Iguana
formerly mc56556
Hey, everyone!
My goodness, Smogon Tour 30 playoffs are here, and these do matchups not disappoint. Sensational matchups already, and it's only Round 1! I am extremely excited for these, so I couldn't resist writing up some predicts. :)
1. BK vs. 16. Kenix ~ Although we saw a number of upsets in the last Smogon Tour playoffs, I think this first matchup will fall according to seed in BK's favor. Bro Kappa has been in remarkably good form this year, and their numbers in ORAS during this Tour are something to behold, especially in how they have no comparison. While there have been a number of players who have acquired significant amounts of points in SS and SM, no one has come close to matching BK's success in ORAS. And then, BK still put up very respectable point yields in SS and SM, clearly indicating a proficiency in all three Gens. Intriguingly, Kenix is one of a group of lesser-known players in these playoffs who amassed a large amount of points from SM to qualify for playoffs. It'll be interesting to see if this trend continues into next year's Smogon Tour(s). In any case, I think BK will win ORAS and SS to Kenix's SM.
2. SoulWind vs. 15. Finchinator ~ SOULWIND has been the best Pokémon player of 2020. There, I said it. He won went undefeated in SPL, won Smogon Classic VI, and now is the 2nd seed in Smogon Tour 30 with a remarkably balanced point distribution (17 in SS, 13 in SM, and 18 in ORAS). His level of play and confidence are both sky-high, and it's difficult imagining him losing with any frequency going forward. Going up against Finch in Smog Tour is no easy feat, though. He's been playing some excellent CG OU recently, and it feels like he's still improving. These are not SOULWIND's preferred tiers, and while I think SW will take ORAS, I predict Finch will put in a substantial amount of prep work and win SS and SM.
3. Giannis Antetokommo-o vs. 14. Juuls ~ Ah, Giannis. Star basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks and apparently quite the force in SS OU now as well! And you'd be forgiven for thinking that Giannis' success this Tour really has been based around SS OU; after all, he did have the third-highest point acquisition in a single Gen this Smogon Tour (25) in that Gen. However, I think one of the most underrated parts of Giannis' journey to the 3rd seed has been very respectable point acquisitions in ORAS and SM OU as well (11 and 10, respectively). The key to Smogon Tour is of course excelling in the three most recent Gens of OU, so this sort of distribution of success is quite valuable at this point in the tour. Juuls has been one of the players with a lot of successful in SM OU during this tour, which is not to be overlooked. They've also put up decent numbers in SS and ORAS OU. I think Giannis' all-around proficiency will be too difficult to overcome in this matchups, and I'm picking him to win in three.
4. beatiful vs. 13. Luigi ~ Very interesting matchup here. This is a tricky one to predict. Based off of recent success and in-form play, I'd give the edge to bea. They've had an excellent Snake so far, featuring, interestingly, a win against Luigi in SS OU that may well be a harbinger of another win in this series. However, bea is facing a very experienced and accomplished Smogon Tour player in Luigi, who not long ago won this whole thing. If this were just a competition of SS OU over a game or three, I would pick bea. But it's not, and I give the edge to Luigi in SM and ORAS OU. I'm taking Luigi in three.
5. Empo vs. 12. xray ~ I wish I could really impart the number of times I've gone back and forth on this match. The scenarios that have to be examined to properly predict here are well worth it given the implications: I think it's very possible either of these players could go on to win the Tour. Empo has been not just knocking at the door of winning Smogon Tour recently, but has threatened to barge it down. Although the last Smogon Tour Playoffs featured the then #1 seed exiting playoffs early at the hands of Pohjis (*hint* why Pohjis could again be a dangerous floater in this Smogon Tour *hint*), you could argue that Empo has learned from the experience and is eager to build on their success. And while Empo hasn't quite had the meteoric success that they had in the last Smogon Tour setting the all-time single Tour point acquisition record, they've still largely continued from where they left off before. That all being said, xray recently has been quite the force to be reckoned with. I think from the start of this Tour, he was a popular pick to win or at least advance quite far. It's a shame that Smogon Tour Playoffs isn't double elimination because of first round matchups like this one. At least we are able to enjoy this before one of the players departs from Playoffs. I think Empo will take SM and ORAS while xray takes SS, but I could easily see xray winning this taking SS and ORAS.
6. Ojama vs. 11. BKC ~ We are really in for something special here. Ojama vs. BKC in Smog Tour Playoffs in the first round? While I'm sure many would have preferred this matchup come in a later round--like, say, finals--any time that two of the greatest ever face in a playoff series will always be a spectacle and something to eagerly look forward to. Ojama has looked very strong in this Smogon Tour, displaying his usual blend of superior in-game play and teambuilding/team utilization. Seeing as though these are not his preferred tiers and he's been so successful throughout this tour up to this point, the prospect of facing Ojama so early is daunting. However, his opponent is none other than BKC. Arguably the most exciting part of this whole Smogon Tour has been seeing BKC not only participate again but also excel. He's consistently contended in the ORAS tours and put up strong showings in SM and SS as well. Having BKC return to Smog Tour playoffs is truly very exciting, perhaps for all except his opponents who have to face off against a 2x Smogon Tour champion. I think this match will ultimately come down to SS; BKC is stronger in ORAS and Ojama in SM, making SS quite the intriguing Game 3. Although BKC has been having fun and taking it easy throughout the qualifying period this Smogon Tour, I think we'll see his excellent preparation and competitiveness propel him to victory as they have time and time again.
7. Pohjis vs. 10. Typhlosion48 ~ Pohjis has just been tearing through these major tours this year, and it's very impressive. Be it an old Gens or CG tour, they have been excelling. To put things in perspective, in addition to qualifying for both Smogon Tour playoffs this year (and making it to Smogon Tour 29 finals), they qualified for RBY-SM Championships this year. But, this is another tour, and it remains to be seen whether Pohjis can replicate their success from the last Smogon Tour. This will be a tough early round test against a talented and up-and-coming player in Typhlosion48, but I predict particularly given the abundant experience they have, Pohjis will come out of this victorious. I'll say Typhlosion narrowly wins SM, and Pohjis wins ORAS and SS.
8. John W vs. 9. Star ~ In a first round of playoffs full of astoundingly good matches, this is the one I'm most looking forward to. And yes, that's despite Ojama vs. BKC and Finch vs. SOULWIND. John W I've been saying ever since the beginning of this Smogon Tour has been playing some excellent Pokémon. Very solid builds and play throughout his matches. His expertise in ORAS and SS OU have served him quite well up to this point. And honestly, he's looked like the player to beat in much of this Tour. If he were against almost any other player, I'd be picking John W here without hesitation. But, his opponent happens to be none other than Star. I had the pleasure of managing a team tour with Star on it earlier this year, and I got to see firsthand what an amazing player he is. He's one of those players who seems to snap his fingers and excel in a tier. I think John W will take ORAS and SS, while Star takes SM in a close and tightly-contested match. This could definitely go either way, though.
My goodness, Smogon Tour 30 playoffs are here, and these do matchups not disappoint. Sensational matchups already, and it's only Round 1! I am extremely excited for these, so I couldn't resist writing up some predicts. :)
1. BK vs. 16. Kenix ~ Although we saw a number of upsets in the last Smogon Tour playoffs, I think this first matchup will fall according to seed in BK's favor. Bro Kappa has been in remarkably good form this year, and their numbers in ORAS during this Tour are something to behold, especially in how they have no comparison. While there have been a number of players who have acquired significant amounts of points in SS and SM, no one has come close to matching BK's success in ORAS. And then, BK still put up very respectable point yields in SS and SM, clearly indicating a proficiency in all three Gens. Intriguingly, Kenix is one of a group of lesser-known players in these playoffs who amassed a large amount of points from SM to qualify for playoffs. It'll be interesting to see if this trend continues into next year's Smogon Tour(s). In any case, I think BK will win ORAS and SS to Kenix's SM.
2. SoulWind vs. 15. Finchinator ~ SOULWIND has been the best Pokémon player of 2020. There, I said it. He won went undefeated in SPL, won Smogon Classic VI, and now is the 2nd seed in Smogon Tour 30 with a remarkably balanced point distribution (17 in SS, 13 in SM, and 18 in ORAS). His level of play and confidence are both sky-high, and it's difficult imagining him losing with any frequency going forward. Going up against Finch in Smog Tour is no easy feat, though. He's been playing some excellent CG OU recently, and it feels like he's still improving. These are not SOULWIND's preferred tiers, and while I think SW will take ORAS, I predict Finch will put in a substantial amount of prep work and win SS and SM.
3. Giannis Antetokommo-o vs. 14. Juuls ~ Ah, Giannis. Star basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks and apparently quite the force in SS OU now as well! And you'd be forgiven for thinking that Giannis' success this Tour really has been based around SS OU; after all, he did have the third-highest point acquisition in a single Gen this Smogon Tour (25) in that Gen. However, I think one of the most underrated parts of Giannis' journey to the 3rd seed has been very respectable point acquisitions in ORAS and SM OU as well (11 and 10, respectively). The key to Smogon Tour is of course excelling in the three most recent Gens of OU, so this sort of distribution of success is quite valuable at this point in the tour. Juuls has been one of the players with a lot of successful in SM OU during this tour, which is not to be overlooked. They've also put up decent numbers in SS and ORAS OU. I think Giannis' all-around proficiency will be too difficult to overcome in this matchups, and I'm picking him to win in three.
4. beatiful vs. 13. Luigi ~ Very interesting matchup here. This is a tricky one to predict. Based off of recent success and in-form play, I'd give the edge to bea. They've had an excellent Snake so far, featuring, interestingly, a win against Luigi in SS OU that may well be a harbinger of another win in this series. However, bea is facing a very experienced and accomplished Smogon Tour player in Luigi, who not long ago won this whole thing. If this were just a competition of SS OU over a game or three, I would pick bea. But it's not, and I give the edge to Luigi in SM and ORAS OU. I'm taking Luigi in three.
5. Empo vs. 12. xray ~ I wish I could really impart the number of times I've gone back and forth on this match. The scenarios that have to be examined to properly predict here are well worth it given the implications: I think it's very possible either of these players could go on to win the Tour. Empo has been not just knocking at the door of winning Smogon Tour recently, but has threatened to barge it down. Although the last Smogon Tour Playoffs featured the then #1 seed exiting playoffs early at the hands of Pohjis (*hint* why Pohjis could again be a dangerous floater in this Smogon Tour *hint*), you could argue that Empo has learned from the experience and is eager to build on their success. And while Empo hasn't quite had the meteoric success that they had in the last Smogon Tour setting the all-time single Tour point acquisition record, they've still largely continued from where they left off before. That all being said, xray recently has been quite the force to be reckoned with. I think from the start of this Tour, he was a popular pick to win or at least advance quite far. It's a shame that Smogon Tour Playoffs isn't double elimination because of first round matchups like this one. At least we are able to enjoy this before one of the players departs from Playoffs. I think Empo will take SM and ORAS while xray takes SS, but I could easily see xray winning this taking SS and ORAS.
6. Ojama vs. 11. BKC ~ We are really in for something special here. Ojama vs. BKC in Smog Tour Playoffs in the first round? While I'm sure many would have preferred this matchup come in a later round--like, say, finals--any time that two of the greatest ever face in a playoff series will always be a spectacle and something to eagerly look forward to. Ojama has looked very strong in this Smogon Tour, displaying his usual blend of superior in-game play and teambuilding/team utilization. Seeing as though these are not his preferred tiers and he's been so successful throughout this tour up to this point, the prospect of facing Ojama so early is daunting. However, his opponent is none other than BKC. Arguably the most exciting part of this whole Smogon Tour has been seeing BKC not only participate again but also excel. He's consistently contended in the ORAS tours and put up strong showings in SM and SS as well. Having BKC return to Smog Tour playoffs is truly very exciting, perhaps for all except his opponents who have to face off against a 2x Smogon Tour champion. I think this match will ultimately come down to SS; BKC is stronger in ORAS and Ojama in SM, making SS quite the intriguing Game 3. Although BKC has been having fun and taking it easy throughout the qualifying period this Smogon Tour, I think we'll see his excellent preparation and competitiveness propel him to victory as they have time and time again.
7. Pohjis vs. 10. Typhlosion48 ~ Pohjis has just been tearing through these major tours this year, and it's very impressive. Be it an old Gens or CG tour, they have been excelling. To put things in perspective, in addition to qualifying for both Smogon Tour playoffs this year (and making it to Smogon Tour 29 finals), they qualified for RBY-SM Championships this year. But, this is another tour, and it remains to be seen whether Pohjis can replicate their success from the last Smogon Tour. This will be a tough early round test against a talented and up-and-coming player in Typhlosion48, but I predict particularly given the abundant experience they have, Pohjis will come out of this victorious. I'll say Typhlosion narrowly wins SM, and Pohjis wins ORAS and SS.
8. John W vs. 9. Star ~ In a first round of playoffs full of astoundingly good matches, this is the one I'm most looking forward to. And yes, that's despite Ojama vs. BKC and Finch vs. SOULWIND. John W I've been saying ever since the beginning of this Smogon Tour has been playing some excellent Pokémon. Very solid builds and play throughout his matches. His expertise in ORAS and SS OU have served him quite well up to this point. And honestly, he's looked like the player to beat in much of this Tour. If he were against almost any other player, I'd be picking John W here without hesitation. But, his opponent happens to be none other than Star. I had the pleasure of managing a team tour with Star on it earlier this year, and I got to see firsthand what an amazing player he is. He's one of those players who seems to snap his fingers and excel in a tier. I think John W will take ORAS and SS, while Star takes SM in a close and tightly-contested match. This could definitely go either way, though.
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