Project OU Player Interview #11: TPP

Clone

Free Gliscor
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus


Welcome back to the OU Player Interviews project. Apologies for the delay, but today we have Smogon's Nicest User and OUFL TPP! He slayed in SPL last year, made semifinals of OST, and won WCoP with South, to name a few of his achievements. Without further ado, let's get into the interview!


TPP


Clone — 11/04/2021
Hey man, thanks for taking the time to do this. How's it going?


TPP — 11/04/2021
Hey, I'm doing alright, how are you?


Clone — 11/04/2021
I'm good, still Malding over that unite game earlier but things happen
Let's get some of these cut and dry questions out of the way
What's your favorite pokemon?


TPP — 11/04/2021
I have a lot of favorites, but I think I'll go with Lucario. I loved it when I saw the Lucario movie as a kid and he was really good in Super Smash Bros Brawl. My irl friends and I played that game a ton while going through high school, and Lucario was always really good. Blue is my favorite color as well and Lucario has a nice shade of blue, and Aura sphere is a cool shade of blue as well.


Clone — 11/04/2021
Ah, good choice. Explains why you use him so much in Unite
What's your most used pokemon this gen?


TPP — 11/04/2021
I've used Lando pretty much the entire gen and for good reason. You just can't go wrong with it, or until now that is with Zapdos-Galar skyrocketing in usage. It's a solid multipurpose mon that can really do whatever you want. Whether its defensive with Defog or Rocks, or something offensive, it's always putting in good work. The other thing is that I think Toxic + Earthquake is pretty strong this gen when you're not facing Corviknight or a few mons that can handle that combo, like physically defensive Ferrothorn and Clefable.


Clone — 11/04/2021
Inferior Gliscor
What are you most known for?
(Aside from nicest user)


TPP — 11/04/2021
Probably being a tryhard in the OU forum alongside Finchinator and my fellow OU mods. I'm RMT leader too, but the OU forum's a lot bigger and I've had a lot of fun over the years contributing here. For this gen I tried a bit harder to try and contribute in a unique way. I did this for when Home dropped and both DLC's, but I created a role compendium to make it easy for people to see what's new and by category that way. I like working hard and sometimes feel proud of it, and that feeling is usually what keeps me going.

Aside from that, I was fortunate enough to be on the winning SPL roster and had a lot of fun there, and then managed to work hard and have a break out tour to win world cup. Going from qualifiers to winning the tour made the record books, and it was great getting to win a trophy with a lot of friends like FMG and TDK.


Clone — 11/04/2021
I bet it's fun teaming up with former teammates for SCL
That leads into my next question, where does your name come from?


TPP — 11/04/2021
So back in around 2013, I spent all my time in the Wi-Fi room with my youngest brother, and I wanted to find a cool username that wasn't taken. By cool I meant something people would recognize like "Lucario" or "Draco Meteor." Eventually I tried Team Pokepals and it worked, and I really liked the blue color of it and kept it. I used that name from 2013 until 2018, which is when I changed to TPP. Stone Cold told me I had to change my name to a 3 letter name since it worked for the other great players he worked with (BKC, ABR, TDK) and I did it and here I am today. I didn't get the PS name until January of this year, so I guess I wasn't using the full effect of it until now. So far it's been working really well as this has been my best year yet.


Clone — 11/04/2021
It only took 5 years to unleash your full power
It served you well in the past few tours
How's the tournament scene been going for you?


TPP — 11/04/2021
So I've been in tournaments for 2 years now, and it started out rock bottom quite literally. I went 0-6 in my first tournament while my team finished last place in Snake 3. Then I tried to quit playing and try managing, and we finished 9th place in SPL. After that I got to play in World Cup for the first time, and I got my first win, which felt really great, but unfortunately our team finished 3rd from the bottom and we got relegated. I was pretty done with team tours at this point, but then Corona PL happened and I had a ton of fun with new people. I won CPL 1 and CPL 4, the latter of which was with other people that created their account in 2015. Our team was incredible, and I got to finally meet up with a ton of tour players I respect like Trosko, Empo, Cdumas, Sacri and so much more. It was one of the best experiences I've had on here.

After that I decided to try Snake 4 and see how it went. It started out as a team with strangers into a really fun team, and I gained a little more confidence while playing and finally conquered my nerves, which were a huge issue for me. We got to semifinals and lost, but in the end we were the only team that defeated the Lindworms.


TPP — 11/04/2021
SPL was after that and I was honestly expecting to go undrafted and nearly did, but Tony was able to snag me really late and I worked well with our OU core and got to team up with ABR and BKC for the first time. That tournament was the best experience I've had on here and it had everything you could ask for in a team tour. Fun teammates that work well together and have fun together in every way. From building funny sets to making drawings and memes of ABR's games in GSC. All of it was beyond amazing.
Following SPL, I wanted to try and recreate the amazing environment we had for my world cup, or at least try to. The start of world cup was a literal disaster with pretty much 10+ people wanting to bench and we had to deal with qualifiers with a dead unmotivated team. We somehow survived that and then Round 1 started. We started off really slow and continued to be dead, but after a legendary speech from Stone Cold, we got our act together, worked hard, and we somehow made playoffs for the very first time. Ox and Eo were the biggest core of our team and were great at building. It helped a lot that Ox, FMG and I had a breakout tour, while we could also rely on our trusty great players like HSA, TDK, FV and Christo/Sammy to round off the team. Finals were terribly stressful, especially with having to deal with tiebreak, but Triple Axel caused the tiebreak and then ended it too. It was one hell of a tournament and it's been really cool to see how we went from a dead South team to everyone performing well in general now like in SCL.

SCL has been interesting so far. I'll admit I think the auction was horrible and prices were all over the place for no reason other than managers who don't know better. I learned a lot about managing from BKC and Tony and they even did a post-SPL talk about it and it was painful to see the auction go as it did. Hype wise, SCL was meant to be great but its been just okay, which is a bit unfortunate. I feel like a lot of people have felt dead/done with this our earlier than expected, and it kinda does raise the question of whether its worth having this tour of not, but it's probably fine. Personally I think the OU pool could be so much better if it had its usual titans like ABR, Empo and Tricking, but we can't really do anything about it. People are losing steam in general on this site myself included, so we'll see how long it goes.


Clone — 11/04/2021
Do you think the release of BDSP will help with burnout?


TPP — 11/04/2021
Depending on compatibility, it might either bring back and motivate people, or it'll leave everyone feeling depressed. I'm on the hopeful side of believing BDSP and Legends Arceus will be compatible with Gen 8 OU, and if so, then there's a lot to look forward to. Gliscor probably could hit Ubers if it comes back given how there's no Hidden Power anymore, but no one knows for sure. Teleport from Slowbro into breakers like Weavile help a lot too. Some moves might come back, which if Pursuit, Return/Frustration, and Hidden Power do, then the whole gen flips over on its head. Dragapult finally being trapped would be satisfying, but having to deal with random Hidden Powers is going to be stressful for sure. I'm excited to try the new Legends Arceus mons, as they're still hiding a lot of info. It'll be interesting and hopefully really fun.


Clone — 11/04/2021
I'm really looking forward to legends arceus myself
The new trailers have been a lot of fun to watch and dissect


TPP — 11/04/2021
Yeah it looks like it'll be a game to remember for sure


Clone — 11/04/2021
Speaking of which, do you play any other games? What hobbies do you have outside of mons?


TPP — 11/04/2021
I currently play Pokemon Go and Pokemon Unite on a daily basis. Pokemon Go I got into again last October and I've made a lot of new friends since playing and it's been really fun. I learned a lot from friends like Philip7086 and iplaytennislol and they're great and I love everyone in our server and its nothing but good vibes, which is really appreciated nowadays. Pokemon Unite I picked up a few months ago when it came out, and it's been a lot of fun and a lot of malding, both of which you've been there to see. Hopefully the game only gets better from here. I wish I could say the same for teammates, but they're always hit or miss.


Clone — 11/04/2021
That last sentence is painfully accurate ;-;
Can you tell us a little more about yourself outside of Smogon?


TPP — 11/04/2021
No


Clone — 11/04/2021
Wow
TPP is a spy confirmed


TPP — 11/04/2021
Jokes aside, I'm a 25 year old who recently finished a post-grad program in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. I'm looking to start work this month either as a data scientist/analyst or somewhere else. I've had a lot of ups and downs career wise and the pandemic made it difficult too, but AI is pretty cool and making programs and models and being proud of them is really satisfying. Aside from that, I watch a lot of anime and it's one of the few things in life I'll always love, and it's definitely given me a lot in life. You can learn a lot from characters and the emotions and situations they go through, and being able to empathize with them and love them never gets old. I used to keep up with the NBA but haven't really paid attention since the pandemic started. I like saying nice things and treating people with respect because I still follow a rule I learned way back in 1st grade, which was "treat others the way you want to be treated." A little kindness can sometimes go a long way, and you also never know how people are really feeling with mental health issues growing more common. Helping people is nice and heartwarming, and hopefully one day they'll help you when you need someone too.


Clone — 11/04/2021
What a wholesome message
Favorite anime
Go


TPP — 11/04/2021
Naruto and Violet Evergarden have a very special place in my heart, but I think I'm gonna go with Haikyuu. Haikyuu has so much energy and excitement that it's tempting to celebrate and scream when the characters do, and every character is incredible and lovable. Season 1 might be a bit slow, but Season 2 onwards is something really good. I actually binged all of season 2 and season 3 in a single night and it was just incredible.


Clone — 11/04/2021
Can't say I've watched any of those, but I have heard good things about them. Might have to check them out now that I restarted my Funimation subscription. Have a lot to catch up on
Some of the new side series Pokemon animations have been really good in my opinion, especially the one about the Galar gym leaders
Which leads me to my next question, how do you enjoy the gen 8 metagame?


TPP — 11/04/2021
Personally I like how I've seen this metagame go from Day 1 to where it is today and can say I remember all of it. It started out super chaotic with Dynamax and Darmanitan-Galar, and eventually evolved into Seismitoad + Clef + Corvi on every team since the council thought keeping Dracovish until DLC 1 was a great idea. World Cup and Snake 4 were a bit frustrating since Cinderace and Urshifu Single-Strike took too long to get banned, but since then I think it's been really fun. Boots added a lot to the game and it's been interesting to see how Weavile's bulk is actually just right for the job and plays a huge role in a lot of games. For example, being able to tank a Moonblast from Fini and Clef and clicking Swords Dance is only possible thanks to Boots, and makes Weavile an even bigger threat than ever before. I think the current meta is mostly fine, and I wouldn't really change much. Admittedly I think the best solution would be to free Magearna but somehow nerf it, since Specs Fleur Cannon is absolutely broken. Defensively, Magearna adds a lot and would help with Weavile/Kyurem/Pult/Lele and could do whatever it wants honestly. The meta is getting more offensive atm, so we'll see how it turns out. I think it's been pretty cool and will only continue to grow more creative as time continues. Corviknight and Urshifu-Rapid-Strike were super common in world cup, but they're both a lot less common now, and that's just the beauty of watching metagames change.


Clone — 11/04/2021
That's an interesting take on Magearna
Do you think anything is suspect worthy at the moment?


TPP — 11/04/2021
At this stage it's kind of hard, since offensive stuff like Lele and Kyurem can sometimes be obnoxious, but they're also uncommon. They're not as brainless broken as threats in the past like Magearna and Spectrier, so it's pretty hard to convince the playerbase as a whole to say they're broken and get a ban going. I do think both Lele and Kyurem are tough to handle, Lele with it's Calm Mind LO Set and Kyurem kinda just with whatever. I always thought it was funny how good Kyurem was as a mon in general. Having fully accurate moves and being able to fish for freezes while having a ton of bulk and Pressure as an annoying ability on top of that. Lele I think after a few CM's is really hard to KO depending on your team. Stuff like Zeraora and Weavile can't always 1HKO and Draining Kiss will undo most of the damage. I don't think they'll get banned given how BDSP is right around the corner, and how we've also gone since February without banning anything. Are they annoying? For sure. Suspect worthy? Not totally sure but wouldn't mind it.


Clone — 11/04/2021
Yeah my TC status is looking shaky given the lack of suspect tests but that could also be a testament to how balanced the metagame is currently
What's your favorite playstyle to use?


TPP — 11/04/2021
I prefer bulky offense or balance. You can fit in enough offense while having checks/counters to a lot of things. You can make safe plays at times while also having room to make aggressive doubles/predictions if necessary. The other half is that you can get creative with playing around with 1-2 slots or a few move changes and EV's. I like the idea of trying to get 100% out of a really good mon like Landorus, and I can get away with using stuff like that and Clefable a ton because they're so versatile and just always work no matter what too. Aside from that I sometimes look into using more offensive stuff. HO is pretty cool and I like how it forces you to constantly play for the sake of winning, which is what caused a huge shift for me in terms of playing. Before this year I was always afraid of losing and wouldn't play well, but this year I play to win and I can make plays that are focused on winning and it's made the game so much more clear for me. When you're afraid to lose and don't stay focused on winning, you make a lot of plays just to keep the game going and you don't really know what you're doing, which is something the opponent can abuse. It's what lets losing players get back into games and I've been on both sides of it.


Clone — 11/04/2021
I feel like that last aspect describes how I play and gives me a lot to think about. I've noticed you tend to be very calculated in your plays and it's interesting to watch
To add onto this, what is your favorite tech that abuses current metagame trends?


TPP — 11/04/2021
It's not so much a tech, but I love using Zeraora and it works out really well for me. It's kind of simple but also tricky where the only mon on the opposing side that can stop it is Lando, but you also don't want to go Lando because Knock Off will put it on a timer. In a way it's able to abuse Lando's usage while also having Lando as a counter to it. It's also my unite main so I love it for that reason too.


Clone — 11/04/2021
Man, furries are really good all around this year


TPP — 11/04/2021
Gamefreak knew what they were doing when they made Cinderace as good as they did


Clone — 11/04/2021
You heard it here first from our resident Smogon Smod furry
Can you explain your teambuilding process a bit? Does it differ for different tournaments?


TPP — 11/04/2021
I usually do the same thing for every tournament. I might get an idea for 1-2 mons that are cool to use given what my opponent's been using, and then I'll end up with something standard that includes the mon I want. Sometimes I'll try different defensive structures to see what works best and make sure I can break everything without being too weak to something common. There's a lot of unfortunate pitfalls people will realize in their games, and I make sure to consider as much as I can before I play. For example, when you run Zeraora or Tapu Koko, you have to have a mon that can force out Lando-T, and typically something like Weavile works perfectly. You can either go offensively with Weavile, or defensively with something like Slowbro. Being unable to force out Lando of all mons at lead is hilarious and sad, but it happens.


Clone — 11/04/2021
I've had more than one team that can't punish Lando from lead, unfortunately
Can you share a team that fits well in the current metagame and briefly explain how it works?


TPP — 11/04/2021
https://pokepast.es/2ca1ab9e3fb9ffcb


TPP — 11/04/2021
I think I decided to use Zeraora again since I got lazy with prep. The structure is pretty standard and I was able to end up where I had 5 slots filled, and the last one was filler. The Clef slot was originally Zapdos-Galar, but eventually I decided I wanted to use a Clefable since I hadn't used one in a while. The sets are all pretty standard, with Ferro having Thunder Wave only because I already have Knock Off on both Zeraora and Weavile. The Clef set was used by Punny against Ox the day before I used this team and I really liked it. Stored Power here is actually to help patch up the matchup against Volcarona, which would otherwise get a pretty clean win against this team. Slowbro's EV spread is mixed because I didn't want Volcanion to be as threatening, and the Lando hits 242 speed to outspeed stuff like Timid Zone/Aegislash.

I like how this team has a lot of different ways to win. Sometimes Zera/Weavile/Clef might outright win, or you can rely on Future Port with Zera/Weavile. If neither one works, then you can try Spikes to make progress. Nowadays it's nice how Lando/Scizor are the most common defoggers and you can punish both pretty well with this team.


Clone — 11/04/2021
Anyone you wanna give a shoutout to?


TPP — 11/04/2021
I'll go with you first since I had fun doing this while we were both in call the whole time. I couldn't stop laughing while trying to write giant paragraphs knowing I'd get to hear your live reaction to it. I have a lot of friends on here who help me have a fun time and I appreciate them as well as those that are able to help me when I need it. Also wouldn't be here today without a lot of former teams and teammates, especially the Snake 4 Cobras, the SPL 12 Wolfpack and US South. I'll add the Shoguns to that list if Bush wins his game this week. My guy Bushtush is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. He has one of the best personalities on here and you're guaranteed to have a good time with him. He's made me laugh and cry more times than I can remember and he's always fun to be around. Aside from him, I have a lot of fun with you and Curiosity while we play Unite, Philip7086, tennis and everyone in the pogo server, and a lot of close friends like Ophion, IP, Punny, Luna, Umbry, and Ox. Everyday's a fun day for me when I have y'all in my life.


Clone — 11/04/2021
<3
Anything else you wanna say?


TPP — 11/04/2021
Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day and if you ever want help with whatever or need someone to talk to, feel free to PM me on forums or discord at TPP#3487


Clone — 11/04/2021
Thanks for taking the time to do this man. Good luck this week in SCL!


TPP — 11/04/2021
Thanks and take care

---

As always, leave any questions you have for TPP down below. See y'all in the next one!
 

TPP

is a Tournament Directoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Past WCoP Champion
Head TD
What do you main in unite?
Thoughts on heatran?
Who's ur favourite comedian?
Do you like lucario cuz its just as tall as you?
1. Zeraora, Sylveon, Lucario, Talonflame, and sometimes Greninja, Venusaur and Mamoswine.
2. Heatran is a very good mon that can do a lot when it's hitting Magma Storm.
3. Bushtush
4. No, I like it because it's taller than you
favorite galar bird by design?
thoughts on hyper offense teambuilds (screens, webs, hazard stack) and whats your favorite and why?
favorite mega pokemon to use in sm ou?
1. Probably Articuno, the purple coloring and the way it floats is cool.
2. HO is fun to use and scary to play with. I'd probably lean towards hazard stack because I like Spikes in general. Screens are hard with Dragapult being as common as it is.
3. Mega Mawile because it's pretty easy to use with how hard it its and its coverage options as well.
do you like samurott and the fact it 6-0s teams?
Maybe it 6-0's your teams but not mine :]
whats the worst anime you watched?
whats your favorite old gen right now?
1. This one might be an unpopular opinion, but I did not like Elfen Lied nor Shinsekai yori. Elfen Lied felt like it had too much gore, and then the plot for Shinsekai yori felt weird a lot. They often had some breaks in between episodes, and I'd constantly have to ask myself "what is going on" and it was okay.
2. I don't play it, but DPP OU looks very fun. I love the mons and the sprites and it's really cool how you get to see mons like Breloom and Flygon get used a lot.
Best tournament game you've ever watched?

Most underrated player?
1. A few personal favorites would be, Eternal Spirit vs Lusa in stour finals, McMeghan and ABR also in stour finals, and McMeghan vs Lavos in Classic playoffs. A lot of exciting back and forth games with a lot of creative sets, and then the last one was just a really funny Gyarados sweep that resulted in what is probably the most famous post on Smogon now.
2. This is going to be a weird answer, but I think Felix and beatiful need to be rated a lot higher in the future. I think they deserve to be around the top after SCL and hope to see that reflected in the SPL power rankings.
what do you think of the current state of unite?
favorite anime opening?
is there any mon or set that feels deserves more attention?
1. It's a little boring now and I wish there was more to do in each game. Attackers are fun but super squishy and I wish the other all rounders besides Lucario were better. Gardevoir and Garchomp look fun but they're too slow before evolving.
2. I love a lot of intros and every once in a while I'll have a new favorite that I jam out to a lot. I currently love the new Dragon Quest opening.
3. Blaziken and the Lati twins seeing more usage would be cool. Shifu and Rillaboom were super strong at one point and could make a return as well. Zygarde-10% would be interesting as well given how Ferrothorn and Kartana are the only Grass-types you'll see nowadays. Rillaboom too, but it's rarer in tournaments and usually doesn't wanna switch in anyways.
 

Baloor

Tigers Management
is a Community Contributoris a Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a defending SPL Champion
PUPL Champion
just wanna say its incredible how far you've come since we used to run countless tests for tournaments that weren't even official.

do you have any pregame rituals? how do you get into "the zone" for your games?

how do you not break your hand in a fight?

favorite christmas tree decoration?
 


Welcome back to the OU Player Interviews project. Apologies for the delay, but today we have Smogon's Nicest User and OUFL TPP! He slayed in SPL last year, made semifinals of OST, and won WCoP with South, to name a few of his achievements. Without further ado, let's get into the interview!


TPP


Clone — 11/04/2021
Hey man, thanks for taking the time to do this. How's it going?


TPP — 11/04/2021
Hey, I'm doing alright, how are you?


Clone — 11/04/2021
I'm good, still Malding over that unite game earlier but things happen
Let's get some of these cut and dry questions out of the way
What's your favorite pokemon?


TPP — 11/04/2021
I have a lot of favorites, but I think I'll go with Lucario. I loved it when I saw the Lucario movie as a kid and he was really good in Super Smash Bros Brawl. My irl friends and I played that game a ton while going through high school, and Lucario was always really good. Blue is my favorite color as well and Lucario has a nice shade of blue, and Aura sphere is a cool shade of blue as well.


Clone — 11/04/2021
Ah, good choice. Explains why you use him so much in Unite
What's your most used pokemon this gen?


TPP — 11/04/2021
I've used Lando pretty much the entire gen and for good reason. You just can't go wrong with it, or until now that is with Zapdos-Galar skyrocketing in usage. It's a solid multipurpose mon that can really do whatever you want. Whether its defensive with Defog or Rocks, or something offensive, it's always putting in good work. The other thing is that I think Toxic + Earthquake is pretty strong this gen when you're not facing Corviknight or a few mons that can handle that combo, like physically defensive Ferrothorn and Clefable.


Clone — 11/04/2021
Inferior Gliscor
What are you most known for?
(Aside from nicest user)


TPP — 11/04/2021
Probably being a tryhard in the OU forum alongside Finchinator and my fellow OU mods. I'm RMT leader too, but the OU forum's a lot bigger and I've had a lot of fun over the years contributing here. For this gen I tried a bit harder to try and contribute in a unique way. I did this for when Home dropped and both DLC's, but I created a role compendium to make it easy for people to see what's new and by category that way. I like working hard and sometimes feel proud of it, and that feeling is usually what keeps me going.

Aside from that, I was fortunate enough to be on the winning SPL roster and had a lot of fun there, and then managed to work hard and have a break out tour to win world cup. Going from qualifiers to winning the tour made the record books, and it was great getting to win a trophy with a lot of friends like FMG and TDK.


Clone — 11/04/2021
I bet it's fun teaming up with former teammates for SCL
That leads into my next question, where does your name come from?


TPP — 11/04/2021
So back in around 2013, I spent all my time in the Wi-Fi room with my youngest brother, and I wanted to find a cool username that wasn't taken. By cool I meant something people would recognize like "Lucario" or "Draco Meteor." Eventually I tried Team Pokepals and it worked, and I really liked the blue color of it and kept it. I used that name from 2013 until 2018, which is when I changed to TPP. Stone Cold told me I had to change my name to a 3 letter name since it worked for the other great players he worked with (BKC, ABR, TDK) and I did it and here I am today. I didn't get the PS name until January of this year, so I guess I wasn't using the full effect of it until now. So far it's been working really well as this has been my best year yet.


Clone — 11/04/2021
It only took 5 years to unleash your full power
It served you well in the past few tours
How's the tournament scene been going for you?


TPP — 11/04/2021
So I've been in tournaments for 2 years now, and it started out rock bottom quite literally. I went 0-6 in my first tournament while my team finished last place in Snake 3. Then I tried to quit playing and try managing, and we finished 9th place in SPL. After that I got to play in World Cup for the first time, and I got my first win, which felt really great, but unfortunately our team finished 3rd from the bottom and we got relegated. I was pretty done with team tours at this point, but then Corona PL happened and I had a ton of fun with new people. I won CPL 1 and CPL 4, the latter of which was with other people that created their account in 2015. Our team was incredible, and I got to finally meet up with a ton of tour players I respect like Trosko, Empo, Cdumas, Sacri and so much more. It was one of the best experiences I've had on here.

After that I decided to try Snake 4 and see how it went. It started out as a team with strangers into a really fun team, and I gained a little more confidence while playing and finally conquered my nerves, which were a huge issue for me. We got to semifinals and lost, but in the end we were the only team that defeated the Lindworms.


TPP — 11/04/2021
SPL was after that and I was honestly expecting to go undrafted and nearly did, but Tony was able to snag me really late and I worked well with our OU core and got to team up with ABR and BKC for the first time. That tournament was the best experience I've had on here and it had everything you could ask for in a team tour. Fun teammates that work well together and have fun together in every way. From building funny sets to making drawings and memes of ABR's games in GSC. All of it was beyond amazing.
Following SPL, I wanted to try and recreate the amazing environment we had for my world cup, or at least try to. The start of world cup was a literal disaster with pretty much 10+ people wanting to bench and we had to deal with qualifiers with a dead unmotivated team. We somehow survived that and then Round 1 started. We started off really slow and continued to be dead, but after a legendary speech from Stone Cold, we got our act together, worked hard, and we somehow made playoffs for the very first time. Ox and Eo were the biggest core of our team and were great at building. It helped a lot that Ox, FMG and I had a breakout tour, while we could also rely on our trusty great players like HSA, TDK, FV and Christo/Sammy to round off the team. Finals were terribly stressful, especially with having to deal with tiebreak, but Triple Axel caused the tiebreak and then ended it too. It was one hell of a tournament and it's been really cool to see how we went from a dead South team to everyone performing well in general now like in SCL.

SCL has been interesting so far. I'll admit I think the auction was horrible and prices were all over the place for no reason other than managers who don't know better. I learned a lot about managing from BKC and Tony and they even did a post-SPL talk about it and it was painful to see the auction go as it did. Hype wise, SCL was meant to be great but its been just okay, which is a bit unfortunate. I feel like a lot of people have felt dead/done with this our earlier than expected, and it kinda does raise the question of whether its worth having this tour of not, but it's probably fine. Personally I think the OU pool could be so much better if it had its usual titans like ABR, Empo and Tricking, but we can't really do anything about it. People are losing steam in general on this site myself included, so we'll see how long it goes.


Clone — 11/04/2021
Do you think the release of BDSP will help with burnout?


TPP — 11/04/2021
Depending on compatibility, it might either bring back and motivate people, or it'll leave everyone feeling depressed. I'm on the hopeful side of believing BDSP and Legends Arceus will be compatible with Gen 8 OU, and if so, then there's a lot to look forward to. Gliscor probably could hit Ubers if it comes back given how there's no Hidden Power anymore, but no one knows for sure. Teleport from Slowbro into breakers like Weavile help a lot too. Some moves might come back, which if Pursuit, Return/Frustration, and Hidden Power do, then the whole gen flips over on its head. Dragapult finally being trapped would be satisfying, but having to deal with random Hidden Powers is going to be stressful for sure. I'm excited to try the new Legends Arceus mons, as they're still hiding a lot of info. It'll be interesting and hopefully really fun.


Clone — 11/04/2021
I'm really looking forward to legends arceus myself
The new trailers have been a lot of fun to watch and dissect


TPP — 11/04/2021
Yeah it looks like it'll be a game to remember for sure


Clone — 11/04/2021
Speaking of which, do you play any other games? What hobbies do you have outside of mons?


TPP — 11/04/2021
I currently play Pokemon Go and Pokemon Unite on a daily basis. Pokemon Go I got into again last October and I've made a lot of new friends since playing and it's been really fun. I learned a lot from friends like Philip7086 and iplaytennislol and they're great and I love everyone in our server and its nothing but good vibes, which is really appreciated nowadays. Pokemon Unite I picked up a few months ago when it came out, and it's been a lot of fun and a lot of malding, both of which you've been there to see. Hopefully the game only gets better from here. I wish I could say the same for teammates, but they're always hit or miss.


Clone — 11/04/2021
That last sentence is painfully accurate ;-;
Can you tell us a little more about yourself outside of Smogon?


TPP — 11/04/2021
No


Clone — 11/04/2021
Wow
TPP is a spy confirmed


TPP — 11/04/2021
Jokes aside, I'm a 25 year old who recently finished a post-grad program in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. I'm looking to start work this month either as a data scientist/analyst or somewhere else. I've had a lot of ups and downs career wise and the pandemic made it difficult too, but AI is pretty cool and making programs and models and being proud of them is really satisfying. Aside from that, I watch a lot of anime and it's one of the few things in life I'll always love, and it's definitely given me a lot in life. You can learn a lot from characters and the emotions and situations they go through, and being able to empathize with them and love them never gets old. I used to keep up with the NBA but haven't really paid attention since the pandemic started. I like saying nice things and treating people with respect because I still follow a rule I learned way back in 1st grade, which was "treat others the way you want to be treated." A little kindness can sometimes go a long way, and you also never know how people are really feeling with mental health issues growing more common. Helping people is nice and heartwarming, and hopefully one day they'll help you when you need someone too.


Clone — 11/04/2021
What a wholesome message
Favorite anime
Go


TPP — 11/04/2021
Naruto and Violet Evergarden have a very special place in my heart, but I think I'm gonna go with Haikyuu. Haikyuu has so much energy and excitement that it's tempting to celebrate and scream when the characters do, and every character is incredible and lovable. Season 1 might be a bit slow, but Season 2 onwards is something really good. I actually binged all of season 2 and season 3 in a single night and it was just incredible.


Clone — 11/04/2021
Can't say I've watched any of those, but I have heard good things about them. Might have to check them out now that I restarted my Funimation subscription. Have a lot to catch up on
Some of the new side series Pokemon animations have been really good in my opinion, especially the one about the Galar gym leaders
Which leads me to my next question, how do you enjoy the gen 8 metagame?


TPP — 11/04/2021
Personally I like how I've seen this metagame go from Day 1 to where it is today and can say I remember all of it. It started out super chaotic with Dynamax and Darmanitan-Galar, and eventually evolved into Seismitoad + Clef + Corvi on every team since the council thought keeping Dracovish until DLC 1 was a great idea. World Cup and Snake 4 were a bit frustrating since Cinderace and Urshifu Single-Strike took too long to get banned, but since then I think it's been really fun. Boots added a lot to the game and it's been interesting to see how Weavile's bulk is actually just right for the job and plays a huge role in a lot of games. For example, being able to tank a Moonblast from Fini and Clef and clicking Swords Dance is only possible thanks to Boots, and makes Weavile an even bigger threat than ever before. I think the current meta is mostly fine, and I wouldn't really change much. Admittedly I think the best solution would be to free Magearna but somehow nerf it, since Specs Fleur Cannon is absolutely broken. Defensively, Magearna adds a lot and would help with Weavile/Kyurem/Pult/Lele and could do whatever it wants honestly. The meta is getting more offensive atm, so we'll see how it turns out. I think it's been pretty cool and will only continue to grow more creative as time continues. Corviknight and Urshifu-Rapid-Strike were super common in world cup, but they're both a lot less common now, and that's just the beauty of watching metagames change.


Clone — 11/04/2021
That's an interesting take on Magearna
Do you think anything is suspect worthy at the moment?


TPP — 11/04/2021
At this stage it's kind of hard, since offensive stuff like Lele and Kyurem can sometimes be obnoxious, but they're also uncommon. They're not as brainless broken as threats in the past like Magearna and Spectrier, so it's pretty hard to convince the playerbase as a whole to say they're broken and get a ban going. I do think both Lele and Kyurem are tough to handle, Lele with it's Calm Mind LO Set and Kyurem kinda just with whatever. I always thought it was funny how good Kyurem was as a mon in general. Having fully accurate moves and being able to fish for freezes while having a ton of bulk and Pressure as an annoying ability on top of that. Lele I think after a few CM's is really hard to KO depending on your team. Stuff like Zeraora and Weavile can't always 1HKO and Draining Kiss will undo most of the damage. I don't think they'll get banned given how BDSP is right around the corner, and how we've also gone since February without banning anything. Are they annoying? For sure. Suspect worthy? Not totally sure but wouldn't mind it.


Clone — 11/04/2021
Yeah my TC status is looking shaky given the lack of suspect tests but that could also be a testament to how balanced the metagame is currently
What's your favorite playstyle to use?


TPP — 11/04/2021
I prefer bulky offense or balance. You can fit in enough offense while having checks/counters to a lot of things. You can make safe plays at times while also having room to make aggressive doubles/predictions if necessary. The other half is that you can get creative with playing around with 1-2 slots or a few move changes and EV's. I like the idea of trying to get 100% out of a really good mon like Landorus, and I can get away with using stuff like that and Clefable a ton because they're so versatile and just always work no matter what too. Aside from that I sometimes look into using more offensive stuff. HO is pretty cool and I like how it forces you to constantly play for the sake of winning, which is what caused a huge shift for me in terms of playing. Before this year I was always afraid of losing and wouldn't play well, but this year I play to win and I can make plays that are focused on winning and it's made the game so much more clear for me. When you're afraid to lose and don't stay focused on winning, you make a lot of plays just to keep the game going and you don't really know what you're doing, which is something the opponent can abuse. It's what lets losing players get back into games and I've been on both sides of it.


Clone — 11/04/2021
I feel like that last aspect describes how I play and gives me a lot to think about. I've noticed you tend to be very calculated in your plays and it's interesting to watch
To add onto this, what is your favorite tech that abuses current metagame trends?


TPP — 11/04/2021
It's not so much a tech, but I love using Zeraora and it works out really well for me. It's kind of simple but also tricky where the only mon on the opposing side that can stop it is Lando, but you also don't want to go Lando because Knock Off will put it on a timer. In a way it's able to abuse Lando's usage while also having Lando as a counter to it. It's also my unite main so I love it for that reason too.


Clone — 11/04/2021
Man, furries are really good all around this year


TPP — 11/04/2021
Gamefreak knew what they were doing when they made Cinderace as good as they did


Clone — 11/04/2021
You heard it here first from our resident Smogon Smod furry
Can you explain your teambuilding process a bit? Does it differ for different tournaments?


TPP — 11/04/2021
I usually do the same thing for every tournament. I might get an idea for 1-2 mons that are cool to use given what my opponent's been using, and then I'll end up with something standard that includes the mon I want. Sometimes I'll try different defensive structures to see what works best and make sure I can break everything without being too weak to something common. There's a lot of unfortunate pitfalls people will realize in their games, and I make sure to consider as much as I can before I play. For example, when you run Zeraora or Tapu Koko, you have to have a mon that can force out Lando-T, and typically something like Weavile works perfectly. You can either go offensively with Weavile, or defensively with something like Slowbro. Being unable to force out Lando of all mons at lead is hilarious and sad, but it happens.


Clone — 11/04/2021
I've had more than one team that can't punish Lando from lead, unfortunately
Can you share a team that fits well in the current metagame and briefly explain how it works?


TPP — 11/04/2021
https://pokepast.es/2ca1ab9e3fb9ffcb


TPP — 11/04/2021
I think I decided to use Zeraora again since I got lazy with prep. The structure is pretty standard and I was able to end up where I had 5 slots filled, and the last one was filler. The Clef slot was originally Zapdos-Galar, but eventually I decided I wanted to use a Clefable since I hadn't used one in a while. The sets are all pretty standard, with Ferro having Thunder Wave only because I already have Knock Off on both Zeraora and Weavile. The Clef set was used by Punny against Ox the day before I used this team and I really liked it. Stored Power here is actually to help patch up the matchup against Volcarona, which would otherwise get a pretty clean win against this team. Slowbro's EV spread is mixed because I didn't want Volcanion to be as threatening, and the Lando hits 242 speed to outspeed stuff like Timid Zone/Aegislash.

I like how this team has a lot of different ways to win. Sometimes Zera/Weavile/Clef might outright win, or you can rely on Future Port with Zera/Weavile. If neither one works, then you can try Spikes to make progress. Nowadays it's nice how Lando/Scizor are the most common defoggers and you can punish both pretty well with this team.


Clone — 11/04/2021
Anyone you wanna give a shoutout to?


TPP — 11/04/2021
I'll go with you first since I had fun doing this while we were both in call the whole time. I couldn't stop laughing while trying to write giant paragraphs knowing I'd get to hear your live reaction to it. I have a lot of friends on here who help me have a fun time and I appreciate them as well as those that are able to help me when I need it. Also wouldn't be here today without a lot of former teams and teammates, especially the Snake 4 Cobras, the SPL 12 Wolfpack and US South. I'll add the Shoguns to that list if Bush wins his game this week. My guy Bushtush is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. He has one of the best personalities on here and you're guaranteed to have a good time with him. He's made me laugh and cry more times than I can remember and he's always fun to be around. Aside from him, I have a lot of fun with you and Curiosity while we play Unite, Philip7086, tennis and everyone in the pogo server, and a lot of close friends like Ophion, IP, Punny, Luna, Umbry, and Ox. Everyday's a fun day for me when I have y'all in my life.


Clone — 11/04/2021
<3
Anything else you wanna say?


TPP — 11/04/2021
Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day and if you ever want help with whatever or need someone to talk to, feel free to PM me on forums or discord at TPP#3487


Clone — 11/04/2021
Thanks for taking the time to do this man. Good luck this week in SCL!


TPP — 11/04/2021
Thanks and take care

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As always, leave any questions you have for TPP down below. See y'all in the next one!
Awesome
 

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