Robert "Sp0rk" Hull (Ninjas with Puppies) and Ryan "platypus" Hodgson (Did That Hurt?) join us in analyzing this week's pre-season matches for the newly reinstated CAL Invite division. NoGo Gaming Faction gets a BYE this week. The week's map is dod_saints.
CAL Invite Season 18 // Preseason Week // Saints
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Platypus's Prediction: BnG by 30
This is a match of old invite(Main LOL) vs. this new DA team that has seem to come out of no where. BNG team will dominate the main bridge sending dyeLife, arn, and que, I don’t see Da having a chance with whatever they send. DA’s only chance to be able to hold off the force of BNG on main bridge would be for Aust to have the game of his life wit acs on. On the side bridge I see Stevie using experience to out play whatever DA sends to be able to move up and gain points from tank/car. DA can keep the game close by playing conservely and practicing through this week. Players to watch – Arn, Que, dyel!fe, austizzle
Sp0rk's Prediction: BnG by 80
Austizzle’s never-miss-a-shot sniping will be put to the test against Que?’s experience and fast thinking on the bridge of saints, and he’ll need help from body and Dyelife to contain ao and analog , so I think the most important part of this match with be for BnG’s heavies to take broken bridge to suppress the never-miss firepower of DA’s rifles, which is easier said than done because anesthesia seems to get better every time I play him. BnG’s teamwork and excellent calling should prevail on this map. Players to watch: Que, Austizzle, anesthesia, dyelife’s “I don’t 90 people” garand
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Platypus's Prediction: TAP by 40+
Again we have a team who has been around the game for awhile and have seem to always bring the best they got when it comes to matches no matter their lack of practicing. NPG are the new kids on the block, by block I mean dirt streets of south America. Having not seen tap practice too much this season, I suspect they will have np, doc/ham and the little asian wonder vasily man handling bridge. Not knowing anything about the wonders from down under, theironly chance is to be unhittable to throw off vasily and someone get bridge. Broken bridge will be held down by mission no problem and be able to get a constant push to the 4th flag no problem. I heard storm on NPG was good so he might do something.. probably not. Players to watch – Vasily, mission, np, storm?
Sp0rk's Prediction: nPg by 1 cap
Last season’s Main champs face off against the Open champs in a match I’ve been wanting to see for quite sometime. Not sure what exactly is going with TAP’s roster, as they had enough players for two teams last season, and many of their players have moved on i.e. odm to irawr and scangus who is still on Sweet, Hotwings & Beer’s roster from Invite-Placement. They shouldn’t have a problem getting 6 though, but I have an odd feeling nick patten will be whipping out the mg for this map, and hopefully vasily can contain nPg’s star rifle Bitch-X as this will probably be the best match of the week. nPg’s active past weeks will oust a TAP team that hasn’t seen match action since last season’s finals. Players to watch: Bitch-X, vasily
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Platypus's Prediction: Thunder by 20
This will probably be the match of the week as LGN is a big group of manlovers, and no one would want to watch their match anyways. OT has a solid roster finally this season after some struggles in preseason it seems like they have got their act together and have done it in a very talented manner. AyeBayBay(<3) is a group of solid main players bringing their talents together to gain teamwork and show that they can hold their own in I. OT will bring a strong field of players to the table, seeing jaggon on the sniper, mexicant and tox on the main rifles, probably polak on the third and spec and ryanemo heavying. AyeBayBay will counter with, stealth on the sniper, p1rate and lockdown/fluxx on the rifles, and hatmaker and fattymcfatnewpanda on the heavies. Depending on the amount of practice each team puts in for this defense heavy map, it will come down to the wire with whatever team is on their game winning. OT will take advantage bridge side, even with p1rate and lockdown doing what they can to hold off the solid tox and mexicant, stealth vs jaggon is always a great showdown and broken bridge will be just as entertaining. Players to watch – Tox, Jaggon, Stealth, BNP, P1rate, Mexicant, Spec, RyanEmo, Kyle the man Lockdown
Sp0rk's Prediction: Thunder by 1.5 caps
Two of DoD’s cutest teams face off this week, and Christian hatmaker’s play has never been better since getting a new computer before this season. The difference here will probably be JaGGoN pulling some idea out of his ass and fr4gging somewhere totally unexpectedly, and ryanemo will probably pull off some stupid bar snipes in a match that hopefully won’t be too harsh on AYE, but they’ll no doubt be scrimming hard, as many players are constantly questioning if they really belong in Invite. If I were OT I wouldn’t take this match too lightly; AYE’s got something to prove. Players to watch: ryanemo’s allied half, JaGGoN, prop’s ridiculous garand on bridge, Christian’s kar
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Platypus's Prediction: Jetty by 1+ caps
This will be the showdown of proven legit amazingness vs. unproven smelly amazingness. Jetty has been around as a team for the past seasons with virtually the same plpayers competing in CALi and the past LAN Tourneys(w2z and x3o). The team is a great group of friends that mash together perfectly on the battlefield and constantly amazes the community with their on going accomplishments. LGN on the other hand, started by the man with no life and ugly kids(Dave), has been known for talking way to much shit to everyone in a way they could never do in their shitty real lives. Not seeing this jetty team play at all this season or scrimming, I’ll guess they will come up with hisey on the sniper, the constantly ringing joeyharter28 on rifle along with surge, and jgale/bleargh(maybe?) and the always fun to watch RivOyster, and cableguy heavying. LGN will throw out illusion solely on bridge to use his amazing hairstyles to throw off the talent of jetty, and allow the other uglies to cap bridge. Riv and cableguy will take out smellydabolina(smelliest kid on lan ever) and whoever his partner is. LGN practices constantly to back up their shit talking with actually victories and they will probably do it even more this week to try to stay up with jetty. Jetty will take this out of raw talent and seasons of natural teamwork. Players to watch – Hisey, 28, surge, illusion, RiverOyster
Sp0rk's Prediction: Jetty by 20
I’m very surprised Legion hasn’t made Gotfrag threads yet about cypher’s suspension, but I’m sure this will spark it, as he is suspended until Thursday, not sure if that will lift on Thursday, or on Friday, which makes me wonder if JETTY will try and postpone the match to give them that advantage. That being said, they are also without the DeRueda brothers, which I was under the impression they’d be obtaining by the time the season started, so depending on when cypher’s suspension is up, I imagine the roster will either look like: cypher-snipe kellenoyster,buzzbee-heavy and then they have a plethora of players to choose from to rifle. If cypher isn’t unbanned, then hisey will probably snipe, but I’m not sure it will really matter unless they put in scrim time against a team that has been rolling through since losing the main finals to TAP last season. Illusion’s unflawed rifling next to mistadobalina has brought Legion to Invite, and you can guarantee they’ll be doing all they can to stay there. Fallen’s sniping won’t hold up against cypher/hisey, but the rest of JETTY will need their A-game to compete with the other 5 of Legion. Players to watch: cypher/Hisey (whichever snipes), Illusion
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