Can Houndoom be shiny in Pokemon GO? (November 2022)

A Fire/Dark-type Pokemon from Generation II, Houndoom has been in Pokemon GO since 2017 when creatures from the Johto region were introduced. Since then, it has been seen in various capacities and even has its own Mega Evolution.

While Houndoom has its fans in Pokemon GO, some trainers are curious about whether it has a shiny form to capture.

Fortunately, Houndoom's shiny form was released in 2018 when the game's Field Research was restructured. However, obtaining it can be tricky, and trainers usually have to evolve a shiny Houndour to get one.

The good news is that the current Astral Eclipse event provides players with a way to obtain a shiny Houndoom. However, it won't be cheap, considering trainers will need plenty of Raid Passes.

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How to obtain shiny Houndoom during Pokemon GO's Astral Eclipse event

Defeating Mega Houndoom during the Astral Eclipse event can lead to a shiny variant in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

During the Astral Eclipse event, which is ongoing and ends on November 28, 2022, Mega Houndoom is the raid boss for Mega Raids. If trainers take it on and defeat it, they'll receive Mega Energy to evolve a Mega Houndoom of their own. They will also get the chance to capture a standard Houndoom.

Each time Mega Houndoom is defeated, there is a chance that it will appear in its shiny form in the bonus encounter.

As a Mega Raid boss, Mega Houndoom gets a huge boost to its CP and has some impressive stopping power. This makes it a tough foe to take down, so Pokemon GO trainers will want to bring along their fellow players to achieve victory.

It's also important to utilize Pokemon with high CP and stats that can beat Mega Houndoom in type matchups. Specifically, Mega Houndoom is weak to Fighting, Ground, Rock, and Water-type moves and Pokemon.

If trainers have any of their own Mega Evolution-compatible creatures in Pokemon GO, now would certainly be a good time to use them. Great options include Mega Blastoise, Aerodactyl, Gyarados, Lopunny, and Slowbro.

However, as long as a trainer uses a Pokemon with a favorable type matchup and high CP and stats, they should perform well against Mega Houndoom. Having fellow players use the same counters should also lead to relatively quick success.

Once Mega Houndoom is down for the count, Pokemon GO trainers can collect its Mega Energy and then capture the remaining Houndoom.

The resulting Houndoom isn't guaranteed to be shiny, but the chance exists. Unfortunately, this means trainers will likely have to succeed in the Mega Raid multiple times to encounter shiny Houndoom.

Battling in Mega Raids to obtain shiny Houndoom is a difficult thing to do unless players are willing to burn several Raid Passes and potentially buy more. However, persistent trainers may very well be rewarded for their efforts.

Pokemon GO's Astral Eclipse event ends in a few days, giving determined players the opportunity to finally snag the shiny Houndoom they've been hunting. It's wise to work quickly, though, as Mega Houndoom may see itself removed from the raid rotation after the event concludes.