Every year, there is talk of removing RBY/GSC from SPL because they're trash coinflip tiers -- like extreme matchup disparities, Terrastalization, pinch berries, and Z-moves don't win games just as quickly quickly as bad RNG -- and of how Smogon should be CG-focused. It's rare that a new-gens player is successful in old gens, and rare that an old-gens player plays new gens, and it's clear that most old gens remain popular with sizeable communities and continue to grow year after year. Is it not time to have a CG-only PL and a separate old gens PL?
We see people complaining about certain players going undrafted in these tours as well. Whether any one of those people has a point is irrelevant. The fact is, people are snubbed in favor of multi-gen flex slots. This becomes a problem when you have 9+ gens and 12+ slots in a tour -- a number that will likely grow in the coming years with a 10th and 11th generation -- and when there is a disconnect between the playerbases and managers. It isn't the fault of the players or managers that this is a multidisciplinary competition. It's just hard to keep up with the goings on in the mons community when there is a general decentralization and compartmentalization of playerbases. This isn't limited to SPL, either. I do not mean this to be an indictment of anyone either. I just see it as a problem that one person can be accepted as a top player in the community, but will not be allowed to play in the most prestigious old-gen team tournament -- because SPL cannot pretend to be a CG tournament when two thirds of the slots and eight of nine tiers are devoted to old gens, including the flavor-of-last-month tier gen 8.
It isn't better for the game that the best old gens players don't get drafted or play on the big stage until a year or two after they've proven themselves to be one of the best players in a tier to a manager who is more concerned with winning the draft in CG than in unearthing or otherwise just drafting
a top player in RBY or GSC for example. It doesn't help CG that you put it together with tiers that 'nobody plays' -- or maybe it was 'nobody who's anybody?' -- and it doesn't help old gens when much of their playerbases go unnoticed in favor of players who are picked up to 'do a job', to take care of the dirty work that obviously no one is interested in doing. I do not mean to demean any of the players in this or a previous year's SPL. I don't have a list of players I think aren't deserving of playing in any of them, nor do I have a list of players who I think deserve a slot more than any others. Obviously the tournament should be exclusive, and having flexible picks is one of the easiest ways to look for strength across tiers. I think it should be more exclusive, though, and that there should be fewer flex picks and more mains, because the highest level of competition and the most exciting matchups week-to-week make for a better sport.
The best players often get their chances eventually. There are some players in recent years who have proven themselves to be the best players in one tier or another after getting their chance. There are also players who have proven year upon year that they are talented who have been left on the table. And there are also players who have not proven anything who get the chance to play in SPL and exceed all expectations to prove that they deserve a seat at the table, whether in their first or fifth year on the scene. Politics aside, I'm here because I love the game and the people in it. It's not personal, either, but I know there are a significant number of talented and new players who see SPL as an unattainable dream. "Why should I play RBY when I'll never be good enough to get drafted?" and "This was the year I worked so hard to get in. What was I working so hard for? Haven't I proven myself already?" are things I've heard after being around for a minute. I get that it's supposed to be competitive, but when people play every tour on the calendar to great success with the dream of playing against even tougher competition in a team tour setting, they probably aren't playing just for fun. This is the most important tour on the site for some, and there are things that can be improved for both the viewing and participating experience.
Let's also not forget that this is as much a spectator sport as a player sport. Maybe decoupling old gens from CG hurts old-gens stock. I doubt it. We saw what happened when Smogon dropped RBY and Pokemonperfect took up the mantle. Having two tours does not diminish the spectator experience. People stumble upon old gens on Smogon all the time -- and not through SPL. BKC is on a mission to create a new crop of Smogon's best and brightest, too. A number of people stumbled on their favorite tier through his channel. Amaranth and Cherryb0ng don't have the same reach, but their content is of the highest quality and has been inspirational to some. Most people don't come here to watch CG. It's highly likely that they don't even know what Smogon is until long after watching a YT video or being introduced to the PS! simulator through a friend. Most casual players learn the game through YT or on the ladder, and we have rules of play that are simple and unobtrusive to the casual playing experience. In other words, the casual hobbyist is likely not to know what SPL is or how to navigate the site to find it, and should they stumble upon it, they will not be looking to see the latest DPP techs
unless they've already decided to play DPP. There are plenty of bubbles on the site. I emphasize playerbases for that reason. There is no least common denominator when people either love or hate a tier based on what they grew up with or what's fun to them.
I'd like to think I'm somewhat qualified to speak on this, as someone who has bounced around a couple of old gens communities and made the effort to bring talented casual ladder players into semi-competitive play on Discord side tournaments. I've seen which communities are thriving and healthy, and which are a bit starved for engagement. Usually the tiers that do the best at drawing new crowds are the ones that see a strong connectivity between the top players and the grassroots. There are seeds to be watered and fruits to be sown, regardless of tier, and I don't think we can continue to pretend that Smogon is a unified community of players who play the same tiers. The Classic is supposed to be the 'old gens tour' -- a bone thrown to enthusiasts of gens 1-5. It's of no consolation to players of gens 6-8. Gen 6 is home to one of the strongest communities on Smogon, as we saw with this year's inaugural ORAS Invitational. I can recall knowing about SPL two or three years before I was even active on the site, but I only learned of the Classic just before joining. There are levels to the game, and SPL is very clearly the highest and most prestigious to the casual observer.
Once again, I have not set out to lambast anyone or make light of the tournament. Overall, I'm quite pleased with this year's tournament, and I'm excited to see the matchups that will be played. I do not contest that the Smogon community tries to do what's best for the game as a whole -- after all, what use is speaking my mind when I'm convinced I'll just go unheard? I believe there is room for improvement and the narrative that the status quo is optimal falls short of painting the full picture. I think a bit more attention needs to be paid to the enthusiasm of old gens players, and an old-gens team tour decoupled from a CG-centric SPL improves the chances that some of the hardest workers on the site are noticed years ahead of schedule and improves the viewing experience. Old gens are not an afterthought to the playerbases any more than gen 7 might be an afterthought to a gen 6 player. It's clear there is a slight disconnect between different parts of the community. If you don't agree it's a problem now, then please consider what things will look like with a gen 10 or 11. It's time to consider the future of the game, because old gens players are becoming increasingly common, generation after generation, year after year. Or idk, just drop non-preview gens because they're unplayable coinflip tiers and 32 Recover PP is busted
using Kyledove's Nemona sprite
based on Kyledove's Morty-Masters and Nessa-Masters sprites
based on Kyledove's Turo and ORAS Pokemaniac sprites, huge shoutouts Altthiel <3
based on Kyledove's Hilda-Masters and Brock-Masters sprites 
