OU SPL XII GSC Discussion Thread

Iguana

formerly mc56556
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SPL XII GSC Discussion Thread

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Potential SPL XII GSC Players


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Alpha Ruiners
- Hyogafodex, Raichy


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Congregation of the Classiest
- TDK, Mazinger, Kenix

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Dragonspiral Tyrants
- Conflict, Gilbert arenas

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Cryonicles
- Vileman, TC, roystopror

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Wi-Fi Wolfpack
- ABR

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Team Raiders
- FOMG, Aliss

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Stark Sharks
- Fear

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Ever Grande BIGs
- Zokuru, ziloXX, McMeghan (can only play GSC after Week 2 due to signup restrictions)

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Indie Scooters
- false, vani

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Circus Maximus Tigers
- gorgie, dice


Hello, all, and welcome to the SPL XII GSC discussion thread! In this thread, please feel free to discuss potential GSC players on each team, GSC games throughout SPL, trends in the metagame, and more! Just please be respectful of one another and keep topics relevant. Here's to some great GSC this SPL! :)


SPL XII Schedule

SPL XII Commencement Thread

Week 1

FriendOfMrGolem120 (Raiders) vs. Zokuru (BIGs) - https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen2ou-537339

gorgie (Tigers) vs. false (Scooters) -
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen2ou-537488

Conflict (Tyrants) vs. TDK (Classiest) -
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen2ou-537203

TC (Cryonicles) vs. Hyogafodex (Ruiners) - https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen2ou-536904

Fear (Sharks) vs. ABR (Wolfpack) -
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen2ou-536736

Week 2

FriendOfMrGolem120 (Raiders) vs. Hyogafodex (Ruiners)

TDK (Classiest) vs. ABR (Wolfpack)

false (Scooters) vs. Fear (Sharks)

Zokuru (Bigs) vs. TC (Cryonicles)

gorgie (Tigers) vs. Conflict (Tyrants)


(Thread approved by Earthworm and amazing SPL XII artwork of course by Zracknel!)
 
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What are the storylines to look out for?
Who do we think has made a good showing throughout the year and who might be able to bring results that we may not have seen before?
Who consistency throughout this year does anyone think could carry over to the context of a team tour?
 
Contrary to the above Mr.E post, I think it will be very interesting to see if some of the less proven upcoming players can overcome nerves against the players with years of experience on the biggest GSC OU stage the world has to offer.

Ruiners: If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time either of these players are playing GSC in SPL? Looks like Hyoga has played all of the other classic tiers though. Remains to be seen if he and Raichy can pull off upsets against their more experienced opposition. I am not really expecting a lot out of the Ruiners GSC slot but both are fairly solid players so I don't expect a 0-9.

Classiest: Another zero SPL GSC experience slot I believe. My expectations aren't high here either. For this slot to be successful, I think it will need to start out strong, otherwise I suspect tilt might set in. TDK and Mazinger are certainly skilled players and might pull off some surprise victories, but to me they are very unproven in GSC at this level. Kenix had some recent success in GSC tournaments but I would not expect that the success would equate to consistent victories at this level.

Tyrants: Conflict is one of the most experienced GSCers out there and he is quite good at adapting to changing metagame environments. Gilbert arenas is also a strong player in general and to me he seems as though he has a good understanding of the metagame, probably extending beyond the basics that most players have and heading into the territory of not falling for potential traps that might be set in a bo1 (as does Conflict). I suspect the Tyrants will get good mileage out of their GSC slot.

Cryonicles: This is definitely the dark horse GSC slot of the tournament. While they don't have SPL GSC experience, they are at least dedicated GSC OU mains unlike some of the other GSC slots. Management did well to pick up a strong GSCer alongside TC in Vileman, whose internet issues are well known. Both players have strong fundamentals and an awareness of where they can vary their team building to mess with their opponents. I'm curious to see how the managers will share the slot between the two. (I doubt roy will be playing GSC)

Wolfpack: ABR is one of the strongest players on the site and has SPL GSC experience with I think an 80% win rate, though a fairly small sample size. He has significantly influenced the metagame through his GSC play as well. I expect a solid performance this SPL from this slot.

Raiders: FOMG is one of the most solid GSC players you can pick. It would be very surprising to me if he went negative. He is great at evaluating situations and keeping his cool, although he faces strong challenges from players like ABR and Fear. Aliss is also a respectable GSC main and will be able to provide solid support for the slot.

Sharks: Fear needs basically no writeup, he is clearly the player to beat this tournament. Fear loves the psychological aspect of the game and is great at picking opponents apart based on what they know, what they don't know, and what they might assume. He's also wildly successful with a huge variety of gimmicks. It will be a very steep uphill battle for the unproven slots to outdo him.

BIGs: This is a bit of a wildcard slot. Zokuru and McM both have SPL GSC experience with positive records whereas ziloXX is fairly unproven despite some recent success. However, Zokuru's results seem to vary wildly and he runs the risk of being too predictable, even when he plays offensive teams, despite his overall solid play. McM of course can easily be successful in whatever tier he plays. I expect all three players to get some games in and am expecting a positive record overall, but there could be upsets along the way.

Scooters: This is a very risky slot. false and vani are both decent players with some solid results in recent GSC tournaments, but whether they can convert that to SPL GSC success is a big question mark. My expectations aren't high for this slot but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

Tigers: Here we have two very experienced players with positive recent SPL GSC records in gorgie and dice. Both of them can be a bit hit-or-miss at times but they are innovative and overall solid players. They are unlikely to be favoured against the heavyweight slots, but you can probably expect at least one upset. They can be expected to come up with a positive record between them.


Not going to rank the players but you can probably guess from the descriptions how I would order them approximately.
 

Diophantine

Banned deucer.
the pirate is being boring and not ranking them so the parrot shall:

Stark Sharks - Fear: clearly the man to beat and has been for a while. Probably the best in both the builder and the battlefield.
Wi-Fi Wolfpack - ABR: ABR being ABR gives the false image of making jumping into an old gen and excelling in it look easy. Like Fear, he's very clever in the builder and undoubtedly a great battler, and has influenced the GSC metagame in recent years. He previously ran the risk of being a bit predictable, as seen in his Classic run, but I suspect he's learned from that.
Dragonspiral Tyrants - Conflict: Very creative builder and is also a great battler like the top two. I suspect we may see a lot of "new" techs from him. Please use Victreebel if you find yourself in a week that has no overall impact on the tournament.
Team Raiders - FOMG: Both Germans are strong. FOMG gets better every year despite starting out very well. Great at finding wins in quite tricky situations.
Circus Maximus Tigers - gorgie: my mans gorgie. Experienced player with an eye for preparing well for specific opponents. tbh anyone from number 3 to number 5 could be arranged anywhere among them. The middle 3 are pretty balanced.
Ever Grande BIGs - Zokuru: So predictable that he's unpredictable. He is a good player for sure, though. I expect a myriad of different teams from him just to shake the notion that he only uses one style.
Cryonicles - TC: Good player let down by his country's shitty Wi-Fi. I expect we'll see at least one timeout loss.
Alpha Ruiners - Hyogafodex, Raichy: Both are pretty decent and either could viably start. From what I've seen, Hyoga likes to stray away from the standard builds which could set this pair higher in the rankings but could also be a double edged sword. I am for sure looking forward to seeing what they bring.
Congregation of the Classiest - TDK: I've only seen TDK play GSC in RoAPL where he seemed to have a few good ideas but lacked the experience to pull them off. He is, of course, a great new gens player and I expect he would have grinded gens 2 and 3 a lot recently before signing up to play only those two in this year's SPL. He also has the support of an extremely experienced manager. Perhaps we could see a new ABR situation?
Indie Scooters - false / vani: Not seen either GSC outside of false's room tour endeavours. Interested to see if they can perform in SPL.
 
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Cryonicles: This is definitely the dark horse GSC slot of the tournament. While they don't have SPL GSC experience, they are at least dedicated GSC OU mains unlike some of the other GSC slots. Management did well to pick up a strong GSCer alongside TC in Vileman, whose internet issues are well known. Both players have strong fundamentals and an awareness of where they can vary their team building to mess with their opponents. I'm curious to see how the managers will share the slot between the two. (I doubt roy will be playing GSC)
This sentence makes it sound like Vileman has the connection issues.
 
I don't have something to say about each of these players, partly due to me not having paid too much close attention to previous SPLs.
That said I have some observations I have to point out about some players:
Cryonicles: TC has proven to be really solid this year and has showed us with tournament placings that having the earliest win in a GSC smogon tournament this year was no fluke. Indeed, Earthworm can confirm that there is little in the way of this man when he sets his eyes on victory ("little in the way" being his internet connection). Vileman is also a strong player, and though I have only been paying attention to his playing recently in GSC PL, I should think that his consistency means that he more than knows his way around tournament situations like these. He can think on his feet and imo is full of promise especially with such a strong player on his side for support.

Raiders: I am biased here but it's interesting to see FOMG on a team that isn't the Ruiners. Not much to say here. The guy is really good and won 2 SPLs in a row, and he wasn't carried either. Last year he tied with Kratos for the best record of 8-3 (though that may not have been the case before the playoffs). Aliss is also really strong and I am excited to see how she will play. I expect these two players to get along well since they are from th same country.

Bigs: Zokuru & McM together not only sounds like trouble for other teams, but a recipe for a lot of creativity teambuildingwise. I wonder what this year's season will have in store for us this year. Zilo XX is also a solid pick so if this trio can make sure not to come across an upset by the lower player level (this is not meant in offence to anyone), then they should do quite solidly.

Stark Sharks: Fear. It's Fear. (Pls bring some of that Zapdos magic)

Indie Scooters: It may be a tough time for the two here. I at least hope Vani is as comfortable playing OU as he is in Ubers, where he is indeed a threat.


[If I didn't mention you sorry. I just didn't have time but that doesn't mean that what I say counts for much when compared to better players. Some obvious mentions don't need my introduction anyway.]
 

bruno

is a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Past WCoP Champion
World Defender
1- ABR: Im gonna guess nebs ends with at least 7 wins, with one of the losses being either fomg or fear. Not only is he already good at the tier, he has bkc and tony to bounce ideas with. I mean, he'd already bounce ideas with them even if they weren't teaming, but being teammates will motivate that a lot further. tony's great building help for any tier and bkcs pretty much the best gscer there is even if he doesn't play, so the support jumps him to first.

2- Fear: No need to say anything. Will be hype to watch the replays and see what teams he comes up with as usual.

3- FOMG: Always solid, pretty much last one in the rankings that is almost impossible to expect a negative record from. Jturt as a teammate can also be very underrated help but depends on how active he is.

4- gorgie: Gorgie did really good last year with almost to no gsc support, and this time he actually has dice and he's with callous which i'd assume means he's going to tryhard more because of the overall environment of the server instead of bringing no normal resist, which sounds unstoppable. Maybe he actually flops this time around but i'll trust him to do great.

5- TDK/Ginku/Kenix: Well i guess this is literally the same spot i had last year. Depends on how much tdk is willing to try but i have a hard time believing this slot will struggle much with d0nut's help in the shadows so for now 5 sounds fine. I don't really know who kenix is because i haven't been following stuff too much, sorry man. ginku too busy getting lit

6- Zokuru: Zok did fine last year and he's pretty much on the same spot this year with roro being his main support and someone to stop him from using dumb shit. Should be ok.

7- Conflict: Gonna be a full on sheet warrior and say he has become crust based on last season but still has everything to do good. Could definitely be his comeback season.

8- Hyogafodex/Raichy: I remember when excal told me hyoga's main tier is actually gsc last year. I guess we'll find out. I'm guessing he's gonna be working with CE as well. Raichy's a fine player too. But yeah don't know what to expect+noone else to support, but tbh the ruiners always seem to have slots like these work out so i can't find myself ranking lower than 8.

9- Vileman/TC: Big hype to see vileman in. Hope you actually have a killer season man.

10- false/vani: LMAO false actually got bought for gsc. I remember linking a replay of him beating fomg or something in classiest and saying it's his time, and seems like tin actually agrees. Outside of that though i have no idea what's up except for the support of checks notes vani? Either way, will be fun to see how this goes.
 
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Rubyblood

Obluda, kierá nemá své jméno
is a Tiering Contributoris a Past SCL Champion
World Defender
1- Fear :
All recent gsc mainer have taken example from this incredible player, I have always loved his way of playing the tier with his personal touch that makes him unique. He also the skill to provoke luck to withdraw from a position of weakness. He is the creator of the famous team of jynx + golem + protectzap which is such a strong team.
He's got M Dragon support too. He will start with a minimum of 6/7wins and can easily take his 9-0.

2- Gorgie:
I was one of the few who predicted a positive score from last year's spl, which happened and got a 6-4 score beating fomg, fear, kratosmana who have been very strong this season and without real big support LOL. He is also one of the more experienced in the pool which gives him an advantage against other players. If he plays well and does not underestimate the new players in the pool he can also take 6-7 wins thanks to his talent, his experience and the crazy support of Dice.

3- FOMG:
FOMG is a player can be trusted for start in gsc
, he went 8-3 in the last spll and beat most of the big players in the pool. He was a big part of the Ruiners' victory last year. He should do well and take 6-7 wins. I put it below because sometimes it can happen to him to miss his game like week1 vs McM. He can Defeat Fear and Gorgie.

4- ABR:
ABR is obviously one of the best players on the site but not one of the best smogon GSCer. He still lacks the experience compared to some players. I found him particularly weak in his final against soulwind in gsc. Despite this ABR stay ABR. He has one of the best ingames and in a tier like the gsc that's very important. ABR will certainly be positive and can beat anybody. He also has the best support with Tony and BKC.

5- Conflict:
Conflict is historically one of the best smogon gsc players but had a complicated season last year if we take out the first two adv games he finished in 3-4. Which is not bad. He was also not very active. If Conflict brings Fire teams and he is motivate , it can end well . The fact that he is no longer with the sharks can be a major disadvantage or advantage too.


6- Zokuru:
Finished in a positive score last season, a good builder and supported by McM + Ziloxx.

7- : Vileman/TC .
Both players dominated their opponents throughout the year in individual tournament
TC plays fire teams and Vileman has a good ingame, the two complement each other well and can surprise.


8- : TDK/Kenix
I'm not a fan of TDK in gsc, he did 1-2 at the last roapl in gsc and didn't do anything else I believe in this tier, it would have been better in adv or current gens imo. TDK was a dominant player in the past and has run out of time. Maybe he can come back well who knows , Kenix play well and can replace if TDK ends badly

9 - : Hyogafodex/Raichy:
Hyogafodex had a disastrous season last year and I guess that doesn't reflect his level. He'll probably struggle against the top of the pool. Raichy has been good at the past in wcop but has seemed very inactive after that

10- false / vani:
False won a seasonal so it must be correct but it will not be enough imo and vani knows how to click. It will be difficult for them to bring some wins in this pool
 
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Century Express

melodies of life
is a Tutoris a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Former Old Generation Tournament Circuit Champion
World Defender
ABR vs. Foat is definitely the highlight of the week, Fear's semi-agressive approach - not only in the teambuilder (with some unorthodox picks that eventually estabilished themselves as a standard last year, see SubNightmare Mie and the very effective non-ST Zapdos movesets) - but in-game as well, is very effective. He plays most of his games very proactively (which is probably the optimal take in the modern GSC metagame), giving little to non-existant opportunities for most of his opponents to recover their momentum once things get complicated. ABR, on the flipside, knows very well how to craft and pilot solid teams, with a big emphasis to his near-flawless plays and patience at controlling the momentum in delicate situations (think of Spikes vs. Rapid Spin games, or deducing the right time to pivot around opposing Explosions). This game pretty much is a toss-up in my eyes

FOMG vs. Zokuru is another interesting match-up, assuming both flee a bit out of their comfort zone... by the way, I wish nothing but success to the "newcomers" starting (esp. Hyoga and false), but it would be nice to Vileman, Raichy and zilo GSC'ing in the future as well :toast:
 
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Century Express

melodies of life
is a Tutoris a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Former Old Generation Tournament Circuit Champion
World Defender
I agree with Conflict's team selection, there were a lot of good sinergy behind the (likely?) DrumLax, Zapdos & Blissey picks, and the presence of Cloyster / Missy backbone are one of the few cases where both are acceptable under a defensive framework, since Heal Bell guarantee that these kind of teams can aim for the long-term route against opposing defensive teams. I don't know about the Zapdos moveset choice though - I always felt like it suffered a bit from the moveset dillema... I'm assuming that Snorlax was a Belly Drum variant, so it would be very welcome to have a Sleep Talk Zapdos to scout or absorb status from Nidoking and Exeggutor (even if it sounds redundant with Blissey), but at the same time Whirlwind seems to be super welcome on these kind of teams, since it's a very respectable enabler with Spikes, and it provides the key role compression against opposing Mean Look users or Baton Pass chains.

Loved Conflict's team execution though - I think this build (with Missy or Golem, or maybe Rhydon acting as the FireLax answer) is probably one of the few effective Blissey builds in the current metagame
 

Iguana

formerly mc56556
Hey, all!

I hope you all enjoyed the first week of GSC games this SPL! :) I just wanted to share several thoughts and also update some parts of this thread. Firstly, with their recent release, I've updated the SPL XII avatars in the OP! In addition to that, I also added a section with the GSC matchups and then replays for each week so that if you need to reference anything as you post here, it'll be available in one spot.

That being said, I wanted to talk a bit about my observations regarding the GSC games in the first week!

FOMG vs. Zokuru
Going into this game, I'm sure a number of us were eager to see if FOMG would continue his stellar form from last SPL. Zokuru was his challenger, and he certainly is a formidable GSCer himself. The most interesting part of this game was for sure the Counter Jynx lead. It's an effective lure given that if it gets the matchup against Snorlax, the play often is to just Double Edge (unless your Lax isn't Sleep Talk and you have a more suitable Sleep absorber) because that way, you scout for your opponent's switch, potentially get some damage on a Cloyster if it tries to switch in, and get massive damage on Jynx if Lovely Kiss misses. It's also an intelligent move to run because if you can take out your opponent's Snorlax, an additional Psychic-type often becomes quite dangerous depending on the rest of your opponent's team. We saw this with Zokuru's Alakazam in the back, which threatened a lot of FOMG's team after the Lax was taken out. One of the other interesting parts about this game involves FOMG's kind of team. He brought a Misdreavus stall team, which was not uncommon at all in this week of SPL. Out of the 10 teams brought this week, 4 were Missy stall teams. That's a lot. Solid start for Zokuru, and I'm sure FOMG will rebound this week.

gorgie vs. false
Transitioning nicely from my point about FOMG's team above, this game featured a battle of two Missy stall teams. Very interesting stuff for sure featured in this one, which likely is fresh in many of our minds since it happened a matter of hours ago. gorgie brought a few techs, including Hidden Power Fire Skarmory and (what I believe to be) Hidden Power Grass Misdreavus. HP Fire Skarm made a big impact quickly when it nearly OHKOd false's Forretress on the switch-in. This was some good prep work by gorgie, though the concern with using these HP moves--particularly HP Grass on Misdreavus--is the DV drops. In long battles where pp consumption should be limited, taking more damage due to reduced defensive DVs is costly. On false's team, the dual status Missy was a nice touch in this game with the combination of Toxic and Hypnosis threatening a lot of gorgie's team. This was false's premiere playing GSC in SPL, and I think a lot of questions existed about if his accomplishments in GSC last year would translate to success in SPL or not. Leaving aside the timeout victory, I think false played decently in this battle and beating a veteran GSCer like gorgie should generate some confidence. For gorgie, I'm sure he'll work even harder to get back to even after Week 2.

Conflict vs. TDK
Next up is Conflict vs. TDK, which featured an excellent GSC veteran in Conflict taking on the SPL GSC newcomer, TDK. In terms of all-around individual performances during Week 1 in GSC, I think Conflict's was the best. His team choice and build were superb, and in-game, he also was excellent. In fact, out of all the Missy stall teams players brought in Week 1, I think Conflict's was the best. It featured some excellent synergy between Blissey, Misdreavus, and Cloyster, which Century Express and Texas Cloverleaf also nicely touched on above. I'm usually not a big fan of Spikes and Rapid Spin Cloyster, but on this team, it was phenomenal. Blissey's Heal Bell to prevent excessive status damage paired with Cloyster's ability to threaten other Spinners makes this threatening, even on a stall team. I won't reveal Conflict's Snorlax set in case he doesn't want the full set public, but he and I chatted after the game, and I think it was a solid choice on this team. Lastly, I think the Perish Song Missy is an underrated feature of Conflict's team, because even though it's not a trapping set, this prevents sweepers from causing problems throughout a game. TDK's performance in this game was definitely shakier. The Boom from Cloyster was really premature and did not work, and from there, I guess TDK felt that they had to make high-risk plays to make up for it. After going for 13.5k in the draft, I think many wondered if snaga and d0nut had made a questionable decision going with an unproven TDK in a top-heavy field. They'll have another challenging game this week against ABR, but perhaps they can rebound. As for Conflict, I'd expect another very solid performance from him this week.

TC vs. Hyogafodex
A rematch of their game quite recently in GSC PL (which TC also won), Hyoga looked to start off SPL in a better way than he did last year, eventually going 1-7. TC is a brand new SPLer, and he played solidly in this game. I have a team of the same six that TC used as well (different sets, but same six), and I find it functions really well in the current metagame. The dual Explosion and Electric options provide some offense while also being sturdy enough to defend against much of the metagame. This was a nice start from TC who can build upon this win and branch out from here. Hyoga didn't play this game poorly, but I think his team had a tough matchup and TC outplayed him in important moments. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how Hyoga rebounds and TC progresses in Week 2.

Fear vs. ABR
Last but certainly not least for Week 1 of GSC matches was Fear vs. ABR, which was one of the most touted matches for all of SPL. Unlike what probably anyone expected, ABR brought a very unorthodox Baton Pass team. BP teams are not unheard of in GSC SPL games (I'm sure some of you recall the Lavos team from a few years ago), but this one had some very quirky features, ranging from the Encore and Spider Web trap Smeargle lead, to the triple -eon core, to the Ice Beam Sleep Talk Lax set, and more. It's an interesting concept for a team, but against Fear, the best GSC player at the moment, I don't think it was the wisest choice on ABR's end. I'm honestly surprised that Tony or BKC (especially BKC) didn't step in and request ABR use something else. This SPL marks a change for ABR who has not played GSC in this tournament very much and usually opts for CG OU instead. I do think ABR will have a good tournament overall, as he's a good GSC player, but it will be interesting to see how he moves past this strange start to this SPL. I suspect we'll see ABR using something significantly more standard and solid this week against TDK, a much less experienced GSC opponent. As for Fear, it appears he's picking up where he left off last SPL, which will be exciting to see each week.

I'm curious to hear what you all are thinking as well after the first week of SPL GSC! Here are some prompting questions if you aren't sure what to talk about but want to contribute here!

  • What did you think of the ABR team choice? Was it well-constructed and a wise choice to bring against Fear, or ill-advised?
  • Four out of the ten teams brought in GSC games this week were Misdreavus stall teams. What do you think this says about the metagame, and/or why do you think so many Missy stall teams made appearances this week?
  • Zokuru's Counter Jynx drew a lot of intrigue after its successful use against FOMG. Will this see more usage on GSC offense teams in a way similar to how SPL GSC techs in the past have caused increased usage rates?
  • What metagame trends/interesting storylines did you follow this week? What are you looking forward to in Week 2 of SPL GSC?
 

Mr.E

unban me from Discord
is a Two-Time Past SPL Champion
I'm not enthused with some of the sets but ABR probably wins if he didn't pass up the free KO on Lax.

I've led with Counter mons a number of times and never managed to pull it off. It's a very high-risk strategy since it obviously only works on Lax leads first off, who is in fair balance with other leads -- Cloyster to setup Spikes quick against Lax leads, Electrics to stave off Cloyster, the occasional other -- rather than overwhelmingly common. It only really works against DE too, as Body Slam is nowhere near lethal if bounced plus the risk of PAR. Jynx brings specific concerns that it might scare off non-ST leads and it's weak to Fire Blast coverage (unlike, say, Gengar or Zam). I do think Counter/Coat are underrated moves in general, though. You just have to get pretty lucky for your opponent to walk into it on Turn 1.
 

Oglemi

Borf
is a Top Contributoris a Tournament Director Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Researcher Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis an Administrator Alumnusis a Top Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnus
What was with the extreme (relatively) Misdreavus usage the first week? Just complete happenstance or is it actually seeing more general usage overall?

4 appearances in one week is almost unheard of for the mon, esp considering it saw a grand total of 11 appearances last year.

Edit: just noticed mc kinda asked the same thing .-.
 

Conflict

is the 9th Smogon Classic Winneris a Three-Time Past SPL Championis the defending GSC Circuit Champion
World Defender
What did you think of the ABR team choice? Was it well-constructed and a wise choice to bring against Fear, or ill-advised?
Personally not a fan of the team ABR brought because it relied on a lot of linear play happening exactly as envisioned and seems to failt outside of that. The structure CAN work as seen before by Lavos' similar version but its still very reliant on chance. I DO believe that ABR's version was weaker due to Sleep+Trap not being allowed anymore + him trying too many weird sets that didnt do much to facilitate a sweep. I believe if his Jolteon+Vap had an atking move or atleast Roar and Umbreon had Sand Attack instead of Rest he would have had more tools to actually win. But with what he brought he had a very narrow win condition (basically Starmie and thats it, cudve easily lost to not having enough PP vs stallier teams) as well as contradicting strategies (BP to cheese a win quickly + sets meant for longevity w Umb+Lax).
Honestly felt ABR handicapped himself by using that team. Especially so because Fear is somewhat known to carry multiple Phazers.
Now all this feels like ABR was trying to win this game in the teambuilder due to not having the confidence to beat Fear in-game. Which strikes me as odd because i see him as a strong pilot.
Or maybe ABR just got hooked on trying to win with this style of team and tried to make it work against any better judgement. (I can sooo relate to that just check the amount of dumb shitI have brought like Gligar or SD-Scizor). Maybe ABR feels it in him to enlighten us all.

Four out of the ten teams brought in GSC games this week were Misdreavus stall teams. What do you think this says about the metagame, and/or why do you think so many Missy stall teams made appearances this week?
Too small of a sample size to draw any conclusions from this. Even 1 whole SPL season barely provides enough data to draw any conclusions about the metagame and viability of singular Pokemon. Useage and Winrate fluctuate a lot depending on player preferences and performance after all.

Zokuru's Counter Jynx drew a lot of intrigue after its successful use against FOMG. Will this see more usage on GSC offense teams in a way similar to how SPL GSC techs in the past have caused increased usage rates?
I really liked this application of teambuilding and incorporating techs. This was using a surprise set to its fullest potential while facilitating another uncommon threat in the form of Alakazam in the back. I doubt Counter-Jynx will become mainstream now because the usefulness of Counter is pretty much limited to DE-Lax using DE with Jynx being in good health but its certainly going to be on peoples mind now.

What metagame trends/interesting storylines did you follow this week? What are you looking forward to in Week 2 of SPL GSC?
Well i looked forward to ABR vs. Fear + gorgie vs. False in week 1 in particular. ABR vs Fear for featuring two of the very best. And i was quite keen on seeing false debut on the big stage in GSC after i had doubted his abilities publicly.
FOMG vs. Zokuru is another series i anticipated heavily - seeing as how both beat me last SPL.
For week 2 i was quite keen on watching these games:
False vs. Fear - interested in seeing the techs Fear brings and if false can keep up his good performance (didnt expect a win just a decent showing here at best). That game really proved that you cant take any wins for granted in SPL. No opponent is a total push-over.

I especially liked watching Zokuru vs TC. Zokuru was put in a hole early and managed to crawl out of it by playing the odds smartly and seeing any possible out from his bad situation. Impressive stuff!

I also didnt expect to see a shuckle in SPL. gorgie brought a multitude of interesting sets just ran in one of his worst MU's.

For week 3 these are the games I'm hoping to catch:

GSC OU: FriendOfMrGolem120 vs gorgie - can gorgie bounce back? What might he bring this week? Will FOMG keep impressing with solid and robut play?

GSC OU: Fear vs TDK - TDK beat ABR last week in rather convincing fashion whereas Fear had his first slip-up in a while. Can TDK keep rising to the challenge? Will Fear return to being the behemoth he is?
 

Jynx (F) @ Leftovers
- Ice Beam
- Psychic
- Counter
- Lovely Kiss

Had this idea quite a while ago and offhandedly mentioned it to zok before the first week started. He wanted to use zam vs fomg to try to catch an expected NidoGar team, and then somehow these two pkmn fell together really nicely. Since Snorlax always uses dedge vs Jynx t1 in case it tried to scout with sub, this strategy in lax lead interactions is very potent. We tested with several different lines (zap lead, nido lead, egg lead, p much all u can think of), and counter jynx still found surprising use, being able to converge midgame counters onto lax with more consistency than one might think. The team zok & I built around this pkmn and zam was definitely my favorite of SPL, and the tech paid off tremendously.

Think another reason why this works so well is because of how polarizing of a mon jynx is. I think it's a bit unexplored (I personally love mean look + perish jynx and think it should be used more). I think people may start to respect counter on jynx a bit more in the future and I'm interested to see how/if this alters lead interactions with Jynx vs Lax (maybe they go for EQ/flame?)

Ngl, I think jynx is a bad influence on the metagame. It provides nothing too substantial at the expense of creating more scenarios for fishing hax & more rng-influenced games. If there were some vote, I'd vote to ban this thing af because the meta would be better off without it imo.

Oh side note I tried to experiment w EQ hera cause it's extremely anti-nidogar, but it seems kinda bad af so I didn't get too far w that lmao. It was fun to build some cool stuff this spl and play at least a small role in zok's gsc campaign. He's def proven to be an incredibly solid GSC option w/ an 8-4 record over 2 SPLs vs strong opponents. I'm happy zilo is getting some playing time now and I just wanna say he's been starter-caliber from the getgo. I'm sure he'll be a full-fledged starter next spl and maybe would have been if the draft ended differently. ty for reading
 

Mr.E

unban me from Discord
is a Two-Time Past SPL Champion
Scouting for Substitute makes sense from the perspective of forcing STAB into Counter Jynx more than it ever worked for me with lead Zam, I'll say that much. The main scare still is that if they're Body Slam, they have a 30% chance of fucking you over with PAR and bouncing it back doesn't even deal enough damage to put them in KO range of Ice Beam... but DE is somehow taking over a huge market share of Lax sets anyway.

banning jynx tho lul
 
Didn't see anywhere else to post these so I'll just do it here


Don't Look Now (Gengar) @ Leftovers / no item
IVs: 14 HP / 28 Atk / 26 Def
- Hidden Power [Water]
- Explosion
- Ice Punch
- Thunderbolt / Psychic / Hypnosis / Thief

WaterGar is my favorite variant for its ability to turn the tables on Golem (17.9% to OHKO from full) - now you can actually beat it without having to sacrifice yourself with Destiny Bond. You also hit Steelix really hard (84.9% to 2HKO with Spikes) and can semi-reliably pressure Tyranitar more with good play (and the rare Houndoom!). 59% to OHKO a full health Rhydon too. The lowered bulk is little more than a mild inconvenience given how aggressive this Gar likes to play.


Strappado (Golem) @ Leftovers
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin
- Fire Blast
- Explosion

Blastlem is excellent if you have another phazer, which is not hard to fit given how good Whirlwind Zapdos is. Its primary function is preventing Forry from coming right back in as you Spin and Spiking again as you run from Toxic/Giga Drain. Being able to threaten Forry out is an excellent offensive trait in its own right - it gives Golem more opportunity to double switch in and both rack up Spikes on Forry while getting a Spin off. FBlast also makes Golem quite scary to defense in its own right - now that Skarmory can't wall it, it can threaten the other Normal resist (Rock/Ghost) with Earthquake and thus get a successful Explosion KO. Fire Blast also hits Cloyster switchins surprisingly hard - whereas EQ does 25 - 29.7%, FB does 31.6 - 37.2%, making Cloy quite reluctant to switch in with Spikes up, and yet it has to or the Spin goes uncontested. Finally, being able to chunk Exeggutor switchins is nice as well.


Blue Ruin (Cloyster) @ Miracle Berry
- Spikes
- Explosion
- Surf / Ice Beam
- Toxic / HP Electric / Ice Beam

Superb for highly offensive teams that don't really need Leftovers; completely turns the tides in those fast-paced games where every turn is crucial by taking sleeps (LK Lax, Jynx, Nido), Lax Body Slam paralysis and even Toxic from Cloy/Forry/Skarm without losing a step.


The VVitch (Jynx) (F) @ Never-Melt Ice
- Lovely Kiss
- Ice Beam
- Psychic
- Blizzard

Sometimes, Jynx needs a little help in the power department. Thus, instead of hiding behind Subs that don't do anything to solve the issue of getting walled by Lax even from low health and praying for 10% chances, you can give yourself some guaranteed boosts instead. Normally, I prefer Thief and/or Nightmare for this purpose, but I have found this set surprisingly threatening as well. Lefties are nice and all, but Jynx is more threatening the faster the game goes, and NMI's boosts ensure it leaves as much damage on the field as possible. Boosted Ice Beam is difficult to switch into comfortably with Spikes down, especially if the opposing special wall has been softened up by Jynx's teammates' Thief(s) prior. Even then, Jynx sometimes finds it hard to reliably finish the job; when that Snorlax is just out of Ice Beam range, you can pray that you get the 6.25% crit or 10% freeze for the KO...or you can take the 70% chance of finishing it off with NMI Blizzard, which hits harder than Zapdos' Thunder. It also thrashes Raikou and does a ton to Tyranitar.


Bone Tomahawk (Nidoking) (M) @ Leftovers
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
- Thunder
- Dynamic Punch

Nidoking sometimes just barely misses a KO on the wall it's trying to bust open. With DynamicPunch in conjunction with paralysis support (which isn't hard to come by, and can be provided with Nido's own Thunder), it improves its odds quite decently - healing against Nido while paralyzed is expected, healing against Nido while paralyzed and confused is rough. It's especially good for Nido's most common nemesis, Snorlax, as on top of providing great odds of denying Lax's rest, DPunch also hits it much harder than EQ. Landing DPunch against a paralyzed Zap swings the odds of winning the one-on-one heavily in Nidoking's favor. It's similarly effective against the occasional Heracross, and can even be the extra push to get past Suicune / Vaporeon. Nice tool on paralysis-heavy offense to improve your odds of Nidoking doing what it's supposed to, which is breaking holes in the opposing defensive core. Of course, it's not a move you spam - you only use it against a paralyzed opponent (preferably twice - once as it switches in, a second time if the first one misses) or against a Lax in KO range.


Neon Demon (Starmie) @ Leftovers
- Hydro Pump
- Thunder
- Rapid Spin
- Recover

I originally used this as a way to pressure Vaporeon into Resting on stall without subjecting my Raikou to Surfs. It's good for that, but it's also got a ton of other uses. You grab a free KO on a ton of Cloysters trying to Toxic you, and being able to threaten opposing Starmie can be a significant advantage as well. The high paralysis rate is excellent to hinder common Starmie switchins as well - Snorlax, Electrics, Ghosts. Hydro is not necessary but I was messing around with it and found it was surprisingly useful - the power is a huge step up from Surf, is especially nice in really pressuring Misdreavus, and can actually be really threatening in its own right against teams weakened by Spikes.


Shin Godzilla (Tyranitar) @ Leftovers
Ability: None
- Rock Slide
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Roar

This has been my preferred Pursuit Tar for years. Threatening and Pursuiting Raikou with Spikes down is incredibly valuable and makes your special attackers scary as hell; to make things even more inescapable for Kou, Tar can drag it in with Roar. EQ is also its strongest move against Gengar. Chipping a fleeing Golem is pretty great as well.


Jenny Ondioline (Vaporeon) @ Leftovers
- Substitute
- Growth
- Hydro Pump
- Baton Pass

Passing Subs and/or Growths while remaining a vicious offensive threat in its own right, this Vaporeon is a beast and turns the tables on several common checks. Cloyster is forced to boom just to break the Sub, Exeggutor switching in might mean that Jynx got a free Growth boost, and this takes punishing a paralyzed/Resting Electric/Snorlax to a whole new level. Most defensive teams get run over real hard and offensive teams aren't exactly off the hook either given how pummeled they are by Hydro Pump.


Kmotr (Snorlax) @ Leftovers
- Curse
- Rest
- Body Slam
- Double-Edge

It's difficult to decide on MonoLax's STAB sometimes. Most players go with Double-Edge, and rightfully so - its power is immense. That said, sometimes you see games where Body Slam just paralyzes the entire opposing team and you wonder how you could ever pass up on that, especially with how ruinous it can be even when the opponent walls it with a non-Ghost. With this set, you can have your cake and eat it too. Early game, you can spam BS early on looking for paralysis - nothing like punishing a Zapdos trying to Thunder you down and/or a Cloyster trying to get Spikes. In longer games, you can do this without running low on attacking PP, as often happens with DrumLax trying to set itself up. In shorter and longer games alike, you can bait the opponent into thinking they can live a BS then destroy them with a DE. Wonderful flexibility.


Children of God (Exeggutor)
- Sleep Powder
- Psychic
- Thief
- Explosion

I think this is the best Exeggutor set by some margin. It's incredibly forceful - would-be sleep blocks get their Leftovers stolen, making them far worse at dealing with Eggy, and thus it is able to leave them dented and permanently crippled while landing the sleep on something else.

Free GSC shinies.
 

Diophantine

Banned deucer.
Great post BKC. I've been especially hot on that Eggy set for a while now - iirc I brought it vs Earthworm in wcop 2019.
I've always been thinking about Water or Fire Gengars (and to a lesser extent Missy) but never got round to building anything conclusive. Even though the Rock/Grounds are not great switch-ins to Gar, it's a very tight 1v1 situation.
I've been using that Fire Golem on teams that already have a normal-resistant phazer, like Skarm teams. It's particularly nice for hitting an opposing Skarm trying to absorb an Explosion and of course Forretress. The damage difference between EQ and FB on Cloyster is quite important also, especially if your opponent has managed to evade a Toxic earlier on. Also spitballed Toxic at one point, but never committed to it.
I've also been loving that Tar set for a while. Being able to hit Nidoking really hard is very welcomed.

Looking forward to seeing what the SPL players' takes on the current meta are!

Also, free optional GS sprites.
 

TC

Banned deucer.

Rukako (Alakazam) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: none
IVs: 6 Atk
- Attract
- Psychic
- Substitute
- Dynamic Punch

not sure where to post this so im goin to do it here, earthworm told me some japanese gsc ancester came up with this set and ive been using it for a while i think its good/fun and have really good odds to work, have fun with it and have a nice day
 

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