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Knock Off cripples item-reliant Pokemon like Ferroseed and Charizard. Foul Play disrupts physical attackers like Silvally-Ghost and physical Archeops. With Taunt, Sableye can annoy defensive Pokemon like Qwilfish or Audino, while Encore disrupts setup sweepers like Doublade and offensive Sandslash. Sableye is primarily used on stall teams, where it can be a blanket physical wall and a stallbreaker. Special walls like Gigalith and Aggron work well with Sableye's physical bulk; they also act as blanket checks to Fairy-types like Ribombee and Comfey. Other physical walls like Weezing and Quagsire can help if Sableye gets pressured too much by shared checks like Centiskorch and Gallade. Clerics like Aromatisse and Audino can patch up Sableye's vulnerability to status, while Sableye can check attackers like Gallade and Sandslash in return.

Thanks to its great typing and Prankster-boosted utility moves, Sableye finds a niche in ZU as a physical wall, notably countering the top-tier threat Sawk despite its lackluster defensive stats. Will-O-Wisp cripples most physical attackers like Sawk and Rhydon. Encore allows Sableye to counter setup sweepers like Klinklang and Qwilfish, while Taunt shuts down walls like Miltank and Uxie, preventing their Toxic and Stealth Rock. Sableye fits best on balance teams looking for a Pokemon to help deal with physical attackers like Sawk, Klinklang, and Qwilfish. Stealth Rock setters like Miltank and Rhydon benefit from Sableye's Fighting immunity and spinblocking. Sableye is vulnerable to Fairy-types, especially Alcremie, which can set up on it, so Steel- and Fire-type Pokemon like Klinklang, Rapidash, and Ninetales make great partners. Strong special attackers such as Ninetales, Appletun, and Jynx are also troublesome, so their switch-ins like Type: Null, Coalossal, and Articuno are appreciated. Switch-ins to Dark- and Fire-type Pokemon are also needed, as Sableye cannot cripple them with Will-O-Wisp, so physical walls such as Poliwrath and Altaria work well.

Sableye acts as a stallbreaker for Dark teams with its combination of Prankster and Taunt, being able to shut down annoying threats like Bulk Up Corviknight, hazard setters like Ferrothorn, and defensive Pokemon like Toxapex, while also having reliable recovery in Recover. It can also act as a Fighting-type check with its good typing in Ghost / Dark, giving it a immunity to this type while also being immune to Rapid Spin. It can also cripple physical attackers that threaten Dark teams such as Mamoswine with Will-O-Wisp. Using Knock Off it can get rid of important items such as Black Sludge and Leftovers from certain Pokemon, helping it stallbreak more efficiently. Sableye runs a fully defensive spread to increase its overall defense, being able to take hits from Galarian Zapdos and Urshifu-R. Sableye pairs well with Tyranitar and Mandibuzz, covering for Sableye's average defenses and taking care of powerful attackers such as Choice Specs Dragapult and Bisharp respectively, forming a good defensive core. Mandibuzz can Defog hazards away so Sableye can enter more comfortably onto the field. Also, a teammate such as Toxic Spikes Drapion helps it by spreading status, but note that Sableye would then not be able to burn Pokemon like Mamoswine when they are already poisoned. Wallbreakers such as Hydreigon, Bisharp, and Grimmsnarl are also good teammates for Sableye, being able to clean more easily with Sableye preventing hazards being set and wearing down the enemy team. Bisharp and Drapion also help in the Fairy matchup, which is a matchup problematic for Dark. Grimmsnarl also helps Sableye versus other Dark teams due to Dark-type's immunity to Prankster.

Sableye's main merit on Ghost teams comes from its access to Prankster, along with good utility moves like Taunt and Will-O-Wisp, making it an exceptional stallbreaker. This, along with reliable recovery in Recover, makes it hard to beat for many teams alike. Generally, Taunt should be used to block setup, recovery, entry hazards, and status, and should be used in conjunction with Will-O-Wisp and Knock Off to break down many different Pokemon like Ferrothorn, Toxapex, Corviknight, and more. Be aware that Prankster Will-O-Wisp is especially useful for crippling faster offensive threats that Ghost teams hate dealing with such as Excadrill, Barraskewda, and Dracozolt. Maximum HP and Special Defense investment ensures Sableye is as specially bulky as possible, and it can cripple physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp just fine. The entire Ghost team appreciates Sableye's ability to block entry hazard setters from setting entry hazards using Taunt, seeing as Ghost teams typically do not carry entry hazard control. Galarian Corsola aids Sableye defensively, as it is also able to cripple Pokemon with Will-O-Wisp and take on more threatening wallbreakers like Mamoswine, Diggersby and Excadrill more comfortably with its sturdy bulk. Offensive Ghost-type Pokemon like Gengar, Polteageist, Mimikyu, Dragapult, and Aegislash appreciate Sableye's ability to stallbreak and soften up the opposition, making it easier for them to sweep.

Mega Sableye is a staple on stall teams due to its good bulk, great movepool, and fantastic ability in Magic Bounce, which lets it deny entry hazards from various common hazard setters like Ferrothorn, defensive Landorus-T, Kommo-o, Toxapex, and Skarmory. Its typing and bulk also lets it check several dangerous threats, such as Mega Medicham and variants of Reuniclus and Mega Latias that use only Psychic- and Fighting-type coverage. Knock Off is used to remove Leftovers from key threats like specially defensive Heatran, Tapu Fini, and Corviknight. Will-O-Wisp burns physical attackers that may try to advantage of Mega Sableye, like Mega Mawile, Kartana, and Mega Garchomp, along with crippling Stealth Rock setters like Garchomp and Landorus-T, letting Mega Sableye keep Stealth Rock off the field. Protect lets Sableye safely Mega Evolve at any point in time while also scouting the intentions of Choice-locked threats like Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Ash-Greninja, and Kyurem. Prankster grants Sableye priority Will-O-Wisp and Recover before Mega Evolving, which can be used to burn and neutralize threats like Garchomp, Kartana, and offensive Landorus-T. The given EV spread ensures Mega Medicham's Ice Punch never 2HKOs Mega Sableye after Stealth Rock, while greatly improving the matchup against Heatran and letting it take Moonblasts from the likes of Clefable better. Alternatively, a spread of 248 HP / 180 Def / 80 SpD can be run to better check Mega Medicham in Electric Terrain, Rockium Z Garchomp, and defensive Landorus-T, while still avoiding the 2HKO from specially defensive Heatran's Magma Storm. Mega Sableye only fits on stall teams due to its immense passivity. All of Mega Sableye's teammates on stall appreciate it keeping entry hazards off the field against common hazard setters like Ferrothorn, Kommo-o, and defensive Landorus-T. However, Mega Sableye struggles to keep hazards off against some setters like Heatran, Mega Diancie, and Clefable, so good checks to these such as Gastrodon, Gliscor, and Unaware Clefable make for good partners for it. Specifically, Defoggers that can beat these such as Gliscor for Heatran, and Corviknight and Zapdos for Clefable, are excellent. Mega Sableye is very weak to Fairy-type Pokemon like Clefable, Tapu Lele, Mega Diancie, and Mega Mawile, so checks to those like Toxapex, Shedinja, Corviknight, Skarmory, and Unaware Clefable are great partners. Despite having good bulk, Mega Sableye is easily broken through by powerful wallbreakers such as Heatran, Kyurem, and Mega Charizard Y: good checks to these include Gliscor, Gastrodon, and Chansey. Finally, Mega Sableye appreciates hazard support from the likes of Chansey, Skarmory, and Toxapex to wear down the opposing team faster in conjunction with its own Knock Off and Will-O-Wisp. Magic Bounce lets its team stack hazards without worrying about opposing hazards, which could force a Defog that removes the team's own hazards.

Mega Sableye is a staple on stall and bulky balance teams in AG owing to its access to Magic Bounce and solid physical bulk. Fake Out grants Mega Sableye a safe turn for it to Mega Evolve, as well as dealing minor chip damage to foes. Alternatively, Protect can similarly allow Mega Sableye to have a safe turn while scouting for attacks, as well as potentially bouncing back status moves used on a predicted switch, but it carries the drawback of potentially giving foes a free setup turn. Foul Play helps Mega Sableye to deter opposing physical attackers from setting up and revenge kill Pokemon like Dragon Dance Ultra Necrozma, some Mega Rayquaza sets, unboosted Mega Mewtwo Y, and chip defensive Necrozma-DM. Knock Off can be used instead, enabling Mega Sableye to focus on crippling opposing defensive Pokemon such Ho-Oh, Ferrothorn and Giratina. Toxic enables Mega Sableye to punish switches to Pokemon that might otherwise be able to force it out, such as Yveltal, Primal Kyogre, and Xerneas. Alternatively, Will-O-Wisp can be used over Toxic to cripple physical attackers like Zacian-C, Necrozma-DM, and Mega Rayquaza. Prankster is chosen in order to allow Sableye to potentially get a Will-O-Wisp or Toxic off before an opposing Pokemon can move before it Mega Evolves, potentially letting it avoid an OHKO. The given EVs with a Bold nature allow Mega Sableye to have as much physical bulk as possible in order to wall Necrozma-DM. Mega Sableye fits best on stall and bulky balance teams owing to its invaluable Magic Bounce support and strong bulk. Notably, Mega Sableye is a reliable switch-in to defensive Necrozma-DM, provided that Stealth Rock is not on its side of the field. Mega Sableye is, however, notably weak to Fairy, which is a common offensive type, and lacking in special bulk. These factors make it easy for Mega Sableye to be forced out by common offensive Pokemon like Zacian-C and Xerneas, both of which can be stopped by Necrozma-DM, which pairs well with Mega Sableye. Mega Sableye is also easily taken advantage of by support Arceus formes that run Refresh, since Mega Sableye struggles to chip them down. As such, ideal teammates for Mega Sableye are other common stall Pokemon, notably Giratina, for its ability to keep entry hazards off the field against Primal Groudon, which Mega Sableye cannot do, and PP stall Defog from Ho-Oh, giving teams a high level of control over entry hazards. Ho-Oh is also an ideal teammate, providing Defog support and setup-deterring abilities with Whirlwind. Chansey also makes a good teammate, as it can reliably check or counter almost all of the special attackers that might otherwise be able to break through Mega Sableye, such as Primal Kyogre, Eternatus, and Xerneas, as well as providing cleric support to ensure that Mega Sableye's team remains status-free. Additionally, Mega Sableye pairs well with Tyranitar and appreciates its ability to deter some support Arceus formes and reliably check Yveltal lacking Focus Blast and Steel Wing. Care must be taken, however, to ensure that Mega Sableye is not chipped too heavily by Tyranitar’s sand. Lugia can also be a good teammate for Mega Sableye thanks to its ability to force out or cripple Mega Rayquaza and Zacian-C. Necrozma-DM also checks Zacian-C and appreciates the hazard control offered by Sableye, preventing it from being defeated by Assurance sets.

Great defensive stats and recovery, an amazing ability in Magic Bounce, neutrality against Dark-type attacks, and absorbing Knock Off allow Mega Sableye to thrive as one of the best defensive Pokemon available for Ghost-type teams. Knock Off cripples all kinds of item-reliant Pokemon, including Heavy-Duty Boots Volcarona, Life Orb Landorus and Nidoking, and Eviolite Porygon2. Will-O-Wisp makes physical attackers like Mega Gallade and Terrakion much easier to wall. Protect lets Sableye safely Mega Evolve against major threats such as Mega Diancie while also scouting Choice-locked attackers like Tapu Koko. Prankster is the ability of choice on pre-Mega Evolution Sableye for priority status moves if necessary. The given HP and Special Defense EVs allow Mega Sableye to avoid an OHKO from Choice Specs Tapu Koko's Dazzling Gleam and a 2HKO from Life Orb Nidoking's Earth Power, assuming Sableye uses Knock Off after the first Earth Power. All of Mega Sableye's teammates appreciate its ability to switch into Dark-type moves and reflect entry hazards, Toxic, and Thunder Wave. Galarian Corsola forms a formidable defensive core with Mega Sableye, namely dealing with significant threats in Mega Lopunny, Choice Band Excadrill, and Swords Dance Garchomp. Together, they reliably switch into most attacks directed at their offensive teammates. Aegislash further complements this defensive core as a reliable specially defensive wall with its SubToxic set Poison immunity. Aegislash also greatly aids against Fairy- and Ice-types like Mega Diancie, Tapu Lele, and Alolan Ninetales. Mimikyu is an amazing offensive teammate that helps against Dark-types like Hydreigon and Dragon-type Pokemon such as Latios, Hydreigon, and Kommo-o. Blacephalon helps greatly against Steel-, Grass-, and Ice-types like Celesteela, Ferrothorn, and Galarian Darmanitan and is able to act as a reliable revenge killer with Choice Scarf, outspeeding and taking care of some of Mega Sableye's threats like Mega Lopunny and Tapu Koko. Gengar is another great offensive teammate that wallbreaks with Choice Specs and is a great asset in matchups like Fairy. Lightning Rod Alolan Marowak proves to be a good teammate, as it blocks Electric-type moves from the likes of Tapu Koko and Regieleki.

Mega Sableye is a staple on balanced Dark teams, constantly taking on powerful attacks as a wall, providing an immunity to Fighting, deflecting entry hazards and status due to Magic Bounce, and crippling foes with its utility moves in Knock Off and Will-O-Wisp. Knock Off allows Mega Sableye to remove items such as Porygon2's Eviolite, Mantine's Heavy-Duty Boots, Nidoking's Life Orb, and Landorus-T's Choice Scarf. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers such as Excadrill, Buzzwole, and Dragonite, letting your team more easily handle them. Protect allows Mega Sableye to scout attacks from Choice-locked Pokemon, such as Choice Scarf Galarian Darmanitan and Choice Band Victini, then switch accordingly. Protect also allows Sableye to Mega Evolve safely. Mega Sableye's Special Defense EVs notably let it take Earth Power from Nidoking, remove its Life Orb, and then take a second Earth Power. The Defense investment helps it take on Mega Aerodactyl and Landorus-T better. All of Mega Sableye's teammates appreciate its immunity to Fighting, ability to deflect entry hazards and status, and ability to switch into threats such as Choice Scarf Terrakion. Mandibuzz and Tyranitar form a powerful defensive core with Mega Sableye. Mandibuzz provides a Ground immunity and Defog support, and it help Mega Sableye check physical setup sweepers with Foul Play. It also walls threats such as Mega Lopunny for Mega Sableye. Tyranitar, on the other hand, is the specially defensive part of the core that also sets Stealth Rock and can cripple threats such as Landorus with Toxic. Its great special bulk lets it take on threats such as Volcarona. Greninja can take on a very wide variety of foes with its powerful coverage and set Toxic Spikes, helping Mega Sableye wear down foes with that much more ease. Zarude can take on Water-type Pokemon that threaten Mega Sableye such as Keldeo and Urshifu-R with a Chople Berry and other threats such as Tapu Fini and Azumarill. Hydreigon can act as a revenge killer with Choice Scarf and take on omni-boosted Kommo-o with Draco Meteor or break through walls such as Mega Venusaur with Choice Specs Draco Meteor.

Moves Taunt prevents opposing Pokemon from setting up, healing, or using status moves such as Toxic on Sableye. Will-O-Wisp burns and cripples most physical attackers and discourages them from switching in. It also wears down Pokemon in general. Recover lets Sableye stay healthy throughout the match. Knock Off is a solid STAB move, and it gets rid of foes' items. Foul Play can be used as an alternative to help versus offensive Pokemon and Dark-types in general, which Knock Off would otherwise do little to. More importantly, it prevents Sableye from being set up on by Pokemon such as Lycanroc, Absol, and Carracosta. Night Shade sacrifices a way to hit Normal-types, but deals the most damage to Skuntank, Gurdurr, Clefairy, and Combusken. It also 2HKOes Rotom-F after Stealth Rock damage. Set Details Prankster gives Sableye's status moves priority. Leftovers gives Sableye even more passive recovery each turn, which can also help its longevity. Rocky Helmet punishes contact moves, notably letting it beat physical Skuntank one-on-one and getting extra chip damage on Pokemon like Primeape, Kangaskhan, and Scyther. If running Foul Play or Night Shade, Bold is the preferred nature to minimize opposing Foul Play damage. Usage Tips Sableye can be relied upon to deal with physical attackers like Pinsir, Golurk, and Primeape, as well as other Pokemon that do not threaten it very much. Sableye can also be used to block Rapid Spin against opponents like Hitmonchan, Alolan Sandslash, and Claydol, although all of these sometimes carry Toxic, so be wary. Use Taunt when the foe wants to set up, heal, or potentially inflict status, but be cautious of using Taunt if Sableye is in a vulnerable position to be KOed by the opposing Pokemon. Use Will-O-Wisp to burn and cripple opposing threats, but be careful of using it without thinking if the opponent has a Pokemon that is immune to it, because you risk losing momentum otherwise. Knock Off is a spammable move and therefore should be used often early-game if Sableye is healthy. Avoid staying in on strong special attackers or wallbreakers, as Sableye can get overwhelmed by them easily. Due to Dark types' immunity to moves affected by Prankster, be wary of Pokemon like Shiftry, Skuntank, and Alolan Raticate, as they can often switch in with no drawbacks outside of losing an item. Running Foul Play or Night Shade can mitigate those match-ups to varying degrees, however. Sableye gets worn down easily with burns and especially Toxic, so keeping it healthy and status free can increase its longevity and effectiveness. Team Options Answers to special attackers like Aurorus and Lanturn are appreciated for Sableye, as they often don't mind a burn and can hit back hard. Reliable answers like Clefairy, Type: Null, and Audino are some of the best partners for Sableye when it comes to checking these threats. Sableye also requires answers to Fairy-types such as Clefairy and Silvally-Fairy, which can hit it super effectively. Pokemon like Metang can switch into and check most of them by threatening them out with a STAB move or crippling them with status. Answers to opposing Dark-types are very important because they often use Sableye as setup fodder. Hence, some good teammates would include the previously mentioned Fairy-types in Silvally-Fairy and Clefairy, as well as bulky Fighting-types, like Hitmonchan and Throh, which can switch into most Dark-types and threaten them out with a STAB move. Partners that can help Sableye check powerful Normal-types, especially those with Scrappy such as Stoutland and Kangaskhan, are helpful, as they can utilize a boosted Facade to break through Sableye. Regirock, Tangela, and Mawile do a good job of providing support by being able to switch into them. Sableye fits well on balanced teams with bulky teammates and on teams that need a Fighting-type immunity. Sableye can also fit on teams as a spinblocker, since it is able to beat most spinners like Hitmonchan, Alolan Sandslash, and Kabutops. Finally, Sableye can be worn down by hazards and especially does not like Toxic Spikes, so hazard control from Pokemon like Altaria, Skuntank, and Lurantis is appreciated. Sableye also appreciates cleric support, so Pokemon like Granbull and Audino are good partners.

Moves Will-O-Wisp is Mega Sableye's form of neutralizing many physical attackers like Mega Metagross, Donphan, and physical Dragonite. Once they are burned, they will be taken down through a combination of Mega Sableye's other moves. Recover is a necessary healing move to stop Mega Sableye from gradually getting chipped down from Pokemon such as bulky Kommo-o and non-Nasty Plot Porygon-Z. Foul Play helps beat opposing Pokemon that will try to set up on Mega Sableye such as Dragonite, Landorus-T, and Garchomp. Metal Burst makes use of Mega Sableye's bulk to strike back against foes that try to knock it out in one hit with a Z-Move or a powerful attack, such as Naganadel, Haxorus, and Choice Specs Greninja. Taunt improves Mega Sableye's matchup against Pokemon that want to set up against it, such as Zygarde, by forcing them to attack and wasting their attack's PP. It also improves the matchup against opposing stall Pokemon such as Mega Venusaur and Deoxys-S and allows it to stop recovery moves. Calm Mind is a reliable way to stall out non-boosting special attackers such as Genesect and non-Nasty Plot Porygon-Z. Set Details The given EV spread with a Bold nature greatly boosts Mega Sableye's Defense while leaving it enough Special Defense to not give Download users such as Genesect a Special Attack boost and preventing it from 2HKOing Mega Sableye. The spread also allows Mega Sableye to avoid being knocked out by several different Pokemon, such as Aegislash, Naganadel, Haxorus, Greninja, and non-Nasty Plot Porygon-Z. Prankster provides Sableye with priority Will-O-Wisp and Taunt, which allows it to burn physical attackers, such as Dragonite and Golem, and shut down stall Pokemon like Chansey and Celesteela before they have a chance to affect Sableye. Recover and Calm Mind also receive priority to help Sableye survive attacks. After Mega Evolution, Magic Bounce stops opposing Pokemon like Jumpluff from stalling with status moves like Leech Seed. Usage Tips Taunt Mega Gyarados easily defeats Mega Sableye due to its access to Mold Breaker to bypass Mega Sableye's Magic Bounce, but otherwise, Mega Sableye will beat other Mega Gyarados variants after burning it with Will-O-Wisp. Remember when playing against Mega Gyarados and Mega Tyranitar to Mega Evolve and then use Will-O-Wisp, because Prankster moves do not affect Dark-type Pokemon. If physical attackers try to nullify the burn with setup moves like Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, Foul Play will simply deal more damage, sealing their fate. Dragon Dance Dragonite is a particularly unique matchup. Use Will-O-Wisp turn one. If Dragonite uses Devastating Drake turn one, Sableye will be able to use Recover the next turn and safely start damaging Dragonite with Foul Play. If it uses Dragon Dance on the Will-O-Wisp, you will need to Mega Evolve Sableye next turn and use Recover. If it does not Mega Evolve, it will faint to a +1 Devastating Drake; by recovering, this covers the play of Dragonite either using its Z-Move or using Dragon Dance again. If it sets up Dragon Dance again, use Foul Play the next turn, as not only will a +2 Devastating Drake from a burned Dragonite fail to knock out Mega Sableye, but Foul Play also will do enough damage after burn damage to OHKO. Physical setup attackers that are unaffected by Will-O-Wisp, primarily Mega Charizard X and Mega Blaziken, will be a tossup; Mega Sableye will either need to use Metal Burst on their attack or use Taunt on a predicted setup move. Mega Sableye's selection of variable moves makes it flexible for catering to the needs of its teammates, which allows it to work well with most other Pokemon. Team Options Pokemon that deter Fairy-type Pokemon like Magearna, Mega Gardevoir, and Tapu Lele, such as Poison- or Steel-type Pokemon like Naganadel, Mega Metagross, and Aegislash, are all good options to help support Mega Sableye. In return, Mega Sableye complements Poison-types by handling Psychic-type Pokemon such as Meloetta and helps Steel-types by warding off Ground-type Pokemon such as Garchomp, Donphan, and Golem. Specially defensive Mega Charizard X could be a solid teammate as well to handle Fairy-types such as Magearna and Mega Gardevoir, as could Mega Charizard Y. Mega Sableye also supports Mega Charizard X by being able to defeat Porygon-Z, Crustle, and Donphan. Pokemon that can also threaten Taunt Mega Gyarados and Mega Lopunny, two of Mega Sableye's most common answers, such as Mega Venusaur, Zeraora, and Mega Metagross, can also be very helpful. Mega Sableye helps out these Pokemon by defeating Psychic- and Ground-type Pokemon such as Meloetta, Donphan, and Zygarde.

Moves Fake Out allows Sableye to safely Mega Evolve by immobilizing a non-Ghost-type Pokemon for a turn. Fake Out is also handy for breaking Focus Sashes and making a foe take another round of damage from status. Protect guarantees Sableye's successful Mega Evolution against foes like Lunala and Tapu Lele and can be handy for scouting Choice-locked Pokemon, but Fake Out provides better utility. Foul Play reduces Mega Sableye's passivity and allows it to check physical attackers like Ultra Necrozma, Necrozma-DM, and Extreme Killer Arceus. Foul Play also notably 2HKOes Mega Gengar most of the time, preventing it from recklessly pressuring Mega Sableye. Toxic punishes just about every Pokemon that can offensively threaten Mega Sableye. Mega Sableye tends to be reliant on Toxic to effectively damage foes like support Arceus formes that it cannot threaten with Foul Play. Will-O-Wisp targets Steel-types like Magearna and Lucario that could otherwise switch into Mega Sableye and attempt to take advantage of it. Will-O-Wisp also has the benefits of crippling lead Cloyster and neutering Steel-types like Celesteela and Ferrothorn, making them easier for teammates to capitalize on. However, once Will-O-Wisp is revealed, foes that would be crippled by Toxic, such as Arceus-Fairy, can consistently switch into Mega Sableye without any concerns. Recover allows Mega Sableye to stay healthy and provide its team with utility options throughout the match. Set Details A fully physically defensive EV spread with an Impish nature maximizes Mega Sableye's physical bulk, enabling it to avoid the OHKO from +2 Necrozma-DM's Sunsteel Strike and retaliate with Foul Play or, at worst, force it to use Searing Sunraze Smash. The physically defensive investment also improves Mega Sableye's ability to take hits from walls like Celesteela and Ferrothorn and handle Ultra Necrozma, Marshadow, and Extreme Killer Arceus. An EV spread of 248 HP / 36 Def / 224 SpD with a Careful nature improves Mega Sableye's matchup against certain other threats. This spread allows Mega Sableye to always avoid 2HKOs from Life Orb Deoxys-A's Ice Beam, defensive Necrozma-DM's Sunsteel Strike, and +2 Extreme Killer Arceus's Shadow Claw while also avoiding the 2HKO from Mega Gengar, defensive Ho-Oh, and Mega Mewtwo Y. The specially defensive investment also improves Mega Sableye's matchup against support Arceus formes with Stealth Rock as well, which typically run some Special Attack EVs to 2HKO physically defensive Mega Sableye. Sableye has Prankster prior to its Mega Evolution, which can be handy if it has to status a foe in an emergency. After Mega Evolving, Mega Sableye will have Magic Bounce, which will bounce back all entry hazard moves and some status moves. Note that Magic Bounce will not bounce back entry hazards or status moves from Mold Breaker users like Excadrill. Sablenite allows Sableye to Mega Evolve. Usage Tips Sableye will lead most of the time in order to Mega Evolve and gain Magic Bounce as soon as possible. It is especially important to start deterring entry hazards and setup moves from the get-go, but there are specific instances where Sableye's Mega Evolution can be postponed. Think twice before Mega Evolving Sableye if an opponent leads with Deoxys-S. This implies its potency to carry Skill Swap, as Deoxys-S will otherwise be hopelessly shut down by Mega Sableye and will have no other reason to lead against it. Consider postponing Mega Evolution against Deoxys-S if it seems to potentially have a dedicated way to bypass Magic Bounce and leads against Sableye. Mega Sableye also fails to stop Excadrill from setting Stealth Rock. The best Mega Sableye can do against Excadrill is break its Focus Sash with Fake Out and switch to an offensive check to limit Excadrill to a single turn of utilizing its support options. Refrain from leading with Mega Sableye when Tapu Lele is on the opposing team, as Sableye cannot safely Mega Evolve due to Psychic Terrain blocking Fake Out, unless it is using the rare Protect. Liberally switch Mega Sableye into passive Pokemon. Entry hazard setters like Ferrothorn, Skarmory, certain Arceus formes, and Blissey struggle to do anything against Mega Sableye due to Magic Bounce. Although Mega Sableye is relatively bulky when taking its defensive typing into account, it is forced out against a decent portion of the tier. Some common threats like Primal Groudon, Arceus-Fairy, and other Arceus formes with offensive investment like Arceus-Dark and Arceus-Water are also Stealth Rock users that match up well versus Mega Sableye. Do not recklessly attempt to predict odd moves from them and be quick to withdraw Mega Sableye from any dangerous matchups, especially when passive foes from the opposing team have to be kept in check by Mega Sableye. Keeping Mega Sableye healthy is crucial for maintaining the upper hand over entry hazards and status ailments. Mega Sableye also narrowly avoids OHKOs from some threats like Necrozma-DM and Marshadow, so use Recover frequently to prepare Mega Sableye to be directly switched into foes it must handle. Team Options Many teams that employ Mega Sableye aim to outlast other teams by preventing major sources of residual damage, namely entry hazards and status. Teammates that can handle the hazard setters that overpower Mega Sableye can assist in accomplishing this objective. Ho-Oh is one of the most common Pokemon paired with Mega Sableye for this reason. Stealth Rock variants of Primal Groudon and Arceus-Fairy struggle to combat Ho-Oh, and Ho-Oh is capable of threatening all relevant clerics. Ho-Oh is also notable for being able to completely shut down Toxapex alongside Mega Sableye, as Toxapex with Scald may outlast Mega Sableye but will be completely stopped by Ho-Oh, while those that forgo Scald for Toxic will have no method to deal with Mega Sableye. Regenerator also allows Ho-Oh to pivot into a good number of threats so Mega Sableye will not have to risk taking heavy damage. Ho-Oh's access to both Sacred Fire and Toxic further aids Mega Sableye's attempt to spread status, as Mega Sableye cannot justify using both Toxic and Will-O-Wisp in its moveset. Mega Sableye discourages Stealth Rock, which would otherwise heavily undermine Ho-Oh's effectiveness and leave Ho-Oh more vulnerable to certain threats, such as Ultra Necrozma, Marshadow with Rock Tomb, and boosted Extreme Killer Arceus. Other entry hazard removers that check powerful hazard setters are appropriate team options as well. Arceus-Ground handles most Primal Groudon variants and offensively checks Mega Lucario, which can take advantage of Mega Sableye lacking Will-O-Wisp. Arceus-Dark does not necessarily prevent entry hazards well, but it can viably use Defog and check Yveltal, Lunala, and other wallbreakers that can overwhelm Mega Sableye. Many Arceus formes can run Ice Beam to check threatening attackers like Zygarde-C and Rayquaza. Giratina checks Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh, spreads various status, and provides Defog support. Lugia appreciates Mega Sableye deterring Stealth Rock and status moves and can check a broader range of threats in the tier with its superior bulk. With Multiscale intact, it also checks Ultra Necrozma with Outrage, which can easily defeat Mega Sableye after a Swords Dance. Primal Groudon checks Fairy-types and is one of the very few safe switch-ins to Primal Kyogre. Defensive variants can set Stealth Rock to prevent Yveltal and Ho-Oh from attempting to switch in on Mega Sableye and force it out. Primal Groudon can also carry Toxic to allow Mega Sableye to free up a slot for Will-O-Wisp. Both of them can work together to spread status well, as Primal Groudon forces out most Toxic-immune Pokemon in the tier, while Mega Sableye can lure in and burn Steel-types that would avoid Primal Groudon and rather contend with Mega Sableye instead. In a similar vein, Ferrothorn can fit with Mega Sableye to check Primal Kyogre and Fairy-types while also providing Spikes support to wear down the opposing team more quickly. Ferrothorn also takes advantage of many support Arceus formes, which is a good news for any Mega Sableye not running a specially defensive EV spread. Primal Kyogre can check Necrozma-DM well and appreciates Mega Sableye completely shutting down Ferrothorn and preventing it from recovering. Primal Kyogre can also take advantage of most Pokemon that threaten Mega Sableye. Defensive Primal Kyogre can also provide Mega Sableye with valuable defensive presence against support Arceus formes. Clerics like Magearna and Blissey can check special attackers with their typing and colossal special bulk, respectively, and cure Mega Sableye of status ailments to further improve its longevity.

Moves Knock Off allows Mega Sableye to cripple Pokemon that rely on their item such as Chansey. Will-O-Wisp allow Mega Sableye to cripple physical attackers. Foul Play discourages all physical setup from Pokemon such as Mega Scizor. Recover gives Mega Sableye reliable recovery, allowing it to switch into entry hazards and weaker attacks without being worn down as easily. Set Details Maximum HP allow Mega Sableye to maximize its bulk. 144 Special Defense EVs with a Careful nature allow Mega Sableye to soak up attacks from Pokemon such as Sheer Force Nidoking. 112 Defense EVs let Mega Sableye switch into threatening Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Terrakion. Prankster allows Sableye to hit offensive Pokemon with a priority Will-O-Wisp before it Mega Evolves. Sableye needs Sablenite to Mega Evolve. Usage Tips In some matchups, it can be very beneficial to lead with Sableye and Mega Evolve right away so you can later freely switch it in to prevent entry hazards from Pokemon such as Chansey and Skarmory. It also outright beats other common leads such as Cobalion and Shuckle. Switch Mega Sableye into common hazard setters such as Ferrothorn and Toxapex to bounce back hazards, and switch it into status users such as Gastrodon and Zapdos to cripple them. Preserve Mega Sableye's health and play carefully against types such as Fighting and Normal, where it is extremely important to check threatening Pokemon or prevent hazards. Use Will-O-Wisp liberally against teams with multiple strong physical attackers, as the opponent might try doubling into one. However, keep in mind that the opponent might switch in a wall that appreciates being burned instead of badly poisoned or into a Fire-type such as Volcarona. Other Pokemon, such as Heatran, can switch in freely to take advantage of Flash Fire if Mega Sableye uses Will-O-Wisp. Make sure to prioritize Knock Off over other moves against Pokemon that rely on their item such as Porygon2 and offensive threats like Choice Band Tapu Bulu. Use Recover liberally, as a worn-down Mega Sableye loses its ability to check threats. Use Foul Play against setup Pokemon such as Hawlucha and Mega Pinsir. However, be careful against teams carrying Pokemon with the ability Justified, as they might try to switch in for the free Attack boost. Team Options Mandibuzz can use Defog to remove hazards that lower Mega Sableye's defensive potential and can switch into threats such as Mega Lopunny and Choice-locked Pokemon such as Choice Scarf Tapu Bulu and Choice Band Diggersby. Tyranitar has access to Stealth Rock to wear down sweepers and beats extremely threatening setup sweepers such as Volcarona, which fearlessly sets up against Mega Sableye. Greninja is a great offensive check to Pokemon such as Keldeo and Tapu Koko. Alolan Muk supports Mega Sableye by pressuring Fairy-types such as Clefable and Tapu Koko. Bisharp takes out problematic Fairy-types such as Clefable, while Mega Sableye blocks status moves such as Will-O-Wisp and Thunder Wave aimed at Bisharp. Bisharp can also pressure Defoggers that can freely pivot and use Defog against Mega Sableye with its ability Defiant. Krookodile can set up Stealth Rock to pressure the opposition, and Mega Sableye can spinblock for it. Krookodile can also beat defensive Pokemon such as Toxapex, which trouble Mega Sableye. Choice Specs Hydreigon can take out Pokemon that threaten Mega Sableye such as Mega Venusaur and Heatran. Choice Scarf Flash Cannon Hydreigon can take out other threats such as Mega Diancie.

Moves Recover gives Mega Sableye longevity, thus enabling it to fulfill its role as a mixed wall more efficiently. Will-O-Wisp allows it to burn physical attackers, which cripples them and makes walling them much easier. Knock Off can be used to cripple bulky and offensive Pokemon alike by removing their items such as Black Sludge from Toxapex and Life Orb from Landorus. Protect allows Mega Sableye to do three things: safely Mega Evolve against threats such as Mega Diancie, scout moves against Choice-locked attackers like Victini, and force High Jump Kick mind games against Mega Lopunny. Foul Play punishes physical setup sweepers, especially some like Mega Charizard X and Substitute users like Gyarados that can circumvent Will-O-Wisp. Fake Out can be used instead of Protect to Mega Evolve against threats and get some residual damage on the opposing team while preventing them from recovering or setting up on a predicted Protect. However, it can only be used on the first turn in and does not help Mega Sableye beat answers like Mega Lopunny. Set Details 248 HP EVs maximize Mega Sableye's bulk while minimizing potential Stealth Rock damage. 104 Defense EVs give Mega Sableye the ability to take powerful physical attacks like Stakataka's Continental Crush. 156 Special Defense EVs supported by a Careful nature allow Mega Sableye to handle special attackers, even surviving Mega Diancie's Moonblast. Magic Bounce allows Mega Sableye to shut down entry hazard setters and status spreaders. Prankster gives Sableye the possibility to use its utility moves with priority before Mega Evolution. Usage Tips Try to Mega Evolve as soon as possible, especially in matchups where entry hazards must be avoided at all costs like against Poison and Steel. Use Protect when Mega Evolving against powerful wallbreakers and other threats like Mold Breaker Excadrill. Also, Protect should also be used to scout moves from Choice-locked attackers like Victini and switch out to the appropriate check if needed. Additonally, Protect can force Mega Lopunny to miss High Jump Kick and take crash damage and stall out Fire Blasts from Mega Charizard Y. While Mega Evolving early is important, Sableye can forego this to get important burns with Prankster Will-O-Wisp. After getting off a priority burn, Sableye can take advantage of Prankster to get priority recovery. Will-O-Wisp should be used to cripple physical attackers; however, it risks letting in threats like Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y. Mega Sableye should be kept healthy so that it can safely come in often. It should switch in on common hazard setters and status spreaders like Toxapex and Ferrothorn but avoid those that threaten it like Heatran and Clefable. If running Foul Play, spam it against physical setup sweepers like Gyarados and Scizor. Take advantage of opposing walls like Chansey and Toxapex to Recover. Avoid being burned by opposing Magic Bounce or Mew's Synchronize because this greatly hinders Knock Off and Foul Play's damage output. Team Options Choice Scarf Blacephalon can be either an amazing wallbreaker or a sweeper to handle the more offensive threats that Mega Sableye cannot such as Mega Lopunny and Tapu Koko. In return, Mega Sableye allows Blacephalon to come in more often by preventing residual damage from entry hazards, and it can take the Ghost- and Dark-type attacks that would KO Blacephalon. Other sets like Choice Specs are also able to accomplish this, but they cannot beat fast threats like Mega Lopunny and Tapu Koko. Gengar is another offensive Pokemon that assists Mega Sableye by providing an offensive presence to take out threats, such as Clefable and, if running Choice Scarf, Tapu Koko. Gengar is also able to remove Toxic Spikes, which is necessary because Toxapex beats Mega Sableye one-on-one if it gets poisoned. Mimikyu can clean up Dark-types that Mega Sableye has weakened during the battle. It also functions as a blanket check against setup sweepers that Mega Sableye cannot beat such as Volcarona, Refresh Mega Altaria, and Taunt Mega Gyarados. Alolan Marowak and Golurk can set up Stealth Rock and check Electric-types like Tapu Koko to support Mega Sableye. Jellicent provides a Water-type immunity to aid Mega Sableye against threats like Suicune and Keldeo. Decidueye assists Mega Sableye by removing hazards like Toxic Spikes and trapping defensive threats like Mantine with Spirit Shackle.

Moves Foul Play has STAB and bypasses Mega Sableye's low Attack stat by using the opponent's Attack stat against them. It also punishes physical sweepers who set up, as doing so increases Foul Play's power. Will-O-Wisp halves the opposing Pokemon's Attack and slowly wears it down. This allows Mega Sableye to avoid the 2HKO from many boosted threats and either stall them out with Recover or KO them with Foul Play. Recover gives Mega Sableye reliable recovery so that it can switch into both entry-hazard setters and the physical attackers it is supposed to check more reliably throughout the match. The fourth moveslot has many viable options. Fake Out allows Sableye to Mega Evolve without taking damage and break a potential Focus Sash against suicide leads such as Deoxys-S, Deoxys-A, and Greninja. Many balanced and stall teams rely on Sableye Mega Evolving on the first turn safely, making this the best move in many cases. Protect can be used instead of Fake Out to Mega Evolve safely and works well in conjunction with the residual damage from Will-O-Wisp, but it does not break Focus Sashes and can potentially give the opponent a free turn to set up. Toxic is another viable option, as it can put switch-ins such as Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and Fairies on a timer. Finally, Metal Burst can pick off powerful wallbreakers such as offensive Primal Groudon, Ho-Oh, Mega Salamence, and Rayquaza after some prior damage due to Mega Sableye's ability to tank a single hit from all of them. However, Mega Sableye's low HP stat makes it unable to OHKO them from full HP and leaves it at low HP after using Metal Burst. Set Details Sablenite is required to give Sableye enough bulk to check the physical attackers that it is supposed to check and give it Magic Bounce so that it can keep entry hazards off the field. An EV spread of 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD with an Impish nature maximizes Mega Sableye's physical bulk, as it is almost always used to check physical attackers, while minimizing residual damage from hazards should it fail to keep them off the field. If using a move other than Fake Out in the fourth slot, a Bold nature should be used to minimize Foul Play damage from opposing Yveltal because Sableye's own Foul Play does not take its Attack stat into consideration. An alternative EV spread of 248 HP / 124 Def / 136 SpD with an Impish or Bold nature allows Mega Sableye to avoid the 2HKO from Timid Mega Mewtwo Y's Fire Blast and almost always avoid the 2HKO from Naive Life Orb Deoxys-A's Ice Beam, but it takes away from Mega Sableye's much-needed physical bulk and makes it more difficult for Sableye to perform its main roles of keeping hazards off the field and checking strong physical attackers at the same time. This spread avoids the 2HKO from these moves only if Stealth Rock and Spikes are off the field, so secondary hazard control such as Defog is necessary when using this EV spread. Usage Tips Mega Sableye is almost always used on more defensive teams, as it clashes with many offensive Pokemon due to it halting momentum and having no offensive presence unless the opposing Pokemon has a high Attack stat. Mega Sableye effortlessly blocks entry hazards from almost every hazard setter in the tier except for Primal Groudon, Dialga, Mega Diancie, and Deoxys-S with Skill Swap, so switching in liberally to block hazards is usually safe. If running Fake Out or Protect, Mega Sableye should almost always lead because Mega Evolving safely early on in the game is required for many of the teams on which it is found. Sableye can remain in its normal form if having Will-O-Wisp as a priority move is deemed important, but keep in mind that the extra bulk and Magic Bounce are almost always more useful than the utility that Prankster offers. When using Mega Sableye, keeping it healthy is extremely important so that it can switch into both hazard setters and strong physical attackers. For this reason it is recommended to use Recover on predicted switches. One should also be careful of using Will-O-Wisp too recklessly, as it gives a free switch to Fire-types such as Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh. In addition, one should consider whether possible switch-ins are better off burned as opposed to paralyzed or poisoned if Mega Sableye's teammates run other status moves. Team Options Ho-Oh is probably the best teammate for Mega Sableye, as it appreciates Stealth Rock off the field, appreciates physical attackers being checked, and can check special attackers such as Xerneas and Darkrai in return thanks to its massive Special Defense stat. Lugia is also a great partner, as it can check the powerful wallbreakers that beat Mega Sableye, such as Mega Salamence, Primal Groudon, and Rayquaza, and Mega Sableye's ability to keep Stealth Rock off the field helps keep Lugia's Multiscale intact. Reliable Defoggers such as Arceus-Water and Latias provide almost airtight hazard control in conjunction with Mega Sableye's ability. Arceus-Water notably checks Primal Groudon, Mega Salamence, Rayquaza, and Ho-Oh, while Latias is one of the few safe switch-ins to Primal Kyogre in the Uber tier. Primal Groudon works well with Mega Sableye, as it can check Fairies and Primal Kyogre as well as set up Stealth Rock reliably. Ferrothorn is also a good teammate, as it checks Primal Kyogre and certain Xerneas variants. The residual damage from Leech Seed and Will-O-Wisp also wear down opposing Pokemon quickly.

Knock Off provides utility in removing items like Leftovers and Eviolite from defensive Pokemon like Skarmory and Porygon2. Taunt allows Sableye to be an effective stallbreaker by preventing defensive Pokemon from recovering HP or using status moves. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers like Landorus-T, Terrakion, and Mega Sharpedo. Taunt and Will-O-Wisp synergize well to prevent setup sweepers like Bisharp, Mega Tyranitar, and Mega Gallade from using Sableye as setup bait. Mandibuzz forms a defensive core with Sableye to check Fighting-types like Breloom, Mega Lopunny, and Mega Gallade. It provides Defog support so Sableye isn't worn down by entry hazards and pivoting with U-turn. Furthermore, Mandibuzz forms a Ground immunity core with Hydreigon to help with Pokemon like Excadrill, Mega Swampert, and Diggersby. Choice Specs Hydreigon can blast through defensive Pokemon like Mega Venusaur and Porygon2 and muscle past Fire-, Water-, and Electric-types like Heatran, Gastrodon, Rotom-W, and Zapdos thanks to its Dragon typing. Weavile and Bisharp can revenge kill fast Pokemon like Choice Scarf Latios and +2 Landorus with their respective priority moves. Weavile gets rid of Dragon-, Flying-, and Ground-types like Hydreigon, Tornadus-T, and Landorus. Bisharp offensively pressures Fairy-types like Clefable, Whimsicott, and Togekiss. Krookodile or Mega Tyranitar can provide Stealth Rock support. Choice Scarf Krookodile can blast through the aforementioned Electric- and Fire-types and revenge kill threats like Mega Charizard Y, Mega Diancie, and Choice Band Terrakion. Mega Tyranitar can set up with Dragon Dance if Krookodile is on the team and strike through many types like Bug, Dragon, and Flying. Alternatively, Mega Tyranitar can use a bulkier spread with Stealth Rock to check special threats like Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y and wear down Mega Gardevoir. Cacturne provides Spikes support and a Water immunity to help with Pokemon like Kingdra and Suicune.

This is a sample set. We aren't working on ORAS Monotype analyses at the moment, but check out ORAS Monotype resources for more information about the metagame.

Moves Parting Shot allows Sableye to switch out to avoid taking unwanted hits, as well as having the added benefit of weakening the foe by lowering each of its attacking stats by a stage. Will-O-Wisp allows Sableye to cripple physical attackers by halving their Attack, as well as damaging them each turn. Topsy-Turvy allows Sableye to stop setup sweepers in their tracks, as it reverses their stat changes. Foul Play is another option over Topsy-Turvy, as once Sableye has crippled physical sweepers with a burn, it can hit them hard with Foul Play if they try to boost. Recover allows Sableye to regain half of its health, which helps it stay around as long as possible. Knock Off allows Sableye to rid its foes of their items, something that can cripple many opposing strategies. Taunt is also an option that can help make Sableye a nice stallbreaker. Toxic can help break down bulky foes by dealing an increasing amount of damage each turn. Set Details Prankster allows Sableye to bypass its awful Speed and increases the priority of its status moves, letting it Recover, fire off Will-O-Wisp, or pivot out with Parting Shot before the foe can attack. The maximum EVs in HP and Special Defense with an Impish nature paired with Will-O-Wisp allow Sableye to be as bulky as possible and take as many hits as possible. Leftovers allows Sableye to slowly regain health over the course of the battle, keeping it alive longer. 252 HP and Defense EVs along with an Impish nature could also be run to take more physical hits. Sablenite can be used to allow Sableye to Mega Evolve, giving it enhanced defensive stats and Magic Bounce. Usage Tips If you use Parting Shot on a foe with Magic Bounce, such as Mega Diancie, the foe will be forced to switch out and Sableye's attacking stats will drop a stage, which then becomes a mind game with the opponent. Sableye is the slowest Prankster user in STABmons, so if the opponent runs another Prankster user such as Thundurus or Whimsicott, they can easily shut Sableye down with Taunt or status it with Thunder Wave and Spore, so it is best to switch out against them. Sableye is a check—not a counter—to most physical threats, meaning it isn't bulky enough to switch into them. It is better to switch Sableye in after a teammate has fainted or with a clean switch from U-turn. From there, it can either status a threat with Will-O-Wisp or force it out. Because of the versatility of this set, it can be used throughout the entire battle. This makes it important to keep using Recover whenever you have the chance. If you are sure the foe will do less than 50% to Sableye, it is helpful to use Recover to set it up to better take more hits. If Sableye Mega Evolves, it will gain Magic Bounce, which is good for reflecting Taunt and other status moves; however, it will lose the ability to pivot out before the foe attacks and instead will have to rely on a slow pivot. Team Options Steel-types such as Heatran and Scizor are great switch-ins to Fairy-types such as Mega Diancie and Sylveon that would otherwise beat Sableye. Special walls such as Chansey, Porygon2, and Meloetta work well, as they appreciate opposing physical attackers being crippled by a burn. Entry hazard setters such as Landorus-T, Terrakion, and Heatran pair well with Sableye because the hazards help to wear down foes due to the switches that Sableye forces. VoltTurn users, such as Rotom-W, Landorus-T, and Thundurus, go great alongside Sableye, keeping up the momentum along with Parting Shot to wear down the foes over the course of the battle. Hazard removers such as Landorus-T, Starmie, and Mega Blastoise are good teammates for Sableye, as it will be switching in many times. Because this set is countered by opposing Mega Sableye, Pokemon that beat it are great teammates; Mega Diancie is an option if you are not running Sablenite.

Moves Will-O-Wisp allows Sableye to check physical attackers, cutting their Attack in half. Destiny Bond allows Sableye to take a foe with it if it is KOed, which works great alongside Prankster. Memento is another option that can be used to drop the foe's Attack and Special Attack by two stages each at the expense of Sableye itself, which gives a teammate an easy setup opportunity. Parting Shot allows Sableye to switch out with priority and drop the foe's Attack and Special Attack by one stage each. Knock Off rids foes of their items while also hitting with STAB. Foul Play hits foes that have boosted their Attack hard. Taunt is another option that works well with Destiny Bond, as it forces a foe to use an attack, which will activate Destiny Bond if it KOes. Topsy-Turvy can be used to reverse the stats of setup sweepers and then allow Sableye to pivot into a setup sweeper to take advantage of a weakened foe. Set Details Prankster increases the priority of status moves, which is extremely important with this set, as it allows Sableye to take down a foe with Destiny Bond. The 72 Attack EVs allow Sableye to OHKO Espeon with Knock Off. The rest of the EVs go to HP and Defense to make Sableye as bulky as possible. Focus Sash is used so Sableye can be a last-resort check to many setup sweepers on opposing teams, allowing it to switch into them once and then take them down with Destiny Bond the following turn. Usage Tips This set works at any point in the game because of its versatility, although it cannot switch into foes with multi-hit or priority moves, such as Azumarill, Cloyster, and Stoutland. Sableye can also be used to build momentum on a VoltTurn team by using Parting Shot to switch to a teammate with a better matchup. If you are running Memento, this set works really well when paired with a setup sweeper; in that case, make sure that the counters to your sweeper are eliminated before using the move. Team Options Rotom-W makes for a decent teammate, as it is able to handle Azumarill, Cloyster, and Mega Diancie, which can all give Sableye issues. Setup sweepers such as Ursaring, Substitute + Calm Mind Keldeo, Thundurus, and Mega Scizor also make for good teammates. To keep Sableye's Focus Sash intact, the field needs to be entry hazard free; teammates like Mega Blastoise, Landorus-T, and Defog Gyarados help do this.

Moves Will-O-Wisp allows Mega Sableye to cripple physical attackers by halving their Attack stat, giving it time to set up. Recover allows Mega Sableye to stay healthy by restoring half of its health. Calm Mind boosts Mega Sableye's Special Attack and Special Defense, making it harder to KO and letting it hit hard after a few boosts. Snarl, while not hitting the foe hard, drops its Special Attack by one stage each time it hits, making Mega Sableye extremely hard to KO when paired with Will-O-Wisp and Calm Mind. It also has 24 PP, allowing it to be used many times throughout the battle. Dark Pulse is a powerful STAB option that has 24 PP and can be used if you want to inflict more damage. Night Daze is a similarly strong STAB move that has a 40% chance to lower the foe's accuracy. This is useful because once the foe has had its accuracy lowered a few times, it is forced to either switch out or rely on inaccurate attacks hitting. However, it only has 16 PP, which isn't the optimal for this set. Shadow Ball is another option to chip Fairy-types such as Mega Diancie and Mega Gardevoir, which would otherwise wall this set. Set Details Prankster is important the turn before you Mega Evolve Sableye, as it lets Sableye either cripple a foe with a priority Will-O-Wisp or get a quick Calm Mind boost. Sablenite allows Sableye to Mega Evolve, which dramatically increases its defensive stats, as well as giving it Magic Bounce for an ability. Magic Bounce is an extremely useful ability after Mega Evolving, as it lets Sableye send status moves back at the user. A Bold nature increases Sableye's Defense while lowering its Attack, making it as physically bulky as possible. The EVs in HP and Defense along with burn support allow Sableye to take on many physical hits. Usage Tips It is not necessary to Mega Evolve right away. Prankster is a great ability before Mega Evolving and has some advantages over Magic Bounce, such as getting off a quick burn with Will-O-Wisp to cripple a physical attacker or getting in a quick Calm Mind to be able to take an extra hit. Don't stay in on Fairy-types like Clefable and Sylveon, as they don't care about Dark-type moves and are able to hit hard with their own STAB moves. This set works best late-game once all of its checks and counters, such as Fairy- and Dark-types, have been removed. With Will-O-Wisp, this set serves as a great check to many physical threats in the game; however, because of its low Speed, make sure that Mega Sableye is able to take two hits from whatever it is facing, as it will need one turn to use Will-O-Wisp and another to Recover the damage. Afterwards, you can start setting up Calm Mind and prepare for a sweep. Reflecting status moves with Magic Bounce is helpful because it prevents Mega Sableye from being phazed with Roar or Whirlwind. Beware, however, of opposing Sableye, as your Sableye can be phazed by Parting Shot. Team Options Steel-types such as Scizor and Heatran work well with Mega Sableye, as they are able to switch into and eliminate Fairy-types that Mega Sableye doesn't like. Fighting- and Fairy-types such as Terrakion and Sylveon also work well, as they can take out Dark-types that stand in the way of a Mega Sableye sweep. Entry hazard setters such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, and Heatran can wear down foes over the length of the battle, something that Mega Sableye appreciates. Teammates that can switch into powerful wallbreakers like Mega Gardevoir and Keldeo, such as Latios, Porygon2, Chansey, and Jirachi, make for good teammates as well, as Mega Sableye would struggle with them otherwise.

Moves Fake Out allows Mega Sableye to safely Mega Evolve and to stall for burn damage later in the battle. Foul Play is important because Mega Sableye would otherwise be extremely passive and setup bait for lots of threats, and it allows Mega Sableye to do decent damage to most physical attackers and do something to Primal Groudon. It also wards away Pokemon like Mega Rayquaza and Arceus from attempting to boost past the burn drop to break through Mega Sableye. Recover gives Mega Sableye a form of recovery so that it doesn't get worn down throughout the match and can keep checking physical attackers and entry hazard setters. Will-O-Wisp cripples most physical attackers and is also nice for passive damage throughout the match on special attackers. Set Details An Impish nature, 248 HP EVs, and 252 Defense EVs maximize Mega Sableye's physical bulk while hitting a Stealth Rock number, with the remaining EVs being placed in Special Defense. Prankster allows Sableye to fire off a priority Will-O-Wisp on the turn it Mega Evolves, crippling almost every physical attacker because Sableye is immune to Extreme Speed. Usage Tips Fake Out should be used to Mega Evolve even if the foe threatens Sableye, as Mega Evolving and gaining Magic Bounce as quickly as possible is crucial. Make sure to not use Fake Out while Mega Evolving if a Prankster Will-O-Wisp would be optimal later in the game. Spreading burns is very nice, but if your opponent has Primal Groudon or Ho-Oh, be wary of using Will-O-Wisp too freely or you'll just end up giving them free switches in. Switch Sableye into physical attackers such as Arceus quickly, because if they start setting up and Sableye isn't in, it can fail to check them and get overwhelmed. Additionally, Foul Play does not OHKO +2 Arceus or unboosted Mega Rayquaza either, so it is imperative to keep Sableye healthy enough to take a hit from both of them if they are still in play. Pivot Mega Sableye into Stealth Rock setters such as Primal Groudon and support Arceus-Ground. Don't let Mega Sableye get weakened too much because it is too slow to use Recover on many Pokemon, so it can often just be picked off even by Pokemon it usually counters. That said, if Mega Sableye is too weakened to heal on anything else for the battle, it can often be beneficial to keep it around, as just the threat of Mega Sableye deters opponents from deploying entry hazards and status moves. It is almost always wise to lead with Sableye to allow it to Mega Evolve immediately, offering the threat of Magic Bounce for the entire battle, as well as pivot Mega Sableye into entry hazard setters such as Primal Groudon. However, be wary of getting burned by Primal Groudon's Lava Plume, which can cripple Mega Sableye for the rest of the match. Team Options Mega Sableye pairs extremely well with Lugia, as it requires Stealth Rock off the field to function, and it can help defend against physical attackers as well so that Mega Sableye doesn't get overwhelmed. Lugia also acts as another check to Mega Rayquaza, which Mega Sableye cannot fully check due to its sheer power. Ho-Oh also appreciates Stealth Rock off the field and has phenomenal special bulk to complement Mega Sableye's physical bulk. It also sponges Fairy-type moves extremely well for Mega Sableye. Ferrothorn has great defensive synergy with Mega Sableye, as it can tank all of the Fairy-type attacks that might be thrown at Mega Sableye as well as counter Primal Kyogre, and in turn, Mega Sableye can deal with Fighting-type attacks efficiently as well as wear down physical attackers further with Will-O-Wisp. Ferrothorn can also set entry hazards, which benefit Mega Sableye greatly due to all of the switches it forces. Primal Groudon pressures non-Foul Play Mega Sableye sets immensely and even takes on Foul Play variants somewhat well, so having Primal Groudon switch-ins such as Arceus-Water and Giratina-O is beneficial. Primal Groudon on Mega Sableye's own team is also helpful, as it can check Fairy-types. Pairing Mega Sableye with a Defog user such as Arceus-Water or Arceus-Fairy lets you control hazards extremely reliably, which also opens up the door for Ho-Oh as well as Lugia.

Moves Will-O-Wisp is required on Mega Sableye to cripple physical attackers. Recover replenishes Mega Sableye's health and pairs nicely with Will-O-Wisp to rack up damage every turn while stalling. Foul Play punishes setup sweepers such as Mega Salamence, Mega Kangaskhan, Talonflame, Mega Charizard X, and Aegislash. Taunt helps with stallbreaking Pokemon such as Chansey along with preventing Pokemon from setting up on it prior to Mega Evolution. Sucker Punch is a great STAB move for Mega Sableye, as it can deal massive damage against frail Pokemon such as Mega Gengar. Together, Foul Play + Sucker Punch is a guaranteed KO on Mega Gengar. When using Sucker Punch over Taunt, Mega Sableye will need to be wary of stall Pokemon and setup sweepers such as Suicune, Clefable, and Mega Salamence. Set Details 252 HP EVs optimize Mega Sableye's overall bulk, and 204 Defense EVs with an Impish nature increase its physical bulk. 52 Special Defense EVs help Sableye take special attacks from the likes of Mega Gengar and Aegislash and give it a chance to survive Serperior's Leaf Storm at +4 Special Attack. Prankster gives Sableye's non-attacking moves priority before and while it Mega Evolves. Sablenite is used to increase Sableye's bulk. With this in mind, the physical bulk and Will-O-Wisp will allow Mega Sableye to wall several physical attackers such as Mega Kangaskhan, Landorus-T, and Garchomp. Usage Tips Stallbreaker Sableye can easily disable defensive Pokemon such as Cresselia, Chansey, and Ferrothorn with Taunt. You can use the free turn as an opportunity to switch in a setup sweeper while they can't recover any health for the next turn. You can burn any physical attackers you see with Will-O-Wisp; the only thing to worry about is using it when you see a Fire-type in Team Preview because that'll just give them a safe switch in. After burning them, you can stall out the physical attackers with Recover + Foul Play. This makes Mega Sableye a pretty good lead. You can also trick your opponent because many always lead with a Mega Sableye counter, expecting Mega Sableye to come out first. Mega Sableye is best switched in from a fallen teammate because it doesn't want to take any hits on the switch prior to Mega Evolving. When Mega Sableye is low on health, it's best to just keep it in as death fodder due to its terrible Speed. Most opponents don't expect this set, so Taunt / Sucker Punch might be able to catch them off guard. Team Options Heatran, Excadrill, Scizor, and Aegislash get rid of Fairy-types for Sableye. Rotom-W can be paired up with Heatran and Mega Sableye, as the three provide excellent synergy with each other. Rotom-W can switch in on resisted Water- and Electric-type attacks for Heatran and Mega Sableye and is immune to Ground-type moves. Landorus-T can eliminate Fire- and Steel-types such as Talonflame and Excadrill. Sylveon helps eliminate Dark- and Dragon-types such as Hydreigon, Mega Altaria, Mega Salamence, and Garchomp with Pixilate Hyper Voice. Ditto is a great revenge killer against offensive Pokemon such as Mega Gengar and Mega Charizard X. Mamoswine and Excadrill are immune to Electric-type attacks and can check Fire-types such as Talonflame and Mega Charizard X and Y. Greninja provides excellent coverage, getting rid of various Pokemon that threaten Mega Sableye such as Sylveon, Clefable, Thundurus, Mega Salamence, and Mega Altaria. Togekiss can be a nice teammate for clearing the field of Dark-, Dragon-, Fighting-, and Grass-types such as Hydreigon, Garchomp, Blaziken, and Serperior. Sableye appreciates Mega Kangaskhan on its team, as it is useful in some matchups that are unfavorable for Sableye. This can catch players off guard, as the presence of Mega Sableye in Team Preview can make the opponent bring their special attackers such as Mega Gengar, Aegislash, and Greninja. Return or Double-Edge from Mega Kangaskhan can KO many threats, and it outspeeds Fairy-types such as Sylveon and Clefable. Mega Kangaskhan also has access to Ice Punch to deal with Dragon-types such as Mega Salamence, Mega Altaria, and Garchomp.

Moves Will-O-Wisp gives Mega Sableye and its teammates excellent support in crippling physical attackers such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Salamence, and Garchomp, which helps it set up Calm Mind on them. This also helps get residual damage on Pokemon that lack recovery such as Ferrothorn. Recover gives Mega Sableye a reliable recovery move, increasing its longevity so that it can gain more Calm Mind boosts and wear down the opposing team with Will-O-Wisp. Calm Mind boosts Mega Sableye's Special Attack and Special Defense by one stage, making it a bulky sweeper and helping it survive special attacks. Snarl reduces the opposing Pokemon's Special Attack by one stage. With Calm Mind and Recover, it can assist in stalling out opposing Calm Mind users such as Raikou. Set Details Prankster gives Sableye priority on Will-O-Wisp, Recover, and Calm Mind. Prankster is active on the turn Sableye Mega Evolves as well. Sablenite is used to increase Sableye's bulk, allowing it to check many physical attackers and defensive Pokemon. Gaining Magic Bounce helps Mega Sableye be a great status absorber, bouncing back any status move to the foe. Maximum HP and Defense EVs with a Bold nature optimize Sableye's bulk because the majority of attackers in Battle Spot Singles are physical, such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Mawile, Garchomp, Mamoswine, and Landorus-T. Usage Tips Make sure to Mega Evolve Sableye and set up Calm Mind on defensive Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, Chansey, and Porygon2, which are likely to status it. Chansey and Ferrothorn can't do anything to Mega Sableye. If the opponent has Heatran and leads with a physical attacker like Garchomp, they will usually expect Will-O-Wisp and switch out to get the Flash Fire boost. On some occasions, you really don't need to Mega Evolve Sableye, as it can stall out some physical attackers on its own. For example, against Landorus-T and Garchomp, Sableye can use Prankster Will-O-Wisp to burn them, cutting their Attack and dealing residual damage each turn while Sableye stalls them out with Recover. Mega Sableye is very vulnerable to Fairy-types, so keep it away from them and make sure you have a partner for them. Entry hazards aren't all that common in Battle Spot Singles due to it being fast paced, so you can focus more on Sableye stalling out the foes. Dealing with special attackers can be tricky because Sableye's Special Defense isn't all that great. The best it can do is set up Calm Mind on the first turn and then Mega Evolve to go for Recover. Mega Sableye has a huge presence in Team Preview for the opponent. Many physical attackers don't enjoy getting burned by Will-O-Wisp, so the opponent will most likely bring their special attackers and leave their physical threats such as Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Mega Kangaskhan behind. Play this to your team's advantage when picking which three to send out to battle. Mega Sableye should definitely not stay in on dangerous special attackers such as Choice Specs Hydreigon and Serperior unless it has set up enough Calm Minds. Because Mega Sableye is slow and almost always goes second, it is very important to keep track of its HP and how much damage the foes do so you can judge when to use Recover and when to set up Calm Mind. Team Options Heatran 4x resists Fairy-type attacks, while Mega Sableye can safely switch into Fighting-type attacks. Excadrill can also remove Fairy-types from the field with STAB Iron Head and dent Electric- and Fire-types such as Raikou and Heatran with Earthquake. Additionally, Choice Scarf variants of Excadrill carry Rock Slide, demolishing Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y. Scizor can use Fairy-types to set up with Swords Dance and eliminate them with Bullet Punch. Clefable makes for a great partner for Mega Sableye because many sweepers like to set up on it. Switching Unaware Clefable into the foe can prevent them from using Mega Sableye as a setup fodder. Mega Sableye can also switch into resisted Poison-type moves for Clefable and burn some physical Steel-types that threaten Clefable such as Excadrill and Scizor. Thundurus can paralyze the foe with Thunder Wave or shut down defensive Pokemon with Taunt, allowing Mega Sableye to get free turns to set up Calm Mind. Gengar can be a nice partner, removing Fairy-types with its Poison-type STAB move and switching into Ground-type moves due to Levitate. Together, Chansey and Mega Sableye can make a fine defensive core. With Mega Sableye burning the foe with Will-O-Wisp, both Pokemon can tank more hits from physical attackers. Chansey's amazing special bulk lets it switch into several special attacks for Mega Sableye, while it appreciates the removal of Ghost-types such as Mega Gengar and Aegislash. Breloom can provide Spore support along with eliminating Fire-types such as Mega Charizard X, Mega Charizard Y, and Talonflame with Rock Tomb. Also, it can help clear the field of Water-types such as Suicune and Rotom-W. While Breloom is a shaky check to Fire-types, with Focus Sash + Rock Tomb and Spore, it has a chance to stop them in their tracks. Latias can provide Thunder Wave support and switch into predicted Ground-type moves, as well as use Healing Wish to bring Mega Sableye in with full health along with healing it of any status. Choice variants of Latias help cripple Suicune, a common check that can use Sableye as setup fodder due to Pressure and superb bulk, and it also helps eliminate Fighting-types such as Blaziken and Mega Lopunny that threaten Mega Sableye. Bulky Ground-types such as Garchomp, Hippowdon, and Mamoswine are all fine partners with Sableye. Not only are they great Stealth Rock users, but they also are able to check dangerous Fire- and Steel-types such as Talonflame, Mega Charizard X, Mega Lucario, and Mega Mawile. The former two also deal with Blaziken, while Mamoswine is able to check Mega Altaria and Mega Salamence relatively well. Mega Kangaskhan is a great partner for Sableye, as it can eliminate Pokemon that Sableye hates such as Mega Salamence, Clefable, and Heatran. VoltTurn support in general from partners such as Rotom-W and Landorus-T is neat for getting Sableye in safely because it's not very bulky prior to Mega Evolving.

Sableye's dangerous combination of Prankster, key support moves, and fair effective physical bulk thanks to Will-O-Wisp enables it to be a powerful tool for combating offensive and defensive threats. The moveset is fairly obvious, but every move plays a part. Foul Play and Priority Will-O-Wisp allow Sableye to hold its own against a wide variety of physical threats, including Excadrill, Groudon, and Extreme Killer Arceus. Once burned, the opponent can't boost up to try to break Sableye without taking a powerful Foul Play—for instance, a burned Extreme Killer Arceus is easily OHKOed by Foul Play at +4, while Sableye can otherwise easily stall out its attacks with Recover. Priority Taunt lets Sableye break down stall in conjunction with entry hazards by preventing the opponent from recovering or laying entry hazards, while against hyper offense it allows Sableye to prevent setup sweeps, though Sableye's lack of bulk means that in such a situation it will often end up taking loads of damage. It also allows Sableye to function as a potent anti-lead, due to the fact that it neuters Deoxys-S and gives you breathing room against Darkrai if necessary. Finally, Sableye is a decent spinblocker. Defensive Excadrill's Substitute is broken by Foul Play and Forretress can be shut down with Taunt. When using Sableye, however, it's important to gauge the advantages that another spinblocker could bring. Sableye's bulk pales in comparison to that of the other Ubers spinblockers, and its cardinal role is annoyer, not spinblocker. Sableye is notably one of the only Pokemon that can guarantee success against Baton Pass in any form, due to priority Taunt shutting down any attempts to pass boosts. The EV spread maximizes physical bulk. Generally, Sableye should not serve as a part of a team's defensive core—its capacity for taking hits simply isn't up to par with other contenders like Ho-Oh, Kyogre, and Ferrothorn. Rather, a separate core should exist with Sableye aiding in shutting down sweepers and keeping entry hazards up if played well. Sableye can only spinblock if used with extreme care and correct prediction. All of the Rapid Spinners in Ubers have weapons with which they can eliminate Sableye easily otherwise—Forretress can use Toxic and Excadrill, Tentacruel, and Kabutops can all 2HKO, though the latter two require weather to be in their favor. Sableye requires entry hazard control to function as well; any form of residual damage is detrimental to Sableye's ability to take a hit on the switch. Finally, Sableye also appreciates cleric support to remedy status resulting from mispredictions. In the case of Toxic Spikes, it can also alleviate the imminent problem of constant Toxic poison; however, Rapid Spin support or a Poison-type teammate to swiftly remove Toxic Spikes is required, such as that from Excadrill, Forretress, or Tentacruel. A specially defensive spread could be used to beat Tentacruel and some Mewtwo, but doing so greatly weakens Sableye's ability to take on physical attackers, and is thus unwise. Likewise, Toxic could be run over Will-O-Wisp to break down opponents faster and to hit Ho-Oh, but it forfeits Sableye's niche. In general, it's best to just stick to the original set. When using Sableye, remember not to underestimate its ability to take physical hits; you can easily come in on offensive Excadrill, burn it, recover HP, and use Foul Play with no chance of dying barring a critical hit or a Will-O-Wisp miss. An important thing to note is that Sableye itself does not have good bulk. Rather, it is its access to priority Will-O-Wisp that indirectly grants it the ability to sponge attacks from physical attackers. Sableye is an excellent addition to hyper offense teams, keeping entry hazards up when utilized correctly and neutering physical cleaners that hyper offense teams tend to struggle with. Sableye's priority Taunt means that it pairs up well with a spinner in teams that absolutely require a lack of entry hazards. Because of its spinblocking ability and tendency to force switches, Sableye works best on a team whose focus is taking advantage of entry hazards. Sableye also forms an excellent core with Ferrothorn, due to several factors. Firstly—and most obviously—Ferrothorn's key proactive ability is laying Spikes, which Sableye can usually keep on the field. However, as has been noted previously, excellent prediction is required to spinblock successfully. Secondly, between Leech Seed, Will-O-Wisp, Iron Barbs, and Spikes, the opponent will also be taking an immense amount of residual damage; this residual damage is rendered even more deadly when combined with Sableye's ability to shut down recovery. Thirdly, Sableye's Will-O-Wisp in conjunction with Ferrothorn's bulk and typing will usually mean that any physical attacker that lacks a Fire-type move will be powerless against the duo. Weather has an interesting effect on Sableye's utility. If on a weather team, Sableye should only ever be used with sun or rain, as residual damage to Sableye of any kind is detrimental to Sableye's main goal. When running sun, Sableye can take advantage of its newfound ability to take on Tentacruel. However, the weather gives a boost to opposing Fire-types, which are inconveniently immune to Will-O-Wisp. Meanwhile, rain cripples the aforementioned Fire-types. Kyogre as a teammate is very beneficial to Sableye; it has the capacity to take many of the special hits that Sableye cannot and shares stupendous synergy with Ferrothorn, one of Sableye's best partners. However, it guarantees that any opposing Tentacruel and Kabutops will be able to muscle through Sableye, compromising its ability to spinblock against the two should it be necessary.

This set utilizes Sableye to its full potential as a support Pokemon, by letting it assist its partner with moves such as Fake Out, while threatening to KO foes with Sucker Punch. Fake Out is an extremely helpful move that allows Sableye to break Focus Sashes and to disrupt set-ups. Sucker Punch hits Psychic- and Ghost-types, such as Latios and Chandelure, for massive damage, 2HKOing them. It also provides Sableye with an attacking move if it is ever Taunted. Priority Will-O-Wisp hampers physical sweepers, including Garchomp, Hitmontop, Metagross, Scizor, Tyranitar, and Terrakion. However, be wary of priority attacks, such as Scizor's Bullet Punch, as they will hit Sableye very hard before Sableye is able to burn their users. Will-O-Wisp also helps out by wearing down bulky Pokemon, such as Cresselia and Amoonguss. The last move is based off item choice and preference. If Lagging Tail is used, Trick can easily shut down one of your opponent's Pokemon by forcing them to move last, as well as by stealing their item. Not only does it reduce their attacking abilities, it also often steals helpful items such as Focus Sashes and type resist Berries. Detect is generally a useful move to have to protect Sableye from threats while its partner takes it out. Recover, on the other hand, allows Sableye to heal half of its HP but leaves it vulnerable to attacks. Maximum Special Defense EVs and a Careful nature lets Sableye better tank special attacks, as most physical threats will be neutered by Will-O-Wisp. If Trick is not your cup of tea, Leftovers is a great alternative to allow Sableye to survive on the field longer. Sableye partners well with any sweeper who can take advantage of the disruption it provides. For example, slow sweepers such as Hydreigon, Tyranitar, and Metagross appreciate Sableye Tricking a Lagging Tail to slow down faster opponents. Sableye also partners well with fast and fragile sweepers that dread physical attacks, such as Latios.

This is a sample set. We aren't working on BW Monotype analyses at the moment, but check out BW Monotype resources for more information about the metagame.

Sableye's awesome typing screams for a defensive set, and thanks to its highest stat being Defense and its respectable support movepool, Sableye can effectively pull it off. Sableye's goal with this set is to spread burn with Will-O-Wisp and stop the opponent from Rapid Spinning your team's entry hazards off the field. Sableye's typing grants it immunities to Fighting-, Normal-, and Psychic-type attacks, making it a natural candidate for burning many of the physical Fighting- and Normal-type attackers in the UU tier, such as Hitmonlee, Hitmontop, and Tauros. Taunt stops set-up attackers and turns Sableye into an effective stallbreaker. Will-O-Wisp and Taunt together allows Sableye to beat most slow RestTalk Pokemon one-on-one, particularly Curse Regirock and Curse Registeel. Toxic is an alternative to Taunt that weakens many of Sableye's switch-ins, such as Arcanine, Houndoom, and Spiritomb. Seismic Toss and Night Shade are for consistent damage, and make sure that Sableye isn't totally helpless against opposing Taunt users. Seismic Toss is the recommended attack, as it hits Normal-types who Sableye should be attempting to counter; on the other hand, Night Shade hits Ghost-types who are common switch-ins into Sableye, as most times Sableye won't be running a threatening attacking move. Finally, the last slot is given to Recover, which allows Sableye to outstall Rest-less Spiritomb if using Toxic, and it is generally helpful for a defensive Pokemon to have reliable recovery anyway. An alternative EV spread of 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD can be run; however, Sableye has a tough time taking physical attacks even with full investment and the opposing Pokemon burned, so it's recommended to stick with physical bulk. Another optional spread of 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SpD can be used to balance Sableye's defenses, but it's better off fully investing in one stat or the other, as with no particular stat emphasized, Sableye will have a tough time standing up to any sort of attack. Finally, Sableye can run enough Speed to outrun common Rapid Spin users, such as Donphan and Blastoise, though it is not recommended as Sableye needs all of the bulk it can get. Sableye can fill its third moveslot with an alternative attacking move, though such moves are highly situational and, without investment, will usually be significantly weaker than Night Shade or Seismic Toss. Shadow Sneak is the primary alternative move, as with it, Sableye can pick off weakened Alakazam, Mismagius, and Rotom. Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball are Sableye's strongest STAB moves, but most of the time Night Shade or Seismic Toss will prove to be more useful. Knock Off is an alternative support move to strip opposing walls of Leftovers or attackers of Life Orb, but it's hard to find a move to give up in its place. Finally, Pain Split can be used instead of Recover, but instant and reliable recovery is almost always the better choice. Stall teams love Pokemon capable of spinblocking, and Sableye's typing fits the bill perfectly; good teammates to set up entry hazards include Omastar, Qwilfish, and Uxie. Unfortunately, Sableye has a tough time dealing with a couple of Rapid Spin users, particularly Donphan and Blastoise, so having a back up spinblocker, such as Mismagius or Rotom, is recommended. This strategy is commonly referred to as the 'double Ghost' strategy, and provides a way to ensure that entry hazards are maintained on your opponent's side of the field. If using two Ghosts, Sableye should utilize Toxic to help its teammates stall more effectively. Sableye is in its element when switching into Normal- and Fighting-type physical attackers and burning them, so partners that enjoy having those Pokemon burned love Sableye as a partner. Registeel, Chansey, and Clefable all appreciate a teammate to take Fighting attacks for them, and in return can absorb most special attacks aimed at Sableye. Registeel can also switch into Swellow with ease, who would normally switch into Sableye's Will-O-Wisp for the Guts boost. Milotic is a great teammate due to its ability to switch into Fire-types, such as Arcanine, Houndoom, and Moltres, with ease. Weezing makes another great partner, as it's able to switch into the Guts-abusing Hariyama and Ursaring easily, and loves Sableye's ability to switch into Psychic-type attacks for free.

Set Description Sableye does its job by keeping itself healthy with Recover, which it should prioritize using unless it is at or near full HP; attempting to use Knock Off too aggressively can allow Claydol to switch out and return with multiple chances to score a critical hit Earthquake. Seismic Toss provides consistent damage once Leftovers is removed. Psych Up is included specifically to handle Curse Snorlax. It should only be used after the second Curse to avoid wasting turns. Once Snorlax uses Rest, switching into a phazer is required to prevent losing to a critical hit. Sableye's poor overall stats require full physical EV investment to function as a reliable Claydol and Snorlax check. With maximum physical bulk, Sableye can survive two Earthquakes from Dugtrio after removing its Choice Band with Knock Off, preventing the trap. Team Options A Spiker is mandatory for Sableye to function as an effective spinblocker, making Skarmory and Forretress natural partners. A Rapid Spin user is also required, as Sableye can struggle to maintain spinblock pressure if it becomes too worn down by Spikes; Claydol and Starmie are primary candidates. Dugtrio provides important support by removing Pursuit Tyranitar, which can otherwise repeatedly weaken Sableye. Dugtrio can also remove a damaged Starmie, which Sableye is unable to spinblock safely against. Cleric support from Blissey can help Sableye stay healthy and enables it to safely use Knock Off against Toxic Skarmory, although this reduces Sableye's advantages over Dusclops if Aromatherapy or Heal Bell are already available.