Interview with Jirachee

By Jellicent. Art by Bummer and Sparkl3y.

I was a bit surprised as the driver rolled up to the location of my next interview. A hoity-toity, well-to-do political fundraiser is not exactly the kind of place you would expect to find a Smogoner. It certainly wasn't my kind of scene; at least that's what I was thinking until I spotted the open bar.

With a martini in each hand, I began slinking through the haughty crowds, looking for any sort of familiar face. That's when I spotted him, schmoozing with some wealthy diplomats. I quickly pulled him aside and handed off one of my drinks.

Cheers, Jirachee! I suppose the best way to get this started is to ask a bit about your life outside of Smogon. What you do, what your hobbies are, that sort of thing.

Ah, yeah. Well, I'm a university student, currently studying math. As for hobbies, um, I enjoy playing video games and cooking the most, as well as watching hockey, I guess. D:

He pointed his thumb at himself while proudly declaring, "Canadian."

Nice, any games in particular outside of Pokémon?

Metroid is actually my favorite series. I enjoy retro gaming a lot in general, more so than modern gaming, but I do enjoy playing some Halo with my buddy Sam from time to time!!!

So, what was it that first brought you to Smogon?

Back when Platinum was released, an IRL friend of mine and I loved playing the in-game Frontier, but we couldn't really get far, since we played co-op and we were awful. So, we did some research on the internet; we first started on a French site called Pokeébip, and eventually we found out about Shoddy, and Smogon at the same time. Unfortunately, he never really stayed on Shoddy. That was close to the BW Japanese release, and since there was so much hype surrounding those games, I stuck around.

Were there any particular areas that you were drawn to at first?

Yeah, the OU forum, RMT, and C&C. I liked reading discussion about the newly released 'mons in the OU forum. I really wanted to help people despite being bad myself, so I liked RMT; it was the most simple way to do it. As for C&C, I think I suggested a Parasect OU analysis, but after that I didn't really do anything.

He motioned to a passing cocktail server for more drinks as he continued.

Eventually, my main focus became RMT and stayed that way for a few years actually. Also, back when I began, I was kinda more into the PO community, which was growing back then. I didn't switch over to Smogon until like... late 2011.

Would you say RMT was a lot different back then compared to now?

Hm, well, I had a very different perspective back then too, but I'd say the community was pretty different.

How so?

I'd say RMT had its own community that didn't really overlap with other forums, which is something you don't have now.

I've noticed a lot of subcommunities that've grown out of different parts of the site. Do you think they're a positive thing overall?

Absolutely, I think that with a community as large as Smogon, it was inevitable. It's a sign that the parts of the site in question are pretty healthy and alive, and a lively community is fun to be a part of.

A waiter offered us some fancy hors d'oeuvres, which I graciously accepted. They were mysterious in texture, but they tasted fantastic.

You're also known for your involvement in the Tournaments community, even recently becoming a TD. What first drew you there?

Ah, yes. Well, my favorite thing about Smogon itself is its most prestigious tournament, SPL. What really motivated me to become better and do well was to play in SPL, and ever since I first played it's been my favorite part of the site. Tournaments itself has a pretty lively community (with a lot of drama hehe), so I enjoy being part of it and participating in some of its tournaments.

What aspect of SPL do you most enjoy?

Two things mainly: the team play and the importance of games. During the season, everyone gets to know each other and the whole team supports itself, which is nice. You do what you can to help your teammates, and the fact that every game matters means you have no room for fucking up. It can be a lot of pressure sometimes, but it feels great when you win a game, and I enjoy the pressure sometimes hehe.

You've also very recently been promoted to Super Mod (congrats, btw!)

Thanks. :D

As you're settling into your new role, are there any changes you'd like to make in the community?

Ideally, I'd like to make the RMT forum a livelier community, which is something I've been working on since I've been made its leader. I'd also like to help newer players get into the Tournaments community, since it can be a bit hard at first.

We were interrupted for a moment as some undoubtedly important politician popped in to shake Jirachee's hand and thank him graciously for something.

You've also been a successful Tutor. How does that compare to rating teams, in your opinion?

It's a bit different. Usually, when you rate a team, you assume people know the basics and you just add an outsider's view to the person's team, so the team itself can be improved, not the player. When you tutor, you want to make sure someone's basics are good first. So rating teams is like what comes after.

Alright, it's time for the juicy stuff. What's your favorite Pokémon, both competitively and in general?

Ah, well, surprisingly, my favorite Pokémon is... Tyranitar. Competitively, it'd be Garchomp. I also quite like Zapdos. D:

That's not a Jirachi at all. ._.

I know. D:

S'ok, I'm not particularly into Jellicent, either.

A hush fell over most of the crowd as some energetic rock tune started playing. I could tell someone was about to make an entrance for a speech and wrapped things up.

Thanks for taking the time to do this, man. It was a pleasure.

No problem. My pleasure!!

With that, I finished my drink and made a stealthy exit to the limo waiting outside.

« Previous Article

Home