OU Alolan Ninetales

[Martin]

狐

[OVERVIEW]


* Having access to Snow Warning and Aurora Veil at the same time singlehandedly turns an otherwise mediocre Pokemon into a legitimate option for offensive teams.
* Alolan Ninetales is good at disrupting rain between Snow Warning and Freeze-Dry—the latter of which hits three common rain Pokemon (Pelipper, Kingdra, and Ludicolo) for quadruple damage.
* Its high Speed stat makes setting up Aurora Veil easy and allows it to beat out the crowded base 100 Speed tier as well as Garchomp, Terrakion, and Keldeo.
* It has reasonably good special bulk, allowing it to take a hit or two when it needs to.
* Its movepool is small, although it contains just enough useful options to be very workable.
* It has low offenses, meaning that it has a hard time breaking through a lot of Pokemon.
* It has poor defensive typing, making it harder to switch in on things and easy to take advantage of.
* It is both weak to Stealth Rock and vulnerable to Spikes, which hurts its ability to set up Aurora Veil repeatedly throughout the match.
* It is a one-trick pony.

[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Aurora Veil
move 2: Freeze-Dry
move 3: Moonblast
move 4: Encore / Hidden Power Fire
item: Light Clay
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
ivs: 0 Atk

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

* Aurora Veil halves damage taken from all attacks, which is useful for helping teammates set up.
* Freeze-Dry covers Pokemon weak to Ice-type attacks as well as Water-types; this is important to disrupt rain consistently. It also 3HKOes Toxapex, forcing it to Recover and making it an easy target for Encore, and also deals very heavy damage to Mantine.
* Moonblast is a consistent STAB attack that also targets Dark- and Fighting-types; it hits Pokemon that are neutral to both Freeze-Dry and Fairy-type attacks as well as all notable Dragon-types aside from Garchomp harder while also dealing more damage to Mega Gyarados.
* Encore further helps teammates set up and catches people who try to set up on Alolan Ninetales off guard. It also allows Alolan Ninetales to shut down certain defensive Pokemon.
* Hidden Power Fire can be used to catch Scizor switch-ins, but specially bulky variants avoid the 2HKO and all bulky variants OHKO with Bullet Punch regardless of Special Defense investment. It also catches Genesect switch-ins, but Alolan Ninetales needs to be careful of Iron Head from a Choice Scarf variant if it comes in on any other attacks.
* Hidden Power Ground is also an option for its ability to catch Heatran who try to switch in on you, outpacing and netting a 2HKO on Leftovers variants with maximum HP investment after Stealth Rock.

Set Details
========

* Maximum Speed investment with a Timid nature makes the most of Alolan Ninetales's high Speed stat to aid it in setting up Aurora Veil.
* Maximum Special Attack investment is important to ensure that Alolan Ninetales's STAB moves hit hard.
* Snow Warning is vital so that Aurora Veil doesn't fail as well as to help it disrupt rain more consistently.
* Light Clay is used to extend Aurora Veil's duration.

Usage Tips
========

* Bring Alolan Ninetales in on Pokemon that it forces out to set up Aurora Veil safely.
* It can take a special attack or two if needed.
* Set up Aurora Veil in order to help teammates set up.
* If foes set up on Alolan Ninetales and Alolan Ninetales outpaces the foe post-setup or can take a hit from them, use Encore; it's helpful for allowing teammates to set up. Also, it's often good to use this to shut down defensive Pokemon's options, such as by locking Toxapex into Recover, Infestation, Toxic, Scald, or other similar utilities.
* Bring Alolan Ninetales in on a slow U-turn or Volt Switch or after a teammate has fainted if possible. Don't bring it in on physical attacks ever unless it resists one.

Team Options
========

* Setup sweepers like Z-Conversion Porygon-Z, Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X, Rock Polish or Shift Gear Genesect, and Dragon Dance (Mega) Gyarados appreciate Aurora Veil helping them set up.
* Slow Volt Switch or U-turn users like Landorus-T, Mega Scizor, and Rotom-W can help get it on the field safely.
* Pokemon that struggle against opposing rain teams, such as Pheromosa, Tapu Lele, Genesect, Heatran, and Mega Charizard X, appreciate its ability to disrupt rain.
* Frail Pokemon like Hoopa-U, Greninja, Weavile, Bisharp, and Tapu Koko appreciate Aurora Veil, as it gives them more breathing room.
* Rapid Spin and Defog users such as Tapu Fini, Latios, Latias, Excadrill, Starmie, and Pheromosa clear entry hazards, which makes it easier to set up Aurora Veil repeatedly.
* Fighting-, Fire-, and Ground-types such as Heatran, Buzzwole, Pheromosa, and Landorus-T can deal with Steel-types that give Alolan Ninetales a headache.
* Magnezone can trap and weaken or eliminate Steel-types for it. Dugtrio also traps some Steel-types as well as some Fire-types such as Heatran and Mega Charizard X and bulky Pokemon like Chansey and Clefable if it carries Screech.
* Pokemon that can help secure a sweep for one of Alolan Ninetales's teammates, including trappers such as Dugtrio (particularly Groundium Z, Choice Band, and Life Orb variants due to hail breaking its Focus Sash),and wallbreakers such as Tapu Bulu, Life Orb Garchomp, Terrakion, and Latios. Stealth Rock and Spikes users like Ferrothorn and Landorus-T can accomplish this as well.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

* Blizzard is Alolan Ninetales's strongest attack, but it is mostly inferior to Encore and Hidden Power Fire while being mostly redundant alongside Freeze-Dry.
* Hypnosis puts foes to sleep, which provides additional setup opportunities. However, it is inaccurate and Alolan Ninetales is already pretty strapped for moveslots.
* Disable can be used as an alternate method of shutting down certain Pokemon which works well with Alolan Ninetales's high Speed stat, but it often gimmicky at best.
* Toxic can help wear down bulky Pokemon, which can help weaken foes for a late-game sweep, but Alolan Ninetales generally prefers running Encore over it.

Checks and Counters
===================

**Mega Charizard Y**: Drought prevents Alolan Ninetales from setting up Aurora Veil, and Mega Charizard Y takes very little damage from Alolan Ninetales's attacks and can shrug them off easily with Roost.

**Steel-types**: Steel-types such as Mega Scizor, Genesect, Celesteela, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory resist both of Alolan Ninetales's STAB moves and carry STAB attacks of their own that deal quadruple damage to it. They can set up on Alolan Ninetales or use it for free momentum.

**Fire-types**: These Pokemon also resist both of Alolan Ninetales's STAB attacks and carry super effective STAB moves in return. Special mentions go to Mega Charizard X and Volcarona, which set up in Alolan Ninetales's face and can't be crippled by Encore because they are slower prior to using their setup move and faster after doing so. Heatran is also notable because it takes a quarter damage from both of Alolan Ninetales's STAB attacks.

**Sand Stream Users**: Tyranitar needs to be careful of Moonblast and Hippowdon needs to be careful of Freeze-Dry, but they are able to stop Aurora Veil from going up if they come in on the turn it gets used. Choice Scarf Tyranitar gets a special mention because it outpaces Alolan Ninetales and OHKOes it with Stone Edge.

**Entry Hazards**: Alolan Ninetales takes 25% from Stealth Rock when it switches in, limiting the amount it can set up. It's also grounded, making it vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes.

 

[Colonel M]

Any reason for Frost Breath in OO? Only situations I can think of is Sassy SpD Boost Celesteela (bad) and free Anger Point for Primeape. I guess Calm Mind users but Ninetales has better things to do IMO.

Jokes aside, not really seeing the reason for it. Feel free to correct me.

 

[Martin]

Any reason for Frost Breath in OO? Only situations I can think of is Sassy SpD Boost Celesteela (bad) and free Anger Point for Primeape. I guess Calm Mind users but Ninetales has better things to do IMO.

Jokes aside, not really seeing the reason for it. Feel free to correct me.

Honestly I just listed anything which might have a use in some scenario there. It helps vs. CM Tapu Lele too fwiw, which is prolly the closest thing to a key target. But yeah all of the OO stuff is rlly bad barring Blizzard and Hypnosis/Disable and most stuff is mainly there to bulk it up a bit. If QC wants anything removed I'll remove it.

Edit:

[10:28 PM] Hootie: Martin if the mon doesn't have many options that are viable
[10:28 PM] Hootie: then its fine
[10:28 PM] Hootie: there doesn't have to be a decent amount written there for the sake of it
[10:29 PM] Martin: ah ok. anything in particular beyond blizz/disable/hypnosis that is worth leaving (I'm gonna cut out most of it in that case)
[10:29 PM] Hootie: maybe toxic
[10:29 PM] Hootie: rest you can ditch
[10:30 PM] Martin: cool

Also left Icy Rock with a little comment next to it+moved to bottom

 

[antemortem]

wouldn't it be more appropriate to say that entry hazards in general are Alolan Ninetales' bane (but especially SR since 25% on top of Toxapex's Toxic Spikes can be a pain) rather than just specify Stealth Rock and give no supporting details other than the amount of damage Ninetales takes from it? since that can be said for a lot of mons

 

[Martin]

Expanded mention to cover Spikes too and expanded on the point a bit more. Had a brain fart when writing and forgot the justification lol.

 

[Hootie]

Be sure to mention that you specifically want to use non-Sash Dugtrio with Ninetails because Hail just breaks it if it's active still. For other options, Icy Rock isn't so great as you said it yourself that the Slush Rush users just aren't good, so remove that.

Other than that this looks good, so 1/3

 

[Martin]

Implemented

 

[Primarina]

As a Ninetales-A player, this moveset is spot-on as to what I run. Personally, I feel like Ninetales has to be the lead to get Hail off, and its primary goal is to get Aurora Veil off before it faints. If you come against a steel-type, that's when you get out of there, but I feel like there's a lot of synergy between Toxapex and Ninetales. It gives Toxapex more bulk to work with (as if it needed more), and it allows for a safer use of statuses and hail to wear it down.

Overall, I feel like this is a very good read, op. :)

 

[p2]

ya 2/3

 

[viol and bass]

Hey, Sandslash absolutely deserves a mention as a teammate. It's honestly not bad at all. It has enough speed to break offense easily (outspeeds Mosa, scarf Genesect and whatnot), and there's very little it can't break with Life Orb and SD/Icicle Crash/Iron Head/EQ. SD is laughably easy to set up with Aurora Veil support given that it's a rare ice type with actual meaningful resistances.

 

[Lemonade]

hmm rather than say speed tier, I think it would be more helpful to specify the actual stat, especially since stuff is new. Never been a fan of just saying speed tier

 

[Colonel M]

Hey, Sandslash absolutely deserves a mention as a teammate. It's honestly not bad at all. It has enough speed to break offense easily (outspeeds Mosa, scarf Genesect and whatnot), and there's very little it can't break with Life Orb and SD/Icicle Crash/Iron Head/EQ. SD is laughably easy to set up with Aurora Veil support given that it's a rare ice type with actual meaningful resistances.

With A Sandslash being off the table for analyses there isn't really a reason to mention it.

 

[viol and bass]

With A Sandslash being off the table for analyses there isn't really a reason to mention it.

Is there a way to, like, appeal that ruling? I get that having to run Ninetales with it is a pain in the ass, but given that this is literally a Ninetales analysis and hail being up is a given, shouldn't Sandslash be literally one of the best options to run with it? I've used Sandslash with Ninetales, it's legitimately really good, and certainly one of Tales' best partners.

 

[Martin]

All the Slush Rush users (including Alolan Sandslash) are awful and there is very little merit to using hail as a playstyle in general. It's too slow under hail with adamant to really dismantle offense all that consistently, and it's too weak with jolly it is very lacking in general. All examples of scenarios where hail is worth using over sand or rain are fringe at best and as such it isn't really worth mentioning.

 

[viol and bass]

All the Slush Rush users (including Alolan Sandslash) are awful and there is very little merit to using hail as a playstyle in general. It's too slow under hail with adamant to really dismantle offense all that consistently, and it's too weak with jolly it is very lacking in general. All examples of scenarios where hail is worth using over sand or rain are fringe at best and as such it isn't really worth mentioning.

Have you tried it? First of all, never run adamant. No, it is not too weak with jolly, given that it has access to swords dance, which it can set up very easily. Yes, Hail may be a flawed playstyle, but this is a Ninetales analysis, so hail is a given. I feel like people are dismissing Sandslash as a teammate just because of perceived flaws with hail as a whole, but since hail is assumed for the purposes of this analysis, Sandslash is effectively a regular sweeper with speed higher than Pheromosa, a potent offensive typing, and a setup move in SD. Right? I really feel like if you think Sandslash is awful, you haven't used it right. It's a threat to literally every playstyle.

 

[Martin]

OK here's a list of reasons both why hail sucks and why Ninetales acting as a setter was removed as a mention from OO:

• Massive overlap of Ice-types, and said type is p. dicks synergy-wise
  
• Rain exists and has multiple actually good abusers while leaving team options much more open ended
  
• Sandstorm exists and has an actually good abuser while leaving team options much more open-ended
  
• Requires sacrificing Light Clay for Icy Rock to be effective
• Ninetales is not a good weather setter, unlike Tyranitar and Pelipper
  
• Snow Warning is significantly more useful for disrupting opposing weather than it is for actually being abused in an OU environment
• The whole highlight of Alolan Ninetales is Aurora Veil; Snow Warning is very much secondary to it
• It's significantly easier+more productive to run an ordinary offense team with Alolan Ninetales than it is to run a team designed to abuse its secondary appeal
• Advertising it's use on a highly niche/virtually nonviable playstyle is not conducive to the purpose of an analysis, as it is primarily a guide for new players

There are probably more too but honestly my point is that there is no legitimate reason why I should even mention it in passing; mentioning it despite it not being good is mis-informative to newplayers, and it probably would still be mentioned in OO if I hadn't cleared out all the other awful crap from there (in other words, unless I get told to bulk up OO again (I won't) it isn't going in there)

 

[Karxrida]

Mention how Zard Y can potentially stop Aurora Veil from getting up. Ninetales only does like 30% max to it with Freeze-Dry, so it can come in safely even if Rocks are up.

 

[Martin]

Mention how Zard Y can potentially stop Aurora Veil from getting up. Ninetales only does like 30% max to it with Freeze-Dry, so it can come in safely even if Rocks are up.

Added. Made it separate from other fires 'cause it is of particular note here.

 

[Revelation]

Back in BW, because it was the fastest weather-setter, leading with regular Ninetales against another setter usually meant you didn't get your weather set. Also, since Ninetales had a disadvantage against 3 of the other weather setters, it often found them switching in on it and forcing it out after it managed to set up its sun. To remedy this, Ninetales sometimes ran Sunny Day because it allowed it to either; outspeed Politoed first turn and remove rain, weaken its Scald and force it out or after switching in and setting up Sun predict an opposing weather-setter switching in and immediately remove their weather, forcing them to switch out or risk a Solar Beam.

Alola Ninetales is in a similar situation. It's even faster than regular Ninetales so every other weather setter is slower than it now and its most valuable tool relies on Hail being set in order to work, so another weather switching in will cause Aurora Veil to fail. This makes me wonder if Hail is worth a slash or a mention in other options because in these instances you can mess up your opponents strategy and guarantee your Aurora Veil the next turn. It only really fails against dual weather setter teams. Just wanted to throw it out there.

 

[Celticpride]

I'd mention that Mag is specifically to trap Steels under team options. Outside of that looks nice.

3/3

 

[P Squared]

just a heads up that even though they're skeletons, the bullets should be sentences (this was the policy for the XY previews)

 

[Martin]

Yeah I'm gonna convert them ASAP.

 

[Martin]

OK it's been converted.

 

[Empress]

Is the correct term "Ninetales" or "Alolan Ninetales?" Either way, use the same one consistently.
add remove comment

Here ya go

[OVERVIEW]

• Having access to Snow Warning and Aurora Veil at the same time is great. It singlehandedly turns an otherwise mediocre Pokemon into a legitimate option for offensive teams.
  
• It Ninetales is good at disrupting rain between Snow Warning and Freeze-(AH)Dry—the latter of which hits three common rain Pokemon (Pelipper, Kingdra, (AC) and Ludicolo) for quadruple damage.
  
• Its high speed Speed stat makes setting up Aurora Veil easy and allows it to beat out the crowded base 100 speed Speed tier as well as Garchomp, Terrakion, (AC) and Keldeo.
• It has reasonably good special bulk, allowing it to take a hit or two when it needs to.
• Its movepool is small, although it contains just enough useful options to be very workable.
• It has low offenses, meaning that it has a hard time breaking through a lot of Pokemon.
  
• It has poor defensive typing, making it harder to switch in on things and easy to abuse (Use literally anything other than "abuse"; I have no clue what you're going for here).
  
• It is both weak to Stealth Rock and vulnerable to Spikes, which hurts its ability to set up Aurora Veil repeatedly throughout the match.
  
• It is a one-trick pony, making it predictable. (redundant)

[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Aurora Veil
move 2: Freeze-(AH)Dry
move 3: Moonblast
move 4: Encore / Hidden Power Fire
item: Light Clay
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
ivs: 0 Atk

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Aurora Veil halves damage taken from all attacks, which is useful for helping teammates set up.
• Freeze-(AH)Dry covers Pokemon weak to Ice-type attacks as well as covering Water-types; this is important to disrupt rain consistently. It also 3HKOes Also hits Toxapex for a 3HKO, forcing it to Recover and making it an easy target for Encore, (AC) and also deals very heavy damage to Mantine.
  
• Moonblast is a consistent STAB attack which that also targets Dark- and Fighting-types; it hits Pokemon which that are neutral to both Freeze-(AH)Dry and Fairy-type attacks as well as all but one notable Dragon-types but (which one?) harder while also dealing more damage to post-mega Mega Gyarados.
  
• Encore aids setup of teammates further helps teammates set up and catches people who try to set up on Ninetales off-(RH) guard. It also allows it Ninetales to shut down certain defensive Pokemon.
  
• Hidden Power Fire can be used to catch Scizor switch-ins, but specially bulky variants avoid the 2HKO and all bulky variants OHKO with Bullet Punch regardless of specially defensive Special Defense investment. It also catches Genesect switch-ins, but Ninetales needs to be careful of Scarf Iron Head from a Choice Scarf variant if it comes in on any other attacks.

Set Details
========

• Maximum Speed investment with a timid Timid nature makes the most of Ninetales's high its speed Speed stat to aid it in setting up Aurora Veil.
  
• Maximum Special Attack investment is important to ensure that Ninetales's STABs moves hit harder than a wet flannel. (This isn't a Flying Press article)
• Snow Warning is vital so that Aurora Veil doesn't fail as well as to help it disrupt rain more consistently.
  
• Light Clay is used to extend Aurora Veil's Snow Warning's duration.

Usage Tips
========

• Bring Ninetales in on Pokemon that it forces out to set up Aurora Veil safely.
• It can take a hit special attack or two on the special side if needed.
• Set up Aurora Veil in order to help teammates set up.
• If they foes set up on you Ninetales and you Ninetales outpaces the foe post-setup or can take a hit from them, (AC) use Encore; it's helpful for setting up certain Pokemon (Setting up against certain Pokemon? Or allowing certain teammates to set up?). Also, (AC) it's often good to use this to shut down defensive Pokemon's options, such as by locking Toxapex into Recover, Infestation, Toxic, Scald, or other similar utilities.
• Bring Ninetales in on a slow U-turn or Volt Switch or after a teammate has fainted if possible. Don't bring it in on physical attacks ever unless you it resists one it.

Team Options
========

• Setup Pokemon sweepers like Z-Conversion Porygon-Z, Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X, Rock Polish or Shift Gear Genesect, and Dragon Dance (Mega) Gyarados appreciate Aurora Veil helping them set up.
  
• Slow VoltTurners Switch or U-turn users like Landorus-T, Mega Scizor, and Rotom-W can help get it on the field safely.
  
• Pokemon that appreciate struggle against opposing rain being given a hard time teams, such as Pheromosa, Tapu Lele, Genesect, Heatran, and Mega Charizard X, appreciate it'(remove apostrophe)s ability to disrupt said weather rain.
  
• Frail Pokemon like Hoopa-U, Landorus, Greninja, Weavile, Bisharp, and Tapu Koko appreciate Aurora Veil, (AC) as it gives them more breathing room.
  
• Users of Rapid Spin and Defog users such as Tapu Fini, Latios, Latias, Excadrill, Starmie, and Pheromosa clear entry hazards, which makes it easier to set up Aurora Veil repeatedly.
  
• Fighting-, Fire-, and Ground-types that (such as?) can deal with Steel-types that give Ninetales a headache.
  
• Magnezone can trap and weaken or eliminate Steel-types for it. Dugtrio also traps some Steels-types as well as some Fire-types (such as?) as well as and bulky Pokemon like Chansey and Clefable.
  
• Pokemon that can help secure a sweep for one of Ninetales's teammates, including trappers such as Dugtrio (particularly Groundium Z, Choice Band, and Life Orb variants due to hail breaking its Focus Sash), (RC) and wallbreakers such as Tapu Bulu, Life Orb Garchomp, Terrakion, and Latios. Also Stealth Rock and Spikes users like Ferrothorn, Landorus-T, and Necrozma can accomplish this as well.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• Blizzard is your Ninetales's strongest attack, but it is mostly inferior to Encore and Hidden Power Fire while being mostly redundant alongside Freeze-(AH)Dry.
  
• Hypnosis puts stuff foes to sleep, which provides additional setup opportunities. However, it is inaccurate and Ninetales is already pretty strapped for moveslots.
  
• Disable can be used as an alternate method of shutting down certain Pokemon that which works well with Ninetales's high speed Speed stat, but it is inaccurate and (Disable has perfect accuracy) often gimmicky at best.
  
• Toxic can help wear down bulky Pokemon, which can help weaken opponents foes for a late-game sweep, but Ninetales generally prefers running Encore over it.

Checks and Counters
===================

*Mega Charizard Y**: Drought prevents you Ninetales from setting up Aurora Veil, and Mega Charizard Y takes very little damage from Alolan Ninetales's attacks+can roost and can shrug them off easily with Roost.

**Steel-types**: These Pokemon Steel-types such as Mega Scizor, Genesect, Celesteela, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory resist both of Ninetales's STABs moves and carry STAB attacks of their own that deal quadruple damage to Alolan Ninetales it. These They can set up on Ninetales or use it for free momentum. Examples include Mega Scizor, Genesect, Celesteela, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory.

**Fire-types**: These Pokemon also resist both of Nintales STABs Ninetales's STAB attacks and carry super effective STAB moves in return. Special mentions go to Zard Mega Charizard X and Volcarona, which who set up in it's Ninetales's face and can't be Encored 'cause slower turn 1+faster turn 2 crippled by Encore because they are slower prior to using their setup move and faster after doing so. Heatran is the only other particularly notable one I can think of off of the top of my head. (Explain why Heatran is a notable counter to Ninetales.)

**Sand Stream Users**: Tyranitar needs to be careful of Moonblast and Hippowdon needs to be careful of Freeze-(AH)Dry, but they are able to stop Aurora Veil from going up if they come in on the turn it gets used. Choice Scarf Tyranitar gets a special mention because it outpaces Ninetales and OHKOes it with Stone Edge.

**Entry Hazards**: Alolan Ninetales takes 25% from Stealth Rock when it switches SR on switch-in, limiting the amount it can set up. Also it's It's also grounded, making it vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes.

GP 1/1

p^2 edit: it's Alolan Ninetales, also one of the checks and counters headers is missing an asterisk :0

 

[Martin]

Is the correct term "Ninetales" or "Alolan Ninetales?" Either way, use the same one consistently.
add remove comment

Here ya go

[OVERVIEW]

• Having access to Snow Warning and Aurora Veil at the same time is great. It singlehandedly turns an otherwise mediocre Pokemon into a legitimate option for offensive teams.
  
• It Ninetales is good at disrupting rain between Snow Warning and Freeze-(AH)Dry—the latter of which hits three common rain Pokemon (Pelipper, Kingdra, (AC) and Ludicolo) for quadruple damage.
  
• Its high speed Speed stat makes setting up Aurora Veil easy and allows it to beat out the crowded base 100 speed Speed tier as well as Garchomp, Terrakion, (AC) and Keldeo.
• It has reasonably good special bulk, allowing it to take a hit or two when it needs to.
• Its movepool is small, although it contains just enough useful options to be very workable.
• It has low offenses, meaning that it has a hard time breaking through a lot of Pokemon.
  
• It has poor defensive typing, making it harder to switch in on things and easy to abuse (Use literally anything other than "abuse"; I have no clue what you're going for here).
  
• It is both weak to Stealth Rock and vulnerable to Spikes, which hurts its ability to set up Aurora Veil repeatedly throughout the match.
  
• It is a one-trick pony, making it predictable. (redundant)

[SET]
name: Utility
move 1: Aurora Veil
move 2: Freeze-(AH)Dry
move 3: Moonblast
move 4: Encore / Hidden Power Fire
item: Light Clay
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
ivs: 0 Atk

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========

• Aurora Veil halves damage taken from all attacks, which is useful for helping teammates set up.
• Freeze-(AH)Dry covers Pokemon weak to Ice-type attacks as well as covering Water-types; this is important to disrupt rain consistently. It also 3HKOes Also hits Toxapex for a 3HKO, forcing it to Recover and making it an easy target for Encore, (AC) and also deals very heavy damage to Mantine.
  
• Moonblast is a consistent STAB attack which that also targets Dark- and Fighting-types; it hits Pokemon which that are neutral to both Freeze-(AH)Dry and Fairy-type attacks as well as all but one notable Dragon-types but (which one?) harder while also dealing more damage to post-mega Mega Gyarados.
  
• Encore aids setup of teammates further helps teammates set up and catches people who try to set up on Ninetales off-(RH) guard. It also allows it Ninetales to shut down certain defensive Pokemon.
  
• Hidden Power Fire can be used to catch Scizor switch-ins, but specially bulky variants avoid the 2HKO and all bulky variants OHKO with Bullet Punch regardless of specially defensive Special Defense investment. It also catches Genesect switch-ins, but Ninetales needs to be careful of Scarf Iron Head from a Choice Scarf variant if it comes in on any other attacks.

Set Details
========

• Maximum Speed investment with a timid Timid nature makes the most of Ninetales's high its speed Speed stat to aid it in setting up Aurora Veil.
  
• Maximum Special Attack investment is important to ensure that Ninetales's STABs moves hit harder than a wet flannel. (This isn't a Flying Press article)
• Snow Warning is vital so that Aurora Veil doesn't fail as well as to help it disrupt rain more consistently.
  
• Light Clay is used to extend Aurora Veil's Snow Warning's duration.

Usage Tips
========

• Bring Ninetales in on Pokemon that it forces out to set up Aurora Veil safely.
• It can take a hit special attack or two on the special side if needed.
• Set up Aurora Veil in order to help teammates set up.
• If they foes set up on you Ninetales and you Ninetales outpaces the foe post-setup or can take a hit from them, (AC) use Encore; it's helpful for setting up certain Pokemon (Setting up against certain Pokemon? Or allowing certain teammates to set up?). Also, (AC) it's often good to use this to shut down defensive Pokemon's options, such as by locking Toxapex into Recover, Infestation, Toxic, Scald, or other similar utilities.
• Bring Ninetales in on a slow U-turn or Volt Switch or after a teammate has fainted if possible. Don't bring it in on physical attacks ever unless you it resists one it.

Team Options
========

• Setup Pokemon sweepers like Z-Conversion Porygon-Z, Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X, Rock Polish or Shift Gear Genesect, and Dragon Dance (Mega) Gyarados appreciate Aurora Veil helping them set up.
  
• Slow VoltTurners Switch or U-turn users like Landorus-T, Mega Scizor, and Rotom-W can help get it on the field safely.
  
• Pokemon that appreciate struggle against opposing rain being given a hard time teams, such as Pheromosa, Tapu Lele, Genesect, Heatran, and Mega Charizard X, appreciate it'(remove apostrophe)s ability to disrupt said weather rain.
  
• Frail Pokemon like Hoopa-U, Landorus, Greninja, Weavile, Bisharp, and Tapu Koko appreciate Aurora Veil, (AC) as it gives them more breathing room.
  
• Users of Rapid Spin and Defog users such as Tapu Fini, Latios, Latias, Excadrill, Starmie, and Pheromosa clear entry hazards, which makes it easier to set up Aurora Veil repeatedly.
  
• Fighting-, Fire-, and Ground-types that (such as?) can deal with Steel-types that give Ninetales a headache.
  
• Magnezone can trap and weaken or eliminate Steel-types for it. Dugtrio also traps some Steels-types as well as some Fire-types (such as?) as well as and bulky Pokemon like Chansey and Clefable.
  
• Pokemon that can help secure a sweep for one of Ninetales's teammates, including trappers such as Dugtrio (particularly Groundium Z, Choice Band, and Life Orb variants due to hail breaking its Focus Sash), (RC) and wallbreakers such as Tapu Bulu, Life Orb Garchomp, Terrakion, and Latios. Also Stealth Rock and Spikes users like Ferrothorn, Landorus-T, and Necrozma can accomplish this as well.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============

• Blizzard is your Ninetales's strongest attack, but it is mostly inferior to Encore and Hidden Power Fire while being mostly redundant alongside Freeze-(AH)Dry.
  
• Hypnosis puts stuff foes to sleep, which provides additional setup opportunities. However, it is inaccurate and Ninetales is already pretty strapped for moveslots.
  
• Disable can be used as an alternate method of shutting down certain Pokemon that which works well with Ninetales's high speed Speed stat, but it is inaccurate and (Disable has perfect accuracy) often gimmicky at best.
  
• Toxic can help wear down bulky Pokemon, which can help weaken opponents foes for a late-game sweep, but Ninetales generally prefers running Encore over it.

Checks and Counters
===================

*Mega Charizard Y**: Drought prevents you Ninetales from setting up Aurora Veil, and Mega Charizard Y takes very little damage from Alolan Ninetales's attacks+can roost and can shrug them off easily with Roost.

**Steel-types**: These Pokemon Steel-types such as Mega Scizor, Genesect, Celesteela, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory resist both of Ninetales's STABs moves and carry STAB attacks of their own that deal quadruple damage to Alolan Ninetales it. These They can set up on Ninetales or use it for free momentum. Examples include Mega Scizor, Genesect, Celesteela, Ferrothorn, and Skarmory.

**Fire-types**: These Pokemon also resist both of Nintales STABs Ninetales's STAB attacks and carry super effective STAB moves in return. Special mentions go to Zard Mega Charizard X and Volcarona, which who set up in it's Ninetales's face and can't be Encored 'cause slower turn 1+faster turn 2 crippled by Encore because they are slower prior to using their setup move and faster after doing so. Heatran is the only other particularly notable one I can think of off of the top of my head. (Explain why Heatran is a notable counter to Ninetales.)

**Sand Stream Users**: Tyranitar needs to be careful of Moonblast and Hippowdon needs to be careful of Freeze-(AH)Dry, but they are able to stop Aurora Veil from going up if they come in on the turn it gets used. Choice Scarf Tyranitar gets a special mention because it outpaces Ninetales and OHKOes it with Stone Edge.

**Entry Hazards**: Alolan Ninetales takes 25% from Stealth Rock when it switches SR on switch-in, limiting the amount it can set up. Also it's It's also grounded, making it vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes.

GP 1/1

p^2 edit: it's Alolan Ninetales, also one of the checks and counters headers is missing an asterisk :0

Implemented. Just thought I'd point out that you corrected Aurora Veil to Snow Warning on the Light clay point despite it being correct in that instance (Icy Rock extends Snow Warning, whereas Light Clay extends Aurora Veil).

Anyway this is now done :D