has happened already. This blog is intended to go over what we've seen so far and what to expect
through the last two weeks of play.
Group A
Some of the sets have been played here but we're far from finished sorting out who will finish where. Moonie has to be considered the surprise player of the group as she's knocked off Kerry and Ashton already and sits at 3-1. Despite the one loss, Ashton hasn't disappointed so far, and sits in second currently with a 2 wins. Chad is the other player in the group with a win through two sets played while Kerry and Mangesh are still looking for points. Trippy has been added to the group as a new player and it remains to be seen what kind of an impact he'll have on the playoff hunt, if any.
Two key sets to watch:
KrazyKerry vs hustle - This set is pretty important for both players but definitely a little more important for Kerry. Right now she's already picked up two early losses and a third one would put her in a bad position for advancing to the playoffs. Chad still has a chance to come in first place in the group and is favoured in all his remaining sets but this is the one that should be the most evenly matched. If there was one for Chad to lose this would be it so look for a good set.
sin-e vs Captain_Trippy - Well it comes as no surprise that Ashton is included in this section as he's one of the top players in div B this season. The one who calls himself Trippy is a bit of a wild card, in that we're not really too sure what to expect. Personally I'm expecting a big win here from Ash but in a best of 9... who knows.
Group B
B stands for Drama in this case in the biggest soap opera of a group. Nothing like a little controversy to spice things up. When the dust settled Sergio is leading the group at 4-0 and has clinched a playoff spot. Koty looks to be en route to finishing in second place with 3 wins and having already lost to Sergio. Dan looks to be in a pretty good spot with two more chances to pick up a 3rd win in the group to punch his ticket to the playoffs. Adam has an outside chance with 2 sets left to play and Sterlo has finished all his sets and will be praying that 2 wins will be enough in this group.
Two key sets to watch:
Trust_in_me vs o0_koty_0o - Dan was fairly unknown coming into the competition but has done well so far after knocking off a pretty strong player in Sterlo and getting helped out with a dq. Koty needs a win here to secure a high seed for the playoffs but he's pretty much in the playoffs already. Might be a situation where we see Dan needing it more and coming out with a little extra energy.
dr_papsmear_at_your_cervix vs Sergi_Boca - Two guys on opposite ends of the standings right here. Adam is still alive after a little help from the DQ but will need to bring his best game here against Sergio who can play very well. Adam definitely can play well too, and that combined with a possible let down from Sergio should provide a pretty competitive set.
Group C
Lots of action to discuss here as more than half of the sets have been played already. Right now the most impressive in the group is Jan as he's raced out to a 3-0 start with wins coming against JJ and Carl. JJ and Carl happen to be the guys tied for second right now as they're both on 6 points. Carl has the edge in that tie as he's already beaten JJ and has two sets left to play. Niks doesn't seem to be in a huge rush with getting his sets played as he's only played the one but it did result in a win. Maria also has a win but also has two losses to go along with it and can't afford to lose again. Praveen who was once a playoff player in the competition is already out of contention with 4 early losses.
Two key sets to watch:
x_zanik_x vs Mr_Goodman - The only two players with no set losses yet, one will have to lose in this matchup. Jan is looking to be in good form with his quick start while winning over 75% of his games. Niks is tough to predict sometimes but he did manage to win last season's title and is used to getting matched up against good players. Should be pretty close and yet another good test for Niks.
BL4ME vs Your_Sweetest_Angel_Girl - Two players who weren't exactly picked to do all that great in the group stage still have a chance. Well Carl has more than a chance with his 2 early wins but this should be an important set for him as his only other one comes against Niks. This should be his best chance at getting that 3rd win. On the other hand Maria seems to be playing pretty well lately despite her poor record. Should see a pretty competitive set here with both players fighting to stay alive.
Group D
So... only 3 sets have been played here so what have we learned? Tim appears to be better than expected after an 8-1 win against DJ. Josh might be a pretty good replacement after also beating DJ handily. And DJ despite his two losses is still good getting a win against a pretty good player in Jon. Two replacements have been made to put Josh and Colby into the group. Katrina hasn't played yet but is expected to start playing her sets for the remainder of the comp.
Two key sets to watch:
xXx_TruPlayer_xXx vs handkrash - Two players who are definitely unknowns within this competition and I wasn't really able to find anything on these guys anywhere else but both have come up with big wins already in this group. This could be a set to see who will win the group and it's pretty hard to say considering all the other sets still left to complete.
dead.bang vs handkrash - Tim already showed that he should be taken seriously after beating DJ, but can he do the same thing to the other favourite in the group? Haven't really seen too much of Jon lately so he might not be on top of his game consistently anyways. Jon still can be a very tough player if you catch him on the right day as long as he limits his bad mistakes should be an interesting set.
Group E
This group has an average number of sets played so far and two players have have raced out to pretty big point leads. Mike is the early leader on the strength of a victory against Naveen that's included in his 3-0 record. He should be in a good position to go 5-0. Naveen also has 9 points with a set left to play and looks to be a good bet for second place. That's where things get a little fuzzy. Alix, Jordan and Rahul have all been playoff players in the past but who is going to step up this time. Rahul hasn't started playing yet as he was added to replace Graeme but not sure how much he's been playing lately. Gary is still in the picture too but needs to start winning.
uBlowMe vs oh.alix - Most would say that Mike is a pretty clear favourite in this set but it would be wise to take Alix seriously. While Alix doesn't always impress with her strategy she does have a knack for shooting pretty well and has some english skill. If Mike is having trouble finishing look for Alix to take advantage and at least keep things close.
JordanPunk vs oh.alix - The winner of this set I think has the best chance of outright clinching the 3rd spot in the standings. Jordan is a guy who doesn't back down from any competition and he should have good expectations going into this set. If Alix still plays as well as she used to then we should see a pretty good set from two underrated players.
Group F
Through one of three weeks this group has completed one third of it's sets... so nice pace! (Ideal for spreading out the joy of sets evenly) So not a whole lot has been decided but a couple interesting things have happened already. Chad is looking like a world beater after knocking off Tino 8-1 as well as the same score in his other set vs Meg. He has the early lead at 6 points. Tino and Meg each have 3 points and are at 1-1 records. While Chris is only 1-2 his one win did come against Brad which is a pretty good win. Brad's only set so far was that loss but look for him to turn it around in the remainder of the competition. Amy has been replaced by Tyler and that should be a welcome sight for the rest of the group.
Two key sets to watch:
cyberinferno1 vs Punk_Lobster - Not a must win yet by any means for these players but Brad definitely won't want to pick up a second loss especially if this is the next one he plays. Chad has done very well so far and must be shooting pretty well. Brad is definitely one of the better shooters in the competition and I don't see him getting blown out in this matchup.
TlNO_NICA vs Megzzz - So far Meg and Tino have identical stats but that's about to change soon. Tino is going to be a pretty heavy favourite going into this set but his big loss to Chad can't really say very good things about how he's playing at the moment. On the other hand Meg will be playing with no pressure and has already surpassed expectations with her win against Chris. This could end up being pretty close.
Group G
A handful of sets have been played so far in this set with the favourites mostly getting in their sets against each other early. And what have we learned so far from these crucial sets? Not a whole lot... Brice, Bryan and Eddie each went 1-1 against each other and they still all sit at one loss. They'll be favoured in the rest of their sets but we'll see who actually carries it out. Brice has 9 points and leads so far, Eddie has 6 points and Bryan has 3. Yousif only has one loss but looked really shakey in his one set. Jenna isn't out of it yet but definitely could use a win to get back into the race. Dima is a bit of a dark horse and could surprise a couple of the leaders but she's yet to play.
Two key sets to watch:
ravenchild_ vs MyLove_5 - This should be a pretty interesting set. We've seen different sides of Brice where he's done well but also at times can look pretty shaky. Dima is a pretty good shooter and while there aren't a whole lot of dimensions to her game she'll be able to take advantage of mistakes, especially late in games. Also Brice might let up a bit knowing he's already got his 3 wins but hopefully we see some good pool and a close set.
lol_lmfao_rofl vs dream__diva - Jenna has changed up the ID and hopefully that will change her fortunes in this season. This set is pretty important for both players as Bryan needs it to solidify his playoff campaign while Jenna needs it to stay alive. Jenna has won sets before but this might be considered her biggest upset if she can pull it off. Bryan can be good but isn't always consistent and that opens up the door even if it's just a little for a potential upset.
NEW GROUP
Group H
HawaiiBlazer - Well I hate to do this but this is a player that I was able to find zero info on. He's been drawn into a group with a few good players so we'll see how he measures up.
fsd_sn00k - Another player that I don't have too much info on but Brice says he's good and legit. Not exactly sure what that means but I tried to avoid any follow up questions. An ID that sort of looks familiar but I couldn't find him in any other competitions.
__thaman__ - Should be a player to watch. Hopefully not for all the wrong reasons. He's shown that he can be decent in competitions before. Might have a chance at the playoffs.
UN_NATURAL - Trey always does well in the div B group stage and this season should be no different. There might be some surprises in this group as there seem to be a few unknowns but Trey should still have no trouble getting at least 3 wins to qualify for the playoffs.
chill.l3abe - Jenni hasn't been playing as much lately and that's probably not the best thing for her game. She had been a contender for a playoff spot in seasons past but she hasn't been quite as interested lately. Depending on what level the rest of the group is at she'll probably need to play pretty well to get in.
eagles05856 - This guy isn't a first time player in competitions. I was pretty confused but someone linked me to this random competition that I'd never heard of to show to me that Steven had won something before. So I guess that's cool but the level of competition there is debatable. Sky is the limit though could be a boom or bust.
Pecking Order - 1.Trey 2.Greg 3.Steven 4.Thomas 5.Jenni 6.Kevin
Pecking Order - 1.Trey 2.Greg 3.Steven 4.Thomas 5.Jenni 6.Kevin
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