EDIT: Added in a poll. You can pick multiple names if you feel you are more than one. Please read the OP before voting. Thank you!
EDIT 2: Here are the links to the articles written by Mark Rosewater on the names. These articles go much more in depth and might help you understand better if you are a tad confused by my descriptions. :)
The first article, where he introduces the names: Timmy, Johnny and Spike
The second article, in which he goes further in depth about different variants of the names: Timmy, Johnny and Spike Revisited
In Magic: The Gathering, there were some general terms used to describe certain types of players. I'm here to see if the same can be applied to those who play Pokemon competitively. So anyway, here it goes:
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Timmy:
Timmy players are the type of players who like to use really awesome, powerful creatures, regardless of the outcome of the game. If they can somehow find a way to use this behemoth of epic proportions, they will enjoy themselves. Winning is not important, but when he does win, he really, really likes it.
Example: A perfect example of a Timmy kind of Pokemon is Rampardos. His massive attack attracts Timmy players, but his lackluster speed and defenses would stray away others. But Timmy really, really loves how hard Rampardos hits, so he finds a way to incorporate that into his team, making sure that it focuses on a huge Rampardos sweep. Another good example is anything that can use Belly Drum. Sporting such massive attack is just too good to pass up for any Timmy player.
"Timmy is what we in R&D call the 'power gamer.' Timmy likes to win big. He doesn’t want to eke out a last minute victory. Timmy wants to smash his opponents. He likes his cards to be impressive, and he enjoys playing big creatures and big spells." -Mark Rosewater, MTG designer
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Johnny:
Johnny players enjoy the complicated process of team and movepool creation, mainly leaning towards abstract teams that many wouldn't usually think about using. Johnny likes to use Pokemon or strategies that they believe are truly underrated and deserve the spotlight, and strive to find out how to prove its worth. While Johnny doesn't particularly like losing, getting a win every blue moon is okay by him because he got it by using his innovative team against the status quo. Johnny's love for team building also greatly surpasses his love for actually battling. The idea behind his team is much more fun to think about than actually using it.
Example: Good examples of Johnny teams are ones that focus on winning in a specific, yet abstract way. A great example of a Johnny team is a Trick Room team. It takes the norm and flip flops it around, allowing Johnny to take advantage of offensive Pokes that are a little on the slow side. Baton Pass teams are also good examples, as they focus on a fairly abstract idea that can potentially lead them to victory. And finally, a Johnny team can have a general theme which allows the team to be successful, such as having the majority of your members carry Explosion or Perish Song.
"Like Timmy, Johnny cares more about the quality of his wins than the quantity. For example, let's say Johnny builds a new deck that has a neat but difficult way to win. He plays ten games and manages to get his deck to do its thing… once. Johnny walks away happy." -Mark Rosewater, MTG Designer
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Spike:
Finally, we get to Spike. Spike gets his kicks from winning matches. Plain and simple. He's a very competitive player who likes to show off his skills. He uses Pokes that have been proven to be successful in some manner. He analyzes the metagame and alters his teams to counter any new, incoming threats.
Example: (My previous example was a bit stereotypical. Here is a better one) Spike teams generally consist of top-notch Pokes. When Spike builds a team, he aims to make sure that it does what is intended. If he builds a Stall team, he uses the best tools to his disposal to make it as good as it can be. If Spike decides to build a hyper offensive team, he makes sure that each and every member lays down the law and puts a ton of offensive pressure on. Overall, victory is the overall goal and he will try and reach that goal to the end.
"Spike cares more about the quantity of wins than the quality. For example, Spike plays ten games and wins nine of them. If Spike feels he should have won the tenth, he walks away unhappy." -Mark Rosewater, MTG designer
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NOTE: Just because you have qualities of one of these three characters, does not mean that you are entirely bound to that label! For example, I'm guessing that most, if not all, competitive players have at least, a little bit of Spike in them. But that doesn't mean you can't be a Johnny and make an innovative team! And just because you're a Timmy and you like to use hard hitters, regardless of their difficulty of use in the metagame, that doesn't mean you can't also be a Spike and still go for broke to get the win. It's a fairly flexible generalization, so be sure to take that into consideration!
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I, for one, am a Johnny player. I like NU and UU much more than OU, and even in UU I try to refrain from using common pokes like Mismagius and Registeel. I like Sunny Day and Trick Room style teams, as well as odd pokemon such as Choice Scarfed Drapion. Incidentally, my name also happens to be Johnny.
Discuss which kind of player you think you are. I am very interested.
EDIT 2: Here are the links to the articles written by Mark Rosewater on the names. These articles go much more in depth and might help you understand better if you are a tad confused by my descriptions. :)
The first article, where he introduces the names: Timmy, Johnny and Spike
The second article, in which he goes further in depth about different variants of the names: Timmy, Johnny and Spike Revisited
In Magic: The Gathering, there were some general terms used to describe certain types of players. I'm here to see if the same can be applied to those who play Pokemon competitively. So anyway, here it goes:
=============================
Timmy:
Timmy players are the type of players who like to use really awesome, powerful creatures, regardless of the outcome of the game. If they can somehow find a way to use this behemoth of epic proportions, they will enjoy themselves. Winning is not important, but when he does win, he really, really likes it.
Example: A perfect example of a Timmy kind of Pokemon is Rampardos. His massive attack attracts Timmy players, but his lackluster speed and defenses would stray away others. But Timmy really, really loves how hard Rampardos hits, so he finds a way to incorporate that into his team, making sure that it focuses on a huge Rampardos sweep. Another good example is anything that can use Belly Drum. Sporting such massive attack is just too good to pass up for any Timmy player.
"Timmy is what we in R&D call the 'power gamer.' Timmy likes to win big. He doesn’t want to eke out a last minute victory. Timmy wants to smash his opponents. He likes his cards to be impressive, and he enjoys playing big creatures and big spells." -Mark Rosewater, MTG designer
=============================
Johnny:
Johnny players enjoy the complicated process of team and movepool creation, mainly leaning towards abstract teams that many wouldn't usually think about using. Johnny likes to use Pokemon or strategies that they believe are truly underrated and deserve the spotlight, and strive to find out how to prove its worth. While Johnny doesn't particularly like losing, getting a win every blue moon is okay by him because he got it by using his innovative team against the status quo. Johnny's love for team building also greatly surpasses his love for actually battling. The idea behind his team is much more fun to think about than actually using it.
Example: Good examples of Johnny teams are ones that focus on winning in a specific, yet abstract way. A great example of a Johnny team is a Trick Room team. It takes the norm and flip flops it around, allowing Johnny to take advantage of offensive Pokes that are a little on the slow side. Baton Pass teams are also good examples, as they focus on a fairly abstract idea that can potentially lead them to victory. And finally, a Johnny team can have a general theme which allows the team to be successful, such as having the majority of your members carry Explosion or Perish Song.
"Like Timmy, Johnny cares more about the quality of his wins than the quantity. For example, let's say Johnny builds a new deck that has a neat but difficult way to win. He plays ten games and manages to get his deck to do its thing… once. Johnny walks away happy." -Mark Rosewater, MTG Designer
=============================
Spike:
Finally, we get to Spike. Spike gets his kicks from winning matches. Plain and simple. He's a very competitive player who likes to show off his skills. He uses Pokes that have been proven to be successful in some manner. He analyzes the metagame and alters his teams to counter any new, incoming threats.
Example: (My previous example was a bit stereotypical. Here is a better one) Spike teams generally consist of top-notch Pokes. When Spike builds a team, he aims to make sure that it does what is intended. If he builds a Stall team, he uses the best tools to his disposal to make it as good as it can be. If Spike decides to build a hyper offensive team, he makes sure that each and every member lays down the law and puts a ton of offensive pressure on. Overall, victory is the overall goal and he will try and reach that goal to the end.
"Spike cares more about the quantity of wins than the quality. For example, Spike plays ten games and wins nine of them. If Spike feels he should have won the tenth, he walks away unhappy." -Mark Rosewater, MTG designer
=============================
NOTE: Just because you have qualities of one of these three characters, does not mean that you are entirely bound to that label! For example, I'm guessing that most, if not all, competitive players have at least, a little bit of Spike in them. But that doesn't mean you can't be a Johnny and make an innovative team! And just because you're a Timmy and you like to use hard hitters, regardless of their difficulty of use in the metagame, that doesn't mean you can't also be a Spike and still go for broke to get the win. It's a fairly flexible generalization, so be sure to take that into consideration!
=============================
I, for one, am a Johnny player. I like NU and UU much more than OU, and even in UU I try to refrain from using common pokes like Mismagius and Registeel. I like Sunny Day and Trick Room style teams, as well as odd pokemon such as Choice Scarfed Drapion. Incidentally, my name also happens to be Johnny.
Discuss which kind of player you think you are. I am very interested.
