Here we are on metalworks with four matches that should all actually be pretty good games. The two teams that lose in the lower bracket will be eliminated from playoffs as things begin to get more tense for those pursuing a shot at the im title. I (conductor) should be stepping in to write for the remainder of playoffs. Enjoy the read and feel free to leave a comment if I messed anything up.
Chill to good ratio (#1) vs 6cuties (#4)
by Conductor
- Deltafox
- Dun
- Mangachu
- cosa
- bman
- Schnell
- Sakura
- r1cky
- remedy
- Pharoah
- Br0nze
- Snailboat
Dun and company get a fateful rematch this round against 6cuties, one of the two teams to hand them a loss earlier this season on gullywash. After beefing it in both of their gullywash matches, Chill to good seems to be back in old form and have resumed their winning streak, but that could very well end here on metalworks. 6cuties has been looking good as of late, but I'm not sure that metalworks is going to play out to their favor. They frequently have br0nze playing around the combo, and on a map whose composition is largely enclosed indoor spaces, he should be a lot easier to handle in most situations. If they can keep the fights in more open spaces and get clean entries then they have a really strong chance to win this match, but I doubt chill to good will let that happen too often. On the flip side of things, I'm expecting mangachu's at times unorthodox play to let his team get through some of the tight corridors scott free. All things being said, this match should be relatively close - I'm going to give it to Chill to good ratio 5-3.
Players to watch: Dun, pharoah, br0nze, bman
Dragonball Jav (#6) vs Knights of Grillz (#2)
by Sakura
- Wirelessfox
- Tone-Pot
- Sakura_
- Rex
- Hibachi
- nja
- Grillz
- Sureshot
- Paddie
- Chaaz
- rb
- Dennis
Dragonball Jav and Knights of Grillz meet each other in the upper bracket for a conclusive rematch on metalworks. Similar to the natural duality of yin and yang, this match will pit Knights of Grillz' passionately aggressive playstyle against Dragonball Jav's calculated uber-centric approach. Knight of Grillz' aggression will work out for them in a lot of fights simply because of the long respawn times and the size of metalworks. Paddie, jump map extraordinaire, will be using every jump technique he knows to abuse the spacious nature of the map to get behind the Dragonball combo. However, Dragonball Jav will probably win most of the mids due to the strength of their scouts. Most of the match I expect will consist of Dragonball Jav trying to put together the puzzle pieces of pushing metalworks second and last. If they figure out their pushes early on in the match, then this may be less close than I predict it will be. A large part of this match will be dependent on Rex's performance. The young upcoming demoman has had strides of improvement DM-wise throughout the season, matching the damage of other top IM demos for his first season. However, he'll sometimes misread the situation and play out of position, falling victim to a stray roamer or an enemy team push. Dragonball Jav knows that Knights of Grillz will push on any advantage they can get and they will need to prepare themselves when they do. In the end, it may just come down to who wants to win it the most, and Dragonball Jav still have the fire ablaze in their heart to win it all, disciplining themselves to daily scrims punctually. 5-3 to Dragonball Jav.
Players to watch: Rex, nja, Paddie, Stratovarius
Rent-a-Homies (#8) vs Fragophilia (#5)
by Conductor
- Caspian
- Serv0
- fuuzi0n
- Nomadic
- John Milter
- Goku
- Kammy
- FanofAngels
- Sherman Gluck
- Joe
- HeepHop
- Okas
Here's a match that I'm not feeling very sure about. Rent-a-homies and Fragophilia both seem to put a fairly inconsistent product on the table, and Fragophilia have changed both of their soldiers since the season started and don't seem to be scrimming all that much as of late. I suspect that they haven't put in enough time to really let the new lineup set in; combine that with the fact that sherman gluck played scout previous to this and I'm left with a lot of questions about this team. That being said, Joe and HeepHop both have a history of consistently doing well which should give them something to anchor on. Rent a homies on the other side of things put an enormous amount of time into this game, but their play seems to be largely variant from day to day. They do have a strong combo though, and on metalworks where every point is riddled with corridors and indoor areas I'm expecting that to do a lot for them. If Fragophilia brings their best to this match it could be a close, but I'm going to give it to the rentable homies 5-2.
Players to watch: Joe, serv0, HeepHop, Nomadic
sals canal (#3) vs Story Time with Marxist (#7)
by Sakura
- Sparrow
- SS
- Slipz
- Phrakture
- zZa
- Sal
- Marxist
- Kermit
- Frio
- Chriz-tah-fah
- Spadez
- Sezco
sals canal vs. Story Time with Marxist will pit two teams that are probably on their last breath. After an exhausting hour-long 1-5 loss to Dragonball Jav, sals canal no longer have the same tenacity towards achieving their playoff dreams. At the same time, Marxist's team will play somewhat shaky, with players sometimes scrambling to find each other in the midst of confusion. The individual talent of all of these players is very high though, with Chriz tah Fah and Phrakture both doing their fair share in damage. DM-wise, I will give a slight edge to Marxist's team; aggressive bombs from Frio and kermit will give Sezco and spadez the opportunity to clean up everything. However, metalworks is a map in which you need to work out your pushes beforehand, and it may leave Story Time with Marxist scratching their head if SS decides to stop going to mid again. The deciding factor in this match will be how Sparrow plays. A lot of sals canal strategy revolves around keeping Sparrow alive and constantly leapfrogging with advantage, so if they play their usual game, they will most likely overwhelm their opponents. Story Time with Marxist have a strong combo, so depending on what kermit can do with the ubers, fights can easily swing in favor for his team. However, I feel that Story Time with Marxist will grow tired of the impregnable nature of metalworks and sals canal will pull out a win. 5-2 in favor of sals canal.
Players to watch: kermit, spadez, Sparrow, Phrakture