Tournament CAPCL II - Commencement Thread

I’ve decided to do an analysis of DPP CAP each week because the metagame is NOT chaotic and NOT undeveloped. Also, I started this and it wiped all my progress so… Also, if this isn’t where I put this then I’ll move it

Here are the usage stats to refresh your memory
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon | Use | Usage % | Win % |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1 | Tyranitar | 4 | 66.67% | 75.00% |
| 1 | Revenankh | 4 | 66.67% | 50.00% |
| 3 | Skarmory | 3 | 50.00% | 66.67% |
| 3 | Clefable | 3 | 50.00% | 66.67% |
| 3 | Latias | 3 | 50.00% | 33.33% |
| 6 | Krilowatt | 2 | 33.33% | 100.00% |
| 6 | Kitsunoh | 2 | 33.33% | 50.00% |
| 6 | Jirachi | 2 | 33.33% | 0.00% |
| 6 | Gyarados | 2 | 33.33% | 0.00% |
| 10 | Bronzong | 1 | 16.67% | 100.00% |
| 10 | Starmie | 1 | 16.67% | 100.00% |
| 10 | Breloom | 1 | 16.67% | 100.00% |
| 10 | Togekiss | 1 | 16.67% | 100.00% |
| 10 | Fidgit | 1 | 16.67% | 100.00% |
| 10 | Swampert | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
| 10 | Lucario | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
| 10 | Flygon | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
| 10 | Colossoil | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
| 10 | Cyclohm | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
| 10 | Azelf | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
Note: All I have is 3 games here to work with :psycry:, so that’s my opinion of the “metagame”

The state of the meta is very bulky, as premier pokemon like Clef, Skarm, and Rev are everywhere and bulky, and TTar and Cyclohm boast great defensive profiles. Primarily offensive Pokémon struggle without obvious advantages (Kril with LO, Flygon with Scarf, Zapdos with Phazing). Hazard Stack and Effect Fishing are both very good, as Rapid Spin is semi-unviable (still necessary), and Flinching is a prefect way to deal with big threats
1. Tyranitar :tyranitar:
This Mon is. so. good. I think everyone knew that already but I’m here to tell you again. EdgeQuake and Crunch makes for terrific coverage, while supporting potential teammates like Clef, Rachi, Kril, and Skarm, and whittling down threats like Rev, Gyara, and Lati. Overall, I feel like TTar sort of acts like an Offensive Pressure Pivot where no one wants to stay into TTar, so they’ll switch out and to no one’s surprise, this thing is very centralizing in the DPP metagame.

2. Revenankh :revenankh:

Revenankh didn’t have a great showing this week in CAPCL, while I understand it’s potential, it never got the opportunity to set up and sweep like it normally does, and that left a feeling where, maybe the meta is too bulky for Revenankh to survive? With the prevelance of Sandstorm, it feels as though Rev will just get crippled anyway (if Lefties are knocked), and it’ll passively die before it can do damage.

3. Skarmory :skarmory:

The premier hazard setter, phazer, and Rev answer in the tier. Skarm’s synergy with TTar allows it to stay in the game long-term and do major chip damage to the likes of Rachi, Kitsunoh, opposing TTar, Rev, and many, many more. I also believe Skarm is one of the many reasons that Rev didn’t see much real play, resisting Shadow Sneak and neutral to Hammer Arm (even though it boasts a great defense anyway) allows it to fight back with STAB flying coverage or phaze it out

4. Clefable :clefable:

Magic Guard + Sandstorm is one of the best combos in DPP, and Clef is the defensive staple of this duo (we’ll get to the offensive one in a sec). Being able to ignore hazards and sandstorm allows it to become a very good sponge in the tier. It’s main problem is being one of the few things weak to Rev’s Hammer Arm (but Soft-Boiled can passively ignore it once Rev’s speed is low enough). Overall, Clef’s splashability allows it to become a main defensive threat

5. Latias :latias:

I very similar feelings when it comes to Lati as Rev, while I understand the potential, it wasn’t shown this week. Normally, Latias serves as a bulky(ish) special sweeper, so in a bulky metagame, it would feel like Lati would have a bigger impact. Unfortunately, that was not the case this week, but I do think Lati has a chance to rebound, and get a couple of sweeps or impactful kills

6. Krilowatt :krilowatt:

My favorite Mon in the tier rn, great synergy with sandstorm, and the definitive late-game cleaner. Magic Guard Life Orb makes Kril an amazing offensive presence in the meta. While weak to EQ (can fire back with HydroBeam lol). Why aren’t you using this? It outclasses so many things it’s not funny. Like I mentioned before, Magic Guard’s synergy with Sandstorm allows it to sit on threats who don’t like passive damage.

7. Kitsunoh :Kitsunoh:

Kitsunoh’s access to Shadow Strike, checking(ish) Rev, sand sitter, spin blocker, and scout (the whole point of its existence!) allows it to be VERY versatile and fit on many teams. Kitsunoh’s greatest strength is it’s varied roles and surprise factor when revealing it’s role (as there is no team preview) makes it the best role compression and niche filler in the tier.

8. Jirachi :Jirachi:

Another strat I saw a lot was effect fishing, and Iron Head Jirachi was one of the main abusers of the tactic, affecting flinch on a Mon is dumbly insane, however it’s not particularly great? As most times, Jirachi is found flopping on defensive threats, and is forced to leave the field.

9. Gyarados :Gyarados:

Why not use Kril? This is literally all I need to say
I’m not talking about every one, I’m just talking about the ones that impressed me.

Togekiss :togekiss:

60% flinch chance, SE against Rev, and immunity to shadow sneak makes Togekiss a little more viable. Air Slash flinching is really valuable, but like Rachi, you’re just trying to flinch defe
Fidgit :fidgit:

Okay, I don’t really understand Fidgit, but it is the best utility mon in the tier, providing spin, taunt, encore, and pivoting, so it is valuable. It kinda feels like a victim to 4-move syndrome.

Flygon :flygon:

Scarf Flygon is a super fun late game breaker, it can check a lot of the meta, however, it does feel out of place (probably cause it’s more anti-meta)

Colossoil :colossoil:

TTar without Sandstream, 4x Fighting weakness, +spin, +STAB EQ…wait what was the similarities again? Jokes aside, I feel like colo fills a very similar role to TTar in the meta with it’s offensive pressure

Cyclohm :cyclohm:

Cyclohm is the the definition of the meta right now. Cyclohm is very bulky, has reliable recovery, and has a great offensive presence. I’m kinda surprised it wasn’t seen more
:tyranitar: :clefable: :skarmory: :krilowatt:

Sandstorm is gonna be appearing in nearly all games right now. So Clef, Skarm, and Kril can all take advantage of this. TTar is the sand setter that boasts great offensive pressure. Clef and Skarm are the bulk of the team, with Skarm able to hazard stack and phaze. Kril is a wallbreaker and late game cleaner.
Arghonuat :arghonaut:

It’s-s an Unaware Mon in a Revenankh meta? I’m kind of confused here if we’re honest. Arghonaut, like Kitsunoh, is incredibly versatile, and so not seeing Arghonaut (especially after it’s dominance in SS and SV), was a shock
Syclant :syclant:

With the prevalence of Hazard Stack, I’m a little surprised that it didn’t show up. However, Spikes was definitely more prevalent than Stealth Rock (I’m pretty sure Skarm doesn’t get Rocks in DPP tho), and so it sort of felt like Spikes were preferred because of Syclant, but it’s purely spec
Voodoom :voodoom:
I’m not too worried for Voodoom, bigger threats like Zapdos, Heatran, Mag, or Gliscor didn’t show at all. Electric immunity is fine, you are able to tank one Kril and maybe sweep :/
Stratagem :stratagem:
Like Voodoom, it’s a solid mon, but so much resists it STAB
Pyroak :pyroak:
It’s Pyroak, why would it be here (It’s also CAP)
I’ve already talked about all of these, so don’t expect to much commentary

10. Jirachi

Jirachi will always be a great Pokémon because of its splashability on many teams, however, the way it was used this week made it appear more useless than it is right now.

9. Flygon

In Flygon’s one appearance, it worked as an amazing late game breaker.

8. Latias

Latias’s potential didn’t show this weak. However, a great typing and movepool make it a threat none the less

7. Colossoil

Great offensive pressure and utility like Spin makes Colo an amazing mon

6. Revenankh

It’s Rev, even though it’s performance wasn’t great, it’s still the biggest threat in the meta

5. Cyclohm

Like I said before, Cyclohm feels like a watered down version of the overall state of the meta with 50% recovery, great defensive stats, and great special movepool

4. Tyranitar

This thing is everywhere, and for good reason. However, it is held back by a MAJOR fighting weakness

3. Clefable

Magic Guard is perfect where sandstorm is nearly guaranteed, Clef can sit on a lot of Pokémon in the tier, and is a great defensive presence

2. Skarmory

Step 1. Sandstorm, Step 2. Hazard Stack, Step 3. Phaze the day

1. Krilowatt

I love this thing. It cleans every game that it’s in, and has HydroBoltBeam. Why not use it?
 

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CAP Champions League II: Official Power Rankings

Well, better late than never!

The Process:
A google form containing the full lineups from the Week 1 was sent out to each manager, on which they would rank every player not on their own team from 1 to 15 in SV, 1 to 5 in SS, SM, etc. A couple teams chose to have players on their lineup submit the rankings instead. The scores were compiled and averaged out to get the final results below; each team's final ranking is the grand total of all of their individual player rankings + their "extra" ranking. Because the grand totals are just every individual ranking added up, a smaller score represents better placement, while larger scores represent worse placement. The "extra" category represents positive qualities other than the pure strength of their W1 lineup; factors such as team environment, roster flexibility, building support, strength of of substitutes, etc were all up for consideration here.

A MASSIVE shoutout to SHSP for writing the Baxcalibur and Great Tusk blurbs, you're the best. With all that out of the way, let's get into team overviews (in alphabetical order)!

Team Overviews
:staryu: Asuka Langley Staryus :staryu:
SV: Rabia
SV: Joeshh
SV: Darek
SS: Rage.Spam.Quit
SM: Lily
ORAS: Steam Buns
BW: SiceXV
DPP: Thor

If it was a contest of acronyms, the ALS narrowly beat out the NFT (God help us) for the best (worst?) team. Unfortunately, though, this is a contest of Pokemon –– that's right, a real game, where men have fought, dreamed, lived, and died on the battlefield for generations under high-octane no-holds-barred blood-and-iron competition. Veteran manager Lasen knows this well: after the Weatherman Whimsicotts' first place PR ranking but brutal last place finish during CAPPL with a crushing -12 battle differential (the second-to-last team had BD of 0, for context...), Lasen throws himself into the proverbial ring once more with his sight set on but one thing: redemption. Naturally, only time will tell if his hopes bear any fruit, but it sure is nice that he was able to convince CAP's resident Aussie and reformed Pineco manager Steam Buns into carrying helping him in his managerial endeavors.

To the rest of the community, this combo came out of left field. Mr. Buns had firmly proclaimed that he wouldn't be managing this time around so he could watch himself go for God knows how much in the auction instead. But, Lasen's skills of persuasion –– if you can call them that –– are not to be underestimated. With Buns providing both invaluable support and piloting potential in ORAS, BW, and DPP, and the weathered manager Lasen himself providing strong support in SM and to a lesser extent SS and SV, this team has as good a foundation as any to make a championship run.

This team's SV lineup probably has the most number of question marks on the team, and will absolutely need to perform if the Staryus hope to have any success. Darek's 4th place ranking reflects the high expectations that many have for him, despite his stint of low activity during the last leg of SS; Joeshh's middle-of-the-pack ranking reveals a degree of uncertainty about his skills despite a phenomenal breakout performance in the SS money tournament, with this uncertainty also being seen in the high discrepancy between his individual rankings; and then there's Lord Rabia, whose middling-at-best tournament performances in the past year resulted in a 3k pickup ranked at 14th overall.

The Staryus' pastgens on the other hand, with the sole exception of BW, all look reliably strong –– Rage.Spam.Quit. is hit-or-miss at times but generally regarded as a phenomenal pilot, Lily is a strong player with no shortage of SM experience and support, Steam Buns is near-uncontested as the top of the ORAS pool, and Thor's DPP OU experience and trademarked Buns Support should prime him for a successful tournament. BW is... well, no one's quite sure how Sice is going to do, but that's probably fine. All in all, the Asuka Langley Staryus are a well-built team with relatively few holes as long as their bets in SV pay off.

:baxcalibur: Baka Baka Baxcaliburs :baxcalibur:
SV: D2theW
SV: Potatochan
SV: The Strap
SS: dex
SM: Spellcaster
ORAS: gorex
BW: STABLE
DPP: SparksBlade

Coming in first overall in the rankings is the Baka Baka Baxcaliburs, headed by two of the biggest names to touch CAP in recent memory. Stone Cold and Leru come with eight trophies between the pair, with wins in SPL, SCL and WCOP. With a foundation like that, the Baxcaliburs were well set up for success and assembled a team of powerful pieces alongside some question marks.

Their SV core is clearly one of the biggest strengths of the team: their week one starters of Potatochan, D2theW and The Strap all rank in the top six overall. Their support in SV helps this even more, as SPL pick Baloor and resident Floatzel spammer Dex both can help with building greatly. Dex himself finds himself middle of the pack in a very competitive SS pool, hoping to continue late-gen success. Gorex in ORAS ranks highly as well, with a strong second place. He’s been a consistently strong performer in these tours for a long while now, though it remains to be seen how many times we get to cross off the “birdspam” space on our bingo cards thanks to him.

The rest of the team’s starters are ranked rather low in their pools, and could be this team’s Achilles heel. In SM, Spellcaster was able to pick up some wins with strong support in CAPPL, but putting up similar results in this season’s pool forecasts to be difficult, especially with a lack of experience in SM CAP across the team. Their BW starter, STABLE, faces similar difficulties being slotted in BW with little support to speak of. Lastly, Sparksblade ranks low in the DPP pool, though with such an unexplored meta and Dave’s support, a promising season could absolutely be in the cards.

The Baxcaliburs consistently were ranked highly outside of just their players: the management is clearly excellent and has assembled a team that seems to check all the boxes you’d want for a CAP team, between multi-gen knowledge, CAP-specific knowledge, and general atmosphere. Will this on-paper strength translate to a tournament win? That’s a question only the girls Baloor asks on Tinder can answer for now.

:lechonk: Chewing Lechonks :lechonk:
SV: Sylveon used calm mind
SV: One Last Kiss
SV: Concept Everything
SS: Atha
SM: Clementine
ORAS: avarice
BW: Wait2Seconds
DPP: Le Don

The NFT drafted half the population of India; Maxouille and Brigtel drafted half the nation-state of France. This strategy could very well pay off, as historically speaking, French players are damn good at this game –– one only need to look to the most recent World Cup of Pokemon for proof –– but the Chewing Lechonks' lineup nonetheless left some spectators wondering if they planned their lineup by throwing baguettes at a dartboard, as their team ultimately came in at a decisive last place.

With all three of the team's SV slots among the bottom seven rankings, prospects are bleak in the newest generation to say the least. Though, the SV starters do take first place in "longest usernames," averaging at 3 words per name which is pretty impressive all things considered. Sylveon used calm mind hopes to take his late SS CAP success into SV, though at #12 overall, the sentiment seems to be that his run in the money tournament was just a flash in the pan; One Last Kiss ranks even lower at #15, largely unknown in the context of CAP; and Concept Everything, while a staple of the CAP discord, is simply too unproven as a pilot to merit anything above a near-unanimous last place (one team did rank Rabia below him, so there's that).

Atha weighs in at last place in the SS pool despite putting up decent performances in the tournaments he's played in –– perhaps there are lingering questions about his motivation or team support –– but the rest of the Lechonks' pastgens are actually quite solid. Clementine looks to continue his 4-0 CAPPL killstreak in SM CAP, while Wait2Seconds eked out the first place ranking in BW amongst a pool of questionable quality. Similarly, Le Don sits at a highly respectable second place in DPP, a distinct cut above the four players below him and within striking distance of Micaiah. Avarice's 5th place ranking isn't ideal to be sure, but as a strong pilot with a non-zero amount of experience in the tier, he'll presumably contribute at least a couple of wins and has a good chance to outperform any expectations.

Despite the unfortunate ranking that this team received, a deep run is still within the cards –– hell, the Raiders pulled off the "last place PR ranking to winning the tournament" just last SPL. If the Lechonks can put up a fight in SV, the sky is the limit for their team; and truthfully, given the wild west dynamic of the new generation, this is entirely possible. Perhaps the Lechonks will turn their 6th place condemnation into all the motivation they need to overperform, so for now, let's just hope they keep on fighting until the very end.

:gholdengo: GholdenGODS :gholdengo:
SV: velvet
SV: Tuthur
SV: Inder
SS: quziel
SM: LBN
ORAS: Garrett
BW: tier
DPP: Micaiah

"You should forfeit your game... NOW!"
Two stars from CAPPL's winning franchise team up for a promising, though not entirely unproblematic, managerial debut in CAP. Ranked at 5th overall, it goes without saying that this team will need to exceed expectations if they want to have a chance at winning, or hell, even making playoffs. On the bright side, they could also be much worse off; for example, they avoided drafting a Super Moderator and having no fewer than two bans hit their team midseason.

Jokes aside, LBN and Garrett's questionable strength in supporting SS and SV is unfortunately compounded by their draft picks for these slots, ranking on the weaker side almost across the board. Perhaps this was strategic –– double down on strong pastgens, and rely on SV's newness and variance to pick up a few wins –– but either way, there's clearly something lacking in these slots that might just come back to haunt them. Their highest ranking SV slot velvet should probably do just fine, especially considering her dominant CAPPL performance (as long as she doesn't sleep through all her games), but their other two –– Tuthur and Inder, at #16 and #17 respectively –– leave something to be desired. Despite success in other tiers, both of these players are new to CAP and have raised some questions about how well they'll be able to adapt.

Quziel is as experienced as they come, but after a streak of poor team tournament performances, his #5 ranking in SS shows a lack of general lack of confidence from other teams, especially as he looks siloed in terms of building and testing support. Whether he triumphantly beats the washed allegations or suffers from another unfortunate team tournament run is yet to be seen. LBN's #5 ranking is somewhat surprising considering his 6-2 CAPPL record in SM, but his, er... unique building style doesn't exactly inspire a sense of consistency. Garrett at #3 in ORAS and tier at #4 in BW will predictably be able to hold their own, but the team's powerhouse is none other than CAP's pastgen star himself, Micaiah. After sweeping the BW pool a year ago, Micaiah looks to do the same in DPP –– and odds are, he probably will.

Perhaps the 38,000 credits (??) the GholdenGODS spent on substitutes will be their real key to victory. But as it stands, prospects are slim for this team to deliver on one half of their namesake and truly be as good as gold.

:great-tusk: No Fucks Great Tusks :great-tusk:
SV: Piyush25
SV: Raj.Shoot
SV: spoo
SS: DetroitLolcat
SM: Dj Breloominati
ORAS: DugZa
BW: marsandback
DPP: Brambane

No longer a manager added to the draft one third of the way through it, Spitfire joins Brambane as the manager of the No Fucks Great Tusks in an effort to singlehandedly prove that WCAP would be won by the Indian subcontinent. Brambane's last run in a team tour was a fruitful one, making semis in the last CAPPL, and the duo has put together a strong attempt at running it back at least that far, if not further.

No Brambane/Spitfire team would be complete without an army of Indians unbelievably good at the game, and this seasons roster is no different: their SV core is headed by Raj.Shoot and Piyush25, both looking to take their very solid SS performances into the new gen. In SM, manager Spitfire has the potential to pilot his creative building and experience with the tier into a very strong season, and ORAS starter DugZa has a great deal of support from both managers and other teammates like Spoo to outshine his middle of the pack prediction. Speaking of Spoo, somehow his deep run in CAP's SV Kickoff tour (in which he has played six whole games in four rounds) did not lead to a high placement in the SV rankings: expect him to carry a chip on his shoulder into the year and look to build on his runner up finish in SS.

Overall this team seems to have few overall holes, even as we move into some of the more contentious spots on the rankings. DetroitLolcat's SS performances, especially in team tours like this, have been nothing short of excellent, and again he is surrounded by incredible SS support. The more fledgling tiers in this tournament, BW and DPP, could prove to be highlights of the whole team even in very unsure ground. In BW, marsandback contests for the top spot in a very close set of rankings, and the team's DPP efforts may well be helped by Brambane's self-buy, as he is one of the small number of people at the forefront of making the tier itself work. In a pool full of established oldgen players, however, can his knowledge and ability to build utterly insane teams set him apart?

What can really set this team apart from the pack is the sheer support potential. The team is deep, with a lot of players being able to bounce around formats, and the knowledge of almost every tier is super visible from the outset. This team also drafted Tadasuke, which will comfortably keep them in the top half of any rankings I write forever. With a robust, deep roster and a new format for fat Jumbao to be built in, the Great Tusks have a real shot at the title this season.

:astrolotl: Whole Lotl Cottas :astrolotl:
SV: kDCA
SV: myjava
SV: Elfuseon
SS: Kate
SM: JayHeaven
ORAS: pannu
BW: zioziotrip
DPP: Ainzcrad

A 16-year-old Swedish insomniac who spends his time simping for 2D Japanese characters online. A dead assistant manager and past SPL winner whose biggest contribution to the team was posting "si" in the manager signup thread. A team full of National Dex players, and also Heaven Jay. This is the ideal CAPCL team. You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like.

The Whole Lotl Cottas are a mixed bag: the assman being of questionable use to the team aside, the team has a bit of everything, from a good SM and ORAS knowledge base in pannuracotta, an SV core that has potential to either over or underperform, a few incredible pastgen players, and a couple not-so-incredible pastgen players alike. In SV, we have kDCA, Elfuseon, and myjava, ranked at 9, 10, and 11, respectively. All three are unknown quantities in CAP, but their relative success in other tiers like National Dex and OU helps to buoy up their rankings. Without a doubt, these three have quite a high ceiling on their performance, but also just as low of a floor; whether they hit the mark or not, especially given their apparent lack of support (I've gotten something along the lines of "you think I'm touching this dogwater tier?" the two times I've asked pannu to test in SV...), will be a massive factor behind the depth of the Cottas' run.

As alluded to, pastgens here are hard to make heads or tails of. We have Kate who confidently takes the #1 ranking in SS, while Heaven Jay is tied for first place with the NFT's own Spitfire arcanine. While both of these players haven't had particularly dominant team tournament showings in CAP for a while, their strength in their respective tiers is still impossible to deny. Cut to ORAS, where Yung Cotta himself takes... last place. Despite supporting his ORAS slots in past tours with good success, this is the first time that pannu enters the ORAS CAP shark pit on his own –– whether his supporting ability translates to real in-game success is something to keep an eye out for during this tournament.

BW and DPP are home to #2 zioziotrip and #5 Ainzcrad, respetively; zio's inexperience in BW CAP is less of a worry when seemingly everyone in the BW pool will be figuring out the tier on the fly, so his strong all-around skills as a pilot are primed to take him far, while the same unfortunately can't be said about Ainzcrad who many deemed to be worse off in a pool where at least a couple people (probably) know what they're doing. They have a few strong substitutes in the back, though, and coupled with what looks to be an enjoyable team environment, the Cottas managed to squeeze into the top half of the category that evaluated qualities beyond the starting lineup. While far from the strongest team on paper, it would be a blatant mistake to count this lineup out: it's no overstatement to say that the Cottas stand a serious chance at taking home the championship title.

Individual & Overall Rankings:
SV
Screen Shot 2023-01-26 at 4.11.51 PM.png

SS
Screen Shot 2023-01-26 at 4.12.16 PM.png

SM
Screen Shot 2023-01-26 at 4.12.34 PM.png

ORAS
Screen Shot 2023-01-26 at 4.12.58 PM.png

BW
Screen Shot 2023-01-26 at 4.15.09 PM.png

DPP
Screen Shot 2023-01-26 at 4.15.29 PM.png

Extra
Screen Shot 2023-01-26 at 4.15.42 PM.png

Grand Totals
Screen Shot 2023-01-26 at 4.16.02 PM.png
 
Welcome to another DPP CAP in Review!

+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon | Use | Usage % | Win % |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1 | Kitsunoh | 3 | 50.00% | 66.67% |
| 1 | Krilowatt | 3 | 50.00% | 66.67% |
| 1 | Tyranitar | 3 | 50.00% | 0.00% |
| 4 | Fidgit | 2 | 33.33% | 100.00% |
| 4 | Bronzong | 2 | 33.33% | 50.00% |
| 4 | Latias | 2 | 33.33% | 50.00% |
| 4 | Colossoil | 2 | 33.33% | 50.00% |
| 4 | Starmie | 2 | 33.33% | 0.00% |
| 9 | Stratagem | 1 | 16.67% | 100.00% |
| 9 | Syclant | 1 | 16.67% | 100.00% |
| 9 | Magnezone | 1 | 16.67% | 100.00% |
| 9 | Cyclohm | 1 | 16.67% | 100.00% |
| 9 | Flygon | 1 | 16.67% | 100.00% |
| 9 | Clefable | 1 | 16.67% | 100.00% |
| 9 | Scizor | 1 | 16.67% | 100.00% |
| 9 | Voodoom | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
| 9 | Rotom-Wash | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
| 9 | Breloom | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
| 9 | Rotom-Appliance | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
| 9 | Revenankh | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
| 9 | Zapdos | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
| 9 | Empoleon | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
| 9 | Jirachi | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
| 9 | Skarmory | 1 | 16.67% | 0.00% |
Ok, Imma be real here, I don’t know, it’s definitely offensive, but it’s seemingly a Hyper Offense meta, with Skarm and Clef dying in usage, and Kitsunoh lead status rising, it’s swaying that way, but then again this could just be an indication to mark DPP is a crapshoot off your Bingo cards. Oh, and the short descriptions for each segment, I’m confused by this meta
8. Starmie :Starmie:

The Fallen Spinner. Starmie didn’t have the best winrate, but its special prowess still gives it a reason to be used. Its role compression is desired, as you don’t have to use both Colo and Latias to fill both of Starmie’s roles. That being said Colo and Lati are better at said role.

7. Colossoil :Colossoil:

The Rapid Spinner in the tier, stab EQ and Crunch beats all the potent spin blockers in the tier, oh it can use these moves can destroy all lot of the tier. Its offensive presence leaves a major mark on the tier.

6. Latias :Latias:

Latias is a great Mon. Not much changed from last week, it clicks moves and does amazing damage. Its great coverage allows it to wreck most of the tier, and access to Recover (or some 50% recovery move) allows it to last in games.

5. Bronzong :bronzong:

Gyro Ball kinda smashes HO teams. Bronzong is a great bulky Pokémon with rocks and boom. Bronzong’s role varies maybe a suicide lead, suicide mid-gamer, defensive pivot, and the like. Oh, and we love how we spent 20+ turns spamming SR to get a good boom.

4. Fidgit :fidgit:

Fidgit, “The Pure Utility” Mon, does it’s job well, it’s greatest strengths aren’t its utility. It’s U-Turn and invaluable ground coverage. Taunting bulky support and encoring set up sweepers rounds out its amazing kit

3. Tyranitar :tyranitar:

Poor TTar, despite its amazing showing last week, it kinda dropped in W/L department. But, TTar’s showings this week displayed its many other great traits other than banded wallbreaker. One person this week used DD TTar, but unfortunately set up sweeping isn’t, ideal in this meta. Another used Pursuit trapping, and I find this to be TTar’s other “successful trait”, as Pursuit trapping in a meta where no one wants to “stay in and sweep” is great. (This shows how unknowledgeable I am, doesn’t it? This is more a learning activity for me anyways).

2. Krilowatt :krilowatt:

DAMN IT SCIZOR, you broke my boy’s perfect record :(. Oh wait, W/L doesn’t matter…Kril is the best, deal with it. Anyways, no surprise to anyone, Kril cleans games better than the hotel cleaning staff. Surf, Ice Beam, and Thunderbolt can swiftly wipe the tier to shambles.

1. Kitsunoh :Kitsunoh:

Hey, did you know this is the best lead in the metagame, I sure didn’t! for some reason Kitsunoh can stay in on many things, like spinners, and neutralizes most attacks, (except EQs), and can spread lots of statuses throughout switches with it’s speed and movepool. STAB Shadow Strike can take down Revenankh, and combined with Earthquake and even Superpower, Kitsunoh can become a great offensive presence in the meta
Empoleon :empoleon:

Another great and consistent lead in the tier, it’s bulk and solid STABs allows to be a great breaker on balance and BO teams

Stratagem :stratagem:

Boom, Stratagem, Boom, great special coverage allows it to swiftly make works of the tier, and it booms too

Syclant :syclant:

Special Syclant, anyone? While normally it’s a great physical Mon with Superpower, Ice Punch, and U-Turn, and Mountaineer to boast its pivoting ability. Syclant can also use STAB Ice Beam and Bug Buzz as well.

Magnezone :magnezone:

As no one knew, Steel is one of the best types in DPP, and Magnet Pull + Magnet Rise allows them to bonk themselves while Magnezone watches them die

Scizor :scizor:

An amazing revenge killer that can apparently kill Krilowatt, this thing has to be a monster! In all seriousness, Scizor’s STAB priority and pivoting is crucial to it’s success
Week 1: :tyranitar: :clefable: :skarmory: :krilowatt:
Week 2: :latias: :Bronzong: :Colossoil: This balance core that’s super splashable on HO was seen twice this week, Bronzong can set up Rocks and Boom, Colo can Spin the hazards away and provide ground and dark coverage for Steels, TTar, and Kril, opposing Latias, and Gengar. Latias is an overall great Sp Attacker with great Dragon and Psychic STABs, and Surf and Recover for coverage and longevity
Arghonaut :arghonaut: :psycry: Where are you? You’re so good

Pyroak :pyroak: You’re so bad
Honorable Mention. Cyclohm

A Defensive Pokémon with Slack Off and a Special Attacker with great coverage allows it to always be potent in the meta

10. Scizor

A great revenge killer and pivot, and it’s a steel type that neutralizes ground. Overall great cleaner.

9. Stratagem

Boom, Stratagem, Boom, amazing special coverage and speed tier

8. Flygon

An amazing revenge killer an late-game cleaner that rivals Kril

7. Tyranitar

Tyranitar’s ability to Pursuit trap and support it’s teammates in very invaluable in this meta

6. Latias
A very defining and splashable Pokémon that has great coverage and bulk

5. Bronzong

A great source of bulk and great moves like Gyro Ball, Boom, Rocks, and more allow it to provide immense support to its teammates

4. Fidgit

Fidgit’s movepool carries itself to many teams as a great option for support

3. Colossoil

A great source of role compression in Spinner, Breaker, and Hazard setter allows it to greatly impact the meta.

2. Kitsunoh

An amazing lead with great coverage, Kitsunoh found itself on half of the teams, for good reason

1. Krilowatt

In a perfect world, this hasn’t lost a game yet, but either way, Kril is amazing at it’s job, and the best DPP CAP has to offer
 

pannu

THE GONG OF KNOCKOUT
is a Top Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnus
a story of friendship, trust, betrayal and a showcase of poor decision making, told in 4 screenshots.


The start of a dear companionship, upset at the fact that shispy stole him from me last pl, I decided to draft my dear friend zack for CAPCL this year, as I saw he signed up,
1675647953122.png

holy moly I ended up spending a lot of money on this guy, interesting, he was the most expensive player on my team! well I'm sure he will win the upcoming weeks and maybe even clutch a tiebr-
1675647931344.png

...
1675648008610.png

........
1675648030533.png

I then had to sub in a french natdex mainer at 8pm on a Saturday and deal with an act fish situation while drunk at a party on my phone.

can whoever is hosting cappl please give me an extra 19k (-3k as I will be picking up binpin for the minimal price during midseason to replace Mr. trip) credits for auction. thank you.
 
This is dedicated to Le Don

Idk what I’m doing sooo

The Big Three

There is a clear big three in this meta: Revenankh, Kitsunoh, and (King) Krilowatt

:Revenankh: The mummy, the myth, the legend, Revenankh is a behemoth in DPP CAP. Its multitude of positive attributes leads it to warp the tier around itself. Togekiss and Dragonite have massive increases in viability, solely because of Revenankh, where they otherwise, would suck. It’s main set, Bulk Up, Rest, Hammer Arm, and Shadow Sneak, make
Revenankh a force to be reckoned with. Revenankh can pull off semi-wall sets due to a great base SpDef and access to boosting defense with Bulk Up.

:Kitsunoh: Kitsunoh: The Utility Queen. Kitsunoh has a perfect kit with one Mon. It doesn’t even suffer 4MSS. You can run lead with Wisp + U-Turn, or offensive pivot with U-Turn + Shadow Strike + Superpower. Kitsunoh is sorta this Lando-T or Great Tusk figure, it has one of the best typing available and amazing utility that there’s no reason to use other mons.

:krilowatt:
BEEB175F-5F1D-4DAB-A95E-47A16BE2F6C1.jpeg

My king of the tier, Kril is the THE late game cleaner. Kril has amazing stabs and ice coverage. Oh, and a randomly obsurd HP stat lets it takes a bunch of hits. But wait you may ask, what about SR, well Kril has Magic Guard! So it becomes compatible with LO making it a great Pokémon to pivot into and dent teams due to lack of Regen mons.

What about the other CAPs, you may ask, well several are very solid!

:arghonaut: An Unaware Mon with Revenankh?
:stratagem:
:syclant: Good pivot, not as good as Kit tho
:fidgit: The Princess of Utility
:Cyclohm: nice non-passive defensive mons
:Colossoil: Colo has great role compression

Now, let’s talk about official mons
:clefable: this thing is GOATed, Magic Guard + Ghost immunity is way better here than base DPP OU
:skarmory: it’s good, but SpikeStack is kinda irrelevant here
:tyranitar: Still very good, pairs well with the Magic Guard abusers
:Jirachi: not as good in this tier since it kinda flops on Kitsunoh and Revenankh

Playoffs (the players review)

Micaiah: With Le Don out, I’m very confident that Micaiah will win all possible DPP Games, Micaiah has been very dominant, and I have no doubt he will be a big factor if the GholdenGODS want to win

Thor: I think Thor might have a chance should Micaiah not make it to Playoffs. Him and Ainzcrad are on a very similar playing level, and he is very consistent

Ainzcrad: Ainzcrad is making the finals no matter what, he’s a very strong player, even upsetted Micaiah when they were matched up. Therefore, he has the best chance to beat Micaiah.
10. :skarmory:

9. :Cyclohm:

8. :Magnezone:

7. :flygon:

6. :tyranitar:

5. :Colossoil:

4. :clefable:

3. :Revenankh:

2. :Kitsunoh:

1. :krilowatt:
 

Garrett

Banned deucer.
Player shoutouts will be honest, unfiltered opinions about what my players contributed, their unbiased performances, and if I would recommend them in a future tour. I'll also at the end talk about things I can improve on as a manager if there is a next time.

Inder : Great pilot, thank you for bringing good team energy!

Da Pizza Man : I very much appreciate you testing and building teams as I began to experience fatigue with testing 30 Quziel teams a week. Good energy, great team presence, I'd buy you again. It's a shame you didn't get to try SV, and I probably should have given you that opportunity.

Tuthur : Your matchups were in fact not easy to play and I definitely appreciate you coming back in the later weeks to offer good team presence. Thanks for giving us a shot.

Trade : I hope you're feeling better! In the end I drafted a weird cohort that needed more SV than ORAS, and that sort of contributed to what I'll call "understandable disinterest." The whole accidentally leaving the teamcord thing stays with me as something very funny. In the moment, it terrified me but I am glad it was resolved amicably!

quziel : Guy has 9 PhDs, can bench 500 kgs, balances 9 full-time jobs, and still has the time to build half of our teams every week and is always online to send me a challenge to test any one of them. The fact this guy went for under 10k is absolutely criminal. His ability to look at teams and offer simple, clarifying advice for them is alone worth his price tag. I was pleased that in future weeks, Quz felt more of himself in games and was able to secure great wins. I am sorry he at times felt like the assistant manager for how much work he was willing to contribute. Often times he did more than I.

LBN : You went full crackhead this tour, but in the majority of the weeks, it did not backfire. You brought great energy (minus week 2 Snael) and overall were hilarious (in a good way) to manage with a team tour. I know that there was a "negative dogma" surrounding your potential to be mature in a team tour setting, but overall I think you did quite alright. Except for flaming Gorex in my week 1 game LMFAO. SHSP "mantine" .

Basedburner : Certified goat, wish we had the chance to put down even more lore in the teamcord. If I am more specific as to what that could have entained, I would be permabanned.

tier : TIRE ACID THE GOATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT it was amazing how well you had synergy with Micaiah in the form of "you would take his advice and then you would win games (or in the case of vs. Airfare, win a speed tie)." Great team presence, absolute bargain, we definitely need to manage in Tours Plaza Premiere. I hope you finish your Physics knowledge quest.

Mashing - I should have slotted you. You are an Ubers god.

RichardMillePlain - You brought great energy and for the limited tests and experience you had for SV CAP, you did great! Thank you for being a great team presence.

SiTuM -
1677438849850.png


Micaiah : Your ability to fix teams and build fresh ones off the rip is second to none. You were haxed to hell in an arguably abhorrent metagame, and I would have paid easily 25k+ for your knowledge. Thank you for being a potential 7-0 player in BW/ORAS. Tier Acid loves you.

Lasen -
1677438714324.png


Steam Buns - Bro didn't help prep ORAS semis he lurked in the team cord :(

Joeshh - Thank you for helping with the SV CAP in semifinals lol, you got great potential as the greatest of all time

velvet : I considered omitting this out of respect for them, but I received none from this player. I could not recommend a person less. For the record, I take no issue with their 1-5 record. What bothered me was their lack of care. I do want to thank Stone Cold for being a good mentor and helping me keep my cool when I had initial struggles keeping my team in partial order.
  • Week 1 - Unacceptable act loss. They claimed to "wake up early" but not remember why they woke up early. They got act called but were awake and didn't even say ANYTHING in the teamcord until 6 hours after game time?
  • Weeks 2 through 5 - General laziness, threw 2/4 of these middle weeks
  • Semifinals - Imagine you were the manager. Your player starts the important week by not telling anyone when you play, and they choose to run a re-hash of your team from the previous week that got smashed, and then you get smashed again. You offered a different team, and you received no response at all. That is what I experienced. It is so demoralizing to watch your player say I hate "SV CAP" and then play the game just to lose.
I will express contention if they are recruited to host CAPPL.

Here is what I would like to improve on as a manager.
  1. Better activity. I became burnt out later on, on top of many responsibilities elsewhere.
  2. Draft more people that don't play in 23 team tours at once. I actively sabotaged my team cord environment in that regard.
  3. Force BasedBurner to talk more.
  4. Be less annoyed with my teammates, even when they do unspeakably idiotic things from time to time.
  5. Draft with slot frequencies in mind. I got a crazy strong old gens but only pilots to play SV CAP for the most part. I should keep building ability in mind far more.
EDIT: Thank you SHSP and Wulfanator for hosting. I probably raised enough hell for them in DMs. My team and my antics were not without the maturity of these two guys behind the scenes. Also pannu stays dodging
 
Last edited:

Lasen

smiling through it all
is a Site Content Manageris an official Team Rateris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a CAP Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributor
Player shoutouts will be honest, unfiltered opinions about what my players contributed, their unbiased performances, and if I would recommend them in a future tour. I'll also at the end talk about things I can improve on as a manager if there is a next time.

Inder : Great pilot, thank you for bringing good team energy!

Da Pizza Man : I very much appreciate you testing and building teams as I began to experience fatigue with testing 30 Quziel teams a week. Good energy, great team presence, I'd buy you again. It's a shame you didn't get to try SV, and I probably should have given you that opportunity.

Tuthur : Your matchups were in fact not easy to play and I definitely appreciate you coming back in the later weeks to offer good team presence. Thanks for giving us a shot.

Trade : I hope you're feeling better! In the end I drafted a weird cohort that needed more SV than ORAS, and that sort of contributed to what I'll call "understandable disinterest." The whole accidentally leaving the teamcord thing stays with me as something very funny. In the moment, it terrified me but I am glad it was resolved amicably!

quziel : Guy has 9 PhDs, can bench 500 kgs, balances 9 full-time jobs, and still has the time to build half of our teams every week and is always online to send me a challenge to test any one of them. The fact this guy went for under 10k is absolutely criminal. His ability to look at teams and offer simple, clarifying advice for them is alone worth his price tag. I was pleased that in future weeks, Quz felt more of himself in games and was able to secure great wins. I am sorry he at times felt like the assistant manager for how much work he was willing to contribute. Often times he did more than I.

LBN : You went full crackhead this tour, but in the majority of the weeks, it did not backfire. You brought great energy (minus week 2 Snael) and overall were hilarious (in a good way) to manage with a team tour. I know that there was a "negative dogma" surrounding your potential to be mature in a team tour setting, but overall I think you did quite alright. Except for flaming Gorex in my week 1 game LMFAO. SHSP "mantine" .

Basedburner : Certified goat, wish we had the chance to put down even more lore in the teamcord. If I am more specific as to what that could have entained, I would be permabanned.

tier : TIRE ACID THE GOATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT it was amazing how well you had synergy with Micaiah in the form of "you would take his advice and then you would win games (or in the case of vs. Airfare, win a speed tie)." Great team presence, absolute bargain, we definitely need to manage in Tours Plaza Premiere. I hope you finish your Physics knowledge quest.

Mashing - I should have slotted you. You are an Ubers god.

RichardMillePlain - You brought great energy and for the limited tests and experience you had for SV CAP, you did great! Thank you for being a great team presence.

SiTuM - View attachment 495060

Micaiah : Your ability to fix teams and build fresh ones off the rip is second to none. You were haxed to hell in an arguably abhorrent metagame, and I would have paid easily 25k+ for your knowledge. Thank you for being a potential 7-0 player in BW/ORAS. Tier Acid loves you.

Lasen - View attachment 495059

Steam Buns - Bro didn't help prep ORAS semis he lurked in the team cord :(

Joeshh - Thank you for helping with the SV CAP in semifinals lol, you got great potential as the greatest of all time

velvet : I considered omitting this out of respect for them, but I received none from this player. I could not recommend a person less. For the record, I take no issue with their 1-5 record. What bothered me was their lack of care. I do want to thank Stone Cold for being a good mentor and helping me keep my cool when I had initial struggles keeping my team in partial order.
  • Week 1 - Unacceptable act loss. They claimed to "wake up early" but not remember why they woke up early. They got act called but were awake and didn't even say ANYTHING in the teamcord until 6 hours after game time?
  • Weeks 2 through 5 - General laziness, threw 2/5 of these middle weeks
  • Semifinals - Imagine you were the manager. Your player starts the important week by not telling anyone when you play, and you choose to run a re-hash of your team from the previous week that got smashed, and then you get smashed again. You offered a different team, and you received no response at all. That is what I experienced. It is so demoralizing to watch your player say I hate "SV CAP" and then play the game just to lose.
I will express contention if they are recruited to host CAPPL.

Here is what I would like to improve on as a manager.
  1. Better activity. I became burnt out later on, on top of many responsibilities elsewhere.
  2. Draft more people that don't play in 23 team tours at once. I actively sabotaged my team cord environment in that regard.
  3. Force BasedBurner to talk more.
  4. Be less annoyed with my teammates, even when they do unspeakably idiotic things from time to time.
  5. Draft with slot frequencies in mind. I got a crazy strong old gens but only pilots to play SV CAP for the most part. I should keep building ability in mind far more.
what an unfiltered, dogshit opinion.
 

Dave

formerly Stone Cold
is a Tournament Directoris a Forum Moderatoris a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past SCL Championis a Five-Time Past WCoP Champion
I think that being self-aware is incredibly important. From a very brief observation + actually getting the activity off you in w1, it appears you have very little to no respect for your opponents. This is observed due to the absolute sloppiness on a regular basis when it comes to scheduling and actually completing your games (I mean, please take a look at your most recent post history - there's a disregard for your opponent and sloppy scheduling in every other post - it's kinda comical.)

As a manager, it's absolutely infuriating to see a lack of respect from my players. Having an entire team suffer when they are giving their best isnt cool. And you said it yourself - this is just CAPCL - but the bare minimum should be getting along with your team and actually playing your games. If you signed up for a tour, at least pretend to give a shit.

And this goes for anyone whose drafted. We're all here to have fun. I don't give a shit if you win or lose - just show up and try. I don't think Garrets expectations of you were unreasonable. This is a dude trying to learn how to manage and have fun with his friends. Don't make him out to be a villain for expecting you to try. Kudos to Garret for his patience with you, I told him to sell you back after that shit you pulled week 1.

And if anyone has a tier they don't want to play, don't sign up for it. If you do sign up for a tier that's not your first option and have to start in it, I suggest you suck it up and show an iota of warrior spirit. Load up that HO and let's get it.
 
I think that being self-aware is incredibly important. From a very brief observation + actually getting the activity off you in w1, it appears you have very little to no respect for your opponents. This is observed due to the absolute sloppiness on a regular basis when it comes to scheduling and actually completing your games (I mean, please take a look at your most recent post history - there's a disregard for your opponent and sloppy scheduling in every other post - it's kinda comical.)

As a manager, it's absolutely infuriating to see a lack of respect from my players. Having an entire team suffer when they are giving their best isnt cool. And you said it yourself - this is just CAPCL - but the bare minimum should be getting along with your team and actually playing your games. If you signed up for a tour, at least pretend to give a shit.

And this goes for anyone whose drafted. We're all here to have fun. I don't give a shit if you win or lose - just show up and try. I don't think Garrets expectations of you were unreasonable. This is a dude trying to learn how to manage and have fun with his friends. Don't make him out to be a villain for expecting you to try. Kudos to Garret for his patience with you, I told him to sell you back after that shit you pulled week 1.

And if anyone has a tier they don't want to play, don't sign up for it. If you do sign up for a tier that's not your first option and have to start in it, I suggest you suck it up and show an iota of warrior spirit. Load up that HO and let's get it.
You’re right, and I’m sorry to have went to the attack towards Garrett. I should’ve been the better person here and stuck to what I was placed in from the get go. It has been hard lately with my work schedule, which tbf I probably shouldn’t have joined due to being pretty busy outside of ps. I would also like to apologize to the team that were with the gholdengo’s also, going into sv cap I felt confident due to the fact that I enjoyed sv ou quite a bit but as I played current gen cap it felt different and frustrating because of my performance overall. I failed to notice that it’s not just about playing mons and calling it a day but moreso the aspect of coming together with others. I’ll try to do better from now and hope to earn back trust from a community I’m a part of.
 

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