Approved by Sweep
Based on other Player of the Week threads
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am a 20-year-old Finn who has born in England, despite of my English being mediocre, but raised and lived in Finland almost my entire life. After a year break from school and studies due to my short period in the military, you can read about it here if you really want to, I am starting this autumn my mathematics studies in university. I also enjoy sports a lot and especially football. Obviously Pokémon is a game I enjoy a lot, even though it sure is annoying in many ways sometimes.
How did you choose the name Pohjis?
I started playing this game more competitively in spring 2015 after I finished my finals in high school or in lukio which is the Finnish counterpart. I picked several names as my nickname back then and one of them happened to be the nickname of my high school which was Pohjois-Tapiolan lukio. Probably the reason I sticked to that name was the amazing three years I had in high school. Even though it is amazingly hard to a non-Finn to pronounce it.
How and when did you get into the Ubers community?
As I mentioned before, I started playing Ubers in spring 2015 but I got more and more into the community in the following summer. I started joining the Ubers room for seeking help to improve as a player and joining room tournaments. I want to give a mention to Gunner Rohan, who was my ladder partner back then and my first really good friend on this site, for directing me to the Ubers room and to "Other Tier Series" live tournaments which were held in July and August. Getting two times into the finals out of four Ubers live tournaments and winning the second weekend tournament back in September, Gunner obviously winning the first one, along with my success on the ladder awarded me voice in the Ubers room which sealed my place in the Ubers community.
Which generation of Ubers is your favourite and why?
I started playing Ubers competitively in ORAS so I suppose I have to pick this generation to be my favourite. I don't really have great reasons to determine generation six as my favourite but I do like that ORAS provided really strong physical hitting Pokémons that made physical attackers the dominant force of Ubers after many generations. Xerneas was introduced in XY but I feel it got even better in ORAS and I like how it can serve so many different purposes in this metagame. I think the main reason of me favouring ORAS over other generations is the possibility of using frail but fast and strong revenge killers that get to shine in ORAS. For example Darkrai, Mewtwo, Shaymin-S and Deoxys-Attack are all killed by Choice Scarf users but apart from Xerneas and Landorus-Therian there aren't really any viable scarfer threatening them. ORAS definitely gave a buff with these Pokémons.
I have to mention DPP too since it is really fun and enjoyable to play. It has really cool offensive teams and viable Pokémons, like Garchomp, to use that are different from other Ubers generations. Not having team preview is another cool aspect because that forces you to think how to win long-term and making you guess what Pokémons your opponent might have base on the ones you have already seen.
What's your favourite playstyle and why?
My favourite playstyle is offense and hyper offense because it requires zero skill and you don't need to use your mind to win. Just kidding for the latter one. I enjoy playing fast-paced games and using offensive threats that hit really hard which are why I like offense a lot. Even though I have for a while enjoyed using different playstyles. For instance, standard Ho-Oh balance is so fun to use and is different from the common offensive teams.
What are two of your favourite things of the Ubers metagame?
I basically answered this one already but in ORAS I like the possibility of using really strong physical hitting Pokémons like Mega-Salamence and Ho-Oh to punch holes on your opponent's team. I also enjoy a lot using fast, strong but frail offensive threats like Darkrai, Mewtwo and Deoxys-Attack due to Choice Scarf users, except Landorus-Therian and Xerneas, being mediocre in ORAS metagame.
You had a nice performance in your first UPL. How did you go about preparing your matches and how was your team experience?
My very first UPL experience was really pleasurable and I enjoyed the five weeks with Grand Helix Fossil's a lot. All of my team members were very nice and we didn't have a so called team aids on our team lowering our team spirit. Level 56 did a great job drafting a really solid but also enjoyable team and I am still upset that we screwed up horribly week four against Really Good Reshirams. Winning that week meant that we would have most likely managed to get to the finals.
Preparing to a UPL match is the same as preparing to any other tournament game. You could always go into a tournament match bringing a team you are most comfortable with. I used to do that but in the end, against ShadowQuinn in Fall Seasonal round eight, I got counter teamed and I needed to change my way of preparing to a tournament match. Scouting your opponent by checking his old replays if possible, analyzing his teams and way of playing and deciding your playstyle and team which you are comfortable with but that also has a great chance to beat your opponent are some common ways of preparing. Obviously you have to know how to use the team you are going to use so testing as much as possible for trying to find your team's flaws is really appreciated. There is also a mental side of preparing and motivation which are in my opinion big factors in tournaments. If you don't focus enough and you don't have enough motivation to succeed in your tournament match, you will be destroyed and you will regret for not caring enough. I am saying this from my own experience.
Favourite UPL/Seasonal/Ubers Open game(s)?
I didn't excel at all last year in Ubers Open with my round one exit so no memorable games on my end from that. Jokes aside, I have played many games I have enjoyed a lot but there are two games I prefer at the moment over my other played games. The first one is my week two UPL match against Blim but you can read about it here. The second one is my all-time favourite match is from Fall Seasonal in round ten against Hack. As I mentioned before, ShadowQuinn counter teamed me round before so I had to change my way of playing. I brought a whole new team and playstyle against Hack in game one. The match-up in my opinion was more or less even. The reason I favour that match the most are the long-term thinking, the doubles we made after we overpredicted each other (for example on turn four it was my Salamence against his Dragon-Arceus and he brought in Primal-Groudon predicting my Klefki but I over predicted that and brought in my Primal-Kyogre) but also the patience we both had for winning the match. I ended up winning that game but I lost the series 2-1 after choking horrible in game two. I still am upset about that because I felt I got the momentum to get my revenge from ShadowQuinn next round and maybe going to the very end.
What are some Ubers players you think are good examples for newer users to look up to?
There are plenty of players who I would love to mention but Lord Outrage and Level 56 deserve a mention due to their work, effort and achievements during ORAS. Newer users who are getting into the Ubers tier should definitely take a close look on both of them.
I want to mention veterans in the Ubers tier, for instance Sweep, Hack, Fireburn, Blim and many others, who have during these many years put their time and effort to this game and tier and we should all be grateful to them. They are all really respected users in the Ubers community and outside it. Newer users should take that into account as well.
Is there any advice that you would like to share with new users?
I was a year ago really shy and I barely had the encourage to ask help or questions from anyone. You don't have to be the same as I was. Don't hesitate to ask any question that is on your mind in the Ubers room or here on Smogon forums. Otherwise you might never find the answer to it and it will bother you for a long time. Some outsiders say that Ubers community is awful and it has the saltiest players, maybe that is true but who knows, but our community has really nice persons who won't escort you to another room if you are a newer user asking questions that bother you. Don't be though intentionally stupid and show that you have good manners.
Finally, can you provide us a team with a brief explanation of how it works?
Me building a team? Hah! Pohjis cannot build a team, he always uses others' teams! That is what people tend to say. Here is the expected team that is still work in progress.
Pretty simple hyper offensive team. Primal-Groudon sets up Stealth Rocks and checks Xerneas. Xerneas, Mega-Salamence and Arceus setting up and sweeping your opponent's team. The fun part of the team is dual psychic with Mewtwo and Deoxys-Attack to revenge kill stuff and punching holes. The team for sure has its weaknesses but it is a solid team in general and is fun to use.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to Pohjis for taking the time out to complete this interview.
Be sure to ask him any questions you have below!
Based on other Player of the Week threads
Welcome everyone to Ubers Player of the Week! This will be a weekly project where I interview well known players to try and see into their mind a bit. If anyone has any suggestions on who I should interview, feel free to shoot me a PM. Anyways, lets get to it!
Most Known For:
Winning ORAS Ubers ladder tournament, being one of the most knownlucky players ladder heroes of this generation.
Favourite Pokémon(s):
Deoxys-Attack. I also like Latios and Lugia they are all extremely cool design-wise.
Winning ORAS Ubers ladder tournament, being one of the most known
Favourite Pokémon(s):
Deoxys-Attack. I also like Latios and Lugia they are all extremely cool design-wise.
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am a 20-year-old Finn who has born in England, despite of my English being mediocre, but raised and lived in Finland almost my entire life. After a year break from school and studies due to my short period in the military, you can read about it here if you really want to, I am starting this autumn my mathematics studies in university. I also enjoy sports a lot and especially football. Obviously Pokémon is a game I enjoy a lot, even though it sure is annoying in many ways sometimes.
How did you choose the name Pohjis?
I started playing this game more competitively in spring 2015 after I finished my finals in high school or in lukio which is the Finnish counterpart. I picked several names as my nickname back then and one of them happened to be the nickname of my high school which was Pohjois-Tapiolan lukio. Probably the reason I sticked to that name was the amazing three years I had in high school. Even though it is amazingly hard to a non-Finn to pronounce it.
How and when did you get into the Ubers community?
As I mentioned before, I started playing Ubers in spring 2015 but I got more and more into the community in the following summer. I started joining the Ubers room for seeking help to improve as a player and joining room tournaments. I want to give a mention to Gunner Rohan, who was my ladder partner back then and my first really good friend on this site, for directing me to the Ubers room and to "Other Tier Series" live tournaments which were held in July and August. Getting two times into the finals out of four Ubers live tournaments and winning the second weekend tournament back in September, Gunner obviously winning the first one, along with my success on the ladder awarded me voice in the Ubers room which sealed my place in the Ubers community.
Which generation of Ubers is your favourite and why?
I started playing Ubers competitively in ORAS so I suppose I have to pick this generation to be my favourite. I don't really have great reasons to determine generation six as my favourite but I do like that ORAS provided really strong physical hitting Pokémons that made physical attackers the dominant force of Ubers after many generations. Xerneas was introduced in XY but I feel it got even better in ORAS and I like how it can serve so many different purposes in this metagame. I think the main reason of me favouring ORAS over other generations is the possibility of using frail but fast and strong revenge killers that get to shine in ORAS. For example Darkrai, Mewtwo, Shaymin-S and Deoxys-Attack are all killed by Choice Scarf users but apart from Xerneas and Landorus-Therian there aren't really any viable scarfer threatening them. ORAS definitely gave a buff with these Pokémons.
I have to mention DPP too since it is really fun and enjoyable to play. It has really cool offensive teams and viable Pokémons, like Garchomp, to use that are different from other Ubers generations. Not having team preview is another cool aspect because that forces you to think how to win long-term and making you guess what Pokémons your opponent might have base on the ones you have already seen.
What's your favourite playstyle and why?
My favourite playstyle is offense and hyper offense because it requires zero skill and you don't need to use your mind to win. Just kidding for the latter one. I enjoy playing fast-paced games and using offensive threats that hit really hard which are why I like offense a lot. Even though I have for a while enjoyed using different playstyles. For instance, standard Ho-Oh balance is so fun to use and is different from the common offensive teams.
What are two of your favourite things of the Ubers metagame?
I basically answered this one already but in ORAS I like the possibility of using really strong physical hitting Pokémons like Mega-Salamence and Ho-Oh to punch holes on your opponent's team. I also enjoy a lot using fast, strong but frail offensive threats like Darkrai, Mewtwo and Deoxys-Attack due to Choice Scarf users, except Landorus-Therian and Xerneas, being mediocre in ORAS metagame.
You had a nice performance in your first UPL. How did you go about preparing your matches and how was your team experience?
My very first UPL experience was really pleasurable and I enjoyed the five weeks with Grand Helix Fossil's a lot. All of my team members were very nice and we didn't have a so called team aids on our team lowering our team spirit. Level 56 did a great job drafting a really solid but also enjoyable team and I am still upset that we screwed up horribly week four against Really Good Reshirams. Winning that week meant that we would have most likely managed to get to the finals.
Preparing to a UPL match is the same as preparing to any other tournament game. You could always go into a tournament match bringing a team you are most comfortable with. I used to do that but in the end, against ShadowQuinn in Fall Seasonal round eight, I got counter teamed and I needed to change my way of preparing to a tournament match. Scouting your opponent by checking his old replays if possible, analyzing his teams and way of playing and deciding your playstyle and team which you are comfortable with but that also has a great chance to beat your opponent are some common ways of preparing. Obviously you have to know how to use the team you are going to use so testing as much as possible for trying to find your team's flaws is really appreciated. There is also a mental side of preparing and motivation which are in my opinion big factors in tournaments. If you don't focus enough and you don't have enough motivation to succeed in your tournament match, you will be destroyed and you will regret for not caring enough. I am saying this from my own experience.
Favourite UPL/Seasonal/Ubers Open game(s)?
I didn't excel at all last year in Ubers Open with my round one exit so no memorable games on my end from that. Jokes aside, I have played many games I have enjoyed a lot but there are two games I prefer at the moment over my other played games. The first one is my week two UPL match against Blim but you can read about it here. The second one is my all-time favourite match is from Fall Seasonal in round ten against Hack. As I mentioned before, ShadowQuinn counter teamed me round before so I had to change my way of playing. I brought a whole new team and playstyle against Hack in game one. The match-up in my opinion was more or less even. The reason I favour that match the most are the long-term thinking, the doubles we made after we overpredicted each other (for example on turn four it was my Salamence against his Dragon-Arceus and he brought in Primal-Groudon predicting my Klefki but I over predicted that and brought in my Primal-Kyogre) but also the patience we both had for winning the match. I ended up winning that game but I lost the series 2-1 after choking horrible in game two. I still am upset about that because I felt I got the momentum to get my revenge from ShadowQuinn next round and maybe going to the very end.
What are some Ubers players you think are good examples for newer users to look up to?
There are plenty of players who I would love to mention but Lord Outrage and Level 56 deserve a mention due to their work, effort and achievements during ORAS. Newer users who are getting into the Ubers tier should definitely take a close look on both of them.
I want to mention veterans in the Ubers tier, for instance Sweep, Hack, Fireburn, Blim and many others, who have during these many years put their time and effort to this game and tier and we should all be grateful to them. They are all really respected users in the Ubers community and outside it. Newer users should take that into account as well.
Is there any advice that you would like to share with new users?
I was a year ago really shy and I barely had the encourage to ask help or questions from anyone. You don't have to be the same as I was. Don't hesitate to ask any question that is on your mind in the Ubers room or here on Smogon forums. Otherwise you might never find the answer to it and it will bother you for a long time. Some outsiders say that Ubers community is awful and it has the saltiest players, maybe that is true but who knows, but our community has really nice persons who won't escort you to another room if you are a newer user asking questions that bother you. Don't be though intentionally stupid and show that you have good manners.
Finally, can you provide us a team with a brief explanation of how it works?
Me building a team? Hah! Pohjis cannot build a team, he always uses others' teams! That is what people tend to say. Here is the expected team that is still work in progress.
Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 212 Def / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Geomancy
Salamence (Salamence-Mega) (M) @ Salamencite
Ability: Aerilate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Facade
- Roost
- Dragon Dance
Deoxys-Attack @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 72 Atk / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Naive Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Knock Off
- Extreme Speed
- Superpower
Groudon @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 Atk / 188 SpD / 68 Spe
Careful Nature
- Precipice Blades
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
Arceus @ Life Orb
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Mewtwo @ Life Orb
Ability: Unnerve
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psystrike
- Ice Beam
- Fire Blast
- Taunt
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 212 Def / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Geomancy
Salamence (Salamence-Mega) (M) @ Salamencite
Ability: Aerilate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Double-Edge
- Facade
- Roost
- Dragon Dance
Deoxys-Attack @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 72 Atk / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Naive Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Knock Off
- Extreme Speed
- Superpower
Groudon @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 Atk / 188 SpD / 68 Spe
Careful Nature
- Precipice Blades
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave
Arceus @ Life Orb
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance
Mewtwo @ Life Orb
Ability: Unnerve
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psystrike
- Ice Beam
- Fire Blast
- Taunt
Pretty simple hyper offensive team. Primal-Groudon sets up Stealth Rocks and checks Xerneas. Xerneas, Mega-Salamence and Arceus setting up and sweeping your opponent's team. The fun part of the team is dual psychic with Mewtwo and Deoxys-Attack to revenge kill stuff and punching holes. The team for sure has its weaknesses but it is a solid team in general and is fun to use.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to Pohjis for taking the time out to complete this interview.
Be sure to ask him any questions you have below!
Last edited:
