As Div-2 approaches the end of its journey in RGL, there is still work to be done. This season saw a crazy amount of competitive and close matches. Realistically speaking, almost every team was still in the running for playoffs at the midway point of the season (or later). The amount of games decided by one round was insane and flipping even just a small handful of those around could've altered the landscape of the division entirely. But those results went some way for a reason, and now we're here. Four teams enter, only one will come out on top.
#1: Jeqlers (13-3)
- Scout: owib
- Scout: Yam
- Roamer: phoxx
- Pocket: jt
- Demoman: Juju
- Medic: Dank
Jeqlers ride into Div-2 playoffs as the #1 seed and odds-on favorite to win it all. Their regular season record of 13-3 speaks for itself. But a deeper look into the numbers reveal more interesting findings: all three of their losses were to non-playoff teams. This means that in their six matches against the other contenders, they ran the table. Early outings against Honey Bacon Club and BLANC Esports were close, in which they won by respective scores of 5-3 and 5-4, but for the other four meetings only three total rounds were dropped. This will no doubt be an advantage on their side because they've been there, done that. An extremely fundamentally sound team that has been putting in the practice and it shows.
#2: Honey Bacon Club (12-4)
- Scout: KutchKutch
- Scout: pom
- Roamer: dog
- Pocket: mousecake
- Demoman: artist
- Medic: rasta_ronald
Very rarely do you see a team maintain their entire six man roster during the usual offseason shuffle. If you're not named froyotech, it simply does not happen often. But that's exactly what happened to Honey Bacon Club coming off their 2nd place finish in Main last season as Scooby Snacks. Despite a more lax practice schedule, the combination of their roster continuity and raw DM talent have helped them rise above most of the Div-2 competition. Outside of being swept by Jeqlers, their only other missteps were a 4-2 Clearcut loss to The Box Tap and a 5-1 Gullywash loss to RHDP. They will look to settle the score against the former during upper round one.
#3: The Box Tap (11-5)
- Scout: golden
- Scout: owen
- Roamer: fleskore
- Pocket: ziaa
- Demoman: lucrative
- Medic: wbacon
One might look at the rounds for and against stats of The Box Tap and be a little wary, but the truth is more comforting. The Box Tap were the only playoff roster to get both a bye week and a forfeit win over hot girl summer, and that team's death phased the bye week out of the schedule for the rest of the division. Furthermore, their results show that they perform in the clutch. Five of their wins were by a score of 5-4 or 4-3, meaning they made plays when everything was on the line. Not bad having that in their minds as playoffs roll in. Ex-Invite Medic lucrative is the brain behind this operation, as his presence and playcalling has been a huge boon to the relative inexperience of other players on the squad.
#4: BLANC Esports (10-6)
- Scout: zanda
- Scout: DonDorito
- Roamer: Crasian
- Pocket: Muse
- Demoman: Sleepy
- Medic: Tery
The sophomore run of BLANC Esports in Div-2 has improved upon their 8-8 campaign from last season with two extra wins and a playoff berth to boot. BLANC had six regular season matches be decided by one round, the most out of the final four. This means their overall record could've been anywhere from 13-3 to 7-9. Taking a closer look, you'll see that all wins were against non-playoff teams while all losses were to playoff teams. Going up against Jeqlers in the first round, they will try to reverse their 0-2 head-to-head deficit or else make a quick exit to the lower bracket.
Much like the regular season, the Div-2 postseason should have some intense series in store. Best of luck to all.