Friday, October 23, 2015

The Real Top 10 PokeTubers

Watchmojo recently put out a video in which tried to list the top 10 PokeTubers out there and... it was interesting.  I'm sure everyone on that list works really hard, but they left out some of the absolute best channels so I decided I'm going to edit that list.  Why?  Because Wynaut :P  I think each of these could be number 1 in their own way because Pokemon allows for such diversity, but here's a *real* top 10 from someone actually in the community:

10. KantoCast

I know they don't do much on YouTube and maybe I'm a little biased, but when it comes to Pokemon news in the competitive world, no one holds a candle to KantoCast.  Had to work this weekend and couldn't catch the regional on stream?  Tune in and find out.  Want the hilariously adorable banter of Blue and Yellow as she tries to figure out this crazy Pokemon universe?  Tune in and lol.  Or maybe you'd like to hear the perspective of an up-and-coming competitive VGC player as he rises the ranks? Blue is your guy.  He also recently made a foray into the theory-realm with his mind-blowingly good Z theory so we can only hope that the Kanto Nation continues to grow to see more content like this.  I would put them higher, but none of you would take the rest of the list seriously because I happen to be besties with the guy who runs it :P #TotallyNotBiased

9. CrimsonCBad

CrimsonCBad may be a lesser known choice for the list, and thus a little surprising for some of you but it only takes seconds before a slick intro to one of his videos reveals his professionalism and passion. Like many of the others on this list, he is a friendly, likable guy who covers a variety of areas like Let's Plays, competitive battling, and is a coach in the original league-format organization, the GBA. His channel is still very much in the early stages (recently reaching the one year mark, I believe) but with what he's shown so far, he's likely to be earning spots on lists like this for a long time to come.

8. The King Nappy

Did you really think there would be a list without this guy? Neither did I.  For one of the biggest names in the business of Poketubing, an honorable mention feels a bit... shady.  But the rest of us know that the King Nappy pumps out content with the best of them exhibiting a great variety of content, at a high-level of energy that is always fun to watch.  Keep an eye out for his many collaborations, competitive play, league format, free-for-alls and much, much more.

7. TyranitarTube

TyranitarTube was actually the first Pokemon channel I ever discovered when I was in college and my friends and I were discussing the upcoming X&Y release.  It's for that same reason I go back to his channel because although it offers the standard sampler of variety, what makes him stand out is the insight in his speculation coverage of upcoming releases and with the prospect of a potential Pokemon Z around the corner and Gen 7 on the horizon, TyranitarTube will be the place to be as new information regarding these titles gets released.

6. CybertronProductions

Aaron could easily be higher up on this list if he wanted to be.  Currently only doing a Road to Ranked VGC-style series on his channel, Aaron has essentially become the international poster boy for the official Pokemon format and for good reason.  His videos teach many people the nuance of the VGC format by using cool, innovative teams and explaining with great detail his decision making process while he climbs the BattleSpot ladder.  The fact that he continues to be among the top players in the country year-in and year-out only adds to the value of his work.

5. aDrive

I'm personally not a fan of shiny hunting, but among his other fine qualities (have you heard him sing???) aDrive is the undisputed Shiny King.  His channel also offers a great variety of other content like Pokemon Showdown lives, Let's Plays, Battle Spot, and league format videos (like the GBA and UCL) and comes out at a peerless level of quality while proving his exceptional skill as a competitive battler as well.

4. Proto Mario

At the moment, no on does Pokemon theory videos better.  *in Proto voice* "BUT KEVIN, SOME OF HIS THEORIES ARE FLAWED. BUT KEVIN H--"Stop it. Now. Yes, comment section, some of them are flawed, but that's what makes a theory; we can't prove it.  What we can prove, however, is that tons of research goes into the making of these theories and they're generally well-thought out with reasonably sound arguments put forth, which is exactly what a theory video should do.  The fact that he addresses interesting topics in engaging ways puts him at the top of his game.

3. Alex Ogloza

There are many things that make OG great.  His fun-spirited devil-may-care attitude is exceptionally entertaining and has been a key factor in becoming the best Battle Spot channel around.  Like his good friend Aaron, Alex endeavors to teach us the insight of a top-level player and national champion while having fun and definitely not taking himself too seriously.  And just when you thought it couldn't get more laid back, Stempe Friday rolls around and the shenanigans are declared.  While Pokemon FEET has slowed down and theme teams haven't been around in a while, Alex's channel does offer some measure of variety in content and as you would expect for a channel this high on the list, the quality is always great.  To put a cherry on top, no PokeTuber on any list interacts with his or her fans better than OG and his channel has seen substantial growth and fan loyalty as a result, all of it very well-deserved.

2. MegaMogwai

So you're not a VGC guy? The best Pokemon channel for competitive singles is right here--MegaMogwai combines solid production value with remarkable content rooted in his prowess as a competitor on Pokemon Showdown.  He crafts innovative, creative teams that are fun to use *and* competitively viable before showing you how to use it to win and climb the ladder.  Not only that, but he'll give you the team and teach you how to make your own with an astute insight into the meta that he shares gratuitously with viewers while being one of the most entertaining personalities in the community.  Oh and did I mention he won the last season of the GBA?  Mogwai's consistently-high level of success in the format makes his channel the place to be for singles battlers.

1. ShadyPenguinn

Shady had to top this list and the fact that he didn't even make honorable mention on Watchmojo is frankly ridiculous and demonstrates a glaring lack of knowledge about the scene.  Aside from the vast amount of content, the variety on his channel is great.  He literally has almost every possible type of Pokemon video but the reason he's at the top of my list is that he finds ways to innovate that bring everyone together, whether the penguinn is flying solo or working on an exciting collaboration.  Got a thing for VGC? Check out VGC with pros.  Love a good league-format? His GBA and UCL teams have you covered. Maybe you're a sucker for the good ol' days of Pokemon Stadium--check out his hilariously entertaining Blind Battles series with his best friend, Nipps.  Fan games? He's got those too.  There is no Pokemon channel on YouTube that cranks out that amount of content, with that variety, at top-tier quality, with that level of contagious excitement.  Even the Pokemon company, who can be notoriously evil about people using their copyrights were like "damn--we need this guy to commentate our events."

You'll notice I left a lot of the more "informative" ones off the list like the Dex & whatnot--the reason for this is that sites like Bulbapedia and Serebii make it incredibly quick and easy to find this information essentially making them obsolete.  It's like how mp3s are much better than records, but some people still enjoy their vinyl.

What do you think?  Did I miss your favorite? Let me know on Twitter @KevinVGC!

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