Project Ubers Player Spotlight #10: HunterStorm

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Changed 'Ubers Player of the Week' from Arii Stella



Ubers Player Spotlight - #10

Ubers Player Spotlight is the place where I interview notable and respected players from Ubers, the tier where the fiercest monsters combat and exert apocalyptic force. People I choose to interview are the elite players who excel at taming the strongest monsters and have been consistent throughout tournaments and is well respected by the community.

I am open to suggestions (DMDW#8155) about the players that can be interviewed, but please keep in mind that suggested players are subjects to review by me and Ubers moderation team. With that out of the way...


Spotlight #10:



Most Known For:

Like several of the fresh players coming up in Ubers lately, I started my PS journey playing Anything Goes. A fact that some people are still unaware of was that AG back then was a lot different from what it is now - it was filled with 6 swagkey/darkrai teams and the two of those were not nerfed. The meta was a living nightmare for most people and it was looked down upon by established tiers. However, I felt some responsibility for the meta, as there definitely was a creamy layer of players who played it competitively and wanted it to get recognition besides the mid-ladder memes which made it infamous. A lot of things changed for me personally when Anything Goes was allotted its own public room, and I was one of the first moderators of the room. I was delighted when Megazard and Chloe gave me the opportunity to represent the AG meta as one of the moderators, and thought of it as recognition for the work I put towards developing the community and playerbase. Over the past year, the meta grew rapidly (thanks to nerfed meme-strats) and I'd like to think I contributed my share towards getting quality players into the meta. I gained more recognition within the AG playerbase after winning a couple seasonals and the inaugural SM AG Open.

In the Ubers playerbase, I'm known for my infamous run in UPL V and the record of 5-1 that I achieved. While I had a forgettable tiebreaker series vs M Dragon where I choked repeatedly due to the immense pressure, I beat some of the best players in the tournament which helped me carve out a niche for myself in the community. I followed it up by reaching the grand finals of the summer ssnl through the winner's bracket, where I got to build one of my most overused teams - the Cloyster-Flyceus offense - which still sees usage.

Hack surprised me after the ssnl finals when he voiced me in the Ubers room - which came as much of a surprise to me as everyone else - but I took it as a step in the right direction and getting recognition beyond the AG community. I slowly started to build more for Ubers than I did for AG, and while I recently achieved a 5-1 record in OMPL and reached the grand finals of AG ssnl in my first tournament back, I continue to build more for Ubers and aim to win my first official tournament in the months to come.

Also a room % in Ubers PS room


Favorite Pokémon:

This one has to be Groudon. Ruby was the first game I played and I absolutely loved this mon. One of my fondest childhood memories is back when I was about 8 years old - at a night camp with my friends, and all of us lost our shits when I caught a Groudon with a Pokeball. I absolutely loved that game, and a major reason for that was how I saw Groudon.


Overview:

I'm 21 years old and am currently in my third year of an endless five years of law-school. I've an old-school taste in music - grew up listening to Pink Floyd, Led Zep, The Beatles and Jefferson Airplane, but I also appreciate some modern Prog-Rock bands like Porcupine Tree and Dream Theater. I grew up as an incredibly competitive kid and played Chess, Football and Badminton on State levels - which is some explanation as to why I get extra salty every time I get haxed in a big game. I like to think of myself as a politically incorrect guy who's made horrible career options and is now trying seeing the funny side of it.


What is your name's origin?

It was initially meant as a word-play on 'Thunderstorm', and my first smogon name was 'T-HunterStorm'. It seemed forced and cheesy as hell, and Chloe convinced me to use HunterStorm as an alternative. I still think it's cheesy, but it caught on and now it's too late to go back.


We'd love to hear some background information about your interest into Pokemon.

Like a lot of the people on Smogon, my interests developed from the old GBA games as a child. I have some of my happiest memories with this game - as I grew around friends who all loved this game and we spoke for hours about which game to play and which mon was the strongest. PS was initially meant as nothing more than a trip down memory lane, but as I kept on winning matches, my competitive edge took priority and I can't even remember the last time I played this game for the 'reminiscent' factor.


What have attracted you into Ubers?

My decision to participate in UPL V was entirely random - I actually don't even remember signing up as I did not expect to get drafted. I remember seeing Gunner as one of the managers, and since we went a long way back, I expected him to maybe try and cheese out a 3k buy best case scenario. However, I came into the tour with no prior Ubers tour experience and almost no ladder recognition, which is why I was skeptical of being drafted. I was extremely surprised when I found out that Lance bid for me, and was elated when I found out I'd be teaming up with Thimo - who was one of my best friends from the AG playerbase. I was happy to help my teammates test for the first two weeks, and tried to contribute as much as I could from the bench. However, Lance told me Week 3 that he was going to give me a shot vs what I look back today as the best SM core of that tournament - TTG and Dominatio. I was extremely motivated throughout the week, and I built some standard offense teams for g1 and a stall to mix it up for g2. I caught Dominatio off-guard G1 with CM Groundceus, and got extremely lucky G2 to snatch a win. I was actually jumped on by 10 players after the series claiming how it was a trashy win, and being the combustible 10 year old that I am, I made it worse by calling out every one individually. Things turned out to go furthermore sideways throughout the tour, but what mattered to me most was that I kept winning. Achieving 5-0 was a big deal for me, but I knew the backlash that I would face if I lost the tiebreaker vs M Dragon. I prepared and over-prepared throughout the week, and I like to think that I actually had matchup in both the games, but I made some of the worst plays I have ever made - which resulted in a loss that was extremely hard to take. The backlash was as I expected, with some random people coming up on threads and telling me I was a trash player - some people who weren't in the tour to begin with.

The loss served more as a motivation to me than anything else, and I've been trying to prove myself as one of the best active players ever since.


What is your favorite playstyle? What generation do you like the most?

I initially played with nothing else besides HO - a tendency that was well known and well exploited in the AG community during its early days, however, after building a lot with my friends thimo and DonnotheFirst, I started exploring new playstyles and options. At this point, I couldn't choose a favourite playstyle if I was forced to - I like adapting according to the player I'm facing and think of no playstyle as my favourite.

I've been using BO a lot recently though, if that is any indication to go by.

I'm a Gen 3 guy - always will be. I plan on starting to play more of the same in the months to come.


How do you feel about the Gothitelle & Gothorita suspect?

A major reason why I did not vote for the suspect test was because I was undecided myself. I could actually make valid arguments for both sides, and couldn't see myself 100% on one side. However, if it was a forced vote, I'd probably drift towards not banning Goths.


Are there any elements of the metagame that you deem unhealthy?

I think the 'BP cleansing' after thimo broke the meta helped Ubers become more or less exactly the way I wish it to be. Although I was against a blanket ban to BP (as opposed to banning BP chains), I don't currently see any aspect of the metagame as unhealthy. This may be largely due to the fact that I come from AG and I've seen everything in its worst and best forms, but I think SM Ubers is exactly where it ought to be presently.


What is your the most memorable game of Ubers?

vs.

vs.

My first game in an official Ubers tournament still is the most memorable I've ever had. I won the series 2-0 vs Dominatio, which proved to be the catalyst for my Ubers run and truly made me believe in myself.

I had some fun games vs Hugo Barrington during the summer seasonal, and while I had a forgettable grand finals, I enjoyed the games we played (about 10 of them in one ssnl, I think?).


How did UPL VI go for you with DaReal Drizzlers?

While I had a forgettable run in UPL this year, I think I was still a part of one of the best teams in the tournament. After getting unfortunate misses G1, I was on the verge of tilting really bad. However, Nayrz and Melee Mewtwo were extremely patient with me and gave me a chance after chance even when things were not working out for me during the games. I've actually had a horrid record in all Bo1 tours in the past (don't tell z0mog), and for some reason, it always feels to me as if it's out of my control to determine the outcome in a bo1 due to the immense potential for hax deciding games, as it did for me throughout UPL VI. However, I had a great time building with Serial EKiller, Cynara, dream and Finchinator, I tried to help as much as I could throughout. My most notable contribution probably came outside the actual games, as I noted how terracotta was prone to building teams extremely weak to CM Groundceus back then, which proved to be a huge factor when Serial played vs him, and got a 6-0 right off of the lead.


What new or existing users or players in Ubers do you look up to?

Melee Mewtwo has been an extremely good friend and mentor to me throughout UPL, and has continued to help me even past that. Nayrz has been a major part of my recent comeback by giving me the chance to play for his team, and I owe a lot to him. I think he's going to do a stellar job as the TL in the months to come. I also look up to dream and owe a lot to him for standing up for me and believing that I am one of the best players in SM as much as I do.


What are your advices for new players getting into Ubers?

I think being limited by playstyle is possibly the worst thing you can do. It's very important to use multiple builds and have your replays stacked. The matchup dependency of USM has made it crucial for every player to be able to adapt according to the players they face, which would involve experimenting with playstyles and trying unconventional sets.


Congratulations on getting drafted for Snake Draft! How do you feel about an event as a whole?

I am elated! I wanted to participate in Snake for almost a year now, and it feels great to finally get the opportunity and get it under the manager that I wanted to play for. Being a part of the 'group of death' makes me excited, and I truly believe I have a good chance here. It should be extremely exciting, and I look forward to the matches.


Please share a set that you think is the most underrated and a set that is the most overrated in Ubers.

luna.PNG

Lunala @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Shield
EVs: 144 HP / 164 Def / 200 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Toxic/ Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Moongeist Beam

I think not enough has been said about the incredible potential of bulk Lunala as a blanket wall, and while it does require hazard support to function, it is actually worth it due to the insane amount of mons it can check - most notably checking the DM-Ultra pair and outspeeding and checking primals. It also is an efficient defogger, and while its defogging slot is not a necessity, it does provide it incredible utility.

tombdonner.PNG

Groudon @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 SpA / 100 SpD / 156 Spe or 180 HP / 252 SpA / 76 Spe
Mild Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Precipice Blades
- Overheat
- Rock Tomb

In terms of overrated sets, I think the Overheat-Tomb-Blades-Rocks Primal Groudon set has seen way more usage than it deserves to. While it offers a lot in terms of special-physical coverage, it is just incredibly easy to chip/wear out and overheat completely fails to impress me. It also lacks the pressure of SD-rocker sets, and can actually be easily walled by supportceus without its usual toxic slot being wasted on Tomb. I think it's a mediocre set at best, and should be used as a surprise nuke more than the standard rocker set it has grown to be seen as.


Would you provide us with a team and add a brief description?


Kyogre-Primal @ Blue Orb
Ability: Primordial Sea
EVs: 252 Def / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Arceus-Dark @ Dread Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 48 Def / 212 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Judgment
- Stealth Rock
- Recover

Ho-Oh @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Defog
- Toxic

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Solganium Z
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Swords Dance
- Morning Sun
- Earthquake

Sableye-Mega @ Sablenite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Fake Out
- Will-O-Wisp
- Foul Play
- Recover

Lunala @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Shield
EVs: 144 HP / 164 Def / 200 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Toxic
- Roost
- Moongeist Beam

There has been a lot of discussion about this team since I peaked the Ubers ladder with it, and it has received a lot of usage lately. I've been wanting to RMT this one for a while now, as I feel my tours usage of this team is more or less done for the time being.

The team revolves around providing scarf ho oh the potential to abuse regen + scarf combination and having seemingly endless longevity and speed control. The rest of the team is designed to accentuate Ho-Oh's pivoting, and to keep hazards off of the field for as long as possible. Unlike most of the semi-stall/balance builds, the team is almost entirely Gothitelle-proof, which gives it an edge in tournament games as well. Kyogre functions as a neat revenge killer strategy for Primal Groudon and provides longevity as a status absorber and balance breaker.


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Thank you HunterStorm for spending the time to answer the questions! Feel free to ask other questions in this thread!
 
Last edited:
Posted this a few hours earlier than I should have because I'm tired and stuff. Hopefully the interview is now more entertaining to read with some new questions added. That's all folks.
 
1) What's your favorite song by Led Zep? and why's it Achilles Last Stand?
2) What's your favorite Pink Floyd album and why?
3) Are you digging Dream Theater after Portnoy left or nah?
4) What sector of law are you keen on practicing once you pass school?
5) What is your favorite Pepe emote?
 
* What do you think is the best SR variant of Primal Groudon atm and why is it SR / SD / Blades / Tomb?
* What team archetype is going down the drain these days and why is it Tyranitar stall?
* How much did you like the short time that you had to spend with a catgirl avatar after losing a bet during OMPL?
* Fight / Kill / Marry - Fireburn / Melee Mewtwo / Nayrz
 
Kill fuck marry: Lance, Thimo, Chloe
Who's your favourite catgirl?
Who are you most scared of in your snake group?
Pblades or eq?
Do you watch anime? If so, favourites? What other TV shows/movies/other media do you really like?
What music do you listen to?
Do you prefer catgirls with just cat ears and a tail, or do you like a little more fur?
 
1) What's your favorite song by Led Zep? and why's it Achilles Last Stand?
2) What's your favorite Pink Floyd album and why?
3) Are you digging Dream Theater after Portnoy left or nah?
4) What sector of law are you keen on practicing once you pass school?
5) What is your favorite Pepe emote?

1) ALS/Heartbreaker/Black Dog/When the Levee Breaks. It changes.
2) Piper at the Gates of Dawn bc Syd Barrett and Dark Side of the Moon because it's probably my favourite album of all time.
3) Mike Portnoy is one of my favourite drummers still alive (along with Gavin Harrison), so no. Haven't heard too much of the recent DT stuff tbh, but what I heard gave me a very Guns N' Roses after Slash feel.
4) Arbitration's the focus right now.
5) It's obvious :}

* What do you think is the best SR variant of Primal Groudon atm and why is it SR / SD / Blades / Tomb?
* What team archetype is going down the drain these days and why is it Tyranitar stall?
* How much did you like the short time that you had to spend with a catgirl avatar after losing a bet during OMPL?
* Fight / Kill / Marry - Fireburn / Melee Mewtwo / Nayrz
1- Damn right and because it is one of the most free-clicks set I've ever come across. Very hard to switch into and pressures a majority of the defoggers. I'm fine with toxic utility on some teams, but I'd prefer SD tomb rocks on almost every offense build.
2- Passive stall in general. Way too many threats in the meta, the DM-Ultra mindgames and a general necessity to carry speed control. I can't think of one passive core that still does well in USM Ubers tbh.
3- ....
4- Fight Nayrz Kill Fireburn (sry fam) marry MM2 cuz he's awesome

Kill fuck marry: Lance, Thimo, Chloe
Who's your favourite catgirl?
Who are you most scared of in your snake group?
Pblades or eq?
Do you watch anime? If so, favourites? What other TV shows/movies/other media do you really like?
What music do you listen to?
Do you prefer catgirls with just cat ears and a tail, or do you like a little more fur?
1- Tough one. Fuck thimo kill thimo marry thimo
2- ......
3- TTG, as he's the only one I've never played before. Uncertainty bothers me.
4- Pfft EQ
5- A friend of mine persuaded me to watch Tokyo Ghoul recently and I liked it. I started watching Attack on Titans and Full Metal Alchemist and I really like them both. I'm very, very fond of WestWorld atm. Black Mirror/Breaking Bad/Hannibal are a few of my all time favourites. I was fond of Game of Thrones before it became shit.
6- Progressive Rock (Huge Pink Floyd fan) on most days. I really like Radiohead/Porcupine Tree on selective days.
7- ...............
 

Deleted User 400951

Banned deucer.
Who do u fuckin hate in smogon
Whos the shittiest player uve played

Non-memes:
Who do you think deserved to be drafted in Snake draft and who should be in potentially SPL? Likewise with UPL - who do you see getting drafted this year that wasn't drafted, and do you plan on playing/managing?
What other metas are you interested in outside of Ubers?
Any mons you think are underrated as of now and have potential to do well in the meta soon? And the other way around - mons that are overrated and will fall out of favour soon?
What's your thought process with building?

best of luck in snake!
 
Who do u fuckin hate in smogon
Whos the shittiest player uve played

Non-memes:
Who do you think deserved to be drafted in Snake draft and who should be in potentially SPL? Likewise with UPL - who do you see getting drafted this year that wasn't drafted, and do you plan on playing/managing?
What other metas are you interested in outside of Ubers?
Any mons you think are underrated as of now and have potential to do well in the meta soon? And the other way around - mons that are overrated and will fall out of favour soon?
What's your thought process with building?

best of luck in snake!
I absolutely fucking hate user DEG and he's also the shittiest player ever.

Snake draft - Terracotta . He's had issues with team-building holes and recently faced a dip in confidence, but I still think his unpredictability factor is underplayed. He's recently shifted focus to Ferro balance and has been trying things different from what he usually uses, and that's really hard to do. I expect him to recover in the months to come and have a great comeback.

UPL - Zesty. I was a bit disappointed that he didn't get drafted for UPL VI, but then catching a draft in Snake just proves that he deserved a UPL shot. I don't know if there ever has been a Snake draft with no prior UPL experience, so that proves a lot about how much the community expects from him. I expect a good show from him. I also expect a lot of my AG friends to carry on the baton and pull off a stellar performance next year. I'd watch out for Zenithial and Megazard. I do plan on playing but not sure if I'm ready to manage just yet.

I played most of my early days in AG and that's where I gained most of my understanding of team-building and playing from. The transition from AG to Ubers was pretty smooth for me, as it has been for most AG players. I also like MnM and tiers-wise have been enjoying LC a lot recently.

I'm starting to think Extreme Killer is really being slept on at the moment. Standard teams often forget to carry dedicated checks and the sheer versatility E Killers can afford is underrated. For balance builds I think Wisp Arceus forms, especially lures like Rockceus and Grassceus, have a lot of potential in the current meta.

Flyceus is one mon that I think is past its best days. It was one of my favourite sets in SM and I absolutely loved its potential to 6-0 teams, but with the release of DM, rise of Magearna utility due to heal bell support, and confide Blob sets being standard, it fails to function as efficiently as it once did. I also fail to understand Megagross usage in the present meta - especially since DM provides a far better alternative minus the opportunity cost of mega and reliable rocks setup/recovery.

My teams usually end up being unconventional because there is actually a lot of thought and time going into them. I start off with one set that I think has immense potential in the meta, and proves to be a threat on a consistent basis. I follow up by covering any holes the team may have; with a lot of focus on my matchup vs every playstyle. It often requires me to use underused sets that do the job better than standard sets would do. For instance, while building my Spirituality teams, (import in interview) I really appreciated the support that Fairyceus/Darkceus provided to Lunala defensively, which gave me a lot of room to play Lunala as my second defogger. Scarf ho oh being locked into defog seemed strange to people, but I saw the regenerator + scarf abuse potential on that balance. Kyogre's general lack of requirement for bulk and me struggling vs SD Pdon made me switch Kyogre to timid max speed + defensive bulk. The hazard control of the team allowed me to sacrifice a dedicated slot for Kyogre and run toxic Lunala as my blanket wall for a majority of threats. While all of these changes work situationally, the team as a whole covers more meta threats than any other active team that I know of, and requires a very CT-ish build to break it consistently.

I think it is extremely important to carry reliable speed control in USM Ubers. If I'm building for a tournament game, I try to make sure that my team isn't entirely Goth fodder (unless I'm just testing in ssnl for a bigger tournament or I have an assurance that my opponent won't bring Gothitelle) and consider team longevity to be of a lot of importance. I think the shift of the meta towards balance/bo/offense and the sudden drop in passive stall usage has enabled people to often not prepare for stall at all, which I think is a big team-building flaw.

easiest person u faced in any smogon tournament?
DEG
I think I'm still 70-0 or something across different metas.
 

ckw

Tired
is a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
As someone who went 5-1 and 1-3 (tho old gens) in back to back team tours, what do you think went wrong for you in this year's UPL? I hope luck wasn't it since u made a great recovery after week 1.

Since u have more meta knowledge compared to most players under spotlights, what do you think of the idea of removing species clause and why?

Most important question; when did you start going to the Church of Pepe?
 

power

uh-oh, the game in trouble
why is metro boomin mega rays the best team name in any team tour ever

why does your old builder have 200 distinct sableye teams

if you had to get a three letter name on smogon what would it be
 
As someone who went 5-1 and 1-3 (tho old gens) in back to back team tours, what do you think went wrong for you in this year's UPL? I hope luck wasn't it since u made a great recovery after week 1.

Since u have more meta knowledge compared to most players under spotlights, what do you think of the idea of removing species clause and why?

Most important question; when did you start going to the Church of Pepe?
1- I think just a lack of confidence for the most part after the game 1 RNG. I really wanted to do well this year and let pressure get the best of me. I'd like to think I prepped well all 4 games that I played this year, as two of the three games that I lost were largely unfortunately carried out by RNG and vs garay oak I just simply misplayed by not clicking sub with Zygarde and allowing scarf Yveltal to revenge. One way to explain it could be that I spent a lot of time worrying about the outcome and second guessing teams that I built.

2- I think a removal of Species Clause would greatly change the metagame for the worse. I've played a lot of AG to know what removal of species clause can do, and a majority of the low/mid-ladder will become a meme fest and the community could be impacted for the worse. Even though it does allow for efficient team-building in some ways, I think it's best left to remain as an AG trait as the meta has grown to adjust to it over the years.

3- ;)

How did I do as UPL Host?
UPL was hot and the host was awesome

why is metro boomin mega rays the best team name in any team tour ever

why does your old builder have 200 distinct sableye teams

if you had to get a three letter name on smogon what would it be
1- Bc Ezygoat went undefeated. How tf did we not qualify for playoffs again?

2- I was going through a phase

3- DEG
 
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