TJ
Banned deucer.
Favorite Pokemon: Parasect
Most used Pokemon: Primeape
Most known for: PS Room Owner, Council Member, Forum Mod, Global Driver, Hosting a lot of Tours, Oldgens Caretaker
Akir: Well, I am currently working in sales at Trugreen. I like to think I'm ok at it. I graduated college almost 2 years ago now, with a degree in business admin. I also have a girlfriend, love hiking in the woods, and played in a college marching band.
TJ: What drew you to the PU community and what made you stick around so long?
Akir: I joined the PU community after my real-life friend November Rain forced me to join a PU tournament for fun. I ended up doing really well and decided to stay. There was also the appeal of no megas, which I genuinely think was a major mistake to add.
TJ: Where did you get your username from?
Akir: When I laddered in Gen5 NU, I used 4 names. Each of the 4 names belonged to an "elemental lord" from WoW, there was Neptulon, Therazane, Baron Geddon (didn't get Ragnaros), and Al'Akir. Al'Akir was the most successful, so I kept the name.
TJ: What are your thoughts on the current Archeops suspect test? Is anything else suspect test worthy in your opinion?
Akir: I think that Archeops is a very skill-driven, momentum-based mon. If you are playing well and momentum is on your side, Archeops is an absolute nuke. Luckily, momentum is easy to get in the current gen, so that is not a problem in the slightest. So I think it should be banned. Yeah.
TJ: What's the most challenging part of being a Room Owner / Forum Mod and what do you enjoy about it?
Akir: The most challenging part of both is how I always need to keep an eye on things, no matter what. So I am always watching, even if I do not say much. But I really enjoy helping the community behind the curtains, making sure that there is always something to look forward to and quality is always maintained.
TJ: What do you think should be done to help the PU community continue to grow and develop?
Akir: Well I think the first thing that needs to be done is to work on the tier itself more. It is currently very difficult to build in, and competition can sometimes be low in room tournaments, so fostering the tier itself more should always be the first step.
TJ: What is your favorite PU oldgen besides DPP and why?
Akir: Can I say honkmeta? But on a serious note, I actually like BW a lot. BW is still pretty unexplored, but I feel like there is still plenty of potential...or at the very least, the tier needs to be rediscovered. Besides, i love hazard stack.
TJ: Do you ever intend to play in PUPL in the future? If not, what makes managing more appealing than playing in tournaments for you?
Akir: The question is not if I find managing more appealing it comes down more to my own personal philosophy towards TOs being in their own tournaments. Simply put, a TO should never join their own tournament at all, ever. I really like managing the PUPL, and it's always a lot of fun. It's a great way to give to the community, and let's face it: everyone would rather play so I take the knee and do what I do best.
TJ: Can you name any up and coming players showing good potential?
Akir: I hear ShuckleDeath is pretty good.
TJ: Who do you look up to or admire the most in the PU scene? Who are some of your favorite people in the community?
Akir: I have been in this community long enough to know that we all are just a bunch of dorks. In terms of innovators though, 2xTheTap has always been someone I can expect to have something new up their sleeve. Megazard does so much work for the community that I have to mention him. As for favorites, I am not sure. Everyone in PU is my friend automatically unless they call me Ookr.
TJ: Will Pepeduce actually win Seasonal?
Akir: I have faith in Taskr or HJAD to save us all.
TJ: When are you going to free GSC PU?
Akir: I do not like the idea of stretching the PU oldgen playerbase even further, nor do I like the idea of going even further back while ADV PU is still getting an unfair amount of ire. when the community grows more and ADV is more accepted, then I will think about it. But every time someone asks, it gets rolled back a day.
TJ: What other games do you play in your free time?
Akir: I play a lot of WoW, and I also speedrun Metroid games. The downside of growing up is that I don't have much more time for games unfortunately, so I can really only casually play other games. I like playing WoW because I'm always down for killing giant monsters. If you think about those pictures of like..."band of adventurers fighting a dragon" theres always that one dude with a shield right in front of the dragon. Thats my job. I'm the tank.
TJ: Why do you hate it when people call you "Ookr"?
Akir: Well originally I didn't but it just carried on and on and on. Now I am just really tired of it but there's also the fact that the nickname is meant to make fun of me not in a teasing way but in an actual way so there's that.
TJ: Lastly, can you give us a team that fits your playstyle and explain it?
Akir:
Dodrio @ Choice Band
Ability: Early Bird
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Frustration
- Quick Attack
- Pursuit
Mr. Mime @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Trick
- Healing Wish
Combusken @ Eviolite
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 3 Atk / 30 SpA
- Protect
- Fire Blast
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Graveler @ Eviolite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Toxic
Vileplume @ Leftovers
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sleep Powder
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Moonlight
Swanna @ Life Orb
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Roost
- Scald
- Hurricane
Ability: Early Bird
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Frustration
- Quick Attack
- Pursuit
Mr. Mime @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Soundproof
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
- Trick
- Healing Wish
Combusken @ Eviolite
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 3 Atk / 30 SpA
- Protect
- Fire Blast
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Graveler @ Eviolite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Toxic
Vileplume @ Leftovers
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sleep Powder
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Moonlight
Swanna @ Life Orb
Ability: Keen Eye
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Roost
- Scald
- Hurricane
Since the Bo3 tournament is coming up and I don't want people to just give up on Gen5, here is a quick Gen 5 team I made during this interview. Dodrio is the main wallbreaker, with banded brave bird nuking just about everything. It really is mindless. Pursuit is thrown on there just in case. Mr Mime is then added as a Scarfer to give Dodrio a second chance through Healing Wish, while also supporting the team with Trick and the Soundproof ability padding against the inevitable Riolu team. (Specs also works on Mr Mime, try it in testing). Combusken is the sweeper, able to set up on a large amount of the tier and snowball into a win with speed boost (Life Orb works too, again try it out in testing) from there, we come to the defensive core of Graveler + Vileplume. Both of these are great as they cover each other's weaknesses while keeping support and offensive pressure up. The last mon is Swanna, to double pad defensive synergy and provide a non-choiced attacker that can still pack a punch...and beat other combusken.
Overall, this team just based in theory should beat any team that uses Bronzor as a major player in their teams but the fact that i made it during the interview should hopefully point out just how easy building for this tier is. Just make your own plan, and then ride it out. As for this team, overwhelm the opponent's defensive cores with wallbreakers, then sweep with Combusken.
Thanks for your time! As always, if you guys have any questions feel free to ask them below!
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