Europe |
Italy continued its string of impressive tournament performances as they beat Turkey B, 3-1.
The series produced yet another exciting LN game, which seems to be a tournament trend so far, and Italy showed that its solid performance against Finland wasn't a fluke. The loss was a tough one for Turkey B, but they can take solace in the fact that their countrymen Turkey A seem to be destined for great things in this Nations Cup...
And on that subject, Turkey A proved its strength as they upended Spain A, 3-0. Despite not having Ruso or ralber, this is still a quality Spain side so it speaks to Turkey's strength that they were able to beat them in such a one-sided manner. And while the games were somewhat close (specifically the last Arabia game), it seemed as though Turkey was just consistently a step quicker.
The United Kingdom team, which has flown somewhat under the radar heretofore, flexed its muscles against a quality Polish team, winning 3-1. Although the result suggests a somewhat one-sided series, the Arabia game and SY Cliffy Arena match were both extremely close and could've gone either way. Ultimately, the UK team won both and that made the difference in this set, but Poland still showed its worth even in defeat.
(czech) Czech A beat Hungary, 3-0. Hungary acquitted themselves well in the Nations Cup in the first two qualification rounds, but Czech A was just too good for them to continue that streak of success. Many felt prior to the tournament that the Nations Cup would serve as a platform for (czech) Skull to show his wonderful team game skills, and that's exactly what has happened through the qualification rounds.
Germany B, another team that has seemingly slid under the radar to this point, beat Ukraine, 3-0. Some people felt fwb deserved a spot on Germany A, and he validated some of those sentiments throughout this set as he was a key reason Germany B was able to win without much of a scare.
Holland beat Spain B, 3-1. The result was disappointing for the Spanish team, but they did manage to win a nice game on the Sy Pond Arena map that is worth a look.
(czech) Czech C beat Switzerland, 3-0. While the Swiss have been overmatched so far, they've shown great sportsmanship and good humor, best evidenced by pumukel's post in the match thread in which he celebrated reaching Castle Age for the first time this tournament
In one of the more surprising results of the tournament so far, France A rebounded from a disappointing Round 2 to upset Finland, 3-2. The set was highlighted by a classic SY Dry Arabia game* that was extremely entertaining and at times just downright hilarious. I won't attempt to explain it here, just go watch it. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. It was an all-around great performance and result for the French team, as many had written them off after their loss to Turkey B in the previous round.
(*)Note from the Voobly Team: the linked game is indeed the correct one, even if the description says otherwise.
North & South America |
In a matchup that many felt could potentially go either way, USA A beat Mexico B, 3-1. Particularly impressive was the performance of Hasan, who was simply too much for Mexico B to deal with.
Brazil B, a team many feel can still win the entire tournament, beat a quality Argentina B side, 3-0. While Argentina put up a good fight, Brazil overwhelmed them with its combination of skill, experience and teamwork. In the BF game, it seemed as though Argentina B would pull off the upset for a while, but the Brazilian team stay composed and managed to turn the tide of the game in post-imperial. This is certainly a team to keep an eye on as the Nations Cup progresses to the later stages.
Asia |
Japan C downed India A, 3-1, showing just how deep the Japanese talent pool is in the AoC community right now. Unfortunately this set was marred by lag issues, drops, and an Admin win, but the Japanese team will take it, and in the games that were played they proved to be at least on par with a quality India A side.
(hong kong)Hong Kong China beat an underrated VNS B team, 3-0, reminding everyone that they're a force to be reckoned with going forward. I'd recommend everyone watch the 4v4 Arabia game, as it featured a number of twists and turns and a marvelous performance by (hong kong) Ding. So while VNS B may have lost 3-0, they certainly made Hong Kong work for it.
Vietnam A continued its quiet dominance as they beat China C, 3-0. The set produced a nice Nomad game which was entertaining in spots, and gave us more of a glimpse into just how strong the Vietnam team is.
Hope you all check out some of these matches I've highlighted! It's been a challenge to articulate in words just how exciting the games have been so far, but I'm giving it my best shot. Couldn't be more excited to continue chronicling this amazing tournament as we head into the later rounds and the real heavyweights step into the ring. It's going to be a wild ride.
(The Voobly team would like to thank Andrew for this wonderful writeup!)