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Smogon Premier League IX - Week 1
- Thread starter OP
- Start date
- Status
BW
ZoroDark vs SoulWind
Funkasaurus vs elodin
LuckOverSkill vs dice
bluri vs McMeghan
Posho vs Jirachee
DPP
We Three Kings vs Void
aim vs Boudouche
NightFox vs BlueWind
ToF vs Tamahome
Honor vs roscoe
ADV
undisputed vs Astamatitos
Danilo vs Ojama
thelinearcurve vs UD
Kevin Garrett vs CALLOUS
Triangles vs BKC
GSC
idiotfrommars vs Fear
sulcata vs giara
Jimmy Turtwig vs Lavos
Pleasure vs k3nan
d0nut vs choolio
RBY
roudolf13 vs The Idiot Ninja
Peasounay vs Alexander
Lusch vs badabing
GGFan vs Diegolh
marcoasd vs MetalGro$$
ZoroDark vs SoulWind
Funkasaurus vs elodin
LuckOverSkill vs dice
bluri vs McMeghan
Posho vs Jirachee
DPP
We Three Kings vs Void
aim vs Boudouche
NightFox vs BlueWind
ToF vs Tamahome
Honor vs roscoe
ADV
undisputed vs Astamatitos
Danilo vs Ojama
thelinearcurve vs UD
Kevin Garrett vs CALLOUS
Triangles vs BKC
GSC
idiotfrommars vs Fear
sulcata vs giara
Jimmy Turtwig vs Lavos
Pleasure vs k3nan
d0nut vs choolio
RBY
roudolf13 vs The Idiot Ninja
Peasounay vs Alexander
Lusch vs badabing
GGFan vs Diegolh
marcoasd vs MetalGro$$
Poek I'm sorry that some of us are COMMITTED to our teams instead of having some lame social life
While you're out partying catch me building teams let's get it tigers
While you're out partying catch me building teams let's get it tigers
poek bro ur my friend u did the right thing lets build teams tomorrow or tuesday ill catch u on bro HAVE A GOOD NDE
shut the fuck op tokyo yommy
Cryooooossss!!!!
Cryooooossss!!!!
SM OU: Poek vs FlamingVictini
SM OU: Snou vs obliviate
SM UU: HT vs Lycans
SM RU: New Breed vs Feliburn
SM NU: ict vs Eternally
SM DOU: Biosci vs miltankmilk
ORAS OU: CrashinBoomBang vs Mounts
BW OU: Funkasaurus vs elodin
DPP OU: aim vs Boudouche
ADV OU: danilo vs Ojama
GSC OU: sulcata vs giara
RBY OU: Peasounay vs Alexander
Good Luck to all and Go Pokeaim
SM OU: Snou vs obliviate
SM UU: HT vs Lycans
SM RU: New Breed vs Feliburn
SM NU: ict vs Eternally
SM DOU: Biosci vs miltankmilk
ORAS OU: CrashinBoomBang vs Mounts
BW OU: Funkasaurus vs elodin
DPP OU: aim vs Boudouche
ADV OU: danilo vs Ojama
GSC OU: sulcata vs giara
RBY OU: Peasounay vs Alexander
Good Luck to all and Go Pokeaim
well actually I don't want to root for a one team because all of those have fantastic users
so good luck to Cdumas, Kory, Ojama, Peasounay, giara, k3nan, McM, Diegolh, Earth, ZV, Sacri and all the french crew; some of you already had their hour of glory, others are waiting to. but as long as all of you will have fun playing in this high level tournament it will be a success.
We will be following your exploits from the french communities so (even if I don't need to say it), do your best, gl, and hf
so good luck to Cdumas, Kory, Ojama, Peasounay, giara, k3nan, McM, Diegolh, Earth, ZV, Sacri and all the french crew; some of you already had their hour of glory, others are waiting to. but as long as all of you will have fun playing in this high level tournament it will be a success.
We will be following your exploits from the french communities so (even if I don't need to say it), do your best, gl, and hf
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SM OU
Alpha Ruiners vs Wi-Fi Wolfpack
Cdumas vs ABR
Kory2600 vs Trosko
Cryonicles vs Indie Scooters
Poek vs FlamingVictini
Snou vs Obliviate
Congregation of the Classiest vs Dragonspiral Tyrants
Sabella vs psychicmewtwo
Blackoblivion vs z0mog
Stark Sharks vs Circus Maximus Tigers
BHARATH_THEBEST vs p2
Lednah vs azogue
Ever Grande BIGS vs Team Raiders
John vs Gondra
Eo Ut Mortus vs TDK
Alpha Ruiners vs Wi-Fi Wolfpack
Cdumas vs ABR
Kory2600 vs Trosko
Cryonicles vs Indie Scooters
Poek vs FlamingVictini
Snou vs Obliviate
Congregation of the Classiest vs Dragonspiral Tyrants
Sabella vs psychicmewtwo
Blackoblivion vs z0mog
Stark Sharks vs Circus Maximus Tigers
BHARATH_THEBEST vs p2
Lednah vs azogue
Ever Grande BIGS vs Team Raiders
John vs Gondra
Eo Ut Mortus vs TDK
tryhard predicts time
Alpha Ruiners (4) vs Wi-Fi Wolfpack (8)
SM OU: Cdumas (40) vs (60) ABR - In a classic match-up of player vs builder, I have to favor the latter seeing as he was an integral part of the former's success in the past few months. ABR has also done very well himself, which also obviously helps his case here. With that said, Cdumas clearly has potential to outplay ABR, but I think the team match-up will put him at a disadvantage to where it will be a hard game for him to win.
SM OU: Kory2600 (45) vs (55) Trosko - Closer game than one might think as Kory plays a really tight game I feel, but I think Trosko is still a bit better and anyone with ABR's support also is just inclined to do well, so going to have to favor him in a close one.
SM UU: Bushtush (49) vs (51) Cynde - Unsure here, but I've been hearing some solid hype behind Cynde, who also has the support of Tony, and Bushtush has not shown me a ton in UU to base off of, so slightly favoring the Wolfpack prodigy in a virtual coinflip.
SM RU: Chill Shadow (51) vs (49) soulgazer - Chill Shadow is arguably the best RU player right now and I feel like his grasp on teambuilding and gameplay is through the roof lately. SG is one of the lower tier GOATs historically, however. Favoring CS because RU is his shit right now and SG's activity and dedication to RU is still not fully proven to me, but I would go as far to say he is the better player of the two, so anything can happen for sure.
SM NU: snagaa (45) vs (55) Earth - Meh man I mean Snaga is probably the better player given what I have seen from both, which isn't really saying much as the sample size on Earth is slim as fuck, but Earth has the support of Rozes and I think is less prone to mistake-making even if his ceiling in terms of outplaying is far lower than his opponent. I think he will make a conservative team choice and play his game well enough to get by in what might be one of the weirdest match-ups of week 1.
SM DOU: Croven (35) vs (65) marilli - Marilli the GOAT is back for his second SPL, first for doubles. I am really hyped to see him after his solid snake performance. Croven has a lot of questions directed his way and I'm not sure if he is ready to handle a standalone starting position without support, so I am going to former Marilli here.
ORAS OU: Hiye (55) vs (45) Updated Kanto - Hiye is still a virtual unknown to an extent, with only a few OLT series and SmogTour series under his belt, many of which not with his own teams in the ORAS department. With that said, he has plenty of support and a high playing ceiling whereas Kanto flirts with mediocrity and brilliance on-and-off, so going to go with the conventional favorite and more consistent performer as of late, in Hiye. Hoping for some interesting teams and plays from Kanto that could very well turn the tide to favor him though.
BW OU: ZoroDark (40) vs (60) SoulWind - I mean you can't not favor Soulwind here really, but ZoroDark is coming off a hit-or-miss sorta streak with a hot Snake and start to ST/championship playoffs, but cold finishes. I think that Zoro has the potential to beat any player in BW, but he will have to overachieve a bit to outdo someone of Soulwind's caliber, who is also versatile and motivated to continuously do well, so I shall favor the raging Spanish posterboy of the tier to defeat the Jellicent Alakazam spikes spamming team Europe standout of 2017 in a close one.
DPP OU: We Three Kings (55) vs (45) Void - W3K is HEAT dudes, no clue why he was ranked 10th and no clue why people neglect to acknowledge his competency in DPP. He is solid in every old gen and I see him doing fairly well in this DPP field even if he lacks prior experience in big tournaments like he has in RBY/ADV (and even GSC a bit). Void is no pushover and he had an insane DPP year in '17, but it will be hard to maintain it I feel and I think w3k knows Void really well, so going to favor the guy who I am high on and think is the better overall player in a really interesting match between two of the more solid DPP players in my book.
ADV OU: undisputed (40) vs (60) Astamatitos - The M Dragon training wheels are off and the rusty, new dekzeh ones have been slapped on to last year's best ADV performer undisputed. I have high hopes for him overall in this SPL, but I think it might take him a few weeks to fully adjust to his new environment and the lack of the magnanimous one's insight, so I expect Asta to have an edge here, especially since I feel he is just as good as undisputed when it comes to gameplay and easily the more savvy metagamer of the two.
GSC OU: idiotfrommars (45) vs (55) Fear - Cool match here, but I think Fear has a step up on IFM seeing as he is a bet less restricted in terms of mindset and playstyle, but I won't comment too much as this is not my area of expertise
RBY OU: roudolf13 (51) vs (49) The Idiot Ninja - :thinking: is the best way to explain my thoughts on this match-up
Cryonicles (6) vs Indie Scooters (6)
SM OU: Poek (51) vs (49) FlamingVictini - Two dudes who I ranked next to each other in my personal rankings who I feel are both fantastic in SM OU. Poek I ranked one higher and I think has a slight edge on FV in terms of gameplay, having a great grasp on the long-term consequences of plays and how to position himself in general, but FV is not too shabby himself. This is easily a highlight match and I hope to catch it live, but I think that FV's main chance to 'gain ground' on Poek would have to be in the teambuilder given his tendencies and Poek's lack of all-around building presence as an individual. With that said, Poek has decent support and knows the tier well, so I do not expect him to bring some bs and I expect him to come out on top in a close one.
SM OU: Snou (45) vs (55) obliviate - Cool match-up between two innovative thinkers that I think are roughly on-par with each other as players. I think Snou is a bit more likely to get 'carried away' when it comes to the innovation and quirky team choices, so I am going to give Flo the edge in a game that I think he will handle very well given how he tackled the later part of last SPL and his team support being quite strong.
SM UU: HT (35) vs (65) Lycans - Lycans is standout good in UU I feel whereas HT is coming off a mediocre showing in Snake, so going to have to favor the Scooter's respectable retain here
SM RU: New Breed (60) vs (40) Feliburn - Really not sure what to expect from New Breed whereas Feliburn is going to be pretty solid, but on the lower end when it comes to long-term thinking and gameplay as a whole. Feli is a great metagame presence and knows how to build, but New Breed should be up-to-speed and supported by ict, so the main advantage of Feli is kind of taken out here and I am going to favor everyone's favorite Aussie because of this.
SM NU: ict (40) vs (60) Eternally - Eternally's passion for NU is unmatched and his tier knowledge is encompassed within that. I expect big things from the Scooter's up-and-coming NU player as he is continuing to grow as a player and never has been doubted in other regards ever since his Snake performance. ict is kinda a question mark as he is clearly a great player, but he lacks NU experience and I think his ranking was too high -- if he plays to his potential and knows the metagame, he will do well. Otherwise, expect it to be a long tour for the controversial German ex-Grand Slam winner. Favoring Eternally because I think he is one of the best in the tier and ict is, as far as I know, not there yet, but again he's a question mark so we'll have to wait and see to be sure!
SM DOU: Biosci (45) vs (55) Miltankmilk - The milkman is one of the doubles players of the future, coming off of a great Snake. Expecting big things here and Bio has some re-proving of himself to do after sorta falling off lately. That's not to say that he cannot win, however, as he is historically one of the best in the tier, so surely he has a fighting chance in this one and every following game.
ORAS OU: CrashinBoomBang (60) vs (40) Mounts - CBB should be playing with a chip on his shoulder to prove his abilities that everyone seems to acknowledge, but nobody has actually seen for a solid minute. Mounts should be, too, considering everyone is hyping him, but he has never played an SPL and only has minimal WCOP success. I feel like CBB is the better, more overall proven player of the two and I think that whatever community perceived gap in tier skill/knowledge that separates the two, favoring Mounts, is actually not really there seeing as CBB kept up with the tier last SPL through helping Axel. Overall, going to favor the fireball German over the hyped up Frenchman in a game that is an ORAS highlight, for sure.
BW OU: Funkasaurus (51) vs (49) elodin - Funkman apparently has been on tilt as of late, but perhaps the new year will bring better fortune to the Cryonicle BW OUer as I feel like his ceiling is much higher than his opponent's. Elodin is a formidable opponent who can especially do well with the team-support of someone like Ojama, but I cannot help but think Funk is the better player given what I saw this past WCOP and I am going to favor him with significant hesitation due to questions of where his head may or may not be at right now seeing as that should not really be a question for Elodin, who I have always regarded about the same as a player over time.
DPP OU: aim (45) vs (55) Boudouche - Probably a bit of an unpopular "upset" pick of sorts, but I honestly think Boudouche has the better grasp on the tier and can also integrate a lot of techs and creativity in his builds. The crafty Frenchman naturally matches up well with Aim, who I feel is more of a solid, by-the-books DPP presence of sorts. Aim is the better player historically with a solid track record all around, so it would be foolish to count him out, but Boudouche will have the support of many friends and all of his vast DPP knowledge at his disposal, so I'm liking his chances here in a game that others may very well see as an uphill battle for him.
ADV OU: danilo (40) vs (60) Ojama - Oh boy, this will be a sight to see. I think Ojama is flat-out better in pretty much every regard, but Danilo is a wild man and can make anything work at any given time, so do not count him out, I suppose, especially if he is active and his sign-up and cheap acquisition was just a cheap trick (wouldn't put it past the Cryonicles, so yea).
GSC OU: sulcata (55) vs (45) giara - Sulcata is fucking flames and one of the best 3k starter pick-ups in the tournament imo, but he naturally matches up pretty poorly with giara, who is pretty knowledgeable and informed when it comes to what his opponent frequents. Sulcata is going to have to bring out something besides his ladder squads or outplay pretty hard to win, I reckon, but I think he is still the better of the two and is not as one-dimensional as some thing after seeing him around recently, so I'm going to stick with the player of the two that I view as better in the current metagame just given my lack of specific in-depth knowledge.
RBY OU: Peasounay (60) vs (40) Alexander - Peas has high expectations that I think he can live up to and also a much stronger mental game, so expect him to come out on top against the Italian in a somewhat close set that I hope will not get too out of hand as I like watching both of these guys play.
Congregation of the Classiest (4) vs Dragonspiral Tyrants (8)
SM OU: Sabella (60) vs (40) psychicmewtwo - Not really fully on the Sabella hype train for 18k, which was a clear overpay, but the guy can still play without a doubt. Thing is, so can pm2 and pm2 came for a much lower cost to his team! pm2 is underrated as fuck and steals so many wins, but I am unsure of his ability to do so on a consistent level and keep up with someone who has been on fire lately like Sabella, so I'm going to favor the dude who has put up better results as of late, without a doubt, in Sabella, in what will be a close game that comes down to team choice and probably some mid-late game reads to help one stand-out from the other as neither resorts to flashy early-game predictions very often in my experience with both.
SM OU: Blackoblivion (49) vs (51) z0mog - z0mog had a real strong snake and I think he and BO are about on par as players overall. Really unsure which way to go, but I like z0m's building better and I think he is really motivated right now, so going to give the kekker the nod.
SM UU: Sacri' (55) vs (45) Christo - Christo been gassed for a minute as some UU standout retained goat, but I don't see it or at least have not yet in terms of his gameplay whereas Sacri is the epitome of just that given what he has done over the past year or so in the tier in terms of results, so pencil him in as the favorite in my eyes regardless of what PR says.
SM RU: Ajna (65) vs (35) SilentVerse - Rising ru goat vs falling ex-ru warrior, the SPL game.
SM NU: Pohjis (40) vs (60) ULTRA MEEPS - If MEEPS is up to speed w/ the tier, he should win yea. Otherwise, it's anyone's game, but I'd go as far as favoring Pohjis due to his creativity and support network, seeing as the potential that has to fuck with MEEPS if he is not knowledgeable of recent trends and changes.
SM DOU: EmbCPT (35) vs (65) stax - Stax is one of the big dogs of doubles rn and cost a fuckton in the auction, so I assume he's going to bring the heat whereas this is EmbCPT's first real smogon tournament game afaik, so gonna start the bar low and favor stax for the time being.
ORAS OU: Znain (40) vs (60) Get this Money - Znain has a smaller sample size and GTM just seems plain and simple better in the tier, especially with his more dominating WCOP performance. Kinda interested to see what GTM cooks up for this SPL as I feel he always has solid, well-tested teams to resort to in bigger games and he is going to have to pump them out week-to-week here -- I'm pretty sure he can pull it off, too.
BW OU: LuckOverSkill (40) vs (60) dice - dice outdoes luck at his own craft, building creative memeish, but effective teams based around novel strategies. On top of this, he's simply the better overall player as of late, even if it is by a lesser margin than a lot of people believe. Expect dice to take it in a close game where the most interesting element of it may very well be the team preview!
DPP OU: NightFox (49) vs (51) Bluewind - I mean honestly giving NightFox the #1 rank in power rankings is absolutely ridiculous and I do not care who you are, I cannot see it being justified fully (I could maybe see like #3-4, but ranking him above Tama and Roscoe I do not get). I am fine with accepting the fact that he is (maybe) a middle of the pack with a potentially high ceiling if he does not spam relatively similar offenses most weeks, however. Thing is that Bluewind's ceiling is also sky-high and if he channels any remote version of his past self, assuming that self is engrossed in the recent metagame trends, then I actually am pretty high on him. Going more on gut and the word of people like Rey here, but I'll favor Bluewind in a tight, interesting game that will surely be telling.
ADV OU: thelinearcurve (40) vs (60) UD - UD might be a bit predictable after spamming sorta known teams in the past on the ladder and in some key tournament games, but linear is not the type to scout a ton himself and be able to take advantage of it without outside team support, which I am unsure as to how much he currently has. In addition, UD is the better and more overall proven player seeing as linear is a, more or less, one-trick-pony as far as most Smogon people can see, with CALLOUS Cup being his lone claim to fame atm. Favoring our favorite memer and cool guy of the ADV field, UD.
GSC OU: Jimmy Turtwig (35) vs (65) Lavos - Yea, GSC Cup winner and guy who finally got his act fully together Lavos should be able to make it work against Jimmy, who I still see as more of a versatile old gen fill-in than a GSC retain and starter honestly.
RBY OU: Lusch (55) vs (45) badabing - Badabing is supposedly some RBY wizard genius, but Lusch is way more proven and reliable, so I'm going to favor him, but a bit less than I normally would given the hype behind the Tyrant's enigmatic prospect.
Stark Sharks (6) vs Circus Maximus Tigers (6)
SM OU: BHARATH_THEBEST (65) vs (35) p2 - p2 is off his rocker, dude wants to fucking unban Naganadel fsr. BTB is hot after Snake and I expect big things from the Indian prodigy here in terms of teams and gameplay, so favoring him significantly.
SM OU: Lednah (45) vs (55) azogue - One of the least interesting games of SM OU, but yet still a very intriguing match, perhaps showing why the money went to SM OU as opposed to older generations -- very cool that this is the case. Regardless, neither of these guys are complete slouches even if they're far less proven than the other SMers throughout the tournament and I expect a pretty close, well-fought game where azogue comes out on top in a close one. Lednah is crafty and a really smart player, but he has had no performances that can put him on par with azogue's Snake, so unless that was a fluke or the product of ghosting, I expect the Spaniard to do really well here and bring a fire team as usual.
SM UU: dodmen (70) vs (30) A Hero's Destiny - It's time for Dodmen to live up to the hype as GOAT lower tier player and it starts now. AHD is alright and had a strong showing in open, but really unsure as to how good he is right now or overall, so super hesitant to vest any confidence or trust into him until we see more.
SM RU: Arifeen (40) vs (60) Eternal Spirit - I mean this is a weird as fuck match-up between two RUers that are not really starting players, but filling in for a week due to tourban and vacation/week of inactivity respectively, given what I know. ES is the better player and Arifeen often shoots himself in the foot during big games, so whatever tier knowledge and building edges he might have I feel he is likely to squander away, truth be told. Favoring the Brazilian.
SM NU: Teddeh (49) vs (51) Hootie - FIRE game between two of the better NUers, both of which got underranked in PR. Teddeh is the better player of the two, but his teambuilding skills are much less consistently polished and tested than Hootie's are. With that said, Teddeh is one fantastic player and while Hootie is not even remotely close to a pushover in comparison, I expect him to come out hot and play a solid game. Hootie can get a solid match-up if he does his homework and brings a smart team, which is likely given the support of Evan, and I think this is enough for him to secure a victory given that he has played a solid game since the middle of Snake, too, but a smooth series of maneuvers from Teddeh giving him an edge and then him running away with the game would not surprise me whatsoever. This is a personal highlight and I'm very excited to see both play this season!
SM DOU: Demantoid (45) vs (55) MajorBowman - Not too sure on specifics as I do not play doubles, but Bowman seems to just plain dominate some games and he is far from easy to put away unless the RNG gets out of hand whereas Deman is solid, but still only has Snake under his belt, so favoring the more reliable of the two for the time being.
ORAS: Axel (51) vs (49) Nintendi - One of the better newisher generation players vs one of the dudes who spams broken shit in a tier intended for that to be the optimal teambuilding play! It's hard to pick between the two, but I find Axel to be a more consistent gameplayer and have a better grasp on lategame scenarios, so I'm going to give him the slightest of edges for the time being.
BW: bluri (35) vs (65) McMeghan - Perhaps a rude awakening for bluri going into his first SPL game, he encounters what may very well be the best player of all time, McMeghan. Roro has been on fire for the past year for the most part and seems to be fairly active and at least somewhat motivated again, so I have high hopes for the Belgian to come in with the heat teams and plays, giving him a clear advantage over someone who essentially is an understudy to the same ideology and playstles McMeghan has had in the tier for the past five plus years (bluri has only been relevant for a bit over a year himself, emphasizing the lack of relative experience, too). Favoring McMeghan to bring the better team with the better techs and make the better players, thus winning the game handily because he is..well, better than his opponent here. Should be interesting to see what both come up with, however.
DPP: ToF (40) vs (60) Tamahome - Hard to not favor Tama against anyone in this DPP field, so going to go with the dude who dominated all of last year and is still likely in his playing prime, even if he is not entirely motivated to be in this tier. The murderer's row of McMeghan+Tamahome in BW+DPP will live strong this week.
ADV: Kevin Garrett (60) vs (40) CALLOUS - oh my, it's actually happening. I think CALLOUS will need to get his feet wet a bit early on before he can reach the necessary level of play and KG is probably going to get ghosted or if not then he has been actually solid all along, in which case I expect him to win anyway given his sporadic SPL track record over the past few years.
GSC: Pleasure (70) vs (30) k3nan - Well, he talks a big game -- surely, he will back it up, right?
RBY: GGFan (51) vs (49) Diegolh - Not too sure about either, but GGFan is hyped up a bit more and it would be amusing to see him 1-0 whereas Diego I feel will struggle under this playing environment (especially with the pressure), so favoring GGFan ever-so-slightly.
SM OU: Cdumas (40) vs (60) ABR - In a classic match-up of player vs builder, I have to favor the latter seeing as he was an integral part of the former's success in the past few months. ABR has also done very well himself, which also obviously helps his case here. With that said, Cdumas clearly has potential to outplay ABR, but I think the team match-up will put him at a disadvantage to where it will be a hard game for him to win.
SM OU: Kory2600 (45) vs (55) Trosko - Closer game than one might think as Kory plays a really tight game I feel, but I think Trosko is still a bit better and anyone with ABR's support also is just inclined to do well, so going to have to favor him in a close one.
SM UU: Bushtush (49) vs (51) Cynde - Unsure here, but I've been hearing some solid hype behind Cynde, who also has the support of Tony, and Bushtush has not shown me a ton in UU to base off of, so slightly favoring the Wolfpack prodigy in a virtual coinflip.
SM RU: Chill Shadow (51) vs (49) soulgazer - Chill Shadow is arguably the best RU player right now and I feel like his grasp on teambuilding and gameplay is through the roof lately. SG is one of the lower tier GOATs historically, however. Favoring CS because RU is his shit right now and SG's activity and dedication to RU is still not fully proven to me, but I would go as far to say he is the better player of the two, so anything can happen for sure.
SM NU: snagaa (45) vs (55) Earth - Meh man I mean Snaga is probably the better player given what I have seen from both, which isn't really saying much as the sample size on Earth is slim as fuck, but Earth has the support of Rozes and I think is less prone to mistake-making even if his ceiling in terms of outplaying is far lower than his opponent. I think he will make a conservative team choice and play his game well enough to get by in what might be one of the weirdest match-ups of week 1.
SM DOU: Croven (35) vs (65) marilli - Marilli the GOAT is back for his second SPL, first for doubles. I am really hyped to see him after his solid snake performance. Croven has a lot of questions directed his way and I'm not sure if he is ready to handle a standalone starting position without support, so I am going to former Marilli here.
ORAS OU: Hiye (55) vs (45) Updated Kanto - Hiye is still a virtual unknown to an extent, with only a few OLT series and SmogTour series under his belt, many of which not with his own teams in the ORAS department. With that said, he has plenty of support and a high playing ceiling whereas Kanto flirts with mediocrity and brilliance on-and-off, so going to go with the conventional favorite and more consistent performer as of late, in Hiye. Hoping for some interesting teams and plays from Kanto that could very well turn the tide to favor him though.
BW OU: ZoroDark (40) vs (60) SoulWind - I mean you can't not favor Soulwind here really, but ZoroDark is coming off a hit-or-miss sorta streak with a hot Snake and start to ST/championship playoffs, but cold finishes. I think that Zoro has the potential to beat any player in BW, but he will have to overachieve a bit to outdo someone of Soulwind's caliber, who is also versatile and motivated to continuously do well, so I shall favor the raging Spanish posterboy of the tier to defeat the Jellicent Alakazam spikes spamming team Europe standout of 2017 in a close one.
DPP OU: We Three Kings (55) vs (45) Void - W3K is HEAT dudes, no clue why he was ranked 10th and no clue why people neglect to acknowledge his competency in DPP. He is solid in every old gen and I see him doing fairly well in this DPP field even if he lacks prior experience in big tournaments like he has in RBY/ADV (and even GSC a bit). Void is no pushover and he had an insane DPP year in '17, but it will be hard to maintain it I feel and I think w3k knows Void really well, so going to favor the guy who I am high on and think is the better overall player in a really interesting match between two of the more solid DPP players in my book.
ADV OU: undisputed (40) vs (60) Astamatitos - The M Dragon training wheels are off and the rusty, new dekzeh ones have been slapped on to last year's best ADV performer undisputed. I have high hopes for him overall in this SPL, but I think it might take him a few weeks to fully adjust to his new environment and the lack of the magnanimous one's insight, so I expect Asta to have an edge here, especially since I feel he is just as good as undisputed when it comes to gameplay and easily the more savvy metagamer of the two.
GSC OU: idiotfrommars (45) vs (55) Fear - Cool match here, but I think Fear has a step up on IFM seeing as he is a bet less restricted in terms of mindset and playstyle, but I won't comment too much as this is not my area of expertise
RBY OU: roudolf13 (51) vs (49) The Idiot Ninja - :thinking: is the best way to explain my thoughts on this match-up
Cryonicles (6) vs Indie Scooters (6)
SM OU: Poek (51) vs (49) FlamingVictini - Two dudes who I ranked next to each other in my personal rankings who I feel are both fantastic in SM OU. Poek I ranked one higher and I think has a slight edge on FV in terms of gameplay, having a great grasp on the long-term consequences of plays and how to position himself in general, but FV is not too shabby himself. This is easily a highlight match and I hope to catch it live, but I think that FV's main chance to 'gain ground' on Poek would have to be in the teambuilder given his tendencies and Poek's lack of all-around building presence as an individual. With that said, Poek has decent support and knows the tier well, so I do not expect him to bring some bs and I expect him to come out on top in a close one.
SM OU: Snou (45) vs (55) obliviate - Cool match-up between two innovative thinkers that I think are roughly on-par with each other as players. I think Snou is a bit more likely to get 'carried away' when it comes to the innovation and quirky team choices, so I am going to give Flo the edge in a game that I think he will handle very well given how he tackled the later part of last SPL and his team support being quite strong.
SM UU: HT (35) vs (65) Lycans - Lycans is standout good in UU I feel whereas HT is coming off a mediocre showing in Snake, so going to have to favor the Scooter's respectable retain here
SM RU: New Breed (60) vs (40) Feliburn - Really not sure what to expect from New Breed whereas Feliburn is going to be pretty solid, but on the lower end when it comes to long-term thinking and gameplay as a whole. Feli is a great metagame presence and knows how to build, but New Breed should be up-to-speed and supported by ict, so the main advantage of Feli is kind of taken out here and I am going to favor everyone's favorite Aussie because of this.
SM NU: ict (40) vs (60) Eternally - Eternally's passion for NU is unmatched and his tier knowledge is encompassed within that. I expect big things from the Scooter's up-and-coming NU player as he is continuing to grow as a player and never has been doubted in other regards ever since his Snake performance. ict is kinda a question mark as he is clearly a great player, but he lacks NU experience and I think his ranking was too high -- if he plays to his potential and knows the metagame, he will do well. Otherwise, expect it to be a long tour for the controversial German ex-Grand Slam winner. Favoring Eternally because I think he is one of the best in the tier and ict is, as far as I know, not there yet, but again he's a question mark so we'll have to wait and see to be sure!
SM DOU: Biosci (45) vs (55) Miltankmilk - The milkman is one of the doubles players of the future, coming off of a great Snake. Expecting big things here and Bio has some re-proving of himself to do after sorta falling off lately. That's not to say that he cannot win, however, as he is historically one of the best in the tier, so surely he has a fighting chance in this one and every following game.
ORAS OU: CrashinBoomBang (60) vs (40) Mounts - CBB should be playing with a chip on his shoulder to prove his abilities that everyone seems to acknowledge, but nobody has actually seen for a solid minute. Mounts should be, too, considering everyone is hyping him, but he has never played an SPL and only has minimal WCOP success. I feel like CBB is the better, more overall proven player of the two and I think that whatever community perceived gap in tier skill/knowledge that separates the two, favoring Mounts, is actually not really there seeing as CBB kept up with the tier last SPL through helping Axel. Overall, going to favor the fireball German over the hyped up Frenchman in a game that is an ORAS highlight, for sure.
BW OU: Funkasaurus (51) vs (49) elodin - Funkman apparently has been on tilt as of late, but perhaps the new year will bring better fortune to the Cryonicle BW OUer as I feel like his ceiling is much higher than his opponent's. Elodin is a formidable opponent who can especially do well with the team-support of someone like Ojama, but I cannot help but think Funk is the better player given what I saw this past WCOP and I am going to favor him with significant hesitation due to questions of where his head may or may not be at right now seeing as that should not really be a question for Elodin, who I have always regarded about the same as a player over time.
DPP OU: aim (45) vs (55) Boudouche - Probably a bit of an unpopular "upset" pick of sorts, but I honestly think Boudouche has the better grasp on the tier and can also integrate a lot of techs and creativity in his builds. The crafty Frenchman naturally matches up well with Aim, who I feel is more of a solid, by-the-books DPP presence of sorts. Aim is the better player historically with a solid track record all around, so it would be foolish to count him out, but Boudouche will have the support of many friends and all of his vast DPP knowledge at his disposal, so I'm liking his chances here in a game that others may very well see as an uphill battle for him.
ADV OU: danilo (40) vs (60) Ojama - Oh boy, this will be a sight to see. I think Ojama is flat-out better in pretty much every regard, but Danilo is a wild man and can make anything work at any given time, so do not count him out, I suppose, especially if he is active and his sign-up and cheap acquisition was just a cheap trick (wouldn't put it past the Cryonicles, so yea).
GSC OU: sulcata (55) vs (45) giara - Sulcata is fucking flames and one of the best 3k starter pick-ups in the tournament imo, but he naturally matches up pretty poorly with giara, who is pretty knowledgeable and informed when it comes to what his opponent frequents. Sulcata is going to have to bring out something besides his ladder squads or outplay pretty hard to win, I reckon, but I think he is still the better of the two and is not as one-dimensional as some thing after seeing him around recently, so I'm going to stick with the player of the two that I view as better in the current metagame just given my lack of specific in-depth knowledge.
RBY OU: Peasounay (60) vs (40) Alexander - Peas has high expectations that I think he can live up to and also a much stronger mental game, so expect him to come out on top against the Italian in a somewhat close set that I hope will not get too out of hand as I like watching both of these guys play.
Congregation of the Classiest (4) vs Dragonspiral Tyrants (8)
SM OU: Sabella (60) vs (40) psychicmewtwo - Not really fully on the Sabella hype train for 18k, which was a clear overpay, but the guy can still play without a doubt. Thing is, so can pm2 and pm2 came for a much lower cost to his team! pm2 is underrated as fuck and steals so many wins, but I am unsure of his ability to do so on a consistent level and keep up with someone who has been on fire lately like Sabella, so I'm going to favor the dude who has put up better results as of late, without a doubt, in Sabella, in what will be a close game that comes down to team choice and probably some mid-late game reads to help one stand-out from the other as neither resorts to flashy early-game predictions very often in my experience with both.
SM OU: Blackoblivion (49) vs (51) z0mog - z0mog had a real strong snake and I think he and BO are about on par as players overall. Really unsure which way to go, but I like z0m's building better and I think he is really motivated right now, so going to give the kekker the nod.
SM UU: Sacri' (55) vs (45) Christo - Christo been gassed for a minute as some UU standout retained goat, but I don't see it or at least have not yet in terms of his gameplay whereas Sacri is the epitome of just that given what he has done over the past year or so in the tier in terms of results, so pencil him in as the favorite in my eyes regardless of what PR says.
SM RU: Ajna (65) vs (35) SilentVerse - Rising ru goat vs falling ex-ru warrior, the SPL game.
SM NU: Pohjis (40) vs (60) ULTRA MEEPS - If MEEPS is up to speed w/ the tier, he should win yea. Otherwise, it's anyone's game, but I'd go as far as favoring Pohjis due to his creativity and support network, seeing as the potential that has to fuck with MEEPS if he is not knowledgeable of recent trends and changes.
SM DOU: EmbCPT (35) vs (65) stax - Stax is one of the big dogs of doubles rn and cost a fuckton in the auction, so I assume he's going to bring the heat whereas this is EmbCPT's first real smogon tournament game afaik, so gonna start the bar low and favor stax for the time being.
ORAS OU: Znain (40) vs (60) Get this Money - Znain has a smaller sample size and GTM just seems plain and simple better in the tier, especially with his more dominating WCOP performance. Kinda interested to see what GTM cooks up for this SPL as I feel he always has solid, well-tested teams to resort to in bigger games and he is going to have to pump them out week-to-week here -- I'm pretty sure he can pull it off, too.
BW OU: LuckOverSkill (40) vs (60) dice - dice outdoes luck at his own craft, building creative memeish, but effective teams based around novel strategies. On top of this, he's simply the better overall player as of late, even if it is by a lesser margin than a lot of people believe. Expect dice to take it in a close game where the most interesting element of it may very well be the team preview!
DPP OU: NightFox (49) vs (51) Bluewind - I mean honestly giving NightFox the #1 rank in power rankings is absolutely ridiculous and I do not care who you are, I cannot see it being justified fully (I could maybe see like #3-4, but ranking him above Tama and Roscoe I do not get). I am fine with accepting the fact that he is (maybe) a middle of the pack with a potentially high ceiling if he does not spam relatively similar offenses most weeks, however. Thing is that Bluewind's ceiling is also sky-high and if he channels any remote version of his past self, assuming that self is engrossed in the recent metagame trends, then I actually am pretty high on him. Going more on gut and the word of people like Rey here, but I'll favor Bluewind in a tight, interesting game that will surely be telling.
ADV OU: thelinearcurve (40) vs (60) UD - UD might be a bit predictable after spamming sorta known teams in the past on the ladder and in some key tournament games, but linear is not the type to scout a ton himself and be able to take advantage of it without outside team support, which I am unsure as to how much he currently has. In addition, UD is the better and more overall proven player seeing as linear is a, more or less, one-trick-pony as far as most Smogon people can see, with CALLOUS Cup being his lone claim to fame atm. Favoring our favorite memer and cool guy of the ADV field, UD.
GSC OU: Jimmy Turtwig (35) vs (65) Lavos - Yea, GSC Cup winner and guy who finally got his act fully together Lavos should be able to make it work against Jimmy, who I still see as more of a versatile old gen fill-in than a GSC retain and starter honestly.
RBY OU: Lusch (55) vs (45) badabing - Badabing is supposedly some RBY wizard genius, but Lusch is way more proven and reliable, so I'm going to favor him, but a bit less than I normally would given the hype behind the Tyrant's enigmatic prospect.
Stark Sharks (6) vs Circus Maximus Tigers (6)
SM OU: BHARATH_THEBEST (65) vs (35) p2 - p2 is off his rocker, dude wants to fucking unban Naganadel fsr. BTB is hot after Snake and I expect big things from the Indian prodigy here in terms of teams and gameplay, so favoring him significantly.
SM OU: Lednah (45) vs (55) azogue - One of the least interesting games of SM OU, but yet still a very intriguing match, perhaps showing why the money went to SM OU as opposed to older generations -- very cool that this is the case. Regardless, neither of these guys are complete slouches even if they're far less proven than the other SMers throughout the tournament and I expect a pretty close, well-fought game where azogue comes out on top in a close one. Lednah is crafty and a really smart player, but he has had no performances that can put him on par with azogue's Snake, so unless that was a fluke or the product of ghosting, I expect the Spaniard to do really well here and bring a fire team as usual.
SM UU: dodmen (70) vs (30) A Hero's Destiny - It's time for Dodmen to live up to the hype as GOAT lower tier player and it starts now. AHD is alright and had a strong showing in open, but really unsure as to how good he is right now or overall, so super hesitant to vest any confidence or trust into him until we see more.
SM RU: Arifeen (40) vs (60) Eternal Spirit - I mean this is a weird as fuck match-up between two RUers that are not really starting players, but filling in for a week due to tourban and vacation/week of inactivity respectively, given what I know. ES is the better player and Arifeen often shoots himself in the foot during big games, so whatever tier knowledge and building edges he might have I feel he is likely to squander away, truth be told. Favoring the Brazilian.
SM NU: Teddeh (49) vs (51) Hootie - FIRE game between two of the better NUers, both of which got underranked in PR. Teddeh is the better player of the two, but his teambuilding skills are much less consistently polished and tested than Hootie's are. With that said, Teddeh is one fantastic player and while Hootie is not even remotely close to a pushover in comparison, I expect him to come out hot and play a solid game. Hootie can get a solid match-up if he does his homework and brings a smart team, which is likely given the support of Evan, and I think this is enough for him to secure a victory given that he has played a solid game since the middle of Snake, too, but a smooth series of maneuvers from Teddeh giving him an edge and then him running away with the game would not surprise me whatsoever. This is a personal highlight and I'm very excited to see both play this season!
SM DOU: Demantoid (45) vs (55) MajorBowman - Not too sure on specifics as I do not play doubles, but Bowman seems to just plain dominate some games and he is far from easy to put away unless the RNG gets out of hand whereas Deman is solid, but still only has Snake under his belt, so favoring the more reliable of the two for the time being.
ORAS: Axel (51) vs (49) Nintendi - One of the better newisher generation players vs one of the dudes who spams broken shit in a tier intended for that to be the optimal teambuilding play! It's hard to pick between the two, but I find Axel to be a more consistent gameplayer and have a better grasp on lategame scenarios, so I'm going to give him the slightest of edges for the time being.
BW: bluri (35) vs (65) McMeghan - Perhaps a rude awakening for bluri going into his first SPL game, he encounters what may very well be the best player of all time, McMeghan. Roro has been on fire for the past year for the most part and seems to be fairly active and at least somewhat motivated again, so I have high hopes for the Belgian to come in with the heat teams and plays, giving him a clear advantage over someone who essentially is an understudy to the same ideology and playstles McMeghan has had in the tier for the past five plus years (bluri has only been relevant for a bit over a year himself, emphasizing the lack of relative experience, too). Favoring McMeghan to bring the better team with the better techs and make the better players, thus winning the game handily because he is..well, better than his opponent here. Should be interesting to see what both come up with, however.
DPP: ToF (40) vs (60) Tamahome - Hard to not favor Tama against anyone in this DPP field, so going to go with the dude who dominated all of last year and is still likely in his playing prime, even if he is not entirely motivated to be in this tier. The murderer's row of McMeghan+Tamahome in BW+DPP will live strong this week.
ADV: Kevin Garrett (60) vs (40) CALLOUS - oh my, it's actually happening. I think CALLOUS will need to get his feet wet a bit early on before he can reach the necessary level of play and KG is probably going to get ghosted or if not then he has been actually solid all along, in which case I expect him to win anyway given his sporadic SPL track record over the past few years.
GSC: Pleasure (70) vs (30) k3nan - Well, he talks a big game -- surely, he will back it up, right?
RBY: GGFan (51) vs (49) Diegolh - Not too sure about either, but GGFan is hyped up a bit more and it would be amusing to see him 1-0 whereas Diego I feel will struggle under this playing environment (especially with the pressure), so favoring GGFan ever-so-slightly.
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i too did tryhard predicts, merry new years :)
Alpha Ruiners (4) vs Wi-Fi Wolfpack (8)
SM OU: Cdumas (40) vs (60) ABR - In a classic match-up of player vs builder, I have to favor the latter seeing as he was an integral part of the former's success in the past few months. ABR has also done very well himself, which also obviously helps his case here. With that said, Cdumas clearly has potential to outplay ABR, but I think the team match-up will put him at a disadvantage to where it will be a hard game for him to win.
SM OU: Kory2600 (45) vs (55) Trosko - Closer game than one might think as Kory plays a really tight game I feel, but I think Trosko is still a bit better and anyone with ABR's support also is just inclined to do well, so going to have to favor him in a close one.
SM UU: Bushtush (49) vs (51) Cynde - Unsure here, but I've been hearing some solid hype behind Cynde, who also has the support of Tony, and Bushtush has not shown me a ton in UU to base off of, so slightly favoring the Wolfpack prodigy in a virtual coinflip.
SM RU: Chill Shadow (51) vs (49) soulgazer - Chill Shadow is arguably the best RU player right now and I feel like his grasp on teambuilding and gameplay is through the roof lately. SG is one of the lower tier GOATs historically, however. Favoring CS because RU is his shit right now and SG's activity and dedication to RU is still not fully proven to me, but I would go as far to say he is the better player of the two, so anything can happen for sure.
SM NU: snagaa (45) vs (55) Earth - Meh man I mean Snaga is probably the better player given what I have seen from both, which isn't really saying much as the sample size on Earth is slim as fuck, but Earth has the support of Rozes and I think is less prone to mistake-making even if his ceiling in terms of outplaying is far lower than his opponent. I think he will make a conservative team choice and play his game well enough to get by in what might be one of the weirdest match-ups of week 1.
SM DOU: Croven (35) vs (65) marilli - Marilli the GOAT is back for his second SPL, first for doubles. I am really hyped to see him after his solid snake performance. Croven has a lot of questions directed his way and I'm not sure if he is ready to handle a standalone starting position without support, so I am going to former Marilli here.
ORAS OU: Hiye (55) vs (45) Updated Kanto - Hiye is still a virtual unknown to an extent, with only a few OLT series and SmogTour series under his belt, many of which not with his own teams in the ORAS department. With that said, he has plenty of support and a high playing ceiling whereas Kanto flirts with mediocrity and brilliance on-and-off, so going to go with the conventional favorite and more consistent performer as of late, in Hiye. Hoping for some interesting teams and plays from Kanto that could very well turn the tide to favor him though.
BW OU: ZoroDark (40) vs (60) SoulWind - I mean you can't not favor Soulwind here really, but ZoroDark is coming off a hit-or-miss sorta streak with a hot Snake and start to ST/championship playoffs, but cold finishes. I think that Zoro has the potential to beat any player in BW, but he will have to overachieve a bit to outdo someone of Soulwind's caliber, who is also versatile and motivated to continuously do well, so I shall favor the raging Spanish posterboy of the tier to defeat the Jellicent Alakazam spikes spamming team Europe standout of 2017 in a close one.
DPP OU: We Three Kings (55) vs (45) Void - W3K is HEAT dudes, no clue why he was ranked 10th and no clue why people neglect to acknowledge his competency in DPP. He is solid in every old gen and I see him doing fairly well in this DPP field even if he lacks prior experience in big tournaments like he has in RBY/ADV (and even GSC a bit). Void is no pushover and he had an insane DPP year in '17, but it will be hard to maintain it I feel and I think w3k knows Void really well, so going to favor the guy who I am high on and think is the better overall player in a really interesting match between two of the more solid DPP players in my book.
ADV OU: undisputed (40) vs (60) Astamatitos - The M Dragon training wheels are off and the rusty, new dekzeh ones have been slapped on to last year's best ADV performer undisputed. I have high hopes for him overall in this SPL, but I think it might take him a few weeks to fully adjust to his new environment and the lack of the magnanimous one's insight, so I expect Asta to have an edge here, especially since I feel he is just as good as undisputed when it comes to gameplay and easily the more savvy metagamer of the two.
GSC OU: idiotfrommars (45) vs (55) Fear - Cool match here, but I think Fear has a step up on IFM seeing as he is a bet less restricted in terms of mindset and playstyle, but I won't comment too much as this is not my area of expertise
RBY OU: roudolf13 (51) vs (40) The Idiot Ninja - :thinking: is the best way to explain my thoughts on this match-up
Cryonicles (6) vs Indie Scooters (6)
SM OU: Poek (51) vs (49) FlamingVictini - Two dudes who I ranked next to each other in my personal rankings who I feel are both fantastic in SM OU. Poek I ranked one higher and I think has a slight edge on FV in terms of gameplay, having a great grasp on the long-term consequences of plays and how to position himself in general, but FV is not too shabby himself. This is easily a highlight match and I hope to catch it live, but I think that FV's main chance to 'gain ground' on Poek would have to be in the teambuilder given his tendencies and Poek's lack of all-around building presence as an individual. With that said, Poek has decent support and knows the tier well, so I do not expect him to bring some bs and I expect him to come out on top in a close one.
SM OU: Snou (45) vs (55) obliviate - Cool match-up between two innovative thinkers that I think are roughly on-par with each other as players. I think Snou is a bit more likely to get 'carried away' when it comes to the innovation and quirky team choices, so I am going to give Flo the edge in a game that I think he will handle very well given how he tackled the later part of last SPL and his team support being quite strong.
SM UU: HT (35) vs (65) Lycans - Lycans is standout good in UU I feel whereas HT is coming off a mediocre showing in Snake, so going to have to favor the Scooter's respectable retain here
SM RU: New Breed (60) vs (40) Feliburn - Really not sure what to expect from New Breed whereas Feliburn is going to be pretty solid, but on the lower end when it comes to long-term thinking and gameplay as a whole. Feli is a great metagame presence and knows how to build, but New Breed should be up-to-speed and supported by ict, so the main advantage of Feli is kind of taken out here and I am going to favor everyone's favorite Aussie because of this.
SM NU: ict (40) vs (60) Eternally - Eternally's passion for NU is unmatched and his tier knowledge is encompassed within that. I expect big things from the Scooter's up-and-coming NU player as he is continuing to grow as a player and never has been doubted in other regards ever since his Snake performance. ict is kinda a question mark as he is clearly a great player, but he lacks NU experience and I think his ranking was too high -- if he plays to his potential and knows the metagame, he will do well. Otherwise, expect it to be a long tour for the controversial German ex-Grand Slam winner. Favoring Eternally because I think he is one of the best in the tier and ict is, as far as I know, not there yet, but again he's a question mark so we'll have to wait and see to be sure!
SM DOU: Biosci (45) vs (55) Miltankmilk - The milkman is one of the doubles players of the future, coming off of a great Snake. Expecting big things here and Bio has some re-proving of himself to do after sorta falling off lately. That's not to say that he cannot win, however, as he is historically one of the best in the tier, so surely he has a fighting chance in this one and every following game.
ORAS OU: CrashinBoomBang (60) vs (40) Mounts - CBB should be playing with a chip on his shoulder to prove his abilities that everyone seems to acknowledge, but nobody has actually seen for a solid minute. Mounts should be, too, considering everyone is hyping him, but he has never played an SPL and only has minimal WCOP success. I feel like CBB is the better, more overall proven player of the two and I think that whatever community perceived gap in tier skill/knowledge that separates the two, favoring Mounts, is actually not really there seeing as CBB kept up with the tier last SPL through helping Axel. Overall, going to favor the fireball German over the hyped up Frenchman in a game that is an ORAS highlight, for sure.
BW OU: Funkasaurus (51) vs (49) elodin - Funkman apparently has been on tilt as of late, but perhaps the new year will bring better fortune to the Cryonicle BW OUer as I feel like his ceiling is much higher than his opponent's. Elodin is a formidable opponent who can especially do well with the team-support of someone like Ojama, but I cannot help but think Funk is the better player given what I saw this past WCOP and I am going to favor him with significant hesitation due to questions of where his head may or may not be at right now seeing as that should not really be a question for Elodin, who I have always regarded about the same as a player over time.
DPP OU: aim (45) vs (55) Boudouche - Probably a bit of an unpopular "upset" pick of sorts, but I honestly think Boudouche has the better grasp on the tier and can also integrate a lot of techs and creativity in his builds. The crafty Frenchman naturally matches up well with Aim, who I feel is more of a solid, by-the-books DPP presence of sorts. Aim is the better player historically with a solid track record all around, so it would be foolish to count him out, but Boudouche will have the support of many friends and all of his vast DPP knowledge at his disposal, so I'm liking his chances here in a game that others may very well see as an uphill battle for him.
ADV OU: danilo (40) vs (60) Ojama - Oh boy, this will be a sight to see. I think Ojama is flat-out better in pretty much every regard, but Danilo is a wild man and can make anything work at any given time, so do not count him out, I suppose, especially if he is active and his sign-up and cheap acquisition was just a cheap trick (wouldn't put it past the Cryonicles, so yea).
GSC OU: sulcata (55) vs (45) giara - Sulcata is fucking flames and one of the best 3k starter pick-ups in the tournament imo, but he naturally matches up pretty poorly with giara, who is pretty knowledgeable and informed when it comes to what his opponent frequents. Sulcata is going to have to bring out something besides his ladder squads or outplay pretty hard to win, I reckon, but I think he is still the better of the two and is not as one-dimensional as some thing after seeing him around recently, so I'm going to stick with the player of the two that I view as better in the current metagame just given my lack of specific in-depth knowledge.
RBY OU: Peasounay (60) vs (40) Alexander - Peas has high expectations that I think he can live up to and also a much stronger mental game, so expect him to come out on top against the Italian in a somewhat close set that I hope will not get too out of hand as I like watching both of these guys play.
Congregation of the Classiest (4) vs Dragonspiral Tyrants (8)
SM OU: Sabella (60) vs (40) psychicmewtwo - Not really fully on the Sabella hype train for 18k, which was a clear overpay, but the guy can still play without a doubt. Thing is, so can pm2 and pm2 came for a much lower cost to his team! pm2 is underrated as fuck and steals so many wins, but I am unsure of his ability to do so on a consistent level and keep up with someone who has been on fire lately like Sabella, so I'm going to favor the dude who has put up better results as of late, without a doubt, in Sabella, in what will be a close game that comes down to team choice and probably some mid-late game reads to help one stand-out from the other as neither resorts to flashy early-game predictions very often in my experience with both.
SM OU: Blackoblivion (49) vs (51) z0mog - z0mog had a real strong snake and I think he and BO are about on par as players overall. Really unsure which way to go, but I like z0m's building better and I think he is really motivated right now, so going to give the kekker the nod.
SM UU: Sacri' (55) vs (45) Christo - Christo been gassed for a minute as some UU standout retained goat, but I don't see it or at least have not yet in terms of his gameplay whereas Sacri is the epitome of just that given what he has done over the past year or so in the tier in terms of results, so pencil him in as the favorite in my eyes regardless of what PR says.
SM RU: Ajna (65) vs (35) SilentVerse - Rising ru goat vs falling ex-ru warrior, the SPL game.
SM NU: Pohjis (40) vs (60) ULTRA MEEPS - If MEEPS is up to speed w/ the tier, he should win yea. Otherwise, it's anyone's game, but I'd go as far as favoring Pohjis due to his creativity and support network, seeing as the potential that has to fuck with MEEPS if he is not knowledgeable of recent trends and changes.
SM DOU: EmbCPT (35) vs (65) stax - Stax is one of the big dogs of doubles rn and cost a fuckton in the auction, so I assume he's going to bring the heat whereas this is EmbCPT's first real smogon tournament game afaik, so gonna start the bar low and favor stax for the time being.
ORAS OU: Znain (40) vs (60) Get this Money - Znain has a smaller sample size and GTM just seems plain and simple better in the tier, especially with his more dominating WCOP performance. Kinda interested to see what GTM cooks up for this SPL as I feel he always has solid, well-tested teams to resort to in bigger games and he is going to have to pump them out week-to-week here -- I'm pretty sure he can pull it off, too.
BW OU: LuckOverSkill (40) vs (60) dice - dice outdoes luck at his own craft, building creative memeish, but effective teams based around novel strategies. On top of this, he's simply the better overall player as of late, even if it is by a lesser margin than a lot of people believe. Expect dice to take it in a close game where the most interesting element of it may very well be the team preview!
DPP OU: NightFox (49) vs (51) Bluewind - I mean honestly giving NightFox the #1 rank in power rankings is absolutely ridiculous and I do not care who you are, I cannot see it being justified fully (I could maybe see like #3-4, but ranking him above Tama and Roscoe I do not get). I am fine with accepting the fact that he is (maybe) a middle of the pack with a potentially high ceiling if he does not spam relatively similar offenses most weeks, however. Thing is that Bluewind's ceiling is also sky-high and if he channels any remote version of his past self, assuming that self is engrossed in the recent metagame trends, then I actually am pretty high on him. Going more on gut and the word of people like Rey here, but I'll favor Bluewind in a tight, interesting game that will surely be telling.
ADV OU: thelinearcurve (40) vs (60) UD - UD might be a bit predictable after spamming sorta known teams in the past on the ladder and in some key tournament games, but linear is not the type to scout a ton himself and be able to take advantage of it without outside team support, which I am unsure as to how much he currently has. In addition, UD is the better and more overall proven player seeing as linear is a, more or less, one-trick-pony as far as most Smogon people can see, with CALLOUS Cup being his lone claim to fame atm. Favoring our favorite memer and cool guy of the ADV field, UD.
GSC OU: Jimmy Turtwig (35) vs (65) Lavos - Yea, GSC Cup winner and guy who finally got his act fully together Lavos should be able to make it work against Jimmy, who I still see as more of a versatile old gen fill-in than a GSC retain and starter honestly.
RBY OU: Lusch (55) vs (45) badabing - Badabing is supposedly some RBY wizard genius, but Lusch is way more proven and reliable, so I'm going to favor him, but a bit less than I normally would given the hype behind the Tyrant's enigmatic prospect.
Stark Sharks (6) vs Circus Maximus Tigers (6)
SM OU: BHARATH_THEBEST (65) vs (35) p2 - p2 is off his rocker, dude wants to fucking unban Naganadel fsr. BTB is hot after Snake and I expect big things from the Indian prodigy here in terms of teams and gameplay, so favoring him significantly.
SM OU: Lednah (45) vs (55) azogue - One of the least interesting games of SM OU, but yet still a very intriguing match, perhaps showing why the money went to SM OU as opposed to older generations -- very cool that this is the case. Regardless, neither of these guys are complete slouches even if they're far less proven than the other SMers throughout the tournament and I expect a pretty close, well-fought game where azogue comes out on top in a close one. Lednah is crafty and a really smart player, but he has had no performances that can put him on par with azogue's Snake, so unless that was a fluke or the product of ghosting, I expect the Spaniard to do really well here and bring a fire team as usual.
SM UU: dodmen (70) vs (30) A Hero's Destiny - It's time for Dodmen to live up to the hype as GOAT lower tier player and it starts now. AHD is alright and had a strong showing in open, but really unsure as to how good he is right now or overall, so super hesitant to vest any confidence or trust into him until we see more.
SM RU: Arifeen (40) vs (60) Eternal Spirit - I mean this is a weird as fuck match-up between two RUers that are not really starting players, but filling in for a week due to tourban and vacation/week of inactivity respectively, given what I know. ES is the better player and Arifeen often shoots himself in the foot during big games, so whatever tier knowledge and building edges he might have I feel he is likely to squander away, truth be told. Favoring the Brazilian.
SM NU: Teddeh (49) vs (51) Hootie - FIRE game between two of the better NUers, both of which got underranked in PR. Teddeh is the better player of the two, but his teambuilding skills are much less consistently polished and tested than Hootie's are. With that said, Teddeh is one fantastic player and while Hootie is not even remotely close to a pushover in comparison, I expect him to come out hot and play a solid game. Hootie can get a solid match-up if he does his homework and brings a smart team, which is likely given the support of Evan, and I think this is enough for him to secure a victory given that he has played a solid game since the middle of Snake, too, but a smooth series of maneuvers from Teddeh giving him an edge and then him running away with the game would not surprise me whatsoever. This is a personal highlight and I'm very excited to see both play this season!
SM DOU: Demantoid (45) vs (55) MajorBowman - Not too sure on specifics as I do not play doubles, but Bowman seems to just plain dominate some games and he is far from easy to put away unless the RNG gets out of hand whereas Deman is solid, but still only has Snake under his belt, so favoring the more reliable of the two for the time being.
ORAS: Axel (51) vs (49) Nintendi - One of the better newisher generation players vs one of the dudes who spams broken shit in a tier intended for that to be the optimal teambuilding play! It's hard to pick between the two, but I find Axel to be a more consistent gameplayer and have a better grasp on lategame scenarios, so I'm going to give him the slightest of edges for the time being.
BW: bluri (35) vs (65) McMeghan - Perhaps a rude awakening for bluri going into his first SPL game, he encounters what may very well be the best player of all time, McMeghan. Roro has been on fire for the past year for the most part and seems to be fairly active and at least somewhat motivated again, so I have high hopes for the Belgian to come in with the heat teams and plays, giving him a clear advantage over someone who essentially is an understudy to the same ideology and playstles McMeghan has had in the tier for the past five plus years (bluri has only been relevant for a bit over a year himself, emphasizing the lack of relative experience, too). Favoring McMeghan to bring the better team with the better techs and make the better players, thus winning the game handily because he is..well, better than his opponent here. Should be interesting to see what both come up with, however.
DPP: ToF (40) vs (60) Tamahome - Hard to not favor Tama against anyone in this DPP field, so going to go with the dude who dominated all of last year and is still likely in his playing prime, even if he is not entirely motivated to be in this tier. The murderer's row of McMeghan+Tamahome in BW+DPP will live strong this week.
ADV: Kevin Garrett (60) vs (40) CALLOUS - oh my, it's actually happening. I think CALLOUS will need to get his feet wet a bit early on before he can reach the necessary level of play and KG is probably going to get ghosted or if not then he has been actually solid all along, in which case I expect him to win anyway given his sporadic SPL track record over the past few years.
GSC: Pleasure (70) vs (30) k3nan - Well, he talks a big game -- surely, he will back it up, right?
RBY: GGFan (51) vs (49) Diegolh - Not too sure about either, but GGFan is hyped up a bit more and it would be amusing to see him 1-0 whereas Diego I feel will struggle under this playing environment (especially with the pressure), so favoring GGFan ever-so-slightly.
SM OU: Cdumas (40) vs (60) ABR - In a classic match-up of player vs builder, I have to favor the latter seeing as he was an integral part of the former's success in the past few months. ABR has also done very well himself, which also obviously helps his case here. With that said, Cdumas clearly has potential to outplay ABR, but I think the team match-up will put him at a disadvantage to where it will be a hard game for him to win.
SM OU: Kory2600 (45) vs (55) Trosko - Closer game than one might think as Kory plays a really tight game I feel, but I think Trosko is still a bit better and anyone with ABR's support also is just inclined to do well, so going to have to favor him in a close one.
SM UU: Bushtush (49) vs (51) Cynde - Unsure here, but I've been hearing some solid hype behind Cynde, who also has the support of Tony, and Bushtush has not shown me a ton in UU to base off of, so slightly favoring the Wolfpack prodigy in a virtual coinflip.
SM RU: Chill Shadow (51) vs (49) soulgazer - Chill Shadow is arguably the best RU player right now and I feel like his grasp on teambuilding and gameplay is through the roof lately. SG is one of the lower tier GOATs historically, however. Favoring CS because RU is his shit right now and SG's activity and dedication to RU is still not fully proven to me, but I would go as far to say he is the better player of the two, so anything can happen for sure.
SM NU: snagaa (45) vs (55) Earth - Meh man I mean Snaga is probably the better player given what I have seen from both, which isn't really saying much as the sample size on Earth is slim as fuck, but Earth has the support of Rozes and I think is less prone to mistake-making even if his ceiling in terms of outplaying is far lower than his opponent. I think he will make a conservative team choice and play his game well enough to get by in what might be one of the weirdest match-ups of week 1.
SM DOU: Croven (35) vs (65) marilli - Marilli the GOAT is back for his second SPL, first for doubles. I am really hyped to see him after his solid snake performance. Croven has a lot of questions directed his way and I'm not sure if he is ready to handle a standalone starting position without support, so I am going to former Marilli here.
ORAS OU: Hiye (55) vs (45) Updated Kanto - Hiye is still a virtual unknown to an extent, with only a few OLT series and SmogTour series under his belt, many of which not with his own teams in the ORAS department. With that said, he has plenty of support and a high playing ceiling whereas Kanto flirts with mediocrity and brilliance on-and-off, so going to go with the conventional favorite and more consistent performer as of late, in Hiye. Hoping for some interesting teams and plays from Kanto that could very well turn the tide to favor him though.
BW OU: ZoroDark (40) vs (60) SoulWind - I mean you can't not favor Soulwind here really, but ZoroDark is coming off a hit-or-miss sorta streak with a hot Snake and start to ST/championship playoffs, but cold finishes. I think that Zoro has the potential to beat any player in BW, but he will have to overachieve a bit to outdo someone of Soulwind's caliber, who is also versatile and motivated to continuously do well, so I shall favor the raging Spanish posterboy of the tier to defeat the Jellicent Alakazam spikes spamming team Europe standout of 2017 in a close one.
DPP OU: We Three Kings (55) vs (45) Void - W3K is HEAT dudes, no clue why he was ranked 10th and no clue why people neglect to acknowledge his competency in DPP. He is solid in every old gen and I see him doing fairly well in this DPP field even if he lacks prior experience in big tournaments like he has in RBY/ADV (and even GSC a bit). Void is no pushover and he had an insane DPP year in '17, but it will be hard to maintain it I feel and I think w3k knows Void really well, so going to favor the guy who I am high on and think is the better overall player in a really interesting match between two of the more solid DPP players in my book.
ADV OU: undisputed (40) vs (60) Astamatitos - The M Dragon training wheels are off and the rusty, new dekzeh ones have been slapped on to last year's best ADV performer undisputed. I have high hopes for him overall in this SPL, but I think it might take him a few weeks to fully adjust to his new environment and the lack of the magnanimous one's insight, so I expect Asta to have an edge here, especially since I feel he is just as good as undisputed when it comes to gameplay and easily the more savvy metagamer of the two.
GSC OU: idiotfrommars (45) vs (55) Fear - Cool match here, but I think Fear has a step up on IFM seeing as he is a bet less restricted in terms of mindset and playstyle, but I won't comment too much as this is not my area of expertise
RBY OU: roudolf13 (51) vs (40) The Idiot Ninja - :thinking: is the best way to explain my thoughts on this match-up
Cryonicles (6) vs Indie Scooters (6)
SM OU: Poek (51) vs (49) FlamingVictini - Two dudes who I ranked next to each other in my personal rankings who I feel are both fantastic in SM OU. Poek I ranked one higher and I think has a slight edge on FV in terms of gameplay, having a great grasp on the long-term consequences of plays and how to position himself in general, but FV is not too shabby himself. This is easily a highlight match and I hope to catch it live, but I think that FV's main chance to 'gain ground' on Poek would have to be in the teambuilder given his tendencies and Poek's lack of all-around building presence as an individual. With that said, Poek has decent support and knows the tier well, so I do not expect him to bring some bs and I expect him to come out on top in a close one.
SM OU: Snou (45) vs (55) obliviate - Cool match-up between two innovative thinkers that I think are roughly on-par with each other as players. I think Snou is a bit more likely to get 'carried away' when it comes to the innovation and quirky team choices, so I am going to give Flo the edge in a game that I think he will handle very well given how he tackled the later part of last SPL and his team support being quite strong.
SM UU: HT (35) vs (65) Lycans - Lycans is standout good in UU I feel whereas HT is coming off a mediocre showing in Snake, so going to have to favor the Scooter's respectable retain here
SM RU: New Breed (60) vs (40) Feliburn - Really not sure what to expect from New Breed whereas Feliburn is going to be pretty solid, but on the lower end when it comes to long-term thinking and gameplay as a whole. Feli is a great metagame presence and knows how to build, but New Breed should be up-to-speed and supported by ict, so the main advantage of Feli is kind of taken out here and I am going to favor everyone's favorite Aussie because of this.
SM NU: ict (40) vs (60) Eternally - Eternally's passion for NU is unmatched and his tier knowledge is encompassed within that. I expect big things from the Scooter's up-and-coming NU player as he is continuing to grow as a player and never has been doubted in other regards ever since his Snake performance. ict is kinda a question mark as he is clearly a great player, but he lacks NU experience and I think his ranking was too high -- if he plays to his potential and knows the metagame, he will do well. Otherwise, expect it to be a long tour for the controversial German ex-Grand Slam winner. Favoring Eternally because I think he is one of the best in the tier and ict is, as far as I know, not there yet, but again he's a question mark so we'll have to wait and see to be sure!
SM DOU: Biosci (45) vs (55) Miltankmilk - The milkman is one of the doubles players of the future, coming off of a great Snake. Expecting big things here and Bio has some re-proving of himself to do after sorta falling off lately. That's not to say that he cannot win, however, as he is historically one of the best in the tier, so surely he has a fighting chance in this one and every following game.
ORAS OU: CrashinBoomBang (60) vs (40) Mounts - CBB should be playing with a chip on his shoulder to prove his abilities that everyone seems to acknowledge, but nobody has actually seen for a solid minute. Mounts should be, too, considering everyone is hyping him, but he has never played an SPL and only has minimal WCOP success. I feel like CBB is the better, more overall proven player of the two and I think that whatever community perceived gap in tier skill/knowledge that separates the two, favoring Mounts, is actually not really there seeing as CBB kept up with the tier last SPL through helping Axel. Overall, going to favor the fireball German over the hyped up Frenchman in a game that is an ORAS highlight, for sure.
BW OU: Funkasaurus (51) vs (49) elodin - Funkman apparently has been on tilt as of late, but perhaps the new year will bring better fortune to the Cryonicle BW OUer as I feel like his ceiling is much higher than his opponent's. Elodin is a formidable opponent who can especially do well with the team-support of someone like Ojama, but I cannot help but think Funk is the better player given what I saw this past WCOP and I am going to favor him with significant hesitation due to questions of where his head may or may not be at right now seeing as that should not really be a question for Elodin, who I have always regarded about the same as a player over time.
DPP OU: aim (45) vs (55) Boudouche - Probably a bit of an unpopular "upset" pick of sorts, but I honestly think Boudouche has the better grasp on the tier and can also integrate a lot of techs and creativity in his builds. The crafty Frenchman naturally matches up well with Aim, who I feel is more of a solid, by-the-books DPP presence of sorts. Aim is the better player historically with a solid track record all around, so it would be foolish to count him out, but Boudouche will have the support of many friends and all of his vast DPP knowledge at his disposal, so I'm liking his chances here in a game that others may very well see as an uphill battle for him.
ADV OU: danilo (40) vs (60) Ojama - Oh boy, this will be a sight to see. I think Ojama is flat-out better in pretty much every regard, but Danilo is a wild man and can make anything work at any given time, so do not count him out, I suppose, especially if he is active and his sign-up and cheap acquisition was just a cheap trick (wouldn't put it past the Cryonicles, so yea).
GSC OU: sulcata (55) vs (45) giara - Sulcata is fucking flames and one of the best 3k starter pick-ups in the tournament imo, but he naturally matches up pretty poorly with giara, who is pretty knowledgeable and informed when it comes to what his opponent frequents. Sulcata is going to have to bring out something besides his ladder squads or outplay pretty hard to win, I reckon, but I think he is still the better of the two and is not as one-dimensional as some thing after seeing him around recently, so I'm going to stick with the player of the two that I view as better in the current metagame just given my lack of specific in-depth knowledge.
RBY OU: Peasounay (60) vs (40) Alexander - Peas has high expectations that I think he can live up to and also a much stronger mental game, so expect him to come out on top against the Italian in a somewhat close set that I hope will not get too out of hand as I like watching both of these guys play.
Congregation of the Classiest (4) vs Dragonspiral Tyrants (8)
SM OU: Sabella (60) vs (40) psychicmewtwo - Not really fully on the Sabella hype train for 18k, which was a clear overpay, but the guy can still play without a doubt. Thing is, so can pm2 and pm2 came for a much lower cost to his team! pm2 is underrated as fuck and steals so many wins, but I am unsure of his ability to do so on a consistent level and keep up with someone who has been on fire lately like Sabella, so I'm going to favor the dude who has put up better results as of late, without a doubt, in Sabella, in what will be a close game that comes down to team choice and probably some mid-late game reads to help one stand-out from the other as neither resorts to flashy early-game predictions very often in my experience with both.
SM OU: Blackoblivion (49) vs (51) z0mog - z0mog had a real strong snake and I think he and BO are about on par as players overall. Really unsure which way to go, but I like z0m's building better and I think he is really motivated right now, so going to give the kekker the nod.
SM UU: Sacri' (55) vs (45) Christo - Christo been gassed for a minute as some UU standout retained goat, but I don't see it or at least have not yet in terms of his gameplay whereas Sacri is the epitome of just that given what he has done over the past year or so in the tier in terms of results, so pencil him in as the favorite in my eyes regardless of what PR says.
SM RU: Ajna (65) vs (35) SilentVerse - Rising ru goat vs falling ex-ru warrior, the SPL game.
SM NU: Pohjis (40) vs (60) ULTRA MEEPS - If MEEPS is up to speed w/ the tier, he should win yea. Otherwise, it's anyone's game, but I'd go as far as favoring Pohjis due to his creativity and support network, seeing as the potential that has to fuck with MEEPS if he is not knowledgeable of recent trends and changes.
SM DOU: EmbCPT (35) vs (65) stax - Stax is one of the big dogs of doubles rn and cost a fuckton in the auction, so I assume he's going to bring the heat whereas this is EmbCPT's first real smogon tournament game afaik, so gonna start the bar low and favor stax for the time being.
ORAS OU: Znain (40) vs (60) Get this Money - Znain has a smaller sample size and GTM just seems plain and simple better in the tier, especially with his more dominating WCOP performance. Kinda interested to see what GTM cooks up for this SPL as I feel he always has solid, well-tested teams to resort to in bigger games and he is going to have to pump them out week-to-week here -- I'm pretty sure he can pull it off, too.
BW OU: LuckOverSkill (40) vs (60) dice - dice outdoes luck at his own craft, building creative memeish, but effective teams based around novel strategies. On top of this, he's simply the better overall player as of late, even if it is by a lesser margin than a lot of people believe. Expect dice to take it in a close game where the most interesting element of it may very well be the team preview!
DPP OU: NightFox (49) vs (51) Bluewind - I mean honestly giving NightFox the #1 rank in power rankings is absolutely ridiculous and I do not care who you are, I cannot see it being justified fully (I could maybe see like #3-4, but ranking him above Tama and Roscoe I do not get). I am fine with accepting the fact that he is (maybe) a middle of the pack with a potentially high ceiling if he does not spam relatively similar offenses most weeks, however. Thing is that Bluewind's ceiling is also sky-high and if he channels any remote version of his past self, assuming that self is engrossed in the recent metagame trends, then I actually am pretty high on him. Going more on gut and the word of people like Rey here, but I'll favor Bluewind in a tight, interesting game that will surely be telling.
ADV OU: thelinearcurve (40) vs (60) UD - UD might be a bit predictable after spamming sorta known teams in the past on the ladder and in some key tournament games, but linear is not the type to scout a ton himself and be able to take advantage of it without outside team support, which I am unsure as to how much he currently has. In addition, UD is the better and more overall proven player seeing as linear is a, more or less, one-trick-pony as far as most Smogon people can see, with CALLOUS Cup being his lone claim to fame atm. Favoring our favorite memer and cool guy of the ADV field, UD.
GSC OU: Jimmy Turtwig (35) vs (65) Lavos - Yea, GSC Cup winner and guy who finally got his act fully together Lavos should be able to make it work against Jimmy, who I still see as more of a versatile old gen fill-in than a GSC retain and starter honestly.
RBY OU: Lusch (55) vs (45) badabing - Badabing is supposedly some RBY wizard genius, but Lusch is way more proven and reliable, so I'm going to favor him, but a bit less than I normally would given the hype behind the Tyrant's enigmatic prospect.
Stark Sharks (6) vs Circus Maximus Tigers (6)
SM OU: BHARATH_THEBEST (65) vs (35) p2 - p2 is off his rocker, dude wants to fucking unban Naganadel fsr. BTB is hot after Snake and I expect big things from the Indian prodigy here in terms of teams and gameplay, so favoring him significantly.
SM OU: Lednah (45) vs (55) azogue - One of the least interesting games of SM OU, but yet still a very intriguing match, perhaps showing why the money went to SM OU as opposed to older generations -- very cool that this is the case. Regardless, neither of these guys are complete slouches even if they're far less proven than the other SMers throughout the tournament and I expect a pretty close, well-fought game where azogue comes out on top in a close one. Lednah is crafty and a really smart player, but he has had no performances that can put him on par with azogue's Snake, so unless that was a fluke or the product of ghosting, I expect the Spaniard to do really well here and bring a fire team as usual.
SM UU: dodmen (70) vs (30) A Hero's Destiny - It's time for Dodmen to live up to the hype as GOAT lower tier player and it starts now. AHD is alright and had a strong showing in open, but really unsure as to how good he is right now or overall, so super hesitant to vest any confidence or trust into him until we see more.
SM RU: Arifeen (40) vs (60) Eternal Spirit - I mean this is a weird as fuck match-up between two RUers that are not really starting players, but filling in for a week due to tourban and vacation/week of inactivity respectively, given what I know. ES is the better player and Arifeen often shoots himself in the foot during big games, so whatever tier knowledge and building edges he might have I feel he is likely to squander away, truth be told. Favoring the Brazilian.
SM NU: Teddeh (49) vs (51) Hootie - FIRE game between two of the better NUers, both of which got underranked in PR. Teddeh is the better player of the two, but his teambuilding skills are much less consistently polished and tested than Hootie's are. With that said, Teddeh is one fantastic player and while Hootie is not even remotely close to a pushover in comparison, I expect him to come out hot and play a solid game. Hootie can get a solid match-up if he does his homework and brings a smart team, which is likely given the support of Evan, and I think this is enough for him to secure a victory given that he has played a solid game since the middle of Snake, too, but a smooth series of maneuvers from Teddeh giving him an edge and then him running away with the game would not surprise me whatsoever. This is a personal highlight and I'm very excited to see both play this season!
SM DOU: Demantoid (45) vs (55) MajorBowman - Not too sure on specifics as I do not play doubles, but Bowman seems to just plain dominate some games and he is far from easy to put away unless the RNG gets out of hand whereas Deman is solid, but still only has Snake under his belt, so favoring the more reliable of the two for the time being.
ORAS: Axel (51) vs (49) Nintendi - One of the better newisher generation players vs one of the dudes who spams broken shit in a tier intended for that to be the optimal teambuilding play! It's hard to pick between the two, but I find Axel to be a more consistent gameplayer and have a better grasp on lategame scenarios, so I'm going to give him the slightest of edges for the time being.
BW: bluri (35) vs (65) McMeghan - Perhaps a rude awakening for bluri going into his first SPL game, he encounters what may very well be the best player of all time, McMeghan. Roro has been on fire for the past year for the most part and seems to be fairly active and at least somewhat motivated again, so I have high hopes for the Belgian to come in with the heat teams and plays, giving him a clear advantage over someone who essentially is an understudy to the same ideology and playstles McMeghan has had in the tier for the past five plus years (bluri has only been relevant for a bit over a year himself, emphasizing the lack of relative experience, too). Favoring McMeghan to bring the better team with the better techs and make the better players, thus winning the game handily because he is..well, better than his opponent here. Should be interesting to see what both come up with, however.
DPP: ToF (40) vs (60) Tamahome - Hard to not favor Tama against anyone in this DPP field, so going to go with the dude who dominated all of last year and is still likely in his playing prime, even if he is not entirely motivated to be in this tier. The murderer's row of McMeghan+Tamahome in BW+DPP will live strong this week.
ADV: Kevin Garrett (60) vs (40) CALLOUS - oh my, it's actually happening. I think CALLOUS will need to get his feet wet a bit early on before he can reach the necessary level of play and KG is probably going to get ghosted or if not then he has been actually solid all along, in which case I expect him to win anyway given his sporadic SPL track record over the past few years.
GSC: Pleasure (70) vs (30) k3nan - Well, he talks a big game -- surely, he will back it up, right?
RBY: GGFan (51) vs (49) Diegolh - Not too sure about either, but GGFan is hyped up a bit more and it would be amusing to see him 1-0 whereas Diego I feel will struggle under this playing environment (especially with the pressure), so favoring GGFan ever-so-slightly.
SM OU: Cdumas vs ABR
SM OU: Kory2600 vs Trosko
SM UU: Bushtush vs Cynde
SM RU: Chill Shadow vs soulgazer
SM NU: snagaa vs Earth
SM DOU: Croven vs marilli
ORAS OU: Hiye vs Updated Kanto
BW OU: ZoroDark vs SoulWind
DPP OU: We Three Kings vs Void
ADV OU: undisputed vs Astamatitos
GSC OU: idiotfrommars vs Fear
RBY OU: roudolf13 vs The Idiot Ninja
SM OU: Poek vs FlamingVictini
SM OU: Snou vs obliviate
SM UU: HT vs Lycans
SM RU: New Breed vs Feliburn
SM NU: ict vs Eternally
SM DOU: Biosci vs miltankmilk
ORAS OU: CrashinBoomBang vs Mounts
BW OU: Funkasaurus vs elodin
DPP OU: aim vs Boudouche
ADV OU: danilo vs Ojama
GSC OU: sulcata vs giara
RBY OU: Peasounay vs Alexander
SM OU: Sabella vs psychicmewtwo
SM OU: Blackoblivion vs z0mog
SM UU: Sacri' vs Christo
SM RU: Ajna vs SilentVerse
SM NU: Pohjis vs ULTRA MEEPS
SM DOU: EmbCPT vs stax
ORAS OU: Znain vs Get this Money
BW OU: LuckOverSkill vs dice
DPP OU: NightFox vs Bluewind
ADV OU: thelinearcurve vs UD
GSC OU: Jimmy Turtwig vs Lavos
RBY OU: Lusch vs badabing
SM OU: BHARATH_THEBEST vs p2
SM OU: Lednah vs azogue
SM UU: dodmen vs A Hero's Destiny
SM RU: Arifeen vs Eternal Spirit
SM NU: Teddeh vs Hootie
SM DOU: Demantoid vs MajorBowman
ORAS: Axel vs Nintendi
BW: bluri vs McMeghan
DPP: ToF vs Tamahome
ADV: Kevin Garrett vs CALLOUS
GSC: Pleasure vs k3nan
RBY: GGFan vs Diegolh
SM OU: John vs Gondra
SM OU: Eo Ut Mortus vs TDK
SM UU: Manipulative vs Pak
SM RU: Windsong vs -Tsunami-
SM NU: Kushalos vs Zukushiku
SM DOU: Jhon vs Braverius
ORAS OU: xray vs Gingy
BW OU: Posho vs Jirachee
DPP OU: Honor vs roscoe
ADV OU: Triangles vs BKC
GSC OU: d0nut vs choolio
RBY OU: marcoasd vs MetalGro$$
SM OU: Kory2600 vs Trosko
SM UU: Bushtush vs Cynde
SM RU: Chill Shadow vs soulgazer
SM NU: snagaa vs Earth
SM DOU: Croven vs marilli
ORAS OU: Hiye vs Updated Kanto
BW OU: ZoroDark vs SoulWind
DPP OU: We Three Kings vs Void
ADV OU: undisputed vs Astamatitos
GSC OU: idiotfrommars vs Fear
RBY OU: roudolf13 vs The Idiot Ninja
SM OU: Poek vs FlamingVictini
SM OU: Snou vs obliviate
SM UU: HT vs Lycans
SM RU: New Breed vs Feliburn
SM NU: ict vs Eternally
SM DOU: Biosci vs miltankmilk
ORAS OU: CrashinBoomBang vs Mounts
BW OU: Funkasaurus vs elodin
DPP OU: aim vs Boudouche
ADV OU: danilo vs Ojama
GSC OU: sulcata vs giara
RBY OU: Peasounay vs Alexander
SM OU: Sabella vs psychicmewtwo
SM OU: Blackoblivion vs z0mog
SM UU: Sacri' vs Christo
SM RU: Ajna vs SilentVerse
SM NU: Pohjis vs ULTRA MEEPS
SM DOU: EmbCPT vs stax
ORAS OU: Znain vs Get this Money
BW OU: LuckOverSkill vs dice
DPP OU: NightFox vs Bluewind
ADV OU: thelinearcurve vs UD
GSC OU: Jimmy Turtwig vs Lavos
RBY OU: Lusch vs badabing
SM OU: BHARATH_THEBEST vs p2
SM OU: Lednah vs azogue
SM UU: dodmen vs A Hero's Destiny
SM RU: Arifeen vs Eternal Spirit
SM NU: Teddeh vs Hootie
SM DOU: Demantoid vs MajorBowman
ORAS: Axel vs Nintendi
BW: bluri vs McMeghan
DPP: ToF vs Tamahome
ADV: Kevin Garrett vs CALLOUS
GSC: Pleasure vs k3nan
RBY: GGFan vs Diegolh
SM OU: John vs Gondra
SM OU: Eo Ut Mortus vs TDK
SM UU: Manipulative vs Pak
SM RU: Windsong vs -Tsunami-
SM NU: Kushalos vs Zukushiku
SM DOU: Jhon vs Braverius
ORAS OU: xray vs Gingy
BW OU: Posho vs Jirachee
DPP OU: Honor vs roscoe
ADV OU: Triangles vs BKC
GSC OU: d0nut vs choolio
RBY OU: marcoasd vs MetalGro$$
BW OU: ZoroDark vs SoulWind
BW OU: Funkasaurus vs elodin
BW OU: LuckOverSkill vs dice
BW OU: bluri vs McMeghan
BW OU: Posho vs Jirachee
DPP OU: We Three Kings vs Void
DPP OU: aim vs Boudouche
DPP OU: NightFox vs BlueWind
DPP OU: ToF vs Tamahome
DPP OU: Honor vs roscoe
BW OU: Funkasaurus vs elodin
BW OU: LuckOverSkill vs dice
BW OU: bluri vs McMeghan
BW OU: Posho vs Jirachee
DPP OU: We Three Kings vs Void
DPP OU: aim vs Boudouche
DPP OU: NightFox vs BlueWind
DPP OU: ToF vs Tamahome
DPP OU: Honor vs roscoe
SM RU: New Breed vs Feliburn - Feli is gonna be super motivated because he finally got his shot, unfortunately for him he got Kev as his first game, who, contrary to what some people think, has in fact kept up with gen 7 ru and easily grasped the trends, and even though some could say he might not be that active, i have a feeling he's at least going to try hard enough in week 1 and get a really close win. A feli upset is unlikely but very doable if he tries to branch out a little.
SM RU: Ajna vs SilentVerse - expecting a hot ORAS RU game this time and ajna's better at that
SM RU: Arifeen vs Eternal Spirit - Predicting the first damaging move to be selected turn 8, after two triple switches only interrupted by stealth rocks being set up, i dont expect any super effective moves to be selected until at least 3 pokemon faint, and the game will probably end with Eternal Spirit rage quitting after he hard switches in a gligar on a mega glalie and cant comprehend why arifeen would EVER clicks a stab ice move vs a grass type. Arifeen would then attempt to explain the play, showing why he was preparing for this sequence while scalding a toxicroak, meanwhile the spectators would be wondering what the fuck are those 2 players doing and why RU is in the tournament.
SM RU: Windsong vs -Tsunami- - bop thele it is, shake is NOT losing immediately from week 1 LOL
SM RU: Ajna vs SilentVerse - expecting a hot ORAS RU game this time and ajna's better at that
SM RU: Arifeen vs Eternal Spirit - Predicting the first damaging move to be selected turn 8, after two triple switches only interrupted by stealth rocks being set up, i dont expect any super effective moves to be selected until at least 3 pokemon faint, and the game will probably end with Eternal Spirit rage quitting after he hard switches in a gligar on a mega glalie and cant comprehend why arifeen would EVER clicks a stab ice move vs a grass type. Arifeen would then attempt to explain the play, showing why he was preparing for this sequence while scalding a toxicroak, meanwhile the spectators would be wondering what the fuck are those 2 players doing and why RU is in the tournament.
SM RU: Windsong vs -Tsunami- - bop thele it is, shake is NOT losing immediately from week 1 LOL
Who do I play?
DPP OU: We Three Kings vs Void 50/50 too bros, too strong.
DPP OU: aim vs Boudouche 60/40 rumours has it aim has been training on mt silver lately
DPP OU: NightFox vs Bluewind 60/40 Nightfox is criminally underrated.
DPP: ToF vs Tamahome 40/60 Tamahome will most likely get best record this spl as well.
DPP OU: Honor vs roscoe 45/55 Honor is a demon in dpp ou but like Roscoe is an absolute monster lol and he got Kevin on his team......
DPP OU: aim vs Boudouche 60/40 rumours has it aim has been training on mt silver lately
DPP OU: NightFox vs Bluewind 60/40 Nightfox is criminally underrated.
DPP: ToF vs Tamahome 40/60 Tamahome will most likely get best record this spl as well.
DPP OU: Honor vs roscoe 45/55 Honor is a demon in dpp ou but like Roscoe is an absolute monster lol and he got Kevin on his team......
Doing DPP / ADV cause those are my mains, also RBY cause I'm a PPer RBY is in our blood:
DPP OU: We Three Kings (45) vs (55) Void - I mean both are good players, obviously, W3K is the sleeper though. Think he is disadvantaged after Void's really strong WCoP but if he preps to counter the standard DPP stuff that Void spams he should come out alright.
ADV OU: undisputed (40) vs (60) Astamatitos - as much as I think undis is a bit underrated in terms of skill / past performance / support (lol dekzeh's plenty good and W3K / Marcop are no slouches at ADV either), Asta is just utterly dominant and driven like nothing else, and yeah he has the edge in just about every quantity that matters here. Time for him to show us that his 5-4 last time was just his bad day.
RBY OU: roudolf13 vs The Idiot Ninja - These two actually played for the last RBY MT in the finals, roudolf won 3-0 so idk if he'll be carrying a psychological edge or whatever but yeah. Both are definitely good though and this should be a good debut performance win or lose
DPP OU: aim (40) vs Boudouche - aim is definitely really good, but I give the edge to douche for the tier mastery thing, since his knowledge of offense and creativity will give him a good shot at building something that trips aim up from the getgo. Regardless, should make for a good game
ADV OU: danilo (45) vs (55) Ojama - nilo always seems to do well vs Ojama when they play, plus he's good enough and crazy enough that if he takes it seriously he can win any game. That said, Kingpin is Kingpin for a reason and he definitely has the edge going in.
GSC OU: sulcata vs giara - Just threw this random GSC predict in because sulcata is lowkey a weapon and if he plays this right he should win, Classic Champ be damned.
RBY OU: Peasounay (65) vs (35) Alexander - idk what to say here, Peas is just the better player. Will be close definitely but yeah.
DPP OU: NightFox (55) vs (45) Bluewind - I think this game will establish whether these guys are serious or not yet good enough. I give NightFox the edge though since he's a slightly more known quantity - while he has up days and down days, that's still more than Bluewind, and though I assume the latter has a very high skill level (two time STour finalist lol) I'm not sure about how he's adapted to modern DPP.
ADV OU: thelinearcurve (49) vs (51) UD - This is like PP's two ADV marquee players, and yeah, both are friends / testing partners so it should make for a good fight. I give UD the slight edge because he has support and has been willing to give his creative side free reign recently so he can probably pull a surprise from team matchup. That said, it should make for a really good game and I think linear's very capable of taking it.
RBY OU: Lusch (55) vs (45) badabing - Like Bluewind, this set will probably tell us whether the hype was real or misplaced. From what I've seen in non-RBY settings, though, badabing's grasp of the fundamentals of mons themselves is astounding and that deep knowledge will probably serve him really well in RBY. Still, Lusch is a contender, and he's not one to go down easily.
DPP OU: ToF (51) vs (49) Tamahome - I'm actually just being contrarian as fuck here, I think Tama wins but ToF has a better shot than you might think at first glance, since he won their last bout with a really goshdarn cool Cress team and he is one of the pools top 3 DPPers imo. Tama is amazing as fuck, but I think ToF is capable of matching him, and I feel really stoked that we're getting such a quality fight in Week 1, way to start off the tour. gl hf to both sides
ADV OU: Kevin Garrett (90) vs (10) CALLOUS
RBY OU: GGFan vs Diegolh - These two actually played in the first week of PPL 2, which was...a genuinely great 3 game set, went for like 2 hours and 400 turns total and Diego barely edged it out. Not predicting Diego full-on but yeah, like roudolf - TIN, should be a great introductory fight to SPL for both of them and since these two are probs my best friends in the RBY pool I root for both sides.
DPP OU: Honor (40) vs (60) roscoe - Honor is seriously good, ngl....but yeah, Roscoe is coming off a dominant SPL and he's got easily the best DPP support squad in the tournament behind him. I don't see him losing this.
ADV OU: Triangles (40) vs (60) BKC - Triangles is a really good player, but BKC is...the goat, no other words needed. That said, it should be really interesting to see both their teams, and what cool techs Triangles has been cooking up / what BKC has decided the optimal team archetype for 2018 should be. Underrated highlight game of the week.
RBY OU: marcoasd (60) vs (40) MetalGro$$ - Like Peas vs Alex, good player vs better player. Better player wins.
DPP OU: We Three Kings (45) vs (55) Void - I mean both are good players, obviously, W3K is the sleeper though. Think he is disadvantaged after Void's really strong WCoP but if he preps to counter the standard DPP stuff that Void spams he should come out alright.
ADV OU: undisputed (40) vs (60) Astamatitos - as much as I think undis is a bit underrated in terms of skill / past performance / support (lol dekzeh's plenty good and W3K / Marcop are no slouches at ADV either), Asta is just utterly dominant and driven like nothing else, and yeah he has the edge in just about every quantity that matters here. Time for him to show us that his 5-4 last time was just his bad day.
RBY OU: roudolf13 vs The Idiot Ninja - These two actually played for the last RBY MT in the finals, roudolf won 3-0 so idk if he'll be carrying a psychological edge or whatever but yeah. Both are definitely good though and this should be a good debut performance win or lose
DPP OU: aim (40) vs Boudouche - aim is definitely really good, but I give the edge to douche for the tier mastery thing, since his knowledge of offense and creativity will give him a good shot at building something that trips aim up from the getgo. Regardless, should make for a good game
ADV OU: danilo (45) vs (55) Ojama - nilo always seems to do well vs Ojama when they play, plus he's good enough and crazy enough that if he takes it seriously he can win any game. That said, Kingpin is Kingpin for a reason and he definitely has the edge going in.
GSC OU: sulcata vs giara - Just threw this random GSC predict in because sulcata is lowkey a weapon and if he plays this right he should win, Classic Champ be damned.
RBY OU: Peasounay (65) vs (35) Alexander - idk what to say here, Peas is just the better player. Will be close definitely but yeah.
DPP OU: NightFox (55) vs (45) Bluewind - I think this game will establish whether these guys are serious or not yet good enough. I give NightFox the edge though since he's a slightly more known quantity - while he has up days and down days, that's still more than Bluewind, and though I assume the latter has a very high skill level (two time STour finalist lol) I'm not sure about how he's adapted to modern DPP.
ADV OU: thelinearcurve (49) vs (51) UD - This is like PP's two ADV marquee players, and yeah, both are friends / testing partners so it should make for a good fight. I give UD the slight edge because he has support and has been willing to give his creative side free reign recently so he can probably pull a surprise from team matchup. That said, it should make for a really good game and I think linear's very capable of taking it.
RBY OU: Lusch (55) vs (45) badabing - Like Bluewind, this set will probably tell us whether the hype was real or misplaced. From what I've seen in non-RBY settings, though, badabing's grasp of the fundamentals of mons themselves is astounding and that deep knowledge will probably serve him really well in RBY. Still, Lusch is a contender, and he's not one to go down easily.
DPP OU: ToF (51) vs (49) Tamahome - I'm actually just being contrarian as fuck here, I think Tama wins but ToF has a better shot than you might think at first glance, since he won their last bout with a really goshdarn cool Cress team and he is one of the pools top 3 DPPers imo. Tama is amazing as fuck, but I think ToF is capable of matching him, and I feel really stoked that we're getting such a quality fight in Week 1, way to start off the tour. gl hf to both sides
ADV OU: Kevin Garrett (90) vs (10) CALLOUS
Limited team selection. You're guaranteed to see either Skarm or Forretress, high likelihood of CurseLax / RestCune, also DDMence a bunch. He runs Mag and Tar about as much as the average ADVer (which is to say a lot), a lot of Celebis (almost uniformly the standard defensive set)...and of course the infamous 0 speed TWave Starmie (lol I seriously cannot understand how he claims to be up to date with 2017 ADV and yet he thinks that that set is good omfg). Oh and he slacks on rock resists like you would not believe, most of the time he thinks RestCune / Milotic + Claydol is enough and CBTar + Aero tends to crumble 90% of his teams like a cookie.
You'd think he plays well but his play is...not super loose or whatever but he crutches on his team and his passive safe plays to carry him most of the time. Plus he falls into predictable patterns very often and he rarely looks to outplay - this kind of thing works when opponents don't give a fuck and are perfectly willing to beat themselves but at SPL level relying on that is insanity, especially when everyone knows his teambuilding tendencies and can make sure that their teams are not stuffed by Claydol shenanigans.
Literally his only achievement this year (or hell, since like 2012, even) was 3-1 in OUPL (LUL OUPL) where Dunk brought a poor team and missed rock slide on 3 different occasions where hitting it would have won him the game, Sunny brought a MixMence weak team vs MixMence, made some bad plays and got his Ice Beam Tar crit by Mence's BB, undis brought a Dragonite and won until his Gar got parad by TBolt + Cune got crit + DDMence missed a Rock Slide rofl. Idt how he thinks that sort of run is enough to qualify him for SPL which is a completely different ballgame, but yeah, who knows.
This only applies this week, but he's doubly fucked because MDrag and deluks were on his POCL team so they got an indepth look at his style and they probably knew everything I wrote already - Naturally KG takes their advice and not only wins but gives the other 8 ADV starters a lesson in how to defeat CALLOUS before the week even begins. 0-4 impending. Rest in Pieces
You'd think he plays well but his play is...not super loose or whatever but he crutches on his team and his passive safe plays to carry him most of the time. Plus he falls into predictable patterns very often and he rarely looks to outplay - this kind of thing works when opponents don't give a fuck and are perfectly willing to beat themselves but at SPL level relying on that is insanity, especially when everyone knows his teambuilding tendencies and can make sure that their teams are not stuffed by Claydol shenanigans.
Literally his only achievement this year (or hell, since like 2012, even) was 3-1 in OUPL (LUL OUPL) where Dunk brought a poor team and missed rock slide on 3 different occasions where hitting it would have won him the game, Sunny brought a MixMence weak team vs MixMence, made some bad plays and got his Ice Beam Tar crit by Mence's BB, undis brought a Dragonite and won until his Gar got parad by TBolt + Cune got crit + DDMence missed a Rock Slide rofl. Idt how he thinks that sort of run is enough to qualify him for SPL which is a completely different ballgame, but yeah, who knows.
This only applies this week, but he's doubly fucked because MDrag and deluks were on his POCL team so they got an indepth look at his style and they probably knew everything I wrote already - Naturally KG takes their advice and not only wins but gives the other 8 ADV starters a lesson in how to defeat CALLOUS before the week even begins. 0-4 impending. Rest in Pieces
DPP OU: Honor (40) vs (60) roscoe - Honor is seriously good, ngl....but yeah, Roscoe is coming off a dominant SPL and he's got easily the best DPP support squad in the tournament behind him. I don't see him losing this.
ADV OU: Triangles (40) vs (60) BKC - Triangles is a really good player, but BKC is...the goat, no other words needed. That said, it should be really interesting to see both their teams, and what cool techs Triangles has been cooking up / what BKC has decided the optimal team archetype for 2018 should be. Underrated highlight game of the week.
RBY OU: marcoasd (60) vs (40) MetalGro$$ - Like Peas vs Alex, good player vs better player. Better player wins.
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