How to beat Houndoom
Houndoom has 2 versions in the 2026–27 Standard format, with up to 120 HP as a Darkness Pokémon. Here's the maths for Knocking it Out — worked out from every Standard-legal card.
- HP
- 120
- Weakness
- Grass, Water
- Resistance
- None
- Prizes
- 1
- One-hit KOs
- 468
- Fastest KO
- 0 Energy
Game plan
- Hit its Weakness. Houndoom is weak to Grass and Water, so those attacks do double damage. 142 Standard cards can Knock it Out in one hit that way — the fastest needs just 1 Energy.
- Don't over-invest. It only gives up 1 Prize card, so avoid spending a big two-Prize attacker on it if a cheaper Pokémon can do the job.
- Plan for its big hit. Its strongest printed attack is Pitch-Black Fangs for 100 (3 Energy). 811 Standard cards have enough HP to survive one hit — before any Weakness, + or × effects.
- Watch the Retreat Cost. It costs 1 Energy to retreat. If it gets stuck in the Active Spot, that's your chance.
One-hit Knock Outs using Weakness
These Grass/Water attacks do at least 120 after Weakness. Fastest (fewest Energy) first.
| Pokémon | Type | Attack | Damage | Damage to Houndoom | HP | Prizes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decidueye Shrouded Fable | Grass | Power Shot G | 170 | 340 | 150 | 1 |
| Lurantis Destined Rivals | Grass | Petal Blade Dance G | 130 | 260 | 120 | 1 |
| Palafin ex Prismatic Evolutions | Water | Giga Impact W | 250 | 250 | 340 | 2 |
| Beedrill ex Chaos Rising | Grass | Rumbling Bees G | 110× | 220 | 310 | 2 |
| Cradily Stellar Crown | Grass | Miasma Wind G | 100× | 200 | 150 | 1 |
| Vivillon Surging Sparks | Grass | Cutting Wind G | 90 | 180 | 120 | 1 |
| Beautifly Ascended Heroes | Grass | Energy Straw G | 80× | 160 | 130 | 1 |
| Sinistcha Twilight Masquerade | Grass | Spill the Tea G | 70× | 140 | 70 | 1 |
| Palafin Temporal Forces | Water | Vanguard Punch W | 130 | 130 | 150 | 1 |
| Butterfree Journey Together | Grass | Scale Hurricane G | 60× | 120 | 120 | 1 |
| Exeggutor Surging Sparks | Grass | Barrage O'Clock G | 60× | 120 | 130 | 1 |
| Rillaboom Twilight Masquerade | Grass | Drum Beating G | 60 | 120 | 180 | 1 |
One-hit Knock Outs without Weakness
Attacks with a printed 120+ damage.
| Pokémon | Type | Attack | Damage | Damage to Houndoom | HP | Prizes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alolan Dugtrio Surging Sparks | Metal | Trio-Cheehoo Free | 120 | 120 | 110 | 1 |
| Tinkaton Mega Evolution | Metal | Windup Swing M | 240- | 240 | 160 | 1 |
| Ceruledge Phantasmal Flames | Fire | Infernal Slash R | 220 | 220 | 140 | 1 |
| Greninja ex Twilight Masquerade | Fighting | Shinobi Blade W | 170 | 170 | 310 | 2 |
| Medicham Ascended Heroes | Fighting | Seventh Kick F | 150 | 150 | 120 | 1 |
| Diggersby Perfect Order | Colorless | Earthquake C | 140 | 140 | 150 | 1 |
| Annihilape Surging Sparks | Fighting | Tantrum F | 130 | 130 | 140 | 1 |
| Centiskorch Surging Sparks | Fire | Billowing Heat Wave R | 130 | 130 | 130 | 1 |
| Malamar Pitch Black | Darkness | Brain Crush D | 130 | 130 | 120 | 1 |
| Flygon ex Surging Sparks | Fighting | Reversing Storm F | 130 | 130 | 310 | 2 |
Pokémon that survive its biggest attack
These can take a printed 100 from Pitch-Black Fangs and stay in play (Weakness included). Single-Prize Pokémon first.
| Pokémon | Type | Stage | HP | Weakness | Retreat | Prizes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wailord Journey Together | Water | Stage 1 | 240 | Lightning ×2 | 4 | 1 |
| Copperajah Shrouded Fable | Metal | Stage 1 | 200 | Fire ×2 | 4 | 1 |
| Rhyperior Stellar Crown | Fighting | Stage 2 | 200 | Grass ×2 | 4 | 1 |
| Steelix Mega Evolution | Metal | Stage 1 | 200 | Fire ×2 | 4 | 1 |
| Copperajah Journey Together | Metal | Stage 1 | 190 | Fire ×2 | 4 | 1 |
| Tyranitar Journey Together | Darkness | Stage 2 | 190 | Grass ×2 | 3 | 1 |
| Aggron Twilight Masquerade | Metal | Stage 2 | 180 | Fire ×2 | 3 | 1 |
| Alolan Golem Journey Together | Lightning | Stage 2 | 180 | Fighting ×2 | 4 | 1 |
Every Standard Houndoom card
| Card | Set | HP | Stage | Attacks (cost · damage) | Retreat | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houndoom 63/131 | Prismatic Evolutions H | 120 | Stage 1 | Call to Muster D — Pitch-Black Fangs DCC 100 | 1 | Grass ×2 |
| Houndoom 8/64 | Shrouded Fable H | 120 | Stage 1 | Bite CC 50 Snarl RCC 100 | 2 | Water ×2 |
Damage is the number printed on the card. Attacks marked + or × can do more, and Abilities, Tools and Stadiums can change the maths — always read the card. Energy letters: G Grass, R Fire, W Water, L Lightning, P Psychic, F Fighting, D Darkness, M Metal, N Dragon, C Colorless (any Energy).
Related: all Houndoom cards in Standard · how to knock out a 120 HP Pokémon · Grass vs Darkness · beating big Pokémon ex · more counter guides
Questions people ask
What is Houndoom weak to?
Houndoom is weak to Grass and Water, so those attacks do double damage (×2).
How much HP does Houndoom have?
Up to 120 HP in Standard (120 on the Prismatic Evolutions version, 120 on the Shrouded Fable version).
How many Prize cards does Houndoom give up?
1 — it's a regular Pokémon.
What can one-hit KO Houndoom?
468 Standard cards can, going by printed damage. The fastest: Alolan Dugtrio's Trio-Cheehoo (0 Energy, 120 damage); Decidueye's Power Shot (1 Energy, 340 damage); Lurantis's Petal Blade Dance (1 Energy, 260 damage).
What is Houndoom's strongest attack?
Pitch-Black Fangs, which prints 100 damage for 3 Energy.
Pully Play is an independent fan guide. It isn't run by The Pokémon Company. Format facts are checked against official announcements; always confirm card legality with the official rules before a tournament.