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Mega Sableye's excellent bulk and access to support moves and reliable recovery allow it to be an effective stop to many physical attackers and defensive Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan, Garchomp, Chansey, and Cresselia. Its Dark / Ghost typing gives it immunities to Fighting, Normal, and Psychic, a resistance to Poison, and only weak to Fairy. Magic Bounce allows Mega Sableye to effectively bounce back any kind of status move, making it a great status absorber and letting it act as a setup Pokemon that doesn't have to worry about Taunt, Leech Seed, and any status-inducing moves such as Toxic, Will-O-Wisp, and Thunder Wave. Mega Sableye is also the biggest counter to SwagPlay strategies, making your opponent think twice before sending out Klefki, Liepard, and Thundurus. Sableye also has access to Prankster prior to Mega Evolution, which grants its non-damaging moves priority, notably letting it burn its foes with Will-O-Wisp and recover off damage with priority. Sableye uses both the number of physical attackers dominating the metagame and entry hazards being less common in Battle Spot Singles to its advantage by not having to Mega Evolve the first turn, letting it punish Pokemon such as Mega Kangaskhan, Garchomp, and Landorus-T with Prankster Will-O-Wisp and Mega Evolve when it needs to.
Battle Spot Singles is a very fast-paced metagame, which means Sableye can't utilize its stalling capability to its full potential. Even with Mega Sableye's extra bulk, its low HP is a problem. With the Speed decrease after Mega Evolving, Mega Sableye will have huge difficulty outspeeding any threat in the metagame. However, priority STAB Sucker Punch along with its passable Attack after Mega Evolution assists with its terrible Speed. Sableye still lacks offensive presence, though, increasing its reliance on setting up Calm Mind to deal more damage. However, Foul Play helps with that against the monstrous physical attackers of Battle Spot. Also, Sableye is very vulnerable to wallbreakers and setup sweepers such as Hydreigon, Mega Charizard X, Serperior, and Thundurus, so leaving it in against those threats would mean trouble for the jewel thief.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind + Snarl
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Recover
move 3: Calm Mind
move 4: Snarl
item: Sablenite
ability: Prankster
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
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.
[SET]
name: Physical Utility
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Recover
move 3: Foul Play
move 4: Taunt / Sucker Punch
item: Sablenite
ability: Prankster
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 52 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
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 Salamance, 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 Kangashkan also has access to Ice Punch to deal with Dragon-types such as Mega Salamence, Mega Altaria, and Garchomp.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Dark Pulse can be used for perfect accuracy with Calm Mind, but Snarl is much better to help Sableye stall out special attackers. Metal Burst can be used as a surprise attack to many setup sweepers and powerful attackers, but Sableye doesn't have the bulk to take too much damage prior to Mega Evolving. Mega Sableye would be able to take certain attacks such as burned Bisharp's Iron Head at +2; the problem is that its low Speed keeps it from outspeeding many threats to use Recover, which makes Mega Sableye an open target for another attack. Gravity can be used to boost Will-O-Wisp's and Snarl's accuracy to 100 percent along with giving teammates such as Garchomp and Landorus-T the ability to hit Flying-types such as Zapdos and Talonflame with Earthquake. However, Gravity gives your team pretty slow momentum, only lasts for five turns, and requires a turn to set up, which is pretty critical in the metagame. Swagger can be used to confuse foes and increase the damage output of Foul Play; however, Sableye is outclassed by Thundurus and Klefki as a Swagger user, as they both have access to Prankster Thunder Wave, and Klefki has excellent defensive typing, boasting useful resistances to Flying, Ice, Dark, and most importantly Fairy, which Sableye is weak to.
Leftovers is useful together with Recover to gain back health. Shadow Ball hits Ghost- and Psychic-types; however, Dark Pulse and Snarl hit everything that Shadow Ball does and don't leave Mega Sableye walled by Normal-types. Substitute allows Sableye to avoid any status moves and can be used to stall with Will-O-Wisp or Toxic. With Prankster, Sableye will freely set up a Substitute if it's not fighting faster Prankster users such as Thundurus and Whimsicott. Knock Off can be used to hit item-reliant Pokemon such as Garchomp, Chansey, Landorus-T, and Porygon2. Power Gem allows Mega Sableye to hit Fire-, Flying-, and Ice-types such as Mega Charizard Y, Talonflame, and Weavile. However, Mega Sableye relies more on its STAB moves. Toxic is good for putting defensive Pokemon such as Cresselia, Rotom-W, Zapdos, and Porygon2 on a timer, but Will-O-Wisp is much more viable due to it crippling physical attackers, despite the increase in damage Toxic does each turn. A specially defensive spread along with a Calm nature is viable when using the Calm Mind set. This can catch people off guard; Mega Sableye will likely lure in special attackers such as Mega Gengar, Aegislash, and Greninja and deal with them better. Prankster Will-O-Wisp still helps against physical attackers, so you don't have to worry too much about the loss of Defense.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-types**: Dealing with Fairy-types can be a massive dilemma for Sableye. Sableye is unable to tank hits from Fairy-types and oftentimes can't cripple them with Will-O-Wisp, as the majority of them are special attackers. Clefable has Unaware, which can discourage Mega Sableye from setting up Calm Mind, and can proceed to KO it with Moonblast. Even though Mega Mawile gets burned by Prankster Will-O-Wisp, it can proceed to use Sableye as setup fodder by using Swords Dance and threaten it thanks to its ability Huge Power. Azumarill can use Belly Drum even if Mega Sableye has burned it and KO it with STAB Play Rough.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types have an immunity to Will-O-Wisp, which makes Mega Sableye vulnerable to several threats. Blaziken, Mega Charizard X, and Volcarona can all use Mega Sableye as setup fodder. Mega Charizard Y can deal a lot of damage to Mega Sableye under the sun with its STAB Fire-type moves, acting as a great wallbreaker. Heatran can switch in and get a Flash Fire boost from Will-O-Wisp and use that as an opportunity to hit Mega Sableye with Magma Storm. Entei can break past Mega Sableye's physical bulk with Sacred Fire and burn it. Talonflame isn't at all affected by the Special Attack decrease from Snarl, and specially defensive variants are becoming more common. However, both Mega Charizard X and Talonflame need to be wary of Foul Play while setting up Dragon Dance or Swords Dance.
**Special Wallbreakers**: Sableye is unable to outspeed Thundurus to Taunt it and prevent Thundurus from using Thunder Wave or Taunt itself. However, Sableye can reflect Thundurus's status moves if it Mega Evolves. Some Thundurus variants run Nasty Plot, which they can use to set up on Sableye and KO it with Thunderbolt. With Contrary, Serperior can out-boost Calm Mind Mega Sableye and get more damage off with Leaf Storm. Mega Sableye isn't able to deal much damage back if it hasn't already set up. Choice Specs Hydreigon can give Mega Sableye a lot of trouble if it has no Calm Mind boosts. Mega Gengar is able to take down Mega Sableye with Shadow Ball; however, it needs to be wary of Snarl.
**-Ate Ability Users**: Pokemon such as Mega Salamence, Mega Altaria, and the uncommon Mega Pinsir can take advantage of Mega Sableye's Will-O-Wisp with Facade. Additionally, all three Pokemon can set up on Mega Sableye with Dragon Dance and Swords Dance and proceed to KO it with Pixilate or Aerilate Facade. Choice Specs Sylveon can OHKO even +1 Mega Sableye with Pixilate Hyper Voice, as can Mega Gardevoir with a little prior damage.
**Raikou and Suicune**: Raikou and Suicune can set up Calm Mind and beat Mega Sableye. Raikou can set up behind a Substitute and hit Sableye with its STAB Electric-type move; however, it cannot afford to be burned by Will-O-Wisp, and Snarl can deal damage through Substitute. Suicune can repeatedly use Scald in order to attempt to burn Mega Sableye. With Mega Sableye receiving residual damage, it'll struggle to continue to Recover health, while Suicune can use those turns to set up Calm Mind or go for another Scald. Additionally, both Raikou and Suicune have Pressure, allowing them to stall out Mega Sableye.
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