Hi, I saw all of those nice posts on LC players and figured we were missing out on a UU one. While it should be obvious that my opinions aren't absolute or something, I think I could provide some insight on players and perhaps even some hidden gems for managers to look out for. Also for simplicity sake I'll be listing players that did put UU as their preferred tier(s) in their signup, so it's obvious that some tour players with SV experience like McMeghan or Finchinator can always be solid choices as well if the team somehow needs them in UU.
Tier 1
JustFranco
PDT
Punny
I think i can give pretty much the same writeup for those three, they're very accomplished players in the tier at this point and very likely will be retained by their teams or break the 20k pricetag, i don't see they going negative bar some very unlucky run.
Tier 2
Gonna be splitting this one into ''tour players'' and ''mainers'', which honestly is kinda vague considering there is some overlapping, but still should be what define those players better:
Tour Players:
Pearl - SM UU Titan and pretty much a strong and innovative player whenever he's around to play a tier, i don't know if he has played SV UU at all but he has been playing BSS/VGC in SV iirc so SV mechanics and general knowledge shouldn't be something in his way. For the boomers out there i don't think much need to be said about his capabilities to adapt to a new meta.
Sacri - Another player that had his ''UU peak'' in SM if i'm not mistaken, turning into a OU staple in SM and SS since then until his break from the game, returning some months ago and seemingly not dropping much the ability to win games. I don't know if he's gonna prefer to play OU and he hasn't really had that much to show in SV UU yet aside from Open, but he should have the overall ability to click and do well in UU if he decides to go for it.
zS - While not being someone historically tied with UU, he has been on a fire streak in SV OU recently while still being familiar with SV low tiers as a whole so it shouldn't be too much of a difficulty for him to pick up UU particularities.
Mainers:
Mimilucha - With the ''bigger names'' either being retained, managing or yet to signup (looking at you Bouff Lyssa passion ), Mimilucha rises up as a mostly consistent player throughout SS/SV UU with some strong performances in-between as well, winning the most recent UULT for example. He's someone who is always keeping up with the metagame and can be very smart in the builder using that knowledge he has, also got some experience in officials lately by playing in last SCL and WCOP.
Sabella - Perhaps could also be considered a tour player, but he has been involved a lot with UU since SS so i thought it'd be fine to fit him here as well. Despite some unfortunate games recently, he is still a very capable player that can do his own stuff and do well with them.
Tier 3
Those players could play UU at a solid level, but they're also able to dab into other(s) tier(s) as well if needed:
Avarice - hasn't actively played SV UU that much, but should be fairly in touch with it by managing/being involved with UU tours in general. A versatile player that could play pretty much any tier if your team ends up needing it, having some solid OU and NU performances in SV.
Colin - Although as far as I remember he doesn't really have a strong record track in UU, he has been decently involved with SV UU whenever there's a tour like UUPL/UUSD and is currently in Slam Finals as I write this post. While his run did come a fair amount from his RU performance (which is a tier he could play if needed) and originally being a LC player, he should be no slouch in UU if he can transfer that playability and find his groove in the tier.
Etern - Had some good showings in latest UUPL and WCOP and definitely seem motivated to play it again in this tour. While he is a long time NU player, he dabbled enough in SV UU to the point where i think his NU skills could definitely transfer into a solid performance in UU as well.
Robjr - While being heavily associated with SM when it comes to UU, he's the kind of player that could reasonably play almost any tier at a solid level, having prior experience playing UU in officials when SM/SS were current gens and even played SV RU in an official.
Tier 4
Mostly ''wildcards'' or ''higher risk'' options if i had to define them, that still could have good payoffs with appropriate support and/or environment:
AJ - While i don't rate him as high as most of the other players in this list at playing, he's coming from a solid Grand Slam run and has been involved with UU for years by now. While he's busier nowadays, he's still very passionate about this game and the tours he is in, so he'll definitely give his best for your team, be it with supporting or prepping for his own slot. Definitely should be a solid support option for most low tiers as a whole.
frankjosh - bro i thought you were retired wtf. Jokes aside, if he's motivated he could easily rise up a tier, being solid at playing and easy to work with for whoever you get as a support for him
Kate - Had a strong UU Open performance two years ago and occasionally plays UU tours being solid at them, so she definitely has what it takes to play UU if needed. However, she most likely will be playing Ubers/OU, but could definitely be a fine alternative if your team ends up needing someone to play UU throughout the season.
Shiba - 2025 Shiba. While being someone strongly associated with UU for years, his CG involvement is mostly sporadic. Still, he has managed to have a solid Grand Slam run, so he definitely shouldn't be too unfamiliar with SV low tiers in general. Might need some teambuilding support and/or filling in with tier particularities in general, but should be a solid pilot in them.
ThatOneApple - Perhaps not as consistent as some of the other options there, but he had some good highs in tours like UU Masters and UUPL and is overall knowledgeable of the metagame, being involved with it through most of SV. Although his lack of official tours appearances and being a fairly new player yet, he still should definitely be considered as an option for your draft as a cheap support.
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Might update this post once other interesting signups appear if i don't end up being too lazy.
PS: While not related to UU at all, and as you all might have seen the same thing being said in this thread at this point, I strongly recommend teams to consider drafting
Dugtrio Is Broken , he's easily one of the best teammates i have teamed up with in tours (counting officials and unofficials), he's a literal testing machine, very capable OU builder and is getting better and better at this game very quickly and will 100% do his best to help out his teammates.
