Robert Alfons
Favourite Pokemon: I never had a strong favorite but as of late I've been liking Glaceon a lot, for one because Eeveelutions are cute and Glaceon is a top tier Eeveelution and moreover because it clutched a very difficult nuzlocke run for me multiple times which made it sorta special for me
Most used Pokemon: Can't think of one, I try not to use one single Pokemon too often, gotta stay unpredictable and all. I will say I've been using Golurk a lot more recently after considering it garbage before the tier shift, the more offensive nature of the meta + being able to check Primeape and rock types in one slot makes it a very good offensive rocker imo
Most known for: Being an LGBTQ representative and influencer, being an active member of the RU and PU community, quality shitposting, and of course being a PUPL manager
Robert: uh, im alright!
Yogi: Can you tell us a little about yourself outside of Smogon? Any hobbies or interests you'd like to share Rob?
Robert: im a 21 year old dutch boi and i study political science at a university. i like to listen to a fuckton of music and i mean like, a lot, i'm also into film although not as much as i want to be, and i also dabble in video games and anime like every smoghorse. i also like drinking beer and being gay. oh yeah and i spend a fair amount of time chatting with my boyfriend and e-friends and influencing twitter with my amazing posts (i will not link my twitter gg)
Yogi: What's the inspiration behind your name?
Robert: robert alfons is a singer (his project's called tr/st), bit of an acquired taste but i like his music, very gay stuff. picked the name because i didn't know what to go by on pokemon showdown so i settled for this name, for one because i was especially into his music at the time, secondly because i think it's just a cool name, and also because the dude's cute as fuck.
Yogi: How does it feel to have won PUPL this year?
Robert: horrible. i am constantly surrounded by groupies who want my signature and my dick irl. i do not have time for that sort of thing, im a busy man. other than that tho, feels pretty good, good to win it this time around after the unfortunate run my team had last year
Yogi: What are your thoughts on the current meta?
Robert: i like it more than whatever we had before the tier shift, despite it being rather unbalanced right now. being able to run more offensive teams instead of seeing the same tiresome balance nonsense over and over is cool, the ferroclef shit was getting a little cliche. some bans are definitely necessary tho, idk if kingler is necessarily broken but it wouldnt hurt to see it go considering the meta's already stacked with hard-to-prep-for threats. pyroar also definitely should go, it's too fast to be as difficult to wall as it is and it gets even more obnoxious when you have to consider that its z-move sets can run 1 of 3 z-moves and basically have one or two moveslots that can be literally anything. other than that tho, meta's pretty fun, with some tweaking i think pu can be the best sm meta atm
Yogi: To follow on from the previous question, what are your thoughts on the drops and rises that happened this tier shift?
Robert: the rises were unfortunate, at least ferro and gastro were two defensive staples that kept stuff like aggron and kingler real, but on the other hand i hated facing ferro so in that regard the meta got more fun there. the drops are neat, omastar can be a little annoying to prep for but the rest is cool. having two great spikers that fit on offensive teams really gave the meta a new spin that i enjoy, and scyther is a cool addition as well, being a pretty rewarding mon if you figure out how to build with it.
Yogi: What advice would you give to new players starting out in PU?
Robert: avoid the ladder entirely, find yourself some friends and/or a couple of good tier mains to build and battle with instead, participate in tournaments, and watch higher level games to get a grasp of what the tier is like and how to play it. dont be afraid to hit me or another higher level pu player up on ps to ask for advice or tests every now and again (but dont overdo it lol). i hear user: yogibears is always available since he doesnt have a life anyway, hit him up if you need advice or hit someone else up if you want good advice
Yogi: Finally, could you give us a cool team and briefly explain it?
Robert:
Floatzel @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Pyroar @ Normalium Z
Ability: Unnerve
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Hyper Voice
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
Tangela @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 232 SpD / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Synthesis
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Leaf Storm
- Sleep Powder
Golurk @ Yache Berry
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Dynamic Punch
Skuntank @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- Poison Jab
- Sucker Punch
- Crunch
Oricorio-Pom-Pom @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dancer
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Revelation Dance
- U-turn
- Air Slash
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Pyroar @ Normalium Z
Ability: Unnerve
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Hyper Voice
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
Tangela @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 232 SpD / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Synthesis
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Leaf Storm
- Sleep Powder
Golurk @ Yache Berry
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Dynamic Punch
Skuntank @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- Poison Jab
- Sucker Punch
- Crunch
Oricorio-Pom-Pom @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dancer
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Revelation Dance
- U-turn
- Air Slash
i used this team in the pupl finals and is one of my more solid teams atm, other than some oricorio variants it's not overly weak to anything and it's a decent snapshot of the meta atm. i started off with a floatzel since ferro and gastro being gone frees floatzel's moveslots up, taunt + 3 attacks seemed interesting since this set hits everything hard bar lanturn and some other bulky waters and taunt allows it to do stuff like whittle down clefairy and prevent froslass spikes. z-move pyroar seemed like a cool partner since it's broken and it lures in bulky waters that then proceed to get whittled down hard by z-hyper voice. z-solar beam was an alternative but i prefer having 2 free moveslots on z-move pyroar and z-hyper voice has more general utility than z-solar beam. after that the team mostly built itself, tangela completes a fwg core and acts as a blanket check to many things, in particular kingler, golurk acts as a rock-type check and an sr setter that doesnt lose momentum (which is big rn) and can surprise hail teams with yache since theyre really annoying otherwise, skuntank checks psychic types, whittles shit and provides defog since the team doesnt appreciate hazards, and scarf pompom acts as a revenge killer that does specific stuff for the team such as outspeed and kill omastar and lilligant, check fighting types, and check swanna the team should be solid enough. it's difficult to be entirely prepared for everything in this meta but this team has a way around most things as long as you play it well, and i really enjoy the floatzel + pyroar core due to its great speed plus its ability to whittle down your opponent's blanket special tanks and walls with taunt shenanigans
Yogi: Thanks a bunch for taking your time to answer these questions Rob! Remember, you can also post your own questions below!
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