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
There has been some activity in this group but still a ton to be decided. Of the 6 total sets 5 of them have involved Roy and he's already finished with a 4-1 record and as a result is one of the earliest players in the competition to clinch a playoff spot. Marco and Dan each have a set win so far and look to be in the best positions. Jesse and Hope definitely still have time to turn it around and no one would be surprised to see last season's finalist Scott, win his last 3 to grab a playoff spot.
Two key sets to watch:
dwaechte vs scott22883 - This is a rematch of the finals from last season and it would be great
to see how they'd match up again. Scott wasn't happy with his play and will be looking to get some
revenge. Dan still has lots of work left to make playoffs and this is a must win for Scott
to avoid his third loss.
c.marcoo vs jmunoz3rd - Still lots of pool left to play for these two players but this set will
be key as to determining who is going to make the playoffs. A win here for Marco would increase
his odds for sneaking into the playoffs quite a bit. Remains to be seen what level Jesse is playing
but he'll know this is a key set to turning his season into a success.
Group B
This group hasn't seen a ton of action and not too much has been decided yet. Mike is actually participating in the competition this time around and that seems to have helped him out as he's raced out to a 4-0 start including a win against Kevin. The only other player with a win so far in the group is Nish and he's stitting with an 1-1 record. Kevin and Luis each have one loss apiece and are by no means out of the playoff hunt. If Kevin manages to complete his sets he'll be favoured to come in second at this point. David is off to a slow start with two losses but he's found a way to win his must win sets in the past. Dante is a new addition to the group and should like his chances to crack the top 3 if he can track down his opponents.
Two key sets to watch:
lncognegro vs _dante - Should be one of the more entertaining sets remaining in the competition. Mike has had a great deal of success so far and is looking to join the leading group that have already finished with perfect records. Dante is no slouch and should put up more of a fight than Kevin did at least. He's had some great results in comps lately and seems to be playing at a pretty high level. A win here would go a long way towards helping out Dante's playoff hopes.
l3_lvl_x vs sixohtwo - Even though the odds of this set even getting played aren't the highest, for me anyways, it's one that could prove to be fairly entertaining. Kevin at the moment is sitting at 0-1 and will probably be doing his best to not lose any more sets if he even chooses to play. David tends to be the kind of player who raises his game against better players and we've seen him knock off great players while pushing others in close losses. Should be fun to watch.
Group C
These guys were clearly dying for a cam comp as most of the sets have already been played after just a week. Everyone knew Mike was good but not sure if the 5-0 was expected by everyone. He's won the group already and has secured a top seed in the playoffs to go along with it. Todd pretty much has clinched second place after handing Pita a 3rd loss. He's got one set left to play and it's currently in limbo with him leading 4-0. Pita has already completed his sets and only managed 2 wins this season. He'll need a little luck but a tie for 3rd looks quite possible and his win % is ok. Matt and JD each have a win but can't afford to lose again. Brent has no set wins again but if he can knock off both JD and Matt his odds are pretty good.
Two key sets to watch:
Oh My God! vs sykology - Aside from JD's loss 1-8 loss against Mike the season has been all close sets. Brent appears to be reeling and could continue that slide here against a desperate JD. A loss would definitely take JD out of the playoffs as he'd fall behind Pita while Brent still has a chance to join in the 2 win tie with a victory here.
sykology vs Xx_Different_Class_xX - This should be a pretty interesting set as Matt is coming off a close loss to Todd which has made this set a must win for both players. Brent needs to win both of his remaining sets and should be favoured if the old Brent shows up, but the Brent we've seen recently will probably play this one pretty close and there's no telling who will come out on top.
Group D(Dante)
It seems like this group has been pretty quiet. With only four sets played out so far, Jon leads the group by winning close sets to Derrick and Michael, right before getting blown out by Scotty. Scotty boy has been playing outstanding lately, much like his old self. His birthday is coming up, and I know he asked mother for a new era cam title. Sadly, momma can't buy it for you, so he's out to win it himself. No one expected that 8-1 ass kicking he gave Jon. Mina coming in the group as a fresh, new ball player. Can he take out Scott's hyped up game? Or will Jon destroy Mina before Mina has a chance to show Scott how replacements work around here. Could be exciting. Derrick and Lewis are in desperate needs of a strong victory.
Two key sets to watch:
xlx_s_p_g_xlx vs pr0.g0dly - Mina's jumping in as a replacement ready to show these boys something they never saw coming. Scotty is sitting at 1-0, confident as ever, ready to obliviate anything in his path. Scotty hasn't really been challenged yet since his set with Jon was a blowout, so this set will be the one to look for.
Lewissss vs o0o_PoolMaster_o0o - Both sitting 0-1 and in desperate needs of a win. Derrick lost a pretty close tough set to Jon, and Lewis lost a nice set to Michael. Whoever wins this set will probably be in a good fight against Mina for the 3rd playoff spot in the group. I expect both players giving it their all to get back in this competition and head to playoffs.
Group E
So far the players who have played have been really active. And those who haven't have been especially inactive. That all comes to a close as replacements have been added into the group to shake things up a bit. Rocky, Stephen (l1_stephen_1), and Trav are all sitting in a nice position with very similar 2-1 records. They've all taken turns beating each other as well as the other Stephen (daknight_4u) who is sitting with an 0-3 record. Out go Adam and Derek and in their place Stu and Safdar have been added. Stu becomes the instant favourite in this group as he consistently plays at a high level no matter how long the layoff, while Saf might not have the easiest time in this group but does have what it takes to get some wins.
zl_stu_lz vs _fAllOut - Anytime Stu enters a competition he becomes one of the favourites to take the whole thing home. Before he was added to this group Trav was probably the favourite to come out on top, so this should be an interesting set to see who will get that top spot distinction. Last time these two played in this competition was in the playoffs where Trav actually knocked off Stu.
l2_o_c_k_y vs safdarbandali - This should be a pretty entertaining set as well as going a long way towards determining playoff positioning. Rocky is definitely a great player but Saf is probably going to be looking towards this as being a set he should win as the competition in the group is very challenging. Rocky's other remaining set is against Stu so this one will be important for him too. Both players play a fairly similar style, it should come down to who is completing their runs.
Group F
Not a whole lot of action to discuss here and quite frankly who really know how much more action there is yet to come. So far Jordy leads the group at 2-0 after picking up a close win against AJ to go along with Bren quitting on game 3. Steve and Sukio are both sitting at 1-0 after each picking up a win against AJ. AJ himself managed to have a set given to him by Bren after only playing 2 games. So at the moment really not a lot has been decided besides the fact that Bren doesn't look like he's going to finish his sets. Joey doesn't seem to be able to figure out where any of these people are but he's still a favourite for a playoff spot if he ever does find people.
witheaze vs qierk - This should be the highlight of the remaining sets in this group. Both players managed to crack the preseason top 10 in the competition so they should be expected to be in the playoffs. Jordy hasn't really been challenged yet and Joey should be just the guy to give him a run or his money. Both guys do consistently play at a high level and there should be some pretty good shotmaking in this set.
mvp_n00b vs SQUIB___ - This one isn't all that easy to break down because both of these players have only beaten AJ so far so what does that really mean right? Sukio isn't really a player I've personally seen much of but he's on a pretty strong run in YPM after just recently knocking off Kevin in the playoffs. We'll see if that translates into consistency in this competition for the remainder of his sets. Steve can either play really well or poorly.... or not at all. If a good Steve shows up then should be a good set.
Group G
Probably the most active group ever in this competition before the first set deadline as there are only 2 sets left to be played within this group. Alex has been the story of the group has he's already clinched first after dominating, winning 80% of his games. The best Ant can hope for at this point is second place but he's also enjoying a good season and has also clinched a playoff spot already. Craig has done fairly well sitting at a 2-2 record and at the moment has the best chance at 3rd. JT and Brian are still alive but they do happen to play each other with the loser being eliminated from contention. Cam was the odd man out in this tough group finishing at 1-4.
Two key sets to watch:
R_ook vs spc_shogun - JT claims he's retired from pool after his most recent set loss. It seems like poor timing and that a comeback might be in order considering there is still one more chance to make the playoffs. The winner of this set has a great chance at being tied for 3rd in the group which would at the very least garner a w/c spot.
manutd_ vs lxl_blaze_lxl - Both of these guys should have a good chance at making the playoffs win or lose in this set but it does still have an impact on the group. A win for Craig would put him into second place in the group and possibly get him a decent playoff seed. Ant isn't the type to really take it easy on anyone so look for his usual strong play as he'll also like to grab a top seed.
NEW GROUP
Group H
sicc.stoned - Well Derek had a tough break. This was the first time the first set deadline was actually super strict because I happened to be awake the next morning. He finally got a set in but it was too late and his win vs Rocky did not count. Would have been a great way to start the competition... instead he's now stuck in an even tougher group than before. Hopefully that win vs Rocky is a sign of more good things to come but will be tough to finish top 3 with this group.
trios.return - Well Trio is back playing in comps again. Well until some silly incident makes him unbearable in sets too. Trio is a pretty decent player, not nearly as good as he thinks he is. Definitely knows how to safety but has stuck mostly to going for bad runs lately. In this group Trio could win a couple sets tops but probably not much of a chance at the playoffs.
X_STRIKE_X - Andy has always done well in the group stage of this competition before. Usually a guy we see getting a decent seed on the way into the playoffs. One of the more skilled players around still. In this group it's no cakewalk as there's some real top end talent. Andy's season might come down to whether or not he can beat out Uriel for 3rd place.
c-b - Not really a player we've seen much of in competitions lately. Always a threat to win any competition when he's on form. Haven't been overly impressed from games that I've seen lately but they weren't always the most competitive formats. Conor gets the benefit of the doubt and if he plays his sets he'll challenge for top spot in the group.
xxl_concrete_coma_lxx - Back from the dead, Coma has been playing in a lot of competitions lately and has been doing very well. He hasn't gone so far as to actually win anything yet but there are a lot of other good players out there. Should be an interesting test to see if he can maintain the high level of play against this level of competition. From what I've seen he's one of the better players around right now and should be fighting with Conor for top spot.
PRO_BOY - Uriel is often a forgotten man but he should never be taken lightly. Hasn't been in this competition in quite a while. He has won smaller competitions before and those wins have come against pretty good competition. Uriel is probably going to be on the playoff bubble here in this group but he'll be a tough guy to beat and always plays hard through the whole set.
Pecking Order - 1.Coma 2.Conor 3.Andy 4.Uriel 5.Derek 6.Trio
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