9. Kickasser vs. 13. Posho - Kickasser still has the occasional moment where he doesn't pull the trigger but is by and large a serious threat to anyone at this stage. However, Posho's been playing very well and with seemingly more confidence. His hunger is absolutely palpable. I would favor him in BW. If he faces the more timid ORAS Kickasser of round 1 then he should take that one as well. However, if he faces the jesus-god-this-guy's-team-is-going-to-kick-my-face-off Kickasser of last round, then it's a much more even contest, the Frenchman threatening to overrun the Spaniard's bulkier team. Of course Posho is more than capable at striking back fiercely but I think I would barely take last round's Kickasser over him because christ that was frightening. Both have been doing quite well in SM, Posho maybe a bit moreso, so it'd seem he's favored in all three. Kickasser's used to being the underdog by now. It largely depends on how he attacks ORAS and if he can bring it up a notch in SM. He still has his work cut out for him though because Posho played like an animal last round. Will be a solid series either way, good to see up-and-comers making it this far, especially in such a stacked tour.
2. SoulWind vs. 6. craing ;_; - ben hasn't been taken to BW yet so I cannot comment on his state there. SW is clearly favored here although his first two games haven't been the dominating wins you'd expect from him, but I'm sure he's hungrier than ever to return to the finals, so he's going to pull out all the stops here. He'll definitely need to because mr. gay has looked untouchable so far in the other two and having to win both is a nasty prospect. ben's been mixing it up nicely in SM and leaving opponents with no chance thanks to his trusty Dugtrio in ORAS. SW's got top-tier team assistance in those two gens so I'm sure the ORAS will be heavily anti-mole + fatties. God, Defog stall makes me sick. I'm currently not the guy to ask about what fun stuff's gonna pop up in SM but I'd like to see Nihilego because it's my favorite SM poke. Anyway SW is obviously no slouch in those two gens but he doesn't main them like ben does and while that doesn't always mean much, ben is so unique in what he does in/with them and has been on such a roll that it's hard to call against him, even when someone as good as SW is his opponent. The other Spaniard in this semi will need to assure his BW victory and then catch ben off guard in one of the other two to come out victorious. Last I saw of ben in BW it was fall '13 and he had some Torn/Tenta rain (against CTC's Riolu...) so who knows if he's abandoned his old TR Smeargle/Cresselia + ErupTran + Conk antics I remember from ladder. If he manages to snag that SW's odds drop significantly although never count him out. Similarly, SW finding a hole in one of the other two would likely let him advance, but I'm sure ben's aware of that and will be on lockdown.
don't schedule like retards please I would love to get both these series. have fun, gents