Wish we got to watch, damn STV

I was just going with the whole Taylor Swift thing. :)

but like, is it planned that Lial's seed in the bracket at #12 is a Blank Space?

It might not be a reepost, Yz50 just had twins

Sounds like ISSA KNIFE needs to Shake it off

I am not sure if you are answering your own question or not.
Conventional forces are irrelevant to the discussion about MAD.

This is a direct quote describing the Nuclear Triad:

"By the time of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, both the United States and the Soviet Union had developed the capability of launching a nuclear-tipped missile from a submerged submarine, which completed the third leg of the nuclear triad weapons strategy necessary to fully implement the MAD doctrine. Having a three-branched nuclear capability eliminated the possibility that an enemy could destroy all of a nation's nuclear forces in a first-strike attack; this, in turn, ensured the credible threat of a devastating retaliatory strike against the aggressor, increasing a nation's nuclear deterrence."

I am not sure where you are getting your facts. To say the USSR had more advanced and better capabilities than the US in the 1960's is plain false. I have read extensively about the military side and have several books at home I re-read from time to time. I believe you need to do more true research. As a brief overview on US / USSR Nuclear Capabilities for the time in question, read this:

http://foreignpolicy.com/2012/07/10/what-was-at-stake-in-1962/

Additionally, I printed out this document and have read it a few times. It does make for interesting reading and can give a clear and factual basis for the discussion:

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/DOC_0000242848.pdf

Great job to the Boys in Blue. Always running towards the danger to keep us safe.

Says different on ESEA page, which is what I used, but i'll change it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT0zjorR68A

I understand that you hate America because you say it regularly but this post makes no sense. First off, I don't dispute anything you said the US was doing at the time but you act as if Russia was an angel during the cold war and did nothing at all that could have been considered "an act of war". Wrong, do some research.

Secondly, nobody wins in a nuclear exchange. Anything fired at the US would have been returned right back to Russia and we all would have been "bathed in a nuclear inferno".

This is a trick question, you can't have 2 medics!

replacing which one?

Changed

Predictions for the 2nd round of Open
Should be a fun playoff, GL to all teams

1) Squad Fam Esports vs 8) PunchLine

• 1) Squad Fam Esports
  
• Scout - ebiskil
  
• Scout - n3
  
• Soldier - Molly
  
• Soldier - mikemat
  
• Demoman - Falkinghammer
  
• Medic - phobia

• 8) PunchLine
  
• Scout - Rogue
  
• Scout - N1ghT
  
• Soldier - Diplo
  
• Soldier - Psi
  
• Demoman - 3O1
  
• Medic - Drezzo

This has the potential to be one of the more interesting match-ups in the 2nd round. These teams did meet earlier in the regular season on Granary and it was a 5-0 win for SFE but the match did last 40 minutes so it was more competitive than the final score indicates. Since then, I believe PunchLine has improved with some roster changes. I really believe the Soldiers of PunchLine will dictate if this is a quick 2 map roll or a possible 3 map competitive match.

On Viaduct, the SFE scouts will be difficult to counter and should be stronger than PunchLine scouts as I doubt we will see another 68 kill performance in this match. The real difference will have to be Diplo/Psi outplaying Molly/mikemat for PunchLine to have a good chance on Viaduct. Falkinghammer has been arguably the strongest demo in open this season and should consistently outperform 3O1 while both medics should be roughly even.

When the match moves to Granary, and possibly Metalworks, the need for strong soldier play from PunchLine is even more important because they are soldier oriented maps.

Viaduct - 4-1 Squad Fam Esports
Granary - 5-2 Squad Fam Esports

12) LialAndThe1989WorldTour vs 4) the b0ys

• 12) LialAndThe1989WorldTour
  
• Scout - BUBBY_CHONER
  
• Scout - Lial1
  
• Soldier - Lial
  
• Soldier - JoJo
  
• Demoman - Lia1
  
• Medic - Rush

• 4) the b0ys
  
• Scout - Syath
  
• Scout - bo4r
  
• Soldier - goldfish
  
• Soldier - speedy
  
• Demoman - akemi
  
• Medic - neeks

The b0ys are likely the odds on favorite for Grand Finals on this side of the bracket and for good reason. It could be of some concern that they have not had a scrim for over a week together. Even when they were scriming, it was average results against teams they should be smashing. bo4r and goldfish have been carrying this team all season with really strong play. A possible weak spot is lack of overall experience on everyone except goldfish but there are no other teams in Open, besides offclassico, that could exploit it. The strong main calling from goldfish is probably offsetting any inexperience.

LialAndThe1989WorldTour, the team with the strangest name and half the roster using the same alias that confuses the shit out of me. They have played a strong season and it showed in their match against ISSA KNIFE. I watched most of the match and they did not win because of an unfortunate 5v6 ending on the 2nd map. The first map on Gully was a solid victory and I believe they looked like the stronger team throughout. In my opinion, it was an overall well deserved win.

I have scrimed against Lial many times this season and they have been "on and off". Some nights they would play us strong and others we would roll them so I am not sure which team will show-up against the b0ys but they are going to need everyone playing well to have a chance. Countering bo4r on viaduct will be critical and could likely be the focal point of that map. I don't think this will be easily done with the protection bo4r is likely to have. Lial will play much stronger against the b0ys on Granary and Metalworks, if it gets that far, and this match could be tighter than most people think.

Viaduct - 4-0 the b0ys
Granary - 5-2 the b0ys

11) Yung Americans vs 3) offclassico

• 11) Yung Americans
  
• Scout - Career
  
• Scout - Muse
  
• Soldier - SpaceCadet`HX
  
• Soldier - Percy
  
• Demoman - Stock
  
• Medic - Iggynacio

• 3) offclassico
  
• Scout - ??
  
• Scout - ??
  
• Soldier - ??
  
• Soldier - ??
  
• Demoman - ??
  
• Medic - ??

I will just talk about my teammates here instead of the match. I have only been on the team for about 1/4th of the season but I have had a very fun time and enjoy their company. I am also happy that I was able to find an active team that scrims often with a drive to improve.

This was my first time playing with Percy in a team setting and it is nice to meet someone who likes to help newer players in a positive way, a real team oriented player who is just as solid on soldier as on scout.
This is my 3rd or 4th season playing with Muse and he is an absolute monster that not enough people know about. There is no question that he is easily a High IM scout and a very positive teammate.
Stock is the silent glue that holds us together. His play has consistently impressed me and I believe is often overlooked by other teams because of the IM players on our roster. He will no doubt be a highly sought after demo in the near future.
Career has been steadily improving since I meet him and has the rare trait of accepting criticism without tilting or taking it personally. He generally wants to get better so I see a lot of potential that could be reached with a few more seasons of experience. (Be sure to remind him not to go to sleep after the first match in a best of 3)
Iggy is a good medic with solid mechanics that will continue to get better over time. He is willing to put in the time and is dedicated. He probably has the most drive on the team to improve and learn the "how's and why's" to playing TF2 properly.

7) UGC Silver 6s vs 2) top invite

• 7) UGC Silver 6s
  
• Scout - LAB8
  
• Scout - Thoughtcrime
  
• Soldier - Jun
  
• Soldier - Chronoxyde
  
• Demoman - Lucky
  
• Medic - HappyBob

• 2) top invite
  
• Scout - Fen
  
• Scout - Apt
  
• Soldier - Shounic
  
• Soldier - Alanny
  
• Demoman - ly
  
• Medic - bleh

I think it would be a huge mistake for top invite to sleep on this match and assume a win. Top invite has not scrimed together for over a week while UGC Silver has been active with solid scrim results against high open teams. IMO, top invite seems stronger in every combat class except demoman. Having hooli on demo was an important switch that brought maturity and experience to a team with the potential to tilt at any moment. Losing or switching hooli for ly will hurt on the stat sheet and in mumble. The medic change from tino to bleh is mostly a lateral move but the overall medic matchup should be fairly even between these teams.

I can see Viaduct being an upset in this matchup. UGC Silver have played this map pretty strong throughout the season and top invite have been average at best with little real practice. LAB8 is a good enough sniper to change the pace should things start badly but I predict Lucky to have a standout game. There is potential for fen/Apt scout pair to dominate but I don't think it will play out that way. The real question is going to be if the Soldier pair of Jun/Chronoxyde can keep up with Shounic/Alanny for 3 maps. It might not be that big of an issue on Viaduct but when it switches to Granary and possibly Metalworks, there may be problems in the soldier department.

Viaduct - 4-3 UGC Silver 6s
Granary - 5-1 top invite
Metalworks - 3-1 top invite

Slow day in my office before the holiday with nobody to bother me
Decided to close my door and just chill with Vinnie Moore for the next hour.

I don't really care to argue with you anymore. You can continue to try and insult me whenever you want, it's never going to have any impact on me. We should both simply stop becuase this has changed from talking about IM matches / happenings to stupid personal disagreements from the past and this thread isn't about that.

I am basically this. I login just about every weeknight to have fun playing / talking TF2 with my team. Pretty sure any of my past teammates would echo that.