(ESEAnews) - Well folks, the day of reckoning has finally arrived. Nothing 2 Prove and Avoided are going to face off against one another in the Esea-O grand finals; the latter is undefeated in playoffs, while the former just beat Kawaii Kingz 5-3 in a multi-day (rofl server) Lower Bracket Finals Match. Yeah, I didn't write a pred for that one, my bad. I was gonna predict n2p to take it 5-2, so I suppose KK performed better than I expected. However, that was then, this is now, and n2p will be bringing in a different roster than in that match (more on that later). I don't want to dwell on that too much, so now to get to tonight's matchup!
The first map is badlands, which will be the only map if n2p loses it. If they win, the possible second map is gravelpit. Avoided needs to win only one of the two to take the finals. Now, I don't think I need to say too much about these maps. Badlands is THE tabula rasa of TF2, the default map that every team learns to play. Gravelpit is a super teamwork-y map that rewards heavy chemistry and rehearsal. Both of these teams have strong DM and chemistry, but are they even?
Let's find out.
ESEA-OPEN PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS - GRAND FINALS
Dead Dazzle vs Pinball Wizards · cp_badlands · Fri, Apr 29th at 12:00pm
Ok, so let's start with badlands. Despite the allure of having a two-map finals, and the obvious skill of n2p, I still see this one being Avoided's game to win. n2p seems to me to be pretty strong on mid fights, but I think that Avoided shares that trait as well. Besides, when it comes to pushes on other places, Avoided's patience and coordination is hard to top. These elements seem to combine to give Avoided an advantage.
If you look at the matches that these two teams played on badlands earlier this season, it's like night and day. Avoided won both of their matches in total one-sided routs, while n2p lost both theirs in squeakers. True, Avoided was playing teams n2p could've beaten as well, but their sheer domination of such teams is still impressive.
To be fair, both teams have changed a lot, mostly for the better, since that match. First of all, Avoided dropped their scout whal3r for ben, which was definitely a step forward (it probably would've been if Okas had be cut instead, but still). Ben is the only real power fragger on Avoided other than Dun, and his skillz will be important on a scout-heavy map like badlands. Dun totally dominated in both of his team's prior matches, but the other players acted more like support players (which is usually the way it goes for the team, though not always). With a scout who is just as capable of getting those nice 3 and 4 kills, and whose role on the team is to get said streaks, Avoided just got even better at push maps.
Of course, n2p changed quite a bit as well. They swapped Rummy out for hh on demo, probably a sidegrade, but also brought in the legendary Cannon for pocket, definitely a bonus. They gained more experience with slipz moving to med, and consistency with squider on scout. What many people don't realize, though, is that n2p will be using an even newer lineup for this match; since roamer blueberry is MIA, squider will roam while BIG SNOOPY is coming in to scout. For those who don't know snoopy, he's ridiculous; enigma-like movement combined with a 2 inch sensitivity (smaller than his Asian dick!) he's ready to go and crush the competition. Also he hacks. But not really. Or does he? No, he doesn't. Squider may be a downgrade on roamer, but blueberry mostly goes for high-risk, death-heavy plays anyways, so the loss of his epic DM won't be TOO big. I think n2p's new roster will definitely help on badlands, to the tune of them taking a few rounds off of Avoided. However, is it enough for them to win? I just don't think so.
Avoided 5 > 3 Nothing 2 Prove
MVP: snoopy
Now, IF n2p manage to take badlands, we will get to see a battle of the wits on gravelpit. Again, both of these teams are traditionally good on the map, with n2p beating Spacemoney very handily on it and Avoided getting a (relatively not-close) 2-1 victory over 6 Brogues. However, n2p's roster shakeups might take a bit to adjust to. Snoopy is a very strong sniper, but even so the coordination won't be as strong. Plus, roamer is incredibly important on the map, and squider just won't lock down the roof AS well as blueberry. Cannon on pocket will be very important in the match, and hh having a good game will be absolutely essential if they want to win. However, I don't see it happening. FireFarseer has a penchant for going huge on this map, and Dun doesn't seem to have bad games. Fearless and Dun have perfect timing, and will control the roof super well together. Ben on sniper could also be very interesting. All in all, I see Avoided winning this one too, by a wider margin than on badlands.
Avoided 2 > 0 Nothing 2 Prove
MVP: FireFarseer or Dun
Originally published on ESEA on 4/29/2011, 12:20 PM by baklavadarryl.
Archived from ESEA TF2 Open Playoff Preds - Grand Finals 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.