WEEK 1 - MAP20 ZDECTF2-01 [FEB 6 - FEB 12] Discussion

[Zakken]

Week 1 - MAP20: Cold Sweats (ZDECTF2-01)
February 6th - February 12th

Super Chargers [SUC]
Ralphis, Dranzer, Hopes, Halloween
0 pts (0-0-0)

vs

[SXP] Sexual Panthers
HumanBones, Rude, Dastan, Evolution
0 pts (0-0-0)

Hurt You Plenty [HYP]
DevastatioN, Heks, Starrk, dew
0 pts (0-0-0)

vs

[TKV] Techno Vikings
Caution, GhOsTKiLLeR, Xenaero, Avc
0 pts (0-0-0)

Regulators [REG]
Jwarrier, RoSKing, HTG, Goblin
0 pts (0-0-0)

vs

[TDT] The Dream Team
DemonSphere, turSKA, Denzoa, D'Sparil
0 pts (0-0-0)

High Friction Men [HFM]
KBlair, Wazzup, Godlike, VonDoom_McDoom
0 pts (0-0-0)

vs

[GPS] Giant Pea Shooters
Alt_Stab, Zakken, Dragon, Tony
0 pts (0-0-0)

[Zakken]

NEW YEAR. NEW STYLING. Hope it's pleasing to the eyes

[turSKA]

I'll take alt_stab at this! COMING IN PUNS BLAZING! Aight...

SUC vs SXP 2-0

El classico time straight off the bat, Ralphis vs Humanbones. Both teams looking pretty solid, but in terms of firepower SXP clearly has the edge. HB is a wall, rude is a slick bastard, and dastan is a beast! What i'd really like to see is my old clan mate Evolution get some playtime and show what he's got nowadays. Despite Ralphis running, i think he'll have tough time getting through HB in D and mid with dastan the high ping turret blocking the way. I'm hoping Ralphis proves me wrong and delivers yet again some SUC magic. SUC's 3rd will be key, Hopes/halloween really needs to step up.

Team Dev vs TKV 0-2

Team Dev surely looks more experienced on paper, but these dudes are rocking almost in their 40s and reaction times are gonna be an issue. Team strategy vs ssg wielding mouth breathers, gonna be interesting. DevastatioN will carry hard on D, so it's gonna be about how good is their offense. Rooting for Dev and dewww!

HFM vs GPS 2-1

Alt_stab drafted some fine gentlemen on his team, but i think they're lacking a true D. Apparently zakken and dragon dont play well together, so it's cool to see if alt_stab can get the most out of his team. If dragon plays to his standards I think they'll steal a round, but thats it. Kblair and wazzup are gonna wreck the mid.

[Jwarrier]

SUC vs SXP 2-1

After watching SXP practice I can tell I already underestimated them.  However I think this SXP like previous teams HB has fielded might take a game or two to really get clicking.  I know Dastan is fighting for a starting spot but I have to say the Evo actually impressed me with his game sense while I watched him. Knowing when to fight and when to pressure is a true difference maker on a map that can allow an entire team to be pushed into their base.  With that being said, I remember when SUC took down the #1 team WUMBO in season 2.  While SUC had HB on that team the strategy is what mattered and lets face it map20 is a difficult map to sustain defense on if you are constantly being attacked.  If SXP can counter and eliminate the rush strategy of SUC then this game goes easily to SXP in 2 rounds.  I just don't think SXP can do that at this early stage in the season.  Super Chargers pull the victory in a 3 round classic.

Team Dev vs TKV 1-2

I feel like Jake's team is going to set the touch record for this week.  Caution and AVC on map20 is a defense mismatch and even with all the frag power on Team Dev the sneakiness of Caution and AVC is going to pure brilliance. I think Dev's team can go far this season but like SXP it might take them some time to put together the pieces.  TKV in 3 rounds.


HFM vs GPS 2-0

I have played against Stab and Dragon on map20.  I watched them practice and I saw a team that had some missteps and miscommunication.  What I did not see was weakness.  I know this team will be ironed out and ready to roll for Week 1 game time.  Kblair will get a rude week 1 opening to his first WDL captain season.  GPS in 2.


REG vs TDT

 

PS I hate the left right format in this thread.

[Ralphis]

SUC vs SXP

 

Team Dev vs TKV

At this early stage in the season, every prediction must be bold because we haven't seen anybody in action yet. Particularly when you're pitting two rookie captains against each other. However, it's hard to see Dev's team coming out of this one with the win. While all of the members of Dev's team are bonafide starters, I don't see an opportunity for chemistry to develop easily due to scheduling. Starrk only comes on late at night, Dev will usually be gone, Heks has been around more often but can be come-and-go, and nobody has even seen Dew in a priv, resulting in his face plastered all over milk cartons in the WDL cafeteria.

Meanwhile, TKV will likely roll out a lineup that is incredibly fresh for this league. While Xen is a competitive CTF staple, I believe his schedule will push him into the fourth role on this team. Avc and Ghostkiller are going to have to step up to support Caution and I believe that, in week 1, they're going to do just that. TKV over Dev's Team 2-1

REG vs TDT

Likely the game of the week. Two very seasoned teams with star power. If I were running a sports book on the WDL season, REG would be the early favorite to win the title. The veteran leadership of Jwarrier compounded with the ability of RoSKing, one of the best runners in the history of the league, immediately sets the stage for fireworks. Will HTG and Goblin pump up the spectacle or cause REG to fizzle out before the finale?

DemonSphere is coming off of his first championship appearance. Although that game ended in heartbreak for TDT, DS has reloaded and has another team likely capable of making a title game berth 8 weeks from now. For the second time since last summer, DS has drafted the Phenom of Finland, turSKA. In their last outing together, they were edged out of the playoffs by a one round margin. As a player, Denzoa is an upgrade over DingDang in terms of skill so it would appear that the team has improved. D'Sparil remains a question mark, although he has had great showings in private CTF. Game of the week and, if it isn't a tie, I believe the Euro whisperer DS will pull off a win - no matter how slight. TDT over REG 2-1

HFM vs GPS

Blair's first go as a captain looks solid after the draft - but a good draft doesn't mean you'll win games. With Wazzup and Godlike the presumed starters beside Blair, the team looks good. The important part of the equation is availability. Wazzup has had spotty avails in the past, will he be around to practice and play? If so, HFM is a top tier team. If not, they're in trouble. Godlike has had great privs, nobody has seen VonDoom for some time.

Stab put on a master class with his draft. Zakken and Dragon are top tier to elite talent. Can all of these personalities co-exist together? Maybe. Week 1 is going to determine the direction of this team. HFM over GPS 2-1.

[Zakken]

My predictions:

SUC 0-1 SXP
Dev 1-1 TKV
REG 2-0 TDT (3 rounds)
HFM 0-99999 GPS

[Ten]

SUC vs SXP

Ralph vs Bones, the ultimate classical matchup.  What a perfect way to kick off the season, there's no way this wasn't planned. If Evo ends up being active, he's going to be competing with Dastan, who has been a rising star lately, for the starter O spot. Both are great players, but will they be able to penetrate Dranzer's giant D? It's going to be tough.

SUC 2-1

HYP vs TKV

HYP in my opinion is perhaps the biggest question mark team of the league heading into the start of the season. Will doomgod Dev have fluid chemistry with Hex and Starrk? I see a lot of firepower, but I don't see a whole lot of offensive power here, but I'm hoping I could be wrong. Meanwhile TKV is looking like a monster of a team on paper. Avc is perhaps the fastest-rising player in the league and could very well be the next Jenova with his speedy running skills. Ghostkiller has the aim of an android over on Zandronum, but it remains to be seen if he can successfully transition that aim to Odamex. If he can, he will create a solid wall of a defense that HYP's lacking offense is going to get very frustrated with. Jake is an amazing all-around player with solid aim that will be able to clear out mid/D for his teammates easily. I'm interested to see how Xen fits into their roster as well.

TKV 2-0-1

REG vs TDT

I don't think it's a far stretch to say that TDT is one of the strongest teams on paper, and it's hard to imagine them not at least making playoffs. It will be a little tricky for DS with all-euro availabilities, but if he can work around that, TDT has the potential to go *very* far. With DS holding down the defense, his european offense could prove to be enormously effective. REG is no slouch of a team either though, with their first draft pick being perhaps the best player in the league. Jwarrier is an extremely effective player with strong aim and smart play, so the biggest question is how well their thirds end up performing. HTG and Goblin are both great players with assloads of potential, but how well they apply that potential to the big-leagues will be the determining factor in this game.

TDT 2-0

HFM vs GPS

HFM seems to scream heavy fragging potential, but do they have chemistry and offensive potential? This is another team that resonates with HYP in that it's unclear how well they're going to play together, but I'm hoping that KBlair's veteran mind will have some success with creating strategies to lead this team to capping flags and winning games. GPS has two extremely powerful players to come out of Zandronum, Zakken with his incredibly strong fragpower and Dragon, an extremely talented runner. The obvious line-up would have captain Stab in mid supporting these two, and I think that lineup is going to definitely live up to the phrase "flags, not frags."

GPS 2-0