Mixed
Support
380Low
50Slow
CTier

Without Prankster, Sableye wouldn't see any competitive play. With it? It gives priority to its status moves, turning modest base stats into a real offensive threat. Dark/Ghost is solid coverage on top of that. Normal, Fighting, and Psychic moves can't touch it, and only 0 types hit it super-effectively.

You won't find a real weakness in Sableye's stat line. It's well-rounded for the Darkness Pokemon, and what it does with that depends on moveset and items. Yields 2 Attack and Defense EVs, on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.

Base Stats
380Avg
HP50
D
Attack75
C
Defense75
C
Sp. Atk65
C
Sp. Def65
C
Speed50
D
Total380
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Sableye yields +1 Atk, +1 Def
HPAtk+1Def+1SpASpDSpe
Details
Catch45ChallengingMedium Slow1.06M XP0.5m / 1'08"11kg / 24.3 lbs133Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It digs branching holes in caves using its sharp claws in search of food--raw gems. A SABLEYE lurks in darkness and is seen only rarely.

Emerald

Sableye Weakness

Fortress

Sableye has no type weaknesses thanks to its unique defensive typing. Normal, Fighting, and Psychic moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity.

Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
None
½xResisti
¼xResisti
None
STAB (2)i
0Weak
1Resist
3Immune
Scorei+10
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
Keen EyePrevents accuracy from being lowered.
StallMakes the Pokémon move last within its move's priority bracket.
PranksterHARaises non-damaging moves' priority by one stage.

Sableye is what you get. No evolutions, but it breeds through one egg group with a decent partner pool. Hatching is average hatch time. It's got 3 egg moves worth looking into.

How to Evolve

No Evolution
Sableye
#302Sableye
Does not evolve
Breeding
Easy

Breed Sableye easily with 28 breeding partners from the Humanshape egg group. Pass egg moves like Moonlight, Psych Up, Recover to offspring.

Egg Groups
Humanshape
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
25 cycles·6,425 steps
Moderate~6 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
3moves
Breed With (best first)
gardevoircacturnevolbeatillumisespindacacneakirliaraltsalakazammachamphypnohariyama

max HP and Defense EVs and Bold nature turn Sableye into a wall that doesn't fold easily. Leftovers brings passive recovery each turn for the long game, and Recover handles sustain. Keeneye fills in the gaps.

Best Build

Wall
Ability
Keeneye
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Nature
Bold+DEF
EVs

Best Sableye Moveset

  • RecoverRecovery
  • Knock OffSTAB
  • Seismic Toss
  • Psych Up

Stall teams hate this. Sableye can spread damage across 11 types, with Normal and Flying punishing common defensive pivots. STAB from Shadow Ball and Knock Off keeps the pressure honest on everything else.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Leer
10030Normal
Lv 1
Scratch
4010035Normal
Lv 5
Foresight
10040Normal
Lv 9
Night Shade
10015Ghost
Lv 13
Astonish
3010015Ghost
Lv 17
Fury Swipes
188015Normal
Lv 21
Fake Out+3
4010010Normal
Lv 25
Detect+4
5Fighting
Lv 29
Feint Attack
6020Dark
Lv 33
Knock Off
6510020Dark
Lv 37
Confuse Ray
10010Ghost
Lv 41
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
Lv 45
Mean Look
5Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM31
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
TM04
Calm Mind
20Psychic
HM01
Cut
509530Normal
TM28
Dig
6010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
HM05
Flash
7020Normal
TM01
Focus Punch-3
15010020Fighting
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM29
Psychic
9010010Psychic
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
HM06
Rock Smash
2010015Fighting
TM39
Rock Tomb
609510Rock
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM30
Shadow Ball
8010015Ghost
TM34
Shock Wave
6020Electric
TM49
Snatch+4
10Dark
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM12
Taunt
10020Dark
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM41
Torment
10015Dark
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison
TM03
Water Pulse
6010020Water

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Moonlight
5Normal
Egg
Psych Up
10Normal
Egg
Recover
20Normal

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Tutor
Counter-5
10020Fighting
Tutor
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Tutor
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
Tutor
Dynamic Punch
100505Fighting
Tutor
Endure+4
10Normal
Tutor
Fire Punch
7510015Fire
Tutor
Fury Cutter
109520Bug
Tutor
Ice Punch
7510015Ice
Tutor
Mega Kick
120755Normal
Tutor
Mega Punch
808520Normal
Tutor
Metronome
10Normal
Tutor
Mimic
10Normal
Tutor
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Tutor
Psych Up
10Normal
Tutor
Seismic Toss
10020Fighting
Tutor
Sleep Talk
10Normal
Tutor
Snore
4010015Normal
Tutor
Substitute
10Normal
Tutor
Swagger
9015Normal
Tutor
Thunder Punch
7510015Electric

Sableye is available from early-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 7 encounter spots give you plenty of options. Grab one early and it'll be ready to evolve or train by mid-game.

Best Locations

7 walking spots from Lv. 9-44 for Sableye. Sorted by game progression with rates on each row, so you can compare without scrolling through everything.

Granite Cave - B1F
GrassLv.9-11UncommonEarlyCave
EASY
Granite Cave - B2F
GrassLv.10-12UncommonEarlyCave
EASY
Cave of Origin - Inside
GrassLv.30-34CommonMidCave
EFFORTLESS
Sky Pillar - 1F
GrassLv.33-34CommonLateBuilding
EFFORTLESS
Sky Pillar - 3F
GrassLv.33-34CommonLateBuilding
EFFORTLESS
Sky Pillar - 5F
GrassLv.33-34CommonLateBuilding
EFFORTLESS
Victory Road - B2F
GrassLv.40-44CommonLateCave
EFFORTLESS
  • Sableye looks average on paper at 380 BST. But Prankster is why it sees play — build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier support on our tier list.

  • Sableye has no type weaknesses, making it hard to counter through typing alone. Focus on status moves, entry hazards, or raw neutral damage to take it down.

  • Sableye doesn't evolve and has no evolutionary line. It's a Dark/Ghost-type Pokemon with a 380 base stat total.

  • Sableye gets Prankster, Keen Eye, and Stall. But Prankster is the one that matters — it's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.

  • Sableye is a mixed attacker — base 75 Attack and 65 Sp. Atk. But the speed tells the real story — base 50 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. Fits the support role.

  • Sableye appears in 16 games, including Ruby & Sapphire, FireRed & LeafGreen, and Emerald.

Available since Ruby & Sapphire, Sableye appears in 16 games spanning 7 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained a Mega form in Generation 7.