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Project National Dex POTW #31: Mollymt1
- Thread starter Jordy
- Start date
- Status
- What should I do if I can't tell the difference between you and Jho?
- Should I ask the next person on potw a question about my signature?
- What's the coolest Kyurem form?
- Is Cinderace gonna be the next suspect?
- Why do you have Naruto characters as your profile pictures?
- How can a balance team beat Manaphy rain?
- What if Volcarona had earth power and 180 spatk?
1. No. A lot of the fundamental beliefs of a fiscal conservative clash with mine. I believe that it is the responsibility of the government to make sure hospitals, health care, etc. is accessible for everyone.
2.
Archeops
Ability: Defeatist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Roost
- U-turn / Taunt
I thought this kind of set for Archeops was really cool in SM PU when it was still legal.
1. I wanted to get more National Dex players out there and have them be more open with the rest of the community!
2. I'm really not sure, but probably my game against H.M.N.I.P in finals for NDPL? I think I played to my outs quite well that game and I loved the team I was using.
3. They are mandatory because you do not want to get stuck in a vortex. Your Ground-type doesn't even have to beat Electric-types; it just has to be able to pivot into a Volt Switch so that you can reposition yourself without losing a load of momentum. A Volt blocker is essential to being able to outplay a large amount of matchups, in my experience.
Tapu Koko is not the best Tapu but we'll pretend that it is for the sake of your question. It's the best Tapu because of how punishing it is and how quickly it can start racking up momentum. Choice Specs Tapu Koko only needs to get 1 Hidden Power Ice right against Ground-types like Gliscor and Landorus-T in order to start doing that, and Regenerator Grass-types are really not that good right now, so pivots are scarce.
4. I don't think so.
5. Absolutely.
1. My favorite in-game Pokemon game has to be Pokemon Black and White! I quite like the story line and the game has a good amount of replayability. I think Pokemon Black and White 2 is a pretty good improvement to Pokemon Black and White, but I've never completed it so I'm not comfortable picking it instead. My favorite generation of Pokemon to play competitively has to be SS.
2. American food is pretty good.
3. I almost exclusively listen to American hiphop because it has easily the most diverse sounds compared to any other genre.
4. No. I barely understand Dutch myself and do not speak or understand German.
5. I did! I enjoyed the vibe our team had a lot.
6. My favorite Global Staff member has to be Jho ofcourse.
7. The National Dex room is a good place to discuss National Dex, but I do wish some users were a little less elitist and didn't value takes based merely on a user's position. I'm not exactly sure how I want to push that out of the room yet, though. The Discord server is another really enjoyable place where I also love chatting with people! People should stop bringing up other people from the room with bad takes, though, because it really isn't fun to talk about.
Honestly, I think the vast majority of people are rated pretty well. If there's anyone I'd want to see rated more though, it'd definitely be Ruft. Ruft has a great grasp on the metagame and is a fine player. That said, it's not like he's played much National Dex publicly besides NDPL, so it makes sense that he isn't rated that highly, yet.
1. You should look at the username of the person you're talking to! There's a pretty distinct difference between Jordy and Jho. Both names start with a J, but that's about where the similarities end.
2. Yes.
3. I like regular Kyurem's design the most out of the 3. It's not over designed unlike Kyurem-B or Kyurem-W.
4. I can't really say anything concrete because such details haven't been worked out, but Cinderace isn't a Pokemon I really have an issue with right now, but maybe! There's been concerns surrounding Cinderace for a while and not suspect testing Cinderace merely because I personally don't experience it as much of an issue right now is no grounds to deny a suspect test. I do think there's perhaps better Pokemon to suspect test first, though.
5. Because the Naruto manga is my favorite manga. It also makes for a nice aesthetic.
6.
7. Then it would most definitely be broken.
Come on dude, how is this even a question? If Toxapex and I ever got into a fight, I would simply drop kick it, break its back, break its neck, and then powerbomb it in rapid succession. I mean, what the fuck is it going to do back? It can't switch out, so Regenerator isn't a factor and anything it can do to me is not going to hurt me given its measily attacking stats. I'm just built different.
Hello Jordy
1.Why is screens pult actually the best pult set?
2. If you were to unban solgaleo how quickly do you think it would be quick banned?
3.Favourite unranked mon from the vr.
4.whats a cool move you think is underutilised?
5.Favourite Favourite Question
1.Why is screens pult actually the best pult set?
2. If you were to unban solgaleo how quickly do you think it would be quick banned?
3.Favourite unranked mon from the vr.
4.whats a cool move you think is underutilised?
5.Favourite Favourite Question
1. I would be a free man.
2. Tapu Koko is probably my favorite 'niche' Pokemon. I personally view it as much better than just niche, but that isn't the majority's perspective.
3. Rillaboom is. Beyond the priority, Rillaboom does not have a lot to set it apart, but it still manages to be a really convincing wallbreaker and sweeper every time. It is quite consistent and priority Grassy Glide is so good to the point where I consider it mandatory on hyper offensive teams.
4. I never claimed such a thing, but keep it up and maybe one day!
1. It is not and is actually a pretty colossal waste of potential.
2. It would take a day or 2 at most.
3. My favorite unranked Pokemon is definitely Klefki. It's incredibly awful but using Fairy Lock on a Pokemon like Landorus-T or Heatran to then KO them with Ash-Greninja is really satisfying.
4. I really don't think there's any such thing as an underutilised move. There's a good reason for why certain moves aren't used as much as others. For example, Flip Turn's distribution is really bad, whereas Draining Kiss is only useful on really specific Pokemon.
5. Definitely not this one.
This week, we have none other than National Dex's own forum moderator and council member, Guardsweeper!
What do you do outside of Smogon?
I’m an aspiring surgeon currently doing a double bachelor programme in Medicine and Biomedical Science. Studying has taken away most of my free time, but when I do have some I like to watch / play tennis, draw, and learn languages, beyond the cliché stuff like watching movies and TV-shows of course.
What are you most known for inside the National Dex community?
I’d hope as a forum moderator, OU and AG councilman, and the guy that oversees the C&C side of the spectrum, but it could just as well be as the guy that didn’t sign up for NDPL, never talks in the PS! room, hardly ever chimes in in public Discord discussions, and makes unnecessarily long and often boring Smogon posts.
How did you get into National Dex?
Pre-gen 8, I actually wasn’t interested in the competitive side of Smogon much at all. As a matter of fact, I was an avid collector, of which you can see the remnants in Smogon’s Wi-Fi subforum here. Fast-forward to SwSh, Pokemon infamously got dexited out of existence, and it’s not hard to imagine how that came as a huge blow to me as a collector. Dexit created a huge ‘what if?’ situation for me, in the sense that I’d never know the full scope of a Gen-8 Pokemon’s capabilities in an environment that hosted every Pokemon, Mega Evolution, Dynamax, and the Z-Move mechanic. National Dex curbed that interest, and therefore got me hooked from the start. I had to still get the hang of competitive intricacies of course, being a relative rooky in that domain, but once I understood terms like ‘double switches’, ‘momentum’, and ‘wincons’, and learned how to harness those, I developed a great interest for the format, and that fire still burns to this day.
What do you like the most about the format and community?
National Dex bridges the gap between USUM and SwSh in an attempt to create a setting in which as many Pokemon and mechanics can coexist in a competitively healthy environment, which is something incredibly unique throughout Smogon. A lot of people take issue with how the format is set up, sustaining Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves with ‘made-up mechanics’ as the supporting pillars. To me, however, this is a beautiful aspect of our metagame that highly increases what we have to offer as a format and, as the cherry on top, further secures our future in case GF decides to keep Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves on the side-lines for longer.
As for the community, I definitely think it is one of the most engaging and active ones you’ll find throughout Smogon, which I find to be crucial to the overall experience in our subforum.
How do you feel about the state of the National Dex metagame right now? Any Pokemon that stick out as issues to you?
I despise Dragapult’s ability to clean up just about any team with little to no support and a few good guesses. It feeds onto the matchup issue in the metagame; you simply cannot afford to check Dragapult outside of a select few builds. I also don’t like how potent and brainless Slowbro + Blissey as a core is. It’s a very hard-to-consistently-punish core that dominantly dictates battles and defines the metagame to a significant degree: Pokemon like Weavile, Mega Medicham, Cinderace, Mega Charizard Y, and Choice Specs Magearna are much more potent than they otherwise would’ve been, and Pokemon such as Hydreigon, Volcarona, and non-U-turn Ash-Greninja have turned into massive momentum drains.
As I alluded to above, I think the metagame is a little matchup-heavy; it is nigh impossible to maintain a versatile output of team structures that can handle all relevant threats, which makes teambuilding more linear than I’d like to admit. This stems from a multitude of presences that constrain the teambuilder to a degree, such as Future Sight, Mega Latias, Calm Mind Clefable, Mega Medicham + Pursuit, and Magearna. I’m not willing to admit that these are broken, but I can very well see some of them suspect tested down the line.
As for Cinderace, its star has been dimming ever since Z-Move variants dropped off a cliff, which has taken away some of its versality and potential to surprise checks: currently, whenever you face Cinderace outside of hyper offense, it’s safe to assume that it’s a 4-attack Heavy-Duty Boots variant. This predictability has made it a lot easier to respond to provided you take some precautions in the teambuilder of course, although it is still painful to manage alongside Future Sight.
Are there any Pokemon you don’t think are rated enough / rated too highly?
Mega Lopunny and Volcarona are overrated. They really fail to make progress against the overmajority of current structures housing cores such as Clefable + Toxapex, Slowbro + Blissey, Mega Tyranitar + Zapdos etc.
On the other hand, Tapu Koko has been incredibly underrated for the most part of the generation, and it evidently showed in the way Tapu Koko retaliated in NDPL.
What is your favorite Pokemon and kind of team to use in National Dex?
In general, I heavily enjoy incorporating Pokemon that double down as potent wincons in my teams and building around them. This includes the likes of Dragon Dance Dragapult, Calm Mind Clefable / Mega Latias / Reuniclus, Kyurem, Magearna, and Choice Specs Tapu Koko. As for playstyles, I’m not picky either. I enjoy using anything ranging from hyper offense to bulky balance. I’m not a stall player, but I have respect for players that are capable of piloting it efficiently, since that is something I’m incapable of.
Would you mind sharing a team that reflects that?
I unfortunately cannot share some of my newer builds on the off chance I make it into the circuit championships, but I do think this sample team built by me clearly shows my tendency to gravitate towards long-term wincons, in this case Calm Mind Mega Latias + Swords Dance Gliscor + Pursuit.
As someone who also plays tiers like Anything Goes, how do you think the shift from National Dex back to the Galar Dex has affected the metagame? Has it affected it for the better or the worse?
This thread should go a long way in painting a general picture of what my perceptions are regarding the shift AG went through. To summarize and add onto this thread, Calyrex-S lives up to its hype and more. Even though its movepool doesn’t seem great at a first glance, it is still capable of rocking a high variety of sets in Nasty Plot 3-Attacks, Substitute + Nasty Plot, Nasty Plot + Baton Pass, Substitute + Leech Seed, Choice Specs, and Choice Scarf. Add its stats, ability, and Dynamax into the picture, and you have what is undoubtedly one of the most disgustingly potent presences in competitive Pokemon history. Beyond the addition of Calyrex-S, AG also lost Arceus forms and Primal Groudon with the shift, which has taken away what were possibly the two largest defensive components of teambuilding. This has made Yveltal, Zygarde-C, and Calm Mind + Rest Kyogre tremendously threatening presences, with Yveltal in particular arguably being the most explosive threat in AG history. To add onto that, the likes of Zacian-C, Xerneas, and Eternatus continue to be centralizing presences after the shift too, with Eternatus in particular rising to stardom with Primal Groudon’s departure. On top of all, the shift to Galar Dex was also accompanied by the emergence of additional wallbreakers that take advantage of the lack of Arceus forms (Marshadow & Palkia) and Primal Groudon (Zekrom & Swords Dance + Aerial Ace Groudon). Overall, there’s a lot you have to account for with the few slots you get, which results in a very linear way of teambuilding, so I’m inclined to say that the shift has affected AG for the worse.
Can you share a team you’ve been liking in Anything Goes?
This team’s built around the incredibly fun core of Baton Pass Calyrex-S + Yveltal + Eternatus. Both Yveltal and Eternatus become humongous threats with a Nasty Plot boost, and are by far the best recipients. Eternatus is EV’d to outspeed Marshadow and avoid the 2HKO from Choice Scarf Kyogre and the OHKO from Adamant Zacian-C after Stealth Rock. Tyranitar imposter-proofs all three of these wallbreakers, which is way too useful to pass on. Necrozma-DM is mandatory to check Zacian-C and Xerneas, as well as Zekrom with Earthquake, and for Stealth Rock support. Substitute + Calm Mind Kyogre serves as the Dragon Dance Zygarde-C check, and doubles down as a potent wincon that is more than capable of washing away teams with little to no support. This team notably lacks a Defogger, hence why Calyrex-S is wearing Heavy-Duty Boots to improve the matchup versus Sticky Web.
Any last things you want to leave us with?
Stay in school, think stuff through before acting on it, be mindful of Covid-19 (especially on Black Friday), aim highly throughout your academic and professional career, and most of all, don’t forget to enjoy life!
I would like to thank Guardsweeper for his time and feel free to ask him any questions in this thread!
What do you do outside of Smogon?
I’m an aspiring surgeon currently doing a double bachelor programme in Medicine and Biomedical Science. Studying has taken away most of my free time, but when I do have some I like to watch / play tennis, draw, and learn languages, beyond the cliché stuff like watching movies and TV-shows of course.
What are you most known for inside the National Dex community?
I’d hope as a forum moderator, OU and AG councilman, and the guy that oversees the C&C side of the spectrum, but it could just as well be as the guy that didn’t sign up for NDPL, never talks in the PS! room, hardly ever chimes in in public Discord discussions, and makes unnecessarily long and often boring Smogon posts.
How did you get into National Dex?
Pre-gen 8, I actually wasn’t interested in the competitive side of Smogon much at all. As a matter of fact, I was an avid collector, of which you can see the remnants in Smogon’s Wi-Fi subforum here. Fast-forward to SwSh, Pokemon infamously got dexited out of existence, and it’s not hard to imagine how that came as a huge blow to me as a collector. Dexit created a huge ‘what if?’ situation for me, in the sense that I’d never know the full scope of a Gen-8 Pokemon’s capabilities in an environment that hosted every Pokemon, Mega Evolution, Dynamax, and the Z-Move mechanic. National Dex curbed that interest, and therefore got me hooked from the start. I had to still get the hang of competitive intricacies of course, being a relative rooky in that domain, but once I understood terms like ‘double switches’, ‘momentum’, and ‘wincons’, and learned how to harness those, I developed a great interest for the format, and that fire still burns to this day.
What do you like the most about the format and community?
National Dex bridges the gap between USUM and SwSh in an attempt to create a setting in which as many Pokemon and mechanics can coexist in a competitively healthy environment, which is something incredibly unique throughout Smogon. A lot of people take issue with how the format is set up, sustaining Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves with ‘made-up mechanics’ as the supporting pillars. To me, however, this is a beautiful aspect of our metagame that highly increases what we have to offer as a format and, as the cherry on top, further secures our future in case GF decides to keep Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves on the side-lines for longer.
As for the community, I definitely think it is one of the most engaging and active ones you’ll find throughout Smogon, which I find to be crucial to the overall experience in our subforum.
How do you feel about the state of the National Dex metagame right now? Any Pokemon that stick out as issues to you?
I despise Dragapult’s ability to clean up just about any team with little to no support and a few good guesses. It feeds onto the matchup issue in the metagame; you simply cannot afford to check Dragapult outside of a select few builds. I also don’t like how potent and brainless Slowbro + Blissey as a core is. It’s a very hard-to-consistently-punish core that dominantly dictates battles and defines the metagame to a significant degree: Pokemon like Weavile, Mega Medicham, Cinderace, Mega Charizard Y, and Choice Specs Magearna are much more potent than they otherwise would’ve been, and Pokemon such as Hydreigon, Volcarona, and non-U-turn Ash-Greninja have turned into massive momentum drains.
As I alluded to above, I think the metagame is a little matchup-heavy; it is nigh impossible to maintain a versatile output of team structures that can handle all relevant threats, which makes teambuilding more linear than I’d like to admit. This stems from a multitude of presences that constrain the teambuilder to a degree, such as Future Sight, Mega Latias, Calm Mind Clefable, Mega Medicham + Pursuit, and Magearna. I’m not willing to admit that these are broken, but I can very well see some of them suspect tested down the line.
As for Cinderace, its star has been dimming ever since Z-Move variants dropped off a cliff, which has taken away some of its versality and potential to surprise checks: currently, whenever you face Cinderace outside of hyper offense, it’s safe to assume that it’s a 4-attack Heavy-Duty Boots variant. This predictability has made it a lot easier to respond to provided you take some precautions in the teambuilder of course, although it is still painful to manage alongside Future Sight.
Are there any Pokemon you don’t think are rated enough / rated too highly?
Mega Lopunny and Volcarona are overrated. They really fail to make progress against the overmajority of current structures housing cores such as Clefable + Toxapex, Slowbro + Blissey, Mega Tyranitar + Zapdos etc.
On the other hand, Tapu Koko has been incredibly underrated for the most part of the generation, and it evidently showed in the way Tapu Koko retaliated in NDPL.
What is your favorite Pokemon and kind of team to use in National Dex?
In general, I heavily enjoy incorporating Pokemon that double down as potent wincons in my teams and building around them. This includes the likes of Dragon Dance Dragapult, Calm Mind Clefable / Mega Latias / Reuniclus, Kyurem, Magearna, and Choice Specs Tapu Koko. As for playstyles, I’m not picky either. I enjoy using anything ranging from hyper offense to bulky balance. I’m not a stall player, but I have respect for players that are capable of piloting it efficiently, since that is something I’m incapable of.
Would you mind sharing a team that reflects that?
I unfortunately cannot share some of my newer builds on the off chance I make it into the circuit championships, but I do think this sample team built by me clearly shows my tendency to gravitate towards long-term wincons, in this case Calm Mind Mega Latias + Swords Dance Gliscor + Pursuit.
As someone who also plays tiers like Anything Goes, how do you think the shift from National Dex back to the Galar Dex has affected the metagame? Has it affected it for the better or the worse?
This thread should go a long way in painting a general picture of what my perceptions are regarding the shift AG went through. To summarize and add onto this thread, Calyrex-S lives up to its hype and more. Even though its movepool doesn’t seem great at a first glance, it is still capable of rocking a high variety of sets in Nasty Plot 3-Attacks, Substitute + Nasty Plot, Nasty Plot + Baton Pass, Substitute + Leech Seed, Choice Specs, and Choice Scarf. Add its stats, ability, and Dynamax into the picture, and you have what is undoubtedly one of the most disgustingly potent presences in competitive Pokemon history. Beyond the addition of Calyrex-S, AG also lost Arceus forms and Primal Groudon with the shift, which has taken away what were possibly the two largest defensive components of teambuilding. This has made Yveltal, Zygarde-C, and Calm Mind + Rest Kyogre tremendously threatening presences, with Yveltal in particular arguably being the most explosive threat in AG history. To add onto that, the likes of Zacian-C, Xerneas, and Eternatus continue to be centralizing presences after the shift too, with Eternatus in particular rising to stardom with Primal Groudon’s departure. On top of all, the shift to Galar Dex was also accompanied by the emergence of additional wallbreakers that take advantage of the lack of Arceus forms (Marshadow & Palkia) and Primal Groudon (Zekrom & Swords Dance + Aerial Ace Groudon). Overall, there’s a lot you have to account for with the few slots you get, which results in a very linear way of teambuilding, so I’m inclined to say that the shift has affected AG for the worse.
Can you share a team you’ve been liking in Anything Goes?
This team’s built around the incredibly fun core of Baton Pass Calyrex-S + Yveltal + Eternatus. Both Yveltal and Eternatus become humongous threats with a Nasty Plot boost, and are by far the best recipients. Eternatus is EV’d to outspeed Marshadow and avoid the 2HKO from Choice Scarf Kyogre and the OHKO from Adamant Zacian-C after Stealth Rock. Tyranitar imposter-proofs all three of these wallbreakers, which is way too useful to pass on. Necrozma-DM is mandatory to check Zacian-C and Xerneas, as well as Zekrom with Earthquake, and for Stealth Rock support. Substitute + Calm Mind Kyogre serves as the Dragon Dance Zygarde-C check, and doubles down as a potent wincon that is more than capable of washing away teams with little to no support. This team notably lacks a Defogger, hence why Calyrex-S is wearing Heavy-Duty Boots to improve the matchup versus Sticky Web.
Any last things you want to leave us with?
Stay in school, think stuff through before acting on it, be mindful of Covid-19 (especially on Black Friday), aim highly throughout your academic and professional career, and most of all, don’t forget to enjoy life!
I would like to thank Guardsweeper for his time and feel free to ask him any questions in this thread!
who is the best player of natdex OU and why is it me
hi poggers user guard
favourite pokemon
least favourite pokemon
do you watch anime and do you consider yourself an avid anime watcher
whats your favourite pokemon to use in the metagame
if you were to ban someone, who would you ban and why would it NOT be me
favourite thread or post you have ever seen
favourite yt vid
favourite pokemon
least favourite pokemon
do you watch anime and do you consider yourself an avid anime watcher
whats your favourite pokemon to use in the metagame
if you were to ban someone, who would you ban and why would it NOT be me
favourite thread or post you have ever seen
favourite yt vid
Hi it's your biggest fan
- I also play & watch tennis, what's your opinion of Novak Djokovic and the GOAT debate?
- How would you describe your personality / what's your Myers Briggs type?
- What do you think separates a good player vs a great player?
- Why are unnecessarily long forum posts so inexplicably enjoyable to write?
- What are some improvements to Smogon you would like to see?
- Where would you rank yourself as a ND OU player and why is it objectively top 3?
- What are some of your favorite ND OU games you've played thus far?
- Having played me before, what advice do you have for me as a player to improve?
Hello!
Rayquaza is the most overrated Pokemon. Although it is only ranked at B, I firmly believe there is no reason to use it over more devastating wallbreakers such as Yveltal on balance and bulky offense. It is alright on hyper offense, but even there it remains hard to fit.
On the other hand, Dragon Dance Reshiram is pretty underrated. It's easily capable of dismantling builds consisting of any combination of Necrozma-DM / Ho-Oh / Eternatus / Zygarde-C / Ferrothorn, with both its Substitute + Dragon Dance set and its Life Orb Dragon Dance set. Don't run specially offensive sets on it though, they're terrible.
It's not you, I'm sorry to burst your bubble
You're goated at NDUU though, hope that makes up for it!
I don't eat steak
Hi Zneon!
- Gardevoir and its Mega Evolution
- Smeargle
- I used to watch Pokemon anime, not anymore though because they refuse to broadcast the SwSh episodes here
Although sometimes I do like to dive into nostalgia by watching episodes from way back in the day.- A tie between Calm Mind Life Orb Clefable and Dragon Dance Dragapult
- State secret, although I can reassure you that it'd indeed not be you because you're poggers!
- Probably either Jordy's breakdown on how to build balance in gen 7 OU or the reasoning Finch gave for denying Zygarde's S-rank
- I don't really have one, although recently I've been obsessed with Doja's performance of Say So at the EMAs
Hi this is your biggest fan responding :)Hi it's your biggest fan
Good luck with your academic and professional aspirations to be a future surgeon, from this lawyer
- I also play & watch tennis, what's your opinion of Novak Djokovic and the GOAT debate?
- How would you describe your personality / what's your Myers Briggs type?
- What do you think separates a good player vs a great player?
- Why are unnecessarily long forum posts so inexplicably enjoyable to write?
- What are some improvements to Smogon you would like to see?
- Where would you rank yourself as a ND OU player and why is it objectively top 3?
- What are some of your favorite ND OU games you've played thus far?
- Having played me before, what advice do you have for me as a player to improve?
- That's awesome! Novak is in my opinion the most consistent one out of the bunch at this point in time and has a very realistic chance to surpass both Roger and Rafa in Grand Slam count. Both Roger and Rafa are the uncontested GOATs currently though, with Roger being more versatile overall across all surfaces and Rafa being so dominating on clay to the point where it'd be a disservice to call him anything other than a GOAT.
- I feel like I fit best into the sentinel category, with the full package and all (logistician, defender, executive, consul). My irl friends also describe me as such so that proves my point too.
- A good player can identify wincons throughout a match and make fitting proactive / reactive plays judging on the situation in a match. They will almost always come out on top if they have a favorable matchup. A great player is capable of these things too, but can also plan ahead, maintain momentum at almost all times (through aggressive double switches if needed), and pilot a team in a way that works towards turning one of their Pokemon into a wincon, whether that be in a desirable or less-than-desirable matchup.
- I know right! I honestly do not know why my posts always turn out so long and detail-heavy to be honest, but I indeed enjoy writing them a lot!
- The angry react being removed, more emotes being added, retaining color when copy-pasting a piece of text and adding the option of justifying text are all small changes that'd go a long way in improving my experience with this site
- You flatter me ^-^ Perhaps I could've entertained this statement pre-NDPL, but I have been too busy to play tournaments for a while, so I'm not too sure how I match up against the rest of the players right now.
- There aren't a lot of public replays under my name, but I think my game vs Finch stands out the most.
- It's been a while we played, so I'm not too sure what exactly happened although I do remember you won the series. Feel free to hit me up on Discord if you have questions about the metagame / want to build teams / whatever else you want to ask, I enjoy helping people a lot!
GUARDSWEEPER WHAT IS UP
I rlly do not have any very intriguing questions this time around sry
Noticing your sad react on my message calling geysers my favorite ag main, would you like the title of my favorite forum mod? (alternatively favorite ag room mod (gz) or favorite Dutch person)
What will u do abt samples if pult gets banned considering how half the teams have pult
Is school fun? Specifically all the studying n stuff u have to do. if not, do you think it's worth it?
Why am I the best at galar ag
Not a question but I just wanted to remind u to stay hydrated, h2o is important
I rlly do not have any very intriguing questions this time around sry
Noticing your sad react on my message calling geysers my favorite ag main, would you like the title of my favorite forum mod? (alternatively favorite ag room mod (gz) or favorite Dutch person)
What will u do abt samples if pult gets banned considering how half the teams have pult
Is school fun? Specifically all the studying n stuff u have to do. if not, do you think it's worth it?
Why am I the best at galar ag
Not a question but I just wanted to remind u to stay hydrated, h2o is important
1.) Doggos or Cattos
2.) Copy and paste the template and give your thoughts on each gif/link on my signature: (if u do this u are awesome)
Kyurem-
Volcarona-
Zacian-C-
Latios-
Latias-
Rayquaza-Mega-
Ultra Necrozma (optional)-
Stickbug-
RickRoll-
Gabe The Dog-
Unown-G-
Unown-E-
Unown-T-
Unown-S-
Unown-T-
Unown-I-
Unown-C-
Unown-K-
Unown-R-
Unown-O-
Unown-L-
Unown-L-
Unown-E-
Unown-D-
3.) How good is Reuniclus in the meta?
4.) How good is band Ttar in the meta?
6.) How can I stop building teams that get torn open by rain?
2.) Copy and paste the template and give your thoughts on each gif/link on my signature: (if u do this u are awesome)
Kyurem-
Volcarona-
Zacian-C-
Latios-
Latias-
Rayquaza-Mega-
Ultra Necrozma (optional)-
Stickbug-
RickRoll-
Gabe The Dog-
Unown-G-
Unown-E-
Unown-T-
Unown-S-
Unown-T-
Unown-I-
Unown-C-
Unown-K-
Unown-R-
Unown-O-
Unown-L-
Unown-L-
Unown-E-
Unown-D-
3.) How good is Reuniclus in the meta?
4.) How good is band Ttar in the meta?
6.) How can I stop building teams that get torn open by rain?
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What Dragapult teams?
It's interesting for sure and it definitely can be fun as long as you're genuinely interested in the stuff you learn, but it's an awful lot to process and you need to be disciplined enough to handle it.
Because goated Geysers passes you teams
Cattos
Sorry, I'm a busy man :(
Reuniclus is solid. If supported correctly, it will not fail you as a wincon, has decent defensive perks as a status absorber and check to various Pokemon, and good movepool versatility, which allows it to pick its checks and counters to an extent and mold itself into a team's needs.
Choice Band Tyranitar trades some durability and the ability to fit Stealth Rock for higher damage output compared to its Mega Evolution. As a result, it's a really good wallbreaker but not as splashable as Mega Tyranitar, although that might change with Dragapult out of the picture.
Mega Latias, Gastrodon, and Kyurem are some Pokemon that do well vs Rain.
How did you climb the ranks of the natdex community to become a mod/get better at the tier?
Thoughts on suspecting a re-entry of Tornadus-Therian to the meta?
Do you like complex bans? Why or why not?
Thoughts on suspecting a re-entry of Tornadus-Therian to the meta?
Do you like complex bans? Why or why not?
1. If you could buff/nerf any Pokemon in the game/meta, which ones would you change and why?
2. What's your overall opinion on the SwSh games in general?
3. Out of the banned Pokemon being considered for a retest, which one do you think is the most balanced?
4. What mon do you wish was more viable (or viable at all) in NDOU?
5. What made you want to become a surgeon? Just asking because I think that's awesome!
6. Favorite video-game series?
2. What's your overall opinion on the SwSh games in general?
3. Out of the banned Pokemon being considered for a retest, which one do you think is the most balanced?
4. What mon do you wish was more viable (or viable at all) in NDOU?
5. What made you want to become a surgeon? Just asking because I think that's awesome!
6. Favorite video-game series?
By making productive posts, hosting resources, writing and quality checking analyses, and doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work
Tornadus-T is definitely one of the Pokemon worth looking into for a suspect test. At this current point in time, I don't think a suspect test is very justifiable though; standard Hurricane + Knock Off + U-turn still knows next to no checks besides Zapdos and Tapu Koko, and the addition of Nasty Plot theoretically adds up to its already impressive versatility and direct offensive prowess.
In the context of an OU-based metagame, complex bans are almost never a good thing. They open up unnecessary cans of worms that aren't worth opening.
1. Remove Aura Sphere on Mega Latias and Teleport on Slowbro and Blissey. Aura Sphere makes Mega Latias incredibly hard to deal with on the whole, whereas Teleport turns Slowbro and Blissey into brainless pivot bots.
2. Dynamax and the lack of Mega Evolutions are curses and Heavy-Duty Boots and the lack of Z-Moves are blessings. I also find it incredibly funny how they executed a 'Dexit' to lower the power level, yet still introduced Pokemon such as Zacian-C and Calyrex-S, and am glad they finally did Kyurem-B some justice.
3. None
4. Protean Greninja and Serperior
5. Thank you! It's because I always was very fascinated with the human body and thought that having the knowledge to heal it by virtue of having a thorough understanding of its intricacies was just about the most wonderful thing in the world.
6. Pokemon, duhh
Here for another player of the week with one of the newest members of the National Dex council, and number 1 seed in the National Dex circuit - its Chazm!
What do you do outside of Smogon?
I don't really do a whole lot outside of Smogon right about now. Most of it is waiting for the pandemic to be over to see my friends but it doesn't seem like it's going to be over for a long time.
How did you get into National Dex?
I can't remember well how I got into National Dex, but all I remember is joining the room in its infancy, getting assigned Driver by Funbot and then continuing to contribute to the room as the metagame felt nice to me and I wanted to have a main feeling tier to develop my thoughts from. It also hid me from the controversy of Dexit that was going on around the time.
What do you like the most about the format and community?
The format is a particular favourite of mine because of Z-moves - Z-moves I feel are an excellent mechanic because they give a non-conditional way for opposing teams to make progress. I find they're mostly a controversial pick when talking about metagame development as some STAB Z-moves (for example, Dragapult's Z-Phantom Force) are so much more powerful than their regular moves that they push an otherwise healthy mon into being broken. This to me is a fair tradeoff for what Z-moves provide to a metagame and how they mediate the pace of a game.
As for the community, I like how the current community has been more open to testing out more uncommon sets. We've been working hard to reduce elitism in the community and I feel like the overall co-operation made by many of the members currently present have been helping this out greatly, and have brought us a new metagame that utilizes previously slept on threats
What is your favourite Pokemon in general and which is your favourite to build with?
My favourite Pokemon in general is one that has been memed about for quite some time, but it is still Magearna. The variability it takes to the field is on another level - it's cute as hell to boot. But if you're wondering about mym current favourite mon to build with, it would probably be Heatran. Heatran has been an absolute godsend in building, helping deal with non-HJK Cinderace, Mega Latias, and various other Psychic types. It is also an absolutely fantastic stallbreaker that practically guarantees Stealth Rock goes up, and smashes almost any stall that doesn't include a Gastrodon by this point. Gliscor is constantly risking a roll if it wants to hard into Heatran, and if that isn't a worry you can very easily just run another strong Stealth Rock user like Mega Garchomp alongside it. It has very few long-term switchins and that's why I enjoy Heatran heavily atm.
Do you have any teams that you like you would mind sharing?
FerroPert is a very cool core that I think very few people properly exploit right now. As of right now it's probably what I would consider to be the best hazard stacking bulky offense core and it covers a whole range of the metagame, from Cinderace, Garchomp, Mega Latias and various others. I feel like the rest of the team doesn't really need to be adequately structured around FerroPert mostly because the core is excellent at maintaining momentum anyway, but this also showcases some of the better partners for it, particularly Galarian Zapdos - who is one of my more liked Pokemon right now.
Spectrier is a whole other level of broken right now, and I think the fact that this team can adequately use it as speed control sorta tells me just how strong Spectrier can be on a wide range of builds. This team does have some mild Mega Tyranitar weaknesses but it happily exchanges those for the ability to just outright win vs most other bulky offense builds right now. Heatran helps with Spectrier in the case of building where Tyranitar is the most accessible Heatran check - the two can overload it to the point where Spectrier can just clean up lategame.
HUGE fan of this HO right now. The aforementioned Spectrier as well as lacking resists for Cinderace and Magearna compound into a HO that ends up being exceedingly difficult to get a good matchup against without running something specifically meant for HO, such as Ditto. Whilst you could claim that this HO could be optimized, such as the inclusion of Mew over Landorus-Therian, the way I happen to like to build HO often structures the build in a way such so that the lead can actually fight back if Stealth Rock will not do enough in a game to justify sacking it, and for certain Cinderace matchups I feel like having a lead that can take pressure off your team against it is highly worth it.
You are the 1st seed going into the 2020 National Dex Circuit Playoffs, how have you felt about the circuit in general?
Why is the 16th seed so much scarier than the rest of the circuit help :<<<
uhh anyway more seriously, I feel like the circuit is decent for a first year circuit but as the current format is pretty new the people in the top 16 are quite turbulent in playing and so player skill gaps are larger than say tours that have been around for longer like the Other Metagames Circuit. But that's just how new circuits go, they don't always start off well, and you have to wait for new blood to flow before things stabilize.
Who are you most looking forward to playing in playoffs and who do you think, apart from yourself of course, will make it to the finals?
I personally think that Bacon and Faded have good chances of getting into finals. Those two players are very consistent throughout when they do play. As to who will win? I don't know. Those two are strong enough to take it but I imagine they will face eachother at some point.
(interviewers note: chazm must have forgot I was in it fsr for sure
)
You are also a well known name in the OM community, what makes Other Metagames appeal to you and which are your favourite OMS?
Other Metagames originally appealed to me as a result of just having interesting and unique concepts. The ability to change what Pokemon's core playstyle is on a whim is what makes me appreciate OMs as a whole. The championships are also very difficult to get into as they require extensive knowledge of multiple, vastly different metagames that for a person who generally doesn't play with others teams is a high challenge I am ready to take up. As to which appeal to me right now, Mix and Mega, Camomons and STABmons are metagames I happen to enjoy because of their more offensively inclined nature. Of course, this does come with the penalty that defensive cores are more centralized, but the amount of methods you have to play around the opponent feel much greater in those metagames than they do in the current generation tiering. Whilst this can come with matchup issues, something I dislike BH and AAA for, the matchup issues are not enough of an issue to put me off of these metagames.
Can you share any teams from some OMs that you have been liking?
MnM
A common criticism (albeit, not entirely true and under closer analysis a complete non-issue) is the prominence of -ate Explosion (the only prominent user is Landorus-T). To counteract this and the many high gear offense staples that fit with it, I decided that I would take a concept from OU and apply it here. Meet Sablenite Swampert - the compact Entei and Landorus check the metagame appreciates. To help preserve its HP to a greater extent I also have Manectite Magearna in the wings which can help greatly with anti-ate roles and helps deal with Urshifu-Single, which would otherwise cause a lot of issues for this team. The rest of the team is pretty bog standard for Mix and Mega however and I don't really think there's much in the way of explanation needed for these options.
Any last things you want to leave us?
Finally, I'd like to leave with some notes on the current situation. Please keep in mind that throughout this pandemic, people's minds have been changed and starved for things they may not usually have. Sudden changes have effected us all, and especially those with particular conditions. For those of us who are autistic, sudden changes in routine and lack of vital contact have left us in a difficult and frustrating state of mind. So if someone you know is autistic is acting a little differently lately, or you haven't caught up in a while, don't be afraid to text them to see how they're doing, it might make their day. Keep safe & sane y'all.
I don't really do a whole lot outside of Smogon right about now. Most of it is waiting for the pandemic to be over to see my friends but it doesn't seem like it's going to be over for a long time.
How did you get into National Dex?
I can't remember well how I got into National Dex, but all I remember is joining the room in its infancy, getting assigned Driver by Funbot and then continuing to contribute to the room as the metagame felt nice to me and I wanted to have a main feeling tier to develop my thoughts from. It also hid me from the controversy of Dexit that was going on around the time.
What do you like the most about the format and community?
The format is a particular favourite of mine because of Z-moves - Z-moves I feel are an excellent mechanic because they give a non-conditional way for opposing teams to make progress. I find they're mostly a controversial pick when talking about metagame development as some STAB Z-moves (for example, Dragapult's Z-Phantom Force) are so much more powerful than their regular moves that they push an otherwise healthy mon into being broken. This to me is a fair tradeoff for what Z-moves provide to a metagame and how they mediate the pace of a game.
As for the community, I like how the current community has been more open to testing out more uncommon sets. We've been working hard to reduce elitism in the community and I feel like the overall co-operation made by many of the members currently present have been helping this out greatly, and have brought us a new metagame that utilizes previously slept on threats
What is your favourite Pokemon in general and which is your favourite to build with?
My favourite Pokemon in general is one that has been memed about for quite some time, but it is still Magearna. The variability it takes to the field is on another level - it's cute as hell to boot. But if you're wondering about mym current favourite mon to build with, it would probably be Heatran. Heatran has been an absolute godsend in building, helping deal with non-HJK Cinderace, Mega Latias, and various other Psychic types. It is also an absolutely fantastic stallbreaker that practically guarantees Stealth Rock goes up, and smashes almost any stall that doesn't include a Gastrodon by this point. Gliscor is constantly risking a roll if it wants to hard into Heatran, and if that isn't a worry you can very easily just run another strong Stealth Rock user like Mega Garchomp alongside it. It has very few long-term switchins and that's why I enjoy Heatran heavily atm.
Do you have any teams that you like you would mind sharing?
FerroPert is a very cool core that I think very few people properly exploit right now. As of right now it's probably what I would consider to be the best hazard stacking bulky offense core and it covers a whole range of the metagame, from Cinderace, Garchomp, Mega Latias and various others. I feel like the rest of the team doesn't really need to be adequately structured around FerroPert mostly because the core is excellent at maintaining momentum anyway, but this also showcases some of the better partners for it, particularly Galarian Zapdos - who is one of my more liked Pokemon right now.
Spectrier is a whole other level of broken right now, and I think the fact that this team can adequately use it as speed control sorta tells me just how strong Spectrier can be on a wide range of builds. This team does have some mild Mega Tyranitar weaknesses but it happily exchanges those for the ability to just outright win vs most other bulky offense builds right now. Heatran helps with Spectrier in the case of building where Tyranitar is the most accessible Heatran check - the two can overload it to the point where Spectrier can just clean up lategame.
HUGE fan of this HO right now. The aforementioned Spectrier as well as lacking resists for Cinderace and Magearna compound into a HO that ends up being exceedingly difficult to get a good matchup against without running something specifically meant for HO, such as Ditto. Whilst you could claim that this HO could be optimized, such as the inclusion of Mew over Landorus-Therian, the way I happen to like to build HO often structures the build in a way such so that the lead can actually fight back if Stealth Rock will not do enough in a game to justify sacking it, and for certain Cinderace matchups I feel like having a lead that can take pressure off your team against it is highly worth it.
You are the 1st seed going into the 2020 National Dex Circuit Playoffs, how have you felt about the circuit in general?
Why is the 16th seed so much scarier than the rest of the circuit help :<<<
uhh anyway more seriously, I feel like the circuit is decent for a first year circuit but as the current format is pretty new the people in the top 16 are quite turbulent in playing and so player skill gaps are larger than say tours that have been around for longer like the Other Metagames Circuit. But that's just how new circuits go, they don't always start off well, and you have to wait for new blood to flow before things stabilize.
Who are you most looking forward to playing in playoffs and who do you think, apart from yourself of course, will make it to the finals?
I personally think that Bacon and Faded have good chances of getting into finals. Those two players are very consistent throughout when they do play. As to who will win? I don't know. Those two are strong enough to take it but I imagine they will face eachother at some point.
(interviewers note: chazm must have forgot I was in it fsr for sure
)You are also a well known name in the OM community, what makes Other Metagames appeal to you and which are your favourite OMS?
Other Metagames originally appealed to me as a result of just having interesting and unique concepts. The ability to change what Pokemon's core playstyle is on a whim is what makes me appreciate OMs as a whole. The championships are also very difficult to get into as they require extensive knowledge of multiple, vastly different metagames that for a person who generally doesn't play with others teams is a high challenge I am ready to take up. As to which appeal to me right now, Mix and Mega, Camomons and STABmons are metagames I happen to enjoy because of their more offensively inclined nature. Of course, this does come with the penalty that defensive cores are more centralized, but the amount of methods you have to play around the opponent feel much greater in those metagames than they do in the current generation tiering. Whilst this can come with matchup issues, something I dislike BH and AAA for, the matchup issues are not enough of an issue to put me off of these metagames.
Can you share any teams from some OMs that you have been liking?
MnMA common criticism (albeit, not entirely true and under closer analysis a complete non-issue) is the prominence of -ate Explosion (the only prominent user is Landorus-T). To counteract this and the many high gear offense staples that fit with it, I decided that I would take a concept from OU and apply it here. Meet Sablenite Swampert - the compact Entei and Landorus check the metagame appreciates. To help preserve its HP to a greater extent I also have Manectite Magearna in the wings which can help greatly with anti-ate roles and helps deal with Urshifu-Single, which would otherwise cause a lot of issues for this team. The rest of the team is pretty bog standard for Mix and Mega however and I don't really think there's much in the way of explanation needed for these options.
Any last things you want to leave us?
Finally, I'd like to leave with some notes on the current situation. Please keep in mind that throughout this pandemic, people's minds have been changed and starved for things they may not usually have. Sudden changes have effected us all, and especially those with particular conditions. For those of us who are autistic, sudden changes in routine and lack of vital contact have left us in a difficult and frustrating state of mind. So if someone you know is autistic is acting a little differently lately, or you haven't caught up in a while, don't be afraid to text them to see how they're doing, it might make their day. Keep safe & sane y'all.
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1.) Ok so everybody I've asked has refused to do this so the task now falls onto you. Say something about each thing in my signature.
Kyurem-
Volcarona (optional)-
Zacian-C-
Latios-
Latias-
Rayquaza-Mega-
Ultra Necrozma-
Stickbug-
RickRoll-
Gabe The Dog-
Unown-G-
Unown-E-
Unown-T-
Unown-S-
Unown-T-
Unown-I-
Unown-C-
Unown-K-
Unown-R-
Unown-O-
Unown-L-
Unown-L-
Unown-E-
Unown-D-
edit: Chazm everything there was a link. Appreciate the answer anyway :) Also I will heed your comment about the unown-! and add it at some point.
2.) Do you think Spectrier is broken? I'm pretty sure SubDisable can force a 50/50 and/or mess up every dark other than Hydreigon while NP Ghostium-Z sets can simply break through them after enough boosts.
3.) What's so bad about staying at home? You get a bunch of time to retreat from reality and sleep or something.
4.) What would you do if Tornadus-T got unbanned?
5.) How does Heatran beat stall if it uses it's Z-move on something? Won't Mega Sableye PP stall it or Gliscor wall it afterwards?
6.) If you get reqs will you vote ban or no ban for the Cinderace suspect?
7.) Is it possible to make PerishPool Azumaril work? Like it can probably lure Toxapex for Volcarona or something. Or maybe Scizor for Kartana. Fire Spin Perish Song Altaria also exists.
8.) How does one beat something that there team has no switch-ins to? For example Mega Medicham or Mega Charizard Y or SD Garchomp/Landorus.
9.) What is the optimal set on a Gastrodon?
10.) If I asked you to talk in doggo-lingo for the rest of the questions would you say yes?
11.) If you could snap one Pokémon out of existence what would it be?
12.) Is Toxapex awesome?
Not a question but remember that you have all the time in the world (not literally) to answer these questions.
Kyurem-
Volcarona (optional)-
Zacian-C-
Latios-
Latias-
Rayquaza-Mega-
Ultra Necrozma-
Stickbug-
RickRoll-
Gabe The Dog-
Unown-G-
Unown-E-
Unown-T-
Unown-S-
Unown-T-
Unown-I-
Unown-C-
Unown-K-
Unown-R-
Unown-O-
Unown-L-
Unown-L-
Unown-E-
Unown-D-
edit: Chazm everything there was a link. Appreciate the answer anyway :) Also I will heed your comment about the unown-! and add it at some point.
2.) Do you think Spectrier is broken? I'm pretty sure SubDisable can force a 50/50 and/or mess up every dark other than Hydreigon while NP Ghostium-Z sets can simply break through them after enough boosts.
3.) What's so bad about staying at home? You get a bunch of time to retreat from reality and sleep or something.
4.) What would you do if Tornadus-T got unbanned?
5.) How does Heatran beat stall if it uses it's Z-move on something? Won't Mega Sableye PP stall it or Gliscor wall it afterwards?
6.) If you get reqs will you vote ban or no ban for the Cinderace suspect?
7.) Is it possible to make PerishPool Azumaril work? Like it can probably lure Toxapex for Volcarona or something. Or maybe Scizor for Kartana. Fire Spin Perish Song Altaria also exists.
8.) How does one beat something that there team has no switch-ins to? For example Mega Medicham or Mega Charizard Y or SD Garchomp/Landorus.
9.) What is the optimal set on a Gastrodon?
10.) If I asked you to talk in doggo-lingo for the rest of the questions would you say yes?
11.) If you could snap one Pokémon out of existence what would it be?
12.) Is Toxapex awesome?
Not a question but remember that you have all the time in the world (not literally) to answer these questions.
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