It's time for the eighth iteration of the ozfortress Winter League. We waited for what was said to be a huge announcement, and when it finally came the build up for this OWL became even bigger. Thanks to Plantronics GAMECOM, the the Premier Division has replaced Division 1, with the league becoming officially sponsored, and the introduction of cash prizes for first, second and third place in Premier, along with $10 for each map win (which, come to think of it, is pretty fucking awesome). So teams again start their regular scrimming, core rosters lock, and everyone begins to train hard for another season, another shot at proving that they're the best that their division has to offer.
But this time it's a little different, with money on the line, a new sort of motivation has been offered to the teams in Premier; no longer is it about simply reputation or the thrill of being the best team in Australia; it's about actually getting something out of it, going home with some money in your hands for doing nothing but playing videogames.
With all that boring introductory stuff out of the way, I guess it's time to introduce the teams which will be actively fighting it out round-by-round for the chance at first place. We see some old faces in Premier; [b]Team Immunity[/b] make their return, the OWL7 Division 1, ATF2L Invite and C4C3 champions, along with [b]Sequential Gaming[/b], OWL7 runner's up and [b]vivid Reprisal[/b], seasoned division 1 veterans. But we see many, many more new ones, such as [b]Frenetic Array[/b], C4C3 and ATF2L invite runners-up, [b]spiceboiz[/b] and [b]upgrade[/b], newly formed teams with many experienced and skilled players, [b]World Underground[/b], OWL7 Division 3 champions and C4C3 Division 1 competitors, and [b]Team Supremacy[/b], OWL7 Division 2 competitors with former spadebox members venom and tommy.
Personally, and although this is said almost every season, I think this season is going to be the most competitive. Up until quite recently, the top scene in Australia has been relatively bland, with almost every OWL and off-season tournament grand final ending up as rewound/SQL vs -A-/iM. OWL7 offered some relief in terms of competition; spadebox and BOB entered Division 1 and the top 4 scene thrived, competition hadn't been so strong for quite a long time. This season, however, is shaping up to be even better; the top 3 teams from last season remain, however several new teams have arisen since, all of which have a good chance of contending for a top spot in Premier. This season will be different because the skill pool is so evenly spread out, there are no huge skill gaps between teams as there have been in the past, although it can still be discerned that one team is better than another, the gap between these teams isn't as big as it has been before. That's why OWL8 will be the most exciting yet for Premier.
Nonetheless, I guess you've probably had enough of my inane rambling and want to get to the good shit, so without further adieu, I present my Premier Division OWL interviews:
[b]Demonman[/b] • termo [b]Pocket Soldier[/b] • Puddy [b]Roaming Soldier[/b] • SoLe [b]Scout[/b] • snowblind [b]Scout[/b] • bowt [b]Medic[/b] • tsunamii
Frenetic Array, formerly 1 direction, enter their OWL debut with first place in their sights. They've shown much strength in division 1 recently, coming 2nd in C4C3 and ATF2L Invite. This season, however, they enter OWL as what many would consider favourites for first place, with the addition of Puddy to primary since C4C3. I interviewed termo concerning his thoughts on the season ahead;
[iq]As a general question to start us off, how confident are you feeling heading into this OWL? Which teams do you consider real threats and why do you think this will be the season you guys win?[/iq]
[ia]Although we are most focused on alienware, we are confident going in to OWL and hope that we can continue improving and play to the best of our ability throughout the season. iM is the only real threat. We have been practicing a lot and our lineup is probably the best and most consistent it's been in a while, however it all comes down to how the teams play on the night - I can promise an exciting final.[/ia]
[iq]The new rounds config including halves is a pretty big change to the ruleset, do you think it's a major improvement over last OWL's 30 minute maps?[/iq]
[ia]I like halves better, don't care for it too much[/ia]
[iq]You guys have what seems to be probably your most crucial non-finals match coming up in the first round against Team Immunity, how confident are you feeling going into the game?[/iq]
[ia]This game is not so impacting on the tournament results, it will be a mental advantage for whoever wins this game.[/ia]
[iq]What are your thoughts on the addition of process as a new map? Do you think it's better than warmfront?[/iq]
[ia]We haven't played it yet, heard goods things however - should be fun and interesting learning to play on a new map.[/ia]
[iq]What are your thoughts on the new 2 set maps per round setup?[/iq]
[ia]Fine, means SQL have to get good at something other than granary.[/ia]
[iq]Are there any players in the division who you've got your eye on? Anyone you expect big things from?[/iq]
[ia]sheep, yuki and the players from our team.[/ia]
[iq]Any last thoughts or shoutouts?[/iq]
[ia]Shoutout to fray, admins for running the tournament and all the players and teams that continue to play this game year round[/ia]
[b]My Opinion:[/b]
I think Frenetic Array are going to be a very strong team this season. Their roster is extremely stable as it currently is, and Puddy is a much more experienced soldier than myself, so I think his replacing me will ultimately benefit the team because of this. I think their play throughout the season will depend a lot on how their heavies handle situations. From what I've seen recently, Puddy has been demanding a lot more heals than their pockets previously, and as such termo has been recieving less. This has benefited their play a lot, termo has been playing just as well with less heals and Puddy has been able to do a lot with his heals and ubers. FRAY will come out on top if their heavies play consistently, their scouts do their job and their medic doesn't drop ubers or players.
[b]Player to watch in OWL8:[/b] termo
[b]Demoman[/b] • bulk [b]Pocket Soldier[/b] • yuki [b]Roaming Soldier[/b] • aporia [b]Scout[/b] • sheep [b]Scout[/b] • Minzy (aka hellscream) [b]Medic[/b] • bonobo
Team Immunity are the current title-holders for every recent Australian competition, entering this season to make sure that this remains the case. Although heading into this OWL with much confidence, this season is shaping up to be much more competitive than the rest, particularly amongst the top 3 teams. I gathered aporia's thoughts about the season ahead;
[iq]So how confident are you guys feeling going into this OWL? You've had some successful results, but prem is looking super tight this season - which teams do you consider your major threats and why do you think you can overcome them?[/iq]
[ia]I think we’re as confident as we need to be heading into this OWL season, especially as our complacency has created problems in the past. It looks like this might be a good season for “Premier” (WHY), as there have been a couple of teams stepping up to fill in the gaps a little bit, but I don’t think it will really make much of a difference come end season. Australian TF2 has always been two or three teams contending for top spot and I very much doubt it will be any different this season.
In terms of overcoming FRAY/SQL it will really just depend on our own play. I believe I said this at the start of last season (or was it finals interviews?), but our biggest threat is always ourselves. As a team we dedicate much less time to the game than every other team in div1, and if we don’t show up on the night ready to win then we can only have ourselves to blame for the consequences.
It’s important to note that we play our best when we’re having fun – generally messing around, overexcited comms and (much to yuki’s distress) singing – so I guess we’ll just have to see what happens. There are too many people in this community that take the game exceedingly seriously - it’s fun to win and improve, but if you can’t have fun while doing it what’s the point? It’s a game, not a chore.[/ia]
[iq]Going up against Frenetic Array in the first round, you'll be playing out one of your hardest matches of the seasons first up. How confident are you feeling?[/iq]
[ia]I think I probably answered this above[/ia]
[iq]What's your thoughts on the new halves config in round matches?[/iq]
[ia]The new halves config is something that has been campaigned for the entire top-half of the division 1 scene for a few seasons now, so it’s definitely a positive. The game is far too restricted with a limit of 30 minutes and if you truly want to promote good competition – then a drawn out 4-3 turtle for 10 minutes is disappointing for the players, casters and spectators. In one of the earlier seasons of –A- we did exactly this to rewound on cp_well in a final, turtling 2nd point with a sentry for something like 15 minutes and despite the fact that it hasn’t happened recently as teams simply haven’t been close enough, it’s something that nobody wants to see again.[/ia]
[iq]What are your thoughts on the new 2 set maps per round setup?[/iq]
[ia]I would have preferred to see one map rounds with halves config similar to esea – I won’t get too entrenched in the WHY, because it’s really not that big of an issue – suffice to say simply that “oh we have to play another map? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz why???” is a fairly common occurrence in ts3 come match day.[/ia]
[iq]This season has seen process added as a new map, what are your thoughts on it? Do you prefer it over warmfront?[/iq]
[ia]I honestly haven’t looked at process as a map at all, if its anything at all like snakewater then it will be shit.[/ia]
[iq]Premier is looking like one of the toughest seasons for the top 4, are there any players in the division you expect big things from?[/iq]
[ia]I’m looking forward to watching every scout bait their team to make a 12 second frag reel and hopefully some more exciting play from heavy/roamer combos in the scene.[/ia]
[iq]Any last thoughts or shoutouts?[/iq]
[ia]I’ve turned some of these questions into mini essays, which will probably seem especially hilarious alongside bowt’s typical “i think we will win easy nobody is a threat” answers, but hopefully somebody found this interesting . ;] http://i.imgur.com/8gV8D.png hi oli :]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]][/ia]
[b]My Opinion[/b]:
Team Immunity are, evidently, a very strong team. All of their players are formidable, specifically yuki and sheep, who are superstars in terms of class skills. Of course this team is seeded for first or second place, due to their being the title holders for 6 OWL seasons running, however the fact of the matter is that, recently, iM have been fairly laid back in terms of scrimming. They haven't been practicing as much as FRAY, and as such I think that's going to affect their play. If iM are to win Premier, it will be through yuki winning uber fights and reading situations better than other soldiers, and sheep cleaning up teamfights. I think iM are less predictable than FRAY in terms of decision making, they will play situations less textbook-style and this will benefit them a lot against teams like FRAY and SQL.
[b]Players to watch in OWL8:[/b] yuki and sheep
[b]Demoman[/b] • pr1med [b]Pocket Soldier[/b] • Greyhunter [b]Roaming Soldier[/b] • Raiin [b]Scout[/b] • mikeh [b]Scout[/b] • povohat [b]Medic[/b] • spitty
Sequential Gaming have been together for some time, and although their roster has undergone significant changes throughout the seasons, their core of Greyhunter and prime has always remained. Throughout previous OWLs, they've had some excellent results, getting the runner's up spot for Division 1 since OWL2. The teams are different this season, however, and the division is looking much more competitive. This could prove to be their hardest season yet, and SQL are going to have to go hard out in order to gain a top spot. I chatted to mikeh about his thoughts on the season to come;
[iq]You guys have been the regular contenders against iM in the several previous iterations of OWL, however this season is appearing to be much more competitive than previously. How confident are you feeling heading into this OWL?[/iq]
[ia]I’m confident SQL will retain a spot in the top 3. I also feel we’re capable of securing 2nd or even 1st place, but we’re really limited by what we’re willing to put in/how hungry we are for higher placing.[/ia]
[iq]With that being said, which teams do you consider your biggest threats this season?[/iq]
[ia]Primarily the biggest threats would be Fray & Immunity. However, we’ve got a whole lot less of a skill buffer between teams in this OWL. In the previous OWLs we could play bad/sloppy/stupid but still get away with a 5-0 verses other teams in division one. I have a feeling this OWL with the introduction of eps’ and Maverick’s team + SPR we won’t be able to get away with as much lazy play and expect to come away with a clean score line.[/ia]
[iq]How are you feeling going up against vR in round 1?[/iq]
[ia]Fairly confident.[/ia]
[iq]How strong do you feel your current roster is in comparison to previous iterations of rewound / SQL?[/iq]
[ia]Hard to say. People seem to doubt povohat’s & myself’s ability to contend against more seasoned scout combos, but we’ll see how that goes. At the moment I’m feeling a lot of potential in this line-up, it’s pretty raw and unrefined, but it’s there to be worked on. Ultimately, I do think how strong our team is going to depend a lot on how fast myself/povohat/raiin get into gear and start delivering. I do however think this has the potential to be the strongest line-up we’ve had as SQL[/ia]
[iq]What are your opinions on the introduction of process? Do you prefer it over warmfront?[/iq]
[ia]I haven’t played a proper game on process I don’t think, but since it’s in the rotation I guess I’ll have the chance to very soon.[/ia]
[iq]Are there any players in Premier who you're expecting big things from?[/iq]
[ia]I’m expecting Raiin to deliver massively this season, if he has a strong team backing behind him I have no doubt he will identify himself as the strongest roamer in AU.[/ia]
[iq]What are your thoughts on the new halves config for rounds?[/iq]
[ia]It really isn’t as exciting as everyone seems to be making it out to be.[/ia]
[iq]What are your thoughts on the new 2 maps per round setup? Do you prefer it over the previous pick or pick/ban method?[/iq]
[ia]I think this is definitely the superior choice to elimination. Forcing teams to go beyond badlands/granary is going to beneficial in regards to competition and entertainment.[/ia]
[iq]Any last thoughts our shoutouts?[/iq]
[ia]Shoutout to Sequential Gaming & Razer. Purchase Razer for all your gaming peripheral needs.[/ia]
[b]My Opinion:[/b]
I think SQL's play will be heavily dependent on their mid play, which is currently quite strong. A lot of their play comes down to winning mids through Raiin's initial jump damage / distraction and prime walking across the point with the rest of their team. I think if SQL are to win in their current form, they're going to need to beat the better teams on rollout, and possibly improve their general phase play. Their scouts can be strong however they sometimes play a little too passive and this can affect their flank play in general. Their recent victory against FRAY proves the effectiveness of use of prime and Raiin's aggression.
[b]Player to watch in OWL8:[/b] prime
[b]Demoman[/b] • spaceman [b]Pocket Soldier[/b] • eps [b]Roaming Soldier[/b] • mantastic [b]Scout[/b] • Smauglet [b]Scout[/b] • hcaz [b]Medic[/b] • yertle
As difficult as it is to talk about my own team without bias, these interviews would seem incomplete without spiceboiz being present. Boasting some great individual players such as Smauglet, member of OWL7 Division 2 winners sSb, hcaz, member of OWL1 winners bvz and defeat, and spaceman, up-and-coming demoman from C4C3 division 2 runners-up Winterfall. I interviewed Smauglet concerning OWL8;
[iq]As a newly-formed team, you enter a competition and division with little experience as a team and generally as players. Do you feel as if you can compete with the already established premier teams?[/iq]
[ia]We're pretty inconsistent from night to night at the moment as we're still working out some major kinks in our play, but I'm pretty confident we can compete. The big three will be tough, but I think given continued improvement and us playing well on the night we can take down most teams in the division.[/ia]
[iq]Which teams in Premier do you consider your biggest threats?[/iq]
[ia]Asides from iM, FRAY and SQL I'd have to say Upgrade. While it's been close, they've been beating us pretty consistently in scrims. I'm not sure how good SPR will be, and neither wu or vR will be pushovers.[/ia]
[iq]How confident are you feeling going up against Team Supremacy in the first round?[/iq]
[ia]We've only played them once, and I believe they've shuffled their core around since. We can definitely win, but it won't be a roll one way or the other.[/ia]
[iq]What are your thoughts on process as a new map? Do you prefer it over warmfront?[/iq]
[ia]Haven't played either map enough to say with any certainty. Having had the dubious pleasure of watching mixup and LG play it last ESEA LAN though, I'm kind of glad warmfront is out.[/ia]
[iq]Are there any specific players in premier who you expect big things from?[/iq]
[ia]There's the obvious - Sheep, Yuki, Termo, Primed, etc. Raiin and Snowblind are both still improving steadily and Bulk has been putting a lot more time into the game, so I'm looking forward to seeing whether they can sustain that throughout the season. Mikeh and Puddy have been doing a lot of work whenever we've played SQL or FRAY. Seeker, Riki, Madness, Tele and Eko are all big fraggers for their respective teams. Spaceman will definitely turn some heads, and while I don't think wu has any players that stand above the rest, they work well as a unit and Feresar's offclassing should make for some fun moments.[/ia]
[iq]Any last thoughts or shoutouts?[/iq]
[ia]Shoutout to my team, OZF admins and RAC mumble.[/ia]
[b]My Opinion:[/b]
I really don't know what to give about my own opinion on my own team without being heavily biased. I'd say our team is full of a lot of very strong individual players in terms of class skills but our ability to read and execute situations and make decisions is poor. I think a lot of our play will come down to our ability to win uber fights and working on better post-uber positioning with our combo. Smauglet is a very strong playmaker and as such his ability to get crucial kills in even or disadvantage situations will prove important. spaceman has good timing in terms of damage and I think our heavies just need to have better timed aggression if we are to win situations.
[b]Player to watch in OWL8:[/b] Smauglet
[b]Demoman[/b] • SeV [b]Pocket Soldier[/b] • phantom [b]Roaming Soldier[/b] • Drakargh [b]Scout[/b] • venom [b]Scout[/b] • tommy [b]Medic[/b] • havoc
SPR have been around since OWL7, in the form of wonderboys, however their current roster differs a lot from their OWL7 roster. They have made additions such as eko and tommy on scout, as well as SeV on demoman, which have had a large impact on their play. I interviewed havoc concerning their thoughts on OWL8;
[iq]With the pickups of venom, SeV and tommy since OWL7, how are you guys feeling going into OWL? How do you feel you'll go, and which teams do you consider your biggest threats?[/iq]
[ia]During the preseason we experienced a tremendous amount of confidence as a team and had hoped to drive that forward into OWL8. venom and tommy have been great additions to our team. They are two scouts that have a strong history working together from the original Spadebox and naturally play off one another very well. SeV is a pickup we're very happy to have made also after almost two months of searching for an appropriate, suitable core demoman who we felt we would be able to develop a great deal of synergy with. I don't love where my team's performance is at right now but I'm very happy to be a part of it. We're a work in progress and moving forward the plan with our new core roster is to practice as hard and as much as we can for this season. I don't like to underestimate any opponents so as far as threats go anybody who is good enough to be seeded in premier we're most definitely going to take seriously. Some of the tougher matches are most definitely going to be against the likes of Team Immunity, Sequential Gaming and Frenetic Array...but I'm definitely not discounting longtime scrim partners World Underground and vR along with the other premier teams. At the end of the day we're going to play at a pace and with a strategy that we're comfortable with, make the right calls and just try to play well to take some wins this season and hopefully place solidly going into the finals.[/ia]
[iq]Round 1 brings you guys up against spiceboiz, how are you feeling about going into this match?[/iq]
[ia]We'll definitely be heading into this match with a positive state of mind. Obviously, with a newer roster I wish we could have a lot more time to prepare and practice before our first official match but either way we're going to give it the best that we can and we're determined to improve throughout the season. spiceboiz are a relatively new team, but regardless they have a roster with some solid players and I know they're going to put up quite a fight. Hopefully we can adjust quickly and I'm expecting it to be a close one at this point.[/ia]
[iq]Picking up players from lower divisions can be a difficult decision to make, considering your reliance on their ability to improve to an appropriate level. Why did you choose to pick up Drakargh?[/iq]
[ia]For quite a while now my team has experienced some turbulence with our roster. It's been a set back losing some of our players because they either stopped having fun at this level of play given the seriousness and focus required or they had difficulty scaling alongside us and divides were unfortunately created. It wasn't too long ago that I was playing in a lower division and phantom picked me up. I like to think that people who have a drive to improve and show potential should be given a chance. People who want to compete at the highest level and push themselves instead of falling into complacency. After speaking at length with Drakargh and getting a feel for his mechanics and decision making we extended him the opportunity to originally try and learn demoman for us. He showed a huge amount of dedication toward this and put almost 50-60 hours (I believe) within a week into demo but ultimately was absolutely terrible at it. ;D So, after a lot of discussion we chose to take a risk and rotate Drakargh into our core secondary soldier slot in hopes that we could mould his play style to suit our needs. He has strong natural, measured aim coming from a CS1.6 background and has learned a lot of the nuances of roaming rather quickly. We feel he is an extremely intelligent and talented player despite his relatively unknown status and we're really looking forward to progressing with him on our team.[/ia]
[iq]What are your thoughts on process? Do you prefer it over warmfront?[/iq]
[ia]As a team we have very limited exposure to process. The last points for both process and warmfront both seem complex. I'm glad to see warmfront out of rotation this season (though I'd rather play warmfront than ashville) and I'm happy to see a new map make its way in. Hopefully after putting some time into the map and watching through our demos together we can construct a strong approach to the map and both attacking and defending its points.[/ia]
[iq]Are there any specific players in Premier who you expect big things from this season?[/iq]
[ia]As a team captain my main focus is on expecting big things out of my own team. It's great to see phantom return to form as a primary soldier after previously offclassing as scout in OWL7 division 2. The last time he played primary soldier was back in roflstompers. Definitely very strong in the class and I'm looking forward to some huge plays. It almost feels redundant if I mention players the likes of yuki, termo and venom. So, if you're a fan of high level soldier play definitely keep your eye on my pocket if you get tired of watching iM STVs to lrn2play.[/ia]
[iq]Any last thoughts or shoutouts?[/iq]
[ia]Shoutout to our Team Supremacy sponsors Ozone Gaming and ASUS. Many thanks to Gamecom for Big props and congratulations to all premier division teams for putting their time and effort into being involved at this level of competition. Hopefully we have a really great season and I look forward to playing with you all. Best of luck![/ia]
[b]My Opinion:[/b]
Team Supremacy is a strong team, especially now that they've put SeV on demoman. They have very strong scout aggression, tommy and venom are a very strong scout combo, however I think venom outshines tommy in his ability to get critical kills at really important times and pressure flanks really well. SeV on demoman will likely improve this team's mid play with his aggressive playstyle mixed in with scout aggression, as long as their soldiers react accordingly with timed damage. I think if this team is to secure a top spot, Drakargh is going to have to improve drastically on roaming soldier and their combo is going to have to react to critical kills made by venom and play situations well with player advantage.
[b]Player to watch in OWL8:[/b] venom
[b]Demoman[/b] • Hayze [b]Pocket Soldier[/b] • Madness [b]Roaming Soldier[/b] • combust [b]Scout[/b] • tele [b]Scout[/b] • abender [b]Medic[/b] • mavericK
upgrade tf2 are a relatively new team, formed as what seems to be the remains of both Dinosaurs, C4C3 Division 2 champions, and fever (rip in piece rocky). They sport some skilled players, namely tele, combust and Madness. Another interesting addition is Abender, who's made the massive jump to Premier from Division 6 in OWL7. I caught up with mavericK to gather his thoughts on the season ahead;
[iq]With a relatively new team and some players without Premier Division experience, how do you feel heading into this OWL? Which teams do you consider your biggest threats?[/iq]
[ia]We're feeling pretty confident about our OWL season. Our Premier virgins of Hayze and Abender are so unbelievably keen to improve that they've been transitioning nicely. We have been having some great results recently as we continue to iron out our faults. Obviously we consider the big 3 of iM, FRAY and SQL as our biggest threats, your own clan (spiceboiz) shall also be an interesting match up. I suppose there's SPR to consider but they have been unimpressive of late, but who knows they may change things around in time. [/ia]
[iq]You're up against World Underground in the first round, are you confident that you can beat them?[/iq]
[ia]Our recent results with :wu have been kind of one sided so I would say we're feeling confident, yes. Having said that, we're not overconfident, we will be treating every match as if it were a playoff game. We're only new, who knows we may be total choke artists. On another note; I really hope they (wu) stay as a solid unit for seasons to come, nothing better then a team of friends rising up the ranks.[/ia]
[iq]The decision to pick up a player from a lower division such as Abender must have been a tough one, considering you're relying entirely on him improving to a Premier level. Do you feel as if the decision has paid off?[/iq]
[ia]We picked up both Hayze (Div 2 - xyz, previously div 4 - DialUp) and Abender (Dinosaurs div 2, previously div 6? Tc?). I really like the idea of giving newer players the chance to improve, rather then recycling existing players. I honestly wouldn't say it was a tough decision to make. Madness came to me when we were discussing the forming of this team and said that he would back abender as someone worth considering due to his dedication and eagerness (seriously, holy shit calm down). We played with him for the first week, he was really impressive considering his lack of understanding. Naturally as we play together more and play harder opponents he is improving and learning more about the game, that and more STVs and POVs then my hard drive can hold. As for Hayze, I played with Hayze for a while in xyz and he has a very bright future in this game. He is also eager to learn all he can at every turn, so while they both may lack any experience, they make up for it in sheer enthusiasm for the game. On that note; there is a disgusting lack of demomen (where are you all) and it's really nice to see players improving in such a vital class.[/ia]
[iq]What are your thoughts on the introduction of process to the map pool? Do you prefer it over warmrfont?[/iq]
[ia]I love it. I really enjoy the map, I think it's a really good edition to the map pool. It flows nicely (except last, but eh, I guess that means don't get pushed to last) and it's really different to anything else in the pool. I really dislike warmfront, really happy to see it go, so yes cp_process is much preferred. Also; boo! Ashville. ;)[/ia]
[iq]Are there any players in Premier who you're expecting big things from?[/iq]
[ia]Yeah, there are the obvious ones: Yuki and sheep for iM, termo for FRAY, Prime for SQL, eko for SPR, Madness for us, Smauglet for you guys (sbz), seeker for vR. I'm more interested in the players that aren't already well known. I've been seeing good things from World Underground's Render, Phake and z0mbify, but not ruuik, he's bad :). I expect to see Hayze and Abender do well. I think the hardest decision at the end of this season will be deciding most improved player. Which is really good when you come to think of it, lots of people stepping up to the Premier plate.[/ia]
[iq]Any last thoughts or shoutouts?[/iq]
[ia]Shoutouts to anyone that scrims us regularly, thanks. Best of luck to everyone this season, if you forfeit to us Abender will give you unusuals*. SANDEEP!
Cheers
*highly unlikely.[/ia]
[b]My Opinion:[/b]
upgrade tf2 are a strong team with some good players like tele and Madness who contribute a lot towards the overall aggression of the team. A major strong point of this team is their ability to capitalize on small advantages and play with heavy use of spam and aggression to take ground. They also like to play many situations aggressively, and although I think this is good in a lot of situations like holding a point with some aggressive heavies to force an uber and get out, I think it will affect their overall play when teams learn to capitalize on the constant aggression and kill the out of position players. upgrade also like to do some less textbook style plays, such as holding last points with both of their scouts on util on disadvantage, specifically double sniper on gran last or double pyro on badlands last. I think if upgrade are to do some damage to the top teams, it will be through good timed aggression from their combo and consistent scout play. Expect tele to get many important picks on sniper maps.
[b]Player to watch in OWL8:[/b] tele
[b]Demoman[/b] • seeker [b]Pocket Soldier[/b] • No Mercy [b]Roaming Soldier[/b] • drama (aka snake) [b]Scout[/b] • Riki [b]Scout[/b] • necrosis [b]Medic[/b] • siege
vivid Reprisal have a relatively long history in Australian competitive TF2, they've played in Division 1 for some time in OWL and they've had some varying results, with some higher placed rankings and some lower placed rankings. This season, however, they sport what looks to be one of their strongest lineups yet. I spoke to No Mercy about his thoughts on the upcoming season;
[iq]vR are considerable veterans of division 1, and your roster seems to change somewhat often, how confident are you feeling going into this OWL? Which teams do you consider your biggest threats?[/iq]
[ia]Based on current scrim results i would say we are 7th or 8th in the division, however the skill gap is close enough that we could take out 4th spot. I especially want to beat wu; cant let them get too cocky after moving up two divisions.[/ia]
[iq]Going into round 1 will prove difficult, how do you feel you'll go against SQL?[/iq]
[ia]We certainly have an interesting start to the season up against the three top seeds in the first three rounds. Anyone can win on a given day and SQL are far from flawless. It will be tough.[/ia]
[iq]Picking up seeker on demoman is a definitely plus and will possibly yeild some better match results this season, how do you feel it will affect your performance?[/iq]
[ia]Seeker is a great demoman and has fit really well back into the team. Also we have recently picked up necrosis as a scout. I think we should have one of our strongest lineups this season, once we find some consistency and rhythm.[/ia]
[iq]What are your thoughts on the addition of process to the map pool? Do you prefer it over warmfront?[/iq]
[ia]Personally I have very little to like about process. Its a map that offers nothing much apart from dynamic rollouts; the regions between mid-2nd, and last point are particularly uninspired. That said warmfront will not be missed as its been tried and tested, and failed. Process has the potential to prove me wrong.[/ia]
[iq]What are your thoughts on the new halves config for round matches?[/iq]
[ia]Halves are good, that's why I implemented them. :)[/ia]
[iq]What are your thoughts on the 2 maps per round setup this OWL? Do you prefer it over the previous pick and pick/ban methods?[/iq]
[ia]Personally I've always been a fan of 3-map pools giving teams choice without being able to down vote any maps. That said I don't mind the change.[/ia]
[iq]Are there any players you think will go big in Premier this season?[/iq]
[ia]I am really looking forward to seeing if the work put in by FRAY will pay off and topple the rather lax, but formidable Team Immunity.[/ia]
[iq]Any last thoughts or shoutouts?[/iq]
[ia]Thanks to the sponsors Plantronics Gamecom for making this season the most exciting yet for ozfortress. Myself and the rest of the admin team have put a lot into this competition and it is turning out awesomely.[/ia]
[b]My Opinion:[/b]
vR probably have the strongest lineup that they've had for some time. seeker benefits this team a lot with his aggressive demoman playstyle (akin to many european demos with aggressive jumps etc). I think if vR are to win OWL8, they're going to have to put a lot of time and effort into scrimming regularly. Most of their players are relatively strong mechanically, they need to abuse seeker's aggressive playstyle and capitalize well on his damage with their scouts. I think the weakness for vR is their soldiers, who aren't below par however I think their mechanics could be improved, as well as a little less predictable mid play from their roaming soldier.
[b]Player to watch in OWL8:[/b] seeker
[b]Demoman[/b] • Cinderella man [b]Pocket Soldier[/b] • Render [b]Roaming Soldier[/b] • feresar [b]Scout[/b] • Phake [b]Scout[/b] • z0mbify [b]Medic[/b] • ruuik
World Underground were formed as a team shortly prior to OWL7, working their way up the ladder in division 3 to end up winning the division and advancing foward. World Underground have worked their way up the ranks of australian competitive tf2 and have now reached premier division. I gathered Render's thoughts on wu's Premier debut:
[iq]OWL Premier is looking really tough this season, and you guys have made a huge jump from division 3 to prem. How confident are you feeling going into this OWL and who do you think are your major threats?[/iq]
[ia]It is going to be a tough season and every team is a threat, we are mainly trying to take as many rounds as possible while trying to grab as much experience as possible.[/ia]
[iq]You're up against team upgrade in your first match of the season, how do you feel going up against them? Are you confident in winning?[/iq]
[ia]upgrade are a very strong team especially on viaduct if they pull out tele on sniper, it's probably going to turn into a snipe fest of tele vs zombi so not sure which way that map will go, badlands is a better map for us and we might be able to take a few rounds and contest upgrade.[/ia]
[iq]Replacing dogtime with feresar on your roster is a big change, how do you feel it will affect your performance this season?[/iq]
[ia]I feel feresar is a upgrade from dogtime with his knowledge and his ability to play roamer and use offclasses effectively he will greatly benefit the team.[/ia]
[iq]What are your thoughts on process as a new map?[/iq]
[ia]I really like the map it's simple yet fun, the mids are a more open version of granary with more variety on which class is strong it can also allow sniper.[/ia]
[iq]Are there any players in the division who you expect big things from?[/iq]
[ia]Smauglet and Abender i can see those 2 racking up the kills and getting the picks.[/ia]
[iq]Any last thoughts or shoutouts?[/iq]
[ia]Shoutout to TGRUD, Bulk, Spitty, Sketch, Tava, Yukari and the wu-tang crew.[/ia]
[b]My Opinion:[/b]
This team has good cohesion and are good at making quick decisions as a team, which I think comes down to a season of experience under their belt. They have a good ability to work together and execute situations well, however I think if they are to succeed in Premier, it will come down to feresar making random and generally lucky plays on offclasses like spy and their heavies winning uber fights. z0mbify is another very strong player on this team, and I think his ability to snipe will prove formiddable if he offclasses in the correct situations or does well on sniper-centric maps.
[b]Player to watch in OWL8:[/b] z0mbify
There's going to be a lot of competition in Premier this season, as well as all the other divisions. There's a lot of teams in the mix that could threaten eachother, and I think the top 4 spots could really go to any teams on any night, everything will come down to how each team handles themselves under match conditions throughout the rounds.
I'd like to give some shoutouts to my team (spiceboiz), all the captains for taking some time to answer these questions, the ozfortress admins for running these competitions smoothely year-round, Abender for providing some ridiculous amount of keys for prizes in the lower divisions, and Plantronics GAMECOM for providing cash prizes for Premier!
"tf2 is dead" euro (president of the reddit team) 2012 #ripinpiece #nevr4get
Ciao (!list)
[b]Disclosure:[/b]
The "my opinions" sections are [i]my opinions[/i], as it says. People are probably going to disagree a lot and that's fine, I put a lot of thought into them and they're simply what I believe etc. Hope you enjoy the read either way!
Coverage of the Premier Division and other matches within the ozfortress Winter League 8 will all be available on GTV both live in 720p and in 1080p HD on Youtube after the fact.