The eight week exhibition process has come to a close and we get set for another precidented and exciting playoffs. Six of the top teams in North America will get a chance to battle it out for $10,000 in cash. One change made was this season and it was the addition of four more teams allowed to compete in the professional division. Ten of the sixteen teams were recruited from the placement event to get a chance to play with other top players in the league.

Two of the six teams are still in their debut season and know this is their shot to prove to the nation how well they stack up with the rest of the competition. Turmoil leads the pack for a second straight season going into playoffs but this time without an undefeated record. Trailing behind them is Mug N' Mouse and eMazing Gaming, who was the runner-up for Season 6; currently a seed higher then last season.

For a third season in a row, CEVO has had at least one team go inactive or die after it begins; thus resulting in many forfeits being issued to the opposing teams. This hurt the chance of moving up durastically as CPI was the key into deciding who moves on and who stays. A numerous ammount of rescheduling led to forfeits at the end of season since the matches didn't get played.

Turmoil

Matt "PaTyoJoN" Iantosca
Derrick "impulsivE" Truong
Ediz "goodfornothing" Basol
Jordan "n0thing" Gilbert
Dan "mehLer" Mehler

PaTyoJoN and company are making their way into the first seed again following last season going into playoffs. Although, they were unable to repeat another undefeated season as Mug N' Mouse picked up a win in Week 7 on de_train. The guys will want to make up for last seasons performance in playoffs as they were quickly eliminated on the first day.

The addition of Jordan "n0thing" Gilbert really helped solidify the teams chemistry and teamwork throughout. A well rounded player who can just play with about anyone you sit him with. During the Buy.com 2007 LAN, X3O used him as a last minute ringer for the event and was able to achieve third place.

With eyes on attending CPL Winter, they could use the money and even the practice. Only five teams were able to get more then ten rounds on Turmoil during the season which makes a big statement to the rest of the bunch. They may be the best team in the league, but certainly anything can happen. Those five matches were close calls and could of resulted either way. Hopefully they can work well under pressure this time around in playoffs.

Recent Results: 1st CEVO Pro Season 5, 1st KODE5 USA Regional Qualifiers, 3rd WCG USA 2007, 4th CEVO Pro Season 6

Prediction: Third. Judging from the past, the team is likely to fall just short once again but not after a strong performance. Last time they didn't even make finals but I'm sure this time around they are a bit more prepared.

Mug N' Mouse

Derek "holl@" Boorn
Travis "tMo" Bechtol
Daniel "MuMiX" Mott
Brian "gosu" Longhofer
Josh "punkville" Dacus

Last season, they finished out third in CEVO Semi Professional; now they are a LAN based team once again. The Texans are sitting comfortably heading into the weekend with a BYE and the #2 seed. Ironic enough, the team didn't even have a fifth announced before the season started and now they are a top contender.

Originally David "savi0r" Park was selected to be the fifth for the group. Three weeks ago, they decided to keep the team originated in the same area to attend tournaments and practice. Josh "punkville" Dacus was then picked up by the team and even defeated SLP in his debut match. His success also brought them Turmoil's only loss.

Inferno will be the home of their first playoff match come Saturday and has also shown to be a weakness for them as well. One of which is a close loss to eMazing Gaming in Week 3. If MnM is able to win their first round match, they will ironically face eMazing Gaming once again on de_inferno to stir things up some more.

Recent Results: 3rd CEVO Semi Pro Season 6

Prediction: Second. Certainly capable of beating every team in the league, the amount of pressure will fall into play as they have not been in this position before. The switch to making themselves local will need to benefit here as they can communicate well if they are LAN.