Several weeks into EQL6 it has to be said that it has been a great success.
A total of 7 teams are participating in the league, and with 13 games played and 37 active rookie players, all teams are active and have played at least two games so far.

So how are thing shaping up ? Well the league is very interesting in that we have 6 of the teams who have at least one experienced player who manage to give structure and leadership to the team. Most of the other players then, are all on a similar skill level which has led to some really close and exciting games.

So here is a quick report on the participating clans and their progress so far.

Skylla
Russian clan Skylla ,unlike some of the other clans in the Rookie league, are
probably missing one player with a bit more experience to bring them on.
All other teams have at least one fairly advanced player that helps control a map and help them get to grips with QW TDM.
It has been a tough introduction to the world of QW 4on4 but that can be easily corrected with one good signing before the next season.
They have put in good performances against Mob of Oddballs and Comfortably Numb. So with a bit more practice and experience they will close that gap. Featuring an all Russian lineup of superboy, newbie, jakazc, illy-ya, Slajer and Nemesis (Zugor) lets hope they hang in there and come back strong in the next season.



Festering Rockethole
Festering are in 6th position but have only played two games so far and with two wins under their belt. Their star player ui gives them much needed organization and leadership with superwck, sai, crs, xooz, and supernova giving solid support and good teamwork.
They will finish about upper to midway in the table but might struggle a little bit against Misters and CN. However if they get plenty of practice in, they might yet cause a surprise or two. Watch this team.



Coitus Interruptus
This is a clan to watch out for over the coming seasons. They have been practicing very regularly with Mob of Oddballs with some excellent matches between the two clans. Mofo have had the edge in practice matches but when it came to EQL CI put in a fine performance when it counted holding their nerve in a tense encounter to win. They are improving steadily and have 5 solid players of the same standard vortex, shaga, rogeri, pahex and kello.
When they click as a team they can be dynamite but sometimes they go to sleep.
A good bunch of lads who if they keep improving will definitely take a top 3 spot but if on form might cause a shock against Misters.



Shortys
Shortys have just played two games so far beating the Mob of Oddballs in a what was a close enough game. Never fully getting in control or gaining map lock but always having the edge. They had no difficulty overcoming Skylla. Like CI they have a solid team of four well capable active players in dappe, cripp0, bab, and gustapo. We've not seen enough of them to know where they are at. They will be the dark horses for a top 3 spot and could very well be there or there abouts.



Mob of OddBalls
The mob have a varied lineup and have used 7 of their 8 members in the EQL so far.
We have specialist E1M2 player Again who appears from time to time.
Leading from the front then there is Fern and Rille who have been the main Quad Runners with solid team support coming from pleuraXeraphim, n|x, sfue and also senft. They have made good progress so far with daily practice sessions against sparring partners Coitus Interruptus. Having completed their 6 EQL games and finished with a meritable 7 points they were unlucky in some of their matches. They will finish at the low end of the table after all games are completed. Plans for the use of ventrillo are afoot and with some more tactical planning they should overturn the result of the close matches they are involved in.



Misters
Russian clan Misters are one of the favorites to take the title. They have 3 games played winning all 3. Lead by star player Opel they have a very impressive lineup of shark, huan, and x7. They have very strong team play and are always aware of where they should be and what other team mates are doing. They will be very tough to beat but the way the other rookie clans are improving a surprise would not be beyond the bounds of possibility. Recently the Mob Of Oddballs gave them a good run for their money especially on E1M2 where Misters are not as strong. If they can tweak their game play and work on holding control of the maps, they will be truly uncatchable.



Comfortably Numb
With 5 games played and 10 points to their credit, they now sit at the top of the Rookie division. For how long though will be the question. They have put in some solid performances against Skylla, Coitus Interruptus and Festering Rockethole. However they surprisingly went down to Mob Of Oddballs after a very good start.
They had taken DM2 comfortably and but then they suffered a heavy defeat on Mofo's strongest map E1M2. The heads appeared to drop for the last map on DM3 and they were too slow to get back into the game. They should go from strength to strength in the closing stages of the league and should be there or there abouts for the decider spot and appear in a final showdown against Misters. But nothing is set in stone just yet. They have 5 solid active players eMcK, bd~k, Panqo, NeFuRii and AquaShark. If bd~k gets a few more games in then they might upset the bookies by taking Misters in a rematch.


Okay so there we have it.

EQL is heading towards the closing stages in the Rookie league and there are some very big games coming. The great aspect of the rookie division is that the league is wide open. There is a good desire to get the games played with whatever players are available to play on a particular night and not being afraid to lose a game.
Teams struggle to get map lock resulting in map control switching back and forth leading to some great finishes.

For next season it would be good, to try and get another one or two clans formed and to conserve the 7 clans we have. It would be great if we can maintain the fine balance we have in the league, where there is generally a good mix of experienced and less experienced players. Also it would be great to have a 4 team playoff for the title as the games would make for some great viewing.

For all the clans out there, make sure to spec some of the remaining matches as they occur and if you can offload some advice to help the rookie clans improve their team play. It is vital that the Rookie league survives and is supported across the community.

Over and out from your Mid West Correspondent at the edge of Europe.