Why DevonCorp?

Drawn by Scooped Doodles

Introduction

Hello, my name is Ryan B Hebert, founder and editor of DevonCorp. Alongside an incredibly talented, ever-growing staff, I have the pleasure to bring you the next iteration of written VGC Competitive Community content. 

Past iterations of this type of community include the likes of TrainerTower and Nugget Bridge. These communities gained passionate followings of players young and old, learning, devising, sharing, and creating spaces for the evolution of what we know VGC to be today. If not for these early communities bringing some of the brightest talents together before their heyday, who knows what our competitive scene today would be like? Founding a new place for folks to share teams, evaluate metagames, interview players, discover new gaming philosophies, and more is what I felt is missing from the current resources available to players new and experienced.  

I feel as though some of you may have some questions about the project. 

Let’s talk about them!

Why the name “DevonCorp”?

The name comes from the Devon Corporation in Rustboro City! Known for making many things in the region as well as reviving fossils. What better way to bring back an amazing part of the VGC community than with the return of written VGC content?

Why create DevonCorp?

With the first VGC season of Scarlet and Violet almost complete, I feel a lack of written competitive content geared toward players new and old. I had previously wanted to be a part of the writing staff of TrainerTower back in 2019. I spent countless hours researching, writing, editing, and revising my work on specific Pokemon, Regional previews, and more. Initially, I was told that I was welcome to begin working on writing with them. Days, weeks, and months later of passionate writing, I would be met with ghosting and eventually denial from the main editors claiming that I was not qualified enough to be given a place to share my voice. I felt that if someone had taken the time and put in the work to create a masterful article or blog, why not give them a chance to have their voice heard? Surely, the editors could work with anyone to be sure their article was up to the quality needed for the site? In fact, editors would frequently give me notes, I’d go back to revise, and 3-5 times later, I’d hear nothing after crafting what I felt was content up to par with their expectations. I don’t know why they decided to toy around with me and didn’t simply tell me no from the very beginning. 

I’ve created DevonCorp as a place for anyone, of any skill level, to share their voice. From a team breakdown to the latest grassroots tour to an interview with the newest VGC World Champion, I hope to see you share your VGC passion on DevonCorp.

Why present written work?

Written content can be taken in and digested in almost any place at any time. Nugget Bridge and TrainerTower provided a daily haven for VGC players to flock to for the latest article/blog to drop. Written work is exciting, easy to access, and flavorful in its consumption. I hope for readers to come back again and again yearning for more work to be presented and published,  creating a daily routine for the casual and dedicated VGC player. 

Why add another VGC Calculator?

DevonCorp is to be more than just a place for written content. We asked ourselves how we could provide more resources to the community in one place and instantly thought of the VGC calculator. The inception of this calculator comes in the early days of Smogon Forums and Pokemon Showdown. The VGC Calculator is one of the best tools ever created for VGC. We agreed to have one of our own on DevonCorp, and to push the limits of innovation for the tool that so many of us consider to be standard in our team preparation. We plan on having various updates to our VGC calculator including our very first one available for all players now.

The Copy/Paste Button at the top of the VGC Calculator is our first step in innovating this powerful tool. Players have always been able to Copy/Paste the result of the calculator to share with others. Players have not been able to Copy/Paste the “expression” of a VGC equation to share with others. Our Copy/Paste button will allow any variable and stipulation that has been input into the calculator to be shared via a link. This link will then replicate the exact state of the VGC Calculator as it appears on your own screen, so that it can be shared with others. You can now Copy/Paste your VGC calculator page with anyone to show them what you put into the calculator to achieve a specific result. 

We will have more updates on innovating our VGC Calculator in the coming months! 

What standards will DevonCorp abide by to provide insightful and helpful articles and blogs?

Many of our articles and blogs will follow a formulaic and template style structure to ensure anyone writing has the proper guidance and information needed to create compelling articles for our readers. We want our content to feel familiar, consistent, and insightful. For example, when our short form series on specific Pokemon release periodically, readers who have been keeping up will know what to expect and may be reading for specific sections of these articles that pique their interest the most. Our long form articles and blogs that follow our written guides will also have a similar familiarity to them. Although, some of our upcoming pieces written by guest writers may not fit into a guide and we welcome the creativity and excitement coming along with the unknown of their content and particular written voice. 

How can I submit an article?

We have an established set of guided templates allowing most creators, players, writers and more to reach out and share their VGC stories, lore, teams,and experiences. Simply reach out via email at thedevoncorp@gmail.com or via Twitter https://twitter.com/DevonCorpPress to receive copies of our guided templates to get started on writing with us today!