SPL XVI Pre-Tournament Series: Best SPL Performances

By teal6. Released: 2025/01/09.

Introduction

There are scarcely few scenarios where a game of Pokémon matters more than in Smogon Premier League. Acting as the culmination of quality, the perennial winter tournament has served as the Mecca for masters for sixteen years, offering an arena for Pokémon's strongest to gather and tear one another to shreds, finding glory carved into the bones of their opponents, all in the aim of lifting a certain red trophy. When one thinks about SPL, they think about the all-time performances, the glittering runs where the site's strongest scythed through their opposition, meeting and defeating the best of the best over and over again.

Today, in the culmination of our SPL XVI Pre-Tournament series, we're going to look at just those performances. Which players managed to give us the best ever seasons? Who did they defeat along the way? Over the course of SPL, there have been countless good showings, but the ten we review today stood out as the absolute pinnacle of what this tournament represents, helping to define the careers of some of Smogon's most notable players.

10. blarajan - SPL V (9-0 regular season, 2-0 playoffs; XY LC)

blarajan is the first and only player to ever show Smogon an 11-0 season, which may cause readers to question why he's only number ten on the list. While blarajan's performance in SPL V is prodigious, the quality of competition, the tier played, and some of his timely luck all influence his placing. In fact, XY LC was, initially, not going to be in the tournament! At the behest of blarajan's own relentless petitioning, the tier was added, a million word essay arguing for LC's inclusion finally swaying the tournament directors.

Now, this is not to say that blarajan found himself with an easy run. His first opponent was Eo Ut Mortus, a talented journeyman with a long history in Smogon Tournaments, and the two fought a tense battle, with Eo looking the likelier to win in the dying turns, before a key critical hit from blarajan put him back in the driver's seat. Week two changed the pace, with blarajan winning an uncharacteristically long, 99-turn match against Artemisa. He'd follow that up with consecutive victories against lesser-known players Ray Jay, prem, CatcherAndTheRai, and Chieliee, before running into a more familiar name in Raichy where blarajan won through a well-timed Scraggy Dragon Dance. The regular season would end happily for blarajan, who took on two more LC mainstays in the final weeks, Al_Alchemist and Heysup, before marching to the playoffs.

Lady Luck smiled on blarajan once again in the semifinals where he rematched with Artemisa, giving him a timely Hydro Pump dodge that allowed him to win an otherwise lost endgame. blarajan would ride this momentum into the finals where he'd face off against... both Al_Alchemist and TheFourthChaser. How? In another example of early-SPL insanity, Al_Alchemist actually disconnected in the first iteration of the finals game, being replaced by his teammate, and then the game was recreated. In the new match, blarajan again pulled some good luck, which ultimately helped cement his 11-0 record amidst absurd circumstances. Unfortunately, the Cryonicles would end up losing the finals to the Sharks, denying blarajan the capstone on his run.

9. reyscarface - SPL VIII (9-0 regular season, 1-0 playoffs; SM OU)

With a bedside manner on par with Dr. House, reyscarface is without question one of Smogon's most colorful and interesting players. Having given us his best season in the tournament where no trophy was eventually awarded, you might say that reyscarface was the biggest winner of SPL VIII, dominating in CG OU in a world where competition was at its fiercest.

rey's campaign started with an ironic matchup against Mazar, the player most associated with getting the tournament cancelled. It really isn't too hard to see why the bot was eventually used, either, as rey began SPL with the most devious full stall team possible, leading his opponent to quip: "[I]karma will strike back" [/I]at the end of the game, which surely counts as something like real life foreshadowing. Of course, rey brought the same six Pokémon in week two against ChillShadow, and while the latter trainer brought a Hoopa-U to level the playing field, it ultimately was nowhere near enough, and rey skipped off with another win. The first half of rey's SPL concluded with a run of Mael, undisputed and psychicmewtwo, with rey varying his team choice with more offensively oriented options, showing the world that he could pilot those just as well and winning all his games through precise play with an emphasis on stopping his opponent's chances before they can get started through aggressive switching.

rey's second half of the SPL regular season went just as well as his first, as he pulled off wins against Welli0u, Get This Money, and z0mOG, the latter of which brought an especially tense game, with both players keeping winning chances until late. rey would get his one playoff game against p2 after the Tigers had already qualified for finals. In a performance that encapsulates his spirit, rey won the game and then decided to switch around for a dozen turns, enjoying the time his opponent spent clicking futile moves. While his team would go out, rey's performance in SPL VIII involved such a long string of uninterrupted victories against competent and good players, as well as such a breadth of team choices and accuracy of play that he must be included as one of the best ever.

8. hellom - SPL XV (9-0 regular season, 1-0 playoffs, 0-1 tiebreaker; SV OU)

Starting the tournament with a tepid 31st in the power rankings, hellom had a lot to do to change public perception during his debut season in SPL. The lowest ranked player in a group of OUers which left SmogTours wondering if Dave knew how to draft, hellom ignored any of the chatter and took to the field as a man on a mission, winning game after game.

Showing no signs of fear at all, hellom started his campaign with a victory against JustFranco, using a Comfey in a quirky team that dominated his opponent. With a tight Kingambit sweep over Fogbound Lake, a Zamazenta masterclass against lax, a Calm Mind Latias turnaround against Trosko and a Gouging Fire domination against DonSalvatore, hellom entered into the latter half of the tournament with a perfect record and little reason to think times would change.

Week six was more of the same, though hellom's team choices continued to show his creative side with a Ditto squad as his weapon this time around. He'd see out the regular season by dismantling mncmt before facing off against Floss, where hellom almost lost at the hands of some truly unfortunate RNG, pulling it back in the final turns magically. Another crushing win in week nine over entrocefalo meant that hellom was off to the playoffs, where he'd find himself up against one of SV OU's best, Storm Zone. The OLT winner would give hellom a run for his money, but the latter's stall team and consistent plays saw him through, helping to bring his team to a semifinals tiebreaker.

It was in this tiebreaker that hellom's luck finally ran out, falling against Trosko in a heartbreaker of a game where he lost due to a triple Protect. This loss would ensure that his team were unable to progress to the finals, putting an end to an all-time performance, but hellom will surely be looking to go one step further in his next iteration of SPL.

7. Trosko - SPL XV (7-2 regular season, 2-0 playoffs, 1-0 tiebreaker; SV OU & ORAS OU)

Trosko came into SPL XV with a lot of expectations, as the 11th ranked CG OU player in the first ranked CG OU core, building off of a successful summer World Cup campaign. Far from wiltering under the spotlight, the Spaniard would seize the moment in a notoriously competitive and difficult generation, putting on a spectacular run that ended up falling just short of the trophy.

Floss in week one provided Trosko's first challenge, and it wasn't an easy one; the two players battled out to the very last turn, where Trosko's aggressive positioning of his Weavile allowed him to hit a Triple Axel to win. A well-played Swords Dance Gliscor in week two would get Trosko the win over entrocefalo, while a patient approach with Garganacl and Slowking was enough in week three over xavgb. Week four, however, would mark the first misstep of the campaign for the Tiger, as he faced off against hellom, who won in a thriller, before losing his second consecutive game against lax, who revealed a well-placed Lum Berry on his Kingambit to see it home.

Trosko, though, would not let things end like this, and in week six, he played circles around Fogbound Lake to get back on track. Rubyblood and MAVERICK SHOOTERS would both be brushed aside before a quick trip to ORAS OU in week nine, where Trosko added another win in a clean game against Sylvi. Things looked to be peaking at the right time for Trosko, and he returned to SV OU for the semifinals where he utterly dominated Kushalos, granting a win that was vital for his team to make it to a tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker, Trosko would be called on again, this time against hellom, one of the only players to award him a loss all season. Trosko wouldn't let the opportunity slip, beating hellom and pushing his team to the finals. With the world at his feet, Trosko fought a nailbiter against the Tyrant's Luispeikou, winning in a back and forth game. Unfortunately for the Spanish superstar, though, his team would be unable to match his performance, dropping the trophy in the last leg. Still, Trosko's timely wins and team-leading momentum make this one of the best SPL seasons to date.

6. Ojama - SPL VII (7-2 regular season, 2-0 playoffs; ADV OU & DPP OU)

Ojama's run in SPL VII was marked by his ability to invent plays that very few people observing could see. This tournament was a ground for Ojama to prove his ability, performing at a professional level in both ADV and DPP OU, two generations well known for having strong player pools.

Ojama's tournament would get off to a sour start, though, as Tamahome took him down in DPP OU in the first week after a close game. Week two against Honor was no less tense, though Ojama came out the winner this time in a game that involved some debating in the last turns in the chat. The Frenchman would end his time in DPP OU with wins over Bad Ass and Porengan, sliding into ADV OU at the behest of his manager. His debut in ADV OU would go better than in DPP, winning against Golden Sun to kickstart this part of his campaign. In his next two games, Ojama would turn on the style, dominating dekzeh and McMeghan in back-to-back, unquestionable performances.

In playoffs, Ojama would stay in ADV OU, and while he'd win both games, they each came with a little bit of luck that turned the tides decisively in his favor. Having performed at such a high level all season, Ojama's team was unable to honor his victories and failed to take home the trophy, but that fact does little to disparage the run that got him there in the first place.

5. Tamahome - SPL VIII (6-2-1 regular season, 2-0 playoffs, 1-0 tiebreaker; DPP OU, RBY OU & SM OU)

It is sometimes forgotten that the SPL VIII Tigers were not built off the back of Mazar, but rather it was Tamahome who was the team's star by the end of the tournament. The only player on this list to touch three different tiers over the course of his run, Tamahome was put against a gauntlet of talented opponents throughout this tournament, coming away with a bombastic record that involved a generational run in playoffs.

Tama's run started in DPP OU where he faced cult favorite roscoe in week one, winning, albeit with the help of some Ice Fang flinches. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, escaping by the skin of his teeth twice in two weeks wasn't happening, and Tama ate his first loss of the season against Sauga. Things went from bad to worse for Tama in week three, with opponent ToF playing well in a victory, bringing Tama's record negative for the start of the season. However, this would not be a precursor for things to come, as Tama would lock in and play his mind out for the remainder of the tournament.

Tama's fortunes started to turn against 6A9 Ace Matador, where he snatched a victory in a close and well played match, sweeping with a Breloom. august would be Tama's next opponent, and in a battle that came down to the wire, Tama's timely Trick Room helped him see the match to a victory before going on to defeat aim the week after. Week seven would see Tama move to RBY OU, where he played against Alexander, one of the site's strongest in the tier, taking home a victory in three games. In a move that was sure to cause him some whiplash, Tama moved back to DPP then to face off against legendary DPP OU player Philip7086, but Tama's momentum didn't slow, and he took Philip down with room to spare. The playoffs were where Tama truly shined, reuniting with Roscoe in the semifinals and winning 5-0 before rematching with Philip the next round. If ever there was a time to play well, now was it, and Tama took that notion to heart, 6-0ing his opponent and gaining a crucial win that helped send the team to a tiebreaker. It was in this tiebreaker that Tama moved tiers for the last time, now playing against SM OU legend Tricking in the ultimate match, which he would win to temporarily award his team the trophy. Holding one of the site's most legendary runs, Tamahome showed that he is elite at any tier he tries at, and that his peak is as high as anyone else's.

4. ABR - SPL VII (8-1 regular season, 1-0 playoffs, 1-0 tiebreaker; ORAS OU)

ABR's debut season was also one of the best SPL seasons to ever be played. With the 13K he cost the Ruiners being likely the cheapest he'll be in SPL, ABR repaid them with a stunning run through to the playoffs, stamping his name on the tournament with crucial wins against a star-studded pool.

ABR's campaign started off with a match against fellow US East player, PDC, where he piloted a win in a close game while avoiding a handful of PDC's surprise techs to see it out. His second game against rising OU star xray was also a close affair, coming down to the final turn. ABR's run would take its first and only stumble during week three when he met blunder, losing the match that had to be recreated due to a timeout. From here, ABR didn't look back; he got two close wins against Reymedy and CrashinBoomBang, bringing his record to 4-1. He'd find himself against seeme of the Cryonicles afterward, taking him down in a game he never looked like losing.

Week seven was a banner matchup, as it brough ABR against Tesung, one of the few players that he has consistently publicly admired. It was during this match, too, that ABR debuted his Weavile stall, piloting it to a complete and total victory against Tesung, with the Falcon player unable to make any progress whatsoever throughout the match. With victories over mencemeat and reiku, ABR had helped bring his team to a playoff tiebreaker where he'd play one of the most notable matches of his career against Geemick to decide if the Ruiners or the Cryonicles made it to the playoffs. In a brutal 102-turn brawl, ABR took advantage of a handful of misplays from his opponent to maneuver himself into a winning position, showing the first example of the big-moment player he'd go on to become.

In the semifinals, ABR would have a chance to get revenge for his sole loss in the regular season, playing against blunder once more. Unfortunately, despite a clean win the Ruiners would go on to lose the semifinals, ending ABR's run there. Despite not winning the trophy on this occasion, ABR's consistent wins, the strength of his schedule, and the innovativeness he showed with his teambuilding throughout the tournament all make sure this is one of the best SPL seasons ever had.

3. Star - SPL XII (7-2 regular season, 2-0 playoffs, 1-0 tiebreaker; ADV OU & SS OU)

One of the most consistent players in Smogon history, it is never a surprise to see Star's name come up when talking about achievements and performances. SPL XII was Star's magnum opus, a tournament where he served as the centerpiece of a very strong roster and where he brought home more than enough important wins to justify his 21.5K price in the auction.

Star's tournament started with a convincing win over Endill in ADV OU before following it up with another victory over a more known quantity in Fakes during week two (ridiculously, both players led with a Hariyama in this genuinely thrilling match). Star's momentum continued from here, beating Teclis with some margin of error and taking down Gilbert arenas with little stress before his first loss against thelinearcurve. For a moment, it looked like the wheels might fall off Star's performance as he lost once again the week after, going down to Golden Sun in a hotly contested affair.

Had Star fallen at this point, though, it's obvious that we wouldn't be talking about his season here. He'd right the ship in week 7, giving Altina nightmares with his Suicune before then taking down McMeghan himself in a match for the ages. In the playoffs, Star would have to fight against his Northeast teammate august where he presided over a comprehensive win, helping put his team in the pole position for winning the whole tournament. Star would have to face another WCoP teammate right after in a rematch with Gilbert arenas, but after winning that, he was really tested - he was dragged into SS OU after a season in ADV OU. Matched up against Eo Ut Mortus, Star handled himself well, giving little room for his opponent to take the initiative and seeing out the game. This would prove absolutely vital, of course, as the Wolfpack would win the tiebreaker 2-1, handing them the trophy.

Considered by some as an uncrowned king as of the time of writing, Star is still in search of his elusive first individual trophy. That being said, this season stands up there with the best of anyone when it comes to comparing seasons, and his hard-fought SPL postbit will look all the better when he remembers this run.

2. Gtcha - SPL XIII (6-1 regular season, 2-0 playoffs, 2-0 tiebreaker; SS OU)

Gtcha is perhaps the most compelling story on this list, the biggest underdog that we have the chance to talk about. Gtcha started the tournament unranked in the Power Rankings, considered a "maybe" sub, and he didn't see the field at all for the first two weeks after having been bought for a paltry 3.5K in the auction.

Of course, the second-best SPL season of all time doesn't end there. Subbing in by week 3, gtcha sprinted from his starting line, racking up wins against Samqian, robjr, Trosko, and GFR in succession. These games were not smash and grab either; in all of them, it's fair to say he played better, but the run came to a screeching halt in week 7 against MAX UND MAX, where a few Hurricane misses and an instant Scald burn meant the Cinderella run was over. Gtcha, though, would take this in stride, learning from the loss and raising his form even more from there; it was the rest of the tournament where he truly shined.

Dominating Luthier the next week in a hail mirror match, Gtcha looked to be instantly back on track, throwing in a week nine victory over Cicada to boot. In the semifinals, Gtcha was matched up against Ox the Fox, a formidable player and OLT winner, but the man on a mission seemed to have few nerves in his first ever playoff match, winning in a close match where both players kept the game within reach until the very end. The Raiders ended up having to tiebreak, and so, Gtcha faced off against a veteran player in dice. The match was interesting, with a fascinating end game that Gtcha managed perfectly, landing a vital victory to help bring his team to the finals. In finals, Gtcha treated SmogTours to another brilliant game, taking down Suapah in a thriller that involved a number of key, subtle plays on knife's edge. However, even this was not enough for Gtcha! His team ended up in another tiebreaker, and Gtcha found himself across from bro fist, a man most famous on Smogon for his ability in clutch moments. Gtcha, though, had no fear when it came to the history—it was his time, and in a violent back and forth match, he managed his momentum better and ripped the victory from bro fist's hands, completing one of the most brutal playoff runs in the site's history.

Few Smogon players will ever have the chance to have a story like this. Gtcha took his moment and seized it, playing a memorable tournament and coming away with a trophy that he deserves more than most of the winners in the tournament's history.

1. Lavos - SPL X (8-1 regular season, 2-0 playoffs, 2-0 tiebreaker; GSC OU & BW OU)

SPL X was very nearly the story of the Dragonspiral Tyrants, one of the strongest SPL teams ever assembled, if it weren't for Lavos and the Ruiners. Representing his favored GSC OU for most of the tournament, Lavos came into the tournament valued at 25.5K, a price he'd more than pay back during his annus mirabilis, with a comprehensive domination over his pool barring one match.

Lavos's tournament couldn't have started much harder, as he was paired up with Conflict in week one. The two played a long, back and forth match that saw Lavos snatch victory using a Curse Skarmory to great effect. The Milk Man would fall next as Sulcata went down to a quirky Baton Pass team using Smeargle, Umbreon, Jolteon, and Scizor, with Sand Attack helping to blunt a Belly Drum Quagsire on Sulcata's side. Another GSC mainstay, choolio, would go down next after an excruciating endgame where Lavos's Machamp seemed adamant about throwing the match with misses. The old-school player was also unable to stop Lavos, as Earthworm lined up next, going down to the West player's Ursaring squad, before smacking Arifeen around with another Smeargle team. Finally week 6 gave Lavos his one black mark for the tournament as Fear stepped up to the plate, wrestling away a key victory after managing to get an omniboost with Ancient Power Marowak.

Mr. 378 was the unfortunate victim of Lavos's revenge, having little answer to an aggressively played Espeon team in week 7. Having come back to winning ways, Lavos would not lose again this tournament, and in the penultimate regular season week, he brought down Dice with a Tentacruel squad. Lavos would cap off his regular season with a last win against giara before moving into the playoffs.

Playoff time is where the best runs are defined and so Lavos got off to a hot start, fighting against Century Express of the Scooters. Without missing a beat, Lavos replicated his regular season form and smoked his opponent, but his team found themselves in a tiebreaker, unable to finish the job elsewhere. At this point, Lavos was moved into BW OU to match up with Ojama, freeing up a DOU pick for the other tiebreaker slot. The two attacked one another with all they had in a very well-played game where Lavos was able to position himself for a favorable endgame, winning and sending his team to the finals.

The finals of SPL X would see the Ruiners against the Tyrants, with the latter being generally favored to win the tournament. Lavos would battle Sulcata twice, both times in GSC OU. The first game was a close affair, with both players ending with an electric Legendary for the last turns and Lavos's Raikou being able to barrel its way through. In a battle that lasted almost 300 turns, Lavos kept largely quiet in the chat while Sulcata talked, seemingly hyperfocused on the match. Announcing that it was "checkmate" when he saw that his Raikou had an unimpeded path to a victory, Lavos saw it home, a crucial win in his team's successful quest for the red.

Final Thoughts

All ten of these performances are incredible, but all ten can be surpassed. There is not a single record on this list that does not have a fault in some sense, no matter how small the crack may be. Going into SPL XVI, the most ambitious players will be keeping this in mind—they have the chance and opportunity to do one better and make this article immediately out of date.

With this, we close our pre-tournament coverage of SPL XVI. The next release will be the Power Rankings, which will truly mark the start of Smogon Premier League. Here's to another great tournament, and here's to plenty more to write about next time!

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