ZeroUsed Premier League VIII Power Rankings

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Welcome to ZUPL VIII Power Rankings! With the introduction of the SmogTours Bo3 slot, composed of SV, SS, and SM, this edition of the biggest yearly team tournament in the ZeroUsed metagame is looking to spice things up. Habitual managers in new combinations, alongside old franchises returning, will surely make this ZUPL one for the ages.

Thanks to everyone who submitted their rankings and to those who helped write this article. Now, let's get straight into the team rankings!

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SV RANKINGS

Show Individual RankingHide Individual Ranking

1. Baddy
2. THE_CHUNGLER
3. Ruffles
4. Michael Jordan
5. Scarf Kricketune
6. plznostep
7. Leni
8. Micciu
9. One Last Kiss
10. aerobee
11. Tempo di anguria
12. PlayaBeavs
13. PTKmoekyuun
14. MemphisDepay
15. DripLegend
16. hxmo
17. hida
18. neomon
19. Kafkafka
20. brick
21. TwentyTwan
22. Cammellia白山茶
23. Gom
24. Dead by Daylight

The HAMSLAPS started their SV core with a 15k retain on Baddy, who is ranked #1 in the SV pool—and when you look at his recent records, it's easy to see why. Baddy went 6-2 in ZUCL I and followed up that performance with a 6-0 record in ZUWC III. There are few players starting in SV this tournament with that level of consistency, if any. Their second SV starter is Ruffles, who usually plays ORAS, but locked out this year to play SV. While his overall SV ZU record is a 1-2 from ZUWC II, this was before his low-tier SV arc, which resulted in a 4-2 PUPL, a 4-4 NUPL, and a 6-1 UUFPL, all in SV. Ruffles also qualified for the Smogon Grand Slam playoffs and made it to the quarterfinals. An ability to pick up various SV low tiers is sure to come in handy for ZU, and it's a characteristic that Ruffles shares with his teammate Leni. While Leni's ZU team tournament records only include a 2-2 SS ZU run in ZUWC III and a 1-1 record in ZUPL VII, he also qualified for Smogon Grand Slam, though he lost to Ruffles in Round 1. Leni is a tenured PU veteran, and he has a lot of experience in-game that he can leverage for success during this tour.

SV ZU council member THE_CHUNGLER is tied for the most expensive player in this auction. His most recent SV ZU tournament results are a 1-0 in ZUWC III and a 5-2 in ZUPL VII, but he's also managed to pull in a 5-1 SV RU record in RUPL and a 1-1 SV UU record in WCoP. Ultimately, his ability to play at a high level across Smogon, combined with his ZU team tournament success, lines THE_CHUNGLER up for a successful run this tour. He is joined by Scarf Kricketune in the Mossui Town Spiritombs' SV2 slot. SK is coming into ZUPL off a 4-2 ZUWC showing and a finals appearance alongside Team Latin America and a prior 3-4 showing in the top-heavy ZUCL SV pool. He also has a ZU Spring Seasonal win dating back to 2024, which, although a long time ago, shows that SK has what it takes to compete with the best of this tournament. Their SV core is rounded out with TwentyTwan, whose innovative hyper offense teams led to a ZU Rising Star win, which was unfortunately followed up with a 1-3 ZUCL record and a 1-2 ZUWC showing. In order to do well this tour, he will have to match his ZU Rising Star performance and not his recent team tournament performances.

The Sakura's SV core has three solid players, all of whom will greatly appreciate building support from Tuthur. Micciu currently sits with an overall 6-2 ZU team tournament record, with every game played in ZUWC II or ZUWC III, including strong wins in the latter over players such as diego and Monai. This record shows a lot of promise, especially with fellow French player Tuthur once again on Micciu's side. One Last Kiss recently achieved a 4-2 record in ZUWC III, reaching finals, and a 5-2 record in ZUPL VII. Their 3-3 UMPL and 0-1 UMCL records, if you only count ZU, aren't as notable, but with the support of Tuthur, they are likely to achieve another X-2 or better record. hxmo also achieved a 4-2 ZUWC record, but unlike the other two, this was his ZU team tournament debut, unless you are counting his 1-0 ZU record in UMCL. Despite this and his ZU Swiss semifinals run, he is the least proven player in this SV core, but given the strength of the other two with support from Tuthur, that says less about hxmo's skills and more about the core.

The Mega Launchers are starting plznostep as their SV1. They are a versatile player, having achieved a 5-0 in ZUWC III playing BW, a 5-3 record in DPP during ZUCL, and positive ADV records before those. While plznostep is less well known for their SV pursuits, they are no stranger to the tier, and support from both BloodAce and diego can assist in getting them up to speed on the current meta. PTKmoekyunn is also likely to need help from their managers getting caught up on the meta, as they haven't played SV ZU since last year's ZUPL, outside of the ongoing ZU Seasonal. PTK went 4-4 in ZUPL VII, which is particularly impressive considering PTK played for the Ragebait Raticates and didn't go negative. Once again playing under diego, PTK is expected to at least match their previous results. Their third SV player, brick, does not have any results in the tier. They are an NU council member who holds a 3-4 record in NUPL and has made various deep individual runs across the tier. With support from BloodAce and diego, brick has the potential to do well, but without any experience in the tier, it's equally possible that they do the opposite.

The Collective has three good SV players, but with their two highest-ranked players being ranked #11 and #12 and the team's only other sources of SV support coming from manager BaitWiz or possibly from substitute wooper, their SV core does not have a lot of room to underperform. Their first SV starter is WCoP winner and 3-2 ZUWC III finalist Tempo di anguria. Tempo lacks ZU tournament appearances outside of ZUWC but typically puts up decent results. On the other hand, PlayaBeavs has been involved with ZU for about a year now. Their first ZU team tournament appearance was for this team last year, and they ended with a 3-2 record. From there, PlayaBeavs has put up fairly consistent records: 4-3 in UMPL V, 0-1 in ZUCL I, and 2-2 in ZUWC III. In this less stacked pool, PlayaBeavs could be positioned to put up a strong positive record. Finally, The Collective has neomon in SV. While not a newcomer to ZU—neomon managed during last ZUPL and ZUCL—they don't have a lot of current SV ZU playing experience. He went 1-1 playing SV ZU in ZUPL and recently won 1v1CL with a 3-1 record, but this is as far as his recent experience seems to go.

The Butterfrees have OBB and risin_glory as their SV support, and with no experience in SV ZU, Pure Hackmons mainer aerobee will need that support. aerobee is a solid player who generally boasts positive records across team tournaments like NUPL, where they went 6-3 in SS NU, and the WCoP, where they went 2-1 in Ubers. As a capable player who is good at picking up various tiers, aerobee surely has the support needed to pick up this one too. hida does not lack ZU experience, having played in ZUWC II named as emre mor 9. He went 3-2 in the following ZUPL VII and came back for ZUWC III, ending up 2-2 in that tournament. While these results are nothing extraordinary, hida has been consistent in achieving them. Kafkafka rounds out this team's SV core, with only a 1-2 ZUWC record to their name (counting an act loss). Kafkafka also boasts a 1-2 WCoP record for China. While they are able to compete at a high level, their lackluster ZU results leave them ranked fairly low, and it will take an effort from their support if they're going to achieve a stellar record.

The Hakamo-os have three players with SV ZU experience, but their SV2 and SV3 slots lack in tournament experience. Michael Jordan is coming into this tournament off a strong 4-1 ZUWC record. His tournament records do include a 1-4 in ZUPL VII and a 2-5 in UMPL V, but these were before he was a ZU Circuit semifinalist and a ZU council member. As a strong player and competent builder with tier knowledge, he is expected to do well this tour. His teammates, however, have a lot more questions about them. Cammellia is a ZU ladder hero whose only ZU tournament record is a 0-3 in ZUWC II. They do have a 5-1 NFEPL VIII record, but like that ZUWC record, this happened a year ago. If Cammellia is to live up to their NFE record, they will have to reacclimate to the ZU meta and overcome their lack of tournament success. Their final starter, Dead by Daylight, is coming off a 3-1 ZUWC record after holding a 2-2 record in ZUPL VII with both wins being notable upsets (albeit beating Tuthur due to a Gunk Shot miss). However, Dead by Daylight lacks notable results outside of these tours—unless you count a Round 11 appearance in last year's ZU Seasonal, a loss due to bringing an illegal team in ZU Rising Star, or a 1-0 SV ZU record in UMFL. Dead by Daylight does have a lot of upside for someone last in the rankings, but whether he lives up to his ZUWC performance and matches last year's upsets remains to be seen.

The Morpeek-A-Boos' starting SV core lacks any seasoned ZU builders, and while they have solid players with results in other tiers, the combined efforts of HAVOCKNIGHT, Toto, Diagnostic, and Lafell will likely be needed to get their starters a solid SV team every week. Smogon Tour Top 8 player MemphisDepay does have ZU tournament experience, but his 3-3 ZUWC showing was in SS. He also has scattered SV ZU experience across UM individuals and team tournaments, but those occasional ZU matches were in a vastly different meta. If the Morpeek-A-Boos' support can get Memphis up to speed on current ZU, he should have no issue adapting to the tier. Their SV2 player, DripLegend, was one of the players in the recent PU Invitational, but his ZU career is less impressive. He achieved a 2-3 SV record back in ZUOL III, which was followed up with a 0-2 SV showing in ZUPL VII. Drip also won UMPL IV while playing ZU, with a 4-3 record, and played the tier in UMBD I, where he went 1-4. Drip has proven he has the skills to win in other tiers and can hold his own in ZU, but if his support is stretched too thin, he may not live up to his potential. Gom, unlike the other two starters, seemingly lacks even occasional SV ZU experience. Gom's recent tournament results include a 3-2 NUFL showing, an ongoing 3-1 record in the Ubers Challengers League, and an impressive 7-2 SV NU showing in BLT XIII. As the third SV starter on this team with no current SV ZU experience, Gom will either have to learn the tier quickly or rely on this team's already thin SV support.

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ST BO3 RANKINGS

He's a consistently solid SV ZU player, with deep runs in recent individual tours such as runner-up placements in the latest ZU Swiss and ZU Ladder Tournament. His SS is very strong: he won the latest SS ZU Cup and achieved an 8-1 record in the tier in ZUPL VI, and he now also has support from his co-manager clean. His SM is the biggest question mark, but that hasn't stopped voters from ranking OBB as the #1 opponent to fear in this slot. ZU mainstay OranBerryBlissey10 finds himself sitting at the very top of the Bo3 pool.

Toto, despite being ranked #1 in the ZU Hall of Fame above OBB, finds himself in #2 here below the Belgian. His SM is in shape, having scored a 4-3 record in ZUCL I and a 5-0 record in ZUWC III. His SS is also good, with a 4-2 ZUOL III record and 2-1 ZUWC II record in early 2025, and a more recent 5-4 record in SSCL I. His SV might be a bit rusty, though, as he has not taken part in an SV ZU individual since his ZU Seasonal win in 2025. Overall, Toto is a very fierce competitor, with records to back up his #2 placement.

Despite having the worst differential on the ZU team tournament sheet, diego is a very strong SV competitor, with recent individual wins in the latest ZU Swiss and ZU Circuit, as well as a 5-2 record in the tier in ZUCL I. He is no slouch in SS either, being a very prolific builder and holding an SS Cup win in 2024 and a 4-1 record in ZUOL III, though his most recent performance in the tier is a 0-5 record in ZUWC II. His SM skills remain to be seen, but he can count on support from his teammate MZ and his co-manager BloodAce.

Having played SS ZU since all the way back in ZUPL II, sky has achieved an impressive combined 17-6 record in the tier in various ZUPL editions. Their ZUPL success isn't limited to SS though, with a total 7-6 record in SV. They've also had success in other ZU tournaments, namely a 4-2 record in ZUWC II playing SV and a 7-2 record in ZUCL I between SS and SV. Their SM skills are still to be unearthed, but with btboy and mipc building support, they might be threatening even in this tier.

Shadow is one of the scariest SV faces in the pool, with a 6-0 record in ZUCL I and deep individual runs such as ZU Circuit finals and ZU Ladder Tournament semifinals. He has never played SS or SM in team tournaments, and even though he does have a recent ZU Triathlon win for himself, that is mostly due to his ORAS ZU success. Still, his experience in the tiers isn't non-existent, and his co-manager Tuthur is an expert in both of them, so he will be able to provide helpful support for Shadow's eventual success.

Greybaum is a ZU team tournament mainstay, having played SM in every ZUPL since the first edition, and having achieved positive records in all of them bar ZUPL VII. He even has more recent tournament play in the tier, with a 1-1 record in ZUCL I. However, he has not played SS since ZUPL V back in 2023, and he has never played SV ZU since the generation's start. It remains to be seen whether support from his teammates Yovan and Michael Jordan is enough for him to succeed in these tiers.

A common face in ZU team tours, seraphz finds himself ranked in 7th place, mainly due to not having any standout tournament runs: his best SV records are 4-2 in ZUOL III and 2-2 in ZUWC II, while in SS he has a 4-4 record in ZUPL VII, a 3-1 record in ZUCL I, and a 1-1 record in ZUWC II. His SM skills are unknown, but with building support in all three tiers from teammates such as BaitWiz, Pokeslice, and PlayaBeavs, he could still get more wins than expected.

In last place, we find Terracotta, a very potent SM competitor, with recent records such as a 4-1 ZUWC II, a 6-3 ZUPL VII, and a 2-1 ZUWC III. However, his SS and SV are massive question marks: he has never played SS ZU in team tours or individual tournaments, and his only SV ZU tournament experience is a Round 3 run in ZU Open earlier this year. With proper support, he might be able to perform, but as it stands, he finds himself last in the Bo3 Power Rankings.

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SS RANKINGS

With his glorious return to the Butterfrees, clean comes back to ZUPL as one of SS ZU's most consistent players and one of the best players site-wide. clean's placement at the top of the SS ZU rankings is hardly a surprise, with a blistering 31-16 overall team tournament record within ZU and consistent positive performances across every single ZUPL. He's proved himself as one of the best SS ZU players of all time, and his rating at the top reflects his status as the player to beat in the pool.

After Ninja's 6-1 record in ZUPL VII, many rate him as one of the strongest players in the pool, especially when factoring in support from managers Toto and 5gen. While he skipped ZUCL's first iteration, Ninja has historically been a consistent player within SS ZU with an overall positive team tournament record across ZU Olympiad and other editions of ZUPL even before ZUPL VII. Based on the Power Rankings, many feel that Ninja's prepared to make a similar run to last year and continue improving his team tournament record.

With a dead-even record in ZU team tournaments playing SS ZU, Mr. Limber Ditto has been drafted by his partner in crime, BaitWiz, to attempt another successful run within ZU. His ranking reflects his capacity to take out big names and his success in SS tiers outside of ZU, especially SS NU. The big question this tournament is whether he'll be able to put together a true breakout performance for himself or whether his 4-2 record in ZUPL VI will remain the best to his name.

While Shaneghoul may not be a familiar name to newer players within ZU, make no mistake; Shane is one of the strongest players in ZU's history. As a former Circuit winner when SS ZU was the current generation of competitive play, Shane's got more than enough experience in SS ZU to pick up right where he left off. The main factor preventing many from rating him higher is whether or not he'll be able to come back to ZU as strong as when he left, but if he can pick up where he left off, he could easily clear the entire pool.

Ranked identically to Shaneghoul, Yovan is another user returning to ZU, though in this case after a year-long tournament ban from ZU. Co-managing Apagogie's Hakamo-os, Yovan is aiming to prove his capabilities with plenty of prior experience within SS ZU dating back to when the generation was current. His middling ranking likely reflects the time he's spent away from the tier and his tendency to play other tiers like BW ZU in team tournaments rather than SS, so time will tell if he'll be able to translate his team tournament success from BW ZU to SS.

While crow crumbs' overall record within ZU team tournaments is lackluster at best, with a 0-3 record in ZUWC III, their experience with SS as a generation earned them a respectable 4-3 record in the first edition of SSCL playing ZU. With these performances being most of what crow is known for within ZU, expectations aren't high for them, but they have enough experience in the tier that they could be ready for a breakout performance.

Jojen's records within ZU are fairly rough, with a painful 2-10 overall record across ZU team tournaments reflecting the lackluster ranking he's received. His only success so far within ZU has been one win in SV ZU and one win in SS ZU, and he'll have to chase the latter alongside support from manager Tuthur if he wants to make rankings lie and establish himself as a competitive player within the pool.

As the newest player in the pool, fvkumean's only team tournament experience prior to this tournament consists of a rough 0-2 run in ZUCL and a 2-1 performance in ZUWC, with the latter being in SM ZU. With no individual tournament records of note and no other performances to date, fvk is a largely unknown factor within the pool, and many rate him poorly as a result. Ultimately, it'll be up to him to prove that he's got what it takes to take on the rest of the pool and make a name for himself.

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SM RANKINGS

Former PU tier leader MZ is one of the winningest ZU team tournament players, with a combined 42-18 record on the ZU team tournament sheet. Notably, he's an SCL starter, an accolade most ZU regulars lack. In ZUPL VII, he was the clear favorite in the pool, coming off a ZUPL VI where he went 7-1. This year, MZ is tied with a fruitshop owner for the top spot. ZUCL was an unsuccessful tournament for MZ, who went winless in SM. However, MZ dominated SM in ZUWC III with a 4-1 record.

Tied at #1 with MZ, a fruitshop owner (AFO) is a player that's synonymous with SM ZU. AFO was winning forum tournaments when SM ZU was the current generation. In ZU team tournaments, AFO usually finishes even or better in ORAS or SM, with a 4-4 record in the latter last ZUPL. Coming into this ZUPL, a fruitshop owner was a top SM ZU player in team tournaments like SMPL and ZUCL (4-0). AFO's builds are reliable and distinct, which further separate him from the field.

Compared to last year's Power Rankings, btboy jumps from #5 to #3 with plenty of experience in SM ZU. Last year, he achieved a 5-4 record in ZUPL. He clutched wins in the semifinals and finals of SMPL IV, continued to succeed in SMPL V this year, and went 5-1 in SM in ZUCL. While some may joke that he's washed up and others are shocked that he's not part of the Morpeek-A-Boos, the overall sentiment is that btboy is still a threat to contend with in SM.

Known on the site as a tournament player focusing mainly on Gens 6-8 PU, sugar ovens is a player with experience in SM ZU, having played it in ZUOL III and ZUPL VII. While their performances within SM ZU are limited to a lackluster 2-4 performance in the aforementioned ZUOL III and a 3-1 record in ZUPL VII, sentiment nonetheless seems to be that sugar ovens is a rather middle-of-the-road player within the pool.

Beka's appearance in the SM ZU pool is interesting as he typically plays more of a supporting role on the teams he joins, whether by managing with Tuthur to win ZUOL I or helping support the ZUPL VI Shiinotics to secure victory. However, he's done well as a player through his recent 3-1 performance in ZUWC III playing SM ZU and runs in individual tournaments like the SM ZU Cup back in 2023. Ultimately, voters seem to wonder whether Beka's performance in ZUWC was a fluke.

Kasp has two things to their name coming into this tournament—a 2026 join date and a Smogon Tour Season 38 playoffs appearance. They have already achieved results across different tiers—they are currently in the ORAS NU Cup semifinals, are 2-0 in SSPL at the time of writing, and they went 0-1 in WCoP. However, whether they are able to stack up against the rest of the SM ZU pool remains to be seen. With the support of Toto, Kasp may be able to win big in this pool, but the 2026 join date leaves a lot of uncertainty around their abilities.

While hex's typically a face found around PU more often than ZU, she has occasionally played SM ZU in team tournaments as well. However, she's historically had less than stellar results, most recently finding herself relegated to supporting in ZUOL III and ending up with a 1-2 record in ZUCL I. With her return to the Butterfrees, she'll have to find her footing as her own player within ZU and make standings lie if she wants to have a successful performance.

With a 3k price tag and a last-place ranking, expectations aren't high for eldids. In a stacked pool like this one, eldids is a dark horse. eldids is one of the only two SM players in the pool without ZUPL experience. He had a successful ZUWC III, winning in the quarterfinal and semifinal before losing to Toto in the final. With solid SM support from Tuthur and DugZa, eldids's teams should be polished each week. Outside of SM ZU, eldids is currently in Round 7 of the ZU Seasonal. All in all, eldids has lots of potential upside for where he's ranked.

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ORAS RANKINGS

Is it really a surprise to see HAVOCKNIGHT at the top of the ORAS standings when he's dominated every ZU team tournament over the past two years? With killer performances that helped his teams win ZUOL III, ZUPL VII (where he achieved a 7-1 record), and ZUCL I, HAVOCKNIGHT has established himself as the player to beat in ORAS ZU. The question seems to not be whether Havoc is on top of the standings, but instead whether he'll inevitably change his name again before the end of the season.

PU tier leader DugZa is a regular in ZU by this point, having played both ORAS and SM ZU several times in tournaments prior. This year, after a 4-3 performance in ZUPL VII and a 6-0 ORAS record in ZUCL I, he finds himself playing ORAS again, the tier that he has historically performed better than in SM. Voters seem to have faith in his capabilities to once again take on ORAS ZU and have an excellent performance against the rest of the pool, which is comparatively lacking in experience.

NoName6293 is an unfamiliar name to ZU, with only a 3-1 record in ZUWC III, but a familiar one to the greater Smogon site, being a regular starter in SPL, having solid performances in OU across multiple years and more recent dominant runs in low tier PLs, most recently winning NUPL XIV. Voters feel that despite being relatively green to the tier, his playing capabilities alongside support from longtime ORAS ZU player OranBerryBlissey10 merit a top three placing on the player rankings.

The Strap is a consistent tournament player who has never touched ORAS ZU before, having historically played mostly Ubers, with his most recent ZU accolade being a loss in BW during ZUPL V in 2023. However, he has historically dominated in most of the tiers he's played, so expectations seem to be set for him to perform reasonably well, especially with support from ZU tier leader diego and longtime ZU mainer BloodAce.

DD Joe isn't completely unfamiliar to ORAS ZU, having first become familiar with the tier in ZUCL I and having a reasonable 3-1 overall record, taking down established players within the tier like OranBerryBlissey10 in the process. DD Joe also played ORAS this past ZUWC, going 1-2 in the playoffs. With the support of 5Dots, DD Joe should have the tools to succeed if he can find ways to take advantage of the players currently dominating the tier.

HSBT returns to ZUPL as the starter for the Spiritombs after a 1-1 record in ZUPL VI. HSBT regularly joins individual tournaments in ZU and often makes decent runs. The jump from the ORAS Cup semifinals to being a ZUPL starter is a big one. HSBT comes into this season unproven at the highest level. Furthermore, he is known to use sample teams. Although HSBT has ORAS support from his manager Zpice, it may take HSBT some time to figure out teambuilding here, which could cost him some crucial early weeks.

Former ADV ZU tier leader BP finds himself tied for the bottom of the ORAS ZU pool because a 1-2 record in the latest ZUCL is his only performance in the tier. However, he has played it as far back as when it was the current generation, and it's likely that he's familiarized himself with the tier while managing team tournaments like ZUOL I and II. Whether BP will succeed ultimately depends on whether his record is but a shadow of his potential that the voters are failing to see or simply a reflection of the truth.

Charles A. Theist finds himself at the bottom of the ORAS leaderboards primarily due to a lack of wins within team tournament settings, with his only record being a 0-3 ZUPL VII. He most certainly has the knowledge to succeed, having been a council member for years and even being a former tier leader. However, without any noteworthy performances to date, players nonetheless don't rate him very highly. His performance will ultimately depend on whether he can turn his knowledge of the tier into a weapon or whether he'll remain a middling player at best.

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BW RANKINGS

The BW ZU tier leader sits at the top of the BW ZU pool. Who could have expected that? You, probably. After a 5-3 record playing the tier last ZUPL (and a 6-3 record playing BW last SPL), Monai returns to an arguably weaker pool to continue winning games on his home turf. Monai will likely be supported by Tizio and Terracotta, who both have a knack for out-of-the-box choices in the builder, making matchups even harder for his opponents should he choose to embrace the eccentricity. Regardless, Monai's experience, tier knowledge, and general consistency have left voters confident that he can repeat his past successes to finish at the top of the BW ZU pool (we don't talk about the Dwayne Gang).

It shouldn't be a surprise to see the DPP ZU tier leader in BW ZU these days, and skrimps' #2 ranking here is indicative of his success in the tier. He recently went 5-0 in ZUCL and 3-0 in ZUWC playing BW ZU, and he went 2-0 in his last ZUPL appearance in the tier. Skrimps' youth in the tier and lack of official tournament success put him just below Monai, but he is still expected to net wins against most of the pool with his proprietary SkrimpTech® movesets that seemingly always pay off. The only BW support on the team is btboy, who will have his hands full with SM, so skrimps' self-sufficiency will be put to the test alongside managing obligations.

Former BW ZU council member Xrn returns after an excellent 5-1 record in the tier last ZUPL. While their BW ZU team tournament play has been scarce, Xrn has cemented themselves as a formidable player across the website, thus finding themselves comfortably in #3. They might simply choose teams from their builder, outclick their opponents, and waltz their way to another winning record.

5Dots is playing the 5th Generation of Pokémon. His placement does make sense—he's not quite as proven in BW ZU as the top three, but he has enough reps in the tier to compete against them while confidently beating the rest of the pool. His 6-3 finish in his BW ZU debut last ZUPL is proof of that capability. The building support around him is thin, but his managers will be good for plenty of tests throughout the tournament.

Wesleyy is a new face to BW ZU, but their performances in BW tiers across the website have landed them in #5. They currently sit undefeated in the esteemed NFEPL Power Rankings. They'll benefit from teaming with SEA, who would likely be ranked at the top of the BW ZU pool if they wanted to play it. Some guidance in the builder may be all Wesleyy needs to net a winning record this ZUPL.

More recognizable in BW ZU under their previous name, Nara (formerly SBPC) returns to the pool after posting a disappointing 1-3 record last ZUPL. That said, Nara shouldn't be underestimated—they have good knowledge of BW ZU, and they've continued to engage with the metagame through supporting roles in other ZU tournaments. Their unconventional approach to building has the chance to catch any player off guard, so expect them to sneak a win or three by way of timely moveset reveals.

Indulge in dreams doesn't have any BW ZU experience to their name, but they're a quality player with a fair 4-2 record in ZU team tournaments altogether. They'll likely be supported by their manager, BloodAce, who has played a million BW ZU test games against skrimps, and plznostep, who recently went 5-0 playing BW ZU in ZUWC. Indulge in dreams will be susceptible to knowledge checks from the top of the pool, but it wouldn't be surprising to see them indulge in some wins by outclicking their opponents with a solid team.

In last place, we have PoseidonWrath. Their only BW ZU showing was the most recent ZUWC, where they went 1-2 in pools, but that record does belie some well-played games. They'll be susceptible to knowledge checks like the other newcomers to the tier, but they still have the potential to nab some wins this ZUPL, and support from BeatsBlack and HAVOCKNIGHT should help them find their footing even faster.

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DPP RANKINGS

Heysup finds himself comfortably sitting at the top of the DPP pool, and for good reason: he has been playing the tier since ZUPL I, with a combined ZUPL record of 30-12, and he never went negative in a ZU team tournament, with his worst record being a 4-4 ZUPL IV. However, his last appearance in the tier dates all the way back to ZUPL VI in 2024, so it remains be seen whether he is still the #1 opponent to fear or if the rustiness has gotten the better of him.

Plague is more of a newcomer to DPP ZU, but they've absolutely shown their worth: a 6-1 record in their ZUOL III debut and a 5-3 record in ZUPL VII have shown that they are definitely a name to be feared. Their recent 3-3 ZUCL I might appear a bit underwhelming, but they are now back on the same team as havocknight, with whom they achieved their first two records. They are without a doubt a force to be reckoned with in this pool.

HSOWA is another top contender in the DPP ZU pool, ending up in second place tied with Plague. His combined 14-14 record in the tier across ZUOL I, ZUPL V, ZUOL II, and ZUPL VI might not look too impressive, but in the latest ZUPL edition, he achieved an excellent 7-2 record, showing his true worth against a tough pool. He has now returned to Tuthur's management, looking to replicate last year's standout performance.

Hot off of a ZUWC win, Django comes in at a respectable #4. As a known competent DPP pilot, this is hardly surprising. Primarily known for his DPP OU skills in this generation, this experience is surely transferable to the lower tiers also, as he's shown with a 2-1 record in the last ZUPL. Django certainly has the historic records, accolades, and DPP experience to do well in this pool.

big tony 2014 is a longstanding face in ZU and is in great form at the moment. He's been dabbling in DPP ZU for a while, achieving a 4-1 record in ZUCL I, and is known as both a solid pilot and a creative builder, especially when considering support from his manager skrimps. Whether tony can consistently stand up to the top dogs in Heysup, Plague, and HSOWA is a slight question mark, but no doubt he will bring the heat and some entertaining games our way.

Tizio is another well-known ZU face and mainer. He has performed well across the board in old gens of late and has also had consistent results in SV ZU. While he is not known for DPP ZU, he does have a 2-0 record in ZUCL, and the backing of the mighty Zpice and THE_CHUNGLER to help him navigate these strange waters. His ability to win consistent games in this tier remains somewhat unproven, so this might be a bit of an uphill battle for him.

In at #7 is tier, a well-known tournament player who certainly has the ability to click accurately and win games. However, with very little experience in this tier, will the micro-interactions and tier knowledge be simply too high a mountain to climb this season? It's hard playing against hardened veterans, yet the pool is shallow enough for tier to swim and pull off a big upset despite his low ranking.

Finally, we have Finchely in #8. They are a long-term UM specialist with some good results across the board. However, next to the seven other names on this list, there are some huge question marks surrounding them. DPP ZU is a wacky and complicated tier to navigate as a newcomer, and they don't quite have as much star power as some of the other big names in the pool.

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ADV RANKINGS

Hachimaki has cemented himself as one of the strongest players in ADV ZU since he started playing, possessing a combined 16-4 record in all ADV ZU team tournament games since his debut in ZU Olympiad III. Hachimaki is widely considered one of the most knowledgeable people in the ADV ZU metagame, constantly presenting new ideas and sets that create many surprises for his opponents. Having been retained by the Hakamo-os, Apagogie and Yovan have placed a lot of faith in Hachimaki.

SEA is highly regarded as one of the greatest ADV minds of modern history, consistently achieving positive results in ADVPL and SPL. SEA's most recent experience with ADV ZU in a team tournament setting came during ZU Olympiad II, where she achieved a record of 4-0. Fans of SEA believe her ability to pick up and play ADV lower tiers will allow her to perform well during the course of this tour, while critics may worry about SEA's prolonged hiatus from ADV ZU affecting her overall ability.

BeatsBlack, despite being better known for other old generations, has been active in ADV ZU for a good while now, and he has held a position as a council member for many years. He was involved in ADV ZU during ZUCL, winning and losing one game apiece. He is very knowledgeable about the tier without a doubt, although some might question whether paying his hefty price tag to have him compete in such a stacked pool instead of his more usual generations of DPP and BW was really worth it.

Melninja is a long-standing member of the ADV ZU community who has contributed to the tier ever since the Gold Rush tournament and has thus gained a position as a council member. Despite this, he holds a somewhat modest record of 8-9 across all team tours for ADV ZU, with his best result being a 3-0 record in ZU Olympiad III. With invaluable support from his manager Zpice, the current ADV ZU tier leader, will Melninja have what it takes to finally get his breakthrough performance?

ZU mainstay LustfulLice has played ADV ZU in a team tournament only once before: during ZUOL II, back when the post-unfreeze meta was still very much in its infancy, where he achieved a rather unimpressive 2-4 record. He has been an active member of the ZU community for many years, being a strong competitor in other generations such as GSC or SS. Only time will tell whether this new ADV metagame suits him and whether he can get up to speed with metagame trends.

Having never played the tier before, you would think damien the genius would stand no chance in a stacked pool of players. However, the two-time SPL champion is known to be able to make magic out of any tier he touches. damien the genius also has long-time ADV ZU contributor BP as strong support, so it will be interesting to see how he performs during the course of this tournament.

Unofficial Metagames circuit champion Fragments is one of the more fascinating players in this pool. In terms of ADV ZU, he serves as one of the less experienced individuals in the pool, having only played one ADV ZU team tournament to date, going 4-3 in the most recent ADVPL. With that said, Fragments is known to pick up a format quickly and start performing, making him a potential surprise factor this tour. It should also be considered that Fragments has diego as part of his support cast, meaning he has players who can help him ease into the tour.

Zcarlett does not have a lot of recent ADV ZU tournament success—her current records include a 1-2 ZUCL I showing and a 0-1 ZUPL VII showing. She is better known for her old-gen LC success, with a 1-1 ADV LC performance in ADVPL and a 4-2 DPP LC showing in LCPL. While by no means a stranger to ADV as a generation or ADV ZU, Zcarlett doesn't have the same highs as the other players in the pool. Zcarlett also has support from wooper and bydy in this tier, but neither player boasts a stellar ADV ZU record either, so this scrappy bunch will have to combine their capabilities if they want to make a statement in this pool.

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Overall Team Rankings

The HAMSLAPS	55
Morpeek-A-Boos	48
Sacred Sakura	47
To Pimp A Butterfree	46
The Collective	45
The Mega Launchers	44
Mossui Town Spiritombs	43
Humilau Hakamo-os	40

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