i still can't believe we won UPL once again. last year it went to a tiebreak and i was sure it would happen again this year; another tiebreak in finals. however, every tournament winner needs luck on their side and undeniably we had our fair share of luck. last year a freeze was sealing our victory, this year we were fortune to end it the same way. even though i had no doubt we would have ended a tiebreak on a positive note as we did last year, from a managers standpoint i am more than happy to avoid it. that would have been way too much to handle lol
before i go to individual shout-outs, i want to give credits for lunalas on their performance. even when ari lead lunalas into 2nd place in exhibition, people kept doubting you would fail in UPL. i am certain that you 3rd time will be the charm and you will lead your team into a team tournament win. the 2 trophy holder poek doesn't need any introduction but once again amazing performance that deserves all the praises. highlord, you are the old gen player iris wanted me to be. i am glad you joined classic last year and did unbelieveably well in this UPL. keep it going! finally, samqian from the 2015 ladder days. i am glad you were bought and got some great wins. i am not sure if you will keep playing but you have shown to be a fierce player.
the durians family has gotten 10 new family members and all of them are UPL winners.
this will be my last UPL and only time will tell if i will be part of durians chat next year. but for the next year, enjoy your UPL win guys since this doesn't happen every day. you guys deserve this win more than anything.
this is it for now. until next time...
before i go to individual shout-outs, i want to give credits for lunalas on their performance. even when ari lead lunalas into 2nd place in exhibition, people kept doubting you would fail in UPL. i am certain that you 3rd time will be the charm and you will lead your team into a team tournament win. the 2 trophy holder poek doesn't need any introduction but once again amazing performance that deserves all the praises. highlord, you are the old gen player iris wanted me to be. i am glad you joined classic last year and did unbelieveably well in this UPL. keep it going! finally, samqian from the 2015 ladder days. i am glad you were bought and got some great wins. i am not sure if you will keep playing but you have shown to be a fierce player.
the durians family has gotten 10 new family members and all of them are UPL winners.
Alpha Rabbit: it was an absolute pleasure having you on our team. you did really well in seasonal before UPL. your first game against evuelf was a shaky one but it was a learning experience since it was your first game in a team tournament this level. next two games ended up with a win and you would have gotten way more wins if real life didn't come in your way. however, daddy rabbit had to keep his boys in check in finals and purple and solo wouldn't have done as well without you. i hope to see you playing in many more tournaments.
Alkione: underrated french talent. even though english isn't your first language, dont ever be scared to jump in and be in touch with your chat! you were shy earlier on but you joined the chat more and more when the tour progressed. you were with jase and my thunder my trusted team players who helped everyone even if they didn't start. you had a great win vs serial but the game vs TDK is something i hope you learnt handleing the pressure. merci!
byron the bab bab: the punching bag. i know you wanted to play dpp and i am sure you will play it next year if you join UPL. the seasonal winner showed his team player skills by jumping into ORAS and getting some really, really important wins. some of them might have not been the most impressive ones but a win is a win. you did a bloody good job with helping in dpp + oras and i am happy (and still shocked) that your UPL debut ended on a positive note.
Exiline: i can't believe i am teaming up with you in the best friends tournament...YOU LOST YOUR TWO FIRST GAMES AND THEN QUIT...for a week. thank god it was only for a week. your early season was rough as fuck but i am happy you came back. you took your break and came back stronger than ever. you won in finals with that batshit crazy team and i couldn't be more happier for you. <3
Empo: you had so much other shit going on this spring that i won't blame you being inactive and a substitute. you are still fire empoat.
Jase Duken: man, i am still upset that you couldn't win a game! you did well in try-outs so you earned your spot on the winning team. helping everyone in the USM is something i appreciated a shit ton as manager and that proved you are a team player. i hope you learned a lot from your game against kyogref4n since it was your first game. the pressure and stuff affected but that is natural and i am sure you will get wins and confidence over the time. great memer as well
Kebabe: even the best players can't always perform perfectly. this season wasn't yours but i would still retain you every single time. i was surprised you even joined to play but i am glad you did. i am not sure if you will next year but whoever manages durians next year, you should retain this man. but only if he plays...
Kushalos: hey i gotta thank the chef or CLUTCHALOS for many things. thank you for showing interest in adv ubers and in ubers in general so i knew instantly who my adv pick would. of course, you ended up with a great 4-2 record and clutching not only once but twice vs melloat. first in week 5 and then in finals. i think we might end up on the same team in the future so it isn't good bye...i am just so happy you did so well and ended up winning...
Lycans: the guy who performs in so many different tiers but performs well. i honestly didn't expect to get you but i was able to steal you. i want to thank you for jumping into oras when we had to change slots and ended up with a win in finals. you are such a sweetheart and a team player holy moly. i would be happy to team up with you in spl or snake since you are such a great team mate. obii doesn't praise players for no reason and you deserve all the praises you get.
M Dragon: another UPL but same old story. 3/3. killer start and you would have killed it once again in a tiebreak if we needed one. papa david is always there with the stories and this experience in UPL wouldn't have been this delightful without your chat presence. of course, i and durians could always count on you to bring the necessary wins we needed. thank you for showing once again interest in playing after SPL since honestly i was sure i wasn't able to get you. couldn't ask for a better retain.
My Thunder: i really wanted you to play, i honestly do! you didn't care about that and that impressed me a lot. you showed that you were a top helper with all those USM teams that our success wouldn't have been as amazing without you. i honestly doubted you that you wouldn't be as helpful as you were but i am so glad that i bought you and proved me wrong. not just helping with teams but also with testing and keeping the chat alive. you are such a TEAM PLAYER that every team needs.
PurpleGatorade: i still can't believe you did as well as you performed. 5-0, holy moly. i honestly didn't expect you to do this well at all but rabbit's son had to be trusted and you responded to that trust in the best way possible. from week 1 to finals, you put an insane amount of work in your own games but also in others. you deserve all the praises from your performance and especially that week 5 game vs holy break is something i personally won't forget. keep playing and you will succeed even more in future tournaments! big heat
soviet: hey, i have to give you a shout-out as well. thank you for sticking around and giving advice whenever players needed it. great chat presence and those 3k was not a waste. however, sometime in the future you will be forced to actually play. i fucking swear it has to happen!!!
skysolo14: sorry solo but we should be able to slot you in week 5 to play holy ghost. well, that never happened. however, before you played you were not just a top memer but also a great asset in helping in preparing and testing. but when you came in, your debut ended on a 6-0 victory. picking my 3rd usm slot for finals was the toughest decision i made whole UPL but you showed me and everyone that it wasn't the wrong choice. the underdog came in and won the whole tournament. bless you
other members on the durians family in the chat: zf with all the adv help and teams despite being busy with real life. i was so happy to see you be in our chat. slurmz is banned but he is a dumb ass but still part of the family. obii for being the best memer and like a dad figure when it came to helping with decisions and managing and ofc helping. Cynara for being the drizzler but in heart a durian and helping our USM in finals.
Gunner Rohan: ofc i had to leave my bff at last. i know you are still upset over the ORAS game but even the best players lose games and you gotta move on with it. you know from experience. anyway, you were the biggest surprise for me this tournament. i genuinely thought you were done with the game after grand slam and you were on and off during whole winter. but then you became more active when UPL started to get closer and we started planning everything as we did last year.
durians wouldn't have been the same without you and that is why you are for me the biggest surprise of this tournament - you joined and cared more than anyone. you didn't have the best record but this team wouldn't have won or even existed if it weren't for you. this win is dedicated for all your hard work and passion you have towards this team and the ubers tier in general. i envy you.
and finally the host emeritus, SparksBlade. you were like the second manager with all the help, scouting, testing, chat presence and so on. the amount of time and effort you put in durians is unbelievable. i was very skeptical at first bringing you back since you were the host emeritus but i have never doubted the second i sent you that invitation link. you were and are one of the main reasons we won. you are a durian by heart and because of that, i want you to be the manager for next year.
Alkione: underrated french talent. even though english isn't your first language, dont ever be scared to jump in and be in touch with your chat! you were shy earlier on but you joined the chat more and more when the tour progressed. you were with jase and my thunder my trusted team players who helped everyone even if they didn't start. you had a great win vs serial but the game vs TDK is something i hope you learnt handleing the pressure. merci!
byron the bab bab: the punching bag. i know you wanted to play dpp and i am sure you will play it next year if you join UPL. the seasonal winner showed his team player skills by jumping into ORAS and getting some really, really important wins. some of them might have not been the most impressive ones but a win is a win. you did a bloody good job with helping in dpp + oras and i am happy (and still shocked) that your UPL debut ended on a positive note.
Exiline: i can't believe i am teaming up with you in the best friends tournament...YOU LOST YOUR TWO FIRST GAMES AND THEN QUIT...for a week. thank god it was only for a week. your early season was rough as fuck but i am happy you came back. you took your break and came back stronger than ever. you won in finals with that batshit crazy team and i couldn't be more happier for you. <3
Empo: you had so much other shit going on this spring that i won't blame you being inactive and a substitute. you are still fire empoat.
Jase Duken: man, i am still upset that you couldn't win a game! you did well in try-outs so you earned your spot on the winning team. helping everyone in the USM is something i appreciated a shit ton as manager and that proved you are a team player. i hope you learned a lot from your game against kyogref4n since it was your first game. the pressure and stuff affected but that is natural and i am sure you will get wins and confidence over the time. great memer as well
Kebabe: even the best players can't always perform perfectly. this season wasn't yours but i would still retain you every single time. i was surprised you even joined to play but i am glad you did. i am not sure if you will next year but whoever manages durians next year, you should retain this man. but only if he plays...
Kushalos: hey i gotta thank the chef or CLUTCHALOS for many things. thank you for showing interest in adv ubers and in ubers in general so i knew instantly who my adv pick would. of course, you ended up with a great 4-2 record and clutching not only once but twice vs melloat. first in week 5 and then in finals. i think we might end up on the same team in the future so it isn't good bye...i am just so happy you did so well and ended up winning...
Lycans: the guy who performs in so many different tiers but performs well. i honestly didn't expect to get you but i was able to steal you. i want to thank you for jumping into oras when we had to change slots and ended up with a win in finals. you are such a sweetheart and a team player holy moly. i would be happy to team up with you in spl or snake since you are such a great team mate. obii doesn't praise players for no reason and you deserve all the praises you get.
M Dragon: another UPL but same old story. 3/3. killer start and you would have killed it once again in a tiebreak if we needed one. papa david is always there with the stories and this experience in UPL wouldn't have been this delightful without your chat presence. of course, i and durians could always count on you to bring the necessary wins we needed. thank you for showing once again interest in playing after SPL since honestly i was sure i wasn't able to get you. couldn't ask for a better retain.
My Thunder: i really wanted you to play, i honestly do! you didn't care about that and that impressed me a lot. you showed that you were a top helper with all those USM teams that our success wouldn't have been as amazing without you. i honestly doubted you that you wouldn't be as helpful as you were but i am so glad that i bought you and proved me wrong. not just helping with teams but also with testing and keeping the chat alive. you are such a TEAM PLAYER that every team needs.
PurpleGatorade: i still can't believe you did as well as you performed. 5-0, holy moly. i honestly didn't expect you to do this well at all but rabbit's son had to be trusted and you responded to that trust in the best way possible. from week 1 to finals, you put an insane amount of work in your own games but also in others. you deserve all the praises from your performance and especially that week 5 game vs holy break is something i personally won't forget. keep playing and you will succeed even more in future tournaments! big heat
soviet: hey, i have to give you a shout-out as well. thank you for sticking around and giving advice whenever players needed it. great chat presence and those 3k was not a waste. however, sometime in the future you will be forced to actually play. i fucking swear it has to happen!!!
skysolo14: sorry solo but we should be able to slot you in week 5 to play holy ghost. well, that never happened. however, before you played you were not just a top memer but also a great asset in helping in preparing and testing. but when you came in, your debut ended on a 6-0 victory. picking my 3rd usm slot for finals was the toughest decision i made whole UPL but you showed me and everyone that it wasn't the wrong choice. the underdog came in and won the whole tournament. bless you
other members on the durians family in the chat: zf with all the adv help and teams despite being busy with real life. i was so happy to see you be in our chat. slurmz is banned but he is a dumb ass but still part of the family. obii for being the best memer and like a dad figure when it came to helping with decisions and managing and ofc helping. Cynara for being the drizzler but in heart a durian and helping our USM in finals.
Gunner Rohan: ofc i had to leave my bff at last. i know you are still upset over the ORAS game but even the best players lose games and you gotta move on with it. you know from experience. anyway, you were the biggest surprise for me this tournament. i genuinely thought you were done with the game after grand slam and you were on and off during whole winter. but then you became more active when UPL started to get closer and we started planning everything as we did last year.
durians wouldn't have been the same without you and that is why you are for me the biggest surprise of this tournament - you joined and cared more than anyone. you didn't have the best record but this team wouldn't have won or even existed if it weren't for you. this win is dedicated for all your hard work and passion you have towards this team and the ubers tier in general. i envy you.
and finally the host emeritus, SparksBlade. you were like the second manager with all the help, scouting, testing, chat presence and so on. the amount of time and effort you put in durians is unbelievable. i was very skeptical at first bringing you back since you were the host emeritus but i have never doubted the second i sent you that invitation link. you were and are one of the main reasons we won. you are a durian by heart and because of that, i want you to be the manager for next year.
this will be my last UPL and only time will tell if i will be part of durians chat next year. but for the next year, enjoy your UPL win guys since this doesn't happen every day. you guys deserve this win more than anything.
there will probably be some UPL survey or something but for next year, get rid of this format and let the top-2 teams from regular season move straight to finals if there are 6 teams. the 2-3 week between week 5 and finals was so ridiculous that it was killing the hype and motivation (for me, luckily not for others). otherwise this UPL pretty much didn't have big and bad drama despite some hiccups but that is natural for every team tournament. that just shows people do care and have passion to win.
i wasn't sure about managing but when i decided to do so, there were two important things i wanted at all cost. the durians family (mainly gunner, sparky, zf, mdragon, kebabe, exiline, byron etc. i could get from last year) had to keep together or else the experience would have been way worse. giving newer players a shot to perform in usm (or in general but i cared most about usm since there is where you build your tournament players because it is the current generation) is also i wanted to do.
i am not a usm fan at all but watching games gave me hope that these new players will take old gags (myself included) spots in major tournaments like snake. people put in a lot of effort and pulled good results in all teams and for me personally usm ubers was a huge success. people might not see it that it was but i am sure that we will have players who succeeded here and will succeed in major individual tournaments do well in official team trophy tournaments.
i wasn't sure about managing but when i decided to do so, there were two important things i wanted at all cost. the durians family (mainly gunner, sparky, zf, mdragon, kebabe, exiline, byron etc. i could get from last year) had to keep together or else the experience would have been way worse. giving newer players a shot to perform in usm (or in general but i cared most about usm since there is where you build your tournament players because it is the current generation) is also i wanted to do.
i am not a usm fan at all but watching games gave me hope that these new players will take old gags (myself included) spots in major tournaments like snake. people put in a lot of effort and pulled good results in all teams and for me personally usm ubers was a huge success. people might not see it that it was but i am sure that we will have players who succeeded here and will succeed in major individual tournaments do well in official team trophy tournaments.
this is it for now. until next time...