Approved by Sweep Fireburn
Banner by NicoReaper
Welcome everyone to the Ubers Player of The Week! For those who don't know what this is,it's a project where I interview top Ubers players who are well known and respected by the community, and have performed consistently well at a very high level. In addition to that you, will also have the chance to ask some questions to the interviewed person.
If you have a suggestion as to who I should interview, feel free to shoot me a PM. Anyways, lets get to it!
Gunner Rohan
Most Known For
Winner of UPL, SPL participant, Spring Seasonal 2016 finalist and Lolcopter Lunalas.
Favourite Pokemon
Aesthetically, I've always admired Magmortar's design. I love how its arm is designed to be a flamethrower, and I've especially enjoyed Pokemon cartoons with Magmortar in it. I've also wanted a custom avatar with Magmortar in it for the longest of time. Some other Pokemon designs I like are Rhyperior, Hydreigon and Metagross.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I'm a 19 year old studying Engineering in the United States, currently enjoying summer break. Originally, I'm based in Dubai, U.A.E., but I'm indigenous to India (Mr. Worldwide). Apart from Pokemon, I enjoy sports, specifically Cricket, Table Tennis and Soccer. Also, if everyone's not already aware, I follow MMA closely, and also enjoy watching WWE at times. Youtube is also a pastime of mine, since there's a lot to explore apart from just casual viewership. Personality wise I'm a pretty social guy, and I get lonely if I don't interact with one of my friends everyday. My interests are inclined towards learning new things as often as possible, being aware about trendy topics, and having fruitful conversation about worldly matters. I'm also consumed by wanderlust, and I look forward to travelling every vacation I get to perceive new cultures. Lastly, I'm an atheist.
How did you come up with your name?
I used to be a competitive Counter-Strike player, where my pseudonym used to be Gunner. When I moved to consoles, I played COD BO2, where my online gamertag changed to Gunner Rohan. I played these games for many years, and I joined Smogon only as a casual player. Since then, this name has stuck, and I don't see myself changing it any time soon. General information, I'm not an Arsenal fan.
How and when did you get into competitive Pokemon, and the Ubers tier?
Since almost 6 years of age, I used to play Pokemon games on my Gameboy Advance. From then, I discovered a Youtuber named Shofu in the summer of 2013, whose videos were really entertaining. Watching him and his Showdown lives, I was motivated to join the website as a beginner and ladder on random battles nonchalantly. I played quite sporadically, until the winter of 2014, where I met two users on the ladder: christcrusher and chinj12 (now known as GonxKillua), with whom I played every single day of winter on the OU ladder and thoroughly relished every moment. In my spare time, I played the Anything Goes tier as well - which was brand new at that time. My interest in Anything Goes expanded to a point where I laddered to top 10 on several alternate accounts. This infatuation for Anything Goes stayed for almost 6 months, until I encountered current Ubers Tier Leader Hack one day in the Ubers room. At that point of time, Anything Goes did not have a Tier Leader, room, active sub-forum discussion or anything major to contribute towards its relevance. It was basically a ladder plagued by memes and a few tryhards such as myself.
I was casually lurking with my good friend from AG at the time, HunterStorm, when we had a heated argument with Hack about how Anything Goes ladder players' skill matched that of Ubers players. Long story short, Hack's words motivated me to prove a point to the Ubers community, which was at that time supposed to be through the ladder. This was also when I met my good friend Pohjis - via endless ladder sessions. Never looked back since then.
What's your favourite generation of Ubers, and why?
Undoubtedly ORAS. It's where my roots belong, and it's also a very competitive generation to play. Indeed it's quite a one-dimensional generation with low room for creativity, yet it still ends up being super fun every time I play it. SM has too many teambuilding restrictions and match-up constraints, which I've never been fond of. BW, DPP, ADV are generations I'm not really adept at, but they're still amusing to play here and there.
What do you think of bans in Ubers? Recently Baton Pass got banned, and many players aren't happy with the current state of the metagame and think Geomancy is the culprit. What is your take on this?
Baton Pass
I'm quite indifferent about the Baton Pass ban. I didn't really face it too much, and the only time I did, I won. I can understand why people found it extremely difficult to face, especially since a lot of times it brings the game down to odds. Probably for the better that it got banned, especially since it generated a dismissive vibe from most players.
Geomancy
Personally, I feel Geomancy on Xerneas at this point in the SM tier has a severely negative influence on Ubers. I'd like to point out some reasons as to why I feel so:
Xerneas in SM, with the addition of Z-Geomancy, means it can run a couple of flexible sets across the tier. It's not restricted to a few sets, and is definitely not as linear as it was in ORAS (it was on the edge in ORAS anyway), where the primary set used to be Rest Geomancy. This versatility in usage means that it is extremely hard to prepare for. I can run a team with Ferrothorn / Celesteela and Primal-Groudon as my Xerneas checks, but I would lose to teams which run HP Fire + Thunder Xerneas. If I were to run an offensive team, it would almost always put me at a disadvantage versus Z-Geomancy Xerneas, purely because of it's sheer bulk and ability to sweep teams easily. Xerneas specifically punishes balance teams, which have to run more than two checks at least to comfortably handle it. The fact that one Pokemon can have such an overbearing impact on a tier definitely means it's not healthy for the metagame. Normal arguments to counter the competence of Xerneas are "why don't you just run Magearna or Blissey"? The fact that I have to run Magearna, an extremely passive Pokemon just to make sure I'm absolutely comfortable vs Xerneas seems ridiculous to me. Same goes for Blissey, which is only viable on stall teams. Also, another common argument might be that Primal-Groudon, Mega-Gengar, Mega-Lucario also create match-up issues and need checks to handle. However, it's important to understand that Xerneas is far harder to deal with than any of these Pokemon after a boost, has a greater access to viable move pools, and generates farther constrictions on teambuilding than any of its competitors. Furthermore, Xerneas in general has a move which you can press randomly without thought and on many occasions, and wreck havoc no matter what.
I'm not going to claim that Xerneas is overpowered or anything, because it's not. Yes, it has checks and counters available to be used, but it contributes to a massive teambuilding inhibition, which no other Pokemon comes close to creating. It's extremely hard to compose a team that's meant to beat all Xerneas sets, handle Mega-Lucario and stall at the same time. The restrictions this tier poses are far too acute to neglect, and I think Xerneas is the ringleader of these issues. In my eyes, removing Geomancy on Xerneas, but not banning Xerneas itself would clear some of the matchup problems, as it seems to be the root of most of these problems. Once again I'd like to reiterate that while these concerns may have existed in ORAS, the introduction of Z-Geomancy is what has pushed Xerneas over the edge. Finally, while the thought of a complex ban irks everyone outside of Ubers, I personally feel this is the best possible solution to make SM Ubers playable again.
TL;DR: Ban Geomancy on Xerneas
What is your favourite playstyle, and why?
During my ORAS days, I was infamous for continuously using hyper offensive teams in most of my games. While my affinity for hyper offensive teams still exists, I feel that I'm a far more versatile player at this point. I'm comfortable using any playstyle, and I don't restrict myself during building either. I don't have a particular "favorite playstyle" per se, but usually my team selection process involves me using a team I fancy using at that period of time. Sometimes, I prefer using teams which are pleasing to use over teams which are meant to win. As a player, I don't enjoy engaging in super long games, since those games remove all of the enjoyment factor involved. The whole purpose of Pokemon is to gratify your desire for playing, but the competitive edge of this game can eliminate that a lot of the times.
Do you have a favourite Ubers game from any tour(doesn't necessarily have to be yours)?
I've had a prolonged competitive career in the Ubers tier, and a bunch of cool games. If I were to select a few, I'd pick these two:
1) vs Snou, Spring Seasonal Loser's Finals
A little back story behind this replay: Spring Seasonal was a tournament I cared about since the beginning. I was extremely motivated to try every week and didn't want to lose no matter what. I was a little tilted before this game, since I was a bit unlucky the two games before, but somehow managed to tie the series 1-1.
Right off the bat, Snou's team completely threw me off because of the general ambiguity it exuded. My gameplan at the start was to attack with Ho-oh, since it seemed that he had no switch-ins to it. He revealed Stone Edge on Heatran, completely wrecking whatever hopes I had. Moreover, in the beginning of the game, he also made some fire plays which further confused me. It was at the end of Turn 27, when I revenged his Zekrom with Mega-Gengar, that I realized my odds of winning were slim. I stopped focussing on everything around me and fixed a gameplan, which was to weaken Heatran with hazards and get it into Brave Bird range. The lack of leftovers on Heatran made this possible, but very challenging. I was somehow able to achieve this and win this game - probably earning one of the proudest feelings on this site.
2) vs Gastrik, finals of UGTT
Back story once again: my team was in the finals and we were 0-1 down, meaning if I lost, we would've lost the tournament. Prior to this game, I had never won a tournament on Smogon, so I really wanted to achieve this feat. Match-up seemed neutral at commencement, and the game was evenly matched out until turn 19, when Arceus and Mega-Gengar traded. At this point, my Xerneas was the only Pokemon which could beat his Calm Mind Arceus-Dark, although it was at a low HP and had limited switch-ins due to Stealth Rock. Turn 20 onwards, I had to get every turn correct to have any scope of beating Arceus-Dark. I was able to pressure him and arguably secure the win at turn 24, when I was ready to Geomancy on his +1 Calm Mind Arceus-Dark, although I was unfortunately struck by a critical hit. At this point, the game was over beside the scope of misplaying, since I couldn't beat his Arceus-Dark and my Mega-Gengar had no Protect. However, I realized I could bring in the Mega-Gengar and bluff the Protect predicting his Recover, and hopefully proceed to secure a Destiny Bond trade. Somehow, I was able to do so, but I ended up missing Stone Edge on his Giratina-o the turn after, which once again meant that the game was over besides chokes. I feel I played that game almost perfectly but things didn't go my way, luckily he ended up misplaying the final turn, allowing me to win. zf ended up winning the final game and we won the tour, which was a content feeling. Shoutouts Yamma, had to acknowledge you somehow. xd
Some other games I've liked of my own but won't go in-depth are vs Pohjis g2 UGTT finals, vs Krauersaut g1 Winter Seasonal Round 8 and the entire series vs zf Spring Seasonal Round 14, which was my favorite BO3 till date.
Outside of my own games, the I've been privileged to witness these two games live:
1) Hack vs Level 56 Ubers Open V Finals
The clash of two supreme champions of the Ubers tier was an unbelievable watch. From the eyes of a spectator, it was a dream final, and more so, a dream game. An almost even match-up that came down to the wire, and concluded in a battle of nerves. I was absolutely reinvigorated after beholding this game.
2) Obii vs dontstealmypenguin Ubers Premier League V Finals
Obii needed to win this series in order for us to not lose finals, and he played immaculately considering all the circumstances involved. Only one move I would've changed in this game was go Rayquaza on Mega-Gengar after Primal-Groudon sack turn 40, proceed to DD and sweep. Apart from this, I think he played beautifully and brought the series home in a high pressure game.
You had the opportunity to play in SPL. Tell us about your experience, and how you prepared for your games every week.
SPL was divided into two aspects for me, both of them far different from each other. Overall, SPL was easily the best and worst experience I've had, but I learned a lot from it.
The good part of SPL was the Indie Scooters team. Our team had players who were seasoned veterans, and players who were fresh off the press, such as myself. This blend of personalities, at first, was quite difficult to adjust to. However, the general amicability of every player, and especially the managers, generated a hospitable environment to thrive in. Personally, I was flattered to be drafted by well known managers in bro fist and cbb, but I felt I would have no support whatsoever due to lack of Ubers players on the team. However, a few players on the team took active interest to help me out with my weekly proceedings, and provided valuable contributions every single week. Throughout the course of SPL, the occurrences of disputes were very minimal, and the team stayed extremely united even in the face of adversity. This was especially evident after my losses week in and week out, where my team's faith in me remained constant, even though my record was terrible. Right after league stages, I asked to be substituted out because of my poor performance, yet the team assured the confidence they possessed within me, which is a great feeling for any player. I will forever be filled with gratitude for the Indie Scooters, thanks once again for such an amazing season.
The bad part of SPL was obviously my SPL run itself. My poor record, backed up by losing the most important game in the entire tournament, the final tiebreaker game, produced a feeling of severe disappointment. More than myself, I was playing for my team, who were deserving winners of the SPL title. Unfortunately I failed them - which is not something easy to get over at any point of time.
Almost every game I played had a linear outcome: either I destroyed my opponent, or my opponent obliterated me. Apart from my games versus Astounded and Lord Outrage, all of my SPL games exuded this vibe. I'd like to believe my preparation in the initial weeks was solid, since I had prepared team ideas prior to the inception of the tournament. In the weeks prior to midseason, my teams were decided in advance, and all of the teams I used were of high quality.
After midseason, I decided to adopt a more bulky approach, since I was aware prior to the start of the tournament that stall teams tend to fare well in the SM tier. Unfortunately, I was heavily punished by my opponents in these endeavors, thus receiving a negative outcome in both the games I tried to stall. My preparation for week 9 was one that remains distinct; I decided to finally use webs since it seemed like a substantial playstyle. Also, I had given no indication prior to week 9 of using a team of that sort, especially since I barely used hyper offense in general before week 9. Somehow, I was on the receiving end of a bad beat, the reason for which will perpetually remain enigmatic to me. After my loss in week 9, I was tempted to quit my responsibilities towards the team, but carried on after a push from managers and had a memorable win in semi-finals, which was one of the only positive outtakes from the entire tournament. Losing to Mazar three times was quite painful as well, as in all of our encounters, I was on the receiving end of an ungodly poor match-up. Props to him on his preparation, I guess he was just capable of predicting exactly what I was going to bring.
One of the common strategies I refrained from adopting in SPL was using counter-teams versus my opponents, as I do not believe in the ideology of counter teaming. There are several sets that may show a consistent trend of faring well against your opponent, but blatantly counter teaming is never a wise call in any tournament game. I tried using teams which were solid and would do well overall, which is why most of my SPL teams are still being commonly used in the SM tier. Even though I tried to stay as fresh as possible with my teams, the general nature of the SM tier didn't make it pleasant for me to build teams every week. I made a plethora of teams which were unused in SPL because of the inherent teambuilding constraints in this tier, and minor flaws which would prevent the team from always excelling. Moreover, the combination of me not doing well, playing every single week non-stop and not enjoying the tier made it dreadful for me to continue the tournament every single week. Twelve weeks is enough for anyone, especially someone playing a major tournament for the first time.
In conclusion, even though SPL was a horrible tournament for me, I think I made a lot of viable teams and presented some cool ideas for the metagame. I'm grateful to have played for the Scooters and to have met so many nice people. It was an honor, and I'm sorry for letting you down when you needed me the most Scoots.
Congratulations on winning your first UPL! Did the auction go pretty much as per your draft plans, or did you have to make any last minute changes? Also tell us about your experience as the manager of the Defiant Durians.
Thank you! Pohjis and I made a draft plan prior to the auction, including some players whom we desperately needed. One of them happened to be zf, who we planned to make the backbone of our team. We didn't expect to spend as much as we did on him, but luckily Pohjis' last moment .29 secured us a solid buy, who would've otherwise had to have been replaced by me (I would've bought myself if we didn't get zf). Apart from zf, I had decided to get people I had tried out in advance for my SM and ORAS slots, and I got all of them easily. I didn't plan to buy M Dragon, but we got him for cheap, which was easily the steal of the tournament. Only players I regret not getting are Benbe and Shadowquinn, whom I promised I would get before the tournament, but couldn't because of "financial constraints". Luckily they were able to join my team's discord which was great!
Managing Defiant Durians was one of the finest experiences on Smogon. Even though the team's initial ambience was truculent, the unity and bond between players was able to pick up quite comfortably. Our team environment was fantastic; even though we had some inactive players through the tour, the main slots were motivated to play, and that they did. I'm glad that a lot of newer players, and some not as well known were able to create an impact in UPL. Week after week I urged my players not to become complacent, even though we were always on the top of the leaderboard. I think the mixture of personalities on our team, combined with the overall quality of players and support available made this victory possible. I owe it to my players for their constant dedication, thanks once again Durians.
What players in Ubers or any other metagame do you look up to?
There are only two players I would say I look up to, and they are Ojama and M Dragon. I've had the privilege of playing alongside both of them in separate tournaments, and both experiences have been extremely eye opening for me. Both of these players possess not only extraordinary confidence in their playing ability, but also a unique mental game, perturbed by none. If I were to play as long as they have, I can only hope to inherit any of their qualities.
Apart from Ubers, I'm a spectator of the OU tier, wherein I fancy games specifically played by bro fist, ABR, blunder, cosine180, reiku and everyone else from my SPL team.
In the Ubers tier, I don't quite look up to anyone, but Hack has definitely been my mentor for the longest of time. I started off watching his incredible Fall Seasonal (where I was also smacked) run; since then, he's been the go-to person for any of my Pokemon related curiosities. Thanks for everything dude. Spectating wise, I would say I enjoy watching Astounded a lot. Though we witness him on rare occasions, he's proven himself to be one of the most consistent players in the tier, and usually comes up on top of his opponents no matter what he uses. He's probably the most dominant force to reckon with, which is why his appearances are quite a treat to watch. Following him, it's also a pleasure viewing Level 56 and Hack, who along with Astounded will probably be the best players that Ubers will ever have. Both of their knowledge about the tier surpass that of others and are inherently solid in all domains of the game. Lastly, my favorite player to watch on this site will always be Pohjis. Playing with him for such a long time and him being my closest friend, there's no one else I cheer for more than him. His control over the game is fantastic, and it's only going to get stronger as time goes on. When he loses, I feel that I've lost as well, which is basically because of how close we are.
Any advice for new players getting into Ubers?
If you're looking to pick this tier up from scratch, I'd recommend starting off with picking a team from forums that you like and laddering with it. Though the quality of ladder has exacerbated over time, it's still the right platform to get a feel for the tier. Moving on from there, I'd also suggest playing room tournaments, which have a relative increase in opponent skill. Do not feel afraid to approach players and ask for advice, there are a number of congenial users who are willing to help. In case you aren't well received by someone, you can consider asking another user, or even applying for B101 tutoring. I am always willing to answer any genuine questions anyone may have, feel free to approach me respectfully. Make sure you hang around with the right people - being independent and on your own two feet is intrinsic for success in my eyes.
Finally, the easiest way of getting recognized is playing Ubers Seasonal tournaments, which basically popularize your status if you're able to reach late rounds. The mentality and preparation behind Seasonal is a lot different from other games. It is important to enter every game you play with a winning attitude - a defeatist mentality can never earn you a win. Even if you're matched against a top player in the tournament, you shouldn't be discouraged at all; on the contrary, you should give your best to create an impression, regardless of final result. It is possible that you may face failure early on, such as losing Seasonal early, or drop to loser's bracket early; however, if your goal is to attain any sort of triumph, you must strive to excel even after you lose. The drive to be the best should never decompose, which is relevant for all pillars of life, not just Pokemon.
Finally, could you provide us a team with a brief explanation of how it works?
SM
ORAS
------------
Thanks again to Gunner for taking out time to complete this interview, see you all next week!
Banner by NicoReaper
Welcome everyone to the Ubers Player of The Week! For those who don't know what this is,it's a project where I interview top Ubers players who are well known and respected by the community, and have performed consistently well at a very high level. In addition to that you, will also have the chance to ask some questions to the interviewed person.
If you have a suggestion as to who I should interview, feel free to shoot me a PM. Anyways, lets get to it!
Gunner Rohan
Most Known For
Winner of UPL, SPL participant, Spring Seasonal 2016 finalist and Lolcopter Lunalas.
Favourite Pokemon
Aesthetically, I've always admired Magmortar's design. I love how its arm is designed to be a flamethrower, and I've especially enjoyed Pokemon cartoons with Magmortar in it. I've also wanted a custom avatar with Magmortar in it for the longest of time. Some other Pokemon designs I like are Rhyperior, Hydreigon and Metagross.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I'm a 19 year old studying Engineering in the United States, currently enjoying summer break. Originally, I'm based in Dubai, U.A.E., but I'm indigenous to India (Mr. Worldwide). Apart from Pokemon, I enjoy sports, specifically Cricket, Table Tennis and Soccer. Also, if everyone's not already aware, I follow MMA closely, and also enjoy watching WWE at times. Youtube is also a pastime of mine, since there's a lot to explore apart from just casual viewership. Personality wise I'm a pretty social guy, and I get lonely if I don't interact with one of my friends everyday. My interests are inclined towards learning new things as often as possible, being aware about trendy topics, and having fruitful conversation about worldly matters. I'm also consumed by wanderlust, and I look forward to travelling every vacation I get to perceive new cultures. Lastly, I'm an atheist.
How did you come up with your name?
I used to be a competitive Counter-Strike player, where my pseudonym used to be Gunner. When I moved to consoles, I played COD BO2, where my online gamertag changed to Gunner Rohan. I played these games for many years, and I joined Smogon only as a casual player. Since then, this name has stuck, and I don't see myself changing it any time soon. General information, I'm not an Arsenal fan.
How and when did you get into competitive Pokemon, and the Ubers tier?
Since almost 6 years of age, I used to play Pokemon games on my Gameboy Advance. From then, I discovered a Youtuber named Shofu in the summer of 2013, whose videos were really entertaining. Watching him and his Showdown lives, I was motivated to join the website as a beginner and ladder on random battles nonchalantly. I played quite sporadically, until the winter of 2014, where I met two users on the ladder: christcrusher and chinj12 (now known as GonxKillua), with whom I played every single day of winter on the OU ladder and thoroughly relished every moment. In my spare time, I played the Anything Goes tier as well - which was brand new at that time. My interest in Anything Goes expanded to a point where I laddered to top 10 on several alternate accounts. This infatuation for Anything Goes stayed for almost 6 months, until I encountered current Ubers Tier Leader Hack one day in the Ubers room. At that point of time, Anything Goes did not have a Tier Leader, room, active sub-forum discussion or anything major to contribute towards its relevance. It was basically a ladder plagued by memes and a few tryhards such as myself.
I was casually lurking with my good friend from AG at the time, HunterStorm, when we had a heated argument with Hack about how Anything Goes ladder players' skill matched that of Ubers players. Long story short, Hack's words motivated me to prove a point to the Ubers community, which was at that time supposed to be through the ladder. This was also when I met my good friend Pohjis - via endless ladder sessions. Never looked back since then.
What's your favourite generation of Ubers, and why?
Undoubtedly ORAS. It's where my roots belong, and it's also a very competitive generation to play. Indeed it's quite a one-dimensional generation with low room for creativity, yet it still ends up being super fun every time I play it. SM has too many teambuilding restrictions and match-up constraints, which I've never been fond of. BW, DPP, ADV are generations I'm not really adept at, but they're still amusing to play here and there.
What do you think of bans in Ubers? Recently Baton Pass got banned, and many players aren't happy with the current state of the metagame and think Geomancy is the culprit. What is your take on this?
Baton Pass
I'm quite indifferent about the Baton Pass ban. I didn't really face it too much, and the only time I did, I won. I can understand why people found it extremely difficult to face, especially since a lot of times it brings the game down to odds. Probably for the better that it got banned, especially since it generated a dismissive vibe from most players.
Geomancy
Personally, I feel Geomancy on Xerneas at this point in the SM tier has a severely negative influence on Ubers. I'd like to point out some reasons as to why I feel so:
Xerneas in SM, with the addition of Z-Geomancy, means it can run a couple of flexible sets across the tier. It's not restricted to a few sets, and is definitely not as linear as it was in ORAS (it was on the edge in ORAS anyway), where the primary set used to be Rest Geomancy. This versatility in usage means that it is extremely hard to prepare for. I can run a team with Ferrothorn / Celesteela and Primal-Groudon as my Xerneas checks, but I would lose to teams which run HP Fire + Thunder Xerneas. If I were to run an offensive team, it would almost always put me at a disadvantage versus Z-Geomancy Xerneas, purely because of it's sheer bulk and ability to sweep teams easily. Xerneas specifically punishes balance teams, which have to run more than two checks at least to comfortably handle it. The fact that one Pokemon can have such an overbearing impact on a tier definitely means it's not healthy for the metagame. Normal arguments to counter the competence of Xerneas are "why don't you just run Magearna or Blissey"? The fact that I have to run Magearna, an extremely passive Pokemon just to make sure I'm absolutely comfortable vs Xerneas seems ridiculous to me. Same goes for Blissey, which is only viable on stall teams. Also, another common argument might be that Primal-Groudon, Mega-Gengar, Mega-Lucario also create match-up issues and need checks to handle. However, it's important to understand that Xerneas is far harder to deal with than any of these Pokemon after a boost, has a greater access to viable move pools, and generates farther constrictions on teambuilding than any of its competitors. Furthermore, Xerneas in general has a move which you can press randomly without thought and on many occasions, and wreck havoc no matter what.
I'm not going to claim that Xerneas is overpowered or anything, because it's not. Yes, it has checks and counters available to be used, but it contributes to a massive teambuilding inhibition, which no other Pokemon comes close to creating. It's extremely hard to compose a team that's meant to beat all Xerneas sets, handle Mega-Lucario and stall at the same time. The restrictions this tier poses are far too acute to neglect, and I think Xerneas is the ringleader of these issues. In my eyes, removing Geomancy on Xerneas, but not banning Xerneas itself would clear some of the matchup problems, as it seems to be the root of most of these problems. Once again I'd like to reiterate that while these concerns may have existed in ORAS, the introduction of Z-Geomancy is what has pushed Xerneas over the edge. Finally, while the thought of a complex ban irks everyone outside of Ubers, I personally feel this is the best possible solution to make SM Ubers playable again.
TL;DR: Ban Geomancy on Xerneas
What is your favourite playstyle, and why?
During my ORAS days, I was infamous for continuously using hyper offensive teams in most of my games. While my affinity for hyper offensive teams still exists, I feel that I'm a far more versatile player at this point. I'm comfortable using any playstyle, and I don't restrict myself during building either. I don't have a particular "favorite playstyle" per se, but usually my team selection process involves me using a team I fancy using at that period of time. Sometimes, I prefer using teams which are pleasing to use over teams which are meant to win. As a player, I don't enjoy engaging in super long games, since those games remove all of the enjoyment factor involved. The whole purpose of Pokemon is to gratify your desire for playing, but the competitive edge of this game can eliminate that a lot of the times.
Do you have a favourite Ubers game from any tour(doesn't necessarily have to be yours)?
I've had a prolonged competitive career in the Ubers tier, and a bunch of cool games. If I were to select a few, I'd pick these two:
1) vs Snou, Spring Seasonal Loser's Finals
A little back story behind this replay: Spring Seasonal was a tournament I cared about since the beginning. I was extremely motivated to try every week and didn't want to lose no matter what. I was a little tilted before this game, since I was a bit unlucky the two games before, but somehow managed to tie the series 1-1.
Right off the bat, Snou's team completely threw me off because of the general ambiguity it exuded. My gameplan at the start was to attack with Ho-oh, since it seemed that he had no switch-ins to it. He revealed Stone Edge on Heatran, completely wrecking whatever hopes I had. Moreover, in the beginning of the game, he also made some fire plays which further confused me. It was at the end of Turn 27, when I revenged his Zekrom with Mega-Gengar, that I realized my odds of winning were slim. I stopped focussing on everything around me and fixed a gameplan, which was to weaken Heatran with hazards and get it into Brave Bird range. The lack of leftovers on Heatran made this possible, but very challenging. I was somehow able to achieve this and win this game - probably earning one of the proudest feelings on this site.
2) vs Gastrik, finals of UGTT
Back story once again: my team was in the finals and we were 0-1 down, meaning if I lost, we would've lost the tournament. Prior to this game, I had never won a tournament on Smogon, so I really wanted to achieve this feat. Match-up seemed neutral at commencement, and the game was evenly matched out until turn 19, when Arceus and Mega-Gengar traded. At this point, my Xerneas was the only Pokemon which could beat his Calm Mind Arceus-Dark, although it was at a low HP and had limited switch-ins due to Stealth Rock. Turn 20 onwards, I had to get every turn correct to have any scope of beating Arceus-Dark. I was able to pressure him and arguably secure the win at turn 24, when I was ready to Geomancy on his +1 Calm Mind Arceus-Dark, although I was unfortunately struck by a critical hit. At this point, the game was over beside the scope of misplaying, since I couldn't beat his Arceus-Dark and my Mega-Gengar had no Protect. However, I realized I could bring in the Mega-Gengar and bluff the Protect predicting his Recover, and hopefully proceed to secure a Destiny Bond trade. Somehow, I was able to do so, but I ended up missing Stone Edge on his Giratina-o the turn after, which once again meant that the game was over besides chokes. I feel I played that game almost perfectly but things didn't go my way, luckily he ended up misplaying the final turn, allowing me to win. zf ended up winning the final game and we won the tour, which was a content feeling. Shoutouts Yamma, had to acknowledge you somehow. xd
Some other games I've liked of my own but won't go in-depth are vs Pohjis g2 UGTT finals, vs Krauersaut g1 Winter Seasonal Round 8 and the entire series vs zf Spring Seasonal Round 14, which was my favorite BO3 till date.
Outside of my own games, the I've been privileged to witness these two games live:
1) Hack vs Level 56 Ubers Open V Finals
The clash of two supreme champions of the Ubers tier was an unbelievable watch. From the eyes of a spectator, it was a dream final, and more so, a dream game. An almost even match-up that came down to the wire, and concluded in a battle of nerves. I was absolutely reinvigorated after beholding this game.
2) Obii vs dontstealmypenguin Ubers Premier League V Finals
Obii needed to win this series in order for us to not lose finals, and he played immaculately considering all the circumstances involved. Only one move I would've changed in this game was go Rayquaza on Mega-Gengar after Primal-Groudon sack turn 40, proceed to DD and sweep. Apart from this, I think he played beautifully and brought the series home in a high pressure game.
You had the opportunity to play in SPL. Tell us about your experience, and how you prepared for your games every week.
SPL was divided into two aspects for me, both of them far different from each other. Overall, SPL was easily the best and worst experience I've had, but I learned a lot from it.
The good part of SPL was the Indie Scooters team. Our team had players who were seasoned veterans, and players who were fresh off the press, such as myself. This blend of personalities, at first, was quite difficult to adjust to. However, the general amicability of every player, and especially the managers, generated a hospitable environment to thrive in. Personally, I was flattered to be drafted by well known managers in bro fist and cbb, but I felt I would have no support whatsoever due to lack of Ubers players on the team. However, a few players on the team took active interest to help me out with my weekly proceedings, and provided valuable contributions every single week. Throughout the course of SPL, the occurrences of disputes were very minimal, and the team stayed extremely united even in the face of adversity. This was especially evident after my losses week in and week out, where my team's faith in me remained constant, even though my record was terrible. Right after league stages, I asked to be substituted out because of my poor performance, yet the team assured the confidence they possessed within me, which is a great feeling for any player. I will forever be filled with gratitude for the Indie Scooters, thanks once again for such an amazing season.
The bad part of SPL was obviously my SPL run itself. My poor record, backed up by losing the most important game in the entire tournament, the final tiebreaker game, produced a feeling of severe disappointment. More than myself, I was playing for my team, who were deserving winners of the SPL title. Unfortunately I failed them - which is not something easy to get over at any point of time.
Almost every game I played had a linear outcome: either I destroyed my opponent, or my opponent obliterated me. Apart from my games versus Astounded and Lord Outrage, all of my SPL games exuded this vibe. I'd like to believe my preparation in the initial weeks was solid, since I had prepared team ideas prior to the inception of the tournament. In the weeks prior to midseason, my teams were decided in advance, and all of the teams I used were of high quality.
After midseason, I decided to adopt a more bulky approach, since I was aware prior to the start of the tournament that stall teams tend to fare well in the SM tier. Unfortunately, I was heavily punished by my opponents in these endeavors, thus receiving a negative outcome in both the games I tried to stall. My preparation for week 9 was one that remains distinct; I decided to finally use webs since it seemed like a substantial playstyle. Also, I had given no indication prior to week 9 of using a team of that sort, especially since I barely used hyper offense in general before week 9. Somehow, I was on the receiving end of a bad beat, the reason for which will perpetually remain enigmatic to me. After my loss in week 9, I was tempted to quit my responsibilities towards the team, but carried on after a push from managers and had a memorable win in semi-finals, which was one of the only positive outtakes from the entire tournament. Losing to Mazar three times was quite painful as well, as in all of our encounters, I was on the receiving end of an ungodly poor match-up. Props to him on his preparation, I guess he was just capable of predicting exactly what I was going to bring.
One of the common strategies I refrained from adopting in SPL was using counter-teams versus my opponents, as I do not believe in the ideology of counter teaming. There are several sets that may show a consistent trend of faring well against your opponent, but blatantly counter teaming is never a wise call in any tournament game. I tried using teams which were solid and would do well overall, which is why most of my SPL teams are still being commonly used in the SM tier. Even though I tried to stay as fresh as possible with my teams, the general nature of the SM tier didn't make it pleasant for me to build teams every week. I made a plethora of teams which were unused in SPL because of the inherent teambuilding constraints in this tier, and minor flaws which would prevent the team from always excelling. Moreover, the combination of me not doing well, playing every single week non-stop and not enjoying the tier made it dreadful for me to continue the tournament every single week. Twelve weeks is enough for anyone, especially someone playing a major tournament for the first time.
In conclusion, even though SPL was a horrible tournament for me, I think I made a lot of viable teams and presented some cool ideas for the metagame. I'm grateful to have played for the Scooters and to have met so many nice people. It was an honor, and I'm sorry for letting you down when you needed me the most Scoots.
Congratulations on winning your first UPL! Did the auction go pretty much as per your draft plans, or did you have to make any last minute changes? Also tell us about your experience as the manager of the Defiant Durians.
Thank you! Pohjis and I made a draft plan prior to the auction, including some players whom we desperately needed. One of them happened to be zf, who we planned to make the backbone of our team. We didn't expect to spend as much as we did on him, but luckily Pohjis' last moment .29 secured us a solid buy, who would've otherwise had to have been replaced by me (I would've bought myself if we didn't get zf). Apart from zf, I had decided to get people I had tried out in advance for my SM and ORAS slots, and I got all of them easily. I didn't plan to buy M Dragon, but we got him for cheap, which was easily the steal of the tournament. Only players I regret not getting are Benbe and Shadowquinn, whom I promised I would get before the tournament, but couldn't because of "financial constraints". Luckily they were able to join my team's discord which was great!
Managing Defiant Durians was one of the finest experiences on Smogon. Even though the team's initial ambience was truculent, the unity and bond between players was able to pick up quite comfortably. Our team environment was fantastic; even though we had some inactive players through the tour, the main slots were motivated to play, and that they did. I'm glad that a lot of newer players, and some not as well known were able to create an impact in UPL. Week after week I urged my players not to become complacent, even though we were always on the top of the leaderboard. I think the mixture of personalities on our team, combined with the overall quality of players and support available made this victory possible. I owe it to my players for their constant dedication, thanks once again Durians.
What players in Ubers or any other metagame do you look up to?
There are only two players I would say I look up to, and they are Ojama and M Dragon. I've had the privilege of playing alongside both of them in separate tournaments, and both experiences have been extremely eye opening for me. Both of these players possess not only extraordinary confidence in their playing ability, but also a unique mental game, perturbed by none. If I were to play as long as they have, I can only hope to inherit any of their qualities.
Apart from Ubers, I'm a spectator of the OU tier, wherein I fancy games specifically played by bro fist, ABR, blunder, cosine180, reiku and everyone else from my SPL team.
In the Ubers tier, I don't quite look up to anyone, but Hack has definitely been my mentor for the longest of time. I started off watching his incredible Fall Seasonal (where I was also smacked) run; since then, he's been the go-to person for any of my Pokemon related curiosities. Thanks for everything dude. Spectating wise, I would say I enjoy watching Astounded a lot. Though we witness him on rare occasions, he's proven himself to be one of the most consistent players in the tier, and usually comes up on top of his opponents no matter what he uses. He's probably the most dominant force to reckon with, which is why his appearances are quite a treat to watch. Following him, it's also a pleasure viewing Level 56 and Hack, who along with Astounded will probably be the best players that Ubers will ever have. Both of their knowledge about the tier surpass that of others and are inherently solid in all domains of the game. Lastly, my favorite player to watch on this site will always be Pohjis. Playing with him for such a long time and him being my closest friend, there's no one else I cheer for more than him. His control over the game is fantastic, and it's only going to get stronger as time goes on. When he loses, I feel that I've lost as well, which is basically because of how close we are.
Any advice for new players getting into Ubers?
If you're looking to pick this tier up from scratch, I'd recommend starting off with picking a team from forums that you like and laddering with it. Though the quality of ladder has exacerbated over time, it's still the right platform to get a feel for the tier. Moving on from there, I'd also suggest playing room tournaments, which have a relative increase in opponent skill. Do not feel afraid to approach players and ask for advice, there are a number of congenial users who are willing to help. In case you aren't well received by someone, you can consider asking another user, or even applying for B101 tutoring. I am always willing to answer any genuine questions anyone may have, feel free to approach me respectfully. Make sure you hang around with the right people - being independent and on your own two feet is intrinsic for success in my eyes.
Finally, the easiest way of getting recognized is playing Ubers Seasonal tournaments, which basically popularize your status if you're able to reach late rounds. The mentality and preparation behind Seasonal is a lot different from other games. It is important to enter every game you play with a winning attitude - a defeatist mentality can never earn you a win. Even if you're matched against a top player in the tournament, you shouldn't be discouraged at all; on the contrary, you should give your best to create an impression, regardless of final result. It is possible that you may face failure early on, such as losing Seasonal early, or drop to loser's bracket early; however, if your goal is to attain any sort of triumph, you must strive to excel even after you lose. The drive to be the best should never decompose, which is relevant for all pillars of life, not just Pokemon.
Finally, could you provide us a team with a brief explanation of how it works?
SM
I don't really have a lot of builds in SM which aren't public already, so I thought I'd share this. I used this team vs The Trap God in quarter-finals of Clean Sweep and won. It's got some cool sets and Mega-Scizor, being an overall fun team to use. It doesn't really fare super well vs stall, but the team has breakers which can be used. Primal-Kyogre can act as a win condition, and SD Mega Scizor can trap Mega-Gengar and the occasional Lunala. Rest Primal-Groudon adds longevity, but honestly an alternate set can be opted for depending on personal preference. Mono Arceus-Fairy can get trapped by Mega-Gengar though, so that needs to be kept in mind.
ORAS
This is my favorite balance team to use in ORAS. It's got a really solid defensive backbone, and the combination of Lugia / Latias / Arceus-Ghost is fundamentally potent. Moreover, Mega-Diancie acts as a Yveltal, Mega Salamence and soft Ho-oh check as well. However it's important to note that mega evolving it can be difficult at times, so it's key not to rush the process, and bring it in safely on one of its checks. Latias is also arguably one of the better defoggers in the tier, and it can make it impossible for Primal-Groudon to lay rocks up. I enjoy Arceus-Ghost as a win condition on the team, which can be a huge menace with the presence of spikes. though the presence of it does create somewhat of a Ho-oh weakness. An alternate Arceus forme to fix this can be Arceus-Rock, with Psychic on Lugia to deal with Mega-Gengar and Mega-Lucario.
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------------Gunner Rohan said:Besides the interview, I want to get something off my chest which I've had recently, and this is probably the best platform to express myself. I feel that a lot of times I may have come off as rude and egotistical to a lot of people. This is largely due to the fact that I've imagined this site to be almost fictional, meaning it doesn't really matter what I say behind a computer screen, as long as I'm not hurting anyone on a personal level. Also, I've always believed in my abilities, because I target to be the best, which rubs people off the wrong way sometimes. Although most of these incidents have occurred due to some or the other petty beef, or a mutual difference of opinion, I would like to believe I've genuinely never taken steps from my own end to spout up salt. Even if I may have, I would like to apologize for these events, as I'm sincerely trying to erase this perception I've constructed of myself of a hostile person. I'm not going to preach that I like every single person on this website, because that's blatantly false, but I will make an honest attempt to eschew more "Gunner beefs" in the future, or squash any existing ones.
Because of some real life reasons and even some Smogon related, I've had a change of view regarding this website, and specifically, the Ubers community. After playing NU for a few weeks now, I've observed how differently people treat each other in NU as opposed to Ubers. There is a reason that the Ubers community has a negative stereotype attached to it: which is that we're insolent to each other in general on a consistent basis. Aside from my own behavior, this tag of impudence extends to the entirety of the Ubers community as well. For some reason, many people here have a sarcastic undertone in their comments; even when someone ignorant asks for advice on the Showdown room / forums, he's lampooned because of the ridiculousness of his question. I think this mentality towards newer players should be eradicated, and we as a people should work on accepting the general lack of knowledge "noobs" may possess. Moreover, even when a tournament player intends to pick this tier up, especially for SPL, I don't think we should display the usual bitterness we do. Yes, it's unfair to the Ubers mains a lot of times, but just like bad luck in this game, it's not the person's fault for his/her fate being sealed into this tier. There are a lot of other things which I'd like to amend if I could, but I think those are far too ambitious for now. For now, if all of us can simply be amiable to each other, a lot can change..
I would like to clarify that I'm not generalizing, but rather pointing towards majority of people in Ubers. The Ubers community is basically my home, which is why I'm passionate about making it more welcoming. I'm going to aim to ameliorate my overall mannerism for the betterment of the community, will you?
Thanks again to Gunner for taking out time to complete this interview, see you all next week!