Welcome to the Featured Rater project! This is a series of interviews where we ask Team Raters, new and old, several questions about the RMT forum and their experiences within it. We hope that this offers both entertainment and an insight into their thought processes, which aspiring raters can look to incorporate into their own rates. This project is hosted by IronBullet, Analytic and myself. Our nineteenth interviewee is one of our official LC raters, Corporal Levi!
Tell us a little bit about your life outside Smogon.
I am an 18 year old currently living in Canada.
What is your main tier? Do you rate teams from any other tiers?
My main tier is definitely LC. I've dabbled in other tiers, but am not confident enough in my experience in those to rate their teams. If some LC OM teams were to pop up then I suppose I'd be willing to rate those.
When did you start rating and why?
I first tried rating around the start of 2014, when I was starting to get used to the LC metagame, because I was looking for ways to get as involved in LC as I could. These rates weren't very good and I ended up taking a break after a few. I decided to give it another go and start making more thoughtful rates in the spring of that year when I noticed that little cup teams were almost never getting rated; some positive responses from the users whose teams I rated encouraged me to continue.
Are there any raters whom you looked up to when you started rating?
For a couple of months or so after I began rating seriously, I was the only regular LC rater; all of the LC players I respected hadn't bothered getting into rating. However, once Superpowerdude became active again, he qualified for sure. He gave me some suggestions which I took into account and still do. I'd like to mention ium here, even though he didn't rate LC teams, for his help in getting me involved with the RMT subforum as a whole.
What do you most enjoy about rating?
Rating in general is pretty fun, from pinpointing weaknesses in a team to figuring out ways to improve it, to getting feedback on whether and how much my suggestions helped. What I find to be the most rewarding aspect, though, is the opportunity to spread my own ideas of the metagame; for example, there was a period of time when I would suggest Porygon almost every other rate because I like it (and it's great to patch up a lot of weaknesses!), and now I see Porygons more often.
Do you follow a process with your rates?
Sorry to disappoint if I'm supposed to say something insightful here, but when it's written out my rating process is pretty mundane. First I read through the description of the team to determine each Pokemon's role, then I figure out problems with the team and how they could be fixed without creating worse weaknesses, and then I write my rate.
Do you have any words of advice for aspiring raters?
It's important to be comfortable both building and playing the metagame you're rating. That may sound obvious, but from I've seen and from my own experiences, it's a legitimate issue. Even though you're not doing anything unforgivable by making an uninformed rate since unless the team builder is also new to the metagame, they'll most likely be able to weed out underwhelming suggestions, rating is a waste of your time until you're confident of your knowledge about the ins and outs of the tier.
Do you like the direction the forum is taking at the moment? If you could add or change something, what would it be?
To be honest, I haven't paid much attention to the RMT section as a whole for some time just because most of the activities don't involve LC. I would suggest more activities that involve more than just OU, but the LC community is so small that it probably wouldn't be worth the effort. I like what I've seen, though.
What are your thoughts on the LC rating community? Do you have any ideas for how we could potentially boost our activity there?
We're all friends, so of course I think they're great! As far as rating goes, our current LC raters have been rating long enough to know what they're doing. We're all pretty active on the forums, so I think the main issue with activity is that there simply aren't enough LC teams to go around, and unfortunately I don't think that's something that can be improved on. It's really too bad because I know a few aspiring LC raters who don't even get the chance to demonstrate their knowledge.
Do you have an RMT or a team you would like to share with us?
This is a Quickpass team that I built recently:
This team is somewhat match-up based, but it's fun to pull off. The premise is simple - get rocks up if necessary (you'll usually need it if the opponent has bulky Pokemon or potential Sturdy users, and it helps against Fletchling/Cottonee for specific KOs), and then play towards a Carvanha or Drifloon sweep. The easiest way to do this is usually to pass a Swords Dance boost to them with Mienfoo, but everything on the team appreciates the +2 Attack boost, even Mienfoo itself, so sometimes it's easier to punch holes with something other than the win condition before cleaning up with the wincon late game. Even though the team is completely physical, Diglett/Onix/Carvanha can usually deal with burn spam. Sludge Bomb on Diglett is for Cottonee which Jolly doesn't affect rolls for, an otherwise big nuisance for Baton Pass strategies in general; I dropped Rock Slide because Carvanha/Drifloon don't have much trouble getting around Larvesta/Fletchling, and the team has the means to deal with Vullaby. Toxic is used over Taunt on Onix because I am otherwise very weak to CM (Aroma Veil) Spritzee if I can't Knock it Off early on, and my team doesn't mind hazards too much so Taunt isn't necessary. Most of the sets are straight-forward in what they do, so I won't go too in-depth describing each Pokemon individually.
Lastly, can you give us an example of a rate that exemplifies your particular style?
I guess I may as well pick my latest rate. I like to first suggest major changes (in this case Abra -> Slowpoke) before moving onto less immediately noticeable tweaks like EVs and specific coverage moves. The changes I suggested are bolded so that gangsterish can glance at my rate and decide on what to do if he doesn't want to read through the explanations.
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Thanks for taking the time to do this bro! Feel free to leave any questions you have for Levi below
I am an 18 year old currently living in Canada.
What is your main tier? Do you rate teams from any other tiers?
My main tier is definitely LC. I've dabbled in other tiers, but am not confident enough in my experience in those to rate their teams. If some LC OM teams were to pop up then I suppose I'd be willing to rate those.
When did you start rating and why?
I first tried rating around the start of 2014, when I was starting to get used to the LC metagame, because I was looking for ways to get as involved in LC as I could. These rates weren't very good and I ended up taking a break after a few. I decided to give it another go and start making more thoughtful rates in the spring of that year when I noticed that little cup teams were almost never getting rated; some positive responses from the users whose teams I rated encouraged me to continue.
Are there any raters whom you looked up to when you started rating?
For a couple of months or so after I began rating seriously, I was the only regular LC rater; all of the LC players I respected hadn't bothered getting into rating. However, once Superpowerdude became active again, he qualified for sure. He gave me some suggestions which I took into account and still do. I'd like to mention ium here, even though he didn't rate LC teams, for his help in getting me involved with the RMT subforum as a whole.
What do you most enjoy about rating?
Rating in general is pretty fun, from pinpointing weaknesses in a team to figuring out ways to improve it, to getting feedback on whether and how much my suggestions helped. What I find to be the most rewarding aspect, though, is the opportunity to spread my own ideas of the metagame; for example, there was a period of time when I would suggest Porygon almost every other rate because I like it (and it's great to patch up a lot of weaknesses!), and now I see Porygons more often.
Do you follow a process with your rates?
Sorry to disappoint if I'm supposed to say something insightful here, but when it's written out my rating process is pretty mundane. First I read through the description of the team to determine each Pokemon's role, then I figure out problems with the team and how they could be fixed without creating worse weaknesses, and then I write my rate.
Do you have any words of advice for aspiring raters?
It's important to be comfortable both building and playing the metagame you're rating. That may sound obvious, but from I've seen and from my own experiences, it's a legitimate issue. Even though you're not doing anything unforgivable by making an uninformed rate since unless the team builder is also new to the metagame, they'll most likely be able to weed out underwhelming suggestions, rating is a waste of your time until you're confident of your knowledge about the ins and outs of the tier.
Do you like the direction the forum is taking at the moment? If you could add or change something, what would it be?
To be honest, I haven't paid much attention to the RMT section as a whole for some time just because most of the activities don't involve LC. I would suggest more activities that involve more than just OU, but the LC community is so small that it probably wouldn't be worth the effort. I like what I've seen, though.
What are your thoughts on the LC rating community? Do you have any ideas for how we could potentially boost our activity there?
We're all friends, so of course I think they're great! As far as rating goes, our current LC raters have been rating long enough to know what they're doing. We're all pretty active on the forums, so I think the main issue with activity is that there simply aren't enough LC teams to go around, and unfortunately I don't think that's something that can be improved on. It's really too bad because I know a few aspiring LC raters who don't even get the chance to demonstrate their knowledge.
Do you have an RMT or a team you would like to share with us?
This is a Quickpass team that I built recently:
Diglett @ Life Orb
Ability: Arena Trap
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Sludge Bomb
- Sucker Punch
Mienfoo @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 196 Def / 116 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 29 Spe
- Baton Pass
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
Drifloon @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Unburden
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 196 SpA / 116 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Endure
- Acrobatics
- Shadow Ball
- Sucker Punch
Onix @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 236 Atk / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Toxic
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
Carvanha @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 9 HP
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Protect
Snubbull @ Berry Juice
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 116 Atk / 196 Def / 116 SpD / 36 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Thief
- Earthquake
- Play Rough
- Heal Bell
Ability: Arena Trap
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Earthquake
- Sludge Bomb
- Sucker Punch
Mienfoo @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 196 Def / 116 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 29 Spe
- Baton Pass
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
Drifloon @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Unburden
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 196 SpA / 116 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Endure
- Acrobatics
- Shadow Ball
- Sucker Punch
Onix @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 236 Atk / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Toxic
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
Carvanha @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 9 HP
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Protect
Snubbull @ Berry Juice
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 116 Atk / 196 Def / 116 SpD / 36 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Thief
- Earthquake
- Play Rough
- Heal Bell
This team is somewhat match-up based, but it's fun to pull off. The premise is simple - get rocks up if necessary (you'll usually need it if the opponent has bulky Pokemon or potential Sturdy users, and it helps against Fletchling/Cottonee for specific KOs), and then play towards a Carvanha or Drifloon sweep. The easiest way to do this is usually to pass a Swords Dance boost to them with Mienfoo, but everything on the team appreciates the +2 Attack boost, even Mienfoo itself, so sometimes it's easier to punch holes with something other than the win condition before cleaning up with the wincon late game. Even though the team is completely physical, Diglett/Onix/Carvanha can usually deal with burn spam. Sludge Bomb on Diglett is for Cottonee which Jolly doesn't affect rolls for, an otherwise big nuisance for Baton Pass strategies in general; I dropped Rock Slide because Carvanha/Drifloon don't have much trouble getting around Larvesta/Fletchling, and the team has the means to deal with Vullaby. Toxic is used over Taunt on Onix because I am otherwise very weak to CM (Aroma Veil) Spritzee if I can't Knock it Off early on, and my team doesn't mind hazards too much so Taunt isn't necessary. Most of the sets are straight-forward in what they do, so I won't go too in-depth describing each Pokemon individually.
Lastly, can you give us an example of a rate that exemplifies your particular style?
I guess I may as well pick my latest rate. I like to first suggest major changes (in this case Abra -> Slowpoke) before moving onto less immediately noticeable tweaks like EVs and specific coverage moves. The changes I suggested are bolded so that gangsterish can glance at my rate and decide on what to do if he doesn't want to read through the explanations.
------------
Thanks for taking the time to do this bro! Feel free to leave any questions you have for Levi below