UGC-HL Platinum Predictions Week 4

Menace to Society vs Ginyu Force < 4-6

Well it appears we have arrived at Haunt week, and in my opinion it couldn’t have been more poorly timed. This week will probably feature more quality match ups than any other for the rest of the regular season, and they’re all playing ctf_haunt. I’ll pass on debating whether or not it’s a good map, but it would have been nice to see these match ups get played on a more standard and established map. Especially this one between mTs and Ginyu. I’d call this match of the week, but who knows what kind of game we’re going to see on this map. Ginyu is looking very strong now that they have their starting heavy, Dill, who has finally awoken from his weed induced coma that had him missing last week. They’ve been putting in the scrim time, and it’s paying off as they’ve been edging out victories against TS and BPM. On that note mTs has yet to play on scrim on Haunt and that could very well end up being the deciding factor as the mechanics and strategies of this map will likely feel very foreign to them for at least the first half. I expect Ginyu to use this to their advantage by racking up a quick lead of 2 or 3 caps and maintain that lead until time runs out. Expect some creative plays to come out here, but also a lot of intense and clutch moments that seem to be fairly unique to Haunt.

Baby Punching Marathon > The Syndicate 5-4

While technically not as significant as mTs vs Ginyu for determining who stands at the top of platinum, BPM vs TS will no doubt be just as or possibly even more exciting. I’m favoring BPM here partly because how well they’ve been scrimming and partly because this week will feature the return of Pulse on spy. He’s arguably the best spy in platinum right now and hopefully this week’s match will show everyone why. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see TS eek out the win either. They haven’t put in as much time on this map as BPM, but TS have great coordination between Shrugger, Stabby Stabby, and of all people Mangachu with his Chargin’ Targe. Haunt is a strange map in that it puts a lot more pressure on your flank classes to perform and play together, so we’ll see if Boink, Bronze, and Pulse have it in them to outshine their TS counterparts. These two teams are especially known for their quick aggressive play-styles so I feel bad for whoever casts this because there will be non-stop action on both sides of the map.

Gangsta Gang > Blunderful 5-3

It’s been a slow season for both of these teams. Their youth from seasons past has faded and retirement is swiftly approaching, but maybe that’s why I feel this will be an important match for either team to win. Whichever teams takes this win will be licking the heels of the top 4 and be one step closer to reclaiming some of their former glory. Blunderful have been holding steady and putting in a ton a scrim time this week, but even after all that practice it’s hard to say whether or not they’ve fully figured out how to conquer Haunt. If something doesn’t click between now and Monday night they’re going to be in some trouble against the line-up of superior DM that Gangsta Gang will be bringing to the table. They’ve recently picked up Jav on scout who will likely be top fragging and of course Ma3laa who has switched to soldier will be dominant as well. Unless BFL can figure out a way to use GG’s aggression to their advantage by sneaking caps behind their back with UseofToaster and Noko, I don’t see this going in Blunderful’s favor.

Quality Control > Kimberlite Council 6-5

I honestly can’t say with much certainty how this match is going to turn out. I see Quality Control as having the more aggressive and stronger flank with TMP, Jordan, and SteveC, but it’s hard to say whether that will be enough to secure the victory against this week’s iteration of kLITE. Resident UGC forum essay writer, Mustardoverlord, will be playing demo for kLITE this week who is probably an upgrade from Steelpython and has put up some impressive frag numbers on Haunt so far. As most matches with middle platinum teams go this will be messy back and forth that anyone would be hard pressed to predict with confidence.

Ghetto Afterthought < Death Marked Soldiers 3-4

Once again we have a tight match on our hands here. DMS have been putting in the extra scrim time where GA haven’t, but it’s tough to say how much of an advantage that alone is going to give them. Their biggest asset will probably be Sylon on spy who’s been around since forever and has a very firm grasp of how CTF works. Having someone like him coordinating intel pick-ups should keep GA constantly wary of venturing too far away from their base. And GA will want to do this on the strength of Sweater, SneakyPolarBear, and Bondook concocting their own aggressively potent pushes into DMS. Neither team has ended up here on an easy schedule so this match will be important in deciding which team swims back up into the graces of mid platinum or sinks down into the depths of low platinum.

Axl Wat > Playing Naked 7-4

The closer I get to the bottom of platinum the darker and less clear my prediction goggles become. Neither of these teams have scrimmed as far as I know, and it just might come down to whether or not Axl Wat busts out YZ50 and Dummy like they did last week. Given that they’re playing Haunt I expect some good back and forth brawling as both teams struggle to figure out this bizarre map.