A new European LAN is set to start this weekend in Hamburg: RCADIA FORTRESS. Over the course of three days, teams will duke it out for a shot at the €1500 prizepool. Seven teams make up the Invite group, and they will all play each other in a Round Robin system on the first day before all progressing alongside the winner of the Open group to the place where legends are made: the double-elimination bracket. Want to know more about the Invite teams? Keep on reading then, as we have compiled information about each one: Because at teamfortress.tv, We Care.
Witness Gaming
- Pocket Scout: toemas_
- Flank Scout: ixy
- Roamer: Silentes
- Pocket: papi
- Demo: Domo
- Medic: mulaa
The reigning ETF2L champions, Witness Gaming are a powerhouse of a team. In August at i69, we saw them take on froyotech multiple times, and while the legendary American squad ultimately walked away with yet another win, Witness Gaming certainly made them work for it. On a domestic level, papi’s pals have been close to spotless, having won the last season comfortably and dropping a mere two rounds overall in the ongoing one.
Indubitably, the favourites to win it all Witness Gaming will be looking at this tournament as a way to re-assert their dominance over the European region. With extremely experienced players as well as the synergy that comes from being the only team to have kept their roster identical since last season, Witness Gaming are THE team to beat at this event.
tf2easy
- Pocket Scout: morale
- Flank Scout: Gazy
- Roamer: nubbi
- Pocket: Josh
- Demo: Nas boii
- Medic: auto
In the beginning, things indeed looked simple for tf2easy, as their first season under this name was a triumphant one, even winning the Bo5 Grand Finals in only three maps. However, Silentes then jumped ship to Witness Gaming, making life a bit more tf2difficult. While tf2easy were able to take the fight to wG in the following season and at i69, they have not yet figured out a way to come out on top. This season, tf2easy have not played their rivals yet, but perhaps worryingly, they have dropped points to teams they should beat on paper.
So, are they in a downturn? While recent results could indicate that, ruling out such a talented batch of players would be foolish. Besides, LANs tend to be the great equalizers of TF2, and tf2easy performed well last August despite a lot of their players being unfamiliar with offline settings. With that added experience, as well as their motivation to best their nemeses, it is far too soon to count them out.
The League of Shadows
- Pocket Scout: flick
- Flank Scout: Zoey
- Roamer: dwo69
- Pocket: ronz
- Demo: deli69
- Medic: june
The League of Shadows, apart from being dastardly comic villains, is one of the fastest rising teams in Europe. Following a surprise third place finish last season, flick upgraded their soldier duo and went back to grinding. The results have been mostly positive, as The League is all but guaranteed playoffs with two games to spare, and have been playing with confidence and boldness.
While their credibility as a solid Prem team has been established, questions still linger on The League of Shadows. Namely, do they have what it takes to bring their game to the next level? They have shown themselves to be annoying to play against for the top two teams, but are yet to convert their good performances into map wins. For such an ambitious group of players who will all make their international LAN debut at this event, this is a great opportunity to prove themselves on the big stage.
Duplo
- Pocket Scout: balder
- Flank Scout: Swi
- Roamer: alba
- Pocket: grix
- __ Demo: _gar __
- Medic: Agen
The first (mostly-)Swedish team to play in Premiership since 2014, Duplo burst into the top level as Division 1 winners, but are still finding their footing as they are currently sitting in 8th place with three points. Although, to be fair: this season has been extremely competitive so far. While the Swedes have been able to show off their aggressive playstyle and have a few standout players, they have not been able to consistently perform and have looked a bit disconnected at times.
But, with most of the season now behind them, this LAN could let Duplo rebuild in a way, with them using the experience gathered in the last five weeks to start anew. Their relentless pressure will also probably make them a tough customer to deal with, especially for teams that were formed specifically for this event.
wer das liest ist doof
- Pocket Scout: voxtec
- Flank Scout: schocky
- Roamer: Ignis
- Pocket: danny
- Demo: Philip
- Medic: bobby
wer das liest ist doof - a name that might cause them issues in Hamburg - have become a common sight in Prem over the last couple years. A careful blend of returning veterans, offclassers and new recruits fresh from tf2pickup.de allowed them to field many teams over the years. Always decent and sometimes pretty damn good, those teams often served as playoff gatekeepers. But, with the home-ground advantage and a very competent roster, these doofuses are ready to aim higher.
The Scouts are the standout points of the team, with schocky returning to a LAN for the first time since i58, and voxtec is far from being a slouch, too. Philip and bobby were both a part of WDLID’s last foray into Premiership and will slot right back in. Ignis’ last appearance in Prem was quite a while ago but over 400 PUGs have kept them sharp and team leader danny is, funnily enough, both the only person who is yet to feature in Premiership and the person who most recently played in a LAN Invite Group: at i69 with SVIFT.
#BIGBLOKELAN
- Pocket Scout: Aph
- Flank Scout: bl0ke
- Roamer: Jordy
- Pocket: Hugo
- Demo: mak
- Medic: Piggles
An assortment of Premiership players, like most LANs have, #BIGBLOKELAN showcases what makes LAN so special: just a couple of blokes, having fun and "pwning newbs", as they say. Four out of six players on this roster have already played on the last iteration of #BIGBLOKELAN at i65, where they acheieved a very respectable fifth place, a nice reminder to not count them out at this event.
Most of the roster is either semi-retired or currently playing in Division 1, so it remains up in the air if they are sharp enough to go far, but the Day 1 Round Robin group stage will surely help with de-rusting. Should they manage to get back in their groove, this is a team with a lot of potential and the expertise needed to stay level with better teams. Keep an eye out for them
czuraci
- Pocket Scout: snh
- Flank Scout: nation
- Roamer: adysky
- Pocket: koling
- Demo: Lukas
- Medic: degu
Last but not least, czuraci is another nearly-national team, although like Duplo and WDLID they do have an imposter within their ranks. The Czechs have been able to maintain a team in Division 1 or 2 for quite a while now and even managed to push an iteration of the street debils to Prem last season. Perhaps it was not the most successful season, as they ended up 8th, but it was still valuable experience.
Two names stick out from the rest: adysky and Lukas. Both of them are familiar with the top level and will surely bring in some clutch factor on this squad. nation is another former Prem player, although one who never reached the same heights as the previous two. Also known to be very proficient in the "rat with a gun" playstyle. The former street debils should not be discounted as well, as they could form a strongly-bonded combo. With some of their players ready for one last ride into the sunset, czuraci can definitively surprise.