sorry about the inconsistency with these, i've been really busy in the past weeks
Punchshroom
favorite pokemon: Breloom
most known for: Riolu and warstories
xzern: So tell me, Punchshroom, why is your name what it is?
Punchshroom
favorite pokemon: Breloom
most known for: Riolu and warstories
Punchshroom: I chose my name based on my favorite mon. I had a couple of different variations, but stuck with this one since it rolls off the tongue and is easier to remember :/
xzern: Favorite playstyle/archetype?
Punchshroom: Used to be Riolu stall ;_; , but now I tend to try my hand at bulky offense, but do dabble in other playstyles like Trick Room from time to time.
xzern: Favorite type of pokemon? (Normal, Fairy, Bird, etc.)
Punchshroom: Grass. And not just my favorite Pokemon either. I tend to have a respect for many Grass-types, such as Leafeon, Vileplume, and Sceptile.
xzern: How did you come to competitive battling/Smogon?
Punchshroom: I remember doing Gen 5 OU for fun, and I ventured away from it to lower tiers after my interest in OU waned, descending from UU, RU, and eventually NU. I found that several playstyles were viable in NU due to the 'relatively low standards' it has compared to other tiers, but exciting enough to keep you on your toes and on the lookout for underrated threats. BW NU was also how I made myself known to the NU community with my Riolu shenanigans and warstories.
xzern: What's your favorite part of NU?
Punchshroom: The diversity of NU, as well as the fact that the 'underdog Pokemon' get to strut their stuff and show their potential here is what drew me to NU. Also we didn't havve to worry about usage of mons since we were the lowest tier and could whine to our heart's content about how higher tiers steal our stuff (jk XD). Fond memories of Riolu certainly helped.
xzern: If you could ban or unban one thing from NU, what would it be/why?
Punchshroom: Hard to say, people have been crying out for a Sigilyph retest but its versatility, combined with even greater synergies with the new Megas, leads me to believe Sigilyph only got better with the transition. Meanwhile we have to wait ~8 months just for Mawle to join us smh.
xzern: Is there an NU player you most admire?
Punchshroom: Mmmm also hard to say since I'm not one to look up to peers much. I'd probably say Raseri or Zebraiken just because they lead NU or whatnot. RESPECT.
xzern: Do you have any advice for people new to NU?
Punchshroom: It is important to identify just what the mons you use are capable of, and if they risk being outclassed or outperformed by other Pokemon of a better calibre. And just because it is NU doesn't mean that the tier doesn't have its fair share of top threats, so be sure to prepare for them too.
xzern: Could you give me something like a mini RMT to conclude the interview, one that demonstrates your teambuilding style?
Punchshroom: http://hastebin.com/sakumewuko.md
I centered this XY NU team around a core of Gurdurr and Sneasel; Gurdurr makes for a good win-condition, while Sneasel handles all of the Flying-, Psychic, and bulky Grass-type Pokemon that can get in Gurdurr's way. Vileplume handles Fairies which trouble the duo. Tauros gave me a revenge killer in case setup sweepers get out of hand and makes for a good cleaner. Uxie provides sheer momentum with Stealth Rock and Yawn + U-turn, and is a useful Fighting-type response. Lanturn has several useful elemental resistances to Fire, Electric, Water, and Ice, while providing good support with Heal Bell and a slow Volt Switch.
Feel free to ask Punchshroom any questions in the thread below and he will answer them.
