Ninetales
QC Checks: 2/2
GP Checks: 2/2
[Overview]
<p>While Ninetales may have often been forgotten in VGC past, labeled as "too weak" and "too frail", in Gen V it gets access to an ability that rockets it upwards in usage: Drought. The ability to bring eternal sun instantly makes Ninetales a must-have for any team looking to abuse Sunny Day and its effects. Not only that, but Ninetales powers up its own STAB Fire-type moves with the sun it brings, making it a force on its own. That is not to say that Ninetales is without its downsides, though. With weaknesses to common spread moves such as Surf, Rock Slide, and Earthquake, Ninetales must tread carefully or risk being KOed. Still, Ninetales is quite the force to be reckoned with in VGC, and should never be underestimated.</p>
[SET]
name: Sunny Day Attacker
move 1: Heat Wave / Flamethrower
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Will-O-Wisp / Energy Ball
move 4: Protect
item: Focus Sash / Shuca Berry / Charti Berry
nature: Modest
evs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Heat Wave provides Ninetales with a very powerful STAB move, being boosted by the sun and having the possibility of hitting both targets at once. However, if the miss rate of Heat Wave is bothersome, Flamethrower is an appropriate choice in order to stay on the offensive without running the risk of a miss at a critical time. With Hidden Power Ice, Ninetales is able to hit Ground- and Dragon-type Pokemon, who might otherwise give it problems, such as Garchomp and Salamence. It must be noted that, unfortunately, even max Special Attack Ninetales's Hidden Power Ice maxes out at 96% damage on 4 / 0 Garchomp, making priority or spread move support appreciated. Will-O-Wisp destroys common physical attackers such as Hitmontop and Tyranitar, halving their Attack. However, Politoed gives Ninetales fits, as its Dream World ability is Drizzle, which brings eternal rain to the field. With this being such a detriment to Ninetales's attacking ability, Energy Ball gives Ninetales a way to hit Water-types such as Politoed for super effective damage, though it's really only good to hit on the switch, as a return Surf or Hydro Pump OHKOes. Protect gives Ninetales a way to stay relatively safe for a turn, while its partner eliminates a threat.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Ninetales is weak to many common spread moves; therefore a Focus Sash is an excellent item choice to help Ninetales fire off one last shot. A Focus Sash may not be available to Ninetales, and if so, a Shuca or Charti Berry would be satisfactory to help against Earthquake and Rock Slide users, respectively. Ninetales faces very little opposition at the 100 base Speed tier, and as a result, a Modest nature may be used without fear of being outsped and KOed. With a more offensively oriented set such as this one, EVs are placed in Special Attack and Speed in order to give Ninetales the maximum amount of power.</p>
<p>Other weather starters are the bane of Ninetales's existence, making it quite natural to look for Pokemon that can eliminate these threats. Hitmontop does a superb job of taking on these threats. Intimidate and a Fighting-type STAB move of choice stops Tyranitar in its tracks, and Wide Guard stops Politoed and other rain abusers looking to Surf Ninetales away.</p>
<p>With Ninetales bringing eternal sun, many Pokemon look to make use of its great ability. Chlorophyll users such as Venusaur and Jumpluff are able to abuse their fast Sleep Powder, and Jumpluff supports the team with moves such as Rage Powder, Encore, and Helping Hand. If one is looking for offense, Shiftry has powerful Grass- and Dark-type STABs while taking advantage of Chlorophyll.</p>
[SET]
name: Sun Support
move 1: Heat Wave / Flamethrower
move 2: Hidden Power Ice
move 3: Will-O-Wisp / Energy Ball
move 4: Protect
item: Iron Ball
nature: Quiet
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
ivs: 2 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>An Iron Ball and a Quiet nature guarantee that Ninetales will be slower than every weather starter that lacks Iron Ball, aside from Hippowdon, who sees little usage. With this in mind players may lead with Ninetales and have little worry of opposing weather being set up. Ninetales needs a powerful STAB to abuse with sun, and Heat Wave does its job in that category. Its accuracy can be a bit underwhelming at times, however, making Flamethrower a suitable alternative to guarantee a hit. Hidden Power Ice hits the Dragon-, Flying-, and Ground-types which Ninetales may have trouble with. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers such as Garchomp, while Energy Ball helps somewhat with the Water-types that plague Ninetales, especially Politoed. In VGC, Protect is the most important move a Pokemon can have, giving the ability to stall out Trick Room, Tailwind, and other effects. With Ninetales it is no different, as staying alive for a turn while its partner takes care of a threatening Pokemon is a very valuable asset indeed.<p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>An Iron Ball, a Quiet nature, and 2 Speed IVs permit Ninetales to do two things: get sun up in nearly every battle and still retain a desirable Hidden Power. Speed is not the point of this set; in fact the opposite is true, so 252 EVs are invested into HP to increase Ninetales's longevity, while 252 EVs are placed in Special Attack to increase its attacking prowess.</p>
<p>Without the high Speed Ninetales possesses on other sets, correct support is vital to keeping Ninetales alive. Hitmontop comes in handy when Ninetales is faced with physical attackers. Hitmontop's ability, Intimidate, allows Ninetales to take multiple physical assaults and the additional Wide Guard support Hitmontop brings to the table is nearly unrivaled in VGC. Shiftry is another great partner for Ninetales, outspeeding nearly everything in the sun that Ninetales brings and decimating Water-types with its STAB Seed Bomb. Additionally, Jumpluff outspeeds all Pokemon in sun and can toss around Sleep Powder, while boosting Ninetales's attacks with Helping Hand.</p>
<p>Though its 100 base Speed may not suggest it, Ninetales can function very well in a Trick Room environment. With an Iron Ball and minimum Speed, Ninetales is slowed down to 47 Speed at Level 50, just low enough to work in Trick Room. Cresselia is a good candidate to set up Trick Room, having massive defenses and the ability to support Ninetales with the move Helping Hand. Additionally, the sun Ninetales starts allows Cresselia to use Moonlight to restore up to two-thirds of its health, something that it often lacks. In addition, with an Iron Ball, Ninetales can function as a pseudo Trick Room counter, outspeeding common abusers in Trick Room.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Hidden Power Ground gives Ninetales the option to hit one of sun's biggest checks, Heatran, though one must be aware that this renders Ninetales incapable of doing much damage against Dragon-types. Hypnosis may seem attractive at first glance; however, its low accuracy often puts the user at a disadvantage, and Pokemon with more accurate sleep moves such as Spore generally fill this role better. Nasty Plot and Calm Mind are in the same boat, but VGC—and doubles in general—is such a fast-paced metagame that boosting is very hard to pull off, and attacking may lead to a better result. Fire Blast and Overheat may be utilized as an alternative STAB move, though Heat Wave's double-targeting and Flamethrower's accuracy makes them better than such high-risk moves. Psyshock may be looked at to cover Fighting-types, but in the sun, Heat Wave does nearly as much damage anyway, making Psyshock not often worth the moveslot.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Chandelure is a near-perfect counter to Ninetales, taking little from its attacks and even boosting its own Fire-type moves by switching in on a Heat Wave. Two common spread moves in the form of Earthquake and Rock Slide bring Ninetales to its knees, making any Pokemon carrying these moves an instant threat. Politoed can bring everlasting rain to the field, nerfing Ninetales's Fire-type moves, and can OHKO Ninetales with a STAB, rain-boosted Water-type move of choice.</p>
