Special
Pivot
505High
100Fast
BTier

Ninetales's stats are solid on their own, but Drought is what pushes it over the line. It sets sun on switch-in. Only weak to Water, Ground, and Rock. Known as the Fox Pokemon. Flexible enough to run physical or special sets.

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
505High
HP73
C
Attack76
C
Defense75
C
Sp. Atk81
C
Sp. Def100
B
Speed100
B
Total505
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Ninetales yields +1 SpD, +1 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpD+1Spe+1
Details
Catch75Challenging•Medium Fast1M XP•1.1m / 3'07"•19.9kg / 43.9 lbs•177Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It lives on mountains perpetually covered in snow and is revered as a deity incarnate. It appears draped in a blizzard.

Lets Go Pikachu / Lets Go Eevee

Ninetales Weakness

Avg

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.

4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
WaterGroundRock
½xResisti
FireGrassIceBugSteelFairy
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
Fire
STAB (4)i
GrassIceBugSteel
3Weak
6Resist
1Immune
Scorei0
Stealth Rock25% on switch
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Flash FireProtects against fire moves. Once one has been blocked, the Pokémon's own Fire moves inflict 1.5× damage until it leaves battle.
DroughtHASummons strong sunlight that lasts indefinitely upon entering battle.
Flash Fire grants Fire immunity

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.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Vulpix
#037Vulpix
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 from the Ground egg group.

Egg Groups
Ground
Gender
♂25.0%♀75.0%
Hatch Time
20 cycles·5,140 steps
Quick~5 min with Flame Body

the remaining moves keeps opponents guessing about Ninetales's real targets. Heatrock provides extra utility while max Sp. Atk and Speed EVs and Modest nature handle the stat profile. Drought ties it together.

Best Build

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee uses different battle mechanics.

Competitive build content is not applicable for this game. Select a main series game for builds.

Most of Ninetales's flexibility comes from TMs. Same-type output runs through Fire Blast and Flamethrower, but Normal and Dark and the rest of the TM pool push it from predictable to genuinely threatening.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Ember
4010025Fire
Lv 1
Hypnosis
—6020Psychic
Lv 1
Nasty Plot
——20Dark
Lv 1
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
4010035Normal
Lv 1
Tail Whip
—10030Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM33
Calm Mind
——20Psychic
TM20
Dark Pulse
8010015Dark
TM10
Dig
8010010Ground
TM59
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
TM12
Facade
7010020Normal
TM46
Fire Blast
110855Fire
TM37
Flamethrower
9010015Fire
TM21
Foul Play
9510015Dark
TM01
Headbutt
7010015Normal
TM48
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM19
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM07
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM09
Reflect
——20Psychic
TM05
Rest
——10Psychic
TM45
Solar Beam
20010010Grass
TM08
Substitute
——10Normal
TM27
Toxic
—9010Poison
TM11
Will-O-Wisp
—8515Fire

Egg Moves

Ninetales doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Ninetales can't learn any Tutor moves

low spawn rates is the best you'll get on Ninetales in mid-game routes. Use the sort toggle below. Best shows where the odds peak, Earliest shows where you can access it soonest in your playthrough.

Where To Catch Ninetales in Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee

Vulpix is your first catch on the way to Ninetales. You'll find walking and trade encounters from Lv. 11-27 across 7 total spots in the chain.

  1. Vulpix
    Step 1Catch Vulpix
    Route 5
    GrassLv.11-1620%EarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 6
    GrassLv.11-1620%EarlyRoute
    EASY
    Route 7
    GrassLv.22-2719%MidRoute
    EASY
    Route 8
    GrassLv.22-2719%MidRoute
    EASY
    Celadon City
    In-game tradeLv.27MidCityTrade for (give Vulpix)
  2. Ninetales
    Step 2Ninetales ✓
    Route 7
    GrassLv.22-271%MidRoute
    HARD
    Route 8
    GrassLv.22-271%MidRoute
    HARD
    or evolve from Vulpix (Step 1)

  • Ninetales looks average on paper at 505 BST. But Drought is why it sees play — build around that and it pulls its weight. B-Tier pivot on our tier list.

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

  • Vulpix evolves into Ninetales using a Fire Stone. Ninetales is the final evolution in a 3-stage line starting from Vulpix. At 505 BST, it's got solid stats to work with.

  • 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. But the speed tells the real story — base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the pivot role.

  • Ninetales appears in 21 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Available since Red & Blue, Ninetales appears in 21 games spanning 9 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained an Alolan form in Generation 7.