Such Taunt, Much Recover, WoW
Overview
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Sableye is well-known for stopping physical sweepers in their tracks with its famous Prankster Will-O-Wisp. Almost any non-Fire-type physical attacker without a Lum Berry or priority is shut down by Sableye, and that's a significant number of threats that go home crying thanks to this gem-encrusted Pokemon. But that's only one way Prankster is abused on Sableye; Prankster Taunt can shut down a large majority of defensive Pokemon and stall teams, while Prankster Recover can reliably heal Sableye after taking hits. Sableye also boasts 3 immunities, giving it ample switch-in opportunities on Fighting-, Normal-, and Psychic-type moves.
However, despite this seemingly unbeatable combination of movepool and ability, Sableye has several flaws that hinder its performance. Its pathetic base stats leave it extremely reliant on Will-O-Wisp, which only has 85% accuracy. For the same reason, Sableye cannot stomach a strong special attack either. Mega Charizard Y and Mega Charizard X can often freely switch into Sableye, only fearing the occasional Foul Play, and Sableye can only annoy Heatran with Knock Off. Its only resistance is the rarely used Poison-type, and it even gained a new weakness in Fairy. Sableye is fairly predictable as well and it can be totally shut down by even faster Taunts from Thundurus. Sableye also struggles against physical attackers that can avoid or take advantage of Will-O-Wisp, such as Guts Conkeldurr or Dragonite and Garchomp holding a Lum Berry. Despite these flaws, Sableye can be a huge thorn in the side to both physical attackers and support Pokemon.
Prankster Utility
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name: Prankster Utility
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Recover
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Knock Off / Foul Play
ability: Prankster
item: Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
nature: Impish
Moves
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Will-O-Wisp is Sableye's main source of passive damage and way of lessening damage taken. It can stop physical sweepers and wallbreakers as long as they aren't holding a Lum Berry or are immune to burns, all while providing useful passive damage to walls and tanks. Recover offers reliable recovery, and thanks to Prankster, it has priority. Unless you get hit with faster priority, this means that you can use Recover before your opponent even has a chance to attack. Prankster Taunt is very useful for shutting down defensive walls and halting any kind of setup. Since Prankster Taunt goes before Baton Pass, the opponent will not be able to Baton Pass into Espeon to bounce the Taunt back, so it can even be used against Baton Pass teams and stop their momentum. For an attacking option, Foul Play offers the most consistent and reliable damage output. Foul Play is especially useful for nailing the physical Fire-type attackers looking to absorb a Will-O-Wisp, such as Talonflame or Mega Charizard X. Knock Off, however, can cripple several special attackers on the switch that won't mind a burn, such as Keldeo, Latios, and Landorus. While the edge against special attackers is nice, Knock Off offers the least amount of offensive presence for Sableye. Night Shade provides the most consistent and reliable damage, and can be useful against Pokemon with low HP such as Rotom-W. However, keep in mind that Night Shade will not break an opposing Substitute if the user has 404 HP or more. Night Shade also lacks the utility that Knock Off brings, and some sweepers such as Mega Charizard X can just Roost off the damage from Night Shade.
Set Details
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Full investment in HP and Defense lets Sableye handle physical attackers with ease, before and after burning them. Sableye will often be switching in on physical threats in order to scare them off with the threat of a Will-O-Wisp, and full defensive investment is needed for that. However, a specially defensive spread works very well on Sableye. With full investment in HP and Special Defense instead, Sableye can handle many prominent special attackers once it removes their items with a Knock Off on the switch, such as Keldeo, Thundurus, and even Landorus. However, Sableye will not be able to defeat specially oriented Mega Evolutions with this set, such as Mega Charizard Y and Mega Gardevoir. Leftovers is used for mandatory passive recovery, as Sableye needs all the bulk it can get. Prankster is also mandatory as Sableye loses much of its viability without priority Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, and Recover.
Usage Tips
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Will-O-Wisp is your main method of dealing damage and reducing the damage taken, so use it often. If a Pokemon like Mandibuzz can Roost off all the damage you can do, use Taunt to stop it. Do not use Taunt on a Pokemon that can threaten Sableye, unless you wish to sacrifice Sableye to make the switch-in easier. Recover can help scout damage and moves, so time it well. Try not to use Will-O-Wisp when a Fire-type is on the opposing side, especially Heatran which can grab a Flash Fire boost. Users of Guts such as Conkeldurr, can also benefit from your Will-O-Wisp. If you can predict these Pokemon switching in, try to use Knock Off or Foul Play instead.
Team Options
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Sableye is a fairly independent Pokemon but it has low Special Defense, so a partner for taking powerful special attacks is recommended. Tyranitar can beat Latios and Mega Charizard Y for Sableye, and in return Sableye can burn Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Scizor which annoy Tyranitar. Sableye will be spreading burns frequently, so it's a good idea to have a Pokemon such as Gyarados or Azumarill to handle the Fire-types in the tier. Sableye is helpless against Fairy-types, so partners that can take them on, such as Heatran, Scizor, Aegislash, or Ferrothorn, are recommended.
Other Options
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Sableye has a movepool filled to the brim with cool, albeit situational moves to play with. Sableye can use Toxic to catch common Fire-types on the switch, but it still doesn't let Sableye beat Heatran and other Fire-types such as Talonflame don't mind it too much. Substitute can be used to ease prediction and allows Sableye to beat Latios and Latias. Trick can be used with an Iron Ball to cripple a fast threat such as Thundurus or Greninja, but the loss of Leftovers recovery is undesirable. Spite can be used to burn the PP of moves with very low PP such as Hydro Pump or Stone Edge. Gravity can be used to ground all Pokemon and increase the accuracy of all moves 1.66 times. Rain Dance and Sunny Day allow Sableye to serve as a backup weather setter for rain or sun teams. Confide and Snarl lower the Special Attack of the foe by one stage, with Confide having priority and Snarl being able to do damage.
Checks and Counters
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**Fire-types**: Heatran and Mega Charizard-Y can absorb a Will-O-Wisp and hit back with strong Fire Blasts. Mega Charizard-X, Entei, and Talonflame can also switch in on Will-O-Wisp, but they must also be more careful of Foul Play.
**Prankster Taunt**: Faster Pranksters with Taunt, such as Thundurus, can completely shut Sableye down. However, Thundurus is 2HKOed by Foul Play.
**Special Attackers**: Any powerful special attacker that doesn't mind a burn too much, like Latios or Greninja, usually does well against Sableye. Fairy-type special attackers also beat Sableye with ease.
**Toxic**: Toxic completely cripples Sableye, although it has to be caught on the switch as Sableye can just use Taunt otherwise.
**Entry Hazards**: Sableye is vulnerable to all entry hazards, especially the rare Toxic Spikes. The residual damage forces Sableye to use Recover much more often.
**Powerful Priority**: Powerful priority moves can strike before Sableye gets a chance to use Recover or Will-O-Wisp.
**Fairy-types**: Sylveon and (Mega) Gardevoir can OHKO Sableye thanks to their STAB moves. Unaware Clefable may not enjoy Will-O-Wisp, but Magic Guard variants can freely switch in and 2HKO with Moonblast.
**Guts**: Guts users such as Conkeldurr, can switch in on Will-O-Wisp and proceed to hit back with powerful boosted attacks.
**Lum Berry**: Physical attackers that are holding a Lum Berry can beat Sableye if they can 2HKO it on the switch or just outright OHKO.
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