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ETF2L Highlander Season 8: Media Roundtable
posted in News
Hildreth
May 23, 2015

On Sunday 24th, the Grand Final of the ETF2L Highlander Season 8 Premiership will take place between two former champions with current holders Tourettes Chessclub facing off against Season 6 champions Highpander. This game will mark the 8th European crown in the four years of the most coveted trophy in Europe. It will also be the first time a team have won multiple titles, since SNSD won in Season 3, ending a four season run of new champions each season. Surely though such an open period of competition seeing 5 different champions for the past 5 seasons has made it one of the most interesting scenes to spectate, albeit perhaps not showcasing the greatest quality but the absence of dominant teams is a breath of fresh air in a scene where the same team has consistently won over time. Random facts aside, season 8 could mark the end of an era, with many of the top teams predicted to fold, and the exodus of old players likely to put an end to their Highlander careers, the 9th Season being a whopping 5 months away, will we even see either finalist come back to defend their title in Season 9? It's too early to tell, but BlackOut Gaming TV will be bringing you the action live from 20 CEST this Sunday (24th May), with three of our panel leading the coverage. Whether or not they're covering certain players for the last time in a 9v9 setting, we'll have to wait and see.

It has though, been a remarkable adventure these past 4 years, and this season has been very competitive and seen it's fair share of excitement, drama, controversy and the occasional touch of class. To review the key moments, I have bought in a roundtable of people involved in the scene, ranging from casters, to former players, admins and content providers. This will be a unique discussion as it will not involve any starting players within the ETF2L Premiership, the insight will mainly come from a spectators point of view. Please welcome the views of my EU HL media roundtable:

BlackOut Jon – Co-founder and current manager of BlackOut TV, currently leading streaming duties.

Emilio Estevez – Former leader/Demoman of Season 5 champions Kill Switch. Currently a backup player in the Premiership.

CeeJæy – Current Caster of the season with BlackOut TV, currently plays in High.

Bulow – Former Medic for Season 6 runners-up Itsallgood, currently Caster for BlackOut TV.

Kkaltuu – ETF2L Highlander admin and resident TF2 erotic fan fiction producer, also a runner up with Itsallgood in Season 6. Currently backing up for Fair Enough.

Shoutout to Prof, the ETF2L newswriter who was in mind to be invited to this discussion but sadly has been away due to internet issues.

Season recap


First off folks, thank you for giving us your time. I want to begin by covering some of the key moments in the season, but give me your brief summarisation of the season so far? Have you enjoyed it, where does it rank in terms of the most memorable?

Jon: I feel like this season hasn't been the best, mostly because of the skill gap between the top and bottom half of Premiership. At the start we could see who would be in playoffs and estimate the season's outcome so there wasn't too much to look forward to. Overall this ranks in very low in my favourite seasons. please can I go back to season 5?

CJ: This season has been great, there's been some really close, entertaining games - take the latest, the semi-final between PremTech and Chessclub which went the absolute distance across 3 maps. There's been upsets - how about prem-debutants WASP taking points from Highpander and a map from Chessclub? Or Fair Enough's close-but-not-close-enough attempt for the playoffs? Games like that are a real showcase for European Highlander and TF2 in general.

Bulow: Honestly, I wouldn’t say it has been a vintage season. The relative weakness of the teams coming up, continuing instability/mehness of stacked, and FE never taking any points off ‘better’ teams meant that the ‘shocks’ – HP and Chessclub dropping points to Wasp – resulted in the top 3 being pretty much a foregone conclusion. Moreover, I wouldn’t say that any of the top three teams have really improved either. Chessclub have changed pretty much their entire line up, PremTech have lost some of the excitement due to a combination of increased expectation and no Shadowburn, and Highpander are just a bit more focused than last season rather than improving (apart from Kissakala being kicked off medic). Even some of the subplots have been done before – use of the beggars bazooka, B33p. Hopefully the final will provide some standout moments, some big plays that can be a defining moment.

Kkaltuu: Since I didn't play much myself I can’t say it’s memorable, but it did have great moments (Nursey getting bombed non-stop, b33p’s hero sentry jump just to name two).

Emilio: Definitely one of the least memorable. A Highpander/Chess final and the bottom 2 teams getting destroyed like everyone predicted.




HL Signups




So lets rewind back to the start, pre-season roster shakeups and drama with Chessclub. Quintosh being banned, Sprayer being kicked and going to rivals Highpander, Uubers and Atomic leaving and joining rivals Premtech and of course just before playoffs, their leader Scissors ragequitting the team – Emilio as a leader in the past, how much of an achievement is it for Chess to make the final after such a turbulent season?

Emilio: They changed a bunch of players which looked like it had backfired early in between seasons but they picked up enough good players to basically guarantee them top 3 providing they didn't make any big mistakes. It seemed like they just sort of cruised into the top 3. I think the whole season could have gone much differently though if some of the top High teams were in Prem this season, the bottom 3 won only a single round against the top 3 all season and I'm sure a couple of the high teams could have taken more, which might have changed the top 3. I don't know if they'll even be back next season after losing so many players, which would be a shame as I still think Chess/HP are a step above the rest of Prem.

Bulow: I’d agree with Emilio, it was pretty much plain sailing for them into the top three. Whilst they lost a lot of players, they were able to get in people with pedigree at the top, e.g. their new flank. That alone wouldn’t have been enough if the field had been stronger though; can we really say that any of the teams that were in prem last year have really improved? Losing Atomic and Uubers was big, but these guys didn’t drop further down the table to improve a mid table side that could then challenge; instead they went to replace the gaping, Shadowburn sized hole in Premtech’s flank, another top prem side.




Let's talk about Premtech, a crazy and controversial season for them but focusing on the performances, do you think Premtech choked under pressure in the Semi-Final? That last round versus Chessclub springs to mind.

Bulow: I think it’s fair to say that Prem Tech were playing under more pressure this season than last – that’s what happens when you raise expectations by coming second in your promotion season. Certainly during the regular season, they were very strong; they only dropped points in a narrow loss to HP on Warmtic, and on Steel. Unfortunately for them those losses were to the other two big teams, so they were left in third spot for the semi final. During that game, they started strongly with a very fast round win on Steel, before losing the next two rounds. Then they dominated Process, their map pick. That Badwater game just ebbed away from them as it wore on, culminating in that very poor last round. However, I’m not sure it can all be attributed to choking. The match lasted two and a half hours, so if you combine that with a scrim beforehand, these guys had been playing for almost 4 hours straight. Fatigue becomes an issue, especially for players like Maito living in Finland where the game must have ended at 1am. A drop off in performance should be expected. Also, apparently the PT mumble was being trolled by people, doling out abuse. That can be very distracting and irritating ever after they’ve buggered off. Oh, and they lost Uubers and the only person they could seemingly get was Popcorp, who isn’t exactly a top prem soldier. So while I think they played under more pressure, and certainly crumbled in the final round, I think calling it a choke is a bit simplistic.




I have to talk about the “Premtech Gang” incident, b33p denying mercs, Premtech's response to the situation, Maito's laughable LAN threats – What are your thoughts on that? Is this good for the game to have controversy or do we want to move away from petty dramas?

Jon: - It's always a laugh to see what petty things people can come up with, to shout out controversy affects everything we interact with but when some parts are taken too far or blown out of proportion, it's about time we call it quits. Moving away from it all and creating something more professional is good, but a bit of banter now and again is cool.

Bulow: - It’s pretty boring now, it seems to happen every season and only ever with Stacked. We need a new meme. Maito was being a stupid kid, but he has more excuses than other since he is, you know, a kid.




Now it's my turn (gulp), Highpander's season has one of the more quiet ones, nobody dropped or kicked from the roster, taking the 1st seed. Does it surprise you to know this is our best performance in terms of points tally ever, despite the lack of a consistent practise schedule and roster for all the matches?

CJ: I'm not surprised at all that Highpander made the playoffs - with ease - their squad is far too strong to expect any less. But a records points tally? I was worried that motivation might be an issue of so many successful players, already with a Prem title under the belts, but the start of the season proved to be key - picking up 7 points against last years finalists, in convincing fashion, meant the top spot was Highpander's to lose. Players seem to be on form, and I was expecting the team to bounce back from last season's disappointing defeat in the semi-final and do well this season, and they've shown everyone they still have what it takes to be at the top.

Bulow: - Not at all, the other top teams have also had their issues (probably more significant) this season too. Clearly there is more focus and desire than there was last season, otherwise you wouldn’t see so many of the old faces still in the team.




Moving down the list, Kkaltuu what happened to Fair Enough this season? Started so well but failed to take anything off the top 3, but they had their chances, my mind draws back to that Viaduct map versus Premtech where they lost a 2-1 lead.

Kkaltuu: Obviously seeding had a hand in it, but from what I can remember of that night is that Fe had awful scrims. The team play wasn’t up to standard either as the whole team expected to have more cohesion after so long. Sadly scrimming with mercs and the inability to react on new situations meant they didn’t played as well as they could have. Looking at the Highpander match it really showed how bad it was. I think we only scrimmed it two nights in total and the only win was a cheeky one vs premtech. Just before the match the team made several adjustments, but as soon as the announcer counted down, those were thrown out of the window. The idea at the beginning of the season was to keep a steady roster and scrim multiple nights, but as the season progressed there were always players with other commitments that made it impossible to use the full line-up. That said, it’s an improvement from last season [Finishing 7th]. 3rd place S9?




Finally some comments on the bottom 4 sides, we had Stacked going for gold but coming in a disappointing 6th place, what went wrong for them this season?

Kkaltuu: I played for them one week when suzy was gone, and whilst they have amazing players (Hidan/Exon on demo for example), it flawed a bit in experience and communication. There are a few players new on their positions that haven’t figured out the highlander metagame yet. Communication is notoriously difficult with the frenchies, and when Asadwarf was calling for the team to fall back, some french players marched on like it was winter in Russia. If it wasn’t for Asadawarf’s leadership the team would’ve done way worse. That guy deserves some kind of award.

Bulow: - Roster instability would probably be the big one. Just too many different players throughout the season - look at the stated line up on their team page, four classes have multiple players and a fifth is Inso on spy, who merced for them a few matches this season. If you want to do well and build season on season, you need to keep a core of players together who actually want to play and improve together; that’s what Highpander and Chessclub have had and that’s why they won the previous two seasons.




WASP's performances were probably the most admirable, everyone expected them to be crushed but they took some surprise points off of the top 2 and came 5th. Emilio do you think can they challenge for the title in the future?

Emilio: I doubt it, they have 3 really good players in ShadowBurn [Mercing versus Chessclub], m0rg and Forsak3n but I don't think they can carry the team much further than mid table alone and there aren't enough good Russians in etf2l for them to realistically challenge as a Russian speaking only team. Next season looks like it will be stronger than this one and if the the top 2 teams come up from High I think they'll be fighting to stay up again, it looks there might be 4/5 teams very close in skill making up low/mid prem next season. They deserve to be in Prem right now though, they're a lot better than the bottom 2.




Finally UKIP and Unpoppable had rough seasons, both came through pre-season Premiership Playoffs with teams that had poor seasons in High, UKIP put up the worst performance ever seen in Prem with 0 points whilst Unpoppable will fight it out in the relegation playoff against the loser of the High playoff final. Should there be a more organised and vigorous pre-season playoff structure or do you think Unpoppable and UKIP deserved a chance at competing in Prem?

Bulow: I think it is what it is; there will always be a worst team in prem. The difference has been that in the past teams fold before they end up with zero points, so fair play to UKIP for carrying on. Unpoppable finished just three points behind Stacked as well so it’s not like they were that far away from reaching safety.

I haven’t really followed high this season, so I can’t really comment on the relative qualities of the teams. I know that people have said that the top High teams are able to beat them in scrims quite easily, so on that you could argue that they shouldn’t be there. But these teams that are beating them didn’t want to be in prem either, so I’m not sure what the admins could realistically do; you can’t force people to play. I think it should also be noted that three of the top four teams in High are new this season and the fourth, Mad, were in Div 2 in season 7. Contrast this with Unpoppable and UKIP who have both been around for a bit longer. I’m not saying that you should be given a place in prem as a sort of life time achievement award, but these teams were not realistically going to improve vastly from another season together. The newer teams in High however did have a chance, so I wouldn’t begrudge them choosing not to try in prem straight away. That being said, I think it’s a little sad that more Highlander teams can’t be like Lego in 6v6 i.e. willing to bounce around between divisions, and not just folding after defeat. There does seem to be a very short term view that if you’re not winning, it’s not worth it. I remember my Div2 relegation scraps just as vividly as the Prem playoffs.




Moving away from Premiership, High looks set for an exciting finish with the final between Megakillerz eSports Fanclub eSports and Mad? still to come. Ceejaey, what are your thoughts on the new Swiss system this season?

Ceejaey: High has been really exciting this season - in the end there were 4 teams seperated by only one point to get into the final playoff position. With that in mind, the system has made it possibly more exciting than the previous format, but in my opinion, also more unfair. Take finalists Mad? - during the course of the season, they only had to play 2 out of the top 10 teams in High. The other semi-finalists - Mega Killerz, Moe Moe Kyuuuun and my team, Strong Opinions, all had to play 5 of the top 10 teams. Others who missed out on the playoffs even had to play 6/10 - I've heard complaints that you could argue that some teams get an easier ride during the season due to the scheduling, whereas before you had to play every team in your division, which gave perhaps a fairer representation. But it has opened up some surprises - teams who were expected to be "mid div2" level have gone on to excel, and this system gives a chance to a lot more teams to prove themselves against tougher opposition.




Do you think any of these sides can compete in Prem next season?

CJ: A lot of the top teams in High have been scrimming teams in Prem, so based upon those results I think a lot have a really good chance. MegaKillerz have been really strong - even beating the likes of PremTech recently, while Moe Moe & Strong Opinions have beaten the bottom half of Prem in a lot of games - I know in Strong Opinions we've even taken a couple of maps from Fair Enough. I'm not entirely sure of other teams scrim results, but I'm sure those teams, given the chance, would put a solid showing in Prem.

Emilio: I think Megakillerz can challenge for a playoff spot if they do well, I still don’t really expect them to close the gap with the very top of Prem though. There are plenty of other teams in High who could come in and play at a similar level to WASP too. Bottom/Mid Prem is going to be a lot closer/stronger next season I think.




ETF2L and the future

Lets talk ETF2L rules now, we talked briefly about the Swiss system, but another controversial subject has been unlocks, I am of course talking about the Beggars Bazooka and Loch n Load. Give me your thoughts on the weapons, are they indeed OP? Or have people figured them out, should we keep them in?

CJ: The Beggar's Bazooka has been figured out - that much was clear during the course of this season. HartzFartz is the most well-known name associated with it, because he uses it with such great success - he got more med picks this season than any other player. However using it effectively requires a very suicidal play-style, which leaves your flank exposed, and the top 3 teams this season could counter it, with some players even saying during interviews they had specific plans to cope with Hartz. The Loch-n-Load, on the other hand, I feel is overpowered. The fact that almost every demo has switched to it during the season, with some even using it more than the sticky launcher should be a sign. If the clip size was reduced back down to 2, people may be happy to let it back in, but in it's current state it's a very frustrating weapon to play against.

Jon: Beggars Bazooka is a great weapon in my opinion, it's added a new dynamic of play with some pretty amazing plays made throughout the season with it so I would be an advocate of keeping it. As for the loch-n-load: please just go! It's far too OP and has made the Demoman the focus point of a Highlander team now more than ever.

Bulow: I don’t think the Loch and Load is OP. It’s situationally better than the pipe launcher, and given the nerf in stickies, I don’t think it changes demo too much. Beggars on the other hand is OP and has a negative impact on the quality of play. Soldiers can cover a great deal of distance and then still unload two rockets at point blank range. All it does is encourage teams to either play more passively, or play in a more ragged fashion that discourages team work. Also, whilst minor, it has rocket spread so you can potentially be rewarded for poor aim. Ban this sick filth.

Emilio: Sandman banned please, stuns aren't fun and even the TF2 dev commentary admits this. The Beggars can go too. Or just unban everything, but don't have a banlist without the beggars.

Kkaltuu There might be a few unlocks to review with the admin team, but I think Uubers did a good enough job to show why the beggars isn’t for everyone. That said, we mainly interested in adding items to the whitelist, not removing them unless really necessary.




Kkaltuu as the admin representative here, tell me - Is two Highlander seasons per year enough? It's been a 9 week season to fit in a busy schedule. Should we go back to the days of 6 teams in the Premiership to shorten the season and fit in a third season to the calander? Is it fair to the Highlander scene they only see two seasons per year whilst 6v6 sees three, even though Highlander statistically has more players? Or is it a pure numbers games, as 6v6 has more stream viewers?

Kkaltuu: That’s a tough one. The main points in this are that we have overlap with our 6v6 players and that we have to plan the yearly schedule way in advance. I certainly think we can do more with highlander each year, which in turn could mean faster paced scheduled seasons or more highlander events in between them. The biggest question for now is: are we willing to separate the 6v6 and 9v9 format schedules and let possible collisions between those formats exist? A six (or even a 4) headed premiership division is an idea worth looking into, especially with the different formats discussed within the admin team. It’s never about the numbers game. There is no secret that highlander’s signup numbers have declined for the people that don’t know. [see image below]




HL Signups




Kkaltuu: The only constraint we have is: who is going to pay for more highlander seasons?




So are you saying that ETF2L has no interest in using the Tt sponsortship deal to support Highlander?

Kkaltuu: Too early to say anything useful about that.




Give me some thoughts on the new developments this season guys, I am of course talking about Saloon.tf starting out and now more recently a TF2 fantasy league which could be made for the next Highlander season, exciting times for competitive TF2?

Jon: Definitely so. The more ways fans can interact with the season and shape it in the direction we want the better right? Saloon.tf is something I have been involved in for a very long time so it's incredibly nice to see it blossom out. As for the fantasy league idea? I can't wait to grab zoob and breakfast_jr for mine!

Bulow: - I want to see betting expanded, e.g. how many times during a season will b33p call someone better than him a ‘scrub’?




Finally lads, give me your highlight of the season so far, and tell me who you think will win the final, Highpander or Chessclub?

CJ: Highlight for me is probably WASP beating Chessclub on Sunshine. For a new team to Prem - who at the start of the season was widely tipped to do poorly - to take a map off the defending champion is a huge achievement. Stands out for me most as I was casting another game at the time and didn't believe the news at first, but probably because I had bet an Earbud on Chess to win...as for the final? I think it's going to be really close. Chess looked really strong against PremTech in the semi-final, and Highpander have so many players that can turn a game on it's head in a moment. If both teams have their full rosters for the final - I would tip the Pandas to take it 2-1 on maps.

Emilio: Both of these teams are fielding pretty experienced players now. But Highpander have been together longer and pretty much all the starting roster has 3+ seasons in prem, so I expect them to win.

Kkaltuu: Drop in the chess/PT game on Badwater was huge. I bet on chess, but I’m rooting for my boy Grenja

Jon: I think the big highlight for me was all the way back in Week 1 with Highpander and Chessclub on Upward, such a great start to the season. As for the finale: Highpander, my love. [Ed note: <3]

Bulow: I think Highpander should be expected to win the final. They came out on top of the regular season and the massive roster changes for Chessclub throughout the season mean that, even if individuals are upgrades, the overall team synergy is much lower. Phroblem is also back and playing properly – he was the best player for Highpander when they beat us in season 6, he’s got that mentality. Also, I don’t want LazyBear to win. Highlights of the season are, of course, everything B33p does, Le Prem Tech Gang, and Inso cyberbullying Scissors out of his own championship winning team.




So the final score from the Media is that the season has been slightly too predictable and less memorable that others gone by but still has had it's fair share of standout moments. Some teams are lacking consistency, others are just experience whilst the top two have managed to bring enough of both to make it to the final. Premtech had a rough night last Sunday, Fair Enough improved but still remain the foot of the bridge that separates the top 3 and the best of the rest whilst WASP have had a good season. On unlocks the panel was divided over what should be banned, some favouring keeping the Beggars/Loch N Load and some believing it's unbalanced, whilst the Swiss system is perceived to be a good thing needing a few touches to improve overall whilst ETF2L are remaining silent about the future of prizes for the Highlander league.

Thanks to my panel for answering all the questions, next stop is Grand Final day tomorrow at 20 CEST, live on BlackOut TV casted by CeeJaey and Bulow and streamed by Jon!

1
#1
9 Frags +

lol hl

lol hl
2
#2
5 Frags +

I think it's worth mentioning that the graph for signups is very misinforming. Season 1 was straight after the Highlander Community Challenge, so it was almost inevitable that signups would fall initially. Not saying that the drops in recent seasons is to do with that, but that is why there is such a huge drop at first.

I think it's worth mentioning that the graph for signups is very misinforming. Season 1 was straight after the Highlander Community Challenge, so it was almost inevitable that signups would fall initially. Not saying that the drops in recent seasons is to do with that, but that is why there is such a huge drop at first.
3
#3
1 Frags +
PermzillaI think it's worth mentioning that the graph for signups is very misinforming. Season 1 was straight after the Highlander Community Challenge, so it was almost inevitable that signups would fall initially. Not saying that the drops in recent seasons is to do with that, but that is why there is such a huge drop at first.

Season 1 was A WHOLE YEAR after most of the teams got eliminated from the HCC.

[quote=Permzilla]I think it's worth mentioning that the graph for signups is very misinforming. Season 1 was straight after the Highlander Community Challenge, so it was almost inevitable that signups would fall initially. Not saying that the drops in recent seasons is to do with that, but that is why there is such a huge drop at first.[/quote]

Season 1 was A WHOLE YEAR after most of the teams got eliminated from the HCC.
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#4
0 Frags +

Sick writeup, the media coverage was great this season ^_^

Sick writeup, the media coverage was great this season ^_^
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#5
0 Frags +
Ond_kajaPermzillaI think it's worth mentioning that the graph for signups is very misinforming. Season 1 was straight after the Highlander Community Challenge, so it was almost inevitable that signups would fall initially. Not saying that the drops in recent seasons is to do with that, but that is why there is such a huge drop at first.
Season 1 was A WHOLE YEAR after most of the teams got eliminated from the HCC.

Which is probably one of the reasons only 300 teams out of the 846 in the HCC stayed. If Season 1 had been sooner I think signups would have been even higher. The fact that signups have continually decreased since suggests that the HCC had an affect.

[quote=Ond_kaja][quote=Permzilla]I think it's worth mentioning that the graph for signups is very misinforming. Season 1 was straight after the Highlander Community Challenge, so it was almost inevitable that signups would fall initially. Not saying that the drops in recent seasons is to do with that, but that is why there is such a huge drop at first.[/quote]

Season 1 was A WHOLE YEAR after most of the teams got eliminated from the HCC.[/quote]

Which is probably one of the reasons only 300 teams out of the 846 in the HCC stayed. If Season 1 had been sooner I think signups would have been even higher. The fact that signups have continually decreased since suggests that the HCC had an affect.
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#6
-7 Frags +

I don’t think the Loch and Load is OP. It’s situationally better than the pipe launcher, and given the nerf in stickies, I don’t think it changes demo too much.

I don’t think the Loch and Load is OP. It’s situationally better than the pipe launcher, and given the nerf in stickies, I don’t think it changes demo too much.
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#7
0 Frags +

Wait does Europe not have 6v6 and Highlander going on at the same time?

Wait does Europe not have 6v6 and Highlander going on at the same time?
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#8
3 Frags +
saamWait does Europe not have 6v6 and Highlander going on at the same time?

I think they have less hl seasons so that it doesn't take away from 6v6

Also not thinking the loch is op is just pure ridiculous. I mean did you not just play a season with it allowed? How can you possibly think that it doesn't negatively impact gameplay by being a broken pos weapon?

[quote=saam]Wait does Europe not have 6v6 and Highlander going on at the same time?[/quote]

I think they have less hl seasons so that it doesn't take away from 6v6

Also not thinking the loch is op is just pure ridiculous. I mean did you not just play a season with it allowed? How can you possibly think that it doesn't negatively impact gameplay by being a broken pos weapon?
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#9
0 Frags +
saamWait does Europe not have 6v6 and Highlander going on at the same time?

Not simultaneously. Usually the beginning of the 6v6 Season overlaps with the end of the previous highlander season. and the beginning of the next highlander season overlaps with the end of the 6v6 season. 6v6 S21 is just entering week 2, and the highlander grand final is tomorrow to give you a rough idea.

And yeah, there are 3 seasons of 6v6, and 2 seasons of HL in a year generally.

It stems from the fact that the early seasons of highlander was largely dominated by 6v6 players and highlander players used UGC. Now it would be possible to separate the two, but it would surely lower the numbers for both modes.

[quote=saam]Wait does Europe not have 6v6 and Highlander going on at the same time?[/quote]

Not simultaneously. Usually the beginning of the 6v6 Season overlaps with the end of the previous highlander season. and the beginning of the next highlander season overlaps with the end of the 6v6 season. 6v6 S21 is just entering week 2, and the highlander grand final is tomorrow to give you a rough idea.

And yeah, there are 3 seasons of 6v6, and 2 seasons of HL in a year generally.

It stems from the fact that the early seasons of highlander was largely dominated by 6v6 players and highlander players used UGC. Now it would be possible to separate the two, but it would surely lower the numbers for both modes.
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#10
0 Frags +
saamWait does Europe not have 6v6 and Highlander going on at the same time?

We have 2 HL seasons and 3 6v6 seasons per year, that means that while the HL season collides for a couple of weeks most of the HL main season is while the 6v6 offseason is in effect.

Personally I love this as I play both gamemodes and having hl mostly during 6v6 offseason allows me to be keen on both without neglecting any team.

Also regarding the loch and load, it's ridiculously OP atm, in the sense that if you don't run it against a demo which is using it, you are at a disadvantage, that's enough to warrant a ban for me. Don't get me wrong, I really love the weapon, even before I used to pub a lot with it, but the buff to it was kinda too big.

[quote=saam]Wait does Europe not have 6v6 and Highlander going on at the same time?[/quote]
We have 2 HL seasons and 3 6v6 seasons per year, that means that while the HL season collides for a couple of weeks most of the HL main season is while the 6v6 offseason is in effect.

Personally I love this as I play both gamemodes and having hl mostly during 6v6 offseason allows me to be keen on both without neglecting any team.

Also regarding the loch and load, it's ridiculously OP atm, in the sense that if you don't run it against a demo which is using it, you are at a disadvantage, that's enough to warrant a ban for me. Don't get me wrong, I really love the weapon, even before I used to pub a lot with it, but the buff to it was kinda too big.
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#11
0 Frags +

Great article Hildreth! I for one thoroughly enjoyed the season. Hopefully at least one or two of the top teams will be back for S9, or the strong low prem we're talking about now will end up at the top of the table.

Great article Hildreth! I for one thoroughly enjoyed the season. Hopefully at least one or two of the top teams will be back for S9, or the strong low prem we're talking about now will end up at the top of the table.
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#12
ETF2L
9 Frags +

I think it's really rare to have a weapon even the Americans have banned now unlocked for Europe. Typically we've been the most stingy and we've had extended testing of most weapons, usually checking it's performance and issues in NA UGC or experimental cups. The December buff to lock and load is just ridiculous, and I can't help but think that Valve actually considered it a nerf, but decided to "throw in" an extra grenade per clip to compensate for the (very) small damage decrease, and they even added a 25% self damage decrease. I feel sorry for heavies who needs to play against this and personally would want it banned. A toddler wouldn't miss those pipes, and the regular pipe launcher is a beautiful weapon with a very high skill ceiling. Lock and load are none of these things. Whenever you see a weapon that forces everyone to switch to it, (which is what I did with crit-a-cola in season 6) it's generally bad for the scene.

As for the beggars bazooka, I commend Hartz to perhaps for the first time embracing it and show what it's capable of in competent hands. It's beautiful to see him jump around and get work done, but he showed a fundamental problem with it that you wouldn't understand if you haven't experienced it. There really is no counter to the medic bombs with it. We've had pyro ready, level 3 sentry in position, the medic rotating around, the bomb getting called well in advance and every factor you can think of but still the fact remains that that force WILL happen. The medic can't surf it. The sentry can't lock on fast enough. The pyro can't reflect more than 1 realistically even if he's lucky to get even that. You can't hide or rotate your medic since the speed of the bomb is twice as fast as stock rl so the solly can readjust his jump very easily, even if his teammates don't call out the medic position.

Think about it. All the solly has to do is jump around a corner and release mouse1. That's it. He can do that from across the map. I don't find the weapon overpowered whatsoever, in fact i'd rate stock or blackbox higher overall for most maps and setups but to have something like this weapon in competitive and adding to that a randomized luck-based spread of rockets is sort of an insult to competitive in itself, where you want the players skill to be the factor.

I think it's really rare to have a weapon even the Americans have banned now unlocked for Europe. Typically we've been the most stingy and we've had extended testing of most weapons, usually checking it's performance and issues in NA UGC or experimental cups. The December buff to lock and load is just ridiculous, and I can't help but think that Valve actually considered it a nerf, but decided to "throw in" an extra grenade per clip to compensate for the (very) small damage decrease, and they even added a 25% self damage decrease. I feel sorry for heavies who needs to play against this and personally would want it banned. A toddler wouldn't miss those pipes, and the regular pipe launcher is a beautiful weapon with a very high skill ceiling. Lock and load are none of these things. Whenever you see a weapon that forces everyone to switch to it, (which is what I did with crit-a-cola in season 6) it's generally bad for the scene.

As for the beggars bazooka, I commend Hartz to perhaps for the first time embracing it and show what it's capable of in competent hands. It's beautiful to see him jump around and get work done, but he showed a fundamental problem with it that you wouldn't understand if you haven't experienced it. There really is no counter to the medic bombs with it. We've had pyro ready, level 3 sentry in position, the medic rotating around, the bomb getting called well in advance and every factor you can think of but still the fact remains that that force WILL happen. The medic can't surf it. The sentry can't lock on fast enough. The pyro can't reflect more than 1 realistically even if he's lucky to get even that. You can't hide or rotate your medic since the speed of the bomb is twice as fast as stock rl so the solly can readjust his jump very easily, even if his teammates don't call out the medic position.

Think about it. All the solly has to do is jump around a corner and release mouse1. That's it. He can do that from across the map. I don't find the weapon overpowered whatsoever, in fact i'd rate stock or blackbox higher overall for most maps and setups but to have something like this weapon in competitive and adding to that a randomized luck-based spread of rockets is sort of an insult to competitive in itself, where you want the players skill to be the factor.
13
#13
1 Frags +
lazybearI think it's really rare to have a weapon even the Americans have banned now unlocked for Europe. Typically we've been the most stingy and we've had extended testing of most weapons, usually checking it's performance and issues in NA UGC or experimental cups. The December buff to lock and load is just ridiculous, and I can't help but think that Valve actually considered it a nerf, but decided to "throw in" an extra grenade per clip to compensate for the (very) small damage decrease, and they even added a 25% self damage decrease. I feel sorry for heavies who needs to play against this and personally would want it banned. A toddler wouldn't miss those pipes, and the regular pipe launcher is a beautiful weapon with a very high skill ceiling. Lock and load are none of these things. Whenever you see a weapon that forces everyone to switch to it, (which is what I did with crit-a-cola in season 6) it's generally bad for the scene.

I got 3000 hours on Demo and I never saw any difference with loch n load and pipes, blub never switched to them. When you played Demo for so long and don't have much time to practise, makes zero difference to me what pipe launcher I use after thousands hours practising with one.

I also think the roller damage and the extra spam/area denial potential for pipe bombs is quite strong...it may only be 30-40 damage on the floor but if you spam 4 pipes in an entrance, you got better area denial potential than 3 pipes which do not do damage if you do not his a direct.

Think the fact opinion is so divided on the issue proves that ETF2L are on the right track, I guarantee in a couple seasons it won't be a contentious issue anymore.

[quote=lazybear]I think it's really rare to have a weapon even the Americans have banned now unlocked for Europe. Typically we've been the most stingy and we've had extended testing of most weapons, usually checking it's performance and issues in NA UGC or experimental cups. The December buff to lock and load is just ridiculous, and I can't help but think that Valve actually considered it a nerf, but decided to "throw in" an extra grenade per clip to compensate for the (very) small damage decrease, and they even added a 25% self damage decrease. I feel sorry for heavies who needs to play against this and personally would want it banned. A toddler wouldn't miss those pipes, and the regular pipe launcher is a beautiful weapon with a very high skill ceiling. Lock and load are none of these things. Whenever you see a weapon that forces everyone to switch to it, (which is what I did with crit-a-cola in season 6) it's generally bad for the scene.
[/quote]

I got 3000 hours on Demo and I never saw any difference with loch n load and pipes, blub never switched to them. When you played Demo for so long and don't have much time to practise, makes zero difference to me what pipe launcher I use after thousands hours practising with one.

I also think the roller damage and the extra spam/area denial potential for pipe bombs is quite strong...it may only be 30-40 damage on the floor but if you spam 4 pipes in an entrance, you got better area denial potential than 3 pipes which do not do damage if you do not his a direct.

Think the fact opinion is so divided on the issue proves that ETF2L are on the right track, I guarantee in a couple seasons it won't be a contentious issue anymore.
14
#14
ETF2L
2 Frags +
Hildreth
I got 3000 hours on Demo and I never saw any difference with loch n load and pipes, blub never switched to them. When you played Demo for so long and don't have much time to practise, makes zero difference to me what pipe launcher I use after thousands hours practising with one.

I also think the roller damage and the extra spam/area denial potential for pipe bombs is quite strong...it may only be 30-40 damage on the floor but if you spam 4 pipes in an entrance, you got better area denial potential than 3 pipes which do not do damage if you do not his a direct.

Think the fact opinion is so divided on the issue proves that ETF2L are on the right track, I guarantee in a couple seasons it won't be a contentious issue anymore.

It's not that lock and load is much better. It's that it's too easy. You and blub have played demo for a long long time and the regular pipe launcher is great if you're good enough with it as it has a very high skill ceiling. Especially on maps like viaduct or badwater where rollers make a significant difference. Lock and load anyone can pick up and hit 60% of pipes within a week. When the pipes are that fast you eliminate the margin of prediction and it get's closer to how you would use a hitscan weapon.

[quote=Hildreth]

I got 3000 hours on Demo and I never saw any difference with loch n load and pipes, blub never switched to them. When you played Demo for so long and don't have much time to practise, makes zero difference to me what pipe launcher I use after thousands hours practising with one.

I also think the roller damage and the extra spam/area denial potential for pipe bombs is quite strong...it may only be 30-40 damage on the floor but if you spam 4 pipes in an entrance, you got better area denial potential than 3 pipes which do not do damage if you do not his a direct.

Think the fact opinion is so divided on the issue proves that ETF2L are on the right track, I guarantee in a couple seasons it won't be a contentious issue anymore.[/quote]

It's not that lock and load is much better. It's that it's too easy. You and blub have played demo for a long long time and the regular pipe launcher is great if you're good enough with it as it has a very high skill ceiling. Especially on maps like viaduct or badwater where rollers make a significant difference. Lock and load anyone can pick up and hit 60% of pipes within a week. When the pipes are that fast you eliminate the margin of prediction and it get's closer to how you would use a hitscan weapon.
15
#15
4 Frags +
HildrethI got 3000 hours on Demo and I never saw any difference with loch n load and pipes, blub never switched to them. When you played Demo for so long and don't have much time to practise, makes zero difference to me what pipe launcher I use after thousands hours practising with one.

I also think the roller damage and the extra spam/area denial potential for pipe bombs is quite strong...it may only be 30-40 damage on the floor but if you spam 4 pipes in an entrance, you got better area denial potential than 3 pipes which do not do damage if you do not his a direct.

Think the fact opinion is so divided on the issue proves that ETF2L are on the right track, I guarantee in a couple seasons it won't be a contentious issue anymore.

What? The reason UGC banned the Loch 'n Load very quickly after the update is because top NA teams tested it out and found it to be completely ridiculous when it was actually used to its full potential. NA Demos were dealing more damage with the Loch than with stickies which is ludicrous. Overall Demo DPM also increased meaning that the Loch having a larger share of total damage couldn't have been a misconception that stickies were being used less in those games.

On top of that there were already really crazy anecdotes from just the first set of pre-season scrims when this unlock was being tested. On Viaduct for instance Snipers on China or House were being pilled from Demos behind the other team's Rock and a Medic even dropped behind Cliff to a Loch direct coming from Mid. Demo shouldn't have that kind of long-range capability so easily accessible.

[quote=Hildreth]I got 3000 hours on Demo and I never saw any difference with loch n load and pipes, blub never switched to them. When you played Demo for so long and don't have much time to practise, makes zero difference to me what pipe launcher I use after thousands hours practising with one.

I also think the roller damage and the extra spam/area denial potential for pipe bombs is quite strong...it may only be 30-40 damage on the floor but if you spam 4 pipes in an entrance, you got better area denial potential than 3 pipes which do not do damage if you do not his a direct.

Think the fact opinion is so divided on the issue proves that ETF2L are on the right track, I guarantee in a couple seasons it won't be a contentious issue anymore.[/quote]

What? The reason UGC banned the Loch 'n Load very quickly after the update is because top NA teams tested it out and found it to be completely ridiculous when it was actually used to its full potential. [url=http://logs.tf/623442?highlight=76561198014490800]NA Demos were dealing more damage with the Loch than with stickies which is ludicrous.[/url] Overall Demo DPM also increased meaning that the Loch having a larger share of total damage couldn't have been a misconception that stickies were being used less in those games.

On top of that there were already really crazy anecdotes from just the first set of pre-season scrims when this unlock was being tested. On Viaduct for instance Snipers on China or House were being pilled from Demos behind the other team's Rock and a Medic even dropped behind Cliff to a Loch direct coming from Mid. Demo shouldn't have that kind of long-range capability so easily accessible.
16
#16
-6 Frags +
bowswer5HildrethI got 3000 hours on Demo and I never saw any difference with loch n load and pipes, blub never switched to them. When you played Demo for so long and don't have much time to practise, makes zero difference to me what pipe launcher I use after thousands hours practising with one.

I also think the roller damage and the extra spam/area denial potential for pipe bombs is quite strong...it may only be 30-40 damage on the floor but if you spam 4 pipes in an entrance, you got better area denial potential than 3 pipes which do not do damage if you do not his a direct.

Think the fact opinion is so divided on the issue proves that ETF2L are on the right track, I guarantee in a couple seasons it won't be a contentious issue anymore.

What? The reason UGC banned the Loch 'n Load very quickly after the update is because top NA teams tested it out and found it to be completely ridiculous when it was actually used to its full potential. NA Demos were dealing more damage with the Loch than with stickies which is ludicrous. Overall Demo DPM also increased meaning that the Loch having a larger share of total damage couldn't have been a misconception that stickies were being used less in those games.

On top of that there were already really crazy anecdotes from just the first set of pre-season scrims when this unlock was being tested. On Viaduct for instance Snipers on China or House were being pilled from Demos behind the other team's Rock and a Medic even dropped behind Cliff to a Loch direct coming from Mid. Demo shouldn't have that kind of long-range capability so easily accessible.

Don't argue balance with EU highlander players, their scene and meta are comparatively shit so they just don't understand what we do k4pp4

[quote=bowswer5][quote=Hildreth]I got 3000 hours on Demo and I never saw any difference with loch n load and pipes, blub never switched to them. When you played Demo for so long and don't have much time to practise, makes zero difference to me what pipe launcher I use after thousands hours practising with one.

I also think the roller damage and the extra spam/area denial potential for pipe bombs is quite strong...it may only be 30-40 damage on the floor but if you spam 4 pipes in an entrance, you got better area denial potential than 3 pipes which do not do damage if you do not his a direct.

Think the fact opinion is so divided on the issue proves that ETF2L are on the right track, I guarantee in a couple seasons it won't be a contentious issue anymore.[/quote]

What? The reason UGC banned the Loch 'n Load very quickly after the update is because top NA teams tested it out and found it to be completely ridiculous when it was actually used to its full potential. [url=http://logs.tf/623442?highlight=76561198014490800]NA Demos were dealing more damage with the Loch than with stickies which is ludicrous.[/url] Overall Demo DPM also increased meaning that the Loch having a larger share of total damage couldn't have been a misconception that stickies were being used less in those games.

On top of that there were already really crazy anecdotes from just the first set of pre-season scrims when this unlock was being tested. On Viaduct for instance Snipers on China or House were being pilled from Demos behind the other team's Rock and a Medic even dropped behind Cliff to a Loch direct coming from Mid. Demo shouldn't have that kind of long-range capability so easily accessible.[/quote]

Don't argue balance with EU highlander players, their scene and meta are comparatively shit so they just don't understand what we do k4pp4
17
#17
-2 Frags +

because we all know how well NA did vs EU the last few times we checked ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡9

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

because we all know how well NA did vs EU the last few times we checked ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡9

http://i.imgur.com/kHWgKoL.png
18
#18
0 Frags +
kKaltUubecause we all know how well NA did vs EU the last few times we checked ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡9

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

u should put an EU team in NA so we can compare

just dont bring that hacker inso

[quote=kKaltUu]because we all know how well NA did vs EU the last few times we checked ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡9

http://i.imgur.com/kHWgKoL.png[/quote]

u should put an EU team in NA so we can compare

just dont bring that hacker inso
19
#19
4 Frags +

The beggar's literally makes the soldier's job in HL a shit-ton easier. I know it's pretty much a joke how much I get shit on by that weapon, but it's literally a direct upgrade. It has higher dps and the bombs are near impossible to avoid. During viaduct week, I was forced just to take the abuse from dumb beggar bombs. When I'm told I have to play so far back in a near useless position because of 1 dumb unlock, it should be pretty obvious the unlock itself is pretty dumb.

The loch-n-load is just a pure damage upgrade. Rollers are pretty nice in some maps, but when you're given the ability to 1-shot things from an incredible distance away, I don't see why you wouldn't choose to run it. Jarrett had consistently dealt more damage with the LnL than he did with stickies when the weapon was allowed.

I don't think it's really any admins fault for why these ridiculous unlocks are allowed. I know Maito refused to run the LnL because he legitimately believed default was better, despite it being shown a direct upgrade over and over again. The same can go towards beggar's, no one is going to run it because it is very different weapon. You can't really get good proof in EU that these unlocks are stupidly OP.

The beggar's literally makes the soldier's job in HL a shit-ton easier. I know it's pretty much a joke how much I get shit on by that weapon, but it's literally a direct upgrade. It has higher dps and the bombs are near impossible to avoid. During viaduct week, I was forced just to take the abuse from dumb beggar bombs. When I'm told I have to play so far back in a near useless position because of 1 dumb unlock, it should be pretty obvious the unlock itself is pretty dumb.

The loch-n-load is just a pure damage upgrade. Rollers are pretty nice in some maps, but when you're given the ability to 1-shot things from an incredible distance away, I don't see why you wouldn't choose to run it. Jarrett had consistently dealt more damage with the LnL than he did with stickies when the weapon was allowed.

I don't think it's really any admins fault for why these ridiculous unlocks are allowed. I know Maito refused to run the LnL because he legitimately believed default was better, despite it being shown a direct upgrade over and over again. The same can go towards beggar's, no one is going to run it because it is very different weapon. You can't really get good proof in EU that these unlocks are stupidly OP.
20
#20
ETF2L
1 Frags +
mustardoverlord
Don't argue balance with EU highlander players, their scene and meta are comparatively shit so they just don't understand what we do k4pp4

http://i.imgur.com/7Zqnf32.jpg Kappa

NurseyThe beggar's literally makes the soldier's job in HL a shit-ton easier. I know it's pretty much a joke how much I get shit on by that weapon, but it's literally a direct upgrade. It has higher dps and the bombs are near impossible to avoid. During viaduct week, I was forced just to take the abuse from dumb beggar bombs. When I'm told I have to play so far back in a near useless position because of 1 dumb unlock, it should be pretty obvious the unlock itself is pretty dumb.
.

Personally wouldn't call a direct upgrade at all. It's just really specific situations like bombs where it's retarded. Or for example holding a corridor on cp_steel and spamming down it all day it takes no skill or effort. The first rocket reload is also retardedly fast, but that might just my own personal pet peeve.

A medic force or drop is supposed to be a big play, not an unavoidable expectation.

[quote=mustardoverlord]

Don't argue balance with EU highlander players, their scene and meta are comparatively shit so they just don't understand what we do k4pp4[/quote]

http://i.imgur.com/7Zqnf32.jpg Kappa

[quote=Nursey]The beggar's literally makes the soldier's job in HL a shit-ton easier. I know it's pretty much a joke how much I get shit on by that weapon, but it's literally a direct upgrade. It has higher dps and the bombs are near impossible to avoid. During viaduct week, I was forced just to take the abuse from dumb beggar bombs. When I'm told I have to play so far back in a near useless position because of 1 dumb unlock, it should be pretty obvious the unlock itself is pretty dumb.
.[/quote]

Personally wouldn't call a direct upgrade at all. It's just really specific situations like bombs where it's retarded. Or for example holding a corridor on cp_steel and spamming down it all day it takes no skill or effort. The first rocket reload is also retardedly fast, but that might just my own personal pet peeve.

A medic force or drop is supposed to be a big play, not an unavoidable expectation.
21
#21
-12 Frags +

lol hl

lol hl
22
#22
1 Frags +
kKaltUubecause we all know how well NA did vs EU the last few times we checked ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡9

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

The American team from the 3rd Nations Cup was more of a Street Hoops PuG team for fun instead of the best you could possibly get from NA Platinum at the time. It was similar to ET that seemed to be more focused on winning Platinum that season instead of coming up with ways to overcome their ping disadvantage and challenge the Prem title.

There hasn't actually been a serious representation of the NA Highlander scene against European teams since Ginyu Force and the 2nd Nations Cup, but I think that's going to change this year.

[quote=kKaltUu]because we all know how well NA did vs EU the last few times we checked ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡9

http://i.imgur.com/kHWgKoL.png[/quote]

The American team from the 3rd Nations Cup was more of a Street Hoops PuG team for fun instead of the best you could possibly get from NA Platinum at the time. It was similar to ET that seemed to be more focused on winning Platinum that season instead of coming up with ways to overcome their ping disadvantage and challenge the Prem title.

There hasn't actually been a serious representation of the NA Highlander scene against European teams since Ginyu Force and the 2nd Nations Cup, but I think that's going to change this year.
23
#23
0 Frags +
bowswer5HildrethI got 3000 hours on Demo and I never saw any difference with loch n load and pipes, blub never switched to them. When you played Demo for so long and don't have much time to practise, makes zero difference to me what pipe launcher I use after thousands hours practising with one.

I also think the roller damage and the extra spam/area denial potential for pipe bombs is quite strong...it may only be 30-40 damage on the floor but if you spam 4 pipes in an entrance, you got better area denial potential than 3 pipes which do not do damage if you do not his a direct.

Think the fact opinion is so divided on the issue proves that ETF2L are on the right track, I guarantee in a couple seasons it won't be a contentious issue anymore.

What? The reason UGC banned the Loch 'n Load very quickly after the update is because top NA teams tested it out and found it to be completely ridiculous when it was actually used to its full potential. NA Demos were dealing more damage with the Loch than with stickies which is ludicrous. Overall Demo DPM also increased meaning that the Loch having a larger share of total damage couldn't have been a misconception that stickies were being used less in those games.

More to TF2 than just DPM and Kills, game is decided a lot by the mental factor. For instance, you see spam concentrated in a particular area you do not push that area unless you like to lose hit points for nothing, meaning time is taken off the clock, push is delayed or your decision changes based on the reactions of the opponents.

Stats aren't the be all and end all of performance, the only stat that matters is the result.

[quote=bowswer5][quote=Hildreth]I got 3000 hours on Demo and I never saw any difference with loch n load and pipes, blub never switched to them. When you played Demo for so long and don't have much time to practise, makes zero difference to me what pipe launcher I use after thousands hours practising with one.

I also think the roller damage and the extra spam/area denial potential for pipe bombs is quite strong...it may only be 30-40 damage on the floor but if you spam 4 pipes in an entrance, you got better area denial potential than 3 pipes which do not do damage if you do not his a direct.

Think the fact opinion is so divided on the issue proves that ETF2L are on the right track, I guarantee in a couple seasons it won't be a contentious issue anymore.[/quote]

What? The reason UGC banned the Loch 'n Load very quickly after the update is because top NA teams tested it out and found it to be completely ridiculous when it was actually used to its full potential. [url=http://logs.tf/623442?highlight=76561198014490800]NA Demos were dealing more damage with the Loch than with stickies which is ludicrous.[/url] Overall Demo DPM also increased meaning that the Loch having a larger share of total damage couldn't have been a misconception that stickies were being used less in those games.

[/quote]

More to TF2 than just DPM and Kills, game is decided a lot by the mental factor. For instance, you see spam concentrated in a particular area you do not push that area unless you like to lose hit points for nothing, meaning time is taken off the clock, push is delayed or your decision changes based on the reactions of the opponents.

Stats aren't the be all and end all of performance, the only stat that matters is the result.
24
#24
ETF2L
1 Frags +
bowswer5kKaltUubecause we all know how well NA did vs EU the last few times we checked ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡9

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

The American team from the 3rd Nations Cup was more of a Street Hoops PuG team for fun instead of the best you could possibly get from NA Platinum at the time. It was similar to ET that seemed to be more focused on winning Platinum that season instead of coming up with ways to overcome their ping disadvantage and challenge the Prem title.

There hasn't actually been a serious representation of the NA Highlander scene against European teams since Ginyu Force and the 2nd Nations Cup, but I think that's going to change this year.

Wait? So playing vs NA players with high pings and have to play the official at 3pm is unfair? ^^
We all know it's unfair it's just le europe vs na memes.

[quote=bowswer5][quote=kKaltUu]because we all know how well NA did vs EU the last few times we checked ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡9

http://i.imgur.com/kHWgKoL.png[/quote]

The American team from the 3rd Nations Cup was more of a Street Hoops PuG team for fun instead of the best you could possibly get from NA Platinum at the time. It was similar to ET that seemed to be more focused on winning Platinum that season instead of coming up with ways to overcome their ping disadvantage and challenge the Prem title.

There hasn't actually been a serious representation of the NA Highlander scene against European teams since Ginyu Force and the 2nd Nations Cup, but I think that's going to change this year.[/quote]

Wait? So playing vs NA players with high pings and have to play the official at 3pm is unfair? ^^
We all know it's unfair it's just le europe vs na memes.
25
#25
0 Frags +

LnL is gradually discrediting the stock Grenade Launcher as a viable HL weapon. If you can use it enough you are effectively doubling your damage output as Demo.

LnL is gradually discrediting the stock Grenade Launcher as a viable HL weapon. If you can use it enough you are effectively doubling your damage output as Demo.
26
#26
0 Frags +
bowswer5kKaltUubecause we all know how well NA did vs EU the last few times we checked ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡9

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

The American team from the 3rd Nations Cup was more of a Street Hoops PuG team for fun instead of the best you could possibly get from NA Platinum at the time. It was similar to ET that seemed to be more focused on winning Platinum that season instead of coming up with ways to overcome their ping disadvantage and challenge the Prem title.

There hasn't actually been a serious representation of the NA Highlander scene against European teams since Ginyu Force and the 2nd Nations Cup, but I think that's going to change this year.

If only DeutschLAN was intercontinental...

[quote=bowswer5][quote=kKaltUu]because we all know how well NA did vs EU the last few times we checked ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡9

http://i.imgur.com/kHWgKoL.png[/quote]

The American team from the 3rd Nations Cup was more of a Street Hoops PuG team for fun instead of the best you could possibly get from NA Platinum at the time. It was similar to ET that seemed to be more focused on winning Platinum that season instead of coming up with ways to overcome their ping disadvantage and challenge the Prem title.

There hasn't actually been a serious representation of the NA Highlander scene against European teams since Ginyu Force and the 2nd Nations Cup, but I think that's going to change this year.[/quote]

If only DeutschLAN was intercontinental...
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