Doubles Alolan Ninetales

DaAwesomeDude1

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[OVERVIEW]

Alolan Ninetales is one of the only reliable Ice-type attackers in the tier, being able to threaten common Pokemon such as Zygarde, Salamence, and Landorus-T. The main reason to use Alolan Ninetales is for Aurora Veil, which is an amazing support move for setup attackers such as Zygarde and Snorlax. Hail is also very beneficial for chip damage and breaking Focus Sash from Pokemon like Deoxys-A. However, Alolan Ninetales is very reliant on hail; if hail is gone, Alolan Ninetales becomes useless, as it loses its most reliable attack and the ability to set up Aurora Veil. Unlike weather setters like Tyranitar and Politoed, Alolan Ninetales cannot do anything without its weather. The latter two can at least still do damage and threaten the opposing team or use Icy Wind and support its partner with Helping Hand. Alolan Ninetales is also very weak and will usually not KO the foe unless it hits it super effectively. Despite its good Special Defense, Alolan Ninetales's very poor defensive typing combined with its low HP and Defense stat leaves it unable to switch into very many attacks. Its Speed tier is also very unfortunate, as it is essentially deadweight under Trick Room once Aurora Veil is up. Additionally, being slower than and OHKOed by maximum Attack Mega Salamence is disadvantageous for a fast Ice-type attacker, as Mega Salamence is arguably the most important target out of the three 4x Ice-type-weak Pokemon in the metagame.

[SET]
name: Support Attacker
move 1: Blizzard / Freeze Dry
move 2: Aurora Veil
move 3: Encore / Moonblast
move 4: Protect
item: Light Clay
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Timid
evs: 128 HP / 40 Def / 88 SpA / 252 Spe

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

Blizzard is Alolan Ninetales's best Ice-type STAB attack. It is strong, is a spread attack, has 100% accuracy in hail, and is usually the attack you'll click the most (if running Moonblast). Freeze-Dry is a more reliable option, as it does not require hail to have 100% accuracy and allows Alolan Ninetales to hit Tapu Fini, Gastrodon, and common rain sweepers, such as Kingdra and Mega Swampert, for super effective damage. Aurora Veil is the main reason to use Alolan Ninetales. This move single-handedly makes Alolan Ninetales a great support Pokemon. Encore is another move that boosts Alolan Ninetales's utility by enabling it to punish foes using Protect to stall out hail or trying to take advantage of Alolan Ninetales's passivity by setting up on it. Moonblast is an option to give Alolan Ninetales another STAB attack and allows it to hit Fighting-types, such as Terrakion, for super effective damage. Protect shields Alolan Ninetales from a potential OHKO and can let its partner deal with the threat. Keep in mind the hail turns when using Protect because you might accidentally help stall it out.

Set Details
========

Maximum Speed EVs with a Timid nature ensure that Alolan Ninetales is as fast as possible. 128 HP and 40 Defense EVs allow Alolan Ninetales to take a Doubled-Edge from 60 Attack Mega Salamence. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Special Attack. Snow Warning is the only ability to use because it allows Alolan Ninetales to use Aurora Veil, makes Blizzard perfectly accurate, and provides nice chip damage. Light Clay is the preferred item to prolong Aurora Veil's effects.

Usage Tips
========

Use Aurora Veil when Alolan Ninetales's partner is planning to set up. Keep in mind that Aurora Veil only works under hail, so if the foe has a Pokemon that can change the weather, such as Tyranitar or Pelipper, be wary of using it. Alolan Ninetales relies heavily on hail, so if the opponent has a Pokemon that can change the weather, try to get rid of it as soon as possible. Preserve Alolan Ninetales in that situation so it can win the weather war, since it needs hail to function. Keep in mind that due to Alolan Ninetales's Speed, it will almost always set up weather first, so if the opponent has any weather setters, don't lead with Alolan Ninetales, or else its weather will be overridden if the opponent also leads with their weather setter. If switching Alolan Ninetales in, try to switch it into neutral special attacks. Never switch it into a physical attack, unless resisted, since it is pretty frail physically. Be careful of Trick Room, as once it is set up, Alolan Ninetales is useless.

Team Options
========

Alolan Ninetales is great next to setup sweepers thanks to Aurora Veil. Zygarde is a great partner, as it threatens Fire- and Steel-types that threaten Alolan Ninetales. In return, Alolan Ninetales discourages and threatens Salamence and Landorus-T, the two most common Intimidate users, from switching in, which allows Zygarde to set up more easily. Porygon-Z benefits greatly from the added padding from Aurora Veil, as it is very frail. Porygon-Z can also effectively use Blizzard when paired up with Alolan Ninetales, which is a step up from Ice Beam. The added chip damage from hail is also nice for Porygon-Z to get some KOs that it normally might not get, such as on Tapu Lele. Snorlax can set up a lot more freely under Aurora Veil, on top of Alolan Ninetales being able to threaten common Intimidate users, such as Salamence and Landorus-T. Furthermore, most of the Pokemon that threaten Alolan Ninetales, such as Heatran, Aegislash, and Celesteela, all cannot touch Snorlax and are setup fodder for it. Fire-types, most notably Heatran, can threaten opposing Steel-types, while Alolan Ninetales can take out opposing Ground- and Fighting-types. Heatran also has Flash Fire, which allows it to switch into any Fire-type attacks aimed at Alolan Ninetales and gain a boost.

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

Choice Scarf is great on hyper offensive teams, as it allows Alolan Ninetales to outrun and get rid of key Pokemon that are weak to Ice, such as Choice Scarf Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, and +1 Zygarde. Focus Sash can mitigate Alolan Ninetales's fraility by ensuring that it survives a hit. Icy Wind gives Alolan Ninetales a form of speed control, and Disable is a situational support move that has some merit alongside Encore to force the foe to use Struggle or to get rid of key attacks and force a switch.

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

**Opposing Weather**: Alolan Ninetales relies heavily on hail. Tyranitar, Pelipper, and Mega Charizard Y can change the weather and essentially turn Alolan Ninetales into a useless Pokemon, thus forcing it to switch out.

**Steel-types**: Alolan Ninetales's two STAB attacks are resisted by Steel-types. Aegislash, Celesteela, and Mega Metagross can switch into Alolan Ninetales with no problem and force it out.

**Fire-types**: Fire-types, such as Volcanion and Heatran, resist both of Alolan Ninetales's STAB attacks and can also switch in with no problem. Mega Charizard Y is especially deadly, since it can change the weather.

**Strong Physical Attackers**: Even with Aurora Veil up, Alolan Ninetales's Defense stat is very poor. Any strong physical attack can either do massive damage to or outright OHKO it.
 
Last edited:

Pocket

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slash encore before moonblast, not Protect :0. Also you usually wanna give Ninetales some bulk. i recommend 128 HP / 40 Def / 88 SpA / 252 Spe; this spread survives 60 Atk Mixmence's Double-Edge.

Alternatively you can go with 76 HP / 180 SpA / 252 Spe, which has enough SpA to OHKO 92 HP Zyg with Blizzard.

Scarf Tales deserves its own set imo.
 

talkingtree

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I haven't discussed with QC yet, but Pocket's bulkier spread seems good, and Encore should definitely be slashed on second slot, probably ahead of Moonblast. High OO seems good enough for Scarf Tales.



EDIT: You mentioned Encore twice in Moves but this is pretty great tbh, QC 1/2
 
Last edited:

Checkmater

It’s just us kittens left, and the rain is coming
is a Tiering Contributor
imo 252 HP 252+speed works fine unless there's some particular reason for your spread

Disable is good enough to potentially get a mention in the sets.. maybe? Would definitely use it before using moonblast, personally
 

Fran

formerly Frania
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DPL Champion
freeze dry is not bad for checking rain + gives damage vs fini, i often run encore > tect with sash i think you could mention it somewhere. protect is not that good in general since ninetales damage output is so awful you rarely want it to stay in and waste your veil turns. moonblast also gives you very little coverage on unimportant mons i dont think it should be slashed on the main set. you could mention in team options electric types, mainly zapdos and koko that give you the electric / ice coverage (zapdos can also cover ferro with heatwave). i concidered running specs since it gives you reliable damage output allowing it to properly check even +1 zapdos but i have little expierence outside of test games.
 

shaian

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[Overview]
- As it's written right now this is super informal. Make it more formal in tone. Thanks.
- It's defensive typing being bad is also made worse by its dreadful physical defense and low HP. Also being outrun and OHKOed by 252atk Mence as an Ice type is bad since mence is one of 3 4x weaknesses you want to cover, and is probably the most important of them (at worse tied w/ lando)
- dreadful vs trick room once veil is up

[Set]
- IMO id probably slash freeze dry here due to the superior coverage and not being tied to blizzard. being able to hit fini, gastro, and all common rain abusers for 4x is nuts

[Set Comments]
Moves
========
- Adjust for above

[Strategy Comments]
Other Options
=============
- Adjust for above

Due for 2/2
 

Lumari

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add / fix (comments); (AC=add comma; RC=remove comma; SC=semicolon)
GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW]

Alolan Ninetals Ninetales is one of the only reliable Ice-type attackers in the tier, which allows it being able to threaten common Pokemon, such as Zygarde, Salamence, and Landorus-T. The main reason to use Alolan Ninetales is for Aurora Veil, which is an amazing support move for setup attackers, such as Zygarde and Snorlax. Hail is also very beneficial for chip damage and breaking Focus Sash from Pokemon like Deoxys-A. However, Alolan Ninetales, however, (or put it at the end of the sentence; if you're not putting however at the front of a sentence, whatever you're putting it after has to be the point contrasting with the previous sentence. like say if the previous sentence had been about mega abomasnow then this placement would've been fine) is very reliant on hail. If hail is gone, Alolan Ninetales becomes useless, as it loses its most reliable attack while also losing the ability to set up Aurora Veil. Unlike weather setters like Tyranitar and Politoed, Alolan Ninetales cannot do anything without its weather. The latter two can at least still do damage and threaten the opposing team or use Icy Wind and support its partner with Helping Hand. Alolan Ninetales is also very weak and will usually not kill KO the foe unless it's a super effective hit hits it super effectively. Despite its good Special Defense, Alolan Ninetales's has a very poor defensive typing which, when combined with its low HP and Defense stat (RC) leaves it unable to switch in to into very many attacks. It's Its Speed tier is also very unfortunate, as it is essentially deadweight under Trick Room once Aurora Veil is up. Additionally, being slower than and OHKOed by maximum Attack Mega Salamence is disadvantageous for a fast Ice-type attacker, as Mega Salamence is arguably the most important target out of the three 4x Ice-type weak Pokemon in the metagame.

[SET]
name: Support Attacker
move 1: Blizzard / Freeze Dry
move 2: Aurora Veil (match order in movedesc)
move 3: Encore / Moonblast
move 3: Aurora Veil
move 4: Protect
item: Light Clay
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Timid
evs: 128 HP / 40 Def / 88 SpA / 252 Spe

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

Blizzard is Alolan Ninetales's best Ice-type STAB attack. Blizzard It is strong, is a spread attack, and has 100% accuracy in hail and is usually the attack you'll click the most (if running Moonblast). (don't think i understand this aside, is your point "you'll be clicking it more often than Moonblast if you're running Moonblast, and otherwise it's the only attacking move anyways"? in that case i'd just remove it) Freeze-Dry (AH) is a more reliable option, as it does not require hail to have 100% accuracy and allows Alolan Ninetales to hit Tapu Fini, Gastrodon, and common rain abusers, sweepers, such as Kingdra and Mega Swampert, for super effecitive effective damage. Aurora Veil is the main reason to use Alolan Ninetales. It is a really powerful support move that is basically Reflect and Light Screen in one move. (dex info) This move single-handedly turned Alolan Ninetales into a great support Pokemon. Encore is another move to boost Alolan Ninetales's utility by being able enabling it to punish opponents foes using Protect to stall out hail or opponents trying to take advantage of Alolan Ninetales's passiveness passivity by setting up on it. Moonblast is an option to give Alolan Ninetales another STAB attack and allows it to hit Fighting-types, such as Terrakion, for super effective damage. Protect shields Alolan Ninetales from a potential OHKO and can let its partner deal with the threat. Keep in mind your hail turns when using Protect, (AC) because you might accidentally help stall it out.

Set Details
========

Maximum Speed EVs with a Timid nature ensures ensure that Alolan Ninetales is as fast as possible. 128 HP and 40 Defense EVs allow Alolan Ninetales to live take a Double-Edge (AH) from 60 Attack (prefer "standard" if that's accurate to avoid the specific mention of a non-max spread, similar deal to speed creeping) Mega Salamence. The rest of the EVs were are dumped into Special Attack. Snow Warning is the only ability to use because it allows Alolan Ninetales to use Aurora Veil, have 100% accurate makes Blizzards perfectly accurate, and provides nice chip damage. Light Clay is the preferred item, since Aurora Veil is a really powerful support move so you want to prolong its Aurora Veil's effects.

Usage Tips
========

Use Aurora Veil when Alolan Ninetales's partner is planning to set up. Keep in mind that Aurora Veil only works under hail, so if the foe has a Pokemon that can change the weather, such as Tyranitar or Pelipper, be wary of using it. Alolan Ninetales relies heavily on hail, (AC) so if the foe (opponent? reads like you're talking about the player) has something (if former is indeed opponent then do "a Pokemon") that can change the weather, try to get rid of it as soon as possible. Preserve Alolan Ninetales in that situation so that it can win the weather war, since it needs hail to function, so that it can win the weather war. Keep in mind that due to Alolan Ninetales's Speed, it will almost always setup set up weather first, so if the foe opponent has any weather setters, don't lead with Alolan Ninetales, (AC) or else its weather will be overridden if the foe opponent also leads with their weather setter. If switching Alolan Ninetales in, try to switch it into neutral special attacks. Never switch it into a physical attack, unless resisted, since it is pretty frail physically. Be careful of Trick Room, (AC) as once it is set up, Alolan Ninetales is useless.

Team Options
========

Alolan Ninetales is great next to setup sweepers thanks to Aurora Veil. Zygarde is a great partner, as it threatens Fire- (AH) and Steel-types that threaten Alolan Ninetales. Ninetales, in turn, discourages and threatens Salamence and Landorus-T, the two most common Intimidate users, from switching in, which allows Zygarde to setup set up easier more easily. Porygon-Z benefits greatly from the added padding from Aurora Veil, as it is so very frail. Porygon-Z can also effectively use Blizzard when paired next to up with Alolan Ninetales, which is a step up from Ice Beam. The added chip damage from hail is also nice for Porygon-Z to get some KOs that it normally might not get. (such as?) Snorlax can set up a lot more freely under Aurora Veil. on top of Alolan Ninetales being able to threaten common Intimidate users, such as Salamence and Landorus-T; (SC) furthermore, most of the Pokemon that threaten Ninetales, such as Heatran, Aegislash, and Celesteela, all cannot touch Snorlax and are setup fodder for it. Fire-types, most notably Heatran, can threaten opposing Steel-types, while Alolan Ninetales can take out opposing Ground- (AH) and Fighting-types. Heatran also has Flash Fire, which allows it to switch into any Fire-type attacks aimed at Alolan Ninetales and gain a boost.

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

Choice Scarf is great on hyper offensive teams, as it allows Alolan Ninetales to outrun and get rid of key Pokemon that are weak to Ice, such as Choice Scarf Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, and +1 Zygarde. Focus Sash can mitigate Alolan Ninetales's fraility by ensuring that it lives survives a hit. Freeze-Dry (AH) allows Alolan Ninetales to hit Tapu Fini for super effective damage, (already in the main set) Icy Wind gives it a form of speed control, and Disable is a situational support move that has some merit alongside Encore to force the foe to use Struggle or to get rid of key attacks and force a switch.

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

**Opposing Weather**: Alolan Ninetales relies heavily on hail. Tyranitar, Politoed, and Mega Charizard Y (RC) can change the weather and essentially turn Alolan Ninetales into a useless Pokemon, thus forcing it to switch out.

**Steel-types**: Alolan Ninetales's two STAB attacks are resisted by Steel-types. Aegislash, Celesteela, and Mega Metagross can switch into Alolan Ninetales-A with no problem and force it out.

**Fire-types**: Fire-types, such as Volcanion and Heatran, resist both of Alolan Ninetales's STAB attacks and can also switch in with no problem. Mega Charizard Y is especially deadly, (AC) since it can change the weather.

**Strong Physical Attackers**: Even with Aurora Veil up, Alolan Ninetales-A's Defense stat is still very poor. Any strong physical attack can either do massive damage or straight up outright OHKO it.
 
Last edited:

DaAwesomeDude1

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GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW]

Alolan Ninetals Ninetales is one of the only reliable Ice-type attackers in the tier, which allows it being able to threaten common Pokemon, such as Zygarde, Salamence, and Landorus-T. The main reason to use Alolan Ninetales is for Aurora Veil, which is an amazing support move for setup attackers, such as Zygarde and Snorlax. Hail is also very beneficial for chip damage and breaking Focus Sash from Pokemon like Deoxys-A. However, Alolan Ninetales, however, (or put it at the end of the sentence; if you're not putting however at the front of a sentence, whatever you're putting it after has to be the point contrasting with the previous sentence. like say if the previous sentence had been about mega abomasnow then this placement would've been fine) is very reliant on hail. If hail is gone, Alolan Ninetales becomes useless, as it loses its most reliable attack while also losing the ability to set up Aurora Veil. Unlike weather setters like Tyranitar and Politoed, Alolan Ninetales cannot do anything without its weather. The latter two can at least still do damage and threaten the opposing team or use Icy Wind and support its partner with Helping Hand. Alolan Ninetales is also very weak and will usually not kill KO the foe unless it's a super effective hit hits it super effectively. Despite its good Special Defense, Alolan Ninetales's has a very poor defensive typing which, when combined with its low HP and Defense stat (RC) leaves it unable to switch in to into very many attacks. It's Its Speed tier is also very unfortunate, as it is essentially deadweight under Trick Room once Aurora Veil is up. Additionally, being slower than and OHKOed by maximum Attack Mega Salamence is disadvantageous for a fast Ice-type attacker, as Mega Salamence is arguably the most important target out of the three 4x Ice-type weak Pokemon in the metagame.

[SET]
name: Support Attacker
move 1: Blizzard / Freeze Dry
move 2: Aurora Veil (match order in movedesc)
move 3: Encore / Moonblast
move 3: Aurora Veil
move 4: Protect
item: Light Clay
ability: Snow Warning
nature: Timid
evs: 128 HP / 40 Def / 88 SpA / 252 Spe

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

Blizzard is Alolan Ninetales's best Ice-type STAB attack. Blizzard It is strong, is a spread attack, and has 100% accuracy in hail and is usually the attack you'll click the most (if running Moonblast). (don't think i understand this aside, is your point "you'll be clicking it more often than Moonblast if you're running Moonblast, and otherwise it's the only attacking move anyways"? in that case i'd just remove it) Freeze-Dry (AH) is a more reliable option, as it does not require hail to have 100% accuracy and allows Alolan Ninetales to hit Tapu Fini, Gastrodon, and common rain abusers, sweepers, such as Kingdra and Mega Swampert, for super effecitive effective damage. Aurora Veil is the main reason to use Alolan Ninetales. It is a really powerful support move that is basically Reflect and Light Screen in one move. (dex info) This move single-handedly turned Alolan Ninetales into a great support Pokemon. Encore is another move to boost Alolan Ninetales's utility by being able enabling it to punish opponents foes using Protect to stall out hail or opponents trying to take advantage of Alolan Ninetales's passiveness passivity by setting up on it. Moonblast is an option to give Alolan Ninetales another STAB attack and allows it to hit Fighting-types, such as Terrakion, for super effective damage. Protect shields Alolan Ninetales from a potential OHKO and can let its partner deal with the threat. Keep in mind your hail turns when using Protect, (AC) because you might accidentally help stall it out.

Set Details
========

Maximum Speed EVs with a Timid nature ensures ensure that Alolan Ninetales is as fast as possible. 128 HP and 40 Defense EVs allow Alolan Ninetales to live take a Double-Edge (AH) from 60 Attack (prefer "standard" if that's accurate to avoid the specific mention of a non-max spread, similar deal to speed creeping) Mega Salamence. The rest of the EVs were are dumped into Special Attack. Snow Warning is the only ability to use because it allows Alolan Ninetales to use Aurora Veil, have 100% accurate makes Blizzards perfectly accurate, and provides nice chip damage. Light Clay is the preferred item, since Aurora Veil is a really powerful support move so you want to prolong its Aurora Veil's effects.

Usage Tips
========

Use Aurora Veil when Alolan Ninetales's partner is planning to set up. Keep in mind that Aurora Veil only works under hail, so if the foe has a Pokemon that can change the weather, such as Tyranitar or Pelipper, be wary of using it. Alolan Ninetales relies heavily on hail, (AC) so if the foe (opponent? reads like you're talking about the player) has something (if former is indeed opponent then do "a Pokemon") that can change the weather, try to get rid of it as soon as possible. Preserve Alolan Ninetales in that situation so that it can win the weather war, since it needs hail to function, so that it can win the weather war. Keep in mind that due to Alolan Ninetales's Speed, it will almost always setup set up weather first, so if the foe opponent has any weather setters, don't lead with Alolan Ninetales, (AC) or else its weather will be overridden if the foe opponent also leads with their weather setter. If switching Alolan Ninetales in, try to switch it into neutral special attacks. Never switch it into a physical attack, unless resisted, since it is pretty frail physically. Be careful of Trick Room, (AC) as once it is set up, Alolan Ninetales is useless.

Team Options
========

Alolan Ninetales is great next to setup sweepers thanks to Aurora Veil. Zygarde is a great partner, as it threatens Fire- (AH) and Steel-types that threaten Alolan Ninetales. Ninetales, in turn, discourages and threatens Salamence and Landorus-T, the two most common Intimidate users, from switching in, which allows Zygarde to setup set up easier more easily. Porygon-Z benefits greatly from the added padding from Aurora Veil, as it is so very frail. Porygon-Z can also effectively use Blizzard when paired next to up with Alolan Ninetales, which is a step up from Ice Beam. The added chip damage from hail is also nice for Porygon-Z to get some KOs that it normally might not get. (such as?) Snorlax can set up a lot more freely under Aurora Veil. on top of Alolan Ninetales being able to threaten common Intimidate users, such as Salamence and Landorus-T; (SC) furthermore, most of the Pokemon that threaten Ninetales, such as Heatran, Aegislash, and Celesteela, all cannot touch Snorlax and are setup fodder for it. Fire-types, most notably Heatran, can threaten opposing Steel-types, while Alolan Ninetales can take out opposing Ground- (AH) and Fighting-types. Heatran also has Flash Fire, which allows it to switch into any Fire-type attacks aimed at Alolan Ninetales and gain a boost.

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

Choice Scarf is great on hyper offensive teams, as it allows Alolan Ninetales to outrun and get rid of key Pokemon that are weak to Ice, such as Choice Scarf Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, and +1 Zygarde. Focus Sash can mitigate Alolan Ninetales's fraility by ensuring that it lives survives a hit. Freeze-Dry (AH) allows Alolan Ninetales to hit Tapu Fini for super effective damage, (already in the main set) Icy Wind gives it a form of speed control, and Disable is a situational support move that has some merit alongside Encore to force the foe to use Struggle or to get rid of key attacks and force a switch.

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

**Opposing Weather**: Alolan Ninetales relies heavily on hail. Tyranitar, Politoed, and Mega Charizard Y (RC) can change the weather and essentially turn Alolan Ninetales into a useless Pokemon, thus forcing it to switch out.

**Steel-types**: Alolan Ninetales's two STAB attacks are resisted by Steel-types. Aegislash, Celesteela, and Mega Metagross can switch into Alolan Ninetales-A with no problem and force it out.

**Fire-types**: Fire-types, such as Volcanion and Heatran, resist both of Alolan Ninetales's STAB attacks and can also switch in with no problem. Mega Charizard Y is especially deadly, (AC) since it can change the weather.

**Strong Physical Attackers**: Even with Aurora Veil up, Alolan Ninetales-A's Defense stat is still very poor. Any strong physical attack can either do massive damage or straight up outright OHKO it.
updated, thanks for the check! And yeah I meant you will be clicking Blizzard the most if you're running Moonblast, sorry for any confusion
 

Fireflame

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[OVERVIEW]

Alolan Ninetales is one of the only reliable Ice-type attackers in the tier, being able to threaten common Pokemon,(RC) such as Zygarde, Salamence, and Landorus-T. The main reason to use Alolan Ninetales is for Aurora Veil, which is an amazing support move for setup attackers,(RC) such as Zygarde and Snorlax. Hail is also very beneficial for chip damage and breaking Focus Sash from Pokemon like Deoxys-A. However, Alolan Ninetales is very reliant on hail.(period);(SC) if hail is gone, Alolan Ninetales becomes useless, as it loses its most reliable attack while also losing and the ability to set up Aurora Veil. Unlike weather setters like Tyranitar and Politoed, Alolan Ninetales cannot do anything without its weather. The latter two can at least still do damage and threaten the opposing team or use Icy Wind and support its partner with Helping Hand. Alolan Ninetales is also very weak and will usually not KO the foe unless it hits it super effectively. Despite its good Special Defense, Alolan Ninetales's very poor defensive typing combined with its low HP and Defense stat leaves it unable to switch in to into very many attacks. It's Its Speed tier is also very unfortunate, as it is essentially deadweight under Trick Room once Aurora Veil is up. Additionally, being slower than and OHKOed by maximum Attack Mega Salamence is disadvantageous for a fast Ice-type attacker, as Mega Salamence is arguably the most important target out of the three 4x Ice-type-(AH)weak Pokemon in the metagame.

[SET]
name: Support Attacker
move 1: Blizzard / Freeze Dry
move 2: Aurora Veil
move 3: Encore / Moonblast
move 4: Protect
item: Light Clay
ability: Snow Warningp
nature: Timid
evs: 128 HP / 40 Def / 88 SpA / 252 Spe

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

Blizzard is Alolan Ninetales's best Ice-type STAB attack. It is strong, is a spread attack, and has 100% accuracy in hail,(AC) and is usually the attack you'll click the most (if running Moonblast). Freeze-Dry is a more reliable option, as it does not require hail to have 100% accuracy and allows Alolan Ninetales to hit Tapu Fini, Gastrodon, and common rain sweepers, such as Kingdra and Mega Swampert, for super effective damage. Aurora Veil is the main reason to use Alolan Ninetales. This move single-handedly turned makes (no generational shifts) Alolan Ninetales into a great support Pokemon. Encore is another move to that boosts Alolan Ninetales's utility by enabling it to punish foes using Protect to stall out hail or trying to take advantage of Alolan Ninetales's passivity by setting up on it. Moonblast is an option to give Alolan Ninetales another STAB attack and allows it to hit Fighting-types, such as Terrakion, for super effective damage. Protect shields Alolan Ninetales from a potential OHKO and can let its partner deal with the threat. Keep in mind your the hail turns when using Protect,(RC) because you might accidentally help stall it out.

Set Details
========

Maximum Speed EVs with a Timid nature ensure that Alolan Ninetales is as fast as possible. 128 HP and 40 Defense EVs allow Alolan Ninetales to take a Doubled-Edge from 60 Attack Mega Salamence. The rest of the EVs are dumped into Special Attack. Snow Warning is the only ability to use because it allows Alolan Ninetales to use Aurora Veil, makes Blizzard perfectly accurate, and provides nice chip damage. Light Clay is the preferred item to prolong Aurora Veil's effects.

Usage Tips
========

Use Aurora Veil when Alolan Ninetales's partner is planning to set up. Keep in mind that Aurora Veil only works under hail, so if the foe has a Pokemon that can change the weather, such as Tyranitar or Pelipper, be wary of using it. Alolan Ninetales relies heavily on hail, so if the opponent has a Pokemon that can change the weather, try to get rid of it as soon as possible. Preserve Alolan Ninetales in that situation so that it can win the weather war, since it needs hail to function. Keep in mind that due to Alolan Ninetales's Speed, it will almost always set up weather first, so if the opponent has any weather setters, don't lead with Alolan Ninetales, or else its weather will be overridden if the opponent also leads with their weather setter. If switching Alolan Ninetales in, try to switch it into neutral special attacks. Never switch it into a physical attack, unless resisted, since it is pretty frail physically. Be careful of Trick Room, as once it is set up, Alolan Ninetales is useless.

Team Options
========

Alolan Ninetales is great next to setup sweepers thanks to Aurora Veil. Zygarde is a great partner, as it threatens Fire- and Steel-types that threaten Alolan Ninetales. In return,(AC) Alolan Ninetales,(RC) in turn,(RC) ("in turn" means "one after the other. Zygarde's benefits do not make Alolan Ninetales's benefits happen) discourages and threatens Salamence and Landorus-T, the two most common Intimidate users, from switching in, which allows Zygarde to set up more easily. Porygon-Z benefits greatly from the added padding from Aurora Veil, as it is very frail. Porygon-Z can also effectively use Blizzard when paired up with Alolan Ninetales, which is a step up from Ice Beam. The added chip damage from hail is also nice for Porygon-Z to get some KOs that it normally might not get, such as on Tapu Lele. Snorlax can set up a lot more freely under Aurora Veil, on top of Alolan Ninetales being able to threaten common Intimidate users, such as Salamence and Landorus-T;(SC).(period) Furthermore,(AC) most of the Pokemon that threaten Alolan Ninetales, such as Heatran, Aegislash, and Celesteela, all cannot touch Snorlax and are setup fodder for it. Fire-types, most notably Heatran, can threaten opposing Steel-types, while Alolan Ninetales can take out opposing Ground- and Fighting-types. Heatran also has Flash Fire, which allows it to switch into any Fire-type attacks aimed at Alolan Ninetales and gain a boost.

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

Choice Scarf is great on hyper offensive teams, as it allows Alolan Ninetales to outrun and get rid of key Pokemon that are weak to Ice, such as Choice Scarf Landorus-T, Mega Salamence, and +1 Zygarde. Focus Sash can mitigate Alolan Ninetales's fraility by ensuring that it survives a hit. Icy Wind gives Alolan Ninetales a form of speed control,(AC) (independent clause) and Disable is a situational support move that has some merit alongside Encore to force the foe to use Struggle or to get rid of key attacks and force a switch.

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

**Opposing Weather**: Alolan Ninetales relies heavily on hail. Tyranitar, Pelipper, and Mega Charizard Y can change the weather and essentially turn Alolan Ninetales into a useless Pokemon, thus forcing it to switch out.

**Steel-types**: Alolan Ninetales's two STAB attacks are resisted by Steel-types. Aegislash, Celesteela, and Mega Metagross can switch into Alolan Ninetales with no problem and force it out.

**Fire-types**: Fire-types, such as Volcanion and Heatran, resist both of Alolan Ninetales's STAB attacks and can also switch in with no problem. Mega Charizard Y is especially deadly, since it can change the weather.

**Strong Physical Attackers**: Even with Aurora Veil up, Alolan Ninetales's Defense stat is very poor. Any strong physical attack can either do massive damage to or outright OHKO it.
GP 2/2
 

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