Well, after hours of slacking, my annual Snake PR is finally complete. If we're keeping it real, this year's pool is a lot weaker than the year prior, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This gives the chance for some players to break into the scene, and perhaps for some old veterans to prove their worth once again. With Kushalos and Eternally being the only two consistent NU players this Snake, having played in the past four team tournaments, this gives the chance for a lot of players to prove themselves this year. Warning: This PR is partly objective, and it is also partly subjective. Some players are hard to compare due to their lack of experience (which is why you'll notice a three-way tie down the line, lol). This isn't meant to insult anyone, or say anyone is unskillful. Every player this year is actually perfectly capable of going positive, despite the fact that these players may be new to the major tournament scene (or, in the case of some players, new to the NU scene). Therefore, enjoy the PR, and don't get mad when you see Garay is ranked at #5
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1) Kushalos
SPL X: 4-5
SSD II: 7-4
SPL 9: 5-4
SSD I: 5-4
The Chef is back at it again this Snake, and people have high expectations for him as usual. Being one of the only two players to have played NU in the past four team tournaments (alongside Eternally), Kushalos is definitively the most consistent team tournament NU player in Sun & Moon. His worst record of the bunch came this past SPL X, where he only went 4-5, still a respectable record. He went positive in the other three, though, with his best showing being in the last edition of Snake. It's no secret as to why Kushalos is so consistent: Not only is he a fantastic player all around, he has a huge advantage in the builder as well, as the chef makes his own techs and teams each week. A lot of people underestimate the power of a good builder, especially when the good builder is already a good player. It adds a layer of depth into battling, not only giving the player the ability to predict sets more efficiently, but also to analyze opposing teams, and being able to pick up trends, and knowing exactly how to work against those trends. His teams may appear close to standard, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The point that one must reach is consistency in teams. Will the teams do well in battle? The answer with Kushalos' teams is almost always yes.
Highlight Replays
Kushalos vs lax - SPL X [Week 3]
Kushalos vs Osh - SPL X [Week 6]
Kushalos vs HANTSUKI - SSD II [Phase 1]
Kushalos vs FLCL - SSD II [Phase 1] (Highlight)
Kushalos vs Tangy - SSD II [Week 1]
Kushalos vs rozes - SSD II [Week 3]
Kushalos vs Eternally - SSD II [Week 4]
Kushalos vs HANTSUKI - SSD II [Week 5]
Kushalos vs Zukushiku - SPL 9 [Week 1] (Highlight)
Kushalos vs lax - SPL 9 [Week 5]
Kushalos vs elodin - SPL 9 [Week 6]
Kushalos vs lax - SSD I [Phase 1]
Kushalos vs Jayde - SSD I [Phase 2]
Kushalos vs elodin - SSD I [Phase 3]
As you can see, the chef really is known for putting a twist on standard teams (and for loving Charizard, jesus man). Certain sets like Fightinium Z Bulk Up Emboar, Z-Celebrate Charizard, and Buginium Z Passimian, were all popularised by the Chef and these replays. It is also a great display of some of the great plays he makes in battle, some of them completely game changing. Overall, Kushalos is the most consistent NU player currently. The reason for this is his combination of great innovations, teams, and just being an all around great player, making him extremely deserving of the number one seed. If a record prediction is necessary, he'll most definitely go positive this Snake. Unless of course, he lets rozes build his teams, in which case, expect him to go 3-6 or 2-7. (<3 rozes)
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2) ict
SPL X: 6-4
SPL 9: 4-4
Ah, ict, one of the lower tier GOATs, is finally playing NU in Snake. He had avoided it for 2 years, only playing NU in SPL, but now his time has finally come. He's either gone positive or neutral playing NU in SPL in the recent years, going 6-4 in SPL X, and 4-4 in SPL 9. He had the best NU record in SPL X, so it is easy to expect a lot from ict this Snake, especially with a bit of a weaker pool this year (most people who played NU in SPL X either aren't playing in general, or are playing other tiers). ict is mostly known for being a consistent player all around, being able to play pretty much any tier with building support. He even played some OU in the SPLs as well, although Jarii did build all ict's teams in SPL X. In terms of NU, though, ict has an incredible building partner in Jarii, who has a load of experience in maining NU and is a pretty solid builder himself. In the past, ict has been known to use some rather creative teams, using Pokemon like Ambipom, Archeops, Rotom-Frost, Aggron, and Scyther in big team tournaments, usually with high amounts of success. If Jarii can combine his solidity in team building with ict's creativity (and also solidity in team building, assuming that ict has always built his own teams), ict teams this Snake should be extremely successful, bringing a new and refreshing twist to this arguably boring meta.
In terms of individual tournament experience, he obviously won Slam a few years ago, which is a massive accomplishment. The year after he won Slam, he managed to take the LC Open as well, which is also a pretty big feat. While that isn't exactly NU experience, it is clear that ict's skill translates, especially since he has yet to go negative in NU in team tours in the past few years.
Highlight Replays
ict vs Osh - SPL X [Week 1]
ict vs elodin - SPL X [Week 3]
ict vs Kushalos - SPL X [Week 4]
ict vs Eternally - SPL X [Week 5]
ict vs Eternally - SPL X [Semifinal]
ict vs Eternally - SPL 9 [Week 1]
ict vs Hootie - SPL 9 [Week 2]
ict vs Earth - SPL 9 [Week 4]
ict vs Z+V SPL 9 [Week 5]
ict vs Tricking - Grand Slam V [Tiebreaker] (ORAS)
ict vs stax - Grand Slam V [Round 2] (ORAS)
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3) Eternally
SPL X: 3-6
SSD II: 8-2
SPL 9: 1-5
SSD I: 5-3
Eternally, besides Kushalos, is the only NU player to have played in the past four team tournaments. A bit unlike Kushalos, Eternally has a bit of a shaky record when it comes to going positive and negative in the team tours. In SPL, he generally goes negative. For example, last SPL, Eternally went 3-6, and in SPL 9, he went 1-5. However, the opposite is true in his Snake experiences. Last Snake, he went an incredible 8-2 (the best NU record last Snake), and, in the first edition, he went a positive 5-3 as well. If the patterns show anything, Eternally should go positive this Snake, especially with his high motivation to play NU this time around, despite having wanted to play RU for the past two years (shoutouts to cb jose altuve). Like Kushalos, Eternally usually builds some standard - but consistent - teams to use in tournaments. However, unlike Kushalos, Eternally hasn't been afraid to take the nosedive into building some very creative teams, especially in these tournaments.
It should also be noted that Eternally most shines in his individual tournament runs. For example, this year, Eternally won the first cycle of the NU league, and stayed in the winner's bracket, meaning he never lost a set. He also faced a bunch of formidable opponents, such as yeezyknows, zben, Osh, Rodriblutar, FLCL, and Lopunny Kicks. It is a massive accomplishment to be able to face all of those opponents in a row, to ever lose a set to any of them (besides yeezyknows in a three-man final, but he managed to go back and beat yeezyknows to proceed to the grand finals). Ironically, Eternally lose round 2 in the NU Majors to yeezyknows, who also happens to be Eternally's NU support this Snake. It should be noted that in the NU League the year prior, Eternally had also made it to the losers semi-finals, also a huge feat.
Highlight Replays
Eternally vs Realistic Waters - SPL X [Week 3]
Eternally vs Teddeh - SPL X [Week 4]
Eternally vs Kushalos - SPL X [Week 7]
Eternally vs elodin - SSD II [Phase 1]
Eternally vs Hootie - SSD II [Phase 2]
Eternally vs Realistic Waters - SSD II [Phase 2] (Wraith=Car)
Eternally vs HANTSUKI - SSD II [Week 1]
Eternally vs Tangelo - SSD II [Week 3]
Eternally vs Realistic Waters - SSD II [Week 5]
Eternally vs Kushalos - SSD II [Semifinal]
Eternally vs Earth - SPL 9 [Week 2]
Eternally vs Hootie - SSD I [Phase 1]
Eternally vs Kushalos - SSD I [Phase 2]
Eternally vs yeezyknows - NU League V [Semifinal]
Eternally vs zben - NU League V [Final, Set 2]
Watching Eternally should certainly be interesting this year. He should be projected to go positive, even after coming off a mediocre SPL, as he generally does well in Snake. If he sticks to builds that conform more to the meta, while also putting little twists on them like Kushalos might, his builds should be successful this year. With motivation to put in a lot of effort this Snake, Eternally will certainly be on his A game in the battle field as well. On top of that, yeezyknows as support may add some things into Eternally's toolbox that we might have never seen before. While he isn't the most consistent in terms of team tours, Eternally should go positive this Snake, putting him at the #3 seed.
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4) Finchinator
Some of you may be concerned at this high of a ranking with Finchinator, ESPECIALLY since his NU tournament experiences this year extend to merely playing best of threes in NUPL (in which he went a decent 4-3 in SM). However, of all the players here, Finchinator actually has one of if not the strongest foundations of a player, consistently qualifying in individuals, and being a first round OU pick in most tournaments (in this case, being a first round NU pick). Not to mention, he's an experienced NU player anyway, being on the NU council himself, so he is unlike col49 in that he already knows the meta inside and out, and shouldn't have to learn much to perform well. He's already a good builder himself, and paired with four other potential NU players (UltraBallz having the most NU experience this generation), there should be no doubt that we can expect good teams from Finchinator this season. What puts Finchinator at the biggest disadvantage perhaps his is aforementioned inexperience in playing NU on the big stage. However, this isn't the first time he's done it, as he played NU in tournaments about 4 years ago, which was back in ORAS :thonk:. Essentially, Finchinator will probably do very well this season as he is already a great player, and paired with some good builders, he should go positive.
Highlight Replays
Finchinator vs Robert Alfons - NUPL VII [Week 1]
Finchinator vs byronthewellwell - NUPL VII [Week 2]
Finchinator vs Eternally - NUPL VII [Week 4]
Finchinator vs Raichy - NUPL VII [Week 5]
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5) Garay Oak
SPL X: 5-4
SSD I: 1-1
Garay Oak is one of NU's newest tournament players, as his first big performance occurred this past SPL. While he played in the first edition of Snake, he only managed to get in two games, and didn't play NU in SPL 9 or Snake Draft 2. It wasn't looking well for Garay when he started off with a 0-4 record at the beginning of the season. Luckily, his managers let him still play, as he managed to win every game after that, bringing his record up to a 5-4. That's certainly no overly impressive record, but knowing Garay, things can only go up from there, especially after he continued to go 6-0 in NUPL. Something to perhaps be fearful of, though, is a lack of building support. Garay is really the only NU player on his team, forcing him to build for himself, unless the Leviathans have someone in their server that otherwise didn't go drafted. It is very possible that Mr. Oak will do fine on his own as a builder though, as he is certainly someone who can build a good team. It is just the lack of a second opinion can be quite worrisome, especially when Garay is relatively new to the major NU team tour scene, with merely decent records in his past, besides his 6-0 NUPL run this year (this will also be mentioned for col49 and Jrdn, Garay isn't being isolated here). Garay is certainly a capable player, and it can be expected to see some games from him this season. Here's the best of his previous team tour experiences:
Highlight Replays
Garay Oak vs elodin - SPL X [Week 6]
Garay Oak vs Eternally - SPL X [Week 8]
Garay Oak vs Christo - SPL X [Week 9]
Garay Oak vs Bushtush - SSD I [Phase 2]
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6) Bobby Dagen
SSD II: 2-2
SSD I: 4-4
Opposite of ict, Mr. Bobby Dag- wait, who the hell is that? It appears that Rodri got a name change! Well, opposite of ict, Rodri managed to avoid playing NU in SPL, and played it in Snake instead. He's been an NU player for a good minute now, despite not playing it in any recent SPL. As some users have already cited, he's certainly not known for his building, especially since he is known for using non-traditional teams (and not always in a good sense). However, some users have also already cited that this time he is paired with FLCL, one of SPL's best builders. Perhaps a player with the skill of Rodri combined with the building power of FLCL will work well for Rodri. It's most certainly possible, he hasn't gone negative in the past two years, but he hasn't gone positive either, with a 2-2 record in SSD II and a 4-4 record in SSD I. However, he is on the more unlikely side of the bunch to go positive unfortunately, as his most recent showings in NU haven't been super impressive, although they weren't horrible either. He'll most likely sit around a barely positive or barely negative record this year, which is still a decent showing.
Highlight Replays
Bobby Dagen vs Hootie - SSD II [Phase 1]
Bobby Dagen vs Eternally - SSD II [Phase 1]
Bobby Dagen vs Kushalos - SSD I [Phase 1]
Bobby Dagen vs elodin - SSD I [Phase 2]
Bobby Dagen vs FLCL - SSD I [Phase 2]
Bobby Dagen vs imsosorrylol - SSD I [Phase 3]
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The next three are pretty much a three-way tie. It took awhile for me to figure who I wanted where, and it's pretty much based on a gut feeling and guesstimating records. Therefore, don't consider the ordering, they're all ranked 7th, the order is just a matter of how I placed them originally.
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7) Snou
Like the upcoming col49, Snou's only NU team tournament experience on Smogon resides in NUPL. However, unlike col, Snou actually got in a lot more SM this year, and had a pretty decent record. Therefore, it's clear to see why he might be favored this year to go positive. However, with a lack of experience on the big stage thus far, it's a bit harder to justify a good run for Snou than the above users. Snou has a slight advantage over 49 and Ren-chon for one simple reason: He has Sjneider to back him up. Sjneider is certainly a fantastic builder, and combined with an already decent builder in Snou himself, it is very possible that together they can create some very solid teams for Snou to use this Snake. He's pretty much used standard with alterations in the past, so it will be interesting to see how that will blend with Sjneider's creative building style. On the contrary, Snou has a bit of a disadvantage over the other two in that he hasn't gone incredibly far in individual tournaments like Ren-chon, nor does he have the foundation of participating in big team tournaments in other tiers like col49. The farthest Snou got in individuals this year was round 7 of the NU League, which is still respectable, although not as far as Ren-chon went. Overall, Snou should do well this tournament as he is paired with a fantastic builder, although is inexperience in playing at a high level may bite his behind.
Highlight Replays
Snou vs robjr - NUPL VII [Week 1]
Snou vs Charmflash - NUPL VII [Week 2]
Snou vs Gondra - NUPL VII [Week 3]
Snou vs Santu - NUPL VII [Week 4]
Snou vs TDK - NUPL VII [Week 5]
Snou vs EviGaro - NUPL VII [Semifinal]
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7) col49
Like the aforementioned Snou, Col's NU experience mostly resides in NUPL. However, unlike Snou, col49 already has an entire competitive career in RU to back up his skill level. In NUPL, he only played SM NU half of the season, but, when he did, he brought some pretty solid teams (with a dash of creativity, bringing some Pokemon like Gurdurr and Musdale as well). Three games this year isn't really a lot, but there are certainly people who are ranked higher who haven't had any NU experience this year, so at least col has that going for him. Since Vileplume's ban, though, the meta has changed quite a bit, so it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the changes, and, more specifically (and most importantly) how he will adapt to the dominance of Toxic Spikes in the current meta. The reason col49 is so low here is because he doesn't truly have a lot of NU experience, especially on the big stage. If he manages to even schedule a game, though, I think support with lax and his already strong footing as a player will take him far this tournament. It is merely a matter of investment and learning the tier. If he is presumably not building all this teams, then he might find himself struggle more with a lack of building knowledge, although that generally depends on the player and the opposing player, etc.. Again, though, having lax as your manager most definitely helps, so we can certainly expect col49 to do well this Snake, so long as he is able to schedule his games.
Highlight Replays
col49 vs HarrisIsAwesome - NUPL VII [Week 3]
col49 vs tko - NUPL VII [Week 4]
col49 vs Hootie - NUPL VII [Week 5]
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7) Ren-chon
Ren-chon may have a slight advantage over the above two because of how far he's gotten in certain individual tournaments. He made it to the semifinals of the NU Majors this year, which is a pretty good run. He also made it to the round 5 loser's bracket of NU League V, which is fairly decent as well. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much team tournament experience in NU, and like col49 and Snou, his biggest showing has been NUPL, going a pretty solid 5-2 this past year (it could be 6-1, I accidently messed up my replays in the replay thread so I was unable to get his battle for the semis). He faced some formidable opponents, such as The Goomy, Lycans, and -Davon, all experienced NU players. He tends to use some relatively standard teams, although for a couple of games, he used some non-traditional Pokemon, such as Tauros and and Sawk, to his success. If he continues to use such teams this Snake, he will more than likely be successful in his endeavors.
Highlight Replays
Ren-chon vs The Goomy - NUPL VII [Week 1]
Ren-chon vs Lycans - NUPL VII [Week 4]
Ren-chon vs emforbes - NUPL VII [Week 5]
Ren-chon vs -Tsunami- - NUPL VII [Week 7]
Ren-chon vs Jrdn - NU Majors I [Semifinal, Game 2]
Ren-chon vs FLCL - NU Majors I [Round 4, Game 1]
Ren-chon vs FLCL - NU Majors I [Round 4, Game 2]
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10) Jrdn
Jrdn surprised everyone this year by recently winning the NU Majors. Originally an OM player, Jrdn pretty much came out of nowhere and somehow had an incredible run. As some people have already mentioned, he's been playing Pokemon for quite some time. It is very possible that Jrdn can go out with a good record this, but without a good NU builder to back him up, it might be a bit difficult, especially with the major lack of experience in the tier, besides this most recent tournament. Jrdn actually built most of his teams for Majors, so he'll probably fare very well as a builder, even without extra NU support on his team, however, it always helps to have some extra support. But again, he's been playing Pokemon for a while, so it's very possible that his skill from OMs just transfers over to NU. If that is the case, and he builds well, it is certain that Jrdn will have not only a successful Snake, but a successful future as an NU player.
Highlight Replays
Jrdn vs 0NI - NU Majors I [Final, Game 1]
Jrdn vs 0NI - NU Majors I [Final, Game 3]
Jrdn vs Ren-chon - NU Majors I [Semifinal, Game 1]
Jrdn vs Ren-chon - NU Majors I [Semifinal, Game 3]
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Final Ranking:
1) Kushalos
2) ict
3) Eternally
4) Finchinator
5) Garay Oak
6) Bobby Dagen
7) Snou
7) col49
7) Ren-chon
10) Jrdn
