Image courtesy of TCGdex.net

Houndour in Plasma Blast—A Quietly Disruptive Start for Darkness Decks

For players chasing fast, disruptive starts in Expanded-era lines, Houndour from the Plasma Blast set (BW10) shines as a versatile early-game attacker. Though it wears the humble badge of a Common rarity and a modest 60 HP, this little Dark-type Rookie isn’t just a fill-in—it’s a genuine enabler for decks that want to pressure the opponent on turn one and set up a stronger threat on the next. The artwork by Sumiyoshi Kizuki captures a nimble, hungry creature ready to leap into the fray, and in gameplay terms, Houndour embodies the archetype of “small but smart.” ⚡🔥

Card Essentials at a Glance

• Category: Pokémon
• Set: Plasma Blast ( BW10 )
• Rarity: Common
• Stage: Basic
• HP: 60
• Type: Darkness
• Attacks:
  • Roar - Colorless
  • Ambush - Darkness + Colorless, 20 base damage; Flip a coin. If heads, this attack does 10 more damage.
• Weakness: Fighting ×2
• Resistance: Psychic −20
• Retreat Cost: 1
• Illustrator: Sumiyoshi Kizuki
• Legal in Formats: Expanded; not legal in Standard

In this snapshot, we can see the elegance of Houndour’s design: a basic, economical play that doesn’t demand heavy investment yet promises strategic depth. The Ambush attack, which can push a 30-damage ceiling if the coin flip lands heads, gives you meaningful reach against early-stage cover for your opponent’s bench. And Roar’s bench-shuffling effect is the kind of disrupt-and-direct-pressure tool that makes Houndour a natural candidate for Darkness-focused lines in Expanded environments. The synergy with a broad range of Dark-type support cards makes it a flexible addition to many budget-conscious or tempo-focused builds. 🎴🎨

How Houndour Fits into Deck Archetypes

Because Houndour is a basic Darkness-type with a modest cost, it can slot into several strategic shells without demanding a heavy energy commitment. Here are a few archetypes where Houndour tends to shine, especially in Expanded where older tools are readily accessible:

• Early-Pressure Darkness: Use Houndour to apply pressure on the opponent’s active while you search for an evolution into a bigger threat. Roar can force a needed bench swap, potentially exposing a vulnerability you can exploit with a follow-up attacker. Ambush adds a reliable damage option for the next turn, giving you a two-turn window to build the board.
• Bench-Management and Disruption: In decks built around disruption, Houndour’s Roar helps destabilize an opponent’s setup. Paired with other bench-control staples, you can tap out a window where your own board evolves while your opponent’s options are shuffled away from a clean KO path.
• Budget-First Darkness Plays: The common rarity of Houndour makes it an approachable inclusion for players who want a lean, economical start. It can be a reliable choice in decks that emphasize rapid evolution into a stronger Dark-type attacker as the game moves forward, without inflating the price or complexity of the build.
• Evolution Path to Houndoom (classic line): Houndour typically serves as the stepping stone toward Houndoom, a more offensively threatening card in the same line. In formats where the evolution is viable, Houndour helps you reliably hit the board on turn one while you search for the Darks that power a stronger mid-game plan. This pathway is especially appealing in Expanded, where a wider ecosystem of Dark-types and search effects can be leveraged.

From a gameplay perspective, the retreat cost of 1 is friendly for quick swaps, making it feasible to pivot into a larger attacker or a defensive pivot if the moment calls for it. Its weaknesses and resistances align with common matchup narratives: fighting-type threats can pressure your board, but Psychic-resistance helps weather some late-game Psychic decks—another layer of strategic depth in Expanded environments. 💎

Value and Collecting Insight

Houndour’s Plasma Blast print sits in an interesting niche for collectors and budget players. The card is a common non-holo in the main print, but there are holo and reverse-holo variants across the BW line, which tend to carry a premium. According to recorded market data, here’s a snapshot you can use when planning buys or trades:

• average around 0.13 EUR for non-holo, with holo prints often higher—roughly 0.8 EUR average for holo variants, and holo prices trending around 0.69 EUR on the more active listings.
• TCGPlayer (USD): standard non-holo copies typically sit in the low-dollar range (low around $0.05, mid around $0.25, high around $1.12 for raw copies). Market price hovers around $0.32 for typical non-holo cards, while reverse-holo copies tend to fetch higher, with mid-prices near $1.02 and market prices around $1.19.

For collectors, this means a remarkably accessible card—especially in its common form—while holo and reverse-holo variants offer affordable but satisfying value for a Nostalgia-and-Collection crossover. If you’re assembling a Plasma Blast subset or building a dark-themed deck that nods to the BW era, Houndour offers a low-barrier entry point that doesn’t push your budget out of reach. ⚡💎

Art, Lore, and the Set Theme

Sumiyoshi Kizuki’s illustration captures a nocturnal, predatory energy that suits the Darkness aura of Houndour. Plasma Blast itself leans into a darker, plasma-infused aesthetic that resonates with the Team Plasma era’s espionage and power dynamics. The card’s design is a reminder that even a common Pokémon can carry a vivid sense of character when paired with a well-crafted illustration. The art isn’t just decoration—it’s a narrative hook that invites players to imagine the hunt and the cunning necessary to survive in the Plasma-scape. 🎴🎨

Evolution and Future-Proofing Your Builds

Houndour’s natural trajectory into Houndoom anchors it to a familiar, if older, core of Darkness strategies. In Expanded formats, this evolution line can be supported by energy acceleration and search staples that keep your early-game tempo intact while you transition to a more aggressive late-game plan. If you’re exploring budget-friendly routes, keep an eye on the pace of the match: a well-timed Roar can force a misstep, and a successful Ambush hit can set up a clean KO window as you bring in your bigger threats. The key is to leverage Houndour’s speed and disruption without forcing over-commitment on a card that remains accessible to all players. 🔥🃏

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