won vs raiza gg
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8ou-857310
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8ou-857310
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Finals The World Cup of Pokémon 2025 - Finals [tiebreak @ #35]
- Thread starter UT
- Start date
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-857454
posizione perfetta, sgommata nemica, team italy nei guai, no te preocupes
posizione perfetta, sgommata nemica, team italy nei guai, no te preocupes
won, gg
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9uu-858068
special shoutout alla lolly per essere la mia più grande ispirazione
ITALYYYYY
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9uu-858068
special shoutout alla lolly per essere la mia più grande ispirazione
ITALYYYYY
kinda rich coming from US Shitwest am i right
US West (1) vs. (2) Italy
SV OU: Attribute vs. zS - from what I can see zS is 6-0 but Attribute is 3-1 with a stronger schedule. His records for the last two div 1 team tours is also really good, so I would bold him; West are in dire straits if he loses, I can't see them coming back in this tiebreak if that happens.
SM OU: emforbes vs. Empo - #1 in hof I don't think it's possible to not bold him here
SV Ubers: Frito vs. Punny - Frito wasn't picked last SCL but is currently 5-1 in this tournament. A lot of people mentioned going into this that Italy's tiebreak lineup is insane, and although the Ubers pick almost seems forced for West it's regardless a very smart pick by them. I think I would still favor Punny given his playing ability and familiarity with Slam tiers.
SV OU: Attribute vs. zS - from what I can see zS is 6-0 but Attribute is 3-1 with a stronger schedule. His records for the last two div 1 team tours is also really good, so I would bold him; West are in dire straits if he loses, I can't see them coming back in this tiebreak if that happens.
SM OU: emforbes vs. Empo - #1 in hof I don't think it's possible to not bold him here
SV Ubers: Frito vs. Punny - Frito wasn't picked last SCL but is currently 5-1 in this tournament. A lot of people mentioned going into this that Italy's tiebreak lineup is insane, and although the Ubers pick almost seems forced for West it's regardless a very smart pick by them. I think I would still favor Punny given his playing ability and familiarity with Slam tiers.
Strong TB and great series to expect, i think the italians will take it home but good luck to both regardless. 
just wanted to say some cool things about this tiebreak
west is using THREE players who have never played in a tiebreak before (maybe Emboarbes did a DOU one but we not counting that shit #LOL) while zS was picked for tb but didn't get to play (?) and Punny and Empo do have that clutch situation experience
Bute's been on a tear these past 3 tours with an insane record like 7-2 7-2 3-1 = 17-5 (win here would be like father like son lol.) so it makes sense that west is putting everything on him to clutch up. he's a secret tryhard and very smart in his team prep and play while having some of the best SV support available. zs also on a very similar streak of 6-3 6-3 6-0 = 18-6 (or 17-7 someone can fact check these records) in the past 3 tours while having the most dominant beatdowns in every game he's played this tournament thus far. this is a super high level TB and should be a great watch barring inevitable Cheese
Emboarbes cannot go a DAY without telling us "I beat Empo, have any of you ever done that?" but this is some REAL intense stakes, and if he wins this game we will genuinely never hear the end of it, so I'm conflicted on who to root for here cuz I like lil baston as well. Empo is obviously Empo, one of the scariest players for people to face but that ben gay support might be the deciding factor here (THE GOAT). probably one of the most hype SM OU games to happen since the gen left the main stage
this Ubers pick is pretty nasty and clearly caught Italy off guard (likely expected SV OU) and it does force Italy to put their superstar Santu on the bench despite an insane 7-0 record. Frito came out of nowhere and is playing very smart games with good prep, while Punny is historically one of the best LT players of all time. This'll be super interesting too and comes down to how Frito can clutch up first time on the big stage
also, I covered I think 6/10 games on my YT channel @laximus1, and I plan to cover these TB live if the times work out. looking forward to some sheist games as always
west is using THREE players who have never played in a tiebreak before (maybe Emboarbes did a DOU one but we not counting that shit #LOL) while zS was picked for tb but didn't get to play (?) and Punny and Empo do have that clutch situation experience
Bute's been on a tear these past 3 tours with an insane record like 7-2 7-2 3-1 = 17-5 (win here would be like father like son lol.) so it makes sense that west is putting everything on him to clutch up. he's a secret tryhard and very smart in his team prep and play while having some of the best SV support available. zs also on a very similar streak of 6-3 6-3 6-0 = 18-6 (or 17-7 someone can fact check these records) in the past 3 tours while having the most dominant beatdowns in every game he's played this tournament thus far. this is a super high level TB and should be a great watch barring inevitable Cheese
Emboarbes cannot go a DAY without telling us "I beat Empo, have any of you ever done that?" but this is some REAL intense stakes, and if he wins this game we will genuinely never hear the end of it, so I'm conflicted on who to root for here cuz I like lil baston as well. Empo is obviously Empo, one of the scariest players for people to face but that ben gay support might be the deciding factor here (THE GOAT). probably one of the most hype SM OU games to happen since the gen left the main stage
this Ubers pick is pretty nasty and clearly caught Italy off guard (likely expected SV OU) and it does force Italy to put their superstar Santu on the bench despite an insane 7-0 record. Frito came out of nowhere and is playing very smart games with good prep, while Punny is historically one of the best LT players of all time. This'll be super interesting too and comes down to how Frito can clutch up first time on the big stage
also, I covered I think 6/10 games on my YT channel @laximus1, and I plan to cover these TB live if the times work out. looking forward to some sheist games as always
US West (2) vs. (1) Italy
SV OU: Attribute vs. zS (51-49) even when writing the other two predicts, i didn't know what i'd predict here. two friends going at it, with very different reasons to favor them in this insane tb pairing. Bute has been on a nearly unrivaled team tour run since scl - 7-2 7-2 3-1. if he had 9 wcop games it isn't unreasonable to think he'd 7-2 again. this 3-1 indeed comes with very solid opponents, no backyardigans as he'd say. i'd say his record has been stronger than zS's, but zS has had a career tournament where he more or less has won most games with relative comfort. He's quietly been building his résumé and has had a solid run of tournaments for a while now, a road leading to this moment where Italy's all-time roster trusts him the most to carry the flag in tb. I think Bute is more proven, tho zS is extremely believable here & italy will absolutely make sure he is ready for this one, just as all of his games have been. In a tragic irony i think this game is gonna come down to who has a more playable MU, although I'd hope for a game where it's relatively even & both players can just duke it out. pretty unremarkable to say that i think it comes down to the SV, but it do be feeling that way. Ultimately I think zS hasn't looked insanely better than bute this tour & bute's body of work shows he's up for this moment. gl both.
SM OU: emforbes vs. Empo (45-55) this is the prediction i'm writing first. i'm currently 14-5 in predictions, yet two of those are incorrectly predicting emforbes losing. Those games were vs blunder & tricking, and now he faces empo. He's certainly been up against it. If you asked me prior to this tournament whether sv or sm was his better tier, i'd have said sm given his struggles in sv & great display in sm that one spl, where he did indeed beat empo. Nonetheless he's 5-0, 3-0 in playoffs, and ultimately has the 2nd best SV record of the tournament vs non-freebies at that. It's further worth saying that he doesn't seem like the type who would rattle in front of empo at all, even given the stage.
This is a lot of talk in a largely positive light for someone i'm predicting to lose. But with empo, how many words are really needed? the guy is emphatically him and although this trait is more evident in individual tournaments, i'd argue finals tiebreakers evokes a relatively similar environment to deep run indiv games. emforbes has been playing some of the better singles pokemon games of his life, but empo is looking as good at 6-1 where that just feels like a standard SM record for him. Given his sheet & indiv track record, he's unmatched at playing consistently great pokemon and i think that's where his real advantage comes in. You just know you're so likely to get an elite showing that will be tough to overcome, even tho I truly think emforbes is up to the task.
SV Ubers: Frito vs. Punny (52-48) the ramifications of lower tiers in wcop probably have never been so impactful as this moment, where italy more reasonably fields punny than finding a place for santu, who indeed is 7-0 & has had an alltime year for himself. Punny has also won slam & is more reasonably associated with lower tiers, although i can't pretend I'm familiar with his ubers prowess beyond "it's punny in lower tiers, he will be very competitive." It's a very interesting counterpick by west over sv, and honestly feels like the correct choice they made. Time will tell and mons is mons, ofc. Naturally this choice has been made easier by Frito having a great first outing at 5-1, beating entro & earning themselves a spot here where it matters most. I think favoring Frito again is correct, but the pressure of this spot seems pretty wild & punny is no stranger to performing under pressure at all.
current record 14-5, really memorable and cool tb. i wrote in my prior predicts that i'd favor italy in tb but i didn't really consider ubers, which again feels the correct pick to have a (slight) edge. don't have a personal pref, gl both
SV OU: Attribute vs. zS (51-49) even when writing the other two predicts, i didn't know what i'd predict here. two friends going at it, with very different reasons to favor them in this insane tb pairing. Bute has been on a nearly unrivaled team tour run since scl - 7-2 7-2 3-1. if he had 9 wcop games it isn't unreasonable to think he'd 7-2 again. this 3-1 indeed comes with very solid opponents, no backyardigans as he'd say. i'd say his record has been stronger than zS's, but zS has had a career tournament where he more or less has won most games with relative comfort. He's quietly been building his résumé and has had a solid run of tournaments for a while now, a road leading to this moment where Italy's all-time roster trusts him the most to carry the flag in tb. I think Bute is more proven, tho zS is extremely believable here & italy will absolutely make sure he is ready for this one, just as all of his games have been. In a tragic irony i think this game is gonna come down to who has a more playable MU, although I'd hope for a game where it's relatively even & both players can just duke it out. pretty unremarkable to say that i think it comes down to the SV, but it do be feeling that way. Ultimately I think zS hasn't looked insanely better than bute this tour & bute's body of work shows he's up for this moment. gl both.
SM OU: emforbes vs. Empo (45-55) this is the prediction i'm writing first. i'm currently 14-5 in predictions, yet two of those are incorrectly predicting emforbes losing. Those games were vs blunder & tricking, and now he faces empo. He's certainly been up against it. If you asked me prior to this tournament whether sv or sm was his better tier, i'd have said sm given his struggles in sv & great display in sm that one spl, where he did indeed beat empo. Nonetheless he's 5-0, 3-0 in playoffs, and ultimately has the 2nd best SV record of the tournament vs non-freebies at that. It's further worth saying that he doesn't seem like the type who would rattle in front of empo at all, even given the stage.
This is a lot of talk in a largely positive light for someone i'm predicting to lose. But with empo, how many words are really needed? the guy is emphatically him and although this trait is more evident in individual tournaments, i'd argue finals tiebreakers evokes a relatively similar environment to deep run indiv games. emforbes has been playing some of the better singles pokemon games of his life, but empo is looking as good at 6-1 where that just feels like a standard SM record for him. Given his sheet & indiv track record, he's unmatched at playing consistently great pokemon and i think that's where his real advantage comes in. You just know you're so likely to get an elite showing that will be tough to overcome, even tho I truly think emforbes is up to the task.
SV Ubers: Frito vs. Punny (52-48) the ramifications of lower tiers in wcop probably have never been so impactful as this moment, where italy more reasonably fields punny than finding a place for santu, who indeed is 7-0 & has had an alltime year for himself. Punny has also won slam & is more reasonably associated with lower tiers, although i can't pretend I'm familiar with his ubers prowess beyond "it's punny in lower tiers, he will be very competitive." It's a very interesting counterpick by west over sv, and honestly feels like the correct choice they made. Time will tell and mons is mons, ofc. Naturally this choice has been made easier by Frito having a great first outing at 5-1, beating entro & earning themselves a spot here where it matters most. I think favoring Frito again is correct, but the pressure of this spot seems pretty wild & punny is no stranger to performing under pressure at all.
current record 14-5, really memorable and cool tb. i wrote in my prior predicts that i'd favor italy in tb but i didn't really consider ubers, which again feels the correct pick to have a (slight) edge. don't have a personal pref, gl both
Extremely cool tiebreak: Italy went for the obvious choice, giving one of their best players his best tier, while West went for a tactical pick to corner Italy's options while trusting a relatively fresher player.
SV OU: Attribute vs. zS - both of these players are on outrageously good runs over the past year or so. Attribute has had one of the hardest schedules of anyone in SV [redacted, Poek, lax, Kebab] and has looked excellent; he seems to have tended towards a diverse array of offense, usually having a bulkier mon or two on board. zS' six (!!) wins have all been fairly violent - he typically delivers wins through aggressive predictions and precise lines on offense, though he has gone for significantly bulkier teams too. He has maybe the hottest hand in the tour next to Empo, but Attribute is his toughest opponent yet and has one of the strongest bodies of work in the tier. Building-wise I'm a fan of Italy's occasional big swings, but I think West's teams have felt a little more reliable in that I think it's less likely that Attribute gets an extremely difficult MU. These are two ace combatants and probably the best matchup to conclude a series of great matchups in the tier. Wishlist: no cheese, if I see a weather setter on Team Preview I'm gonna be upset. And let's click as few paralysis moves as possible on either side.
SM OU: emforbes vs. Empo - you always pick for Empo if you're Italy here, it's the most likely out of their top records to force a pivot from West and it's also goddamn Empo in SM. This is a super heat matchup. emforbes has solidly put a brief SV slump behind him with a commanding 5-0 record including wins over freezai, blunder, Tricking [he did get lucky here but Tricking also loaded four special setup cheesers] in which he's looked mighty confident. Not a single concern in my mind about him being away from SM for a minute, he's not just gonna forget how to be really good at it. What do you say about Empo at this point? He's played some of the best mons on the site for a long time now and Italy have given him his best tier. Most times you open an Empo game a few minutes late, all 12 are alive and game discussion is saying "yeah empo wins this 100%" and you probably think "yeah typical gd" but then they end up being right. This kind of pressure is nothing new to either player - can't wait to see how it plays out.
SV Ubers: Frito vs. Punny - I like this pick for West, it squeezes them into either making entrocefalo play a rematch he lost or pivoting in one of their Slam champions - either way it's harder to throw a random tour player into it like you would an oldgen. Notably, this boxes Santu out of tiebreaks: they maybe could have also achieved this by picking SV2 but I like where this went too. I'm not gonna lie and act like I've watched much Ubers since last year's stall thriller in finals, but Frito at 5-1 can't be a bad choice. I see wins over Icemaster, Lana, entro and think yeah they must be pretty good. This is their first sheet tour and the highest-pressure game of their career, though, and Punny has been around the block before with WCOP and Slam trophies to their name. I don't think any of their trophy tour work has included any Ubers, but one imagines a Slam winner can get ahold of SV Ubers fairly easily in a mons-is-mons sense. Back to the picks: the fact that they were confident in Ubers over SV2 or something yet more esoteric tells me Frito is also ready for the moment.
I am personally cheering for West but either would be beyond deserving of the trophy. Italy has one of the most accomplished rosters on the site and West's whole team has been on a meteoric rise over the past couple of years. Bring on Sunday.
SV OU: Attribute vs. zS - both of these players are on outrageously good runs over the past year or so. Attribute has had one of the hardest schedules of anyone in SV [redacted, Poek, lax, Kebab] and has looked excellent; he seems to have tended towards a diverse array of offense, usually having a bulkier mon or two on board. zS' six (!!) wins have all been fairly violent - he typically delivers wins through aggressive predictions and precise lines on offense, though he has gone for significantly bulkier teams too. He has maybe the hottest hand in the tour next to Empo, but Attribute is his toughest opponent yet and has one of the strongest bodies of work in the tier. Building-wise I'm a fan of Italy's occasional big swings, but I think West's teams have felt a little more reliable in that I think it's less likely that Attribute gets an extremely difficult MU. These are two ace combatants and probably the best matchup to conclude a series of great matchups in the tier. Wishlist: no cheese, if I see a weather setter on Team Preview I'm gonna be upset. And let's click as few paralysis moves as possible on either side.
SM OU: emforbes vs. Empo - you always pick for Empo if you're Italy here, it's the most likely out of their top records to force a pivot from West and it's also goddamn Empo in SM. This is a super heat matchup. emforbes has solidly put a brief SV slump behind him with a commanding 5-0 record including wins over freezai, blunder, Tricking [he did get lucky here but Tricking also loaded four special setup cheesers] in which he's looked mighty confident. Not a single concern in my mind about him being away from SM for a minute, he's not just gonna forget how to be really good at it. What do you say about Empo at this point? He's played some of the best mons on the site for a long time now and Italy have given him his best tier. Most times you open an Empo game a few minutes late, all 12 are alive and game discussion is saying "yeah empo wins this 100%" and you probably think "yeah typical gd" but then they end up being right. This kind of pressure is nothing new to either player - can't wait to see how it plays out.
SV Ubers: Frito vs. Punny - I like this pick for West, it squeezes them into either making entrocefalo play a rematch he lost or pivoting in one of their Slam champions - either way it's harder to throw a random tour player into it like you would an oldgen. Notably, this boxes Santu out of tiebreaks: they maybe could have also achieved this by picking SV2 but I like where this went too. I'm not gonna lie and act like I've watched much Ubers since last year's stall thriller in finals, but Frito at 5-1 can't be a bad choice. I see wins over Icemaster, Lana, entro and think yeah they must be pretty good. This is their first sheet tour and the highest-pressure game of their career, though, and Punny has been around the block before with WCOP and Slam trophies to their name. I don't think any of their trophy tour work has included any Ubers, but one imagines a Slam winner can get ahold of SV Ubers fairly easily in a mons-is-mons sense. Back to the picks: the fact that they were confident in Ubers over SV2 or something yet more esoteric tells me Frito is also ready for the moment.
I am personally cheering for West but either would be beyond deserving of the trophy. Italy has one of the most accomplished rosters on the site and West's whole team has been on a meteoric rise over the past couple of years. Bring on Sunday.
Il Sole e la Luna
Il sole ardente nel cielo sta,
la luna fredda in silenzio va.
Non si vedono mai, sono lontani,
ma si cercano ancora, come due stelle gemelle
Lui brucia forte, lei brilla piano,
un tempo vicini, ora stanno lontano.
Il sole al tramonto la chiama invano,
la luna risponde con un raggio strano.
Ora distanti, ma un tempo alleati,
oggi rivali, nei cieli stellati.
Si guardano attenti con calma e rispetto,
il loro legame rimane perfetto.
Così lontani ma in equilibrio restano,
due mondi opposti che pace attestano.
Nella distanza si trova armonia,
il sole e la luna, eterna poesia.
Il sole ardente nel cielo sta,
la luna fredda in silenzio va.
Non si vedono mai, sono lontani,
ma si cercano ancora, come due stelle gemelle
Lui brucia forte, lei brilla piano,
un tempo vicini, ora stanno lontano.
Il sole al tramonto la chiama invano,
la luna risponde con un raggio strano.
Ora distanti, ma un tempo alleati,
oggi rivali, nei cieli stellati.
Si guardano attenti con calma e rispetto,
il loro legame rimane perfetto.
Così lontani ma in equilibrio restano,
due mondi opposti che pace attestano.
Nella distanza si trova armonia,
il sole e la luna, eterna poesia.