SPL XVI Pre-Tournament Series: Catching up with the SPL XV Rookies

By teal6. Released: 2024/12/15.

Introduction

In the long and winding path of any strong Pokémon player's career there are a number of important milestones. For some players, making the last 16 of an official tournament is their big moment, for others it's when their WCoP captain comes knocking. Compared to those, though, the most important landmark for a new player might well just be making their debut in SPL, the tournament that asks the most out of its inductees. With the tournament serving as a gathering of the best of the best, countless rookies have made their way to the tournament through one route or another, and some will go on to write their name more clearly in the history books. To get a feel for how last year went, we decided to touch base with some of the debutants from SPL XV and find out their paths, outlooks, goals and more when it comes to this year.

hellom (10-1, Scooters, SV OU)

The obvious first person we had to talk to was hellom, who had a stunner of a season with only a single loss and double-digit wins in CG OU. When asked about his path to SPL, we learned of a somewhat typical route—a ladder account made and forgotten, resumed when COVID hit. In the summer of 2021, hellom achieved what he considers to be his first noteworthy goal, topping the ladder, before then qualifying for OLT in the dying hours. Having talked to some managers before the tournament, hellom was aware that he'd end up being drafted, a promise he paid back in spades with his performances. While it's difficult to imagine a player with a 91% win rate feeling disappointed, for the fans of the game it might be encouraging to know that hellom continues to hold his loss close to the chest, telling us about how he loved his team and that the loss remains his only regret. With a record-books performance backing him up, it's a given that hellom will compete again, but it remains to be seen if he can live up to the expectations he's now set for himself.

To make it to SPL, hellom says, "try to get good practice vs players that are better than you to learn, also ladder", an outlook shared among many of last year's rookies.

oldspicemike (8-2, Ruiners, SV OU)

Theoretically one of the best smelling players on Smogon, oldspicemike had a lovely performance in his inaugural SPL with an 80% win rate. Mike's entrance into tournaments follow a typical pattern with a wrench thrown in, telling us about his on-and-off laddering adventures which culminated in him diving head first during SV OU, including an impressive OST XIX run. Speaking about how he got ingrained in the great tournament world, Mike says, "During my set vs Leo, Mannat and Starry randomly joined ... and let me know if I won they'd give me a shot on US Midwest. I won, they invited me to the Midwest server and I've been playing in officials ever since," showing the importance of hard working national team scouts as they often unearth gems, even if one of those scouts is Mannat.

Having become a World Champion since his SPL debut, oldpsicemike is pretty clearly a banner player for the new generation of competitors. Will he be able to match an 8-2 record in his second SPL? The man himself says that he'll continue, but like a lot of greats, life might get in the way: "I'll be playing again this year. Not really sure how long I plan on staying active in the tournament scene, I'm 26 now and it seems like I have less and less free time every year, but I'll keep playing as long as I'm still having fun and I have enough time to put maximum effort into my games." No matter what oldspicemike ends up doing, it's fair to say that he's already reached very important peaks, so here's hoping that his career remains one that he's proud of in future tournaments.

myjava (7-2, Tyrants, SV OU)

One of three Tyrants rookies we talked to, myjava led the line for his powerhouse team and was rewarded with a shiny red trophy to end his debut season. myjava made it to SPL after a lengthy career, starting on the ladder in 2019 where he bounced around for a few years, drawing inspiration from players like aim and his Road to Top 10 series on YouTube. Finally making the transition to Smogon, myjava was scouted by Team India, giving him his first real break: "Since I had decent results on the OU ladder and India's playerbase was pretty small at the time, I managed to get in as a sub". While this chance wouldn't directly lead to bigger opportunities, his persistence in smaller tournaments ultimately paid off, mentioning CBB's famous eye for talent as a reason he made it to the big stage, "I wasn't expecting to get drafted in SPL 15, but I ended up getting bid on by the Tyrants (apparently CBB had seen some games of mine and thought I was worth getting so s/o to him) and that was that."

While myjava managed to win the tournament, it's refreshing to know that he's not resting on his laurels, saying, "I think I could've done better in playoffs where I felt I started putting less effort despite being 2 series away from winning the tour. SPL is a really long tour ... it's important to manage yourself throughout the tour so you don't feel too exhausted by the final weeks." Thankfully for the fans, myjava also confirmed that he's absolutely playing this year, while giving no promises on how many times he'll join the tournament in the future. When asked about his advice for future rookies, myjava had an opinion pretty similar to the other two, but with an important caveat: "If you are playing CG OU just play on the ladder, it's all you need to improve at the game. Also don't stress your self out with the game and remember its all fun at the end of the day :)". A worthy lesson from a player that's seen the top and looks to go even further, somehow, this time around.

Mada (4-1, Tyrants, SV OU)

Mada's path to the peak of Pokémon started as a spectator, coming across a recap of Smogon Tour finals on YouTube where he saw Empo and SoulWind battle it out. Inspired, he joined up with the Italian room on Showdown, using them as inspiration and fuel for his own ascent, "Since I admired some Italian players and I always spectated WCoP, I also started grinding OU ladder ... eventually I started doing well in a few side PLs and getting better runs in Seasonals." Mada's real break would come once he joined up with the Belgian World Cup team, making his debut as a starter in his second year.

Unsure if he was going to get drafted for SPL last year after missing out on SCL, Mada now knows that he's a lock for for SPL XVI. His answers to our questions imply a simmering unsettlement within him despite winning the trophy at the first time of asking, consistently mentioning how he could improve his play or performance, for example saying, "I regret not playing more aggressively and more freely since I was stressed to perform well" and "I could have done better in Finals as I could have played more aggressively" when asked to review his season. The finals match, in particular, seems to stick out in a way that he's using for motivation, mentioning fellow newcomer opponent JJ09LIE as fearsome, and that he wasn't able to perform to his best potentially due to nerves. With the experience of victory pushing him forward, it will be interesting to see if he can meet his own expectations and put on an even stronger performance this year.

JJ09LIE (7-4, Tigers, SV OU)

The player most mentioned by his fellow rookies, JJ09LIE was not short of confidence entering into SPL XV and doesn't seem to be short of it now. His entrance into the world of competitive Pokémon came through his friends introducing him to Random Battles, which he claims to have focused on primarily between 2020 and 2023, eventually switching over to CG OU. Regarding his path into SPL, JJ09LIE tells it bluntly, "I signed up for lots of team tours and was then drafted into SPL due to my good records." It might not be surprising, though, that he holds this confidence, telling us that it's borne from the words of others, "I did expect to get drafted this SPL, as I’ve seen plenty of well-known players hyping me up."

Now, this isn't to say that JJ sees his performance as enough. He recalled a particularly memorably thrown game against kumiko last season, which seems to stick out in his mind. Telling us that he'll certainly play this year, but making no promises about the future, JJ leaves us with a tease about his future performance, as he hopes to emulate his finals match from last year against Mada, where he "played that game flawlessly."

GeniusX (5-4, Sharks, SM OU)

After a positive, if unimpressive, debut in SPL XV, GeniusX has confirmed his intentions to reappear in the tournament this year. His path to his debut is interesting, noting that he was "probably one of the least known or the least known player drafted last ssn", before mentioning CBB, a name that popped up in another interview, saying: "In the end I was drafted due to having managed and played alongside lax and CBB in Draft team tours before, and they both had a good impression of me", showing that Draft could serve as a springboard into Smogon's main tournaments. However, with one of his answers, GeniusX seems to imply that his Draft background might have been a small hindrance, noting, "I think I did average overall, but it felt nice putting in time to learn a tier for the first time since before SPL I only played Draft competitively."

Throughout the discussion, GeniusX gave off an air of calm, not being too tied up in performances and focused primarily on what he could do next. This notion is supported strongly in his answer to our question regarding getting drafted, saying, "Have fun with the game. Think it’s easier said than done. Every time I find myself too tied down to my results I end up performing worse." While other rookies focused on their successes, GeniusX mentioned his failures more than others, but he seems at ease with his performance, ready to go one step better this time around.

Dridri457 (6-4, Tyrants, DPP OU)

The third Tyrant in our interview, Dridri457 is a player who found SPL through the ladder like many others, telling us about how he found BKC's YouTube channel and was inspired to build and try his own teams. When talking to Dridri457, it's hard not to notice his enthusiasm, as he carries a lighter personality than many of his fellow newcomers and talks easily about his goals and fears in the game, telling us "i played my first tournament in 2023 after finishing my studies, i was a bit scared ... i thought people would whoop me easily. my first dpp seasonal i was prepared to lose round 1^^ but i managed to go far, but most importantly i had a lot of fun, which made me want to continue." While some players want desperately to prove themselves, it's hard to understand Dridri as that type of competitor, and instead the love of the game might be what pushes him forward.

A common fear new players have is with respect to how to get noticed, something Dridri had to tackle as well, "i thought that being a complete outsider, people wouldn't trust me". He talks at length in our interview about wishing he relied more on his team and quicker, emphasizing the social aspects of the game and opining at length about how they can cause a player to advance much more quickly, flourishing every statement with a little reminder about how fun the game is, a captivating speaker. When asked about what advice he'd specifically give to someone looking to be drafted for the first time, Dridri457 said, "put your ego aside, and try to get the most u can get from player better than you. Help the others, it's fun and you'll get to know more about the metagames", a composite answer that shows a deep respect for the game!

Chiles Habaneros (5-4, Raiders, GSC OU)

One of the earlier players on this list, Chiles has been at it since 2017, starting with VGC and Doubles before gradually moving over to a Singles focus. Another acolyte of the YouTube gurus, Chiles mentions both blunder and BKC when discussing his start in the game, noting that their videos were helpful for him at the onset and that the latter was particularly influential in his ultimate shift to GSC. Chiles is grounded regarding his place in the overall pool, telling us that "I felt I had like 20% chance. A full-power GSC pool would've denied me any possibility, but pool was weak and some managers gave me a consideration approval after tryouts."

With a performance just about average, Chiles feels mostly contended with his run, although he notes some room for improvement: "I'm satisfied with my season, but there's things I've looked over many times and learned the lesson ... I think I did well outside the battlefield, always trying, building and chatting." While Chiles goes on to be a bit dour on his chances of getting selected again this year, he ended our interview with some curiously good advice, being the only player to really talk about social performance being a part of getting drafted, "make friends and don't shittalk anyone. At the end of the day being a clown can be fun for some but I wouldn't advise it". While we may not see him again in SPL XVI, he'll definitely be trying to get in, and his words can come as wisdom to both new and old players.

Attribute (5-4, Sharks, SS OU)

Attribute is another player who's been around for some time, having started his time in Pokémon as a Monotype main, a post he held for six years before starting to shift into SS OU. Attribute's move came at the urging of a friend, saying "once gen8 came out a friend told me i should take ou seriously and that i should try to make team us west for wcop as a goal to work towards," again showing the value added by active managers of the national teams.

When asked about his performance in the tournament, Attribute gives a measured response, saying, "positive and 5 wins as a rookie is something i can't be too mad at but i could have played some games better, be more wise with team selection, and was generally overthinking a lot throughout the tour". Of particular note, he's the only rookie (not playing for the Tyrants) to directly address the main question: is a season a failure if you don't win the tournament? Or are there other factors to take into consideration when reviewing a performance? Attribute comes midway between both options as an answer, "i won't say it was a success cause we didn't end up winning the whole thing but it definitely wasn't a complete failure". Intent on reappearing this season again, he'll be looking to strengthen his W/L record, but he leaves behind a nugget of advice for new players not to over-focus on that, telling us, "have fun, be humble, and be proud of the journey that lead you up to this point."

Final Thoughts

Writing this article was illuminating, showing the huge variety of outlooks, motivations and goals between this rookie class. With three of them becoming champions, it's hard not to be inspired, and when reviewing the various ways that a player can reach the top, surely all prospective hopefuls get a boost of encouragement. If there is one lesson to take from these conversations it probably comes from Dridri, reminding us to have fun. Best of luck to those of you returning, and best of luck to the newcomers, looking to make this article next year!

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