Something Smells Oddly Fishy Around Here...
Accomplishments
2012: 1st Place Colorado Regional
Total Winnings
2012 Regional: Trophy, trip to compete at the National Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana, Round 1 & 2 Bye at Nationals.
Biography and History
You may think that Alison "Fishy" McDonald is just an average Pokenoob, who, like many of the girls in VGC, are dragged along to support their friends or boyfriend. If you thought that, you should know that you are completely wrong. Alison has been playing VGC since 2010, where she attended the LCQ in Indianapolis and was knocked out by our very own Synre. She also attended the Seattle Regional as well as Nationals LCQ last year, where she lost in Round 3. Finally determined and ready to win, she attended the Colorado Regionals just two weeks ago where she managed to go undefeated and win the entire tournament. You can read about her experience
here. Alison is one of the only two female Regional Champions in the Master Division, with the other being ryuzaki, who we interviewed a couple of months ago
here. Don't let her looks fool you at Nationals! She'll steal both your heart and the game away from you. :naughty:
Interview
Hey Fishy! Thanks for taking some time to answer my questions! Why don't we start off by having you introduce yourself?
HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NURSE JOY. My name is Alison! My last name is that of a restaurant. I love Smogon. I also love video games. My favorite movie is Dragon Heart, and if you get the chance to spend five minutes with me, you'll quickly learn that I enjoy people very much, especially when I'm able to make them laugh and smile. Uhh, yeah. I'm a giggly girl that loves Pokemon, pretty typical right?
Typical... right... how did you even start playing Pokemon? And what about VGC?
I started playing Pokemon the moment I unwrapped my Christmas present in 1998. I popped in Pokemon Red Version into my grey brick of a Game Boy, and entranced myself with this wonderful world of pocket monsters. Pitted against my rivals with my cuddly-cute to ferocious friends, I quickly learned all that I needed to become a Pokemon Master. A league champion, if you will. Lots of grinding, lots of potions, and of course, lots of Poke Balls. And waaaaay too many Zubats.
I first got into VGC in 2010, and it's purely because of some of the more seasoned players like Huy, Paul, etc. I was invited into a certain IRC channel which seemed more social to me than anything, but its main discussion always revolved around the VGC metagame. I used to battle on Shoddy Battle religiously, my favorite tier being UU. My style is a mix of gimmicks and technical finesse, and learning more about the VGC metagame, one that only involves doubles, I was elated to learn that I could use combinations of a huge variety of Pokemon. It was like the ultimate chance to customize a team and be even more unique in my gameplay!
Awesome! Can you tell us what your first VGC tournament and experience was like?
Strictly battle-wise, it was pretty unimpressive. I lost in round 2 in 2010 against some noob that was using the standard TopOgre lead, and after I lost I realized that my team wasn't as strong as a lot of others. I hadn't really put much time into it - I think I started practicing a month before the tournament. OTHERWISE, it was absolutely phenomenal. I had already met a few Smogoners up to this point, but this amazing weekend I met a bazillion more. It was other-worldly to spend so much physically with people I already spent so much time talking to online. The fact that we were all together for Pokemon just made everything that much sweeter and sillier, in the best way possible.
Heh, I like the way you said that, I definitely agree. Let's talk about your most recent VGC tournament, which was Regionals in Colorado just two weeks ago! How did that go?
Spring Regionals was only the second regional I had ever attended, and it was certainly the better of the two. I ranked first place! I went to the Colorado regional, which was the smallest of all the Regionals, but it's still no easy task ranking the best out of 90 people, and I was pretty surprised to eventually find myself in the 7th round vs. the second best player. It's almost overwhelming to practice for months and months and months before an event, and then find your hard work paying off in an event that only lasts a few hours. I ran a trick room team, which is probably at this point my favorite strategy. You don't really run into many speed ties in trick room ;). Colorado had a good crowd of people, too! There were a few Smogoners who attended that I only learned about after the event, and they congratulated me via visitor messages. It always tickles me to meet people in the flesh and then later discover their internet personas that have been lurking in existence all along. Most of my battles were a little nervy and tense, but the last one was definitely the most difficult, and I was happy that it was. I felt I had really earned my win at the most crucial moment. I won with a collective 25HP on my side, and as soon as my HARIYAMA landed its close combat, I was bewildered that I had just become a champion. My team was Chandelure/Hariyama/Abomasnow/Metagross/Nidoking/Gastrodon. I love this team very much, and I still have no idea what I plan on using at Nats!
Team "BRING THE FRANK"
I remember playing you so many different times on PO! You had a really cool and fun team. Can you tell us more about your thoughts on the Colorado Regional itself, and how it was run? Did it go smoothly?
The Colorado regional was run pretty smoothly, although there were three rounds where pairings had been messed up for whatever reason. There was also some slight confusion about who needed to get hack checked after the first few rounds, but eventually it was made clear that if you were hack checked once, you would be fine for the rest of the event. I didn't attend a fall regional, so I have no comparison base. The location was fine, very easy to get to, and the timing is only a problem for those people that loooove to hit their snooze button. Unfortunately, I am one of those people, but as drowsy as I was because I was too excited/nervous to sleep a lot the night before, I wasn't about to let myself be TRUANT. Yeah, I'm that guy.
Thanks for the feedback! What are your thoughts on the current Regional format, as well as the prizes? Do you think there should be a top cut?
Regardless of Regional attendance, there should be a top cut. In the end, one's success in a tournament should only be determined by themselves and their efforts, not by the efforts of their opponents whom they've already beaten. That's so backwards! I can't really speak on how TPCI should manage their budget - I was pleased with the top 4 getting invites to Nationals and travel money (although I can't really complain as I got the best package out of everyone !_!). It may not be a bad idea to offer half the travel stipend the top 4 players get to the bottom half of a top 8. Even the slightest reward for hard work will inflate a player's appetite for greater success!
Yeah, it would be nice to see more prizes for the top finishers, especially at large Regionals. Are you excited for Nationals?
OBVIOUSLY. Even if I hadn't won a trip and hotel room, I would be going. So far, as soon as Nationals ends, I start ticking off 365 days until the next tournament. I'm fortunate this year to almost be as excited to compete as I am to see my friends (old and soon to be new!) in Indianapolis, but I have to admit that I wouldn't attend these sorts of events if it weren't for the community that I get to congregate with. These events are lovely because of the huge nerdy atmosphere that flourishes everywhere, but they're doubly lovely because I get to share them with my internet friends!!! And frankly, we're all just (the fuggin best) friends at this point - Nationals 2010 was the ice breaker for a lot of people I think (at least for me) but now it's like a big family reunion. Poffins for everyone! I'm so fucking excited.
I agree wholeheartedly, Nationals was my favorite tournament last year, heh. This year will even be better since we don't need invites to play now! On a more general note, what's your favorite Pokemon and Pokemon game?
My favorite Pokemon is Octillery. It starts with an O, it has one of the best diverse move pools ever, and it was my UU sweeper. Its cry is neat, too. Also it has a dreamworld ability that got it banned. He's just the most beastly thing under the sea. If I ever found an Octillery plush I might die. FAVORITE GAME IS POKEMON SILVER VERSION. 2nd Gen is the best. Soul Silver was a dream to play through, but you cannot beat the classics.
My favorite gen. was 2nd too! I was like what, 5 years old back at the time? I have to ask you though, what's it like being a competitive female Pokemon player? You're the second female Master to ever win a US Regional!
Haha, well, it's like anyone else winning a regional I guess. You're recognized as PRETTY OKAY at Pokemon, you win a nifty trophy and trip to Nationals , and you feel super cool. Oh yeah, and you get random guys telling you that it's so cool you play Pokemon, since not many girls do. I'm not really sure what drew me to video games when I was a wee little lass, but I just remember loving my brick Game Boy to death, playing such favorites as Donkey Kong, JAMES BOND, Pokemon, etc. If anything, I was just happy to represent the idea that female gamers can be just as fierce competition as anyone else! I told everyone all day I was going to win, then I did it. HUAHUAHUA
Haha, it is super cool that you play Pokemon in general! Since you've played VGC for 3 years now, what are your thoughts on all the previous years?
My thoughts on previous VGC years… I haven't attended a Worlds event yet, but I plan on doing so this year, so 2012 might be my favorite year for VGC Pokemon. Winning a regional has already tilted the odds toward that favor. :D For me, nothing can really compare to the trip I had in 2010 to the Nationals event…I had to sneak out of my house for a weekend to even go, and although I got in a mess of trouble afterward, it was
so worth it. Nationals of 2011 was amazing, but I think a lot of people were trying too hard to replicate all the fun we had in 2010, which was an impossible feat. Still, some people attended the event that hadn't come in 2011, and singular memories were still created during that poke-weekend. Nationals this year already has a damper - no Canadians!! I will miss Articuno64, skarm, Firestorm, atlas, Phiddlesticks, and other such canadians that will not be able to attend this year due to their own Nationals tournament. BUT, that only means I will be rooting for them to win in tandem with us Americanos~
I'm definitely looking forward to Worlds the most this year. I probably cannot comprehend the variety of people that will be there, and all the merchandise, gaming, popular Pokemon celebrities, etc. I'll be reunited with most of my Canadians too!! Yes, they're mine. Plus, this event is in HAWAII. It's going to be so awesome! It's a roundabout dream come true that I actually get to visit Hawaii for reasons related to Pokemon. Can it get any better than this?
Play Pokemon? Win prizes? Go to Hawaii? Make friends all around the world? Nope, I don't think it can get any better! Thanks for answering all my questions today! Do you have any final words or shoutouts?
Uh, everyone? Shout out to Cassie for being the most helpful little angel in RNGing my team for me, and even dishing out some last minute Pokemon while I was in Colorado. I tried RNGing myself - fuck that. I have great admiration for everyone that RNGs, even if it seems like nothing to them! Really though, everyone in the VGC community has a tender little niche in my heart. VGC has never made Pokemon so fun for me, and I would have SO much more time on my hands if it weren't for VGC and battling/practicing for live events that I could probably have graduated college and been a super hero by now or something. I can't wait to crush everyone's ribs again at Nats, they've had plenty of time to heal.