This has been the wildest 13 weeks I've ever been a part of. Roro said at one point when we started rolling that there was no way we were losing; we're in an anime with plot armor on. To be honest, I'd have to agree, since when we tied Week 7 I said this to llamas:
Somehow, it almost worked out exactly like that. In fact, this whole season ~just kinda worked out~. Even when we were down in the middle of the season, we all kept fighting as a team. The passion and the drive to win never left, and I think that was key to keeping us in the race. The original power rankings said "These two different cultures [talking about the vets and new players] are bound to clash this SPL, but that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing if everyone on the team gets along and they are all open to each other and willing to do what it takes to maximize their teams' success." Well, that happened. We were a team, in all forms of the word.
Individual shoutouts (in reverse alphabetical order):
Tigres:
Zebraiken - I remember before the season, I asked you if you were able to play anything other than LC. I believe you said nah, but I got you anyway because I knew 2 things: 1) Pokemon skills translate across tiers and 2) You're one hell of a mentor for the newer players even if you don't play. You were around all season, cheering us on, and you picked up a tier you've never played Week 9 and won both playoffs matches in it. You're one hell of a player man, and I'm so glad you were on our team.
Tokyo Tom - Best midseason pickup ever? Probably. You fit right in with the rest of the Tigres and brought our Memes/36 through the roof. Plus, you took your BW game to another level once you started getting comfortable. You're a hell of a player and I'm glad I got to bring you back this season.
Tamahome - Are you glad I didn't listen to you when you wanted me to bench you earlier in the season? Because, I'm glad lmao. You're one of the best players of all time, and I'm glad you got the opportunity to remind everyone of that. Not only that, but you're one of the most supportive teammates I've had the pleasure of working with. You helped test and teambuild throughout the whole season, which really helped bring up everyone else on the team. You're awesome man.
Steve Angello - How the fk did SPL 7 and SPL 8 Champion Steve Angello only go for 3k in auction?? The world may never know. You're a top tier OU player and you proved it once again this season, keeping everyone off-balance both in your matches and in testing. Glad you avoided Buzzwole this season ;D
Seeme - You were only on the Tigres for a few weeks, but thank you for contributing when you could.
p2 - Part 2 of the Dream Meme Team with TTom, your SPL debut was :fire: :fire: :fire:. You were an excellent chat presence and test partner, and you're a hell of a fighter too. Really glad I was able to have you on my team this year!
OP - A repeat Tigre, you're a great player and a great teammate. Even when things got a bit tough in the middle of the year, you never gave up and you bounced back big time. Mad props to you, and I'm glad to have spent the last two seasons with you.
Nintendi - Axel may have been the Sheriff, but we all know who the real law man was 'round these parts. You showed people that the runner up in OST was no fluke at all, and now you have a trophy to show for it.
miltankmilk - Ignore the record. This man, in the span of a day or so, worked his ass off to learn not just a different tier, but an entirely different FORMAT than his main, in the SPL finals. That just shows the dedication moo had this entire season. You tested with Bowman every week, helped out whenever possible, and were a genuinely delightful chat presence. You may be Bowman's executive assistant right now, but don't be surprised when you're starting next season.
McMeghan - The Belgian Tom Brady, a true GOAT. I don't even know what to say here tbh; you were the QB of this team. You kept everyone grounded, motivated, and every time you came in the chat the whole room lit up. Like, in the semis when things started to get a bit dicey and we found out you were having internet problems, everyone started to get a bit antsy. Once you popped up in the chat, the whole team went NUTS and we closed out the series. You're a superstar player and an amazing teammate, and I'm so glad you were with us this year :humble: :pray: :goat:
Mazar - You went undefeated in a tier you didn't plan on playing at all. I don't know how much karma you went and stored after week 1 man but holy shit it worked. You owned the end of the season, and I think this last match in the tiebreaker showed everyone the type of player you really are. Even when you weren't destroying an entire tier's hopes and dreams, you were around testing and chatting and being an overall positive presence. Congrats, and thank you for clutching in the end.
MajorBowman - Do you remember when we first met? I 4-0'd you in the Boston Open playing VGC 15 using your own Thundurus spread against you. Looking back at it, that kind of has to be the single flukiest outcome in Pokemon history, because if we played that match 10 more times I doubt I win a single one. You're a great Pokemon player man, and you've come really far from just being "that random 3k VGCer tennisace always picks up". Enjoy the rest of your Europe trip, and try not to drink ALL the alcohol on the continent.
JabbaTheGriffin - A true champion. I'm so glad you've been a Tigre for the last 3 years, and I'm especially glad you get to walk off with the trophy. Next time we meet, drinks are on me.
Golden Gyarados - I know this season may not have gone exactly to plan for you, but you stuck with us and took it in stride. You're a great teammate and I don't regret having you on the team one bit. Hopefully next season you'll reach your full potential!
giara - Kind of the same deal with GG, this season may not have gone great for you but I don't regret you being on the team one bit. You were a great teammate even when things didn't go perfectly, and you were great with helping people test. Thank you!
Eternal Spirit - The third OU musketeer, you helped test and build teams this entire season and you're a genuinely fun person to talk to in chat. I'm glad all your hard work this season got rewarded in the best way possible :)
Edgar - I know you got frustrated in the middle of the season, but I'm glad you stuck around with us and helped out the team come playoffs. You're a really good teammate and I'm glad you were a Tigre this season.
DeepBlueC - You may not have played much, but I'm really glad I got you on the team. You helped out whenever asked, and you were a fun chat presence. I'm looking forward to your inevitable breakout next season :P
Century Express - You were a great midseason pickup. You fit in with our team, you tested with us, and you contributed in the chat. You 100% belong on an SPL team in the future, and I'm glad I picked you up this season.
atomicllamas - Well, we did it. I was going to jokingly write in "fuk u llama" but nah, real talk. I couldn't have handled this season without you also at the helm. When everything was slipping weeks 5 and 6 and I was in a terrible place IRL, you kept me and the rest of the team grounded. You're an amazing assman and I'm so glad I got to win this trophy with you.
Tigres: thank you all again. This season was the most fun I've had in my 8 years of SPL, and I'm so so so glad I got to share it with you all.
Others:
GOAO - The reason this was all possible. Unfortunately it was only like, the third biggest win this season (Mazar and Tama have the top 2), but without you, we wouldn't have made it to playoffs. I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do going forward in tournaments and wish you the best of luck!
People who helped out during playoffs:
Pearl Finchinator Freestylerking,
Get this Money,
qsns,
osgoode, Acacia, and sergi - thank you all for hanging out in the discord at playoffs time after your teams were eliminated. The extra encouragement (and team help!) was very much appreciated and it kept the mood light when everyone got stressed towards the end of finals/tiebreak.
Sam - You still owe me pizza and beer, friend. You're a hell of a manager and hopefully someday you'll win one too. I hope it doesn't take you as long as it took me though!
Oglemi - /me pet Oglemi
Solace - /me pet Solace
little gk - /me pet little gk
Nexus - You can finally cash in on your "I WAS ON THE BANDWAGON BEFORE IT WAS COOL" cred, after supporting the Tigres for like 6 or 7 seasons!
Celticpride - Thank you for supporting me man, now lets see the Celtics and Bruins win one!
Everyone who supported Tigres in Semis & Finals - Thank you all, having people root for us was great, regardless of your reasons.
Omfuga &
Finchinator - Thank you for motivating me to be a better manager. I may not have been perfect this year, but I was trying my best to be there and support my team. Hopefully I'll keep getting opportunities to improve.
Everyone who didn't support us - Thank you for giving us motivation and bulletin board material, and sorry your team of choice isn't celebrating.
Prague Kick and
Esteemed SPL Host Ginku - Thank you for hosting. You both kind of picked it up on the fly and while I may not have agreed with every decision due to personal bias, you were both fair and active and engaged and I don't think there's more a manager could ask for from the hosts.
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I don't know if I'll be back next year. I'd like to defend this lovely red trophy, but who knows where I'll be on Smogon and IRL. For now though, after 8 years of fighting for it, I'm going to kick back and enjoy this.
goatace out.