I was thrown off of my schedule a bit with so many metalworks matches still left to play on Tuesday, and with so many viaduct matches underway I decided to do something a bit different this week, and will continue with power rankings next week.
This week, I'll be taking a closer look at the bubble and the teams therein. “What is the bubble?” you say? The bubble is my favorite thing of the season besides playoffs, where the group of the 10 or so teams battle it out in the middle to jockey for those last few play-off spots and a chance to play in IM the next season. The tension in a lot of these matches create something of a mini-playoff before the real playoffs. In recent times, every Open playoff team has moved up the totem pole, which means that unless you want to play another season of Open you better make sure you get on the bus! I'll throw out a few thoughts for these bubble matches about teams that don't always get the spot light in the crowded Open division.
Hotel Moskau vs Rolling with Rolling cp_snakewater
Hotel Moskau have hung on throughout the season, after their initial success taking a solid win from Off Top. They've managed to stay on top of the pack of bubble teams and are in a decent position to make the post season. Rolling with Rolling has had some decent showings against a few playoff teams, but otherwise they've had the misfortune of a bunch of forfeit wins in a row. Their last couple of matches will be critical in order to make playoffs, most of all this one. Rolling's last couple of matches haven't been all that kind to them, and the rest of their schedule is riddled with question marks. It will come down to the wire for them by this match, and I'm not sure if they'll rise above the preassure. Hotel Moskau should come away with the win, but not before fighting for it and giving up rounds. 5-3 in favor of Hotel Moskau
1 Thousand MPH Ass vs American Jerks cp_snakewater
Radium has stepped down from the medic position to be replaced by Tery, formerly of Hans Fan Group, but what this means for 1 Thousand MPH Ass is unclear. The team will need to win both of their snakewater matches to guarantee a 9-7 record, and the most questionable of these matches will be against American Jerks. The Jerks are in a great position to already secure their spot with at least 10 wins from their remaining matches, but a win here could mean they knock Kace and crew out on their thousand MPH asses. I'm not really sure how Avast and Kace play snakewater, but if they try to rush it I don't think that fights will go their way. Hopefully, they'll play like they want it because I'll give them the upset win here with a 5-4 victory.
No Johns vs Thigh High Socks kothproviaduct_rc4
Thigh High Socks dipped a bit in the beginning of the season, but since then have been on the road to playoffs pretty steadily, albeit with about four forfeit wins. Even with another FFW on the schedule, Thigh High Socks may be cutting it a bit close. My best prediction for them will be a 10-6 record, but thats almost a worst case scenario really. No Johns have also been eating up the forfeit wins, although recently they put up a good fight against Cake Dough Cheddar, losing the game 5-2. No Johns' wins and losses will directly effect pretty much all of the bubble teams and whether or not a few teams will have to compare rounds for final seeding. Both teams are looking for the same real estate here, and even though Thigh High Socks has the scarier roster, it remains to be seen how they'll perform these last few weeks. The conservative decision would be to predict Thigh High Socks to win, although a loss here wouldn't be the end of the world for No Johns if they can best their opponents after this week. 4-2 in favor of Thigh High Socks.
Rolling with Rolling vs Champagne and Cocaine kothproviaduct_rc4
Champagne and Cocaine are another team paired up with a lot of bubble teams for their last few matches, meaning the matches will be relatively even and the results could change not only their own seeding, but perhaps open or close a door for other teams around them in the standings. Rolling with Rolling is faced with some long odds on some of their matches, but enough rounds and a couple wins for this team could give them the boost they need. If memory serves me correctly, viaduct is a pretty strong map for Scarecrow, who tore it up on that map during his season with AG Madboys. Whichever scouts do better will probably be the winners of the match, although this may not be the case for this match with Champagne's heavies consistently doing the lion's share of the damage for their team. This match could go either way, so I'll flip a coin and predict Rolling with Rolling to win 4-3.
Thigh High Socks vs Hungry Hungry Ogres cpsunshinerc1a
The Hungry Hungry Ogres have one question for themselves this season: “Are you hungry ENOUGH?” A couple flubbed matches could mean disaster for the team, but with a reasonable prediction they should end up 9-7 unless they win this match. A 10-6 record should do it for them, as they have had the good fortune of escaping a wave of forfeit wins that so many other teams have been plagued with. This leaves them with a healthy number of rounds for, which will be the tie breaker with other 10-6 teams. Thigh High Socks have the DM but may not have the coordination for a map like sunshine, and it remains to be seen if the Ogres can make it happen. I'll be looking to Rigel to carry, although Zalfy and Testify are the main threat from Thigh High Socks. As much as I would like to see an upset however, I predict Thigh High to take this one 5-2.
More power rankings next week, and I'll be doing some match watching tomorrow at 10a PST/1p EST, if you're at all interested check it out. Schedule @ videogamesteroids.tumblr.com