Smogon Snake Draft III - Introduction

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Welcome to the official shitpost thread

The third edition of the Smogon Snake Draft will be a team-based tournament where 10 team managers draft their team from a pool of players and duke it out for the following nine weeks to make it to playoffs, where the top four teams face off to determine this year's winning team. This year's tiers will be:

  • OU
  • OU
  • OU
  • OU
  • DOU
  • UU
  • RU
  • NU
  • PU
  • LC
This year's Captains teams will be

1- Pearl & Sabella - (Terminus Taipans)
2- obii & FLCL - (Shinto Ruin Serpents)
3- Ojama & lax - (Goldenrod Gliders)
4- Genesis7 & suapah - (Lake of Rage Leviathans)
5- 1 True Lycan & jacob - (Berry Forest Bushmasters)
6- EviGaro & HJAD - (Ambrette Astrotias)
7- Eternal Spirit & M Dragon - (Lanakila Nagas)
8- Hogg & Will of Fire - (Black City Mambas)
9- snaga & Chill Shadow - (Celadon City Cobras)
10- bro fist & McMeghan - (Rumble Hall Rattler)


Some more Snake and general tournaments stuff:
Unlike SPL there are no credits used for this draft, instead it will be conducted in a snake draft format, the order of teams being determined at random and shown right above.

In the weeks preceding the live draft, a time will be chosen by all of the General Managers to meet and perform a live draft in order to choose players. Managers will be expected to remain at the draft for the entire duration, which should take approximately 2-3 hours. If a General Manager cannot, for some reason, find any feasible time that they can attend a Live Draft , then the Assistant Manager will be called upon to fill in the spot. If no Manager can fill the spot for the Live Draft… then a new General Manager + Assistant Manager who can find time to make a live draft will be found to replace the old ones.

Once a time is set, all 10 managers + the hosts will enter the Snake channel in the Smogtours server at the given time. The host will administer the @ rank to the 10 managers, and place modchat on the chat. Spectators are allowed to join in to watch the fun unfold, but will not be able to speak. Discussion on the bidding at hand should be relegated to a different channel.

The draft order will have been determined prior to the start of the draft, and teams will pick in this order. Each team will pick one player, until the final team is reached, after which the draft order reverses and the final team will now get the first pick for the next round, making this a Snake Draft. This process will repeat until every team has a total of 14 players, enough for 10 starters and 4 substitutes.

Managers are asked to please have a predetermined list of players you intend to nominate in order to make the process go as quickly and seamlessly as possible. Each team will have 90 seconds per round to pick their player and if they exceed this limit their pick will be skipped, and they will get to make up for this after the next 5 picks (half a round). On this next attempt, they will have a 30 seconds timer to pick again. Should they fail to do so within the alloted time, they will have this particular pick added to the end of the draft.


Sellbacks may only happen between the auction and the start of the first round. As soon as matchups are posted, sellbacks will no longer be accepted. Only acceptable reason for sellingback a player is team cancering, as defined by our official tournament rules.

_ _ _

Standard Tournament Rules and Procedures:
On... Sportsmanship

Note the sportsmanship infraction may be used liberally, and any unsportsmanlike conduct on the forums, in #wcop / #pokemon / any of the semiofficial tier channels, or in opposing wcop team channels (I won't infract for you being a dick in your own wcop team channel unless the situation is so extreme I feel I absolutely have to make an exception (consider basically any masterclass interaction ever)), will be grounds for an infraction. We encourage you to play semi-aggressively, but don't be a masterclass.

~ Aldaron

On... Scheduling Matches

I'm sure plenty of you have come across coin flipping / who to activity drama while scheduling matches. I'm here to reduce the arbitrary element associated with some of these decisions. It is entirely your decision to adhere to these STRONG RECOMMENDATIONS, but note that if you choose not to, I'll most likely ignore any pleading from your end and default you to a coin flip, regardless of what you claim is your Discord or forum activity. By signing up for this tournament, you are agreeing to this condition, that adhering to what I outline will protect you from coinflips / activity and that not adhering to it will subject you to coinflips / activity regardless of your proposed justification.
YOU MUST ACTIVATE YOUR VM WALL IF YOU WISH TO PLAY IN THIS TOURNAMENT. THIS IS HOW ALL OFFICIAL SCHEDULING WILL BE HANDLED.

Once that round's thread is posted, you have up to 48 hours to contact your opponent ON HIS VM WALL and mention your timezone and exactly what dates, what time ranges you are available, and where you will battle. Note that the default accepted sim and server is the official server on Showdown. You must provide at least 3 different time ranges at least 48 hours from the timestamp of your message, with at least 2 that are 24-hours apart from each other. The minimum and maximum length for 1 time range is 30 minutes, and the minimum difference between the 3 required time ranges is 3 hours. If you give 3 time ranges that stick with this policy, you can give any additional time ranges at any time you please.

NOTE THAT THIS SCENARIO INVOLVES RESPONSE DYNAMICS; THERE IS SOMEONE WHO WILL CONTACT FIRST AND SOMEONE WHO RESPOND...THESE REQUIREMENTS ARE NOT FOR BOTH OF YOU TO ASSUME TO YOU CAN BE FIRST CONTACTS...WHOEVER CONTACTS FIRST IS THE FIRST, AND THE OTHER DEFAULTS TO THE RESPONDER. THIS SHOULD BE OBVIOUS BUT SOME OF YOU ARE DUMB.

Once your opponent has contacted you, you now have up until 72 hours after the round's thread has been posted (NOT after your opponent's message) to respond with times that are good for you. What this means is that if both of you spend the maximum time contacting and responding, you should have back and forth collaboration at a maximum of 72 hours after the round has been posted, with both parties given an additional 24 hours to prepare for the battle should it be scheduled as soon as required. If none of the opponent's proposed time ranges are good for you, you must respond with alternative time ranges.

The first opponent now has X hours to prepare for the battle (if the second opponent agreed to some time) or 24 hours to contact a TD if, for whatever reason, this second set of time ranges does not suit the first opponent. Note this should be an absolute last measure and that more often than not, the TDs will likely force one (or both) sides to sub out.

Once a time is agreed upon, please make a message on your opponent's vm wall between 10 minutes and 1 second before the agreed upon time and say you are ready to battle and then get to agreed upon location (regardless of whether or not your opponent sends you a response vm). Please protect yourself by making this message, as it makes decisions much easier. You will be required to be wait for your opponent for the duration of the time range.

If neither of you contact each other before 48 hours after the thread has been posted, you're both opening yourself up to a potential coin flip. If I look at the situation, I might just determine I'm going to sub both of you out, coin flip you, or whatever based on however I'm feeling at that moment. Don't leave yourself and your team vulnerable to this.

Just because at anytime one of the responders does not respond within the given range does not give you automatic activity win credentials. If they don't contact at all on your vm wall up until 48 hours before the end of the round (note, I'm not going to take Discord or sim messages as evidence due to how easily they can be doctored...so if you want to protect yourself, stick to the vm messages), then you obviously have activity win justification. Note to team captains, if one of your players does not contact all his opponents before 48 hours before the end of the round, I will FORCE a sub, no questions asked. You WILL contact your opponent in a timely manner. However, if they do contact you at all after the suggested response time and before 48 hours before the end of the round, you are required to respond before 24 hours before the end of the round with 2 1-hour time ranges at least 1 hour apart before the end of the round. The opponent, since he did not stick to the proposed response schedule, WILL BE REQUIRED TO PLAY AT ONE OF YOUR NEWLY SUGGESTED TIMES, so you have the advantage here. This obviously puts a bit of an emphasis on the last 48 hours of each round (as is standard operating procedure for most of our official team tournaments anyway), so I will try my best to keep the last 48 hours of the round as close to the majority of the weekend for as much of the world as I can.

If you follow all of these guidelines, you will a.) most likely get your match done with minimal issue or b.) protect yourself and your team from an undue coin flip or activity decision. Yes, I hate activity decisions in official tournaments. Yes, I will do my best to prevent activity decisions in the playoffs (the qualifying round is fair game however and I will have no problem issuing an activity call here), but don't push your luck.

Here is an example of how following this would work:

Round 1 thread is posted June 7, 2015 at 10:00PM. Its deadline is June 14, 2015 at 11:59PM. User A and User B are matched up. User A contacts User B on his vm wall on June 9, at 9:00 PM (47 hours after the thread was posted, so ok), and gives 4 time ranges: June 10, from 7:00-7:30 PM (22 hours after the timestamp of his message, which is only ok so long as at minimum 3 of the other proposed time ranges adhere to the requirements), June 11, from 9:00-9:30 PM (48 hours after the timestamp of his message, which is ok), June 12, from 6:00-6:30 PM (69 hours after timestamp of his message, so ok, but only 21 hours after the earliest time range that is 48 hours after the timestamp), and June 12, from 9:00-9:30 PM (72 hours after the timestamp, so ok, and 24 hours after a legal time range and 3 hours after another legal time range). The June 11 and both June 12 time ranges satisfy the requirements, so User A can propose his first June 10 time range as well. User B responds on June 10, at 8:00 PM (23 hours after User A contacted him, so ok), and picks June 11, at 9:00 PM to battle, which is ok because it is 24 hours after his own response.

You'll note I made most of my response ranges multiples of 24 hours, but also included 24 hours. This means I expect you to be able to check Smogon at least once a day. If that is not feasible, you put yourself at risk.

~ Aldaron

On "Self-KO Clause" and Ties:
Self-KO Clause is an antiquated concept that is not used in Smogon tournaments. The one exception to the rule is if the tournament is live (weekly Smogon Tour, Suspect Tours, etc.). For all standard tournaments here this rule does not exist. It Does Not Exist.

If both Pokemon faint simultaneously in DPP, ADV, GSC, or RBY, the game is ruled as a tie. Tied games do not count as played games in overall standings and will be expected to be replayed within the round's initial deadline. Similarly to this, tied games do not count towards the total number of games played in "best of X" series. In other words, if a tournament includes "Bo3" RBY, what is really being played is "first to two wins" RBY.

However, ties simply don't exist in later generations. The developers removed ties from BW and have not added them back since. There's a lot of inconsistency with the mechanics of their tiebreaking system but Smogon follows them to stay true to the cartridge. The main ones are listed below:

Note: The following list is for SM, XY, and BW, and not for DPP, ADV, GSC, or RBY

Self-KO Moves (Destiny Bond, Explosion, Final Gambit, etc.):
Attacking Pokemon Loses

Offensive Recoil (Life Orb; Double-Edge, Flare Blitz, etc.):
Attacking Pokemon Wins

Defensive Recoil (Rocky Helmet; Iron Barbs, Rough Skin):
Attacking Pokemon Wins (SM)
Attacking Pokemon Loses (XY and BW)

Passive Damage
(Status, Weather, etc.):
Faster Pokemon Loses

Disconnections and Timer
For information on our disconnection and timer rules, refer to this thread.

Simulator:
Pokémon Showdown is the main simulator for this tournament, and Smogtours is the main server. If both players agree and there is a valid reason that a match cannot be played on Smogtours, it may be played on the main server as well.
 
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I don't see why Ubers is banned from an official team tournament where everything is regulated by the head TDS and not people from the Ubers community like in the Ubers opens from past years. It just seems dumb a spitefully for no reason.
 

Sabella

formerly Booty
is a Tournament Directoris a Forum Moderatoris a Tiering Contributoris a Past WCoP Champion
Moderator
Going forward anyone looking to tryout for the Taipans please send me replays on discord as i dont have the time to play vs everyone. Good luck everyone!

Edit: Please do not send smogon pms as i probably wont read them, my discord is Booty#4282
 
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Two quick things. These are the assigned teams:

1- Pearl & Sabella - (Terminus Taipans)
2- obii & FLCL - (Shinto Ruin Serpents)
3- Ojama & lax - (Goldenrod Gliders)
4- Genesis7 & suapah - (Lake of Rage Leviathans)
5- 1 True Lycan & jacob - (Berry Forest Bushmasters)
6- EviGaro & HJAD - (Ambrette Astrotias)
7- Eternal Spirit & M Dragon - (Lanakila Nagas)
8- Hogg & Will of Fire - (Black City Mambas)
9- snaga & Chill Shadow - (Celadon City Cobras)
10- bro fist & McMeghan - (Rumble Hall Rattlers)

And MajorBowman will be co-hosting this tournament with me.
 

Nat

UUPL Champion
As we anticipate the coming smogon snake draft, I think it's a fair idea to again outline the potential ru pickups (excluding myself/ajna) considering not only how well it was received last year but also how wide-open like 8 slots are this year. Going to do this in a pretty random order, whoever I feel like writing about first lol:

I think he's all but guaranteed to start especially considering the lacking field. He doesn't have any outstanding ru results (ru open could change this, though) but he has regularly achieved high marks on the ladder, as well as being considered one of the better builders the tier has to offer. I wouldn't put him on 49/ajnas level of building, but he has helped out a lot of notable players with competent and flavorful ru teams. In his only official outing, he went 1-0 vs KW in a decent performance. I have no reason to believe he'd struggle hard this time around, and expect him to be probably one of the first 5 mains off the board. I could see him going anywhere from r4 to r6.


He got top 6 or 9 in an ru ssnl but hasn't really had a result since. Despite this, he's known throughout ru as a competent player. He builds his own teams and some of them I think are passable at this level. It'll probably sound like shade but I think his attitude and how he carries himself could definitely rub some people the wrong way, so that could be something to keep in mind when drafting a team I suppose. He used to have a notable confidence issue in 2018 but from what I can tell this has went out the window and he seems more sure of himself as a player. Being regarded as competent despite a general lack of results is noteworthy imo, and definitely deserves some consideration despite my certainty some people will just sheet look.


Kink has done relatively well for himself in ru in his time here this year. He got to top 4 of ru pools, and is now through to at least r6 in ru open. I'd say he's a lot more seasoned as a player than a number of the others that will be featured here. He's obviously been around awhile, playing in spl6 and otherwise being a notable uu name for the years since. I've heard he has a reputation for some people not being a fan of him in some regard, though I don't know him well enough to elaborate on this further. His teams are pretty dynamic in the sense that you'll be thrown by offhand sets, but they still work well enough. I could easily see him going to a manager like EviGaro, if she doesn't grab like, aldo.


The former rutl has seen better days in the tier, imo. He was always kind of on the edge as a benchpick, a supporter, or a starter that was relegated to sub. He hasn't had any performances in ru since those days, and I'm inclined to believe this would put him over the edge to undrafted, especially considering the substantial wave of hopefuls. If a manager wanted to take a flyer on a potentially worthwhile late starter that can at times play his aggressive style well, Arifeen would still be a viable pick up. I just don't see it coming to fruition.


UB will start in ru if he wants to. He kinda got lucky to go 3-1 instead of 2-2 in spl ru, but since then I think he's gotten better. He has done well on the esteemed ru ladder, and is still in open albeit lucked snaga i guess last round (and eternally :[ ) Overall he would be poised to do fine in this field. His level of play is there mostly, though sometimes I've noticed sets or plays that are just off the rail in terms of risk/reward. His building is competent, and doesn't have any outstanding flaws that I know of. I'd slot him in ou over ru i think, but that's zero% my call lol.


The feli is back and better than before. His 2-5 in spl9 was for sure a disappointment in multiple ways but i think he has come around a better player. He has seemed better than ever as of recent in tests, adopting a more kw-esque style of play. Take that however you want, but if your opponent isn't ready for it then it can easily overwhelm you. His own teams seem decently annoying, I don't think he'd need any support. Similarly but to a more extreme extent than roman, he doesn't have any ru results (this ru open run arguably being his greatest) but is regarded highly within the tier itself by its players. He's a veteran of the tier despite being pretty new to the official scene, and I could see him getting one of the last slots this time around. In my mind, he's probably competing with roman for one, since they bring a lot of the same on-paper attributes to the table despite somewhat different styles of play.


Aldo had a pretty weird snake tour last year despite finishing a near-even 3-4. I think his building is better than people expected it to be, with the highlight being z-elec espeon catching 49s stoise turn one. 3 of his losses were to myself, ajna, and 49. That isn't a brag, that's just to say his losses definitely weren't to some unqualified goons and he shouldn't have much held against him there. His level of play is obviously the biggest question mark people would have, and he hasn't had any insane result to woo people over either. 3-4 in snake might do it for some managers though, coupled with the fact that he's p well regarded as a friendly guy.


Diogo has again signed himself up for the misery of another tournament, and I wish my good friend the best. He has been picked in all 3 teamtours for awhile now I feel like, and would be surprised to see that change here. He hasn't exactly had the most fun in ru for awhile now, but is still a reasonable pickup in my eyes. He can still play at a high level, he just needs to feel confident and sure of himself. If you can keep Diogo composed and inspired, he's capable of winning consistently imo. If anything, picking another ru bench slot to help him out isn't the worst idea, but I think at the end of the day he plays best with what he feels is the best option.


yjh is a familiar name in tours by now (so familiar that I can remember those numbers easily) and for good reason. He's a competent multi-tier player and has the support of friends like yoppie should he need it. He won ru pools this year albeit got a little lucky at one point in his run, but he deserves the credit nonetheless. I'm unsure whether he'd prefer to ou or ru, kind of a similar situation to ultraballz lol. This will sound slightly mean but I'm unsure if he'd really do well vs the top of the ru field. He's definitely capable to, I just view him more of a wildcard in terms of performance and expectable results. Whether he plays ru or not, he's a definite pick-up.


this guy came onto the scene in a pretty bizarre stride in spl9 nu, and "disappeared" for awhile afterwards. He has emerged in ru among other tiers as a capable player, and can build well but has limited results outside of this ru open. Overall he's pretty much an average mesh of some of the passages I've written above. He tried dropping out of all opens yesterday but rescinded this hours later, so I'm not sure if he's really prepared mentally for the 9+ week commitment this tour offers. It could be a flight risk, but he has a chance to maybe grab a moderate amount of wins should he get picked up. The french goons love this guy, so it probably isn't without reason.


lep has been a ladder player mostly for awhile, but won the most recent edition of the almost-esteemed-as-ladder-itself rarely used ladder tour. To my knowledge, he hasn't had any incredible results beyond that, outside of qualifying for round one of last year's circuit playoffs but exiting r1. He probably is one of the more unknown names on this list to managers who don't frequent ru, but could be a diamond in the rough to teams if they aren't happy with other ru mains/don't trust nonmains. I don't have a ton to add here I guess, he's a solid player imo with limited results who has been around awhile, just not on the official scene.


idk how I waited this long to write about the bouffer, but here we are. He's definitely one of the most recognizable names on the list, and is freed after his lengthy tourban from snake 1. He might not like me saying this, but he seems extremely determined to prove to not only doubters but also himself that he can hang w/ the top players in lower tiers. I'm unsure if he'd play in ru or a different lower tier, but I'd think it's pretty likely bouff is picked, even if he hasn't had the best official results. He got to top 8 in ru pools, and could perhaps be a nice steal/bench for a team looking to buy lower tiers late.


Forever the character, durza has proclaimed himself a top 3 ruer and is ever-confident in his abilities to soar in this snake. He got 3rd in an ru ssnl but doesn't have any eyebrow-raising ru results beyond this. I can't help but imagine most managers see him as a risk not only in terms of personality but also performance. He has been hyping himself up in nu/pu, so maybe we see him as a lower-tier flex slot. I'm unsure if other managers will be nearly as confident in his abilities as he is, but if they are he definitely could see playing time and perhaps escape the image of being a meme.


Averardo is a friendly ru face who has been around for a little bit now. I'll just come right out and say I think this stage still might be a little ambitious for him, but with WoF managing maybe he gets picked. I don't see it otherwise, which is a shame because he has improved a fair amount over the past year+ or so. Again, this improvement probably isn't enough to land him in snake as most of the names above have more results/more prestige/more ru clout than the friendly italian. He's kind of like aldo but probably slightly better at playing/slightly worse at building, imo. Maybe next year if he adds on some results, but I wish him good luck getting in this year.


The second french ruer on this list, Hurtadoo looks to break into the scene. His main issue that pops out at me is that he's similar to averardo in that he doesn't really have any results. He uses some pretty weird teams amidst his eternal love for stuff like articuno. If he has anything going for him, it's that he's beloved by a portion of the ru community, a portion of the french community, and pearl. Unfortunately I don't see this amounting to a pick unless pearl or ojama take the chance on him. I'm entirely unsure of how he'd perform, but would definitely not like him to freeze me 3 times in a game should we play again!!! He's a nice guy and maybe he gets a chance, as stranger stuff in ru happens every fucking tour lol.


He has been killin the ru ladder for some time now, and might similarly to kink make the jump from uu main to ru snake starter. I'd actually vouch for him to be on a bench too, able to help multiple lower tiers. In a sea of oddball builders, his builds have received some praise from ru minds as different but effective. I've only played him a few times but I thought they were clever. His level of play might not be as high as some of the above users, but he isn't by any means bad and could for sure pull some wins, whether by outplaying or a goofy mu advantage.


bebo surprisingly hasn't signed up yet, but the ever-popular slam aficionado could be one of the later ru starters should he sign up. He was probably in spl last year if he didnt play a poor and unfortunately highly visible set in r1 of circuit playoffs. He has been on top of the ladder for a minute now but hasn't had any real tour placings since making the finals of last ru open. he got acted out of this open in r4, but who knows how far he could have gone again. He seems to have moved on from spamming pitiful hail cheese, so it'll be interesting to see if these factors are enough to get him picked if he decides to sign up.


He's a fine pickup and went like 2-0 or something in ru last year, despite otherwise struggling. He definitely doesn't have the rush of momentum this year. I'm not sure if he'd continue to do well vs the ru field but he's alrdy proven in the eyes of many as of his great slam run last year. I could see him moreso benching, but yeah. Maybe he'll prove me wrong and just slay me.


I didn't include a few names who didn't sign up but definitely could, bebo just seemed likely to do so. Obviously, I can't predict competent tour players just getting picked to ru, which definitely could take up like 1-3 slots. I guess this is a good time to add that if you're interested in drafting me, absolutely pm me first if you haven't already. Anyway, I hope this was an enjoyable read for some, enjoy.
 
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lax

cloutimus maximus
is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnuswon the 10th Official Ladder Tournamentis a Past SPL Championis a Past WCoP Champion
RBTT Champion
hey we changed our logo and name!



huge shoutouts to Blazenix for the amazing art, this is one of the sickest logos I've ever seen :-)

if you guys are interested in joining our team, feel free to shoot us a pm with replays that showcase you playing well (no LUL just swept with timid kart I'm epic replays pls)
 

passion

heavenly :)
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Past SPL Champion
As we anticipate the coming smogon snake draft, I think it's a fair idea to again outline the potential ru pickups (excluding myself/ajna) considering not only how well it was received last year but also how wide-open like 8 slots are this year. Going to do this in a pretty random order, whoever I feel like writing about first lol:

I think he's all but guaranteed to start especially considering the lacking field. He doesn't have any outstanding ru results (ru open could change this, though) but he has regularly achieved high marks on the ladder, as well as being considered one of the better builders the tier has to offer. I wouldn't put him on 49/ajnas level of building, but he has helped out a lot of notable players with competent and flavorful ru teams. In his only official outing, he went 1-0 vs KW in a decent performance. I have no reason to believe he'd struggle hard this time around, and expect him to be probably one of the first 5 mains off the board. I could see him going anywhere from r4 to r6.


He got top 6 or 9 in an ru ssnl but hasn't really had a result since. Despite this, he's known throughout ru as a competent player. He builds his own teams and some of them I think are passable at this level. It'll probably sound like shade but I think his attitude and how he carries himself could definitely rub some people the wrong way, so that could be something to keep in mind when drafting a team I suppose. He used to have a notable confidence issue in 2018 but from what I can tell this has went out the window and he seems more sure of himself as a player. Being regarded as competent despite a general lack of results is noteworthy imo, and definitely deserves some consideration despite my certainty some people will just sheet look.


Kink has done relatively well for himself in ru in his time here this year. He got to top 4 of ru pools, and is now through to at least r6 in ru open. I'd say he's a lot more seasoned as a player than a number of the others that will be featured here. He's obviously been around awhile, playing in spl6 and otherwise being a notable uu name for the years since. I've heard he has a reputation for some people not being a fan of him in some regard, though I don't know him well enough to elaborate on this further. His teams are pretty dynamic in the sense that you'll be thrown by offhand sets, but they still work well enough. I could easily see him going to a manager like EviGaro, if she doesn't grab like, aldo.


The former rutl has seen better days in the tier, imo. He was always kind of on the edge as a benchpick, a supporter, or a starter that was relegated to sub. He hasn't had any performances in ru since those days, and I'm inclined to believe this would put him over the edge to undrafted, especially considering the substantial wave of hopefuls. If a manager wanted to take a flyer on a potentially worthwhile late starter that can at times play his aggressive style well, Arifeen would still be a viable pick up. I just don't see it coming to fruition.


UB will start in ru if he wants to. He kinda got lucky to go 3-1 instead of 2-2 in spl ru, but since then I think he's gotten better. He has done well on the esteemed ru ladder, and is still in open albeit lucked snaga i guess last round (and eternally :[ ) Overall he would be poised to do fine in this field. His level of play is there mostly, though sometimes I've noticed sets or plays that are just off the rail in terms of risk/reward. His building is competent, and doesn't have any outstanding flaws that I know of. I'd slot him in ou over ru i think, but that's zero% my call lol.


The feli is back and better than before. His 2-5 in spl9 was for sure a disappointment in multiple ways but i think he has come around a better player. He has seemed better than ever as of recent in tests, adopting a more kw-esque style of play. Take that however you want, but if your opponent isn't ready for it then it can easily overwhelm you. His own teams seem decently annoying, I don't think he'd need any support. Similarly but to a more extreme extent than roman, he doesn't have any ru results (this ru open run arguably being his greatest) but is regarded highly within the tier itself by its players. He's a veteran of the tier despite being pretty new to the official scene, and I could see him getting one of the last slots this time around. In my mind, he's probably competing with roman for one, since they bring a lot of the same on-paper attributes to the table despite somewhat different styles of play.


Aldo had a pretty weird snake tour last year despite finishing a near-even 3-4. I think his building is better than people expected it to be, with the highlight being z-elec espeon catching 49s stoise turn one. 3 of his losses were to myself, ajna, and 49. That isn't a brag, that's just to say his losses definitely weren't to some unqualified goons and he shouldn't have much held against him there. His level of play is obviously the biggest question mark people would have, and he hasn't had any insane result to woo people over either. 3-4 in snake might do it for some managers though, coupled with the fact that he's p well regarded as a friendly guy.


Diogo has again signed himself up for the misery of another tournament, and I wish my good friend the best. He has been picked in all 3 teamtours for awhile now I feel like, and would be surprised to see that change here. He hasn't exactly had the most fun in ru for awhile now, but is still a reasonable pickup in my eyes. He can still play at a high level, he just needs to feel confident and sure of himself. If you can keep Diogo composed and inspired, he's capable of winning consistently imo. If anything, picking another ru bench slot to help him out isn't the worst idea, but I think at the end of the day he plays best with what he feels is the best option.


yjh is a familiar name in tours by now (so familiar that I can remember those numbers easily) and for good reason. He's a competent multi-tier player and has the support of friends like yoppie should he need it. He won ru pools this year albeit got a little lucky at one point in his run, but he deserves the credit nonetheless. I'm unsure whether he'd prefer to ou or ru, kind of a similar situation to ultraballz lol. This will sound slightly mean but I'm unsure if he'd really do well vs the top of the ru field. He's definitely capable to, I just view him more of a wildcard in terms of performance and expectable results. Whether he plays ru or not, he's a definite pick-up.


this guy came onto the scene in a pretty bizarre stride in spl9 nu, and "disappeared" for awhile afterwards. He has emerged in ru among other tiers as a capable player, and can build well but has limited results outside of this ru open. Overall he's pretty much an average mesh of some of the passages I've written above. He tried dropping out of all opens yesterday but rescinded this hours later, so I'm not sure if he's really prepared mentally for the 9+ week commitment this tour offers. It could be a flight risk, but he has a chance to maybe grab a moderate amount of wins should he get picked up. The french goons love this guy, so it probably isn't without reason.


lep has been a ladder player mostly for awhile, but won the most recent edition of the almost-esteemed-as-ladder-itself rarely used ladder tour. To my knowledge, he hasn't had any incredible results beyond that, outside of qualifying for round one of last year's circuit playoffs but exiting r1. He probably is one of the more unknown names on this list to managers who don't frequent ru, but could be a diamond in the rough to teams if they aren't happy with other ru mains/don't trust nonmains. I don't have a ton to add here I guess, he's a solid player imo with limited results who has been around awhile, just not on the official scene.


idk how I waited this long to write about the bouffer, but here we are. He's definitely one of the most recognizable names on the list, and is freed after his lengthy tourban from snake 1. He might not like me saying this, but he seems extremely determined to prove to not only doubters but also himself that he can hang w/ the top players in lower tiers. I'm unsure if he'd play in ru or a different lower tier, but I'd think it's pretty likely bouff is picked, even if he hasn't had the best official results. He got to top 8 in ru pools, and could perhaps be a nice steal/bench for a team looking to buy lower tiers late.


Forever the character, durza has proclaimed himself a top 3 ruer and is ever-confident in his abilities to soar in this snake. He got 3rd in an ru ssnl but doesn't have any eyebrow-raising ru results beyond this. I can't help but imagine most managers see him as a risk not only in terms of personality but also performance. He has been hyping himself up in nu/pu, so maybe we see him as a lower-tier flex slot. I'm unsure if other managers will be nearly as confident in his abilities as he is, but if they are he definitely could see playing time and perhaps escape the image of being a meme.


Averardo is a friendly ru face who has been around for a little bit now. I'll just come right out and say I think this stage still might be a little ambitious for him, but with WoF managing maybe he gets picked. I don't see it otherwise, which is a shame because he has improved a fair amount over the past year+ or so. Again, this improvement probably isn't enough to land him in snake as most of the names above have more results/more prestige/more ru clout than the friendly italian. He's kind of like aldo but probably slightly better at playing/slightly worse at building, imo. Maybe next year if he adds on some results, but I wish him good luck getting in this year.


The second french ruer on this list, Hurtadoo looks to break into the scene. His main issue that pops out at me is that he's similar to averardo in that he doesn't really have any results. He uses some pretty weird teams amidst his eternal love for stuff like articuno. If he has anything going for him, it's that he's beloved by a portion of the ru community, a portion of the french community, and pearl. Unfortunately I don't see this amounting to a pick unless pearl or ojama take the chance on him. I'm entirely unsure of how he'd perform, but would definitely not like him to freeze me 3 times in a game should we play again!!! He's a nice guy and maybe he gets a chance, as stranger stuff in ru happens every fucking tour lol.


He has been killin the ru ladder for some time now, and might similarly to kink make the jump from uu main to ru snake starter. I'd actually vouch for him to be on a bench too, able to help multiple lower tiers. In a sea of oddball builders, his builds have received some praise from ru minds as different but effective. I've only played him a few times but I thought they were clever. His level of play might not be as high as some of the above users, but he isn't by any means bad and could for sure pull some wins, whether by outplaying or a goofy mu advantage.


bebo surprisingly hasn't signed up yet, but the ever-popular slam aficionado could be one of the later ru starters should he sign up. He was probably in spl last year if he didnt play a poor and unfortunately highly visible set in r1 of circuit playoffs. He has been on top of the ladder for a minute now but hasn't had any real tour placings since making the finals of last ru open. he got acted out of this open in r4, but who knows how far he could have gone again. He seems to have moved on from spamming pitiful hail cheese, so it'll be interesting to see if these factors are enough to get him picked if he decides to sign up.


He's a fine pickup and went like 2-0 or something in ru last year, despite otherwise struggling. He definitely doesn't have the rush of momentum this year. I'm not sure if he'd continue to do well vs the ru field but he's alrdy proven in the eyes of many as of his great slam run last year. I could see him moreso benching, but yeah. Maybe he'll prove me wrong and just slay me.


I didn't include a few names who didn't sign up but definitely could, bebo just seemed likely to do so. Obviously, I can't predict competent tour players just getting picked to ru, which definitely could take up like 1-3 slots. I guess this is a good time to add that if you're interested in drafting me, absolutely pm me first if you haven't already. Anyway, I hope this was an enjoyable read for some, enjoy.
lol fk all these noobs i won spl
 
While mocc drafts have not been the most accurate or well executed simulations of the real draft, and there is some controversy around their relevancy nowadays, I'm definitely in the camp of them being a fun activity regardless, and think they do still get people hyped for the real thing so lets keep the tradition alive.



Taipans
Bushmasters
Mambas
Cobras
Serpents
Nagas
Lindworms
Astrotias
Leviathans
Rattlers

Thank you to everyone who participated
 

MANNAT

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Midnight Mock! Some interesting teams this time around for sure. Thank you to everyone that decided to participate in spite of the obscene hour and I hope to see more mocks in the future!

189124


Taipans LU: https://pokepast.es/4c601daf6215c750
Bushmasters LU: https://pokepast.es/43e981f1d3855365
Mambas LU: https://pokepast.es/f8ce9de830350518
Cobras LU: https://pokepast.es/15db28cc9f459c3d
Serpents LU: https://pokepast.es/c9b4c92670bceb8d
Nagas LU: https://pokepast.es/4a9371ecbb52785f
Lindworms LU: https://pokepast.es/8b6105818759ead2
Astrotias LU: https://pokepast.es/210282e1a64a7965
Leviathans LU: https://pokepast.es/0bbe6660920db000
Rattlers LU: https://pokepast.es/025c6595982709be
 
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Corporal Levi

ninjadog of the decade
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I've known I wasn't planning to play for some time and trash has his own reasons for not signing up yet, so we have decided to set up a list of the top LCers right now to help any managers who may be unfamiliar with the pool. This will almost assuredly be more accurate than the actual power rankings so please pay attention.

Thanks to taranteeeno for helping to proofread!

1. tazz

Strengths:
if I had to name a single leading authority on the current LC metagame, it would have to be tazz. Superb fundamentals and incredible consistency lend to him being among the most capable LCers of today. Tazz has, quite possibly, not made a single suboptimal play in a game of SM LC in recent memory despite his high level of activity; his lack of experience in trophy team tours is irrelevant in the face of his machine precision and unflinching resolve. While he was always considered at least a good LC teambuilder, his hard carry performance this LCPL has ensured him a place among the all-time greats. A fantastically well rounded player, the only thing with a chance to hold back his win percentage is the small sample size of the tour.

Weaknesses: none.

2. BurntZebra

Strengths:
BurntZebra is a consistent player with a sky-high skill ceiling, and generally agreed upon to be one of the strongest LCers in the current metagame. He is relatively new to the LC community, having only really come online during the LCPL of 2018, but has established himself as a top contender in every LC tour he has participated in. He's also a reasonably effective builder who can produce solid teams and accurately gauge his opponent's building trends; his lack of versatility is mostly mitigated by how centralized the current metagame is. This would likely have been my LC pick if I were managing.

Weaknesses: probably his silverback ego. Where other less experienced players may falter due to panic or nerves, zebraman enters every game with supreme confidence in his ability and status as the undisputed best. This is great for maintaining his level of play throughout the season, but has very occasionally caused him to tunnel vision with supreme confidence and misplay as a result.

3. Kingler12345

Strengths:
undoubtedly the biggest choker and worst builder on this list, kingler's continued status as the most successful LC individuals tour player remains arguably the tier's greatest embarrassment. His ability to bring otherwise competent players down to his level is uncanny. Poor building doesn't matter; expect him to bring teams weak to 80% of common threats, only for his opponent to bring the other 20%. Choking doesn't matter; expect him to make plays beyond mortal comprehension like Faking Out twice in a row, only for his opponent to blow it anyways because they're facing Kingler. With his unmatched experience in a pool that may be unfamiliar with his unique set of talents, this is looking to be the rare season where Kingler actually goes positive in a trophy team tour.

Weaknesses: opponents with the willpower to withstand his charms.

4. LilyAC

Strengths:
despite a poor start under dcae's tutelage during the LCPL of 2018, LilyAC has cemented herself as a well-respected LC player with an exceptional grasp of the metagame. She was initially viewed as inconsistent but has since proven this to be untrue, maintaining excellent play across almost every team tour she has signed up for this year. She is also debatably the single best builder in the current LC metagame; while I did overestimate the performance of a couple players by their building ability in Snake 2, lily comes off as much less prone to chokes than they did.

Weaknesses: nerves - the other newcomers at least have experience making it deep into high level LC individual tours like LC Open or circuit playoffs, but Snake Draft will be a bigger stage than any tour lily has played in so far. She has also had timer and connection issues in the past, but I imagine this shouldn't be too difficult to deal with as long as she's prepared.

5. Ninjadog13

Strengths:
a solid player and builder with a good grasp of the metagame, Ninjadog13 is another highly touted newcomer. He almost never makes outright misplays and has generally sturdy fundamentals. He has been his team's most capable teambuilder for his last couple of LC team tours, and while they haven't gotten too far, he has at least done a good job at making sure they aren't losing to poor matchups. Even if he doesn't look good initially this season, he will almost surely improve to become one of the better players as the season continues.

Weaknesses: mentality, mainly nerves. While he most likely won't be outright choking because of nerves, he will often resort to a very safe/passive style of play that his higher level opponents will be able to take advantage of. He looks much better in games where he's feeling relatively confident in his ability (but care not to go overboard, in case he tries to play drunk again).

6. Serene Grace

Strengths:
Kingler may be the most successful LCer of all time, but Serene is comfortably the most successful LCer of the past year. Although a small portion of his legacy was built upon BW LC, he earned some very respectable SM LC records during the most recent LCPL and Exhibition. Serene is always looking to innovate LC's next big trend, and although his successes in this regard have been limited at best, it has ensured that he's comfortable with the meta and won't be caught off-guard. His play may not always be totally precise because of his tendency to click, but if he can avoid that, then he is a level-headed and motivated player with a good intuition.

Weaknesses: while nowhere near as extreme as Kingler, Serene is among the lesser builders in the pool, and could do with a more competent teambuilder to help keep his habits in check. Also, I'd have put him higher if this was indivs but he's a jerk.

7. Shrug

Strengths:
Shrug has been considered a top level LCer for several years now. He's a solid and creative player who has a leg up on most of the pool in terms of experience, so he won't be having the same struggle with nerves. Although he used to have a reputation for being a bit of a clicker and wasn't drafted last year, he has since grown a great deal in terms of thinking his decisions through to produce consistently solid play, and I would now confidently list this as among his strengths.

Weaknesses: I've honestly liked certain Shrug teams a lot - he's quite a creative builder - but while his play has become more consistent, his build quality is still anything but, and he has brought some almost Kingler-tier nonsense to some of his games.

8. Toadow

Strengths:
I'm personally a huge Toadow fan. His dcae-slaying status is a bit less impressive in light of dcae's more recent tours, but beginning with his breakout Last Chance tour to get into Circuit playoffs near the end of last year, Toadow has performed anywhere between good to fantastic in every LC tour he has entered. He does have a tendency to not let his timer drop low, but generally thinks fast enough for it to not detract from his level of play. His builds aren't very interesting, but they're solid enough for him to make full use of his other strengths.

Weaknesses: while he's certainly capable of figuring out his plays turn by turn, he occasionally makes silly mistakes like forgetting his mon is carrying an item or something. He'll also probably end the season with like 100 lines if he doesn't have any French speakers on his team.

9. Fille

Strengths:
Fille is a motivated player who is very knowledgeable about the meta. He has his unique takes (think Heysup but better) that can both throw opponents off and ensure that he isn't caught out by their own techs. Although he hasn't had as many opportunities to prove his building ability, he's still surely capable enough to rely on. His skill ceiling may be slightly lower than the strongest players on this list, but it's enough to leave him room to succeed if he continues to be motivated and build well.

Weaknesses: Going too far with his techs and opening up some holes as a result.

10. Heysup

Strengths:
honestly, it doesn't matter what I say here - he'll go 3-6 or 4-5 and complain when he lands 3 hurricanes but misses the 4th. Then he'll (falsely) claim that at least he has a positive record against x or y user overall. I loathe wingull lovers, especially Heysup.

Weaknesses: playing and building ability.

This isn't an exhaustive list of every LCer who I think is reasonably good - there are 5-6 users who I'd rather wait for when (not if) they see some tangible success before formally vouching for them.

Star, Luthier*, Plas, Osh

These players weren't listed for LC in jyt and I's draft plan, but they've all been fantastic LCers in the past (or still are), and should have the experience to get into the tier more easily if they do play LC. Plas and Osh may want a teammate with some recent LC experience to ensure they're up to speed with the meta. Osh hasn't been active in the community for most of 2019, missing a couple of metagame shifts, and Plas just doesn't enjoy the current metagame. Star and Luthier would probably be the ones actually providing the LC support, and they'd obviously be at or near the top of the pool if they do start in LC.

*I realize Luthier will probably be listed under LC for most draft plans (we wanted him for RU). You’d have to keep his nerves in check but I’d probably put him somewhere between 2nd to 4th in LC due to the magnitude and recency of his successes. He has improved dramatically over the past year, both in building and in play, and is coming off a 9-0 LCPL run that would put tko to shame. That being said, even if he's just building for LC, he'll definitely want to put in as much effort as he did for his absurd LCPL season, since he can't pump out solid builds quite as quickly/effortlessly as Star, for example.

frisoeva, London13, ZoroDark

These are just the users whose abilities I don't feel confident gauging.

ZoroDark was top 3 at worst for pretty much all of the second half of SPL 7 through Snake 1, but he went inactive afterwards and got stuck on the wingulls for the most recent LCPL (where, like the rest of his team, he did nothing). He'd be a shoo-in for top 3 or better if he can get paired with a notably good support like Star/Luthier/Fille, but if he doesn't have that, then his metagame knowledge could be a major drawback. I'm not sure of the extent to which poor support would hurt him here, since he isn't quite as new to LC as he was during his underwhelming (pre-Sken) performance for the first half of SPL 7.

I thought London's performance during LCPL was quite good, and maybe he could be worth looking into based off of that. He's done pretty much nothing else, though, so I can't comment on his consistency, teambuilding, and so on. He's reasonably involved with the community and metagame. Frisoeva played an LC team tour for the first time this LCPL where he did fine, and also won the most recent LC seasonal, but I haven't seen enough to rank him in comparison to everyone else.

---

For this list, I haven't put much emphasis on trophy team tour experience, as long as they have other team tours or high level LC tours to judge by, because I believe it matters less in LC; trophy tours are just too spaced out in LC for them to be the primary gauge of ability. Outside of trash, this has surely been the case historically. Star, OP, dundies, pablo, sken, zf, and I all made our debuts through LC and looked just fine doing so. Kingler looked pretty bad for his debut, but I don't think it was because of first time nerves.
 
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teal6

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to the managers: do not listen to a single word levi has said in the above post. LC is a rubik's cube of a tier that is unrealistically difficult, where it is mandatory have spreadsheets open to figure out what sets are being used based off of possible percentages things can be at. only levi himself is actually any good at it (star would be but he will absolutely not play it in this tournament). just buy someone you think is chill and hope that they do sick rather than rolling the dice on some guy who performed well in whatever bogus tournament levi may have mentioned (got bored reading his post about 30% of the way through)

edit: justification for this opinion comes from winning this very tour in LC despite forgetting that you can switch ghosts out from diglett and also losing 5.5 mons to the mystery spider
 
Hi there guys, just gonna continue on the trend of ranking players from playerbases no one really knows nor cares about - so we have my suggest PU snake pick ups. I feel though this may be completely counterproductive because I may end up having to play them throughout snake - so here's to some unbiased review of potential picks in return for a couple of likes.

Taskr -
The ex tier leader himself is a well versed player when it comes to weekly PL type tournaments with a lot of innovation and support from his large friendslist as he is a popular and likeable chap (important for team tours!). Though he didn't have the best records and not too much recognition in the most recent tournaments, he is definitely a top pick for people who want a builder / player who has a very high playing ceiling. If he can keep consistent in the builder and stay true to his strengths when it comes to team choice, i don't see why he can't be a good value pickup for someone looking to invest in the slightly earlier rounds for a pu player. Estimated round 4-8

TJ -
I have not always seen eye to eye with TJ, but given the circumstances of the way he is shaped up going into this tournament - i can see him doing either of 2 things. If he gets off to a good start with a win or 2, i can see him using this momentum to getting a very good record given he tries very hard to outprep / come up with "innovative" ideas. Or 2, he could flip flop around and struggle and get a negative record - in all honesty it's your call. He will most certainly try hard, he will definitely take the finch approach and outprep in the builder, but I do see more talented players in the field. That being said - i definitely think he deserves a shot in this tour and should be picked up.

Megazard -
The actual tier leader himself. I've not seen zard play a lot of pu because he likes to host a lot of tournaments such as pupl - so it's quite an unknown quantity in most respects. What I do know is that zard loves messy offense - whatever threat he can fit onto a team and then add hazards and you have most of his tournament teams - which in this format would work very well since it's near impossible to scout. That matched with the most tier knowledge and activity I have seen from a human being, he seems like a good pick. However, he's not got a lot of tournament success to go by and given how there's little to scout from - i feel like it would be hard to say that he is the best pu pickup to choose. Managers; take your own judgement on this man because I don't know too well myself, but i can definitely see him being similar to fireburn last snake - old man (in terms of tier knowledge) and slightly above average record.

Jarii -
This man went 6-0 in pupl, won just about every lower tier premier league and had the best year in his pokemon career. However, he also had dedenne pupl support - which I can safely say that if he was drafted onto any other team during pupl, he would not have been unbeaten and the same applies to finch who also went unbeaten. Jarii is a great pilot of teams and is familiar with the tier due to his involvement with pupl - but he can't build for himself and will require a support slot almost dedicated to helping him do well with the builder. Jarii on his own will not be good enough i'm afraid - but if given the right support - i can see this man doing exceptional things if picked up for snake.

Robert Alfons -
Last year after last pupl - i was on the rob train shouting choo choo all the way to the snake draft station... but now not so much. He tilted off this planet during pupl, couldn't provide his team with the necessary support for the sm slots in the final as i believe dedennes vs victreebels SM ended something like 5-1 in dedenne's favour over the course of the finals - which goes to say that he's not been building particularly well and he in fact quit immediately after. HOWEVER, he has had an abundance of team tour experience, he's fresh off a break so he could be very well motivated and fresh to take on the necessary scouting and will be able to provide his own teams and playing to a reasonably high level needed for this tournament. If you buy him, might be worth having a support slot in case he tilts, but otherwise a person who I would probably take the risk for.

Lord Sample Team (LST) -
This is a tricky one - on one hand i can see lst being a self sufficient pickup who is quite talented at pu. On the other hand, he's got 0 tournaments behind him, much like mz or even tj. Given his involvement with the tier, I would say that he is definitely deserved of a shot in snake, but I wouldn't rank him as my first choice. He didn't do great in pupl, he didn't make it too far in pu open so it's hard to get behind him. However if given the shot to prove himself, i can see the potential for a good record - though i think there are more talented pokemon players to be picked up.

Rexus -
Probably one of the highest playing ceilings of the players mentioned so far - I am a big fan of rexus. Builds his own innovative teams, paired with tricking and you have a probably sure positive pu record. I'd go so far as to say he is probably a top 3 PU pickup, arguably top 1 if has the right combination of support around him as he has a great playing ceiling and some crazy and cool innovation. However he has used some absolutely garbage teams or ideas - yet still manages to win with them. I think the only thing holding him back is his motivation to play pu and not OU and potentially not having the right support behind him to maximise his potential.

Tom H0lland -
Given his slam run, he's done okay for himself. Quite the unknown entity going into slam before, did quite well for himself and had a fairly challenging run. I'd say that Tom is okay, not the best choice for your pickup given that he doesn't have the most experience and I can see that hindering him on the big stage in front of a smogtours crowd of 200+ people. I wouldn't count him out as a potential pick, given that he had some cool ideas and made a successful run in pu open, but i have other options ahead of him. A little more experience and I would have given him a bit more of a boost.

Xiri -
This guy has done very well in tiers and is becoming quite the jack of all trades given his involvement in monotype, pu and other tiers recently. He's performed quite well and demonstrated positive records in some pupls. He does however lack official tournament involvement (much like most people on this list) and may be another 50/50 slot. I think he has quite a linear building style (i know, rich coming from me) and bonermons - but he's a good pickup.

False -
He won the first pu open and since pupl, he's been much more involved in the tier. After being haxed out of this years iteration in round 6 - I can definitely see him being more interested and involved in the tier. I'm not 100% sure on how well he will do as I have limited playing experience of him in this gen, but he knows how to win pokemon matches, clearly. Probably a top 5 pu pick up for snake - may require support if he tilts off this planet.

Sam I Yam -
Activity risk. Big activity risk. I love sam to pieces but he lost his team in the final of exhibition to an activity call ffs LOL. IF you can speak to him and find out his availability with work and have some assurances however, he won the pu unopen and has been very active in the tier. Just have a sub on standby if he goes MIA.

tlenit -
I am a big fan of this guy - he's topped the ladder multiple times with some version of the filthiest stall you could imagine and a decent player to boot. However, 0-2 in pupl means he's probably not ready for snake yet - give it til next year imho.

Kushalos / Robjr / Tricking / Finchinator -
If you can convince one of these guys to step into pu rather than one of their other tiers - they will do well and win matches. But good luck trying to do that.

Anty -
This man is my kryptonite - if you wanna buy someone just to spite me - he's 3-0 vs me. Oh and uhh fuck you.

Ktutverde -
If he signs up, which he might - i still reckon ktut is a top 3 player in this tier. Given the success he had last year, i would have definitely given him the top spot of mvp going into this tournament, i even think he may be still top 1 even now. If he puts his mind to it, he will do well. He is a top player, top builder and a tryhard who would love to do anything to do better than megazard. However, after a poor pupl and since going MIA - there is some doubt there that he would be a reliable pick. If you are unsure of who to get, he's worth the gamble (if he signs up).

Yogibears -
Now some of you may consider picking up yogibears and if you are - don't. Simply put - he's awful. TERRIBLE. He will complain constantly about how much he hates this tier and will more than likely choke away a 4-6 lead. However, unless your name is HJAD and you have Dibs in the server, there is potential for a 4-0 yogi round 14 pick somewhere in the horizon. That's if he doesn't annoy the shit out of you in the server by constant tags and claims he's not a pokemon player.

The tour player - i/e Star / Serene Grace / Poek / HT etc.
Given the state of the pu playerbase - it's quite underdeveloped in some respects in terms of tournament experience, playing ability, showing up in big tournaments and I think that PU open really shows that. Lots of pu dedicated players dipped out in the early rounds and it left a lot of potential for tournament mainstays to do well in this open and become familiar with the tier. I think that this is going to be a route that a lot of managers may take in terms of getting a pu slot - I would even be tempted by this myself. However, they may be exposed in the earlier rounds of the tournament due to unfamiliarity with meta trends and sets that some mons may have which they may not have come across in their runs. I would heavily suggest if you take this route to give them support and to not leave them on their own - pick up a PU mainer to support.

The PU Mainer - Shuckledeath / Jonago / Gum / Many / Specs etc
This is the category of player that I would definitely say is not good enough for the limelight just yet as they are exposed in terms of not being quite the best builder, player or just lack the necessary experience. However, they live, breathe and love the tier (for the most part) and would be desirable assets for your team if you are struggling with who to pick up for as a support slot. I may be wrong, but i wouldn't pick these up on their own unless they were supporting a tournament player to take the reigns over the playing slot each week. However, if you're a manager - it's definitely worth sweet talking these guys into joining your server to support your slot and even get some much needed official tournament experience.

Dibs -
Don't pick him us a player - but he's the best cheerleader this tier has ever seen. If you love shitty but loveable paint art of pokemon that blush - he's your guy.

Given everyone i've just mentioned - i would probably go with a ranking of something along the lines of -
1 - ktut (if he signs up)
2 - Taskr
3 - rexus
4 - False
5 - TJ
6 - Jarii (he probably goes up to a top 3 player if he is paired with a top builder)
7 - LST
8 - Robert Alfons
9 - Megazard
10 - Xiri
11 - Tom H0lland
12 - Sam I Yam
13 - Anty
14 - Tlenit

Shit tier:
Yogibears

Quick note regarding me - i am going on holiday + moving house in september, keep that in mind if you plan on drafting me as an early round pick :)
 
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