Introduction and Week 2 Summary

As week three rolls around, I will be looking back at last weeks MOTW, as well as analyzing this week's key games. I will be including rosters this week and perhaps next, since most people aren't familiar with the names of open players. To start it off, let's see how last week went down.

In last week's MOTW, I predicted that Barcode-HL would 2-0 Sifety, but boy was I wrong. In what I consider to be a huge upset, Sifety dominated the match, showing strength in both their combo and flank. But why did this happen? Why did such a strong team on paper lose, without making it close? My answer: lack of scrims. Barcode-HL may be a strong 6's team at its core, but they don't scrim Highlander. This goes to show that knowledge of map can be vital in any match. I may continue giving Barcode-HL the edge on common 6's maps, but they've shown that highlander isn't their priority. I say all this, but I don't mean to take away from Sifety's win. They played some of the best highlander I've seen from the team, and further secured their spot as a playoff contender. Their Heavy and Demo certainly stood out as gamechangers.

Week 3

Week three's map is koth_ashville_rc1. Another koth map where damage comes first, and coordination and positioning can take the back seat. Due to the notorious open nature of the capture point, soldiers and demos are set up to pound. Snipers, as per usual, also have a fairly strong positions and sight lines, allowing easy picks of an unaware team. In this week’s matchups, I'm looking for soldiers to capitalize on movement, get med picks, and disrupt the enemy team. Due to the nature of the map, pyros and heavies will need their eyes on the skies, protecting their med rather than focusing on damage output.

Matchups

Brief info about each of the match-ups within the top 8 teams. I don't have Lineups posted here, but they are available in the Spreadsheet made by Thyme.

Match of the Week

el Deguello vs. Late Night Legends

This week's Match of the Week sets two teams vying for a top three spot on the leaderboard. Both teams won off of forfeits week one, but el Deguello was able to pull off the 3-0 (point value) win last week. Due to their dps output, I see el Deguello as a stronger team overall, and I'm giving them the win.
Prediction: 4-1 el Deguello

Sifety vs. Team

The top two teams facing off should always be a good game. Since both are undefeated with two 3-0 (match point) wins, the winner of the match is almost guaranteed to have the top spot going into week 4. I expect a somewhat close game, and either team could pull out the win.
Prediction: 4-2 Sifety

CompmanPlayers vs. Barcode-HL

Barcode suffered a hard loss last week, which I largely attributed to their lack of playtime on the map. I don't see Barcode-HL starting to scrim anytime soon, so I doubt they could get a clean win this week. However this team's DM is really, really good, for the amount they scrim. CompmanPlayers should be a good opponent for them, as they have pretty consistent scrims, and a decent looking roster.
Prediction: 4-1 Barcode-HL

The Garage Band vs. Ringers

I see this match going either way, and this was one of the hardest predictions to make. Open in general can have upsets at anytime, but two teams without very good performances the first two weeks makes it difficult to asses strong players. I'll give this win to The Garage Band, as they have some more time together as a team.
Prediction: 4-2 The Garage Band

Power Rankings

Although I didn't do power rankings last week due to lack of time, I figured I'd get it started off this week. Since there are so many teams, I will only do my top 5 teams this week. As playoffs approach, I'll be expanding the list further.
All opinions are my own, unless stated otherwise.

1. Sifety

I give Sifety the number one spot this week very hesitantly. Although they showed dominance last week, their opponent was severely under prepared. However, a team gaining momentum and synergy is a force to be reckoned with. With all this in mind, I consider ranks 1-3 interchangeable as of now.

2. team

Team has had a strong start with a pair of 3-0 (point value) wins. They sit in a tight race for first on my power rankings. A win in their matchup this week against Sifety would be a huge boost to morale, and put them in first place for ranking.

3. el Deguello

A team that showed dominance last week, I give them the number three spot on this weeks power rankings. Week one they earned a forfeit win, but I believe they would have one that match handily. Their roster is a bit shaky at the moment, with only 10 rostered players. Seeing them solidify a lineup will definitely help them in the long run. Again, I'd like to reiterate that I believe the top three teams could be placed in any of the top spot, this week will show who really deserves number one in my rankings.

4. Barcode-HL

Although they suffered a defeat last week, I put Barcode-HL in the number four spot due to this week's map. Simply, Ashville is a pretty damage heavy map, and Barcode-HL's ability to output damage is strong. I would really love to see this team scrim more (as in ONCE), it would certainly improve their gameplay.

5. CompmanPlayers

I put CopmanPlayers in at number five, because unlike Late Night Legends, they don't have a forfeit win. They took a loss week one but it was hard fought. Although one of the weaker teams in my top 5, seeing how they improve throughout the season will be interesting from an observational perspective.