The coin went 5/5 that’s crazy
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Tournament SCL IV NU Discussion
- Thread starter etern
- Start date
rng really does decide games
SCL Week 5 Matchups:
SV NU Circuit Breakers vs Showdown Shoguns: 3d vs zS
SV NU Studio Gible vs Arena Spartans: tier vs Thiago Nunes
SV NU Power Plant Dynamos vs Mt. Silver Foxes: McMeghan vs Danny
SV NU Technical Machines vs Indigo Platoon: frankjosh vs watashi
SV NU Orange Islanders vs Uncharted Terrors: Dr. Phd. BJ vs Elias PSY
I’ll add more thoughts soon, just gonna write this was a fun week of SCL, with some really contested games. Our two new entries to the pool both won their games, while some mainstays lost by the skin of their teeth. Phantomistix and his coin went 5/5, and there were some really cool teams from many of the slots. We see frankjosh, who balled out in NUPL giving Stories a well deserved break after unlucky air slash flinches this past week. Excited to see the guy who farmed me with dudun play in this new meta. Speaking of new meta, we lost Tflame, Umby, and Quag, while gaining Overqeil. Interested to see how the meta will shake out next week. Django Be13costa etern Tuthur Rabia Shengineer and many more can’t wait to see y’all’s thoughts on this past week and predicts for the upcoming.SV NU Circuit Breakers vs Showdown Shoguns: 3d vs zS
SV NU Studio Gible vs Arena Spartans: tier vs Thiago Nunes
SV NU Power Plant Dynamos vs Mt. Silver Foxes: McMeghan vs Danny
SV NU Technical Machines vs Indigo Platoon: frankjosh vs watashi
SV NU Orange Islanders vs Uncharted Terrors: Dr. Phd. BJ vs Elias PSY
After a huge 5/5 week, the Kingmaker coin hopes to continue its hot streak.
W5 Predicts:
3d vs zS
tier vs Thiago Nunes
McMeghan vs Danny
frankjosh vs watashi
Dr. Phd. BJ vs Elias PSY
(14/20 total)
W5 Predicts:
3d vs zS
tier vs Thiago Nunes
McMeghan vs Danny
frankjosh vs watashi
Dr. Phd. BJ vs Elias PSY
(14/20 total)
3d vs zS
zS has fought the frail fat allegations by bringing weak offense. I still dont like Breakers teams, but zS really reached a new low last week.
tier vs Thiago
Finally bolded Thiago. He is a better player, please dont deceive me and give tier another ego boost.
Roro vs Danny
Tough one but roro seems unstoppable and Danny is more prone to choke.
frankjosh vs watashi
Didnt like both teams last week. Vapo is a fake good idea. Orthworm and Grafaiai are ZU for a reason, and while i get the appeal of the former, its stats are just too hard to make it work (the later is just garbo though). Rooting for watashi whos been the better player so far.
Dr Phd Bj vs Elias PSY
Aside of bias, I really wasnt happy with how Elias played his Guno for the whole game (tera poison versus Zong, why not recover to tank the Shao). Flash Canon Copper was a mystery. Elias lucked a lot in the endgame too.
zS has fought the frail fat allegations by bringing weak offense. I still dont like Breakers teams, but zS really reached a new low last week.
tier vs Thiago
Finally bolded Thiago. He is a better player, please dont deceive me and give tier another ego boost.
Roro vs Danny
Tough one but roro seems unstoppable and Danny is more prone to choke.
frankjosh vs watashi
Didnt like both teams last week. Vapo is a fake good idea. Orthworm and Grafaiai are ZU for a reason, and while i get the appeal of the former, its stats are just too hard to make it work (the later is just garbo though). Rooting for watashi whos been the better player so far.
Dr Phd Bj vs Elias PSY
Aside of bias, I really wasnt happy with how Elias played his Guno for the whole game (tera poison versus Zong, why not recover to tank the Shao). Flash Canon Copper was a mystery. Elias lucked a lot in the endgame too.
Another fun week and the last one before the tier shifts. This week we saw more variation in Steel types and balance structures, with Action BronCin not hitting the heights of a few weeks ago. We also saw more variation on offense, with OTR Diance making a rare appearance, and Rain and HO getting more outings. Some of these attempts were more successful than others, let's get into it.
Team Rankings
1. Elias PSY
Personally I'm a huge fan of OTR Diance, and I'm surprised it hasn't seen more play thus far. The main limiting factor is Bronzong, but that mon is incredibly easy to chip and lure. Here we see Garticuno, Fire Punch Flygon, and Scarf (I'm pretty sure) Meloetta, which can all heavily pressure Bronzong or pivot on it. Clear Amulet Flygon and Competitive Guno are also both nice picks into an Intimidate heavy meta. Toxicroak pressures bulky waters which might otherwise bother Diance, and also helps ease the matchup vs Muk-A. The only part of this team I can't figure out is Flash Cannon Shuca Berry Copperajah - if anyone knows the reasoning for this I'm all ears. Etern tells me it's for Avalugg, I guess that makes sense. Copper takes a lot of pressure off Diance defensively as well, which I think is mandatory when running the OTR versions. Overall I like this build into the metagame, and it makes use of some underrated offensive threats. There's probably some difficult matchups, especially if you misplay Croak and suddently need to take a Knock Off. But overall this team keeps up enough offensive pressure and momentum that those things can be played around.
2. 3d and Tier
I've grouped these together as they both share the same balance structure with slight variations: Bulky water, Incin, Steel type, Fight resist, Mienshao, win condition. These are both very solid teams, and it's interesting that it's the two new faces bringing that type of team. Perhaps they didn't want to deviate too far outside the standard builds, and both ended up being rewarded for decent to good teams and playing well. It's nice to see a non-Flygon balance build working well, and non-choice Mienshao putting in work (this will only happen more now Talonflame is gone). Slowbro-G should also pick up a lot more in usage as a very reliable fighting check who doesn't immediately die to non-stab knock off. Ghost bird is also a cool choice on balance that might otherwise struggle with fighting types if the pom pom form is used. I'll be interested to see what these two bring in the next few weeks.
4. Stories
At first glance this is relatively similar to the previously mentioned balance builds, with the Vaporeon / Bronzong / Gligar core being repeated, alongside Scarf Mienshao. Stories mixes it up though and brings Bulk Up Breloom and Prankster Grafaiai. I like the Graf choice, as Prankster Encore is very powerful right now, a big reason Whimsicott usage is picking up. Grafaiai can also bring a lot of momentum with Parting Shot and more utility with Knock Off. Trick Orb Bronzong is a fun pick as well, but can be liable to getting chipped too much if it can't steal a Leftovers. For me this falls just behind the others as it lacks as much immediate breaking power as something like SD Incin, and doesn't pack quite as a dangerous wincon as Oricorio.
5. Dr. Phd. BJ
A more traditional rain composition than we saw in previous weeks. I think this is a good pick both into the metagame and into the particular opponent BJ had this week. Despite Vaporeon being a hard matchup for Rain, Toxicroak and Kilowattrel do more than enough to even it out. Basc under rain has 0 switchins, and Kingdra has about 0.5. I'm surprised this isn't getting more usage really, and with Umbreon and Quagsire leaving, I can see rain becoming more powerful.
6. McMeghan
This team is kinda whack to me. Pivot Guno without CM or Future Sight certainly exists. Protect Gyro Ball Zong is...interesting and Tentacruel is kinda just bad. I'm sure there's some vision I'm not seeing here, maybe the unrevealed lazzle set makes it all make sense, but this seems more miss than hit. Ultimately it doesn't matter when you get a good matchup and still win, but this one is confusing to me.
7. Thiago Nunes
The Spartans have moved on from ignoring Fighting resists to now ignoring Water resists, and also ignore Steel types. For me, this team relies too heavily on Swamperts natural bulk to check too many threats, leaving it very liable to be overwhelmed by offensive teams. On the flip side, it also struggles to make much progress with Pert / Bramble / Talon all being relatively passive. I can see a bit of the vision here if it's Spikes Bramble, with Spikestack + the momentum available through Mienshao / Scarf Tox / Flip Pert and U-Turn Talon sounding powerful on paper. However I think in practice it doesn't keep up with other offensive teams (like we saw in the game) nor will it beat down fat teams enough.
8. watashi
At first glance I really liked this team. Double Ghost is actually very strong offensively as there is so little to switch into them, and the typical checks i.e. Incin and Muk can be chipped or U-Turned on. However, when it's revealed that it's Spec Typh + utility Decid then I don't like it. If this was like SD Low Kick Decid, which can lure both Incin and Muk, or a non-choiced Typholsion which can run Focus Blast and beat down ZongCin cores, then I would like it a lot. Without that synergy this team struggles a lot offensively. Double ghost also feels like it's going to be strong into Fighting types, and this is true for those that use choice items, but in this game we see a non-choiced Mienshao go to town, as even non STAB Knock Off seriously threatens the frail ghost types.
9. zS
zS goes back into the HO trenches, this time pulling out a non-intimidate wetbull, leftovers protect Iron Thorns, Dragon Tail Flygon, and Staraptor / Curse Arcanine. I would have loved to have seen what the full techs on these mons were - Cud Chew Custap Berry might have been the set given no Aqua Jet was used, and DD Dtail Flygon might have been able to do something. Staraptor can certainly do work but feels almost out of place here given that it can die so easily and potentially give up momentum when locked into a move. Curse Arcanine is also underrated I feel, but definitely struggles in a tier with so much Intimidate, and Haze / Encore users picking up speed to deal with Cress etc. This partly feels like the team got a bad matchup and zS was expecting more offense, in which case we probably talk very differently about the team. However, I do feel like it maybe cooked a tiny bit too much, and reigned in just a little bit could be very effective.
Clicking Rankings
1. 3d
2. Tier
3. Elias PSY
4. McMeghan
5. Stories
6. Dr. Phd. BJ
7. zS
8. watashi
9. Thiago Nunes
Be13costa do Danny rankings pls
Week 5 Predicts
Tough week last week with the newcomers in particular proving me wrong. 12/20 overall, only marginally better than a coin...
3d vs zS
I was impressed by 3ds play and also much preferred their team choice to the ones brought by Freezai. Is Diamonds_Realm having more influence or simply cracked the formula after a few misses? Regardless if they can bring something similarly good and play at the same level, 3d has a very strong chance. zS on the other hand is having a tough season thus far, and the team choices are leaving a little bit to be desired.
tier vs Thiago Nunes
tier played well and brought a good team. Nunes brought an average team and didn't play well. This goes one way in my book, unless Pokeslice can actually start playing the tier and they bring some better teams, and Nunes locks in at the same time.
McMeghan vs Danny
Big highlight here, very excited to watch.
frankjosh vs watashi
frankjosh popped off in NUPL, going 5-1 in NUPL including wins in semis and finals against strong opposition. I expect them to be super motivated first week in the tournament, while watashi had a tough week last week and might be a little jaded. Will be a close game and exciting to watch.
Dr. Phd. BJ vs Elias PSY
After a strong start BJ has had a tricky few games, while Elias had a poor start but has since won 3 in a row. Momentum here seems to be moving in opposite directions, and I think that can have a big effect in terms of confidence and mindset going into these games. Again I expect this to be close, but Elias will pull through while BJ might be on the edge of tilting...
Team Rankings
1. Elias PSY
Personally I'm a huge fan of OTR Diance, and I'm surprised it hasn't seen more play thus far. The main limiting factor is Bronzong, but that mon is incredibly easy to chip and lure. Here we see Garticuno, Fire Punch Flygon, and Scarf (I'm pretty sure) Meloetta, which can all heavily pressure Bronzong or pivot on it. Clear Amulet Flygon and Competitive Guno are also both nice picks into an Intimidate heavy meta. Toxicroak pressures bulky waters which might otherwise bother Diance, and also helps ease the matchup vs Muk-A. The only part of this team I can't figure out is Flash Cannon Shuca Berry Copperajah - if anyone knows the reasoning for this I'm all ears. Etern tells me it's for Avalugg, I guess that makes sense. Copper takes a lot of pressure off Diance defensively as well, which I think is mandatory when running the OTR versions. Overall I like this build into the metagame, and it makes use of some underrated offensive threats. There's probably some difficult matchups, especially if you misplay Croak and suddently need to take a Knock Off. But overall this team keeps up enough offensive pressure and momentum that those things can be played around.
2. 3d and Tier
I've grouped these together as they both share the same balance structure with slight variations: Bulky water, Incin, Steel type, Fight resist, Mienshao, win condition. These are both very solid teams, and it's interesting that it's the two new faces bringing that type of team. Perhaps they didn't want to deviate too far outside the standard builds, and both ended up being rewarded for decent to good teams and playing well. It's nice to see a non-Flygon balance build working well, and non-choice Mienshao putting in work (this will only happen more now Talonflame is gone). Slowbro-G should also pick up a lot more in usage as a very reliable fighting check who doesn't immediately die to non-stab knock off. Ghost bird is also a cool choice on balance that might otherwise struggle with fighting types if the pom pom form is used. I'll be interested to see what these two bring in the next few weeks.
4. Stories
At first glance this is relatively similar to the previously mentioned balance builds, with the Vaporeon / Bronzong / Gligar core being repeated, alongside Scarf Mienshao. Stories mixes it up though and brings Bulk Up Breloom and Prankster Grafaiai. I like the Graf choice, as Prankster Encore is very powerful right now, a big reason Whimsicott usage is picking up. Grafaiai can also bring a lot of momentum with Parting Shot and more utility with Knock Off. Trick Orb Bronzong is a fun pick as well, but can be liable to getting chipped too much if it can't steal a Leftovers. For me this falls just behind the others as it lacks as much immediate breaking power as something like SD Incin, and doesn't pack quite as a dangerous wincon as Oricorio.
5. Dr. Phd. BJ
A more traditional rain composition than we saw in previous weeks. I think this is a good pick both into the metagame and into the particular opponent BJ had this week. Despite Vaporeon being a hard matchup for Rain, Toxicroak and Kilowattrel do more than enough to even it out. Basc under rain has 0 switchins, and Kingdra has about 0.5. I'm surprised this isn't getting more usage really, and with Umbreon and Quagsire leaving, I can see rain becoming more powerful.
6. McMeghan
This team is kinda whack to me. Pivot Guno without CM or Future Sight certainly exists. Protect Gyro Ball Zong is...interesting and Tentacruel is kinda just bad. I'm sure there's some vision I'm not seeing here, maybe the unrevealed lazzle set makes it all make sense, but this seems more miss than hit. Ultimately it doesn't matter when you get a good matchup and still win, but this one is confusing to me.
7. Thiago Nunes
The Spartans have moved on from ignoring Fighting resists to now ignoring Water resists, and also ignore Steel types. For me, this team relies too heavily on Swamperts natural bulk to check too many threats, leaving it very liable to be overwhelmed by offensive teams. On the flip side, it also struggles to make much progress with Pert / Bramble / Talon all being relatively passive. I can see a bit of the vision here if it's Spikes Bramble, with Spikestack + the momentum available through Mienshao / Scarf Tox / Flip Pert and U-Turn Talon sounding powerful on paper. However I think in practice it doesn't keep up with other offensive teams (like we saw in the game) nor will it beat down fat teams enough.
8. watashi
At first glance I really liked this team. Double Ghost is actually very strong offensively as there is so little to switch into them, and the typical checks i.e. Incin and Muk can be chipped or U-Turned on. However, when it's revealed that it's Spec Typh + utility Decid then I don't like it. If this was like SD Low Kick Decid, which can lure both Incin and Muk, or a non-choiced Typholsion which can run Focus Blast and beat down ZongCin cores, then I would like it a lot. Without that synergy this team struggles a lot offensively. Double ghost also feels like it's going to be strong into Fighting types, and this is true for those that use choice items, but in this game we see a non-choiced Mienshao go to town, as even non STAB Knock Off seriously threatens the frail ghost types.
9. zS
zS goes back into the HO trenches, this time pulling out a non-intimidate wetbull, leftovers protect Iron Thorns, Dragon Tail Flygon, and Staraptor / Curse Arcanine. I would have loved to have seen what the full techs on these mons were - Cud Chew Custap Berry might have been the set given no Aqua Jet was used, and DD Dtail Flygon might have been able to do something. Staraptor can certainly do work but feels almost out of place here given that it can die so easily and potentially give up momentum when locked into a move. Curse Arcanine is also underrated I feel, but definitely struggles in a tier with so much Intimidate, and Haze / Encore users picking up speed to deal with Cress etc. This partly feels like the team got a bad matchup and zS was expecting more offense, in which case we probably talk very differently about the team. However, I do feel like it maybe cooked a tiny bit too much, and reigned in just a little bit could be very effective.
Clicking Rankings
1. 3d
2. Tier
3. Elias PSY
4. McMeghan
5. Stories
6. Dr. Phd. BJ
7. zS
8. watashi
9. Thiago Nunes
Be13costa do Danny rankings pls
Week 5 Predicts
Tough week last week with the newcomers in particular proving me wrong. 12/20 overall, only marginally better than a coin...
3d vs zS
I was impressed by 3ds play and also much preferred their team choice to the ones brought by Freezai. Is Diamonds_Realm having more influence or simply cracked the formula after a few misses? Regardless if they can bring something similarly good and play at the same level, 3d has a very strong chance. zS on the other hand is having a tough season thus far, and the team choices are leaving a little bit to be desired.
tier vs Thiago Nunes
tier played well and brought a good team. Nunes brought an average team and didn't play well. This goes one way in my book, unless Pokeslice can actually start playing the tier and they bring some better teams, and Nunes locks in at the same time.
McMeghan vs Danny
Big highlight here, very excited to watch.
frankjosh vs watashi
frankjosh popped off in NUPL, going 5-1 in NUPL including wins in semis and finals against strong opposition. I expect them to be super motivated first week in the tournament, while watashi had a tough week last week and might be a little jaded. Will be a close game and exciting to watch.
Dr. Phd. BJ vs Elias PSY
After a strong start BJ has had a tricky few games, while Elias had a poor start but has since won 3 in a row. Momentum here seems to be moving in opposite directions, and I think that can have a big effect in terms of confidence and mindset going into these games. Again I expect this to be close, but Elias will pull through while BJ might be on the edge of tilting...
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I don't know shit about mons.
Stories got double flinched in to crit to lose again.
And Roro came with 3 PU mons + Tenta with the only GOOD mons being A-Muk and Zong in a hazard stack without a spin blocker just cruised over BJ because for some reason 1 of the random mons of the week was Gastrodon that destroys Kilo Legion Rain if not prepared for it like was the case.
W5 Predicts (hope for your sake i don't predict your name i was 1/4 last week) :
3d vs zS
tier vs Thiago Nunes
McMeghan vs Danny
frankjosh vs watashi
Dr. Phd. BJ vs Elias PSY
Stories got double flinched in to crit to lose again.
And Roro came with 3 PU mons + Tenta with the only GOOD mons being A-Muk and Zong in a hazard stack without a spin blocker just cruised over BJ because for some reason 1 of the random mons of the week was Gastrodon that destroys Kilo Legion Rain if not prepared for it like was the case.
W5 Predicts (hope for your sake i don't predict your name i was 1/4 last week) :
3d vs zS
tier vs Thiago Nunes
McMeghan vs Danny
frankjosh vs watashi
Dr. Phd. BJ vs Elias PSY
As you wish my friend.
5. Danny
Danny's build this week is standard on the style with a few not as common picks but nothing out of place or really innovative too. Particularly I don't like hazard stack + defog but its nice to see NP (maybe CM but honestly it think it was NP encore) Uxie even if it didn't was used i think is a good mon that can shine once Cress/Zong is removed. Honestly the coolest tech of his team was Koff LO Kroak, even if didn't mattered because if it had Gunkshot it would KO Bramble anyway. But at neutral and tera dark it can 1hko Zong. Scarf Legion is solid , Gligar is the premier spiker in the tier and Copper is a consistent B+ mon . I see this team a bit too weak to fast strong breakers P-Z , Hera, Banded Pauros... But well it took the W. Honestly pretty middle of the road team, not bad , not my favorite.
His team was good for the MU having immunities for each of Toxt atks and he could flip turn forever because Legion was the fastest mon on the field. I didn't understand what Thiago was aiming with Talon+Bramble+Muk+Pert.
As for clicking he had control most if not all the time but risked a few plays that i don't know if i'd consider them good plays, but weren't necessary mistakes too. I will put Danny on 6th. Stories got robbed and lost and all the others won by beating someone that played better than Nunes. Nunes was the weakest performer of the week with a team that was meh at best .
SCL Week 6 Matchups:
SV NU Circuit Breakers vs Arena Spartans: 3d vs Eeveto
SV NU Studio Gible vs Mt. Silver Foxes: etern vs Danny
SV NU Power Plant Dynamos vs Uncharted Terrors: McMeghan vs Elias PSY
SV NU Technical Machines vs Showdown Shoguns: frankjosh vs zS
SV NU Orange Islanders vs Indigo Platoon: Dr. Phd. BJ vs watashi
SV NU Circuit Breakers vs Arena Spartans: 3d vs Eeveto
SV NU Studio Gible vs Mt. Silver Foxes: etern vs Danny
SV NU Power Plant Dynamos vs Uncharted Terrors: McMeghan vs Elias PSY
SV NU Technical Machines vs Showdown Shoguns: frankjosh vs zS
SV NU Orange Islanders vs Indigo Platoon: Dr. Phd. BJ vs watashi
Replays:
[TER] Elias PSY vs sufys [ISL]
[FOX] Danny vs McMeghan [DYN]
[PLA] watashi vs frankjosh [TMS]
[SHO] zS vs 3d [BRE]
[SPA] Thiago Nunes vs etern [GIB]
Some fun games last week, some rly bad games last week, some debut wins and some debut losses. Was a great week where we got to see some interesting teams from many different slots. Was surprised by the amount of rain being brought, along with its win rate. Some LU changes for the Spartans, as they definitely don’t want nunes to unlist another replay, we have Eeveto in their NU slot. My personal HL this upcoming week is frankjosh vs zS, get to see the clash of Tog teams and zS teams and see how they stack up. Was very impressed with the play from Elias last week as well, so getting to see him up against a top tier like roro is hype. Looking forward to some game analysis(PLEASE I WANT A TURN BY TURN OF SOME OF THESE GAMES LAST WEEK) and team analysis. Gl to the predictors.
Tuthur etern Stories Django Be13costa Diamonds_realm @others gl to all competitors!!!
The coin had some choice words for those of you who subbed out midweek and ruined its predictions, but has gracefully decided to forgive yall. Solid 3/5 week, 17/25 in total.
Week 6 Predicts:
3d vs Eeveto
etern vs Danny
McMeghan vs Elias PSY
frankjosh vs zS
Dr. Phd. BJ vs watashi
Week 6 Predicts:
3d vs Eeveto
etern vs Danny
McMeghan vs Elias PSY
frankjosh vs zS
Dr. Phd. BJ vs watashi
Time to yap some more. For me this week was great mostly because of the narratives developing:
- Someone finally bringing Ditto against McMeghan to stop him going 5-0
- Etern being forced back into playing and getting his first win
- TNunes unlisting the replay AGAIN despite the nicknames, picking up the coveted ICBB asthetic. He's now been subbed, presumably to avoid the inevitable ban if he plays a single more game
- Elias continuing a strong showing to now be at the top of the pool alongside Danny and McMeghan
- frankjosh continuing the pre week start sub streak, 3 in a row now for subs playing their first game, can Eeveto continue this streak?
- zS getting back to winning ways to avoid going 1-4 which would have been wild
Let's get into some team and clicking analysis...
Team rankings
1. zS
zS is back with another team that makes use of a few underrated options I am a big fan of, notably CB Decidueye and Raikou. It's nice to see these options pick up a win as I think they should be used more, and perhaps this will inspire others to look for different offensive options. Decidueye takes advantage of the fact no dark types want to switch into physical ghost moves, as most are built to check the likes of Chandelure and Typhlosion instead. It also packs an extremely strong U-Turn which cannot be punished by Rocky Helmet / Static etc. This forms a powerful core with Raikou, who can punish ground types trying to block Volt Switch with Scald (this is unrevealed though so zS may not be running it). Non choice Raikou allows zS to play it aggressively, which we see play out as it gets a kill with Extrasensory, followed by chunking a Klefki which thinks it's safe and Volt Switching after to keep momentum. The nature of this game meant we didn't get to see the rest of the team much, and I remain unconvinced by Tentacruel who yet again does very little other than become a sac, even in the rain matchup which is theoretically ok for it? Despite that, zS picks up the number 1 ranking
2. Elias PSY
Elias continues a strong season and keeps evolving the balance structures as the metagame develops. Rather than compressing Wish and Water immunity with Vaporeon alongside Muk and Bronzong (which others have done in previous weeks and multiple times this week), Elias splits this role between Gastrodon and Sylveon. While at first glance this seems like a step backwards as the roles aren't compressed, this gives a few notable advantages over Vaporeon balance. Sylveon is a much better Mienshao check than Vaporeon, not being forced to Tera to properly switch in to LO CC, and without Talonflame around this role becomes very important. Last move on Sylveon is also unrevealed and this could well be CM to give the team another wincon. Gastrodon can also do much more vs opposing Vaporeon and Milotic, packing Spikes and a potentially dangerous Sludge Bomb. The lack of Haze which Vaporeon can bring is also made up for by running Clear Smog on Muk. With only two slots left to cover the offensive side of this team, Elias opts for the ever reliable Scarf Mienshao, which is not as potent as LO but is still a great revenge killer and momentum grabber. Max Def Boots NP Porygon-Z is certainly a choice, but here we see it put in work vs a slower team (even though it was outsped by Milotic LOL). Last move here is unrevealed, I'd be interested to know if it's agility or more coverage. Overall a nice progression on balance since the tier shifts, and Elias continues to be rewarded for solid building and solid play.
3. frankjosh
frankjosh (or was this a stories team?) goes with the ever reliable Vap / Bronzong / Gligar balance core, backed up by Tsareena to control hazards. LO shao is the teams primary breaker, and a top threat at the moment. The fact this is only one of two Mienshao used this week, and the only LO variant, is honestly wild to me. This thing is borderline broken and should be on a lot more teams. Scarf Spikes / Destiny Bond Overqwil is an interesting choice here, but I can see the vision as it'sa nice Knock Off abosorber with Intimidate, (I've just been informed it was actually swift swim, which is a cool rain counter) while also having a useful speed tier in general, meaning it can perform different roles depending on the game. This gets a high rank for me because I'm a fan of said flexibility, and I also think Spikes + LO Mienshao balance is a top tier archetype right now.
4. 3d
5. Thiago Nunes
I'll talk about these together, but I rank the 3d version slightly higher as I prefer Toxicroak on these teams, to me it feels almost mandatory to deal with Vaporeon. Rain is a very strong choice at the moment, improved by the presence of Overqwil. Klefki and Basc also seem mandatory, but we see further variation with the choice of second rain setter (Uxie vs Tornadus) and special abuser (Kingdra vs Ludicolo). Rain does feel close to optimised, so it'll be interesting to see if it becomes too restrictive when building or whether it can be handled by both balance and offense. Even though both these teams lost this week, they were extremely close games and came down to a few hard to predict turns.
6. Sufys (Dr. Phd. BJ)
This BJ team, piloted by sufys, takes a bulky offense approach, with Milotic Bronzong forming the defensive core. Specs PZ is a very powerful breaker, while BU Scrafty and CM Glowbro can be either breakers or win cons depending on the opposing team. Scarf Flygon is extremely reliable and brings some important defensive utility with it's typing, and makes a great revenge killer. I like this team on paper, but in practice it needs to be played quite aggressively vs fatter teams to get the win, which is how we see the game play out. With no removal, this team relies on boots to avoid being worn down by hazards, but doesn't have a great reliable answer to Muk-A Knock Off if Scrafty can be neutralised. We'll give them a pass this week as it was a tough activity sub and there was another team cooked up for BJ to use, so this doesn't reflect the true prep for the week.
7. watashi
watashi again goes down the spike stack route, with Klefki and Gastro bringing hazards, Taunt Incin and Boots PsyNoise Munki forming a powerful momentum fat breaking core, and Flamigo bringing speed control and more momentum. Avalugg rounds out the team as the physical wall and hazard control. I think this is an interesting take on Spikes right now, with Gastrodon picking up momentum as a choice over Vaporeon on these types of teams. However, for me the Gastro and Avalugg choices are too passive on a team that desperately wants to keep momentum at all costs, with not a lot of breaking power other than staying in the driving seat. These mons give up too much to the other team without a super solid defensive backbone to fall back on. Flamigo also feels like an odd choice vs Mienshao, which feels superior in almost every aspect.
8. etern
This is a very low ranking for a team that picked up a win, but personally I am not a fan here. Vap / Muk / Zong is a reliable defensive core, backed up by Vileplume presumably to take on Mienshao. However, this combination leaves the team without any hazard control and also without much breaking power and a lack on win conditions. Scarf Flygon and an unknown Delphox (maybe NP Encore?) don't feel like enough to make up for this. In this situation it does matchup well vs Rain, but still could have lost if etern doesn't get a few key turns correct.
9. McMeghan
He's finally gone too far this time, and the crazy vibes of McMeghans teams finally catch up with him. At first glance this looked like some sort of crackhead sun team, with little other reason to use Zard and Lilligant. Over the course of the game however it's revealed to be a janky HO, with probably Belly Drum Charizard. I can see part of the vision with Tidy Up enabling zard, and Lilligant / Thorns being able to break or sweep in combination with zard. However the team lacks reliable ways to handle common threats such as Tauros. This felt a little overcooked, with potentially better options in a number of slots. McMeghan won't be deterred though and I'm excited to see what other madness we get to see in coming weeks.
Clicking rankings
1. zS
2. frankjosh
3. Elias PSY
4. watashi
5. 3d
6. etern
7. Thiago Nunes
8. sufys
9. McMeghan
Be13costa your turn to rank Danny in here please!
Predictions
I got 4/5 last week correct despite all the subs, bringing the score up to 16/25. Fuck the coin.
3d vs Eeveto
I've not been a fan of the Spartans building overall, with a few cheese choices and underwhelming balances. I've also never seen eeveto play NU so I cannot really comment here. 3d was very solid in their first week, while the second game was extremely close and showed a variation in style. I can see them continuing to play well and bring solid + threatening teams.
etern vs Danny
Highlight + grudge match, we love to see it
McMeghan vs Elias PSY
Another highlight, with both players at 4-1 going into this. While Elias has been steady and stable, McMeghan has gone off the rails with team choices every week. This makes him extremely hard to prep for, while Elias is potentially more vulnerable to being counter teamed, which we have seen McMeghan do a few times already this year. It'll be interesting to see the team choices this week, and I expect the quality of play here to be very high. Excited to watch!
frankjosh vs zS
Both had good weeks last week, but frankjosh has used up his new starter boost. Now on an even playing field, and with zS back in form, I expect zS to win this one.
Dr. Phd. BJ vs watashi
Having had a break last week, I expect BJ to come back energised and full of ideas. watashi has been a little hit or miss this season, and at this stage of the tournament it's a real test of stamina to keep going and coming up with new ideas. I wonder how much gas is in the tank.
- Someone finally bringing Ditto against McMeghan to stop him going 5-0
- Etern being forced back into playing and getting his first win
- TNunes unlisting the replay AGAIN despite the nicknames, picking up the coveted ICBB asthetic. He's now been subbed, presumably to avoid the inevitable ban if he plays a single more game
- Elias continuing a strong showing to now be at the top of the pool alongside Danny and McMeghan
- frankjosh continuing the pre week start sub streak, 3 in a row now for subs playing their first game, can Eeveto continue this streak?
- zS getting back to winning ways to avoid going 1-4 which would have been wild
Let's get into some team and clicking analysis...
Team rankings
1. zS
zS is back with another team that makes use of a few underrated options I am a big fan of, notably CB Decidueye and Raikou. It's nice to see these options pick up a win as I think they should be used more, and perhaps this will inspire others to look for different offensive options. Decidueye takes advantage of the fact no dark types want to switch into physical ghost moves, as most are built to check the likes of Chandelure and Typhlosion instead. It also packs an extremely strong U-Turn which cannot be punished by Rocky Helmet / Static etc. This forms a powerful core with Raikou, who can punish ground types trying to block Volt Switch with Scald (this is unrevealed though so zS may not be running it). Non choice Raikou allows zS to play it aggressively, which we see play out as it gets a kill with Extrasensory, followed by chunking a Klefki which thinks it's safe and Volt Switching after to keep momentum. The nature of this game meant we didn't get to see the rest of the team much, and I remain unconvinced by Tentacruel who yet again does very little other than become a sac, even in the rain matchup which is theoretically ok for it? Despite that, zS picks up the number 1 ranking
2. Elias PSY
Elias continues a strong season and keeps evolving the balance structures as the metagame develops. Rather than compressing Wish and Water immunity with Vaporeon alongside Muk and Bronzong (which others have done in previous weeks and multiple times this week), Elias splits this role between Gastrodon and Sylveon. While at first glance this seems like a step backwards as the roles aren't compressed, this gives a few notable advantages over Vaporeon balance. Sylveon is a much better Mienshao check than Vaporeon, not being forced to Tera to properly switch in to LO CC, and without Talonflame around this role becomes very important. Last move on Sylveon is also unrevealed and this could well be CM to give the team another wincon. Gastrodon can also do much more vs opposing Vaporeon and Milotic, packing Spikes and a potentially dangerous Sludge Bomb. The lack of Haze which Vaporeon can bring is also made up for by running Clear Smog on Muk. With only two slots left to cover the offensive side of this team, Elias opts for the ever reliable Scarf Mienshao, which is not as potent as LO but is still a great revenge killer and momentum grabber. Max Def Boots NP Porygon-Z is certainly a choice, but here we see it put in work vs a slower team (even though it was outsped by Milotic LOL). Last move here is unrevealed, I'd be interested to know if it's agility or more coverage. Overall a nice progression on balance since the tier shifts, and Elias continues to be rewarded for solid building and solid play.
3. frankjosh
frankjosh (or was this a stories team?) goes with the ever reliable Vap / Bronzong / Gligar balance core, backed up by Tsareena to control hazards. LO shao is the teams primary breaker, and a top threat at the moment. The fact this is only one of two Mienshao used this week, and the only LO variant, is honestly wild to me. This thing is borderline broken and should be on a lot more teams. Scarf Spikes / Destiny Bond Overqwil is an interesting choice here, but I can see the vision as it's
4. 3d
5. Thiago Nunes
I'll talk about these together, but I rank the 3d version slightly higher as I prefer Toxicroak on these teams, to me it feels almost mandatory to deal with Vaporeon. Rain is a very strong choice at the moment, improved by the presence of Overqwil. Klefki and Basc also seem mandatory, but we see further variation with the choice of second rain setter (Uxie vs Tornadus) and special abuser (Kingdra vs Ludicolo). Rain does feel close to optimised, so it'll be interesting to see if it becomes too restrictive when building or whether it can be handled by both balance and offense. Even though both these teams lost this week, they were extremely close games and came down to a few hard to predict turns.
6. Sufys (Dr. Phd. BJ)
This BJ team, piloted by sufys, takes a bulky offense approach, with Milotic Bronzong forming the defensive core. Specs PZ is a very powerful breaker, while BU Scrafty and CM Glowbro can be either breakers or win cons depending on the opposing team. Scarf Flygon is extremely reliable and brings some important defensive utility with it's typing, and makes a great revenge killer. I like this team on paper, but in practice it needs to be played quite aggressively vs fatter teams to get the win, which is how we see the game play out. With no removal, this team relies on boots to avoid being worn down by hazards, but doesn't have a great reliable answer to Muk-A Knock Off if Scrafty can be neutralised. We'll give them a pass this week as it was a tough activity sub and there was another team cooked up for BJ to use, so this doesn't reflect the true prep for the week.
7. watashi
watashi again goes down the spike stack route, with Klefki and Gastro bringing hazards, Taunt Incin and Boots PsyNoise Munki forming a powerful momentum fat breaking core, and Flamigo bringing speed control and more momentum. Avalugg rounds out the team as the physical wall and hazard control. I think this is an interesting take on Spikes right now, with Gastrodon picking up momentum as a choice over Vaporeon on these types of teams. However, for me the Gastro and Avalugg choices are too passive on a team that desperately wants to keep momentum at all costs, with not a lot of breaking power other than staying in the driving seat. These mons give up too much to the other team without a super solid defensive backbone to fall back on. Flamigo also feels like an odd choice vs Mienshao, which feels superior in almost every aspect.
8. etern
This is a very low ranking for a team that picked up a win, but personally I am not a fan here. Vap / Muk / Zong is a reliable defensive core, backed up by Vileplume presumably to take on Mienshao. However, this combination leaves the team without any hazard control and also without much breaking power and a lack on win conditions. Scarf Flygon and an unknown Delphox (maybe NP Encore?) don't feel like enough to make up for this. In this situation it does matchup well vs Rain, but still could have lost if etern doesn't get a few key turns correct.
9. McMeghan
He's finally gone too far this time, and the crazy vibes of McMeghans teams finally catch up with him. At first glance this looked like some sort of crackhead sun team, with little other reason to use Zard and Lilligant. Over the course of the game however it's revealed to be a janky HO, with probably Belly Drum Charizard. I can see part of the vision with Tidy Up enabling zard, and Lilligant / Thorns being able to break or sweep in combination with zard. However the team lacks reliable ways to handle common threats such as Tauros. This felt a little overcooked, with potentially better options in a number of slots. McMeghan won't be deterred though and I'm excited to see what other madness we get to see in coming weeks.
Clicking rankings
1. zS
2. frankjosh
3. Elias PSY
4. watashi
5. 3d
6. etern
7. Thiago Nunes
8. sufys
9. McMeghan
Be13costa your turn to rank Danny in here please!
Predictions
I got 4/5 last week correct despite all the subs, bringing the score up to 16/25. Fuck the coin.
3d vs Eeveto
I've not been a fan of the Spartans building overall, with a few cheese choices and underwhelming balances. I've also never seen eeveto play NU so I cannot really comment here. 3d was very solid in their first week, while the second game was extremely close and showed a variation in style. I can see them continuing to play well and bring solid + threatening teams.
etern vs Danny
Highlight + grudge match, we love to see it
McMeghan vs Elias PSY
Another highlight, with both players at 4-1 going into this. While Elias has been steady and stable, McMeghan has gone off the rails with team choices every week. This makes him extremely hard to prep for, while Elias is potentially more vulnerable to being counter teamed, which we have seen McMeghan do a few times already this year. It'll be interesting to see the team choices this week, and I expect the quality of play here to be very high. Excited to watch!
frankjosh vs zS
Both had good weeks last week, but frankjosh has used up his new starter boost. Now on an even playing field, and with zS back in form, I expect zS to win this one.
Dr. Phd. BJ vs watashi
Having had a break last week, I expect BJ to come back energised and full of ideas. watashi has been a little hit or miss this season, and at this stage of the tournament it's a real test of stamina to keep going and coming up with new ideas. I wonder how much gas is in the tank.
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4. Danny
Danny's team this week is a funny one, In a vacuum is an good team. In one hand you had 3 A or better mons on Glowbro/Flygon/Pauros and in the other you have 3 tech mons on P2/A-Slash/Ditto. It has new tools, has a good defensive backbone , it has both removal and hazards, strong breaker...
I (Django here) will give Danny a solid 4th spot. I think the teams ahead were generically stronger and the Rain builds were suboptimal so 4th is adequate.
I said in a vacuum, If we were to considering who he was against and what tendencies he needed to account for this was a brilliant choice and would be 1st. Ditto/P2 would stop any HO shenanigan Roro could bring wile Pauros/Flygon/Glowbro would beat anything similar to BO considering it probably would be some strange variation of said style.
As for the sets, Specs Flygon is a curve ball. Not one of my particular liking but it worked. Sad that we never saw P2 set I suppose its TW/Recover bulky support but i could have a few nice tools. BU Pauros is an old reliable...
As for clicking Danny was the 3th honestly he played amazing this week. He did read after read correctly from the lead MU, avoid HLR to click the correct move 100% of the time with Pauros.
That's just not enough for first or even second because zS and Frank played super well in much much tougher MUs. In the end even if he beat Roro that was 4-0 he beat a Sunless Sun team with Charizard and Lilligant.
After getting exposed by rozes and etern for not watching games, I was rightfully punished by karma and went 0-5 last week. I won't pretend I watched frankjosh vs watashi or Elias PSY vs sufys, either. If you play during my nighttime and your game is over 20 turns, I'm not watching it.
3d vs Eeveeto
etern vs Danny
Danny is in a good mood, etern is not.
McMeghan vs Elias PSY
After bringing Charizard and Lilligant, roro can't be bolded this week.
frankjosh vs zS
Like I said I didn't watch frankjosh's game, but stories might be cancering, while zS has been back on using good things.
Dr. Phd. BJ vs watashi
I kept saying good stuffs about watashi's teams, but last week was really mediocre and Platoons are really struggling in this tour. I'm also always in bad faith when talking about BJ's opponent.
3d vs Eeveeto
Three NU mainers not knowing the spelling of Eeveeto is quite telling of how unknown their name is to the metagame. That said many ZU mainers still can't spell Tuthur without an e, and the french are even worse. Eeveeto already knows the unmons since they use them in OU, but that's about as much as I can say on them. 3d plays well NU and is arguably a better player than Eeveeto. Unlike my fellow armchair commenters, I don't believe Spartans teams were bad, and the fact that anything Nunes uses gets put on a banslate is quite telling. Breakers teams have goten better, and should be even better now that another YouTube star has entered their teamchat.
etern vs Danny
Danny is in a good mood, etern is not.
McMeghan vs Elias PSY
After bringing Charizard and Lilligant, roro can't be bolded this week.
frankjosh vs zS
Like I said I didn't watch frankjosh's game, but stories might be cancering, while zS has been back on using good things.
Dr. Phd. BJ vs watashi
I kept saying good stuffs about watashi's teams, but last week was really mediocre and Platoons are really struggling in this tour. I'm also always in bad faith when talking about BJ's opponent.
Ight w1:
Eli vs nunes
Eli brings crack rain for the 60th time in tour vs the perfect rain mu, nunes proceeds to throw every possible advantage out the window despite getting an early game lead by tera bronzing. Gets bailed by the worst Thunder click OAT and wins the game.
Togkey vs daniYSB
Togkey brings crack mental herb steelless nonsense vs phys overload with an oricorio, Danny proceeds to get good leads despite losing several mons to toxt. Puts himself in a winning position and then on some GW shit decided to donate.
BJ vs freezai
BJ brings a strong basic bitch balance vs the first one many crack HOs with no flygon counter. DD flygon does it’s thing with cool tsteel as freezai flounders for life with a Bombirdier.
etern vs mcmeghan
Etern brings a team without a drifblim answer in ‘24(top meta threat btw), and proceeds to get packed up by the combo of drifblim 1v1 a incineroar and a scarf breloom. If only etern woulda predicted the grassy terrain bring…
Watashi vs ZS
What a fun game to watch, zs team was solid and great brings vs banded pert??? Rocks uxie??? Steel type??? Shit team from watashi but golf play lets him get super close to a win but the frailty of kilo and the lack of hazard checks on his team lets shao clean house ez.
Team rates unbiased
1. Zs strong team good synergy defensively and s solid offensive pressure
2. Bj ditto and with a nice dd flygon rather than the traditional banded at the time on those types of teams
3. M Meghan I liked scarf breloom and rly liked grafaiai on grassy, drifblim is funny af
4. Nunes strong read balance from pokeslice
5. Eli strong trad rain from Eli
6. Stories strong crack fat from stories
7. Watashi rly disliked the team
8. Freezai wtf was that dawg
Eli vs nunes
Eli brings crack rain for the 60th time in tour vs the perfect rain mu, nunes proceeds to throw every possible advantage out the window despite getting an early game lead by tera bronzing. Gets bailed by the worst Thunder click OAT and wins the game.
Togkey vs daniYSB
Togkey brings crack mental herb steelless nonsense vs phys overload with an oricorio, Danny proceeds to get good leads despite losing several mons to toxt. Puts himself in a winning position and then on some GW shit decided to donate.
BJ vs freezai
BJ brings a strong basic bitch balance vs the first one many crack HOs with no flygon counter. DD flygon does it’s thing with cool tsteel as freezai flounders for life with a Bombirdier.
etern vs mcmeghan
Etern brings a team without a drifblim answer in ‘24(top meta threat btw), and proceeds to get packed up by the combo of drifblim 1v1 a incineroar and a scarf breloom. If only etern woulda predicted the grassy terrain bring…
Watashi vs ZS
What a fun game to watch, zs team was solid and great brings vs banded pert??? Rocks uxie??? Steel type??? Shit team from watashi but golf play lets him get super close to a win but the frailty of kilo and the lack of hazard checks on his team lets shao clean house ez.
Team rates unbiased
1. Zs strong team good synergy defensively and s solid offensive pressure
2. Bj ditto and with a nice dd flygon rather than the traditional banded at the time on those types of teams
3. M Meghan I liked scarf breloom and rly liked grafaiai on grassy, drifblim is funny af
4. Nunes strong read balance from pokeslice
5. Eli strong trad rain from Eli
6. Stories strong crack fat from stories
7. Watashi rly disliked the team
8. Freezai wtf was that dawg
W2: ignore bolds stolen from phantom coin predicts
Stories vs Dr Phd. BJ
Two people bring scrafty and as one dances for its life it’s player not only gets shit shed skin roles she also forgets to click drain punch vs a quagmire that is water absorb and thus loses their best mon early on. Dd zong jerks the field for the next 30 turns and wins the game accordingly. Teams were both strong but BJs felt weak to some shit like special attackers and stories felt weak to ig zong Xd
Thiago Nunes vs watashi
Bad fight resist vs fighter durrrr mu according to some. I would like to say I agree with the idea that the nunes team could be better. However, the stay ins by watashi were super Shiest along with the positioning to keep the foot on the gas and never let NUNES get space. Really liked a lot of watashi team big step up along with the usage of vapo keys bramble albeit incredibly weak to incin which nunes was unable to capitalize on. Ig intel into vapo ducks ig but like why didn’t croak win this game is a valid question to have on preview IMO.
etern vs Elias PSY
Etern and Eli jerk it for many turns as Eli gets bailed by some fortunate ass flinches on the mons that somehow has a chance to win bc Eli decides to choke(idk how nor will I check replay, however there was a better way I have faith)
freezai vs McMeghan
Stall into shit balance. Mudsdale in 2024 and it’s nOT EVEN REST TALK? how do u deal with muk. Or ig naclstack. And IG salazzle LOL. Roro cooked here, I saw the vision. Sash lead lazzle on stall is definitely an idea tho. A wack ass one. Good win tho every tool was there and nothing could make progress as everyone in NU discord rips on the breakers NU for second week in a row
zS vs Danny
I load the most basic balance OAT using shitnmons like vaporeon and flygon and bronzing. I get lucky that zs loads webs into boots spam, get some early progress with muk and barely scrape by against iron thorns as I tera on the right turn as zs decides not to Tera bc he wants to save it for his adrenaline orb munkidori. Jk I k he wanted to not be in range of flygon first impression that I definitely was :)))
1. watashi
2. stories
3. bj
4. elias
5. Etern
6. Zs
7. Roro
8. Nunes
Stories vs Dr Phd. BJ
Two people bring scrafty and as one dances for its life it’s player not only gets shit shed skin roles she also forgets to click drain punch vs a quagmire that is water absorb and thus loses their best mon early on. Dd zong jerks the field for the next 30 turns and wins the game accordingly. Teams were both strong but BJs felt weak to some shit like special attackers and stories felt weak to ig zong Xd
Thiago Nunes vs watashi
Bad fight resist vs fighter durrrr mu according to some. I would like to say I agree with the idea that the nunes team could be better. However, the stay ins by watashi were super Shiest along with the positioning to keep the foot on the gas and never let NUNES get space. Really liked a lot of watashi team big step up along with the usage of vapo keys bramble albeit incredibly weak to incin which nunes was unable to capitalize on. Ig intel into vapo ducks ig but like why didn’t croak win this game is a valid question to have on preview IMO.
etern vs Elias PSY
Etern and Eli jerk it for many turns as Eli gets bailed by some fortunate ass flinches on the mons that somehow has a chance to win bc Eli decides to choke(idk how nor will I check replay, however there was a better way I have faith)
freezai vs McMeghan
Stall into shit balance. Mudsdale in 2024 and it’s nOT EVEN REST TALK? how do u deal with muk. Or ig naclstack. And IG salazzle LOL. Roro cooked here, I saw the vision. Sash lead lazzle on stall is definitely an idea tho. A wack ass one. Good win tho every tool was there and nothing could make progress as everyone in NU discord rips on the breakers NU for second week in a row
zS vs Danny
I load the most basic balance OAT using shitnmons like vaporeon and flygon and bronzing. I get lucky that zs loads webs into boots spam, get some early progress with muk and barely scrape by against iron thorns as I tera on the right turn as zs decides not to Tera bc he wants to save it for his adrenaline orb munkidori. Jk I k he wanted to not be in range of flygon first impression that I definitely was :)))
1. watashi
2. stories
3. bj
4. elias
5. Etern
6. Zs
7. Roro
8. Nunes
SCL Week 7 Matchups:
[FOX] Danny vs Elias PSY [TER]
[PLA] watashi vs McMeghan [DYN]
[SHO] zS vs Dr. Phd. BJ [ISL]
[SPA] Pokeslice vs frankjosh [TMS]
[GIB] etern vs Diamonds_realm [BRE]
This was by far one of the most entertaining weeks of SCL, we saw the solidification of some trends, the breaking of others, and the establishment of some insane team choices from multiple slots. In how many tiers are you going to see duosion stall, hail, and not 1 but 2 eviolite Scyther teams being brought in a single week? I am thoroughly impressed by both the losers and winners of this week, lots of cool teams and strong play to weed through to see some dope things in NU. I will try and change things up a bit by going matchup by matchup myself in this starting post. As you guys can see above i tried some rapid fire game analysis for the former weeks and I will be trying to catch up on those weeks as well. I am however, going to ask that SOMEONE do one or two of the weeks bc im tired of seeing triple posts from yours truly.[FOX] Danny vs Elias PSY [TER]
[PLA] watashi vs McMeghan [DYN]
[SHO] zS vs Dr. Phd. BJ [ISL]
[SPA] Pokeslice vs frankjosh [TMS]
[GIB] etern vs Diamonds_realm [BRE]
WEEK 6:
[GIB] etern vs Danny [FOX] - I'll start off with our own matchup between myself and our beloved tier leader. etern brought a pretty standard looking balance which I found out after the game has a lot more to meet the eye. I brought an equally 'standard' HO that was based off of an idea that a couple of the NU goons worked on together a few weeks ago. I know that Rabia made a video with Scyther HO(why did u have to post it this week aaaaa), but it added onto the inspiration for some of the slots. They kinda just fell into place, there wasnt anything particularly impressive about the build besides me having adamant flygon and eviolite scyther which I guess are not entirely standard. The game went about as well as I could have asked for, I got the 40% chip on lead and dissuaded etern from clicking SR early on, proceeded to trade Tauros for Vaporeon which sniped me with an awesome Alluring Voice, and then Flygon started to do its thing. I don't know how I feel about the way etern played vs Flygon, considering it ravaged his team post vapo loss, he didnt really have much choice but to try and 1v1 it with Bramble, however the spike wasnt that well timed idk. I eventually beat it down and got Scyther against Scrafty to get 2 free turns of set up. I was very scared of scarf Munki coming in on the Trailblaze which I think was probs the best line to take. Regardless, Scyther beat down the rest of the team and got 2 Trailblazes with tera. HO vs balance, a tale as old as time and one that more often than not ends like it starts, in a coinflip.
[BRE] 3d vs Eeveeto [SPA] - we got a shiesty hail vs a basic volt turn. Eeveeto kinda coasts on mu, Abomasnow finds the one game where it is a massive offensive threat, while 3d tries to find ways to maintain rocks up. Sandslash-Alola gets its second win in a row by doing absolutely nothing(I guess it removed hazards this time), and eventually the threat of Kilo and Stealth Rocks manage to set up a chance for Cetitan to set up without hail up and win the game from there. 3d is my boy but idrg the SD in front of the Cetitan, but I do empathize with feeling like there isn't much recourse. Kilo under hail is interesting ngl, I hadn't considered it much and I respect the (4th?) weather/cheese bring from the Spartans.
[TMS] frankjosh vs zS [SHO] - Now I could do what everyone in NU cord was doing and ripping on the team brought by frankjosh. Or I could be honest and say that I was considering bringing that particular team myself if the TMs chose not to use it. Alternatively I can gloss past both of those thoughts and talk about the game itself. Really straightforward game, zS took early lead with registeel chipping and getting up hazards early. frankjosh proceeds to not know what to do vs a Milotic, he tries to set up with Scream Tail vs the mon whose most common move is haze, then lets the speed boosting potential wincon die extremely early. In the endgame, there was a huge chance for frankjosh to encore the registeel into Hslam and potentially muscle its way past milo+scarfer. However he went p2??? i really dont get it and the only excuse i can make for it is it was 9am and he just woke up. i still like frankjosh, his play is generally solid, however u gotta give him the type of team that he excels with the most; bulky balance builds where he won't be punished for smaller misplays.[ISL] Dr. Phd. BJ vs watashi [PLA] - ight man this one was a doozy. BJ brings a pretty funky looking team with Tentacruel(disgusting) and Orthworm(bleh), vs the most watashi team of all SCL IV. If I were doing a summary of the teams that watashi has used so far it would be this 6. Some notes about BJ team, I like the scarf florges, really underutilized threat, however I don't know if it is targeting anything in particular for this team? Maybe you can say Bronzong for DD flygon in the back but its just surrounded by some things which don't really take advantage of locked steel types. I will note that it does a great job for itself, choiced locked steel means cm can maybe win in the future. They jerk around with hazards and exchanging and removing items for about 20 turns, BJ decides he wants a different set of Leftovers rather than the one he already has on turn 24, and then the most notable thing happens on turn 27. BJ tera waters his Incineroar, effectively trading its health for a Mienshao, in exchange losing a lot of its defensive profile. He looks really ahead most of the game not gonna lie, but after watashi also teras his Incineroar to a ghost, starts putting a lot of pressure onto bj's team with spikes, and then outspeeds a mienshao with the choice scarf Vaporeon, it looks pretty dire. Wait. This has to be almost max speed timid vapo to outspeed, that means that despite appearances there is some tom foolery in watashi team. DD flygon looks poised to win, and then a scald burn ends all hopes. This game was kinda boring, there were some funny moments and some questionable lines but really came down to some odds in the end. Kinda just goes to show how much pressure Mienshao puts on teams.
[DYN] McMeghan vs Elias PSY [TER] - without glazing roro, I really liked the edited version of an old bw team he liked from when I was 10 years old. I actually see the vision, AV shao, regen pivot reuniclus(*duosioun) and a ditto looked perfect in this matchup vs a wacky ass team. Roro keeps up the trend of loading stall and HO back to back with small variations between teams, and Elias keeps up the trend of losing when loading HO(im guilty of it too, just broke the curse you can too). This game goes about as expected with some showboating in the end with Avalugg vs sub basculegion. One can only begin to guess wtf elias was thinking building this, did he expect to face rain and wanted to have a ton of counterplay? Idk. I did rly like the throat spray meloetta, taht was pretty cool.
Fun week, bit of a different format than the others. Not going to predict, leave that and the indepth team ratings and analysis up to you guys Phantomistix Tuthur Django Be13costa Shengineer etern Diamonds_realm and others.
Coin went 3/5 last week, for a total of 20/30 overall, maintaining its first place in the prediction leaderboard.
Week 7 Predicts:
Danny vs Elias PSY
watashi vs McMeghan
zS vs Dr. Phd. BJ
Pokeslice vs frankjosh
etern vs Diamonds_realm
Week 7 Predicts:
Danny vs Elias PSY
watashi vs McMeghan
zS vs Dr. Phd. BJ
Pokeslice vs frankjosh
etern vs Diamonds_realm
[FOX] Danny vs Elias PSY [TER] - This should be a really fun game based off of the matchup. Without checking the sheet, I'm going to assume that both players are having a really solid tour currently while packing creative team choices and multiple different styles. As long as Danny doesn't get too lost in the sauce this week trying to pick the perfect team (scrap team 1 bro), I favor him here a bit. I think he's a little bit of a better player and might capitalize on Elias' trends a bit more than Elias will on Danny's.
[PLA] watashi vs McMeghan [DYN] - I just can't how roro keeps getting away with these team choices, but it's most definitely working. I've been really impressed with watashi as a clicker this tour though, especially in bad mus, so I think this could be a win here for him in the battle of the boomers despite how strong mcm's record is. If watashi can get an even matchup or just account for cheese, he'll take it.
[SHO] zS vs Dr. Phd. BJ [ISL] - Of all the heat matchups this week, this one is my personal hl match. You have two strong, creative, and fun players going head to head? What could possibly go wrong. As long as zS doesn't load a really frail fat, I think he should be good to win here. I'd have to check replays and records, but iirc, bj is on a bit of a slide the past few weeks so this could be one where he shows out or one where we get a prime ladder bj postgame interview. Who knows, but it'll be fun.
[SPA] Pokeslice vs frankjosh [TMS] - we are cowboys now. See y'all at high soon outside the local bar on sunday for our duel.
[GIB] etern vs Diamonds_realm [BRE] - I really want DR to succeed, so I'm going to bold him. I don't think it's a crazy take to say that DR is weaker than etern as a player and arguably the weakest in the pool based off literally nothing else but lack of tour experience, but he's also one of the most creative builders in NU currently when he wants to be so I expect a fish of eterns scout to catch him off guard. It feels as if etern has lost a lot of motivation and luster this tour and people have caught onto his style, so GO DIAMONDS HE'S WASHED YOU CAN TAKE HIM THIS IS THE WEEK YOU BECOME TIER LEADER
[PLA] watashi vs McMeghan [DYN] - I just can't how roro keeps getting away with these team choices, but it's most definitely working. I've been really impressed with watashi as a clicker this tour though, especially in bad mus, so I think this could be a win here for him in the battle of the boomers despite how strong mcm's record is. If watashi can get an even matchup or just account for cheese, he'll take it.
[SHO] zS vs Dr. Phd. BJ [ISL] - Of all the heat matchups this week, this one is my personal hl match. You have two strong, creative, and fun players going head to head? What could possibly go wrong. As long as zS doesn't load a really frail fat, I think he should be good to win here. I'd have to check replays and records, but iirc, bj is on a bit of a slide the past few weeks so this could be one where he shows out or one where we get a prime ladder bj postgame interview. Who knows, but it'll be fun.
[SPA] Pokeslice vs frankjosh [TMS] - we are cowboys now. See y'all at high soon outside the local bar on sunday for our duel.
[GIB] etern vs Diamonds_realm [BRE] - I really want DR to succeed, so I'm going to bold him. I don't think it's a crazy take to say that DR is weaker than etern as a player and arguably the weakest in the pool based off literally nothing else but lack of tour experience, but he's also one of the most creative builders in NU currently when he wants to be so I expect a fish of eterns scout to catch him off guard. It feels as if etern has lost a lot of motivation and luster this tour and people have caught onto his style, so GO DIAMONDS HE'S WASHED YOU CAN TAKE HIM THIS IS THE WEEK YOU BECOME TIER LEADER
As Danny alluded to, this was a really interesting week of NU teambuilding with new patterns emerging post tier shifts and bans. We saw 4 hazard balance teams, a Defog balance, 3 HOs (2 being Cinccino / Scyther HOs), the first outing for Snow, and the inevitable NFE shitmon stall. 0 rain teams is interesting given certain discussions claiming it to be OP, and similarly 0 Oricorio-Pom-Pom.
Team rankings
1. Eeveeto
Eeveeto subs straight in to the top of the rankings with the first Snow use of the season, and a win to go with it. The first three slots on snow are pretty much mandatory, so there's not much to discuss on the core of Abomasnow / Ceititan / Sandslash, other than Rapid Spin on Slash freeing up more space in the rest of the team. Swampert and Slowbro combine a lot of roles a Snow team needs, giving hazards, Knock Off, reliable pivots, and a sturdy Fight resist. Kilo is a very cool last mon on Snow, as Electric STAB combined with Ice Weather Ball is incredibly hard to wall. It also gives another pivot for the dangerous Snow sweepers. It's cool to see another archetype get attention, and it'll be interesting to see if this is a matchup gimmick or is it gets more consistent play.
2. watashi / 3. Dr. Phd. BJ
I'll rank watashi slightly higher here but will discuss these together as they have a very similar structure. Both teams opt for a similar balance structure of: Bulky Water / Steel / Mienshao / Flygon / Incin / Fight resist. They take differing roles to compressing hazards, rapid spin etc however - watashi opts for Sandslash which allows compression of Spikes, Knock, and Rapid Spin, and SR / Loaded Dice Flygon which combines a wincon and a hazard setter. This gives space to bring both Vaporeon and Vileplume, two mons which don't bring any of the other tools a hazard stack team needs. Tera Ghost Incin doubles as a Mienshao check and emergency spin blocker. Scarf Mienshao is the speed control here which can be deadly with spikes up.
BJ on the other hand uses Tentacruel to compress the Water type + Rapid Spin, and Speed control with Scarf Florges. This makes space to afford DD Flygon, and LO Mienshao, giving this team more regular offensive routes rather than hazard stack. Balloon Tentacruel seems like a cool option, giving potentially free spins and also spikes immunity temporarily.
Overall here I prefer watashis version as it feels more cohesive, working towards a win with Spikes. Scarf Florges on BJs team feels a little out of place - while it does potentially cripple Bronzong to open up space for Flygon, it feels like there could be more mons which take advantage of a choice locked steel type, such as Munkidori. The Mienshao balance is certainly a top team structure right now and these are both interesting takes on it.
4. McMeghan
Roro is back at it again with another NFE stall. This time we see Regenerator Duosion paired with AV Mienshao, an interesting core which we have not seen before. While we didn't get to see the rest of what Duosion can do, presumably it's the access to both Night Shade and Future Sight which sets it apart from other regen mons like Glowbro. AV Mienshao gives the team a much needed switch for Shadow Ball, as it will outspeed all the common users of the move and threaten them with Knock Off. Knock / U-Turn with AV and Regen will always be useful, but this team in particular takes advantage of it, having a tool like this to grab momentum can be crucial on slower paced teams. Ditto covers a huge amount of threats, and CM Zong makes a nice wincon. Personally I'd have preferred this team with a more offensive Mienshao (maybe LO?) and a better Shadow Ball switch (Naclstack > Duosion?) but it's hard to make that work and cover everything else. Duosion 100% winrate lets go.
5. frankjosh
One of two Cinccino / Scyther HOs this week, with the other being Dannys. If Danny is rated lower than 5 this is definitely a war crime Be13costa . Anyway, Scyther is a really cool pick right now, being extremely dangerous with SD and Trailblaze. Cinccino is a great partner to deny Stealth Rock, and chip away at Steel types as well. I'm less of a fan of the rest of this team, with Scream Tail always being underwhelming to me, and Duraldon struggling in a Bronzong infested meta. Redbull is cool but I struggle to justify it over its wetter cousin. The P2 here I still don't get, I've heard it's some sort of Oricorio counter but regardless it feels whack here to me.
6. zS
This middling ranking reflects the fact we didn't get to see much of this team, so I'm sure there is more to it than meets the eye. zS didn't have to do much other than click Scald this game, so large parts of the team went unrevealed. I think Altaria is a little underexplored as it has a good Tauros matchup and brings Defog, so I like that pick. Meloetta also feels like it must be good, so it's a shame it didn't get to see any action here. Not much to say about the standard parts of this team, it looks like a safe bring which worked out for zS.
7. etern / 8. 3d
I'll talk about these together as well as they represent slightly different takes on hazard stack balances, which for me missed more than hit. Etern goes for Bramble to use both Rapid Spin and Spikes, alongside Scrafty as the dark type / knock off user (which the previous teams used Incin for). This approach to me struggles a bit because you miss out on using the best spikes abuser in the tier right now, Mienshao. It also compresses your knock off user and potential win con, which can be a tricky position using the same mon to both make progress and also close games. Presumably this is Scarf Munki and DD Flygon, but without knowing details of those sets its hard to rate this further. Alluring Voice Vap is a cool tech to hit both Flygon and Wetbull.
3d on the other hand does use Mienshao, and opts for a slightly faster Spikestack approach with SR Copper and presumably Spikes Gligar. Decidueye spin blocks and threatens a lot with SD. Scarf(?) Tox and Mienshao make a powerful volturn core which can hurt a lot if Spikes are up. However, going the gligar route means you forgo probably the best mon in the tier in Flygon, and compressing a spin blocker and win con in one mon can leave you in some tricky situations.
Maybe the answer on balance / spike stack is to not actually run a spin blocker, as it seems that is the role that is forcing these builds down less than optimal routes. A lot of teams are ignoring spin and going for boots spam anyway, so Spikes + Knock Off with maybe a tera ghost somewhere might be the be best route to take on these builds.
9. Elias PSY
This feels like a harsh last place but someone has gotta land here. At first glance this looked like a strange rain team to me, which we know Elias is not afraid of. However, it was revealed to be a somewhat underwhelming HO, which did run into a not so great matchup. SubEndeavour Kilo, Throat Spray Melo, and Sub Basc all seem like cool sets, but together with Qwil and Diance they lack some immediate breaking power with a single free turn. We see this play out in the same when Elias cannot break most of McMeghans team. Some cool ideas here and it feels like this would perform much better against a balance / other offenses. However, Elias failed to notice McMeghans team style rotation, and ultimately got punished for that.
Clicking rankings
1. McMeghan
2. zS
3. watashi
4. Eveeto
5. etern
6. Dr. Phd. BJ
7. Elias PSY
8. frankjosh
9. 3d
Predictions
Up to 19/30, still hate the coin.
Danny vs Elias PSY
watashi vs McMeghan
watashi has been bringing similar teams most of the tour, and getting by playing well. I think McMeghan will take advantage of this in the builder, and then also outplay on the day.
zS vs Dr. Phd. BJ
Proof I predicted this before the game:
Pokeslice vs frankjosh
Slice will be very motivated for his sheet debut, and I rate him highly as well, despite the lack of SV NU experience this year. I expect him to get a good matchup, such is the nature of the spartans prep, and carry that through to a win with solid play.
etern vs Diamonds_realm
Will etern beat the washed allegations? Diamonds is a good builder, and I can see him getting a read on eterns usual teams and potentially roll a good matchup. etern still seems yet to find his groove this tournament, but I do back him to pull out a win here as just a fundamentally strong player. Maybe he will bring something less honest this time.
Team rankings
1. Eeveeto
Eeveeto subs straight in to the top of the rankings with the first Snow use of the season, and a win to go with it. The first three slots on snow are pretty much mandatory, so there's not much to discuss on the core of Abomasnow / Ceititan / Sandslash, other than Rapid Spin on Slash freeing up more space in the rest of the team. Swampert and Slowbro combine a lot of roles a Snow team needs, giving hazards, Knock Off, reliable pivots, and a sturdy Fight resist. Kilo is a very cool last mon on Snow, as Electric STAB combined with Ice Weather Ball is incredibly hard to wall. It also gives another pivot for the dangerous Snow sweepers. It's cool to see another archetype get attention, and it'll be interesting to see if this is a matchup gimmick or is it gets more consistent play.
2. watashi / 3. Dr. Phd. BJ
I'll rank watashi slightly higher here but will discuss these together as they have a very similar structure. Both teams opt for a similar balance structure of: Bulky Water / Steel / Mienshao / Flygon / Incin / Fight resist. They take differing roles to compressing hazards, rapid spin etc however - watashi opts for Sandslash which allows compression of Spikes, Knock, and Rapid Spin, and SR / Loaded Dice Flygon which combines a wincon and a hazard setter. This gives space to bring both Vaporeon and Vileplume, two mons which don't bring any of the other tools a hazard stack team needs. Tera Ghost Incin doubles as a Mienshao check and emergency spin blocker. Scarf Mienshao is the speed control here which can be deadly with spikes up.
BJ on the other hand uses Tentacruel to compress the Water type + Rapid Spin, and Speed control with Scarf Florges. This makes space to afford DD Flygon, and LO Mienshao, giving this team more regular offensive routes rather than hazard stack. Balloon Tentacruel seems like a cool option, giving potentially free spins and also spikes immunity temporarily.
Overall here I prefer watashis version as it feels more cohesive, working towards a win with Spikes. Scarf Florges on BJs team feels a little out of place - while it does potentially cripple Bronzong to open up space for Flygon, it feels like there could be more mons which take advantage of a choice locked steel type, such as Munkidori. The Mienshao balance is certainly a top team structure right now and these are both interesting takes on it.
4. McMeghan
Roro is back at it again with another NFE stall. This time we see Regenerator Duosion paired with AV Mienshao, an interesting core which we have not seen before. While we didn't get to see the rest of what Duosion can do, presumably it's the access to both Night Shade and Future Sight which sets it apart from other regen mons like Glowbro. AV Mienshao gives the team a much needed switch for Shadow Ball, as it will outspeed all the common users of the move and threaten them with Knock Off. Knock / U-Turn with AV and Regen will always be useful, but this team in particular takes advantage of it, having a tool like this to grab momentum can be crucial on slower paced teams. Ditto covers a huge amount of threats, and CM Zong makes a nice wincon. Personally I'd have preferred this team with a more offensive Mienshao (maybe LO?) and a better Shadow Ball switch (Naclstack > Duosion?) but it's hard to make that work and cover everything else. Duosion 100% winrate lets go.
5. frankjosh
One of two Cinccino / Scyther HOs this week, with the other being Dannys. If Danny is rated lower than 5 this is definitely a war crime Be13costa . Anyway, Scyther is a really cool pick right now, being extremely dangerous with SD and Trailblaze. Cinccino is a great partner to deny Stealth Rock, and chip away at Steel types as well. I'm less of a fan of the rest of this team, with Scream Tail always being underwhelming to me, and Duraldon struggling in a Bronzong infested meta. Redbull is cool but I struggle to justify it over its wetter cousin. The P2 here I still don't get, I've heard it's some sort of Oricorio counter but regardless it feels whack here to me.
6. zS
This middling ranking reflects the fact we didn't get to see much of this team, so I'm sure there is more to it than meets the eye. zS didn't have to do much other than click Scald this game, so large parts of the team went unrevealed. I think Altaria is a little underexplored as it has a good Tauros matchup and brings Defog, so I like that pick. Meloetta also feels like it must be good, so it's a shame it didn't get to see any action here. Not much to say about the standard parts of this team, it looks like a safe bring which worked out for zS.
7. etern / 8. 3d
I'll talk about these together as well as they represent slightly different takes on hazard stack balances, which for me missed more than hit. Etern goes for Bramble to use both Rapid Spin and Spikes, alongside Scrafty as the dark type / knock off user (which the previous teams used Incin for). This approach to me struggles a bit because you miss out on using the best spikes abuser in the tier right now, Mienshao. It also compresses your knock off user and potential win con, which can be a tricky position using the same mon to both make progress and also close games. Presumably this is Scarf Munki and DD Flygon, but without knowing details of those sets its hard to rate this further. Alluring Voice Vap is a cool tech to hit both Flygon and Wetbull.
3d on the other hand does use Mienshao, and opts for a slightly faster Spikestack approach with SR Copper and presumably Spikes Gligar. Decidueye spin blocks and threatens a lot with SD. Scarf(?) Tox and Mienshao make a powerful volturn core which can hurt a lot if Spikes are up. However, going the gligar route means you forgo probably the best mon in the tier in Flygon, and compressing a spin blocker and win con in one mon can leave you in some tricky situations.
Maybe the answer on balance / spike stack is to not actually run a spin blocker, as it seems that is the role that is forcing these builds down less than optimal routes. A lot of teams are ignoring spin and going for boots spam anyway, so Spikes + Knock Off with maybe a tera ghost somewhere might be the be best route to take on these builds.
9. Elias PSY
This feels like a harsh last place but someone has gotta land here. At first glance this looked like a strange rain team to me, which we know Elias is not afraid of. However, it was revealed to be a somewhat underwhelming HO, which did run into a not so great matchup. SubEndeavour Kilo, Throat Spray Melo, and Sub Basc all seem like cool sets, but together with Qwil and Diance they lack some immediate breaking power with a single free turn. We see this play out in the same when Elias cannot break most of McMeghans team. Some cool ideas here and it feels like this would perform much better against a balance / other offenses. However, Elias failed to notice McMeghans team style rotation, and ultimately got punished for that.
Clicking rankings
1. McMeghan
2. zS
3. watashi
4. Eveeto
5. etern
6. Dr. Phd. BJ
7. Elias PSY
8. frankjosh
9. 3d
Predictions
Up to 19/30, still hate the coin.
Danny vs Elias PSY
watashi vs McMeghan
watashi has been bringing similar teams most of the tour, and getting by playing well. I think McMeghan will take advantage of this in the builder, and then also outplay on the day.
zS vs Dr. Phd. BJ
Proof I predicted this before the game:
Pokeslice vs frankjosh
Slice will be very motivated for his sheet debut, and I rate him highly as well, despite the lack of SV NU experience this year. I expect him to get a good matchup, such is the nature of the spartans prep, and carry that through to a win with solid play.
etern vs Diamonds_realm
Will etern beat the washed allegations? Diamonds is a good builder, and I can see him getting a read on eterns usual teams and potentially roll a good matchup. etern still seems yet to find his groove this tournament, but I do back him to pull out a win here as just a fundamentally strong player. Maybe he will bring something less honest this time.
Let 'start with the important part this avatar is fire.
5. frankjosh/Danny
I think it's fair to put them together. The main idea of both it's to prevent/remove hazards with Cincc use the breakers to open holes so late game Eviolite SD Scyther can setup and clean. Initially i would put Dannys team ahead of Franks because I agree with you on the Pauros take and think OTR Diancie is much better than Scream. Danny's team seems more committed to the HO idea from start to finish wile frank's team seems to have more of plan B with Duraludon and P2 in the case you end up on a reactive position that in HO is usually a guarantee lose. Toxt to me it depends on the set can be a improvement over Franks choices or even a downgrade but I guess we will never know.
But effectively they both are the same team, frank got a bit unlucky on the Fire Blast miss and he could have won if he encored Regi on Heavy Slam there for guaranteeing a free SD to Scyther 100% hp yeah it would still probably need to avoid a Scald burn but than the odds are in your favor. So is fair to say both teams were in the same level of quality.
For clicking this week he takes home 2nd. He put pressure from the opening of the match till the end sequencing his threats correctly, got much more than it would normally get from the Flygon vs Bramble stalemate and had 100% acc Dual Wing Beat that's a lot of skill. Btw fair MU this week.
Week 7 Predicts:
Danny vs Elias PSY
watashi vs McMeghan
zS vs Dr. Phd. BJ
Pokeslice vs frankjosh
etern vs Diamonds_realm
Some interesting meta developments this week! Mienshao Spikes emerges as a popular playstyle, taking 5 slots but only actually getting 2 wins. Those two wins were also from players who took the style in a new direction with Specs Mienshao and Magician Klefki, so creativity rather than standard is being rewarded. In response to Mienshao, we see 3 Sylveon, as well as Florges, Vileplume, Gligar, Articuno-Galar, Glowbro, and Scream Tail. All of these are solid Fighting resists who bring something else to the team as well. It's interesting that Klefki has alo overtaken Bronzong in usage this week, profiting from a Dragon Tail Dundunsparce rise in response to Oricorio Pom Pom, fitting well on other archetypes (terrain) and also having non Spikes sets explored.
To preface...this was a really hard week to rank as I think ultimately there were no real outliers in terms of any team being particularly bad. It seems like the current group of players / builders have settled into a meta which is well understood and are bringing solid choices. Thus the differentiating factor this week was mostly around creative choices which move slightly ahead of that well understood meta.
Team rankings
1. zS / 2. pokeslice
I'll rank these together as they are remarkably similar - both use a defensive backbone of Klefki / Dragon Tail Dundun / Bulky water, while then relying on Flygon / Fighting type / Offensive special Hurricane user to make progress offensively. The defensive core here is driven by fear of the now banned PomPom, so expect this to be a temporary appearance rather than a new team style. Dragon Tail Dundun is one of the few reliable PomPom counters, and obviously pairs very well with Spikes. zS gets more points here for a) using it first so slice obviously copied and b) using Magician Air Balloon Klefki which is a really cool tech. zS also uses the fattest Flygon in the world which would have wrapped up his game barring an unfortunate freeze. Slice is a little more conventional with Flygon (being scarf) and regular Prankster Klefki. However, the CM Guno bring is very nice and we see in this game how it can put huge pressure on Bronzong even with Gyro Ball, and thus makes a great partner for Scarf Flygon. I rate both these teams highly as they represent both good prep into the current metagame and also creative thinking of underused options and sets. Glad to see them both rewarded with a win (particularly Slice on sheet debut!), and giving strong rep for the Vivillions avatar.
3. etern
I liked eterns team a lot this week, despite the unfortunate loss. Ambipom is a nice bring into potential Rain, Sun, and general HO matchups which are appearing more and more. There's some neat synergy between Special LO Flygon and CM Scream Tail, who will both lure / chunk Steel types often, and Demon Klefki who can easily sweep with Steels out of the way. Wetbull and Toxicroak is always a nice partnership, as Toxicroak feasts on the bulky waters that wetbull can struggle with. Tera Elec on wetbull is also a neat addition to prevent Klefki t-wave while also resisting Air Slash, giving this team another out vs PomPom. Unfortunately the game doesn't play out that way. Overall though I like this team as again it presents good techs into the current metagame, and also has some creative ideas in it.
4. Elias PSY
The first of the more traditional Mienshao SpikeStack teams (other than zS). I've ranked this highest of those group of teams because it inverts the usual Mienshao sets to instead bring Choice Specs. This is pretty much an inferior set in most senses other than surprise factor, but that can still be worth bringing when all you need is one surprise to flip a game. In this situation we see Tera Blast Ghost get a KO, but on an opposing Mienshao so it doesn't reveal Specs or Band. Later on, it's able to snipe a Glowbro who expects to be able to tank CB Tera Blast but instead gets OHKOd. It's hard not to like the creativity here, and Tera Blast makes it an even cooler interaction. Pawmot is an interesting choice alongside it, presumably to take advantage of physical walls getting unexpectedly taken out by Specs Mienshao. Gastro / Zong / Incin / Sylveon represents a pretty standard defensive core at this point, with 3/4 of this getting reused in other Mienshao Spikes teams.
5. McMeghan
Roro finally switches up the HO / Stall rotation, going back in for even more NFE / Ditto stall. The Naclstack Ditto duo was also used in the Dynamos PU game, winning there as well. This looks like a bit of an evolution of the previous Duosion stall team, with Vileplume replacing Duosion as a much more reliable Mienshao check, while Naclstack patches up that teams weakness to Ghost types. Gligar replaces Gastrodon giving this team more hazards, and another fighting type check. Mienshao / Lugg / Ditto remain the same. As always with Ditto teams, it's seemingly impossible to cover every threat, and I would still be worried about this team into things like Inteleon or special based Rain teams. Tera can always patch these matchups, and Ditto brings blanket checks to most of it as well. The style remains the same but also keeps evolving, and it's hard to argue with a 6-1 record.
6. frankjosh
Another Mienshao Spikes team! This one goes with Gastro / Zong / Decid core, and SD / Scale Shot Overqwil, LO Mienshao, and probably Scarf Florges. I like the experimentation with Overqwil sets, and this one certainly seems dangerous. LO Mienshao also feels like probably its best set right now. With Spikes, and the rest of the team, really pressuring Steel types, I do think Scarf Florges is a nice pick and alternative to Sylveon as a Fairy type on these sorts of teams. However, it forces you to run a more defensive EV spread to effectively check opposing Mienshao, and I can see this team struggling with it. This probably feels like a harsh low ranking, but for me that just reflects that other teams had more hits, rather than this one being bad.
7. Diamonds_realm
gz on sheet debut win! There's not a huge amount to say on what is a relatively standard grassy terrain team. There's a few interesting choices here - Glowbro (although it should have been Quick Draw) can break down Steels for PomPom, and Facade Grafaiai is interesting. This game truly showed the bullshit potential of PomPom, as even though etern had prepped well for it, a single flinch ends the game. The bird was rightfully banned after this game, so really I should be ranking this higher as it brought about the correct result. Ultimately though this isn't too exciting, but represents a strong choice in that meta.
8. watashi
So...watashi brought the same 6 that frankjosh beat him with in W5? At the very least it proves that Mienshao spikes is a solid formula and this is a good take on it. Only rating this low because it does seem mostly reused. Sub SD Tera Flying Overqwil is a nice choice, particularly into the potential Ditto from McMeghan, but watashi gets unlucky with a Gunk Shot miss. These types of teams definitely represent the current metagame well, and there is a lot of flexibility on team slots. However, I don't think this was quite forward thinking enough to get a higher ranking.
9. Dr. Phd. BJ
A 9th place here is definitely harsh, but as I mentioned at the start it's a hard week to rank them. This is a very standard Mienshao Spikes team, with Zong / Gastro / Sylveon / Dark type defensive core being used again. Kilo / Shao is a brutal momentum core once it gets going with hazards up. While overall this 6 is "fine", it feels a little bit too standard for an SCL match at this stage, and it also lacks a bit of breaking power for my liking. It also fits very closely with BJs regular style, and perhaps those tendencies were a little too easy to take advtange of. Those are ultimately relatively nitpicky criticisms though and this team would usually do well in most matchups.
Clicking rankings
...again a lot of this feels harsh as I don't think anyone actually played badly this week
1. etern
2. zs
3. pokeslice
4. McMeghan
5. Elias PSY
6. Diamonds_realm
7. watashi
8. Dr. Phd. BJ
9. frankjosh
Predictions
So far...22/35.
Stories vs etern
I liked eterns build a lot last week and I think he will bring another cool team to win this week.
Diamonds_realm vs Danny
Dr. Phd. BJ vs Pokeslice
Slice will be riding high after his first win, and motivated to end with a good record even though Spartans are out. BJ has been on a bit of a downward trend and seems to be using similar team structures
McMeghan vs zS
I think zS has been prepping really well and will figure out the secret sauce to defeat roro
Elias PSY vs watashi
With Platoon out I'm unsure how motivated watashi will be
To preface...this was a really hard week to rank as I think ultimately there were no real outliers in terms of any team being particularly bad. It seems like the current group of players / builders have settled into a meta which is well understood and are bringing solid choices. Thus the differentiating factor this week was mostly around creative choices which move slightly ahead of that well understood meta.
Team rankings
1. zS / 2. pokeslice
I'll rank these together as they are remarkably similar - both use a defensive backbone of Klefki / Dragon Tail Dundun / Bulky water, while then relying on Flygon / Fighting type / Offensive special Hurricane user to make progress offensively. The defensive core here is driven by fear of the now banned PomPom, so expect this to be a temporary appearance rather than a new team style. Dragon Tail Dundun is one of the few reliable PomPom counters, and obviously pairs very well with Spikes. zS gets more points here for a) using it first so slice obviously copied and b) using Magician Air Balloon Klefki which is a really cool tech. zS also uses the fattest Flygon in the world which would have wrapped up his game barring an unfortunate freeze. Slice is a little more conventional with Flygon (being scarf) and regular Prankster Klefki. However, the CM Guno bring is very nice and we see in this game how it can put huge pressure on Bronzong even with Gyro Ball, and thus makes a great partner for Scarf Flygon. I rate both these teams highly as they represent both good prep into the current metagame and also creative thinking of underused options and sets. Glad to see them both rewarded with a win (particularly Slice on sheet debut!), and giving strong rep for the Vivillions avatar.
3. etern
I liked eterns team a lot this week, despite the unfortunate loss. Ambipom is a nice bring into potential Rain, Sun, and general HO matchups which are appearing more and more. There's some neat synergy between Special LO Flygon and CM Scream Tail, who will both lure / chunk Steel types often, and Demon Klefki who can easily sweep with Steels out of the way. Wetbull and Toxicroak is always a nice partnership, as Toxicroak feasts on the bulky waters that wetbull can struggle with. Tera Elec on wetbull is also a neat addition to prevent Klefki t-wave while also resisting Air Slash, giving this team another out vs PomPom. Unfortunately the game doesn't play out that way. Overall though I like this team as again it presents good techs into the current metagame, and also has some creative ideas in it.
4. Elias PSY
The first of the more traditional Mienshao SpikeStack teams (other than zS). I've ranked this highest of those group of teams because it inverts the usual Mienshao sets to instead bring Choice Specs. This is pretty much an inferior set in most senses other than surprise factor, but that can still be worth bringing when all you need is one surprise to flip a game. In this situation we see Tera Blast Ghost get a KO, but on an opposing Mienshao so it doesn't reveal Specs or Band. Later on, it's able to snipe a Glowbro who expects to be able to tank CB Tera Blast but instead gets OHKOd. It's hard not to like the creativity here, and Tera Blast makes it an even cooler interaction. Pawmot is an interesting choice alongside it, presumably to take advantage of physical walls getting unexpectedly taken out by Specs Mienshao. Gastro / Zong / Incin / Sylveon represents a pretty standard defensive core at this point, with 3/4 of this getting reused in other Mienshao Spikes teams.
5. McMeghan
Roro finally switches up the HO / Stall rotation, going back in for even more NFE / Ditto stall. The Naclstack Ditto duo was also used in the Dynamos PU game, winning there as well. This looks like a bit of an evolution of the previous Duosion stall team, with Vileplume replacing Duosion as a much more reliable Mienshao check, while Naclstack patches up that teams weakness to Ghost types. Gligar replaces Gastrodon giving this team more hazards, and another fighting type check. Mienshao / Lugg / Ditto remain the same. As always with Ditto teams, it's seemingly impossible to cover every threat, and I would still be worried about this team into things like Inteleon or special based Rain teams. Tera can always patch these matchups, and Ditto brings blanket checks to most of it as well. The style remains the same but also keeps evolving, and it's hard to argue with a 6-1 record.
6. frankjosh
Another Mienshao Spikes team! This one goes with Gastro / Zong / Decid core, and SD / Scale Shot Overqwil, LO Mienshao, and probably Scarf Florges. I like the experimentation with Overqwil sets, and this one certainly seems dangerous. LO Mienshao also feels like probably its best set right now. With Spikes, and the rest of the team, really pressuring Steel types, I do think Scarf Florges is a nice pick and alternative to Sylveon as a Fairy type on these sorts of teams. However, it forces you to run a more defensive EV spread to effectively check opposing Mienshao, and I can see this team struggling with it. This probably feels like a harsh low ranking, but for me that just reflects that other teams had more hits, rather than this one being bad.
7. Diamonds_realm
gz on sheet debut win! There's not a huge amount to say on what is a relatively standard grassy terrain team. There's a few interesting choices here - Glowbro (although it should have been Quick Draw) can break down Steels for PomPom, and Facade Grafaiai is interesting. This game truly showed the bullshit potential of PomPom, as even though etern had prepped well for it, a single flinch ends the game. The bird was rightfully banned after this game, so really I should be ranking this higher as it brought about the correct result. Ultimately though this isn't too exciting, but represents a strong choice in that meta.
8. watashi
So...watashi brought the same 6 that frankjosh beat him with in W5? At the very least it proves that Mienshao spikes is a solid formula and this is a good take on it. Only rating this low because it does seem mostly reused. Sub SD Tera Flying Overqwil is a nice choice, particularly into the potential Ditto from McMeghan, but watashi gets unlucky with a Gunk Shot miss. These types of teams definitely represent the current metagame well, and there is a lot of flexibility on team slots. However, I don't think this was quite forward thinking enough to get a higher ranking.
9. Dr. Phd. BJ
A 9th place here is definitely harsh, but as I mentioned at the start it's a hard week to rank them. This is a very standard Mienshao Spikes team, with Zong / Gastro / Sylveon / Dark type defensive core being used again. Kilo / Shao is a brutal momentum core once it gets going with hazards up. While overall this 6 is "fine", it feels a little bit too standard for an SCL match at this stage, and it also lacks a bit of breaking power for my liking. It also fits very closely with BJs regular style, and perhaps those tendencies were a little too easy to take advtange of. Those are ultimately relatively nitpicky criticisms though and this team would usually do well in most matchups.
Clicking rankings
...again a lot of this feels harsh as I don't think anyone actually played badly this week
1. etern
2. zs
3. pokeslice
4. McMeghan
5. Elias PSY
6. Diamonds_realm
7. watashi
8. Dr. Phd. BJ
9. frankjosh
Predictions
So far...22/35.
Stories vs etern
I liked eterns build a lot last week and I think he will bring another cool team to win this week.
Diamonds_realm vs Danny
Dr. Phd. BJ vs Pokeslice
Slice will be riding high after his first win, and motivated to end with a good record even though Spartans are out. BJ has been on a bit of a downward trend and seems to be using similar team structures
McMeghan vs zS
I think zS has been prepping really well and will figure out the secret sauce to defeat roro
Elias PSY vs watashi
With Platoon out I'm unsure how motivated watashi will be
Attachments
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Ok for the Pa
10. Danny
I agree with Django that it’s another tough week to judge, especially with not many outliers aside from Naclstack being 2-0
The truth is, this team really is a mix of fatmons, a Shao, and a strange bird. It follows the traditional Shao hazard stack structure with Gligar/Vapo/Shao and a Steel Rocker. However, the last two slots typically need to be filled with pressure mons or tools for progress. I have to say, Boots Bombirdier isn’t fitting that role. Glowbro is decent in these setups, but it requires a good partner to enable it mid-game and create opportunities for a Calm Mind late-game sweep. Plus, bringing fatmons against Elias might not be the best strategy, while he can play various styles, fatmon mirrors are definitely one of his strongest matchups.
Overall, I think this team would struggle against most of the Week 7 team.
I really hate Bombirdier as the missing link of the comp. And although this isn't by any means a unviable team, but someone needed to be last and this week Danny has the dishonor.
As for clicking id put him in 8th he kind of did what he could with the tools he had but since he didn't had that many tools he couldn't do much. And even if its a surprise and yada yada yada but a SPECS Shao got 5 KOs in that game...
Honestly one of the best weeks we could have in the tour!
All 5 games are very Hype games! And althouhg I'm bolding names all games are 50/50
[SV NU]
[TMS] Stories vs etern [GIB]- with the luck of both it will end in a draw.
[BRE] Diamonds_realm vs Danny [FOX]
[ISL] Dr. Phd. BJ vs Pokeslice [SPA]
[DYN] McMeghan vs zS [SHO]
[TER] Elias PSY vs watashi [PLA]
Ok I was asked by a friend to comment on Danny’s uninspiring fat team.
10. Danny
I agree with Django that it’s another tough week to judge, especially with not many outliers aside from Naclstack being 2-0
The truth is, this team really is a mix of fatmons, a Shao, and a strange bird. It follows the traditional Shao hazard stack structure with Gligar/Vapo/Shao and a Steel Rocker. However, the last two slots typically need to be filled with pressure mons or tools for progress. I have to say, Boots Bombirdier isn’t fitting that role. Glowbro is decent in these setups, but it requires a good partner to enable it mid-game and create opportunities for a Calm Mind late-game sweep. Plus, bringing fatmons against Elias might not be the best strategy, while he can play various styles, fatmon mirrors are definitely one of his strongest matchups.
Overall, I think this team would struggle against most of the Week 7 team.
I really hate Bombirdier as the missing link of the comp. And although this isn't by any means a unviable team, but someone needed to be last and this week Danny has the dishonor.
As for clicking id put him in 8th he kind of did what he could with the tools he had but since he didn't had that many tools he couldn't do much. And even if its a surprise and yada yada yada but a SPECS Shao got 5 KOs in that game...
Honestly one of the best weeks we could have in the tour!
All 5 games are very Hype games! And althouhg I'm bolding names all games are 50/50
[SV NU]
[TMS] Stories vs etern [GIB]- with the luck of both it will end in a draw.
[BRE] Diamonds_realm vs Danny [FOX]
[ISL] Dr. Phd. BJ vs Pokeslice [SPA]
[DYN] McMeghan vs zS [SHO]
[TER] Elias PSY vs watashi [PLA]
The coin on top
Oook second last week! I'll rate Danny this week as well since Foxes are fully cooked.
Compared to last week where Mienshao spikes was 50% of the meta, we see a dropoff in that style with Mienshao only used twice, and getting no wins. Was this mons power level exaggerated or have we adjusted to it? Almost every team packs a ghost (or 4x fight resist) and strong knock absorber, with the only that don't bringing specific Mienshao checks in Vileplume, Sylveon, and Bellibolt. We also see 2 Raikous emerge for the first time in seemingly ages, and Flygon continuing to dominate the tier with 7/10 teams using it. The only teams that don't use Flygon all use Bronzong.
Again the rankings both in clicking and teams are very close, particularly at the mid to low ends, and I suppose this is to be expected towards the end of a season where the meta has developed and players have locked in.
Team rankings
1. zS
Another cool week from zS. We see Magician Klefki again, this time alongside trapper Altaria. This makes a potent "defensive" core that is actually incredibly disruptive to opposing teams. CB wetbull and Toxic Toxtricity are nice progress makers, with the Oricorio-Sensu being the main wincon for the team. Flygon glues the team together with priority, a nice defensive profile, and presumably Stealth Rock. It's interesting seeing zS takes on the meta each week, and he continues to innovate new sets, mons, and strategies. He's rewarded again for the proactive and creative playstyle which definitely suits SV tiers well.
2. Elias PSY
At first glance this looks like a very typical Elias team; bulky, Avalugg, Bronzong, Incin, wish user. But digging deeper something must be up here, because even Elias wouldn't run both Vaporeon and Sylveon with Wish on the same team. So one of them must be doing something else, probably Specs Sylv. The twist ends up being SubCM Vaporeon, a set I'm a big fan of, which does a huge amount of work here and turns the Toxicroak matchup on its head. I've rated this highly because I like the creativity, and I also like how Elias is able to work with a consistently similar style and put up great results.
3. Danny
We're all aware Danny didn't build this, but it's a cool team nonetheless. The first of two Raikou uses this week, this Shiloh team makes use of the typical Bronzong (Demon Zong in this case) / Incin core, with Vileplume to patch up that cores weaknesses. Special Flygon with Rocks shows this mons crazy versatility, and Draco Meteor / Earth Power is a really hard combo to switch into. Raikou is a great momentum stealer as Scald makes any Ground types think twice about switching in, while Ditto continues to prove it's got a solid niche in the tier and is almost never dead weight. While there's nothing particularly flashy or outstanding about this team, it mixes up the typical sets enough and brings the best out of Raikou.
4. etern
I'm ranking this highly as it shows how strong Golurk can be, and also uses Trick Scarf P2, presumably to cover cheese matchups like weather while not being deadweight against fatter teams. AV Golurk trades really well, as does CB wetbull, and that is almost enough to carry this team through. We don't get to see the Bronzong and Kilo sets, but even assuming they are standard the synergy is there with the rest of the team.
5. stories
The second Raikou team of the weak, this one goes much more offensive with SD Decidueye, SD Croak, and Cinccino. The lack of Scald on Raikou is confusing, given thats one of its biggest selling points, but the rest of the team has enough solid synergy to carry it through. Few teams are able to stand up to the two SD users and still manage Cinccino, while Flygon also helps to break down Steel types. This is a nice take on offence without being full HO, and brings to the fore some more underrated threats, while showing Cinccino can do more than use Encore as a lead.
6. Dr. Phd. BJ
BJ branches out from his typical builds to move into HO. There are some interesting techs here, with Encore on Toxtricity being unexpected alongside Encore Cinccino, CB wetbull not typically being expected on this type of team (and this working out as it manages to KO a Milotic) and Brute Bonnet not really seeing any usage at all. While there is undoubtably more to this team as well, for me it doesn't take advantage of the Cinccino lead enough to justify it - we've seen in previous weeks pokemon like Eviolite Scyther profiting from avoiding hazards. I would have preferred to see more synergy like this, or to see a different lead entirely. Still, I like the techs and I like the variation from BJs usual style.
7. pokeslice
This is an interesting team from Slice, with Wo-Chien making a rare appearance, and Specs Chandelure also putting in a lot of work. Unfortunately I don't feel like Defog Scyther is Him, but the fact it's even considered shows the sad state of removal in this tier. Milotic / Copper / Woch also feels like not the best defensive core in a tier with Mienshao and Wetbull everywhere, and we see in game how Tauros is able to take advantage of this team. Still though, I like the branching out here, and it shows there are breakers like Chandelure sitting around just waiting to get more usage.
8. Diamonds_realm
DR goes all in with triple Fighting and no Volt Switch immunities, unfortunately loading into Raikou and Vileplume. I respect the thinking behind this team, but ultimately I think it could have been dialled back a notch to create something a bit more consistent, while still retaining the initial idea. I'm also not sold on Altaria / Belli / Bronzong as a defensive core in NU, feeling too weak to stand up to top threats, while being one Flygon tech away or a bit of Bronzong chip away from disaster. With a better matchup this team would have done well, but in this case it didn't quite work out.
9. McMeghan
The ZU mon fat teams continue from McMeghan, this time he pulls out Sableye and regular Muk alongside the trusty Bronzong and Gastro. This feels like potentially a step too far, as even though loading Spikes into no removal, and getting multiple Knock Offs, it's not able to standup to Oricorio. As I mentioned in zS team writeup, it feels like SV in general favours the more proactive teams, as it's seemingly impossible to cover every threat, and we see this play out in game. Still, this is rate miss for roro and we can expect to continue to see him do well.
10. watashi
A harsh low ranking for Watashi, and perhaps one that reflects a poor matchup more than anything else. CB Basc with Toxicroak to deal with bulky waters is a classic combo. However the bulky water Watashi runs into here can actually handle Croak, and in that situation there is simply not enough breaking power on the team to make up for it. Tera Fairy Tera Blast Belli is a neat Flygon snipe, but unfortunately doesn't land in this game. I've ended up ranking this low mostly because I really do think Tsareena is ass, and I don't expect it to get a huge amount of usage as time goes on in this meta.
Clicking rankings
1. zS
2. Danny
3. etern
4. Elias PSY
5. Dr. Phd. BJ
6. stories
7. watashi
8. pokeslice
9. McMeghan
10. Diamonds_realm
Predictions
25/40 (62.5%). Coin being on 70% is insane. With a good week I could still beat random chance...
Pokeslice vs McMeghan - Slices first week sub buff has worn off, but I rate his prep highly and I think those are the players who've managed to get wins off roro. This will come down to matchup I think ultimately, but I back slice to load something good and get a win.
zS vs Elias PSY - Big highlight match, zS has been on a hot streak, with 4 wins in a row after a slow start. Elias has also seemingly been getting better and better each week. However, I've been more of a fan of zS building over the last few weeks, and I expect that to carry while play in game will be relatively close
Django vs watashi - gl bud
etern vs Dr. Phd. BJ - etern is actually cursed. Last turn crit stole a deserved win, to add another Unfortunate Event to his season. His luck has to turn eventually, and I think his builds have been getting better each week. BJ has managed to put a stop to his run of losses, but this week remains to be seen if he reverts back to his typical builds or mixes it up again.
3d vs Stories - I was a fan of 3d's game earlier in the season where they played really well vs watashi. A similar display like that with a decent team and I would expect a win here. Stories has had a weird season getting donated wins and also having them stolen, so it's hard to rate their chances. This will definitely be close though
Compared to last week where Mienshao spikes was 50% of the meta, we see a dropoff in that style with Mienshao only used twice, and getting no wins. Was this mons power level exaggerated or have we adjusted to it? Almost every team packs a ghost (or 4x fight resist) and strong knock absorber, with the only that don't bringing specific Mienshao checks in Vileplume, Sylveon, and Bellibolt. We also see 2 Raikous emerge for the first time in seemingly ages, and Flygon continuing to dominate the tier with 7/10 teams using it. The only teams that don't use Flygon all use Bronzong.
Again the rankings both in clicking and teams are very close, particularly at the mid to low ends, and I suppose this is to be expected towards the end of a season where the meta has developed and players have locked in.
Team rankings
1. zS
Another cool week from zS. We see Magician Klefki again, this time alongside trapper Altaria. This makes a potent "defensive" core that is actually incredibly disruptive to opposing teams. CB wetbull and Toxic Toxtricity are nice progress makers, with the Oricorio-Sensu being the main wincon for the team. Flygon glues the team together with priority, a nice defensive profile, and presumably Stealth Rock. It's interesting seeing zS takes on the meta each week, and he continues to innovate new sets, mons, and strategies. He's rewarded again for the proactive and creative playstyle which definitely suits SV tiers well.
2. Elias PSY
At first glance this looks like a very typical Elias team; bulky, Avalugg, Bronzong, Incin, wish user. But digging deeper something must be up here, because even Elias wouldn't run both Vaporeon and Sylveon with Wish on the same team. So one of them must be doing something else, probably Specs Sylv. The twist ends up being SubCM Vaporeon, a set I'm a big fan of, which does a huge amount of work here and turns the Toxicroak matchup on its head. I've rated this highly because I like the creativity, and I also like how Elias is able to work with a consistently similar style and put up great results.
3. Danny
We're all aware Danny didn't build this, but it's a cool team nonetheless. The first of two Raikou uses this week, this Shiloh team makes use of the typical Bronzong (Demon Zong in this case) / Incin core, with Vileplume to patch up that cores weaknesses. Special Flygon with Rocks shows this mons crazy versatility, and Draco Meteor / Earth Power is a really hard combo to switch into. Raikou is a great momentum stealer as Scald makes any Ground types think twice about switching in, while Ditto continues to prove it's got a solid niche in the tier and is almost never dead weight. While there's nothing particularly flashy or outstanding about this team, it mixes up the typical sets enough and brings the best out of Raikou.
4. etern
I'm ranking this highly as it shows how strong Golurk can be, and also uses Trick Scarf P2, presumably to cover cheese matchups like weather while not being deadweight against fatter teams. AV Golurk trades really well, as does CB wetbull, and that is almost enough to carry this team through. We don't get to see the Bronzong and Kilo sets, but even assuming they are standard the synergy is there with the rest of the team.
5. stories
The second Raikou team of the weak, this one goes much more offensive with SD Decidueye, SD Croak, and Cinccino. The lack of Scald on Raikou is confusing, given thats one of its biggest selling points, but the rest of the team has enough solid synergy to carry it through. Few teams are able to stand up to the two SD users and still manage Cinccino, while Flygon also helps to break down Steel types. This is a nice take on offence without being full HO, and brings to the fore some more underrated threats, while showing Cinccino can do more than use Encore as a lead.
6. Dr. Phd. BJ
BJ branches out from his typical builds to move into HO. There are some interesting techs here, with Encore on Toxtricity being unexpected alongside Encore Cinccino, CB wetbull not typically being expected on this type of team (and this working out as it manages to KO a Milotic) and Brute Bonnet not really seeing any usage at all. While there is undoubtably more to this team as well, for me it doesn't take advantage of the Cinccino lead enough to justify it - we've seen in previous weeks pokemon like Eviolite Scyther profiting from avoiding hazards. I would have preferred to see more synergy like this, or to see a different lead entirely. Still, I like the techs and I like the variation from BJs usual style.
7. pokeslice
This is an interesting team from Slice, with Wo-Chien making a rare appearance, and Specs Chandelure also putting in a lot of work. Unfortunately I don't feel like Defog Scyther is Him, but the fact it's even considered shows the sad state of removal in this tier. Milotic / Copper / Woch also feels like not the best defensive core in a tier with Mienshao and Wetbull everywhere, and we see in game how Tauros is able to take advantage of this team. Still though, I like the branching out here, and it shows there are breakers like Chandelure sitting around just waiting to get more usage.
8. Diamonds_realm
DR goes all in with triple Fighting and no Volt Switch immunities, unfortunately loading into Raikou and Vileplume. I respect the thinking behind this team, but ultimately I think it could have been dialled back a notch to create something a bit more consistent, while still retaining the initial idea. I'm also not sold on Altaria / Belli / Bronzong as a defensive core in NU, feeling too weak to stand up to top threats, while being one Flygon tech away or a bit of Bronzong chip away from disaster. With a better matchup this team would have done well, but in this case it didn't quite work out.
9. McMeghan
The ZU mon fat teams continue from McMeghan, this time he pulls out Sableye and regular Muk alongside the trusty Bronzong and Gastro. This feels like potentially a step too far, as even though loading Spikes into no removal, and getting multiple Knock Offs, it's not able to standup to Oricorio. As I mentioned in zS team writeup, it feels like SV in general favours the more proactive teams, as it's seemingly impossible to cover every threat, and we see this play out in game. Still, this is rate miss for roro and we can expect to continue to see him do well.
10. watashi
A harsh low ranking for Watashi, and perhaps one that reflects a poor matchup more than anything else. CB Basc with Toxicroak to deal with bulky waters is a classic combo. However the bulky water Watashi runs into here can actually handle Croak, and in that situation there is simply not enough breaking power on the team to make up for it. Tera Fairy Tera Blast Belli is a neat Flygon snipe, but unfortunately doesn't land in this game. I've ended up ranking this low mostly because I really do think Tsareena is ass, and I don't expect it to get a huge amount of usage as time goes on in this meta.
Clicking rankings
1. zS
2. Danny
3. etern
4. Elias PSY
5. Dr. Phd. BJ
6. stories
7. watashi
8. pokeslice
9. McMeghan
10. Diamonds_realm
Predictions
25/40 (62.5%). Coin being on 70% is insane. With a good week I could still beat random chance...
Pokeslice vs McMeghan - Slices first week sub buff has worn off, but I rate his prep highly and I think those are the players who've managed to get wins off roro. This will come down to matchup I think ultimately, but I back slice to load something good and get a win.
zS vs Elias PSY - Big highlight match, zS has been on a hot streak, with 4 wins in a row after a slow start. Elias has also seemingly been getting better and better each week. However, I've been more of a fan of zS building over the last few weeks, and I expect that to carry while play in game will be relatively close
Django vs watashi - gl bud
etern vs Dr. Phd. BJ - etern is actually cursed. Last turn crit stole a deserved win, to add another Unfortunate Event to his season. His luck has to turn eventually, and I think his builds have been getting better each week. BJ has managed to put a stop to his run of losses, but this week remains to be seen if he reverts back to his typical builds or mixes it up again.
3d vs Stories - I was a fan of 3d's game earlier in the season where they played really well vs watashi. A similar display like that with a decent team and I would expect a win here. Stories has had a weird season getting donated wins and also having them stolen, so it's hard to rate their chances. This will definitely be close though