It is a funny thing;
I’ve found myself
slipping lately calling
copies of
Sableye “Sneasel”
instead.
Perhaps it
reflects
Sneasel (Neo
Genesis 24/111)
being the first card
officially banned from a
Modified Format (in
fact, the very first two
Modified formats, after
which Neo Genesis
itself rotated out)
while
Sableye (DP:
Stormfront 48/100)
and a deck built around
it became so overpowered
under the Black &
White-era rules that
it forced an early
rotation last year?
Maybe it is simply
because both are usually
the same Stage and
usually the same Type
(in the TCG), and at a
glance both have vaguely
humanoid forms.
Let’s take a look
and see!
Stats
Sableye
is a Basic Darkness-Type
Pokémon.
Basic Pokémon
enjoy an unprecedented
level of support right
now, with most of it
remaining after the
rotation.
They are almost
always important to a
deck, either composing
most of it or at least
being the deck’s
preferred attacker; a
few even has useful
non-attack effects that
allow them to be helpful
merely sitting on your
Bench.
So in short this
is the best Stage to be
at present.
Being a
Darkness-Type is also
quite beneficial; the
same set we got this
Sableye brought us
three key pieces of
Darkness-Type support:
Dark Patch for
from-the-discard-Energy-acceleration,
and as an Item no less;
Dark Claw for an
extra 20 points of
damage onto attacks that
already do damage, and
Darkrai EX (Dark
Explorers 63/108,
107/108) who’s Dark
Cloak Ability zeroes out
the Retreat Cost of
anything with a source
of (D) Energy attached.
Being a
Darkness-Type isn’t much
for hitting Weakness,
though it does show up
from time to time, and
Resistance doesn’t
exist.
70 HP isn’t much right
now, but at least an
opening
Tornadus EX (Dark
Explorers 90/108,
108/108) with a
Double Colorless Energy
and Stadium in play
still needs more help to
score a OHKO, though
mid-to-late game being
taken out in one hit is
pretty much a given; at
least
Level Ball can snag
Sableye from your
deck.
Due to
Sableye being a
Ghost/Dark-Type in the
video games, the
benefits of that Type
combination are
represented by having no
Weakness (the best) and
no Resistance (the
worst), instead of
receiving the usual
Fighting-Type Weakness
for Darkness-Type
Pokémon or the
Resistance/Immunity to
damage from certain
Types usually
represented as
“Fighting” in the TCG.
Finishing this
off is a nice, low
single Energy Retreat
cost, which is easy to
pay and easy to avoid;
Skyarrow Bridge or
Darkrai EX will
usually result in a
Sableye with a free
Retreat Cost.
Effects
Sableye
has two attacks.
The first is
Confuse Ray for (C),
which does 10 points of
damage and (provided you
get “heads” on a
mandatory coin toss)
Confuses the Defending
Pokémon.
I really wish the
Confusion was automatic;
all Special Conditions
are far too weak (and
generally have been),
but especially since
Confusion was nerfed;
you used to have to flip
a coin to successfully
retreat out of
Confusion.
This attack is
better than nothing, but
not why you play the
card.
Junk Hunt is why you
play the card: for (D)
you get to retrieve two
Items from your discard
pile.
Right now with
Junk Arm still
legal, it may not seem
like much, but for many
who will go through
Junk Arm withdrawal
it will seem impressive.
Using it that way can be
risky, since you’re
giving up an Energy
attachment, an attack,
and a Prize for those
two Items.
Usage
Fortunately, while not
as versatile as
Junk Arm, it does
grab two Items at once,
and with proper deck
design that makes it
really, really…
irritating.
Not for the
person running it, but
the one on the other
side of things.
A constant stream
of
Crushing Hammer,
Pokémon Catcher, and
Lost Remover (Enhanced
Hammer post
rotation) can leave an
opponent high and dry if
they don’t have a good
method of Energy
recursion, and of course
a deck focused on
Special Energy doesn’t
have especially good
options.
Your opponent
will likely still push
through and KO
Sableye, which is
why you’ll want two or
three, and you have to
be smart enough to use
discretion and not try
this against
inappropriate decks
(like ones that can
repeatedly attach Energy
from the discard).
While it is risky being
down a few Prizes
because of this
strategy, once an
opponent is suffering an
Energy crisis like it
was the 1970’s, whatever
partner(s) you have for
Sableye can finally
pop up and clean house
with impudence.
It is finding the
exact right partners
that is the challenge;
Excadrill (BW:
Dark Explorers
62/108) was reviewed
earlier in the week, and
while its Dig Uppercut
costs (FF) and only
recycles one card, but
the important things are
that you’re hitting for
damage (only 50 though),
and you can recycle any
card, not just Items.
I think it has a
shot, since even some
damage is better than
none.
Sableye actually
becomes more effective
in BW-On; though it
loses some tricks the
other decks lose more.
In Unlimited, there
isn’t a place for this
Sableye; you have
Item Finder to
recycle any Trainers.
In Limited, it
happens to be in the set
that even contains the
Item based Darkness
Support, plus a few
other Items, so unless
you absolutely can’t run
Darkness Energy with
it, run it.
Its 70 HP should
last long, and Confusion
is more effective here
as well.
Ratings
Unlimited:
1/5
Modified:
4/5
Limited:
4.5/5
Summary
Sableye
is an amazing card; I
had my eye on it when we
gave our top picks and
it didn’t quite make it.
Having had this
time to see how things
played out perhaps it
should have, and if I
were making picks based
on BW-On it most
definitely would
qualify, and the only
reason it wouldn’t be at
the top would be the
handful of incredibly
potent cards also in the
set that just edge it
out.
If the format
shifts to focus around
low Energy, solid damage
Basic attackers then
Sableye will lose
steam.
Otherwise, it can
keep Item reliant
strategies going (even
if the cost is steep)
and with the right Item
selection is sick as an
opener.
You won’t
have to run it, but
it’s a definite edge
when your deck is
Sableye-compliant.
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here.
It’s me whittling
away at about two
decades worth of
attempted collecting,
spanning action figures,
comic books, TCGs, and
video games.
Exactly what is
up is a bit random.
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