credits to rozes for the art
Hello, and welcome to UU's Pokemon Showdown Player of the Week, where I, Professor Kink (MD., PhD UU), interview some of our Pokemon Showdown UU Room's most accomplished Ladder and Room Tour players. Maybe you've heard of them, maybe you haven't - one thing's for sure, these guys are experts of their craft and will most likely be making some noise in upcoming tours.
Current Interview: Yifeng
Hey guys, my name is Yifeng (pronounced yee-fing in case you were wondering) and I turned 24 just not too long ago. I identify as a Kiwi, not the flightless bird or the fruit, but a humble New Zealander. I have a bachelors degree in Mechatronics Engineering from the University of Auckland. Right now I’m working as a Production Estimator at a sheet metal processing facility, I basically draw stuff up on CAD and get them laser cut and do some customer support stuff.
I spend most of my free time drawing these days, recently got given a tablet to draw on, which is a nice change of pace from pen and paper. I also do a lot cycling (trials to be specific) and traditional carpentry. I own a small collection of knives and maintaining them is fun. And I just like doing all kinds of DIY projects around the house.
As some of you may be aware, I’m a Japanese animation connoisseur, I’ve seen almost 500 titles, and that number is growing fast. So if you ever want something good to watch, just hit me up.
My rise to fame in UU came when Calloflochie rolled a dice on who to promote and I got lucky. Random facts about me: I own 5 bikes and I have an irrational fear of cockroaches.
What made you choose your name?
So back in highschool, when I would introduce myself to other kids, a lot of them struggled to pronounce/remember my name. I got kinda tired of that, so when people ask me what my name was I would jokingly tell them it’s Bob (basically the most generic English name I could think of). Me and my mates back in highschool just referred to each other as “Bruh”, and I guess the rest is history.
What inspires you to compete on the ladder and/or in the room?
I initially started off playing OU in late gen 4 or early gen 5, don’t exactly remember which, but I felt like the tier was too oversaturated with broken shit and found it very difficult to learn the tier. Which was why I moved down to UU and I just stuck with it.
From here, I remember watching a lot of replays trying to get a sense of what’s good and what’s not. I went through a lot of Pif, Dingbat, you (King) and xMarth’s games. Lol I still vividly remember playing against and losing to Pif’s mono-dragon team when I first started UU. I guess what compels me the most to play nowadays is the thrill of predicting and outsmarting my opponents. It’s also fun to compete in ladder wars with other good players and friends. The rivalry back in the days between me, you (King) and xMarth and continuously trying to one up each other on the ladder was some of the fondest memories I have of PS.
What brought you to Pokemon Showdown and competitive Pokemon in general?
Honestly, I’ve just loved Pokemon for as long as I could remember. But I’ve always been pretty poor when I was younger, so I’ve never owned any “current gen” consoles when they first came out. I think I bought a Gameboy colour in 2004 and played gen 1 and gen 2 games on it, but by then everyone’s either on the GBA or the DS. I’ve always wanted to play Pokemon with other people, but never got the chance to.
I was like 13(?) when I found out you can play Pokemon on the internet and I somehow found PokemonCrater and started playing that. For those of you old enough to remember PokemonCrater, I’m sure you’d all agree it’s a piece of shit. Then I moved to playing Pokemon Online, coincidentally I started watching competitive players (TheFlamingSpade and Shofu) around this time as well. I think PO got shut down not long after, and I wanted to continue playing competitively, since it was the easiest way to play with a lot of other people. So I did some googling and found PS. So here I am, 6 years later, still playing.
What are your strengths as a UU battler? What are some areas in which you can improve?
I think I’m adaptable as a player, I can use any playstyle well. As many of you may know, I used to play stall, then balanced, and finally now, I play predominantly HO. I can adapt the way I play to suit different teams and different opponents. I scout out the type of player my opponent is before I start predicting when playing a slower paced game and when I play HO, I tend to play super aggressively.
I’m also decent when it comes to building teams, my usual approach is just to build around uncommon/underused mons/sets and playing lots of games to make changes via trial and error. This approach usually means I end up with some pretty strong teams by the end of a few ladder sessions. I think my unpredictability when it comes to both team building and playing is what gives me the edge when facing against more orthodox players and playstyles.
I’m a persistent person, so I don’t forfeit games if there’s even the slightest chance of winning, with the aid hax or bad plays or whatever. Pulling wins out of absolutely nowhere is an amazing feeling.
Playing aggressively is definitely a double edged sword and I can get pretty reckless from time to time, even when there’s no need to be. This has definitely cost me a lot of games in the past. I’m quite stubborn when it comes to teambuilding, there are a few mons/sets out there that I just absolutely refuse to use (Amoonguss, Klefki, any form of bulky Scizor and just annoying things in general), not because they don’t fit with my playstyle, but because I hate facing them. I’m definitely feeling the adverse effect of my stubbornness more now after Breloom and Azumarill dropped.
Now that you've become a UU ladder expert, what's next for you?
I don’t consider myself as an expert at all. Above average at best, when I’m using a good team. I honestly don’t have any specific goals I want to achieve when it comes to Pokemon. I come on PS just to chat and ladder for fun. I’ll keep playing on the ladder and testing new teams until I get bored, which probably won’t be any time soon.
We have UU Ladder Tour and UU Premier League coming up shortly, are you looking to participate?
To put it frankly, the Smogon side of things interest me very little and tournaments even less. I have a few too many hobbies keeping me occupied so I didn’t really plan on signing up.
What would you say to any Managers out there who are looking to pick up players for UU Premier League?
Refer to previous question. I don’t really know what the Premier League is about, or what managers are, so short answer is that I don’t know.
Can you provide a team that you think reflects your current playstyle with a brief explanation of how it works?
Azumarill @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Liquidation
- Knock Off
- Aqua Jet
Aerodactyl-Mega @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Fire Fang
- Ice Fang
- Pursuit
doge (Stoutland) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Return
- Facade
- Superpower
- Crunch
sand (Hippowdon) @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 236 HP / 16 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Whirlwind
- Slack Off
Celebi @ Groundium Z
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Psychic
- Giga Drain
- Earth Power
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Steadfast
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aura Sphere
- Flash Cannon
- Vacuum Wave
- Nasty Plot
Here’s an offense team I built a few months back when I wanted to use Stoutland in sand. I think it sums up my playstyle and teambuilding quite well. Balls out offense with a pivot/sand setter, featuring a few uncommon and unusual Pokemons that few ever take into account when building. This team did really well back when I was using it, getting me reqs for Breloom/Buzzswole as well as battling with Pif over rank 1 for a few days. But with Breloom now in the tier, it’s not quite as good, but still a strong and versatile team nonetheless.
Stoutland is extremely underrated mon at the moment, CB return is no joke, it 2HKOs offensive Scizor after rocks! Mega-Aero is to help get rid of them pesky ghost types with Pursuit. In sand, it can pretty much guarantee a kill on the likes of Gengar and Chandelure. NP Celebi + NP Lucario are both incredibly anti-meta, destroying most common stall cores out there and can put huge dents in more offensive orientated teams. Aero helps a ton since it beats Latias pretty reliably in sand as well. And Azumarill is just good lol, good typing and precious water priority.
As someone who's already achieved a steady pace on the ladder, is there any advice you would give to newer players in terms of playing and building for the ladder or suspect tests, or even competing in room tournaments as a casual player, etc?
I see way too many newer players outright forfeiting just because they’re a bit behind in a game. Call me old fashioned but giving up is just not the right way to improve, and this applies to just about everything in life as well. Challenge yourself to turn the game around despite the odds. If you lose then take that as an opportunity to reflect on your mistakes, whether it’s because you played sub-optimally or if you need to improve your team.
Stop playing victim and blaming losses on hax. There must have been something that could have been done differently to avoid arriving at the scenario where hax would determine the outcome of a game. Hax is an integral part of the game and it’s also part of the fun, so just embrace it.
As the kind of person that never reads instructions when assembling furnitures and enjoy the stumbling around, I would recommend new players to experiment building their own teams rather than using existing teams. Trial and error is probably the most fun and effective way of getting better at something.
Finally, who are some of your favourite people in the UU Room?
I’m quite close with a lot of the regulars in the UU room, but a few people do stand out. I think my most absolute favouritest person is Watfor. I’ve known him for almost as long as I’ve been playing (6 years!!). Great lad, sarcastic and dark sense of humour, so there’s plenty of banters in the PMs. Really trustworthy so I talk about IRL stuff with him quite a bit. I also really enjoy Pif’s company, he’s not afraid to make fun of himself so I really like that about him. Simply put, in my native Kiwi tongue, they’re both good cunts. Other people I also really like are some of my older friends like Meowiekins, Luna Bae, Rowdog, GrilledClawitzer, Lixx, Kreme and Cyndequil. No offense to anyone I’ve missed out, there’s just way too many of you for me to name.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name's John. I'm a first-year political science student at the University of Connecticut, with the end goal being to graduate in three years and to go to a t14 law school. Outside of mons and studying I like listening to music, watching sports, playing soccer, sleeping for long periods of time, booling with my friends, and being on uconn's travel model UN team.
What made you choose your name?
Big Kanye West fan. When I came back to mons in late 2016 after a 3-4 year break I played on PS with a few alts up until 'yeezy knows99,' and decided to roll with that as my smogon name. I wasn't the biggest fan of the 'knows' suffix for the longest time, but i'm rolling with it for the foreseeable future :D
What inspires you to compete on the ladder and/or in the room?
Momentary satisfaction from getting a win is a comfy feeling, and I've been hardwired to get that little endorphin boost from a ladder win ever since fifth grade, so I doubt it's ever going to go away. I love the strategy behind mons, learning more about the intricacies of playing at a high level is super interesting, and I've found that the better I get, the more I ultimately have to learn about the game and improve.
What brought you to Pokemon Showdown and competitive Pokemon in general?
I started first playing simulator mons in 2009, playing on Shoddy Battle in fifth grade. One of the comfiest memories I have during this time was being super excited in the middle of class to go home and ladder with latias. This was the first RMT I made, comfy times.After Shoddy, I played on a PO server called PBC/PokeBattleCenter, and then moved to laddering on PO from 2011-2012. I was in the [IMP] clan alongside current smogon bigwigs like Dice, Lavos, and Finchinator, and former smogon bigwigs like Marth, Blimlax, Problems, Denis, and Donkey. http://impleague.forumotion.com/t90-the-imperial-league-revamped-rules-and-sign-ups#822 was our old forum gym league, shoutout to me for being the DW OU steel-type gym leader with a crispy 1591 peak. After a 3-4 year hiatus, I came back to mons near the tail end of 2016, playing ORAS UU under a bunch of diff alts, trying to get back into the swing of things. I joined the forums a year or so back, and have had a great time laddering and participating in the forums/uu room.
What are your strengths as a UU battler? What are some areas in which you can improve?
I think I'm a solid player overall, but there's definitely aspects of the game I can improve in. I can make reads when necessary and consider myself to be a good player and a competent builder, but I def err more on the side of enjoying playing more so than I do building. One of the biggest things I've learned is the importance of mentality when playing mons. I'm decently prone to getting tilted over the course of a ladder session, and my ability varies drastically as a result. On my best day I feel like I can take a game from anyone, but on other days my mindset isn't as strong.
Now that you've become a UU ladder expert, what's next for you?
I'm for sure gonna enter UULT, and hopefully I get drafted as a cheap lottery pick in uupl, but I'm not sure as to how likely that is. I'd love to join more tours, and I can't wait to participate in majors/UU open.
What would you say to any Managers out there who are looking to pick up players for UU Premier League?
There are tons of strong UU mains that might not get their due or are relatively unknown in the major tour scene as a whole that should 100% be playing. I feel like UUPL is going to have tons of qualified applicants, and managers should look into the entirety of UU and do their due diligence to scope out some solid diamonds in the rough.
Can you provide a team that you think reflects your current playstyle with a brief explanation of how it works?
https://pastebin.com/PLMnAFSv
This is a super fun fat balance build that I love to use. It could become outdated in a meta with cm m-bro, but it's solid overall. Crocune and SD Glisc form a super potent offensive core, as it's almost assured that one of them will have a favorable MU in the endgame and will be able to sweep. One of the biggest pitfalls of building balance is that in can fall into this passive, weak, do-nothing state, and I feel like this team circumvents that well. It's bulky while not being passive, checks the metagame incredibly well, and has two capable wincons that threaten most, if not all builds.
As someone who's already achieved a steady pace on the ladder, is there any advice you would give to newer players in terms of playing and building for the ladder or suspect tests, or even competing in room tournaments as a casual player, etc?
There's no substitute for experience. You can watch as many blunder/pokeaim/competitive tutorials as you want, but the principles mean nothing if you don't know how to apply them to an in-game setting. Identify how you play as a player, learn how you can improve, and get better. One of the douchiest adages I've heard is used "if you're mad, get better," but it really works as a mantra. Learn how you lost, learn why you lost, and learn how to prevent that in future games.
Finally, who are some of your favourite people in the UU Room?
There are tons of cool people I've met over the past year or so, mb if I forget someone. My dudes sage, viv, sei, mengy, snowyop, and everyone in the MSPL room. the big homie feelstoads/draconiclepus. my dude superior91, who i haven't seen in a minute, and my little man faded love.
My name's John. I'm a first-year political science student at the University of Connecticut, with the end goal being to graduate in three years and to go to a t14 law school. Outside of mons and studying I like listening to music, watching sports, playing soccer, sleeping for long periods of time, booling with my friends, and being on uconn's travel model UN team.
What made you choose your name?
Big Kanye West fan. When I came back to mons in late 2016 after a 3-4 year break I played on PS with a few alts up until 'yeezy knows99,' and decided to roll with that as my smogon name. I wasn't the biggest fan of the 'knows' suffix for the longest time, but i'm rolling with it for the foreseeable future :D
What inspires you to compete on the ladder and/or in the room?
Momentary satisfaction from getting a win is a comfy feeling, and I've been hardwired to get that little endorphin boost from a ladder win ever since fifth grade, so I doubt it's ever going to go away. I love the strategy behind mons, learning more about the intricacies of playing at a high level is super interesting, and I've found that the better I get, the more I ultimately have to learn about the game and improve.
What brought you to Pokemon Showdown and competitive Pokemon in general?
I started first playing simulator mons in 2009, playing on Shoddy Battle in fifth grade. One of the comfiest memories I have during this time was being super excited in the middle of class to go home and ladder with latias. This was the first RMT I made, comfy times.After Shoddy, I played on a PO server called PBC/PokeBattleCenter, and then moved to laddering on PO from 2011-2012. I was in the [IMP] clan alongside current smogon bigwigs like Dice, Lavos, and Finchinator, and former smogon bigwigs like Marth, Blimlax, Problems, Denis, and Donkey. http://impleague.forumotion.com/t90-the-imperial-league-revamped-rules-and-sign-ups#822 was our old forum gym league, shoutout to me for being the DW OU steel-type gym leader with a crispy 1591 peak. After a 3-4 year hiatus, I came back to mons near the tail end of 2016, playing ORAS UU under a bunch of diff alts, trying to get back into the swing of things. I joined the forums a year or so back, and have had a great time laddering and participating in the forums/uu room.
What are your strengths as a UU battler? What are some areas in which you can improve?
I think I'm a solid player overall, but there's definitely aspects of the game I can improve in. I can make reads when necessary and consider myself to be a good player and a competent builder, but I def err more on the side of enjoying playing more so than I do building. One of the biggest things I've learned is the importance of mentality when playing mons. I'm decently prone to getting tilted over the course of a ladder session, and my ability varies drastically as a result. On my best day I feel like I can take a game from anyone, but on other days my mindset isn't as strong.
Now that you've become a UU ladder expert, what's next for you?
I'm for sure gonna enter UULT, and hopefully I get drafted as a cheap lottery pick in uupl, but I'm not sure as to how likely that is. I'd love to join more tours, and I can't wait to participate in majors/UU open.
What would you say to any Managers out there who are looking to pick up players for UU Premier League?
There are tons of strong UU mains that might not get their due or are relatively unknown in the major tour scene as a whole that should 100% be playing. I feel like UUPL is going to have tons of qualified applicants, and managers should look into the entirety of UU and do their due diligence to scope out some solid diamonds in the rough.
Can you provide a team that you think reflects your current playstyle with a brief explanation of how it works?
https://pastebin.com/PLMnAFSv
This is a super fun fat balance build that I love to use. It could become outdated in a meta with cm m-bro, but it's solid overall. Crocune and SD Glisc form a super potent offensive core, as it's almost assured that one of them will have a favorable MU in the endgame and will be able to sweep. One of the biggest pitfalls of building balance is that in can fall into this passive, weak, do-nothing state, and I feel like this team circumvents that well. It's bulky while not being passive, checks the metagame incredibly well, and has two capable wincons that threaten most, if not all builds.
As someone who's already achieved a steady pace on the ladder, is there any advice you would give to newer players in terms of playing and building for the ladder or suspect tests, or even competing in room tournaments as a casual player, etc?
There's no substitute for experience. You can watch as many blunder/pokeaim/competitive tutorials as you want, but the principles mean nothing if you don't know how to apply them to an in-game setting. Identify how you play as a player, learn how you can improve, and get better. One of the douchiest adages I've heard is used "if you're mad, get better," but it really works as a mantra. Learn how you lost, learn why you lost, and learn how to prevent that in future games.
Finally, who are some of your favourite people in the UU Room?
There are tons of cool people I've met over the past year or so, mb if I forget someone. My dudes sage, viv, sei, mengy, snowyop, and everyone in the MSPL room. the big homie feelstoads/draconiclepus. my dude superior91, who i haven't seen in a minute, and my little man faded love.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Adam, and I am 25 now (damn I’m getting old) and I work in advertising doing Search Engine Optimization/Marketing. Essentially, I make companies more relevant to the consumer/customer online. Outside of work, I enjoy playing and watching sports (Hockey, Baseball Golf), hanging out with family/friends (particularly at my family’s cottage), and playing on Pokémon Showdown in my downtime at work/or after work. I also have the best doggo named Jake who is like my child and the best wingman going as ladies love him.
What made you choose your name?
My name “YouthBerry” is actually from a tea they sell at Starbucks. I’m not really a Starbucks guy, I like my Tim Hortons like every good Canadian, but I was dating a girl at the time that was obsessed with “YouthBerry” tea at Starbucks and she got me into it a little. So when I was fresh into Showdown and looking for an alt, the name just came to me and I ran with it. Also, that’s why I use a random Starbucks cup as my avatar on Smogon.
What inspires you to compete on the ladder and/or in the room?
I think my inspiration comes from a bunch of different things: First I am very competitive and want to win. I grew up as the youngest of 5, with 3 older brothers and I always wanted to keep up with them and beat them, so that competitive fire burns deep not only in Pokémon but real life. Secondly, I have a desire to try and use under-appreciated/underrated Pokémon team-building wise, and make them viable. A good example was that I used Salazzle as a stallbreaker this gen when it was sitting in C rank in the viability rankings and had little to no usage in UU. I did similar things in ORAS with Weezing (which people still remember and give me a hard time about haha) and many more. 3rd thing is I like the strategy and gamesmanship of playing on ladder or in the room or with friends. Love those situations where you are competing against a quality opponent and it’s a close game where it comes down to a couple turns. You learn so much by playing, particularly against quality opponents, and I’m constantly taking bits and pieces from UU players I respect, and that inspires me to compete and get better.
What brought you to Pokemon Showdown and competitive Pokemon in general?
It started back in my first year of College, I was dating a girl at the time that was into Pokémon a little and she had a copy of Ruby in her bedroom that she played occasionally. Seeing that game, it gave me nostalgic feelings for Pokémon and I was curious about the newer gens since I hadn’t played them. I hadn’t played since gen 2 with Pokémon Silver which I played a ton back as a wee YouthBerry. Anyway, one day I went onto Kijiji (craigslist of Canada) and found someone selling a GameBoy Advance and a copy of Pokémon Emerald, bought it and played through that amazing game. I stumbled upon Smogon while looking for info about EVs and IVs and ideal movesets for the Battle Frontier in that game. I ended up finding Showdown a couple years later after I found an RMT with Showdown replays based around a Pokémon (Mega Abomasnow) I wanted to build a new team around at the time for Alpha Sapphire. I joined and built an awful Mega Abomsnow team for UU, and then I played and adjusted for a while until the team was half decent and I achieved like top 20 on the UU ladder. From then on I was hooked.
What are your strengths as a UU battler? What are some areas in which you can improve?
I think I’m a competent battler but I still have a lot to improve on. First off, I think something like 60% of a skill as a battler comes down to teambuilding. A good team puts you in a position to win pretty consistently before taking into account of battle skills, whereas a bad team will make it tougher for battle skills to come through. I feel like I'm good at finding Pokémon that work well together both offensively and defensively, and I try and build teams around that core that can handle every playstyle reasonably well. I think my teambuilding could be more complete though, there’s always a few things that are not easy for my team to handle and I have built a few too many teams that lack consistent hazard control which is scary. Battling wise, I think I do a good job of the basic stuff like metagame knowledge, opponent team preview analysis, identifying win-cons for both sides and working to achieve my win-con before my opponent achieves his/hers. I think my execution is flawed at times though in battle, perhaps not thinking quite enough ahead occasionally, playing risk/reward in a turn wrong, or over-predicting with a Scarf/Specs user, or simply not using the Pokémon Calculator enough. Perhaps the biggest area I’d like to improve on is playing too safe at times, I play my best when I’m making the good aggressive doubles and maintaining pressure on my opponent instead of having my opponent dictate my moves.
Now that you've become a UU ladder expert, what's next for you?
My next goal is to achieve more Smogon tournament success for sure! I have played in more tournaments over the last year or so, but it’s generally been a win or 2 and then bounced. I’m getting older and I have less time for Pokémon now, and ladder has less meaning to me as a result (still a great training grounds) but competing against better players at a more prestigious level is where I want to be competitive Pokémon wise. I really enjoyed earning my way into BLT last year where I started to make a name for myself after beating a few prominent names in a row. I’ve also been close to playoffs in ULT the last two years and won some other various tournament matches so I feel like I can hang with some of the more talented players in the community, just need to get more consistent and prove myself further.
We have UU Ladder Tour and UU Premier League coming up shortly, are you looking to participate?
As I mentioned above, I have competed in ULT before and I look forward to again. I’ve been close the last 2 years to getting to the playoffs. I feel like I’m a better and more complete player now than I was then so I’m hoping 3rd time is the charm. Premier League would be fun if I was selected, I have no expectation of that, but I would enjoy the opportunity to learn from other respected players within the community and help out in any way that I can.
What would you say to any Managers out there who are looking to pick up players for UU Premier League?
My advice would be to do your homework on potential picks! I think there’s a pretty strong talent pool that expands further than some of the more known long-term players, particularly in the SM meta. There are some strong players that know this UU SM meta really well, better than guys who haven’t been around much recently but are accomplished players from the past, and that could make them good value selections. Also I think it’s important to mentor guys/girls that have strong potential, putting a less experienced but high potential player in a team environment with other quality players can only help unlock that potential which strengthens the UU community.
Can you provide a team that you think reflects your current playstyle with a brief explanation of how it works?
I don’t really want to give much away with ULT coming up but I’ve been playing around with some cores and I think this Z-move Breloom + AV Metagross is one of my current favs. AV Metagross supports Breloom by switching in and removing/heavily damaging two of the more common answers to Breloom in Crobat and Latias. The rest of the team is a bit of work in progress (Steel types are a little bit of a problem, particularly Scizor) but it’s good enough for ladder. Raikou is an underrated win-con imo against offensive builds thanks to it’s speed and perfect coverage and bulk helped by CM. CB Azu is tough to switch into for all builds and pressures the ever present Hydreigon, Mega Pidgeot is a very solid stall-breaker and handles Gliscor well, and Necrozma is a unique but fun and powerful Rocks setter that lots of teams don’t have an answer for.
Here are 2 replays:
VS Stall - https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-706627675
VS Bulky Offence/Volt turnhttps://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-705682438
As someone who's already achieved a steady pace on the ladder, is there any advice you would give to newer players in terms of playing and building for the ladder or suspect tests, or even competing in room tournaments as a casual player, etc?
My answer to this is always the same, play lots and learn lots. The best way to learn anything and get better is through practice. As a new player, just keep grinding and expect to lose a lot, but learn from those loses and why you lost. Watch replays of both yourself and quality players. Make adjustments if your team isn’t working, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are struggling with your team or in battle.
Finally, who are some of your favourite people in the UU Room?
I apologize in advance if I miss anyone, but here goes!
Everyone who is in the #theyneverlisten discord, you guys are the best! CBU, Bad Rap Sample, FTL, Bhris Brown, Lord Iroh, Island Spices, PokeTCGamer1288, Low Ladder Heroes, Sun, Renny, Sparrow, Zben, BluBirD Horsehead3, Pillow Wisp, Haate, cubonesmotherr, edaKiwi, DrReuniclus3, Sam I Yam, PDT, BluBirD, Jarii, and my boy Scheff! There’s also a lot more UU room and ladder friends/opponents where I think there is mutual respect between us, so if you see me around on PS playing, don’t hesitate to give me crap and say hi! Also want to thank King UU for the opportunity to do this interview, definitely respect his gameplay and I always enjoy my games with him.
My name is Adam, and I am 25 now (damn I’m getting old) and I work in advertising doing Search Engine Optimization/Marketing. Essentially, I make companies more relevant to the consumer/customer online. Outside of work, I enjoy playing and watching sports (Hockey, Baseball Golf), hanging out with family/friends (particularly at my family’s cottage), and playing on Pokémon Showdown in my downtime at work/or after work. I also have the best doggo named Jake who is like my child and the best wingman going as ladies love him.
What made you choose your name?
My name “YouthBerry” is actually from a tea they sell at Starbucks. I’m not really a Starbucks guy, I like my Tim Hortons like every good Canadian, but I was dating a girl at the time that was obsessed with “YouthBerry” tea at Starbucks and she got me into it a little. So when I was fresh into Showdown and looking for an alt, the name just came to me and I ran with it. Also, that’s why I use a random Starbucks cup as my avatar on Smogon.
What inspires you to compete on the ladder and/or in the room?
I think my inspiration comes from a bunch of different things: First I am very competitive and want to win. I grew up as the youngest of 5, with 3 older brothers and I always wanted to keep up with them and beat them, so that competitive fire burns deep not only in Pokémon but real life. Secondly, I have a desire to try and use under-appreciated/underrated Pokémon team-building wise, and make them viable. A good example was that I used Salazzle as a stallbreaker this gen when it was sitting in C rank in the viability rankings and had little to no usage in UU. I did similar things in ORAS with Weezing (which people still remember and give me a hard time about haha) and many more. 3rd thing is I like the strategy and gamesmanship of playing on ladder or in the room or with friends. Love those situations where you are competing against a quality opponent and it’s a close game where it comes down to a couple turns. You learn so much by playing, particularly against quality opponents, and I’m constantly taking bits and pieces from UU players I respect, and that inspires me to compete and get better.
What brought you to Pokemon Showdown and competitive Pokemon in general?
It started back in my first year of College, I was dating a girl at the time that was into Pokémon a little and she had a copy of Ruby in her bedroom that she played occasionally. Seeing that game, it gave me nostalgic feelings for Pokémon and I was curious about the newer gens since I hadn’t played them. I hadn’t played since gen 2 with Pokémon Silver which I played a ton back as a wee YouthBerry. Anyway, one day I went onto Kijiji (craigslist of Canada) and found someone selling a GameBoy Advance and a copy of Pokémon Emerald, bought it and played through that amazing game. I stumbled upon Smogon while looking for info about EVs and IVs and ideal movesets for the Battle Frontier in that game. I ended up finding Showdown a couple years later after I found an RMT with Showdown replays based around a Pokémon (Mega Abomasnow) I wanted to build a new team around at the time for Alpha Sapphire. I joined and built an awful Mega Abomsnow team for UU, and then I played and adjusted for a while until the team was half decent and I achieved like top 20 on the UU ladder. From then on I was hooked.
What are your strengths as a UU battler? What are some areas in which you can improve?
I think I’m a competent battler but I still have a lot to improve on. First off, I think something like 60% of a skill as a battler comes down to teambuilding. A good team puts you in a position to win pretty consistently before taking into account of battle skills, whereas a bad team will make it tougher for battle skills to come through. I feel like I'm good at finding Pokémon that work well together both offensively and defensively, and I try and build teams around that core that can handle every playstyle reasonably well. I think my teambuilding could be more complete though, there’s always a few things that are not easy for my team to handle and I have built a few too many teams that lack consistent hazard control which is scary. Battling wise, I think I do a good job of the basic stuff like metagame knowledge, opponent team preview analysis, identifying win-cons for both sides and working to achieve my win-con before my opponent achieves his/hers. I think my execution is flawed at times though in battle, perhaps not thinking quite enough ahead occasionally, playing risk/reward in a turn wrong, or over-predicting with a Scarf/Specs user, or simply not using the Pokémon Calculator enough. Perhaps the biggest area I’d like to improve on is playing too safe at times, I play my best when I’m making the good aggressive doubles and maintaining pressure on my opponent instead of having my opponent dictate my moves.
Now that you've become a UU ladder expert, what's next for you?
My next goal is to achieve more Smogon tournament success for sure! I have played in more tournaments over the last year or so, but it’s generally been a win or 2 and then bounced. I’m getting older and I have less time for Pokémon now, and ladder has less meaning to me as a result (still a great training grounds) but competing against better players at a more prestigious level is where I want to be competitive Pokémon wise. I really enjoyed earning my way into BLT last year where I started to make a name for myself after beating a few prominent names in a row. I’ve also been close to playoffs in ULT the last two years and won some other various tournament matches so I feel like I can hang with some of the more talented players in the community, just need to get more consistent and prove myself further.
We have UU Ladder Tour and UU Premier League coming up shortly, are you looking to participate?
As I mentioned above, I have competed in ULT before and I look forward to again. I’ve been close the last 2 years to getting to the playoffs. I feel like I’m a better and more complete player now than I was then so I’m hoping 3rd time is the charm. Premier League would be fun if I was selected, I have no expectation of that, but I would enjoy the opportunity to learn from other respected players within the community and help out in any way that I can.
What would you say to any Managers out there who are looking to pick up players for UU Premier League?
My advice would be to do your homework on potential picks! I think there’s a pretty strong talent pool that expands further than some of the more known long-term players, particularly in the SM meta. There are some strong players that know this UU SM meta really well, better than guys who haven’t been around much recently but are accomplished players from the past, and that could make them good value selections. Also I think it’s important to mentor guys/girls that have strong potential, putting a less experienced but high potential player in a team environment with other quality players can only help unlock that potential which strengthens the UU community.
Can you provide a team that you think reflects your current playstyle with a brief explanation of how it works?
Metagross @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Atk / 88 SpD / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
Breloom @ Normalium Z
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Giga Impact
Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Azumarill @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 230 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Facade
Pidgeot-Mega @ Pidgeotite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Work Up
- Hurricane
- Refresh
- Roost
Necrozma @ Expert Belt
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Photon Geyser
- Heat Wave
- Power Gem
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Atk / 88 SpD / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
Breloom @ Normalium Z
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Giga Impact
Raikou @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Azumarill @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 230 HP / 252 Atk / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Facade
Pidgeot-Mega @ Pidgeotite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Work Up
- Hurricane
- Refresh
- Roost
Necrozma @ Expert Belt
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Photon Geyser
- Heat Wave
- Power Gem
I don’t really want to give much away with ULT coming up but I’ve been playing around with some cores and I think this Z-move Breloom + AV Metagross is one of my current favs. AV Metagross supports Breloom by switching in and removing/heavily damaging two of the more common answers to Breloom in Crobat and Latias. The rest of the team is a bit of work in progress (Steel types are a little bit of a problem, particularly Scizor) but it’s good enough for ladder. Raikou is an underrated win-con imo against offensive builds thanks to it’s speed and perfect coverage and bulk helped by CM. CB Azu is tough to switch into for all builds and pressures the ever present Hydreigon, Mega Pidgeot is a very solid stall-breaker and handles Gliscor well, and Necrozma is a unique but fun and powerful Rocks setter that lots of teams don’t have an answer for.
Here are 2 replays:
VS Stall - https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-706627675
VS Bulky Offence/Volt turnhttps://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-705682438
As someone who's already achieved a steady pace on the ladder, is there any advice you would give to newer players in terms of playing and building for the ladder or suspect tests, or even competing in room tournaments as a casual player, etc?
My answer to this is always the same, play lots and learn lots. The best way to learn anything and get better is through practice. As a new player, just keep grinding and expect to lose a lot, but learn from those loses and why you lost. Watch replays of both yourself and quality players. Make adjustments if your team isn’t working, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are struggling with your team or in battle.
Finally, who are some of your favourite people in the UU Room?
I apologize in advance if I miss anyone, but here goes!
Everyone who is in the #theyneverlisten discord, you guys are the best! CBU, Bad Rap Sample, FTL, Bhris Brown, Lord Iroh, Island Spices, PokeTCGamer1288, Low Ladder Heroes, Sun, Renny, Sparrow, Zben, BluBirD Horsehead3, Pillow Wisp, Haate, cubonesmotherr, edaKiwi, DrReuniclus3, Sam I Yam, PDT, BluBirD, Jarii, and my boy Scheff! There’s also a lot more UU room and ladder friends/opponents where I think there is mutual respect between us, so if you see me around on PS playing, don’t hesitate to give me crap and say hi! Also want to thank King UU for the opportunity to do this interview, definitely respect his gameplay and I always enjoy my games with him.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am 17-years old and currently am in high school. My school majors are Physics and Computers, I love to play the piano, compose music, draw, and play Pokemon and some JRPGs, especially horror ones. I've always played Pokemon but I only started playing it competitively during summer 2016. Back then, I was playing ORAS OU, but since SM came out, I started really disliking the metagame. UU seemed fun because of its similarities to ORAS OU, so I decided to stick to it. I do not regret it ;). Currently, I am a Driver in UU room and I am enjoying it :3.
What made you choose your name?
I really love the anime Death Note. It was my second ever anime and the anime that had influenced me at most. Call me a weirdo, but it also pretty much changed the way I look at stuff. Amane Misa is my favorite character from there because she is funny and brings a more clumsy side to the brilliant and gloomy masterpiece.
What inspires you to compete on the ladder and/or in the room?
I have to say that I am a pretty innovative builder; after all, I made a Honchkrow HO, a Trick Room team (back in May!) and even a Bastiodon stall. Because these teams aren't really orthodox, it has always satisfied me to watch them having success. In general, I really love to use teams I build, so there is that. As for the room, I just love to help and to interact with people so the UU room is a perfect play for both!
What brought you to Pokemon Showdown and competitive Pokemon in general?
I have watched the Pokemon anime back when I was a really young kid, on TV, and it used to be of my favorite shows back then, so I always had this love to Pokemon. At some point, I just came across Pokemon Showdown. I didn't really know what it is but I really loved the fact I could use any Pokemon I wanted to. That's how I ended up using mono-Bug in OU, which made me keep on losing once I got to 1200s. Because of my really competitive nature, I hate losing. This pushed me to learn the game in a more competitive aspect, and become what I am now.
What are your strengths as a UU battler? What are some areas in which you can improve?
My strengths include building skills I am really happy with, to know when I should pull a double switch, the ability to see the risk versus reward every turn, and the ability to think a few turns ahead. However, I am a really coward person, which makes me hesitate a lot before pulling a hard read when I know I have to do it, which has definitely cost me some games.
Now that you've become a UU ladder expert, what's next for you?
Probably to get known as a good builder. Teambuilding is something I enjoy way more than battling. I really wanna be known as a crazy builder who knows what she's doing; a builder who catches her opponents off guard with a cool underrated set that gets popular after the big tour game it was used at. Obviously, I am just exaggerating and daydreaming but you get my point.
We have UU Ladder Tour and UU Premier League coming up shortly, are you looking to participate?
Definitely! I have always loved to counterteam Stall users on the ladder, so I've definitely got that one on my bucket list, despite being a big Stall lover myself. As of UUPL; I admit that I am pretty worried, "thanks" to the aforementioned cowardliness I have, but I definitely think I can do well at, and even make friends!
What would you say to any Managers out there who are looking to pick up players for UU Premier League?
to pick meI'd say that instead of just mindlessly picking the good and known players that always participate in the big tours, they really should try and look deeper in the UU room. There is a lot of potential to many players around here, who honestly just need a boost from a third party!
Can you provide a team that you think reflects your current playstyle with a brief explanation of how it works?
People might have seen me using this team, or a slightly different version of it. The focus of the team is to support Cofagrigus, a really big threat right now, the best as possible. SubSeed is an excellent partner because it lures in the kinds of Alolan Muk and severely weakens them for a Cofagrigus sweep. Scizor just acts like a physical wallbreaker that threatens Special tanks that Cofagrigus and Serperior hate. Pursuit is always appreciated, too. I added Nihilego because I the team was pretty slow at that point, because I hated opposing Toxic Spikes, because I wanted my own Toxic Spikes, and because my bird check was Scizor. Next, I wanted a Stealth Rock setter and a Ground- and Electric- immunity. Gliscor was the natural partner. Lastly, I added Mega Absol because I wanted another wallbreaker, because the team had no hazard remover and Magic Bounce makes them think twice before they click set up hazards, because I wanted more priority, and because it lures in Dark-types, such as Krookodile and Hydreigon with Superpower. Overall, while this is not the best team ever and it does struggle a bit against the kinds of Swords Dance Scizor, it does have counterplay to almost anything I can think of and is really fun!
As someone who's already achieved a steady pace on the ladder, is there any advice you would give to newer players in terms of playing and building for the ladder or suspect tests, or even competing in room tournaments as a casual player, etc?
Do not ladder when you aren't well. For the last suspect test, I only laddered after I came back from school and not too close to evening so I am not tired. Do not ladder when you have distraction; music is fine as long as it doesn't make you lose focus. You need to think through every move you do. Imagine that every game is like the finals of an important tour - do not just mash buttons. As for building, use Pokemon you like. Sure, you can get around with slapping six A/S-ranked Pokemon, but you will not enjoy it and eventually lose patience and enjoyment. Using teams you love, you are more encouraged to focus and do well!
Finally, who are some of your favourite people in the UU Room?
I pretty much love the majority of UU room, but here are some of my specific favorites:
A Cake Wearing A Hat, Accelgor, Ark, Cynde, Darksafadao, Euphonos, Eyan, Sage of the 6, faded love, killintime, rekeri, vivalospride, watfor, and 'sei.
As I said, I really love you all and sorry if I forgot anyone!
Thanks for the interview, Kink; looking forward to more chatting with you!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks Amane Misa for an excellent interview - if you have any questions be sure to leave them below! Stay tuned for another interview next week!
I am 17-years old and currently am in high school. My school majors are Physics and Computers, I love to play the piano, compose music, draw, and play Pokemon and some JRPGs, especially horror ones. I've always played Pokemon but I only started playing it competitively during summer 2016. Back then, I was playing ORAS OU, but since SM came out, I started really disliking the metagame. UU seemed fun because of its similarities to ORAS OU, so I decided to stick to it. I do not regret it ;). Currently, I am a Driver in UU room and I am enjoying it :3.
What made you choose your name?
I really love the anime Death Note. It was my second ever anime and the anime that had influenced me at most. Call me a weirdo, but it also pretty much changed the way I look at stuff. Amane Misa is my favorite character from there because she is funny and brings a more clumsy side to the brilliant and gloomy masterpiece.
What inspires you to compete on the ladder and/or in the room?
I have to say that I am a pretty innovative builder; after all, I made a Honchkrow HO, a Trick Room team (back in May!) and even a Bastiodon stall. Because these teams aren't really orthodox, it has always satisfied me to watch them having success. In general, I really love to use teams I build, so there is that. As for the room, I just love to help and to interact with people so the UU room is a perfect play for both!
What brought you to Pokemon Showdown and competitive Pokemon in general?
I have watched the Pokemon anime back when I was a really young kid, on TV, and it used to be of my favorite shows back then, so I always had this love to Pokemon. At some point, I just came across Pokemon Showdown. I didn't really know what it is but I really loved the fact I could use any Pokemon I wanted to. That's how I ended up using mono-Bug in OU, which made me keep on losing once I got to 1200s. Because of my really competitive nature, I hate losing. This pushed me to learn the game in a more competitive aspect, and become what I am now.
What are your strengths as a UU battler? What are some areas in which you can improve?
My strengths include building skills I am really happy with, to know when I should pull a double switch, the ability to see the risk versus reward every turn, and the ability to think a few turns ahead. However, I am a really coward person, which makes me hesitate a lot before pulling a hard read when I know I have to do it, which has definitely cost me some games.
Now that you've become a UU ladder expert, what's next for you?
Probably to get known as a good builder. Teambuilding is something I enjoy way more than battling. I really wanna be known as a crazy builder who knows what she's doing; a builder who catches her opponents off guard with a cool underrated set that gets popular after the big tour game it was used at. Obviously, I am just exaggerating and daydreaming but you get my point.
We have UU Ladder Tour and UU Premier League coming up shortly, are you looking to participate?
Definitely! I have always loved to counterteam Stall users on the ladder, so I've definitely got that one on my bucket list, despite being a big Stall lover myself. As of UUPL; I admit that I am pretty worried, "thanks" to the aforementioned cowardliness I have, but I definitely think I can do well at, and even make friends!
What would you say to any Managers out there who are looking to pick up players for UU Premier League?
Can you provide a team that you think reflects your current playstyle with a brief explanation of how it works?
Cofagrigus @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Mummy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Nasty Plot
- Trick Room
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Nihilego @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Power Gem
- Thunderbolt
- Toxic Spikes
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 48 SpD / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Taunt
- Roost
Absol-Mega @ Absolite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Flamethrower
- Sucker Punch
Ability: Mummy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Nasty Plot
- Trick Room
Serperior @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower
- Pursuit
Nihilego @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Power Gem
- Thunderbolt
- Toxic Spikes
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 48 SpD / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Taunt
- Roost
Absol-Mega @ Absolite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Flamethrower
- Sucker Punch
People might have seen me using this team, or a slightly different version of it. The focus of the team is to support Cofagrigus, a really big threat right now, the best as possible. SubSeed is an excellent partner because it lures in the kinds of Alolan Muk and severely weakens them for a Cofagrigus sweep. Scizor just acts like a physical wallbreaker that threatens Special tanks that Cofagrigus and Serperior hate. Pursuit is always appreciated, too. I added Nihilego because I the team was pretty slow at that point, because I hated opposing Toxic Spikes, because I wanted my own Toxic Spikes, and because my bird check was Scizor. Next, I wanted a Stealth Rock setter and a Ground- and Electric- immunity. Gliscor was the natural partner. Lastly, I added Mega Absol because I wanted another wallbreaker, because the team had no hazard remover and Magic Bounce makes them think twice before they click set up hazards, because I wanted more priority, and because it lures in Dark-types, such as Krookodile and Hydreigon with Superpower. Overall, while this is not the best team ever and it does struggle a bit against the kinds of Swords Dance Scizor, it does have counterplay to almost anything I can think of and is really fun!
As someone who's already achieved a steady pace on the ladder, is there any advice you would give to newer players in terms of playing and building for the ladder or suspect tests, or even competing in room tournaments as a casual player, etc?
Do not ladder when you aren't well. For the last suspect test, I only laddered after I came back from school and not too close to evening so I am not tired. Do not ladder when you have distraction; music is fine as long as it doesn't make you lose focus. You need to think through every move you do. Imagine that every game is like the finals of an important tour - do not just mash buttons. As for building, use Pokemon you like. Sure, you can get around with slapping six A/S-ranked Pokemon, but you will not enjoy it and eventually lose patience and enjoyment. Using teams you love, you are more encouraged to focus and do well!
Finally, who are some of your favourite people in the UU Room?
I pretty much love the majority of UU room, but here are some of my specific favorites:
A Cake Wearing A Hat, Accelgor, Ark, Cynde, Darksafadao, Euphonos, Eyan, Sage of the 6, faded love, killintime, rekeri, vivalospride, watfor, and 'sei.
As I said, I really love you all and sorry if I forgot anyone!
Thanks for the interview, Kink; looking forward to more chatting with you!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks Amane Misa for an excellent interview - if you have any questions be sure to leave them below! Stay tuned for another interview next week!
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hey Kink! I'd be glad to. I'm pretty much your average college Freshman, I go to school at SUNY Albany, where I'm majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Arabic. Some of my hobbies include playing American football, skiing, discovering music and writing album reviews, video games (of course), and playing the piano. I first came to PS in 2013, where after a few months of aimless wandering in the days where it was only a Lobby, I found myself most at home in the UU room. I had global voice prior to the reset thanks to some stupid randbats challenge I won, I can't even remember what the requirements were. i was around for Black and White as well as most of XY UU, before irl caused me to take a couple years off from Pokemon. I made my triumphant return near the beginning of USUM, and here I am!
What made you choose your name?
I'm a fucking weeb. For those who don't know, this is a Naruto reference, to the Sage of the Six Paths. Unfortunately, I was 13 when I made this username and now I'm kind of stuck with it. Naru (which already was average at best) took a nosedive in quality. I've moved onto to critically acclaimed works like "Sword Art Online", "Attack on Titan", and "One Piece". In all seriousness, if anyone's looking for some actually good anime to watch, I'd recommend both Made in Abyss and Recovery of an MMO Junkie as great shows that came out last year!
What inspires you to compete on the ladder and/or in the room?
I'm a pretty competitive person on the inside, although the way I talk might not give off that vibe. Even if I'm just having fun in a casual battle I usually have issues not trying 100% just because of stuff my football coaches taught me. This competitiveness, along with a desire to learn the game helps give me incentive to keep playing UU.
What brought you to Pokemon Showdown and competitive Pokemon in general?
I was getting bored of playing Pokemon on my DS, and was wondering if there was some way to play online. A couple google searches later and there I was! At first I was mostly a casual who played random battles and chilled in lobby, but I later started exploring competitive tiers, with BW UU and LC being the first two I really got the hang of.
What are your strengths as a UU battler? What are some areas in which you can improve?
I pride myself on being able to call when I should double switch and when I can stay in even versus a check or counter pretty well, as well as staying very calm throughout a battle no matter the stakes. Something I definitely want to improve on is my teambuilding, I often rely on teams from friends to perform and that's something I need to shed. I also can stand to improve my ability to pick leads correctly, sometimes my predictions will be off.
Now that you've become a UU ladder expert, what's next for you?
I've definitely been working on having serious practice matches with higher skill players, as well as helped test some teams that have shown up in SPL this season. Gaining insight on how to build for tournaments with people I've helped test has been extremely helpful for me. Right now, as I said earlier, I want to bring my consistency up versus high level players. I know I have the potential to compete with them, so it's just a matter of grinding out experience and to not stop studying the game.
We have UU Ladder Tour and UU Premier League coming up shortly, are you looking to participate?
I'm definitely looking to participate in both. Since I've returned from my hiatus I've been trying to gain experience in tournament settings with UU Classic and the aforementioned "serious" games.
What would you say to any Managers out there who are looking to pick up players for UU Premier League?
I'd definitely advise Managers to check out the UU room if they haven't! While the general quality of ladder play and room players might be lower, there are definitely diamonds in the rough out there, who just haven't been given their chance yet or are unsure how next to proceed. All it takes is a little push for them to become the next big star.
Can you provide a team that you think reflects your current playstyle with a brief explanation of how it works?
Before you ask the nicknames are based off of Grimes' dream-pop album Halfaxa, a fantastic listen I highly reccomend to anyone likes experimental music. Anyway, this team was built around (back then) new drop Stakataka. I wanted to move past the Trick Room offense everyone was spamming, and try and build something that suits my style a little more. I generally prefer to use teams that have longevity (although I've been trying to expand my horizons with Hyper Offense.), and so I partnered Stakataka with teammates that could help it be a staying threat and not just a one time use sweeper. Sylveon was chosen as a fantastic partner, it appreciates Staka checking some physical attackers and Poison types, in return it can keep the wall healthy with Wish support. Tsareena checks Bulky Waters and removes hazards for the team, also providing Knock Off support. Swampert as a standard rocker and glue mon, Chandelure helps the stall matchup immensely as well as checking threats like Breloom and Substitute Serperior, Latias provides speed control, great resistances that its Dragon typing has, and Healing Wish which allows me to play more aggressively with Chandelure and Stakataka.
As someone who's already achieved a steady pace on the ladder, is there any advice you would give to newer players in terms of playing and building for the ladder or suspect tests, or even competing in room tournaments as a casual player, etc?
If anything, it's good not to get too discouraged by losing at first. I didn't even think I would qualify for reqs at first during the Buzzwole / Breloom test, and I ended up doing it in under 65 games! Regardless of whether you succeed or not, putting in hard work and effort will slowly but surely improve your skills both as a player and a builder. As for concrete skills, make sure to try and diversify the team archetypes you use, you can learn a lot by leaving your comfort zone. If you're a stall player, you can learn how opposing players will try and break you by trying some Hyper Offense teams. Same goes vice versa, learning the defensive counterplay by trying out Stall will help out more Offensive minded players into predicting switch ins. I also think you shouldn't be afraid to test out teams from your friends, whether they're the same skill level as you or someone more accomplished. I've learned a lot by using teams passed to me.
Finally, who are some of your favourite people in the UU Room?
There's way too many to count, but just a few of the people who help make UU such a great place to chill for me include Vivalospride, Amane Misa, ACakeWearingAHat, ehT, Shiba, CoolStoryBrobat, Sei, Nightingales, Hogg, yeezyknows, faded, Darksafadao, itsjustdrew, and Accelgor. Special shoutout to my best buddy Watfor! But seriously, I love all y'all don't get me wrong.
Thanks for taking the time to interview me Kink, I look forward to our future interactions!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks Sage of the 6 for an excellent interview - if you have any questions be sure to leave them below! Stay tuned for another interview next week!
Hey Kink! I'd be glad to. I'm pretty much your average college Freshman, I go to school at SUNY Albany, where I'm majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Arabic. Some of my hobbies include playing American football, skiing, discovering music and writing album reviews, video games (of course), and playing the piano. I first came to PS in 2013, where after a few months of aimless wandering in the days where it was only a Lobby, I found myself most at home in the UU room. I had global voice prior to the reset thanks to some stupid randbats challenge I won, I can't even remember what the requirements were. i was around for Black and White as well as most of XY UU, before irl caused me to take a couple years off from Pokemon. I made my triumphant return near the beginning of USUM, and here I am!
What made you choose your name?
I'm a fucking weeb. For those who don't know, this is a Naruto reference, to the Sage of the Six Paths. Unfortunately, I was 13 when I made this username and now I'm kind of stuck with it. Naru (which already was average at best) took a nosedive in quality. I've moved onto to critically acclaimed works like "Sword Art Online", "Attack on Titan", and "One Piece". In all seriousness, if anyone's looking for some actually good anime to watch, I'd recommend both Made in Abyss and Recovery of an MMO Junkie as great shows that came out last year!
What inspires you to compete on the ladder and/or in the room?
I'm a pretty competitive person on the inside, although the way I talk might not give off that vibe. Even if I'm just having fun in a casual battle I usually have issues not trying 100% just because of stuff my football coaches taught me. This competitiveness, along with a desire to learn the game helps give me incentive to keep playing UU.
What brought you to Pokemon Showdown and competitive Pokemon in general?
I was getting bored of playing Pokemon on my DS, and was wondering if there was some way to play online. A couple google searches later and there I was! At first I was mostly a casual who played random battles and chilled in lobby, but I later started exploring competitive tiers, with BW UU and LC being the first two I really got the hang of.
What are your strengths as a UU battler? What are some areas in which you can improve?
I pride myself on being able to call when I should double switch and when I can stay in even versus a check or counter pretty well, as well as staying very calm throughout a battle no matter the stakes. Something I definitely want to improve on is my teambuilding, I often rely on teams from friends to perform and that's something I need to shed. I also can stand to improve my ability to pick leads correctly, sometimes my predictions will be off.
Now that you've become a UU ladder expert, what's next for you?
I've definitely been working on having serious practice matches with higher skill players, as well as helped test some teams that have shown up in SPL this season. Gaining insight on how to build for tournaments with people I've helped test has been extremely helpful for me. Right now, as I said earlier, I want to bring my consistency up versus high level players. I know I have the potential to compete with them, so it's just a matter of grinding out experience and to not stop studying the game.
We have UU Ladder Tour and UU Premier League coming up shortly, are you looking to participate?
I'm definitely looking to participate in both. Since I've returned from my hiatus I've been trying to gain experience in tournament settings with UU Classic and the aforementioned "serious" games.
What would you say to any Managers out there who are looking to pick up players for UU Premier League?
I'd definitely advise Managers to check out the UU room if they haven't! While the general quality of ladder play and room players might be lower, there are definitely diamonds in the rough out there, who just haven't been given their chance yet or are unsure how next to proceed. All it takes is a little push for them to become the next big star.
Can you provide a team that you think reflects your current playstyle with a brief explanation of how it works?
Dream Fortress (Stakataka) @ Rockium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stone Edge
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Trick Room
World Princess (Tsareena) @ Rose Incense
Ability: Queenly Majesty
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Power Whip
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Synthesis
Swan Song (Sylveon) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell
River (Swampert) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
Dragvandil (Latias) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Healing Wish
Favriel (Chandelure) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stone Edge
- Gyro Ball
- Earthquake
- Trick Room
World Princess (Tsareena) @ Rose Incense
Ability: Queenly Majesty
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Power Whip
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Synthesis
Swan Song (Sylveon) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell
River (Swampert) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
Dragvandil (Latias) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Healing Wish
Favriel (Chandelure) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
Before you ask the nicknames are based off of Grimes' dream-pop album Halfaxa, a fantastic listen I highly reccomend to anyone likes experimental music. Anyway, this team was built around (back then) new drop Stakataka. I wanted to move past the Trick Room offense everyone was spamming, and try and build something that suits my style a little more. I generally prefer to use teams that have longevity (although I've been trying to expand my horizons with Hyper Offense.), and so I partnered Stakataka with teammates that could help it be a staying threat and not just a one time use sweeper. Sylveon was chosen as a fantastic partner, it appreciates Staka checking some physical attackers and Poison types, in return it can keep the wall healthy with Wish support. Tsareena checks Bulky Waters and removes hazards for the team, also providing Knock Off support. Swampert as a standard rocker and glue mon, Chandelure helps the stall matchup immensely as well as checking threats like Breloom and Substitute Serperior, Latias provides speed control, great resistances that its Dragon typing has, and Healing Wish which allows me to play more aggressively with Chandelure and Stakataka.
As someone who's already achieved a steady pace on the ladder, is there any advice you would give to newer players in terms of playing and building for the ladder or suspect tests, or even competing in room tournaments as a casual player, etc?
If anything, it's good not to get too discouraged by losing at first. I didn't even think I would qualify for reqs at first during the Buzzwole / Breloom test, and I ended up doing it in under 65 games! Regardless of whether you succeed or not, putting in hard work and effort will slowly but surely improve your skills both as a player and a builder. As for concrete skills, make sure to try and diversify the team archetypes you use, you can learn a lot by leaving your comfort zone. If you're a stall player, you can learn how opposing players will try and break you by trying some Hyper Offense teams. Same goes vice versa, learning the defensive counterplay by trying out Stall will help out more Offensive minded players into predicting switch ins. I also think you shouldn't be afraid to test out teams from your friends, whether they're the same skill level as you or someone more accomplished. I've learned a lot by using teams passed to me.
Finally, who are some of your favourite people in the UU Room?
There's way too many to count, but just a few of the people who help make UU such a great place to chill for me include Vivalospride, Amane Misa, ACakeWearingAHat, ehT, Shiba, CoolStoryBrobat, Sei, Nightingales, Hogg, yeezyknows, faded, Darksafadao, itsjustdrew, and Accelgor. Special shoutout to my best buddy Watfor! But seriously, I love all y'all don't get me wrong.
Thanks for taking the time to interview me Kink, I look forward to our future interactions!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks Sage of the 6 for an excellent interview - if you have any questions be sure to leave them below! Stay tuned for another interview next week!
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