Project OU Player of the Week #31: WhiteQueen

[WhiteQueen]

Will you continue to tear up OSTs in the future or is 1 trophy enough?

I'll still join it for fun, but very doubtful I'll ever have the same motivation to take it so seriously again. OST is very draining and consumes a lot of time if you plan to do well.

Who are some of the oldgen veteran 'legend' players that you look up to?
No one, to be frank. I do admire MoP's trash talking abilities, however. He's one of the best at it.

Opinion on Oceania?
It's a strong team and should be able to make the playoffs without sweating too much. If players like panamaxis, Earthworm, and bab stay on top of their game, Oceania should play deep into the tournament.

 

[Aurious]

Teams to make it to WCoP playoffs?
Opinion on Team Germany?
Both Manaphy and Weavile not in ur non mega top 6?

 

[WhiteQueen]

Teams to make it to WCoP playoffs?

Asia, East, West, Central, France, Oceania, Germany, and Brazil. It would be hilarious if Italy takes up one of the playoffs spot.

Opinion on Team Germany?
Germany is a solid squad. Unfortunately, it's not strong enough to beat one of the powerhouses this year. Should be able to make the playoffs though.

Both Manaphy and Weavile not in ur non mega top 6?
They're powerful, but the ones I listed are more annoying to face, in general.

 

[Mimolette]

Yo Queen,

A few questions:

- How much time did it take you to become a really "solid" player? I mean make less mistakes, be more focus on the game etc...
- How do you decide the lead against your opponent on team preview?
- Do you sometimes make plays that don't make any sense? (like for example: stay with your heatran in front of a landorus when you have a bunch of answers for landorus). And if so, why?

Thanks for the answers

 

[MikeDawg]

Why do you think that you are potw 31 as opposed to potw <smaller #>?

Do you have more an affinity to team building, or are you just as satisfied using other people's teams? Do you do better with your own?

 

[WhiteQueen]

- How much time did it take you to become a really "solid" player? I mean make less mistakes, be more focus on the game etc...

That's a loaded question lol. I would say once you have peaked in the top 5 on the ladder, that's when you know you're a competent player. It took me a few months to accomplish that feat.

- How do you decide the lead against your opponent on team preview?
Similar to the 50/50 guessing game, it's just a gut feeling on which Pokemon to lead with. Oftentimes people lead with their Stealth Rocks setter or a Mega with Protect (Beedrill, Diancie, etc), so keep that in mind. If I have a Focus Sash Garchomp, then it's safe for me to lead with it to get rocks up, regardless of what Pokemon my opponent has in the team preview.

- Do you sometimes make plays that don't make any sense? (like for example: stay with your heatran in front of a landorus when you have a bunch of answers for landorus). And if so, why?
Nope, unless it's one of those matches where my opponent continuously makes the ballsy U-turns and Volt Switches on me, even though his Pokemon on the field easily OHKOs mine. I'll use your example: my Heatran against someone's Landorus. Instead of using Earthquake on my Heatran, person opted for U-turn, predicting my Skarmory switch in. I'll occasionally man up and stay in, if the 50/50 risk is worth taking and would put me in a favorable position to win the game. I'll make the safe switches, otherwise. No reason to be fancy when it's not needed.

Why do you think that you are potw 31 as opposed to potw <smaller #>?

Maybe Clone thinks the people before me are better at 'mon than I am. Maybe he felt I wasn't accomplished enough to be featured until I won OST. There might be a list of players he's working thru. This is a great question. Perhaps Clone himself should answer it to give us an insight on how the selection process works.

Do you have more an affinity to team building, or are you just as satisfied using other people's teams? Do you do better with your own?
Definitely my own teams. Team building is the most enjoyable thing about Pokemon to me. You also play better when you know the team you're using.

 

[Arcticblast]

I might just be crazy, but I seem to remember a lot of people saying that teambuilding is more important than playing when determining the outcome of the match. How do you feel about this statement?

Favorite Pokemon with no competitive worth?

Obligatory: opinion on doubles?

 

[Clone]

Why do you think that you are potw 31 as opposed to potw <smaller #>?

Guess I can answer this myself since I was asked to.

I started off with who I wanted to interview the most (aim), then I went through the OU council. From there, I just went with big name players (bar reverb who begged and begged) and players who played in the latest SPL. The exception was Rey but he managed and I wanted to get at least one manager on the project. People begged and pestered me to interview tele so I said wynaut. At that point I went on hiatus because I ran out of people.

Since wq didn't play in SPL he wasn't here at a lower number. Nothing against him though; ever since the semis of OST I had intentions of interviewing him.

Future players featured will more than likely be playing in WCoP.

 

[WhiteQueen]

I might just be crazy, but I seem to remember a lot of people saying that teambuilding is more important than playing when determining the outcome of the match. How do you feel about this statement?

You definitely need a good team to increase your odds of winning. You also need to make the right plays to maximize your team's strengths. A good player with a good team versus a good player with a bad team, the one with the good team will normally emerge victorious (bar any luck). A good player with a mediocre team can beat a bad player with a good team. Having a good team matters a lot. Using your team properly matters too. Damn I killed the word good for good with this answer.

Favorite Pokemon with no competitive worth?
Abomasnow. It's so bad in ORAS OU, it breaks my frozen heart.

Obligatory: opinion on doubles?
Bunnies, bunnies, bunnies, bunnies, bunnies, and more bunnies. I think it's a really fun and competitive tier. Wish I knew how to play it. Tutor me, please?

 

[Kingler]

Heard you mention the prediction thing somewhere else and i kinda wanted to ask this for a while: what's your opinions on prediction being "glorified guessing"? (read this in an old ipl "well" thread iirc)

 

[Nova]

Top 5 cute pokemon?

Do you like taking long walk by the beach?

Thoughts on blarajan?

 

[Arcticblast]

Obligatory: opinion on doubles?
Bunnies, bunnies, bunnies, bunnies, bunnies, and more bunnies. I think it's a really fun and competitive tier. Wish I knew how to play it. Tutor me, please?

Hit me up EST evenings/nights and I'll see what I can do. Anything for an old Shark

 

[WhiteQueen]

Heard you mention the prediction thing somewhere else and i kinda wanted to ask this for a while: what's your opinions on prediction being "glorified guessing"? (read this in an old ipl "well" thread iirc)

I agree. When both players know what they're doing, prediction becomes a gorified guessing game. I'll use this example again: my Heatran against someone's Landorus. Instead of using Earthquake on my Heatran, person opted for U-turn, predicting my Skarmory switch in, to maintain his momentum. If I make the switch, I lose momentum and the game is in his favor. If I stay in on the U-turn, I would be the one in control. In this case, whoever guesses right has the advantage.

In some situations, it's quite apparent when your opponent is going to make the double switch or not. Even though we realize that, we have no certainty what the other person is going to do. Will he be obvious and make the double switch or will he stay put? It's very frustrating to deal with these kind of scenarios.

I think this is why a lot of people prefer to use bulky Pokemon like Tornadus-T and Slowbro. Even if you guess incorrectly, it doesn't spell doom. You can just switch out to recover your health and try to play your way back into a favorable position again. I hope I'm making sense lol.

Top 5 cute pokemon?

1. Snivy
2. Pikachu
3. Bulbasaur
4. Charmander
5. Magikarp

Do you like taking long walk by the beach?
Yes because it's a very gay thing to do. Have you walked on the beach bare feet? I just shuddered thinking about how tingly good it feels.

Thoughts on blarajan?
The best WCoP captain ever. And a quality human being. Can be good at Pokemon occasionally too, I suppose.

 

[p2]

Thoughts on Lando ban? Do you think it was well deserved or total bullshit?

Thoughts on Mega Lopunny? Do you think it puts too much strain on Offense?

Thoughts on Mega Altaria? Do you think it deserves a suspect test?

 

[WhiteQueen]

Thoughts on Lando ban? Do you think it was well deserved or total bullshit?

It's well deserved because nothing can switch in against it safely. Chansey gets wrecked by Knock Off. Assault Vest Torn-T gets wrecked by Knock Off and Rock Slide, Clefable gets smacked by Sludge Wave, etc. To me, an Uber-caliber Pokemon is one where nothing can switch safely into. That's why the whole Mega Metagross outcry was a joke. Skarmory, Mega-Scizor, Slowbro, etc. can all come in against Metagross safely (bar any gimmick moves).

Thoughts on Mega Lopunny? Do you think it puts too much strain on Offense?
Yes it does, in the same way that Mega Metagross is annoying for offensive teams to face. Like Metagross, it has hard counters and checks--Slowbro, Clefable, Landorus-T (if it doesn't carry Ice Punch), Mega Scizor, etc. That's just how it is when you use an offensive team--you attack hard and you get beaten up just as hard because you don't have any walls to absorb hits.

Thoughts on Mega Altaria? Do you think it deserves a suspect test?
Mega Altaria is, in my opinion, the most powerful Pokemon in OU right now. It's not a one trick pony either, as it's capable of running plenty of successful sets. With that said, it is not broken. Every set has counters and checks, and using the same reasoning from your first question, it is not broken to me. Tough to play against but definitely not broken.

What annoys you on Showdown and Smogon? Technical problems, community problems?

Cry babies who constantly whine and make excuses when they lose. It's Pokemon...you win some, you lose some. You're not going to win every game. People who complain about every little critical hits and misses. Don't play Pokemon if you can't handle the luck. Conversely, people who apologize for every hax that happens. Geesh...

Any underrated players / pokemon on Showdown?
Can't think of any. I'm not going to use this thread to continuously pimp Serperior out.

What improvements / new features would you like to see in later Gen 6 / Gen 7?
I really like what ORAS has to offer, so if not much gets implemented for Gen 7, it would still be fun. I'd like to see more classic Pokemon receive a mega evolution, especially Raticate, Marowak, Dragonite (how scary would that be?), etc. I'm not creative enough to think of any major changes. The whole idea of a mega evolution was bewildering and way beyond my head when it was first introduced. GameFreaks will continue to surprise us though.

How good are you at math lol
I'm going to prove to you right now that 3 is an odd number.
Proof: let's assume that n is any integer. By definition of odd, n = 2k + 1 (where k is also an integer). Thus n = 3 = 2k + 1 = 2(1) + 1 = 3, so 3 is an odd number.

Does that answer your question? Lol...

 

[Blazikarados]

To what extent can being decent at mons be learned through experience and/or tutoring? I'm talking about at least getting to somewhere decent on the ladder e.g. top 10 or something, since everyone seems to do it effortlessly while I can't win for some reason and I've definitely been playing for more than just a few months. :\

 

[e7e]

Opinion on Team US Central?

Best Team of Wcop?

Top 5 Players in Wcop?

 

[WhiteQueen]

To what extent can being decent at mons be learned through experience and/or tutoring? I'm talking about at least getting to somewhere decent on the ladder e.g. top 10 or something, since everyone seems to do it effortlessly while I can't win for some reason and I've definitely been playing for more than just a few months. :\

I would say 70% of a player's "skills" could be learned through experience and tutoring. It's important to know which Pokemon is faster than which, whether a super effective attack will OHKO the opposing Pokemon or not, etc. these knowledge can be game changing.

For example, let's say your full health Manaphy equipping a Salac Berry is on the battlefield against a non-scarfed Raikou. You know that Raikou's Volt Switch would knock Manaphy's health down below 25%. Knowing this, you used Tail Glow on Raikou's anticipated Volt Switch, which increased your Sp.Attk by 3 stages and Speed by one, putting your Manaphy in a position to sweep your opponent's team. Of course, if you know that the opponent has a ScarfRaikou, then you should aim to eliminate it first before attempting a sweep with Manaphy. It would be immature, otherwise, unless the goal is simply to weaken your opponent's team for another Pokemon in your team to sweep.

These things can be learned through laddering and reading informative articles in the OU forums. Having a tutor certainly helps too. The damage calculator -- http://pokemonshowdown.com/damagecalc/ -- should be one of your best friends. Watch replays from players you think are good to see how they play and try to figure out why they make certain plays and switches. Most importantly, play and learn from your mistakes. The remaining 30% is luck. Getting that crucial burn with Scald, flinch with Iron Head, win the 50/50 guess, etc. these are things that are out of anyone's control.

There's only so much we can learn. Some people are just naturally more 'gifted' at 'mon than usual. This is something that, unfortunately, can't be taught. Hard work pays off though. So keep at it.

Opinion on Team US Central?

U.S. Central is playing really well as a unit. They should make the playoffs, bar any late mishaps on their part and late surges from other teams. They're the Cinderella of this WCoP. Would be cool to see them achieve the near impossible by winning it all.

Best Team of Wcop?
A toss up between Asia, Oceania, and U.S. East at this point.

Top 5 Players in Wcop?
In this very moment, I would say:

Veteran In Love
Lyconik
dice
panamaxis
Can't think of a fifth.

These guys are playing really well.

 

[Analytic]

What are your thoughts on the current out metagame? Why is it more offensively oriented, as opposed to balanced teams rising due to Landorus ban, how good is M-CharizardX rn and what do you think limited it early ORAS?

 

[p2]

I forgot to ask this earlier but, how would you feel about a Genesect retest? Do you think it would be a healthy addition to OU?

 

[Random Passerby]

1) Favourite core to use in ORAS?

2) Thoughts on Garchomp, Salamence, Lati@s in DPP?

3) Should Brightpowder, Sand Veil and Snow Cloak be banned under Evasion Clause?

 

[WhiteQueen]

What are your thoughts on the current out metagame? Why is it more offensively oriented, as opposed to balanced teams rising due to Landorus ban, how good is M-CharizardX rn and what do you think limited it early ORAS?

I'll answer this based on the games I've seen in tournaments, as I haven't laddered much to know the current trend. Balance and bulky offense still appear to be the dominant playstyles, as they can bypass the supposed matchup issue and give players more breathing room to recover from their misplays. As for Charizard-X, it has always been a monster and one of the best Pokemon in ORAS. I'm not sure when it was ever limited. If anything, it's slightly easier to deal with now with the emergence of Mega Altaria and Hippo's rise in usage.

I forgot to ask this earlier but, how would you feel about a Genesect retest? Do you think it would be a healthy addition to OU?

I don't think a retest is needed. It belongs in Uber.

1) Favourite core to use in ORAS?

Slowbro and Assault Vest Torn-T. Between the two of them, they're capable of absorbing hits from a good number of threats in OU. Both have Regenerator too, which makes them very difficult to take down. Add in a Hippowdon or Charizard-X or Assault Vest Raikou and you have a very solid core.

Charizard-X, Serperior, and Manaphy. This is by far my favorite GFW offensive core. Each Pokemon is a win condition all on its own.

2) Thoughts on Garchomp, Salamence, Lati@s in DPP?
Garchomp, Salamence, and Latios are rightfully in Uber. Latias could be retested. Never thought it was that overpowered.

3) Should Brightpowder, Sand Veil and Snow Cloak be banned under Evasion Clause?
I don't think so. Brightpowder is not often seen, and if the player opted for it instead of a more useful item, then that's his choice. If sand was permanent, then Sand Veil should definitely be banned. Since it's not, then again it's the player's choice to forgo useful abilities like Rough Skin and Poison Heal, both of which are more reliable, for it. Same with Snow Cloak.

 

[dice]

why u so goddamn hot

 

[Rewer]

On a scale from 0 to 10, how much you and Bluewind love each other?

 

[JaxLikesSnacks]

Opinion on Gothitelle?