just wanna say back in 2023 just franco called act on someone and had a whole thread of hatred towards him, and was forced to play by the community this is no bias people just want to see olt gaming its only friday
I'm gonna take a different tone here. After initially calling act and facing the backlash, Franco said this:
honestly if i cant win top 16 w games im sure as hell not winning the trophy so yeah ill play the game either today or monday no act
And in response, arbiter of good Smogon karma ABR replied as follows:
major props to the franc for being open minded and not stubborn - you may have lost the series but your choices are not forgotten
Now, good reader, how did this story go? Well, since that fateful day in October 2023, JustFranco did the following:
- 4-3 in SV RU over the next seven weeks of SCL 2023
- Winner of UU Circuit 2023 Playoffs (as the 1st seed)
- 0-3 in SPL 2024 (we don't talk about that)
For the next half a year, the honour was for naught. The good karma was all going into the ribbon wins, but the sheet remained merciless. Perhaps righteousness on Smogon was dead. It seemed as though this game was meant to rewarded callous tactics above all else, the optimized state of scheduling violence and other such underhanded maneuvers a prerequisite for success in these dark ages.
But from that point on:
- 6-4 in SCL 2024
- Finalist of UU Circuit 2024 Playoffs (as the 3rd seed)
- 4-2 in SPL 2025
- Quarterfinalist of Smogon Tour 36 (as the 12th seed)
- 2-1 in WCOP 2025
-
Semifinalist of Grand Slam 2025 (as the 2nd seed)
- 1-0 in SCL 2025
So to anyone watching today's saga and wondering what fate has in store for those who take the individual tournament act win? Well...our data point of 1 suggests that for the next several months, tournaments will actually go great for you! Your team choices will hit favourable matchups and your Stone Edges will connect. Karma will turn a blind eye.
But fate will not forget when you act out of the goodness of your heart. And in the long run, when you decline the immediate gratification of the knave's win, the pulsing veins of source code that pulse through Pokemon Showdown will reveal themselves to you. From atop the mountain you will hear that to be successful, you must be wise. And to be wise, you must be kind. And to be kind, you must decide that the joy of competing and playing your best Pokemon is worth more than the win to you. For is your time truly so precious when that time is spent bonding with your Pokemon on the field of battle?
