SPL XVI Pre-Tournament Series: Top 10 Auction Steals

By teal6, Maia, and -Tsunami-. Released: 2024/11/17.
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Art by Finchely

Art by Finchely.

Introduction

In Smogon Premier League, every manager dreams of finding the perfect auction steal. With a format heavily defined by the salary cap, discovering hidden gems or taking chances on unfavored players can be paramount to success. A manager knows that it is imperative to find solid value in the auction, ideally with an eye toward affording the ABRs and McMeghans of the tournament afterward. In this list, we will be examining the ten biggest steals in SPL history. These are determined through evaluation of three different factors: price, record, and playoff success. As a result, don't expect to find any of the super expensive players on this list, as our eye today is turned solely toward those cheaper options that had a big impact. Let's get to it!

Honorable Mentions

Unfortunately, some individuals with stellar records did not make the list, either due to their lack of playoff games or success, strength of schedule, or relatively high price. reyscarface managed go to 10-0 in SPL 8, but his 8.5k price tag was a bit too lofty for the standards of this article. ggggd managed to go 9-0 in SPL 11 in LC, but his team failed to make the playoffs, and that coupled with his relatively high 6.5k price tag leaves him on the outside looking in. Void accomplished practically the same feat at the same price in SPL 15, and fails to make the list for similar reasons. Both Al_Alchemist and blarajan had superb LC campaigns in SPL 5; Al_Alchemist was 3k, went 7-2, won a playoff game, and was a crucial component to the Sharks' eventual SPL conquest. If he had won in the finals against the aforementioned blarajan, he certainly would have made it on this article. Speaking of blarajan, he holds SPL's only 11-0 campaign; unfortunately his status as a 10k retain disqualifies him from contention.

Other notable cheap purchases include destinyunknown in SPL 4, soulgazer in SPL 5, teddeh in SPL 6, relous in SPL 12, mncmt and Nat in SPL 14, and Christo in most of his appearances. destinyunknown went 7-3 for 5.5k and managed to win his only playoff game; that third loss leaves him on the outside looking in. soulgazer accomplished a similar feat; unfortunately, he was his team's only win in the infamous Cryonicles 11-1 beatdown of the Classiest, which denied him the opportunity of notching another win in the finals. teddeh and relous both went 7-2 and were both undefeated in the playoffs; with probably even one more win, they both would have made it on the list. mncmt would have been a shoo-in for the list had he won his semifinals game against mind gaming, but the defeating one of the best players of the modern era proved to be too tall a task. Nat went 9-2 in the same SPL, going 1-1 in the playoffs. Her second loss would prove to be a big blow for her team's chances of victory, however, as DAHLI would help the Raiders level the finals at 4-4, a series which they would eventually win in the tiebreak. Lastly, Christo was pretty much always a steal and was a big reason for the Tyrants' continuous domination of the regular season. These users were all a hair's breadth away from cracking this illustrious list. The margins here are certainly narrow.

10

sK - SPL I

Why They're On The List: The prototypical auction steal, sK (also known as BAIKA) cost the Alpha Ruiners a paltry 7k on his way to a laudable 8-2 record. Taking charge of their GSC slot, sK would face a handful of legendary players, defeating names like IPL in week 1, VIL in week 4, and MoP in week 3. While the Ruiners would ultimately fail to win the tournament, losing to the Scooters, sK won his finals match against Mr. E, one of the best GSC players at the time and a name that most players are familiar with even until today.

Ultimately, sK's spot on this list comes from the fact that he was the first—in every SPL since the beginning, managers have tried their best to identify players that go under the radar. With eight wins and a bargain price in a competitive GSC field in SPL I, sK serves as the blueprint for many of the other names on this list.

9

Gondra - SPL XI

Why They're On This List: The SPL XI power rankings did not spare Gondra. Teasing his speech patterns in their writeup, the rankings called him a "coinflip" player and suggested that this was not good enough for a tier as competitive as SM OU, before going on to rank the LA star in 9th place. Gondra, for his part, would not vindicate these opinions—instead, he hit the ground running, winning his first six games and taking down players such as Eternal Spirit and blunder at the top end of the rankings along the way.

Gondra's consistency throughout the season would serve as a platform for his team to make playoffs, with him losing only to ima in week seven. In the semifinals, Gondra was matched up against blunder once again, SM OU's best player at the time. In a high-octane match that involved heavy-hitting, one-turn wincons on both sides, Gondra successfully piloted his Mega Alakazam squad around blunder's numerous threats and took home a key victory. While he'd go on to lose his finals match against Relous, the Ruiners would see out the tournament and Gondra would be rewarded for all of his hard work and timely wins.

8

Updated Kanto - SPL IX

Why They're On The List: Coming in ranked dead last on the power rankings, hopes were not high for Updated Kanto, who cost the bare minimum 3k to participate in the tournament. Having a Smogon Tour qualification and two OLTs backing up his pre-tournament credentials, Updated Kanto found himself in a dragon's den of difficult opponents, with the likes of CBB, TDK, and xray standing in his way.

The tournament, however, would prove kind to Kanto, with him playing eight weeks in his favored ORAS OU with only a singular loss against first-ranked nintendi. In week 9 he'd be juggled, slotting into DPP OU, where he took down veteran dice, showing that his abilities were not just limited to the fairy generations. While Kanto would lose the semifinals to Hiye (back in ORAS OU) in a slugfest of a match where his Weavile needed just one or two more switch-ins, he'd have his chance for redemption right away in the finals, facing down R!cardo. Several aggressive mid-match plays ensured that Updated Kanto kept the momentum throughout the finals match, winning without falling victim to any chokes or misplays. Kanto would get one more chance to play in a finals tiebreaker against BKC, chosen as a representative of one of the strongest SPL teams of all time, with manager Tony choosing to play him over other options like Fear in GSC. Despite a loss in the matchup, Kanto ended up celebrating anyway as his team took home the trophy.

7

Biosci - SPL VIII

Why They're On The List: With a pre-tournament power ranking of 9th, Biosci entered SPL XIII as a veteran without too many expectations on his shoulders. Having cost just a hair above the minimum, Biosci's 15-13 lifetime SPL record entering the tournament saw him overlooked in favor of more expensive DOU players like KyleCole and Braverius, both of whom he managed to defeat in the regular season. Biosci's true moment to shine came in the playoffs, however, where he first faced off against DaAwesomeDude1, pulling off a tense and close victory. In the finals, Biosci was met with MajorBowman of the Tigers, a strong player on a 6-3 run himself. Biosci's combination sun and Beat Up team was more than enough to take home the win, a victory that was crucial for keeping the Scooters in contention for the title.

Unfortunately, the Scooters and Tigers would go on to play a tiebreaker, with the Tigers winning and later getting the trophy revoked. Biosci's made a number of SPL appearances since this dominant season, though his records trend more toward a 50% win rate. In SPL VIII, however, his low cost and key wins played a huge part in his team's success.

6

hellom - SPL XV

Why They're On The List: Having made his team tournament debut with a quiet 1-0 in SCL III following a 1-3 exit from OLT X, the future US South superstar was picked up by the Indie Scooters for only 6k in the SPL XV auction. Ranked 31st out of 40 on the power rankings, it was clear that hopes weren't high for this up-and-comer, with questions raised on whether or not he would be eventually subbed out for a bench option. hellom, however, seized his opportunity and ran with it, putting up a flawless 9-0 record in the regular season, no easy feat, especially when you consider that he had to face off against heavyweights like lax, Trosko, and Fogbound Lake. Momentum continued into the playoffs, where he pulled off another stunning victory against recently-crowned OST XX champion Storm Zone, only to have his perfect season—and the season of the Scooters as a whole—end when Trosko infamously pulled off a triple Protect in their semifinals tiebreaker rematch. Having recently made it to the top 16 in OLT XI and putting up respectable records in the other two trophy team tournaments (2-0 in WCoP and 3-1 in SCL), it's unlikely we'll see hellom be underestimated again going into SPL XVI.

5

eaglesrock - SPL II

Why They're On The List: Largely seen as an underwhelming player entering into the second edition of SPL, eaglesrock would go for the minimum price and bring along few expectations. Reviewing the predictions week over week in the absence of a power ranking, it is clear that the Smogon community certainly didn't expect this player to do anything particularly notable, as a deluge of bolds went against him from a variety of players. The list of opponents that eaglesrock had to face was surely part of his dire outlook: Ace Matador, Rewer, and reyscarface were just a few of them.

However, despite this pressure, the DPP OU bargain would pay back his cost and then some. With his only loss coming in a meaningless week 9 game against aziki, eaglesrock had represented a bargain that helped the Scooters reach the playoffs for the second time. Unfortunately, a win in the semifinals against Scofield was insufficient for his team to progress, and the Scooters saw their tournament end; however, despite this, eaglesrock's performance and cut-rate price earn him a spot on our list.

4

myjava - SPL XV

Why They're On This List: myjava was an unlikely hero in his only SPL performance to date, last edition's SPL XV. In the power rankings his name is barely mentioned, a substitute called the "OU Room's finest", and most players and spectators assumed that he wouldn't make any real impact at all in this tournament. Fate had different ideas, though, as his teammate and star SV OU player CTC was banned in the middle of the tournament, necessitating the Tyrants use their bench options. myjava's chance was here.

myjava debuted in week four, with very little time to get up to speed. His list of opponents was daunting, beginning with oldspicemike (who he'd face again in the semifinals, winning both times), and not getting much easier from there. His performance throughout the regular season was admirable, losing only to JJ09LIE. After his second victory over oldspicemike, myjava was asked to play in the semifinal tiebreaker against powerhouse SV OU player xavgb. A firecracker of a game, myjava took it home with some key Skeledirge usage, alongside a timely Zamazenta Ice Fang freeze. While myjava lost in the finals to Storm Zone, his team brought home the trophy in the end, something that would not have been possible if he hadn't stepped up in their moment of need and performed so well.

3

Jisoo - SPL XIV

Why They're On The List: The Raiders, champions of SPL XIV, ended the season with two of their slots boasting a strong 9-2 record. The first of these players was McMeghan, long considered one of the site's all-time greats, who went for 22.5K in the auction. The other player was Jisoo, making his debut in Smogon's most prestigious team tournament, coming in with a price tag of only 4k. Having been bought to play BW OU, Jisoo entered the tournament off the back of a respectable Smogon Classic run, and earned a 6th place ranking in BW according to the analysts pre-tournament.

This average placing was nowhere near correct, though. Jisoo found himself facing a string of accomplished and veteran players, a far cry from the CV he'd put together prior to the tournament. Having defeated big names like soulgazer, Garay oak, and GaryTheGengar during the regular season, Jisoo did not look out of place whatsoever when facing off against players with significantly more experience. In the semis Jisoo was asked to first play against dice, widely considered one of BW OU's best players, before facing a rematch against watashi in the finals. The first-time SPL player managed to win both games, a key factor in the Raiders taking home the tournament that year.

2

-Tsunami- - SPL IV

Why They're On The List: It is somewhat uncommon for a player to play more than one or two tiers in an SPL season, never mind four different ones. It's even more uncommon for a player being juggled like this to come out with a glittering record. ShakeItUp, as he was known at the time, was not actually even drafted for the tournament. In an example of early-SPL rule bizarreness, MoP as the Sharks manager had originally bought Living Things before finding a way to nullify this purchase and swap him with Shake. As a perennial bench slot for US East, hopes were slim for Shake entering into the tournament, with few expecting him to be one of the standouts of this early edition of SPL.

Of course, he went on to prove the doubters wrong. With an undefeated record between four different tiers in the regular season and playoffs, Shake exhibited a level of malleable skill never seen in SPL before or after. Along the way Shake found himself up against formidable names that even the most practiced trainers might struggle against, like Lavos and Fakes in BW OU and EBeast and Problems in NU and Ubers, respectively. While the Sharks would fail to make it to the finals that season, Shake's debut SPL tournament reevaluated his position on Smogon as a whole, helping him move from a body on East's roster to a formidable and flexible player in his own right.

1

Gtcha - SPL XIII

Why They're On The List: There is no better example of a player taking their chance and running with it than Gtcha in SPL XIII. The Raiders, eventual champions of the tournament, managed to pick up Gtcha with a paltry 3.5k bid. Starting the tournament on the bench, Gtcha had barely a single mention in the pre-SPL power rankings, where the analysts thought he might be a bench option with the ability to go "even". Everyone would be proven very, very wrong though, as Gtcha never looked back once given a chance in Week 3.

If Gtcha's only contribution was his stellar regular season run, where he went 6-1 in SS OU against names like Luthier and Trosko, he still would have a claim to appear on this list. However, it's the post-season performance that elevates Gtcha beyond the rest. Gtcha's playoff run started with a brutal slugfest against the Ruiners' Ox the Fox. In a battle that looked like it could go either way, Gtcha managed to keep his cool and deliver a key victory for the Raiders, making incredible use of a Tapu Koko along the way. Gtcha would face dice in the tiebreaker for the semifinals, where he brought a quirky hail offense, and, after another nail-biting match, Gtcha ensured the Raiders were through to the finals.

The finals wouldn't be any easier for Gtcha, who now had the team resting squarely on his back. He faced off against suapah in a back-and-forth brawl with both players vying desperately to keep momentum. However, some excellent planning and patience saw Gtcha through to yet another tiebreaker, this time against heavyweight opponent bro fist. While Gtcha's run to this point was already one of the best ever, his victory over bro fist cemented an SPL victory for himself and his team, making this one of the most important matches of his Pokemon career. The best run for the best price in all of Smogon history, Gtcha deservedly takes #1 on our list.

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