Kev
Part of the journey is the end
Approved by Eien , Acast & Vid
Based off of OU PotW and Gen 6 Mono PotW
Based off of OU PotW and Gen 6 Mono PotW
Welcome to the ninth edition of Monotype Player of the Week!
(credits to Seo. for the banner)
During this project, I will be interviewing some of the most influential players in Monotype today whether it be based on their exceptional contribution to the metagame or their outstanding performance in tours. If anyone has suggestions on who should be interviewed next, feel free to PM me your ideas.
This week I decided to change things up and interview an up and coming player after being suggested alternating between top players and those. This week we have one of Monotype's rising stars and winner of the 2nd Monotype Summer Seasonal.
Waszap
Can you tell us a bit about your life outside of Smogon?
- I am currently an engineering student in Canada (yes, bagged milk). I usually play video games for fun and play football/soccer with my friends in the summer. I am a pretty laid back both online and irl, and enjoy just being around people.
What are you most known for?
- I think I'm mostly known for my tournament games, doing well in seasonals and mpl and the like have gotten my name more known within this community. Otherwise, I have been in the monotype community for a long time both in and out of leagues and have gotten to know many players, a lot of which now have grown to have greater influences in the meta.
What made you play Pokemon competitively? What got you into Monotype and made you want to stay?
- I was always fascinated by the idea of type restrictions. I was surprised to learn that monotype was really small, even though it was how gym leaders in the game fought. I had joined my very first monotype tournament in like 2012 on a random website, and with my mono electric I remember winning and feeling so happy. But that was that, I then returned on PS in 2014 and was just playing random battles when someone randomly pm'd me asking if I wanted to join a monotype league. I was like "why not" and there begins my journey from lotus. I was always competitive in nature and quickly rose in the league, however, there wasn't a competitive attitude in the league so I quit and league hopped, building my skills and facing new people.
What is your favorite Pokemon in general and favorite one to use competitively?
- My favorite pokemon would have to be Alakazam and Jolteon, as I was always always fond of electric types and Alakazam's psychic just looked so cool in the anime and how it was able to make people levitate and throw back attacks. Fun fact, my name used to be Alakazapper at first, which was a mix of alakazam and zapper was for electric types. Competitively I would say my favorite pokemon is Victini, I just love the sheer power that V-create provides, and although victini is straight forward to use, it never disappoints.
What is your favorite type?
- Psychic definitely, there are just so many ways you can take the type, and it has consistently been a top type throughout monotype as well. You can make it offense, balanced, semi-stall, even TR. I used to hate the type as it always beat whatever I would use, but then losing to it so much made me realize how to play with it, and when I picked it up I was able to get a lot of success off of it.
How about your favorite playstyle?
- Offense is my favorite playstyle, as I like to quickly get the games over with. No fun in wasting time by pp stalling your opponent's toxapex with your own. That being said, I used to enjoy HO a lot but am gearing more towards balance playstyles now as well.
Monotype is now official! Any opinions on the whole thing? Did you think we would ever get there? What kind of improvements or changes would like to see be made with this new status?
- I am very glad that monotype is now official, and I feel it has long been overdue. I didn't expect it to be honest, but thanks to the work that scp and eien have done to make the metagame more aligned the rest of the official metagames, I think it was truly deserved. With this new status I hope monotype's rep gets better within the other communities, as it's not just a wholely type based matchup game. There are a lot of ways to have fun and show skill within this meta, and I would like for that to be shown.
What do you think of the USM meta? Is it significantly different from SM and are there any new additions you particularly enjoy? How does it fair compared to ORAS?
- I think USM is alright, but to be honest I would say that about any meta I've been playing for a while. The problem I feel right now is that the metagame trends really aren't changing, and that results in a boring game. This can be seen in MWP that is currently going on as well. I do think that USM is currently balanced and I don't see a need for suspecting anything atm. I guess we just gotta wait for the new electric type to see how it does.
As one of the most notable rising players currently, do you have any advice for people new to Monotype or people who are trying to improve?
- I think the biggest thing when it comes to doing well in tours is controlling your emotions. To be honest, a lot of people are really good and make solid plays, but they get way too nervous when in a high skill battle with another well-known player. This used to be a thing I went through, I would get really nervous, but you just gotta realize they're just people behind a computer screen too lol. Otherwise, just get lots of experience with teams and try to have a gameplan when entering a battle.
What do you think of Monotype OMs? Do they have a satisfactory level of competitiveness in Monotype Winter Premier? Is there any you particularly enjoy?
- I really enjoy monotype OMs, and I particularly enjoy Mono AAA. And I think the competitiveness level is quit good in mwp, and can be seen from the various types being used and all the different types of builds people bring. Obviously more work can be done to balance some of those games, but knowledge is very limited. Overall I think they are really fun and the innovation shown in them is enjoyable to witness.
Speaking of Monotype Winter Premier, what are your thoughts on the season so far? Anything that has stood out so far?
- I think mwp is great as it gives people who do dabble in mono oms or just oms in general a chance to show their skill. I think mwp has been really enjoyable so far, and is a nice change of pace from the highly competitive mpl. MWP is still competitive of course, but it allows for more experimentation.
Congratulations on winning the Summer Seasonal! How does it feel to get your first major individual win? Any words of advice on how to prepare for a tournament battle?
- Thanks! And it felt great, although the game was played extremely late lol. Some advice I can give is that make sure you know your matchups well, know ur weaknesses and know ur strengths and capitalize on that. Rather than just preparing to c-team your opponent, try to see what would be good against their playstyle as a whole. Just c-teaming type isnt good enough. Try to go for neutral matchups, and don't try to use types you don't have much experience with just to get the type advantage. Above all else, don't get too nervous and try to play as calm as possible. Also, don't be like me, calc everything.
Are there any players that have impressed you or that you think will be able to make a mark in the community?
- So far I am impressed with Chaitanya's games, and how far he has come in such a short time. Although he didn't make it into mwp, I see he is making waves in the tournament scene in monotype.
Who do you think are the top 5 USM monotype players right now?
- I don't really have a top 5 list, unlike a lot of biased opinions I usually try to base performance on results rather above all else. In no particular order, I think Leru, Clearly, 1 True Lycan. I think these players currently have shown great skill. Leru never fails to impress with unique teams. Clearly to me has always shown great innovation that are very successful. And Lycan just have strong teams and great plays that bring him to the top.
Who are some of your favorite people that you met on Pokemon Showdown?
- I have met a ton of people, and I already know that I'm gonna get harassed for not naming some, but yall should know who you are if I have tagged you in my RMT before. Otherwise, KevinELF the water god himself, Sabella, Eien, Arken, Podge, Anob, and so many more. Shoutouts arbiter, delta, and woa.
Finally, can you showcase a team that you think represents your style as a player and provide an explanation on how to use it?
(credits to Seo. for the banner)
During this project, I will be interviewing some of the most influential players in Monotype today whether it be based on their exceptional contribution to the metagame or their outstanding performance in tours. If anyone has suggestions on who should be interviewed next, feel free to PM me your ideas.
This week I decided to change things up and interview an up and coming player after being suggested alternating between top players and those. This week we have one of Monotype's rising stars and winner of the 2nd Monotype Summer Seasonal.
Waszap
Can you tell us a bit about your life outside of Smogon?
- I am currently an engineering student in Canada (yes, bagged milk). I usually play video games for fun and play football/soccer with my friends in the summer. I am a pretty laid back both online and irl, and enjoy just being around people.
What are you most known for?
- I think I'm mostly known for my tournament games, doing well in seasonals and mpl and the like have gotten my name more known within this community. Otherwise, I have been in the monotype community for a long time both in and out of leagues and have gotten to know many players, a lot of which now have grown to have greater influences in the meta.
What made you play Pokemon competitively? What got you into Monotype and made you want to stay?
- I was always fascinated by the idea of type restrictions. I was surprised to learn that monotype was really small, even though it was how gym leaders in the game fought. I had joined my very first monotype tournament in like 2012 on a random website, and with my mono electric I remember winning and feeling so happy. But that was that, I then returned on PS in 2014 and was just playing random battles when someone randomly pm'd me asking if I wanted to join a monotype league. I was like "why not" and there begins my journey from lotus. I was always competitive in nature and quickly rose in the league, however, there wasn't a competitive attitude in the league so I quit and league hopped, building my skills and facing new people.
What is your favorite Pokemon in general and favorite one to use competitively?
- My favorite pokemon would have to be Alakazam and Jolteon, as I was always always fond of electric types and Alakazam's psychic just looked so cool in the anime and how it was able to make people levitate and throw back attacks. Fun fact, my name used to be Alakazapper at first, which was a mix of alakazam and zapper was for electric types. Competitively I would say my favorite pokemon is Victini, I just love the sheer power that V-create provides, and although victini is straight forward to use, it never disappoints.
What is your favorite type?
- Psychic definitely, there are just so many ways you can take the type, and it has consistently been a top type throughout monotype as well. You can make it offense, balanced, semi-stall, even TR. I used to hate the type as it always beat whatever I would use, but then losing to it so much made me realize how to play with it, and when I picked it up I was able to get a lot of success off of it.
How about your favorite playstyle?
- Offense is my favorite playstyle, as I like to quickly get the games over with. No fun in wasting time by pp stalling your opponent's toxapex with your own. That being said, I used to enjoy HO a lot but am gearing more towards balance playstyles now as well.
Monotype is now official! Any opinions on the whole thing? Did you think we would ever get there? What kind of improvements or changes would like to see be made with this new status?
- I am very glad that monotype is now official, and I feel it has long been overdue. I didn't expect it to be honest, but thanks to the work that scp and eien have done to make the metagame more aligned the rest of the official metagames, I think it was truly deserved. With this new status I hope monotype's rep gets better within the other communities, as it's not just a wholely type based matchup game. There are a lot of ways to have fun and show skill within this meta, and I would like for that to be shown.
What do you think of the USM meta? Is it significantly different from SM and are there any new additions you particularly enjoy? How does it fair compared to ORAS?
- I think USM is alright, but to be honest I would say that about any meta I've been playing for a while. The problem I feel right now is that the metagame trends really aren't changing, and that results in a boring game. This can be seen in MWP that is currently going on as well. I do think that USM is currently balanced and I don't see a need for suspecting anything atm. I guess we just gotta wait for the new electric type to see how it does.
As one of the most notable rising players currently, do you have any advice for people new to Monotype or people who are trying to improve?
- I think the biggest thing when it comes to doing well in tours is controlling your emotions. To be honest, a lot of people are really good and make solid plays, but they get way too nervous when in a high skill battle with another well-known player. This used to be a thing I went through, I would get really nervous, but you just gotta realize they're just people behind a computer screen too lol. Otherwise, just get lots of experience with teams and try to have a gameplan when entering a battle.
What do you think of Monotype OMs? Do they have a satisfactory level of competitiveness in Monotype Winter Premier? Is there any you particularly enjoy?
- I really enjoy monotype OMs, and I particularly enjoy Mono AAA. And I think the competitiveness level is quit good in mwp, and can be seen from the various types being used and all the different types of builds people bring. Obviously more work can be done to balance some of those games, but knowledge is very limited. Overall I think they are really fun and the innovation shown in them is enjoyable to witness.
Speaking of Monotype Winter Premier, what are your thoughts on the season so far? Anything that has stood out so far?
- I think mwp is great as it gives people who do dabble in mono oms or just oms in general a chance to show their skill. I think mwp has been really enjoyable so far, and is a nice change of pace from the highly competitive mpl. MWP is still competitive of course, but it allows for more experimentation.
Congratulations on winning the Summer Seasonal! How does it feel to get your first major individual win? Any words of advice on how to prepare for a tournament battle?
- Thanks! And it felt great, although the game was played extremely late lol. Some advice I can give is that make sure you know your matchups well, know ur weaknesses and know ur strengths and capitalize on that. Rather than just preparing to c-team your opponent, try to see what would be good against their playstyle as a whole. Just c-teaming type isnt good enough. Try to go for neutral matchups, and don't try to use types you don't have much experience with just to get the type advantage. Above all else, don't get too nervous and try to play as calm as possible. Also, don't be like me, calc everything.
Are there any players that have impressed you or that you think will be able to make a mark in the community?
- So far I am impressed with Chaitanya's games, and how far he has come in such a short time. Although he didn't make it into mwp, I see he is making waves in the tournament scene in monotype.
Who do you think are the top 5 USM monotype players right now?
- I don't really have a top 5 list, unlike a lot of biased opinions I usually try to base performance on results rather above all else. In no particular order, I think Leru, Clearly, 1 True Lycan. I think these players currently have shown great skill. Leru never fails to impress with unique teams. Clearly to me has always shown great innovation that are very successful. And Lycan just have strong teams and great plays that bring him to the top.
Who are some of your favorite people that you met on Pokemon Showdown?
- I have met a ton of people, and I already know that I'm gonna get harassed for not naming some, but yall should know who you are if I have tagged you in my RMT before. Otherwise, KevinELF the water god himself, Sabella, Eien, Arken, Podge, Anob, and so many more. Shoutouts arbiter, delta, and woa.
Finally, can you showcase a team that you think represents your style as a player and provide an explanation on how to use it?
Victini @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- V-create
- Bolt Strike
- U-turn
- Blue Flare
Gallade-Mega @ Galladite
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off
Alakazam @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Counter
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
- Shadow Ball
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 148 SpD / 108 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Iron Head
- Stealth Rock
- Healing Wish
Mew @ Mewnium Z
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rock Polish
- Nasty Plot
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
Latios @ Soul Dew
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Roost
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- V-create
- Bolt Strike
- U-turn
- Blue Flare
Gallade-Mega @ Galladite
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Zen Headbutt
- Knock Off
Alakazam @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Counter
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
- Shadow Ball
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 148 SpD / 108 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Iron Head
- Stealth Rock
- Healing Wish
Mew @ Mewnium Z
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rock Polish
- Nasty Plot
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
Latios @ Soul Dew
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Roost
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Here is a classic offensive psychic team that I like to use. Pretty standard and straightforward, the main differences are the mew and the latios. Mew has thunderbolt to cover the flying and water matchups, types that have gotten very popular. Latios is just a setup breaker that heavily dents things, especially since most people don't expect this kind of set.
Any last words you want to leave us with?
- If you want to start being known, don't complain about not being recognized. Almost every player at the top started off the same as anyone, and worked until they got their name out there through their performance. Also, stay humble folks.
This concludes my interview with Waszap. A huge thanks to him for taking time out of his day and replying all my questions with such detailed answers! Feel free to now ask your own questions to our Player of the Week.
Any last words you want to leave us with?
- If you want to start being known, don't complain about not being recognized. Almost every player at the top started off the same as anyone, and worked until they got their name out there through their performance. Also, stay humble folks.
This concludes my interview with Waszap. A huge thanks to him for taking time out of his day and replying all my questions with such detailed answers! Feel free to now ask your own questions to our Player of the Week.
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