Welcome to the Random Battles Community Interview! The goal of this project is to interview well-known members of the Randbats community every month and learn more about them. These members may include players who’ve been successful in tournaments, high-ladderers, format/forum contributors, and more!
Tarrembeau
first of all thanks for giving us a bit of your time to answer this interview!
I have been to Germany on several occasions now and I plan to go back there as soon as I can. Is there any place you'd advise me to go visit?
soTsoT
Can't really think of anything special of the top of my head, but if I had to go with one place it would probably just be Berlin. lots to see on a relative small space, and it’s pretty international so language should never be a problem even if you don't speak German
Tarrembeau
Berlin is so much different than pretty much any big city I had the chance to visit. I went there as a teen and it gave me a very strong impression; I'd be pretty excited to come back and visit it once more with more mature eyes. Are you a traveler yourself?
soTsoT
Not really, the only other country I visit on a somewhat regular basis is The Netherlands because my family has some roots there, but other than that I only ever left Germany for a few class trips. I'm just easily overwhelmed by new places and can't really appreciate them as a result, hence I prefer to stick to what I know
Tarrembeau
You'd probably enjoy a comfier session of playing some video games to spend a holiday then?
soTsoT
That sounds like a way better way to spend a holiday indeed
Tarrembeau
What games do you play?
soTsoT
Apart from Mons (obviously), I really enjoy playing Legends of Runeterra competitively with some success, recently barely missing out on the final stage of the world championship. It’s a card game set in the universe of League of Legends, and I definitely recommend checking it out if you're into card games. Other than that I mostly play Splatoon right now. I also have a weakness for roguelike indie games, but I've had a hard time fitting those in between the mainstays in the past few months.
Tarrembeau
I have a thing for roguelikes as well but it got tamed a bit after a friend of mine made me play Son of a Witch for a hundred hours. Grats for your success in Runeterra, hope it will only get better from there!
Despite all these cool, time-consuming games you still find energy to play Pokemon with success as well. When and how did you get involved with the Random Battles community?
soTsoT
I first started getting into the community with RBTT 3. While I did enjoy Random Battles as a timekiller before, they weren't really anything more back then. But having a team tour with all the pros of a "normal" teamtour—but without the big pressure of having to come to up with a different team every week, which was actually what stopped me from signing up for many team tours when I still played non random formats—sounded like a great time, so I decided to sign up. Luckily I was drafted and ended up with Team Hoopa, where I indeed had a great time, even though we didn't manage to win.
Tarrembeau
You did win RBTT 5 however, and it was a pleasure teaming up with you! Are you looking forward to RBTT 6?
soTsoT
Definitely! I might focus on Gen9 for that considering that I didn't really have a fixed place in the lineup last year and I'd ideally like to avoid a similar situation this year. Although depending on how Mystery Box will be handled this year and what formats it contains (assuming it returns at all, but I think that’s very likely), I might just embrace the wackiness of it and try to play it every week, if my manager lets me that is.
Tarrembeau
Not having a fixed place really seemed like a drag, but it was satisfying to see you perform very well during the playoffs with the Mystery Box spot at least! This requires you to play a whole lot of different formats that are very distinct from one another. You also won an Open that had five different formats in it. Do you have a favorite format despite this variety, and if yes, why?
soTsoT
If I had to choose one, it would probably be Hackmons. It might not be the most competitive format, but it's the home of countless crazy interactions that you can't see anywhere else, which makes playing it really fun because you never know what you'll run into the next game.
Tarrembeau
Have you gotten to try Gen 9 Hackmons Cup?
soTsoT
Not yet, I'm currently trying to get used all the new Mons/Moves/Tera etc. so my brain at least memorizes what these Mons SHOULD do before I jump into the mode where they can do whatever they want
Tarrembeau
Seems like a fair concern! Are there any kind of strategies you particularly like to use in Random Battles, or Hackmons Cup?
soTsoT
I think for Hackmons Cup specifically the most important thing is figuring out what Mons on the opposing team are actually dangerous and what can safely be ignored in the sense that you shouldn't invest any resources trying to remove them. When every Pokemon can have every Move that might seem impossible at first, but it's actually not that difficult to figure out based on how the turns play out. I can't really think of a non-obvious example right now, but I hope it's clear what I mean anyway.
Tarrembeau
What about more traditional Random Battles formats? Is your approach similar?
soTsoT
I think the base principle behind that still works, but of course the pool of possible options is way smaller. In a sense that makes it easier, but on the other hand all of these options are potentially scary, unlike in Hackmons Cup. It's less of an information game compared to Hackmons, and more of a tempo game. Either try to be in the best possible position you can be at every turn without ever making yourself vulnerable (i.e. avoid using stuff like Overheat to kill things when there are potentially scary unrevealed Mons on your opponent’s team, unless you absolutely need to to even have a chance) or have a very clear plan on how you want to win the game and have every turn work towards that (i.e. you have a Linoone in the back and only need some chip and a safe switch in to have it sweep)
Tarrembeau
Those are some very nice insights. Is there any particular Pokemon you really like rolling, or is there any set you like more than others?
soTsoT
Not really a set, but I like rolling Knock off. You can rarely go wrong with clicking that.
Tarrembeau
Well, that's very fair! Even though it's more of a modern gen move, when you think about it.
We mentioned RBTT earlier; is there any other Random Battles event or tournament you're looking forward to participating in, or eager to win?
soTsoT
I really enjoy playing the circuit, especially because of the high variability of different tiers, which I think plays into my cards as more of an allrounder. Unfortunately I took an unlucky R1 exit in playoffs this year, but I'm looking forward to next year!
Tarrembeau
I wish you the best success for the next Slam edition! I barely missed the playoffs myself, so I can understand the frustration.
This interview is coming to an end, but before we go, do you have any advice to give to newer players, or players who seek to improve their battle skills?
soTsoT
I think the most obvious answer is just play a lot. The more you play, the more of a feeling you get for how the format works, what does what amount of damage, which is especially relevant when you're coming from regular formats because of the different EV spreads, and what are the biggest threats you need to watch out for - some of which might be complete garbage in teambuilding formats.
If you're looking for a more concrete way to improve I think it can be helpful to review some of your losses and reflect on what mistakes you possibly made, or how you could've played differently. I've seen a lot of players that aren't super involved in Randbats quickly blame losses entirely on matchup, but when I take a look at the replay I often see some plays that are just straight up misplays in my opinion, and they might have had a shot if they played differently. Of course there will always be matchups you just can't win by the very nature of the format, but if you are too quick to blame the matchup you might make the same mistakes again next time. After all learning from your mistakes is one of the best ways to get better at something.
Tarrembeau
Thank you for your wonderful answers!
Thanks soTsoT for the wonderful interview! Feel free to ask any further questions for them in this thread, and make sure to keep an eye out for future interviews!