Malevolent
Turban (10) – Bombed (8.5) – Crazy Canockout (8) – absurd (8) – Spartan (7.5)
Turban (10) – Bombed (8.5) – Crazy Canockout (8) – Spartan (7.5) – Azuline (7)
Malevolent has built an interesting lineup revolving around several players from Extreme Games. A truly shocking drafting strategy that no one could have seen coming.
Bombed and Crazy Canockout have both been performing above their current star level in recent times, but remain unproven in a competitive league setting. Spartan tends to have some issues when it comes to performing at a consistent level and there are only couple serviceable substitute options should he have a bad match. Azuline has returned to activity and seems to be one of the better players at his star bracket with potential to play even above his current rating level. Spezza will be an interesting option to consider later on in the season when he becomes available.
My main concern is the lack of heavy hitters on this team which means Turban and/or Bombed need to consistently have big games in order to secure wins for their team throughout the season.
Overall Rating: 90
Snakecharmer
Steadman (10) – Paradise (8.5) – Skatarius (8.5) – Rojo (7.5) – Banks (7.5)
Steadman (10) – Paradise (8.5) – Skatarius (8.5) – Rekashi (8) – Sulla (7)
Fascinating lineup mixing three unpredictable and aggressive players with some decent middle tier options to stylistically balance it out.
Steadman is undoubtedly the star of this lineup and his mental state will determine whether this team will be any winning games this year. He could very well give up and stop showing during the season. Skatarius and Paradise are both indistinguishable players as you can never truly predict what these buffoons will attempt to pull off during a match with their aggressive maneuvers. There are three interesting options for last slots with Rojo, Banks, and Delos. I would opt with Delos and Banks as they are more reserved providing good balance to rest of the team. Rojo is a more aggressive option and I could see him working against certain teams.
I feel this team will be extremely difficult for lower tempo teams such as Crusaders and Phoenix to beat as higher pace games can end up being extremely chaotic which usually favors teams with more aggression.
Overall Rating: 87
Power
Zidane (10) – Roiwerk (9) – Draft (8) – Ogron (7.5) – Siaxis (7.5)
Power has a serious lack of options when it comes to substitutions which could end up being a major issue.
Zidane needs to have insane games in order for this team to be a legitimate threat, but you can never count this seasoned veteran out especially in the playoffs. Roiwerk with his overly passive style can be clutch in later parts of the game, but unfortunately his team will struggle making it that far in most matches. Ogron is one of those players who need to be actively playing to actually perform at an adequate level and likely will struggle the first couple of weeks, but should be playing at a decent level later once his engine (and keyboard from all the rage typing) warms up. Draft has the potential to be one of the strongest players in his star bracket, but his activity in past couple of years is a definite point of concern.
In the end this team does not have enough flair to win matches against the stronger teams and one week of someone not showing up will be a back-breaking experience for Power.
Overall Rating: 82
Treyway
Morph (9) – vys (9) – kado (9) – autopilot (7.5) – Rasaq (7.5)
Morph (9) – vys (9) – kado (9) – Mess (8) – afghan (7)
On paper this team is my favorite to win. They have a formidable trio supported by some of the tougher mid-star players.
I still strongly feel that Vys was incorrectly rated and he will be by far the strongest player in his star bracket. Morph has slowly been returning to activity and represents very good value for his own team with constant aggressive plays and ability to bully lower rated players. Kado also returned a week ago and is already looking close to his former self which is a promising sign. Autopilot has been practicing in a private javelin arena for hundreds of hours past three weeks, but only time will tell whether all that practice will bear any fruit this season. It is rare to see someone with that level of commitment in the current year. Rasaq is someone you can trust to not choke and get eliminated early with his intelligent play – he knows how to adapt to the flow of each match. The prospect of potentially adding Mess is also an interesting one, but I would not count on him actually showing to any games.
This will be the team to beat unless they suddenly start having activity issues.
Overall Rating: 93
Asskickers
Temujin (9.5) – Tiny (9) – uprise (8.5) – Bugyswartz (7.5) – Bike (7.5)
One of more difficult teams to beat in the league, Violence has managed to draft a competitive lineup for this league with very little weaknesses to exploit.
Temujin has been this hotter than a Carolina Reaper past two years and continues to improve at a steady rate. He is one of the keys to success for this team and it will be interesting to see how he performs in a TWDT setting when paired with more passive players this time around. Tiny has the potential to absolutely make or break this team – he is a seasoned veteran and has the capability to play at an extremely high level, but his skill level has declined sharply due to him being with him being busy with his family and work. Uprise is always a solid option for his star rating and you can expect him to perform well in most games. Bugyswartz and Bike represent decent value, but it will be difficult for both to simultaneously have a good game. They have a fair share of solid backups with Jessup, who has been practicing and improving at a steady rate and it could be interesting to see her in action, and Violence who is known for being an intelligent player who will not throw any games for his team.
I can see this team potentially upsetting even the best of teams, but it all depends on Tiny who is rumored to be on the trading block before the season has even started. Only time will tell whether Asskickers will stay true to their squad name or be the ones getting their asses whooped.
Overall Rating: 83
Crusaders
Ro (9) – Jurassic (8.5) – Sprackle (8) – Zizzo (8) – Jamal (8)
This team seems well balanced on paper, but then you realize there are some activity concerns and no real carry players.
Ro could be the saving grace of this lineup, but he has not been playing for ages and I have my doubts that he will be active this season. Jurassic has this upward trend going on for him, but unfortunately rest of his supporting cast has this tendency to never use up arrow key against anyone remotely decent. Zizzo and Jamal are too defensive for their own good and on a team like this it will backfire. Sprackle will be doing his thing, but this is by far his weakest ship and he tends to clown around which is very easy to exploit in this league. Stek would be an interesting option as his rating is likely broken, but they have no way of exploiting it. They also have Creature as a backup, but he likely will not be showing to many games.
I can see this team getting pushed around by stronger and more confident players. Good effort, but seems to me that Crusaders drafted with other two leagues in mind.
Overall Rating: 80
Phoenix
Saiyan (9.5) – Kim (8.5) – Hypocrit (8.5) – Lockdown (8) – Dwopple (7.5)
I fear this team lacks someone spearheading offensive maneuvers around the map and thus will fall flat in some games should their captain not have a big game.
Saiyan opted with the combination of Mean Gene and Kim, a known duo notorious for being too defensive with little to no flair to make game-winning plays. Kim has never had a good season where as Mean Gene tends to perform at a subpar level with only two decent seasons in recent history. Lockdown is expected to do good with potential to have one or two bigger games to snatch their team some wins. Dwopple has been improving, but his biggest weakness is being overly aggressive which might lead into some early eliminations against stronger lineups. Aselsan might end up being a more safe option.
In the end Saiyan has to give his best impression of the famous titan Atlas should they wish to make it far in this league. You were close, but no cigar this time.
Overall Rating: 84
Prayer
Best (9.5) – Kira_Yamato~ (8.5) – Mikkiz (8) – Hulk (8) – Flew (7.5)
This team is absolutely horrendous for a number of reasons. Uninspiring.
There were some players who were hailing Best as an amazing player who should be rated even higher, but I can not see him carrying this team should those claims be were even remotely close to being true. He is also one of those players who needs to be active to actually perform at a high level, but now he has returned to his normal state of inactivity and not caring about the game. Hulk will have difficulties showing to a large portion of dueling matches this season which means he will be usually replaced by Spectacular or Bram who to be fair are decent options to have. Kira_Yamato has been inactive for ages and while he undeniably is great value, there are some major concerns regarding his show rates. Mikkiz and Flew should do alright in most games, but that simply is not good enough.
I guess they can pray for megaman89 to actually show up for the first time in 10 years. It might be their only hope to snatch some wins after all.
Overall rating: 74
Terrorist
Dreamwin (9.5) – maketso (9.5) – hellkite (8) – Geio (8) – Tripin (7)
Dreamwin (9.5) – maketso (9.5) – hellkite (8) – Rab (7.5) – Major Crisis (7.5)
Once again Dreamwin managed to draft a well-rounded team with several lineup variations. Great captaining once again from my fellow countryman.
Dreamwin and maketso will be a very resilient duo as both are great at staying alive and slowly racking up kills over time. Hellkite is touted by some players in our community as a complete nincompoop, but in my humble opinion he is actually a solid player despite being somewhat erratic at times. Tripin was lowered for some reason and is without a shadow of doubt one of the strongest players in his star bracket. Geio might be rated too high this season, but Terrorist doesn't really seem to have any better options.
They also have the option to use Rab and Major Crisis in some of their lineups, but I feel the aforementioned lineup has more potential.
Overall Rating: 85
Win or Die
Rough (10) – RaCka (9.5) – HellzNo! (8) – Zeebu (7.5) – Beam (7)
Rough (10) – RaCka (9.5) – Zeebu (7.5) – Cripple (7.5) – Heaven (7)
There are too many unknown variables for me to rate this team any higher.
Rough can be a loose cannon and difficult to manage, but he is undoubtedly one of the greatest players to play this ship. RaCka has been on a huge winning when it comes to our premier league, but once again seems to have drawn the short straw in draft setting. HellzNo! has been struggling with latency issues past couple of seasons and there is a chance that he is unable to play in most games due to it which would be truly unfortunate. He is an important player for this team thus losing him would mean an arduous season for Win or Die with very little hope for success. Zeebu, Cripple, and Heaven are basically doppelgangers in this ship with similar tendencies and are interchangeable with one another. Beam is one of the better low-star options for this league and his ability to stay alive is invaluable.
Unfortunately known latency issues with HellzNo! coupled with unpredictability of Rough (whether he actually wants to play to win) means I can not justify rating this team any higher.
Overall Rating: 80
My prediction is that Treyway and Malevolent will be fighting over first seed. These two teams stand above rest of the competition.
Snakecharmer and Terrorist battle to see which team will win the highly coveted bronze-colored participation award for their efforts.
Phoenix, Asskickers, and Power are evenly matched while Crusaders have gone on a failed crusade and will not be returning with any trophies along with Win or Die. Prayer needs to pray to a higher entity in order to secure more than two wins this season.
Feel free to disagree as I only wrote this as it was the only league with no review.
Turban (10) – Bombed (8.5) – Crazy Canockout (8) – absurd (8) – Spartan (7.5)
Turban (10) – Bombed (8.5) – Crazy Canockout (8) – Spartan (7.5) – Azuline (7)
Malevolent has built an interesting lineup revolving around several players from Extreme Games. A truly shocking drafting strategy that no one could have seen coming.
Bombed and Crazy Canockout have both been performing above their current star level in recent times, but remain unproven in a competitive league setting. Spartan tends to have some issues when it comes to performing at a consistent level and there are only couple serviceable substitute options should he have a bad match. Azuline has returned to activity and seems to be one of the better players at his star bracket with potential to play even above his current rating level. Spezza will be an interesting option to consider later on in the season when he becomes available.
My main concern is the lack of heavy hitters on this team which means Turban and/or Bombed need to consistently have big games in order to secure wins for their team throughout the season.
Overall Rating: 90
Snakecharmer
Steadman (10) – Paradise (8.5) – Skatarius (8.5) – Rojo (7.5) – Banks (7.5)
Steadman (10) – Paradise (8.5) – Skatarius (8.5) – Rekashi (8) – Sulla (7)
Fascinating lineup mixing three unpredictable and aggressive players with some decent middle tier options to stylistically balance it out.
Steadman is undoubtedly the star of this lineup and his mental state will determine whether this team will be any winning games this year. He could very well give up and stop showing during the season. Skatarius and Paradise are both indistinguishable players as you can never truly predict what these buffoons will attempt to pull off during a match with their aggressive maneuvers. There are three interesting options for last slots with Rojo, Banks, and Delos. I would opt with Delos and Banks as they are more reserved providing good balance to rest of the team. Rojo is a more aggressive option and I could see him working against certain teams.
I feel this team will be extremely difficult for lower tempo teams such as Crusaders and Phoenix to beat as higher pace games can end up being extremely chaotic which usually favors teams with more aggression.
Overall Rating: 87
Power
Zidane (10) – Roiwerk (9) – Draft (8) – Ogron (7.5) – Siaxis (7.5)
Power has a serious lack of options when it comes to substitutions which could end up being a major issue.
Zidane needs to have insane games in order for this team to be a legitimate threat, but you can never count this seasoned veteran out especially in the playoffs. Roiwerk with his overly passive style can be clutch in later parts of the game, but unfortunately his team will struggle making it that far in most matches. Ogron is one of those players who need to be actively playing to actually perform at an adequate level and likely will struggle the first couple of weeks, but should be playing at a decent level later once his engine (and keyboard from all the rage typing) warms up. Draft has the potential to be one of the strongest players in his star bracket, but his activity in past couple of years is a definite point of concern.
In the end this team does not have enough flair to win matches against the stronger teams and one week of someone not showing up will be a back-breaking experience for Power.
Overall Rating: 82
Treyway
Morph (9) – vys (9) – kado (9) – autopilot (7.5) – Rasaq (7.5)
Morph (9) – vys (9) – kado (9) – Mess (8) – afghan (7)
On paper this team is my favorite to win. They have a formidable trio supported by some of the tougher mid-star players.
I still strongly feel that Vys was incorrectly rated and he will be by far the strongest player in his star bracket. Morph has slowly been returning to activity and represents very good value for his own team with constant aggressive plays and ability to bully lower rated players. Kado also returned a week ago and is already looking close to his former self which is a promising sign. Autopilot has been practicing in a private javelin arena for hundreds of hours past three weeks, but only time will tell whether all that practice will bear any fruit this season. It is rare to see someone with that level of commitment in the current year. Rasaq is someone you can trust to not choke and get eliminated early with his intelligent play – he knows how to adapt to the flow of each match. The prospect of potentially adding Mess is also an interesting one, but I would not count on him actually showing to any games.
This will be the team to beat unless they suddenly start having activity issues.
Overall Rating: 93
Asskickers
Temujin (9.5) – Tiny (9) – uprise (8.5) – Bugyswartz (7.5) – Bike (7.5)
One of more difficult teams to beat in the league, Violence has managed to draft a competitive lineup for this league with very little weaknesses to exploit.
Temujin has been this hotter than a Carolina Reaper past two years and continues to improve at a steady rate. He is one of the keys to success for this team and it will be interesting to see how he performs in a TWDT setting when paired with more passive players this time around. Tiny has the potential to absolutely make or break this team – he is a seasoned veteran and has the capability to play at an extremely high level, but his skill level has declined sharply due to him being with him being busy with his family and work. Uprise is always a solid option for his star rating and you can expect him to perform well in most games. Bugyswartz and Bike represent decent value, but it will be difficult for both to simultaneously have a good game. They have a fair share of solid backups with Jessup, who has been practicing and improving at a steady rate and it could be interesting to see her in action, and Violence who is known for being an intelligent player who will not throw any games for his team.
I can see this team potentially upsetting even the best of teams, but it all depends on Tiny who is rumored to be on the trading block before the season has even started. Only time will tell whether Asskickers will stay true to their squad name or be the ones getting their asses whooped.
Overall Rating: 83
Crusaders
Ro (9) – Jurassic (8.5) – Sprackle (8) – Zizzo (8) – Jamal (8)
This team seems well balanced on paper, but then you realize there are some activity concerns and no real carry players.
Ro could be the saving grace of this lineup, but he has not been playing for ages and I have my doubts that he will be active this season. Jurassic has this upward trend going on for him, but unfortunately rest of his supporting cast has this tendency to never use up arrow key against anyone remotely decent. Zizzo and Jamal are too defensive for their own good and on a team like this it will backfire. Sprackle will be doing his thing, but this is by far his weakest ship and he tends to clown around which is very easy to exploit in this league. Stek would be an interesting option as his rating is likely broken, but they have no way of exploiting it. They also have Creature as a backup, but he likely will not be showing to many games.
I can see this team getting pushed around by stronger and more confident players. Good effort, but seems to me that Crusaders drafted with other two leagues in mind.
Overall Rating: 80
Phoenix
Saiyan (9.5) – Kim (8.5) – Hypocrit (8.5) – Lockdown (8) – Dwopple (7.5)
I fear this team lacks someone spearheading offensive maneuvers around the map and thus will fall flat in some games should their captain not have a big game.
Saiyan opted with the combination of Mean Gene and Kim, a known duo notorious for being too defensive with little to no flair to make game-winning plays. Kim has never had a good season where as Mean Gene tends to perform at a subpar level with only two decent seasons in recent history. Lockdown is expected to do good with potential to have one or two bigger games to snatch their team some wins. Dwopple has been improving, but his biggest weakness is being overly aggressive which might lead into some early eliminations against stronger lineups. Aselsan might end up being a more safe option.
In the end Saiyan has to give his best impression of the famous titan Atlas should they wish to make it far in this league. You were close, but no cigar this time.
Overall Rating: 84
Prayer
Best (9.5) – Kira_Yamato~ (8.5) – Mikkiz (8) – Hulk (8) – Flew (7.5)
This team is absolutely horrendous for a number of reasons. Uninspiring.
There were some players who were hailing Best as an amazing player who should be rated even higher, but I can not see him carrying this team should those claims be were even remotely close to being true. He is also one of those players who needs to be active to actually perform at a high level, but now he has returned to his normal state of inactivity and not caring about the game. Hulk will have difficulties showing to a large portion of dueling matches this season which means he will be usually replaced by Spectacular or Bram who to be fair are decent options to have. Kira_Yamato has been inactive for ages and while he undeniably is great value, there are some major concerns regarding his show rates. Mikkiz and Flew should do alright in most games, but that simply is not good enough.
I guess they can pray for megaman89 to actually show up for the first time in 10 years. It might be their only hope to snatch some wins after all.
Overall rating: 74
Terrorist
Dreamwin (9.5) – maketso (9.5) – hellkite (8) – Geio (8) – Tripin (7)
Dreamwin (9.5) – maketso (9.5) – hellkite (8) – Rab (7.5) – Major Crisis (7.5)
Once again Dreamwin managed to draft a well-rounded team with several lineup variations. Great captaining once again from my fellow countryman.
Dreamwin and maketso will be a very resilient duo as both are great at staying alive and slowly racking up kills over time. Hellkite is touted by some players in our community as a complete nincompoop, but in my humble opinion he is actually a solid player despite being somewhat erratic at times. Tripin was lowered for some reason and is without a shadow of doubt one of the strongest players in his star bracket. Geio might be rated too high this season, but Terrorist doesn't really seem to have any better options.
They also have the option to use Rab and Major Crisis in some of their lineups, but I feel the aforementioned lineup has more potential.
Overall Rating: 85
Win or Die
Rough (10) – RaCka (9.5) – HellzNo! (8) – Zeebu (7.5) – Beam (7)
Rough (10) – RaCka (9.5) – Zeebu (7.5) – Cripple (7.5) – Heaven (7)
There are too many unknown variables for me to rate this team any higher.
Rough can be a loose cannon and difficult to manage, but he is undoubtedly one of the greatest players to play this ship. RaCka has been on a huge winning when it comes to our premier league, but once again seems to have drawn the short straw in draft setting. HellzNo! has been struggling with latency issues past couple of seasons and there is a chance that he is unable to play in most games due to it which would be truly unfortunate. He is an important player for this team thus losing him would mean an arduous season for Win or Die with very little hope for success. Zeebu, Cripple, and Heaven are basically doppelgangers in this ship with similar tendencies and are interchangeable with one another. Beam is one of the better low-star options for this league and his ability to stay alive is invaluable.
Unfortunately known latency issues with HellzNo! coupled with unpredictability of Rough (whether he actually wants to play to win) means I can not justify rating this team any higher.
Overall Rating: 80
My prediction is that Treyway and Malevolent will be fighting over first seed. These two teams stand above rest of the competition.
Snakecharmer and Terrorist battle to see which team will win the highly coveted bronze-colored participation award for their efforts.
Phoenix, Asskickers, and Power are evenly matched while Crusaders have gone on a failed crusade and will not be returning with any trophies along with Win or Die. Prayer needs to pray to a higher entity in order to secure more than two wins this season.
Feel free to disagree as I only wrote this as it was the only league with no review.
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