Hey, hey, everyone :)
It's been far too long, so...predicts time!
First up, though, I wanted to select some highlight matches, for those who perhaps might not have time to read through all this:
My Highlight Matches of the Week
OU: Finchinator vs. xray
RU: roman vs. atomicllamas
RU: Feliburn vs. Charmflash
DOU: qsns vs. Memoric
LC: Osh vs. Shrug
NU: aim vs. Sjneider
NU: bugzinator vs. Realistic Waters
OU: Tamahome vs. BK
DOU: Ezrael vs. umbreon098
LC: LilyAC vs. Wail Wailord
UU: Askov vs. Luigi (how could I not pick this? LOL Smogtours will be losing its mind.)
Rumble Hall Rattlers (6) vs (4) Sky Tower Lindworms
OU: Samqian vs
Eo Ut Mortus ~ Eo is ranked highly in OU for this Snake in the PR and for good reason. He's been playing some very solid Pokémon recently, so it wouldn't surprise me to see him end up having one of the better records in SS OU this Snake by the end.
OU:
lax vs Garay oak ~ Garay is for sure a good player in a number of tiers, but it's very difficult to pick against someone in as good form in SS OU right now as lax. He's looking at the moment to post a near faultless record this tour.
OU: Fear vs
Jytcampbell ~ The GSC OU whiz continues to appear in CG OU; however, he starts out this Snake in a less compelling way than Jytcampbell has. Jyt is continuing to improve and getting results quickly: He's already at 2-0 this tour and looking like a very solid pick by the Lindworms. Fear does have some good SS OU support on his team, but I think Jyt will get this one.
OU: Kebab mlml vs
Ewin
DOU:
Ezrael vs umbreon098 ~ Ezrael may have started out this tournament 0-2, but it's hard to see arguably the best DOUer around losing with any more regularity this tour. I expect they'll get back on track this week with a strong performance and remind us why he's been so successful in recent tours.
UU: CBU vs
Poek
RU:
Ajna vs Pepeduce ~ Interesting match. Ajna, one of the favorites to perform quite well this Snake, comes into Week 3 at 1-1, while Pepeduce is at 2-0 after two very strong wins after excellent lower tiers players in roman and Nat. I was very close to picking Pepeduce again here, but I think Ajna will be too strong this week.
NU:
bugzinator vs Realistic Waters ~ Great match here. Realistic Waters is undefeated so far this tour and ranked highly in the PR, but bugzinator has long-time experience as an NUer and in the community. I think he's up for the challenge this week.
PU:
Roseybear vs TJ
LC:
Serene Grace vs dcae ~ The battle of the undefeated LCers. Serene Grace certainly has the tier knowledge and experience as a long-time community member to put together an impressive run this Snake in LC, which I expect will happen. dcae is a solid player, though, having already beaten Kingler and Maziner. Potential upset alert? We shall see...
Terminus Taipans (4) vs (6)
Celadon City Cobras
OU: dice vs
1 True Lycan ~ dice is an excellent player, but 1 True Lycan really is looking to be one of the top players to beat in this tour after successfully navigating through competitive SS OU so far with some excellent results.
OU: Eeveeto vs
Steve Angello
OU: Void vs
mncmt ~ I was one of the players whom mncmt beat along the way to their OST finals performance, so I got to see firsthand their excellent in-game play, and I think this will contribute to an impressive record this Snake. Void is good too, but I think few players will stop the Brazilian this tour.
OU: High Impulse vs
FMG ~ I thought about this for about 10 min. since I didn't want to pick an OU sweep against the Taipans. However, FMG seems to be the more solid of the two players so far this tour. They had an impressive win against Raiza last week and just have lost to Eo so far. Conversely, High Impulse has lost to both BIHI and Fear, and has some work to do to catch up. They are certainly a good player, so maybe this will be the comeback week, but I'm picking FMG for now.
DOU:
Kiichikos vs Qwello Lee
UU:
Adaam vs Lilburr ~ I expect Adaam to put together another very impressive series of lower tiers performances this tour, as he is one of the top players around and defending Slam champ. Always one of my favorites to watch in these tours. :)
RU: Expulso vs
snaga ~ Hard one to predict here, at least based on each player's results so far in this tour. snaga and Expulso both had losses against very tough opponents last week (vs. Feliburn and Ajna, respectively). Expulso only played last week, and I think snaga's experience will help them through this one.
NU:
aim vs Sjneider ~ In a week full of excellent matchups, this is high up there. :) Sneider and aim are some of the top players in this year's NU pool. Each has dropped and won a game so far, and will be eager to get this win for their team. Interestingly, both lost their first game last week, but these came against tough opponents in GW and bugzinator. Very close here, and ultimately this could easily go either way, but I think aim will get this one.
PU: tlenit vs
Xiri
LC:
Osh vs Shrug ~ Definitely one of the best matches this week. Osh is a top LC player, and although he starts out this Snake at 0-2, it is worth noting that those losses came against Lily (who frankly appears to be the best LC player around this Snake) and Serene Grace. Shrug certainly has the experience and excellent in-game play to upset Osh here, but I suspect this is when Osh shows us why he is ranked #1 in the PR as he gets back on track for a strong season.
Berry Forest Bushmasters (7)) vs (3) Lanakila Nagas
OU:
Bloody alfa vs Sacri' ~ I had a tough time deciding this one. Bloody alfa is a really friendly, up-and-coming player who's very deserving of his starting SS OU role this Snake. I also think he's got the confidence and drive to perform really well this Snake. But, Sacri is among the more diligent and dedicated big tour players, and I think their 2-0 start could foretell a particularly strong tour. I'm picking Bloody alfa for the upset (que tengas suerte
).
OU:
Santu vs ima
OU: frisoeva vs
robjr ~ I had the pleasure of co-managing a team with robjr on it recently, and I got to see how his in-game play and teambuilding are helpful to any team he's apart of. He's already at a very strong start having taken down xray and then FLCL--a start that could have very reasonably seen him be at this same stage 0-2 instead sees him at 1-1. For this reason, I'm going with robjr.
OU:
Lopunny Kicks vs Storm Zone ~ One of the better OU matches this week in my opinion. Storm Zone pulled off an impressive win against Star already this Shake and is looking in good form. However, they are going up against an in-form Lopunny Kicks who in tandem with their Italian brethren just won WCoP in convincing fashion. I think this will be tight, but Lopunny Kicks' confidence I'm sure is quite high and will assist in the win.
DOU:
qsns vs Memoric ~ I'm not sure for how many non-Doubles players this match will be on their radar, but this is a highlight match this week for sure. qsns has already pulled off an impressive win against Ezrael and is looking in stellar form this tournament. Likewise, Memoric is in excellent form and has longtime experience in the tier to help support a strong run this tour. Memoric is undefeated so far, but given the difficulty of the two players qsns has faced so far, I'm picking qsns in this one.
UU: Ramolost vs
SoulWind ~ SOULWIND is SOULWIND--very successful and having one of their best years over a legendary competitive Pokémon career. That success is extending into UU in this lower tiers tournament season after a UU Open finals run. Ramolost I have heard is a solid player, but SOULWIND will continue to be very tough to beat.
RU: roman vs
atomicllamas ~ Man, RU has some of the best matches this week in my opinion. This is really close. atomicllamas not only has one of the best PS/Smogon usernames, but is also a skilled RU player. However, going up against roman, defending Snake champ and versatile lower tiers player, will not be easy. This one could go either way, but I'm picking llamas for this round.
NU:
CyberOdin vs elodin ~ CyberOdin!
Such a lovely person around Smogon and the Smogtours community. Truthfully, I'm not sure about how experienced he is in CG NU, but it is definitely of note that his 0-2 start is from losses to Realistic Waters and bugzinator, two of the best NUers in this tour. elodin is solid, but I have faith in CyberOdin to win this week.
PU:
soulgazer vs false ~ For some, this battle may have been an easy call; soulgazer is, after all, the second-ranked PU player of the tour according to the PR, which is for good reason. But, this may be one of false's stronger tiers, and he has experience to assist. I think this is a lot closer than some might expect, but I'm giving the nod to soulgazer, regardless.
LC:
Kingler vs Ninjadog
Ambrette Astrotias (6) vs (4) Black City Mambas
OU: Finchinator vs
xray ~ It always pains me to bold against my friend Finch, but I do expect this to be a very tightly-contested battle, featuring lots of preparation and good plays by both. Perhaps the OU battle of this Snake week, this will be a close one. xray is off to a shaky start so far at 0-2, but I actually think that's what will propel him to the win this week, either from the freedom that 0-2 affords or from the pressure that 0-2 imposes.
OU:
Raiza vs Relous ~ Fresh off a WCoP team win, Raiza is clearly among the players to beat in SS OU this tour.
OU:
Tace vs ZDen
OU:
BIHI vs Gefährlicher Random ~ This is going to be a close one. Truth be told, I know little of Gefährlicher Random, but hey, his name translates from German to "Dangerous Random", so perhaps that is the point. I know he's off a very successful run with Germany in WCoP this year, so that much certainly speaks to his skill in the tier. Also, he's had a tough couple of matches to start, going up against Storm Zone and BK. I'm picking BIHI for this one, though, in light of their experience in many tournaments, consistent high-level play, and also a nice run in WCoP with Team France.
DOU: Paraplegic vs
Frania
UU: Accelgor vs
Sabella ~ I'm very excited for this one. :) One of my highlight matches of the week, as two excellent UUers go at it. As with Robjr, I had the pleasure of co-managing a team this year with Sabella on it, and :booty: was phenomenal. Definitely one of the top tournament players around in my eyes. Accelgor is of course very solid as well, so this should be an exciting match.
RU:
Feliburn vs Charmflash ~ Should be in for a great battle here. Feliburn definitely has strong lower tier experience and is one of the better Slam/Snake players around. Charmflash of course is no slouch either, though, and has plenty of high-level tour experience.
NU:
GW vs Ho3nConfirm3d ~ GW has had a remarkably difficult start to this Snake tour, going up against top players Sjneider and aim. Despite this, he comes out of those two battles at 1-1, and will have a strong sense of confidence insodoing. Ho3nConfirm3d is starting out at 0-2, but this will be a difficult week for them to try and rebound in my opinion. GW gets the win here.
PU: keppy vs
Ktütverde ~ Very nice to see my friend Ktut at it again in Snake. :) I look forward to his PU games this tournament, and I think it won't be too often that other players get wins over him if he's fully focused and committed to the tour.
LC:
LilyAC vs Wail Wailord ~ I'm a big fan of Lily's teams in major tournament play, like here in Snake and back in this year's SPL. She's very solid and often has inventive ideas to tackle common issues faced in LC games. Wail Wailord is also a strong player, but I suspect Lily will take this one. Personally, I think Lily is looking like the LC player to beat this tour. Certainly makes the Osh and Serene Grace matchups down the road all the more exciting.
Shinto Ruin Serpents (5) vs (5) Lake of Rage Leviathans
OU:
watashi vs ramboss ~ It's not going to be an easy task beating FLCL this tour, regardless of there being a stacked SS OU pool out there.
OU:
Star vs Rexus ~ Star is one of those players who almost seems to be able to touch a tier and just excel in it. Very good tournament player, and it's no surprise he was a 1st Round pick. Rexus is also quite good, so we should be in for a solid game. Star I think will get back on track with a win this week. I expect this at least in part because this will be a high-pressure game with each player having a decent shot to win and with big implications for each team's chances to win the week. Star's big tour experience I think will help him get through the pressure to a win.
OU: Malekith vs
John W ~ We have an excellent game awaiting all of us here. Although both Malekith and John W have started out at 0-2, these two will both have the competitive hunger to strive very hard to get that first win this week. I personally feel that John W has been the more solid of the two so far by a slight margin, but this could go either way. We should all be excited to see what they come up with for each other.
OU:
Tamahome vs BK ~ This is a juicy game right here. Tama is quite the player, as we all know, particularly in ADV OU but also in SS OU where they're ranked highly in the PR. On the other hand, BK is undefeated so far this tour, after wins against 1 True Lycan and Gefährlicher Random. This should be very close, but I expect Tama to narrowly win.
DOU: DLT JRL BELL vs
Nails ~ Nails, when playing Doubles really in any format (VGC or DOU), is one of the strongest players around. Although they've recently been focused on RBY OU, I suspect it will not take long for Nails to get back into excellent form to post a stellar DOU record this Snake. DLT JRL BELL is 0-2, but these losses came against umbreon098 and Memoric, who are both looking to be some of the stronger DOUers to start out this Snake. So, we could be in for a stronger performance this week from DLT JRL BELL, but it would have to come against another of the strongest players in this pool. Very tough start for them, but perhaps it's possible with a lot of prep and assistance from :mish:.
UU: Askov vs
Luigi ~ The battle of the Brazilians. You can bet Smogtours Lobby will be going crazy during this one. LOL Askov is solid, but I'm going to go with Luigi due to his significant big tour experience in the past.
RU: Nat vs
odr ~ In an RU pool that so far still seems to be feeling its way through who will have standout performances and who will sport mediocre records by the end, Nat and odr find themselves in not too dissimilar positions. However, it is the difference between them that convinces me of who will win this week: odr has had a difficult couple of matches to start, losing to snaga first but then with an impressive win against Charmflash last week. Nat is at 0-2, after a comparably difficult start, losing to Pepeduce and atomicllamas. Either could definitely take this, but I think odr is looking a bit more solid so far.
NU: Jrdn vs
Kushalos ~ Jrdn is a top player from the OM community, and while not playing one of his main tiers, in this Snake he does have plenty of support from his team managers, NU tier leaders eternally and
spreadsheet-obsessed rozes. That being said, he is up against a top player from this pool in Kushalos, who will be hungry for wins against a talented field. I think Kushalos' experience gets him the win this week.
PU:
obii vs Hamhamhamhamham ~ Well, well, well, if it isn't 2-0 obii in Smogon Snake Draft IV. I think virtually no one could have seen this coming. I had a tough time deciding my prediction here, but although Ham has looked very solid these first couple of weeks of Snake, I'm on the obii train for 3-0.
LC: Mazinger vs
Xizaaa
Some of these players I really don't know a lot about, so no disrespect if I didn't comment on your match!
Maybe I'll compete with Tony for likes.
Have fun, everyone, this week!