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Tournaments ADVPL VI Format Discussion
- Thread starter goldmason
- Start date
The format is great as is. I could get behind a few changes depending on the support they get, but im extremely against draft in this tournament given It usually drags tours a lot and i dont see enough support to justify It. DOU shouldnt get added back either imo - if we are gonna make any changes at all i think its trolling to not go for an OU slot + ZU/UUBL.
Given I've recently stepped forward as ADV ZUTL in the past year, I would like to advocate my points on why I believe ADV ZU should feature in ADVPL this year.
First of all, developments for ADV ZU have continued to grow in 2025. We have started to see greater team tournament presence with the recent inclusion of ZUPL, cementing it as a serious fixture of ZU. Furthermore, ADV ZU is generally considered relatively popular compared to other ADV and ZU tiers alike, boasting the 2nd biggest turnout in ZU Classic (56) and the 3rd largest turnout in ADV Grand Slam (47), all while factoring in that both tournaments were being held simultaneously. The inaugural ADVLTPL held last year provided ADV ZU with the second-highest number of signups, totaling 62 players who were interested in playing the tier.
Furthermore, there is a very dedicated player base that actively wants to see ADV ZU grow. Players like Baoba, Melninja, BP, Plznostep, Joaf, Czim, and Hachimaki, to name some examples, have been a core part of our community throughout our development in the last couple of years, with some of those players being significant individuals in terms of their overall ADV presence. By including ZU in this year's ADVPL, it rewards the efforts everyone has been putting in to ensure this tier is both played and developed at a high standard.
Regarding where I would put ADV ZU, I think it should take the place of ADV OU4 (one of the Bo1 spots). The quality of games in ADV ZU is stronger compared to OU4, in my opinion. While it is always nice to acknowledge the players who actively participate in their respective metagames, I believe three slots, including a Bo3, are more than enough to showcase that. Furthermore, while ADV ZU is relatively easy to pick up, there is a high skill ceiling, which grants the potential for really exciting games to occur. Additionally, it would be illogical to remove other tiers, such as RU, LC, and especially PU, because each of those tiers remains to have a sizable player base of its own, and doing so would undermine their contributions to ADV altogether.
I would consider ADV to be one of my first true homes on Smogon. The ADV ZU spotlight tour was my second tour I ever signed up for, and it would mean a lot to me if ADV ZU could finally get the recognition it deserves and establish itself as a mainstay in ADVPL. Thank you for your time.
Update: Just a couple of other things I wanted to bring up after reading through this thread again.
- I wasn't completely aware of the demand for 12 slots as I didn't think the arguments were significant enough for it, but I do resonate with a lot of points Violet River made in her post and after a small back and forward on Discord, I thought I would include a section for it. If we were I would probably look to keep the OU4, and then include ZU alongside any combination of OU5 Bo3, UUBL, DOU, ORRE, or Draft. I don't have a strong opinion on that 12th slot, but I do think ADV being one of the largest communities of the site should look to celebrate the wide spectrum of tiers and high standard of gaming that is on display, and expanding the amount of slots ADVPL has would be a great way of presenting that.
- If in the event having to cover for 8 seperate tiers is too much of a hassle, I do believe as with what Zac mentioned that we could entertain the idea of allowing 3 managers to alleviate some of the workload that might go into drafting or supporting slots.
First of all, developments for ADV ZU have continued to grow in 2025. We have started to see greater team tournament presence with the recent inclusion of ZUPL, cementing it as a serious fixture of ZU. Furthermore, ADV ZU is generally considered relatively popular compared to other ADV and ZU tiers alike, boasting the 2nd biggest turnout in ZU Classic (56) and the 3rd largest turnout in ADV Grand Slam (47), all while factoring in that both tournaments were being held simultaneously. The inaugural ADVLTPL held last year provided ADV ZU with the second-highest number of signups, totaling 62 players who were interested in playing the tier.
ADV Ubers - 68 signups
ADV UUBL - 61 signups
ADV UU - 60 signups
ADV RU - 55 signups
ADV NU - 60 signups
ADV PU - 48 signups
ADV ZU - 62 signups
ADV LC - 61 signups
ADV DOU - 50 signups
ORRE Colosseum - 47 signups
Source: ADVLTPL Signups
ADV UUBL - 61 signups
ADV UU - 60 signups
ADV RU - 55 signups
ADV NU - 60 signups
ADV PU - 48 signups
ADV ZU - 62 signups
ADV LC - 61 signups
ADV DOU - 50 signups
ORRE Colosseum - 47 signups
Source: ADVLTPL Signups
Furthermore, there is a very dedicated player base that actively wants to see ADV ZU grow. Players like Baoba, Melninja, BP, Plznostep, Joaf, Czim, and Hachimaki, to name some examples, have been a core part of our community throughout our development in the last couple of years, with some of those players being significant individuals in terms of their overall ADV presence. By including ZU in this year's ADVPL, it rewards the efforts everyone has been putting in to ensure this tier is both played and developed at a high standard.
Regarding where I would put ADV ZU, I think it should take the place of ADV OU4 (one of the Bo1 spots). The quality of games in ADV ZU is stronger compared to OU4, in my opinion. While it is always nice to acknowledge the players who actively participate in their respective metagames, I believe three slots, including a Bo3, are more than enough to showcase that. Furthermore, while ADV ZU is relatively easy to pick up, there is a high skill ceiling, which grants the potential for really exciting games to occur. Additionally, it would be illogical to remove other tiers, such as RU, LC, and especially PU, because each of those tiers remains to have a sizable player base of its own, and doing so would undermine their contributions to ADV altogether.
I would consider ADV to be one of my first true homes on Smogon. The ADV ZU spotlight tour was my second tour I ever signed up for, and it would mean a lot to me if ADV ZU could finally get the recognition it deserves and establish itself as a mainstay in ADVPL. Thank you for your time.
Update: Just a couple of other things I wanted to bring up after reading through this thread again.
- I wasn't completely aware of the demand for 12 slots as I didn't think the arguments were significant enough for it, but I do resonate with a lot of points Violet River made in her post and after a small back and forward on Discord, I thought I would include a section for it. If we were I would probably look to keep the OU4, and then include ZU alongside any combination of OU5 Bo3, UUBL, DOU, ORRE, or Draft. I don't have a strong opinion on that 12th slot, but I do think ADV being one of the largest communities of the site should look to celebrate the wide spectrum of tiers and high standard of gaming that is on display, and expanding the amount of slots ADVPL has would be a great way of presenting that.
- If in the event having to cover for 8 seperate tiers is too much of a hassle, I do believe as with what Zac mentioned that we could entertain the idea of allowing 3 managers to alleviate some of the workload that might go into drafting or supporting slots.
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