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Tournament SCL VI - LC Discussion Thread

BlackKnight_Gawain

BlackKnight_Gawain

LCPL Champion
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Another year, another iteration of Smogon Champions League! This thread is the hub for Little Cup's involvement in the tour — we'll be posting matches, predictions, discussions, metagame trends, Norwood status of all your favorite players and whatever else relevant to the Little Cup side of things in this tournament. Much like the last three years, I'll be your host for the thread bringing you all the updates and commentary!
(less analysis this year but y'all better post)

Relevant Links:

SCL VI Commencement Thread
Schedule Sheet
Replays Thread
Usage Stats
Overall Spreadsheet

Teams in full:

1787609209633.png

LC Player Cores + Prices (starters in bold):

Studio Gible:
tazz (8000), Dugtrio Is Broken (3000)

Orange Islanders:
reggg (5000), babyboyblues (3500), Greedy_eb (no price)**

Indigo Platoon:
Hacker (7000), Gondra* (6000) [Quinn manager support]

Uncharted Terrors:
dcae (10,000), SammyCe123* (12,000), LB* (5000)

Technical Machines:
Envy (10,500)

Mt. Silver Foxes:
Laroxyl (9000)

Power Plant Dynamos:
Wail (7500), Kaboom (3000), Tempo di anguria* (3000), Leroipolux* (3000)

Showdown Shoguns:
Eniigma (13,000, retain)

Circuit Breakers:
Lokifan (7500)

Arena Spartans:
JuanSG (3000), PigWarrior19 (4500) [tko, ninjadog manager support}​
(* indicates that a player may be listed as signed up for LC and/or tierlocked but not necessarily playing)
(** indicates bbb cancered day 1 and was consequently sold back)​
 
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WEEK 1 PAIRINGS


[GIB] tazz vs Hacker [PLA]
[TER] dcae vs Lokifan [BRE]
[FOX] Laroxyl vs JuanSG [SPA]
[TMS] Envy vs reggg [ISL]
[SHO] Eniigma vs Wail [DYN
​
kicking off our favorite all star team tour this week are these guys!

tazz takes on hacker, hoping to go 1-1 vs bots

they're calling it the battle of who has taken the least showers so people don't think they're washed, dcae and lokifan

figuring out who's going to get madder mid game first, laro vs juan

there's tier leader envy hoping to bully first timer reggg

i have zero jokes about these guys and will take submissions, eniigma vs wail


post your predictions below. we don't have an official predictions tournament but predict away so we know who's got the most egoing about their favorites!

​
 
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[GIB] tazz vs Hacker [PLA] - From what I gather, new gen players are saying tazz is washed and only plays old gens in little cup forum tours. I have 3 things to say about this. 1. Tazz is undoubtedly, and declarably NOT WASHED! Ok so he did lose to a bot and kind of got exposed for doing so. But watch any of his SCL replays from last year, or his current games in old gens from this year. He is very solid at making game plans and not allowing the opponent to claw their way back. I implore people to watch games like tazz vs wail to see what the peak could look like. 2. Hacker has also mainly been farming old gens in little cup forum tours, so it's kind of similar for both of these guys this week. 3. Even goats such as yours truly only farms SS in these forums.

I think Hacker has had some of the best SV era grand slam runs on this site, and his first ever scl was also pretty decently played. He definitely has had a crazy amount of unfortunate games during his tenure in SCL. I actually think Hacker might perform top 5 in this pool. I just think he is unconfident in his team choices and starts to resort to bringing something that deviates from standard 6s, but those teams lack the aura that some of the absurd teams that Laroxyl or Eniigma would use have. He might even be more prompted to bring on of these teams based on his comments on how boring this metagame is, and may perhaps try to think of some out-of-the-box method to handle Mienfoo when he could have just used TTM to accomplish his needs, for example. This matchup is very close and my vibes just says tazz but I rate this a solid coinflip and tied for a highlight this week.

[TER] dcae vs Lokifan [BRE] - Ok fine I will stop hating on dcae for one second here. 8th is definitely a bit too harsh on the smogon power rankings IMO. They also haven't analyzed dcae's games as much as I have for a decade. Most of the time the play is solid, sprinkled in with a tasteful of aggressive doubles to make sure he's winning his games. It's like a slightly more aggressive tazz. There are two (maybe three) major issues with dcae that we will see this tour. 1 will be the team choice. 2 will be the tilt factor (sometimes it looks like dcae misses winning opportunities if one small thing doesn't go his way, like a crit). 3 will be if he leaves the team entirely (I don't think this is likely, tbf). We can also see how his gameplay may fall flat. I linked it as a meme but watch dcae vs Gondra. Dcae kept overpredicting even after a couple times of it not going his way. He refrained from twaving the vull, and some other things, and at the very end when Gondra was (perhaps involuntarily) in his head, he fire blasted a mareanie. It was a tough break, and I've been there before myself (infact, vs Gondra).

Lokifan thrives on winning with creative teams, and he has been pretty solid at this from his first scl and then half of his second scl. Things unfortunately fell down a bit, but I think he's back in form all fine. He also has an insane clutch factor. He has many wins in both scl and lcpl where he is the last game and his team needs the point badly. I generally think his team choices are an advantage against most players for him, even people like 2024 me, or perhaps Envy or tazz. I just think that this week specifically his anti-meta approach might not work into someone like dcae who might bring chargabug to snipe his palafin preevo. Another absolute highlight and I love watching both of these guys play TBH. Just don't troll too hard in the builder (both of you).

[TMS] Envy vs reggg [ISL] - I was considering getting reggg preseason because I remember testing with him some amount of times to test my teams in scl 4 and thinking he was pretty solid. Hard to hate on envy though, solid LC open run that was stunted by some misfortune at the very end, and I trust him to stop using ttm every game to net some wins. Reggg will surely be prepared for that.

[SHO] Eniigma vs Wail [DYN} - Pretty sure Wail could have won last year and I think Eniigma is solid at farming most players with random guys just because people are not prepared to fight random tera poison munchlax or something along those lines (IDK), but wail timed out and we never got to see how it played out. I think wail plays crazy offensive though and as long as he's prepared for the cheese he will have some sheist lines to not let himself get in a bind. Don't get me wrong I think enigma is still gonna go positive but not against wail, moreso against like.... other players here.
 
[GIB] tazz vs Hacker [PLA]

I think tazz wins. If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s tazz bringing an optimal team and being dedicated to the smallest details: coverage, fundamentals, preparation, all of it. He’s just extremely diligent.

Hacker has been getting good results for years across a ton of teams and formats, and I genuinely think he belongs in the top half of this pool. But there’s more variance in his team choices than with tazz, and he can definitely overcook once in a while.

For that reason, I favor tazz.

[TER] dcae vs Lokifan [BRE]

I am super, hyper, duper high on dcae. He’s probably the guy I’ve played and tested with the most in my lifew e used to literally play each other for hours.

So of course dcae can steal this.

But from my POV, Loki is still the best player in the world, and that status remains unchallenged for now. This is probably the highlight matchup of the week.

Lokifan.

[FOX] Laroxyl vs JuanSG [SPA]

This one gets insane because I think it’s pretty obvious who the better player in the matchup is.

Laro isn’t just some LC specialist who appears once a tournament starts. He was a very important player for Team Italy and has been a crucial part of Cooper's and DC's back-to-back LC performances.

Juan can absolutely outcook him and steal the matchup through prep. But on equal grounding, I think Laro wins most of the time.

Laroxyl.

[TMS] Envy vs reggg [ISL]

This is the matchup I’m most hyped to watch.

reggg is fundamentally amazing, and with greedy eb behind him they’re going to prep as well as they possibly can. I expect that prep to be almost impeccable.

And reggg isn’t some random beginner either. I genuinely think he could make a claim for the top half of this pool, and I expect that to become more obvious as the season goes on.

Still, I think this is finally the moment where Envy's intuitive play, even with his somewhat predictable teambuilding, makes the jump toward that best-in-the-world conversation.

So Envy.

But only this time, my brother Reginald.

[SHO] Eniigma vs Wail [DYN]

I’m not particularly high on either of them, even though Eniigma has made my life miserable on ladder more times than I would like to admit.

The Eniigma experience is always the same: you start thinking you’re outplaying him, everything looks fine, and suddenly you’ve lost to Coil Ekans.

He can always outcook someone, and honestly I wouldn’t even be shocked if he finishes the season positive.

As for Wail: solid. Definitely good enough to win this particular matchup. But I don’t expect him to dominate the pool. To me, he’s basically the definition of average to slightly below average within this specific peer group, which is obviously an insanely strong group of players.

So give me Eniigma.
 
LilyAC's Definitive Power Rankings

Whilst I appreciate other people's attempts to rate players based on their actual playing ability, that is an outdated approach. The truth is that SCL is an AI arms race. Bots are taking over Smogon, and soon everyone will be making plays based on guidance from their AI browser extensions. Therefore I will be ranking players based on how willing and able they are to acquire and use AI tools.

#1 - dcae
When it comes to cheating, dcae is undoubtedly a seasoned veteran. He is a known rat. He will go to great lengths to be among the first to use AI in his gameplay, actively seeking out the most powerful models. He has zero moral boundaries, and this confidently places him at the top of the rankings.

#2 - Lokifan
Whilst I don't expect Loki to use AI, he simply doesn't need it. He is the MichaelDerBeste of LC and will outplay the bots through sheer brainpower.

#3 - Envy
Without risking a ban for racism, I will only mention that he is Brazilian. Draw your own conclusions.

#4 - Eniigma
Eniigma probably won't use AI himself, but he will constantly bring Pokemon that never appeared in the training dataset. His opponent's AI will get confused trying to decipher wtf a Shroomish does. This gives him a significant edge over most of the pool.

#5 - Laroxyl
Notorious for his AI-generated team logos, Laro will have no issues AI-generating his own gameplay.

#6 - reggg
His stone-cold demeanour in the LC discord leads me to believe he has no sympathy for his opponents and won't hesitate to use a bot to gain an advantage - but there are questions around whether he has the necessary social connections to acquire one.

#7 - tazz
Already holding a negative record against 70% GXE ladder bots, it is crucial that tazz uses an AI model of his own if he wants any hope of competing. If he doesn't, it's over for him. This elevated risk leaves him in the bottom half.

#8 - Hacker
Hacker is a known smoghorse and goody two-shoes. With his huge social network, I have no doubt he could theoretically obtain the relevant tools, but he'd be quicker to snitch on his own team than to use them himself.

#9-10 - Wail & JuanSG
These users are simply too kindhearted (and/or technologically incompetent) to set up and use an AI browser extension.
 
LilyAC said:
#1 - dcae
When it comes to cheating, dcae is undoubtedly a seasoned veteran. He is a known rat. He will go to great lengths to be among the first to use AI in his gameplay, actively seeking out the most powerful models. He has zero moral boundaries, and this confidently places him at the top of the rankings.
Click to expand...
Facts! Every test game we played during lcpl he had to ask ChatGPT what to do on each turn.
 
LilyAC said:
LilyAC's Definitive Power Rankings

Whilst I appreciate other people's attempts to rate players based on their actual playing ability, that is an outdated approach. The truth is that SCL is an AI arms race. Bots are taking over Smogon, and soon everyone will be making plays based on guidance from their AI browser extensions. Therefore I will be ranking players based on how willing and able they are to acquire and use AI tools.

#1 - dcae
When it comes to cheating, dcae is undoubtedly a seasoned veteran. He is a known rat. He will go to great lengths to be among the first to use AI in his gameplay, actively seeking out the most powerful models. He has zero moral boundaries, and this confidently places him at the top of the rankings.

#2 - Lokifan
Whilst I don't expect Loki to use AI, he simply doesn't need it. He is the MichaelDerBeste of LC and will outplay the bots through sheer brainpower.

#3 - Envy
Without risking a ban for racism, I will only mention that he is Brazilian. Draw your own conclusions.

#4 - Eniigma
Eniigma probably won't use AI himself, but he will constantly bring Pokemon that never appeared in the training dataset. His opponent's AI will get confused trying to decipher wtf a Shroomish does. This gives him a significant edge over most of the pool.

#5 - Laroxyl
Notorious for his AI-generated team logos, Laro will have no issues AI-generating his own gameplay.

#6 - reggg
His stone-cold demeanour in the LC discord leads me to believe he has no sympathy for his opponents and won't hesitate to use a bot to gain an advantage - but there are questions around whether he has the necessary social connections to acquire one.

#7 - tazz
Already holding a negative record against 70% GXE ladder bots, it is crucial that tazz uses an AI model of his own if he wants any hope of competing. If he doesn't, it's over for him. This elevated risk leaves him in the bottom half.

#8 - Hacker
Hacker is a known smoghorse and goody two-shoes. With his huge social network, I have no doubt he could theoretically obtain the relevant tools, but he'd be quicker to snitch on his own team than to use them himself.

#9-10 - Wail & JuanSG
These users are simply too kindhearted (and/or technologically incompetent) to set up and use an AI browser extension.
Click to expand...
dcae is a classy man with values, please delete such defamatory post
 
WEEK 2 PAIRINGS

[SHO] Eniigma vs Lokifan [BRE]
[SPA] JuanSG vs dcae [TER]
[DYN] Wail vs Hacker [PLA]
[GIB] tazz vs reggg [ISL]
[TMS] Envy vs Laroxyl [FOX]


It's been a crazy week 1 and a great showing from all our SCL LCers so far, some assorted highlights include:​
  • The complete absence of a mon (unless you count the one game it was busy being passenger princess getting carried in the back) that took us 4 years to free because we thought it was broken (it's not).​
  • Our two newest SCL names putting on a showcase that our oldheads didn't think they'd be capable of (congrats Juan and reggg on your first wins)​
  • whatever the hell eniigma and loki brought that was way more interesting than the 4th ttm of the week​
  • hacker getting owned by his own invention (the knock off + throat chop adamant vullaby combo)​
  • dcae and loki throwing down the spiciest endgame to keep us all hooked

    Now for week 2, this week we got:​
  • The two most likely names who never clicked the viability rankings page on our forum​
  • Supposed Cancer Risk in LCPL vs Alleged Cancer Risk in LCPL​
  • The two guys most likely to push the aipom agenda (of doing nothing)​
  • proficient in old gens unc vs proficient in old gens zoomer​
  • Tier leader who doesn't pick up my calls offering bribes for the reset of the tier vs guy who would be charging me 3x bribes if he was tier leader for the same thing


    Drop your predicts below, looking forward to another great week of SCL LC this week!​
 
BlackKnight_Gawain said:
WEEK 2 PAIRINGS

[SHO] Eniigma vs Lokifan [BRE]
[SPA] JuanSG vs dcae [TER]
[DYN] Wail vs Hacker [PLA]
[GIB] tazz vs reggg [ISL]
[TMS] Envy vs Laroxyl [FOX]


It's been a crazy week 1 and a great showing from all our SCL LCers so far, some assorted highlights include:​
  • The complete absence of a mon (unless you count the one game it was busy being passenger princess getting carried in the back) that took us 4 years to free because we thought it was broken (it's not).​
  • Our two newest SCL names putting on a showcase that our oldheads didn't think they'd be capable of (congrats Juan and reggg on your first wins)​
  • whatever the hell eniigma and loki brought that was way more interesting than the 4th ttm of the week​
  • hacker getting owned by his own invention (the knock off + throat chop adamant vullaby combo)​
  • dcae and loki throwing down the spiciest endgame to keep us all hooked

    Now for week 2, this week we got:​
  • The two most likely names who never clicked the viability rankings page on our forum​
  • Supposed Cancer Risk in LCPL vs Alleged Cancer Risk in LCPL​
  • The two guys most likely to push the aipom agenda (of doing nothing)​
  • proficient in old gens unc vs proficient in old gens zoomer​
  • Tier leader who doesn't pick up my calls offering bribes for the reset of the tier vs guy who would be charging me 3x bribes if he was tier leader for the same thing


    Drop your predicts below, looking forward to another great week of SCL LC this week!​
Click to expand...
[SHO] Eniigma vs Lokifan [BRE] — I’ll bandwagon for Loki until the end of the tour. I don’t think I need too much commentary here, as Loki is the #1 in the pool, and it is not even close. Eniigma can always hit a Deerling team and take it, though.

[SPA] JuanSG vs dcae [TER] — I am not ready yet to give Juan the edge. I still think it is too early to say he is the better player here, considering that even if he had Laro’s leaked prep, he couldn’t have hit a better matchup than he did. His team was simply too good against the TTM (I don’t know why people treat it as some immaculate team structure when it mostly doesn’t win games?). Also, Juan’s biggest weapon is finding teambuilding holes, as with his infamous sun team. In a normal, even matchup, or even a slightly unpleasant one? I pick dcae with my eyes closed.

[DYN] Wail vs Hacker [PLA] — As I said last week, I am not that high on Wail, and Hacker has a tendency to overcook his preps. I think Wail is building momentum, considering his last LC tours and his Week 1 NP Vullaby lead win. Still, one thing you can count on Wail to do is bring the most standard team ever and play an OK game with it (which is a good quality to have), so Wail.

[GIB] tazz vs reggg [ISL] — Reggg is the steal of the draft, and I said it pre-draft. His Classics endeavor wasn’t some miracle or anything; the dude legit picks good teams and plays according to the plan. If I were to teach someone how to play or pick teams, I would show them reggg’s replays. I think he gained momentum with that win and is set for a surprising and historical season.

[TMS] Envy vs Laroxyl [FOX] — I think Laro is a machine (whoever has teamed up with him knows). However, he isn’t the type to find a glitch in the builder, and neither is Envy. The game will most likely become a very, very standard battlefield. I do favor Envy here, as I consider him less likely to tilt midgame. Still, this is the most even matchup in my simulation.
 
WEEK 3 PAIRINGS
[PLA] Gondra vs Eniigma[SHO]
[GIB] tazz vs Laroxyl [FOX]
[ISL] reggg vs Wail [DYN]
[TER] dcae vs Envy [TMS]
[BRE] Lokifan vs JuanSG [SPA]​

We're already 3 weeks in and watching some crazy stories unfold from just 2 weeks in. Hacker's won the dubious prize of first starter to be benched, with Gondra rising up to take the LC slot vs Eniigma. Juan and reggg have both started strong, racking up 2-0 starts to their debut seasons versus some of the higher rated players in the pool. dcae and envy, meanwhile enter for 0-2 starts and only one gets to walk away with a first win of the season.....
Team of the week goes to JuanSG for the foul rain tko made me test, worth to see it win this week. LC is doing a great job of trying to diversify despite a centralized meta, although even the most active LCer would be forgiven for forgetting aipom is free because that guy has not showed up since a do nothing in the background week 1 game.............maybe this week?


Drop your predicts below, most creative team wins a 33 cent prize from LC's own cooper!
​
 
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