Smogon Premier League XII - Semifinals

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Merritt

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Welcome to the twelfth iteration of SPL, SPL XII. In this tournament, 10 teams containing the most bestest players on Smogon duke it out every week, attempting to gather as many wins as they can to reach playoffs. Many of them will fail, while some will bloom. Whatever the case, the matches will be exciting, so without further ado, here are tournament rules and the matchups!

Tournaments Rules and General Guidelines

Matchups


Wi-Fi Wolfpack (6) vs (4) Congregation of the Classiest

SS OU: Bloody alfa vs Luthier
SS OU: talah vs lax
SS OU: Tace vs Garay oak
SM OU: Relous vs obii
ORAS OU: Dragon Claw vs London Beats
BW OU: GaryTheGengar vs soulgazer
DPP OU: mael vs Tamahome
ADV OU: Star vs august
GSC OU: ABR vs TDK
RBY OU: Leru vs rozes



Cryonicles (4) vs (6) Dragonspiral Tyrants

SS OU: xtra$hine vs John W
SS OU: bro fist vs Eo Ut Mortus
SS OU: umbry vs 100percentpureheat
SM OU: z0mOG vs Sabella
ORAS OU: Sjneider vs CrashinBoomBang
BW OU: Finchinator vs elodin
DPP OU: Malekith vs Christo
ADV OU: roystopror vs Gilbert arenas
GSC OU: TC vs Conflict
RBY OU: Nails vs spies

Deadline: March 21st, 11 PM EDT (GMT-4)

Wi-Fi Wolfpack (0) vs Congregation of the Classiest (0)

SS OU: Bloody alfa vs Luthier
SS OU: talah vs lax
SS OU: Tace vs Garay oak
SM OU: Relous vs obii
ORAS OU: Dragon Claw vs London Beats
BW OU: GaryTheGengar vs soulgazer
DPP OU: mael vs Tamahome
ADV OU: Star vs august
GSC OU: ABR vs TDK
RBY OU: Leru vs rozes

(0) Cryonicles vs (0) Dragonspiral Tyrants

SS OU: xtra$hine vs John W
SS OU: bro fist vs Eo Ut Mortus
SS OU: umbry vs 100percentpureheat
SM OU: z0mOG vs Sabella
ORAS OU: Sjneider vs CrashinBoomBang
BW OU: Finchinator vs elodin
DPP OU: Malekith vs Christo
ADV OU: roystopror vs Gilbert arenas
GSC OU: TC vs Conflict
RBY OU: Nails vs spies
 
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bruno

is a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Past WCoP Champion
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The SPL playoffs this season are very interesting to me because every single team has at least one "Cursed Player" who is looking to finally take home the coveted SPL trophy.
For starters, we have reyscarface, the manager of the Tyrants. Rey is one of the only players to have participated in every SPL. He played in SPLs 1-5, managed in SPL 6, played in SPL 7 and 8, and went on to manage SPLs 9-12. He's gotten as close to the trophy as one can get, with his team being vanquished by the Ruiners in the SPL X tiebreak after getting a 6-2 lead in the finals.
CBB could also be considered quite cursed himself, losing the same finals tiebreak and having participated in SPLs 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12. He's definitely not as cursed as rey, but he should at least be mentioned.

Then we have BKC on the Wolfpack. BKC played in SPLs 2, 3 and 4, managed in SPL 5, played in SPL 6, managed in SPL 7, played in SPLs 8, 9, and 11 before choosing to manage the Wolfpack this season. BKC was almost as close as rey was to an SPL trophy, coming within one untimely trademark ABR-Ice Beam freeze of a ring. This isn't the only reason why I bring up his name, though. Kevin has basically done about everything one can do on this site, winning STour twice and WCoP a billion times. He also went 10-3 in SPL 9 and won 3/4 of his playoff games, including both tiebreak games. He's basically done as much as anyone can do without winning the tournament. Even though I'm rooting for classiest, the Wolfpack, to me, are the clear favorites to win it all. If they can finally do it this year in honor of Kevin, he'd finally be able to claim the one title that has evaded him for almost a decade now.

Although BKC and rey's status as "Cursed Boys" is more warranted than anyone on our final two playoff teams, these two teams still have some individuals who should be mentioned in this category.

The classiest have TDK, who has joined every SPL since his debut in SPL 6. He was the one who played the aforementioned SPL 9 finals tiebreak game 3, getting ABR'd and crushing his team's hopes and dreams. TDK is known for being a tryhard and has helped countless teammates achieve great records in the past. He also has gotten some very good records himself (I didn't bother looking into it, but I know he went 8-2 when we teamed up), so he would most certainly be a very deserving winner.

Finally, the Cryos are home to both bro fist and Finchinator. John played in SPLs 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12, and was a manager in SPLs 5-8. This is the first time he's made the playoffs since SPL 8, and only his 3rd time making it overall. He came very close to a ring in SPL 4, but was denied by the Wolfpack. I didn't look into records but everyone knows that the punisher of plays has been a beast almost every season. His teams have pretty much always been lackluster, though. Funnily enough, the one year he struggles in SPL is the season he gets back into the playoffs; he currently only possesses a semi-mediocre 3-4 record.

Finch played in SPLs 6-8, managed in SPL 9, and played in SPLs 10-12. Much like TDK, big C's tryhard exploits are well-known; the infamous "Big Board" is a staple of Finch's arsenal. Most of his attempts to win the trophy have been pretty clear failures, though. Finch has not yet managed to reach SPL finals, but has managed to reach the semifinals in SPL 6, 8, and 11. Unfortunately for him, Finchinator is often an overpriced SPL player, which winds up hurting the overall quality of his teams. He's having a pretty good season though, so maybe it's finally his time to take a step further and claim an SPL trophy. In general, though, you can't tell me that seeing Finchinator win an SPL doesn't sound insane.

In general, any dimension where one of Rey/BKC/TDK/Finch has an SPL trophy sounds like a pretty cool one to me. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens and I'm glad that one of these guys will finally be able to take it home.
 
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SS OU: Bloody alfa vs Luthier
SS OU: talah vs lax
SS OU: Tace vs Garay oak
SM OU: Relous vs obii
ORAS OU: Dragon Claw vs London Beats
BW OU: GaryTheGengar vs soulgazer
DPP OU: mael vs Tamahome
ADV OU: Star vs august
GSC OU: ABR vs TDK
RBY OU: Leru vs rozes

SS OU: xtra$hine vs John W
SS OU: bro fist vs Eo Ut Mortus
SS OU: umbry vs 100percentpureheat
SM OU: z0mOG vs Sabella
ORAS OU: Sjneider vs CrashinBoomBang
BW OU: Finchinator vs elodin
DPP OU: Malekith vs Christo
ADV OU: roystopror vs Gilbert arenas
GSC OU: TC vs Conflict
RBY OU: Nails vs spies

gl all looking forward to spectating some heat games
 
Late but even tho we did not perform well, this season was an absolute blast. Ty Stone_Cold for managing w me and everyone else on the bigs I shouted out in the server. We made the most of our circumstances, kept motivated, and had a very fun time regardless when most teams would die out. No better way to go out than honorably w/ our heads held high.

Wanna quickly say that those looking for new dpp talent next year should absolutely draft Sakito. He's a full-fledged starter at this pt, self-sufficient, and was a superstar teammate throughout. This was a long time coming, and as a long time friend I'm rly proud of how great you were this spl. Don't let him in the bot channel tho, this guy is the most cruel, heartless waifu hoarder I've ever seen.

Stacked playoffs, rooting for classiest & wolfpack but all would be deserving winners. GL
 

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
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My BIGS. Seems like we just narrowly lost games this season. I couldn’t have asked for a better team. You gave it your all week after week, and there was literally never any pessimism between anyone. Turns out that having the waifu bot as an outlet for anger allowed us to really focus on positivity in other channels. Thanks to everyone for the great memories - I’ve made a lot of really great friends in you all.

Thanks to the hosts for letting me manage again also. Shitposting and creating spl memes was fun and I had an absolute blast. Although there won’t be a next time - I can say that I feel fulfilled thanks to this fantastic team. I wish you all the best.

Excal DeepBlueC McMeghan Storm Zone ima FMG Adaam devin Insult Eternal Spirit vapicuno kjdaas tennisace Maxance Fated Keys ElectricityCat ziloXX Sakito Tiba Hayburner Zokuru Boat Vulpix03
suapah
Pohjis

As for who wins spl, I like all the teams and have individuals im rooting for from each team. Good luck!!!
 
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Finchinator

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OU Leader
I will be playing elodin on Saturday between noon and 2pm EST. Have fun!

Wi-Fi Wolfpack (5) vs Congregation of the Classiest (5)

SS OU: Bloody alfa vs Luthier - Big Luthier has a lot of balls for a LC main. Like holy shit this guy can play. With this said, sometimes he makes plays that make you want to take your monitor, throw it through a window, run outside through the gaping hole you just created in the window, and then finish the job with a jackhammer to the center of the screen. If Luthier avoids those plays, I think he will escape this one without too much blood on his hands. The Wolfpack have some promise in this spot with Bloody alfa pulling up some good wins in his debut campaign, but I do feel like there are some worries with anyone with this little experience under their belt in the playoffs. I admit that being on Europe (another team Tony helped with) likely helped with this, but if Luthier is on his game, which I imagine he will be after last week's antics, then I think he is slightly outclased. I guess this is an upset? I do not even know anymore at this point, but I have faith in Luthier. This is an underrated highlight though imo. Both are superb players I enjoy watching in SS and it is super close either way.
SS OU: talah vs lax - A clear highlight match that I cannot do justice with my own words. My mindset is that nobody is going to stunt on lax twice, but lax had a rough weekend and could be off his game if he does not rebound quickly. talah is great and has some momentum, so expect them to put up one hell of a fight. Great game regardless, but I expect lax to squeak out an absolute thriller. Must watch!!!
SS OU: Tace vs Garay oak - Garay oak has the clutch gene. He has a flare for the dramatic that shined bright in Snake and there is no reason to believe it won't pop up here after he peaked this regular season. Garay is a dynamic, aggressive player with the tools to outplay any opponent. His teambuilding is something I am less sure of, but they have enough people to support him that I am sure it will work out. Tace is someone I have been high on in recent years and I loved teaming with in Snake, but I feel like he is a bit less familiar with higher stakes games and he has yet to stand out a ton in the recent SS metagaemes. I wonder if he is still growing more comfortable or if he has just had a rough schedule -- either way, I expect him to put up a close fight, but fall short to Garay.
SM OU: Relous vs obii - Relous piped up in the playoffs last year, so I can totally see him doing so once more. obii played like FIRE in the face of some fire last week and had a strong SSD showing, so maybe he's turning his time as a player around, but I am going to need to see more before bolding him in a playoff game against someone I have been high on. Relous may not be the trendy pick or even someone hyped up much at all, but he did what he needed to last year when the stakes were high and I know he is capable of doing so once more.
ORAS OU: Dragon Claw vs London Beats - London Beats has been on fire, but I am still not sold on him, especially after seeing how he played some sequences. Dragon Claw is a far cry from perfect, but he has all of the support in the world and I think his fundamentals in ORAS are a bit more polished -- I believe that if the Wolfpack prepare for the extremes, then they will come up with a big win here.
BW OU: GaryTheGengar vs soulgazer - Two players who I would've been surprised to see in BW a few months ago. I still think that Fakes has a lot of promise here and was given a short leash, but sg is a phenomenal player who picked up a clutch win against JT when it mattered. Gary has had a larger sample and made the most of it himself, too. While his last game was a nightmare, he has been in control of other matches, putting up strong results. I believe Gary has shown more in BW than sg, so I will bold him. It's really that simple. Both players are strong and capable, but I know more good about one than the other, so I go that way.
DPP OU: mael vs Tamahome - Tamahome in DPP is always a bold from me. I think august or Fakes could have a good shot here, but Tamahome is an absolute beat in DPP. He has the plot armor of an entire generation and anyone who thinks otherwise is foolish. mael quietly is quite skilled in DPP, bringing an assortment of good teams and taking some impressive timely risks. He has had some bad fortune this year, but do not let that sway your stance on him. mael is capable, but I simply cannot get myself to predict him over Tamahome of all people.
ADV OU: Star vs august - The august to ADV move puzzled me and it still puzzles me here as I feel Tamahome is good at playing to the level of his competition, but I also am not inside the Classiest and believe their managers have a good grasp on the situation. With this said, I believe Star thoroughly outclasses august and honestly everyone on the Classiest, aside from Tamahome, in ADV. He rarely misplays and every single team he has brought this season struck me as consistent enough to get the job done. Sure, there will be nothing super flashy and there will rarely be sets that make the chat scream LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL, but that is not what you need -- you need wins. Star has 7 of them and an 8th seems likely. august is a great player with a ton of historic success, but ADV is not his best generation and I believe he will be in over his head unless his team choice can carry some of the weight.
GSC OU: ABR vs TDK - TDK's had one of the strongest seasons of anyone, which has come as a surprise to me given how flat he has been in recent tours leading up to SPL. It's refreshing to see him take up a new format and thrive, but it makes sense. d0nut helped Anti do the same last year and likely has been able to push TDK in the right direction, letting his plays do the work from there. The thing is that TDK is up against ABR, who has underachieved in the regular season and still managed to salvage a positive record. ABR may be the one person I would bold against TDK here. It is time for the playoffs and I find it hard to pick against this 36k little piece of shit just given how often he rises to the occasion. I've seen it first hand, been up against it first hand, and observed it from afar: nobody in recent history has more success than ABR. Say what you want about his team antics throughout the season, including his early loss to TDK himself, but I have faith ABR will put it all together here. Beating someone twice is enough of a challenge, but doing so when the person is ABR is a very tall order for TDK. Also, I pray we do not see baton pass teams here.
RBY OU: Leru vs rozes - rozes has a better grasp on RBY and seems to have some good showings under his belt this season. Leru did not flop against Nails, but still seemed outmatched. Wolfpack RBY has been a weakness and I do not see that changing here unfortunately.
 
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