Pokemon GO Mega Houndoom Raid Guide: Counters, Movesets, & More

Mega Pokemon and Mega Raids are the big new thing in Pokemon GO right now. And there’s no more intimidating-looking Pokemon than Mega Houndoom. If you don’t have the right mons then you’ll be in for a rough time. Just follow this Mega Houndoom raid guide, choose the right counters and you might be able to pick up some Mega Energy.

Pokemon GO Mega Houndoom Raid Time

Right now, Mega Houndoom is just on the list of possible raid bosses for Mega raids. There’s no determined end date yet, but the best advice we can give is to just do them if you see them on the map since the lineup of Mega raids could change at any time.

Mega Houndoom Raid Guide – Weaknesses

Mega Houndoom has four major type weaknesses. These types are Water, Ground, Rock, and Fighting. However, Ground-, Rock-, and Water-types will be your best bet here since they also resist Mega Houndoom’s Fire-type attacks.

Just be careful, because even a bulky Rhyperior won’t last long against a Mega Houndoom. If you have multiple trainers doing the raid with you, then it shouldn’t be a problem. But parties of two to four may want to consider dodging.

Best Mega Houndoom Raid Counters in Pokemon GO

Since Shadow and Mega Pokemon are currently not as easy to obtain as their standard versions, we’ll list Megas separately and indicate if a shadow version of a Pokemon is viable with an asterisk (*).

Also, all Mega Houndoom raid counters listed here are assumed to be level 35 with no attack boosts of any kind. Weather, friend, or other boosts and the best counters are a must for the duo. These boosts may also make the honorable mentions viable for a group of three or four trainers.

• Megas:
  • Mega Blastoise (Water Gun|Hydro Cannon): Nothing gets close to touching Mega Blastoise when it comes to countering Fire-type raid bosses. It deals more damage than any other counter and takes a long time to KO.

• Kyogre (Waterfall|Surf): Before Mega Blastoise was a thing, Kyogre was the best bulky Water-type attacker. It gets outclassed now, but it’s still the best non-Mega you can use in this raid.
• Rhyperior (Smack Down|Rock Wrecker): Rhyperior is the best counter on this list that isn’t a Water-type Pokemon. It’s bulky and deals out massive damage while resisting Mega Houndoom’s best attacks.
• Conkeldurr (Counter|Dynamic Punch): Fighting-types have a bit of an advantage over Mega Houndoom, but they’re not the best raid counters. Still, Conkeldurr can and will deal out some massive damage. Just look out for Mega Houndoom’s Fire-type moves.
• Rampardos (Smack Down|Rock Slide): Just like Rhyperior, Rampardos deals tons of super effective damage while resisting most of Mega Houndoom’s attacks. It’s not as good as Rock Wrecker Rhyperior, but it can be a good alternative to Stone Edge Rhyperior.
• Terrakion (Smack Down|Rock Slide): Terrakion gets KO’d by Mega Houndoom less than any other non-Mega Pokemon since it resists both Fire- and Dark-type attacks. Stick with Rock attacks for this mon, though. Its other options just aren’t as powerful.
• Machamp* (Counter|Dynamic Punch): Machamp rounds out this list of counters for the Mega Houndoom raid. It’s a great option, but Machamp is essentially a weaker and less powerful version of Conkeldurr. If you have a Shadow Machamp, then that would be preferable.

• Honorable Mentions:
  • Swampert* (Mud Shot|Hydro Cannon)
  • Kingler (Bubble|Crabhammer)
  • Tyranitar* (Smack Down |Stone Edge)
  • Lucario (Counter|Aura Sphere)
  • Shadow Gyarados (Waterfall|Hydro Pump)
  • Feraligatr (Water Gun|Hydro Cannon)

*Shadow version also viable

Mega Houndoom Raid Moveset

Mega Houndoom will KO your Pokemon no matter how hard you try. Even Rhyperior can only take a few Fire-type charge attacks before it faints. Just do your best to hang in there long enough to deal tons of damage.

Fast Attacks

• Snarl (Dark): It’s not a bad Dark-type attack, but it’s not going to make anything like Kyogre, Rhyperior, or Mega Blastoise too scared. If you notice Mega Houndoom has Snarl and Foul Play or Crunch, you may want to switch into Machamp or Conkeldurr.
• Fire Fang (Fire): Fire Fang is going to do a lot of damage to counters that don’t resist it. But it’ll also yield large amounts of energy. That can be a big problem if Mega Houndoom also has an attack like Foul Play or Flamethrower.

Charge Attacks

• Fire Blast (Fire): Fire Blast does a ton of damage, but its massive energy requirement is its fatal flaw. You may still want to dodge this charge attack, but it’s not necessary if the Pokemon you have out resists Fire-type attacks.
• Flamethrower (Fire): This is the Fire-type attack you’ll want to look out for. It doesn’t deal anywhere near the amount of damage that Fire Blast does, but it charges ridiculously faster. It’s a great DPS move for Mega Houndoom, so watch out.
• Crunch (Dark): This attack and the next are both very difficult to deal with if you have a team full of Pokemon that resist Fire-type attacks. Crunch charges so quickly that dodging should be thrown out the window. You may want to focus on using Fighting-types in this situation.
• Foul Play (Dark): Just like Crunch, Foul Play charges decently quickly and it deals plenty of damage to Pokemon who don’t resist Dark-type attacks.

If you follow all the advice in this Mega Houndoom Raid Guide and send in the proper counters at the right time, then you’ll be well on your way to getting enough energy to evolve Houndoom into Mega Houndoom. And while you’re out there, don’t forget to pick up a Deerling or two.