Houndstone

Houndstone establishes itself in NU as an incredibly reliable spinblocker and defensive presence, being able to prevent Rapid Spin from the likes of Tsareena while taking on dangerous attackers such as Flamigo and Barraskewda effortlessly. Houndstone is able to utilize its switch-in opportunities to generate progress via Night Shade, Roar, or Will-O-Wisp. Houndstone primarily struggles with its unreliable recovery options, as it has to either use the passive Rest or the inconsistent Pain Split. Houndstone also struggles immensely with special attackers like Munkidori and Diancie, as they can take advantage of its weaker Special Defense for massive damage. Unless it is running Body Press, Houndstone is vunerable to Dark-types such as Incineroar and Scrafty, which can use Knock Off to remove its item and potentially use it as setup fodder if it is not running Roar.