Player Interview: Draciel

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Welcome to the next edition of Player Interview! This edition features @Draciel, the winner of the Pokémon Online Viability Tournament (POVT)! In the POVT, Pokémon are divided into tiers based on viability, and players must purchase these Pokémon to build teams. At first, only the lowest tiers are available, but as the tournament progresses, higher tiers become available. Without further ado, let’s begin the interview!

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1. How did you first discover Pokémon?

Draciel: I used to watch Pokémon on TV when I was a kid; it was a big hype back then. I didn’t really have a clue about Pokémon games until one of my classmates told me how he played Pokémon ROMs on PC with Desmume. I got curious and decided to give it a go; I got so hooked that I spent my entire vacation playing Black 2, Black, Platinum, and HeartGold.

2. How did you first discover PO?

Draciel: I discovered PO on Softpedia in September 2013 while looking for something else entirely. By then, I was so hooked on playing the games that I was prone to clicking anything which had 'Pokémon' in its name.

3. During your time on PO, have there been any players that you’ve looked up to?

Draciel: When I joined PO I was totally new to the concept of competitive mons, so I started hanging out in the Tournaments channel to learn. Poliwrath says, bugzinator and Trademark were the best and most active players in tours at that time; I interacted with them and learned a lot.

4. How did it feel to win the POVT?

Draciel: It felt good. It would've felt better if my series vs snaga was cleaner, but that's the game we play.

5. What are some keys to being successful in the POVT?

Draciel: I'd say building a variety of teams is very important. Also, don't be afraid to try out unorthodox mons/sets because it catches your opponent off-guard.

6. Were there any moments during the tour when you thought you might lose?

Draciel: Not really, not before the finals at least. My series vs snaga was especially close, where I won the first game due to getting a very high roll on the penultimate turn, which turned out to be the deciding factor in the end.

7. At what point could you see yourself winning the tour?

Draciel: I expected myself to reach the Semi-Finals at least, and once I was there, winning was always a possibility.

8. Which part of the POVT was more fun: the early tiers or the later tiers? Which part was more challenging?

Draciel: Early tiers were much more fun to me. Best part of a tour like POVT is teambuilding, and in the early stages, you get the freedom to build around a variety of mons without worrying about getting destroyed by one of the standard high-tier threats.

Draciel: Later stages are more challenging to build as there are so many threats flying around it's almost impossible to cover everything within the points provided without making some compromises.

9. Were there any Pokémon that you consistently relied on throughout the tour, or did you try to use completely new Pokémon for each round?

Draciel: In a tour like POVT you are forced to build new teams up from scratch for every round; however, one mon I relied heavily on since Round 3 was Conkeldurr. It's a beast, and it was an absolute steal at 20 points.

10. Do you have anything else to say to our readers?

Draciel: Even if it was last year, I would've urged the readers to join forums and start contributing, but I'm not sure if it's of any use at this point. Still, if you have spare time and don't want the community to completely die, feel free to chip in. If you're wondering where to start, look no further than joining our official tours or posting in suspect discussions. Cheers!

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Thanks, Draciel, for taking the time to tell us a bit about yourself, and congratulations on winning the POVT! This edition of Player Interview is coming to an end, but there will be more to come. To nominate players to be interviewed, post here or contact @E.T. on the PO forums.

Spoiler: Special Thanks

Draciel - For Being Interviewed
E.T. - Questions, Grammar
JoyFrost - Artist

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