RU RarelyUsed Classic VII - Playoffs [Won by robjr]

GoldCat

GoldCat

BOSSARU CUP WINNER
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a defending SCL Champion
Hello and welcome to the playoff stage of the RarelyUsed Classic! 16 competitors have qualified based on their performance in the SS, SM, ORAS, and BW Cups, and now they will compete in all four tiers in single-elimination playoffs. A list of seeds and a visual copy of the bracket are included below. The final standings can be found here.

Grand Slam methodology was followed for the process of determining seeds of players with equal point totals; this means that Win Ratio was used as the first way to break ties, followed by longest run; players tied in longest run (and 2nd/3rd longest run) had their seed decided via coinflip.

1. Xiri (18 Points)
2. Leru (17 Points)
3. Lunala (15 Points, 78.57% WR, longest run BW Finals, 2nd longest run ORAS Round 4)
4. Beraldinho (15 Points, 78.57% WR, longest run SS Finals, 2nd longest run ORAS Round 3)
5. mushamu (15 Points, 73.33% WR, longest run SS runner-up)
6. Floss (15 Points, 73.33% WR, longest run SS / ORAS Semi-finals)
7. Staxi (14 Points)
8. bb skarm (13 Points, 73.33% WR)
9. Yourwelcomethanku (13 Points, 71.43% WR)
10. Shaneghoul (12 Points)
11. Guille14 (11 Points, 69.23% WR, longest run BW Semi-finals, 2nd longest run ORAS Round 3, 3rd longest run SS / SM Round 2)
12. DugZa (11 Points, 69.23% WR, longest run SM Semi-finals, 2nd longest run SS / BW Round 3, 3rd longest run ORAS Round 1)
13. sensei axew (10 Points, 72.73% WR)
14. Metallica126 (10 Points, 69.23% WR, longest run SS Quater-finals, 2nd longest run BW Round 4, 3rd longest run SM Round 3)
15. robjr (10 Points, 69.23% WR, longest run ORAS Quater-finals, 2nd longest run SS Round 4, 3rd longest run SM / BW Round 2)
16. Finchinator (9 Points, 85.71% WR)
classicbracket.png

The playoffs round will give points for the RU Circuit.
9th-16th: 60 points
5th-8th: 95 points
3rd-4th: 137.5 points
2nd: 187.5 points
1st: 250 points
=======================================​
Playoffs are best-of-three, single elimination. The higher seed (on the left; smaller number) will choose the generation (SS, SM, ORAS, BW) that Game 1 will be played in. The loser of Game 1 will choose from the remaining 3 generations for Game 2. If Game 3 is necessary, the loser of Game 2 will pick one of the generations that have not yet been played in this series. You cannot repeat generations within a series and replays are required! The standard tournament rules follow.
 
Last edited:
GoldCat

GoldCat

BOSSARU CUP WINNER
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a defending SCL Champion
Last edited:
Feliburn

Feliburn

is a Community Leaderis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
RU Leader
1. Xiri vs. 16. Finchinator
Xiri has always been someone who puts up very solid performances in all the older gen RU tiers, but I feel that oftentimes he lacks the factor that makes them standout in comparison to Finch, who I value more in the older generations, especially after having faced him in so many of them. I can see Finch having the edge in BW and ORAS, while I think Xiri has SM as his strongest older generation from my experience. SS feels up in the air, but I think Finch had a better grasp of the generation as a whole, so I'll be giving him the edge.

2. Leru vs. 15. robjr
Another match of solid players, but everyone knows I've always been a robjr fan. I think he has way more experience in SS, and I can see him having an edge in SM as well (as long as he uses more up-to-date teams). Leru owned the ORAS cup, and he has dabbed in older generations a lot to be favored in BW, but that'd be the case if robjr wasn't also solid in them enough to put up a fight.

3. Lunala vs. 14. Metallica126
Metallica is an insanely tricky player, but I really don't see any shenanigans that would be able to grab Lunala by surprise. Having way more experience in every generation, SS would be the only one where I could maybe see some tricks really annoy Luna, as it's the gen where Metallica has been most active as a builder, but I'll still be favoring Lunala overall.

4. Beraldinho vs. 13. sensei axew
This one might also be a predict with a lot of bias, as I'm a sensei axew fan first and a RU Tier Leader second. I definitely favor sensei in SM more, while I think Beraldo takes SS. I think BW is up in the air, while ORAS favors sensei a bit more due to having been around longer, meaning he has been able to play that gen vs good players. It just adds up enough to make me want to bold sensei in this one (BIAS ASIDE).

5. mushamu vs. 12. DugZa
I'm not too versed on mushamu's capabilities in RU generations, while I know for sure DugZa is good at the newer ones. mushamu did make it far in the SS cup, but in a more serious scenario, I think the RU ribbon finalist has the edge in this gen. I also favor DugZa in SM from more general performances in the generation (plus the fact he also did well in this SM cup); BW and ORAS feel like tossups that incline me to favor DugZa as well in the player v player matchup rather than the gens themselves.

6. Floss vs. 11. Guille14
I'm higher on Floss as a player in this matchup. I remember Guille made it to the SS RU Cup semifinals last year, but SS was also huge for Floss overall, having great performances across the final year of the generation (tho if he keeps reusing the same team idk what would happen rofl...). Similarly as the prediction above, I'll be favoring Floss in older generations as well due to me thinking he has the edge as a player overall.

7. Staxi vs. 10. Shaneghoul
This is a lot of recency bias, because I know Shaneghoul is solid, but Staxi has just done more in recent times. Before I even looked at the points sheet, I was already giving the ORAS edge to Shaneghoul based off how good he was in general during the generation. I'll still have to favor Staxi in SM and SS, as he has been more active during these generations, and playing in much more. Not to mention his exposure to official games in the past years, that just make me feel like he's more in shape in general.

8. bb skarm vs. 9. Yourwelcomethanku
Wally knows I've always been a supporter, but you definitely need a very specific type of competitive experience to know what bb skarm is trying to do in his games, and I don't think he has it yet. ywt has been much more present in SS in general, but bb skarm has better performances overall, and much more high level experience at that. SM becomes a similar case, but I'll be favoring ywt more, as I know he has been trying to build new teams, and he should be riding the momentum of his most recent run in the SM cup. ORAS and BW feel like tossups, even though I still give ywt more knowledge edge in these gens, bb skarm has just proven to be a player of a higher competitive level.
 
GoldCat

GoldCat

BOSSARU CUP WINNER
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a defending SCL Champion
1. Xiri vs. 16. Finchinator
A very even matchup for 1st vs 16th seed but I still think Xiri takes this one. It's no question that Finchinator is favored in BW as long as the gen plays nice with him but when it comes to the rest, Xiri has more recent experience in the tiers. SM is the closest one with both having tons of experience playing it when it was the current gen and afterward. However, with the SM Cup trophy under his belt, Xiri is on course to edge out Finch. I can't recall much of Finch's ORAS history but I remember Xiri playing ORAS throughout RUPL VIII. ORAS RU isn't the most complicated of tiers and Finch should have no trouble with the methodical and drawn-out games of ORAS. But I can see an unorthodox pick from Xiri deciding the outcome of the game. You saw not a lot of Finch in SS RU during the gen's last year and while Xiri dipped after winning the winter seasonal, he had to brush up on the tier for the 2022 RU Circuit playoffs. So I'm giving Xiri the edge over Finch in SS as well.

2. Leru vs. 15. robjr
Another super close matchup but I'll have to go with Feli here and bold robjr. robjr has a ton of experience with SS / SM / ORAS formats from RUPL and RU Invitational. He also made it to the semi-finals of the last RU Classic. Leru did win the ORAS Cup and I very much could see Leru taking BW.

3. Lunala vs. 14. Metallica126
Outside of SS, it's hard to see Metallica126 taking a game. Lunala's experience in SM, ORAS, and BW just heavily outweighs Metallica's, with Luna winning the BW RU Cup and the ORAS Cup in the past as well as having a long history in SM.

4. Beraldo vs. 13. sensei axew
While ryan didn't play much if any RU towards the end of SS, I don't think it's much of a disadvantage because the gen is still recent enough to where he should get a hold on decent teams with ease. Beraldo is still favored in SS and who knows, sensei could very likely load something up from 2021. I'll have to agree with Feli when it comes to SM. Taking a 6-0 from xXcrossbowXx, Beraldo got knocked out of this year's SM Cup early on. I don't think ryan has had any outstanding achievements in the tier, but he has a lot of experience from it was the current gen and he did play SM in RUPL VIII and went 2-2. The same goes for ORAS, as sensei had a good ORAS Cup run this time around and his haihaipie builds can throw Beraldo's cookie-cutter teams for a loop or lead to disaster. ryan is playing in BW OU for SPL but I'm unsure how well that translates to BW RU. Beraldo is also no stranger to BW so it's hard to tell if either of them is favored. I favor sensei more strongly in SM and ORAS than I do Beraldo in SS. And with BW being a toss-up, I'll have to go with ryan here.

5. mushamu vs. 12. DugZa

6. Floss vs. 11. Guille14
I'm predicting the upset here. Guille14 builds his own teams and has a unique style of teambuilding, usually weird-looking fat teams. I doubt Guille14's wild ideas will play off much against Floss' expertise in SS. But, in the other tiers where Floss is much more inexperienced, Guille14 will have a much better shot at pulling off something crazy.

7. Staxi vs. 10. Shaneghoul
Shaneghoul managed to make it to the finals of the ORAS Cup with only sample teams, which is as impressive as it's detrimental. Even if Shaneghoul doesn't manage to get hold of new teams, I still think I favor him over Staxi in ORAS because of his experience and results in ORAS NU. The lack of teams is a much bigger hurdle in the other gens. Staxi also has some experience in all of the gens and he should've plenty of teams from past RU team tours.

8. bb skarm vs. 9. Yourwelcomethanku
ywt's an RU zoomer, but he has gathered quite a lot of old gen RU experience as of late and he has stolen good teams from his RU team tour teammates. I think motivation will play a big role in this matchup with bb skarm not too keen on playing. But, an unmotivated bb skarm might be an even bigger and more unpredictable threat.
 
Last edited:
GoldCat

GoldCat

BOSSARU CUP WINNER
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a defending SCL Champion
3. Lunala vs 6. Floss
A fan favorite to win the whole tour (I'm the fan), it's tough to see Floss doing much in 7-5. However, with a very likely win in SS, Floss isn't far off and he is by no means a complete stranger when it comes to old gens as to have it be a wash. Hopefully, it'll be a good one.

4. Beraldo vs 12. DugZa
A close one but I favor DugZa more in SS, SM, and ORAS with his second place in the RU Circuit Playoffs and experience in SM and ORAS. BW is pretty even and can go either way BW moment style.

8. bb skarm vs 16. Finchinator
Finch's experience in SM and BW simply outshines bb skarm's but bb skarm should take SS with ease. When it comes to ORAS, I think Finch as a player better fit with how the tier usually plays out.

10. Shaneghoul vs 15. robjr
Unless someone comes to the rescue and provides Shaneghoul with non-sample teams, it's hard to see this going any other way.
 
Feliburn

Feliburn

is a Community Leaderis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
RU Leader
3. Lunala vs. 6. Floss
I favor Lunala a lot in SM and BW, while I'd like to favor Floss more in SS, but I get the feeling he's just abusing the act of "reusing teams". I don't doubt his skills in the tier, but at some point, knowing exactly the sets of the mons Floss is using just gives a lot of positioning advantage to Lunala. I think Floss played a well maneuvered ORAS game in the previous round, but I think Lunala is also capable of matching that skill and add a bit of experience on top of it. Should be a fun watch.

4. Beraldo vs. 12. DugZa
I rank Beraldo higher in SS, but I also think if DugZa ends up taking it, it wouldn't be a surprise. Outside of tier experience, I think Beraldo is probably on a better streak with SPL going on and the confidence he shows usually. I can see SM being a big deciding factor in DugZa winning if he ends up taking SS, but my gut tells me Beraldo is the pick here.

8. bb skarm vs. 16. Finchinator
It's hard for me to ever root against Finch vs most people. His old gen overall experience usually translates well in these tours, especially considering he has experience with the RU tier themselves as well. I think the way he plays should be good enough to handle the usual crazy skarm stuff that tend to catch a lot of people off guard. SS should be a fun watch cause skarm always puts a show in it, but I think Finch has the advantage in the other gens

10. Shaneghoul vs 15. robjr
As stated in my previous prediction, I always rank robjr highly in these, and his series from last week just proved why. I think shaneghoul displayed a very calculated approach in his games last week, tho with some missteps that could have costed him the whole series. Against someone like robjr, openings like this are very costly, as he will capitalize in them and the game will just become that much harder to win. I also believe he has more gameplay experience in SS and SM, and his latest comment about enjoying ORAS a lot also prevents me from favoring shaneghoul much in it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

  • ... and 1 more.
    • Top