>>58585343Possibly a hot take, but I've always liked Houndour being a postgame Pokemon. It reinforces the idea that gen 2's dex is different; it's new discoveries, not necessarily Pokemon specifically native to Johto. Also, considering you have 8 gyms to fight with Houndour, I never really saw an issue with it being lategame. I'm also one for treating trades from previous saves as a sort of "new game+." there's something super appealing about playing through the game with a Pokemon you aren't supposed to have until much later, and Houndour plays into that.
On the other hand, Sneasel not being available until Mt. fucking Silver, especially considering it was in the Ice Path in Crystal? That's fucked up.