PU Premier League IX Power Rankings

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Welcome, welcome, and thank you for taking the time to check out the power rankings for the ninth edition of the PU Premier League! After seeing it have great success in other lower tier Premier Leagues like UU and RU, PU has decided to follow suit and present this year's power rankings in article form! We did our best to make this list unbiased, by asking each starter to rank their pool from one to seven and then averaging those rankings across the teams to get a final ordering. There's a lot that goes into these, though, and it's impossible to avoid biases, so take the ordering with a grain of salt and focus more on the individual writeups to get a proper understanding of what a player brings to the table. For the team rankings, we used the generation rankings to generate an overall score and used that to order them from one to eight. As always, these rankings are more for fun than anything else, though, and it's impossible to accurately predict how a player or team will do. The top-ranked player could go 0-7, and the bottom-ranked team could win the whole thing, so try not to take anything to heart, and we hope you enjoy the read!

We'd like to give a massive thank you to the following contributors whose votes made this article a reality: Arcobaleno, asa, avarice, Beraldo, BlackKnight_Gawain, Blue YM, Bouff, Chloe, clean, Danny, Dj Breloominati♬, Drud, DugZa, Dunoks, Elfuseon, Estarossa, EviGaro, Fc, Feliburn, Felines, fish anemometer, Floss, Fogbound Lake, Gondra, gorex, gum, Heysup, HSOWA, ishtar, JabbaTheGriffin, Jisoo, Leru, Lily, LpZ, Mashing, Meri Berry, Meru, mj, MrAldo, MrSoup, MZ, ninjadog, OranBerryBlissey10, oversway, ProDigeZz, rien, robjr, Ryuji, Shaneghoul, shiloh, soulgazer, SuperEpicAmpharos, Tack, Taskr, Tier, tlenit, tsr, Tuthur, TyCarter, Vulpix03, Xiri, yandaud, zoowi, zS!

And we'd like to extend an even bigger thanks to the incredible contributors who breathed life into this product with their writing, HTMLing, grammar checking, quality checking and more: Shaneghoul, ishtar, MZ, gum, DugZa, zS, and Lumari!

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1. kythr
2. Beraldo
3. Vulpix03
4. tlenit
5. bb skarm
6. ProDigeZz
7. DugZa
8. floss
9. Feliburn
10. clean
11. ishtar
12. Togkey
13. Fogbound Lake
14. asa
15. fish anemometer
16. zoowi
17. TyCarter
18. Luck O' the Irish
19. Liz Angeles
20. Axrtix
21. Z Strats
22. tier
23. Ryuji
24. Mashing

Taking the top spot of the power rankings are the Twinkatuffs after they managed to secure the second and third best players in the pool. Beraldo, traditionally known as an RU player who made a name for himself in old gens, has risen to prominence as one of the best SV players across all tiers. This will surprisingly be his first time appearing in a PU team tour, which makes this placement all the more impressive, but rest assured he can back it up with his playing, and the respect he's garnered from his peers this generation is evident. Right behind him is Vulpix03, a longstanding PU council member who can talk the talk with PU knowledge and teambuilding but can also walk the walk with their stellar play in battle. They've been playing SV PU consistently since its inception and know all the ins and outs of it, and this was on display in their PU Open quarterfinals run. Expect them to put up a stellar record this tour alongside Beraldo. Finally, there's zoowi, a PU room mod and ladder enthusiast. There's no doubt he's capable of winning games, but his penchant for the wacky and weird tends to make his builds unreliable, and his style of play is reminiscent of someone who's spent a lot of time playing on the ladder, which can be punished. He did manage to string a solid 3-2 run together last PUPL, however, and with gum and pix keeping his builds in check, I can see a world where he matches or even surpasses that.

In second place, the Dedennes got themselves a very well-rounded SV core. Leading the pack, we have Floss, who just made PU Open finals. Outside of that, he has many impressive results, such as winning RU Open last year and potentially making Grand Slam playoffs this year. His experience in PU and his great playing capabilities make him one of the better players in this pool. Following him, clean is an experienced player who should be a reliable slot. He might not know the tier as much as others in this pool, but he'll have plenty of support. Rounding off this impressive core, PU Kickoff winner fish anemometer should be yet another central piece in the Dedennes' roster. Despite a ranking in the bottom half, the PU Open quarterfinalist has good odds to defy the current expectations set for him. Moreover, this team has impressive support. Shaneghoul, as well as fish, should be able to pass good teams to the other two players if they ever need it. All in all, this core has everything it needs to succeed.

The Doublades' SV core is led by the only mainer of the bunch with a solid #4 ranking in tlenit, a rather controversial user with ample experience in the format. His motivation for the tour as a whole is questionable, but his skill in the tier is undeniable; sporting a stellar all-time 19-13 record in PU, it is expected that he will repeat his success over the years to put up another solid record. Next up is Togkey, a newer face to lower tiers as a whole who has had varied success across a range of different tiers—most notably in NU. An enthusiastic builder who has unique takes and is not afraid to think outside of the box, Togkey is bound to test the limits of the tier and make her opponent scratch their head mid-game wondering just what in the world hit them, in the most unimaginable ways. Moreover, the pair of tlenit + Togkey is a proven commodity as seen in the most recent Tournaments BLT, as the former put up a stellar 4-1 record with building support from the latter. That said, Togkey has proven to be a questionable team presence at times, having left her team server mid-tour in some tours in the past. Not to mention, she is also an extremely tilt-prone player who might end up battling in the battle chat more than the actual game in the event things don't pan out as expected. Nonetheless, if she can fix these errors, then we can easily expect a top record. Lastly, we have TyCarter, a relatively newer player who has been silently making waves across multiple tiers and with the proper support can be expected to replicate this success one more time; however, as a fresh face to PU with near-zero experience in the tier, the relative lack of experience could be a major limiting factor to this. It is also important to note that the building pressure on this core is bound to largely fall on Togkey, as the managers and the rest of the team are unable to provide adequate support. So, if Togkey crumbles early on in the season, then the core is bound to crash and burn, but only time will tell.

The dynamic manager duo of ProDigeZz and DugZa leads the SV pool for the Haunters with their incredible playing skills and slightly less incredible use of capital letters. They've both spent the last year dominating lower tier circuits and premier leagues, and they return to PU to do it all over again this year. ProDigeZz comes in with a more erratic, aggressive style of play that's very hard for opponents to keep up with, while DugZa tends to be a more careful, controlled player who will save his aggressive plays only for when they're needed. This perfect storm creates a terrifying two-headed snake up top, and the big question for this core's success is how well Ryuji will handle the tail role. A stranger to PU team tournaments or its circuit, Ryuji has a lot of question marks surrounding him, and it's likely this uncertainty that landed him the twenty-third ranked spot, just one from the bottom. If he's able to prove the doubters wrong and match the proficiency of his two managers, this will make for a terrifying trio that can stand up to any team.

Starting the bottom half of the pool, the Magmortars' core is still quite solid. bb skarm is a known tryhard; no matter the tour, he'll put in an almost inhuman amount of effort. Not only that, but he's also a great player, as a run to the semifinals of PU Open and a Grand Slam playoffs qualification would make you guess. Just be wary of being online for too long, though, as legend has it he'll find you and challenge you to 13 games to test different versions of the same team. As for Fogbound Lake, he's a very solid player; he recently had a great showing in WCoP Pools, going 3-0, while also having plenty of experience. Lastly, we have tier. Not a bad player by any means, they're simply inexperienced compared to most other players in the pool. Despite this, anything is possible, especially when taking into account this team's additional support in pdt.

If I needed to explain the term “putting all your eggs in one basket” using a Pokémon example, this would be a pretty good pick. The draft's most expensive player kythr takes the number one crown, despite not having a particularly large affiliation with the tier. This is just a testament to their incredible playing ability, which took them as far as the PU Open semifinals before being slain by crying's ravenous Snom. It is important to note, though, that kythr explicitly stated in their signup that they'll require teams to be passed, and looking at this trio here no one seems capable of doing that. This means they're likely relying on uhBella to supply all three of their slots, which is a lot to ask of someone who likely still has a ways to go before becoming an accomplished builder in the tier. Their second and third slot share a certain similarity in that neither of them play SV PU, a scary prospect when you're slotting them directly into that tier. Getting away with one question mark player in your SV core is doable, but it's hard to make it work with two, though at least they should hopefully have kythr there to guarantee them a win every week. Still, this SV core worries me, and I could see this being 1-2 city, where they get one win but drop the other two slots.

Can't believe I have to write something for these so-called people's team again. Ranking at number 7, we have the oomfies! ishtar is their star player, so I'm guessing funds were running low? I guess she's not so bad, having a lot of experience in SV in other tiers, mainly RU. Whether she'll be able to translate those skills over to PU will be something to watch out for, but she's a good player and with time, there's no doubt she'll be able to find her way in this tier. Backing her off, we have her co-manager and council member, asa. Her lack of true experience starting in team tours could be worrying, but she knows the meta inside out while being a decent player. I'm sure that if teams were allowed three managers, we'd see the third one here, but instead we have Axrtrix, a player with more NU results than PU ones under their belt. The main weakness of this core is the lack of a big name; none of their players are bad, but they don't have the star power often found in these. With amazing support between the starting SV players, as well as others like Chloe and Tuthur, this team could very easily exceed current expectations. I guess this lower ranking fits their bad name, at least.

The Bidoofs find themselves at the bottom of the barrel sporting a varied crew of players sporting different backgrounds. Ranked #9, Feliburn is the star player of this core and is coming off hot following a dominant UU Open victory not too long ago. Feliburn has proven to be a dominant force no matter the tier and will look to improve on his middling 13-12 all-time PU record this tour; better yet, if we are lucky the community will be blessed with a Felibro-esque set or two by the end of the tour. Luck O' the Irish comes in next, a relatively newer face to PU. Despite being a consistent force within NU, it is yet to be seen if he can achieve similar success as a PU newcomer. The relative lack of experience in the tier could likely backfire, but with some of the best support in zS and Arcobaleno by his side, hopes are high for the NU mainstay. Lastly, rounding out the core is the doubles version of zS: Z Strats. Having only recently delved into singles formats, Z Strats is one of the best doubles players in recent times, and only a handful of players can top his doubles resumé. While his expertise in singles leaves much to be desired, it is undeniable that the skill is there, so if he can make a smooth transition into singles, he can easily put up a solid record. All in all, the Bidoofs consist of three strong players in their own right, but the relative lack of experience within PU has led to their subpar ranking; however, if things click and with solid teams from their managers week in and week out, they can easily make a mockery out of their last place ranking.

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Turns out spending 19k on Thiago Nunes was worth it for the Leafeons, as they managed to secure themselves the top-ranked SS player. The two-time PUWC winner has a ton of experience in the tier, including a 5-2 record last PUWC. Outside of this, Thiago is probably the best overall player in the pool; his ability to constantly put up good records no matter the tier and the generation has been proven across many tours, such as RUPL and NUPL. He's a self-sufficient player, but additional support in Meru and uhBella is great to have. It's really hard to imagine him not doing well.

gum easily comes in as the player who has the most experience with SS PU dating back to it being the current gen, with Shaneghoul being the only one to even attempt to challenge him for that title. They know the tier inside out and their builds are nothing short of amazing, giving them an edge in every match they load into, always finding a perfect balance between solidity and offensive pressure, often by means of some new tech that gives them a leg up. They've pioneered so many sets in the tier it would be futile to try to count it, and there's likely no one out there who can build as solidly in SS PU as gum can right now. That's not to say anything for their playing ability. While it would be an overstatement to call them top class, gum is a very solid pilot who's well experienced with playing with the patience that SS PU demands of you, which is something that catches new players out. With all that in mind, expect gum to put up a solid record, and it would be very unlikely for them to go negative.

The Magmortars' retain has had a decent string of results as of late, most notably tugging at the opposition's wig during SSPL, ultimately ending with a 7-2 record. He also ended last PUPL with a great 5-1 record, although that was in BW. Still, returning to a familiar environment such as this one is bound to help. This same environment offers plenty of support, too. Between himself and his managers providing support, the teambuilding part shouldn't be an issue. Considering all of his experience as a player, it's no surprise that he ended up in the top half of the pool.

Ubers tier leader Fc looks to make his second PUPL , hoping to start it off with a winning record. An interesting caveat here is that Fc signed up specifically to play SS PU, something you don't see that often, and it shows for one reason or another they're motivated to play the tier. That being said, I'm slightly unsure where this sudden love of SS PU is coming from, as outside of a little exposure in PUWC and one game in last year's PUPL, he hasn't involved himself in the tier, skipping both the circuit and the SS Cup. Still, Fc is a good player, and if he's motivated I don't see anything stopping him from maintaining his spot in the top half of the pool.

At five, we have the PUTL, Shaneghoul. It might be a surprise to some to see him this low; after all, he won last year's PU Swiss, had a 5-2 record in PUPL, and went 5-0 in PUWC. Still, that obviously doesn't compare to my 2-1 record in PUWC and 1-2 showing in SCL, so no wonder I'm three spots higher! Maybe the reason he finds himself in the lower half of the pool is because everyone above him is good, but if anything that says more about the pool than Shaneghoul himself. I wouldn't be very surprised if he ended up performing way better than this ranking would imply.

OranBerryBlissey10 picked up playing SS PU towards the end of the generation and seems to have stuck with it since that point, enjoying a great finals run in SS Cup and then going on to play in SSPL, where he struggled, starting out 0-3 before getting moved to the bench. The motivation is clearly there, though, and he's one of the few players who have consistently been playing this tier since the Scrafty ban, which gives him a leg up on the competition. He's also seen great success in SS NU and ZU, which goes hand in hand with PU, and I honestly wouldn't be too surprised to see him outperform this ranking.

The Foomfies, sorry, Sliggoomfies's, SS player happens to be another tier leader. Her experience is lacking when compared to others in this pool, and she doesn't really have much to show for herself in this tier. Calling her bad would be false; she's a competent player who seems motivated to do well with great support to boot, in a team environment full of friendly faces. She'll just have a harder time than her peers in this pool. However, if she's able to pick up the tier fast, things shouldn't be that dire for the oomfies's SS slot.

While there are some unexpected players in this pool, most of them can be somewhat explained. However, no matter how long I look at mj in SS, I still just can't seem to get my head around it. There's nothing in his history to suggest he's familiar with PU in any format, and then to see him get drafted and immediate start in SS is a head-scratcher alright. It's quite the underdog story, and I'll be rooting for mj this tour, but I've got very little to say about him and I'm honestly not expecting big things (so go out and prove me wrong!).

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It's easy to make the association between lower tiers and players such as Xiri. His consistency across PU has been remarkable through the generations, with SM in particular being his playground up to this day. A 2022 PUPL record of 2-5 might raise some eyebrows, but his placement as number 1 shows that the player base still considers Xiri a powerhouse in SM PU despite what recent results might indicate. A PUPL player since 2019, Xiri has been consistent not only in team tournaments but also in individuals, barely missing Circuit playoffs last year. People seem to believe that Xiri will be able to surpass and excel in the tier after his unfortunate run last year, and it won't be a surprise if he manages to do so in strides.

On the topic of established players, Santu is back after a solid 5-3 record last PUPL. Santu's success across old gens has been proven through every sort of tournament. His most recent 5-0 score in SM for NUPL is only the tip of the iceberg. Santu has also been very successful in the most recent SPL, with a great 7-2 record. With this sort of resume, it's easy to see why the player base ranks Santu so highly in the SM pool. yandaud should be able to help Santu with builds here if need be, but Santu's ability to pilot and build SM should be more than enough to give the Haunter x Haunters an edge in this slot.

soulgazer is back as our number 3 on the list. After missing out on PUPL last year and having a 3-2 record in WCoP, sg has decided to return to his home tier of SM PU. It's hard to deny sg's knowledge of the tier, and his overall team tour record of 12-7 proves his ability to be particularly consistent. With that being said, the Dedennes don't seem to have much of a second option if things go wrong, so sg better bring the heat if the team want to have an SM slot by week 5. Maybe the spirit of HJAD will carry the Dedennes through yet another successful SM run.

The upper half of the list starts with Gondra. When I asked Twintakuffs manager gum about Gondra, they simply said “SPL player”. While this isn't exactly the most outstanding resume about the tier itself, Gondra is undeniably a great player with a solid 4-5 SPL XIV record in BW and SM. They should be able to pick up the tier rather easily and acquire good knowledge within it if they haven't already. Solid support from gum should be enough to allow Gondra to shine in the tier and hopefully live up to expectations.

Leru's adventure through the lower tiers with the Doublades brings him to SM PU, a tier without Doublade, or any steels for that matter. Leru isn't disconnected from PU as a whole, though, a 2-1 2022 WCoP performance proves his ability to do well in the tier. robjr should have a bazillion teams to pass, and surely the experienced SM player will be plenty useful in trying to bring Leru to a sneaky positive record.

Recently retired PUTL Chloe comes into SM with a huge amount of experience, having been playing and active while SM was the current gen and continuing to delve into the tier once it entered old gen status. She was a big part of the Sliggoomfies' draft plan, easily being their most expensive player at 17.5k, but despite all her history with the tier, she's struggled to put up top-tier records in the past, going 3-7 in her team tour showings last year, which leaves some question marks looming around her. It's worth noting that those recent losses were mostly in SS, though, a tier she was notably critical of (wrong, unfortunately) and didn't enjoy playing. A change of scenery and a respite from her responsibilities as tier leader might be just what she needed, and hopefully in SM, a generation she's much fonder of, she can get into the swing of things, because if gets back to her winning ways it's going to be chlover.

On the topic of having very little to say, Arcobaleno isn't a name many people have been exposed to much either. zS tells me that they're a rather consistent ladder player that's able to adapt to different tiers with ease. Mayhaps zS' wild card will prove beneficial to the Joe Bidoofs. It might be a risky strategy, but politics are rarely transparent. Make sure Arcobaleno doesn't catch YOU by surprise in SM PU.

Someone's always gonna be at the bottom, but the only way to go from there is to the top. oversway might not be a familiar face for many in PU, but does Dominatio ring a bell? Does winning PU Open in 2020 ring a bell? Hopefully, it does!!! Oversway might not have the most results or the most recent epic showings, but it would not be a surprise for a former PU Open winner to do well in SM PU. It'll still be an uphill battle, though, and I'm sure oversway will give it their all in that endeavor.

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MZ comes in as one of the most experienced PU members, having played in all but the fifth edition of PUPL. The former tier leader's name is almost synonymous with PU, and he has been a mainstay since the tier's inception. The old-timer has also shown very little rust, shaking off a bumpy start to last year's PL in the Bo3 slot by finishing out 4-0 in ORAS. He's backed that up with recent successes, winning the PU classic and putting up a solid record in OMPL. The biggest question mark for MZ, however, is his less-than-stellar record on the overall PUPL team sheet, sporting a 19-21 record all-time in the tournament. He's also lacking the HJAD support that he had on the Dedennes last year and will very much be asked to be self sufficient on this Haunters team, something which may limit him. That being said, MZ has shown he can dominate this pool before, and if recent tour success is any indication, there's nothing to suggest he can't do it again with his wealth of knowledge and playing experience.

Taskr makes his annual PU team tour return and takes an obligatory detour to the top side of the rankings. He's never netted worse than two wins in any season of a tournament, even the ones where he's struggled, and his most recent 4-1 in PU World Cup after skipping out on last year's iteration of PUPL shows that there's still plenty of life left in the ex-tier leader. If there's a blemish on his resume this year, it's the lack of any serious support behind him, but with investment and testing, there's no reason to believe Taskr can't do perfectly fine on his own. He may not be the most active player, but ORAS is not the most active metagame, and when the BKC of PU makes his return to a pool with several newcomers and far more inconsistent old-timers, he makes his case for one of the best of the bunch.

“I tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn't even matter”. Very few players will try as hard as TSR does even when the game hands him misfortune after misfortune. TSR is a constant builder and innovator who frequently gets handed rolls of the dice that would cause lesser players to dip immediately, and his most recent 2-5 PUPL shows that sometimes it's just too much to overcome. TSR has found plenty of success across a litany of team tours, and it's that usual consistency and capability for pushing ORAS forward that slots him in at number three, but he's going to have to overcome his most consistent opponent first—random number generation. Still, he's going to have plenty of support backing up an already self-sufficient threat and plenty of weeks to get his groove going. If the Blizzard hits, TSR will be going places.

Rare is the player that signs up only for ORAS PU, a metagame so low it used to be dominated by a frog and a garbage pile, but avarice has promised to dive headfirst into this garbage pile to make his team proud. The Twinkatuffs have a powerfully experienced roster, and avarice is no exception; he's been around the block in nearly every metagame this PUPL but promises to show the rest of the ORAS pool what some fresh blood can do. This is a shocker, as avarice did not play the metagame in any recent PU team tours nor go farther than top 8 of the ORAS PU cup, but whatever he's got planned, it'll be with the support of several experienced ORAS players ready to help push him forward. Aside from the head-scratcher of what made avarice decide to look into a metagame so old that it almost doesn't even have an S in the acronym, avarice has been performing strongly across Smogon, and he only finds himself ranked below competitors with a bit more experience in the format.

Looking to one-up avarice for being new to the ORAS pool, Xrn joins just his second-ever PU team tour in the unusual place of covering up the Magmortars for not having drafted anyone with much experience in the generation. Xrn went 2-1 in SS last PU World Cup but finds himself at the top of the bottom half of the rankings largely due to success in other recent team tours, including a recent win of UUPL that saw him ironically take wins over PU tournament mainstays gum and TJ. While it may take some work to get up to speed, strong manager support and the fact that a large chunk of the pool hasn't played much more of the tier are also good points in his favor. Should any of the higher-ranked players end up underperforming this season, we're likely to see Xrn there, ready to pick up their slack and fight his way up the rankings.

Sometimes when you're trying to fill slots for seven different tiers, each with their own quirks and overlapping playerbases, you just need someone to hop into an old generation, get handed some decent teams, and grab a few wins. This would appear to be the grand plan of hariyana grande, who's making their return to the ORAS pool after last PUPL they went 2-1 in a run that featured more missed Blizzards than I've had girlfriends. The support is absolutely there, with benched teammate Elfuseon having recently placed second in the ORAS PU Cup, and success in other team tournaments certainly shows that a strong run is more than possible. However, given their lack of history in PU, it's hard to justify moving them any higher in the rankings. A lack of experience doesn't necessarily hit quite as hard in ORAS compared to other generations of PU, but if he manages to break free of that experience then I imagine he'll have no more tears left to cry. Thank U, Next.

One of the few players in the pool to be active in PU during ORAS's heyday, Blue YM finds himself starting at number seven due to the extended absence he's had from the PU tournament scene. His last team tournament was 2020's PUPL, where he struggled quite a bit with the competition. However, being on Dave's Doublades provides a unique X factor of environment and support that might be enough to really propel forward the latent talent that saw Blue YM make it all the way to the most recent PU Open quarterfinals. Anyone who's spoken to or played alongside him can tell you that Mr. YM is active, inventive, and willing to grind and innovate to push metagames forward. In the past, that path did not have much success, and it's unclear if SV performance will translate into much here, but his open run may be a sign of a tournament turnaround for the returning player.

Despite finding himself ranked eighth on this iteration of the ORAS power rankings, Splash is the only player in the pool to have won a PU team tournament before. Still, he went 1-1 in that iteration of PU World Cup, and his last PU team tournaments were in 2021, where he went a combined 1-6 across PUPL and PUWC. The silver lining in Splash's cloud is the backing of the strongest support of anyone else in the pool from the likes of Shaneghoul, gorex, and MrAldo. There's nothing to say he can't overcome the past to have a solid run, and he's certainly not the only one with a difficult past in PU team tournaments (author's note: please do not look up MZ's past team tournament records). Someone has to be ranked at the bottom, and while Splash may not have the experience of some or the recent PU performances of others, he's still more than a solid threat to take any game this tournament.

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The last two years have been very good for Ninjadog in BW, as he has asserted himself as the undisputed king of the pool across both PUPL and PUWC. Not a name you traditionally see around PU for other purposes, he makes a point of returning for these tournaments and never fails to impress with his slick piloting. He may not be the level of builder that some of these other players are, but he knows how to make consistent teams, and he absolutely knows how to pilot them to wins. Back with his old manager zS, you can expect ninjadog to continue his run of dominance over the pool, likely to only be challenged by the next person on our list…

After taking a break from the tier in 2022, EviGaro returns to BW hoping to take back her crown, as when she's locked in she's at times been one of the most fearsome players this tier has ever seen. Recordwise, her eye-popping 22-8 scoreline still stands as one of the most impressive runs of consistent play, and if it's any indication of her ability she should be able to hop right in and start winning again without a hitch. She also comes well supported on the Sliggoomfies, surrounded by friends who have great knowledge of PU as a whole, which might just be the environment she needs to find her footing again. She carries with her a reputation of being slightly tilt prone, and having a great support system around her should aid that.

LpZ stands as a leading pioneer of BW PU, bringing new Pokémon choices and sets with every team. He also has historically done very well in BW, and he's now teaming up with Drud, the reigning BW PU Cup champion. It would be surprising if LpZ is unable to match his high placement in these rankings, as he knows this tier about as well as anyone and should farm some of the newer faces to the slot while giving ninja and Evi a run for their money.

The quality drops slightly after the top three, with Feaniix taking up the mantle at 4 as someone who always seems to be playing some kind of BW tier somewhere. They're coming in on a bit of an off-year, though, after going 2-4 early and then getting moved to the bench on the tournament-winning Milkers. His prowess in BW is undeniable, though, and in a pool that looks to be slightly weaker than what we saw last year, he should be able to hold his own and put up a record to match this ranking.

After being a cheap BW option for years, Tack acquired the proverbial bag this PUPL, going for 12k as everyone wanted her on their team. Her 5-1 record last PUWC likely plays a part in that, and she seems to get better and better at the tier every year that she plays it. With the Leafeons she's unlikely to get much support in the builder, but it's not like she needs it, as she's more than capable of running things herself.

A late pickup in the draft, gorex finds himself starting in BW after struggling in SS last year, going 1-4. A weak pool this year is likely what lands him at number 6, as his peers respect his playing ability enough to get him here despite him not having much success in this tier historically. Don't count him out early though, as he clearly has taken a shine to this tier, playing in BW PU Cup this year and getting eliminated in the second round, a performance he's likely hoping to improve upon and show the world he can hang with the best.

Frenchman dunoks finds himself starting in another team tour, as he continues to get drafted for various PLs on somewhat of the lower end of tour players, usually going for somewhere between 3-5k. He's avoided last place for his playing ability, however, and not for his familiarity with the tier, as he's a relative newcomer to the tier who will likely need to be fed teams. This is another shot in the dark in a BW pool filled with questions, but it also breathes opportunity, and if dunoks can take advantage of that and build some momentum early, who knows what he may accomplish.

Last on the list is staxi, who has a similar repertoire to his fellow Frenchman dunoks, coming in as someone who gets drafted for various PLs, but doesn't necessarily start. Still, he's got a wealth of playing experience, and like gorex and dunoks, he has a real opportunity to make some magic happen here. He should have some support available to him too, as MZ and Estarossa can help him quality check his teams, which will be a big benefit.

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Like Rick and Morty, Tom and Jerry, or even Frodo and Samwise, Drud and DPP PU have become quite the iconic duo in the community, so it should come as no surprise to see him ranked first in these power rankings. Sporting an insane 5-0 record in PUWC last year and going positive in the latest iteration of PUPL, Drud has been on a tear lately and has pretty much been the face of the tier for the last few years. Innovative, motivated, and talented, it would be surprising if Drud had a bad season this year. At the top of a fairly stacked group compared to previous years, he will have to assert his talent and his status as the current best player in the tier.

If Drud has been the face of the tier for the last couple of years, Heysup has been quite literally the sage who's been dictating the meta for longer than I can even remember. Going 7-3 in the last iteration of PUPL and leading the Milkers to the final victory, as well as being the top 1 player in overall wins in PU team tournament history (37-24), Heysup is back with his manager from last year, Vulpix03, and ready for another great run. The only small question mark is how active he might end up being, which is probably the only reason why he's not ranked 1st on these power rankings.

When I see the name HSOWA, I'm always too busy cracking up over the acronym being Hot Skitty On Wailord Action, and I tend to overlook their competence as a player. Alongside Drud and Heysup. they complete what can be considered the big three of this year's DPP PU pool, as all three regularly slot into the tier and do well. Experience plays a huge part in these lower tiers, especially in no-Preview generations, where so much of your game plan is dependent on tier knowledge and being able to recognize structures and expect unknown slots. They are very much on their own on the Daves, though, and if they hit a bad stretch or something comes up, they might be in trouble, as this isn't a spot that just anyone can fill.

The manager of the Joe Bidoofs is a new face to DPP, slotting in to fill the specific needs of his team after they neglected that slot in the draft. That shouldn't be a problem for this jack of all trades, though, as his playing ability and commitment to great prep in the builder should allow him to flourish in yet another tier. He should know the tier just about well enough from his years of managing experience, and coming off a 5-3 record in Bo3 last year, he's clearly shown he has all the talent needed to click with the best of them. A high placement for someone who's not accustomed to DPP PU, but a deserved one.

The bottom half of the pool is where things start to get muddier and ordering becomes harder due to the unknown nature of a lot of these players. Felines takes the number five spot, and that's largely on the back of their stellar performance in it in PUWC, going an impressive 4-1 and beating number three-ranked player HSOWA along the way. They played in the recent DPP PU cup as well, showing their continued interest in the tier; however, they didn't get too deep, bowing out in the third round. This will be their first PUPL as a full-time starter, and I'm excited to see if they can handle that extra pressure in a DPP pool that looks to be stronger than what they faced in WC.

UU main Estarossa finally gets his PUPL start, after riding the bench in last year's PUPL and PUWC. He's on record saying that DPP PU is one of his favorite tiers, and I'm excited to see if he's able to use that motivation to breathe a new life into the tier. He's definitely an unproven quantity, though, as he lacks the team tour experience of some of these other players, and his DPP PU cup run was just as unimpressive, getting knocked out in the first round. While his builds will likely be high quality, he'll have a lot to prove in battle to show that he's capable of matching up to some of the giants he'll face off against.

In seventh place is PUWC winner HANTSUKI, who is mostly known for putting up a 4-3 record for the winning Brazil team in last year's PUWC. Looking at the opponents, though, they mostly farmed against less experienced players and dropped games when faced with the likes of Drud, Heysup, and newcomer Felines. The experience is there, though! And they should be a bit more comfortable in battle after having played a bit more of the tier. In a normal power ranking, seventh would feel low given recent performances, but that just speaks to the incredible quality of this DPP pool, as no one here looks to be giving away free wins.

JabbaTheGriffin has always been quite the enigma for the zoomer that I am. Like, there's no doubt he's very good, but he does seem to struggle quite a bit in DPP PU in particular, when he's always been one of the figures of the DPP and ADV gens as a whole. He's always had middling performances in PUPL, going 4-13 across the last few iterations, which is most definitely not great; even though he's got a great mind and has always been a good self-sufficient player, a lot of doubts remain about his ability to turn the heat up and snatch a good record in this very stacked pool.

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Ranking the ADV slots is certainly a challenge, as this is the first time it has ever appeared in a PU team tour, but regardless of that it shouldn't surprise anyone to see Lily here in first place. On top of being an incredible player who just went 5-0 in SPL, Lily has been involved with ADV PU since its inception, long before it was getting tournament recognition. No one on this list is more familiar with the tier than her, and she is the undisputed number one for a reason. Her 13-18 PU team tour record should look much greener by the end of this tournament, as there's really no one that can compete with her for first place.

Following up Lily is another SPL standout in Jisoo, who just clocked in an incredible 9-2 record in BW OU on their way to picking up an official trophy. They haven't played in any of the ADV PU tours leading up to this tournament, but that hardly matters, as very few of the players here have. It's their brilliant playing ability and creativity in the builder that gets them here, and if they take to the tier, they might be one of the few players who can challenge Lily for that number one spot.

Known for his playing excellence, Bouff picks and chooses which tiers he's interested in playing, and he made it very clear from his signup post that he was joining this tournament specifically for ADV PU. The motivation is there, and in a pool as wide open as this one, that's a huge advantage, as games will hinge on who's able to get the biggest leg up in the builder. If Bouff can get into his groove, he should be a huge bonus for a Twinkatuffs squad that's already looking very strong in their other slots.

Tiering Admin shiloh is brimming with playing ability, regardless of the generation, and he's garnered enough respect from his peers to see him placed fourth on this list. The question for shiloh has never been his ability though and has more to do with his commitment, as he tends to lose interest or get dragged down by his other responsibilities, preventing him from giving 100%. That might be particularly damning in a tier like ADV PU, where everything is new and fresh and you need to keep up with the week-to-week goings-on to stay at the top of your game. If he's able to find that spark, though, he'll make it hard for anyone who plays him and might be the missing piece the Leafeons need to make their playoff push.

A somewhat new face to the scene, SuperEpicAmpharos, or SEA for short, was bought by zS's Joe Bidoofs for an impressive 15.5k, despite only having two total PUPL games under their belt. This is almost entirely thanks to their fantastic ADV performance in NUPL, starting the tour 5-0, before hitting a rough patch and finishing with a still-impressive 5-3 record. They seem highly motivated for this tournament, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them outdo their ranking, as they showed in NUPL that they're more than capable of putting on a high-level performance.

ADV PU Cup winner Medeia finds herself at number 6 on the list, with a good knowledge of the tier but questions surrounding her piloting ability in a pool this strong. She knows the tier well enough and will be comfortable building from week one, an advantage she'll have over the rest of the pool. As weeks go deeper, though, this advantage might dwindle and Medeia may be challenged to keep up with the high-level players surrounding her.

Number seven is a personal favorite of mine, MrSoup. If it surprises you to learn that Soup is capable of playing Pokémon, then you really need to get with the times, as this nutritious dish can pilot as many oldgen lower tiers as there are variations to your favorite consommé. Jokes aside though, if you've been keeping an eye on ADV and GSC lower tiers, you'd know that Soup has been tearing it up lately, and I was shocked to see him go for only 3k in the draft. His starting spot is well deserved and he should be just as ready to tackle the builder as anyone. Don't be surprised to see him outperform this placement.

Finally, we have Lunala of the Sliggoomfies, a name I was somewhat surprised to see in ADV, and it seems their opponents felt the same, voting them into 8th place. They can play, though, and they're no stranger to PUPL or the team tour environment, so if they're motivated, then I can't see anything stopping them from doing well. They've also got ADV PU tier leader SergioRules backing them up, so between the two the builder should be sorted; if Lunala struggles, then Sergio may also be able to sub in, though he's never been known for his playing prowess and works more in the background.

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Bo3 is a very unique slot in that experience with the tier in question is usually tossed out the window in favor of pure playing ability, turning the series ino a clicking battle that often comes down to who got the better teams from their supporters. That's why it's no surprise to see SPL superstar Punny leading out the pool in first place, as there are few players better than them on the site as a whole, let alone just PU. They're also familiar with PU tiers at this stage, as this will be their fourth PUPL, and they combine that with probably the best support of the pool in Vulpix03 and gum, two PU stars in their own right.

Following on from Punny is robjr, a lower tiers connoisseur who is constantly placing well in circuit tours and putting up impressive numbers in all sorts of premier leagues. Historically he's mainly manned the SM slot in PUPL, but this only works to his advantage, as he comes in with about as much tier familiarity as anyone here, which he'll be able to combine with his incredibly consistent playing ability to farm wins. The Daves won't provide him with a lot of support, and he'll likely have to carry himself; however, that shouldn't matter for a player of his caliber, as he has mountains of oldgen teams at his disposal, and his recent PU Open finals run shows that he's more than capable of supporting himself there as well.

Coming off an insane 9-1 performance in the most recent edition of SPL, mcnmt looks to continue his dominance in a Bo3 slot he's well familiar with, having played there for all of last PUPL too. He finds himself supported by zS, another Bo3 regular, and between the two of them they should be able to cook up some fiery builds. It can be tough to draw lines in a Bo3 list like this because it's so jam packed with talent, but rest assured, mncmt is well deserving of his third-place ranking here.

The assman of the Mags makes his usual appearance in the Bo3 slot, where he's become very comfortable over the years. He's from the same mold of tour player turned Bo3 slot, but he differentiates himself slightly by being the primary builder for his slot as well, usually turning up some wacky off-meta builds that he's able to pilot to perfection. He should have enough support available if he does need it, though, with Xiri being around for SM and Dj Breloominati for SS; however, SV could be a question mark, as they'd be asking a lot of Hera to supply for all four slots. Regardless, pdt should be able to sustain himself. and his excellent piloting makes him a deserving fourth.

yandaud finds himself at fifth in an interesting spot as the only real “mainer” in the pool. Tracing his roots back to ORAS PU, yandaud is no new face to the community, and he has some excellent tour performances under his belt, boasting a 22-13 record across his team tour forays, a winning percentage that no one else in this pool can lay claim to. The question marks likely come from the fact that he traditionally hasn't been a Bo3 player, usually dominating a single generation like ORAS or SM. Still, it's a real testament to the strength of this group that he's only fifth in the rankings, and he won't be an easy out for whoever's playing him.

Captain Skipper aka Danny finds himself at sixth on the list despite not traditionally being a name you see around PU, showing the clear respect his opponents have for his playing ability. Additionally, as a ZU main turned NU main Danny should have no issue acclimating himself to PU, as he'll be very familiar with the pool of available Pokémon and what they do, allowing himself to fit right in. This pool will be a big test for Danny, as he's well known to be a competent player, especially following on from his good showing in SCL, but it's still up in the air whether or not he can hang with the top-level talent this pool has. Supportwise this team should have him mostly covered, though at a glance SM looks to be a potential weak spot, as he's unlikely to get much help from a semi-retired soulgazer, and there's not much SM experience there outside of him.

After a stellar 5-2 performance in SS last PUPL, Meru looks to take the next step into the Bo3 slot, where they'll be challenged in-game. Seventh place on this list shouldn't serve as a knock to Meru's abilities as a player, nor their familiarity with the tier, but more as a reflection of how fierce the competition amongst this group is. No doubt a competent player, Meru will have to prove they can play at the highest level this tour has to offer, and they may have to do so with limited support, as the Leafeons look very shallow in both SV and SS, with no traditional builders there who can pass solid builds. I expect Meru to put on a good performance here, but if they're forced to build their own stuff every week while playing at this level, then I'm slightly worried about their prospects.

In the final slot is DAHLI, who had a solid run in the most recent SPL but would be considered the black sheep of this group by most. They actually do have prior PUPL experience, but it was almost exclusively in DPP, a tier that won't have a lot of transfer going into SV, SS and SM. They have the support of the Sliggoomfies to make it work, though, with experienced teammates like Chloe and asa to help, and if they can get a leg up in the builder they might be able to catch out an unsuspecting opponent who isn't giving them the respect they deserve.

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