Tourney Semifinals Complete [CMS #28 25/5/18]

CTF Match Spotlight Issue #28​

CMS Updates!

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Notice Board

Please do not ask CMS members for permission to spectate matches. We cannot speak for other reps and their wishes, so please ask both reps BEFORE matches. Referee consent will also be in play at all times if they wish. CMS can issue guest passes to those that wish to help out with things like commentating and related, but these passes are highly limited and will only be handed out to those that will add on to the quality of content covered by CMS . Passes are affected by the blacklist, referee preference, and refs/teams consent.

Team leaders/reps, you can always limit the amount of spectators that are in your matches if you wish. If you are bothered by the amount of spectators coming into your matches, then please feel free to pm your match referee and any concerns to redslime or CMS leaders/representatives. All we ask is that you may be thoughtful and fair if you do request to limit spectator numbers accordingly. Your match referee can also control the amount of spectators allowed.

If you have any questions, ideas, comments, or concerns, please feel free to message @redslime either in-game, on the forums, or on his discord.

[Official] Scorch vs The Jailors [10/3] ​

Wrathburn_: 3-0 SCR, 5-0 SCR - Straight up win for Scorch, Jailors right now have to get the feeling how it is in a match and considering seeing them in a practice in the last few days, I don't think that they will last a long time.
Kashyyyk: 2-1 Scorch 4-2 Scorch

[Tourney] The Templars vs Annihilation [10/3]​

Cardona360: 2-1 TT 3-2 TT
Kashyyyk: 2-0 TT 3-3 tie 1-0 TT

[Tourney] Scorch vs Delta Force [10/3]​

Wrathburn_: 1-0 DF, 5-2 SCR, 3-1 SCR - DF has lost a lot of their og players and Scorch hasn't shown any flaws that would've cost them the win to this point, where DF has been somewhat sloppy.
Kashyyyk: 1-0 DF 4-3 DF

[Tourney] Insurgence vs Annihilation [11/3]​

Kashyyyk: 2-2 tie 4-2 Anni 2-1 Anni
Cardona360: 3-1 IN 4-2 Anni 1-0 Anni

[Tourney] Annihilation vs The Crusaders [25/3]​

Cardona360: 2-2 tie 0-0 tie 4-1 TC
Kashyyyk: 2-1 TC 1-0 Anni 3-1 Anni

[Official] The Black Knights vs The Crusaders [15/4]​

Wrathburn_: 3-2 BK 5-2 TC 2-1 TC - Hard to tell how BK's offense would do, but they are clearly less coordinated and organized than TC's offense. Additionally BK lacks an archer player, which could be really bad considering that TC has one of the most annoying soldier offensives I've seen.
Cardona360: 4-2 TC, 2-1 BK, 3-0 TC - TC is a difficult team to face, especially as your first official match. BK will make it close though
Spades_: 5-3 TC 2-1 BK 1-0 TC
Kashyyyk: 3-3 tie 2-0 BK 2-1 BK

[Official] The Adventurer vs The Jailors [5/5]​

Wrathburn_: 3-1 ADV 3-2 ADV
Cardona360: 3-1 ADV 4-3 ADV
Unifier: 3-0 ADV 5-0 ADV
Spades_: 3-0 ADV 3-0 ADV

[Tourney] Scorch vs Annihilation [11/5]​

Spades_: 3-2 Scorch 2-1 Anni 2-0 Scorch

[Official] The Black Knights vs The Jailors [12/5]​

Cardona360: 3-0 BK 3-1 BK
Spades_: 3-0 BK 3-0 BK

[Tourney] The Templars vs Insurgence [20/5]​

Wrathburn_: 3-2 INSG 3-1 TT 3-1 TT - INSG roster has got a lot weaker and have been inactive as well, Aquafus may fit em more than TT, but on more open maps TT should be better.
Cardona360: 1-0 IN, 3-1 TT, 2-0 TT - Only ninja caps on map 1
Proterozoic: 2-0 TT 1-0 TT
I think the weakened IN offense won't be able to cap against TT this time. TT will still find it hard to deal with INs defense, but they'll eventually break through
Keelb00: 0-0 Tie 3-1 TT 2-0 TT - I think Aquafus will be too enclosed for either team to cap, but TT will prove to be stronger on the more standard maps.
Spades_: 2-1 TT 1-0 IN 2-0 TT - Last time these two teams tied, but with IN losing players to BK and TT shaking off some rust, TT should be able to pull out a win. Definitely a good match though

[Official] The Black Knights vs The Crusaders
Written by @Proterozoic​

Disclaimer: this article includes opinions from the writer; it is something new that we are trying out for match articles. Let us know if you like it or not!

So it would seem the great rivals come to do battle once again. I thought the last time would be just that - the last. Multiple teams have managed to shrug off being disbanded, reforming in some capacity or another. However, this is the second time BK has done so. Very few manage to come back from the dead twice, and now BK has joined that illustrious list (including TBF and TPala, what an honour!). With that said, BK didn't seem quite as strong this time around. The first incarnation were strong enough to rival DF in their prime, and though the second couldn't quite match that, they were still a force to be reckoned with. This 3rd incarnation lacks a bit of this lustre, and whilst they carry some strong new players like @chickdee and @Kamkean, they've also lost some of loyal originals to other teams. TC on the other hand has only grown in strength. At a first glance nowadays, the roster screams RR success, with multiple powerhouses like @Removers and @puhdgy to compliment their already strong offense, backed with @ArcticGalaxy and @Swit2427. This all leads to an interesting prospect - could this new BK beat TC? It could decimate them like the original, or be less successful as it was in its second incarnation. What made this match all the more interesting was that this was BK 3.0s first official match (it's almost like they wanted to rekindle the rivalry!).

BKs map choice, following in the footsteps of the original, was airlock. Unlike the original team however, this was Miskey's reworked version - an interesting choice. The map suited BKs original playstyle, but TC have since grown stronger and gotten used to playing such maps. This means such a choice has much less of a advantage now (especially since there are fewer barrier blocks to lag your foes as well). TC began by leading one of their standard offensive pushes, a combination of soldiers and medics. BKs consisted of more heavies, a smarter choice given the circumstances. However, in the opening stages, neither could do much to the defences, whom held firmly. Coordination issues on BK offense further hindered their offensive strength. With that said, the first steal was theirs, coming from @bluedendant at 3:30, but did not manage to make it far out of the flagroom. This was thanks to little support and the high damage output of @Removers as ninja. TC returned fire with the second decent steal of the game, from @ArcticGalaxy, but couldn't even make it as far as @bluedendant. This set the tone for the first half of the map, with no other steals (partially due to terrible communication on TC offense, whom cleared the flagroom but did not successfully steal). Both sides had opportunities. A brief distraction from @ArcticGalaxy broke the silence around 13 minutes in, giving a chance to cap. However it was faulted by a wrong choice of route by @Removers. A strong steal from @sportyman56 and subsequent pass to @Unifier also provided an opportunity but was stopped by @Removers. The first significant steal came from arctic, but a counter steal from @redundant and an incredible assassinate from @chickdee gave the first (and only) cap of the map to BK.

TCs map choice (no prizes for guessing) was blackout. A clear benefit for TC, this automatically put BK on the backfoot from the getgo. A classic TC offense of 2 soldiers was met with an early attempt at a ninja steal from BK (it didn't work). However, the first major steal of the game came from @redudent (unfortunately brought to an end through a headshot). The first stalemate came two minutes in (and typically ended in neither team capturing). @Male__123 managed a third decent steal in 4 minutes for BK, though was still not successful. It should be mentioned @Swit2427 did manage to steal too, before immediately returning to her favourite activity (dying to fire damage). Thankfully she managed to tear herself away from this to draw the game to another stalemate with @bluedendant. A pass from BK to versions brought this stalemate to soldier vs soldier. As can be expected of blackout, this stalemate was naturally long (15+ minutes long, to be exact), with neither team running particularly effective recovery strategies. An opportunity arose from @Unifier using lightning to accidentally push a pyro towards versions, but ultimately this did not succeed. Ultimately the stalemate was broken with @Versions dying with 5 minutes left, allowing TC to capture. A further steal from @Mirgh had the possibility for 2, but was cut short by a headshot. A strong steal from @Swit2427 ended in the same way. At this point, both teams decided to try ninja cap, ultimately with @sportyman56 succeeding to level the scores with less than 2 minutes left. However, incredibly @Removers manages to pull the same trick, ending the map 2-1 in favour of TC (though not without the possibility of BK levelling again if they had but a few more seconds).


This meant that the fate of the match now rested on the third map, slate (This map has been dedicated to all former RR members). TC once again continued with their classic double soldier offense, The first early steal came from @ArcticGalaxy, although it didn't last much further than the flagroom. BK was however more successful, with @Versions providing a distraction. Capitalising on this, @Bootysickle stole, handing over to @sportyman56 as ninja, carrying the flag over to @Versions as heavy. This earned them the first cap of the map (with a little help from TCs communication issues). This began a long stint with few successful steals.This was briefly broken with a strong elf steal from @Removers, but was unfortunately ended through lack of steak consumption. Another steal from @ArcticGalaxy 2 minutes later went no further. BK being a player down allowed @Swit2427 to steal, but not without a counter steal from @sportyman56, bringing the map to a stalemate with 4 minutes left. A pass to @Versions made this soldier vs soldier, putting TC in a difficult position as they had to capture within 2 minutes in order to tie. Ultimately, they did not succeed, leaving the map 1-0 in favour of BK, also sealing a 2-1 match win for them.

At first glance, this result may seem surprising due to the current strength of TC and BK having only just reformed. However, in retrospect, BK has always performed strongly against their rivals and TC chose to ran @Nohox @BuIIy and @Mirgh as defensive players, and untested and risky move. With that said, BK could not have won the map without the player of the game (by quite a way), @chickdee. His assassinates managed to prevent both captures what would have otherwise been successful recoveries. It's no exaggeration to say BK couldn't have won without him. With that said, it is also worth mentioning @sportyman56 for stopping @Removers from capturing on blackout, which would have otherwise pushed their tally to 3-1. We at CMS look forward to seeing the next time these titans clash!

Final Scores: 1-0 BK 2-1 TC 1-0 BK
Overall: BK Win! PotG @chickdee

[Tourney] Scorch vs Annihilation
Written by @Keelb00​

This much anticipated semi-final match sees Annihilation, the third place team from the Ice Conference facing off against the top team from the Fire Conference, Scorch, with the winner going through to the final.

The first map is Aquafus V, with all maps being selected by the committee for the latter end of the tournament, instead of the teams picking them. This map is not seen often in matches, with the enclosed flagroom making it difficult for both team’s offences to get out cleanly. Scorch opts to run JTB2k and Azol on roaming ninja defence which stops all of Anni’s offence being in the flagroom at once, while Anni has less of a roaming presence but a combination of Siwoo (Pyro), BrandinoB (Heavy), and aefrogdog (Mage) is able to deal heavy damage to Scorch while knocking them back from the flagpost constantly.

The first proper steal comes from Cardona360 (Soldier) 7 minutes into the map. He is well supported by hamzacx (Medic) and atruck (Chemist), but runs straight into Anni’s offence upon leaving the flagroom and is quickly recovered on. Minutes later he steals again, and despite Anni managing to keep him in the flagroom for quite some time, some favourable knockback and Hamza managing to extinguish Choowie’s (Pyro) frenzy means he is able to take the sponges towards the top of the map. Anni has almost all of their defence on him and delay him from the medic, but Scorch’s offence kills the high damage classes and gives Cardona the restore. Cardona completes the cap and Scorch are up 1-0 halfway through the first map.

Cardona manages to steal shortly after and although he dies quickly, he gives just enough of a distraction for atruck to steal reasonably untouched. atruck manages to take the sponge before being brought down by Wrathtation (Assassin) in a nice mid-air recovery. However this creates an opportunity for Azol to steal as ninja, but die from pearl damage. Cardona then steals as ninja and manages to throw a succession of short pearls to quickly cover the map while Anni’s recovery is busy scrambling from the last attempts. He dies and Azol picks up and completes the cap. Anni switches up their offence to include 2 heavies to try to combat Scorch’s ninjas and they finally manage to make a strong push. Miskey steals with support from Doggies and Ningeek (Medic), and manages to get out despite being knocked around by almost all of Scorch in the flagroom. He takes the sponge, but gets delayed by ninjas and eventually overwhelmed by Scorch’s recovery.

Giant Chests sees both teams mix up their strategy, with Brandino and Proterozoic switching to play archer, and a more roaming style on defence adopted. Scorch have a slight advantage on offence as Cardona is the only dedicated soldier main, but Anni adapt by doing what they can to prevent him entering the flagroom. atruck has switched to soldier and provides a good distraction so that Cardona can steal with Hamza supporting him, before a couple of nice freezes by aefrogdog prevent the restore coming through and allow Choowie to frenzy and recover. Hamza steals with no immediate recovery and makes it halfway across before he is knocked off the map by aefrogdog. The map stalls out as the archers begin to dominate, headshots stopping what would likely have been a definite Anni cap and Brandino consistently picking off Scorch’s offence, killing Cardona on a good steal thanks to aefrogdog’s freeze. Miskey steals and stalls the recovery before dying just before Ningeek could heal him. GameBoyTre gets a clean ninja steal when Anni isn’t watching the flag and makes it most of the way across the map before dying, but Wrathtation lands a single block away from the flag without realising it is there, and JTB2k picks up and completes the capture as soldier. Anni’s offence continue to struggle with Scorch’s defence, until Wrathtation steals as ninja and pearls across the map, with the flag being picked up by Ningeek as soldier, but Cardona has stolen in the meantime and Anni has only one minute to recover in order to tie the map. The clock runs down, and Scorch completes the victory in two maps.

JTB2k is awarded Player of the Game for managing to consistently pick off players on Anni’s offence (and a win in rock paper scissors), with honourable mentions going to Carowinds, Choowie, and aefrogdog.

Final Scores: 2-0 Scorch 1-0 Scorch
Overall: Scorch Win! PotG @JTB2k

[Tourney] Scorch vs Delta Force
Written by @Keelb00​

This match sees Delta Force face off against Scorch in the final match of the Fire Conference. Whilst the outcome is not relevant to the tournament, with Scorch being guaranteed a bye for the first round of the playoffs, and DF failing to make it out of the group stage, it promises to be an exciting match with DF bringing a strong roster and having close games against The Blue Flaggers and the Crusaders, despite a substantial period of inactivity from the longstanding team.

The first map is DF’s pick, Airlock Rework, which has become an increasingly popular pick in matches. hamzacx makes the first steal of the match as soldier and makes it down the side tunnel with support from Scorch’s offence, weaving in and out of the fountain to avoid xWesleyy’s frenzy, before he is taken out by _Tireless (Assassin) upon exiting the tunnel. Hamza steals again with Humans (Soldier) knocking back and killing the recovery. He climbs on top of the tunnels and gets restored by Krazygorilla (Medic) before being knocked off the map. GameBoyTre (Ninja) steals while the flagroom is empty, but DF is able to cover all potential routes and manage to recover. Both teams steal simultaneously with Hamza as soldier and Linkakashisui as heavy. Link is taken down by IrrelephantNews (Assassin) from the side, but Hamza stalls the DF recovery until the support arrives and is able to complete the cap from there, with Scorch taking the lead 1-0. Both teams steal again, but this time Hamza is taken down and 8BitCyber (Soldier) makes it out with virtually no support, but once she crosses onto DF’s side of the map, the defence roams up and kills all the recovery, tying up the map. GameBoyTre steals again as ninja and pearls down the side tunnel reasonably untouched, passing to Hamza at spawn who completes the cap. Moments later, Link steals as ninja while there is no-one watching the flag, passes to Cyber at spawn and the map is again tied with two caps apiece. Humans steals as soldier and climbs the middle dome with medic support, making DF’s only option to steal and force a stalemate. Wintergreen3 steals as chemist but eventually goes down, with Scorch taking Df’s map 3-2.

Scorch’s pick is Blackout and defence dominates the first portion of the map, with Winter controlling the map well as archer in the first 10 minutes. The first notable steal comes from DF, with Link stealing as ninja and handing off to cupcaik_ (Soldier) at spawn, giving DF the lead after a long period of control over the map. GameBoyTre steals as ninja and hands to Krazygorilla at spawn, but a timely steal by cupcaik as medic stalls long enough for DF to kill Krazy, but they cannot prevent Hamza from picking up as medic. Cupcaik passes to Cyber and the stalemate ensues, with an advantage for DF as Scorch are stuck with a medic holding. Scorch manage to pass the flag to Cardona, and the stalemate becomes much more balanced. The stalemate is uneventful until Rabious sneaks on top of the flagroom as archer with a clear shot on Cardona. Cardona is headshot, with the pyro picking up, but a flurry of further headshots from Rabious means that Link is eventually able to recov, allowing Cyber to cap. Cardona steals shortly after and runs to xxxxdead with little resistance. The map finishes as a Delta Force win 2-1.

The agreed map is Opposites Collide V, which is far more enclosed and PvP intensive than Blackout. Cyber makes a good steal as soldier a few minutes into the map but dies to Choowie’s frenzy before being able to climb out of reach. Link manages to steal and run bottom while Scorch is focused on Cyber, and the cap is almost guaranteed with much less of a terrain to enable recovery than other maps. Sure enough the cap is completed despite an attempt from Carowinds to steal with DF taking the map lead and the overall match lead. The rest of the map is defence dominated, with both teams trying unsuccessfully to ninja cap. Cyber steals with only a minute to play and runs along the very top of the map and stalls out the rest of the map, giving DF the win.

Despite being a match without much anticipation due to the standings of the tournament, it was incredibly close with the result being rather surprising. Delta Force seem back in form after a long period without matches, whilst Scorch have good practice for the upcoming playoffs. Player of the Game is awarded to Rabious for strong, consistent defence.

Final Scores: 3-2 Scorch 2-1 DF 1-0 DF
Overall: DF Win! PotG @Rabious

[Tourney] Annihilation vs The Crusaders
Written by @Cardona360​

The first playoffs match of the 2018 MCCTF Teams Tournament, The Crusaders vs Annihilation. The maps are predetermined: Airlock I, Discovery, and Blackout in that order. Annihilation (Red) brings a solid roster with many new additions such as Feeliq_ and Doggies (takeoutandm16a4) and some old veterans such as Scarpa and aefrogdog. Meanwhile, TC (Blue) brings a powerful offense; ArcticGalaxy, Swit2427, Mirgh, and puhdgy all show up for this match. The matchup/rosters at first glance are rather close, and with Map 2 being Discovery, a map never seen in competitive play, it will be interesting to see how both teams play.

Airlock I. Both teams get a steal on their first offensive push (Mirgh and Miskey both as soldier). Mirgh tries to escape through the side tunnel, but is slain by critical hits from 12gulfer66 (heavy). Miskey is still in the flagroom, but with support from multiple players, including ningeek212 (medic). Waiting for a good opportunity, Miskey dedicates to the middle exit and gets boosted outside of the domes. He climbs over and runs down the side of the map. He gets pressured by BuIIy, but manages to stay on the map. Unfortunately, his support wasn’t paying attention to lauten, who assassinates Miskey just before the chances of recovery became slim. Miskey steals again on the next push, this time trying to go out the sponge exit. TC’s defense gets in front to wall him off, but Miskey gets knocked forward and out of the flagroom, barely missing ghenry’s frenzy. Miskey climbs up to the side again, where ningeek heals him with the restore. Ningeek webs behind himself, stopping lauten. Miskey has little opposition left as he enters his flagroom. TC attempt a clutch steal, but in vain. Miskey gets the first capture of the match. The next few minutes go by with steals that do not go farther than the flagroom. Miskey breaks the silence by stealing and going the same sponge route. TC defense gets in front, but Miskey’s support manages to heal him and Miskey gets over to the side. In the meantime, Arctic steals and takes the same route. Annihilation defense gets in front, preventing her from going over the side. She decides to route through the middle and a stalemate begins. Anni tries to send heavies on recovery, but Arctic climbs onto the dome everytime. Meanwhile, TC don't send enough recovery onto Miskey, who is inside the flagroom for this stalemate. The map ends like this, 1-0 in Annihilation’s favor.

Discovery. On discovery, many things remain the same about the classes used by the teams. However, kevshadowslayer (previously chemist) switches to archer and BrandinoB is subbed in to play archer as well. Both teams do an excellent job defending; players such as BrandinoB, Lauten, Aefrogdog, and ghenry make it very hard to get farther than the flagroom (or into the flagroom at all). Only 2 significant steals happen, one on each side. Mirgh steals about halfway into the map as soldier, taking the flag around the edge of the map in an attempt to avoid a great amount of damage and headshots. She almost makes it to her side with puhdgy (medic), but is recovered on by Feeliq_ just before a potential capture. Towards the end of the map, Doggies gets a steal as heavy, running the flag straight under the middle with lots of support. He is just about to enter his flag building when the last bit of commotion allows lauten to assassinate him for a clutch recovery. The map ends in a 0-0 tie, with Anni up by 1 capture and the win condition changing to the capture count on the final map.

Blackout. Taking a brief look at the win conditions due to previous map scores, TC must have at least 2 more captures (end of the game) than Anni to win. Having 1 more capture makes it a tie (tiebreaker), and a tie on the final map/Anni having more captures on Blackout means Anni will take a victory. The match begins with ArcticGalaxy stealing very early for TC. Annihilation defense does a good job of stalling her for a very long time, all the way to the bridge for a good 2 minutes. Brandino, at the time, was being distracted, so eventually Arctic was able to get over the bridge and to her spawn. Feeliq manages to clutch steal and run the flag to the side. However, he is unable to stall effectively and gets taken down, leading to a capture for TC. Soon after, Squantonias steals TC’s flag and gets ahead of all the recovery. Running it along the top edge of the middle, he gets the first capture for Anni swiftly. Annihilation begin to get good steals from Doggies as heavy, but don't capitalize on the steals. Squantonias does get out minutes later though, taking the exact same route with nobody in front of him. He gets another capture for Anni, beginning to close the gap for TC. Arctic steals right after, but Anni manages to contain her well and recover quickly. Swit and Miskey both steal later, but Swit is recovered on by aefrogdog. Yaunt steals as ninja, but doesn't get very far either. Miskey, supported, makes it to Anni’s flagroom for a 3rd capture. After this, a stalemate begins and lasts for the rest of the match, leaving the final score of Blackout a 3-1 in Anni's favor. Aefrogdog is given Player of The Game for an overall excellent performance and synergy with Annihilation’s defense.

Final Scores: 1-0 Anni 0-0 Tie 5-2 Anni
Overall: Anni Win! PotG @aefrogdog

[Official] Scorch vs The Jailors​

Final Scores: 3-0 Scorch 5-0 Scorch
Overall: Scorch Win! PotG @hamzack

[Tourney] The Templars vs Annihilation​

Final Scores: 3-0 TT 5-0 TT
Overall: TT Win! PotG @LeDoener

[Tourney] Insurgence vs Annihilation​

Final Scores: 2-0 IN 5-2 IN
Overall: IN Win! PotG @Larh

[Official] The Black Knights vs The Crusaders​

Final Scores: 1-0 BK 2-1 TC 1-0 BK
Overall: BK Win! PotG @chickdee

[Tourney] The Adventurer vs The Jailors​

Final Scores: 3-0 ADV 3-0 ADV
Overall: ADV Win! PotG @wulfi98 y @Flaze__

[Tourney] The Black Knights vs The Jailors
​

Final Scores: 3-0 BK 3-0 BK
Overall: BK Win! PotG @Rejeqted y @Foodcourt

[Tourney] The Templars vs Insurgence
​

Final Scores: 2-0 TT 1-0 TT
Overall: TT Win! PotG @Rarhh
https://youtu.be/-3fGtD9R9EE



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As of 25 May 2018,
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Yea because scofch winned Anni vs tc fixed, ty!!