Other OU Player of the Week #7: Haunter

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approved by alexwolf​

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Welcome to OU's Player of the week, a thread where I interview well known players to gain insight on how they battle, as well as get to know some things about them. The goal of this thread is to have these high level players give insight to other players in this community in hopes of creating a better overall experience in the OU environment. As always, if theres someone youd like to see interviewed, feel free to shoot me a PM. So without further ado, lets get to it! (Just a note: Anyone tagged in this post was tagged in the interview by M Dragon)

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Haunter​

Most Known For:
Leader of the OU forum, OU Council member, Smogon admin, PS! admin. I'm not the most known player in the competitive scene because I tend to stay out of tournaments as much as possible. I'm mostly known for my involvement in the policy side of Smogon/PS!.

Favorite Pokémon:
Haunter, Rayquaza.

Most used Pokémon:
Recently Azumarill.

How and when did you get into competitive battling?
I was randomly redirected to Smogon from an italian forum, I started to play competitvely during the Latias suspect test in Gen 4.

Do you still battle, and if so, how has comp changed since you first started?
Yes, I do. I've always played offense (both HO and balanced offense) and I've noticed that through generations, the metagames keep shitfing towards more offensive play. I suppose it's because of the myriad of new offensive Pokémon that get introduced in each generation.

In regards to what M Dragon said in his interview with me about team match up, is there anything you would like to add on that topic?
I completely agree with him. Team match up has always been a factor in competitive Pokémon and the match up component of the game can only become more prominent with tons of new threats being introduced with every new generation. I agree that team match up makes the game more reliant on luck but I think that it's something we need to get used to. Every generation brings something like 30-40 new usable Pokémon for each tier and, while we can ban those that result overpowered/unbalanced with the rest of the tier, we have to deal with the fact that the pool of potential threats to take into account when building teams keeps growing after each generation.

As a member of the OU Council, what is your philosophy when it comes to suspecting something? Banning something?
I'm a very conservative rule maker. I strictly adhere to Smogon philosophy of only banning things that are blatantly unbalanced or uncompetitive within a given metagame. In order for something to get suspect tested and, hence, potentially banned, I think it should be evident that said Pokémon/move impacts the metagame negatively. I'm generally against testing stuff that the community at large perceives as dubious.

Banning Pokémon like Aegislash (or Lando-I in gen 5) can lead to extremely negative consequences both competitively and from a public relations standpoint. I know that most players tend to discount the PR aspect but, as a site admin, it's my duty to consider the impact of our bans on the way both the insiders and the outsiders perceive Smogon.

Any bans you disagreed with (doesn’t have to be XY, could be DPP or BW)?
I disagreed with banning Aegislash and considering the results of the test, I think its ban can be defined "controversial" to say the least. I think that Aegislash did more good than harm to the metagame by providing a reliable answer to numerous threats and by fitting pretty much every play style with its versatility. And no, this is not the case of broken stuff checking broken stuff. I also disagreed with the Latias/Salamence bans in late gen 4.

With ORAS just a few days away (from the time of asking, it’ll be out once this goes live lol), any last minute predictions about how the meta will develop?
We can already make a pretty reliable prediction of what the early ORAS metagame will look like. I've watched a lot of good players play the ORAS OU ladder and, barring a few exceptions, I think it's safe to say that the metagame will be centralized around M-Salamence and Greninja in its early stages. Offense is getting a lot of new tools in ORAS, so I think the metagame will inevitably shift towards offense.

Thoughts on Mence and Greninja from a Council member perspective? Any other mons to look out for that could be potential suspects?
As much as I hate to ban stuff, I think that M-Salamence will be banned. This thing is a monster, the boosted Defense and Speed make it extremely hard to take down and it hits like a truck, not to mention it has 2 usable pre-Evo abilities and a great mega-ability in Aerialite. I'm still not sure about Greninja. I think that its frailty prevents it from becoming overpowered in the current meta, characterized by strong priorities and heavy hitters.

As for other potential suspects, I think M-Metagross is the only one that actually needs to be looked at closer. It got the boosts in the stats it needed them in and a great ability to abuse its large physical movepool.

As someone who is / was (a former?) an RMT mod, what suggestions do you have for those aspiring to obtain a badge?
Learn the metagame to an acceptable degree, then ask a badged rater to help you with formats and such. Also realize that rating a team doesn't mean building a new team. Try to make the least possible changes and to preserve the basic structure of the team.

What advice do you have for players new to competitive Pokémon, or even Smogon in general?
Just play the ladder and watch high ranked players play their games. Then move to tournaments, if you like the environment. Also read the competitve forums, especially np: suspect threads and VR threads.

As for Smogon in general, make friends on the forums, IRC, PS! and have fun. Smogon has grown immensely during my long stay here. It's difficult to get involved in all the sections of the site, so I usually suggest those who ask me how to "become someone" on Smogon to specialize in 1-2 sections at most. The mentoring program can be an important resource for new members to integrate themselves in the community.

What players do you look up to / are good friends with?
I'm good friends with many players, Bloo is probably my best friend among the tournaments crowd. People I used to look up to when I started battling are former ladder heroes such as panamaxis, M Dragon, Ojama, Earthworm and famous tournament players such as Eo Ut Mortus and Stathakis. More recently, I've been particularly impressed by gr8astard and McMeghan.

Finally, is there a team that you can show us that is a good fit for this metagame with a brief explanation of how it works?

Hide

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 236 HP / 96 Atk / 8 Def / 168 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Explosion

Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 192 HP / 252 Atk / 64 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Play Rough
- Superpower
- Aqua Jet

Medicham-Mega @ Medichamite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Punch
- Fake Out
- Zen Headbutt

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Careful Nature
- Leech Seed
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Thunder Wave

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 Spe
Bold Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split

Latias (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Defog
- Healing Wish
- Psyshock

This is the team I used to make the reqs during the last suspect test. I ranked 9th on the ladder and since I started using it, I got a pretty solid win rate. It's based around a standard volt-turn core of scarf-Lando-T/Rotom-W and focuses on gaining momentum in order to break opposing defensive cores with M-Medicham's stupidly powerful attacks. Latias is a glue Pokémon that provides defogging, a reliable answer to Venusaur and Healing Wish, a move that has granted me many unsuspected victories. Ferrothorn and AV Azumarill are just too useful and complement the rest of the team excellently. The EVs on Landorus allow it to outspeed +1 jolly Dragonite which is a real pain for this team, while still retaining a good physical bulk. The abundant Spe EVs on Azumarill are to outspeed other Azumarill mainly (and yes, as Bloo says, I'm a speed creep). Iron head on Ferrothorn is because I hate being stalled out of PP.

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So there it is. If you have any questions for Haunter, feel free to ask him in the thread. I'd like to thank Haunter for doing this, and see you next week!

 

[River Martini]

Since you are against Aegislash ban, do you think it is highly possible that OU Council will re-test it in ORAS?

 

[Anduril]

How viable do you think stall will be in ORAS? What effect do you think M-Slowbro and M-Sableye will have on the playstyle and metagame in general?

 

[Jaiho]

thoughts on user: Shootingstarmie?

 

[ArchPhantom]

• What is, in your opinion, the best playstyle?
• What's your favourite mega, if you have any?
• Your thoughts on the monstrosity that is called MEGA RAYQUAZA.

 

[Reverb]

Why are you a vegetarian? Also, you probably wear a lot of cologne irl. Are there any words in Italian that do not end in vowels?

EDIT:

How would you like a pleasant evening with Jukain at Olive Garden?

 

[X5Dragon]

Any bans you disagreed with (doesn’t have to be XY, could be DPP or BW)?
I disagreed with banning Aegislash and considering the results of the test, I think its ban can be defined "controversial" to say the least. I think that Aegislash did more good than harm to the metagame by providing a reliable answer to numerous threats and by fitting pretty much every play style with its versatility. And no, this is not the case of broken stuff checking broken stuff. I also disagreed with the Latias/Salamence bans in late gen 4.

Finally a mod/smogonite with his head screwed in right on the matter. Anyway it's been half a generation so far, how would you sum up the Fairy experience on the tier and it's impact so far both as a dragon counter and as a new type to refresh the meta?

 

[TheEnder]

best pasta type, why, and made by who ?_?

 

[Bloo]

As evidenced by the plethora of shoutouts you received in Smogon's love thread, it's relatively apparent that you are quite the Rico Suave with the ladies here on www.smogon.com. Because I know you'll counter this question by saying me: Besides myself, who are some of your favorite female users to interact with and why?

Why exactly aren't tournaments your cup of tea? What about them makes you not want to participate?

Aldaron and I always laugh at you when you use Latin phrases like "condicio sine qua non" in your posts. Why do you always incorporate them into your posts despite knowing most people haven't a clue what they mean?

Do you realize this is what I have to put up with every time I message you on IRC?

What is/are, in your opinion, the most broken Pokémon ever allowed in OU? This can include mega evolutions and the choice(s) can be from either the 4th, 5th, or 6th generation. What made them that broken to you?

I remember we used to talk a lot about wanting to be big on Smogon back during our RMT days. Now that you're an administrator, known by nearly everyone and have had the chance to experience what it's like to be a figurehead, do you sometimes, like me, ever find yourself wishing you were just a "regular user" again? Why or why not?

Your response to the people who claim you don't play this game?

 

[McMeghan]

LOL HAUNTER PLAYER of the week

 

[WhiteQueen]

Can you please post some replays of your games (if they're available)? I've been trolling these forums for years now, but i have never seen you in action nor have I seen you participated in any tournaments.

 

[elodin]

Can you please give me the tiering contributor badge? I have contributed to 4 different votes and I always post my thoughts on the OU subforum. :~

 

[Reymedy]

OU Player of the Week #7: Haunter

1) How is it like to be tab's puppet ?

2) How does it feel to belong to a community that is now considered worst than the french one, right behind the bazilian one ?

3) Did you ask for wins when you played for the suspect test ?

4) Do you consider yourself as swagful as Pino D'Angio (aka the swagest italian, aka the only known italian who isn't related to bunga bunga fiestas) ?

5) Do they still play this music in italian clubs ?

6) Could you please sing Ma Quale Idea and record it, for me ?
Please

7) Who do you think will win the ST, and why ?

8) Same question for OLT ?

9) You said that you prefered to be out of tournaments, but you didn't say why :(

10) What is your favorite metagame and why ?


PS : I know what means ""condicio sine qua non" 9.9

 

[HeIIraiser]

1. Can you please give me the tiering contributor badge? I have contributed to 4 different votes and I always post my thoughts on the OU subforum. :~

2. Do you find me annoying? (Why or why not?)

3. Can you beat RODAN in a fair randombattle bo3?

4. Do you miss PO user skarmpiss and his DDoS attacks? Did you ever find out what was his Smogon forum's account? Did you ever find out what his evil plans were?

5. Who is more cute: Bloo or Solace?

 

[Talpr0ne]

Why will SSC Napoli never win the Champions League? :^)

 

[Theriouhh]

7.8/10 too much water

 

[Jukain]

I'm interested in some of your anti-ban philosophies that you stated.

Would you have unbanned Aegislash in late XY seeing as just how good the metagame was at the end (considered by many to be one of the best metagames, diverse, no overpowering threats)? I've talked to many people who were anti-ban at the time of the test but figured out that its ban ultimately resulted in a better metagame.

Would you unban Aegislash now? What do other council members think?

You stated that there is bad PR when Pokemon like Aegislash and BW Landorus-I are banned. Would you ever account something like this into your vote or thought process during the suspect?

 

[King Cacturne]

7.8/10 too much water

We all know where there's really too much water
Dat Rain

 

[Clone]

How are you able to stay under the radar so well when playing?

If I were to visit Italy, name the two best places to sightsee, and the two best places to eat at.

Favorite to with OLT?

Do you forgive me for the amount of questions I've asked you?

Will you ever evolve?

 

[Wheezer]

How does one transition from being just a mediocre ladder player (like 1700-1900 range, in XY) to being a tournament player? Where should I start, and how do what kind of tournaments should I try getting into? Where would be the best place to find tours to join?

 

[Harsha]

Do you think there will ever be a point where people will have to call it quits and decide that Pokemon is an unplayable game—in terms of competitive battling—given there are so many new additions to the metagame with every generation, and team matchup will undoubtedly become more and more of a factor in competitive battles?

When was your favorite era of RMT?

Do you think there's any truth to the claim that RMT fades in and out of relevance? I know I sometimes feel this way when the only threads we get in RMT are mediocre teams, and while I realize the purpose of the forum is to improve said mediocre teams rather than showcase good ones, I do sometimes miss the old days when a good team would be posted every few days.

Because you've played DPP, BW, and XY: which generation do you prefer? I was not around during DPP so I believe I'm mediocre at it, but I hold the unpopular opinion that team matchup is still an important factor in DPP, and I think team preview actually was a huge benefit for competitive Pokemon as a whole.

Do you think nerfing weather (specifically rain and sun) as opposed to banning it was the right call in BW? I personally preferred keeping weather, but I definitely see merit within the opposing argument (specifically team matchup-related arguments).

n_n

 

[haunter]

Since you are against Aegislash ban, do you think it is highly possible that OU Council will re-test it in ORAS?

It's definitely a possibility, once the metagame stabilizes.

How viable do you think stall will be in ORAS? What effect do you think M-Slowbro and M-Sableye will have on the playstyle and metagame in general?

It's gonna be extremely viable, especially if we end up banning M-Salamence. M-Slowbro is definitely a huge asset for Stall and a thorn in the side for every team that lacks a specialized counter. I've had little to no experience with M-Sableye so far, so I will probably form an opinion on it in the next few weeks.

thoughts on user: Shootingstarmie?

People need to stop being so transphobic. ShootingStarmie is a cute ladyboy.

• What is, in your opinion, the best playstyle?
• What's your favourite mega, if you have any?
• Your thoughts on the monstrosity that is called MEGA RAYQUAZA.

1) Bulky offense has always been my favourite style. However, I know for a fact that stall is also very effective especially at high levels of play;
2) M-Rayquaza aestetically. M-Kangaskhan competitively. That thing was incredible;
3) It may be too strong even for Ubers to handle. Enough said.

Why are you a vegetarian? Also, you probably wear a lot of cologne irl. Are there any words in Italian that do not end in vowels?

EDIT:

How would you like a pleasant evening with Jukain at Olive Garden?

I'm an animalist, that's the main reason. I don't actually like cologne. Words that don't end i wovels are probably those we have acquired from foreign vocabularies lol. Can an evening with Jukain even be pleasant???

Finally a mod/smogonite with his head screwed in right on the matter. Anyway it's been half a generation so far, how would you sum up the Fairy experience on the tier and it's impact so far both as a dragon counter and as a new type to refresh the meta?

Thanks, I guess. I think that fairies have had a less decisive impact on the tier than many of us would have thought. I remember people saying that Dragons would have been nerfed to the point where moves like Draco Meteor and Outrage would have seen little usage, but that's never been the case. I like how the Fairy type has made Pokémon like Azumarill and (rip) Mawile dominant forces in the metagame. I look forward to see M-Altaria's role in the metagame (especially if we ban M-Salamence)

LOL HAUNTER PLAYER of the week

Thanks mate, I love you too.

Can you please post some replays of your games (if they're available)? I've been trolling these forums for years now, but i have never seen you in action nor have I seen you participated in any tournaments.

Unfortunately replays are down, but I'll add some when they're fixed.

Can you please give me the tiering contributor badge? I have contributed to 4 different votes and I always post my thoughts on the OU subforum. :~

Nope.

Will answer more questions later. Thanks everyone for posting in this thread.

 

[Stathakis]

just one question: how do we bring RMT back to its glory days? is this even possible? rating teams is seriously my favorite smogon memory so I'm wondering how you'd revive it.

 

[Mistaken]

What is your favorite rmt? Will you ever play tournaments again?

 

[Ununhexium]

If you could turn any user into a fruit, who would it be, what fruit, and why?