SPL X UU Player Showcase

[Finchinator]

Hello everyone!

This thread will be used to showcase a number of newer players to the UU tournament community. These players have not yet gotten the opportunity to compete in tournaments such as SPL or SSD during the course of SM, but they have put up results throughout the circuit over the past year to merit consideration for the upcoming SPL. Each of these individuals has begun to stand out and we hope to see them all continue to play at a high level moving forward. Without further ado, Sage and I present the SPL X Player Showcases for SM UU!

 

[Sage]

PLAYER NAME: Eyan

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: UU Open VI Top 16

PLAYER SUMMARY: A constant in the UU community since the ORAS era, many people felt that Eyan was on the cusp last year and should have been picked up in SPL 9. Indeed, Raiders manager Pearl said after the draft that he had strongly considered Eyan before settling on Pak (who had a break-out performance in the tour), and strongly recommended other managers look to Eyan during mids. While Eyan focused more on hosting than on playing during the 2018 UU circuit, he is a well respected player with years of experience and an interesting eye for teambuilding. He has put in respectable performances every UUPL, and during early SM in particular, Eyan had a major influence on the formation of the metagame.

WHY DRAFT EYAN?: While Eyan lacks the tour peaks that some other players might have, he brings with him a wealth of knowledge that can be invaluable to an SPL team. In addition to being a talented teambuilder with a good grasp of the metagame, there are also few players as familiar with the current field of UU players than Eyan. Both of his two most recent UUPL teams also spoke positively of Eyan's team presence, and the Smashers from UUPL V in particular spoke highly of his influence on their success that season. We think he could excel as a support option who could hold his own if his own number is called.

NOTABLE REPLAYS:

Vs. Blunder UUPL VI
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-373836

Vs bro fist (punisher of plays) UUPL V
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-272243

 

[Finchinator]

PLAYER NAME: edi0n

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Winner of UU Open VII, UU Circuit Quarterfinalist

PLAYER SUMMARY: edi0n, not to be mistaken with tournament mainstay Elodin, is a fresh face to the tournament scene. Despite being new, edi0n has stood out as a phenomenal player, winning UU Open in what was one of his first tournament appearances ever. While he is fairly soft-spoken and not necessarily super involved with the community, his gameplay and results make up for all of that and then some. While piloting a number of effective, consistent balance builds, edi0n has been one of the players to beat in recent UU tournaments and people should not expect anything different moving forward.

WHY DRAFT EDI0N?: While edi0n may not be the flashiest player out there and he certainly does not have the experience of top end players such as Pearl and Pak, he has recent results that are unmatched. He is the reigning UU Open champion and his deep run into the Circuit Playoffs is respectable, showing that he is more than just a one-hit-wonder. Moving forward, there’s no reason to expect any less from this up-and-comer, so he appears to be a smart pick for a cheaper starter in a strong UU field.

NOTABLE REPLAYS:

Vs. Amane Misa UU Open VII Quarterfinals

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-800809286
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-800826650
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-800817256

Vs. Teddeh UU Open VII Semifinals

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-398625
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-398629

Vs HarrisIsAwesome UU Open VII Finals

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-400340
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-400341

Vs. SilvioGuacamole UU Circuit Top 16

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-411593
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-411599

 

[Sage]

PLAYER NAME: SilvioGuacamole

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: ULT 2018 Top 8, UU Circuit Top 16

PLAYER SUMMARY: Silvio is another player that has slowly been building a reputation in the UU community, and he is one of the most balanced and safe options available. While he doesn’t excel in any one category, he has few to none abusable tendencies and can pilot nearly any matchup well. He had above average to good results in nearly every UU Circuit tour, just missing out on the top 16 on Open and Majors, and will always be counted on for staying in a match till the end.

WHY DRAFT SILVIO?: Silvio would make a good choice as a support option / cheap pick the pool, given his solid meta knowledge and dedication to the tier. If you draft a tournament player or less established UU presence he would ease their prep during the week, while still being a competent player able to fill in and potentially get some wins, especially in the environment of more proven players. He would be very motivated to do well in his first official tour, and that winning mentality could take him far.

NOTABLE REPLAYS:

Vs. edi0n UU Circuit Top 16
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-411593
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-411599

Vs. Robjr ULT 2018 Top 16
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-373927
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-373933
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-373937

Vs. Sage ULT 2018 Quarterfinals
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-746427157
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-746431373
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-746439251

 

[Finchinator]

PLAYER NAME: HarrisIsAwesome

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: UU Open VII Runner Up, Grand Slam Quarterfinalist, UU Circuit Top 16

PLAYER SUMMARY: HarrisIsAwesome has been tearing it up across a number of tiers ever since the start of Grand Slam. While he also has respectable results in RU and even NU, Harris is widely regarded as a UU player and he is quite enthusiastic about the metagame, too. Throughout UU Open and various smaller tournaments over the last couple of months, Harris has piloted a lot of balanced and bulky-offensive teams successfully, using his aggressive playstyle to assure a strong position earlier on in games. While he may still be a bit raw overall, the UU Open runner-up is poised to have his individual success translate into team tournament results in the near future despite the core of the UU pool likely being more proven than him.

WHY DRAFT HARRIS?: While the obvious answer is here his results in big tournaments such as UU Open being stellar, there is much more than this that comes to the table when discussing HarrisIsAwesome. On top of his playing capabilities, Harris is also a very motivated, outgoing presence who wants to contribute to any team that will take him in and can spread his knowledge across various lower tiers. While he is not necessarily seen as a metagame trend-setter, Harris is not afraid to build teams on his own or use proven structures from others, making him perhaps less predictable than other new players. On top of this, Harris has been playing in every tournament he could fit in recently, staying as polished as he could be and trying to come into SPL ready to win on the biggest stage possible.

NOTABLE REPLAYS:

Vs edi0n UU Open Finals

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-400340
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-400341

Vs Pearl UU Open Semifinals

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-396367
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-396369
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-396371

Vs Elodin UU Open Quarterfinals

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-394785
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-394799

Vs Kushalos Circuit Playoffs

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-411342
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-411346

 

[Sage]

PLAYER NAME: Freeroamer

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: UU Open VII Top 16, ULT 2018 Top 16, UU Circuit Top 16

PLAYER SUMMARY: Freeroamer has been a steady presence in UU tournaments in recent months, playing at a high level, but never quite peaking. While he does not quite have as deep a UU Open run as some of the others, he makes up for that in metagame presence and consistency. Freeroamer has been an insightful teambuilder and general mind for the tier since at least UUPL. He has used a lot of effective bulky-offensive teams in his more important games, reflecting upon his controlling playstyle.

WHY DRAFT ROAMER?: While Freeroamer may not be a household name quite yet, he is determined to leave his mark on the UU tournament scene. That determination coupled with a knack for what’s good in the metagame will likely pay surprising dividends to whatever team may take the chance on him. Freeroamer has a very high playing ceiling, standing up to recent Snake / SPL players TDK and Shiba, and despite lack of experience, he is ambitious enough to be able to stand up to the spotlight, making him a promising prospect for a high level tournament such as SPL.

NOTABLE REPLAYS:

Vs Shiba Circuit Playoffs
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-406630
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-406640

Vs Elodin UU Open Top 16
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-393616
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-393623
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-393634

Vs TDK UUPL
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-373912

Vs Kory2600 UUPL
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-756530440

 

[Finchinator]

PLAYER NAME: Adaam

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: UU Majors III Runner Up, UU Circuit Top 16

PLAYER SUMMARY: Adaam is a flashy returning player, proving himself to be a fierce competitor in the most recent tournaments. His finals run in the highly competitive UU Majors distinguished him from a lot of other players, proving that he has what it takes to compete at a high level. Adaam uses a number of less consistent, but higher ceiling metagame picks such as Gengar more than the average player. However, this tendency often rewards him against specific opponents given his calculated bulky-offensive teambuilding style that he showed off in recent tournament games.

WHY DRAFT ADAAM?: Adaam may not be the most experienced in SM of the field, let alone from the group mentioned in this article, but he appears to have a strong ability to pick effective Pokemon or cores to use against specific opponents, which can prove to be very valuable in an SPL setting. On top of that, he still does have exposure that arguably matches that of those who made a deep run into UU Open thanks to his own run in the UU Majors. Adaam is a crafty, respectable presence that could definitely be a valuable addition to a strong UU field or at least be a smart supporting option.

NOTABLE REPLAYS:

Vs Pearl UU Circuit Top 16
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-406779

Vs Gondra UU Majors III Finals
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-410282
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-410290
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-410293

Vs Accelgor UU Majors III Semifinals
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-409515
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-409520

Vs Sage UU Majors III Elimination Round
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-403944
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-403950

 

[Sage]

PLAYER NAME: yeezyknows

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: ULT 2018 Top 16, UU Majors III Top 16

PLAYER SUMMARY: yeezyknows is perhaps a bit lesser known than some of the other names on this list, but he still is beginning to make a name for himself in UU tournament circles. Despite not being the most versatile teambuilder, yeezy has used a plethora of solid balanced and bulky-offensive structures in a couple bigger tournaments where he had respectable runs. His execution of these teams is consistently enough to surpass most counter teaming done against him and this should not be viewed as a major flaw. Throughout 2018, he made an initial splash beating Sabella in UUPL and qualifying for ULT. Since then, he has continued to perform very well, qualifying for UU Majors playoffs and making the top 16.

WHY DRAFT YEEZY?: yeezyknows is a unique prospect given his grasp on the metagame. While he may not be the most startable player among those listed here, he probably would be one of the better supporters a team could get. yeezy’s a very pleasant chat presence and he has a knack for building consistent teams. In addition, with more experience and exposure to top level play, which he already has been gaining firsthand in recent months, yeezy will likely be ready to perform at a high level in no time. His outplay potential is definitely among the higher in this pool while his floor is admittedly a little bit lower, and as he grinds more top level games that will undoubtedly rise.

NOTABLE REPLAYS:

Vs Sabella UUPL
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-747523661

Vs Eternal Spirit UU Majors Top 16
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-824083692
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-824087975

Vs Sage ULT Top 16
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-743509185
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-743512496
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-743516169

 

[Finchinator]

PLAYER NAME: Kink

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: ULT 2018 Top 8, UU Majors III Top 32

PLAYER SUMMARY: Kink is no stranger to tournaments seeing as he did actually play all the way back in SPL6. However, it has been a while since then and the Canadian wonder is hoping for another shot. Over the last couple of years, the King of UU has only solidified his gameplay and quirky teambuilding style. Full of interesting ideas and unique means of executing them, Kink has had intermittent success across UU tournaments for longer than most of the others in this thread have played. He has also been a successful manager of UUPL's very own Battle Girls for quite a long time now, holding 3 finals appearances and a win in the last 3 years, along with lots of tournament success in older UU generations, proving his ability to stay relevant.


WHY DRAFT KINK: Kink has been around for a number of years. This makes him one of the more intriguing options to pick as a starter from this list. While Kink still is not a household name, he is someone you can rely upon to be active and motivated, which are two appealing characteristics to assure. He has received rave reviews from his former players for his enthusiasm and dedication in the tier, as well as his unique take on teambuilding that can catch many an opponent off guard. On top of that, Kink is a long-time contributor, meaning his demeanor should not be put into question. Given that he is no slack when it comes time for the game and he is a pretty reliable prospect, there is definitely strong appeal behind the man formerly known as King UU!

NOTABLE REPLAYS:

Vs Adaam UU Majors
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-405925
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-405930

Vs Le Sabreur ULT R1
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-743376936
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-743382230
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-743386700

Vs Zugubu Royale ULT R2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-745408231
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-745413394
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-745419620

Vs reyscarface UUPL
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-373366

 

[z0mOG]

PLAYER NAME: elodin

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Doing something in slam playoffs and being the first player to get carried to 3 trophies

PLAYER SUMMARY: Boosted monkey who, by comparison, looks decent at times when playing low tiers. Elodin has been around too long to rightfully be a lower tiers player but it is what it is. After the dispelling of his former puppetmaster sogeking, Elodin really came into his own to prove his adequacy.


WHY DRAFT ELODIN: Okay stop asking me hard questions. You get a guy who can troll the smogtours discord I guess.

NOTABLE REPLAYS:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-406283
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-404283
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7uu-403339
These are his UU games from slam POs but I can't say I actually watched any of them so they might all be losses. Please somebody just draft him to get him out of my PMs.