EDIT: While Ninetales indeed has Nine-tails, a prior version of this article listed the official name as Ninetails, and has since been corrected. For more on the Nine Tales of Ninetales, check out some of its wild Pokédex entries here.
Alolan Ninetales is the blueish-white counterpart to Kantonian Ninetales red-tanish coat. Both versions are fiercely protective of their young kin, keeping track of wayward travelers that wander too close to their kind. While Kantonian Ninetales is Fire type, Alolan Ninetales Ice/Fairy, making it’s home at the top of Mount Lanakila, nesting in the snowy peaks of the Alola region. Let’s take a look at the two versions of Ninetales.
| Alolan Ninetales vs. Kantonian Ninetales | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pokémon | Attack | Defense | Stamina | Fast | Charge |
Max CP: 2184 |
170 | 207 | 146 |
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Max CP: 2157 |
169 | 204 | 146 |
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*Italics denote legacy moves.
Alolan Ninetales takes super-effective damage from Poison, Steel, Fire, and Rock, and takes reduced damage from Dark, Bug, Ice, and Dragon.
Alolan Ninetales and Kantonian Ninetales are near identical in terms of stats. Alolan Ninetales edges out Kantonian Ninetales in Attack and Defense. However, it’s a marginal difference that will not see much difference in the middle of battle for two main reasons. A difference in one point in attack and three in defense won’t make or break completing a raid. The second reason lies in the meta usage of Alolan Ninetales.
Alolan Ninetales in the Meta
Alolan Ninetales has two typing: Ice and Fairy. It’s main competition in the Ice tier lies in Regice, Articuno, Jynx, Weavile, Walrein, and the Generation Four Ice Behemoth, Mamoswine. Weavile and Jynx serve a better purpose as glass cannons than Alolan Ninetales. Articuno and Regice have completely better stats than the Alolan Ninetales. Walrein, and even more so with Mamoswine, have better Attack and Stamina than the Alolan version.
It’s competition is equally as fierce in the Fairy realm. It is outclassed by Gardevoir, who is potentially getting outclassed by Togekiss in Generation Four. Later on, both of Alolan Ninetales’ completitors are going to get outclassed by Florges, Sylveon, and Xerneas. Aside from minor point differences that are made up by much higher Attack stats and Stamina stats, Alolan Ninetales is not looking at a promising Fairy future.
Conclusion
Alolan Ninetales, to put it quite frankly, is not useful in the meta now, and it won’t be in the future. It’s meta usage is going to be much less useful as the future happens. In addition, it can only be hatched from Alolan Eggs, with an incredibly low drop rate. The only saving grace is that is shares its candy with the Kantonian Vulpix and Ninetales, so when you do get a egg hatch the spare candy you may have will be present. Personally, I think it is the most beautiful of the Alolan Pokémon, but it remains just that. Pretty.
