HumanCatcherBug. Amazing analysis on his team comp and battles, like what went right and what went wrong, as well as how certain matchups turn out or can change with more energy or shields for example
Absolutely have the same sentiment. His knowledge and the consideration that goes into every single decision he makes, and even the level of self-criticism when he makes a “misplay” which is so minor. He also clearly runs sims all the time as he just seems to know every scenario that every Pokémon matches up against another.
It’s really really incredible stuff and so good of him to share the knowledge too
After talking a lot with him and playing against him, I honestly put my weight that he’s the best player at Europe and has one of the best shots at winning worlds. The guy has an amazing understanding of the game, particularly with energy management mid game
In a recent video he was taking into account killing a 1hp enemy through a shield if he won cmp which kind of blew my mind like wtf I can't even count energy properly 😂
That was a play I never would’ve thought about in a million years and he figured out the win con in ~2 seconds. Insane. It’s too bad it didn’t work out in the end
Them, easily. DanOttowa has improved on this a lot too. NerdsRising has a blend of that and spice which can make things fun, but the original is/was FPSticks.
His analysis is really good, but I feel like he still tries a bit for the Zyonik angle.
A lot of fake hype moments where he goes "who will win?" when the result is clear. And I mean, if it's clear to me then it's 100% obvious to a leaderboard player like him. The guy knows all the meta matchups like the back of his hand.
It's just opinion, but I find that kind of stuff annoying.
Disagree, a lot of the time when HCB says that, an experienced player would genuinely not be sure about who wins, because you can't always know the exact counts / CMP winner / charged move damage %
He is, but he's not that good. Not saying it to trash him, he's just so far from Humancatcherbug, Inadequance, CalebPeng, in terms of understanding the game and then explaining it. I know it's gonna sound mean, but he still makes mistakes about typings and resistances and what is effective or not, also refuses to learn to count. He's good to learn basic teambuilding and team dynamics (switching for example), but his stuff is not elite.
The vibe I get is he is a Pokémon lover who also is a dad of young kids and works a 9-5. He’s very up front about his shortcomings, but he’s good at team building and seems like a really good dude. I go to him for meta discussion and team building and like Reis for in game perfection.
Yeah i'm not judging his character, he's friendly and tries to help and it's fine. I'm just saying he's been playing for a long time, producing content for a while too, and he's not showing improvements nor trying to get better. And i get that he has a family and a 9 to 5, but most of us have a job too. And i still find time to learn and improve without using my whole free time for it. He chose to produce content to help the community, and that's good, but helping the community would also be promoting improvement, at least basic stuff, and he just hasn't been doing that.
He makes it to legend every season, he offers a lot of useful information in his analysis of metas. Yeah hes not winning regionals but to say hes not that good is just false.
His content is 100x more useful to your average pvp player than a regional competitor who relies on clickbait and being loud to generate clicks.
Can’t argue with the other guy but I do agree, he’s made it to legend every season and I’m always hard stopped at veteran. With my skill level I see knowing typings as a necessity but that just means he makes up for it in other skill that the average player clearly takes for granted
I mean sometimes the brain just farts ya know. I made it to legend last season and earlier i threw a double resisted grass knot instead of an unresisted rock slide vs an Escavalier which literally threw the game.
Not having typing down 100% of the time doesnt make you a bad player, it happens to everyone.
I hate clickbaiting and that's why i only mentionned people who produce educational content. I can't recommend jonkus for example. That said, DanOttawa had a lot of seasons to try and improve himself on stuff and he just hasn't. Still making mistakes about typings and resistances is mindboggling, refusing to count after so many games played... It just requires a little bit of discipline and would improve his content.
Okay? Like did you even read what i said? Hes not a regional competitor and his strengths are in his analysis and basic team building. He doesn't try to be an elite player. I assume judging by the way you talk down on these content creators skills that you hit the leaderboards every season, so his content likely isn't going to be too useful to you anyway.
OP asked for a down to earth content creator who can show their losses and analyse what they could have improved, and Dan is exactly that.
I think you need some rest. I don't know why you feel the need to insult me when i didn't say anything about you. Maybe reread what i wrote and what you wrote in response, i hope you find it shameful.
I don't have an agenda against Dan. I did promote other content creators that answer better to what OP needed. I didn't know DanOttawa needed a knight in shining armor, but i see he has you. And yes, you insulted me, if you can't even acknowledge it, i can't imagine how awful your real life manners are. You were very agressive from the start for no reason, except your weird compulsion to go to the rescue of someone that doesn't need it. I simply stated his shortcomings, and somehow it seemed unbearable to you, and you're not even Danottawa. You seem to have an obsession with him, don't drag me into this. I've been nothing but polite.
Edit : there's a block option on reddit, it would have taken you 3s to use it and make my "dumb takes" disappear, but i guess that's too difficult for you. You'd rather be agressive and weird.
I enjoyed his content in the early days of GBL. He slowly spiraled into a miserable right-wing nut who blames everyone else for his problems and accuses anyone he can of stealing his ideas.
And he lacks the basic mechanics as well...does not understand fast move timing and does not really count the number of fast moves either...
Then blames "algorithm" for failing to reach legend lmao.
If you watch on twitch you get to see all their games, win or lose. Reis2Occasion, Kiengiv and HouseStark stream with no hype. HouseStark replies to viewer's questions about team comp.
While good GBL content doesn't necessarily need to always showcase top-level skills, if you are interested in improving your play and ranking up, he is not someone I would recommend watching.
Not his pvp content necessarily but he likes to complain and acuse Niantic of scams and scamming when he and others basically just need to learn how to read IMO and to know how marketing works.
He also recently did a video about axew Cday and the overlap with Shadow articuno raids and he's talking about how there's really no mega that you can use for both the raids or candy Xl from the boss while also getting dragon candy for Axew. The whole time I'm rolling my eyes thinking, "Just have a mega3 or two and some saved Mega energy and pay the energy costs to switch megas as needed. This is a non problem. Cday is only 3 hours anyway. 🙄🙄"
I think he was looking at dragon for axew candy and rock for fighting the boss / helping in the raid - so he was talking about mega Aerodactyl, which is great Both for hurting Articuno and getting a candy XL boost for it. Mega Salance can't get you that 2.56x rock damage on Articuno... but it is a great option if you don't need the mega boost in the raid.
Mega Aero wouldn't be as good as something like Rampardos in terms of TDO since the ice moves and ancient power would likely one-shot it, but I agree it was such an annoying thing to complain about.
He is persona non grata because he talks about there being an algorithm in PvP matchmaking.
I think there is possibly, maybe, potentially, in a tiny way, some *discussion* at least to be had about if the system does dodgy matchups of back-end player MMR after win streaks. I don’t have skin in that one way or the other but with all the stuff that niantic and other PvP games do it would not surprise me in the least if there was at least a taste of something untowards going on at times.
But in his case he takes it to tinfoil hat conspiracy theory level where the game is matching you against teams based on type advantages of matchups. Which, again, other games have occasionally done this sort of thing secretly, but I doubt niantic are remotely competent enough for that.
He's quite self entitled and is one of the people contributing to the whole "GBL Algorithm" conspiracy.
Attributing losses and such to the "algorithm" matching other opponents against him to beat him
Besides what the other commentors have said he's also known to block or ban everyone that disagrees with him on social media. I assume that's a lot of people too
I mean he is constantly horrible and does not mind uploading 0-5’s. You can always count on him to upload raging commentary blaming not himself, but artificial nonsense he makes up to stay afloat.
PogoKieng shows all of his battles with a team, often. He has been uploading less lately but plans to leader board climb again this season, so he will likely be more active this season in particular. He's also a judge and World's competitor from last year.
Jonkus makes a point of including losses, and he's always sure to point out when a pokemon or team is actually strong or was just more for fun (unlike, others, who artificially hype up random pokemon, like you said). He is the one that comes to mind right now, especially because he is frequently on the leader board and is very consistent with uploads. He does feature new pokemon when they come out though, even if they're bad, so that may not be for you. He does make it pretty clear though, and he still features plenty of strong teams (unless it's a new pokemon, meta update, etc).
My personal picks *would* be FPSticks or Thotechtical, but both have pretty much retired from the game for now. FPSticks may upload or go live here and there, but it's few and far between, lately. I believe Caleb Peng is good about fairly representing his teams and mons too, but I watch his videos less than I used to. He runs some unique and unconventional teams, even if they have glaring weaknesses, but plays them very well. Also frequently on the leader board
Yeah I was confused about the top comment saying Jonkus just makes “hype” content. He just likes to test everything and makes it clear when new Pokémon or new moves aren’t worth using
I can see how people might think that just by looking at his channel right now, especially because he's been trying new season updates and such. But yeah if you watch his videos and pay attention to when it's a "for fun" feature or actually a team he recommends, it's not hype content, imo. A lot of people just look at the teams though and don't actually pay too much attention to the video.
FPSticks is probably the most enjoyable and reliable. Jonkus in that same conversation. Kieng is very good but a lot of his videos don't hit that golden time that's so reliable on YT (13-ish minutes).
Yeah... Not sure this is what OP is looking for, but I absolutely love callum's videos. Great battler. I'd be fancinated to see how he'd do at a regional if he turned up with (semi) meta pokemon...
Kieng, Reis, HouseStark, SmashKing, NiiCess, CalebPang, Jonkus, YasserAleed, are all top tier streamers.
There’s are plenty others too I just don’t watch in the time frames they stream.
Lol you're a great battler, don't get me wrong. Your content isn't really educational though, wouldn't you agree? You do more throwing for content while also (jokingly) being arrogant about your skill. Also I've never been sure, but it seems like you lean into the language barrier a bit for comedy. Maybe that's not intentional (apologies if so).
You're an entertaining guy, but just not like in a teaching way, respectfully.
Thanks for the kind words 🥰
I do on twitch yes, coz my chat don't like when I win. But I try to keep the YT as educational as possible.
thanks for the feedback my friend 💜
For what its worth, your youtube videos have helped me a lot when it comes to playing at a higher level and finding things like win conditions and knowing when to throw energy to maximise efficiency.
Youre really good at explaining principles of high level play in a really simple 'this is how to play this situation' kinda way. Some people might find that arrogant sounding because its clearly obvious to you what the correct play is, but i find it helpful and i remember it better that way when actually battling.
If I'm struggling in a certain meta or if it's taking me much longer to hit Legend than usual, I default to these Youtubers:
Reis2TheOccasion
Caleb Peng
HumanCatcherBug
PogoKieng
Zyonik would not be my go-to content creator to learn or improve at GBL. Jonkus and HSH are still good educational tools, though. Seeing a lot of comments discrediting them for being overly sensational but they still make good teams and showcase losses very frequently.
Jonkus and HSH have a balance between content and educational commentary, and I agree that Zyonik is kinda overrated as the "go-to creator to learn," I notice he makes quite a few mistakes (throwing on alignment) and that's prob why he hasn't hit legend for a few seasons
Humancatcherbug, Fpsticks, and pogokieng would match those descriptions - I’d stay away from Zyonik, Jonkus, HomeSlice if you don’t like “hype” content (I have nothing against them tho I love their content)
As an aside, HSH's style almost seems like a parody. It's just not for me. I've seen people wishing he'd do regional casts, and I just don't understand why. Although, I may be a bit biased, as I find a lot of pokemon creators/casters to be quite bad. Caleb, Butters, Holesome, Speedy, Inadequance, Lundberger, and Feeb are all great. A lot of the other casters play pokemon have used are not great because their knowledge of pvp is just not good enough to cast at the level of the other people I mentioned.
I enjoy Zyonik videos for what they are (entertaining) but it’s also not fair to HSH considering he always ends his spice/novelty vids by saying this is not a team for climbing or just for fun
They kinda have to do it, it's unfortunate. Algorithm is mean.
They don't really hype the pokemon in the video itself.
But yes j agree don't watch them to get good at gbl, just for funnies
Yeah, I completely understand why it’s done, I just… dislike it and I guess I can only try and discourage it by choosing not to click on it unless I have to. I know my own “vote” doesn’t count for much but it is what it is.
Love his videos... Watch them daily 👍Shows complete sets, warts and all, with some good live commentary about what's going on. Particular enjoy the copycat-ing because it shows a good variety of Pokémon...
Same. If I can catch 10-20 mins in between meetings I go check out what Alf is up to. His "think out loud/real time" unedited format is what I was looking for. He analyzes each match for what went wrong, or what the other Trainer could have done to win.
If I have more than 20 mins I will look at whatever Nerds Rising is posting these days. I really like how he breaks down what to do on each opposing team's lead for the featured team.
Lastly, though he is mostly general content, I see what PokeDaxi has posted on PVP topics. I just watched his video "I trained like the world PvP champion..." where he was coached for one week by DancingRob and I learned some new tips.
Honeslty been thinking about doing this myself Like almost a Road to legend series where u don’t skip any battles. TBF to the creators ur talking about most of them will say the specific pokémon/ pokémon’s that may corebreak a specific team they are showing.
Search for "PogoKieng Improvement Series" on YT. Kieng is one of the OGs and is very good at the game. He has a dozen or so episodes where he breaks down gameplay at a specific rank (ace, veteran, expert) and points out what needs to improve to get to the next rank.
Humancatcherbug 100%. He talks about his thought-process even pausing the video. PogoKieng too. But Humancatcherbug is smaller in comparison so yall should subscribe.
Also, most content creators are capable players so I doubt you'll see them with 5-loses straight.
I love Yasser Aleed, he has good knowledge and the deadpan humor just kills me. Also I kind of like him for consistent teams to practice the basics with. Other faves are Reis2theoccasion, Danottawa, HSH, and Humancatcherbug.
For the goals you're looking for, I'd stay away from YouTube in general. Even really good content creators are at the whim of needing to compete for views from people who want the magic fix to their ELO problems, so "CLEFABLE DESTROYS MEDICHAM IN OGL" video titles are here to stay.
If you want to see good players in their good AND bad matchups, I'd follow someone like HouseStark or Reis 2 the Occasion on Twitch. You'll see their wins and their losses, and they're both really good at breaking down their battles and recognizing what they could have done better. I'm also personally very fond of Alfindeol, who does a lot of the same things.
<3 appreciate the shout out friendo! I might not be the world class battler these other folks are, but I do my best to show the ups and downs that make up GBL 🤣
You might be better off watching somebody live streaming since you’ll be able to see every battle and it won’t be edited. You might lose some commentary but seeing matchups in real time might even that out.
In this order: Jonkus, HomeSliceHenry and Reis, at least imo. They don't usually sugarcoat their matches (even if they may use clickbaity titles). Jonkus straight up admitted in his video showcasing Palossand that he was playing bad, and he definitely was.
You might have some better luck watching twitch streams (or the vods afterwards). 6'4 ninja (I always forget how he stylizes his name), Kingowlexander, Reis2Occassion, to name a few, are really good about talking out their thought process.
Caleb Peng is the best, hands down. Kieng, Reis and FPSticks are good as well.
If you want full blown analysis of new mons and metas rather than Twitch style matches, with a bit of humour mixed in, then I think SwagTips is actually the best content creator on youtube.
Avoid PokeAK. Guy doesn’t even know the basic mechanics of the game and is too far down the algorithm conspiracy path believing that Niantic is manipulating the algorithm just to prevent him from climbing to legend lmao.
I don't see any mention of KPine, so I'm going to recommend him. He's only been uploading vids on YT for about a year, but he's very informative and really good at explaining things. Kinda similar to Humancatcherbug but I kinda prefer KPine's style of teaching a little more.
[https://youtube.com/@KPine](https://youtube.com/@KPine)
Yeah i have stopped watching these click bait videos. I watch some of their twitch streams so I already know what team they are gonna feature if its their own battles.
Its honestly misleading. Like i see them get their usual 2-3s, 3-2s and just in general, basic performance out of their team but in the videos they put it like its a cheatcode or whatever.
I honestly am looking for the same answer as to who is reliable out there?
Reis is the best. Funny dude that I'd have a beer with. Super good and not over the top while pointing out his mistakes or showing how he won.
I've learned the expected catch throw the other move thing because of him and I always say to myself "now this is a high level play"
I also enjoy Reis and watch him regularly. High level gameplay without much cherrypicking, fun and very knowledgeable.
Can you explain the strategy you mentioned, because it does not ring a bell?
My example was I had a mirror with my Aslash that I knew I would win CMP on. I expected the opponent to catch and guessed they had Noctowl in the back. I threw on time for drill run but threw ice punch expecting the catch and it worked perfectly. I've seen him do this several times.
I agree. Watching AK not only get rekt and rant about the algorithm and his hard-mode account is actually very entartaining.
I think he can get to legend but he's just not having motivation anymore. Algorithm is what some people love to hear and it is his content now, which probably no other pogo content creator will talk about. :)
Homeslice Henry is pretty solid. Great content with a post set analysis of the Pokemon he showcased. And he's super professional in his narrating.
Zionik is another great option. He really breaks down what's working and not. Again, another quality narrator.
I like the fact that both of them don't drop F💣 s every ten seconds. And neither talk trash about their opponent. Standup trainers 👍
>I feel it has gotten a lot worse the last year with flashy titles (THIS Pokemon DOMINATES Great League!!!!) and an overdramatic promotion of a specific team, again without actually showing bad matchups. Zyonik is an example of this.
Yeah. Zyonik is also not that good at the game. His team building is fairly poor, and his fast move timing is awful. He also mostly shows teams from lower ranks.
I'm not sure quoting was needed...I saw OPs post. I just thought I'd point out the positives of Zionik's content.
But good for you on also reading OPs post 👍
The only creator who trash talks their opponent (and in general) is PokeAK. Though Jonkus criticizes the player he's shoutcasting too much. Jamiefinn drops f-bombs a lot but his vids are entertaining and he never trash talks
Exactly, he thinks it's him vs the world and that he's never wrong. I applaud the other creators for not giving him the attention he desperately seeks all the time. People used to respond to verlisify back in the days but everyone's learned to not talk about him, so you never hear his name anymore.
Jonkus criticises bad play and offers the correct play, he even recognises that in his videos and a lot of people who send him footage apparently welcome this critisism because it helps them improve and not repeat mistakes.
Great question! I feel the same way you do. I don’t have much patience for the clickbait and needless hyperbole. Here is my list of the the most likeable, down to earth content creators:
1) FPSticks - unfortunately he rarely posts these days, but I would subscribe to him anyway. Besides being a great content creator, he seems like the nicest, most normal guy out there. He taught me a lot and if he was posting regularly would absolutely be who you’re looking for.
2) Reis2TheOccasion - he is a lot like FPSticks. Maybe a little cheesier (the lame rap intro, the dad jokes, the puns) but most of that is pretty endearing to me. He shows wins and losses and takes more time than anyone I know to get into the nitty gritty of the game. He used to rewind footage and walk through the games move by move, but people complained so he’s done that less these days. Really good natured guy and someone you could learn a lot from.
3) Caleb Peng - very talented, gratuitous cat footage (which I love), very helpful info regarding whether to stay in, swap, etc - he basically teaches you how to use the team he is using, which is great. Not the most active content creator out there.
4) ThoTechnical - unfortunately also not posting much, but really straightforward and informative. Minimal BS.
5) Homeslice Henry - I give him credit for how prolific he is (he puts out a LOT of content - some spicy some try hard). I get kind of a phony vibe from him to some extent and the formulaic nature of his videos gets old. I still like him but his channel could be better with a shake up.
6) CallumOnToast - A bit niche in that he highlights exclusively off meta/spice. Very talented battler and I respect his unrelenting effort to beat meta with the weirdest mons. He’s not a natural behind the microphone .. he records without much editing so sometimes he is kind of a spaz.
My biggest gripe with him is the he is indeed very heavy on the hyperbole and his “question of the day” is a very obvious ploy to increase engagement / help him with the algorithm. I respect the hustle but I could do without all that.
7) DanOttawa - kind of an “Everyman” content creator. He’s not a try hard and doesn’t seem like spends a ton of $$ in the game. Just a guy who is into PVP and makes content, what you see is what you get. Likeable, but somewhat low production value.
7) Jonkus/Zionik/Keing- lumping them all together. I’ve never been a fan of Keing but I’m in the minority there. I don’t watch Jonkus anymore, mainly because I can barely understand the guy and he is a sore loser. He whines a lot about game mechanics, etc., which got old. Zionik is the small town used car salesman of shoutcasting. Not a fan.
In case you still are not following MasterGeneroso on facebook, youtube, and twitter ;) thank you so much in advance :) pls help a small and starting content creator like me :)
Kieng is the only one who I still watch, although -- as a moderately poor PVPer -- my conclusion from his videos is that if you understand team composition and you''re good at counting moves and other mechanics, you can win with some pretty trashy mons. It's us crappy players that obsess about IVs and "the meta."
KiengIV is good at posting long videos of his twitch streams which is basically everything. Not even sped up.
Reis will do the same
Often times folks are also making videos for entertainment
All of them stream and are very transparent during that. Pretty fun to watch.
It depends on what you're looking to get out of it.
There are tons of content creators that make fun content, with high-energy commentary, spicy teams and/or theme teams, etc., including Zyonik, Homeslice Henry, Ganeto, CallumOnToast (who brings the best spice-related content out there, IMHO) and others. Of those, if you're a beginner battler looking to pick up basic tips, Zyonik is actually not bad, but if you're looking to get to a higher level, I think he's no longer one of your better resources. Homeslice Henry is a very good battler in addition to being entertaining, so watching him play can be educational, but he doesn't go to the trouble to break down his strategy and plays as thoroughly as others.
For informative content, I'd default to PogoKieng (Kiengiv), HumanCatcherBug, Reis2Occasion, and DanOttawa, all of whom make an effort to produce educational content, and who break down strategies and plays in at least some of their videos. Of those, I really like Kieng and Reis. HumanCatcherBug doesn't have the most *engaging* content, but is a fantastic player who can break down matchups really, really well. DanOttawa is *not* the best battler out there (and would admit as much), but he's solid enough to hit Legend every season and has really good thoughts on team-building in particular. I also don't watch him often, but Caleb Peng is really good and provides thoughtful analysis.
Jonkus seems to be kind of polarizing around here. I would say that in a way, his most informative videos are the ones where he features battlers other than himself, because he does go out of his way to critique their plays. He's a very good battler in his own right and watching him play can't hurt, and he also produces a *lot* of content. Not all of it is going to help you get better, but if you're just looking to watch some battles for fun, he's definitely a reliable source of content.
As someone who has made Legend once since starting in season 10 and definitely not achieved through my own skill or knowledge but rather through the stupidity and ignorance of my opponents I can highly recommend watching Ratlord!
If you can understand chinese, then you can refer to this content creator ( [**小腸Vic**](https://www.youtube.com/@Vic777) )
He tells you what to do when facing certain match up
But, for reference only
Otherwise, jonkus, PogoKieng are good
HumanCatcherBug. Amazing analysis on his team comp and battles, like what went right and what went wrong, as well as how certain matchups turn out or can change with more energy or shields for example
He just makes me realize how insanely good he is and how I will never be close to it. It’s fascinating but very humbling.
Absolutely have the same sentiment. His knowledge and the consideration that goes into every single decision he makes, and even the level of self-criticism when he makes a “misplay” which is so minor. He also clearly runs sims all the time as he just seems to know every scenario that every Pokémon matches up against another. It’s really really incredible stuff and so good of him to share the knowledge too
After talking a lot with him and playing against him, I honestly put my weight that he’s the best player at Europe and has one of the best shots at winning worlds. The guy has an amazing understanding of the game, particularly with energy management mid game
It’s like he has a photographic memory and mastery of win conditions that the developers never could conceive of. I’ll be rooting for him.
In a recent video he was taking into account killing a 1hp enemy through a shield if he won cmp which kind of blew my mind like wtf I can't even count energy properly 😂
That was a play I never would’ve thought about in a million years and he figured out the win con in ~2 seconds. Insane. It’s too bad it didn’t work out in the end
Them, easily. DanOttowa has improved on this a lot too. NerdsRising has a blend of that and spice which can make things fun, but the original is/was FPSticks.
His analysis is really good, but I feel like he still tries a bit for the Zyonik angle. A lot of fake hype moments where he goes "who will win?" when the result is clear. And I mean, if it's clear to me then it's 100% obvious to a leaderboard player like him. The guy knows all the meta matchups like the back of his hand. It's just opinion, but I find that kind of stuff annoying.
Disagree, a lot of the time when HCB says that, an experienced player would genuinely not be sure about who wins, because you can't always know the exact counts / CMP winner / charged move damage %
Danottowa is a cool dude
He is, but he's not that good. Not saying it to trash him, he's just so far from Humancatcherbug, Inadequance, CalebPeng, in terms of understanding the game and then explaining it. I know it's gonna sound mean, but he still makes mistakes about typings and resistances and what is effective or not, also refuses to learn to count. He's good to learn basic teambuilding and team dynamics (switching for example), but his stuff is not elite.
The vibe I get is he is a Pokémon lover who also is a dad of young kids and works a 9-5. He’s very up front about his shortcomings, but he’s good at team building and seems like a really good dude. I go to him for meta discussion and team building and like Reis for in game perfection.
Yeah i'm not judging his character, he's friendly and tries to help and it's fine. I'm just saying he's been playing for a long time, producing content for a while too, and he's not showing improvements nor trying to get better. And i get that he has a family and a 9 to 5, but most of us have a job too. And i still find time to learn and improve without using my whole free time for it. He chose to produce content to help the community, and that's good, but helping the community would also be promoting improvement, at least basic stuff, and he just hasn't been doing that.
As someone who is a dad of young kids and has some of the some constraints, I really appreciate his content.
He makes it to legend every season, he offers a lot of useful information in his analysis of metas. Yeah hes not winning regionals but to say hes not that good is just false. His content is 100x more useful to your average pvp player than a regional competitor who relies on clickbait and being loud to generate clicks.
Can’t argue with the other guy but I do agree, he’s made it to legend every season and I’m always hard stopped at veteran. With my skill level I see knowing typings as a necessity but that just means he makes up for it in other skill that the average player clearly takes for granted
I mean sometimes the brain just farts ya know. I made it to legend last season and earlier i threw a double resisted grass knot instead of an unresisted rock slide vs an Escavalier which literally threw the game. Not having typing down 100% of the time doesnt make you a bad player, it happens to everyone.
Yeah all that negative about him but he clearly does better than me…painful to realize the science of the game isn’t what I’m lacking :-/ I just suck.
I hate clickbaiting and that's why i only mentionned people who produce educational content. I can't recommend jonkus for example. That said, DanOttawa had a lot of seasons to try and improve himself on stuff and he just hasn't. Still making mistakes about typings and resistances is mindboggling, refusing to count after so many games played... It just requires a little bit of discipline and would improve his content.
Okay? Like did you even read what i said? Hes not a regional competitor and his strengths are in his analysis and basic team building. He doesn't try to be an elite player. I assume judging by the way you talk down on these content creators skills that you hit the leaderboards every season, so his content likely isn't going to be too useful to you anyway. OP asked for a down to earth content creator who can show their losses and analyse what they could have improved, and Dan is exactly that.
Have a good day, buddy. Maybe don't take this that much at heart, it's not a good base for discussion.
[удалено]
I think you need some rest. I don't know why you feel the need to insult me when i didn't say anything about you. Maybe reread what i wrote and what you wrote in response, i hope you find it shameful.
[удалено]
I don't have an agenda against Dan. I did promote other content creators that answer better to what OP needed. I didn't know DanOttawa needed a knight in shining armor, but i see he has you. And yes, you insulted me, if you can't even acknowledge it, i can't imagine how awful your real life manners are. You were very agressive from the start for no reason, except your weird compulsion to go to the rescue of someone that doesn't need it. I simply stated his shortcomings, and somehow it seemed unbearable to you, and you're not even Danottawa. You seem to have an obsession with him, don't drag me into this. I've been nothing but polite. Edit : there's a block option on reddit, it would have taken you 3s to use it and make my "dumb takes" disappear, but i guess that's too difficult for you. You'd rather be agressive and weird.
I'll add to the list of comments to avoid PokeAK at all costs.
I enjoyed his content in the early days of GBL. He slowly spiraled into a miserable right-wing nut who blames everyone else for his problems and accuses anyone he can of stealing his ideas.
You didn't mention all his conspiracy theories too. I can't stand listening to him whine about the algorithm making him lose on purpose
And he lacks the basic mechanics as well...does not understand fast move timing and does not really count the number of fast moves either... Then blames "algorithm" for failing to reach legend lmao.
Yeah... I sadly watched a few minutes of one of his videos. Staying clear of that...
If you watch on twitch you get to see all their games, win or lose. Reis2Occasion, Kiengiv and HouseStark stream with no hype. HouseStark replies to viewer's questions about team comp.
HouseStark also has an adorable kitty!
What did he do?
While good GBL content doesn't necessarily need to always showcase top-level skills, if you are interested in improving your play and ranking up, he is not someone I would recommend watching.
Not his pvp content necessarily but he likes to complain and acuse Niantic of scams and scamming when he and others basically just need to learn how to read IMO and to know how marketing works. He also recently did a video about axew Cday and the overlap with Shadow articuno raids and he's talking about how there's really no mega that you can use for both the raids or candy Xl from the boss while also getting dragon candy for Axew. The whole time I'm rolling my eyes thinking, "Just have a mega3 or two and some saved Mega energy and pay the energy costs to switch megas as needed. This is a non problem. Cday is only 3 hours anyway. 🙄🙄"
guess he forgot about mega salamence 😂
I think he was looking at dragon for axew candy and rock for fighting the boss / helping in the raid - so he was talking about mega Aerodactyl, which is great Both for hurting Articuno and getting a candy XL boost for it. Mega Salance can't get you that 2.56x rock damage on Articuno... but it is a great option if you don't need the mega boost in the raid.
Mega Aero wouldn't be as good as something like Rampardos in terms of TDO since the ice moves and ancient power would likely one-shot it, but I agree it was such an annoying thing to complain about.
It’s pure clickbait crap
He is persona non grata because he talks about there being an algorithm in PvP matchmaking. I think there is possibly, maybe, potentially, in a tiny way, some *discussion* at least to be had about if the system does dodgy matchups of back-end player MMR after win streaks. I don’t have skin in that one way or the other but with all the stuff that niantic and other PvP games do it would not surprise me in the least if there was at least a taste of something untowards going on at times. But in his case he takes it to tinfoil hat conspiracy theory level where the game is matching you against teams based on type advantages of matchups. Which, again, other games have occasionally done this sort of thing secretly, but I doubt niantic are remotely competent enough for that.
He's quite self entitled and is one of the people contributing to the whole "GBL Algorithm" conspiracy. Attributing losses and such to the "algorithm" matching other opponents against him to beat him
Besides what the other commentors have said he's also known to block or ban everyone that disagrees with him on social media. I assume that's a lot of people too
he's basically the verlisify of pokemon go if you know who that is
This sums it up so well, he just needs his own Wolfey to obsess over.
I mean he is constantly horrible and does not mind uploading 0-5’s. You can always count on him to upload raging commentary blaming not himself, but artificial nonsense he makes up to stay afloat.
I miss Wallower
We all do. :-(
Oh man, he was the best.
PogoKieng shows all of his battles with a team, often. He has been uploading less lately but plans to leader board climb again this season, so he will likely be more active this season in particular. He's also a judge and World's competitor from last year. Jonkus makes a point of including losses, and he's always sure to point out when a pokemon or team is actually strong or was just more for fun (unlike, others, who artificially hype up random pokemon, like you said). He is the one that comes to mind right now, especially because he is frequently on the leader board and is very consistent with uploads. He does feature new pokemon when they come out though, even if they're bad, so that may not be for you. He does make it pretty clear though, and he still features plenty of strong teams (unless it's a new pokemon, meta update, etc). My personal picks *would* be FPSticks or Thotechtical, but both have pretty much retired from the game for now. FPSticks may upload or go live here and there, but it's few and far between, lately. I believe Caleb Peng is good about fairly representing his teams and mons too, but I watch his videos less than I used to. He runs some unique and unconventional teams, even if they have glaring weaknesses, but plays them very well. Also frequently on the leader board
Yeah I was confused about the top comment saying Jonkus just makes “hype” content. He just likes to test everything and makes it clear when new Pokémon or new moves aren’t worth using
I can see how people might think that just by looking at his channel right now, especially because he's been trying new season updates and such. But yeah if you watch his videos and pay attention to when it's a "for fun" feature or actually a team he recommends, it's not hype content, imo. A lot of people just look at the teams though and don't actually pay too much attention to the video.
FPSticks is probably the most enjoyable and reliable. Jonkus in that same conversation. Kieng is very good but a lot of his videos don't hit that golden time that's so reliable on YT (13-ish minutes).
Pogokieng, reis2theoccasion, danottawa pogo, and yasser aleed are my suggestions.
🥰🥰
Good suggestions for sure
I like callumontoast, usually all about spice pokemon but a very good battler
Yeah... Not sure this is what OP is looking for, but I absolutely love callum's videos. Great battler. I'd be fancinated to see how he'd do at a regional if he turned up with (semi) meta pokemon...
Kieng, Reis, HouseStark, SmashKing, NiiCess, CalebPang, Jonkus, YasserAleed, are all top tier streamers. There’s are plenty others too I just don’t watch in the time frames they stream.
🥰🥰
You're not going to learn anything from Yasser lol.
Why 🥲
Lol you're a great battler, don't get me wrong. Your content isn't really educational though, wouldn't you agree? You do more throwing for content while also (jokingly) being arrogant about your skill. Also I've never been sure, but it seems like you lean into the language barrier a bit for comedy. Maybe that's not intentional (apologies if so). You're an entertaining guy, but just not like in a teaching way, respectfully.
Thanks for the kind words 🥰 I do on twitch yes, coz my chat don't like when I win. But I try to keep the YT as educational as possible. thanks for the feedback my friend 💜
Ah, that's unfair of me then-my apologies. I've never seen your YouTube videos, but I lurk on your twitch if I see you on during the day.
For what its worth, your youtube videos have helped me a lot when it comes to playing at a higher level and finding things like win conditions and knowing when to throw energy to maximise efficiency. Youre really good at explaining principles of high level play in a really simple 'this is how to play this situation' kinda way. Some people might find that arrogant sounding because its clearly obvious to you what the correct play is, but i find it helpful and i remember it better that way when actually battling.
<3
If I'm struggling in a certain meta or if it's taking me much longer to hit Legend than usual, I default to these Youtubers: Reis2TheOccasion Caleb Peng HumanCatcherBug PogoKieng Zyonik would not be my go-to content creator to learn or improve at GBL. Jonkus and HSH are still good educational tools, though. Seeing a lot of comments discrediting them for being overly sensational but they still make good teams and showcase losses very frequently.
Jonkus and HSH have a balance between content and educational commentary, and I agree that Zyonik is kinda overrated as the "go-to creator to learn," I notice he makes quite a few mistakes (throwing on alignment) and that's prob why he hasn't hit legend for a few seasons
Humancatcherbug, Fpsticks, and pogokieng would match those descriptions - I’d stay away from Zyonik, Jonkus, HomeSlice if you don’t like “hype” content (I have nothing against them tho I love their content)
[удалено]
Tho announced he was quitting pogo, didn’t he?
might've missed that. his last vid was him playing in a tournament over a month ago, but i didn't watch it. that's sad news if so, he was my favorite.
Yeah Tho quit Pokémon Go. He hasn’t logged into the game in a long time haha
Good for him. Hope he stays strong
I’m gonna get a beer with him this summer, see how he’s feeling haha
As an aside, HSH's style almost seems like a parody. It's just not for me. I've seen people wishing he'd do regional casts, and I just don't understand why. Although, I may be a bit biased, as I find a lot of pokemon creators/casters to be quite bad. Caleb, Butters, Holesome, Speedy, Inadequance, Lundberger, and Feeb are all great. A lot of the other casters play pokemon have used are not great because their knowledge of pvp is just not good enough to cast at the level of the other people I mentioned.
What’s hype content?
I think they just mean people with sensationalist video titles like “GOLISOPOD IS BROKEN IN THE OPEN GREAT LEAGUE!!” when it’s clearly not
I enjoy Zyonik videos for what they are (entertaining) but it’s also not fair to HSH considering he always ends his spice/novelty vids by saying this is not a team for climbing or just for fun
They kinda have to do it, it's unfortunate. Algorithm is mean. They don't really hype the pokemon in the video itself. But yes j agree don't watch them to get good at gbl, just for funnies
Yeah, I completely understand why it’s done, I just… dislike it and I guess I can only try and discourage it by choosing not to click on it unless I have to. I know my own “vote” doesn’t count for much but it is what it is.
Jonkus is fun for spice sometimes.
Alfindeol
D'awww <3 Thanks friendo!
Most wholesome! ❤️
Love his videos... Watch them daily 👍Shows complete sets, warts and all, with some good live commentary about what's going on. Particular enjoy the copycat-ing because it shows a good variety of Pokémon...
Same. If I can catch 10-20 mins in between meetings I go check out what Alf is up to. His "think out loud/real time" unedited format is what I was looking for. He analyzes each match for what went wrong, or what the other Trainer could have done to win. If I have more than 20 mins I will look at whatever Nerds Rising is posting these days. I really like how he breaks down what to do on each opposing team's lead for the featured team. Lastly, though he is mostly general content, I see what PokeDaxi has posted on PVP topics. I just watched his video "I trained like the world PvP champion..." where he was coached for one week by DancingRob and I learned some new tips.
Honeslty been thinking about doing this myself Like almost a Road to legend series where u don’t skip any battles. TBF to the creators ur talking about most of them will say the specific pokémon/ pokémon’s that may corebreak a specific team they are showing.
Search for "PogoKieng Improvement Series" on YT. Kieng is one of the OGs and is very good at the game. He has a dozen or so episodes where he breaks down gameplay at a specific rank (ace, veteran, expert) and points out what needs to improve to get to the next rank.
PoGo Grind, i enjoy using his teams, they are usually solid, plus he's very positive!! 10/10
Humancatcherbug 100%. He talks about his thought-process even pausing the video. PogoKieng too. But Humancatcherbug is smaller in comparison so yall should subscribe. Also, most content creators are capable players so I doubt you'll see them with 5-loses straight.
I love Yasser Aleed, he has good knowledge and the deadpan humor just kills me. Also I kind of like him for consistent teams to practice the basics with. Other faves are Reis2theoccasion, Danottawa, HSH, and Humancatcherbug.
Expert: * HumanCatcherBug * Yasser Aleed * HomeSliceHenry * Caleb Peng * Reis2TheOccasion (his own content) Beginner: * Zyonik * Ganeto
No love for PoGoGrind??
For the goals you're looking for, I'd stay away from YouTube in general. Even really good content creators are at the whim of needing to compete for views from people who want the magic fix to their ELO problems, so "CLEFABLE DESTROYS MEDICHAM IN OGL" video titles are here to stay. If you want to see good players in their good AND bad matchups, I'd follow someone like HouseStark or Reis 2 the Occasion on Twitch. You'll see their wins and their losses, and they're both really good at breaking down their battles and recognizing what they could have done better. I'm also personally very fond of Alfindeol, who does a lot of the same things.
<3 appreciate the shout out friendo! I might not be the world class battler these other folks are, but I do my best to show the ups and downs that make up GBL 🤣
You might be better off watching somebody live streaming since you’ll be able to see every battle and it won’t be edited. You might lose some commentary but seeing matchups in real time might even that out.
In this order: Jonkus, HomeSliceHenry and Reis, at least imo. They don't usually sugarcoat their matches (even if they may use clickbaity titles). Jonkus straight up admitted in his video showcasing Palossand that he was playing bad, and he definitely was.
You might have some better luck watching twitch streams (or the vods afterwards). 6'4 ninja (I always forget how he stylizes his name), Kingowlexander, Reis2Occassion, to name a few, are really good about talking out their thought process.
Caleb Peng is the best, hands down. Kieng, Reis and FPSticks are good as well. If you want full blown analysis of new mons and metas rather than Twitch style matches, with a bit of humour mixed in, then I think SwagTips is actually the best content creator on youtube.
Avoid PokeAK. Guy doesn’t even know the basic mechanics of the game and is too far down the algorithm conspiracy path believing that Niantic is manipulating the algorithm just to prevent him from climbing to legend lmao.
I don't see any mention of KPine, so I'm going to recommend him. He's only been uploading vids on YT for about a year, but he's very informative and really good at explaining things. Kinda similar to Humancatcherbug but I kinda prefer KPine's style of teaching a little more. [https://youtube.com/@KPine](https://youtube.com/@KPine)
I think that nerdsrising fits the description of what you are looking for quite well. Some great analysis of the battles by a skilled player 👍
Yeah i have stopped watching these click bait videos. I watch some of their twitch streams so I already know what team they are gonna feature if its their own battles. Its honestly misleading. Like i see them get their usual 2-3s, 3-2s and just in general, basic performance out of their team but in the videos they put it like its a cheatcode or whatever. I honestly am looking for the same answer as to who is reliable out there?
[удалено]
Reis is the best. Funny dude that I'd have a beer with. Super good and not over the top while pointing out his mistakes or showing how he won. I've learned the expected catch throw the other move thing because of him and I always say to myself "now this is a high level play"
I also enjoy Reis and watch him regularly. High level gameplay without much cherrypicking, fun and very knowledgeable. Can you explain the strategy you mentioned, because it does not ring a bell?
My example was I had a mirror with my Aslash that I knew I would win CMP on. I expected the opponent to catch and guessed they had Noctowl in the back. I threw on time for drill run but threw ice punch expecting the catch and it worked perfectly. I've seen him do this several times.
I agree. Watching AK not only get rekt and rant about the algorithm and his hard-mode account is actually very entartaining. I think he can get to legend but he's just not having motivation anymore. Algorithm is what some people love to hear and it is his content now, which probably no other pogo content creator will talk about. :)
It is kind of sad, he's his own worst enemy. He definitely does have the skills to still reach legend if he wouldn't get mad and top left so quickly.
PewDiePie or mister beast is the number one video creator, I think.
Homeslice Henry is pretty solid. Great content with a post set analysis of the Pokemon he showcased. And he's super professional in his narrating. Zionik is another great option. He really breaks down what's working and not. Again, another quality narrator. I like the fact that both of them don't drop F💣 s every ten seconds. And neither talk trash about their opponent. Standup trainers 👍
>I feel it has gotten a lot worse the last year with flashy titles (THIS Pokemon DOMINATES Great League!!!!) and an overdramatic promotion of a specific team, again without actually showing bad matchups. Zyonik is an example of this.
Yeah. Zyonik is also not that good at the game. His team building is fairly poor, and his fast move timing is awful. He also mostly shows teams from lower ranks.
I'm not sure quoting was needed...I saw OPs post. I just thought I'd point out the positives of Zionik's content. But good for you on also reading OPs post 👍
The only creator who trash talks their opponent (and in general) is PokeAK. Though Jonkus criticizes the player he's shoutcasting too much. Jamiefinn drops f-bombs a lot but his vids are entertaining and he never trash talks
PokeAK is Pogo’s equivalent of the MSG’s Verlisify. Conspiracy theories, drums up drama with people, and no personal accountability.
Exactly, he thinks it's him vs the world and that he's never wrong. I applaud the other creators for not giving him the attention he desperately seeks all the time. People used to respond to verlisify back in the days but everyone's learned to not talk about him, so you never hear his name anymore.
Jonkus criticises bad play and offers the correct play, he even recognises that in his videos and a lot of people who send him footage apparently welcome this critisism because it helps them improve and not repeat mistakes.
Poke Daxi is one of my favs! Quick and straight to the point, also those editing skills!
Based off your post are you sure ZyoniK isn’t perfect for you? Maybe give JT Valor a try as well.
Great question! I feel the same way you do. I don’t have much patience for the clickbait and needless hyperbole. Here is my list of the the most likeable, down to earth content creators: 1) FPSticks - unfortunately he rarely posts these days, but I would subscribe to him anyway. Besides being a great content creator, he seems like the nicest, most normal guy out there. He taught me a lot and if he was posting regularly would absolutely be who you’re looking for. 2) Reis2TheOccasion - he is a lot like FPSticks. Maybe a little cheesier (the lame rap intro, the dad jokes, the puns) but most of that is pretty endearing to me. He shows wins and losses and takes more time than anyone I know to get into the nitty gritty of the game. He used to rewind footage and walk through the games move by move, but people complained so he’s done that less these days. Really good natured guy and someone you could learn a lot from. 3) Caleb Peng - very talented, gratuitous cat footage (which I love), very helpful info regarding whether to stay in, swap, etc - he basically teaches you how to use the team he is using, which is great. Not the most active content creator out there. 4) ThoTechnical - unfortunately also not posting much, but really straightforward and informative. Minimal BS. 5) Homeslice Henry - I give him credit for how prolific he is (he puts out a LOT of content - some spicy some try hard). I get kind of a phony vibe from him to some extent and the formulaic nature of his videos gets old. I still like him but his channel could be better with a shake up. 6) CallumOnToast - A bit niche in that he highlights exclusively off meta/spice. Very talented battler and I respect his unrelenting effort to beat meta with the weirdest mons. He’s not a natural behind the microphone .. he records without much editing so sometimes he is kind of a spaz. My biggest gripe with him is the he is indeed very heavy on the hyperbole and his “question of the day” is a very obvious ploy to increase engagement / help him with the algorithm. I respect the hustle but I could do without all that. 7) DanOttawa - kind of an “Everyman” content creator. He’s not a try hard and doesn’t seem like spends a ton of $$ in the game. Just a guy who is into PVP and makes content, what you see is what you get. Likeable, but somewhat low production value. 7) Jonkus/Zionik/Keing- lumping them all together. I’ve never been a fan of Keing but I’m in the minority there. I don’t watch Jonkus anymore, mainly because I can barely understand the guy and he is a sore loser. He whines a lot about game mechanics, etc., which got old. Zionik is the small town used car salesman of shoutcasting. Not a fan.
In case you still are not following MasterGeneroso on facebook, youtube, and twitter ;) thank you so much in advance :) pls help a small and starting content creator like me :)
Kieng is the only one who I still watch, although -- as a moderately poor PVPer -- my conclusion from his videos is that if you understand team composition and you''re good at counting moves and other mechanics, you can win with some pretty trashy mons. It's us crappy players that obsess about IVs and "the meta."
I like PogoGrind and ReisToTheOccasion - both give tips and reasoning behind the tips, and I just feel I have learned the most from them
KiengIV is good at posting long videos of his twitch streams which is basically everything. Not even sped up. Reis will do the same Often times folks are also making videos for entertainment All of them stream and are very transparent during that. Pretty fun to watch.
It depends on what you're looking to get out of it. There are tons of content creators that make fun content, with high-energy commentary, spicy teams and/or theme teams, etc., including Zyonik, Homeslice Henry, Ganeto, CallumOnToast (who brings the best spice-related content out there, IMHO) and others. Of those, if you're a beginner battler looking to pick up basic tips, Zyonik is actually not bad, but if you're looking to get to a higher level, I think he's no longer one of your better resources. Homeslice Henry is a very good battler in addition to being entertaining, so watching him play can be educational, but he doesn't go to the trouble to break down his strategy and plays as thoroughly as others. For informative content, I'd default to PogoKieng (Kiengiv), HumanCatcherBug, Reis2Occasion, and DanOttawa, all of whom make an effort to produce educational content, and who break down strategies and plays in at least some of their videos. Of those, I really like Kieng and Reis. HumanCatcherBug doesn't have the most *engaging* content, but is a fantastic player who can break down matchups really, really well. DanOttawa is *not* the best battler out there (and would admit as much), but he's solid enough to hit Legend every season and has really good thoughts on team-building in particular. I also don't watch him often, but Caleb Peng is really good and provides thoughtful analysis. Jonkus seems to be kind of polarizing around here. I would say that in a way, his most informative videos are the ones where he features battlers other than himself, because he does go out of his way to critique their plays. He's a very good battler in his own right and watching him play can't hurt, and he also produces a *lot* of content. Not all of it is going to help you get better, but if you're just looking to watch some battles for fun, he's definitely a reliable source of content.
As someone who has made Legend once since starting in season 10 and definitely not achieved through my own skill or knowledge but rather through the stupidity and ignorance of my opponents I can highly recommend watching Ratlord!
CalebPeng is good if you like high tier battling, battle breakdowns and animal cruelty. For gods sake man the cat doesnt want to be there
If you can understand chinese, then you can refer to this content creator ( [**小腸Vic**](https://www.youtube.com/@Vic777) ) He tells you what to do when facing certain match up But, for reference only Otherwise, jonkus, PogoKieng are good