Well, I needed a place to put this and no one responded when I asked where to post SOOOOOOO...I made a new thread. Feel free to move this later if another thread is made, or whatever.
Before I start, I just want to say that this really might be the worst auction ever conducted on Smogon. There were so many bad prices it was honestly ridiculous LOL And that's before even taking into account the ridiculous decision to reset the auction after about 8 picks, saving ima's team about 19k in the process. I didn't think I'd see another Oglemi-esque move again in a draft, but at least it was an unofficial tour, I suppose. I'm not going to be going tier-by-tier like in SPL, because
a. Teams haven't released LUs
b. I'm trying to post this before "Week" 1 starts for OBVIOUS reasons
c. Trying to guess 16 slots is impossible
d. I'm sure people will shuffle players around anyway
So, this ranking will primarily be based on the overall skill of the players in the question, as well as factoring in how good they are in a certain tier should they decide to play it. This is a unique tour, so motivation and activity will be factored in in cases where they could clearly become problems. I'll also be ignoring subs / filler characters in a lot of situations because I simply don't have enough to say on them / don't know if they're starting / I think they're irrelevant. Let's begin.
The COVID-19GHTS
This team clearly has a lot of star power. ABR, on the surface, is arguably the best player in the tour. He almost assuredly will not support his team in nearly the same capacity as he would in an official tour, though. That being said, I'm sure he can give out a few teams when needed and accrue a bunch of wins in whatever tier he decides to play. lax was one of the steals of the auction, going far less than what is expected of a player of his caliber. He should be good enough to farm wins in whatever tier he decides to play. The team's next pick was Pearl, who is coming off a rather poor SPL showing. His motivation is seemingly at an all-time low, and I don't really expect him to put too much effort into this tour. That being said, he's still easily at least the second best SM UU player, so he should be able to do well in that tier; if he flexes to some other lower tiers, I'm sure he'll do fine as well.
undisputed is one of the top ADVers in the tour, and I imagine that he'll be able to do pretty well with his vast array of teams. august is easily the best BW RU player of the tour; I'm still a bit skeptical of his ability to play a game every day, though. That might be a bit too much to ask for. That being said, he was a good value pick, and as long as he plays most of his games, he should be a good selection for the team. Averardo is the team's SM RU player. His debut performance left a lot to be desired, though; I'm not really a believer in his ability to succeed. HSA is a former crust player who revitalized himself last year with a nice STour run, but he fell off the map pretty quickly after that. I'm not really a big fan of his right now, either. The team's next pick-up was Coconut, who hasn't really accomplished anything on the big stage and could be unviable. The team also got HODOR...in 2020. Yeah....I'm not expecting anything. choolio had a nice SPL IX, but he struggled a lot in SPL X, and he might be crust now...not to mention, there's no GSC?? LOL I think he plays DPP UU, but I'm really not expecting much here. Speaking of crust, the team picked up Earthworm, who looked absolutely washed this SPL. His season could really go either way, honestly; he might be able to do something in ADV NU, though, I suppose. They have roman for RU, who is pretty unproven on the big stage; I don't really trust him. They also picked up a non-Asta / Fear / roudolf Greek for UU I think? so. CBB isn't allowed to play, btw. Ignore him.
This is a pretty top-heavy team with some sketchy ass slots. They have enough top-end talent to make some noise, though.
Maya-chan reaction:
The Whooping Koffings
This team almost certainly, with motivation factored in, has the best player in the tour. BKC's passion for Pokemon is limitless, and he obviously has a ridiculous amount of old gen teams. I think that he was definitely underpriced; he should have been about as much as ABR. The fact that he didn't even each 50k was honestly a bit baffling; perhaps people were scared off by the fact that he only put DPP Ubers in his signup. Either way, this was one of the best picks in the tour. Next up, we have FLCL, who is coming off the best tour of his career in SPL XI. As is tradition, he was once again abandoned by his friends and scooped up by a mainer team for an absurd sum. He's on an absolute tear right now, though, and he's always been known for playing early and winning in unofficial tours when needed. It would be foolish to expect him to not smash the pool in whatever tier he winds up playing. The team also purchased the scanner, who is coming off a solid SPL campaign. I'd imagine that he would slot into his home tier of ORAS OU, where he's one of the better players around. He should do pretty well.
Erzengel is coming off a nice debut tour; I'll need to see mroe before I'm a believer, though. His tour could go either way. Lily has had two solid LC tours in a row, and should easily do well in this tour. z0m is another capable player; he can play a myriad of slots, and will probably flex into whatever tier the team would need him to play. I would expect him to go positive. The team then selected a bunch of irrelevant filler characters, who we will ignore. They managed to package them together for Raiza, though, who had a decent showing in SPL; he was pretty unlucky throughout the tour, so it's hard to assess his real skill level. I expect him to get a few wins. The team also has Hayburner, who is unviable. They also have SMB...for Doubles? lol. tko hasn't really accomplished much on the big stage, so I'm pretty skeptical here too. dcae is crust. Token traceoflife shoutout cuz he's a fellow CHiCO + Kindaichi fan.
Overall, this team's pretty sketchy. But, they do have some pretty nice pieces at the top.
Maya-chan reaction:
The Poliowraths
The team started off the draft by meming and taking a filler character...so yeah. They then invested a hefty sum into TDK. TDK has been slumping for a bit, and has failed to reach his lofty ceiling lately. I still expect him to do pretty well in this tour, though; although, it wouldn't be surprising if he didn't put up a stellar record. The team also invested a sizable chunk into Star, who I've been high on for a while. He lived up to his promise with a very nice run last SPL, and he should be able to smash the competition. I expect him to feed the team's LC player with some nice teams well, supporting that slot nicely. The team then picked up the newly-ascended GOATDRA, who rebounded from an absolutely miserable Snake performance with an amazing SPL performance. It would be foolish to bet against such an on-fire player right now; I expect him to do pretty well here.
The team managed to land soulgazer for 10k. This was easily one of the better value picks of the whole draft. SG Always farms lower tiers, and probably has the best +- on the sheet in lower tiers in the history of Smogon. I think he'll wash people in RU. frisoeva is next up; he's had some decent tours lately. I'm not a big believer, though. His season could go either way. The team then decided to pick up obii for the jerk factor...for 10k. There's no way this man's playing a game so LOL I guess he could do something in Ubers maybe. Next up, we have one of the biggest steals of the entire auction. Christo, the best SM UU player, inexplicably went for 8.5k. I would be absolutely stunned if he lost more than 2 games, honestly. He should literally stomp everyone. The other relevant players on the team are suapah, Welli0u, BIHI and ict. suapah is coming off a solid SPL, although he did cool off quite a bit down the stretch. He should go positive. Welli0u, meanwhile, is coming off two amazing SM OU performances in a row. He should demolish the competition. I don't really know how he went for 4.5k, but then again, nothing in this draft made sense, so who knows. Leon is a big wildcard. If he plays, he could easily be a steal. Will he play? I have absolutely no idea, but it's better than having some clown player. BIHI had a nice SPL; I'm not really a believer yet, mainly because all he did was win some games in the thinking gen with BKC support. He should do fine in the madhouse again, though. Now let's move on to the semi-relevant people. Eeveeto is probably unviable based on recent performances, so I don't really trust him either. Jrdn actually went positive in Snake III, so he's earned at least some benefit of the doubt in a lower tier, I suppose. His season could go either way; I'm not really buying into his skill yet, though. jacob hasn't really done anything notable yet, so. They also have durza...bop
Overall, this is the best team so far. They have a lot of talent, and have quite a bit of upside. Star can ghost their LCer too, so there's that. They should do well.
Maya-chan reaction:
The Choleraichus
teal6 has proven that he can hang with the real players in OU in recent tours. He's usually pretty busy, but with the whole corona fiasco, I expect him to actually play his games. I think he should go positive. Tace is someone who has shown some promise, but also has had some pretty lackluster performances. His season could go either way, depending on how much luck he gets, perhaps. Santu is someone whose skills I've never really bought into, but he managed to surpass my expectations with a pretty impressive SPL run. Just off of that, I suppose he has to be a bit respected. reyscarface is another player who was underpriced in this tour, going for less than 10k. He was a pretty solid ADV player back in the day, and I'm sure he's experimented with some of the crust tiers as well. I expect him to go positive, honestly. After ignoring the filler characters, we get to John W. He had a decent showing in his debut tour on the big stage, and I'm surprised he wasn't more expensive. He could do fine.
Next up, we have the much-hyped super rookie, ODR. He was a ridiculous 26.5k in the RUPL auction. I'm sure as hell not drinking the ODR kool-aid, though, not until he accomplishes something in a relevant tour. That being said, I'm sure he can at least grab a few wins in SM RU. Next up is Zeb, who should do well in LC should he decide to play it. He has done well two tours in a row in that tier. The team also picked up Nails. I guess he could do fine in BW RU; he did used to play it a lot back in the day. He seemed like a fine pick for the money. The team also picked up a UU core of Adaam and Pak. I'm sure one of them will slot into SM RU or something of the sort; they should each do well in either of those tiers. SOMALIA is probably good enough to have a decent performance in a thinking gen slot, although he hasn't been too impressive on the big stage. Sabella is someone who usually puts up around 4-5 wins and has a decent performance; I expect more of the same here. The team also features names like Bouff and talah, who definitely should not see the light of the day in a starting lineup, but will probably have to soo........yeah. They also have MetalGro$$ to play ?????? and they have Zesty to sub in for stuff...yeah.
This team is dangerously low on star power, but they do have some interesting pieces. They could make some noise, perhaps.
Maya-chan reaction:
The West Nile Weaviles
Will the Empo kool-aid positively impact this team? Let's see. The team has a nice core of Eo + Kanto. Both were on the Cryonicles this season, and I'm fairly high on both of them, more so on Eo. They underperformed in SPL, but I'm still a big believer in their abilities. I expect both to do well. Kory has had some decent performances on the big stage; I've never really thought too highly of him, though. I think his season could go either way. The then picked up a nice lower tier core of Garay oak + EviGaro. Garay has proven himself to be competent on the big stage, and is relatively solid at lower tiers. I think he should go positive. EviGaro, Kobe memes aside, did prove that she could do well in RU on the big stage. She was honestly pretty underpriced; I think she'll do well.
dice was another massive steal, only coming in at 15k. You all know I bold dice pretty much every week, so I expect him to demolish pretty much everyone. The team also picked up Mr. Ribbon Syndrome himself, Pohjis. Memes aside, Pohjis is good enough to go positive in lower tiers. Sage is someone who I completely wrote off after a terrible SPL X, but she bounced back in SPL XI with some nice OU games. I'm not really a big fan, though. I think she might flop. Triangles is someone I've hated on for a while, and I'm not a big believer in his ADV skills. He's good enough to get bought for the tier, though, which is more than I can say for a lot of these clowns. He should get a few wins. The team also picked up pasy_g, probably to play the other ADV tier? He was a massive overpay in SPL, but he did manage to go 5-3. I guess he could do fine. The team also has Troller, who also plays ADV? I imagine that pasy might find himself in another tier; it's hard to say. There's no real evidence Troller can succeed outside of RBY, so I'm a bit skeptical here. Twixtry fell off hard after a rocket start this SPL; I'm not really a believer here either. The team also has Corazan, who got extremely lucky last Snake and did pretty well as a result. He did still have a solid tour, I suppose, so maybe he can do something notable. His season could go either way. The last somewhat relevant player is Rabbit, an RU mainer who actually went positive last Snake. Maybe he can do fine.
This team's decent. They started off the draft pretty strong, but it fell off a bit. That being said, it's still a capable team.
Maya-chan reaction:
The Herd Immunity Herdiers
M Dragon is someone I've always been a big fan of. I think he's definitely one of the most talented players in the tour, and has wealth of teams to draw from in ADV. I think he'll smash the competition. blargh is a newfound sheet warrior, who, if SPL is anything to go off of, either wins or gets absolutely bodybagged. He was definitely an overpay, but I think he'll go positive. Lop Kicks struggled a bit this SPL, but he's still a competent player who I have a decent amount of faith in. I expect him to go positive too. Kushalos, on paper, is one of the better picks of the draft. He was fairly cheap, and is usually good at farming the lower tiers. Activity is a big concern with him, though, but on the surface, he was a solid pick. Rexus is a PU mainer who has had activity problems on the big stage; maybe he'll play every game? I'm not really sure. I'm not really a believer either way. Heysup is another player I've always supported; he was very impressive in the past. It's fair to wonder whether he's crust now, though. His season could really go either way. Luthier impressed in LC, but can he take his talents to other tiers and succeed? It's hard to say, but I think he can do decently. If he plays LC, I expect him to definitely go positive.
Next up, we have Feliburn, who has had some pretty abysmal results on the big stage. No real belief here. robjr is someone who has proven himself to be a rock-solid UU player; he should definitely do well in SM UU. Kebab surprised some people by notching a few wins in SPL XI; he also got retained in the most recent RoAPL...so I guess there's that? I don't really trust him. The last relevant players on the team are Quaze and shawyu. Quaze wasn't really impressive in SPL, and was benched for some clowns, so I don't have much faith in him. shawyu performed decently in DPP, with the assistance of some amazing Osgoode teams, but the team did decide to bench him for OBII in the playoffs, which is a major red flag. Have to be skeptical of him, even though he did win Smogon tour Live Tour recently.
This team is VERY top-heavy. They have some solid players, but good god, a lot of this team is just pitiful.
Maya-chan reaction:
The Zikachus
Finch will probably care more about this tour than most people. That along makes him a good pick, even though he was definitely overpriced. Either way, I expect him to put forth a pretty nice performance in whatever tier he feels like tryharding in. The team's next pick-up was Roro, who is one of the best players on Smogon, as well as one of the best of all time. He should easily smash the competition in whatever tier he slots himself into. Anti is coming off an amazing SPL run, and I expect him to demolish his opponents as well. Tony is someone without too much experience as a player on the big stage, but he has displayed some solid skill up to this point. I'll need to see more before drinking the kool-aid, but I think he'll do decently. d0nut is a solid GSC player, but I'm not sure how well he'll perform without GSC in the tour. It's hard to say how much his skill will translate to other tiers, but he has some upside. bugzinator is someone I've always been impressed with. He's definitely a bit of a wild card, but if he plays, he should do pretty well. The Donphan dude is someone who is allegedly some DPP UU goat or something.......not on the sheet, though, so he's a filler character for now. Chill Shadow is a capable RU player who should do relatively well. Ezrael is great at Doubles...which isn't in the tour?
KW is a very high variance player who could either wash people or go winless. I think he's a decent pick-up for BW RU. Kiyo hasn't really done anything notable on the big stage, so I'm pretty skeptical there. MoP is a real wild-card. He displayed that he has the ability to do well in lower tiers, and I'm sure he's played all these crust tiers too. I really like him as a pick-up, honestly, and he'll probably innovate some crazy ideas for this. His season could go either way, though. Steve Angello is probably washed by now, but I guess he could get a few wins. Xiri did well in PU, but can that skill translate to another lower tier? Maybe? The last relevant player is Ginku, who is another crazy wild card. If he really wants to, I'm sure he could go positive in a lower tier. How much effort he will put in is anyone's guess, though.
This team has some nice pieces, honestly. Their star power is pretty amazing; like the ABRs, though, they have a lot of sketchy slots.
Maya-chan reaction:
The Siphylis Sigilyphs
Luigi was a bit overpriced, but I think he has a decent shot of going positive. I was a MASSIVE OVERPAY...like. I think I can get a few wins in BW RU, though. I shouldn't have been anywhere near 16.5k, though. Hyoga's unviable, so let's move on. Gama was pretty cheap, and I think he should definitely go positive, despite his struggles in recent tournaments. Caetano and Lusa each impressed in their debut tours, and they have a decent shot of going positive, I suppose. I'll need to see a lot more before I'm ready to really believe in them, though. This team also has marcop, who should smash ADV, or even do well in SS if he decides to play it. The fake jamvad is probably a meme. Hantsuki's washed. Sand Castle and Raichy I've heard of but haven't really done anything......and we have GOAO for LC I guess? whatever, that's pretty much everyone.
This team has one paragraph. I think that about sums it up. They also ended the draft with 2 billion dollars.
Maya-chan reaction:
Basically, all the teams are around the same besides the worst team. Even the one team Maya-chan gave a smile too just barely crossed the threshold.
Final Rankings:
1. The Poliowraths
2. The Zikachus
3. The COVID-19GHTS
4. The Whooping Koffings
5. The Choleraichus
6. The West Nile Weaviles
7. The Herd Immunity Herdiers
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