Is Houndstone Deck good in Pokemon TCG Pocket?

Houndstone Deck is a Tier 3 deck with a 42% win rate and 0.3% meta share. It's a viable deck that can perform well in the right hands.

What cards do I need for Houndstone Deck?

The core cards for Houndstone Deck are: Houndstone. Top tournament builds also commonly include Gourgeist, Greavard, Klefki, Meloetta.

How do you play Houndstone Deck?

Build your strategy around Houndstone. It's the deck's main damage dealer. This is a mono-psychic deck, giving you consistent energy draws. Every energy card works for any attacker.

What is the best Houndstone Deck deck list?

The top-performing Houndstone Deck list runs: 2x Gourgeist, 2x Greavard, 2x Houndstone, 1x Klefki, 2x Meloetta, 2x Pumpkaboo, 1x Copycat, 1x Cyrus, 1x Giant Cape, 2x Peculiar Plaza, 2x Poké Ball, 2x Professor’s Research. This build achieved 9W-2L at Lagoon Serenity Format OAK FA + 20 USD.

What beats Houndstone Deck in Pokemon TCG Pocket?

Houndstone Deck's core Pokemon are weak to darkness types. Strong counters include Mega Absol ex Deck, Darkrai ex Deck, Zoroark ex Deck.

How many packs do I need to build Houndstone Deck?

Based on pull rates, you'll need approximately 37 packs to collect all core cards for Houndstone Deck. Most cards are reasonably accessible through regular pack opening.

Houndstone Deck

0.3% of the meta · Updated June 10, 2026

Tier 3

Win Rate

41.7%

Meta Share

0.3%

Core Cards

Estimated Pack Cost

estimated packs to collect all core cards

1x Uncommon~37/ea

HoundstoneUncommon

Paldean37 pks

Estimates based on pull rates. Actual results may vary.

Core Cards

Houndstone

Paldean Wonders #053

Key Moves & Abilities

Last Respects(Houndstone)

This attack does 20 more damage for each Psychic Pokémon in your discard pile.

Strategy Guide

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Houndstone uses Last Respects to accumulate massive damage as Psychic Pokemon pile up in your discard pile. The win condition is filling your discard with Psychic Pokemon as fast as possible to reach one-shot damage thresholds.

Open by getting Greavard into the Active position and deploying up to three Psychic Pokemon such as Pumpkaboo, Gourgeist, and Meloetta to the bench to seed your Psychic count. Use Professor's Research and Copycat aggressively to draw into Houndstone while funneling Psychic Pokemon into the discard pile. Mid-game, evolve Greavard into Houndstone and start attacking; each discarded Psychic Pokemon adds 20 damage on top of the base 50. Cyrus can strand low-retreat benched targets while your damage scales, closing games before opponents can respond.

Damage Math

Any target with 3 Psychic Pokemon in discard

base 50 + (3 × 20) = 110

Three discarded Psychic Pokemon already one-shots most Basic ex Pokemon

Any target with 5 Psychic Pokemon in discard

base 50 + (5 × 20) = 150

Five discarded Psychic Pokemon reaches the 150 HP tier common among Stage 2 ex

Strengths

Damage ceiling is effectively unlimited: each additional Psychic Pokemon discarded adds 20 damage, letting Houndstone one-shot virtually anything with enough setup.
Peculiar Plaza and multiple disposable Psychic Pokemon — Pumpkaboo, Gourgeist, Meloetta, Klefki — give you many discard targets without sacrificing attackers.
Cyrus lets you trap a benched ex in the Active spot, forcing your opponent into an unfavorable position while Houndstone's damage climbs.

Weaknesses

Setup is mandatory: Last Respects starts at only 50 damage and requires multiple discarded Psychic Pokemon before it threatens ex HP thresholds.Consistency
Houndstone has 130 HP and costs 3 retreat; it can be stranded in the Active spot and KO'd before your discard count reaches lethal.Tempo
Primarina ex, Victreebel, and Ho-Oh ex all trade efficiently or disrupt your setup, holding this deck to a 25% win rate in those matchups.Matchup

How to Play

Flood the Discard with Psychic Pokemon

Play Professor's Research and Copycat every opportunity to cycle through the deck. Deliberately bench and discard Pumpkaboo, Gourgeist, Meloetta, and Klefki so Last Respects gains +20 per discard. Each draw supporter that mills Psychic Pokemon brings Houndstone closer to one-shot range.

Key cardsProfessor's ResearchCopycatPumpkabooGourgeistMeloettaKlefki

Use Cyrus to Strand High-Value Targets

Once Houndstone is powered, use Cyrus to switch your opponent's benched ex into the Active spot. This forces them to attack with a Pokemon that may not be ready while Houndstone delivers scaled Last Respects damage, scoring 2 points on the knockout.

Key cardsCyrusHoundstone

Protect Houndstone with Giant Cape

Giant Cape (in 67% of lists) gives Houndstone extra bulk, buying the extra turn needed to finish the discard count. Peculiar Plaza supports the psychic bench and keeps the discard engine turning with minimal extra cost.

Key cardsGiant CapePeculiar Plaza

How to Beat This Deck

Apply Early Pressure Before the Discard Scales

Houndstone starts at only 50 damage. Aggressive decks that can deal 130 damage before your opponent accrues five or more Psychic cards in discard shut down the scaling engine entirely. Rush the Greavard before it evolves.

Target Greavard Before Evolution

Houndstone is a Stage 1 that evolves from Greavard. If you KO Greavard early, your opponent has no attacker and must rebuild from the bench. Without Houndstone attacking, discarded Psychic Pokemon do nothing.

Avoid Benching High-Value Targets Cyrus Can Drag

Cyrus punishes benched Pokemon with low retreat. Keep your bench lean, bench only Pokemon with higher retreat costs, or hold key evolution pieces in hand rather than benching them until you are ready to attack immediately.