Ninetales

Alolan Ninetales sits at a 7.62% usage rate, anchoring hail teams through Snow Warning and an almost exclusive Light Clay (96%) set that stretches Aurora Veil to eight turns. The 100 base Speed and 100 base SpDef let it pivot into Aurora Veil early, then lean on Freeze-Dry and Blizzard under permanent hail to break physical walls.

Playstyle：The core move pool divides cleanly: Aurora Veil (24.8%), Encore (23.4%), Freeze-Dry (23.1%) and Blizzard (18.5%). Aurora Veil sets the stage, Encore punishes setup attempts, and Freeze-Dry exists specifically to crack the Water-types that resist Blizzard. Every listed spread is Timid, dumping EVs into Speed (26–32) so Ninetales moves before most Choice Scarf users and can lay Aurora Veil before they strike; defensive or special offensive investment (7 Def or 22 SpA) is layered on top depending on whether the team needs a physical wall or a Blizzard answer. With Light Clay on 96% of sets, partners like Archaludon (10.6%) and Basculegion (8.3%) are explicitly chosen because they can snowball under the extended veil.

✅ Favorable matchups3

ArchaludonBasculegionGlimmora

⚠️ Unfavorable matchups1

Archaludon

At 6.55% usage in doubles, Snow Warning still anchors hail squads. Blizzard (24.6%) and Freeze-Dry (22.7%) together exceed 47%, confirming Ninetales as a direct damage source rather than a Veil-bot. Its 100 base Speed lets it keep pace with most Scarf tiers, doubling as both weather setter and chipper.

Playstyle：The doubles move slate spreads out: Blizzard, Freeze-Dry, Encore (14.9%), Protect (13.6%) and Icy Wind (11.1%) form the toolkit around double-targeting and speed control. Items split between Choice Scarf (42.5%) and Never-Melt Ice (30.1%), with the Scarf set securing weather and Icy Wind priority while Never-Melt Ice boosts Blizzard and Freeze-Dry directly. Focus Sash (16.1%) patches hail recoil. All three spreads are Timid with 32 EVs into Speed and SpA, rounding out with a few points of bulk. Incineroar (11.5%) and Kingambit (9.8%) provide Intimidate and Sucker Punch support respectively.

Ninetales sits at 0.02% usage in singles, ranked 229th, barely appearing on ladder. Its Drought set has long been outclassed by stronger Fire-type weather starters such as Mega Charizard Y, and its bulk, special attack, and speed lack the decisiveness needed to compete in a standard Fire-role slot.

Playstyle：Heat Rock at 71.8% and Choice Scarf at 28.0% define its item split, paired with 100% Drought to lock in hail-free sun. Solar Beam at 17.6% and Flamethrower at 14.6% form the offensive core, while Healing Wish at 12.6% offers a sacrifice revive, Encore at 11.3%, Memento at 9.2%, and Will-O-Wisp at 8.6% cover disruption, with Overheat at 7.0% as a nuke option. Timid 30.4% and Modest 27.3% dominate the spreads, both maxing special attack and speed at the expense of bulk.

In doubles it fares better at 0.56% usage, ranked 88th, though it remains a niche pick. Drought at 98.7% locks it into the weather-setter role, with Choice Scarf at 80.3% defining it as a fast control piece. Its move pool clusters tightly around Heat Wave 22.1%, Solar Beam 22.1%, Overheat 20.0%, and Fake Tears 19.5%, giving it both disruption and burst options.

Playstyle：Modest 0/0/1/32/1/32 leads at 52.5% as the most common spread, dropping two EVs each into defense and special defense to survive longer alongside the Choice Scarf speed tier, outspeeding most opposing Scarf holders. Solar Beam and Heat Wave divide its non-Fire coverage duties: Solar Beam handles Water-, Rock-, and Ground-type switch-ins that resist Fire, while Heat Wave delivers spread Fire damage boosted by sun. Fake Tears at 19.5% pairs with Overheat at 20.0% as the defining doubles combo, dropping special defense to a quarter before Overheat deletes most neutral targets in one shot.