NOTE: YOU CAN READ A WHOLE LOT MORE ABOUT THE SQUADS FROM THE PAST RANKINGS AND REPORTS! I COULDN'T LEAVE ALL THE PAST INFORMATION HERE, SINCE IT WAS JUST TOO MUCH FOR MY 386 COMPUTER!
)(Master)(
Current record: 2-2
Victories against: Spies (1-0, forfeit), Epik (12-8)
Losses to: Warlords (3-12), Wretcheds (4-12)
Friendly MVPs: thomas hawk (5:2, vs. Epik)
Comments: Master...well, there's so much to say and so little desire to say it. The squad has had changing success throughout their long league career, and have never been a real contender. A playoff spot has been an usual goal for the squad and often they've reached it too, just to be eliminated in round one. It is hard to make a call on whether the squad should just try something new instead of the old ways which always take them to round one and then eliminated...well, if they're satisfied with that, then there's no problem, but I'd be leaving a squad as such in a hurry. Again, a playoff spot's possible.
Prediction now: The playoffs are a possibility, might miss out too.
-BlitZed-
Current record: 1-3
Victories against: Exodus (12-3)
Losses to: Warlords (5-12), Blasphemy (9-10), Happy Mob (9-12)
Friendly MVPs: Plumpy (5:1, vs. Exodus)
Comments: We all expected a great comeback season from -BlitZed- after a 3-1 preseason record. Alas, no, at least not yet. Their only victory is against Exodus, clearly the weakest squad in the league. Then again, they did give Blasphemy a run for their money, and did look pretty solid against Exodus, so all's not lost. They face Old germany in round five and should take their record to 2-3 if all goes right, so a playoff spot is still a possibility. However, it does look badly like another season in the lower half of AML for BlitZed. The squad's lineup is fairly thin and the key players haven't really played at the same time and that has caused the squad to fail so far. There is hope for the squad, but it may be lost very quickly.
Prediction now: The playoffs are a possibility, might miss out too.
Abnocto Pestis
Current record: 2-1
Victories against: Alcoholism (12-5), Bunner (12-1)
Losses to: Heaven (3-12)
Friendly MVPs: Fluctus (4:0, vs. Alcoholism), Fluctus (8:1, vs. Bunner)
Comments: Abnocto Pestis invaded AML in round two and suprised the unprepeared Alcoholism squad with a good showing and a 12-5 victory. A loss to Heaven was expected, as well as the victory over Bunner. Now the squad has to show whether they belong in the top 10 or the top 20 of the league. The match in round five against )(MasteR)( won't be enough for that and they'll have to face bigger squads in the second half of the season. We'll see how they fare, the victories over weaker squads should take them to playoffs. I won't even go in to talking about their roster, because it'd all be just guessing.
Prediction now: Probably round one in the playoffs.
Alcoholism
Current record: 0-4
Victories against: NONE
Losses to: Fly-NDeath (6-12), Abnocto Pestis (5-12), Ferrum (2-12), Dissent (1-12)
Friendly MVPs: NONE
Comments: Well, Alcoholism has had the toughest of schedules so far, which isn't really fair for a squad like this. Their kill-score has gone down in every match (6-5-2-1) and their spirits probably with that. However, there's light visible for Meditation and co. as they face Exodus in round five. That's the match of the two 0-4 squads, so it'll be the match between the "worst squads in the league". That's just mean, Alcoholism could easily play even matches with at least seven squads that are 1-3 or 2-2 now, so with some luck they'll reach a respectable record this season. Keep up the good work Meditation, you're getting there.
Prediction now: A few wins behind the playoff line.
ASWZ
Current record: 2-2
Victories against: Happy Mob (12-1), Blasphemy (12-3)
Losses to: Fly-NDeath (7-12), No Data (4-5 ot.)
Friendly MVPs: poody (5:0, vs. Happy Mob), Killer88 (3:0, vs. Blasphemy)
Comments: ASWZ came in to the league as a replacement squad for round one and the experienced ASWZ players have made some sort of an impact so far. They've lost to Fly-NDeath and No Data, no big suprises there, their victories are against Happy Mob and Blasphemy. Now the question is whether ASWZ is a top 10 squads or a top 20 squad, like with Abnocto Pestis. Their round five match against Integral won't really prove anything and they should win that one fairly easily, which would take their record to 3-2 and a positive record is always a positive thing, isn't one? Still, they haven't really proven anything yet.. a playoff spot should be well within reach for this squad of veterans.
Prediction now: A playoff spot is well within reach.
Birds of Prey
Current record: 1-2
Victories against: SilverArrows (12-2)
Losses to: Tweaked (7-12), Liquid Inc (7-11)
Friendly MVPs: GiG (5:1, vs. SilverArrows)
Comments: Well, another season has begun for the old squad. And it hasn't been as bad as the last one. A 1-2 record isn't really as good as we had all expected from Birds of Prey, but if you look at their losses, they aren't that bad. Tweaked and Liquid Inc are good squads and BoP did come close to winning against both of them. Dagger's military visit is a very bad thing for this squad, but I'm expecting a Dagger-comeback for the fifth round match against Happy Mob, a game which they should be able to win without him too. The losses of such players as Hiphen and ZDeathX right before the season has hurt the squad and they've been unable to win those close matches. Still, the squad needs a playoff spot after last season's big disappointements, so they will work hard for it. The squad's activity is at an all-time low, basically only COJONES!! pracs constantly and he's really the #1 player of the squad at the moment. I'm afraid that Sumi's effect on the squad hasn't been all that good.
Prediction now: The squad needs the playoff spot to survive...and they'll eventually get it.
Blasphemy
Current record: 1-3
Victories against: -BlitZed- (10-9)
Losses to: Mutiny (7-10), StarFire Elite (3-12), ASWZ (3-12)
Friendly MVPs: Coastal (3:2, vs. -BlitZed-)
Comments: Well, when Blasphemy was 1-3 in preseason I thought to myself "they'll get their act together and be one of the top contenders". Well, not so far. The squad is 1-3, they played well against Mutiny, but a loss to StarFire Newbl33t is inexcusable. Blasphemy doesn't have Scub, who I counted on being the top player of the squad before the season, but he isn't a player who makes a difference between a very good squad and an average squad. Blasphemy faces Llamasery in round five and with a victory they'd reach 2-3, which isn't as bad as 1-3 or 1-4. Still, they need to improve their form to reach the playoffs.
Prediction now: Unless they start fielding their best, they'll miss out on the playoffs.
Bunner
Current record: 1-3
Victories against: KoTH (1-0, forfeit)
Losses to: Victimise (3-12), Wretcheds (6-12), Abnocto Pestis (1-12)
Friendly MVPs: NONE
Comments: L-L-L-L-L-L-L. What's that? Just Bunner's record in matches that have actually been played. It looks badly like Bunner's gone back from a playoff squad to a point-machine for all the other squads. Ok, they've faced some tougher squads, but only getting one (1) kill against Abnocto Pestis isn't exactly a strong performance. Better things might be in the horizon for Bunner as they face Epik in round five, but they've got to turn this season around and quick if they are to make the playoffs.
Prediction now: Most likely a long offseason.
Dissent
Current record: 1-1
Victories against: Alcoholism (12-1)
Losses to: Epik (0-1, forfeit)
Friendly MVPs: Miner (3:0, vs. Alcoholism)
Comments: Dissent's form is still a big questionmark in the book of AML secrets. They will, of course, not be tested by the newbies of StarFire Elite in round five, so you can count a 12-0 victory for Dissent in that match. The squad clearly has the roster to challenge any other squad in the league, but their activity is the key. I haven't seen cfl for months :( . Still, playoffs are easily reachable unless they somehow manage to choke. Championship? Who knows.. the additions of Fuzion and Pry make the squad even stronger.
Prediction now: Very deep in to the playoffs as soon as those postponed matches have been played.
Epik
Current record: 2-2
Victories against: SilverArrows (12-0), Dissent (1-0, forfeit)
Losses to: )(Master)( (8-12), Heaven (5-9)
Friendly MVPs: hamgasm (5:0, vs. SilverArrows)
Comments: A medicore season after another. Every now and then go to Pro, get a 0-10 and go back to AML. Well, that's just mean, but Epik just isn't going anywhere at the moment. Sure, they played well against Heaven, but a loss to )(MasteR)(? That's just astounding, a squad with their roster should be able to win the easy matches to reach anything. They made the playoffs last season and should do the same this season as long as they win the easy matchups and sixteen squads make the playoffs.
Prediction now: Playoff round one or barely out of the playoffs.
Exodus
Current record: 0-4
Victories against: NONE
Losses to: Integral (2-12), Liquid Inc (2-12), KoTH (9-12), -BlitZed- (3-12)
Friendly MVPs: NONE
Comments: I've said everything possible in earlier rankings, so writing here won't get me anywhere. I'm not saying that I don't like Exodus, I just find this useless.
Prediction now: Win one match and I'll think of something.
Ferrum
Current record: 2-2
Victories against: Alcoholism (12-2), Llamasery (12-6)
Losses to: StarFire Elite (5-12), Wretcheds (0-1, forfeit)
Friendly MVPs: Lurp (5:1, vs. Alcoholism), Precept (3:1, vs. Llamasery)
Comments: After the most disappointing start in the squad's history, they've regrouped well and taken two victories from matches against weaker squads. The squad's real form is still unknown and their first obstacle will be Warlords in round five. After that they've got to prove that they're really a squad with some playoff potential. I still believe that "DragonWings II" can play a good season and win some playoff matches in Season VIII. Oh, by the way, Ferrum's got five (5) ex-DragonWings players now as far as I can tell, back when Semi called them "DragonWings reborn" they had three (3). They're going towards the right direction!
Prediction now: Playoffs round one or two.
Fly-NDeath
Current record: 3-1
Victories against: Alcoholism (12-6), ASWZ (12-7), Warlords (12-4)
Losses to: Victimise (3-9)
Friendly MVPs: Matt (3:1, vs. Alcoholism), UltiFighter (2:0, vs. ASWZ), USS Evader (7:1, vs. Warlords)
Comments: Well, well, well, from a bottom dweller to a top squad. How do you like that? What started out as a one person's joke has turned in to a real challenger squad. Well, I suppose. The whole "We hate UltiFighter" campaign has really shortened the squad's lifespan in my eyes and most of the players will probably eject after this season's over. Still, this season's this season and we've seen many one-season squads do very well in the past, so why not FND? They look strong and they're strong while playing. The lack of bench has been brought up as a problem, but I don't think it's really one. We'll see.
Prediction now: Very deep in to the playoffs.
Happy Mob
Current record: 2-2
Victories against: Old Germany (12-5), -BlitZed- (12-9)
Losses to: ASWZ (1-12), Tweaked (6-12)
Friendly MVPs: spirant (4:1, vs. Old Germany), EPL (5:2, vs. -BlitZed-)
Comments: I for one have never seen Happy Mob play, so I can't really say much. Victories against Old Germany and -BlitZed- are good, we'll have to wait and see what the squad can do against other mid-level squads to see where Happy Mob belongs on the AML chart.
Prediction now: Probably miss out on the playoffs.
Heaven
Current record: 3-1
Victories against: Llamasery (12-6), Abnocto Pestis (12-3), Epik (9-5)
Losses to: Victimise (4-12)
Friendly MVPs: Wacom (4:1, vs. Llamasery), Rezzin (2:0, vs. Abnocto Pestis), Wacom (2:0, vs. Epik)
Comments: Well, a squad with 3-1 is always a squad with 3-1, but Heaven haven't really faced anyone worth mentioning besides Victimise, to whom they lost. The squad's real form is still unknown, they need to play the top squads more so we can tell whether they are top 5 or top 10 material in this league. Saying that they are not Prevail is ridicolous, it is obvious that this squad's last season's Pro/IML Prevails combined with a couple of new recruits, no denying that. From their 16 man roster I count 8 people who were/have been on Prevail. Still, even with their massed experience they are still far away from the AML championship.
Prediction now: A championship contender, no denying that.
Integral
Current record: 2-2
Victories against: Exodus (12-2), Llamasery (12-6)
Losses to: No Data (2-12), StarFire Elite (1-12)
Friendly MVPs: sixth (6:0, vs. Exodus), sixth (5:2, vs. Llamasery)
Comments: From the depths of the AML pyramid structure we find...Integral. A long-lasting mid-level squad of AML. The occasional rise of such star players as aiti, B|nary and blindsight have gained this squad some very impressive victories from time to time, but the rise from a mid-level squad to a playoff squad has not succeeded. The problem for Integral is the lack of teamwork, they have good individuals, but those individuals have to work together for the squad to win some big matches. Where is Integral headed, the playoffs or the Second chance tourney? Hard to say, it greatly depends on the players' activity. We'll wait and see.
Prediction now: I expect Integral to miss out on the playoffs by a win or two.
KoTH
Current record: 1-2
Victories against: Exodus (12-9)
Losses to: Bunner (0-1, forfeit), Old Germany (1-12)
Friendly MVPs: eye (5:2, vs. Exodus)
Comments: New squads are always good, the problem with them is that it's hard to say anything worthwhile about them, since you really don't have a clue. I guess KoTH will beat some of the very weakest squads to gain a couple of victories, but I see no playoffs here.
Prediction now: A long offseason. Second chance tourney's always fun.
Liquid Inc
Current record: 3-0
Victories against: Exodus (12-2), Birds of Prey (11-7), No Data (8-7)
Losses to: NONE
Friendly MVPs: Rane! (7:0, vs. Exodus), Rane! (6:2, vs. Birds of Prey), Tak (2:1, vs. No Data)
Comments: A victory in a fair match against No Data is something that only a few squads have experienced in the past two seasons...actually, only BlackNike beat No Data last season, so Liquid Inc has a good reason to be proud of themselves after round four. The matches against Mutiny and Dissent will really decide whether this squad is a championship contender or just a playoff round two squad. The experienced ex-RAF roster can do some real damage to any squad.
Prediction now: A round two playoff visit.
Llamasery
Current record: 1-3
Victories against: SilverArrows (12-2)
Losses to: Heaven (6-12), Integral (6-12), Ferrum (6-12)
Friendly MVPs: Razar (4:0, vs. SilverArrows)
Comments: After so many seasons of medicority, Llamasery made the playoffs last season. Alas, it did not last. Llamasery's back in the 1-3 club now. A funny thing to note is that all their losses have had the score 6-12. Anyways, a playoff spot will be hard to reach for Llamasery in this season's AML if they keep playing as they have. While I'm fond of the squad, I just can't see them making the playoffs for the second time in two seasons.
Prediction now: Bye, bye playoff spot. One or two wins behind the line.
Mutiny
Current record: 3-0
Victories against: Blasphemy (10-7), StarFire Elite (12-4), Warlords (12-5)
Losses to: NONE
Friendly MVPs: Tupper Harley (6:2, vs. Blasphemy), KillDawg (4:0, vs. StarFire Elite), Selso (6:2, vs. Warlords)
Comments: Before the season began we all thought "ok, Mutiny's dead and they won't be a contender this season" and now BOOM!, we have a 3-0 squad in our midst. A squad that hasn't played a really good opponent yet, though. I would count StarFire Elite as one, but a certain player's elite chokage really prevents that. So, we have a squad that still has to prove itself to me before I'll rank them as a championship contender. Liquid Inc in round five will be a very good indicator on the squad's real level.
Prediction now: Round one or two in the playoffs.
No Data
Current record: 3-1
Victories against: Faster (1-0, forfeit), Integral (12-2), ASWZ (5-4 ot.)
Losses to: Liquid Inc (7-8)
Friendly MVPs: Shiny (4:0, vs. Integral), Tin Cup (2:1, vs. ASWZ)
Comments: No Data is the only squad that has won an overtime match this season. They took their first loss. That's ok. They took it against Liquid Inc. Not ok. If a squad is aiming at the championship, like No Data obviously is, you have to get rid of that choke potential. The squad's obvious weakness now is their clear lack of offensive power. borAX's disappearance from the lineup has left a gaping weasel-hole which is still not completely covered. Tin Cup hasn't been as strong as he has been expected to be and neither has Nelson. Well, the loss to Liquid Inc might be counted out as a random choke if they beat Wretcheds with a big marginal, but still, the squad's offense is damn weak. They keep their opponents at a low score, but you just don't win those matches without some kills.
Prediction now: I still believe No Data's one of the strongest squads in the league. Still, that choke is still prone to happen somewhere.
Old Germany
Current record: 1-2
Victories against: KoTH (12-1)
Losses to: Happy Mob (5-12), SilverArrows (7-12)
Friendly MVPs: OG}Damaged (7:0, vs. KoTH)
Comments: I'm really too tired to write anything about Old Germany. Get some nicknames which someone hasn't registered yet and I'll think about something.
Prediction now: *sigh*, whatever, no playoffs in sight.
SilverArrows
Current record: 1-3
Victories against: Old Germany (12-7)
Losses to: Epik (0-12), Llamasery (2-12), Birds of Prey (2-12)
Friendly MVPs: Mr Mag00 (6:2 vs. Old Germany)
Comments: Varying success for the new squad so far. They have potential and some of their players could even be bench material for some good squads in AML. A season or two more and they might evolve in to a playoff squad, and a first victory is always a first victory for a squad, the match against Old Germany was good, I hear, so winning a close match like that should boost confidence. You guys are on the right path.
Prediction now: No playoffs this season, the future holds promise though.
StarFire Elite
Current record: 3-1
Victories against: Ferrum (12-5), Blasphemy (12-3), Integral (12-1)
Losses to: Mutiny (4-12)
Friendly MVPs: Mauler (5:2, vs. Ferrum), MfA (5:0, vs. Blasphemy), Mauler (6:0, vs. Integral)
Comments: The season's been fun so far, hopefully we'll get to play some good, close matches like the one against Ferrum. Expect Mauler to start dying out soon, since the opponents'll get tougher.
Prediction now: I say we move to Pro after this season. Not because we are good or anything, but because there are less matches to predict in Pro. Four more squads to report...*yawn*
Tweaked
Current record: 3-0
Victories against: Wretcheds (12-6), Birds of Prey (12-7), Happy Mob (12-6)
Losses to: NONE
Friendly MVPs: Super.Fly (5:1, vs. Wretcheds), Taim (6:1, vs. Birds of Prey), Super.Fly (4:1, vs. Happy Mob)
Comments: This season's AML is all about strong squad vs. weak squad matches. Tweaked schedule is an excellent example of this. Some would probably consider Birds of Prey and Wretcheds as decent opponents, but I don't. Sure, they got their match against Dissent postponed, so that could've changed a whole lot. And their round five match against Victimise will certainly be a big decider. Is this squad really a championship contender or just a playoff squad? The squad's so placed around Super.Fly and Taim that it's just sick. I don't really see Tweaked going far in the playoffs.
Prediction now: Playoffs, round two is probable.
Victimise
Current record: 3-0
Victories against: Bunner (12-3), Heaven (12-4), Fly-NDeath (9-3)
Losses to: NONE
Friendly MVPs: Arboraculture (5:1, vs. Bunner), Fearer (3:0, vs. Heaven), Gist (5:1, vs. Fly-NDeath)
Comments: Hard to say. Even though they've taken victories over the very best competition AML can offer, they still have to beat Mutiny, Dissent or No Data to really become the real championship contender in my book. Quite frankly, Victimise has done some excellent recruiting and the new ringers have been the backbone of the squad. It's hard to tell how far they'll go, but I suppose missing out on the playoffs is impossible this season for Vorbis and his boys. We'll wait and spectate.
Prediction now: A possible championship contender.
Warlords
Current record: 2-2
Victories against: -BlitZed- (12-5), )(MasteR)( (12-3)
Losses to: Fly-NDeath (4-12), Mutiny (5-12)
Friendly MVPs: Gazelle (4:0, vs. -BlitZed-), Gazelle (4:0, vs. )(Master)()
Comments: Well, victories against two weak squads and losses to two strong ones. Warlords have played pretty much as expected. It's still hard to say if Warlords can make it far this season, as they haven't really faced squads in the same level with them just yet. We'll wait and see here too. Warlords has a good chance of making the playoffs, their round five match against Ferrum will be a good indicator of their current form.
Prediction now: Playoffs, round one.
Wretcheds
Current record: 3-1
Victories against: Ferrum (1-0, forfeit), Bunner (12-6), )(Master)( (12-4)
Losses to: Tweaked (6-12)
Friendly MVPs: Perseverance (3:0, vs. Bunner), Liquid Medal (5:1, vs. )(MasteR)()
Comments: Well, here's a good example on how to capitalize on matchips. Wretcheds have faced one opponent that really could beat them, and they did lose to Tweaked. I had hoped that their match against Ferrum would display the squad's real level, but Ferrum never showed. Too bad. Well, they'll most likely lose to No Data, so a 3-2 is an expected record from the first five rounds. Still, we'll wait and see how their season shapes. A playoff spot is possible by winning against the weaker squads.
Prediction now: Playoffs round one.
|
