We bid a fond farewell to Lzuruha Pandamonium after their 5-2 loss to the Italian Stallions last week. The Italian Stallions look to be just as strong as they have been during the regular season and were able to roll over Pandamonium with only a few hiccups. This week we'll see the last two matches of the lower bracket first on badlands and then the lower bracket final will be on viaduct. We have three teams left that can still meet Street Hoops eSports in the final, and at this point its still anyone's game.
The Italian Stallions vs Animus Victoria
by London
- Dingo
- Wrech
- Coconut
- Pot
- Arctic Joe
- Slinky
- Cheeris
- Blew
- Bunnies
- BlackyMonster
- Noko
- Kraka
Our first of the two final matches in the lower brackets will be against what I consider to be the two best scout pairs in the division. Arctic Joe and Slinky have proven to be adept at their roles with nearly unrivaled DM and some excellent playmaking this season, and after their last match I expect them to be at the top of their game. Noko and Kraka are also quite capable themselves, and may be among the few that can stand toe to toe with Joe and Slinky. Noko is a creative offclasser to boot, making some off the wall plays that seem a little questionable at times but almost always produce a positive result. Kraka is a quintessential scout, cleaning up kills at the right times and initiating the fight to give his team some room. Badlands is a great map for scouts to shine, which is going to make this map exciting. Unfortunately, Animus has been looking a little shaky in their most recent matches and their coordination can be pretty sloppy at times. Pot and the boys will make a lot less mistakes, but more importantly will take advantage of any mistakes made by Animus Victoria. Badlands rewards aggressive teams at the midfight, smart positioning during transitions, and its easy as hell to get back capped. Animus may come away with a few of these backcapped rounds but at the end of the night I see the Italian Stallions taking this 5-2.
Players to watch: Noko, Kraka, Pot, Arctic Joe, Wrech