PSR S3 W3 Power Rankings

PSR S3 W3 Power Rankings:

Preface: These Power Rankings are based on how I feel a playoff scenario would draw out, if everyone were to face each other at the same time, whom I think would end up on top. This takes into account the coach’s current play, overall play, and team strength.

HaZe Clan: I’m gonna say this again. Kyurem is NOT a broken Pokemon,but I can appreciate how devastating you made it LOOK in this match. The number 1 thing I liked about your team off of the draft was the defensive core, and it REALLY shined in this week’s match. Once Kyurem weakened the bulky combo of Queen/T-Tar, Gliscor+Pex was able to clean up the leftovers. That defensive core is going to be what carries your team moving forward, and so far, you’ve let them be impressive. A for Teambuild, A- for Match Execution.

Jimboomban Jigglypuffs: Glalie was the TRUE MVP of this week. Getting the dangerous Spike set up, the Gourgeist out of the way, and dealing the world’s greatest chunk to Umbreon led the way for Malamar to complete the sweep. Of course, Sp.Def Resto-Chesto was a very predictable set, but you gave it the perfect scenario in order to win. Great prep and execution on your part. A- for Teambuild, A for Match Execution.

Huntsville Heatran: You had the right sets and the right team plan in order to win this match. However, this match was closer that it probably should have been, with a few questionable switches that cost you key mons in order to clear the way for your sweepers. Luckily for you, the Earthquake Fish decided to burn Gallade instead of clearing Ninetales by Defogging. The match probably should have been closer after the stupid sacks of half of your defensive core, but Zygarde managed to pull through for you. Congrats. A for Teambuild, B for Match Execution.

Realgam Tower Tyranitars: Same ‘ol, same ‘ol. Celesteela just sits there and runs an entire team into the ground. Honestly, I’m getting pissed about having to write this every week… It’s like Zygarde was last year, I honestly can pick holes in it all over the place, but somehow…. NOBODY ELSE CAN! Drapion was the kay this week, and that crucial read by not going for pursuit on Victini and picking up the kill with Knock Off sealed the match. Team is still extremely top-heavy, but it’s a top that has some of the best potential out of the entire draft. B+ for Teambuild, A for Match Execution.

Murkrow Manor: Sorry, but you really didn’t have anything to threaten that Kyurem, neither in the starting lineup nor on the bench. Mimikyu was the best option, but it got shut down rather quickly by Toxapex. I think another issue that arose as a result of this match was a lack of team depth. You have tons of good Pokemon, but they tend to prefer the same team roles every week, and that could lead to easier counter-teaming strategies like this week’s in the future. I kinda wished that you had kept Hariyama over Kanga.... B for Teambuild, B- for Match Execution.

Earthquake Fish: I wrote this team off in the beginning, thinking that you wouldn’t be able to have staying power vs some of the more powerful teams in this draft. However, with Pokemon like Ninetales-A being Swiss Army knives, you’ve managed 3 very impressive matches to begin the season. Although your teambuilds have had some very standard sets, you’ve managed to string them together in unique ways and keep opponents pressured, making close games the whole time. Keep this up and for sure we’ll see you make it well into playoffs. The thing that might have been able to get a win out of this week was clearing Webs once shuckle went down. B+ for Teambuild, A- for Match Execution.

Jax Jumbo Clawitzer: Well played match, kept up the pressure and never let your opponent get out of reach. Yes, you brought a team that was inherently weak to Camel, but with the pressure exerted from your team, that threat never truly took shape. Hoopa is going to be a fantastic asset moving forwards, forming a potent offensive Breaker-Combo with Zard-X, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this team will be able to continue accomplishing from here on out. B+ for Teambuild, A- for Match Execution.

Team Snips: You underestimated your opponent this week. You designed a brilliant Azelf set in order to get a solid leg-up on Amoeba, but then completely lost it afterwards. You allowed your Venusaur to get weakened, and then it was lights-out for the late game. Most of the problems after Azelf and Venusaur stem from the preparation stage. Gyarados could have been the ideal choice to be a defensive buffer against mons like Buzzwole and Araquanid, or Manectric could have been a brilliant revenge killer against pressured Quiver-Dance threats Venomoth, Volcarona, or the Galvantula. Your choice of (can I assume DD?) Gyara and Specs Mane with HP Flying completely botched what could have been a solid Balanced Team. C for Teambuild, B for Match Execution.

Blackpool Blastoise: Nobody needed a win this week more than you. Yes, you won the match in an unoriginal fashion, but this time you waited until the best moment to make it happen. Clef did not apply too much team pressure until Aggron was removed, and it was refreshing to see you wait out until the endgame instead of pulling the trigger too quickly. Teambuild was solid, was built around accomplishing goals, and you never let yourself lose footing in the game. I know you’re a good battler and a good teambuilder with a solid core to design around, and I expect to see more matches with outcomes like this moving forward. B+ for Teambuild, B+ for Match Execution.

New England Mudkips: I almost want to chalk up this week’s loss to you not knowing what Malamar does. You allowed your team, and more specifically, your defensive core, to be weakened in the face of Glalie (especially since Gourgeist was the Number 1 check to Diggersby). You simply failed to get any kind of momentum in the match, more of a result of you not executing any type of team plan. I believe this match was very winnable until you let Gourgeist lose to Mega Glalie. B+ for Teambuild, C- for Match Execution.

RazorBlades: There’s more than 1 way to skin a cat, and you just didn’t make any more than 1 way to neuter Celesteela this week. Once Victini was downed, there was no pressure your team could exert on it. Your team is very weak to the Dark Type, and until you find a good answer for that problem, you’ll continued to be peppered with dark and ghost-type attacks. I’d suggest a bulky Fighting type like Machamp or Conkeldurr in order to patch that issue. Both work very well in trick room, and even though you’re now packing Azumarill, another upgrade may be just what the doctor orders. Plus, you still haven’t used Absol yet, a crying shame for your first-round pick. B for Teambuild, B for Match Execution.

Midwest Mawiles: Oh boy, there’s a lot to unpack about your match this week. You got outplayed turn 1, that’s for sure, but you never really let it get better from there. After looking at your teambuild, I think you still had a chance up until Gardevoir took out Terrakion. That Florges without recovery was probably NOT the best option since you were using it to pivot around with Ferrothorn (whom losing first turn was devastating, but not back-breaking), and Terrakion was indeed the final defense, but you failed to make the plays that could have brought you back into the match. Team besides Florges looked nice (good call on Scarf Haunter to outspeed Gardevoir), but your battle instincts and awareness need improving. B+ for Teambuild, C- for Match Execution.

New York Yanmegas: In order to make Trick Room viable, you need to have some form of creativity weaved into your builds in order to accomplish team goals. Since Trick Room has a negative priority, you need to be careful in reading how your opponent can snatch the ability to set up, not just relying on the same strategy and assuming you’ll be able to set every time. In this case, I would have suggested a Heatproof Bronzong with Explosion, and Terrain Extender on Bulu. That way, you can take away two of the biggest pros of using Ffancrzy’s most threatening Mon. Unless you figure out more ways of maximizing Trick Room each match, your ace-Camel will be reduced to useless. B- for Teambuild, B for Match Execution.

Pittsburgh Steelixes: Three matches, three losses to start the season out. Ouch. Each of them was fought really hard, and in each one I felt like you had a chance, but fell ever so short in each one. That being said, your teambuild this week was very impressive. Using Klefki as a rain setter can be as useful as they come given the prankster ability, and I liked how you designed your team to reach that endgame. However, once you allowed Aggron to fall, it didn’t take much to allow Clef to come in and finish the match. Still, really cool to see this game, and I feel like you’ve just had a tough stretch. Your battle instincts are good for ‘in the moment’, but you need to focus on the long-game in order to pluck those wins out. B+ for Teambuild, B for Match Execution.

Wolverhampton Waddlers: You had all the tools this week. Crustle is one of my favorite bug types of ALL time, and I think it’s monstrously underrated, and I cite matches like this as to why. Scarf Buzzy was a fantastic bring this week, and the ability of mons like Venomoth to perform key tasks like weakening Venusaur before it could get comfortable was especially helpful for creating a bridge to the late game. Still, it appeared that there were a couple of misplays on your part that could have lead to a higher differential. Fun build to watch though, and we’ll see how this momentum carries you. A- for Teambuild, B+ for Match Execution.

One Percent Rattata: I’m super disappointed… It’s not like you played your pants off in this match, but you certainly did nothing that impressed me either. The Hydreigon play in the beginning was a good read on your part, but was fairly obvious in nature. The quality of PLAY wasn’t too bad, but that’s not why you sit down here… I’m sorry, but your teambuilding needs some improvement.  I can blow apart each individual mon (bar Zapdos, but that’s a standard spread/set), but instead, my suggestion to you is find someone to tutor you. I’d suggest asking some of the Division leaders and seeing if they’ll help you out, because you aren’t going to make ANY type of playoffs unless you learn how to play the pre-game better. D for Teambuild, C+ for Match Execution.