SEXUAL PANTHERS vs WUMBO
On paper, this has the potential to be one of the greatest playoff games of all-time. It is almost a championship game in and of itself. Let's look at just some of the more notable reasons of why this game is so good:
Quality of Players: 5/6 players in this game are in the top 10 all-time greatest WDL players as per the RAT stat, including players at spots 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8. Torvald is the only player that falls outside of this category at 17, but he has one of the highest win percentages ever with a victory in nearly 70% of rounds played.
Brothers of Destruction: Water vs. Torvald. For many seasons, this duo wreaked havoc on the league. In fact, neither has ever lost a playoff game. They are both three time WDL champions. They captured titles together in seasons 2 and 3 while Water won as a captain in season 1 and Torvald proved he could do it without Water last season on SXP.
Reigning Champions: SXP is an interesting study this season. At the outset, Bones reacquired Rude through the draft. However, a mid-season trade with GPS rebuilt the championship core from last season. Even then, the team has not been firing on all cylinders as it did last season. SXP did not lose a game last season and rolled through the playoffs - can they do the same to one of the stronger cores ever built in Wumbo?
Water vs. Bones: Water has captained three times since the inception of the WDL while Bones is in his second run. Neither has ever eaten a loss in the playoffs so this will be a season of first for one of these two.
Revenge of the Sith: KBlair is in his second WDL season but is no rookie. He went to the finals against SXP last season and has a chance for a re-do against the same team.
Prediction: Close games but Wumbo's homefield tilts it. WUM over SXP 3-2
Best Ever vs The Dream Team
This game is probably less "anticipated" but is still full of awesome stories:
Underdogs: Face the facts. After the draft, many thought that RoSKing made some odd decisions. I'll be the first to eat crow and admit that I was one of them. Not only did the performance of Best Ever prove me wrong, but they proved me so wrong that they enter the playoffs at #1 with a 5 pt spread to second place. Amazing.
The European Union: This matchup features a direct battle between the league's two premiere European players. On Best Ever, FSN has made an immediate impact in his rookie season. Although there is a limited sample size, the French magician is currently leading the league all-time in capture % (16.36%) and round win % (75%). TurSKA is in his second WDL season and has come out on fire after a tough go in his "rookie" campaign. The Finnish finesse is back on The Dream Team in a "do anything necessary role". So far, it's been working.
Just One Chance: RoSKing and DemonSphere have been playing and captaining in leagues for a long time. Unfortunately for both, the taste of a championship has eluded them. Neither has made it to a championship game in the WDL yet. That changes this season as one is guaranteed to advance.
Bench Breakers: Starrk and DingDang have had interesting WDL careers. Starrk has occasionally switched between bench and active for teams while DingDang has mostly served as a reserve. This season there is no doubt that both have played at starter levels. Starrk has been a critical factor in Best Ever's success while DingDang has provided strong offense for The Dream Team. Both have broken the bench and have an opportunity to punch their ticket to the big game.
Prediction: Both teams steal a win on the opposing homefield. BST over TDT 3-2
