Project Monotype Interviews #4 - Neko

[RoyalReloaded]

approved by monotype forum mods
inspired by this and this

I made this myself

Monotype Interviews #4 - Neko

royal | Neko
​

First of all thanks Neko for taking the time to do this, I'm sure the community will be very happy to learn about one its most beloved members. Would you mind telling us a bit about yourself?




Meowdy, I'm Neko and you'll most likely be seeing me watching or doing stuff in the monotype room or helping clean up analyses...I usually code or write when I'm on, so sorry in advance if I'm unable to play with you when you ask me to, but I'm happy to help for whatever else you need >:3 As for something to share, outside of PS I play a lot of gacha-based games like Honkai Star Rail and Genshin Impact, much like Bka Onon




So, I think we all know how you chose the name Neko, so why not tell us what your favorite cat is? What about a picture of one?




The name Neko isnt actually from a cat, but from a gacha character in Fate/Grand Order who's nicknamed Neko too. I do like cats though, and I personally think pallas cats are neat. Unfortunately pallas cats are wild animals though, maybe a tilapia (or the gray-brown/ticked tabby) cat would be nice to own someday

pallas

tabby

I definitely thought you got the name neko from cats lol. How long have you been around the monotype community? How did you first get involved?




I havent been around for long, I've started playing monotype sometime in late-2020 as part of a (now defunct) league? I joined smogon because Ashbala wanted to ban Dracovish in NDM in early 2021. I started contributing in Monotype by the end of 2021 in C&C. The main reason for trying to help out in C&C was that I used those analyses back then for improving my own teams, and I saw that Mono C&C needed some help. I am fine with writing a lot since I dont really have a lot of time to play, and writing lets you think of possible scenarios in play and re-enact them to see what might be the way in playing a matchup. It sounds a bit weird and error prone, and its true, thats what playing is for! Still, it gives me situations to ponder on which gives me new ideas (though not all of those ideas are good)




You've done a lot for the C&C (for those who dont know, thats the analysis part of smogon, C&C stands for Contributions and Corrections) and I'm sure the community is very thankful for your hard work. Do you have a favorite moment from your time on ps / smogon? What about an accomplishment you are most proud of?




I think my favorite moment in smogon is during my first time managing in Monotype BLT, since I got to talk to a fair amount of people and help them succeed. On the other hand, I dont particularly have a favorite moment in PS, but the monotype room in PS has a lot of funny moments caught in quotes/screenshots. The accomplishment I'm most proud of is probably winning NDM (National Dex Monotype) Sendoff, since I somehow defied the odds back then by surviving against players leagues ahead of me on the last few rounds. I hope to replicate it sometime, even if its not in NDM.




Both BLT and winning sendoff sound like a lot of fun and very rewarding experiences. What would you do if you were the tier leader for a day? What about in National Dex Monotype?




If I were a TL for a day in Monotype I would quickban Flutter Mane probably try to ask the council to hold a vote on which of Kingambit or Zamazenta to suspect. I think they're on the right track though, compared to things back then. I'm already a TL in NDM and I got to free Chien-Pao for a day, so I did it :3 To be more serious though, I think Dragapult could be resuspected in NDM, but I have yet to delve deep enough on if doing that is really a good thing.




I cant speak too much to the NDM side of things but I could definitely get on board with a kingambit suspect. Do you have any advice for some players who are newer and trying to get more involved with the community / better at the game? What about someone who wants to get drafted for farm league?




For newer players I think the best thing to do is to get more games. Analyses can only help you so much and we cannot outline every interaction a mon can have in every matchup, and you should find it yourselves. Aside from doing a lot of games, its nice to do some networking and talk to people, since having experience and knowledge on how things pan out in battle is very helpful in battle -> you dont have infinite time to grind, so why not ask someone who has experienced it to give you an overview instead. Aside from that, talking and making friends with the right people increases your chances of getting better, since you can ask them for games or possibly share their insights on some mons / trends which you most certainly can use. Alternatively, if you're really good, trying to get known through individual tours is another way to go about it. Some managers recognize talent and would take you if they noticed that. More importantly though, I think you should just try to enjoy playing. Its highly unlikely that you'll always win every matchup and even then you have to contest with luck every time, so basing your fun on solely winning feels like a recipe for failure. This is only my view though, and this might not be the case for more seasoned players. As for getting drafted in the farm league, aside from the things I suggested earlier, I think its best to try and reach out to each of the managers (and give them replays/ask them for games as needed) long before the draft. We tend to check on who reached out to us when we have a few credits to spare.




Those are all very thoughtful answers, it's always very refreshing to see a new player who is willing to take feedback and learn the game the right way. Would you mind sharing a team with us that you think showcases your style of play best?




https://pokepast.es/9b68e8b5c8db8d3f
Meow doesn't really make a lot of unique teams lately, but I think this team is pretty funny and spurred me to try MLT last week though I got lazy, but I got a decent GXE using only that team the entire time(?) Anyway the team was built around Scizor, which is a mon people usually dont have a slot to dedicate to due to Steel's insane 6 Mon Syndrome. However, it carves for itself a unique niche because of the following factors 1.) Toxapex lost Scald and recovery is nerfed, so it cannot check Scizor at all anymore, 2.) Dual Wingbeat is kinda strong and Scizor is able to kill Ogerpon/Keldeo unboosted if you can get a Trailblaze beforehand, and 3.) There has been an uncomfortable amount of replays of Steel losing to Fairy and that seems...so wrong. Since having Scizor means I can't slot a mon, I had to go to the carnival and get a lot of balloons for the rest of my team mates to cope for the lack of Skarmory. This team has its problems, notably having a more difficult time against Zamazenta and Kingambit vs Skarmory Steel teams, and might not be the best form for a Scizor team, but I can say that I had a lot of fun trying to tweak this team to make the idea work. I hope you guys like it >:3




That team looks pretty cool, I like your approach of teambuilding a lot. Okay, I'm gonna hit you with some lighter questions now. First, could you fill out this tier list for me? https://tiermaker.com/create/cat-pokemon-as-of-scvi-15591935

Okay, second to last question for now. What is your favorite food?




Its not tuna ;w; I'm a fan of seafoods like shrimp or salmon though.




Seafood is probably my 2nd favorite food, so you definitely have good taste. That's all I have for now, thank you very much for your dilligent, thoughtful answers, I'm sure the readers will be really interested to learn all about you, and probably ask some more questions of their own. Lastly, do you have anybody that you would like to give a shoutout to?




A lot...
Bka Onon for being fren and always making my day with the daily updates and tuna

style.css ArkenCiel for helping lots in mons and hearing me meow

Sunnyboi0 for helping out in NDM tiering as one of my co-TLs

boomp Giyu Mateeus for C&C help >:3

aegii Sacred Alexender for PS (even though Sacred thinks I'm a trubbish)

CrossHeart ken Pengairxan for sending stuff of varying quality and quantity that I can say are really interesting

Siatam and DugZa, thankie for teaching the catto

Ashbala and Petele for being stinky

And Azick, Attribute, Diego, ikiarihS, TheWyvernKing, TTK, maki, Scarfire, maroon, roxie, Fírnen, Leafium Z, and CaptainDaimyo for a lot of small stuff

RoyalReloaded for the interview

And to the reader because Idk how you read this much but you somehow did >:3

For you, the reader

~~~

This thread will remain open in case anyone would like to ask Neko any further questions. If you have an idea for who you would like to be interviewed next, please don't hesitate to let me know!​

 

[Ashbala]

Neko stinky calling me stinky ( also I told u to don't ban dracovish)

Anyways if I didn't introduce u to monotype... What tier u would main and why?

 

[Neko]

Neko stinky calling me stinky ( also I told u to don't ban dracovish)

Anyways if I didn't introduce u to monotype... What tier u would main and why?

Assuming butterfly effect exist and me not learning monotype means I wouldnt be exposed to GSC which led me to wanting to try out GSC, I'm likely doing ND OU or LC if its not monotype, since I think natdex and smols are pretty cool in general >:3.

However, if I still got exposed to GSC, I might be playing a mix of both GSC and one of NDOU or LC. Its likely that I would still do C&C on one of those tiers if it happened though, and due to that I might not have enough time to play more than one tier. :3c

 

[ArkenCiel]

Not being named after cats also came as a surprise. Though you may have started Monotype through leagues, how did you get your start in PS as a whole? On the topic of leagues, I think you would have been a great fit for it! Surely you're curious on what kind of environment that was at its best from the numerous nostalgic accounts of that period

From room management (rise to RO), playing in tournaments (and winning, nice sendoff victory), managing team tours (well done), C&C (and everything that involves), maybe Discord/socializing (idly chatting), server moderation, and many more, you've just about dipped your toes into just about everything the site could offer, but from all that, what would you say you enjoy the most from PS? What, if removed from the list, would make your enjoyment drop off significantly if any

In a similar vein, what are some goals you have in PS you're working towards now? Things you most want to accomplish in the near future or in the long run?

I'll speak for everyone else to say you've done a wonderful job for the community. You might not be the loudest voice in the room, but your actions, effort, and involvement are admirable and impactful. On a personal level too, I'd have likely dropped out of a tour or two if I didn't have someone to talk about them (my main killer in tournament interest). Stay the way you are and thanks Neko!

 

[Neko]

Though you may have started Monotype through leagues, how did you get your start in PS as a whole?

I got told by an irl friend that it is fun playing PS. We used to play rands and SS NDOU where I'd just get rekt, so I had to ladder to get a bit better so that I wont get stomped next time. He hasnt been playing much recently though, only at my request nowadays so....

but from all that, what would you say you enjoy the most from PS? What, if removed from the list, would make your enjoyment drop off significantly if any

Probably what I liked most is talking in PS room, followed by doing C&C work. I find yapping and writing incredibly fun, as long as no one is harmed in the process. I would probably be sad if I cant talk as much in the PS room though, but I usually avoid situations that might lead me to that.

In a similar vein, what are some goals you have in PS you're working towards now?

PS-wise aside from something a bit obvious (and shameful), I think I have achieved everything related to the monotype room. Actually, maybe if tour nights are back then it would be better. The former part, I'm still unqualified and still learning, it maybe even actually undesireable, I just havent realized that yet.

As for Smogon-wise, I'd like to try out being a tutor one day, but I havent achieved the requisites I set for myself to actually try applying for it (that is, win a major individual monotupe tour, or qualify for a circuit playoffs). I might also want to try and hopefully qualify to manage monotype itself in the future, but I have an extremely long way to go to have a shot of doing that.

I hope these answers your questions, thankie for asking, Arken!

 

[Pengairxan]

I guess I have a few questions for the catto on their analytical side.
1. If there was any mon you could go extremely in depth in (I'm talking DPP Ubers Lugia level) which one would that be and why?
2. What is Catto's first analysis (and check if you can find it)
3. What is your favorite analysis you've done? (or the most Important if you don't have a favorite (spotlights can also count for this.)
4. When can I do the Toxicroak analysis?

 

[Neko]

1. If there was any mon you could go extremely in depth in (I'm talking DPP Ubers Lugia level) which one would that be and why?

Right now its probably Dragapult. Monotype is a bit weird since there can only be so many sets a mon can have due to team building restrictions. Dragapult however can sufficiently run a lot of sets to plug holes on Dragon and Ghost teams...also I find Dragapult kinda cute in terms of design.

2. What is Catto's first analysis (and check if you can find it)

Its SS Monotype Togekiss, back in late-2021.

3. What is your favorite analysis you've done? (or the most Important if you don't have a favorite (spotlights can also count for this.)

It took over an hour of looking back at my analyses, I think Archaludon is a recent analyses that I had lots of fun with. Speaking of, Archa is someone I can probably talk a bit more about, as its flexible enough to use funny stuff like Assault Vest, Choice Scarf, or even Boots. Thats an analyses for another day tho.

4. When can I do the Toxicroak analysis?

BW Mono Toxicroak is really good. We dont have enough QC'ers that handles BW Monotype though, I'll try to not forget to ping you if ever that happens.

 

[Tenebricite]

What's your favorite/most memorable Monotype game? Also, thanks for all the work you do!

 

[Neko]

What's your favorite/most memorable Monotype game? Also, thanks for all the work you do!

This is hard, meow, but here it is (Amukamara vs Neko )

This game meant a lot of things for me. For one, this was my MPL debut and I didnt want to be lazy in prep or making teams so I used the type I really enjoyed (For reference, DLC1 Dragon is in the lower-middle end of types back then, due to not having standard checks for Chien-Pao and Kingambit...and narrowly checks Flutter Mane). Despite that, plunder and Mada trusted me enough to run what I wanted and, if I remember correctly, Mada and Mister Robotto even fine-tuned some of these spreads. This paid off in the little things such as Baxcalibur living Great Tusk, Overheat Cyclizar sniping Iron Treads, Encore Dragonite opening a winpath etc...which made me love this team so much.

Read only after you've watched the match

Well, despite me lauding the team and saying I love it so much, I failed the Dragon team. Considering the last few turns undid all the hard work I setup early game, I think this game serves as a reminder that I have to keep my calm and try to not get stressed too much during the game. I probably picked a different path too, if I used the timer. Despite this though, I think I still would like to memorialize this game because this is one of the few games that I came in super happy and satisfied with the team I was going to load and a reminder to the future and present cat to always try to have a clear path for the final turns of the match before clicking. Thats honestly hard, because I'm a bit impatient, but maybe I'll mellow out more in time >:3

I think I meowed too much, I hope this answers your questions satisfactorily