I wanted to give my thoughts on a small few prospective players in the ORAS OU pool. The pool is always stacked with powerful usernames, so I will concern myself only with players who may potentially not be guaranteed a slot this season, no matter if the odds of them going undrafted are 1% or 99%. I may edit or repost with new additions as merit and time allows.
Starting with players who have already played in SPL:
lighthouses
I have had the misfortune of having to play against lighthouses so many times over the past year that I think I'll crash out if I get paired up with this guy again. All this time, he's been a solid player with lots of creative builds. I got to witness this firsthand when we teamed up for ORASPL; lighthouses is a total machine when it comes to building teams and testing to find the right angle to take on his opponents, and brings a strong in-game as well. He's up-to-date with the metagame, and is currently seeing his efforts in the ORAS Circuit bear fruit as he fights in finals for the ribbon. I consider him a Tier 1 builder in ORAS OU right now. Above all, he's someone who enjoys playing Pokemon. Good buy.
BluBirD
I don't have much to say about BluBirD that isn't already known, but this guy has probably been one of my favourite builders in ORAS OU for the longest time. Any time I have a chat with him, I'm always blessed to lay my eyes on some new technology that should probably be illegal. He keeps himself engaged with the tier and has widened his repertoire of team-styles since last season. I think he has high ceiling, which was best demonstrated in his SPL XVI W1 game, which is still a great watch. He may still need to get his greed instincts in check though. Either way, he's another Tier 1 builder in ORAS OU and I believe he would be an asset to any team.
Savouras
An undeniably talented player, if a tad abrasive to some. The coach not being drafted last year seemed like a pretty big snub, but he's continued to play a strong game all year, with a unique approach to building and a penchant for churning out enjoyable content on his Youtube channel. A very consistent performer in the ORAS OU Invitational two years in a row now as well. Perhaps we could get some live SPL content this season too.
Now, onto a few "newer" faces:
Destro16
I'm not glazing you again buddy.
Please read my final RoAPL XI post for my experience with Destro16. Since then, he's only improved, with great results in WCOP and the ORAS OU Invitational, decisively taking down many strong players. Worthwhile sleeper pick for the eagle-eyed manager.
Tenebricite
I think Tenebricite has had a really great year across all generations. Making playoffs of both Classic and Masters is no easy feat. While many might know him more as a solid SM player, he's always been strong in ORAS OU, with his most recent ORAS OU Invitational results demonstrating this clearly. He's got a good sense for prep as well, and has a bonus clutch factor (Teamballo II - Kyoto Kingambits will remember). His WCOP debut was sort of marred by a death pool, so I think his sheet record is unrepresentative of his abilities. A potential draft that provides great value in quite a few tiers. Also makes Youtube content.
kingofking
The second big snub of last year. Howtow1n's still got it though, with a big individual win in this year's ORAS Summer SSNL and a presence wherever there's ORAS. Pretty good sustained performance year-over-year in my opinion, and playing against him is always bothersome. I know for sure that some SPL XVI teams were probably kicking themselves by the end for not grabbing a player like Howtow1n, so perhaps the same mistake will be avoided this season.
BENCHRIDER
The savior of ORAS OU Invitational and a sort of unconventional wildcard pick. While most would be more familiar with Hacker's escapades in the lower tiers, I happened to like their play during ORASPL and Masters as well. Would be interested in seeing if that might continue. Not sure about this new name though.
There are a fair few other underrated-yet-capable players who I could comment on, such as
awyp,
Hyssou,
Xurkiyee, etc., assuming they all sign up. For brevity however, I would just recommend those interested to check out the ORAS OU Invitational IV (and upper-bracket of Play-Ins) and 2025 ORAS OU Circuit Championship participants, which, for the most part, accurately captures the most performant and/or dedicated players this year. Obviously, these specific tournaments are more of a snapshot of the players as opposed to the end-all-be-all, but I have not yet found a better indicator of presence in the pool.
Lots of good options for those willing to look. To all SPL hopefuls this season, glhf!