Normally, at this stage in playoffs, we’d have four teams in the upper bracket, and four teams in the lower bracket. However, due to the smaller playoff size, that number is halved. Two teams already envisioning themselves in the Grand Finals, perhaps even with the First Place medal. Two more teams, fresh off of a defeat, ready to buckle down and ride the uncertain road of the lower bracket.

Dunning-Kruger Effect, the #1 seed, took a 4-1 victory against 20b, the #4 seed. Kids Next Door, the #3 seed, beat #2 seed Menace To Society in a 4-2 game. Now, they face each other on Gullywash. The last time these two teams met, dK took an absolutely insane victory, instantly finding and abusing the cracks in .knd's armor, pulling off some insanely fast times. Gullywash is a whole different ballgame, however, and one that .knd hopes to show up stronger to. Their individual Gullywash games are not much to learn from, with dK facing ·aMw· and .knd facing eHarmony. A singular scrim between the two back from Week 2 ended in a 2-0 victory for dK, but with the time between then and now, it's hard to justify anything concrete from it. While each team is no doubt confident in their own skill, and the game will be close, dK has had a solid roster for the entirety of the season, with .knd finding themselves switching around a few classes. A chirping bird in my ear tells me that dK believes Gullywash to be their best map, and while confidence only goes so far, things do seem to be aligning for the dK team. 5-3 in favor of Dunning-Kruger Effect.

The last time these two teams faced it was a 5-0 roll in the favor of mTs on CP_Gullywash. Oh boy. If the Predictions thread is to be believed, supposedly 20b doesn't even plan to show up, favoring to do other things and give mTs a forfeit win. Whether this is due to CS:GO, a lack of interest in TF2, or just a lack of interest in repeating that Week 2 match, it's no doubt an upsetting situation for nearly everyone involved. Should they show up, they'll likely be able to pick up a few rounds, but too little has realistically changed since that match that would give 20b a chance to take the victory. 5-2 in favor of Menace To Society.

Hi there, from the future! Or is it the past? Well, the rest of this article was written on the weekend, yet here we are on Thursday! As I prepare to make the article for the Grand Finals, the loser's bracket Grand Final is here, to fill the empty spot in the Grand Finals that Kids Next Door are eager to see filled. The teams are Dunning-Kruger Effect and Menace To Society, the former having lost their game against .knd just earlier this week, and the latter having apparently 5-0'd Ginyu Hoops in a game with mysteriously no logs. The loser here, dK or mTs, will find themselves in an acceptable yet disappointing 3rd place end, while the winner will face .knd in the Grand Finals.

Both teams are incredibly strong, with players like b4nny and yosh having a dominating presence all season. The two teams ended in the first (dK) and second (mTs) seed, so they're certainly capable and interested in the gold. Sadly, only one team will be able to continue their hopes after tonight. A look down the rosters will probably cause eyes to lean towards mTs, as with players such as Enigma, Harbleu, and Acooma, it's hard to envision a loss. But dK, while perhaps not sporting as much Invite names as their opponents, have players such as b4nny and Axiomatic, easily a lock in for Top 3 in their class this season, if not the best.

In the end, best or worst or not, what only matters is the team that comes out on top tomorrow night. dK are no doubt reeling from a loss last Monday, with mTs confident enough, having yet to face dK in the post-season. The game should be close, though a team will manage to take a round or two early and have the upper hand throughout the game. While that could go either way, dK will probably have that. Their game against .knd could have been a victory outside of a large server failure that affected a fair bit of matches. 5-3 in favor of Dunning-Kruger Effect.