Toadow
Favorite Pokemon: Infernape
Most Used LC Pokemon: Spritzee
Known as: 2018 LC Last Chance Tour Winner, LCPL 8 Champion (Activity Call Archens), 7-2 SM in LCPL 8, LC King of the Hill, Member of the French LC Elite, LCWC Team France, French dcae slayer
Hello readers! I am back with another edition of LC POTW. Toadow, surging French LCer and Snake hopeful, is our guest. Please give him a warm welcome!
Hello Toadow! Thanks for taking time to do this interview. Also, thank you to Jaajgko for helping to translate between French and English. I’m excited for this POTW because you are one of the surging LC players right now fighting for a Snake starter spot. Before we get into mons talk, why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?
Sure! I am 18 years old and next year I start my studies to become an engineer. I am a Nintendo (BAN ME PLEASE). Pokemon is my big passion but I love playing Tetris99 or Smash Bros Ultimate. Also I love watching sports, mainly F1 and Rally but also enjoy anime and YouTube videos. I did go-karting but it's over now...
Oh that’s very cool. Who do you main in Ultimate? Have you tried the Hero yet?
I main Bowser but I can play Ness, Lucas, Young Link, Captain Falcon, King K Rool and the Piranha Plant. No, sadly, but he seems really good.
Very cool. You can play a lot of characters while I can just barely play Roy properly.
Anyway, how did you get into competitive Pokemon and Little Cup?
It was during my 4th year of middle school. In my class, two people were playing Pokemon and we wanted to have real battles. At this time, I watched a lot of videos on a channel named “Pokemon Trash” and it's at this moment that I discovered Fildrong, a french pokeyoutuber and his videos helped me start competitive mons. At first, I was really bad. I remember, I started on Pokemon Showdown with Ubers because my team was Blaziken Rotom Gengar Garchomp Krookodile and Ditto. Thankfully, I forgot the sets.
I wasn't really strong at the end of ORAS, it's only until SM that I really started playing competitive mons (at a good level). My main tier was the OU tier. I really loved the meta, the games were really fast, I had a good feeling with my teams at that time. I did my first teamtour in this format and it was a disaster, I was really bad (I finished the tournament being the RBY slot). After that, I decided to discover a new tier. I needed to play a really fast tier and easy to understand and it's how I started to play LC. I played the sample team with Dwebble, np Vullaby and scarf Chinchou. I faced Wabane during the playoffs of a French Tournament and after he destroyed me, he told me to continue playing the tier and that with time, I would become a really good player in this tier. And here I am now.
Ah I think I laddered with that sample as well when I first started. Funny how you mention Ubers because I also kind of started there too. My first Ubers team was something like Ash Greninja, Klefki, Mega Scizor LOL.
Being that you are a player who originally started with Lvl 100 tiers, what do you love about Little Cup? What drew you to this meta?
Oh it's complicated... Maybe this is strange but I love the fact that the meta is restrictive. You don't have a lot of choices when you make your team so it's easier to build a team to face another player. In LC, we need more chance than other tiers and I think I like this too. And it's fun to see the number of options that we have for a mon when we have to build. There are some mons that we can see in LC but their evolutions never are played in higher tier like Aromatisse or Dugtrio. Fun fact: I think I started LC when Arena Trap was banned from OU so maybe there is a link. I like abilities like Arena Trap or Shadow Tag and I found the ban of Arena Trap sad but it was deserved.
I think what made me love the tier is the fact that we can't face stall in LC, it's really hard to play. It's a good thing that LC is a tier where we have to play lvl 5 because if we have to play it at lvl 100, we would have a lot of stall in this tier, I already tested that and never enjoyed it. It was just horrible.
Interesting! LC is definitely more centralized so I can see how for some it’s easier to build. Now, I feel like it’s just barely been a year since you started making waves in LC. For me, the first time I remember hearing about you was through King of the Hill, but before that I know you became somewhat known as the French dcae slayer after beating him in LC Open last year.
How do you think you went from someone unheard of to Last Chance tour champion and star 7-2 SMer of the LCPL 8 champion Activity Win Archens? What were specific things you did to improve and get noticed?
Yeah, it was a surprise for me too. The first tournament that I did since I started with LC is the LC Spring Seasonal of 2018. I was really bad, I didn't know all the mechanics of the tier. For example, week 1, I faced a Clamperl and I didn't know the existence of the Deep Sea Tooth so I thought it was Specs Clamperl. You can't imagine what was my surprise when I saw Clamperl use shell smash and finish my team. I really started with nothing. Before the LC Open, I was considered like a ladder hero. My objective was #1 on the ladder, just that, but seems it was impossible for me at this time. I progressed a lot in a short period of time. I think laddering everyday back then helped a lot. Also, that may seem stupid but I built a lot of teams during this period and I think that made me progress a lot too.
I think LC Open was, for me, the beginning of my success. I thought my run was already going to end at round 2 because I had to face Ninjadog. I never thought that I would win the series. For me, it was just because I was lucky. Then, two weeks after, I won vs Dcae and it was the moment where I realized that I can do big things in this tier. At the end of 2018, my level was really good and it showed in my results. In 2018, I think my teams were adapted to this meta. For me, it was a bit scary to see all of these changes that I had in 6 months. At the beginning, I was an unknown player then suddenly I was considered like a big player.
On one hand, it was cool to see that, it shows how I progressed in a short period of time but it really scared me, I wasn't ready for that. I had this feeling that I was overrated. I was afraid to disappoint the people who believed in me. And it was a real problem during one month and affected the playoffs of Smogon Exhibition II and a French Tournament. I think all the pressure that I had during these tournaments became an obstacle. It's really hard to be considered the favorite and it was during a time where I wasn't ready to back that. During one month, I had an staggering series of losses. When LCPL 8 started, I felt like it was my last chance to prove my worth to everyone. I wanted to show that I am not done, that I can be consistent again. I didn't play a lot on the ladder but every week, I built my team and that's how I finished the tournament with a 7-2 record. It gave me trust for the next and I don't know, maybe with that, I will be picked for Snake.
It’s great to see that you clearly persevered through the tough times, improved, and got results. Speaking of results, congrats on winning LCPL 8 with the Activity Call Archens! You actually clinched the finals win for your team, which is of course heartbreaking for me but awesome for you. Tell me about this season and how it was being on your first ever LCPL team.
Oh thank you. At first, I wasn't really excited by the tournament during sign-ups. I never thought that I wouldn't get pick, I was just afraid to be drafted for too much. When I saw my team, it was different because I was with Melon and tazz, two excellents managers that I had during the first LPL. The others members of the team seemed really cool too so it felt promising. I wanted to build a lot for this tournament but with school it was difficult. The 4 first weeks, I decided to pick a team in my builder. That worked for the first two weeks but not anymore for the next two. It was during week 5 when I didn’t have time to build that I noticed my managers working hard to help build and test. When I saw them working hard, it gave me the motivation to only play with teams seriously built during the week! I think after this week, I spent 1.5 to 2 hours on my build every week. I really loved building for this tournament and I was happy with the results.
LCPL was really awesome! First, because it was a teamtour and I really enjoy this format. I loved my team, I met a lot of cool dudes and we won the tour. It was just perfect! Individually, it helped me to progress and I could show my talent to everyone. If someone had told me last year that I would've gone 7-2 in LCPL, I think I would've never believed them.
There was definitely a lot of pressure on you to perform and you totally came through.
Let’s move on to metagame discussion. There are a lot of complaints being thrown around about the current meta. Some people want Vullaby banned, some people want Trapinch unbanned, a few have been wanting to free Wingull, and even one maniac wants Porygon free. What are your thoughts on the current metagame? Do you think anything should be changed?
Oh this famous question... Im not really a fan of this meta. Indeed, I love to play in a restrictive meta but that's only good if other options exist and I don't really have this feeling lately. I was really happy to leave the gastbra + trapinch meta behind. It was really the worst metagame to exist. It's a good thing that Trapinch got banned, it was just broken.
Currently, I don't enjoy building. I have this feeling that it's more restrictive than before. I think that the problem is because Vullaby centralizes the meta. I think that the Vullaby case is complicated because I already felt that this mon was broken but not to the point where it deserves a ban. Now, it’s stronger than ever, so strong that it is played everywhere in tournament. This mon is so strong that it’s bad if you don’t abuse it. It has so many sets that we are never 100% sure at team preview which Vullaby set we have to face. It is really good both offensively and defensively. However, I have this fear that banning Vullaby would have the same consequence as with the Wingull ban. I really regret voting to ban it. It was justified then but now, I think that he deserved to stay in the tier. Once Wingull was banned, I found that the tier was more unstable than before. And that is what I fear if we come to ban Vullaby. However, I may be wrong and its ban could improve the tier. What is certain is that it deserves to be suspect tested, but knowing whether it needs to be banned or not will be difficult.
Alternatively, it is possible that unbanning some Pokemon could decrease the influence of Vullaby on the tier. What could we unban? I don't think that unbaning Wingull is a bad idea and unbanning Misdreavus and Porygon together as well can surely change the meta. That said, I'm afraid they are really too strong for the tier. Maybe it's possible to do a suspect to see how the duo is played and see if they have their place or not in the tier. I don't really know their strength, but with the ban of Baton Pass and if we ban Z Conversion, I think it may be possible for this duo to exist in the meta without being banworthy. If they are indeed too strong, we let them remain banned and then it would be time to start the suspect of Vulla. Maybe it doesn't work like that but I think it's better to search for a way to balance the influence of a mon in a tier rather than wanting to directly ban a mon because it is too strong.
Thank you for sharing your metagame take! I find it interesting that someone who enjoys a more restrictive meta doesn’t really enjoy current SM. I do think this meta is better than GasBra Pinch though. Anyway, which sets do you think are really effective right now?
I don't really know sets that are really effective right now but indivually there are some mons that I find really strong right now. I think about Mudbray which is really good right now. It sets up sr and hits very strong, so strong that it can 2HKO foongus easily after SR. It feels like it doesn't really have any switch in. On top of that, it makes use of an excellent ability in the current meta, Stamina. It is excellent right now because we don't have a lot of special attackers in the tier. Also, it can be used with Rest + Sleep talk or choice scarf, which are very strong variants.
Next comes Abra. All of its sets are very strong, so strong that we must carry a trapper to stop it. While this isn’t the only reason Diglett is still good right now, it’s definitely an important one. Maybe it was stronger before but it is still a good trapper with an eviolite or a scarf. It can even destroy a team with its Z move. It is still really strong. And obviously, Vullaby is really effective right now, I think that I don't have to explain myself more than I already have.
Also, I want to talk about a good core that I don't often see but that I find really strong right now, it's Diglett Memento + Clamperl. That could work with other shell smashers but I mention Clamperl because we don't have a lot of prio or sash/sturdy users right now. Maybe it's just me but I find that Diglett + Clamperl has never been stronger than it is now.
Smogon Snake Draft III is coming up very soon and I’m sure you are hoping to get in this time around. Who do you think are the top contenders for a starting slot?
I don't know who signed up for Snake in LC but I think LilyAC, Shrug, Tazz, Ninjadog, BurntZebra, Kingler12345, Serene Grace, Fille and Heysup will be goods starters slots. Osh, Star and Plas should be picked too but I don't really know if they will play LC or something else. Also, KingKdot and frisoeva could be picked, it would be a good start for them.
Personally, I really want to be picked for Snake. I haven’t played as much following LCPL8 but I know I could get back into it easily. Whether picked as a starter or a sub for multiple tiers, neither would be a problem for me.
As a player whose stock skyrocketed in the span of a year, what advice do you have for newer players trying to get into LC?
I think it's better for the new players to start with samples and test them on the ladder. That can help them to discover the meta and maybe after that, they can start to build teams by themselves. Tournaments are a good way to progress, team tours especially. I think it's the best way to progress because you have support from others players to build or to play test games.
It must be difficult to start the tier now because there are less players than before due to the end of the gen. Sword and Shield will arrive very shortly, in 3 months if I'm not mistaken. The next gen should give us a lot of changes and should be really different from the actual generation. It's always a good thing to start the tier now but I don't think that new players trying to get into LC now would have the time to perform before the next gen. If they start now, they should keep in mind that it would be for fun.
Last but not least, do you have a team you can share for us?
Mienfoo @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 156 Atk / 116 Def / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Pawniard @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
Level: 5
EVs: 156 Atk / 36 Def / 116 SpD / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
Abra @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SpA / 76 SpD / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
- Counter
- Protect
Vullaby @ Berry Juice
Ability: Weak Armor
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 160 Atk / 80 SpA / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Defog
Diglett @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Arena Trap
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 156 Atk / 236 SpD / 76 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit
- Beat Up
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Foongus @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 44 HP / 156 Def / 76 SpA / 156 SpD / 76 Spe
Bold Nature
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 156 Atk / 116 Def / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- High Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Pawniard @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
Level: 5
EVs: 156 Atk / 36 Def / 116 SpD / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Iron Head
- Sucker Punch
Abra @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SpA / 76 SpD / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
- Counter
- Protect
Vullaby @ Berry Juice
Ability: Weak Armor
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 160 Atk / 80 SpA / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Defog
Diglett @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Arena Trap
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 156 Atk / 236 SpD / 76 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit
- Beat Up
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Foongus @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 44 HP / 156 Def / 76 SpA / 156 SpD / 76 Spe
Bold Nature
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
I think it's time to share this team with everyone. El famoso top 6 usage. It's obviously not the current top 6 but it was before, with a Wingull actually. This team has evolved a lot since then. We have classic sets for Pawniard and Abra, respectively Stealth Rock and Sash Protect + Counter, but the rest of the team is "special". The EVs in Attack on Mienfoo gives it the opportunity to defeat Timburr with Fake out + Koff + High Jump Kick. Vullaby has HP Grass which OHKOs Onix without Eviolite after SR but it can changed for HP Fighting for Pawniard. Foongus with 9 Speed outspeeds other Foongus and can easily win a Foongus war. It can also speedtie Spritzee and Alolan-Grimer. And finally, we have Scarf Dig or like as I call it: Dcae's Diglett! It outspeeds Shellder (without the Jolly Nature), Clamperl and Tirtouga at +2 in Speed and can take a Flash Cannon from Magnemite or a Psychic of Abra (without LO) which allows it to trap them very easily, while the Attack investment allows it to OHKO opposing Diglett. I find this set really good, I love it so much.
This team should be solid right now. Maybe it's not as strong as before but I think it can still perform well. This team is really important to me, I used it so many times. It's not my best team but it's a part of me. I only play this team on the ladder nowadays but I take a lot of pleasure in playing with it. The team isn't difficult to play, maybe some sets can be changed if you don't like them but that's all.
Thank you Toadow for your time and thanks everyone for reading. Feel free to ask any questions to our guest. See you soon!
