[OVERVIEW]
Sableye is one of the best defensive Pokemon in the tier thanks to its typing, decent defenses, and access to Recover, the combination of which makes it very difficult to take down. Sableye can pivot into multiple wallbreakers like Hitmonchan, Haunter, and Raticate while checking certain setup sweepers like Chimecho and Abra, all the while staying healthy with Recover. As a result, Sableye fits on a plethora of archetypes and is usually fairly easy to justify using. However, it does have a couple flaws, mainly its vulnerability to passive damage like Spikes and Toxic poison. The latter is especially problematic, as certain Pokemon it checks, such as Hitmonchan and Chimecho, run Toxic in part because of it. Additionally, because Sableye's defenses aren't particularly amazing, it can be very easy to overwhelm with certain attackers like special Flareon and Choice Band Hitmonchan.
[SET]
name: Mixed Defensive
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Seismic Toss
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 56 Def / 200 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Shadow Ball threatens Chimecho and Haunter and is Sableye's best way of pressuring Roselia. Recover lets Sableye stay healthy so it can continuously check wallbreakers like Hitmonchan, Haunter, and Choice Band Golbat. Toxic cripples walls like Kecleon and Torkoal. Seismic Toss is Sableye's best form of immediate damage against Pokemon like Metang, Torkoal, and Mawile. Knock Off is a nice option for removing items from potential switch-ins such as Roselia and Whiscash, although it can be hard to justify over Sableye's other moves. Maximum HP investment alongside 200 Special Defense EVs lets Sableye take two Thunderbolts from Haunter after three layers of Spikes and Leftovers recovery and helps it better check Pokemon like Chimecho and Abra. The remaining EVs alongside a Bold nature contribute to Sableye's ability to check Hitmonchan and other physical wallbreakers such as Pidgeot and Raticate.
Sableye is an incredibly linear Pokemon; it can switch into and force out a myriad of attackers such as Haunter, Hitmonchan, and Chimecho and use this opportunity to recover health or cripple the incoming Pokemon with Toxic. The important thing to keep in mind when using Sableye is that Pokemon it checks can run certain sets and moves to bypass or cripple it. For example, Choice Band Hitmonchan can overwhelm Sableye with its incredibly strong attacks, while Thief Haunter can steal Sableye's Leftovers, making it easier to wear down over time, especially with Spikes support.
Team Options
========
Sableye is a great pick on many types of builds; from balanced to stall, it's usually easy to justify Sableye's inclusion. While Sableye is rather self-sufficient, it appreciates cleric support from Pokemon such as Roselia, Chimecho, and Lickitung, which helps it against Pokemon like Toxic Hitmonchan and Chimecho. Roselia and Lickitung are also beneficial for their ability to check strong special attackers like Wailord, Bellossom, and Pikachu, which can break past Sableye despite its Special Defense investment, while Chimecho can alleviate some pressure off of Sableye due to the two of them checking similar threats. In return, Sableye can check physical wallbreakers such as Pidgeot and Hitmonchan for Roselia and Lickitung. Sableye also benefits from Rapid Spin support from Hitmonchan so it can pivot into threats more easily. In return, Sableye checks Pokemon Hitmonchan struggles with, such as Chimecho and Abra.
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Seismic Toss
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Shadow Ball threatens Chimecho, prevents Haunter from safely pivoting into Sableye, and is Sableye's best way of pressuring Roselia. Recover helps Sableye stay healthy against strong attackers and can be useful to scout Choice Band users like Hitmonchan and Metang. Toxic cripples walls like Kecleon and Dewgong. Seismic Toss is Sableye's best form of immediate damage against Pokemon like Metang, Torkoal, and Mawile. Knock Off is a nice option for removing items from potential switch-ins such as Roselia and Whiscash, although it can be hard to justify over Sableye's other moves. Maximum HP and Defense investment with a Bold nature lets Sableye check physical attackers like Hitmonchan, Pidgeot, and Arbok as well as possible.
As opposed to trying to blanket check most of the tier, this set lets Sableye capitalize on its typing and bulk to switch into essentially any physical attacker with impunity and recover any lost health, cripple an incoming Pokemon with Toxic, or simply fire off an attack. Something to keep in mind, however, is that certain physical attackers such as Hitmonchan, Golbat, and Metang may carry Toxic, and being poisoned hampers Sableye's reliability greatly; try to scout for Toxic to prevent this. Additionally, Sableye is rather passive, meaning special attackers like Flareon and Wailord can switch in rather easily and immediately threaten it with heavy damage; prevent this by pivoting out to a teammate that can deal with them.
Team Options
========
Sableye's rather flexible in the types of builds it can fit on, but it does require some support to function to its fullest potential. In particular, due to special attackers like Haunter, Flareon, and Pikachu posing massive threats to Sableye, it appreciates special walls like Cacturne, Dewgong, and Lickitung to fall back on. Additionally, Lickitung can provide cleric support, while Cacturne's Spikes help to limit the number of times opposing attackers can switch in to threaten Sableye. In return, Sableye is a reliable stop to physical attackers like Hitmonchan, Murkrow, and Relicanth. Other clerics like Roselia and Chimecho also pair well with Sableye and can check certain special attackers. Hitmonchan fits well alongside Sableye, providing Rapid Spin support so Sableye isn't as easily overwhelmed by stronger physical wallbreakers like Choice Band Hitmonchan and Choice Band Metang.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Hidden Power Dark
move 3: Rest
move 4: Recover / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Calm Mind turns Sableye into a potent sweeper and helps it against special attackers like Haunter and Plusle. Hidden Power Dark is Sableye's best STAB attack, threatening Pokemon like Chimecho and Haunter while being its best form of damage against bulky Water-types like Wailord and Dewgong. Rest prevents Pokemon like bulky Hitmonchan and Metang from crippling Sableye with Toxic as it sets up. Recover keeps Sableye healthy and lets it repeatedly pivot into physical attackers like Hitmonchan, Metang, and Murkrow. Alternatively, Sleep Talk can let Sableye continue boosting and attacking while asleep, which helps reduce its passivity. Maximum HP and Defense investment with a Bold nature makes Sableye as physically bulky as possible, letting it pivot into threats like Hitmonchan, Raticate, and Relicanth easily.
Although this set is best used as a setup sweeper, Sableye's great defensive utility alongside Recover also permits it to switch into and check physical attackers such as Hitmonchan, Golbat, and Tropius. From there, Sableye can simply recover any lost health or, if it has a good chance to sweep, set up with Calm Mind. There are a couple things to keep in mind, however, when deciding to set up. If the opponent still has a potential phazer like Wailord or Flareon, setting up is probably not worth it, as these Pokemon can easily take a boosted hit and force Sableye out. It's also very difficult to justify setting up if the opponent has a Dewgong or Cacturne, which can potentially lock Sableye into Calm Mind with Encore and stall it out with Toxic in the former's case.
Team Options
========
Generally, this Sableye variant fits best on stall builds, since the support it requires can come at the cost of significant offensive momentum. It's imperative to pair Sableye with a cleric like Lickitung, Chimecho, or Roselia so it can be woken up if forced to use Rest or healed of any other status condition. Lickitung also provides Wish support for Sableye, which helps lessen the need to use Recover, and is a sturdy special wall capable of checking Pokemon like Haunter, Wailord, and Pikachu, while Chimecho can help alleviate pressure from Sableye by pivoting into physical attackers like Hitmonchan. Roselia can also provide Spikes support, which helps weaken Dark-resistant Pokemon like Hitmonchan, Mawile, and Cacturne. In return, Sableye checks physical attackers for Lickitung and Roselia.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Sableye can make use of Taunt and Speed investment to better deal with Pokemon like defensive Relicanth, Mawile, Roselia, and Whiscash, although the move can be hard to fit over Sableye's other options. Protect helps Sableye immensely in scouting for potential lure sets like Toxic Hitmonchan as well as strong Choice Band users like Murkrow, Relicanth, and Hitmonchan. However, it is extremely difficult to fit on sets and thus sees limited use. Fire Punch can be run on Sableye's Calm Mind set over Rest to target Metang as well as Dark-resistant Pokemon like Hitmonchan, Cacturne, and Mawile. It also allows Sableye to deal substantial extra damage to Roselia, Tropius, and Bellossom. However, Sableye is already extremely vulnerable to Toxic, and dropping Rest means this set is no longer an exception to that.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Special Wallbreakers**: Even if Sableye has Special Defense investment, it is still capable of being overwhelmed by certain special attackers like Flareon, Pikachu, Octillery, and Wailord. With Spikes support, weaker attackers like offensive Dewgong and Crawdaunt can also break past Sableye.
**Residual Damage**: If inflicted with poison by a Pokemon like Hitmonchan or Chimecho, Sableye struggles to consistently check Pokemon such as Raticate and Pidgeot. Spikes pose similar problems, forcing Sableye to use Recover more often and give up momentum to the opposing team.
**Certain Setup Sweepers**: Taunt Vigoroth doesn't have to fear being badly poisoned by Sableye's Toxic and completely shuts down Calm Mind variants, whereas Pupitar's Shed Skin helps against it as well. Bellossom can put Sableye to sleep and 2HKO it with Solar Beam, while Huntail can easily OHKO Sableye under rain with Hydro Pump.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
- Quality checked by: [[Bughouse, 52547], [Oglemi, 40358], [Heysup, 21929]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Empress, 175616]]
Sableye is one of the best defensive Pokemon in the tier thanks to its typing, decent defenses, and access to Recover, the combination of which makes it very difficult to take down. Sableye can pivot into multiple wallbreakers like Hitmonchan, Haunter, and Raticate while checking certain setup sweepers like Chimecho and Abra, all the while staying healthy with Recover. As a result, Sableye fits on a plethora of archetypes and is usually fairly easy to justify using. However, it does have a couple flaws, mainly its vulnerability to passive damage like Spikes and Toxic poison. The latter is especially problematic, as certain Pokemon it checks, such as Hitmonchan and Chimecho, run Toxic in part because of it. Additionally, because Sableye's defenses aren't particularly amazing, it can be very easy to overwhelm with certain attackers like special Flareon and Choice Band Hitmonchan.
[SET]
name: Mixed Defensive
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Seismic Toss
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 56 Def / 200 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Shadow Ball threatens Chimecho and Haunter and is Sableye's best way of pressuring Roselia. Recover lets Sableye stay healthy so it can continuously check wallbreakers like Hitmonchan, Haunter, and Choice Band Golbat. Toxic cripples walls like Kecleon and Torkoal. Seismic Toss is Sableye's best form of immediate damage against Pokemon like Metang, Torkoal, and Mawile. Knock Off is a nice option for removing items from potential switch-ins such as Roselia and Whiscash, although it can be hard to justify over Sableye's other moves. Maximum HP investment alongside 200 Special Defense EVs lets Sableye take two Thunderbolts from Haunter after three layers of Spikes and Leftovers recovery and helps it better check Pokemon like Chimecho and Abra. The remaining EVs alongside a Bold nature contribute to Sableye's ability to check Hitmonchan and other physical wallbreakers such as Pidgeot and Raticate.
Sableye is an incredibly linear Pokemon; it can switch into and force out a myriad of attackers such as Haunter, Hitmonchan, and Chimecho and use this opportunity to recover health or cripple the incoming Pokemon with Toxic. The important thing to keep in mind when using Sableye is that Pokemon it checks can run certain sets and moves to bypass or cripple it. For example, Choice Band Hitmonchan can overwhelm Sableye with its incredibly strong attacks, while Thief Haunter can steal Sableye's Leftovers, making it easier to wear down over time, especially with Spikes support.
Team Options
========
Sableye is a great pick on many types of builds; from balanced to stall, it's usually easy to justify Sableye's inclusion. While Sableye is rather self-sufficient, it appreciates cleric support from Pokemon such as Roselia, Chimecho, and Lickitung, which helps it against Pokemon like Toxic Hitmonchan and Chimecho. Roselia and Lickitung are also beneficial for their ability to check strong special attackers like Wailord, Bellossom, and Pikachu, which can break past Sableye despite its Special Defense investment, while Chimecho can alleviate some pressure off of Sableye due to the two of them checking similar threats. In return, Sableye can check physical wallbreakers such as Pidgeot and Hitmonchan for Roselia and Lickitung. Sableye also benefits from Rapid Spin support from Hitmonchan so it can pivot into threats more easily. In return, Sableye checks Pokemon Hitmonchan struggles with, such as Chimecho and Abra.
[SET]
name: Physically Defensive
move 1: Shadow Ball
move 2: Recover
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Seismic Toss
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Impish
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Shadow Ball threatens Chimecho, prevents Haunter from safely pivoting into Sableye, and is Sableye's best way of pressuring Roselia. Recover helps Sableye stay healthy against strong attackers and can be useful to scout Choice Band users like Hitmonchan and Metang. Toxic cripples walls like Kecleon and Dewgong. Seismic Toss is Sableye's best form of immediate damage against Pokemon like Metang, Torkoal, and Mawile. Knock Off is a nice option for removing items from potential switch-ins such as Roselia and Whiscash, although it can be hard to justify over Sableye's other moves. Maximum HP and Defense investment with a Bold nature lets Sableye check physical attackers like Hitmonchan, Pidgeot, and Arbok as well as possible.
As opposed to trying to blanket check most of the tier, this set lets Sableye capitalize on its typing and bulk to switch into essentially any physical attacker with impunity and recover any lost health, cripple an incoming Pokemon with Toxic, or simply fire off an attack. Something to keep in mind, however, is that certain physical attackers such as Hitmonchan, Golbat, and Metang may carry Toxic, and being poisoned hampers Sableye's reliability greatly; try to scout for Toxic to prevent this. Additionally, Sableye is rather passive, meaning special attackers like Flareon and Wailord can switch in rather easily and immediately threaten it with heavy damage; prevent this by pivoting out to a teammate that can deal with them.
Team Options
========
Sableye's rather flexible in the types of builds it can fit on, but it does require some support to function to its fullest potential. In particular, due to special attackers like Haunter, Flareon, and Pikachu posing massive threats to Sableye, it appreciates special walls like Cacturne, Dewgong, and Lickitung to fall back on. Additionally, Lickitung can provide cleric support, while Cacturne's Spikes help to limit the number of times opposing attackers can switch in to threaten Sableye. In return, Sableye is a reliable stop to physical attackers like Hitmonchan, Murkrow, and Relicanth. Other clerics like Roselia and Chimecho also pair well with Sableye and can check certain special attackers. Hitmonchan fits well alongside Sableye, providing Rapid Spin support so Sableye isn't as easily overwhelmed by stronger physical wallbreakers like Choice Band Hitmonchan and Choice Band Metang.
[SET]
name: Calm Mind
move 1: Calm Mind
move 2: Hidden Power Dark
move 3: Rest
move 4: Recover / Sleep Talk
item: Leftovers
ability: Keen Eye
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Set Description
=========
Calm Mind turns Sableye into a potent sweeper and helps it against special attackers like Haunter and Plusle. Hidden Power Dark is Sableye's best STAB attack, threatening Pokemon like Chimecho and Haunter while being its best form of damage against bulky Water-types like Wailord and Dewgong. Rest prevents Pokemon like bulky Hitmonchan and Metang from crippling Sableye with Toxic as it sets up. Recover keeps Sableye healthy and lets it repeatedly pivot into physical attackers like Hitmonchan, Metang, and Murkrow. Alternatively, Sleep Talk can let Sableye continue boosting and attacking while asleep, which helps reduce its passivity. Maximum HP and Defense investment with a Bold nature makes Sableye as physically bulky as possible, letting it pivot into threats like Hitmonchan, Raticate, and Relicanth easily.
Although this set is best used as a setup sweeper, Sableye's great defensive utility alongside Recover also permits it to switch into and check physical attackers such as Hitmonchan, Golbat, and Tropius. From there, Sableye can simply recover any lost health or, if it has a good chance to sweep, set up with Calm Mind. There are a couple things to keep in mind, however, when deciding to set up. If the opponent still has a potential phazer like Wailord or Flareon, setting up is probably not worth it, as these Pokemon can easily take a boosted hit and force Sableye out. It's also very difficult to justify setting up if the opponent has a Dewgong or Cacturne, which can potentially lock Sableye into Calm Mind with Encore and stall it out with Toxic in the former's case.
Team Options
========
Generally, this Sableye variant fits best on stall builds, since the support it requires can come at the cost of significant offensive momentum. It's imperative to pair Sableye with a cleric like Lickitung, Chimecho, or Roselia so it can be woken up if forced to use Rest or healed of any other status condition. Lickitung also provides Wish support for Sableye, which helps lessen the need to use Recover, and is a sturdy special wall capable of checking Pokemon like Haunter, Wailord, and Pikachu, while Chimecho can help alleviate pressure from Sableye by pivoting into physical attackers like Hitmonchan. Roselia can also provide Spikes support, which helps weaken Dark-resistant Pokemon like Hitmonchan, Mawile, and Cacturne. In return, Sableye checks physical attackers for Lickitung and Roselia.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Sableye can make use of Taunt and Speed investment to better deal with Pokemon like defensive Relicanth, Mawile, Roselia, and Whiscash, although the move can be hard to fit over Sableye's other options. Protect helps Sableye immensely in scouting for potential lure sets like Toxic Hitmonchan as well as strong Choice Band users like Murkrow, Relicanth, and Hitmonchan. However, it is extremely difficult to fit on sets and thus sees limited use. Fire Punch can be run on Sableye's Calm Mind set over Rest to target Metang as well as Dark-resistant Pokemon like Hitmonchan, Cacturne, and Mawile. It also allows Sableye to deal substantial extra damage to Roselia, Tropius, and Bellossom. However, Sableye is already extremely vulnerable to Toxic, and dropping Rest means this set is no longer an exception to that.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Special Wallbreakers**: Even if Sableye has Special Defense investment, it is still capable of being overwhelmed by certain special attackers like Flareon, Pikachu, Octillery, and Wailord. With Spikes support, weaker attackers like offensive Dewgong and Crawdaunt can also break past Sableye.
**Residual Damage**: If inflicted with poison by a Pokemon like Hitmonchan or Chimecho, Sableye struggles to consistently check Pokemon such as Raticate and Pidgeot. Spikes pose similar problems, forcing Sableye to use Recover more often and give up momentum to the opposing team.
**Certain Setup Sweepers**: Taunt Vigoroth doesn't have to fear being badly poisoned by Sableye's Toxic and completely shuts down Calm Mind variants, whereas Pupitar's Shed Skin helps against it as well. Bellossom can put Sableye to sleep and 2HKO it with Solar Beam, while Huntail can easily OHKO Sableye under rain with Hydro Pump.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Rabia, 336073]]
- Quality checked by: [[Bughouse, 52547], [Oglemi, 40358], [Heysup, 21929]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [Empress, 175616]]
Last edited by a moderator:
