Baby Punching Marathon > Chain Reaction 5-2

Here we are at the proverbial end of the road for all the middle platinum teams that have fought so well all season long. Not say there isn’t any chance for an upset, but some gaps will take more than just wishful thinking to overcome. That being said Chain Reaction is in a great position to break the barrier and become a top team in the next season or two. It’s rather unfortunate that they have such a generically unremarkable name because this is definitely a team you don’t want to be forgetting. Skyrolla is a dedicated and smart team leader. The additions of Sezco on scout and Pharaoh on demo were so vital in setting them apart from teams like KLITE. Panda really grew into a HL soldier that has really impressed me these past couple of weeks. Paragon of course has always been a head-clicking monster and could be the next Max if he keeps at it. If CR sticks around they’ll climb into the coveted top 4 in no-time, but they aren’t quite there yet. And BPM certainly isn’t about to lose steam before they have a chance at a rematch with MTS along with a shot at the title that they’ve been so poised to take all season.

The Syndicate > Quality Control 5-3

The Syndicate have been a little shaky all season. Not having a stable roster throughout the season will tend to do that though, especially when you consider how cutthroat it is to be in the top 4. This will be an important match in deciding how well TS can work and adapt as a team. They have the talented players needed to compete with Ginyu, BPM, and MTS, but they seem to be missing that extra bit of team chemistry in high-pressure situations. Almost reminds me of Bonus Points in a way but I’ll spare you my own bitterness. Quality Control on the other hand are looking stronger than ever after a very close 5-4 win against Ghetto Afterthought. Again I’m not going to predict an upset, but the possibility is there. SteveC, Pretzel, and Remedy all put up amazing numbers in their match on Monday so it would be in Syndicate’s best interests NOT to underestimate QC. Their recent pickup of Indust on medic also puts them in a position of possibly poking into the top 4 in the next season or two assuming the roster stays more or less the same. Indust’s affinity for being very hard to kill could very well make this a very back and forth exciting match to watch.

I would like to take this space to shoutout all the teams in platinum that have stuck it out all season. It can be a harsh grind, but I hope I’ll get to see everyone back at it in the following summer and fall seasons.