Approved by WhiteDMist
OP stolen from Leer in RU, who took it from Lord Alphose and xzern in NU
Past Players of the Week: : Magnemite, galbia, gasquakee, scorpdestroyer, Simipour, Anty, Raiza
Welcome back to PU Player of the Week, an experience unlike any seen before (bar in every other tier and some OMs), PU Player of the Week. This weekly thread hopes to capitalize and promote good players in the metagame, while helping newer players by giving advice and showing effective strategies in the metagame.
2xTheTap
Most Known For: PS! Room Owner, Runs the PU EV Spread Compendium, Only person with numbers in their name that's not a scrub (haha kingler), Cool Dude, Anime Scrub,
Favorite Pokemon: 3 way tie between Zapdos / Gengar / Arcanine
Most Used Pokemon: Zebstrika is something I've been using consistently from when I first started in PU, and it's still a great option for its nice Speed tier and ability to counter or check fast, yet frail offensive threats such as Jumpluff or Floatzel (in fact, I'd argue it's better now than ever since we lost Piloswine).
Can you tell us a bit about yourself outside of PS?
A lot of you already know, but I'm a little bit older than most of the players in our PU room. I'm a college grad with a bachelors in German / minor in psychology living in Hawaii. I enjoy studying and tutoring foreign languages such as Japanese and Arabic, so my primary goal right now is to move toward becoming perfectly fluent and teaching these at a university level. I really enjoy spending time with my fiancee, going out for a drink with friends, reading, listening to music, playing Wii-U games like Super Smash Bros., and watching shows like The Flash / The Office. Outside of that when I'm not being totally sedentary, I like getting outside and playing basketball, swimming at the beach, or going to the gym. I also started dabbling in cooking fairly recently, so you can probably find me in Cafe Le Wow on Showdown from time to time bothering users like Marie Rose for cooking recipes.
Where did you get your name from?
Only Anonymous Man has guessed it so far, but my name actually comes from a game called Watch Dogs.
How and when did you get into competitive battling?
I've been playing Pokemon since Red/Blue version came out when I was 12 (bought it because of hype from old issues of Nintendo Power) and often had link battles with my friends on the playground lol, but I didn't enter real competitive Pokemon until Gen 3 or late 2002. I also didn't start using Smogon tiers until Gen 4, hence my 2007 join date.
How does it feel to be the newest PU Roomowner?
It's simultaneously flattering and taxing. It feels really nice to be recognized by players whom I've looked up to for both their levels of skill and maturity, but it's pretty different from being a moderator. If you're a room owner, you know that people will often come to you with their issues, regardless of whether these issues are legitimate or solvable. While I'm still growing into the position and still have a lot left to learn from the other RO's, it's great to be able to take a more prominent role in enacting and changing room policy as a whole. Given I started out as just a PU regular and have been active since last August, I understand what sort of problems the room encounters from time to time and am glad that I'm now in a position to help address them more effectively.
How would you compare the current metagame to past ones?
It's certainly not my favorite because losing Piloswine put a damper on teambuilding for me (this thing was on 40% of my long list of teams). But, I feel it's more balanced than past metas where threats like Sneasel and Tauros were grossly over-centralizing.
Do you feel anything is suspect worthy at the moment?
There are a few threats that you absolutely have to account for at the moment, otherwise they just run through your team. Stoutland, Dodrio, Simipour, Floatzel and other offensive waters are a pain to deal with, but I don't think they are suspect worthy at this point.
What's your favorite playstyle and why?
I've always been a proponent for Hazard Stack (both my sample teams were hazard stack), as that's always been an effective style of playing ever since Spikes were introduced in Gen 2. I also really like Volturn on Balance with either RS or Defog support, which is something I've been playing with lately.
Who do you think will win the PU Seasonal?
Someone who has struck the right balance between standard and being too 'innovative' (read: gimmicky). We have a few players like that in the tier, so it's hard to say at this point.
If you could make one change to the tier, what would it be?
PU is always the most exciting after we receive new drops during tier shifts. We've gained very little over time and lost a lot of meta-defining Pokemon by contrast, so if I could change anything, it'd be to prevent losing so many meta-defining threats lol. I also want to move PU toward becoming official - getting new, skilled users and increasing our player base overall has been a longterm goal of mine for a while now.
Do you have any advice for newer players in the tier?
Yes, after you've gotten an overview of the tier from the Viability Rankings and at least have some basic battling knowledge, you can either request a team from the teambuilding shop or grab a sample team from our sample teams thread. Once you've gotten some experience on the ladder, hang out in PU chat and lurk on the forums - you can pick up a lot of tips from already established players who understand the tier well. If you haven't found you've improved by this point, getting involved in the tutoring program is also an easy way to do this, so there are multiple avenues that you can use to improve your meta-knowledge, skill in battling, and teambuilding.
Can you provide a team that reflects you as a player, as well as the current metagame?
Here's a balanced VoltTurn team I made recently based on underrated, yet potent threats - SD Lickilicky / CB Ninjask:
What are your thoughts on this week's interview? If you have extra questions for 2xTheTap, feel free to ask them in the comments, and if you want a player interviewed, feel free to leave a post on my profile.
OP stolen from Leer in RU, who took it from Lord Alphose and xzern in NU
Past Players of the Week: : Magnemite, galbia, gasquakee, scorpdestroyer, Simipour, Anty, Raiza
Welcome back to PU Player of the Week, an experience unlike any seen before (bar in every other tier and some OMs), PU Player of the Week. This weekly thread hopes to capitalize and promote good players in the metagame, while helping newer players by giving advice and showing effective strategies in the metagame.
2xTheTap
Most Known For: PS! Room Owner, Runs the PU EV Spread Compendium, Only person with numbers in their name that's not a scrub (haha kingler), Cool Dude, Anime Scrub,
Favorite Pokemon: 3 way tie between Zapdos / Gengar / Arcanine
Most Used Pokemon: Zebstrika is something I've been using consistently from when I first started in PU, and it's still a great option for its nice Speed tier and ability to counter or check fast, yet frail offensive threats such as Jumpluff or Floatzel (in fact, I'd argue it's better now than ever since we lost Piloswine).
Can you tell us a bit about yourself outside of PS?
A lot of you already know, but I'm a little bit older than most of the players in our PU room. I'm a college grad with a bachelors in German / minor in psychology living in Hawaii. I enjoy studying and tutoring foreign languages such as Japanese and Arabic, so my primary goal right now is to move toward becoming perfectly fluent and teaching these at a university level. I really enjoy spending time with my fiancee, going out for a drink with friends, reading, listening to music, playing Wii-U games like Super Smash Bros., and watching shows like The Flash / The Office. Outside of that when I'm not being totally sedentary, I like getting outside and playing basketball, swimming at the beach, or going to the gym. I also started dabbling in cooking fairly recently, so you can probably find me in Cafe Le Wow on Showdown from time to time bothering users like Marie Rose for cooking recipes.
Where did you get your name from?
Only Anonymous Man has guessed it so far, but my name actually comes from a game called Watch Dogs.
How and when did you get into competitive battling?
I've been playing Pokemon since Red/Blue version came out when I was 12 (bought it because of hype from old issues of Nintendo Power) and often had link battles with my friends on the playground lol, but I didn't enter real competitive Pokemon until Gen 3 or late 2002. I also didn't start using Smogon tiers until Gen 4, hence my 2007 join date.
How does it feel to be the newest PU Roomowner?
It's simultaneously flattering and taxing. It feels really nice to be recognized by players whom I've looked up to for both their levels of skill and maturity, but it's pretty different from being a moderator. If you're a room owner, you know that people will often come to you with their issues, regardless of whether these issues are legitimate or solvable. While I'm still growing into the position and still have a lot left to learn from the other RO's, it's great to be able to take a more prominent role in enacting and changing room policy as a whole. Given I started out as just a PU regular and have been active since last August, I understand what sort of problems the room encounters from time to time and am glad that I'm now in a position to help address them more effectively.
How would you compare the current metagame to past ones?
It's certainly not my favorite because losing Piloswine put a damper on teambuilding for me (this thing was on 40% of my long list of teams). But, I feel it's more balanced than past metas where threats like Sneasel and Tauros were grossly over-centralizing.
Do you feel anything is suspect worthy at the moment?
There are a few threats that you absolutely have to account for at the moment, otherwise they just run through your team. Stoutland, Dodrio, Simipour, Floatzel and other offensive waters are a pain to deal with, but I don't think they are suspect worthy at this point.
What's your favorite playstyle and why?
I've always been a proponent for Hazard Stack (both my sample teams were hazard stack), as that's always been an effective style of playing ever since Spikes were introduced in Gen 2. I also really like Volturn on Balance with either RS or Defog support, which is something I've been playing with lately.
Who do you think will win the PU Seasonal?
Someone who has struck the right balance between standard and being too 'innovative' (read: gimmicky). We have a few players like that in the tier, so it's hard to say at this point.
If you could make one change to the tier, what would it be?
PU is always the most exciting after we receive new drops during tier shifts. We've gained very little over time and lost a lot of meta-defining Pokemon by contrast, so if I could change anything, it'd be to prevent losing so many meta-defining threats lol. I also want to move PU toward becoming official - getting new, skilled users and increasing our player base overall has been a longterm goal of mine for a while now.
Do you have any advice for newer players in the tier?
Yes, after you've gotten an overview of the tier from the Viability Rankings and at least have some basic battling knowledge, you can either request a team from the teambuilding shop or grab a sample team from our sample teams thread. Once you've gotten some experience on the ladder, hang out in PU chat and lurk on the forums - you can pick up a lot of tips from already established players who understand the tier well. If you haven't found you've improved by this point, getting involved in the tutoring program is also an easy way to do this, so there are multiple avenues that you can use to improve your meta-knowledge, skill in battling, and teambuilding.
Can you provide a team that reflects you as a player, as well as the current metagame?
Here's a balanced VoltTurn team I made recently based on underrated, yet potent threats - SD Lickilicky / CB Ninjask:
Lickilicky @ Lum Berry
Ability: Oblivious
Happiness: 0
EVs: 216 HP / 252 Atk / 40 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Frustration
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
Ninjask @ Choice Band
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Giga Drain
- U-turn
- Aerial Ace
- X-Scissor
Vibrava @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog
- Earthquake
Probopass @ Air Balloon
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 160 HP / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon
- Stealth Rock
Politoed @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 200 HP / 252 SpA / 56 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Encore
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Zebstrika @ Life Orb
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP / 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Ability: Oblivious
Happiness: 0
EVs: 216 HP / 252 Atk / 40 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Frustration
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
Ninjask @ Choice Band
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Giga Drain
- U-turn
- Aerial Ace
- X-Scissor
Vibrava @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog
- Earthquake
Probopass @ Air Balloon
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 160 HP / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon
- Stealth Rock
Politoed @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 200 HP / 252 SpA / 56 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 SpA
- Encore
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Zebstrika @ Life Orb
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP / 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
The team started with the idea that SD Lickilicky destroys stall and more defensive teams, while CB Naive (Jolly) Ninjask breaks offense and outspeeds Mr. Mime by +1 and everything else that's slower than 460 Speed. Lickilicky is built to be slightly faster than Gourgeist-Super, which means that in combination with a Lum Berry, it's able to beat Gourgeist-Super (which is a prominent threat when facing Stall) with its +2 Knock Off. Ninjask can run pretty much anything over Giga Drain (lol Night Slash/Dig/Final Gambit), though Giga Drain gives you something to 2HKO obvious Golem and defensive Relicanth switch-ins.
Using Ninjask necessitated that I use either Defog or Rapid Spin to remove Stealth Rock, and so I chose Vibrava for its ability to Defog reliably on targets like Roselia and Stunfisk, which are pretty popular right now in the meta (it also got better with Piloswine leaving). So, with the addition of Vibrava's U-Turn, what you have in the end is a double fast/slow Volturn core, with Zeb + Probo with Volt Switch on the special side and Ninjask + Vibrava with U-Turn on the physical end.
Vibrava pairs exceptionally well with Probopass, given Probopass resists all of Vibrava's weaknesses (i.e. Ice, Fairy, Dragon), and Vibrava is immune to Ground for Probopass. The two in combination are the team's SR removal / setting core, but Probopass is also here for protecting the team against Dodrio and other various flyers, providing a stop to normal spam (assuming Stoutland is choiced), and for its ability to trap stuff that walls Ninjask, like Klang and other Probopass.
Politoed is here as glue and to stop setup mons from ruining you via Encore, like Duosion and Klang. While Klang is handled nicely by Probopass and Zebstrika already, Politoed provides you with a nice defensive answer to Klang as well. Politoed also draws in Roselia fairly easily, which gives you an opportunity to double out to Ninjask and U-Turn as Roselia switches out.
Politoed, Probopass, and Lickilicky beat most of PU's SR setters, which is super important for winning with Ninjask. Doing well with this team basically depends on winning the entry hazard game, so I provided multiple options for beating SR setters here. That should explain Politoed running 190 Speed and max SpA (beating Golem, Marowak, Armaldo), Probopass speed creeping for other Probopass (you can run faster than 96 Spe, but that is optional), and Lickilicky running SD + Earthquake (beats stuff like Stunfisk pretty easily, as it tries to whittle you with Toxic and fails due to Lum Berry).
Overall, the team is easy to use and addresses a lot of the meta's most potent threats, but it is still somewhat weak to Raichu / Zebstrika / Regice (hence Lightning Rod on Zebstrika). It's not picture perfect, but it works well enough to the point it has beaten some notable players in the tier thus far.
Using Ninjask necessitated that I use either Defog or Rapid Spin to remove Stealth Rock, and so I chose Vibrava for its ability to Defog reliably on targets like Roselia and Stunfisk, which are pretty popular right now in the meta (it also got better with Piloswine leaving). So, with the addition of Vibrava's U-Turn, what you have in the end is a double fast/slow Volturn core, with Zeb + Probo with Volt Switch on the special side and Ninjask + Vibrava with U-Turn on the physical end.
Vibrava pairs exceptionally well with Probopass, given Probopass resists all of Vibrava's weaknesses (i.e. Ice, Fairy, Dragon), and Vibrava is immune to Ground for Probopass. The two in combination are the team's SR removal / setting core, but Probopass is also here for protecting the team against Dodrio and other various flyers, providing a stop to normal spam (assuming Stoutland is choiced), and for its ability to trap stuff that walls Ninjask, like Klang and other Probopass.
Politoed is here as glue and to stop setup mons from ruining you via Encore, like Duosion and Klang. While Klang is handled nicely by Probopass and Zebstrika already, Politoed provides you with a nice defensive answer to Klang as well. Politoed also draws in Roselia fairly easily, which gives you an opportunity to double out to Ninjask and U-Turn as Roselia switches out.
Politoed, Probopass, and Lickilicky beat most of PU's SR setters, which is super important for winning with Ninjask. Doing well with this team basically depends on winning the entry hazard game, so I provided multiple options for beating SR setters here. That should explain Politoed running 190 Speed and max SpA (beating Golem, Marowak, Armaldo), Probopass speed creeping for other Probopass (you can run faster than 96 Spe, but that is optional), and Lickilicky running SD + Earthquake (beats stuff like Stunfisk pretty easily, as it tries to whittle you with Toxic and fails due to Lum Berry).
Overall, the team is easy to use and addresses a lot of the meta's most potent threats, but it is still somewhat weak to Raichu / Zebstrika / Regice (hence Lightning Rod on Zebstrika). It's not picture perfect, but it works well enough to the point it has beaten some notable players in the tier thus far.
What are your thoughts on this week's interview? If you have extra questions for 2xTheTap, feel free to ask them in the comments, and if you want a player interviewed, feel free to leave a post on my profile.
