Mega Houndoom is a glass cannon built exclusively for Sun teams. In Sun, Solar Power raises its already-high Special Attack by 50%, and Fire-type moves are boosted an additional 50% by Sun itself. Its 140 base Special Attack under Sun becomes an effective ~210 before STABSTABmechanicSame-Type Attack Bonus: a move deals ×1.5 damage when its type matches one of the user's types.Click to read more →, making Fire Blast hit obscenely hard. The cost: it loses 1/8 HP per turn in Sun, which means it has a built-in self-destruction clock.
Dark/Fire is a strong offensive type combination. Fire STAB under Sun handles Grass, Bug, Steel, and Ice. Dark STAB (Nasty Plot-boosted Dark Pulse) handles Ghost and Psychic types. Together these two types cover most of the meta.
Nasty Plot acceleration
One turn of Nasty Plot (doubles Special Attack) on top of Solar Power and Sun makes Mega Houndoom’s damage output reach levels where most Pokémon are KO’d in a single hit. The HP loss per turn means it can’t afford to use Nasty Plot early — teams need to be in a winning position before the self-damage adds up.
What stops it
- Water and Rock moves — Fire is 2× weak to both, and opponents can use these types to KO Mega Houndoom before Sun takes it down on its own.
- Weather disruption — Changing the weather from Sun turns off Solar Power completely. Rain teams with Pelipper can counter Houndoom teams by switching to Rain.
- HP drain — The 1/8 HP per turn cap means Mega Houndoom lasts a limited number of turns even if uncontested.