Art by Kalalokki
Floss
(This interview was originally done back in 2023 in the span of like a year, so most of these replies are outdated, but the insights are still fun to read.)
Favorite Pokémon: Marshadow
Most Used Pokémon: Tatsugiri
Most Known For: Winning RU Open and then becoming a big name in the community, having positive performances across all sorts of tournaments and making really bad puns from time to time. Also for being Tier Leader in Monotype.
It had been a couple of years since the last incident at the european lab. I had been enjoying the life of retirement, just doing my own thing.
I entered a restaurant, and I could hear a guy in the background say this: "Banks should do a better job of keeping their ATMs filled. This is the fifth one I've been to that says insufficient funds". He was giggling at himself as he said it.
I wanted to laugh as well, but I knew that'd hurt my public image, so I decided to go confront this individual directly..
Hey Floss, how are you doing?
I'm good, how are you doing?
I'm doing alright
You basically stormed the RU tier by winning RU Open last year a la ODR, but a lot of people know you've been a monotype player for longer than that. Before getting into your interest in the tier, would you mind telling us how you got into Pokémon in general?
My first experience with mons was playing Black 2 on my DS, and I was hooked from the start. I’ve swapped the mainline games for ROM hacks and fangames since, but Black 2 will always be one of my most memorable games. I think I learned about Showdown through a blunder video, but didn’t sign up for Smogon until a while after I started playing Showdown (credit to kythr for really getting me into Smogon tours).
What tier did you get into first and why? And how did you end up in RU? I'd assume it was due to the RU Open, but it's still good to hear your side of the story
I played Monotype for a while, due to being around on side servers before getting on Smogon and carrying it over.
Since I wanted to establish myself in Mono before branching out (apart from a few months in SS OU during 2020), I didn’t look towards other tiers much until the Slam in 2022. I wanted to make a concerted effort to pick up lower tiers, and decided to build most of them to see which one I’d click with. After winning the RU Open with my own teams, I wanted to integrate into the community and tier so decided to play the circuit tours, community things like RUgged mountain, and other team tours like BLT and RUWC in order to prepare for SCL. After that, I just ended up sticking around the comm since there are a lot of cool people and I was already used to playing the tier
That's good to hear. You've already had 2 solid SCL RU runs, how have you felt about these tours? Do you see yourself still playing RU in these, or have you ever planned to move to other tiers?
Starting in official team tours is always a challenge and grind for people who are self-sufficient, and it can take an adjustment period to get used to it. I felt some burnout in the first SCL I played, since I had built a lot in the preceding months and tier shifts didn’t change the meta much, and this resulted in a slump in the latter half of the tour. I felt like I was better equipped to handle the demands the next SCL I played, and the volatile nature of the post-DLC tier shifts ensured that I would get to build fresh teams for newer metas. I think it’s unlikely that I would play a different tier in future SCLs, unless I’m disenchanted with the RU meta or find a lot of success in a different tier. Part of this is because I prefer playing when I can build for myself, and also because it would be tougher to get a starting spot in slots I have less results in compared to RU.
How has the competition been for you in general? You did great this last SCL, but did you ever feel pressure to not burn out like the previous year? Did you have any specific players you wanted to beat, and got in your own head because of it? Competing is always fun for me, but it comes with quite some mentality needs, so it's always fun to listen to someone else's perspective on it.
SCL's been pretty enjoyable for me both times I've played it, mainly because it's the highest level of competition for lower tiers in team tours. I usually have a disinclination to using other people's teams when I'm capable of building a tier myself, but by the end of SCL 2 I felt pretty uninspired in my building ideas due to a combination of factors, which bled into my in-game confidence as well. I did have some concerns about the burnout aspect, but taking a break from the tier after RUPL helped a lot in managing it. The main thing that helped me was immediately picking up a win after my first loss in the previous SCL, which gave me some reassurance on being able to bounce back well.
Usually I don't have any specific players I want to beat, but I did want to win against Franklin because he had gotten the better of me in numerous games previously, and my only prior win against him could be attributed to hax. I felt this motivation helped me more than it hindered, and I was happy with the game I ended up playing against him, as well as the team I ended up building. If I do play in the upcoming SCL, I have my eyes on you and Beraldo, so I hope you guys will be playing RU in that one.
Looking forward to it. Do you see any newcomers join the starting lineups in the next SCL? Or maybe even as support builders?
In terms of new starters, I actually think the most interesting candidates might be the boomers who have returned to play RU recently. feen was on the Shoguns bench last year, but I could definitely see him picking up a starting spot this time around with an increased investment in the tier. Meanwhile, Master Chief will also be an intriguing option for managers, as a long-time RU veteran who has picked up the current generation metagame. Another aspect to keep an eye on is the tour players who might take a shot at the tier, although the amount of tour players starting in RU in the last SCL was surprisingly low in comparison to previous editions.
As for newer breakout candidates who could find themselves on the substitute bench, I think cyanize and Lime should be deserving of a spot for any team that requires RU support off the bench. cyanize is one of the most active SV RU builders in the tier, while Lime has been showing out in individuals and offers flexibility in other tiers as well (namely PU). In addition, there are opportunities for people to shine with the upcoming RUPL and RU Open, with SCL managers being likely to take note of any exceptional performances in either tour.
Moving slightly away from SCL and RU, how has it felt to be highly involved in two different communities? You are a council member for RU and tier leader for Monotype. How have you been able to juggle your interest & duties in the game without reaching a burnout point?
Since becoming a tier leader, I have definitely had to adapt in some ways in order to effectively manage the time I spend on the game. I think the main credit has to go to my co-tier leaders in maroon and ken for being crucial in handling most of the forum and organizational aspects of the tier. I have also made an effort to cut down on the amount of tours I play, being used to a lesser amount these days (very much regret signing up for most tours in both RU and Mono Cup recently, and it shows in my effort put into scheduling for those).
I think the biggest toll that the new responsibilities have taken is on the time I have to build the tiers, especially with the volatility introduced by the DLCs. Outside of team tours, I can find it hard to keep up with the metagame and building fresh teams. I hope that with both tiers settling down soon (RU due to tier shifts, Monotype due to no more DLCs), the teams that I'm able to build will stay relevant in the metagame for longer than a month or two.
Do you happen to have a favorite official game/replay? Why is it your favorite one?
If the game ended up mattering towards the week result, I think it'd be the game I played against Ajna in the previous SCL. For me, games after the week result is decided don't count as much (even if differential is crucial), so I'd have to say that my game against Franklin in SCL 3 would be my favourite. Along with the context of my previous dire record against him, I needed the win to bounce back from my first loss in that tour against Franco. Another reason I liked this game was that my tech of Sub 3 Atks Typhlosion-H worked perfectly to sweep the team after it inflicted status on Noivern with Infernal Parade, and I also felt that it was one of my better played games in that SCL.
Yeah that was a pretty funny tech, what was the thought process behind your building in that tour? How did you come up with ideas to catch others off guard?
I usually like to come up with central ideas for the team to build around them, which depends on the sets or cores I find interesting. One example is the Reva/Bish core in my game vs ishtar, which was a double Steel set-up that could wear down the usual checks for each other, and utilise different Teras to counter others. Other times, I keep a central theme in mind to build the team with, like the team against Ajna which was dedicated to hazard stack with deterrences against removal (Lash Out Mudsdale, Defiant Thundy-I, Bramble for spinblocking in a pinch). My main strategy in coming up with techs was usually making use of a 4th slot on mons that have minimal use for them, which had mixed impacts. Some are better not spoken of (Skill Swap Diancie), others had no impact on the game (Encore Toxtricity), and a couple were crucial to my wins (Yawn Vaporeon).
Do you happen to have a team you'd like to share with the fans?
No
Do you do your puns and weird scheduling in every team tour you are in, or do you just do it to spite me whenever we team up?
The wordplay will always be a constant if I'm active in the chat, the weird scheduling is just reserved for you and DugZa (when he doesn't force me to make the schedule).
Wrapping this up I'd like to talk about RUPL, what are your thoughts on the current RUPL? How did you like your draft?
I was impressed with the quality of the players that ended up signing for RUPL, and ultimately think it's shaping up to be one of the most competitive ones with how the drafts ended up. I would say that the Hustlers are definitely the team to watch out, as the defending champs have a solid core to ensure chemistry while also picking up some great players who have experience in their respective tiers (I can personally attest to the effectiveness of the Guille/FV combo in BW after last RUPL).
As for my draft, I was happy with how things ended up going. I haven't had the opportunity to team with most of my new teammates before, so will be looking forward to the chance to get to know them better. I think we managed to find a good mix of RU mainers along with experienced players of other tiers, which is something we were aiming for while planning for the draft. While I felt that getting the 1st seed and making playoffs in the previous RUPL was a decent achievement, I'll definitely be setting my sights higher this time around.
That’s good to hear, but you’ll be getting owned against the bombers… (This aged poorly)
Any final words you’d like to share with the fans?
Good luck to everyone in RUPL (until they play our team) and everyone who will be playing RUGL (personally hope for the tour to be a great success). (It was)
Aight thanks for your time
took all of SEVEN MONTHS of my time
crazy..
Wait till you find out how long it’ll take me to post this
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Feel free to ask Floss any questions you want!
If you have any recommendations, I'll be more than happy to read them, just PM me!
Next time on FeliInterviews...
Feel free to ask Floss any questions you want!
If you have any recommendations, I'll be more than happy to read them, just PM me!
Next time on FeliInterviews...
