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ESEA IM S18 Mid Season Wrap-Up
posted in News
london_calling
February 11, 2015

2 minutes of photoshop credit goes to BroKing

Sorry for the lack of power rankings this week! Next week we will continue to boost your fragile egos by giving you an arbitrary ranking and short videos of you clicking on someone in a video game that’s been out for 8 years. Several STVs were broken, which didn't let me watch some of the closer matches last week, but the results were actually pretty predictable.

But lets talk about the big picture as a whole. This season started off looking like it would have the lowest skill ceiling from just about any season in recent memory for Intermediate. While I still think this is true, what it has produced is a tumultuous group of teams that are constantly at odds with eachother, and incredibly competitive. Cafe Monster and Meat Market continue to stay at the top of the division, with the no-scrim team Small and Soft and Mad Lux – Gold nipping at their heals. Outside of these four teams, the bottom four of IM is still a giant question mark. Champagne and Cocaine and Hate Being Sober have put up some very close games all season, but have yet to really play anyone in the top 4 yet. Corsa has emerged as a stand out player for Hate Being Sober, putting up some crazy amounts of frags and insane damage. The rest of his team is somewhat shadowed by his incredible performance, but the heavy classes have also been a very consistent presence in every one of their games so far this season.

Champagne and Cocaine is a team that’s had their fair share of ups and downs throughout their first season outside of Open, with a bunch of roster shakeups in the past few weeks. They have seen 4 different roamers so far this season, and have just picked up Waldo after losing Huck. Sezco joins up to replace Ninjax, who had to take the rest of the season off for school and real life stuff. Despite all these changes which might have caused some difficulty for other teams, C&C continues to have close games with pretty much all the teams in top 8. Muma and SleepingLife have both been standout players on this team, alongside the legendary DOLPHIN RIDER. I see them as the core of the team, which explains a lot to why they've stayed consistent throughout the season Right now, they and Hate Being Sober are both iconic middle of the pack teams and will probably stay there for the rest of the regular season. Come playoffs, we'll see how it all plays out, because either of these teams could turn an impending close loss into a win.

As for the last two spots in the top 8 come the regular season, I have a few reservations. At this point, I would be pretty surprised if sparkle bunniis lose another match the rest of the season with the way they've been playing lately. While their record may actually let them seed higher as other teams play the top 4 teams in the division and soak up some losses, the rest of their season looks like it should be alright, with the exception of the match against Hate Being Sober. They will still have to play a few more teams that will cause some issues for them, but ultimately this team will be making playoffs in my opinion.

The other 3 teams I see in the bubble right now have some very cloudy futures. MAD LUXURIOUS – BLUE are up to 4 losses this season, and are looking at a challenging gullywash week after a disappointing viaduct week. Both Mad Lux teams will be facing eachother this week, and to my mind this presents an opportunity to actually secure a playoff position for them. With just one win this week, this would mean they could go into sunshine week 7-5 instead of 6-6, which would actually guarantee a spot in the top 8 by the end of the season. Typically, 8-8 should be the cut off with a division of only 16 teams, give or take rounds for or against. Even so, Mad Lux Blue is probably in the best position right now as far as securing one of those last two spots. I THOUGHT SHE WAS 18 is in a less admirable position, albeit with the same record as Mad Lux Blue currently. I would give them the edge over pretty much any team in the bottom half of IM, although whether they can do better than taking a couple rounds off of the top 8 teams remains to be seen, as they have not won a match against other teams in the top 8 except for last week against bearded clams.

I've lost a lot of faith in the clams, and it looks like the team has just been mixing up players left and right all season long. Fragg returned last week to play in the game against Pizzagon eSports but its unknown if he is going to come back to play for the team permanently. For all intents and purposes, I don't see this team making playoffs against sparkle bunniis, MAD LUX BLUE, or Phlp's and crew. The end of the season is going to be about seeing some preview matches with teams that have all but made playoffs, and seeing how these 4 teams interact with each other to fight for the last 2 spots in IM playoffs.

To all the teams that feel slighted that they weren't really talked about, EVL is doing a cast this week that will showcase a match that will surely be a pleasure to watch, even if the teams aren't really some of the better ones in the division. Check it out! And remember:



1
#1
10 Frags +

tl;dr pinoy boys still suck

tl;dr pinoy boys still suck
2
#2
0 Frags +

pugs are adorable

pugs are adorable
3
#3
4 Frags +
DanceNumberpugs are adorable

it feels really nice to come home from work and then your pug sees your home and just zips around the house for all of 30 seconds but then it has to stop because it is having trouble breathing and its like :(

[quote=DanceNumber]pugs are adorable[/quote]
it feels really nice to come home from work and then your pug sees your home and just zips around the house for all of 30 seconds but then it has to stop because it is having trouble breathing and its like :(
4
#4
0 Frags +

could we finally have a solid roster? feels good

could we finally have a solid roster? feels good
5
#5
-6 Frags +

Well at least its not just power rankings again.

Well at least its not just power rankings again.
6
#6
-12 Frags +
SAAM_could we finally have a solid roster? feels good

every roster change has worked out in ur favor so u should just keep making roster changes !

1. meat market
2. cafe monster
3. small and soft
4. sparkle bunnies
5. mad lux gold
6. champagne
7. hate being sober
8. mad lux blue
9. i thought she was 18
10. pinoy
11. bearded clams
12. pizzagon
13. anteaters
14. subspace

please no hate still hard to differentiate between some teams until this week/next week matches are completed

[quote=SAAM_]could we finally have a solid roster? feels good[/quote]

every roster change has worked out in ur favor so u should just keep making roster changes !

1. meat market
2. cafe monster
3. small and soft
4. sparkle bunnies
5. mad lux gold
6. champagne
7. hate being sober
8. mad lux blue
9. i thought she was 18
10. pinoy
11. bearded clams
12. pizzagon
13. anteaters
14. subspace

please no hate still hard to differentiate between some teams until this week/next week matches are completed
7
#7
5 Frags +

Can you put them into tiers?

Can you put them into tiers?
8
#8
3 Frags +
universeSAAM_could we finally have a solid roster? feels good
every roster change has worked out in ur favor so u should just keep making roster changes !

1. meat market
2. cafe monster
3. small and soft
4. sparkle bunnies
5. mad lux gold
6. champagne

please no hate still hard to differentiate between some teams until this week/next week matches are completed

champagne is 3 or 4 for sure

[quote=universe][quote=SAAM_]could we finally have a solid roster? feels good[/quote]

every roster change has worked out in ur favor so u should just keep making roster changes !

1. meat market
2. cafe monster
3. small and soft
4. sparkle bunnies
5. mad lux gold
6. champagne

please no hate still hard to differentiate between some teams until this week/next week matches are completed[/quote]

champagne is 3 or 4 for sure
9
#9
3 Frags +
MumaCan you put them into tiers?

i considered it but it really ended up being the same as london's article

[quote=Muma]Can you put them into tiers?[/quote]
i considered it but it really ended up being the same as london's article
10
#10
-1 Frags +

gr8 read

gr8 read
11
#11
-7 Frags +
universeSAAM_could we finally have a solid roster? feels good
every roster change has worked out in ur favor so u should just keep making roster changes !

1. meat market
2. cafe monster
3. small and soft
4. sparkle bunnies
5. mad lux gold
6. champagne
7. hate being sober
8. mad lux blue
9. i thought she was 18
10. pinoy
11. bearded clams
12. pizzagon
13. anteaters
14. subspace

please no hate still hard to differentiate between some teams until this week/next week matches are completed

as of now cafe monster is much, much better than meat market

maybe that will change in playoffs but yeah

[quote=universe][quote=SAAM_]could we finally have a solid roster? feels good[/quote]

every roster change has worked out in ur favor so u should just keep making roster changes !

1. meat market
2. cafe monster
3. small and soft
4. sparkle bunnies
5. mad lux gold
6. champagne
7. hate being sober
8. mad lux blue
9. i thought she was 18
10. pinoy
11. bearded clams
12. pizzagon
13. anteaters
14. subspace

please no hate still hard to differentiate between some teams until this week/next week matches are completed[/quote]

as of now cafe monster is much, much better than meat market

maybe that will change in playoffs but yeah
12
#12
0 Frags +

6:53 PM - S L E E P S: we average 1.75 roster changeups a week

6:53 PM - S L E E P S: we average 1.75 roster changeups a week
13
#13
-2 Frags +
mustardoverlord
as of now cafe monster is much, much better than meat market

maybe that will change in playoffs but yeah

You are absolutely incorrect sir. Meat Market is the better team, and they are arguably better at almost every position.

Know what, I'm going to clarify this.

Cheesy and Yeegz > Yomps and Highfive
Jarret > Desca
Jodd and Soapy, i don't know how to judge medics that well. So i'm going to even it out
Ranga and Purpleshirt do different things but I think Ranga is slightly better
Broking and Goldfish are fairly equal overall. But also play wildly different styles.

[quote=mustardoverlord]

as of now cafe monster is much, much better than meat market

maybe that will change in playoffs but yeah[/quote]

You are absolutely incorrect sir. Meat Market is the better [b]team[/b], and they are arguably better at almost every position.

Know what, I'm going to clarify this.

Cheesy and Yeegz > Yomps and Highfive
Jarret > Desca
Jodd and Soapy, i don't know how to judge medics that well. So i'm going to even it out
Ranga and Purpleshirt do different things but I think Ranga is slightly better
Broking and Goldfish are fairly equal overall. But also play wildly different styles.
14
#14
0 Frags +

why do you think that mustard?

why do you think that mustard?
15
#15
2 Frags +
BroKingwhy do you think that mustard?

Why does mustard think 99% 100% of what he thinks?

[quote=BroKing]why do you think that mustard?[/quote]
Why does mustard think [s]99%[/s] [i]100%[/i] of what he thinks?
16
#16
10 Frags +

thanks for taking the time to write these london

thanks for taking the time to write these london
17
#17
0 Frags +
fixed
Cheesy and Yeegz = Yomps and Highfive
they function the same way, the latter are more annoying, the former probably do more game winning shit
Jarret > Desca
correct by a lot actually
Jodd and Soapy, i don't know how to judge medics that well. So i'm going to even it out
whatever
Ranga and Purpleshirt do different things but I think Ranga is slightly better
ranga has 100x the game impact of prpl
Broking and Goldfish are fairly equal overall. But also play wildly different styles.
lol no
[quote=fixed]
[code]Cheesy and Yeegz = Yomps and Highfive[/code]
they function the same way, the latter are more annoying, the former probably do more game winning shit
[code]Jarret > Desca[/code]
correct by a lot actually
[code]Jodd and Soapy, i don't know how to judge medics that well. So i'm going to even it out[/code]
whatever
[code]Ranga and Purpleshirt do different things but I think Ranga is slightly better[/code]
ranga has 100x the game impact of prpl
[code]Broking and Goldfish are fairly equal overall. But also play wildly different styles.[/code]
lol no
[/quote]
18
#18
7 Frags +

...

...
19
#19
cp_granary_pro
17 Frags +

cafe are really good at healing goldfish

cafe are really good at healing goldfish
20
#20
11 Frags +

I got about 10 different playstyles in my head I can switch to at any given time

I got about 10 different playstyles in my head I can switch to at any given time
21
#21
-12 Frags +

http://i.imgur.com/ZWo1Ngl.png

"Yo guys I'm about to post +frag me!"

http://i.imgur.com/AFpyGyY.png

"Fuck Muma called me on it go -frag him"

[img]http://i.imgur.com/ZWo1Ngl.png[/img]

"Yo guys I'm about to post +frag me!"

[img]http://i.imgur.com/AFpyGyY.png[/img]

"Fuck Muma called me on it go -frag him"
22
#22
-3 Frags +

dw i'm cafe monstas secret wepon

dw i'm cafe monstas secret wepon
23
#23
-2 Frags +

http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/a13266/fifty-shades-of-grey-in-one-weekend/

http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/a13266/fifty-shades-of-grey-in-one-weekend/
24
#24
7 Frags +

my opinion:

Yeegz and Cheesy are better as a scout combo, Highfive and yomps are better individually. Highfive is the best scout out of the 4 on an individual level.

Ranga is better than Purpleshirt, but hooli is worse if he's playing l0l

broKing is better than goldfish from a teamplay standpoint because he takes fewer heals but goldfish has better DM

Soapy is slightly better than jodd but not by much

desca is better than Jarrett (apparently I'm the only one who thinks so h3h)

overall Meat Market has the potential to play tf2 in a more correct way, but cafe monster AT THE MOMENT play more on the same page

and all of this is almost completely irrelevant when compared to results: cafe regularly beats invite teams, Meat Market does not, cafe has a much more consistent track record against other IM teams except on viaduct which their playstyle really isn't suited for

my opinion:

Yeegz and Cheesy are better as a scout combo, Highfive and yomps are better individually. Highfive is the best scout out of the 4 on an individual level.

Ranga is better than Purpleshirt, but hooli is worse if he's playing l0l

broKing is better than goldfish from a teamplay standpoint because he takes fewer heals but goldfish has better DM

Soapy is slightly better than jodd but not by much

desca is better than Jarrett (apparently I'm the only one who thinks so h3h)

overall Meat Market has the potential to play tf2 in a more correct way, but cafe monster AT THE MOMENT play more on the same page

and all of this is almost completely irrelevant when compared to results: cafe regularly beats invite teams, Meat Market does not, cafe has a much more consistent track record against other IM teams except on viaduct which their playstyle really isn't suited for
25
#25
13 Frags +

http://i.gyazo.com/c9bdea9a5c3e6b94e71909b9b3243ad2.gif

[img]http://i.gyazo.com/c9bdea9a5c3e6b94e71909b9b3243ad2.gif[/img]
26
#26
5 Frags +

I like all of the members of both teams and I hope they both contend for an Intermediate Championship this season !!!

I like all of the members of both teams and I hope they both contend for an Intermediate Championship this season !!!
27
#27
-2 Frags +

hi guys here is a montage of last week
i'm looking forward to more!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMfJ44JMMTo

hi guys here is a montage of last week
i'm looking forward to more!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMfJ44JMMTo
28
#28
4 Frags +

don't worry we'll all know who is better soon!!!

don't worry we'll all know who is better soon!!!
29
#29
0 Frags +
mfixed
Broking and Goldfish are fairly equal overall. But also play wildly different styles.
lol no

I would like clarification on that one. is that lolno one is way better than the other, in which case who?

Meat Market is going to beat Cafe Monster. fight me

[quote=m][quote=fixed]

[code]Broking and Goldfish are fairly equal overall. But also play wildly different styles.[/code]
lol no
[/quote][/quote]
I would like clarification on that one. is that lolno one is way better than the other, in which case who?

Meat Market is going to beat Cafe Monster. fight me
30
#30
3 Frags +

he thinks broking is better than goldfish

he thinks broking is better than goldfish
1 2 3
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