Ninetales [QC 0/3]

Hilomilo

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[OVERVIEW]

* By virtue of its access to Drought, which powers up its STAB attacks, Ninetales can function as a nasty wallbreaker on UU's offensive teams.
* After boosting its Special Attack with Nasty Plot, it is capable of OHKOing even Pokemon resistant to Fire-type attacks, like Latias and Hydreigon, through the use of Firium Z.
* Furthermore, Ninetales's ability can be put to solid use on dedicated sun teams, due to its great synergy with sun's best abuser in Venusaur.
* Unfortunately, Ninetales is extremely physically frail, which can keep it from reliably setting up and leaves it prone to revenge killers.
* It also lacks power prior to setup, due to its measly Special Attack stat.
* Lastly, Ninetales faces competition as a Fire-type Nasty Plot user from Infernape, which has a more useful offensive typing, better speed and power, and a wider movepool, and Salazzle, which is also faster and more powerful.

[SET]
name: Drought Wallbreaker
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Solar Beam
move 3: Nasty Plot
move 4: Hypnosis / Psyshock / Substitute
item: Firium Z
ability: Drought
nature: Timid
evs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe

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

* Fire Blast is a strong STAB attack that hits extremely hard when powered by sun, OHKOing a large portion of offensive Pokemon after a boost. When Firium Z has been activated, Fire Blast turns into a powerful Inferno Overdrive that, when boosted by both Nasty Plot and the sun, is capable of OHKOing even Fire-resistant Pokemon like Latias and Haxorus. It can also notably 2HKO Blissey alongside Fire Blast.
* Solar Beam super effectively hits a plethora of Pokemon resistant to Fire Blast, some examples being Rotom-W, Swampert, and Primarina.
* Nasty Plot boosts Ninetales's Special Attack to impressive levels, activating its wallbreaking prowess.
* Hypnosis cripples foes with sleep, which Ninetales can then abuse to garner setup opportunities.
* Psyshock is another option for the final slot that can be used to hit a few Pokemon Ninetales otherwise struggles to break past, such as Tentacruel and Nihilego.
* Substitute is also an option, and can be used as Ninetales forces switches to guarantee setup for at least one turn.

Set Details
========

* Maximum investment in Special Attack gives Ninetales as much power as possible with a neutral nature.
* Maximum Speed investment with a Timid nature gives it a respectable amount of Speed, notably allowing it to outpace Pokemon like Hydreigon, Haxorus, and Entei.
* Drought and Firium Z are essential as the respective ability and item, as together they allow Ninetales to use an immensely powerful Inferno Overdrive to significantly damage the majority of its defensive checks.

Usage Tips
========

* Ninetales should look to come into play with pivot support or on a free switch due to its frailty.
* However, Ninetales should only attempt coming in and wallbreaking when entry hazards, most notably Stealth Rock, have been removed from its side of the field due to its major susceptibility to residual damage.
* Upon getting in safely, it should seek setup opportunities against defensive foes that can't adequately damage it, such as Sylveon and Mandibuzz, or against Pokemon that it naturally forces out, like Amoonguss and Doublade.
* If a Pokemon capable of checking Ninetales, such as Chandelure or Alolan Muk, is brought into play, Ninetales should attempt crippling said Pokemon with Hypnosis if running the move. Upon crippling its foes with sleep, it can then try for more Nasty Plot boosts, which it can use to muscle past even bulkier and resisted targets of its attacks.
* Inferno Overdrive should be used once Ninetales is at least at +2 and can only break past its intended target in using the attack. Examples of Pokemon to hit with the move include Hydreigon, weakened Mega Altaria, Empoleon, and Hippowdon, which can all otherwise tank an attack and exploit Ninetales in one way or another.
* If Ninetales is running Psyshock, it should look to use it to nail Pokemon like Nihilego and Tentacruel on the switch, as they will otherwise come in easily and force Ninetales out.

Team Options
========

* Entry hazard support from Pokemon like Azelf, Cobalion, and Klefki can be crucial for allowing Ninetales to secure various KOs. For example, it has a high chance of OHKOing Latias with +2 Inferno Overdrive with Stealth Rock down, and can 2HKO Chandelure with a boosted Solar Beam with Stealth Rock down as well.
* Entry hazard removal from the likes of Mega Blastoise and Starmie is also quite important due to Ninetales's Stealth Rock weakness, which if not covered can leave it even more susceptible to revenge killers and physical priority.
* Venusaur is a solid option if the user wishes to run a dedicated sun core, as it can abuse leftover turns of Ninetales's sun thanks to Chlorophyll, its access to Growth, and the great offensive synergy it has with Ninetales.
* Setup sweepers like Terrakion, Scizor, and Hone Claws Mega Aerodactyl are appreciative of Ninetales's ability to break past walls and opposing teams in general for them to clean up in the late-game.
* Lastly, physically bulky offensive Pokemon such as Gliscor and Suicune can deal with the physically offensive threats that will often try revenge killing Ninetales, such as Infernape and Choice Scarf Krookodile.

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

* Grassium Z is a viable alternative to Firium Z that Ninetales can use to break past a few of its less conventional checks, such as Gigalith and Mantine. However, the wider variety of threats covered by Firium Z generally makes this an inferior option.
* A support-based set that looks to provide sun to abusers like Venusaur is viable, though it will require that Ninetales uses a Heat Rock in order to provide plentiful sun turns to its teammates, which heavily cuts into its breaking prowess.
* Will-O-Wisp and Toxic are two useful status options that Ninetales can use to cripple physical attackers and defensive Pokemon respectively, but both moves are rather hard to find room for on wallbreaking sets.
* Lastly, Sunny Day can be used to reset Ninetales's sun if it runs out or is disrupted, though it is often hard to find room for.

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

**Gigalith**: Gigalith isn't particularly common, though its access to Sand Stream and resistance to Fire-type attacks allows it to consistently sponge hits from Ninetales without much worry. Upon tanking attacks, Gigalith can threaten Ninetales out with super effective STAB attacks or set up Stealth Rock on it.

**Various Special Walls**: Ninetales has the tools needed to break past a large amount of specially defensive Pokemon, though some can still work around it. Mantine's resistance to Ninetales's STAB attacks allows it to comfortably sponge hits while crippling Ninetales with status, while Thick Fat Snorlax, despite not being a particularly common threat, can easily absorb its attacks as well.

**Faster Pokemon**: Ninetales's Speed is decent, though it still leaves it outsped by common threats in Mega Beedrill, Nihilego, and Mega Sharpedo, all of which have powerful enough of STAB attacks to KO Ninetales due to its frailty. Choice Scarf users like Hydreigon and Krookodile are also troublesome for similar reasons.

**Residual Damage**: Between Ninetales's susceptibility to Toxic, its entry hazard weakness, and the presence of VoltTurn users, it is extremely suscpetible to chip damage and is thus easily worn down throughout the course of a match if not used carefully.
 
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