Approved by UU moderation & inspired by Feliburn's project
Welcome guys in the "UU Player Interview", a project where you'll be able to discover or re-discover some well known players of the UU community. Those people may be known thanks to their high-skilled level or their achievements on the strategic scene but also thanks to their dedication into the tier or within the community. Time to gossip !
Hey Accel, how are you today ?
I'm doing alright, thanks! How about yourself, Moute?
I'm doing fine, enjoying my last days of holidays before returning to university ! You're known as one of our UU moderator on Smogon and a good UU player but that's not a lot so could you talk about yourself ?
Sure, so I'm a 24 year old Chemical Engineering major from New Jersey. I've been flip-flopping between majors since I started my university studies but honestly I've enjoyed my current path for a few years now and am really looking forward to what the future holds. Aside from school, most of my free time is split between work, reading, watching and playing basketbal (HUGE fan), catching up on shows and anime, and playing Pokemon of course !
What's your favorite team in NBA ?
I started paying serious attention to basketball right around when Derrick Rose was playing out of his mind on his way to winning the MVP award that year. I've still stuck with the Chicago Bulls since then, though I will admit that it's tough to see them in this seemingly endless rebuild. Keeping up with other teams is loads of fun too, and I'm currently hoping for a Lakers vs Celtics finals series.
Alright and can you tell us what brought you to Smogon and competitive Pokemon in general ?
So after burning about 700 hours on my Pokemon Diamond save file, I figured it was time to find other ways to sate my addiction to the game. I remember Google searching "pokemon games online" and being directed to a bunch of fanmade games and romhacks, and eventually the Pokemon Online simulator during its heyday. After messing around with a few tiers, I realized that I enjoyed UU best and have stuck with it ever since. Socializing and competing with my friends on PO was a great time, and in 2014-2015 a lot of us started migrating to Showdown which I've obviously stuck with and enjoyed just as much as I enjoyed PO.
So.. is DPP your favorite generation without taking into account strategy ?
DPP's up there, but BW wins that competition hands down since it was the first generation of mons that I was competitively involved with. Nostalgia's definitely a big factor here and it also happens to be the gen I enjoy most in terms of strategy.
I really don't get how people can like gen5 when I quit Pokemon because of it :( By the way, is your favorite Pokemon really is Accelgor ?
LOL I realize that some people don't particularly enjoy BW tiers simply because hazard stacking was such a focal point of the metas, as well as the addition of some wacky elements like the sleep mechanics, but I personally feel more at ease while playing BW tiers than any other gen's tiers. It promotes a style of play which hardly gives you room to make any huge errors, and I love that about BW metas. I was seriously lazy and uncreative when I first started playing on PO, and at that time the English names for the new Gen 5 Pokemon had just been revealed. Initially I went by the username Cryogonal, and later changed to Accelgor because I really liked its design. Accelgor's definitely up there but Gardevoir is hands down my favorite Pokemon.
Well I only begin strategy with ORAS but that's the 5th gen games as a whole that I don't like..Alright, alright, I see. Do you have goals for the upcoming year (on Smogon or IRL) ?
As a competitor, I'd definitely like to win a large tournament soon regardless of whether it's an individual or team tournament. I've come close during Masters and the UULT playoffs and I feel like I'm a few adjustments away from pulling it off. Don't get me wrong, I don't take winning UUPL and the recent UUWC for granted, but I feel like my impact as a player would be larger if I succeeded in these other settings. As for irl, I am a year and a half away from graduation so the plan is to finish strong and move on to bigger and better things!
Yeah I get what you mean from a competitive point of view, I never reached yet PO in big UU tournaments but managed to PO this current Slam so it's really nice. Good luck for your graduation tho ! Let's focus a bit more about IRL things if you don't mind.. What are your favorite movies ?
Best of luck to you in slam Moute! I don't have any preferred genres honestly, but I do enjoy a lot of Christopher Nolan's movies. The Dark Knight is definitely the one movie I could watch over and over without getting bored. His latest release in Tenet is also fantastic, and I'd recommend it to any of you out there who are interested. I have similar viewing flexibility with anime and if I had to recommend one series or movie to watch, it would be Kotonoha no Niwa.
Thanks ! >o> Talking about Batman, are you hyped by the incoming new one ?
I am! Robert Pattinson's been doing really well for himself as of late, and he was great in the aforementioned Tenet. The trailer gave me good vibes, and I hope that it surpasses my expectations.
Yeah the trailer looks really nice, can't wait to see it. Would you mind to share with us a UU team you made recently ?
I know it's outdated now with the September tier shift and Jirachi's ban, but here's the team I built to use vs Adaam in Week 1 of SSD IV. It's really reminiscent of the style I was partial to in SM, and I really enjoyed the Future Sight mix-ups the team was able to offer. Overall it was a decent balance that I felt confident in piloting, and thankfully it ended up getting me the win.
Yeah looks really nice. Well, thanks for being here today with me, would you have one last piece of advice to give as a UU moderator for someone who wants to get involved in the community ?
Anytime Moute, thanks for having me! I'd advise any new contributors or players to socialize and broaden their perspectives by any means necessary. Sometimes our growth in these areas can stagnate because we choose to only limit ourselves to our own inherent capabilities. However, with the right circle of friends and fellow contributors/players around you, you will find that the grind is a lot more enjoyable and fulfilling. Never be afraid to try new things and emulate those around you for inspiration, and the success you desire will be easier to latch onto.
Thanks for those wise words man and have a good day !
Thanks, you too!
Feel free to ask to Accelgor any questions you want !
If you have some recommendations for an interview, feel free to DM me !