Pokemon of the Week #16: Latias

Did some ladderring with a Specially Defensive Tyranitar with a moveset of Stealth Rock / Crunch / Stone Edge / Fire Blast and found it very underwhelming. In this metagame there are just too many common Pokemon that can easily take out Specially Defensive Tyranitar, including but not limited to Terrakion, Keldeo, Mamoswine, Breloom, Tornadus-T, Jirachi, etc. I had a hard time just setting up Stealth Rock in many battles due to not having a safe turn to set them up as the opponent consistently had something in that threatened Tyranitar. As a Sand Stream setter, I personally favor Hippowdon who can more easily get up Stealth Rock as well and has access to recovery in Slack Off. In general, offensive Tyranitar sets are much more potent in this metagame than defensive sets. The Choice Band Tyranitar set is a powerful wallbreaker who can even defeat the likes of Skarmory, 2HKO'ing the bird after Stealth Rock in some cases. Choice Banded Crunch is just a devastating attack even against Pokemon that resist it. He can also easily pick off the number of OU Pokemon that are weak to Pursuit such as Lati@s, Reuniclus, Jellicent, and Celebi. The Scarf set, although not as common as it was in BW1, is still a good set that mixes power with just enough Speed. A fast Pursuit is very useful to put opposing Lati@s in a checkmate position which can open the gates for something like Specs Keldeo to sweep.
Hopefully this won't be the same when we test boah, as it can take out every threat you mentioned bar Breloom.
 

LilOu

PO poopyhead
Why does outrunning Blissey matter? Focus Punch has -6 priority anyways, also Blissey is garbage ever since the introduction of Keldeo and Secret Sword.
I dont know but i think that outrunning 4 speed blissey works if you want to get a sub on a blissey trying to toxic you :S
 
Blissey is kinda ass in this meta game js.
This. I really don't understand why she's so used so much. Not only are there are assload of physical threats that laugh at her, but, like I said earlier, Keldeo wrecks it with Secret Sword. Honestly there's no place for any of the current Normal types in OU.

Edit: Also, I'm going to go ahead and suggest that those leftover EVs be placed in Sp. Def, unless there's so important KO he misses out on without them.
 

LilOu

PO poopyhead
This. I really don't understand why she's so used so much. Not only are there are assload of physical threats that laugh at her, but, like I said earlier, keldeo wrecks it with Secret Sword. Honstly there's no place for any of the current Normal types in OU.
I think that we are getting out of the topic haha. Shokwav, any replays please? I want to see that Boah :[
 
Yeah, I'll write a skeleton tomorrow. Though I will probably put Fire Blast as the main slash, as people looooved leading off with Ferrothorn against me, and a lot Scizors and Forretress liked to switch in.
 
Tyraniboah definitively sounds interesting in the current meta, but which are exactly the pokes you expect to be hitting with Focus Punch apart Terrakion? Fireblast does a number to Ferrothorn from behind your sub, for example.
 
Tyraniboah definitively sounds interesting in the current meta, but which are exactly the pokes you expect to be hitting with Focus Punch apart Terrakion? Fireblast does a number to Ferrothorn from behind your sub, for example.
None, just him (and Heatran I guess). But it's such a common mon, Ttar switch in, and such a threat it deserves it.

Hahaha Dugtrio is weak as shit.

Edit: I'm writing the set right now with a Brave nature and this ev spread (thanks onicon):

252 HP / 24 Atk / 176 SAtk / 28 SDef / 28 Spd Brave

What exactly are the Attack evs doing?
 

Ninetales

Type: Fire
Base Stats: 73 HP / 76 Atk / 75 Def / 81 SpA / 100 SpD / 100 Spe
Abilities: Drought | Flash Fire
Notable Moves:
- Sunny Day
- Flamethower
- Fire Blast
- SolarBeam
- Energy Ball
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hidden Power
- Hypnosis
- Nasty Plot
- Roar
- Substitute
- Pain Split
- Rest

Ninetales is the Pokemon of the Week #13! Ninetales is simply terrible. It would be down in the depths of NU if it weren't for the fact that it's the only pokemon, other than its pre-evolution, that can setup permanent sun in OU. Can we find any use out of this seemingly useless kyuubi?

Discuss!
 

blitzlefan

shake it off!
can it use the tailed beast bomb? if not then too bad.
HOWEVER, I did use to play with Sun back in BW1, and I really hafta say that...

it sucks


Just awful Charizard-esque FIRE/FIRE/FIRE/FIRE coverage (with OOOOH Grass) for "coverage". Offensively, it offends me. On the other hand, support sets are pretty nice. Catching a poke unawares with a fast (100 base Spe!) Hypnosis is a BIG gift for Kurama. An EV spread tailored with defense in mind with Will-O-Wisp + Pain Split isn't too awful either.
 
I've had quite a bit of success with a sub disable ninetales:

Ninetales @ Leftovers
Trait: Drought
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Disable
- Toxic
- Flamethrower

The general idea is that mons like politoed, tentacruel, any choice mon, a lati, etc. will only really have one move to hurt tales, and when that move is disabled, they are completely useless.

Great for dealing with opposing politoed and rain in general, as many are forced out after a disable.


The set that gives ME trouble is sunny day

Standard rain really has nothing against it tbh, as their water moves are nerfed.

It normally comes down to switching between tornadus, tentacruel, and toed until tales is worn out.
 
We need something better to setup sun. When you see some Snover-like pokes in OU you know something is wrong. On the bright side, Ninetales has a good Sdef bulk and can fight fairly well against the other weather-inducers, W-o-W on Tyranitar, solarbeam can 2HKO ttar or poli, and Flamethrower/Fireblast takes care of Abomasnow.

I used to run a lot of sun teams and still, I don't find tales that weak. great speed and Will-O-Wisp allows it to outspeed a lot of physical threats and burn them. Fire Blast in the sun still hurts even with crappy Spa.

Still, her shallow movepool and predictability doesn't help it. Specs is dumb, rain teams (and sand teams) has the advantage and Heatran is a huge problem to sun teams in general.
 

dragonuser

The only thing I look up to is the sky
is a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Three-Time Past WCoP Champion
Specially Defensive Ninetales is the best Ninetales set imo. By investing in its Sp Def it becomes a pretty solid Scald/Hydro Pump absorber and if you can manage to keep rocks of the field it is surprisingly long lasting. Will-o-Wisp is fantastic utility as opposing weather starters hate the status, especially Tyranitar. I usually enjoy using Protect as it gives you more Leftovers healing (which makes switching into Defensive Toed's Scald easy to heal off) it can also help further residual damage on Pokemon like Politoed. Roar is also a really nice option for stopping its "set-up bait tendency," but HP also works quite nicely.
 

Nova

snitches get stitches
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
As a Pokemon, Ninetales is the worst of the weather starters due to her low base stats and her terrible typing. She has a hard time serving a defensive role with a weakness to Stealth Rock and a mono Fire typing that makes her susceptible to common attacking types including Ground and Water and grants it very few resistances. On the offensive end, STAB Fire Blast in the sun can be damaging but outside of that, Solarbeam, and Hidden Power, she really has no other attacking options. However, Ninetales' Drought ability is what really allows her to "shine" in the OU metagame. Sun allows Ninetales to support the rest of her team and unlocks the potential of massive threats such as Chlorophyll Venusaur, Victini, and Heatran. Victini and Heatran gain a boost to their already formidable STAB attacks, the former having one of the strongest attacks in the game in V-Create, and have their Water type weakness nullified. Under the effects of Drought, Venusaur becomes one of the best sweepers in the game having a doubled Speed stat and a move in Growth that is essentially both a Swords Dance and a Nasty Plot wrapped in one. Knowing this, Ninetales best serves a supporting role with the task of getting Sun up and keeping it up. Her best set in my opinionis the Sunny Day set shown below. This gives the fox the best shot at winning the weather war. She can Sunny Day predicting the opponent to go into Politoed to try to set up Drizzle, weakening the frog's Water STAB and threatening it with a Solarbeam. Fire Blast is her most powerful attack to spam and Will-o-Wisp serves to cripple some physical attackers that try to switch into Ninetales such as Terrakion and Salamence. It also cripples the Sand Streamers, Tyranitar and Hippowdon so the weather war is a bit easier for Ninetales. The EV spread gives her enough speed to outrun Adamant Haxorus and burn it with Will-o-Wisp while providing some Special Defensive bulk to talk Scalds and Hydro Pumps in the sun. Overall, Ninetales herself is not a good Pokemon but the support she provides for her teammates through Drought is valuable enough to make her a very viable option in the metagame.



Ninetales (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 124 SpD / 132 Spe
Timid Nature (+Spe, -Atk)
-Sunny Day
-Fire Blast
-Solarbeam
-Will-o-Wisp
 
I have been using Sunny Day Tales extensively, and, while the sun is an asset, most of the time she sits there waiting to get in again. Ironically, it's one of the best switch-ins to Politoed, save for SpecsToed variants.

Ttar and Abomasnow are a different story. With tar you have two choices, burning him (75%WoW vs. 80%Stone Edge?) or changing the weather, and I usually end switching out. Aboma itself is not a problem, but Heatran is, and you won't find the first without the second.

So seriously, unless you are desperate for fire attacks (which shouldn't be a problem for a Sun team), Ninetales is just Sun-in-a-stick, a totem to do away with the rain. That's probably why it usually ends up being sleep fodder...
 
As far as Pokemon go, Ninetales really is a sack of shit. Bad typing, bad stat-spread, surprisngly good movepool for a Fire-type but no means of abusing it... overcoming the burden Ninetales puts on your team is the hardest part about making a sun team.

I'm gonna echo Novaray and say that Ninetales' defensive set is her best, and potentially only good, set. But still, being a defensive Fire-type isn't saying much -- Ninetales is still very easy to beat down. Her switch-in opportunities are very limited, especially against opposing weathers, all of whom have methods of beating her one-on-one (with the exception of Abomasnow, but I don't count Abomasnow because Abomasnow is silly).

And it gets worse -- since Ninetales' sun exacerbates Steel-types' weakness to Fire, it's very difficult for sun teams to have a defensive core. The only option they're left with is Heatran, who is an excellent Pokemon, mind, but he sadly doubles up on the weakness to rain that sun teams inherently come with.

Do I sound bitter? I've never been particularly enamored with sun. Obviously it's a very powerful weather when it gets the chance to shine (heh), but those opportunities are few and far between. I wonder how much Ninetales misses Genesect...
 
I use Overheat+Power Swap for a pseudo Memento/Light Screen effect while softening up the opponent. Bringing in a boosting sweeper against a 50% HP -2 or -4 special attacker is pretty sweet.
This set isn't exactly tuned to win weather wars though.
 
Dear Gamefreak:

Please please please give Drought to Arcanine in Gen 6.

Hell, give it to Rapidash. Anything would be better than Ninetales.

Signed,

Everyone
 
Heatran looks like it is supposed to have Drought.
Entei seems like a great candidate.
Tropius would be a really cool Drought Pokemon(dat 4x water resist on switch-ins).
 
Not necessarily Tropius, but any Grass-type would be perfect. It'd give Sun an actual chance against Rain. I'm thinking Celebi, just to make Toed cry.
 
I'm not surprised that the Ninetales discussion has derived into a "anything with Drought would outclass Ninetales" -Drought Magmortar and Drizzle Electivire would be the way to go-.

Anyways -on topic now-, Ninetales has a few movesets that I find interesting but its innability to play any actual role properly is very frustrating. I'm always tempted to run Choice sets because Ninetales barely manages to stay in without giving your opponent a chance to set up anyways.
 

Shurtugal

The Enterpriser.
is a Tiering Contributor
Ninetales' only set is death fodder; all electrivire sets are ass even if it had drizzle , discussion over smh.
 

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