The Playoff Thread! (Teams now known!)

[lamaros]

Time for tipping!

[Megrim]

Do we know for certain if it's going to be 1st v 2nd seeds, or will it be a complete lucky dip?

 * Edit: that is to say my preference if for a completely random draw.

[lamaros]

Do we know for certain if it's going to be 1st v 2nd seeds, or will it be a complete lucky dip?

 * Edit: that is to say my preference if for a completely random draw.

I think anyone who finished 2nd would say that?  It seems "fairer" for it to be seeded and to bit split so those from the same group would only meet again in the final. For those that won their groups, anyhow.

[Llyse]

Heh.

Seeding and no rematches within your original division please.

(that's how much I fear you Lamaros  )

[Strazos]

God, Me v Llyse would be a fucking bloodbath.

[Falconeer]

It's absolutely 1sts vs 2nds.

The draw will happen today. You will ave the actual matchups by tonight.

[eldaec]

So, in anticipation of the playoffs I just did a mock draw (with the help of random.org, not with hats). I came out with the following:

Top Half

Krummi v Lamaros
drogg v AndyDavo

Bottom Half

Llyse v Strazos
Comstar v Megrim

Will that be anything like the actual draw? Probably not!

Good draw for the top half, HHB vs Alive not Dead in the final.

[eldaec]

Opening this up to a bit more theorycrafting


Alive not Dead

Favourites by a fair way in my view, Llyse's team development has worked wonders.

Will want to avoid Morsel in the first round, and probably desparate to be let off the leash in a grudge match against the Catfighters in a later round.


Catfighters

I guess second favourites.

Will want to draw Rape of Skabine, primarily to save their AV7 assess for the second round, also because Morsel are a strong side and Diplomatic are still really mad about last year.



Huhnqua Huhnqua Burninluv

Won the stormbringer title avoiding too many ties, suspect winning three straight games might be a stretch, especially with underdeveloped Saurii, but drogg plays a disciplined game and they could get past anyone if the dice fall right.

Will be comfortable whoever they draw in the first round, but results suggest they seem stronger against the bashier teams.


Strongman

Orcs, like to hit things.

Probably would like to face the Wildcards in the first round, and as for all the champions, it would be best to not draw Morsel.


Rape of Skabine

Biggest weakness is only having 12 players while being rats. I can't see a great draw against any team in the first round.


Wishmasters Wildcards

Not sure what to think here, not having any players doesn't bode well.

HHB would be the best draw to begin with, after which they have to hope they can afford some actual players.


Morsel

Strongest of the runners up, with something ridiculous like 22 skill ups. Morsel are giving away a lot of TV weight in some matchups and vamps are vulnerable to a number of inducement plays (Wizards, Chefs, Stakes).

Would probably like to draw the Catfighters first, and avoid Strongman and Alive not Dead.


Diplomatic Immunity

Knocked out by the Catfighters last year, and seemingly still quite mad about it.

Drawing the Catfighters is probably their best first round matchup as well as resolving personal issues. I guess they'll want to avoid Alive not Dead - who doesn't?

[lamaros]

I'll have 13 players most like, have the cash.

Haven't viewed the draw yet. Would love to get Orcs or Lizards. Comstar can get stuffed.

[lamaros]

Here how I see the quarter finals going:

Strongman to defeat AndyDavo's Wildcards

I don't think this is as clear a match as it might look at first, as AndyDavo knows how to play this game, but I think the Elves will go down in the end. With block on all their players now the Orcs will hit hard enough to get one or two off the pitch and from there the Elves will struggle. The TV difference is only 120 and it won't be enough to give Andy anything he could use to win. Still, I wouldn't be 100% surprised to see the Wildcards come out with the win; they've played undermanned all season.

Strazos to defeat Comstar

In a delicious rematch from the finals last season Strazos will batter the Amazons and sneak the win in a hotly contested match. This could really go either way, but I feel that Strazos is due some casualty roll luck and Comstar will bow out early.

Megrim to defeat Llyse

That's right folks. Llyse has been a front runner all season, bashing up teams half his size, and he won't be prepared to match it with a strong vampire squad. After finishing the season with two draws (and a free win) Llyse also hasn't shown the form needed to prepare properly for this matchup. Those Vampires have only gotten better, and the Necromantic side have lost one of their key players from last year.

Lamaros to defeat Burninuv

Undefeated since the opening day of the season and having played sides of all stripes, from the dancing elves to the grinding undead and the flexible necromantic, my team is well placed going in to this match. We had a hitout against Lizards only two matches ago and have the strategy we need to win honed. Burninluv on the other hand have played mostly against bashy teams, with their one game against Elves resulting in a 3-0 defeat.

Their last two matches were against the group easybeats, so they will probably also be missing a bit of finals conditioning. Rape of Skabine on the other hand have been playing knockout matches since gameday 3.

With no block in the side and only two re-rolls, and no gap to speak of in TV, this will be a tough matchup for the Lizards against a squad of rats with their tails in the air.

[Llyse]

Big talk from a rat who squeaked into the finals on a limp whisker. 

I look forward to playing Drogg in the semi finals 

[lamaros]

Big talk from a rat who squeaked into the finals on a limp whisker. 

I look forward to playing Drogg in the semi finals 

I look forward to beating Megrim in the semis.   

[AndyDavo]

Hi Krummi - when are u  free, due to work commitmenmts i will only be free on saturday evening, sunday between midday and 7pm, or today up till midnight. all times are quoted in GMT +0 as i live in the UK.  I have tried to find you on steam and in game but no luck there. where are u  from and what timezone are u  in?