Tweet
Here are my TWLD round 2 predictions, in typical long-winded fashion. Skip to the bolded predictions if you're lazy. But I think some added context is necessary here, since there have been almost no recaps, hot or nots, or predictions the entire season. Where the fuck is the community?
Monster vs Rage (Best of 3)
Monster: Vys, Ricko, Iron Survivor, Attacks, Skepsis, Tripin, Lockdown
Rage: RaCka, LaSenza, Mythril, Beam, Turban, Flew, Geio
This will come down to the age-old question: can a rushing team beat out a cohesive unit of equally talented and disciplined players? Rage, by far, has the highest R1 kill percentage (RaCka 43%, LaSenza 37%, Mythril 33%, beam 27%, Flew 48%) and the lowest R3 kill % in the league. It's clear what we want to do: push the pace and force teams to engage on screen, where our best players are most comfortable and hold the edge. We shoot less bullets, but connect at a higher clip. If players don't engage us on screen, that kill % drops dramatically and our edge turns into a disadvantage of 100+ more bullets being shot by opposing teams while we're desperately searching for a rhythm.
On Monster's side, their strategy is TWLD proven and extremely effective. The majority of their players prefer to play in R2+ range, using strength in numbers and overwhelming teams with a nonstop barrage of accurate bullets while they remain safe with their high IQ game plan. They know the longer a match goes, the better their chances are of winning. But while that seems to be their default style of play, all of these guys have to be respected if this turns into a brawl. Defending champions Iron Survivor, Attacks and Skepsis are supported by hungry elites who are looking for their first title. Vys and Ricko are two of the best warbirds in history, and they have to be starving to add 'TWLD Champion' to their legendary resumes before they hang up the cleats. With Tripin in the zone the entire year and Lockdown acting as one of the league's best insurance policies, they're more than capable winning this entire tournament. They had the best TWLD regular season record for a reason.
Prediction: It won't be surprising to need the three rounds to decide who punches their way into the TWLD Finals. We may see different lineups in each round, as adding Turban or Flew can shift our strategic approach dramatically. Not sure which lineup Monster will decide on, but I'm assuming they'll start the game with their proven and experienced TWLD veterans. Each team is stacked from 1-5 and has quality depth if game plans need to be altered. But after struggling through the regular season, Rage is finally peaking at the right time. RaCka is due for a huge game.
Rage wins in 3, with every round being close and going over 20+ minutes each. We'll adjust to a slowed down pace early on and make the key plays in the end. One of the rounds may end in a 1v1, where Rage will hold the advantage with three TWEL-D Champions. I'm going with my guys.
Sweet vs. Paladen (Best of 1)
Paladen: Caralho, Pineapple Express, Jessup, Myollnir, J-B-Inc, Zapata, Beast, Sawyer
Sweet: Riverside, Jones, Engineers, Dak, Eric Clapton, Lofty, Caos, Paradise (???)
One of the coolest stories of the season was Sweet's entire TWLD winning lineup bringing their band back together for another run. It started off shaky (RIVERSIDE 1-10 LUL), but who really expected these guys to be in TWL form from the jump after several years of absence?
They can't be judged by the regular season, and this is best explained with a TWL History lesson for the newbies who forgot how dangerous this group can be. During Sweet's improbable TWLD Championship run years ago, Riverside had an abysmal TWLD regular season while Jones (reg season MVP and one of the most unorthodox wb styles ever) carried him in his backpack. Once the playoffs began, Jones unzipped him and unleashed a Riverside who flipped the switch en route to one of the greatest TWLD playoff runs in history. Paladen better hope he doesn't still have that in him. Engineers is a legendary 2-time TWLD Champion and one of the smartest players of all time. Dak is also a 2-time champ, and can heat up for 15+ kills when he's in the zone. VT is one of the most difficult to read players in the game (strayed me out in 2012 playoffs rd 3, faggot.) Does Caos ever show on Sundays?
Paladen has a re-energized Mega Newbie who announced his presence in a dominant performance against Sweet in week 1. After that game, he notoriously declared he would stick his fat Brazilian cock inside of anyone who challenged his legacy. Then he lost a 1v1 duel against RaCka 5-0 for 28 million pub bux. And after an embarrassing pair of 6-10's last week, I'm not convinced that Mega Newbie's dick is the optimal weapon for Paladen to be employing if their goal is to win playoff games. Eyeballs and fingers seem to work just fine for everyone else. Let's also not forget that Jessup and the TWLD playoffs aren't exactly close friends. Paladen captains also have to stop making rookie lineup decisions. Go with your best players who have brought you this far.
Prediction: Paladen is coming off a humiliating loss to Monster in the upper bracket, and Sweet is fresh off destroying a respectable Spastic lineup in the lower bracket. Only one of these teams is stacked with proven TWLD Champions, although it's still TBD whether or not Sweet is capable of executing the blueprint they used to upset far more talented squads in their glory days. I'm not sure if Paladen has ever made it this far in TWLD before. They'll need several key players to rise to the occasion, namely Mega Newbie and Pineapple Express, as they did against Sweet in week 1. But I see at least 2 of Paladen's players shitting the bed in a game of this magnitude.
Too many critical variables aren't in Paladen's favor in this match. In the end, Sweet will close this out easily and Riverside will avenge his dreadful performance against Paladen in week 1 with a dominant MVP. Sweet didn't come back together to lose to Paladen in the TWLD playoffs. At least I hope not. We deserve to see Sweet vs. Thunder in the TWLD playoffs for old times' sake. Riverside vs Ease. Unfinished business.
Thunder vs Wolf (Best of 1)
Thunder: Ease, Best, Peru, Ogron, Casket, Kado, Zidane, Ra, Raazi
Wolf: Paky Dude, Burnt, Rasaq, 2pacZ, Ixador, golden duck
Thunder just got slapped upside the head by Rage. Fingers have been pointed. Headbands have been thrown. Every sentence has ended with a question mark. Raazi has been texted. Peru has asked me for Rage's chat and pw. The Thunder locker room smells like shit. I love it. Wolf just clutched a pivotal game against Marksmin, as Wolf's lifelong captain, Paky Dude (14-9), willed his team to a 50-44 victory without the services of Rasaq. Big win.
Thunder is the clear favorite here, but this isn't a guaranteed win for them. After Thunder's scare in TWLJ against Marksmin, they should be well aware of how dangerous a best of 1 can be if their elite players don't handle business from the start. Depth has been a big issue for them, but they may not need their ideal starting 5 to defeat Wolf if Ease can get back to form, which is almost guaranteed to be the case. Best and Peru should be enough offense to match any 3 players in Wolf's lineup. Ogron should be hungry to maintain his 100% TWLD win percentage after Thunder tanked last week during his absence. Casket will be looking to prove his value with a bounce back game.
Wolf's band of misfits are very capable of beating anyone in a best of one. Paky Dude has always been known to put up monster numbers in TWLD. If 2pac gets hot early and lands some early rushes, he can ride that heat check to a huge offensive game with his absurd 44% R1 kill percentage. Burnt is a TWL hall of famer and backed it up with one of the most impressive TWLD regular seasons of the year. Will Rasaq logon? We'll see if their supporting cast can give them a chance to pull off the upset. Thunder will never live this down if they do.
Prediction: The game will remain competitive early, but someone on Wolf will fall apart and get hunted out of the match. Thunder cleans up the rest of the way and closes this out strong. If they don't, holy FUCK, what a disappointing and wasted TWLD season.
Thanks for reading.
Monster vs Rage (Best of 3)
Monster: Vys, Ricko, Iron Survivor, Attacks, Skepsis, Tripin, Lockdown
Rage: RaCka, LaSenza, Mythril, Beam, Turban, Flew, Geio
This will come down to the age-old question: can a rushing team beat out a cohesive unit of equally talented and disciplined players? Rage, by far, has the highest R1 kill percentage (RaCka 43%, LaSenza 37%, Mythril 33%, beam 27%, Flew 48%) and the lowest R3 kill % in the league. It's clear what we want to do: push the pace and force teams to engage on screen, where our best players are most comfortable and hold the edge. We shoot less bullets, but connect at a higher clip. If players don't engage us on screen, that kill % drops dramatically and our edge turns into a disadvantage of 100+ more bullets being shot by opposing teams while we're desperately searching for a rhythm.
On Monster's side, their strategy is TWLD proven and extremely effective. The majority of their players prefer to play in R2+ range, using strength in numbers and overwhelming teams with a nonstop barrage of accurate bullets while they remain safe with their high IQ game plan. They know the longer a match goes, the better their chances are of winning. But while that seems to be their default style of play, all of these guys have to be respected if this turns into a brawl. Defending champions Iron Survivor, Attacks and Skepsis are supported by hungry elites who are looking for their first title. Vys and Ricko are two of the best warbirds in history, and they have to be starving to add 'TWLD Champion' to their legendary resumes before they hang up the cleats. With Tripin in the zone the entire year and Lockdown acting as one of the league's best insurance policies, they're more than capable winning this entire tournament. They had the best TWLD regular season record for a reason.
Prediction: It won't be surprising to need the three rounds to decide who punches their way into the TWLD Finals. We may see different lineups in each round, as adding Turban or Flew can shift our strategic approach dramatically. Not sure which lineup Monster will decide on, but I'm assuming they'll start the game with their proven and experienced TWLD veterans. Each team is stacked from 1-5 and has quality depth if game plans need to be altered. But after struggling through the regular season, Rage is finally peaking at the right time. RaCka is due for a huge game.
Rage wins in 3, with every round being close and going over 20+ minutes each. We'll adjust to a slowed down pace early on and make the key plays in the end. One of the rounds may end in a 1v1, where Rage will hold the advantage with three TWEL-D Champions. I'm going with my guys.
Sweet vs. Paladen (Best of 1)
Paladen: Caralho, Pineapple Express, Jessup, Myollnir, J-B-Inc, Zapata, Beast, Sawyer
Sweet: Riverside, Jones, Engineers, Dak, Eric Clapton, Lofty, Caos, Paradise (???)
One of the coolest stories of the season was Sweet's entire TWLD winning lineup bringing their band back together for another run. It started off shaky (RIVERSIDE 1-10 LUL), but who really expected these guys to be in TWL form from the jump after several years of absence?
They can't be judged by the regular season, and this is best explained with a TWL History lesson for the newbies who forgot how dangerous this group can be. During Sweet's improbable TWLD Championship run years ago, Riverside had an abysmal TWLD regular season while Jones (reg season MVP and one of the most unorthodox wb styles ever) carried him in his backpack. Once the playoffs began, Jones unzipped him and unleashed a Riverside who flipped the switch en route to one of the greatest TWLD playoff runs in history. Paladen better hope he doesn't still have that in him. Engineers is a legendary 2-time TWLD Champion and one of the smartest players of all time. Dak is also a 2-time champ, and can heat up for 15+ kills when he's in the zone. VT is one of the most difficult to read players in the game (strayed me out in 2012 playoffs rd 3, faggot.) Does Caos ever show on Sundays?
Paladen has a re-energized Mega Newbie who announced his presence in a dominant performance against Sweet in week 1. After that game, he notoriously declared he would stick his fat Brazilian cock inside of anyone who challenged his legacy. Then he lost a 1v1 duel against RaCka 5-0 for 28 million pub bux. And after an embarrassing pair of 6-10's last week, I'm not convinced that Mega Newbie's dick is the optimal weapon for Paladen to be employing if their goal is to win playoff games. Eyeballs and fingers seem to work just fine for everyone else. Let's also not forget that Jessup and the TWLD playoffs aren't exactly close friends. Paladen captains also have to stop making rookie lineup decisions. Go with your best players who have brought you this far.
Prediction: Paladen is coming off a humiliating loss to Monster in the upper bracket, and Sweet is fresh off destroying a respectable Spastic lineup in the lower bracket. Only one of these teams is stacked with proven TWLD Champions, although it's still TBD whether or not Sweet is capable of executing the blueprint they used to upset far more talented squads in their glory days. I'm not sure if Paladen has ever made it this far in TWLD before. They'll need several key players to rise to the occasion, namely Mega Newbie and Pineapple Express, as they did against Sweet in week 1. But I see at least 2 of Paladen's players shitting the bed in a game of this magnitude.
Too many critical variables aren't in Paladen's favor in this match. In the end, Sweet will close this out easily and Riverside will avenge his dreadful performance against Paladen in week 1 with a dominant MVP. Sweet didn't come back together to lose to Paladen in the TWLD playoffs. At least I hope not. We deserve to see Sweet vs. Thunder in the TWLD playoffs for old times' sake. Riverside vs Ease. Unfinished business.
Thunder vs Wolf (Best of 1)
Thunder: Ease, Best, Peru, Ogron, Casket, Kado, Zidane, Ra, Raazi
Wolf: Paky Dude, Burnt, Rasaq, 2pacZ, Ixador, golden duck
Thunder just got slapped upside the head by Rage. Fingers have been pointed. Headbands have been thrown. Every sentence has ended with a question mark. Raazi has been texted. Peru has asked me for Rage's chat and pw. The Thunder locker room smells like shit. I love it. Wolf just clutched a pivotal game against Marksmin, as Wolf's lifelong captain, Paky Dude (14-9), willed his team to a 50-44 victory without the services of Rasaq. Big win.
Thunder is the clear favorite here, but this isn't a guaranteed win for them. After Thunder's scare in TWLJ against Marksmin, they should be well aware of how dangerous a best of 1 can be if their elite players don't handle business from the start. Depth has been a big issue for them, but they may not need their ideal starting 5 to defeat Wolf if Ease can get back to form, which is almost guaranteed to be the case. Best and Peru should be enough offense to match any 3 players in Wolf's lineup. Ogron should be hungry to maintain his 100% TWLD win percentage after Thunder tanked last week during his absence. Casket will be looking to prove his value with a bounce back game.
Wolf's band of misfits are very capable of beating anyone in a best of one. Paky Dude has always been known to put up monster numbers in TWLD. If 2pac gets hot early and lands some early rushes, he can ride that heat check to a huge offensive game with his absurd 44% R1 kill percentage. Burnt is a TWL hall of famer and backed it up with one of the most impressive TWLD regular seasons of the year. Will Rasaq logon? We'll see if their supporting cast can give them a chance to pull off the upset. Thunder will never live this down if they do.
Prediction: The game will remain competitive early, but someone on Wolf will fall apart and get hunted out of the match. Thunder cleans up the rest of the way and closes this out strong. If they don't, holy FUCK, what a disappointing and wasted TWLD season.
Thanks for reading.
Comment