Edit: I’m bad and I completely forgot to add Osh, oops! I will add him in the morning, it is 12 am and I am tired lol.
Hey all, its Yoshi here! I know I haven't posted much about NU in SPL quite as much as I did in Snake (in fact I haven't posted at all lol). I am hoping from here on forth that I will be able to make more posts for match ups + some videos as well to contribute here since this thread is in need of it. Currently, it is half way through the 2019 SPL season. To commemorate that, here's my midseason power rankings, objectively based off of the players' records, with some subjective notes.
Just to preface the rankings, I am going to drop some hot knowledge real quick. This SPL has had no one who has gone defeated who has played all weeks, and the only person to go undefeated total has only played one week, being Leru. Two players have not won a single game yet, being Teddeh (0-4) and Tricking (0-1) (blobsad). I think that the fact that only one person has gone undefeated thus far is a sign that the NU playerbase is really competitive. I think by the end of this, we're going to see a lot of 5-4 and 4-5 records which is definitely a good sign, as that means there is no one or two dominant players in the pool (obviously some people will have lower records due to a lower game count). I think the pool was great from the start, so it is definitely nice to see that the players are living up to their expectations, although not in the way most spectators might expect. Also, this post will not go over Leru and Tricking as they have only played a single match, and there obviously wouldn't be a lot to talk about in that regard.
#1 - Realistic Waters
Everyone's favorite British player currently holds the (shared) number one spot in SPL thus far. With a record of 4-1, rw has exhibited high octane game play for the past five weeks. Unlike Smogon Snake Draft, where I believed that he used teams on the more standard side, which was contrary to what he had exhibited in the past, this SPL, he has been using teams that use standard Pokemon, but twist them in a way to make new and refreshing builds. Oftentimes this SPL, I have felt that some games have been a bit boring to watch due to certain team choices and structures, but with rw teams, this was almost never the case. One of the better teams I think he used this SPL was his week one match,
Kushalos vs Realistic Waters. As shown here, he is using Pokemon that can be considered to be the "standard." However, he did seem to attempt to revive a lesser used Pokemon, Guzzlord, which was popular in the past. I think he did that excellently in this match, efficiently outplaying his opponent, weighing risk vs. reward correctly, and in the end he dominated his opponent. One creative set that I enjoyed seeing this match was Curse Golbat. This is a set people have talked about before, but I don't think it's ever been tried in a tournament setting like this before. It is nice to see that the pool is trying to reinvent the way we think about the NU tier, and I think that rw is a great example of a player who is doing that. I think for the rest of the season, he has a great chance of holding the number one spot, and could perhaps overtake the other number one spot holder, so long as he keeps it up with these teams and raw skill in battle.
#1 - ict
Like Realistic Waters, ict also happens to hold the number one spot. With a record of 4-1, he has also exhibited some great game play for the past five weeks. Coming fresh off of a ban, it is surprising to see that ict has done so well, even though he was regarded as one of the best NU players in the past. It just goes to show that you can't really forget how to play Pokemon, you just have to relearn the meta. Of course, ict has done a great job at relearning the meta. While week one made it seem like he would bring more standard teams to this SPL, his week two match,
Lax vs ict, proved that theory wrong. While he did lose the match, it is definitely nice to see him attempting to break away from the standard mold he displayed in week one. Therefore, perhaps a better display of his creativity would be shown in his week three match,
elodin vs ict. While this does slightly dial back on the creativity, considering Pokemon like Blastoise have been rising in usage this SPL, it is still an excellent display of what a refreshing team might look like. This match is also a great display of ict's skill. He essentially dominated elodin in this match, using hazards, more specifically Toxic Spikes, to his advantage. It appears that Toxic Spikes is something that ict has been enjoying to experiment with, as he has used Weezing in 3/5 of his matches thus yet. As shown in that match, as well as his week 4 match, it has been working out for him. Experimenting with other not so used Pokemon like Mismagius and Sneasel has worked out great for him as well. I think that ict being 4-1 is definitely a deserved record for him, and if he can keep up what he is doing with his teams, as well as his skill in battle, he can pertain a positive record this SPL. The only fear that I have for him is that at one point, some of his opponents may catch on to his style of building, unlike rw who keeps things a bit more fresh. While ict did use stall this past week, he has been using these bulky offense teams that can have weaknesses to be exploited if he isn't careful. Overall though, an extremely solid player, and will go positive at least this SPL.
#3 - LAX ON STAX
I think that Lax was everyone's favorite player by far going into SPL X. While he doesn't hold the number one spot (so far), he does currently hold the (shared) number two spot. Like most players this SPL, Lax has displayed excellent team building strategies, incorporating some new techniques into his building. For instance, in his week one match,
Lax vs Teddeh, he used several uncommon Pokemon, Jynx, Mismagius, and Kabutops, to form a solid hyper offense team. It also shows displays of creative sets on Pokemon that are used, like this Z-Bug Buzz Accelgor, which seems to be rising in popularity this SPL. In this specific battle, it definitely caught Teddeh by surprise, so great tech there. In this match, I think he definitely weighed out risk vs reward properly, and noticed the right weaknesses in Teddeh's team right from the start. This allowed him to sack off the right Pokemon just a few turns in, which is obviously a pivotal skill to have for hyper offensive teams, which aren't exactly meta right now. As an aside, I think if more teams like this arise this year, hyper offense may definitely become the wave again. In his week two match,
Lax vs ict, he displayed what I think a lot of people over look in this current meta, stall. A lot of people probably remember stall as being bad, but it is in fact the opposite. Stall has been on an uprise since people realized that you just need Xatu on every team, and you can otherwise be creative in what you use. One of the more unlikely candidates people would assume would fit on stall is actually a Pokemon that is found on most good stall teams right now, Incineroar. I think Lax's build is a great display of that Pokemon, and alongside the other five, creates an extremely solid stall team. Also, just to note, it was very entertaining watching someone 4-0 someone with stall in 58 turns. Overall, Lax has had some awesome builds this SPL. While he hasn't won every game, I haven't felt that he's ever played super bad, and that's always a good sign. You win some, you lose some, as they always say, and I think Lax displays that perfectly. I definitely think his record can improve if he polishes his playing a bit, and could even outdo the number one spots.
#3 - Kushalos
This is my personal favorite player, the chef. I predicted at the beginning that the chef would take the number one spot this SPL, but hasn't done that quite yet. I still have faith in him, so let's see what the chef has cooked up thus far. Although some of his teams have been in my opinion relatively unattractive to the eye, there are still some great looking teams he has made, and all of them are still great displays of creativity. My favorite of his bunch was the team he used in his week two match,
ict vs Kushalos. Not only is his team attractive, it uses some of the Pokemon people like to overlook, such as Rhydon (surprisingly overlooked), Clawitzer, and Sneasel. Of course, the Clawitzer is his signature set (and the best Clawitzer set) KUSHAWITZER, which is essentially a Sub + Toxic variant of Clawitzer, which he used in this battle to efficiently chip down Pokemon like Slowbro. Alongside these cooler Pokemon, there are some returning standards, like Magmortar, Xatu, and Vileplume. I think this is a perfect blend of creativity and the more meta Pokemon, and it has definitely been working out for Kushalos this SPL. However, there are a few examples in this battle as to why Kushalos might not have a perfect record this year. To give one example, there is a turn where he mispredicts twice with Magmortar, which clicks Focus Blast into a Slowbro, and then a turn later Z-Focus Blast into Slowbro. I think this is just a simple human error in the risk vs. reward field in this instance, which is something that can easily be worked on. Kushalos has always shown great game play in the past, and while it hasn't always necessarily felt that way this SPL, there are still several weeks left to play this year for him to redeem himself in that regard. While he isn't number one this year just yet, I still have a lot of faith in the chef.
#3 - Osh
This is a late addition to my PR, I apologize for missing out on Osh! I thought I had included him early on, but it turns out I missed him completely. Regardless, he is here now, and is the third player this SPL X with a current 3-2 record. Originally, I admittedly had little faith in Osh due to a lack of team tour experience, and a bit of a controversial Grand Slam run. However, he definitely displayed his skill through the Smogon Championship, and while he didn't take away a ribbon, he definitely displayed some good fights. This SPL, I don't think this is any different. I've enjoyed all the teams he has brought, which I am assuming were built by SANJAY, so great choices on his part. A great example of Osh's skill and SANJAY's building power is Osh's week two match,
Osh vs elodin. As shown here, the build incorporates some of the trends we've seen this SPL, including high Diancie usage, as well as a Pokemon that is considered to be on the less viable side of things (in a tournament setting), Sigilyph. He was able to win this match by figuring out his win conditions early on, and was able to execute a game plan to pressure elodin throughout the match, and was eventually able to clean with Rotom. A lot of Osh's losses have actually been fairly close matches as well. Take his week four match,
Realistic Waters vs Osh for example. One of the main reasons this match went south for Osh is that Stealth Rock didn't stay up, but other than that, there was really nothing wrong with Osh's playing. Considering the match up, it would've been hard to keep hazards up versus rw's team anyway, as trying to offensively pressure the opponent with a semi stall team can prove difficult. I think that Osh is definitely one of the better players shown this SPL, and I've definitely underestimated his skill. His building partner in SANJAY has also done a great job, and while there is no way of knowing if he has built some of the teams, or perhaps none of the teams, I definitely think he has had an influence on how Osh considers what team he is going to bring, and perhaps how he thinks when he is building himself. Overall, Osh will definitely improve his record this SPL, so long as he keeps up the work.
#6 - Eternally
Here's everyone's (3rd) favorite TL Eternally! This man never ceases to amaze me in tournaments. While he never stands out has being super duper good or super duper creative, he is always there to provide entertaining matches, as reflected in his current 2-3 record. SPL X has proven no different. I think he has been a great example of displaying Pokemon that have been on the rise, like Blastoise and Sneasel. He used both those Pokemon in his week one match,
elodin vs eternally. This is also an example of a match where Eternally just plays extremely solidly. While he did lose this match in the end, I didn't really feel that he played poorly during this match. Sometimes you lose due to the match up being in the opposing player's favor, or perhaps that your game plan wasn't as effective as your opponents. That happens sometimes, and I think that's fine. One thing I think Eternally could do is change up his building style a bit, just to play around with some new things. I feel as if this could be beneficial for him, and may change the future course of his adventure this SPL X. To be quite honest, there isn't much else to say about Eternally, as he is really just a solid player all around.
#6 - SPACE FORCE meeps
meeps was actually one of the players I predicted to not do so well this SPL. I only felt that way because he had been gone for a year (and also because he was supposed to play RU lol). As shown by his 2-3 record, he hasn't necessarily proven that prediction wrong, but he has still shown great skill throughout this SPL. For example, his week one match,
Garay Oak vs meeps, is a great example of meeps' skill. Throughout this match, he kept up a lot of offensive pressure with Magmortar and Alolan Exeggutor. I think he was really early on able to determine that Magmortar specifically was his win condition, and you can see that with the way he played throughout the match. Some may argue that he was throwing away Magmortar too early, but really it just tore through the team right from the beginning. Playing unnecessarily safe will lead to your opponent taking advantage of you, so pressuring your opponent is usually the key to success in situations like these. I think the match is also a good example of meeps' team building, as it shows Pokemon that haven't been seen all that much this SPL like Alolan Exeggutor and Miltank, which are still very effective in this meta (free Miltank to C+). Another good example of creative building from meeps would be shown in his week 2 match,
Eternally vs meeps. This shows a creative way of using Audino, which generally people would assume to be used on stall. However, meeps decided to put it on a balance-type team, which is extremely innovative. This actually worked extremely well for him in the end, because he was able to keep up some pressure with his defensive cores. However, builds more on the creative side have not always worked out for meeps, as shown by his 2-3 record. Overall, I think meeps is an extremely solid player, and I think the only reason he has a negative record right now is because the NU pool is just so solid this year. It would be extremely unsurprising if he turned his record around within the coming weeks.
#8 - elodin
Ah, it's everyone's favorite most improved user, elodin. Joining the NU council in 2018, elodin is a player I have personally looked forward to playing. Despite this, he has ended up with a 2-2 record thus far, moving to BW OU in week five, a match that has been yet to have been played at the time of writing this. Oftentimes with elodin, I notice that his issues are on the field rather than in the builder. His teams are refreshing and they are good builds, it just so happens that playing in battle doesn't always work out for him. I think a great example of this is his week two match,
Osh vs elodin. As you can see, his team is actually quite a fun build, but if you'll notice, the issue is the battle itself. Osh keeps up a ton of pressure on elodin throughout this match, and that ultimately leads to his downfall. The same is true in his week three battle,
elodin vs ict. However, elodin finds success when the opposite happens. If he manages to gain momentum and the ability to pressure his opponent, he is usually successful. This is shown in his week one match,
elodin vs Eternally. While he does not boast the most creative of builds in this match, he clearly pressures Eternally throughout the entire match, and eventually this gets him a win. All in all, elodin is a very solid player, but can sometimes break under too much in-battle pressure. If he manages to keep himself in an advantageous position in his matches, he will almost certainly succeed.
#9 - Garay Oak
Here's another player who's issue is generally in battle rather than the builder. Garay is actually one of my more favorite builders in the NU pool this year, as he always manages to put a twist on seemingly standard builds. Using Pokemon like Alolan Exeggutor, Palossand, Medicham, Guzzlord, Sigilyph, and Miltank, he never fails to disappoint in his creativity. However, as aforementioned, he appears to fail on the field most often, having a current record of 1-4. It seems that most of his faults just come down to matchup losses and things like that, but sometimes he also shares the problem that elodin has, which is failing under pressure imposed by the opponent. An example of this can be found in his week two match,
Realistic Waters vs Garay Oak. rw manages to keep up a load of pressure with his Magmortar in this match, and while this is an example of a disadvantageous match up for Garay, I think the way that rw played with his Magmortar definitely affected the outcome of this match in a major way. Overall, Garay has the same issue as elodin. He boasts great builds, but can sometimes fail to perform well if their opponent keeps up the pressure. If he can keep himself out of playing in the back, he will definitely succeed in the coming weeks.
#10 - Teddeh
Ah, poor, poor Teddeh. While he did hold the #1 seed at the beginning of the season, he has somehow ended up with the worst record thus far, not winning a single match. He was subbed out for Tricking week five, who ended up losing anyway, leaving the Sharks 0-5 in NU. Does this mean Teddeh is a bad player? Not at all. I think that his record is just another display of the NU pool being really good this year. Sometimes he just simply loses due to not keeping up enough pressure, or it is a match up thing. However, there are some questionable things I have seen from Teddeh thus far. For example, let's look at his week two match,
Kushalos vs Teddeh. In this match, he does display a bit of an ugly team, but that is irrelevant nonetheless. The thing I want to point out specifically is the questionable Poison Fang Golbat. I don't really see the benefit in that tech personally (but perhaps there is some use that just didn't work out in this match up). The reason I point this out is because it is little things like this that has been shown throughout this SPL by Teddeh. While he is known for his cool techs, it just hasn't seem to work out for him this SPL. I think his record can definitely improve, but perhaps this can be possible through taking a different avenue in building.
