[USER=224110]Hairy Toenail[/USER]

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi, my name is Andrew and I'm an 18 year old living in Virginia. I'm currently moving onto my 2nd year of college. In my spare time when I'm not playing mons, I like to play soccer, go to the gym, or hang out with friends. I'm also a huge fan of melee (mostly watching, I'm awful at playing) so if anyone wants to talk about the game or anything with me don't hesitate :)


Most known for?
Despite getting picked up for spl I feel like up until going undefeated in UUPL I wasn't really that 'known' outside of the UU community. But yeah my good streak in UUPL is probably what's getting my name out there the most. Other small accomplishments helped I guess like winning the the previous UULT in early oras. I also used to host this very project so that helped as well.


Favorite Pokemon?
Dragonite


Most Used Pokemon?
Swampert


What brought you to Smogon and competitive Pokemon in general?
Well initially I never had the intention of playing Pokemon competitively, but a few years ago I joined Pokemon Showdown when I bought a copy of X version to trade with people. There was a room called "Pokemon Trading" and I got really involved there and eventually got a staff position. From there they told me to get a Smogon account to have staff discussion. So that's how I got into Smogon, but for compeitive mons in general it honestly started from watching pokeaim's first road to top 10 series and seeing his thought process about 'optimal plays'. So yeah shoutouts joey haha.


What is your favorite playstyle?
I'd say my favorite style would have to be bulky offense. Having some semblance of switchins while being able to keep up momentum really fits how I play.


Do you think any playstyle is blatantly dominant or weak in the metagame?
Right now I think that offense is pretty dominant over bulkier styles. UU right now in my opinion has so many threats to account for that running offensive checks to multiple threats usually works out better than having hard switch ins to just a few.


Do you think any Pokemon in particular needs to be suspected right now?
I do actually, surprise surprise. I think that Mamo and Mence should be suspected. I also believe Hydra is suspect worthy, but not as much as the other 2


You've had a very impressive run in UUPL! Is there anything that you can tell newer players about preparing for such tournaments?
Thanks! For this tournament in particular, the way that I went about preparing for games was just to bring something consistent if they don't main UU. If they do then I go through the trouble of watching replays and go about counter styling. A good example of this process was my game against xMarth where I brought Specs Hydra + Swave Duggy which probably would have worked out better if he had time to build his own team.


Your UUPL team consisted of many newer players. Who in particular would you say is underrated?
Yup our team definitely has a ton of up and comers with a lot of 3k buys. Malin, Adaam and Cyndequil are the 3 that come to mind when you say underrated. They are definitely good players and are very knowledgeable about uu as a whole, but just need more tour experience which couldn't happen in this tour unfortunately since we have so many players. Amaroq, while had a shaky oras game has been playing dpp for us recently and is playing great despite not playing before this tour I believe. Thanks Arifeen for helping test everything and then dying half way through. And shoutouts to our bw players: gully, sniper, ttom you guys rock. And cant forget the best cheerleader Miltankmilk, who doesn't play uu primarily but is definitely one to watch out for.


Who are some of your favorite people in the Smogon Community?
Oh boy thats a lot, just gonna go by groups haha so I don't accidentally forget anyone. Everyone in CT, SUU, Wolfpack, Lindas love you guys.


Do you plan on participating in the up and coming UU Open? Also, who do you think has a good shot at winning it this year?
I definitely plan on playing in UU open. As for people who I think can win, there are a ton haha. Theres always the big names like dodmen, teal, omfuga, hikari etc. There are definitely some lesser known players who have a good chance like the host himself Manipulative or Pak. But yeah honestly anyone can take it


Finally can you provide for us a team that you think reflects your current playstyle with a brief explanation for how it works?

[hide]
Crobat @ Sky Plate
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 88 HP / 164 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog

Sylveon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Baton Pass

Empoleon @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 216 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot

Sceptile-Mega @ Sceptilite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Focus Blast

Krookodile @ Choice Band
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Superpower

Arcanine @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 240 Def / 20 SpD
Impish Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Flare Blitz
- Morning Sun
- Extreme Speed
[/hide]
Here's a fun team I made for Pearl. Strong bulky offense team with the ever popular Specs Sylveon + Band Krook that just tears teams apart. It features defensive Arc which I think is really good right now as well as Skyplate Crobat which is fantastic as a pivot and a breaker since most teams don't really pack good flying resists. Yeah other than that the team is pretty straight forward. Nothing particularly innovating haha