After a brief break for Week 4, I’m back for Week 5. I know these articles really make or break people’s days, so I am sure the gap must have been devastating. I will be quickly reviewing the last two weeks of matches with the exception of some which I think deserve a bit more coverage. But first, the power rankings:
- Desperado Crash Mambo Combo
- My RGL Profits Have Declined (+1)
- Break the Meta (-1)
- Yeye
- Gang Unit Tactics
- @yo_grrt
- tuatards (+1)
- Seductive 9 (Dead)
My RGL Profits Have Declined is making themselves out to be one of the more interesting teams in Challenger this season, with incredibly solid performances by The_S4rr<3, Shido, and reigh every week complementing their solid cobo. While I hesitate to put them above DCMC, who seemed particularly weak on Product (despite having DZCreeper), but they have shown just how beatable DCMC can be, and time will only tell if other teams are able to take advantage of that. On the opposite end of the Spectrum, Seductive 9 died, so I am now teamless and one of the worst teams in division has finally kicked the bucket.
Week 3 Match Analysis and Write-Up
The third week of matches brought what can only be called deeply predictable (and boring) results, alongside the death of Seductive 9. This week is boring enough to deserve abbreviated write-ups, so I will be doing so.
DCMC v.Seductive 9 (2-0) - Logs
Yikes. Trolling? In RGL?
MVP: Tom Servo for S9 for making the right call.
Break the Meta v. tuatards (2-0) - Logs
One of the top 3 teams versus the worst team in the division. Chocc was not enough to carry these for tuatards.
Standout players: Chocc and High Impact Dolphin for tuatards. Jinzo and fygg for Break the Meta
Yeye v. @yo_grrt (2-0) - Logs
Yeye’s closeness to @yo_grrt on the Power Rankings is deceptive. It has been made apparent that the bottom half of Challenger is far weaker than the top half. Yeye proved again this week why they deserve their spot on the top half, alongside an incredibly likely spot in playoffs.
Standout Players: hmls and chase for Yeye. Soap for @yo_grrt.
Gang Unit Tactics v. My RGL Profits Have Declined (0-4) - Logs
Gang Unit Tactics showed once again their inability to effectively capitalize on their star pick classes MichaelPC1 and Witness. No one else on the team did much of note in this display of dominance from Profits.
Standout players: MichaelPC1 and Witness for GUT, and the entirety of Profits.
Week 4 Match Analysis and Write-Up
Week 4 was also very predictable with the exception of a singular match, which will be explored in greater detail.
Desperado Crash Mambo Combo v. My RGL Profits Have Declined (0-4) - Logs
The most surprising upset of the season, Profits not only beats out DCMC, but absolutely stomps them. Sniper TheS4rr<3 and Spy Shido for Profits got a combined 11 Med Picks, 10 Demo Picks, and 9 Heavy Picks. To put it lightly: the combo of DCMC was terrorized by the pick classes of Profits. This combo-centric collapse brought the rest of the team down with them, as no one except for Scout RPC_33 had enough space to really do a lot of work this match, despite having a wealth of talented players. If the combo of DCMC is able to be exploited like this more going forward, expect for them to have a rough time against the other top Advanced teams, who all have talented pick class players just waiting to frag a combo unable to deal with them.
Standout players: TheS4rr<3 and Shido for Profits. [tfclass=scout] RPC_33 for DCMC
@yo_grrt v. Break The Meta (1-4) - Logs
While it is surprising that @yo_grrt managed to take a round off of BtM here, it is obvious how they were able to do it: with an incredibly solid performance by Sniper eagle for @yo_grrt. The players on BtM frankly under-performed this match, getting both undamaged and outfragged by the players of @yo_grrt. If @yo_grrt had been better at transitioning those advantages onto cap time, they could have won many more rounds, if not the match. This gives an inkling of hope that @yo_grrt may just be able to contest for the 4th playoff spot, although their record at this point almost precludes that.
Standout players: eagle for @yo_grrt. Markers and Valikyr for BtM.
Gang Unit Tactics v. Yeye (0-4) - Logs
What can only be described as another cleanup victory for Yeye to round out the easier half of their schedule before they face BtM and DCMC in the coming two weeks. Product requires far more than just a good Sniper and to play, and Sniper MichaelPC1’s team could just not keep up with the players of Yeye.
Standout players: MichaelPC1 and Witness. The entirety of Yeye.
tuatards v. Bye Week
A Clean Win For The Boys.
Standout players: Tom Servo for making the Right Choice.
Week 5 Match Predictions
Finally we get to talk about predictions, and boy are there now less predictions than there were before. While two of the matches this week will, in all likelihood, be rolls, there is a 3rd match which looks to be close and one match starring the mysterious bandits cosplaying as Bye Week.
Gang Unit Tactics v. Desperado Crash Mambo Combo (0-2)
A roll on the books if I have ever seen one. As always, the win or loss of GUT will depend on their ability to be more than just a Sniper surrounded by 8 Civilian classes. DCMC has not been performing exceptionally well in scrims, and GUT has at least been winning, so a round for GUT is not incredibly unlikely, but the most likely outcome is a relatively fast 2-0 for DCMC alongside dominant performances from their players.
Players to watch: TheS4rr<3, Shido, and TeatsMcGee for Profits.
Yeye v. Break the Meta (1-2)
By far the closest match this week, and one which I suspect will give a lot of insight into the probably 3rd place team of this season. Both of these teams more than have the ability to contest the top two teams in the division, but both are held back by the lack of superstar players (except Sniper Markers for BtM) that the top two teams have. Both of these teams make up for it with coordination and good plays. On perhaps the most coordination-dependent PL map in rotation, the team better suited to capitalizing on their strengths, and thus most likely to eventually secure Bronze, will win. Expect this to be close and to be worth watching (if you would ever watch Challenger matches). What gives BtM the edge here, in my opinion, is their pickup of Demo kjr, who is, in my opinion, the best Demo in the division.
Players to watch: yeye, jayeezy, and Toss for Yeye. Markers, kjr, and Jinzo for BtM.
Bye Week v. @yo_grrt (0-2)
The Phantom Menace will rise again.
Theoretical Best and Second-Best Roster
Who are the most attractive players in RGL Challenger???
Best Roster
- Scout: RPC_33 - Desperado Crash Mambo Combo [3x]
- Soldier: Bliztank - Desperado Crash Mambo Combo [3x]
- Pyro: TK - My RGL Profits Have Declined [3x]
- Demoman: kjr - Break the Meta [New, formerly DZCreeper]
- Heavy: Chocc - tuatards [3x]
- Engineer: Micahlele - Desperado Crash Mambo Combo [4x]
- Medic: reigh - My RGL Profits Have Declined [4x]
- Sniper: Markers - Break The Meta 3x]
- Spy: Shido - My RGL Profits Have Declined [3x]
2nd Best
- Scout: Witness - Gang Unit Tactics [New, formerly Flare]
- Soldier: wise - Gang Unit Tactics [3x]
- Pyro: Pyrrhus - Desperado Crash Mambo Combo [3x]
- Demoman: DZCreeper - Desperado Crash Mambo Combo [New, formerly fygg]
- Heavy: Moist Master - My RGL Profits Have Declined [4x]
- Engineer: Starfruit66 - Gang Unit Tactics [4x]
- Medic: sakura - Yeye [4x]
- Sniper: cinder - Desperado Crash Mambo Combo [4x]
- Spy: jak - [New, formerly Witness]
Shakeups occur with the advent of Scout Witness for GUT and Demo kjr for BtM. Both of these players are quite good and make the cut, with kjr especially finally beating out DZCreeper for the top spot. Expect few shakeups on these classes for the rest of the season, at this point all the players on this list have more then proved where they deserve to stand.