errythig 1k
INTRODUCTION:
Week 1 is upon us everyone. After weeks of angst, manager-flaming, preening, secret fear, hastily-assembled draft plans, and jokes, 64 users enter the field of lc combat, risking public humiliation in pursuit of pokevalor. the teams as assembled each have their own story.
macle, tired of getting shit on for drafting random users who were his friends, decided to mix it up by acquiring 12 random users he is in no way chummy or friendly with.
Jac, fresh off an ignominious playoff defeat via 4 activity losses, decided to bolster his activity defenses by drafting two dozen users with minimal lc training to serve as cannon fodder - perhaps Hilomilo's blown-off arm will end up smacking starmaster in the face. Speaking of Melvin, the boy is back on the team of defending lc manager champion
Levi , whose team boasts three Indian users to fix Fender's computer as he DDOS attacks his foes. With jox drinking pre-, mid- and post-game, confide recently taking up marijuana, and starmaster and kaboom needing valium prescriptions, this team promises to be one of the most heavily altered ones in the PL, though a formidable one if they can stumble to their computer chairs at the designated time.
OP is known for his careful, methodical, well-determined style of play, which is what gives me confidence in a draft plan that seemed to be the sentence "lets give GOAO as much control over the team culture as possible". The team appears to be a mix of wily vets and brazilian early-teens, a blend that will lead to lots of foongus-diglett balance squads being piloted by people screaming in the chat SIGH WHY DID YOU LEAVE SPRITZEE ON AT FOONGUS U FUCKIN MONG and frantic managerial smogtours apologizing.
Nineage also committed to a team culture, one of high-skill tour players whose previous exposure to lc seems to be "lol, lcin spl? just click knock off every turn. mienfoo, lol." perhaps this was all an elaborate marketing scam - all the communal building will necessitate heavy use of the pokepad app. If the team buys in, though, prepare for some plays requiring a bigger dick than the onix sprite in the op.
Sken, a fellow rookie manager, decided to bring together a bunch of users whom it's hard not to root for. the absdaddy return promises to be exciting - it's one of xy's most influential builders and confident battlers back after a break in his home tier, only vulnerable to a timeout loss from an extended smoke break if a battle lasts longer than 12 turns. Fatty, christo, samvgc, all pleasant guys, which makes it certain that this will be the team with four quits and an open mutiny before macle has even gotten erect at an artemisa midseason signup post.
WaterlessMelon has put together a squad anchored by everyone's favorite player archetype: the enigmatic dpper. there's nothing bad to say about ifm - he was one of the best, if not the best, player on a team that was the best in ORAS, BW, and DPP last year - besides this: fiend is the antichrist to levi's JC. both are strong players, both use weird teams, but while levi always seems to have vital leaf storms merely sweep the hair off his forehead, fiend has a knack for getting crit in zany and painful ways; a season of wacky blunders awaits his team without a doubt.
PREDICTIONS:
Gonefroggin.com Froakies vs Snivy Subterfuge
SM:
Vubon vs Hilomilo: Vubon is a strong player with a large roster of teams and lcpl experience. He's also no stranger to good fortune, having a win fall from 10000 feet into his lap dropped by yours truly. Hilomilo (HIGH-lo MI-lo? like high-low milo?) is an up-and-comer, but nerves eat at new users, causing them to drop advantages that a vet like vubon will catch and hold onto.
SM: Kenzo vs
Finchinator: A team stocked with new lc-forum and -room faces might be an odd place to find an accomplished tour player, who are typically activity and motivation concerns in an isolated environment. Thats not going to be a problem with finch, duly deserving of his reputation as smogon's hardest worker. Kenzo dropped bread crumbs om his run through the first lc tour, and finch will follow the trail to chomp on his first lcpl win of the season. as thanks, perhaps sassy jac maanger: jac can offer tips on eyebrow tweezing.
SM:
ZoroDark vs Altariel von Sweep: AvS is sure to put up a brave effort, but zorodark can play any style and plan wins from turn 1. if a spanish user isnt a Guerrilla, he's a Francoite, meaning this will be the rare time Belgium inviades the fascists than the other way around.
SM:
The Quasar vs Gummysaur: Both good players, both users whom i like, but the veteran calm tends to win out over debutante nerves in the early going; i feel like a broken record with this. Quasar probably owns records, in fact, and will have a pleasant one on the gramophone as his staryu spins to victory.
XY:
blarajan vs slurmz: everyone forgets how slow the late ORAS pace became, and theres no one better suited to patiently Porygon-recover his way to wins than blara. Slurmz is a strong player, but i see him forcing a turn too many and ending up on the losing end, though anything can happen in a metagame ripe to be shaken up.
XY:
Kushalos vs rssp1: MF DOOM has one flow. Shaq had one post move. Chipotle fans have one race. Late 1930s Germany had one military tactic. Kushalos has one oras team, and it does not lose. rssp1 will put up a fight, but theres no brave bird rufflet to blast away in this generation.
DPP:
Kumiho vs Mambo
: mambo at his best mixed innovative ideas with a bold, daring style of play that backfooted some lc greats of his time. He certainly will bring everything he has in his big return, but the techs might number one too many against a dpp staple in kumiho, who can capitalize on misplaced aggression and seal up a win.
HIGHLIGHT MATCH: QUOTE
VS. TCR: a match sure to be contested with no small amount of shared enmity, this one might come down to how quote mentally prepares and maintains composure while playing. If he becomes dejected at any point, a solid returning tcr will whip camden across the field, but if quote plays well, his difficult-to-read playstyle and solid, creative teams might leave the crazyrussian biting the bandana in the end. a must-see.
Lit af Litleos vs The Crystal Onix
SM:
ggggd vs Lax: Pablo tends to let his pal GOAO receive the attention, which for better or for worse has kinda obscured a strong LC resume. A swiss record only tarnished by a defeat to lord Shrug and a strong seasonal run augur big things for the small Brazilian - lax should be prepared for quite the favela brawl.
SM: miltankmilk vs
rozes: Esteemed LCPL Host Rozes rejoins the player pool for another go-round. Both are good players, but rozes's lc experience will advantage him in tactically clicking knock off a few more times.
SM:
OP vs KratosMana: OP has brought the world two new diglett sets in lcpl play. i dont foresee a third - at that point it would be dugtrio, and banned - but i do see LO earthquakes picking off pokemon one by one until Anti punches his screen.
XY: Nintendi vs
teal6: A defending lcpl champ unleashed again on the premier league. Nintendi, an extremely strong player, will be ready for fletchling but powerless as three dragons dance in his face while poliwag swims away with the victory.
XY: trash vs
-Tsunami-: Armed with tko teams and a kind spirit, -Tsunami- will have a tough game against team co-capitain and resident innovator trash. A battle to watch not only for the level of play - likely high - but also the chat, which may consist of Shake openly berating a trash who responds like a scolded 8yo girl, leading to some anime-addled users having flashbacks to the last time they opened an incognito window.
BW:
GOAO vs FLCL: GOAO does not react well to perceived slights, and will likely channel his anger into an energy to succeed this week. FLCL, while a better player than me, will be faced with a boy boasting hours of practice time and a mastery of his team, one who literally wants it more. A victory for the young brazilian.
HIGHLIGHT MATCH: ZEB
VS. ICT: Two splers and recent commits to lc face off in what is likely the premier SM match of the whole first week. Both players slightly favor offense, and i dont expect them to deviate, pitting strength on strength in what may well come down to a Croagunk war. Cant-miss littlecup.
Stunting Stunkys vs Waterless Wynauts
SM:
Christo vs Tricking: Tricking is a pokemon polyglot, fluent in several tiers. Christo, too, can quickly acquire lower-tier knowledge and assimilate it into his plays. The Stunky seems slightly better versed in current SM based on his SPL wins, so he seems more likely to pull ahead in what is sure to be a close game.
SM: SamVGC vs
majaspic22: Fun fact: the "22" in majas's name means "two fights two grounds", a reference to his favorite builds. If this truly was doubles, Sam would have the edge, but give it to the lc-versed Frenchman and his trusty scraggy.
SM: obii vs
HT: These usernames cause me ocular pain. as fast as possible while im squinting: ht is an open finalist with fiend teams, always a winning formula.
SM: fatty vs
Fiend: A tough one to call. Fatty had a strong start to spl, but tailed off towards the end; fiend has been low on activity, but has a talent for seeing winning builds and playing them well. In a hard-to-predict game, i'll roll with fiend to score a Pyrrhic victory: all the time it took to scout, build, practice, schedule, and play plus plow through towering mountains of homework, endless hours sports practices, and weeping sensitive artsy girls to friendzone will lead fiend to drugs: first
bud light limes, then pot, coke, heroin, pcp, anime, and krokodil, leaving him destitute on the streets of Berkeley, CA, where
Sam-testings will see fiend's prone aryan form during a loud embarrassing public lecture from his mother and think: that homeless nazi's life isnt so bad. And it wont be, because he'll be 1-0 in lcpl.
XY:
Pearl vs TraceofLife: As based on his saying "contacted, lets go team" while i was typing this post - at 4:30 ish in the morning for him - absdaddy is going to be a big help for his team, and Pearl is likely to be the beneficiary of an offensive squad that pilots itself. traceoflife wont know what hit him - the replay will be the black box recording, and melon typing "fuck" in a pm to fiend the dental records.
XY:
absdaddy vs Akashi: He'll bring 6 wincons and only need 1.
BW:
TUO vs Void: I feel TUO might be slightly irked that TCR and zf established themselves as the bw players to beat last lcpl and will be highly motivated. The man with more memes than anonymous currently has 7 Sand Rush LO Drillbur teams looking out at void saying "expect us".
HIGHLIGHT MATCH: DPP: Nails
vs. idiotfrommars: ifm is favored, and for good reason. He's been dominant the past few lcpls. However, nails is a tournament veteran with a support staff willing to help him prep for a formidable foe. Hope we see bo3 for added drama.
star u know i love you but,
And finally:
HIGHLIGHT MATCH:
Star vs. PD