War is Coming Group Stage Preview
With the completion of the Qualification Stage, the eagerly awaited Group Stage of War is Coming is now upon the AoC Community. Here's an in-depth look at how it could play out and what matchups/teams to pay particular attention to:
Group 1
THE FAVORITE: The Tyrant Legends team has been the undisputed top AoC team for the last 3 years since World Clan League 7. The team has changed in many respects since that first triumph, but the addition of TheViper and Jordan have only increased their strength and dominance since that initial return to glory. kkab serves as the de facto team leader, but with players of this caliber it begs the question how much he actually has to do or prepare. In short, if Tyrant Legends lose a single game in the group stage it will come as a shock to virtually everyone in the community.
THE CONTENDER(S): It may be somewhat misleading to suggest that any teams in this group can contend with the Tyrant Legends but it will be a tooth-and-nail battle for 2nd place as two teams from each group will advance to the Duel Stage. Group 1 is intriguing in the sense that there's a couple of different teams that have a legitimate shot at advancing out of the group. The ChinaJX team is shrouded in a bit of mystery as most of their players play on Chinese servers more often than they play on Voobly, but they almost always bring an 1850+ level to the table and some formiddable teamwork. That said, the clear favorite to finish 2nd in Group 1 is nC & friends & arma. With skilled TG players like Skittle, Arma and Nilpferd who have enjoyed success in past big tournaments they should be able to push through some adversity and advance in the end. Another x-factor for the German team is that they have two relatively strong DMers in Shine and Nilpferd whereas the other teams in the group (with the exception of Tyrant) seem to lack experience in that regard.
THE DARK HORSE: The CzechForever team consists of mainly the second-level Czech players that most of the Voobly community has become familiar with. Noticeably absent are Czech powerhouses Lojza and Skull, as each joined up with more notable teams for this particular tournament. Regardless, this team still has some firepower and potential to spring an upset or two. Janik has showed his worth in recent tournaments, particular the SY Nations Cup where he was frequently overlooked yet always consistent and steadily improving. Error, Exit and Mango are also frequent teammates and display strong teamwork in the past, almost always consistently putting forth a 19-2K level in TGs. 2nd place in the group is certainly not out of this team's reach, and that's mainly due to their familiarity with one another and potential to improve.
PREDICTION: 1. Tyrant Legends
2. nC & friends & arma
3. CzechForever
4. ChinaJX team
5. THE ORIGINAL TACO TEAM
Group 2
THE FAVORITE: Tyrant Warlords are a team that many have pegged as the runner-up in this tournament, and that virtually everyone agree will finish in the Top-5. With players as individually skilled as Riut, slam, BacT and F1re it's hard to imagine anyone in the Group Stage mounting much of a challenge, although the aura of invincibility that surrounds the Tyrant Legends team doesn't yet apply to the Warlords team. Many have wondered aloud whether the Warlords are gaining more credit than they're due simply due to the Tyrant tag or their status as individual players, as we have yet to see them compete in a major tournament against other similarly skilled teams that have been playing together for far longer and may have a level of cohesiveness that the Warlords lack. Still- given that its Tyrant, you can rest-assured the Warlords will put in plenty of practice time and combine that with their individual skill and its certainly a recipe for major success. One can safely expect them to lose no more than 2-3 games in the entire group stage.
THE CONTENDER(S): There's two obvious contenders here that pretty much jump off the page at you- SY B and Titanic team. SY B mainly consists of a cast of players which was able to place 8th in the SY Nations Cup. Despite that impressive feat, they come into this event relatively unheralded, and perhaps a bit overlooked. With players like ilovehong, Snakes_ and _Myx4ever_ this is a team that can easily perform at a 2100+ level and is capable of beating anyone on a given day. They're probably the safer bet to finish 2nd in this group, and could even give the Tyrant Warlords something to think about if they're on their 'A' game when those games occur. With all that said, the Titanic team has its share of skilled players as well. Anchored by vaunted Arena star Edie, who has recently ventured more frequently into other maps and done quite well, this team also can put together a formidable combination of 4 players on any map they play. They have _MbL_ and KuTaTaXoa for Arabia-type maps, Bender and sorck as Black Forest specialists and then a solid cast of 1850+ skilled players to provide them with some depth and room for growth. While SY B should be considered the favorite to finish 2nd and advance, Titanic will be nipping on their heels if they perform to their potential.
THE DARK HORSE: I think KtWR and RoAmEr_ are equally capable of being spoilers out of this group. The KtWR guys always display the strong teamwork that has become synonymous with Japanese teams, but RoAmEr seems to be on the upswing and gaining momentum. It wouldn't be overly shocking to see either of these teams finish 3rd in the group, although that's probably where there potential maxes out.
PREDICTION: 1. Tyrant Warlords
2. SY B
3. Titanic
4. RoAmEr_
5. KtWR
Group 3
THE FAVORITE: SY is the clear favorite here and a team many think could have the potential to upset Tyrant Legends in the Grand Final. There amazing teamwork and cohesion was readily on display throughout all of the SY Nations Cup, and with their success it becomes more and more apparent how adept a team leader FengXin (aka VG_paladin) is. Another key factor in the rise of SY over the past year has been the emergence of jamesXX, a player who's incredible macro abilities have dazzled the community for a while now, and with anchors like Yo__ and yinghua (aka Lovecheng) it becomes clear how this team has been able to reach such great heights.
THE CONTENDER(S): PL is the team that really jumps out as the likely second-place finisher in Group 3. With well known players like Dziamdziak, Remi and PeEl, it would be a major disappointment if they weren't able to advance out of the Group Stage. They're a team that can consistently put forth a 1950-2000 level in teamgames, and they could be on the cusp of something greater if players like Kymu and Barles can continue to improve and make it to the next level. Despite their ostensible strength, it'd be silly to discount Don't lame us pls, a team that many know better as simply the Russians. Vinchester has made a huge leap over the past year and become somewhat of a 1v1 star, reaching a 2100+ rate on several different occasions. If he can bring a similar level to teamgames he will be a force to be reckoned with in Group 3. The Russian team has also added an American import in the form of Spring, a well-known 2k Arabia Huns players who figures to play their land-map games alongside Vinchester. If the Russians can get solid play out of their complementary players (Warrior, dfs) and allow Vinchester to shine, they could wind up putting quite the scare into PL before the Group is decided.
THE DARK HORSE: There's no true dark horse in this group. The Happy Fun Buzz Family team and Supermen team are both around the same level but also both comfortably behind the aforementioned three teams in terms of skill level. Whichever puts more effort into training and approaches the tournament as a learning experience for future tournaments will have the potential to finish 4th and maybe take a game or two off PL or the Russian team.
PREDICTION: 1. SY
2. PL
3. Don't lame us pls
4. Happy Fun Buzz Family
5. Supermen
Group 4
THE FAVORITE: The Legion Clan has a rich history in teamgame tournaments, and can safely boast the title as most successful AOC clan ever. dogao is a virtuoso in terms of team-play, simply one of the best team game players ever. Chris is right on the same level as he's displayed time and time again his incredible skills and penchant for performing well when it matters most. However, Legion doesn't come into the Group Stage without significant questions surrounding their team. Many wonder if miguel is a bit too shaky on land maps to help Legion prosper against the bigger teams in the tournament. Likewise, FeAge has been somewhat inconsistent over the past 3 years, since his otherwordly performance in WCL 7 made him into the star and well-known player he is today. If miguel and FeAge bring their 'A' game and put the time and effort into training, that will go a long ways towards quelling some of the concerns many had about L Clan coming in, and could propel them to a Top 3 finish in WiC before its all said and done.
THE CONTENDER(S): Although no team in Group 4 has a realistic chance of finishing the group ahead of L Clan, that doesn't mean it won't be drama-inducing. IN perhaps the most anticipated Group Stage matchup of the tournament, Vikingos Nomadas will face off against VNS B, which on the surface looks like a 50-50 matchup. VNS B is a team that is often overlooked but consistently brings a 1900-2000 level to the table in teamgames, and even pulled off some surprising results in the SY Nations Cup, including a shocking 3-2 victory against Germany A. That result and VNS B's play throughout the Nations Cup should serve as a firm reminder to their opponents in Group 4 of what they're capable of. Still, I give the VN team a slight uppherhand as they have a couple of capable DMers whereas VNS B does not, and Millo, Dark Knight and Tatoh is a triumvirate that will be very hard to deal with, and could even present L Clan with some minor problems. Either way the matchup is of the can't miss variety, and whoever finishes up 2nd in Group 4 will have certainly earned their place in the Duel Stage.
THE DARK HORSE: TheKebab team isn't really a dark horse in the traditional sense of the word, but they are a team which can play spoilers in Group 4. Given how close the VN-VNS B score will likely be, it stands to reason that their respective fates will rely on their scores against other teams in Group 4. That's where TheKebab's team impact on this group will come into play, as they're a team that consists of primarily 1800+ level players who could steal a game or two away from one of the contenders, and in such a neck-and-neck group that game could be decisive in determining who moves on and who goes home early between VN and VNS B.
PREDICTION: 1. The Legion Clan
2. Vikingos Nomadas
3. VNS B
4. TheKebab
5. Loyal Knights of the Cross
Group 5
THE FAVORITE: The Dreamers zZ team has made tremendous steps over the past year and become one of the premiere teams in the AOC community. Many forget that this team, just over a year ago in The Medieval Wars, lost to PoJ and exited the tournament way before many people thought they should have. They more than made up for this misstep in the SY Nations Cup, however, as they put forth an incredible performance and finished 3rd overall, and if the format of the tournament had been a bit different (some would say fair) they would've placed above Brazil A in 2nd place. Perhaps the biggest reason for their meteoric rise over that time span has been the improvement of Nicov, who has gone from a 2100+ 1v1 player to a 2300+ 1v1 player and key fixture in the Top-5 of the 1v1 ladder over the past year. Although it may go unnoticed, he's simply become one of the most skillful players on Voobly and when you combine his individual skill with Juan, Fedex and Gary's TG skills you get a formula for success, and that formula will likely only be more and more refined as time goes on given how much the Argentinians practice together and consistently improve. They should steamroll the Group Stage and will be in the running for a Top-3 spot in the tournament before it's all said and done.
THE CONTENDER(S): There's little to no doubt that STr8 team, who can boast talented players such as Emin, Skull and Artras will finish 2nd in Group 5. I'd like to make it more cinematic and act as though the North Crew team had a chance to put a scare into Str8 but that'd be disingenuous. Str8 will roll through the Group and their games against Dreamers will be highly competitive, even if the score doesn't reflect that in the end.
THE DARK HORSE: The North Crew team has no realistic chance of advancing out of the Group Stage but they'll definitely be a nuisance in Group 5 for the Dreamers and STr8. They have a collection of ~1900 players, notable BMyers_, fwb and Inc who, on a given day, could manage to take a game off one of the two favorites in Group 5. If they play up to their potential and can find time to practice they should be able to finish 3rd in the Group pretty comfortably.
PREDICTION: 1. Dreamers zZ
2. STr8
3. North Crew
4. That's Amore
5. Overseas Chinese Clan
Group 6
THE FAVORITE: This is a group where there are two teams that an objective mind could equally see as favorites. The VietNamStrategy team, even without BacT, is an extremely high-level team that is capable of beating any team in the tournament on the right day. With standout star VNS_yellow and three other 2k2+ skilled players in ACCM, Fish and CooL to support him, this team is the class of the group in my eyes. The big question mark here is their DMers, two individuals who should never be trusted to even show up let alone perform in big games in Priest and MrTempo, so hopefully VNS has a backup plan in place for the DM games. As strong as VNS is, the newly formed KGB team will certainly give them everything they can handle. The team is a combination of the Brazil A team that finished second in Nations Cup (Stark, Goku) and Hasan and Ra, with Alive thrown into the fold as well. It'll be interesting to see if cohesiveness and familiarity plays a big role here, as this will be the first time this combination of players has played together in big tournament settings. It's also well-known that Ra and Hasan have historically underachieved in big tournament formats so perhaps it'd be best if one of them sat out and let Stark, Alive and Goku serve as the nucleus here. If they do that I like their chances to win Group 6 a lot more, but I doubt that will be their choice of action. Still, KGB is an extremely formidable team who can challenge for a Top-8 spot in the tournament if things break right for them.
THE CONTENDER(S): Given the talent gap between the top two teams in Group 6 and the others, other three teams will essentially be competing for third. In that race, I favor Argentina A to prevail, as they can bring a 1900+ level to the table and that should be enough to stifle NoStrat and the FOX Gaming team. Argentina A is a team which has seemingly lingered around the same level for a while, so it'd be encouraging to see them take a game or two off the big dogs in Group 6 so they can feel good about their progress going forward.
THE DARK HORSE: Simply put, there is none. Argentina A has the potential to steal a game or two off KGB or VNS but other than that no team will be making a serious run at advancing out of the Group. It should be a hard-fought battle to determine who finishes fourth between FOX and NoStrat, but if the games happened today I'd give FOX the edge to prevail there.
PREDICTION: 1. VietNamStrategy
2. KGB
3. Argentina A
4. FOX Gaming
5. NoStrat
Group 7
THE FAVORITE: Some will disagree with me on this but I firmly belive Poison of Zone is the favorite here. While many have annointed Nadya's Boys as the favorites and pegged them to beat poZ, I think a lot of that is due to how active they are on Voobly compared to their counterparts in Hong Kong. And while activity and practice certainly play a huge role in determining success in tournaments like these, I think the experience and cohesiveness that poZ have established through years of playing with one another will carry them through to the victory here. Ding and Mundi are both incredible talents and even though they may be matched in terms of sheer skill by Zuppi and Lojza, I still favor the poZ side in that comparison especially in a teamgame setting. It will certainly be an all-out war to determine who finishes first, but I think poZ just has a little bit more experience and a little bit more depth. Whatever happens, I think most agree these are the most anticipated games of the Group Stage and either team is capable of a Top-6 finish in the tournament.
THE CONTENDER(S): A team that many people seem to be overlooking entering the Group Stage is the TILT team, consisting of known lamers chinge, komtan, as well as skilled specialists like L_Arlesienne (an LN legend) and two solid DM players in IYIenace and ImComing. While they don't stack up favorably against poZ or NaBs, they are a team that could play spoiler and steal a game or two away from those teams, and in the Group Stage format every game counts, so look for TILT to have a big impact on how Group 7 ultimately plays out. We could also see some fun games between TILT and their Japanese counterparts Naughty Rubbishes, although TILT seems to be a level or two above them. Still- given their play style, skills and troll abilities, TILT will be a team to pay attention to in Group 7.
THE DARK HORSE: Again, TILT is the only reasonable dark horse here. CsK and Naughty Rubbishes aren't ready for this level of play, and will almost assuredly be fighting it out for 4th in the Group. I would give TILT a 5% chance or so to advance out of the Group. It'd be one of the more shocking developments in recent tournament history, but I think they're being overlooked and have some players who may be on the upswing.
PREDICTION: 1. Poison of Zone
2. Nadya's Boys
3. TILT
4. Naughty Rubbishes
5. Cosmopolitan Super Kings
Group 8
THE FAVORITE: This is another group that could easily go either way as Power of Japan and Chinese Kung Fu are two very similarly skilled teams in my mind. Perhaps the x-factor in this much-anticipated showdown will be the return of Tim to big-game AOC matches, a return that has been long anticipated by fans and critics like, as he's truly one of most skilled and simultaneously hilarious players this community has to offer. If he comes in at top shape with a chip on his shoulder for being left off SY, we could see an MVP-caliber performance out of him that carries CKF to the victory in Group 8. Still, PoJ is almost always underestimated by pretty much everyone except their opponents, and likely a team that would've finished in the Top-8 in the Nations Cup as they were ahead of Canada A and one win away from ending the series but forced to play the games at 4am local time. The Japanese A team is well-known for their incredible team play and innovative strategies. Escape and Chocobo are truly two of the very best teamgame players out there right now. It's anybody's guess who will take the Group, but both these teams will almost certainly make the Duel Stage.
THE CONTENDER(S): To me, the White Wizards are a very dangerous team here. They boast two of the very best Czech teamgame players in here_iam, never_ever, and Yezris, and could conceivably finish 2nd in Group 8 if PoJ or CKF don't bring their best performance to the table. It'd be a little bit more enticing to pick them to advance if they had more depth, but with only 5 players and no DM players they'll likely fall short of advancing in the end, but we'll still see some very impressive performances from them on their way out.
THE DARK HORSE: The Master Clan League team isn't going to advance out of Group 8, it'd be foolhardy to suggest otherwise, but with 2k+ skilled players in Magnata and Mahori, they could put a scare into any team in the Group. They're also capable of beating the White Wizards, so whoever gets third in Group 8 will have earned it. If this team had just 1 or 2 more players on the level of their two best they'd be a lot more intriguing and maybe a team that could even make a run for 2nd in the Group. Nevertheless, they'll put forth some good performances and probably take a game from one of the two favorites but in the end they'll fall short of an substantial success.
PREDICTION: 1. Power of Japan
2. Chinese Kung Fu
3. White Wizards
4. Master Clan League
5. Arg B
That's all I've got - just want to say how excited I am as a fan of AoC for the Group Stage to commence and I hope this phase of the tournament is where we truly get to see this tournament garnering outside interest and providing the community with more incredible games that so many of us can never get enough of. Thanks to the sponsor and all those involved in organizing the tournament.