Special
Pivot
ATier
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.
DroughtHA
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. The Pokémon is said to live for 1,000 years.

Ninetales Weakness

Type-wise, Ninetales takes extra damage from Water, Ground, and Rock. It resists 6 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. 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, Fairy
Type ChartAvg
3Weak
6Resist
1Immune
Score0
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
WaterGroundRock
½xResist
FireGrassIceBugSteelFairy
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Fire
STAB (4)
GrassIceBugSteel
How to Beat Ninetales in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (Best Counters)

In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Lunatone's Psychic hits Ninetales for 46-54%. Slowking's Scald hits Ninetales for 60-71%.

Lunatone
Lunatone
RockPsychic
A
Recommended Build
AbilityLevitate
ItemPower Herb
NatureModest
Moves
  • Ice Beam
  • Moonblast
  • PsychicSTAB
  • Meteor Beam
Damage vs Ninetales
Ice Beam
15-18%
Moonblast
16-19%
Psychic
46-54%
View Lunatone builds →

Brilliant Diamond & Shining 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 Evolutions
Vulpix
#037Vulpix
Ninetales
#038NinetalesFire Stone
Alola NinetalesAlola
#038Alola NinetalesIce Stone
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Vulpix
Fire
Ninetales
Fire
Alola Ninetales
Fire
HP
38
73+35
73+35
ATK
41
76+35
76+35
DEF
40
75+35
75+35
SP.ATK
50
81+31
81+31
SP.DEF
65
100+35
100+35
SPE
65
100+35
100+35
BST
299D-Tier
505B-Tier+206
505C-Tier+206
ROLE
Balanced
Pivot
Pivot
TYPE
Utility
Mixed
Mixed

Breeding

Easy

Breed with Ninetales to get Vulpix eggs easily using 131 partners from the Ground egg group. Notable egg moves include Baby-Doll Eyes, Disable, Extrasensory and 10 more.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
♂25.0%♀75.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
13moves
Breed With (best first)
raichupikachunidokinggolduckampharosrhydondewgongarbokquagsirenidorinofarfetchdflaaffy
12 of 131·

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl Ninetales Best Moveset

Fire Blast is the main STAB option after a Nasty Plot boost. Heavy-Duty Boots gives Ninetales hazard immunity on every switch-in 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
Ability
Flash Fire
Item
Heavy Duty Boots
Best Nature for Ninetales
Timid+SPE

Ninetales best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

Special Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Fire BlastSTAB
  • Energy Ball
  • Nasty Plot
  • Will O WispSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Uxie
UxieExcellent

Moves

Breeding's the move. Baby-Doll Eyes and Disable give Ninetales options it can't learn any other way, and coverage across 7 types 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
Disable
C—10020Normal
Lv 1
Ember
D4010025Fire
Lv 1
Extrasensory
C8010020Psychic
Lv 1
Fire Blast
S110855Fire
Lv 1
Fire Spin
D358515Fire
Lv 1
Flamethrower
S9010015Fire
Lv 1
Grudge
———5Ghost
Lv 1
Imprison
D——10Psychic
Lv 1
Incinerate
A6010015Fire
Lv 1
Inferno
—100505Fire
Lv 1
Nasty Plot
S——20Dark
Lv 1
Quick Attack+1
D4010030Normal
Lv 1
Safeguard
C——25Normal
Lv 1
Spite
D—10010Ghost
Lv 1
Tail Whip
——10030Normal
Lv 1
Will-O-Wisp
S—8515Fire

TM Moves

TM
TM45
Attract
C—10015Normal
TM04
Calm Mind
B——20Psychic
TM79
Dark Pulse
C8010015Dark
TM28
Dig
C8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM85
Dream Eater
C10010015Psychic
TM58
Endure+4
C——10Normal
TM53
Energy Ball
S9010010Grass
TM42
Facade
D7010020Normal
TM38
Fire Blast
S110855Fire
TM35
Flamethrower
S9010015Fire
TM68
Giga Impact
C150905Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
C150905Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
D1007515Steel
TM63
Nasty Plot
S——20Dark
TM50
Overheat
B130905Fire
TM66
Payback
D5010010Dark
TM17
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM77
Psych Up
C——10Normal
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM05
Roar-6
C——20Normal
TM20
Safeguard
C——25Normal
TM30
Shadow Ball
C8010015Ghost
TM82
Sleep Talk
C——10Normal
TM22
Solar Beam
S12010010Grass
TM90
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM87
Swagger
D—8515Normal
TM61
Will-O-Wisp
S—8515Fire

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Baby-Doll Eyes+1
D—10030Fairy
Egg
Disable
C—10020Normal
Egg
Extrasensory
C8010020Psychic
Egg
Flail
D—10015Normal
Egg
Flame Charge
D5010020Fire
Egg
Flare Blitz
B12010015Fire
Egg
Heat Wave
S959010Fire
Egg
Hex
D6510010Ghost
Egg
Howl
D——40Normal
Egg
Hypnosis
C—6020Psychic
Egg
Memento
C—10010Dark
Egg
Power Swap
———10Psychic
Egg
Spite
D—10010Ghost

Tutor Moves

Ninetales can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Ninetales in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Can't catch Ninetales directly. Start with Vulpix at moderate rates from the locations below, then evolve through a special method. The 2-stage line from Vulpix to Ninetales is where the leveling time goes.

How to Obtain Ninetales in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

To get Ninetales, start by catching Vulpix through walking encounters at Lv. 58-63. The chain covers 1 catchable stage before reaching the final form.

  1. Vulpix
    Step 1Catch Vulpix
    Sandsear Cave
    Grass Lv.58-63 Desert
    Post
    Post-game
    Spacious Cave
    Grass Lv.58-63 Cave
    Post
    Post-game
    Typhlo Cavern
    Grass Lv.58-63 Cave
    Post
    Post-game
    Volcanic Cave
    Grass Lv.58-63 Volcano
    Post
    Post-game
  2. Ninetales
    Step 2Ninetales ✓

Ninetales Guide

  • In Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Ninetales looks average on paper at 505 BST. But Drought is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. A-Tier pivot on our tier list. Fire Blast with Heavy-Duty Boots is the standard set.

  • In Brilliant Diamond & Shining 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 Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, the best way to handle Ninetales: Super-effective STAB from faster Pokemon is the simplest answer. Water, Ground, and Rock-type attackers hit hardest.

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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