Gen 1 Ninetales (NU) [GP 2/2]

Sabelette

from the river to the sea
is a Site Content Manageris a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnus
[OVERVIEW]
Although Ninetales is an uncommon lead in RBY NU, it crucially outspeeds Mr. Mime and keeps Venomoth out of the battle. Along with its straightforward assets in Speed and STAB Fire Blast, it has Confuse Ray to harass most other leads and Fire Spin to pivot or chip away at slower Pokemon in a pinch. Its special bulk allows it to go toe-to-toe with Mr. Mime, Clefable, and the rare Electrode, and the threat of Body Slam paralysis makes it difficult for these foes to switch out. Ninetales lacks Charizard's dreaded weaknesses to Thunderbolt and Blizzard, allowing it to better face special attackers and ensuring its lead advantage against Mr. Mime. Using Blastoise to check Ninetales will quickly leave it too worn down to check other threats, and it may even be subject to Fire Spin if burned.

Unfortunately, Ninetales is held back by a variety of weaknesses. Though pure Fire is a type with advantages, it leaves Ninetales weak to Charizard's Earthquake. Ninetales lacks a consistent way to stop Charizard and Kabutops from setting up, being forced to switch or fish for paralysis and confusion against deadly foes that can easily KO it or set up with Swords Dance. As Charizard is a common lead, leading Ninetales can immediately put a team on the back foot. Kabutops, Blastoise, and Seadra are capable of switching into Ninetales, albeit at risk of burn or paralysis, and Ninetales's poor coverage leaves it helpless once they do. Confuse Ray and Fire Spin are unreliable at best; they may fully prevent a foe from acting or do absolutely nothing, and they become borderline useless when Ninetales is paralyzed. Ninetales's reliance on luck is baked into all its options, but even moderate luck allows it to frustrate opponents and spread enough damage to enable its teammates.

[SET]
name: Lead Attacker
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Body Slam
move 3: Confuse Ray
move 4: Fire Spin

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Fire Blast is Ninetales's primary damaging move, nearly OHKOing Venomoth and dealing good damage to neutral targets—it 2HKOes Mr. Mime and Electrode fairly often and 3HKOes Clefable and Nidoking. Body Slam can paralyze Fire- and Water-types as they switch in and is also a solid option against Mr. Mime. Confuse Ray can be used independently or with paralysis to harass slower foes and is a passable, low-risk option to cover switches. Fire Spin can be used to pivot or to chip down foes that can otherwise take Fire Blast.

Ninetales generally only fits onto teams as a lead, as Moltres's sheer power and bulk make it more effective as a mid-game wallbreaker. Ninetales seeks to chip down and inflict status onto multiple foes if possible, creating opportunities for teammates such as Charizard, Mr. Mime, and Swords Dance users to sweep later. Good teammates for Ninetales include Water-type Swords Dance users such as Kingler and Kabutops to help check the ubiquitous Blastoise. Ninetales also benefits from status spreaders disabling checks and enabling parafusion. Venomoth can put Water-types to sleep and fish for paralysis as the opponent switches, while Mr. Mime and Clefable can spread paralysis with Thunder Wave. If Ninetales survives the early game, it can return later to take advantage of paralyzed foes or even sweep with Fire Blast. Charizard and Ninetales share checks and are usually the fastest Pokemon in a game, so they may overwhelm opposing Water-, Fire-, and Rock-types.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ninetales's other options are limited in utility. Hyper Beam can provide the extra bit of damage needed to finish off Charizard and Blastoise but does little in most matchups. Toxic can replace Body Slam for use in conjunction with Fire Spin, but this is worsened by Ninetales's inability to consistently trap Charizard and may end up simply blocking more impactful status conditions. Rest looks appealing at first, potentially using parafusion as a chance to heal, but it provides free setup turns for Swords Dance users and free entry for threats like Golem and Nidoking. Substitute may also look interesting to take advantage of Confuse Ray, but Ninetales simply cannot afford the moveslot, and Substitute fails to block Thunder Wave anyway.

Checks and Counters
===================
**Charizard**: Charizard Speed ties and 2HKOes Ninetales with Earthquake 15% of the time even before accounting for its high critical hit rate. While Charizard fears paralysis, Ninetales's Body Slam is an unreliable way to inflict it and risks losing the game to a Swords Dance set.

**Rock-types**: Kabutops is practically immune to Ninetales's attacks—Fire Blast is an 8HKO—and burns do almost nothing to hinder it, forcing Ninetales to switch out or gamble on Fire Spin and Confuse Ray. Golem fears receiving a burn, but it is only 4HKOed by Fire Blast and can nearly OHKO in return if not burned.

**Water-types**: Aside from Kingler, which risks a 3HKO from Fire Blast, all Water-types serve as effective Ninetales checks. Blastoise is only 5HKOed by Fire Blast and can 2HKO in return with Surf or make a safe prediction with Body Slam or Seismic Toss due to its bulk. Seadra, similarly, is almost never 4HKOed by Fire Blast, 2HKOing with Surf in return.

**Paralysis**: A paralyzed Ninetales finds itself outsped and heavily damaged by most foes and unable to use Confuse Ray and Fire Spin effectively. Fire Blast becomes even less accurate, leaving Ninetales with little to do but hope to land one or two more hits before being KOed.

[CREDITS]
Written by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/sabelette.583793/
Quality checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/nicole7735.593847/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/mrsoup.375193/
Grammar checked by:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/cryogyro.331519/
https://www.smogon.com/forums/members/p-squared.168392/
 
Last edited:

BT89

go on, take everything
is a Pre-Contributor
amqc, implement as you please
add remove comment highlight

[OVERVIEW]
Ninetales is a moderately common lead in RBY NU, sporting base 100 Speed (tied with Charizard) try to avoid parentheses as much as possible, perhaps something more akin to "thanks to its speed letting it speed tie with charizard" or something among those lines, a powerful Fire Blast with base 100 Special, Confuse Ray to harass most other leads effectively, and Fire Spin to pivot or chip away at slower Pokemon in a pinch. Its special bulk allows it to go toe-to-toe with Mr. Mime, Clefable, and the rare Electrode, firing off powerful Fire Blasts or simply using Body Slam to attempt paralysis, while easily preventing Venomoth from entering the battle. Ninetales’s lack of a secondary Flying-type benefits it heavily in these matchups, shielding it from Charizard’s dreaded weaknesses to Thunderbolt and Blizzard somewhat awkward phrasing here, maybe instead just say that “ninetales has a better typing than zard, as it is not weak to thunderbolt and blizzard”. Fire Blast’s burn chance can make Ninetales difficult to switch into, and switching into a Body Slam may leave Charizard defanged. Using Blastoise to check Ninetales quickly leaves it too worn down to check other threats and it may even be subject to Fire Spin chip if burned.

Unfortunately, Ninetales is held back by a variety of weaknesses. Its lack of a Flying typing is a double-edged sword, leaving it with a weakness to Earthquake, a move conveniently sported by Charizard. Ninetales lacks any realistic way to stop Charizard or Kabutops from setting up, being forced out or resorting to fishing for paralysis and confusion against foes that KO Ninetales far sooner than it can KO them. All Water-types aside from Kingler feels more convenient to say “water types like x, y, and z are..” are capable of switching into Ninetales, albeit at risk of burn or paralysis, and Ninetales’s poor coverage leaves it helpless once these foes switch in. Confuse Ray is unreliable at best and can as easily do nothing as single-handedly prevent the opponent from acting, and if Ninetales is paralyzed, it becomes even more difficult to use effectively. i’d make this a separate sentence where para is talked abt at least a bit more in-depth

[SET]
name: Lead Attacker
move1: Fire Blast
move2: Body Slam
move3: Confuse Ray
move4: Fire Spin / Hyper Beam

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Fire Blast is Ninetales’s primary damaging move, nearly OHKOing Venomoth, having a 50% chance to 2HKO Mr. Mime and Electrode, 3HKOing Clefable, and 2-3HKOing most non-resistant or specially-frail foes doing good damage to neutral targets like list some neutral targets that are 2-3hkod. Body Slam allows Ninetales to predict opposing switches to Fire- or Water-types and attempt to paralyze them. Confuse Ray can be used independently to harass slower opponents or combined with paralysis to frustrate opposing attempts to make progress, and is a passable midground option to cover an opposing switch. Ninetales’s last slot is somewhat flexible; Fire Spin can be used to pivot or to chip down opponents who may otherwise survive Fire Blast, while Hyper Beam can provide the extra bit of damage needed to finish off Charizard or Blastoise.

Ninetales generally only fits onto teams as a lead and seeks to chip down or inflict status onto multiple opponents if possible, softening them to provide opportunities for teammates such as Charizard, Mr. Mime, or Swords Dance users to sweep later. Good teammates for Ninetales include Water-type Swords Dance users such as Kingler or Kabutops to help check Blastoise,. write a sentence about status spreaders in general, and then go into them. Venomoth too can put sleep opposing Water-types, and the ubiquitous Mr. Mime and Clefable to can spread paralysis and enable parafusion strategies. If Ninetales survives the early game, it can return later to take advantage of paralyzed foes or even sweep with Fire Blast once resistant foes are out of the way.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ninetales’s other options tend to be limited in utility. It has access to Toxic, which can replace Body Slam for use in conjunction with Fire Spin, but this is worsened by Ninetales’ inability to consistently trap Charizard and may end up simply allowing opponents to block worse statuses. Rest looks appealing at first, allowing Ninetales to potentially utilize parafusion as a chance to heal, but robs it of other utility and provides free setup turns for opposing Swords Dancers or free entry for threats that nearly OHKO Ninetales such as Golem and Nidoking. Substitute may also look interesting to take advantage of Confuse Ray generating free turns, but Ninetales simply cannot afford the moveslot, and Substitute fails to block Thunder Wave anyway.


Checks and Counters
===================
**Charizard** : Charizard Speed ties and 2HKOs Ninetales with Earthquake 15% of the time before accounting for its high critical hit rate. Ninetales’s only counterplay is Body Slam, which is unreliable. bit awkwardly phrased, perhaps mention zard dislikes paralysis first and then say even bslam is unreliable

**Rock-types** : Kabutops is practically immune to Ninetales’ attacks—Fire Blast is a 8HKO—and burning it does almost nothing to hinder it, leaving forcing Ninetales to switch out or gamble on Fire Spin or Confuse Ray. Golem fears receiving a burn, but is only 4HKOed by Fire Blast and can nearly OHKO in return if not burned.

**Water-types** : Aside from Kingler, who risks a 3HKO from Fire Blast, all Water-types serve as effective Ninetales checks. Aside from the aforementioned Kabutops, Blastoise is only 5HKOed by Fire Blast and can 2HKO in return with Surf or make a prediction with Body Slam or Seismic toss safely due to its bulk. Seadra, similarly, is almost never 4HKOed by Fire Blast, 2HKOing with Surf in return.

**Paralysis** : A paralyzed Ninetales is frail and unable to utilize Confuse Ray effectively, suddenly finding itself outsped and heavily damaged by the vast majority of the tier. This also hampers Fire Blast’s accuracy further, leaving Ninetales with little to do but hope to land one or two more hits before being KOed.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Sabelette, 583793]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
 
[OVERVIEW]
Ninetales is a moderately common lead in RBY NU, tying Charizard with base 100 Speed, The lead Charizard matchup is a bad one so I don't think the speed tie should be mentioned as a positive a powerful Fire Blast, Confuse Ray to harass most other leads effectively, and Fire Spin to pivot or chip away at slower Pokemon in a pinch. Its special bulk allows it to go toe-to-toe with Mr. Mime, Clefable, and the rare Electrode, firing off powerful Fire Blasts or simply using Body Slam to attempt paralysis, while easily preventing Venomoth from entering the battle. Ninetales’s typing shields it from Charizard’s dreaded weaknesses to Thunderbolt and Blizzard, allowing it to better face special attackers The Mime lead matchup is really key and it's what I'd emphasise here, this mon is basically a Mime counterlead while also preventing early Moth entry. Fire Blast’s burn chance can make Ninetales difficult to switch into, and switching into a Body Slam may leave Charizard defanged. Using Blastoise to check Ninetales quickly leaves it too worn down to check other threats and it may even be subject to Fire Spin chip if burned.

Unfortunately, Ninetales is held back by a variety of weaknesses. Its lack of a Flying typing is a double-edged sword, leaving it with a weakness to Earthquake, a move conveniently sported by Charizard. Ninetales lacks any realistic way to stop Charizard or Kabutops from setting up, being forced out or resorting to fishing for paralysis and confusion against foes that KO Ninetales far sooner than it can KO them. Specifically lead Zard is also a terrible matchup. Kabutops, Blastoise, and Seadra are capable of switching into Ninetales, albeit at risk of burn or paralysis, and Ninetales’s poor coverage leaves it helpless once these foes switch in. Confuse Ray and Fire Spin is unreliable at best and can as easily do nothing as single-handedly prevent the opponent from acting, and if Ninetales is paralyzed, both moves are even more difficult to use effectively.

[SET]
name: Lead Attacker
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Body Slam
move 3: Confuse Ray
move 4: Fire Spin / Hyper Beam


[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Fire Blast is Ninetales’s primary damaging move nearly OHKOing Venomoth and dealing good damage to neutral targets—it (only has a chance to 2hko Mime) 2HKOes Mr. Mime and Electrode while 3HKOing Clefable and Nidoking. Body Slam allows Ninetales to predict (not only a predict, also a good midground if facing eg Mime) opposing switches to Fire- or Water-types and attempt to paralyze them. Confuse Ray can be used independently to harass slower opponents or combined with paralysis to frustrate opposing attempts to make progress, and is a passable midground option to cover an opposing switch. Ninetales’s last slot is somewhat flexible; Fire Spin can be used to pivot or to chip down opponents who may otherwise survive Fire Blast, while Hyper Beam can provide the extra bit of damage needed to finish off Charizard or Blastoise.

Ninetales generally only fits onto teams as a lead and seeks to chip down or inflict status onto multiple opponents if possible, softening them to provide opportunities for teammates such as Charizard, Mr. Mime, or Swords Dance users to sweep later. Good teammates for Ninetales include Water-type Swords Dance users such as Kingler or Kabutops to help check the ubiquitous Blastoise. Ninetales also benefits from status spreaders to disable opposing checks and spread paralysis to enable parafusion. Venomoth can sleep opposing Water-types and fish for paralysis as the opponent switches, while Mr. Mime and Clefable can spread paralysis with Thunder Wave. If Ninetales survives the early game, it can return later to take advantage of paralyzed foes or even sweep with Fire Blast once resistant foes are out of the way.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ninetales’s other options tend to be limited in utility. It has access to Toxic, which can replace Body Slam for use in conjunction with Fire Spin, but this is worsened by Ninetales’ inability to consistently trap Charizard and may end up simply allowing opponents to block worse statuses. Rest looks appealing at first, allowing Ninetales to potentially utilize parafusion as a chance to heal, but robs it of other utility and provides free setup turns for opposing Swords Dancers or free entry for threats that nearly OHKO Ninetales such as Golem and Nidoking. Substitute may also look interesting to take advantage of Confuse Ray generating free turns, but Ninetales simply cannot afford the moveslot, and Substitute fails to block Thunder Wave anyway.


Checks and Counters
===================
**Charizard** : Charizard Speed ties and 2HKOs Ninetales with Earthquake 15% of the time before accounting for its high critical hit rate. While Charizard fears paralysis, Ninetales's Body Slam is an unreliable way to inflict it and risks losing the game to a Swords Dance set.

**Rock-types** : Kabutops is practically immune to Ninetales’ attacks—Fire Blast is an 8HKO—and burning it does almost nothing to hinder it, forcing Ninetales to switch out or gamble on Fire Spin or Confuse Ray. Golem fears receiving a burn, but is only 4HKOed by Fire Blast and can nearly OHKO in return if not burned.

**Water-types** : Aside from Kingler, who risks a 3HKO from Fire Blast, all Water-types serve as effective Ninetales checks. Aside from the aforementioned Kabutops, Blastoise is only 5HKOed by Fire Blast and can 2HKO in return with Surf or make a prediction with Body Slam or Seismic toss safely due to its bulk. Seadra, similarly, is almost never 4HKOed by Fire Blast, 2HKOing with Surf in return.

**Paralysis** : A paralyzed Ninetales is frail and unable to utilize Confuse Ray or Fire Spin effectively, suddenly finding itself outsped and heavily damaged by the vast majority of the tier. This also hampers Fire Blast’s accuracy further, leaving Ninetales with little to do but hope to land one or two more hits before being KOed.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Sabelette, 583793]]
- Quality checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
Made some comments, revise as you feel necessary QC 1/2
 

MrSoup

my gf broke up with me again
is a Tiering Contributor
RBTT Champion
[OVERVIEW]
Ninetales is a moderately id really call it more niche at this point, but enough to be thought about common lead in RBY NU, cruicially outspeeding Mr. Mime and keeping Venomoth out of the battle. Ninetales's key assets are its Speed, STAB Fire Blast, Confuse Ray to harass most other leads effectively, and Fire Spin to pivot or chip away at slower Pokemon in a pinch. Its special bulk allows it to go toe-to-toe with Mr. Mime, Clefable, and the rare Electrode, and the threat of Body Slam paralysis makes it difficult for these foes to switch out. Ninetales’s typing shields it from Charizard’s dreaded weaknesses to Thunderbolt and Blizzard, allowing it to better face special attackers and ensuring its advantage in the lead matchup against Mr. Mime. Using Blastoise to check Ninetales quickly leaves it too worn down to check other threats and it may even be subject to Fire Spin chip if burned.
imo one of the most key points of tales is that its by-nature a coin-flippy Pokemon with burn,spin, and CRay, so maybe add that in the leading description? just an idea
Unfortunately, Ninetales is held back by a variety of weaknesses. Its lack of a Flying typing is a double-edged sword, leaving it with a weakness to Earthquake, a move conveniently sported by Charizard. Ninetales lacks any realistic way to stop Charizard or Kabutops from setting up, being forced out or resorting to fishing for paralysis and confusion against foes that KO Ninetales far sooner than it can KO them. As Charizard is a common lead, leading Ninetales can put a team on the back foot from the first turn. Kabutops, Blastoise, and Seadra are capable of switching into Ninetales, albeit at risk of burn or paralysis, and Ninetales’s poor coverage leaves it helpless once these foes switch in. Confuse Ray and Fire Spin are is unreliable at best and can as easily do nothing as single-handedly prevent the opponent from acting, and if Ninetales is paralyzed, both moves are even more difficult to use effectively. this isn't gc but this sentence is extremely hard to read.

[SET]
name: Lead Attacker
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Body Slam
move 3: Confuse Ray
move 4: Fire Spin / Hyper Beam
Personally I really don't know why you would run tales without spin. its one of its main draws, even moreso than CRay

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Fire Blast is Ninetales’s primary damaging move nearly OHKOing Venomoth and dealing good damage to neutral targets— looks like we have a problem it 2HKOes Mr. Mime and Electrode fairly often and also 3HKOes Clefable and Nidoking. Body Slam allows Ninetales to predict opposing switches to Fire- or Water-types and attempt to paralyze them and is also a solid option against Mr. Mime. Confuse Ray can be used independently to harass slower opponents or combined with paralysis to frustrate opposing attempts to make progress, and is a passable midground option to cover an opposing switch. Ninetales’s last slot is somewhat flexible; Fire Spin can be used to pivot or to chip down opponents who may otherwise survive Fire Blast, while Hyper Beam can provide the extra bit of damage needed to finish off Charizard or Blastoise.

Ninetales generally only fits onto teams as a lead and seeks to chip down or inflict status onto multiple opponents if possible, softening them to provide opportunities for teammates such as Charizard, Mr. Mime, or Swords Dance users to sweep later. Good teammates for Ninetales include Water-type Swords Dance users such as Kingler or Kabutops to help check the ubiquitous Blastoise. Ninetales also benefits from status spreaders to disable opposing checks and spread paralysis to enable parafusion. Venomoth can sleep opposing Water-types and fish for paralysis as the opponent switches, while Mr. Mime and Clefable can spread paralysis with Thunder Wave. If Ninetales survives the early game, it can return later to take advantage of paralyzed foes or even sweep with Fire Blast once resistant foes are out of the way. possibly add a sentence about how Tales and Zard can overpower the other team because they have similar checks

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ninetales’s other options tend to be limited in utility. It has access to Toxic, which can replace Body Slam for use in conjunction with Fire Spin, but this is worsened by Ninetales’ inability to consistently trap Charizard and may end up simply allowing opponents to block worse statuses. Rest looks appealing at first, allowing Ninetales to potentially utilize parafusion as a chance to heal, but robs it of other utility and provides free setup turns for opposing Swords Dancers or free entry for threats that nearly OHKO Ninetales such as Golem and Nidoking. Substitute may also look interesting to take advantage of Confuse Ray generating free turns, but Ninetales simply cannot afford the moveslot, and Substitute fails to block Thunder Wave anyway.
idk where to include it but maybe add that tales competes with molt for a spot on the team

Checks and Counters
===================
**Charizard** : Charizard Speed ties and 2HKOs Ninetales with Earthquake 15% of the time before accounting for its high critical hit rate. While Charizard fears paralysis, Ninetales's Body Slam is an unreliable way to inflict it and risks losing the game to a Swords Dance set.

**Rock-types** : Kabutops is practically immune to Ninetales’ attacks—Fire Blast is an 8HKO—and burning it does almost nothing to hinder it, forcing Ninetales to switch out or gamble on Fire Spin or Confuse Ray. Golem fears receiving a burn, but is only 4HKOed by Fire Blast and can nearly OHKO in return if not burned.

**Water-types** : Aside from Kingler, who risks a 3HKO from Fire Blast, all Water-types serve as effective Ninetales checks. Aside from the aforementioned Kabutops, Blastoise is only 5HKOed by Fire Blast and can 2HKO in return with Surf or make a prediction with Body Slam or Seismic toss safely due to its bulk. Seadra, similarly, is almost never 4HKOed by Fire Blast, 2HKOing with Surf in return.

**Paralysis** : A paralyzed Ninetales is frail and unable to utilize Confuse Ray or Fire Spin effectively, suddenly finding itself outsped and heavily damaged by the vast majority of the tier. This also hampers Fire Blast’s accuracy further, leaving Ninetales with little to do but hope to land one or two more hits before being KOed.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Sabelette, 583793]]
- Quality checked by: [[nicole7735, 593847], [, ]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
Implement as needed qc 2/2
 
GP 1/2
[OVERVIEW]
Ninetales is an uncommon lead in RBY NU, crucially outspeeding Mr. Mime and keeping Venomoth out of the battle. Ninetales's key assets are its Speed, STAB Fire Blast, Along with its straightforward assets in Speed and STAB Fire Blast, it has Confuse Ray to harass most other leads effectively, and Fire Spin to pivot or chip away at slower Pokemon in a pinch. Its special bulk allows it to go toe-to-toe with Mr. Mime, Clefable, and the rare Electrode, and the threat of Body Slam paralysis makes it difficult for these foes to switch out. Ninetales’s typing shields it from lacks Charizard’s dreaded weaknesses to Thunderbolt and Blizzard, allowing it to better face special attackers and ensuring its lead advantage in the lead matchup against Mr. Mime. Using Blastoise to check Ninetales quickly leaves will quickly leave it too worn down to check other threats, (comma) and it may even be subject to Fire Spin chip if burned.

Unfortunately, Ninetales is held back by a variety of weaknesses. Its lack of a Flying typing is a double-edged sword, as this leaves it with a weakness to Earthquake, a move Charizard will always have. Though pure Fire is a type with advantages, it leaves Ninetales weak to Charizard's Earthquake. Ninetales lacks a consistent way to stop Charizard and Kabutops from setting up, being forced out or resorting to fishing to switch or fish for paralysis and confusion against deadly foes that can easily KO it or set up with Swords Dance. As Charizard is a common lead, leading Ninetales can immediately put a team on the back foot from the first turn. Kabutops, Blastoise, and Seadra are capable of switching into Ninetales, albeit at risk of burn or paralysis, and Ninetales’s poor coverage leaves it helpless once these foes switch in they do. Confuse Ray and Fire Spin are unreliable at best; they may fully prevent a foe from acting or do absolutely nothing, and if Ninetales is paralyzed both moves they become borderline useless when Ninetales is paralyzed. Ninetales's reliance on luck is unfortunately baked into all its options, but even moderate luck allows it to frustrate opponents and spread enough damage to enable its teammates to succeed.

[SET]
name: Lead Attacker
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Body Slam
move 3: Confuse Ray
move 4: Fire Spin


[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Fire Blast is Ninetales’s primary damaging move, nearly OHKOing Venomoth and dealing good damage to neutral targets—it 2HKOes Mr. Mime and Electrode fairly often and also 3HKOes Clefable and Nidoking. Body Slam allows Ninetales to attempt to can paralyze Fire- and Water-types as they switch in and is also a solid option against Mr. Mime. Confuse Ray can be used independently to harass slower foes or combined with paralysis to frustrate opposing attempts to make progress, and it also serves as a passable midground option to cover an opposing switch. or with paralysis to harass slower foes and is a passable, low-risk option to cover switches. Fire Spin can be used to pivot or to chip down foes who may otherwise survive that can otherwise take Fire Blast.

Ninetales generally only fits onto teams as a lead, as Moltres's sheer power and bulk generally make it more effective as a mid-game wallbreaker. Ninetales seeks to chip down and inflict status onto multiple foes if possible, softening them to provide creating opportunities for teammates such as Charizard, Mr. Mime, and Swords Dance users to sweep later. Good teammates for Ninetales include Water-type Swords Dance users such as Kingler and Kabutops to help check the ubiquitous Blastoise. Ninetales also benefits from status spreaders to disable opposing checks and spread paralysis to enable disabling checks and enabling parafusion. Venomoth can put opposing Water-types to sleep and fish for paralysis as the opponent switches, while Mr. Mime and Clefable can spread paralysis with Thunder Wave. If Ninetales survives the early game, it can return later to take advantage of paralyzed foes or even sweep with Fire Blast once resistant foes are out of the way. Charizard and Ninetales share checks and are both usually the fastest Pokemon in a game, so they put heavy pressure on may overwhelm opposing Water-, Fire-, and Rock-types and may overwhelm their checks over time.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ninetales’s other options are limited in utility. Hyper Beam can provide the extra bit of damage needed to finish off Charizard and Blastoise but does little in most matchups and takes away a more consistently-useful option. It has access to Toxic, which Toxic can replace Body Slam for use in conjunction with Fire Spin, but this is worsened by Ninetales’s inability to consistently trap Charizard and may end up simply blocking more impactful status conditions. Rest looks appealing at first, allowing Ninetales to potentially utilize potentially using parafusion as a chance to heal, but it provides free setup turns for opposing Swords Dance users and free entry for threats like Golem and Nidoking. Substitute may also look interesting to take advantage of Confuse Ray, but Ninetales simply cannot afford the moveslot, and Substitute fails to block Thunder Wave anyway.


Checks and Counters
===================
**Charizard** : Charizard Speed ties and 2HKOes Ninetales with Earthquake 15% of the time before accounting for its high critical hit rate. While Charizard fears paralysis, Ninetales's Body Slam is an unreliable way to inflict it and risks losing the game to a Swords Dance set.

**Rock-types** : Kabutops is practically immune to Ninetales’s attacks—Fire Blast is an 8HKO—and burning it does burns do almost nothing to hinder it, forcing Ninetales to switch out or gamble on Fire Spin and Confuse Ray. Golem fears receiving a burn, but is only 4HKOed by Fire Blast and can nearly OHKO in return if not burned.

**Water-types** : Aside from Kingler, who which risks a 3HKO from Fire Blast, all Water-types serve as effective Ninetales checks. Aside from the aforementioned Kabutops, Blastoise is only 5HKOed by Fire Blast and can 2HKO in return with Surf or make a safe prediction with Body Slam or Seismic Toss safely due to its bulk. Seadra, similarly, is almost never 4HKOed by Fire Blast, 2HKOing with Surf in return.

**Paralysis** : A paralyzed Ninetales is frail and unable to utilize Confuse Ray or Fire Spin effectively, suddenly finding itself outsped and heavily damaged by the vast majority of the tier finds itself outsped and heavily damaged by most foes and unable to use Confuse Ray and Fire Spin effectively. This also hampers Fire Blast’s accuracy further, Fire Blast becomes even less accurate, leaving Ninetales with little to do but hope to land one or two more hits before being KOed.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Sabelette, 583793]]
- Quality checked by: [[nicole7735, 593847], [MrSoup, 375193]]
- Grammar checked by: [[, ], [, ]]
 

P Squared

a great unrecorded history
is a Site Content Manageris a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
GP 2/2
add comment


[OVERVIEW]
Ninetales is an uncommon lead in RBY NU, crucially outspeeding Mr. Mime and keeping Venomoth out of the battle. (i can tell this sentence has changed compared to how you originally wrote it haha. the way it was written made more sense when you had it as "moderately common lead" since back then it was structured as [words that suggest ninetales is good - comma - words that explain why ninetales is good], but since it's been changed to "uncommon" the second half doesn't flow as naturally -- now it's [words that suggest ninetales is not that good - comma - words that explain why ninetales is good]. the two parts don't really work together as sensibly. i'd try to reconcile them more. "Ninetales is an uncommon lead in RBY NU that has the strengths of crucially..." or "Although Ninetales is an uncommon lead in RBY, it crucially outspeeds..." etc.) Along with its straightforward assets in Speed and STAB Fire Blast, it has Confuse Ray to harass most other leads and Fire Spin to pivot or chip away at slower Pokemon in a pinch. Its special bulk allows it to go toe-to-toe with Mr. Mime, Clefable, and the rare Electrode, and the threat of Body Slam paralysis makes it difficult for these foes to switch out. Ninetales lacks Charizard's dreaded weaknesses to Thunderbolt and Blizzard, allowing it to better face special attackers and ensuring its lead advantage against Mr. Mime. Using Blastoise to check Ninetales will quickly leave it too worn down to check other threats, and it may even be subject to Fire Spin if burned.

Unfortunately, Ninetales is held back by a variety of weaknesses. Though pure Fire is a type with advantages, it leaves Ninetales weak to Charizard's Earthquake. Ninetales lacks a consistent way to stop Charizard and Kabutops from setting up, being forced to switch or fish for paralysis and confusion against deadly foes that can easily KO it or set up with Swords Dance. As Charizard is a common lead, leading Ninetales can immediately put a team on the back foot. Kabutops, Blastoise, and Seadra are capable of switching into Ninetales, albeit at risk of burn or paralysis, and Ninetales's poor coverage leaves it helpless once they do. Confuse Ray and Fire Spin are unreliable at best; they may fully prevent a foe from acting or do absolutely nothing, and they become borderline useless when Ninetales is paralyzed. Ninetales's reliance on luck is baked into all its options, but even moderate luck allows it to frustrate opponents and spread enough damage to enable its teammates. (i like this concluding sentence!)

[SET]
name: Lead Attacker
move 1: Fire Blast
move 2: Body Slam
move 3: Confuse Ray
move 4: Fire Spin

[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Fire Blast is Ninetales's primary damaging move, nearly OHKOing Venomoth and dealing good damage to neutral targets—it 2HKOes Mr. Mime and Electrode fairly often and 3HKOes Clefable and Nidoking. Body Slam can paralyze Fire- and Water-types as they switch in and is also a solid option against Mr. Mime. Confuse Ray can be used independently or with paralysis to harass slower foes and is a passable, low-risk option to cover switches. Fire Spin can be used to pivot or to chip down foes that can otherwise take Fire Blast.

Ninetales generally only fits onto teams as a lead, as Moltres's sheer power and bulk make it more effective as a mid-game wallbreaker. Ninetales seeks to chip down and inflict status onto multiple foes if possible, creating opportunities for teammates such as Charizard, Mr. Mime, and Swords Dance users to sweep later. Good teammates for Ninetales include Water-type Swords Dance users such as Kingler and Kabutops to help check the ubiquitous Blastoise. Ninetales also benefits from status spreaders disabling checks and enabling parafusion. Venomoth can put Water-types to sleep and fish for paralysis as the opponent switches, while Mr. Mime and Clefable can spread paralysis with Thunder Wave. If Ninetales survives the early game, it can return later to take advantage of paralyzed foes or even sweep with Fire Blast. Charizard and Ninetales share checks and are usually the fastest Pokemon in a game, so they may overwhelm opposing Water-, Fire-, and Rock-types.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Ninetales's other options are limited in utility. Hyper Beam can provide the extra bit of damage needed to finish off Charizard and Blastoise but does little in most matchups. Toxic can replace Body Slam for use in conjunction with Fire Spin, but this is worsened by Ninetales's inability to consistently trap Charizard and may end up simply blocking more impactful status conditions. Rest looks appealing at first, potentially using parafusion as a chance to heal, but it provides free setup turns for Swords Dance users and free entry for threats like Golem and Nidoking. Substitute may also look interesting to take advantage of Confuse Ray, but Ninetales simply cannot afford the moveslot, and Substitute fails to block Thunder Wave anyway.

Checks and Counters
===================
**Charizard**: (remove space before the colons; same goes for the rest of the section) Charizard Speed ties and 2HKOes Ninetales with Earthquake 15% of the time (i kinda like an "even" here?) before accounting for its high critical hit rate. While Charizard fears paralysis, Ninetales's Body Slam is an unreliable way to inflict it and risks losing the game to a Swords Dance set.

**Rock-types**: Kabutops is practically immune to Ninetales's attacks—Fire Blast is an 8HKO—and burns do almost nothing to hinder it, forcing Ninetales to switch out or gamble on Fire Spin and Confuse Ray. Golem fears receiving a burn, but it is only 4HKOed by Fire Blast and can nearly OHKO in return if not burned.

**Water-types**: Aside from Kingler, which risks a 3HKO from Fire Blast, all Water-types serve as effective Ninetales checks. Blastoise is only 5HKOed by Fire Blast and can 2HKO in return with Surf or make a safe prediction with Body Slam or Seismic Toss due to its bulk. Seadra, similarly, is almost never 4HKOed by Fire Blast, 2HKOing with Surf in return.

**Paralysis**: A paralyzed Ninetales finds itself outsped and heavily damaged by most foes and unable to use Confuse Ray and Fire Spin effectively. Fire Blast becomes even less accurate, leaving Ninetales with little to do but hope to land one or two more hits before being KOed.

[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Sabelette, 583793]]
- Quality checked by: [[nicole7735, 593847], [MrSoup, 375193]]
- Grammar checked by: [[CryoGyro, 331519], [P Squared, 168392]]


GP Team done
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 1)

Top