Approved by Nayrz with idea from Arii Stella
Banner by my good friend Six
Welcome to Ubers Player of the Week! I'll be interviewing top Ubers players that have had success and are respected in the community. You will be able to ask questions to the player I interview by commenting on this post. Everyone cannot be interviewed but you can VM me or DM on Discord suggestions, hope you enjoy!
Highlord 
Favorite Pokemon?
Most known for?
My UPL VI and VII runs
How did you get into competitive Pokemon?
Back in DPP days, I used to battle friends on local wireless using some pretty garbage teams. I usually lost those games, so I tried to research a bit on teambuilding and found Marriland’s Youtube videos which were pure gold for me at the time. I distinctly remember trying to build a Electivire team because that was apparently the hottest shit back then. At some point during BW2, I grew tired of the tedious grinding surrounding breeding and training, so I found PS while looking for online simulators. From there, I just copied people’s RMTs, laddered OU, and crushed my friends on wireless obviously. Eventually, I found Lance’s Blazing Glaciers and could not escape Ubers after that because that team was so fun to use.
I'm sure there are a lot of interpretations regarding what my name is supposed to mean, but I actually just named myself after High Lord, the strongest unit in a flash game called Miragine War. Unfortunately, I forgot there was a space when I made my name.
Sure, I’m a 20 year old engineering student from NJ. Aside from ‘mons, I play Smash, Yugioh, and tennis. Recently, I’ve become more interested in 3D printing and writing.
My favorite is DPP, and my least favorite is USM. I’ve also been playing more SS recently, and I think it’s a lot of fun.
I was against its ban because while Farceus was a potent sweeper and a versatile support, it did not take away from the competitiveness of DPP Ubers, and I don’t particularly care for the reluctance to touch old, “classic” metagames. In fact, the competitiveness probably increased with the inclusion of Arceus. But with or without ban, my thoughts about DPP Ubers have not changed in that it is my favorite metagame on Smogon. I think the way you pick what ‘mons you want to trade when advancing the game state is unique, and no switch really goes unpunished. I also really love the aesthetic and lore of generation 4.
Yeah, I think a lot of great older players seeking to play standard DPP will be returning. Also, I think people who started to play DPP extensively during Farceus will continue to do so even after its ban, and the playerbase is looking better now than it has in the last few years.
My favorite team is definitely lead/support Dialga/Giratina-O/sweeper/sweeper/revenge killer because its matchup spread is incredible. Like any offensive metagame, leading is significant portion of the game where you can gain a or lose momentum, and DPP amplifies that because there is no team preview. Generally, this means the leads will be trying to get hazards up to drive the rest of the game or act as anti-leads against hazard leads. Currently, my favorite lead is Scarf Deoxys-S because it's so reliable at setting up Spikes while potentially dismantling teams early game with Trick and Thunder Wave. Some other great leads are Darkrai (Scarf, Lum, Sash), Tyranitar (Sash, Lum), other Deoxys variants (Colbur, Kasib, Sash), Deoxys-A (Sash), Kyogre (Lum, Scarf), Tentacruel (Lum), and Forretress (Occa, Lum, Leftovers). All of these leads in some way or another attempt to have a good matchup vs Deoxys-S, which is the lead to beat.
I think Bulk Up Dialga, Sub CM Giratina-A, and support Jirachi are overrated because in a lot of match ups they don't really help advance the game state. Here are some underrated sets:
I just don't like how Toxic centralizes the metagame and switching feels too free.
I think it should be banned because any evasion ‘mon can instantly become a win condition out of the blue even without Baton Pass. I brought it in Uber Live finals because I thought it might win but you know: play stupid games win stupid prizes.
I don't really prep for individuals that much because it's harder to prep alone, and the amount you prep is proportionate to how much you want to win. And, when you're playing for a team, you have to make sure you don't let them down despite how much you personally care about winning, so naturally I prep more for team tournaments. When I do prep though, I'd describe it as practice in order to play the actual game flawlessly, and if you somehow still make mistakes that means you didn't practice hard enough. Of course there is time spent on scouting and team building, but I think focusing on the gameplay is more important. So yeah, prep is key to my success and I'd imagine a lot of other people's too.
A lot of Dynamax forms exceed the power bracket for the tier and force a lot of matchups to be sacrificed at a builder level, so I think the mechanic should be banned. After the Dynamax suspect, I think it is reasonable to look at Calyrex because that speed, typing, and power again forces a lot of matchups to be sacrificed at builder. But those two aside, I think the way tier gravitates towards offense in conjunction with how it offers several win routes in gameplay makes the tier enticing.
Not really. Although, I tend to stick to more offensive structures simply because I think it's the best.
My favorite team in ORAS is that mags tentacruel I spam even though it loses to stall. Being completely honest, I don't hate ORAS; I just meme it for fun, but that doesn't dismiss from its pretty significant flaws. Namely, the sweepers in the tier are pretty linear and don't offer a lot of utility against other top threats. Also, the reliance of inaccurate moves on Xerneas and Groudon is comical.
I mean considering I was a random 3k from the end of the draft, I had no idea I would be that successful. After Lord Outrage forgot to show up one week, I got subbed into ORAS for my debut and snuck into DPP the following week. My first DPP win was my big break, so we began doing an inhuman amount of prep easily playing over a hundred games every week with the finalized team choice just to figure out optimal variations in every matchup. Like if I lost once, we just grinded that matchup until I won assertively or decided it was unwinnable. And, it goes without saying that we did a lot of scouting beforehand to look for holes in my opponents' team structures.
But yeah, I’d say my UPL experience was pretty good all around; I just didn’t sign up for the most recent one because it was a new meta, Farceus, and I had not achieved the same level of caliber in the tier to uphold my previous records. Plus, it felt like a temporary meta until the vote took place, so the motivation was a bit lacking.
Absolutely not, I only consider myself competent in DPP, and while I do build for all tiers, I prefer using teams from another source unless it's DPP because they're usually better. My prep wasn't anything crazy, I kind of just looked at a few replays and picked out some 'mons that might have a decent matchup.
My favorite game is my G1 against Fardin for a round robin AG Open finals in 2018. It is an absolute train wreck of a game with misplays and hax sprinkled throughout.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-704171439
Shortly after this, Fardin dropped out of the tour, and I brought a Bulk Up Dialga against HamHamHamHam which unsurprisingly lost me the tournament.
Iris. A lot of my DPP teams are inspired by his stuff plus he carried the metagame for several years.
Banner by my good friend Six
Welcome to Ubers Player of the Week! I'll be interviewing top Ubers players that have had success and are respected in the community. You will be able to ask questions to the player I interview by commenting on this post. Everyone cannot be interviewed but you can VM me or DM on Discord suggestions, hope you enjoy!
Highlord Favorite Pokemon?
Most known for?
My UPL VI and VII runs
How did you get into competitive Pokemon?
Back in DPP days, I used to battle friends on local wireless using some pretty garbage teams. I usually lost those games, so I tried to research a bit on teambuilding and found Marriland’s Youtube videos which were pure gold for me at the time. I distinctly remember trying to build a Electivire team because that was apparently the hottest shit back then. At some point during BW2, I grew tired of the tedious grinding surrounding breeding and training, so I found PS while looking for online simulators. From there, I just copied people’s RMTs, laddered OU, and crushed my friends on wireless obviously. Eventually, I found Lance’s Blazing Glaciers and could not escape Ubers after that because that team was so fun to use.
Any backstory on your name ?
I'm sure there are a lot of interpretations regarding what my name is supposed to mean, but I actually just named myself after High Lord, the strongest unit in a flash game called Miragine War. Unfortunately, I forgot there was a space when I made my name.
Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Sure, I’m a 20 year old engineering student from NJ. Aside from ‘mons, I play Smash, Yugioh, and tennis. Recently, I’ve become more interested in 3D printing and writing.
Favorite and least favorite Ubers generations?
My favorite is DPP, and my least favorite is USM. I’ve also been playing more SS recently, and I think it’s a lot of fun.
What are your thoughts on the Farceus ban? How do you feel about the DPP meta and why is it your favorite generation?
I was against its ban because while Farceus was a potent sweeper and a versatile support, it did not take away from the competitiveness of DPP Ubers, and I don’t particularly care for the reluctance to touch old, “classic” metagames. In fact, the competitiveness probably increased with the inclusion of Arceus. But with or without ban, my thoughts about DPP Ubers have not changed in that it is my favorite metagame on Smogon. I think the way you pick what ‘mons you want to trade when advancing the game state is unique, and no switch really goes unpunished. I also really love the aesthetic and lore of generation 4.
Do you feel the playerbase for DPP ubers will improve due to the recent Farceus ban?
Yeah, I think a lot of great older players seeking to play standard DPP will be returning. Also, I think people who started to play DPP extensively during Farceus will continue to do so even after its ban, and the playerbase is looking better now than it has in the last few years.
What is your favorite type of team to use in DPP? Favorite lead and could you describe the significance of lead matchup to someone who is not very familiar with the meta?
My favorite team is definitely lead/support Dialga/Giratina-O/sweeper/sweeper/revenge killer because its matchup spread is incredible. Like any offensive metagame, leading is significant portion of the game where you can gain a or lose momentum, and DPP amplifies that because there is no team preview. Generally, this means the leads will be trying to get hazards up to drive the rest of the game or act as anti-leads against hazard leads. Currently, my favorite lead is Scarf Deoxys-S because it's so reliable at setting up Spikes while potentially dismantling teams early game with Trick and Thunder Wave. Some other great leads are Darkrai (Scarf, Lum, Sash), Tyranitar (Sash, Lum), other Deoxys variants (Colbur, Kasib, Sash), Deoxys-A (Sash), Kyogre (Lum, Scarf), Tentacruel (Lum), and Forretress (Occa, Lum, Leftovers). All of these leads in some way or another attempt to have a good matchup vs Deoxys-S, which is the lead to beat.
Is there any overrated or underrated Pokemon or sets in DPP you would like to share?
I think Bulk Up Dialga, Sub CM Giratina-A, and support Jirachi are overrated because in a lot of match ups they don't really help advance the game state. Here are some underrated sets:
Deoxys-Speed @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 164 Def / 96 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
- Trick
It's actually nutty how consistent Scarf Deoxy-S dominates so many leads while also spreading paralysis. Against Colbur or Sash Deoxy-S, the advantage you gain using Trick is sometimes game winning.
Darkrai @ Life Orb
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dark Void
- Pursuit
- Thunder
- Brick Break
Pursuit is great because it makes sure low health sleep sacks die on switch and kills Latias on switch. Brick Break breaks through Blissey, and Thunder is just a all around good move in rain catching Skamory and Kyogre. I think Darkrai is a far more versatile Pursuit trapper than Tyranitar or Scizor.(edited)
[4:03 PM]
Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 192 SpD / 64 Spe
Careful Nature
- Explosion
- Earthquake
- Hypnosis
- Stealth Rock
Bronzong teams tend to be weak to Forretress. and a lot of the time you'll be running your Bronzong in rain meaning you can't just HP Fire on the switch in. Hypnosis solves this issue sort of because it prevents Forretress some spinning, and it's not completely useless elsewhere either. For example, you can just blind hypnosis after tanking something's Draco Meteor or after switching into Groudon that lacks fire coverage. Obviously, 60% accuracy is pretty shit but I think the risk vs reward pays off in the matchups that need it the most.
Qwilfish @ Lum Berry
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Explosion
- Thunder Wave
- Toxic Spikes
The other Swift Swimmers like Kabutops and Kingdra are great sweepers, but Qwilfish is very good as a support. I listed just one combination of moves, but it also has some other good moves like Destiny Bond and Spikes. I usually use Lum just to switch into Darkrai one time, but you can try bulkier sets like Chilan to revenge kill +2 Lucario or Wacan with a bulkier spread to get more hazards up against Dialga.
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 164 Def / 96 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
- Trick
It's actually nutty how consistent Scarf Deoxy-S dominates so many leads while also spreading paralysis. Against Colbur or Sash Deoxy-S, the advantage you gain using Trick is sometimes game winning.
Darkrai @ Life Orb
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dark Void
- Pursuit
- Thunder
- Brick Break
Pursuit is great because it makes sure low health sleep sacks die on switch and kills Latias on switch. Brick Break breaks through Blissey, and Thunder is just a all around good move in rain catching Skamory and Kyogre. I think Darkrai is a far more versatile Pursuit trapper than Tyranitar or Scizor.(edited)
[4:03 PM]
Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 192 SpD / 64 Spe
Careful Nature
- Explosion
- Earthquake
- Hypnosis
- Stealth Rock
Bronzong teams tend to be weak to Forretress. and a lot of the time you'll be running your Bronzong in rain meaning you can't just HP Fire on the switch in. Hypnosis solves this issue sort of because it prevents Forretress some spinning, and it's not completely useless elsewhere either. For example, you can just blind hypnosis after tanking something's Draco Meteor or after switching into Groudon that lacks fire coverage. Obviously, 60% accuracy is pretty shit but I think the risk vs reward pays off in the matchups that need it the most.
Qwilfish @ Lum Berry
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Explosion
- Thunder Wave
- Toxic Spikes
The other Swift Swimmers like Kabutops and Kingdra are great sweepers, but Qwilfish is very good as a support. I listed just one combination of moves, but it also has some other good moves like Destiny Bond and Spikes. I usually use Lum just to switch into Darkrai one time, but you can try bulkier sets like Chilan to revenge kill +2 Lucario or Wacan with a bulkier spread to get more hazards up against Dialga.
It seems to be an unpopular opinion, why is USM your least favorite generation of ubers?
I just don't like how Toxic centralizes the metagame and switching feels too free.
How do you feel about the BW evasionpass discussion? You brought it in Ubers Live finals, were you trying to prove a point?
I think it should be banned because any evasion ‘mon can instantly become a win condition out of the blue even without Baton Pass. I brought it in Uber Live finals because I thought it might win but you know: play stupid games win stupid prizes.
Its said your prep for tour games is very intensive, how would you describe your preparation? Would you say its a key to your success?
I don't really prep for individuals that much because it's harder to prep alone, and the amount you prep is proportionate to how much you want to win. And, when you're playing for a team, you have to make sure you don't let them down despite how much you personally care about winning, so naturally I prep more for team tournaments. When I do prep though, I'd describe it as practice in order to play the actual game flawlessly, and if you somehow still make mistakes that means you didn't practice hard enough. Of course there is time spent on scouting and team building, but I think focusing on the gameplay is more important. So yeah, prep is key to my success and I'd imagine a lot of other people's too.
Thoughts on the current state of SS? What do you think about the ongoing Dynamax suspect and potential of other suspects?
A lot of Dynamax forms exceed the power bracket for the tier and force a lot of matchups to be sacrificed at a builder level, so I think the mechanic should be banned. After the Dynamax suspect, I think it is reasonable to look at Calyrex because that speed, typing, and power again forces a lot of matchups to be sacrificed at builder. But those two aside, I think the way tier gravitates towards offense in conjunction with how it offers several win routes in gameplay makes the tier enticing.
Do you have a favorite playstyle to use in Ubers?
Not really. Although, I tend to stick to more offensive structures simply because I think it's the best.
Do you have a favorite team to use in Oras Ubers? Do you follow the hate train for the tier?
My favorite team in ORAS is that mags tentacruel I spam even though it loses to stall. Being completely honest, I don't hate ORAS; I just meme it for fun, but that doesn't dismiss from its pretty significant flaws. Namely, the sweepers in the tier are pretty linear and don't offer a lot of utility against other top threats. Also, the reliance of inaccurate moves on Xerneas and Groudon is comical.
How would you describe your 8-0 UPL run? How was the UPL experience like for you and why didnt you participate this previous UPL?
I mean considering I was a random 3k from the end of the draft, I had no idea I would be that successful. After Lord Outrage forgot to show up one week, I got subbed into ORAS for my debut and snuck into DPP the following week. My first DPP win was my big break, so we began doing an inhuman amount of prep easily playing over a hundred games every week with the finalized team choice just to figure out optimal variations in every matchup. Like if I lost once, we just grinded that matchup until I won assertively or decided it was unwinnable. And, it goes without saying that we did a lot of scouting beforehand to look for holes in my opponents' team structures.
But yeah, I’d say my UPL experience was pretty good all around; I just didn’t sign up for the most recent one because it was a new meta, Farceus, and I had not achieved the same level of caliber in the tier to uphold my previous records. Plus, it felt like a temporary meta until the vote took place, so the motivation was a bit lacking.
You had an impressive Ubers Live run, do you consider yourself solid in all generations? Do you build in any of the tiers or get teams from another source?
Absolutely not, I only consider myself competent in DPP, and while I do build for all tiers, I prefer using teams from another source unless it's DPP because they're usually better. My prep wasn't anything crazy, I kind of just looked at a few replays and picked out some 'mons that might have a decent matchup.
Favorite game you've witnessed?
My favorite game is my G1 against Fardin for a round robin AG Open finals in 2018. It is an absolute train wreck of a game with misplays and hax sprinkled throughout.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-704171439
Shortly after this, Fardin dropped out of the tour, and I brought a Bulk Up Dialga against HamHamHamHam which unsurprisingly lost me the tournament.
Do you look up to any Ubers players?
Iris. A lot of my DPP teams are inspired by his stuff plus he carried the metagame for several years.
Could you provide a team and explain the thought behind the build?
(click for import)
The idea behind the team is to control the game with Thunder Wave Kyogre and Groudon because nothing really deals with them reliably. For instance, Palkia/Latios can't stay alive long enough to deal with both. Toxic Spikes keep Groudon and Blissey at Bay, Latios pokes holes into support Dialga teams, Bronzong switches into Dragons while setting up rocks, and Scarf Dialga makes sure faster 'mons like Mewtwo or Darkrai don't gain too much momentum. The HP Fires on Bronzong and Tentacruel are specifically to deal with Forretress stall, which is otherwise an impossible matchup. The Tentacruel is also important for absorbing opposing Toxic Spikes because they diminish the effectiveness of your Kyogre and Groudon. Another thing you have to keep in mind is knowing when it's okay to trade your Groudon because often you need Groudon alive to deal with Rain offenses in late game. I think it's a pretty solid team overall, but you have to play carefully knowing what 'mons will be important in the matchup, and certain lead matchups like Psycho Boost Deoxys-S are complicated. (click for import)Personal Question: Top 5 DPP Uber players of all time?
Not sure, but I can say Iris, BKC, M dragon are top 3 in no order.
=
Thanks Highlord for answering these questions! Feel free to ask more in the thread below!
Thanks Highlord for answering these questions! Feel free to ask more in the thread below!
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