[OVERVIEW]
Alolan Ninetales's outstanding ability to set Aurora Veil and create setup opportunities for its teammates with Encore and Hypnosis makes it a great offensive support for hyper offense teams. Snow Warning gives Alolan Ninetales a perfectly accurate Blizzard, which is a strong offensive move in RU. This, in combination with its solid coverage, lets Alolan Ninetales act as a strong wallbreaker or Nasty Plot sweeper outside of hyper offense. Furthermore, it outspeeds common threats such as Celebi and Cobalion, allowing it to either set Aurora Veil safely or keep these Pokemon in check. Alolan Ninetales's hail support enables the use of Arctovish, a decent wallbreaker in RU, on many teams. However, Alolan Ninetales is rather frail and weak to Stealth Rock, making it easily revenge killed by faster threats and strong priority users such as Barraskewda, Choice Scarf Flygon, and Entei. Offensive sets also struggle to break through common special walls and some Steel-types such as Snorlax, Registeel, and Stakataka due to its mediocre Special Attack stat and lack of coverage. Lastly, while hail enables Alolan Ninetales to set Aurora Veil immediately, gives it an accurate Blizzard, and helps chip down opposing Pokemon, it also chips down teammates.
[SET]
name: Aurora Veil
move 1: Aurora Veil
move 2: Blizzard
move 3: Encore / Foul Play
move 4: Hypnosis / Encore
item: Icy Rock / Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Timid
evs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Blizzard makes Alolan Ninetales less passive and enables it to defeat Defoggers such as Noivern, Crobat, and Flygon. Encore prevents bulky setup sweepers such as Necrozma, Reuniclus, and Snorlax from setting up on Alolan Ninetales for free while also crippling defensive threats such as Umbreon and Registeel. Encore additionally can ease the setup of Alolan Ninetales's teammates. Foul Play hits Steel-types and setup sweepers such as Metagross, Bronzong, Doublade, and Polteageist. Hypnosis can further cripple opposing Steel-types and give Alolan Ninetales's teammates more setup opportunities. However, Hypnosis is not a reliable move due to its low accuracy. Moonblast is an option to better deal with Fighting-types, especially Cobalion, which can be troublesome for hyper offense. Since this set is often paired with Arctovish, Icy Rock is preferred to give more hail turns. Furthermore, longer hail gives Alolan Ninetales more opportunities to set Aurora Veil. However, Heavy-Duty Boots can be used to provide Alolan Ninetales with more switch-in opportunities.
This set fits best on hyper offense and hail teams. Arctovish is a recommended choice as a teammate because it is a strong wallbreaker under hail. On hyper offense teams, setup sweepers such as Mimikyu, Necrozma, and Linoone appreciate Arctovish's wallbreaker capabilities like weakining bulky Steel-types such as Registeel and Bronzong. Other setup sweepers such as Drangon Dance Flygon, Cobalion, and Lucario can weaken troublesome bulky Water-types such as Milotic and Suicune for Arctovish and take advantage of Steel-types such as Registeel and Stakataka that Alolan Ninetales usually lures in. They all together enjoy Aurora Veil from Alolan Ninetales allowing for more setup opportunities and disallowing the foe from revenge killing them. Noivern and Crobat are annoying threats for hyper offense teams, since they ignore Aurora Veil due to Infiltrator and can remove it with Defog. As a result, setup sweepers that check them such as Slurpuff and Toxtricity are important. Misty Surge Galarian Weezing with Memento, Sticky Web Ribombee, and Stealth Rock Cobalion can be used to further support the above sweepers. On semi-hail teams and other non-hyper offense teams that include the combination of Alolan Ninetales and Arctovish, it is important to note that the other four teammates must provide role compression. For example, Noivern and Xatu provide entry hazard control, momentum, and some defensive utility while checking Fighting-types like Cobalion and Heracross and in Noivern's case a check to Volcanion. Klefki can be used for Spikes support. Pivot variants of Flygon, Incineroar, and Darmanitan offer further role compression, deal with troublesome Steel-types, and can weaken bulky Water-types with Toxic. Arctovish should not be a team's sole source of speed control due to weather's inconsistency, so a Choice Scarf user such as Gardevoir, Heracross, or Flygon is recommended.
[SET]
name: Choice Specs
move 1: Blizzard
move 2: Moonblast
move 3: Dark Pulse
move 4: Freeze-Dry
item: Choice Specs
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moonblast's main use is to break through and revenge kill common Pokemon such as Umbreon and Cobalion more easily. Dark Pulse hits Metagross, Bronzong, Doublade, and Chandelure super effectively, all of which resist Alolan Ninetales's STAB moves. Freeze-Dry enables Alolan Ninetales to better break through bulky Water-types such as Volcanion, Milotic, and Suicune.
Alolan Ninetales appreciates VoltTurn support that can bring it safely onto the battlefield. Raikou and Xurkitree often pivot on bulky Grass-types such as Dhelmise and Roserade, while Darmanitan, Barraskewda, and Flygon usually bait bulky Water-types such as Milotic, Seismitoad, and Gastrodon. Arctovish is an option as it forms a strong offensive wallbreaking core with Alolan Ninetales and appreciates its hail support, but it is important to note that this core limits the teambuilding process due to their poor role compression. Reliable entry hazard control such as Noivern, Starmie, or Xatu is necessary, since Alolan Ninetales is weak to Stealth Rock. Spikes setters like Golisopod, Roserade, and Klefki help Alolan Ninetales wear down special walls and bulky Steel-types such as Snorlax, Registeel, and Stakataka. Strong physical attackers such as Heracross, Golurk, and Flygon also deal with these threats. Seismitoad, defensive Flygon, and Suicune check offensive Fire- and Steel-types like Salazzle, Incineroar, and Metagross, which take advantage of Alolan Ninetales once it is locked into one of its STAB moves. Late-game cleaners such as Choice Scarf Heracross and Dragon Dance Flygon appreciate Alolan Ninetales's wallbreaking and take advantage of its common checks.
[SET]
name: Nasty Plot
move 1: Nasty Plot
move 2: Blizzard
move 3: Moonblast
move 4: Dark Pulse
item: Heavy-Duty Boots
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Timid
evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
[SET COMMENTS]
Moonblast is a reliable secondary STAB move and enables Alolan Ninetales to pick off or break through would-be checks such as Cobalion and Umbreon after Nasty Plot. Dark Pulse is Alolan Ninetales's best coverage move to hit Metagross, Bronzong, Doublade, and Chandelure super effectively while hitting Volcanion neutrally. Heavy-Duty Boots gives Alolan Ninetales more switch-in opportunities.
This set fits well on balance, bulky offense, and offense teams. Alolan Ninetales often struggles to find switch-in and setup opportunities; therefore, pivots such as Flygon, Milotic, and Darmanitan are important teammates. Spikes setters like Golisopod, Roserade, and Klefki help wear down opposing teams, especially bulky Steel-types and specially defensive Pokemon such as Stakataka, Registeel, Diancie, and Porygon2. Additionally, Roserade provides Sleep Powder support, Klefki can slow down faster threats with Thunder Wave, and Golisopod can weaken opposing Pokemon with Knock Off. Powerful physical wallbreakers like Guts Heracross, Golurk, and Durant also deal with bulky Steel-types and specially defensive Pokemon. Setup variants of Necrozma, Xurkitree, and Toxtricity can overwhelm shared checks and counters. Arctovish appreciates hail and can weaken bulky foes for Alolan Ninetales. Defensive Flygon, Gastrodon, and Incineroar check faster threats such as Salazzle, Barraskewda, and Choice Scarf Darmanitan.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Hail is an option on the offensive support set for a better matchup against sun teams. Encore helps Nasty Plot Alolan Ninetales to create more setup opportunities by crippling opposing Pokemon. Freeze-Dry or Heal Bell is an option over Dark Pulse on the Nasty Plot set if the team struggles against bulky Water-types such as Suicune and Milotic or needs cleric support. However, Alolan Ninetales is heavily dependent on Dark Pulse to pressure Pokemon such as Chandelure, Bronzong, and Metagross.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Steel-types**: Bulky Steel-types such as Registeel, Stakataka, and Metagross resist both of Alolan Ninetales's STAB moves and can either wear it down, set up on it, or directly KO it. However, the support set cripples passive Steel-types with Encore, and all sets can lure Metagross and Bronzong with Dark Pulse or Foul Play.
**Fire-types**: Torkoal can reliably switch into Alolan Ninetales and replace hail with sun, preventing Aurora Veil. Bulky Fire-types such as Volcanion and Incineroar can switch into Choice Specs Alolan Ninetales's Blizzard and threaten it with their Fire-type STAB moves. However, all of these Pokemon lack reliable recovery, meaning offensive sets are able to weaken them over the course of the battle. Faster Fire-types such as Salazzle and Choice Scarf Darmanitan revenge kill Alolan Ninetales easily.
**Specially Defensive Walls**: Snorlax, Porygon2, and Assault Vest Reuniclus are examples of specially defensive Pokemon that can reliably switch into Alolan Ninetales and keep offensive sets in check. However, the support set can cripple Snorlax and Porygon2 with Encore.
**Faster Pokemon and Priority Users**: Choice Scarf users and naturally faster threats such as Heracross and Barraskweda can revenge kill all variants of Alolan Ninetales. Noivern and Crobat ignore Aurora Veil due to Infiltrator and 2HKO Alolan Ninetales. Strong priority users such as Metagross and Entei also revenge kill it.
**Opposing Weather Setters**: Torkoal and Politoed replace hail with their own weather and prevent Alolan Ninetales from setting Aurora Veil. Torkoal can also tank attacks from Alolan Ninetales and KO it in return. Politoed, however, must watch out for Freeze-Dry.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Holy-Darky, 464737]]
- Quality checked by: [[zizalith, 410251], [Mac3, 291087]]
- Grammar checked by: [[Estronic, 240732], [DC, 449990]]
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