Karen & Mega Houndoom

Karen & Houndoom are a hyper-offensive Striker Sync Pair who could also be considered to be a pseudo-Tech Sync Pair. The duo come with multiple mechanics to shake up your foes, whether you immobilize them or straight up knock them out on the spot. On top of Houndoom’s absurd damage output, it can Flinch the enemy and even reduce their Sp.Atk, greatly easing your team’s path to victory.

High Base Stats

Houndoom has one of the highest Sp.Atk stats in the game, with very good Speed on top of it. Upon transforming, Mega Houndoom amplifies these stats to an even higher level, leaving most competitors in the dust with its blazing Speed and terrific Sp.Atk.

More Than Just Damage

Before Mega Evolution, Houndoom has access to Bite, which can Flinch the enemy, and Snarl, an AoE attack that reduces all enemies’ Sp.Atk by -1. Houndoom therefore comes with a lot of utility before Mega Evolution. After Mega Evolving, Bite turns into Snarl, and the previous Snarl turns into Dark Pulse, a 95 Base Power move which can leave the enemy Flinched.

Build-Up Phase Not an Issue

One of the best things about this Sync Pair is the strong Build-Up Phase that Karen & Houndoom have, which is the period between the encounter beginning and Mega Evolution occurring. Karen has the Trainer Moves Dire Hit, which raises Houndoom’s Crit Rate by +1, and “Entertain Me!”, which raises Houndoom’s Sp.Atk by +3 and a further +1 for each 20% health it’s missing. With the right support, it’s possible for Houndoom to reach +6 Sp.Atk and +3 Dire Hit for maximum Special damage and 100% Critical Hit Chance.

Not Quite Dedicated to Being A Striker 

Karen & Houndoom have an amazing kit for dishing out a lot of damage, but Blue & Pidgeot showed us that it is possible to dish out even more damage, and even a fully promoted Mega Beedrill (a natural 3 star!) will end up having more offensive stats than Karen & Houndoom. Due to the semi-Tech elements of Karen & Houndoom’s kit, they incur the drawback of hitting some limitations in terms of absolute power.

Karen has the perfect Trainer Moves to boost Houndoom’s offensive capabilities, so pairing Houndoom up with Support Pairs who can stack even more of the same buffs is the most direct way to support it. For Houndoom, those would be Sync Pairs with party Sp.Atk and Dire Hit buffs, making sure Houndoom gets +6 Sp.Atk and +3 Dire Hit. Speed and immediate Move Gauge Replenish also have their uses for helping dish out additional damage.