Really sad to see tycarter and shing not getting a chance, but thats how it goes I guess, some get their shot and some dont. You both still fire
It caught me off guard to see people wanting/anticipating me to be drafted in SPL. Usually, it's easier to take the compliments and move on, but I've read so many comments about me being in SPL before and the aftermath, and I don't understand why I deserve it atm, and I mean that in a genuinely confused way. My self-awareness pretty much tells me there's just more needed improvement to do before trying(results, building, and mindset don't suit for SPL atm), especially when I am very dissatisfied with certain things that need to be resolved. Can't use simple words to tell how happy and thankful y'all make me tho, as I did sign up after being encouraged by ppl like PDC wanting me join in SPL. Maybe this paragraph wasn't worth saying, and I may delete it later, but it just didn't feel right to ignore it. I'll say I'm glad to see I did make somewhat of an impact on the playerbase, even if my purpose with DPP OU is just figuring out to see where the tier is going bc they got my favourite mons.
Moving aside... Since Bruno made his list, I figured it'd be nice to make my quick one as well.
1. Void
Have to give respect to the current strongest Bo1 DPP player in recent years, especially for maintaining such consistency with rare, bad losses. Not sure who he will get support from if Osgoode isn't helping him or if he's building for himself. Mainly because that factor determines whether he's staying positive or not, but I expect him to perform well and take at least three losses since he's one of the best gatekeepers against weaker DPP players.
2. Marcop aka Gilbert Arenas
Showing a strong performance at DPP Revival by winning the tournament, and with PDC support, I don't think he's taking losses besides, like Void, Eve, Lady Bug, and maybe Marshall. I think it'll only go wrong if PDC's preparation goes wrong vs his opponents, or Marcop makes one major mistake in the game.
3. Eve aka Pideous / Pixie909
I'll always have a big bias on Eve, and it's hard for me to rank her outside of the top 3. But I cannot be so sure she ends up with the best W/L score. Her performance on her last SPL has made me question whether she can keep the dominance she has from Bo3. There's also the nerf of Loom, which was one of her preferred mons to use in tours, so I'm very curious how she will adapt to this change. Obviously, her last SPL was her first, so I hope she performs well that it represent her right. Pixie is also a very strong support/test partner that's capable of beating anyone in the 4-10 range.
Pretty much everyone up here should be evenly close against each other, and should have a strong gatekeeping ability to not lose games vs people below. The ones below the gap are closer than you would think, but have some drawback that holds me up to put them high.
4. Lady Bug
Probably a hot take, but I'll have him up here since I think he'll perform much better than last SPL, aka when he just recently came back to the competitive mons. Just see this rank as a biased one, since in the early half of 2025, I encountered him a lot in ladder games, and as a teammate in ADVPL. And my bias comes down to the fact that he's a really goddamn good player that can beat anyone in the playerbase. The only thing that puts him below the others is his lackluster result, and I don't think he has the strength to gatekeep weaker players compared to the top 3, aka, which means he's easier to be upset while the others are much more difficult to prepare against generally. Overall, I do expect him to be positive or, at worst, stay neutral.
5. Groudon / M Dragon(Would be moved to the top list if playing) / Lazuli / Sheik / Garay Oak
The reasons why I put him below Lady Bug, despite Groudon having clear advantages is mainly what I saw from him in the last SPL. If you wanna ignore my obvious bias to Lady Bug, there is some stuff I've got on Groudon at least. He brought way too much offense to my liking, and some of them folded to
Sub Zapdos(opponent could have won more if he spammed sub), smth that ppl tends to spam more in the middle of the week. He's not a bad pivoter, but there was something that raised my eyebrow, like his game vs BKC at the Semifinals bc there were certain scenarios that shouldn't have happened IMO(like t13-14 ish). The offensive teams he's bringing may also be nerfed, as well removal of sleep centralization, may make him more vulnerable to getting hyper prepped by certain stall types designed for his playstyle. But I can easily be wrong, especially if the supporters give him teams that have different angles from the last SPL. Again, he got positive and took strong wins for a reason. Just him having a better performance from last SPL makes him an immediate threat.
As for others, real quick...
M Dragon is with the top 3 guys for similar reasons as the top 3, just he's more prone to bring older teams if the prep doesn't align with his buildings. Lazuli is below Marshall/Malekith bc, while he has continuously taken strong wins(like 2-0 vs PDC in Bo3 format), his teams are more prone to being prepped, and those teams kinda feel like too reliant on being flowcharty, and sometimes the structures don't give him the strongest tools to outplay. Sheik is a strong pivoter, but I think he's just someone who plays the tier but doesn't build that much(lmk if I'm wrong) in a way where you can't play the game. If the opponent gets the option to maneuver around vs him, that's where I think he will struggle to play against, mainly vs the top 3, though. Don't have enough info on Garay, and he will most likely play ADV unless Sheik is playing ADV in cases where Garay doesn't succeed.
6. Marshall.Law / Malekith
Doesn't really feel right to put them so low. Both of them are extremely efficient in using the surprise aspect to the highest degree that I'd believe they will bring the most heat ass teams, both offensive and defensive teams that cannot be normally prepared. What could go wrong is if the momentum isn't going well for both of them. I feel like their mentality, mindset, and motivation are more prone to being affected than most other players, and if that goes wrong, they will struggle. Such as getting haxxed, unfortunate MU, and just frustrations that linger with them throughout the weeks. So something like an "all or nothing" type of core. I'll say I do want them to succeed, because I'm excited to see what type of saucy shit they will bring(please do not repeat teams marshalll...) to this SPL. People like these two are a nice breath in the tier.
1-6 are close to beating each other. What differs is the gap from 7-10, how far it is vs the ones above. 7-10 has a good chance to upset players at 4-6, but vs 1-3, it would take a lot of factors to break through their wall and take the victory.
7. SFG
A veteran at that point that's unfortunately known to be unlucky at the worst times, lmfao. He in SPL has always been shaky in terms of results, but he's definitely someone who can make upsets and stay positive by the end of the season. I'm very excited to see how he and Elodin approaches against the tier when the spore does lead to more defensive structures. I know for sure he's spamming lefties Metagross on over half of his teams since Loom is gone :P
8. Tizio
A very mood-dependent player, I'll say on that. I think he may struggle pretty hard vs ppl that will force him to play in the long term, but I think with strong support and practice games from Fakes and Dababy(one of those hidden support goats) and good motivation, he's a good chance to stay positive <3
9. 199 Lives
An old school player who's back at SPL again, and we love that! I wished I ranked him much higher, though, but I think he needs to push himself more as a player and plays to win here. He's a strong player who can gatekeep players out like 7-10, but pretty much everyone above him is capable of keeping him in check, and it comes down to whether he's managed to get the right turns and avoids matchups where he gets worn down. He has some support from ppl like Larry, Stone_Cold, and OmbrArch, but man, he will struggle. But hey, if he proves to me I am wrong, I couldn't be happier since he's the player I cheer out the most. Best of luck with your return to SPL once again, 199 <3
10. Skyrio
Geniunly one of the weirdest players for me to predict. Skyrio's a player that's 100% reliant on others, but the support synergy with Twash and Laurel may not be just there. Twash has a way too different approach that isn't so natural to most pivoters, and Laurel's structures can be a hit or miss at times. Maybe Skyrio will also get outside support, considering French players
ALWAYS support each other. I'm just curious how Skyrio will prepare for defensive teams, and if his gameplay can make up for the 100+ turns that's bound to happen. Being in last place isn't necessarily a bad thing, nor is it completely right. 7-10 can be easily adjusted based on the values you have on ppl here, and for me, I think Skyrio will have the hardest time vs most people in the field. Again, just weird, and I'd not be surprised if putting him may backfire on me. But again, prove me wrong i'd love that :)
The DPP playerbase has always tough competition for new people to get drafted, so it's not a shocker for me, although lfg Lazuli!!!!
But I seriously hope Tycarter gets drafted next year. One of the hardest-working players I've talked to in this tier, and the effort he has put in behind the scenes is more than you'd expect from the average player. I was pretty upset to see him not get into SPL. But I suppose he needs stronger wins in more important tournaments, so maybe things will change for him next year... <3
