Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Well lets see, I am 19 years old, almost 20 and going into my third year as a business management major at George Mason University next to DC. During the summers I work as a teachers aide in a special needs classroom and hope to be landing an internship working for Autism Speaks in the fall. I played several sports in High School and try to stay as active as I can nowadays. Other than that, I just do my best to be a chill dude who can get along with everyone.
Most Known For:
I don't think I'm particularly well known to be honest. I haven't had much tournament success aside from fun forum tournaments and I never really hang around with any of the more recognizable names. The only things I've really contributed would be just randomly scattered posts in the viability threads. Other than that I guess you could say being a moderator in the Underused PS! room and formerly having a flood of /me YABO appear whenever I signed on.
Favorite Pokemon:
My favorite pokemon is Meowth. Call me oldschool, call me lame, call me plain, you're probably right on all of those accounts. I'm not sure why but I just think Meowth's character in the show was just so funny and I love his design with the little coin on his forehead. Other pokemon that I really like are Snorlax, Staraptor, and Teddiursa (I like normal types i know).
Favorite non Pokemon game?
I don't really play video games aside from pokemon anymore. Despite that, my favorite games would probably include the Mass Effect series, particularly ME3 multiplayer, I played the shit out of that. Other games I enjoy are League of Legends (haven't played in months), and Halo. I play a fair amount of sports in my spare time like Basketball, Frisbee, and Baseball.
Most used UU Pokemon:
Definitely Lucario. I fucking love Lucario. Pretty much all of my teams that I look back on fondly had a Lucario on them. It is just such a versatile threat that can win a game with one free turn. Nasty Plot and Swords Dance are equally viable and both incredibly threatening. In particular, I enjoy using Earthquake Lucario which lures a lot of the common switch ins to Lucario.
Where did you get your name from?
My original name on here was Meowiekins mostly because i didn't plan on getting super involved or anything. After I started getting more into mons and after some conversations with gobosox and Waiv I decided on having a name change. I didn't know what to choose at first but I knew I wanted something fun and short. I eventually decided on this name since it was a fun phrase from a sports blog I read. It's basically an exclamation for when somebody goes yard in baseball.
How and when did you get into competitive battling?
I initially got into competitive battling at the beginning of BW when my friend from school introduced me to it. He noticed me playing my cartridge on a long bus ride for a field trip and he told me how he played competitively. I was really interested but never got a chance to use my computer until I got back and we were on winter vacation. The first time I hopped on PO I stayed up all night building, playing, tweaking, playing, and building some more. From there I found smogon and then competitive battlers on youtube and watched pretty much anything I could find about it. The only real thing I accomplished back then was peaking #1 on the RU ladder pre Yanmega and Cresselia ban. CB Punishment Sneasel was antimeta af. I then quit once some dude started using poliwrath and beat my whole team. I got back into 'mons a couple years ago when a friend I made at college told me he played competitive pokemon casually.
Opinions on ORAS compared to XY?
I really like ORAS but I also really liked the end of XY. It is sort of a strange question to ask me because I was still learning about everything again. Despite this, I would still give the nod to ORAS. The diversification of mega pokemon is really enjoyable to me as there is always something powerful on both teams. There is always that tension in a game where if one turn goes unfavorably you could be scrounging to stay alive. The fast megas also give you an opportunity to check more things offensively rather than defensively which is something I enjoy.
What is your favorite playstyle and why?
Hyper Offense, no question about it. There is just something so fun about playing your games on a razor's edge like I described before. If one prediction goes awry you could be up shit creek, but this is doubly true for your opponent. When you're playing Hyper Offense, a single double switch can lead to a clean sweep, even in a close game.
Do you think any mon is suspect worthy at the moment? If yes, which mon and why.
Nope, I think UU is pretty solid at the moment and I really don't think gatr is that much of an issue which is the only hot ticket item for suspecting. If I had to pick something from BL to drop for a test I would probably say Zygarde since I really didn't think it was an issue before and I feel like the meta could adapt to it easily.
How do you feel about the new drops to the tier? Those being Venemoth, Smeargle, and Goth.
Venomoth is really good, gothitelle not so much. I haven't tried Smeargle but like I've said before, I think its hazard set could be really good on the right team.
Favorite to win UU Open?
I would say either Kotori, Dodmen, or Omfuga. I think all three are really solid players with good teambuilding. I would say Sam but he is too busy monitoring IRC to build teams these days.
What is some advice you can give to new players who want to get noticed?
If you consider me noticed then I guess just be sociable and polite while posting well thought out, tested opinions. Don't start beef with anybody because it is completely pointless and leads to a stupid grudge match that is literally the dumbest thing ever. It's better to coexist than to start drama.
How do you go about preparing for tournament matches?
Well lets see, the only tournaments I've really played in and prepared for are an ORAS RU tournament and the Undergames. I would've prepared for UU Open but I was really busy at the time and didn't really know my opponent regardless. When I do prepare I just look at my opponents building style and try to pick up little tendencies like "Does he often bring resists to 'x' type?", "Does he normally play offense or balance or whatever?". From there I find out how I can exploit that while still appealing to my own strengths. My logic is that I made it to wherever I am in the tournament because I played my own style, no reason to alter that so far into a tournament. So basically what I am saying is I figure out the best way to approach that game while not stepping outside my comfort zone.
Who are some of your favorite people in the Smogon community?
Well first of all I have to mention dingbat since he is the Martin Lawrence to my Will Smith. Other than that, I want to shout out gobosox and Waiv since they are both cool dudes I've met irl. Other people include my friend @Joltagewho is the reason I got back into mons. Aside from that, everyone should know who they are. NV, LTTM, TBMA, Wanka, kingtnumbers, hogg, dodmen, todd, and a million other people. Like I said earlier, I try to be friendly with pretty much everyone so this list would be long af if I actually filled it all the way out. And a special goodbye to my buddy DrReuniclus who just quit mons. Have fun at school dude :]
Finally can you provide for us a team that you think reflects you as a player with a brief explanation of how it works?
This is my favorite team to use right now. It seems like it would be really gimmicky and it kinda is, but that is the beauty of it. It's gimmicky but at the same time it isn't. The basic idea of the team was to have NP Lucario lure and KO all the stuff that beats BD Chesnaught. For example, Doublade comes in on Dark Pulse and dies, Florges gets knocked out by +2 Flash Cannon, Reuniclus/Cresselia take huge damage from +2 Dark Pulse. At the same time, I noticed an extreme weakness to Crobat but wanted to maintain offensive presence in the next slot of the team. I danced with the idea of Tyrantrum but ultimately wanted something that was more of a surprise factor. Empoleon didn't disappoint and has swept many a team (honestly it's really underrated try it out). After that I threw on a little defensive core that I have liked for awhile now, Pert, Bat, Whimsi and shuffled around the sets a couple of times. I eventually landed on this team and it hasn't disappointed so far, despite the lack of mega. I have used this team versus a ton of good players including but not limited to Tennis, Sam, Psychotic, and others. Those games were mostly testing games so no replays but I assure you I had a very good record in all of those. Unfortunately, all of the replays that have been saved were either poorly played by me or tainted by hax so there isn't much to include in terms of that.
---------------
Hope you enjoyed this last UU POTW, it's been a pleasure doing this for the past few months. Anyways, if you have any questions for YABO leave them down below!
Well lets see, I am 19 years old, almost 20 and going into my third year as a business management major at George Mason University next to DC. During the summers I work as a teachers aide in a special needs classroom and hope to be landing an internship working for Autism Speaks in the fall. I played several sports in High School and try to stay as active as I can nowadays. Other than that, I just do my best to be a chill dude who can get along with everyone.
Most Known For:
I don't think I'm particularly well known to be honest. I haven't had much tournament success aside from fun forum tournaments and I never really hang around with any of the more recognizable names. The only things I've really contributed would be just randomly scattered posts in the viability threads. Other than that I guess you could say being a moderator in the Underused PS! room and formerly having a flood of /me YABO appear whenever I signed on.
Favorite Pokemon:
My favorite pokemon is Meowth. Call me oldschool, call me lame, call me plain, you're probably right on all of those accounts. I'm not sure why but I just think Meowth's character in the show was just so funny and I love his design with the little coin on his forehead. Other pokemon that I really like are Snorlax, Staraptor, and Teddiursa (I like normal types i know).
Favorite non Pokemon game?
I don't really play video games aside from pokemon anymore. Despite that, my favorite games would probably include the Mass Effect series, particularly ME3 multiplayer, I played the shit out of that. Other games I enjoy are League of Legends (haven't played in months), and Halo. I play a fair amount of sports in my spare time like Basketball, Frisbee, and Baseball.
Most used UU Pokemon:
Definitely Lucario. I fucking love Lucario. Pretty much all of my teams that I look back on fondly had a Lucario on them. It is just such a versatile threat that can win a game with one free turn. Nasty Plot and Swords Dance are equally viable and both incredibly threatening. In particular, I enjoy using Earthquake Lucario which lures a lot of the common switch ins to Lucario.
Where did you get your name from?
My original name on here was Meowiekins mostly because i didn't plan on getting super involved or anything. After I started getting more into mons and after some conversations with gobosox and Waiv I decided on having a name change. I didn't know what to choose at first but I knew I wanted something fun and short. I eventually decided on this name since it was a fun phrase from a sports blog I read. It's basically an exclamation for when somebody goes yard in baseball.
How and when did you get into competitive battling?
I initially got into competitive battling at the beginning of BW when my friend from school introduced me to it. He noticed me playing my cartridge on a long bus ride for a field trip and he told me how he played competitively. I was really interested but never got a chance to use my computer until I got back and we were on winter vacation. The first time I hopped on PO I stayed up all night building, playing, tweaking, playing, and building some more. From there I found smogon and then competitive battlers on youtube and watched pretty much anything I could find about it. The only real thing I accomplished back then was peaking #1 on the RU ladder pre Yanmega and Cresselia ban. CB Punishment Sneasel was antimeta af. I then quit once some dude started using poliwrath and beat my whole team. I got back into 'mons a couple years ago when a friend I made at college told me he played competitive pokemon casually.
Opinions on ORAS compared to XY?
I really like ORAS but I also really liked the end of XY. It is sort of a strange question to ask me because I was still learning about everything again. Despite this, I would still give the nod to ORAS. The diversification of mega pokemon is really enjoyable to me as there is always something powerful on both teams. There is always that tension in a game where if one turn goes unfavorably you could be scrounging to stay alive. The fast megas also give you an opportunity to check more things offensively rather than defensively which is something I enjoy.
What is your favorite playstyle and why?
Hyper Offense, no question about it. There is just something so fun about playing your games on a razor's edge like I described before. If one prediction goes awry you could be up shit creek, but this is doubly true for your opponent. When you're playing Hyper Offense, a single double switch can lead to a clean sweep, even in a close game.
Do you think any mon is suspect worthy at the moment? If yes, which mon and why.
Nope, I think UU is pretty solid at the moment and I really don't think gatr is that much of an issue which is the only hot ticket item for suspecting. If I had to pick something from BL to drop for a test I would probably say Zygarde since I really didn't think it was an issue before and I feel like the meta could adapt to it easily.
How do you feel about the new drops to the tier? Those being Venemoth, Smeargle, and Goth.
Venomoth is really good, gothitelle not so much. I haven't tried Smeargle but like I've said before, I think its hazard set could be really good on the right team.
Favorite to win UU Open?
I would say either Kotori, Dodmen, or Omfuga. I think all three are really solid players with good teambuilding. I would say Sam but he is too busy monitoring IRC to build teams these days.
What is some advice you can give to new players who want to get noticed?
If you consider me noticed then I guess just be sociable and polite while posting well thought out, tested opinions. Don't start beef with anybody because it is completely pointless and leads to a stupid grudge match that is literally the dumbest thing ever. It's better to coexist than to start drama.
How do you go about preparing for tournament matches?
Well lets see, the only tournaments I've really played in and prepared for are an ORAS RU tournament and the Undergames. I would've prepared for UU Open but I was really busy at the time and didn't really know my opponent regardless. When I do prepare I just look at my opponents building style and try to pick up little tendencies like "Does he often bring resists to 'x' type?", "Does he normally play offense or balance or whatever?". From there I find out how I can exploit that while still appealing to my own strengths. My logic is that I made it to wherever I am in the tournament because I played my own style, no reason to alter that so far into a tournament. So basically what I am saying is I figure out the best way to approach that game while not stepping outside my comfort zone.
Who are some of your favorite people in the Smogon community?
Well first of all I have to mention dingbat since he is the Martin Lawrence to my Will Smith. Other than that, I want to shout out gobosox and Waiv since they are both cool dudes I've met irl. Other people include my friend @Joltagewho is the reason I got back into mons. Aside from that, everyone should know who they are. NV, LTTM, TBMA, Wanka, kingtnumbers, hogg, dodmen, todd, and a million other people. Like I said earlier, I try to be friendly with pretty much everyone so this list would be long af if I actually filled it all the way out. And a special goodbye to my buddy DrReuniclus who just quit mons. Have fun at school dude :]
Finally can you provide for us a team that you think reflects you as a player with a brief explanation of how it works?
Empoleon @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Agility
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Flash Cannon
- Dark Pulse
- Vacuum Wave
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
Crobat @ Sky Plate
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Taunt
- Roost
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 232 HP / 164 Def / 112 Spe
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Leech Seed
- U-turn
- Encore
Chesnaught @ Salac Berry
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
- Drain Punch
- Rock Slide
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Agility
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot
Lucario @ Life Orb
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Flash Cannon
- Dark Pulse
- Vacuum Wave
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
Crobat @ Sky Plate
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Taunt
- Roost
Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 232 HP / 164 Def / 112 Spe
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Leech Seed
- U-turn
- Encore
Chesnaught @ Salac Berry
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 30 HP
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
- Drain Punch
- Rock Slide
This is my favorite team to use right now. It seems like it would be really gimmicky and it kinda is, but that is the beauty of it. It's gimmicky but at the same time it isn't. The basic idea of the team was to have NP Lucario lure and KO all the stuff that beats BD Chesnaught. For example, Doublade comes in on Dark Pulse and dies, Florges gets knocked out by +2 Flash Cannon, Reuniclus/Cresselia take huge damage from +2 Dark Pulse. At the same time, I noticed an extreme weakness to Crobat but wanted to maintain offensive presence in the next slot of the team. I danced with the idea of Tyrantrum but ultimately wanted something that was more of a surprise factor. Empoleon didn't disappoint and has swept many a team (honestly it's really underrated try it out). After that I threw on a little defensive core that I have liked for awhile now, Pert, Bat, Whimsi and shuffled around the sets a couple of times. I eventually landed on this team and it hasn't disappointed so far, despite the lack of mega. I have used this team versus a ton of good players including but not limited to Tennis, Sam, Psychotic, and others. Those games were mostly testing games so no replays but I assure you I had a very good record in all of those. Unfortunately, all of the replays that have been saved were either poorly played by me or tainted by hax so there isn't much to include in terms of that.
---------------
Hope you enjoyed this last UU POTW, it's been a pleasure doing this for the past few months. Anyways, if you have any questions for YABO leave them down below!