OM Interviews (#16: In The Hills)

berry

what kind
is a Community Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a member of the Battle Simulator Staff
How does it feel getting lucked out of our OMPL Trophy? :<
:( was an unfortunate end to the season, but next time we're staying dominant through the whole tour

Hey that's me
congrats! you're famous
but my story should serve as an example of how easily humans are replaced by robots :(

when we meeting up famu
2020

also thoughts on chemistry
worst subject but my teacher in hs was the best
 

OM

It's a starstruck world
is a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Hey guys, welcome back to OM interviews! Let's all say hello to SectoniaServant, the triple deluxe of om users, to the stand!

limitedrealandalusianhorse.png


Hey Sectonia! Welcome to OM Interviews!

Hey OM! Feels weird to be on the other side of OM interviews, but hey! Guess that means something good for me!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

While I won’t say my name unlike others cough cough pillao cough cough, I will say that I’m a 25 years old man who’s in college right now. I have 5 cats at home, and I will give pictures to anyone who asks on Discord. Outside of Pokemon, I’m an enormous fan of Ace Attorney, the Legend of Zelda, Mario, and finally, as I’m sure some of you saw coming, Kirby. Kirby is my number 1 favorite franchise followed by Zelda and Ace Attorney. I am also deaf, which seems to be a thing that most people are unused to, and I also enjoy listening to music when I am able to. My music tastes are varied, but I really enjoy Lady Gaga songs specifically.

How did you get into Pokémon?

Funnily enough, I saw my older half brother playing it and I asked my parents for it on my birthday. And that was the very short story of how I started with gen 1. As for smogon and showdown, I started being interested around gen 4, with the battle frontiers being an interesting challenge for me. I’ll never forget that one dragonite I had that had the amazing moveset of extreme speed, waterfall, fire punch, and outrage. Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking either.

What metagame or metagames are you currently playing?

The metagames I’m into are mostly the perma ladders, more specifically, MnM and BH, although I really have come to enjoy 350 cup this month. Outside of OMs, I really enjoy RU, and I think it’s fun to play.

Do you want to share some cool sets you've made for these metagames?

I don’t think I really did anything, other than encourage the spreading of 64+ speed on base 130s mons to outspeed Cranidos in 350.

How do you see yourself in the OMs Community?

I’m not very active on forums (although I’ll like to change that), but you people might know me better in PS, where I’m the friendly driver that helps people out. To be honest, helping comes very easily to me, and I think I have a good enough understanding of OMs to guide people in those metagames, even if I don’t actually play those metagames. If helping out means more people play OMs, then by all means, I’m going to help out.

How do you feel about the current om tours? Any hot takes or predictions?

World Cup seems fun to watch, although I’m not a big fan of participating compared to OMPL. No hot takes really, other than the fact that whatever team gmansour20 is on, I hope that team wins.

What side do you support on the Wcoom Vs. OMWC debate? What's your argument for that side?

OMWC all the way, although I’m a big fan of wcowc (world cup of world cup) and omwcoom (other metas world cup of other metas). OMWC sounds more logical, and stuff like wcoom just makes you sound like you’re weirdly imitating a car for some reason.

9. And with gen 7 coming to a close, anything you're excited for with gen 8? Anything you want to say about the new games?

Gen 8 might disappoint a lot but Pokemon can never disappoint me, as cheesy as it sounds. I’m excited for Gen 8 even if I’m sad that some of the pokemon like my favorite mon Feraligatr won’t be in.

10. Speaking of your music taste, are there any songs you'd recommend?

For songs, I really like Applause, Paparazzi, and Speechless by Lady Gaga, and because it’s the season for it, I’ve added Bloody Mary and Monster by the same singer. For a non-Gaga song, I really like the Bayonetta remix of “Fly me to the moon”, so I guess those are my recommendations!

What do you find are some commons questions you get asked in the OM Room? Do you think there are ways we can avoid these from occurring?

The most common questions I usually see are either “what’s x meta” or questions related to mechanically unique metas, such as Inheritance or whatever may not exactly be intuitive at first sight. For the first one, there’s no way to really stop that, and our usual current ways of dealing with those things are sufficient enough. As for the second one, it would really be nice if we could add some rfaqs for the specific metagames in question, such as a question i sometimes see for inheritance being “why is this set illegal?” Usually, the fastest way to check is to put the very set on the mon you’re inheriting from, and see why it’s illegal, but that takes time to type out. I don’t mind typing it all out, though. But honestly, there’s not many common questions that can’t be solved easily at this current time.

Who would you say are your friends on PS / Smogon? Anyone you'd like to give a shoutout to?

I only have one shoutout to make, but I would say people in the MnM discord that talk often would be people that I consider friends. I would also add gmansour20, regirock, OM(the person holding this interview), gmansour20, Ransei, Volkner, gmansour20, and probably more that I’ve forgotten to mention (did i mention gmansour20) to that list of friends
Shoutout to gmansour20

Speaking of gmansour20...

gmansour20 asks:
why are you so good and so nice and so perfect?

I can only answer this question if you answer it first yourself :blobnom:

TheCoastsofToast asks: How dare you (think your interview will be better than mine)?

I don’t think that, wtf. why can’t our interviews be equally as good :blobsad:

Anything you'd like to say to the audience as we close out the interview?

Don’t forget: [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] concerning [REDACTED]. Hope that clarifies everything about that topic! :blobthumbsup:

That's all for today's interview! Feel free to ask questions in the thread for SectoniaServant to respond to!
 
What side do you support on the Wcoom Vs. OMWC debate? What's your argument for that side?

OMWC all the way, although I’m a big fan of wcowc (world cup of world cup) and omwcoom (other metas world cup of other metas). OMWC sounds more logical, and stuff like wcoom just makes you sound like you’re weirdly imitating a car for some reason.
How could you forget omoom, the best in this debate?

Thoughts on you surpassing me in linecount in OMs despite me having no life?

How do you feel about the current Mix and Mega metagame and how would you change it throughout the years if you were metagame leader?

Outside of gaming, what are your favourite hobbies?

What are your thoughts on sleep?
 
I really enjoy RU, and I think it’s fun to play
Will you play for Other Metas in the next PSPL?

Since Tier Shift probably won’t exist before the next OMPL, what OM would you replace it with assuming the rest of the metas continue from WCoOM?

As a cat person, are you offended by the dogs in the staff intro?

If you were OM Leader, what would LCotM November be?

Would you ban stall?
 

Sectonia

But I set fire to the rain
is a Tiering Contributoris a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
How could you forget omoom, the best in this debate?

Thoughts on you surpassing me in linecount in OMs despite me having no life?

How do you feel about the current Mix and Mega metagame and how would you change it throughout the years if you were metagame leader?

Outside of gaming, what are your favourite hobbies?

What are your thoughts on sleep?
oh no, how could i forget that

i have a life but i still managed to surpass you in linecount :bloblul:

I think the current metagame suffers from how Terrakion is a large threat in it, but with the next gen being this close, I’ve come to accept Terrakion’s place in the metagame, even though it heavily warps matchups when paired with Lunala.

Outside of gaming? I don’t have much, but I really enjoy reading. I like real books and fictional stories written by people online, and I’ve seen a whole lot of shit happen in those stories.

My thoughts on sleep are very complicated, but I did just sleep 10 hours so i dunno, I think sleep is amazing and should be reverred as our gods

Thoughts on Phineas and Ferb?
I don’t think, but I will for this question
Phineas and Ferb was a nice cartoon when I saw it, and I would watch quite a few episodes. But I don’t really remember much about it.

Will you play for Other Metas in the next PSPL?

Since Tier Shift probably won’t exist before the next OMPL, what OM would you replace it with assuming the rest of the metas continue from WCoOM?

As a cat person, are you offended by the dogs in the staff intro?

If you were OM Leader, what would LCotM November be?

Would you ban stall?
Yeah sure.

I’m actually unsure about this question; it would depend on what we have available. My line of thought involves replacing it with another stat metagame, but I’m not sure where to really start thinking about it. Maybe something like 350 cup or Averagemons to temporarily replace Tier Shift

No, I love the dogs. Could probably occasionally have a cat in it, but the dogs are very good boys and girls. I can’t complain about them.

For LCotM? I’m torn between Averagemons and Full Potential.
Ban stall and ban Pigeons
 
How does it feel to know that you have to share an existence with an absolute chad such as myself?

What life choices lead to you having to serve a giant bee queen?

Opinions on the om trademark and my empty void of creativity that has kept it inactive?

Thoughs on me submitting an om before trademarked called "sword and shield" before sword and shield was announced? Should I sue gamefreak
 

Sectonia

But I set fire to the rain
is a Tiering Contributoris a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
How does it feel to know that you have to share an existence with an absolute chad such as myself?

What life choices lead to you having to serve a giant bee queen?

Opinions on the om trademark and my empty void of creativity that has kept it inactive?

Thoughs on me submitting an om before trademarked called "sword and shield" before sword and shield was announced? Should I sue gamefreak
Who

Very questionable ones

free trademark

What was the idea of the metagame? And even if you wanted to sue, you never actually got it successfully submitted, I think, so it would fail anyways.
 

Sectonia

But I set fire to the rain
is a Tiering Contributoris a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
sectonia please im not trying to be edgy do you still think im trying to be edgy bro i swear bro its just my personality i dont mean to be bro im sorry please.
you’re still edgier than the emo forums i used to go to, and that emo forums was really edgy as hell. i mean, how many death metal quotes do i have to see before i get fed about it. i’m also tired of seeing half of the people on forums just tell me unnecessarily edgy stuff about their lives like how they wear black in summer no matter how hot it gets. bro. i would die. and man. half of the damn forums does the same thing, why are you special. this is the last time i ever agree to being admin of an emo forums.
 
you’re still edgier than the emo forums i used to go to, and that emo forums was really edgy as hell. i mean, how many death metal quotes do i have to see before i get fed about it. i’m also tired of seeing half of the people on forums just tell me unnecessarily edgy stuff about their lives like how they wear black in summer no matter how hot it gets. bro. i would die. and man. half of the damn forums does the same thing, why are you special. this is the last time i ever agree to being admin of an emo forums.
okay look dude i dont claim im special just cause i wear black in summer i dont even do it all the time sometimes i just feel like wearing my slytherin tee okay its not an edge thing its a this piece of clothing i like is black and i dont care that its summer even though i probably should because im in nevada and we had an entire month of 110+ degree weather. I dont even listen to death metal the most conventionally edgy thing i like is mcr and i dont go around quoting them all the time oh my GOD dude i am not that edgy please stop.
 
1. How was writing the OMPL article?

2. What is your opinion on the snaking incident lol.

Thank you for not snaking me

3. How to be liked by the OM community

4. How to get stresh's respect
 

Sectonia

But I set fire to the rain
is a Tiering Contributoris a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
1. How was writing the OMPL article?

2. What is your opinion on the snaking incident lol.

Thank you for not snaking me

3. How to be liked by the OM community

4. How to get stresh's respect
1. OMPL article was fun to write even though it got stressful when you just disappeared on us for a while.

2. [REDACTED]

3. Be Gmansour20

4. heck, why are you asking me. I am just a humble om room driver and stresh is just a superior global voice compared to me.
 

OM

It's a starstruck world
is a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Hey mons players of all generations (and some who've quit)... Here's our next OM Interview, and the first one for gen 8, In The Hills !



Hi In the hills! Welcome to OM Interviews!!

Thanks for having me!

Would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself?

I'm a 19 year old (20 in a month) fashion student from southern US, and I'm a sophomore in college. I've been playing Pokemon since I was about 3, and got my first game of my own for my 5th birthday, Pokemon Blue. I started playing competitive in 2013 on Pokemon Online, then moved over to PS! in 2015. I remember the first OM I ever played was back in April of 2017 when Ability Unity was OMoTM and I've been hooked since then.

What metagame(s) do you find yourself enjoying the most, on the sim or not?

Mix and Mega has always been a long time favorite, (rest in peace) though over the past year or so I've enjoyed Camomons and STABmons much more for increased creative freedom.

Why do you feel that mix and mega is so creatively restrictive?

I think the restrictive nature of Gen 7 Mix and Mega came from a lot of things, such as the lack of passive recovery from Leftovers or abilities like Regenerator and Poison Heal that other metagames have present, but the main restriction Mix and Mega puts on teams I believe comes from Sablenite. The issue with Sablenite is pretty clear-- it gives +50 to each defense stat and gives the user Magic Bounce. This completely eliminates the viability of passive hazard users, and overcentralizes the metagame around Stealth Rocks and keeping them off the field. If you look at our bans since USUM aside from Shadow Tag, they all are rooted heavily in the hazard game- Deoxys-S, while partially banned because of Pidgeotite, wasn't considered for a retest after said stone was quickbanned due to its Gyaradosite hazard stack set being too concerning. Naganadel's main reasoning for its ban was because it was broken on webs. Landorus-T was another Webs abuser, but also was a Stealth Rock user that could practically guarantee Rocks stayed up with Explosion. Shuckle's connection to hazards is obvious, and we were very close to suspecting Terrakion, another Stealth Rock user, towards the end of the gen. I'm not saying Stealth Rock or the hazard game is the sole reason any of these were suspected because that very much isn't the case, but I think it highlights just how important hazards have been in restricting Mix and Mega in Generation 7. I will say I also don't think banning Sablenite is the answer, but it has been something I've thought about before.

How do you think you've added to the metagames you've played? Do you feel you've caused any noteworthy achievements?

I've always tried to help keep the Mix and Mega resources as up to date as possible and try to innovate new sets. Nothing really comes to mind outside of me 'inventing' Red Orb Naganadel the very first week of USUM (https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-665297048) and spreading the news to the OM room (as I was still smol and bad user without discord at the time), convincing user stresh to try it out and eventually make it what it is today aka banned. As for Camomons, I've spent a lot of work over the past year and a half trying to revive it and make it a more popular metagame, after a few months I got the Dragonite suspect initiated, and a few months later the council we have now was finally created.I've hosted two Camomons tours on the forums that both were incredibly successful and I'm particularly proud of (shoutout to Matiss for winning both). Camo has seen a large increase in its popularity, getting its rotational back, being included in the weekly schedule of daily tours, and most recently being included in WCoOM. I'm really excited to see how much further we can take it!

As someone who's a council member for a few metagames, what are some struggles that comes with it?

I'd say the biggest struggle is learning to agree to disagree. You aren't always going to agree with your fellow council members no matter how long you argue, and there gets to be a point where it feels personal, so you have to know when to let an argument go for sure. Another thing that's hard to deal with is getting things done when you're in a council with multiple people with busy schedules. It can be really difficult to communicate what's happening if everyone isn't online, and can really slow down progress.

And as just an OM user overall, how do you think OMs has been this generation? Anything you'd like to see for the next generation?

Overall, I did really enjoy OMs this generation, though personally Z-moves were a very stale concept as a whole. I've stated my qualms with some metagame choices in the suggestions thread recently so I won't get into those at all. I think the thing I'd like to see most this generation is having the OM Leadership more... I guess active? in the community, working with us rather than being closed off as they have been in the past, as well as making sure things actually get done in a timely manner. They've definitely made huge strides at being more transparent over the past year so I think it's a change we could definitely see.

Considering gen 8, is there anything you find yourself interested in in the coming competitive scene changes?

For generation 8, I'm glad we were able to bring Mix and Mega back, and I'm very excited for it. As for the new changes, Aggronite is something I've wanted to bring up for a very long time, but never thought I'd get any support for. Red Orb and Blue Orb going I think is also for the best, it not only opens up new weather mega stones to be actually usable now, it just made sense thematically imo. I think gen 8 mnm is going to be a great tier, and it'll be refreshing not to see the same 3 mons on every single team, so I'm very excited.

I will say though dynamax seems actually interesting competitively, and I'm excited to see how they effect the metagames we know and love. BH is another metagame I'm interested in this gen, with so many pokemon and moves gone it'll be so weird to see how drastically the metagame changes. Lastly, what new OMs appear as we move forward is something I'm definitely excited about this gen, there's a lot of cool new mechanics and I love seeing how people come together to make new OM ideas out of them.

Now, you're also the manager of one of the WCoOM teams in Finals. How do you think you'll do? Have you been enjoying it so far?

This WCoOM has been really exciting so far; I honestly knew my team was solid but I don't think I expected them to be this good. A 4-0 record from pdt and qt so far wasn't something I thought would happen, but it's been exciting to experience. It's hard not to feel a little useless when the rest of your team is doing so amazing while you're sitting on an 0-2 record, but it's been great to help where I can. The playoffs have been really exciting too, I'm glad about what teams made it in (though i think we all expected more from Canada). I think the finals are going to be one for the books-- I always knew it'd end with UK vs US South. Both of these teams have been absolutely ridiculous this tour and it'll be great to see who comes out on top. I have a lot of confidence in my US South teammates to make this a great final and I hope we can pull a victory. I've wanted to battle UK since this tour started (RIP my dream of facing West Europe), so I'm glad this is how it ended up.

Who are some OM users and teammates that you've enjoyed hanging out w/ and are thankful for being with?

Andyboy and stresh definitely, I can't say it enough how great they are. I finally got to team up with andy in OMPL too and that was great because not only is he amazing at mnm, but it allowed me to play STAB. Chloe has been great to me overall, and even though we don't always agree or like each other at times there's love there, funbot, drampa, viv and basically anyone in [redacted room] have been great to get to know more recently as well, and I can't go without mentioning the literal best user on this site, gmansour20. NOBODY will ever be as cool as him. Now onto my love affair with ti...

All jokes aside ti and i have gotten a lot closer over the past year and he's actually a lot cooler and nicer than I ever expected him to be, I wish he'd put himself out there in the community more.

oh wait shoutout my us south bros ur all cool too


What are your thoughts on the sword and shield controversy? How do you approach it?

The dex cut is something I definitely don't agree with from Game Freak, I think they're prioritizing animation (which isn't that good) over a) their own pokemon and b) making good games which in my opinion they have failed to do ever since moving to 3D. That being said, I think what's done is done, we have to move forward with what they give us. I understand that people want national dex formats and they want mix and mega as an om, but I think it's best for us as a community if we stick with what's in the games moving forward, as much as it hurts. I think natdex formats outside of ou (and even ou honestly) would be a step backwards and I don't see myself ever playing them

This is probably the most important question in the interview now

What's your taste in music? Anything you'd like to recommend?


Great Question, I'm an avid The Studio room regular

Really the only good question

I like everything honestly, but you can't go wrong with Beyonce (and Beyonce can't go wrong... except with Jay Z :x). 2000s/90s throwbacks are always bops, from Missy Elliot to No Doubt to Natasha Bedingfield. I also love 80s/disco, and even named my last mnm rmt after a Donna Summer song. For current artists, Harry Styles is my favorite by far (I'm even wearing an I <3 1 Direction bracelet as we speak) HIGHLY recommend listening to his last album and specifically Kiwi, and his new album comes out December 13th! He was also hosting and the musical guest on last SNL. Others include Frank Ocean, Rex Orange County, and bad bitch music from Megan Thee, Stallion, Doja Cat and others

Oh idk if this is supposed to go with an earlier question but my favorite pokemon is ditto

ok

Is there anything you'd like to say to the readers before the interview ends?


How dare you? No but uhh... stop being mean to me im fragile :( Also play Camomons it's the best OM... I feel like I need to say something inspirational lol... It's never serious so if you start to take mons too seriously take a break it's healthy i promise

Thanks for having me though, hopefully you'll have me again in the not so near future!

Feel free to ask questions to In The Hills below!

[11:32:59] in the hills: oh wait i have one more thing one sec
[11:33:04] OM~!: ?
[11:34:06] in the hills: OM~!10/27/2018
[11:34:07] in the hills: In The Hills nah, i don't think you'll be getting an interview anytime soon
[11:34:12] in the hills: haha!
[11:34:33] OM~!: >:(
[11:34:37] OM~!: it's been a year
[11:34:41] in the hills: only 3 interviews later
[11:34:41] OM~!: that's not anytime soon...
[11:34:44] OM~!: shhh
[11:34:48] in the hills: ;)
 
Last edited:

Gman

Stay kind, stay compassionate
:blobnom:
When are you coming to Italy? I hope it's confirmed :3
What's happening to Hidden Type?
How hard are you shipping Xavgb0y500?
Are you happy that I'm blue, too?
What would you do if I held a Maroon to your throat?
Will you and Chazm try to appreciate one another more and focus on stuff upon which you agree?
Milotic is cool :3
 
How does it feel to have a pfp from an anime that will probably never be finished?

Why is it "in" the hills? Why not outside, around, behind, in front. In fact why the "hills"? No mountains, canyons, crevice, or other geological formation?

Why am I so corny and probably gonna start this trend of asking corny interview questions?

On a more seriius note:

How did you get into seeking a career in fashion?

How did you get into Hunter x Hunter?

Love what ur doing with camo btw and wondering outside of toxtricity and galar darm what sets do you see being really good this gen?
 

in the hills

spreading confusion
is a Top Artistis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
And nobody is gonna ask me questions? Wow, what a world we live in
Why is In The Hills such a cute user?
because cute user Alexender said so owo

hello ith, i have a question, its not about you i just really need an answer

why does sea world have a seafood restaurant?
the fish gotta eat too

:blobnom:
When are you coming to Italy? I hope it's confirmed :3
What's happening to Hidden Type?
How hard are you shipping Xavgb0y500?
Are you happy that I'm blue, too?
What would you do if I held a Maroon to your throat?
Will you and Chazm try to appreciate one another more and focus on stuff upon which you agree?
Milotic is cool :3
1. Late May until Late July, am applying for study abroad next week so hopefully confrimed soon :)
2. Not sure as Hidden Power no longer exists, I already had no plans to resubmit it before finding out either
3. they cute, but not as cute as vivalosbot28
4. of course you deserve mnm council
5. Im scared of snakes aaaaaa
6. never
7. :3 ur cool


How does it feel to have a pfp from an anime that will probably never be finished?

Why is it "in" the hills? Why not outside, around, behind, in front. In fact why the "hills"? No mountains, canyons, crevice, or other geological formation?

Why am I so corny and probably gonna start this trend of asking corny interview questions?

On a more seriius note:

How did you get into seeking a career in fashion?

How did you get into Hunter x Hunter?

Love what ur doing with camo btw and wondering outside of toxtricity and galar darm what sets do you see being really good this gen?
1. Ow.... I don't feel so good mr wpa
2. i think it's like a travis scott lyric or smth idk i was like 14 when i joined ps lol
3. Idk but for every corny question from now on I'll end with a corny joke. What do you call a man who never farts in public? A private tutor.
4. I've always had a lot of interest in fashion idk, it felt natural to pick it as my major. A lot of my friends from high school were fashion majors at the college I go to and I started my first semester undecided, but after talking to them and seeing how much they liked it I decided it was for me
5. It was the second anime I ever watched, after Naruto.. I was in like 10th grade or something and a girl in my Home Ec class told me to watch it so I did lol
6. Kommo-O is going to be absolutely ridiculous as well with Boomburst and Clangorous Soul. Other than that, I think Hydreigon and Reuniclus each got a nice buff this gen, with Hydreigon getting Nasty Plot (honestly concerning lol) and Reuniclus not having to worry about Pursuit anymore, as well as gaining access to Stored Power. Aegislash looks pretty neat too, and if it doesn't get banned from OU Toxapex will be a huge threat this time around. Once the starter's Hidden Abilities are released, Rillaboom is going to be sooooo good.
 

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