TF2 continues to complicate things here in Week 6. From the TF2 update, to the client not being updated, a lot of matches got delayed until Tuesday or Wednesday - thus delaying the power rankings as well. In spite of this, however, we managed to get some great games. Bird Noises snagged the top spot with a comfortable victory over Clam Bake and 6cuties gave Open a taste of their final form in a 5-2 over an improved Great Nights Together, and with the roster lock approaching, plenty of teams are making last second roster changes. While some matches are still delayed, it’s a good idea to take a look at Open as the pivotal playoff race begins and crunch time ticks down.
- indust
- Voll
- Karova
- Mikey
- train
- ricky
bird noises stands tall as the last undefeated team in Open. Their match against Clam Bake looked close at points for both sides, but train’s ESEA problems continued as bird noises was forced to play most of the first half without him. Clam Bake came out swinging on the first mid and were able to turn it into a round fairly quickly, and were poised to take the second round as well. They were pushed back to mid when train dc’d and bird noises’s playstyle changed dramatically. Even after they got train back they still played like they were 5v6, incredibly methodically, chewing up as much time as possible and drawing it to a 1-1 half. Even with losing train again in the second half and bringing in bobloblaw they managed to end it on a 4-2 note in an incredibly drawn out affair. I saw some of the game on indust’s stream and one thing I noticed is how much indust calls. I expected it from him, but the way his calls work with an already decent team really makes them a force to be reckoned with. Their other Snake match was a quick 5-1 against an ailing Five Knights With Freddy’s team struggling with the loss of Marxist. On Sunshine they round out their games against the Top 5 with two games against xfinity weight loss and 6cuties. Xfinity is a team they should take but 6cuties may give them a good game, again, depending on who they field. They should be able to at least clinch a spot this week and have a good shot at going 16-0 in the regular season and cruising into playoffs on the #1 seed. Let’s see how these last weeks turn out for them.
- pharaoh
- darkstar
- paddie
- remedy
- snailboat
- br0nze
Roster listed is from most recent game
6cuties continues to be a huge wildcard in the rankings. They debuted yet another roster this week against Great Nights Together, and they looked as dominant as ever. Both teams permanently held down the gas pedal, often rolling straight into last, even after barely winning a mid. In that kind of a game it often does come down to who had the better mids, and despite not having stickies at mid, 6cuties’s mids were straight up better. They had great, coordinated soldier bombs and baits from paddie and darkstar that left plenty of damage for br0nze and snailboat to clean up on, and they played well without heals when most teams would have backed out after losing their med. They laid down the pressure wherever they could, sometimes even approaching spawncamping after a good mid or second push, and cruised to a clean 5-2 win. This week on Sunshine they play in my MOTW vs bird noises and in another game vs Clam Bake. Both games are winnable for 6cuties (especially their game vs Clam Bake) but they will have to bring their A-Game and their A-Roster to take down bird noises. Mayhaps remedy will even put down the shield and pick up the sticks? We shall see.
3. Great Nights Together (10-2)
- Luxor
- Cheesy
- HiveMind
- odb
- throne
- Guru
Great Nights Together, formerly of gold man-sacks fame, has continued their rise into the power rankings with a great pickup of former IM champion HiveMind on roamer, no doubt through their IM connection that is CheesyMacgyver. The chemistry between these two soldiers is going to give them a huge edge come playoffs, and they got their first tryout against Aliasing Lefty. Indeed Great Nights had dominating mids, with either Cheesy or HiveMind getting behind Lefty and causing all sorts of ruckus and distraction for the other soldier (or the rest of Great Nights Together) to clean up on. Their 6cuties match was a similar story, although they had less success. They continued to show flashes of brilliance in the mids they did win however, taking quick rounds off their victories and showing agile aggression. Their loss to 6cuties and earlier victory against Clam Bake nestles them soundly in the #3 spot on these rankings. This week they face off against Smoke Nothing Everyday and Pinturillo Professionals, two teams they should dispatch relatively easily and in turn clinch their playoff spot with 12 wins. Their gully matches against xfinity and bird noises will be the true deciding factor, however, at least for seeding.
- messiah
- YouMustMike
- Vand
- eulogy
- tri
- KaiThePhaux
Clam Bake has been dealt two losses since our last rankings, in a 4-3 against Great Nights Together (on what will no doubt be Nights’s best map) and a 4-2 against bird noises. Their roster continues to be unstable with Vand playing for eulogy in their game against bird noises. He performed admirably, but in the end Clam Bake as a whole could not deal with the slow methodical style bird noises employed, especially in the latter half, and how tight the team plays with the addition of indust. They’ve already played their first Sunshine match, a close 5-4 against xfinity weight loss in which they debuted yet another roster (the one seen above). YouMustMike on a combat class is a solid idea, as his DM talent was being mostly put to waste on Medic. He showed it, too, going 42-26 (albeit with 10000+ heals received) against xfinity. This roster is in my opinion their best iteration so far, however messiah’s relative inexperience on medic could be something that a stronger team, in playoffs, could exploit. Time will tell if they keep this roster, but either way they won’t get into playoffs easily. Their last Sunshine match this week is a tough one against 6cuties. Both teams have wildcards in terms of their rosters, but 6cuties should be able to edge out Clam Bake in a 5-2 game.
- bear
- ranga
- neon
- stoperr
- will
- nicholas
Another boring week for xfinity. They handled Le Chatelier’s Principle in a 5-0, 10 minute affair and have yet to play their game against Elite Pwnage Squad, which should end up like their game against Chatelier. The team’s raw DM continues to trounce teams below them, but on Sunshine they faced their real first competitor in a while in Clam Bake, and very narrowly lost to them, which fits them snugly right underneath Clam Bake. Their other match this week on Sunshine is against bird noises, which they should be able to get a few rounds off of, but in the end bird noises should win it in a 5-2 game. Xfinity’s future continues to look cloudy in games against Great Nights Together and 2wycked esports on Gully. They have the potential to win or lose both games, and their destiny is in their hands as to them coming out with enough wins to even make playoffs (although barring a miracle victory from Elite Pwnage Squad they should at least have 11).
- matt
- ghostac
- froot
- sigh
- alder
- carolina
MeowMixup is in a bit of limbo right now. The departure of bowswer5 due to carpal tunnel has led to carolina stepping in. I had always thought of carolina as a demo main, but I was proven wrong, as carolina can play Scout too, going 36-16 in MeowMixup’s Viaduct game against Five Knights With Freddy. MeowMixup has yet to play their only Snakewater game against Back to the Lab Again, but I stand by last week’s statement that MeowMixup should be able to handle them. I’ll give it to them in a 5-3. Looking to the future, MeowMixup plays umjammer jawk and 2wycked esports. Jawk and 2wycked are both solid teams that could give MeowMixup a run for their money (especially umjammer after their thrilling 5-4 against john wayne kayc). Even in the worst case situation of them losing both games, MeowMixup should be in a decent position come Gullywash week where they face off against Smoke Nothing Everyday and 6cuties, but they may need to pull out a miracle victory against 6cuties depending on how their Sunshine matches go.
7. Back to the Lab Again (10-2)
- Chingoo
- griffith
- DIGITALSTYLE
- The_Scotsman
- not_very
- watterson
Roster listed is from most recent game
Back to the Lab Again has had a pretty easy week so far. Their only Snakewater match was a quick 5-1 against playoff hopefuls Smoke Nothing Everyday in which Lab's DM enabled them to pretty much roll over their opponents, with a similar story in their first Sunshine game against Is This Highlander. Not much to say this week as they have yet to play their other game against MeowMixup. DM may not be enough to topple MemeMixup and they will have to start leaning on their previous experience in r5 to power them through it. MeowMixup should be able to take this game but it could go either way. Lab has one last Sunshine game against a revitalized HORSE with another new roster. Tankman and Waldo should be able to bring some interesting play to the table, and HORSE have already proven their worth somewhat with a solid 5-2 over john wayne kayc; they definitely have a chance to upset Lab here.
- marquee
- vortex
- conductor
- dango
- ryugawa
- bsc
Roster listed is from most recent game
The Sad Men finally got to shake off their rust this week after not playing a match for more than two weeks due to client shenanigans and ffws. Unfortunately, they came incredibly close to losing to SASABE in a 5-4 game - so close that the game came down to one failed push and an unfortunate medic death. Ultimately, SASABE’s fatal flaw is how poorly they dealed with Dango running the Loose Cannon. Dango ended up with an amazing K/D ratio of 26:8 (3.25), dying the same amount of times as his medic, and that was because SASABE was flat-out scared of being donked. They hardly ever challenged him and gave him tons of free room to spam his donks over and over and over, getting tons of free damage for his team to clean up on. SASABE managed to take advantage of the lack of stickies on a couple last pushes where they just got on the point, but they couldn’t get past mid and second enough for it to really be a problem for The Sad Men. Dango, on the last hold in a 4-4 game, did finally swap to vanilla demo, but SASABE just couldn’t get a last push together and Cyntro died late on a bomb, ultimately sealing the deal for Sad Men. While this victory could partially be attributed to SASABE’s apparent lack of familiarity playing against the donk cannon, there is no doubt some weakness and rust in the Sad Men’s play. They will have some chances to seal their playoff bid this week with their last Sunshine game against Elite Pwnage Squad and an unplayed Snakewater game against Freaks and Geeks. Freaks and Geeks surprisingly pulled 2 rounds off of SASABE last week, so I can see them at least getting a round on the board, but Sad Men should be able to beat them with relative ease. Their match against Elite Pwnage Squad, however, is a bit more interesting; they certainly have the chance to at least make it interesting with Sad Men, and I’d give this one to Sad Men in a 5-3 game.
- tron
- shiki
- displace
- morin
- smashysmashy
- market
2wycked continues to have an easy run this week with a quick 5-0 over Pinturillo in a game I honestly didn’t expect to go that way. While the Pinturillo game isn’t much to talk about, their upcoming games are. They have 3 huge matches this week against HORSE, Aliasing Lefty, and MeowMixup that could make or break their playoff dreams. They’re all games they could win or lose, and at 9-3, if they do lose, there’s no guarantee they could make playoffs at all. 2wycked would need to beat at least 2 of the teams out of HORSE, Lefty, MeowMixup, xfinity, and Clam Bake to get anywhere near a decent seed in the race. Even the two that I see them most likely beating, HORSE and Lefty, have recently made big roster pickups that make me not so sure about 2wycked’s chances against them. If 2wycked wants to avoid the 11-5 season that tanked Morin That Meets the Eye last season, they’re going to need to turn it up for these last matches.
10. Five Knights With Freddy (8-4)
- pascal
- Xen
- Pyrokanetis
- fredwardo
- capnfapn
- pie_hero
The Knights have made a difficult roster change late into the season. The core of their comms and strategy, Marxist, has left the team due to real life concerns. This has forced them to move Xen to pocket, Pyrokanetis to roamer, and to pick up veteran medic pascal. Their trial run for the new roster against Aliasing Lefty did not go well, losing in a 5-0 game at a time when the Knights had barely practiced at all with their new roster. They managed to fare a bit better in their second game against bird noises, losing in a 5-1, but it’s easy to see the cracks in the Knights’s armor. This week on Sunshine they have an easier set of games against Smoke Nothing Everyday and Pinturillo Professionals, both playoff hopefuls that could certainly upset the Knights in their weakened state. With the trial roster of Pyrokanetis on pocket over, and him and Xen swapping pocket and roamer, they should be able to take down these two teams. But there is always the potential for upsets, and it’s certainly possible here. Regardless, Five Knights With Freddy should be able to at least sneak into playoffs with 10-12 wins, as the rest of their schedule is winnable (games against Is This Highlander and Elite Pwnage Squad). They may find a tough first round match depending on where they place, however.
Just Outside:
Umjammer Jawk - Umjammer Jawk pulled out an amazing 5-4 against john wayne kayc that pulls them just outside of the top 10. They play MeowMixup on Sunshine this week in a match that could make or break their playoff run. Jawk has very winnable games against TragicServers and Pinturillo Professionals that could allow them to sneak in with 10 wins, but if they can upset The Sad Men and/or MeowMixup that would definitely secure them a spot.
HORSE - HORSE continues to solidify their roster with pickups of tankman and waldo (who will be playing for syath while he is vacationing in Spain). They’ve yet to play any Snakewater matches due to the ESEA menace but they have a very winnable game vs 2wycked esports. They may jump into the power rankings depending on how they turn out this week.
Aliasing Lefty - It's a defining week for Lefty as they face 2wycked Esports and Is This Highlander? on a map that generally doesn't cater to spy plays. Highlander has faded recently against high-level competition after a solid start to the season and I don't see them being much of a challenge. On the other hand (get it?) 2wycked are coming off a strong 5-0 over Pinturillo Professionals and will be hungry to prove themselves against another playoff-bound team. Scouts Moolkey and the Phone will have to be on their game to get the picks Lefty needs to take these matches, and 11-3 would be an ideal record going into Gullywash week. - Written by Tetro
Pinturillo Professionals - Pinturillo drops a bit with a clean 5-0 loss to 2wycked esports. They’ll have a chance to rebound this week against Five Knights With Freddy on Sunshine, but Great Nights Together might be a bit out of their league.
SASABE - SASABE played a rousing 5-4 to The Sad Men on Granary, but ultimately couldn’t pull it out due to poor play against the Loose Cannon. They have a tough match against john wayne kayc that could make or break their playoff dreams on Gullywash.
Match of the Week: bird noises vs 6cuties
- indust
- Voll
- Karova
- Mikey
- train
- ricky
- pharaoh
- darkstar
- paddie
- remedy
- snailboat
- br0nze
Perhaps the last hard stop on bird noises’s tour of top Open is 6cuties. Now with a (hopefully) finalized roster, 6cuties stands as bird noises’s hardest challenge this season. Both teams have outstanding DM and 6cuties has the power of not 1, but 6 invite players to accentuate their comms. The chemistry will no-doubt be on the cuties’s side, but will indust’s micromanaging be enough to stop the donk cannon? bird noises will have to be ready to contain massive playmakers in br0nze and paddie, and there is the ever-present possibility that they will have to suddenly play 5v6 with train dropping (although they made the right move and picked up capable backup JJ, maybe allowing them to do some soldier-switch shenanigans?). Regardless, this should be a good game to watch - even though it may take forever due to Sunshine Syndrome. bird noises 4-2
Players to watch: br0nze, paddie, karova, ricky, remedy
Tetro's Open Spotlight: 6cuties
This week on the Open Spotlight we're bringing you a relatively exclusive interview with 6cuties, a team who many would consider to be invite-ready were they on their mains. Although their roster remains an enigma, I was able to speak with former LAN demoman turned Open scout turned Open medic turned Open question-mark Pharaoh about the Cuties' performance so far, goals for the season, and the difficulties of finding scrims when one of your players is a Cannonknight.
So what got you guys into Open?
I made the new roster, and we paid up so if we didn't get moved up to im/inv, we would still be able to play video games together. So here we are.
What are some of your goals for the season?
Hit the most bodyshots (sniper), avoid the sadzone, and above it all, have fun with my friends.
How did you come up with your team name?
The original 6c formed in season 13, and I joined the following season. I asked sakura and he said "ricky's hl team name was 9cuties, so i just took that".
Who are your strongest players and why?
Everyone but me tbh. I'm average on every class so I enjoy watching my teammates do great things.
Who do you want to beat; do you have any rivals?
Everyone. Dogs. We don't have a problem with any team really, but since rem runs donktarge, teams don't like to scrim us because it can be frustrating to play against.
What teams are you scared of right now?
No teams but as far as players, tri because he was once a cutie, and both Chingoo and YouMustMike for their next level arrows.
Bets on who wins it all?
6cuties.
Shoutouts?
Marxist, Sezco, The Ascent dudes, The mudmen, any fans of dosgatos and my fav eurocats Tea & Raymon.
Match Spotlight: Coming off of an exciting 5-2 win over Great Nights Together I'm looking forward to seeing how 6cuties fares in their match against Bird Noises this Sunday (cross your fingers). This will be one of the last true obstacles standing in the way of a Bird perfect season, and considering the results of last week's matches, probably the most threatening. Ultimately the closeness of this match will depend on how seriously the Cuties take it, because their opponents will definitely be prepared and on point. Keep your eyes peeled for this showdown of Mad Men alums in what is sure to be a great match (and perhaps even a grand final preview).
Prediction: 5-3 Bird Noises
The Owl Prowl: Although unusually taciturn when approached for comment, Mr. Owl had the following wisdom to dispense about this week's Open happenings:
"Anyone who plays grim patron warrior is a true nerd, malylock is lyfe."
Truly, knowledge well worth the article space.