weather boost
- 1790 – 1882 Level 25, Sunny or Fog boost
Mega evolving Houndoom will cost 200 energy initially and 40 energy for subsequent mega evolutions.
Mega Houndoom Raid Counters
Note: Shadow Forms will not be listed individually due to their expense and availability.
| The Supreme Mega Houndoom Raid Counters | ||
|---|---|---|
Kyogre
|
Waterfall Water | Surf Water |
Rhyperior
|
Smack Down Rock Mud Slap Ground | Rock Wrecker* Rock |
Conkeldurr
|
Counter Fighting | Dynamic Punch Fighting |
| Kyogre is great in rainy weather, and Mega Blastoise will give it a severe boost. It’s probably the best counter overall, barely beating out Rhyperior and Conkeldurr.
If there’s no Mega Blastoise in play, all 3 are about even disregarding the weather. Kyogre and Rhyperior are resistant to all of Houndoom’s Fire attacks, while Conkeldurr withstands Dark well. Set up your team for the weather, since the 20% boost can be a big help. |
||
| Mega Mention | ||
Blastoise (Mega)
|
Water Gun Water | Hydro Cannon Water |
| Definitely the best counter to Mega Houndoom by miles, but it costs Mega Energy to use. It’s extremely powerful, and it buffs other raider’s Water types by 30% and other Pokémon by 10% while it’s active, and with its fire resistance and bulk, it’ll stick around. If you want to use Mega Blastoise against Mega Houndoom, it’s not a bad choice at all. | ||
| Glass Cannon Mega Houndoom Raid Counters | ||
Rampardos
|
Smack Down Rock | Rock Slide Rock |
Lucario
|
Counter Fighting | Aura Sphere Fighting |
Kingler
|
Bubble Water | Crabhammer Water |
| Use these if you really want to maximize energy gain. Lucario’s weak to Fire, but against a double Dark moveset it’ll actually perform great. Rampardos and Kingler are extremely frail, but they put in work while they can. | ||
| Great Mega Houndoom Raid Counters | ||
Machamp
|
Counter Fighting | Dynamic Punch Fighting |
Terrakion
|
Smack Down Rock | Rock Slide Rock |
Swampert
|
Mud Shot Ground Water Gun Water | Hydro Cannon* Water |
Tyranitar
|
Smack Down* Rock | Stone Edge Rock |
Garchomp
|
Mud Shot Ground | Earthquake Ground |
Feraligatr
|
Waterfall Water | Hydro Cannon* Water |
Hariyama
|
Counter Fighting | Dynamic Punch Fighting |
*Legacy Move
There’s a lot of freedom when choosing counters for Mega Houndoom, since it has some common weaknesses. Switch your team up based on the weather:
- Water in Rainy weather, or if there’s a Mega Blastoise in play.
- Rock in Partly Cloudy weather, or in Sunny to resist Fire attacks.
- Fighting in Cloudy weather, or in Fog to resist Dark attacks.
You can also mix and match your team depending on what you’ve got maxed up and ready. Ground doesn’t have a lot of power, but Pokémon like Garchomp eat fire attacks like a brick wall, so it’s viable in large lobbies.
Mega Houndoom Moveset Analysis
Mega Houndoom can have these moves during a raid battle, or as it’s base form on catch:
| Fast Moves | Charge Moves |
|---|---|
|
|
Fire Blast is easy peasy since it takes forever to become active so you can dodge it effortlessly. Water and Rock also resist it, which are most of its counters.
Foul Play and Flamethrower are pretty basic 2-bar moves. Not the worst you could go against, but Snarl’s energy gain could make Foul Play very frustrating.
Crunch is a spammy nightmare for any non-fighting type. If it’s paired with Snarl, be prepared to either dodge constantly or take them all to the face like a champ.
After the raid, you’d want Snarl and Foul Play on your own Houndoom. Charizard’s got fire covered.