1v1 Premier League X Power Rankings

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This year marks the 10th anniversary of 1v1 Premier Leagues, and the 1v1 playerbase wanted to celebrate this mountain of an achievement with a curated Power Rankings article. This year also marks the 5th year of franchises for 1v1PL, so it is equally exciting to see well-known teams and narratives clashing once more.

Thank you to the following contributors for making this possible: RADU, crucify, Felucia, bello figo, DripLegend, frogfacts, neomon, LittEleven, Tol, NTG Cuz IDK, ZackPalace, SwordIsBored, Mist, Kanha Greninja, Anonymous1634, Sanshokuinsumireko, lolebruh, Urfgurgle, crow crumbs, deg, DezShizzels, Indi01, gorilaa, Mentality, OhioGengar, SEROO

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SV Rankings

1. gorilaa
2. Fancy
3. Nuxl
4. Kaif
5. Indi01
6. fake tom numbers
7. Anonymous1634
8. glitched
9. Kala chasmah
10. Vertigo
11. Marshmelto
12. bern
13. happysh
14. ExguardiaN
15. TGK
16. Mist
17. xdRudi.exe
18. YouanMingxue
19. Permission Slip
20. SomeRandomDoodle
21. mrextrazy
22. Rarax
23. Fragments
24. evakiyama!

The Playful Panchams came out of the draft with the highest-ranked SV core, anchored by their main star, Fancy1, who has delivered elite performances and has an 18-9 record over the last two years. This marks Fancy as one of the best SV players in the tournament. With this solid foundation in place, what's in store for the rest of the core? Slotted behind him, he has glitched, who is out of position in SV but is certainly no slouch, boasting a clean 3-1 record in her (only) SV outing last World Cup. Rounding out the SV core, you have the rookie Exguardian, who, after a 0-1 PL IX, rose the ranks to have a 3-0 performance in WC and has performed extremely well in individuals. In theory, this core lacks building power, since both glitched and Exguardian aren't the most familiar with building SV. However, their manager, non-self-buying frogfacts, perfectly makes up for it, being regarded as one of the best current gen builders, ensuring his players are never lacking for teams.

The regular season should go smoothly for this team, but the struggles start once they hit the playoffs. Fancy has developed a reputation for letting his nerves get the better of him when the playoff lights shine brightest, shown by a streak of losses during crucial playoff games in the past few tours. If Fancy is able to defeat his personal demons, the Panchams have a very real shot to go all the way, but if not, history might repeat itself.

The Thwackeys return with a very similar core as their last showing, with Rudi and Vertigo but also a new star leading the team in Gorilaa. This group has proven synergy, with Vertigo and Rudi going a collective 6-5 last year and being trusted enough to play in a season-deciding tiebreaker.

Gorilaa being the #1 ranked SV player might be a bit surprising to some, as this is his first delve into SV since WC8 (not counting his short stint during WC9), but his performance in UM tours and consistently stellar records speak for themselves. After winning PL last year on the Heatrans, winning CL, and reaching semis in WC with Italy, all as a star of his team, Gorilaa has shown himself to be an exceptionally reliable player.

If Gorilaa represents the incredibly high skill ceiling this sv core has, then Rudi represents its high floor. His ranking is a surprise, as Rudi has been the very model of constistency with a solid 12-7 record across his last three team tours. Vertigo is decidedly the more inconsistent player in this core, who has shown he can put up good records with an amazing 5-2 run in PL7 but also has had multiple winless tournaments. However, with Rudi and Gorilaa acting as a safety net and aiding prep, he has the potential to survive the regular season gauntlet and make a deep playoffs run.

The Megrays also opted to run it back with last year's core, which was Tom + Nuxl. However, they only decided to retain Tom, which is looking like one of the best retains in 1v1 history, with his price being the minimum of 10k despite his records indicating that he could have easily been one of the biggest buys if he went to auction, with an impressive 15-3 across these past three team tours. Yet, despite his individual brilliance, his teams have repeatedly failed to cross the finish line, losing in the playoffs in all three of those tournaments

Joining him once again is Nuxl, with his price in auction coming in at a jaw-dropping 28k as the second highest buy. While they did have a lot of money saved thanks to the Tom retain, Nuxl's retain was priced at 24k for the Megarays, which makes this a net -4k in money value. Despite that, the hefty price tag will be sure to bring sky-high expectations, although he is coming off a relatively quiet year with only a single series in WC alongside playing 1v1 in UMPL. Notably, Nuxl is one of only two players in the history of 1v1 to play in five or more official team tours without ever having a negative record. An amazing feat only shared by crucify.

Rounding out the SV core you have Mrextazy, who has been out of the 1v1 scene for quite a while. His last showing dates back to him winning Majors in 2023 and following it up with a 1-5 record in PL VII. Taking a gamble on a returning player always carries an inherent risk, but given that the Megrays were working with only 3k for their final SV slot, this suddenly doesn't sound too bad. If mrexrtazy can show the same prowess he showed in his Majors win in this PL together with the two powerhouses that are Tom and Nuxl, this team has a very real shot to go all the way.

The RPS Rhyperiors seemed to have learned from their past drafting mistakes this time around, spending big on their SV with Kaif leading the charge. This time around they got him for a good price relative to his peers among the top rankings of the SV PRs; Kaif has, however, historically always been a average player recordwise, but this time around the Rhyps desperately need him to show up and deliver an all-time great season. Following Kaif as the second piece of the Rhyps' SV is Marshmelto. This PL was the highest price Marshmelto has ever gone for in a PL, coming in at 13.5k. Despite that, it's not completely unwarranted, as he did just come off a CL win; although he played, he still showed he can win. This will be Marsh's first time having to be a centerpiece to a team's draft, whereas in the past he mostly coasted to victories or playoffs on the backs of the super teams that are the crucify-managed Skewdas and the DEG-managed Megrays. The biggest issue with Marsh, however, is his availability and reliability to show up for games, as he had to get subbed out in WC due to not showing up for his games during the pools phase. To finish off the SV is an interesting pick in Fragments. He has no earlier experience playing SV, but despite that, he is quite the veteran in 1v1, having participated in the last four PLs and always doing pretty decently. His best showing was a 5-2 record all the way back in PL VII and his worst a 0-3 right before that in PL VI. We are excited to see if he can pick up SV, because the Rhyperiors desperately need wins there.

The Drive-By Dragapults' SV is led by Kala Chasmah, who is joined by his manager Bern and PL IX winner Slip. Kala enters the tour as a mostly positive player in PL, going 5-4 and 5-2 in his career. This is a good thing for the Pults, however, because their other two players tend to be more inconsistent, and a steady player who you can count on to always get some wins in a season is always a positive. Bern is known as a very streaky player capable of hitting high highs where they went 5-0 in CL, albeit not in SV, as well as 3-0 in WC, which was actually SV; however, they also have had very low lows, like they did last PL, going 1-5. The Dragapults' season heavily relies on which version of Bern shows up and plays. Rounding out the SV core is Slip, who has been on a worrying downwards trend lately, with his last three PL records being 5-3, 3-5 and 1-5. However, this also shows that Slip has the potential to perform at a high level, so if he can reverse the downwards trend alongside a positive Bern, this team has a real shot to go all the way.

The Hyperspace Horrors have decided to once again stick with three-time Horror at this point happysh, but this time as their main player. He is joined by co-stars mist and TGK to form a dangerous trio. TGK got scouted by the Horrors last year and proceeded to put up an amazing 6-2 performance. Meanwhile, Mist achieved a 5-2 record last season to anchor the team. However, the biggest thing all three of these players have in common is that they perfectly fit the Horrors' unique culture. They are all very active innovators in the gen, and they are sure to keep the team chat active and motivated throughout the season. However, there are a few concerns to be had with this team; for example, Mist has just come off the worst tour of his life in CL, going 0-4, and even though he did not play SV once during that campaign, there's still the question of whether that form will continue into PL or he will forget about it and go back to his dominant PL IX form. The other concern that people have a lot with rookies in their debut season is whether they will be able to replicate what they did last year. These are the doubts that TGK is facing, because despite going 6-2 last year, there is always the question of was it just a fluke or is he here to stay and potentially rise up to superstar level?

The Hellfire Heatrans are back after having won last year having, retained their superstar from last year, Indi. After having a 9-1 season last PL, it's no wonder he got retained, and that only for 19k is what many would consider a steal. After PL, Indi's form did go down a bit, but it wasn't to alarmingly low levels, going negative in SV in CL and going 3-2 in WC. Pretty average numbers, but obviously they aren't the same as the standard Indi set himself to after last year. The big question for the Heatrans is if Indi can prove that last year wasn't just a fluke season and that he can repeat his success. Joining Indi to fill out the roster you have rookies Rarax and Doodle. Rarax made his debut in the latest WC going 2-1, and he has also qualified for the latest Ladder Tour as the nr1 seed, showing he has the skill to compete. Meanwhile, Doodle's accomplishments consist of getting second place in the 1v1 LCQ, getting to Champs round 5, and going 1-2 in CL playing UU. Both are very new faces joining Indi. Their success relies a lot on Indi's ability to get the best out of them through the season. Otherwise, I sadly fear the worst for this trio.

The Big Baller Barraskewdas enter the season looking to defy expectations after being ranked as the worst SV team. As one of the most iconic franchises in 1v1 PL history, this year they decided to retain Anonymous as their main star for 10k. Despite him having a very rocky PL last year going 1-3, he has shown very steady improvement since then, winning LT, going 3-2 in CL, and going 4-1 in UMCL. This has convinced the Barras managers that he is worth the retain slot. Joining him he has youanmingxue, who has had elite records across his first two tours with a combined 8-1, although it is worth mentioning that only 3 of those wins were in SV. His low price tag is explained by the fact that, although he has shown he can reliably win, he also needs to have teams passed to him for every series. That should not be a problem, however, considering the BBB have mentality, a top SV builder. He will mostly be responsible for building teams for youan and the third player on this team, which is evakiyama. She impressed her managers by going 3-3 in CL in DPP 1v1 so much that they spent a whopping 8.5k on her, despite her never having played SV before. This core looks like it relies a lot on new talent and on mentality being able to build for both the bo5 slots. For mentality, there is also the added pressure of him having to potentially cover one of the slots in case one of them starts out badly and the managers need to sub them out.

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UU Rankings

Bomb being ranked first should come as a surprise to no one. There's been exactly one team tour to feature SV UU 1v1, and that's 1v1CL—where Bomb finished 4-1 as the player with the best record in the tier. Although his performance in the only individual tournament featuring the tier, No Johns, wasn't great, it seems like just an unlucky draw, with his loss being to eventual finalist Nunnbetter. If he ever needs support, the Rhyperiors have No Johns semifinalist GhostlyPlanets, who also finished 2-0 in the tier in 1v1CL 1, to back him up. Lastly, as if all that wasn't enough, Bomb is even on the tier's council. Expect UU to be a strong slot for the Rhyperiors this PL.

PL newcomer Ollierob finds himself ranked second. Ollierob was a 3k pickup in 1v1CL 1, where he finished 2-1 overall and 1-1 in UU. While this is a fine if not outstanding record on its own, his win was in the finals of the event, showing that Toucannons manager Frogfacts trusted him to get it done when it mattered. That trust in Ollierob has continued onto the Panchams, as his CL manager drafted him again for the UU slot. Speaking of Frogfacts, his presence as manager might be as important as Ollierob's play to this #2 ranking. As the winner of No Johns, Frogfacts' support will be invaluable, as will that of 1v1 UU council member ZackPalace. The Panchams' group experience with the tier might be the best in this tournament.

Rather than being a decision made entirely based on UU results, Nick's third-place ranking is a vote of confidence towards the experience of one of the longest-tenured 1v1ers to be slotted into this tier and the core of generally strong support that surrounds him. In fact, Nick has no UU results at all—just a history of solid play going back to PL VI. Expect more of the same here, as this canny veteran may well show that his tournament bona fides carry across metagames. In this, he will be aided and most ably abetted by manager crucify, one of the top names in 1v1's history, and noteworthy SV 1v1 builders like Mentality and Anonymous1634. Strictly speaking, none of this help is from people with UU backgrounds, but with names like these, does it need to be?

Frailty is in a similar spot to Nick. On the surface, there's no UU resume to speak of here. However, once again, there's a solid backbone of 1v1 tournament results going back to PL VI in Frailty's favor. There is some nuance here, however. Frailty's results seem to be skewed towards World Cups, where she's put up records of 6-0 and 5-1. In contrast, her last PL outing resulted in a miserable record of 1-8, so Frailty will be looking at this as a chance to right the ship. The main point in which Frailty differs from Nick is in her support. While Nick has a generically strong supporting cast, Frailty can rely upon some UU expertise from manager Bern and teammate SwordIsBored. Bern defeated #2 ranked Ollierob in No Johns, and Sword has some experience in the tier from CL, where they finished 0-2 against very tough competition in Bomb and DEG. These two should be able to turn a hungry-for-PL-wins Frailty into a strong contender in this slot.

Stop me if you've heard this one before: 1v1 tournament veteran with no major UU experience gets put into the UU slot for PL and gets ranked in the middle of the pack. Dez has the distinction of being the oldest player of all in this pool, first entering the 1v1 team tournament scene with World Cup II! This is his first PL since VII, although he did enter 1v1CL a few months ago as an SM player and put up a respectable record. He's gotten himself up to speed with a qualification for 1v1LT in SV, so expect him to go far against the less-experienced UU mainers that make up much of this pool.

In many ways, Jojen is in the opposite position from the last three names on this list. A newcomer to 1v1PL, his only previous major team tours were 1-3 and 0-3 records in the last two World Cups. However, he's the only player who played in six games of UU in CL, making him possibly the most experienced UU player in this pool. Not all of this experience was good, though, as he finished with a record of 2-4. Perhaps the biggest thing going for Jojen is his manager. DEG is a strong player and support in general, and in CL, he finished with a record of 3-1 in UU, good for second best in the pool. In addition, DEG is on the UU council. DEG should be able to take Jojen under his wing, and if he does, it's easy to see a future where Jojen flourishes.

1v1 UU tier leader LongRat being ranked second to last comes as a surprise until you see his tournament results. 4-10 in major team tournaments, undrafted in CL, and a loss in the first round of No Johns doesn't inspire much confidence. There is, however, reason to believe he could do well in this pool. Manager Felucia would never draft a player she didn't see some potential in, and LongRat is surrounded by support in fellow UU council member TGK and Valteyek, both of whom Felucia has taken with her from her CL team. TGK and Valteyek both picked up some experience in the tier in CL, and if things go south for LongRat, either one could prove an able substitute for this slot. The Horrors seem well equipped to do UU by committee.

Random Battles mainstay Paysa is an unknown when it comes to 1v1, and this is reflected in a last-place ranking. Much like with Jojen, a lot will be riding on Paysa's manager. Nunnbetter is as good a supporting piece for UU as a new player could ask for. Nunn brings a 1-0 record in UU in CL, a runner-up finish in No Johns, and a spot on the UU council to the table to help Paysa figure things out. In addition to Nunn, the Heatrans also have former CL UU players Indi01 and SomeRandomDoodle to help support this slot. This should be ample support to keep Paysa afloat, and if some experience from other tiers carries over, Paysa may well make this ranking look silly by the end of the tournament.

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SS Rankings

After playing SM for the BBB in PL IX, Mishlef finds himself on top of the SS rankings by a fine margin. The SSTL has long been renowned for a passionate attitude towards the metagame and for constant innovation. Only recently, Mishlef went on a finals run in 1v1WC, ultimately ending on a 4-1 record, which is a good sign for things to come for this tour.

Previously only found on the Metro Boomin Mega Rays in 1v1PL, linux finds himself on a new team and with a new name. Widely regarded as one of the top SS players by the community, linux places second in this year's power rankings. Finishing the last 2 PLs on 4-3 and 5-3, linux is due for a big tour and an overwhelmingly positive record. Notably, linux overall has the best surroundings to perform well in this PL with manager glitched and star player Close as teammates, both of whom bring plenty of experience to the table in the metagame.

Veteran Nunnbetter returns to managing and self-buying this year, ranking third in the power rankings. With quite a mixed bag of results since his return to the scene, Nunnbetter finished last in PL with a 4-1 record, following it up with a disappointing performance in 1v1WC (0-5) and 1v1CL (1-2). The ranking is understandable, but given the recent results, it is expected to be an uphill climb for Nunnbetter in this tough SS pool.

At 4th is LittEleven. Not known for his SS prowess but rather for his skill across many different generations, it's slightly surprising to see him as the SS slot for this team. Even if this is not the generation he is known for, Litt has experienced teammates in SS, namely Frailty and Blanched, who can help with prep. Knowing how well Litt adapts to different metagames and his record across the last PL and 1v1WC combined (12-4), it is highly likely Litt will hold up well in this pool and compete with the best of them.

lolebruh is ranked 5th this year. Very quietly going 5-2 in SS in PL IX vs a very strong pool, lolebruh will be looking to replicate the result from last PL. The notable SS support on the Thwackey is the star player and manager gorilla, who lolebruh has teamed with before in 1v1WC. As a core, this looks very promising for a solid season in SS.

feen enters this year's PL ranked 6th in the Power rankings. In the past, feen has collected wins in SS like it's nothing, going 5-2 in both of PLVIII and PLIX. While last season, feen had specific support in SS, the most notable number 2 ranked player, linux, this year the team supply looks worse than in prior editions. If Elo Bandit can supply solid teams, feen will most likely have a good season. This is far from certain, though, leading to this ranking.

A newcomer to 1v1PL Iride is ranked 7th on the power rankings. Iride is mostly known for National Dex and Ubers but has been involved in UM tours in the past, so some experience in 1v1 may already be there. This pick is not quite surprising for the Barraskewdas, as crow crumbs and Iride are known to be quite close. It will be interesting to see how they are able to guide Iride, especially thanks to crucify's expertise in guiding new 1v1 players with good Pokemon fundamentals to success.

Somewhat surprisingly, long time 1v1 player SMBZ is ranked last in this year's SS pool. After a long break from playing SS, SMBZ returned to the tier last tier finishing on a 2-2 record in SS5. It will be interesting to see if he can return to form similar to PLVI, where he was a crucial part of a PL-winning team.

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SM Rankings

If you are familiar with 1v1 history, this ranking should not surprise you in the slightest. Close has historically been one of the most dominant players of 1v1, and he enters this PL to return to one of his best tiers, SM. His laundry list of accomplishments in the tier is rivaled by few, and he looks to add another PL victory to his resume this tour. If Close performs to his expectations and puts recent, less-than-stellar performances aside, there is no doubt he will have another great tour.

Another mainstay in 1v1 tournaments, albeit one who has not played an official tour since his PLVII win, is Potatochan. Despite not having many sheet games in SM, he did play it in two editions of Old Gens Premier League. He has also played a large amount of National Dex before, which has high overlap with SM due to mechanics. Skills often translate well between tiers, and with his great play at his peaks, if Potatochan is able to get the ball rolling, who knows if anyone will be able to stop him.

A player whose career was jumpstarted years ago thanks to his funny name actually lived up to the hype and has become a widely well-regarded player throughout the years. While he's mostly known for his SV prowess, winning the Circuit Championship and playing multiple seasons in the SV Bo7 slot, the Thwackeys hold an even stronger SV Bo7 option in gorilaa and various scary SV Bo5 starters; this situation, paired with the lack of other SM options, pretty much forces DripLegend into the slot. While not his main tier, DripLegend has had an impressive amount of SM success in tournaments like 1v1CL, 1v1OGPL and Discord side tournaments. His wealth of experience both in this tier and in highly competitive slots makes him a top 3 player in the current SM pool.

Blanched enters this PL locking out of his main tiers of SS and SV, with his beloved National Dex not being a slot at all, and opts to play SM this tour. His experience in the tour is slim with just a recent quarterfinals exit in the previous SM Cup featured in 1v1 Classic. There is a high level of transitivity of National Dex and SM due to mechanics, and Blanched being a member of council bolsters confidence that he will be able to perform well in a new tier.

crow crumbs is another player opting out of a tier they are otherwise familiar with, playing SM over their usual preference, SS. crow crumbs has shown to be one of the top SS players as of late, and one of the most active builders. In the past they have dabbled in other tiers and currently aim to start in a new pool. There is good support between their manager crucify and 1v1 Classic winner Mentality, so they will not be completely alone in this venture. WIth their only current SM tournament game being the third game of a decided tiebreak, they will have to get accustomed to this new environment.

When you think of SM 1v1, there are a few names that first come to mind, and within the first few, you will probably think of Elo Bandit. He has made countless resources for the tier and has been one of the people a lot of modern players say got them into 1v1 as a whole. Despite playing for many years, he recently got his first official win with OGPL III and is looking to get an official PL win to match. While being known for this tier, he has not had too many stellar performances in it for quite some time, possibly as a result of his altruism for teaching the tier. However, if he is able to channel his old ways then there is a high possibility for him to outdo current expectations.

One of the older names in this pool, Tol sits at the 7th spot. Tol's activity came back in the recent 1v1CL, where he went 2-0 in SM Bo7. His past accomplishments include winning PLV, but besides that Tol has usually been a steady player who does not have many flashy accomplishments. Being one of the longstanding SM players in this pool, he hopes to show these youngsters who is really the boss.

Click>Think is debuting in PL this edition and has not participated in any 1v1 tournaments before, with the sole exceptions of the 1v1 Factory Ladder Tournament appearance, which at the very least gives them solid playing fundamentals. They are supplemented by their manager Felucia, who has been active in the tier since it was the current generation. Click>Think will have their work cut out for them, since the SM pool has a lot of established players new and old, even with the support of an active builder. Their performance will rely on the guidance of Felucia to hopefully bridge the familiarity gap that the rest of the pool has over Click>Think.

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ORAS Rankings

In some downtime from VGC, Larry reunites with his manager crucify and finds himself atop the ORAS rankings. Larry has shown some of the highest highs and cleanest sequencing for a clicker in 1v1, especially in ORAS—the tier in which the famous Mega Lopunny vs Archeops replay happened en route to his 1v1 Classic Win. The Victor of the Moon also went 9-0 playing every tier the last time he participated in PL VII, including 2-0 in ORAS. While Larry hasn't played the tier since Charizardite X and Mew got banned, his methodical style of play might be even better suited for the state the tier is in now. Despite his long break, with crucify behind him for teams, it should be no big shock Larry is ranked 1st in ORAS.

It's no surprise this hero's destiny was to be retained by the same franchise he played a tiebreak for last year. In a pool with few mainers, AHD's strong clicking ability backed by Felucia's creative building lands him at 2nd in the rankings. But lack of mainers aside, AHD's gameplay is more than sufficient to earn him his high ranking—AHD went 6-2 in ORAS on the aforementioned Horrors team last PL, and he went undefeated in ORAS while playing multigen during CL. From the outside, it seems A Hero's Destiny has become comfortable playing on Felucia-led teams, and his continued excellence will be needed for the Horrors to have a successful PL—lest their destiny be to be lost.

After a tour off in BW vacation during CL, SEROO returns to ORAS as the Thwackeys' only retain. Last PL, SEROO went 5-2 in style, bringing 'mons that haven't been seen since 2019 like Mega Banette, but his most recent performances in WC and CL left a lot to be desired. It's understandable given his playstyle: guys like Scolipede are fun when they work, but obviously they don't always. Nevertheless, SEROO has an all-time positive record in ORAS and has among the most experience in this pool, earning him his high ranking not far behind those ranked above him. With fresh eyes after taking a tour off and surrounded by familiar faces, SEROO can certainly achieve closer to his peak this PL.

Newcomer to 1v1 ElectraineHeart is ranked 4th in ORAS for the Panchams after winning CL with the Toucannons. She went positive in ORAS during CL and showed overall good gameplay, despite her loss in the finals. As a non-builder, how ElectraineHeart's first PL will go likely comes down to how well the Panchams managerial duo is able to support her. Fortunately, her managers should be up to the challenge—ElectraineHeart's ORAS teams in CL were built by frogfacts, and glitched also played ORAS in CL. If ElectraineHeart continues to click well and her more experienced managers continue to innovate in the tier, she could have another successful campaign and compete with those ranked above her.

An old face in 1v1, playing since PL II, Rei self-bought this tour for ORAS, a tier she surprisingly has never started in. The PL V and VI champion has primarily spent her 1v1 career playing SM when it was the current gen, then DPP and SS. She did play ORAS in Multigen during CL and went 1-1 and is a multiple-time Classic qualifier, signaling her overall flexibility in old gens. Record-wise, Rei has gone positive more often than not, especially in PL. In this tour, she'll have torterraxx, longtime ORAS player, in her corner for support. His support combined with Rei's longtime experience in 1v1 sets her apart from the less-experienced players ranked below her.

EIMMer, film aficionado, and the original 1v1 TFT Grandmaster, realiti is ranked 6th for the Rhyperiors. Though he went 1-3 in his last stint in ORAS, realiti has a good sense for the game and the potential to punch above his PR ranking. How this tour turns out for him may come down to his support. Realiti has an old friend in Kaif, who played ORAS last PL, alongside Elo Bandit and Urfgurgle for support in this tournament—a questionable dynamic given the history between them. All three of them have had successful ORAS slots before, but it remains to be seen if Kaif and the RPS duo will synergize enough to maximize realiti's—and their team's—potential.

67schrift is ranked 7th in his second PL, with the widest range of rankings of all the ORAS players, being ranked as high as 3rd and as low as 7th. Tricknology is a newer face in 1v1 but did qualify for the most recent Classic as the 1st seed. Since he started playing 1v1, Trick has been known as a generalist who can slot into any tier, but ORAS is one of the tiers he has not yet played. Trick will have LittEleven and other experienced players to help him learn the tier, and ORAS is also not a particularly difficult tier at the moment, which bodes well for him. Trick still finds himself ranked low in the PRs due to his middling team tournament performances so far, but with the support he has, he could have a breakout this tour.

This user is surprisingly not an alt of a banned deucer! The 483,762nd lover of Voltorbs has been hanging around 1v1ers for a while, participating in Walruses and draft tournaments. While new to Smogon, the user known as waxplug has apparently done well in said draft tours and has good Pokemon fundamentals. How his tour goes will likely come down to motivation and how easily he is able to pick up 1v1. Voltorblover is in a forgiving situation to do so, though—he is in ORAS, an easy tier to pick up, and he has DEG and zioziotrip as his managers and Potatochan as a teammate, all prolific builders. Don't be shocked if he exceeds expectations, but he is definitely in “wait and see” territory as the 8th ranked in ORAS.

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BW Rankings

Palestine is the definition of a BW veteran, having a ton of BW tournaments under their belt, usually with support from DEG, notably including their 8-0 record in PLVIII and their 4-0 record in WCIX. DEG is a stable builder who, while often supporting, tries to keep a strong pulse on the tier and makes sure to always try to generate great matchups for Pale, which pairs well with Pale's spectacular clicking. With a strong string of performances besides them and a great support structure, the expectations for Pale to perform are quite high.

BW generally rewards creative set building paired with deep metagame knowledge, and Aicy is someone with a great deal of both. As someone who has performed multiple times in clutch situations in the tier, Aicy has a lot of experience in building out teams featuring a variety of uncommon sets that fit the occasion and will be looking to bring exactly that vibe into a somewhat fresh BW pool.

As a highly rated rookie with a strong initial showing in 1v1CL, bello figo under the tutelage of crucify and Mentality looks to build upon those performances to try and challenge the old guard and was clearly picked for his upside during the tour. If bello figo can adjust quickly to the higher pressure of playing in PL, he is bound to continue his excellent form.

While Urfgurgle has historically played a lot of BW across teams, especially for Central in World Cup, they haven't had a great BW tour recently, having played SV in PLIX as well as having an unsatisfactory tour during WCIX. However, with a new teammate and BW support in Kaif on the RPS squad, there is a pretty good chance for a complete rebound, as Urf has always been a solid player capable of getting consistent wins. If they are invested enough, they can have a pretty solid showing during this tour.

Torterra has been a reliable veteran in ORAS, but this tour is their first showing in BW. Though there is not that much of a gap in how you approach both tiers, there is also a gap in people on the team who can help bridge it, so he might be left to his own devices. Regardless, he is still a solid player capable of quietly putting up strong performances, especially versus the more volatile players in the pool.

As a winner in PLIX with a strong BW showing, trace finds himself on the Panchams with ZackPalace helping out as a support. Zack has notably helped build for Palestine in PLIX and WCIX, two successful campaigns, and generally passes strong ideas in BW, of which trace is bound to be an active recipient. trace having a strong sense for the game helps as well, and he is experienced enough to not be viewed as a wildcard, though without a perfect tour to point to for performance in recent times. If trace&co. can manage to keep up with the other experienced players in the builder, he has a real chance to outperform his ranking.

Somehow, Call me PK's first time managing 1v1PL is the same as his first time playing the tournament! At 12-8 overall on the sheet, Call me PK has done well in a variety of old gens, including a 3-1 performance in BW in WC VIII. Call me PK being untested in the high-stakes environment of PL and the strength of the BW player pool explain his low ranking; however, his prior old gen experience and LittEleven's support are better conditions than most rookies have in this tournament.

While underrated by the playerbase, OhioGengar is new to the tier but no slouch, building his own brand of teams in BW and getting a neat playoff win during 1v1 CL… and a win in the WC IX finals representing Asia (though mostly cosmetic). In a team that relies on him soaking up the pressure of the BW slot, he will likely be given a lot of chances to bring his favorite teams to the fray, depending on the support his team extends to him. High hopes!

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Overall Team Rankings

Playful Panchams	18
Trigger-Happy Thwackeys	30
Metro Boomin' Megarays	34
RPS Rhyperiors	35
Hyperspace Horrors	38
Drive-By Dragapults	41
Big Baller Barraskewdas	43
Hellfire Heatrans	49

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