Tournament OMPL XII - Week Three

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UT

I'm bitter but I swear I'm fine
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Art by IoSonoNeon
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Playoffs | Finals
Information Thread | Roster | Schedule | Standings | Replays
​
There are 8 teams this year. Each team will have have 8 players and at least 4 subs. The players are bought using the 100k credits that managers receive during the auction. Managers and co-managers will be allowed to purchase themselves as players for their team at a fixed price of 13.5k. The managers must inform the hosts (berry, UT, and Vertigo) of all self purchases before the beginning of the auction. Teams can win their matchup every week by winning 5 of the 8 matches that their players have to play.
​
The tier lineup this year is as follows:​
  • SV Almost Any Ability
  • SV Balanced Hackmons
  • SV STABmons
  • SV Mix and Mega
  • SV Godly Gift
  • SV Partners in Crime
  • SV Inheritance
  • Best of Three (AAA / STAB / MnM)
It is recommended to play all games on SmogTours in the most current version of the format corresponding to those listed above. Games can be played on the Pokemon Showdown main server, but run higher risk of interference from server restarts/crashes. The result between players may be decided in a best-of-one or best-of-three at the discretion of both players involved. If there is no agreement, the result will decided in a Bo1 by default.​
​
Winning a round rewards a team with 2 points, drawing 1 point, and losing zero points. In addition, the manner in which the round has been won will also be recorded i.e. the difference between a team's wins and losses in a specific week's round (referred to as "Win Differential").​
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Playoffs:​
Each team will play one another for seven weeks. Based on the final standings, the top 4 teams will enter a Playoffs Round to determine the teams appearing in the finals.​

Tiebreaker
In the event of two teams being tied for a spot in the finals based on points and win differential, or a tie in the final round itself, we will have a tiebreaker round(s).​

Tiebreaker Rules: Both teams submit four strike choices, ranked. The hosts process both lists at the same time until we end up with three metas (if both of them strike the same meta at some point) or more likely, four unstruck metas. If there are four, the hosts randomly pick three of the four for tiebreaker.​

Substitutes
Substitutes are to be used in the case of extenuating circumstances, whether on the first day of the week, or the last. At the same time, players should be relatively well-aware of who all are available to play in the opponent's camp. If last minute substitutes are being frequently used or abused and the hosts find explanations unsatisfactory, the hosts still reserve the right to veto them. In order to further prevent this being the case teams are only granted a maximum of two substitutes per week. Any substitutions after the second will be vetoed.​

Trades
The hosts have decided to not include trades this year due to reasons outlined in this thread - all roster decisions will be final, so draft carefully!​

Scheduling
Scheduling should be done on Smogon Profile walls, plain and simple:​
  • If there is communication on only one user's behalf, the win will go to them. Feel free to call activity in this thread beforehand
  • If there is a very healthy back and forth regarding potential times and one user is a no-show, a manager may take the opportunity to sub out the no-show competitor; if this is not done, the user that showed up responsibly will be awarded the win.
TL;DR: Post on your opponent's Smogon wall, schedule your matches, and be reliable. If you can't play for any reason, let your manager know so they can sub you out ASAP.​

Sportsmanship
Exhibitions of unsportsmanlike conduct with regards to the Other Metagame Premier League will be met with an infraction at the discretion of the OMPL host/OM mods. This is unlikely to include interactions within a team's private chat unless there is reason found to make an exception. This rule is meant to protect other users from being publicly flamed/bashed/provoked by another competitor for the duration of and following the tournament.​
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All players must complete their matches by the given deadline. Any incomplete matches by that time will be subject to an activity decision (MAKE SURE YOU POST ON YOUR OPPONENT'S WALL); otherwise, it will be a deadgame. All matches should ideally be done on your most notable alt (the one you registered for OMPL with) to avoid confusion and all match replays must be saved and posted in this thread.​

Substitutions & Lineups
Managers, if you wish to make any substitutions, you must post here tagging both the player you're subbing out, the player you're subbing in, the manager and assistant manager of the opposing team, the substitute's opponent, and all of the hosts. This is to assure that everyone is in-the-loop and that the OP is updated accordingly to reflect the new match-up.​
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Managers, when you send in lineups, please send it in with the tier and Smogon username of each player fully written out for ease of transcription, following these guidelines exactly.​
​
Matchups

:kyurem-black: Black Diamond Kyurems [3] - [5] Soul-Stealing Seven-Star Solgaleos :solgaleo:
AAA: Stareal vs Lana
BH: XxLazzerpenguinxX vs aerobee
GG: entrocefalo vs PrimalKyogre
Inh: zioziotrip vs Dr. Phd. BJ
MnM: Maybca☆〜ゝ。∂ vs Icemaster
PiC: Chromate vs DeepFriedMagikarp
STAB: Clementine vs Fc
Bo3: RoFnA vs xavgb

:darkrai: Rise Up Darkrais [5] - [3] W Virizzions :Virizion:
AAA: shiloh vs pyu
BH: TTTech vs cityscapes
GG: Ainzcrad vs Taka
Inh: DripLegend vs Lily
MnM: TectonicDestroyer vs dilllllllllllon
PiC: Chris32156 vs yuki
STAB: Kaif vs avarice
Bo3: Career Ended vs astralydia

:misdreavus: Malevolent Misdreavuses [2] - [6] Walking Wokes :walking-wake:
AAA: MZ vs Betticus IV
BH: augustakira vs Chessking345
GG: pdt vs Jrdn
Inh: cscl vs pannu
MnM: db vs Redflix
PiC: zoe vs Evie
STAB: Slither Wing vs Fissure
Bo3: abriel vs Kinetic

:dubwool: Dubwool Entendres [5] - [3] Heart Takers :manaphy:
AAA: Atha vs frankjosh
BH: Quantum Tesseract vs Marsopa Trump & Test Rex
GG: ghostlike vs SammyCe123
Inh: anaconja vs Don Vascus
MnM: hayedenn vs PociekMociek
PiC: Smudge vs HiZo
STAB: SEA vs xdRudi.exe
Bo3: Potatochan vs Ivar57

First meta in Bo3 is STAB
1717383707621.png
Deadline:
11:00 PM (GMT -4) on Sunday, June 9th
​
:kyurem-black: Black Diamond Kyurems [0] - [0] Soul-Stealing Seven-Star Solgaleos :solgaleo:
AAA: Stareal vs Lana
BH: XxLazzerpenguinxX vs aerobee
GG: entrocefalo vs PrimalKyogre
Inh: zioziotrip vs Dr. Phd. BJ
MnM: Maybca☆〜ゝ。∂ vs Icemaster
PiC: Chromate vs DeepFriedMagikarp
STAB: Clementine vs Fc
Bo3: RoFnA vs xavgb

:darkrai: Rise Up Darkrais [0] - [0] W Virizzions :Virizion:
AAA: shiloh vs pyu
BH: TTTech vs cityscapes
GG: Ainzcrad vs Taka
Inh: DripLegend vs Lily
MnM: TectonicDestroyer vs dilllllllllllon
PiC: Chris32156 vs yuki
STAB: Kaif vs avarice
Bo3: Career Ended vs astralydia

:misdreavus: Malevolent Misdreavuses [0] - [0] Walking Wokes :walking-wake:
AAA: MZ vs Betticus IV
BH: augustakira vs Chessking345
GG: pdt vs Jrdn
Inh: cscl vs pannu
MnM: db vs Redflix
PiC: zoe vs Evie
STAB: Slither Wing vs Fissure
Bo3: abriel vs Kinetic

:dubwool: Dubwool Entendres [0] - [0] Heart Takers :manaphy:
AAA: Atha vs frankjosh
BH: Quantum Tesseract vs Marsopa Trump & Test Rex
GG: ghostlike vs SammyCe123
Inh: anaconja vs Don Vascus
MnM: hayedenn vs PociekMociek
PiC: Smudge vs HiZo
STAB: SEA vs xdRudi.exe
Bo3: Potatochan vs Ivar57
 
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2/4 correct last week.

XxLazzerpenguinxX vs aerobee
Aerobee was even more solid than I thought. This might be the last week for penguin to adapt i.e. the last chance to get an easy W against him.

TTTech vs cityscapes
TTTech 1. is a council member, 2. lost to another council member last week, 3. I love city.

augustakira vs Chessking345
Ehhhh. Chessking's team last week was fun. But it's not the good fun, it's the "how does that team win" fun. After a coinflip I bold Akira.

Quantum Tesseract vs Marsopa Trump & Test Rex
Maybe QT is disappointed by Potatochan's play last week and chooses to slot himself in. This is quite an interesting matchup cuz QT is highly-predictable and Test Rex is old. My advice for Rex is that they should realize there are huge differences between 9BH and 7BH especially in competitiveness so the team they used last week probably no longer works.
 
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1/3 last week, 1/6 cumulative, I would like to think I am improving but I will apologize to those I bold
BH Predicts:
XxLazzerpenguinxX (60) vs (40) aerobee
I feel bad and dumb for bolding against aerobee 3 weeks in a row when they won both prior weeks but I want to stand by my take on penguin's skill in this pool. While penguin lost last week the game was not lopsided and I want to say that the mu wasn't exactly favoured for them and some para stuff happening etc. I will take points off him though for pussying out of bringing the team he used in our test that would've been fire.

TTTech (40) vs (60) cityscapes
city has been having a chronic addiction to Aegislash (not a good Pokemon) as well as some other suspicious Pokemon. However TTTech is playing on mobile (does not help against sets never used before) and has kind of predictable builds. I'll give a bonus to city bc she gave me my only correct predict so far.

Quantum Tesseract (65) vs (35) Marsopa Trump & Test Rex
Rex got lost in time last week and Ivar did not manage to find them and so they loaded a USUM team that didn't work out at all. QT is in BH now presumably because Potato no longer wants anything to do with the tier, but there shouldn't be much difference because it was QT teams this whole time anyways. QT builds are like the most predictable stuff somehow more predictable than Tech but I see this as the perfect time for QT to cook something completely unexpected now that they maybe have more time to prep BH. I hope Rex this week does not time travel 5 years in the past again and bring good sets.
 
yuki's Partners in Crime Review
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yuki vs Smudge
:hydreigon::gholdengo::glimmora::ogerpon-wellspring::landorus-therian::iron hands: vs :raging bolt::heatran::whimsicott::abomasnow::iron bundle::landorus:
Starting off with my own game again this week, I was absolutely bricking it at team preview cause this matchup looks really not fun for me to play. Ogerpon-W looks like it's really going to struggle in this game with Abomasnow stonewalling it, Freeze-Dry Bundle matching up so well into it, and Raging Bolt also being a full resist. Additionally, majority of my team feels like it's gonna just succumb to Blizzard spam and that my immediate damage presence is generally quite low so I'm really going to struggle to make meaningful progress through Aurora Veil. Positives though, my Hazards look like they're going to be a big factor in winning the game, with the two Ice-types on the team particularly limited by Stealth Rock + Spikes. I played a very very simple early game, refusing to buy into any reads. Turn 1 gave me a free turn of hazards and positioning, before I could look to get Glimmora in and get even more hazards going. I get super lucky when Heatran goes for Substitute on my Whirlwind turn, negating the progress of the game to that point. Even at this point, my job is far from over, especially as Iron Hands was burnt by the first Lava Plume and Hydreigon got crit by two Blizzards and just about hangs on. By the endgame, Leftovers Raging Bolt reveals to me that at +1, it has absolutely nothing to OHKO my Landorus-T, so I make this my focal point. I get both reads with Ivy Cudgel correct, reading that Landorus and Heatran don't end up using Protect and boldly go for a Swords Dance to ensure I have a 2HKO available on Raging Bolt. Overall, I think I fought nearly as well as I could and when you just get nearly every turn right, you're gonna win more than you don't.

DeepFriedMagikarp vs HiZo
:Tyranitar::Excadrill::Zapdos-Galar::Latios::Amoonguss::Incineroar: vs :Tatsugiri::Dondozo::Ogerpon-Hearthflame::Drifblim::Rillaboom::Palafin:
This week I had a hand in helping HiZo come to the team that he did, and boy what a team he went for. DFM loads up sand, which they're pretty much known for at this point. Overall this stems from a point I made to HiZo when we spoke about my week 1 team for DFM: DFM tends to use phazing over actual Haze, therefore Commander might actually stick. If HiZo had taken Goggles Oblivious Dondozo, this match would have been an absolute wash as Amoonguss' utility would have been completely offline to it. Additionally, he mentioned Psych Up Palafin to me and I wasn't a fan but inevitably it pulled through for him. Freeze was lucky, I think the prep was good-spirited though, and DFM probably could have gotten more from the game as they did a very good job cornering the Dondozo for as long as they did.

Evie vs Chris32156
:clefairy::latias::raging bolt::gholdengo::incineroar::iron hands: vs :farigiraf::regieleki::ninetales-alola::raichu-alola::volcanion::articuno:
There's honestly no easy way of saying this, I think Evie got so unlucky this game - and clearly we in the council agreed as we've fully banned all RNG abilities now, leading on from the last RNG-based ban in which I used a team featuring Articuno and Regieleki. All things considered, I really don't actually like Chris' team. This fully looks like a team that's just trying to play into a specific gimmick, and look to get enough luck to pull through. Build looks fairly volatile, and had Evie brought Stealth Rock on Clefairy, that game could have been incredibly over with a couple of good Knock Offs. I got to sanity check Evie's build, this is a very solid balance team though the pure snow matchup is likely 40-60 just down to overlapping some weaknesses but Tera does a lot to alleviate it. Inevitably though, Chris did get enough Snow Cloak misses, and a timely freeze so clearly it worked.

zoe vs Chromate
:gouging fire::kingambit::sinistcha::ting-lu::walking wake::dragonite: vs :chien-pao::tornadus::ogerpon-hearthflame::landorus::zapdos-galar::glimmora:
Chrome looked to have a pretty simple time of things this week, with the sorta new standard offensive core of Chien-Pao, Tornadus, Landorus, Zapdos-G just simply overwhelming zoe's build. I actually quite like a few of the ideas going on in zoe's team. I have to assume this is Howl Gouging Fire, which generally makes some interesting balance builds. Offensive Ting-Lu seems to be used here, which we haven't really seen before and I think it generally could make sense as a boost-recipient. I'm a bit sceptical about triple Dragon, but really they don't actually share a lot of the same weaknesses and there's not really many Fairies knocking about so it's not gonna be punished in that aspect. In the end, it looked like zoe brought a creative build, but it just perhaps needed a turn too many to get going, and Chrome just had immediate answers and a lot of pressure to put on the whole game which let him convert probably a slightly favoured matchup.

Week 3 Predicts??
I normally don't do predicts cause I get them so wrong, but meh everyone else is.

PiC: Chromate vs DeepFriedMagikarp
Chromate is naturally favoured for this one, I think he's honestly a better and more diverse builder and his game experience will show against DFM. DFM got pretty unlucky last week all things considered, so I think they'll be working doubly hard to pull a win in and this will be a good game this week.

PiC: zoe vs Evie
This match is honestly too close to call. I am very slightly gonna edge Evie, as I feel she builds a little more similar to me and her build is likely to be more stable against a wider array of matchups. I think zoe is likely the better player, so if she gets the team right and rolls a decent enough matchup I could be getting this one wrong. Potentially match of the week.

PiC: Smudge vs HiZo
I got a good feeling about this one. HiZo's played two close games, but last week's build honestly had a lot of chances to just not get there. He's putting in a lot of effort this tour though, so he's always gonna be stiff competition. Smudge has had a rocky start, but they're such a good player that when put in the right circumstances, I feel a win is due for them.
 
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guys we gotta step up our predicts game

:kyurem-black: Black Diamond Kyurems [4] - [4] Soul-Stealing Seven-Star Solgaleos :solgaleo:
AAA: Stareal vs Lana - Lana is probably the best AAA player there is at the moment, Stareal's an amazing clicker but I don't think they have all the tier knowledge yet
BH: XxLazzerpenguinxX vs aerobee - Lazzer wins if he doesn't bring aegislash, because all of aerobee's opponents have brought that and lost :eeveehide:
GG: entrocefalo vs PrimalKyogre - These two teams' GG slots have had bad runs so far, with some questionable builds on both sides. However, this could be a chance for the teams to turn this slot around. PrimalKyogre may be able to bring a fresh set of ideas to the table but entrocefalo is the stronger clicker i feel
Inh: zioziotrip vs Dr. Phd. BJ - Dr. Phd. BJ
MnM: Maybca☆〜ゝ。∂ vs Icemaster - I have many questions
PiC: Chromate vs DeepFriedMagikarp - Yeah tough starting run for DFM. It should be a close game no lie, but chromate has greater experience and doubles skill
STAB: Clementine vs Fc - Clem might have it here
Bo3: RoFnA vs xavgb - it would be a crime to not bold for stresh

:darkrai: Rise Up Darkrais [3] - [5] W Virizzions :Virizion:
AAA: shiloh vs pyu - I really liked sylvi's build last week, but I genuinely have no idea what to expect from pyu so I'm going to make the "safer" predict
BH: TTTech vs cityscapes - If TTTech really is playing on his phone he's cooked LOL
GG: Ainzcrad vs Taka - Virizzions have stronger GG builders
Inh: DripLegend vs Lily - Lily has been playing very strong so far
MnM: TectonicDestroyer vs dilllllllllllon - If dillon doesn't recycle he might have a chance
PiC: Chris32156 vs yuki - This is one of few players I will bold for every week
STAB: Kaif vs avarice - Idk this one could be pretty damn close, both are strong clickers and players, kaif has the stab experience but fiora is a strong builder for the Virizzions
Bo3: Career Ended vs astralydia - Gonna bold fiora here on gut

:dubwool: Dubwool Entendres [2] - [6] Heart Takers :manaphy:
AAA: Atha vs frankjosh - Atha
BH: Quantum Tesseract vs Marsopa Trump & Test Rex - Test Rex needs to be brought up to speed ASAP
GG: ghostlike vs SammyCe123 - SammyCe123
Inh: anaconja vs Don Vascus - I can't in good faith bold against Don Vascus
MnM: hayedenn vs PociekMociek - PLACUUUUUUUU
PiC: Smudge vs HiZo - Who knows, smudge can definitely pull an upset here. Record's against them though and they'd need a pretty good matchup against one of the oldest PiC heads
STAB: SEA vs xdRudi.exe - Rudi's lowkey on fire? Idk what y'all feedin em but it's working LOL
Bo3: Potatochan vs Ivar57 - Ivar57 is coming off the back of an incredible performance against stresh, Potatochan is going to really have to work to earn anything here
 
Went 3/3 for predictions last week so I'll do it again this week.

XxLazzerpenguinxX vs aerobee: Honestly sevag johnned Akira one and half times last week so I have to vote against him. Aerobee has brought has brought Necrozma + Ho-oh Balance for 2 weeks in a row now and I expect them go run it back again this week but I don't think sevag will expect the triple. If he's reading this, I recommend the undiscovered Head Smash/Torch/Chloro/DE Mega Sceptile because it borderline 6-0s the previous 2 teams but we'll see what he brings.

TTTech vs cityscapes: City seems to be bringing some wacky jank teams but honestly the only deciding factor is whether or not TTTech will pull up with Big Stall or not. If he is feeling generous he'll load up a questionable mon like Flutter Mane again to give city a chance, but I believe this week he'll bring some certified timeless Big Stall Agents like Primsea Regi/Prankster Giratina/Unaware Maudino and get an illegal matchup like against Akira in week 1.

Quantum Tesseract vs Marsopa Trump & Test Rex: To be honest I think QT is a lot better than Rex, HOWEVER they haven't gotten a win yet so I am legally obligated to make them win this week. First of all, QT is gonna bring some certified relatable BH balance team. This is gonna be your average fur scales regen + arceus + imposter with 2 setup sweepers. Do you know what works well against such relatable balance teams? That's right. YOUR OWN relatable BH balance team but with Wandering Spirit. I have provided a set below for you to use as you see fit.

kyogre-primal.gif

Kyogre-Primal @ Jaboca Berry
Ability: Wandering Spirit
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Doom Desire
- Belch
- Strength Sap
 
AAA Review

Week 2 1/2
yes I am farming likes this is a lot of work OK?

Sylvi vs Atha
:roaring moon: :corviknight: :gliscor: :scream tail: :garganacl: :inteleon: vs :azelf: :gholdengo: :great tusk: :manaphy: :roaring moon: :scream tail:
Classic Mana Rmoon Stail on my side up against a weird Garganacl + Gliscor structure. Every ability in my team is obvious except Tusk which can always be anything. On Sylvi's side Regen Gliscor looks likely, with a Scarf on either Rmoon or Inteleon. Not very clear how Sylvi's breaking but the gameplan looks like it will be stacking hazards and putting pressure on Tusk to prevent Spin at some point - this is made easier by the fact that Manaphy will need its AV for Inteleon, meaning Tusk will have to deal with Rmoon and Gliscor more. From my point of view Gholdengo looks strong and potentially offensive Stail.

Sylvi reveals Purifying Salt Corv which conveniently deals with Gholdengo and Manaphy; however the max Def spread proves costly during the game since Make It Rain and Scald force Roost too often. A specially defensive spread would've done much better. Sylvi notably misses a Toxic on Tusk Turn 1 but the game shows that their team lacked counterplay to Mana with rocks up. Another teambuilding mistake is a fast Gliscor with Jaboca Berry, clearly looking for counterplay to Ceruledge, but Gliscor needs any bit of bulk to keep up. The team's weakness to Stail shows in the endgame where Boomburst has no switchin and basically cleans.

Quantum Tesseract vs astralydia
:cobalion: :corviknight: :dragonite: :gholdengo: :roaring moon: :swampert: vs :swampert: :sandy shocks: :skarmory: :zamazenta: :dragonite: :gholdengo:
Similar structures with Regenvest Swampert and Dnite as the main speed control alongside Zama for Lydia, and a likely Scarf Ghold for QT. They also both have a Steel bird and offensive rockers (Cobalion and Shocks, the latter being probably not Scarf) which both hate facing Swampert. The matchup will depend on the hazards game and Dnite movesets since no other breaker looks particularly threatening for the other team.

Lydia goes for a Trick with Ghold on Swampert early on which is definitely the right play, making Shocks and Ghold itself threatening. Skarm then revealing to be Wandering Spirit means QT's Swampert will have a hard time this game - however it also means Dnite will beat it no matter the set. QT needs Swampert healthy to be more flexible vs Lydia's breakers but this proves hard to do during the game. On turn 19 QT misses an opportunity to go for what looks like a free Roost with Rmoon meaning Ghold and Shocks are no longer checked. Lydia makes an excellent prediction to catch Swampert on turn 21, and at this point QT is behind schedule and probably needs to do something with Dnite but Lydia secures the win properly.

Shiloh vs Betticus IV
:electrode-hisui: :cinderace: :great tusk: :manaphy: :ogerpon-hearthflame: :corviknight: vs :roaring moon: :corviknight: :scream tail: :gholdengo: :iron moth: :dragonite:
Shiloh brings a double Fire core + Electrode-h which looks very frail defensively but could work with aggressive play. Betticus on the other hand brings a classic team with what looks like a Regenvest Rmoon. This could be bad news for Shiloh because Regen Rmoon checks all 3 of his breakers but they all have ways to annoy it. It looks like Betticus' gameplan will be to put pressure on Manaphy with his mons, because once Mana falls everything falls for Shiloh. Cinderace is something Betticus should be wary of because nor Dnite nor Rmoon want to get wisped, and there's no other switchin - especially since Dnite will be key for dealing with Ogerpon.

Betticus' Rmoon gets immediately burned by Flame Body Corviknight but this likely would've happened from Cinderace at some point. More importantly it shows that Dnite must be careful clicking E-Speed, but it can most likely get past Corv with Tbolt or Flamethrower. Dnite later reveals T-Wave which I frankly don't get. Shiloh tries to put some pressure with Ogerpon but as expected from preview this gameplan's a bit too slow compared to the pressure put on Manaphy here. Shiloh sacrifices Cinderace to Scarf Ghold on turn 19 which is probably a mistake - I think he should've tried using Cinderace more than Ogerpon, especially with rocks up, since it's stronger, faster than Stail and not ohkoed by Dnite. Shiloh then tries his best to outplay but it can't be done.

Career Ended vs Clas
:heatran: :swampert: :deoxys-speed: :dragonite: :corviknight: :roaring moon: vs :sandy shocks: :gholdengo: :dragonite: :swampert: :corviknight: :roaring moon:
Another Swampert vs Swampert matchup with two similar structures with Corv Dnite Rmoon on both sides. Career opts for a Deo-s which is threatening but can struggle against Swampert without Energy Ball. He's potentially very weak to Dragonite if it has Eearthquake for Heatran. His Corv should be Fluffy/Intim. Clas' team looks like it'll have a harder time breaking, since Career's Heatran + Swampert core deals quite well with Gholdengo + Shocks. Clas will need to take away the opposing Swampert's AV asap to break - which should be done with Trick Ghold + Knock Pert.

Career does a nice job keeping his AV on Pert and knocking off the opposing Pert, meaning Deo-s becomes extremely threatening. We then see that Shocks was Terrain Extender, indicating Surge Surfer Ghold - but since Clas has no way to take Swampert's AV, they simply can't break and Career wins somewhat swiftly with Deo-s. Notably his mglo Rmoon was Taunt which is interesting to put pressure on Corv, although this team doesn't abuse it that much. Also notably both Dnite were LO, which is terrifying.
 
dropping some 5-second inh predicts

zioziotrip [30] vs Dr. Phd. BJ [70]
Dr Phd. BJ has shown some nice teambuilding skills so far, paired with a dedication to exploring the meta more, pretty straightforward w here.

DripLegend [40] vs Lily [60]
While I would say I've enjoyed Lily's builds less than some other players, they're still obviously quite competent and I see them having the edge both in the builder and in-game.

cscl [49] vs pannu [51]
This one is a seriously close match as these are, in my eyes two of the most impressive players in the format, however, after last week's disappointing showing I think pannu will go the extra mile to pull out a w here.
 
AAA Review

2/2

stareal vs MZ
:primarina: :great tusk: :pecharunt: :skarmory: :zamazenta: :goodra-hisui: vs :dragonite: :swampert: :heatran: :great tusk: :roaring moon: :skarmory:
Yet another Swampert + Dnite structure on MZ's side (the fifth one just for this week), with most likely Scarf Rmoon to round out the team's speed control - although the team seems to lack a strong breaker so it could feasibly be banded. Stareal brings something more original with Hoodra + a lot of mons with good physical bulk (Skarm Pech Tusk Zama) and Specs Primarina as a breaker which is a logical choice right after Wake's ban. This choice proves smart looking at the matchup, Weather Ball is hard to switch into for MZ although Heatran + Dnite + Rmoon is good enough counterplay. Unclear how MZ is breaking here since even EQ Dnite struggles against Pecharunt.

Stareal immediately pressures with Primarina and reveals WA Tusk which is excellent against Swampert. The momentum shifts as Stareal tries spinblocking but MZ's Tusk turns out to be Scrappy defensive; and MZ's Rmoon reveals mglo which is definitely weird in this team but never a bad set - conveniently roosting on Primarina's Weather Balls here. MZ converts his momentum with LO Dnite killing Fluffy Skarm with Flame, which Stareal should've scouted. From there the Rmoon + Dnite core becomes very scary and MZ converts the game to a win without too much trouble, as Stareal's weakened Tusk can't keep hazards away. This game basically came down to one mistake.

abriel vs RoFnA
:chien pao: :manaphy: :great tusk: :sandy shocks: :roaring moon: :gholdengo: vs :azelf: :corviknight: :manaphy: :gholdengo: :iron moth: :latios:
Two old-fashioned Manaphy teams. RoFnA's team is all in on the special side with Latios to at least hit on the physical side with Psyshock and Scarf Azelf as speed control - no hazards is however questionable. Abriel has a more modern Rmoon + Ghold structure, but brings back good old Chien-Pao - a good choice apparently since RoFnA lacks a Dark resist (although Corv is probably Fluffy). RoFnA needs to be very careful about the hazards game for the Corv + Mana core to keep Pao checked, but Latios can click Draco Meteor quite freely in this game so it's looking somewhat even.

RoFnA's Corv reveals immediately it's not Fluffy nor Intim, taking half from Rmoon's Knock, meaning Chien-Pao should just win this game (RoFnA can't even get up rocks). However Moth gets up Tspikes which I forgot about and suddenly makes the matchup look more competitive. Abriel reacts properly by getting up rocks with Shocks - as RoFnA can't afford to Defog. RoFnA lets Moth get Knocked, making Ghold the third mon in Abriel's team to which he has no switchin and at this point the game is over. Basically an unplayable game for RoFnA.

Lana vs frankjosh
:roaring moon: :deoxys-speed: :manaphy: :corviknight: :gholdengo: :great tusk: vs :deoxys-speed: :roaring moon: :scream tail: :swampert: :heatran: :great tusk:
Some Deo-s action this time, both paired with Rmoon Tusk structures - Lana with Manaphy, frankjosh with Swampert. At least one of the Rmoons might be Scarf because Deo-s alone as speed control tends to be sus, and Scarf Ghold doesn't really help. Since frankjosh lacks a Corviknight Lana's Rmoon might get out of hands if not played around carefully as Tusk tends to get chipped into Dragon Claw range suprisingly quickly. Frankjosh's Heatran could be scary though, as Rmoon wants to avoid Wisp at all cost and Manaphy struggles. This game might nevertheless come down to who has the correct Deo-s set and who uses it better.

Lana's Ghold reveals Hadron turn 1, most likely Specs, indicating frankjosh should try keeping his AV on Pert if possible. After trading rocks frankjosh's Deo-s shows up first, revealing Psychic Surge, already forcing a hard decision on Lana. She picks correctly by going Corv on LO Knock (note that Corv gets destroyed by Expanding Force). Lana goes for a Knock with (choiced) Rmoon on Tusk but this gameplan might be a bit slow as frankjosh gets a Spin on a questionable switch to Corv. Lana reacts well by U-Turning on Taunt but frankjosh immediately takes back momentum by staying in on U-Turn, recognizing that Scald would never be clicked on a potential switch to Heatran. Frankjosh is later able to get Deo-s back in to chunk both Mana and Ghold - at this point his advantage is significant. Frankjosh then keeps playing well by not letting Deo-s take useless LO chip. He secures the kill on Corv with Stail, and all of Lana's team falls shortly after. Excellent team and play from frankjosh.

Ivar57 vs xavgb
:chien pao: :sandy shocks: :great tusk: :pecharunt: :heatran: :manaphy: vs :azelf: :gholdengo: :great tusk: :manaphy: :roaring moon: :scream tail:
Last but not least, Ivar the 57th against the goat of oms xavgb. Stresh brings the same 6 I brought Week 1 which had EE Ghold and defensive Scrappy Tusk but (spoiler) the copy will turn out to not be exact which might prove costly because my teams are always perfect (according to my sources (me)). Ivar brings a Chien Pao which surprises me a bit as I thought he didn't regard Pao very highly. Manaphy on both sides for good measure. From preview it looks like Ivar's Heatran might be troublesome for Stresh and force a burn on Rmoon at some point. The one thing Ivar needs to manage correctly is his Heatran, since it checks Manaphy, Ghold and Scream Tail. Stresh's main wincond is probably Gholdengo with rocks up here.

Stresh goes for a Manaphy Knock trade early on but Ivar declines it, going to Pao instead which is logical now that Manaphy was weakened by Shocks on turn 1 - Icicle Crash is pretty free; so free that Stresh might not want to go Gholdengo immediately on an obvious Crunch. Ghold still comes in and the damage reveals max defense, a spread that I find questionable. Stresh doesn't want to bother with predictions and doubles out to Mana which is a good move but Ivar goes to the very threatening Heatran and puts his opponent in a tough spot. Rmoon has to come in as Heatran gets up rocks. Shortly after Ivar reveals Take Heart Mana, which is a huge problem for Stresh's team (okay my teams might not be always perfect). Ivar already looks close to winning with rocks up and Mana at +1. The rest of the game is mostly Ivar converting properly. Stresh could've tried doing something with Boots Scrappy Tusk but here he can't do much about Ivar stacking hazards and winning with Pao.

On the meta

The meta has largely changed since last week, which shows the huge impact Walking Wake had. I'll try to pinpoint the main trends :

:roaring moon:
11/16 uses for Roaring Moon, most of them being mglo; a set recently discovered which proves extremely efficient both offensively and defensively. It has found a comfortable place in most teams, checking the likes of Shocks, Ghold, Pecharunt, Gengar, Ogerpon, Azef, Ceruledge, Electrode-h, ... Scarf is also still good, and Banded although less seen, can be terrifying.
:great tusk:
9/16 for Tusk, close second in usage. It seems defensive Tusk fits in a lot more teams than the offensive one. The main one if you can afford it I think is Scrappy (Boots or Helmet), because you need to secure Spin with all the Pechas and Gholds running around. However there are many more options like EE, WS, WA, Fluffy, WBB. Of course offensive Tusk is still usable, although less flexible - basically you need Mold Breaker; and it's a choice between BU and Taunt. Like for Rmoon, it's hard to build a team without Tusk rn.
:skarmory: :corviknight:
Also 10/16 for the Steel birds. This is mostly a result of Rmoon's sky-high usage, even with occasional attempts to punish it with WS or Flame Body. In most teams they need Fluffy to not lose to much momentum though (forget dealing with Dnite using one of these please). I think specially defensive Corviknight is underexplored rn, with abilities like WA and PSalt. Maybe.
:gholdengo: :manaphy:
Not much to say about this appart from the fact they're still S-tier. Scarf Adapt Ghold and physically defensive Manaphy are clearly the main ones but not the only ones. Manaphy suffers a tiny from competing with Swampert again which reflects in its usage ("only" 7/16). A solid 9/16 for Ghold with convincing performances. Notably checking the annoying Deo-s and Dnite is big.
:dragonite:
6/16 for Dnite. The majority of them seem to be E-Speed Roost Flame/Tbolt Eq, but DD sets with Fire Punch are also a thing. LO Dnite can be very scary but I think we have way enough tools to deal with it rn. Its defensive utility and speed control is also very valuable - it usually pairs well with almost-speed control mons like Scarf Ghold or Zama.
:pecharunt:
Speaking of ways to deal with Dnite, Pecharunt sits at 2/16 uses which imo doesn't reflect its place in the meta rn. The thing about it is it fits in structures that are not the main ones we see. But as I've been saying a lot, Prank Pecha is great. Maybe offensive Pecha should be explored.
:swampert: :heatran:
Regenvest Swampert and Desolate Land Heatran suffered from Wake's Weather Ball and they are back strong with 6/16 for Pert and 4/16 for Heatran. The latter has been particularly convincing, as WBB's usage is lower than ever and the main Fire resists rn don't check it properly at all (except Zapdos).
:iron moth:
Iron Moth also loves WBB's extremely low usage currently. Only 2 uses but it should be used more as it has ways to hit most of its current checks.
:scream tail:
Stail's usage will obviously drop a little bit after Wake's ban but it's still at 5/16 and very convincing most of the time. It's still fascinating to me how good this mon is despite needing to spend a whole ability only to have a decent stab move; but as I like to say, if it works it works. I think Specs Stail isn't used enough for how threatening it can be.
:deoxys-speed:
Only 3/16 for Deo-s but I don't think this reflects any real trend because the mon is stronger than ever rn. Psurge, sflo and Protean are all good - probably the most consistent being sflo. The one thing it lacks is defensive utility so it can be hard to fit.
:zamazenta:
With 2/16 Zamazenta is definitely falling appart because it struggles against too many things rn, notably Pecharunt, Fluffy Corv/Skarm, Ghold, Mana, Dnite. Still usable of course but not as reliable as you'd think.
:zapdos: :chien-pao: :latios: :sandy shocks:
Not much to say about these but they're still very good.

Never gonna give you up mate. Have a great great day
 
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GG reviews ! (thx Les2BG for the help this week)
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Both players uses Zac C, one with dark Shifu, the other with Baxc. Taka played very aggressively with Shifu but Ghostlike put huge pressure with Zac in return. Taka is forced to tera Slowking against Baxc but misses Twave, he then got mbounce his rocks and while trying to defog after claiming both Hatt and Samurott H, Dozo curse arrives and sweeps, even with Gfire BSwipes slowing it.
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We see two fairly offensive teams with a remix of an old Clas team from TPP with Tornadus-T instead of Dragapult, while Jrdn uses KB offense with a very rare mon in speed, Iron Thorns. KB seems to have a wonderful MU as soon as Hatt is low. Unfortunately, TPP seems to not be aware of KB's danger as he tries to set up directly with his Hatt, with Glowking coming in without any problem. TPP will paralyse Glowking in exchange of losing 79% on Hatterene, which is extremely bad given that as soon as KB’s up, it’s going to go down very fast. Even after TPP manages to heal his Hatt with wish from Alo, a few turns later KB went for the win with DDance. TPP switches to Hatterene and both players tera, Jrdn using tera electric on KB while TPP uses tera water on Hatt. Jrdn used Dragon Dance a 2nd time while TPP tried Nuzzle but couldn't paralyse because of tera and after another Dragon Dance Jrdn was able to finish off the entire team.
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pdt is using a very offensive team with EKiller and another Thorns while entrocefalo is playing Caly I with WOger (another one with insane atk, weird) and Hoopa U which is pretty niche. Sadly we can clearly see he’s going to be physical with Caly I’s spa. pdt went extremely offensive setting rocks and trying to sweep with Throns and tera, EButton on Ghold made Ghold take 60% without doing anything, forcing defensive tera on Caly I. In the end EKiller got SD up, and swept since nothing could tank.
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Both players are using Zacian-C with teams which look very similar, their respective Baxcalibur has a good mu even if Temp must get rid of a Rotom Wash. Temp is quite weak to Zacian C so he'll have to be very careful how he handles this pokemon. Sammy will take advantage of a switch from Zacian on a Glaive Rush to set himself up and will take advantage of it to kill Gholdengo, a few turns later Sammy will eliminate temp's Baxcalibur which will greatly reduce the offensive potential of his opponent. While sash pao is revealed it does not flinch Garg. Sammy’s Washtom’s twave was key to let him keep his advantage against the fast pace of Temps team. In the end Tusk manages to finish Ting lu to give Sammy the win
 
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