Division 2 Overview

2010-10-13 12:38 by Hooraytio

EQL12 is on its way so here follows a write up on division 2.

EQL12 Division 2 overview
The latest season of EQL is already started as I am writing this. Sorry for not having put it down in words earlier but here we go. I will do a quick rundown of the teams in division 2, say something about the played games and give my opinion about the coming playoffs.

First some words about the season itself though. Since it is autumn we are playing a few extra maps, these being cmt1b and cmt4 due to a clan vote. I think the community was surprised to see cmt3 voted out but some say it was due to a flaw in the voting system. There is a lengthy discussion both on qw.nu and on the eql front page so I will not go into that here. Be that as it may cmt4 is still a well known, and to some extent, popular map when venturing outside of the big three. The red armor and quad room along with all the lightning gun ammo are points of criticisms towards the map but still it has gotten its fair share of plays so far into the season, 9 to be exact. Cmt1b has been played 4 times so far and all of those games have involved division 1 clan Teamkillers. During the season the clans will play each other once as usual followed by the normal 8 clan playoffs. For division 2, consisting of only 10 active teams, it will be easier than usual to reach the playoffs and the clans eventually left out will be heavily disappointed.

Cross Defenders
Cross Defenders, a pure polish clan, has been the most active team so far with 5 games and 2 wins rendering them in first position at 10 points. The losses against Chosen and Satanic Slaughter Clan were expected in my opinion but the 2-1 defeat versus Inablaze could just as well have gone the other way. At the same time their win versus last season’s formidable division 3 winners Bloodpunch, although lacking star player Kreuger, was a sign of strength from the poles. Their obvious star player is Maks but watch out also for Kopytko who has been mixing his way into good shape. The rest of their players have done a good job backing these guys up and I expect Cross Defenders to win versus Osams and perhaps Demoliton Crew 2 while having a tougher time versus Bad Luck Troopers and Magnum44. No problem for them to reach playoffs this season.

Chosen
Chosen is currently on second place after 2 straight wins versus Cross Defenders and Oclan. The team is pretty much the same from previous seasons although Effie, Rkd and Riosatiy have joined to boost the activity a little. We will not be seeing Fisto this season due to irl business but perhaps he will join us again in future endeavors. Chosen are in good shape at the moment boasting 17 straight map wins counting practices and 2 official games and we will see what we can end up with this season. Players too look out for are Pyta and Donut who can turn the tide on their own. Also Rkd is shaping up to be a strong card for Chosen to play out in sticky situations. EQL10 went ok for Chosen as they ended up as winners in the bronze game versus Magnum44. In EQL11 they ended up 4th in the group but was taken down 3-0 by Pissed Cobs. The toughest game to come would be Bad Luck Troopers since they added Hafog, Hagge and Kapo since the last time we beat them in a practice game. Also Magnum44 and Satanic Slaughter Clan will be tough games while I expect wins versus the rest of the clans in the division. Chosen will end up near the top and probably go through to at least the semi finals.

Satanic Slaughter Clan
Satanic Slaughter Clan has 2 convincing wins so far and is looking like a strong candidate for the top positions. The team is well rounded and works well together, not sporting that star player but being more of a team machine. Their current active lineup of Slaughter, Mingle, Katsku and Omny feels really good even though Miroslav could replace someone of them when needed and not make it worse. Last season was somewhat a disappointment for them, they started playing late and never really built up steam before they were promptly halted in the first round of the playoffs. In EQL10 they reached the final but lost 1-3 to the budding Teamkillers after having won only on DM2. This time around they look a little more active and if they keep playing with the same guys they are going to end up closer to the finals, or why not in it?


Bad Luck Troopers
Bad Luck Troopers had some problems with inactivity but found 3 new players in Hagge, Hafog and Kapo. This made them so active that they instantly played 2 games and won both. Even though Hagge did not play any of the 2 official games he did play a practice game recently where Bad Luck Troopers obliterated Cross Defenders on all three TB3 maps. Bad Luck Troopers won’t have any problems reaching the playoffs considering their strong start of the season and the key to going far in the playoffs is ending up in top4 to have a somewhat easier first game. From the original team the player to watch is Knave. He is good on all of the TB3 maps and once he shakes of the rust he will be a force to fear in this rebuilt team.

Inablaze
Inablaze with controversial star player Fix managed to reach the division 3 semifinals last year only to get smacked down by Bloodpunch and then consequently winning the bronze game. They have started this season in a strong fashion beating Cross Defenders 2-1 and also gotten revenge on Bloodpunch for the EQL11 semifinal loss by defeating them 2-0 here in EQL12. Last season they actually won the bronze game without Fix so this is by no means a one man army. Fix has been good for their team play but their individual skill sets have developed as well and I think they will reach the playoffs here in division 2. However, there are some clans that are too strong for them so I think they will have a hard time getting passed the first round in the playoffs.

Oclan
The American Oclan is on a 3 game 0-2 loss streak and I fear they are one of the 2 clans that will miss the playoffs. Even though they have individual skill, and a little help from antilag, their ping will just prove to be too much to handle versus the European competition. Their best shot at a win would be versus Osams since they already lost to Cross Defenders. They might have a chance at 2 or 3 points versus a few other clans but that is more up to the opposing side lineup than to Oclan themselves. Don’t get disillusioned by this though, perhaps with more practice games you will get use to the high ping and play in a way that suits the handicap better.

Magnum44
Magnum44 is the second all Polish clan in this division and they managed to get 1 game played so far. They lost big on E1M2 after playing 2 tight games on DM3 and DM2 versus Bad Luck Troopers. Magnum44 stood for THE upset during EQL11 when they managed to beat Apocalypse2000 2-0 but they couldn’t follow through and eventually lost 2-0 to Demolition Crew in the quarter finals. These guys are just getting started and with the right lineup they should also be able to squeeze in enough wins to make it to the playoffs. Joe aka Blasphemer is one of their best players along with Brv. Using Joe as much as possible will be needed if they don’t want to lose their playoff spot to Osams or Oclan.

Bloodpunch
Bloodpunch won last season’s division 3 in a great fashion not losing a single map in the group stages and went on to win the final 3-0 versus top contender Osams. Now they have started off this season with 2 losses against Cross Defenders and Inablaze. Both of these clans actually got revenge from last season where Inablaze got beaten both in the group stage and in the playoffs and Cross Defenders, known then as Dark Abbotts, got beaten badly in the group game. However, Kreuger didn’t play in these 2 games and that is of course a serious loss for Bloodpunch as he averaged 56 frags last season while playing almost every game. Perhaps they are a bit rusty but they need to use their best players if they want to have an impact on the upcoming playoffs.

Osams
Osams has been around ever since NQR2 albeit with a shifting amount of activity and seriousness. They started with a loss to Satanic Slaughter Clan but at least it went a lot better than last time they met SSC in EQL10 were they unfortunately got obliterated in all of their games. However, they shaped up and got moved to division 3 for EQL11 where they played good enough to make it to second place in the group and losing 0-3 to Bloodpunch in the final. Given their recent practice games, their first EQL12 game and their level of activity I think they might be one of those two clans that actually misses the playoffs. I would, although, be pleased to see them prove me wrong as their performance in EQL11 felt like a restart of the once so successful clan Osams. They have been in a few finals and actually won the Silver Cup in NQR9 and took the division 3 title in EQL1.

Demolition Crew 2
Demolition Crew 2 is another Polish clan started when the DC crew decided to split up into two teams. They have participated in EQL11 where managed a mere 1 map win. They have a stronger lineup for this season with Predator and Kat joining their ranks. I am still waiting to see them play official games since it is hard to judge them by their practice games where they often mix their ranks with division 1 team Demolition Crew. Their best map is no surprise, DM2, while they are a little less strong on E1M2 and DM3. I am not sure about their status on CMT maps but an educated guess is that they don’t like them too much. Demolition Crew 2 will most likely end up above the line and reach the playoffs but they will have to watch out for Osams and Oclan who will try to surpass them if they got sloppy and lose easy points to them.


Final Table Prediction

Having seen quite a few games already here is what I think the final table will look like:

1 Satanic Slaughter Clan
2 Bad Luck Troopers
3 Chosen
4 Inablaze
5 Cross Defenders
6 Bloodpunch
7 Magnum44
8 Demolition Crew 2
9 Osams
10 Oclan

I have left out Clan Metally Troopers as most of their players have abandoned the ship.

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