Hot or Not: Playoff Edition

[ogron]

HOT or NOT: PLAYOFF EDITION



TWDT-B Quarter-Finals


Boner Soup (6-1) vs. Calculus Crusaders (4-3)
20:00-0:00

In what should have been the best match in the Quarter-Finals, between league-leading Boner Soup, Jerome's otherworldly basing juggernaut hemmed from the corpses of fallen spiders and anointed in terrier blood, and the very capable Calculus Crusaders, never happened. It seems the hard-of-hearing Professor Calculus misheard the time and failed to show, forfeiting to the heavily-favored Boner Soup. A disappointing outcome, although to make up for it, what appeared to be a blowout on paper in the other bracket actually turned out to be a very good contest.

LVP: Calculus Crusaders


BONK! (6-1) vs. Baby Eater (3-4)
20:00-11:59

BONK! came into this game tied for the best record in TWDT-B while Baby Eater dragged its feet in with a sub-par season in basing marred by a thin roster and compounded by what basers they had not showing up to games. Well, none of that mattered going in, and Baby Eater posted its strongest line-up of the season -- actually taking a lead of several minutes early in the game -- and quickly erasing the 15-3 thrashing BONK! gave them early in the season. How much better was their line-up? Ayn went something like 52-55 in the Week 2 contest, and in contrast posted a game high 143-94, supported by Grandmastahs (124-79). Ultimately, though, BONK! found its rhythm and never looked back, led by claushouse (125-69) and SquallFF8 (119-65). The biggest difference maker on the field, however, was megaman89 (116-85, 6 teks), whose multiple teks in jav could not be matched by Baby Eater.

MVP: megaman89

Sound Byte:
2: megaman89> maybe you can go + gazo, it's not lb finals



TWDT-B Semi-Finals

Boner Soup (7-1) vs. dun vs. me (4-3)
12:40 - 20:00

In the biggest upset of the tournament, dun vs. me slew the seemingly indomitable basing giant Boner Soup, and in convincing fashion, no less. Despite a deep bench, the notable absences of Mattey (who showed, but was lagging), pavement and Bacon were definitely felt as Boner Soup struggled with their special all game, with Trasher changing from javelin (12 TKS, 1 tek) to spider to lancaster, and even trying cripple in javelin for a spell. Meanwhile, dun vs. me experienced nothing but smooth sailing with byakko at the helm, managing a 106-62 with 5 teks. With competent sharking on both sides, the next inequity came from the spiders, with only Cripple (122-70) managing to get over 100 kills for Boner Soup in any ship, while the Accuracy duo of Hypocrit/Rucci managed a 120-39 and 111-59, respectively. Combined with safe play from Mikkiz (26-4), it was more than enough to trounce the once-proud bonerites. NO SOUP FOR YOU!

MVP: byakko


BONK! (7-1) vs. Nimrook (3-4)
20:00 - 19:26

A trend is definitely developing in squads with thinner basing rosters, where the gap between them and stacked squads like BONK! and Boner soup is being closed by a higher turn-out rate in the playoffs, and regular-season matches bearing little indication of how these games are going to turn out. The semi-finals brought this to the forefront, with favorites Boner Soup spectacularly ousted by dun vs. me, and Nimrook coming within seconds of upsetting BONK!.

This match was a contest between two superstar specials in jav, pitting megaman89 against MM_God. And they did not disappoint, racking up an astounding 19 teks between the two of them. In a hotly contested match where every spider had over 110 kills on Nimrook and over 120 on BONK!, almost every indecisive melée between the two was settled with a resounding exclamation point in the form of a jav bomb, punctuated by either MM_God or megaman89. When BONK! seemed to have settled in the cram and was ready to cruise to an easy victory, MM_God sliced through their defences using seemingly impossible angles, and when Nimrook got the upper hand megaman89 returned the favor. Truly, a clash of the titans. Ultimately, however, BONK! edged their opponents, spearheaded by NL>Trigger (142-82) and megaman89 (134-87) and kesser (128-102), narrowing out impressive performances from Ease (155-96) and Renzi (146-97). Cape died 21 times while constantly commenting on the football game.

MVP: megaman89, MM_God

Sound Byte:
2: Gazo> cape horrible
2: Gazo> afk


TWDT-B Bracket

1) Dun vs me______
8) Bye____________|Dun vs me
____________ ____________________|
4) Boner Soup_____________________|Dun vs me
5) Calculus Crusaders|Boner Soup

3) BONK!___________
6) Baby Eater_______|BONK!
__ __________ ____________________|
2) Nimrook_________________________|BONK!
7) Bye_____________|Nimrook|


TWDT-B Final (preview)

BONK! (8-1) vs. dun vs. me (5-3)

With Boner Soup out of the picture, BONK!'s All Sage/Dice line-up of SquallFF8, NL<Trigger, Zidane, claushouse, Vehicle, Gazo, Cape, kesser, megaman89, and perrenial ship 8 in every league Cig <ER> are no doubt the favorites. Vehicle's squad placed an emphasis on basing and javing in the draft and their 8 wins come as no surprise. With Cape/Tim/Major Crisis/Evildeed as terr options, Cig/Zidane/Vehicle/Duclover in shark, and SquallFF8/Kesser/NL>Trigger/claushouse/Gazo/BongHits/Delta/idk&idc in spider, BONK! isn't short of options.

Giant-slayers dun vs. me should not be underestimated, however. With great terring from an in-form Mikkiz, no issues at special with byakko in javelin, solid sharking from Hulk, Riverside and Eelam, and formidable spidering in Rucci, Hypocrit (Mean Gene) and Anidalife, Hulk's squad is definitely a threat. Perhaps the biggest question for them is will a2m or Public Assassin finally show? flared has also been noticeably absent in the playoffs. dun vs. me has some depth issues, but given that it's the Finals this should not be a problem. A timely appearance by a2m could give them an edge in sharking and shift the tide of battle, but no one on dun vs. me is holding their breath.

Look for this to be a close match, and one of the deciding factors to be whether or not byakko can keep pace with megaman89 in the same way MM_God did.

[ogron]

TWDT-D Quarter-Finals


Boner Soup (2-5) vs. Calculus Crusaders (2-5)
50-43
46-50
42-50

In DT-D action, Calculus Crusaders managed to overcome a round 1 loss and trump Boner Soup in a very tightly contested match, where the margin of victory across three rounds was a mere 5 kills. Ricko (14-9) and desktop (12-8) managed to stave off a surging Keith (13-10) as four of their five players stayed alive on 8 and 9 deaths and all contributed kills-wise to edge Boner out in the first contest.

Round 2 was even closer, as Calculus found their game, pushing Boner around more and maintaining an aggressive rush, headed by 24 (17-9) and Skepsis (12-9), and in spite of via (2-10). Bacon did everything he could to finish off the Crusaders with a rousing 18 kill performance, but it was not enough.

The third round saw Phrenitis's squad continue to keep the pressure on Boner Soup, taking away time and space, as all five of Calc's warbirds had between 8 and 12 kills to deliver an even-handed showing led by Skepsis (12-8) and Keith (12-7), tempered against strong numbers from Ricko (12-10) and Shock (10-10).

MVP: Skepsis


BONK! (1-6) vs. Baby Eater (6-1)
50-43
49-49
33-50
50-38

In one of the craziest, longest TWDT matches in history, this 4-round epic will likely be the most memorable game of the 2011 draft tournament. Clocking in at a staggering hour-and-a-half, BONK! won the first round led by megaman89 (16-9) and claushouse (13-7) in a close game pitting the worst TWDT-D squad in the league (BONK!) vs. the best (Baby Eater).

Round 2 was even closer until the end when BONK! broke away, gaining a 46-45 lead with megaman89, claushouse and Wall 3v1 against the lone 1.337 (Sika). In one of the most impressive (and laggiest) solo efforts of the season, Sika outwitted his opponents, knocking out both megaman89 (14-10) and wall (11-10) leading to a 4-minute-long, 49-49, 1v1 duel between Sika (13-9) and claushouse (10-9) which eventually ended in a draw.

In the third round Baby Eater pounced and decisively routed BONK! with Sir Spider (12-2), Rasaq (15-9) and Sirius (12-10) aggresively taking charge and nailing down a commanding lead early, and guaranteeing a 4th and decisive round.

In the final round, megaman89 (15-8) stepped up to complete the upset over the best squad during the regular season, with solid support from Cape and Duclover, despite Rasaq (13-10) and Sirius's (11-10) best efforts.

MVP: megaman89


*Note: I apologize for any scores I attribute to the wrong rounds, the TWDT site is messed up and it's almost impossible to determine who got what in which round -- I did my best to highlight good rounds and simply attributed them to where they seemed to fit.


TWDT-D Semi-Finals

Calculus Crusaders (3-5) vs. dun vs. me (6-1)
46-50
44-50

With Baby Eater out in startling fashion, dun vs. me was ready to take their rightful place as heavy favorite in TWDT-D, and a concerted effort helped them do it two highly contested rounds. A much different line-up than the week prior for Calculus Crusaders may have contributed to the disjointed effort put forth, with more solo'ing and less aggressive team play that was seen in their Quarter-Final win over Boner Soup.

Round 1 saw Geio (17-10) go postal and provide Riverside (12-7) and this season's two-star TWDT-D beast Iron Survivor (6-9) enough leverage to finish CC off. via and dreamwin combined for a 2-10 performance that cost Calculus the round.

The second round saw the return of Quarter-Finals MVP 24 (10-10) to the Crusader's lineup, but it wasn't enough to stop Engineers (13-8), Geio (12-8) and Unabled (12-10) surging to victory, despite Keith's (15-10) best efforts.

MVP: Geio


BONK! (2-6) vs. Nimrook (5-2)
24-50
35-50

BONK!'s general all-around awfulness in wb, along with their 1-6 record during the regular season and selecting virtually no warbirds during the draft, finally caught up with them as they took on one of the best-drafted and well-balanced teams, the behemoth known as Nimrook. Round 1 saw all five 'Rooks evenly contribute with an aggressive rush, led by saetep (12-4), Zyphen (11-5) and Jones (10-3), while claushouse (0-5) and Rendered (0-5) combined for the much vaunted 0-10, earning claushouse an LVP honor in every HoN edition this season. Kudos!

The second round saw some improvement in BONK!'s play, but with megaman89 ragequitting after Round 1, it was an effort made in vain as CrimsonX (13-9) and Ease (11-7) proved too much, despite Cape (6-4) and claushouse's (10-10) attempt to rally near the end.

MVP: saetep, zyphen


TWDT-D Bracket

1) Dun vs me______
8) Bye____________|Dun vs me
____________ ____________________|
4) Boner Soup_____________________|Dun vs me
5) Calculus Crusaders|Calculus Crusaders

3) BONK!___________
6) Baby Eater_______|BONK!
__ __________ ____________________|
2) Nimrook_________________________|Nimrook
7) Bye_____________|Nimrook



TWDT-D Final (preview)

Nimrook (6-2) vs. dun vs. me (7-1)

The two most balanced squads across all 3 leagues will face off in both the TWDT-D and TWDT-J finals (along with dun vs. me in the TWDT-B against BONK!), as TWLD staples Geio and Ease go head-to-head with their respective squads.

Nimrook's Thunder-heavy roster boasts the starting line of Ease, Jones, saetep, Zyphen, CrimsonX, and well as beam, Cross, qpr, and Rainbow Seeker -- not the deepest roster, but given that those initial five are likely to show, it should not present a problem. In fact, given that they almost all play together on Thunder means they will likely possess stronger chemistry and could prove to be the edge they need to unseat their top-seeded opponents.

Dun vs. me, on the other hand, has the best record in the league and the likes of Geio, delectable, Engineers, Riverside, Unabled, Props, Iron Survivor, and Infrared. While Nimrook's starting five are easier to deduce, dun vs. me has been a bit more of a potpourri, an eclectic amalgamation that is more difficult to determine. They certainly have a wealth of wbs, but it's a matter of who will show up to the final.

Should be a solid match, and very difficult to determine beforehand, although given Nimrook's comfort level together, going to give them the edge in this contest. Good luck to both squads!

[ogron]

TWDT-J Quarter-Finals

BONK! (4-3) vs. Baby Eater (1-6)

50-37
50-45

The highly-touted MegaZidape (megaman89, zidane, cape) and EvilDeed, along with a 5th in the form of NL<Trigger, Rendered, Kesser, etc. had high expectations in TWDT-J, but started slowly with a very mediocre 4-3 in the regular season, including a loss to LemonTree. Despite an emphasis in the draft on javs, the teaming had never gelled and few (if any) victories felt decisive, and this win over the 1-6 eaters of the baby was no exception.

Zidane (14-5) put in a spirited performance in the first round, with Cape (12-10) and EvilDeed (11-10) rounding out the W. Only 1.337 (14-10) put up any resistance, proving to be Baby Eaters main impetus for victory in both DT-D and DT-J.

Round 2 saw megaman89 (10-6) lead the charge, alongside Zidane (11-10) and EvilDeed (11-10), with Sika once again refusing to give up and putting forth a 12-10, helped by High Templar (10-10), inspite of Grandmastahs god-awful 2-round performances of 0-9 and 4-10.


MVP: Zidane



Boner Soup (2-5) vs. Calculus Crusaders (5-2)

39-50
50-45
24-50

The Crusaders came into the playoffs with a strong regular season under their belts, while the basing-oriented Bonerites season flowed about as well as Bob Dole in a strip joint before they cured ED (not to be confused with EvilDeed -- there is no cure for him.)

Round 1 saw via (14-7) make up for his DT-D play as he led the versatile 24 (12-7) and Keith (9-5) to victory. Schope Norris (11-10) and Straitjacket (10-10) posted respectable numbers, but couldn't stop the onslaught.

The second round saw the Bonerites fare much better, edging out the nerd brigade 50-45, with some great teamwork and solid contributions from all five players -- Bacon (12-10), BugySwartz (9-9), Ricko (8-10), Schope Norris (10-9), Straitjacket (10-7). On the other side, Calculus was all over the place, as dreamwin (4-10) and Keith (4-10) attempted to rest on their laurels, leaving 24 to once again put up ridiculous numbers (which he did in DT-D as well), with an outstanding 18-10 performance that fell on deaf ears.

However, as they had done all season long, Calculus returned to the basics, removing a struggling Dreamwin from the line up and cruising to a soul-crushing 50-24 curb-stomping as via seemed everywhere at once, mounting an absurd 16-1 record, while Skepsis (14-7) and Pjotter (12-7) refused to be left out of the spoils of war. Only Bacon (9-10) could provide even a smidgen of life on Boner Soup.

Bugy, Ricko, Schope, and Straight combined for 14 kills -- less or equal to via or skepsis alone. Ouch!


MVP: via


TWDT-J Semi-Finals



BONK! (5-3) vs. Nimrook (5-2)

39-50
36-50

If you'd read into the foreshadowing presented in BONK!'s quarter-final summary, then the outcome here facing Thunde...er, Nimrook, probably comes as no surprise. The lack of cohesiveness despite the talent pool present finally flared up against the fluid and precision of movement displayed by Fludd (16-10), Jones (14-10) and Ease (8-5) in round 1.

Despite a scything performance from EvilDeed (15-10), no other jav managed to go positive, on top of BONK! struggling to find an adequate 5th player to support their star's efforts.

Round 2 saw the addition of Cape (10-9) to the joust, but it was too little, too late, as Nimrook continued its relentless, Terminator-like coolness in closing down time and space and relegating the Bonkers to the outside of the base in sheer disarray.

Ease (13-7) and Jones (12-5) made short work of BONK! despite some impressive individual efforts, but ultimately Nimrook's control of the base as well as Zidane's 2-10 was too much of a deficit to overcome.


MVP: Jones



dun vs. me (4-3) vs. Calculus Crusaders (6-2)

50-46
41-50
50-42


The linguistically-challenged dun vs. me (latin: violencespeekopalia) took on the Crusaders, who'd had, up 'til now, a very strong javing season in TWDT.

Despite this, the dunvsmeans threw the opening salvo, narrowly defeating the Crusaders with strong teamwork and stingy survival methods on 9, with no single player on dun vs. me scoring over 10 kills in the 50-46 win. Calculus was more erratic, led by Fork (13-10), subbing out a struggling Burg (1-6), and hampered by a sub-par Qwas (5-10), despite good showings from via (11-10) and Spikey (10-10).

The radically different line-up for Calculus was a surprise given how effective they were in the Quarter-Finals, although CC managed to strike back round 2 as their clutch-man 24 (14-9) continued to impress in the playoffs, with solid support from Fork (11-7) and Qwas (8-5). Mikkiz (5-10) was the lone dunvsmean below 8 kills.

Round 3 saw byakko (15-7) metamorphose into the decisive round 3 MVP, killing both friends and enemies in spades in a very tightly contested 50-46 win that left only 2 persons alive after the final melee, and only Fork (11-10) and via (11-10) heeding the call to action in their desperate attempt to make the finals.

MVP: byakko




TWDT-J Bracket

1) Dun vs me______
8) Bye____________|Dun vs me
____________ ____________________|
4) Boner Soup_____________________|Dun vs me
5) Calculus Crusaders|Calculus Crusaders

3) BONK!___________
6) Baby Eater_______|BONK!
__ __________ ____________________|
2) Nimrook_________________________|Nimrook
7) Bye_____________|Nimrook







TWDT-J Final (preview)


dun vs. me (5-3) vs. Nimrook (6-2)

As with the TWDT-D final, the this contest will pit the dunvsmeans against Nimrook. dun vs. me sports players such as byakko, infrared, hypocrit, eelam, riverside, hulk, geio, mikkiz, tiduz, etc. and have had a solid season in javelin. Look for byakko, hypocrit, infrared, eelam and riverside to start, a seasoned DT squad full of veterans that have been to the big show before, and could present Nimrook some problems with their stinginess in not giving away easy kills and surviving on 9.

Ease, Fludd, Jones, Cross, Raples. Do I really need to say any more? These guys beat dun vs. me 50-26 during the regular season and demolished megaman89, Cape, Zidane and Evildeed in the semi-finals.

Look for Nimrook to take this one in 2.

[Black Mage]

Good effort so far, thanks for stepping up.

[ogron]

yeah, no problem. TWDT-D HoN is now up -- I'll do the TWDT-J tomorrow or something. I didn't catch a lot of the javing action, if someone could pm me in-game and fill in some blanks, would appreciate it.

[paradise!]

muh boy claus puttin in work!
glad to see someone stepping up to do this.

how about an epic dt final recap? talk to jason or other staffer about no limit on images.

[Hulk]

You do know dun vs me is my team right? rofl.

[ogron]

You do know dun vs me is my team right? rofl.

fixed.

[Jerome Scuggs]

man that was a good write-up. i'll be rooting for dun vs me in TWDT-B and watching the other two leagues with interest, gonna be a good finals weekend.

[ist]

triple crown

[AnidaLife]

appreciate the write up, always good to read.

[Turban]

we'll get shit on in basing.

at least against eases team we would've stood a chance.

[kess]

I like Turban's post.

[ogron]

TWDT-J section of the HoN (3rd post) is finally up!

[schope]

i'm not worthy to play alongside with clashouse.

guy too good on twbd. D: