Project OM Interviews (SammyCe123 @ Post 81)

Chessking345 when is BH banning Imposter
Ask me again when Talonflame gets unnerfed.
you must represent the pokemon ranked ou by viability in STAB/BH in a court of law, how cooked are you?
I think the worse offence a BH mon has committed is impersonation and regarding impersonation I prefer really not to speak, if I speak I am in big trouble and I don't want to be in big trouble.
Chessking345 NeonJolteonWasUsed
Will either of you try out PH? Fun meta. :)
Probably not for I have seen the horrors during HPL.
Chessking345 what happened to the chesspawn
I do not know what you are talking about.
anyways Chessking345 what are your thoughts on Big Imposter atm
Imposter is pretty good right now! Banning it is never in question but same cannot be said about uh Chansey and Eviolite... :)
Something happened in the last year and I'm leaning on believing that the old SpaceSpeakers got abducted and replaced. This new SpaceSpeakers is not nice and is indeed a noob.
@Chessking345 most mediocre set you can think of in BH?
The most immediate one that comes to mind currently is physical Lucario. Until proven otherwise I'm convinced physical Luc is absolutely worthless and unviable.
 
:leafeon:: Welcome back to another episode of OM Interviews! We've got a special one for all the viewers at home today. As you know, the network recently finished handing out our OM Awards for 2024. I got the elusive chance to chat with one of our biggest winners. Winning not only our Member of the Year Award but also our Best Overall Battler, Best Tournament Victory, and several others, we've got SammyCe123 on the show today! Welcome, Sammy. It's an honor to have you here! How are you doing today, and what can you tell me about yourself?

:charizard-mega-x:: Thank you, I'm doing very well today! As April said, I'm Sammy. I'm 18 (turning 19 in about a week), currently live in Sweden (I'm way cooler than pannu & bonk tho) and I play mons a little bit too much. I play a lot of OMs (which you might have noticed), but I also like to play draft league, TCG at a local hangout, and I've recently been playing VGC in preparation for the upcoming Stockholm Regionals in March. Aside from mons, I love playing and yapping about Hollow Knight, Celeste and Rain World, so hmu if you ever wanna talk about any of them!

:leafeon:: I'm happy to hear you're doing well, and good luck in Stockholm! You've definitely risen to prominence in the community quite quickly. What first drew you in to OMs?

:charizard-mega-x:: I started playing OMs very casually in AAA, both in a friendly AAA draft league and on ladder a little while ago. One day, I signed up to play in a ghosting tour with BugGoBrrrrrr back in the furscales meta, and we ended up winning the whole thing with some really cool teams, such as orichalcum pulse cinderace + mold breaker iron moth + double eject button with garchomp & great tusk. That was my first real exposure to competitive OMs, but I didn't really commit to playing in any tours until AAA Seasonal in late 2023. That led to me getting drafted in AAAPL 1, where I met a ton of really cool people that inspired me to branch out to all of the other OMs in the 2024 circuit. From there, the rest is history.

:leafeon:: History is right! You had the kind of tournament run people will be talking about for a long while. Are you planning to continue playing in tournaments in 2025, and if so, which ones are you most excited for?

:charizard-mega-x:: Definetly! I had a ton of fun this past year, so I'll certainly try to play in as many opens and seasonals as I can. The tournament I'm looking forward to the most is OMPL, as I loved the team tournament experience and atmosphere, but I played quite poorly and brought a lot of frankly bad teams. To this day I'm still quite troubled by that, so I will do everything I can to prepare and improve on both my playing and teambuilding skills, while also getting the most out of the incredible experience that OMPL offers.

:leafeon:: Happy to hear you're gonna be running it back! OMPL is going to be a hell of a tour with you taking part in it. You mentioned how much you loved the tour last year: do you have any games or moments from your tournament run that stand out in your memory still?


:charizard-mega-x:: From my tournament run this past year, winning Majors, STAB Open, GG Open, Grand Slam and Circuit Championship are all extremely memorable moments that will hold a special place in my heart, for quite obvious reasons. Winning Hackmons PL and OMWC were also really cool experiences, as it felt amazing to win alongside so many awesome people. While we didn't go all the way, I still had a fun time in AAAPL and OMPL and I learned a lot from playing in both of them. However, I always tend to overthink my losses whenever I lose a set, and I constantly keep thinking back to what I should have done differently in terms of prep and play. This means that most of the games I remember from this past year were actually those that I lost. Specific games that stand out the most include my loss to RoFnA in MNM Open finals (especially as I won g1 pretty convincingly), my loss to Kinetic in stab seasonal round 6, and my loss to Fc in OMPL semis tiebreaks. (not a part of my tournament run, but the game still lives rent free in my head nonetheless)

:leafeon:: You better get your rematches in this year! Is there any particular metagames you enjoy playing the most in tours? In a team tour, is there one metagame you'd be most content to play for the whole tour?


:charizard-mega-x:: I really enjoyed playing Partners in Crime this past year because of how different it played in game, and it allowed for lots and lots of creative prep, as well as fun ways to outplay and maneuver the game in typical doubles style. BH is another metagame that I found a lot of joy in playing, as it has so many different avenues for skill expression and it naturally approaches teambuilding from an entirely new perspective, which is something I appreciated. If I had to pick one metagame in a team tour setting that I would be content with playing for an entire team tour, then it would probably be Godly Gift, as it finds a good balance between being "normal" (as I realistically cannot see myself playing PIC or BH for 7+ weeks with semi-limited prep support due to how much variance there is in them) and the metagame has a ton of room for innovation, so every week would feel unique and fresh (as opposed to AAA, MNM or STAB, where I naturally gravitate towards a couple really specific team styles I like, and only stick to them). GG is also the metagame I feel most comfortable playing in, and that shows as I started out with playing it in both OMPL and OMWC, before switching over to bo3 and AAA respectively.

:leafeon:: Great stuff! We're getting close to the end of the interview, so now I've got to ask: What do you think the future holds for you in OMs? Are you going to try and run back the official tournament run, or do you have plans to expand your horizons here even further?

:charizard-mega-x:: As mentioned earlier, I do plan to play in this seasons circuit, for as much as I can at least. I also plan to do some CC stuff, but it would mainly be QC work for GG. Aside from that, I've though about trying out tour hosting, as it's something that has interested me for quite a while now, but I have never really come around to doing so. Additionally, while it is a little bit off topic, I definetly want to increase my depth in teambuilding. This past year, I very quickly found a comfort zone in all 6 (now 5) metagames, and I essentially only stuck to those kind of teams in tournament games. That can be very limiting when it comes to building, especially when helping teammates in a team tournament, where they might not always have the same preferences in building as I do.


:leafeon:: Can't wait to see even more out of you this year! Before we close off for the night, is there anyone you'd like to shout out or any final messages to leave the viewers with?

:charizard-mega-x::
First of all, I'd like to give a massive thank you to April for hosting this interview, as I had a lot of fun overthinking what I would say and I enjoyed reflecting on this past year, which is something I never really did.

Most of all, I would really like to thank Ivar and ghostlike, as they are the two people I tested the most with this past year (outside of PIC), and I owe them both a massive thank you for all of the support, laughs and thrown games we've had together.

I'd also like to give a shoutout to HiZo and Frixel for all of the PIC help this year. As a non-mainer with virtually no experience in doubles at all, teaming up with you two in OMPL and OMWC is something that I will be eternally grateful for. Being able to master PIC for champs helped me immensely, and it truly inspired me to play more doubles due to how chaotically enjoyable the metagame is. I am addmittedly a bit upset that it no longer is a permaladder or a part of the circuit, but there is undeniably a large barrier to entry that makes it unfortunate removal quite understandable. Still, I will be looking forward to playing more doubles in the future, and you two are a very big reason for why!

There are a lot of people that I truly appreciate in some way, shape or form, but wouldn't really be able to give each and every one of you a proper shoutout without completely flooding this post. You all are still really cool tho <3 Thank you SpaceSpeakers, Chessking, Rudi, Placuszek, pannu, RoFnA, Fraise, LSDA, Bonk, Betticus, Clas, Test Rex, ojr, Akira, QT, Wheaty, TTTech, Racool & Siamato.

Lastly, I would to say thanks to all of you - the OM community - for being so cool and wonderful. The active ladders, discussions, resources, projects and tournaments all contribute to a competitive atmosphere that is truly stunning, and being able to learn the metagames while comfortably talking to so many people (and hopefully many more to come!) really proves how great this community is.

:leafeon:: I'd like to thank Sammy one more time for agreeing to do this interview with me! Congratulations one more time on winning Member of the Year, and good luck on your tournament run this year! Now, viewers at home, is your chance to ask Sammy your own questions!
 
SammyCe123 Seeing as you went from outta nowhere to winning almost everything, whats your advice to anyone getting into a new metagame?

What worked for me in majors (where I essentially had to learn 5 metagames from scratch) was that I would stare at each of the VRs and then just build A LOT of teams. They didn't have to be good, didn't have to be finished, but if you just have a random idea of a structure, then throw it into your builder and try to make a relatively sound 6 set of mons. This really helped me understand the intricacies of building in that particular tier, and it made me easy to find a comfort style, which I found to be insanely helpful. If you want to get into a new metagame, then you have probably not played it before, and people won't be able to scout you. That makes it very easy to build a style of teams you like, and just keep reusing that until you master it, without the fear of getting a bad mu because of people scouting you in prep for larger tournaments.

SammyCe123 will you pretty please sign up for phpl Will you ever consider playing PH?
please lemme teach you the ways

After watching some of my teammates games for PH in Hackmons PL, I found the metagame to be a little too chaotic for my liking (which ig is a hypocritical things of me to say, as I am an avid BH enjoyer, and PIC has some chaotic elements as well) so I will probably not sign up for PHPL, but I could be convinced to try out PH at some point! (tho probably not gen 9/8, as I hear that they aren't nearly as competitive as say gen 6)

Do you support 2AC in AAA?

I never really played AAA in SS, and NDAAA is fundamentally very different from SVAAA, so I haven't really played in an environment that allows me to make an informed opinion on 2AC in AAA. (aside from the one sidemeta AAAPL 1, which I didn't follow at all) Nevertheless, I do think that 2AC in theory would be cool, as SV is offensive enough to where double regen most likely wouldn't be cancer (plus, a lot of the controversial 2AC regen abusers like fini, ferro and port chansey/blissey aren't in regular SV, so it would probably just end up with people running regenvest + utility regen guy like chomper / kommo-o / lando / zamazenta / etc, which idt is that unhealthy) Either way, I think it could be cool, and would probably be in favor of at least testing it into the tier, but I also understand why people disliked it so much in aaapl (I do distinctly remember Atha complaining about it lmao)

SammyCe123 do you support unique questions for different interviewees?

No! I don't really mind being asked repeat questions, especially as Chessking gave a shit answer... So yeah, feel free to ask me anything, even if it's not unique.

SammyCe123 explain why you are cooler than fellow swedes like Pannu and Bonk !

Pannu is a meanie, Bonk is technically danish, and danish people SUCK, (sorry if you happen to be danish when reading this, hope you move to a different country /j) and they both play those gacha games by hoyoverse. Should be fairly self-explanatory.
 
HOW AM I MEAN I AM SO NICE

Do you prefer coop or ica
You have to survive on a stranded island for 3 years, but you're allowed to bring 2 om players with you. Who are they?
Favorite melodifestivalen song?
What is the most fraud mon in SV AAA
How much are you going for in ompl and whats your record at end of tour?
 
HOW AM I MEAN I AM SO NICE

Do you prefer coop or ica
You have to survive on a stranded island for 3 years, but you're allowed to bring 2 om players with you. Who are they?
Favorite melodifestivalen song?
What is the most fraud mon in SV AAA
How much are you going for in ompl and whats your record at end of tour?

ica, there is one very near me but I have to walk for like 30 mins to get to the closest coop.

I'd probably bring like Glory & HiZo. Glory cause he has sooo much confidence in everything he says, so he gives the vibe of an amazing leader. HiZo cause he's just really funny and goofy, so I wouldn't go mentally insane after having to live on an island for 3 years.

Guld och gröna skogar (translation: gold and green forests) by Hasse Andersson (yes I did have to google his name) It's the melodifesitavalen song that I remember the most, and I sometimes find myself subconsciously singing it whenever I'm walking in the forest LMAO

I'm definetly biased cause the only special guys I really use are specs dengo, sflo ice beam deos, and iron moth, but bulletproof treads has never impressed me whenever I fight it, and it's a terrible removal mon when rocks tusk is one of the best mons in the meta.

Because I did quite poorly last OMPL record-wise, I doubt that I'll go for 21.5k again, so probably like 15-17k, and maybe +- 2k depending on how well I do in opens / grand slam if I qualify. For record, I definetly think that I'll go positive this time as long as I don't burn out like last time, 6-3 or 7-2 ish if I only play in a non-bo3 tier like GG, and about 6-3 or 5-4 in bo3, depending on my motivation and support in aaa and stab/bh. MNM is locked up tho I am not dropping a single MNM game in bo3 no siree
 
Favourite draft format? And do you have a special low tier in your heart?

Some leagues have started dropping down usually banned mons like reshiram / dialga-o / pult / etc as well as would-be broken tera caps like regieleki, volcarona and garchomp, and I really like that due to how refreshing it feels. Being able to get away from the super standard SV draft of ival pick 1, tusk pick 2, tera torn / meowscarada pick 3, etc and being able to use a different kind of draft with new mons just feels so much more fun. As you know, I played a lot of AAA draft as well in PAA, and while I found it fun for a while, it did also get stale due to it being 2AC, natdex AND pheal + regen, which made seasons quite repetitive as I'd just draft the same optimal structure again and again.

As for any special low tiers I like, I loooove getting a late r4/early r5 talonflame, (which for the record, is a bit early for getting tflame in a regular sv draft) as removal and speed is something everyone struggles with in draft, so being able to get both in a later round allows you to be more creative in the earlier round without having to worry about getting terrible speed, or running boots every week.

are you planning to change your pfp in the future and if so when? :p

I think I've changed my discord pfp away from xard like... once... over of my time being on discord, and that was when I desperately trying to convince a friend in a draft team tour to get a mega gallade in usum (broken mon). On smogon, I've never changed it, ever. At this point I think I've just been too committed to it, and I really don't see myself changing it on either platform unless I have an very, very good excuse to do so ;)
 
I can answer this one!

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I'd also like to give a shoutout to HiZo and Frixel for all of the PIC help this year
While during OMPL I was only focused on helping HiZo, during OMWC I had the chance to discover the amazing person you are and I had an amazing experience teaming up with you, thank you for the countless games and help you gave me throughout the season!

In your opinion, what's the biggest difference in approaching single and double based metagames?
 
While during OMPL I was only focused on helping HiZo, during OMWC I had the chance to discover the amazing person you are and I had an amazing experience teaming up with you, thank you for the countless games and help you gave me throughout the season!

In your opinion, what's the biggest difference in approaching single and double based metagames?

Awww frixel you never fail to make me blush and fluster :D

Uhh, probably how different they are in terms of positioning. Singles focuses a lot on long-term value from stuff like hazards, status and positioning in your progress makers, while I found that doubles relies a lot more on turn-by-turn positioning to have the right guys on the field at the right time. You can be up like 6 to 2 in doubles, but if your opponent happens to have a tailwind, trick room or just a solid pairing with good synergy against your team, then you could very easily lose the game. Singles does of course have this to an extent, but it's a lot more apparent in doubles because of how threatening some combos can be when on the field together. All in all, they differ a lot in what my goal is that I am trying to accomplish every turn.
 
If you could choose one other game to be extremely good at (pro-level) what would it be and why?

Anything you like to do IRL/outside of mons?

Are there any projects you would like to host or see happen within the Pokemon sphere? Doesn't have to be OMs
 
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