Magic Bounce might be useful for hyper offense teams, but is it worth using over Eviolite Dusclops as a tank?
You didn't ask there, so I asked for you.
Dusclops isn't a good Pokemon in National Dex atm and is unviable even in the lowest unofficial tier, whilst Mega Sableye was once considered banworthy in here. That pretty much summarises the gap between the two, but I'll go into more detail.
Non-reliance on eviolite Dusclops has better bulk than Mega Sableye, on the condition that it keeps its eviolite. However, that's a pretty tall order given the laundry list of knock-off users in UU rn. I would also like to mention that the teams you see Mega Sableye on (or teams that you would use dusclops on) are generally stall teams. In this current gen, a lot of Stall Pokemon run boots because hazard control ain't easy to come by now that Gliscor is gone. Some, like Skarmory, want to run Rocky Helmet. Generally speaking, you do not want any of these mons to lose their items: if you lack boots, rocks and spikes slowly whittles down your walls; if you lack helmet, you can't punish physical attackers. Mega Sableye offers a safety net for these teams thanks to Mega Stones being unable to be knocked off and the reduced damage it received from Knock off.
This goes double for teams with Chansey (one of two viable Eviolite users in UU atm, the other being Bisharp).
Reliable recovery The best recovery options that Dusclops has are Pain Spit and Rest which offer a lot more situational recovery. You can definitely gain HP by using pain split on something like Slowking Galar, and 32 PP is an advantage. However, that comes with the downside of having a less consistent means of recovery that only works if both you and the opponent have the right HP - which sucks considering Dusclops already hates passive damage being forced into Eviolite. Mega Sabeleye on the other hand has Recover which heals 50% all in one go. It has less PP, sure, but the consistency provides a measurable advantage in the long run.
Magic Bounce Magic bounce offers numerous advantages over Dusclop's Pressure. I'll list them as follows: - Magic Bounce ignores taunt which shuts down 90% of Dusclop sets - Magic Bounce ignores status which screws Pain Split Dusclops and forces Rest Dusclops to take a nap - Mega Sableye can now act as a hazard control. Normally it isn't the sole hazard control on a team but having that backup helps goes the distance vs something like Ting-Lu - Mega Sableye can act as a pseudo-status absorber for stall teams if HP on Blissey or Chansey needs to be preserved - Niche scenario, but Magic Bounce also helps against Mega Venu and Seperior Leech Seeds.
All these advantages add layers to how you can play Mega Sableye that make it more than just a passive blob like Dusclops. Pressure is definitely an interesting ability but I feel it would be better on Dusclops if it had recover or better attacking stats.
Greater versatility Dusclops is pretty much doing the same thing regardless of how it uses its move slots. The main difference would be Pain Split v RestTalk. Mega Sableye also typically runs 1 set but people have had success with stuff like Calm Mind. Calm Mind isn't the most orthodox set, but I know quite a few people got reqs with that while using Runo's stall team during the Victini suspect.
source
