Group A -- Sandels > 2 Genders vs. 3-0 [ Match Page ]
Group A -- 2 Retards > Bald and Beautiful 3-0 [ Match Page ]
Group B -- CZSK > Team Spain 2-1 [ Match Page ]
Group B -- Promode.RU > Okidoki 3-0 [ Match Page ]
Group C -- fitemeIRL > MANGIERIS 3-0 [ Match Page ]
Group C -- ProMode Admins > GetServed 3-0 [ Match Page ]
Group D -- teotl > Trump Walls 3-0 [ Match Page ]
Group D -- PERIOD > RuN 3-0 [ Match Page ] (No VOD)

Europe - Group A

2 Genders vs. Bald and Beautiful [ Bets ] -- May 14 @ 12:00 CDT nekonTV.

Magikarp: With the ever-changing roster of Bald and Beautiful, this may be an interesting match. 2 Genders has 2 competent beginners going against wh1te, who is a definitely stronger player with laznic. Although I haven’t seen enough laznic action to see how this could go. Last week, BB took a bad loss on all 3 maps, and it didn’t help that they didn’t have any practice with coordination prior, but hopefully if they practice enough and wh1te gets accustomed to the maps, they can succeed. Hopefully this one is not a stomp for I think it MIGHT actually be a close-ish game.

xero: This game should produce some very tense and tight games. Bald and Beautiful have undergone some heavy roster changes which dramatically shifted the composition of their squad as sinbad and s4vo departed due to irl issues. Replacing them are the Finnish pair of ILIHIO and laznic, the former is a beginner and the latter is a very skilled, and relatively unheard of dueler. Last week they were thrown to to lions however hopefully they've had some time to iron out and issues they have when they face off against 2 Genders. Speaking of which the two young pups at 2 Genders had a decent showing against Sandels last week and will hopefully be to use that confidence boost to come all fired up for their final regular season game. Nutter and x0f are both active players with decent skills, but will really need to focus on their timing and tactics to overcome the stronger mechanics of their opponents.

Magikarp: Bald and Beautiful 2-1
xero: Bald and Beautiful 2-1

2 Retards vs. Sandels [ Bets ] -- May 11 @ 14:00 CDT nekonTV.

Magikarp: This is a match that is going to be...interesting. 3 Finnish players in a single game, this game is going to be crazy! All 4 players are very competent at this point with the maps, and there’s no telling what might happen. Ahxnxa was definitely the star player that was spectated last week, and his play was just perfection, his trolling was also on point as he gave his own teammate light an empty LG. gaiia was pretty drunk last week with chrononaut, so they were slacking off a bit, but still winning. I think anything can happen in this game, but when push comes to shove, I think if gaiia is too drunk, it will not be good for him as ahxnxa and light are consistently bringing their A game.

xero: This game will be the first real clash of two titans in the regular season as veterans ahxnxa and light take on gaiia and the young gun chrononaut. I imagine 2 Retards as the slight favorites as they hold a considerable experience advantage. They will have to find a way to shut down or at least meaningfully mitigate gaiia impact. On the other hand Sandels will have to play a much more disciplined gamed than their counter parts and chrononaut will need to play a help gaiia take over the game. For Sandels to win gaiia will need to do gaiia things and play as greedily as needed to capture critical areas and items.

Magikarp: 2 Retards 2-1
xero: Sandels 2-1

Europe -- Group B

CZSK vs. Okidoki [ Bets ] -- TBA.

Magikarp: We have quite the strong duo of Kimi and neverGreen going up against the CA pubstompers. WIth neverGreen being the power and strength of CZSK, having to deal with cxe and smofo’s pure aim, it could be a tough one. Kimi’s tactics, timing, and brains, may or may not be enough to secure a win, he might need to hit up the amphi beforehand to give a surprise attack to Okidoki and outdo them at their own game. Kimi has stated himself that he makes bad decisions and choosing his weapons, so hopefully he can work on that before the match.

xero: Another series with a playoff spot on the line. The only way both these teams can be eliminated is if Team Spain beats Promode.RU 3-0 and this series ends up in a 2-1 win for either side. It's not very likely but there is still that chance. I imagine that would be seriously disappointing for both of those teams, who have worked quite hard up to this point. CZSK will definitely have an advantage in timing, with a higher overall damage output potential, but Smofo will be the heavyweight on the server. Okidoki will need to find a way to unleash the full strength of Smofo and cxe should look basically time everything as accurately as possible and support Smofo in combat situations even if that means he had to bait himself.

Magikarp: CZSK 2-1
xero: Okidoki 2-1

Promode.RU vs. Team Spain [ Bets ] -- May 11 @ 13:30 CDT nekonTV.

Magikarp: Definitely strong players in this match-up. But with memphis’ performance the last 2 weeks, it’s hard to say it would even be a close match. He has barely been trying, and santile has been trying his best. But in Mazu’s latest video, he claimed santile to be a Mexican God, so just maybe santile will be inspired to use his godlike powers to snatch a win from the Russians. beliars and eThaD have shown to be a very strong and powerful team in the last 2 weeks, they work very well together, so it won’t be easy. If Team Spain wants to have a chance, memphis is going to have to finally get serious and bring up his A game. Hopefully we get to see him do so for not only the entertainment of the viewers, but for himself to see if can overcome himself and overpower the Russians.

xero: The running stories of this group have been 1) Can anyone stop PM.RU? and 2) Will memphis show up? This week both of these two stories will come to a head as the Spaniards take on the Russians. On paper this looks like a very even match, however the results give us a different perspective as PM.RU had been obliterating teams that have beaten up the burrito boys. Team Spain is in a precarious position when it comes to their playoff chances as they need to beat PM.RU and to stand a chance at qualification. Meanwhile the Russians have displayed very dominant performances, not yet breaking a sweat against anyone. They play a heavy style, efficiently rotating between armors, freshly spawned enemies, and Quad. Both eThaD and veliars can output a lot of damage, and effectively manoeuvre themselves around the maps.

Magikarp: Promode.RU 2-1
xero: Promode.RU 3-0

Americas -- Group C

MANGIERIS vs. ProMode Admins [ Bets ] -- May 10 @ 16:00 CDT nekonTV.

Magikarp: Last week, we got to see atp’s homing quad rockets (video) against fitemeIRL. Although it wasn’t quite enough with the ping of MANGIERIS to take a map. ProMode Admins had completely crushed GetServed last week, they are just the #1 team in NA that can’t be stopped. Unfortunate as it may be, it’s another win for ProMode Admins.

xero: In the Americas our first game of Week 3 will see the powerhouse PMA team go up against the flamboyant South Americans in MANGERIS. PMA is coming off their second 3-0 victory, and look to be the first team in the league to stamp their tickets to the playoffs. The duo of myT and naper are both dynamic players, both of which have the intelligence and skills to play either a carry, or support role dependin gon the situation. Facing off against quite heavy odds the Argentinians are in a David vs. Goliath scenario, where the only way to can make the play-offs is come out with a 3-0 victory. I'm hoping to see atp continue to impress with 160+ ping.

Magikarp: ProMode Admins 3-0
xero: ProMode Admins 3-0

fitemeIRL vs. GetServed [ Bets ] -- May 13 @ 18:00 CDT xerosawyer.

Magikarp: fitemeIRL did well to win last week’s matches, although the ping difference did take a bit of an impact. Unfortunately for GetServed, their match against MANGIERIS will be their only match win. fitemeIRL has experienced strong players who have been practicing each week. I have yet to see or notice GetServed practice as P$tache barely shows up. If they want to take a map, they need to practice a lot more before their match.

xero: Another very close series, where both teams need to secure a victory to ensure a play-off berth. Both of these teams were able to secure 3-0 victories versus MANGERIS, and both were soundly defeated by PMA 3-0. Now facing each other we'll get to see what they're really made of. The boys in fitemeIRL have appropriate level of skill, and experience to take this series, however ArticRevrus and Pi$tache won't be a couple to take lightly.

Magikarp: fitemeIRL 3-0
xero: fitemeIRL 2-1

Americas -- Group D

Period vs. Trump Walls [ Bets ] -- TBA.

Magikarp: With just Kwong-Lo or even only dys’ strength alone, it is more than enough to take down Trump Walls unfortunately as they freddiaN and kaskade are still beginners. Although kaskade does have some nice aim, his recklessness and rushing in is what causes him to lose games. Even if they give it their all, I don’t think they can take a map off of Period.

xero: Trump Walls have done quite well to make this far, the North America/European mix are both quite new players going up against teams with considerably more experience. They need to just relax, and heavily emphasize item control to stand a chance in this match up. PERIOD have coasted through their first two games, although they had a bit of a scare in Week 1 versus teotl. It's unclear just how much gellehsak we will get to see, but dys has provided enough support to Kwong-Lo to ensure that they are six for six in map to this point. They just need to keep doing what they've done up to now and that just to frag out..

Magikarp: Period 3-0
xero: Period 3-0

teotl vs. RuN [ Bets ] -- TBA.

Magikarp: This is definitely a difficult match to predict. Both teams are strong in their own way and can be quite even in their own sort of play-style. Teotl is a team that definitely shows up to items and attempts to try to gain control compared to RuN. With teotl practicing, and playing CPMA much more actively, the match is tilting in their favor. But it’s definitely possible for RuN to be able to take down teotl with their Quake experience and aim. If they want to take the whole game, they will need to practice more.

xero: Our final game this week again features two teams heavily battling it out for a play-off spot. I think the guys at RuN might be a bit disappointed with the performance last week versus PERIOD because DankJr and Rigg5 both have the skills needed to be challenging for first place in their group, but the lack of practice in combination with real life issues have not afforded them the opportunity. They will up against a feisty pair of Mexican Promoders, who have demonstrated great skill up to now. teotl will once again be playing with a ping disadvantage but forest is slowly climbing up the skill ranks, and he might be the difference maker this series.

Magikarp: teotl 2-1
xero: teotl 2-1