Doubles OU Player of the Week #41 - Stax

ryo yamada2001

ryo yamada2001
is a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
I present to you a long overdue interview; one with Yoda2798. One of my greatest friends on Pokemon Showdown. It started with him liking literally all of posts a few months ago. Since then he has climbed to become a mod in doubles, and perform strongly in Seasonals and DPL. I hope you enjoy this interview ^_^

[16:37] Yoda2798:(Private to Elise♡) did you like my punus
[16:37] Yoda2798:(Private to Elise♡) puns



Interview #35 - Yoda2798
1. Hi there! Could you tell us who you are by giving a small introduction about yourself?
Hi! I’m Yoda2798, a 17 year old Pokemon player from Scotland. I just recently finished high school and am going to do Maths and Physics at university starting in September.

2. Where does your username come from, and why did you stick with it?
Yoda2798 is basically the only username I’ve ever used on anything, I first came up with it when I was like 7 years old for the LEGO website. I know I chose Yoda because I’m big Star Wars fan, but I can’t remember why I chose Yoda in particular as a character, maybe because he is wise, or maybe just because it’s a short name. The 2798 has absolutely no meaning, I just chose random numbers, but 2/7/98 would be a plausible birthday (but not mine) so I can see why people would think otherwise. I’m not a big fan of having numbers in my name, but I’m terrible at coming up with names otherwise I would change mine.

3. When did you start playing competitive Pokémon, when did you start playing competitive Doubles, and why did you stick around?
I’ve played Pokemon since FireRed after a friend introduced it to me, but after DPPt I took a break since a lot of other people were moving on from it. When one of my friends in high school spoke about Pokemon X + Y I got interested and looked it up. I started watching some wifi battles on Youtube from BW (mainly Mulvone19) and got a bit more interested in competitive. I started playing Showdown after XY came out and mainly played singles OU, to a pretty poor level. Late 2014 I started looking into VGC, but came across @KyleCole’s channel (which I watched basically everyday for a while haha) and was introduced to Doubles OU and I’ve never looked back.

4. What is your favourite Pokémon to use competitively and why? What is your favourite Pokémon overall and why?
There are quite a few Pokemon that I like, but my favourite is probably Volcarona. Quiver Dance makes it such a threat, and I do like the fact it can act as a win condition. I really like the design of it as well, but picking a favourite for design is difficult. Other Pokemon that I really like the design of are Scizor, Tyranitar, and Ferrothorn.

5. Do you think there's a Pokemon or set that is currently underrated in the meta?
I’ve been really liking Sub Volcanion lately but idk if it’s that underrated at this point. Mega Aero is definitely a mon that I love and really want to see used more often (come on guys it has a SUPER FAST ROCK SLIDE, must be good). Mega Luke is underused as well and something that I really like. Rain is something that I’d like to see utilised more as well I guess, but I do realise that it hasn’t had that much success in tours so I can see why it isn’t.

6. Do you believe there is anything broken or suspect worthy in the current metagame?
I definitely believe Jirachi is worth suspecting but I’m not totally sure on my opinion on a ban just yet. I’m a pretty strong advocate of banning Swagger, especially as I’ve been using it a bit lately to have a more informed opinion on it.

7. Could you give us a team that resembles your playing and building style and give a little explanation about it?
http://pastebin.com/jdYtmZAa

I generally try to use Pokemon or combinations that are a little less standard, probably influenced by sharing teams with Nido-Rus a lot. Also some people would say I have a Mega Aero fetish since I’m a Laga tutee (tagging Paraplegic). This team is one of my most recent and fun teams, even if it does have some weaknesses. DOUBLE ROCK SLIDE FTW.

Mega Aero checks sun and talon for rain, rain destroys Aegis and Lando-T in return. Bulky Politoed so it can stay around longer although I’m thinking of swapping out Icy Wind since I’ve never used it. King is godly if you don’t miss, HP so you can take hits, especially prioirity, better. Raichu for Thundurus check, but also nice for support and positional play. Bulky Scarf Lando-T for Talon, sun and Mega Kangaskhan. LO Kyube to destroy Water- and Grass-types.

8. If you could change anything about Doubles, what would it be and why?
I think the classic of more forum activity would be good for the tier. In particular I think having experienced players post more often in the meta discussion thread. Meta discussion is important but I definitely feel the quality of discussion in the thread is a bit lacking a lot of the time which can be annoying when trying to form a proper opinion. Hearing the thoughts of top players is useful for new and older players alike.

9. What do you think of Doubles UU at the moment?
Volcarona really needs banned but other than that it’s a really good tier. It’s good to see that DPL and the upcoming DUU tour are being people to the tier since it is fun to play. There are a lot of stuff still to be used and innovated and the room for innovation is really pleasant.

10. What do you play outside of Doubles, what are your favourite metas and why?
I play a little bit of singles OU from time to time but outside of that I don’t really follow any other tier. I’ve thought about maybe trying to get into another tier but Doubles will always be where my heart lies.

11. Who do you think is going to do well this Seasonals, and why?
Well there are obvious ones likes Stratos, checkmater, Stax, etc. who have done well in past Seasonals, as well as the VGC players in Dawg, SamVGC and MajorBowman who have done fantastic in DPL. Kamikaze could definitely do well as I’m sure many also believe. However, my two personal picks are probably MiltankMilk and talkingtree. MM has shown to be a competent player lately and I think he has the potential to go far. Despite branching out to DUU, I’m hoping my bud talkingtree can go back to his roots and affirm his playing ability once again, especially with a high seeding which is nuts (bad puns galore).

12. How was playing the Doubles Premier League on the Hungry Hungry Hippowdons?
At first I was a bit worried because, well, it was n1n1. Going in I realised I was meant to be one of the bigger players of the team, and that I was an overpay, but I made sure neither of those facts put too much pressure on me. I think our team was decent and did pretty well, although I could tell from the start our chances of winning the DPL were extremely slim. Idk what it was like in other teams but we didn’t have any calls or fun stuff like that which I would have quite liked.

13. What are your hobbies outside of playing Pokemon? What are you interested in?
lol hobbies. I mainly play computer games really (lately Metal Gear Solid V a lot). I used to play sports when I was younger, mainly football, but only occasionally nowadays. I like watching movies, especially Marvel movies, and TV as well. Game of Thrones is great obviously, but Sherlock is really good, if you’ve never seen it. I also like Doctor Who (classic Briton) even if it isn’t quite as super-duper good as those previous two. I like making terrible jokes/puns as well but that isn’t really a hobby it’s a lifestyle.

14. Is there anything else you would like to say or speak about?
Play DUU or I’ll get the Doubles illuminati on you.

15. Is thetalkingtree a literal eggnog?
talkingtree -> tree -> Christmas tree -> Christmas -> eggnog
talkingtree is an eggnog confirmed
 
Last edited:
MFK: Arcticblast, Stratos, KyleCole
Yoda best star wars character y/n?
Thoughts on BW Doubles?
Favorite pokemon to use in duu?
Do you think Elise is a cutie y/n?
 
What's your favorite animal? (hint: there is a correct answer)
What's your favorite breed of dog?
Know any cute dog gifs?
Do you believe that luck or skill more heavily defines competitive pokemon?
Do you have a dog? Talk about him please
Favorite dog mon?
 

Yoda2798

Not the user you are looking for
is a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributor
Doubles Leader
Yoda best star wars character y/n?
Jar Jar is the best. My favourite is Obi-Wan Kenobi, who coincidentally is played by a Scottish actor.
Thoughts on BW Doubles?
It seems good but I can't build it. I should probably try and get into it using other people's teams though I guess.
Favorite pokemon to use in duu?
Volcarona is the easy answer but other than that probably Crawdaunt since it hits so hard and destroys TR (which I always end up weak to).
Do you think Elise is a cutie y/n?
y


last season of doctor who was amazing tho
Last season was quite good but David Tennant's days were still the best.


What's your favorite animal? (hint: there is a correct answer)
Triceratops
What's your favorite breed of dog?
I'm not a dog person so I'm no expert but from the few I know probably a labrador.
Know any cute dog gifs?
I'm not really a person to go to for cute animal gifs, ask 13ulbasaur or BlueSkiddoWeCanToo.
Do you believe that luck or skill more heavily defines competitive pokemon?
Definitely skill but luck is a factor, as is matchup.
Do you have a dog? Talk about him please
I don't have a dog, I only have a cat :/ My parents used to have dogs before I was born but then got rid of them since dogs + babies = you're gonna have a bad time.
Favorite dog mon?
They aren't that good but at a push Poochyena.


What are your squad goals?
/ban Matame
 
1. If jirachi were to be suspected and banned, would you be up for a mega-mence retest?
2. When are you getting that name change fam?
3.
How was your day?

 

Yoda2798

Not the user you are looking for
is a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributor
Doubles Leader
1. If jirachi were to be suspected and banned, would you be up for a mega-mence retest?
An interesting question. My inclination would be no, since despite Jirachi having particularly great synergy with Mence, other redirectors can still get the job done, and it has good enough bulk, typing, and Intimidate that you could even realistically setup without always needing support. I can see why a Jirachi ban would make some people reconsider, but I still think it would probably be broken, and unless someone convinced me otherwise I wouldn't really be in favour of even retesting it in the first place.
2. When are you getting that name change fam?
As I said, when I come up with a good name (which is probably never at this point).
3. Super Secret Question
It was fine, thanks for asking. Nice gif :O


BTW, I don't know what Juju is, and at this point I'm afraid to ask D:
 

Yoda2798

Not the user you are looking for
is a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributor
Doubles Leader

Interview #36 - clius
1. Hi there! Could you tell us who you are by giving a small introduction about yourself?
Hi! I’m clius, although I’m considering an official name change to C✿lIuS❀✿❀. I’m 19, bisexual, and gender non-binary so basically as queer as you can get lol. I’m going to be a second year at UC Berkeley next year, studying Computer Science ($$$) and Music (<3). I am passionate about a lot of things that no one really cares too much about, such as Table Tennis, Pokémon (lol), Smash Bros, and listening to and playing Jazz.

2. Where does your username come from, and why have you stuck with it?
I didn’t start playing Pokémon as clius, on PS I was originally chrisabelle, since back then I was playing mons solely with my ex (Isabelle),,, then eventually I switched to christestchris (good ol’ days of Weakness Policy Regirock). Funny story, there was a KyleCole video (hence deleted, it seems >:/) of me almost choking to my now-friend TheFourthChaser, and since christestchris had developed a reputation to choke, I decided to get another name change. My real name is Chris Liu, so Chris – hri + liu = clius. I still continued to choke for a while (ask Stratos about my match against thetalkingtree :<), but at this point I had already made my smogon account and just stuck it out.

3. When did you start playing competitive Pokémon, when did you start playing competitive Doubles, and why did you stick around?
I started playing “competitive” mons almost exactly a little more than 2 years ago, in the summer of 2014, when my brother, MiguThePigu, kept on bragging on how he was more knowledgeable about Pokémon than I was, and I got sick of it. He introduced me to showdown, and for the first month or so we would just fight each other, me with an incredibly shitty rain team, him with a similarly bad sun team. Then I got addicted to laddering, I believe there was a ladder tournament at the time. Getting to 1300+ was a big deal for me and my brother, and eventually a few of the people I played on the ladder (Nido-Rus bitched and bitched about my bad and gimmicky strats) dragged me into the room, where I was introduced to good sets, cool people, and tournaments held on Smogon. I was immediately hooked, yet here have been a few times when I’ve been discouraged and took a hiatus from Smogon, but as they say, you can never truly quit mons (unless league drags you away)… I think Nido-Rus and kamikaze17 are people that brought me back to the scene during my times of disbelief in Smogon.

4. What is your favourite playstyle to use in Doubles, and why?
My playstyle has gradually shifted over the years from full Trick Room to a bulky offense. I get a lot of shit for it, but almost every single team I use is semi-room to a certain extent (except the ones with scarfrachi). To me, semi-room is the most reliant and least matchup-dependent of all matchups, and often has the best balance of both defensive and offensive options.

Oh also shoutouts to Haruno, even though he thought I was a fat white southerner while he tutored me, he forced me out of my comfort zone, making me play Kang Offense and Rain, amongst other things.

5. What is your favourite Pokémon to use competitively and why? What is your favourite Pokémon overall and why?
It’s also a common joke (and truth) that I run Jirachi on over 90% of the teams I build. I’ve used both it’s standard set and a special, scarf set :^). Jirachi is seriously a very solid mon that’s utility is the pinnacle of what I look for in a support mon, although I do not believe it is ban-worthy.

It’s almost impossible to be non-biased and not show partiality, but I went to meditate in the mountains for 3 whole months, became one with nature, lost my sense of self, and still decided that Jirachi was not a ban-worthy mon.

Jirachi also happens to be my favorite Pokemon in general, it’s so elegant, yet cute. Playful, yet badass. Although some days if you ask me, I’ll tell you that my favorite Pokemon is Shuckle. What a fucking troll af mon, just looking at it makes me want to perform naughty deeds and use bad sets.

6. Do you think there's a Pokemon or set that is currently underrated in the meta?
Shuckle kek.
Actually, I think Landorus-I is a little underrated, or at least underused. Paired with the right support (Jirachi), it becomes a monster that hits everything like that one iceberg that sank the Titanic.

7. Do you believe there is anything broken or suspect worthy in the current metagame?
Ban Swagger. Not a joke. Outright uncompetitive, has won high-level DPL and seasonal matches, reduces the game to RNG,,, ;-;

8. Could you give us a team that resembles your playing and building style and give a little explanation about it?
Most recently, all of my building efforts have been focused on Doubles UU, and I’m not really as satisfied with most of my older DOU teams.


fridge (Blastoise-Mega) @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Mega Launcher
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Water Spout
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Protect

houh (Hariyama) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 124 Def / 124 SpD / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Fake Out
- Close Combat
- Heavy Slam

Forgotten Wishes (Diancie) @ Lum Berry
Ability: Clear Body
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Atk / 56 SpA
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Protect

DANGER ZONE (Magnezone) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpA / 8 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Substitute
- Protect

bitchtits (Victini) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Blue Flare
- Energy Ball
- U-turn
- Final Gambit

SWAGGER (Meowstic) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Fake Out
- Safeguard
- Charm
- Trick Room

Here is a beautiful semi-TR Mega Blastoise Team that brought me great success in the Tie-Breaker of DPL. The idea of this team is most of the mons I chose naturally outspeed fullroom teams, and against fullroom, this teams plays much like a HO team would, with the exception that I can un-Trick Room their Trick Room if they happen to set it up. Against HO, this team goes into its full Trick Room mode, outspeeding everything under Trick Room and demolishing them like the Genesis flood destroyed Earth – Noah’s Ark. This team has also won against HO without ever setting up Trick Room. This team really combines many super offensive mons (scarf special Victini), with super defensive mons (such as Meowstic), which really is the balanced playstyle I find the most consistency with.

9. What is your favourite part about the Doubles community, and why?
I like how we’re all so weird and fucked up in some way that we all accept each other’s oddities and come together to play mons, hang out, make edgy jokes, trash talk each other, and at the end of the day still got each other’s backs.

10. If you could change anything about the Doubles community, what would it be and why?
Currently I like the Doubles community a lot. If anything, I wish we’d make less suicide jokes. A lot of us are depressed (myself included) and I’m sure I’m not the only one who worries about a few friends that are always joking about that kind of stuff. We’ve lost Benja and I hope we don’t ever have to go through something like that again.

11. What do you think of Doubles UU at the moment?
As much as I love Doubles OU, there is nothing quite like the excitement of a brand-new tier, with an absolute gold mine of cool shit to discover and play around with. Even though we’ve improved the legitimacy of DUU, it seems like there are an endless amount of new things to explore. It would be wonderful if in the future, Doubles UU grew enough to become an official tier, with all the official forums, analyses and seasonals that come with being official. I am aware that this goal is quite far away haha, but a man can dream. :)

12. What do you play outside of Doubles, what are your favourite metas and why?
Smash Brothers is probably my favorite meta other than Doubles (I don't play other metas).

13. Who do you think is going to do well this Seasonals, and why?
Mons is a hard game to be truly consistent in, but I could see Stratos, Stax, Dawg, SamVGC, or Memoric winning. Stax and Dawg have been on a hot streak, yet looking at the past, it is most likely that a relatively less-respected player is going to take the next seasonal (aka me, loser’s bracket run :0).

14. What are your hobbies outside of playing Pokemon? What are you interested in?
Music is probably my number one passion, I sing, play Jazz Trombone and Piano, and I also am currently on a track to become a composer (maybe).

I am also very good (power ranked at Cal) at Sm4sh, as well as being respectable at melee (mm me you fools).

15. Is there anything else you would like to say or speak about?
Ily all, can’t wait for Sun and Moon to shake things up, and play DUU or I’ll get Yoda to get the Doubles illuminati on you.
 
Last edited:

Platinum God n1n1

the real n1n1
is a Tiering Contributor
you gave me good music is the past. list 3 more jazz/fusion albums I should listen too pls



your tour duu tour is super successful and I am really happy that duu is making such progress thanks to you, xzern, and a few others. And imo we should keep pushing the shit out of this meta and get total backing from the doubles tier leaders/top smogon people so it can be an official meta - which you already said. So what plans/ideas do you have for after the tour to make it happen? host another?
 
MFK: Arcticblast, Stratos, Isabelle
Most overrated mon in DUU?
Thoughts on banning Roserade?
Least favorite Pokémon?
What is your favorite move? And why is it swagger?
 
you gave me good music is the past. list 3 more jazz/fusion albums I should listen too pls



your tour duu tour is super successful and I am really happy that duu is making such progress thanks to you, xzern, and a few others. And imo we should keep pushing the shit out of this meta and get total backing from the doubles tier leaders/top smogon people so it can be an official meta - which you already said. So what plans/ideas do you have for after the tour to make it happen? host another?
Strasbourg St. Denis - Roy Hargrove
Here's something that will be right up your alley, it's a rather simple groove that gradually escalates until it gets so funky and heated that it's crazy. Might as well call him Roy Hargroove, am i right!?!?! Just like Lingus, I really recommend watching the video, it's always fun to see jazzers that are 110% into it. Also it's fun to notice the piano at the beginning (and the first part of his solo) is holding down the strings to simulate the strumming of a guitar, v cool.

That's the Way of the World/Got to Get You Into My Life - Earth Wind and Fire
These are more EWF songs, not sure if I've shown you these specific ones before. The first song is more laid-back, but I think you'll enjoy it, it's still grooves even though it's at a slower pace.
The second song is a cover of a Beatles' Song, but that really shouldn't discourage you, this song is fucking hip as hell. Opens with sexy af brass, I think you'll really like it.

Moonbeams - Bill Evans
This album is different from what I've shown you, it's a little more mature, melancholy jazz that's typical of Bill Evans. Not sure if it's up your alley, but give it a try. It's quite good for contemplating life to.

As for DUU, if my information is correct, a DUU tour is going to be held very close to when this one ends, which is the Doubles Smogon Open, which includes DUU. However, there is a chance Zard X won't be banned for that tournament since I'm not sure who's running it/who gets to change the rules.
I think xzern has been talking to Kamikaze about hosting a seasonal, which may be very possible after Sun and Moon DUU comes out.

thanks yoda for picking this thread up and instantly droppin a hote one, love u :heart smiley:

how was ur time on the six islando shitposters
It was absolutely amazing. Stratos was an awesome coach, reeling me in when I went too far with sets, telling me exactly the real shit I needed to hear in order to be successful. Prior to DPL, I've always been slept on by most of the community, so it's nice for the change, although I don't know if I'm ready for the rep and stress of not being an underdog haha.

MFK: Arcticblast, Stratos, Isabelle
Most overrated mon in DUU?
Thoughts on banning Roserade?
Least favorite Pokémon?
What is your favorite move? And why is it swagger?
1. Fuck you,,, :^(
2. Roserade isn't that good if you adequately prepare for it lol.
3. Cresselia. Fuck that piece of shit.
4. Fuck you,,, :^)

opinions on mega alt sand?
It's pretty fly!

just kidding it fucking sucks
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 1)

Top