Eurospective Live Blogging - Day 2 MLG Anaheim

Hello once again. Looks like we're going to have an interesting day of games, with both SK.EU and x6 vying for the top spot of the tournament. It will be interesting to see if the results from either team's games will have any impact on the opposite's mindset going into the big game that takes place at 1:30 CET.

I aim to have the pros and high-ups in the community giving their predictions and opinions on the games once again, and if you think you qualify to be on the Ventrilo server with the likes of Hydra, Kalimist, Flyn, Zyz, 2GD, Ghingis, and others; feel free to send me a message on Gameriot PM or Gamesurge IRC.

For those of you who missed out on Yesterday's games, Yiska has done a more in-depth review of yesterday's games, which can be found here. For a Recap on yesterday's game between SK.EU and coL, check out Yiska's article which can be found here.

You can find the current standings in the tournament, as well as team rosters at Yiska's article on GotFrag.


SK.EU vs SK.US

This is a pretty big game on paper, but when you look at how SK.US have been playing in combination with the fact they're from the same organization, we might not see such a great game. I believe SK.EU will win this, as SK.US don't look at all prepared for this tournament, and of course there is the possibility SK.US will throw the game in order to help SK.EU

Game 1
We're on Blade's Edge, US open heavily on Inflame, but EU manage to weather the damage easily. Realz health is quite low while US continue to train Inflame with no real success. The DoTs from EU are starting to take a toll on US, but Enigmz has to Innervate to keep his mana up. US start training on Enigmz, doing a lot of damage, but EU peel for him, but this proves to only be a temporary measure, as Enigmz dies to the sheer pressure from Enforcer and Pookz.

Score: 1-0 SK.US

Game 2
We're on Nagrand for Game 2. US open heavily on Inflamex, but  EU is in no immediate danger at this point. The DoTs are being put on the US, with the focus on Realz at the moment. Inflame takes a full KS and a lot of damage, but Another saves him with an AMZ. US start their focus on Enigmz, but he manages to get a way with peels from EU. Pookz is at half health, but Inflame is almost killed. He barely survives, and US get a great CC chain on both Another and Enigmz. EU recover and score an extremely quick kill on Enforcer.

A good game from Enigmz for once.

Score: 1-1

Game 3
We're on Blade's Edge arena for Game 3 of the series, this should be in EU's advantage. EU open with their usual pet opening, while Inflame is opened on heavily by US. Inflame ports to their side of the bridge and gets healed to full. No real pressure from either team at the moment. Inflame is still being trained at this point, but Another breaks this with a great grip. US switch onto Enigmz, who is saved by his team mates. Enigmz uses his Innervate to get his mana back up, but he only has around 8k Mana after this. Pookz is taking a lot of damage while US are on Inflame. EU Switch on to Enforcer and get him low, Inflame locks on with his Drain Soul and it's over, Enforcer dies.

Score: 2-1 SK.EU

Game 4
We're on Dalaran for Game 4, a map which favours SK.EU's Inflame. Enigmz is opened on heavily, but the damage doesn't really back up the cooldowns used. EU peel successfully while the DoTs start to take effect on US' health bars. US switch onto Enigmz and get him to 1/3rd of his life, but Another is there to save him with AMZ. Enigmz gets away, and EU pick up the remainders of the US attack force and kill Enforcer extremely quickly.

Score: 3-1 SK.EU

Game 5
Last game of the series and the night is going to take place on Ruins. US open on Inflame like usual, and Pookz uses Deep Freeze on Enigmz followed by a Blind from Enforcer. Inflame almost dies but gets an NS heal from Enigmz. He kites away for a few seconds but the damage is too high for Enigmz to possibly keep Inflame up, that combined with a blanket CS from Pookz secures the kill on Inflame.

Score: 3-2 SK.EU


x6 vs. Complexity

I expect x6 to win this with relative ease, as no RMP has able to stand up to the force that is x6 thus far. coL may have the best Mage at the tournament in regards to keeping his team mates alive, but how will he handle the pressure x6 are able to put out?

Game 1
We're going with Game 1 on Blade's Edge Arena, coL are playing Resto Druid, Hunter, Enhancement Shaman. x6 do their usual full offensive opener on coL, but the damage is nowhere to what we are used to seeing for the opening few seconds. Shamanistic Rage fades off and coL's Shaman falls over very very quickly; the Resto Druid seemed largely ineffective at keeping up his team mate.

Score: 1-0 x6

Game 2
Game 2 is going to take place on Nagrand Arena. x6 have their usual opener used on them. coL forces a bubble and HoP out of x6, but ultimately x6's force overwhelms coL for an easy kill on the Shaman.

Will coL switch back to RMP in order to try and grab a round or the series? I certainly hope so.

Score: 2-0 x6

Game 3
We're on Blade's Edge for game 3, and coL didn't switch to their RMP comp. Toez used bubble in the starting area. Both teams blow blood lust and clash into each other, with coL's shaman being trained hard and eventually dying. Druid couldn't save him with his HoTs, and Shamanistic Rage seemed to do nothing.

Score: 3-0 x6

Game 4
We're on Dalaran for Game 4. Both teams blood lust into each other, x6 are taking zero damage while coL's Shaman falls over once again. This is a complete waste of time for both teams, as it has never been close.

Score: 4-0 x6

Game 5
We're on Ruins for the last game of this farce, fortunately it's over after this game. Both teams Blood Lust into each other. Twixz takes a lot of damage as coL's Druid is pressured pretty hard. Twixz ends up being killed very quickly, which wasn't really expected, but given x6 clearly didn't care about this game, it's not really surprising.

Score: 4-1 x6



SK.EU vs Fnatic

SK.EU will be looking to come into this game to prove themselves against the competition and get back to their winning ways, while Fnatic will be looking to seal a win while SK.EU are down. Both teams are capable of qualifying for the final 4 at this point, so it's an important game for both teams.

Game 1
Looks like we're finally going to get underway, and the map is going to be Dalaran arena. SK go with their pet opener to bring them into combat, Inflame is opened on by the Rogue while Another is hexed and Enigmz is blinded. SK get their damage rolling on Fnatic. Douja almost dies and has to blow his cooldown, SK start training Woundman while Douja is being CC'd by Enigmz. All this time Another is dying, and eventually succumbs to the Drain Soul damage; which is admittedly quite shocking to the spectators and commentators alike. SK continue trying despite the death of Another, and end up scoring a great kill on Woundman. We have Inflame + Enigmz vs Douja + Yog in this 2v2, and while Douja is OOM, there is little damage going out either way. SK manage to kill Yog's pet, and eventually end up killing Yog with Douja having zero mana.

A great game showing that you should never give up when someone dies on your team!

Score: 1-0 SK.EU

Game 2
We're on Ruins for this game. Fnatic open onto Inflames, while Another is caught in hex and Enigmz is caught in Blind. SK start the DoTs ticking on Fnatic, while looking in total control of this game at this moment in time. Douja is CC'd out of the game while trying to keep his team alive, and SK switch onto Yog and kill him. Complete control by SK.EU in that game

Score: 2-0 SK.EU

Game 3
This game is going to take place on Blade's Edge, which is a total map advantage for SK.EU; just what Fnatic didn't need or want. SK.EU do the usual pet opner to get them in combat. Fnatic open onto Inflame, but this is largely useless as he is able to shrug off the damage. Another is almost killed in an excellent set of play by Fnatic. Woundman and Inflame are both low on health at this point, but the healers are able to get them back to 100%. Enigmz gets banished in the middle of the bridge, forcing Inflame to Portal away to stay alive. Fnatic switch onto Enigmz and almost kill him, but he manages to kite away while Woundman almost dies. Enigmz is completely OOM at this point while Douja has over 4k Mana.

Neither team look to be taking much damage at this point, and Douja takes advantage to drink for a few seconds. Another takes control of Fnatic stopping them from taking advantage of Enigmz mana bar. Fnatic switch onto Another to try and kill him, he is forced to blow AMZ to stay alive, and Enigmz does some great healing to keep him alive. Yog manages to take control of Enigmz while he is waiting for Innervate, and ends up soloing him. A great game by Fnatic and Yog.

Score: 2-1 SK.EU

Game 4
We're on Ring of Valor for this game. Fnatic open on Another, but this seems relatively ineffective as Another starts kiting Woundman. Woundman takes a ton of damage and is brought back upto full by Tenderloin. Fnatic start training Another while letting their DoT damage work it's way onto Enigmz. SK start training Douja, Another lands a Mind Freeze and forces Douja to eventually blow his NS to keep himself alive. Woundman is being completely controlled in this game by both Another and Enigmz. He eventually gets over to Inflame, but Another pulls him straight off with Death Grip. SK seem to have control of this game via excellent play from Another, and eventually Another and Inflame end up killing Woundman.

Score: 3-1 SK.EU

Game 5
We're on Nagrand for Game 5, and SK.EU are playing Wizardcleave for whatever reason. Fnatic open hard onto Enigmz, but he ultimately survives with Woundman almost dying instantly. Fnatic continue to train Enigmz while SK are CC'ing Douja and Yog, as you would expect from Wizard Cleave. Fnatic start attacking Inflame, but Enigmz tops him off while using Innervate to restore his mana. Fnatic look to be in control of the game at the moment, but Woundman just got spiked down by the Wizard cleave, forcing Douja to NS to keep him alive. SJ are keeping Fnatic in what seems to be an endless CC chain, but there is little damage going out while Inflame is taking heavy damage. Fnatic turn their attention to Enigmz, and he takes a lot of damage from Woundman, but manages to survive with a little help from his team mates. Fnatic stay on Enigmz knowing that he is OOM, but the damage isn't so high. Enigmz gets his Innervate back up and uses immediately, he gets around half of his mana back while Fnatic continue to try and train Enigmz. Realising this isn't working, they turn their attention to Inflame, but he is able to survive with relative ease. Fnatic are in complete control of the game at the moment, Inflame is half health with Enigma half health too. SK are all topped off, but Enigmz is completely OOM. Inflame is at half health, but Fnatic turn their attention to Enigmz and train him down with relative ease.

Fnatic handled this game well, and SK only really had 2 close calls when it came to kills. Woundman played well and didn't crumble under the pressure of the Wizardcleave burst.

Score: 3-2 SK.EU


SK.US vs. EG

A game between the two teams struggling the most at the tournament. One team has a brand new roster, while the other team has a group of players disinterested in playing with each other anymore. I can't really see SK.US trying to hard in this, but maybe the amount of time they have been together will see them through to the win.

Game 1
We're going to be on Ring of Valor to start this series. Realz is sapped in the opener, while SK start the pain train on Azazel. SK start chasing after Douja, but Smatinz stops the attempt dead. SK turn around to to start attacking to go on Smatinz while the Rogue dance goes on. Tenderloin is almost OOM at this point of the game, but EG are able to halt the damage for awhile. Enforcer is low on health while SK go after Tenderloin, he manages to kite away for a short amount of time though. Enforcer dies while trying to kill Tenderloin, but SK get Tenderloin get very low and almost kill him.

A very good and close game, on a horrible map to boot.

Score: 1-0 EG

Game 2
We're going to be on Ring of Valor again for this game. Enforcer blows his Evasion in the start area. SK open on Azazel, but switch quickly onto Tenderloin. They continue to train Tenderloin with a CS on him, and he barely survives, but is able to top himself up to 100%. Smatinz is caught in a blind while the Blood Lust goes up, SK switch on to Smatinz while EG are out of position due to a good fear from Realz, and ultimately score the kill on Smatinz.

Score: 1-1

Game 3
We're on Ruins for our third game of the series. Realz is sapped, Tenderloin is opened on with a CS>KS, but SK automatically put all out due to the risk presented by Realz being sapped. EG are training Real while SK train Smatinz, and Smatinz drops as soon as Enforcer re-opens on him.

Score: 2-1 SK.US

Game 4
Game 4 of the series is going to take place on Nagrand Arena, which makes a nice change from the wide open maps of the previous rounds. SK open very hard on Azazel and almost kill him, Tenderloin heals him and counters with a Blood Lust. Smatinz is being trained by SK at the moment, and goes under half health, but is brought back up Tenderloin's lusted heals. Enforcer re-stealths and opens on Smatinz, but Azazel controls him off him extremely well. The match is almost reset, until EG start training Enforcer extremely hard with the combination of a Spell Lock on Realz, but he recovers. Tenderloin is running low on Mana, but Realz is lower. A Nice CC chain on Tenderloin is ultimately wastes as SK do no damage. EG are in control of this game at the moment, as Enforcer is low on health with Realz. Realz has no mana and Enforcer ultimately dies to the pressure of EG.

It was a really nice game again, with some nice key plays from both teams.

Score: 2-2

Game 5
The game takes place on Ruins, unfortunately my Blog was once again deleted by Gameriot's horrible system. It was a close game, with smart plays coming from both teams. Tenderloin, Enforcer, and Azazel all came close to dying in the game, but ultimately the lack of CC provided by Pookz allowed EG to take control of the game. Realz ended up being trained down with little in the way of CC or peels stopping EG.

SK didn't look like the team we have seen in previous tournaments.

Score: 3-2 EG


Fnatic vs. Complexity

This is going to be a big game for both standings and the decider of American's 'best' Rogue. I personally prefer Fnatic going into this game, as they have been performing better out of the two teams. So who will be America's Best Rogue?

Game 1
We're set to start the series on Ring of Valor. coL open on Sodah while managing to get Reckful out with Fan of Knives. A blind on Douja followed by a Sap makes a great CC chain, but there is no pressure on Fnatic. Sodah is forced to PS in order to survive. coL start to train Douja, who has nowhere to run due to this amazing arena; he eventually dies. Reckful is killed by the remaining 2 members of Fnatic, but it's all in vein.

Score: 1-0 coL

Game 2
We're on Dalaran arena for the second game of the series. Fnatic open onto Sodah with a blood lust, he's right in the open of the arena, but the damage seems to stop for no reason. They re-apply damage onto Sodah again and get him below 40%, but he is able to recover while jumping down to the bottom level of the arena. Fnatic are in control of the game at the moment, but Venruki starts to CC the team of Fnatic to offer some relief to coL. Douja is running out of mana quickly, has to drop Mana tide and is caught into a full fear. Yog fears Sodah and Fnatic score the kill on Reckful.

Score: 1-1

Game 3
We're on Ruins for the third game of the series. Fnatic open on Sodah while getting Reckful out of stealth with FoK, and then switch straight onto Reckful with a KS. Douja is opened on by coL, but manages to get away. coL start to train Yog while Fnatic train Reckful to low percentage, but a Hymn is able to bring him back up. Reckful is on Douja while Woundman is trying to peel Reckful off, but it ultimately fails as Douja had no trinket, and Yog was in a well timed sheep by Venruki.

Venruki ultimately won the game for coL with excellent CC; not only securing the kill, but keeping Sodah alive.

Score: 2-1 coL

Game 4
We're on Ruins once again. Woundman opens on Sodah, but is very quickly controlled by Venruki; who is forced to use his Deep Freeze cooldown early to do so. Sodah is forced to Pain Supression with the amount of damage on him, he manages to stay alive for a few seconds of the rush down, but ultimately falls.

Woundman played extremely well in that game once again.

Score: 2-2

Game 5
The series comes down to a game on Ring of Valor, which will probably have a huge impact on the result of the series. Yog is opened on by coL, followed by a blind on Douja. Woundman is controlled by Venruki and Sodah while Yog is being trained down. Fnatic turn onto Sodah and put him below half health extremely quickly, but he sis manages to survive extremely well with the hell Venruki. Douja is completely controlled in a sheep and fear, Yog dies as Douja is in Mind Control.

coL had complete control of that last game.

Score: 3-2 coL

Opinion

An extremely impressive showing from Venruki, proving why he is considered to be one of the best Mages in the game. I believe Woundman completely outplayed Reckful in the series, but with Venruki's dominance along with Douja's class' weakness, coL came out on top.


x6 vs. SK.EU

One of the big games of the night, which I originally predicted to be the biggest game of the night, but given SK.EU's recent form, that has changed to BB vs x6. The change of focus won't really take anything of this game, as everyone will be eager to see how Inflame is able to keep up with the Juggernaut known as x6.

Game 1
We're on Blade's Edge, x6 do their usual opener onto Inflame, he ports to stop all the damage. SK turn around and just kill Twixz in a few seconds, making x6 look like the joke of a team they are.

Score: 1-0 SK.EU

Game 2
We're on Nagrand Arena, x6 play offensively into Inflame, nothing he can really do to stop the damage after the badly placed portal. He eventually succumbs to the sheer damage and dies.

Inflame played poorly in this game.

Score: 1-1

Game 3
We're on Dalaran, the usual start from x6 straight into Inflame. Inflame manages to kite around the boxes to survive the onslaught for awhile. The DoTs are ticking away on x6, but Engimz has had to blow Innervate to keep his mana up. Twixz has a lot of pressure on him, while Inflame is below 5k HP, but Inflame eventually gets trained down though

Score: 2-1 x6

Game 4
Gameriot swallowed my blog sorry. This was an amazing game where SK outplayed x6 to win the game and draw the series.

Score: 2-2

Game 5
Dalaran arena for the decider of the series. x6 do their usual opener, but Inflame does an amazing portal to stop their damage. Inflame isn't able to recover from x6 reconnecting with his Gnome though, and quickly dies to the damage of x6. It looks like we'll be looking to BB to beat x6's cheese cleave.

Score: 3-2 x6

Conclusion

SK.EU did a lot better than I expected them too, but at the end of the day; x6's cheese wins the game.


BHMS vs. EG

Both teams are coming into this after losing their previous game, so they will be looking to bounce back onto a winning streak. Providing EG are able to play to their potential, they should win this game, as Tenderloin's cleansing totem along with his play is the advantage needed for them to win.

Game 1
Game 1 is going to take place on Dalaran. BHMS open offensively and go straight into the team of EG. EG decide to train Massivez as he is the closest player.  BHMS is in complete control of the game at the moment with the DoTs all over. Massivez drops low, but is quickly brought up to 80%. Massivez is brought down to 20%, but quickly AMZ's to keep himself alive, he seems to be playing stupidly. BHMS have killed Azazel's second pet is down, and is forced to hard cast the summon twice, while this happens Tenderloin is drinking. BHMS are starting to let the game slip, but they quickly get back on top of Smatinz and Azazel, forcing both below 50%. Tenderloin gets all the team above 90%, but is extremely low on mana. Tenderloin is being focused for a short amount of time, but then they quickly switch onto Smatinz. EG continue to train Massivez, while this happens Azazel drops below 20% twice, Tenderloin keeps him up but is completely OOM. Massivez is taking an absolute ton of damage but the Druid is able to keep alive. Massivez is 2k HP for around 5k, but the Druid is able to get him to around 95% HP. Azazel's health drops below 40%, Tenderloin is OOM. BHMS switch to Tenderloin for the easy kill.

Score: 1-0 BHMS

Game 2
Game 2 is going to take place on Blade's Edge, which will favour BHMS' team. BHMS charge into EG, Azazel ends up taking a lot of damage, dropping down to 95% The pressure from BHMS team is extreme at the moment, but Massivez is also below 50% HP. Everything resets at this point. EG's health starts depleting quickly, as BHMS start playing the turtle play style correctly, but I don't see how Tenderloin will be able to keep up with this healing.  Massivez is still the target of EG, but he doesn't look close to dying. Smatinz is being trained down to 6k HP at the moment, Tenderloin is having a hard time keeping him alive. Tenderloin manages to get Smatinz upto 100%, but Tenderloin is quickly running out of mana. Massivez drops to around 20%, but BHMS' Druid is able to bring him back up. Massivez drops to around 10% while being assisted by EG's DPS, but the Druid manages to bring him back up. Massivez starts kiting the Rogue while he has 2K HP, but it ultimately fails as Azazel's Drain Soul finishes him.

Score: 1-1

Game 3
We're in Ring of Valor for Game 3. BHMS do the usual start with Massivez running into EG. Massivez is tanking for the damage for BHMS while Azazel seems to the target of BHMS's assault. BHMS switch onto Tenderloin at this point, almost killing him with the spell lock. Massivez is forced to AMZ at this point with the amount of damage he is taking. Brogo tops off Massivez to 100%. The clock is ticking against EG at this point, Brogo has a huge mana advantage, while Tenderloin is also being trained by BHMS. The damage became overwhelming on Tenderloin, and he was unable to recover for the incoming assault of BHMS.

Score: 2-1 BHMS

Game 4
We're on Blade's Edge for Game 4. The game starts with incredible pace, EG are all below 50% within the first 20 seconds, but they are able to recover. Massivez is trained by EG almost dying due to the lack of HoTs on him, he survives once from a sharp spike, but is unable to do so the second time.

Score: 2-2

Game 5
We're straight back into the arena for the decider, neither time wanted to talk over what would happen in the 5th game, as they already had their plan. The map will be Ruins. BHMS take control of the tomb while EG camp in their starting room. Massivez is opened on by EG, and is forced to play defensively straight away. BHMS start to spread the DoT's around at this point, and Tenderloin is starting to really feel the pressure, but he manages to survive. Massivez continues to be trained, but he blows his AMZ in order to survive with the help of Brogo's NS. The amount of damage on EG is absolute immense at the moment, with all 3 members under 60%. Azazel ends up dying to sheer pressure, as Tenderloin was really struggling to keep up with the sheer damage.

Score: 3-2 BHMS

Conclusion

A series of games between two teams who are trying to prove their worth to the world. BHMS seemed to be dominant in their first games, but Fnatic ended up being able to take advantage of Massivez offensive play to draw up the series. The series ended in the traditional Shadow Cleave play, with EG's healer being able to keep up all 3 members of his team, and eventually succumbed to the pressure.


SK.US vs. BB

This promises to be an interesting game, as I am sure BB will want to win this game given what happened last time these two teams played. BB will be looking for revenge for sure, and I'm sure they will get it from how well they have been playing.

Game 1
Game 1 is going to take place on Ruins, which should be a map higher damage figures. BB open onto Pookz and force him to block, while SK force Numberone below 50% very quickly, but he doesn't use any defensive cooldowns at this point. There's a Rogue dance going with both mages trying to outplay each other. BB take control and Force Pookz to block again, Enforcer is below 50% at this point.  Enforcer's health isn't topped up, and is eventually killed by the pressure of BB.

Score: 1-0 BB

Game 2
We're on Dalaran Arena for the second game. Pookz gets Hyren out of stealth with a Blizzard, which puts the pressure on BB straight away. Realz is CC'd while Enforcer is pressured, but everything ends up fine. The Rogue dance starts at this point, Enforcer is below 50% and gets a lot of pressure on him while Numberone fears Realz. The pressure on Enforcer continues, Orangemarmalde silences Realz while Enforcer dies.

Score: 2-0 BB

Game 3
We're going to be on Blade's Edge for Game 3, and SK are looking dominant thus far in the series. Both Priests are sapped in the opener, but SK open on to Numberone. They seem to have a mix-up in communication as Numberone is KS'd and Sheeped. The Rogue dance is going on while the Mages start to control the game. Numberone get's CC'd by Pookz, which Hyren automatically reacts to with getting off the bridge. Enforcer re-steals but is brought out by Pookz, while this is happening Orangemarmalade is below 50%. SK turn their attention to Hyren while Pookz lands a CS on Numberone, which results in Hyren's death.

Score: 2-1 BB

Game 4
Game 4 is going to take place in Nagrand Arena. Numberone is sapped by Enforcer, SK open onto Orange, but BB just CC SK out of their opening momentum. The usual Rogue dance is taking place, with both Rogues dipping quite a lot, but the Priests are doing a good job keeping up the Rogues. Realz delivers a good double fear, followed by a sheep by Pookz, forcing Numberone's trinket. While this is happening, Hyren takes a huge spike of damage and ultimately dies.

Could SK take the series? They're the dominant team at the moment.

Score: 2-2

Game 5
It all comes down to Game 5 on Ruins to decide the series.  Pookz runs straight into BB to try and get the Rogue out, but is forced to block instantly. Numberone is sheeped while Hyren is switched onto, but BB turn around and kill Pookz easily. An anti-climax to say the least.

Score: 3-2 BB

Opinions

Kalimist
"My prediction was correct, close games, both rogues played how they should, Hiren did a questionable cloak in game 4 though which ended up getting him killed like 15 seconds after. Orangemarmalade and Pookz both consecutively outplaying through out that series. #1 more offensive throwing in holy fires every time you heard OM shout where as i thought Realz was more passive."



BHMS vs. x6

Predictions:

Pyrilus: 5-0 x6
Yiska: 3-2 x6
Spoh: 3-2 BHMS

Game 1
An extremely quick game on Blade's Edge arena. BHMS took advantage of their portal ability while x6 were in their bloodlust. BHMS' DoTs started to take control of x6, and eventually they succumbed to the sheer pressure of them.

Score: 1-0 BHMS

Game 2
Game 2 is going to take place on Ring of Valor. x6 play their usual opening with going all offensive. Flexz is completely controlled, but Snutz still nearly dies. Snutz manages to get away from the pets + Twixz for a short while, but they manage to catch up up and kill him. He literally go solo'ed by a BM Hunter.

This map is pathetic.

Score: 1-1

Game 3
This game is going to be played on Dalaran arena, a slight upgrade from Ring of Valor for the teams involved. x6 do their usual full offensive opener with Blood Lust and so on. Snutz is being trained by x6, his health spikes low, the Druid's NS does absolutely nothing to his life, and the game ends in a few seconds.

Score: 2-1 x6

Game 4
We're once again on Dalaran arena for the fourth game. x6 go with their full cooldown opener on Snutz. Snutz handles it quite well for the opening. Snutz portaled from the bottom, but his pet died from the Soul link damage. x6 turn to Snutz while he has no pet, and dies in a couple of seconds.

Score: 3-1 x6

Game 5
We're on Ring of Valor for the last game, and I don't really think their will be any surprises as to the result. The usual x6 opener, but this time onto the DK, which they almost kill. They continue to train Massivez while the DK and the Druid use all their defensive cooldowns. Massivez dies with absolutely no options in regards to reacting. x6 just showing off that they can kill who they want really.

Score: 4-1 x6


EG vs. Complexity

Predictions:

Spoh:  3-2 coL
Yiska: 3-2 coL
Trig: 3-2 coL
Pyrilus: 3-2 coL
Wisdomcube: 3-2 EG

Game 1
Game 1 is going to take place on Blade's Edge Arena. Reckful gets sapped at the same time as Smatinz. coL open heavily on Tenderloin, forcing an NS to live. Tenderloin kites away for around 8 seconds and does well, but coL get back on top of him. He's almost OOM, and has had to use MT. coL simply turn to Smatinz and kill him with little in the way of a reaction. coL was in total control of this game.

Score: 1-0 coL

Game 2
We're on Ring of Valor for Game 2. EG blow bloodlust as part of their opener. coL train Azazel pretty hard and force him below 50%. Tenderloin's Tremor is melee'd and he is feared for almost full duration while they continue to train Azazel. coL switch to Tenderloin, he NS's to keep himself up, but ultimately the damage is too much for the only healer in the game without a defensive mitigation cooldown to handle, especially when there is no LoS for him to hide behind.

Score: 2-0 coL

Game 3
We're going to be on Dalaran arena for Game 3. Azazel is going to be opened on with CS while Tenderloin is CC'd. Reckful is taking a lot of pressure from the RLS, but coL are weather the damage well as they switch onto Tenderloin and almost kill him. coL continue to train Tenderloin, and he's almost OOM from being forced to use ES. Reckful is almost dead at this point, but Sodah manages to keep up with a Hymn. Tenderloin is able to kite away for a while, but coL are able to catch upto him to keep the pressure on him. Reckful is starting to die, Sodah is feared by Azazel while he is OOM, and EG score a kill on Reckful.

Tenderloin is playing extremely well.
 
Score: 2-1 coL

Game 4
Game 4 is on Blade's Edge. Venruki gets purged by the Shaman, followed by a Hex onto him. EG are being CC'd by coL. coL are training Tenderloin and force an Early NS, and he is looking low on mana already. Azazel does a great fear on Reckful to relieve the pressure, but coL are able to get back on him. Tenderloin is OOM at this point due to having to use ES + Cleansing totem, and has no mana to heal himself.

Score: 3-1 coL

Game 5
We're going to be playing this on Ring of Valor. Sodah is opened on while Azazel is opened on. Azazel is under HEAVY pressure almost dies twice in a row. Even with Bloodlust, Tenderloin is unable to keep up Azazel due to the amount of CC that is being thrown his way. This map really needs removing from competitive play.

Score: 4-1 coL

SK.US vs Check 6

Predictions:

Kalimist: 4-1 x6
Hydra: 5-0 x6
Yiska: 5-0 x6
Trig: 4-1 x6
Flyn: 5-0 x6
Pyrilus: 4-1 x6
Spoh: 4-1 x6

Game 1
Game 1 is going to take place on Ruins. SK open on Flexxz while x6 blow their cooldowns. Pookz is forced block incredibly quickly, he survives. Pookz comes out of block and is straight away the target of the beasts, he almost dies, but Realz keeps him up. x6 continue to train Pookz, and no amount of healing is able to keep Pookz up.

WotLK is awesome.

Score: 1-0 x6

Game 2
Game 2 is going to take part on Ruins, I don't really expect any differences. SK open VERY hard on Flexz and almost kill him, but Toez saves him. x6 blow blood lust and target Realz, killing him through Pain Suppression.

Score: 2-0 x6

Game 3
Game 3 is going to take part on Nagrand, SK open up Flexz and switch onto Toez. Pookz is forced to block straight away from the amount of damage. SK continue to train Toez, which seems to be slowing down x6's damage for now. SK switch onto Flexxz while Pookz is being targeted by the Beast Cleave. x6 switch to Enforcer and kill him in 2-3 seconds without being able to react.

This is pathetic.

Score: 3-0 x6

Game 4
Game 4 is going to take place on Blade's Edge. Both teams clash with their opener, blowing all cooldowns on both side. Pookz almost dies in 3 seconds and is forced to block. x6 switch to Enforcer and almost kill him too, Enforcer blows his cooldowns to survive. x6 go back on Pookz and put him below 50% with a couple of seconds of contact. x6 continue to train Pookz, which forces a block. x6 then switch to Enforcer and kill him in a couple of seconds.

Score: 4-0 x6

Game 5
Game 5 is going to take place on ROV, and I think this will be over fairly quickly in x6's favour. Both teams open blowing all their cooldowns. x6 train Realz very very hard and kill him without being able to do anything.

Amazing game Blizzard, congrats on your great design.

Score: 5-0 x6


Button Bashers vs SK.EU

Predictions:

Yiska: 3-2 SK.EU
Kalimist: 5-0 SK.EU
Hydra: 4-1 SK.EU
Ghingis: 3-2 SK.EU
Spoh: 4-1 SK.EU
Flyn: 4-1 SK.EU
Zyz: 3-2 SK.EU
Trig: 5-0 SK.EU

Game 1
So the game finally begins, and we're on Blade's Edge. SK open with their usual pet actions, Hyren Cheap Shots Inflame while blinding Enigmz. Hyren switches onto Enigmz, quickly switches over to Another drops him to 30%, which forces Another's AMZ. SK recover from the great start by BB, but Inflame is being CC'd BB. Numberline fears Enigmz and BB absolutely destroys Another in that CC.

Amazing game by BB.

Score: 1-0 BB

Game 2
Game 2 is going to take place in Dalaran arena. SK start with the pets for combat, Hyren is popped out of Stealth by nothing. Hyren opens hard on Inflame, Numberone does a great fear catching all of SK in fear. SK are being controlled heavily while BB are on Enigmz. Enigmz is half health while Another puts down AMZ to save him. SK recover temporarily. Another is being heavily trained, but the HoTs are keeping him up while Enigmz is feared. Enigmz uses Innervate while SK are being controlled with CC. The game is starting to go in SK's favour with the DoTs, but BB aren't being overwhelmed yet. BB try going for Enigmz, but Another peels quickly. Hyren is in trouble with the amount of damage going into him, Numberone is completely OOM while Hyren is dying.

An absolutely awesome game to watch, these teams really are both at the top of their game.

Score: 1-1

Game 3
Game 3 is going to be on Ruins. Usual openers, BB have an amazing opener with double fear, CS, and a switch opener by the Rogue. Inflame is at half health, but is quickly brought back up. Numberone gets another triple fear, and they switch onto the badly positioned Druid. BB put all their cooldowns and damage into Enigmz, which was badly out of position due to Numberone's excellent Fear.

BB look to be the best RMP at the tournament to me, we'll find out what the others think after the game.

Score:  2-1 BB

Game 4 - NULL
Game 4 is going to take place on Ruins. A slow opener from SK, BB go straight onto Enigmz with a CS / KS, but BB just CC Enigmz away with fear as soon as they're finished with him. BB quickly switch to Another while Enigmz is in fear, and end up killing him while Enigmz is CS'd by Orangemarmalade.

Apparently the game was Lagged, so the game is now NULL.

Game 5
Game 5 is going to take place on Ruins. SK do their usual opener, BB control Another with Sheep while doing an early blind on Enigmz. BB Switch their attention to Another, but nothing really happens. SK are keeping BB at bay, but there isn't much damage on BB at the moment. BB get a full set of cooldowns + KS on Enigmz, he survives with NS just. SK take control of the situation while Enigmz kites away. SK simply around at this point and kill Hyren due to their being no cooldowns left for the RMP to survive.

Score: 2-2

Game 6
Game 6 and the match are going to be decided on Ring of Valor. Both teams blow their cooldowns for their opener, BB open on Inflame and he survives with the healing. BB switch to another while controlling Inflame but they don't really make much of an impact. BB make yet another switch to Inflame after he used his trinket, and SK have no answer to the damage going out with Enigmz being feared.

Awesome game overall, the last map made it a little sad though.

Score: 3-2 BB

Opinions

Spoh:
"SK.Eu's play was looking solid the first night, but it seems that these constant swaps from BB have been giving them trouble today."


SK.US vs  Fnatic

Game 1
Game 1 finally begins, and we're in Blade's Edge Arena. Realz is sapped while the rest of SK play aggressively on Fnatic. Pain Suppression is blown on Realz due to the amount of damage going out. SK turn around and do a ton of damage to Woundman, leaving him below 50%. Douja heals up Woundman, Fnatic turn around and kill Enforcer while Realz is in Hex.

Score: 1-0 Fnatic

Game 2
Game 2 takes place on Ruins. An Early CS on to Yog from SK. US, Douja has been opened on hard while Realz has been heavily damaged heavily. Realz falls over in the middle of nowhere while Fnatic have complete control of the match.

Poor play from Realz cost SK the game, looks like their lack of practice is kicking in.

Score: 2-0 Fnatic

Game 3
Game 3 takes place on Ring of Valor, this should really push the damage counters. Both teams go full out for their opener, Elemental and Bloodlust are used. Douja is under a lot of pressure, ends up falling with no peels on this horrible map. The game continues and both Enforcer and Woundman fall over, SK US win.

A horrible map combined with SK's usual strategy of zerg the healer win the game; this is why Resto Shamans need a defensive cool down >_>

Score: 2-1 Fnatic

Game 4
Game 4 takes place on RoV again, a bad omen for Fnatic? Both teams open with all their cooldowns, Enforcer opens on Yog with a quick swap onto Douja. Realz is forced to PS due to the damage. Douja drops to 1 HP but he NS to keep himself up. Unable to stay up, Douja dies, but so does Realz. 2v2 carries on, both teams play well with the Rogues cross killing each other. Warlock vs Mage; 1v1. Pookz snares Yog to go and get a full Innervate, Yog runs away and drinks to full while bandaging to full HP. Pookz blows Icy Veins to try and get damage on Yog, but Yog completely dominates Pookz. Pookz is almost OOM, Yog dukes the Drain soul and finishes of Pookz.

An okay game, completely changed the dynamic of the match due to the horrible arena though. Yog clutched the game.

Score: 3-1 Fnatic

Game 5
Game 5 takes place on Ruins. Douja gets sapped, Woundman gets opened on and dies before Douja even has chance to react due to the opener.

Not really a game, just shows how retarded WotLK arena is now.

Score: 3-2 Fnatic

Opinions

Zyz:
"Killing shaman works great against destro, not so much against UA. Should have tried killing lock pets and then lock."


EG vs SK.EU

Predictions:

Kalimist:  4-1 SK.EU
Zyz: 4-1 SK.EU
Spoh: 4-1 SK.EU
Trig: 5-0 SK.EU
Wisdomcube: 4-1 SK.EU
Ghingis: 5-0 SK.EU
Yiska: 5-0 SK.EU

Game 1
It's the first game of the series, and we're on Ruins. SK.EU prevent the possible sap with a pet ambush. EG open hard on Another forcing him below 50% for around 8 seconds. SK.EU have made their DoT advantage take effect, 2 members of EG are below 50%, but EG recover. EG's Rogue is being trained very hard, and Tenderloin is going OOM. Another ended up being trained while SK.EU trained EG's Rogue, ultimately SK.EU won the war of attrition.

Ultimately the Druid had a full mana bar at the end of the game, while Tenderloin was tapped.

Score: 1-0 SK.EU

Game 2
We're on Ruins again for the second game of the series. Exact same openning as last game, with Another being opened on heavily by EG. EG's Rogue is taking a huge amount of damage at the exact same time; Another looks close to dying but is able to recove with relative ease. SK start training the Shaman, and then a shock kill onto Another happens. SK almost score a kill on EG's Rogue, but EG recover.

Azazel out-damaged Inflame, and due to the role that Another played in the game, he did very little damage overall.

Score: 1-1

Game 3
Game 3 is on Nagrand. The usual pet opener takes place, but Another plays offensively this time. EG open on Another pretty hard, but Another Death Grips away the pressure. A relative dance of damage, which leads to Enigmz having to Innervate. Enigmz is taking a lot of damage from the DoTs, and is failing to heal himself. SK make it impossible for EG to continue the pressure on Enigmz. Tenderloin is completely OOM at this point while Enigmz has 5k HP, due to the lack of mana on the Shaman, Smatinz ends up dying. You DO NOT let SK.EU get their momentum.

Excellent play from Inflame and Another. Enigmz looks like he was starting to flake like on live.

Score: 2-1 SK.EU

Game 4 - Match means nothing.
Game 4 is on Blade's, a map that heavily favours SK.EU's playstyle and classes. The usual pet opener is used to avoid the sap, while EG start to DoT up SK. A lot of pressure on to Another, but SK just turn around and kill EG's Rogue with zero resistance. A very very quick game.

Game 5
Game 5 is on Blade's Edge. Sk use their usual pet opener to avoid the sap. EG open with a Bloodlust to try and put out early pressure, but this fails from the looks of things. EG are starting to rot on the DoTs of SK.EU. EG put a nice CC chain on Enigmz to put out some pressure on SK.EU, but they recover. SK.EU are in total control of the game at the moment, but Tenderloin has more mana than Enigmz, and both have used their mana return cooldowns. Another good fear onto Enigmz pushes Another below 50%, unable to recover from the amount of damage; Another ends up dying.

EG played very well with their CC Chains in that game.

Score: 2-2

Game 6
The series comes down to a game on Dalaran Arena. SK use their standard pet opener. Another is opened on by EG, but EG are controlled off by Inflame. A lot of damage on EG at the moment, but Enigmz is complete OOM, forcing him to Innervate to full mana. EG continue to train Another while the DoTs are spread across both teams. Enigmz gets feared out into the middle of the arena, but Another is quick to peel EG's Rogue off him. EG start training Inflame, Enigmz is almost OOM while Tenderloin has a ton of mana. Smatinz ALMOST dies but Tenderloin keeps him up. Enigmz is completely OOM, gets trained to Death.

A horrible game from Enigmz, no one has any idea how he went OOM so quickly.

Score: 3-2 EG

Opinions

Zyz:
"Like i said with the previous series, with proper specs and gearing RLS can win. Druid needs to CC rogue more or they could just run wizard cleave and easily win. SK eu gave it away."

Hydra:
"Enigmz flaked."

Ghingis:
"I have no idea what just happened."


BHMS.coL vs Fnatic

Predictions:

Kalimist: 3-2 Fnatic
Hydra: 3-2 BHMS
Ghingis: 3-2 Fnatic
Yiska: 3-2 BHMS
Spoh: 3-2 BHMS

Game 1
We're finally on ROV. Woundman opens on to Snutz while they put a lot of damage onto Snutz. Woundman starts taking a lot of damage, but Fnatic recover from the damage. BHMS are just controlling Woundman with their CC's and CoI. Woundman is still taking a lot of damage in the game, while Fnatic are training Massivez for some reason. BHMS are letting their pressure drop on their team and instead focus on Yog's Pet, which eventually kills it. Yog summons a new Felhunter and is left to his own devices. BHMS almost score a kill on Woundman, but Douja keeps him alive. Douja is winning the mana war, but the sheer pressure from BHMS is killing the team of Fnatic. A well timed Arcane Torrent on Douja leads to Woundman's Death.

Questionable Earth Shield placement by Douja in that game.

Score: 1-0 BHMS

Game 2
We're on Blade's Edge. BHMS start the proceedings, and Woundman takes a ton of damage while BHMS' Druid sits in Blind. Fnatic Train Snutz VERY hard, forcing Massivez to AMZ to keep his team mate alive. Fnatic Train Massivez while BHMS' Druid gets Fear RNG'd. While it was a solid play by Yog, the fear pathing ultimately won the game for Fnatic.

Score: 1-1

Game 3
We're on Ruins. Fnatic open heavily onto Snutz and his pet, Snutz is below Half HP while Woundman takes an equal amount of damage. Woundman kills Snutz pet, but Snutz resummons. BHMS puts a ton of pressure onto Woundman, but Douja manages to keep him alive. Douja looks low on mana at this point. Yog's pet dies, but he re-summoned a pet with no problem. Douja drops Mana Tide for a few seconds. BHMS' DoTs are starting to take their toll on Fnatic, with two members of their team below 50% HP. Douja is almost OOM. Fnatic do a nice switch onto Massivez; forcing him below 40% HP, but Woundman dies to the pressure of BHMS.

Score: 2-1 BHMS

Game 4
We're on Ruins again. A similar opening to the last game with Snutz and Yogs being the center of both team's attention. Fnatic are train Snutz very hard, forcing him below 50%, but the Druid manages to keep him alive. DoTs are ticking away on Fnatic, this is going to be a race against time for Fnatic. Fnatic put out a lot of pressure on Massivez, but the Druid keeps him alive with no problems. Massivez is forced to AMZ to stay alive, as Fnatic got off a nice CC Chain. BHMS's Druid is OOM while Douja has over 6k Mana. Fnatic kill Massivez while the Druid is OOM, a surprising result.

Massivez had a good game, but unfortunately his team let him down.

Score: 2-2

Game 5
It's down to the wire, and it's on Dalaran Arena. Massivez does the usual opener of the DK in this matchup, Fnatic open onto him with full DoTs and Cheap Shot. Massivez it taking a LOT of damage at the moment, but BHMS seem to recover. EG are still training Massivez extremely hard, Snutz seems to be doing absolutely nothing to the team of Fnatic. Fnatic ultimately score a kill on Massivez the DK, something that SHOULD NOT happen in this game.

Snutz played very poorly in that game, and ultimately cost BHMS the game.

Score: 3-2 Fnatic

Opinions

Kalimist:
"Exactly what I expect really. They went on the DK and kept up the intense pressure RLS are well known for being able to put out. All 3 of Fnatic played exceptional in that game. Their great co-ordination on their burst got them the 3 games they needed."

Zyz:
"Not really surprised on this one. Shaman with proper gear and spec in RLS can do well against this comp. It's going to come down to how well they do against SK.EU, as Massivez and co just play to OOM people"

Ghinghis:
"Massivez played poorly, tanking a HfB Rogue rather than spamming CoI on the Rogue to kite him."


Button Bashers vs Complexity

Predictions:

Kalimist: 4-1 BB
Yiska: 3-2 BB
Hydra: 3-2 BB
Ghingis: 4-1 BB

Game 1
We're on RoV. Orangemarmadle gets Reckful out of stealth straight away, coL turn around and damage Orangemarmalde in response. BB do a lot of damage to Venruki, force him to block which gets MD'd. BB continue to train Venruki, but Sodah manages to keep him up well. BB start training Reckful who blows his defensive cooldowns while Sodah sits in a blind; fortunately Reckful survives. BB seem in control, but coL turn around and kill Hiren against the flow of things.

Score: 1-0 coL

Game 2
We're on Ruins. I've missed most of the game due to the absolutely amazing quality of service provided by MLG. Apparently BB had complete control of this game and killed Reckful with ease.

Score: 1-1

Game 3
We're on Blade's Edge. Both teams are playing cautiously at the start, but eventually an early block is forced on Venruki which is MD'd. Both teams are trading blows, but coL seem to be the aggressors. Hiren ends up playing exremely defensively as Numberone gets blinded. coL are in complete control of the game at this point, and both Rogues manage to re-stealth. Hiren gets the opener on Reckful despite him having shadowsight, which forces an instant Pain Suppression. The teams trade blows for a short while, but BB take control of the game with some amazing play from Orangemarmalde. Reckful ends up surviving with around 700 HP for over 10 seconds, but is eventually finished off by BB.

Score: 2-1 BB

Game 4
We're on Ruins. BB have an amazing start in this game, with Numberone fearing Sodah while they open heavily on Venruki, which eventually forces a block. BB switch onto Reckful while coL go on  to Hiren. Reckful uses his Cloak well to avoid a lot of the incoming damage; coL are still heavily pressuring Hiren though. BB turn the momentum onto Reckful and despite cooldowns from Sodah being used, he eventually drops. This series to be the battle of the Rogues.

Venruki only did 15K damage, he seems to be letting the side down.

Score:  3-1 BB

Game 5
We're on Dalaran. Reckful gets sapped and dispeled down, BB open hard onto Reckful, but Reckful blows his defensive cooldowns to weather it. coL turn around hard onto Hiren putting him down to 30%, but BB recover from this. coL turn around onto Orangemarmalade, there's damage but they survive fine. A Rogue dance commences, but coL come out on top by killing Hiren with no retort from BB.

A very entertaining series overall, although I believe coL underperformed.

Score: 3-2 BB

Opinions

Kalimist:
"I'm really impressed with Hiren's play, his addition to the team has made all the difference. I also feel that BB as a team played far better than the last MLG."

Ghingis:
"Hiren is a really nice addition to BB, and they the series because of Hiren knowing exactly what to do in the situations presened to him. I do think all in all that BB should had a lot better ratio than 3-2 though, simply because they outplayed coL a lot."