YAHALLO AND WELCOME TO THE MUCH-REQUESTED RUPL POWER RANKINGS
In this ranking, I will PRIMARILY be ranking on the individual skills of the players. Prowess in a specific tier will be secondary, and will mostly be disregarded if the participant in question lacks any qualifications in said tier on the big stage. We will also NOT be factoring in motivation in most situations, because attempting to gauge that is way too arbitrary and would skew all of my predictions. Anyway, let's begin!
The Rillaboomers
SS: rozes
SS: atomicllamas
SS: Eternally
SS: Kebab mlml
SM: Xiri
SM: roman
ORAS: Santu
BW: KW
The SS core of the team is pretty decent, especially by this tournament's low standards. rozes isn't exactly a great player, but at least he has some experience on the big stage. He'll probably get around 3-4 wins, if I had to guess. llamas is in the same boat as rozes, and I would expect them to have similar results. llamas will almost certainly be more invested in the tour, though, so I guess there's that. Eternally is probably the best player on this team. If you've read my past posts, you'll know that I never drank the Eternally kool-aid. That being said, he has put forth some solid performances in team tours. He should do fine here. Kebab recently went 3-1 in the latest edition of SPL, but that's pretty much the only thing he has done. I really need to see more before I'm ready to put any faith in him. He could easily crash and burn.
Xiri is a PU mainer who managed to go 8-3 in the latest edition of the Snake draft. Considering how bad the PU playerbase is, this accomplishment isn't too significant. That being said, the caliber of opponents is likely similar or perhaps even a hair better than the quality of opponents he will face in this tour. He doesn't have enough results for me to be too confident in him, but it would not surprise me if he finished positive. roman is a journeyman RU player who finally got to take his first crack at an official team tour last Snake. He did go positive, so I guess there's that. I suppose he has a decent chance of putting forth a respectable performance in this tour, but it wouldn't surprise me if he struggled.
Santu is someone I never really had a high opinion of, but he did have a pretty solid showing in SPL XI. He's another player that will probably do decently. The last player on the team is KW, who was somehow 3k. It seems that the whole community has decided that KW's clicker tendencies are simply not worth the risk. As little faith as I have in him, this selection has a decent shot of being a steal. I certainly don't think he's too viable, but against a lackluster BW player pool, he definitely has a shot to go positive if he clicks the right moves. This was probably the best pick of llamas' draft.
Overall, this team doesn't really have any standout names, but is instead filled with a bunch of average-mediocre players. That might be enough to get a playoff spot, but we will see.
The Ghosting Silvallys
SS: Sabella
SS: Osh
SS: EviGaro
SS: Bebo
SM: Odd Della Robbia
SM: HarrisIsAwesome
ORAS: false
BW: SiTuM
The SS core of this team is pretty decent, honestly. Sabella is someone who usually puts up decent results in official tours; I'm surprised he was only 7k, especially considering some of the absurd prices other people went for. I think that he'll do fairly decently. Osh is another player who usually puts forth decent performances in official tours, even managing to go 7-3 against a ridiculously stacked NU pool in Snake III. I expect him to go positive. EviGaro proved that she was a viable RU player in SPL X. It's unclear whether the curse of the black mamba is still affecting her, but she should do well nonetheless against a less-than-stellar player pool. That being said, it's not like she has a plethora of good results on the big stage, so I'm probably a bit more skeptical of her ability than most people. The last slot belongs to a filler character named Bebo who went for 12000???? LOL WHAT. He could easily flop.
Perhaps the biggest overpay in the history of RUPL is Odd Della Robbia, who went for a STAGGERING 26.5K LMAO WHAT He did win the latest edition of the RU Open, but this price seems absolutely laughable to me. It's not too surprising considering the nature of RUPL, but it's still ridiculous nonetheless. I'll give him some benefit of the doubt and say that I expect him to go positive based on his last RU Open showing as well as his win in the first SS RU tour of the year. That being said, the odds that he lives up to his absolutely nonsensical price tag are probably pretty low. The team's next slot belongs to Harris, another player who had a decent run in Grand Slam earlier. His viability was questioned pretty heavily after his disastrous UU performance in SPL X; he did go 2-0 in Snake III, so I suppose there's that. I haven't really seen enough of his games to deem him as unviable, so I would say that, in my mind, he's probably a bit below average. It wouldn't surprise me if he struggled.
In ORAS, we have LDDSLFKKFKLSDKFL LOOOOOOOOOOOOL oh my god are u KIDDING ME??? Man...whatever. False did manage to go 6-3 in Snake III, so perhaps his PU expertise can carry over to other lower tiers. However, his games outside of PU have been an absolute trainwreck, as he currently sports an absolutely pitiful 2-15 record in non-PU slots. I don't think he's viable on the big stage, but in this tour, he might just be able to notch a couple of wins. The team's slot slot is occupied by a filler character. So...there's that.
Overall, this team's not too terrible. Half their team's honestly a bit of a disaster, and ODR's price is absolutely ludicrous. That being said, they do have a relatively capable SS core.
The Loud Explouds
SS: Lopunny Kicks
SS: Star
SS: bkdrew
SS: byronthewellwell
SM: Alkione
SM: Cam
ORAS: Kushalos
BW: The Leprechaun
This team's draft was very impressive...through the first 3 picks. After that, it was honestly a complete disaster LOL Chrisloud caught the Lindworm virus jesus. Lop Kicks is a former sheet warrior who struggled a bit in SPL XI. That being said, he will most likely be playing a bunch of fodder slots in this tour, so it would honestly surprise me if he didn't go positive. Star is easily one of the best players in the tour, and was a steal at 17k, especially when you compare his price to those of some other individuals. I would be absolutely shocked if he didn't finish the tour with at least 5 wins. The team's last two slots are occupied by two filler characters, so.............I guess there's that.
Speaking of filler characters, let's check out the SM core. I have absolutely no idea who Alkione and Cam are, so I'm just gonna assume they're bad. In ORAS, we have Kushalos, who is definitely one of the best ORAS RU players in the tour. It was pretty shocking to see him go for only 15k. I expect him to smash most of the competition. In BW, we have another filler character. The Leprechaun didn't seem too bad based on my games with him, but I would be lying if I said I had any confidence in his ability to do well.
Overall, this team literally has 3 players, who will each have to go 6-2 or better if the team wants to make any noise. If some of the filler characters can miraculously succeed, I guess they have a shot.
The Emblematic Escavaliers
SS: Hikari
SS: GW
SS: lighthouses
SS: DKM
SM: eifo
SM: Raichy
ORAS: MrAldo
BW: Finchinator
The team's SS core is pretty uninspiring. I've always been a big fan of Hikari, and think that when he's on his game, he's definitely one of the better players in the tour. I know I wasn't going to mention motivation, but I would find it very surprising if Hikari put a lot of effort into learning SS RU, especially since he lives in Venezuela and has to deal with the Corona epidemic...yeah. I'll still expect him to finish positive if he does decide to play; the team should probably just put him in BW OU and let try-hard ass Finchinator learn SS, though. The SS core also features two filler characters in GW and DKM. The last slot belongs to Diogo, an RU veteran with some rather lackluster showings on the big stage. He's definitely not good, but he probably will have enough dedication and metagame knowledge to pick up some wins against the inferior competition of RUPL.
eifo is another filler character, so we can just ignore him. Raichy is 10-13 on the sheet, but I don't think he's played a single relevant lower tier game in his life. It wouldn't surprise me to see him crash and burn. In ORAS, we have MrAldo. Aldo has established himself as a good team supporter and helper on the big stage, but his play often leaves a lot to be desired. The player pool is relatively bad, though, so I expect him to pick up around 3 wins. The last slot belongs to Finchinator, who is probably the non-mainer in this entire tournament who is actually going to give 100% of his effort. He should easily wash the entire player pool.
Overall, this team is honestly garbage LOOOL jesus. Just let Finch ghost everyone, honestly.
The Voracious Vileplumes
SS: TDK
SS: jake
SS: bugzinator
SS: Averardo
SM: Zesty43
SM: Luthier
ORAS: TSR
BW: LuckOverSkill
The SS RU core features some prominent names. TDK is the biggest name in this whole tour, but his performance over the past few team tours leaves much to be desired. He hasn't had a good record in a while, so he's not as slam-dunk of a prospect as one would expect. That being said, it would absolutely shock me if he didn't finish positive; I'll peg him for around 5 wins. jake is a veteran who has recently reinvented himself as an LC machine. He's done pretty well on the big stage lately, and considering the sorry state of the SS player pool, I would expect him to go positive. bugzinator is a pretty big wild card. When he actually shows up and cares, he's pretty solid, even on the big stage. Will that happen? I don't know, but I do know that he's definitely more talented than most of the players he will be facing. I'll take my chances and say that he'll get at least 4 wins. Averardo is the last slot. He wasn't too impressive in his sole team tour experience in Snake III; I don't really have that much faith in his ability to get a positive record and live up to his lofty price tag.
In SM, we have Zesty, an Ubers player who somehow went for 9.5k? LOL What??? Zesty hasn't shown up on the sheet in a relevant game in a while, and I can't say that I really expect him to succeed here. The second SM slot belongs to Luthier, who is coming off two solid tours in Snake III and SPL XI. I don't know how familiar he is with non-LC tiers, but he has proven himself as a relatively capable battler. I think that he will most likely get around 4 wins. The ORAS slot is occupied by a filler character. His name rings a bell, but I really couldn't tell you anything about him. Lastly, the team is rounded out by LuckOverSkill...in 2020 LMAO I didn't think I would be seeing any crust players in RUPL, but here we are. This guy wasn't even that good when he wasn't crust LOL At least he was 4k, I guess. It wouldn't surprise me to see him flop pretty hard, although he might have some hidden potential, I suppose.
Overall, this team's pretty uninspiring outside of their SS RU core. They have playoff potential, though, based on how flawed the other rosters are.
The Weed Smoking Whimsicotts
SS: robjr
SS: Bouff
SS: Amaroq
SS: ima
SM: Sage
SM: Hurtadoo
ORAS: Garay oak
BW: esche
The first SS slot belongs to robjr, who mas made a name for himself as a pretty solid UU player. He always seems to do at least decently in the lower tiers, so I expect him to go positive. Next, we have Bouff, WHO WAS SOMEHOW 15.5K LMAO WHAT Man, people have lost their minds. Bouff is not a viable player; even in this tour, it would shock me if he got more than around 2 wins. Next we have a filler character in Amaroq. I believe that he choked against me in RU World Cup before, so my expectations for him are even lower than usual. The last member of the SS core is ima. While I have not consumed the ima kool-aid, he has shown himself to be capable on the big stage, at least. He has a decent shot of doing fine.
In SM we have Sage, who looked unviable as hell in SPL X. She did put forth a nice performance in SPL XI, though, so perhaps she's viable after all. I'm definitely not too much of a believer in her abilities, but she probably has the talent to do decently here. The other SM slot belongs to yet another filler character. In ORAS, we have Garay Oak, who has shown himself to at least be a capable lower tier player on the big stage. He even managed to get 4 wins outside of lower tiers in SPL XI. He's definitely good enough to go positive against the goons he will be going up against. The ream is rounded by lord esche, a once-hyped prospect who flopped spectacularly in his only official team tour experience. I don't really have much faith in him, but he probably won't be terrible for the team.
Overall, this team's honestly complete garbage LOOL They're a worse version of the Explouds, with their "star players" being inferior in every capacity.
The Snob Frogs
SS: yeezyknows
SS: col49
SS: Yggdrasil60
SS: FLCL
SM: Vapo
SM: Yay
ORAS: Chaitanya
BW: tko
I don't know how on earth yeezy went for 12k, but here we are. He had a decent showing in Snake, but outside of that, there's really no evidence in his ability to succeed here. Add in his unfamiliarity with RU, and it's pretty baffling that he went for 12k. col49 is an RU veteran with a pretty innovative mind. He crashed hard in Snake III, but he's still talented enough to do pretty well in this tournament. His builds should help both he and his teammates succeed, although it's unclear how much effort he will put into this tour. That being said, I would be surprised if he didn't finish positive. The next slot features another filler character, so there's that. The final slot belongs to FLCL, who is in fantastic form right now. He should definitely farm the player pool in this tournament.
In SM, we have two more filler characters. First up is Vaporeon?? who went for...16.5k??? LOOOOL Bro what. I know nothing about this guy besides the fact that Ajna tried to pick him up for around 4k...and then his price rose to an astronomical amount. Yeah...no faith in him really. I don't really know anything about yay either, besides the fact that he's in the Derk. So...I guess there's that. In ORAS, we have Chaitanya. He got one win in World Cup before struggling mightily in Snake. I don't really think he'd good. The final slot on the team belongs to tko; he's been pretty bad in limited showings on the big stage, although he did manage to go 2-3 last Snake, I suppose. It wouldn't surprise me to see him flop.
Overall, this team's pretty bad. They basically have 2 players...so.
The Flapple Force
SS: Feliburn
SS: lax
SS: ggggd
SS: Meru
SM: Spl4sh
SM: TheFranklin
ORAS: Ajna
BW: -Tsunami-
At last, we get to my team. The SS core of the team is pretty interesting. Feliburn has performed pretty poorly on the big stage, so I can't really say that I have an exorbitant amount of faith in him. It wouldn't surprise me to see him struggle. He is known to be a fairly good builder, though, so perhaps that will help his chances. Next up we have lax, the second best player in the entire tournament. lax is coming off one of the best team tournament years of all time, as he carried both the Ruiners and US West to trophies alongside his comrade Lavos. With Ajna and Feliburn's support, it would be pretty surprising to me if he didn't get at least 6 wins. Next up we have Pablo. Pablo showed that he was no joke in SPL XI, going undefeated while making hardly any misplays along the way. He was pretty impressive; I don't know how much of that LC talent will translate to RU, but I think he has a solid shot of going positive. Last up, we have Meru. Meru might be crust, but at least he was a good RU player in the past. I think he has a decent shot of doing well.
The SM core consists of two filler characters. I have absolutely no idea who these people are, so let's just move on. At least they have Ajna's help, I suppose. Speaking of Ajna, he is without question the best player in the tournament. In all honesty, 30.5k might be a bit of an underpay for his services. He's the only mainer in this entire tour with any semblance of consistent success across multiple RU tours, and his team support cannot be understated. I expect him to easily get 6-7 wins. The final slot belongs to me. I am most certainly crust; I've hardly played any games of Pokemon in the past 5 months. That being said, this isn't SPL. I do know BW RU a fair amount, and think I have a solid shot of getting around 3-4 wins against one of the worst player pools I've seen in a while.
Overall, I think this is the best team. It's definitely not an amazing team; there are certainly a lot of question marks. I have to mention that this team also has resident tryhards durza + Mannat, alongside their life-long brother, obii. So...I guess there's that. Anyway, the Ajna + lax core coupled with some other decent pieces is enough to elevate this to the top spot, though not by much.
Final Rankings:
1. The Flapple Force
2. The Loud Explouds (This team is literally 2nd by default just off of having Lop Kicks / Star / Kushalos LOOOL That's honestly enough to make them 2nd)
3. The Voracious Vileplumes
4. The Ghosting Silvallys
5. The Rillaboomers (This team was hard to rank, honestly. I don't have a great amount of faith in any one of these players, but they also have more capable pieces than the other teams. They might be a bit better than this, but for now, I'll put them here).
6. The Emblematic Escavaliers
7. The Snob Frogs
8. The Weed Smoking Whimsicotts
These teams are all pretty close, honestly. Even the gap between 1 and 8 isn't some crazy amount.
