1) Gible – bagel, DaAwesomeDude1
I had the luxury of having bagel in my DPL chat last year, and even though it was for a short period, they impressed me with their insight and hard work. They finished 5–3 last year and won OSDT despite starting off, I believe, 1–2. I don’t think I need to sell anyone on this one: bagel will work hard, practice a lot, and make the right plays in-game.
The only concern is that bagel does sometimes reuse builds they favor, which could be exploited. Still, I expect them to do very well this year. Joining bagel is their fellow
i’s captain, dad1! Not only is dad1 a great chat presence, but he’s also been quietly grinding and doing well in multiple circuit tournaments. He made top 16 in OSDT and is just a solid player in general.
This core is honestly great—the only fear again is the building side, as I know dad1 doesn’t build his own teams. Definitely my number one in the pool.
2) Foxes – Ann, umbry (manager), Xrn (manager)
Ann finds herself “alone” this year, with her support coming in the form of two of the best DOUers of all time as managers. I think Ann is a solid pilot who I rate pretty highly. I don’t actually know much about her building as she’s in a group with Akaru and SMB, so I’m never sure if it’s a joint effort or if one person takes the lead.
That said, she still has umbry and Xrn. I think umbry will be more focused on other tiers since she doesn’t play much SV DOU, but her insight is still priceless in a tournament like this. Xrn is also great at spotting team weaknesses, so they should always have strong builds going in.
Maybe not the flashiest, but they’ll be solid. If they can get fairly even matchups, Ann is strong enough to outplay a good portion of the pool. She’s had slightly less impressive showings in her most recent SV DOU appearances, but I think she has the environment to perform at the level we all know she can here.
3) Dynamos – EternalSnowman, Grandmas Cookin
This one is a little weird for me. I think ESM is still a very solid player, but they haven’t looked as dominant as they did last year. They aren’t performing poorly, but it doesn’t feel like they’re quite as far ahead anymore. Going from x–1 to anything worse will look like a drop-off, but they’re still good.
Joining ESM is another long name, GMA. This is probably one of the best supports you can have! GMA likes to grind out builds and can play at a high level. The weird part is just how these two function as builders. ESM runs teams that only they would cook up and rarely pivots off that style. GMA tends to find a Pokémon or concept and stick with it for most of a season.
This could either go great if they find harmony in their building, or it could clash, making it harder for them to iron out their ideas. Either way, the duo is strong thanks to their experience and overall playing ability.
4) Machines – ratpacker, sir jelloton
Ratpacker is finally in SCL! I’ve always rated him highly as a player, even before he knew about the tournament scene and we’d fight a lot on ladder. There isn’t too much data on him, but what we do have is enough to prove he’s a top player. I’ve also seen his builder before and… he builds a LOT. Some of his ideas may be questionable, but for the most part his builds are unique and well-structured. This is probably the slot I’m most excited to watch this SCL.
Joining him is sir jelloton, who I’ve had the chance to team with. I’d say jello is fairly solid, sometimes prone to make unorthodox plays in situations you normally wouldn’t, but still talented. He also builds, so they shouldn’t have an issue getting teams out.
The biggest issue is that this is their first OTT, which could hurt them in prep. I could see them making solid builds but getting caught off guard by someone exploiting their tendencies. Still, ratpacker is very strong and willing to use all kinds of styles, so I expect them to do well.
5) Terrors – zee, kunal2 (manager)
I’m a big fan of zee—they always have cool and unique ideas in the builder. They know how to play too, consistently going far in basically every DOU tournament. They won the most recent seasonal after, I believe, getting second in the one before? I might be misremembering, but I know zee always performs well.
With that said… this is SUPER risky. I rate zee highly, but they’ve always had some sort of mental block when it comes to SCL. I don’t know why, since they’re clearly extremely talented in all aspects, but they just haven’t been able to close out games.
Their last SCL games were a few years ago, though, and after supporting Spurrific to an impressive 8–1 record, it’s clear they know how to prep and build for this setting. Maybe the break is what they needed, and this year they’ll hit the form we all know they can. This slot could easily go top 2 if zee finds their footing, but it’s a huge risk with no backup.
Kunal can’t step in since he’s managing, but I think he still builds and plays at a fairly high level, so zee will at least have someone to bounce ideas off of. This is definitely the slot everyone will be watching in the first few weeks. If zee starts off strong, the whole pool will be on alert.
6) Spartans – Akaru Kokuyo, Schister
Akaru has been fairly busy, and because of that he’s taken a step back from a lot of SV DOU tournaments. With a quiet season, you’d think he should be lower, but I still rate his building and experience pretty highly. From what I’ve heard, he had a big role in the builds that his players used throughout DPL, so prep shouldn’t be an issue.
He’s also played in this tournament a few times now, and while his results haven’t been as good as some of the players above, he’s proven he knows how to win. Schister is someone I don’t know too much about besides some good results. I’m assuming Akaru picked them for a reason, so it’s possible they build, which would help lighten the prep load.
That said, this spot is a bit questionable: if Akaru struggles, I’m unsure if Schister can step in and hold up at the SCL level. It’s happened successfully before, though, so who knows.
7) Islanders – Feyy, srvoltmike
Feyy is back! They had a pretty solid DPL this year, but outside of that I don’t know if they’ve done much. I also don’t know if they build, so it’s hard to rate them there. They’re partnered with srvoltmike, who I’ve seen around in tournaments, but from what I’ve seen his results aren’t at the same level as some of the others here. I also don’t know if he builds, so again it’s tough to rate this duo.
So why do I have them at 7th? Honestly, because Feyy feels like a less risky pick to get wins. They have SCL experience, where they did fairly well; they won a whole OSDT; and they went positive in DPL. When it comes down to it, I think they can thrive in this kind of tournament. That said, this is the placement I’m the most unsure about.
8) Shoguns – SEA, eragon
SEA is VERY eager and excited to play. She’s new to DOU but had a solid DPL despite that, proving she can beat seasoned players in a team tournament setting. SCL is a much different field, but SEA has experience in this kind of environment already.
She still has some kinks to work out in her play and plenty of room to grow, but this is the place to do it. The best players in these tournaments tend to be the ones who grind the hardest, and SEA has the drive. The biggest issue is teambuilding, but thankfully she has eragon.
I’d say eragon is a solid player, but I especially respect him as a builder. He had a big hand in building a lot of West’s teams in DWCOP and stays on top of the meta. That lets SEA focus on grinding her play while eragon supplies her with different team styles to find what clicks. I think this core can do well, but I can’t put them higher until they prove it. Still, I can’t wait to see how they do.
9) Breakers – MADARAAAA
Madara is a very talented player. In fact, I think he’s one of the best SV DOUers around. I don’t actually know how good he is in the builder, though. I’m sure he’ll get some outside support, but it’s hard to get consistent motivation from someone not actually in the tournament.
I do think Madara has what it takes to outplay a lot of people in this pool, but with the skill level being so even, a lot will come down to matchups. Even if he outplays his opponent, if the matchup is too unfavorable it could still result in a loss.
That said, Madara is super talented, and if the prep issue gets sorted out this placement could rise quickly.
Platoon - Nails, Hasayo (manager)
Gible - bagel, DaAwesomeDude1
Dynamos - EternalSnowman, Grandmas Cookin
Breakers - MADARAAAA
Machines - ratpacker, sir jelloton
Terrors - zee, kunal2 (manager)
Spartans - Akaru Kokuyo, Schister
Islanders - Feyy, srvoltmike
Shoguns - SEA, eragon
Ann vs zee 
CRATERMADE.