Welcome to the SM version of OU Player of the Week! This project will feature interviews from some of the most accomplished and influential users in the tier so that we can learn more about them.
If there is a user that you would like to see interviewed be sure to let me know.
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Cdumas
most known for: Having good results on Smogon in SM OU during the last year especially in teamtours: 4th OLT and 4-0 10-2 6-4 in Wcop Snake SPL
favorite pokemon: Azumarill
most used pokemon: Lando and French-Tran
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself outside of Smogon?
I’m a 21 years old French student working in my first year of engineering school. Physics is not really what I prefer though, as I would like something more oriented into math and finances. My last two years were pretty busy with decisive exams at the end, but now its way more chill so I have time to devolve to games :v I also play chess at high level, I love both games and I think they are really similar especially in term of prep, I don’t regret anything about playing mons though, since it’s harder to play chess past 16 years old without youngsters tours.
Where did you get your name from?
My username is just the first letter of my first name added with my family name, when I signed up on PS I just wanted to play 2 games against an IRL friend and I put this so that he could recognize me easily; didn’t expect to stick to this game for 3 years :x Don’t regret this though, cd or cdu
How and when did you get into competitive Pokemon?
I discovered the universe of Pokemon on DS with DPP and I was already fascinated by this game so I decided to look up online if I could fine anything strategic-wise, unfortunately I only found some smogdex with strategic sets, explanation about EVs, teambuilding, double switches, some videos of DS fights on YouTube (which was already a lot to appeal me) but no simulator. About five years later (in early 2015) a friend showed me Showdown and this was exactly the app I had been dreaming of: a way to put 6 mons together and predict everyone on the ladder. I started playing a lot on the ladder and PS French Room helped me improving thanks to numerous roomtours and official teamtours. I was really enjoying myself, joining all French tours and winning a lot as well as a few tours on Smogon although I never thought I could integrate this elitist community especially SPL. But in June 2017 Ojama trusted me to slot me in Wcop, I got a bit of success, and there it started…
What’s your favorite generation of OU and why?
I would say SM because that’s where I started having results on Smogon (I played ORAS at decent level in French community but now I’m way more turned to SM), although after all the tours I’ve been playing lately, especially SPL which was exhausting, I think I’m kind of bored of the tier. The fact that you always have the same scenarios where you just have to predict right, building being really repetitive (especially with everyone having access to good teams now), match up extremely important, all this makes me question a lot skill gap in this tier, with any player able to steal a strong team and getting a good match-up or get the 2-3 crucial turns in his favor. What I’m trying to say is that I don’t think ingame decisions impact much on the outcome of an SM OU game. Unfortunately, I can’t really talk about in game because I have only played DPP and HGSS, but both are amazing games that I cheer :D
What’s your favorite playstyle to use and why?
LANDOFERROPEX best playstyle, impossible to break, really safe since spikes is a busted move. Seriously I use mainly BO and sometimes balanced, in SPL I’ve been spamming scarflando magmatran teams because I think they are the best right now. Since I don’t play really agro I like having these pressuring but bulky mons that I can double more easily into without risking the game. I’m not against using HO as it’s still a reliable playstyle imo, but I’m most likely not loading stall in tournaments because it’s just a dumb and unhealthy playstyle.
What are your thoughts on the current metagame?
As many players already said: rocks papers scissors. I know I’m far for being the greatest builder but it’s so annoying how you must bank on your opponent not bringing X or Y when you build. Some examples: when I start a build I’m always wondering whether I’m gonna accept being weak to T-Spikes or not. Toxapex is not a great mon atm, but if I don’t use him I might just be too overwhelmed by opposite Toxapex because I won’t be able to remove. Medicham has no switch-ins, except some psychic types that die to Band-Tar. Mamoswine has no switch in, but gets rk’d by Kartana and Medicham which are super hard to check too. Offense is just a pyramid of breakers that try to outspeed each other, while we pray for our opponent not to have the one specific check.
Also, I believe Stall is unhealthy and should be nerfed, if I had to compare to chess I would say loading stall amounts to literally playing one piece up. It forces the non-stall player to succeed sometimes sequences of 15 turns, whereas the stall player only needs one turn of break to be back in the game. You may say “prep for stall blablabla”, but still beating stall relies also a lot on lures, which means that if you lack a complete stallcounter and the team you load is well known you have low odds of winning. I don’t think loading stall (which on the opposite can be the team spammed by everyone) should give such an advantage. You obviously add the fact that people don’t really want to prep for stall given all the massive offensive threats in the tier, and mons that beat stall aren’t that good overall (for instance mawile which needs ice punch for lando-t, but it’s hard to fit that in a stallbreaking set). All in all this joins what I said earlier about match-up issues, low skill gap, and low importance of ingame decisions in the tier.
Are there any Pokemon that you believe are overrated/underrated in the current metagame. Why?
I believe psychic CM mons are extremely good and underrated, but again it’s as I said above: if you don’t face a Ttar you should have a great match-up, but if you do it’s a bit bleaker. Reuniclus imo is extremely good, at least as good as Clefable as a wincon: it’s hard to kill for all these Lando-Gear volturn offenses. CM Stored Power Tias is also busted if you don’t run a Dark, and as shown by several spl games, your Dark type can be quickly overwhelmed by Toxic Spikes. This Latias set fucks many teams I’ve been using, especially the Lando-Tran-Tang ones because you don’t have much to catch it without Ttar. Overrated I don’t know, maybe AV Bulu? Shoutouts HANTSUKI for showing me the power of Mojambo. Oh, also I think Specs Keldeo is really too underrated, but as usual it’s a coinflip whether you face pex or not.
What have been some of your favourite moments from SPL9 so far?
Well SPL is over now but first I must say that this was the most emotional tour I’ve ever played, and I didn’t expect to find myself in tears after we lost the tiebreaker. I didn’t post in spl thread so I will do it here. Like Snake we had an amazing group, although you guys probably didn’t find me as active as you could have expected because I struggle more integrating in English-speaking teamtours and French teamtours are usually more fun to me (easier to joke in my mother tongue). Favorite moments obviously my wins, spl games are incredibly intense as I often found myself tightening my fist irl every time I got a kill and shouting on discord after each win. All my Sunday games will remain amazing memories, especially the clutch wins week4 week5 and week7. Concerning my teammates, I’m incredibly proud and grateful to Kory2600. People were laughing at us when we were drafted without ABR, but kory kept suggesting teams and helping me when I was lost in the teambuilder. You are by far the best teammate I ever had, the effort you made this tour is amazing, ily and I’m looking forward to teaming with you again in wcop. Thanks to my managers for gambling so much on me, I’m disappointed by my record and the way I couldn’t help the team in many games, but I hope my few crucial wins at least brought you some joy. Rewer you are amazing, helping everyone knowing that you couldn’t get a trophy, your generosity is incredible and seeing people with such a dedication make me want to stay on Smogon. I wish you the best in life buddy. undisputed, fantastic leader, I must confess that’s it always an honor for me, SM player, to see veterans sharing interest to new gens. Thanks a lot for your input in every tier, you were an amazing support and all your global suggestions helped me so much. Finally, Bushtush you are the funniest character I met on Smogon, thanks for all these moments of laugh. Ah and anti-shootout to all these idiots from other teams who make the community so unhealthy that I prefer twice more playing in French teamtours with my friends than on Smogon.
You have had strong individual records in almost all tournaments since the last WCoP. What do you think are the biggest factors that have enabled you to have that success?
Pastas 1h before every game, mental preparation 30min before with a playlist of replays and electronical music, during the game bottle of water energy bars and towel close to me, complete focus with discord closed smogtours chat closed and only calc and music on another tab. I usually turn off music during team preview so I can elaborate a global plan, then I turn it back on when I’m in the back and need to be more dynamic ingame. Seriously I don’t really know, I just try to bring teams that I like (I enjoy prepping i.e. finding what my opponent won’t expect and can be weak to, I just dislike building al lot), start the game with the most self-confidence I can, and then play optimally, after all this if Lady Luck smiles me I often get a Win I guess…
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone trying to break into the tournament setting?
Believe in yourself, but mainly take your time. You can’t expect to be seen as the goat after your first game, but if you keep playing games, one day you will enjoy some luck and be able to break into the tournament scene. Don’t forget to have fun before everything, it’s still a game after all. Meet some friends in tours or in PS chatrooms, chill on discord, this is the funniest for me outside of tournaments. To improve, I played a lot on ladder, studied smogdex, watched several youtubers (Tom Bus, BKC, Aim, Blunder…) and hanged out a lot on Smogtours to watch tour games. Don’t try to meme on Stours or anything if you are new. Just watch the games quietly and try to understand what happens. Don’t be impatient too. I followed 2 straight SPLs without joining and saying a word, to go for 27k the first year I join. If you want it, your time will come.
Who are some of your favourite people in the Smogon community?
Well I met most of my friends in French PS Room so I will come back to that later; the first non-French player I met is Tom Bus, I was a big fan of his vids and I randomly s/o him once in OST for using his team when we had never interacted before, and since then we started talking on PS almost every day, thanks so much for all your help: in teams, preparation, suspect tests (:v), and especially for our great friendship. Obviously, all my teammates in Bushmasters and Ruiners, especially ABR for teaching me everything, Tony, Nat, Chill Shadow, Omfuga, Ban Manaphy, Sken … “Outside” of Smogon, I have to give the biggest shootout to my French pals: 0Nl, Corazan, Hyssou, Kickasser, Kory2600, Raspberry, RedMaxx, Simia, Welliou, Zycross. I didn’t believe in online friendship until I met all of you, but considering all the moments of laugh I had in our discord and the excitement it brings me when you watch me play and cheer for me after a win, I believe this is clearly the case. Finally, all my friends in French Staff and Team France, 2018 is our year lgi :messi: If I had to say one player I really look up to it would be Ojama. This is no dick-riding, but the fact that you decided to play SM OU at high level and build your own teams whereas most veterans stick to their tier of comfort really impressed me.
Finally, can you provide us a team that you think reflects your current playstyle, with a brief explanation of how it works?
Many French players have it and spam it in STs now, so I will just share the Reuniclus team we made with Kory for Wk6 of SPL against Eo. Imo it’s one of the best SM teams although it has some blatant weaknesses such as Dark/Ghost opposite threats. The team enjoys a double Magic Guard Core with SR Clef guarantying hazards up, and Magic Guard means you can afford to trade hazards and then just switch between the two mons. M-Latias is a really nice pick, able to sponge hits from Heatran lacking Toxic and beating many offensive teams on its own. Heatran helps breaking and Protect means it can recover easily vs stuff like Clefable. Lando is obvious speed-control choice, with Hp Fire fixing the Kartana issue since Clef deals with Zygarde. You can run more speed on Reuni, I just thought the team didn’t need it since Pex does literally nothing against it. Many games come down to PP stall, but all in all I don’t think there are many unwinnable matchups (except stored power lati I guess), magic guard + hazards is pretty linear and easy to use.
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