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Welcome to the SM version of OU Player of the Week! This project will feature interviews from some of the most accomplished and influential users in the tier so that we can learn more about them.
If there is a user that you would like to see interviewed be sure to let me know.
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Poek
Favourite pokemon: Flygon
Most used pokemon: Scizor
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself outside of Smogon?
I am a 19yo spanish weeb, my real name is Jesús and I'm currently getting an english grade to make sure I have more chances to get a job if I can't get one in Spain (rough times here ). I'm looking forward to start robotics in september as well. Outside of that on my free time I like to go out with friends or play PS4, watch anime and obviously play Pokemon.
Where did you get your name from?
It's a long story but I'll sum it up. Back in 2009 I was friends with someone in Super Smash Bros Brawl as it just got released. We decided to name ourselves Soek and Poek. The dude quit in 2010 but I kept this nickname since then. I have been using this nickname for so long that changing it doesn't make sense anymore so I'm still rocking with it.
How and when did you get into competitive Pokemon?
Before I got into competitive mons I was a Mario Kart Wii player and in late BW2 a friend of mine from that community showed me Smogon and we started playing BW2 occasionally but I didnt really get into Smogon until early XY, where I started playing Ubers since I thought XY OU wasn't really a good meta with Aegislash around and XY ubers was actually a fun tier where you could use shit like Weezing or Gastrodon viably. ORAS came out with Primal Groudon and I started disliking Ubers so I started playing OU consistently, won an individual spanish tournament that got me a WCoP spot that allowed me to stablish myself in the community and here I am n_n
What’s your favourite generation of OU and why?
RBY OU. Even though it's not a tier where I excel in, every time I play it nostalgia comes back to me when I used to play Pokemon Stadium 1 in my younger days and I love it. ORAS OU would be my second most favorite gen, everyone shits on it lately but I think its a pretty balanced tier rn outside of Mega Medicham and theres not as many matchup issues as people make it out to be.
What’s your favourite playstyle to use and why?
Balanced/Bulky Offense because I think slow win cons are much more consistent at winning if you know how to pull them off. I like using pretty much anything though.
What are your thoughts on the current metagame? How do you feel about SM in comparison to ORAS?
SM is definetely underdeveloped. There is a lot of shit to be done before it reaches a healthy state. I believe things like Zygarde, Greninja and Volcarona need to be looked at particularly. It is a fun metagame regardless but I personally like playing ORAS more as it's a more consistent tier, my opinion could change with time though.
What are your thoughts on the current Mega Metagross suspect test?
It's deserved and everyone knew it would happen sooner or later. Mega Metagross is bulky, fast and has all the tools it needs to be able to dispose of his counters. Suposed counters like Mega Scizor get nailed by Hidden Power Fire nowadays, not to mention that attack raises from Meteor Mash and flinches from Zen Headbutt are stupid to deal with and can fuck up your game plan at any given moment.
Do you believe anything else is suspect-worthy at the moment?
I think Zygarde, Volcarona and Greninja need to be looked at. Zygarde pretty much forces Tangrowth or defensive Landorus-T on every team and it can still win with Spikes support or toxic, it can run pretty much any move it wants because all it needs is Thousand Arrows to be a threat. Volcarona is a mon that you can't really be sure anymore if you can check it or not, due to the vast of viable sets there are. You might have a Toxapex and get OHKOed by Shattered Psyche. You might have a scarfer faster than it at +1 with a rock move, but then it's charti berry and you lose the game anyway. The fact that it forces you to run a scarfer faster than it at +1 is pretty ridiculous to begin with. Greninja is a given, it has coverage for every single one of his counters and they added a new viable ability in Battle Bond this gen for more mind games, so it's just a matter of time until they suspect it. I am kinda curious how are they going to deal with it, since I believe Battle Bond isn't as busted as Protean but yeah, we will see.
You had a great record in SPL and also a deep run in OST. Which tournament did you enjoy more and why?
Definetely SPL. The hype for SPL games is much more bigger than for OST until like, OST finals so it makes it much more exciting for me. The chat going wild whenever you play games even if its just regular season, the people you get to meet on your team, the memes... Even though my team wasnt able to reach playoffs and like half the team quitted even if we had a really big chance of making playoffs, I wouldn't change the experience for anything else.
How do you usually prepare for tournament matches?
I usually tend to use something I'm comfortable with and that works well generally against my opponent. I don't believe in counterteaming, as it can easily backfire and it only really works if your opponent uses only one team/playstyle and doesnt ever mix it up, which I dont expect in high level play.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone trying to break into the tournament setting?
Play tournaments and don't rush your plays, think long term. If you're good you'll eventually be noticed by your results. Don't expect to be picked in SPL or WCoP just by winning a tryout game. A tryout is a mere formality just so people shut up thinking "everyone has a chance". In reality you only get picked if you consistently do well in tournaments, that's just the truth. No one is going to pick you if you do well in one tryout game, Pokemon is a game of odds and you need to show your consistency throughout a period of time in order to be noticed, just work hard and you'll eventually get there as I previously said ^^
Who are some of your favourite people in the Smogon community?
There are a lot to mention them all, I'm pretty sure they all know who they are anyway and I love every single one of them >/////<
Finally, can you provide us a team that you think reflects your current playstyle, with a brief explanation of how it works?
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roost
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 240 HP / 56 Def / 8 SpA / 140 SpD / 64 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Will-O-Wisp
- Soft-Boiled
- Psychic
Scizor-Mega (M) @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 120 Def / 124 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog
Garchomp (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Dragon Claw
Toxapex (F) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 116 Def / 144 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Scald
- Recover
- Toxic Spikes
- Haze
Pheromosa @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 36 Def / 216 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Focus Blast
- Bug Buzz
- Ice Beam
- Double Kick
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roost
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 240 HP / 56 Def / 8 SpA / 140 SpD / 64 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Will-O-Wisp
- Soft-Boiled
- Psychic
Scizor-Mega (M) @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 120 Def / 124 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog
Garchomp (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Toxic
- Dragon Claw
Toxapex (F) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 116 Def / 144 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Scald
- Recover
- Toxic Spikes
- Haze
Pheromosa @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 36 Def / 216 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Focus Blast
- Bug Buzz
- Ice Beam
- Double Kick
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