The Team Houndoom @ Darkinium Z

Ability: Unnerve

EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

IVs: 0 Atk

- Nasty Plot

- Fire Blast

- Dark Pulse

- Hidden Power [Grass]



Mesprit @ Colbur Berry

Ability: Levitate

EVs: 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 Spe

Bold Nature

- Stealth Rock

- U-turn

- Psychic

- Healing Wish



Silvally-Fairy @ Fairy Memory

Ability: RKS System

EVs: 48 HP / 208 Atk / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Defog

- Parting Shot

- Multi-Attack

- Thunderbolt



Stoutland @ Choice Band

Ability: Scrappy

EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Adamant Nature

- Return

- Facade

- Pursuit

- Superpower



Primeape @ Choice Scarf

Ability: Defiant

EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Jolly Nature

- Close Combat

- U-turn

- Stone Edge

- Gunk Shot



Lilligant @ Life Orb

Ability: Chlorophyll

EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

IVs: 0 Atk

- Sleep Powder

- Quiver Dance

- Giga Drain

- Hidden Power [Fire]

Final Verdict Whoo, we finally got to the end. Sorry that took so long. Even as I finish off this post, I do not fully know whether Doom staying banned is a good idea or not. One part of me feels like we could adapt to it, we never adapted to Minior and honestly, we were too quick to quickban it. I do not wish that to be the case for Houndoom. It's not fully broken at all. Offensively, we can handle it and in most cases, it never just goes off and sweeps unless your team lacks priority or a scarfer (which they should). However, the other part of me sees the effect on teambuilding and the versatility of its sets, which would obviously take longer to adapt to due to its unpredictability and that could be potentially dangerous to keep such a powerful mon. If I somehow manage to get the reqs (Pray to God), I might actually vote BAN but we'll see.

Yo PU. It's your boy TTK here. I wanted to post my thoughts concerning Houndoom and thought it would be cool to finally post something in a NP thread for a suspect test. Usually I am a spectator when it comes to suspect tests, I like reading people's posts concerning the suspected mon in question and I really like the debate it brings, quite interesting. Despite staying a spectator of some sort, I still have my own opinion regarding this and I want to deliver that to you guys in this post. I'm gonna leave whether I think Doom should stay banned or not at the end of the post because my main objective is to just deliver my thoughts and opinions about it and hopefully, provoke some discussion, whether that comes from people disagreeing with what I say (which I'm expecting ngl) or agreeing with me and posting their thoughts also. Without further ado, let's go.Let's start off with the obvious stuff here. Houndoom is an incredibly good pokemon. Despite the fact it was usable in the tier for only 2 days, I still managed to make 1 team during this period and it succeeded in doing its job, which leads on to the most dangerous set in its arsenal. Nasty Plot.Nasty Plot Houndoom is a really strong wallbreaker at +2 and practically has no switch-ins. This set is run commonly with DarkiniumZ or FiriumZ. GrassiumZ is also an option but some people have called this bad and unnecessary, as DarkiniumZ nukes pretty much everything it needs to and here comes my opinion. I still believe that it's cool to be able to dispose of Lanturn, which is probably one of Houndoom's best switch-ins and be able to make sure you don't checked by it, but I still see how DarkZ is probably the best item on it.Below are some points that I thought are very important to consider during this suspect test and some points that have seen some discussion over the last 2 days.1. Comparisons to PyroarNow, PU is infamous for banning broken Fire-types and Doom has been compared to its predecessors Magmortar and Pyroar, particularly Pyroar. They both have high Special Attack stats and they are not the bulkiest mons in the world. However, the massive difference between them is of course, the Speed tier. Pyroar sat at a comfortable 106 base Speed whereas Doom sits at 95 Speed, which isn't too bad in itself but finds itself being more vulnerable to mons like Swanna, Mane, Scyther, Silvally forms (which speedtie with it) and Jynx. Personally, I think Pyroar was more busted than Doom is right now. The Speed tier really makes a difference.1.5 Comparisons to SimisearSimisear vs Houndoom is definitely a debate that I have seen being discussed in the PU chat recently. They are both Fire-types with access to Nasty Plot and are both wallbreakers. The main point was obviously "Is Houndoom worth using over Simisear?" or "Is Houndoom better than Simisear?" Both of them are quite good yes but why is Doom banned and Simisear isn't? One thing that Doom has over Simisear is the Dark-typing. This is amazing for it because it has a dual-STAB and that's what Simisear lacks. It can prey upon the Dark-weak mons in the tier thanks to its ability Unnerve, which basically cucks Colbur Berry users like Golurk, Mesprit and Froslass for example and just remove them from the game but Simisear only has Fire-STAB to rely on, although it has an amazing movepool and coverage options in Grass Knot and Focus Blast but I just think the Dark-STAB Houndoom possesses really goes a long way to making it a more dangerous wallbreaker than Simisear is.I wouldn't advise anyone to dismiss Simisear as of yet, the mon still has a superior speed tier over Houndoom and still hits hard after a Nasty Plot. It's just unfortunate for Simisear that Houndoom has dual-STAB and possesses a higher special attack to just make it a more dangerous threat.2. Checking HoundoomHoundoom of course has its checks and counters. Having a really poor defence stat leads Doom susceptible to pretty much all forms of priority bar Sucker Punch, Mach Punch being the most common form from the likes of Gurdurr and Hitmonchan and Aqua Jet, although not as common, from pokemon like Kabutops and Carracosta. Weakness to Stealth Rock also hinders it as well, definitely guaranteeing its death to priority and requiring hazard removal support to ensure its longevity throughout a game. To be perfectly honest with you guys, this is the part that makes Houndoom not seem as broken as it seems at first glance. On paper, it doesn't have much safety when setting up and of course can be forced out by a smart play of bringing in something like AV Hitmonchan on the Nasty Plot turn and it can't really do anything.3. Versatility of SetsHoundoom was blessed with high Special Attack and decent 90 base Attack which allows it to run a good amount of sets, particularly the Pursuit set. The Pursuit set is very nice to really take a chunk from Froslass, doing 89% max to offensive Lass sets. Mixed Sucker Punch is also another good set Doom is able to run effectively, picking off faster mons that have been weakened throughout the game. This versatility has also led to sets like running Taunt, Will-o-Wisp, Destiny Bond and Z-Sunny Day to name some more sets that aren't just Nasty Plot. This really again, sets it apart from Simisear, which can really only run Nasty Plot, Scarf or Specs effectively and makes it much more a unpredictable pokemon and certain teams will definitely find it hard to face at least all of its sets at one time.4. Effect of TeambuildingOn to my final point of this post. I believe Houndoom will definitely have a negative effect on teambuilding, which is my greatest fear. In my opinion, I find teambuilding quite hard in this meta of ours at this current moment. This tier is home to a plethora of offensive threats, too many to account for when buildingteam. At the end of the building process, you are most likely gonna realise "oh I accounted for X but Y and Z, or just Y, are gonna give me some trouble". Houndoom is just one more to add into the clown fiesta and will actually become one of the top threats to account for. It gives balance a lot of trouble, like Uhuhuhu said above and a reliable core in Null + Lanturn can easily get chipped by hazards and residual damage taken in the game and fall victim to a Black Hole Eclipse.Thanks for reading and good luck laddering!