Thanks to the hustlers for a fun time again even though we were again a point and a game off clutching playoffs. Special mention to
cyanize for helping with SM these two seasons, your teams are truly amazing and I'm happy to actually build new, fresh stuff in an old meta.
Pohjis thank you for letting me drag you along these two seasons, your records in each season speak for themselves.
robjr for keeping your headup despite 100% being the unluckiest player this tour. Under new management next year, I'm pretty sure your luck will turn around.
Beraldinho thank you for helping the SS immensely this time, keep at it in SCL. Now because you asked beral:
Inting Enteis (4) vs. Dabbing Darmanitans (4)
SS1: Expulso vs.
umbry - Honestly at this point I don't know who the manager of the darms really is. It was meant to be lunala, but now its umbry but umbry and the darms SS has been just using punny teams so he may as well be the manager given he wants to very quickly forget about the season the verns just had. In the end I'll conclude the darms just have a hydreigon for a manager with umbry being the main head. I think in a higher stake situation, umbry will probably win the rematch. Both have been quite good this tour but umbry's main weakness has been using the same punny teams again and again. Expulso has built some hot teams this tour but I'm giving the edge to umbry solely based on the fact that either punny will come up with something new for umbry's open run, the darms will finally try to build a generic team which doesn't take more than 10 brain cells, or umbry will use some bulky wincon expulso can't break. Building edge to expulso, playing edge to umbry.
SS2: Isza vs.
London Beats - expulso and franklin probably sit down every week, build and test a bunch of good shit. Amongst the mix, they realise they're addicted to steelix. So they decide that amongst the 5 teams they build, the one with the least diversity and the most boring one goes to isza. Rather than putting the lucky and fire alkione here, expulso and frank have decided to go the boring route here and are gonna get punished. London beats has played solid this tour but has had to rely, like most of the darms, on the bulky wincon to carry the end game after being behind. How frank and expulso address this building wise will be cool to see.
SS3:
Scottie vs. Askov - similar to gum idk like.. im biased sorry. Osh started well, but inted a few games in the middle. He seems to have inted slam too so he's firmly in the inting enteis mindset this tour. Having said that, if there's one guy you trust to deliver when it counts, it's mans here. Askov is cool and solid but honestly doesn't make very many plays in game while osh does. In a SS tier that's less mu dependent than others, I'll trust a guy who makes more plays in game
SS4:
TheFranklin vs. Lyss - Frank has lost a bunch of games to some random HO but lyss is the most vanilla opponent possible who almost certainly looks uncomfortable using anything apart from BO. Funnily enough, if lyss uses HO, frank will be so paranoidly prepped for it that she'll lose from preview. I think in a fatter meta like this one, frank's building probably is better. They're both good pilots but I think to a degree the darm's building has recycled too much, they need to switch it up for poffs.
SM: Xiri vs.
Luthier - Xiri's strength I think lies in his versatility while Luthier's strength lies in his brazen play. Luth hasn't been as good as he normally is this tour but I think it's cuz he's not stealing well since most of the time his mu is sucky at preview. Xiri has played solidly all around this tour but him haxing mael and then writing 'weird one' triggered me in the thread so I'm bolding Luthier
ORAS: banks vs.
DugZa - No clue how Maple mate is 4-1 in this tour and in ORAS that too LOL. Izaya's probably secretly ghosting him somehow in ORAS. I think banks is better and objectively I should bold them but Treats & Stuff has some secret sauce this tour so I'm bolding him
BW:
Yay vs. Spl4sh - Both are using standard BW RU teams, I think Yay is luckier so im gonna bold him.
BO3:
Eternal Spirit vs. mncmt - this all depends on what mence loads up into double tyrantrum and glalie LOL. I'm bolding gama here cuz I think a TB is coming.
Sleek Slush Rushers (4) vs. Masculin Basculins (4)
SS1:
QWILY vs. idk who - I would have bolded qwily even if he was vs bea tbh. He's more involved and played p solidly till now. Bea looks out of sorts in this tour and I kinda like the building from the rushers.
SS2:
Danny vs. Jordy004 - Danny lost with stall while Jordy won with it so only one of them here is under the delusion that stall is somehow good in this tier. Danny's been building quite unique stuff but has inted a few end-games after playing good early-mid game. I haven't seen enough from Jordy in general to feel comfy bolding him while I think Danny can shrug off end-game nerves to take one home for KC.
SS3: TJ vs.
Mac3 - I think TJ has probably cemented himself as one of the best players on the site period. He's like almost undefeated in slam and already qualified for playoffs, had a good SPL, made OST quarters. Man is killing it lowkey. However, he is vs Mac3 that has been killing it all things RU recently. The invitational run was impressive albeit mired by a bit of luck. I think playing wise TJ is better while building wise Mac3 is better very clearly. My gut is telling me that Mac3 will probably take it based off a clever build if he positions an unknown wincon late game really well.
SS4: Daruma vs.
zS - if zS went 0-7 this tour, I'd still bold him off of that wcop game vs raptor. He soul read the first seed in smogtour which was super fun to watch. I love McSim and I think he can definitely take it but zs has been super fire this tour and off of form, u have to bold him
SM:
tlenit vs. xXcrossbowXx - crossbow has brought some batshit crazy stuff but has neglected sometimes to bring some basic team essentialities like a ground resist. He's played pretty well but I can't, in good faith bold someone who doesn't use a ground resist. Tlenit is no nonsense and good all around. I've been impressed by some of the plays he's made. The game vs hurta for instance was very well played from him. Idk where he's gonna get his team from this week but I think this game is close regardless
ORAS:
Chaitanya vs. gorex - Chait's been alright and lucky which is a super dangerous combination in this tier. I kinda firmly believe TSR's take on this tour that no one (apart from Feli) knows how to fucking play this tier. Respectfully to gorex, his lineup would be a lot better if he didn't self buy himself and used the money to buy an actual oras slot or another RU player. Chait can use anything and I think unless he has a terribad mu, will probably do well here.
BW: GoldCat vs.
ninjadog - I've been quite impressed by GC for his building this tour and it's been quite good. ninjadog has just been using standard bw ru but he's been piloting it super well, the game vs eternally for instance was pretty impressive. I think that if GC can come up with some cool techs/nice composition he should win but otherwise I think ninjadog can make the more aggro plays to take it in this tier
BO3: odr vs.
Star - odr is very talented but also super busy to put enough effort into this game. I think that playing wise both are on a very similar level and rarely/don't make mistakes. odr usually has good takes on the meta that take him far but I'm not 100% sure where his head is at currently. I think that star slightly edges him in the two old gens the way things are and could take the series but it's close either way.
Both series go to tiebreak, it's an interesting RUPL nonetheless
Spreadsheet 
Announcements Thread 
Scheduling Sheet 
Replays 
Inting Enteis (5) vs. Dabbing Darmanitans (3) 
Sleek Slush Rushers (4) vs. Masculin Basculins (4)
it could go either way honestly, but once again, momentum gang
especially lyss umbry mnc.
