[OVERVIEW]
Mega Sableye fills a solid role in the 1v1 metagame thanks to its access to two useful abilities in Prankster and Magic Bounce, as well as its great defensive typing and stats. It is useful for stalling out many Pokemon, such as Dragonite or Genesect, thanks to priority Will-O-Wisp and Calm Mind, reducing the damage taken from opposing Pokemon. It also counters Pokemon that rely on status, such as Jumpluff and Chansey, due to Magic Bounce. Magic Bounce also stops opposing Pokemon such as Zeraora and Kee Berry Mew from using Taunt on Mega Sableye. It can also utilize several other utility options, such as Taunt and Recover, in order to prevent setup and stay out of range of being knocked out, as well as moves such as Metal Burst and Foul Play to punish heavy hitters such as Naganadel and Garchomp. Unfortunately, Mega Sableye does have some unfavorable matchups against some common Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y and Mega Gyarados. Fairy-types, such as Magearna and Mega Gardevoir, also present a problem for Mega Sableye, as Fairy is the only type Mega Sableye is hit super effectively by.
[SET]
name: Stall
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Recover
move 3: Foul Play / Metal Burst
move 4: Taunt / Metal Burst / Calm Mind
item: Sablenite
ability: Prankster
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Will-O-Wisp is Mega Sableye's form of neutralizing many physical attackers like Mega Metagross, Donphan, and physical Dragonite. Once they are burned, they will be taken down through a combination of Mega Sableye's other moves. Recover is a necessary healing move to stop Mega Sableye from gradually getting chipped down from Pokemon such as bulky Kommo-o and non-Nasty Plot Porygon-Z. Foul Play helps beat opposing Pokemon that will try to set up on Mega Sableye such as Dragonite, Landorus-T, and Garchomp. Metal Burst makes use of Mega Sableye's bulk to strike back against foes that try to knock it out in one hit with a Z-Move or a powerful attack, such as Naganadel, Haxorus, and Choice Specs Greninja. Taunt improves Mega Sableye's matchup against Pokemon that want to set up against it, such as Zygarde and Mew, by forcing them to attack and wasting their attack's PP. It also improves the matchup against opposing stall Pokemon such as Mega Venusaur and Deoxys-S and allows it to stop recovery moves. Calm Mind is a reliable way to stall out non-boosting special attackers such as Genesect and non-Nasty Plot Porygon-Z.
Set Details
========
The given EV spread with a Bold nature greatly boosts Mega Sableye's Defense while leaving it enough Special Defense to not give Download users such as Genesect a Special Attack boost and preventing it from 2HKOing Mega Sableye. The spread also allows Mega Sableye to avoid being knocked out by several different Pokemon, such as Aegislash, Naganadel, Haxorus, Greninja, and non-Nasty Plot Porygon-Z. Prankster provides Sableye with priority Will-O-Wisp and Taunt, which allows it to burn physical attackers, such as Dragonite and Golem, and shut down stall Pokemon like Chansey and Celesteela before they have a chance to affect Sableye. Recover and Calm Mind also receive priority to help Sableye survive attacks. After Mega Evolution, Magic Bounce stops opposing Pokemon like Jumpluff from stalling with status moves like Leech Seed.
Usage Tips
========
Immediately use Will-O-Wisp against physical attackers that can be burned and can't 2HKO Sableye after the Attack drop in order to shut down their offensive presence. These include Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, Mega Swampert, Donphan, and physical Dragonite. Taunt Mega Gyarados easily defeats Mega Sableye due to its access to Mold Breaker to bypass Mega Sableye's Magic Bounce, but otherwise, Mega Sableye will beat Mega Gyarados after burning it with Will-O-Wisp. Remember when playing against Mega Gyarados and Mega Tyranitar to Mega Evolve and then use Will-O-Wisp, because Prankster moves do not affect Dark-type Pokemon. After a physical attacker is burned, follow up by Mega Evolving and using Foul Play and recovering off damage taken from their attacks whenever necessary. If they try to nullify the burn with setup moves like Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, Foul Play will simply deal more damage, sealing their fate. Dragon Dance Dragonite is a particularly unique matchup. Use Will-O-Wisp turn one. If Dragonite uses Devastating Drake turn one, Sableye will be able to use Recover the next turn and safely start damaging Dragonite with Foul Play. If it uses Dragon Dance on the Will-O-Wisp, you will need to Mega Evolve Sableye next turn and use Recover. If it does not Mega Evolve, it will faint to a +1 Devastating Drake; by recovering, this covers the play of Dragonite either using its Z-Move or using Dragon Dance again. If it sets up Dragon Dance again, use Foul Play the next turn, as not only will a +2 Devastating Drake from a burned Dragonite fail to knock out Mega Sableye, but Foul Play also will do enough damage after burn damage to OHKO. When dealing with special attackers such as special Dragonite and Mega Blastoise, using Calm Mind is a great option because it boosts Mega Sableye's already high Special Defense stat. Against Choice item users such as Naganadel, Haxorus, and Greninja, Mega Sableye can simply spam Metal Burst, as it does not need to fear them playing around Mega Sableye with setup. Physical setup attackers that are unaffected by Will-O-Wisp, primarily Mega Charizard X and Mega Blaziken, will be a tossup; Mega Sableye will either need to use Metal Burst on their attack or use Taunt on a predicted setup move. When handling stall Pokemon, such as Jumpluff and Chansey, Mega Evolve on the first turn in order to avoid any status conditions and follow up with a Taunt in order to PP stall them and force them into Struggle sooner. Mega Sableye's Dark / Ghost typing gives it a great matchup versus Psychic-, Fighting-, and Normal-types such as Mew, Sawk, and Meloetta, so be sure to use Mega Sableye in these type matchups. Mega Sableye's selection of variable moves makes it flexible for catering to the needs of its teammates, which allows it to work well with most other Pokemon.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that deter Fairy-type Pokemon like Magearna, Mega Gardevoir, and Tapu Lele, such as Poison- or Steel-type Pokemon like Naganadel, Mega Metagross, and Aegislash, are all good options to help support Mega Sableye. In return, Mega Sableye complements Poison-types by handling Psychic-type Pokemon such as Mew and Meloetta and helps Steel-types by warding off Ground-type Pokemon such as Garchomp, Donphan, and Golem. Specially defensive Mega Charizard X could be a solid teammate as well to handle Fairy-types such as Magearna and Mega Gardevoir, as could Mega Charizard Y. Mega Sableye also supports Mega Charizard X by being able to defeat Porygon-Z, Crustle, and Donphan. Pokemon that can also threaten Taunt Mega Gyarados and Mega Lopunny, two of Mega Sableye's most common answers, such as Mega Venusaur, Zeraora, and Mega Metagross, can also be very helpful. Mega Sableye helps out these Pokemon by defeating Psychic- and Ground-type Pokemon such as Mew, Meloetta, Donphan, and Zygarde.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Night Shade, Snarl, or Dark Pulse can also help Mega Sableye handle special attackers such as special Dragonite and Aegislash more quickly than Taunt and Metal Burst, and they come in handy if you want your Mega Sableye to deal direct damage against special attackers instead of relying on Metal Burst. However, realistically, the combination of Calm Mind, Taunt, and Metal Burst is going to handle most special attackers just as effectively as Calm Mind and an attack while covering strong Choice-locked attackers, such as Haxorus and non-Adamant Choice Band Victini, as well.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-type Pokemon**: By far, the biggest weakness for Mega Sableye is Fairy-type Pokemon. Virtually every Fairy-type Pokemon will threaten Mega Sableye, as they are the only type that can hit Mega Sableye for super effective damage. Beware of Pokemon such as Magearna, Mega Gardevoir, Tapu Lele, Primarina, Tapu Fini, and Mega Altaria. However, they can sometimes be played around by using a combination of Metal Burst and Calm Mind or Taunt, as Mega Sableye can potentially take one Moonblast.
**Hyper Offense**: Certain extremely powerful Pokemon can break through Mega Sableye's impressive bulk in a single attack, even after a Will-O-Wisp or Calm Mind boost. Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y, Adamant Choice Band Victini, and Choice Specs Blacephalon will blow away Mega Sableye in a single turn. Other powerful setup Pokemon, such as mixed Zeraora and Mega Blaziken, can boost their attacking stats in order to deal fatal damage with their attacks, but they can be forced into a mind game with Taunt and Metal Burst.
**Bulky Dark-types**: Certain bulky Dark-types possess the tools necessary to break through Mega Sableye. Taunt Mega Gyarados is the biggest example, using its Dark typing to gain an immunity to Prankster Will-O-Wisp and Taunt, and using a Taunt of its own to cripple Mega Sableye, setting up on and OHKOing it while taking minimal damage from Foul Play. Incineroar is another example of this, using Bulk Up or Swords Dance to boost its Attack while being immune to Prankster Taunt and Will-O-Wisp, and OHKO Mega Sableye with Malicious Moonsault.
**Mega Lopunny**: As the only relevant Fighting-type Pokemon with Scrappy, Mega Lopunny is a consistent counter to Mega Sableye, as Fake Out followed by High Jump Kick is a guaranteed KO, even after a Will-O-Wisp.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Iamnathan, 212478], [Alakazam, 276708]]
- Quality checked by: [[Chickenpie2, 305552], [Osra, 239997], [Alakazam, 276708]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [deetah, 297659]]
Mega Sableye fills a solid role in the 1v1 metagame thanks to its access to two useful abilities in Prankster and Magic Bounce, as well as its great defensive typing and stats. It is useful for stalling out many Pokemon, such as Dragonite or Genesect, thanks to priority Will-O-Wisp and Calm Mind, reducing the damage taken from opposing Pokemon. It also counters Pokemon that rely on status, such as Jumpluff and Chansey, due to Magic Bounce. Magic Bounce also stops opposing Pokemon such as Zeraora and Kee Berry Mew from using Taunt on Mega Sableye. It can also utilize several other utility options, such as Taunt and Recover, in order to prevent setup and stay out of range of being knocked out, as well as moves such as Metal Burst and Foul Play to punish heavy hitters such as Naganadel and Garchomp. Unfortunately, Mega Sableye does have some unfavorable matchups against some common Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y and Mega Gyarados. Fairy-types, such as Magearna and Mega Gardevoir, also present a problem for Mega Sableye, as Fairy is the only type Mega Sableye is hit super effectively by.
[SET]
name: Stall
move 1: Will-O-Wisp
move 2: Recover
move 3: Foul Play / Metal Burst
move 4: Taunt / Metal Burst / Calm Mind
item: Sablenite
ability: Prankster
nature: Bold
evs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
Will-O-Wisp is Mega Sableye's form of neutralizing many physical attackers like Mega Metagross, Donphan, and physical Dragonite. Once they are burned, they will be taken down through a combination of Mega Sableye's other moves. Recover is a necessary healing move to stop Mega Sableye from gradually getting chipped down from Pokemon such as bulky Kommo-o and non-Nasty Plot Porygon-Z. Foul Play helps beat opposing Pokemon that will try to set up on Mega Sableye such as Dragonite, Landorus-T, and Garchomp. Metal Burst makes use of Mega Sableye's bulk to strike back against foes that try to knock it out in one hit with a Z-Move or a powerful attack, such as Naganadel, Haxorus, and Choice Specs Greninja. Taunt improves Mega Sableye's matchup against Pokemon that want to set up against it, such as Zygarde and Mew, by forcing them to attack and wasting their attack's PP. It also improves the matchup against opposing stall Pokemon such as Mega Venusaur and Deoxys-S and allows it to stop recovery moves. Calm Mind is a reliable way to stall out non-boosting special attackers such as Genesect and non-Nasty Plot Porygon-Z.
Set Details
========
The given EV spread with a Bold nature greatly boosts Mega Sableye's Defense while leaving it enough Special Defense to not give Download users such as Genesect a Special Attack boost and preventing it from 2HKOing Mega Sableye. The spread also allows Mega Sableye to avoid being knocked out by several different Pokemon, such as Aegislash, Naganadel, Haxorus, Greninja, and non-Nasty Plot Porygon-Z. Prankster provides Sableye with priority Will-O-Wisp and Taunt, which allows it to burn physical attackers, such as Dragonite and Golem, and shut down stall Pokemon like Chansey and Celesteela before they have a chance to affect Sableye. Recover and Calm Mind also receive priority to help Sableye survive attacks. After Mega Evolution, Magic Bounce stops opposing Pokemon like Jumpluff from stalling with status moves like Leech Seed.
Usage Tips
========
Immediately use Will-O-Wisp against physical attackers that can be burned and can't 2HKO Sableye after the Attack drop in order to shut down their offensive presence. These include Pokemon such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, Mega Swampert, Donphan, and physical Dragonite. Taunt Mega Gyarados easily defeats Mega Sableye due to its access to Mold Breaker to bypass Mega Sableye's Magic Bounce, but otherwise, Mega Sableye will beat Mega Gyarados after burning it with Will-O-Wisp. Remember when playing against Mega Gyarados and Mega Tyranitar to Mega Evolve and then use Will-O-Wisp, because Prankster moves do not affect Dark-type Pokemon. After a physical attacker is burned, follow up by Mega Evolving and using Foul Play and recovering off damage taken from their attacks whenever necessary. If they try to nullify the burn with setup moves like Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, Foul Play will simply deal more damage, sealing their fate. Dragon Dance Dragonite is a particularly unique matchup. Use Will-O-Wisp turn one. If Dragonite uses Devastating Drake turn one, Sableye will be able to use Recover the next turn and safely start damaging Dragonite with Foul Play. If it uses Dragon Dance on the Will-O-Wisp, you will need to Mega Evolve Sableye next turn and use Recover. If it does not Mega Evolve, it will faint to a +1 Devastating Drake; by recovering, this covers the play of Dragonite either using its Z-Move or using Dragon Dance again. If it sets up Dragon Dance again, use Foul Play the next turn, as not only will a +2 Devastating Drake from a burned Dragonite fail to knock out Mega Sableye, but Foul Play also will do enough damage after burn damage to OHKO. When dealing with special attackers such as special Dragonite and Mega Blastoise, using Calm Mind is a great option because it boosts Mega Sableye's already high Special Defense stat. Against Choice item users such as Naganadel, Haxorus, and Greninja, Mega Sableye can simply spam Metal Burst, as it does not need to fear them playing around Mega Sableye with setup. Physical setup attackers that are unaffected by Will-O-Wisp, primarily Mega Charizard X and Mega Blaziken, will be a tossup; Mega Sableye will either need to use Metal Burst on their attack or use Taunt on a predicted setup move. When handling stall Pokemon, such as Jumpluff and Chansey, Mega Evolve on the first turn in order to avoid any status conditions and follow up with a Taunt in order to PP stall them and force them into Struggle sooner. Mega Sableye's Dark / Ghost typing gives it a great matchup versus Psychic-, Fighting-, and Normal-types such as Mew, Sawk, and Meloetta, so be sure to use Mega Sableye in these type matchups. Mega Sableye's selection of variable moves makes it flexible for catering to the needs of its teammates, which allows it to work well with most other Pokemon.
Team Options
========
Pokemon that deter Fairy-type Pokemon like Magearna, Mega Gardevoir, and Tapu Lele, such as Poison- or Steel-type Pokemon like Naganadel, Mega Metagross, and Aegislash, are all good options to help support Mega Sableye. In return, Mega Sableye complements Poison-types by handling Psychic-type Pokemon such as Mew and Meloetta and helps Steel-types by warding off Ground-type Pokemon such as Garchomp, Donphan, and Golem. Specially defensive Mega Charizard X could be a solid teammate as well to handle Fairy-types such as Magearna and Mega Gardevoir, as could Mega Charizard Y. Mega Sableye also supports Mega Charizard X by being able to defeat Porygon-Z, Crustle, and Donphan. Pokemon that can also threaten Taunt Mega Gyarados and Mega Lopunny, two of Mega Sableye's most common answers, such as Mega Venusaur, Zeraora, and Mega Metagross, can also be very helpful. Mega Sableye helps out these Pokemon by defeating Psychic- and Ground-type Pokemon such as Mew, Meloetta, Donphan, and Zygarde.
[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=============
Night Shade, Snarl, or Dark Pulse can also help Mega Sableye handle special attackers such as special Dragonite and Aegislash more quickly than Taunt and Metal Burst, and they come in handy if you want your Mega Sableye to deal direct damage against special attackers instead of relying on Metal Burst. However, realistically, the combination of Calm Mind, Taunt, and Metal Burst is going to handle most special attackers just as effectively as Calm Mind and an attack while covering strong Choice-locked attackers, such as Haxorus and non-Adamant Choice Band Victini, as well.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Fairy-type Pokemon**: By far, the biggest weakness for Mega Sableye is Fairy-type Pokemon. Virtually every Fairy-type Pokemon will threaten Mega Sableye, as they are the only type that can hit Mega Sableye for super effective damage. Beware of Pokemon such as Magearna, Mega Gardevoir, Tapu Lele, Primarina, Tapu Fini, and Mega Altaria. However, they can sometimes be played around by using a combination of Metal Burst and Calm Mind or Taunt, as Mega Sableye can potentially take one Moonblast.
**Hyper Offense**: Certain extremely powerful Pokemon can break through Mega Sableye's impressive bulk in a single attack, even after a Will-O-Wisp or Calm Mind boost. Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y, Adamant Choice Band Victini, and Choice Specs Blacephalon will blow away Mega Sableye in a single turn. Other powerful setup Pokemon, such as mixed Zeraora and Mega Blaziken, can boost their attacking stats in order to deal fatal damage with their attacks, but they can be forced into a mind game with Taunt and Metal Burst.
**Bulky Dark-types**: Certain bulky Dark-types possess the tools necessary to break through Mega Sableye. Taunt Mega Gyarados is the biggest example, using its Dark typing to gain an immunity to Prankster Will-O-Wisp and Taunt, and using a Taunt of its own to cripple Mega Sableye, setting up on and OHKOing it while taking minimal damage from Foul Play. Incineroar is another example of this, using Bulk Up or Swords Dance to boost its Attack while being immune to Prankster Taunt and Will-O-Wisp, and OHKO Mega Sableye with Malicious Moonsault.
**Mega Lopunny**: As the only relevant Fighting-type Pokemon with Scrappy, Mega Lopunny is a consistent counter to Mega Sableye, as Fake Out followed by High Jump Kick is a guaranteed KO, even after a Will-O-Wisp.
[CREDITS]
- Written by: [[Iamnathan, 212478], [Alakazam, 276708]]
- Quality checked by: [[Chickenpie2, 305552], [Osra, 239997], [Alakazam, 276708]]
- Grammar checked by: [[The Dutch Plumberjack, 232216], [deetah, 297659]]
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