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Tournaments RBY Rising Stars III - Signups & Information!!

Hello everyone! First of all, I'm sorry for the 1 day delay, unfortunately, like Maris Bonibell kindly posted, I was without access to my Smogon account yesterday evening, which meant I could only post the players who made it today. Without further ado, let's get down to business!

The seeding procedure was fairly similar to the previous two editions. We decided to use only results from 2024 and 2025, since we felt like using results from 2023 and prior years does not really reflect the current skill of the players who signed up. The only exception was SPL and Invitational Main event, where all historical results were used.

Also, mandatory disclaimer that while the seeding commitee is composed of players who watch games regularly and are very experienced, we are ultimately humans. There's still some subjectivity associated with seeding. I hope you please understand this. If you didn't make it, or you think we ranked you too low, there's a perfect way to shove it in our face: kill it in the upcoming opportunities you have!

And now, the list:

1. LNumbers

A name perhaps unknown to the younger generation of RBYers, LNumbers is the only player in this list to have made it to both SPL and RBY Invitational Main Event. One of the members of the Golden Generation of Germany-based RBYers to storm the RBY scene in the post-Covid era, LNumbers developed a playstyle resembling the methodical precision of Serpi and team choices marked by the pragmatism of Gefährlicher Random. While his results in the two bigger settings RBY OU has to offer have not been stellar, LNumbers made it there for a reason - the sheer talent and iconic work ethic of all the members of the Golden Generation of Germans certainly resides in him too, and this might very well be the tournament where he proves he always had it in him all along.

2. GirlsSeeGhosts

What a year it has been for GirlsSeeGhosts. After picking up RBY in 2024, the community's resident Quebecois took RBYPL V by storm with a convincing 5-2 record, quickly following it up with an astounding 5-1 record in RBYWC III, being absolutely pivotal for Canada's underdog run that eventually led to an epic tournament win. With very a strong ROAPL performance that also translated into (yet another) team tournament win, an amazing circuit showing so far with an RBY GC 2nd place as the pinnacle of the run, and racking up wins against several widely acclaimed players along the way in the last several months, this might very well be his year - will this be the tournament that finally sets him up for a place amongst RBY's very best?

3. NotVeryCake

Perhaps because of her extremely high activity levels, it feels like Cake has been around for a long time now, but it's only been 2 years since the Northern Irish's debut in the tier. Despite being a controversial figure in the community, Cake's talent for RBY is contested by absolutely no one - she has displayed several moments of pure genius, with the most notable of those being, undoubtedly, the 3-0 round robin stage run in RBYWC II, with wins over marcoasd, Serpi and chuva de perereca. With a distinctively aggressive playstyle, Cake is a player that can catch even the most prepared of players off guard, with her natural talent at swinging momentum with the blink of an eye. This tournament manifests itself as a great opportunity for her to show that, together with her natural knack for offensive play, she can also bring the consistency needed to perform at the highest level.

4. oligen1

Oligen tends not to talk much, but it's one of those players that really does not need to - his games do all of it. Oligen's roots, in contrast with most players on this list, but in line with the majority of the tier's greats, lie on the ladder - like several of the tiers' most recent hot prospects, he came to the spotlight in RBYPL on the Washed Wartortles, a team that has been catapulting several unknown players onto the map for a few years now. Oligen went on to accomplish several great results in individual tournaments, the most notable of those being a 2nd place finish in 2025's Winter Seasonal. Will this be the tournament we see oligen show he has what it takes to face the tier's greats head on?

5. Ulti Bastion

Ulti Bastion took the RBY scene by surprise with a very convincing performance in RBYWC II, after a mere 3 months of starting to play not just RBY, but competitive Pokémon as a whole! The aforementioned RBYWC and subsequent Invitational play-ins performance, even if not translating into an entry into main event, awed several of the tier's best players, who saw in his sheer talent and natural knack for aggression a diamond in the rough. Despite not having flashy results to show, Ulti is widely perceived as one of the biggest raw talents RBY has ever seen, which can easily be shown by the price tags that typically come attached to him in team tournaments. Is this the tournament where he will finally translate all that raw talent everyone sees in him into silverware?

6. Melbelle

Melanie, as she prefers to be called, has been around for a while. While she generally prefers to bide her time terrorising the UU playerbase, she has nevertheless silently accomplished several very interesting OU performances, the most recent of which being her 2025 RBY Cup run, which culminated in a 2nd place, falling only at the hands of one of the best players in the history of the tier, Peasounay. While Mel has a history of inconsistency, the talent is undoubtedly there: is this the tournament she finally brings home an OU tournament win?

7. Maris Bonibell

Much like Melanie, Maris is perhaps more known for her UU exploits: in not much more than one year, she has unquestionably cemented herself as one of the best players in the history of the tier, currently rocking an absolutely astounding 20-2 (!!) record in UU in team tournaments in 2025. Moreover, she is also a very common presence in the top of the Rands ladder, consistently rocking very high GXE percentages there. While she also participated in the previous edition of this tournament, it is clear it was only very recently that she decided to truly shift her focus towards OU, where she brings a very aggressive playstyle, resembling of several other players who decided to delve into OU after displaying significant Lower Tier prowess. From this recent commitment, she has already secured a top-6 in the ongoing Summer Seasonal while still in the winners bracket, clearly showing us her obvious talent for the game also translates into RBY's main tier. Is this tournament the one where she will show us all she is capable of?

8. Acetylaldehyde

While not as accomplished as several of the players on this list, Acetylaldehyde has definitely shown he can play. Several deep runs in circuit tournaments, as well as passing the eye test of several established players in the tier. The main reason why he hasn't shown as many results as other people here may simply be the fact he tends not to play much - which is a shame, because he has definitely presented us with several strong showings throughout the 2 years he has played the tier. Perhaps this is the tournament he needs to show he has the talent lots of players see in him - it's up to him to show us what he's made of!

9. PKMN Master™

PKMN Master™ has only very recently joined the RBY OU scene, but he has caught the eye of several players already, with his iconic aggressive playstyle and extremely acute natural instincts, developed on the fiery depths of the ladder scene that has produced so many RBY OU talents. While the best result he has to show is perhaps the Round 3 run in Invitational Play-ins, which might not sound like much compared to others on this list, he is ranked in 9th place despite his inexperience for a reason - it might not be wise to underestimate him, as the sheer talent is unquestionably there.

10. Teh

Another name on this list perhaps known better for his Lower Tier accomplishments, and having never shown particular interest in following the LT -> OU path so many players before him did, Teh took the RBY community by complete surprise with a magnificent 5-1 showing in RBYWC culminating in a tournament win alongside his Canadian brethren, followed by a very solid 4-3 performance in RBYPL. He has more than deserved his appearance in this tournament, and his lower ranking compared to others is perhaps justified by the fact he tends to not show up much in the OU scene. His playstyle also reflects his more laid-back personality, being more pragmatic and methodical rather than aggressive and flashy, contrasting with what is typically seen in other players that come from the LT scene. While no longer being able to dodge the dreaded spotlight, will Teh continue to prove to the community he truly has what it takes in OU?

11. KJ

KJ has been around for a very, very long time. She has one of the very few players who has competed in every RBYPL, and has participated in almost every edition of the Invitational play-ins. Her playstyle reflects her era—more defensive, patient, and methodical. While in the past years her presence in RBY tournaments has been more sporadic, she has recently shown interest in seriously committing to the grind. Now, she has the opportunity to show the younger blood of RBY the results of that commitment, and to the wider community that oldies can definitely be goldies.

12. SpoiledBerries

SpoiledBerries is the latest RBYer smithed in the Oceanic forges led by the New Zealander duo of Hipmonlee and nicole7735 to reach the spotlight. While she has not yet reached the acclaim of players like violet river, she has been silently working her way up, culminating in a top 8 (and still ongoing) presence in the latest Summer Seasonal. She has also finally achieved a well deserved starting slot in RBYPL and now earns yet another opportunity to show her talent in this tournament. She is not flashy, but has definitely shown moments of greatness - it is now in her hands to show the RBY world what she is truly capable of.

13. TheStupe

After a lot of grinding, Stupe is finally starting to collect dividends for his hard work, obtaining wins against several accomplished players, the most notable of which being Invitational winner Lusch, earning him a very respectable Round 3 result in GC, on top of currently being in the top 8 of a still ongoing run in the Summer Seasonal. Stupe has the characteristic aggressive playstyle typically seen on new blood, but contrasting with his ladder roots, which tend to form more defensive, calculated players. He can no longer dodge the spotlight - the RBY eyes are on him now, eager to see what one of the tier’s most exciting prospects can accomplish.

14. magialice

Alice is the newest addition to the pool of RBYers shaped in the aforementioned forges of Oceanic lands. While she does not have many results in RBY yet to show, her playstyle has passed the eye test of not only her Oceanic brethren, but also many other players in the community. It's her time to shine now - while not as accomplished as most other names on this list, she secured her deserved place in this tournament for a reason: we are all eager to see what she is truly capable of.

15. leoperi

Leoperi is not very flashy nor as accomplished as other players in this list, but he is certainly very passionate and has shown flashes of brilliance to the RBY world. He has also put up two strong showings in the last two editions of RBYWC, with two solid 2-1 results. He has earned his place in this tournament, and will now have a much desired chance to show he can truly pit himself against the tier's most acclaimed up and comers. Will this be the tournament he finally has his breakout moment?

16. phoopes

Much like KJ, phoopes has been around for a long time. Very long time. While he has never had flashy results, he has earned the widespread respect of the entire RBY community, while at the same time having beaten, throughout the years, several of the tier's strong players. Unfortunately, someone has to be the last seed, and the rather dubious honour this year goes to phoopes. Nevertheless, we are eager to see phoopes kill it in this tournament, and shove in our faces just how wrong we were about him!

And that's it! Amaranth was, naturally, excluded from the tournament. Come on, obviously an absolute lock, and not even a cheap one.

Congrats to those who made it! The Swiss round will be posted soon.
 
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