Sableye
[Overview]
<p>Sableye has always been inferior to Spiritomb due to the former's underwhelming stats; however, Sableye was blessed with a new ability in BW: Prankster. Prankster, combined with a great typing and good movepool, makes Sableye one of the best support Pokemon in the tier. Sableye's typing gives it useful immunities to Normal-, Fighting-, and Psychic-type moves, and its movepool consists of great moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, Toxic, Trick, and Recover. Sableye is one of only two Pokemon that has priority on a recovery move, the other one being Murkrow. Unfortunately, Sableye suffers from a dismal HP stat, and both of its offensive and defensive stats are below average, which makes Night Shade its best attacking option. But don't let that keep you from using Sableye, thanks to Prankster it can focus on its defensive stats, and to top it off, Sableye has acces to priority Calm Mind to boost its Special Attack and Special Defense to respectable levels.</p>
[SET]
name: Prankster
move 1: Recover
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Foul Play / Night Shade
item: Leftovers
ability: Prankster
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes full advantage of Prankster and is Sableye's best set. Will-O-Wisp will cripple most physical attackers, making it easier for both Sableye and its teammates to deal with them. Taunt is great move to use with Prankster, easily stopping the opponent from using status moves, recovering damage, or setting up. Recover helps keep Sableye alive longer, potentially stalling the opponent out since Sableye's Recover has priority. Foul Play and Night Shade give Sableye an attacking option should it get Taunted itself. Foul Play can nail many physical heavy-hitters such as Darmanitan and Victini on the switch, while Night Shade is an option to deal consistant damage.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>There are several moves that can go into the last slot, depending on what support your team needs. Toxic is another useful status move that works better against special attackers, and other bulky Pokemon such as Chansey. Knock Off can be useful to stop Choice item and Eviolite users in their tracks. Weather support in the form of Rain Dance and Sunny Day is useful, as Sableye is guaranteed to get them up at least once. Torment can stop the opponent from using the same move twice in a row, but is rather gimmicky. You can also invest either 4, 8, or 12 EVs into Speed to outrun opposing Sableye, allowing it to Taunt them before they Taunt your own Sableye.</p>
<p>Sableye should be paired with Pokemon that benefit from its support moves. Physically frail Pokemon such as Azelf and Chansey benefit from weakened physical attackers, giving them an easier time to switch in or set up. Taunt really helps set-up sweepers and more defensive Pokemon, such as Zoroark or Suicune, as it protects them from status moves and Taunt. Pokemon such as RestTalk Suicune benefit from Toxic wearing the opponent down, while Pokemon such as Sawsbuck and Kingdra benefit from weather support.</p>
[SET]
name: Trick
move 1: Trick
move 2: Recover
move 3: Taunt
move 4: Will-O-Wisp / Toxic / Night Shade
item: Iron Ball / Lagging Tail
ability: Prankster
nature: Careful
evs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>This set takes advantage of priority Trick to become an excellent team supporter. By passing either an Iron Ball or Lagging Tail onto the opponent, Sableye will be able to slow down the opposing Pokemon, making them easier to deal with. Recover is used to restore health lost during battle, it's especially helpful once Sableye has passed Lagging Tail. Will-O-Wisp is a great support move and will cripple almost any physical attacker in the tier, while Toxic will drain Pokemon that Sableye cannot KO. Taunt is used to prevent other Taunt users from crippling Sableye, as well as keeping status at bay. Night Shade is a reliable attacking option for Sableye to use and will make it less susceptible to Taunt. Trick can also be used afterwards to screw Pokemon that rely on their item, such as Chansey and Choice users.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Just like the Prankster set, this set can also make use of 4, 8, or 12 Speed EVs to outspeed opposing Sableye that carry Taunt. The item really depends on what you want to achieve; besides slowing the opponent down, Iron Ball also make Flying-types and Pokemon with Levitate, such as Zapdos, Crobat, and Rotom-A, suspectable to Ground-type moves. They will also be affected by Spikes and Toxic Spikes if they are on the field. However, Lagging Tail will always make sure that the opponent moves last within their priority bracket, which can be very useful support for your own very slow Pokemon, such as Escavalier. Pokemon that benefit from faster opponents, such as Alakazam, Froslass, and Cobalion, being slowed down is a must. Mismagius, Mew, and Darmanitan are all outsped by the aforementioned Pokemon and will really benefit from slowed down threats.</p>
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Shadow Ball / Hidden Power Dark
move 3: Recover
move 4: Hidden Power Fighting / Will-O-Wisp / Taunt
item: Leftovers
ability: Prankster
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
<p>Sableye is one of two Pokemon that has access to priority Calm Mind, and can use it pretty well thanks to its great typing. Use Calm Mind to boost Sableye's lackluster Special Attack to greater levels, while boosting its Special Defense in the process. Recover is used to restore lost health and works great with Calm Mind and the boosts that it gives. Shadow Ball is Sableye's most powerful attacking option, but with the many Normal-types in the tier, Hidden Power Dark is a good choice for a reliable offensive option and STAB move. However, Hidden Power Fighting compliments Shadow Ball perfectly and hits Normal-, Steel-, and Dark-types for super-effective damage, something Shadow Ball and Hidden Power Dark can not boast. Will-O-Wisp is still viable on set as well, boosting Sableye's defensive prowess even more, while doing some damage to Pokemon such as Chansey and Snorlax in the process. Taunt is also an option, as it keeps Sableye protected from status and opposing Taunt.</p>
[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]
<p>Toxic is an option, as it deals more damage than Will-O-Wisp over time. Substitute is another great move that Sableye can make use of, as it protects it from damage and status. Substitute also works great in tandem with Recover and Calm Mind, and can even be used with Toxic. Entry Hazards can help take down some opposing Pokemon more easily. Roserade and Nidoqueen can set up Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Stealth Rock respectively, and Sableye is able to take Psychic-type moves directed at them. Screen support is also helpful while Sableye is setting up. Uxie makes a great choice, and it can also set up Stealth Rock. Heracross is a real nuisance due to Guts, and needs to be dealt with. Suicune has excellent defensive stats and can take it on, and Moltres resists both of Heracross's STAB moves and can easily KO it with Air Slash. However, Moltres needs to be careful of the occasional Rock-type move Heracross might carry.</p>
[Other Options]
<p>Sableye has some other support moves it can use to help its team, but they are inferior to the listed moves. Confuse Ray can see some use, but confusion is rather unreliable. Swagger can also be used to confuse the opponent, but a free +2 boost to Pokemon such as Heracross isn't that nice if they stay in. Mean Look can trap a Pokemon that is statused or can't do anything to Sableye. Captivate can be used to lower the opposing Pokemon Special Attack stat by two levels, but it only works on the opposite gender, so it's really gimmicky. Sableye can also use Hone Claws and Psych Up combined with Swagger, but Sableye's Attack stat isn't really good enough to pull it off. If you do opt to use such a set, Sableye has access to Sucker Punch, Shadow Sneak, Shadow Claw, and Brick Break as its attacking options.</p>
[Checks and Counters]
<p>Heracross is the most dangerous threat to Sableye in the tier. It doesn't care about Taunt, and Will-O-Wisp and Toxic are made useless due to Guts, making Sableye easy to KO with that boosted Megahorn. Iron Ball and Lagging Tail will cause problems for it though. Victini and Darmanitan also fall into this category, as they are immune to Will-O-Wisp and will OHKO Sableye with V-create and Flare Blitz, respectively. However, they need to be careful switching if Sableye is carrying Foul Play, as it will OHKO both of them. Faster Prankster users, such as Tornadus, Whisicott, Murkrow, and Speed invested Sableye will always stop Sableye if they carry Taunt.</p>
