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Hoopa can do anything!
My initial response was far too aggressive and condescending and I apologize for that. That is not what the DOU community is like, we want to be helpful, not rude. I especially did not mean to make it seem like you have no voice for only playing on the ladder, as that is just not true. So, apologies to Red Pill PUA
That said, tournaments don’t work in such a way where you get paired up against your “buddy” every single time. Pregame scouting and creating a team to beat that players play styles is a part of it, sure, but my point is that our resident tournament champions are going to be a lot better at Pokémon than anyone who tops the ladder, and that isn’t a knock on anyone who’s very good on the ladder.
Also, it’s online Pokémon we play for no money, so it’s all irrelevant, but our Seasonal tournaments and our showcasings in Smogons elite invitational tournaments are about as relevant as it gets. My good friend SMB won TWO seasonals this year, an unheard of feat and accomplishment and we are all super happy for him and proud of him. That accomplishment is a lot more relevant than getting to 1800 elo on our PS ladder, simply because the average opponent in any given tournament round is going to be better than the average opponent you play on the ladder. And in later rounds, you’re beating a good opponent who has prepared against you, which is even cooler.
If you are genuinely confident enough you would win tournaments, then join them! We will have another seasonal tournament in the fall, and we will have multiple fun forum tours in the mean time and after. I absolutely want you and everyone who plays exclusively on ladder to become a part of this community because it is really a fun place to be and you will learn a lot about playing Pokémon at a high level.
For example, I was a moron when I joined. I thought hitmonchan was good in XY DOU, i even nommed it on the VR. I’ve come a long way since. There’s no barrier of entry besides putting the work into getting better, and if you’re already better than us, come walk the walk!
That said, tournaments don’t work in such a way where you get paired up against your “buddy” every single time. Pregame scouting and creating a team to beat that players play styles is a part of it, sure, but my point is that our resident tournament champions are going to be a lot better at Pokémon than anyone who tops the ladder, and that isn’t a knock on anyone who’s very good on the ladder.
Also, it’s online Pokémon we play for no money, so it’s all irrelevant, but our Seasonal tournaments and our showcasings in Smogons elite invitational tournaments are about as relevant as it gets. My good friend SMB won TWO seasonals this year, an unheard of feat and accomplishment and we are all super happy for him and proud of him. That accomplishment is a lot more relevant than getting to 1800 elo on our PS ladder, simply because the average opponent in any given tournament round is going to be better than the average opponent you play on the ladder. And in later rounds, you’re beating a good opponent who has prepared against you, which is even cooler.
If you are genuinely confident enough you would win tournaments, then join them! We will have another seasonal tournament in the fall, and we will have multiple fun forum tours in the mean time and after. I absolutely want you and everyone who plays exclusively on ladder to become a part of this community because it is really a fun place to be and you will learn a lot about playing Pokémon at a high level.
For example, I was a moron when I joined. I thought hitmonchan was good in XY DOU, i even nommed it on the VR. I’ve come a long way since. There’s no barrier of entry besides putting the work into getting better, and if you’re already better than us, come walk the walk!