Featured Tutor #6 - BKC

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BKC
  • Can you tell us a bit about your life outside Smogon?
I'm a 19 year old half-Czech half-American kid with plans of becoming a lawyer - playing drums in a metal band is my ideal career choice and I do intend to do just that but surprisingly it doesn't quite pay the bills. Plus, I highly enjoy proving myself right in reasoned argument, and getting paid to do it will be a sweet deal. In the fall I'll be moving to Prague to start studying for university entrance exams while working as an English teacher at my old high school; until then, I'll be working as a security guard at a hospital and a Little League baseball umpire in good old Norwalk, Connecticut.

  • When did you join the Battling 101 program?
I could be wrong on the exact timing but I believe Bloo approved me as a tutor in early 2012 when I got drafted for SPL, which was the beginning of me becoming the full-fledged tournament player I am today - prior to that, I was an RMT/ladder guy for the most part.
  • Why did you join Battling101?
I like teaching, both for the whole passing-down-my-knowledge-and-shit part and because it's not something that requires you to be incredibly serious while doing in order to do a good job. There aren't many feelings like seeing a tutee of yours do big things.
  • Did you sign up as a tutee initially?
I did in the summer of 2010 for DPP OU, which is my home tier and one I'd been playing ever since my start a little over a year prior. I requested Philip7086 because one of the best Youtube (which is my Pallet Town so to speak, where I began my pkmn journey) battlers, MrFlamethrowa, used Team of Torment in fall '09 and I was amazed by it as well as his subsequent Power Rangers team. However, he didn't want some annoying little 14 year old bugging him about the best strategy for beating Machamp leads so he foisted me on his old tutee, undisputed. He owns and along with 6A9 Ace Matador is responsible for teaching me a lot of the core values I hold today. I will conclude this paragraph with words of wisdom from another idol of mine, Loki -- "fuk phil"
  • What's your preferred style of battling?
It has varied a lot throughout the years, especially with all the different stages of the metagames I've played. When I first started in '09, I barely knew what the hell I was doing but the shit I grabbed out of my Platinum cart's boxes most resembled offense. I caught the Spikes Roserade bug at the peak of the semistall era in early '10 and for the next 3 and a half years enjoyed those kinds of spiking teams the most, eventually getting heavier and heavier with the stall aspect; I was - and still am tbh, although not to the extent I am now - one of those guys who seeks to build the Ultimate Unbreakable Stall Team of Death, which is how I get my rep as a stall player (my good friend CasedVictory helps by screaming about the wonders of BKC stall at every opportunity). In late '13 I started getting more into the offensive side of things - I'd always dabbled in it before and had some cool results in SPL/Tour, but it was mainly in the "I'm a stall player who wants to pretend he can switch it up" kind of way, although my bulky SD Scizor DPP team was quite successful (this was the main one I used). This time I got more serious with it, and produced the infamous SR + MixNite + Lucario DPP trio of doom (it's more of an in-joke than serious innovation or whatever but it marks an important spot for me) and got a lot better at it while also improving at it in ADV (this is a lot harder to play effectively than stall, which I used to crutch on a lot). My most recent well-known DPP team single-handedly shot Zapdos up as the #1 lead starting in Tour 18, so there's that. I would say I switch it up depending on how I'm feeling and the metagame I'm playing.
  • What style do you encourage your tutees to follow and why?
Whatever they enjoy playing with the most. I think being comfortable with a team is sort of underrated nowadays, people get so caught up in counterstyling their opponents and worrying about matchup nowadays they don't really try to just play around with things to see what they like. I'm not saying it's bad to try and get a nice matchup, especially if your opponent is one of those guys who is begging to get destroyed because they can't change their style up (and this is one reason I try to get people acquainted with every style, however little - not everyone can be an imperfectluck who beats you with stall every time despite you knowing it's coming), but honestly I enjoy it more when I just pick a team I like and am confident in and play the game. Might be my wifi days talking.
  • Are there any patterns in your tutoring style?
I begin by finding out how well acquainted the tutee is with the metagame, and if he doesn't know too much, I give him a rundown - just a brief overview, he doesn't have to know enough to fill up a college textbook on the first day. We then delve into teams, some practice battles, and go from there, I don't really have a set way of doing things. Whatever needs to be done will be done, however way is best.
  • How do you feel while tutoring?
I can't recall too many unpleasant experiences, almost everyone I've gotten has been a pleasant dude wanting to learn, although the amount of effort they're willing to put in certainly varies. One of my first guys in '12 was a spoiled brat and he gave me nightmares but other than that it's a nice time.
  • Do you follow a process while tutoring?
I think I covered it two questions above.
  • What's your favorite strategy that you've run? This can be from any metagame or time period.
I'm most proud of the one in my ADV RMT. Suicune and Porygon2 are often one flinch away from death by Aerodactyl since sand cancels their Leftovers out. The team lures Tyranitar, traps it with Dugtrio, and then Charizard's Sunny Day clears the skies, letting them check it much more securely.
  • Do you wish to get specific feedback from your tutee, and not just receive a grade?
Oh yeah. When I saw Funkasaurus send in his evaluation, my heart melted. I was so proud when he won his first tour, he took out Bluewind and KG in the finals which single-handedly led Metro to recruit him. Him and Lohgock are probably the tutees I'm most proud of.
  • If you could improve B101, what would you change?
I would probably have more live seminars. There was one in the summer of '10 that I and many others studied religiously, even guys not affiliated with B101 chipped in to share some knowledge - it doesn't take too much effort to pop into an IRC channel and drop a few lines. Funnily enough, a lot of the stuff in it applies to every generation...

Thanks BKC for accepting and feel free to ask him questions.
~ Leftiez and Steve Angello
 
1. opinions on stall in adv? i watched a few of your videos of adv replays in spl (partly because i hate reading logs hehe) and from what I gathered you weren't a big fan. same question for BW, I don't think I've seen stall there in a while
2. what would you ban in BW to make it a better tier?
3. do you feel like matchup plays an important role when playing dpp stall?
4. what's your way of going about predicting? from having played you, you don't seem to be afraid of predicting a double or an overpredict
5. any way you think more interest could be garnered for old gens? i guess the new classic tour helps in that regard but still
 
What tier do you think is the skillest one ? ADV or DPP ?

What do you prefer in those tiers compared to ORAS / BW ?

Advice for a player who is rating back ? Since you are an old and amazing rater

What are the criteria to be a Smogon Tour winner ?
 

Ragnarock

Banned deucer.
:]

When are you gonna start uploading on YT again, if you're doing it anymore?
What you do feel are most underrated threats in DPP and ADV?
What are your tips you recommend in terms of preparing for tournament fights, whether DPP or any other tier?
Do you prefer instrumental metal or lyrics?
Last but not least, what's your favorite Slayer song?
 
1. opinions on stall in adv? i watched a few of your videos of adv replays in spl (partly because i hate reading logs hehe) and from what I gathered you weren't a big fan. same question for BW, I don't think I've seen stall there in a while
I don't mind it at all and I'm thinking about new stall teams all the time. I just feel like in ADV, generic stall not only takes a lot of fun and imagination out of the game but is also incredibly susceptible to a good player with a trap team. I'm not saying people shouldn't bring it now and again to keep people on their toes but even then it's better to switch some things around, mindgames upon mindgames etc. Something cool is much more fun to battle, while it's easier to make some cool offensive stuff it's more than possible for stall as well - for example recently I played Fakes and he brought a Vertigo stall team with six mons not affected by Spikes or Dugtrio. Now that was a fun game, here it is. I also appreciate the team M Dragon made for KG this past season, one that looks like generic bog standard shit but has a bunch of surprises in store - that removes some/a lot of the predictability those teams have and can definitely give a big upper hand.

As for BW, see the comment about the Ultimate Unbreakable Stall Team of Death. I have this problem in DPP too, where I'm such a perfectionist that I'm never satisfied with even my best stall and am always tweaking it because I want it to be Literally Flawless and I'm always churning out new scenarios in my head. It's another reason I started playing more offensively I was all "lemme play some offense for now to throw people off and I'll finish this Perfect Stall later" because the ability to outplay things more easily meant my perfectionism didn't get in the way nearly as much. Anyway in BW despite all the success of my stall team I haven't brought it out for a while because I'm still trying to figure out the Optimal Version, The Best One, The Pinnacle, etc. It'll happen eventually though. That reminds me I should post it since Jirachee keeps bugging me about it as well as rewriting Bleed...

2. what would you ban in BW to make it a better tier?
Sand Stream, Drizzle, Drought, Spikes, Kyurem-B. I would unban Excadrill and Manaphy.
3. do you feel like matchup plays an important role when playing dpp stall?
Yes but not nearly to the extent certain people would have you believe.
4. what's your way of going about predicting? from having played you, you don't seem to be afraid of predicting a double or an overpredict
I can't really articulate it and I like to think I have a pretty decent grasp on the English language. It's just something I developed with lots of practice and observation. I also have some pretty sick genes which blessed me with usable intelligence and somewhat large testicles
5. any way you think more interest could be garnered for old gens? i guess the new classic tour helps in that regard but still
An all gen WCoP (and if it sticks around, Frontier) would go a long way.
What tier do you think is the skillest one ? ADV or DPP ?
This question makes me cry, picking one over the other just isn't right... objectively it's ADV. SR and the increased importance of lead matchups are pretty big factors. However I think that, similarly to dealing with Dugtrio in ADV, being able to deal with those is what seperates mediocre players from legitimately good ones. This article is quite useful for the people who cry about lead matchup, Scofield's first paragraph says it all.
What do you prefer in those tiers compared to ORAS / BW ?
Lack of team preview - while many cry about it, I feel that, again, being able to handle it, scouting and figuring out hidden mons based on a million factors is a big part of what makes good players good. When BW came out and team preview was revealed I was soooo pissed, for a while I and some other wifi guys insisted on covering the DS' top screen so you wouldn't see the other guy's team. While others cried (and still cry) "it reduces matchup, now I can't get swept by the DD Gyara I didn't know he had) I again insist that being able to figure out there is a Gyara in the first place is what seperates different levels of players.
Advice for a player who is rating back ? Since you are an old and amazing rater
I'm glad someone remembers!! I was very proud of that back in the day. Nowadays I would personally value "little changes" more that help both offensively and defensively. Let's go with defensively first, say there's an HO team that gets utterly destroyed by Specs Jolteon. Of course there's your basic "don't put Blissey on HO" diatribe, no putting walls on a team like that. Instead figure out a way that the team can work around SpecsJolt. Maybe the Gyarados should be Jolly so it can't revenge kill you after a boost anymore, this'll also help with LO Aero and guys like Lucario/Heatran pre-DD. Maybe the DDnite should have ESpeed, it'll also help with ScarfGon and general revenge killing for, say, other Gyara that might grab a boost off your Lucario/Scizor. Things like that.

Another way is both offensive and defensive. If we keep the Jolteon vs. HO example, instead of just limiting places it can come in, what if you took advantage of its presence? You could add a Scarf Flygon to soak up TBolts and turn them into momentum with U-turn, he can clean up at the end of the game after the wallbreakers have shattered everything. You could add Electivire to turn the TBolt into a speed boost. Definitely do this.

The third way is small things to improve synergy. If Gyara becomes Wacan, it can lure Rotom so Lucario doesn't need to run Crunch and can go for dual priority instead, no longer fearing Gengar/Scarftar. Yache Nite can take out Suicune so Lucario doesn't have to run Jolly. Things like this.

Don't overthink it though, just try to help the team achieve its goal as best you can. I used to have different ideas on how to improve a team so I offered them as alternatives in case someone wanted to make different versions of it.
What are the criteria to be a Smogon Tour winner ?
Hard work, determination and a little bit of luck.
will we ever have a second session D:
pm me on irc ;]
who's ur smogon bff?
this chick named lejla, she's from bosnia. I met her on the smogon po server when I was 15. golly gee, is she pretty :3
:]

When are you gonna start uploading on YT again, if you're doing it anymore?
Soon!
What you do feel are most underrated threats in DPP and ADV?
Not sure if you mean underrated as in standard dudes that people sleep on or lesser-seen dudes that could use more love, so I'll talk about both!

For the first category, Flygon in both gens. In DPP people somehow think Scarf is bad now?? Maybe they just haven't used the Adamant one (because I totally agree that Jolly sucks) but god damn that baffles me. Mixed sets are terrifying because even after the initial surprise you're still in deep shit and CB ones are so strong. In ADV it's got great typing/ability that lets it check a lot and it can't be worn away at by Spikes or Sand. Its great Speed paired with its just-good-enough offenses and movepool means it can hit everything decently at worst, and it can swing a few ways depending on what you want it to do.

For the second category, in ADV Electrics are scary as hell right now, those STAB Thunderbolts terrorize everything. Just imagine if they could actually hit Blissey/Snorlax/Regice super effectively... Oh My God, Wait -- Electabuzz!!!!!

Not only can Buzz Cross Chop those guys (giving it a Black Belt really helps), it also has a really cool speed tier too. Outrunning base 100s is awesome no matter how you slice it, and it will outrun pretty much every Gengar as well. Another thing is that it has both Ice and Grass coverage, which Zapdos and Jolteon wouldn't die for but they'd be willing to lower their stats a little for it. Cool niche mon.

In DPP, his older brother Electivire is a total beast. Nah... Cresselia has a lot of problems but it's got some really cool things it can do. Spiritomb too.
What are your tips you recommend in terms of preparing for tournament fights, whether DPP or any other tier?
Don't go too hard in counterstyling your opponent!! If he happens to lose to Superachi a lot, pull out a Superachi team, don't build some new contraption just for the sake of (on paper...) beating all his teams.
Do you prefer instrumental metal or lyrics?
I prefer vocals because they're more or less another instrument that happen to have lyrics (which are only a positive for me, either I like them or don't care - never had any metal ruined for me by bad lyrics, of which there is a lot). Most instrumental metal bands are self-indulgent, uninteresting wankery, although there are a few decent ones. It's not something I'll seek out but I dig it on occasion.
Last but not least, what's your favorite Slayer song?
Postmortem... I'm also very partial to the Altar of Sacrifice + Jesus Saves combo.
 

Clone

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What is superachi, what gen is it from, and how do I not lose to it?

When building for DPP, do you start with the lead or put add it in the middle of the process?

Thoughts on OU No Mega?
 
What is superachi, what gen is it from, and how do I not lose to it?
Let me answer: CM+3 Atks Jirachi, Gens 3-5, Use Blissey

ADV: Blissey/EQ Snorlax/Adamant Aerodactyl/Dugtrio/Claydol, a few other things I can't remember
DPP and BW shouldn't be a threat unless you bring a poorly built balance: watch out for it lategame though

Cool thread btw. Also a question: How does one beat SDPass in ADV? (Won 3 games in a row last night then lost to a guy playing his first game....with an old McM SDPass team)
 

Fireburn

BARN ALL
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Do you think Fire-types are underutilized in ADV or is there a reason they're not used much?

Candid opinion on the decline of user: Melee Mewtwo into insanity?
 
What is superachi, what gen is it from, and how do I not lose to it?
Ninjax is correct, it's max SAtk/Spe CM 3 atks and it originated in ADV. Its flaws are that there's no shortage of things that can outspeed it and hit it very hard, plus it can't have all the coverage it'd like. However it's extremely dangerous because of its balanced stats which give it good bulk, speed and power, plus it can pick and choose its coverage based on its team. If you're going more defensive, make sure you can handle its different coverage options if you aren't running Blissey, same with offense except you'll probably have some better revenge killing options as backup. Don't sweat it too much though because it doesn't exactly hit like a truck - not to make it sound like a weakling but it isn't going to be thrashing everything. The SDef boost is part of what makes it dangerous since things like Gengar Shadow Ball and Jolteon Thunderbolt are way weaker as revenge killing tools.
When building for DPP, do you start with the lead or put add it in the middle of the process?
Depends man. For the vast majority of teams you won't start with the lead, which is kinda funny now that I think about it because seeing as so many people bitch about bad matchups starting off the game maybe they'd try a little harder to avoid it (again, that Smog article by Scofield I linked is a must read). When DPP was the main gen I remember several prolific players saying that they never build a team focused on the lead. You'll often find better results by finalizing your core strategy first and then going with a lead that best fits it. However I don't like abiding by absolutes (other than SR being needed in every gen DPP and onwards) (I don't believe Snorlax is needed on every competitive GSC team for example) and I have built a few teams focused on a lead strategy (that consists of 2 dudes usually but yeah).
Thoughts on OU No Mega?
I haven't played it but I don't think Megas are that bad, I quite like them actually. Landorus is a lot worse. Knock Off is also really obnoxious and less absorbers just sounds like a nightmare, I woudn't want to use Gliscor on every team!

How does one beat SDPass in ADV? (Won 3 games in a row last night then lost to a guy playing his first game....with an old McM SDPass team)
When I was still very new to ADV, I played Floppy in a tour and his SD pass to Agiligross wowed me, my Skarm got Magged and I just got raped. I thought it was unbeatable. I also lost to it this past SPL, it's very hard to stop when you don't see it coming although I think I could've played that game a bit more cautiously. If you've got a phazing dude that Celebi can't beat (Zap, Cune, Pert) or god forbid Haze Vap/Weezing it will be an uphill battle for the SD passer assuming you got at least one spike up, if you've got Cloyster you're in great shape. Bulky offensive guys help a ton, guys like Snorlax / your own Gross / Salamence especially / Flygon, as well as some frailer stuff like Heracross and most SD pass teams get utterly crushed by Charizard / Moltres. Paralysis spreaders don't hurt since Gross isn't always gonna have Lum, prefers Lefties to stay out of revenge killing range a lot actually, so guys like Regice / Jirachi / Gyarados are alright. Of course in the end you'll have to outplay the other guy since there will be ways for both of you to win... which is why ADV is so great. Don't do what I did and run Soft Sand Dug; I was pretty new so I didn't realize just how much Trio relies on CB for its kills (and even then comes up short quite often) plus I didn't know Soft Sand wasn't 20% like in DPP onwards. I thought could kill something and then surprise the Celebi using it as setup fodder with HP Bug (you can't switch into it and Bug it as it passes and then EQ the Gross because they'll just go to Mence/Gyara instead). Very specific (and utterly worthless in... almost any other game) but that loss scarred me. The following tour season one of the two teams I used was an SD Cele pass one and I remember a few solid players just stood no chance.

What are your thoughts on the recent Aegislash suspect test?
Aegislash is fucking dumb and if it gets unbanned I'm quitting OU.

How do you prepare for tours?
I hardly look up what my opponent has used anymore because I'm mostly familiar with them already. I tend to go with a gut feeling about what I think will do well since I've learned my instincts about those are usually pretty spot on, although I'm certainly not immune to getting it wrong. I'll play out some likely scenarios in my head. Sometimes I'll build a new team based off an impulse, it is incredibly satisfying when it works out like it's designed to. I know some people go with a last-minute choice often but I can't ever bring myself to do that.
Do you think Fire-types are underutilized in ADV or is there a reason they're not used much?
I think the level of usage they see is fine, might be nice to see them get a bit more love but overall they just have their issues. However they are terrifying to face - I remember cbb used to complain that his main team could not stand Moltres - it just takes a bit of guts to bring them since something like Snorlax or Metagross you just know they're gonna do Something.
Candid opinion on the decline of user: Melee Mewtwo into insanity?
I actually like ORAS Ubers and as such I cannot in good conscience support his actions...
 

Lavos

Banned deucer.
Hey BKC! Haven't read the other questions yet, so if I repeat anything just ignore it.

You talk about playing to one's style a lot, what is your preferred playstyle in GSC/ADV/DPP/BW?
You helped devise some interesting GSC teams with Picollo last SPL. Are there supremely underrated threats you'd like to share?
Thoughts on Toxic Spikes?
Do you have a favorite tier? If so, which one?
What's your favorite Pokemon sprite from each gen? Favorite overall?
What are your future official tournament plans? SPL, WCoP, Tour, etc.
In five words or less, can you sum up your general experience on Smogon?

and finally...game or friendship?
 
Hey BKC! Haven't read the other questions yet, so if I repeat anything just ignore it.

You talk about playing to one's style a lot, what is your preferred playstyle in GSC/ADV/DPP/BW?
can't be revealing this sorta shit while classic is in full swing cmon... I kid,

GSC - drumlax + sdwak. revolutionary concept I invented all by myself in the year 2015, not sure why it's taken so long to catch on???
ADV - some sort of 'interesting' yet reliable offense that's got lots of synergy and ways to win. very specific, I know.
DPP - nowadays, bulky offense, usually with as much zapdos rape as possible, all kinds since discrimination is not cool. I also still love semistall, which was my original playstyle when I developed one! skarm's great and all but my favorite spiker is still my longtime sweetheart roserade. you never realize how much she does for you until you run a team without her. not as much of a balance fellow as I once was since it tends to err a bit on the weaker side without a hell of a lot of hazard support, although I dig heist's knock off team.
BW - I was using bulky sand teams before it became the face of the metagame so I'm allowed to say it's my favorite here x)
You helped devise some interesting GSC teams with Picollo last SPL. Are there supremely underrated threats you'd like to share?
besides the ones I posted in the post spl set dump (morning sun nidokingand screechtar), hmm... magnet zapdos hits unfairly hard. fire blast / flamethrower / restalk moltres @ charcoal, a set I found in a thread years ago, is pretty sick. I've got a thing for meganium and houndoom as well. oh yeah piloswine, can't believe I forgot him until now but he's definitely my favorite.
Thoughts on Toxic Spikes?
I'm incredibly paranoid of these and have loved them ever since I discovered them while playing diamond ingame. whenever I look at someone's team a weakness to them is one of the first things I look for. probably why I run roserade/nidoqueen a lot along with the occasional venusaur in dpp although I prefer the former two since they can also set up ts. I've run dragalge in oras a lot for the same reasons and whenever I slot mega venusaur into a team I feel a bit safer for this very reason, I imagine it'll be the same when I finally figure out a good supporting cast for mega beedrill. in bw, if you aren't running rain with croak/cruel or sun with venu, your options are... amoonguss and maybe nidoqueen if you're really scared of terrakion? they aren't as potent against defense but oh man so much offense just folds to them. oras there's more ways of dealing with them (defog, good magic bounce users, spinning much easier, better grounded poisons) but that doesn't stop them from being incredibly potent and a potential game-ender. in dpp, if you were weak to tspikes and went up against a lead roserade you knew you were in serious trouble.
Do you have a favorite tier? If so, which one?
latias/salamence dpp ou :heart: :heart: :heart:
What's your favorite Pokemon sprite from each gen? Favorite overall?
this is an incredibly tough question not even counting back sprites + crystal animations so fuck you I'm doing all the ones I like most





holy fuck that was exhausting, fuck bw. I got so tired I didn't even drop platinum dialga in there. favorite is probablyyyyyyyyyyyyy silver/crystal typhlosion.
What are your future official tournament plans? SPL, WCoP, Tour, etc.
I will continue playing until the end of SPL 7 (where I might manage not sure yet), which ends about a week before I turn 20. Then I will retire as a battler, although I hope to stick around as a spectator and Wise Old Sage. Maybe I'll play RBY in tournaments for the hell of it because christ that is an adrenaline rush.
In five words or less, can you sum up your general experience on Smogon?
sometimes frustrating but overall fun :toast:
and finally...game or friendship?
oh man I re-read the log recently and Iconic dropped an "lmao" into the midst of your rage. he knew he was witnessing greatness.

as for the age-old game vs. friendship debate, to quote the great Lamont Coleman: "I'm all about ends and skins, when you got those you don't need no mothafuckin friends"
 

Bedschibaer

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piloswine, can't believe I forgot him until now but he's definitely my favorite.
What do you run on yours? "Usually" when I see them they have like curse roar with 2 attacks, yours obviously didn't have in our match. I can't really see anything on piloswine ever being useful other than that (you hit skarm decently hard with ice beam i guess!!!) or a 3 attacks curse set.
 
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