TJ
Banned deucer.
tondas
Favorite Pokemon: Munchlax
Most used Pokemon: Skuntank
Most known for: PU Room Driver + QC Member
tondas: Sup nerd, I'm doing pretty alright today, thanks. A little bit of pressure from PUPL but besides that it's a pretty average Sunday for me.
TJ: Can you tell us a little about yourself outside of Smogon?
tondas: I'm an 18-year old high school senior living in North Virginia and preparing for my future. I've worked at a community center for about a year and right now I'm thinking about college and any possible majors.
TJ: How and when did you get into competitive Pokemon? What drew you to PU?
tondas: I first got into Pokemon at age 10 when my parents got me Pokemon Black on Christmas and I instantly fell in love with it + its sequel. However, I took a hiatus from Pokemon until around 2017 when a friend at school told me about showdown and how you could build and use teams which blew my mind. As for PU, a lot of Youtube representation from people like Pokeaim and Pyrotoz drew me in and immediately I was captivated by the thought of viably using crap Pokemon. I also assumed it was just a meme tier and felt safe as a tier I could quickly pick up and play.
TJ: Where did you get your username from?
tondas: My username derives from the catchphrase "Tonda Gossa!" which comes from Mother 3 which happens to be one of my favorite games of all time. People never referred to me as the whole thing though so I shortened it and added an s because idk it sounded cool.
TJ: How does it feel being the newest PU driver?
tondas: Being a driver is very exciting; being able to staff my favorite tier while getting greeted whenever I hop online feels great. I also enjoy starting tournaments with special rules or just hanging out with other auth.
TJ: What advice would you give to new players starting out in PU?
tondas: Ask questions! Don't be afraid to ask about certain mechanics or ask for team advice or even send battle challenges provided that person gives you the ok. One of the things I rarely did was ask for advice which made the learning process so much slower for me.
TJ: Can you name any up and coming players showing good potential?
tondas: Jmash324, curi, and gum have genuinely impressed me as PU players that have presented themselves as competent teambuilders and also fun people to be around.
TJ: Who are some of your favorite people on Smogon?
tondas: Way too many to count good lord. My shoutouts go to most of the PU community but also people in other tiers and in the Crew, namely Jordy, zizalith, So Noisy, Mellow, TPP, martha, Averardo, Rabia, curi (get tagged again bwahahaha), among others.
TJ: If you could make one change to Smogon, what would it be and why?
tondas: I'm pretty content with Smogon as-is but one thing I would change is making new users feel more welcome. There's a lot for a new user to unpack upon joining smogon which can be very intimidating without any guidance.
TJ: Favorite TV Show/ Movie?
tondas: My favorite TV show is definitely Breaking Bad; I loved the character development and themes of the show, and I'm a sucker for all the humor and foreshadowing that's thrown in there for good measure.
TJ: Finally, could you give us a cool team and briefly explain it?
tondas:
Sandslash-Alola @ Icium Z
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
Aurorus @ Icy Rock
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Blizzard
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Freeze-Dry
Abomasnow @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Blizzard
- Focus Blast
- Energy Ball
Sableye @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Night Shade
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
Lanturn @ Assault Vest
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 56 SpA / 252 SpD / 200 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Beartic @ Life Orb
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Icicle Crash
- Aqua Jet
- Superpower
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Icicle Crash
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
Aurorus @ Icy Rock
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Blizzard
- Hidden Power [Fighting]
- Freeze-Dry
Abomasnow @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Blizzard
- Focus Blast
- Energy Ball
Sableye @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Night Shade
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
Lanturn @ Assault Vest
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 56 SpA / 252 SpD / 200 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Beartic @ Life Orb
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Icicle Crash
- Aqua Jet
- Superpower
Though ice spam with Sableye was originally one of my own concepts, this version of the team was actually made by HJAD alongside some personal tweakings. This is definitely a ladder team as it folds to any well-played fighting-type that can muscle past sableye (especially with toxic gurdurr becoming a thing) among many other problems. However, this is a pretty straightforward type spam team that I haven't changed since January and I notably got Alolan Exeggutor reqs with it in only a couple hours of the suspect dropping. I also passed it around to other suspect-goers to great success which made it a bit of a legacy.
TJ: Thanks for your time, tondas! As always, if you guys have your own questions, feel free to ask them below!