#6 Pikachuun
Hi
Sup
How did you get into Pokemon?
When I was 5, a friend's brother of mine introduced me to Pokemon Yellow. The rest is ancient history. I got into competitive one day through the flaming spade, as he showed off Pokemon Showdown one day. I was like "Ooh a Pokemon battle simulator on the computer? That sounds nice, I don't play Pokemon that often on console due to little time". After I found Smogon, I simply took a look around in the forums for a while, and really got interested in OU, since OMs were few and far between at that time I've never heard of them. Laga, a friend of mine got me into Doubles, and after I got bored of that, since I thought Doubles was obviously an OM, I decided to look for other Other Metagames. At that time, I found Balanced Hackmons and fell in love with the tier
What's the most influential thing you've done regarding OM's?
People should definitely know me from the amount of coding I do for various Other Metagames. That's probably the most influential thing I've done for the community so far.
What was the most difficult thing you've coded?
In terms of tediousness, probably Touhoumon (Not an OM but basically a fangame of Pokemon/Touhou), which is still being coded. In terms of actual difficulty for something I successfully coded, I'd say probably Playstyle Reversal. I tried to code Technicianmons but that was very complicated for me (probably because I was doing it wrong).
What advise would you give to people who want to get started with coding?
Make a few random simple edits of already existing code, like add a new command that basically does something similar to an old one if you want to code commands. In the case of OMs, make a simple Pet Mod that basically has one or two things changed, like Pikachu's base stats. Basically, just toy around with some already existing code. That's how I learned it anyway.
What is your favorite Other Metagame?
My favorite OM is most likely Balanced Hackmons. Classic Hackmons as well as STABmons are both close seconds. I don't really have a favorite Pet Mod, but I guess Joimmons as it was my first.
What is in your opinion the most underrated Other Metagame?
I feel that Typemons is a bit underrated. It's quite similar to STABmons, but you get to pick a type for your entire team to run instead of just 1 Pokemon at a time.
What do you think is the most fun about OMs?
The most fun thing about OMs is, for me, the variety. There are so many cool/fun options in most OMs that you couldn't do normally and to me that's what makes OMs fun.
What's your favorite playstyle?
My favorite playstyle is definitely Offense.
What's your favorite Pokemon to use?
My favorite pokemon to use dependent on tier. For instance, in BH, I like to use Hoopa-Unbound, while in STABmons, I like to use Heatran.
Which OM Player do you respect the most?
Adrian Marin, because he's one of the players that truly got me into BH Stall. I believe by learning from him I became better at a lot of playstyles, not just in BH, but OMs in general. Effectively by learning how to counter the metagame, I learned exactly what each of my teams' weak points were.
Who do you think is the most underrated OM Player?
Not that many people talk about CactusCacti, so I guess him. It takes a lot of skill to be good enough at using gimmicks to get him the rank he's got.
What advise do you have for people who want to get into OM's?
Have a somewhat decent start in a standard tier like OU first, just so you know what you're doing since a lot of OMs are based on OU. Once you have a decent start, it's a matter of selecting which OM appeals to you the most. Then look around the thread of said tier for a while until you think you know what you can do. Basically familiarize yourself with the threats present within the meta.
What do you think of the project Other Metagame of the Month?
They're a pretty cool concept, as it gives some of the OMs that otherwise would probably have not been noticed some much needed screen time.
Do you have a team for people to get into OM's?
Code:
Zapdos @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Roost
- Heat Wave
- Volt Switch
- Toxic
Heatran (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Quiet Nature
- Eruption
- Fire Blast
- Earth Power
- Solar Beam
Skarmory (M) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Defog
- Whirlwind
- Brave Bird
Azelf @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Explosion
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Blast
- Taunt
Victini @ Choice Band
Ability: Chlorophyll / Desolate Land
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- V-create
- Final Gambit
- Bolt Strike
- U-turn
Infernape (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 228 Atk / 28 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Close Combat
- Fire Blast
- Grass Knot
- Earthquake
This is a sun team I made for AAA that will probably get you introduced to the concept of sun teams in general. Basically it's based around sweeping with Chlorotran. Infernape's there to trap Flash Fire Steels such as Ferrothorn that you can't beat otherwise. Victini can either be Chlorophyll as well or Desolate Land depending on whether you want more sweeping action or getting around Primordial Sea.
Do you have any final words?
o3o