Squirtle Squad (3) vs Ducklett Dynasty (5)
SM: Dundies vs jake - Two undefeated, strong players in a game that could very well decide how this series goes. I give the edge to Zeb because I do think he's gonna have a better grip on what he needs to bring to beat his opponent, and because I think it'd be funny if Dundies lost.
SM: Hamhamhamham vs Tricking - Tricking is a really good player and Ham is 0-2 so far. Tricking will no doubt be rusty but he is consistent and I think he won't have a huge problem showing up here if one of his teammates passes him something solid and not some bullshit.
SM: majaspic22 vs Kushalos - Two former Noibats battling it out, nothing better. This one should be very close, but I really like Majaspic and I think his familiarity with LC in comparison with Kushalos gives him enough of an upper hand to choose him here, even factoring the help Kush will get.
SM: OP vs Heysup - Obviously a fantastic game. Heysup is an incredible player, but OP's on his shit right now, almost impossible to predict against him. Looking forward to this one.
SM: Rodriblutar vs Eternal Spirit - This is gonna be very close, I think ES will outplay the Foongus war.
XY: GOAO vs blarajan - Blara is washed. Prove me wrong.
BW: Serene Grace vs fran17 - The fact one of these two will be 4-0 in BW after this week is wild as shit. Fran has been playing out his mind and Serene had to luck trash, I think Fran should win comfortably.
DPP: Eseque vs Quite Quiet - I think Eseque is a little scared to make the plays he needs to,and I think that is going to show more and more as this season goes on. QQ has DPP LC experience and shouldn't struggle too hard here, though I'd love to be proved wrong.
I think most people underestimated the Ducks going into the season, and behind my own team they might have had the best midseason. Getting Tricking, a worthy SM starter, and Quite Quiet, a solid DPPer for when Heysup wants to SM was great for them and I think if they continue to preform they'll likely secure a post season spot. Squirtles could be put into an interesting spot if they do indeed lose this as that will put them in the middle of the pack with their Snivy week behind them, so this win is crucial for both teams.
Stuntin' Stunkys (4) vs Pakistani Piplups (4)
SM: fatty vs Ninjadog13 - I think last week was the start of Fatty's luck turning around a little bit, and I think he is going to be able to carry though through at least this week. Ninjadog is hot off of a fables trash win in Swiss though, so this should be a good one considering both are playing solid.
SM: talkingtree vs Corporal Levi - Levi may never support me, but I'm here for him.
SM: tcr vs Kingler12345 - Great match, but Kingler is a lucky little shit.
SM: Plas vs BurntZebra - I'm actually extremely excited for this match and I think it may fly under the radar a little bit. Plas has been struggling slightly in LCPL so far and Zebra is hot off beating Mango and Shrug the last two weeks. I do think Plas is going to be able to turn his luck around here, but expect this game to be a good one.
SM: ZoroDark vs soulgazer - Zoro is better at Sun and Moon Little Cup.
XY: zeriloa vs teal6 - This may be the single most lopsided battle I've ever seen. My man Zeril has just been in hibernation, he is fucking ferocious and will come out swinging. Goddamn, I don't think I've ever felt more scared for another player.
BW: pinktidal vs Finchinator - I love pinktidal but I don't know for sure how he'll fare in BW. Finch is good and already 1-0 in BW, he gets the nod.
DPP: Nails vs shiloh - They already played, but I can say for sure this was not the conclusion I was expecting. Nails got a bit unfortunate and that Glig Sleep Talk was very good for Rozes. Weird game, nice prep.
Stunkys really need to get some sort of points this week if they want to have a shot to make playoffs, now that much of their immediate competition has strengthened considerably over the midseason break. This could be a make or break week for the Stunkys, while it is just another regular week for the Piplups.
Snivy Subterfuge (3) vs Pinochetian Pikipeks (5)
SM: Merritt vs miltankmilk - Merritty has been doing pretty well this season and Milk is 0-2 so far, gotta hand it to the better record here.
SM: ItzViper482 vs Chill Shadow - Sorry, Melon tutees never do well in these kind of things. By these kind of things I mean Pokemon tournaments.
SM: Kavatika vs dcae - Just a large skill differential. Probably the most significant skill gap of any game this week. Dcae by a mile.
SM: therealslap vs LilyAC - Slap is fairly good and Lily is yet to impress. A win here is mentally crucial for both, so expect to see both putting in the effort here.
SM: EternalSnowman vs Casparov - EternalSnowman's teams are very MU dependent, and I don't think it will work out for him this time. I hope to be proved wrong honestly.
XY: Trace vs Diego Maradona - I don't think BA will build.
BW Kaboom vs fitzy72 - Good BW game actually, I do think fitzy is a bit more in shape then KM is.
DPP: Raseri vs Imanalt - Imanalt has been getting tough breaks so far, but I don't think Ras is gonna be too much of a challenge for him and I think he'll bounce back.
If the Pikipeks want to have any shot of making playoffs this is absolutely a must win week, so it's fortunate for them that they were given an 0-3 team to start their run that they have to make. This isn't by any means a free week however, I was actually surprised at how close this could be if any one Pikipek player skips up. I think the Snivys are basically out of playoff contention, but I do think they could ruin a few seasons and I'd like to see them score some points soon.