Tournament PUPL VII Manager Signups and Format Discussion

[Meri Berry]

Credit to Zephyri for the banner!
​

Keep in mind that you can post to discuss the format of the tournament, even if you are not signing up to manage. Post here if you want to manage during PUPL VII or if you would like to give input on the format of the tournament.

I will be co-hosting with Specs , so any questions you have about the tournament can also be directed towards him.

This year, we're aiming to keep 8 managers, given there's enough managers available to do so. However, if there is not a large enough turnout, we can change the number of teams to 6. Managers are expected to have past PUPL experience, managed in a Smogon team tournament before, and/or be a major contributor to PU. To manage, please post the following in one post:

• Your team name (please refrain from inappropriate names)​
• Whether you plan to continue an existing team or not​
• Why you deserve to manage​

Also, we are changing to a more standardized manager pricing of 10k + 1.5 per PUPL VI win. This is subject to debate as well, but we believe this fairly prices everyone who we expect to manage this iteration. Managers are also expected to be active in their teamchat and respond quickly with substitutes or lineups.

Example sign-up:

Example

Hello! I'm Meri Berry, and I'd like to manage a new team called the Holy Heliolisks. I have past experience managing in NUPL, helped win PUWC for NE + Canada (by going 0-1), and helped the Meowstics in last year's team chat. I also believe I have a good grasp of the meta and the playerbase and would be able to help my team to victory.

We have discussed it and we don't believe that we will be doing retains this year. However, team continuity is encouraged, and managers who wish to bring back their teams from last year are highly encouraged to do so. New team names are also allowed, but those that would like to continue old teams may be prioritized. Also, if you did not manage a team last year, but you'd like to take over an existing team, please ask the old manager of that team if you can do so.

The formats chosen this year will be similar to last year's rendition, with BW and DPP both appearing. However, since USUM has firmly become an older format, we have decided to open this slot for either another USUM or SWSH slot. Although we'll consider other options, these are the two that we have given the most thought. This is the format below:

SWSH PU / SWSH PU / SWSH PU / USUM PU / ORAS PU / BW PU / DPP PU / SWSH PU or USUM PU

Manager signups will close June 6th, 11:59pm GMT-4, and player signups will be posted then with the chosen format and managers.

Names from the previous PUPL:

Hide

The Magic Meowstic!!
The Klang Gang
Loaking Drakloaks
Clairvoyant Claydols
Vroom Vroom Carkols
Bwahaha Beartics
Destructive Dedennes
Olivine Octilleries

 

[tondas]

Can I be a mascot

 

[Vulpix03]

Yoooo I've been waiting for this. What's up guys i'm Vulpix03, resident untour manager. I have managed in tours such as OUPL, ROAPL, PPL, POCL, and DPL (this one has pu) and have a 100% playoff rate. In terms of PU experience, I played it in last year's snake draft, and have kept up to date on the meta since. I made top 16 of the most recent pu open (I think it was 16 don't quote me) and currently have a ladder account that is top 10 on the pu ladder, with some others top 100. I actively build and will be able to support my team. 4 SWSH > 2 USM btw, SWSH is a really good meta and current gen so the more the merrier.

As for names I am not sure if there is a specific format I have to follow. If there is then I will edit in an appropriate name later on, however If there is not I would like my team to be the "Swole Patrol". I would also be willing to take over a team from last year, as I just wanna manage so i'm flexible with team name.

logo

 

[MZ]

I would like to return to managing. Have not managed anything in a while but I have managed for various tours in the past, including PUPL, and even won some of them, not including PUPL. No clue what I want the team name to be. Also I think 4 SWSH > 2 USUM, SWSH is flagship and good rn and we don't especially need to give USUM slot priority right now. Ofc it'd be nicer if ADV was worth a slot but oh well.
e: I would call my team The Snap Trappers

 

[Xiri]

I would like to apply as a manager. I have managed last LTPL and have been a manager 3 times for BLT (tours room team tour). I think I'm a decent manager although sadly I havent managed a winning team yet .
As for PU experience, I have played PU for snake the last 2 years with a pretty good record and I made finals for PU classic so my oldgens PU knowledge isnt too shabby either. I actively build SWSH PU too and have reached top 10 on ladder multiple times.

Think 4 SWSH is better personally. As much as I love SM PU, more emphasis should be put on the current gen imo. I think SWSH PU is pretty stable at the moment but has room for a lot of innovation and creativity so this PUPL should be the perfect opportunity for that.

Edit: Team Name: Fruity Frosmoths

 

[Drud]

Hi, I would like to apply for manager. I haven't managed anything in a while but in the past i've managed in some smaller tours like POCL. I have plenty of PU team tour experience as I've been drafted in the last 3 PUPLs, played in PUWC, in LTPL and also in Smogon Exhibition. I know the player base well and pay a lot of attention to tour results. I also have decent results in individual tours, especially old gen ones as I won a PU Classic and made semis of another one. I play and build in SS PU very actively, so I would be able to support in any tier. Team name is TBD.

4 SS PU > 2 SM

 

[zS]

gm I would like to apply for manager this pupl for the
Selfish Servines ​

I don’t have any manager experience on smogon but I did manage some French team tours (if that’s valuable in any sort of way). I have some pu teamtour experiences as I played PUPL and PUWC. I am very up do date with every single pu generation so I will be able to provide support in every tier of the tournament. I also have individual tournament appearances, as I qualified for pu classic playoffs and had a good run in open and kickoff last year. I keep a close eye on the playerbase and I think I know it well so I will be able to make a team of reknown players and new faces. Also for the format I think having 4 SS slots instead of 2 SM would be much more helpful for the metagame to develop. Logo soon...

 

[0NI]

its my birthday

 

[termi]

hi i would like to manage again. team name: THE UNSCRUPULOUS SCRAGGIES

 

[Alkione]

its my birthday

Happy Birthday !!!

 

[HJAD]

hi I would like to manage for pupl 7
I've been busy as of recent but after I finish finals around 9th June, I should be around
2 sm > 4 swsh because I am massively biased
thank you for your time

 

[Lost Soul]

I would like to sign up for a managing, I have experience playing in the UPL, UUPL, OMPL and the RUPL in the past so have been a part of many different teams so I know how the whole process goes. I have a lot of experience with the PU tier and have been playing it almost exclusively for the past few years. I will be pretty active and available these up coming months so there will be no issues on that front. I do not intend to buy myself as a player if I do get selected as a manager, so if anyone is interested I'm also very willing to be an assistant manager with anyone that would have me. So if anyone is interested in bringing me on as an assistant or co-manager feel free to hit me up anytime, or has any questions for me I'm a very flexible and approachable person don't hesistate to drop me a message. As for a team name I would say Rocking Regirocks.

 

[Bag of Trixx]

howdy

Team name to be determined, but I'd like to sign up as a manager. I have tremendous experience in all generations of PU as well as quite a lot of teamtour success in the tier. 2nd place last year's PUPL, 2nd place PUWC, 1st place in Snake (builder), as well as have a strong record in several non-smogon PU-related tours like RWL and ODL. My team for PUWC also really pushed me to manage more often, as they felt I did a good job then, so figured I'd tackle PUPL next.

As for tiering decisions, I think that it'd be nice if ADV was added to the roster. From a developmental standpoint, these older generations of PU rarely see any sort of light outside of PUPL, therefore they are typically lacking in meta-development and teambuilding awareness. The BEST way to solve this issue is by incorporating old generations such as ADV into PUPL. ADV PU TOURNAMENT was a success, but was ultimately just a first step for the gen after several years of being left out of PUPL.

USUM doesn't need a 2nd slot as the tier is already quite solved and the meta isn't in need of any further development, as far as I'm concerned. As for SWSH? Personally, I'd be fine with 3 SWSH + 1 ADV, especially considering PU SSNL, PU Open, and eventually Grand Slam are all happening simultaneously alongside PUPL. I understand it's the current generation, but PUPL is the only time to really show love to the forgotten formats outside of PU Classic (which also didn't incorporate ADV).

 

[Oathkeeper]

alright my fellow PU friends and family, I'm actually doing this

I am submitting my candidacy to manage for PUPL! This would be my 3rd official managing stint should I get picked with the 1st being NU Snake last year and the 2nd being NUPL right now. As some or most of you know, I spent all my time in PU last gen and loved it. I am getting caught up on the SS meta and I do like it regardless of what ppl say lol, and I do know the ORAS meta to a good extent. I have plenty of experience with the community here including friends like HJAD, TJ, Bag of Trixx, gum, and Specs among others. The best tour experience I've had was getting to R8 of a seasonal a couple of years ago and was excited to get that far and I'm hoping to help others out too. Thank you!

Also: I'm happy with either format, I feel they both provide options

Team Name is the Dastardly Druddigons

 

[gum]

hi, i'd like to manage the live laugh love lilligants. maybe i'll come up with a decent name later idk but yeah placeholder name!!! anyway, i have a decent amount of experience when it comes to teamtours (can add these here if needed), and also captained the winning puwc team (with Juno). i'm also pretty active community wise and i think i can support a decent amount of slots as well

i disagree with adding adv; finding players for dpp and bw is already somewhat hard (especially for the latter), and the adv pool is considerably more scarce. yes adding it would help with development but it kinda looks like it'd be a hassle more than anything. a lot of the adv players also play dpp / bw, where you'd otherwise need them, and i'm not sure all of them would be willing to help with two tiers every week. it wasn't brought up in this thread but i wouldn't necessarily be against a bo3 spot. at the very least, i think most people that have signed up to manage have some experience in swsh, sm, and oras, and i think it could be a decent midground between having a 4th swsh slot and 2nd sm slot. if a lot of people are against having a bo3 slot, however, i think 4 swsh is better than 2 sm. sm is an oldgen, and i don't really understand why it'd have to get special treatment; it doesn't need it for development at all either like others already said

 

[Teddeh]

I would like to say that HJAD is a massive wet wipe and that he would be a pretty average choice

 

[Lily]

Hey I'm not interested in managing for this tour but I'd like to say I very much support ADV PU > a 4th SWSH slot and that both are massively preferable to a 2nd SM slot which really shouldn't even be on the table when you still have old gens being developed and growing in popularity.

I will be the first to admit that I didn't build a single thing I used in ADV PU TOURNAMENT, that was all TSR. What I can say is that I found the tier to be super fun, pretty well balanced and overall enjoyable which doesn't seem to be a very hot take at all. I understand managerial concerns that finding players for these metas is difficult but I do think that it's a self fulfilling prophecy if that's the right term? What I mean by that is that the longer we leave ADV PU - and by extent, GSC PU - out of these tournaments, the longer it takes for them to evolve if they ever do at all, meaning they'll never "have the required playerbase" to get into the tournament in the first place. The great thing about these undeveloped metas is that new players can pick them up and learn them to build on their fundamentals and ideally shape the tier for future players to come; I didn't even know BW PU was a tier when I signed up for PUPL last year and I ended up playing it and massively enjoying it. You're never going to have these experiences without giving them a shot.

Beyond that I think 4 SS is just a lot. SS PU is a cool meta, it's fun enough to watch, but with 4 slots you're looking at 32 starters + requisite builders and subs and I'm just not sure that there are enough truly solid players for that since a lot of reliable SS PU players can just as easily decide to play oldgens. 2 SM is just silly even if it still has a big playerbase, it's past its heyday and it makes more sense to let it go and give it the same treatment as other oldgens.

Basically I think this is a sensible year to give ADV a shot. It saw a lot of play in ADV PU TOURNAMENT, there are more players than you'd think who would love to give it a shot and while finding builders for it may be difficult in theory, teams can certainly figure it out; that's how unexplored metas evolve in the first place. If you really really don't want to do ADV PU for whatever reason then do 4th SS but I really hope this is given more fair consideration.

 

[Ktütverde]

After almost 4 years of playing PU, I'd love to be the manager of a PUPL team. I have a lot of team-tournament experience: I played in 2 PUPLs (and my teammates and I won last PUPL), in Smogon Exhibition Tour now called LTPL (we won), in 2 snakes, I also managed PUWC France last year, and I am currently playing WCoP in team France. I have a lot of tournament success and I'm confident I can provide my team with a lot of advice in order to win this PUPL. I'm also determined to make sure we have a great team spirit and that each player and helper is accounted for. I would also like to mention I played the PU classic and made finals of 3 and won 2, so I believe not only I can be a manager who knows and cares about the oldgen slots and doesn't neglect them, but also that I'll be able to give a chance and draft players who are strong in this tier, and not just "fillers".

My team will be named the "Happy Huntails", and for a good reason (well the happy part at least).

Format:

Hide

The format is great with 4 SwSh. It's the most competitive PU gen of all, SM is now old and certainly not better than SwSh unlike last year where Palpitoad was a thing. There's no justification for taking out one SwSh slot. ADV is funny but barely anyone plays this, there's no room for it, and removing another oldgen would be a mistake too, they have gotten a huge highlight thanks to the PU classic, and anyway they've been played in the last PUPLs and now they are quite known, with stable metagames and a more than decent playerbase allowing serious drafts and serious PUPL games. Too bad for ADV! Only having 9 slots would justify adding it imo, or a general consensus on a certain oldgen being inferior, which sounds very unlikely. Less than 4 SwSh would really suck since many people are signing up for this and even with 4 a bunch wont be picked, or asked to play an oldgen instead. That's always how it is, and having 3 slots will be quite a problem. Last year was an exception due to being pre-DLCs and with a general opinion that SS sucked badly. Saying now that PU sucks is an extremely bold statement, people are hyped to play it.

tl;dr: 4 SwSh 1 SM no ADV

Trust me to give the best possible experience to my PUPL team. I'll be equally focused on the winning aspect and teamspirit one. Holidays help in that too! Just adding that yes, I'm playing Wcop which is another serious teamtour, but it's over in 2 weeks max, over on Sunday if we dont qualify for playoffs, so don't hold that against me please, even if PUPL started now I wouldnt put less energy into it just because of another tour.

I look forward to seeing the name Happy Huntails in the PUPL matchups. Thank you for your time!

PS: I broke the SS PU ladder elo record and point differential, I dont know why I wrote all of this, that's clearly enough.

-Ktut