The last shots have been fired in anger in the EQL12 division 1 quarter-finals, so it's time to have a look ahead to the semi-final match-ups.
Slackers vs
SuddendeathLikely line-upsSR:
ParadokS,
Murdoc,
En_Karl,
Zero,
StrikeR
SD:
Razor,
Lakso,
Molle,
Bps,
Reppie,
Goblin,
Mawe
Regular season:
SR 2-1 SDThe number of potential competitors on either side tells its own story. Slackers have enjoyed a season where they have been able to use a core of 5 players for most of the games. With "div 0" veteran ParadokS back in full active action and the high-class skills of Murdoc and Zero to support him, SR have been red hot all season and are the sure favourites for this semi-final. Meanwhile, SD's line-up is more open to debate and while they are sure to field a high quality team, they cannot claim to have a settled "first four" to rival Slackers'.
Prediction: 3-1 to SRMapsI'm not going to second-guess either team's map choices, but here is how I see each map going.
DM2: Suddeandeath won this in the regular season, and after a solid performance vs Sauna in the quarters, I can see them sneaking this one home. They will need Bps and Razor to be at their best to stop Zero & co, however.
SDDM3: SD surprised a lot of people with their fairly comfortable victory against Sauna on DM3 last night, but this is the SR homemap du jour, and it's very difficult to see anything other than a big win for Slackers.
SRE1M2: SD are strong here, and this map will probably be the closest of the lot. SR's experience and the E1M2 expertise of Zero should see them home when it comes to the crunch.
SRCMT1b: SD showed their lack of knowledge of this map in their quarter-final match vs Sauna, where they had enough kit to win the round but just didn't have the routine or experience to make it count. Slackers on the other hand have put in just enough practice on this one and should have it in the bag.
SRCMT4: Diki of TVS declared that if 4on4 was just about aim, SD would win EQL. If they truly do have the best aim, then they will have a great chance of winning CMT4, due to the nature of the fights in the quad, RA and LG rooms. Slackers have more experience on the map, however, and they won this one pretty comfortably in the regular season, so I have to go with them again here.
SR
The Viper Squad vs
FusionLikely line-upstVS:
Milton,
Ihminen,
blAze,
Diki/
XantoM
F:
Nitram (Valla),
Chris (Serox),
Lacsap (Xterm),
Kingpin,
Skillah,
Rikoll
Regular season:
tVS 2-1 FIf I was picking the F team, I would be fielding Nitram, Lacsap and Rikoll across the board, with Serox and Kingpin switching depending on the map. However, it is likely that we will see Nitram/Lacsap/Serox/Kingpin on DM3 at the least. tVS will be hoping that XantoM is available for this game, and his presence will significantly boost their chances of a win here.
Prediction: 3-1 to tVSMapsDM2: This has been a stronghold of tVS for some time, but cracks have started to appear in their armour of late. They lost this map against both SR and F in the regular season, and F will certainly fancy their chances of notching a win here too. With XantoM back, tVS should find their routine again and I'd back them to pick up a map win. Otherwise, it's anyone's game.
tVSDM3: With Valla in their line-up, it's no surprise to see DM3 as a favourite of Fusion. tVS won this one in the regular season, but have been schooled by Slackers on here at QHLAN and in EQL, so Fusion will fancy their chances. This will be tight, and a lot will depend on the start spawns; I'm throwing my hat in with Fusion.
FE1M2: tVS have sharpened up their gameplay on E1M2 over the last few weeks, with impressive wins over SR (regular season) and QuakeKlan (quarter-finals). Even if XantoM doesn't return to their line-up, I would firmly expect them to take this map home with little resistance.
tVSCMT1b: Fusion impressed me with their level of play on here in the quarter-final against TeamKillers, and I know they have been putting in the hard graft on the custom maps ahead of these play-offs. Given how tight the ID maps will be, CMT1b and CMT4 could well be the deciding factors in this match. XantoM was an important part of the successful EarthQuake team in the NQR CMT league many years ago, and will add an extra dimension to tVS' play on both kenya maps.
tVSCMT4: tVS won this one in the regular season, and Fusion's display in the quarter-finals did nothing to persuade me that they can make up for that loss here.
tVS
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