Doubles OU Player of the Week #41 - Stax

[ryo yamada2001]

Doubles Player of the Week #11 - Arcticblast​

1. Hi! Who are you and where do you come from?
I'm Arcticblast. duh. I'm from Pittsburgh, PA, USA, in my clearly unbiased view, it is the best city.

2. What is your favourite Pokémon to use in-game and what is your favourite Pokémon to use competitively. Why?
ingame it's probably Simisage and Ampharos. I had a lot of fun times using them in BW/BW2/XY. The starters are also cool, and in ORAS I stomped through mid game with a Mega Mawile so that was cool. Competitively it's probably Gyarados. Intimidate and a whole bunch of cool resistances is great, and both support sets and Choice Band are really good (at least in my opinion). It ends up on a lot of my teams for that reason heh

3. When did you get into competitive Pokémon, why did you and how did you?
oh boy. so I got really into spriting in late 2012 at some point I realized Smogon was a great resource for sprites and I started using it for that. As time went on I began reading the analyses rather than just taking the sprites. I actually joined because I found an error on an analysis; the DPP Articuno analysis said it didn't get any good offensive moves but IT GOT EXTRASENSORY GUYS COME ON

4. Where did you get your username from?
I wanted something vaguely related to Articuno, because that's why I joined. ...I don't really like Articuno any more by the way.

5. As a tier leader you're obviously in charge of the tier, is there anything you think is suspect worthy in the tier, and why?
Surskit because it resists Ice/Ground and hits through Kyurem-B's Sub with Bug Buzz but in all seriousness, I've been considering a Skymin suspect lately. While I don't think it's too hard to account for in teambuilding, as it has several good checks, it doesn't have much counterplay, with a >50% chance to flinch and an 80% (!) chance to drop Special Defense on Pokemon that would normally be able to easily weather its attacks. Stratos actually lost a seasonal match to a Skymin Seed Flare drop on his Cresselia that left it vulnerable to a Keldeo Hydro Pump. It's also the fastest relevant thing in the entire metagame, with really only Mega Gengar being a common pick and other >127 Pokemon generally being poor. As a result, it sort of makes Landorus-T better, since it's one of the few things around that can outspeed and KO, and brings Lando's usage up, causing a higher degree of centralization in the meta. The only other thing I'd consider right now is a Mega Gengar suspect, for its use in so many different cheese strategies, but hey - it's cheese. You lose once and usually get over it.

6. What is your favourite tier to play outside of Doubles?
I've been getting into NU lately; I suck but it's really fun! I'm excited to build some interesting stuff now that Gallade and that broken-ass Sneasel. Mega Audino is cute As for metagames off of Smogon, I'm a fan of both VGC and Battle Spot Rotations. The latter in particular is pretty quirky and enjoyable. Also OFFSTAT

7. If there's one thing you could do for the Doubles room/forums, what would it be?
I really wish people would actually post on the forums! Forum discussion is pretty much dead, which is a shame, because it's a much better resource than the chat for newer players, as they can see extended discussion and get a better sense of how good players build and play. Also can we stop memeing constantly? It's awful.

8. Who are you rooting for this seasonals and why?
in order: kamikaze17, KyleCole, Memoric, Nido-Rus, and the sleeper pick atomicllamas. I think the first four have the best potential to win, and I just want atomicllamas to win because he is a cute user. That said, I'd also like to win!

9. What is your favourite playstyle and/or strategy to use in Doubles and why?
I prefer teams that are able to take hits but still keep up momentum, which I guess would be bulky offense. It's generally a safe pick against anything you throw at it, as long as you have answers to the typical balance-breaking Pokemon like Kyurem-B and Skymin, and is the easiest to overcome a bad matchup with. That said, Deoxys hyper offense is incredibly fun to play. I think it's incredibly powerful, but a little bit less consistent. Even my HO teams often end up with something on the team to soak hits like Suicune...

10. Could you give a team that fits your playstyle well and give a brief explanation on how to use it?

Hide

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Protect
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt
- Thunder Punch

Landorus @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Protect
- Earth Power
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Gyarados @ Choice Band
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 84 HP / 252 Atk / 172 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Ice Fang
- Earthquake

Thundurus @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 32 Def / 8 SpA / 188 SpD / 32 Spe
Calm Nature
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Amoonguss @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 128 HP / 244 Def / 136 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Protect
- Rage Powder
- Spore
- Giga Drain

Bisharp @ Focus Sash
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head

This is a Mega Metagross team I built using the framework thread, but with Landorus-I over Landorus-T. The objective of the team is usually to win with Metagross or Landorus. Gyarados and Metagross are both capable of switching in against a number of Pokemon and dealing big damage, while Landorus forces its own reactions with its sheer power. Thundurus and Amoonguss both serve important support roles and can take a few hits before going down, and Bisharp provides a strong priority move and an answer to Intimidate users. It's done pretty well when I used it in the Summer Seasonal, and everyone should learn to love Landorus-I!

11. What is your favourite game to play outside of Pokémon, and why?
SPLATOON
IT'S SO FUN OMG I CAN'T EVEN ACTUALLY EXPLAIN WHY IT'S JUST SO GOOD
Shantae is second place because I never grew out of platformers and I think it's amazing

12. What is the main reason why you're playing Splatoon?
It's just really enjoyable. The whole game is bright and positive and fun to play, but it still has a competitive aspect to it so it's not a "once and done" thing.

Alright, thanks for the interview Arctic! Stay tuned for more cool interviews with cute people, weeb people, even cuter people, and normies :D

 

[ryo yamada2001]

[00:21] Meloettaaa: (Private to %Arcticblast) How does it feel that people are still spelling Arcticblast as "Articblast"
[00:22] %Arcticblast: (Private to Meloettaaa) they should be glad I'm not a super moderator
[00:22] %Arcticblast: (Private to Meloettaaa) or I'd "accidentally" delete their accounts

 

[shaian]

\m/

edit: apparently not scandinavian enough

 

[Pocket]

dislike b/c you want to suspect skymin ;-;

 

[ryo yamada2001]

dislike b/c you want to suspect skymin ;-;

do it for my like count
feed me
feed me likes
i need likes to survive

 

[shrop]

┬┴┬┴┤ ʕ├┬┴┬┴
┬┴┬┴┤ ʕ•├┬┴┬┴
┬┴┬┴┤ʕ•ᴥ├┬┴┬┴did someone say stop memeing?

 

[Karxrida]

Hey Atticblast, how easy is it to piss off Stratos?

 

[Arcticblast]

\m/

I believe you are looking for user: BKC. I am now pop punk

dislike b/c you want to suspect skymin ;-;

I know this was kind of a throwaway post, but I think there's something to be said here (since you're the one who set old Doubles policy). I think with the advent of Mega Evolutions we should re-evaluate the old "over 670 BST except Kyurem-B" since there are multiple not-broken Mega Evolutions with 700 BST that are perfectly fine, while a 600 BST Pokemon has been causing a ton of problems. We've never really set a defined banning policy; so far we've really just been playing it by ear.

More questions for Farticblast
[*]What mon do you wish was viable but isn't

I opened my teambuilder for your questions and the first unviable Pokemon I saw was on an NU team, so my answer is: Barbaracle

[*]mons you believe have potential that have gotten 0 attention lately

I think Serperior might be worth more attention; while it's a bit weak it's significantly harder to stop than typical sweepers because it totally ignores one form of speed control (Icy Wind) and doesn't have to waste time using setup moves. Life Orb 3 Attacks is the most prominent set (obviously), but Sub + Leftovers and Rocky Helmet + Reflect probably warrant a look. Too bad it's a bit eclipsed by Skymin right now... I'm also always down to plug Landorus-I, although I think that made OU range now. There's also Zard X, but I'm personally not a huge fan of that. It's got that blue fire on black scales and all those spikes. It's just 3edgy5me.

[*]Best cores now? A month from now?

Right now: Keldeo + Skymin, Aegislash + Kyurem-B, something involving the current trendy Mega.
A month from now: what do you think I am, psychic? I can't follow this shit lol it'll probably still be Keldeo + Skymin

[*]Names for the last seasonal tournament now that youve skipped spring? Winter2?

call me a Stark because winter is coming

┬┴┬┴┤ ʕ├┬┴┬┴
┬┴┬┴┤ ʕ•├┬┴┬┴
┬┴┬┴┤ʕ•ᴥ├┬┴┬┴did someone say stop memeing?

fight me irl

Hey Atticblast, how easy is it to piss off Stratos?

Surprisingly hard.

 

[Stratos]

it totally ignores one form of speed control (Icy Wind)

does anyone actually use this though?

 

[Pocket]

I know this was kind of a throwaway post, but I think there's something to be said here (since you're the one who set old Doubles policy). I think with the advent of Mega Evolutions we should re-evaluate the old "over 670 BST except Kyurem-B" since there are multiple not-broken Mega Evolutions with 700 BST that are perfectly fine, while a 600 BST Pokemon has been causing a ton of problems. We've never really set a defined banning policy; so far we've really just been playing it by ear.

"670 BST except Kyurem-B" was a criteria solely to establish the initial banlist... We've tested Mega Kanga multiple times now, which has a total of 590 BST. BST correlates poorly with Pokemon's brokenness, so I don't know why you emphasize it so much.

If you and the majority of the community want Skymin to be put under trial, then by all means go for it. That's how Doubles always roll. Personally, I don't agree with Skymin's supposed brokenness in this tier. It's nowhere near its brokenness in Singles, where Skymin was virtually untouchable if the active Pokemon is slower...a bitch when Leech Seed is also sapping away at your mon while Skymin is behind a Sub. I also find it a bit ingenious to correlate Scarf Lando-T's usage to Shaymin-S. Do you seriously think Scarf Lando-T's usage would dip if Skymin is banned? You'd need Charizard and Thunderus banned, too, then. IMO Lando-T's existence alone compels people to use Lando-T, b/c it checks itself so well, lol.

I'm not quite sure what in our current policy is being re-evaluated from your response tbh. Policy-related question - what do you think should the threshold % of votes to change the status quo? Joim and I set it supermajority support (67%), but I realized that you guys dropped it to 60% for the Mega Mence test. Is 60% the new threshold for suspect changes now? What is the context behind this change? Just curious.

 

[Clone]

Why do you meme everywhere
Would you say it's true that it's impossible to quit this game
What would doubles be like without protect?

 

[kamikaze]

What would doubles be like without protect?

this: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/doublesou-249154696

 

[Bughouse]

Have you tried to get -Tynamo- involved in Doubles at all?
What are your thoughts about the OM forum and Doubles origins there?
Having played SPL, what do you think about Doubles being included there? Did you and finally feel isolated from the rest of the team? Was it really much of a team tournament when it comes to y'all playing Doubles or were you all kind of left to figure out stuff on your own?
When will you finally get off your ass and do something worth the 7th badge for scroller?

 

[Tymano]

Have you tried to get -Tynamo- involved in Doubles at all?

Yes

 

[finally]

Have you tried to get -Tynamo- involved in Doubles at all?
What are your thoughts about the OM forum and Doubles origins there?
Having played SPL, what do you think about Doubles being included there? Did you and finally feel isolated from the rest of the team? Was it really much of a team tournament when it comes to y'all playing Doubles or were you all kind of left to figure out stuff on your own?
When will you finally get off your ass and do something worth the 7th badge for scroller?

steelphoenix always told me my teams were weak to ferrothorn
arcticblast then ^'ed steel in irc. it was a terrible environment

 

[Pastelle]

What do you think we as the Doubles community should do to draw in more players and be taken more seriously by the rest of Smogon?
Your username sounds like a slushie, what your favorite slushie flavor?
Besides Splatoon and Pokemon, what are some other video games you enjoy?
You mentioned that you would consider a Skymin suspect. What are your thoughts on the other highly requested suspect, Kyurem-B?

 

[deoxys speed]

why is 12 year old qsns moderator in the room? This baffles me every time I log on.

 

[Checkmater]

What is your spirit animal?

 

[Karxrida]

Was the second time you have sex at least adequete?

 

[BLOOD TOTEM]

do you ever wish you had an arm canon

Hide

 

[Arcticblast]

does anyone actually use this though?

yes

"670 BST except Kyurem-B" was a criteria solely to establish the initial banlist... We've tested Mega Kanga multiple times now, which has a total of 590 BST. BST correlates poorly with Pokemon's brokenness, so I don't know why you emphasize it so much.

If you and the majority of the community want Skymin to be put under trial, then by all means go for it. That's how Doubles always roll. Personally, I don't agree with Skymin's supposed brokenness in this tier. It's nowhere near its brokenness in Singles, where Skymin was virtually untouchable if the active Pokemon is slower...a bitch when Leech Seed is also sapping away at your mon while Skymin is behind a Sub. I also find it a bit ingenious to correlate Scarf Lando-T's usage to Shaymin-S. Do you seriously think Scarf Lando-T's usage would dip if Skymin is banned? You'd need Charizard and Thunderus banned, too, then. IMO Lando-T's existence alone compels people to use Lando-T, b/c it checks itself so well, lol.

I'm not quite sure what in our current policy is being re-evaluated from your response tbh. Policy-related question - what do you think should the threshold % of votes to change the status quo? Joim and I set it supermajority support (67%), but I realized that you guys dropped it to 60% for the Mega Mence test. Is 60% the new threshold for suspect changes now? What is the context behind this change? Just curious.

I told myself I was going to respond to this like 8 times so I might as well do it now

I think we kind of grandfathered the initial banlist into tiering "philosophy" which is PLASBAD so that's something I need to look at, although with the possible exceptions of Skymin and Kyurem-B it's seemed to work pretty well. Megas throw a kink in it too sooooooo

I think I explained my reasoning well enough above, but just to restate it (and because I can't remember what I actually said): I think Skymin could be broken because there's so little counterplay. Being the fastest non-Mega in the metagame besides the rare-and-not-that-great Crobat and Aerodactyl, it can support partners like Keldeo and Mega Gardevoir extremely well with an incredibly high SpD drop chance (letting you 2HKO defensive stalwarts like Cresselia without using super effective moves) and just flinch shit with Air Slash. It puts on a sort of pressure that can actually prevent the opponent from using Tailwind / Icy Wind / Trick Room for fear of just getting flinched, even though speed control is its biggest weakness.

As for Landorus-T, I think it'll drop because it's the most reliable check to Skymin by a landslide. It outspeeds, does massive damage with Rock Slide, and isn't OHKOed in return. If you're building a team and it's Skymin weak, chances are you're going to slap on a Scarf Lando-T, possibly even before Thundurus/Zapdos/Rotom-H.

I also maintain that Regice is technically the best answer to Skymin because of Clear Body. Also it's past midnight.

Why do you meme everywhere

memes disgust me

Would you say it's true that it's impossible to quit this game

I doubt it's impossible, just really damn hard. You have to cut off all ties, and I'm not sure that's a step I'm willing to take in my life.

What would doubles be like without protect?

I actually think it'd be a lot bulkier without the option to Protect, as double targets would be much more threatening. The metagame would probably be a lot more towards bulky offense than the hyper offense turn it's taken recently.

Have you tried to get -Tynamo- involved in Doubles at all?

already answered:

Yes

What are your thoughts about the OM forum and Doubles origins there?

I rag on the OM forum a lot but there's some cool people in the community (like my gmod partner-in-crime Eevee General n_n). I haven't checked on the forum much lately but I assume everyone still sucks at battling so there's that. Doubles originating there is cool and all but doesn't really mean much any more

Having played SPL, what do you think about Doubles being included there? Did you and finally feel isolated from the rest of the team? Was it really much of a team tournament when it comes to y'all playing Doubles or were you all kind of left to figure out stuff on your own?

I've already spoken on the 2014 SPL experience, I'm sure, but I thought 15 was great (even if we lost to Shake's team). While I can't speak for finally, I had a blast. Never felt left out, people still helped us out even with the small stuff (like 0 Atk IVs on special attackers and pointing out things that looked weak) and there was a generally positive vibe during the whole thing. I also got to know Tokyo Tom and he's one of the coolest people around.

When will you finally get off your ass and do something worth the 7th badge for scroller?

I'll get carried to another SPL trophy before I even try getting a teardrop. If anything, I might get more involved in The Smog.

What do you think we as the Doubles community should do to draw in more players and be taken more seriously by the rest of Smogon?

STOP WITH THE FUCKING MEMES
THAT'S LITERALLY THE BIGGEST THING
community feels a little bit circlejerky at times (and I contribute to this too) and people don't seem to be trying new things with much success because they end up leaning too hard on catch-all type stuff. Basically take that huge callout post makiri made a while back and tone it way down and that's sort of my feelings on the matter.

Your username sounds like a slushie, what your favorite slushie flavor?

Nothing beats blue raspberry. Nothing.

Besides Splatoon and Pokemon, what are some other video games you enjoy?

I play Smash 4 at the "beat-my-friends" level (I spent two hours losing to my Pikachu amiibo last night). I enjoy Mario Kart but don't have access to it right now, and I think the Shantae series is the best platformer in existence. Kirby Squeak Squad is a game I always enjoy too, even though I think I've 100% completed that at least fifteen times now.

You mentioned that you would consider a Skymin suspect. What are your thoughts on the other highly requested suspect, Kyurem-B?

It beats the bulky support mons like Amoonguss/Rotom-W/Heatran that people need to use less and loses to the cool things like Snarl Raikou and offensive pressure. I think it's just anti-meta.

why is 12 year old qsns moderator in the room? This baffles me every time I log on.

dunno

What is your spirit animal?

I am my own spirit animal.

Was the second time you have sex at least adequete?

sex is fucking great

do you ever wish you had an arm canon

Hide

 

[Laga]

o look, a new avatar!

ablast ur a qt n_n

 

[atomicllamas]

I liked one of your posts cause you said I was a sleeper choice for summer seasonal cause cute, and giving that like to Meloetta seems wrong. :)

Thoughts on the success of the strategy of stealing teams and replacing a Pokemon with Hariyama in the summer seasonal thus far?

Is Barbaracle really unviable when it has access to the move rock slide?

How will you feel when I spam mega audino out of NU?

Hi Laga you are cute n_n

 

[BLOOD TOTEM]

I MAY LOSE ON THE RESOLUTION AND LIGHTING FRONT BUT MY WILL IS STRONGER THAN YOURS SO I WILL BE VICTORIOUS

FUCK YOU

 

[Idyll]

did somebody say stop memeing???