Sm is in a really interesting spot rn. Some of the strongest SM players like Skype or Empo will probably not participate this year and overall the playerbase shifted a lot within the last years. There are also a few questionsmarks like other gen mainers who maybe want to step into SM this year (like Star or Zone) and also some great sm players who might step into other tiers like C0mp or Punny (?). So there´s maybe some space for interesting rookies who might deserve a spot. I´d like to introduce some of them, who might be under the radar for the managers.
Proftreez Probably one of the most influencial builders in recent years. Even though some teams are overcooked, or some squads which can be just piloted by hisself, his builds are overly great (founder of DMC base version). Especically in the current volatile meta, strong building skills are a great advantage. In addition Treez is also a strong player, as shown by a solid 6-2 SMPL record.
Kyo Some people call them "psychopath" and honestly I understand the reason. Kyo is a really "aggressive" player, who has still somehow consistency in their results. In addition, the builds are just crazy, probably too crazy sometimes, so maybe there should be some teammembers/manager who just stops them sometimes. But yeah overall really strong results: last year 8-1 OUPL, this year win of SM cup and finalist of Rising Stars. I think with the right teammates/managers Kyo can just be a beast.
Tenebricite As Always already said Tenebricite is a really solid fairy gen player, who can easily play in all masters tiers if needed, showed in a good top 16 Masters run (in my opinion he had the potential to win the whole thing, he made top 32 last year asw). In SM particularly, I think he is a great pilot who maybe needs more support than the other players in the list and is also a bit one sided, but paired with some good builders, he can surely perform, and also flex in other tiers, if needed.
Brandonlee1 Honestly I hate and love your overconfidence at the same time. When Brandon preps seriously, he is a really strong player. Over the past year, he has adapted his team choices a lot and made clear improvements. I think managers should watch Brandon´s replays and see how consistent his gameplay in general is. His masters out was really unfortunate and even if he doesn´t have the big results in the bigger sm team tours like SMPL or OUPL (just in Tours like Bangla PL) he has some individual results like winning the SM Winter Seasonal that confirms his ability as a player.
Fdmw One of the rising SM players. I think Kyrius made really big steps within this year. Especically his game planning improved a lot, shown in really good SMPL (5-1) and OUPL results (5-0). Moreover, Kyrius is a good builder, including a lot of interesting techs in his builds, which can be really helpful for SPL. I think the combination between being a really solid player and the building dedication can be a reason to perform well in SPL.
In general, I wanted to show good potential newcomers. Some great sm players like
Chiharu,
GeniusX and
Tace should be drafted for sure. I am looking forward to the SPL and all the coverage. :)