Bracket Stage Ahead! [CMS #34 16/5/20]

CTF Match Spotlight Issue #34​

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CMS Announcements:

• The Official MCCTF Team Tournament is moving into the bracket stage!
• Interested in being a part of CMS? Click here
• Check out our YouTube Page
• The bracket stage tournament matchups will be played on the Brawl Games YouTube!
  

Notice:
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 @Foodcourt or @Ninsanity either in-game, on the forums, or on Discord.

Group Stage Recap!

Ad Fundum: ADVANCING​

Group Stage Record: 2-1-0
Ad Fundum vs Annihilation: 1-2, 2-1, 3-1 (Win)
Ad Fundum vs Citrix: 2-1, 1-2, 1-0 (Win)
Ad Fundum vs The Baguettes: 0-2, 2-2, 0-3 (Loss)

Annihilation:​

Group Stage Record: 0-3-0
Annihilation vs Ad Fundum: 2-1, 1-2, 1-3 (Loss)
Annihilation vs The Baguettes: 1-2, 2-2, 0-3 (Loss)
Annihilation vs Citrix: 1-1, 1-3, 0-2 (Loss)

CITRIX:​

Group Stage Record: 1-2-0
Citrix vs The Baguettes: 0-3, 2-2, 0-5 (Loss)
Citrix vs Ad Fundum: 1-2, 2-1, 0-1 (Loss)
Citrix vs Annihilation: 1-1, 3-1, 2-0 (Win)

Delta Force:​

Group Stage Record: 1-2-0
Delta Force vs The Crusaders: 2-1, 2-2, 1-3 (Loss)
Delta Force vs The Roxerces: 3-0, 3-0 (Win)
Delta Force vs Olympus: 3-1, 1-3, 0-1 (Loss)

Olympus: ADVANCING​

Group Stage Record: 3-0-0
Olympus vs The Roxerces: 2-2, 3-0, 5-0 (Win)
Olympus vs The Crusaders: 3-1, 4-0 (Win)
Olympus vs Delta Force: 1-3, 3-1, 1-0 (Win)

The Baguettes: ADVANCING​

Group Stage Record: 3-0-0
The Baguettes vs Citrix: 3-0, 2-2, 5-0 (Win)
The Baguettes vs Annihilation: 2-1, 2-2, 3-0 (Win)
The Baguettes vs Ad Fundum: 2-0, 2-2, 3-0 (Win)

The Crusaders: ADVANCING​

Group Stage Record: 2-1-0
The Crusaders vs Delta Force: 1-2, 2-2, 3-1 (Win)
The Crusaders vs Olympus: 1-3, 0-4 (Loss)
The Crusaders vs The Roxerces: 3-0, 3-0 (Win)

The Roxerces:​

Group Stage Record: 0-3-0
The Roxerces vs Olympus: 2-2, 0-3, 0-5 (Loss)
The Roxerces vs Delta Force: 0-3, 0-3 (Loss)
The Roxerces vs The Crusaders: 0-3, 0-3 (Loss)

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Team of the Conference:
*Team representatives and CMS worked in collaboration to pick players from each conference who had a noticeable impact in their matches during the group stage. Brief description included for all candidates.​

• Authors:
  • Ad Fundum: Daveeeeeeeee
  • Annihilation: Miskey
  • CITRIX: Daveeeeeeeee
  • Delta Force: Gamren
  • Olympus: Foodcourt & Paddishly
  • The Baguettes: Mikye
  • The Crusaders: Bloomishly
  • The Roxerces: Gamren

Red Conference:​

Defenders...

- [TB] Choowie (Pyro): Choowie is a great all round player, being able to play many classes. What stands out is his mastery on Pyro. He provides his team with a great core defence, killing most offenders each wave. His stats show for this with an incredible 41 recovs in the group stage alone, the highest in the red conference.
- [CX] wulfi98 (Ninja): wulfi98 is part of the CITRIX council and is a big part of one of the scariest roaming defences in the team scene. Wulfi is a european player who has been around for years now, striking fear into many offences and it was the same case in the tournament conference stage. Wulfi earned POTG against Annihilation and was a complete pest across all 3 matches. On one map, he even managed to get 44 kills and 4.6k damage, some pretty insane numbers!
- [CX] CollegeDegree (Scout/Ninja): CollegeDegree is also an important aspect of the CX roaming defence. Perhaps not as established as wulfi on ninja, college showed great versatility between ninja, scout and even assassin which really helped his team out at times as he could fill in for what was required at the time. College even went 41-45 in a partially completed map as assassin, proving how he can perform on any of the defensive roaming roles!
- [Anni] ilosthegame (Assassin): A new recruit to Annihilation, ilosthegame showed that he can step back into the game and shake off his rust very quickly. ilosthegame has a unique Assassin playstyle compared to other players in the Red Conference, often leading to a near-positive kdr on a class where it’s extremely uncommon to go even on in a match (207-279 overall, including a 45-42 scoreline on Pagodas III vs. The Baguettes). This playstyle also led to him staying alive longer during a lot of scenarios where the enemy team took the flag in the tournament, enabling him to get clutch recoveries that other Assassins would not have been able to.
- [Anni] aefrogdog (Mage/Medic): As the co-owner of Annihilation, aefrogdog has been a vital defender for Annihilation for the entire existence of the team. Coming into the tournament he had only played Mage in matches for quite a few years, but the team felt that Medic would be stronger on a lot of the maps in the group stage. aefrogdog took up Medic defense, learned it extremely quickly, and performed on short notice, even out damaging both Pyros on Pagodas III during our match vs. Citrix. Whether it was Mage or Medic, Austin gave the enemy offense trouble in every match of the tournament.
- [AF] Lord_Byzantine (Solder/Heavy): Lord_Byzantine was an essential part of Ad Fundum’s success which allowed them to progress into the bracket stage of the tournament. The brick wall himself dealt almost 25k damage to other players across the 3 conference games and made some great game-saving recoveries, terrorising the opposing team’s offence!
- [TB] BM5 (Archer): BM5 is possibly one of the best archers in the game right now, evident through his expert position and skill. Offensively or defensively, his presence is always known and he's a constant threat to the enemy team with his ability to rack up kills and disrupt his opponents. His recoveries are anything but underwhelming, shown by his out-of-render headshot on ArcticGalaxy against Ad Fundum on Dragon Valley.

Offenders...

- [AF] Ninsanity (Medic): The residing medic offender for Ad Fundum, Ninsanity is highly regarded as one of the best medics of all time in CTF and he backed this up with some brilliant performances in the tournament’s conference stage! Ninsanity was able to kill 272 players during the 3 matches he played, not an important statistic some might say for medic. However, his ability to kill ninjas and survive allowed him to get the all important heals for his fellow AF Offenders!
- [AF] Arjaz (Chemist): Arjaz aka Sabwoo is a newer player to the team scene and Ad Fundum. Before the tournament began, Sab’s ability wasn’t too well known yet he is now seen as one of the best chemists currently around. Sab got 4 caps in the tournament making him AF’s top capper and enjoys saying “sabwoo server” every time he does something good.
- [Anni] Miskey (Soldier): The other co-owner of Annihilation. Miskey has been the team’s representative and ingame leader for the majority of the time the team has been together. Miskey is the main capper for Annihilation, putting up at least one capture in every tournament match he participated in and holding the flag for 26 minutes over the course of those two matches (~22% of match time). Miskey contributes not only through captures, but through strong ingame leadership, calling out routing, composition swaps, and coordinating offensive pushes throughout matches.
- [CX] TheFatalBest (Elf): Another member of the CX council, TheFatalBest also known as “Bestie” is highly regarded as one of the best players at elf across the team scene. Bestie is a big focal point for the CX offense especially on maps such as Lowrise which are great for elf. TheFatalBest was given POTG against Ad Fundum where he completely dominated Lowrise and was a constant problem, he also racked up 4 caps across the tournament!
- [TB] MrBubDub (Elf): One of the most consistent players the game has had, MrBubDub's skill on Elf shows why he's in the semi finals. He has lots of experience on offense, and is always reliable when it comes to decision making. His hidden skill is through communication, leading the offense together and coordinating Elf's water element with his team.

FLEX Players...

- [TB] bofbofbofbof: TB's team leader. bofbofbofbof has took up multiple roles within our team, ranging from being the main capper to coordinating offense and strategies. He boasts spectacular offensive ability which has yielded 9 captures for his team, one being his clutch back up steal against Annihilation on Forest Of Rivals, whilst also pioneering the 'Quad Engineer' strategy.
- [Anni] Trenny: A new council member for Annihilation, Trenny stepped up big this tournament. Whether it was Ninja, Heavy, Soldier, or Archer on defense, or even Soldier and Chemist on offense, Trenny performed wherever he was needed. Trenny racked up top damage on a lot of the maps where he played bulk defense and ninja (19k damage over 2 matches), while also dropping MVP on Pagodas vs. Citrix due to an extremely high amount of clutch carrier kills throughout the map.

Blue Conference:​

Defenders...

- [DF] Codebastian (Pyro): With a total of 38 recoveries across 3 matches, Codebastian has been DF’s rock in the pyro position. Known serverwide for his clutch recoveries and lock down awareness, Code was essential to the Delta Force defense with smart callouts, recovery efforts, and infectious personality.
- [DF] DTJ5511 (Ninja): Utilizing the ninja class to its full potential, DTJ5511’s aura can be felt all across the map. Whether it's smartly placed pearls in front of carriers leading to critical recoveries, or roaming up to assist with the offensive effort, DT’s map awareness and timing is key to the success of his team. He has often caught many offenses off-guard by snatching clutch hand-offs and drops, a skill that teams should always be on edge about.
- [ROX] Kevivi (Ninja): Low ping and high skill is the name of the game for Kevivi, two traits that opposing teams dread even before the countdown hits zero. Utilizing his gameplay and performing above all expectations, Kevivi smashed many offense’s hopes and dreams to capture, carrying an impressive 17 recoveries throughout the tournament.
- [DF] Gamren (Assassin): With years of experience on defense and assassin gameplay, gamren targets and picks off essential threats to aid his defense. Often found roaming far and wide, gamren was able to rack up 263 assassin kills throughout three matches, additionally picking up player of the game against The Crusaders and The Roxerces.
- [OLYM] APLiterature (Mage): AP’s Mage play served as Olympus’ primary method to stall the opposing offenses. His accuracy with his freeze spells and the ability to use his lightning to knock opposing offenders off the map was invaluable to the success of Olympus. His most notable play came against The Crusaders where he used his lightning spell to knock TC’s flag carrier into spawn, forcing a recovery.
- [OLYM] Carowinds (Heavy/Soldier): As the primary bulk defender for Olympus, Carowinds proved to be a menace for the opposing team’s offenses, racking up an impressive 243 kills in the three matches of the group stage (81 per match) and receiving player of the game in his match against The Roxerces.
- [OLYM] _Peppe: Peppe appeared in all three matches for Olympus, amassing more kills than any other archer in the conference. Although often overlooked, he came up with big headshots on flag carriers when it mattered most, especially against The Roxerces.

Offense...

- [OLYM] Foodcourt (Medic): As the medic offense for Olympus, Foodcourt has racked up an impressive 7K hearts restored, a positive KDR, and coordinated well with his teams offense to secure captures, including some impressive restores in the midst of fighting to ensure the carriers safety.
- [DF] Pedruu (Chemist): In this day and age, a star-studded chemist is seemingly essential to a team's offensive success, which Pedruu is able to fill spectacularly. Protecting his medic, coordinating offensive pushes, and clearing flagrooms all fit his resume as Pedruu pushes forward to enable his team to play above and beyond.
- [TC] SirLeo (Soldier): SirLeo, or just Leo, is a highly regarded offense main and considered to some as one of the best soldiers in the game. While is PvP skills are not lacking, he is moreso known for being able to get out of any flagroom and avoiding recov. That, plus his good callouts and communication skills, makes him a real threat to any enemy defense.
- [TC] 915 (Elf): 915 is known to be one of the first elf mains of the CTF community, and years later still maintains his reputation as being one of the best. He is known for his impressive wind elements and his good timing, as he knows whether to fly away and rely on his support or to just wait up. 915 is an exceptional elf overall, and is a good offense main to look up to.
- [OLYM] Aussi (Heavy): Aussi’s PvP talent and ability to protect his fellow offensive players was a huge reason why Olympus had success in the group stage. Aussi totaled almost 25k damage and an outstanding 343 kills while playing his role as clearer/support of the OLY offense.

FLEX Players...

- [TC] RaZeragon: RaZeragon, formerly known as kevshadowslayer, is an old regular but still consistently one of the best multiclassers. He was seen this tournament playing archer, chemist offense, and even pyro defense, and is known to flex mage and ninja in ppms. No matter what class, Kev is able to play phenomenally and intimidates offense and defense all around.
- [DF] LinkakaShishui: Those who have played against Link know that he will always be an issue no matter what role he is filling. Throughout the tournament he has played Heavy, Soldier, Chemist, Necro, and even Ninja on offense. Adding immense flexibility to any roster, Link thrives when it comes to difficult challenges, with him even receiving player of the game in his match against Olympus.

Interviews

Pre-Match interview with @Ninsanity
by @SloppySlapster​

SloppySlapster: First of all, congratulations to AF on proceeding to the semifinals this upcoming weekend! Many players in the CTF community might be surprised to see you guys finish in the top four, as you were ranked #7 going into the tournament -- and as a completely new team, nonetheless! How exactly do you plan to carry on the positive momentum into the bracket stage?
Ninsanity: Thank you, it feels fantastic making top 4! We're hoping to keep our momentum by doing a few more practices and scrims this week, and testing out new maps since the map pool is now the current rotation
SloppySlapster: It sounds like you guys are ready to roll! As of right now, what is the current mood of the team knowing that the competition is about to quickly narrow down in the next coming weeks? Nerves? Eagerness? A bit of both?
Ninsanity: We definitely nervous coming in, especially after a tough loss last week against The Baguettes, but we are also very eager and hopeful, and plan to make top 2!
SloppySlapster: That's great to hear! And you definitely have tons of support from the community who are anxious to watch the team play this Saturday. Your overall 3rd place finish slates you to play Olympus. What specific players are you worried about that deserve your attention on OLY’s roster?
Ninsanity: Definitely their strong PvPers, such as Carowinds and Aussi, who both do tons of damage against any team. Other players we are worried about are APLiterature, who is a very strong mage and Foodcourt, a great medic.
SloppySlapster: Seems like you know who to keep tabs on throughout each match! Before we wrap this interview up, what words of encouragement do the leaders of AF plan on relaying to the rest of the team prior to the game?
Ninsanity: Pretty simple, keep it positive, keep it positive, we are winning.
SloppySlapster: Great! Well I sincerely wish you all the best of luck!
Ninsanity: Thank you!

Pre-Match interview with @Mehgur
by @Daveeeeeeeee​

Dave: You guys had a closer match than many expected against The Roxerces in the first week of the tournament, but after that game OLY looked much stronger. What changed after that match that made you guys play better?
2ensational: It was the arrival of 2ensational that fired up the team! His in game talent combined with his soothing deep voice has paved the way for Olympus.
Dave: I don’t think I can disagree, that voice is my music for anyone’s ears! Ad Fundum is your matchup for your semifinal game, how have you guys been preparing to take on AF?
2ensational: Oh the usual yk.. practice and stuff. We plan on spicing it up with some secret strategies and what not. I personally plan on pming sabwoo all game. I love to tilt him by saying his signature “4x”
Dave: Interesting, he does tilt quite easy which is unfortunate :/ but at least it’s a Sabwoo server! Now Ad Fundum had an unfortunate loss against TB in their final group game, what weaknesses are you looking to exploit and what strengths do you believe AF have?
2ensational: Your weakest link would have to Alcea. She’s a frail little archer and without daddy Byzantine, she’s quite vulnerable. Tilting Sabwoo and killing Alcea are our main priorities!
Dave: Well I would assume Byzantine being there to protect Alcea is what AF would like. Now for the tournament semi-finals, up to 5 maps will be played which is more old fashioned in a way. There is also an interesting way of selecting maps for these semi finals. What do you make of this personally?
2ensational: I honestly think it’ll be more interesting. With five maps there will be more caps, more time played and it increases the chance of a comeback. It’s a big opportunity to show who’s consistent and can keep up with competition while being put in unlikely scenario.
Dave: Thank you for you time!

​

Pre-Match interview with @BM5
by @Godman​

Godman: Your roster boasts RNG and TT talent with a few others mixed in between. Given TT is the most recent tournament winner, do you see your team leaning on many of the strategies they used to win the tournament in 2018?
BM5: Although personally I didn't play CTF until after the 2018 tournament, I've been told that one of the TT's biggest assets was their winning mentality - they never went into a game believing that they were going to lose. We have definitely taken this as inspiration, much to the credit of our Council who have instilled the following phrase into our heads: we see no disadvantages. Whilst the game and its strategies have developed over the years, a winning mentality remains a constant for the best teams, and of course we strive to be the best.
Godman: Interesting, also it has been a very impressive showing going undefeated in the group stage. Additionally, what are some strategies you believe you need to clean up in the next matches?
BM5: Thank you! Although we've done very well so far, naturally we always look to improve, both individually and as a cohesive unit. We've made a habit of watching back the CMS streams and analysing what we could've done better or worse in specific situations, which I believe has helped us identify some things to improve further (reminder: we see no disadvantages). Of course, I can't leak all of our strategies, however many people will be familiar with one of our strategies with 100% success rate which we are continuing to refine. In addition, map 2 seems to be our metaphorical Achilles heel, given that we have tied all of our 2nd map games 2-2 so far, so we need to be sure to keep our focus during this round.
Godman: Man focus is key in any match, without it would be awful for a team playing, so I agree with you fully. Speaking of focus, TC has a very coordinated mobile offense, what are your thoughts about going up against an offense that boasts players such as SirLeo and 915?
BM5: Whilst fighting players such as SirLeo and 915 will certainly be a challenge, I am confident in the strength of our defense. In my opinion we have some of the strongest instakill classes in the game with players such as PigThree, inposed, and Choowie, as well as a multitude of strong archers. Our instakill classes combined with nutty ninjas and bulk (subscribe to FitMC), our defense sees no disadvantages. Whilst TC's coordination will be a formidable challenge, I am excited to see how we match up against it. In addition, we have a very strong offense (including Mr. POTG himself: Coca), so it will be interesting to see how they fare against TC's strong defense.
Godman: Final question, who on TC would you get $5 fill up from KFC?
BM5: I would love to answer, however I cannot read their roster on the forums due to the disgusting pastel colouring (jk... unless?). I would have to say ghenry, as he is a remarkable Minecraft player, and hopefully he takes a nap after eating it and oversleeps our tournament match.
Godman: I'm sure ghenry would love to hear that. Thank you for the interview!
BM5: No worries, thank you!

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Pre-Match interview with @xAsh
by @Foodcourt​

Foodcourt: Hey Ash, good afternoon. First question for you... You guys finished second in the bracket stage and had close games throughout, what strategies do you think worked well for you guys in those matches, and what sort of things need improvement for your match this week?
Ash: Honestly, I think our gameplay is less about specific strategies and more about a lot of team communication/synergy- with the exception of our roaming pyro play that seemed to catch people off guard aha. I think our defensive medic tends to roam a lot more than most teams might too. We did try to keep subbing to a minimum in order to keep non-interrupted flow in the team during a match, which I think worked out for us too. As for improving, I think we can still use a lot of work on recovery specifically and getting better at supporting our offense.
Foodcourt: Right, communication and synergy is something very important in matches, that is a good thing to maintain throughout the match. On to maps, have TC been researching specific maps and practicing some that they believe will benefit them in the tourney? Or do you guys think you will take the route of picking maps from the group stage because they are most fresh in your head?
Ash: I think we're taking this week to really think about it and what might benefit us the most, but as we were not real big fans of the group stage maps I don't think we'll be using one but we'll see! I think all of our members are active enough in regular game though that most maps we would enjoy are always pretty fresh in our minds so that isn't really a concern.
Foodcourt: Yeah, TC is always pretty active, I'm sure you guys are familiar with a majority of the maps in rotation. Since the bracket stage is higher stakes as you know, It was widely recognized that TC played almost its entire roster in the group stage. Now that the stakes are slightly higher, will you guys plan to roll out your strongest possible roster for the entire match?
Ash: We really don't think much like that, to us anyone on our team would be part of that roster. We thought that too during the group stage and every roster we brought gave us a really good game. We'll pick our roster the same way we always have and I'm sure no matter who's playing it'll be a good game for us; and in the end, all of us on TC, we're really just here to have a good time and take part in this cool community event. Sure, winning sounds really nice but it's never been our drive.
Foodcourt: Good to see you will be sticking to your original plans. Final question. The Baguettes are a strong team to face, especially their PvP based defensive front. How do you think your offense will be able to cope with a defense that the Baguettes has?
Ash: I think that they'll do the best that they can and we'll do the best to support them. Maybe if they'll really quiet we can sneak in for a steal or two
Foodcourt: Haha, good answer. Well that's everything I had, best of luck to you in your match!

Team Previews: Bracket Stage

Ad Fundum
Written by Foodcourt ​

You could call Ad Fundum's success a surprise. A completely new team making it to the semifinal round? Who would've guessed. After picking up close victories against Annihilation and CITRIX, AF has positioned themselves as the second-place team in the Red Conference. Veteran players such as Lord_Byzantine on defense and 5ive_Head and Ugianskis on offense will need to keep up their high level of play to keep the momentum moving in the positive direction. Additionally, the leadership of Dave with Alcea supporting has been integral to the success of AF in the group stage, scheduling large amounts of practices and going over strategy. They will need to fulfill these strategies and stick true to their style of play throughout the entirety of their match with Olympus.

Olympus
Written by Foodcourt ​

After kicking off the tournament slowly with a closer than predicted match against The Roxerces, Olympus has got back to their style of play that lead them to pulling out the #1 seed in the Blue Conference. Largely relying on big plays from APLiterature and Slurp_ on defense and the capping mastery of Ducksfan101 alongside the strong PvP presence of Aussi, Carowinds, and Sayan, OLY was able to show consistent play throughout the group stage. Moving forward, they will look to take other teams off guard through unorthodox map choices and role swaps, while sticking to their main style of play.

The Baguettes
Written by Foodcourt ​

As a surprise to nobody, The Baguettes clinched the #1 seed overall in the group stage of the tournament, looking very strong in the three group stage matches they played. Whether it was the Chickdee / Recovs duo punishing opposing offenses or BM5 landing clutch headshots that we are all accustomed to at this point, TB looked like a well-oiled machine. Moving forward, they will most likely look to maintain the same level of play we saw in the group stage, and, who knows, we may see a quadruple Engineer offense again!

The Crusaders
Written by Paddishly ​

The Crusaders managed to place second seed in the Blue Conference, off the back of a tense game between Delta Force and Olympus, placing them in the semi finals slated to face The Baguettes this weekend. Coming off a strong win against The Roxerces and a week off, TC has spent the time developing their roster further. Most notably, and I’m sure to all the finalists dismay, ghenry returns to pyro, solidifying TC’s defence with quite possibly the strongest pyro in the game. TC may also look to return many of their flex players to their main classes, such as RaZeragon to archer, to ensure their best roster is on the field. Their match this weekend will largely depend upon the battle between TC’s off and TB’s defence, if they can break through, it is quite possible we will see TC in the finals.