Division 2 update

2010-11-04 14:53 by Hooraytio

A lot of games have been played so here follows an update on division 2.

Division 2 update, intro
We are nearing the end of the season and are looking forward to the playoffs. The amount of games played differs from clan to clan and it looks like SSC and CD are done with their games unless DC2 and CMT wake up from hibernation. We have a really interesting situation regarding who will play who in the playoffs as it looks almost like any clan can win the whole thing. They key to get past the quarterfinals seems to be finishing as number one and get to play either BP or Osams as they have been quite weak so far.

Map stats
Despite the criticism towards CMT4, as it got voted in on expense of CMT3, it has been played 13 times so far in division 2 rendering it almost as popular as DM3/DM2 (19/16) and even more popular than E1M2 at 9 plays. One clan that has embraced CMT4 is CSN with the top 2 largest wins on it as well as the nr 3 largest loss. CMT4 was also CSNs key to victory when they won division 4 back in EQL4. DM3 has seen its usual amount of plays and one of the clans with a really good record on DM3, with 6 straight wins, is SSC who also only lost 2 of their 8 games played so far. Cmt1b, however, has seen very little action with only 2 plays and it looks like the spectators will have to wait for the BO5 games in the playoffs if they want to watch more games on that map in this division. E1M2 seems less popular this season as clans like CSN have chosen to go for CMT4 and DM2 from time to time instead of their usual E1M2 tactics. DM2 is number two as expected and the clan to beat here is CSN with a 3-0 record.

Team analysis

SSC
Currently residing in first place we have the Finnish clan SSC. With 8 games and 6 wins only losing to BLT and M44 they look like they can go far in the playoffs. I would not be surprised to see them in the finals. They haven’t used Katsku much but their core team of Omny, Slaughter, Mingle and Rekk/Miroslav has managed well without him. They will need to improve on DM2 as their record here is a disastrous 1-3. Watch out for them on DM3 and CMT4 though as they have played them a lot and have a 6-0/5-2 record there. They should be quite happy with their 2-1 win versus CSN as they got their revenge from EQL11 and EQL9. However, SSC won during EQL10 so it seems they win every other season. SSC are a strong candidate to the division 2 title.

BLT
In second place we find BLT with one less game and one less point than SSC. They need at least a 1-2 result versus ABLZ to overtake the first spot and that should not be impossible unless Fix brings down a serious thunderstorm while the other guys in ABLZ got his back and hold the armors. BLT is of course one of the clans that could end up winning the playoffs if they keep up their consistency and concentration. We haven’t seen a lot of Hagge action but Knave, Kapo , Hafog and the rest of the boys have managed to rack up quite a few nice wins anyway. Hagge actually played in BLTs only loss versus CSN and has been benched ever since. BLT has a good record on most maps except E1M2 where they only have won 50% of the 4 occasions they played it. Even when they win they tend to lose 1 map as they have 4 2-1 wins. They will have to polish their stats a little if they want to avoid nasty surprises during the BO5 games in the playoffs. A lapse in concentration could quickly turn a 2-0 lead into a 2-3 loss.

CD
One of the most active polish clans at the moment is CD and we find them in third place in division 2. They have probably played all seasonal games unless DC2 and/or CMT start to play and they have managed to win 4 games 2-0 while squeezing in 1 extra point in their 1-2 loss versus ABLZ. Their 2-0 losses versus SSC, BLT and CSN and 1-2 loss versus ABLZ were expected as I expected those 4 teams to end up higher than CD. In fact they are one of the teams I seem to have been spot on in my preview. With a 4-4 record their map stats are so-so with their only 100% record on CMT1B. However, they have only played it one time during their 2-0 smack down of M44. Even though they have a few good players I think they will have a hard time getting past the quarter finals but bigger upsets have been seen in the past.

CSN
This clan has the chance to move all the way to the first position given that they win versus M44, BP and ABLZ. It doesn’t look impossible but all of the three opponents have some good players and could very well defeat CSN given the right circumstances. Chosen have a stable record of 4-1 only losing 1-2 to SSC. Their 2-1 win versus BLT will prove to be important to reach the higher positions in division 2. CSN has good stats on all 3 maps they have played but we have yet to see them on their trademark map E1M2. However, they have played 2 practice games on E1M2 lately winning easily versus DC and CD. Rkd has proven to be a good addition while core players like Pyta and Flamer have been playing stable as usual. Junkass is trying to improve his average frag record of 1 from EQL11 and has managed quite well so far. We still haven’t seen Donut play but he is a force to be taken into account if he should arrive for playoffs. Norwegian old school player Effie showed up for 1 map so far and CSN expect him to play a little more in the coming games. CSN will probably go through to the semi finals and could very well end up in the grand final. Form and lineup will be crucial as they tend to swap players a lot.

OCLAN
The Americans are currently higher up than I expected but on the other hand they have added UK quaker Marvel since I wrote my preview. Them winning 2-0 was not expected and they also won the bottom fight versus Osams quite comfortably. Out of their 4 losses they were only really close to win versus SSC but it ended in a 0-2 defeat in the end. They have problems on most maps but Marvel will atleast be able to help them on TB3 as he is really good there. They have 2 games left and with a little luck and skill they could win both versus ABLZ and M44. These games are hard to predict though and they could just as well end in 2 defeats rendering them with a total of 12 points after 8 games. Time will tell. They will probably get to the quarter finals but they should have a really hard time versus any of the top 4 clans so I foresee a quick exit once the playoffs begin.

M44
This is a clan that is hard to predict. One day they win 2-0 versus SSC and the next they lose 0-2 versus CD. They have a really good record on DM2 with 3 wins and 1 loss so far. On the other maps they have too few plays for me to know how good they are. Chmielu and Joe are important factors for their success. With 2 wins, 2 losses and 4 games to go I think they will be able to get passed CD and end up in 4th place. They should be able to win against BP, OCLAN and ABLZ while CSN will prove to be too hard this time. Their quarter final opponent should be CD or OCLAN and they should make it through to the semis but probably not to the final. But who knows, right lineup and a good day could take them all the way even though I doubt it.

ABLZ
ABLZ have started out in a strong fashion with 2 wins and a loss. With only 3 games played this far in they do, however, seem a bit on the idle side and will have a tough time getting a good position unless they shape up some and start playing. They have been good at DM3 with 67% wins but poor on CMT4 with 2 straight losses. Fix has been able to guide his team to victory on well known maps i.e TB3 but hasn’t been able to do the same on CMT4. A fix on fire is naturally their recipe for success but I still think the top4 teams will be too hard for them, especially during TB5 in the playoffs. They managed to get a 2-0 revenge on BP from the defeats in EQL11 during both the season and the playoffs something which must have felt nice. I think they will have to face defeat during the first round of the playoffs and I hope to see them again next season.

OSAMS
The manly men in Osams are in for a rough ride this season with 1 map win in 6 games. They are currently holding on to the last playoff spot but as soon as BP starts to play more they should be able to move Osams down and leave them outside of the playoffs. I predicted Osams and Oclan in the bottom and the battle between them ended in a 2-0 favor of Oclan. Osams have been close to steal maps here and there on at least 6 occasions, especially versus CSN, and in their 1-2 defeat against BLT their efforts finally paid off as they secured a win on E1M2. They have tried a few different maps but have been found wanting on both DM3 and DM2 with 4 and 5 losses respectively. Versus CSN they tried the old UK map ANDROM9 aka CMT4 but CSN held on to the lead all the way and also took home DM2 for a 2-0 win. They will have to win versus, former EQL11 division 3 opponents, BP and ABLZ if they want to succeed in shutting either one of them out of the playoffs but that proved to be too hard last season and I fear it could very well prove to be too hard yet again. Manny and Steppa are the stars here and they will really need to step up their game in the remaining matches if they want to give the Osams fans hope. If they are indeed successful in this endeavor I still fear that any of the top 4 teams will be more than they can chew so an early exit in the quarter finals is to be expected if they reach the playoffs at all.

BP
BP is off to a really weak start and from my point of view it looks they are missing Kreuger. Exxus is really good and they have added former TOP3 DM3 player Retic. Neither Putte nor Jimo have reached their level from last season but on the other hand they have a lot tougher opponents now. From what I understand Kreuger will be at QHLAN14 so if they managed to get a few games played there they might turn the tide. The easiest of their three remaining matches should be Osams whom they beaten two times last season. M44 and CSN will be a lot harder and they will have to be on their toes to secure the victory versus them although a map win versus either clan isn’t very farfetched. They have been equally bad on all maps even if they did manage a win on E1M2 versus current second place holder BLT and they really need to get a few practice games in between their EQL games to get a good flow going. If they get their games played they should be able to overtake 8th place from Osams and hold on to the last spot for the playoffs.

Other notes
I haven’t really given CMT and DC2 much thought even though Fluartity promised me that DC2 will try to play. If these clans do start it will change a lot but it is really hypothetical at this point. I wish all the clans good luck and I hope we will see a nice ending to this season!

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