Interview with Raseri

By Jellicent. Art by Bummer and Cretacerus.

I was a bit surprised to get a call from the Mysterious Voice; it had been so long since he last rang. I have to admit, I was a bit excited to hear from him, even if it meant traveling to Canada of all places for this next interview.

With nothing in my pockets but a pair of hockey tickets, I hitched a ride up north. Too many hours later, I found myself outside of the stadium, a strange little Canadian boy waiting for me outside in the cold.

Cheers, Razzles ^.^

We grabbed some beers and snacks from the concessions and made our way to our seats before diving into the interview.

So, I guess we should start with the basics. Can you tell us a bit about yourself outside of Smogon and the internet?

Alrighty, well, my name is Branden. I'm 20 years old (21 in June!) and from Alberta, Canada. I used to study Physics in University, but I took a year off and am going back to get an Environmental Science degree starting in September. Other interests I have outside of Pokémon include Dungeons and Dragons, anime, and FPS games. So you could say I'm a bit of a nerd~

Is there anything in particular that brought on the change of majors?

The biggest reason was that I was just unsatisfied with where I was going. I like physics, but I just felt like it wasn't for me. So I decided to make the change to something that I've previously been involved with and loved, just hoping I don't regret it!

He reflected for a moment before revealing the truth.

Also, calculus is hard.

Switching gears to Smogon, you've been on the site for going on 8 years. What was it that first brought you here?

I was playing my Pokémon Diamond and wanted to learn what moves were good so I could beat my friends in battles and do better in game. Through my Google searches, I found the Smogon analyses section and started to read them. Eventually, I registered and just lurked for a long time.

When you finally did start posting, what areas did you start getting involved in?

The very first thing I started participating in was CAP votes. Collosoil is the first one I remember voting in, but I might have voted in earlier ones. After that, I started joining tournaments and didn't do much else until BW came out.

In BW, you became mostly known for NU. Was there something about that tier that was more appealing to you than the others?

The main reason I got involved with NU is cause I was around when it was just starting up, and I did play BW RU before that (peaked #2 on the prestigious PO RU Ladder!!!), but I had a hard time getting involved with the community cause it already seemed established. So when BW NU got started, I got myself involved in there while everyone was still new. I was one of the first big ladderers in BW NU along with ice-eyes and amarillo (now marilli).

The crowd erupted in cheers as two men on the ice began bashing each other in the face. I watched in amusement for a moment before remembering why I was here.

Being there from the start, would you say any particular BW NU metagame jumps out as being the most fun?

I like almost all of the BW NU metas (except the Gothitelle one), but I think my favorite metas were the ones with Absol and Emboar; they were just really cool Pokémon and fit with my playstyle well. Though, I like the post-Jynx and Scolipede BW2 meta a lot, too.

How do you feel the current ORAS meta stands up to those, and is there anything you'd like to see changed about it at the moment?

The metagame is still settling after the last tier shift, where Magneton, Pinsir, Fletchinder, and Kabutops dropped, with Seismitoad leaving. I guess right now the meta is kind of hard to build for. But in terms of changes, the only thing that I think is possible is a Magneton suspect, but it's still too early to tell if that's needed, cause people are finding new ways to handle it all the time.

Outside of NU, you've gotten involved with all sorts of aspects of the site, from tutoring to research to social media. What areas have been your favorite to participate in over the years?

Raseri sipped his beverage coolly while reminiscing over his time spent on the site.

C&C was something I loved participating in during BW2 NU; during my peak there I was writing like 3 analyses per week while also QCing. My activity there dropped off into XY and ORAS (though I still participate in NU policy and QC for C&C). Outside of that, I do enjoy tutoring a lot as well, as getting to train people in NU and trying to get them involved in the community is really rewarding.

Do you have any tips for people looking to improve on battling and getting involved, both for NU and in general?

Battling 101 is a great resource for both of those, as you get to work with an accomplished Smogon user. For NU in particular, coming into the PS! Room is the best way to get involved, since it's pretty active and where most players are. Reading the forums to get an understanding of what people are using is also a really good idea. Otherwise, don't be afraid to ask questions—most of us don't bite!

You've been leading NU for nearly 2 years now. Have there been any particularly difficult judgement calls that you've had to make during that time?

He pondered for a moment, or perhaps he was just entranced by the game.

There have been a few that stand out. The most difficult call I made was calling for a vote on Jynx and Scolipede after XY came out, which is something that very rarely happens in tiering. But with SPL coming up, the metagame was just not very playable, so I assembled a bunch of the top BW2 NUers to vote on them (I believe they were banned unanimously, but I don't remember.) Calling for controversial suspects is always a tough decision, too, such as with Typhlosion recently.

Do you have a particular tiering philosophy that you try to stand by?

My tiering philosophy has changed over time; at first I was a very hard person to convince that things were broken and was very conservative with suspect tests and the like. But over time, with input from the NU community, I've become more open to test things that I would not previously.

I think it's time we get to the real meat 'n potatoes of this interview. What's your favorite Pokémon, both competitively and in general?

Raseri grinned with this question. It seems he was already prepared for the toughest part of the interview.

Competitively, it's probably Musharna; it was on almost all of my BW2 teams, as well as many of my XY and ORAS ones. It has always been a very reliable Pokémon for me. In general, though, I think Roserade is my favorite. It just looks so cool and has everything I could ever want it to have, although I'm becoming a big Prinplup fan as well. :)

Do you have any closing thoughts that you'd like to leave our readers with?

Come hang out with us in NU sometimes; it's a fun place full of bad memes and bad Pokémon!

venom

I might have to swing by there sometime myself. Thanks for taking the time to do this interview, man.

No problem, it was a lot of fun!

With that, I weaved my way through the violent crowds and back onto the Canadian streets. The cold air whipped my face as I thumbed my way back to the States.

For those who are interested in learning more about how Raseri plays or just would like to watch some good battles, you can check out his Youtube channel.

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