LCWC SM PR

[center][b][size=6]SM LC Power Rankings[/b][/size][/center]


[HIDE="Individual Rankings"]1. Star: 1.833 – NA East

2. ggggd: 2.286 – Latin America

3. Corporal Levi: 2.600 – NA Central

4. dcae: 3.400 – NA West

5. Kingler12345: 4.333 – NA East

6. OP: 6.000 – NA West

7. jake: 6.200 – NA Central

8. Ninjadog13: 7.833 – Asia

9. Shrug: 8.167 – NA East

10. Osh: 9.429 – NW Europe

11. Chill Shadow: 9.667 – Asia

12. Toadow: 10.143 – France

13. Sken: 11.857 – Europe

14. ZoroDark: 12.000 – NW Europe

15. trash: 13.000 – NA West

16. Pohjis: 13.571 – Europe

17. BurntZebra: 14.000 – NA Central

18. vooper: 14.333 – Asia

19. Eternal Spirit: 15.000 – Latin America

20. hamhamhamham: 17.286 – NW Europe

21. Maomiraeniya: 17.857 – France

22. Wabane: 19.143 – France

23. Midnight Howl: 19.429 – Europe

24. lighthouses: 21.000 – Latin America[/HIDE]


[img]https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/rufflet.gif[/img]

[B]1. NA East: 4.778 (#1 Star, #5 Kingler12345, #9 Shrug)[/B]

US East sets the bar very high with its three starting SM LCers. Star, one of the few highly successful tour players who mains LC, leads the group as the #1 ranked LCer in the PR. This will be his first outing in LC since SPL 8 and it will be interesting to see how his play stacks up to the evidently high expectations after his recent elite OU showings. Kingler12345 would be the best player on the majority of the teams in the tour and is fresh off an 8-0 performance in LCPL. At his peak, Kingler can outplay anyone in LC and no one should be surprised if he pulls off another undefeated season. You know an SM unit is stacked when the lowest ranked player is Shrug, the player who iced Snake Draft 1 finals. Despite a slow start this calendar year, two deep runs in Fall Seasonal and Last Chance while cruising to an easy LC Circuit playoffs qualification show that he is heating up at the best possible moment. Three Snake level LCers that can all play and build at the highest level means US East will be dynamic in its play and undoubtedly successful throughout this tour.


[img]https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/teddiursa.gif[/img]

2. NA West: 7.467 (#4 dcae, #6 OP, #15 trash)

With the US West preseason marked by trash fitting into his trademark team cancer reputation to the best of his ability by taking captaincy hostage, and former star player OP stepping down as TL soon after a disappointing Snake performance, a lot of question marks surround the future of the team. Regardless, West boasts an enormously strong SM lineup in terms of raw player talent that consists of three recent Snake Draft LC players: dcae, OP, and trash. At the helm is LC Circuit playoff’s #1 seed dcae, who has garnered multiple finalist placements in LC tours this year, although he has yet to actually win a tour. Despite his underperformance during Snake, as well as a general tendency for whatever team he supports to crash and burn, dcae has earned the respect of spectators with his consistent year-round performance. OP is another LC top dog who earlier this year won the LC Spring Seasonal and led the Squirtle Squad to an LCPL title. Just a few months ago, he was in contention for the title of number one LCer, but his recent commitment to LC is in question following his step down from tier leadership and his lack of appearances in the last two circuit tours.

Another question mark in terms of activity is trash, who started the year off hot. With decent LC Circuit results and even better results in LCPL, he cemented himself as a top builder as well as a capable player and manager, even leading the Bunnelby Battalion to semi-finals. However, a horrific performance in Snake and subsequent cool-off in circuit tours creates doubt as to where his mind is at coming into LCWC. US West has the means to dominate the other top SM lineups, but much of their success will rely on OP and trash returning to form during this tour. Whether it is trash's treacherous persona, OP's lack of commitment, or dcae's terrible luck, US West has obstacles in front of it far greater than their #2 ranked SM lineup.


[img]https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/electrode.gif[/img]

[B]3. NA Central: 7.600 (#3 Corporal Levi, #7 jake, #17 BurntZebra)[/B]

NA Central continues the trend of potent American SM trios. This unit is led by Corporal Levi, the newly minted LC TL, who will look to prove that he can build off his tremendous success in Snake, where he went 8-1 using some of the worst teams in the tour. His 2018 resume also features a Swiss victory where he managed to luck his way through a number of more deserving players. Despite such inadequacies, Levi is one of the most talented players and builders LC has to offer, and we expect his record and gameplay to live up to his high PR ranking. jake, better known as zebraiken by older users, was recently featured in Snake as well in his first trophy tour LC performance, where he pushed the boundaries of teambuilding with some of the more creative yet solid builds of the tour. However, his record in both Snake and LCPL (4-5 and 4-4 respectively) demonstrates that though he has looked good in recent times, his results have hovered around even. BurntZebra, once one of the most praised up-and-coming LCers, has not been actively involved in LC for quite a while. His last significant tour was LCPL, where he went 5-4 and had a notably dominant victory over Dundies. One of the more interesting wild cards in this tour, this other zebra will look to cement his place as one of the top LCers in the tier. Central's SM lineup is the weakest of the North American teams, but undoubtedly the most interesting. Look to see very innovative builds and Levi lucking throughout the tour. However, jake and BurntZebra must both exceed their recent team tour performances in order for NA Central to succeed because going around even in such a potent pool of players will not be as easy nor will it be enough to take this team all the way.


[img]https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/pancham.gif[/img]

[B]4. Asia: 10.611 (#8 Ninjadog13, #11 Chill Shadow, #18 vooper)[/B]

Team Asia-Pacific sits at #4 and despite a fairly big gap in points existing between them and Central at #3, they have managed to put up a strong SM lineup. Ninjadog13, 7th seed in LC Circuit Playoffs and a battler who proved his worth going 5-3 in his LCPL debut season, leads Asia-Pacific’s SM pack and is "the only Aussie on the team." We believe this tour will be his time to break into the Top 5. ChillShadow is another top SM LCer that makes up this formidable lineup. Despite missing circuit playoffs, CS had a superb debut LCPL season going 5-1. Much like his teammate, we expect CS to perform consistently well with the top SM players in this tour. ItzViper39th drags the overall lineup’s rank down a bit. His average 3-3 record in the recent LCPL and lack of notable success in the current circuit has resulted in a #18 rankings spot. His skill in the teambuilder however will certainly help teammates like ChillShadow whose success will rely heavily on proper team support throughout the season. Boasting a fairly high skill level, potential to break past it and proper support, Team Asia-Pacific will likely assert their position in the upper half of the SM PR.


[img]https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/mankey.gif[/img]

[B]5. Latin America: 12.762 (#2 ggggd, #19 Eternal Spirit, #24 lighthouses)[/B]

Latin America’s #5 placement in the SM PR is entirely carried by #2 ranked ggggd. The young Brazilian player is a proven monster in the LC tour scene recently winning the LC Open and being a past Circuit finalist. Eternal Spirit and lighthouses, both familiar faces in the official team tour scene, round out the rest of Latin America’s SM lineup. ES is hot off an amazing 6-3 Snake performance, even taking a win over OP in a one-off LC week. His overall LCPL performances have been a rough, but his successes at the highest level prove he is capable of taking on LC’s best as a player - however, much of his successes have been with a strong builder at his back. lighthouses on the contrary is a player who has severely underperformed at the highest level in recent official team tour outings. His recent 1-5 run in this year’s LCPL does not help his ranking as he takes the lowest spot at #24. Starting him is a highly questionable move by LA Captain/child soldier ggggd. While LA's captain is an almost guaranteed 6-1 slot, the rest of the lineup, especially lighthouses, absolutely tanks the team's overall SM ranking. They need proper teambuilding support and prep to take on the upper echelon SM lineups. Looking at Team Latin America, it is difficult to spot solid SM support thus cementing their spot in the lower half of the SM rankings.


[img]https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/snubbull.gif[/img]

[B]6. NW Europe: 12.905 (#10 Osh, #14 ZoroDark, #20 hamhamhamham)[/B]

Team Northwest Europe sits at #6 on our SM Power Rankings barely edged out by Team [S]ggggd[/S] LA for the fifth spot. The overall lineup boasts several LC mainstays and their SM is no different. Osh, the #3 LC Circuit playoffs seed, LC Summer Seasonal winner, NU Open winner, and Grand Slam playoffs qualifier, leads NW EU and has had quite the impressive year. After putting up an immense 9-0 LC record during Snake Draft I, ZoroDark has had a much less eventful year going 3-3 in LCPL and having only two half-assed performances in LC circuit tours. Once considered a fearsome battler in the LC scene, we are curious to see if he will return to Snake form this LCWC. Rounding out the lineup is hamhamhamham, last year’s OM Grand Slam winner and newer face to LC. Hamslam will look to make a better impression this time around compared to his not-so-hot 2-5 record last LCPL. What holds this lineup back are recent LC performances from the latter two names in the lineup. However, do not doubt their potential. The team has a high skill ceiling and if manager LilyAC can ensure proper support is given, Team NW Europe has the potential to beat any of the teams ranked above them.


[img]https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani-shiny/magikarp.gif[/img]

[B]7. Europe: 14.952 (#13 Sken, #16 Pohjis, #23 Midnight Howl)[/B]

 At #7, we have Team Europe whose lineup suffered from the loss of Benelux players to NW Europe in addition to losing Tricking over regional squabbles. What they ended up with is a rather lukewarm lineup consisting of a couple of veterans and a newcomer to LC team tours. Leading Europe’s SM lineup is Sken whose #13 rank may surprise some readers, but he has established himself this year as an inactive, middle of the pack player - going 2-2 in Snake, failing to make a single deep run in circuit tours, and not even playing in the most recent LCPL. Meanwhile, Pohjis has been surging recently in the LC Circuit, sneaking into playoffs with above-average performances topped off by a semi-finals appearance in Last Chance. We are curious to see if the Grand Slam semi-finalist can carry this momentum into his LC team tour debut. Lastly is Midnight Howl, a relative unknown in LC tours. His inclusion in the week 1 starting lineup may be a testament to Europe’s struggle to build their own team. The upside for this bunch is that they should have creative and solid teambuilding support between Sken and manager Fille, which high-level players like Pohjis and newcomers like Midnight Howl will surely benefit from. While it's questionable whether they will be able to carry the team to some success, Europe's SM roster is certainly set to produce a new star or two.


[img]https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/xyani/froakie.gif[/img]

[B]8. France: 15.714 (#12 Toadow, #21 Maomiraeniya, #22 Wabane)[/B]

Being one of the few countries to fiercely fight for their own team and the only to actually get it, it is hardly surprising that France is at the bottom of the SM Power Ranking. Their SM starting lineup consists of entirely new faces to the LC team tour scene. However, hope is not lost for Team France as their SM is lead by surging up-and-comer Toadow, who is fresh off a Last Chance tour win and late playoff spot. We have high hopes for the new Frenchman to make waves in his team tour debut. On the other hand, Wabane and Maomiraeniya are total unknowns to LC team tours and lack the recent success that their star teammate brings, being primarily known as ladderers. This starting lineup is a :WaitWhat:-level head scratcher for a country that pushed so hard for their own team. The pressure is high on France’s SM crew to make a strong and lasting impression as they represent their country on the big stage.