National Dex 2023 National Dex Circuit Championship - Won by ezra

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dhelmise

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Welcome to the 2023 National Dex Circuit Playoffs; The top 16 players have shown themselves after competing in this year's tournament circuit. The winner of the playoffs will be rewarded with a yellow ribbon
, courtesy of Merritt, as well as the choice between a custom avatar, a new username color, and an inactive username on Pokemon Showdown, courtesy of ironwater! Finally, the winner will get a role in the National Dex Discord!​

Seeding

[1] ChrisPBacon - 793 points
[2] Fabriisse - 726 points
[3] Xurkiyee - 608 points
[4] Latiasboy - 522 points
[5] Lameflame - 513 points
[6] Kayzn - 488 points
[7] hi.naming is hard - 448 points
[8] seth - 428 points
[9] entrocefalo - 405 points
[10] ezra - 375 points
[11] Weaselfie - 364 points
[12] Soul king0 - 353 points
[13] velvet - 350 points
[14] peap - 336 points
[15] Kyo - 262 points
[16] LBN - 250 points

Tournament Rules
  • This tour is in the SV National Dex format.
  • General tournament rules and regulations can be found here.
  • The banlist for this tournament is the same as the [Gen 9] National Dex ladder on Smogon's simulator, Pokemon Showdown!, and can be found on the strategy dex.
  • Every pairing will be a best-of-three.
  • Battles must take place on Pokemon Showdown!.
  • SV win conditions are in place; there are no ties.
  • Replays are mandatory.
Round of 16

[1] ChrisPBacon vs LBN [16]
[2] Fabriisse vs Kyo [15]
[3] Xurkiyee vs peap [14]
[4] Latiasboy vs velvet [13]
[5] Lameflame vs Soul king0 [12]
[6] Kayzn vs Weaselfie [11]
[7] hi.naming is hard vs ezra [10]
[8] seth vs entrocefalo [9]

The deadline for the round is Sunday, December 10 @ 11:59 PM GMT -5. A coinflip will be done if these aren't done by then.
Quarterfinals

[1] ChrisPBacon vs entrocefalo [9]
[15] Kyo vs ezra [10]
[3] Xurkiyee vs Weaselfie [11]
[13] velvet vs Soul king0 [12]

The deadline for the round is Sunday, December 17 @ 11:59 PM GMT -5. A coinflip will be done if these aren't done by then.

Message me on Discord at dhelmise or post in this thread if you have any questions.
Semifinals

[9] entrocefalo vs Soul king0 [12]
[10] ezra vs Xurkiyee [3]

The deadline for the round is Sunday, December 24 @ 11:59 PM GMT -5.
Extension Deadline is Wednesday, December 20 @ 11:59 PM GMT-5.
A coinflip will be done if these aren't done by then.

Message me on Discord at dhelmise or post in this thread if you have any questions.
Finals

[12] Soul king0 vs ezra [10]

The deadline for the round is Sunday, December 31 @ 11:59 PM GMT -5.
Extension Deadline is Wednesday, December 27 @ 11:59 PM GMT-5.
A coinflip will be done if these aren't done by then.

Message me on Discord at dhelmise or post in this thread if you have any questions.​
 
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sealoo

sealoo

PaulGod
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
Congrats to everyone who qualified, here is my attempt at some in-depth predictions for each games + analysis of each player. Don't get mad at me pls
[1] ChrisPBacon 60/40 LBN [16]
If I am user ChristopherPachirisuBaconator, I am looking at this mu with a slight frown on my face. Chris has shown a very comprehensive knowledge of the meta, playing a grueling series that neared 2hrs vs ezra for the Summer Seasonal Finals, winning 4-1 when ezra looked nearly unstoppable throughout the tour. However, Chris has been matched up versus a player who is equally willing to the go the mile, especially in the builder, that being LBN. Not to say Chris is one-dimensional by any means, but his builds obviously skew towards the balanced/fatter side and I think he would admit that, while LBN has showcased utterly hilarious ideas to dismantle structures his opponents like. I really like LBN's creativity in regards to building, and I feel like I can always say, "Oh yeah this is an LBN team" whenever I see him load up a game as their teams have such a unique look to them. LBN's results, however, have been quite lackluster towards the end of the circuit, with his standing being largely carried by a good Winter Seasonal performance--although, LBN posted a very good performance in NDPL clearly showing he isn't out of it by any means. However, I think Chris has enough variance in his builds/style now to not get utterly cteamed and get knocked out as the favorite (NDLT anyone?), so I will bold him with solid odds.
[2] Fabriisse 45/55 Kyo [15]
Fabriisse has been nothing short of stellar during the latter half of the circuit, with an incredible Summer Seasonal performance accompanied by a dominant Last Chance showing. Stylistically, step aside Chris and Ezra, this is the no.1 Gliscor lover in the tier right here. SubTox, SD, Spikes, any annoying Gliscor set you can think of has been utilized by Fabriisse throughout their magical runs through the latter two tours of the circuit. His builds tend to be quite passive if you can have a good matchup versus Gliscor however, which can potentially be exploited. Kyo, on the other hand, is our esteemed TL and got in mostly off a good run through the Summer Seasonal. Building-wise, Kyo sticks to what works, I found him reusing for the most part throughout the tour, but clearly he was doing something right. As far as the team tours go, NDWC and NDPL were very successful showings for Kyo and he has been consistently at the top of his class throughout the generation. An innovative approach on teambuilding along with his unorthodox choices to fulfill roles on a variety of different styles (see his Cornerstone sun, MolaGliscDirge fat with scarf Meowscarada) makes him a very serious contender to take the ribbon home despite a seemingly low placement on the final standings. As far as the match goes, I will slightly lean towards Kyo for the aforementioned reasons, however, I can't help but acknowledge Fabriisse's success and how effectively they pilot what they like.
[3] Xurkiyee 49/51 peap [14]
In my opinion, this is the highlight match of the round. Xurkiyee dominated the NDLT, putting out impressive showings and wins versus fellow circuit competitors in seth, Kayzn, and...peap??? These two squared off in NDLT, with Xurkiyee pulling out an impressive victory to send peap home early who seemed like a favorite to win the entire thing. Xurkiyee (aka the BruhGod) is one of the greatest cooks alive, beating well-known foes by means of Rock Polish + Z-Hydro Pump Tyranitar, Tera Water Liquidation Iron Valiant rain, and most recently NP Infernape vs myself on ladder. You can't help but admire his creativity and results achieved with it. NDPL was the lone team tournament Xurkiyee played in, putting up an admittedly lackluster performance, but by no means does this quantify his skill as a player. peap (aka ppodd c or Peaness), on the other hand, is in mostly off a great performance in the Winter Seasonal, but don't be fooled as anyone involved with the tier knows how engaged he has been throughout the generation. His signature offensive approach is incredibly impressive skill-wise, but can lead to some hiccups in pathing which has cost him before. NDWC and NDPL were great for peap, and speaking from experience through NDPL a very active and helpful teammate to have. I struggle to really define what both players like in regards to trends in their builds, however, I give peap just the slightest edge off a gut feeling to take this in what should be a good 3 game set.
[4] Latiasboy 45/55 velvet [13]
Capping off the tour winners, we have Latiasboy, who is almost exclusively in based off a great win in the Winter Seasonal. Latiasboy has gone relatively under the radar after the first half of the year, however, they are still a good player with plenty of experience in the tier capable of pulling out the stops. I struggle to pinpoint their playstyle with limited data to work off of towards the latter half of the generation, although I do remember they are CB Zamazenta's biggest advocate during NDWC, which they did very well in. In a tale of opposites, they are facing velvet who mostly got in off a good performance in the Summer Seasonal. Despite not being a mainer necessarily, velvet is an astounding player across multiple different tiers who has a good grasp on building the tier (I think they built their own stuff for SSNL) which leads me to like their odds in this one. The age-old story of the mainer versus the tour player resumes another chapter, but I will personally be siding with velvet due to their impressive showings more recently.
[5] Lameflame 47/53 Soul king0 [12]
Lameflame is here through a finalist run during the Winter Seasonal along with a decent NDLT showing. Playing a wide variety of team styles, LF has been one of the most involved ND players since its inception and looks to strengthen an already strong resume with 2 NDPL and 2 NDWC crowns (i think) in back-to-back years. Although his team tour performances weren't too great individually, I doubt you'd hear any complaints from his side as that's 2 CAs in 2yrs. On his right is Soul King0 (SoulKing) who broke onto the scene mostly through Last Chance. SoulKing showcased a wide variety of teams during their run, notably beating my ass in 3 R1 to eliminate my hopes of being here with you all today. All jokes aside, I really respect their plays and they have looked in good form to close out the year. I think SoulKing manages to take this one by the skin of his teeth, but this is a pretty underrated game all things considered.
[6] Kayzn 55/45 Weaselfie [11]
You want NDLT rematches? You're going to get NDLT rematches!!! Both players qualified through NDLT for the most part, although Weaselfie also posted a better performance in Summer Seasonal while Kayzn reached the finals in NDLT despite losing to Xurkiyee. These players matched up in the semifinals, with Kayzn eliminating Weaselfie from the tour in tight fashion. Both players lean offensive, although Kayzn probably has more willingness to use bulkier builds towards the end of the circuit and EPL. Speaking of EPL, both players participated in that with Kayzn going 5-4 and Weaselfie going 2-3 both in SV NDOU. When it comes to NDPL, Kayzn posted a solid 5-3 record while getting white-hot towards the end, going 5-1 after week 2 helping his team to almost reach finals, while Weaselfie posted a stellar 4-1 record, albeit in SS NDOU. This will be an interesting rematch, but overall I am going to pick 10KayzLikePugGod/Pugzn/Pugotron/PugGod/PugGawd/Puggenheimer/KayGod to take this one in a slugfest.
[7] hi.naming is hard 40/60 ezra [10]
Throughout the last year, hi.naming is hard (gewwge) has been a fixture in the ND scene, seemingly performing well every tour he lays his hands on, with NDLT being his most notable performance to secure a nice 6 seed in playoffs. Gewwge is a variable man, loving MMedi eterrain which is a great pick into Dondozo-based fats which ezra likes to indulge in, but also playing some balances often featuring MSciz, a very bad pick into Dondozo-based fats which ezra likes to indulge in (altho sd koff is pretty good into it i guess). ezra, on the other hand, dominated Summer Seasonal but lost in the finals to ChrisPBacon in a grueling series. gewwge did decently in both NDWC/NDPL, while ezra played NDPL although only two of those games were in SV NDOU in which they won versus Isza and Lameflame, two impressive opponents. ezra is also a ladder demon, being the infamous realpineaplefred (Banned for Impersonating as of November 26th 2023) now known as hantengu who has topped ladder on numerous occasions. I think gewwge is one of the best mainers out there, but it's hard to argue with ezra's established results, so I will bold them!
[8] seth 53/47 entrocefalo [9]
seth put together two solid performances in NDLT and Summer Seasonal to be here today, and has an impressive resumes in sets(et77) vs other top players such as Fabriisse and Peap. seth has a pool of mons he certainly seems to enjoy, although his builds aren't one-dimensional by any means. NDPL was a decent performance for seth, although probably not up to his own standards. entrocefalo, on the other hand, dominated the Winter Seasonal but struggled to put it together during the latter half of the circuit. Despite this, they are still a stellar player evidenced by their success in the ongoing SCL and literally has a banner that says "National Dex" in it, so I cant count them out yet. Not only this, entrocefalo is one of the greatest haters of all-time, always securing a Haha/Angry/Sad on opponent's winposts with swiftness which I respect. I really like this series, but I favor seth's success during the most recent portions of the tour over entro's earlier accolades, despite both being solid pilots in the tier as a whole.
Remember guys, it's fun to be important, but more important to have fun!! :bloblul:

Cheering for Kayzn peap seth Xurkiyee
 
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sealoo

sealoo

PaulGod
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
[1] ChrisPBacon 57-43 entrocefalo [9]
Chris has looked in great form ever since NDLT, and his teambuilding method (SPL XYZ Replays -> Ctrl + F -> "SM OU" -> "ORAS OU" -> "SS OU" -> "SV OU" has clearly been very effective. Entro, on the other hand, is probably not too vested into this tour I'd venture to believe, but they are still a good player all around. I'd lean Chris just bc I think he wants this more

[15] Kyo 48/52 ezra [10]
Definitely the HL mu of the round, both have been on fire to end the year in SSNL and NDPL alike. Kyo has been steadily reusing and seems to have a good grasp on what's in his comfort zone, as evidenced by the grueling series he played last round vs. fabriisse going the distance with an average of ~130 turns over the 2 games. He did bring out a new team for G1 that I am a really big fan of, so if he keeps innovating and staying creative then I dont doubt he could knock off ezra. Ezra has also been rly good though, with a nice series last round vs. gewwge, so out of the gate I would favor them to take this just off their stellar recent performances. Good series!

[3] Xurkiyee 55/45 Weaselfie [11]
Xurkiyee looked great in a win vs. peap last round, and obviously his creativity knows no bounds. However, it seems like he shifted away from the wack stuff last round bringing mostly standard concepts. Idt he's lost his fastball or anything as he's clearly doing great with both, but this could make Weaselfie's prep and play much easier without any random surprises ala phys steela or water z spatk ttar. Weaselfie has also stuck to more standard concepts, liking GKing based offenses which I think can be exploited by Xurkiyee if he builds smart. Gonna favor Xurkiyee here a little bit

[13] velvet 51/49 Soul king0 [12]
Maybe karma wont like velvet's talk about being the future nd circuit champ so early, but their play vs. latiasboy last round makes me think they'll live to see another round. Soul King kinda lucked LF in game 1 but also LF got pretty lucky in g2 asw so it balanced out, I think they've looked really solid towards the end of circuit. Bolding velvet as I think they are all-around the better player here and knows what they're doing in the builder.
 
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