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Open Week 3 Review and week 4 Preview

RGL-Amateur

   Godfather   - 9/29/2018

Introduction


Note from the Author
With week four fast approaching, we are past halfway through the first regular season of RGL HL! Congratulations to everyone who has made this possible, and to all the teams and players who have supported this league. I have truly enjoyed my time writing for Open division, with no plans to stop anytime soon. In fact, there is a chance (no promises!) that I’ll be able to compile all open players’ logs into a s1 spreadsheet, which would be a cool way to finish up the season. More on that later!

Miscellaneous News
Welcome back to Brendan Fraser, who will be rejoining Open after rostering issues at the beginning of the season. I’d love to see them play for the last 1.4 points of their forfeited week 1 match.
Perhaps the biggest news coming out this week is the highly sought-after roster cap expansion. Teams are now able to roster up to 18 players! Go get your subs!

Week 3 Review


Week 3 wrapped up with four 3-0 pv (point value) wins, and it seems we may have an early sense of what teams could be making the playoffs. Check Power Rankings for details.

el Deguello vs. Late Night Legends (MOTW)


El Deguello came out strong week 3 with a 4-0 win over Late Night Legends. I was hoping for a bit closer game, but with el Deguello out fragging LNL by 72 kills combined, there wasn’t much resistance. El Deguello’s flank played well, out damaging the opposing flank and keeping them away from Ezra on med. Ezra came out second half with the Vaccinator, a very interesting choice, which seemed to work well. Catfish on Spy found plenty of backs (30) and top damaged both halves. I had hoped for a closer match, but the real reason I had made this MOTW was to see if el Deguello was a truly formidable team. (psst, they are!)
Prediction: 4-1 el Deguello
Result: 4-0 el Deguello

Sifety vs. Team

Sifety held out with a strong win for the 3rd week in a row. Not much to say, except Danny-O is reliably putting out damage, and nobody’s stopping him.
Prediction: 4-2 Sifety
Result: 4-0 Sifety

CompmanPlayers vs. Barcode-HL

If you’re going to take anything away from Open week three, it should be fear Barcode-HL on Koth. CompmanPlayers rang two IM players, Kevbad and lolayne, but even with the added support, Barcode-HL’s dm reigned supreme.
Prediction: 4-1 Barcode-HL
Result: 4-0 Barcode-HL

The Garage Band vs. Ringers

The Garage Band took the win this week, and Ringers lived up to its name, ringing 3 people. The Garage Band made use of the kritzkreig in the second half, focusing more healing on the demo and securing the match.
Prediction: 4-2 The Garage Band
Result: 4-1 The Garage Band

God's Plan vs, My Dick Fell Off

No Prediction
Result: 4-0 God’s Plan

Farmers Only vs. Toasted Bagels

No Prediction
Results: 4-2 Farmers Only

Outstanding Players:

Rules: In order to receive the title of “Outstanding Player”, you must be rostered on a team or as a free agent in RGL Open HL. No ringers from higher divisions or outside or RGL will be considered.

Scout: Angent barcode-HL

Soldier: Nick el Deguello

Pyro: Dakka Team

Demoman: Danny-O Sifety
Honorable Mention: Juice, Barcode-HL

Heavy: AstronomyTwin The Garage Band

Engineer: DatDrop Barcode-HL

Medic: Hulk FarmersOnly

Sniper: MKJ previously on Toasted Bagels

Spy: Catfish el Deguello

Week 4 Matchups

Open week four will separate the strong from the weak. With a ton of excellent matches scheduled, the classic map pl_upward is the perfect mid-season map. I am looking for teams to show coordination and good positioning, especially if they usually rely on DM to secure a win. Knowing who to use uber on and when is important when attacking on pl_upward. For example, a pyro uber into third can cripple a team's hold, and allow for a very fast cap time if done well.

Sifety vs. el Deguello (MOTW)


Here we go, week 4 MOTW. Now, I’ll be the first to point out that both of these teams have been in a MOTW before, but now, more than ever, they deserve it. I honestly got excited when I realized this match-up was a possibility after week 2. These teams are both cruising through Open so far, and this match-up has a very high chance of a playoff rematch. Now, down to business. There is no doubt that both of these teams have talented players, but how a team works together is more important than raw damage output on any payload. Therefore, Danny-o’s remarkable dpm in past scrims and matches isn’t as threatening.
I asked leaders from both teams what their thoughts were on this match. I received responses such as "This is going to be our only close match of the season, and theirs too" and "Both teams are looking forward to [the match] in the sense that there's [sic] tensions."
After going back and forth in my mind about this all week, I'm giving the win to... Well I don't know yet. I'm watching both teams play in scrims later today (Saturday), so check back in on this article tonight.

Keys to the Win:

Sifety:
"Don't touch my spaghetti-o's": Sifety needs to play around danny-o's damage output, and protect him so he can get the job done.
"Release Valve": El Deguello will undoubtedly be putting pressure on Sifety's combo, which means Sifety's flank will and spy will have a slightly easier time getting around and hunting for picks. Use Danny-o as a distraction if you need to, and wreck havoc on El Deguello's defense.

El Deguello:
"Cherri-o": Eliminate the carry, and the team falls apart. If El Deguello's spy and combo can knock Danny-o out of the fight, their chances of taking a win go way up.
"Sticky Situations": Set cheeky traps, take risks to get the med down, do whatever it takes to mess with Sifety's mind. Once you do, exploit every advantage you get, If Sifety can't coordinate, El Deguello will win.

Prediction: 2-1 Sifety

Barcode-HL vs. Team

In this match-up, I’m looking for Barcode-HL to show they can win without being a koth map. Barcode-HL is team that refuses to scrim HL, which gives them a disadvantage in the long run, as they can’t always rely on damage output to win games. Team is coming off a hard loss from the team atop the league table. I'll give the win to Barcode-HL as they should know this map well from Prolander and will be able to set up some strong holds that I doubt Team can get through in time.
Prediction: 2-0 Barcode-HL

The Garage Band vs. God’s Plan

The Garage Band shows promise, and they have experienced players that know pl_upward.
Prediction: 2-0 The Garage Band

Farmers Only vs. CompmanPlayers

Going with the underdog on this one. Farmers Only hasn't gotten a clean win, or loss, yet this season. I don't see them getting one here either.
Prediction: 2-1 CompmanPlayers

Late Night Legends vs. Ringers

Late Night Legends needs a clean win to stay in the postseason picture, I think they'll come through with a victory due to the sense of urgency, but i don't think they'll get a 2-0.
Prediction: 2-1 Late Night Legends

My Dick Fell Off vs. Toasted Bagels

Still looking for their first match point, I think My Dick Fell off will come through with a win, but I don't see them holding Toasted Bagels off cleanly.
Prediction: 2-1 My Dick Fell Off

Brendan Fraser the RGL Team vs. Bye Week

We have Bye Weeks now! For those who don't know. teams receive a full 3-0 (pv) "win" against the bye week. Brendan Fraser should use this off week to really buff up their roster, including securing multiple missing mains.
Prediction: 38-7 New England Patriots

Power Rankings

Here we go, the highly anticipated power rankings going into week 4. As per usual, all opinions are my own, unless stated otherwise.

1. Sifety +/-0


Dominant team, undefeated so far, and they are arguably the best team in Open. I see this week as their only difficult match-up, and if they manage to get a clean win I see them being favored to win it all. Danny-o seems to be a bit of a carry, and I dislike any team play style that focuses on the strength of just one player.

2. El Deguello +1


I could easily put this team in the number one spot. Compared to Sifety, they have a much more balanced team skill wise. However, I think they’re at the slightest disadvantage this week, so they come in at a very close second on the Power Rankings.

3. Barcode-HL +1

This team may be taking highlander as a joke, and focusing on 6's, but that doesn't mean they're any less dominant than they are on paper. I pity the team that plays them week 5, but for now, they hold the number 3 spot.

4. The Garage Band Previously unranked

This team has room to grow with a relatively good roster. They still have a few kinks to work out in their gameplay, but they show promise as a fledgling team.

5. Team -3

I was hoping Team could've gotten at least a round off of Sifety, but they couldn't come through. Although I still think they are a fairly good team by Open's standards, they've certainly dropped out of the hunt for top team.


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