Review

This week was full of forfeiting, between teams being dead, players being away, and people oversleeping. Nonetheless, we had some intense action Sunday, with HRG and Tri Hards giving us quite the show (I'm writing this part before the match even happens, so that's how much faith I'm putting in Tri Hards).

...damn it Tri Hards. Anyway, now we move onto Gullywash, home of the midfight with a nipple and one of the more entertaining map names in the rotation (hi Cbear). And of course, we cannot forget Gullywash last, where Pyros, Heavies, and Engineers roam free and make even the biggest uber disadvantages alright in the end. Hopefully some team goes for that incredible Heavy plus two Pyro water play. Pretty please. I just want to see it once.

Power Rankings

1. High Rollers Gaming (12-0)

   During Granary week, we discovered Shade's weakness: Direct Hit. Not really, he was just kinda caught off guard by it. I'll be the first to tell you that I gave up on the HRG vs. Tri Hards match at 4-1 and certainly wanted to during halftime. The numbers on HRG's side were too ridiculous. Shade had zero deaths, everyone barring Tagg had well over 300DPM. HRG is really just too strong. Now that Tri Hards is out of the way, anything other than a 16-0 repeat will be considered a disappointment for b4nny's group.

2. Tri Hards (10-2)

   The best team in Invite to take down HRG, yes. But going down 3-0 very quickly in each game really does something to you psychologically, and moreso the second time around. Nonetheless, people were still playing incredibly. Blaze was making roamer plays happen, Dummy was hitting some really nice pipes, and the Scouts were doing well. However, Tri really had another terrible week with Gunboats, and while it may work out for them during Gullywash midfights and all, I'm concerned about this sudden drop in performance come LAN. Tri Hards will go up to 11-2 with a forfeit pickup over Vector and play Mixup. I'll call this the MOTW again, but I'm more hesitant than ever, this time for Mixup's side.

3. Classic Mixup (9-3)

   So...Mixup didn't actually play any Granary matches. There isn't much to cover aside from Mixup nearly being secure in their LAN spot. Mixup will play Tri Hards and Runaway 5 for this week. I have some high hopes for the match against Tri Hards, but I'm scared for Smaka and Platinum if the latter is sloppy against kbk and Tri. Hopefully my fears will not be realized. Runaway 5 nearly topped AG but Mixup already proved the lineup is gelling together better and have bested AG last time on Metalworks. The matchup against Tri Hards shows Mixup can be hungry for that second spot, and will be telling of future encounters on LAN, but honestly I just want to see some forward spawn magic from Enigma. Hard for me to really say anything without any matches to observe from.

4. Apocalypse Gaming (7-5)

   Was Sweater having ping issues or not having ping issues? That is apparently the question. Nonetheless, they grabbed a win over R5 and a forfeit over Top Guns (unfortunately; that was going to be an awesome match). Now they cruise into an easy Gullywash week...right? Truthfully, I'm not too sure. Lag problems, stream sniping, all of that aside, AG was heftily outdamaged by R5 during the 5-4, and R5 has lost twice to Solace pretty convincingly. Solace certainly looks like a possibility to defeat AG, but Kapoww and Squid have been on fire, so if Bdonsky and Giffy don't adequately respond I expect a relatively quick game. On the flipside, if Sweater and Rando have another off night Xalox and Milo will sweep them off the board with their consistent play to a 5-3 loss.

5. Top Guns (6-6)

   While the game against Mad Men was fun to spectate and pretty intense, it's mainly for naught as the forfeit vs. AG knocks them out of the race barring a few upsets down the last stretch. That and some big wins needed from the group. And by big I mean HRG big. Memories of last season's 5-3 loss (and Brad's glory pipes!) do resurface, and I think this variation of the team is stronger. Hopefully they'll have roster stuff sorted out with Zbryan back soon, and maybe big Boulder coming in hot for some more games. Shoutouts to Grape for having played roamer, Scout, and pocket throughout the season. And his chill / relaxing stream.

6. Mad Men (7-5)

   I'm unsure how to feel about the pickup of Seymour. It's hard for me to say if Snoopy would have played better in that place, but that was just one of other problems when they lost to Top Guns. Disparity between pockets was big, as Grape outperformed bl4nk pretty badly. Mad Men need him to play better if they don't want to repeat the previous encounter with HRG. Also, Solace has been solid, and will be looking at this matchup with anticipation. The Scout fights should be even, with rr gaining the edge over Xalox in the damage department. If bl4nk “fixes that thing he does” with Mike, I can see Mad Men running away with this 5-2.

7. Solace Esports (5-7)

   One forfeit aside, Solace topped Runaway 5 for a second time off of some impressive play from Chimpfeet, Milo, and Xalox. Giffy also continuing to play strong. This Gullywash week is not only a very important week for the LAN-fighting teams Mad Men and AG, but it's also very important in that it is Solace's chance to show they're going to be serious contenders come next season. Could they provide us with some “upsets” and come away this week at a 7-7 record? Ahsolutely. They've been one of the more consistent teams in Invite this season with their players, and they've played moderately well against Mad Men before. If they can utilize Milo and Xalox to their fullest and play them as their trump cards with ubers, I don't think bl4nk or a sloppy Rando can really do anything about them. Not to mention that Giffy will be keeping the more dangerous flanks in check with Bdonski. I won't say scores, but hopefully good games and maybe a win for Solace this week.

8. Runaway 5 (3-9)

   Runaway 5 nearly pulled a repeat upset over AG. Downpour played the game of his life, and teammates Duwatna and Yuki continue to do well. Skarlett and djc also continue to do okay. Not really gamechangers but definitely doing their part on the team. R5 grab a free win from the dead Vector, and play Mixup. They were handily 5-2'd by them on Metalworks, and Platinum was having a mediocre game. If Platinum is at a normal level, then I expect a repeat loss by the score of 5-1, and if the Scouts on R5 struggle (Yuki won't struggle) an even quicker 5-0. This match will show us whether or not R5 is capable of taking down Root Plus Six next week on Viaduct and come to a 5-11 finish by season's end.

9. Root Plus Six (1-11)

   MarmadukeGrylls is the hero of TF2. Namely the Direct Hit miracles against HRG. That was some good stuff. Root, like Solace, will have another similarly structured week, playing Top Guns and AG. The difference is that I think Root is much weaker and won't have that many opportunities to take rounds save for some more crazy Direct Hit out of Marmaduke. I am glad this team “came back” and played games, I didn't want to see them die (this would have been before the announcement of Vector Gaming's death) during their first season. I'll say a 0-5 against Top Guns, and 1-5 against AG. Go prove me wrong and make some huge airshots with the Direct Hit please.

10. Vector Gaming (0-12)

    So I was right in calling a 0-16 finish for Vector, but I didn't predict that the team would die. While you weren't one of the most “successful” eras you certainly were one of the most memorable, whether it's the dedication of leaders Shwan and Mile from Open to Invite or the thrilling Gravel Pit victory last season over Fully Torqued. Rest in peace, Vector Gaming.

Match of the Week

Tri Hards (10-2) vs. Classic Mixup (9-3)

On paper, this should be a very good match. On paper, these rosters are the next best in Invite after HRG. On paper, the counterparts on each team should be very even. Notice how I'm saying “on paper” a lot. Enigma and Moose should be a step behind or just equal to Clckwrk and Boomer. Blaze and Harbleu will be making dynamic plays on both ends of maps for their respective teams, with Blaze probably coming up on top due to Smaka's inexperience on Medic. Seagull and Dummy will be putting out plenty of damage and placing clever traps to catch people off guard. The game comes down to the pockets, and also their ubers. Tri has been very solid all season long with bursts of mediocrity, while Platinum has had some good and bad games across the board. Tri should have the better uber exchanges, but Platinum will have his loyal shotgun and possibly teach Tri how it's done assuming Blaze doesn't get the perfect jumps on Smaka. If either pocket struggles, that's probably going to be the game (at the very least the half).

To be honest, while we don't see Mixup on this map much, I think this is one of their stronger maps (Enigma and Platinum especially). For that very reason I want to #believe in Mixup for the upset and the “comeback” but it's in Smaka's hands to make sure that this could be a reality. This will be my most tentative / hesitant prediction yet, just sort of “predicting for the sake of predicting.”

Prediction: Tri Hards: 5, Classic Mixup: 2

Players to Watch: tri, blaze, enigma

Final Glance

1. High Rollers Gaming
2. Tri Hards
3. Classic Mixup
4. Apocalypse Gaming
5. Top Guns (+1)
6. Mad Men (-1)
7. Solace Esports
8. Runaway 5
9. Root Plus Six
10. Vector Gaming

Previous Week: Week 6 Power Rankings