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Tournament SCL VI DOU Discussion Thread

Val

Val

is a Pre-Contributor
SMPL Champion
I copied this post from dad1 who copied it from eragon who copied it from zee who copied it from Fc who probably copied it from someone else

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Welcome to the Smogon Champions League 6 Discussion Thread -- DOU edition! This thread will be used to discuss DOU in SCL VI related topics, whether it’s about the players, general metagame trends, matches, predictions and so on. Teams, Replays, and Usage Stats can be found here. (when it gets posted)​

Commencement Thread

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DOU Player Cores
Shoguns - KCric, breakfast enjoyer
Spartans - Nails, PigWarrior19
Gible - bagel, Code
Breakers - Ann, ratpacker
Terrors - zee, kunal (manager)
Dynamos - EternalSnowman, mike
Islanders - Xrn, qrChar
Machines - eragon, Hasayo
Foxes - qsns, Smudge
Platoon - DubiousBulb1033, Akaru Kokuyo

Pricelist
Xrn - 20.5k
Nails - 17.5k
EternalSnowman 13k
zee - 11.5k
Bagel - 9k
Code - 7k
eragon - 6.5k
qsns - 6k
Hasayo - 6k
KCric - 5k
PigWarrior19 - 4.5k
Ann - 4k
mike - 4k
ratpacker - 3k
breakfast enjoyer - 3k
DubiousBulb1033 - 3k
Akaru Kokuyo - 3k
qrChar - 3k
Smudge - 3k
 
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As promised mike here are my preseason PRs!

As everyone has said at this point, there are some very odd pairings this year. I'll go more into this when going over the reasoning for my rankings but I do have to note just how awkward Code getting drafted to the same team as bagel made the draft. I had Code as easily the best option for a rookie slot going into this year, but with the, I assume, failed upbid, it meant there was a slot open for another new talent. There were some great options but KCric and Dubious ended up filling these roles. We also get to see the return of qsns which is great for the pool! We do also get to see players like Breakfast Enjoyer, qrChar, and Pigwarrior make it into supporting roles so at least some new faces are getting a shot! Also side note, this is my first time in 4 years not teaming with Xrn and Nails so it'll be fun to see how it's like to support a non Nick! Anyway, here are my rankings:


1) Islanders - Xrn, qrChar
Shouldn't really be a surprise I put Xrn at the top. I have teamed and worked with this guy since his start to SCL and its clear he is the best Doubles player... most of the time. Xrn will admit himself he does like to throw sometimes in the middle a of game and keep his team on their toes. Thankfully he hasn't really been punished for this too hard LOL but yea, he does have a tendency to do things like Parting Shot into Kingambits. With that said, he also has the ability to just plan out a game and get early momentum that you feel you cant come back from. He is the scariest player at preview, and if you have an even match up you will need to play at your very best if you want to keep up. He has taken a step back from SV since OSDT, and lately its felt like in the builder he hasn't really been liking the more common teams, so I could see a bit of prep struggling from him there. Thankfully he has qrChar to help. Char is known for their willingness to think outside the box in the builder, which sometimes results in teams that can look a little troll. I personally am a pretty big fan of their builds! I have spammed a lot of their teams on ladder and have had great success along with a lot of fun piloting them. I have also noticed some clear holes in them that definitely need to be ironed out, but someone like Xrn is good for that! I think this is a strong pair that can definitely top the pool, but there is also the possibility of overcooking as we have seen a lot of Blaziken and Araquanid from Xrn lately, and I don't think Char is one to deny a more wild team to go through. I also think this pool is a bit stronger than past years so Xrn can't afford to give his opponents as much room midgame, but its Xrn, I have complete faith in his success.


2) Spartans - Nails, PigWarrior19
As far as I can remember Nails has never gone negative. He is definitely one of the best clickers in SV DOU, and always feels like he has several routes and ends games planned out that you're just playing into. If there is anyone I trust to go positive in SCL its Nick and Nick (Nails and Xrn). With that said, Nails was definitely experiencing heavy burnout from SV last year. With VGC tournaments also for years being on the same game, Nails was kind of trapped playing the similar builds all year around. That much of the same thing will burn anyone out so it was not a shocker. However, he still had a great overall record and with VGC now in Champions I can see a more rejuvenated Nails this year, something very scary for the pool. His support is the PigWarrior19 himself. In terms of support I don't actually know too much about Pigwarrior, but I have tested with him in the past and it seems like he has ideas and builds his own teams. Nails is someone who can click well and knows how to build, but sometimes has issues finding the direction to go down each week. If Pigwarrior can help plan out ideas to build off of each week, give solid test games, and do weekly calls as that is where Nails thrives, then this is a duo I can definitely see top the pool!


3) Terrors - zee, kunal (manager)
The 9-0 core from last year is back! Obviously we have to put stock into their amazing showing, as 9-0 is not an easy task at all. However, out of all the top cores this is the one I am probably the most worried about. zee is clearly very busy these days as they have more commitments in life, and I think it's shown a bit in their results as of late. They are still performing well enough, but with early exits in individual tournaments they normally dominate and losses/no shows in their usually strong team tournaments, its hard not to notice a slight decline. This is SCL though, players tend to put more into this tournament than any other, so I think zee will try their best to be more active and on their game here. kunal is definitely the best kind of person to help keep zee motivated as he is driven and will always be around to test and build. Sometimes when you have a less active player its good to have a extremely tryhard support, and kunal fits that entirely. I do think the pool is better this year and people are more comfortable with their gameplay, so I don't think this duo will do another 9-0, but they are both extremely talented at their roles and with some of the magic they had last year this is easily a top of the pool level duo... its just also a very possible middle of the pack depending on zee's form. I trust them both though so thats why I am confident to stick them up here.


4) Gible - bagel, Code
Here we are, the most unexpected duo of the tournament. Bagel needs no introduction, probably the best SV DOUer in terms of solo results. I have had the luxury of seeing their prep in team tournaments and to be honest they are one of the best. They have a great mind for exploiting player's weaknesses and aren't afraid to use something more unorthodox to exploit that weakness. Despite this, they do tend to struggle a bit in these team tournament settings, but bagel has a lot more experience now so with a good support I can see them doing very well and even potentially topping the pool. However, they didn't just get good support.. they got a starting level player in Code. I said it earlier but this was such a weird pick up and surely was a failed upbid. Code is a very talented player who deserved a shot on the main stage, but for now will have to settle for support with bagel. The nice thing about this duo is the high level of testing they can do together, and if bagel happens to struggle at any point then Code is one of the best players to be able to slot in. I do think these two have some tendencies in the builder though, so its possible they may experience some less optimal match ups. bagel is also sometimes one to overcook with obscure items and overcommitting to an idea, so it will be up to Code to notice when this is happening and get bagel to hit the brakes a little. I do think this duo has the potential to do really well though, two top players working together is never a bad thing!


5) Dynamos - EternalSnowman, mike
EternalSnowman is a very hard player to rate. I think their builds are unique and interesting, but also tend to have lots of holes they just ignore. Their goal is almost always offense in some way. We either have the "I am going to run you down with things you've never seen before" or "I am going to use the most random Pokemon and set up with something you didn't expect". There isn't really any other mode I see from them. I mean chances are we are going to see a Latios, a Tyranitar, probably screens Sableye or something. But despite this they still just win. Obviously they are talented and not scared to just use whatever they feel like, but they just haven't done too well outside of SCL.. they are just such a hard player to rate. Their partner in crime this year is mike, who is a fellow west player and from what I heard also their friend. Mike is clearly driven after a solid season with Feyy, and I do trust them as a great support option as they seem very active and worked well in the builder with Feyy! However, ESM will most likely not expect help in the builder. I am sure mike knows how to handle ESM better than any of us, so this is probably the best option for him, but I just wonder how much of the final say mike will have. Overall, I think the pool is better this year and I don't think ESM will get away with as much as he did last year, but if everything aligns then he has the skill to do well. Its completely up in the air so I feel like with their variance and success last year, right in the middle is a good spot to have them.


6) Breakers - Ann, ratpacker
The Breakers duo is very interesting to me as I rate both these players very highly, but both have struggled in SCL. With a 3-10 record last year if you put their records together, you'd think this is a pair destined for failure. However, ratpacker has a passion for building. This guy's builder is extremely deep.. some stuff may be a little too wild.. but yea he has a LOT of teams. Ann meanwhile has shown more interest in SV DOU again after a little bit of a break and has been performing at a very high level, making it all the way to top 8 of OSDT losing to the eventual winner. This duo has a very high ceiling in my opinion, but they also have a pretty low floor if things don't work out. I have to go off their records from last year, but I see the potential so I feel pretty good at least putting them here!


7) Foxes - qsns, Smudge
After a long hiatus we see qsns back on the main stage! They have had kind of a zee-like history for these tournaments, with some pretty rough showings but also some very high highs. I have always been a fan of their play and builds as they seem to just form solid structures that let them play an even game and then slowly win with positioning and typically well timed set up. qsns loved set up, specifically Gholdengo, back when they played this tournament. It will be interesting to see if they can switch it up in the builder, as the meta has shifted a lot since they last really played the tier. To help them out here they have smudge, a long time player and member of the community. Out of everyone in the tournament they are sadly the one person I have the least knowledge of. I have never teamed with them and don't really know their builds or skill level in terms of play. With that said, there has to be a reason qsns picked smudge. I am sure smudge is going to put in a ton of effort here, but I just dont have a ton to go off of. I am sorry smudge I would love say more.. Overall I think qsns's play is solid enough to get some wins for sure, but they even said their self that they are playing more for the fun of it. That can be scary, but seeing how there are a lot of players here either gunning for that trophy or hungry to prove their self, I have to put them towards the bottom.
Edit: Correction qsns is NOT playing for fun they want to win. I still rank them here but now I know they will not be having fun playing :psysad:


8) Shoguns - KCric, breakfast enjoyer
I have had the pleasure to see KCric's prep and overall drive to do well this DPL and it reflects on his great record. A solid OSDT showing too and its clear to me KCric is someone deserving of a chance to start in this pool. They are solid with most styles, make sure to never be too predictable, and have a good idea of how to gameplan and close out games. The only real negatives I can say here is that they do seem a little streamlined when it comes to actual play, which makes it a little easier to gain momentum on them midgame, and sometimes they lock in a little too hard on an idea. This is where breakfast enjoyer can come in, a new face to SCL too taking the support slot for the Shoguns. If you asked me a few months back I would've said breakfast was a clear favorite to start in this tournament, but after the hiatus and what felt like a little shakier of play, I think support into a possible starting position if KCric struggles fits very well for him. I don't actually know how much breakfast builds, and if he does its very clear he has a comfort style that he constantly uses. But I don't think building is was KCric needs, I think breakfast's role should be to give diverse testing and really pin down early if a concept is strong enough to continue working with or if they need to explore other options. As long as breakfast is active and KCric stays in form, I can definitely see this team pull out some big upsets. Since this is the Shogun's DOU which tends to perform pretty middle of the pack to lower end, and these are two rookies this year, I think lower end is the safest place to put these two.


9) Platoon - DubiousBulb1033, Akaru Kokuyo
We finally have reached my old team, the Platoons. Normally I'd start with my highs for the players, but this time I want to address what I feel is most important. After everything I have heard from both Schister AND Akaru.. Akaru support seems like the the biggest mismatch of the whole tournament. Like yes, Code is a great player and should be starting, but very self sufficient so as a support should still be great. According to last year Schister did EVERYTHING LOL. I said during the draft that Akaru would need a personal assistant, and somehow ended up becoming that very role. I don't want to sound like I am hating on Akaru, they are a talented player, but I have to base this off what I have heard and yea support Akaru seems like a very odd choice. They will be supporting another up and coming talent this year, Italy's DubiousBulb1033. Dubious is technically the VGC pick of this year, which recently hasn't had good results. The difference here though is that Dubious has shown major DOU success, with a huge top 4 in OSDT and strong DLT run as well. OSDT has not been the best tournament when it comes to results in SCL though, so its kind of hard to base it off of that. Official Team Tournaments are just so different compared to Individuals. They do have the veteran of Akaru though, so its not like they have to go in completely blind. But with Akaru admitting they may not be the best support, expecially with the timezones, I am unsure how this will actually go for the Platoon's Rookie. With all this said, there is one upside I am sure Dubious will have, Italy. Since Dubious, I believe, is the only Italian player in the whole pool, I can see him working with team Italy to come up with ideas and teams for each week. Especially with the xmarsh post saying they helped Dubious throughout OSDT, I would not be surprised if they were in the chat too. I would say this pushes Dubious up a bit, but someone has to be last and due to the weird mix of players here along with it being Dubious first SCL, I think its a safe placement. Probably the most interesting team to watch though!
 
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Week 1 is live!

SV DOU: bagel vs DubiousBulb1033- said it in the eragon YouTube video, but one of these is a known quantity and the other has never played a DOU team tour.
SV DOU: zee vs Ann- if I had to guess, zee and Kunal will be petty and they’re not gonna let ratpacker out build them twice in two weeks
SV DOU: qsns vs Nails- going against my initial prediction actually, but based off last year this is probably the strongest we’ll be seeing nails and the weakest we’d be seeing qsns, I think if this matchup happens like week 7 I’d bold qsns
SV DOU: eragon vs Xrn- I think this is a week with a lot to prove for both Eragon and Lunar. Eragon: can he win against the best at this level despite his sheet record? Lunar: can he support against the best without access to a Nick? Conversely, I think Xrn is motivated following getting haxed out of what was otherwise a Cratermakers DPL two peat, match of the week
SV DOU: KCric vs EternalSnowman-
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week 1

SV DOU: bagel vs Dubious:
Of course many people bolded bagel here and that makes sense.
Dubious has had incredibly strong performances in individuals but from my experience dou team tours are way different both from individuals and vgc team tours, however i have faith in dubious ability to outskill his opponents and his supporting team to provide him both a good team and good prep, as i said i wouldnt be surprised if bagel take this one but dubious is my guy and i will probably be the only person to bold him anyway..

SV DOU: zee vs Ann:
Zee is looking for revenge after the last two weeks and both them and kunal will work hard for this match and zee will be incredibly locked in for it, there's not a big mismatch here and im pretty sure ann and ratpacker will work incredibly hard in prep but i'm still giving it to zee since the pair of them + kunal has been incredibly successful so far

SV DOU: qsns vs Nails:
qsns is the goat and there is no doubt about that, however Nails is also one of the goats, has a great history in SCL and i think he has been in sv more than qsns in recent times, even though qsns had a good showing in the scl preview tour which means they still got it in this format, they are against Nails, basically everyone starts at a disadvantage against him, at least on paper

SV DOU: eragon vs Xrn:
this is the highlight of the week, in my opinion Xrn is the toughest player to face in this tournament, however eragon has hasayo as support and hasayo is probably the person that knows Xrn best, we'll see if this will be clutch in this match. I'm giving it to Xrn and qrChar as i think they will prep a lot for this one and of course Xrn wants to put last Sunday's match behind as soon as possible and have a good start in this SCL

SV DOU: KCric vs EternalSnowman:
SCL debut for KCric against the 2nd best DOU player in SCL last year.
KCric is coming off of a very solid DPL score + osdt run, on the other hand esm hasnt done too well outside of SCL, but i think he's one of the hardest players to prep against especially in your first SCL match. In this match i consider esm a bit more ahead due to their experience in SCL and mike's support which has been very effective last year with feyy, i wouldnt be surprised if KCric takes it as he's been going crazy recently, but i'm more confident in the esm + mike pair
 
Predicts from someone who hasnt watched a dou game in 6 months


bagel vs DubiousBulb1033 - Always view Bagel in big tours as someone who will go around even; this is a great way to start the tour off strong vs someone who is getting used to DOU team tours where it's hard to adapt within a game vs a set. Code buff as well.
zee vs Ann - very hard to bold against the person who supported spurrific to the best record into getting the best record themselves.
qsns vs Nails - predicting a slight Nails hangover post-worlds in an otherwise great mu, feels 51-49 for me. Going against my PRs for this one
eragon vs Xrn - Super unfortunate W1 mu for one of these two to start 0-1, I'm taking xrn because I always like the small innovations he brings rather than trying to break the meta. I'm used to seeing Hasayo support so it'l be interesting with the tide turned.
KCric vs EternalSnowman - These draft players are taking over... there's like 7 of them in scl...

Quick prs because these are always fun to compare after the tour - Always hard to rate peak vs consistency and whether ur support option works well with you. I generally value previous results more than theoretical peak, but it's so hard since DOU always seems to cluster around a majority 5-4/4-5 normal distribution of records, rather than having large laggards/risers like some singles tiers.

Terrors - zee, kunal (manager)
Islanders - Xrn, qrChar
Machines - eragon, Hasayo
Spartans - Nails, PigWarrior19
Foxes - qsns, Smudge
Shoguns - KCric, breakfast enjoyer
Gible - bagel, Code
Dynamos - EternalSnowman, mike
Breakers - Ann, ratpacker
Platoon - DubiousBulb1033, Akaru Kokuyo
 
WEEK 2

KCric vs Ann
Ann ft packer support loaded well and played well last week, i didn't fw the rain kcric loaded but he won so i can't argue w. it that much. could definitely see KCric winning here but ill bold Ann off of vibes

Nails vs zee
Nails looked really good last week until he didn't, while the Kunal x zee prep fell short of being able to take the win over the Ann/packer slot. I actually really liked Nails's team, hoping to see another cool cook from him & PW19

EternalSnowman vs DubiousBulb1033
DB got really cleanly swept by bagel & code in the builder & in game last week— pretty unfortunate debut but i hope we get to see some better from him. i think ESM + mike can win this fs if they DONT bring some insane larp like CHLOROPHYLL WHIMS (skull emoji x20) and pull a diabolical autoloss like they did last week

bagel vs Xrn
DWCoP 2025.

eragon vs qsns
i dont think last week was the best performance from either of these players, hoping for a great match here— especially now that they're both warmed up a bit.
 
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Hello I have been asked to do predictions! Last week we saw both Ninetales (Kyuremless snow), Rain, and basically no "standard" teams. Weirdly enough there was not a single Sinistcha but two Amoonguss, meaning people are probably expecting the pool to not respect sleep. It also gives a better Trick Room option too, so I am not really surprised to see this change as Amoonguss has been doing pretty well lately. It really was a diverse week but nothing really stood out as "meta changing" outside maybe Amoonguss doing well and Roaring Moon teams going 3-0 week 1, but Roaring Moon has always been good. I am excited to see what comes out of this week though since teams are definitely not afraid to think outside the box so far!

KCric vs Ann
I think both these players had solid games last week. I do think ESM looked off his game though while zee got a little lucky vs Ann but she was still able to close it out. Just based off prep I'll give Ann the slight edge but to be honest this could go either way. Exciting game!

Nails vs zee
Both lost last week but in different ways. Nails had a strong game bringing it down to a 5v2 but then wasn't able to close it out, while zee had a bad turn 1 off losing Gholdengo to a Tera Ghost Walking Wake. I don't have a real reason to not believe in either of these two, so I am just going to go off the slight downward swing zee has been on lately. But its zee, they have the skill to turn up their game. Again could go either way.

EternalSnowman vs DubiousBulb1033
Another game of two players who lost last week. I feel like ESM played a pretty weird midgame and just didn't have the tools to play the weather war and proceeded to lose. He just made some offensive reads when the game felt like it could still go either way. Its just the way of ESM though. Dubious on the other hand just got absolutely dismantled. The lead gave up momentum right away and then slowly losing everything to Gholdengo.. this felt like the most uneven game of the week. I also have to add it felt like everyone built and prepped in some way besides Dubious who brought the eragon team. I don't think using proven teams is a bad thing, but it just felt like a weird choice against someone like bagel. I know its week 1 but Dubious has a lot to prove now, and even though I think ESM played pretty subpar from what he is capable of I will still give him the bold this week.

bagel vs Xrn
Both won last week in very different ways. The bagel game was dominant and showcased his ability to shut down a team with a set game plan, while Xrn had to fight for his win in a weird midgame but ultimately was able to position himself into a solid endgame. Xrn has had bagel's number for a bit now it feels (I may be wrong I just remember the dwcop) and this is the type of tournament he thrives in. In terms of play last week I think everyone would agree bagel looked more dominant, but that doesn't take away from Xrn's ability to make the right calls when it needs to be done. If bagel can get a good match up with his unique building style and maybe catch Xrn off guard with a tech it could easily swing his way, but I think its safe to bet on Xrn for now.

eragon vs qsns
Every time qsns wins a game I'll place them one slot higher on my power ranking so they have now hit number 6! Potential -4 on the PRs... (go Machines :psywoke:)
 
W2:

KCric vs Ann
Both loaded solidly and played solidly. Had Kcric higher in my prs so bolding here. Both brought some offensive weather teams, and I tend to think of them pretty similarly in team selection, so this is my personal hl match.

Nails vs zee
Sucks to see that one of them will start 0-2. I do think there were some small endgame mistakes from Nails that felt more egregious than not foreseeing a tera ghost wake, so I will continue to bold Zee in the near future.

EternalSnowman vs DubiousBulb1033
Dubious kinda got rocked last week, which seems to happen to every VGC player. Bagel did the same thing vs KingOfMars 2 SCL's ago with a turn 4 win, so I have to give the bulb more credit than that. I expect this to be closer and bet that Bagel is more of a VGC killer than bulb is a bad player, while ESM had a closer game last week and I should expect them to play at a similar level and snag a win this week.

bagel vs Xrn
Bagel had a nice showing last week, but I still think xrn is top 2 in this pool for good reason after last week. Xrn tends to have these unbeleivable midgame transitions that flip how you view the game state, and I think this will happen again here. If bagel pulls off an upset or makes it an incredibly close game I will definitely rate them higher going forward and place bagel closer to that mental 6-3 slot that I view Xrn/Zee as.

eragon vs qsns
I don't want to overthink this one - a very close nails-qsns endgame shows they're pretty even, especially in a slot i rated as 51-49 last week. I view Eragon as that slight tier above how Nails felt last week, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt here even after coming off of a loss.

Thoughts on week 1:
I went 4-5 on predicts, only failing on the zee-ann game. I was pretty content being the only Kcric bold and one of the qsns believers. A surprising number of techs and innovations helped bring wins last week, and I hope we can continue to see innovation up until the end of the generation.
 
1/5 last week, can we get 0/5 this week?

Kcric vs Ann
Kcric won what felt like a larp off last week, I think ann looked a lot stronger in the builder

Nails vs zee
I liked Nails's team last week more than I liked zee's, they also played a bit better imo but this could totally go either way. Highlight match.

EternalSnowman vs DubiousBulb1033
Bolding esm is generally a good idea, I also think dubious got a wake up slap last week so I could see him waking up a bit.

bagel vs Xrn
Both looked solid last week but bagel's game is hard to take anything concrete away from, 2 very solid players and I'm bolding the person I think just barely takes it.

eragon vs qsns
2 suspect games last week but I think era will turn it around here.
 
[PLA] DubiousBulb1033 vs KCric [SHO]- Will dubious bulb finally win a game? Will Kcric load something that isnt eragon weather? Whose prep will be more impacted by reg M-C? These are the questions that plague this here game.
1. No
2. Yes, probably.
3. DubiousBulb, so long as M-C remains a more fun metagame than year 4 DOU
[GIB] bagel vs qsns [FOX]- qsns has positively surprised me this season while i think bagel has pretty exactly hit expectations. I think if you ask me 2 weeks ago I say this is a pretty easy bagel bold. I still think this is a bagel bold, but it wont be as easy. Funny enough, I do think that the angle for bagel here is loading as "Code" team as possible, this is one of those weeks that I think will be heavily impacted by the builder.
[ISL] Xrn vs EternalSnowman [DYN]- xrn shmurn has nothing on the power of friendship
[TER] zee vs eragon [TMS]- We all agree this isn't where we expected both players to be at the beginning of the season, tho i think i'd say that on eye test the zee losses look a bit better than the eragon losses (zee really should also be 1-1 rn). I don't think the eragon woes end quite yet unfortunately.
[BRE] Ann vs Nails [SPA]- Nails games have somehow looked cleaner despite the fact that he kinda lucked zee last week, not too big of a fan of Ann's clicking in either game this SCL.

its go time lets do some predicting iPetBigfoot gephicka Hasayo SEA
 
[PLA] DubiousBulb1033 vs KCric [SHO]- I don't think bulb has been preparing too well for the opponent at hand. I don't dislike their teams in concept but it's hard to judge their play when it's been such an uphill battle both weeks. KCric has been playing very clean with great matchups both weeks. Hoping for a bulb comeback though!

[GIB] bagel vs qsns [FOX]- i almost leaked a paste this morning so it's been going great

[ISL] Xrn vs EternalSnowman [DYN]- xrn looks pretty much as unstoppable as ever and ESM has been bringing very ESM teams, though they've looked quite strong. I think this is a likely w for xrn unless the dynamos shake it up a ton.

[TER] zee vs eragon [TMS]- I have not liked zee's brings too much, it seems very much like comfort picks that don't match up too well into the player/scout. definitely got lucked last week but it's still a shaky-ish start. eragon had pretty close games against me and xrn so I'll predict on him coming up.

[BRE] Ann vs Nails [SPA]- There is a good chance that ann has a crushing matchup here but last week was kind of a swing and a miss. I was a bit worried that Nails' teams would not be updating to the metagame (read: 0 roaring moon for the season) but last week's looked very solid so I will predict for my goat.
 
[SHO] breakfast enjoyer vs Xrn [ISL]- i think kcric is benching for a regional?? In any case breakfast enjoyer SCL debut is incredible for the culture. Unfortunately its against an Angry Xrn who has been performing well this season, albeit did lose last week to the power of friendship. Should be a fun one, tho I bold Xrn in high confidence here. I think I've pinned Xrn down as someone who is incredibly good at playing against players who spec into the standard or maybe only slightly off beat, which I think applies to bfast as I don't think I've seen that insane of a range out of them quite yet.
[SPA] Nails vs eragon [TMS]- Machines teammates from like 2 or 3 years ago duke it out, tho if im not mistaken this is like a super Nails favored head to head in SCL historically. Two 1-2 slots whos team are really relying on them for a win, should make for a very interesting matchup.
[GIB] bagel vs zee [TER]- zee breaks the slump here, i feel it in my bones. I've honestly liked the teams that they've been loading and their play has been very solid this scl except for 1 or 2 turns here or there, 0-3 doesn't properly tell the story of this slot. On the other hand, bagel has been playing well, with wins under ppl i ranked under him on the PR and losses to people i ranked higher. I ranked zee higher therefore I bold zee.
[BRE] Ann vs DubiousBulb1033 [PLA]- DB finally got a win! and looked strong doing so. For the sake of the history if VGC players in SCL, I hope he's able to ride this momentum going forward. Ann also just got a nice win with tera freaking bug okidogi against a subbed in pigwarrior. I think that the Ann Packer duo has been building some scary teams and they're gonna have the matchup here no doubt, which to me gives Ann the edge.
[FOX] qsns vs EternalSnowman [DYN]-
1790007566860.png

Hasayo qsns iPetBigfoot gephicka charmdi lets get some predicts going!!
Wow this guy is so brave he bolded xrn nails zee and against db. What brave predictions!!!
 
[SHO] breakfast enjoyer vs Xrn [ISL] - Slay I know you can

[SPA] Nails vs eragon [TMS] - Nails been overreading too much lately, eragon's been underreading. I suspect eragon will be able to simplify into nail's playstyle though and have a slight advantage in load.

[GIB] bagel vs zee [TER] - I like bagel's teambuilding takes more right now and rate these two pretty evenly on gameplay despite records.

[BRE] Ann vs DubiousBulb1033 [PLA] - two teams with heavily mismatched support/starter timezones. Ann is just a safer pick overall though dubious' win last week was pretty solid.

[FOX] qsns vs EternalSnowman [DYN] - For the sake of US west in DWCOP 2026 I am an esm hater until proven otherwise and a Smudge prep bomb believer until proven otherwise. Esm's losses have been very disappointing and his win last week over xrn, while great on paper, didn't speak much to me in terms of what actually happened in game while QSNS has been pretty motivated to perform and has a great support.
 
Teams I liked in SCL week 4

:tyranitar::gholdengo::rillaboom::roaring-moon::ogerpon-wellspring::landorus:
Tyranitar is in a tough spot in SV DOU and while trying to build it I did arrive at a similar conclusion that its best build might be with no Sand Rush Pokemon, since it really likes Gholdengo as a partner. We didn't see the item but I'm pretty sure it'll be Grassy Seed. Choice Scarf is crazy though.

:glimmora::ogerpon-hearthflame::iron-hands::iron-bundle::roaring-moon::landorus:
Seeing Iron Bundle is funny, although I find that mon really weak. Tera Ghost is the right fit for it. I'm definitely going to try that team out on ladder. It looks a bit weak to Trick Room but with fat sets it's probably fine.

:ninetales-alola::okidogi::ogerpon-hearthflame::landorus::kyurem::sinistcha:
Your typical snow team, threatening in the builder. Nothing to say. It's just good stuff. Scarf Landorus and Covert Cloak Okidogi are becoming staples here. Hearthflame takes the place of Incineroar for a faster team, making it stronger into an opposing Okidogi.

:torkoal::farigiraf::rillaboom::landorus::walking-wake::ogerpon-hearthflame:
Typical sun, it saw usage in DPL, ESM brought something like that last year as well. As long as it's able to deny Hazards it does well. Bagel isn't running Tera Dark Foul Play like ESM but instead went for Nasty Plot, which gives it a more offensive presence.

Teams I found OK

:cresselia::incineroar::torkoal::ursaluna::walking-wake::ogerpon-cornerstone:
I like those six, I posted a team like that on the SCL thread last year. Zee made a couple changes, Cresselia is now Tera Fairy Moonblast, which means it's better into Roaring Moon but worse into Okidogi, unless they dropped Helping Hand, which is a big appeal in running Cresselia. The Incineroar isn't Assault Vest, meaning it's better into hazards but with a lower damage output. Walking Wake was probably Assault Vest, to get more value from Lunar Blesssing but since it dropped the Speed bonus from Protosynthesis, the team now has more trouble dealing with fast threats like Hearthflame. It's the change I liked the least.

:rillaboom::sneasler::raging-bolt::ogerpon-hearthflame::landorus-therian::kyurem:
I like the six together. Everybody is bringing Scarf Kyurem this SCL, at this point there's no surprise effect anymore, which means the set loses value over Assault Vest. I'm a big hater of the Landorus set though. Special Landorus-T already hits like a wet noodle. Why does it have a Covert Cloak ? Nobody wants to Fake Out Landorus-T because of its low damage output and the threat of Stomping Tantrum, special Lando-T doesn't care about Breaking Swipe drops and it dies to Glaciate anyway. Grassy Seed Tera Bug Raging Bolt is a good set.

:cresselia::incineroar::ursaluna::diancie::ogerpon-hearthflame::rillaboom:
Eragon modifies one of his flagship teams. Incineroar replaces Torkoal. The damage output of the team drops dramatically. It now has a much harder time into Snow and Gholdengo, but the team is more solid into Hearthflame. The problem with supporting Calm Mind Cress is that it is slow to setup and actually deal damage, while being very weak to phasing. I'll try it, maybe I'll like it.

Teams I did not like

:moltres-galar::incineroar::amoonguss::diancie::ogerpon-wellspring::baxcalibur:
I think those six have a big Diancie and Gholdengo problem, that requires you to use Tera just to have an even game. Incineroar Diancie Amoonguss almost always run Sandsear Landorus as a fourth Pokemon for this reason. Baton Pass and what is certainly Weakness Policy Diancie is funny though.

:glimmora::tornadus::spectrier::iron-hands::ogerpon-wellspring::chi-yu:
This is a known build that people stopped using because it is very weak to Diancie. The stronger Chi-Yu builds right now run Sinistcha and Landorus to patch that weakness. People by now are aware of all the sets, including Heavy Slam on Hands and Taunt on either Tornadus or Wellspring. Dubious also made a crucial change, which is making Spectrier Nasty Plot instead of Choice Specs. The whole appeal of this team is that Specstrier+ Chi-yu is able to threaten Snow, Cresselia and fatter teams with a huge damage output turn 1, and now it can't do that anymore.
 
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Making my predictions debut for this SCL (50% chance I don't make any more posts). Almost halfway through the regular season and it looks like the pool is starting to separate some but really anything can happen at this point (I went 3-1 -> 4-6 last year). We've seen a decent mix of new stuff along with optimizations and reuses of established teams and hoping to see more cool stuff.

Ann (55) vs eragon (45) - Two players with highly regarded support teammates but sitting at opposite ends of the standings right now. Ann is sitting at a clean 3-1 winning the matchup game consistently aside from maybe the week 2 loss against KCric. On the other hand a 1-3 record does a bit of a disservice to eragon's play as he's had some close losses. Honestly I might prefer eragon's play to Ann's so far but neither have played bad in my eyes, so I'll give a slight edge to Annpacker over Hasayagon given how well the former have been prepping.

Nails vs bagel - glhf

Xrn (70) vs Akaru Kokuyo (30) - I'd be scared of an extra motivated Xrn this week coming off a loss to a critical hit, and even at 2-2 they are still the scariest player in the pool on any given day to me. If I ignore sun psyspam I think the brings have all been very solid and the play has been just as strong if not stronger. Still personally going to default bold Xrn unless something truly disatrous happens. Akaru is looking to kick start the Platoon DOU slot after a rough start from Dubious. While Akaru is a strong player who has the skills to win against anyone, my underlying issues with the Platoons has been team selection with some questionable picks so far and Xrn is maybe the last player you want to play when that is your issue.

zee (45) vs EternalSnowman (55) - Last year's two top records facing off. zee came into this tour a lot of people's favorite but both their team choices and play have been underwhelming so far so I'll give the nod to ESM who has looked solid with much of his usual fare so far. I'm not looking for zee to necessarily invent the perfect meta-solving team or to get every play perfect, but they've seemed to be on the back foot in most of their games and they obviously have the ability to take their game to a higher level than it's been at so far. ESM is a one of one in terms of both team choice and playstyle and I'm always excited to see what he brings and how his opponents choose to approach the unique matchup.

qsns (50) vs KCric (50) - My personal highlight match (and gotta sneak a tie in somewhere). To the shock of everyone qsns does NOT look crusty and washed?! I kid but they have been playing well with some fun team choices, with only one loss to someone who must be really good to be able to beat qsns. It hasn't been a perfectly clean journey up to this point with some shakey moments in a couple games, but I their team choices and play have been strong enough that I wouldn't blink if they ended up with the best record in the pool when everythings all said and done. KCric took a week off (for vgc apparently?) to let breakfast enjoyer aura farm by subbing in, beating Xrn, then dipping. But before the detour KCric was looking very impressive to me aside from a hiccup against Dubious where it seemed KCric got a bit impatient against a rough matchup. But the first two weeks I thought both team picks and play rivaled any at the top of the pool so im excited to see the bounceback.
 
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