Matches to Watch
I'm back again with another edition of "Matches to Watch", where I go over each tier and showcase an interesting matchup that's worth catching if you have a free weekend. As usual, I rate stuff vaguely based on hype, storyline/history and general gameplay but it isn't an exact science and is definitely my personal opinion.
SWSH BSS: Greilmercenary9 vs. 11oyd
There's a lot of cool matchups here, Cynara vs. Finchinator, Egor vs. Tony and Kami vs. Solerme are honourable mentions but how could I not talk about Greil vs. 11oyd. These guys have a storied history, with the most important set being the 2018 BSS Invitationals Finals where Greil unceremoniously 3-0ed 11oyd. 11oyd typically has gotten the worse end of the stick when these two have met, but with a new generation to play, we shall see if 11oyd has what it takes to bring it back. He has always had the cartridge results demonstrating that he has the skill level to do well so it's time to prove it against the biggest of boys in this match.
USUM BSS: TectonicDestroyer vs. Suinub
USUM has calmed down a bit after giving us the hype match Chemcoop vs. Puffkilla which was all that we expected it to be. A lot of the current matchups are underdog stories going up against Titans of the USUM metagame. Definitely both have the capability to put in an upset, but I thought that it might be better this week to look at two of the most underrated players in the scene. Suinub is a Japanese player who generally see on high ladder showdown and whilst a rare fixture in the tournament play, has done well in BSSLT previously and is known for his solid gameplay. TectonicDestroyer meanwhile is a rising star in the BSS scene, making it to Semifinals in BSS Masters only to fall to the eventual winner Chemcoop and doing well in Open. I think unlike the other two matchups where there is a clear theoretical favourite, this one promises to be an interesting one.
Classic: Cant Say vs. Megazard
Again Classic is full of gem matchups (as always) since only the finest most gentlemanly of players play old gens. I could have easily gone for Psynergy vs. Noved this week as I think that's an extremely interesting matchup in its own right, but I thought I'd cast a light on Cant Say vs. Megazard. Right now, the Side Pups have been having a bit of an issue in their classic slot, switching between Kaori and Cant Say to limited success but I think if there's a matchup Cant Say can win and begin his redemption arc it is this one. Megazard has not been happy about facing less conventional strategies in GBU for the last two weeks and Cant Say, known for stuff like his Sableye and Sand Veil Garchomp in GBU is definitely no exception to this trend. Both players of course are great at old gens so it should be a treat to watch. We might even see fireworks in the chat.
SWSH BSD/VGC 2020: AuraRayquaza vs. Embcpt
There are some cool matches here, Calvonix vs. Stax is one in particular that comes to mind but how could I not put Edu vs. AuraRay here. Given that both top cut Champions Cup, which is arguably the biggest tour in 2020 VGC to date, we'll get to see how they stack up in BSPL. Both are coming off a loss from last week (Edu does actually, contrary to popular wisdom, bleed), so it will be interesting to see who bounces back. Also I think, in general when you watch players who are the top of their craft play well, at least I sometimes get the feeling of "damn this kid is good" when they make plays during the game.
Overall Hype Team Matchup of the Week: Paniola Ranch Ponies vs. Ecruteak Shadow Ballers
Normally I try not to be biased towards my team and definitely last week I probably overcompensated, but I think our matchup vs. the Shadow Ballers this week is a solid 8.5/10. All the matches here are pretty cool, with the two main ones I've already gone over and I believe it barely puts this series over the edge.. In second place is the Pups vs. the Cavs, with the matches above really being ones to watch though I do think overall it is slightly worse than the first place hype matchup so I give this an 8/10. In joint second place therefore is the Blitzers vs. the Rockets. There's still some great matches here, especially Psynergy vs. Noved here and Stax vs. Calvonix. either ways I think the overall level of matches is pretty decent this week so I give this series an 8/10.
That's it until next week :)
Saffron Side Pups (0) - (6) Castelia Cavaliers 
Paniola Ranch Ponies (3) - (3) Ecruteak Shadow Ballers 
Fallarbor Flare Blitzers (3) - (3) Houston Stealth Rockets 
