Interview with macle

Interview and flavor by EonX. Art by Andrew and Bummer.

As I roam about the large city, I discover the main Grand Slam building with the large GS initials at the top. Over to the right, I see a building with a Mega Absol statue at the top with plenty of people gathered around it. As I glance over the area, I finally spot the building I'm looking for to the far left, the one with a Fletchling statue at the top. I rush over to it and spot the person I needed to talk with, complete with a Poliwag shirt and Poliwag-shaped hat. We shake hands and make our way into his office.

The LC Open is the second leg of the Grand Slam this year. Now I'm sure you're eager to talk about that, but for the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with LC, can you talk about the current state of LC as a whole?

LC is a pretty balanced metagame. Its more offensive that a lot of the other XY metagames with a variety of usable Pokemon, like Amaura—want me to go more in-depth?

Glad you offered! That would be great for those interested in getting into LC, I'm sure.

Items in LC are very important, especially Eviolite which can increase the bulk of any Pokemon in the metagame so Knock Off is very common. Luckily, there are some Pokemon that take advantage of it by having Sticky Hold, like Shellos and Trubbish, or Fletchling, which usually doesn't have an item because its best Flying-type move is Acrobatics. All thre are examples of Pokemon that can switch into Knock Off with the lower Base Power.

Sounds like strategy is at a premium in LC, even more so than other tiers. That strategy is bound to affect the outcome of the LC Open. Who should we have our eyes on as possible favorites to win it all?

macle thinks for a bit, almost as if he's trying to narrow down his answers.

Blarajan is probably the favorite to win it, since he went undefeated in SPL for LC and is the tier leader. Other favorites are fitzy72 and Calloflochie. fitzy is primarliy a LC player but he has the ability to keep up with other tournament players. Calloflochie is a great battler; he is on the UU council and knows his stuff about LC. Those are the 3 LC players that i feel can really stand their own against regular tournament players.

I try to hide the fact that I'm surprised I know two of these people, but judging by the fact I hear macle chuckle, I don't think I did a good job...

Definitely some proven players there, in and out of LC. Who are some players that might sneak up and surprise people who don't necessarily follow LC? Some dark horse picks if you will.

Well I'd rather not call them dark horses but Bloo, Bad Ass, and gr8astard should have no problem picking up LC. Though Bloo has the hardest round 1 match up possibly with facing M Dragon.

I cringe at the thought of having to try and pick that match. I think about asking macle, but decide against it.

Wow, a blockbuster match out of the gates. I guess it isn't called "luck of the draw" for nothing. One thing I wanted to touch on was hosting such a big tournament like this one. Is it more difficult to host a large tournament like this one, or does the importance of it make it more enjoyable?

This is my first real tournament I have hosted so all I have to compare it to is LC Mini-tours. It's certainly more difficult and the fact that if I screw up, it will be in front of everyone but at the same time, it's an honor to host it.

A great way of looking at it. I'm sure you'll do a great job with it. Well, I only have one question left. We know the favorites. We know the dark horses. After the dust settles from all of the battles, who will be crowned 2014 LC Open Champion?

macle thinks long and hard about this, almost as if he's torn between two choices. I start to ask if he's ok, but then...

King PDC for the repeat.

We'll see if he goes two in a row and show us that a generation transition hasn't phased him one bit. Thank you so much for taking some time to talk about the LC Open. Hopefully it all goes well and we see some great matches!

No problem and thanks.

We shake hands and I start to leave his office. However, he says he wants to give me something and hands me a Poliwag-shaped hat like the one he's wearing. I stare at it for a minute, shrug my shoulders, and put it on as I leave his office. It's all I can do to get out of the building's lobby as countless players have gathered to test their skills.