TJ
Banned deucer.
tom holland
Favorite Pokemon: Ludicolo
Most used Pokemon: Primeape
Most known for: making top 8 in PU open, getting into the pu community really quickly, PU voice
tom: I am doing well, thanks for asking. Just enjoying the end of my summer break.
TJ: Can you tell us a little about yourself?
tom: Sure thing. Funnily enough, actual name is Zach, not Tom. I am a college student in Kentucky, USA and my major is Mathematical Economics. I love math, music, good times, and cute animals. I have a boyfriend who I visit every week even though he lives 3 hours away; I have a picture of us in the Smogon Photo Album thread btw. I play piano and violin, do math for fun because I am insane, and love going out with friends. Oh and I’m 19.
TJ: How and when did you get into competitive pokemon? What drew you to the PU community?
tom: So I remember watching competitive pokemon when I was really young. I watched this guy on youtube named “The Killer Nacho” and that’s when I was first exposed to it, that was when I was like 10. From there I kept watching competitive mons whether it was him or VGC, and eventually I was hooked on watching Aaron Cybertron Zheng and his VGC videos. I never truly played competitively though until I began college and wanted a fun brain-stimulating game when I had alone time. It turned out Smogon and Pokemon Showdown existed, and I honestly have no idea how I never stumbled upon it until a year ago. I was immediately hooked and began learning how to play in OU and UU first actually. I hated OU because all the mons were either ugly or overrated, and I for whatever reason sucked at UU (probably because I new to this outside of watching content). Slowly I kept trying lower tiers until eventually I stumbled upon PU and realized it has my favorite pokemon, Ludicolo. I made this really shitty Ludicolo team and from there on my PU life began. I continued to play on showdown on my own and learn through trial and error, and eventually when I decided I wasn’t a god-awful player I made a smogon account to begin making online friends. The PU community is so friendly, and it was incredibly easy to feel welcome and get involved, so that’s where I stuck it out and still am.
TJ: What are your thoughts on the current PU metagame? Is there anything you think needs to be resuspected after the PU open?
tom: A summarized sentence of my thoughts is, I love seeing new threats rise up and I hate Eelektross. Seriously I hate Eelektross and really hope people find more easy counterplay to it besides leading your strong physical attacker and praying. I don’t know enough about the banned mons to say anything about most of them, but one which I KNOW I want to see a retest on is Abomasnow-Mega, and after that maybe Cincinno. I found them both overwhelming when they dropped but also we had no time to see how the metagame would change or react. I don’t think there is any harm in doing resuspects when the tier is stable, so I am all for these two being tested.
TJ: How does it feel being the newest PU voice?
tom: It feels great honestly. When you get thumbs ups without really looking for them, it feels that much more satisfying. I have just been enjoying mons and making friends and sharing my experiences, and I am glad people have found good things come out of that.
TJ: We recently banned Guzzlord. Do you think it was the right decision?
tom: Yes. As one of the big supporters of this I am very happy with it gone. The meta felt uneasy with it in the tier, and it was near impossible to build teams with proper Guzzlord preparation, and so I am very happy with its absence.
TJ: Who are some of your favorite people in the PU community?
tom: Wow I will preface by saying I love literally everyone in the PU community. But as for ones in particular, I absolutely love and appreciate my friends gum and KellyKafka. They are not only smogon friends to me but irl friends and I am thankful to have met them both. I also really love Urusius and tlenit1 and am thankful they kinda took me under their wing and helped me improve at a faster rate. I love Teddeh as a stronger rival (emphasis on stronger) who is also a great character and presence, and I love ShuckleDeath's humor and innovation in the tier. Finally, a couple more people I adore in this community are Specs, royesk, Scizorphobic, Taskr, and Many. Sorry for anyone I left out there is just a lot of people.
TJ: What are your predictions for PU Snake Starters?
tom: So I think by far the best player and first PU player that will get picked is Teddeh. I also think that Tricking, Taskr, and HJAD will get picked up unless he chooses to not pick himself. I think that both TJ and LordST have a very strong chance at getting chosen, and I think that tlenit1 and I are on the bubble for getting drafted. Oh, and Megazard probably will. Unfortunately I think the last couple slots will get filled by tour players rather than PU mains.
TJ: Who do you fuckin hate on smogon?
tom: Definitely KellyKafka what a nerd
TJ: Whos the shittiest player you’ve ever played?
tom: The guy that uses twave confuse ray volbeat on the ladder I really hate that guy
TJ: Favorite TV show/movie?
tom: Spiderman far from home duh
TJ: Finally, could you give us a cool team and briefly explain it?
tom:
Primeape @ Choice Band
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Gunk Shot
Floatzel @ Choice Band
Ability: Water Veil
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Liquidation
- Ice Punch
- Pursuit
- Aqua Jet
Eelektross @ Assault Vest
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Giga Drain
- Flamethrower
- Discharge
Oricorio-Sensu @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Dancer
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Toxic
- Taunt
- Hurricane
Stunfisk @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Discharge
- Earth Power
- Protect
Sandslash-Alola @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Gunk Shot
Floatzel @ Choice Band
Ability: Water Veil
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Liquidation
- Ice Punch
- Pursuit
- Aqua Jet
Eelektross @ Assault Vest
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Giga Drain
- Flamethrower
- Discharge
Oricorio-Sensu @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Dancer
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Toxic
- Taunt
- Hurricane
Stunfisk @ Leftovers
Ability: Static
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Discharge
- Earth Power
- Protect
Sandslash-Alola @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
I LOVE this team. I used it vs Adaam in r6 of PU open and the idea is that Band Primeape and Floatzel on the same team are not only unexpected but surprisingly filled with synergy, able to break down teams with proper prediction and plays. It is extremely satisfying to u-turn out of froslass with your primeape and then pursuit it with floatzel. It is also paraspam too to make it easier for one of the bands to clean if needed, and it features one of my favorite pokemon in this tier, Stunfisk.
TJ: Thanks for your time, tom! As always, if you guys have your own questions, feel free to ask them below!