Prospect Prattle: Play-offs Round 1 Predictions
Round 1 has some bangers
Herbaceous: Picking 2-1 games is too nice. There are some really hard matchups with teams that have great underdog upset potential and also teams that are looking to be super evenly matched up. We have teams that made player changes in at the season end that aren’t the same team that struggled getting wins in the season so we are in for some great games. Remember GLHF
Pander: BOA Over TEE: Sweep here. TEE’s wins were all reasonably close, while many of their losses were blowouts, including a prior 5-13 wet fart against this BOA team. A couple nice seasons for ImDeliri and Zekroming, but just not enough firepower here to hold off the top-to-bottom killers on BOA.
Prodigy Toast: BOA Over TEE
RoobyRacks: BOA Over TEE
Provoloan: BOA Over TEE: I mean, I think this TEE team is strong with the firepower they have. My heart says TEE, but my brain says BOA 2-0.
Herbaceous: BOA Over TEE: TEE Have a very hard match coming up. BOA isnt flawless in the season,- there is a chance for some upsets and we see upsets in every season in playoffs, but i think BOA have a 2-0
Tr0ut: BOA Over TEE
Pander: NAN Over HR: HR’s been having a hard time winning games lately, with only 3 in their last 8 games, and 2 of those wins weren’t very impressive (DRG and OS without 003). They’re a relatively balanced team but seem to lack the extra gear they had to start the season. NAN’s also been kinda struggling the last week, but WIZ and GRN are understandable losses, those are very good teams. I think Rooby and co have a bit more poise right now, I think this goes 2-1 NAN.
RoobyRacks: NAN Over HR
Provoloan: HR Over NAN: I think i’m a little biased so I wont add much. HR on top. 2-0.
Herbaceous: NAN Over HR: These teams are closely Matched up- They dodged each other in the season so i think this might be down to who does more Anti-stratting and gets a better pick ban. I think NAN take this 2-1, but its not going to be easy either way.
Tr0ut: HR Over NAN
Pander: UPS Over BCH: UPS has lost 3 of their last 5, but all 3 were against pretty solid teams (HG, NAN, WIZ). Anyone who isn’t elite gets beat by UPS, and I think that’ll include BCH soon. BCH has a similar resume to HR recently, wins against DRG and 003-less OS, losses to everyone else. Nafey’s been on a heater but I don’t see enough else here to keep up with captain Clanke and a very balanced supporting cast at UPS.
Prodigy Toast: UPS Over BCH
RoobyRacks: UPS Over BCH
Provoloan: UPS Over BCH: I still believe in the UPS roster even with a ‘small dip’ with a loss to HG. BCH is a solid team as well but I think that UPS has that consistency that will bring them over. I have UPS 2-1.
Herbaceous: BCH Over UPS: UPS had a strong early season and then lost some speed going into the second half, while BCH seems to be more hot and cold on a day to day basis. Lot of over lap with the map pool so we might get a bo3 with both teams just getting the maps they want. I am going to give BCH a 2-1 win, Nafey has been on fire the whole season and i dont see him stopping now
Tr0ut: UPS Over BCH
Pander: AG Over BOO: Tough call here. The Spirits are a very balanced team top to bottom, 0.95 to 1.09, while AG has superhero Kloobs doing some bonkers shit at 1.33 while 3 players remain below 0.95 rating. I think we’ll see Mirage/Ancient as the two picks and Nuke as the neutral, and in that setup I think I like AG a little more, 2-1.
RoobyRacks: BOO Over AG
Provoloan: AG Over BOO: BOO has some of my beloved friends. Redbull, marcos, ry... but AG are strong. BOO has a chance but I think AG takes it home. AG 2-1.
Herbaceous: BOO Over AG: BOO just Beat BOA. Do they have momentum heading into the playoffs? I sure think they do. AG is like Spirit, they have Kloobs popping off every game, but i dont know if thats enough to get wins in playoffs when one off day of bo3 is enough to end a run. these games are going to be tough, not much map pool overlap- so i expect to see a blowout Map 1 into a blow out the other way for map 2 with a tough decider map. 2-1 BOO.
Tr0ut: BOO Over AG
Pander: WIZ Over AVI: WIZ have been steadily dominant this season, scoring impressive wins over UPS, FRG, and NAN. SheepSheep’s in the thick of the MVP race, and three other players post ratings at or above 1.0. That’s a damn good team. AVI’s star player Steele has almost been as good, but something was missing the last month, as the 4-2 Cardinals ended on a 1-5 skid, including a disconcerting loss to H4K. I think they can bring SOMETHING, they’ve proven that with wins over BOA, OS, and FRG, but not enough to beat WIZ. 2-1 series.
RoobyRacks: WIZ Over AVI
Provoloan: AVI Over WIZ: I think this is gonna be the match I watch the closest. I previously have said I have a good amount of stock in AVI, and that hasn’t changed. WIZ is strong, but AVI is stronger with the playoff buff. AVI 2-1.
Herbaceous: WIZ Over AVI: I think Wiz have an nuts map pool. 100% w/r Anubis, D2, Inferno, Nuke. its a Best of 3 and unless this team gives AVI 3 map picks i think they are coming out strong. (Sorry AVI) 2-0 Wiz
Tr0ut: WIZ Over AVI
Pander: FNL Over HG: A six-game win streak faces off against a four-game win streak in one of the closest matches of the first round. One wrinkle with HG is that they’ve been rocking different subs each of their four recent wins, an inconsistency that worries me a bit given how rock solid FNL has been the last few weeks. Are we gonna see that consistently dangerous FNL team, or the one that lost to these Journeyman just before their win streak began? I’m banking that Ovenblade and Counter-Strike can lock down HG just enough to win the series 2-1.
RoobyRacks: FNL Over HG
Provoloan: FNL Over HG: I think this is another match that is gonna be on ‘upset’ watch. FNL has had a really strong back half of their season, and powering up as time has gone on. HG has had the opposite, where they have been somewhat slowing down in my opinion. This will be a close one, but FNL has it for me. FNL 2-1.
Herbaceous: HG Over FNL: Both of these teams started off a little (or a lot shaky). this might be one of the best match ups of Day one playoffs. We got 2 teams both on a hot streak of 4+ wins. HG has a wider Map pool, but with Pick bans i think Overpass map 3 with 4 Overtimes is on the table. 2-1 HG.
Tr0ut: FNL Over HG
Pander: GRN Over GF: No weak links on GRN right now, rocking a six-game win streak. Ever since a tough first couple weeks, Stampy’s been lighting shit up, and beyond him anyone on this team can drop 20 in a moment’s notice. Great job putting together a balanced roster here. GF had a brilliant win over FRG, but otherwise consistently beat lesser teams and lost to better teams. I don’t think that changes here. Lance has had a nice season for GF, but otherwise they’re a good barometer for middle of the pack, while GRN is the benchmark for title contender. 2-0 for GRN.
RoobyRacks: GRN Over GF
Provoloan: GRN Over GF: GRN have zoheky and stampy. need I say more? GRN 2-0.
Herbaceous: GRN Over GF: I think that GRN are going to come out ahead here. They have looked strong the last 6 games pulling out back to back wins. GF made some changes to their team and they could find the win if they lock in. Saying that i think that GRN 2-0
Tr0ut: GRN Over GF
Pander: FRG Over OS: What’s amazing is how different FRG is from OS. Everyone on FRG has a rating between 0.97 and 1.07, while OS is incredibly top-heavy with 003 and Shane doing the bulk of the heavy lifting (with nice awping by BoT). If Shane and 003 can stay hot, and the rest of the crew holds their own, I believe in OS. Their resume doesn’t have too many big wins, but their losses are never bad. They hang with anyone and win half the time. But...does that happen? Gonna say it happens one out of three games. I think the toads are just too patient and consistent.
RoobyRacks: FRG Over OS
Provoloan: FRG Over OS: This is probably the closest matchup for me. Its a tough one to call... on one hand, a full strength OS with x003 is scary, but a full strength FRG was even stronger. I think itll be close (like 13-11 each map close) but I have the confidence in FRG. FRG 2-1.
Herbaceous: FRG Over OS: FRG seem to have a stronger Map Pool here, the maps they play they are 50%+ w/r on and that advantage matters more here in the playoffs than the regular season. OS had a few games with different players at the end of the regular season and are coming back full power in time fort the playoffs. i think FRG 2-0.
Tr0ut: FRG Over OS