Welcome to the Featured Rater project! This is a series of interviews where we ask official 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 Snowy., IronBullet and myself. Our seventeenth interviewee is Nedor, who's emerged as one of our most promising and dedicated raters in recent times!
Tell us a little bit about your life outside Smogon.
i'm a 13 year old serbian guy in elementary school and i currently live in toronto. some could say i live a fairly abnormal life for a person of my age; i play at a high level of football (soccer), even going around the globe to countries such as england, holland, portugal, spain, croatia, serbia, as well as the states for trials / tournaments. i also compete at a difficult level for track and field, but i'd definitely like to become a footballer when i grow up. my mother, who is a former olympian, trains me both mentally and physically to be at an optimal level, which has made me fond of working out consistently over the years. lastly, i've never had fast food in my entire life which people may find bizarre, but i honestly find the food to be appalling.
What is your main tier? Do you rate teams from any other tiers?
my main tier that i play as well as rate in is oras ou, due to the fact that it is the metagame i am most efficient in. rating in multiple tiers is something i definitely applaud users for doing as it can be challenging to keep up with the quickly changing trends, but oras uu is a tier i'm interested in and will hopefully start rating in sometime in the future.
When did you start rating and why?
i started rating on the forums sometime in september of 2015. i was influenced by a few close friends on ps! to start rating after having a few months of experience helping users with their builds as a driver and voice in competitive tutoring at the time. i recognized more and more people asking for a rate or how to improve their builds in general, and i thoroughly enjoyed applying my knowledge to slightly tweak a team in order to improve the goal, or simply help users in learning the metagame; this is also where my long / in-depth rating style was adapted from. i was motivated to keep rating not only because of my passion for the game, but also due to the positive response i received from my debut rate.
Are there any raters who you looked up to when you started rating?
prior to writing my first rate, i definitely lurked quite a bit to see the varied rating styles. in that time and to this day, i read a multitude of rates from people like BKC who definitely spent a long time helping the op to the best of his ability and he went tremendously in-depth because of his extensive metagame knowledge. Trinitrotoluene is another rater that i really looked up to when i first started out. he's known to be one of the best if not the greatest at formatting on smogon, and although many say its not relevant, i personally enjoy aesthetically pleasing rates; not to mention, he went rather in-depth and portrayed a high level of understanding the metagame. other raters that influenced me that i'd like to mention are: 49 and Albacore due to the amount of knowledge they depict on their rates, and the amount of effort they put in.
What do you most enjoy about rating?
it is difficult to pin-point what i like most about rating, but to put it shortly, i enjoy being capable of helping people improve their builds and and increasing user's knowledge and understanding of the metagame. seeing the op come back with positive results and happiness due to your changes is also extremely satisfying! also, i'm fond of how rating has turned me into a better teambuilder, as i can analyze my own teams more in-depth as i would with any rate on the forums, allowing me to make optimizations and modify my builds to what i feel is most optimal. through rating, i have also created bonds with many cool people which only makes 'mons a more enjoyable experience.
Do you have any words of advice for aspiring raters out there?
an important piece of advice i could provide for aspiring raters is to simply gain experience and knowledge in the metagame you're rating in, but this could be done successfully through multiple methods. the first and most obvious is simply playing the game to test what works and what doesn't work as theory is much different than practice; you may do a rate that works in your head, but if you don't have experience with your suggestion, it may not help the op. not to mention, playing gives you a better understanding of the metagame. secondly, watching and / or analyzing high level (tournament) replays would let you compare what works to what doesn't work in the current metagame. also, it is imperative to not get discouraged when you start rating, lurking around the forum and getting opinions on your rates definitely helps.
How was your experience participating in the RMT tour? Do you felt it has improved you as a rater?
overall, for the majority of the tournament, i had a really good experience participating in it. rating is something i really enjoy as improving upon user's builds is satisfying, and doing this in a more competitive scene made me more determined when i was provided with a team. the experience definitely made me a better rater as it gave me more experience in good formatting and thinking about everything possible; what are the least useful 'mons on the team? how does it function? what is the goal? and so on. the quality of my rates after the tournament went up which i was pleased about.
What are your thoughts on the PS teambuilding workshops? Do you feel there's a correlation between good teambuilding and good rating?
honestly, i haven't co-operated with the rmt room activities such as the workshops that occur, but i do plan on contributing to more projects with rmt, both ps! and smogon wise in the future. although, based on the logs of the workshops previously completed that i have went through, they seem successful for the most part. there is definitely a correlation between good teambuilding and good rating; if you're not familiar with the metagame and make subpar teams, that will be recognized in your rates. as i mentioned earlier, knowing the metagame you're rating in comes through playing a ton, watching replays, and reading up on the forums. to put it simply, if you are not an efficient teambuilder, your rates will definitely be lacking in a few areas.
Do you like the direction the RMT forum is taking at the moment? If you could change something, what would it be?
i definitely like the current direction the rmt forum is taking for a few reasons. first off, there are many team raters across the tiers meaning there is more than enough people that are willing to help users with their teams. also, i'm enjoying the fact that there is many aspiring raters that are interested in being involved with rmt. not only this, but there are many rating activities that have already been enforced, as well as many new potential ideas being brought up for the near future which allows users to get involved easily. honestly, there is nothing i would change with this forum right now, it is at a very good place for the reasons mentioned, all i can recommend is to keep it up!
Has your experience with rating teams had an influence on the way you play?
ever since i started rating, i have been capable of looking at the game on many aspects, whether it is building, playing, or anything in-between, on a much deeper level. i think this is mainly because i'm more familiar with teams and truly understanding how a multitude of different playstyles and archetypes function. also, i utilize team preview when playing much more efficiently because i've seen similar variations of teams on the rmt forum, allowing me to identify my opponent's sets much easier, therefore giving me an immediate advantage.
Lastly, can you give us an example of a rate that exemplifies your particular style?
there have been more than a few example of rates that provide a good example of my style, but i have chosen the ones that i personally feel made the greatest effect on the op's team.
rate 1 (pre-rmt tour) |
rate 2 (post-rmt tour)
even though these two rates were created a long time apart, i feel like they perfectly portray a nice format, metagame knowledge, and ultimately helping the op understand my beneficial changes.
Individual Shoutouts
------------
Thanks for taking the time to do this bro! Feel free to leave any questions you have for Nedor below
Tell us a little bit about your life outside Smogon.
i'm a 13 year old serbian guy in elementary school and i currently live in toronto. some could say i live a fairly abnormal life for a person of my age; i play at a high level of football (soccer), even going around the globe to countries such as england, holland, portugal, spain, croatia, serbia, as well as the states for trials / tournaments. i also compete at a difficult level for track and field, but i'd definitely like to become a footballer when i grow up. my mother, who is a former olympian, trains me both mentally and physically to be at an optimal level, which has made me fond of working out consistently over the years. lastly, i've never had fast food in my entire life which people may find bizarre, but i honestly find the food to be appalling.
What is your main tier? Do you rate teams from any other tiers?
my main tier that i play as well as rate in is oras ou, due to the fact that it is the metagame i am most efficient in. rating in multiple tiers is something i definitely applaud users for doing as it can be challenging to keep up with the quickly changing trends, but oras uu is a tier i'm interested in and will hopefully start rating in sometime in the future.
When did you start rating and why?
i started rating on the forums sometime in september of 2015. i was influenced by a few close friends on ps! to start rating after having a few months of experience helping users with their builds as a driver and voice in competitive tutoring at the time. i recognized more and more people asking for a rate or how to improve their builds in general, and i thoroughly enjoyed applying my knowledge to slightly tweak a team in order to improve the goal, or simply help users in learning the metagame; this is also where my long / in-depth rating style was adapted from. i was motivated to keep rating not only because of my passion for the game, but also due to the positive response i received from my debut rate.
Are there any raters who you looked up to when you started rating?
prior to writing my first rate, i definitely lurked quite a bit to see the varied rating styles. in that time and to this day, i read a multitude of rates from people like BKC who definitely spent a long time helping the op to the best of his ability and he went tremendously in-depth because of his extensive metagame knowledge. Trinitrotoluene is another rater that i really looked up to when i first started out. he's known to be one of the best if not the greatest at formatting on smogon, and although many say its not relevant, i personally enjoy aesthetically pleasing rates; not to mention, he went rather in-depth and portrayed a high level of understanding the metagame. other raters that influenced me that i'd like to mention are: 49 and Albacore due to the amount of knowledge they depict on their rates, and the amount of effort they put in.
What do you most enjoy about rating?
it is difficult to pin-point what i like most about rating, but to put it shortly, i enjoy being capable of helping people improve their builds and and increasing user's knowledge and understanding of the metagame. seeing the op come back with positive results and happiness due to your changes is also extremely satisfying! also, i'm fond of how rating has turned me into a better teambuilder, as i can analyze my own teams more in-depth as i would with any rate on the forums, allowing me to make optimizations and modify my builds to what i feel is most optimal. through rating, i have also created bonds with many cool people which only makes 'mons a more enjoyable experience.
Do you have any words of advice for aspiring raters out there?
an important piece of advice i could provide for aspiring raters is to simply gain experience and knowledge in the metagame you're rating in, but this could be done successfully through multiple methods. the first and most obvious is simply playing the game to test what works and what doesn't work as theory is much different than practice; you may do a rate that works in your head, but if you don't have experience with your suggestion, it may not help the op. not to mention, playing gives you a better understanding of the metagame. secondly, watching and / or analyzing high level (tournament) replays would let you compare what works to what doesn't work in the current metagame. also, it is imperative to not get discouraged when you start rating, lurking around the forum and getting opinions on your rates definitely helps.
How was your experience participating in the RMT tour? Do you felt it has improved you as a rater?
overall, for the majority of the tournament, i had a really good experience participating in it. rating is something i really enjoy as improving upon user's builds is satisfying, and doing this in a more competitive scene made me more determined when i was provided with a team. the experience definitely made me a better rater as it gave me more experience in good formatting and thinking about everything possible; what are the least useful 'mons on the team? how does it function? what is the goal? and so on. the quality of my rates after the tournament went up which i was pleased about.
What are your thoughts on the PS teambuilding workshops? Do you feel there's a correlation between good teambuilding and good rating?
honestly, i haven't co-operated with the rmt room activities such as the workshops that occur, but i do plan on contributing to more projects with rmt, both ps! and smogon wise in the future. although, based on the logs of the workshops previously completed that i have went through, they seem successful for the most part. there is definitely a correlation between good teambuilding and good rating; if you're not familiar with the metagame and make subpar teams, that will be recognized in your rates. as i mentioned earlier, knowing the metagame you're rating in comes through playing a ton, watching replays, and reading up on the forums. to put it simply, if you are not an efficient teambuilder, your rates will definitely be lacking in a few areas.
Do you like the direction the RMT forum is taking at the moment? If you could change something, what would it be?
i definitely like the current direction the rmt forum is taking for a few reasons. first off, there are many team raters across the tiers meaning there is more than enough people that are willing to help users with their teams. also, i'm enjoying the fact that there is many aspiring raters that are interested in being involved with rmt. not only this, but there are many rating activities that have already been enforced, as well as many new potential ideas being brought up for the near future which allows users to get involved easily. honestly, there is nothing i would change with this forum right now, it is at a very good place for the reasons mentioned, all i can recommend is to keep it up!
Has your experience with rating teams had an influence on the way you play?
ever since i started rating, i have been capable of looking at the game on many aspects, whether it is building, playing, or anything in-between, on a much deeper level. i think this is mainly because i'm more familiar with teams and truly understanding how a multitude of different playstyles and archetypes function. also, i utilize team preview when playing much more efficiently because i've seen similar variations of teams on the rmt forum, allowing me to identify my opponent's sets much easier, therefore giving me an immediate advantage.
Lastly, can you give us an example of a rate that exemplifies your particular style?
there have been more than a few example of rates that provide a good example of my style, but i have chosen the ones that i personally feel made the greatest effect on the op's team.
even though these two rates were created a long time apart, i feel like they perfectly portray a nice format, metagame knowledge, and ultimately helping the op understand my beneficial changes.
Individual Shoutouts
FookMi? • this guy is my best friend on ps! and smogon. he's been by my side for close to a year now, and he's also a big supporter in anything i do. he always leads me on the right path in anything i attempt, and i 100% wouldn't be where i am today without him. thanks for everythin' fook.
m00ns • i've known you since you were involved in ct, and you've grown to be one of my best friends on this site. thanks for everything you've done for me!
ct people • you guys are all really cool, thanks for helping me branch off to other things on smogon and ps! as that is where i originally started.
celticpride and IronBullet and Trinitrotoluene • i appreciate all three of you supporting my rates and involvment with rmt early on, ya'll are really cool guys!
there's so many other people and they know who they are, but this list would simply be too long
m00ns • i've known you since you were involved in ct, and you've grown to be one of my best friends on this site. thanks for everything you've done for me!
ct people • you guys are all really cool, thanks for helping me branch off to other things on smogon and ps! as that is where i originally started.
celticpride and IronBullet and Trinitrotoluene • i appreciate all three of you supporting my rates and involvment with rmt early on, ya'll are really cool guys!
there's so many other people and they know who they are, but this list would simply be too long
------------
Thanks for taking the time to do this bro! Feel free to leave any questions you have for Nedor below
