Commentary on MDvMI/Predictions vs Results/Teams to Watch

This is my awful one piece video of me rambling, some of which doesn’t make sense and some of which I said completely wrong. Enjoy. xD

 

Video notes: 

1. I’m so sorry I fidget so much. x.X

2. 2:15 – …derp. Also, I watched it back, and no, it didn’t make sense. 😛

3. 7:50 – Blonde moment… Er, would’ve cut that if I could’ve.

4. 14:10 – I didn’t really finish my thought. 😛 KD’s been underrated, which helped them stay up a bit, but many are looking at them optimistically now, which may end up hurting them.

5. 10:50ish I got kind of… snarky… D: Sorry, I didn’t mean to T_T /cranky

 

For those looking for specific parts:

0:30 – 2nd place tiebreaker commentary begins

0:55 – ranting about new format begins

2:25 – Predictions/Results comparison begins

3:38 – ranting about elite groups

11:30 – Teams to watch for next year begins

 

Team Specific times:

KL – 2:39, 11:30

MI (besides tiebreaker commentary) – 3:15, during DC a little, 10:38 a little, 11:45

SK – 4:25, 12:03

HW – 4:52

FL – 5:44

RI – 6:15

LD – 6:43, 12:27

MQ – 6:58, 12:40

DC – 7:31

TY – 9:25, 9:45

MD – during DC a little, 10:45

KI – 9:40

KD – 10:25, 12:50 (I talk about all of the previous champs a little during this, too)

VP – 12:13

 

 

…Argh, the more I watch this, the more I dislike it. xD But have at it, guys! My predictions for next year will come out before too long.

The Mystery Island / Meridell Saga Part 1: Slushie Fever

“Stop slacking off and get back to work,” yelled the Mystery Island team captain, Volgoth, in rage as he realized his  team would have to play yet another day in order to possibly secure a second place berth. “I won’t dare let stupid Meridell beat us this time around. It’s mine, I mean ours, for the taking!”

“Wait, we have to play for another whole day?” said Teylor Nix, the star studded Left Forward who entices Neopian girls with his impeccable scoring ability.

“Yes, you nincompoop. Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“There’s no need to be rude, boss. I was just really shocked when I heard you say it, because I thought the Cup was over. Well, anyways, what’s the strategy for today?”

“The same as always, Teylor. Slushie Slinger! If we can get Slushie Slinger on our side, the rest of the events will be a walk-over. Meridell won’t know what hit them! And better yet, girls always dig the slushie slingers.”

Before Teylor responded back to Volgoth, Selmon Woulf entered the conference room and saw both of the men in what looked to be a heated discussion. Realizing Volgoth was in a poor mood, Selmon attempted to flee the conference room and head back out to the field for some last minute practice. However, his plans were quickly thwarted when two Mystery Island bouncers shut the door and blockaded it with their bodies.

“What do you want, Selmon?” asked Volgoth rather menacingly. “I suggest you get back to slinging slushies and stop moseying around. You’re not doing your team a favor when you lackadaisically barge into a CLOSED meeting! Get out of here before I whip you!”

As Selmon turned to the door, he decided he would express his thought to the captain. “Sir, your royal highness, I don’t mean to intrude into your vast knowledge of Altadorian strategies or anything, but I was just wondering if we could lay off the slushie slinger just this once. To be honest with you, I’m sick of it.”

“Did you not hear me, peasant?” screamed Volgoth in utter horror and dismay upon hearing Selmon’s ‘atrocious words.’ “I told you to leave immediately. Why are you deliberately disobeying me?”

“Sorry sir, I just wanted to tell you that…”

“Shut up, Selmon! Bouncers, get this guy out of here and unto the practice fields where he belongs. What an idiot nincompoop.”

Saddened with rejection and banishment, Selmon began to despise Mystery Island. Not the people that made the majority, but those in high powered positions – the minority. Based on this terrible conclusion, Selmon deduced that he didn’t belong on the Mystery Island squad. But, instead of crying home to his mother, he decided to leak secrets to Meridellian forces telling them the daily strategies he had heard whilst ease-dropping on Volgoth’s and Teylor’s conversation. Would this act of traitor-ship cost Mystery Island the win?  Or would this merely proclaim Mystery Island’s excellence despite this dramatic undertaking?

__________________________________________________

“What da heck?” said a bewildered “Wizard” Windelle, captain of the Meridell team, upon hearing the final Altador Cup standings. “We didn’t get second? I swear, if I get my hands on the TNT staff….”

“What’s going on?” interrupted Gregorio Maille. “Didst I hear distress coming from the Captain’s headquarters?”

“I’m afraid you did,” replied Windelle in a saddened colloquy; one so sad it might even reduce you to tears. “I’m afraid The Neopets Team messed up the standings again and placed the Imbecilic Island at an utter draw with us. What an outrage this is!”

“Sir, with all do respect, their team name is Mystery Isalnd, not Imbecilic Island.”

“Oh, hush it, Gregorio. I don’t need any of your sissy talk today; I’m too busy for that right now. Coming up with a strategy to beat MYSTERY Island is surprisingly tough. After all, they have that pompous, ignorant Nimmo on their team that always bails them out when they’re in trouble. How can we stop them?”

Yoris Obbles, goalkeeper for Meridell, heard this vociferous conversation taking place and decided to “check it out.” He couldn’t stand being left out of the discussion, and you wouldn’t blame him if you were a JubJub.  Those JubJub’s are very nosy creatures, after all.

“Didst we get second in the Cup?” squeaked Yoris when he eventually got to the Harkness Table. “Or didst we get third?”

“Neither, Yorris. It seems that Mystery Island bribed the Neopian officials with codestones – at least that’s MY theory. Anyways, we’re currently tied for second with those Islanders, and to secure silver we must beat them in the tiebreak today.”

“Oh, I see,” responded Yoris. “Shouldst we focus on Yooyuball? Shootout Showdown? Make Some Noise? Or Slushie Sligner?”

“None of the above, my friend. Today our strategies differ from the usual. We cannot beat the Islanders with mere force; we’re not strong enough. We must do something brutal….”

To Be Continued…

…And the Winner Is?!

After 25 days of competition, Kreludor can officially be declared as the Altador Cup VII Champions! We’ve already known this for a few days now, but it’s official. As for that tiebreaker match between Mystery Island and Meridell, the winner turned out to be who I predicted, with Mystery Island taking the silver medal. Meridell got on the podium with bronze. Now, since you’re probably waiting for the prize shop to open so you can greedily buy those pillows to resell quickly, here’s a comparison of the official standings (left) and my pre-season predictions (right).

1. Kreludor / Kreludor (0)
2. Mystery Island / Meridell (+1)
3. Meridell / Maraqua (-5)
4. Darigan Citadel / Darigan Citadel (0)
5. Lost Desert / Krawk Island (-2)
6. Kiko Lake / Tyrannia (-4)
7. Krawk Island / Virtupets (-5)
8. Maraqua / Terror Mountain (-3)
9. Haunted Woods / Haunted Woods (0)
10. Tyrannia / Roo Island (-4)
11. Terror Mountain &  Brightvale / Brightvale (0)
12. Kiko Lake (+6)
13. Virtupets / Lost Desert (+8)
14. Roo Island / Shenkuu (-2)
15. Moltara / Mystery Island (+13)
16. Shenkuu / Faerieland (-2)
17. Altador & Faerieland / Altador (0)
18. Moltara (+3)

As evident by the zeroes, I got 5 predictions correct, which is the highest I’ve ever gotten. I successfully predicted the champion after predicting Kreludor winning for the past 3 years. I predicted Darigan getting 4th. I predicted Haunted Woods getting 9th, even though I expected them to get it with a much stronger showing. I predicted Brightvale getting 11th and I predicted Altador getting 17th.

There were quite a few dramatic misses though. I expected Maraqua to finish as a top tier powerhouse again, but that obviously did not happen. I totally thought Virtupets would hold up better for some reason, but they fell into Lost Desert’s warmed spot. Not really surprising, but they statistically got around 9th. I completely misinterpreted Kiko Lake and Mystery Island, but that could partly be blamed on Stealth joining these teams after I made the predictions. And lastly, I had no faith in Lost Desert’s recovery.

Now that these predictions are signed and sealed, it’s time for the ACVIII predictions already! I’ll likely post them here shortly as soon as I think of some final choices and explanations.

Altador Cup Results: Thoughts and Impressions (video)

In this video I discuss the overall results and standings. I had a lot to say about this topic, so I quickly realized a text recap would probably take too long. If you have any audio problems, I’m very sorry. Since it is posted on Youtube, I can just copy down what I said and give it to you in text form if you please.

See you guys next year.

June 24th Commentary

Commentary

MD vs FL √
MD takes home the sweep, finishing up their final bracket domination in the best way they knew how. Nothing surprising here.

HW vs TM √
I got this one right purely on dumb luck, but HW takes the overall win as expected, since YYB drew. What I didn’t expect was SOSD going to HW as well, but I suppose the focus just must have been on YYB, throwing the sides to the wind.

VP vs MT √
VP unexpectedly takes SlS, but other than that, a normal match for these two to end the year with.

LD vs BV √
LD indeed goes for SOSD, and manages to take it! In return, MSN upsets in BV’s favor, though. Thinks definitely could’ve turned out worse for both teams, though.

KL vs SK X
SK takes the overall win decisively, leaving KL only one measly draw in MSN, not even gaining their best game. KL lost their plucky gameplay towards the end of the cup and I guess just never got it back, even for the final match. SK was surprisingly steady this year.

MI vs RI √
RI puts up a fight as expected, but then, MI was probably quite confident that they’d win their bracket.

TY vs MQ X
*tosses computer out of the window* Okay, I guess not. TY becomes the first and only team to take YYB from KD, and then just falls apart? Not what I’d expected, or to be honest, hoped. ): MQ picks things up, hopefully for a brighter future next year.

KD vs AL √
KD ends the tournament the way they started it: sweeping.  With the bracket in check, they still didn’t let up, and gave this year’s cup a proper send-off.

DC vs KI X
KI looked like they’d started picking it up, and boy, did it show today. They beat one of the few contenders for the cup this year as one last hoorah. To me, it also looks like DC might have thrown in the towel after being swept, since the cup was nearly over and it wasn’t like they were going to move in their bracket anyway. In any case, neither team ended as strong a team as they started the cup, but KI managed to pull it together to let loose the final blow.

 

 

And… that’s it! The cup is pretty much over, guys. I’m assuming MD / MI will play one last match to determine the silver medal (assuming some sort of hocus pocus didn’t zap KD out of the 1st place position they’ve held all year), and then we’ll be done with  the most anticlimactic cup in the history of the AC. MI / MD is one match that will be exciting to see at the very least.

I’ll post one more article after that match, commenting on it and then comparing my predictions for this year to what actually happened. I’ll also post something in it about the teams to watch for next year, and a heartfelt farewell to ACVII.   A few weeks after that, I’ll post predictions for next year, and thoughts about possible changes to the AC. As always, thanks for reading, everyone! (:

Day 25 – The Coconut and the Babaa

Welcome to the last    unscheduled update of the Altador Cup VII season! I guess my heartfelt sentences would do better here today, so here it is:  Thank you for letting me write for you, and thank you for reading my predictions and commentary every day. I really enjoyed it. Now, we do have results from yesterday, and we do have an official champion, but we are still looking for that silver medal winner, which will result in a tiebreaker match against Meridell and Mystery Island tomorrow.

Meridell unsurprisingly swept Faerieland to end their season, while still radiating with the most predictions as winner of silver with all these sweeps under their tunics.

Terror Mountain and Haunted Woods brought out the best in each other that we haven’t seen in awhile. The showdown ended with Haunted Woods winning, getting wins in Make Some Noise and Shootout Showdown, while drawing the other two.

Virtupets was able to hold on to most of the side games against Moltara, but the Moltarans got the shootout showdown bonus and an improvement with that.

Lost Desert obviously knew about Brightvale’s plan to win Shootout Showdown. It’s their best game. So Lost Desert retaliated, and Brightvale regrouped, winning Make Some Noise and stopping a sweep.

I predicted Shenkuu barely defeating Kiko Lake, but it was far from that. Shenkuu once again stomped Kiko Lake, getting one of their best results of the entire cup, and only letting up in Make Some Noise to allow the Kikos a draw.

Roo Island was also able to overcome an impending sweep by winning Slushie Slinger. Unfortunately they didn’t get the bonus, and enough to rise out of their group standing’s sinkhole.

Maraqua shined their fins for the last day and annihilated Tyrannia, a second consecutive day of surprising defeat for Tyrannia. It’s a good thing the Cup ended today, because the stamina was going down into the sweeps.

Kreludor once again swept, this time Altador, and has officially swept their way to being Altador Cup Champions. Congratulations for the much deserved win, Kreludorks!

Finally, with the last match of the day, Krawk Island brought their A-game and soundly defeated Darigan Citadel in Yooyuball and Slushie Slinger. If they hadn’t gone down for those few days, they could have struck back to steak Darigan’s spot.

ACVII STANDINGS:

1. Kreludor
2. Meridell/Mystery Island
3. Meridell/Mystery Island
4. Darigan Citadel
5. Lost Desert
6. Kiko Lake
7. Krawk Island
8. Maraqua
9. Haunted Woods
10. Tyrannia
11. Terror Mountain
11. Brightvale
13. Virtupets
14. Roo Island
15. Moltara
16. Shenkuu
17. Altador
18. Faerieland

Predictions

Meridell vs Mystery Island
As you can see, 2nd place is up for grabs. The tiebreaker may not be today, but I’ll include my prediction in this last daily update. Looking at the standings, their strengths alternate. Mystery Island has Yooyuball and Make Some Noise on their side, and Meridell has Slushie Slinger and Shootout Showdown. The side games are likely to be all over the place because we’re back to the good ol’ match deciding factor, where Yooyuball is the most important sport to win. Both teams are getting rest days, which definitely helps Mystery Island. If this was today, I would have predicted Meridell, but I’m going to have to go with Mystery Island as the winners.
YYB – MI / SS – DRAW / MSN  – DRAW / SOSD – MD / WIN – Mystery Island

June 24th Predictions / June 23rd Commentary

Commentary

MD vs HW √
HW gets in with a draw in MSN,  nothing spectacular, but a respectable sweep avoidance.

MT vs FL √
Or, FL could get in everywhere. FL did much better than I expected, even getting their first win in MSN. MT still won the match overall, though.

VP vs TM √
VP made a stronger showing in sides than expected. Either TM went for YYB or VP changed their minds and went for sides, idk.

BV vs KL √
Hey whoa, I got this one exactly right!

MI vs LD √
MI faces their biggest challenge, and doesn’t sweep.  Well, MI is LD’s biggest challenge, too, so I’m guessing LD gave it their all. Perhaps MI is a little fatigued and confident that they won’t be moving in their bracket position.

RI vs SK √
YYB drawing and SOSD flopping weren’t unexpected, but SlS drawing was a surprise. RI wins, but not as decisively as expected.

KD vs DC √
KD puts everything they have on the table against DC, and sweeps. I just don’t think anyone can handle all KD has this year.

MQ vs AL √
Yep, all as expected.

TY vs KI X
Out of nowhere, KI suddenly picks it up and nearly sweeps TY. Did they get their spark back? Did TY collapse from exhaustion? The world may never know.

Predictions

MD vs FL
MD – MD – MD – MD
FL showed spunk yesterday, but MD isn’t going to let them by.

HW vs TM
D – HW – HW – TM
YYB is close, but TM hasn’t won it in a long time. Neither team has been on their game lately, so I’m not sure where this will go.

VP vs MT
VP – MT – VP – MT
This one is fairly cookie cutter aside from SlS. SlS is close, but VP’s sides have been dipping a bit lately (apparently excluding yesterday) so I’ll give it to MT.

LD vs BV
LD – LD – LD – BV
LD did well against MI today, and I don’t see them letting BV upset. If LD goes for SOSD, things might end differently, though.

KL vs SK
D – KL – KL – SK
YYB and SOSD are close. SK always seems to just barely be able to pull up a draw, so that’s what I’m guessing will happen.

MI vs RI
MI – RI – MI – D
MI seems to be losing their steam, or perhaps resting for what they think will be a very important match tomorrow. Either way, what looks to be an MI sweep by record may have some RI meddling to contend with.

TY vs MQ
TY – TY – MQ – MQ
This is a really interesting match! TY had a down day yesterday, but I think they’ll fire up to try and take down someone they see as on their level. On the other hand, I think MQ will see someone they can finally beat, so they’ll fire up too. I think TY may actually have the stronger raw power at this point in the game.

KD vs AL
KD – KD – KD – KD
KD is usually pretty good about not letting teams slide away with their wins, but it’s late in the game. Fatigue is setting in on all teams and KD may just think they have this cup pretty much in the bag as it is. I’ll still predict a KD sweep, but I won’t be shocked if AL gets something.

DC vs KI
DC – KI – DC – DC
This is a nail biter. KI seems to have come back. DC just suffered a resounding loss. Normally I would count that in, but DC never seems to let losses affect their gameplay, so I think they’ll still grab the win.

Day 24 – Sleep’s for Tomorrow, Victory’s for Tonight!

Unless the extra tie-breaker day extends the anxiety, today is the last scheduled match of the season. Thank you for letting me write for you, and thank you for reading my predictions and commentary every day. Good luck to everyone today.

Faerieland struck back at close rival Moltara in Alabriss 4, almost getting an entire side game sweep against the team, when many thought they would be swept. It’s unusual for the Faeries to dominate in the side games, especially against a team that’s still marginally better. Haunted Woods was able to stop the Meridell sweeping with their best game, Make Some Noise, drawing. Finally, Virtupets was supreme over Terror Mountain, taking the main sport, Make Some Noise and a draw in Slushie Slinger.

Diving in Minitheus 4, Brightvale vs Kiko Lake should have been a little more obvious. I predicted Kiko Lake, but Brightvale was clearly stronger in Yooyuball and Shootout Showdown, and that’s how they won. Mystery Island did not smooth over Lost Desert, and the sand got Shootout Showdown in addition to a Slushie Slinger draw. The last Minitheus has Roo Island and Shenkuu face off for the 4th time. While every match may have gone downhill for Shenkuu in this rivalry, they were still able to draw Yooyuball in each won. Slushie Slinger in this one, too.

Vaelous 4 had an odd anomaly. Krawk Island nearly swept Tyrannia, mind a draw in Make Some Noise. If the pirates have returned for their final matches, then they sailed in magnificently. Altador and Maraqua ended exactly as I predicted. Last but not least, Kreludor was pretty much able to secure their throne by sweeping Darigan Citadel.

Predictions

Meridell vs Faerieland
The sweepings will start up again for one last day. Faerieland was impressive in the sides yesterday, but they can’t fly past Meridell’s defence.
YYB – MD / SS – MD / MSN – MD / SOSD – MD / WIN – Meridell

Terror Mountain vs Haunted Woods
This is very, very ironic. For the past two years, both of these teams have been fighting for a place in the 2nd tier. Each time, Terror Mountain stopped Haunted Woods, and even last year, benefitted themselves by it. If Haunted Woods wins this match, they probably get 8th. History may repeat itself yet again, because the advantages seem clear. It will likely go beyond that though.
YYB – TM / SS – HW / MSN – HW / SOSD – TM / WIN – Terror Mountain

Virtupets vs Moltara
This one seems fairly clear cut too. Both have their one advantages, and I don’t see it going far beyond that.
YYB – VP / SS – MT / MSN – VP / SOSD- MT / WIN – Virtupets

Brightvale vs Lost Desert
Brightvale could possibly pull off a Yooyuball upset, but I’m not betting on it at this point in the game. The match will be as safe as can be. Brightvale should focus on the bonus anyway.
YYB – LD / SS – LD / MSN – LD / SOSD – BV / WIN – Lost Desert

Shenkuu vs Kiko Lake
Kiko Lake should easily get the middle two games, but Yooyuball and Shootout Showdown can go to anyone. Kiko Lake really does have the advantage, but I’m going to give the match to Shenkuu, who will win by a smidgen.
YYB – SK / SS – KL / MSN – KL / SOSD – DRAW / WIN – Shenkuu

Mystery Island vs Roo Island
Mystery Island should safely win this one, but Roo Island could do serious damage to the side games. The Roos will probably try to get Shootout Showdown at the very least.
YYB – MI / SS – DRAW / MSN – MI / SOSD – RI / WIN – Mystery Island

Maraqua vs Tyrannia
I’m not sure what to expect. There’s probably black magic at work here, but these two seem to go along the statistical lines. I see Tyrannia fighting harder because they’ve pulled off better wins, and I think they could still take Maraqua’s 4th.
YYB – TY / SS – TY / MSN – MQ / SOSD – MQ / WIN – Tyrannia

Kreludor vs Altador
Unless Altador does a miracle and wins Yooyuball, this may not even matter. Kreludor doesn’t take rests though, so it can be wrapped up easily.
YYB – KD / SS – KD / MSN – KD / SOSD – KD / WIN – Kreludor

Darigan Citadel vs Krawk Island
Welp. At least it’s exciting now. I think Krawk Island may be on board for this finale, but Darigan has been at the helm for this entire time. I give them the win but I don’t think they’ll sweep this time.
YYB – DC / SS – KI / MSN – DC / SOSD – DRAW / WIN – Darigan Citadel

Altador Cup Panel

With the season almost over, I have been granted full access to interview three Altador Cup stars. Seeing that these three stars get along so nicely, I decided to do a panel interview, where I ask the same question to all three of them.

Meet the Panel:

Trapper Remis is the Altador team captain, and has been widely acknowledged for his superb defensive and offensive ability. However, he is known to be a little feisty, so we tried to ask questions that wouldn’t flare his temper. Hopefully he doesn’t make this a hostile environment for everyone else in the room.

 

Loryche has been the team captain for Tyrannia since 2006 and is a respected forward. She is usually a very calm person, so maybe her easy-going temperament will cancel out Trapper Remis’s aggression.

 

Aldric Beign is relatively new to the Altador Cup, but he sure looks like a veteran on the field. Even though he has flames around his head, he is a pretty cool guy who “just likes to chill.” We are honored to have him apart of the panel.

 

Q & A:

Pepe: Thanks for being with us, guys. We are honored to have you here.

TR: It is a pleasure to be here, Pepe. But, with all do respect, let’s get to the questions.

L: Thanks for having me.

AB: You seem like a pretty chill dude, Pepe. We should hang out sometimes….

Pepe: Ok. Let’s start with the questions. Please express how you think your respected teams have done in this year’s Altador Cup.

TR: We sucked this season. There’s no doubt about that. However, I was pleasantly surprised to give the Pirates a challenge yesterday. At least we are finishing up the year on a high note.

L: Well, Tyrannia was just kind of neutral this season. You know….middle of the pack. Hopefully we can improve on that going into next year.

AB: I personally think Moltara did a great job! We improved on our poor performance last year, and I am anxious for next year already.

Pepe: Moving on, do you think anyone can beat Kreludor this season? They seem virtually unbeatable at times.

TR: No, I don’t think anyone can beat Kreludor. They are a bunch of cheaters!!!!!! If they  didn’t cheat so much, Altador would win the Cup!

Pepe: Ummm, Trapper, why do you think they are cheaters?

TR: Cause nobody can be that good without cheating. Everyone knows that.

L: I personally think every team has the capabilities of beating KD. No one executes enough, though.

AB: They are unbeatable, dude. Even Moltara lost to them…

Pepe: What are your personal feeling on SOTAC? Should it be allowed?

TR: SOTAC? What’s SOTAC? Whatever it is, I hope it gives us wins, because we are low on those.

L: Personally, I despise SOTAC and other organizations like that. It’s sickening. I hope they don’t join TY anytime soon.

AB: Sotac is a type of cheese right? Well, of course I think it should be allowed – as long as it is not moldy.

Pepe: How about I ask a question that you understand? Erm, why do you like playing yooyuball?

TR: For me, YYB is all about getting the girls. For some reason, the girls love a yooyuball playing guy – they can’t resist it. I also like getting fresh air, since I’ve been underground for 1,000 years.

L: I am an athlete, so YYB just kind of comes naturally. I like playing it, because I really enjoy winning and beating other teams to a pulp. What? I may be a girl, but I’m a guy at heart.

AB: I’m too strong to do anything else, so I found interest in  yooyuball. It’s not a sport for the physically and mentally weak.

Pepe: Last question before we go. What are your hopes for next year?

TR: Next year, I want to win the Cup! Hopefully the retarded New Bracket thingy will go by the wayside, and yooyuball will become paramount.

L: Obviously I want to get first place, but a top five would be ideal. I guess we will have to wait and see.

AB: Not last. If we can get in the top 17, I will be very pleased. Kind of like this year…

Pepe: Thanks for being with us, everyone.

TR: The pleasure is mine, bro.

L: Again, thanks for having us. I look forward to doing another one of these things in the future *winks*.

AB: Alright, dude. Take it easy.

 

 

June 23rd Predictions / June 22nd Commentary

Commentary

Before I start: Just, oh my gosh. Today was a helluva day. Wow. I’m totally still reeling, perfect time for commentary!

TM vs FL √
FL slightly upset SOSD with a draw, which was one of the danger games, so no big shock.

HW vs MT X
UPSET #1: MT beats HW at YYB. Not too bad an upset, but noteworthy. HW takes the side game sweep, so we can see what price the win game in at for MT. Moving on…

MD vs VP √
All as expected. Onward we go.

BV vs RI X
UPSET #2: RI takes YYB. BV indeed defends SOSD, but as I’d feared, didn’t put enough focus in YYB. These teams were pretty close, so it still isn’t that bad.   We’re building up to the big ones, one match at a time.

LD vs SK √
Minorly surprising that SK takes MSN and draws SOSD, but SOSD was close and things are just plain getting weird this late into the cup. Dragging on for anyone else?

MI vs KL √
A draw in SOSD, yada yada. Why, what match is next?

KD vs TY X
Sweet Mary Mother of God, KD has lost a match.  My nervous willies were true.  That’s right, KD has finally been taken down, just a couple matches before the whole shabang ends. TY took down MI, and now KD, two of the most dominating teams of the cup. What could have happened? Well, come on a journey into my mind with me. KD is still on the top of their bracket, so I’m guessing they quite securely won the sides, possibly with some degree of overkill. One could probably guess that they played their usual all-around game, perhaps with more side games after yesterday’s MSN loss and simple habit versus TY.   To win YYB, then, I’m guessing TY just outplayed them in it. TY has a pretty good record in it, and if they focus on one game instead of all four? They’re perfectly capable of taking down anyone they want that is trying for a sweep, simple as that.  Well done TY, well done.

DC vs MQ √
A nice breather for us before the next upset. DC does exactly what we expected.

KI vs AL X
OH LAWD ALMIGHTY, I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT, AND THAT LIGHT IS AL. Altador has been shining their light for a while now, and finally, they’ve broken through quite significantly.  A team that started off as a powerhouse has been beaten by a team that started off being considered an easy sweep for pretty much everyone. How did this one go down? I’m guessing the focusing was similar to KD/TY. I’m also guessing, however, that there was an underestimation factor involved, unlike with KD/TY.  The bad mojo going around in KI’s psyche is also probably a significant factor.

Predictions

MD vs HW
MD – MD – MD – MD
The record stands as a complete blowout in every category for MD. If HW could get in anywhere, I don’t know where.

MT vs FL
MT – MT – MT – MT
MT did well yesterday and has been more spirited than FL so far this year. They have better records in everything, and they may actually have a shot at sweeping. I think FL will probably get in somewhere, though.

VP vs TM
VP – TM – D – TM
VP has been focusing YYB, so TM should probably get even the questionable sides.  MSN is so severely in VP’s favor, though, that I just have to at least draw it.

BV vs KL
BV- KL – KL – BV
This match is up in the air. KL hasn’t been doing well lately though, so I ended up deciding on BV.

MI vs LD
MI – MI – MI – MI
This is the biggest  challenge MI will have to face this round, and I think they’ll give it their all. I think their all is enough to sweep LD.

RI vs SK
RI – RI – RI – SK
Interesting! YYB and SOSD are close, but after yesterday, I think RI has the focus to take the match.

KD vs DC
KD – KD – KD – DC
By record? A KD sweep. By recent results? Probably DC favored.  I’m guessing, however, that KD is beyond agitated right now.  Imagine being in their moon boots for a moment. For the past three years, they’ve placed first in the DRR, only to lose it all in the last few days. This year? They’ve dominated all year long once more. Now, all of the sudden, it seems like it’s happening again. Both of KD’s undefeated records have been taken in two days. They’ve lost for the very first time all year.  They’re probably frantic, dismayed, terrified at the thought of victory slipping through their fingers again. They might just unleash on DC the full force of everything they have, and I don’t think that even DC’s hope of one last revenge victory can stand in the way of this full-scale alien riot.

MQ vs AL
MQ – AL – MQ – MQ
MQ’s down recently, but I think their YYB strength is still stronger than AL’s. They’ll have learned from KI’s mistake. I think they’ll focus YYB, but it’ll cost them SlS.

TY vs KI
TY – KI – TY – KI
The morale difference between these two teams is like night and day. This match might just bump TY up.