Smogon's Top 10 Players (20th Anniversary)

Earthworm's legacy as a player primarily oscillates around his performances in two tiers, DPP OU and GSC OU, while, simultaneously, he's considered a heavyweight in BW and ADV OU. For many, many years, DPP OU was considered the absolute peak of competitive play, especially during the following BW era, as the addition of Wi-Fi battles in DPP made competitive Pokémon more accessible than ever, raising the skill ceiling and making way for a flood of newer, stronger competitors. Earthworm, during this time, was considered the best among all the players in the tier, even when up against other names that you might see on this list or hanging around the honorable mentions. All the way back in 2008, he took home Smogon Tour VI, triumphing over Gouki for his one and only individual trophy.

Earthworm was the first player to crack a price of 30k in SPL, a burden that he absolutely didn't crumble under, leading his team to a victory in the tournament that very same year, flexing easily between multiple oldgen OUs to put up a 7-3 record. His team tournament performances are the stuff of legend as well, being a part of the Oceania dynasty that managed a back-to-back-to-back repeat in WCoP, something which wouldn't be achieved again until US East did it six years later and seems unlikely to ever happen again.

After his years of DPP, Earthworm migrated over to GSC and let that become the main focus of his playing career. What a decision it was, putting up winning years consistently from that point forward, even clinching a GSC circuit ribbon almost a decade after his last trophy win. Earthworm was an unconventional teambuilder and player, notable for choices that were off the beaten path for the time—like early usage of Clefable or specially defensive Gliscor, both options which are considered standard now—and building with his opponent in mind, a pioneer of the modern-day prep culture we're all familiar with. The Aussie was also responsible for a number of teams that would go on to become extremely popular, including the aptly named "Earthworm stall" in DPP OU and the original MagDol team for ADV OU, a structure now widely recognized in modern ADV. Earthworm, of course, didn't only perform in the teambuilder, being praised widely due to his creative plays, once famously winning a WCoP game after clicking Brave Bird on turn one with Skarmory to kill the Breloom switching in.

While Earthworm's career has now mostly ended, it is important for players of today to remember the legends of old and learn from them what they can. Earthworm definitively stands as a blueprint for many of the greats who came after him—a player that was massively ahead of his time, a player with an unrealistically good record in WCOP (32-9!) and an incredible number of wins in unofficial tournaments, a player that wasn't afraid to let his passions for the game dictate where, when, and how he spent his energy. Earthworm's greatness is echoed in many that came after him, serving as Smogon's original clutch player, known for ending Asia's dominant reign in WCoP with a tiebreak victory over Husk—one of the era's all-time greats in his own right—and ushering in Oceania's own era of dominance. When talking to other members included on this list, it isn't rare to hear his name come up when talking about inspirations, and, looking over the stats of his illustrious career, it's not hard to see why.

For a player to reach this illustrious list without having won an individual trophy seems nigh impossible; however, with prodigious skill and nerves of steel, bro fist has done just that. The linchpin of US East, widely considered the greatest team dynasty in World Cup history, bro fist acted as the team's ace in the hole during the highest pressure moments. For most of his time playing tournaments, bro fist was a silent killer; he didn't bash his opponents, he didn't engage in SmogTours drama, his public persona was significantly more muted than many of his compatriots in this top 10, and his team choices and playstyle reflected this. Favoring balanced and bulkier teams, bro fist never relied on flashy gimmicks or cheese to win, preferring a straightforward approach where little was left to chance. Make no mistake, though, with the fate of the team on the line, there's nobody you want more on your side than bro fist. A master of playing on the edge with a permanently thin timer, bro fist may have made his teammates sweat, but he always delivered.

bro fist's journey on Smogon started rather modestly, with a 1-2 record in his first World Cup playing for Latin America. It wouldn't be until SPL IV that bro fist made his presence truly known—winning in the semifinals against ssbbm to push his record to a laudable 6-3. His performances up to that point engendered a confidence from his teammates, as they decided to slot bro fist into the semifinals tiebreaker against CTC, who was one of the most dominant players at the time. Having already beaten CTC once in the very first week of the tournament, bro fist would find his team down 0-1 and needing him to perform once again. bro fist narrowly beat CTC 2-0, helping bring his team to the finals, where they would eventually lose, and springboarded his reputation as Smogon's newest clutch player.

Finally moving to US East after watching them take home the trophy in 2013, bro fist's real legacy would begin there in earnest. In 2014, while US East would fall short in the finals against Brazil, bro fist put up a 5-0 record, dominating all of his opponents. bro fist's complete, professional sense for play was exemplified during this World Cup when he played Raiza during the group stages, missing all eight Focus Blasts and still maintaining both his composure and rhythm in battle, going on to win despite the huge setback. This match, in many ways, personifies bro fist; regardless of how poor his position is, regardless of how dire the match looks, he has an uncanny ability to remain focused and determine what it takes to win. bro fist would go on to win his first trophy in World Cup 2015, albeit with a tepid 2-3 performance. This uncharacteristically lackluster performance would have no impact on bro fist's future success, though, and it was during the next three World Cups where bro fist would cement himself as one of the greatest players of all time. His first major hurdle came in the 2016 World Cup semifinals, where, after rigorous debate, it was decided that bro fist would play over fellow top 10 member Tesung against reiku, who was himself a burgeoning World Cup legend. After winning this tiebreaker, bro fist would win in finals against Germany's Get This Money before going on to claim another do-or-die victory in a tiebreaker against ORAS heavyweight xray. For his efforts, bro fist helped to bring home US East's third World Cup trophy in the span of four years and his own second trophy.

World Cup 2017 would prove to be more of the same for bro fist, as he was once again the cornerstone of his team's success. With another big-name victory under his belt after defeating Grand Slam champion ict in the quarterfinals, bro fist would be asked to play against Mazar in a match pivotal to Smogon's history. While Mazar was at the height of his bot-assisted win streak, bro fist, with a team he had never tested, convincingly defeated the German and broke his typical stoic silence at the end of the match, telling Mazar to "take a hike," insinuating he had no way to win without a cheating mechanism. bro fist would find himself in a tiebreaker in the next round, too, having to play against one of SM's strongest players, Trosko; of course, with his team needing a win, bro fist found one, bringing an eclectic Mega Camerupt team that he piloted to victory. In the finals, you already know what happened: bro fist found himself in the pivotal match and with a superior matchup, winning was next to impossible for his opponent, and the East superstar grabbed another World Cup trophy.

bro fist's dynastic run with US East would eventually come to an end at the hands of the Tournament Directors and World Cup administrative changes. Having redrawn the lines for the US teams, bro fist found himself on US Northeast, joining former teammates ABR, august, and BKC. With familiar faces came familiar expectations, as his new team still counted on him to win when the chips were down. Having underperformed in Round 1, Northeast needed a few tiebreaker wins to secure a playoffs spot, and bro fist delivered with two key victories over Leru and yjh971203. In finals, Northeast was matched up against its rival, US West, where bro fist was asked to play z0mOG, first in the regular matchups and then, as you may guess, in a tiebreaker. Needless to say, bro fist delivered, dispatching z0m and claiming his third World Cup trophy in a row. At this point the conclusion was clear: bro fist was 8-0 in tiebreakers and very obviously one of the best players on the site.

As with all good things, bro fist's spot as potentially the best player on the site eventually came under question. In World Cup 2019, bro fist would suffer his first ever tiebreak defeat against lax, a player who'd go on to challenge him for the "most clutch" designation. Northeast would continue to underperform after its initial win, having been unable to lift the trophy in the years since. bro fist himself would seemingly decline alongside his team, going 3-3 across three editions of WCoP and 9-11 in two editions of SPL. Eventually, bro fist would go from "heart of US East" to "quiet but playing his games" to simply gone from the scene altogether.

bro fist's history is heavily connected and intertwined with his World Cup team, and his performances with them helped catapult him into superstar status on Smogon. bro fist is a player that hardly ever makes mistakes, one who can identify a game plan from preview and execute it flawlessly through turn 100. He is a player immune to tilt, one who you'll never see make a rage post on the forums no matter what happens in the game. If the fate of the world rested on a Pokémon game, there might be no other player on the planet that you'd want in the ring more than bro fist—this alone cements him as one of the best players of all time.

Most of the players on this list are here, in part, by virtue of their longevity, but this is not the case for Tesung, who may just be Smogon's most talented ever player. A player known for his eccentricity, his apathy, and his raw ability, Tesung took the Smogon tournament circuit by storm over a few short years. Having the shortest career among the top 10, Tesung's innate genius, aggressive play, and rogue personality make him a favorite among fans of competitive Pokémon.

Almost from the outset of his career, Tesung established himself as one of the best players on the site. Despite a fairly tepid start in SPL V, a tournament he only signed up for at reyscarface's urging after finding him on the ladder, Tesung would soon go on to become a household name, qualifying for Smogon Tour 18 playoffs shortly thereafter. Tesung found himself facing down a bracket which included Tamahome, Bloo, SoulWind, and Masterclass—a lineup of the absolute best Smogon had to offer. Tesung, however, would rise to the challenge and defeat all of these powerhouses to win the entire tournament. Not satisfied with just winning his first individual trophy, Tesung would then go on to put up a dominant 9-1 record in SPL IX playing XY OU, capping off the run with a 6-0 of PDC in the finals. Still wanting more, Tesung would conquer yet another Smogon Tour later that year, taking down fellow top 10 member McMeghan in one of the most memorable finals sets in Smogon history. There really was no debate: the talent Tesung put on display was peerless.

Tesung would eventually find himself on US East during WCoP, having been rejected by Canada in an earlier edition of the tournament. Having seemingly mastered XY OU, Tesung decided to become an ADV player, notoriously one of Pokémon's more difficult generations, and he'd put up a 2-1 record in pools, including beating Ojama. In playoffs, Tesung would show just why he was so valued. He'd switch between XY—where he took down Valentine—and ADV—where he defeated Malekith and jira—finishing 5-1 overall. Never content with doing well in a single tournament, Tesung also made Smogon Classic II finals at the same time, defeating fellow top 10 member Ciele and Smogon Classic III's eventual winner giara, although he'd drop the trophy against -Tsunami-.

As a player, Tesung seemed destined to become a SmogTours favorite. With a strong creative streak in the teambuilder and a supernatural intuition, Tesung was at his most potent when wielding offensive teams, making the SmogTours Lobby go crazy with his bombastic plays. Quickly building a fanbase through his aggressive playstyle and in-battle instinct, Tesung himself was a mystery to most, and, though he was destined for a place among Smogon's greats, his peak ended as suddenly as it began.

Tesung's last official team tournament would be Snake I, after which he would abandon the site, but not before a strange incident in which he, during the tournament, made an alt and openly admitted that the alt was him, even as he joined other tournaments with it. Tesung, alongside a few other notable players, were tournament banned for being involved in ghosting during that tournament. However, it's pretty likely that Tesung will never know that he was banned for these actions, having never logged back in to find out. Bizarre, apathetic, and supremely talented, Tesung dominated Smogon in a short period of time, demonstrating an ability to master any metagame that he wanted. Had his career been longer, it's very likely that he'd be higher on this list; his brief time on the site limits his place in these rankings, and it's unlikely that we'll ever see a prodigy of his caliber again.

Several years ago, a man named Ciele spent a short five years becoming a renowned winner of Grand Slam, Smogon Tour, and OLT, bringing to SmogTours a verifiable wealth of genius in tiers and metagames as dissimilar as they come. Ciele's place among these names is not unexpected; he is, after all, the man who won an official tournament using Pikachu in the finals and the first player to ever win three individual trophies, a feat that would not be replicated for several years. What is most notable about Ciele's numerous wins, though, is that they come in tournaments asking such different questions of their players. In fact, Grand Slam has never been won by a player with two individual trophies other than Ciele, the winner of the very first edition. There is such little overlap between its tiers and other tournaments that one wouldn't expect players to excel in both.

Players involved in SmogTours for a long time will have the same impression of Ciele: he was quiet, never involved in drama—as a participant since his lengthy record as a TD means he very often was involved as a judge—keeping largely to himself and only divulging as much information as was necessary to participate in WCoP. Similarly, in the game itself, Ciele was reserved, rarely showing any emotion at all, on or off of the battlefield, something that sets him apart from many others on this list.

Notably, Ciele, unlike many other tournament players, was incredibly self-sufficient when it came to his preparation, preferring to concoct ideas on his own instead of bouncing ideas off of groups of friends or borrowing teams from others. This led to Ciele's distinctive style of teambuilding. Though he showed a bias towards bulkier teams, particularly in ORAS and SM, he also became notorious for his offbeat offense teams in BW OU, including bringing a Porygon2 to a Smogon Tour semifinals game and winning with ease. An innovator across metagames, Ciele's teams would eventually end up becoming standard, including the DPP Trick Room Bronzong team he used against cosine180 and his ORAS OU Protect stall team, which still sits in the sample teams thread to this day. Despite what the other top players of the time thought of it, his unique approach to the teambuilder did nothing to hinder Ciele's success, and, while his teams may have been a bit out-of-the-box, his gameplay tended be precise and controlled, a habit exemplified by his famous win over cosine180 in the finals of Smogon Tour 21.

One thing Ciele did lack, however, was any major accomplishment in the team tournaments arena. With no team trophies to his name and a positive but lackluster 28-25 overall record, it's likely this is the reason Ciele, despite his reputation as a genius player, resourceful builder, and level-headed opponent, is not higher on this list.

The Smogon Tournament circuit can be notoriously unforgiving; whether it be Grand Slam's constantly shifting metagames, Classic's required knowledge, or OST's randomness, there is always some aspect of our tournaments that make them extremely difficult to win. OLT is widely considered among the most difficult of these tournaments, with four brutal, week-long ladder phases followed by a Swiss bracket for the top 32 competitors, then a single elimination bracket for the top 16 from those. It is with this context that Tricking's sixth spot on this list seems obviously well earned, as Tricking has taken on OLT and won it, twice.

OLT VI was the first of Tricking's conquests. After qualifying from a grueling ladder season and then getting through the pools phase with a 3-1 record, Tricking then fought his way through the knockout bracket, taking on strong players like Kebab mlml and fellow top 10 member ABR in his road to the finals. While winning one OLT is impressive enough, Tricking would go on to cement his legacy by not only winning a second OLT, but taking back-to-back editions and winning the tournament in two separate generations of Pokémon—OLT VI in SM OU and OLT VII in SS. As if that wasn't enough, Tricking famously won his second individual trophy with a flawless run; he didn't drop a single game from the 0-0 Swiss bracket to the finals of the tournament, a first-of-its-kind run that has not been replicated since. It's this combination of incredible consistency and an ability to push himself to the highest peaks that defines Tricking as a player.

Tricking's performance in individual tournaments is legendary enough, but the fact that those performances come alongside elite play in team tournaments cements his place among the stars. With perhaps his most notable team tournament run coming in 2020, Tricking helped lead a strong Italy team to their first World Cup trophy, an undefeated 6-0 record the cherry on top. Tricking's team performances are not just limited to one good run here or there, either, as his 64% win rate over his career has him standing among the best of the best, while also having the 34th most played games out of anyone in Smogon history.

Tricking's success in tournaments was supported by his unique playstyle, often opting for the safe plays with solid teams, then reading the right time to turn on the style and make a play, tipping the game in his favor. This was underscored by his familiarity with the entire teambuilding spectrum, able to comfortably pilot hyper offense and stall teams alike and throw in cheese when he felt it prudent. An understated part of Tricking's team choices were their builders, often fellow Italian players, whose creative choices served as endless inspiration for him in battle.

Tricking's claim to fame is not limited solely to his playing escapades. While he has accomplished things inside the battle that no other player has, he also has an exemplary record as a manager. Known for his heavy involvement in the team, bringing the depths of his illustrious playing career into a supporting role to help players succeed or learn from their mistakes, Tricking has managed the Raiders in SPL to back-to-back wins, his performance as a manager echoing that of his playing: consistent and capable of reaching extreme heights.

Put simply, Tricking is easily one of the best players of all time no matter which metric you use to judge him. He fundamentally understands Pokémon in a way that allows him to win again and again. While Tricking is mostly absent from the official tournaments scene these days—rumor has it he's been spending time in jail?—he has some of the most notable achievements in Smogon history under his belt, and it seems unlikely that he will lose his place on this list for many years to come.

When I mention "The Great One" to a hockey fan, they know I'm talking about Gretzky. When I mention "Black Mamba" to a basketball fan, they know I'm talking about Kobe. When I mention "the GOAT" to a Pokémon player, they know for sure that I'm talking about BKC.

Well known for his ability to both support and play virtually every generation, BKC is a team tournament manager's dream. A stalwart for one of the strongest teams in Smogon history, WCoP's now-defunct US East, BKC boasts a jaw-dropping five World Cup trophies to his name, with a positive record in the tournament to boot. His capability in multiple generations and his penchant for big moments make him the kind of player a team trusts in do-or-die situations, exemplified by the Raiders playing him in two different tiers in back-to-back tiebreakers in SPL IX, where he won both games despite his team losing the tour. With an astonishing 60% win rate overall, the only tournament where he is not positive is Smogon Snake Draft.

BKC's ability to excel in multiple generations has benefited him elsewhere in the site's tournament circuit. A champion of two Smogon Tours, BKC's consistent ability to qualify and compete in what might be the site's most prestigious tournament shows the frightening depths of his knowledge and playing ability. His victories span iterations of the tournament, too: his first came when BW OU was the current generation and involved beating players like Malekith, CrashinBoomBang, and Boudouche, while his second took place during ORAS OU and required getting beyond Omfuga, SoulWind, and Posho.

All of this is, of course, phenomenal work. However, if you asked a random player what they thought of BKC, all of these achievements and his overflowing trophy cabinet might not even be the first thing that they mention. BKC's greatest contribution to tournament cultures is, instead, his professionalism in preparation and thought. BKC's esoteric approach to the game, complete with a complex understanding of probability, momentum, and possibility has made him a wonder to both watch and listen to. One of the most notable aspects of the GOAT's approach is a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of teams in preview-less generations, the joke being that he can tell you all six of a DPP team just by seeing the lead. The architect of a number of notable teams, especially DPP teams like Bleed and I Crawled, as well as an innovator of sets like ADV's aptly named "BKCtar," BKC has left an impression on just about every metagame he's touched, no matter its age.

There was a time before Smogon Classic existed, and there was a time where it was a nascent tournament that we weren't sure would repeat again and again. In the first iteration of the tournament, BKC made it to the playoffs and helped to crystallize the notion that old generations were just as ripe for innovation, preparation, and creativity as current ones. While not an active player in the tournament circuit these days, BKC keeps his passion for the game alive and well through his YouTube channel, where he provides guides, advice, and metagame analyses and retrospectives for an eager audience, as well as gives his takes on the oldgen tiering discussions of the time, never afraid to state his opinion—even if it disagrees with the council or the majority. It's this consistency in messaging that lends BKC the aura that he has, and, while many players would cite him as an example to learn from, it'd be unlikely to hear him agree, instead choosing to laud those that came before him like Earthworm and Gouki. Though a rare humility might keep BKC from agreeing with his ranking on this list, it is almost unanimous that he belongs here among the greats he himself holds in such high regard.

Unlike some members of this list, McMeghan was never much of a dark horse player, starting his competitive career with a perfect 3-0 in WCoP 2011 for an otherwise unimpressive team Benelux. This, alongside a few won weeks of BW OU in Smogon Tour 12, would lead to his first SPL, where he would have an average but positive 6-5 performance, notably managing a win in the finals, claiming one of the site's most prestigious trophies in only his second team tournament.

2012 would continue to be an excellent year for McMeghan, as he qualified for Smogon Tour 14 playoffs, where he met fellow top 10 player BKC in the finals. McMeghan managed to get one over on the GOAT in just two games and secure a key piece of silverware for his cabinet, shouting out tournament heavyweights Ojama and Bloo in his winpost, showing the type of company McMeghan kept even early on in his competitive career. And, while winning a team tournament proved to be difficult, it was rare to see McMeghan perform too far south of impressive in each of his campaigns, including an 8-1 record in SPL VI in an ADV pool of huge names like M Dragon, undisputed, and Golden Sun. McMeghan's continued success would also bring him to a second Smogon Tour finals, only to meet with a surging Tesung and lose the set in classic McMeghan fashion: playing what is widely considered to be one of the best BW OU games of all time, then losing the tournament after bringing a meme team in ORAS.

McMeghan's conquering run would go on to make him the most expensive player in SPL history at the time, costing the BIGs a staggering 40.5k to retain him in SPL VII. However, McMeghan would struggle through arguably the lowest point of his career, managing an uncharacteristically terrible 2-7 record, his motivation dwindling and doubt being cast on his abilities as his career lengthened. This would prove to be little more than a bump in the road for the Belgian, however, as his Tigers would go on an absurd run straight through to the finals with McMeghan putting up a glittering season of performances, back in form with a 7-3 record. Unfortunately for McMeghan, however, his performance would be overshadowed by the Mazar Bot Scandal, leaving him empty-handed once again.

2019 brought McMeghan back to Smogon Classic, a tournament where his voluminous experience in older generations was sure to prove useful. Having won ADV Cup, McMeghan propelled himself into playoffs, where he ultimately met with Lavos, a heavyweight in his own right, in semifinals. A grueling series came down to DPP, where McMeghan's Gyarados performed some timely flinches, leading to Lavos's famous "unfortunate" post, and McMeghan once again found himself close to one of Smogon's most defining moments. This time, however, he would go on to defeat his long-time friend SoulWind in the tournament's finals and bring home his second individual trophy.

Successful runs in SCL and a few team swaps in WCoP—controversially to France, and then later to Europe—marked the next few tournaments for McMeghan. It was not until SPL XIV, however, where the Belgian would taste winning ways again. After a season marked by controversy, including several—expensive—banned teammates, McMeghan would find himself in the finals of SPL once again, where he contributed not only his 9-1 ADV record but also the tournament-winning ORAS OU game in the finals tiebreaker to earn his second SPL trophy, a stunning 11 iterations between the two.

After winning SPL for the second time, you'd be forgiven for assuming that McMeghan's career was on the come-down, as there was simply little more for him to accomplish. However, fans were delighted to see the Belgian star for Europe in WCoP 2023, competing in the nearly brand-new SV OU metagame, where he put up a 7-2 record and won three tiebreaker games. Despite Europe falling just short of the trophy, McMeghan's mix of skill in battle and unconventional team choices meant that his performance was widely lauded. While already considered one of the best ADV and BW OU players of all time—two generations in which McMeghan was highly influential throughout his career, often pushing the envelope of the metagame—McMeghan proved he wasn't limited only to Classic generations and was capable of performing on any stage. Easily one of the best players of all time, McMeghan comfortably and confidently sits at number four on our list.

Getting to the finish line is one thing; crossing it is something else entirely. Making a deep run in a tournament requires many things: skill, passion, a strong mentality, and a little bit of luck. To be the last person standing, your name in the thread title, and the trophy in your postbit, it requires a little something extra. Most of Smogon's tournaments are brutal, with intense laddering phases, numerous qualifying cups, and many rounds of Swiss often standing between a would-be competitor and the final goal. Even after all of that, you can still come up short, still be left in second place, inches, turns away from the trophy. And there is nobody who knows this better than SoulWind.

SoulWind's story doesn't start in a particularly glamorous fashion, despite the weight his name now carries. He was once, in 2010, Celebi42, a brand new player who struggled to get past the first rounds of a tournament, losing round one week after week in Smogon Tour. When he was drafted for his first SPL, he went 0-2. When he won his first SPL, he went 2-5. His winrate across his first four SPLs was just 40%. He had few individual results to his name, a week of Smogon Tour in 2012 and another more than two years later, in 2014.

SoulWind's story was long-defined by being just barely not good enough. His first tournament finals was Smogon Tour 15 in 2013, where he lost 2-1 to Ojama. His next was OST XIV in 2018, where he lost to mael in just two games. Mere weeks later, he was defeated by blunder in the finals of Smogon Tour 25, another narrow 2-1 loss. A crushing Smogon Tour defeat came at the hands of Luigi in the finals of Smogon Tour 27 and then again from Empo in Smogon Tour 30. By now, SoulWind had a reputation: he had the skill to get to the finish line, to compete among the best of the best, but he could never be the best of the best.

SoulWind is a player best known for his oldgens prowess; so, it's fitting that the first step toward setting the record straight was to win Smogon Classic VI, defeating fellow top ten player ABR in finals to do it. Of course, if you know SoulWind, you know he's never quite satisfied with what he's achieved, always wanting more, always striving for a new color of trophy to add to his postbit. His next win was vengeance for ten long years of struggle, finally taking home his second trophy for Smogon Tour 32 after four losses in finals and seven successive iterations of making it to playoffs but not to the trophy. His third was just under a year later, winning one of Smogon's most difficult tournaments in OLT IX. In a fraction of the time it took him to earn his reputation as someone who could never win a trophy, SoulWind rewrote history, becoming one of Smogon's most decorated players in just two years.

With one of the longest high-level careers on Smogon, SoulWind has achieved success in virtually every generation's OU at one point or another. While many people say his best tier is BW OU, a look through his history shows that SoulWind is capable of beating the best players on any turf. Known widely for preferring fat, stall-adjacent teams, SoulWind's endless patience and ability to thread a needle in long, drawn-out games has made him a difficult opponent to face. Despite this reputation as a defensive player, SoulWind is capable of piloting just about any style of team, with variations in even his more defensive teams making him difficult to predict even within a single best-of-three set. His ability is not confined to one generation, matchup, or team style—SoulWind is capable of winning anywhere and against anyone.

It takes a lot to win one trophy, let alone the eight SoulWind has to his name while also sitting comfortably with the most team tournament wins of any player and a record 22 Smogon Tour weeks won—eclipsing #2 and #1 on this list, Empo and ABR, who are tied for second most at 13. Above all, his passion for the game, spanning almost a decade and a half at this point, is and always has been the driver for SoulWind's improvement, his consistency, and his achievements. Happy to dominate the entire LGPE circuit at the same time he's winning Smogon Tour, his interest in Pokémon is varied and deep, and he is one of the longest-standing, continuously active players in the site's history. SoulWind's story is one of perseverance, vindication, and passion. He, fiery temper aside, serves as a role model for anyone, new players in their first ladder games or established players struggling to take home their own first trophy. Through hard work, dedication, and an indomitable will to win, SoulWind deservedly claims his spot in the top three of this list.

If, at the end of SPL IX in 2018, you told the average SmogTours participant that Empo would very clearly be one of the best players of all time, they'd probably look at you like you had three heads. Having started his career as a fireball when ORAS was the current generation, Empo took a bit of time to get going. His early posts are not dissimilar to any average player, a lot of signups and little to show for it, a litany of Smogon Tour "ins" but the thread titles continue to read "won by somebody else." While Empo quickly put down roots in the Italian community, with shoutouts to Bro Kappa and co. starting to appear in his winposts, it would seem unlikely to anyone making predictions at the time that he'd have carved his name in this #2 spot.

Empo's legend really begins during his Excalibur moment in SPL X when he pulls the sword from the stone and helps to lead the Ruiners to an epic SPL victory, defeating blunder in SM OU during the finals to truly state "I'm here." For many players this might be enough, a cornerstone role in winning Smogon's most prestigious team tournament with an 8-3 record, but Empo is not your average player. He has gone on since then to put up a truly prodigious team tournament record surrounding SPL X, having crossed the vaunted 60% win rate through a remarkable 85 games.

It isn't in the team tournament realm, though, where Empo makes his biggest claim to being the best. The Italian phenomenon is tied with ABR, the only person above him on this list, with four individual trophies. Having won an OST and a truly stunning three Smogon Tours—the first player in Smogon history to pull off three trophies from the same individual tournament—it is evident and obvious that Empo is not a player that ekes out wins or a player that has one good tournament here or there; he is the definition of consistency and possesses a level of play that virtually nobody in the entire game can match.

Empo is known as the best SM OU player of all time, and watching his games will compound that opinion for anyone unfamiliar with him. Empo has a distinctive style of play: with a major focus on risk and reward, Empo plays aggressively, rarely giving his opponents an opening to breathe. Within SM OU specifically, Empo's style is very forward-thinking, even with more balanced teams, rarely wasting a turn or move. This was shown during his eyebrow-raising run in Smogon Tour 29, where he entered three SM OU tournaments during his run and won all three, leaving everyone in his wake. Empo even remains the only victor of Smogon's organized attempt to provide a capstone for the circuit, having taken the Smogon Championship ribbon over FLCL during its one and only run.

Above all of this, though, Empo's main contribution to the tournament circuit might actually be the level of faith and devotion that he inspires. His ability to squeeze water from a stone and win positions through aggressive and clever plays has berthed an unending list of fans, all of whom are desperate to tell you just how good Empo is. What's funny, though, is that they need not do so! Empo's performances are clear and obvious; they are skilled and exciting in a way that nobody else on the list provides. His consistent approach to the game and trust of his own playing faculties have created a wholly unique style of battling, one that cannot truly be emulated by any fans or rivals. Out of everyone on this list, too, it might be most likely that he continues to add trophies into the cabinet, and when we revisit these rankings in 5 years, one shouldn't be surprised to still see him in contention for the peak spot.

If you are someone who knows anything about the Smogon tournaments scene, it is absolutely no surprise to see ABR's name comfortably in the number one spot. He is, after all, number one on the Hall of Fame, tied for the most individual trophies to date, and widely regarded as a master of multiple tiers, from RBY to ADV to SM. And the funny thing about ABR? He always was this way. From the moment he entered the scene, ABR believed himself to be the best, a fact he wasn't shy about sharing. With no results to his name, ABR told the whole world he was a better player than anyone else around—except Tesung. Then, he set out to prove it.

Fittingly, ABR truly began his tournament career in what is widely considered to be one of the most grueling and difficult tournaments Smogon has to offer: OLT, where players race up the ladder, every game potentially the difference between qualifying and being forced into another cycle of laddering. It was in OLT II, ABR's third ever official tournament, that he began to forge his legacy. Though an early loss against -Tsunami- sent him to the losers bracket, ABR continued to march through the playoffs undeterred, leaving the likes of PDC, cosine180, and -Tsunami- after a rematch in his wake. In his third ever official tournament, ABR went all the way to finals before losing to Prinz, falling just short of the trophy in a devastating end to his Cinderella run.

OLT II became the launchpad for the ABR we all know today. Drafted in SPL VII to the Alpha Ruiners for only 13k, ABR took the ORAS OU pool by storm, leaving a trail of high-caliber players like xray and CrashinBoomBang in his wake on his way to a 10-1 record while also building all of the teams his teammate TheEnder would pilot to an 8-2 record of his own. Just a year later, he was a master of the brand new SM OU metagame, famously clicking Inferno Overdrive with a Togekiss against craing's Celesteela to secure OST XIII and his first individual trophy in a win that can be called nothing but dominant against another one of the site's greats, lasting two games with less than 40 combined turns and only two Pokémon lost on ABR's side. His next came two years later, with Smogon Tour 28, where he qualified as the second seed and faced a gauntlet of xray, Punny, SoulWind, and McMeghan, indisputably one of Smogon's most challenging playoffs runs, to secure the trophy. Naturally not content with just one, ABR turned around six months later and won Smogon Tour 29, becoming the first player in Smogon history to win back-to-back editions of an individual tournament. One month after this, he entered the playoffs of Smogon Classic VI, pushing straight to finals only to fall to SoulWind, just shy of the trophy. Of course, being ABR, he was back the next year, sweeping through Smogon Classic VII's finals to claim what was rightfully his: his lost white trophy, a record-setting fourth individual trophy, and a spot securely on top of the Hall of Fame, where he has sat for three years and counting.

While the thing ABR is likely most known for is winning games of Pokémon, his influence doesn't stop at the battlefield itself. Even from his origins in ORAS OU's heyday, ABR was known for a style of team and play that would become his trademark, that of a solid, balanced team that lacked some of the surprise and wow factor of other teams at the time. This earned him a reputation as a stall player, with his teams called "boring" or "lame," but they worked for ABR and would often go on to become staples of whatever metagame he was building them in. This style of team matches well with ABR's style of play: controlled, methodical, and analytical down to the last detail and winpath. Comfortable in long games and never impatient, ABR easily takes on players at the highest level, famously telling craing, "the bells of freedom are ringing," 426 turns into a fat vs fat WCoP quarterfinals game that secured US Northeast a tiebreaker against US West and infamously facing off against tele in a game lasting 1200 turns, leading to the creation of the 1000-turn limit in games.

The bottom line is: if you're reading this article, you know who ABR is. You've probably caught one of his games live, you might have used one of his teams, you've almost certainly faced one. He is an inspiration for players new and old alike, someone whose incredible talent at the game, eye for solid preparation, and unshakable mentality have propped him up as the near-uncontested best player in Smogon's history, a spot he will aim to hold for as long as he continues to play.