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Before I begin, I'd like to let everyone know that until a suitable writer for the javelin portion of this article volunteers, it will not be written. I am not going to spend my time researching and writing an article to have the same old "stick to basing, voth" comments. So you know what? I will stick to basing, and Kthx will stick to warbirds, and the javs are shit out of luck until a writer steps up.
TWL-B Preseason Week 2 : FEATURED MATCHES (by voth)
Matching up the winners of last week in matches this week has surely made for some interesting matchups, not only between the winners, but between the losers as well. That being said, only one match can be my featured match for the week, so here goes:
FEATURED MATCH OF THE WEEK: Dice vs. Thunder
Well, last week, the defending champs, excuses or not, almost dropped one to Pirates, who I considered a not-so-great basing team. That being said, they are 3 time TWLB champions for a reason, and their LB line hasn't changed all that much over the past years. However, Thunder brings more depth in their basing lineup than seasons past, and already have an easy win over an unpredictable Spastic team. Here's my breakdown:
Thunder
Possible Terriers: dreamwin, Draft, Geisha, Ease, Chino
Possible Sharks: PaulOakenfold, Falk, Eelam, Fizzy, Mhz, Menelvagor, Hellkite, Dald (assuming he's allowed to play)
Possible Spiders: Ease, Kian, Eelam, Vitja, NL>Terminator, cremation, Dazzal, hellkite, fizzy, Burnt
Dice
Possible Terriers: Chief Utsav, Cape
Possible Sharks: a2m, Cig Smoke, Confluence, Midoent, wbm
Possible Spiders: megaman89, cripple, Stayon, Cape, Confluence, Grandmastahs, midoent, paska, Mouse
Now... looking at those two breakdowns (which are my opinion of TWL-level players in each ship), I'd say Thunder definitely has more depth in each ship. However, in many of the ships, their quality is sacrificed for depth. For example, Thunder has no terrier at the level of Chief Utsav, they just have a bunch of decent terriers. Additionally, Thunder has no shark better than a2m, but they do have a lot of good sharks, and it's a question mark if Cig Smoke will show for Dice. As far as spiders go, few squads can outspider Dice, and that includes Thunder, unfortunately. Megaman89, Stayon, and Cripple, contrary to popular opinion, are all top spiders in the zone. Grandmastahs does a good job filling in for mikes, he can hold under decently well. The fifth spider won't need to be great, just decent, considering the spiders around him, but I'd say Mouse or paska are the best choices for the fifth spider.
Voth's Prediction: Dice over Thunder, 15:00 to 11:45.
My reasoning is as follows:
Dice is feeling a little butthurt after they've been looked down upon for almost dropping a game to the butt pirates. Not to mention the amount of trash talk that has been going on between these squads will make Dice feel like beating Thunder to a pulp. The fact is that Thunder's terriers are very mediocre, and their sharks have little chemistry and simply don't match up to a2m and Cig Smoke. The spiders are pretty self explanatory, Dice has the advantage because most of Thunder's spiders are fairly campy except for Eelam.
Voth's advice:
Thunder: Put Draft or Geisha in terrier instead of dreamwin, he terr's like a pubber and chokes a lot. Hope that fizzy and PaulO show to shark because they're your best, despite the fact that I doubt they have much chemistry. Try to put in spiders who will press forward and ATTACK, because that's the only chance you guys have... to PRESSURE Dice and not let them dictate the pace of the game.
Dice: Hope that a2m shows up, and also that a decent partner shows up to play alongside him. Without your sharks, your spiders are quickly brought down to beatable level because you're lacking protection. Oh, and hope your spiders lag out again so you can have an excuse again if you almost drop another.
TWL-D Preseason Week 1 : FEATURED MATCHES (by Kthx)
Week two Pre-Season, After this week, we get to play one real week before taking a break for Christmas, and then its clear sailing ahead after that.. straight into MARCH OR APRIL. This should have been started in October and it wouldn't have been much of a problem, although im sure they were too busy making sure Distension was running smoothly to worry about something as trivial as TWL. Anyways enough bitching about bad decisions its time to start bitching about terrible matchups this week. Most of these are going to be huge snore fests with the exception of Heavy vs Quake which is why I made that my Featured Match of the Week. I would also like to say that so far my predictions have been 4/5 this season, and I do plan on keeping track. going to make it 9/10 this week.
Featured Match ::::: Heavy vs Quake ::::: TWL-D Preseason Week 2
After losing Vys, Mega Newbie, and Death Row Quake measures in this week at a low magnitude of 1.2. However there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel for Ignite, with the players he is going to have to add this week, after Heavy steps on them we might have to get tetanus shots. I am looking at Quake's roster and I can't really see a conhesive unit there, I see alot of players who three to four years ago were good, and I see alot of players of different styles and backgrounds playing together, unfortunately this doesn't constitute the making of a great lineup. I think if some of Quake's starters actually decide to show this week that individually they will do alright, but I don't see them teaming a whole lot. Heavy on the other side is basically two squads that have been playing together for five years or so and have the same playing style. Quicksand + Heavy seems to be a great combination so far. I guess we will have to see if Quake can make it through these cracks, because the aftershocks of their best starters leaving could destroy the epicenter of this once powerful squad. I am not saying it is Ignites fault that this squad is only the crust of what it once was, but you should better believe that the magnitude of them leaving will be felt.
Final Score ::::: Heavy - 50 Quake - 43
Pirates vs Syne ::::: TWL-D Preseason Week 2
This is going to be a common theme in all of my prediction matches this year... Syne doesn't stand a chance. Even if Pirates third line shows up like they did last week vs Heavy I still don't think Syne will be able to do much against them. They are still too weak, still too inexperienced, and still way too inconsistant to win very many games this year. If Paky Dude comes and plays well, Syne might be able to atleast make this a little more of a match than a slaughter. However with TWL starting for sure next week you can probably expect some of Pirates starters showing up, including vys and scoop if nobody else. Neither of these squads made a huge appearance in last weeks pre-season opener, so it is only fair that they now play each other.
Final Score ::::: Pirates - 50 Syne - 37
Disoblige vs Thunder ::::: TWL-D Preseason Week 2
Now the thing about Thunder is, it makes a loud noise but it doesn't really do anything. A fitting definition for this years lackluster Thunder lineup. I still expect them to beat Disoblige however, by a fair margin if for no other reason Geisha dominating a very untalented squad. Disoblige is going to get out teamed, and out played, and if Sake wasn't playing Rape I think Thunder is a little asshurt over their loss to Dynasty last week so they might actually play a few more starters and take out their revenge against Disoblige.Anyways, I don't really have a ton of write about this game so I will just give you my final score and let you see first hand why I am not writing much about it this Sunday.
Final Score ::::: Thunder - 50 Disoblige 34
Sake vs Rape ::::: TWL-D Preseason Week 2
Like I said in the HoN, Sake is quickly becoming an actual powerhouse this year in TWLD, by picking up Drow and Mega to add to their line with War and Deluge they have jumped to being on a level slightly higher than Sweet to being a semi-finalist contender along with Dynasty. Rape doesn' t really stand a chance against a Sake lineup that is much smarter with teaming, and much better as far as playing as they are. Rape is going to get baited, and hooked by Deluge's talent at leading the enemy squad into his own already negged. Add that to the fact that Mega has one of the best mid to long range aims in the game and it really is a deadly combination for a dumb squad such as Rape who will easily fall for this trap. Sake is the "sleeper" LD squad this year, expect them to have a whole bunch of wins this season.
Final Score ::::: Sake - 50 Rape - 33
Dynasty vs Sweet ::::: TWL-D Preseason Week 2
Well considering that Dynasty's starting lineup is pretty much Quicksand's without Myself, Izor, and Racka you should automatically assume that they are going to be playing pretty well this season. This game won't be much of a challenge considering what they did to Thunder last week. Sweet has a few players in their arsenal that can get some kills but I don't think they have the depth that Dynasty has, not to mention it really feels to me like Dynasty is hungry to prove themselves in this TWL. Look for Kid Kaos to start this game after his terrible performance last week to prove the point that he is a starter for Dynasty. On paper this is a fairly even matchup, but knowing the players on both squads I think that Dynasty is going to take this match, even if it isn't going to be a huge blowout.
Final Score ::::: Dynasty - 50 Sweet - 45
TWL-B Preseason Week 2 : FEATURED MATCHES (by voth)
Matching up the winners of last week in matches this week has surely made for some interesting matchups, not only between the winners, but between the losers as well. That being said, only one match can be my featured match for the week, so here goes:
FEATURED MATCH OF THE WEEK: Dice vs. Thunder
Well, last week, the defending champs, excuses or not, almost dropped one to Pirates, who I considered a not-so-great basing team. That being said, they are 3 time TWLB champions for a reason, and their LB line hasn't changed all that much over the past years. However, Thunder brings more depth in their basing lineup than seasons past, and already have an easy win over an unpredictable Spastic team. Here's my breakdown:
Thunder
Possible Terriers: dreamwin, Draft, Geisha, Ease, Chino
Possible Sharks: PaulOakenfold, Falk, Eelam, Fizzy, Mhz, Menelvagor, Hellkite, Dald (assuming he's allowed to play)
Possible Spiders: Ease, Kian, Eelam, Vitja, NL>Terminator, cremation, Dazzal, hellkite, fizzy, Burnt
Dice
Possible Terriers: Chief Utsav, Cape
Possible Sharks: a2m, Cig Smoke, Confluence, Midoent, wbm
Possible Spiders: megaman89, cripple, Stayon, Cape, Confluence, Grandmastahs, midoent, paska, Mouse
Now... looking at those two breakdowns (which are my opinion of TWL-level players in each ship), I'd say Thunder definitely has more depth in each ship. However, in many of the ships, their quality is sacrificed for depth. For example, Thunder has no terrier at the level of Chief Utsav, they just have a bunch of decent terriers. Additionally, Thunder has no shark better than a2m, but they do have a lot of good sharks, and it's a question mark if Cig Smoke will show for Dice. As far as spiders go, few squads can outspider Dice, and that includes Thunder, unfortunately. Megaman89, Stayon, and Cripple, contrary to popular opinion, are all top spiders in the zone. Grandmastahs does a good job filling in for mikes, he can hold under decently well. The fifth spider won't need to be great, just decent, considering the spiders around him, but I'd say Mouse or paska are the best choices for the fifth spider.
Voth's Prediction: Dice over Thunder, 15:00 to 11:45.
My reasoning is as follows:
Dice is feeling a little butthurt after they've been looked down upon for almost dropping a game to the butt pirates. Not to mention the amount of trash talk that has been going on between these squads will make Dice feel like beating Thunder to a pulp. The fact is that Thunder's terriers are very mediocre, and their sharks have little chemistry and simply don't match up to a2m and Cig Smoke. The spiders are pretty self explanatory, Dice has the advantage because most of Thunder's spiders are fairly campy except for Eelam.
Voth's advice:
Thunder: Put Draft or Geisha in terrier instead of dreamwin, he terr's like a pubber and chokes a lot. Hope that fizzy and PaulO show to shark because they're your best, despite the fact that I doubt they have much chemistry. Try to put in spiders who will press forward and ATTACK, because that's the only chance you guys have... to PRESSURE Dice and not let them dictate the pace of the game.
Dice: Hope that a2m shows up, and also that a decent partner shows up to play alongside him. Without your sharks, your spiders are quickly brought down to beatable level because you're lacking protection. Oh, and hope your spiders lag out again so you can have an excuse again if you almost drop another.
TWL-D Preseason Week 1 : FEATURED MATCHES (by Kthx)
Week two Pre-Season, After this week, we get to play one real week before taking a break for Christmas, and then its clear sailing ahead after that.. straight into MARCH OR APRIL. This should have been started in October and it wouldn't have been much of a problem, although im sure they were too busy making sure Distension was running smoothly to worry about something as trivial as TWL. Anyways enough bitching about bad decisions its time to start bitching about terrible matchups this week. Most of these are going to be huge snore fests with the exception of Heavy vs Quake which is why I made that my Featured Match of the Week. I would also like to say that so far my predictions have been 4/5 this season, and I do plan on keeping track. going to make it 9/10 this week.
Featured Match ::::: Heavy vs Quake ::::: TWL-D Preseason Week 2
After losing Vys, Mega Newbie, and Death Row Quake measures in this week at a low magnitude of 1.2. However there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel for Ignite, with the players he is going to have to add this week, after Heavy steps on them we might have to get tetanus shots. I am looking at Quake's roster and I can't really see a conhesive unit there, I see alot of players who three to four years ago were good, and I see alot of players of different styles and backgrounds playing together, unfortunately this doesn't constitute the making of a great lineup. I think if some of Quake's starters actually decide to show this week that individually they will do alright, but I don't see them teaming a whole lot. Heavy on the other side is basically two squads that have been playing together for five years or so and have the same playing style. Quicksand + Heavy seems to be a great combination so far. I guess we will have to see if Quake can make it through these cracks, because the aftershocks of their best starters leaving could destroy the epicenter of this once powerful squad. I am not saying it is Ignites fault that this squad is only the crust of what it once was, but you should better believe that the magnitude of them leaving will be felt.
Final Score ::::: Heavy - 50 Quake - 43
Pirates vs Syne ::::: TWL-D Preseason Week 2
This is going to be a common theme in all of my prediction matches this year... Syne doesn't stand a chance. Even if Pirates third line shows up like they did last week vs Heavy I still don't think Syne will be able to do much against them. They are still too weak, still too inexperienced, and still way too inconsistant to win very many games this year. If Paky Dude comes and plays well, Syne might be able to atleast make this a little more of a match than a slaughter. However with TWL starting for sure next week you can probably expect some of Pirates starters showing up, including vys and scoop if nobody else. Neither of these squads made a huge appearance in last weeks pre-season opener, so it is only fair that they now play each other.
Final Score ::::: Pirates - 50 Syne - 37
Disoblige vs Thunder ::::: TWL-D Preseason Week 2
Now the thing about Thunder is, it makes a loud noise but it doesn't really do anything. A fitting definition for this years lackluster Thunder lineup. I still expect them to beat Disoblige however, by a fair margin if for no other reason Geisha dominating a very untalented squad. Disoblige is going to get out teamed, and out played, and if Sake wasn't playing Rape I think Thunder is a little asshurt over their loss to Dynasty last week so they might actually play a few more starters and take out their revenge against Disoblige.Anyways, I don't really have a ton of write about this game so I will just give you my final score and let you see first hand why I am not writing much about it this Sunday.
Final Score ::::: Thunder - 50 Disoblige 34
Sake vs Rape ::::: TWL-D Preseason Week 2
Like I said in the HoN, Sake is quickly becoming an actual powerhouse this year in TWLD, by picking up Drow and Mega to add to their line with War and Deluge they have jumped to being on a level slightly higher than Sweet to being a semi-finalist contender along with Dynasty. Rape doesn' t really stand a chance against a Sake lineup that is much smarter with teaming, and much better as far as playing as they are. Rape is going to get baited, and hooked by Deluge's talent at leading the enemy squad into his own already negged. Add that to the fact that Mega has one of the best mid to long range aims in the game and it really is a deadly combination for a dumb squad such as Rape who will easily fall for this trap. Sake is the "sleeper" LD squad this year, expect them to have a whole bunch of wins this season.
Final Score ::::: Sake - 50 Rape - 33
Dynasty vs Sweet ::::: TWL-D Preseason Week 2
Well considering that Dynasty's starting lineup is pretty much Quicksand's without Myself, Izor, and Racka you should automatically assume that they are going to be playing pretty well this season. This game won't be much of a challenge considering what they did to Thunder last week. Sweet has a few players in their arsenal that can get some kills but I don't think they have the depth that Dynasty has, not to mention it really feels to me like Dynasty is hungry to prove themselves in this TWL. Look for Kid Kaos to start this game after his terrible performance last week to prove the point that he is a starter for Dynasty. On paper this is a fairly even matchup, but knowing the players on both squads I think that Dynasty is going to take this match, even if it isn't going to be a huge blowout.
Final Score ::::: Dynasty - 50 Sweet - 45
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