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Tournaments ORAS Battle of the Week - SPL XVII Edition

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Ruffles

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Every week we will highlight our favorite match of the week from any on-going tour. There will be a minimum of 1 battle per tour and a maximum of 5 games per week highlighted.

ORASPL Week 1
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Ubers - keys vs. The Strap
Both of these players are highly regarded ORAS Ubers players that have missed ORASPL 2024. TheStrap in particular had a memorable season in ORASPL 2023, ending up as the 2nd best record with 5-1. Meanwhile Keys only played 3 games of Ubers with a 2-1 record, but perhaps much more relevant, had a recent stellar performance in ORAS Undergrounds with a perfect 5-0 record.

DOU - bagel vs. eragon
Eragon is the undisputed goat of XY DOU last year, as he went 7-0. In a tier where most people prefer to play teams that have become standard, Eragon chooses to continuously innovate and churn out creative teams that have been banger after banger. On the other hand, Bagel is a consistent DOU player who went 3-1 in XY DOU in the most recent DPL. Far from someone who should be underestimated, but going up against the XY DOU goat, can he pull the upset?

OU Bo3 - Metallica126 vs. ACR1
Both of these players are SPL starters with positive records. Although neither of them have started ORAS in SPL, both of them extensively play ORAS. Both play in many forum tours such as RoAPL and ORASPL, but ACR1 particularly finished 2nd place in the 2024 ORAS Invitationals. Both known for their aggressive plays using offense, be sure to tune into this heated match!

OU - Always! vs. Destro16
Always and Destro stand out to me as on the come up ORAS stars. Both of them have wins against big names under their belt, both of them bring unique builds that are hard to predict, and both of them tend to be underrated. In the builder, I'd give the edge to Always!, but in the game, I'd give it to Destro16. This match will perhaps give us more insight on the lifelong debate of teams vs. plays.

UU - dunoks vs. col49
Dunoks holds a 2024 ORASPL record of 3-2. Col49 holds the best GSC record in UUPL, with a stellar 6-1. Although Col49 does not have any recent ORAS UU records, I was told by multiple UU mains that he might be the best in the pool after Pak. Will someone who has more experience in ORAS UU like Dunoks have the advantage? Or will it be Col49? Personally, as long as the 49 doesn't stand for age, I think they might have a better chance.

RU - xXcrossbowXx vs. LBN
Crossbow went 4-4 in SM RU in RUPL, and 4-3 in SS RU in RUGL. Meanwhile, LBN went 5-2 in SV RU in RUPL, and 5-3 in BW/SS in RUGL. Although neither of them have recent ORAS RU records or have started in the last two ORASPLs, both are great RU players that have great potential, and I will be personally interested in their journey.

NU - Ninja vs. kiru
Kiru (Roxie), an ORASPL manager and ORASPL 2024 record holder of 3-2, is going up against Ninja, who has not played in either 2023 or 2024 ORASPL. However, he holds the record of 6-2 in NUPL, in DPP. A great DPP NU player vs. a very consistent ORAS NU player, who will win?

PU - asa vs. LpZ
PU tier leader Asa vs. BW PU enthusiast and addict LpZ. Neither of them main ORAS PU, but both of them are highly regarded in the PU community. This is a battle that will surely be interesting to watch.

ZU - 5gen vs. 5Dots
There is no context needed here whatsoever. Two players that start their name with "5" playing the same tier. Rumors say that loser has to change the 5 into 4.

LC - Extinct! vs. Raichy
As someone who knows absolutely nothing about LC, I am personally looking forward to this game because I have been impressed by Extinct!, especially after an impressive 4-1 performance in ORAS Underground.

Monotype - Cielau vs. Wincon
Wincon is 5-2 in MFPL in ORAS Monotype, holding the best record. Meanwhile, Cielau was absent from playing in that tournament, but holds the best record in 2024 ORASPL, with a stunning 6-1 record. A very strong and competitive game from the very first week. Will the wincon manifest?

Written by Ruffles
 
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Every week we will also pick our favorite 5 replays of said week.

Best of ORASPL Week 1

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OU -
BlazingDark vs. Magician
The age-old consistent spike-stack fat team vs. a modern sand hyper offense team bring by Magician. On paper, the prep is great and Magician had a magical match up. However, BlazingDark persevered and made play after play. Every inch his opponent gave him, he took a mile. Although Magician may have played slightly passive in some turns, the real magic happened with BlazingDark's plays that clutched a bleak looking game.

OU - Seasons vs. Avarice
In a very close game where the end devolved into guesswork where neither the audience nor the players knew what was happening anymore, this game is a sure enjoyable watch. A quick and fast 24 turn game that emobdies the risk taking and quick thinking that classic ORAS is known for in offense mirrors.

RU - Mr. Aldo vs. Lacks
Although both players brought venusaur + flygon, both teams are creative and unique. Lacks brought double dark type, a tried and true strategy of type stacking your offensive mons, going up against Aldo's Diancie. Meanwhile Aldo brings two of my favorite mons, Fletchinder and Meloetta, and makes good use of both of them! A super close and exciting match where both players looked like they could win at any point.

PU - TJ vs. ManofMany
Both teams had Marawork and adequate counterplay with Swanna and Tangela. However, TJ's Marowak and Swanna got significantly more value due to TJ's good positioning and aggressive playstyle. In a near mirror matchup, TJ showcased his real prowess as a player.

ZU - Toto vs. Fish Anemometer
Nothing screams more ZU than a Scraggy vs. Scraggy measuring contest. In a match where the winner would be decided by who is better at neutralizing the opposing scraggy, Toto takes the win. Him using Sand to shorten Jumpluff's lifespan through sand chip, rocks, and nerfed Synthesis, set up him up for the perfect end game for Scraggy to win.​

Written by Ruffles

Stay tuned for W2 BotW!
 
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BotW - ORASPL Week 2

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Ubers - skimmythegod vs. keys
Although both these players lost last week, Keys lost to potentially the best in the pool, The Strap. Meanwhile, Skimmy was acted on by scummy managers. Both of them are fired up from their losses last week and I'm sure they will try hard to bounce back. The real question is, when will Keys bring Klefki?

DOU - Chris32156 vs SingleThunder
This matchup brings an interesting pairing of fresh blood vs experience with Chris facing off against one of ORAS DOU's staples in SingleThunder. Chris had a pretty strong showing last week piloting sample TVALKS balance to success vs an aggressive sun HO team. SingleThunder handily dealt with a strong player in Jello last week with an aggressive Mega Diancie Bisharp offense team. Despite lacking much experience in ORAS, I believe the offensive trade-focused nature of the tier lends itself to Chris's strengths.

OU Bo3 - devin vs. lighthouses
Devin won a pretty convincing showing in w1, meanwhile Lighthouses... You know what? Everybody knows who these two are and how hype this match is. The real question that's bothering me is - I still don't know if lighthouses means houses that are light (not heavy) or the lighthouses on the shores for ships. The fans must know.

OU - c0mp vs. BlazingDark
Although he's an SM main, c0mp might be the very best in the Bo1 pool if not the whole pool, a seasoned SPL player. Meanwhile, BlazingDark is another great player who had a fantastic showing last week with an incredible comeback. BlazingDark also made quite the impression in ORAS during 2025 WCoP for France. Will BD be able to upset the SM king? BTW did I mention c0mp loves SM?

UU - Pak vs. Xiri
Pak is the king of UU and he may very well go the entire season without a single loss, he's literally the father of UU. However, Xiri is a great player and he is not easy to beat. He's a great lower tier player, so it really depends on his motivation and focus for this. Since he lost last week, I suspect he wants to bounce back - and what better opportunity to do that vs. Pak?

RU - Oathkeeper vs. MrAldo
Ex co-managers Oathkeeper and MrAldo face off in Aldo's favorite tier, RU. However, Oathkeeper is not unfamiliar with that tier either, as both these players are ORAS lower tier veterans, playing these tiers since their inception and before most of us could even walk. Who is the stronger veteran? Who is still cool with the young ones? Personally, I'd give the edge to Aldo because he likes to cook with niche mons like Meloetta and Fletchinder that I really like.

NU - Feaniix vs. Ampha
These two players had the strongest showing in NU last week. Feaniix was using an extremely well built and sexy looking team, and then with one good switch took the entire game. Meanwhile, Ampha brought some crazy offense that just forced the opponent to make compromise after compromise until he was out of mons. Personally, Feaniix's team was just so cool, I have to give him the edge.

PU - BluBirD vs. TJ
BluBird from the Naruto song vs. TJ from T.J. Maxx face off in this incredibly stacked tier. I mean every PU game is a candidate for BotW, it's that stacked. TJ is perhaps the #1 PU player in my eyes, and had an incredibly strong showing w1. Meanwhile, BluBird is a very skilled builder and player who is new to PU, but I believe the tier's flexibility allows for his creativity to shine. I would still give it to the American department store chain since he's just that good.

ZU - sleid vs. Havocknight
Oldest ZU mod vs. newest ZU mod? At least something like that I'm too lazy to double check so I'm running with that. Both of these players have strong ORAS ZU showing during w1. Havocknight has been killing it in ZUPL as well, boasting an impressive 4-0 record. Some would say it's fake since he still hasn't faced the other 4-0 player who happens to be very handsome, but it's impressive nonetheless. Excited for this match!

LC - gali vs. bleahey
I picked this game not only because I am interested in Gali's games, but also because both these players won pretty convincingly w1. Gali in particular is like the best LC or something because I have never seen this person drop a game. BUT! Maybe Bleahey can do it?

Monotype - Foolycl vs. zIcarus
This is quite the interesting story here. ZIcarus held the best record in MPL, a very impressive 6-1 score. His only loss? Foolycl. Yeah. They have beef. Moreover, Foolycl is a manager and possibly a fan of the anime, FLCL. If the second part is true, I'm rooting for him​


Written by Ruffles, with the help of bagel and zIcarus
Ubers/UU/LC still open to volunteers
 
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Best of ORASPL Week 2

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OU - Stories vs. avarice
Unfortunately for my teammate, this is possibly the worst ORAS OU game ever played in terms of hax and odds. In an amazing showcase, Stories was able to get every hax effect barring critical hits. Focus Blast Sp. Def drop, Rock Slide miss and flinch, etc. Some might say that we were robbed of an otherwise exciting HO vs Sand match but I believe we got to witness Pokemon at its peak. God bless hax. (sorry avarice!!)

OU - awyp vs. Django
2014 called, they want their teams back. This is my highlight match for this week purely because of the teams brought. awyp really hit us with a blast from the past with the classic Pinsir-Diggersby-Magnezone core, while Django brought a very unique Klefki offense. It was an intense game with both sides getting to show off all their techs like the Shuca Berry Bisharp on Django's side and the double Rocky Helmet Latias-Clefable duo on awyp's side. A must watch.

DOU - Chris32156 vs. SingleThunder
I've selected this next game because of an interaction on turn 2; an interaction that completely swings what would have otherwise been a positive matchup into an up-hill battle. Chris elected to Ice Beam SingleThunder's Heatran perhaps predicting both Conkeldurr and Heatran to switch out of a Latios Psyshock + Diancie switch. SingleThunder calls this out and gets a very easy KO on Latios thus allowing Charizard to come in later clean up. Sometimes the best play is the simplest play: attack what's in front of you.

NU - Ampha vs. Feaniix
This was an incredible game that swung both ways as both players looked to press impose their will on each other. Feaniix brought a well built sturdy balance with great longevity thanks to Audino's Wish, while Ampha brought a crazy bulky offense that forced a lot of compromises thanks to the immense power of Choice Specs Aurorus. Just as Ruffles predicted, this game definitely deserves to be in BotW.

LC - Envy vs. rarre
Sticky Webs vs. Bisharp Pawniard and Talonflame Fletchling. A shaky matchup that requires expert piloting from both sides and one that definitely delivered. This game was incredibly tight, especially after Envy's Mienfoo got burned by Flame Body; however, thanks to expert predictions with Gastly and Archen, they managed to bring it back. A masterclass in how to make the right calls.

Written by mixnite
 
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BOTW ORASPL Week 3

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UBERS - Skimmy vs Fardin

After victoriously making a comeback from week 2, skimmy is back once again with more, vs an opponent who is arguably making a comeback themselves fardin's their respectable 4-3 UPL finish, followed by winning the ubers bo3 tournament not too long ago!! The question is who will snuff who's momentum first.

BO3 OU - Noname vs DJ breloom

Crazy how it took DJ 3 whole weeks to come off the bench and is now facing the wildcard Noname himself, Noname's ability to virtually pilot almost any kind of team and load anything makes it incredibly difficult for preparation, this entire match will come down to their fundamentals and who's got more guts to pull the trigger first and take the set home


OU - Awyp vs avarice

Both incredibly solid players throughout their careers, showing a lot of passion and drive to do exceptionally well in this tournament. Awyp, an already well-known player making a strong showing with his unconventional calls and aggressive plays, vs avarice who very recently had one hell of a showing vs seasons, its gonna be a good time!!

DOU - Nakano Nina vs Akaru Kokuyo

Akaru had the best DOU record last oraspl, w/ a continued streak in dominance vs Nina who has also been putting in mad work this season...! Will the titan of yesteryear still continue to dominate, or will Nakano be able to pull the upset win?

UU - Xiri vs Jay

Two absolutely incredible uu players here duking it out this week. With Jay's upset victory last week after defying the odds and pulling the W, he's coming in hot and locked in to continue his strong streak

RU - rarelyme vs goldcat

GoldCat brain is a fascinating player who can cook all type of builds so its the guessing game as to what he'll load, meanwhile Rarelyme is the RU enthusiast and can pilot in any RU tier very well

NU - Gondra vs kiru

Hype moments and aura from the goats Kiru vs Gondra, last year's oraspl winner vs Gondra

PU - TJ vs LpZ

How the hell do we have our actual pu finals match this early on??? Literally any of them can be considered such but if there was one to top it all off, this is the one to watch out for. The only way I can describe this is like watching Godzilla vs Kingkong, hype moments and aura as we watch the timer go down until both are at like 25 seconds on turn x.

ZU - 5gen vs havocknight

Some say these two players are both training beneath the waterfall and seeing through every single ZU line, while their spiritual aura plays the games for them. Both have had strong showings this tournament so far, it's going to be a good time

LC - gali vs extinct!

Just like ruffles I know basically nothing about LC, but both of these players have been bringing their absolute ALL to their games and have had some incredibly impressive showings from the pov of someone like me, I expect this mu to make it to battles of the week

Mono - Crash vs Purbaj

Established player vs the rising star rookie.
 
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This week's was a bit late thanks to mods being really busy. Will combine BotW 4 w/ best of week 4 as some games have been played. Next week we'll come back strong

BotW ORASPL W4

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Ubers - skimmythegod vs Splendid Silver Star

Splendid Silver Star has been a surprising newcomer to the ORASPL Ubers scene, and he really lives up to his name, quickly making stardom with a clean 3-0. Although Skimmy is 1-1 (not counting the activity loss), he remains one of the best players in ORAS Ubers. Looking forward to it.

DOU - laptops vs. eragon
[WIP]

OU Bo3 - devin vs Metallica126 (Best of W4)
Devin vs. Metallica is a game culminating in some of the two best players in the current ORASPL OU pool, Bo3 or not. In game 1, Metallica brought a very heat looking team with Mega Sceptile. Unfortunately, he did end up missing Bounce on Calm Mind Manaphy, but the MU was so favored for Devin, I doubt it mattered in the long term. Great call from Devin to switch it up. In game 2, we saw Metallica bring Garay's SPL sample team, and Devin bringing a certified Devin team if I ever seen one. Mega Manectric looked really great here, but an unfortunate Magma Storm miss lost the game. If Heatran had kept its Balloon in the original paste, or used Earth Power, I believe Metallica always wins this.

OU - Seasons vs Always!
Although they are both 1-2, their records do not tell the full story of their skill. To me, this is a very good example of an old proven player coming back and unrusting versus an up and coming player trying to prove himself. Excited for this game.

UU - Jay vs BP
It's finally time for BP to be featured in BotW. The fact that their names combined would be 5 letters at most is really funny. BP has been impressive, scoring a 2-0, but Jay is definitely no slouch. Exciting one!

RU - LBN vs feen
Feen has been doing amazing with a stellar 3-0 record. Meanwhile, LBN is an established RU player that is newer to ORAS RU, but every week is getting more and more used to it. Can he pull the upset?? Real talk, what does LBN stand for?

NU - Kiyo vs Ampha
Ampha has been killing it so far, boasting an amazing 3-0 record. Meanwhile, Kiyo is close behind him at 2-1. Will Ampha continue his dominance and go on to be 4-0, or will Kiyo pull him down and pull off the upset?

PU - Ming549 vs LpZ
LpZ, a PU prodigy and with a very strong 3-0 record, is going off another established PU player Ming. Ming is solidly 2-1 and will definitely not be an easy player to beat. However, LpZ really dominted all his 3 wins and none of them looked close. Can Ming pull off the upset? (You better I drafted you)

ZU - OranBerryBlissey10 vs. neomon (Best of W4)
In this fun game, both players brought some heat teams. Neomon using Wormadam-Trash + Seaking core that I kind of like, and a mixed Simisage which is a rare but very strong breaker. On the other hand, Magmar is the main breaker for OBB, which is completely countered by Seaking. In what looks like a dead end, OBB plays well by making very good play of Persian to make progress and finish the game with it too.

LC - Envy vs. gali
It may seem like Gali is being picked every week, but Envy is perhaps one of the few players in the LC pool that stands a good chance of winning agaisnt them. Both Gali and Envy are on an impressive 2-1 run. Looking forward to see who comes on top.

Mono - Wincon vs. Lacks
The latest ORAS Monotype debut won their first game last week! Can Wincon make their comeback after a loss last week or will we have a new story to be crafted for our newcomer?!

Written by Ruffles, with the help of bagel and zIcarus
 
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I'm shifting this to a general ORAS Battle of the Week, not just ORASPL. This way we include all ORAS tours in the convo. To make it less work and for more consistency, we will include a maximum of 5 battles per week, but no minimum.

In a busy month like October where there is ORASPL, Invitationals, and ORASLT all at the same, the 5 maximum will be nice instead of having like a giant wall of battles. At least 1 minimum from every tour is nice though, and lower tier games will still be included.

BotW W5

ORAS Invitational IV Play-ins - Persephone  vs  entrocefalo

Persephone has come back and started to unrust at a very fast pace. Everyone's eyes are on him, as he has a very high potential. Meanwhile, Entrocefalo has been putting up numbers recently with good results. This will be an exciting match to see who comes on top.

ORAS Invitational IV Play-ins - Dj Breloominati♬  vs  awyp
While spitfire is generally the more experienced player, awyp is much more experienced in ORAS. A very interesting showcase of general good player versus an experienced ORAS main. Will be exciting to watch

ORASPL V, OU - Hyssou vs Stories
Both Hyssou and Stories have been very consistent in ORAS OU recently, winning game after game and only dropping a few. Surprisingly, I think they have very similar playstyles and team choices, so this is going to be very interesting in my opinion.

ORASPL V, OU Bo3 - White Atoq vs NoName6293
Both players were considered ORAS prodigies before a ban, but now both have turned a new leaf and came back. I'm excited to see this one out.

ORASPL V, UU - Pak vs BP
Pak, as per usual, is just straight up demonic in UU. Meanwhile BP has been putting up good numbers and has only dropped 1 game so far. Will this possibly be Pak's first loss in the tour?
Written by Ruffles
 
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In my new role, I hope to add value by providing you with a brief summary of last week's SPL games. I hope you enjoy it! None of this should be taken as an insult, but if anyone feels misjudged, please feel free to reach out.


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Smogon Premier League XVII - Week 1​


Santu vs PJ
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-899912
The first ORAS game of this year's SPL has a bit of a backstory involving some leftover spice from the previous SPL. One of the questions was what Santu would bring this year without ABR on his side, and it turned out to resemble ABR's style very much. PJ, on the other hand, brought a classic with a few minor changes. PJ had a tough time in the match-up as his Rotom-W did not have access to Pain Split. Beating Talonflame proved especially challenging. Despite having Mega-Diancie, PJ managed to set up the crucial Stealth Rock, which enabled him to maintain the pressure. However, with his Rotom-W burned, time was running out, resulting in aggressive plays that caused him to lose Rotom-W first, followed by Mega-Alakazam when he risked it against Santu’s Excadrill. Santu didn't show any weakness and finished the game with aplomb.

NoName vs Poek
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-900365
The previews are a good match for Poek. Talonflame and Sub Manaphy, in particular, had the potential to clear NoName's team quickly, especially with the help of Bisharp. However, it turned out that Bisharp was AV and Talonflame was banded, which reduced the threat level and seemingly gave NoName an idea of how to outmanoeuvre the matchup. The game itself was characterised by NoName's strong reads, such as using Weavile to knock off the Sub Manaphy and controlling the hazards until the endgame, when he could control the outcome. Talonflame getting a Static para from Zapdos sealed Poek's fate, and NoName took an impressive debut win.

Ox the Fox vs Persephone
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-900485
Interesting team choice by Ox to load Ruffles Sand Calamity, while Persephone also brought a Sand Team that looked more up to date than his recent teams. Early on, Ox confidently switched Serp into a Keldeo, which was heavily punished by a Focus Blast OHKO. This was followed by Ox losing his Thundurus to a Tyranitar that got in thanks to Persephone's Eject Button Amoonguss. It looked like Perse might struggle slightly with Manaphy, but he made it out safely and finished the game comfortably.

Ruffles vs c0mp
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-900500
Ironically, c0mp borrowed the technology from his 2025 Raiders team, where MDB2 had used it successfully against Ruffles, and the team delivered again. Other than Ruffles' Serperior being outsped by Manaphy, there is not much to talk about. Ruffles' team is interesting, especially the decision to bring Slowking to OU, which never had the chance to be showcased.

Piyu vs xray
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-900570
xray brought a classic team that had already made its way to sample teams, and which PJ had brought earlier this week. At first glance, the matchup seemed to favour Piyu, whose HO seemed to have many tools at their disposal. xray started with a nice outplay in T1, staying with Rotom-W against Serperior's Glare. However, he didn't get the chance to utilise this to set up Stealth Rock and gain momentum. After that, Piyu could simply let his favourable matchup do the rest, and even without the two critical hits, the win was almost guaranteed with Mega-Gyarados and Cloyster.
 
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Smogon Premier League XVII - Week 2​


Ox the Fox vs NoName
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-902010
A small insight into NoName’s prep is losing 3 out of 3 and still deciding to bring the team. At first glance, the match-up looked very good for Ox. He had a Mega Alakazam, a Life Orb Clefable, a Torn + Rotom Core and a Hippo for the Zone. Ox burned through some crucial resources early on, losing health on Hippo, Tornadus’s Assault Vest and Clefable’s Life Orb. In the mid-game, Ox made a comeback, managing to knock out Magnezone with an Alakazam Focus Blast and remove NoName’s Clefable. After Ox hit four Focus Blasts, the 70% RNG fought back by making him miss two Hurricanes on Mega Venusaur, which changed the odds in NoName’s favour and allowed him to finish the game and secure his second win.

Kingofking vs c0mp
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-902528
As fate would have it, King is standing in for the unavailable Perse, meaning his SPL debut was against his close friend c0mp. Once again the teams have more of a vintage touch. King's team has threats especially with Latios and Gliscor, while c0mp had a strong sand core with Mega-Garchomp that easily melts defensive cores. A Psyshock critical hit opened the game for King, removing Tornadus. King read the Substitute on c0mp's Mega-Garchomp well and prevented it from fully setting up, yet getting important chip damage, which hindered another set up opportunity significantly. In the end the game got close again, when Excadrill flinched Gliscor with Iron Head, but it couldn't follow through. A strong debut win for King.

Ruffles vs Santu
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-901983
A possible headline for the preview could be 'Innovation vs revisiting a classic structure'. Ruffles Suicune faced a Seismitoad Stall During the game, Ruffles had to use his resources very generously to make progress, leaving with him with little to break through Santu’s core. Although the game might have looked straight forward and controlled, it was majorly carried by Santu not having any kind of slip up.

Poek vs Piyu
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-902622
It's not often you see a Tyranitar without an Excadrill these days. Pyiu decided on a team that compensated defensive coverage for offensive pressure, while Poek’s team can also be found in samples. Despite some defensive gaps Piyu had a decent matchup, especially with double Psychic into Tyranitar and a Heatran into a fat team. Poek could not benefit from any of the opposing teams weaknesses as he lost all his Mega-Alakazam and Serperior checks fairly early on. Even missing with Leaf Storm, which cost Piyu his Serperior couldn't stop Pyiu's win as Poek couldn't fight back against the Mega-Alakazam.

pj vs xray
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-902415
The trend of old (looking) teams continues. In PJ’s case we found it in a sample post from 2018. Xray, on the other hand seemed to try for the ladder 'achievement too many choices' – nearly got it. The game started explosively with xray’s Kyurem-Black catching Ferrothorn with a HP Fire OHKOing it. After a Draco miss on Starmie, the game state shifted at became more rough for xray, until he was allowed to set up with his Mega Scizor, which to be fair was immune to para. At this point xray went for the optimal play, not getting greedy or scared, but played it down. In the end the paras caught up to the Scizor, falling to Weavile, but a very offensive Talonflame ended the game and gave xray his first win of the season. The final double para couldn’t save pj anymore, as he was brave birded down from a very offensive Talonflame.
 
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Smogon Premier League XVII - Week 3​

This week is sponsored by the Pokemon Mew :mew: which had whopping five appearances

Metallica vs Poek
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-903879
The first oras sub of the season, giving Metallica his first chance to play this gen on that stage and it came with a drastic modernization of teams used. A wild guess: Metallica really wanted to bring a Mew, build a team around it and had 500 test games by Friday. Poek brought his own rather unusual Psychic-type with Celebi. Early made progress with his Keldeo absorbing damage and revealing Rest shortly after. The game began to shift more into Metallica’s favour as he pursuited Hydreigon, weakening it substantially and when Poek lost his Heatran in a mirror match. Two critical hits on Metallica's side meant Zapdos was out of the way, and Celebi was too weak to fight back. Ultimately, Metallica had too many tools left and secured the win.

NoName vs Piyu
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-904588
As both players were 2-0, one of them would lose their clean sheet. Piyu brought a CBB classic, which had a strong match up with what should be banded Kyurem-Black and Knock Off Gallade. NoName brought a Sun-Sand team, which had a lot of offensive pressure, yet no good answer to Piyu’s Weavile. The Knock Off on Gallade claimed NoName’s Reuniclus, but not before weakening the Mega Gallade. Piyu looked ahead in the game, especially after NoName had to give up his Sand setter. NoName lost the bet that Piyu would switch against Excadrill with Lando, stalling Sand turns and consequently lost his Drill. Nothing seemed to be able to stop the Weavile anymore, but NoName’s confident plays with Serperior proved to be based on a little surprise, the Yache Berry on his Serperior claimed the Weavile and turned it completely around, meaning victory and a 3–0 record for NoName.

Santu vs Persephone
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-904614
Santu with a team that looked fresh and modern. Frequent ladder players know that the man on HO is a threat. Perse decided to bring a rather bulky team. Early on Perse revealed a support Dragonite, which managed to para Santu’s Serp, yet couldn’t make any progress either A Bisharp setup opportunity was cut short when Perse predicted switching into Mega Zam to Encore it; however, revealing CM on the same Pokemon allowed Santu’s Mew to come in, get a Defog and a U-Turn. Santu managed to inflict considerable damage and status effects, putting pressure on his opponent's team. Later, he safely got in Garchomp, managed to set up, and, after claiming a critical hit, took out Perse’s Clefable. By this point, the Chomp was too healthy for any counterplay, resulting in Perse's first loss and giving Santu a 3–0 record.

Ruffles vs xray
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-904645
Both players brought a Mew, the Pokemon of the week. Early on, Ruffles' Mew made some progress, taunting, wisping and rocking. However, later on, xray managed to defog with Mew gone. Considering he had Talonflame and Thundurus, this was quite important. xray managed to outmaneuver Ruffles' Manaphy, but then struggled with RNG. Ruffles' NP-Thundurus first paralysed his Clefable with T-Bolt, resulting in an instant paralyse, and then won a speed tie with Thundurus. Ruffles then made good progress with Sub Serp and secured his first win of the season and against his former mentor.

c0mp vs Ox the Fox
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-904683
A rematch of the semi-final and final of the Invitational. As both of those series were affected by RNG, it was exciting to watch a new duel. c0mp opted for an HO, while Ox chose a bulky offence with Chansey. c0mp was unable to set up rocks with Mew, but managed to take out Ox's Excadrill in the process. Ox revealed his Charizard was X, which posed a major threat and forced c0mp to T-Wave it and switch to Gyarados. This allowed Gyarados to set up and take out Tornadus, as well as dealing significant damage to Keldeo. At this point, c0mp needed to find an opportunity to set up Volcarona and weaken Chansey. This happened when Ox was forced to switch into it against Thundurus, as his remaining two Water-types couldn’t withstand Thundurus. Taunting Chansey enabled c0mp to get a Quiver Dance in and 2HKO Chansey, securing him his second win of the season.
 
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Smogon Premier League XVII - Week 4​


We have a number of the week. It is 30%, the chance Focus Blast has to miss but is actually the total accuracy. My condolences to all those affected by that cruel move. Thoughts are also with the victims of Wisp and Rock Slide misses this week.

Persephone vs xray
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-907170
Perse used a team that made its SPL debut 2 years ago when xray played it. In the meantime, Ruffles (who built it) made it public for a while, but xray decided to bring Tangrowth, a prime candidate for the title of 'worst OU mon'. The Medi Semi-Stall has struggled to get results for a while, but has made a comeback recently. Medicham did not have a counter (a week after Mew was everywhere), and therefore posed a big threat. Early on, Seismitoad did a lot of work, poisoning Hippo and setting up Rocks. Either Perse made a great read switching in Medi on Tangrowth, or he was just ready to call it a day and ff early. Hard to say, but his aggressive plays, like High Jump Kicking against Sand Rush Drill, on which xray switched in Volcanion payed off. Later, Perse brought Medicham back in for a risky but rewarding double switch. xray's attempt to win with NP Thundurus was cut short by Focus Blast's 30% chance of success. Neither Thundurus nor Metagross were enough to defeat the remaining Pokemon Perse had, who consequently took the win.

c0mp vs Santu
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-906311
Another game and another Mew. Santu added it to his Semi-Stall team, probably to fix the Fighting/Psychic weakness, which left openings for Dark-types like Weavile. Yet he was sparred the threat, as the team Zam offense c0mp brought had Bisharp in the Dark-type-spot. c0mp managed to poison Mew early on, trading it for a wisp on his Garchomp. A good chance to break through the defensive core came when Thundurus revealed NP. However, this was thwarted by a Sludge Bomb poisoning from Venusaur. Later, c0mp’s Latios Trick was anticipated by Santu, who switched in the nearly dead Manaphy. This meant that he had options that could withstand Draco Meteor. Nevertheless, c0mp tricked Eviolite away from Santu’s Chansey, which could have posed a threat as Alakazam used Calm Mind, threatening a 2HKO on the Blob. However, the 30% Focus Blast had different plans. c0mp couldn't break through afterwards; even a Shuca Berry Bisharp and some double switches weren't enough. This means that Santu remains undefeated.

Poek vs Ruffles
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-907059
Poek brought Perse's team from week one, while Ruffles brought a Lopunny Balance team. At first glance, it seems like both players have an equal chance of winning. Early on, Ruffles dodged a Focus Blast (which obviously couldn't hit this week), giving himthe lead. Later, Poek revealed that his Tyranitar was not Choice Band, opening the game up for Ruffles' Slowbro. However, Slowbro was unable to land the OHKO on Amoonguss or Scald Burn the Tyranitar. Instead Ruffles brought in Clefable, into which Poek switched his Keldeo in. This was either a blackout or because he was completely confident that Flamethrower was coming, whatever the reason may be it gave Poek some momentum. Then Ruffles' Serperior glared at Poek's Scizor, which meant it couldn't be burned anymore and it instantly became a much greater threat. After some yellow magic and a missed Rock Slide, Ruffles decided to use Heal Bell with Lopunny in front of Excadrill. Poek probably planned to sacrifice it, resulting in a dead Lopunny and changing the dynamic again. Ruffles generously spent some of his resources, such as his Clefable, in order to go for the Slowbro sweep. However, Specs Keldeo getting a critical hit and later revealing Hidden Power Grass cut the effort short. This gave Poek his first win of the season.

Ox the Fox vs Piyu
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-907117
Both players brought Mega Venusaur, a Pokemon with a fairly high usage rate in this tournament. Piyu used it in Sand alongside Cresselia, which ment a clear team concept, but with a questionable synergy. Ox brought a defensive team with an Alakazam and a SpD Garchomp replacing Chansey. This left the team wide open to strong special attackers like Mega Zam, but Ox did not face those and therefore his risk paid off. The game itself mainly involved Piyu trying to break through, but he had few options. It might not have been a game-deciding fact, but we saw another Focus Blast miss on Rotom, this time a double one. With Tyranitar not being banded, Venusaur lacking reliable recovery and neither Keldeo nor Thundurus able to put enough pressure on the opponent, the game was pretty straight forward. This finally puts Ox on this years sheet, with his first win of the season.

Metallica vs NoName
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-906853
Metallica opted for an Amoonguss-Gallade combination, while NoName chose a Gyarados HO. An early miss from Mew's Wisp gave Metallica a big boost, resulting in no Hazard and a healthy Ttar. This also cost NoName quite a lot of momentum later on. Next, the theme of the week happened again. Thundurus faced a Tyranitar and, as expected, the Focus Blast went left. NoName couldn’t find a way back into the game after that. He tried to get a Waterfall Flinch with Mega Gyarados but failed, resulting in Metallica’s second win and NoName’s first loss.
 
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Smogon Premier League XVII - Week 5​


Another week of ORAS. This week had some dramatic games for us and more of the same. We did see our friend Mew again and also Tangrowth, a Pokemon with a questionable reputation, made multiple appearances. Our good old friend RNG would not want to miss this week either - fantastic - who doesn't love it when a good game gets haxed... right? :) What this week had for sure were some intense games. So enjoy :boi:

xray vs c0mp
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-908411
How did xray make Tangrowth look useful? xray brought a fresh version of the classic Mlati Talon, while c0mp opted for Mega Venusaur stall, that soon proved to be a very interesting edit with Sticky Barb Clefable, which c0mp was able to demonstrate almost instantly when it switched to Talonflame and weakened it permanently. What looked like it could be a long, boring game turned out to be highly entertaining for viewers. This was not only because both players made interesting edits to classic teams, but also because the game had so many ups and downs. For a long time, it looked as though xray could win based on a favourable matchup, especially after he knocked off Chansey and drained all its Soft-Boileds.
c0mp played to his outs, managing to suprisingly poison Talonflame with Skarmory. For nearly 150 turns, xray made slow progress, until he decided to give up his Excadrill, which had taken a lot of damage from a Giga Drain critical hit prior.
c0mp also managed to knock the Life Orb off Clefable, which was crucial in withstanding its pressure. It looked like xray would win with Clef after setting up with Calm Mind, but the yellow magic let Chansey nearly kill it forcing xray to switch it out. From here, things got wild again. c0mp tried to beat Mega Latias with Mega Venusaur, which seemed possible as Lati was poisoned and had only few Roosts left. With its last possible move, xray landed a critical hit that OHKOed the SpD-invested Venusaur, changing the momentum in his favour. Before Latias died, it managed to land a T-Wave on c0mp's Clefable. Now, two paralysed Clefables faced each other, and, with the speed reduction, they were tied in speed. c0mp sacrificed his Quagsire to Haze the Calm Minds away, leaving him with only his Clefable. In a series of events, his Clefable managed to beat xray’s Clefable, which until this point had looked favoured. Paras were now in the centre of attention. xray tried to put pressure with Rotom-W, but the first Hydro Pump went left. Clef could counter xray's Tangrowth, that was also paralyzed. Things were looking really good for c0mp at this point. He tried to heal his Clef out of Leaf Storm and Hydro range to get the best odds, and was just about to win when the game revealed it had different plans. A -4 Leaf Storm crit resulted in Clef being in Rotom range, and xray played his outs, going into his Rotom and got the Clef para he needed to win with a Volt Switch.
This game was an absolute nail-biter and must have been extremely stressful for both players, who had to endure a lot of RNG. It can't have been satisfying for either player, but especially c0mp, who fought through a 200-turn game with a difficult matchup just for it to end like that. This leaves us wondering how dark the magic in 'Yellow Magic' really is.

Metallica vs London Beats
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-909235
Another game was full of surprises. It ended with the comment, 'It really was a good game', which is difficult to interpret as to whether it was meant honestly or ironically. Let's start with the match-up. London brought a Mega Zam team with a fairly balanced core, while Metallica opted for a rather offensive-looking team, leaving us wondering what Scizor's and Garchomp's sets would be. As it turned out, Scizor was bulky and therefore walled London’s Weavile. Metallica had the means to put pressure on London with Keldeo and Serperior, while London's Specs Volcanion posed a significant threat. However, both players decided not to preserve these threats for later, but to sacrifice them for immediate pressure. This shifted the game in London’s favour, as his Zapdos was now difficult to beat. Metallica revealed that Gengar was Sub Wisp, which weakened London’s Drill, a Pokemon with important hazard control. London chose to Iron Head against Gengar on the turn Metallica switched to Garchomp, causing extra damage. When this revealed it having SD in front of Clefable, London switched it out, sacrificing Excadrill, which ment Rocks would stay up. When Weavile switched in, Metallica gave up his Gengar — the last Pokemon that could put pressure on Zapdos — resulting in Zapdos becoming London's guaranteed-looking win condition. However, it was outsped by Garchomp, which managed to land a clutch Rock Slide flinch leaving Zap with exactly 24% health. This ment Garchomp lived and Zap was gone. From this point, Metallica’s Scizor was unstoppable, securing him another win.

Poek vs Persephone
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-909266
This match-up promised classic structures and delivered. Poek opted to the Zard-Y Semi-Stall, combining some spotlighted mons of the past weeks with Mew and Tangrowth, Perse put a spin on one of his classic teams replacing Cresselia with Celebi. The game itself was very straight forward. Perse spread a few status moves around, was able to sustain with Talon against Zard-Y. With revealing Taunt on Talon, Poek couldn’t see a way of him winning and forfeited the game.

Ruffles vs NoName
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-909512
NoName brought the well-known 6 that had caused problems for Ruffles in previous SPL games, while Ruffles brought an updated version of the classic Scizor Weavile Semi-Stall. Both players played smartly in the early stages of the game. This led to NoName setting up his Thundurus and predicting the Blissey switch. However, in the tradition of this SPL, he then missed two consecutive Focus Blasts. Two hits would have meant trouble for Ruffles, but now the opposite was true. Ruffles read Jolly Bisharp well, as well as a possible Sub Manaphy, and kept his Zapdos healthy so that it could wall Scizor, NoName’s last real threat. With no other options available, Ruffles took home his second win of the season.

Santu vs Ox the Fox
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-909381
Ox brought Zam stall, while Santu seemed to have an edited Persephone team, once again featuring Mew. N(M)ew besties? You don't often see Iron Head Mew, but it was effective in stopping Ox's Clefable from setting up. It also knocked off Rotom and Chansey, significantly improving Santu’s position. Later, he landed a Pursuit on the now weakened Chansey, making it impossible to recover. Ox tried to generate pressure with hazards but Defog Scizor made this difficult. Ox’s Gliscor's Taunt allowed it to generate some pressure, but it wasn’t enough to cause serious damage. Santu continued to control the game, managing to knock out Skarmory and later burned it with Scald. The Italian never let it get too close and won for the fifth time in this SPL, still undefeated.
 
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Smogon Premier League XVII - Week 6​


This week's report is shorter than usual due to personal health issues. Not only were we haunted by the same old (teams & structures), but we also got a few chills down our spine from Ghosts. This rare type appeared four times in five matches.

Ox the Fox vs Metallica
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-911577
In this day and age, using the Vileman special is a risky move, especially if you don’t know what you will face. Metallica brought a Scizor-Balance that looked very old-school. Metallica had a big advantage in revealing Taunt Talon; even though the Pokemon performed well in the match-up, he still had to play smartly to control the game. Metallica caught Ox off guard early on with Latios's Trick on a non-poisoned Gliscor. Both players then struggled to make anything happen; a bit of RNG here and there hindered the process further. Metallica could not finish the game with Talon or Scizor, but Slowbro did the job.

London Beats vs Ruffles
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-911798
London used a Zam Offence, a structure that we have seen many times before, both this year and last. Ruffles brought his Mega Gengar Sand team, which he has used to beat ABR before and which has enjoyed success for many different players in the past. Ruffles controlled the game for the most part. However, some of the risks he took did not pay off and some of his predictions did not go his way. This gave London a chance to catch up, as Manaphy had the opportunity to overcome his paralysis and win. However, this never materialised, as Ruffles had enough turns to boost his own Clefable and secure his third win.

KingofKing vs NoName
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-911678
King had to step in at short notice for Persephone. He brought an edited version of Lighthouses' MVenu Sand, while NoName brought a slightly updated version of the xray/Ruffles Zam Moth team. Initially, King made significant progress by defeating Excadrill, but then he sacrificed his Venusaur and Tyranitar to Mega Alakazam. Another Focus Blast missed, but that is nothing new at this point. A crucial moment came when NoName's Landorus missed with Stone Edge against Thundurus, which totally changed the game and gave King the upper hand, who consequently secured his second win.

Poek vs mgdos16
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-911727
mgdos also brought the Ruffles Gengar team, while Poek brought a different version of the BeatUp Weavile/Meta team. The game went back and forth rather quickly; both players were willing to give up key pieces very early, which left Poek in a pretty good spot. However, he could not land an important Icicle Crash, which would have given his Metagross a good chance of winning. Poek decided to put all his hopes into his Metagross, but did not get the flinch and roles he needed and was forced to forfeit with a left over Thundurus. For mgdos this ment success in his ORAS debut.

Santu vs xray
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-911489
Now, this is where it's at! xray is probably the best ORAS player of the modern day oras, meanwhile does Santu have a strong case for being the best player at the moment? For sure one of the most exciting match-ups this season. Santu opted for a fat Lopunny team featuring Sableye, while xray brought a different Ghost-type Pokemon, Jellicent. xray faced the challenge that none of his Pokemon seemed to be an adequate answer to Santu’s Lopunny, forcing him to trade many of his Mons. His Jellicent proved to be the star of the show, slowly grinding down Santu’s team with Taunts and Wisps. The game continued to be played at a very high level. When Santu’s Lopunny missed a HJK, his fate was sealed as he could no longer stop Jellicent, resulting in his first loss. However, viewers were treated to an enjoyable high-level ORAS game.
 
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Smogon Premier League XVII - Week 7​


We are heading towards the end of the regular season and we are seeing new faces. Spitfire and BluBird made their ORAS debut for this season, mgdos and KingofKing seem to have taken their places as starters aswell. This week we saw some interesting teams, especially BluBird bringing a Mega Charizard-X Sand team and Ruffles' Mega Aero Sand team. We met the evil RNG again, but unlike the other weeks, it did not sucessfully destroyed a game this week.

Santu vs Poek
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-913608
Well, this game can be summarised briefly: Santu loaded Wishkiller, while Poek had a Magnezone. Skarmory died, Dragonite took over and Poek won. GG.

Spitfire arcanine vs KingofKing
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-913545
Spitfire brought Ruffles' Pinsir Sand Offence, while King brought his own version of the Vileman Special. Spitfire's challenge in this game was to deal relevant damage quickly enough before his main threats were worn down. King, on the other hand, needed to maintain his momentum while wearing down Spitfire’s Pokemon. To upheld the best position King needed to protect his Zapdos as well as possible, since it was the main protection against Mega Pinsir. From the outset, Spitfire applied pressure by setting up Stealth Rock and maintaining momentum. In T10, he caught King's Zapdos switching with a +2 Rock Slide from Excadrill, which OHKO'd it. From here, Pinsir could apply major pressure, weakening King's team substantially. Revealing Fire Blast on Tyranitar was the final blow, and Spitfire could overwhelm what was left of King's team.

NoName vs mgdos16
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-912688
Both players decided to take a risk with their team. While Rain is always a risky pick in ORAS, the Medi Dnite team has not aged well in the meta. Despite being in serious danger against many other teams, it still has games where it can shine. So it did in this one. Despite NoName outplaying a few early turns, the pressure that the opposing team could exert with their banded Dragonite, Weavile and Mega Medicham, including their priority moves, put NoName on the back foot. The momentum could have completely changed if Swampert hadn't been paralysed on first (or second) contact with Zapdos. However, after that, NoName's efforts weren't enough to get back into the game and mgdos can celebrate his second victory.

Metallica vs Ruffles
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-913304
MAero is a rare sight in OU. This is partly because it is somewhere between a C-Tier and a D-Tier mega, but it does have some advantages. It has a great speed stat and good attack, and it is a Flying-type. Those attributes fit on Ruffles team, allowing the rather fancy mega to have a justified spot in the team. Metallica opted for an HO, replacing Kyurem-B with Thundurus-T in the team that Santu brought a few weeks prior. Early on, Ruffles managed to gain control of the game by having good switch-ins to Metallica’s attacks while dealing damage back. After trading a chunk of Clefable’s health, Ruffles broke the first line of Metallica’s defence. A critical hit on Hippowdon equalised momentarily, but going forward Ruffles maintained the upper hand. Mega Aero had a great performance, utilising his typing and Roost to sustain well. As the game looked won for Ruffles, RNG threw everything at it, according to the motto 'if nothing goes right, go left': every 80% move failed to hit the target. Ultimately, Ruffles had just enough to win the game.

xray vs BluBird
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-913699
BluBird had a spectacular start to the SPL season last year, so there was a certain buzz around whether he could repeat that. Both players brought sand teams accompanied by less commonly used Grass-types. At first glance, BluBird's Charizard and Keldeo appeared formidable against xray. BluBird managed to put pressure on xray's Celebi and knock off Gliscor's Toxic Orb upon switching in. This put him in a strong position. It looked like xray would recover quickly, but Stone Edge missed Charizard-X. With Celebi weakened, xray had little with which to fight back against Keldeo. However, xray's attempt to win with Excadrill was short-lived when BluBird revealed his own Air Balloon Excadrill. After missing with a Hydro Pump, BluBird could recover his Drill in one piece and finish the game with his Keldeo.
 
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Smogon Premier League XVII - Week 8​


So SPL happend again. This week we had some cool games and only 2 out of 5 games were ruined by RNG. We also had 2 Mews, so that quota was fulfilled again. I hope you enjoy the recap :)

Ruffles vs BluBird
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-915711
This was probably the game of the week. BluBird brought a Zam VoltTurn featuring strong hitters, including a Life Orb Clef and a Banded Dragonite, while Ruffles brought a Lopunny Fat with a Seismitoad and an Amoonguss. Although Ruffles had good coverage, BluBird had the potential to break through if he could corner one of Ruffles' key checks. BluBird knocked Seismitoad off early, putting pressure on the hazard side of things. SD Excadrill posed an additional threat that could have become problematic if Skarmory and Amoonguss had been weakened. Ruffles' relatively passive structure could only make slow progress but kept him afloat. A Zam Focus Blast on Skarmory gave BluBird momentum, yet he constantly had to keep up the pressure to really benefit from it. Ruffles lost said Skarmory later on but managed to get rid of BluBird's Zam and the sleeping Landorus, which gave him additional options. A pivotal moment came when BluBird's Excadrill faced off against Amoonguss. The drill could not OHKO the Amoonguss, so he opted for the Rock Slide flinch. However, this did not occur, resulting in the loss of BluBird's Drill. Now it was up to BB’s Clefable to save the game, but Roar Heatran and Amoonguss with Gastro Acid and Clear Smog put an end to his hopes. It was an interesting and close game to watch that not only gave Ruffles the win, but also brought joy to viewers.

Santu vs NoName
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-914775
Both players decided to bring an offense. The Mew vs Thundurus lead was especially interesting because RNG flipped the game here. Santu chose not to taunt, but to T-Wave the Mew, resulting in insta paralyses on Stealth Rock. With those up the game would have been very much in NoName’s favour, as Santu had no way to remove them and was weak to them. During the mid-game, there was a notable exchange between NoName's Mew and Santu's Garchomp and Diancie, which went back and forth. Unfortunately, paralysis on key turns made it pretty one-sided. Later, Santu's Diancie first reduced Manaphy's Special Attack with a Moonblast, winning that exchange, and then dodged an Icicle Crash. Consequentially, Santu won the game. Obviously, no one is at fault when RNG happens; nevertheless, NoName should take a look at his karma, as it seems to be fixed on ruining his season..

KingofKing vs devin
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-914943
devin used an MPinsir offense featuring Victini and Hydreigon, while King brought an MLop Fat. Victini looked scary on preview, as did Manaphy and Serperior, as King had no perfect checks for any of them. King landed a helpful Thunder Wave on Hydreigon. devin used his Victini to dish out a lot of pressure. King set up Stealth Rocks, forcing devin to remove them quickly. However, this cost him a significant amount of Excadrill’s life, and Excadrill sacrificed his life shortly after setting up Stealth Rock for his team. devin continued to put pressure with Victini. King retaliated with Lopunny. The endgame became very intense as King had to use an offensive Zapdos to check MPinsir, but Zapdos had enough health to do so additionally Pinsir got a static paralysis. In the final standoff, devin's Manaphy turned out to be very physically defensive and had Scald, while King only had his Lopunny to beat it. Manaphy could not land a Scald burn, so King avoided an HJK miss and beat it with Returns.

xray vs Poek
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-915432
Poek brought a double pressure team with Lunar Dance support, while xray brought a sand team including Mew and Gengar. Poek had a few surprising sets, such as a Gliscor without EQ but with Protect, and a Kyurem with Specs in the double pressure combination.
xray revealed that his Keldeo was Rest Talk, which gave it better sustain. Furthermore, his Gengar was SubWisp; however, it failed to land a crucial Wisp on Excadrill, which altered the outcome of a close game. Another big surprise was Sub Suicune running Extrasensory, which cost xray his Keldeo. With that gone, Poek's pressure increased. A few turns later, xray missed a Hurricane on Lopunny. This was the final turning point, and Poek had just enough pieces left to win the game. He was able to stall out the Sand turn and win with Lopunny.

Spitfire arcanine vs mgdos16
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen6ou-915870
mgdos is the only player whose numbers are mentioned in the title. That's because the 16 refers to the approximate age of the CBB Sand team he brought. Spitfire, on the other hand, used a sample team with a few edits, as it turned out later. A Flamethrower burn on Excadrill put Spitfire in a good position because, with Hazards up, Iron Barbs and Exca burned, mgdos couldn’t remove the hazards. He only needed to get rid of mgdos's MTtar for Latias to basically auto win. mgdos could generate pressure with his Gliscor, to which Spitfire had no adequate answer since his Slowbro did not run Ice Beam or Future Sight. With it being burned, mgdos could generate pressure. Spitfire revealed that his Lati was Reflect-type, saving it from MTtar’s Pursuit. However, this was only temporary, as Latias was brought in later to check Gliscor. mgdos brought Mtar back on a sac and Spitfire decided to go for the 1v1 instead of a switch. Yet this turned out fatal, as he lost his Latias, leaving him prone to Gliscor and losing the game.
 
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