(ESEAnews) - Well guys, I'm a bit strapped for time today, so I'm gonna update this post with the next few matches in a sec.
In gravelpit week, we saw yet another upset from Kawaii Kingz, who struck down a blueberry-less Nothing 2 Prove handily. Other than that, most matches played out predictably or semi-predictably, in my opinion. However, I did miss writing about the first match of the gullywash round, in which WNBA beat a boogie-less Patrick Gaming fairly easily on gullywash. Obviously, it's tough to say whether the team would've won with their star scout or not, but it's always a shame when teams can't get their starting 6 in playoffs.
To me, gullywash is not really a map that favors particular playstyles; rather, it's more of a map where it can be painfully obvious if teams have practiced it or not. The map has been around for longer than most of the custom maps, and yet a lot of teams haven't put a ton of effort into it; those that have will be rewarded.
Anyways, pred time!
ESEA-OPEN PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS - ROUND 4
MAKING A COMEBACK vs the post-woodpig destiny · cp_gullywash_imp3 · Mon, Apr 18th at 12:00pm
Well, whatever happens in the next few matches, 36 Chambers have had a hell of a run as a dark horse playoff team. Even if they lose this matchup, they still made it further than 6 Brogues, Stats and Hats, Patrick Gaming, et cetera. Well, they have had a relatively easy schedule, but still—with their seed, you'd think every team they played would be better than them.
Sadly, I still think they're gonna lose this game. SHPW is a strong team on their weak maps, and gullywash is definitely not one of those maps. Iceh is one of the big determining factors to their success, and he's always been really strong on the map, as has math (Carnal Gaming, their old team, was known to be very good on it). Traced also puts out massive damage whenever he either has a chance to bomb or to uber push in an enclosed space (gully and coldfront especially). If peyote plays, that'll probably also be of benefit to the team. Iceh can usually cope with the soldier-centric style peyote favors, and it seems to help chapin a lot; besides, peyote's survivalism is pretty impressive. 36 Chambers has the better pocket in Boink, but that's literally the only advantage they have here. Sorry guys, but your win streak ends here. IT ENDS HERE.
SHPW 5 > 1 Enter the 36 Chambers
MVP: Iceh
Dead Dazzle vs Kawaii Kingz · cp_gullywash_imp3 · Sat, Apr 16th at 1:05pm
I'd imagine just about everyone expects Avoided to win this, but some people might see it as being close, like a 5-3 or something. Despite Kawaii Kingz's surprising heater in the playoffs, and despite my predicting against them nearly every match, I still just can't see them overwhelming Avoided, the team that hasn't given up a single round for seven matches in a row. Besides, one of those victories was a 5-0 against Kawaii Kingz on the very same map; admittedly, KK had to break out Killa to replace a missing scout, but even so it was a pretty bad roll. Maybe Kawaii Kingz have been practicing, but Avoided is definitely more comfortable on gullywash, with their passive, stalwart playstyle (they took 40 minutes to 5-0 Sqwiggling With Sqwiggles on it!).
Breaking down the individual matchups, Avoided pulls ahead slightly, although that's not the true issue here. Dun is slightly better than Caspian, but both are at the top of the division. Aurens and Fearless are pretty even, though the latter fits more perfectly into his team's playstyle. Khai is a pretty definitive advantage, as always, but I doubt it'll be enough. With the addition of ben, Avoided has a pretty huge scout advantage, and Shrew is a slight advantage over Teddy. Still, as I've said, the teams on paper aren't what will lead to Avoided winning this by a fair margin; their superb chemistry, patience, and map knowledge will.
Sorry Kawaii Kingz, but you guys stayed in the winner's bracket hella long!
Avoided 5 > 1 Kawaii Kingz
MVP: ben (make me proud boy!)
Originally published on ESEA on 4/15/2011, 11:27 AM by baklavadarryl.
Archived from ESEA TF2 Open Playoff Preds - Round 4 as part of tf2esports.com's preservation of ESEA's TF2 coverage. All rights remain with the original author and ESEA; reposted for historical reference.