The World Cup of Pokémon 2020: Tournament Coverage
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Logo by Iyarito.
Summertime is upon us finally, and we are back with another edition of the World Cup of Pokémon! After United States West dethroned United States Northeast in 2019, there are a number of established teams and dark horses hoping to take the blue trophy home to their country. This year, the WCoP has changed to being all current generation with only eight starting slots, which is going to give teams with an abundance of new and up-to-date players an advantage relative to prior years. Perhaps the zoomers can finally surpass the boomers in tournament effectiveness with this shift in format, but the boomers are not going to go down without putting up a fight.
Another noteworthy dynamic will be team synergy—no, not pairing your Teleport Clefable with the flavor-of-the-month frail wallbreaker. With the tournament being only SS OU, developing a strong rapport with your teammates can help benefit the performance of the entire team to a much greater degree than when it is spread out over all generations. The glory days of WCoP showed how dominant the tightest teams with the strongest players can be, and now we have a chance for this to be restored in the modern day. Which teams will thrive in their pursuit to restore this vision, and which will come up short, finding turmoil instead of triumph?
Finally, the metagame will be experiencing unprecedented mid-generation changes as the tournament progresses thanks to DLC 1: Isle of Armor introducing dozens of new Pokémon and moves. The most creative and informed teams will have an advantage in adapting ; the biggest stage will help set the tone for the future of competitive Pokémon's biggest metagame. Let's see what is in store for this exciting tournament!
Qualifiers
The two teams that finished at the bottom of the standings last year were forced to play for their spot in the field of sixteen teams competing for the trophy against other countries trying to find their way into the field. A total of eight teams played for these last two spots, including United Kingdom and Greece, who both participated in the main tournament last year. The other six countries or regions trying to play spoiler were Argentina, Austria, India, China, Belgium, and Africa.
In the first round, the matchups were United Kingdom-Argentina, Greece-Africa, China-Austria, and Belgium-India. The United Kingdom surged past Argentina, only suffering a lone defeat as they won the remaining six games. Historically noteworthy tournament players such as High Impulse, p2, bugzinator, and Gingy brought home wins for the lads, giving them a lot of momentum moving forward. The depth of their lineup relative to a seemingly unknown Argentinian team was impressive. One takeaway from this series was that the United Kingdom players all made use of strong special attacking Ghost-types like Dragapult and Gengar in order to defeat their opponents.
The Greek gang swept through Africa, who were down their captain after he attempted to integrate a different type of ghost into their strategy heading into the tournament. Prior WCoP starters Ace-11 and Savouras led Team Greece past Africa 4-0 despite a number of close games taking place, proving that playing a clean endgame goes a long way during these preliminary rounds. Team China was able to live up to the hype surrounding them entering the qualifiers as they won all but one game against Austria; while they do not have many players known to the Smogon tournament community, they made use of uncommon strategies such as Popoling's stall team and wuqianying's Necrozma to win in style. Finally, the closest series of the opening qualifier round was between Belgium and India. The Indians ultimately prevailed with a steady diet of sand teams and an outlier heatah fajita-esque bulky offense featuring Pangoro and Sirfetch'd piloted by RaJ.Shoot to victory.
With one round in the books, the next round would decide who was able to advance to the main stage of the tournament. The winners of United Kingdom-India and Greece-China made it into the top 16 teams who compete for the esteemed blue trophy. In a shocking twist, once-tournament staples United Kingdom now found themselves on the outside looking in as India upset them 4-1. Winterains was able to secure India's berth in the tournament with the help of his Substitute + Calm Mind Primarina, a Pokémon that has been increasingly common and effective in the metagame in recent weeks. Blimax was also able to pull an upset over SPL standout 1 True Lycan thanks to a Terrakion sweep, pushing his record in the qualifiers to 2-0 for the inspired Indians group.
In another dual of European and Asian teams, the Greeks booked their tickets for another year of WCoP action with a 4-1 defeat of Team China, who still showed a lot of promise. This time around, old generation players turned SS starters Astamatitos, who is seen as a top ADV player, and roudolf13, who has played a dominant RBY historically, both emerged victorious in their matches. Astamatitos piloted a team with a flashy dual Electric core of Toxtricity and Zeraora to a highlight victory over SPL and SSD player yjh971203, while roudolf won with Gengar, a Pokémon that has been surging throughout the qualification phase. It will be very interesting to see if the eager newcomers of Team India and the skilled veterans of Team Greece will be able to make noise in the main tournament.
Teams
Greece
The first of the two teams to make it out of qualifiers is Team Greece. They are led by captains and team regulars Ace-11 and Christos21. However, they have a very versatile assortment of players, ranging from veterans who stood out in older generations to more unknown newer players who are hoping to establish themselves as strong tournament players with this opportunity, such as the pharoah. Mysterious M and CBU are both recognizable names to the tournament community; the former was able to hold his own in Ubers for a while and even made a nice run in BW cup recently. CBU, on the other hand, is regarded as a strong UU option, but his ability to translate this success to OU is still up in the air. Thankfully the Greeks have plenty of other options to launch their promising campaign into the air, including BluBirD252 on the bench. Some returning starters who are also trying to solidify their position as strong tournament options are Savouras, who borders on enigma status for his playstyle, and Asuka Langley Soryu, who was the OG -Tsunami- hater. Long-time OU player talah also joins Team Greek staples Laz and amber lamps on the bench.
Team Spotlight: Veteran Presences taking control
Astamatitos and roudolf13 are two old generation aficionados who came up with clutch victories in the qualifier to help land Greece in the main tournament. Astamatitos is known as one of the most progressive and dominant ADV OU players, which says a lot seeing how deep and experienced that playerbase can be. roudolf13, on the other hand, had a couple superb campaigns in RBY OU against similarly strong competition. Both Astamatitos and roudolf13 can play the game at a high level, leaving them capable of defeating even the strongest of opponents. However, it will be a test of their personal adaptability to see if their skillsets can translate to SS OU and the newer wave of competition. If it can, then Greece has two very strong slots and a lot more support in the teambuilder. If it cannot, then it may be a struggle for the Greeks to make it back to the playoffs, which they are now a few years removed from making in their debut WCoP.
India
The second team out of the qualifiers is Team India. They are led by Little Cup main Serene Grace, but they have a group filled with eager players trying to break into the tournament scene. While not as much is known about this team as about the Greeks, Team India seems to be as determined as any other group to make a name for themselves. Their performance in the qualifiers was particularly inspiring thanks to the usage of some very threatening strategies. Substitute RaJ.Shoot leads the reserves, having pulled out a victory with Pangoro and Sirfetch'd in the qualifiers. He is accompanied by unofficial tournament regular and Smogon's most underrated username award holder Dj Breloominati and Smogon tournament scene newcomers Mikaav and King Leo V. India's starting lineup has some recognizable names such as SANJAY, who has been working in conjunction with Osh successfully for a while now; J0RIS, who has tore up the ladder for more years than most of the players on this team have played; Winterains, who has dabbled in various generations to some scattered success; and Blimax, who is mostly known for being a knock-off Blimlax at the moment. Three relatively unknown prospects round out their lineup: So Noisy, Floss, and OminousDraco. All of them have at least actively been on Smogon for a few years, so perhaps they simply did not get a chance to show their abilities until now, but it will likely be an uphill climb for the Indian group given their relative inexperience.
Team Spotlight: Little Cup main goes for Big Trophy
Serene Grace is the strongest player on Team India. Not only is he their only player on the notorious sheet, but he also is positive on it with an 8-5 record thus far. After an impressive SPL in Little Cup, Serene Grace helped lead India to the promised land of the main WCoP tournament with some clutch play. Unfortunately for Serene, the competition in this tournament will be more fierce than that of qualifiers or even the SPL Little Cup field in all likelihood, but that will not stop him from using his strength in the battle to try and generate some wins for his team. Ultimately, his adaptability to different metagames and team supporting capabilities will be put to the test this tournament more than ever before. For India to shock the world and make playoffs, let alone have a deep run into them, he is going to have to be virtually perfect in his own games and in supporting a very inexperienced cast of teammates. It will be interesting to see how far his efforts can go, but the expectations are currently set fairly low for Team India.
Asia
Team Asia is back for another run at the blue trophy; led by veteran Analytic and promising newcomer Altina, the team has a mixture of older faces and lesser-known players filling out their lineup. Lower tier mains with official experience under their belt, Alpha Rabbit and Xiri, start things off and both are trying to make a big leap into official OU play this WCoP. In addition, ShinyAzelf, who seems to have been around for a long time on the forums, and Sharow, who has been around for a bit less but has some Ubers experience in hand, hope to make their WCOP debuts worthwhile. Thankfully for Asia, not all of their roster is comprised of inexperienced players. Altina has been around for a couple WCOPs and was on the SPL-winning Ruiners, Analytic has been playing in officials since WCoP '16 and almost has 20 games under his belt, and even pj (also known as praj.pran) has been around for a number of years, even if he only has 1 WCoP's worth of games played. The bench contains veteran BW player sugarhigh, who has been active on the ladder throughout SS, and up-and-comer devinn, the pride of 2021 Team Pakistan. Lesser-known entities IPF and curiosity, who is an active OU contributor, round out Team Asia's roster. This team looks pretty weak and inexperienced overall, but they have the activity and motivation to overcome these shortcomings and shock the world.
Team Spotlight: Potential WCoP '20 Dark Horse
Sweepage came back just in time for Volcarona to haunt him once more. Perhaps the highest-regarded player to ever sport a -18 differential on the sheet rounds out the Asian roster. Sweepage has shown some impressive peaks as a player, making it far into Smogon Tour at times, including a trip to the finals against Tesung in season 18. Unfortunately, he also has experienced his woes, as Sweepage struggles in team tournaments historically. The ceiling is there and his fundamentals are a player tend to be sound, but sometimes things do not translate to the team tour settings. Now is a fresh start in a new generation with virtually no expectations surrounding him to get back on track and help Team Asia be the lovable underdog we know they can be given the last few years. It will be interesting to see if Sweepage quivers in fear at the prospect of a new generation or if he blasts through the competition.
Canada
Two NU players, an RU tier leader, an OM main, and a crusty BWer later, we finally have the Team Canada starting lineup we know and love. Long-time NU player Evan. and soft-spoken OU player Always! are going to be leading this group, but their true veteran leadership will likely be found from some of their more experienced starters. soulgazer played SS in SPL and is hoping to continue upon his periodic success in the metagame, which comes after years of domination in lower tiers. EviGaro, on the other hand, is looking to show that she can move from lower tiers like RU and LC to OU in official tournaments. Hayburner and Jytcampbell are solid OU players who have yet to have breakout performances; Jytcampbell has been on the brink of brilliance previously, including almost earning a spot in Smogon Tour 29 playoffs, but he has never sealed the deal. Each of these players are going to have to step up for Team Canada to succeed. Tokyo Tom is a BW OU main who has not touched new generations for years, and Splash's forum account is under 3 years old with no games on the sheet, so these two slots do not inspire much confidence from afar. Hopefully Splash is going to make the most of his debut, as this is a great opportunity. Finally, Jrdn is the last starter; he makes a lot of aggressive plays, and most paid off during his positive campaign in SM Neverused during the last Smogon Snake Draft. blunder is too busy providing for the Agency to start WCoP games this year, unfortunately, but veteran Texas Cloverleaf will be giving him some company on a very experienced section of the bench. Kev—and no, not BKC—and episolon_xd round out the roster. I spend many hours on this website every single week of the year and still have no clue how good either of these users are at Pokémon, or really who the latter is at all, so this does not do much to bolster the odds of Team Canada succeeding unfortunately. Maybe they will shock the world, or maybe they will fall flat like expectations seem to indicate.
Team Spotlight: Best Weeb Of All Time?
watashi looks to continue his strong play this generation with his campaign this WCoP. While he tends to be more soft spoken than most, watashi lets his plays do the talking; he has made various deep runs in individual tournaments like Smogon Tour, including a trip to the finals. watashi tends to put up more average records in team tournaments, but this year he broke into the positives overall with an immaculate 8-3 SPL showing. In addition to this, he was on the team that won the entire tournament: The Alpha Ruiners. This showing to open up 2020 was impressive, and many expect watashi to follow things up with another strong showing in the group stages of WCoP, which will be needed for a weaker Team Canada roster to make it to the playoffs this year.
Oceania
Historically, Team Oceania has been said to have some of the strongest old generations and weakest modern generations. Given that, this change in format is a nightmare for the team that was once seen as a dynasty. Those days are long over, but there is still some hope for the modern state of Team Oceania. While a certain user who shall not be named may deem this roster "unviable," three lesser-known entities that take up starting spots on Team Oceania actually are all positive on the sheet! Snowy and GypsyKing are a far cry from superstardom, but each should be expected to hold their own in the opening round, hopefully bringing home multiple wins to this team a piece if they wish to advance to the second round. A duo of players who have arguably generated more results in other formats such as Ubers in byronthewellwell and March Fires also get starting slots; very little is known about their level of competency in SS OU, but they are solid enough players overall to figure it out over time if they have enough team support perhaps. Ninjadog got bumped up to the starting lineup when legendary player The Grand Babido elected not to play, and while this could still be promising seeing as he has a decent track record in LC, this will be a harder field to tackle. Finally, a man only the PU playerbase can idolize, false, and an old DPP player who has not been around in recent years, 199 Lives, round out this roster with some question marks. Both players have shown flashes of brilliance, but false has shown lots of reasons to doubt him, and 199 Lives has shown... absolutely nothing since 2015. The bench does not help matters much either, as they pack a veteran DPP player Stallion and a guy who cannot spell Dewgong properly in afakedugong. daftmau5 and Escavalier round out the roster, and both at least have a stronger OU background, but neither can be regarded as particularly strong options relative to competition. Overall, Oceania is going to have to overachieve in order to make playoffs, but they do have some pieces to the puzzle at least.
Team spotlight: Promising WCoP Prospect
Vore Gidal is still a lesser-known player, but he has been solid whenever granted the opportunity. He has a positive all-time WCoP record, with wins against strong opposition like robjr. Overall, his teams have been solid, and his play has showed no signs of falling under pressure. While we tend to spotlight more proven players, Oceania is lacking in this department currently. Vore Gidal has a very high ceiling and some lofty expectations surrounding him, so hopefully he can fill these big shoes and lead Team Oceania back to their old glory... or at least the playoff picture.
US Midwest
Captained by polar opposites Smogon admin and tournament veteran Sam plus recent first-time SPL participant starry blanket, US Midwest has a diverse cast of players that are hoping to unify together to get back in the playoff picture for the first time since over half of their starting line-up joined the Smogon forums. While I, Finchinator, tend to avoid personal bias and first-person commentary, I must take a brief pause from that standard to say that I love Team US Midwest. I spent years on Central and this is largely a continuation of that bunch. I am excited to see if the shift to all SS will be enough to bring them back to the playoffs. You should be excited for this, too, and here's why! Newer tournament players such as 100percentpureheat—if he is able to stay unbanned for the entirety of the tournament—cleann, and John W, who now has a year of tournament experience under his belt at least, are hoping to prove their competence on the big stage. cleann is perhaps the least known entity of this trio, but he had a strong OST run, whereas his teammate 100percentpureheat broke into Smogon Tour 29 playoffs himself. This group is also joined by some newer players who at least have been around the block a few times such as UltraBallz, who is returning from a stint in RU, Luthier, who is known to play Little Cup at a very high level; and Nails, who has been a dominant force in both RBY and VGC over the years. Nails is arguably their most accomplished player across every competitive Pokémon scene, but their most accomplished modern OU player in SM was perhaps Tace, who is 12-9 on the sheet with a 3-0 showing last WCoP. Super substitute and supposed teambuiding extraordinaire Mannat will be of great assistance off the bench if he tests out his recommendations before the second coming of Swords Dance Buzzwole pops up. Two vastly different DPP players join Mannat on the bench with all-time great Loki poised to make a difference if called upon sitting next to water-boy utility player Groudon, who previously played DPP in WCoP. Finally, lower tier player turned walking meme SPACE FORCE meeps fills out the roster while protecting the entire team from his mortal enemy: the weebs.
Team spotlight: Old generation aficionado turned modern generation enigma
dice—and yes, it IS important that we do NOT capitalize his name—has been around for many years now. Over these years, he has established himself as a top BW OU player who can compete at a high level in virtually any generation of OU. He has qualified for Smogon Classic numerous times, including a run all the way to the finals, and played most generations of OU in tournaments like SPL. Recently, he even played SM OU to a solid record in Smogon Snake Draft. Given his versatility and seemingly high skill ceiling, dice should adapt to SS OU nicely if he does not trip himself up with unnecessary techs. dice can defeat even the strongest of opponents if he finds the right middle ground between practical teambuilding and creative flare, so hopefully for Midwest their strongest overall player can help lead them to the promised land.
US Northeast
With US Northeast staples August and obii in charge, there is no shortage of experience, skill, or determination on this roster. After an uncharacteristically weak showing in 2019, the modern WCoP favorites are looking to take what they believe to be theirs back: the blue trophy. This time around, they will be without their unmatched old generation depth to carry them, but the freedom gang seem to have plenty of SS options to make up for this. Starting on the bench, a duo of players who would start virtually anywhere else find themselves as supporters for the time being in aim and Sabella, though both are likely to get in at some point if previous years are any indication and more than capable of winning when called upon. In addition, old generation mastermind and one of the faces of US Northeast BKC is also starting off on the bench alongside Updated Kanto Monotype leader Chaitanya. This bench already is filled with capable options, but the starting lineup is even stronger. Led by one of the clutchest players in the history of competitive Pokémon, bro fist, this lineup remains strong despite the format transition. Tier leader and historically positive performer Finchinator will be making his official SS debut alongside ADV main Gilbert arenas, who had a strong OST run earlier this year. teal6, Insult, and Star all played SS OU at a high level in SPL, combining for a 19-8 record. robjr rounds out the starting lineup; unlike his teammates, he had an uncharacteristically poor SPL showing, but he is poised to prove himself as more than another UU main trying to make it in OU this time around.
Team spotlight: Could he be the new GOAT?
ABR has a list of accomplishments that span long enough that I could make this entire paragraph dedicated to them alone. Don't believe me? Ok! He won Smogon Tour 29, he won Smogon Tour 28, he won OST 13, he won multiple WCoPs, he won SPL 9, he made semifinals of Smogon Tour 26, he made finals of OLT II, he made semifinals of Smogon Classic V, he made semifinals of OLT VI, he made quarterfinals of Smogon Tour 26, he has two of the top four point totals for a Smogon Tour regular season eve—do you get the point? This can continue, but then this article would simply emulate the expectation the community has recently adopted surrounding ABR: winning just about any game. The fact of the matter is that while ABR may have taken the tournament scene by storm, he is still beatable, and he has an increasingly large target on his back, as opponents are always eager to take on top competition. It will be very interesting to see if ABR can surpass teammate bro fist's record for highest win differential in team tournament history or if history will finally catch up to his rapid ascent to unprecedented success.
US West
Captained by a duo of accomplished old generation players Philip7086 and undisputed, US West is looking to repeat their 2019 success. Unfortunately, the format change hit them pretty badly, as they lost some of their most consistent slots, but they still have a number of strong options. To start things off, some proven OU players like Smogon Tour 26 champion z0mOG, who is yet to play much SS officially, and blarghlfarghl, who has yet to utter a serious sentence in a public setting over his nearly six years on Smogon. Sjneider and rozes may both have their roots in NU, but the former had a strong showing in ORAS OU during SPL, and the latter has demonstrated competency in various generations of OU. ima is another great addition to the US West roster, who is just above positive on the sheet with a bit over a year of experience after a rocky start, which is virtually the same as teammate Sjneider. Rounding out the lineup is Valentine, who has grown infamous with more time on Smogon and will probably put up an average record.
Team spotlight: Modern Westside GOAT!?
lax helped carry team US West last WCoP, defeating bro fist twice in the playoffs. While he is not a conventional OU main, lax has no issue going from tier to tier and replicating his high level of play across them all. He is not afraid of the pressure of the big stage, and he is a great pilot of both offensive and balanced teams. One may wonder if lax is familiar enough with SS OU due to him not playing in SPL, but lax has been actively playing for months now, and he is poised to have a strong showing in WCoP because of this. lax will need to carry even more weight with craing ;_; not joining the tournament and old generations no longer being a part of the tour, which used to help US West greatly. Many believe he is up to the task, but only time will tell as to if he can continue to do amazing things in the WCoP.
US South
After two relatively disappointing campaigns to start off their time as a modern WCoP team, US South is looking stronger than ever with the new format. With newly acquired player Eo Ut Mortus, their modern generation depth looks much better than previous years. Eo has had a string of success in SM that has not quite translated to SS, but this is only over a small sample size, so there is not much cause for concern here. With ol' reliable Stone_Cold managing the group alongside enemy of the sheet Indigo Plateau, South is looking to combine some older names like d0nut, who is hoping to transition from old generations to SS with the grace of a dancing Venusaur, and fresher faces like TPP, who is hoping to net his first ever official victory, to round out a very strong core. TDK and Christo are at the top of this lineup. These two teamed together during SPL and played relatively well in the tier; Christo stood out in particular with a 7-3 record. FMG and mencemeat are also both positive on the sheet with a decent sample size, so there are high hopes for them to round out the lineup with some strong records. The bench of US South is interesting, as it combines a notorious presence like njnp, who is likely back to help with team support, with lesser known entities like Samqian, who only has a single OLT qualification under his belt thus far. Veteran HSA and old generation main jacob both keep up with current generations well and should finish off the roster nicely so long as HSA remains sober if ever called-upon.
Team spotlight: OST champion takes on WCoP
FlamingVictini may be infamous for his scheduling inadequacies, but when he gets around to playing, it is special. Despite a sample size of only 50 games, FlamingVictini already has a win differential of plus twenty. Couple this with an OST win this year, which already makes him the most accomplished SS OU player, and there is reason to believe he is South's strongest player. FlamingVictini's playing abilities are very strong, and if he keeps up with the metagame, especially given recent DLC changes, then he is a near-lock to go positive. With a whole team to keep him on top of scheduling matters and support him with any knowledge gaps, as he has been pretty quiet since OST, FlamingVictini is undoubtedly one of the players to watch this WCoP, and it will be interesting to see if he can continue to bring some creative, yet practical, teams like he did throughout the later stages of OST.
Italy
The most dangerous team in WCoP is led by RU mainstay Averardo and BW enthusiast LuckOverSkill. Of course, their starting lineup is comprised of individuals who actually main SS OU—in fact, they have some of the strongest players in the tier. While Raiza. and Alexander. also frequent other metagames, both tend to keep up with the current generation. Alexander. in particular is one of the strongest players of all time and should be able to do well if he is able to get over his recent Smogon Classic tilt. Santu is a very strong player who often goes under the radar but is quietly positive on the sheet. While Rexus and Kebab mlml both have very small sample sizes, neither has disappointed when they played either, as the two combine for a positive record and are hoping to continue their success with another opportunity on the big stage here. Tricking is one of Italy's strongest players but also one of the craftiest players in the whole world. Tricking uses some of the most unconventional strategies to notch consistent wins over countless formats; his success in this fashion is a testament to playing skill that leaves him in a conversation with the best of the best. Secret teambuilding final boss Will of Fire is joined by DPP aficionado H.M.N.I.P and versatile OU player Mix on the bench. While not much is known of -Niko- on the big stage, he has played a lot of close games with strong competition in tournaments like Smogon Tour and OLT over the years, so he can potentially make some noise off of the bench as well. Overall, this Italian team has a ton of talent on the roster as well as some very creative builders, which can set them apart from the competition.
Team spotlight: The king of SPL
Empo has played an instrumental role in the Ruiners winning each of the last two SPLs. His heroics in the playoffs, including recent tiebreaker wins, are now part of his identity in the tournament community. While a certain power ranker may not have drank the "Empo kool aid" until recently, people who followed SM OU closely knew Empo was the real deal for a few years now. His recent success transcends the already lofty expectations surrounding him, however. The aggressive Italian found ways to dominate strong opposition in high leverage games regularly, making him look like one of the strongest early SS OU players. While he did get bounced from Smogon Tour 29 playoffs earlier than he wished, falling to Pohjis in the quarterfinals, Empo also broke one of the hardest records to break in Smogon history: he shattered the Smogon Tour points total for a single regular season as he hit 78 points. Empo's dominance in 2020 is something you simply cannot ignore, so highlighting it here was a no-brainer. On a roster with several standouts like Alexander. and Tricking, Empo is perhaps the strongest player, and he looks to continue his superb 2020 this WCoP.
France
With Ojama banished to the shadow realm and McMeghan dreaming of joining forces with the boomer coalition known as Team Europe, France has had to regroup entirely. Perhaps this is a good thing, as the once star-studded France was incapable of advancing deep into the playoffs with their previous configuration. Despite being home to two of the top four players of all time and various other standout performers, France continued to disappoint in the playoffs. Now Sacri' takes charge alongside soft-spoken veteran Cicada in hopes of implementing cultural change that will also lead to improved results. Sacri' finds himself in the starting lineup, too, after a strong SPL showing. Joining him is hot-and-cold Cdumas, who is hoping to establish himself as a strong SS option after a ridiculously high SM peak was followed by an unexpected bottoming-out during 2019. Kickasser hopes to reestablish himself as a strong OU option after a few tournaments off while teammate RedEmption hopes to turn things around and prove he is capable of finishing positively in team tournaments. BIHI and Akola are both products of 2011 who have roots dating back even further to DPP, but Akola is less established in this area and more known for recent success in OST, whereas BIHI is seen as a top DPP player in the modern day. Hopefully they can both have their success translate to SS OU during WCoP. Not much is known about Fairy Peak, but they will have the support of creative teambuilders like Shoka and 0NI on the bench. Corazan is also capable of substituting in at a high level and MS3D can do so as well, but he is less proven than Corazan at this point in time. This roster looks vastly different than Team France normally does, but there is a lot of potential for present and future success with this setup.
Team spotlight: Quiet, but deadly
Welli0u is one of the most quiet players in the tournament community, but after a shaky start, he managed to turn it up a few notches and put together a 35-22 all-time record in officials. Not only is this impressive, his performances over the last couple of years also have been dominant. Some of them have been in past generations or lower tiers, but no matter where you plug in the well, positive results are to be expected. Despite being years removed from his last WCoP appearance due to an apparent feud with Ojama, Welli0u has kept in form throughout other tournaments, and many expect him to be one of France's top players this WCoP. If his skills from other tournaments and metagames translate, then you can expect Welli0u to be one of the top performers this WCoP!
Latin America
While Latin America lacks the superstars of Italy or the depth of Northeast, they have a determined group who continues to overachieve relative to their expectations. Led by moderator turned seemingly average tournament player Leo and enigmatic figure that Smogon truly doesn't deserve CyberOdin, Latin America is hoping to make it back to playoffs once more. While the removal of old generations may cost them the ability to field CyberOdin, Posho, Vileman, and others, they still have a handful of strong players. Feliburn and Raichy have had moderate levels of success in various other formats, with Raichy even doing well in some generations of OU. Flamita and beatiful are two dangerous OU players who even the strongest competitors have to watch out for as they can make some pretty aggressive plays and pilot unpredictably structured teams. Speaking of establishing oneself, xImRaptor has done just that recently with a string of strong tournament showings; one can expect him to be a top player on this roster given his positive track record. Finally, two competent, but not overwhelming, players round out their starting lineup with the aforementioned Leo and ZDen. Latin America's bench is about as recognizable as the Dynamax metagame is nowadays in all honesty. Some dude called "Lets In The Sun" probably named himself after an incomplete Google Translate while Gtcha probably registered his account after someone named Gotcha and decided to forgo the "o". dahli and Javoon are both virtually unknown players, but both have 2017 join dates, so hopefully they know their way around the tournament scene more than I know my way around their histories.
Team spotlight: the :angery: man unleashed
Gondra may be known as a friendly chat presence who is the subject of mockery due to his inability to use select English phrases, but underneath this welcoming persona you find a top competitor. While he has had an inconsistent streak leading up to 2020, Gondra finally hit his peak this past SPL. He put up a dominant 9-2 record, which put him back into positive territory on the sheet and established him as one of the top team tournament players of the year thus far. If Gondra can replicate even some of this success during WCoP, then he will be one of the strongest options on the Latin American roster. He is a much-needed anchor for this team that lacks a true superstar. While Leo is able to rally the troops, Gondra is going to have to set a positive example and bring in wins while playing optimally so that there is a sense of order and reliability on a team that certainly has some questionable slots on their roster.
Europe
Led by Thorn, who has been a strong player for a number of years, and Jordy, who should be able to help team boomer catch up to modern teambuilding conventions, Europe has a roster filled with veterans. Bloody alfa, frisoeva, Quaze, and Twixtry are the main exceptions to the rule, and thankfully they are all starting, so there is hope for Europe to thrive in the most recent Fairygen after all. With this said, Bloody's Smogon Tour 29 semifinals run and frisoeva's string of positive team tournament performances are all these four have to show currently. Before we proceed to Boomerville, I want to remind everyone that Ghost hits steel neutrally and critical hits are no longer 2x damage. This information will be of the utmost importance to Europe's remaining players if they wish to steal some critical victories, over more up-to-date opponents in this generation (I tried, Tony)! Mana leads the way among the remaining players on the European roster, but he actually is probably lagging behind, as we fully expect him to be playing his last two games on deadline Sunday. TonyFlygon actually has been seen claiming he enjoys SS OU, so perhaps he will be able to help teambuild for the other veterans while he also tries to continue to prove he is more than just a manager. Finally, We Three Kings looks to get his first official SS OU action in after solid showings in generations like RBY, DPP, and BW over recent years. They also have three more boomers on the bench, with Void accompanying Belgian brothers ZoroDark and MetalGro$$. While none of these three have much experience in SS, their fourth substitute Eeveeto has been active in the tier and made Smogon Tour players, so he could be of great assistance if he suggests Pokémon that are listed here.
Team spotlight: Jack of all trades, master of...hopefully SS OU
Pohjis is a strong player with success spanning across a plethora of metagames. Be it Ubers, NU, or various OU generations, Pohjis will always give even the strongest players a close game. These games are not always victories as he is pretty close to neutral in team tournaments historically, even dipping negative after a mediocre 2019, but Pohjis is a fierce competitor nevertheless. Recently, Pohjis stormed into Smogon Tour 29 finals before losing to ABR in a tight set. Over the course of this run, he demonstrated a lot of competency in SS OU, and many expect that to translate to a strong WCoP showing here. While Pohjis is not your typical star player who dominates strictly OU tiers in the modern generations, one can expect him to put up strong results and not make many mistakes in this tier no matter his background. Pohjis is a strong and versatile player who is willing to stand up to any challenge he faces; this WCoP will be another challenge for him, so let's see how he performs now that the spotlight is on him given his recent Smogon Tour showing.
Brazil
Brazil made it to the finals last year and mostly have similar faces this time around, but the format change was not super friendly to this group, as they had lots of old generation depth. Thankfully, a lot of their old generation players are capable of competing in the current generation at a high level, too. While their leaders HANTSUKI and Rewer may be less familiar with SS OU than some of their starting players, these two also managed the winning SPL team, so they are likely capable of fostering the right environment for success. As for the lineup, OST runner-up and Smogon Tour 27 winner mncmt and Luigi look to add another positive performance to their gradually improving list of achievements. ggggd and Century Express look to take success from other tiers or generations and turn it into current generation OU success, which ggggd has already shown flashes of doing historically. Ash KetchumGamer seems to be one of the scrappiest players in OU, doing particularly well in OLT, while Nintendi is an ORAS mainstay who is hoping to have his success in that generation replicate itself in SS OU this WCoP. While both of these prospects are promising, neither is on par with Eternal Spirit, who has been dominant in each of the last two generations at a point and is looking to get off to another strong start in SS this WCoP. If any of these players struggle, Brazil also has respectable depth on the bench, with veteran elodin being joined by utility player Askov, newer Brazilian player TheAprilFool, and NU main Ren-chon. Overall, Brazil has the tools to make another deep run, but some players are going to have to adjust to a new metagame, so it will be interesting to see if they can live up to the hype once more.
Team spotlight: The man who can dominate any generation
Tamahome went from being known predominantly for success in ADV and DPP to dominating various tournaments in SM OU. He is arguably one of the best all-time OU players out there in team tournaments, and we should be confident that he will continue his success in SS OU. While we have seen very little from Tamahome in this generation thus far, the same could be said for him in SM OU before he had a couple strong Smogon Snake Draft performances. In addition, Tamahome is capable of piloting bulkier teams and making fearless offensive plays, leaving him with range to pilot whatever teams he may get his hands on for this WCoP. While he may require some building assistance, Tamahome is second to none when it comes to gameplay, and he should help lead Brazil to another promising campaign.
Germany
Germany took a hit with the removal of old generations from WCoP, but they have a lot of talent in SS nevertheless. Veteran presences CMx and Sapientia will be taking charge of a new-look Germany roster. While the entire starting lineup has been on the forums for a few years, AdvanceShip, who is a known OLT ladder hero with a unique style, Gefährlicher Random, who is hoping to prove his competency in OU after some strong showings elsewhere, and Dragon Claw, who is coming off of a positive debut in ORAS this past SPL, are hoping to establish themselves in the current generation of OU for the first time. Of course, Germany also has some veterans like versatile and creative Conflict or consistently solid Steve Angello, so there is plenty of hope for their leadership to help keep Germany in contention. Rounding out the playing roster you have Relous, who turned a horrible SPL start around nicely during the playoffs and still managed to salvage his overall sheet record at even; Relous should be able to do well if he continues to play closer to his surprisingly high peak. If any of these less proven options do not pan out, Germany should not be too worried, as Serpi, who did well in the recent RBY Cup, and Ewin, who has more lines in the OU room than the entirety of his countrymen combined, also are capable options. Finally, esche, who only has mediocre RU showings in officials thus far, and mind gaming round out the roster, giving Germany some more depth if necessary. This roster is not as strong as past iterations of Team Germany, but they still have a significant portion of their historically solid core intact and they are capable of making a deeper run.
Team spotlight: The Scanner locks in on new generation competition
xray is perhaps the strongest modern competitor on Team Germany. While he is most known for his superb ORAS performances, xray transitioned nicely to generation 8 with a 7-2 SPL. Despite only playing over the last five or so years, xray has managed to land himself in the top 30 wins of all time on the team tournament sheet and consistently goes positive in tournaments like SPL. In order for a slightly depleted Team Germany to match previous levels of success, they are going to have to benefit not only from xray's play but also his support, as he is likely their most experienced builder in this metagame. While they do have some fresh faces to contribute, xray's experienced coupled with his competency in this generation will have to go a long way. SPL proved he is capable of making this positive impact, too, but it will be another test for him to see if he can replicate these results.
Spain
Spain's roster is once again filled with talented and experienced players. One could argue that their least experienced players are Garay oak and Bobby Dagen (aka Rodriblutar), but even these two have been tournament regulars for a couple of years, even if their success has predominantly been in lower tiers. From top to bottom, Spain's starting lineup is solid. M Dragon and Trosko perhaps lead the way; the former is seen as one of the best players throughout all of the generations, whereas the latter is seen as one of the best players in modern generations over the last year or two. Axel and reiku have seen better days, but both are also very capable, having experienced decent levels of historic success. And it would not be Team Spain without Malekith, who is a timeless player that always finds ways to be ahead of the curve in the current generation of play. Overall, this lineup is one of the most well-rounded in the tournament, and they should be serious title competitors. They also have some depth on the bench with Jardem, who played for them last year at a decent level, and destinyunknown, who was a very strong player dating back to generation five. Less experienced Spanish players ilesaural and Luispeikou round out the roster; both of them have been active in smaller tournaments and should be competent substitutes or supporters depending on how they are needed.
Team spotlight: Man on a mission through all of the generations
SoulWind may not be seen as an SS OU specialist or even a top player at this point in time, but he manages to find success in any generation he takes up seriously. For example, SoulWind has had amazing stints in tiers like RBY and DPP over the last few years despite them not being his main tier. He also has done well in various SM tiers, making it to Smogon Tour and OST finals while playing both Ubers and UU in Smogon Snake Drafts. Overall, SoulWind is the epitome of a good pilot. He will not be the most talkative builder or outgoing metagame presence, but he can take the team he makes or is given and play at a top level without much doubt. SoulWind is one of the best players on a very deep and talented Team Spain; it should be very interesting to see how he adjusts to the new, post-DLC SS OU and performs during this WCoP.
Closing Words
It will be very exciting to see what goes down during this WCoP! Will US West defend their title or will US Northeast come back for their crown once more? Can any dark horse teams surprise the world with a Summer of glory? Will the new generation reveal a slew of newer top players or will old names prevail in this setting? So many questions that we can only answer through watching the games, so be sure to check them out during late June and early July on Smogon Tours or in the replays thread so you don't miss a lick of the action. Thanks to everyone for reading and good luck to all teams participating in WCoP!
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