TJ
Banned deucer.
Shaneghoul
Favorite Pokemon: Rotom
Most used Pokemon: Skuntank
Most known for: Playing NU, PU Council, Playing in every PUPL
Shane: Hey TJ, I've had better days but overall I don't have much to complain about.
TJ: Can you tell us a little about yourself outside of Smogon?
Shane: I'm a 20 year old guy from Dublin, Ireland and am currently studying Computer Science at University. I'm very into basketball and I spend a lot of time playing/coaching it, although I tore a ligament in my ankle recently so I haven't played since then. Aside from that I've also been spending an increasing amount of time watching anime in recent months. It sounds stupid but watching so much has really changed who I am and made me a much happier person so I'm really glad I found it. I also play a decent amount of video games and would like to delve into game development when I find time over the Summer as ultimately I want to do something video game related for my career.
TJ: What brought you to Smogon / the PU community?
Shane: I originally found PS! back in 2014 when I stumbled across a shofu video. I used to mess around with garbage on the OU ladder and I'd say for about a year I came on every now and then and played around. I started playing more when I stumbled across rooms and for whatever reason the first room I joined was the NU one. I talked there a lot and played on the ladder and eventually made a smogon account. I stuck with NU for a while, eventually becoming a mod in the room and playing (not very well) in spl, but I also kept up with PU from the day it got its own public room and have played in all the pupls since the first 1. Mid-way through ORAS I took a long break from pokemon and when I came back to sun and moon I found I didn't really enjoy NU anymore and so I started playing PU more often since it resembled ORAS NU somewhat. I've stuck with PU since then and have enjoyed it a lot ever since.
TJ: How did you get your username?
Shane: Shockingly, my real life name is Shane. The username came from when I was 10 or so and tried to sign up for Runescape. I put in Shane as a username since I was oblivious to how the internet worked, and when the name was rejected one of the suggested names was shaneghoul. I liked the sound of that and I've been using it ever since.
TJ: How does it feel being a new PU council member?
Shane: It's a really nice feeling tbh. I wasn't really expecting it so it was a really nice surprise, and as someone who still gets labelled as an nu player it means a lot to me that the pu community would consider me one of their own to the point that I'd be put on council. My last council stint, which was in nu, lasted about 2 weeks so lets hope this one goes better!
TJ: You had a very strong run in Seasonal, what do you think contributed the most to your success?
Shane: I think the big thing for me in this run was all the support I received from my friends, especially from dibs and HJAD. It means a lot to me that I have friends within the community that would support me in the way they did, always helping me with regards to teams and just generally looking out for me. While I definitely do enjoy the game, really it's the opportunity to meet people like them that keeps me coming back.
TJ: Thoughts on the current metagame? Is there anything you’d like to see freed from PUBL?
Shane: I'm having fun with the current metagame. Guzzlord has been a nice addition to the tier and I'm glad it hasn't caused any problems. Even with guzzlord in the tier though I probably still wouldn't be against a lilligant suspect, but I don't feel as strongly on that as I used to. There's not really anything I'd like to see freed from PUBL at the moment.
TJ: Who are some of your favorite people in the PU community / Smogon?
Shane: I've made so many good friends here that it's impossible to mention them all, but the ones that I talk to the most and mean the most to me would dibs, Teddeh, HJAD, Anty, and yogi. If it weren't for these boys there's no way I'd still be playing pokemon and it's them that keeps me coming back. I value them as if they were real life friends and I'm so glad to have met them. User TJ is also pretty cool ;)
TJ: Who do you think are some good up-and-coming PU players?
Shane: I haven't kept up with the community in that sense as much as I would've liked to, but two names I want to mention are yedla and tlenit1. Yedla's coming off a strong seasonal run and I'd love to see him build on that and get more into the community. Tlenit1 is a player I've faced on the ladder many times and he consistently finds himself at number 1. I don't think he's joined any of the seasonals but I'll be urging him to join the next one. He's also a really nice guy which is always nice!
TJ: Do you have any advice for newer players in the tier?
Shane: I think the most important thing for people is to remember why they're playing in the first place. Realistically no one's making a living off of being a pro pokemon player and we're all just here to have fun. As long as you keep that in mind as you're playing I'm sure you'll find your way in PU as there's a great community here for you. Also use rotom-frost because it's really good right now :]
TJ: Lastly, could you provide a team that reflects you and explain it?
Shane:
dibs (Quilladin) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Endeavor
- Wood Hammer
taskr (Pawniard) @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
yogi (Golem) @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Explosion
ted (Regice) @ Life Orb
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rock Polish
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
hjad (Misdreavus) @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Taunt
anty (Mr. Mime) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
- Focus Blast
- Healing Wish
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Endeavor
- Wood Hammer
taskr (Pawniard) @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
yogi (Golem) @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Explosion
ted (Regice) @ Life Orb
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rock Polish
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Focus Blast
hjad (Misdreavus) @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 1 Atk / 30 Def / 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 30 Spe
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Taunt
anty (Mr. Mime) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
- Focus Blast
- Healing Wish
This is the team that I'm probably most known for in PU as it was my staple all through out ORAS and I even brought it back last PUPL with myself and Pearl both using and winning with it. I'm very much an offensive player and I love piloting teams like this since the games are usually quickly which leads to close exciting matches. I always have a lot of fun with teams that try to keep up offensive pressure for the entire game until you exhaust the opponent and I feel like this team perfectly represents that style of build. Offensive spikes quilladin wasn't a very popular set in ORAS and so the set came with a lot of surprise factor which always allowed a spike or two to go up while keeping hazards off my side. Golem is more standard but it's still fantastic at what it does, namely getting rocks up while using custap explosion to prevent a defog. From there the gameplan is to try and keep the momentum on your side with the other 4 while keeping the hazards around. It's a simple team, but one that I've found incredible success with and have very fond memories of.
TJ: Thanks for your time, Shane! As always, if you guys have your own questions, feel free to ask them below!