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 tenth 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 monotype moderator and one of the leaders of Monotype OMs.
Tyke
Can you tell us a bit about your life outside of Smogon?
- I'm a Game Design and Computer Science student stumbling through my sophomore year at NYU. On my own time I play a lot of video games (as you'd guess) but I'm also a huge comic / cartoon / television geek. My favorite game is Bloodborne and my favorite show is Avatar the Last Airbender. I'm also a certified EMT.
Where did you get your username from?
- I used to make usernames based off avis I liked on showdown: such as "A Sage" for the old people sprites. My favorite was the kindergardener from gen 5, so I ended up with "A Tyke".
What are you most known for?
- I'm probably best known for being a Monotype Chatroom Mod and the two projects I manage on the forums: the Monotype Sample Teams and the Mono-OM Megathread (and Mono OMs in general). Both these projects get a fair bit of exposure, especially to new players.
What made you play Pokemon competitively? What got you into Monotype and made you want to stay?
- I started playing Pokemon competitively the moment I discovered Showdown in 2014; a means of building and battling with teams without dealing with in-game tedium. Perhaps "competitively" isn't the right word though, as it took a while (several years) after joining for me to actually start trying to improve and compete. As for why I started in Monotype, I earnestly can't remember, but I stayed because I enjoyed teambuilding under restrictions.
What is your favorite Pokemon in general and favorite one to use competitively?
- My favorite pokemon in general is Wooper. Something about its simple design and dopey smile are really endearing. In terms of competitive use, I really enjoy using Ditto. The pressure its mere presence places on opponents is really intuitive for me to play around and I appreciate its consistency. Plus if you ladder with it you can scout some really whack sets.
What is your favorite type?
- I don't really have a favorite type in standard Mono, usually just a handful of teams I enjoy using at any given time. But in general I guess I'd say Bug, which has remained a consistently fun and effective type to use since I started Monotype in XY. It's my go-to whenever I wanna do some brainless laddering.
How about your favorite playstyle?
- I typically gravitate towards Bulky Offense or Balance teams. I appreciate the agency offensive teams have but I am most comfortable having a defensive backbone to fall back on and pivot around with.
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?
- USUM introduced a handful of fun new tools to build, like Sticky Webs Fairy or Kommo-O Dragon. I particularly enjoy using Stakataka, just having it on a Steel team changes the way a lot of matchups play dramatically and I find that really interesting. I don't think the meta changes are as significant as those in ORAS, though. Not that I mind, since updating the samples already took over a month as is.
You are in charge of Monotype's Sample Teams thread, can you tell us a bit about that?
- Managing the samples is pretty simple. Working on the updates can be a bit exhausting, especially when the council decides to announce a suspect right after I've finished one and am about to post (which has happened twice now, I see you Eien), but at the end of the day, it's all worth the effort to create a resource new players will ignore because they want to use a Volbeat.
In all seriousness, while managing the Sample Teams has been the most time-consuming project I've taken on on Smogon, it's also been the most rewarding. I've watched it develop from an OP into a robust resource that can really help new players learn the metagame, and I'm constantly working to improve it further. If anyone has suggestions about existing samples or a team they think would be good for new players, don't hesitate to contribute!
As someone in charge of Monotype OMs, you must definitely be excited with the debut of the Monotype Winter Premier. What do you think about the season so far? Has it managed to be a truly competitive tournament despite the stigma around Monotype OMs?
- I think it's great that Mono OMs have been given an official platform to play at a competitive level, and I think the exposure will really boost their activity going forward. I can't really speak to how seriously people have been taking the formats, but we've seen a good bit of high level play between competent builders this tour and I've learned a lot from the teams players like Racool and Quantum Tesseract have brought to the table.
Other than the competitive nature of it all, how was the tournament in general for you personally? Did you enjoy it?
- I've really enjoyed participating in MWP, almost entirely because the social atmosphere here on the Lycanrocs. Everyone is friendly and I enjoy talking and teambuilding with them all a lot. At the end of the day we're here to have fun so I'm happy to have been on a team that hit that sweet spot of being competitive without being stressful.
Congratulations on a very solid performance during the tour! Can you walk those less experienced with Monotype OMs through how you plan out your building?
- It's hard to talk about the differences in teambuilding without getting into the metagames themselves, but in general the most important thing when building for any format is knowing the threatlist; what your team needs to be prepared for. It's easy to find the six strongest Pokemon a type has available in a given format and slap them together, but you also need to think about the strongest Pokemon every other type has available, and whether you're prepared for them. That sounds simple, but unfortunately right now the threatlist is something players largely have to figure out for themselves until we're able to develop more robust resources on the Mono OM Mega thread. That's one of my goals going forward.
What is your personal favorite Monotype OM when it comes to playing and building? Is there any you dislike? Are there any OMs that you would like to have a bigger presence in Monotype?
- Definitely Little Cup. It's offensive, has a wide range of viable types and is a whole lot cuter than Mono Ubers. It's also the best balanced, IMO. There aren't any mono OMs I actively dislike, but I haven't really approached Mono Doubles or Monothreat yet. As for underappreciated OMs, I have a weird soft spot for Mono CAP, despite it being by far the least popular Mono OM this gen. People complain that it's too similar to standard monotype, but that's kind of what I like about it. It's very easy to approach and teambuild for.
Who are some of your favorite people that you met on Pokemon Showdown?
- SirSkit and Moosical (Torkool). They're both good friends and are easy to bully into playing co-op games.
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 monotype moderator and one of the leaders of Monotype OMs.
Tyke
Can you tell us a bit about your life outside of Smogon?
- I'm a Game Design and Computer Science student stumbling through my sophomore year at NYU. On my own time I play a lot of video games (as you'd guess) but I'm also a huge comic / cartoon / television geek. My favorite game is Bloodborne and my favorite show is Avatar the Last Airbender. I'm also a certified EMT.
Where did you get your username from?
- I used to make usernames based off avis I liked on showdown: such as "A Sage" for the old people sprites. My favorite was the kindergardener from gen 5, so I ended up with "A Tyke".
What are you most known for?
- I'm probably best known for being a Monotype Chatroom Mod and the two projects I manage on the forums: the Monotype Sample Teams and the Mono-OM Megathread (and Mono OMs in general). Both these projects get a fair bit of exposure, especially to new players.
What made you play Pokemon competitively? What got you into Monotype and made you want to stay?
- I started playing Pokemon competitively the moment I discovered Showdown in 2014; a means of building and battling with teams without dealing with in-game tedium. Perhaps "competitively" isn't the right word though, as it took a while (several years) after joining for me to actually start trying to improve and compete. As for why I started in Monotype, I earnestly can't remember, but I stayed because I enjoyed teambuilding under restrictions.
What is your favorite Pokemon in general and favorite one to use competitively?
- My favorite pokemon in general is Wooper. Something about its simple design and dopey smile are really endearing. In terms of competitive use, I really enjoy using Ditto. The pressure its mere presence places on opponents is really intuitive for me to play around and I appreciate its consistency. Plus if you ladder with it you can scout some really whack sets.
What is your favorite type?
- I don't really have a favorite type in standard Mono, usually just a handful of teams I enjoy using at any given time. But in general I guess I'd say Bug, which has remained a consistently fun and effective type to use since I started Monotype in XY. It's my go-to whenever I wanna do some brainless laddering.
How about your favorite playstyle?
- I typically gravitate towards Bulky Offense or Balance teams. I appreciate the agency offensive teams have but I am most comfortable having a defensive backbone to fall back on and pivot around with.
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?
- USUM introduced a handful of fun new tools to build, like Sticky Webs Fairy or Kommo-O Dragon. I particularly enjoy using Stakataka, just having it on a Steel team changes the way a lot of matchups play dramatically and I find that really interesting. I don't think the meta changes are as significant as those in ORAS, though. Not that I mind, since updating the samples already took over a month as is.
You are in charge of Monotype's Sample Teams thread, can you tell us a bit about that?
- Managing the samples is pretty simple. Working on the updates can be a bit exhausting, especially when the council decides to announce a suspect right after I've finished one and am about to post (which has happened twice now, I see you Eien), but at the end of the day, it's all worth the effort to create a resource new players will ignore because they want to use a Volbeat.
In all seriousness, while managing the Sample Teams has been the most time-consuming project I've taken on on Smogon, it's also been the most rewarding. I've watched it develop from an OP into a robust resource that can really help new players learn the metagame, and I'm constantly working to improve it further. If anyone has suggestions about existing samples or a team they think would be good for new players, don't hesitate to contribute!
As someone in charge of Monotype OMs, you must definitely be excited with the debut of the Monotype Winter Premier. What do you think about the season so far? Has it managed to be a truly competitive tournament despite the stigma around Monotype OMs?
- I think it's great that Mono OMs have been given an official platform to play at a competitive level, and I think the exposure will really boost their activity going forward. I can't really speak to how seriously people have been taking the formats, but we've seen a good bit of high level play between competent builders this tour and I've learned a lot from the teams players like Racool and Quantum Tesseract have brought to the table.
Other than the competitive nature of it all, how was the tournament in general for you personally? Did you enjoy it?
- I've really enjoyed participating in MWP, almost entirely because the social atmosphere here on the Lycanrocs. Everyone is friendly and I enjoy talking and teambuilding with them all a lot. At the end of the day we're here to have fun so I'm happy to have been on a team that hit that sweet spot of being competitive without being stressful.
Congratulations on a very solid performance during the tour! Can you walk those less experienced with Monotype OMs through how you plan out your building?
- It's hard to talk about the differences in teambuilding without getting into the metagames themselves, but in general the most important thing when building for any format is knowing the threatlist; what your team needs to be prepared for. It's easy to find the six strongest Pokemon a type has available in a given format and slap them together, but you also need to think about the strongest Pokemon every other type has available, and whether you're prepared for them. That sounds simple, but unfortunately right now the threatlist is something players largely have to figure out for themselves until we're able to develop more robust resources on the Mono OM Mega thread. That's one of my goals going forward.
What is your personal favorite Monotype OM when it comes to playing and building? Is there any you dislike? Are there any OMs that you would like to have a bigger presence in Monotype?
- Definitely Little Cup. It's offensive, has a wide range of viable types and is a whole lot cuter than Mono Ubers. It's also the best balanced, IMO. There aren't any mono OMs I actively dislike, but I haven't really approached Mono Doubles or Monothreat yet. As for underappreciated OMs, I have a weird soft spot for Mono CAP, despite it being by far the least popular Mono OM this gen. People complain that it's too similar to standard monotype, but that's kind of what I like about it. It's very easy to approach and teambuild for.
Who are some of your favorite people that you met on Pokemon Showdown?
- SirSkit and Moosical (Torkool). They're both good friends and are easy to bully into playing co-op games.
Finally, can you showcase a team that you think represents your style as a player and provide an explanation on how to use it?
Bunnelby @ Focus Sash
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 5
EVs: 228 Atk / 52 Def / 220 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Quick Attack
- Return
- Earthquake
Munchlax @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 SpD
Impish Nature
- Return
- Pursuit
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
Rufflet @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Hustle
Level: 5
EVs: 252 Atk / 36 Def / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Aerial Ace
- Superpower
- Return
Helioptile @ Eviolite
Ability: Dry Skin
Level: 5
EVs: 4 HP / 12 Def / 188 SpA / 96 SpD / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Agility
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ground]
Stufful @ Eviolite
Ability: Fluffy
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 196 SpD / 36 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Return
- Hammer Arm
- Swords Dance
Doduo @ Life Orb
Ability: Early Bird
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Brave Bird
- Quick Attack
- Jump Kick
- Knock Off
Ability: Huge Power
Level: 5
EVs: 228 Atk / 52 Def / 220 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Quick Attack
- Return
- Earthquake
Munchlax @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 236 SpD
Impish Nature
- Return
- Pursuit
- Ice Punch
- Earthquake
Rufflet @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Hustle
Level: 5
EVs: 252 Atk / 36 Def / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Aerial Ace
- Superpower
- Return
Helioptile @ Eviolite
Ability: Dry Skin
Level: 5
EVs: 4 HP / 12 Def / 188 SpA / 96 SpD / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Agility
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ground]
Stufful @ Eviolite
Ability: Fluffy
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 36 Def / 196 SpD / 36 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Return
- Hammer Arm
- Swords Dance
Doduo @ Life Orb
Ability: Early Bird
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Brave Bird
- Quick Attack
- Jump Kick
- Knock Off
- This is the bulky offensive normal team I brought to my match against It's Hatch this week. It's not far off from basic offensive normal but I dropped Zigzagoon in favor of creating a strong bulky offensive core with Stufful and Munchlax that can collectively check the entire meta. I also tweaked several sets and spreads to dodge specific KOs and others to ease matchups, such as Agility Helio for Flying and Water and Scarf Rufflet for Fighting. Using it is pretty straightforward, just preserve your checks and abuse bird spam.
It has got everything I like in a team; strong wallbreakers, effective pivots, a good revenge killer, priority, and tanks that can throw a punch.
This concludes my interview with Tyke. 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.
It has got everything I like in a team; strong wallbreakers, effective pivots, a good revenge killer, priority, and tanks that can throw a punch.
This concludes my interview with Tyke. 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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