YAHALLO and welcome back to yet another edition of the much-requested UNBIASED POWER RANKINGS! As usual, subs will not mentioned unless I think they are relevant. Also, if I say someone is getting x amount of wins, assume I am talking about solely the regular season. As an added twist, I left my confidence numbers in this time because why not? Let's shake things up. Unlike the official prs, the numbers are not based on a 1-10 scale where one player gets 1 and another gets 10. Instead, each number represents the confidence I have in each player doing well. And by doing, well, I mean putting up a very good record. It's pretty much just my feeling. To reflect that, every player in the madhouse is rated between 4 and 6. Anyway, let's get into the rankings.

The Alpha Ruiners

SV: oldspicemike 7.5
SV: pdt 5.5
SV: Fogbound Lake 5.5
SV: laroxyl  3.5
SS: Chrispbacon 4
SM: Punny 7
ORAS: erz 2
BW: watashi 4
DPP: dridri47 5
ADV: pak 5
GSC: Siatam 5
RBY: Amaranth 5
Managers: Gondra, umbry, & GXE
Total: 59

The best franchise in SPL history returns under new management. FlamingVictini, a man I ranked as the 6th best manager ever, and everyone's favorite Discord presence, MANNAT, have been replaced by Gondra, umbry & GXE. Heading into the auction, that certainly made me worry for the team's chances, as I had way more faith at this point in the old Ruiners management creating a good roster than this group of players. Let's see how they did.

The team is headlined by oldspicemike and Punny. oldspicemike has become a fan-favorite after bursting onto the scene two years ago. He had a phenomenal 8-2 campaign last SPL. He did have a poor World Cup performance, but managed to go 6-4 in SCL following this. At this point, he has demonstrated the ability to consistently get wins so I have no choice but to finally drink the kool-aid. I think he will do well. Next up is Punny, who went for 26k. Punny has always been generally solid, and smashed the competition in UU in SCL after going for a relatively cheap 20k. That being said, he has consistently done a lot better in SCL and SPL, and his lofty 26k price tag does not really reflect that. I will still believe in him to do well, but it may be hard for him to perform to that expectation.

The SV core is rounded out by pdt, Fogbound Lake, and laroxyl. pdt has been pretty solid throughout his team tournament career, amassing a 32-19 record. Most of his wins have not come in OU, but I tentatively predicted him to go positive last season, and he managed to go 5-4. I would expect more of the same this year. Heading into SPL 15, Fog was rolling through his opposition. However, he was genuinely horrendous last SPL. As someone who teamed with him, I started going into each matchup with extraordinarily little belief that he would win. He was straight up terrible LOOL like jesus man. Anyway, he wound up having a solid SCL campaign to at least put that poor run behind him. I will tentatively say he will get 5 wins for now. Last up is laroxyl, who has really only had one amazing performance so far in his time on the big stage. He had a good World Cup run, but sparsely played in SCL, finishing with a 1-3 record. Expectations are not that high for him given his 3k price tag and I was clearly right to be wary of him heading into that tournament. I think he could definitely struggle. In SS, we have Crispy Bacon, a man whose most notable accomplishment is defeating Jerk staple Starmaster in the quarterfinals of Smogon Masters. I would guess this win did bump up his price by at least a few thousand dollars, as he wound up being 10k. His first game against Star came in ORAS, and I genuinely could not believe how bad this guy was LMAOO Jesus he straight up giga threw that game. However, in the end, Crispy Bacon would win the next two games, including the SS game, showing that he does have some promise. He is also 3-1 on the sheet. I think his season could go either way, and think 10k may be a bit of an overpay.

In ORAS, we have erz LMFAO bruh?? what? There's no shot this guy is starting LMAOO the sheet disrespect here is fucking criminal. THIS GUY IS 2-16 IN HIS PAST 4 TOURS. BRUH u have got to be joking holy fuck this guy is dogshit. Anyway, the ORAS pool isn't phenomenal, but this guy has to be the worst player. There's no fucking shot he's not dude. In BW, we have a Jerk staple in watashi, whose stock right now seems to pretty low considering he went for 5.5k. He has been getting kind of washed lately; granted, most of those results are not in BW OU. He did go 3-6 last year in BW, though. I will probably predict him to get 3-4 wins. In DPP, we have dridri, who saved SPL for the Tyrants last season. He managed to go 6-4 in his first campaign in the madhouse...yeah, I'll just project him for 4-5 wins and call it a day. In ADV, we have Pak, who is returning to the big stage for the first time since getting the most undeserved activity loss ever 5 years ago. Pak has been decent in his career, and the ADV pool this year is certainly a lot weaker than previous years. I will probably predict him to get around 4-5 wins for now. Paying 13.5k for him when people like baddummy for 3k certainly feels like an overpay. In GSC, we have Siatam, who proved me wrong last season and smashed the competition in route to a 7-3 record. I will doubt him for one more tour, though, as the GSC pool this year is WAY better than the absolute dog water it was last year. I think his season could go either way. Last up we have former TD and World Cup dictator Amaranth, who has historically been pretty decent in RBY. He got washed his last time out in SPL 13, but I will consider that to be an aberration and think he will get around 4-5 wins.

Overall, I don't particularly like this roster. There's a lot of people that could struggle and not many excellent slots. I would be surprised if they made the playoffs.

The Circus Maximus Tigers

SV: Storm Zone 6.5
SV: jj09lie 6
SV: dugza 5
SV: 3d 3.5
SS: Ox The Fox 5.5
SM: c0mp 5.5
ORAS: RufflesPro 5
BW: Sergio Aguero 3.5
DPP: Malekith 5.5
ADV: baddummy 5.5
GSC: Kenix 8
RBY: Genesis7 4
Managers: z0mog, M Dragon, & Trosko
Total: 63.5

In a rare twist of the events, the Tigers return to SPL with a great deal of hype surrounding them. The team narrowly lost in the finals last year and clawed out of the SPL gutter, as they are officially no longer the worst franchise in SPL history. A lot of people seem to like this year's draft, but let's see whether the UNBIASED POWER RANKINGS will be as kind to the team.

The star players here are Storm Zone and Kenix? I guess? Storm Zone had a lot of haters in the past, but people seem to be more in love with his skills as of late. Before the last SCL, where he went 4-5, he had managed to go positive in his last 4 tournaments, which is certainly impressive. He also won OST and managed to get to the quarterfinals of Smogon Masters this year, so he clearly has a lot of skill. I will predict him to do well again. Kenix, meanwhile, flourished in SCL, being a key reason why the Dynamos won the tournament despite not even being bought in the initial auction. At this point, he is nothing short of a sheet warrior, having gone 20-9 and never having gone negative in a single tour. He has also displayed the ability to succeed in various tiers. GSC is certainly stacked this season, but 14k for him certainly feels like a great deal still considering Conflict was 30.5k; I will predict him to get 6 wins.

The SV core consists of JJ09LIE, Dugza, and 3d. JJ09lie is another player who has excelled since stepping onto the big stage, having gone positive in all three tours played so far. I will need to see a bit more before I really believe in him, but for now, I will expect him to go positive. DugzaOffTopic did not have a good SCL, but did go 4-0 in World Cup. They have done very well in individual tournaments this year, making it to the semifinals of both OST and the currently-ongoing Smogon Masters, so the guy clearly has some talent. His sheet results have not been that stellar, but based off of his individual performances, I will be cautiously optimistic about his chances of doing well. Rounding out the roster is 3d, who finished 5-4 last season after getting curbstomped for half of the tournament. His overall sheet record sits at 9-18, which is certainly terrible. I am rooting for him to succeed, but per the laws of the sheet, I will predict him to struggle a bit. In SS, we have Ox, who used to be one of the better players on the site at one point. His stock has fallen since then, and his sheet results from 2023 are certainly worse than his peak. In general, I do kind of believe in him, though, so for now, I will predict him to get around 4-5 wins. In SM, we have c0mp, who was nothing short of a revelation last year, going 7-3 seemingly out of nowhere after having basically no real results before that. As we all know, I will need to see a bit more before I am ready to believe in him fully. I think his season could go either way, but, gun to my head, I would predict him to get 4-5 wins.

In ORAS, we have RufflesPro, who is one of the most hyped newer players in the scene. He went 4-1 in World Cup, which provides some actual evidence of his talent and hype. That being said, I am always going to say that a player with these few sheet results should be way below 18.5k; I will call that a solid overpay at this point. I think his season could go either way. In BW, we have a boomer named Sergio Aguero, who is 3-14 on the sheet BRUH This guy being 13.5k is genuinely insane. Yeah, I know most of his sheet results are from a decade ago and there are reasons why he is being hyped right now, but it is a fact that some people are just destined to not win. I'm going to say he will go negative; prove me wrong. In DPP, we have Malekith, whose season ended on a very sour note after getting his account compromised in the SPL semifinals, eventually costing his team the series. Malekith's obviously a solid player but, as we all know, this is the madhouse. Not much more to say here. In ADV, we have baddummy, who was certainly one of the better value picks in the tour. 3k for someone who went 5-5 in last year's SPL, especially in a year where the ADV pool seems weaker than ever, certainly seems like a good pick. I will project him for around 5 wins. Rounding out the roster is CPG staple Genesis7, who returns for his first sheet action since 2022 World Cup. He has generally been a largely mediocre player throughout his career. The team also has mozes to sub in here should things get dicey; between the two of them, they may be able to put together a somewhat competent performance, especially after Troller's exit from the SPL scene.

This team seems decent. They don't really have that many bad slots and have some nice pieces. Their managers should also be able to provide good team support. They also have DeeJ on the bench, who obi has been dickriding for like 10 years...so there's that. They could maybe make the playoffs.

The Congregation of the Classiest

SV: DAHLI 6.5
SV: leng loi 4
SV: lpz 4
SV: Sinnoh 5.5
SS: damien 4.5
SM: tace 7.5
ORAS: pj 6
BW: dice 7
DPP: groudon 4.5
ADV: McMeghan 10
GSC: BIHI 5.5
RBY: kaz 4
Managers: d0nut, Expulso, & starry
Total: 69

d0nut is back for SPL 16, hoping to rebound from his uncharacteristically horrible performance last season. He had to deal with some drama even before the season began, as the Anti-Howkings agenda forced him to kick out his preferred choice for third manager and replace him with starry. Will this cutthroat move work out? Let's find out.

This team is led by McMeghan, BIHI, and dice. Roro really needs no introduction; while he did have a poor SPL for his standards last time out, he had a very good SCL showing to follow it up. The main thing here is that the ADV pool feels way worse than it normally is, and that makes me supremely confident in Roro's ability to smash the competition. Next up is BIHI, who went for 20k for GSC OU. I imagine his price was inflated due to his flexibility, which makes sense, as he has shown he can be a valuable resource in a variety of tiers. For just GSC, though, he was probably overpriced. I'm also not sure who else on this roster could play GSC against this pool without getting annihilated. He also rarely ever has any real explosive sheet performances. I will probably peg him for about 5 wins here. Last up is dice, who I have supported for what feels like an eternity. He is now on his record-setting 9th SPL franchise, and also holds the records for most SPLs without a trophy at 12, which is genuinely absurd. He went 5-4 last year, but remains one of the best BW OU players in the tour.

The SV core consits of DAHLI, leng loi, lpz, and Sinnoh. DAHLI has managed to go positive in his last 6 team tour outings, which is pretty damn impressive. Say what you want about him, but he has demonstrated the ability to get wins. I would expect more of the same here. Next up, we have leng loi, who is someone I know because she has talked a great deal in the Smogtours Discord lately. She is 3-0 on the sheet, but I will need to see more before I really believe in her; I think her season could go either way. lpz won the most recent Grand Slam, and was very hyped heading into SCL. However, I was right in thinking that their success was not guaranteed, as they went 4-5 in that tournament in PU. I'm not sure why I'm supposed to think they are magically going to succeed in OU, so I will predict them to go negative for now. Last up, we have Sinnoh, who has certainly been solid so far in his time on the big stage. He is +13 on the sheet, mostly stemming from his insane 11-1 performance in SCL 3. Obviously, though, he is nerfed in SV OU compared to PU, but he did go 3-3 in World Cup at least. He also went 4-3 last SPL in SV; I like this pick for 3k. I will peg him for around 5 wins here, especially considering the fact that he could wind up facing some weaker opposition due to the extremely large SV player pool. In SS, we have damien, who went 6-5 in this tier last SPL. He is -5 overall, but that performance gives me at least some confidence in him. However, I will have to see a bit more to really have faith.

In SM, we have Tace, who I believe I have flamed on countless occasions for his atrocious sheet record in recent years. However, he was absolutely phenomenal in World Cup, and at this point, it is clear that he might genuinely just be good in SM. The different between Tace in SM and Tace in any other tier might be the biggest gap on the website, honestly LOL The guy is 16-5 in SM OU; just off that, I'll believe in him. Just please don't play any other tier EVER again thanks. I'm not joking...like EVER. In ORAS, we have pj, who fell back to earth a bit last SPL and only put up a 5-5 record. That being said, he has demonstrated the ability to perform pretty decently in this tier, and I will peg him for around 5 wins again. Next up, we have Groudon, who is probably the least-hyped player in the madhouse. That being said, it's the madhouse, and he's 4-5 on the sheet. He could do fine. Rounding out the roster is Kaz, who got annihilated last SPL after returning from a 4-year sheet hiatus. The player pool is a bit worse without Troller, but it is certainly hard to see this dude going positive.

I like that this team spent as little as possible on DPP and RBY. They have some good pieces, but some slots are certainly a bit sketchy. That being said, I think they do have a good shot of making a run.

The Cryonicles

SV: Pais 6.5
SV: ACR1 6.5
SV: zS 4.5
SV: crying 4.5
SS: Sacri 5
SM: ima 5
ORAS: Axel10 4.5
BW: Finchinator 7
DPP: Lady Bug 4
ADV: Triangles 5.5
GSC: Floppy 4
RBY: Sceptross 3.5
Managers: Piyu, Dj Breloominati♬ and eden
Total: 60.5

One of the worst franchises in SPL returns, this time led by team India. Piyu chose to not get retained in order to manage this team; let's see if it paid off.

The star player here is Finchinator. Unsurprisingly, he went over 20k, which makes sense given his skill in BW OU. Finch has not had the best results lately, his last great tour coming in SCL 3. Last SPL, he left his BW home behind and chose to play BW OU, finishing with a pedestrian 4-5 record. I expect things to go better for him this time around, as I do think he is better in that tier than in SV. He is certainly a top 3 BW player; I think he will do well.

The SV core consists of Pais, ACR1, zS, and crying. Pais has done well on the big stage thus far, never having gone negative in 5 tournaments. His price finally hiked up as a result of this; I said in the SCL PRs that he was a value pick, and he certainly performed well. I see no reason why he can't continue his past success here. Next up is ACR1, who has apparently been talking on Discord for eons under the name Enzo; imagine knowing that was who Enzo was. Anyway, this guy was nommed right after Michael went for 16k, and when I saw his price balloon to 18k, I was certainly in disbelief. That being said, it is undeniable that he has won a good amount so far. He possesses a solid 12-4 sheet record and could be a rising star. I would like to see one more tour before I am ready to drink the kool-aid, though; 18k still feels a bit steep, but if he excels in this tour, I will certainly become a superfan. Next up is zS, who performed decently so far on the big stage. He also made the quarterfinals of OST, so there's that. I think his season could go either way. Last up is crying, a player who went from being one of the most hyped players on the site to now being close-to-worthless. They did get washed last SCL, but they have had some solid results in the past. For 3k, I think crying is a fine pick, and their meme weird teams may be able to get some wins. They did manage to 5-4 last SPL, so perhaps a similar result is possible. I will project 4 wins for now. In SS, we have Sacri, who has returned after a long sheet hiatus. He is +14 on the sheet and sports a close-to 58% winning percentage, which is certainly solid. Based on his past results, he could certainly wind up being a good pick; his hiatus does make things a bit more tricky, though. For now, I will predict him to get 4-5 wins.

In SM, we have ima, who has certainly fallen off from his peak. Unsurprisingly, I was right he was an insane overpay in SCL; I honestly forgot that he was 20k LMFAO fucking sheet disrespectors punished yet again, classic. Anyway, I will peg him for about 4 wins here. In ORAS, we have a relic of the past in The Sheriff. At his peak, he was certainly one of the better ORAS players on the website, but a lot of time has passed since then. He went 1-2 in World Cup and his last excellent tour came 7 years ago; that can't be a good sign. I will predict him to struggle a bit. In DPP, we have another relic in Lady Bug, whose last sheet game came fucking 9 years ago LMAO At his peak, he was certainly a solid player, but it's been fucking eons since that bro. What I have been saying in the Jerk for the past 2 weeks is that if Lady Bug doesn't use meme Pokemon as he usually does, he can probably get 4 wins in the madhouse. Let's just go with that. In ADV, we have Triangles, who is NOT one of the best ADV players ever, contrary to last year's official PRs. Jesus, I cannot get over the egregiousness of that fucking statement my god. He was one of the biggest overpays last year, as he went for 20k and SHOCKINGLY did not live up to it...oh wait, anyone with a brain could have predicted that lol I did not think he would go negative, but he wound up going 4-5. His price certainly seems more reasonable now, although it still seems like a bit of an overpay given the other ADV prices. I think he will probably get around 5 wins. In GSC, we have another dude from the stone age in Floppy LOL jesus why did these guys draft every fucking boomer player under the sun????? Floppy was, in many ways, the original DeepBlueC with regards to his sheet performance. He was pretty much mediocre every year. He did manage to put up solid records in his past two team tournament showings, but his last one game 4 years ago. His manager was also obsessed with going hard 8k on every player, and wound up getting him for 8k when he almost certainly would have been less...so yeah. I'm going to predict him to go back to being mediocre and say he'll get 4 wins. Last up is Sceptross, who is 3-8 on the sheet. Why is this guy's last sheet game also 5 years ago? LMAO what?? DUDE THIS WHOLE TEAM IS JUST PEOPLE WHO CAME OUT OF SHEET RETIREMENT WHAT IS THIS?? IS THIS INTENTIONAL? This has to have been done on purpose. There's no way you can amass a team like this otherwise, my god.

This team is really lacking in star power. They do have some good slots, though, and I do like the fact they spent a low amount in DPP + RBY. Their RBY player will probably get annihilated, but yeah. IDK why you would intentionally draft this many people whose last sheet games were 4+ years ago, though. I feel like that is a bad strategy.

The Dragonspiral Tyrants

SV: myjava 6.5
SV: Mada 6.5
SV: Luispeiko 4
SV: Fusien 4
SS: Luthier 8
SM: Luigi 4.5
ORAS: Poek 3.5
BW: SoulWind 7
DPP: BKC 6
ADV: Fruhdazi 4.5
GSC: Rubyblood 5
RBY: spies 4
Managers: reyscarface, blunder, & marcop
Total: 63.5

For the first time ever, the Tyrants return to the tournament as SPL champions. reyscarface has firmly established himself as the best SPL manager ever. The Tyrants have never once failed to make the playoffs under his tenure; will this year be any different?

The ace players of the team are SoulWind and BKC. While he is certainly the best BW player of all time and will be ranked #1 on the BW Power Rankings, SoulWind has been mediocre in the past 2 years on the big stage, amassing a 35-34 record. That is a lot of games. At this point, I find it hard to predict him to get 6 wins in the regular season; he may be very similar to Garay Oak in this regard. I would be surprised if he lived up to his 29.5k price tag. That is just simply a ridiculous amount of money. The Tyrants also committed a cardinal sin in DPP. Not only did they spend over 10k on it, but they spent 25K ON THE FUCKING MADHOUSE OH MY GOD LOOOOOOL JESUS Anyway, there is a reason BKC was that expensive. He provides a great deal of support to other old gens and certainly knows DPP like the back of his hand. However, no one is above the madhouse. BKC is also only 2-8 in DPP all-time on the big stage, which really drives this point home. I think, in terms of his record, this will without question be a giant overpay and I cannot wait to write a reddit post about it. That being said, I'm still predicting him to get 5 wins.

The SV core consists of myjava, Mada, Luispeiko, and Fusien. myjava was one of the hero's of last year's SPL for the Tyrants, going 7-2 and winning a tiebreak game against stresh (granted, he got lucky). He followed it up with an amazing 4-0 performance in World Cup. He did fall back to earth in SCL, though, only managing to put up a pedestrian 4-4 record. That makes me temper my expectations a bit, but I will still predict him to go positive. Mada was also a key cog for the team last year. He is currently 13-6 on the sheet, and has displayed the ability to get wins. I will predict him to go positive too. Luis has been largely mediocre throughout his team tournament career, currently sitting at a 10-14 record; I think he will probably get 4 wins. Last up is Fusien, a player I have never heard of until just now. He was 3k and is 1-2 on the sheet...sure. His season could go either way. In SS, we have Luthier. Luthier has generally excelled in his team tournament career, going 48-31. I honestly have no doubt that he will perform well here. It is important to note that he cannot play for the first 4 weeks, which certainly may hurt the roster given that the possible substitutes are far less reliable than this proven sheet warrior.

In SM, we have Luigi, a player who I have consistently said is underpriced in pretty much every tour. While his overall sheet record is poor, he generally does manage to perform competently at least; I would expect him to get around 4-5 wins here. In ORAS, we have Poek, who is definitely past his prime. He did win the final game for the Tyrants last season, but he certainly did not have a good campaign, only managing to get 3 wins total. He has not had a good tour in eons; he is legit 7-19 since 2020. He could definitely struggle. In ADV, we have Fruhdazi. People do seem to believe in this guy quite a lot, and he did go 2-1 in his only outing on the big stage. That being said, I need to see more before I really believe in him. I think his season could go either way. In GSC, we have Rubyblood, who went 3-1 in GSC last season. I would not say the people he beat were that amazing, though. Overall, he is 16-13 on the sheet, which is certainly decent. The GSC player pool has a lot of threats, so I certainly don't think that him going positive is a lock. I think he will probably get around 4-5 wins. In RBY, we have the most obvious Tyrants' pick ever, spies. spies was a dude who was jesus back in my first SPL LOL That sums up how old he is. His overall sheet record is solid, but he did get annihilated in his last SPL showing in 2021, going 3-8. That does not bode very well for him, but it has been a few years since then, and the RBY pool is not that strong. For 3k, he is probably fine.

Overall, I would say this is a worse team than what I normally expect from the Tyrants. Considering that the standard is so high and the fact that they spent 25k on the madhouse, though, it's not really surprising. At the end of the day, rey always makes the playoffs, so I'm honestly not even sure if it matters. The team's other managers are also certainly useful, as marcop and blunder are capable players in their own rights. The team will also have the assistance of CTC, one of the best teambuilders on the site, which should bode well for their chances of repeating as well.

The Ever Grande BIGs

SV: lax 7.5
SV: emforbes 5.5
SV: bhkg 4
SV: Danny 4
SS: Hayburner 5
SM: Charmflash 6
ORAS: Santu 10
BW: Meeesm 4
DPP: We Three Kings 5
ADV: ArcticBreeze 5.5
GSC: MrSoup 4
RBY: chuva 6.5
Managers: Tony, ABR, & Excal
Total: 67

The TDs finally came to the realization that Vulpix was a bad manager and stopped Roro from misusing his clout and getting Vulpix a team. This means that, for the first time...maybe ever? the Ever Grande BIGs enter the season with a great deal of hype surrounding them. The worst franchise in SPL has been a source of consistent disappointment over the last 15 years, as the team has gotten curbstomped year after year after year after year after year after year. The embodiment of a BIGs manager would be Excal, who is statistically the worst manager in SPL history out of anyone that has managed more than 1 tour...HOWEVER, managing legend Tony's teams are pretty much never bad. There is a reason this team is one people actually wanted to play for. ABR also provides invaluable support, as does Excal since he cannot giga sabotage the draft. The team's managing core is truly elite. Let's see if the draft set this team up for success.

The star players here are lax and Santu. Nowadays, lax is basically a weighted coin type of player. Some tours, he will get smashed, while others he will be pretty good. He went 6-3 last SPL and also had a solid World Cup run. The BIGs will certainly be relying on him to carry the load this tour given his lofty 25k price tag. I think I would be foolish to bet against him, so I'll predict him to get 6 wins for now. Santu struggled in SCL, but I don't think it makes a difference. The guy is 15-3 in ORAS in the past 2 seasons and has ABR to build for him again. I'm not really sure what else there is to say LOL. If anything, I am surprised he was less than 20k. He could easily put up one of the best records in the whole tour; it would genuinely shock me if he didn't get 6 wins at least.

The other members of the SV core are emforbes, bhkg, and Danny. emforbes is a very hot commodity nowadays, as he went for 20k this tour. I assume that lax being the centerpiece of this team influenced that. He went for 23.5k in SCL, where I was cautiously optimistic given his past success, but also said that I needed to see more before I believed in him fully. Well, he went 3-6 in that tour, which is certainly a bad sign. He did make it to the top 8 of OLT, so there's that. Given that the majority of his good sheet performances happened in Doubles, I think I have the right to be a bit skeptical here. I do think the 3-6 was a bit of an aberration, though; I will predict him to get 5 wins. I'm not even going to pretend like I have the faintest clue who the fuck bhkg is, so let's just move on LOL He was 9.5k, which is almost certainly going to be a giga overpay, but his price rose because teams had 9 million dollars at the end of the auction, so whatever. Last up is Danny, otherwise known as the guy with the penguin avatar. He excelled in SCL, but of course, that was not in SV OU. His overall sheet results are solid, but I can't really believe in a lower tier mainer in OU until they demonstrate they can win here. I think his season could go either way. In SS, we have Hayburner, who went 3-0 in World Cup in this tier. He has largely been a mediocre player throughout his career, but for 3k, I think he is a fine pick. I will probably predict him for 4 wins.

In SM, we have Charmflash, who is suddenly an absurdly hot commodity again after his phenomenal showing last season. I rewatched some of the CALLOUS auction video from SPL 13, and he went for 3k in that; 2 years later, he went for 4k. He really seemed to have turned heads with last year's performance, though, as he easily eclipsed 10k this time around. Charm has had some pretty good showings throughout his career and last year's performance may mean that he is back on the right track. With ABR by his side, it's hard to see him not getting at least 5 wins, to be honest. In BW, we have a guy I had never heard of until someone posted some BKC video with him in the Jerk. He lost in Round 3 of the BW cup and isn't on the sheet...yeah, I don't really have a reason to believe in him. Next up, we have veteran armchair Lasse, who randomly decided to return to the big stage after a 6 year hiatus. He was a solid player in the past and he can probably get 5 wins in the madhouse. Next up, we have Arcticbreeze, who somehow went for less than he did in his first SPL, where he exceeded my expectations and finished the season 6-3. The ADV pool certainly isn't that daunting and that performance gives me a decent amount of confidence in him. That being said, I will need to see more before truly becoming a believer; I will be cautiously optimistic for now. Rounding out the roster are MrSoup and chuva. I have heard this guy's name probably like 200 times because he somehow keeps getting brought up in the Jerk. He apparently lost in the GSC invitational finals to Hyoga...I'm not really sure how I feel about that LOL In a tough pool, I don't really have a reason to believe in him. chuva, meanwhile, has generally been solid in RBY on the big stage. With RBY certainly weaker than last year, it would be foolish to expect anything less than 5-6 wins.

Overall, this is a solid team. They have some pieces that should definitely succeed, as well as some more questionable slots. Tony has shown the ability to get the best out of his players, though, and the other managers should also help some of these individuals succeed as well. The BIGs could make some noise for the first time in what feels like a century.

The Indie Scooters

SV: hellom 8.5
SV: Nat 6
SV: aesf 5
SV: TheFranklin 5
SS: Raizen 3.5
SM: robjr 4.5
ORAS: Garay Oak 6
BW: Rewer 4.5
DPP: Pkel 4.5
ADV: Sadlysius 3.5
GSC: vani 4
RBY: Gefährlicher Random 8
Managers: SEA, Xrn, & xavgb
Total: 63

Dave managed to make the playoffs with the Scooters last year, where they narrowly lost to the Tigers in the semifinals after Trosko got a triple protect. Can this year's edition of the team build upon Dave's success? Let's find out.

This team is headlined by Gefährlicher Random, Garay Oak, and hellom. Felix is one of the better sheet players of the modern era, having amassed a 42-24 record over 4 years. He has never once gone negative, which is genuinely really impressive. He managed to go 6-4 last year in a tougher pool than this and I don't really see a reason to doubt him; I'll say 6 wins for this slot. Garay, meanwhile, is pretty different. Outside of his one amazing World Cup run with Spain, which at this point, is certainly one of the biggest aberrations in Smogon history, he has never really put up great records. He is someone who everyone agrees is really good, but for whatever reason, he fails to successfully farm player pools each season; he is only +1 on the sheet all time. He struggled a lot last SPL, which is certainly a bad sign, and in general, I just do not like the idea of spending 22k on someone I know has pretty much 0 chance of going +3 or better. That's not to say that Garay isn't good, because we all know that he is, and you can definitely trust him in tiebreaks and things of that nature (he is 3-0 lifetime), but I do not think that spending 22k on him is optimal if someone wants to reach the playoffs. Last up is hellom, who catapulted onto the scene last SPL with one of the best performances in the tournament's history. His current sheet record sits at 16-2 which is genuinely absurd. That being said, I probably would like to see him excel in this tournament at least one more time before I'm ready to crown him as the next beatiful. Either way, though, I will predict him to smash the competition.

The OU core consists of Nat, aesf, and TheFranklin. Nat has been one of the most hyped players ever since SV's release, and returns to SPL after sitting out last season. She has had some solid sheet performances before and I do know she is solid at SV. For now, I will predict her to go positive. I have legitimately 0 idea who aesf is LMAO HOWEVER, he is 6-2 on the sheet, so he has earned at least some of my respect. He was somehow 12k, which seems a bit insane, but yeah. I want to see more before I'm ready to believe in him, but he has shown some flashes of skill. I think his season could go either way. The final member of the core is TheFranklin, whose stock is apparently in the gutter nowadays in SV OU. After I declared him to be the "new Ajna," he went 7-11 in RU in the past two SCLS BRUH come on man LMAO jesus. Anyway, he went 6-3 in SPL 14 in SV OU, and went 5-4 in it in two World Cups combined. The RU records are scaring me a bit, but he seems like a fine 3k selection, to be honest. In SS, we have Raizen, who is 3-7 on the sheet. I'm not really sure why I have to believe in him soooooo...I won't! In SM, we randomly have robjr LMAO what? wtf why is this man not in adv bro wtf is happening. Well, we all know I used to flame robjr to the ground for consistently getting washed, but he became more of a break-even player lately. He got washed last SPL, but he canceled it out with a good SCL showing. He's not in ADV this time around, but rob has shown that he can compete and put up competent performances in the past couple of years. I will predict him to get 4 wins and he is certainly a solid 3k pick, especially considering he can flex into ADV. This man is unironically a steal.

In BW, we have Rewer, who went 4-5 last SPL. He also made it to the semifinals of the last OLT, although I'm not sure how relevant that is. I said he would go negative last year and I was right so...I guess I will predict the same thing. In DPP, the Scooters committed the cardinal sin of spending 10k+ on a DPP player. Granted, I know this guy's price is high because he is also good at SV; he went 7-4 in SCL. Anyway, he should get the fuck out of this dire ass tier and flex into SV; what are you doing bro LMAO stop wasting your talent in the shit madhouse. In ADV, we have Sadly, who is 2-10 on the sheet BRUH LMAOOO come on man!!!! EVERY ADVER WAS CHEAP AS BALLS!! BADDUMMY AND FRUHDAZI WERE 3K HOW DID U END UP WITH SOMEONE THAT IS 2-10 ON THE SHEET??????? oh my god. Thankfully, the team thought ahead and drafted robjr who will likely flex into this tier after like 2 weeks. Good enough. The last member of the squad is vani, who went 5-5 last SPL. Sure. They are probably fine, but the pool is way better this year, so I'll say that they will go negative.

This team has some solid pieces but also some slots that could be a disaster. They could make some noise if things work out in their favor.

The Stark Sharks

SV: Attribute 6
SV: Niko 5.5
SV: Jytcampbell 5.5
SV: Lily 4
SS: TDNT 10
SM: Drachenkeule 4
ORAS: lighthouses 4
BW: elodin 6
DPP: crucify 5
ADV: Violet River 4
GSC: Conflict 10
RBY: Nicole 4.5
Managers: obii, Star, & Giannis
Total: 68.5

The Jerk returns to manage the Sharks after a one-year hiatus. TDK has left the team, having been replaced by other Jerk staple in Star. obi's track record is that of one of the best managers in the history, so things should be looking good for the former GOAT franchise. Giannis was selected as the third manager, but luckily, he is not playing, so he cannot sabotage the team like he does to Northeast every year. Let's see if this draft is one that can propel the Sharks back to their former glory.

The star players here are TDNT and Conflict. The Uncle was one of the biggest steals of the auction; how the fuck was this guy only 15k?? BRO WHAT?? He should legit have been 25k and I know for sure the Sharks would have gone that high too LOL This man is jesus. He's literally 13-1 in SS OU bro. I have been fully converted into a TDNT believer after last SPL, ngl. obi was right; I'm going to say he will get 7 wins. Conflict, meanwhile, is a player I have hyped for over a decade at this point. Ever since I first teamed with him back in 2013, I have been a Conflict appreciator. Last SPL was maybe his most impressive yet, as he flexed out of perhaps the worst GSC pool ever to help cover his team's atrocious ADV slot and still managed to get 7 wins. This man is goat.

The SV core consists of Attribute, Niko, Jyt, and Lily. Attribute has been pretty solid on the big stage, going 19-11 and is coming off an amazing 7-2 SCL showing. I obviously want to see a bit more from him, but I'll predict him to probably go positive for now. In SV, we have Niko, who went for an astronomical 19k? I was so confused by this...wtf happened to no one wanting to bid on Niko. I thought people were scared of him getting banned. This guy has been cheap as balls pretty much every tournament; he was literally 3k in SCL LOOL my god. Of course, the reason for that is his amazing SCL performance, where he went 8-2 and was a key reason for his team's success. I have generally been decently high on Niko, but I'm not ready to believe he is magically going to get 8 wins again. I'll predict him to go positive, though. Speaking of SCL heroes,  we have Jyt, who is "the best player on the website," according to McMeghan. I'm certainly not willing to go anywhere near that far, but he did put forth a scintillating performance in that tour. For his career, though, Jyt has generally been largely serviceable. Based off of his body of work, I will probably call that tour an aberration like the Garay Oak World Cup and will need to see more before I suddenly believe in his ascension to stardom. For now, I'll say he will get 5 wins. Lily, meanwhile, seems to be on the complete opposite trajectory, as the once-rising star only went for 7.5k in the auction. Lily struggled in last SCL and has certainly fallen off from her peak. That being said, she has had some solid showings in the past and is still positive on the sheet; I will probably go with 4 wins here.

In SM, we have Drachenkeule, who was purchased after he annihilated Giannis in the Smogon Masters Quarterfinals. He certainly seemed impressive in that series, but he's not on the sheet, so I'm obviously not going to believe in him right now. In ORAS, we have lighthouses lOOL What a throwback jesus. When xray said in Stours Discord that lighthouses was relevant again, I honestly was in disbelief. It's not even for RU either...this man is legit starting ORAS OU in SPL. Wild. Anyway, he has historically been a largely mediocre player and his last sheet game was 6 years ago....yeah, I don't know about this one. I think he could definitely struggle. In BW, we have elodin, who has proven himself to certainly be a capable BW player. He also shat on the madhouse addicts with Machamp in last year's semifinals tiebreak, which was fire af. Anyway, elodin's solid and I think he was a good pick for 8.5k; I'll go with 5 wins here. In DPP, we have crucify, who has apparently abandoned their BW OU home to start fishing with Jirachi. Sure. He's a capable player so he will probably be fine. In ADV, we have a Smogtours Discord mainer. The fact that Star thinks this person is good probably means something, but taking her definitely seems rather crazy considering how cheap some of the more proven ADV options were. I would much rather have baddummy for 3k, for example. I think she could struggle. The team also has Zokuru on the bench if necessary, who could definitely help out and stabilize this slot, considering his penchant for going around .500 pretty much every tour. Last up is Nicole, who is apparently some up-and-coming RBY star. They're not on the sheet and they apparently lost in R2 of RBY Cup. Sure, whatever. I think their season could go either way.

This team definitely has some questionable slots but there are a lot of good pieces here. They have a lot of people that should succeed. I think they could definitely make the playoffs.

The Team Raiders

SV: Eternal Spirit 5
SV: Mimikyu Stardust 5
SV: Hiko  4
SV: Yovan 4
SS: SpookyZ 4
SM: Skypenguin 10
ORAS: MichaelDerBeste2 8.5
BW: Monai 3
DPP: Laurel 4.5
ADV: Skarpherim 4
GSC: Chiles Habaneros 4.5
RBY: Serpi 9
Managers: Raiza, Tricking, & paolode99
Total: 65.5

Raiza and Tricking are back after struggling last season. The team's season started off with a bang, as NoName was banned for being a racist less than 24-hours after the draft ended LMFAO That's honestly an amazing way to start a season, ngl. Lets see if this team can get back to the mountaintop.

The star players here are Serpi, Michael, and Skype. Serpi is the new RBY top dog after Troller's exit from SPL. He has certainly proven his doubters wrong, going 14-6 in the past 2 editions of the tournament. At this point, I pretty much have no choice but to expect him to get at least 6 wins. Michael, meanwhile, was certainly one of the steals of the auction. How this man went for only 16k, I will never know. Well, a lot of it is probably because he can apparently be a difficult teammate. Nonetheless, the man knows how to win. He is 52-34 on the sheet and is coming off a 6-3 SCL campaign. I think he'll do pretty well. Last up is Skype, who has pretty much established himself as the best SPL SM player that actively plays the tier in the tournament. The guy is 21-8 in SM, and he pretty much has mastered the art of farming these pools. IT would be foolish to not expect at least 6 wins here.

First up in SV, we have the Magician, who I have supported for years. He is on a bit of a downswing, having gone 5-10 in his past 3 tournaments, but he has generally been pretty capable, and I think he could be a solid pick for 6.5k. Mimikyu Stardust went 5-5 in SCL and is 10-12 on the sheet overall; I will expect around 4-5 wins here, probably. I do not think I have heard of Hiko until now, but he is apparently 5-2 on the sheet. Sure. His season could go either way. Last up, we have Yovan, who everyone and their mom was saying was a draft snub. I don't particularly have a reason to believe in him, though. His season could go either way as well. In SS, we have SpookyZ, who is 4-3 on the sheet. I will say the same thing about him as I did about Yovan pretty much. In BW, we have Monai, who got absolutely annihilated in SPL 14, going 2-7 LMAO JESUS Bruh, I can't possibly believe in this clown man. I mean, it is a small sample, but that cannot be a good sign. In DPP, we have Laurel, who is getting another chance in the tournament. He's shown himself to be a solid DPP player in the past; there's not much else to say. In ADV, we have Skarph, who I thought was a lower tier player. Apparently he plays ADV? He did decent in ADV Cup, but this feels like an unnecessary pick when many more proven ADVers were cheap. In GSC, we have Chiles, who ended up going 5-4 last year. The pool is definitely harder this time around, so I think he will struggle a bit more for sure.

Overall, this team feels like it has a lot of flaws. There are certainly some great pieces, but the weaker slots may just send the team down to the depths of the sea. If the more unknown players pop off, though, the team could do great things.

The Wi-Fi Wolfpack

SV: clean 4.5
SV: mncmt 5
SV: ewin 4.5
SV: stareal 4
SS: Gtcha 8
SM: fade 6
ORAS: BluBird 3.5
BW: GaryTheGengar 6
DPP: Void 5.5
ADV: Mako 5.5
GSC: choolio 3.5
RBY: Prinz 5.5
Managers: D4 Repertoire, Fear & zioziotrip
Total: 61.5

The Wolfpack return after a mediocre season last SPL. The team originally seemed in prime position to succeed, as they had the retention rights of both TDNT and Piyu. However, the former rejected the retain and the latter decided to manage, so the Wolfpack were kind of left in shambles. Did they still manage to craft a roster that can make the playoffs?

I don't really think I can call anyone here a star player......so LOL let's just start with SV. clean was the most expensive player on the roster, going for 17k. I was pretty baffled by this, but apparently everyone is on this guy's nuts now. He did make it to the finals of OLT, but he is also 3-7 on the sheet LOOOOL oh my god, the sheet disrespect here is pissing me off. You cannot spend 17k on someone that's 3-7 on the sheet holy fuck This is an overpay for sure. Prove me wrong. Next up we have mncmt, who struggled in his last taste of SPL action. That being said, he has generally been serviceable throughout his career and I do think he can bounce back a bit; I'll predict 4-5 wins. ewin was good in SCL, but he has historically been largely mediocre. I think his season could go either way. Last up is stareal, who has also mostly been mediocre. His season could go either way as well. In SS, we have Gtcha, who is historically the best SS player in SPL history. People seem to be disrespecting him lately, as he only went for 9.5k; based on his past performances, this could end up being one of the best picks of the auction. I will believe in him here. In SM, we have fade, another player who I thought was underpriced. He struggled in SCL as well as last SPL, but he has had some pretty good showings in the past. I will temper my expectations a bit but do think he can get 5 wins.

In ORAS, we have BluBird, who is apparently 5-12? LMAOO WHAT? When tf did this dude play 17 games? I don't think I've watched a single one of these, ngl. Anyway, he will probably get washed. In BW, we have Gary, who used to be one of the best BW players in SPL. He has had solid results in the past and I do think he can get around 5 wins. In DPP, we have Void, who was retained after defying all the odds and going 9-0 in the madhouse. I personally would not have retained him. I don't care if he went 9-0. Genuinely, this tier is too much of a meme to retain anyone LOL You could have spent 3k on it instead. Anyway, I'll go 5 wins here. In ADV, we have Mako, who I was almost ready to fully support after they went 16-6 in their past 3 tours before SCL 4. However, they did struggle in that tournament, which dampers my expectations a bit. That being said, they did go 6-3 in this tier last year, which is a good sign; I'll probably predict them to go positive in a relatively bad ADV pool. In GSC, we have choolio, who is returning after a 3-year SPL hiatus. He went 2-4 in his last SPL and 0-3 in the one before that; the pool is stacked too, so that certainly does not bode well for him. He will probably struggle. Last up is Prinz, who I have generally supported. I think over his career, he has been a solid player and the RBY field is definitely weaker than it was last year. I think he can do fine.

This team seems kind of ass. They don't really have people I believe in that much. I don't really see the vision.

Final Rankings:

1. The Congregation of the Classiest (69)
2. The Stark Sharks (68.5)
3. The Ever Grande BIGs (67)
4. The Team Raiders (65.5)

For the first time since I began doing the Power Rankings, I do not have the Tyrants (not counting the meme SPL 14 Tyrants) in the playoffs. This honestly feels like it could go really badly for me but LOL If this was SCL, I would be even more paranoid but I will trust my SPL analysis enough. I also didn't factor in Luthier missing 4 weeks, so in theory, it is even more dire than that. That being said, I would not be shocked at all if they made it. It's literally the best SPL manager ever LOL and they were close enough in rating. I guess this is what it takes for me to not have the Tyrants in the playoffs...the team spending 9 million on the madhouse. I'm surprised the Raiders scored that highly, but I just really believe in their top-end players I guess. And unsurprisingly, a team that spent 6k on DPP + RBY was first lol...Granted, spending for the top RBY players this tour is probably a good move considering that the pool is way worse than last year.

5. The Dragonspiral Tyrants (63.5)
6. The Circus Maximus Tigers (63.5)
7. The Indie Scooters (63)
8. The Wi-Fi Wolfpack (61.5)
9. The Cryonicles (60.5)
10. The Alpha Ruiners (59)

Some things never change. I somehow have the Ruiners low most seasons. This time around, FV isn't managing, so surely I can't be wrong again. This team is ass and everyone is delusional for believing in them. They're literally starting erz bro LOL come on. Prove me wrong. I wouldn't be shocked if any of the teams ranked 5-7 made the playoffs, probably. The Tyrants could be docked a bit more since they are objectively a lot sketchier without Luthier, but this factor is cancelled by the rey buff. The ones after that are a bit too dicey for my tastes.

Hope you enjoyed this edition of the UNBIASED POWER RANKINGS! See you in SCL.