Mega Sableye provides a lot of functions to stall at once: it is a bulky Magic Bouncer that discourages hazards use (and even lays them on the opposing side if it switches on a hazard move), it can handle repeated hits and Recover the damage away, and is general an amazing pivot. I think Gothitelle accentuates all the worst aspects of Mega Sableye while overshadowing the value that every stall team would lose without having it around. We can say what we want about the value of prediction, but the hazard layer doesn't need to necessarily defeat Mega Sableye in order to put pressure. Hazard setting must be seen in the long run, and reading the opponent's use of Mega Sableye and when to incorporate smart pivots, double switching, and chip damage all play into the strategy of fighting defensive play. Mega Sableye alone is not enough to threaten the end of the hazard setter or the game itself. Bring Gothitelle into the mix, however, and the cat-and-mouse game becomes instantly skewed. Make one mistake with Gothitelle on the field, and your hazard setter is removed from the game, permanently, and outside of Shed Shell, which greatly weakens the hazard setter's longevity (hope you never switch into Knock Off ever), there are absolutely no options to escape it.
Gothitelle, by virtue of its Choice Scarf set, invalidates so many Pokemon sets. Defensive sets, like pivot Landorus-T and Heatran, get stalled out by repeated use of Rest. Set-up sweepers, like Manaphy, get reduced to using weak attacks that get absorbed by Gothitelle's teammates and turn it into set-up fodder. Yes, Mega Sableye makes this worse by discouraging the use of Taunt or other ways to break down Gothitelle, but even then, the fact that the hazard laying team can't double switch sucks out the momentum and essentially gives the Gothitelle team a free switch.
The two main Sableye stall teams I remember are the ABR stall team that uses Choice Scarf Gothitelle and the Wonder Trio team that uses Shedinja and Dugtrio. The first team brings out the worst in Gothitelle, as it chooses which threat appears to be the most dangerous and leaves the others to the rest of the team to handle the other needs (Skarmory for Defogging and Spikes, Quagsire to stop set-up physical attackers, Chansey for special attackers, and Amoongus for general tankiness/Spore/passive healing). Wonder Trio is unique in that Shedinja stops most direct attacks that would normally be aimed at Mega Sableye, while also providing slow Baton Passes to Dugtrio who then removes whichever threat the team needs to take. I do not know of a team that incorporates both Mega Sableye and Wobbufett, but between Countercoat, Encore, and Custap Destiny Bond, Wobbufett could skew the game in its own unique way.
Mega Sableye is unique in that it has a show-stopping ability and the bulk to remain in the game through multiple hits. Ban it and offensive play-styles have a field day picking apart the Pokemon that either have great abilities but terrible bulk (Mega Diancie can't fulfill half the roles Mega Sableye does) or have the bulk but are hopelessly passive. If Mega Sableye goes and Shadow Taggers stay in, they will simply find new roles removing the few checks to the hardest-hitting offensive Pokemon. Between Gothitelle and Wobbufett, any Pokemon with any moveset can find itself prey to instantly being defeated, which is especially devastating when you consider the fact that many defensive Pokemon have to fill multiple roles; there are simply too many offensive threats out there. For a defensive team, every Pokemon and every moveslot is meticulously chosen to cover as wide a range as possible. For Shadow Tag to instantly nullify a Pokemon is too much for these teams to bear.
Do not ban Sablenite. Ban Shadow Tag.
Gothitelle, by virtue of its Choice Scarf set, invalidates so many Pokemon sets. Defensive sets, like pivot Landorus-T and Heatran, get stalled out by repeated use of Rest. Set-up sweepers, like Manaphy, get reduced to using weak attacks that get absorbed by Gothitelle's teammates and turn it into set-up fodder. Yes, Mega Sableye makes this worse by discouraging the use of Taunt or other ways to break down Gothitelle, but even then, the fact that the hazard laying team can't double switch sucks out the momentum and essentially gives the Gothitelle team a free switch.
The two main Sableye stall teams I remember are the ABR stall team that uses Choice Scarf Gothitelle and the Wonder Trio team that uses Shedinja and Dugtrio. The first team brings out the worst in Gothitelle, as it chooses which threat appears to be the most dangerous and leaves the others to the rest of the team to handle the other needs (Skarmory for Defogging and Spikes, Quagsire to stop set-up physical attackers, Chansey for special attackers, and Amoongus for general tankiness/Spore/passive healing). Wonder Trio is unique in that Shedinja stops most direct attacks that would normally be aimed at Mega Sableye, while also providing slow Baton Passes to Dugtrio who then removes whichever threat the team needs to take. I do not know of a team that incorporates both Mega Sableye and Wobbufett, but between Countercoat, Encore, and Custap Destiny Bond, Wobbufett could skew the game in its own unique way.
Mega Sableye is unique in that it has a show-stopping ability and the bulk to remain in the game through multiple hits. Ban it and offensive play-styles have a field day picking apart the Pokemon that either have great abilities but terrible bulk (Mega Diancie can't fulfill half the roles Mega Sableye does) or have the bulk but are hopelessly passive. If Mega Sableye goes and Shadow Taggers stay in, they will simply find new roles removing the few checks to the hardest-hitting offensive Pokemon. Between Gothitelle and Wobbufett, any Pokemon with any moveset can find itself prey to instantly being defeated, which is especially devastating when you consider the fact that many defensive Pokemon have to fill multiple roles; there are simply too many offensive threats out there. For a defensive team, every Pokemon and every moveslot is meticulously chosen to cover as wide a range as possible. For Shadow Tag to instantly nullify a Pokemon is too much for these teams to bear.
Do not ban Sablenite. Ban Shadow Tag.