Vertigo
11-09-2009, 06:32 AM
Ninetales
http://arkeis.com/images/pokemonfactory/Ninetales.png
Summary:
Most used set:
Ninetales most used set is the Special Sweeper set as it acts as quite a range of things, main reason for that being the different types of moves it can learn.
Usual counters:
Mantines high Special Defense can give Ninetales quite a hard time of getting through without HP Electric, and can easily become a fallen team member to Surf. Camperupt does quite well, but repeated hits from the Choice Specs set can wear him out over time. Altaria also walls Nineteals if it fails to be holding HP Ice and with Natural Care, switching into a status isn't a problem. Hypno fares well and can come into Hypnosis, thanks to it's Insomnia and start putting up Light Screen or threaten Ninetales with a status inflicting move. Grumpig works the same way, except it trades in its sleep immunity for fire-type move immunity. Both need to watch out for Dark Pulse.
Ninetales is not as much of a good player in OU since it can be taken down by a lot of todays common threats; Salamece, Latias, Blissey, Heatran etc.
Types of Teams Pokemon Is Used In:
Ninetales is preferably used in UU teams but it can acquit itself against OU teams in a pinch.
http://www.serebii.net/heartgoldsoulsilver/pokemon/038-m.png
Nasty Plot @ Life Orb / Leftovers
Timid Nature
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Nasty Plot
- Flamethrower / Fire Blast
- Energy Ball
- Hypnosis
A very simple, although somewhat very effective set to use. The aim of it is to get your opponent subdued to Hypnosis and when it's helpless let the Nasty Plot completely revamp Ninetales speical attacking power. With this being done it can start at sweeping the opponents team with STAB Fire attack, Flamethrower is recommended since accucracy does play a huge part in how well it can sustain it's sweep. The provided extra power that you get from Fire Blast douese help in a couple places, assuming you have Life Orb equipped it will 2HKO things like Probopass and Hypno after a Nasty Plot. Energy Ball also there for primary counters like Water and Rock type Pokemon.
Having support on the team going along with Ninetales also always helps if you are looking to increase your type-coveredge. Instead of Hypnosis you can replace this with Hidden Power types, Water is good for other Fire-types opposing you, Electric helps you take out Mantine and finally Hidden Power Ice takes out Altaria. With that being said there is certainly a lot to consider when making your decision on this but it really does help with type coveredge. Although, it is definitly possible to come across Psychic-types like Grumpig and Hypno as well as Ghost-types like Rotom. So to get those off your back Ninetales does learn Dark Pulse so theres always that too.
You can always choose between Leftovers and Life Orb on Ninetales. Each has it's up and down sides. Leftovers is there to recover HP from lost switch in damage and Life Orb provides even more attacking power if you're not bothered about the 10% drop in HP each time you attack.
The stats you'll be focusing on are Speed, Special Defense, and Special Attack with this EV set and the ones below you'll be maxing out a Speed stat of at 328 being able to outrun most other Pokemon in its tier as well as Adamant Heracross.
http://www.serebii.net/heartgoldsoulsilver/pokemon/038-m.png
Double Status @Leftovers / Wide Lens
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
Ability: Flash Fire
- Hypnosis
- Will-O-Wisp
- Overheat / Fire Blast
- Energy Ball
A more mixed variation of the previous Nasty Plot set. This set aims to make do of Ninetales status inducing abilities and bring them to the surface. It's pretty simple really. Hit offensive sweepers and attackers with Will-O-Wisp and put an opponent to sleep and start hitting them hard. Energy Ball again on this set to try and resolve Rock and Water type Pokemon putting Ninetales in danger. As for your STAB Fire-type move it comes down to either Overheat and Fire Blast. While Overheat is the suggested move since you will be switching out more compated to the Nasty Plot set. Of course if you are planning to go with a late game sweep using this set or you think that Ninetales will hang around a for a bit then go with Fire Blast.
You can then opt to give Ninetales either Leftovers or Wide Lens. Again both have their pros and cons. Wide Lens is very helpful to give Ninetales since you'll be using a couple, maybe more moves with low accuracy, depends if you went with Fire Blast or not. And then Leftovers is still there to make up for hazardous switch-ins.
http://www.serebii.net/heartgoldsoulsilver/pokemon/038-m.png
Choice Specs @ Choice Specs
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
Ability: Flash Fire
- Overheat / Fire Blast
- Energy Ball
- Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Electric
This is the most full-on offensive Ninetales set available. Dark Pulse gets the classic UU Psychic walls, Grumpig and Hypno. Choice Specs provides a very powerful and hard hitting STAB move. Overheat is the preferred one on this set since it will be getting countered and will still be locked on the same move so it is going to be moving in and out a lot. Although this doesn't make Fire Blast an invalid move. You can use Fire Blast if you'd still like to giving it some more needed endurance when sweeping if you're confident enough. Energy Ball covers most of the opposing Water-type and Rock-type Pokemon seen in todays UU metagame For the final move slot you can choose between a number of various Hidden Powers. It's best just to choose accordingly to whatever your team doesn't already have counters for. Electric hits Mantine. Ice hits Altaria. If you are willing enough to make Ninetales into a kind of unorthodox style set you could run Hidden Power Water to counter Camperupt and other Fire-types.
Putting into consideration that yes many of Ninetales fellow Fire-type Pokemon are more powerful with this type of set, Ninetales is able to do something that not many others can do which is being able to carry both a Grass move that isn't Solarbeam and an Electric or Ice attack. Only the fearsome OU Infernape (Grass Knot and Hidden Power Ice) can do this as well as Magmorter (Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Grass). Ninetales does have some good originality and somewhat unorthodox feel about it. The reason being is that it works, mainly due to it's equipped well set Speed stat.
Other Options
Grude can prove useful to help another Pokemon in the team to set up if you can manage to rip away the opposing Pokemons attacking moves PP. An example of Suicunes Surf being recuded to zilt and then setting up can really manage to out dents in the foes team. Extrasensory is learned by Ninetales but is only used to hit Tentacruel. As well as it learns Calm Mind, although Nasty Plot will always be somewhat more effective. Confuse Ray are viable options too, but not the best of the best compared to what else is avalible to Ninetales.
Opinion
The old benefits of Ninetales are still there, sleep inducing capabilities and good speed. Ninetales however gained alot when the metagame was converted over to the DP metagame when matched up aganst the ADV metagame. The biggest chnges and additions to Ninetales were Energy Ball and Nasy Plot since both are vital to make her a threatning special sweeper. Ninetales may be shaken off by some of the more stronger threats, it still proves to be a very effecient sweeper in the UU tiers.
http://arkeis.com/images/pokemonfactory/Ninetales.png
Summary:
Most used set:
Ninetales most used set is the Special Sweeper set as it acts as quite a range of things, main reason for that being the different types of moves it can learn.
Usual counters:
Mantines high Special Defense can give Ninetales quite a hard time of getting through without HP Electric, and can easily become a fallen team member to Surf. Camperupt does quite well, but repeated hits from the Choice Specs set can wear him out over time. Altaria also walls Nineteals if it fails to be holding HP Ice and with Natural Care, switching into a status isn't a problem. Hypno fares well and can come into Hypnosis, thanks to it's Insomnia and start putting up Light Screen or threaten Ninetales with a status inflicting move. Grumpig works the same way, except it trades in its sleep immunity for fire-type move immunity. Both need to watch out for Dark Pulse.
Ninetales is not as much of a good player in OU since it can be taken down by a lot of todays common threats; Salamece, Latias, Blissey, Heatran etc.
Types of Teams Pokemon Is Used In:
Ninetales is preferably used in UU teams but it can acquit itself against OU teams in a pinch.
http://www.serebii.net/heartgoldsoulsilver/pokemon/038-m.png
Nasty Plot @ Life Orb / Leftovers
Timid Nature
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Nasty Plot
- Flamethrower / Fire Blast
- Energy Ball
- Hypnosis
A very simple, although somewhat very effective set to use. The aim of it is to get your opponent subdued to Hypnosis and when it's helpless let the Nasty Plot completely revamp Ninetales speical attacking power. With this being done it can start at sweeping the opponents team with STAB Fire attack, Flamethrower is recommended since accucracy does play a huge part in how well it can sustain it's sweep. The provided extra power that you get from Fire Blast douese help in a couple places, assuming you have Life Orb equipped it will 2HKO things like Probopass and Hypno after a Nasty Plot. Energy Ball also there for primary counters like Water and Rock type Pokemon.
Having support on the team going along with Ninetales also always helps if you are looking to increase your type-coveredge. Instead of Hypnosis you can replace this with Hidden Power types, Water is good for other Fire-types opposing you, Electric helps you take out Mantine and finally Hidden Power Ice takes out Altaria. With that being said there is certainly a lot to consider when making your decision on this but it really does help with type coveredge. Although, it is definitly possible to come across Psychic-types like Grumpig and Hypno as well as Ghost-types like Rotom. So to get those off your back Ninetales does learn Dark Pulse so theres always that too.
You can always choose between Leftovers and Life Orb on Ninetales. Each has it's up and down sides. Leftovers is there to recover HP from lost switch in damage and Life Orb provides even more attacking power if you're not bothered about the 10% drop in HP each time you attack.
The stats you'll be focusing on are Speed, Special Defense, and Special Attack with this EV set and the ones below you'll be maxing out a Speed stat of at 328 being able to outrun most other Pokemon in its tier as well as Adamant Heracross.
http://www.serebii.net/heartgoldsoulsilver/pokemon/038-m.png
Double Status @Leftovers / Wide Lens
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Bold Nature
Ability: Flash Fire
- Hypnosis
- Will-O-Wisp
- Overheat / Fire Blast
- Energy Ball
A more mixed variation of the previous Nasty Plot set. This set aims to make do of Ninetales status inducing abilities and bring them to the surface. It's pretty simple really. Hit offensive sweepers and attackers with Will-O-Wisp and put an opponent to sleep and start hitting them hard. Energy Ball again on this set to try and resolve Rock and Water type Pokemon putting Ninetales in danger. As for your STAB Fire-type move it comes down to either Overheat and Fire Blast. While Overheat is the suggested move since you will be switching out more compated to the Nasty Plot set. Of course if you are planning to go with a late game sweep using this set or you think that Ninetales will hang around a for a bit then go with Fire Blast.
You can then opt to give Ninetales either Leftovers or Wide Lens. Again both have their pros and cons. Wide Lens is very helpful to give Ninetales since you'll be using a couple, maybe more moves with low accuracy, depends if you went with Fire Blast or not. And then Leftovers is still there to make up for hazardous switch-ins.
http://www.serebii.net/heartgoldsoulsilver/pokemon/038-m.png
Choice Specs @ Choice Specs
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
Ability: Flash Fire
- Overheat / Fire Blast
- Energy Ball
- Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Electric
This is the most full-on offensive Ninetales set available. Dark Pulse gets the classic UU Psychic walls, Grumpig and Hypno. Choice Specs provides a very powerful and hard hitting STAB move. Overheat is the preferred one on this set since it will be getting countered and will still be locked on the same move so it is going to be moving in and out a lot. Although this doesn't make Fire Blast an invalid move. You can use Fire Blast if you'd still like to giving it some more needed endurance when sweeping if you're confident enough. Energy Ball covers most of the opposing Water-type and Rock-type Pokemon seen in todays UU metagame For the final move slot you can choose between a number of various Hidden Powers. It's best just to choose accordingly to whatever your team doesn't already have counters for. Electric hits Mantine. Ice hits Altaria. If you are willing enough to make Ninetales into a kind of unorthodox style set you could run Hidden Power Water to counter Camperupt and other Fire-types.
Putting into consideration that yes many of Ninetales fellow Fire-type Pokemon are more powerful with this type of set, Ninetales is able to do something that not many others can do which is being able to carry both a Grass move that isn't Solarbeam and an Electric or Ice attack. Only the fearsome OU Infernape (Grass Knot and Hidden Power Ice) can do this as well as Magmorter (Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Grass). Ninetales does have some good originality and somewhat unorthodox feel about it. The reason being is that it works, mainly due to it's equipped well set Speed stat.
Other Options
Grude can prove useful to help another Pokemon in the team to set up if you can manage to rip away the opposing Pokemons attacking moves PP. An example of Suicunes Surf being recuded to zilt and then setting up can really manage to out dents in the foes team. Extrasensory is learned by Ninetales but is only used to hit Tentacruel. As well as it learns Calm Mind, although Nasty Plot will always be somewhat more effective. Confuse Ray are viable options too, but not the best of the best compared to what else is avalible to Ninetales.
Opinion
The old benefits of Ninetales are still there, sleep inducing capabilities and good speed. Ninetales however gained alot when the metagame was converted over to the DP metagame when matched up aganst the ADV metagame. The biggest chnges and additions to Ninetales were Energy Ball and Nasy Plot since both are vital to make her a threatning special sweeper. Ninetales may be shaken off by some of the more stronger threats, it still proves to be a very effecient sweeper in the UU tiers.