3. Listless Lilligant (3) vs (5) 4. Vibrant Vivillons
SM1: Sacri' (45) vs (55) Eternally - One of the best matches in the round, imo. Sacri is the more proven and probably better overall player, but Eternally is an up-and-coming NU main that continues to show a lot of potential. I think that the edge goes to Eternally here because I am not sure how solid Sacri is at the SM metagame himself and I am unsure about his team support while Eternally clearly knows how to build himself in this tier and has more support throughout his team. This could really go either way though
SM2: Laurens (35) vs (65) Garay oak - Laurens is probably one of the few new generation NU mains on this roster, but the issue is that he is also probably one of the least useful ones out there. His teams are consistently questionable at a glance and his sets do not do him any justice in this regard either, perhaps even hurting his case. On top of that, his gameplay, especially later-on in games, is clearly not where it needs to be yet. I am sure he is capable of winning seeing as he has won a few games this tournament and he has been seen near the top of the ladder, but until he refines a lot of what he needs to, I think his fellow newer SM NU tournament player, Garay Oak, will outdo him when it comes to building and playing from turn 1 until the end of the game.
SM3: Bushtush (40) vs (60) Gunner Rohan - Gunner is a very dynamic player, being able to make aggressive moves and handle potentially challenging situations in the battle. However, he also sometimes has a disregard for the long-term consequences of his plays and this can backfire. He won a very interesting, perhaps questionable game last week where he came out strong and barely held on after a shaky mid-game, but he has demonstrated tier knowledge and an actual ability to craft teams he is comfortable with throughout the tournament. On the other side, Bushtush does not necessarily seem to frequent SM NU and while he is a generally solid player, he also is a bit inexperienced and will likely be handed a team that is not necessarily battle tested, let alone sufficient for this opponent or the environment. I like Bushtush a lot as a player, but I question if he is suited to beat Gunner assuming Gunner does not throw the game out of left field.
ORAS: Rapture (55) vs (45) Earth - Two middle-of-the-pack types of players when it comes to NU tournament experience and skill level here, in my opinion. Neither has truly stood out a ton to me, but I think Rapture is a bit more capable of making harder reads and taking risks at the level necessary to be consistent in tournaments whereas Earth is consistently solid, but nothing special. I think both will have solid, tested teams and I am giving Rapture the slight edge just based on my belief in his greater ability to outplay.
BW2: soulgazer (70) vs (30) Void - Soulgazer is obviously one of the top BW NU players of all time and he can use just about whatever he wants ranging from Zweilous stall to Sawsbuck HO, so I think it will be hard for Void, who lacks tier knowledge, teams, and support, to keep up with one of the more dominant players in the field even if he, himself, is a solid player as well.
DPP: Kushalos (55) vs (45) idiotfrommars - Meh, not too huge on either of these guys in DPP, but both are solid enough players to compete in whatever tier they're put in when it comes to PLs. I think IFM has a bit more experience in the tier historically, but Kush is more motivated and active in the modern day and I think that gives him the edge in what should be a close one.
ADV: The Goomy (35) vs (65) Pearl - No clue how good Goomy is in ADV, but he brings things that are a bit too wild for my liking and seeing how low the viability floor in this metagame is, I truly have to wonder what he will pull here. Pretty strong in my support of Pearl here just because he has support and you know whatever he goes with will be more solid and consistent while he also is the better player of the two.
Bo3: Tricking (40) vs (60) TDK - TDK struggled with NU stuff initially, but has been stronger as of late, especially with his win against FLCL in a tight set last week. I expect him to bring some really interesting teams that have logical ideas and gameplans behind them while I'm not sure the same can be said for Tricking. I am really looking forward to this set and expect TDK to have the advantage in SM and BW, but let's wait and see how it plays out :o
