Howdy. Another year of snake incoming, feel free to discuss the draft, games, metagame trends, and more here. We had some really nice discussion last year, and am hoping for more with this rendition as well. I'll do my best to keep this (fairly) up-to-date with replays and standings, bear with me.
Potential RUers:
Goldenrod Gliders: soulgazer, Luigi
Terminus Taipans: dodmen, august, Sage
Berry Forest Bushmasters: col49, Accelgor, shiloh
Shinto Ruin Serpents: Ajna
Cianwood Cobras: Lycans, Scythe., esche
Lake of Rage Leviathans: Eternally, King Wynaut, KingKDot, Robert Alfons
Lanakila Nagas: MrAldo, Sam
Black City Mambas: FlamingVictini, Aeroblacktyl, Alpha Rabbit, Analytic
Sootopolis Sidewinders: aim, Nat, yjh971203, tko
Ambrette Astrotias: Tricking, Eternal Spirit, lighthouses
Stage 1
Phase 1:
MrAldo [NAGA] vs. Scythe. [COBR]
MrAldo [NAGA] vs. Nat [SIDE]
Scythe. [COBR] vs. col49 [BUSH]
col49 [BUSH] vs. Yoppie [GLID]
soulgazer [GLID] vs. Nat [SIDE]
Aeroblacktyl [MAMB] vs. lighthouses [ASTR]
Aeroblacktyl [MAMB] vs. dodmen [TAIP]
lighthouses [ASTR] vs. Ajna [SERP]
Ajna [SERP] vs. King Wynaut [LEVI]
King Wynaut [LEVI] vs. dodmen [TAIP]
Phase 2:
MrAldo [NAGA] vs. col49 [BUSH]
MrAldo [NAGA] vs. Welli0u [GLID]
Scythe. [COBR] vs. Welli0u [GLID]
Scythe. [COBR] vs. Nat [SIDE]
col49 [BUSH] vs. Nat [SIDE]
Aeroblacktyl [MAMB] vs. Ajna [SERP]
Alpha Rabbit [MAMB] vs. KW [LEVI]
lighthouses [ASTR] vs. KW [LEVI]
lighthouses [ASTR] vs. august [TAIP]
Ajna [SERP] vs. august [TAIP]
Stage 2
Week 1:
Ajna [SERP] vs. MrAldo [NAGA]
esche [COBR] vs. KW [LEVI]
Eternal Spirit [ASTR] vs. col49 [BUSH]
Week 2:
Ajna [SERP] vs. esche [COBR]
MrAldo [NAGA] vs. Eternal Spirit [ASTR]
KW [LEVI] vs. col49 [BUSH]
Week 3:
Ajna [SERP] vs. KW [LEVI]
Sam [NAGA] vs. col49 [BUSH]
Corazan.. [COBR] vs. Tricking [ASTR]
Ajna [SERP] vs. lighthouses [ASTR]
MrAldo [NAGA] vs. KW [LEVI]
esche [COBR] vs. col49 [BUSH]
Phase 1:
MrAldo [NAGA] vs. Scythe. [COBR]
MrAldo [NAGA] vs. Nat [SIDE]
Scythe. [COBR] vs. col49 [BUSH]
col49 [BUSH] vs. Yoppie [GLID]
soulgazer [GLID] vs. Nat [SIDE]
Aeroblacktyl [MAMB] vs. lighthouses [ASTR]
Aeroblacktyl [MAMB] vs. dodmen [TAIP]
lighthouses [ASTR] vs. Ajna [SERP]
Ajna [SERP] vs. King Wynaut [LEVI]
King Wynaut [LEVI] vs. dodmen [TAIP]
Phase 2:
MrAldo [NAGA] vs. col49 [BUSH]
MrAldo [NAGA] vs. Welli0u [GLID]
Scythe. [COBR] vs. Welli0u [GLID]
Scythe. [COBR] vs. Nat [SIDE]
col49 [BUSH] vs. Nat [SIDE]
Aeroblacktyl [MAMB] vs. Ajna [SERP]
Alpha Rabbit [MAMB] vs. KW [LEVI]
lighthouses [ASTR] vs. KW [LEVI]
lighthouses [ASTR] vs. august [TAIP]
Ajna [SERP] vs. august [TAIP]
Stage 2
Week 1:
Ajna [SERP] vs. MrAldo [NAGA]
esche [COBR] vs. KW [LEVI]
Eternal Spirit [ASTR] vs. col49 [BUSH]
Week 2:
Ajna [SERP] vs. esche [COBR]
MrAldo [NAGA] vs. Eternal Spirit [ASTR]
KW [LEVI] vs. col49 [BUSH]
Week 3:
Ajna [SERP] vs. KW [LEVI]
Sam [NAGA] vs. col49 [BUSH]
Corazan.. [COBR] vs. Tricking [ASTR]
Ajna [SERP] vs. lighthouses [ASTR]
MrAldo [NAGA] vs. KW [LEVI]
esche [COBR] vs. col49 [BUSH]
1. soulgazer: 2.143 - Gliders
Historically, soulgazer has remained a pinnacle of consistency in the team tours environment, and if anything his past year has even further reinforced this notion; with his last iteration of SPL finally yielding him a trophy and a strong WCoP showing further cementing his ability to branch out, soulgazer has showcased his potency not just as a lower tier player, but a player period. While this second stage of his career has not highlighted building prowess, perhaps the most exemplary shortcoming that might arise from the Gliders RU scene (a tier that building phenomenon TDK has traditionally struggled with), his ability to stick to the basics and outplay have rarely led him astray in these past few years. With the ingenuity of various, broadly effectual builders in tow, soulgazer is surely the player to beat in this season.
2. Ajna: 2.143 - Serpents
Ajna has in these past couple years soundly cemented himself as the most essential RU player of the "new" generation of players, establishing consistency as a player and, unlike various others, seeming to avoid the pitfalls of major tour nerves through rigorous circuit play prior. While his latest SPL saw him in a bit of a slump, the shift in scenery offered by an arguably stronger managerial duo and the presence of likeminded individuals and friends would seem to provide every reason for Ajna to play to capacity in order to retain his trophy. Moreover, the interim period between SPL and Snake has birthed something of a renaissance in his building, opening up to the idea of more unconventional concepts and Pokémon, thereby shedding a lot of perceived issues of one-dimensionality. While this stigma as an entirely self-sufficient player has once again left him without any support to speak of from his teammates, Ajna's ceiling is almost certainly high enough to afford him that leeway.
3. Nat: 3.000 - Sidewinders
While something of a renegade, Nat is undoubtedly one of the strongest players of the pool. Seeming to have escaped most of the nerves that bogged down her previous Snake Draft performance, Nat returns with a commendable SPL performance, a circuit tour win, and even a brief stint in the esteemed RU council under her belt. Furthermore, the team she finds herself on offers an almost unprecedented amount of coincidental RU support in yjh971203, aim, and tko to bounce ideas off, which one might expect could only bolster confidence. Were there any outstanding flaws to be had, Nat is perhaps the most tilt-prone player in the pool thus far, meaning the first preventable loss to be had could potentially snowball into something that could in a worst case scenario result in an unbecoming substitution. However, with an acquaintance in Kaori around to talk her down from situations such as this, Nat does stand firmly along the stronger end of the bell curve.
4. col49: 3.143 - Bushmasters
If he shows up, which does happen occasionally but not during a plethora of other, smaller tournaments, then col49 is a great pickup for RU. He has a superb grasp on the metagame, including how to craft teams and integrate more unorthodox Pokémon or elements in teams in order to give himself an inherent advantage given into games. In addition, col49 has a clear understanding of the playerbase around him and what their tendencies are, thus also playing into this aforementioned preparation dynamic that certainly plays into his favor. He is far from shabby in games themselves, too, as he has shown flashes of dominance and top player potential in numerous past showings. If col49 will be active enough to get the job done, then it would not be too surprising to see him start with a string of victories much like last year, but if things get tough or he gets busy, then it would also not be shocking if he had to get substituted out or simply did not give it his best effort, compromising the ultimate results.
5. dodmen: 4.286 - Taipans
dodmen, while more broadly regarded for his contributions to UU, has remained a very consistent RU player during this leg of the tier, going as far as even preferring it. As a player here his strengths lie in both his aggressive, punishing playstyle and his building approach, which tends to overcome the constraints of stigma placed upon your average RU "main". This combination offers him inherent advantage versus a variety of players within the pool, which in conjunction with his high threshold as a player makes the prospect of playing him something of an ordeal for most anybody. As far as negatives are concerned, himself alongside his support in Sage and august have a certain lack of 'depth' in building, and to that end it is very possible we see a few half-baked ideas fail to get left on the cutting room floor. Moreover, in spite of his skill, dodmen has been consistently delivering middling results in a team tour setting, making a seemingly surefire pick seem somewhat less appealing.
6. lighthouses: 4.714 - Astrotias
lighthouses is a player characterized just as much by his highs as his lows. As a builder, he surely has one of the better minds when it comes to how teams should be built and what needs to be done to achieve certain goals consistently; however, many of these concepts lose the narrative by the time all is said and done, resulting in a product that overlooks huge, overall checklist points. As a player he has exhibited many great games, with his exemplary late-Snake Draft run in the year prior being a standout, but for as many of those games one can pull from a cache of games where he shot the moon overthinking an early-game play. Fortunately, with Arifeen, Eternal Spirit, and (as legend has it) slurmz in his stable, there should be enough peer review to help level out some misgivings the spectators might have for lighthouses, but ultimately it is that uncertainty that pushes him into a middle-of-the-pack ranking.
7. Scythe.: 6.857 - Cobras
Scythe., as some might recall, was a huge rising star some years back, exhibiting a proficiency for competitive play and some very unique, albeit occasionally wonky, building practices. This alongside an impressive UU Open win had poised Scythe. for a lasting position in the tournament community, but instead he opted out entirely, quitting until very recently and emerging now for this tour. While rust is only an excuse for anybody with a pre-2015 join date to rationalize a loss, lack of metagame knowledge is very much a real issue, and this is perhaps the Achilles' heel of the Cianwood Cobras at large. Including the managing duo, Scythe. is being supported by about five players that, with the possible exception of Chill Shadow, at best dabble in the RU tier, which surely goes a long way but will almost always result in a certain lack of nuance that separates good from great. Of the lower ranked players here, Scythe. has arguably the highest ceiling here, but him and his team will definitely need to put in the work to make ends meet.
8. Aeroblacktyl: 7.571 - Mambas
Aeroblacktyl is, as expected, something of an enigma here. Discounting all the rumors circling his name and alleged modus operandi, MoP is a player whose past several years have been almost entirely silent on the Smogon front, with the occasional and admittedly unremarkable tour showing once in a blue moon. Of the more recent endeavors was a modest showing in RUPL under FlamingVictini, a scenario reyscarface seems to have sought to replicate here. As a legendary player in his heyday, Aeroblacktyl alongside support from aforementioned collaborator FlamingVictini and promising newcomer Alpha Rabbit would surely be something to be feared; however, this second stage of his career has not been nearly as fruitful. Just as with Scythe., the potential for Aeroblacktyl to return in prime form is incredibly dangerous, but unless he has been playing a fantastic long con in anticipation of this very tour, the likelihood is somewhat lower.
9. MrAldo: 7.857 - Nagas
RU workhorse and recent product of post-SPL hype MrAldo, having received high praise for his support during the Wolfpack's season, is unfortunately put in a compromising position with his first major tournament as a drafted player. While being a very capable builder and excellent teammate, his capacity as a player and the high likelihood of nerves have come under scrutiny, with many members of the community positing it to have been in his best interest to spent some time on the bench before being thrust onto the front lines. However, with only moderate RU interests in Sam and GaryTheGengar as alternatives, Aldo finds himself as something of a lesser of evils. While his tenacity and solid building could find him prying one or more wins out, he unfortunately is projected to struggle in a pool of players such as this.
10. King Wynaut: 8.429 - Leviathans
While perhaps something of an overreaction to be placed last, the tenth spot does aptly characterize the underdog that is King Wynaut here. In a bid to escape the unfortunate tag of "2016 Arifeen", King Wynaut has been characterized by many as loud-mouthed and mediocre, attributing his success in circuit play and the like to anything but skill. Be that as it may, his performances of the past several months do ultimately outweigh the three players ranked above him, currently holding the most points of the 2018 circuit, and as the trend has gone he is backed by a surprising amount of support; Eternally, Robert Alfons, and KingKDot all play RU at a high enough level to provide solid feedback to stabilize his performance or offer a solid sub if all goes south. With almost nothing to lose but Finchinator's respect, King Wynaut has to take his spot in the limelight for all it's worth to prove he deserves a spot amongst the tour vros.
- Leviathans - KW [7-1]
- Serpents - Ajna [6-2]
- Nagas - MrAldo [3-4] / Sam [1-1]
- Bushmasters - col49 [5-4]
- Cobras - Scythe. [1-3] / esche [0-3] / Corazon [0-1]
- Astrotias - lighthouses [0-5] / Eternal Spirit [0-2] / Tricking [1-0]
- Sidewinders - Nat [3-1]
- Mambas - Aeroblacktyl [2-1] / Alpha Rabbit [1-0]
- Gliders - sougazer [0-1] / yoppie [1-0] / Welli0u [1-1]
- Taipans - dodmen [0-2] / august [1-1]
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