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What's your view on 'roze koeken'? (bakmuts.nl lmao)
Where did your obsession with Pokemon based pornography originate from?
Is -Snow the misunderstood genius of his generation?
Boter, kaas of eieren?
Why are Dutch users the worst on Smogon, despite our small overall population?
Do you plan on becoming the worst of all time (#woat) at anything other than managing team tournaments?
Based on your teambuilding style I assume you've never gotten a ticket for speeding. Is this true?
What's your view on 'roze koeken'? (bakmuts.nl lmao)
Where did your obsession with Pokemon based pornography originate from?
Is -Snow the misunderstood genius of his generation?
Boter, kaas of eieren?
Why are Dutch users the worst on Smogon, despite our small overall population?
Do you plan on becoming the worst of all time (#woat) at anything other than managing team tournaments?
Based on your teambuilding style I assume you've never gotten a ticket for speeding. Is this true?
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hey there! I'm a 19 years old Portuguese citizen. Currently a freshman in college (studying psychology). During my free time I play Pokemon, watch anime and goof around with the group of fiends known as the OLT chat (and all other sorts of Smogon-related circlejerks).
Most known for?
Leading two of the wildest SPL campaigns of all time (as well as a pretty uneventful WCoP), I guess. As an individual player, I've played RU in SPL twice, although nowadays I just play a little bit of everything to a decent level, with SM UU being my best (and favorite) tier right now. It's also probably worth noting that I make a lot of low quality posts which somehow end up receiving a ludicrous amount of likes.
Favorite Pokemon?
Walrein! Excellently designed while also having one of the most unique competitive niches in the whole game (before weather teams got gutted, that is). Some of my other personal favorites would be (Mega) Aerodactyl, Gengar, Kingdra and Drifblim.
Most Used Pokemon?
In SM UU, I feel like there's no Pokemon which blatantly stands out in my teambuilder. I obviously resort to staples such as Cobalion, Clefable and Latias a lot, but that's not too big when you consider the wide range of threats they cover, while also providing their respective teams with massive amounts of utility (and damage), and even then I still manage to use them less than the vast majority of players. If I had to give an accurate answer that also defines me as a player, I guess I'd say Tentacruel, since it's a Pokemon that isn't really "at the top" viability wise but still finds a place on many of my teams due to its niche as a Rapid Spin user with a pretty good defensive typing.
What brought you to Smogon and competitive Pokemon in general?
I gave an insanely long answer to a similar question in my previous PotW interview, but it pretty much goes like this: I was searching for the answer to one of my questions regarding Pokemon DP on the Internet and ended up stumbling upon a small Portuguese Pokemon community, which introduced me to competitive Pokemon. After playing there for a while, I ended up migrating to the prestigious Pokemon Online community, and after a while, me and the group of friends I was a part of ended up getting scouted for SPL 3, which allowed us to make a name for ourselves on this website.
What made you choose your name?
I know it's gonna disappoint some people, but I'm literally named after the Pokemon game. Not too flashy, but not a bad username either.
What is your favorite Generation of Pokemon and why?
That'd be Gen 3, since it has the best cartridge game in Pokemon Emerald (shout outs Battle Frontier) and one of the most engaging competitive formats, with ADV OU being a personal favorite of mine. Special mentions to Gen 2 for the amazing games and Gen 7 for introducing the miracle of the universe known as Lillie to the Pokemon franchise.
What is your favorite playstyle?
Not disclosing any information that might affect my showing in UUPL.
...
Jokes aside, good bulky offensive teams with a well thought gameplan (rather than the classic "switch in to the answer for the threat that is sitting right in front of you and watch your whole team get whittled down before your own threats are able to win the game" sort of teams that seem to have gained some traction as of late) is probably my favorite playstyle in general, although I feel like every single non-gimmicky playstyle has its perks.
You had a great run in ULT and are performing well in UUPL! Are there any tips you would give to newer tournament players in terms of preparation and playing?
Thanks! I feel like this answer would probably drag out for too long if I started talking about all of the things I consider valuable when it comes to Pokemon, so here are, in my opinion, the two most important pieces of advice one can give to newer players: for starters, learn how to build your own teams, even if it's just in a single tier. Although some really good players can consistently get away with grabbing teams from other people a couple of seconds before their games, I feel like crafting your own squads really helps understanding how the game works, as you'll have to actively think about how to prevent common strategies from beating your 6 Pokemon and also how to create scenarios in which your threats can eventually win the game. Besides that, just use your brain when playing. This might sound like a silly thing to say, but a lot of newer players just mash buttons without giving it any second thought, a tactic which can net some wins every now and then, but has no consistency to speak of. What I'm trying to get to is the following: think about every single move you make and if/how it brings you closer to winning the game you're playing. Think about what your opponent has to do to win the game and how you can possibly counteract that. This might be a costly process in the beginning, but as you grow used to following a similar train of thought for each game you play, you'll eventually be able to achieve a respectable level of consistency.
What is your favorite UU Old Gen?
If you asked me this question a couple of months ago, I'd probably say DPP without thinking about it twice. However, I've grown bored of it since then, as it has been basically figured out and there's not much room to "think outside the box". I might be the only person in the world with this opinion, but ORAS UU received a lot of undeserved hate and I personally consider it a good metagame (Entei aside) with a lot of untapped potential. If we exclude ORAS for the sake of consistency (as it wasn't in UU Classic), then BW would be my answer. For what it's worth, I think ADV UU is a pretty good metagame, but I don't actually play it often, so there's that.
Do you think you're going to prefer playing SM or an old gen in UUPL? Any people in particular you're looking forward to play?
SM UU for sure. Aside from the fact that my UUPL team has one of the most consistent old generation backbones, I'm really trying to establish myself as a solid SM UU players in order to increase my chances of getting drafted to play the tier in SPL 9 (assuming it ends up including lower tiers). I'd be fine with playing ORAS if required, but I don't really imagine myself playing anything else other than those 2 tiers throughout this tournament. As for people I'm looking forward to playing, I don't really think there's anyone in particular. I wanted to play dodmen back in Week 1, but Ice Tea said he'd rather randomize his roster instead of letting the dream match up happen. I guess that getting to play the GOAT (a.k.a. CBU) again would be tons of fun, but that's about it.
What kind of music are you into?
Unfortunately, my musical depth is pretty weak, so no matter what my answer to this question ends up being, it'll probably be very uneducated. With that said, I'm into R&B, with Mariah Carey being my #1 artist (and Butterfly being the GOAT album), EDM (shout out to my fellow Oliver Heldens enthusiast Sken) and Anime/Visual Novel soundtracks. I also like to chill by listening to some Nujabes (and similar artists such as Haruka Nakamura/DJ Okawari) or Liquid D&B compilations (for real though, I live for the bass drops in these). Some Spanish jams are also fine, with Carlos Santana easily being my favorite artist in that regard.
Top 5 Anime?
Ranked based on personal enjoyment (rather than any sort of objective criteria):
Nagi no Asukara (Outstanding visuals and soundtrack, good characters and tons of drama. Plus, it has Miuna!)
Monogatari Series: Second Season (Engaging from start to finish, amazing character interactions, artsy and has tons of breathtaking moments)
Kanon (2006) (Does justice to the Visual Novel by updating the character designs and adapting things as faithfully as possible. Beautiful visuals and soundtrack as well)
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica (Unique setting, intriguing characters, bonus points for having Chiwa Saito voicing one of the best characters and also Shaft's artstyle. Plus, the soundtrack complements the show amazingly)
Hibike! Euphonium 2 (Could be any of the anime below honestly, but even though the second season of Hibike wasn't as well received as the first one, I really appreciated the added drama. Aside from that, it retains the beautiful art from the first season and an equally good soundtrack. Plus, Kumiko is one of the most unique protagonists out there, and her development was pretty satisfying to watch)
Honorable mentions: Little Busters! Refrain, Steins;Gate, Shinsekai Yori, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun and Danganronpa 3. The last 3 slots of the top 5 are pretty volatile, but I can safely say that NnA and Monogatari SSS are my top 2 by a long shot.
Who is your Waifu?
Now this is a real question... Since I've played the Rewrite Visual Novel (which was in like November 2014), Kanbe Kotori has been my waifu, which makes me one the most loyal users on Smogon. As for why I've chosen her, the #1 reason has to be the fact that I've always had a thing for tragic heroines. Without trying to spoil Rewrite too much, Kotori suffers. A lot. And it's the way how she copes with it that makes her such an amazing character in my eyes. Her wits and sense of humor are unmatched, and although she almost never gets rewarded for it, her commitment to what she believes in is equally wonderful. Plus, she's an amazing cook!
Who are some of your favorite people in the Smogon Community?
People I legitimately look up to: McMeghan, FLCL, :B: Kevin Cronin and TDK
Aside from those, there are a lot of people who improve my Smogon experience on a daily basis. Big shout outs to the goons from the OLT chat, the fiends from the CBB (;w;) meme circlejerk group, the people I've been teamed up with for the million random PLs I've signed up for and all of the old friends I don't really talk to anymore for whatever reason.
Finally can you provide for us a team that you think reflects your current playstyle with a brief explanation of how it works?
As a cheap 3k pick in the Monotype Premier League, I asked my manager (xBooty, also known as Sabella) to let me play BW Monotype, as out of all of the available options, that was probably the most interesting one. As I studied the metagame, a thought occurred to me: "why is Ice so underappreciated in this generation if there's permanent Hail?" I had talked about it with my managers and some of my teammates before, but none of their answers actually pleased me, as they basically boiled down to "Ice is bad, please don't use it" with no legitimate justification. After analyzing all of the available options, I came up with this team, which aims to get as many good match ups as possible, while also covering up the bad ones to an extent. The general gameplan is to either Trick or paralyze something with Choice Scarf Froslass, which allows Cloyster and Piloswine to set entry hazards up (note: prioritize Toxic Spikes in every match up except Poison and Steel). From there, Abomasnow makes it hail, while the combination of Walrein + Kyurem-Black cleans up the remaining Pokemon with the combination of residual damage and Substitute + Protect or Substitute + Roost respectively. Steel, Fighting and Fire are probably the hardest match ups, while everything else (including common types such as Water, Psychic and Dragon) is usually easy to bring down. The hardest part was probably convincing my managers to let me use this team; a long and tiring process that took me 2 weeks and at least 20 test games against 1 True Lycan's masterfully crafted double Choice Scarf Mono Steel (counter)team, but I did it in the end!
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Thank you for your time and the great interview, Pearl! If you have any questions that you would like to ask him, feel free to leave them below. I'll be back next week with another interview!
Where do you think you'd be in life had you not taken up Pokemon? Do you think you'd have taken up another hobby to occupy your time?
Thoughts on our team in the current UUPL and our likelihood to win the tournament?
If you could change one thing about Smogon that you currently lack the power to change/influence, what would it be and why?
You've been exposed to pretty much every generation of OU and a lot of generations of UU and other tiers, too, over the course of your time on Smogon. What is your single favorite tier to watch? What is your single favorite tier to play? What is your single favorite tier to teambuild?
Most underrated and overrated things in SM UU as of right now?
Fuck, Marry, Kill from TDK, Tony, Rozes
Fuck, Marry, Kill from King UU, Hellpowna, Marshall.Law
hf^
What mons from ou would you like to see drop to uu either because they would add something positive to uu or change certain playstyles/meta trends?
You seem to have been around for a long time and played in a lot of tours, what were your favorite tours to ever participate in and why if you don't mind elaborating a bit.
Are there any mons in uu you think are broken/unhealthy and should be banned? If you do, can you give a short description of why?
You have some knowledge about ou, are there any players or builders that you like in specific? Who are the best sm ou'ers in your opinion?
D+? I don't think it should be placed in the current rankings due to how small its niche is (think like, Registeel or Steelix small). Its an outstanding Clefable/Infernape/Cobalion check on stall and its ability allows it to sort of fight back against some common stallbreakers (Mew and its Taunt-using friends, basically), but it's pretty much limited to one single playstyle and not all stall teams can (or have any legitimate reason to) afford it, so yeah.
Nope. The first thing I did when Sabella asked me to play Monotype with him was throw a Mono Ice team together in 5 seconds. I've been wanting to use it ever since the tournament started, but me and my managers had a contract that only allowed me to do so after my team had already clinched the week. That is, up until this happened.
User most likely to quit their UUPL team? Omfuga or Choolio
They've literally done so already. If you mean which one of them is more likely to actually do so permanently, then I guess Omfuga, since choolio legitimately likes to play BW UU and is friends with the majority of his team.
Not touching that bitch, but I hope any of the old farts from the #rarelyused IRC chat brings it home (think like ShakeItUp, SilentVerse, Honko, Oglemi, Omicron)
Grand Slam or LTPL (see the pattern?). The one I'm looking forward to the most is SPL 9, but the two I've mentioned come before the main attraction, so yeah.
I'd probably be playing League of Legends right now. Hell, I would've probably dropped out of school to pursue a competitive career (and probably would've failed amazingly at it as well, but it's whatever). If I managed to quit both games simultaneously, I'd probably be on my way to become a top notch lawyer (or psychologist even), but I just can't picture myself without my game/anime addicted side.
Thoughts on our team in the current UUPL and our likelihood to win the tournament?
Strong and handsome congregation of users. Sorta wish bugzinator would stick around in our teamchat for longer, but I don't think it's possible to ask much from someone who loses at least 4 matches per week. Besides that, I think our chances of winning the tournament are pretty high, especially when our ORAS slots manage to nab some wins, and also when Poek starts getting a better grasp of the UU metagame.
If you could change one thing about Smogon that you currently lack the power to change/influence, what would it be and why?
I'd probably make some slight changes to the TD team because I personally believe some of the dudes in it don't have what it takes to run the tournament section, while there's also a lot of fresh blood with the ability to step up to the job (and also some veterans like Ciele and Isa who are just insanely talented at it). I'd also abolish WCoP (and the joke known as RoAPL to an extent) for a different team tournament. Aside from that, I feel like I'm rather happy with Smogon's current state.
You've been exposed to pretty much every generation of OU and a lot of generations of UU and other tiers, too, over the course of your time on Smogon. What is your single favorite tier to watch? What is your single favorite tier to play? What is your single favorite tier to teambuild?
Alolan Muk is #1 for sure. I'm a sucker for good Poison-types, and Muk possesses amazing synergy with some of the tier's best Pokemon, such as Clefable, Mega Blastoise and Slowbro. Besides that, it'd help fighting off Latias, the #1 Pokemon in UU at the moment. Aside from him, I guess I wouldn't mind Nihilego and Mega Venusaur for similar reasons.
You seem to have been around for a long time and played in a lot of tours, what were your favorite tours to ever participate in and why if you don't mind elaborating a bit.
SPL 6 is my personal favorite so far. We were all a bunch of unruly fiends led by Tesung and Oliver "our team loses 5 games to luck per week" Problems, and it felt amazing to prove the outsiders wrong, while also getting to bond with nearly every single one of my teammates. There are a lot of things I would've done differently, and I was a lot worse at Pokemon back then than I am right now (not claiming that I've become some sort of unbeatable monster along the way, but you know the drill), but it was the experience that made me stick with Smogon for this long.
Honorable mentions: LTPL 1, last Grand Slam (The SLAMMERS was an excellent circlejerk chat) and SPL 7.
Are there any mons in uu you think are broken/unhealthy and should be banned? If you do, can you give a short description of why?
Latias is the only one I can think of, and even then it's sort of an unpopular opinion (for now, but I hope that changes eventually). The general idea is that this Pokemon doesn't have that many downright powerful sets (it runs either Calm Mind of Choice Specs, and while sets such as Choice Scarf and offensive Defog can pose a threat sometimes, they're just not on the same level), but it's really amazing at performing its designed role, and the slight variations on its Calm Mind set (Z Thunder, Hidden Power Fire, Recover, Life Orb/Soul Dew, Dragonium or Psychium Z) mean that pretty much every team will end up getting ravaged by a variant of CM Latias no matter what, with the most reliable answer on offense (Choice Scarf Krookodile) failing to OHKO any Latias that is holding a Z Crystal, which is sort of wild.
You have some knowledge about ou, are there any players or builders that you like in specific? Who are the best sm ou'ers in your opinion?
ABR, TDK and Mr. Benjamin Gaspipes are the three best teambuilders in my opinion, with njnp as a close forth just for the fact that he single handily introduced Webs as a viable playstyle in SM OU. The best SM OU players would be the aforementioned players along with reyscarface, KratosMana and Poek.
As someone who's trying his hardest to walk down the Zen path, I believe that the word hatred is too powerful to be applied when referring to human interactions.
[...]
But if I had to give an honest answer about people I FUCKING dislike MASSIVELY, then I guess my current top 3 would be the users known as FlamingVictini (plays team tournaments as if they're individual tournaments and literally leeches onto people without giving a single fuck about them or anything in return), Mael (bitches too much for his own good without any real regard for how others might feel) and literally anyone who engages in "follow for follow" activities just to unfollow the day after, or people who follow others just to unfollow if they receive no answer whatsoever. If you want me to follow you back just ask, bitch, there's no need to play games.
note for those who expected me to say Marshall or Spirit: although I reckon that the former was probably not an exemplar teammate, I also happened to be extremely unfair to him, as he never did me any wrong personally (although I still giggle every time I hear someone say Marshall cancered out in the last team tournament he joined). The latter doesn't exist. haha
IMPORTANT EDIT: I forgot about Reymedy on this one. Someone should seriously consider teaching that guy how to interact with other human beings in a public setting (even if it's online)
Unfair question, as I've probably laddered a lot more than I should've in the past, and you know just how bad low ladder games can get. As for games I actually remember, my first two opponents in this year's OST were both dreadful (I don't recall their names, but the first one choked on fat dongs when he had an unlosable match up in the second game, while the second one brought some Tornadus-Therian + Diggersby Stealth Rock-less garbanzo beans stall that didn't make any sense whatsoever). Aside from those two, I've played Huston in OU Circuit (no sense teams, tons of shitty plays).
I'll reply to Zoro's questions in the next batch of answers. Sorry bud D: (Keep 'em coming though!)
what is the biggest mistake of spl8, and why is it not retaining me?
what is your best build in bw ou, considering how much you built for the pack?
will you try for slam this year?
irisviel - best girl?
Who do you think are the top five SM UU players and why (feel free to list the top ten if you feel like ranking that many players)?
Who do you think are some good up-and-coming UU players?
What do you think of UU's current tournament structure? Do you think we would benefit more or less from moving to a more "standard" seasonal structure?
What is your opinion regarding the influence Z-Moves have on the competitive metagame? How do you feel about this mechanic?
What do you think should be done to help the UU community continue to grow and develop (feel free to talk about any or all of the following aspects: increasing the size of the playerbase as a whole, increasing the competitiveness of the playerbase at any and all levels, fostering more forum contribution, helping new players network with more experienced players, etc.)?
If you could go back and balance old UU metas, what would you do and why?
Follow for follow?
UUPL (feel free to skip all or part of these questions if you don't feel comfortable answering them):
What do you think of UUPL so far? Are teams and players performing more or less as you expect them to?
Which player or team's performance has surprised you the most so far (this can be positive or negative)?
To what extent did Tony involve you in his draft plan?
How closely did your team's final draft align with your expectations/desires?
What did you think of the auction as a whole?
What good decisions do you think managers made before or during the draft (for example, Shiba retaining HT)?
What bad decisions do you think managers made before or during the draft (for example, Shiba spending 10,000 credits on that Amaroq idiot)?
What decisions related to the draft do you find just plain confusing (for example, Shiba being allowed to manage to begin with)?
Did the various managers draft more or less the way you thought they would, or did some of them surprise you?
What is your thought process when building a team for a Premier League? What plans do you make before the auction? What thoughts do you have and what actions do you take during the auction?
Beyond the obvious "can win games", what do you look for in a player when building a Premier League team?
What do you think of the decision to add retention rights and relegations to UUPL?
Do you ever intend to manage UUPL in the future?
Why has your manager not played yet?
Non-Pokemon-Related Questions
How many languages do you speak?
Do you think Smogon provides non-native speakers with opportunities to learn and practice English in a relatively "safe" and supportive environment?
What do you think about meeting and interacting with people from all over the world through Smogon?
Do you watch live-action shows or movies? If so, what genres, shows, and/or movies are your favorite?
Do you play any sports or get any other forms of exercise?
Favorites based on Smogon users: Belgium (very few users, but all of them are among my favorites on Smogon) and Spain (insane player skill, as well as generally kind users)
Least favorite based on Smogon users: Italy (not necessary because of the users themselves but because every time you get to play an Italian user in a live tour they take up to 30 minutes to get back to you and magically manage to obtain the perfect match up. Also, they have both tele and the biggest follow whore on Smogon)
Overall favorite: Spain (tons of love for my brothers in the Iberian Peninsula in general. Delicious gastronomy, cute girls, awesome Smogon users and fire songs)
"Hi, how are you." My hand outstretched.
"Oh hi, sorry I just washed my hands" As she was rubbing her hands.
"That's alright, I don't mind. Just shake my hand"
[...]
"Hi, whats your name"
"Whaaat?" She looks puzzled as to what is happening and keeps walking. But still looking at me. I stop and motion her to come back and say, "come here".
She shakes her head no and keeps walking on.
Get in front. Don't stop and just expect her to stop and come back on the go. When the girl is confused, she is expecting me to lead. I did wrong by not leading.
[...]
"I'm reading the Hagakure, its some old samurai bushido text. Like the japanese version of the Art of War."
[...]
"Can you take a picture of us?" She seemed like she was going to reject me but saw that I could be some use to her.
"Nah." I dimissed.
"Oh my god thats so rude. You come up and dont even want to take a picture of us?" damn entitled hoes i keep going.
"Whats your name?"
Now she avoids eye contact and talks to her friend, ignoring me. This is when I eject.
At this point, I feel great. Unbeatable. I guess this is what they call state.
This is my current peak. My plan to improve is basically keeping my meme game as fresh as possible. Pleasing people is obviously important when it comes to things like these, but remaining genuine is equally vital, in my opinion. I reckon that my sense of humor can get tiring at times, and not everyone is going to be happy with my jokes, but as long as what I do makes at least one person's day better, then it counts as a success to me.
Considering that you're sitting at a solid 5% and I hardly consider myself half as good as you, 2% sounds like a reasonably good number. I'll improve myself though!
I literally don't know what to answer. I thought about a snarky or ironic remark, but I feel like it'd be a little out of place. For what it's worth, I simply can't bring myself to support any sort of "extreme" ideology, although I like what socialism (I know most of the differences between that and communism, don't worry) stands for.
Not retaining you was probably a mistake, since you always seem to ascend during SPL season, so yeah. Aside from that, I'd say retaining FV and losing my composure after the first two weeks was also big. Then there's not buying either iloveleague or Blackoblivion instead of Freestylerking to fill the massive SM OU gap the Wolfpack had in its roster, although I guess you could say the team's draft plan was flawed from the get go, so maybe this whole season was a mistake? I honestly don't think so, since it allowed me to meet some really chill people (shoutouts to the Shadow and Astamatitos), but it's some food for thought nonetheless.
what is your best build in bw ou, considering how much you built for the pack?
I don't think I'm that good at building BW teams. Most of what I came up with were blatant counterteams to what Luck's opponents were likely to bring, which means they would most likely not work under other circumstances, as he religiously refused to use Latios (and the only time he actually broke that vow, he used it as a switch in to motherfucking Tyranitar). With that in mind, this team, although not necessarily the best, is one of the most unique I came up with during SPL, and it's also tons of fun to use. It was inspired on one of Luck's drafts for his game vs McMeghan, which had Hail as its starting point. Use Tyranitar>Abomasnow and Latios>Kyurem and that team should be viable (although not outstanding by any means)
She's the mother of the best character in the Fate/Stay Night Visual Novel, so I guess she has a good niche. I also remember most of the female characters in Fate/Zero being sort of shitty, as I've never been a big fan of Saber, so she might indeed be the best girl in F/0. She's no contest for the Stay Night girls though.
Some of my closest friends do. As far as my social circles go, not really, although I'm not ashamed to let people know I play Pokemon. It's just that I don't have any reason to remind people of it 24/7
Kill GOAO (not out of spite or anything of sorts. It's just that I don't wanna go to jail for hooking up with an underage person), Fuck Shake, Marry ICT
¡Hola, mi amigo! Me olvide de responder a tu pregunta, pero creo que la doctrina del kekism es muy buena, ¡si si! Me gustan mucho los memes dank creados por CPG. Por favor continúen haciendo un buen trabajo.
Skipped Amaroq's questions for now due to the size of his post, but I'll get back to it in the next batch of answers. Keep 'em coming guys!
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
22 years old, working as an engineer for a manufacturing company in the midwest USA
Most known for?
- UUTL
Favorite Pokemon?
Suicune. Loved the design and the story behind it in Pokemon Crystal, remained my favorite ever since.
Most Used Pokemon?
In SM UU, Latias is probably my single most used Pokemon. Offensively threatens quite literally the entire tier without any exceptions, brings a ton of defensive utility to the table, and can do basically whatever you want it to on a team - check Keldeo and fire off LO hits, nuke something with a Z move, Scarf, Healing Wish, Defog, etc.
In ORAS it was Krookodile, and in BW it was/is Zapdos of course.
What brought you to Smogon and competitive Pokemon in general?
I stumbled onto Smogon and PS several years ago during BW, probably while looking for good sets to use on my Pokemon in-game, and played on PS very casually before making a Smogon account in XY. I think I only made my Smogon account because Bouff wanted me to vote on some dumb shit in the UU subforum, or something.
What made you choose your name?
As most people know I started out as Dudeman130498, was unfortunately forced to change my name once I got badges :/
What is your favorite generation of Pokemon and why?
For the actual games, it's gen 2, Crystal is simply my favorite game. I really enjoyed gen 4 as well, obviously because of the gen 2 remakes but I also really like Platinum a lot, it's probably my second favorite game.
Competitively, it's really tough to say, but I think as far as UU goes I'd have to go with BW, followed closely by SM and then ADV (don't have nearly as much experience in the OUs)
Thoughts on the SM UU metagame so far?
Really really enjoy it. There's a ton of versatility, there's new sets being created and used all the time, and nothing stands out as unhealthy or broken. Despite being several months old, I feel that there's tons of room to explore, especially with all the previously niche Pokemon that can viably run Z moves.
What is your favorite playstyle?
Definitely bulky offense, tons of Pokemon to choose from in SM that fit this playstyle. I like teams focusing around a certain offensive setup sweeper, like SD Talonflame, CM Latias, Venomoth, NP Cofagrigus, etc.
You are known to be one of UU's best players and have been doing very well in UUPL so far! Are there any tips you would give to newer tournament players in terms of preparation and playing?
All I can say is be comfortable with the team you use. I'd much rather bring and old or possibly known team than bring something new that I don't like. That being said, try not to fall into the trap of always using the same standard shit; using something unexpected or at least uncommon can give you a big advantage, especially if you know your way around the tier.
Besides that, just try to not to let the nerves get the best of you. Don't rush picking your moves especially if you're formulating your gameplan while the game unfolds. And if you fuck up, who cares, just move onto the next week and learn from any mistakes you made. I accidentally tried to break Sleep Clause during my first SPL game ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
What is your favorite UU Old Gen?
BW UU definitely. It's what I started out in and learned competitive Pokemon in, and I feel comfortable enough in it to build and use fun offense and underrated stuff like Cacturne, SD Abomasnow, and Band Togekiss.
Do you think you're going to prefer playing SM or an old gen throughout the rest of UUPL? Any people in particular you're looking forward to play?
SM UU for sure. Aside from the fact that my UUPL team has one of the most consistent old generation backbones, I'm really trying to establish myself as a solid SM UU players in order to increase my chances of getting drafted to play the tier in SPL 9 (assuming it ends up including lower tiers). I'd be fine with playing ORAS if required, but I don't really imagine myself playing anything else other than those 2 tiers throughout this tournament. As for people I'm looking forward to playing, I don't really think there's anyone in particular. I wanted to play Pearl back in Week 1, but Ice Tea said he'd rather randomize his roster instead of letting the dream match up happen. I guess that getting to play the GOAT (a.k.a. YABO) again would be tons of fun, but that's about it.
Krookodile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Aerodactyl-Mega @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Tail
- Earthquake
- Fire Fang
Fun team built around Cofagrigus, full Trick Room doesn't work in this tier but Primarina can also use TR turns. The Latias set is my favorite non Z move one, it hits hard without relying on setup and checks what it needs to easily. It's a really straightforward offense team so there's not much to explain.
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Thank you for your time and the great interview, dodmen! If you have any questions that you would like to ask him, feel free to leave them below. I'll be back next week with another interview!
what mons do you think are overrated / underrated?
why is rugrats the best anime?
will mods ever allow you to give plates?
what mons do u think will drop / rise whenever we get tier shifts? is there anything that needs to drop?
how do you think megas that will probably drop whenever we get stats affect the uu meta (so steelix, pidgeot, beedrill, abomasnow, manectric, and ttar i guess if we even get that)? do you think any of them will make things that are in bl less of an unhealthy presence, or mons that are viewed to be very centralizing as a whole that are already in uu (so basically clefable)? i know you already think azumarill shouldve been unbanned so i guess i should ask about other mons.
kfm - bleve, datlatias, zvz
i know you weren't the manager of ur team but u were bought very early on and most likely had some involvement in the draft plan for uupl - is there anything that you thought couldve gone differently?
For SM, Timid AV Slowking is unironically one of the best things I've seen so far. The other great things that come to mind immediately are the Recycle Snorlaxes, Specs Latias, and Swagger Klefki.
In BW, SOMALIA's singlehandedly brought Clefable to a 3-0 record, and I really like Omfuga's Resttalk Roar Raikou and corresponding team a lot. These are the only 2 actual Zapdos counters in the tier.
Anything surprising about whats happened so far as we've made it half way through the tour?
I thought they'd be broken and annoying at first, but I really like them overall now. I like that they let Pokemon like Cofagrigus Omastar and Haxorus have a solid place in the tier, I like that it makes Knock Off slightly less effective at just fucking everything, and I actually like that stuff like Latias and Talonflame can just do crazy shit with them.
Are there any mons in particular you feel need to be explored more?
Aurora Veil - I feel that offensive with Ninetales-A can be risky, but can pay off quite well. I don't think a lot of people have tried using it too seriously, although I understand why they wouldn't want to bring it to a UUPL game or anything.
Drought Ninetales - Literally haven't seen anyone use this at all, here's why it's better than Torkoal which should be never used: +2 252 SpA Ninetales Inferno Overdrive (195 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Blissey in Sun: 535-630 (74.9 - 88.2%). Can even be paired with Venusaur on a non-full sun team to capitalize on the few extra sun turns.
Mantine - I know people shit on it, and I've barely used it myself, but it just seems like an alright Pokemon and does decently well whenever I face it.
Flygon - seems like it can use Z moves really well.
I don't follow OU too closely, but from what I've seen/heard, Gengar is supposed to rise which is great because that thing is fucking annoying to deal with. Hope we get Alolan Muk, Nihilego, Pelipper, and Buzzwole sometime soon. All of these should fit perfectly in UU, I'm especially looking forward to Nihilego as a Clefable check and offensive hazard user.
how do you think megas that will probably drop whenever we get stats affect the uu meta (so steelix, pidgeot, beedrill, abomasnow, manectric, and ttar i guess if we even get that)? do you think any of them will make things that are in bl less of an unhealthy presence, or mons that are viewed to be very centralizing as a whole that are already in uu (so basically clefable)? i know you already think azumarill shouldve been unbanned so i guess i should ask about other mons.
Steelix, Pidgeot, Sceptile, and Beedrill are gonna shake things up drastically. Beedrill in particularly is going to be rather insane I think, seeing as it doesn't have to run Protect and is simply so fast and powerful. Steelix would be a great offensive check to Latias and Raikou, two of the Pokemon that are capable of destroying most offensive teams (they can still cripple Steelix permanently with Z moves though). I think a bulky Steel with SR would be a welcome addition (Empoleon and Metagross both have trouble dealing with things that you'd want your Steel slot to beat). Pidgeot would be really damn good with the Mega buff and it doesn't seem like we have any more answers to it than we did in ORAS, but not convinced at all that it would be broken. Manectric is just Raikou without CM or Z moves, although it would check a few additional things like Talonflame I guess. I can't see anything singlehandedly balancing anything in BL, though. I'm excited for all of them except Beedrill.