SM Predicts!!
Mikan Island Monsters vs. Route 30 Youngsters
SM UU: Pearl (70) vs. (30) Mana: Mana feels like something of a lamb to the slaughter this week and Pearl is pretty strongly favoured here, coming off the back of a strong SPL. However Pearl also has ORAS tiebreakers to contend with this week and Mana has an extremely high skill ceiling, so this isn't exactly a done deal.
SM UU: Poek (60) vs. (40) FLCL: Poek had a ridiculous UUPL last time around and, reunited with Pearl support, I can for sure see him doing the same again. FLCL is an extremely stern test for week 1, however, as I've got no idea how much UU Poek has played in the last year.
SM UU: Eyan (45) vs. (55) Lopunny Kicks: Punny with seems to be decently up to date on UU, and I've seen him UUing in one or two smaller discord tours over the last couple of months. Eyan's a solid week one opponent, who seems to have much more support in terms of building than there is on the youngsters, so this could for sure go either way.
SM UU: Osh (40) vs. (60) elodin: I'm very high on Osh's playing ability in general and he's shown he can pick up tiers quickly and do well in RUWC and Slam, but elodin is far from an easy warmup game. elodin qualified for Champs 16th poff and seems generally up to date with UU, putting up some pretty nice results throughout last season. elodin brings a fat spikes build and wins.
Goldenrod City Grunts vs. Blackthorn City Battle Girls
SM UU: HarrisIsAwesome (51) vs. (49) Kory2600: going with Harris here, but not by a lot. I know Harris is super motivated this tour and is coming into his own as a builder after a disappointing SPL, so I'm backing him to put up a good record in SM. Kory, on the other hand, seems to be relatively engaged with UU, laddering and playing in some French team tour if I'm not stupid. This match should be close, but Harris takes it for me (as long as he packs his Mienshao counterplay)
SM UU: McMeghan (75) vs. (25) Bouff: This one's relatively straightforward in my eyes, Roro is Roro and I don't think I've ever seen Bouff play UU. Only way I can really see Roro losing is if he brings some sort of Omastar build or a random Silvally type but hey, we've seen it before.
SM UU: Eternally (51) vs. (49) Amaroq: Honestly don't have a clue with this one, haven't seen Amaroq play for a long time and while Eternally's obviously a solid player, I don't know how much he keeps up with UU. Cynde + Harris + Roro support tips this one slightly in Eternally's favour for me.
SM UU: Freeroamer (60) vs. (40) itsjustdrew: Roamer is, in my opinion, a better player with more experience at this level. However, drew's motivation for this tour will be through the roof and he has a literal army of SM builders behind him. As long as roamer's aggressive I think he'll be able to outplay here, but drew is still a threat, especially with a favourable matchup.
Friend Safari Pokemon Trainers vs. Iki Town Idols
SM UU: CBU (49) vs. (51) HT: I'd like to bold CBU here, and this matchup is a lot closer than the others but HT got some nice wins over SPL and is obviously up to date on the UU meta. I feel like his style also matches up relatively well versus CBU. HT wins if he brings Coba, CBU wins if not.
SM UU: vivalospride (35) vs. (65) yeezyknows: Really excited to see what yeezy's gonna come up with this tour, after his great Masters run he's becoming a big threat. Viv/whatever he's calling himself now could potentially cheese a win here, and yeezy's going to be scared of webs, but I see him as the more solid player and as long as he doesn't get hard counterteamed he probably takes this. oh and if you bring that nihili/bish/stoise/gligar/ape squad I'm disowning you
SM UU: Moutemoute (40) vs. (60) Charmflash: Za is a pretty nifty in SM UU and has put up some decent results over the last couple of months, while 10k Moute x2 is still waiting for a big breakout tour. Moute definitely has the advantage, however in terms of metagame engagement, and is a more prolific builder so I can for sure see him picking up a good matchup in this one.
SM UU: His (25) vs. (75) Manipulative: I've never heard of His and Manip's very good if he doesn't implode so big edge I guess.
Indigo Plateau and I will be playing at 3:30 GMT - 4 this Saturday, LETS GO DOCTORS!
