Special
Pivot
CTier
100Speed · Fast

Stats & Training

Nothing fancy in Ninetales's spread. It leans mixed with Sp. Def out front. And you'll get 2 Sp. Def and Speed EVs per KO for it. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
High
HP73
C
Attack76
C
Defense75
C
Sp. Atk81
C
Sp. Def100
B
Speed100
B
Total505
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging75 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height1.1 m
3'07"Small
Weight19.9 kg
43.9 lbsFeather
Base XP177
Average
Abilities
Flash FireTop Pick
Protects against fire moves. Once one has been blocked, the Pokémon's own Fire moves inflict 1.5× damage until it leaves battle.
DroughtHANot in game
Summons strong sunlight that lasts indefinitely upon entering battle.
Flash Fire grants Fire immunity
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpD+1Spe+1
Special Defense training target
Pokedex Entries

Its nine tails are said to be imbued with a mystic power. It can live for a thousand years.

Ninetales Weakness

Type-wise, Ninetales takes extra damage from Water, Ground, and Rock. The Fire typing picks up 5 resistances to work with. Flash Fire grants an additional Fire immunity, reshaping the matchup chart. Ninetales's special bulk (base 100 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

Ninetales Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Water, Ground, Rock
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel
Type ChartAvg
3Weak
5Resist
1Immune
Score-1
Gen IV Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
WaterGroundRock
½xResist
FireGrassIceBugSteel
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Fire
STAB (4)
GrassIceBugSteel
How to Beat Ninetales in Diamond & Pearl (Best Counters)

In Diamond & Pearl, Flygon can KO Ninetales with Earthquake (122-143%). Swampert threatens a KO with Earthquake (104-122%). Aerodactyl's Stone Edge also KOs at 125-147%.

Flygon
Flygon
GroundDragon
A
Recommended Build
AbilityLevitate
ItemChoice Scarf
NatureJolly
Moves
  • EarthquakeSTAB
  • OutrageSTAB
  • U Turn
  • Thunder Punch
Damage vs Ninetales
Earthquake 2x
122-143%KO
Outrage
73-86%
U Turn
14-17%
View Flygon builds →

Diamond & Pearl Evolution

Ninetales evolved from Vulpix's chain using an evolution item. It's a non-standard trigger, so check the details below. Breed this form to get Vulpix eggs (average hatch time). The evolution from Vulpix pushed Ninetales to 505 total stats. HP saw the largest single gain at +35. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Vulpix
#037Vulpix
Fire Stone
Fire Stone
Ninetales
#038Ninetales
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Vulpix
Fire
Ninetales
Fire
HP
38
73+35
ATK
41
76+35
DEF
40
75+35
SP.ATK
50
81+31
SP.DEF
65
100+35
SPE
65
100+35
BST
299D-Tier
505B-Tier+206
ROLE
Balanced
Pivot
TYPE
Utility
Mixed

Breeding

Easy

Breed with Ninetales to get Vulpix eggs easily using 131 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Disable, Energy Ball, Extrasensory and 8 more.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
♂25.0%♀75.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
11moves
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckampharosrhydondewgongarbokquagsirenidorinofarfetchdflaaffy
12 of 131·

Diamond & Pearl Ninetales Best Moveset

Flamethrower is the main STAB option after a Nasty Plot boost. Salacberry gives Ninetales extra utility to survive the setup turn, and max Sp. Atk and Speed EVs make the boosted hits count. The remaining moves catches resists.

Best Build

Experimental
Special Setup Sweeper
Ability
Flash Fire
Item
Salac BerryRECOVERY
Best Nature for Ninetales
Timid+SPE

Ninetales best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

Special Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Energy Ball
  • Nasty Plot
  • FlamethrowerSTAB
  • Fire BlastSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Gengar
GengarDecent
Crobat
CrobatDecent
Forretress
ForretressDecent

Moves

Breeding's the move. Disable and Energy Ball give Ninetales options it can't learn any other way, and Normal and Dark coverage and more already covers a decent range on top of Overheat and Flare Blitz. The egg moves push it further.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Confuse Ray
D—10010Ghost
Lv 1
Ember
—4010025Fire
Lv 1
Nasty Plot
A——20Dark
Lv 1
Quick Attack+1
D4010030Normal
Lv 1
Safeguard
D——25Normal

TM Moves

TM
TM45
Attract
——10015Normal
TM04
Calm Mind
C——20Psychic
TM78
Captivate
——10020Normal
TM79
Dark Pulse
C8010015Dark
TM28
Dig
C8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM85
Dream Eater
—10010015Psychic
TM58
Endure+4
———10Normal
TM42
Facade
D7010020Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
B120855Fire
TM35
Flamethrower
A9510015Fire
TM21
Frustration
D—10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
C150905Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
D1007515Steel
TM83
Natural Gift
D—10015Normal
TM50
Overheat
B140905Fire
TM66
Payback
D5010010Dark
TM17
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM77
Psych Up
———10Normal
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
TM05
Roar-6
C——20Normal
TM20
Safeguard
D——25Normal
TM43
Secret Power
—7010020Normal
TM82
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM22
Solar Beam
C12010010Grass
TM90
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM87
Swagger
——9015Normal
TM06
Toxic
C—8510Poison
TM61
Will-O-Wisp
C—7515Fire

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Disable
——8020Normal
Egg
Energy Ball
A8010010Grass
Egg
Extrasensory
C8010030Psychic
Egg
Feint Attack
—60—20Dark
Egg
Flail
——10015Normal
Egg
Flare Blitz
B12010015Fire
Egg
Heat Wave
C1009010Fire
Egg
Howl
———40Normal
Egg
Hypnosis
D—7020Psychic
Egg
Psych Up
———10Normal
Egg
Spite
——10010Ghost

Tutor Moves

Ninetales can't learn any Tutor moves

Reminder Moves

Rem
Rem
Captivate
——10020Normal
Rem
Extrasensory
C8010030Psychic
Rem
Fire Blast
B120855Fire
Rem
Fire Spin
—357015Fire
Rem
Flamethrower
A9510015Fire
Rem
Grudge
———5Ghost
Rem
Imprison
———10Psychic
Rem
Payback
D5010010Dark
Rem
Roar-6
C——20Normal
Rem
Tail Whip
——10030Normal
Rem
Will-O-Wisp
C—7515Fire

Transfer Moves

Gen
Gen 3
Body Slam
C8510015Normal
Gen 3
Double-Edge
C12010015Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
———10Normal

How to Get Ninetales in Diamond & Pearl

No wild encounters for Ninetales. The 2-stage line runs through Vulpix, which you can catch at moderate rates from the locations below. Evolve through a special method once you've got the levels.

How to Obtain Ninetales in Diamond & Pearl

The path to Ninetales starts with Vulpix at Lv. 16-24 via walking encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.

  1. Vulpix
    Step 1Catch Vulpix
    Route 209
    DiamondGrass Lv.16 Route
    8%Mid
    Dual-slot: LeafGreen
    Route 209
    PearlGrass Lv.16 Route
    8%Mid
    Dual-slot: LeafGreen
    Route 214
    DiamondGrass Lv.24 Route
    RareMid
    Dual-slot: LeafGreen
    Route 214
    PearlGrass Lv.24 Route
    RareMid
    Dual-slot: LeafGreen
  2. Ninetales
    Step 2Ninetales ✓

Ninetales Guide

  • In Diamond & Pearl, Ninetales looks average on paper at 505 BST. But Drought is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier pivot on our tier list. Energy Ball with Salacberry is the standard set.

  • In Diamond & Pearl, Ninetales's biggest threats include Gyarados (Water), Rhydon (Ground), and Golem (Rock), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.

  • Ninetales gets Drought and Flash Fire. But Drought is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.

  • Ninetales is a special attacker with base 81 Sp. Atk. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the pivot role.

  • In Diamond & Pearl, Drought is the hidden ability. It summons strong sunlight that lasts indefinitely upon entering battle. Worth hunting for if you want Ninetales to compete at a higher level.

Game Availability

Available since Red & Blue, Ninetales appears in 21 games spanning 10 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained an Alolan form in Generation 7.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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