Pokémon Card of the Day – Sableye Stormfront SF #48

Sableye Stormfront SF 48 Pokemon CardSableye SF can be a very good card to help in the setting up process for certain decks. In slower decks where you are not using a strong one energy attack, or two energy on an SP with Energy Gain, Sableye’s “Overeager” Poké-Body can be used to let you definitely go first, drop the first energy, and still take advantage of using a supporter card with its “Impersonate” attack. Usually dark and colorless Pokémon are slower cards that require more then one energy for main attacks; such as Tyranitar and Flygon. And in these cases, you can use D Energy in the decks in order to use Sableye’s second attack “Overconfident”, and fully get the most out of this card.

“Overconfident” can be a very good attack too, but it is quite situational. The possible 50 damage, with one Special D Energy attached, is not bad at all. Going first, you have the opportunity to 1HKO a lot of non-SP basic Pokémon out there before your opponent has the chance to evolve them, at least with the help of a Special D Energy to do the 50 damage. This turn one OK can be crucial to a slower deck, or donking your opponent before they get a chance to do anything would definitely make my day. Also, late game this attack can be useful. If your opponent’s active Pokémon has low HP left, you can always switch Sableye in for the KO so your opponent won’t get a free hit on your main attacker that you might need to finish the game.

Sableye’s one Retreat Cost is a little unfavorable due to the fact that you are probably using it to stall and power up your other Pokémon, so you don’t want to waste an energy to get it back to your bench, but this can be gotten around with Moonlight Stadium, Unown Q, or even Flygon’s “Rainbow Float” Poké-Body. Also its 60 HP is on the low side, but aren’t most set up tech Pokémon’s HP on the low side? On a plus note, Sableye has no weakness.

What do you guys think, is Sableye worth putting into a deck?

Reader Interactions

31 replies

  1. Adam Keibler

    Eh… I think the only real place for Sableye is in a Tyranitar deck, where it can effectively donk many Pokémon and save the T-Tar player the trouble of setting up.

    IMO, the days of starter Pokémon are coming to a close. Honchkrow G, and a select few others can still be effective, but needing an energy to retreat really brings Sableye down. Like I said, only in T-Tar.

  2. Drew Stillwell

    Good in TTar, good in Gyarados, and good in any other deck that needs a starter poke to use supporters and get the energy advantage (as mentioned). It now competes with Jirachi RR, but Sableye is a lot cheaper and guarantees a supporter first turn (assuming you run supporters in your deck, but why wouldn’t you?)

    Jirachi has free retreat, however, and a nice power, but has no real attacking capabilities like sableye does with a dark energy.

    I think it’s worth it if you use it, but with all of this board control with infernape and luxray and such, starters really are losing their advantages.

    Sableye’s pokebody also has the disadvantage of LETTING your opponent go second, thus being able to get the good things about going second (i.e. trainers, stadiums, trainers, supporters, rare candy, trainers)

  3. Adam Capriola

    Yo Politoed thanks for the comments and welcome to the site!

    I actually think the fact that this card lets you go first can be HUGE. Think about it, EVERY SP deck wants to go first. They are that much slower when going second, so Sableye gives you a slight edge there. That may be why Gyarados did so well.

  4. Adam Keibler

    Eh… I think the only real place for Sableye is in a Tyranitar deck, where it can effectively donk many Pokémon and save the T-Tar player the trouble of setting up.

    IMO, the days of starter Pokémon are coming to a close. Honchkrow G, and a select few others can still be effective, but needing an energy to retreat really brings Sableye down. Like I said, only in T-Tar.

  5. Drew Stillwell

    Good in TTar, good in Gyarados, and good in any other deck that needs a starter poke to use supporters and get the energy advantage (as mentioned). It now competes with Jirachi RR, but Sableye is a lot cheaper and guarantees a supporter first turn (assuming you run supporters in your deck, but why wouldn’t you?)

    Jirachi has free retreat, however, and a nice power, but has no real attacking capabilities like sableye does with a dark energy.

    I think it’s worth it if you use it, but with all of this board control with infernape and luxray and such, starters really are losing their advantages.

    Sableye’s pokebody also has the disadvantage of LETTING your opponent go second, thus being able to get the good things about going second (i.e. trainers, stadiums, trainers, supporters, rare candy, trainers)

  6. Adam Capriola

    Yo Politoed thanks for the comments and welcome to the site!

    I actually think the fact that this card lets you go first can be HUGE. Think about it, EVERY SP deck wants to go first. They are that much slower when going second, so Sableye gives you a slight edge there. That may be why Gyarados did so well.

    • Drew Stillwell  → Adam

      Why do SP decks want to go first? Don’t Cyrus and the TGI tools make it better to go second?

    • Adam Capriola  → Adam

      Being able to Level Up ASAP is huge, it gives you the opportunity to draw the first prize.

  7. alex d

    Saying that EVERY SP deck wants to go first is an overstatement. Not every one of them likes going first. In fact, I think I would have definitely lost a few games at Nats had I gone first.

    But on to the card…

    I was thinking of putting just one of these and an Unown Q in any of my decks that run Darkness Energy… I did so in my Weavile/Gardevoir deck, and here’s why:

    If against a Gengar player, if I had a Roseanne’s and a Darkness Energy in my starting hand, I could search my deck for a Sableye and Unown Q. Attach the Unown Q to whatever I started with, and then retreat to Sableye for the KO on a Gastly. It won’t win you the game necessarily, but knocking out that Gastly early on will leave them disadvantaged later in the game when they have a spare Gengar but no Gastly to go with it. Or, it might even get you the donk!

    …so that’s my little combo I came up with.

  8. alex d

    Saying that EVERY SP deck wants to go first is an overstatement. Not every one of them likes going first. In fact, I think I would have definitely lost a few games at Nats had I gone first.

    But on to the card…

    I was thinking of putting just one of these and an Unown Q in any of my decks that run Darkness Energy… I did so in my Weavile/Gardevoir deck, and here’s why:

    If against a Gengar player, if I had a Roseanne’s and a Darkness Energy in my starting hand, I could search my deck for a Sableye and Unown Q. Attach the Unown Q to whatever I started with, and then retreat to Sableye for the KO on a Gastly. It won’t win you the game necessarily, but knocking out that Gastly early on will leave them disadvantaged later in the game when they have a spare Gengar but no Gastly to go with it. Or, it might even get you the donk!

    …so that’s my little combo I came up with.

  9. kwisdumb

    It’s a nice little card for a lot of Dark-based decks. Especially T-Tar.

    As far as SP decks wanting to go first, I disagree. I think most, if not all SP decks want to go second to be able to run their T/S/S engine. Just my opinion though.

    Good article.

  10. kwisdumb

    It’s a nice little card for a lot of Dark-based decks. Especially T-Tar.

    As far as SP decks wanting to go first, I disagree. I think most, if not all SP decks want to go second to be able to run their T/S/S engine. Just my opinion though.

    Good article.

  11. CoMiT

    This card goes really well in sp decks. The first turn cyrus’ can put you in control for the whole game. I think this is a very underated card.

  12. CoMiT

    This card goes really well in sp decks. The first turn cyrus’ can put you in control for the whole game. I think this is a very underated card.

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  16. Nicolasa Guttirez

    I ought to say, as a lot as I enjoyed reading what you had to express, I couldnt aid but lose interest after a while. Its as if you had a great grasp on the theme matter, but you forgot to consist of your readers. Perhaps you should think of this from more than one particular angle. Or maybe you shouldnt generalise so a lot. Its far better should you think of what other people might have to express rather than just going to get a gut reaction for the subject matter. Take into consideration adjusting your own believed process and giving others who may possibly go through this the benefit in the doubt.

  17. tony smith

    Me and my friend have a deck that has this card and like a million supporters, also with giratina lvl x and the ice bind walrein it is undefeated right now  

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