Overview
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Prankster
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name: Prankster
move 1: Will-o-Wisp
move 2: Quash
move 3: Feint / Taunt / Fake Out
move 4: Protect / Foul Play / Recover
ability: Prankster
item: Sitrus Berry / Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 SpD
nature: Impish / Careful
Moves
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Set Details
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Team Options
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Other Options
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- Great stop to Mega Kang and physical attackers in general as Prankster Will-o-Wisp allows you to cripple them before they attack
- Able to disrupt speedy attackers by abusing Prankster Quash, letting your slower mons deal with the threat before it strikes
- Fits well on teams that have pokemon that are on the physically frail side or are not quite fast enough, as quash and WoW help
- While Taunt is a good choice, if the role you need is purely to stop Tailwind and Trick Room, Thundurus-I is a better choice. It is also threatened by faster taunts as they can stop Sableye from doing its job
- Almost no offensive presence at all, so your team mates must be able to take advantage of the support Sableye provides
- If opponents don't fear burns or Quash, Sableye can become dead weight very quickly
- Its average bulk is a drawback
- Functions well vs speed control as Quash ignores Tailwind and Trick Room, allowing you to strike first and waste opposing field conditions
- Its moveset is unique and no other pokemon can fulfil the specific job it provides
Prankster
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name: Prankster
move 1: Will-o-Wisp
move 2: Quash
move 3: Feint / Taunt / Fake Out
move 4: Protect / Foul Play / Recover
ability: Prankster
item: Sitrus Berry / Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 SpD
nature: Impish / Careful
Moves
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- Will-o-Wisp allows Sableye to threaten almost all of the physical attackers in the tier, as if they don't switch out they risk a burn, as well as wear things down with residual damage
- Quash makes the target move last, ignoring Trick Room, Tailwind and Choice Scarfs. This allows a partner to pick off a threat that would normally outspeed and KO
- Feint can break Protect and Quick / Wide guard for a turn, ensuring a KO on something trying to defend, Taunt lets you prevent status to you and your partners and also stops opponents from using Protect. Fake Out can disrupt opposing leads and buy a turn for yourself. Sableye is immune to Fake Out, aswell as having the move itself, so its almost guaranteed you'll be able to flinch something
- Protect lets Sableye protect itself from an incoming attack or Taunt while the threat is removed by a partner, Foul Play gives Sableye some damage output without investing in attack. Recover gives reliable healing, and is great for stalling burnt physical attackers
Set Details
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- 252 HP EVs to aid overall bulk
- 184 SpD allows Sableye to always live a sun boosted Zard Y Heat Wave, and a Rain Boosted Ludicolo Hydro Pump in rain
- Remaining 72 put into Def, and with an Impish nature lives a Life Orb Bisharp Knock Off with a little room to spare
- Sitrus Berry is used normally, but if using detect, Leftovers are an option for more gradual recovery
- An alternate spread of 252 HP / 68 Def / 188 SpD with a Careful nature if you want Sableye to take hits better from special attackers, as when faced with Sableye, physical attackers will usually protect while a special attacker deals with it. The 68 Def is to live an Adamant Life Orb Bisharp Knock Off in case Will-o-Wisp misses
- If using Foul Play, you can drop your speed IVs to 0 and use a Relaxed or Sassy Nature so that Foul Play hits after Aegislash changes to blade form and OHKO
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- Can stand up to almost any physical attacker in the game as they risk being burnt if they stay in, so they will almost always either protect or switch out
- Sableye's main role is to disrupt the opposing team and make it more difficult to deal with your teammates
- Quash can be very effective as it effectively nullifies all forms of speed control in place, allowing you to get a move in that wouldn't have been possible otherwise, taking alot of pressure off your partner. It also helps while Trick Room is up, for example, Quashing an Amoonguss while Trick Room is up, and substituting with your partner to avoid a Spore
- Is a great lead to disrupt the opponent, but Sableye can also switch in using its immunities to support late game
Team Options
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- Pokemon with good special bulk but low physical bulk like Sylveon, Mega Gardevoir and Mega Charizard Y enjoy the burn support that Prankster WoW gives
- Steel Types that can sponge Fairy attacks such as Heatran and Aegislash help, both are kinda slow, bulky and very powerful and in return like the Quash and burn support that Sableye provides
- Sableye is threatened by Fire types like Charizard Y and Heatran, so partners like Heatran and Keldeo fit well to switch-in to these attacks
- Partners like Mega Charizard and Mega Abomasnow benefit from Quash, as it can protect Zard Y from a scarfed Landorus T Rock Slide and hit it with Overheat before it attacks, while Abomasnow is slow, it can be protected by Quash while it lets off a Blizzard, but be careful as this stacks a weakness to Fire-types.
- Mega Kangaskhan is a good partner as Sableye can burn the Fighting types that threaten it, aswell as switch-in to Fighting attacks, use Quash to let Kang KO a faster threat, and burn an opponent to weaken its offence vs Kang so it can set up with Power Up Punch easier
Other Options
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- It gets Helping Hand although other mons do this better
- Trick can be used with a Lagging Tail to make the target always move last in its priority bracket, as Sableye has Prankster and isn't really affected by it
- Trick can also be used with Iron Ball, and while Lagging Tail is generally better, Iron Ball removes Ground immunities so works well with Landorus-T or Rhyperior
- Mental Herb can allow Sableye to safely Taunt the faster Thundurus I and Whimsicott
- Knock Off lets you remove troublesome items like Sitrus Berries and Leftovers, as well as preventing Sableye for being Thundurus Taunt bait
- Snarl lowers both opponents SpA by 1 stage which is effective coupled with the burns from Will-o-Wisp
[OVERVIEW]
Sableye is a great stop to physical attackers in general, particularly Mega Kangaskhan, as it can burn them using Prankster Will-O-Wisp before they can attack. Prankster Quash gives Sableye the ability to disrupt speedy attackers by allowing its partner to get an attack in before the foe can strike. It fits well on teams with a weakness to physical attackers or teams that aren't quite fast enough and need some support. While it carries Taunt, its main role is not to prevent Trick Room or Tailwind being set up; if this is your aim, Thundurus is a better choice. Its niche over Thundurus is that it fits better on teams with a weakness to physical attackers. Faster Prankster Taunt users threaten Sableye, as it is naturally slower than them. Your team must be able to capitalize on the support Sableye provides, as Sableye has next to no offensive presence. If the opponent is not troubled by Quash or Will-O-Wisp, Sableye becomes dead weight quickly. Its average bulk is quite a drawback. Quash is great against teams with Trick Room or Tailwind, as it nullifies the opponent's Speed advantage and wastes a turn of their field condition.
[SET]
Prankster
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name: Prankster
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Quash
move 3: Feint / Taunt / Fake Out
move 4: Protect / Foul Play / Recover
ability: Prankster
item: Sitrus Berry / Leftovers
evs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 SpD
nature: Impish / Careful
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
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Will-O-Wisp allows Sableye to threaten almost all of the physical attackers in the tier, as if they don't switch out they risk being burnt, as well as to wear things down with residual damage. Prankster Quash ignores Tailwind, Trick Room and faster Pokemon, allowing Sableye's partner to move before a threat and take it out. Feint can break Protect and Quick / Wide Guard for a turn, ensuring a KO on something trying to defend, and Taunt lets you prevent status to Sableye and its partners and also stops foes from using Protect. Fake Out can disrupt opposing leads and buy a turn for your Pokemon. Sableye is immune to Fake Out, as well as having the move itself, so it's almost guaranteed that it'll be able to cause an opposing Pokemon to flinch. Protect lets Sableye protect itself from an incoming attack or Taunt while the threat is removed by a partner, whereas Foul Play gives Sableye some damage output without investing in Attack. Recover gives reliable healing and is great for stalling burnt physical attackers. Detect can be used over Protect if you fear Imprison, but Imprison is very rare.
Set Details
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252 HP EVs are used to aid Sableye's fairly poor bulk. 184 Special Defense EVs allow Sableye to live Mega Charizard Y's sun-boosted Heat Wave, as well as Ludicolo's rain-boosted Hydro Pump. The remaining 72 EVs are put into Defense, and with an Impish nature so Sableye can live Bisharp's Life Orb-boosted Knock Off with a little room to spare. Sitrus Berry is used normally to improve Sableye's longevity, but Leftovers can be used alongside Protect for a more gradual form of healing. An alternate spread of 252 HP / 68 Def / 188 SpD with a Careful nature can be used if you want Sableye to take hits from special attackers better, as, when faced with Sableye, physical attackers will usually Protect while their specially attacking partner deals with Sableye. The 68 Defense EVs are used to live Adamant Bisharp's Life Orb-boosted Knock Off in case Will-O-Wisp misses. If using Foul Play, you can drop Sableye's Speed IVs to 0 and use a Relaxed or Sassy nature so that Sableye can OHKO Aegislash with Foul Play by moving after it changes to Blade forme.
Usage Tips
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Sableye has a good match-up against almost every physical attacker in the tier, as they won't want to risk the burn and will either Protect or switch out most of the time. Sableye's role is to disrupt the opponent as much as it can while its teammates take advantage of this and deal damage. Quash can be very effective, as it effectively nullifies all forms of speed control, allowing your Pokemon to use a move that it wouldn't have been be able to otherwise. It also helps while Trick Room is up; for example, Quashing an Amoonguss under Trick Room and Substituting with Sableye's partner to avoid a Spore. Leading with Sableye can be very disruptive to your opponent; however, Sableye can also switch in and support its teammates late-game, thanks to its three immunities.
Team Options
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Pokemon whose special bulk is acceptable but whose physical bulk is lacking appreciate the burn support Sableye provides; such Pokemon include Sylveon, Mega Gardevoir, and Mega Charizard Y. Slow and powerful attackers that resist Fairy, such as Heatran and Aegislash, are good partners because they can sponge Fairy-type attacks aimed at Sableye and take advantange of the Quash and burn support that Sableye provides. Sableye is threatened by Fire-types such as Mega Charizard Y and Heatran, as it can't burn them, so partners like Heatran and Keldeo fit well to switch into these attacks. Partners like Mega Charizard Y and Mega Abomasnow benefit from Quash, as it can allow Mega Charizard Y to use Overheat on Choice Scarf Landorus-T before being hit by its Rock Slide. Mega Abomasnow is slow, so it can be protected by Quash while it uses Blizzard, but be careful, as using Mega Abomasnow stacks a weakness to Fire-types. Mega Kangaskhan is a good partner, as Sableye can burn the Fighting-types that threaten it, as well as switch into Fighting attacks, use Quash to let Mega Kangaskhan KO a faster threat, and burn a foe, weakening its physical power and allowing Mega Kangaskhan to set up with Power-Up Punch more easily.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
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Sableye gets Helping Hand, but it is not an ideal choice and is a role provided better by another Pokemon. Sableye can use Lagging Tail with Trick, as due to Prankster Sableye is seldom affected by Lagging Tail's effect of making the user move last in its priority bracket. Iron Ball can also be used with Trick to remove a foe's Ground-type immunity and halve their speed, which works well with Ground-type teammates such as Landorus-T and Rhyperior. Mental Herb can protect Sableye from opposing Taunts from faster Pokemon such as Thundurus and Whimsicott, allowing Sableye to Taunt them in return. Knock Off lets Sableye remove troublesome items like Sitrus Berry and Leftovers, as well as preventing Sableye from being completely shut down by Taunt. Snarl lowers both foes' Special Attack by one stage, which is effective when combined with the burns from Will-O-Wisp. Mega Sableye is generally not a very good use of your Mega Evolution, as its proficiency at stallbreaking doesn't really apply to Doubles, where stall teams do not exist, and Cresselia is a better Calm Mind user.
Checks and Counters
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**Typing Advantage**: Fairy-types such as Mega Gardevoir and Sylveon can easily OHKO Sableye with Hyper Voice. Mega Mawile has a 75% chance to OHKO Sableye with Play Rough even while burnt. Mega Diancie can OHKO Sableye with Moonblast and has Magic Bounce, so it can't be threatened by Will-O-Wisp. Fire-types such as Heatran and Rotom-H also can't be burnt, and as a result, all Sableye can do if it isn't carrying Snarl is use Quash in the hope that a partner can deal with them. Sableye isn't particularly bulky, so neutral attacks do take their toll without recovery. Talonflame can't be burned and can ignore Quash with faster priority.
**Strong Special Attackers**: Any special attacker that can 2HKO Sableye is a check to it. Sableye can't do anything meaningful to them unless they are weak to Foul Play, and it can't Recover stall against them. Some, like Hydreigon and Latios, can OHKO Sableye, in these cases with Draco Meteor. Slower special attackers such as Rotom-W and Aegislash do not mind Quash; however, Aegislash must watch out for Foul Play.
**Utility**: Pretty much all of the other Prankster Taunt users are faster than Sableye, and it is vulnerable to this. Also, you might be surprised by a Taunt user like Keldeo or Talonflame. Whimsicott can also Encore Sableye into an unfavorable move. Safeguard users such as Cresselia and Whimsicott leave Sableye unable to burn anything, but they can be Taunted. Talonflame and Keldeo can use Quick Guard to block priority moves from Sableye.
**Guts**: Hariyama and Conkeldurr can use Guts to absorb burns and become more powerful.
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