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Serebii Journal - October Issue

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Welcome to the Serebii Journal's October Issue. This article focuses heavily on the Little Cup Tier. Which is a fairly popular tier my many in the competative community. Please leave your thoughts, critiques and concerns in our Discussion Thread.

Table of Contents
Niche Vs. Gimmick
Welcome to Little Cup
Sample Little Cup Team
Little Cup Threatlist
Interview
Tournaments

Writers
Ger9119 - Niche Vs. Gimmick, Welcome to Little Cup, Sample Little Cup Team
Apollo77 - Sample Little Cup Team, Little Cup Threatlist
Eliteknight - Tournaments
BestGamePearl - Interview
Additional Credits- Macle, Yagura79, Champion Fizz in the LC Room of Showdown, for Quality Checking on the Little Cup articles

Journal Archive
September 2014
July 2014
March 2014
February 2014

Upcoming Serebii Events
The Guardians Cup Tournament will be Hosted by Ragnarok. The Tournament is set to launch in the next two weeks!
 
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Niche vs. Gimmick

I’ve been noticing a trend amongst competitive battlers imploring various creative and unique move-sets to be able to combat the numerous amounts of threats across the Pokémon battling landscape. At first glance this shows huge amounts of new stuff becoming viable and innovation is everywhere right? Well I guess you would be half right if you say yes, some stuff prove to have valuable niches that can help support a team while others are just gimmicks that shouldn’t see the light of day. I myself am at the forefront of this revolution of using different things with viable Niches but there are major differences between what a gimmick Pokémon/set is and what a niche Pokémon/set is and in this piece I will cover these differences as well as show examples for each side of the spectrum.

Niches

• Being able to support a team in a certain role, and being able to effectively do it against most kinds of teams. This includes setting up screens, hazards, and removing hazards.

• Being able to effectively set up against a team, and effectively sweep a team. These niche set up sweepers rely on an element of surprise but still obtain viability by being able to take down numerous threats across the tier.

• Certain choice items users, being able to hit stuff hard with Choice Specs or Choice Band boosted moves but being able to do against more than one specific Pokémon. Choice scarf users that can revenge kill and trick its scarf over to stop a sweep also hold a very viable niche.

• A Pokémon that fits extremely well in a supporting defensive core, This mean it covers the rest of a team’s weaknesses again numerous teams while also holding its own in battle.

• A move on a Pokémon that helps it take down something it normally would have trouble taking down, but also being able to hit more than just one Pokémon with the move.

Gimmicks

• A standalone Pokémon, that’s specifically designed to check one set from one Pokémon. These kinds of gimmicks don’t add to team synergy, and most times will not work at all.

• Most Pokémon from NU/RU/PU fall into the Gimmick category. While yes they may come through every once in awhile and may be able to check a specific Pokémon, they will not be able to perform at a consistent basis to be considered viable in the higher tiers.

• Obscene EV Spreads, changing something that’s a primarily a physical attacker and just giving it a special attack set is one of the most common gimmicks there is. It may work every once in a blue moon but most cases it’s a waste of a team slot and more suited to something that can actually fill that role.

• Items/Item Choices, Throwing Assault Vest on anything and everything would be the number one example of this. In most cases it takes away a useful support move, or in the case of throwing a choice item on a Pokémon it takes away the ability to use different moves.
• Play styles, Trick Room is an extremely gimmick play style and will not work against the majority of teams. While yes it has quite a few viable Pokémon that can do well in that style it just doesn’t work unless you’re up against a less experienced opponent.

Niche Examples

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• Shuckle @ Mental Herb
• Ability: Sturdy
• EVs: 252 HP / 4 def / 252 SpD or 252 HP/ 252 Def / 4 SpD
• Calm Nature
- Infestation/Knock Off
- Sticky Web
- Stealth Rock
- Encore

Shuckle has a niche as a hazard lead. Being able to set up Stealth Rock and Sticky Web which both are very valuable. It also avoids taunt and can also encore a set up sweepers.

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• Thundurus (M) @ Life Orb
• Ability: Defiant
• EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
• Hasty Nature
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Wild Charge
- Thunder Wave/Superpower/Focus Blast

Thundurus can come in a defogger user like Latias and gain an attack boost. Being able to take them out and continue a sweep. It can still support it’s team with thunder wave.

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• Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
• Ability: Regenerator
• EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
• Calm Nature
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Ground]/Stun Spore

Amoonguss helps form a powerful Regenerator core with Slowbro and can form a F/W/G core with Heatran.

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• Rotom-Wash @ Choice Scarf
• Ability: Levitate
• EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Trick
- Hidden Power [Ice]/Will O Wisp/ Pain spilt

Scarf Rotom is quite the surprise to teams, as they expect the standard physical defense spread. This set outspeeds and Kos Greninja as well as getting the jump on Mega Charizard Y and other special sweepers that normally will pester Rotom. It also is still able to deal with Talonflame and Mega Pinsir. It can stall break a litte also with trick, making Chansey’s regret switching in.

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• Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
• Ability: Intimidate
• EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spd
• Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Flying]
- Stealth Rock/Stone Edge
- U-turn

This set is tailored to beat Mega Heracross, but it can deal with Breloom and Mega Venusaur as well.

Gimmick Examples

• Scarf/Klutz/Switcharoo Lopunny to check Aegislash
• The majority of those tiers mentioned, stuff like Ninjask/Cofagrigus/Granbull/Carbink/Sigilyph/Zoroark all come to mind as examples.
• Physical Keldeo, Special Talonflame
• Assault Vest Blissey, Choice Specs Blissey
 
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Welcome to Little Cup

Introduction/Overview

Are you tired of Stall ruining your day with 100+ turn matches? Are you tired of constantly seeing Mega Evolutions every match? Have you ever imagined what it would be like to use first stage Pokémon outside of in-game teams? If the answer to these questions is yes, then Little Cup is the tier for you.

Little Cup is primarily an up-tempo and aggressive offensive Metagame in which maintaining momentum is extremely vital to success. Hyper Offence and Bulky Offence are the top two play styles. The other play styles like Stall and Sticky Web exist but are much more challenging to use effectively. Weather also exists but isn’t as prevalent as it is in Overused, with Sun being the most commonly used weather of the four. More “gimmicky” play styles like Trick Room, Baton Pass are rarely seen.

Rules and Bans

- Pokemon used must be able to evolve, and must be at its first stage of evolution. ( Squirtle may be used, but Wartortle cannot)
- All Pokemon must be at Level 5.
- Sleep Clause is on; only one Pokémon on each team can be put to sleep by the opponent at a time.
- Self-KO Clause is on; if a player causes the game to end via the use of a move such as Explosion, that player loses the game.
- OHKO Clause is on; moves such as Sheer Cold or Horn Drill are banned.
- Evasion Clause is on; moves such as Double Team are banned.
- Species Clause is on; no team can have more than one of the same Pokémon.
- Item Clause is off; a team is free to use six of the same item if it so desires.
- The moves Dragon Rage, Sonic Boom and Swagger are banned.
- The Pokémon Gligar, Meditite, Misdreavus, Murkrow, Scyther, Sneasel, Swirlix, Tangela , Yanma and Misdreavus are banned.
- The ability Moody is banned.

Beginner Tips

- Don’t use Black Sludge and Leftovers. Simply you won’t recover the same amount HP with these compared to what you get with Berry Juice.
- Don’t use Sitrus and Oran Berries. Berry Juice is the better option 100% of the time.
- Don’t use Choice Items. Life Orb in most cases is the better option. There’s exceptions to this rule such as Pawniard which can effectively run Choice Scarf extremely well, Corphish can run a Choice Band Set effectively, and to an extent Magnemite can run a Choice Specs set.
- Don’t use Assault Vest. Eviolite is the much better option, for one Eviolite boosts both defenses which is better. Also you don’t lose the ability to uses support, recovery and set up moves.
- Knock Off is the most common move in the tier. Make sure your team isn’t weak to it, so play it safe and try to carry at least two pokemon on your team that can come in and sponge knock off well. Fighting types like Meinfoo and Timburr would probably be the most effective of filling that role. Fairy types like Spiritzee and Snubbull are also really good at being knock off sponges but they must be aware of Pawniard’s Iron Head which is also the most common Knock Off user.
- Using Hazards and Hazard control is very important. Being able to effectively lay down hazards is a key part of LC, the reasoning to why Hazard use in LC is that a lot of the sweepers in LC use Sturdy+Berry Juice to set up. So being able to break a sash or sturdy with Stealth Rock can be the difference between you winning or losing to a Shell Smasher. Archen is quite effective at setting up Stealth Rock, Pineco can be good as well as it can set up both Stealth Rock and Spikes to provide additional pressure on your opponent’s team, while something like Golett can provide Stealth Rock along with spin blocking . Keeping Hazards off your side of the field is equally as important, since you don’t want to lose one of your sweepers. Some of the best at cleaning up hazards are similar to the ones in Overused, Drilbur is an excellent spinner and Vullaby is a good defogger. Archen can also provide Defog support making it quite the utility Pokemon, Staryu is also a fast spinner that can also provide offensive pressure to an opponents team.
 
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Welcome to Little Cup - Sample Team

Together we've came up with a sample team for people reading this article to try out and learn the tier. The basis of this team is to eliminate threats to set up a Fletchling sweep, we choose this play style since it's simple and easy for a new player to learn the tier with while also achieving wins very early on. Instead of doing a long drawn out standard RMT we've decided on the route of showing you the team in action. So please enjoy these replays and enjoy the team which will be importable below.

Replays

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-163290335

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-163293664

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/lc-163296044

The Team

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Fletchling
Ability: Gale Wings
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 196 Atk / 92 Def / 64 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- U-turn
- Acrobatics
- Roost

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Diglett @ Focus Sash
Ability: Arena Trap
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Memento
- Sucker Punch

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Chinchou @ Eviolite
Ability: Volt Absorb
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 212 Def / 152 SpA / 8 SpD / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Heal Bell
- Hidden Power [Ground]

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Mienfoo @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 76 Atk / 116 Def / 36 SpD / 76 Spe
Impish Nature
- Drain Punch
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Fake Out

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Drilbur @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 236 Atk / 212 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin

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Porygon @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
Level: 5
EVs: 236 HP / 36 Def / 236 SpD
Calm Nature
- Recover
- Tri Attack
- Shadow Ball
- Thunder Wave
 
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LC Threatlist

Offensive Threats

Abra
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What it Does: With Base 105 Special Attack and the coveted 19 Speed, Abra is one of the best special sweepers in the tier. Its ability, Magic Guard, protects it from residual damage and combined with a Focus Sash makes it nearly impossible to OHKO, stopping sweepers in their tracks with powerful attacks. Psychic puts a dent in pretty much everything, and for what resists it, a coverage move can take care of it.

Common Set:
Abra @ Focus Sash
Ability: Magic Guard
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 200 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam / Hidden Power Fighting
- Energy Ball
- Protect

How to Deal with It: Abra can be hard to stop, but some walls can switch in without taking too much damage. Porygon and Spritzee are two examples of mons with enough bulk to switch in on a Psychic and avoid the KO next turn. Vullaby is immune to Psychic, and it avoids the 2HKO from Dazzling Gleam. SturdyJuice users like Magnemite and Dwebble can also make good counters, especially the latter due to Rock Blast breaking through Abra’s Focus Sash.

Fletchling
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What it Does: Fletchling is a premier offensive threat in the LC metagame that every team should be prepared for. Thanks to its ability, Gale Wins, it can spam a powerful 110 BP priority move in Acrobatics with little to no consequence. It hits pretty hard on its own, but after a Swords Dance, it can be really tough to stop and can roll over unprepared teams.

Common Set:
Fletchling
Ability: Gale Wings
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 196 Atk / 92 Def / 52 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
- U-turn
- Roost

How to Deal with It: The best way to stop a Fletchling from sweeping you is to pack a bulky resist to take the Acrobatics. Archen, Chinchou, and Magnemite are examples of useful Fletchling counters that can take a +2 Acrobatics and force it out next turn. Stealth Rock also helps weaken Fletchling down, since it likes to switch in and out a lot.

Mienfoo
619.png


What it Does: Mienfoo is a very common sight on teams due to its blend of bulk, utility, and attacking prowess. It works extremely well as an offensive pivot due to its ability, Regenerator, and access to U-Turn to keep momentum and Drain Punch to keep healthy and continue to wear down your team. Mienfoo also can make use of the Reckless + High Jump Kick combination, which can tear holes in a team with its great power.

Common Set:
Mienfoo @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 76 Atk / 116 Def / 36 SpD / 76 Spe
Impish Nature
- Drain Punch
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Fake Out

How to Deal with It: Fairy types such as Spritzee and Snubull can switch into Mienfoo’s attacks without too much trouble, and can really hurt it with a STAB Fairy attack. Keep in mind that Knock Off really hurts in the long run, though. Poison types such as Croagunk and Foongus can also switch in easily, the latter able to use the opportunity to Spore something.

Pawniard
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What it Does: Pawniard possesses a rather useful typing for both offense and defense and has tremendous offensive power to back it up. It’s arguably the most notorious user of Knock Off in the tier, hitting hard with it and softening up the opponent’s team by removing Eviolites. It packs Sucker Punch to revenge kill even the fastest of threats, and can punish Defog users with its ability, Defiant. In essence, it functions very similarly to its evolution Bisharp in OU, but it’s much more potent in LC.

Common Set:
Pawniard @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
Level: 5
EVs: 156 Atk / 36 Def / 116 SpD / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Knock Off
- Brick Break / Swords Dance

How to Deal with It: You’re going to need something that can take Knock Off to deal with Pawniard. Fighting types such as Mienfoo and Timburr resist it and can threaten it with Fighting moves; however be wary of switching into Iron Head once your Eviolite’s been knocked off. Sticky Hold users such as Trubbish and Shellos are possibly the best counters to Pawniard, as they can continue to switch into Knock off as many times as they need to throughout the match.

Tirtouga
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What it Does: Tirtouga is a very formidable sweeper, using Shell Smash to boost its attack and speed to hit hard and outrun the unboosted meta. In addition, it uses its ability Sturdy with Berry Juice to avoid getting OHKO’ed not once, but twice. It’s an excellent late-game cleaner that will plow through weakened teams with relative ease.

Common Set:
Tirtouga @ Berry Juice
Ability: Sturdy
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 92 Def / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Waterfall
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Jet / Earthquake

How to Deal with It: Ferroseed makes an excellent Tirtouga counter, as it resists both of its STAB moves and can hit back hard with Bullet Seed. Croagunk is immune to Waterfall, resists Stone Edge and can hit back hard with Drain Punch or even revenge kill with Vacuum Wave, but beware of Earthquake. Foongus and Timburr only resist one STAB and don’t make good switch-ins but are bulky enough with their Eviolites to take an attack and revenge-kill.

Defensive Threats

Chinchou
170.png


What it Does: Chinchou’s combination of bulk, typing, and firepower make it both an offensive and defensive threat to watch out for. It makes an excellent pivot thanks to Volt Switch, and also can use Heal Bell to cure the team of status. Scald can help spread burns and weaken physical attackers. Its unique typing and ability, Volt Absorb, gives it key resistances to Flying, Water, and Fire as well as an Electric immunity, so Chinchou can switch into a variety of threats. Perhaps the scariest thing about Chinchou is its versatility, as it could be carrying a Choice Scarf, Eviolite, or Berry Juice, and can run many different EV spreads to serve different purposes.

Common Set: (Note: Chinchou can run several different sets)
Chinchou @ Berry Juice
Ability: Volt Absorb
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 212 Def / 152 SpA / 60 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Heal Bell
- Hidden Power [Ground]

How to Deal with It:
Trap it with a diglett. Or use a bulky grass type pokemon

Foongus
590.png


What it Does: Foongus has a decent amount of bulk and a wonderful defensive moveset to back it up. The biggest asset Foongus has to offer is Spore, putting almost anything to sleep and effectively removing it from the match. It also has Regenerator as its ability so it can continually switch into attacks throughout the match and still keep its health up. Its typing lets it sponge common attacking types such as Fighting, Water, Electric, and Grass, helping it to counter several important Pokemon

Common Set:
Foongus @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 5
EVs: 124 HP / 156 Def / 76 SpA / 76 SpD / 76 Spe
Bold Nature
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Stun Spore / Synthesis / Hidden Power Fire

How to Deal with It: Vullaby is quite possibly the best all-around Foongus counter, as Overcoat makes it immune to Spore and it can threaten Foongus with a Flying move. Pokemon such as Fletchling and Ponyta can really hurt Foongus with their STAB attacks, but must be wary of switching into Spore. A cleric such as Spritzee or Chinchou can help cure Sleep so that Spore isn’t as much of an issue.
Porygon
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What it Does: Porygon has an immense amount of bulk to take a lot of attacks and the moveset to keep itself alive and a force to be reckoned with for the whole match. Recover gives it reliable recovery, and its ability, Trace, gives it a number of useful things such as the ability to switch into Chinchou’s Volt Switch or Ponyta’s Flare Blitz. It also has Thunder Wave to cripple offensive threats so a slower teammate can perform a successful sweep. Its typing leaves it with only one weakness, making it difficult to take down with unboosted attacks.

Common Set:
Porygon @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
Level: 5
EVs: 236 HP / 36 Def / 236 SpD
Calm Nature
- Recover
- Tri Attack
- Shadow Ball
- Thunder Wave

How to Deal with It: Fighting is Porygon’s one weakness, making Pokemon like Mienfoo and Timburr ideal for taking it down. Other Knock Off users also help, as without its Eviolite Porygon will be easier to take down. Pawniard also happens to resist both of Porygon’s attacks and thus can set up a Swords Dance; Sucker Punch means it won’t mind paralysis all that much. Poisoning and Burning Porygon can also help wear it down if the opponent doesn’t have a cleric, so anything that carries Toxic or Will-o-Wisp can be useful.

Spritzee
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What it Does: Spritzee is an exceptional wall and the metagame’s premier cleric. It excels at passing Wishes thanks to its high HP stat, and it also gets Aromatherapy to keep the team status-free. Thank to Aroma Veil as its ability, it’s also immune to Taunt. It has a lot of bulk and resistances to both Fighting and Dark attacks, though it still has to watch out for Knock Off. Its weaknesses aren’t very common attacking types, so Spritzee can be rather difficult to wear down.

Common Set:
Spritzee @ Eviolite
Ability: Aroma Veil
Level: 5
EVs: 212 HP / 196 Def / 12 SpA / 76 SpD / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Wish
- Protect
- Aromatherapy

How to Deal with It: Pawniard makes a very good Spritzee counter thanks to access to both Knock Off and Iron Head to really put a dent in the fairy. It can even get a Defiant boost from switching into Moonblast if you’re lucky. Other useful mons include Magnemite with Flash Cannon and anything that carries Sludge Bomb. Knock Off users to remove Eviolite hurt Spritzee a good deal and put it into KO range for wallbreakers like Bunnelby.

Vullaby
629.png


What it Does: Vullaby is a spectacular wall with excellent bulk and one of the best hazard clearers in the tier, being a reliable Defog user. Vullaby has reliable recovery in the form of Roost, and Knock Off to rid the opponent’s team of items. Its ability, Overcoat, grants it protection against Foongus’ Spore and weather damage from Sandstorm (and the less common Hail). It has immunities to both Psychic and Ground, as well as several important resistances such as Dark, Ghost, and Grass, so it has plenty of opportunities to switch in and do its work.

Common Set:
Vullaby (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Overcoat
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 76 Atk / 76 Def / 236 SpD
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Defog
- Knock Off
- Brave Bird / U-Turn

How to Deal with It: Rock types such as Archen and Onix can switch in and just put Stealth Rock back on the field, as well as threaten Vullaby with a Rock move. Electric types such as Chinchou and Magnemite can put a dent in Vullaby with their Electric attacks but don’t really like switching into Knock Off. Pawniard can switch in on a predicted Defog and get a Defiant boost, so it can really hurt Vullaby with Iron Head or cripple it or the rest of the team with Knock Off. Fairy types also can switch in and threaten Vullaby with their STAB, but should be wary of Knock Off.
 
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Interview with Eliteknight

1) Kicking things off, can you tell us a little about yourself?
Well I'm a university student in Canada. I work part time as a lifeguard, and I enjoy playing mons.

2) When and how did you first become involved with competitive Pokèmon?

January of 2012 is when I first tried out competative mons. What initially got me interested in competitive was reading through the old OSL threads which I found intrieging and I wish they were still available to be seen along with the SBF. From there I began to watch competitive battles on youtube and then decided to give it a try.

3) What contributions have you made to the competitive landscape here on Serebii?

Currently I'm hosting tournaments all year round many of which are former tournaments from the tournaments section or from the guilds section which have been brought back, others are from smogon but adapted slightly and finally some were though up by myself. In the past I have lead several guilds some of which were fairly prominent while they were active. Aswell as hosting a couple leagues which when leagues for simulators were active they were among the top leagues on serebii if not the top league. Also through a compromise with Ragnarok, I was allowed to revive the battle of the week.

4) What has your experience been like with the guilds section? Is there anything particular that you think the guilds section does well, and anything it could improve with?

I have had a fun ride in the guilds section. It has changed alot since I first joined in 2012. The guilds section can do a great job at building a community of people whom can have a great time. Currently the guild section needs to improve overall. It has become stale for many of the vetran battlers of it over the past couple years. A couple issues I currently see are: Lack of competition between guilds, inactivity of the section as a whole and guilds not trying to generate activity.

5) Is there anything you’d recommend to anyone making their own guild, if there’s anyone out there that is considering making one?

Get a group of people before your start (without poaching) to form the base of the guild. The hardest part right now is having an active members base. You will need to keep those members engaged through tournaments and events such as a community create a team. Keep the guild simple don't make a massive wall of text which is convoluted because fewer people will join if it is too complicated. Don't get discouraged if your guild takes a while to start up. Everything needs time.

6) Another thing you’re well known for doing is tournaments in the tournament section. What’s your favorite tournament that you’ve hosted? Favorite to participate in?

My personal favourite tournament to host has to be a tie between The Gauntlet and the Word tournament. Both these tournaments have a massive twist which can greatly change the matchups. In gauntlet you sign up with a team of 6 mons. And throughout the tournament you use the same team but once a pokemon faints it is out for the rest of the tour. While the Word tournament each round you're given a word and must create a team based of off that word. I've seen teams made from words like Koala and others made from Oovoo.

7) Do you have any new tour ideas coming up sometime soon, or any other tournaments you’re bringing back?

I Currently am teaming up with MMS in order to have more tournaments hosted per year. As such I have placed a schedule in my signature. I recently have brought back the Monotype Melee tournament and will be bringing back Santa's Helper in Late november. Several other tournaments which have caught my eye include, region wars (although the thread no longer exists), The classic OU tournaments (ADV, DPPT, BW2) which I have planned out a way to incorperate them into one tournament. It takes Two to Tango, Middle cup tournament and the Lost Heroes tournaments also are in the back of my mind currently

8) You’ve also done work in the leagues section. Can you tell us a little about that?

Back in 2012 the leagues section was a very active place for simulators unlike today where wifi leagues are prominent. I created a league between 3 Guilds (clans at the time), those guilds were Shadows Arena (lead by Gray), Dracaena (Bestgamepearl) and Team SeaSoul (Lead my AceTrainerMohamed). I was a co-leader in TSS and was determined to build better relashions between guilds. At this time my personal experiance was that guilds didnt intermingle except for during wars (although i now believe otherwise). I created a league called The Manhattan Project which was an active league from April 2012 until Mid August 2013. TMP as it was known was a frontier style which often had about 15 facilities running and at one point had 21 tiers (although some were the same and many were very similar). It was truely an amazing league to partake in from personal experiance as a challenger, brain and owner. Following the Manhattan Project I hosted a traditional Monotype league which lasted for a short while. Ultimately both leagues lost the interest of the community and their activity declined. I also have been a Brain/Gym Leader in several other leagues such as those hosted by Creamery Command.

9) Do you think there’s anything that can be done to improve the leagues section, either in quality or activity?

There are five parts about making an effective league. First make sure that you have active brains whom are willing to take endless seas of challengers. Second make the league look nice the thread attracts the challengers. Third make sure the league isn't impossible or else people will eventually give up. Fourth have variety. Fifth have fun.

10) I feel like we’re forgetting something…oh yeah! What about the Serebii Journal? What vision do you have for this going forward?

The Journal was started by my old friend McDanger and I have the pleasure of running it currently. My vision is to continue to have regular installments which will increase in the variety of what metagames are being featured. For example Little Cup is being featured in this article. While next article will have a Hoenn theme due to ORAS being released in November.

11) Any thoughts you want to bring up on the current metagame?

I sadly have lost my connection with the current metagame. I became busy in march and became unable to battle. And i just haven't found my way back into it. However I do find it much more ballanced when I do play than it was in BW2. I miss the perma weather and am not a huge fan of defog not being blocked by something other than taunt. But it is an enjoyable metagame which I want to get into.

12) Last question...favorite pokemon?

This one is a question which the answer for me changes quite often. My top 4 Pokemon which always seem to switch around in order of preferance are Kyogre, Gengar, Tentacruel and Metagross. I really like their designs and whenever I get a chance in comp to have used them I was never let down by them. I recall using tenta and gengar on my favourite stall team back in BW2 and metagross is often a mascot in something I'm running. Kyogre is an old favourite as it was the first pokemon I ever leveled to level 100 and it was my favourite ingame pokemon to smash my brother with xD.
 
Under the Magnifying glass: The Tournaments section

Current Tournaments

Monotype Melee
Host: Eliteknight

An old favourite returns with Monotype Melee. The Monotype Melee is a simple tournament which at the start of every round a random type is pmed to every participant their job is to make a team of 6 pokemon of that type and to face off against an opponent whom also has a randomly generated type. Neither contestant knows what their opponents type is so they will need to build a team which covers its weaknesses well.

Recently Completed Tournaments

One Pokémon Wonder
Host: Eliteknight

One Pokémon wonder is an annual tournament which focuses on creating a team of 6 Pokémon of the same species. This allows for variation between sets and utilizes creative teambuilding skills. In previous years Pokémon from lower tiers have done very well such as Mew due to the vast move pool won the entire tournament last year and tied for first the year before. During this years tournament new comers such as grenenja stole the spotlight winning first place against the powerhouse latias. In the 3rd place match Ger9119 squared off against defending bronze competitor from last year Apollo77.

1st Place: Cloneblazer12
2nd Place: MMS
3rd Place: Apollo77

Featured Matches:
Gold match: MMS Vs. Cloneblazer12
Bronze Match: Apollo77 Vs. Ger9119
Round 2 Matchup: Irrationality Vs. MMS

Tournament XYZ
Host: Cryuel

The XYZ Tournament was a simple OU tournament with a nice teambuilding twist. All teams members must follow alphabetically. This created an atmosphere in which less effective pokemon would have to be used in order to fill the void of the team members whom would provide great synergy. The XYZ Tournament was a Wi-Fi tournament and as such Cryuel opted to host the tournament on one day instead of hosting it over a month like many other tours on serebii

1st Place: Mr. Y
2nd Place: Meliekpi
3rd Place: TheShoveler1887


Underdog Tournament
Host: dragontamer44722

The Underdog tournament had a simple twist but an effective one. Only pokemon from RU, NU, PU, NFE and LC are allowed. This results in a great variance of teambuilding. Among other team restrictions include only being able to use 2 legendary pokemon per team. The Underdog tournament is a Wi-Fi tournament which is being hosted

Results not posted
 
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