The best moveset for Ninetales in Pokemon GO

Introduced in Pokemon's first generation as Vulpix's evolution, Ninetales' enduring popularity has transferred to Pokemon GO as well. Seeing some use in both PvE and PvP environments, Ninetales may not be a top Fire-type pick in Pokemon GO, but it can still serve a niche role in certain battles.

The Pokemon's Shadow Form also improves its battle viability somewhat, boosting its attack power despite limiting its already low stamina. Fortunately, Ninetales' maximum defense outpaces its attack and stamina stats, implying it should be able to take a few more hits as long as it isn't receiving super effective damage from Water, Rock, and Ground-type moves.

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Pokemon GO: Optimizing Ninetales' moveset for PvE and PvP

Ninetales as it appears in the Pokemon anime using Flamethrower (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Although many Pokemon should gear towards different movesets depending on whether they're participating in PvE or PvP battles, Ninetales possesses movesets that perform well in both scenarios. Specifically, Fast Moves such as Ember and Fire Spin paired with Charge Moves like Weather Ball (Fire) and Psyshock are quite effective with Ninetales. When picking a preferred Fast Move, Ember provides more damage per second and Fire Spin allows for extra energy generation.

As far as Charge Moves go, Ninetales' optimal picks are Weather Ball (Fire) and Psyshock. Weather Ball is cheap and incredibly effective thanks to its ability to receive a Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) due to it being a Fire-type move that matches Ninetales' type. This move in particular is almost a lock for competitive Ninetales play, as its energy cost and relative damage per second make it a must-have for Ninetales. Additionally, Overheat can perform well due to its base damage, but its higher energy costs and the active debuffs on Ninetales after usage can reduce the Pokemon's staying power.

When it comes to secondary Charge Moves for Ninetales in Pokemon GO, Psyshock is the only real option available. All other Fire-type Charge Moves require too much energy and are a step down from Weather Ball. Solar Beam hogs up too much energy and isn't used frequently enough to protect Ninetales from Water-type Pokemon, which would be the move's primary function. For its utility, Psyshock has a decent energy cost and allows Ninetales to handle other opponents with it being a Psychic-type move. This further expands on the Fox Pokemon's type effectiveness, being able to deal significant damage to Poison and Fighting-type Pokemon that won't expect it from a solo Fire-type like Ninetales in Pokemon GO. All in all, finding the right combination of moves mentioned above can make Ninetales quite viable.