Review

Here we are, at the end of the season. We had some exciting games last week between Mad Men, Tri Hards, HRG, and Mixup. Solace and AG also provided a thriller. Among all that, Valve dropped one of the biggest updates since who knows when, changing a plethora of weapons, editing maps, and of course dropping hats. For the final week, we'll be on a map that is no stranger to excitement: Viaduct. Point times, spawn waves, offclasses, Kritzkrieg...everything makes this map exciting and near non-stop action, and the Scouts will have a fun time on their playground.

Before we start, let's go on a tangent regarding LAN spots. HRG and Tri Hards are sitting pretty on the #1 and #2 seeds, respectively. HRG has advantage over Tri Hards in a 14-2 tied record scenario, and similarly Tri Hards has advantage over Mixup in a 12-4 tied record scenario. Mixup should beat Solace for 11-4, and the game against Mad Men decides if they'll get #3 or #4 seed. For AG, keep in mind that while they have a forfeit win to go 10-5, they will only be getting two rounds, meaning the best possible finish for AG is 11-5 / 54RF. Mixup should have 52RF after Solace, and could still be the #3 seed even if they lost to Mad Men if they get three rounds. Mad Men control their fate. Winning both matches sends them to LAN due to head-to-head advantage over AG (both teams would be 10-6, but Mad Men have won against AG twice). If Mad Men do not beat Mixup, then the match against AG means nothing except for determining seeds (in the rare event the match does not go to a four round victory or something).

Power Rankings

1. High Rollers Gaming (14-0)

   I thought HRG would just cruise through the remainder of the season, but HRG had the closest game of the season so far against the Mad Men, who were apparently very mad and very strong, even coming away from the first half 3-1. However, HRG started the “comeback,” if you will and finished their only game that didn't go to a full five caps, winning 4-3. Some head-scratching backcaps by Cyzer and Kritzkrieg switches were the main turning points. Then they uneventfully 5-0'd Top Guns. HRG have one final game ahead of them (ignoring the forfeit from Vector), against Runaway 5. I will not lie in saying that I think Runaway 5 can put on a strong showing. Duwatna is a beast on Demo, and Yuki will be frustrating to play against whether it's Scout or Sniper. I see a 4-2 or 4-1 in HRG's favor. Not a scare like the Mad Men match, but hopefully a good game.

2. Tri Hards (12-2)

   Tri Hards had a similar close call, going down 3-1 against Mixup at the half, to squeak by 5-4 at the end. Some of the pings were definitely not in Tri Hards' favor but they were able to overcome that in the end. Moving onto Viaduct, the Wangs have a relatively easy week up against Top Guns and Root Plus Six. If anything, I expect both of these games to be pretty quick, with Clckwrk and Boomer decimating the opposition (although I think Seanbud and Alfa will provide better response). kbk will get out of dodge quickly and preserve uber counts, while blaze will be making plays happen alongside his powerful Scouts. Tri Hards have the #2 seed locked up (even losing both and Mixup winning both of their matches wouldn't matter) so they just have to finish out the season at a strong 14-2.

3. Classic Mixup (10-4)

   “Platinum has returned to his super form,” or something like that. Platinum has been playing strong, and the rest of the team has been as well. However, I'm going to have to say that I think the match against Tri Hards wouldn't have been as close (meaning more in Mixup's way) if Moose (or Dabes) wasn't underperforming. The Heavy from Platinum defending second was also a little curious, as was the multitude of Spy switches made by Harbleu (“He's probably offclassed more than he's played Soldier.”). Mixup play Solace and the ultimate game against Mad Men (see MOTW). Solace never had the opportunity to play Mixup on 5CP, but I think they'll fare better on Viaduct than they did on Gravel Pit. Milo will butt heads with Platinum for one last time, while Xalox and Seagull will put out the damage for their Scouts to clean up. If Smaka can keep up his play, Mixup should have this in the bag. I do think Chimpfeet will outplay him in terms of staying alive and having more ubers, but no one is better at uber execution than Platinum. Classic Mixup to take this 4-2.

4. Apocalypse Gaming (9-5)

   AG had yet another very close game this week, going down 3-1 against Solace (hmm, this score seems to be very popular) before making the comeback 5-4. They also 5-0'd Root Plus Six. AG also gets a forfeit this week, but play Mad Men which is the second trial for the latter, and will only be very important if Mad Men can topple Mixup (I'm not sure which match will be happening first, but that shouldn't really matter either). AG is hungry for revenge after that 5-4 on Snakewater and this could be the map for it. Indust's Bob the Builder impersonation will be stronger than ever, while Kapoww and Squid make plays happen on Scouts and the offclasses. Rando's inconsistency shouldn't affect them too harshly on this map, but Sweater needs to be consistent against the endless onslaught of damage from rr. Otherwise, the Mad Men Scouts will have much more room to work off than the AG counterparts. I'd have called this the MOTW, but the Mixup vs. Mad Men game matters more. I'd really have to base this prediction off results of the aforementioned game, but I will say a 4-3 AG revenge tentatively.

5. Mad Men (8-6)

   This flip really doesn't even matter, it's just a positional thing until the season concludes and we see who is going to LAN. But since Top Guns technically don't have a chance anymore (even though they convincingly beat Mad Men) I'll put Mad Men in 5th I guess. Mad Men have been playing incredibly, evidenced by being the team closest to ending the HRG streak, and the repeat 5-2 against Solace (although the numbers suggest a much closer game). Mad Men are still very much capable of going to LAN. They need to keep playing out of their mind for this last week. Platinum and Enigma, Indust and Kapoww, neither of these teams will make it easy, but wins against both will send the clowns to LAN. The match against Mixup is MOTW, and I already covered the match against AG from AG's perspective. Nosferatu came under some criticism after dropping four ubers against HRG, and at least two of them were questionable, but this cannot happen on a map like Viaduct. Harbleu said this in the past, that “Viaduct and Gravel Pit separate the good Medics from the great Medics” (don't quote me on that, I'm paraphrasing) and if Nos wants to be a great Medic, he'll need to ensure that he stays alive and doesn't drop, especially not in the most important matches of the season.

6. Top Guns (7-7)

   Top Guns had a good run, but they are unfortunately out of the race. I would've loved to see Seanbud and Zbryan return to LAN, and Alfa to make his LAN Scout debut (multiclassers in Invite are the best), but alas. Top Guns play Tri Hards and Solace. The former should be pretty tough given the Clckwrk and Boomer show, and the latter should provide us with a closer game but I still think Top Guns should have enough to take down Milo and company. An 8-8 finish is likely for the buds, but maybe they'll surprise me and upset Tri Hards, or the opposite. I don't mind, just looking for some more excitement (although there are no more rankings after this week). Seanbud and Alfa are probably going to go huge, and bombs from PYYYOUR should be fun to watch.

7. Solace Esports (5-9)

   Solace still have some pull over the LAN spots, playing Mixup. A win here could mean Mixup dropping to 4th seed with some other matches, while a loss essentially solidifies Mixup at #3. Solace couldn't end up taking down Mad Men, so I expect more or less a loss here. The game vs. Top Guns should be the closer game, given the consistency of Milo and Xalox and the inconsistencies of the Top Guns roster (at least for scrims, which hurts more than it helps). Depending on who shows up on match day, this could go very well or very poorly for Solace. If it's the starting six (PYYYOUR, Seanbud, Alfa, Zbryan, Relic, Ninjajack) then I can see a 4-2 loss (from Solace's POV) or even a 4-3. Overall though, Solace has had a tough but good start in Invite, with Milo and Xalox proving that they belong here.

8. Runaway 5 (4-10)

   R5 got rolled by Mixup last week...only to have HRG come knocking on their door for Viaduct. Like I mentioned before, the Runaway 5 should definitely be able put up a fight against HRG. Duwatna and Yuki should continue to have good games, but the Soldiers and Overseer need to make plays with the ubers, or else even the best performances out of Duwatna and Yuki will accomplish nothing. I'll be a little nostalgic here and say I wish Ma3la was here for this matchup, but perhaps some nice playcalling out of djc and crazy moments from Yuki will help earn R5 some more rounds. Again, I'll predict a 4-1 or 4-2 loss for R5. For their final match, they'll play Root Plus Six. Yuki and Downpour should outclass the Root Scouts, and Duwatna should have a solid edge over Unf. The Medic battle should be pretty even, so it's down to the djc and MarmadukeGrylls to make ends meet for their respective team. Runaway 5 to come away with it 4-1 off a dominating first half showing.

9. Root Plus Six (1-13)

   Not the best start in Invite for Root Plus Six; roster changes ended up hurting more than helping (in my opinion). They took on the bubble teams AG and Top Guns and lost both pretty convincingly. Runaway 5 should be a step up from Root Plus Six, and the Tri Hards a few steps up from Runaway 5. To be blunt I don't see any wins or too many rounds going for Root this week, which is s shame because I think they definitely had some promise when this season started. Regardless, look for Marmaduke to put on his best Platinum impersonation, while the flank does some creative work.

10. Vector Gaming (0-16)

    Rest in peace.

Match of the Week

Classic Mixup (10-4) vs. Mad Men (8-6)

This is the most important game of the season for both teams. A victory for Mixup secures them the #3 seed for LAN, while a victory for Mad Men creeps them ever closer to AG and that fourth LAN spot. A Mixup loss jeopardizes the third seed if AG wins both matches. A Mad Men loss knocks them out of playoffs. This is all under the assumption that the other matches go according to plan. Upsets anywhere will throw us for a loop. But let's talk about this match.

Mixup and Mad Men have not seen each other since Process week at the very beginning of the season and much has developed and changed. Mixup switched Mason for Smaka. Mad Men switched Alfa for Seymour. Both teams played crazy close and exciting matches. Things ultimately seem to be for the better, who has the stronger roster? On paper, definitely Mixup. Enigma is one of the best Scouts in the game, and Dabes has been his partner Scout for many seasons across different Mixup variants. Platinum and Harbleu are two of the most storied Soldiers in ESEA history, and Seagull's Demo has been consistent and exciting to watch (did I mention I love multiclassers?). Mad Men are certainly no slouch, with MemphisVon being a part of the roamer show this season, and his flank partners Mike and Seymour tearing weaker teams apart and putting on strong performances against teams like HRG. Nosferatu has had a good season overshadowed by some tough games against the better teams but has been supported by bl4nk's leadership and rr's explosive (no pun intended) play.

Offclassing will be key in this matchup, and Mixup has the most capable and diverse offclassers in Invite, between Harbleu's Spy / Sniper, Enigma's Heavy, and Dabes' Sniper. Mixup has options and they will take advantage of them. While Seagull and rr trade stickies left and right, the Scout play is really what will determine who wins the Demo exchanges. If any one Scout struggles / fails to clean up off damage, the opposing Scouts will capitalize on it. For the pockets, Smaka needs to be confident in his ubers, with Platinum's ubers being spectacular and Seagull's consistent play. Nosferatu, conversely, needs to not drop players or ubers, doing the former will result in a worse post-uber fight, and doing the latter forfeits a push entirely. This matchup is so even that if one player slips, or has a bad game, everything will collapse on them, and quickly. The players I'd say to keep an eye out for in terms of needing to play well are Dabes and Smaka for Mixup, bl4nk and Nosferatu for Mad Men.

Mixup are operating at near-peak form, while Mad Men are hungry for some overdue revenge. Viaduct will be quite the perfect and thrilling (near) conclusion to each team's season. Get your popcorn now, kids.

Prediction: Classic Mixup: 4, Mad Men: 3

Players to Watch: Platinum, rr, YouMustMike

Final Glance

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

Previous Week: Week 7 Power Rankings