Well here are my initial grades. I hope they change greatly for the better by the end of this tournament.
Thanks for the format Juve
TEAM NAME: West Knights
Infantry Grade - A-
Reasoning - PPK and Oodle are by far the best pair when it comes to aggressive infantry. Then you have Beer, who is really great at surviving and turning people around and make them swing carelessly. And then there's Cradoc, who is not only a skilled infantry, but a very smart one as well. He knows who, when, and how to attack, support, and back up when need be. wK's experienced infantry are a menace to all for being both extremely skilled and very smart about the way they fight, however there seems to be a clear lack of cohesion sometimes, and causes them to go down very quickly at times. Currently, it happens just barely often enough for me not the give them the A. Hopefully they convince me to change it by the end of the tournament.
Cavalry Grade – A+
Reasoning - wK simply has the best current Cav line-up, both in skill and numbers. There's Calamity and Gelden, who have been known for ages for being some of the best, if not THE best cav in NA. And then there's the long line of others who have reached the top-tier level in cav work. This being Cradoc, Boogy, Juve, PPK, and myself. And then of course there is Wily, who is a... uh... good distraction I suppose
Ranged Grade - A+
Reasoning - Besides the ever so well-known trio of archers - Achilles, Robert, Lagstro - a new trio has emerged from the wK lineup, and that new trio is Calamity, Oodle, and Juve. wK , just like in cav, has become a ranged powerhouse, and I am afraid no one comes close to currently matching it.
TEAM NAME: TMW Misses Whitney
Infantry Grade - B
Reasoning - TMW has always possessed a strong inf core, however I feel like most of the experienced inf they once had have drifted away for the time being. Nevertheless, they still possess a solid inf core. Unicorn who has been an inf for TMW for so long leads the core in experience. From there, they have a growing force in Mok, Warpath, Mike, and Rurin, whose biggest problem is either inexperience or inactivity.
Cavalry Grade - B
Reasoning - IMO, TMW have always had trouble when it came down to classes not pertaining to infantry, however now they seem to have filled in the gaps with foreign strength. Although I have heard good things about Trebron and Relax, I haven't seen them play yet, however I have seen Sikici play, and he definitely raises bar as far as TMW cav goes.
Ranged Grade - A
Reasoning - The same as Cav, they never seemed to have a menacing enough ranged lineup, however I think they finally have a good ranged force, and a smart one at that. The archer force deserving of an A is Sota, Rurin, and Rayden. What sets them apart from most archers is their smart way of playing, staying far away enough to not be touched, close enough to damage, and always in a good fortified position. They all have great patience as well.
TEAM NAME: Knights of Avalon
Infantry Grade - C
Reasoning - Troubadour, Cheng Pu, and Cru lead the charge in KoA's infantry lineup, along with Brave who can play just about any class effectively.
Cavalry Grade - C+
Reasoning - Probably their strongest class IMO. Brave, Bohemond, and Snoop have enough skill and experience to take on top-tier cav.
Ranged Grade - D
Reasoning - The only remaining archer in KoA seems to be John, and even then, for some reason he decides to go cav
TEAM NAME: Free American Gamers
Infantry Grade – B-
Reasoning – When I look at the FAG roster, what immediately pops into my head is “duelists”. Although they all may be good duelists, their dueling skills don’t exactly transfer over that well into the battle scene, and I can see them struggling at the beginning, however they seem to have the ability to manually block well, so that puts them above many in that aspect. Easily FAG’s best class.
Cavalry Grade – D-
Reasoning – None of their players strike me as a great cav, however some do happen to have a bit of skill and understanding behind it, but still wouldn’t quite find how to use it effectively in the heat of battle.
Ranged Grade - C+
Reasoning – I’ve seen some good archery work come from Captain before, however I don’t think it will be enough to score a higher grade. Hopefully another good archery emerges from this group in the future.
TEAM NAME: Deathwatch
Infantry Grade - D
Reasoning – From what I have seen, Deathwatch will struggle a lot in this aspect. They will need to train quite a bit to raise their team’s melee standard.
Cavalry Grade – D+
Reasoning - I know that Nevino and Mar are both pretty solid cav players, but I haven't seen much teamwork from either of them both in past teams and with DW. If they up their game and improve their cohesion, they could do a hell of a lot of damage.
Ranged Grade – C+
Reasoning – I think this will be Deathwatch’s strongest point, I have witnessed some pretty good shots from Glitterball and Sarakota, however they also seem to be very inconsistent. I think they just need a bit of refining in the way they play, and they will be much more effective in battle.
TEAM NAME: The Regulators
Infantry Grade - C+
Reasoning – They may not have anyone who seems to menacing, but they sure know how to work together which surprises me a lot since they are new to the scene. I see great things coming from this team. Unlike many teams currently, these guys started with great cohesion and not the best skill, however, skill can be honed and worked on individually, and I am certain that if they put the effort in, they can become a inf force to be reckoned with.
Cavalry Grade – D-
Reasoning – I don’t really see any cav players in the lineup. Some may have a decent grasp of it, but not enough to outplay others.
Ranged Grade – C-
Reasoning – I’ve seen some decent shots come from them, however, so far their archers seem inconsistent to me. I will need to see more from them. And I sincerely hope Brandon becomes the best archer in TR someday.
TEAM NAME: Kingdom of Faith
Infantry Grade – C-
Reasoning – I’ve seen some good work from Theotian, but that’s about it… it may be from my lack of knowing any of the other players in the roster, but I hope they do something to catch my attention sometime so that I can rank them higher next time.
Cavalry Grade – D-
Reasoning – I… don’t even know… and that’s not a good thing.
Ranged Grade - C
Reasoning – OK, I am assuming that most are siege players, so I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that some of them are good archers… yea… we will go with that for now.
TEAM NAME: Defenders of Gold
Infantry Grade – C+
Reasoning – I can see some players in this roster who are pretty good with a board and shield, Sparhawk, Delion, Rossonius being a few of them.
Cavalry Grade – C+
Reasoning – I believe Alec and Erminas are mainly their cav players. And if I remember correctly, they did some great work last season. There must be some skill in there, even though I don’t remember having seen them play.
Ranged Grade - D+
Reasoning – I think I have seen Sparhawk make some good shots, but other than that, I am completely unaware of any archery skill on this team.
TEAM NAME: Made To Win
Infantry Grade - C-
Reasoning – I can see some good inf work coming from Madoc and Arys, however I am not to sure about anyone else. I see a lot of euro’s, but I haven’t seen their potential with the new ping.
Cavalry Grade - C
Reasoning – BlackTide had been TMW’s sole cav for a long time, and now he’s going to be MTW’s sole cav? Even then, he does good enough job for the rest of the team to work off of him, though I don’t see him being able to take on more than one good cav on at a time with that ping.
Ranged Grade - C
Reasoning – I see a lot of names known for their archery skills, however I don’t know how it will work out for them with the new ping. I hope to see myself in a position where I am forced to increase the grade in the future ;D
TEAM NAME: Four Feet of Hard Wood
Infantry Grade - B-
Reasoning – Kel, Cheese, Volpel, Manry. I can see these 4 guys pulling off some good inf work on closed maps. However Cheese and Volpel will probably be doing most of the cav work, so that leaves Kel, and Manry. Both are good, but won’t stand a chance against top-tier alone.
Cavalry Grade – B+
Reasoning – I like this cav lineup. Cheese, Volpel, Hero, and Quantum. I have seen great plays come from all of them, and I hear they have been working on their cohesion lately. I expect great things from this squad.
Ranged Grade - C
Reasoning – I wonder if these guys will suffer in this aspect. Quantum is a pretty good archer, but I have seen him doing a lot of cav work recently, and even if he did play as an archer, he would have a lot to deal with as a lone archer.
TEAM NAME: Just the Tip
Infantry Grade - C
Reasoning – I see a lot of veterans in here. But, with that, I also see a lot of rust. Greenknight, Mafioso, Thor, Nails, and more strike me as old inf bosses, but I wonder if they still are.
Cavalry Grade - B+
Reasoning – I also like this cav lineup as well. Greenknight, Blade, Black, Redknight, and Roxhard all seem like old cav bosses, but again, I wonder if they still are. I hope they can knock off the rust is they aren’t and get back into shape and former glory.
Ranged Grade - C
Reasoning – Zacty and Scope are known to me as good archers, however I know that they have been very inactive recently. I can see them having a rough start, but hopefully after a few scrims, they get back to their old form again.
TEAM NAME: Praetorians of Neapolis
No clue.
Infantry Grade - A-
Reasoning - PPK and Oodle are by far the best pair when it comes to aggressive infantry. Then you have Beer, who is really great at surviving and turning people around and make them swing carelessly. And then there's Cradoc, who is not only a skilled infantry, but a very smart one as well. He knows who, when, and how to attack, support, and back up when need be. wK's experienced infantry are a menace to all for being both extremely skilled and very smart about the way they fight, however there seems to be a clear lack of cohesion sometimes, and causes them to go down very quickly at times. Currently, it happens just barely often enough for me not the give them the A. Hopefully they convince me to change it by the end of the tournament.
Cavalry Grade – A+
Reasoning - wK simply has the best current Cav line-up, both in skill and numbers. There's Calamity and Gelden, who have been known for ages for being some of the best, if not THE best cav in NA. And then there's the long line of others who have reached the top-tier level in cav work. This being Cradoc, Boogy, Juve, PPK, and myself. And then of course there is Wily, who is a... uh... good distraction I suppose
Ranged Grade - A+
Reasoning - Besides the ever so well-known trio of archers - Achilles, Robert, Lagstro - a new trio has emerged from the wK lineup, and that new trio is Calamity, Oodle, and Juve. wK , just like in cav, has become a ranged powerhouse, and I am afraid no one comes close to currently matching it.
TEAM NAME: TMW Misses Whitney
Infantry Grade - B
Reasoning - TMW has always possessed a strong inf core, however I feel like most of the experienced inf they once had have drifted away for the time being. Nevertheless, they still possess a solid inf core. Unicorn who has been an inf for TMW for so long leads the core in experience. From there, they have a growing force in Mok, Warpath, Mike, and Rurin, whose biggest problem is either inexperience or inactivity.
Cavalry Grade - B
Reasoning - IMO, TMW have always had trouble when it came down to classes not pertaining to infantry, however now they seem to have filled in the gaps with foreign strength. Although I have heard good things about Trebron and Relax, I haven't seen them play yet, however I have seen Sikici play, and he definitely raises bar as far as TMW cav goes.
Ranged Grade - A
Reasoning - The same as Cav, they never seemed to have a menacing enough ranged lineup, however I think they finally have a good ranged force, and a smart one at that. The archer force deserving of an A is Sota, Rurin, and Rayden. What sets them apart from most archers is their smart way of playing, staying far away enough to not be touched, close enough to damage, and always in a good fortified position. They all have great patience as well.
TEAM NAME: Knights of Avalon
Infantry Grade - C
Reasoning - Troubadour, Cheng Pu, and Cru lead the charge in KoA's infantry lineup, along with Brave who can play just about any class effectively.
Cavalry Grade - C+
Reasoning - Probably their strongest class IMO. Brave, Bohemond, and Snoop have enough skill and experience to take on top-tier cav.
Ranged Grade - D
Reasoning - The only remaining archer in KoA seems to be John, and even then, for some reason he decides to go cav
TEAM NAME: Free American Gamers
Infantry Grade – B-
Reasoning – When I look at the FAG roster, what immediately pops into my head is “duelists”. Although they all may be good duelists, their dueling skills don’t exactly transfer over that well into the battle scene, and I can see them struggling at the beginning, however they seem to have the ability to manually block well, so that puts them above many in that aspect. Easily FAG’s best class.
Cavalry Grade – D-
Reasoning – None of their players strike me as a great cav, however some do happen to have a bit of skill and understanding behind it, but still wouldn’t quite find how to use it effectively in the heat of battle.
Ranged Grade - C+
Reasoning – I’ve seen some good archery work come from Captain before, however I don’t think it will be enough to score a higher grade. Hopefully another good archery emerges from this group in the future.
TEAM NAME: Deathwatch
Infantry Grade - D
Reasoning – From what I have seen, Deathwatch will struggle a lot in this aspect. They will need to train quite a bit to raise their team’s melee standard.
Cavalry Grade – D+
Reasoning - I know that Nevino and Mar are both pretty solid cav players, but I haven't seen much teamwork from either of them both in past teams and with DW. If they up their game and improve their cohesion, they could do a hell of a lot of damage.
Ranged Grade – C+
Reasoning – I think this will be Deathwatch’s strongest point, I have witnessed some pretty good shots from Glitterball and Sarakota, however they also seem to be very inconsistent. I think they just need a bit of refining in the way they play, and they will be much more effective in battle.
TEAM NAME: The Regulators
Infantry Grade - C+
Reasoning – They may not have anyone who seems to menacing, but they sure know how to work together which surprises me a lot since they are new to the scene. I see great things coming from this team. Unlike many teams currently, these guys started with great cohesion and not the best skill, however, skill can be honed and worked on individually, and I am certain that if they put the effort in, they can become a inf force to be reckoned with.
Cavalry Grade – D-
Reasoning – I don’t really see any cav players in the lineup. Some may have a decent grasp of it, but not enough to outplay others.
Ranged Grade – C-
Reasoning – I’ve seen some decent shots come from them, however, so far their archers seem inconsistent to me. I will need to see more from them. And I sincerely hope Brandon becomes the best archer in TR someday.
TEAM NAME: Kingdom of Faith
Infantry Grade – C-
Reasoning – I’ve seen some good work from Theotian, but that’s about it… it may be from my lack of knowing any of the other players in the roster, but I hope they do something to catch my attention sometime so that I can rank them higher next time.
Cavalry Grade – D-
Reasoning – I… don’t even know… and that’s not a good thing.
Ranged Grade - C
Reasoning – OK, I am assuming that most are siege players, so I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that some of them are good archers… yea… we will go with that for now.
TEAM NAME: Defenders of Gold
Infantry Grade – C+
Reasoning – I can see some players in this roster who are pretty good with a board and shield, Sparhawk, Delion, Rossonius being a few of them.
Cavalry Grade – C+
Reasoning – I believe Alec and Erminas are mainly their cav players. And if I remember correctly, they did some great work last season. There must be some skill in there, even though I don’t remember having seen them play.
Ranged Grade - D+
Reasoning – I think I have seen Sparhawk make some good shots, but other than that, I am completely unaware of any archery skill on this team.
TEAM NAME: Made To Win
Infantry Grade - C-
Reasoning – I can see some good inf work coming from Madoc and Arys, however I am not to sure about anyone else. I see a lot of euro’s, but I haven’t seen their potential with the new ping.
Cavalry Grade - C
Reasoning – BlackTide had been TMW’s sole cav for a long time, and now he’s going to be MTW’s sole cav? Even then, he does good enough job for the rest of the team to work off of him, though I don’t see him being able to take on more than one good cav on at a time with that ping.
Ranged Grade - C
Reasoning – I see a lot of names known for their archery skills, however I don’t know how it will work out for them with the new ping. I hope to see myself in a position where I am forced to increase the grade in the future ;D
TEAM NAME: Four Feet of Hard Wood
Infantry Grade - B-
Reasoning – Kel, Cheese, Volpel, Manry. I can see these 4 guys pulling off some good inf work on closed maps. However Cheese and Volpel will probably be doing most of the cav work, so that leaves Kel, and Manry. Both are good, but won’t stand a chance against top-tier alone.
Cavalry Grade – B+
Reasoning – I like this cav lineup. Cheese, Volpel, Hero, and Quantum. I have seen great plays come from all of them, and I hear they have been working on their cohesion lately. I expect great things from this squad.
Ranged Grade - C
Reasoning – I wonder if these guys will suffer in this aspect. Quantum is a pretty good archer, but I have seen him doing a lot of cav work recently, and even if he did play as an archer, he would have a lot to deal with as a lone archer.
TEAM NAME: Just the Tip
Infantry Grade - C
Reasoning – I see a lot of veterans in here. But, with that, I also see a lot of rust. Greenknight, Mafioso, Thor, Nails, and more strike me as old inf bosses, but I wonder if they still are.
Cavalry Grade - B+
Reasoning – I also like this cav lineup as well. Greenknight, Blade, Black, Redknight, and Roxhard all seem like old cav bosses, but again, I wonder if they still are. I hope they can knock off the rust is they aren’t and get back into shape and former glory.
Ranged Grade - C
Reasoning – Zacty and Scope are known to me as good archers, however I know that they have been very inactive recently. I can see them having a rough start, but hopefully after a few scrims, they get back to their old form again.
TEAM NAME: Praetorians of Neapolis
No clue.
Thanks for the format Juve
