Team Preview
I kind of expected Banana to hold off the voices in their head trying to coax him to use this team for more than two weeks. I didn't expect it to last for the entire tournament, but I did think it would last longer than two weeks. I don't 100% recall what this team consists of. I want to say defensive Primal Groudon, defensive Ho-Oh, rocks Arceus-Fairy, Tera Water Coil Zygarde, Rocky Helmet or Solg-Z Necrozma-DM, and Mega Slowbro. I don't have the time nor energy to spend thirty minutes thinking about what sets these five mons are running that makes
Alomomola at home Slowbro fit well.
AM's team has a vibe of prepping for some specific matchup. Arceus-Fairy is almost certainly utility SR and Ditto is obviously Choice Scarf. Marshadow is probably Choice Band. Given that, Choice Scarf Yveltal doesn't really fit well so it is likely defensive. Zygarde is probably defensive given the other five either can't or don't like switching into Primal Groudon. Primal Kyogre feels like it is defensive with the logic that Marhsadow + Ditto + Yveltal punish offense enough that defensive works for stall which Banana brought W1.
Matchup [70-30 for AM]
Given the Slowbro, AM's Primal Kyogre is going to be a problem with not much standing in its way long term outside of a potential Tera Water Zygarde if it is defensive. If it isn't it is probably forcing a tera and taking 2+ mons before going down as long as it avoids Glare. Marshadow can also play a key role in preventing a potential Calm Mind Taunt Arceus-Fairy from getting out of hand and revenge Necrozma-DM if needed. AM's Arceus-Fairy will help preserve progress with Taunt.
Banana seems to have a rough path to victory. When I look at his team it seems like x mon can do something if AM's Y is taken care of, but actually doing that is kind of hard. For example, defensive Primal Groudon is actually quite an offensive threat, but Zygarde exists. Same with Necrozma-DM, but it is forced out by Marshadow and if it gets +2 it is revenged by Ditto. It also wants to use its Z on both Zygarde and Yveltal. AM's team really doesn't love even defensive Arceus-Fairy and really doesn't love Calm Mind, but it seems unlikely that it will be given the opportunities to do much because it is alongside Slowbro.
Game
We open with AM's Ditto against Banana's Arceus-Fairy. AM reveals that it is defensive and gets up rocks as Banana switches to Ho-Oh. I'm not sure why he didn't just attack or gamble and use Taunt as AM's Arceus-Fairy is the only mon on this team that doesn't mind switching into Judgment. Banana then takes his free Toxic which hits Zygarde and eats a Glare in exchange for removing Stealth Rock. Slowbro comes out and eats a Glare before unfortunately missing a Toxic on AM's Arceus-Fairy. That will make a rough matchup even tougher. Necrozma-DM comes in as Arceus-Fairy sets up Stealth Rock and Sunsteel Strikes into Yveltal which reveals Necrozma-DM is offensive and Yveltal is defensive.
Yveltal Roosts off the damage as Arceus-Fairy comes in and sets up its own Stealth Rock and eats a Toxic. Banana's team doesn't care much about rocks while Arceus-Fairy being Toxiced means that this is likely gg so this is needlessly risky. AM then switches in their own Arceus-Fairy into Judgment and a good double has Primal Kyogre in front of Ho-Oh. Ice Beam is free here and the damage on the incoming Primal Groudon reveals that this is defensive Primal Kyogre. It Ice Beams again as Primal Groudon misses Toxic and takes its damage with Precipice Blades before going down.
Arceus-Fairy comes in and Recovers as Primal Kyogre rests and then Banana finally reveals that Arceus-Fairy does indeed have Taunt. Slowbro comes in and unfortunately is crit twice by Scald before landing a Toxic. AM opts to rest as Arceus-Fairy comes in. Banana then switches to Necrozma-DM which Dragon Dances as Zygarde comes in and then removes it with the Z. Yveltal comes in and Tera Poisons to absorb Stone Edge and revenge Necrozma-DM with Foul Play. It then Taunts and Toxics Zygarde before going down.
AM sends in Arceus-Fairy which scares out Zygarde and Recovers as Ho-Oh comes in. Primal Kyogre comes in and Ho-Oh unfortunately full paras as it eats a Scald. It switches out to regen HP and Arceus-Fairy is sacced. Ho-Oh Tera Grasses and Toxics as Primal Kyogre Calm Minds. I'm assuming Banana's Zygarde was Tera Fairy as Ho-Oh Teraing here just slightly delays the inevitable and AM wins a few turns later.
Additional Thoughts
AMs luck certainly turned around a fair bit from last week. The thing is...I'm not really sure it mattered. Banana missing nearly every move certainly sucked, but none of them really felt game losing, even cumulatively. At every stage of the game an Arceus-Fairy endgame felt reasonable to work towards so long as it didn't get Toxiced. Even with Slowbro the other five seemed able to break through. All else being equal, if Banana still managed to remove AM's Zygarde with Necrozma-DM it is hard to see how AM is going to break through. Yeah Slowbro sucks and Alomomola would have made this a 100-0 matchup, but even with the Slowbro it felt like Banana would have won this with better play.
AM did win, but as I've thought about this team more I'm really not a big fan. There are some nice things in it, but I don't think it has too many flaws as a whole. The two immediate things that stand out are the absence of hazard control and Primal Groudon. This team isn't offensive enough nor is it resilient enough against entry hazards to forgo hazard control with Toxic Spikes and Sticky Web in particular being pretty big issues. Sure Yveltal can Tera Poison, but outside of the stall matchup Zygarde and Marshadow will often need to tera. Primal Groudon does Primal Groudon things, but there is a reason most balances that forgo it have at least two of Ferrothorn, Tera Water Garganacl, or Eternatus.
Primal Kyogre is an absolutely massive threat and Primal Groudon at least provides a temporary stopgap. It can be outoffensed as well, but this team isn't aiming to do that. I'm not really sure how it attempts to handle it outside of Tera Water Zygarde which is overwhelmed by offensive sets. Other mons are quite scary such as Life Orb Yveltal or wallbreaker Eternatus, neither of which mind Ditto. Special mons in general are a pretty big threat. I'm not sure how you address the main issues with the team while keeping its identity intact.
Team Preview
At this point I think it is reasonable to account for Emoxu9's preferences when thinking about Mirror's teams. With that in mind, defensive Primal Groudon with Heat Crash for some reason, Dragon Dance Zygarde, wallbreaker Eternatus, Play Rough Tera Fighting Zacian-C and probably defensive Yveltal. I don't like ekiller on this team, but it isn't a throw.
Zspice has a rather unusual Alomomola BO. Primal Groudon is Rocks, but beyond that either standard defensive or SD seems likely. This team has enough anti-HO stuff. This team has a very rough time against Zygarde without special Giratina-O, but you could fit the physical set here if you want. Any Yveltal set could be justified here. Eternatus should be offensive, but given how odd this team is who knows. I'm not sure about the Zacian-C.
Matchup [85-15 Mirror]
Dragon Dance Zygarde just kind of 6-0s on preview if it gets a turn to setup which it should find at some point against Alomomola. The biggest threat to Mirror is a potential wallbreaker Eternatus which should be able to claim a couple of mons before being revenged by Arceus. Zacian-C is a threat to sweep if it is the right set, but getting it in and getting that SD will be difficult. I've said that Zspice's team is an odd Alomomola team which hurts it a lot here, but I'll get into that later.
Game
Alomomola leads against Primal Groudon which switches out to Eternatus which safely absorbs a Toxic. Alomomola shrugs off a Meteor Beam and Flip Turns into Giratina-O. Mirror incorrectly predicts Tera, but is rewarded with a Fire Blast burn as their Eternatus is crippled with Thunder Wave. Mirror predicts the next turn correctly as +1 Dynamax Cannon does 90 to Primal Groudon switching in, indicating Physical Giratina-O (one day it will do something that the special set can't). Mirror opts to preserve Eternatus and Primal Groudon's PB thuds into Yveltal. Zacian-C switches into Foul Play and Yveltal reveals it isn't Choice Scarf and goes down to Play Rough.
Primal Groudon comes in and sets rocks as Zacian-C is scared out and Yveltal comes in. Mirror then opts to sac Eternatus to Yveltal and Zacian-C comes in. It Tera Fights and SDs, presumably scouting Heat Wave as Yveltal Dark Pulses. Primal Groudon is then saced as Behemoth Blade is revealed. Zspice's Zacian-C comes in and rather than risking a speed-tie Mirror switches into Groudon Primal. Alomomola comes in and absorbs an Overheat and a double sees Giratina-O in front of Zygarde. Spice Dracos and then goes to Alomomola. I think this is a mistake as it lets Zygarde get a free Dragon Dance. If it subs Yveltal can prevent this with Taunt and saccing it gives Eternatus a good entry point.
Instead Alomomola Flip Turns into Eternatus which is not going to win against a +1 Zygarde and only breaks its Sub before going down. Giratina-O comes in and at least leaves Zygarde unable to sub before it goes down. Alomomola Toxics it and it eventually goes down. Zacian-C comes in and reveals Substitute and the game is over.
Additional Thoughts
I saw the win post rather than catching the game live and though it is something of an interesting idea that has seen some experimentation in SV Ubers, I'm not a fan of Substitute on Zacian-C here. The only reason we even knew it existed is because Zacian-C terad early in the game unnecessarily. If that had not happened Zygarde just Tera Grounds and sweeps and it never plays a factor. If anything it is surprising that Tera was used instead of revealing substitute early on.
I wouldn't say Alomomola structures are by any means solved, but I really am not a fan of Spice's team. Fitting either Yveltal or Zacian-C on Alomomola structures is difficult, let alone both. There is also the issue of no Arceus forme which really bit Spice in this match as it would help immensely in limiting Dragon Dance Zygarde. They also help play around offensive Eternatus quite a bit while Zacian-C generally should not be a big issue for most Alomomola teams. You can say that Spice was pretty unlucky in running into mons that their team can't handle, but these also are not super niche mons with a good matchup.
Team Preview
Sami is running standard
Psyspam. Maybe he has made some changes, but I'm doubtful. Dahness' team looks like a standardish balance with some things up for debate. Marshadow is likely Choice Band and Necrozma-DM is likely Dragon Dance. Beyond that stuff is pretty variable depending on what direction Dahness wants to take with this team. Defensive Stealth Rock Primal Groudon + Calm Mind Arceus-Fairy seems like it would fit best, but a spikestack approach can work. While defensive Yveltal is a possibility, Scarf or Life Orb probably fit a bit better. I like offensive Ho-Oh more on this team, but if Coil Zygarde is a concern defensive works.
Matchup [50-50]
I think this game is ultimately likely to come down to who plays better rather than matchup issues. Sami has the tools to overwhelm Dahness and Dahness has the tools to hold down the fort long enough to survive the initial onslaught. It does depend on the sets of course, but the tools are there. Ultimately, this game is likely to be decided via Meteor Beam or Tera.
Game
Dahness leads off with Yveltal, indicating LO, while Sami leads off with Glimmora. This is indeed the case as Yveltal sacrifices itself to prevent Glimmora from getting any hazards and Arceus-Fairy comes in to finish it off, but Sami opts to preserve it and Necrozma-DM comes in. Arceus-Fairy takes a pretty big risk and stays in and Judgments again bringing Necrozma-DM to half HP while eating a Photon Geyser. Primal Groudon switches in and the damage reveals that it is offensive. Glimmora is sacked to Precicpice Blades and Tapu Lele comes in to set the terrain.
It Taunts as Primal Groudon reveals Stealth Rock and then KOs Tapu Lele with Precipice Blades. Deoxys-A comes in and unfortunately misses Meteor Beam and dies to Overheat, meaning this is likely offensive support Primal Groudon. Sami sends in Necrozma-DM which ultra bursts and KOs Primal Groudon with Earthquake. Dahness sends in their own Necrozma-DM which reveals that it is also Ultra Necrozma and Earthquakes as Sami's Ultra Necrozma Dragon Dances and then OHKOes with TLTBTS. Dahness then manages to burn the rest of the Psychic Terrain turns by sacrificing Arceus-Fairy so Marshadow can revenge Ultra Necrozma.
Marshadow reveals it is Life Orb and Lunala is going to Tera Fairy this turn, but whether it will Moonblast or Meteor Beam is yet to be seen. Ho-Oh ends up switching into Moonblast and goes down to Meteor Beam without teraing. Marshadow Poltergeists and Lunala finishes off the game.
Additional Thoughts
Psyspam has fallen out of favour a little bit, but I don't think it is any better or worse than it was when it was introduced. Some people have tried variations of it, but the original remains my favourite version. Outside of the Ultra Necrozma I like Dahness' team. I don't think this Primal Groudon set fits particularly well, but Ultra Necrozma makes this way too weak to Marshadow for a BO.
Team Preview
Rei's team is a simple, but fine screens team. I think the team is fine, but also I'm not really sure that screens are needed. Double Dance Primal Groudon, Dragon Dance Zygarde, Play Rough CC Zacian-C, Tera Dragon Meteor Beam Eternatus, and Ice Beam MMY seem most likely. Cyclonez's team is one of mine and just a basic balance. Defensive Overheat Primal Groudon, offensive Ho-Oh, Calm Mind Arceus-Dark, Coil Zygarde, Tera Poison Yveltal, and CB Marshadow.
Matchup [60-40]
Screens are kind of annoying for Cyclonez, but shouldn't make much of a difference outside of MMY which does appreciate them to not be mid. Even then, that is mostly because this is an offensive Ho-Oh which means +2 Psystrike will OHKO. Rei's biggest concern is going to be setting up things to avoid a shown with lastmon Zygarde as it will beat everything but Eternatus 1v1 which still has to avoid being in a situation where it will end up taking a Glare. Cyclonez is slightly favoured, but will have to position well to prevent Mewtwo and Eternatus from getting out of hand.
Game
We start the final game of the week with a Primal Groudon mirror. Rei gets up Stealth Rock as Cyclonez switches to Zygarde and then lands a huge Glare on the incoming Zygarde, removing most of its threat. Rei's Zygarde then phases Cyclonez's with Dragon Tail into Yveltal which then Dark Pulses into Grimmsnarl. It sets up screens as its Light Clay is knocked and Primal Groudon comes in and Grimmsnarl Parting Shots into Mewtwo.
Ho-Oh comes in as Mewtwo Nasty Plots and is OHKOed by Psystrike. Marshadow comes in and Shadow Sneaks as Mewtwo is scared out into Zygarde which absorbs Shadow Sneak. Arceus-Dark comes in and is Dragon Tailed into Yveltal. Grimmsnarl comes in an survives the Oblivion Wing and sets up a Reflect before going down. Primal Groudon comes in Taunt prevents Swords Dance. Stone Edge unfortunately misses as Yveltal heals up nicely with Oblivion Wing. Rei then opts to preserve Primal Groudon as Zacian-C comes in and absorbs Dark Pulse and OHKOes Yveltal with Play Rough.
Primal Groudon comes in and Zygarde comes in to absorb a Precipice Blades and gets a transformation off. Cyclonez decides to trade Primal Groudon for Zygarde and Eternatus comes in and revenges it with Dynamax Cannon. Arceus-Dark comes in, but the team is too chipped at this point and Eternatus reveals it is indeed Tera Dragon and sets up and sweeps.
Addtional Comments
Rei played quite well, but Cyclonez could have won this game, especially once she got that huge Glare on Zygarde early on. It seems like she was playing too reactively rather than proactively. For example, Arceus-Dark forces Rei to guess between sending in Eternatus or Zacian-C as Grimmsnarl is forced to manually switch out. It can also Recover since it will beat Eternatus 1v1 if it starts at full HP. Zygarde also should have been used more liberally since it getting off a transformation enables it to Tera and cripple Eternatus or Mewtwo. Sending it in against the Taunted Primal Groudon would have enabled it to do that. This was a winnable game even if some of those decisions are tough to make at the time. Playing things a little bit differently would have facilitated a win with either Zygarde or Calm Mind Arceus-Dark. Rei played well and to their wincons, but Cyclonez did let them do it smoothly rather than having to work for it.