Gears of War: Prediction for MLG Toronto

[guysensei]

by @SiKiMaGe

1st/2nd place

FragD – Killercrank, Scar, Cream, HighDistortion / Infinity – Atmo, Puff, God, Genetix

These two teams are a very interesting mix of every thing good in this game but who will win Toronto? This is my best guess and theory on the matter. I will start with FragD.

FragD – Led by the brain Killercrank. I did say that by picking Crank up this team would be a threat just because of the intelligence he brings to a squad and the leadership. His direction is harsh and extremely blunt. He is constantly on these guys about making the correct plays and always, always insisting on certain aspects of the game that they become the best at. Crank has been around the block a few times with this game. He knows very well what it means to play at the top of one’s game and also at the top levels of it. By winning Orlando he now has 4 MLG championships under his belt. Now, people can say what they want, but you are not getting 1st place by having no skill. Sorry, it just does not happen that way. He has got the skill to back up his intelligence as well and leads this team just fine. On to Cream, the host for the team. I would believe it is safe to say, Cream - had an exceptional tournament. He didn’t destroy but he played exactly like he needed to and I did notice his teamwork and awareness was much better than previous tournaments. So, good job on both Cream’s efforts and Crank’s constant nagging J haha. He did well though, host pistoling/off host pistoling was destroying. He played his role very well and carried on a few maps when he had to and kept this team going with some sick plays. Overall, I saw a new player out of Cream at this tournament and I am glad to finally see after 7 MLG events? lol . I hope the success does not go to his ego though which I assume it has but we will see. Scar – Had a great tournament also, IMO. Better than I have seen in the past. He was more of an inconsistent player to me at events. But, this event he seemed to play very consistent and do this thing. He played really well top War Machine and definitely did his part. He brings a great thing to a team as well, he is smart and never really loses his temper at all. He always tries to improve and has great dedication. He didn’t really have a great showing at Meadowlands but he definitely picked up his game in Orlando and was a part of the reason why this team had the success it did. HighDistortion – I honestly did not see much out of him at this event. Other then the last map on War Machine against Infinity where he did work. He is a good support player that is a fact so if his stats are not big he is most likely doing work with the pistol/lancer for other key players in spots. I don’t really think he is that high caliber of a player. Smart for sure but he brings doubts a lot everywhere. Mainly his attitude and his sense to get down on himself when things do not go his way. He can tend to get aggravated at an event and it will affect his performance. Hopefully this win doesn’t go to his ego and he will play with a steady head on his shoulders. But, he already has an ego boost from this win so if he brings this attitude to Toronto he will not do well. He is a good enough player though that will keep this team together support level and team wise. He is a key situational player also, I only know this from playing against him. There are many reasons why sometimes a player is not going big on stats but plays a very big role elsewhere. FragD – As a team I found there win in Orlando not that great to be honest. They beat vBi then they beat MbN and an emo Infinity team. Once they won the first match it was over. Infinity got down on them selves and they were not coming back. FragD had all the momentum going into the finals and they had an easy tourney win in my eyes. I think they are going to have to work extra hard this event in Toronto if they want the same outcome. So we shall see if it is a fluke or they have what it takes to repeat. I predict them either winning this event, or I predict them finishing 3rd/4th depending on how Infinity plays this event. FragD does have an easy road to top 3 though so that will help them out a lot.

Infinity – This is an up and down team. They have great skill on the team but in Orlando they just didn’t have it. Teamwork was not on and communication was basically nothing. They got down on themselves very early and let it sit with them. Hopefully, that won’t be a factor at this event. Although, playing them lately their teamwork and team happiness is at a very low point. They have something to prove this event and take back though. They need to give it their all vs. a team like FragD who is determined to stay on top. Infinity has the number 1 seed again though going into Toronto, so it is fair to say you might see the FragD Infinity rematch in Orlando. I am going to go with Infinity on the win though. I see FragDs win like I said before just a little too easy and almost handed to them. Watching Infinity play at Orlando you would or will understand why I said that.

Puff – Probably the most dominant host in the game. He is a very good player and a huge threat when playing Gears of War. This is a kid you hate to play against because his skill level is very high. Orlando, he definitely did not play well and it affected the whole team. If he does not perform on host then they are definitely going to lose. Puff can be great but he can be very sad and get down on himself very very very easily and it will affect this teams outcome. He really has to stay up and its up to his team to keep his mind in the game. If Puff does slightly badly, then this team will struggle a lot. Atmo – Best player in the game hands down and he doesn’t even host for this team. He has incredible skill and is a very good player. His level of play depends on how the team is doing. If the team gets down and stops being into the game he tends to just rush a lot and try to do everything for them. This is bad though for the team because most of the time its just 50/50, get the kill then die, or down a person and die not helping your team. I see Atmo having a great tournament and doing very well. He has the drive to win this tournament and I know this. He will be playing his hardest no matter what at this event. I can see him carrying hard at this event. GoD6o3 – He can either be hot or cold. When he is cold this team tends to rag on him and not keep him up and in the game, which is bad for God. Having teamed with him in the past, keeping God pumped up and in the game is crucial to success. In Orlando, he had a mediocre event but most definitely did his part. I saw him on top and on bottom never consistent, which hurt them as well. Must play consistent at the top pro level. In Toronto I see God picking his game up because like Atmo he has the drive to win and play hard. Just can’t let his team get on him and get him down because then he plays bad and he plays like he doesn’t care. Genetix – A great player is in Genetix. This year he has been just staying under the radar. Not going really huge and not doing really terrible. He is being a consistent player like normal. Last year he had some beast performances. I think Toronto is going to be one of his best performances to date. I don’t know why but I just feel like Gen can make things happen and he will prove me right at Toronto. Gen is a very smart player and he is skillful as well in every area of this game. He is very versatile and knows the game very well. Many people under look Gen and don’t really give him credit or show him any type of support. But, Gen definitely has a lot going for him in this game and needs to break out in Toronto for them to be successful.

 

[guysensei]

3rd/4th place

NSANES – Z Killer, Z Killa, Predator, Warrior
vVv prophecy – SiKiMaGe, RmaN, Castle, Uzzi ( Not writing about my team but just predicting. This is the first time)

Nsanes – Well they came back as the same team last year in Orlando. The outcome? They dropped a spot to 4th instead of 3rd. The question lies, was this a good idea to bring the old team back together, or was it better to keep the team they had. After speaking with Killa and Killer on the matter I got my answer. They are happy to have the old team back and they feel like they play better with the old team. I personally think it was a good decision because you want to enjoy the people you play with otherwise things just wont work out. I don’t know why people continually doubt this team as if they need to prove themselves even more. They will remain in the top 4 every event for the rest of the season. They still have the best teamwork in the game but the skill was always a factor.

Zkiller – Well, definitely a better tournament in Orlando then in Meadowlands. But, the question that everyone asks is, where is the Zkiller of last year? I myself wonder this question. Now, I hate to knock these guys because I respect and like them a lot. Zkiller needs to stop playing online different then how he does on lan. Need to stop the roadie run melee and go back to your roots. Last year you were a beast and considered one of the top shot gun players and the best host. Now, Killa has taken over as head of Nsanes. Take back what is yours and start playing like you did last year. You guys will go far if this happens. Zkilla – This year he is the best player on the Nsanes by far. He has been doing amazing and really has been carrying this team along. His play style changed this year. He is much more aggressive and is really having confidence in his play rather than last year he played passive a lot in certain instances. Having played them in Orlando and losing 3-2 map count. I am confident to say that they will be top 4…5th at worst. Killa dropped 11 kills on Fuel to save them that map and did well on the rest also. Predator – Well his sniping got better in Orlando then it was in Meadows. Still wasn’t very impressive in my eyes. He was slacking a lot unless he was sniping. I think his game has gotten worse this year and that’s not good for this team. He needs to be on sniping and every thing else so he can help his team in other ways. I see him having an ok tournament. I just don’t see anything great out of him this year and will slack this team up. Warrior – Not much to say about Warrior. Kind of the player that is under the radar as well. Never goes big but floats the bottom a lot. I don’t really see a strong player in Warrior and I don’t see him ever going big at a tournament. If they got him to go big once in a while this team would be even stronger and more dominant on the circuit this year.

Prophecy – Make your own predictions



5th place

Murder by Numbers – Dly, Nick, Shane, Terror

Dly – Well there is a great player in Dly that is a fact. He is definitely a top player in this game. He alone brings a top 4 presence to any team he is on. He is a great player but he does have his flaws. He needs to be directed all the time on every map. He doesn’t have the greatest direction in the game and his decision making sometime is not the brightest. He didn’t really seem fit for this team at first but I guess it worked out in the end. In Orlando he did mediocre the whole event. He used all his juice on us first match where he put on a shotgun and backpack show. Overall though he had a good event and in Toronto if they want to play for top 3…I think he is going to have to step his game up and go huge for this team. Shane – Shane had a bad start at the event but finished strong. He always plays pretty consistent. Has an above average shotty to go along with his great sniping. He does still tend to keep it out often but he is a smart player. Definitely a good player for any team. He is away right now and is limiting this teams practice, so I don’t know how well that is going to affect them especially working in a new player to spots and strategies. I think this will also effect Shane’s play as well. Usually breaks are good for people and they come back stronger, but with Shane he needs to play a lot and consistently pay to keep his game up. Nick – Nick definitely stepped his game up at Orlando I must admit. He finally played like a very good player and held his own on his team. He is the leader of this team and needs to keep it intense the whole time for them to do well. Nick knows how to play well and make his team do well also. I do have respect for his leadership skills. This is the first time I am giving Nick any credit by the way J. But, he proved to me at Orlando that he can do his host job and hold his own. He is a fun player to watch on Mansion, my second favorite to watch actually. I really have nothing else to say about Nick because he impressed me this last event. Lets hope he can keep it up. Terror – Well he has gotten 10th place and 10th place. And all of a sudden gets on a top 3 team? I don’t understand this decision-making nor do I agree with it at all. This kid has never made pro nor does he belong in the ranks of pro. They could have gotten about 5 people better not to mention worthy of the spot. He will completely hold them back at this event and cause them to not get top 3 never mind not even top 4. I see him being the weakest link because I have watched him before and also played against him in Orlando and he didn’t and has never impressed me one bit to call him worthy of pro players. But, it is not my team J Maybe they see something in him that I do not. MbN - Overall I don’t really see them doing much or becoming a great team. I think a lot went there way in Orlando and now with the addition of Terror it only made them worse. If Dly plays and has a good tournament they will see top 3. If he slacks off and doesn’t play up to par they will be lucky to get 5th unless Nick can host his ass off and win it for them. I do think Camills is not a great player at all but Terror is not on Camills level at all. I just can’t get over the fact he is even on their team and I will not get over the fact if this team gets higher than 4th…I on a personal level will be very shocked and surprised.

6th place

Cleansweep – EvilRage, Sparse9, Leon, Sabotage


Cleansweep - This team to me didn’t really so much impress me at Orlando but shock me. Although Muffin carried in the early rounds of their champ bracket stay, he did nothing when it came to us. I guess a lot of people are not going to agree with this decision seeing that Rage sent everyone a F/A message a little bit ago. I think he needs to get over that little hump and just work with the team he is on. They did well in Orlando with Rage not even on the team who is by far a better player than Monk and Muffin combined. Now they acquire a new talent I guess. Might hurt them come event time but time will tell. Everyone though Uzzi was not going to be LAN ready on a pro level. He proved a lot of people wrong though so maybe the same will go for this team. They argue too much also and need to stop that. It gets a team nowhere and just holds back the progress.

EvilRage – Well he is a great player. Very good shotgun and awareness are his strengths. He does have the tendency to rush spots and situations that do not require him to do so and cost his team rounds. If he drops the rush mentality I think he will turn into a very good player. He pretty much carried vBi from what I saw and definitely did work for them. Him leaving on his own was a test to himself that he could do better and so fitting went back to his old team who place a rank below. I think having him back will produce the slayer they need with the loss of Muffin. Expect to see big things from Rage because the past 2 events he has gone big and left a mark on peoples minds. Sparse9 - Well, he doesn’t really impress me solely as an individually skilled player. But, he can use host very well and definitely leaves it all on lan. Against us for instance on his host he dropped 9 kills. But, his flaw lies in his ability to play off host. He is just semi-par off host and brings this team down skill level wise. He seems like a smart enough player though to make it into the pro ranks and with reforming the old team I think you will see them in the top 8. I just feel they have more talent then the next two teams to mention. Leon – Ok, first of all, this kid is my kryptonite online. He just does not die haha. He is a good player with a pretty well on snipe shot and a good head on his shoulders to make decisions with the power weapon. As ****y as he is though he is just an average player to me that can be on a pro level. He didn’t impress me a ton on LAN but I heard he did work and also did work in Meadowlands. But, I only go by what I see and what I witness. And when they played us he did pull his weight and was a consistent player. Decision-making is key for him though, he needs to be on the same page with his team or else they will fail on many maps. Sabotage – I honestly don’t know much about this guy. I think he has played at a couple events. This to me is like another Terror move. They could have got someone with more experience and overall a better player but they are taking the risk. Most of the time risks really work out. From scrimming them Sabo seems like he has his stuff together. Makes adjustments here and there and adds to the team on what they did wrong or why the map was lost. He has a very good personality and seemed like he was always very happy. So that will shed some light on a very down team when they want to be.

 

[guysensei]

7th place

MoB Bloodline – CDN 111, Camilla, Venom, Requiem

Bloodline – Led by the notorious CDN, this team is up and down. Meadowlands Venom and Req placed 6th place with Cloud and Fallout then they broke up and picked up CDN and Rain for Orlando. Now they have Camilla replacing Rain. I think this is a wise choice. Rain didn’t bring enough game to the table for them and did not host well enough for them to get them higher than 8th place. This team is dwindling in my eyes though. Venom has not really performed the past 2 events and has been holding the team back. Hopefully they pull it together come Toronto because if they don’t I don’t even see this team making top 8.

CDN 111 – There is really not much to say about CDN that I have not said before. I still don’t think he is a pro caliber player. And he has yet to show me any reason to doubt that thought when he plays on LAN. He is a better coach then player, and when he can come to realize that then Req and Venom will have a chance to crack higher rankings this year. Orlando was an ok event for CDN. It was better than Meadowlands where I just think that team and play did not suit him well at all. But, this team brining in Camilla who he has teamed with before at Meadowlands will bring chemistry to the team. CDN is a great guy and can always make a team shine on chemistry, but his lack of play style skill wise holds them back. I hope he busts out in Toronto because until then, I just don’t see him being a help to any pro team. Camilla – Not the brightest player that is out there, in my opinion. He really does not impress me as a player. Being smart is a huge thing for me when looking at players. And it is not to say that he is stupid on a educational level. Game wise he just doesn’t seem to get it. He is a player that needs constant direction. His communication is not very high and if he starts losing he gets down easy and it affects him huge. Having to team with CDN again though might bring his moral up but CDN can tend to be very hard on Camilla and it will affect him on a personal and game level wise. I don’t really see him doing anything big in Toronto with that said. Got dropped from MbN for Terror…there really isn’t much to say after that. Venom – Well Venom has been not doing so hot the past 2 events. Maybe he will break out in Toronto. But, then again I never really saw a strong performance from him last year at an event. I don’t know what it is but he definitely has dedication and the smarts for the game. I think his skill level is just capped though and he is not going to improve anymore on this game. This will undoubtedly hold his team back. I want to say great things about Venom because I like him as a person but I just cant seem to do it after what I have seen this year combined from last year. You need to go big my man in Toronto if you want a shot at Dallas and the Finals clinched. Requiem – Once again I do not know Req that well. He has always been a solid player on LAN and can most surely hang with the top teams. I honestly don’t know why he hasn’t personally tried expanding on teams this season because he is better than he was last season. He is consistent and is dedicated. He makes smart decisions and has above average skill. I think playing with the past 2 teams he has been with has held him down from achieving anything top 4 wise on this game.

8th place

Violent By Instinct – Arctic, Alinorth, Xcel, Void

Violent By Instinct – Well they got 7th in Orlando and 5th in Meadowlands. So they are being consistent in the top 8. I can’t really say though with much confidence they will make it past top 8 this event. They just don’t have what it takes to crack top 4 and they keep slipping every event. Rage did work for them in Orlando, so if they want to see top 8, Void is going to have to step up huge and do some work. He is going to have to have another Vegas J. These guys are good guys though, very dedicated and easy to get along with. Very stand up pro team/players. But 8th is where they will sit…and they could fall out of the pro rankings also come this event.

Xcel – Yes I am going to start with my buddy Xcel who got upgraded this time in my predictions, to not only the weakest link on vBi but also the worst pro right now this year. And I am only kidding…. Anyways, Xcel did pretty decent in Orlando, was a little more consistent and did his job for his team. I did see him fall short a couple times when we played them but could have just been against us because I watched some VoD and he didn’t do too shabby. Rage did beast for this team though in Orlando. So one of these players is going to have to step up big. Xcel has great dedication and average play, his smarts are called in to question a lot but his dedication to the game is what keeps him pro. He plays a lot and in the end it shows. Alinorth – Well Ali gets a little credit this coming event from me haha. He did pretty decent at Orlando and he sniped pretty well as well. He did his part for his team that’s for sure. This team has been together all season now with minor player changes but they need to get their strats and team work down. They really seem scattered some times and they never regroup which is a huge mistake in the gears world professionally. Someone just dies without help when they should have never been in that situation. I saw this a lot from Ali’s screen. And also just in playing them I told my team to single Rage out because he is easy to catch on the rush for an easy 2v1. So Ali just really needs to work on his regrouping skills to help this team out. Arctic – He is probably the most laid back pro player and person I have ever seen. Is very low key and you never really notice him until it is your time to get matched up against the team he is on. He always contributes though and he did well against us also in Orlando. He performed well and did his part when it came down to it. But, like I said the flaws on this team is skill. Arctic just doesn’t seem like he has the skill to be on a pro level and if he just builds right now till Toronto he will be a threat to watch out for. My prediction is Arctic going huge in Toronto but I still see them placing 8th or out of pro ranking. Void – Now here is a player who has been out of the scene for a little while and also ridiculed a lot for his play in Meadowlands. The question is will he come back strong for Toronto and give a good performance? I have yet to play this new line up and have yet to see Void play in over a month, so I am a little skeptical. I know Void is a good player and can do work. His decision making isn’t always there and his awareness is a little slow, but he can shotty with the best and he does a pretty decent job on host. I am not sure who is hosting for this team now but my opinion would be to keep him off host. He is more worthwhile in the long run that way. I think Void has a point to prove in Toronto, and that point is…I can drop bombs and I can play with the best. He took a little bit of a break but I don’t think that will hurt him at all. I think he is going to come back stronger then ever and have something to take in Toronto. If he performs well and Xcel and Ali step it up a little then this team will be top 8 and be a threat for higher as well.


That is all for now, I will be posting Semi-Pro teams tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed the read and look forward to more tomorrow. Thank You

-@SiKiMaGe