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10-10-2009, 04:45 AM
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The Beginning Of Playoffs & Round 1 Predictions!
Playoffs Round 1 Run-Down
By: Justin - Media Director Not too long ago many of us were preparing for the start of Season 2, with the planning and projects we had to get done for a smooth divisional season. Through the hard, dedicated work of our staff, we've finally made it to playoffs for the second time! Quite the feat for a new league, especially for supporting such a temperamental game like Combat Arms. Thus, let's make a splash and grab some insight into how these playoffs are going to pan out. Join us as we look into the future of playoffs, with deep speculation on the teams to play the first week of playoffs, and how it may all pan out! We'll look over the teams that have made it into playoffs, how those teams are going to play in their first matches, predict the winners, and who'll be the wildcard team this Season. Remember this topic is to encourage speculation & debate over the first week of playoffs, and is not stating who is the team to favourite, keep your opinions open! *You can cntrl+F to find the specific speculations/predictions on your favourite team as well! Teams For Season 2 Playoffs Twelve. That is the number of teams that made it into playoffs for Season 2. Each team had to fight their way through nine agonizing weeks of competitive play. Each team has been weathered by the pressure of their divisions, their hard matches, their playoff-making matches, their live broadcasted matches, and their internal team issues. Yet, as we can see, the strongest teams that have persevered through these last few weeks are standing here before us, ready to win. The top five teams that have made it into playoffs are as follows: VerTu; Red Dragon; Outkasts; Eureka7; & InFluence. VerTu and Red Dragon rolled through the divisionals by not losing a single match. Very impressive from Red Dragon, who no one would have picked for a top 3 placement in playoffs. VerTu on the other hand did lose some of their matches, but luckily they were saved from technicalities and mishaps from several other teams. Outkasts, is also turning heads with their third place finish to get into playoffs. Fourth place of divisional final standings is Eureka7, the defending champions. Through some rocky beginnings in the first few weeks of the divisionals, Eureka7 has pulled back to establish their position in playoffs. We'll see if Eureka7 is still suffering from the issues that plagued them earlier in the Season, or if they are still a top contender for the finals! Your team favourites from last Season and this Season that have made it back into playoffs are: ProCore - Pro; Core Gamers; Abstract; & B.E.B. These four teams have made it into playoffs and hopefully they don't disappoint us! B.E.B remaining strong through-out the entire divisionals shows they're geared towards that Championship game. Meanwhile cG and Abstract have had their share of shaky roster issues all through-out the Season. Let's hope they don't have to drop out before this is all over. Lastly, we have ProCore - Pro, who after removing their secondary team struck back with a very strong and appealing roster. Out of these four teams, it's tough to decide who has remained the strongest in order to win, ProCore or B.E.B? Overall these teams are definitely going to bring us the most heart pounding playoffs in their live broadcasted matches on WOGL.tv. Who'll win over the other is up to the dedication and commitment shown from these teams. However, this isn't going to stop us from speculating! Season 2 Playoffs Round 1 Speculations Match 1: ProCore Vs B.E.B The first bracket match is between ProCore and B.E.B. Each team, as previously mentioned, is full of dedication and commitment to winning the Season. Getting ahead of myself here, but this match-up will surely prove to be very exciting. Let's get into the gritty speculations though! ProCore brings experience, skilled players, and above all else the passion to win their matches. As we've seen from their broadcasted matches, and the scores of their games, ProCore doesn't back down and puts 110% on the table. ProCore enjoys slow playing tactics on Alpha, but doesn't mind the intimidating and aggressive pushing on Bravo. This is one team that will continue to throw their strategies at the other teams face. Roster highlights include EternalBob and Sandyneg, who both bring a dominating attitude to ProCore's matches. On the other hand we have B.E.B, who really share similar aspects of ProCore. They are well experienced in Combat Arms, have the same or more experience than ProCore. They have a very strong defense, and know how to adjust their Alpha play style to whomever they're playing against. Perhaps the match-making difference will be a result of B.E.B's roster. Their top five players are all skilled and knowledgeable with FPS's, as well as talented in Combat Arms. Setting that aside, all of their players seem to share the same attitude in their play styles and it shows in their matches. So who'll win? It could come down to who can win on Alpha, or who has the stronger roster, but a deeper look will reveal that each team is going to be equally prepared, as well as have fairly decent shots. These two teams are going to have to employ strategies that shakes the other team's strategies and rocks them off of their groove. Expect to see One Dragon and EternalBob to go big against each others teams, and to see a surprise from ProCore's performance. Match Winning Score: 7 - 5 to Bug Eyed Bastards. Match 2: InFluence Vs ZS Clan The second bracket match is definitely going to be either a let down or a total upset from InFluence. InFluence continues to be an up and down team, while ZS Clan continues to dominate winning. Either way it'll be an interesting show to watch. Starting with ZS Clan here, we've got a handful to discuss. ZS Clan came off as being a team that could only use NX gear in pubs/scrims. As we found out, ZS Clan has their own unique type of play style for the WOGL ruleset. Upset after upset, it is no surprise to see ZS Clan in the playoffs, their strongly skilled players and their apparent commitment to Combat Arms is what is going to push this team to the semi-finals or further. Their roster? PureBeastly, shock3r, Jonhl, Elysion, Medisin, MoonGirl...etc, are all large names in the CA Community for their individual talent. If there is any team aside from VerTu that has gathered an unfathomable amount of talent it is most definitely ZS Clan. Influence over here though is a different story. Definitely proving to be a solid and confronting team to play against this Season, InFluence has made it to playoffs. Yet, they're not a community favourite, nor do they have the best k/dr ratio as a team compared to all other teams in the playoffs. Whether we're underestimating InFluence here, or if we're just overlooking how InFluence likes to play, is all going to be revealed in this upcoming match. Unlike ZS Clan, we've only got Exquisite and Eros topping the rosters, and who knows if they'll be able to out gun the precise ZS Clan. The outcome will solely depend on how InFluence is going to win or lose. InFluence will either lose by being steamrolled, or ZS Clan will have a difficult time adjusting to InFluence's play style and lose the game. Yet, ZS Clan will probably keep three out of five of their players with a 2.0 K/Dr through-out the match. InFluence if they intend to win should be looking at bomb plants to win their match, as eliminating ZS Clan is not going to be the easiest thing in the world. Match Winning Score: 6 - 3 to ZS Clan. Match 3: Core Gamers Vs ParoXysmE The third match of playoffs is going to pop out eye sockets out regardless of who wins or loses in this case. We have the community favourite and highly regarded Core Gamers going up against the extremely calculated and stunning ParoXysmE. This is one of those matches you'd kill for to see as the finals. Core Gamers placed second in their division, narrowly getting by the last few weeks with some shaky roster complications. Even though they've been a strong favourite to win, it's unknown whether they'll be able to compete through-out playoffs at the level they've been competing at. Strategy filled to the brim cG will either bring their A game and give us a treat, or won't bring any players at all. Hopefully roster stars Modus, 2sly, HappyTron and PickPocket, can make a return to win this match. Then there's ParoXysmE! Lead by Randymoss514, this team wasn't taken seriously until their match-up with VerTu, that Paro most definitely stomped on, on the MOTW. Even though the match was overturned, it showed us how calculated and how much Paro can prepare for a match. Paro knows how to prepare and keep a game playing on their play style. Player highlights include Randymoss, K00lman, Zorder & Djiess. All of these players bring incredible skill and coordination to the match and will represent Paro extremely well. Deciding who'll win is a fickle thing in this scenario. It could be the match to go into overtime or it could be a walk in the park for Paro. The match decider is going to be if cG shows up or not. If cG shows up it could be anyones game. We know Paro is going to be prepared and ready to play the game their own way, whether or not cG can prepare enough to counter Paro at their own play style is up in the air. However Paro is consistent, strongly skilled and ready to win. This is the factor I'd place my money on. Match Winning Score: 9 - 7 to ParoXysmE. Match 4: Omniscient Vs Abstract The new team Omniscient taking on fourth place finisher Abstract from Season 1 is a match all in itself. Omniscient who has efficiently placed in the playoffs against Abstract who barely made it into Playoffs behind cG and Red Dragon. Abstract had similar issues to cG midway through the Season, but looks to have recovered, while Omniscient has stayed out of the spotlight. Omniscient is going to be a tough challenge to Abstract but a very interesting spectacle to see played out by the audiences watching. Omniscient knows how to play the game and understands what they need to do in order to win any match. The problem lies in two areas for Omniscient. Do they have the experience to adjust and comprehend how Abstract plays? Also, do they have the individual skill that Abstract is going to bring into the match? If Omniscient is able to overcome these two 'problems' then we'll most definitely see a motivated Omniscient. Notable roster highlights are Back2Flash, OneShotWOGL, & Wenzz. These three players will be the game changers in this match for Omniscient. Looking into the match for Abstract is a different story entirely. Abstract, led by Sa007, is fully aware of how much they need to prepare, as well as having the experience to prepare not only well but efficiently. With roster changes to focus on preparing more, Abstract looks to be a solid team to face. Roster highlights include 5oviet, KeepItBowlin, & InkofDeath. Each of these players have a solid background in Combat Arms, and they may be enough for Omniscients line up. Will Abstract's experience be able to overcome Omniscients comprehension to win the match? Or will Omniscient be able to out gun Abstract for picks/rushes? Easily debatable topics. However looking deeper once again we'll see how Abstract hasn't performed as well as they did in the previous Season, and we still haven't seen what Omniscient is entirely capable of pulling off. Match Winning Score: 8 - 5 to Abstract. Seeking That Wildcard Every Season there is bound to be a team that is going to throw the competitive community off of their game. We saw Eureka7 perform poorly in the divisionals, but excel drastically in the final games of playoffs. Will a team like Omniscient pull this feat off? Or will a team like ZS Clan perform to the bar? Let's review three teams and their chances of making it to the finals or even the top four. ZS Clan The first team has to be ZS Clan. If there is any new team in this league that has such huge individual talent, it's ZS Clan. Their lineup is breathtakingly strong and it's not a joke when you look at their scores through-out all of their matches in the divisions. Pulling 2.0 K/Dr's is not a dream for ZS Clan. Not only is their lineup strong but also the strategies they're able to take advantage of. Rushing, slow playing, baiting or whatever it is, it all comes down to ZS Clan's ability to out gun potentially any team. Taking a closer look, three of ZS Clan's roster members have earned a Player of the Week award this season. PureBeastly and Jonhl are just ripping through each match, followed by Shock3r and Elysion. It may be a serious contemplation to compare the talent of ZS Clan to VerTu's individual skill. Which is a scary thought to the teams that have to go up against ZS Clan in the coming weeks or even days. If we look at ZS Clan's strategies we see they're quite comfortable with rushing or with just regular slow playing for picks. We've seen them rush more than effectively against e7 and patiently wreak havoc on bravo side to e7's offense. They know their positions and know how to play those positions. ZS Clan has that experience and team work to go quite far. Their final placing in playoffs has the potential to be the winning team. If ZS Clan tries hard and works on improving their communication they'll most definitely place in the top three with no hassles. The teams they need to watch out for are VerTu of course, and Eureka7 making a comeback against their pitiful stomping in the MOTW they played in. Predicted Placing: Third at the least; First if they try hard. ParoXysmE Remembered by the community that beat VerTu on a MOTW cast (later overturned). How could they not place in the top four? Led strongly by Randymoss, Paro has all the potential in the world to advance far into playoffs. As we saw with VerTu, these guys know the game, know the maps and can comprehend how they need to prepare for a match, this is how they'll win their matches. Paro's individual talent stems from Randymoss, Zorder and K00lman. Each of these individuals know how to clutch at the snap of a finger, but also know how to communicate with others and utilize proper supporting in games with team mates. These three individuals were showing VerTu how to shoot in a FPS. The best part of Paro is their strategies. Not once in their broadcasted match was someone in a bad position, or in a terrible spot. Even if it was 1 vs 3, they were always in the better position than the other team. We constantly saw Zorder, K00lman and Randy clutch against two or three opponents. Not only were clutches there, but well executed strategies were laid out and it just stopped VerTu from performing their strategies. Whether Paro rushed on offense, or baited well on defense, VerTu just kept falling into bad situations and Paro took advantage of it in a timely manner. If Paro has even better strategies on other maps, then there's no doubt in my mind that Paro will be in the finals. They need to focus on improving the fourth and fifth spots on their roster first and then just work on getting those kills faster than they already are. Predicted Placing: Second, if not First. Red Dragon They pushed past Abstract with ease, and practically told cG they wouldn't win. Topping their division without losing a match to boot! Who couldn't put Red Dragon as the best wild card pick? Red Dragon has tons of individual talent, knows the game and has strategies to offer. We've been shown consistently how easily Red Dragon has swiped through the divisionals and why would they stop there? Red Dragon's individual talent is extremely powerful. Shamanroy winning multiple PotW's through-out this Season in SnD is the first indicator. The second indicator is Red Dragon's overall K/Dr compared to any other team they'll face until the Finals. As well Sweeper knows his game and isn't going to give up a chance to clutch at all. When Red Dragon made the upset against Abstract, we though it was a fluke. Then they dominated Core Gamers. We were forced to look at their strategies and man, it was pretty darn amazing how well they communicated and executed their strats on offense or defense. If a team broke through and rushed in, Red Dragon countered flawlessly. If Red Dragon rushed, they used alternating rushing techniques to throw the other team off time and time again. If Red Dragon's roster can carry their own weight, and perform at a higher level than they have been, without letting Shamanroy or Sweeper to carry in certain situations, Red Dragon will be guaranteed a first place finish. However, still to do this day they rely on the carrying of two or three members to emerge victorious. Predicted Placing: Third, though potentially Second. Wrapping These Speculations Up Any way you try and look at playoffs this Season, you'll realize we're in for a very special treat of entertainment. Each team has something different and unique to bring to the table in their play style and we're going to see all of this clash together in the next few weeks. Such a short time for such amazing matches to begin and end. As we progress through this first week and into the second week of playoffs, it is going to be a very shocking experience to see favourite teams lose their place, while upcoming teams hit that wall of realization. Meanwhile the true winners will begin to explore the possibility that they can actually win this league. Watching these teams travel through this process is the great reward we are entitled to as spectators and as a community. Let's wish all of the teams good luck in their progression to the quarter and semi finals, and hope we're treated to sportsmanlike matches. We here at WOGL are just as excited as you are, if not more, to see the divisionals ending and the playoffs just beginning! You haven't seen anything yet, - Justin & WOGL Staff     
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10-11-2009, 09:08 AM
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I always knew that not very many people liked me, but to name FOUR of cG's starters, it almost seems like you intentionally left me out.
Either way, I liked it. You hype a lot of things up more than they should be, but I guess that's how you're supposed to write these things. I really dislike all the mentions of VerTu though. Nothing against them, but you know somethng's wrong when while you're writing a review of 8 teams, you keep mentioning a 9th out of the blue.
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10-11-2009, 09:40 AM
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Scirca's mad cause he wasn't mentioned. Scirca umad?
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10-11-2009, 07:38 PM
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TJ mad too.
You didnt mention me topping the roster for inFluence! I was #13 in reg season!!!! IMAD!
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10-11-2009, 07:57 PM
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Really nice post.
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10-12-2009, 06:32 AM
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Quote:
 Sorry if my roster picks were off by one or two people, but when I looked over the statistics in the league, as well as looked at the screens in the matches themselves, I just picked out who I saw popping up the most, but also remained consistent.
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10-12-2009, 08:11 PM
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Quote:
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