All Gens Ruins of Alph Player of the Week: Fear

To probs one of my favorite players on the site (even if he sucks)
How would you feel about facing me in WCOP this year?
Do you agree that the monster of Magic Guard+Spikes has become 10x more broken than all the stuff you listed in BW combined?
Out of 10 how beast is Jirachi? (the mon and/or the user)
Why did you miss out mentioning the amazing Suicune in ADV preferred mons? Have you lost interest in it? (God knows why)
Thoughts on DPP Gliscor and its insane versatility?
I have never seen that SDZor team (before my time), and I have spent the last week bashing my head on the wall trying to build one. Mind posting it pls?
Slayer? Current metal stuff you're listening to/will reco?
Did you really steal ladder alts?
Will you avoid doing Heist vs Ojama on YT (I have half of it recorded, meant to be my great return)
My chances of breaking into the Zapdos' starting lineup?
Thanks in advance, more to come n_n
 

Finchinator

-OUTL
is a Tournament Directoris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Top Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past WCoP Championis the defending OU Circuit Championis a Two-Time Former Old Generation Tournament Circuit Champion
OU Leader
Really cool read and some interesting stuff in here for sure, but one part struck me as being sort of strange.

Are there any changes to older tiers that you think would be beneficial?

BKC's Handy-Dandy Guide To Fixing BW2 OU!
Ban: Kyurem-B, Sun, Rain, Sand, Reuniclus, Latios, limit Spikes to 1 layer
Unban: Excadrill, Manaphy, test Tornadus-T and Thundurus, unban Genesect for 5 minutes and then ban him again because fuck him
Why would you want to ban Latios from BW2 OU and how would that make the tier better, in your opinion?

I guess while I'm on the note of discussing BW2, do you really think that Sand is worth banning or is it just part of the anti-weather sentiment in general?
 
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Why not mentionning Volcarona in things to ban from BW?

Why the fuck would you unban monsters like Manaphy, Thundurus and Torna-T???

What's your opinion on the BW metagame shift for WCoP?

Do you think sun has a reason to exist even with chlorophyll banned (fire spam formula for example)?

Free Salamence in DPP?

Is not hazards + powerful and fast sweeper the best strategy in Pokémon (Aero in ADV, Zam in BW, Lopunny in ORAS)?

Do you think using official tournaments as "suspect test" in old gens is a good idea?

Do you think having an "old gens council" would be a good idea?

Favorite to win OST? ST19? Classic?
 

MoxieInfinite

Banned deucer.
do you think the addition of public replays changed how fast a metagame develops?
thoughts on borat and the guides?
thoughts on disfunctions cursepass umbreon?
30 sec theorymon about how abomasnow (with snow warning obviously) would play out in advance.
which player will be the first to reach three individual trophies?
 

Honus

magna carta
is a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
jesus dude, cant believe they gave a criminal like you as one of the AMAs. Laddering on a stolen alt for a friend puts you up there with varg and some of the other black metal psychopaths you idolize

Anyways....
If you could grudge match one user on this site and the loser has to leave smogon forever who would you throw down vs BE HONEST
What players did you primarily look up to when you were a kid at the regileague? If there are any hipster picks [like a prestigious clan leader or whatever] how do you rate them in the grand scope of things/do you think they would be able to excel on smogon today
 

Lavos

Banned deucer.
Hey BKC, couple questions about BW for you.

If we unbanned Manaphy do you think it’d run rampant? What checks it if weather/Kyu-B/Latios are all gone?
Opinion on Scald and banning moves in general?
Why get rid of Latios?
Why get rid of Sand/Rain?
Opinion on Bulk Up + Acrobatics Tornadus?
Opinion on the changes being implemented in the upcoming WCoP?
Is Hail still a viable countermeasure to…anything?

And one about your retirement. Are you doing a hard quit after SPL 7, as in no more playing/managing ever? Don’t think I’m alone in saying it would be cool if you stuck around for future team tournaments to spread your satanic wisdom.

Good luck with university. Chase your dreams :toast:
 
To probs one of my favorite players on the site (even if he sucks)
starting off with a brutal comment, well done
How would you feel about facing me in WCOP this year?
I'm certain it'd be a fight to remember!
Do you agree that the monster of Magic Guard+Spikes has become 10x more broken than all the stuff you listed in BW combined?
that's kind of an extreme... but it has become pretty stupid yes.
Out of 10 how beast is Jirachi? (the mon and/or the user)
jirachi isn't the sort of thing that consistently just brutalizes shit but it's so reliable and has so many different ways it can swing across the gens, love it.

jirachee is my luv :3
Why did you miss out mentioning the amazing Suicune in ADV preferred mons? Have you lost interest in it? (God knows why)
there was a point where I was using modest hydro cune on nearly every single team and pre-spl I was going through a real crocune fad. I think it's just preference that comes and goes, for all I know I'll be rockin it all summer.
Thoughts on DPP Gliscor and its insane versatility?
I don't think it's really that diverse... but in 2010 I held the opinion that a really strong glis (back when taunt toxic was the only set) + pursuit tar team was the absolute hardest thing to face. it's terrifying.
I have never seen that SDZor team (before my time), and I have spent the last week bashing my head on the wall trying to build one. Mind posting it pls?
the original, built during tour 14, was made to abuse specs zapdos trashing heatran for bulky sd zor to rape everything else. I also had belt ttar to pursuit scarf rotom (bulky wisp sets were eaten up by my sr heatran) and to consequently fry skarmory, starmie because I didn't want scizor to have to roost spikes off every time it switched in and it checked tran/ape, and breloom because I needed to break down defensive teams while switching into the ttar + grounds that'd check zapdos. I used the team twice that spl, switching to scarftar because opposing starmie terrified me. during the next superstars + tour 15, I shifted to scarf breloom lead just for kicks, going back to mixtar, and made zapdos 3 atks roost @ lefties - simple but effective. nowadays, I'd probably use sr mixtar and scarftran, with a more standard loom, any zap set is fine.
hear the piercing cries of all who found that hell awaits
Current metal stuff you're listening to/will reco?
weakling - dead as dreams; the pinnacle of both american and depressive black metal
walknut - graveforests and their shadows; possibly the best russian bm album, if you like this get forest's foredooming the hope for eternity
leviathan - the tenth sub level of suicide; weakling style
beherit - drawing down the moon; finnish filth
num skull - ritually abused; a dirtier reign in blood
death - leprosy; possibly the best traditional dm album
burzum - belus; varg's post-jail output is pretty underrated, glemselens elv is incredible
bathory - blood fire death, under the sign of the black mark, the return...... all amazing, especially dies irae
Did you really steal ladder alts?
no... I only stole one! it was really boneheaded of me to do so, considering that I'd reached the reqs on two different accounts before and lost them because of decay and ridiculous hax, so all I had to do was send in a special permissions app and I'd most likely have gotten it... but being the stupid 15 year old I was, that didn't occur to me. sorry giga punch xD
Will you avoid doing Heist vs Ojama on YT (I have half of it recorded, meant to be my great return)
be my guest
My chances of breaking into the Zapdos' starting lineup?
good if you practice
Why would you want to ban Latios from BW2 OU and how would that make the tier better, in your opinion?
its draco meteor is truly absurd, and with sand gone it'd be even more ridiculous, although practically necessitating ttar (yes it's an exaggeration) is pretty stupid as is.
I guess while I'm on the note of discussing BW2, do you really think that Sand is worth banning or is it just part of the anti-weather sentiment in general?
sand kinda rubs me the wrong way. when I got more into gsc I realized the cancellation of leftovers in later gens annoys the hell out of me and makes things really hard to play around in quite a few instances. I wouldn't campaign super hard for its removal but I would not miss it.
Why not mentionning Volcarona in things to ban from BW?
because we need some way to counterteam bw god jirachee. plus certain people make it a point to laugh at those who don't bother with volc checks and thus get swept and I really don't need that kind of abuse in my life

volc is really strong but its inability to consistently safely come in makes me kind of a doubter. it usually sets up as soon as it gets in and it only has one shot one opportunity and if it doesn't capture it it's letting it slip, almost never will it threaten a second sweep. I have been theorymonning ways to get volc in and out throughout a match to actually hurt stuff without setting up because in theory it can kinda wallbreak for itself - I mean, ttar immediately switching into a mon with 135 base spa and stab se bug buzz is kinda ridiculous, so why not just bust it up early and sweep later? sr, that's why. as we all know it's impossible to spin in bw, although exca will help a little despite losing to every hazard setter. we'll see.

Why the fuck would you unban monsters like Manaphy, Thundurus and Torna-T???
because I need to appear like I'm not ban happy since that's like the worst thing you can be on smogon.

nah... anyway I don't think mana would be that bad, I imagine it as a better np mew. I know thund and torn-t would probably be nuts, that's why I said Test!! gotta satisfy the "banning pokemon is equivalent to genocide" people, plus I'd be curious for myself. I think both would remain banned though, thund because its therian formes issues are being slower than the lati twins and keld/rak from the get go and incarnate of course has the eternal stupidity of prankster twave. torn-t would outlast everything just like it did only with a less accurate hurricane, granted without rain the amount of trapping goes down so for example jirachi is a safer check, albeit now it's vulnerable to heat wave and it has to be really defensive, like all of torn's other checks.
What's your opinion on the BW metagame shift for WCoP?
would've preferred reuniclus left as well but it's cool, glad there'll be more interesting weatherless offense without fear of venusaur shitting on it
Do you think sun has a reason to exist even with chlorophyll banned (fire spam formula for example)?
there was an early smogcast where jabba described sun as "what hipsters would use" and without chlorophyll I think that holds true now. sun has been reduced to people who wanna try super hard to be Creative
Free Salamence in DPP?
sure. it's broken as hell of course but I'd love it back since nostalgia is my greek hero's fatal flaw
Is not hazards + powerful and fast sweeper the best strategy in Pokémon (Aero in ADV, Zam in BW, Lopunny in ORAS)?
possibly, jeff48 might have a point with his ban spikes philosophy... actually the bw uu guys were the first to think of that iirc. limiting switching is cool but 25% at a time is sort of extreme; again, I think one layer would suffice. some sort of nerf to sr in bw/oras would be cool too.
Do you think using official tournaments as "suspect test" in old gens is a good idea?
there's certainly no denying that it'd get a more realistic portrayal of a metagame than a ladder or unofficial tournament. I suppose there's the concern of worse players beating better ones via potentially broken pokemon but if something is so broken that it's going to dominate despite everyone being extremely prepared for it due to the spotlight then it probably isn't being tested. fine by me.
Do you think having an "old gens council" would be a good idea?
I mean, ubers has (had?) one and they don't do any tiering, so yes. it'd save us the hassle of the "who do we go to with our concerns on this suspect" discussion whenever something pops up, at least.
Favorite to win OST? ST19? Classic?
as much as I like blunder, I've been a fan of wq ever since the original blizzspam rmt apart from my period in late '11 where I took Her (and most everything) too seriously, and the fact that She operates entirely solo is worthy of anyone's admiration.

all 4 remaining dudes in tour are deserving and I'm good friends with 3 of them... however I think heist is the most deserving. bab gg

for classic, new breed has been on a tear, heist is looking really good there as well
do you think the addition of public replays changed how fast a metagame develops?
eh I don't think so. people are going to know what's being used and adapt to it just by watching games as they happen.
thoughts on borat and the guides?
takes himself a tad too seriously, but the guides are amazing, I don't think anyone could say otherwise and mean it. I remember when I was first reading them and I recognized some of the techniques he mentioned since I'd subconsciously developed them in the later gens just by playing a lot and observing well I suppose, I always tell my tutees experience is the best teacher and this is a great example.
thoughts on disfunctions cursepass umbreon?
rofl man when I read this I actually snorted. god when he pulled it off I thought it was even more genius than sash dd mence. that's how I rated battlers in those days - the creative combos they came up with.
30 sec theorymon about how abomasnow (with snow warning obviously) would play out in advance.
it'd be a strong alternative to leech celebi since zapdos doesn't really want to come in to pressure waste its pp thanks to the threat of blizzard, plus it doesn't have a 4x weak for dug to abuse (although rs/aa/hpbug would certainly hurt). it can focus punch the hell out of ttar and bliss. it'd be interesting to see lefties from dudes like jira and meta canceled out, would probably make an easier revenge kill for dug. it'd annoy skarm too. lack of good grass stab and natural cure thus making it susceptible to toxic kinda blows though. interesting pokemon.
which player will be the first to reach three individual trophies?
gonna use this opportunity to point out how much I dislike when people give """funny""" answers to questions like these, for example "bluewind, only one tour to go XD" or "tele after he wins the next three OLTs lmaooo"

real answer, heist. after being shafted for so long, he wins tour, classic and grand slam for good measure to cement himself even further as one of the GOATs, since not having a single individual trophy is the end all be all when those come up
jesus dude, cant believe they gave a criminal like you as one of the AMAs. Laddering on a stolen alt for a friend puts you up there with varg and some of the other black metal psychopaths you idolize
my mountain is cooooooooooooold
If you could grudge match one user on this site and the loser has to leave smogon forever who would you throw down vs BE HONEST
I'd never actually grudge match people because I went through that sorta shit a lot with the '11 shofu crew and while it might be good crowd entertainment it is really annoying (cbb vs. tesung proves both these points). that said, shake, because who knew that one letter could be so fucking obnoxious. bop G
What players did you primarily look up to when you were a kid at the regileague?
wilechase, mrflamethrowa, cooltraineralex, m4gnitude, mtgxerxes and wasted sky pirate!!! blue tornado, eaglesrock, scimjara and aziki as well. also my good pals bro fist and sweepage of course.
If there are any hipster picks [like a prestigious clan leader or whatever] how do you rate them in the grand scope of things/do you think they would be able to excel on smogon today
wile either got praised as an unbeatable ou player by noobs (when they weren't criticizing him for using ou pokemon that is) or as total trash by people who knew what they were doing but I think he was a solid player, he actually did pretty well in some tours here on smog. flamethrowa also had some success and would've been heist tier had he continued. wsp was never the most active smogoner iirc but he had creativity out the wazoo so I think he'd definitely have great moments. cta invented colbur azelf, no joke! great memories with that dude...
If we unbanned Manaphy do you think it’d run rampant? What checks it if weather/Kyu-B/Latios are all gone?
my girl latias! it also loses to a few defensive dudes depending on its coverage, hazards + phazing really bother it and it would probably just get overwhelmed by faster guys sorta like np mew does now.
Opinion on Scald and banning moves in general?
scald is fucking retarded and should be banned from all tiers immediately. I'm all for banning moves if they're causing too much of a ruckus.
Why get rid of Latios?
without sand ttar, it'd be absurd, whereas latias doesn't quite have that obscene power. latios is kinda nuts already haha
Why get rid of Sand/Rain?
for sand,
sand kinda rubs me the wrong way. when I got more into gsc I realized the cancellation of leftovers in later gens annoys the hell out of me and makes things really hard to play around in quite a few instances. I wouldn't campaign super hard for its removal but I would not miss it.
rain, I still hold the same opinions from two years ago. fuck it.
Opinion on Bulk Up + Acrobatics Tornadus?
I remember when agammemnon's 2011 team had it and it's really cool in theory... but I have yet to see it (consistently) perform well. shame.
Opinion on the changes being implemented in the upcoming WCoP?
would've preferred reuniclus left as well but it's cool, glad there'll be more interesting weatherless offense without fear of venusaur shitting on it
Is Hail still a viable countermeasure to…anything?
mix aboma is cool and hail disrupts shit... I guess haha
And one about your retirement. Are you doing a hard quit after SPL 7, as in no more playing/managing ever? Don’t think I’m alone in saying it would be cool if you stuck around for future team tournaments to spread your satanic wisdom.
I think I would stick around to help out my former teams, although it'd probably be unofficially, and maybe play some rby/gsc. I'll definitely hang around irc and the forums though!
Good luck with university. Chase your dreams :toast:
fucking slayer (thanks bro :heart:)
 
thoughts on:
- item: custap berry
- user: chimpact

amongst bw2 ru players, there was some mulling about regarding a desire to see certain pokemon suspected (momo, 'lix, drudd being the more common examples), but ultimately it was never brought to fruition due to bw ending and it ultimately being deemed a 'dead metagame', which would no longer see play in the more prestigious tournaments. what are your thoughts on holding suspects (or simple discussions and final votes from a hand-picked group) for such metagames if they might ultimately improve the final metagame state, assuming ideal conditions (large enough [educated+ involved] voter pool being the big one)?
 
So May 2009 rolls around, I'm 13, Platinum is released
Damn, barely out your diapers.

Definitely am on the side of Latias staying in Ubers in DPP. But, with her inclusion in the OU, is Assault Vest necessary? Before she was unbanned, Zapdos was already a defensive/stall mon. When she arrived, Zapdos fell heavily in usage since she handles him with ease (and she was a flyer without an SR weakness). Latias soaks up Special attacks anyway, so what else would use AV?

Rocky Helmet is an interesting addition.

Speaking of Stealth Rocks, what's your general or in-depth opinion of them (and even other entry hazards if you care) in DPP?

For fun, I don't remember if you were around for the Manaphy tests (in DPP), but do you personally think it's Uber in that environment?

What Mega-less Pokemon would you like having a Mega in XY?
 
1) Do you ever get the temptation to use your namesake blaziken on teams, just for the hell it?
2) Top 3 underrated mons in ADV
3) When will you finish your ADV guide that will put user SOMALIA 's channel out of busines?
 
How would you recommend learning to build in ADV? I tried some but it was kind of a disaster.

Also I play chess and have tried GSC, I think GSC is actually harder so gl with that, chess at least has more concrete ways of acheiving your goal
 
thoughts on:
- item: custap berry
amazing filler item, sick when you build with it intentionally too. very underrated and hard to see coming.
- user: chimpact
nice guy, good player, doesn't take himself too serious so lightheartedly making fun of him is both easy and riskless
amongst bw2 ru players, there was some mulling about regarding a desire to see certain pokemon suspected (momo, 'lix, drudd being the more common examples), but ultimately it was never brought to fruition due to bw ending and it ultimately being deemed a 'dead metagame', which would no longer see play in the more prestigious tournaments. what are your thoughts on holding suspects (or simple discussions and final votes from a hand-picked group) for such metagames if they might ultimately improve the final metagame state, assuming ideal conditions (large enough [educated+ involved] voter pool being the big one
I've never heard lix complaints. the only one of the three I really sympathize with are mola, maybe bc I luv nails but it is also kinda real easy to win with a lot. some people whined about drudd but it was like "it's used on every team bc it's so good" not the "this is broken/bad for the meta" thing so I didn't take those too seriously. if there was enough support for getting rid of one of em, I wouldn't mind putting it to a vote like what koko did with uu hail
Damn, barely out your diapers.
I get this a lot x)
Definitely am on the side of Latias staying in Ubers in DPP. But, with her inclusion in the OU, is Assault Vest necessary? Before she was unbanned, Zapdos was already a defensive/stall mon. When she arrived, Zapdos fell heavily in usage since she handles him with ease (and she was a flyer without an SR weakness). Latias soaks up Special attacks anyway, so what else would use AV?
well I had the av/rh thing in mind for current dpp but av would help with latias herself! ttar would obviously be an amazing av user, as would tran/jira/magnezone and christ knows what else (I had a lot more in mind for the current meta haha)
Speaking of Stealth Rocks, what's your general or in-depth opinion of them (and even other entry hazards if you care) in DPP?
might be my wifi day nostalgia partially getting in the way but I think they are fine the way they are now, being able to handle them is a skill I feel is necessary, although I won't pretend they don't bug the hell out of me sometimes. limiting spikes to 1-2 layers might help.
For fun, I don't remember if you were around for the Manaphy tests (in DPP), but do you personally think it's Uber in that environment?
I wasn't, it would probably be absolutely fine in a latias meta. without it, I'd imagine it's a prick but more than manageable.
What Mega-less Pokemon would you like having a Mega in XY?
marowak!
1) Do you ever get the temptation to use your namesake blaziken on teams, just for the hell it?
yeah! I will make it work, I swear...
2) Top 3 underrated mons in ADV
so proud of my baby jolteon who is now widely recognized, no longer underrated... anyway REGIROCK, gyarados, registeel
When will you finish your ADV guide that will put user SOMALIA 's channel out of busines?
soon!

I saw you using piloswine in gsc once but I dont think it didnt do much in that game (dunno which game it was anymore and forgot what else u did run) but what do you run on it? I assume rest talk or something like roar curse dual stab?
ice beam/eq/toxic/rest, just a strong general utility attacker that sneaks toxic onto cloy really easily. I'll be messing around with blizzard/curse shit soon though
how did you get into gsc and why?
I thought I was going to have to play it in spl, and seeing as I've viewed it as the hardest tier to get good at for a while, I figured it was a good time to take up that challenge.
opinion on bpass teams in gsc?
not much experience against them except for the occasional joltwak, but from watching jorgen use + talk about em they look pretty interesting.
your opinion on the sleep trap ban in gsc? (is it actually still banned on smogon idk lol)
no opinion, never faced it. I'm still new
any underrated mons in gsc you would like to see more used beside piloswine?
dragonite, espeon, donphan, muk, golem, slowbro, kangaskhan, meganium, venusaur. would like to get my own views on p2 and alakazam as well
favorite mon to use in dppuu?
houndooooooooooooooooooooooom
iirc u were the one who hosted the one bwuu tour with chand/hail/tini banned and the first two actually ended up being banned. would u ban tini from bw2uu too? or do u think its still fine as it is?
I think it's alright. kinda straddles the border but it's barely ok. wouldn't miss it too much if it fucked off though
elaborate.
I don't like abiding by absolutes other than every team dpp onwards needing sr. probably shows how green I am but my piloswine team is very comfortable and adding lax never even crossed my mind.
favourite to win adv cup (aside from heist)?
nilonilonilo, I'd accept being haxed by the winner. my alter ego sawa says she's rooting for gorgie though
How would you recommend learning to build in ADV? I tried some but it was kind of a disaster.
knowing the meta and how shit plays is step #1. it's hard to explain but when you'll know when you "get" it. I think the best advice I can give is not to rely on spikes to do all your damage for you, a lot of dudes coming in from later gens (myself included) tend to do that. also offensive teams are not just "spam dd/cm and win" with the occasional "trap skarm / boom/dug bliss" thrown in, you gotta look for the Inner Synergy that's Hidden Deep Within. this is why I advocate building your own teams so much even if they aren't metagame changers, it might not be a supremely original creation but if you're doing it right you will be familiar with how it's supposed to play out and thus for the most part perform better with it rather than jacking a team and hoping one of mence/ttar/aero sweeps.
Also I play chess and have tried GSC, I think GSC is actually harder so gl with that, chess at least has more concrete ways of acheiving your goal
I'm not qualified to say anything about chess but that's good to hear, I Embrace the Challenge. ave satan, ave lucifer. not sure what you mean by the concrete ways of achieving your goal thing, it might appear to be Shrouded in Dense Obscure Mystery at first but similarly to adv it takes a Deeper Look to unveil things. I prefer the more subtle playstyle, it's a nice break from the (comparative) constant blasting of later gens.
 
have you accomplished this yet?
[2:22:33 AM] Kevin: i wanna go to canada so i can bust all over mizus pretty face
Hilarious. What a boss.

will you Really quit after spl 7 ?_?
yes but I'll still be around :)
who will win uefa champions league finals Barca or juventus
as someone who has lived and is going to live in europe, I have an embarassing lack of knowledge when it comes to football. I will have my many lovely pokemon friends help in this regard!
living with cased or playing pokemon
lmao

the former of course :3
which format u want to see in this wcop?
I honestly would've liked all oras better since we've got classic and don't have a metagame as godforsaken as last year's but I'm content with this one!
why do some people say pokemon sucks and then still play pokemons ?_?
because deep down they enjoy it, hax just makes them frustrated =)
 
Favourite Pokemon?

Hitmonlee

How did you get involved into competitive Pokemon?

Started out playing the carts back when I was a kid. My first game was FireRed on the Game Boy Advance. I got really into it and leveled a bunch of stuff to level 100. Still remember the best dude I had on that cart, Lucky the Lv100 Blastoise. Ice Beam made Lance sad. Around early 2011 I was browsing the internet for Pokemon hacks like the cloning glitch on Emerald's Battle Tower PC. Found a program called Pokemon Online and figured I'd give it a shot. I logged into PokeBattleCenter under the username of "npc" and quickly became involved with the community and on the forums. OU was the tier I was drawn towards due to having a natural hatred of legendaries. My brother used to use full legendary teams when we played via link cable and I'd always complain after getting smashed so I stayed away from Ubers for that reason. Got rather decent and attracted the attention of the popular group on PBC, which incidentally is when I met user dice, before the abhorrent name change was conceived. He told me about Smogon, I registered and immediately fell in love with the place. It was what I'd been looking for in terms of an overarching focus on competitive battling with social/drama stuff usually secondary. Rated some teams, was infracted a couple times for being a cocky shit. I played in a lot of server tournaments and found those to be pretty fun, saw WCoP signups and the idea of an organized tournament that takes months to complete intrigued me so I signed up. Figured it was a long shot that I'd get picked but I tried out for west and wrecked phil with some King's Rock Cloyster team 4 times in a row, he put me on the starting roster and the rest is history. A lot of it involving me being the most hated player on the site. Yeah, I was kind of an immature asshole for a year or so.

What past gen tier are you most known for playing, and what are some of your greatest achievements in playing (in either this tier or in general)?

BW/BW2 OU. It's where I made my name and it's the only tier where I have found consistent high-level success. I'm getting better at GSC but nowhere near perfect yet. Achievements in BW include a WCoP VII title with team USA West in which I went 5-1, including a win against M Dragon and first blood against BKC in finals as well. Also won the last BW day of the Smogon Tour season back in late 2013 to secure my top 16 spot, then beat KG 2-0 in round of 16 and choked super hard in quarters vs Malekith after I won ADV. Lucked in DPP, tilted, played the worst BW game of my life. I've spent a lot of time wondering what would have happened if I hadn't choked that BW game. Think I was playing my best and the meta favored me, with a bit of luck I could have won Tour, wasn't to be though. I've played in 3 SPLs but never found success. Best record thus far is 5-4 in GSC which is nothing to write home about. Guess I broke 1750 on PO ladder back in the day if that counts for anything.

What are your favourite old gen tiers and why?

I complain a lot about BW OU but it's still my favorite tier. I don't even think the current Spikes/Reuniclus metagame is the worst we've seen thus far, I hated the 3 month period where everyone played The Art of Rain Stall and Rain Dogs. Half the games were decided entirely on whose Tentacruel can Scald burn the opponent's Ferrothorn first. I like BW because it's fast-paced and the mind games are taken to an exciting sphere with the introduction of team preview. Most if not all styles are viable, and while matchup is a contributing factor, the sheer power of offensive threats means there's always a chance. I also love GSC OU because it's the antithesis of BW. Slow games, lots of strategy, akin to a chess match. I picked it up around the time when BW was getting stale after the Landorus ban and played it in the last SPL. Feel like I've improved drastically in a short amount of time and you might see me playing more of it in upcoming tournaments. I do play RBY/ADV on occasion but they aren't my cup of tea. Fuck DPP I think it's awful. I understand on paper why people enjoy it but whenever I play it I feel like I'm blindfolded throwing darts at a board and hoping they stick the bullseye.

What are some of your most often used Pokemon in the tiers that you play?

I'll just do BW and GSC because I don't think I play the others enough to warrant a response.
BW: Tyranitar, Skarmory, Alakazam, Landorus-T, Latias
GSC: Snorlax (heh), Machamp, Umbreon, Steelix, Espeon

What type of playstyle do you enjoy using the most in these tiers?

I don't have a preferred playstyle in any tier. I will use almost anything as long as it feels right, and I can tell just from looking at a team whether it will fit me or not. It's an indescribable feeling that I get when playing a team that doesn't work for me, like wearing shoes that are a little too small. Conversely, when I play a team that fits me perfectly, every move feels natural. These feelings limit me somewhat, but I think they also boost my skill when I'm using an ideal team.

Do you consider yourself having innovated or popularised any sets throughout your time playing?

King's Rock Cloyster, which gained a lot of traction in late BW1 after I spammed it in every tournament and then fell off immediately once Keldeo released, for good reason. The item triggers on each hit, so Icicle Spear and Rock Blast end up having about a 42% chance to flinch the opponent. Since +2 Cloyster 2HKOs everything, this can be completely devastating. I also innovated the GeneSun team at the start of the BW2 era before Genesect was swiftly banned, so that only lasted for a few months but it was the best team in the entire tier for that duration and everyone was using it. Lost to nothing save Shed Shell Heatran, which people actually started playing on ladder because of how good my team was. User august had a similar version but with Volcarona over my Victini which I think was slightly worse at the time but would be superior now. The new BW also brought us Heat Wave Xatu which I was the first to abuse on said Sun team. SD Scizor was very popular at the time and thus when it tried to set up on Xatu's face it would get a surprise. Previously Xatu was used as a screener/pivot so that was rather innovative. I believe that's all I've done in terms of innovation. Was never much of a teambuilder other than for my first year of playing, my friends would supply me with most of my teams after that. I only started building independently again for BW Cup.

Are there any specific games you've played that you consider really great?

Nope. I think I have yet to play the best game I'm capable of.

Are there any changes to older tiers that you think would be beneficial?

Ban Magic Guard Reuniclus in BW OU. Its ability is the only thing that makes it too powerful and I think Regenerator Reun has serious potential in niche stall/Trick Room teams, so I'd be sad to see it completely gone. A lot of people complain about Volc but I think it's fine given how hard it is to spin right now.

Who do you look up to as a player and/or person, and which players are you close friends with?

I look up to Ojama as a player. He's incredibly skilled at reading his opponent and whenever I watch him his predictions are on point. Occasionally he'll get 6-0'd because he thinks one step too far ahead but he always bounces back, and he's a Tour winner which is impressive in its own right. As a person, I look up to McMeghan. He almost always manages to keep a level head despite being in high-pressure situations every day, a trait that I've struggled with in the past. He's also extremely dedicated to the integrity of the tournaments scene and puts that integrity above all else, including personal ties. That's hard to do. Sadly I don't have a lot of close friends on Smogon because I alienated myself from the community when I joined, and the ones I did have are mostly retired. People that have been consistently friendly to me and forgiven my shitty 2012 antics include BKC, Funkasaurus, and Ojama.

Are there any old players who you wish would come back, either to play again or just to talk to?

Philip7086 is still sort of active but he doesn't play anymore and our games were always great so I wish he'd return. undisputed was a west teammate and good friend, think he quit or is otherwise very inactive. 6A9 Ace Matador was the funniest guy I ever talked to, we became pretty close and I once skyped with him for 5 or 6 hours while he sat outside his locked apartment because he dropped his key and then kicked it under the door. He was also a beast at DPP and taught me most of what I know about the tier, prepping me for Smogon Tour. AM introduced me to Gouki who was apparently a legend way before I joined, he not only deigned to have a conversation with me but also played DPP with me a few times and gave me pointers etc. Seemed like a genuinely kind dude. And of course, Earthworm.

How do you feel about the comparatively larger successes of newer players recently, for example, in this year's OST?

I think it's great, having been in their position before. Seeing veterans get salty over some random giving them the business is one of my favorite things about the tournament scene.

How do you feel about Smogon as a whole right now?

It's good. Probably the best condition I've seen it in. Cool players have risen to the forefront and toxic users have by and large either quit or mellowed out. The TDs in particular, Kick Ass.

Any teams you feel fit you as a player particularly well?

Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Superpower
- Ice Beam

Jellicent @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Def / 104 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Scald
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover

Skarmory @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Brave Bird

Reuniclus @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 196 HP / 60 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 2 Atk / 30 SpA / 2 Spe
- Trick Room
- Psychic
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Focus Blast

Stoutland @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Return
- Wild Charge
- Superpower
- Retaliate

Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Bullet Punch
- Extreme Speed

I used this in the first 5 rounds of BW Cup and won every game with it. It isn't balance like I generally use, it's more of a hyper-offensive build, but it doesn't necessarily look like it from team preview. Custap Skarm almost always gets 2 hazards down which is amazing for the rest of the team. A 262 Speed Taunt can catch many opponents off guard, and Brave Bird hurts. From there it's all about spinblocking and wearing down the opponent with Jellicent and Tyranitar before sweeping with Lucario or Reuniclus. Whenever anything dies, CB Stoutland can come in and Retaliate for a ridiculous base 140 STAB. You'll notice Tyranitar lacks Pursuit and that's because the overwhelming amount of "good" players tend to stay in with Latios/Latias/Starmie when facing a ScarfTar, hoping to get some damage off before inevitably dying. This set abuses the fact while combining Superpower and Ice Beam, two moves that usually compete for the same slot, which has confused opponents into giving up a Landorus-T or Garchomp for free. Lucario and Reuniclus are both crazy in this metagame and there's no reason not to use either one of them with the right hazards support. The team suits me perfectly, it just kind of "flows" for me.

Final question - are you still going to continue playing in tournaments?

Absolutely. I'll play in any tournament where BW or GSC is featured, as long as time permits. Second semester was rough this year so I didn't get a chance to be involved in Tour, but I'll participate in the next one, as well as WCoP and probably Frontier. I have no plans to retire anytime soon. Pokemon is too fun.
 
a couple of questions that i missed myself, i'm thinking of personalising the interviews more =o

who do you think are the best current modern bw/gsc players?
who are some underrated bw/gsc players?
any underrated pokemon in bw/gsc you like using?
opinion on espeon/cloyster/donphan/xatu/tini =o
 

Lavos

Banned deucer.
Something tells me I'm not the most popular guy on smogon, guess I'll get trc's stuff now
a couple of questions that i missed myself, i'm thinking of personalising the interviews more =o

who do you think are the best current modern bw/gsc players?
In no particular order
BW: SoulWind, McMeghan, Ojama, BKC, reyscarface.
GSC: Tiba, M Dragon, Isa, Jorgen, Mr.E.
who are some underrated bw/gsc players?
BW: pokebasket, myzozoa
GSC: idiotfrommars
any underrated pokemon in bw/gsc you like using?
BW: Cloyster, Gothitelle, Victini, Raikou, Aerodactyl
GSC: Charizard, Jynx, Kangaskhan, Muk, Venusaur
opinion on espeon/cloyster/donphan/xatu/tini =o
Espeon is kind of bad in BW outside of BP teams because Xatu does her role mostly better. I'd still use it though. In GSC she's amazing and I highly recommend some form of EspyJump team to any GSC newcomer. +1 or god forbid, +2 Thunders from Zap/Kou are insane.

Cloyster is in my opinion an extremely underrated threat in BW, one Shell Smash and it's nigh unstoppable, add a King's Rock and you can also hax the shit out of the few things you can't 2HKO with ~42% flinches. In GSC it's the best Spiker and can also Explode, staple for offense.

Donphan used to be a lot better in BW when people used CB/LO Terrakion on every. single. team. Now it's not very good. It can SR easily but has trouble spinning because Jellicent shits on it unless it opts for Toxic, and even then EQ isn't doing enough to immediately force a poisoned Jelli out. Ice Shard is kinda cool but again, meta isn't in its favor because that was primarily for Dragonite which is seeing low usage. Although it serves as a nice check for Garchomp and Landorus-T which are both popular picks. Check out Marth's old Feraligatr rain team to see it used properly. In GSC it's pretty bad.

Xatu is an amazing Pokemon in BW because of Magic Bounce + U-Turn which can singlehandedly destroy defensively oriented teams which lack a means to 2HKO you outside of 1 or 2 things which will get pivoted on and presumably trapped if we're talking Ttar/Heatran since Dugtrio is its most common partner. Also access to Heat Wave means a lot less stuff can stare it in the face without being afraid. Fantastic on Sun teams (rip). Presumably shit in GSC, never used it.

Victini is great. V-Create is simply too good and the threat of it forces switches left and right, meaning you'll actually use U-Turn instead more often than not. Only trouble is getting it in. SR weakness sucks. Speed's often enough to compensate though. I wouldn't use it outside of Sun unless it was a bait set with Ebelt or something.

that's all folks
 

McMeghan

Dreamcatcher
is a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnusis a Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis the 5th Smogon Classic Winneris the Smogon Tour Season 14 Championis a defending SPL Championis a Past SPL Champion
Big Chungus Winner
It's rare to see 'new players' involving themselves in old gen, especially the first two. You're now known as a GSC and BW player.

What was your first motivation to delve into GSC and make it one of your main tier?
What do you think is left to do/achieve for you to be recognized as (achievements) and feel like (own progession curve) a top-tier GSCer?
I like new-gen players take on old-gen sometimes, is there anything you got from later gens that you tried to apply to GSC? Did you find any success doing so?
Opinion on BW1 as a tier compared to BW2?
 
Opinions on the WCOP decision? Do you feel like the implemented changes + reun ban will fix all of the "problems" bw has ATM that has created a really negative stigma around the tier?
Opinions on bpass in general (and especially gsc, where well-played bp is incredibly dangerous)?

edit - isa i dont think bp is more dangerous in gsc ;_; just wanted lavos's opinions since bp is considered arguably broken/uncompetitive in other gens
 
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what's up man haven't talked to you since spl.

How did you go about learning a tier like GSC OU well after it was past its prime in tournaments?

What would you have done differently to make learning different generations easier/more efficient, if at all?
 
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Isa

I've never felt better in my life
is a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnus
What do you think has given Kingler12345 the opinion that Baton Pass is more difficult to handle in GSC when it is the worst gen for it?
 

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