Sableye. The original Pokemon with no Type Weaknesses, until the Fairy Nation attacked in Generation VI. While Prankster support has been really popular over the decade, Sableye has never really found itself at the very top. Grimmsnarl stole the thunder last Generation, while Series 1 has seen Murkrow reign supreme. Will things be better for Sableye come Series 2?
Type
The first of its kind, only Spiritomb shares the same Type combination as Sableye – giving both a rather rare niche.
Offensive
The list of Pokemon that fare well against Sableye’s STAB combination is provided below:
Resisted
- Wigglytuff
- Dark Type Pokemon
Sableye isn’t really a Pokemon known for its attacking prowess. However, there may be scenarios where players need a last-gap hit from Sableye to seal the tie. Fortunately, only a select group of Pokemon, mainly Dark Type Pokemon, resists Sableye’s STAB combination.
Defensive
Weaknesses
- Fairy (2x)
Resistances
- Poison (2x)
Immunities
- Normal
- Fighting
- Psychic
There aren’t many Type Resistances that Sableye can parade about, but it makes up for this with only having one Type Weakness and 3 Type Immunities. Key to this is Sableye’s natural immunity to Fake Out, making it a lot harder to deny the Darkness Pokemon. As a Dark Type Pokemon, Sableye is also immune to opposing Prankster shenanigans, saving it from the harassment of a faster Taunt.
Abilities
Keen Eye
The Ability that Sableye started with back in Generation III. Not very useful in the competitive format though.
Stall
Sableye’s signature Ability. Utterly useless though.
Prankster
The Ability that makes Sableye. Giving (an additional) +1 priority to status moves really energizes Sableye, allowing it to make full use of its arsenal of supportive and/or disruptive moves.
Base Stats
50 75 75 65 65 50
Pretty frail and slow. While it has a better Base bulk than Murkrow, it lacks access to Eviolite, meaning that it will still not be able to take too many hits. Another direct competitor would be Grimmsnarl’s whose high Base Attack eclipses Sableye’s.
Moves
Offensive
- Foul Play
- Foul Play is kind of a cheat code for defensively built Pokemon to still be able to hit for decent damage. Unlike Toedscruel, Sableye actually gets STAB for it naturally, allowing it to do a bit more damage.
- Sucker Punch
- Considering Sableye’s low Base Speed, priority moves would be a good way to snag the outspeed against faster threats. Sucker Punch hits a lot harder than Shadow Sneak, but fails if the target is not attacking. The key matchup is against Tera Ghost Flutter Mane:
- 176 Atk Black Glasses Sableye Sucker Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Tera-Ghost Flutter Mane: 132-156 (100.7 – 119%) — guaranteed OHKO
- Shadow Sneak
- A Ghost Type, weaker version of Sucker Punch, but more consistent.
- Metal Burst
- Definitely not the most reliable move, but can be a surprise factor to net KOs against powerful opponents. It does require Sableye to survive a hit, and it only affects the last Pokemon to strike Sableye that turn, however.
Supportive
- Fake Out
- The combination of Fake Out and Prankster is a rare commodity, one that is only afforded to Sableye and the Grimmsnarl line.
- Quash
- In scenarios where both sides match Tailwind, or when Trick Room is set up against the player’s will, Quash can be a powerful move to guarantee the target acts last in that turn.
- Disable
- Denying a move from being used can stave off an impending KO. Against Choice locked targets, it could also force them to Struggle or switch.
- Reflect / Light Screen
- Screens support is the latest addition to Sableye’s arsenal, allowing it to be played similarly to Grimmsnarl from Generation VIII.
- Others
- Will O Wisp
- Encore
- Feint
- Lifting the protection from Wide Guard, Protect, and more is a very useful tool, especially if Sableye’s ally is at risk of being knocked out.
- Imprison
- While Imprison is most commonly seen with Trick Room, Sableye lacks the latter to pull off that strategy. Instead, Sableye can be used to prevent the opponent from pulling it off themselves, thanks to Prankster. When used in combination with Taunt, it can really compress the number of ways that the foe can deny Trick Room.
- Taunt
- Sunny Day / Rain Dance
Sample Sets
sheik’s The Wide League Saturday Night Rumble #2 Champion Team
Sableye @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
Tera Type: Grass
IVs: 0 Atk
– Encore
– Reflect
– Light Screen
– Disable
Weezingknigth’s Nino Scarlet/Violet FF #63 Team
Sableye @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
Tera Type: Dark
– Will-O-Wisp
– Light Screen
– Encore
– Fake Out
@notonoto_mby’s Series 1 Rank 1 Team
Sableye @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Foul Play
– Encore
– Light Screen
– Reflect
Teammates
Iron Hands
A powerful juggernaut that really appreciates Screens support to keep it around for much longer. STAB Close Combat makes short work of most Dark Type Pokemon that are immune to Sableye’s Prankster shenanigans.
Volcarona
Like Iron Hands, Volcarona is another powerful Pokemon that is very thankful to be able to stick around for a bit longer. This is especially important for players who intend to have it set up Quiver Dance, which greatly increases the offensive pressure that Volcarona can exert. Feint helps to lift Wide Guard for Heat Wave, Sunny Day helps weaken Water Type moves and powers up Volcarona’s Fire Type STAB. The possibilities are endless here.
Sylveon / Flutter Mane
Another way to get around Dark Type Pokemon is via Fairy Type moves. Therefore, enter Sylveon and Flutter Mane. Both are relatively frail on the Physical end, so they would really benefit from Will O Wisp support against Physical attackers. Quash can mitigate Sylveon’s poor Base Speed, while Flutter Mane can afford to not carry Booster Energy if Sableye has Sunny Day.
MYSVGC 