(discussion thread)
Current Round
Usage Stats
Talk about OSDT stuff here!!! yeah!!!
idk what else to put sorry
Last edited:
-
Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
-
Congrats to the winners of the 2023 Smog Awards!
Tournament OSDT IV Discussion Thread
- Thread starter zoe
- Start date
(discussion thread)
Current Round
Usage Stats
Talk about OSDT stuff here!!! yeah!!!
idk what else to put sorry
Hello friends. I'm back with more highlight matches. Due to the way DPL's pairings worked out this week I didn't really feel motivated to write about them, but hopefully people will enjoy these too. I assume many of these games will be streamed by eragon11145 and other community members, so look out for that!!!
Arcticblast vs Railgun
People may have forgotten but Arcticblast was on a tear at the start of gen 9, putting up solid results in DPL 9 and the first seasonal of the generation. Railgun is currently in finals of DLT and is having a great DPL so far this year (albeit in SS instead of SV) and has been a tournament mainstay since I've gotten into the tier, especially in the espanol community. Most people would probably bold Railgun off the rip but Arctic has actually been spending a lot of the time away from DOU tournaments picking up VGC and I'm curious to see how it'll port over. Cool pairing for sure.
Idyll vs Voltix
Almost missed this one because of the namechange xD. I would say that both of these players are more known for tiers outside of SV DOU which I think makes this interesting. Who's been paying more attention to the metagame? Are either of these guys gonna cook something for the new flutterless meta or pull up with safe teams?
SHIMA vs Bananacrazy111
SHIMA had a lot of hype after his incredibly dominant ladder run to qualify for DLT playoffs but seems to be struggling in DPL with a current 1-3 record. Bananacrazy is a player you probably have not heard of but he's a draft player that hangs around DOU and if Feyy has taught me anything it's that you gotta respect the hell out of draft players. Two people I'm pretty interested in watching because I think this game will set the trajectory of their tournament.
zee vs robjr
I went from a bye to getting paired up with robjr??? wtf??? we play friday 1 pm -5 don't miss it
xqiht vs SMB
This one's probably the highlight of round 1, xqiht is last year's OSDT finalist and China's best DOU representative, SMB needs no introduction as the most accomplished doubles player. It's been a while since I've seen the latter play SV so I'm curious to see what his takes are on the new meta and I'm expecting some firecrackers from xqiht. The game probably comes down to whether or not SMB will be able to download and control xqiht's style of play. Should be a banger.
Hugo vs shadekirby321
Hugo has made a name for himself as someone who likes to run interesting and off the wall aggressive teams. I feel like this strategy follows him into every Doubles tier he plays from DOU to DUU to 2v2. shadekirby321 is a VGC native and DOU newcomer who's had a pretty impressive start, qualifying for DLT playoffs and putting up a 2-1 record so far in DPL. His VGC background gives him a unique perspective on teambuilding as well, which means we're probably looking at a bunch of unconventional teams about to butt heads.
Fritz420 vs Xrn
Am I biased for calling this one a highlight? Absolutely. For those unware, Fritz is one of DOU's newest participants and was probably one of the biggest snubs for DPL. He's been learning the ins and outs of Doubles at an excellent pace and has a great network of support. Xrn dominated last SCL with a crazy 9-1 record which has elevated his status in the community from solid to goated. Fritz is staring down a mountain of an opponent for his first major doubles tour, I'll be interested to see whether or not the newcomer can pull off a wild upset.
Star vs Fran
Star's historically been one of the better singles mains that dips his toes into doubles, but getting Fran round 1 is a pretty tough draw. That being said I have 0 clue if either of these guys have been grinding SV DOU or not, so there's a good chance they could just be loading up pastes from their DPL teams. We'll be able to tell if Fran's teams are his if there's a TTar Excadrill present. Regardless I'm way more excited for the plays in this one than the teams, as that'll be the real high level aspect of this set.
Arcticblast vs Railgun
People may have forgotten but Arcticblast was on a tear at the start of gen 9, putting up solid results in DPL 9 and the first seasonal of the generation. Railgun is currently in finals of DLT and is having a great DPL so far this year (albeit in SS instead of SV) and has been a tournament mainstay since I've gotten into the tier, especially in the espanol community. Most people would probably bold Railgun off the rip but Arctic has actually been spending a lot of the time away from DOU tournaments picking up VGC and I'm curious to see how it'll port over. Cool pairing for sure.
Idyll vs Voltix
Almost missed this one because of the namechange xD. I would say that both of these players are more known for tiers outside of SV DOU which I think makes this interesting. Who's been paying more attention to the metagame? Are either of these guys gonna cook something for the new flutterless meta or pull up with safe teams?
SHIMA vs Bananacrazy111
SHIMA had a lot of hype after his incredibly dominant ladder run to qualify for DLT playoffs but seems to be struggling in DPL with a current 1-3 record. Bananacrazy is a player you probably have not heard of but he's a draft player that hangs around DOU and if Feyy has taught me anything it's that you gotta respect the hell out of draft players. Two people I'm pretty interested in watching because I think this game will set the trajectory of their tournament.
zee vs robjr
I went from a bye to getting paired up with robjr??? wtf??? we play friday 1 pm -5 don't miss it
xqiht vs SMB
This one's probably the highlight of round 1, xqiht is last year's OSDT finalist and China's best DOU representative, SMB needs no introduction as the most accomplished doubles player. It's been a while since I've seen the latter play SV so I'm curious to see what his takes are on the new meta and I'm expecting some firecrackers from xqiht. The game probably comes down to whether or not SMB will be able to download and control xqiht's style of play. Should be a banger.
Hugo vs shadekirby321
Hugo has made a name for himself as someone who likes to run interesting and off the wall aggressive teams. I feel like this strategy follows him into every Doubles tier he plays from DOU to DUU to 2v2. shadekirby321 is a VGC native and DOU newcomer who's had a pretty impressive start, qualifying for DLT playoffs and putting up a 2-1 record so far in DPL. His VGC background gives him a unique perspective on teambuilding as well, which means we're probably looking at a bunch of unconventional teams about to butt heads.
Fritz420 vs Xrn
Am I biased for calling this one a highlight? Absolutely. For those unware, Fritz is one of DOU's newest participants and was probably one of the biggest snubs for DPL. He's been learning the ins and outs of Doubles at an excellent pace and has a great network of support. Xrn dominated last SCL with a crazy 9-1 record which has elevated his status in the community from solid to goated. Fritz is staring down a mountain of an opponent for his first major doubles tour, I'll be interested to see whether or not the newcomer can pull off a wild upset.
Star vs Fran
Star's historically been one of the better singles mains that dips his toes into doubles, but getting Fran round 1 is a pretty tough draw. That being said I have 0 clue if either of these guys have been grinding SV DOU or not, so there's a good chance they could just be loading up pastes from their DPL teams. We'll be able to tell if Fran's teams are his if there's a TTar Excadrill present. Regardless I'm way more excited for the plays in this one than the teams, as that'll be the real high level aspect of this set.
sir jelloton
DPL Champion
I too think these matches are the exciting ones to look for barring a couple matchups missing, So i will add my PREDICTIONS for zee highlight matches including 2 or 3 others that I personally am exciting for
Arcticblast vs Railgun
With some solid teams I think A blast will make this a really enjoyable set to watch, but I've been consistently impressed with Railguns play since world cup months ago and consider them to be one of the best players in current gen
Idyll vs Voltix
Afaik neither of these players are too active in this tier so I'm not very sure, but Idyll is usually the safe bet when you aren't sure who's gonna win.
SHIMA vs Bananacrazy111
I am a little unconfident in this because draft players are always terrifying and SHIMA certainly hasn't been doing as well as i thought they would, but I still think when they're comfortable they're incredibily strong and I'm hoping with less pressure to do well and a bo3 format we'll see SHIMA in form.
Zee vs rob jr
I hope this will be a banger man I unfortuantely will probably miss it live. going with zee because zee is cool and based and rob seems too busy with other stuff to prep too hard.
Xqiht vs SMB
It's very hard to bet against either of these players but the ducks SV has been so incredibly solid and I'd like to think SMB has been very involved in prep for that to happen. If he's coming out the gate as strong as his players have I'm expecting a win from him.
Hugo vs shadekirby321
there are no safe bets when hugo is involved. I also expect neither player to prepare for this set which makes it even harder to predict. I hope hugo will FINALLY make some new teams with flutter banned and with him not having the nerf of running fradulence the entire time He might be able to win. Might.
Fritz420 vs Xrn
Everyone wants to see fritz do well very bad and I do too. this is incredibly bad luck for a round 1, but Fritz has been improving at an impressive rate and Xrn has been a bit unlucky so the stars could definitely align here. our goat is most likely starting 0-1 though unfortunately.
Star vs Fran
Current gen seems to just be Frans worst by far based off of what I've seen in the past and I doubt there's been too much activity here recently. could very easily be wrong here but I expect star to be more solid in this set
Waffle vs Zeal
Waffles got a bit to prove coming into osdt considering the underperformance in dpl as of late. I'd be suprised if he won this set but I expect him to prepare and make it challenging and if I'm lucky enough to catch this set I'd be soooo hyped.
Sylv used cm vs Yoda
I'm interested in seeing how sylv will perform in this tour. I don't know much about their doubles experience but I think they're friends with michaelder so it's possible they've been/ will be practicing and I'm interested in seeing this set to see how they match up. This draw is almost certainly starting 0-1 though so that sucks :(.
Ash Ketchum Gamer vs Queen of Bean
Two singles players that have come over to dou. iirc ash just barely missed top cut last year, whereas qob started a little bit after and has been moderately learning and improving in this tier for a couple months now. I think this one will be a very fun one to watch, but I believe in bean!
I don't know about you guys but I'm very excited for osdt this year and the only thing I'm hopeful for is quality gaming. Cheers to gaming!
Arcticblast vs Railgun
With some solid teams I think A blast will make this a really enjoyable set to watch, but I've been consistently impressed with Railguns play since world cup months ago and consider them to be one of the best players in current gen
Idyll vs Voltix
Afaik neither of these players are too active in this tier so I'm not very sure, but Idyll is usually the safe bet when you aren't sure who's gonna win.
SHIMA vs Bananacrazy111
I am a little unconfident in this because draft players are always terrifying and SHIMA certainly hasn't been doing as well as i thought they would, but I still think when they're comfortable they're incredibily strong and I'm hoping with less pressure to do well and a bo3 format we'll see SHIMA in form.
Zee vs rob jr
I hope this will be a banger man I unfortuantely will probably miss it live. going with zee because zee is cool and based and rob seems too busy with other stuff to prep too hard.
Xqiht vs SMB
It's very hard to bet against either of these players but the ducks SV has been so incredibly solid and I'd like to think SMB has been very involved in prep for that to happen. If he's coming out the gate as strong as his players have I'm expecting a win from him.
Hugo vs shadekirby321
there are no safe bets when hugo is involved. I also expect neither player to prepare for this set which makes it even harder to predict. I hope hugo will FINALLY make some new teams with flutter banned and with him not having the nerf of running fradulence the entire time He might be able to win. Might.
Fritz420 vs Xrn
Everyone wants to see fritz do well very bad and I do too. this is incredibly bad luck for a round 1, but Fritz has been improving at an impressive rate and Xrn has been a bit unlucky so the stars could definitely align here. our goat is most likely starting 0-1 though unfortunately.
Star vs Fran
Current gen seems to just be Frans worst by far based off of what I've seen in the past and I doubt there's been too much activity here recently. could very easily be wrong here but I expect star to be more solid in this set
Waffle vs Zeal
Waffles got a bit to prove coming into osdt considering the underperformance in dpl as of late. I'd be suprised if he won this set but I expect him to prepare and make it challenging and if I'm lucky enough to catch this set I'd be soooo hyped.
Sylv used cm vs Yoda
I'm interested in seeing how sylv will perform in this tour. I don't know much about their doubles experience but I think they're friends with michaelder so it's possible they've been/ will be practicing and I'm interested in seeing this set to see how they match up. This draw is almost certainly starting 0-1 though so that sucks :(.
Ash Ketchum Gamer vs Queen of Bean
Two singles players that have come over to dou. iirc ash just barely missed top cut last year, whereas qob started a little bit after and has been moderately learning and improving in this tier for a couple months now. I think this one will be a very fun one to watch, but I believe in bean!
I don't know about you guys but I'm very excited for osdt this year and the only thing I'm hopeful for is quality gaming. Cheers to gaming!
Last edited:
Round 2 highlight games
sempra vs z0mOG
This one is hype. Most people should know at this point but if you don't, sempra is coming off a top 8 at VGC worlds 2023 while zom is currently one of the best players in North America and has been having a killer gen 9. Both were also involved in DOU in the most recent SCL. All that to say this is going to be a (hopefully) difficult set for either to take and you won't wanna miss it. I have no clue what type of teams either of these guys are gonna fall back on, which probably means neither do they, so I expect 0 scouting and instead just loading what they think is strong.
bage1 vs false
false had some pretty impressive wins in last osdt including a win over Animus, even with most of the teams he used being samples iirc. He was my manager for SCL and based on how we were able to talk about the games I really do think he's a cut above the average SPL-player-signing-up-for-every-tour-in-the-trophy-circuit. bagel's coming off a win in circuit but has had a rougher DPL than you'd expect, possibly due to burnout. Still if the Wo-Chien Sylveon team was any indication, he seems to be going as hard in the builder as always.
Toxigen vs GenOne
It's still really early in the tournament for DOU mainers to be pulling each other but we got one here. GenOne is a council member and his participation in NP threads gives me no reason to believe he isn't closely following the meta despite choosing to play other tiers in DPL. Toxigen has captained the thieves in back to back years of DPL so he's also surely involved in SV even if he isn't showing up to every tournament to play it. Skill wise I think they're about even too.
SMB vs EternalSnowman
Getting xqiht into ESM is a tough run for SMB, yikes. Still, last week he didn't seem to have much trouble against xq. ESM is 5-0 in DPL SV at present with a slew of unconventional picks to get him this far. Two top players and very creative builders already having to fight so early to remain in the undefeated bracket is crazy, this one's the easy highlight of the round.
Ann vs entrocefalo
I think both of these two are really good players that don't get enough hype, probably because they aren't certified yappers unlike me but alas. entro just barely missed qualifying for DLT this year and is coming off a circuit playoffs appearance from last year, as well as a few DPL games played. Ann top cut this tour last year and is generally a super capable player, though her other recent accomplishments are slipping my mind atm my gut just told me this had to be highlighted when I saw the pairing
I am planning to post highlights for all the brackets for this tour but this week the 0-1 bracket didn't have anything crazy to me so we'll leave it here.
sempra vs z0mOG
This one is hype. Most people should know at this point but if you don't, sempra is coming off a top 8 at VGC worlds 2023 while zom is currently one of the best players in North America and has been having a killer gen 9. Both were also involved in DOU in the most recent SCL. All that to say this is going to be a (hopefully) difficult set for either to take and you won't wanna miss it. I have no clue what type of teams either of these guys are gonna fall back on, which probably means neither do they, so I expect 0 scouting and instead just loading what they think is strong.
bage1 vs false
false had some pretty impressive wins in last osdt including a win over Animus, even with most of the teams he used being samples iirc. He was my manager for SCL and based on how we were able to talk about the games I really do think he's a cut above the average SPL-player-signing-up-for-every-tour-in-the-trophy-circuit. bagel's coming off a win in circuit but has had a rougher DPL than you'd expect, possibly due to burnout. Still if the Wo-Chien Sylveon team was any indication, he seems to be going as hard in the builder as always.
Toxigen vs GenOne
It's still really early in the tournament for DOU mainers to be pulling each other but we got one here. GenOne is a council member and his participation in NP threads gives me no reason to believe he isn't closely following the meta despite choosing to play other tiers in DPL. Toxigen has captained the thieves in back to back years of DPL so he's also surely involved in SV even if he isn't showing up to every tournament to play it. Skill wise I think they're about even too.
SMB vs EternalSnowman
Getting xqiht into ESM is a tough run for SMB, yikes. Still, last week he didn't seem to have much trouble against xq. ESM is 5-0 in DPL SV at present with a slew of unconventional picks to get him this far. Two top players and very creative builders already having to fight so early to remain in the undefeated bracket is crazy, this one's the easy highlight of the round.
Ann vs entrocefalo
I think both of these two are really good players that don't get enough hype, probably because they aren't certified yappers unlike me but alas. entro just barely missed qualifying for DLT this year and is coming off a circuit playoffs appearance from last year, as well as a few DPL games played. Ann top cut this tour last year and is generally a super capable player, though her other recent accomplishments are slipping my mind atm my gut just told me this had to be highlighted when I saw the pairing
I am planning to post highlights for all the brackets for this tour but this week the 0-1 bracket didn't have anything crazy to me so we'll leave it here.
My round 4 highlights. This round has a ton of good games which is to be expected as the tour continues, I just picked out a few to keep the post from going on forever.
Actuarily vs Ann
Ann has been popping off as of late, with impressive showings in SCL, DWCOP, and going 2-0 in SV during the DPL regular season. I think she's one of the most consistent players in SV right now. On the other hand Actuarily is one of the most consistent players in the tier period and you can always count on them to put up a fight. If I had to choose, I think this is probably the match I'm most excited for this week.
Fran vs Grandmas Cookin
Two players known primarily for their oldgens performance playing current gen is always fun to see. From my understanding both players have been reusing pretty heavily (as we all do) so I hope we get to see them branch out in the face of such stiff competition. I will not deny that there may be some bias on my end rooting for my fellow Spectral Thief.
ratpacker vs papiloco
papiloco is coming off of a heater 6-1 regular season record playing SV in DPL and so far it seems that energy has transfered to OSDT as well. On the other hand ratpacker just finished a very respectable DPL regular season playing DUU, but I have seen ratpacker teams being used all over the place in DOU so I know he is paying attention to the metagame and doing some cooking so I'm very excited to see what they bring to the table.
Tenzai vs zee
Cratermakers teamkill! This will be a fun matchup as I imagine they have been exposed to each others teams and preferences more than most other mathcups have. Both have looked very solid playing SV lately so I expect an entertaining set. Zee has been bringing some heat lately and I'm interested to see if they will keep it up or cool it down a bit vs such a strong opponent.
Akaru Kokuyo vs Sylveon used calm mind
A bit of a unique choice here where Akaru is the clear favorite here as one of the strongest doubles players facing off against Sylveon who is a singles main that has been using sample teams so far. However I've really enjoyed watching Sylveon's sets and think they have the ability to keep it up against even stronger opponents. Mons is mons after all.
MADARAAA vs sir jelloton
This is just two strong players lol. I see each player as having a pretty distinct style that they tend to gravitate towards so there might be some attempts to gain matchup in the builder from each side. I think both players are cabable builders and I hope we get to see some new stuff from both.
xqiht vs tyo
Moving onto the 2-1 bracket we have a very big game for both players. Crazy to think that one of tyo or xqiht will be 2-2 after this week but that is some of the fun of OSDT. Both players are very versitile and accomplished so I expect a really fun set. Honestly because of the stakes this is actually the match I'm most looking forward to sorry Act+Ann.
oh the guilt vs Railgun
LATAM teamkill, oh the guilt is still pretty new but had a very solid DWCOP and I'm looking forward to them continuing to play in tours. Railgun is coming off a runner's up performance in DLT as well as a very solid showing in SS for DPL. Once again I have some teammate bias here but this should be a fun one.
Actuarily vs Ann
Ann has been popping off as of late, with impressive showings in SCL, DWCOP, and going 2-0 in SV during the DPL regular season. I think she's one of the most consistent players in SV right now. On the other hand Actuarily is one of the most consistent players in the tier period and you can always count on them to put up a fight. If I had to choose, I think this is probably the match I'm most excited for this week.
Fran vs Grandmas Cookin
Two players known primarily for their oldgens performance playing current gen is always fun to see. From my understanding both players have been reusing pretty heavily (as we all do) so I hope we get to see them branch out in the face of such stiff competition. I will not deny that there may be some bias on my end rooting for my fellow Spectral Thief.
ratpacker vs papiloco
papiloco is coming off of a heater 6-1 regular season record playing SV in DPL and so far it seems that energy has transfered to OSDT as well. On the other hand ratpacker just finished a very respectable DPL regular season playing DUU, but I have seen ratpacker teams being used all over the place in DOU so I know he is paying attention to the metagame and doing some cooking so I'm very excited to see what they bring to the table.
Tenzai vs zee
Cratermakers teamkill! This will be a fun matchup as I imagine they have been exposed to each others teams and preferences more than most other mathcups have. Both have looked very solid playing SV lately so I expect an entertaining set. Zee has been bringing some heat lately and I'm interested to see if they will keep it up or cool it down a bit vs such a strong opponent.
Akaru Kokuyo vs Sylveon used calm mind
A bit of a unique choice here where Akaru is the clear favorite here as one of the strongest doubles players facing off against Sylveon who is a singles main that has been using sample teams so far. However I've really enjoyed watching Sylveon's sets and think they have the ability to keep it up against even stronger opponents. Mons is mons after all.
MADARAAA vs sir jelloton
This is just two strong players lol. I see each player as having a pretty distinct style that they tend to gravitate towards so there might be some attempts to gain matchup in the builder from each side. I think both players are cabable builders and I hope we get to see some new stuff from both.
xqiht vs tyo
Moving onto the 2-1 bracket we have a very big game for both players. Crazy to think that one of tyo or xqiht will be 2-2 after this week but that is some of the fun of OSDT. Both players are very versitile and accomplished so I expect a really fun set. Honestly because of the stakes this is actually the match I'm most looking forward to sorry Act+Ann.
oh the guilt vs Railgun
LATAM teamkill, oh the guilt is still pretty new but had a very solid DWCOP and I'm looking forward to them continuing to play in tours. Railgun is coming off a runner's up performance in DLT as well as a very solid showing in SS for DPL. Once again I have some teammate bias here but this should be a fun one.
Had some time to kill
Plenty of other pretty good mainer pairings like ratpacker vs sir jelloton and MADARAAAA vs Tenzai, but I don't have much to say about those. Hopefully less act wins going forward as we're at the halfway point of swiss, especially looking forward to next round and beyond when we start seeing hot x-2 sets
4-0
elodin vs bage1 - Cool non-mainer vs mainer pairing. Elodin had a decent swiss last year and I've liked his games so far, plus seems to be genuinely invested in the tour. Meanwhile bage1 seemed to be constantly improving throughout 2023, culminating in a circuit win. I thought he looked a little shaky during DPL but still ended positive and has gone back to their bread and butter for swiss. Gonna be a big test for elodin, curious to see how both of them approach this.
DaAwesomeDude1 vs Grandmas Cookin - Two strong players mainly known for their old gen prowess who are still doing well in SV. Team(s) have been solid yet repetitive from both, I have a feeling we'll see something new from at least one of them this round but who knows. Should be a good set regardless, very even imo.
Sylveon used calm mind vs JRL - SUCM upset Akaru last round with sample teams, nice. I haven't watched their other games but they looked better than I expected for sure. JRL was super consistent in SS but his results have been a bit more mixed in SV, like how he just won DLT but struggled in DPL. Will JRL continue his individual success or will SUCM pull off another upset?
elodin vs bage1 - Cool non-mainer vs mainer pairing. Elodin had a decent swiss last year and I've liked his games so far, plus seems to be genuinely invested in the tour. Meanwhile bage1 seemed to be constantly improving throughout 2023, culminating in a circuit win. I thought he looked a little shaky during DPL but still ended positive and has gone back to their bread and butter for swiss. Gonna be a big test for elodin, curious to see how both of them approach this.
DaAwesomeDude1 vs Grandmas Cookin - Two strong players mainly known for their old gen prowess who are still doing well in SV. Team(s) have been solid yet repetitive from both, I have a feeling we'll see something new from at least one of them this round but who knows. Should be a good set regardless, very even imo.
Sylveon used calm mind vs JRL - SUCM upset Akaru last round with sample teams, nice. I haven't watched their other games but they looked better than I expected for sure. JRL was super consistent in SS but his results have been a bit more mixed in SV, like how he just won DLT but struggled in DPL. Will JRL continue his individual success or will SUCM pull off another upset?
SoulWind vs SMB - Another non-mainer vs mainer pairing whoops but I think this one's cool for a couple reasons. For one, it's one of the most successful singles players of all time against one of the most successful doubles players of all time. For two, I think these guys have pretty similar styles in this tier which could make for a really interesting set. I'd expect SMB to take it but SoulWind has been on the grind for a while with VGC ladder so we'll see if it pays off.
Level 51 vs xqiht - L51 is before my time but from what I have seen of him he's a very creative and capable player. I view xq as a pretty streaky player but he's been excellent recently and wouldn't surprise me if he kept it up all tour given his run last year. Lots of potential here for this to be super entertaining between L51's teams and xq's at time wild plays.
Fangame10 vs Akaru Kokuyo - Two veteran DOUers with very distinct styles. I believe fangame has mostly, if not entirely, stuck to variations of Frosty Fanroom while Akaru has thrived with various forms of setup. If Akaru does proper prep I see it being a pretty rough draw for fangame, but I believe in him to keep it competitive. There's also a very real possibility that Akaru loads some weird slow stuff and gets mauled by Ursaluna or Blizzard spam.
Level 51 vs xqiht - L51 is before my time but from what I have seen of him he's a very creative and capable player. I view xq as a pretty streaky player but he's been excellent recently and wouldn't surprise me if he kept it up all tour given his run last year. Lots of potential here for this to be super entertaining between L51's teams and xq's at time wild plays.
Fangame10 vs Akaru Kokuyo - Two veteran DOUers with very distinct styles. I believe fangame has mostly, if not entirely, stuck to variations of Frosty Fanroom while Akaru has thrived with various forms of setup. If Akaru does proper prep I see it being a pretty rough draw for fangame, but I believe in him to keep it competitive. There's also a very real possibility that Akaru loads some weird slow stuff and gets mauled by Ursaluna or Blizzard spam.
Plenty of other pretty good mainer pairings like ratpacker vs sir jelloton and MADARAAAA vs Tenzai, but I don't have much to say about those. Hopefully less act wins going forward as we're at the halfway point of swiss, especially looking forward to next round and beyond when we start seeing hot x-2 sets
We go again
sempra vs elodin - Really fun 5-0 pairing between two players not known for their DOU. Sempra dabbled in the tier last year to mixed success, being drafted in SCL and playing in a few side tours. This is by far the best I've seen him look though, in terms of both team choices and gameplay. Elodin had his first true test last round against bagel and looked as good as he did in rounds prior. Sempra is the more experienced player in 2v2 formats but elodin probably has more help on his side. I don't really think you can pick a favorite here honestly, both have been very solid just excited to watch.
Grandmas Cookin vs zee - A more traditional DOU matchup here, you might expect to see this series in XY or ADV rather than SV but both have been excellent this tour. Zee is wrapping up a fantastic DPL and is generally the more active SV DOU player of the two, whereas Gma has only recently seriously picked up the tier. Gma's VGC efforts have translated well though, I really like their solid offensive builds and probably prefer them to zee's weather HO and Sinistcha. Most people probably favor zee here but I think these two are pretty even, should be a banger.
Grandmas Cookin vs zee - A more traditional DOU matchup here, you might expect to see this series in XY or ADV rather than SV but both have been excellent this tour. Zee is wrapping up a fantastic DPL and is generally the more active SV DOU player of the two, whereas Gma has only recently seriously picked up the tier. Gma's VGC efforts have translated well though, I really like their solid offensive builds and probably prefer them to zee's weather HO and Sinistcha. Most people probably favor zee here but I think these two are pretty even, should be a banger.
4-1
MichaelderBeste2 vs xqiht - Worlds 2023 finalist vs OSDT 2023 finalist. I would love to hype this up but Michael has gotten four act wins in a row LMFAOOO. Like I said last round xq has looked amazing recently but Michael has great fundamentals even if he hasn't gotten to show it this tour. SUCM has shown how far sample/public teams can take you so Michael winning this is very possible. This is probably the most likely set here to be a bit of a flop or not happen at all because there's totally a world where they can't schedule with each other, but if they show up at their best it should be a fun set.
qsns vs Idyll - Before the release of SV both of these players would be considered top old gen minds who aren't too invested in current gen. Since then qsns went on to become one of the best SV players with great SCL and OSDT showings last year. Idyll has only occasionally played SV since release but has looked nice lately with a win in DPL over Para and a good swiss so far. Both have had mostly sound teams and play but qsns should have the clear edge in building and experience here despite taking a loss last round, so it'll be on Idyll to ride their momentum to an upset.
Star vs JRL - JRL fell victim to the sample team god last round, suffering his first loss of the tour. Star lost R1 and since then has kinda just gapped worse players with solid teams. Bit of a similar case to elodin vs bage1 from last week, JRL would be the traditional favorite but I think Star uses better teams and is still quite good at DOU. We'll see if JRL learns his lesson from last round or if he takes consecutive losses to singles players.
bage1 vs Fran - Thieves team kill here... bage1 was farming until a rough set last round while Fran has done about as you'd expect, only losing to an on fire Gma. Bage1 should have a pretty strong builder advantage here since he's still actively playing the tier and I believe Fran is just reusing from Thieves. That advantage grows even stronger when bage1 has access to those teams but you never know. Fran is a consistently solid player so he definitely can win this, although I expect bage1 to be hungry for the rebound and take the set.
MichaelderBeste2 vs xqiht - Worlds 2023 finalist vs OSDT 2023 finalist. I would love to hype this up but Michael has gotten four act wins in a row LMFAOOO. Like I said last round xq has looked amazing recently but Michael has great fundamentals even if he hasn't gotten to show it this tour. SUCM has shown how far sample/public teams can take you so Michael winning this is very possible. This is probably the most likely set here to be a bit of a flop or not happen at all because there's totally a world where they can't schedule with each other, but if they show up at their best it should be a fun set.
qsns vs Idyll - Before the release of SV both of these players would be considered top old gen minds who aren't too invested in current gen. Since then qsns went on to become one of the best SV players with great SCL and OSDT showings last year. Idyll has only occasionally played SV since release but has looked nice lately with a win in DPL over Para and a good swiss so far. Both have had mostly sound teams and play but qsns should have the clear edge in building and experience here despite taking a loss last round, so it'll be on Idyll to ride their momentum to an upset.
Star vs JRL - JRL fell victim to the sample team god last round, suffering his first loss of the tour. Star lost R1 and since then has kinda just gapped worse players with solid teams. Bit of a similar case to elodin vs bage1 from last week, JRL would be the traditional favorite but I think Star uses better teams and is still quite good at DOU. We'll see if JRL learns his lesson from last round or if he takes consecutive losses to singles players.
bage1 vs Fran - Thieves team kill here... bage1 was farming until a rough set last round while Fran has done about as you'd expect, only losing to an on fire Gma. Bage1 should have a pretty strong builder advantage here since he's still actively playing the tier and I believe Fran is just reusing from Thieves. That advantage grows even stronger when bage1 has access to those teams but you never know. Fran is a consistently solid player so he definitely can win this, although I expect bage1 to be hungry for the rebound and take the set.
predictions for all remaining games
7-0 Group
Xrn vs Frixel
Frixel vs ratpacker
ratpacker vs Xrn
strongest of the three on paper and i imagine he does care enough about going for a bye to win these games but there's like a 5% chance he plays these sets with a duu team
6-1 Group
Akaru Kokuyo vs MADARAAAA - great pairing, however after seeing the lengths akaru went to beat fangame earlier in this tour I feel like their motivation is probably higher. rooting for more tera ice.
EternalSnowman vs DaAwesomeDude1 - Esm is in some crazy shape and dad1 seems to be mostly vibing in sv, upset possible but highly favors esm
sundays vs Despacito87 - sundays beat bagel last round, last time I watched a despacito set I wasn't the biggest fan of the team choices
Nido-Rus vs raf - there aren't many people I would bold against nido, his run last year made it pretty obvious he's still gunning for a second orange trophy and his grasp of sv hasn't really worsened since then
Schister vs Grandmas Cookin - both 6-0 to 6-1s and now somebody's being sent to 6-2. lean gma here because I think he's been overall more convincing in game with a tough schedule but schister has had an impressive run
Ann vs Terekusai - Ann is the goat. I would've told you that even before I got destroyed yesterday. Like nido I'd bold her vs almost anybody, but I especially haven't seen much of Terekusai.
elodin vs Sylveon used calm mind - nonmainer win-and-in is pretty hype, going with elodin even though I think Sylveon has had a tougher schedule because I think he is more likely to care about this game and seems a little stronger from replays too.
Actuarily vs sempra - interesting game for sure but I am a sempra fanboy and will be rooting for my fellow VGC player. He's looked solid for most of the tour including some nice wins over zom and elodin. Haven't honestly been keeping up with act's run but 6-1 tells me he's in good shape, one of the games I'd be least surprised to find out I predicted wrong.
Oblivion Wing vs Lhions - neither player is particularly focusing on SV DOU from what I can tell (?) but both have great fundamental skills from viewing replays. Bolding Lhions and hoping he brings Wo-Chien stall again.
5-2 Group
Vinc2612 vs JJ09LIE - Vinc grinds VGC, JJ is a strong OU player but I do not think he is particularly familiar with doubles.
Fangame10 vs sir jelloton - Fangame's run has been nothing short of impressive, especially his last round, but I think Jello is smart enough and skilled enough to build properly and execute properly as well.
Tenzai vs bagel - Sorry I'm wimping out on this one... Two people I'm friends with playing an elimination game is always sad but in this case I'm also genuinely pretty lost on who to favor. bagel is of course one of the best SV players but had a rough week 6, and Tenzai is coming off a strong DPL, albeit mostly away from SV.
xqiht vs shadekirby321 - would love to see kunal pull out the win here but from talking to him I think his motivation for this tour is starting to dry up and xqiht is a hardcore gamer.
txitxas vs Chains of Markov - haven't seen a game from either of these guys before but txitxas is someone I'm more familiar with and is a fine player.
TyCarter vs udhhfd12345 - Alex123 is the greatest. Nothing more to say. Go Alex!
yone vs Zygarde12 - already happened and yone won
Cao Jie vs Idyll - xD
SMB vs Genesis77 - insanely tough draw for Genesis to roll an SMB uppair in this scenario but it be like that sometimes. Gonna need more than RNG manipulation to walk away from this and still be in the tour.
B1Kharma vs papiloco - papi had a great DPL
Fc vs Flying Beagle - FB's DPL was a little shaky but I do think it was some valuable high level doubles experience that Fc is missing.
NecasInTrouble vs Mashin Sentai - i picked the cooler name
SingleThunder vs crying - honestly against a lot of dou mains at ST's skill level I would predict crying but ST's plays can be pretty unpredictable at times and I think it'll mess up someone who plays so read heavy like crying.
z0mOG vs entrocefalo - that's my brother
wooshmania vs LpZ - never seen LpZ play dou and I've never heard of his opponent but I've seen LpZ look good in other tiers
Voltix vs Sapphire - gotta have a good reason to bold against the spanish and I don't really have one, sorry eeveon
Qianqiuxue vs Piyush25 - Qianqiuxue got activity'd last round and Piyush has team india to acquire teams from even if he does show up to the match.
Demantoid vs zee
Chris32156 vs Pidge - ngl I didn't even know Chris Numbers was still active in DOU but I'm happy to see him here. Go chris!
Staraptor vs Loudwinner - Staraptor isn't bad but I think Loudwinner has a higher ceiling and better support system.
Spcplayzz vs Shiritu - spain
Trout In Space vs Daniarceus - i picked the cooler name
Zeal vs Penter - Zeal doesn't play in a ton of tours so I don't think people understand just how good at the game he is, but I think Penter is a little outmatched here.
Evie vs Astro Nation Shoe - I've seen evie play half a dozen doubles formats at this point whereas ANS is pretty much only regarded as a ND DOU player in my mind.
bolg vs John1240 - pretty sure bolg has used one team for the entire tournament, if fangame is any example this is going to catch up to people sooner or later.
Star vs Ev_Evan - Star is one of the better non mainers and I think his games in this tour and DPL are great proof of that.
KennyJ vs Ina fable - gotta bold a VGC player
Yellow Paint vs Yoda2798 - think paint is just a bit more in tune with the tier
Arcticblast vs Toxigen - Toxigen is supposed to be retired but addiction seems to be strong, rooting for Arcticblast to do Passa a favor.
7-0 Group
Xrn vs Frixel
Frixel vs ratpacker
ratpacker vs Xrn
strongest of the three on paper and i imagine he does care enough about going for a bye to win these games but there's like a 5% chance he plays these sets with a duu team
6-1 Group
Akaru Kokuyo vs MADARAAAA - great pairing, however after seeing the lengths akaru went to beat fangame earlier in this tour I feel like their motivation is probably higher. rooting for more tera ice.
EternalSnowman vs DaAwesomeDude1 - Esm is in some crazy shape and dad1 seems to be mostly vibing in sv, upset possible but highly favors esm
sundays vs Despacito87 - sundays beat bagel last round, last time I watched a despacito set I wasn't the biggest fan of the team choices
Nido-Rus vs raf - there aren't many people I would bold against nido, his run last year made it pretty obvious he's still gunning for a second orange trophy and his grasp of sv hasn't really worsened since then
Schister vs Grandmas Cookin - both 6-0 to 6-1s and now somebody's being sent to 6-2. lean gma here because I think he's been overall more convincing in game with a tough schedule but schister has had an impressive run
Ann vs Terekusai - Ann is the goat. I would've told you that even before I got destroyed yesterday. Like nido I'd bold her vs almost anybody, but I especially haven't seen much of Terekusai.
elodin vs Sylveon used calm mind - nonmainer win-and-in is pretty hype, going with elodin even though I think Sylveon has had a tougher schedule because I think he is more likely to care about this game and seems a little stronger from replays too.
Actuarily vs sempra - interesting game for sure but I am a sempra fanboy and will be rooting for my fellow VGC player. He's looked solid for most of the tour including some nice wins over zom and elodin. Haven't honestly been keeping up with act's run but 6-1 tells me he's in good shape, one of the games I'd be least surprised to find out I predicted wrong.
Oblivion Wing vs Lhions - neither player is particularly focusing on SV DOU from what I can tell (?) but both have great fundamental skills from viewing replays. Bolding Lhions and hoping he brings Wo-Chien stall again.
5-2 Group
Vinc2612 vs JJ09LIE - Vinc grinds VGC, JJ is a strong OU player but I do not think he is particularly familiar with doubles.
Fangame10 vs sir jelloton - Fangame's run has been nothing short of impressive, especially his last round, but I think Jello is smart enough and skilled enough to build properly and execute properly as well.
Tenzai vs bagel - Sorry I'm wimping out on this one... Two people I'm friends with playing an elimination game is always sad but in this case I'm also genuinely pretty lost on who to favor. bagel is of course one of the best SV players but had a rough week 6, and Tenzai is coming off a strong DPL, albeit mostly away from SV.
xqiht vs shadekirby321 - would love to see kunal pull out the win here but from talking to him I think his motivation for this tour is starting to dry up and xqiht is a hardcore gamer.
txitxas vs Chains of Markov - haven't seen a game from either of these guys before but txitxas is someone I'm more familiar with and is a fine player.
TyCarter vs udhhfd12345 - Alex123 is the greatest. Nothing more to say. Go Alex!
yone vs Zygarde12 - already happened and yone won
Cao Jie vs Idyll - xD
SMB vs Genesis77 - insanely tough draw for Genesis to roll an SMB uppair in this scenario but it be like that sometimes. Gonna need more than RNG manipulation to walk away from this and still be in the tour.
B1Kharma vs papiloco - papi had a great DPL
Fc vs Flying Beagle - FB's DPL was a little shaky but I do think it was some valuable high level doubles experience that Fc is missing.
NecasInTrouble vs Mashin Sentai - i picked the cooler name
SingleThunder vs crying - honestly against a lot of dou mains at ST's skill level I would predict crying but ST's plays can be pretty unpredictable at times and I think it'll mess up someone who plays so read heavy like crying.
z0mOG vs entrocefalo - that's my brother
wooshmania vs LpZ - never seen LpZ play dou and I've never heard of his opponent but I've seen LpZ look good in other tiers
Voltix vs Sapphire - gotta have a good reason to bold against the spanish and I don't really have one, sorry eeveon
Qianqiuxue vs Piyush25 - Qianqiuxue got activity'd last round and Piyush has team india to acquire teams from even if he does show up to the match.
Demantoid vs zee
Chris32156 vs Pidge - ngl I didn't even know Chris Numbers was still active in DOU but I'm happy to see him here. Go chris!
Staraptor vs Loudwinner - Staraptor isn't bad but I think Loudwinner has a higher ceiling and better support system.
Spcplayzz vs Shiritu - spain
Trout In Space vs Daniarceus - i picked the cooler name
Zeal vs Penter - Zeal doesn't play in a ton of tours so I don't think people understand just how good at the game he is, but I think Penter is a little outmatched here.
Evie vs Astro Nation Shoe - I've seen evie play half a dozen doubles formats at this point whereas ANS is pretty much only regarded as a ND DOU player in my mind.
bolg vs John1240 - pretty sure bolg has used one team for the entire tournament, if fangame is any example this is going to catch up to people sooner or later.
Star vs Ev_Evan - Star is one of the better non mainers and I think his games in this tour and DPL are great proof of that.
KennyJ vs Ina fable - gotta bold a VGC player
Yellow Paint vs Yoda2798 - think paint is just a bit more in tune with the tier
Arcticblast vs Toxigen - Toxigen is supposed to be retired but addiction seems to be strong, rooting for Arcticblast to do Passa a favor.