Posted in: Games, Mobile Games, Niantic, Pokémon GO | Tagged: houndoom, mega raids, Niantic, pokemon, pokemon go

Mega Houndoom Raid Guide: Pokémon GO's Hell Hound

There seems to be no challenge Pokémon GO trainers can't beat. During the Mega Battle Challenge, Niantic tasked players with completing 275 million battles with Mega Evolved Pokémon. The prize? Mega Houndoom enters the Mega Raid rotation. As of today, Tuesday, September 29th, 2020, Pokémon's hell hound itself blazes into the game. Here's how you can take on this Mega Raid beast and potentially catch a Shiny Houndoom.

Top Mega Houndoom Counters

Pokebattler, which calculates all possible combinations of Pokémon and moves, lists the top 10 Mega Houndoom counters as such:

• Mega Blastoise (Water Gun, Hydro Cannon)
• Shadow Swampert (Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon)
• Shadow Tyranitar (Smack Down, Stone Edge)
• Shadow Machamp (Counter, Dynamic Punch)
• Kyogre (Waterfall, Surf)
• Rhyperior (Mud-Slap, Rock Wrecker)
• Conkedurr (Counter, Dynamic Punch)
• Shadow Gyarados (Waterfall, Hydro Pump)
• Rampardos (Smack Down, Rock Side)
• Terrakion (Smack Down, Rock Side)

It is recommended to power up your counters as much as possible and creating that amount of strong Shadow or Mega Pokémon with their moves unlocked is a tall order for even the most practiced players. Here are ten additional non-Shadow and non-Mega counters that can help take down Mega Houndoom with efficiency.

• Machamp (Counter, Dynamic Punch)
• Swampert (Mud Shot, Hydro Cannon)
• Kingler (Bubble, Crabhammer)
• Tyranitar (Smack Down, Stone Edge)
• Lucario (Counter, Aura Sphere)
• Feraligatr (Water Gun, Hydro Cannon)
• Garchomp (Mud Shot, Earthquake)
• Landorus (Rock Throw, Earth Power)
• Empoleon (Waterfall, Hydro Cannon)
• Haxorus (Counter, Surf)

How Many Trainers Are Needed?

Three trainers can take down Mega Houndoom with these top counters maxed out, using the Best Friend bonus. It would be safer to go in with four to five trainers in order to defeat this Mega Raid boss.

Catching Houndoom

Remember, Mega Houndoom will revert to Houndoom's standard form for the catch screen. Trainers who fight Team GO Rocket often will be familiar with Houndoom's large catch circle, placed directly on its face. This size allows for a natural "Great" and "Excellent" throw. The best way to guarantee you catch Houndoom is to use the circle lock technique.

Using the circle lock technique, players can hold down the ball until the catch circle shrinks. Releasing when the circle is at its smallest point allows the circle to lock in place, guaranteeing an "Excellent" throw if the ball can hit that point. To make sure that can be done, throw the ball when the Pokémon is finishing its attack. Houndoom's attack is a quick pounce toward the trainer. As it is about to return to position, throw the ball. The best berry to help catch it is the Golden Razz Berry. Paired with "Great" or "Excellent" throws, this should lead to a successfully caught Houndoom.

Shiny Houndoom odds

The current analysis from researchers suggests that Pokémon caught from Mega Raids have a Shiny rate of one in 60. This will likely hold true for Houndoom, as it has for Pidgeot, Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise before it.

100% IVs

When looking for a Pokémon with the best stats, the 100% IV Houndoom will have a CP of 1505 in normal weather conditions and 1882 in boosted conditions. We hope this Raid Guide helps you catch this Dark/Fire-type Pokémon.

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