SPL 9 Power Rankings

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Welcome to the Power Rankings for the ninth edition of the Smogon Premier League. This will be the fifth edition of Power Rankings, with the goal of this article being to hype up the upcoming tournament and give a representation of where each team is believed to stand in relation to the other teams. To obtain a general overview, I asked knowledgeable players of each respective tier to rate the expected players for it, averaged the rankings, and ended up with an attempt at a mostly unbiased list. This time I asked at the very least ten players per tier, giving us what is hopefully the most unbiased Power Rankings to date. You guys know the drill: number 1 gets ten points, number 2 gets nine, and so on (with an exception being SM OU, in which numbers 1 and 2 get ten, 3 and 4 get nine, etc.). This year we also added a few numbers for the most hardcore of Power Rankings fans. To the right of each player's name you will see a number. This number is the average of all the rankings we received for that player. Under this intro you will find a spreadsheet, which was used for the statistical analysis of each player and includes interesting tidbits such as median ranking and mode ranking, which give us insight into potential outliers in the Power Rankings. You will be able to see the SPL record for the specific tier each player is playing as well. A round of applause to Earthworm for creating this great spreadsheet. And finally, each player has a tiny profile of their successes in the tier / generation they're playing, as well as some very important general ones.

Being unbiased as possible does not mean the Power Rankings are perfect, and they are far from it. Due to the way we rank players, only perceived raw individual skill is taken into account as opposed to many things that can have an influence in a team tournament, such as synergy, the rotation of players, trades, hot / cold streaks, and potential bans (stop playing with fire Wolfpack). However, if you're overly sensitive and you get your whole self-worth and validation from Power Rankings for a Pokémon tournament, then go ahead and complain to your heart's content. Or git gud.

Special thanks to the following people for contributing in the creation of this article: ABR, Arifeen, Astamatitos, atomicllamas, Axel, Bedschibaer, BKC, blunder, Bouff, Bushtush, CALLOUS, Chill Shadow, Christo, Ciele, col49, dekzeh, dice, dodmen, Earthworm, elodin, Energy, Eo Ut Mortus, Eternal Spirit, Evan., Fear, Finchinator, FlamingVictini, FLCL, Funkasaurus, Genesis7, GGFan, gilbert arenas, Hikari, Hogg, Isa, jacob, Jayde, Jimmy Turtwig, kamikaze, Kaori, KratosMana, Kushalos, Lax, Level 51, Lord Ninjax, Lutra, Lycans, Manipulative, McMeghan, M Dragon, Memoric, Mizuhime, Mr.378, MrAldo, obii, Ojama, Pearl, Philip7086, Poek, Pohjis, rozes, Sabella, Sacri', soulgazer, stax, sulcata, talkingtree, TDK, teal6, Tony, Void, We Three Kings, Zamrock.

And a double thank you to the following people for helping even more, either with stat hunting, analysis, description, art, and more: ABR, BKC, Eo Ut Mortus, obii, talkingtree, teal6, princessofmusic, rozes, GGFan, Analytic, Finchinator, z0mOG, Earthworm, stax, Tony.

1. ABR: 1.889
2. John: 2.778
3. TDK: 3.667
4. Poek: 3.667
5. FlamingVictini: 4.556
6. Cdumas: 4.778
7. Posho: 5.556
8. Trosko: 9.333
9. Sabella: 9.700
10. BHARATH_THEBEST: 9.778
11. Eternal Spirit: 10.000
12. njnp: 11.667
13. Gondra: 13.444
14. Kory2600: 13.556
15. Kickasser: 14.111
16. Snou: 14.667
17. psychicmewtwo: 14.800
18. BlackOblivion: 14.900
19. z0mOG: 15.400
20. azogue: 17.111

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• Team: 7-4 all-time SPL, 4-5 SSD1, 6-1 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

• Team: 4-5 all-time SPL, 3-3 SM OU SPL, 7-2 SSD1
• Individual: Smogon Tour 22 / 23 / 24 Playoffs: 1 Winner, 1 Finalist, 1 Semifinalist

For the highest ranked SM OU core, we have none other than US East clutchman John and the flamboyant ST winner Posho. John has had two incredible WCoP seasons back to back, hardly dropping any games and consistently winning in do-or-die scenarios. However, he recently had a surprisingly negative SSD performance, so there are some questions as to whether or not he can succeed outside of Team East. Posho had a fantastic year in ST and SSD, but he's still not exactly known as a gen 7 main, hence his rank below some other mainstays of the tier. So, while the two are certainly both capable SM OU players, impeccable records are not quite guaranteed. Can John get into WCoP form for this SPL season? Can Posho finally prove that he can hang with the best of the best in SM OU? Regardless, the BIGS SM OU core is deservingly the highest ranked in this tournament with these two stars in their hands. The expectations are set extremely high for Mr. 31k and the Sweet One.

• Team: 15-5 all-time SPL, 5-4 SM OU SPL, 9-2 SSD1, 3-3 WCOP
• Individual: OST 13 Winner, Smogon Tour 23 / 24 Playoffs, OLT 2 / 3 / 4 Playoffs: 1 Finalist

• Team: 3-4 all-time SPL, 4-5 SSD1, 4-2 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

It is no surprise to have ABR as the number 1 ranked player yet again. Having the best tournament year out of every player with his #1 seed in Championship, ever since becoming a mainstay of the community, his level has not dropped a bit. Not just this, but he will be extremely hungry to win after the disappointment in SSD despite an incredible performance. On the other hand we have Trosko, who started off strong and recently has hit a wall in performance, resulting in a lot of tilt and team matchup excuses as seen during SSD. Thankfully, he is paired with perhaps the best suited manager to help him alleviate this, and as such it would be no surprise to see the Trosko of old return. If this happens, this duo could easily be the best in the tournament, and as long as ABR focuses on his games rather than his Justice facade, he is perhaps the most likely player to end undefeated in the whole tournament.

• Team: 18-8 all-time SPL, 6-0 SM OU SPL, 4-3 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

• Team: 4-5 SSD1, 3-1 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

Representing the Raiders in SM OU this year is TDK again, but this time he will be accompanied by Gondra. TDK will surely be looking to replicate his dominant SPL performances from the prior two iterations. While he didn't have the most extraordinary year in terms of results, he played an instrumental role in US East's WCoP win and remains a top-tier metagamer and perhaps the best builder currently. Gondra is a relatively new face in the tour scene, putting up average results and being known for his hot-and-cold playstyle; sometimes he can't be beaten but other times he's just timid. Perhaps he can turn that around with the help of a teammate like TDK. If TDK can keep up the pace from last SPL, and Gondra breaks out of his shell, this could be one of the stronger OU cores in the tournament.

• Team: 10-5 all-time SPL, 6-3 SM OU SPL, 7-2 SSD1, 3-1 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 23 Playoffs, OLT 1 / 2 Playoffs

• Team: 4-5 all-time SPL, 3-1 SM OU SPL, 3-2 SSD1
• Individual: N/A

Leading the Scooters SM OU core is FlamingVictini, who has had nothing but stellar results in team tournaments this past year. Despite his quiet attitude, FV is anything but quiet in the battlefield, having made a name for himself as one of the most consistently good players around. Alongside him is njnp, who experienced or caused drama in pretty much every team tour this year, so we'll see if the Scooters can handle him. This is especially important considering the team he's in, one that basically lives off of its synergy, and how little BS Ojama will be willing to put up with. That aside, njnp has put up average results this year but it's clear the potential to do well is there. It's fair to expect another solid record from FV, but njnp will have to be on his A game for this core to truly stand at the top.

• Team: 7-2 all-time SPL, 5-0 SM OU SPL, 3-3 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 23 Playoffs, OLT 3 Winner

• Team: 3-4 all-time SPL, 3-4 SSD1, 4-1 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

Perhaps the most creative pair of the pool, Poek and Snou are probably going to be starting every game with an advantage due to just how ridiculously unpredictable they can be in their team choices. Poek is one of the best tourney players on the site right now and requires no introduction, and a bad performance from him would be extremely surprising. He's coming off a high from winning the SSD and will be looking to repeat this success with a team that greatly resembles the Pitvipers. As for Snou, he is best known for his wild teams that usually carry one or two big gimmicks that somehow tend to work perfectly. The main question is if his playing prowess has gone up, as that's the one thing that one could question about him. All in all, very potent combo that has the potential to do very well depending on how good Snou does.

• Team: 10-2 SSD1, 4-0 WCOP
• Individual: OLT 4 R8

• Team: 2-4 SSD1, 1-2 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 24 Playoffs

The Ruiners took a page off of the Scooters book and decided to draft a French core for their SM OU slots. Cdumas and Kory2600 have teamed up not once but twice before, in the World Cup and in SSD. They had fine appearances there, especially Cdumas, who is poised to be known as the best team tournament OUer around. Kory is a bit more quiet in team tourneys, but he made a splash in the most recent edition of the Smogon Tour by reaching Top 8. All in all, both are very capable players, but some doubts are cast as to how much they were reliant on their teams, especially during SSD and specifically talking about ABR. This time without him, good fundamentals in building will be very important. Will Cdumas be able to cement himself as the best team tournament OUer right now?

• Team: 5-0 SSD1
• Individual: N/A

• Team: 2-5 SSD1
• Individual: Smogon Tour 23 Semifinalist, OLT 4 Playoffs

This duo is one of the most exciting to watch in the tournament for a simple reason, these two youngins have the potential to become top players soon. BTB is best known for being a teambuilding machine and getting a trophy from his first team tournament after an incredible SSD in which he beat #1 ranked ABR. This performance was enough for people to consider him a huge talent, despite the lack of any other achievements. Kickasser also had a period of greatness a few Tours ago, in which he reached playoffs and was deemed the next big thing. Sadly, attitude issues and overall inactivity mared his performance, and he has never replicated that form since. This SPL we will find out if the hype over BTB is deserved or if that one achievement was a fluke, and if Kickasser has gotten rid of the ghosts of his disastrous recent past.

• Team: 2-3 all-time SM OU SPL, 6-3 SSD1
• Individual: OLT 4 Finalist

• Team: 2-2 SSD1, 4-2 WCOP
• Individual: OLT 3 / 4 Playoffs

The Classiest SM OU is led by Sabella, who has been on the rise over the past few months. Notably, he achieved a solid 6-3 record in SSD and reached the finals of OLT. The results speak for themselves, but Booty is held down by his lack of confidence. Despite the great year, he does not consider himself a "top player". If Sabella can stop being so hard on himself, he might just reach the next level. Pairing with him is BlackOblivion, who had a solid WCoP but a mediocre SSD performance that led to him getting benched for the season. Do not be fooled though, as BO has shown glimpses of greatness, and he will be dying to show them this SPL. So, can Sabella maintain his performance from recent months? Can BlackOblivion turn his fortune around?

• Team: 4-5 all-time SPL, 4-4 SM OU SPL, 5-0 SSD1, 1-2 WCOP
• Individual: OLT 3 Finalist

• Team: 5-0 SSD1, 2-2 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

Two players that had a big turn on their year are the players from the Tigers SM OU slots. Eternal Spirit went from being known as a slightly above average player who choked a lot into a very clutch player for the Pitvipers in SSD. Femen also had a turn, from an almost unknown entity to also a clutch SSD player who ended with a good record. Eternal Spirit's play worked out in that tournament, but there still seem to be questionable plays in his battles that many consider might be his downfall. Femen, now azogue, faces criticism for his overreliance on his team during SSD to the point of people making tough accusations against him, which would explain the low ranking. Hopefully they haven't run out of gas yet, because they will need to push the pedal hard in order to overcome the best of the best in the tournament.

• Team: 3-4 all-time SPL, 1-2 SM OU SPL, 4-2 SSD1, 3-2 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

• Team: 1-4 all-time SM OU SPL, 5-4 SSD1, 0-2 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

To round out the SM ranks we have the Gliders / West core of psychicmewtwo and z0mOG, now teaming up for their third tour in a row. psychicmewtwo had average performances in all three team tours this year, ending off at a near-even, yet positive, overall record. Despite this, many top players consider him to be very good. z0mOG had notoriously poor performances prior to SSD, but he seemingly turned it around and ended up just barely positive there. These mediocre past results have netted these two some fairly low ranks, and a great record this SPL is hard to see happen considering the people they will be facing. That being said, it's not out of the question for these guys to impress in the coming months, especially considering that they have both been on the uprise recently and how unpredictable they will be due to having so many builders around them. Only time will truly tell.

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• Official: 4-0 Spl 7, 6-4 Spl 8, 5-5 SSD1, 2nd Doubles Open 5
• Circuit: 2nd Smogon Doubles Tour 1, 2nd 2017 Fall Seasonal

MajorBowman tops this list thanks to a consistently solid record in tournament play. His 10-4 lifetime SPL record, finals appearances in both the most recent Doubles Seasonal and Smogon Doubles Tour, and decent, but not great, 5-5 Snake Tour show that he's never a poor bet. Doubles's resident weatherman ended up going for the same price as if he were retained by the Tigers, and he's sure to have a memorable season, with his first two SPLs leading to an undefeated 4-0 record and the creation of the biggest trend of SM DOU, Tapu Fini + Misty Seed Zapdos. MajorBowman is in a bit of a rough patch with hax and seems to struggle with finishing tournaments out strong, losing in the finals of SPL 8, Smogon Doubles Tour, and the most recent Doubles Seasonal; however, if he can shake that off, he's the most valuable Doubles player on the board.

• Official: 3-5 SPL SM DOU(8) 6-3 SSD1, Doubles Open 5 Winner
• Circuit: 1-0 DPL 3, 1st 2017 Smogon Doubles Tour, 2nd 2017 Winter Seasonal

stax had a bit of a rough first SPL, only finishing 3-5; however, since then, his results have vastly improved, placing second overall in this year’s Doubles Circuit, turning in a solid Snake record of 6-3, and winning the inaugural Smogon Doubles Tour. staxonstax is willing to gamble on somewhat unorthodox picks, but he manages endgames well enough to get away with it, using those rarer tools to his advantage instead of getting tripped up over them. He is also perhaps the most hype player of the Doubles pool; all of his games always turn to be spectacles due to his wild playstyle (Sky Drop Tapu Koko never 4get). If he's able to find some new fire 'mons to work with, stax will be an exciting player to watch this tournament.

• Official: 7-3 SSD1, Top 8 Doubles Open 5
• Circuit: 1-2 DPL 3, Top 4 DLT 3, top 8 2017 Spring Seasonal

A somewhat recent addition to high-level Doubles play, marilli comes off an impressive 7-3 debut in Snake Tour, including a win in the finals, and is set as one of the semifinalists in this year's Doubles Invitational. Before Invitational playoffs, marilli claimed to be in a slump, but that hasn't stopped them from powering through the first two rounds. When chatting in the Doubles Discord, marilli tends to rely on one-liners and emotes, but when called upon, their metagame knowledge is impressive. marilli's place in this rankings could be even higher if not for a recent hit in confidence and inexperience in SPL outside of a few singles matches way back in SPL 3.

• Official: 6-4 SSD1
• Circuit: 5-1 DPL 3, 1st 2017 Winter Seasonal, Top 4 DLT 2, 3rd 2017 Spring Seasonal

Demantoid mish mished his way to a solid 6-4 debut in Snake, backed up by consistency in the Doubles Circuit that led him to a 3rd seed for the Invitational. With good tour results over the course of the year, Demantoid will be someone to watch in his first SPL. His signature DePokémontoid nicknames are sure to grace some interesting teams, but Demantoid succeeds with both somewhat standard teams and those that are a bit more out there, so it’s difficult to know what to expect from his builds.

• Official: 6-3 SSD1
• Circuit: 1-0 DPL 3, 2nd 2016 London Nationals (VGC)

Rounding out the trifecta of Doubles players who are new to SPL but had a decent first team tour in Snake, Jhon finished his stint on the Leviathans with a 6-3 record. He must have made an impression, as manager Finchinator opted to spend the big bucks to have this man be on his team again. Outside of Snake tour, Jhon’s only other Doubles OU results are from DPL, which might be a cause for concern except for the fact that he beasted his way to an undefeated record that tour. In DPL, Jhon relied primarily on standard builds or teams provided to him, but in Snake he proved to be a competent and creative builder in his own right. A first SPL is always difficult to predict, but Jhon and the Bigs shouldn't be too worried.

• Official: 1-1 all-time SPL , 1-0 SM DOU (SPL 8), 6-3 SSD1
• Circuit: 3-2 DPL 3, Top 12 2017 Winter Seasonal

miltankmilk got his first SPL experience in SPL 8, where he assisted MajorBowman to a 6-4 record and went 1-0 individually. Since then, miltankmilk got a taste of a starting position in Snake Draft, resulting in a very respectable 6-3 record. Outside of team tournaments, miltankmilk also fought his way through Invitational tiebreakers to earn a spot in the top 16 and gets in plenty of friendlies and ladder matches to keep sharp and test out his latest teams. Despite this being his first starting SPL slot, miltankmilk comes in with plenty of experience. So long as he's able to avoid tilt and petty drama, miltankmilk will likely be able to prove himself worthy of a starting slot for tournaments to come.

• Official: 23-16 all-time SPL, 8-3 SM DOU (SPL 8), 2-6 SSD1 1st Smogon VGC Tournament 3
• Circuit: 2-2 DPL 3

The winningest Doubles SPL player in history might seem out of place down in 7th place, but Biosci is always a bit of an unknown when it comes to SPL due to his only real Doubles matches being in previous SPLs and Snake Draft. Snake was a bit of a rough tour for Biosci, where even his poi nicknames couldn’t save him from a 2-6 record. Still, even without much experience in the metagame, Biosci had the best record last SPL, so there’s no guarantee he couldn’t pull that off again. Tman will also be around as a substitute, though some wonder how much time the two VGC players will be able to commit to SPL with VGC 18 circuits lighting up.

• Official: 22-17 all-time SPL, 4-5 SM DOU (SPL 8)
• Circuit: Top 6 2017 Spring Seasonal

Braverius is a mainstay in Doubles SPL for good reason, and a 22-17 record shows that his experience in high-level play is nearly unmatched. However, Zach himself has warned of his rustiness and lack of knowledge of the current metagame, so his footing going into the season may be a bit shaky. This was the case last year too, and his SPL 8 ended up only so-so, with a 4-5 record to his name. With Kaori to help him get accustomed to USM Doubles and TDK to assist in the battling parts of the game, Braverius is a threat to every player in the field, but he may be difficult to rely on for consistency.

• Official: N/A
• Circuit: 6-0 DPL 3, Top 4 DLT 3, Top 4 2016 Worlds

EmbCPT is the only complete newbie to the large team tours scene, with his only notable Doubles tournament results being a top 4 finish in DLT and an undefeated DPL season. In these tours, EmbCPT proved himself capable of using even somewhat obscure Pokémon to success thanks to his fresh perspective. Buying EmbCPT without any support is definitely a risky move for the Classiest, but so far Edu has seized his chances to flex and grab some wins. A big thing to note here is that the VGC season is clashing with SPL, so many wonder how much time a VGC main like EmbCPT will be able to devote to his sidejob. If it's little time like many expect, then it seems unlikely that he will surprise everyone.

• Official: 1-1 SPL SM DOU (8), Top 16 Doubles Open 5
• Circuit: 3-2 DPL 3, 2nd DLT 2, 3rd 2017 Winter Seasonal

Croven doesn’t have much recent success in Doubles tours, making his way into Invitational thanks to his solid finishes in last year's Winter Seasonal and the first of two Doubles Ladder Tournaments and then promptly losing his first round match. If Croven's able to shake off the rust, build a bit for himself, and get in some testing, he could reascend to the level of the other players in the field, but right now he's difficult to rank anywhere near the top. SPL is rather unforgiving to those who are already feeling a bit behind, so a starting position with no support is a surprising call for Croven. Although he's not entirely inexperienced in SPL, with a 1-1 record in SPL 8, Croven would have to have a considerable shift to have a strong finish this season.

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• Official: 4-5 all-time UU SPL, Grand Slam VI Playoffs
• Circuit: 7-1 UUPL V

It's really no shock that Dodmen landed at the top of the UU playerlist. The enigmatic former UUTL is, in short, almost mythical when it comes to UU, being the go-to name for "best player" since mid-ORAS and staying in that conversation through to today. Dod's performance in Grand Slam (where he kicked my ass) will further solidify this ranking - a big part of his prestige is in the fact that Dodmen doesn't usually just win, he consistently wins in style. An eccentric, self-sufficient teambuilder complete with an aggro playstyle means he will likely be fully capable of living up to his top billing.

• Official: 4-5 all-time SPL, 2-2 UU SPL
• Circuit: 5-1 UUPL V, 2017 UU Championship Finalist, UU Majors II Quarterfinalist

In short, Christo almost certainly represents the best value per dollar this SPL. A 10k retain turned out to be prescient, as the UU playerbase cleaved in half between super cheap speculative picks and very expensive superstars. I'd say Christo builds and plays like the latter but cost only a bit more than the former. All that said, his UU ability is without doubt - he has, for years now, been pushing the metagame forward through his ingenious teams. His playing ability represents some of the bigger OU names, like ABR, in its methodical approach where he scopes out the most numerically intelligent way to win a game. Christo's last SPL run was probably below his own standards, but he has absolutely outgrown the player he was then, and I would not be surprised in the slightest to see him finish as the top player of this pool.

• Official: 6-3 SSD1, Grand Slam VI Playoffs, UU Open VI Finalist
• Circuit: 8-1 UUPL V

The Frenchman has clawed his way up to the top portion of the rankings through several consistent finishes, most notably a solid SSD I. One of the most notable things you can say about Sacri is this: he beats UU players, shown by almost winning UU Open three times in a row, only falling to FLCL this year. While you can find criticisms about Sacri's play or team choice outside UU, there's little to fault him on within the tier. While from an outside standpoint I think it would be fair to judge Sacri on how close he comes to the best UU record, his mentality and slight lack of a killer instinct might make it so he accepts a less than "the best" record. For fans of UU and Pokémon, we will hope that he abandons this pattern and goes for the throat of his opponents on the big stage, but there's just as much chance he falls into a respectable, if not stellar, record.

• Official: 1-5 all-time SPL, 7-3 SSD1
• Circuit: 4-2 UUPL V

Rounding out what could be considered the "big four" of this SPL group comes Lycans. Now, let me get this said first, I think you could realistically swap any of the top four players into any position and you'll have a fair representation of their skill. In a word, Lycans is good - a keen eye for teambuilding backed with a playstyle that emphasizes maximizing risk reward and exploiting small weaknesses in an opponent's team means that this man can go toe to toe with anyone.

• Official: N/A
• Circuit: 5-2 UUPL V, UU Majors II Winner, 2017 UU Championship Semifinalist

Wild boar Bushtush finally gets his chance to be a nailed on starter in SPL. Right around the middle of the pack in terms of ranking, I think Bush is realistically a high variance player. Bushtush's "on" moments are ludicrously good - he is the ABR slayer after all, but his "off" moments leave question marks for anyone with an eye for the game. It remains to be seen what Bushtush we'll get this tournament, but ideally for spectators we get the classic, top-notch aggressive madman that makes him such a fan favorite.

• Official: 5-4 SSD1
• Circuit: 3-4 UUPL V

Manipulative is definitely a solid UU player, but he's not necessarily too used to playing the best of the best the way he will in SPL. While he scraped out some wins in SSD in relatively improbable scenarios, I don't think it would necessarily be an unfair thing to say that he made some questionable plays that ended up turning out alright despite what you would expect. While the SSD pool was moderately strong, I believe that SPL will present a much bigger challenge - each game carries far more weight, and the players are more energized than ever. He also won't have the handholding of two of the best UUers on Smogon this tournament. Manipulative has two paths in front of him, but it remains to be seen whether he will grab the opportunity or succumb to the big stage.

• Official: 2-5 SSD1
• Circuit: N/A

In a potentially suprising move, friendly UU starter Pak returns to the fold after a fairly disappointing SSD that was marked by a mentality break late on in the tournament. Granted, it's hard to blame him considering the performance of the rest of his team, but it really was not necessarily the greatest debut on the big stage. Pak's serviceable enough; he's active, smart, and a decent player, and he also has access to the whole UU community but I think his success or failure will ride almost entirely on how he handles playing in front of hundreds of spectators in a do-or-die scenario time and time again. Should Pak fail to rise to the standard, I can see him really recoiling from SPL, so let's hope he puts in some strong performances early.

• Official: N/A
• Circuit: 1-3 UUPL V, UU Majors II Finalist

Low-key UUer Cynde looks potentially a bit out of his depth in SPL, but on the other side of the coin he exemplifies Tony's UU style - out of fashion players backed by his nous with teambuilding and exceptional motivational abilities. It's likely due to this effect that I would reckon Cynde overperforms this SPL - don't get me wrong, he's always been a solid enough player, but I can see him flourishing backed up by Smogon's #1 motivator as well as ABR, who will likely have a 1,000 word essay to write about every team choice. Possible pitfalls for Cynde include the potential for him to break down when facing the highest of the high, and realistically I don't think he'll grab a game from the big four in this group but could clean up otherwise. Will he be another Bugzinator? Probably not, Bugzi's unique approach to, well, everything Pokémon related really makes him one of a kind, but Cynde will be hoping to fill in his shoes.

• Official: 0-1 all-time UU SPL, 0-3 SSD1
• Circuit: 1-2 UUPL V

Following on with Pak, HT comes off the back of a rough SSD I. HT represents a bit of a mystery, performing extremely well over and over in smaller tournaments (even against big name players) but then failing to replicate that on the big stage. HT represents a very Cryonicles pick - could be all or nothing in either direction. Should HT sort out whatever the mental block is that prevents him from reproducing his barnstorming performances in tournaments like UUPL, it's not wild to think that he could be right up there with the big four. It'll rely on his teammates to provide an environment that will let him flourish.

• Official: UU Open VI Semifinalist
• Circuit: N/A

AHD represents a fairly left-field pick to start in SM UU that comes, oddly, over some players that have really come into their own this year. I can only wonder if there is a special relationship where he tried out and impressed that would put him over someone like Shiba who has put in solid performances all summer. Realistic expectations for AHD are low, which might provide him a bulwark against any losses, but I think it wouldn't be terribly realistic to expect much more than around average at best.

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• Official: 8-3 SSD1, R9 RU Open VI
• Circuit: 1-2 RUPL

If we go by results alone, there is little doubt about who is the #1 RU player right now. The recent Snake Draft champion had an incredible tournament, and this coupled with his finals appearance in the RU Open earlier definitely shows that this rapper means business. Despite the potential issue of somewhat predictable builds at times, Ajna is consistent enough and has that X factor to overcome disadvantages and snag wins in the least likely of situations. As he is the player who we can mark down as the most consistently capable of bringing a game around in his favor, it would be a shock to see Ajna have a bad tournament.

• Official: 5-3 all-time SPL, 6-3 SSD1, R4 RU Open VI
• Circuit: RU Swiss Tour R5

Closing in on the top spot we have the beast from the Middle East. Perhaps not as extremely knowledgeable as some of the people in the RU pool this year, Chill instead stands out as one of the best all-around battlers, as his experience in several tiers and generations has given him a more widespread way of thinking when it comes to this game. During Snake Draft, he had massive support and many have considered Arifeen to be one of the biggest reasons for Chill's great tournament, but that'd be a disservice to this man's ability. It will be very interesting to see if his raw skill will be enough to offset the lack of support he will be dealing with this SPL.

• Official: 17-8 SPL, 2-3 RU SPL, 0-3 SSD1, R6 RU Open VI, 1st Smogon Classic II, GSC Cup II Winner
• Circuit: N/A

Snake Draft couldn't have ended worse for the proud weeb. A 0-3 start into ragequit true combo was surprising to say the least. Despite him swearing on his waifu that he would never come back to this game, here we have Shake dabbing into another tournament. We definitely have to remember that Shake is one of the best players not just in RU, but perhaps in the tournament as a whole, being tied for the most official tournament wins. His ability to keep composure in high-stake games, overall game sense, and knowledge of how to use "cheese" like no other make him a very intimidating opponent. The first few weeks will be crucial, as if this slump continues, we might see yet another ragequit. If bop thele it is Shake shows up, though, he could very easily be at the top.

• Official: 4-0 SSD1, R3 RU Open VI
• Circuit: N/A

There is no doubt about lighthouses's ability as a player. Reaching the semifinals of OST is a big feat, and we can't forget his great showing in the Snake Draft. Perhaps something that further sets him apart from the competition is the amount of support he will be able to receive, having atomicllamas and Eternal Spirit to help him out and keep him grounded. And let's not forget the fantastic team chemistry (BARIL FTW). His builds can be a little streamlined, but again, the support he has and his unquestionable playing ability more than make up for it. He has received criticism in the past for not being up to par, but he will look to silence the haters once and for all this SPL.

• Official: 21-8 all-time SPL, 3-3 SSD1, R7 RU Open VI
• Circuit: N/A

soulgazer is perhaps the most proven lower-tier player in the RU pool, although he is more known for his accomplishments in NU. Regardless, he showed he might have what it takes to make a splash in RU, ending with a decent record in Snake Draft. He also had a good individual year, reaching the playoffs of the Grand Slam, although losing in Round 1. However, the Canadian definitely lacks the longtime RU player experience to capitalize on the newest trends, and it shows in his building, as he opts to stay with tried and true strategies, which might hurt him in the long run. If he spends more time preparing for his games and less time being complete cancer in the Tournaments Discord, he has potential to do well this SPL.

• Official: 6-6 all-time SPL, R8 RU Open VI, 2nd Grand Slam VI
• Circuit: 4-2 RUPL

The man involved in the most recent cheating drama, Tricking will be missing the first week of SPL. That's a big win for the Sharks, who would have otherwise been down a lot from losing this seasoned tournament player. The Italian is really good and reliable at basically every tier he touches, and as such he's an immediate threat to any opponent he faces. Add to this that he now has the man that shares Chill Shadow's Snake success in Arifeen on his team, and Tricking becomes a much scarier foe, as this patches up Tricking's weak builds. Criticized for his Drapion boner, hit-or-miss builds, and several exploitable weaknesses, Tricking's prowess can be linked to the support he receives. As a player, he's definitely up there, and Arifeen having his back might just be enough to push him up hard.

• Official: 15-13 all-time RU SPL, 4-3 SSD1, R4 RU Open VI
• Circuit: N/A

After a long absence from Pokémon due to League of Legends dependence, cute SV decided to come back to have a go at RU in Snake. He did much better than expected from someone still recovering from addiction and ended with a solid record. He is the most veteran of the bunch, playing RU since the BW days and being known as the absolute best player in the tier at his peak. Recently, he has been known to rely a lot on outside help, as well as for his resurfacing disinterest for the game. His start will be very important, as a losing start could completely end all the motivation he might have for the tournament. Regardless, SV is a reliable pick, and although historical players seem to have hard times in SPL, this man is the most capable of pulling a huge upset and reaching his past level.

• Official: 23-10 all-time SPL, 20-8 all-time RU SPL
• Circuit: N/A

This rank might be too unfair for Windsong. If there is a player that is known for shaking off rust extremely fast and always doing well in team tournaments, it's this guy. Just look at his ridiculous all-time SPL record to get an idea of just how good this guy can be. Despite Windsong being somewhat in the shadows for the past few months, sources have confirmed he has been playing RU. Add up the threat of complete lack of intel on him and he is definitely the dark horse of this pool. That said, it doesn't take away from the accomplishments of the people on top of him, and as a result he ends up ranked 8th. The overall playing level of the RU community has gone up a good amount, so this could go either pretty well or pretty bad for the BIGs RUer.

• Official: 11-13 all-time SPL, 9-9 RU SPL
• Circuit: N/A

New Breed used to be a ridiculous player back in the day. He started as a lower tiers guy, then moved into ADV and got a good amount of recognition there, and then proceeded to stroll into the Smogon Classic and end up first seed in its first edition, only to quit the game right before playoffs began. That basically describes New Brad as a player, sky-high potential surrounded by lack of motivation. It is hard to imagine much has changed for this player lately, but if there is a team that could bring out the best in him, it's the Cryonicles, a team full of good friends of his. Some people confirm that he has been following the game somewhat, but while there are some good RU players in his team in aim and ict, someone to feed him the metagame, get him completely ready, and build for him isn't really there. How much he will care is the most important factor here; either his team will have to sub him out early or he overtakes everyone on top of him.

• Official: N/A
• Circuit: 3-2 RUPL

The three players we just talked about are all big name veterans, and the last player in the RU pool couldn't be more different. Feliburn is a more modern player with a good amount of metagame knowledge under his belt. There is certainly no one more thirsty to make a good impression than this man, but a tough road lies ahead of him. He isn't the most dynamic player or the most prominent builder, and maybe it would have been best to have him start as a sub and let him gain experience before transitioning into a playing role. His primary support is FlamingVictini, who, while being an amazing player on his own, isn't known as the best of teammates regarding support. Feliburn is very motivated and is no slouch by any means, but the competition might make it too hard for him to outplay any of his opponents in even ground.

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• Official: 1-7 all-time SPL, 7-4 SSD1
• Circuit: 7-1 NUPL, 1st NU League Express

Owner of the best Snake record and the best NUPL record, meeps is on a crazy NU tear that he hopes continues to live onto SPL. Known for using more creative sets and teams, meeps is one of the favorites to come out with a positive record this SPL, as his meta calls are usually ahead of the curve and lead him to victory. However, there have been a few questions about how up to date he is with the current NU metagame. After taking a fairly long break from playing after the end of Snake, meeps has been one of the quieter members of the NU community as of late, which could lead to him losing key motivation for this tour. However, if he does manage to keep his motivation high and his creativity in check, expect him to end with one of the higher records this SPL.

• Official: 5-3 SSD1
• Circuit: 3-3 NUPL

Eternally is coming off of a great Snake, finishing the tour with a great 5-3 record. Originally being written off as a forum poster without much tournament experience, Eternally is now ready to have the spotlight fully on him as the emerging NU talent for a new generation. Being one of the most active members of the NU council and on forums means he's the person most up to date on the current NU meta, giving him a leg up compared to the rest of the field. However, he did end Snake by losing his last two games, and if he continues that downward trend throughout the start of SPL, he may just tilt his way to a bad record. Eternally can easily end with the best record this SPL, but it wouldn't be altogether shocking to see him have a mediocre tournament either.

• Official: 5-4 SSD1
• Circuit: 5-2 NUPL

Rounding off the three 9.5k musketeers is NU tier leader Hootie. After a good Snake tour, managing to grab a 5-1 record the last two phases, Hootie is ready to show what he truly is made of now that he's shaken off his first-tournament jitters. Similar to meeps, however, he also has been on the quieter side during the change to USM, which means he has a lot to catch up on before week 1. On the other hand, he also has a much better support and testing partner in teammate Evan. (formerly Can-Eh-Dian), who has returned from a short hiatus and has been taking up the USM metagame. Hootie's record is going to eventually come down to how much he can bring himself to play and prep for his games, and whether he can pick up where he left off with the end of Snake.

• Official: 4-10 all-time SPL, Grand Slam V Winner, Grand Slam VI Quarterfinals
• Circuit: N/A

Lower-tier champion ict is making his NU team tour debut with this SPL, and he manages to nab the number four seed. After making it to the NU Open finals in ORAS, as well as his eventual Grand Slam win, ict has been a lot quieter on the nu side in SM. He, however, still made Grand Slam playoffs this past year, which means he isn't as out of date with the meta as one would expect. Still, he hasn't played an SM tour game since NUPL, which brings to question how much work he has to do in order to catch up to opponents like Eternally and Teddeh. if ict manages to find the time to prep and learn USM NU, expect a great performance, but he can just as easily repeat his prior SPL records and end up near the bottom.

• Official: 1-1 all-time SPL, 1st NU Open VI, Grand Slam VI Semifinalist
• Circuit: NU League Express Playoffs

Coming off of an NU Open win and Grand Slam semifinals placement, Ubers main Pohjis is also making his NU team tour debut, having previously only played Ubers in both SPL 8 and Snake. Seeing as he managed to take down titans like FLCL and dodmen in his NU Open run, as well as technically being the priciest NU player, with a pricetag of 11.5k (10k retain + 1.5k trade), a lot of high expectations are riding on Pohjis to do well in this tournament. His major downfall comes in his lack of teambuilding for NU, as he relied on other people's teams for the entirety of his NU Open run, as well as the other tournaments he has played since then. He does have support from BOUFF and Z+V, but both players are known for their more creative building styles, which doesn't lead to the most solid teams. If Pohjis can keep his playing high, along with a supply of good teams he is one of the top threats for this tournament, but the uncertainty for both lands him a lower ranking.

• Official: 12-6 all-time NU SPL
• Circuit: 0-3 NUPL, 1st NU Seeded Tournament

After a disastrous NUPL followed up by a long break from playing NU, Teddeh returns to SPL with high hopes. With him recently winning the seeded tour, all questions about his ability to play SM NU have been shot down, as he showed that he still has it. However, when it comes to NU he has a very exploitable style, with a tendency to use teams that are fatter and clunkier than your average one, which could lead to his downfall if he lacks the ability to shake it up from time to time. He does have great support from dodmen and Tricking, both great NU builders and players in their own regard, so we could potentially see a resurgence of SPL 6 Teddeh, where he exceeded all expectations to end with the best NU record. More than likely, however, is for him to end similarly to how he played in SPL 7, with a solid but forgettable 5-4 record.

• Official: 0-3 all-time SPL, 5-4 SSD1
• Circuit: 1-1 NUPL

Kush surprised many after managing to end Snake with a positive record in a pool with a lot of strong NU players, and he will be looking to repeat the same success this SPL. However, many of the issues that haunted Kush in Snake are following him to SPL as well. With teams that can be viewed as similar in style along with a style of play that is easily predictable, Kush needs to find a way to branch out if he hopes to end with a good record. Some of this may be remedied with the fact that he has self-proclaimed "best NU support" Finchinator in his corner, but a lot of Kush's issues also stemmed from his in-battle decisions, which could be seen in his games versus meeps and Eternally.

• Official: 2-2 SSD1, NU Open VI Semifinalist
• Circuit: N/A

After taking over for Yui. in Snake Draft, snagaa gets to start from the get go this coming SPL with a spot on the Ruiners. snagaa is probably the only player on this list to be on par with meeps when it comes to using more creative teams and sets, as shown by his Snake games. However, he tends to have a lot of issues with his in-battle decisions, often relying on ballsy plays and risks in order to make up for his subpar in-game decision making skills. He does have support from lax, a fellow Snake Draft NU player, to help with building, but that could all be wasted if he doesn't play his games to the level that he needs to.

• Official: N/A
• Circuit: N/A

Earth is a relatively unknown prospect who has participated in tours such as NUPL before, having decent amounts of success, but he has never stood out or played in any of the bigger, official team tournaments before. While his lack of experience and exposure to the SPL setting might come off as worrisome, there are a couple things going Earth's way that may very well correlate to him having moderate success in this weaker field. The biggest reason to have some hope is that Earth has the support of longtime NU player and perhaps one of NU's best builders, rozes. He is also accompanied by a fairly successful manager in Tony and a team with other fairly new picks, with Cynde and The Idiot Ninja also trying to make a big splash in their first SPLs. Hopefully for the Wolfpack's sake, this group will turn these newer players into winning SPL players and Earth will have a positive first campaign, but this is far from a sure thing and he will have to work hard in order to achieve this goal.

• Official: N/A
• Circuit: N/A

Rounding off the NU playerbase is 3k pickup Zukushiku, a completely unheard-of name to a large majority of both the NU community and tours community. A Monotype main that has almost no tournament results outside of Monotype, he has been touted by his manager Pearl to be the next rising star in the tournaments community. With arguably the most accomplished NU player in FLCL as his other manager, Zuku definitely has the support he needs to do well, but with nothing to show for it so far it becomes almost impossible to rank him. This ranking could be completely unfair if Zukushiku manages to live up the hype of Pearl and obii, but as of now he takes the last spot in a stacked NU field.

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• Team: 7-3 all-time ORAS OU SPL, 4-2 WCOP
• Individual: OST 12 Finalist, Grand Slam VI Semifinalist, OLT 3 Playoffs

Young Brazilian ORAS enthusiast Nintendi was retained by the Tigers and is #1 on this ranking after his phenomenal performance last year. Initially turning heads as he made finals of the Official Smogon Tournament in 2016, doing well for Team Brazil in World Cup and participating in the playoffs of the Official Ladder Tournament, he then put up a terrific record for the Tigers last year with many key wins, including one against Axel in the finals, and followed that up by reaching Smogon Tour playoffs, where he defeated top ORAS/SM dog ABR in both tiers, and was solid for Brazil once more. He even went deep in Grand Slam playoffs, showing his versatility as a player. This is quite the resume already without even delving into the specifics of his ORAS play; rather than using standard Clefable/Latios balance, he opts for underrated Pokémon such as Choice Specs Hydreigon, U-turn Gliscor, and Leftovers Excadrill, and generally enjoys using powerhouses of the tier such as Bisharp and Mega Medicham with bulky pivots such as Tangrowth and Slowbro giving him a cushion. He'll have last year's fellow Tiger, p2, to bounce ideas off, so there's little doubt he'll be well-prepared going into every game, and it'll be hard to be ready for him given the variety and unpredictability of his teams. If he has any flaw, it's that sometimes he can play a little too quickly ("button clicking"), but he's been making it work on his home turf of ORAS for some time now and it's expected he'll earn his #1 ranking this season.

• Team: 7-3 all-time ORAS OU SPL, 4-3 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

Axel "The Sheriff" 10 first wowed people with his consistently solid World Cup performances for Spain; he made his SPL debut last year and was crucial in carrying the Scooters to the finals. A player seemingly immune to nerves, he's capable of piloting balances featuring the usual suspects of Clefable/Scizor/Landorus/Latios/Keldeo/Tyranitar/Heatran but also throwing Pokémon like Mew, Suicune, and Mega Diancie into the mix. He's also efficient at whipping out a surprise balls-to-the-wall offensive team featuring terrifying threats such as Thundurus and Talonflame-killing Brelooms. Any doubts, of which there are nearly none, can be quelled by remembering Axel was one of the earliest recipients of the "GOAT" tag from the lovely people of Smogtours. In the team support department, he's got Tricking, his fellow former Scooter. It can't be stressed enough how fundamentally solid his play is, but he's also quite adept at reading his opponents and adapting that into his play, which is a combination that gets in people's heads and makes him incredibly tough to beat. While he's not loud or flashy, he's as reliable as they come and it'd be surprising for him to not have a good, or even GOAT, record.

• Team: 4-2 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 21 / 24 Playoffs, OLT (R9) Playoffs

After exploding onto the scene with monstrous ORAS performances in Smogon Tour 21, following it with good results for France in World Cup, and reaching the playoffs of the Official Ladder Tournament after that, the world awaited him to truly make his name in the following SPL; however, he did not sign up due to real life obligations. However, he came back in a big way in Smogon Tour 23, where he once again made playoffs and dominated the tier throughout the regular season. This is a player who absolutely bleeds the essence of ORAS OU; not only is his intelligently aggressive play the perfect representation of how ORAS is done, especially in tense late-game scenarios where it's the most dangerous, but it can also be seen with his terrifically solid teams that contain powerful threats, well-thought-out synergy and just the right amount of creativity. You can almost feel his hand on the pulses of both the metagame and the battle. While he is a proponent of hard hitters such as Bisharp, Azumarill, and Mega Metagross, he's also capable of slowing it down with Zapdos, Gliscor, and Suicune. With manager obii and FlamingVictini on his side, among others, he'll have plenty of good tests. Mounts is already nearly universally regarded as one of the very best ORAS players and seems poised to deliver a dominating breakout season that vaults him into legitimate superstar territory.

• Team: 15-13 all-time SPL, 10-8 ORAS OU SPL
• Individual: Smogon Tour 14 / 15 / 16 (Top 4) Playoffs

Controversial as they come, cbb is a real love-him-or-hate-him character. No matter what side you're on, though, there's no denying his ability as a player, despite the lack of it being consistently demonstrated after the release of ORAS. Managing in SPL 6 and 8, he made great metagame calls that helped his ORASers succeed. In SPL 7, he demonstrated some of the skill he is regarded for having, but ended 4-5 after a strong start. That, making it to round 5 of 2016's OST, beating Tesung in a shit-talk game, and the Bloo/Style OST fiasco against UltiMario makes up the entirety of the playing resume cbb has in the tier. However, everyone knows how good he is. While it may seem he spends more time chastising others than playing the game himself, he mustn't be taken lightly. He knows the metagame inside and out, and while he doesn't pump out teams in his sleep like many well-known modern teambuilders, he is extremely adept at finding a strategy he deems best for tackling the metagame, which is often accurate (many can recall Mandibuzz, Mega Venusaur, Togekiss, Gengar, and the less-remembered max Attack Mega Diancie and Swords Dance Life Orb Garchomp), and making one effective team that can win consistently; his XY hyper offense team is still effective. He's fearless in his playing, with monstrously aggressive double switches, and has the potential to make any game look effortless, using high-level forward thinking to muscle through his opponents with his brawny powerhouses. This doesn't always work; sometimes he expects his opponents to make what he deems the best play and it ends up backfiring, but it is what works a high percentage of the time. He's also been known to surprise with stall despite his derision of the style. With the support of Poek and Zamrock on his team, he'll be ready for any game. Non-Pokémon antics aside, this SPL is the time for cbb to prove his worth in the tier he's proclaimed himself among the best at for so long.

• Team: 8-4 all-time SPL, 2-2 ORAS OU SPL, 6-2 WCOP
• Individual: OLT 2 / 3 Playoffs

Another infectiously enthusiastic and knowledgeable ORAS player, GTM looks to enjoy his first SPL season as a day 1 starter. After a very impressive WCoP where he went 6-0, including a quarterfinal tiebreak win, he looks to repeat that kind of success over 9 weeks in SPL. Piloting powerful bulky offense teams that often anchor on Ferrothorn and Starmie, allowing powerhouses such as Mega Charizard X to thrive, he's a candidate to beat anyone, especially when utilizing lesser-seen threats such as Terrakion. He's been known to bust out Doublade stall to everyone's surprise, so he isn't one-dimensional by any stretch of the imagination. Unafraid to make highly aggressive moves that advance his position by great amounts and yet not one to take unnecessary risks. Having psychicmewtwo and z0mOG in his corner is only a good thing, as they will help make sure he brings the best team possible each week and switches it up as necessary to avoid being predictable and to feast on his opponent's common weaknesses. That said, GTM is a force on his own. Reliability is what you can expect from this German phenom dead-set on procuring these finances.

• Team: N/A
• Individual: Smogon Tour 24 Winner, OLT 2 / 3 (R9) / 4 Playoffs

The most recent winner of Smogon Tour being ranked sixth speaks to the ferociousness of his fellows in this tier. First appearing in OLT III playoffs with flashes of furiously precise calculations going into his performance, he showed up in a big way on the biggest stage of all recently, with a dominating in-season performance to boot. He enjoys using popular powerful balance teams that have proven their effectiveness; they give him the backbone he likes to make use of to give him time to set up situations where he can pull off the relentlessly vicious plays he's known for, or having a bulky, slow setup Pokémon to safely clean the game, such as Calm Mind Clefable, Calm Mind Slowbro, or Swords Dance Mega Scizor. That said, he's also adept at getting into position to fire off attacks from nuclear Pokémon such as Choice Specs Kyurem and Mega Charizard Y that these teams also pack, so he always has a nice blend of threats to strike his opponent with, leaving him able to win in any matchup. Of course, sticking solely to known teams can have its drawbacks, even if some argue that being comfortable with them is more important; while this is true, there are players who simply will take advantage of it. hiye's ORAS-fluent teammates Kory2600, Empo, and ZoroDark will hopefully help him out in this department, because having known teamms can be a killer. That, in addition to the luck he's been attributed to having, his relatively small sample size of games so far, and the brutal competition he faces, is why he is this low on the list. That said, we've seen hiye's peaks and they are astoundingly high, and he is coming off utilizing his formidable skill to get a trophy, so he's looking red-hot and the only question is if he can keep it going through the long SPL season.

• Team: 10-7 all-time ORAS OU SPL, 7-6 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 18 / 21 Playoffs, OLT 1 / 2 Playoffs

Known for his XY/ORAS ever since he burst onto the scene with a last-week win in Smogon Tour 18 with his trusty Mega Alakazam, xray has established himself as an enthusiast of the tier, making a showing in it in every tournament he could play in. Effective wielding of synergistic, hard-hitting, bulky balance teams and always looking to create new things alongside his deep knowledge of the intricacies of the tier make him as good a candidate as any to put up strong results against this stacked field. He can switch it up effectively; if he's not running Ferrothorn balance, he's generally a fan of Magnezone offense, and can use everything the tier offers to great effect, including lesser-seen threats such as Slowking and Mega Garchomp. He's been relatively inconsistent in the past; while his wins are big, they're interspersed with losses. However, when he goes on a streak, not many players are more dangerous. He was chosen to play in the semifinals and finals tiebreaker for Germany in World Cup 2016, so he's no stranger to the big stage. Names such as Bloo, CrashinBoomBang, and cosine180 have all sung his praises; with the support of his teammates Posho and John, xray will be battle-ready week in and week out. He's been practicing extremely hard against the best players lately, so this could certainly be the season where he finally has that elusive consistent performance.

• Team: 4-0 WCoP
• Individual: N/A

Znain first drew attention to himself in this past World Cup when playing ORAS for Latin America, making shockingly fierce plays en route to impressive victories while using extremely solid, inventive teams. Not much else has been seen from him in the tier, which is what leads to his low ranking. He's not to be underestimated, however; it can't be emphasized enough how truly dominating those games were. Plus, he's got Sabella and Jimmy Turtwig on his team to bounce ideas and teams off of. Not content to simply use standards, he opted to bring Hydreigon and Mega Pinsir supported by strong cores, seeming to be a fan of Tangrowth, and made maximally effective use out of each of his Pokémon. It shouldn't shock anyone if this rank is proven wrong if Znain can show us the excellence we've seen glimpses of over the course of a full season.

• Team: 8-9 all-time SPL, 5-6 ORAS OU SPL, 3-0 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

Initially known for his gimmicky stall teams featuring Arcanine and Cradily, Gingy has shown an enjoyment for and knowledge of the sixth generation in his various team tournament performances throughout it, despite never having particularly great records. He's generally quiet outside of those, though, and hasn't appeared in the tier since World Cup 2016--over a year and a half. However, he's vouched for strongly by teammate TDK, and is known for his creative streak that effectively tackles the metagame at hand, doing so by using Pokémon few others would even think to bring such as Porygon2; in his first SPL, he beat ben gay with a Sticky Web team, and he was one of the first to recognize the true dangers of Hoopa-U, so there's no denying his eye for the metagame. He's very up and down, as he had a bad losing streak near the end of SPL 7, and the upsides haven't been seen too much, so the 9th rank accurately reflects this. He's known to be a great teammate in regards to preparation, so maybe now that he's a full-time starter he can put that to use himself and put up a good record. He's certainly got a great supporting cast with TDK and FLCL among others, so perhaps he can make more of a name for himself in this tournament.

• Team: N/A
• Individual: Smogon Tour 24 Playoffs, OLT 3 / 4 Playoffs

Member of the notorious CPG gang (notable members: Bedschibaer, Shaka Brah, z0MOG, henry) that first rose to prominence with ORAS itself, UK, like everyone else on this list, is very fond of ORAS. While not known much outside of his circles and not packing a particularly impressive resume, he did make playoffs of the most recent Smogon Tour in an extremely competitive field. Despite losing to ABR, which is hardly shameful, he brought a powerful, creative ORAS team, which he has somewhat of a reputation for creating, although sometimes he blanks on a threat but the teams definitely aren't cookie-cutter. Vicious threats such as Serperior and Mega Alakazam are just the beginning of what you can expect from him. He's had some ups and downs in the past, but nothing too notable to draw on, which is why he comes in last; however most would agree the potential is there, and ABR would be among them, as it was him who insisted on drafting UK; this is significant team support, and manager KratosMana is also in the mix. This solidified starting spot is the ideal place for this well-known memer to make more of a competitive name for himself.

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• Teams: 26-23 all-time SPL, 25-22 BW OU SPL, 11-12 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 13 / 15 / 18 / 19 / 21 / 22 / 23 Playoffs: 1 Finals, 3 Semifinals. BW Cup I Finalist, BW Cup III Winner, Smogon Classic III Playoffs.

This raging Spaniard is no stranger to the top of the BW fields, going positive in the tier each of the past three seasons. For a lofty price, SoulWind's retention rights were traded to the Wifi Wolfpack, where he hopes to dominate the BW field once again this year. With him coming off of another strong year in BW, winning the third BW Cup and six BW games in SPL, many believe that his #1 ranking in this field and retention price are both very much warranted. With the power of Amoonguss that actually will have Regenerator and a fairly motivated and proven group of managers and retains alongside him, it is very plausible that Soulwind will be equipped to dominate a BW field that gets weaker as you approach the bottom when compared to previous years. However, he will still have some challenges along the way and I'm sure everyone is looking forward to the clash of the titans that will be Soulwind versus McMeghan!

• Teams: 27-23 all-time SPL, 12-9 BW OU SPL, 7-1 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 17 / 18 / 20 Playoffs: 1 Winner, 1 Finals. Smogon Classic I Semifinalist, BW Cup I Finalist, Grand Slam 1 Playoffs, Ubers / LC / UU Open 1 Winner.

Back for another year of BW action for the Circus Maximus Tigers, McMeghan finds himself sitting in the number two spot in the power rankings. After his strong showing in BW last season, only losing when wielding a Riolu, it should be no surprise that the expectations are high coming into the tournament for the one-time Smogon Tour champion. While McMeghan has had some struggles with putting up consistent results in the past, most notably two SPLs ago when he had a mediocre campaign after being retained for a large sum, many believe that this season will go much better for the now-Tiger standout than the SPL 7 season. Seeing as he is much more passionate about BW than the tier he previously played, ADV, especially due to the tier suiting his creative mindset as a builder and player, it would be no surprise if McMeghan started off on the same winning note he left off on last season and did quite well this season.

• Teams: 13-13 all-time SPL, 8-6 BW OU SPL, 4-3 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 17 Playoffs, Smogon Classic III Finalist

After a very strong showing throughout 2017 in BW followed by a disappointing (lack of) Snake showing, Dice is back in his best tier to try and continue his streak of success. With him coming off of a positive SPL in BW and run to the final four of BW Cup, it should be no surprise that dice is ranked among the top 3 BWers in the pool, but some believe he is a clear step below the top two in the field, who have been dominant players for years. For dice, a lot of his success hinges on his teambuilding strategies working out, which makes sense seeing as he often has a unique take on the BW metagame. It is likely that there will be some games where dice shines in the spotlight, bringing unconventional Pokémon such as Lilligant en route to upsetting top players like SoulWind, which happened last year. However, dice needs to be consistent in his gameplay and keeping things in control later in games if he wishes to cement himself as a top player, especially seeing as he threw away a crucial game during the last week of the regular season last year. Will we see the creative mastermind break out and dominate the field or will shaky gameplay hold back the Tyrants' BW player and WhiteQueen enthusiast dice?

• Teams: 11-11 all-time SPL, 6-5 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 19 / 24 Playoffs

Longtime BIG and current Team Europe staple ZoroDark finds himself starting in BW for the first time in his five years of playing in SPL. Despite largely being seen as a Little Cup standout ever since his run to the finals of LC Open two years ago, the Belgian brother of fellow SPL starter MetalGro$$ has been competent in BW for a long time, successfully playing it in WCoP the past two years. With this said, there are some question marks as to if this will translate to a positive SPL campaign. Being ranked fourth, ZoroDark certainly has the tools to do well as a player, coming off of an undefeated Smogon Snake Draft tournament and consecutive positive SPLs, but he still is yet to be fully battle tested in the BW metagame, and his only real team support is fellow Team Europe member We Three Kings. Expect ZoroDark to be tested early and often this tournament; he can end up going positive and winning consistently or struggling throughout the season depending on his form in the tier and ability to branch out from his favorite bulky sand teams.

• Teams: 12-16 all-time SPL, 10-15 BW OU SPL
• Individual: N/A

After a disappointing 2017, Jirachee is looking to bounce back and go positive for the first time since SPL 6. With one of his best friends and also one of the best BW supporters around, BKC, on his team, perhaps this is the time for Jirachee to bounce back and start to win once more. The big upside of this Canadian former Head Tournament Director is that he has a knack for optimizing teams and ideas to where they put him in a good position going in to games. With this said, he appears to not be able to execute consistently as of late despite this. A combination of things not going his way and Jirachee simply being off his game likely led to his lackluster 2-6 record last season. Thankfully, this is a new season and many believe that Jirachee will prove to be worth at least most of his lofty price tag, which happened to be above that of every other BWer in the auction by 6k. Will Jirachee finally perform when he is needed most or will he struggle with the BW field once again?

• Teams: 11-3 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

Despite mostly being seen as a manager, Funkasaurus has been in-touch with the BW OU metagame over the years, proving this with consistent success in the tier throughout various WCoPs. Most notably, Funkasaurus went undefeated in last year's WCoP in BW, likely going a long way towards him finding his way into the starting BW field this season. While it is clear that Funkasaurus has the tools to win at least a few games given his WCoP performance, it is easy to see why he is ranked more towards the middle of the pack as opposed to the top—inexperience in SPL. This is Funkasaurus's first SPL playing despite being around for so long, and many wonder how he will approach the tournament, seeing as he is often easy to tilt and has a lot on his plate. Luckily for the longtime BIGs manager, he has a lot of friends on his team and perhaps they can help put him in the right position to succeed, but he is going to have to execute as a teambuilder and player if he wishes to go positive this SPL in BW.

• Teams: 6-4 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

bluri is easily one of the most risky picks in BW seeing as he has a history that involves getting tournament banned, bringing teams based around inconsistent strategies, and having issues regarding reliability in team tournaments. With this said, bluri has proven to be a high-ceiling player when it comes to important games, and this is not something that can be ignored. The German BWer has played WCoP over the past two years and went positive overall, proving that he has what it takes to win games. However, bluri is going to have to use everything he has at his disposal, ranging from the spiritual healing of Kevin Garrett to the shady guidance of M Dragon, if he wishes to succeed this season. Given his tendencies, bluri is very likely to pick up at least a few wins with his risky hit-or-miss team choices, but anything beyond this is a question mark and we will have to wait and see how it all pans out.

• Teams: 7-4 all-time SPL, 4-1 BW OU SPL, 2-7 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Classic I Semifinalist

Coming off of a decent year in BW and NU, playing in WCoP and the Smogon Snake Draft tournament, elodin is looking to reestablish himself as a BW player on his own. With him having a lot of experience in BW over the years, it is not too surprising that elodin finds himself back in the field, even if he has been seen as a fringe starter type of player for the past few years. With the assistance of the Ojama-led French army, perhaps elodin will be well equipped to take on some of the top BW players in the coming weeks. He should not be expected to do too well immediately, though, seeing as he has not done too well in BW over the past couple of years and most of the others in the field have played the tier more actively than him in team tournaments. Finding himself ranked 8th should be no surprise for the Brazilian, who has been under the shadow of a plethora of rumors and criticism over the years despite having a positive overall record. Given this and the fact that elodin is used to this, perhaps it is finally time for elodin to prove some people wrong and take off as a genuinely good player. Will elodin end up doing well and solidifying his position as one of the better historic BW players or will he struggle trying to compete with some of the best players out there?

• Teams: 25-11 all-time SPL, 1-0 BW OU SPL, 1-4 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

Mazinger, also known as Ginku, finds himself back in SPL as a player after he co-hosted last year's SPL. Unfortunately for this BIGs BW prospect, many believe that he is outclassed by the other BW players in the field, most of which happen to have more experience in the tier on an SPL stage. Despite being one of the most esteemed users in the tournament, he does not have quite the same level of reverence surrounding his name as a player in BW, making his ranking of 9th understandable. With that said, Mazinger has been successful in most of his previous SPLs as a player, going positive in multiple seasons as a UU and RU starter. With the support of various BW players such as managers Finchinator and Tokyo Tom and retain Posho, perhaps Mazinger will be able to do well in BW like he has in other tiers, but it will not be easy and he will have to shake off whatever rust he might have now if he wishes to do that.

• Teams: 12-18 all-time SPL, 6-7 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

Despite going positive in last year's SPL after taking over the Wolfpack's BW OU spot, Luck finds himself near the bottom of the BW field once again. Generally seen as a mediocre player in the tier that has found semi-consistent starting opportunities over the past three years, this Italian stallion is a very creative teambuilder who has decent in-game playing capabilities. The main issue with Luck is that many believe that the practical nature of his teams is lacking when compared to the others in the field, and his playing ceiling simply does not measure up to some of the great players ranked above him. While he can and likely will outperform his bottom-of-the-barrel ranking seeing as he always manages to win at least a few games, anything beyond that is not entirely likely given the field of players he is going to face and his history in the tier. If he channels his gameplay from the peak of last season, Luck will be able to compete with anyone, but there is a lot of uncertainty as to whether that is actually what will happen, and only time will tell!

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• Teams: 42-22 all-time SPL, 30-15 DPP OU SPL, 4-5 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 12 / 13 / 18 / 21 Playoffs

Tama was unanimously ranked #1 by our panel, and you'd be hard pressed to find someone who genuinely thinks otherwise. On top of snagging the best DPP record last year, he earned the Tigers' only legitimate finals tiebreak win and put up a commendable 7-2 record during Snake, both in his secondary tier of SM OU. Combined, these wins have secured him the title of Smogon's winningest team tournament player. As of late, much of the tournament community has taken to addressing him as "The Kingpin" as a sign of respect, although most of us on the panel prefer "The Homewrecker" or "The Homeboy" as derivatives of his current username. Whatever you choose to call him, with a reputation for impeccable play and a long track record of current and past success, Tama is, by a large margin, the person to beat in this tier.

• Teams: 17-9 all-time SPL, 11-4 DPP OU SPL
• Individual: N/A

Perennial BKC teammate finds himself on BKC's team again—surprise, surprise—for *only* 8k? Managers, were you sleeping? These guys aren't the Wolfpack: you didn't need to let them acquire their preferred player for an unreasonably low price. You can also clearly see the importance the Raiders are placing on DPP, with support available from other BKC favorites such as Jirachee, mael, TDK, Braverius, and 6A9 Ace Matador. It's hard to envision roscoe having a better environment in which to succeed, but imagine we will, because on top of all that, Reymedy isn't around to shatter his dreams this season. Combine all this with roscoe's general SPL consistency, and one can expect a performance similar to his 7-3 last year, if not better.

• Teams: 23-14 all-time SPL, 6-4 DPP OU SPL, 7-7 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 13 Winner

You can see the influence of the old in both his teams and his grousings about the past, but with his solid SPL 8 season, ToF has shown that he can successfully adapt to the new DPP metagame. He went 6-3 and successfully conformed to newer trends by using Pokémon such as Clefable and Cresselia. Having said that, in his last official DPP match, he brought a Cradily + Tentacruel stall team that looked like something straight out of a 2007 teambuilding guide. If we continue to see that kind of stuff, then... well, he might still pull it off because half the field probably can't break stall. But should people catch on, one may wonder whether ToF can afford to commit the time to keep up and keep adapting.

• Teams: 1-3 all-time DPP OU SPL, 6-1 WCOP
• Individual: DPP Cup 3 Finalist

Following a disappointing 1-3 DPP performance in SPL 8, Void resurged with a DPP Cup finals appearance and a 5-0 record during WCoP. If there's any DPP player on the comeback right now, it's him. During those runs, his team choices never strayed too far from the ordinary, but he demonstrated his proficiency at playing the meta straight, and in a more stable tier like DPP, that's usually good enough for success. With a solid foundation and the potential to diversify and improve even further, Void is probably going to be a player to watch out for this season.

• Teams: 22-17 all-time SPL, 3-1 DPP OU SPL, 2-1 WCOP
• Individual: Grand Slam 3 / 6 Playoffs, RU Open VI Winner

Smogon's biggest YouTuber has a lot to prove this season. Though aim went 2-1 in DPP last year, his abysmal overall record far overshadowed that, and his most memorable moment was getting 1v6ed by a Jirachi. Following SPL, he rebounded and put up some respectable performances in several official tournaments, reaching the quarterfinals of DPP Cup and going 2-1 in WCoP. After all is said and done, he's ranked 5th. Some would argue this is low based on the level of play he's known to exhibit, as evidenced by his pricetag and supported by his recent Grand Slam run. Given the competition, he's going to have to show it first.

• Teams: 10-15 all-time SPL, 5-7 DPP OU SPL, 3-4 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 16 Finalist, Smogon Classic 2 Playoffs

Historically successful DPPer boudouche makes his way back into the tier after stints as an SMer and manager last Snake and SPL, respectively. His creative flair sets him apart from many of the other players; he's been known to pioneer overlooked Pokémon such as Froslass and Heracross, for example. On the other hand, his CelePass strategy didn't exactly perform well last WCoP, exposing the practical limits of innovation. This tour, boudouche will have Philip7086 and Ojama to lean on for support, so expect just as much creativity, but hopefully more control. And if not, there's always the ever-reliable Go10 waiting in the wings.

• Teams: 3-5 all-time DPP OU SPL, 9-3 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

After being completely overlooked last SPL, Honor struck back with a 4-0 in WCoP with some solid play and some good-looking offensive squads. As a result, he's earned himself a spot on the BIGs this SPL. Though he's built for himself a reputation as a DPP regular, Honor has never really had a standout team tournament performance; in fact, despite his tenure as a player, he's never been able to play a full season of SPL. With a dearth of DPP talent on his team, this is his shot at a breakout season. At least, the BIGs better hope so, because otherwise, they're going to have to play Mr.E.

• Teams: 4-3 WCOP
• Individual: DPP Master Tournament #1 Winner (PP), DPP Season 1 Winner (PP)

Up-and-comer NightFox makes his SPL debut after sitting out last season. As with Honor, some said then that his exclusion was a snub, but this list says otherwise: he finds himself ranked third-to-last even after a distinguishing 3-1 performance as Latin America's DPP starter this past WCoP. Ultimately, this really boils down to one thing. Although NightFox is notoriously creative, metagame conscious, and expressly dedicated to playing DPP, he lacks what we on the ranking panel like to call "The Crust Factor", a metaphor for the all the accumulated DPP knowledge and experience that builds up like an algae reef around the frontal lobe and enables one to make hyphy plays befitting only the most seasoned of veterans. Unfortunately, such experience can only be quickly gained through repeatedly playing sub-128 person DPP tours, so NightFox will have to wait a few more SPL seasons before we consider ranking him any higher.

• Teams: 12-6 all-time SPL
• Individual: Smogon Tour 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 Playoffs: 2 Finals

With the recent return of many illustrious older players, people have been asking what twice-runner-up of Smogon Tour Bluewind's been doing lately. Unfortunately, the answer is hard drugs. The good news is that he's managed to briefly emerge from his substance-induced stupor and sign up for SPL, proving what we here at Smogon all already knew: Pokémon is the real drug. According to certain loose-lipped members of the Tyrants, Bluewind will be receiving teambuilding help from fellow longtime failed quitter JabbaTheGriffin, and anyone looking for exciting DPP teams and for this Nidoqueen stall trend to die already should hope that this is not actually the case. On the upside, Bluewind has demonstrated that his metagame knowledge is up to par, so expect him to perform should he actually put in the effort and avoid being tilted by bad luck. Also, expect neither of those things to actually happen.

• Teams: 0-1 all-time SPL
• Individual: Smogon Classic 2 / 3 Playoffs: 1 Semifinals. RBY Cup III Winner

With a horrifying post-2011 join date and zero public statements proclaiming how much better DPP was when Latias was around, We Three Kings finds himself without a single shibboleth to appease the elite DPP analysts curating this list. As such, we've ranked him at the bottom and can only hope he avoids being stepped on by some of these dinosaurs. Worry not if you're one of the numerous W3K fans out there, though; while he may have no reputation as a DPP player, his overall ability gives him decent odds against many of the players ranked above him. During Classic playoffs, he went 2-0 in DPP with standard ScarfGon balances that displayed a solid grasp of the metagame, and with him receiving help from actual DPPer undisputed, one can expect him to put up decent numbers should he stay in this tier. If you're a True DPP Fan™, however, look elsewhere for the cool stuff.

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• Teams: 19-14 all-time SPL, 4-3 ADV OU SPL, 9-3 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 14 / 16 / 21 / 22 Playoffs: 2 Winner, 1 Finalist. ADV Master Tournament #7 / #8 Winner (PP), ADV Season #3 Winner (PP)

Considered by many to be one of, if not the greatest player in the history of competitive Pokémon, The Glowing Man is topping this year's ADV ranking. Being the most expensive player in SPL for the second year in a row, and by a margin of 6k both times, speaks volumes of what this player means to a team. Hell, we could write a college thesis about this man's achievements and his ability to play every old gen to the highest level. Enough stroking his ego, let's move to ADV specifically. Besides earning 4th spot at CALLOUS Cup (perhaps the toughest ADV tournament in history), The Great Annihilator's ADV year has been quiet. Despite this, he is ranked as the top ADV prospect because of his very high skill ceiling, ability to look at ADV with fresher eyes, and ability to read the metagame (almost like a Seer) and vary it up accordingly. Now let's see if he deserves this spot despite the quiet year or if he is going to be a Helpless Child. Failure is not an option for the Swans #1 fanboy.

• Teams: 35-24 all-time SPL, 17-13 ADV OU SPL, 4-3 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 11 / 14 / 15 / 17 / 19 / 24 Playoffs: 1 Winner. Smogon Classic I Winner

Another one of the greats, the fact that he earned a score that rivals BKC's should speak volumes about Ojama's level. Considered by many to be the best team tournament ADV player in the last few years, the so-called kingpin is perhaps the most intimidating opponent in this list. With his incredible skill inside a battle, there are very few players who can rival him; but if there is a fault we can recently find, it's that his teams can get predictable. Not many people dare to exploit this, but when stall shows its face, things can get ugly. Ojama is great enough that he can scrape by most of the time, but against the incredible pool this year he will want to broaden his horizons. Also, if you're looking for a new drinking game: take a shot every time his manager gasses him, you'll be in the hospital in no time.

• Teams: 5-4 all-time ADV OU SPL, 6-1 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

The Greek veteran makes ADV his bitch. Very few players can bend the metagame to his will like he does, having a hand in a lot of the new trends and exploiting them extremely well. As if that weren't enough, his methodical play, attention for detail, and vast metagame knowledge make him a top dog. Despite this, he has had some questionable losses in the past year, proving that he isn't quite unbeatable. This leaves him at the bottom of the Top 3, as if that were a bad thing in this extremely talented pool. But Fear (aha) not, Asta's very high activity in ADV even in downtimes makes him the most up-to-date player in the tier, and couple it with support from his teammate Fear, and you're looking at a formidable tandem.

• Teams: 27-21 all-time SPL, 15-10 ADV OU SPL, 7-6 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 12 / 14 / 15 Playoffs: 1 Semifinalist. ADV Cup II Winner

If you wanted one word to describe undisputed, it would have to be "consistent". Despite the ADV playerbase getting stronger, this man adapts and continues to put up good records year after year. Perhaps he's not as intimidating as the three players on top of him, but do not underestimate him, as he is just as capable of crushing you as any of them. The only criticism undisputed has received throughout the years is his reliance on his teammates. From ages ago in West, to being a part of SPL with M Dragon, people tend to question his ability to do things by himself. At the end of the day, he always shuts up the critics by putting up a good performance. This is gonna be a very interesting year, as his main supporter is dekzeh, an ADV great but known for his tendency to slack off at times. This might be the first year undis has to go at it as a one-man army, and he most likely will do well.

• Teams: 4-6 all-time ADV OU SPL, 2-1 WCOP
• Individual: ADV Season #2 Winner (PP), CALLOUS Invitational 3rd place (PP)

Perhaps the best value-for-money player in the tier this year. UD had a slow start to his recent tournament experience because of a poor SPL record, but this was immediately followed by his breakout performance in CALLOUS Cup, earning a well deserved 3rd place. After this, a solid 2-1 record in World Cup shows that the Ugly Duckling might just be a beautiful swan. Like Asta, UD is an extremely active ADV player; you can usually find him styling on his opponents in the ADV ladder (probably the best non-SM OU ladder) or playing friendlies, which gets him always prepared for the next tournament. A player who doesn't shy away from creative choices for his teams, if he can play in this SPL like he does when he plays by himself, that is trusting his guts and not backing down, he's sure to do well. Also, he's ranked #1 in memes.

• Teams: N/A
• Individual: ADV Master Tournament #4 / #9 / # 12 Winner (PP), CALLOUS Invitational Winner (PP), ADV World Championship Finalist (PP)

Remember how we said the ADV ladder is probably the best of all non-SM OU ladders? Well, most players merely adopted the ladder, thelinearcurve was born in it, molded by it. Not a whole lot is known about him, but what is known is very impressive. First place in the CALLOUS Cup is absolutely nothing to scoff at, beating legend M Dragon in two straight sets to win from the losers bracket. That said, this is just one result, and while it's very unlikely it was a fluke, only time will tell. He is not much of a builder; instead, he takes tried-and-true teams from the top dogs and makes them suitable for his style, using them like very few others can. This tournament holds the answer to whether he will live up to his tremendous potential or not. Also, anyone excited for linear vs BKC 2.0? I sure am.

• Teams: 20-22 all-time SPL, 19-22 ADV OU SPL, 3-3 WCOP
• Individual: ADV Cup I Winner

This tournament can go either very well or very bad for Danilo. First of all, his activity is a big question mark. With him supposedly missing a very big part of the tournament, perhaps manager teal6 got him to reconsider his real life responsibilities. Another thing is that if you had to place a bet as to which team was going to end up with Danilo, this would have been the last one you'd bet for, as evidenced from the reaction of the Cryonicles members during the auction. If he gels well with his team, he will do well. If he doesn't... maybe a midseason replacement will be needed. All this said, Danilo is an extremely creative and aggressive player, sometimes to a fault. He is David, taking on the Goliaths of ADV and often ending with very surprising and unlikely wins. He is a great player for sure, but how motivated will he be?

• Teams: 16-18 all-time ADV OU SPL
• Individual: N/A

If you take out the part about activity and motivation, you could read above's entry and most of it would hold true for Triangles. Very creative player who isn't afraid of using a gimmick or two. Sometimes they work... several times they don't. This is the trademark of Triangles, who is usually held back by his awkward team choices, but these same team choices make him the best fit to steal a win from a player who nobody would expect him to beat. As for his year, he hasn't had much success or even playtime, which makes it hard to rank Triangles any higher. He is a good player for sure, and few are as dedicated at ADV as he is, but the pool this year is unforgiving, and it's hard seeing the Brit conquering the world. Please remember that Dugtrio is not a Blissey counter.

• Teams: 22-22 all-time SPL, 6-2 ADV OU SPL
• Individual: Smogon Tour 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 14 Playoffs: 1 Winner. Smogon Classic 1 Playoffs

Take out Conflict, MoP, and M Dragon, and tell me who is a Sharks franchise player. If you answered KG, give yourself a pat on the back. KG is basically tied to the Sharks forever now, as very few teams are willing to give him a chance. Better known for being one of the biggest-impact subs in SPL, every time the Sharks have needed someone to come in and win a game, he has stepped up. In many tiers. And that's the thing, he isn't exactly an ADV player anymore, and this is the first time KG is going to be a starter in a long time. This isn't beyond his abilities, as he has proven it several times before. However, it is hard to imagine he will come out on top of the several seasoned ADV warriors ahead of him, as he doesn't seem to play much anymore, and if there is something KG was known for it's his very punishable one-dimensional style.

• Teams: N/A
• Individual: N/A

Last but not least, we have the YouTube sensation himself. Nobody has more enthusiasm for ADV than CALLOUS. Sadly, compared to this enthusiasm, his big-game experience is very little. For example, he wasn't even invited to participate in the CALLOUS Cup, smh. His PO performance might warrant a higher slot, but in a field completely devoid of newcomers, it's hard to bet against all the proven players. With tryhard levels that rival even Finchinator's, CALLOUS will have to do a tremendous amount of homework in order to gain every advantage possible against his opponents. Hopefully the assistance of McMeghan will help CALLOUS ease into the top level, and let's hope there are no nerves shown in his future games.

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• Teams: 35-22 all-time SPL, 30-17 GSC OU SPL, 7-2 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 9 / 16 Playoffs

Formerly known as Time Conundrum and continuously known as one of the most elite players in GSC, the perennial Shark is back in action after a year off from a ghosting-induced tournament ban. Despite his absence, years of consistently excellent records dating back to the Sharks' first championship in season 2, including the SPL 5-winning victory against fellow German GSCer Picollo and a massive 7-1 in the last tournament he played, World Cup 2016, vault him to #1 on this list, where he was placed the last time he participated 2 SPLs ago. His deep knowledge of the tier allows him to wind matchups around his finger until they are exactly to his liking, whether it is with intertwining team synergy, rarely seen sets such as Toxic Tyranitar, or simply rare Pokémon such as Nidoqueen and Swords Dance Meganium. While not all of these work out as well as intended—Bomber's now-infamous Typhlosion from last season being the most well-known example—and sometimes he has a tendency to choke, the records still speak for themselves. With manager M Dragon in his corner, he's going to go into every battle well-prepared. Many contemporary GSC players are hellbent on blitzing through with powerful offense, paying little mind to the importance of defense, but Conflict's teams always pack a strong backbone, which when coupled with his careful, solid playing, makes him the toughest fish in this GSC sea. It would be surprising to see this megalodon not chew up the competition as he has so many times before.

• Teams: 11-17 all-time SPL, 6-7 GSC OU SPL, 8-4 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Tour 14 Playoffs, GSC Cup III Winner

Formerly a BWer who was intent on showing up all the old men that hurled abuse at him for his arrogance all the way back in World Cup 2012, Lavos seems to have finally completed his transition into an old gen veteran ever since his discovery of GSC through Borat's notorious guide. He's played the tier in team tournaments for a while now, dating back to SPL 6, with decent success through consistently solid WCoP performances and some key wins overall (his first SPL included a must-win week 9 victory over the notorious Tiba), but he also has had a few blunders such as Baton Pass with Mr. Mime and thus has overall been somewhat inconsistent. However, now it seems he is finally as close to the ideal GSCer he's wanted to become for a while, having adopted quite a complete, all-around playstyle with a repertoire of diverse teams that range from classic variations of offense, stall, and more personalized builds that mix different things together both synergy-wise and with the use of creative Pokémon/moveset choices, such as his own invention, MiracleBerry lead Exeggutor, in addition to more sets that are known mostly by those intimately familiar with the tier such as Toxic Raikou. He has been seen using generally lesser-utilized Pokémon such as Porygon2; he used many of them in his adventures in the latest Pokémon Online Champions League; many great players play on PO during Smogon's team tournament off-seasons for fun, to test and to stay in shape, so the competition was solid. There is also the support of dice, his opponent from the finals of the latest GSC Cup, which Lavos won in an impressive display, even utilizing Muk en route. While, like Conflict, he is not immune to mistakes, everything seems to be in position for this to be Lavos's breakout season in GSC and see him cement himself among his idols that are known as the staples of the tier.

• Teams: 38-21 all-time SPL, 17-8 GSC OU SPL, 12-5 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

Despite debilitating detractors devaluing Detroit's dearly devoted Dragspam defender, ifm's intensely intricate intellect is intermittently impervious; when wickedly waltzing with the whoppingly wild zig-zagging Zapdos, his woebegone war-wagers wail and whimper as Wylis whips, whomps, whups, and whacks them whence they wandered, which works well with winning. His periodically pell-mell playing is prone to perilous patches of pandemonium; also, his library of lineups can be a litany of lazy, ludicrously linear lumps.

English: while he's not without his critics, ifm often has periods where he's decidedly difficult to defeat. His Zapdos is infamous for being uncounterable by Raikou, Snorlax, or even Quagsire, which leads to consistent complaints by crushed combatants. His playing can sometimes be excessively quick (also known as "button clicking") and see him put himself in holes that are very tough to climb out of against anyone, much less against the brutal competition he'll face here, and his teams can sometimes feel like a broken record with the plug-chug Explosion offense formula. To continue where the appalling abuse of alliteration left off: while the nature of the tier means this is often not a problem should the playing be fine, being so one-dimensional isn't a good idea even in GSC, as the competition is good enough to take advantage. That said, ifm has shown many times that he has the ability to prove these criticisms invalid; he's played his way out of many tough spots throughout his tenure as East's GSCer in World Cup, even clinching the 2015 finals and winning the 2016 semifinals tiebreak. He's also sometimes done complete 180s and brought Misdreavus + Quagsire stall teams. This in addition to his general reliability over his several years as one of the definitive parts of the GSC scene despite some rough games here and there is what places him 3rd on this list. If manager HANTSUKI helps him keep his teams smart and keep his head in the game and he thinks his way through rather than submitting to autopilot (something even the best do sometimes, the appeal of Cloyster Spikes Zapdos Thunder over and over is hard to resist), he could very well take the best record home; this is, after all, the man who made his name with a league-leading score in BW OU all the way back in SPL 3 and used to hold the record for most wins in team tournaments.

• Teams: 11-7 all-time GSC OU SPL, 0-3 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

"d zero nut" has been quietly putting up solid GSC records for a few years now, and he has recently been the source of violently enthusiastic praise by manager Finchinator, who chose to retain him and unintentionally gave him great support with the mistaken purchases of fellow GSC veterans Mr.E and Bedschibaer. d0nut has shown himself capable of using standard offensive teams with Steelix and Machamp, has been known to enjoy some balance with Nidoking and Vaporeon, and on occasion even utilizes unusual stall teams featuring the likes of Quagsire and Meganium, once even using Forretress and Starmie together. His ability to pilot these different styles effectively—you can't really guess what he's going to bring to his next game—while throwing in a bit of innovation and generally playing well has seen him score victories over reputable names such as Veteran In Love and Earthworm en route to posting solid records. He's not surface-level flashy, but his overall game has great depth; he's reliable and can always be counted on for a win against any opponent.

• Teams: 5-3 all-time GSC OU SPL, 3-4 WCOP
• Individual: : Smogon Tour 3 / 4 Playoffs

Known for forming the 1-2 punch with fellow countryman Astamatitos, his NetBattle partner in crime who's been with him on Team Greece and the Wolfpack twice now, Fear is a terrifyingly knowledgeable player in his main gen, ADV, and nearly the same in GSC. He's been putting up solid records and strong performances since he made his Smogon team tournament debut with the 2016 World Cup. He's Conflict-esque in his ability to make lesser-seen Pokémon work effectively, except he goes to extremes, since some of his choices are Pokémon that seem to be reserved for GSC's equivalent of PU—but Aerodactyl and Omastar certainly ended up working how he intended them, alongside more popular underrated picks like Espeon. You can always expect something unorthodox from him and yet the team is always solid, as are the plays. That said, it's not like he exclusively goes dumpster diving to create teams; his choices are made for the purpose of making the team as functional as it can be, and sometimes those lower-tier Pokémon are the right pick, but depending on what he wants to do he might be just as likely to pack a team of the scariest hard-OU threats around. He hasn't shown a dominant streak yet where he'll just thrash everyone week in week out like one might expect more from him in his home of ADV, but with all his upsides and the support of Astamatitos and ABR, he's certainly a contender for a win going into every week.

• Teams: 0-1 all-time GSC OU SPL, 2-1 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

The "unknown metagame genius", as he was referred to when he made his playing debut this past year, already had a reputation; he effortlessly showed how he knew the ins and outs of the ins and outs—combinations, sets, likelihoods of them in tandem with each other and players' plays—without having played a single big-stage game. He notably assisted Fear on last season's Wolfpack and demonstrated his ability to choose teams well. When he did finally step on that stage, he showed that he wasn't just an excellent armchair quarterback but that his knowledge translated to getting wins, utilizing Meganium/Houndoom/Rhydon in his first battle to choke out an Explosion offense team and overall going 2-1 in WCoP playoffs. Now he's poised for his first SPL start, where he could easily become a household GSC name as opposed to the dark horse role he's assumed until now. With the support of BKC and 6A9 Ace Matador, he certainly won't be alone in his exploits and will have ample preparation for each battle, especially given how much enjoyment he has for the tier. It's a rough field to go up against, but choolio has shown that his ceiling can be astoundingly high; he rivals anyone in knowing popular teams as well as the underrated Pokémon and sets, knowing what goes best with what, and can pull off surprises such as Curse Tyranitar with aplomb while also unafraid to be aggressive with his play. This could be another breakout season.

• Teams: N/A
• Individual: Master Tournament #23 Winner (PP)

Making his team tournament debut is a player with extensive knowledge of the tier and its trends in an almost newer-gen player way (thinking in terms of the "current metagame" and such) who has dominated the ladder and obtained excellent results in the old gen haven of Pokémon Perfect as well as Smogon's own Ruins of Alph Premier League with a wealth of effective, diverse strategies. From Thieving Misdreavus antics to the underrated Golem to executing Charizard sweeps to knowing how to keep his stall teams from losing to a well-played Vaporeon, and in general knowing the most popular teams around such as the ToxicLax / Nidoking / Miltank balance he's known for piloting that several others have made use of as well, he's very much in tune with the metagame. He's definitely got a creative edge, yet not to the point where it's a risk, which is a positive trait found in several players ranked above him; he's as low as he is due to being relatively unknown as opposed to his peers, meaning it's less certain how he'll stand up in this pressure-filled environment filled with the absolute best, and he's rolling pretty much solo as far as his team support goes apart from the inevitable comments his entry level teammates will make; however, MovieAboutCancer consistently peaks a ladder where Earthworm plays regularly, so it's not unlikely whatsoever that his record will be reflective of a rank much higher than he was deemed to be pre-season.

• Teams: 1-2 all-time SPL, 0-1 GSC OU SPL
• Individual: Smogon Tour 22 Semifinalist, Smogon Classic III Semifinalist

Not particularly known for GSC but known across the board as a solid player thanks to his quiet results and not-so-quiet fanbase, JT makes his debut as a starter, traded for and retained after coming off the bench for the Raiders last season. While initially known for BW from his Tour-winning debut in season 19 that had people thinking he was an alt due to his name and then playing it for West in World Cup a few months later, he has shown proficiency in the first six generations—he went quite far in Tour (DPP-ORAS) and in Classic and has also had solid ORAS showings for Europe in WC. In the tier he's playing, his achievements most notably include defeating M Dragon in GSC Cup, where he went quite far, and solid showings in the fun-yet-competitive (a la the Pokémon Online Champions League mentioned earlier) RoAPL. His battling trademarks include always bringing something bulky, strong, and reliable; you will not see risky, inconsistent teams that are as likely to pull in a shocking victory as they are to fall flat on their face in an embarrassing loss, so he's got a strong chance to win any game he goes into, especially given the nature of GSC. With the help of his manager Isa and his friend choolio, Jimmy could easily evolve during this season and prove this ranking wrong.

• Teams: 10-15 all-time SPL, 4-11 GSC OU SPL, 5-2 WCOP
• Individual: Smogon Classic II / III Playoffs: 1 Winner. BW Cup II Winner

It speaks to the competitiveness of the field when the most recent winner of the Smogon Classic who's also most known for playing GSC is 9th. That said, while giara's had some solid wins against great opponents in the tier, his records show that in the more specialized tier environments of SPL and WCoP, he can sometimes struggle. However, this is not to discredit him as a player, as he's shown his familarity with the tier not only in his knowledge and use of the popular teams but also in his occasional bursts of creativity and smart team choices; his excellent Heracross + Machamp team is a fine example. He doesn't have much support; his teammates Ojama and Alexander (who won Classic and played GSC for Italy, respectively) have experience in the tier but still more of a passing knowledge of GSC rather than knowledge of its intricacies. This is often enough for a fine, solid team but can miss out on weaknesses that aren't immediately apparent as well as lacking the sort of opponent/metagame X-factor that can be crucial at high levels such as these. That said, there's no reason giara can't put up a fine record; he's got the knowledge, he's got the teams, he's got the playing, he's proven he can do it before, and he's not running solo. It'll be up to him to show the skills that won him his trophy.

• Teams: 0-1 WCOP
• Individual: GSC Cup III Semifinals

This player was initially referred to as the Peasounay of GSC after an impressive performance in GSC Cup, where he defeated Earthworm in the quarterfinals; he lost to Lavos in the one game he played in the following WCoP but played well and used a creative, solid offensive team with Dragonite, the Steelix + Marowak combination, and no Electric. He's shown himself to be more than capable in the tier with the ability to use more than just the given standards, and beating EW under such circumstances is indeed impressive; however, it's not much to go off of against such a field of proven players, so he comes in last. It will be a tough test for k3nan with such fierce competition and so much at stake; that said, he's got McMeghan in his corner, so he definitely won't be alone, and being ranked last is always the ultimate motivator.

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• Teams: 8-1 all-time RBY OU SPL, 2-1 WCOP
• Individual: RBY Cup II / III Semifinalist, RBY Global Championship Winner , RBY Season 9 / 10 Finalist (PP), RBY Master Tournament #26 / #33 / #34 Winner (PP), RBY World Championship Winner (PP)

L'Emperor du RBY Peasounay, this man needs no introduction. His first appearance in the Smogon scene was last SPL, where he completely destroyed the competition and ended with a ridiculous 8-1 record, and winning the RBY Global Championship. He was better known around the lands of Pokemon Perfect, where he won several RBY tournaments including two master tournaments and the World Championship. Did I mention he went 10-2 in the PP version of World Cup? This level of consistency is nearly unheard of, and to achieve it in a generation that many ignorant peasants consider "all luck no skill" is worthy of a big amount of praise. He sometimes falls into predictability in his play, but he barely ever makes a mistake, and his conservative yet effective style is perfect for RBY, so don't fix what ain't broke. Peas is the player to beat in RBY this SPL for sure.

• Teams: 6-3 all-time RBY OU SPL
• Individual: RBY Season #9 Winner (PP), RBY Master Tournament #25 Winner (PP), RBY Master Tournament #27 Finalist (PP)

Lusch doesn't play as often as he did in the past; however, when he does, he usually wins. Very similarly to Peasounay, his first venture into Smogon was in the last SPL, where he got an impressive 6-3 record, and again, like the Frenchman, he has achieved several victories on Pokemon Perfect. This guy is so good that many people consider him to have the highest skill ceiling in RBY recently, as his wins are never conservative and passive, but they come through sheer outplaying the competition and with aggressive predictions, making him a terrifying opponent to deal with. This edge in important games makes him one of the most clutch RBY players, and add to this that he has one of the best RBY support groups in the tournament through teammates Troller (who could easily be a starter in other teams) and manager Isa. All in all, unless inactivity has caught up with Lusch, he will end up with one of the best records.

• Teams: 9-6 all-time RBY OU SPL, 7-3 WCOP
• Individual: Literally too many to list

If you want to go by history, marco is the greatest RBYer ever, really. Most of his tremendous success was around 2014, which some people argue was a whole different metagame and when the playerbase wasn't as deep as it is now. More recently he has faced stiff competition, with some players putting up better numbers than he could achieve. He has also been inactive lately, so who knows how caught up with the times he is. Do not count him out, however, as when marco plays he does it like no other. You can see the Italian genes in this man, with his careless approach to battling, usually aggressive but calculated, waiting for the right moment to change it up. Despite everything, you can expect greatness from marco, and this SPL is a chance for him to prove he still belongs in the conversation for greatest of all time.

• Teams: 6-10 all-time SPL, 5-8 RBY OU SPL
• Individual: Smogon Classic III Playoffs, RBY Cup III Finalist, RBY Master Tournament #21 / #22 / #23 / #24 Winner, RBY Master Tournament #20 / #32 Finalist

If Alex were Gohan, marco would be Piccolo. He learned the grips from one of the best, and thus his fundamentals are really strong. Another Italian, Alex is a very technically versed player of the Giuoco Piano of RBY: spreading paralysis and centering the gameplay around Reflect Chansey. He is also willing to get out of his comfort zone and play funkier builds, making him a very unpredictable opponent. The young Saiyan had an incredible 2016 in RBY at PP, with some people claiming that his run of four master tournament wins in a row + Indigo Cup + Top 4 in World Championship is the greatest run ever. Nowadays Alex doesn't play RBY as much as he used to, and the times he has played it in SPL he hasn't been able to live up to his full potential, earning underwhelming records. His work ethic is great, however, and he will definitely be ready when Week 1 arrives. Will Alexander. reach Ultra Instinct or fall flat? Find out in the next episode of SPL Super.

• Teams: N/A
• Individual: RBY Season #12 Winner (PP), RBY Master Tournament #6 Winner (PP), RBY Master Tournament #2 / #11 / #12 / #17 / #34 Finalist (PP)

2017 became a historic year not just for RBY but for Smogon entirely. The lifting of the permanent ban of the artist known as GGFan marks the end of an era, and although some people still discredit him as a meme, they couldn't be any more foolish, for this man can play and do it to a high level. The RBY pool is extremely strong this year, and GGFan will be looking to make his return a triumphant one, showing why he is so confident in being the best. His biggest strength lies in how he very, very rarely makes mistakes in the late-game, which many consider the most solid part of his game. He's not too well known for the big donks, but if he is in a commanding position, he usually knows how to end it. Beating the top dudes will be a tough ask, but if they don't know his playstyle, he can definitely pummel his opponents by surprise. His foes better be ready to SWIM IN GARBAGE, O YOU GARBAGE.

• Teams: 11-12 all-time RBY OU SPL, 5-1 WCOP
• Individual: RBY Global Championship Finalist, RBY World Championship Finalist (PP), RBY Master Tournament #36 Winner (PP), RBY Master Tournament #8 Finalist (PP)

MetalGro$$ is a great multitasker. Like his brother ZoroDark, he is among the very few guys to be able to play drastically different tiers and generations to a very high level. Some people wonder what MetalGro$$'s ceiling would be if he spent more time focusing solely on RBY, and it's a great question to be honest. He has patented a way of playing Bo3s where the first game he tends to completely murk his opponent. Most of the time he starts the series 1-0. However, in the next two games, for whatever reason, he tends to be prone to making mistakes and isn't as dominant. What Metal lacks is consistency; he has big ups but also big downs, and it's only a matter of being able to keep his head in the game and focus. If he can replicate his highs throughout the full series, he can do much better than he's ranked, but for now he is definitely middle of the pack.

• Teams: 5-11 all-time SPL
• Individual: N/A

One of Smogon's most cryptic headless horsemen takes the #7 spot for the lineup. Little is known of badabing's prowess outside of player corroboration and his 12-0 game record in the past two RBY Cups before he promptly forfeited in both. Dominating opponents like Crystal_, John, and dice, it's clear badabing has a firm grasp on the metagame. Time and time again, it seems, badabing's mystifying aura and unremitting hype lures buyers into slotting him a spot on their SPL teams. However, manager incompetence and perpetual flakiness have haunted badabing. Couched in a pool full seasoned veterans, it's clear that badabing has a grueling schedule ahead of him. If he finally gets the ball rolling and shows Smogon what all the hype is about, badabing could be a huge underdog in the tier and become a major asset to the Tyrants. If not, the Tyrants may be in trouble, given that their high-risk roster is largely dependent on his and Bluewind's success.

• Teams: N/A
• Individual: N/A

Perhaps the main distintion between The Idiot Ninja and everybody else is his passion for RBY. This fresh face has been slowly but surely rising up through sheer determination, activity, and desire to become better. He has been more succesful on PP than on Smogon, so his information at the highest level can be sorta limited. There is no doubt the talent is there, but many question The Idiot Ninja's ability to reach that next level. He thrives off of pressure, as evidenced by his good showing in the playoffs of the World Cup of Pokemon Perfect, which is a very important quality to have in SPL. This tournament will allow us to see if he really is the next big thing in RBY or if this diamond in the rough will end up being nothing more than some Christmas coal.

• Teams: N/A
• Individual: RBY Master Tournament #30 Winner (PP), RBY Master Tournament #33 Finalist (PP)

In the eyes of some, Diegolh is the next big thing, while others feel he's overrated. There's no denying that, when he's emotionally invested, Diegolh can deliver. On Pokemon Perfect he has managed to win a master tournament and made the finals of another, and he is coming off a great 6-2 record in the regular season of the World Cup of Pokemon Perfect. However, when it comes to pressure situations, Diegolh still needs to prove he can win, for he lost both his semifinal and final round matches in the aforementioned World Cup. And if there is a tournament with a lot of pressure, it would be SPL, where everyone's eyes are on you and SmogTours chat is ready to eat you at the sight of the first misplay. If Diegolh makes SPL his top priority and focuses, he can very well be successful, but it won’t be easy given how (presumably) hungry the rest of the field will be.

• Teams: 2-2 WCOP
• Individual: N/A

If we went only by ladder, roudolf13 would be the undisputed #1. He is best known for his ridiculous 97% GXE on the RBY ladder. When he isn't busy terrorizing people on the ladder, he has played in some tourneys, achieving moderate success. That said, he is still lacking in experience, playerbase knowledge, and also that stellar play that really differentiates the top RBY players. Added onto this, he is known to be a very streaky player. When he wins, he can reach very impressive streaks. However, when he loses, he is known to become frustrated and stop playing. A bad start in the tournament could prove very costly, especially considering the level of the RBY pool. On the bright side, he's got the support from We Three Kings in RBY, a player who has been rising lately. A lot of people questioned the Ruiners for picking up roudolf, so let's see if he is deserving of this chance.

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Disclaimer: Managers are an important part of the team, and as such they will be awarded points. However, the bulk goes to the players, so managers will be awarded fewer points. 1st place gets five bonus points, 2nd place gets four, 3rd gets three, the next three spots get two points, and the last four get one point.

If there is one thing Tony is very good at, it's getting a weird amount of loyalty from his players. They will do basically anything for him, and he's always beloved on any team that he manages. Not just that, but this is the third tournament in a row that Tony has managed, and he reached finals in both of the first two, an amazing feat. Tony's an inveterate try-hard in all the right ways and also an excellent wheeler-dealer, evidenced already in this tour by the fact that he managed to secure and retain #1-ranked player and honorary Packleader ABR for a scant 18k. Anti is no slouch either, personally carrying more experience than many of the other managers combined. He is the battling part of this duo, as he has shown he's a great player that can learn any tier in a whim, build great teams in OU, and can be a great chat presence. This duo has everything you could ask for in managers, and taking into account's Tony track record, its hard to rank them anywhere but first.

M Dragon has been doing this for ages. The most tenured manager in SPL behind only tennisace is back. He decided to draft some Sharks essentials, meaning he is going for a tried-and-true strategy that has worked well several times for the Sharks. The veteran is basically the whole package for a manager: he is a top player, can build for old gens, is extremely active, and is a great leader. Paired with him is Hikari, who didn't have a very succesful Snake Draft as a manager but is a very experienced player on his own right. A well-respected member of the community, Hikari can take over basically all the lower tiers, meaning that the managing pair have pretty much everything covered between the two. Also, this is probably the single most intimidating and least approachable manager duo, which is totally a good thing if you work it right.

Fooly completely crushed it this year in the tournament scene. Ridiculous results in almost every tournament he decided to play speaks of this man's level. He is the best teambuilder in NU right now, as well as being a top-tier player in the other lower tiers, meaning the amount of help he can offer there is second to none. He is also experienced as both a player and a manager. Pearl makes pretty much every chat more fun, and he'll make sure to keep the chat positive and enjoyable for everybody while also building top-tier UU teams. Everyone knows the success behind a team is directly proportional to their memes, and Pearl is the master at this. Last year, the Raiders were the team to beat and had an incredible team atmosphere in big part thanks to the core of FLCL / TDK / BKC, which is here again, so this team should have some of the best synergy in the tournament.

"Living legend" is one of the ways you could describe manager Philip7086. Many don't know this, but he used to be THE guy at DPP back in the day, and this is enough to motivate even the most stubborn players to do well under him. He also has been around for 92038422 years and people over the age of 30 are known for being champs at managing. obii is known for being the kind of teammate that helps literally anywhere, meaning he's both a great leader and also a huge help for the team in general. He's also a fun chat presence, which is pretty big for basically any team chat. He is one of the biggest workhorses in the scene, willing to do basically anything, which is an important quality for a manager to have. The main questions is how up-to-date Philip is, and, if obii has become more assertive, a potential clash of egos in the Scooters might need an intervention. All in all, they don't have the "Pokémon help" aspect as high as the top manager combos, but they more than make up for it in the personal department.

The Cryonicles have a thing for having the most ying-yang manager duos possible. This year we see the Nicest User on Smogon™ teal6 paired up with a man that is perhaps best known for his spurts of crazy wildness. Teal has shown his worth ever since last SPL, where he rallied a shattered Cryonicles into almost making playoffs. He also makes for great chats and makes sure everybody's having a great time. And while teal will generaly give a laid-back attitude, Zamrock is the opposite: he will tryhard since day 1 and completely devote himself to his team and stand up for them like noone else could, although he can sometimes be too brash. Overall, the macromanagement brought by teal coupled with the micromanagement by Zamrock complement each other, and if there's something to respect it's that they came into the draft with a strong vision and worked hard to make that vision happen, which is always a good sign in managers.

A change in team name, logo, and managers, the Tyrants are almost like a fresh face this SPL. However, the managers at the helm of this franchise are grizzled veterans. Remember how it's a fact that people over the age of 30 make good managers? Well Hogg is no exception. A master of the "dad" style of coaching, he is a very approachable dude who will take care of his team to the end. He had an average tournament in the Snake Draft, but for his first tournament as manager it was a good learning experience. An extremely active person that can take care of UU almost by himself, Hogg represents one side of the manager spectrum. On the other hand there's reyscarface, one of the few players to have participated in every SPL since its creation as a manager or player. Like M Dragon, rey can help out with every OU in the tournament. Alongside this, he is friends with known draft "Gems" who wouldn't flourish for any other team, so his teams always have access to those cheap resources. A friendly and approachable nature + experience and competitive nature make a solid combo.

The BIGs went with two BW players as their managers this year. Finchinator has a ton of managerial experience from WCoP, official PO tournaments, and unofficial PO tournaments as well, so it makes sense for him to manage in Smogon's BIGgest team tournament as well. Not just this, but Finchinator is known as Smogon's biggest tryhard, so if he proves deserving of this title, his team will have a much easier job preparing every week. Tokyo Tom, unlike Finchinator, is a very relaxed presence for a team chat. Like Pearl, he probably brings the memes to help the team really feel like a group of friends. The one question is how motivated players will be on this team, as unlike a few teams, this one doesn't have a "veteran presence" to really push their players to want to give their best. Lastly, both these managers specialize in the same metagame, but having someone as laid-back as Tokyo Tom should make for a perfect addition to Finchinator, who like we said will most likely work harder than anyone else in this tournament.

Hantsuki returns as manager of the Ruiners, this time choosing dekzeh as his assistant manager, best known for being an ADV monster but lately more so because of his extreme innactivity. Hantsuki is a good person and friendly, which are great traits to have, but many have questioned if they even have a vision of their team or any real direction. Like we said he is a good presence, but him and dekzeh don't seem to pay attention to the community at large, meaning their intel on the playerbase is perhaps the lowest of all the manager combos. dekzeh is also a question mark, as he went completely inactive for the whole year (basically quit on his WCoP team out of the blue), and joined to manage while having no idea of how any of the playerbase was looking whatsoever. As players these two are definitely SPL material, but they will have to show they are worthy managers.

tennisace returns for another SPL, as he technically still hasn't won one. He is the most veteran of all the managers, having managed every year since the creation of SPL, an impressive feat. atomicllamas teams up with tennisace once again as they head into this year's SPL motivated to move past last season's drama. While these two clearly work well together, their metagame knowledge is a worry. llamas is the RUTL and had a deep run in this year's RU Open as well, but other than that these two haven't been all that prevelant in Tournaments since SPL 8. Having said that, both are SPL veterans and definitely know this tournament inside and out. Not just this, but several players have complained about tennisace's innactivity as a manager, basically only showing up during playoffs to offer help. This is good if you like passive managers, but many will lose motivation from it. This will be the year to show they don't need a bot's help to succeed.

Sweden's two finest exports take over the Classiest this year. Isa has managing experience as a part of Team Europe, but something that is quite suspect is how all the praise seems to go to Tony. On the other hand we have Hack, who has no managing experience whatsoever on the big stage, and last year he seemed to crack under pressure after taking a long LoA for the Raiders, and pressure is something every manager should be accustomed to. As for team help, Isa has extensive RBY and GSC knowledge, but Hack is an Ubers main, which isn't in this year's SPL. It's going to be interesting to see how not only the Classiest perform in their SM metagames, but also how they'll prepare for them. Things didn't start well for the Classiest, though, as they got bullied into trading away a valuable asset early in the season, without even confirming if a sellback was possible or considering they could have waited weeks to do the trade without strengthening another team. Perhaps the strategy part of managing is also lacking here.

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Overall Team Rankings

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Miscellaneous

Best SM OU

1. Bigs - 17 points
2. Wolfpack - 17 points

Worst SM OU

1. Tyrants - 3 points
2. Tigers - 6 points

Best Lower Tiers

1. Dragonspiral Tyrants - 32 points
2. Stark Sharks - 27 points

Worst Lower Tiers

1. Cryonicles - 15 points
2. Team Raiders - 16 points

Best Full SM

1. Wolfpack - 36 points
2. Sharks - 36 points

Worst Full SM

1. Cryonicles - 27 points
2. Raiders - 29 points

Best Middle Gens (ORAS/BW/DPP)

1. Tigers - 29 points
2. Stark Sharks - 21 points

Worst Middle Gens (ORAS/BW/DPP)

1. Classiest - 7 points
2. Bigs - 10 points

Best Old Gens (ADV/GSC/RBY)

1. Raiders - 20 points
2. Tyrants - 19 points

Worst Old Gens (ADV/GSC/RBY)

1. Tigers - 4 points
2. Ruiners - 16 points

Best All Past Gens

1. Stark Sharks - 39 points
2. Team Raiders - 37 points

Worst All Past Gens

1. Classiest - 24 points
2. Bigs - 28 points

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