League Two Table & Standings - Sky Sports Football
League Two Table & Standings - Sky Sports Football
Sky Bet League One round-up: Lincoln stay top and Wigan
EFL Official Website - Sky Bet League Two
Sky Bet League One | Football Web Pages
League Two - Sky Sports Football
Sky Bet League Two round-up: Misery for the Mariners as
Sky Bet League Two review: Orient relegation confirmed
EFL Official Website - Sky Bet League Two Table
League 2 Relegation Betting Odds | Football | Oddschecker
2017-18 Sky Bet League 2 – Promotion and Relegation
sky bet league 2 relegation
sky bet league 2 relegation - win
Weekend Preview 11/04
Crewe Alexandra v Wolverhampton Wanderers Relegation-threatened Crewe Alexandra host league leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers in Sky Bet League 1 this weekend. Crewe are one of four teams on 43 points but they sit inside the bottom four due to an inferior goal difference having conceded the most goals this season. They have won their past two on the road, but are winless in five at Gresty Road. Wolves sit proudly on top of the table with 90 points, three clear of Brentford in second, having lost only once in 16 outings. Kenny Jackett's men could seal an immediate return to the Championship this weekend, should they win and results go their way. Leyton Orient v Gillingham Leyton Orient are one of those teams who Wolves will be hoping slip up when the East Londoners welcome Gillingham to the capital. Orient are fourth and 10 points off automatic promotion, 13 behind Wolves. That gap has increased over recent weeks with Russell Slade's men without a win in five. The Gills lost 2-0 at Peterborough United in midweek and have now suffered defeat three times in their past four matches to sit 14th. These teams have already met twice this season, both in Kent, and both won by Orient; 3-1 in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy in September and 2-1 in League 1 on Boxing Day. Milton Keynes Dons v Crawley Town Milton Keynes Dons remain in pursuit of the Play-Offs ahead of their home match against Crawley Town. The Dons are six points behind sixth-placed Peterborough United but remain inconsistent with five wins and five defeats in their past 10. Four of those losses have been at home and Karl Robinson's side haven't won at stadiummk in their last five games. Crawley have lost six successive matches for the first time in their Football League history. Although they have games in hand, the Red Devils are 17th and only three points clear of the drop zone. Notts County v Port Vale Second-bottom Notts County host Port Vale in Sky Bet League 1 on Saturday afternoon. County saw a run of three successive wins come to an end last weekend with a 3-1 defeat at Brentford. They are three points from safety but have taken more points than any of the bottom eight over their past five matches with nine points gained. Port Vale are ninth after winning their past two. Micky Adams' men are seven points from a Play-Off berth but haven't won on the road in the league since 30th November, losing seven and drawing three times since. Peterborough United v Coventry City Peterborough United are the team being chased in the race for a Play-Off place, sitting sixth ahead of their match against Coventry City. Following their 2-0 success over Gillingham on Tuesday, Posh picked up their fourth win in 10, losing their other six. Only Wolves and Brentford have won more home matches in Sky Bet League 1 than Darren Ferguson's side this season, who have triumphed in 12 of 20 matches at London Road. Coventry are 13th, six points above the bottom four. Their 41 matches have produced a remarkable 142 goals this season, with six of those arriving in the reverse fixture on Boxing Day, when the Sky Blues beat Posh 4-2. Preston North End v Carlisle United Preston North End welcome Carlisle United to Deepdale this weekend. The Lilywhites have lost just twice at home this season, a record matched only by Wolves, with that strong form helping them to secure a Play-Off spot already. They are fifth and have suffered defeat only once in 16 league outings. Carlisle picked up a much-needed win last Saturday - 1-0 at home to Swindon Town - to lift themselves out of the bottom four and into 20th place. The Cumbrians are currently safe courtesy of goal difference. Rotherham United v Bradford City Rotherham United host mid-table Bradford City at the New York Stadium on Friday night with the Millers' also having already sealed a Play-Off place. They sit third but now look unlikely to overtake second-placed Brentford, who they trail by nine points, following a 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United on Tuesday night. That result ended Rotherham's 16-game unbeaten run in the league. Bradford are 12th but are remarkably only six points safe of the bottom four. They have drawn the joint-highest number of games this season alongside Preston, with 16 stalemates in 41 outings. Stevenage v Colchester United Stevenage and Colchester United meet in Hertfordshire in a crucial League 1 relegation battle. Boro are bottom of the pile, four points from safety. After going five games unbeaten at the start of March, Graham Westley's men are now without victory in seven matches. They have the second-worst home record in the division. Colchester's away form doesn't read much better; they are one of five teams to have only won three away matches this season. Joe Dunne's side are 18th and three points above the danger zone, losing each of their past four. Swindon Town v Brentford Swindon Town haven't beaten Brentford at the County Ground in their past four attempts, and the two sides meet in Wiltshire this Saturday. The Bees have won once and drawn three of their most recent trips to Swindon and also beat their weekend opponents in the reverse fixture this season, coming out 3-2 winners at Griffin Park. Swindon are eighth having been beaten 1-0 at Carlisle last weekend, a result which ended a run of three straight wins. Brentford are second and have the second-best defensive record this term, conceding 36 times in 41 games. Tranmere Rovers v Shrewsbury Town Another fixture with huge implications on the Sky Bet League 1 relegation fight sees Shrewsbury Town make the trip to Tranmere Rovers. The Shrews are 22nd after winning 1-0 at home to Stevenage last time out. Tranmere also picked up three points in their most recent match, beating Colchester 2-1, to move into 19th, clear of the bottom four on goal difference. Rovers have the worst home points return in the division with 22 gained from 20 matches, as well as the leakiest defence on their own patch. Shrewsbury are the fourth-worst travellers - only Stevenage, Carlisle and Notts County have fewer points on the road. Walsall v Bristol City Bristol City make the trip to Walsall having beaten their opponents in each of their past three meetings. The Robins were 1-0 victors at Ashton Gate in December, winning both their encounters in the 2005/06 season before that, 3-0. Walsall haven't beaten City in five attempts at home, last tasting success in a 2-0 win in March 1997. More recently, Walsall lost 1-0 to Port Vale last weekend and sit 10th. Bristol City are 15th, 10 points further back, winning only once in five matches. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f1lpZBuauQ
Testing testing; check one two – DWT is live once again on Reddit! Terrific, terrific stuff Alas – promotion has remained minimal; with yet another deflation to wow the masses with - it was deemed perhaps no something to flaunt (as ever). The inclusion of the Dons was an effort to bask in potential redemptive glory; The Dons, DWT - along with Wolverhampton Wanderers - all struggling; all a shadow of themselves (except DWT tbf - pish as ever haha ah no). Recognition that potentially - a bit was between the teeth, indicative of the urgency and desire apparent. For the Dons - the overall was perhaps encouraging in a way; not losing to livingston was summat to at least remain hopeful about. Then in midweek at home they got beat by them 2-0; game over after 15 fucking minutes. The only way seems down - which in itself is for the best when considering the urgency a change is required (at least to my and plenty other supporters eyes). The cyclical nature of success and failure is as peaky and troughy as it gets for Aberdeen over the last 50 years; ridiculous heights reached - amongst the worlds elite; right down to avoiding relegation on the last day. Previous may have folks fearing for a lengthy spell licking the wounds, going through underachieving managers by the bucketload; to the point where the underachieving became the actual fucking achieving. When theres memories of being world elite, naturally the angst and ire will be a fair way up on the dial. I'm no different; perplexed to the fucking max, but as always, I endeavour to be a positive voice when and wherever possible; by this token I trust the nature of my views currently are viewed as indicative of just how fucking shit things are at the moment. No just shit football on display - but we have a team seemingly oblivious to the nature of things. Some may argue its a sign of the times - acceptance and sharing can only be a good thing. However the explicit nature of how obviously ill-advised the actions of many players over the last wee bitty there are - you can just as easily view them as being deliberately antagonising. Folk argue money outweighs the moral fibres - but whilst easy to say, I'm 100% confident I would have zero interest signing for a rival so despised. No discussion - just a straight 'Fuck no'. 'But...' 'Fuck off' 'Are yo...' 'Shut the fuck up'. Over and done with. I personally place a lot of value in the opinions of those I surround myself with - its without doubt of any kind, that its known signing on for certain teams is extremely frowned upon. To the most extremity of frownage. The furrows would be etched in the face from that point on. With this in mind - there can be no justification given to any sense of not knowing. The blueprint was there for all to see in recent times with a by-now set in stone for all to gaze back on judas prick for the love of fuck; maybe his experiences scream out 'that looks fun' to some - for me its a real headscrather when some cunt turns up one day pledging allegiance despite the energetic hatred present. Perhaps the glamourising of shite in cultural society these days, is the kind of journey folk want to go on; being an icon of disdain - automatically having folk become enraged at the mere mention of your name. Its tough to understand why theres effort apparent to actually conjure indifference. No the sort of person I'd be wanting any convo with for sure anyhow - sounds a right wee prick. To address the point again of promoting togetherness etc - whilst theres plaudits to be had for extending olive branches and the like; I'm not sure this translates to sticking a photo of yourself up kissing and pointing to a badge of a hated rival. If there was an effort to promote togetherness and warmth - surely the chat would be about being professional and seeing past division; certainly not punctuating your first message to the new set of supporters with stab-in-the-back-worthy utterings. As fuck you to the previous as it gets - compounded further with the public acknowledgments of agreeance from team mates left behind. If any doubt was had by any that serious change is required - it has been erradicated beyond belief with the activity recently. Potential doldrums for a spell to fuck - we are in doldrums right now without any sign of intent or desire for improvement. A stale pungent product for which we are paying more than ever. The investment results in a scrutiny of the purest - and with it the best chance of actual progressive change since the obvious forebearer. Nothing left to chance, no sense of luck landing the right people - actual well-intentioned believers who spend every waking moment breathing the place and knowing what will help. Anyhow - lets put this shit to a side there for a sec, its time to set up the day ahead with a wee seed of hope 😎 In times of hurt, We become more curt - Instead slip on the shirt, And set the bubbly to squirt. Reddit Running Total (RRT) currently sits at -£343.43. Ah no. I’m not promoting it in the slightest to be put on; it's purely to be completely transparent about where the beans I'm spilling are being pushed towards – this is after all, a Life Experiment: Can a useless old arsehole prosper under strict weekly gambling conditions? Word of warning; prior to this – not really.
The sticky clarifies - but just to reiterate - here's the format...DRS20 is Dads Recommended Spend: £20. This is a lot of money granted - and I would encourage absolute apprehension if this sort of money represents life altering for you personally if zero is returned. I’m lucky enough to be able to afford to lose £20 in a week; but confess that if I got no return for say, 20 weeks in a row - I would likely be without something I value (a streaming service or summat). I don’t take it lightly. Four bets are placed with this outlay; a £5 Treble (DWT) and three £5 Doubles. Generally if two come up, the bet is covered (up or down £2 or so). My gambling prowess is pretty much a joke; so whilst I advertise, I in no way qualify them as a given. I’m a prick with plenty bollocks to spout is all. This is how I frame it.
So here it is - the one that senses the need for practicality; but also the need for spirit - where dreams and prosperity tug at your coat desperate for attention: Its DWT37 https://i.redd.it/u5wdm9iv2tf61.gif
19.4/1 we get for this selection – terrific. Over 29's last week; over 19's this week - and at that, a mere smidge under 20's; a return of that sort a gift if you ask me - terrific 😎. But we've been here oft before - sails chock a fucking block with wind; gusto apparent at every turn. But with this one - something different. Something...special. All at home, all heroes - we're no slipping our eggs into a pit of terror and hopelessness here; ability pours out of these teams with vigour - no doubt there. Never assume of course - but I reckon at least one hombre will join me on this journey - at the very least. MIDDLEBOROUGH have a tough task on paper; brentford consistently seen as a pretender to the championship title and with it, odds on prices much of the time. At home which helps - although they've had a tough time recently (3 defeats in a row); summat to arrest and no mistake. My eyes were drawn mainly however owing to the cup game between the two mid-January; brentford alas winners - but Middlesborough were fucking pummelling them (23 goal attempts by golly)...they'll be itching for another stab at taking the cunts down. QUEENS PARK RANGERS find themselves back amongst the picks; the expected rise in form stuttered against derby as we know - but midweek there, an away win over Watford with the man of the moment amongst the goals (Charles Austin). Back home with a gusto - I expect great things. No idiots blackburn of course - but mere fodder they are this week. PETERBOROUGH UNITED another recent selection (with great success I might add); Posh have had a wee dip there in between times. Couple of defeats back to back surprisingly; but now back home, they can get back to work. A run of 6 without defeat at home (5 wins) - expect goals to rain in. The stats show crewe being stung with just 1 defeat in the last 4 away; but the defeat was heavy (4-1 to Gillingham), and two of the three were draws. So there we have it – nostalgia, hope and determination all apparent in equal measure. This time we do it right; wind in the sails – and off across the ocean in search of new worlds. A powerful pirate ship hunting high and low for treasures. Raise the fucking flag - the good ship DWT is back and ready to provide for its crew. If you play; play safe. DRS20 as always people. Frustration at the amount won, is better than the heartache at the amount lost. https://preview.redd.it/946ip96x2tf61.jpg?width=630&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8ed00afdb1055076d2342d79be326058af583d9
I see a lot of text posts in this sub of 'previews' for matches, but they are always very low effort and essentially just ask "What do you think?" without providing much information or analysis. Since I have quite a bit of free time at work right now, I thought I'd do a bit of stat-accumulation and put together a little preview of this weekend's match. _______________
Villa:
After a very entertaining 0-0 draw at home against Burnley, the side will make the daunting trek all of 3.5 miles to the Hawthorns to take on a West Brom side under new management. Form: We have seemingly turned the corner on the poor run of form we suffered from the end of October to the start of December. After losing 4 of 5 (only beating a dismal Arsenal side), we showed extremely good spirit while earning a scrappy win at Wolves. We followed that up with a dominant performance at home against Burnley. Burnley Match:Deano sent out a much changed side against Burnley. Not only did he bring in replacements for the suspended and injured lads, but he also "changed the shape a little bit today because of the way Burnley play." Yes, we only walked away with a single point, but the changes from Deano undoubtedly worked as we controlled the match and had ample opportunity to score. Although we couldn't finish any of those ~850 chances, it is 2 clean sheets in a row. As Deano said,
We had enough chances to win two games, maybe even three... my concern is when you're not getting chances. We look like a team unlikely to concede goals as well, when you do that you'll accumulate points. (Link to the interview)
Team News: This match also saw no new injuries (thank you Mr. Mee) or suspensions, so we will be at nearly full strength this weekend. Douglas Luiz, Matty Cash, Bjorn Engels, Keinan Davis, and Ross Barkley should all be fit and eligible to start for the match this weekend. Trezeguet and Wes will likely be out beyond the end of the Christmas period.
West Brom:
West Brom have had a rough start to life back in the Premier League. Despite a stalwart defence against Man City earning the Baggies a point, they remain at the wrong end of the table and Slaven Bilić faced the axe on Wednesday. The managerial merry-go-round spun Big Sam into the spotlight once more - his first job since he was let go by Everton in 2018. Form:West Brom have earned 4 points in their past 5 matches, including their first win of the season against Sheffield United and the hard fought draw against City. That first (and only) win this year came against a winless, bottom of the table, Blades side who have lost 12 of 13 matches this year. Although they have managed a few impressive performances and results this year, they have only earned 2 points from sides outside the bottom 5 this year (3-3 Chelsea & 1-1 City). City Match: West Brom were once again without Matheus Pereira in the side, as he sat out the second match of his 3 match ban following his dismissal against Palace. The Baggies were very content to play for a draw, having just over 20% possession and only 1 single shot on target. Only 15% of the match took place in City's defensive third... Team News: Pereira will miss his 3rd and final game of his ban following his violent conduct charge. Kyle Bartley could also miss the match after being ruled out of the Newcastle and Man City matches. Conor Townsend and Hal Robson-Kanu will both be out until the end of December.
Sam Allardyce
Big Sam was sacked from Everton, despite guiding the Toffees to a top half finish, mostly through the clamouring of fans about the boring style which had been instilled in the side. He has a phenomenal record of saving sides from relegation, having never been relegated himself from the top division. Big Sam's Record as a new manager in the top flight (and with England):
Team
Opponent
Score
Year
Everton
Huddersfield
2-0
2017
Crystal Palace
Watford
1-1
2016
England
Slovakia
1-0
2016
Sunderland
West Brom
0-1
2015
Blackburn
Stoke
3-0
2008
Newcastle
Bolton
3-1
2007
Total
4-1-1
10-3
STATS
Consistency in Minutes West Brom have changed their side up many times this season - only 3 players (Johnstone, Ajayi and Furlong) have played more than 75% of minutes this year. The 4th player with the most minutes is Conor Gallagher with 800 minutes (68% of available minutes). Villa have been the opposite. NINE players have more minutes than Conor Gallagher in 2 fewer matches. Even Trezeguet, with 720 minutes, has a higher percentage of minutes played (73%). Only Villa's last spot (barring injury and suspension) has been changing, as Barkley had not come into the side until a few matches into the year.
Style of Play As opposed to the match against Burnley, West Brom probably won't sit back and play for a draw. They actually have a fairly decent attacking style - in fact, it matches our own style of play pretty closely. Both sides play a similar range of passing and at similar rates, West Brom are just a touch worse than us at it.
Team
Total
Long Ball %
Short Acc.
Long Acc.
Villa
389.5
15.5%
83.9%
44.3%
West Brom
381.6
15.1%
82.8%
42.9%
Where will the ball be? Looking at the average area of play for both sides this season, they match up quite well:
Team
Off.
Mid.
Def.
Villa
33%
41%
26%
WBA
24%
45%
31%
We may see a similar story this weekend.
History Outside of the traditional top 5 clubs, West Brom do not have a worse record against any side (5+ matches played). Villa lead this matchup across all of history with 25 wins to the Baggies' 14, while there have been 17 draws as well. In the Premier League era, Villa lead with 10 wins, 10 draws and 5 losses.
Open play - wide open No team has conceded more goals, or more from open play this year than the Baggies. They also have only scored fewer goals from open play than 17 teams - only Sheffield United and Burnley are worse. While West Brom are conceding 2 goals per game, Villa are scoring 1.9 per game. Villa concede 1.18 goals per game, West Brom score 0.77 per game.
So what are your predictions, concerns, thoughts and bets for the match this weekend? How will Deano set the side up, and will Barkley be fit enough to start?
Alright so I'm playing fm20, and I'm in my 4th season for one of the only two teams I could get an offer for at the beginning of my save. I'm in the Hong Kong Premier League and have been able to lead my team to one second place finish and two league titles after joining the team near relegation. I've also got 7 other cup wins, brought the team from intense debt (-300k) to okay finances and positive balance, and have developed top level prospects. As I haven't played any previous games I must be doing something wrong if I can't get any jobs in vanarama national, or really any teams with 2 stars of reputation. I started as a Sunday league player and I am currently studying for a national A license. I even created other coaches with slightly better playing experience but much worse stats and they could get jobs. I just want to get a job in sky bet. ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED!!
Alabama Slammers Franchise Report - Year 12: A New Era
Welcome back to year twelve of the Alabama Slammers Franchise Report! Here are the links to the previous versions if you want to catch up (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, 2031). Go ahead and grab some popcorn, this is a long one. We had another great season last year, followed by another disappointing playoff exit. I like where the franchise is at though. We have great fan interest/loyalty, talent at every level of the organization, and no bad contracts. We’re probably going to have to part with a few key contributors this offseason, but that’s bound to happen when you have as much talent as we do. With a few smart moves, we should push closer to a title this year. As with the previous versions, I’ll list the moves I made, the rationale behind those moves, the season results, and the future outlook. Here are the salaries heading into the offseason. \Unless stated otherwise, all players were re-signed to their one-year arbitration estimate* Departures (non-trades): Edwin Aguirre Aguirre spent some time in the majors last year when Romo was injured but wasn’t needed this season. He’s entering minor league free agency, and I don’t think he’s worth keeping on the 40-man, so he probably won’t be back. Josh Berkner Berkner got three shots in the majors and didn’t do much with his opportunities, so I decided to give someone else a chance. He spent the year in AAA. Tim Mehler Mehler is great defensively but just can’t cut it at the plate. He was out of options, so I let him leave as a free agent. He signed a minor league deal with the Rockies. Move #1: Signed Ali Sanchez to a 2/$3m extension. The second year is a team option with a $500k buyout. This move isn’t very exciting, but don’t worry, things will heat up below. Move #2: Slammers Receive: Luis Godoy, $6.4m Cash Brewers Receive: Robby Teeter, Sean Whiteman This move kills three birds with one stone. I cashed out on Teeter while his value was still high, cleared some of the starting pitcher logjam, and added an elite power hitter. Also, the departure of Teeter allows us the ability to build a more versatile roster, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. The Brewers are winning this trade from a straight value perspective, but I’m no longer in the business of trying to win trades. I’m trying to win championships. You can collect all the assets and value contracts in the world, but at the end of the day, you need top end talent to win at the highest level – and Godoy provides that. He has questionable character, but I should have enough leadership to counter his selfish ways. Move #3: Slammers Receive: Edgar Sanchez, Bryn Hill, Caleb Gunther, Omar Taborda, Tim Brackman Athletics Receive: Chris West West might have more potential than any pitcher in the league, but I felt the opportunity to acquire Sanchez was too great to pass up. He’s an elite defender, above average offensively, has durable injury proneness, and has great character. He could anchor the middle of my infield for the next ten years. West might win the next five Cy Youngs, but I’m betting against that considering his low work ethic and the general injury proneness of pitchers. Then to make the deal even better, the Athletics threw in an assortment of high character minor leaguers. There might not be a single player in the bunch that makes the majors, but they’ll at least help provide a better environment for other guys. Move #4: Slammers Receive: Bob Banks, $3m Cash Angels Receive: Fernando Tatis Jr. Why am I getting rid of Tatis for a low-level minor leaguer with a 5% chance of making the majors? You’ll find out when you get to move number six. The Angels signed Tatis to a 5/$237.5m extension about a week after the trade. I don’t see any way that deal ends well for them. Move #5: Slammers Receive: Alan McCarter Rays Receive: Josh Epps, $1.1m Cash At surface level, this trade doesn’t make much sense either, but I needed to clear Epps $10m arbitration estimate for next season. I think Epps is what he is at this point and I’m really not that worried about losing him. MacCarter is a good reliever and replaces Epps as the team prankster. Move #6: Signed free agent Willie Vega to a 7/$190m deal. The last year is a team option with a $2m buyout. This is the driving force behind moves five and six. I fully intended to move on from Vega at the start of the offseason, but after looking at my roster at the start of free agency, I decided he was irreplaceable. He provides gold glove defense, above average offense, and hits from the left side of the plate, which makes balancing lineups much easier. I could’ve had him for much cheaper if I decided to commit last year but this is the price of my indecision. His deal is heavily front loaded and should be movable if things don’t go well later in the contract. Move #7 (Part 1,Part 2,Part 3): Slammers Receive: $13.7m Cash Slammers Lose: Joe Stadler, Randy Macke, Nesty Luna Nothing much to see here, just your annual “prospects for cash” trades. Macke is a solid player but was rule 5 eligible and I didn’t want to waste a 40-man roster spot on him. Move #8: Slammers Receive: $1m Cash Dodgers Receive: Cooper Benson, Sam Lauderdale, Kade Grundy This is just a salary dump. I have enough depth now there’s really no point in keeping Benson and Lauderdale around. I threw in Grundy to get some extra cash. Final Financial Situation: We have about $27m in budget room to start the year, so should be able to finish the season in the green, but I’ll probably trade a few more prospects to get closer to completing the owner goal of finishing with a balance of $20m. I’m also boosting ticket prices from $35 to $40, so that should help as well. Here are the salaries heading into the season. Season Outlook: I’m very interested to see how this season turns out. We’ve been cruising along the past 2-3 years with the same core roster but really shook things up this offseason. I think these moves put us in a better position to win now and in the future, but there’s always the concern I’m just making moves out of boredom. Here are the five things I’m most curious about heading into the season: 1.) Can Vega provide close to what he’s provided the past few years? I didn’t give him that contract in anticipation of him becoming the next Barry Bonds, I just want him to keep doing what he’s doing. If he can do that for another three years, I’ll be happy. 2.) Is MacDonald really a top of the line starting pitcher? He was the best reliever in the league last year and his trade value is sky high. Every team I traded with this offseason valued him as my second-best asset after Chris West. His overall rating is really good, but I’m concerned about his lack of stuff and questionable stamina/hold runners combo. 3.) How does the offense perform after losing our 3-4 hitters from last season? I know I replaced one of them with Godoy, but players tend to struggle when first joining a new team, and we don’t have a second premier middle of the order bat. We’ll mostly be doing an offense by committee approach. 4.) Can Hines handle a full-time starting role? With the departure of Tatis, I’m moving Bernal to third base and starting Hines at first. He’s not a traditional first baseman but he played well last year and has an efficient ratings profile. I’ll be happy if he provides league average offense. 5.) How will the Hopper/Muntner DH platoon fare? Hopper should be an elite leadoff man vs. RHP and Muntner should be solid vs. LHP. I’m hoping Hopper can play a full season if he doesn’t have to play in the field. If things go well, we should win another 100+ games and make a strong push at a title. Batters: Primary Lineupvs. RHPandvs. LHPwhen Healthy (\DH enabled in both leagues, lineup vs. RHP listed below)* DH – Jeff Hopper Other than a day-to-day injury to end the year, Hopper stayed healthy the entire season and played really well. He had an OBP of .370 and provided exactly what I wanted from the leadoff spot. He should be back in the same role next year. 3B – Ernesto Bernal I forgot to mention above, but Bernal signed a 5/$110m in the offseason. He’s an all-star, has high character, durable injury proneness, and is in the prime of his career, so it made a lot of sense to bring him back at this price. He’s been with the organization for ten years and it would be really cool to have him around for ten more. He moved from first to third base this season and made his third all-star team. RF – Luis Godoy Godoy didn’t have the type of year I expected but was still really good. He was an all-star starter and put up 5.1 WAR in just 128 games. I expect him to be much better next season after having a full year to adjust to his new team. He missed the last month of the year with a sprained thumb, but he should be fine going forward. LF – Marcus Flakes Flakes isn’t the second middle of the order bat I dreamed about as a kid, but he did well in the role, hitting 41 home runs and driving in 101 runs. He still has one more year on a minimum scale deal, so he’ll definitely return. SS – Willie Vega Willie Vega: The Fifty Million Dollar Man – That doesn’t really sound appropriate for a guy with 4.6 WAR, but I’m actually very happy with what he did. Him and Sanchez formed an unreal middle infield defensive combo, which resulted in this (major spoilers for the pitcher section). We’re not out of the woods yet with his contract but I think we’ll be good if he performs well again next year. At the end of next season, he’ll only have 4/$87m guaranteed remaining, which should be moveable if need be. 2B – Edgar Sanchez I didn’t realize how much Epps was holding us back defensively until Sanchez came to town. He won his third gold glove and was a huge part of the reason we had a team ERA under 3. His offense was average, but I could see that getting much better the next few seasons. 1B – Jonathan Hines I was hoping Hines would be a league average hitter, and he fell just short of that. I’ll upgrade in the offseason if the right player is available but I’m not going to break the bank. Not every player has to be an all-star. CF – Joey Hudson Hudson had a great year and is really starting to establish himself as one of the better center fielders in the league. He probably deserves to bat higher in the order next season, but I might wait for his baserunning to improve just a bit more. C – Drew Romo It’s been a long time coming, but Romo finally won his first gold glove. He’s been the best defensive catcher in the game for a while, but I don’t play my guys enough to easily rack up awards. I’d rather have them available for the playoffs. He’s an upcoming free agent and his offense is falling off a cliff, but I’m probably going to bring him back. If things go poorly, I’ll replace him midseason. Bench C – Ali Sanchez I don’t expect much from my backup catcher, and Sanchez doesn’t provide much, so I guess everyone was happy with the way his season turned out. I think I’m going to decline his team option and go with the guy that replaced him while he was injured. IF – Manny Monzon Monzon keeps the middle infield defense elite while the starters rest but doesn’t do much on offense. I might give someone else a shot next year. OF – Josh Muntner Muntner served as the primary DH vs. LHP and backed up left and right field against RHPs. He started in 99 games and really didn’t do much with his opportunity, so I guess I was one for two with my DH platoon experiment. Replacements C – Danny Wells Wells filled in for six weeks when Sanchez was injured and didn’t do much worse than the vet. I’m probably going to let him have the backup catcher role next season. OF – Mike Startzel Startzel played well last year but I decided to replace him with a right-handed bat. He was called up when Godoy was injured and started the last month of the year in right field. Pitchers: Pitching Staff when Healthy SP – Pat Dibartolo Dibartolo had another great year, making his third all-star team and finishing fourth in the Cy Young voting. I would love to keep him around until he retires but his ratings have started to slip slightly, and I don’t think he’ll last too long into his thirties. I’ll bring him back for his last arbitration season, then let him walk as a free agent. SP – Gilles Palacios Palacios has come a long way since I traded for him in 2028. He was the all-star game starter and won his first Cy Young. I’ll look to sign him long-term in the offseason. SP – Corey MacDonald I wasn’t sure if MacDonald was good enough to be a top-of-the-line starter, but there’s no doubt about it now – he’s one of the top pitchers in baseball. He made his second all-star game, threw two complete game shutouts, won the pitcher of the month award in June, won the gold glove award, and finished third in the Cy Young voting. With his high character and durability, he should be a good player for a long time. SP – Josh Sheppard Sheppard was the fourth member of our golden pitcher quartet. He made the all-star game and finished second in the Cy Young voting. SP – Jonathan Kelsey Kelsey was decent but I had to demote him in June to make room for my number one prospect. He was called back up when rosters expanded and we went to a six-man rotation. RP – Chris Ryan I mentioned a few years ago that pitchers with Ryan’s profile never seem to reach their potential and it seems like Ryan has followed suit. He’s a solid player but nowhere near as good as his 70 potential suggested a few years back. RP – Steve Bacon Bacon really didn’t pitch enough to properly evaluate. We’ll probably go to an eight-man bullpen next season, and if Bacon is a member of it, we can properly evaluate him then. RP – Alan McCarter McCarter was really good and looks like he has the potential to be even better. Hopefully, his control rounds out next season. RP – Danny Ibarra Ibarra finally gave up his dream of being a starter and accepted his role in the bullpen. He posted almost identical stats as last year and I hope he does the same next season. RP – Justus Evans I wasn’t a big fan of Evans ratings profile but decided to give him a shot since he dominated in AAA last year. He was pretty underwhelming in limited appearances, and probably deserves another look, but he’ll be changing positions next season. Somehow, I didn’t notice he has great batting ratings, especially against lefties, so he’ll be the other half of the DH platoon I’ve been looking for. It’s too bad I disabled two-way players because it’d be nice to have him available as a pitcher in emergencies. RP – Mike Ruhs Ruhs is nothing special but he’s cheap and healthy, so he’ll be back next year. RP – Joe McKinney McKinney is my favorite kind of reliever. He has all the ratings of an elite starting pitcher, minus the stamina. He dominated for the second straight season and will be back again next year. RP – Tommy Noonan Noonan had an FIP of 1.98 and made his first all-star team, but somehow received zero reliever of the year votes. I really don’t see how this is possible since he’s probably the most feared pitcher in all of baseball. He strikes out half the batters he faces, and 60% of those that put the ball in play are hitting it on the ground to the Vega/Sanchez death wall. The voters need to show him some more respect next year. RP – Glen Alcorn I took a flier on Alcorn despite his history of back injuries and he’s paid off in a big way. He had an FIP of 1.86 and won the reliever of the year award. He wants to be a starter but there’s no way he’d survive a full season with his health issues. Replacements SP – Andy Schaffer Schaffer was whitewashing AA early in the year, so I had no choice but to call him up. He pitched great in his 21 starts in the majors and might’ve given me a clean top five in the Cy Young voting if he pitched a full season. Season Results: We continued to put a stranglehold on the division, building a 20-game lead by the halfway point, then cruising the rest of the way. We locked up first place with 22 games remaining, making that our seventh division crown in nine years. This year wasn’t about the regular season though. We’ve had multiple disappointing early round playoff exits the last few years and I’m hoping to break through and win our second title. We doubled down on pitching and defense and made sure to keep everyone as fresh as possible during the regular season. Our injury prevention plan went great for the most part. We had zero pitchers and only two batters spend time on the IL, and one of those batters was a 34-year-old. Unfortunately, one of the batters to miss extended time was the one guy I could least afford to lose. Luis Godoy sprained his thumb in early September and was out through the first round of the playoffs. What luck. Startzel started at RF in place of Godoy to start the playoffs, and Hudson moved up to the number three spot in the lineup. I’m not crazy about either of these options, but it’s the best we’ve got. We went with a playoff rotation of MacDonald, Palacios, Dibartolo, and Schaffer, and moved Sheppard and Kelsey to the bullpen. Justus and Bacon were left off the playoff roster. Our first-round matchup was against the 90-72 Rockies. Their only real player of note was Steve Delaney, but he looks like the kind of guy that can swing a series. Then their offense was balanced and deep, with most players having 55+ home run power. We have more talent, but anything can happen at Coors.. Divisional Series Game 1, Slammers Win 4-2 – We started off strong in game one, getting a combined 15 Ks over nine innings from MacDonald, Noonan, and Alcorn. Then Flakes led the way on offense with 3 RBIs. The game was tied most of the way until his go ahead single in the bottom of the eighth. Divisional Series Game 2, Slammers Win 9-2 – The pitching staff put together another great outing in game two, with Palacios, Alcorn, and Sheppard combining for 15 Ks over nine innings. Flakes led the way on offense with another 3 RBIs. Divisional Series Game 3, Slammers Win 5-2 – I was worried their offense would come to life at Coors but we were able to keep them at bay and win our third straight game. This time it was Dibartolo, Noonan, and McKinney combining for a dominant pitching performance, with 13 Ks over nine innings. Everyone chipped in on offense to produce five runs. Divisional Series Game 4, Rockies Win 8-7 (12) – I knew it was bound to happen at some point and it finally did – the Rockies offense came to life. Alcorn and McKinney both blew save opportunities and Ibarra gave up a walk-off homer in the bottom of the twelfth. Flakes continued his hot series with another 4 RBIs. Divisional Series Game 5, Rockies Win 5-1 – The Rockies continued their offensive surge, taking MacDonald deep three times in four innings. Then Delaney gave them six innings of one run ball. The Rockies have momentum but we’re heading back home with the Cy Young winner scheduled to start game six. I think we’ll be fine. Divisional Series Game 6, Slammers Win 8-2 – Palacios gave up a two-run shot in the first, then him, Ryan, and Kelsey combined for 13 Ks and 0 ER the rest of the way. Flakes was hot again, launching two three-run homers. I was worried our offense would stall out without Godoy, but Flakes put the team on his back, winning series MVP behind his 5 home runs and 17 RBIs. We held serve at home and stole one on the road, with our pitching dominating in each of the wins. Godoy is set to return for game one of the NLCS, so I like our odds the rest of the way. Our next opponent is the 100-62 Nationals. They have the second-best record in baseball and a very talented team. Their offense is led by MVP Doug Bridges and future hall of famer Juan Soto, and the pitching staff features stud starters Clay McAuley and Fabricio Tertlio. This looks like the de facto title series. NLCS Game 1, Slammers Win 7-3 – Godoy made up for lost time in game one, going 3-5 with two homers and 4 RBIs. Then the pitching was solid with great performances from the usual suspects. Dibartolo, Noonan, and Alcorn combined for 11 Ks and 3 ERs over nine innings. NLCS Game 2, Slammers Win 3-1 – Schaffer pitched a gem, giving us seven innings and only allowing one run. Then McKinney came in and closed it down with a two inning save. Godoy hit another homer, while Romo and Hines both had run scoring singles. NLCS Game 3, Slammers Win 3-2 (14) – Whew, what a game. MacDonald and McAuley both went 6.1 innings and gave up two runs, with the last of those coming in the bottom of the seventh. Then no one scored again until the top of the fourteenth when Sanchez hit a go-ahead solo homer. Noonan, Alcorn, McKinney, and Ibarra combined for 7.2 scoreless innings in relief and Godoy hit another two-run homer. NLCS Game 4, Slammers Win 7-2 – This one was over early. We knocked out their starter in the first and cruised the rest of the way. Palacios and Sheppard combined for 9 innings and 2 ERs, and everyone chipped in on offense. We made a huge statement with this series. The Nationals thought they were on the same level as us, but we eviscerated them. Godoy won series MVP with his four home runs and eight RBIs. Up next is the 93-69 Red Sox, led by veteran starting pitcher Nate Pearson. They have a deep and balanced team, but nothing that should give us too many issues. We made a key trade with them last year that netted us Alcorn and Ibarra, while sending out Chang-Hyeok Kim. I bet they wish they could undo that one. World Series Game 1, Slammers Win 3-2 – Game one was a pitching duel between Pearson and Dibartolo, with Dibartolo coming out on top. Dibartolo, Noonan, and Alcorn combined for 14 Ks and 2 ERs over nine innings. Hopper hit a two-run home run and Godoy continued his hot streak with another solo shot. World Series Game 2, Slammers Win 6-2 – The pitching came through again with Schaffer, McKinney, and Ruhs combing for 10 Ks and 2 ERs in nine innings. Things are looking good after two games. World Series Game 3, Red Sox Win 10-8 – Some people say a series doesn’t start until the road team wins a game, so maybe we’re still waiting for this one to kick off. The Red Sox roughed up our pitchers and we lost a shootout late. World Series Game 4, Slammers Win 7-2 – The pitching got back on track in game four with Palacios and Ryan teaming up to allow 2 ERs over nine innings. Flakes had four hits and Bernal drove in three runs. World Series Game 5, Red Sox Win 7-5 – Godoy had a huge game, going 3-3 with 2 home runs, a triple, 2 walks, 4 RBIs, and 2 runs scored, but it wasn’t enough for the victory. The Red Sox got to Dibartolo early and we could never climb back. We’re heading back home and looking to close out the series in game six. World Series Game 6, Slammers Win 11-4 – We scored early and often and took game six in convincing fashion. Godoy provided another 3 RBIs and Schaffer did enough to win. Noonan and Kelsey closed out the last three innings. After five long years we’re World Series champs once again! Godoy had another huge series and won World Series MVP, capping off an amazing postseason run (seriously, check this out). This wasn’t as action packed as our 2027 title run, but I enjoyed it just as much. It was very satisfying watching our pitching and defense squeeze the life out of teams. We had a team ERA of 3.32 over 16 games, which is pretty impressive considering we were playing the best teams in the league. The starters were all excellent and the bullpen was lights out. I bet other teams got tired of seeing “Slammers SP – 6.2 IP, 2 ER; Slammers RP 1 – 1.1 IP, 0 ER, Slammers RP 2 – 1 IP 0 ER.” It was like clockwork. Noonan, Alcorn, and McKinney were particularly impressive. Noonan had an FIP of 0.62 in seven appearances and struck out 23 of the 43 batters he faced. McKinney had an FIP of 0.95 in 9.2 innings and only allowed 6 baserunners. Then Alcorn allowed zero runs in five of his seven appearances. I don’t think I would swap these guys for any other relievers in the league. From everything I’ve written above, it’s pretty obvious that we won this championship with pitching and defense, so I think it’s worth mentioning Vega’s contract again. $50m for 4.6 WAR is terrible value but it’s not always about that. It’s about getting the right players for your team, regardless of how valuable their contracts are. It’s really easy to get caught up in trying to win the $/WAR game, but they don’t give out championships for that – they only give out World Series titles. Here are the rest of the playoff results and MLB standings. Also, I usually don’t mention minor league records since I don’t think they’re overly important, but we had all of our minor league teams finish with a winning record this season. Good job everyone! Top Prospects: We’ve turned in to a starting pitching factory. I can’t get guys to free agency quick enough to make room for the new guys coming up. This is a good problem to have, but I wish I could do as well with developing batters. It just seems so much harder to identify top position players outside of the top ten in the draft, and I can’t develop them as well either. Either way though, the farm is in great shape and should continue to be for years to come. 1.) Eddie Copping Copping might not have the highest upside on the list but he’s the safest bet to make the majors. He had a great year in AA, winning pitcher of the year, and his ratings are pretty much major league ready. He’ll probably start next year at AAA since I have a logjam of starting pitchers. 2.) Chris Dearborn Dearborn has great character, durability, and ratings across the board. He had a good year in A- and will contend for Cy Young awards one day if he reaches his full potential. 3.) Alex Rivera Rivera’s offensive potential has regressed since last year, but his defensive ratings improved. He struggled in A, so will repeat the level next year. Hopefully, I didn’t cause any permanent damage to his development by promoting him too early. 4.) Jose Gutierrez Gutierrez had a monster year in rookie ball and saw his ratings progress nicely since last season. If his catcher ability can make it to 65-70, he’ll be my starting catcher one day. 5.) Chris Brown Brown was my first-round selection in this year’s draft. He has below average stamina and hold runners, but all of his other potential ratings are elite. He performed well in rookie ball, but I might give him another year there to improve his control. 6.) Chris Larkin Larkin continued his steady ascent through the system, posting a good year in A+ and seeing his ratings improve since last season. He’ll start next year in AA and should be ready for the majors sooner than later. 7.) Edwin Mireles Mireles had a solid year in A+ but missed a lot of time to injury. He’ll start next season in AA, but I won’t hesitate to trade him if the right deal comes along. Here are his ratings from last season. 8.) Bobby Butler I still don’t trust Butler and his normal injury proneness, but his talent is undeniable. His ratings have improved across the board since last season and he looks ready for promotion to AA. Like Mireles, I’ll trade him if the right deal comes along. 9.) Luis Arguello If you’ve been paying close attention, you might’ve noticed Arguello is the fourth starting pitcher in the top nine from the 2030 draft. He doesn’t have the same upside as the other guys but he’s a pretty safe bet to be a back of the rotation starter, and if his movement improves, he could be elite. He’ll start next season at A+. 10.) Josh McBride McBride’s skills have rounded out since last year and he looks ready for the majors. I doubt he’ll ever be a star, but there’s definitely value in a guy that can competently play eight positions. Honorable mentions: Joe Poffenberger Poffenberger looks like the real deal but I’m always skeptical of guys with normal injury proneness and no positive character attributes. He’ll start next season at A, and we’ll find out more about him there. Omar Taborda I would’ve been foaming at the mouth to get Taborda in the starting lineup a few years ago but Vega and Sanchez have the middle infield on lock for the next several seasons. He might replace Monzon as the utility infielder next year, but it probably makes more sense to trade him while his value is highest. Steve Flores Flores made the list two years ago due to a lack of better options, but I think he’s a legitimate prospect now. He might not ever bat his weight, but he could be one of the greatest defensive shortstops of all time. I’m hoping his high character allows his offensive skills to improve the next few years. Ray Zaragoza I had every intention of trading Zaragoza after his season ending injury last year but there really wasn’t much interest in him. Unfortunately, he suffered another season ending injury in his first game back this year, so I doubt there will be any more interest in him now. I think I’m going to force start him as a reliever so he has a chance to make the majors in some capacity. Promoted to MLB: Andy Schaffer Dropped from list: Josh Boston So, a low character guy is fizzling out, guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. Here are his ratings from last year. Future Outlook: We’re in amazing position going forward. We just won the World Series, have the top four Cy Young award vote getters, have the ability to bring back everyone, and could probably even bring in another MVP caliber player. Then for good measure, we also have a great farm system. The rest of division is looking up in awe. So, where do we go from here? It’s really fun racking up championships but it can get kind of boring after a while. I know I don’t have enough titles to be complaining about boredom yet, but we look like we’re trending in that direction. I’m thinking about making some league wide adjustments to shake things up. Here are the changes I’m considering this offseason: 1.) Re-align the Divisions I loved the rivalry with the Braves when I first started the franchise, but we’ve kind of got our foot on their necks at the moment, and I don’t see them getting back up anytime soon. We’ve established such a strong position in the division it’s almost impossible for them to make the playoffs, and with every passing year their fan interest/loyalty gets worse and the gap between us and them only grows larger. The Cardinals are in a similar situation, and the Marlins might as well be a minor league team. I’m thinking about re-aligning the divisions based on winning percentages from the last twelve years, putting the top four teams in one division, the next four teams in another, and so on. This would give teams like the Marlins a chance to make the playoffs and make it where teams like ours can’t put a long-term strangle hold on a division. I could re-align every ten years or so to make sure no one gets too strong of a position. 2.) Expand the Playoffs This is the simplest change I could make but the one I like least. We currently have 32 teams in the league and eight of them make the playoffs, so it really feels like an accomplishment to make it and the playoff bracket sets up perfectly. If we added two wildcards to each division, we’d need to give two teams in each conference a bye, which isn’t somethings I’m crazy about doing. Then if we added four wildcards, or let the top two from each division qualify, it would really diminish the regular season. I seriously doubt I go this route. 3.) Eliminate Divisions This is an appealing option, but I’ve had issues with it in the past. Basically, it becomes too easy to make the playoffs because you don’t have to worry about a juggernaut appearing in your division. If there’s a 110-win team in the league, who cares, you’ll still make the playoffs with 100 wins, so you can really let off the gas during the regular season. I might give it another try though. 4.) Expand the League This is mostly a temporary solution, but it could make things more difficult in the short term. I have way too many players to protect in an expansion draft, so would definitely lose some depth. I might do this along with re-alignment, but it’s not a permanent balancing solution. 5.) Add Promotion and Relegation I think this is the best route to giving everyone a chance at winning but it would require some pretty radical changes to the league. Here are some of the things I would have to figure out: Who starts out in the lower league? Do I introduce expansion teams at the same time? How many teams make the playoffs? How many teams are promoted/relegated each year? How do I do the financials? Then there are probably another thirty things I haven’t thought of yet. This is probably what I should do, but I don’t know if I’m ready to make that leap yet. Here is the budget and salaries heading into the offseason.
2021 LPL Preseason Rankings (From someone watching WAY too much esports)
Hello. I decided to put this here 'cause why not? I came up with the idea to rank each position and use those stats to rank the 17 LPL teams, along with doing rankings for each team's ranking if every team hit their ceiling (best possible play) for the year and if every team hit their floor (worst possible play) for the upcoming season. LPL is definitely much harder to do this for, since there's so many teams and it's the region I'm still gaining knowledge of over time, but I still have watched enough LPL over the past few years to be confident enough to try it. I also plan to do LCK, LEC and LCS over the next few days. Still, wanted to get this one done since the LPL season starts tomorrow. Feel free to disagree and input your opinions, as you may have an edge in knowledge on certain players and teams that I might not. I'm not one to take things personally. I'm not always right and I want to learn and grow as I continue to try and expand on this. It's fun to theory craft on how the upcoming season could go. Here goes! 17 - Oh My God (16th in Ceiling, 17th in Floor) Top: New - 14th ranked Top Lane Jungle: Aki - 13th ranked Jungle Mid: Wuming/Bright -16th ranked Mid Lane ADC: Eric - 17th ranked ADC Support: Cold/Bafang - 17th ranked Support This team has a lot of potential growth. However, their weak bot lane has them bottom ranked. New and Wuming have shown a lot of fire and if Aki can impact the game effectively, this team could have a nice ceiling. However, the potential floor of Eric with the high class ADC's of LPL is a great worry for this team in a meta that will likely be about making ADC's world a nightmare. In some world, Aki and the solo laners can carry games. But it likely won't be enough to get them many wins. 16 - TT (14th in Ceiling, 16th in Floor) Top: Chelizi - 17th ranked Top Lane Jungler: Xiaopeng/Bless/VV - 16th ranked Jungle Mid: Captain/Sky/Twalia - 13th ranked Mid Lane ADC: SamD - 11th ranked ADC Support: Teeen - 16th ranked Support TT (Formerly Dominus Esports) has quite a bit of intrigue. Their ceiling could be higher, as SamD is quite an exciting prospect for their future. Captain has also had great performances in LDL and won a title there. Still, Xiaopeng's lackluster performances in LPL prior and the uncertainty of how Chelizi will handle a gauntlet top lane region could prove dire for TT's winning aspirations. SamD also has the challenge of learning how to play with Teeen. TT could have a lot of promise, but they have a lot of growing pains to get through first. 15 - eStar (17th in Ceiling, 15th in Floor) Top: Zs - 12th ranked Top Lane Jungler: H4cker - 15th ranked Jungle Mid: InsulatoIrma - 17th ranked Mid Lane ADC: Rat - 16th ranked ADC Support: ShiauC - 12th ranked Support Ranking eStar ahead of TT maybe confusing. Let me explain. If EVERY team performs to their potential best (AKA Ceiling), then eStar would be the weakest team. However, eStar has a few guarantees in their young roster the other bottom teams may not have. While Insulator is the weakest midlaner of LPL, he's not a fear to lose games for eStar like Chelizi or the bot lane of OMG might be. eStar has it's own promise too. ShiauC is a great support and Zs has a lot of promise coming into LPL. H4cker and Rat are respectable in their own right. However, they're likely to get outclassed at their current level as time passes. Still, these players are looking to make waves for all three bottom teams, who are a bit behind the rest of the pack talent level wise. 14 - LGD Gaming (15th in Ceiling, 13th in Floor) Top: Cult/Garvey - 16th ranked Top Lane Jungler: Flora/Kiu - 17th ranked Jungle Mid: Uniboy - 10th ranked Mid Lane ADC: Kramer - 9th ranked ADC Support: Peace - 15th ranked Support LGD's a bit of a strange team overall. On one hand, Uniboy and Kramer are two savy veterans who bring a lot to a developing young roster. Uniboy has made a name in Taiwan and is a strong solo laner, while Kramer brings a lot to team fights and overall composure. Still, the youngsters on this team are a question mark to say the least. Kramer struggled last year with experienced pros. It could be even worse with a very fresh top and jungler combo that could be attacked relentlessly and a new, inexperienced support to play alongside. Mark masked a lot of Kramers struggles last year, but that will not be an option in 2021. It will be up to Uniboy finding some mid outplays and the team staying relevant enough for Kramer to get his items on his usual team fighting carries for LGD to find a winning formula. 13 - LNG Esports (13th in Ceiling, 14th in Floor) Top: M1kuya - 15th ranked Top Lane Jungler: Tarzan - 6th ranked Jungler Mid: Icon - 11th ranked Mid Lane ADC: Light - 14th ranked ADC Support: Iwandy - 14th ranked Support ALL ABOARD THE TARZAN HYPE TRAIN! One of Korea's most exciting jungler stars is now in China, playing for a young LNG roster. Tarzan is still a legend and can definitely find ways to take over in an LPL region with a lot of new, inexperienced junglers. The issue for LNG will come in the continued development of their bot lane, who has found some experience in LPL and a fresh top laner out of LDL in M1kuya, that brings high hopes from fans. Until then, Tarzan and Icon, who leaves OMG to join this squad, will have to put their carry pants on for LNG to win. They have to tools to crush the other bottom teams. The two questions are if they can mesh together well with Tarzan and if they're ready to build comps that can pull upsets against the playoff contenders. 12 - Rogue Warriors (12th in Ceiling, 12th in Floor) Top: Ziv - 11th ranked Top Lane Jungler: Haro - 10th ranked Jungle Mid: Forge - 13th ranked Mid Lane ADC: Betty/Kelin - 10th ranked ADC Support: Quiqui - 10th ranked Support Rogue Warriors are the first team on this list that could really jump into the possible playoff surprises category. Haro is a great player to build a core around, after what was a great season for him to find his niche. This team also added some pretty big pieces around him, with Ziv and Betty as key pieces. Forge needs to grow a bit more and become a stronger laner if this team wants to compete for playoffs, which can get a boost if Quiqui finds a lot more confidence here and meshes well with Betty's potential. The Warriors will play extremely aggressively if the strategy from last year pans out, which could lead to potential upsets both ways. 11 - Rare Atom (11th in Ceiling, 10th in Floor) Top: Cube - 10th ranked Top Lane Jungler: Aix/Leyan - 11th ranked Jungle Mid: Fofo - 9th ranked Mid Lane ADC: iBoy - 6th ranked ADC Support: Hang - 11 ranked Support The next two spots are pretty much neck-and-neck. In Rare Atom's case (Formerly Vici Gaming), the playoffs are quite the possibility. A team with very few weaknesses overall and a few star players in iBoy and Fofo, who is really finding his footing with his Demacia Cup performance. They could be a lot higher on this list. However, this could be a meta that challenges this roster if it comes down to carry junglers or even hyperactive supports. Fofo's role on this team is already showing to be one demanding some playmaking, after the team's dependence on Zeka for that last year. They will need to find that consistency. But if they do and keep with it like they've done at Demacia, this prediction could look very silly down the line. 10 - Bilibili Gaming (10th in Ceiling, 9th in Floor) Top: Biubiu - 13th ranked Top Lane Jungler: Meteor - 14th ranked Jungle Mid Lane: Zeka - 12th ranked Mid Lane ADC: Aiming - 3rd ranked ADC Support: Mark - 5th ranked Support Bilibili and Rare Atom are tricky teams. While they're 11th and 10th, they are very close behind the playoff contender pack up to 6th or even 5th place. However unlike the rest of the pack, the worst case scenario for Bilibili is still playoff contending. Biubiu, Meteor and Zeka are pretty good players. LPL is just very strong across the board. 2019 Meteor can easily be a Top 10 player at his position and Zeka took on a major playmaking role at Vici Gaming he could replicate here. Add to the equation a bot lane that has a ton of promise in Aiming's ridiculous carry potential and Mark's grand playmaking that saved LGD at Worlds last year. If Meteor can find his groove again, Zeka can continue his progress and Biubiu starts to grow into a consistent threat in top lane, this team could definitely be a playoff contender. 9 - Suning Gaming (7th in Ceiling, 11th in Floor) Top: Bin - 7th ranked Top Lane Jungler: SofM - 5th ranked Jungle Mid: Angel - 8th ranked Mid Lane ADC: With Huanfeng - 8th ranked ADC With Jinjiao - 15th ranked ADC Support: ON - 13th ranked Support Talk about a team that looks NOTHING like the one that just played in Worlds Finals after losing a few members. Huanfeng (personal matters) will not be with the team for a significant time. Jinjiao is a capable ADC, but he's not up to par with the rest of the league. That being said, losing Swordart is catastrophic for this team. ON is young and needs time to develop, not to mention he won't even have his ADC with him for a while. This team could really fall apart. Bin and SofM are inconsistent players. While their highs are astronomical and show they can play like the best the league has to offer, their lows are the cause of a lot of losses and exactly what kept Suning out of the playoffs in 2020 Spring. Depending on when Huanfeng returns and how ON develops, things could be fine for Suning....or they could be a completely collapse. It's tough to tell right now. 8 - Royal Never Give Up (9th in Ceiling, 8th in Floor) Top: Xiaobai - 9th ranked Top Lane Jungler: Wei/XLB - 9th ranked Jungle Mid Lane: Xiaohu/Cryin - 6th ranked Mid Lane ADC: GALA - 12th ranked ADC Support: Ming - 8th ranked Support So this is where the disagreements will probably start to come into play. RNG is not nearly the same team without Uzi. Last year, this team had massive troubles with direction and leadership. Xiaohu will do a lot for that, even if it means sitting an extremely talented Cryin. This team has potential to be a very strong team all around laning. They just need to learn how to finish games and play together towards a common goal. While that's a big worry, RNG is a great organization at working that into the fold with rosters of the past. t's easy to have confidence in this coaching staff to turn players in the middle of their respective rankings into a team fighting off the other playoff contenders. The key will be synergy, since this roster's talent level leaves the weakness to be the team all together. Still, RNG can never be taken lightly. 7 - Team WE (6th in Ceiling, 5th in Floor) Top: Breathe - 5th ranked Top Lane Jungler: Beishang - 8th ranked Jungle Mid: Shanks/TeacherMa/Yimeng - 14th ranked Mid ADC: Jiumeng - 7th ranked ADC Support: Missing - 7th ranked Support Here comes an interesting dark horse. Team WE has the potential to combat the top teams. Breathe is a fantastic top laner who really shined in a tough situation on OMG. Beishang and Jiumeng went from afterthoughts in Spring to two players contending for All-Star status in the league in Summer. Top that all off with Missing being one of the best supports the league has to offer...the hype is real. The missing key is confidence. Can this team repeat what Summer became, or was everything a mirage to issues that will show in 2021? Not to mention their mid lane is crowded and Shanks did not have the most promising performance at Demacia Cup. If Shanks can not find his rhythm, it's tough to find that confidence in TeacherMa's struggles of last year or the youth of Yimeng. While the hopes are high for WE fans yet again, it might take a bit of figuring things out in Spring for this team to find that promise that got everyone pumped in the Summer of 2020. 6 - Victory 5 (8th in Ceiling, 6th in Floor) Top: Langx - 6th ranked Top Lane Jungler: Weiwei - 7th ranked Jungle Mid: Mole - 5th ranked Mid Lane ADC: y4 - 15th ranked ADC Support: ppgod - 4th ranked Support If you're wondering why Victory 5's ceiling is 8th, it's because we've already seen it. Victory 5 went from no wins in Spring to almost finding a path to Worlds in Summer. Weiwei showed off god like plays in the jungle. Mole's mid lane dominance got him MVP's left and right and showed his star power to all of China. Of course, the real star was ppgod, who became the hero of V5 fans with his mechanical prowess and dominance on his support pool. This team even upgraded their top laner with Langx, someone who handled his business at Worlds and is a good rock for a young team of rising stars. Now it's time to see if they can play dominant with opposing teams knowing just how good they really are. The big question mark is y4, who could be a huge downgrade from the steady SamD. That will be the difference for this team. But if y4 plays well and this team continues momentum, they're a playoff team for sure, if not a contender for a top 4 spot. 5 - Edward Gaming (5th in Ceiling, 7th in Floor) Top: Flandre/Xiaoxiang - 8th ranked Top Lane Jungler - Clearlove/Jiejie - 3rd ranked Jungle Mid: Scout/Gori - 7th ranked Mid Lane ADC: VipeHope - 5th ranked ADC Support: Meiko - 6th ranked Support This is a big one here. The real LPL title dark horse. Edward Gaming. Last year was a failure in the eyes of the former LPL juggernauts. This gave way for a lot of changes. The big one is Clearlove's return. Sure, having Clearlove part of a third-ranked jungle seems a bit fan boyish. However, this dude comes in knowing the plan and having the history to back it up. Jiejie's no joke either. He was fantastic last year in his role. Bringing in a great rock in top lane in Flandre, a potential mid lane growth project in Gori, who gets to play behind the extremely talented Scout and of course Viper, the man who helped Griffin star on the Worlds stage just a few years ago in Korea. Worries about Viper's consistency are real. After his Griffin days, he so far has failed to find the same form. However, if he can find it, EDG could be legit scary. And even if he doesn't, Hope is still a player with promise and skill to hold his own as the ADC. The key is bringing it all together and make good on their potential, which will be a task Meiko will have to take head on as the glue to this roster. What would help, of course, is Clearlove and Viper playing like their old days. If they does, this team is a force to be feared in the LPL hierarchy. 4 - Invictus Gaming (4th in Ceiling, 3rd in Floor) Top: TheShy - 2nd ranked Top Lane Jungler: XUN - 12th ranked Jungle Mid: Rookie - 3rd ranked Mid Lane ADC: Wink/Puff/Snow - 4th ranked ADC Support: Baolan/Lucas/Southwind - 2nd ranked Support Invictus Gaming is the team that SHOULD have went to Worlds over LGD, yet fell apart as the season concluded. The inconsistencies drove this fan base mad. Add on the fact their key jungler Ning will not be active for the foreseeable future and there's reason to worry as an IG fan for 2021. However, Rookie has come off a fantastic year and played spectacular in all regards. Baolan is still a ridiculously good support, who will be aided with former eStar standout Wink's addition to the team. This could be a team that trades time with Wink and Puff, showing they're both very capable players. However, Wink's great 2020 and growth could earn him the starting spot over Puff, even with Puff's strong showings of 2020. TheShy needs to calm his play down a tiny bit, without losing his godlike laning pressure. Summer 2020 LDL Championship Jungler XUN will get the nod for Ning and will have big responsibilities. If his talent shines bright and this team plays to their full potential cohesively, this team could easily get back to Top 3 or even higher. Still, they need to get back some synergy after a very chaotic end to 2020. 3 - FunPlus Phoenix (1st in Ceiling, 4th in Floor) Top: Nuguri - 1st ranked Top Lane Jungler: Tian - 4th ranked Jungle Mid: Doinb - 2nd ranked Mid Lane ADC: Lwx/Prince- 13th ranked ADC Support: Crisp - 3rd ranked Support Just when you thought TheShy had the top lane of LPL on lock down, FunPlus stuns the world and pulls Worlds Champion Nuguri from DamWon Gaming. It's one of the biggest moves of the offseason and one that gets FunPlus back into the title mix, after a disappointing 2020 that showed some major flaws. Nuguri gives FunPlus an avenue to snowball, as his top lane dominance showed all over the Worlds stage in DamWon's Championship run. With a great roster all around, the ceiling is a dominant title for FunPlus yet again. However, Lwx did not have a 2020 to remember and got exposed to almost every bot lane in the league. Crisp's play fell too, however his ability to make plays and find his way back into games kept FunPlus competitive. Doinb didn't get a meta to show off his insane champ pool and Tian had troubles finding lanes to play through in a meta that didn't fit FunPlus' style. However, if the players can get back into the 2019 form and get Lwx going again, along with a meta more fitting to their scrappy style, this is a Goliath roster that could dominate LPL. However, if Nuguri doesn't fit in to the team's goals, the meta goes against their strategy or the bot lane struggles continue, this team could be relegated to fighting tooth and nail for a Worlds spot come Summer of 2021. 2 - Top Esports (2nd in Ceiling, 2nd in Floor) Top: 369 - 4th ranked Top Lane Jungler: Karsa - 2nd ranked Jungle Mid: Knight - 1st ranked Mid Lane ADC: Jackeylove/Photic - 1st ranked ADC Support: Zhuo/Yuyanja - 9th ranked Support This one is tough. Top and JDG are a safe bet above the rest of the pack in a lot of ways. Both teams hold pretty much Top 5 players at ever position in the league and have multiple ways to dominate games. In Top's wheel house is the best mid laner in the league by a wide margin in Knight and the best ADC in Jackeylove. When they are on their game, they are almost unstoppable. However, Worlds showed a bit of weakness at support and overall knowledge when they do fall behind. Forcing the issue even when behind worked in LPL, but even against NA's FlyQuest and EU's Fnatic, it failed to yield the same results. This will become their major test for 2021. And they will face it head on. 369 and Karsa will look to find that fire they had in the LPL splits that fell away come Worlds. The big improvement could come in Zhuo, who performed incredibly at Demacia Cup and showed strong chemistry with the rest of his teammates in such a short time. This is a roster full of hungry young talent, led by a savy vet in Karsa, looking for the title that has avoided him for so long, Top Esports is a top three contender for the Worlds title. Lock it in. 1 - JD Gaming (3rd in Ceiling, 1st in Floor) Top: Zoom - 3rd ranked Top Lane Jungler: Kanavi - 1st ranked Jungle Mid: Xiye/Yagao - 4th ranked Mid Lane ADC: Mystic/Loken - 2nd ranked ADC Support: LvMao - 1st ranked Support This may seem a bit strange, since JDG was more disappointing than Top at Worlds and left more questions to be answered. However, JDG has answered the questions already. While Yagao and Loken were no slouches, JDG definitely felt like they could improve their chances at winning Worlds with new tools. They bring in a pair of former Team WE stars in Xiye, the key component to LGD's strong run at Worlds and Mystic, who starred for Korea's Afreeca Freecs last year. These two slot in alongside quite possibly the best jungler and support in LPL and Zoom's insane talent level in top lane. This creates a JDG team with serious title aspirations. The strong chemistry all around and skill level, which could find win conditions in every single role in any game, gives them so many different angles to win. This was something that proved to be fatal in their hopes at Worlds last year. Not anymore. With TOP's dominance and the LPL changing form, JDG needed some more tools and avenues to dominate the league. They found it. Good luck, LPL. Thank you for taking the time to read this. If there's anything I can improve, let me know. I will try to get an LCK one out tomorrow. LEC and LCS should be completely over the weekend and I'll send those out when I'm done as well.
Offseason Blueprint: The Denver Nuggets nearly reached the mountain top, but still have a few more steps to go
The NBA Finals are about to start, but there are now 28 teams sitting at home with nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs, watch LeBron, and wait for next season to start. For their sake, we wanted to look ahead with the next edition of the OFFSEASON BLUEPRINT series. In each, we'll preview some big decisions and make some recommendations for plans of attack along the way. Today, we're looking at the Denver Nuggets. step one: peaking at the right time It doesn't take a basketball expert or even an enthusiastic amateur on reddit to know: this Nikola Jokic fella is pretty darn good. He's made two All-NBA teams already, and he's still only 25 years old. By the time the dust settles on his career, he may end up being one of the top 10 international players of all time. Of course, even great players need some help to reach the promised land. Based on what we've seen this postseason, you have to feel more confident about that aspect as well. PG Jamal Murray had been one of the best players in the playoffs, averaging 26.5 points and hitting 45.3% from three. Going forward, it'll be interesting to see if Murray can carry that breakout through the regular season. While pundits like Kenny Smith called him a "perennial All-Star," he's never actually made the All-Star team. To be honest, he's never been all that close either. Despite being in the league for 4 seasons now, he's never averaged more than 18.5 points and never averaged more than 4.8 assists. Perhaps this postseason has fueled his confidence and his greenlight to become one of the top scorers in the game. Again: let's emphasize the perhaps there. I wouldn't necessarily bet on Murray to put up monster raw numbers a la Damian Lillard. For one, he defers a lot to Jokic as a playmaker, so it'd be harder for him to rack up huge assist numbers. Secondly, Murray doesn't get to the line very often -- only 3.1 FTA per game -- which lends itself to more inconsistency night in and night out. Unless he changes that aspect, it'll be hard for him to push past 24 PPG on a regular basis. In some ways, Jamal Murray is starting to remind me of Kyrie Irving. They're both scoring guards who are among the best "tough shot" makers in the game. Neither one draws a ton of contact or free throw attempts -- which limits their raw totals in the regular season. Still, their games translate well to a playoff setting where you need to be able to break down and score against tougher halfcourt defenses. If Murray can continue that quality, then it won't matter if he's an All-Star or not. Denver has graduated past regular season worries; their focus now is entirely on the playoffs and a championship pursuit. step two: if need be, overpay for a PF again When the Denver Nuggets were a young and rising team, they pulled the trigger on a massive contract for PF Paul Millsap (around $30M a year.) It may have been an "overpay," but the timing made sense. The Nuggets had cap space to spend before they had to officially dole out extensions for Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. "Use it or lose it." Overall, Millsap may not have been worth $30M on his own, but his defense and professionalism turned out to be a major key to helping the team take the next step. In that sense, it was money well spent. The Nuggets find themselves in a similar circumstance this offseason -- albeit for different reasons. The extensions for Jokic ($29M) and Murray ($29M) have both kicked in, meaning the Nuggets won't have much cap space for the foreseeable future. Since they're capped out, they can't go out on a spending spree and they can't go looking for big free agents. Instead, they're going to have to look within and toward their own internal free agents. And as far as their own free agents go, there are more than a few. The biggest name will be Paul Millsap, but the hottest name will be fellow PF Jerami Grant (expected to turn down his $9M player option.) Grant had a great playoff run, hitting open threes and running around like a Tasmanian devil on defense. While he couldn't stop LeBron James, he's the only one on the team who even stood a chance. Losing Grant would be a difficult pill to swallow, especially in an NBA that features superstar forwards like LeBron, Kawhi Leonard, etc. Given their cap situation, there's really no reason to let Grant leave either. Sure, he'll be expensive. Sure, you'll go into the luxury tax. But this is the time to do that -- when your team is on the verge. The other free agents will be tougher decisions. Millsap would be nice to retain, but only at a reasonable and severely reduced price. Backup center Mason Plumlee got roasted for his bad defense on that one Anthony Davis game winner, but he's still a good rotational player. It'd hurt the depth of the team to lose him. Swingman Torrey Craig is a solid defender and mediocre offensive player, but he's someone that coach Mike Malone trusted for 27 starts this year. I'd probably rank their importance in that order -- Grant, Millsap, Plumlee, Craig. Retaining all four may be difficult, so the team should treat Jerami Grant as a priority and treat the others as luxury items. In an ideal world, you'd retain Grant and one of the two veterans (Millsap or Plumlee). Personally I don't think rookie Bol Bol is as close to being ready for 20 minutes a night as most of reddit does, so that frontcourt depth shouldn't be ignored. If the team thinks Noah Vonleh (also a FA) can give them 10-15 minutes a night that may be a cheap solution, but he got buried by the Nuggets this year so it's hard to imagine they're big fans. step three: come to Michael Porter Jr.'s defense One of the reasons that re-signing Jerami Grant may be a necessity is the concern about Michael Porter Jr.'s defense. Although MPJ is still only a rookie, it's been a roller coaster career for him already. In high school, he had been seen as a potential top 3 pick -- the next Kevin Durant / Carmelo Anthony scoring machine. Back injuries derailed him in college and in his first season as a pro. Then suddenly, he looked back to normal in the bubble, lighting it up and looking the part of a future All-Star. Back down we go. Before long, teams started to realize and exploit his limitations on defense, relegating him to a bench role again. Where do we go from here? Up or down? Down or up? It's hard to tell. The offensive talent is undeniable, but the defensive issues are a legitimate issue. I've heard some people dismiss his problems as inexperience, but it may go deeper than that. Growing up, we tend to hear the old cliche that defense is all about "effort!" As adults, we've learned that's not entirely true. So much of your defensive ability is related to your athletic ability. Your wingspan, your change of direction ability. If you can't pivot your hips, you're going to struggle to read and react. (There's a reason why white dudes tend to be bad defenders, bad dancers, and bad NFL cornerbacks.) Michael Porter Jr. has the size (6'10" with 7'0" wingspan) to be a good defender, but the hips are the issue for him right now. It may be directly related to the back injuries in the past, but he looks very stiff when he tries to change direction. To be fair, Porter is still working his way back to 100% health. If he can get there, maybe this won't be an issue at all. But if it's something that's going to plague him, then the Nuggets will need to adjust accordingly. They're going to need to pair him with good defenders like Jerami Grant, and they may need to stagger him and Nikola Jokic more than they'd like. It'd be a shame if Porter can't get back to form on defense, and it'd be a shame if injuries limit him in the future. Clearly, we can see the massive potential he has on the other end. He averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes this year -- as a rookie. If this is just the beginning for him, then the league's in a lot of trouble. If it's just a mirage and a fleeting moment of health, then the Nuggets will have to work harder to get to the next level. step four: find the right wings to take flight As great as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray may be, they're not LeBron James. They're not Kevin Durant. And unless you have one of those transcendent players, it's difficult to win an NBA title. You basically have to nail every other aspect of the roster. No weak links allowed. The Denver Nuggets don't have weak links necessarily (their depth is strong overall), but the fence isn't the sturdiest on the block either. Primarily, I'm thinking about the wing position (SGs, SFs, etc.) This postseason, the Nuggets played without an injured Will Barton, and had Gary Harris returning from injury himself. All in all, it's impressive that they got as far as they did despite not being at full strength. Still, you wonder if the Harris - Barton combo is good enough to get them over the top even when they're healthy. Gary Harris is the biggest concern right now. A few years ago, he looked like a future stud who justified his high-priced extension. Now...? That contract's looking like an overpay (at $19M + $20M remaining.) Harris has struggled with injuries and inconsistency. Over the last two seasons, he's shot 34% and 33% from three respectively. He hardly ever gets to the line either. That's a bad combination that explains the below-average TS% of 53% and 52% over the last two years. Defensively, Harris has solid fundamentals and effort but he's limited in terms of overall size at 6'4". That's a problem in a league dominated by giant wings. Perhaps Gary Harris gets fully healthy and gets back to form, but I'm skeptical. "Pretty good" is not good enough. Gary Harris, Will Barton, Torrey Craig -- we need something more. We need something better. If I ran the Nuggets, I'd float Harris and others in trade packages. Harris still has a solid reputation, so there's a chance that you can sell him off on a team that feels like he'll bounce back. I wouldn't treat him as a toxic asset, but I'd look for an upgrade if possible. Harris + the # 22 pick may lend itself to that. If Indiana and Victor Oladipo are heading for divorce, perhaps the Nuggets could swoop in as a landing spot. Ultimately, Denver may be faced with a choice. Right now, they're good. They're good enough to win a round or two in the playoffs in any given year. But to make the Finals? To win the title? They need another LEAP. And that LEAP may come down to two potential lanes. Do you trust that Michael Porter Jr. will stay healthy, fulfill his destiny, and become your third All-Star caliber player? Or do you cash in some of these chips and try to find one on the trade market instead? Gary Harris alone may not get it done, but Gary Harris PLUS Michael Porter is an awfully appealing trade chip. It may be enough to bring in an All-Star like Bradley Beal. At the same time, maybe Porter can be that guy himself. It's hard to tell from the outside, and it may even be hard to tell from the inside. Alas, these are the kinds of million dollar questions that come with the territory of being in contention. previous offseason blueprints ATL, BKN, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DET, HOU, IND, GS, LAC, MEM, MIL, MIN, NYK, ORL, POR, SA, SAC, TOR, UTA
Accurate as of 2210GMT 29/10/20 (Decimal, lower is more likely): Leicester Win: 2.60 Draw: 3.50 Leeds Win: 2.60
Fun Facts
This is the first PL meeting between Leeds and Leicester since April 2004, with Leeds winning 3-2 at Elland Road in a season that saw both sides relegated.
We have lost just two of our last 13 league meetings with Leeds (W5 D6), with this the first such meeting between the sides since a 1-0 win for the Foxes in January 2014.
We have won five of their last eight away league games against Leeds (D1 L2), more than we had in our previous 37 visits to Elland Road (W4 D9 L24)
We have never won away from home in the Premier League in games played on a Monday (D3 L9), with this their first such game since a 0-1 loss to Man City in 2019
Leeds have won 15 of their last 20 league matches (D2 L3) and only Liverpool (66) and Man City (60) have won more league matches in England's top four tiers than the Whites since Marcelo Bielsa took charge in August 2018 (57)
A Comprehensive PvP Analysis on the GBL Season 3 Move Rebalance
Hello again, fellow travelers! It's that PvP article guy (LXP and Community Day/Elite TM analysis), back with a look at the seemingly regular move shakeup we just got with the kickoff of GO Battle League's third season. It's not the seismic shift we've had during other past rebalances, but there IS still plenty to discuss! A disclaimer: I am examining these strictly from a PvP usability standpoint. Yes, there ARE some impacts in terms of raids and PVE damage rankings and all, but there are a myriad of other folks that already look into all that. I am a PvP analyst, so that's what I'll be focusing on here. One more note: while I usually try and bring in at least some information on shieldless and 2v2 shielding scenarios, I chose to stick with just the standard 1v1 shielding matchups in the sims below, partly because it still tells the story fine on its own and represents the pros and cons of the changes well, and also partly to spare you from this dragging on any longer than it already does! 😅 So without further ado, let's dive in, starting with the fast moves and working our way down. Buckle up!
SNOWBALL FIGHT!!
Arguably the biggest winner of all in this shakeup is a Pokémon that has long been the butt of jokes: Abomasnow. It has an intriguing Grass/Ice typing combination that seems like it should be good (resistances to Electric, Grass, Ground, and Water), but in the end is much more curse than blessing (vulnerable to seemingly everything under the sun: Bug, Fighting, Flying, Poison, Rock, Steel, and of course doubly weak to Fire). Add to that the fact that the best charge moves it could muster were Energy Ball (which isn't bad) and the slow Outrage or Blizzard, and not even a good energy generating move like POWDER SNOWcould get there fast enough to overcome its many Achilles' heels, relegating it to typically being a clumsy Razor Leafer. But Aboma just got a DOUBLE shot in the arm. First of all, Powder Snow got a straight buff in this update, going from the 2.0 Damage Per Turn and 4.0 Energy Per Turn it generated before to now 2.5 DPT and the same 4.0 EPT, making it a clone of the awesome Vine Whip and trailing just behind top notch moves Shadow Claw and Volt Switch with their 4.0 EPT and 3.0 DPT. No other move generates as much energy as Powder Snow while dealing any higher than 2.0 DPT, putting the new and improved Powder Snow in pretty elite company. Shoutout to fellow analyst u/ytxpikachu25 for pointing out that this buff means Aboma's Powder Snows each deal one more damage than before to Galarian Stunfisk, Bastiodon, Steelix, Cherrim, Escavalier, and Shiftry, among others. The other good news for Abomasnow is that it also recieved a new charge move in this update, and it's just what it needed most: an inexpensive move to pair with Energy Ball. Say hello to the only non-Castform recipient of Ice WEATHER BALL. Put that together with the improved Powder Snow and the steady Energy Ball from before, and what do you get? A genuine contender. That's an improvement of 20% to its previously best win total, specifically eight new wins--Cresselia, Dewgong, AS Tropius, Venusaur, Shiftry, Cherrim, Galvantula, and HaunteGengar--while still beating everything pre-buff "Obama" already could. Snowbama has finally arrived to occupy a chunk of the Great League stage. But Weather Ball is also a boon to Razor Leaf Abomasnow, improving on its previous best by adding several notable new wins like Cresselia, Probopass, Razor Leaf Tropius, and big bad Meganium, as well as greatly improving on wins versus Haunter and Sableye (30 and 50 more HP, respectively, after beating them with IWB). Ice Weather Ball immediately becomes one of the best moves in the game to pair with Razor Leaf, being spammy enough for even slow-charging Razor Leaf to get there--often even in multiples!--and offering very good coverage and giving RL Obama some good versatility. And there's more... there is also Shadow Abomasnow to consider, which seems to be all the rage so far in this early GBL season. It's both a little better and a little worse than regular Aboma. Sticking with Razor Leaf Abomashadow for the moment, new wins appear against Froslass, Ferrothorn, and Galvantula, though at the cost of giving up wins against Haunter and Hypno that non-Shadow Aboma gets. Digging a little deeper, while both regular and Shadow win against Cresselia, Mantine, Probopass, Tropius and others, regular Abomasnow gets out with more HP, often 20+ more, while Abomashadow doesn't escape with more remaining HP often at all, and even when it does, rarely for more than 5 or so more HP. And likewise with Powder Snow. Here, you can see right away that the case for Abomashadow is a little shakier, as it shows one less win than normal PS Aboma, but once again there's more to see when you peel back the layers. Shadow gets unique wins over Lapras, Toxicroak, and Galarian Stunfisk, all big names to be sure. But it also loses to Dewgong, Hypno, Cherrim, and Mew, all of which non-Shadow Aboma can take out. Personally, I still give the (slight) edge to non-Shadow Aboma in Great League, so don't fret if you don't have a good Abomashadow! But there is STILL more. Because while Abomasnow tops out below 2400 CP, it is now even a potential option in Ultra League, beating most notable Grasses, Charmers, Dragons (Dragonite AND potentially both Giratinas), Ghosts (Gengar and suddenly relevant Drifblim), and of course Waters like Swampert, Empoleon, Blastoise, and Feraligatr thanks to Energy Ball. Not bad! Maxing an Abomashadow would be painful, but it is worth noting that doing so could net you Cresselia and Snorlax (but you give up Granbull and Empoleon). I'm not saying a maxed Aboma is something I would outright recommend for Ultra League, but there are many worse ideas. So what's the verdict? In Great League, while it has been a laughing stock many times over, Abomasnow may now get the last laugh. With either fast move, Energy Ball and the new Ice Weather Ball have taken Aboma from plodding and unintimindating to spammy and terrifying overnight. You have probably run into at least one in this young GBL season already. It won't be the last. Abomasnow is now here to stay. Good news if you haven't invested yet: you can run with a cheaper, non-Shadow one and still be just fine, IMO. Check the slight differences above, but either snow white or dirty snow Aboma work well. Other Benefactors? While only Abomasnow recieved Ice Weather Ball, there are many Pokémon that have Powder Snow and stand to benefit.
Snowy Castform was probably a bit underrated already, but the buff to Powder Snow has the potential to take it to new, lofty heights. It's the only other 'mon that has Ice Weather Ball, and it makes very good use of it (and its above average bulk) to set up a killer Blizzard. SO good is this combination that Snowy can even beat things it really shouldn't, like Machamp and Skarmory, while also outlasting big bulky stuff like Umbreon, Munchlax, and Hypno... all assuming it gets the first shield with a bait. If not, hey, Snowy can still take down Flyers and Grasses and Charmers and Dragons and Mud Boys and things like Stunfisk and Haunter and Cresselia with just Weather Ball spam, and that's still pretty good. I haven't seen any yet myself, but expect them to start popping up as the season drags on. May want to consider investing yourself and getting ahead of the curve.
However, I still don't think this is enough to save Piloswine. Unlike Aboma, it just cannot seem to overcome its awful typing. (Ground and Ice just don't do each other many favors.) Even Mamoswine in the best possible circumstances ML Premier Cup just doesn't do enough for me to give any kind of endorsement to the Swines. Too bad. They really should be better with their good moves. If you've made them work for you, congrats, but it's really in spite of their typings that they find any success at all.
THROW A HEX ON THE WHOLE FAMILY
Yes, this 40-year-old white boy is throwing out a Puff Daddy (and The Notorious B.I.G. and Lil' Kim) lyrical reference... what of it? 😎 Powder Snow got buffed, but it's not the only fast move that did. Two moves recieved a straight buff to their energy generation, from 3.67 EPT to a simpler 4.0 EPT, and one of those, as you likely surmised by now, is long-forgotten Ghost move HEX. While still strictly inferior to well-known Ghost move Shadow Claw (which has the same energy generation but deals 50% more damage--3.0 rather than Hex's 2.0--per turn), this improvement at least makes Hex usable, now sporting the same stats as Fury Cutter and Spark. Not the greatest of moves, fair enough, but viable for anything that has Hex but cannot use Shadow Claw instead. And even this small tweak is a boon to several Pokémon, propelling them up the ranks. Probably the biggest beneficiary is Drifblim. A standout star early in the now-ending Silph Arena Season 2, back then Blim relied on big Shadow Balls baited out with a still-useful-then Ominous Wind. Its non-Ghost move, Icy Wind, was buffed in another move update in December, but still mostly ignored until Ominous Wind was itself nerfed in yet ANOTHER move rebalancing in April. (Yeah, Niantic has been pretty rebalance-happy the last few months. 😓) Anyway, all that to say that despite the goings-on with its charge moves, Drifblim never really broke out fully. Hex was (and still is) its only viable fast move, and frankly, that held it back, with it losing several close matchups, just not quite being able to get over the hump and dying before it could let loose with its own winning charge moves. No longer. With Hex now generating a bit more energy more quickly, Drifblim is rising again. As you would probably expect, it handles Psychics and Fighters and even other Ghosts (not named Haunter) quite capably, though that wasn't always the case... it used to lose to Jirachi and Alolan Marowak with the old Hex stats, but now beats both, and convincingly. It also adds Registeel (granted, the nerf Regi faces don't help, but still), Azumarill, and Ferrothorn to the win column. And again, all that with just a 0.33 boost in energy generation per turn. And Blim still handles Grasses and Swampert and even traditional Flying killer Melmetal as it did before, with each win obviously coming a bit easier (read as: with more remaining HP afterwards) than it did before. And it gets even better, as with very good PvP IVs, Drifblim can even emerge victorious over Skarmory, Galarian Stunfisk, Mantine, and Altaria. The difference in Ultra League (yes, viable there too!) is a bit more subtle, as the only new win it really picks up against the core meta is Charizard, but as in Great League, it has more HP remaining in its wins, including about 50 more against Ferrothorn and as much as 90 more HP remaining against Cresselia. So what's the verdict? Drifblim was arguably better than people gave it credit for already, but the buff to Hex can lead to some HUGE new wins (especially Azu, Regi, and potentially even Altaria) in Great League and more consistency overall. Give it another look... Blim may surprise you, and at least early in the GBL season, your opponent as well! Other Benefactors? Not everything that has Hex stands to benefit, as most still have better fast moves, but there are a few dark horses....
Castform has cropped up here and there, and for good reason, but I bet you've never seen a Normal-type Castform in battle. Well little known fact: while the other Castforms get an on-type fast move, Normal Casty has only the terrible Tackle and... Hex, of all things. Combined with Normal-type Weather Ball and either Energy Ball or Hurricane, Castform still doesn't wow with its volume of wins, but it at least gets some good ones in there, such as Cresselia, Swampert, Meganium, Stunfisk, Whiscash, Cherrim, Venusaur, Tropius, and of course Ghosts like Haunter and A-Wak and Froslass and Drifblim. It's a spice option, to be sure, but one that does enough to at least think about.
Dusclops is another that has long been buried behind other Pokémon of its type. It's sort of the Hitmonchan of Ghosts, with all manner of "Punch" charge moves, namely Fire, Ice, and Shadow. And yes, its best fast move is Hex. Combining the two elemental Punches for the best of both worlds, Dusclops has always been capable of beating stuff like the major Fighters, most all Grasses, and a smattering of Psychics (DDeoxys, AhChu, etc.) and Steels (Melmetal, Skarmory, etc.) and things like Altaria too. With the charge moves coming a little bit faster now, you can add Venusaur and Registeel to the win column as well. And yes, Shadow Clops is a viable alternative, giving up several Grass wins to instead gain the Stunfisks and Hypno. Either way, while Dusclops does not have blow-you-away numbers, there are some good wins in there that could give Dusclops a place on the right team.
AND UH... INFESTATION
Yeah, not even a catchy title for this one, because honestly, the ripples from the buff to INFESTATION are rather small. It got the same treatment as Hex (going from 3.67 EPT to 4.0 EPT, with the same 2.0 DPT), but there just aren't any particularly interesting Pokémon that actually want it, even in its improved state. The top ones that can even HAVE Infestation are Beedrill (wants Poison Jab), Tangrowth (definitely wants Vine Whip, which is strictly better), Cradily and Jumpluff (not since Bullet Seed was buffed!), and then you're into things like Muk and Drapion which I can't see ever choosing Infestation over their other fast moves. This is mostly just a boon to fringe options like Weezing and Garbodor and Swalot. At least that last one has SOME potential... wins over Fighters and Grasses and Darks and Charmers and tanky Psychics and even Azumarill all make you at least go "hmmmm". But truthfully, the buff to Infestation, while certainly welcome, isn't dragging new stuff to the top of the meta anytime soon.
LAND OF THE DEE (BUFF), HOME OF THE BRAVE (BIRDS)
And now probably the move that will cause the most ongoing debate, because while BRAVE BIRD got a huge damage buff (formerly 55 energy for 90 damage, and now 55 for a whopping 130), there is a steep penalty: a drop of three stages (nearly 50%) of the user's Defense stat. I talked about this some recently with the only other move to carry a -3 drop in the game so far: Victini's V-Create. If you can charge two and fire them in close succession, you can drastically mitigate at least the initial pain of so drastically crushing your Pokémon's bulk. But V-Create costs 40 energy... and Brave Bird costs 55, so that's going to be much harder to pull off. Fortunately, there are a couple birds with fast moves that get there quickly. Honchkrow has Snarl, one of the fastest charging fast moves in the game. And perhaps even better, Honch also has the mighty Sky Attack, which can be sprung a bit earlier to hopefully bait a shield and leave you 10 energy closer to a Brave Bird than double charging BB allows. Sky Attack also obviously has no drawbacks as far as debuffing goes, so you can rely on it more fully and save BB for big moments. There was no reason to ever use Brave Bird before, and so Honchkrow instead relied on Dark Pulse for its second move, which was okay-ish but left Honch as a very fringey option. Now, though, it has the potential to fly quite high with double Flying moves. You might expect Honch to lose a matchup or two by shedding its one and only Dark charge move, but amazingly that's not the case at all... it actually holds or improves upon every win it got with Dark Pulse (meaning has the same HP or more left over at the end), and tacks on wins versus Whiscash, Ferrothorn, Umbreon, Zweilous, Tropius, Toxicroak, and Altaria. That's mighty impressive, and I feel very confident calling Brave Bird--even just the threat of Brave Bird--a clear improvement for Honchkrow in Great League. And the improvement is even more striking in Ultra League, with Honchkrow again holding the (shaky) line established with Dark Pulse and just adding to it, with Poliwrath, Swampert, Typhlosion, Scizor, Escavalier, Feraligatr, Charizard, and Dragonite all now falling to Honch. So what's the verdict? Honchkrow just become meta before our eyes. It may take people a little while to catch on in Great League, but expect to see it start to emerge here and there and possibly be more common by the time Ultra rolls around. It's an expensive investment for Ultra, needing to be leveled into the upper 30s, but it's not a crazy idea to do so. Other Benefactors? Part of the reason Brave Bird works so well for Honch is that it has that second, threatening charge move (Sky Attack) that it can mostly rely on and reserve Brave Bird for the most opportune moment. Not all Pokémon have that option, so how does this affect them?
Skarmory has been very meta in Great League from the moment PvP arrived in the game, a rare centerpiece of GBL and Silph Arena teams alike. But if there's been one knock on it, it's been Skarmory's lack of a truly impactful second charge move to go with its own Sky Attack. To this point, if another move had any place, it was Flash Cannon to try and at least maim (though rarely actually flip) some of its harder counters like Bastiodon and Probopass. But especially with Flash Cannon now getting a slight nerf (which we'll look into more later), I think the second move you want now is Brave Bird. As compared to Flash Cannon, BB can pick up wins over Hypno, Lapras, Ferrothorn, Whiscash, Ferrothorn, Munchlax, and the mirror match versus FC Skarm. As with Honchkrow, BB works well here because Skarmory can do plenty of work with Sky Attack and save Brave Bird as a knockout move. Skarm was already good, but just got a little bit scarier.
I already wrote aboutGalarian Farfetch'd back when it was introduced to the game, and now it's back as a possible reward encounter in GO Battle League starting at Rank 7. Back then, I was already leaning towards Brave Bird for closing power, paired with Leaf Blade, giving it wins over Mud Boys, most Grasses, most big Fighters (Cham, Croak, etc.), Stunfisk, and Azumarill and Zweilous and even Probopass. But now, with BB being an even more beastly closer, all the changes are positive ones, with G-Fetch'd now able to take down Umbreon, Sableye, DDeoxys, Froslass, Tropius (with either fast move), Ferrothorn, and even Melmetal. And just like that, Galarian Farfetch'd has gone from fringe to potential meta option in Great League. Of course, some of those wins only come with Leaf Blade baiting a shield or two, but honestly, there's not much that wants to take a Blade to the face either. G-Fetch'd is one to keep an eye on now.
It's still kind of on the fringe, but Legacy Wing Attack Pidgeot with the souped up Brave Bird is a clear improvement on the Hurricane variant, with BB keeping (and often improving on) all the same wins, plus Altaria and the also-improved Drifblim. It's more on par with Noctowl now, though still trails Mr. Owl slightly and probably needs a more limited meta than wide open GBL (say, a Silph Cup) to really shine. But if you really like Pidgeot, then sure, you can use it and succeed with it on the right team, and that just got a bit easier.
The other Pokémon with Brave Bird either don't typically want it (Blaziken, Braviary) or just aren't good enough for BB to save them now. One possible exception is Ho-Oh in Master League. The only truly meta things it could beat before were Heatran, Metagross, Mamoswine, Snorlax, and (just barely) Groudon. Now that close win against Groudon turns into a much more sure bet, and new potential wins show up against Togekiss, Garchomp, and even Gyarados (WITH future CD move Aqua Tail). But MAN, does Ho-Oh still desperately need a better fast move. Free him from this purgatory, Niantic!
There is one more big bird that gets Brave Bird, but I want to break it down separately... right now!
BRAVIARY IN ACTION
I looked into Braviary shortly after Rufflet arrived in the game, but with pre-tweaked Brave Bird and slow charging Heat Wave as the only moves to go alongside the all-but-necessary Rock Slide, it just didn't do enough to deserve a full writeup. But now it gets CLOSE COMBAT, which makes it at least a little more intriguing should it ever arrive in small enough form to fit in Great League, gaining new wins over Galarian Stunfisk, Swampert, Munchlax, and potentially even Registeel. But in Ultra League, it makes a few more inroads, with Close Combat bringing home new wins over Empoleon, Obstagoon, and Alolan Muk. Or you can bring the reworked BRAVE BIRD into the mix and reach for Altered Giratina, Typhlosion, and fellow buffed Pokémon Drifblim, while still holding on to Obstagoon and Empoleon (though A-Muk may slip away). And while Braviary crosses the 3000 CP threshold and can do some work in Master League (and a bit more in ML Premier Cup), now preferring Rock Slide again, it has a rather niche role. So what's the verdict? Eh, I like the potential of Braviary in Great League and Master League more than the actual win/loss columns. A Flyer with moves that cover many of its toughest counters (Close Combat for Rocks and Ices) and counter fellow Flyers (Rock Slide, which doubles up on Ices and provides other good coverage) is going to matter at some point, just perhaps more in The Silph Arena than in GBL. But in Ultra League, there may be something to it, especially in the projected Ultra League Premier Cup. Consider prepping one now to get ahead of the curve. Put those GBL Rufflet candies to good use!
PECK TO THE SIDES, TO THE FRONT, TO THE BACK
🎼 Well, look at old Jim, he's pecking on his back! ♩ Peckin' to me is a lot of fun, ♫ Well, you peck one, and I'll peck one, well, we'll all peck one! ♪ You peck to the east, and then you peck to the west, 🎶 Then you peck, peck, peck 'til you've pecked your best. ♭ Well, then okay, well, a-hey, hey, ♬ We'll peck up, we'll peck up, we'll peck up the floor, Yeah! Apologies to Cab Calloway, but you knew I'd have to have ONE butchered song in here! Anyway, let's talk DRILL PECK. It's a very rare move, available on only two viable Pokémon in PvP: Zapdos, and as of the start of Season 3, Empoleon. Zapdos first. I already wrote about Thunder Shock Zapdos to kick off my early review of Elite TM targets, so rather than rehashing all that, would encourage you to go read that again. I'll wait. ... ... ...you back? Okay, good. Because with Drill Peck now dealing five more damage (65 now, 60 previously) for the same low 40 energy cost, Zapdos is even a little bit better now. Shadow Zapdos in Great League picks up a new win against Medicham (the little bit of extra damage from Drill Peck finishing Cham off before it can reach a second Ice Punch). I didn't see any significant new wins in Ultra or Master (though feel free to point them out if you know of any!), but it does give Zapdos a little more elbow room in some of its wins. I wouldn't say this tweak is now the reason to suddenly start using Zapdos (the fact that you could get Thunder Shock in any league was that reason), but if you already planned to, the improvements to Drill Peck make Zappy a hair better overall. The bigger story is perhaps Empoleon, you FINALLY gets a coverage move against the Fighters and Grasses that plague it. The best thing it had to combine with Hydro Cannon before was Flash Cannon, which just got nerfed a bit. Drill Peck gives it a new win over Aboma(powder)snow and brings Azumarill to well within the margin of error, though without Flash Cannon you DO lose out on Altaria. in Ultra League, Empie with Drill Peck maintains its current roles and adds wins against Dragonite and now Shadow Abomasnow, while in Master League, Empoleon basically stays where it was, since it usually only needs Hydro Cannon anyway. (Though the hard-to-sim coverage against Fighters is nice to have, so I'd still call this a gain.) Nothing awe-inspiring, but overall, this makes Empoleon a mostly better version of itself. So what's the verdict? This isn't a huge change, and that shows in the minutia in the win/loss changes. But it IS a straight upgrade for Zapdos, and gives Empoleon the best move it has had yet to pair with Hydro Cannon. While the loss to Altaria in GL is unfortunate, I think I still give it a thumbs up as the second move to roll with on Empoleon moving forward. Other Benefactors? Honestly, not really. Murkrow and Dodrio get Drill Peck, but they still don't really have any play. Zapdos and now Empoleon are the beginning and end of the Drill Peck book.
GOODNESS, GRACIOUS, GREAT BALLS OF...WATER?
So with stats (~125 Attack, 127 Defense, 113 HP) basically the same as Togekiss and overall comparable to things like Venusaur and Cherrim, it's not that Pelipper doesn't have what it takes to hang in there in Great League. The problem has always been the complete lack of any charge moves cheaper than Hurricane and its 65 energy requirement. Sure, Hydro Pump and Blizzard are awesome when they hit, and Wing Attack (3.5 Energy Per Turn) in particular generates energy fast enough to get there at some point, but Pump and Blizzard both cost 75 energy. What Pelipper has so desperately needed is a bait/spam move, and now it finally has it with Water WEATHER BALL. So while Pelipper has been quite pathetic to this point, with WWB, suddenly it doesn't look too shabby. With just Wing Attack and WWB alone (so no baits), it can eliminate Registeel, Mud Boys Swampert and Whiscash, Galarian Stunfisk, Shiftry, A-Wak, Haunter, and basically anything Fighting, a very good start. Bringing in Hurricane (still the best bet as the second move) you can add on things like Azumarill, Lapras, Tropius, and Cherrim, plus Mantine with good bulk IVs. Not the greatest Flying Water type ever--I'd still say, in Great League, that that title rests with Mantine itself)--but Pelipper is legit close to that... and Mantine doesn't usually get Registeel. You also have the option of Water Gun rather than Wing Attack, losing 0.5 EPT but gaining 0.5 DPT and a steadier dose of Water-type damage, which is worse overall BUT does gain things like Probopass and a better showing against A-Marowak and Registeel while giving up Grasses, Lapras, and Azumarill. Like I said, it's worse, but it IS an option and may be better in certain limited formats like future Silph Arena Cups. For now, just something to keep in mind... towards the back. So what's the verdict? Wing Attack/Water Weather Ball/Hurricane Pelipper has some legit play, with some very good wins under its belt, uh, beak, from Mud Boys to Fighters to Ghosts to G-Fisk to Registeel and even some of the biggest of big name Grasses. It's sort of a mini-Mantine, one that may even be better on certain teams and/or in certain more-restricted-than-GBL formats. Recommend looking for a good Wingull and making a Pelipper out of it when you're able.
...AND ALL THE REST
BLIZZARD got a slight buff to damage without costing any more, which is nice. Skull Bash, Gunk Shot, and Hydro Pump all deal 130 damage for 75 energy, and that's where Blizzard used to be too, but it now surpasses them by dealing 140 damage for the same cost. The problem is that, even after this, most things that have Blizzard don't actually want it. Lapras is STILL better off with Skull Bash for the neutral coverage, Articuno prefers Hurricane still for similar reasons, and even newly buffed Abomasnow and Pelipper have better alternatives. Kyogre and Milotic and Regice appreciate the buff in Master League, but it's really just a "kill more" finisher now that I don't see suddenly leading to new wins they wouldn't have gotten already. It's nice to have but you likely won't see a big difference in success rates with things that use Blizzard.
Poor Registeel. I mean, not that I really feel too bad, since I hate that big dumb doorknob with every fiber of my PvP player being, but it gets a double whammy with FLASH CANNON AND FOCUS BLAST both getting nerfed. Cannon still deals the same 110 damage, but now for 5 more energy, making those races to the next charge move a little harder now, and Blast still costs the same but deals 10 less damage, making it harder to turn the tables against Regi's biggest counters. I think it will come out fine in both Great League... it's still very powerful and still beats many of the things it always did, it's just a bit more mortal now. There are more troubling signs in Ultra League though, with new losses showing against Origin Giratina, Meganium, Snorlax, and Lickilicky and slight (though expected) dip in performance in many of its other wins. I DO think you'll still see plenty of it though, and should, as it's still very potent and downright oppressive in many matchups. Love Regi or hate it, if you're honest with yourself, you have to admit that kicking Regi back a small step should be good for the game in the end.
Similarly, the Flash Cannon nerf is a slight hit to things like Ferrothorn (and makes me reconsider my formerly wise decision to roll with it on my Bastiodon, primarily for the mirror) and the nerf to Focus Blast hurts things that like it as a closer, like Gengar and Mewtwo, but they're not really going to go anywhere. This irks them and their users, sure, but their places in their respective metas is still very secure. With Focus Blast in particular, keep in mind that the 75 energy for 140 damage it has been reduced to is still better than any other 75-cost move except (just promoted) Blizzard. Blast was pretty overpowered already, so like Registeel, this is just bringing it back to the rest of the pack a bit, and was probably overdue.
TL;DR
Yes, as it says in the title, this is a comprehensive (read as: LONG) analysis article, but I know some people just want to skip to the end and get a summary. So before you ask, this is for you:
Abomasnow is now a very real part of the Great and Ultra League metas, especially Powder Snow variants. Look for regular AND Shadow to start popping up, as both are quite viable. Snowy Castform is scary in Great League now as well.
Drifblim had a few close losses with old Hex that now flip to wins with new Hex, and it too is notably improved in Great and Ultra Leagues. Be on the lookout, and remember that in addition to powerful Shadow Ball, it also totes around Icy Wind. Shield accordingly.
The changes to Brave Bird seem to be mostly a net gain for Honchkrow and Skarmory, who both now want it as the second move they've been waiting for to run alongside Sky Attack. It works well for them because SA still does most of the heavy lifting, with BB being primarily a closeout move, thus mitigating the steep -3 Defense drop.
You should finally be able to put all those GBL reward Rufflets to good use, as Braviary looks viable in all three leagues. In Great League, it doesn't really want Brave Bird (preferring Rock Slide and the new Close Combat instead), but BB serves it well in the bigger leagues.
The slight buffs to Drill Peck and Infestation are nice to have, but don't change much for those that use them. Empoleon appreciates it for coverage, especially in Ultra League, but the needle doesn't move very far.
Registeel will be fine. Not quite as dominant now, which is a good thing really, but still very good despite nerfs to both of its primary charge moves. Reports of its demise have been greatly exaggerated.
And that's a wrap, folks! I did quite a bit of analysis on all this over the last two days, and while this is an informed opinion, it is still just that: my opinion. Hopefully it helps, but take that for what it's worth! Alright, I'll bow out now and let you get back to your day and your GBL matches. Thanks for sticking with me through this and other long articles I have written. I appreciate your time and attention, and sincerely hope this assists you in navigating these new GBL waters. For more PvP tidbits, you can find me on Twitter for near-daily PvP analysis nuggets, or Patreon and its tie-in exclusive Discord servesecret lair. And please, feel free to comment here with your own thoughts or questions and I'll try to get back to you! Stay safe out there, Pokéfriends. Thanks again for reading, and catch you next time!
I started my first FM21 save unemployed ... within a couple of weeks I was offered the head job at Queens Park Rangers, who were languishing near relegation in Sky Bet Championship when I took over. Managed to pull up to a bottom-half finish but well clear of relegation. Well, a few tweaks and pickups later, and QPR has gained promotion with an absolutely amazing 2021/22 season. I've been using a 4-2-3-1 fluid counter attack style that I'm hoping holds up in the Premier League. Wish me luck! https://preview.redd.it/bzywof7vv1361.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=aa62716881c76cdd5e9f8f9fcea1863aa00b7d1e
Hello again, folks! I know I've been somewhat quiet the last couple weeks, but that does mean I've been idle! I'm back with a look at the seemingly regular move shakeup we just got with the kickoff of GO Battle League's third season. It's not the seismic shift we've had during other past rebalances, but there IS still plenty to discuss! One quick disclaimer before we jump in: while I usually try and bring in at least some information on shieldless and 2v2 shielding scenarios, I chose to stick with just the standard 1v1 shielding matchups in the sims below, partly because it still tells the story fine on its own and represents the pros and cons of the changes well, and also partly to spare you from this dragging on any longer than it already does! 😅 So without further ado, let's dive in, starting with the fast moves and working out way down. Buckle up!
SNOWBALL FIGHT!!
Arguably the biggest winner of all in this shakeup is a Pokémon that has long been the butt of jokes: Abomasnow. It has an intriguing Grass/Ice typing combination that seems like it should be good (resistances to Electric, Grass, Ground, and Water), but in the end is much more curse than blessing (vulnerable to seemingly everything under the sun: Bug, Fighting, Flying, Poison, Rock, Steel, and of course doubly weak to Fire). Add to that the fact that the best charge moves it could muster were Energy Ball (which isn't bad) and the slow Outrage or Blizzard, and not even a good energy generating move like POWDER SNOWcould get there fast enough to overcome its many Achilles' heels, relegating it to typically being a clumsy Razor Leafer. But Aboma just got a DOUBLE shot in the arm. First of all, Powder Snow got a straight buff in this update, going from the 2.0 Damage Per Turn and 4.0 Energy Per Turn is generated before to now 2.5 DPT and the same 4.0 EPT, making it a clone of the awesome Vine Whip and trailing just behind top notch moves Shadow Claw and Volt Switch with their 4.0 EPT and 3.0 DPT. No other move generates as much energy as Powder Snow while dealing any higher than 2.0 DPT, putting the new and improved Powder Snow in pretty elite company. Shoutout to fellow analyst u/ytxpikachu25 for pointing out that this buff means Aboma's Powder Snows each deal one more damage than before to Galarian Stunfisk, Bastiodon, Steelix, Cherrim, Escavalier, and Shiftry, among others. The other good news for Abomasnow is that it also recieved a new charge move in this update, and it's just what it needed most: an inexpensive move to pair with Energy Ball. Say hello to the only non-Castform recipient of Ice WEATHER BALL. Put that together with the improved Powder Snow and the steady Energy Ball from before, and what do you get? A genuine contender. That's an improvement of 20% to its previously best win total, specifically eight new wins--Cresselia, Dewgong, AS Tropius, Venusaur, Shiftry, Cherrim, Galvantula, and HaunteGengar--while still beating everything pre-buff "Obama" already could. Snowbama has finally arrived to occupy a chunk of the Great League stage. But Weather Ball is also a boon to Razor Leaf Abomasnow, improving on its previous best by adding several notable new wins like Cresselia, Probopass, Razor Leaf Tropius, and big bad Meganium, as well as greatly improving on wins versus Haunter and Sableye (30 and 50 more HP, respectively, after beating them with IWB). Ice Weather Ball immediately becomes one of the best moves in the game to pair with Razor Leaf, being spammy enough for even slow-charging Razor Leaf to get there--often even in multiples!--and offering very good coverage and giving RL Obama some good versatility. And there's more... there is also Shadow Abomasnow to consider, which seems to be all the rage so far in this early GBL season. It's both a little better and a little worse than regular Aboma. Sticking with Razor Leaf Abomashadow for the moment, new wins appear against Froslass, Ferrothorn, and Galvantula, though at the cost of giving up wins against Haunter and Hypno that non-Shadow Aboma gets. Digging a little deeper, while both regular and Shadow win against Cresselia, Mantine, Probopass, Tropius and others, regular Abomasnow gets out with more HP, often 20+ more, while Abomashadow doesn't escape with more remaining HP often at all, and even when it does, rarely for more than 5 or so more HP. And likewise with Powder Snow. Here, you can see right away that the case for Abomashadow is a little shakier, as it shows one less win than normal PS Aboma, but once again there's more to see when you peel back the layers. Shadow gets unique wins over Lapras, Toxicroak, and Galarian Stunfisk, all big names to be sure. But it also loses to Dewgong, Hypno, Cherrim, and Mew, all of which non-Shadow Aboma can take out. Personally, I still give the (slight) edge to non-Shadow Aboma in Great League, so don't fret if you don't have a good Abomashadow! But there is STILL more. Because while Abomasnow tops out below 2400 CP, it is now even a potential option in Ultra League, beating most notable Grasses, Charmers, Dragons (Dragonite AND potentially both Giratinas), Ghosts (Gengar and suddenly relevant Drifblim), and of course Waters like Swampert, Empoleon, Blastoise, and Feraligatr thanks to Energy Ball. Not bad! Maxing a Abomashadow would be painful, but it is worth noting that doing so could net you Cresselia and Snorlax (but you give up Granbull and Empoleon). I'm not saying a maxed Aboma is something I would outright recommend for Ultra League, but there are many worse ideas. So what's the verdict? In Great League, while it has been a laughing stock many times over, Abomasnow may now get the last laugh. With either fast move, Energy Ball and the new Ice Weather Ball have taken Aboma from plodding and unintimindating to spammy and terriftying overnight. You have probably run into at least one in this young GBL season already. It won't be the last. Abomasnow is now here to stay. Good news if you haven't invested yet: you can run with a cheaper, non-Shadow one and still be just fine, IMO. Check the slight differences above, but either snow white or dirty snow Aboma work well. Other Benefactors? While only Abomasnow recieved Ice Weather Ball, there are many Pokémon that have Powder Snow and stand to benefit.
Snowy Castform was probably a bit underrated already, but the buff to Powder Snow has the potential to take it to new, lofty heights. It's the only other 'mon that has Ice Weather Ball, and it makes very good use of it (and its above average bulk) to set up a killer Blizzard. SO good is this combination that Snowy can even beat things it really shouldn't, like Machamp and Skarmory, while also outlasting big bulky stuff like Umbreon, Munchlax, and Hypno... all assuming it gets the first shield with a bait. If not, hey, Snowy can still take down Flyers and Grasses and Charmers and Dragons and Mud Boys and things like Stunfisk and Haunter and Cresselia with just Weather Ball spam, and that's still pretty good. I haven't seen any yet myself, but expect them to start popping up as the season drags on. May want to consider investing yourself and getting ahead of the curve.
However, I still don't think this is enough to save Piloswine. Unlike Aboma, it just cannot seem to overcome its awful typing. (Ground and Ice just don't do each other many favors.) Even Mamoswine in the best possible circumstances ML Premier Cup just doesn't do enough for me to give any kind of endorsement to the Swines. Too bad. They really should be better with their good moves. If you've made them work for you, congrats, but it's really in spite of their typings that they find any success at all.
THROW A HEX ON THE WHOLE FAMILY
Yes, this 40-year-old white boy is throwing out a Puff Daddy (and The Notorious B.I.G. and Lil' Kim) lyrical reference... what of it? 😎 Powder Snow got buffed, but it's not the only fast move that did. Two moves recieved a straight buff to their energy generation, from 3.67 EPT to a simpler 4.0 EPT, and one of those, as you likely surmised by now, is long-forgotten Ghost move HEX. While still strictly inferior to well-known Ghost move Shadow Claw (which has the same energy generation but deals 50% more damage--3.0 rather than Hex's 2.0--per turn), this improvement at least makes Hex usable, now sporting the same stats as Fury Cutter and Spark. Not the greatest of moves, fair enough, but viable for anything that has Hex but cannot use Shadow Claw instead. And even this small tweak is a boon to several Pokémon, propelling them up the ranks. Probably the biggest beneficiary is Drifblim. A standout star early in the now-ending Silph Arena Season 2, back then Blim relied on big Shadow Balls baited out with a still-useful-then Ominous Wind. Its non-Ghost move, Icy Wind, was buffed in another move update in December, but still mostly ignored until Ominous Wind was itself nerfed in yet ANOTHER move rebalancing in April. (Yeah, Niantic has been pretty rebalance-happy the last few months. 😓) Anyway, all that to say that despite the goings-on with its charge moves, Drifblim never really broke out fully. Hex was (and still is) its only viable fast move, and frankly, that held it back, with it losing several close matchups, just not quite being able to get over the hump and dying before it could let loose with its own winning charge moves. No longer. With Hex now generating a bit more energy more quickly, Drifblim is rising again. As you would probably expect, it handles Psychics and Fighters and even other Ghosts (not named Haunter) quite capably, though that wasn't always the case... it used to lose to Jirachi and Alolan Marowak with the old Hex stats, but now beats both, and convincingly. It also adds Registeel (granted, the nerf Regi faces don't help, but still), Azumarill, and Ferrothorn to the win column. And again, all that with just a 0.33 boost in energy generation per turn. And Blim still handles Grasses and Swampert and even traditional Flying killer Melmetal as it did before, with each win obviously coming a bit easier (read as: with more remaining HP afterwards) than it did before. And it gets even better, as with very good PvP IVs, Drifblim can even emerge victorious over Skarmory, Galarian Stunfisk, Mantine, and Altaria. The difference in Ultra League (yes, viable there too!) is a bit more subtle, as the only new win it really picks up against the core meta is Charizard, but as in Great League, it has more HP remaining in its wins, including about 50 more against Ferrothorn and as much as 90 more HP remaining against Cresselia. So what's the verdict? Drifblim was arguably better than people gave it credit for already, but the buff to Hex can lead to some HUGE new wins (especially Azu, Regi, and potentially even Altaria) in Great League and more consistency overall. Give it another look... Blim may surprise you, and at least early in the GBL season, your opponent as well! Other Benefactors? Not everything that has Hex stands to benefit, as most still have better fast moves, but there are a few dark horses....
Castform has cropped up here and there, and for good reason, but I bet you've never seen a Normal-type Castform in battle. Well little known fact: while the other Castforms get an on-type fast move, Normal Casty has only the terrible Tackle and... Hex, of all things. Combined with Normal-type Weather Ball and either Energy Ball or Hurricane, Castform still doesn't wow with its volume of wins, but it at least gets some good ones in there, such as Cresselia, Swampert, Meganium, Stunfisk, Whiscash, Cherrim, Venusaur, Tropius, and of course Ghosts like Haunter and A-Wak and Froslass and Drifblim. It's a spice option, to be sure, but one that does enough to at least think about.
Dusclops is another that has long been buried behind other Pokémon of its type. It's sort of the Hitmonchan of Ghosts, with all manner of "Punch" charge moves, namely Fire, Ice, and Shadow. And yes, its best fast move is Hex. Combining the two elemental Punches for the best of both worlds, Dusclops has always been capable of beating stuff like the major Fighters, most all Grasses, and a smattering of Psychics (DDeoxys, AhChu, etc.) and Steels (Melmetal, Skarmory, etc.) and things like Altaria too. With the charge moves coming a little bit faster now, you can add Venusaur and Registeel to the win column as well. And yes, Shadow Clops is a viable alternative, giving up several Grass wins to instead gain the Stunfisks and Hypno. Either way, while Dusclops does not have blow-you-away numbers, there are some good wins in there that could give Dusclops a place on the right team.
AND UH... INFESTATION
Yeah, not even a catchy title for this one, because honestly, the ripples from the buff to INFESTATION are rather small. It got the same treatment as Hex (going from 3.67 EPT to 4.0 EPT, with the same 2.0 DPT), but there just aren't any particularly interesting Pokémon that actually want it, even in its improved state. The top ones that can even HAVE Infestation are Beedrill (wants Poison Jab), Tangrowth (definitely wants Vine Whip, which is strictly better), Cradily and Jumpluff (not since Bullet Seed was buffed!), and then you're into things like Muk and Drapion which I can't see ever choosing Infestation over their other fast moves. This is mostly just a boon to fringe options like Weezing and Garbodor and Swalot. At least that last one has SOME potential... wins over Fighters and Grasses and Darks and Charmers and tanky Psychics and even Azumarill all make you at least go "hmmmm". But truthfully, the buff to Infestation, while certainly welcome, isn't dragging new stuff to the top of the meta anytime soon.
LAND OF THE DEE (BUFF), HOME OF THE BRAVE (BIRDS)
And now probably the move that will cause the most ongoing debate, because while BRAVE BIRD got a huge damage buff (formerly 55 energy for 90 damage, and now 55 for a whopping 130), there is a steep penalty: a drop of three stages (nearly 50%) of the user's Defense stat. I talked about this some recently with the only other move to carry a -3 drop in the game so far: Victini's V-Create. If you can charge two and fire them in close succession, you can drastically mitigate at least the initial pain of so drastically crushing your Pokémon's bulk. But V-Create costs 40 energy... and Brave Bird costs 55, so that's going to be much harder to pull off. Fortunately, there are a couple birds with fast moves that get there quickly. Honchkrow has Snarl, one of the fastest charging fast moves in the game. And perhaps even better, Honch also has the mighty Sky Attack, which can be sprung a bit earlier to hopefully bait a shield and leave you 10 energy closer to a Brave Bird than double charging BB allows. Sky Attack also obviously has no drawbacks as far as debuffing goes, so you can rely on it more fully and save BB for big moments. There was no reason to ever use Brave Bird before, and so Honchkrow instead relied on Dark Pulse for its second move, which was okay-ish but left Honch as a very fringey option. Now, though, it has the potential to fly quite high with double Flying moves. You might expect Honch to lose a matchup or two by shedding its one and only Dark charge move, but amazingly that's not the case at all... it actually holds or improves upon every win it got with Dark Pulse (meaning has the same HP or more left over at the end), and tacks on wins versus Whiscash, Ferrothorn, Umbreon, Zweilous, Tropius, Toxicroak, and Altaria. That's mighty impressive, and I feel very confident calling Brave Bird--even just the threat of Brave Bird--a clear improvement for Honchkrow in Great League. And the improvement is even more striking in Ultra League, with Honchkrow again holding the (shaky) line established with Dark Pulse and just adding to it, with Poliwrath, Swampert, Typhlosion, Scizor, Escavalier, Feraligatr, Charizard, and Dragonite all now falling to Honch. So what's the verdict? Honchkrow just become meta before our eyes. It may take people a little while to catch on in Great League, but expect to see it start to emerge here and there and possibly be more common by the time Ultra rolls around. It's an expensive investment for Ultra, needing to be leveled into the upper 30s, but it's not a crazy idea to do so. Other Benefactors? Part of the reason Brave Bird works so well for Honch is that it has that second, threatening charge move (Sky Attack) that it can mostly rely on and reserve Brave Bird for the most opportune moment. Not all Pokémon have that option, so how does this affect them?
Skarmory has been very meta in Great League from the moment PvP arrived in the game, a rare centerpiece of GBL and Silph Arena teams alike. But if there's been one knock on it, it's been Skarmory's lack of a truly impactful second charge move to go with its own Sky Attack. To this point, if another move had any place, it was Flash Cannon to try and at least maim (though rarely actually flip) some of its harder counters like Bastiodon and Probopass. But especially with Flash Cannon now getting a slight nerf (which we'll look into more later), I think the second move you want now is Brave Bird. As compared to Flash Cannon, BB can pick up wins over Hypno, Lapras, Ferrothorn, Whiscash, Ferrothorn, Munchlax, and the mirror match versus FC Skarm. As with Honchkrow, BB works well here because Skarmory can do plenty of work with Sky Attack and save Brave Bird as a knockout move. Skarm was already good, but just got a little bit scarier.
I already wrote aboutGalarian Farfetch'd back when it was introduced to the game, and now it's back as a possible reward encounter in GO Battle League starting at Rank 7. Back then, I was already leaning towards Brave Bird for closing power, paired with Leaf Blade, giving it wins over Mud Boys, most Grasses, most big Fighters (Cham, Croak, etc.), Stunfisk, and Azumarill and Zweilous and even Probopass. But now, with BB being an even more beastly closer, all the changes are positive ones, with G-Fetch'd now able to take down Umbreon, Sableye, DDeoxys, Froslass, Tropius (with either fast move), Ferrothorn, and even Melmetal. And just like that, Galarian Farfetch'd has gone from fringe to potential meta option in Great League. Of course, some of those wins only come with Leaf Blade baiting a shield or two, but honestly, there's not much that wants to take a Blade to the face either. G-Fetch'd is one to keep an eye on now.
It's still kind of on the fringe, but Legacy Wing Attack Pidgeot with the souped up Brave Bird is a clear improvement on the Hurricane variant, with BB keeping (and often improving on) all the same wins, plus Altaria and the also-improved Drifblim. It's more on par with Noctowl now, though still trails Mr. Owl slightly and probably needs a more limited meta than wide open GBL (say, a Silph Cup) to really shine. But if you really like Pidgeot, then sure, you can use it and succeed with it on the right team, and that just got a bit easier.
The other Pokémon with Brave Bird either don't typically want it (Blaziken, Braviary) or just aren't good enough for BB to save them now. One possible exception is Ho-Oh in Master League. The only truly meta things it could beat before were Heatran, Metagross, Mamoswine, Snorlax, and (just barely) Groudon. Now that close win against Groudon turns into a much more sure bet, and new potential wins show up against Togekiss, Garchomp, and even Gyarados (WITH future CD move Aqua Tail). But MAN, does Ho-Oh still desperately need a better fast move. Free him from this purgatory, Niantic!
There is one more big bird that gets Brave Bird, but I want to break it down separately... right now!
BRAVIARY IN ACTION
I looked into Braviary shortly after Rufflet arrived in the game, but with pre-tweaked Brave Bird and slow charging Heat Wave as the only moves to go alongside the all-but-necessary Rock Slide, it just didn't do enough to deserve a full writeup. But now it gets CLOSE COMBAT, which makes it at least a little more intriguing should it ever arrive in small enough form to fit in Great League, gaining new wins over Galarian Stunfisk, Swampert, Munchlax, and potentially even Registeel. But in Ultra League, it makes a few more inroads, with Close Combat bringing home new wins over Empoleon, Obstagoon, and Alolan Muk. Or you can bring the reworked BRAVE BIRD into the mix and reach for Altered Giratina, Typhlosion, and fellow buffed Pokémon Drifblim, while still holding on to Obstagoon and Empoleon (though A-Muk may slip away). And while Braviary crosses the 3000 CP threshold and can do some work in Master League (and a bit more in ML Premier Cup), now preferring Rock Slide again, it has a rather niche role. So what's the verdict? Eh, I like the potential of Braviary in Great League and Master League more than the actual win/loss columns. A Flyer with moves that cover many of its toughest counters (Close Combat for Rocks and Ices) and counter fellow Flyers (Rock Slide, which doubles up on Ices and provides other good coverage) is going to matter at some point, just perhaps more in The Silph Arena than in GBL. But in Ultra League, there may be something to it, especially in the projected Ultra League Premier Cup. Consider prepping one now to get ahead of the curve. Put those GBL Rufflet candies to good use!
PECK TO THE SIDES, TO THE FRONT, TO THE BACK
🎼 Well, look at old Jim, he's pecking on his back! ♩ Peckin' to me is a lot of fun, ♫ Well, you peck one, and I'll peck one, well, we'll all peck one! ♪ You peck to the east, and then you peck to the west, 🎶 Then you peck, peck, peck 'til you've pecked your best. ♭ Well, then okay, well, a-hey, hey, ♬ We'll peck up, we'll peck up, we'll peck up the floor, Yeah! Apologies to Cab Calloway, but you knew I'd have to have ONE butchered song in here! Anyway, let's talk DRILL PECK. It's a very rare move, available on only two viable Pokémon in PvP: Zapdos, and as of the start of Season 3, Empoleon. Zapdos first. I already wrote about Thunder Shock Zapdos to kick off my early review of Elite TM targets, so rather than rehashing all that, would encourage you to go read that again. I'll wait. ... ... ...you back? Okay, good. Because with Drill Peck now dealing five more damage (65 now, 60 previously) for the same low 40 energy cost, Zapdos is even a little bit better now. Shadow Zapdos in Great League picks up a new win against Medicham (the little bit of extra damage from Drill Peck finishing Cham off before it can reach a second Ice Punch). I didn't see any significant new wins in Ultra or Master (though feel free to point them out if you know of any!), but it does give Zapdos a little more elbow room in some of its wins. I wouldn't say this tweak is now the reason to suddenly start using Zapdos (the fact that you could get Thunder Shock in any league was that reason), but if you already planned to, the improvements to Drill Peck make Zappy a hair better overall. The bigger story is perhaps Empoleon, you FINALLY gets a coverage move against the Fighters and Grasses that plague it. The best thing it had to combine with Hydro Cannon before was Flash Cannon, which just got nerfed a bit. Drill Peck gives it a new win over Aboma(powder)snow and brings Azumarill to well within the margin of error, though without Flash Cannon you DO lose out on Altaria. in Ultra League, Empie with Drill Peck maintains its current roles and adds wins against Dragonite and now Shadow Abomasnow, while in Master League, Empoleon basically stays where it was, since it usually only needs Hydro Cannon anyway. (Though the hard-to-sim coverage against Fighters is nice to have, so I'd still call this a gain.) Nothing awe-inspiring, but overall, this makes Empoleon a mostly better version of itself. So what's the verdict? This isn't a huge change, and that shows in the minutia in the win/loss changes. But it IS a straight upgrade for Zapdos, and gives Empoleon the best move it has had yet to pair with Hydro Cannon. While the loss to Altaria in GL is unfortunate, I think I still give it a thumbs up as the second move to roll with on Empoleon moving forward. Other Benefactors? Honestly, not really. Murkrow and Dodrio get Drill Peck, but they still don't really have any play. Zapdos and now Empoleon are the beginning and end of the Drill Peck book.
GOODNESS, GRACIOUS, GREAT BALLS OF...WATER?
So with stats (~125 Attack, 127 Defense, 113 HP) basically the same as Togekiss and overall comparable to things like Venusaur and Cherrim, it's not that Pelipper doesn't have what it takes to hang in there in Great League. The problem has always been the complete lack of any charge moves cheaper than Hurricane and its 65 energy requirement. Sure, Hydro Pump and Blizzard are awesome when they hit, and Wing Attack (3.5 Energy Per Turn) in particular generates energy fast enough to get there at some point, but Pump and Blizzard both cost 75 energy. What Pelipper has so desperately needed is a bait/spam move, and now it finally has it with Water WEATHER BALL. So while Pelipper has been quite pathetic to this point, with WWB, suddenly it doesn't look too shabby. With just Wing Attack and WWB alone (so no baits), it can eliminate Registeel, Mud Boys Swampert and Whiscash, Galarian Stunfisk, Shiftry, A-Wak, Haunter, and basically anything Fighting, a very good start. Bringing in Hurricane (still the best bet as the second move) you can add on things like Azumarill, Lapras, Tropius, and Cherrim, plus Mantine with good bulk IVs. Not the greatest Flying Water type ever--I'd still say, in Great League, that that title rests with Mantine itself)--but Pelipper is legit close to that... and Mantine doesn't usually get Registeel. You also have the option of Water Gun rather than Wing Attack, losing 0.5 EPT but gaining 0.5 DPT and a steadier dose of Water-type damage, which is worse overall BUT does gain things like Probopass and a better showing against A-Marowak and Registeel while giving up Grasses, Lapras, and Azumarill. Like I said, it's worse, but it IS an option and may be better in certain limited formats like future Silph Arena Cups. For now, just something to keep in mind... towards the back. So what's the verdict? Wing Attack/Water Weather Ball/Hurricane Pelipper has some legit play, with some very good wins under its belt, uh, beak, from Mud Boys to Fighters to Ghosts to G-Fisk to Registeel and even some of the biggest of big name Grasses. It's sort of a mini-Mantine, one that may even be better on certain teams and/or in certain more-restricted-than-GBL formats. Recommend looking for a good Wingull and making a Pelipper out of it when you're able.
...AND ALL THE REST
BLIZZARD got a slight buff to damage without costing any more, which is nice. Skull Bash, Gunk Shot, and Hydro Pump all deal 130 damage for 75 energy, and that's where Blizzard used to be too, but it now surpasses them by dealing 140 damage for the same cost. The problem is that, even after this, most things that have Blizzard don't actually want it. Lapras is STILL better off with Skull Bash for the neutral coverage, Articuno prefers Hurricane still for similar reasons, and even newly buffed Abomasnow and Pelipper have better alternatives. Kyogre and Milotic and Regice appreciate the buff in Master League, but it's really just a "kill more" finisher now that I don't see suddenly leading to new wins they wouldn't have gotten already. It's nice to have but you likely won't see a big difference in success rates with things that use Blizzard.
Poor Registeel. I mean, not that I really feel too bad, since I hate that big dumb doorknob with every fiber of my PvP player being, but it gets a double whammy with FLASH CANNON AND FOCUS BLAST both getting nerfed. Cannon still deals the same 110 damage, but now for 5 more energy, making those races to the next charge move a little harder now, and Blast still costs the same but deals 10 less damage, making it harder to turn the tables against Regi's biggest counters. I think it will come out fine in both Great League... it's still very powerful and still beats many of the things it always did, it's just a bit more mortal now. There are more troubling signs in Ultra League though, with new losses showing against Origin Giratina, Meganium, Snorlax, and Lickilicky and slight (though expected) dip in performance in many of its other wins. I DO think you'll still see plenty of it though, and should, as it's still very potent and downright oppressive in many matchups. Love Regi or hate it, if you're honest with yourself, you have to admit that kicking Regi back a small step should be good for the game in the end.
Similarly, the Flash Cannon nerf is a slight hit to things like Ferrothorn (and makes me reconsider my formerly wise decision to roll with it on my Bastiodon, primarily for the mirror) and the nerf to Focus Blast hurts things that like it as a closer, like Gengar and Mewtwo, but they're not really going to go anywhere. This irks them and their users, sure, but their places in their respective metas is still very secure. With Focus Blast in particular, keep in mind that the 75 energy for 140 damage it has been reduced to is still better than any other 75-cost move except (just promoted) Blizzard. Blast was pretty overpowered already, so like Registeel, this is just bringing it back to the rest of the pack a bit, and was probably overdue.
TL;DR
Yes, as it says in the title, this is a comprehensive (read as: LONG) analysis article, but I know some people just want to skip to the end and get a summary. So before you ask, this is for you:
Abomasnow is now a very real part of the Great and Ultra League metas, especially Powder Snow variants. Look for regular AND Shadow to start popping up, as both are quite viable. Snowy Castform is scary in Great League now as well.
Drifblim had a few close losses with old Hex that now flip to wins with new Hex, and it too is notably improved in Great and Ultra Leagues. Be on the lookout, and remember that in addition to powerful Shadow Ball, it also totes around Icy Wind. Shield accordingly.
The changes to Brave Bird seem to be mostly a net gain for Honchkrow and Skarmory, who both now want it as the second move they've been waiting for to run alongside Sky Attack. It works well for them because SA still does most of the heavy lifting, with BB being primarily a closeout move, thus mitigating the steep -3 Defense drop.
You should finally be able to put all those GBL reward Rufflets to good use, as Braviary looks viable in all three leagues. In Great League, it doesn't really want Brave Bird (preferring Rock Slide and the new Close Combat instead), but BB serves it well in the bigger leagues.
The slight buffs to Drill Peck and Infestation are nice to have, but don't change much for those that use them. Empoleon appreciates it for coverage, especially in Ultra League, but the needle doesn't move very far.
Registeel will be fine. Not quite as dominant now, which is a good thing really, but still very good despite nerfs to both of its primary charge moves. Reports of its demise have been greatly exaggerated.
And that's a wrap, folks! I did quite a bit of analysis on all this over the last two days, and while this is an informed opinion, it is still just that: my opinion. Hopefully it helps, but take that for what it's worth! Alright, I'll bow out now and let you get back to your day and your GBL matches. Thanks for sticking with me through this and other long articles I have written. I appreciate your time and attention, and sincerely hope this assists you in navigating these new GBL waters. For more PvP tidbits, you can find me on Twitter for near-daily PvP analysis nuggets, or Patreon and its tie-in exclusive Discord servesecret lair. And please, feel free to comment here with your own thoughts or questions and I'll try to get back to you! Stay safe out there, Pokéfriends. Thanks again for reading, and catch you next time!
Only three fixtures took place in Sky Bet League Two were on a three game unbeaten run themselves but this defeat is a big blow and plunges them into the midst of the relegation battle at the Complete table of League Two standings for the 2020/2021 Season, plus access to tables from past seasons and other Football leagues. Get the latest League Two news, fixtures, results, video highlights, transfers and more from Sky Sports. Cambridge United moved three points clear at the top of Sky Bet League Two with a 2-0 Sky Bet League Two. All the latest news from Sky Bet League Two. Latest League Two News. League Two Nigel Clough on his return to management. 25 January 2021. League Two Sky Bet League Two: December Manager and Player of the Month winners. 8 January 2021. League Two In order to use the live chat functionality you need to opt into live chat cookies. To do this click on the cookie settings button below. Alternatively, please email [email protected] - note that live chat is recommended for the quickest response on a matchday. Sky Bet League Two results: Blackpool 3-0 Cheltenham Colchester 0-0 Plymouth Crawley 3-3 Carlisle Crewe 3-0 Leyton Orient Exeter 3-1 Morecambe Grimsby 4-2 Yeovil The other Sky Bet League 2 markets for us to look at heading into the new season are the promotion and relegation ones where there is usually plenty of value to be found. The promotion market is easier to tackle given that there are double the places up for grabs but we’ll look at the both of them here. £30 Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets + £10 Casino Bonus. Min deposit £10 • A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10 • Min odds 1/2 (1.5) • Free Bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expires after 7 days • Free Bet stakes not included in returns • Deposit balance is available for withdrawal at any time • Casino Bonus must be claimed within 7 days A 90th-minute goal from Jonny Smith on his debut helped bottom Sky Bet League One club Burton secure a shock 1-0 victory over high-flying Hull. Published by 2 days ago; Chapman stunner lifts Shrewsbury. Harry Chapman's wonder strike was enough for Shrewsbury to see off relegation rivals Swindon 1-0 in a tight encounter. Published by 2 days ago Sky Bet League One round-up: Lincoln stay top and Wigan win relegation six-pointer Nine of the 10 scheduled games were able to go ahead in League One on Tuesday evening.
HIGHLIGHTS: Northampton Town 1 Portsmouth 0, Sky Bet League 2, season 2014/15
Leyton Orient 1 Colchester 3 • Sky Bet League Two 29 April 2017 • Football on 5 9pm - 10.30pm Saturdays. Sky Bet League 2 2013/14 season - Sixfields Stadium This is the official You Tube channel of Northampton Town Football Club, playing in Sky Bet Football League 2 at Sixfields Stadium. Category Welcome along to our Pre Season Predictions for the EFL Sky Bet League Two 2020/21 season from The Honest Football Podcast! We share our predictions for prom... EFL Awards: Sky Bet League Two Player of the Season - John Marquis EFL. Loading ... Official EFL Podcast preview: the Championship relegation battle is on! - Duration: 28:54. Whilst Blackburn occupy the final relegation spot, anyone one of Rovers, Nottingham Forest and Birmingham could be relegated. Hold onto your hats, the final day is going to be crazy! Sky Bet EFL Northampton Town 1 Portsmouth 0, Sky Bet League 2, season 2014/15.
