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Playoffs Grand Slam VII - FINALS [Won by Pearl]
- Thread starter Tony
- Start date
- Status
congrats pearl
yeezyknows
Banned deucer.
congrats man, well deserved
Congratz Pearl. And a "clear" good job to Teddeh too.
Disclaimer: unless my mind is tricking me at the moment, this is probably going to be a humongous post. If such doesn't turn out to be the case, then sorry for fooling you guys. We'll see how that goes ~
Disclaimer 2: It is possible that I forget to mention some of the people (note: I probably will) who made this all possible. In those cases, I'll consider going back on this and adding a shout out, but if I get lazy, just know that there's nothing personal going on, it's just that my brain's slowly turning into mush (mish) as I write this
To provide some context on how this came to be, and as overused as this trope is, I wasn't actually planning on signing up for this. It was the first summer in which I actually had things to do aside from terrorizing the Internet with my marvelous pun game, having been recently offered to help my father at his workplace for a couple bucks. That, alongside the LoL high that I was on at the time (made it to a promotion series to Diamond III, for those of you who speak League) and my past experiences with this tournament meant that I had very little interest in touching Pokemon throughout the summer (or so I thought...). That is, until I somehow managed to lose around 20 games of League almost consecutively and decided that I wanted to actually fulfill my free time with positive things. So, my first shout out goes to the cesspool known as the hardstuck monkeys of the Europe West server's Diamond V rank for making me want to get the fuck out of there as soon as humanly possible. Let this be a lesson to those of you who still perceive the League community as a place with no good things to offer, as its toxicity and incompetence actually led me to the pixels on my profile. yay! I'll see you again on my next League high, gentlemen.
Jokes aside, there's somebody who I've been dead set on giving the first shout out of this post to, even before I made it to playoffs. I don't know if these words resonate with all of the people who are currently reading this, but I'm going to assume that everyone has that one person who just inspires them to surpass themselves and succeed despite any hardship, be it in or out of this game. In this case, I'm actually referring to a Pokemon idol. Somebody who, back then, mesmerized me with his playing and made me want to become a good player myself. Even nowadays, he still remains one of the scariest players to go up against, even if his motivation is one of the biggest question marks Smogon has to offer. These are probably going to be the most cheesy words you'll ever hear from me about you, so be ready to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Thank you McMeghan, for being a massive inspiration to me, in and out of this game, and for being an even better friend now that I've actually gotten to know you on a more personal level. Your support was crucial to me throughout these months, and I'd like to think that I could somehow make up for your "unsatisfactory" result in the first iteration of this tournament. I hope that, one day, I too can be a lighthouse that guides newer players (and people) towards their own personal success.
A big heads-up to bro fist and CrashinBoomBang (as well as the other people who were there at my lowest) who called me out on my bullshit back when I said I was going to drop out of this tournament (when I had pretty much qualified already
). It may seem like a joke at this point in time, but my insecurities got to me really hard at the time, and the fact that you were there to pick me up when my past experiences of missing playoffs were looping around my head like CCTV was probably the turning point of my career as a Pokemon player, even though it's going to cost me a daily Dumbass in the Taipans chat.
As far as preparations for each series go, I'd like to send MASSIVE a shout out to everyone in the original Grand Slam group (even though I can't really recall all of the people who were there) and the beautiful lads (and "ladettes" - Finchinator) who later on decided to hop along the ride and joined the Grand Slam Shrine (or, as Star likes to call it, "every mainer except rozes"). TDK, you've been one of my best friends on Smogon for a sizable amount of time now, and getting to know you outside of this game has been a wonderful experience. Thanks for putting up with pretty much every single demand and annoying quirk of mine throughout these last couple of weeks, even when Anime got in the way. TonyFlygon, we've probably been through more ups and downs than a roller coaster ride, but in the end I feel like I always come back to you somehow. Thanks for being around and always willing to nitpick all the teams I send your way (this is probably going to be frowned upon because you don't play, but it is what it is). col49 I've already given you a lengthy shout out after my RU Open win, but I feel the need to drive the point across here. People usually consider me one of the best team builders for the tiers I play the most, but when I talk to you it often feels like I'm just yet another rookie seeking advice. You always have something constructive to say regardless of the situation and working with you is just a wonderful experience overall. Cynara Zesty43 obii, I'm going to group all of you together for this due to the fact that you were all most active in the same tier, but know that the feeling of appreciation is just as strong as it is for the other people, yet laziness is a bitch. The existence of people like you makes me feel for the current state of Ubers, as I personally find it to be one of the most enjoyable tiers I've gotten to play in recent times, and you've all invested a lot of time into honing your skills at it, yet people who follow the tournament circuit will probably not get to see you in action in that. Still, thanks for being there and putting up with this rookie's various demands, you own. Star (who is only going to be able to like this post in 2022 or something like that 
), I always felt myself at ease during my LC games in playoffs even though they were all among the most decisive, and your team support was among the reasons why that was the case, even if I didn't always go with teams of yours (I'll get into this in a second). Your love for this game truly shows in your activity despite your circumstances, and I think you could easily solidify yourself as one of the best players around once your tournament ban is out of the way (which should be in like... checks notes... 2045? Good luck lasting that long pal). Pohjis, thank you for being an incredible opponent, an amazing friend and an extraordinary helper. Between all the prep tips, test games and pep talk, you were a clear centerpiece to this run, and I'm deeply sorry that I had to rob you out of a trophy in the process, but I'm also grateful that you still chose to side with me despite the circumstances. Like Star, you're a person whose love for Pokemon is just contagious, and I hope that you get another chance at an individual trophy in the future. Nat, even though our test games are the pure definition of unhealthy, and we're just constantly trying to one up each other by the end of every single session, there are no words to describe how important your support was, even if we didn't really produce that many results to speak of during playoffs. Having someone who you know will give it their all during testing is completely irreplaceable in a tournament like this. Last but not least, even though you joined us a little later than the rest of the cast, your help came through in a very convincing fashion in the end, netting me a final record of 4-0 in NU. Superior rozes a.k.a. Eternally, thanks for coming through with some of the most gorgeous NU teams I've gotten to lay my eyes on (even if not all of them had Ground immune Pokemon...) and for all of the fun moments throughout these past couple of weeks. Garchomp on deez nuts etc.
Big thank you to other people who helped me throughout my run: Finchinator, who went through NU ideas and teams with me for most of the latter stages tournament, Corporal Levi and trash for the amazing LC teams I used against FV and Teddeh respectively, FLCL for the NU help as well, Plas for some LC recommendations earlier on during playoffs, aim for being a fellow competitor wholeeched off of me shared most of the experience with me and made the tour a much more enjoyable experience overall and all of the people who tested with me (Sage, Accelgor, lax, elodin, Pak and more). Besides these handsome gentlemen, I'd like to give a special mention to a person who, similarly to aim, made this Grand Slam extremely more enjoyable through and through. HarrisIsAwesome, my loss to you in UU open was probably one of the best things to happen to me in recent times, even if at the time it wasn't necessarily the best thing ever. Watching you grow as a player and as a teambuilder has been a wonderful experience, and I'm still a firm believer that you can go very far in this community if your love for the game remains alight. Thanks for sticking around and being one of my most devoted supporters overall.
Shout out to the people in all Discord chats that have adopted me in one way or another and constantly help me improve my mood and just make my days better overall: The Vault, The Jerk/Secret Society, the LC Weeb Chat, the Smogon Villain Hideout, the OU QC Chat, dodriobrate, FPOA (I might not be around anymore, but it'd be rude of me to forget my roots, I feel) and all other places, past and present, that I could truly feel I was a part of. Shout out to the SPL 9 Raiders for being one of the most tight teams I've ever been a part of, even through all the bullshit that went on during the season. Even though I still get shit on for the infamous anti post, I'd like to let you know that our loss back then stings even to this day, and I'm truly looking forward to redeeming myself in this upcoming SPL, even if it doesn't end up being quite the same (fuck you Kevin). Thank you to the members of the SSD 2 Taipans that I haven't mentioned yet for their continuous support. To this day, that team is probably the best I have assembled with my own ability as a manager, and the fact that things didn't work out in the end hardly takes away from that, as I'd still draft the same 13 people with full confidence in their ability to clutch.
Special mentions to some other people who have inspired me massively throughout this run:
Level 56 you're still a beast at this game, and it is a massive honor to be your successor.
Astounded quit being a pussy and play Pokemon bro, I don't want your talent to go to waste.
ict similarly to Level 56, I'm now truly able to recognize how hard it is to make it through so much for the trophy, and it is amazing to finally be a part of a club I was once unable to picture myself in.
Lavos for that hysterical PM of mine a couple of months ago where I said that your victory was an inspiration that motivated me to conquer Grand Slam (and it actually happening later on).
Teddeh for being a wonderful opponent, friend and competitor. Sorry that our series wasn't the cleanest, but you're still somebody whose prowess I respect, and it would take more than this outcome for your accomplishments to fade away in the wind.
(This is the category that I will most likely end up adding people to)
EDIT: This part of the post is now the poor memory wall of shame. I will dedicate it to the people I forgot to individually shout out at first
To close this off, much love to the people who, in one way or another rooted for me, and to those who showered me with messages of encouragement after every win, and even previous failures. The people who believed in me during some of my less proud moments and all of my fellow members of this community, which, despite being far from perfect, is filled with moments that are truly worth living through. This is not the end of a journey, but rather, the beginning of something bigger than just a tournament win.
Superstar Pearl out ★
Disclaimer 2: It is possible that I forget to mention some of the people (note: I probably will) who made this all possible. In those cases, I'll consider going back on this and adding a shout out, but if I get lazy, just know that there's nothing personal going on, it's just that my brain's slowly turning into mush (mish) as I write this
To provide some context on how this came to be, and as overused as this trope is, I wasn't actually planning on signing up for this. It was the first summer in which I actually had things to do aside from terrorizing the Internet with my marvelous pun game, having been recently offered to help my father at his workplace for a couple bucks. That, alongside the LoL high that I was on at the time (made it to a promotion series to Diamond III, for those of you who speak League) and my past experiences with this tournament meant that I had very little interest in touching Pokemon throughout the summer (or so I thought...). That is, until I somehow managed to lose around 20 games of League almost consecutively and decided that I wanted to actually fulfill my free time with positive things. So, my first shout out goes to the cesspool known as the hardstuck monkeys of the Europe West server's Diamond V rank for making me want to get the fuck out of there as soon as humanly possible. Let this be a lesson to those of you who still perceive the League community as a place with no good things to offer, as its toxicity and incompetence actually led me to the pixels on my profile. yay! I'll see you again on my next League high, gentlemen.
Jokes aside, there's somebody who I've been dead set on giving the first shout out of this post to, even before I made it to playoffs. I don't know if these words resonate with all of the people who are currently reading this, but I'm going to assume that everyone has that one person who just inspires them to surpass themselves and succeed despite any hardship, be it in or out of this game. In this case, I'm actually referring to a Pokemon idol. Somebody who, back then, mesmerized me with his playing and made me want to become a good player myself. Even nowadays, he still remains one of the scariest players to go up against, even if his motivation is one of the biggest question marks Smogon has to offer. These are probably going to be the most cheesy words you'll ever hear from me about you, so be ready to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Thank you McMeghan, for being a massive inspiration to me, in and out of this game, and for being an even better friend now that I've actually gotten to know you on a more personal level. Your support was crucial to me throughout these months, and I'd like to think that I could somehow make up for your "unsatisfactory" result in the first iteration of this tournament. I hope that, one day, I too can be a lighthouse that guides newer players (and people) towards their own personal success.
A big heads-up to bro fist and CrashinBoomBang (as well as the other people who were there at my lowest) who called me out on my bullshit back when I said I was going to drop out of this tournament (when I had pretty much qualified already
). It may seem like a joke at this point in time, but my insecurities got to me really hard at the time, and the fact that you were there to pick me up when my past experiences of missing playoffs were looping around my head like CCTV was probably the turning point of my career as a Pokemon player, even though it's going to cost me a daily Dumbass in the Taipans chat.As far as preparations for each series go, I'd like to send MASSIVE a shout out to everyone in the original Grand Slam group (even though I can't really recall all of the people who were there) and the beautiful lads (and "ladettes" - Finchinator) who later on decided to hop along the ride and joined the Grand Slam Shrine (or, as Star likes to call it, "every mainer except rozes"). TDK, you've been one of my best friends on Smogon for a sizable amount of time now, and getting to know you outside of this game has been a wonderful experience. Thanks for putting up with pretty much every single demand and annoying quirk of mine throughout these last couple of weeks, even when Anime got in the way
. TonyFlygon, we've probably been through more ups and downs than a roller coaster ride, but in the end I feel like I always come back to you somehow. Thanks for being around and always willing to nitpick all the teams I send your way (this is probably going to be frowned upon because you don't play, but it is what it is). col49 I've already given you a lengthy shout out after my RU Open win, but I feel the need to drive the point across here. People usually consider me one of the best team builders for the tiers I play the most, but when I talk to you it often feels like I'm just yet another rookie seeking advice. You always have something constructive to say regardless of the situation and working with you is just a wonderful experience overall. Cynara Zesty43 obii, I'm going to group all of you together for this due to the fact that you were all most active in the same tier, but know that the feeling of appreciation is just as strong as it is for the other people, yet laziness is a bitch. The existence of people like you makes me feel for the current state of Ubers, as I personally find it to be one of the most enjoyable tiers I've gotten to play in recent times, and you've all invested a lot of time into honing your skills at it, yet people who follow the tournament circuit will probably not get to see you in action in that. Still, thanks for being there and putting up with this rookie's various demands, you own. Star (who is only going to be able to like this post in 2022 or something like that ), I always felt myself at ease during my LC games in playoffs even though they were all among the most decisive, and your team support was among the reasons why that was the case, even if I didn't always go with teams of yours (I'll get into this in a second). Your love for this game truly shows in your activity despite your circumstances, and I think you could easily solidify yourself as one of the best players around once your tournament ban is out of the way (which should be in like... checks notes... 2045? Good luck lasting that long pal). Pohjis, thank you for being an incredible opponent, an amazing friend and an extraordinary helper. Between all the prep tips, test games and pep talk, you were a clear centerpiece to this run, and I'm deeply sorry that I had to rob you out of a trophy in the process, but I'm also grateful that you still chose to side with me despite the circumstances. Like Star, you're a person whose love for Pokemon is just contagious, and I hope that you get another chance at an individual trophy in the future. Nat, even though our test games are the pure definition of unhealthy, and we're just constantly trying to one up each other by the end of every single session, there are no words to describe how important your support was, even if we didn't really produce that many results to speak of during playoffs. Having someone who you know will give it their all during testing is completely irreplaceable in a tournament like this. Last but not least, even though you joined us a little later than the rest of the cast, your help came through in a very convincing fashion in the end, netting me a final record of 4-0 in NU. Superior rozes a.k.a. Eternally, thanks for coming through with some of the most gorgeous NU teams I've gotten to lay my eyes on (even if not all of them had Ground immune Pokemon...) and for all of the fun moments throughout these past couple of weeks. Garchomp on deez nuts etc.Big thank you to other people who helped me throughout my run: Finchinator, who went through NU ideas and teams with me for most of the latter stages tournament, Corporal Levi and trash for the amazing LC teams I used against FV and Teddeh respectively, FLCL for the NU help as well, Plas for some LC recommendations earlier on during playoffs, aim for being a fellow competitor who
Shout out to the people in all Discord chats that have adopted me in one way or another and constantly help me improve my mood and just make my days better overall: The Vault, The Jerk/Secret Society, the LC Weeb Chat, the Smogon Villain Hideout, the OU QC Chat, dodriobrate, FPOA (I might not be around anymore, but it'd be rude of me to forget my roots, I feel) and all other places, past and present, that I could truly feel I was a part of. Shout out to the SPL 9 Raiders for being one of the most tight teams I've ever been a part of, even through all the bullshit that went on during the season. Even though I still get shit on for the infamous anti post, I'd like to let you know that our loss back then stings even to this day, and I'm truly looking forward to redeeming myself in this upcoming SPL, even if it doesn't end up being quite the same (fuck you Kevin). Thank you to the members of the SSD 2 Taipans that I haven't mentioned yet for their continuous support. To this day, that team is probably the best I have assembled with my own ability as a manager, and the fact that things didn't work out in the end hardly takes away from that, as I'd still draft the same 13 people with full confidence in their ability to clutch.
Special mentions to some other people who have inspired me massively throughout this run:
Level 56 you're still a beast at this game, and it is a massive honor to be your successor.
Astounded quit being a pussy and play Pokemon bro, I don't want your talent to go to waste.
ict similarly to Level 56, I'm now truly able to recognize how hard it is to make it through so much for the trophy, and it is amazing to finally be a part of a club I was once unable to picture myself in.
Lavos for that hysterical PM of mine a couple of months ago where I said that your victory was an inspiration that motivated me to conquer Grand Slam (and it actually happening later on).
Teddeh for being a wonderful opponent, friend and competitor. Sorry that our series wasn't the cleanest, but you're still somebody whose prowess I respect, and it would take more than this outcome for your accomplishments to fade away in the wind.
(This is the category that I will most likely end up adding people to)
EDIT: This part of the post is now the poor memory wall of shame. I will dedicate it to the people I forgot to individually shout out at first
To close this off, much love to the people who, in one way or another rooted for me, and to those who showered me with messages of encouragement after every win, and even previous failures. The people who believed in me during some of my less proud moments and all of my fellow members of this community, which, despite being far from perfect, is filled with moments that are truly worth living through. This is not the end of a journey, but rather, the beginning of something bigger than just a tournament win.
Superstar Pearl out ★
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Grats pearl!
Grats Pearl finally got something to show off for your good work 
Parabéns amigo
Pearl Luther Mathers!
Wow rlly very happy for you pearl, Felicitaciones!!!!!!
I was wondering when you'd actually end up winning a trophy Pearl, very well deserved. I am well aware of how miserable this game can make you feel at times, but what truly matters is to never stop the grind. I'm very happy for you.
Congratulations!
Congratulations!
Congrats Pearl! Truly deserved! n.n/
Congrats bro.
Congrats Pearl. Definitely one of my favorite players and a person that I look up to in the community. This was definitely well deserved considering how much hard work and dedication you put in, not only for yourself, but to the site as well in making everyone a better player. Now, let's shoot for that red pixel my guy and congrats again.
Teddeh, you played well man. You put yourself into the best position as possible considering the circumstances. You have nothing to be ashamed about my guy. Grand Slam VIII will be your year bro, you can count on it! :]
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