Captain Lust's WNL Key Match Preview - Week 8 
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| Apis Europae vs Renegades - Week 8 Match Preview - LIVE on MB_tv 30/06 19:30 BST [size=10pt] So we're back in business this week with a rematch of the biggest game so far in the WNL. This time Apis Europae are the ones challenging renegades though. AE are behind and they are the underdogs with something to prove. This rematch seemed destined to happen. Everyone went crazy when Renegades took AE down in Week 6 and ended their massive unbeaten run in the competition, extending far into the previous season. AE already looked shaky up until that point with unconvincing wins and some questionable performances particularly on new maps. However in AE_Cleric_Johnson's post match interview he seemed determined that AE would rise again and find their strength. RNGD seemed to be flying high but leader Nubijuki was cautious of complacency already. He doesn't want to let his team's performance slip and demonstrated his team's new strength after the break with a revenge win in their rematch against Saracens. It's hard not to feel like the outcome of that match had a positive motivating effect on both teams. Atmosphere on the forums is tense and neither team is making any bold statements about the upcoming fixture. Nubijuki talks about the effects of summer holidays and even casts doubt over his team's ability to complete the season. Such statements can easily be brushed off as mind games. Make no mistake that both teams believe they can win this match. The silence only reflects a quiet confidence and a cool recognition of the match's importance. Perhaps before the clash on (presumably) Sunday, we'll see a little more noise as the mental battle starts. It's hard to find a more contrasted map setup than the wide open Field by the River and intense arcade style San'di'boush. Referring to their last match, RNGD benefitted strongly from the map change and took Verloren 6-2 overall, dominating the first spawn 4-0 as Swadians, who appear twice this week. On the flipside, AE had a strong start on the open map Reveran Village and took a 5-1 lead, outclassing the nervy RNGD. One of AE's main weaknesses so far have been the new maps but there's none of those this week. What will work in AE's favour is that they know exactly what they need to do to improve. Their trainings have a direction, they need to catch up with infantry heavy meta game and make sure their form is good on the weekly maps. RNGD will face a stronger AE side than they did in Week 6 and to win again, they'll need to see a similar improvement in themselves. For RNGD, it's harder to know where to go though. Beating AE was their highest point for a long time and it will take Nubijuki's knowledge and innovation to keep focus in their trainings and provide direction for development. They need to take AE by surprise again. Both teams put in strong showings last week, winning comfortably against teams who look farther and farther away from these top two as each week goes by. This is the match to follow this week. Can AE win and retake the lead or will RNGD start putting daylight between themselves and the other teams? My head and my heart say AE are going to win this. They didn't lose by much before and their players are strong enough that if the pieces fall into place, RNGD simply won't have the means to resist. Saracens vs Sons of the Emperor - Week 8 Match Preview - LIVE on MB_tv 29/06 19:00 BST This is a match that a lot of people have wanted to see for a long time and it's hard to believe it took this long for these teams to meet. Now they're 3rd and 5th in the league, separated by only 3 points, it seems fitting we finally see which of these sides takes the win in a head to head. Sons of the Emperor took a default win last week after remaining the sole unpicked team in the league. This is a double edged sword as it means they won't have played a competition for 3 weeks by the time they face Saracens. SRC on the other hand took a trouncing against streaking RNGD, losing 4-12 to the team they'd previously beaten. It's hard to say what effect will have on the Polish side but that loss was their poorest result yet and to set themselves apart to challenge for top 3, this a match they need to win. SoE seem like a team that's ever confident. Napoleon has full belief in his players' ability and consistently states that their strength will become apparent soon. Now is the time it needs to do so. SRC may not be on quite the top level but there's no evidence SoE are either but a solid win for the Turks here will put them in contention. One way or the other, this game will answer some questions that, even after all these weeks, still haven't been answered. Speculating, it could be said that SRC have shown trouble in their infantry engagements, particularly vs oRP and this bodes well for SoE on San'di'boush. SoE though, are a side that perhaps lack the decision making and movement skills on open maps which could give SRC the advantage on Field by the River. What's certain is that SoE's ranged strength is something SRC will have to struggle against throughout both maps and finding a way to deal with it is going to be their key to winning here. Realistically it's unlikely we'll see domination by either side on either map and this will probably be a closely fought, grueling match. SRC are hard to pitch right now. Honestly, so are SoE but I think looking at the strengths of the teams, SoE probably have a bit more about them and can produce that extra bit of magic which is likely to see them through. SoE win 9-7 or 10-6. Legend vs Guard of Istiniar - Week 8 Match Preview [size=10pt] There's something strange afoot here. Legend are on a 5 match unbeaten run, higher than any team in the league at this point. After defaulting in their first match and losing to FIN in Week 2, Legend went on to draw against KHR and then win every match they've played since then. Now finally, in Week 8, they've been forced to play against one of the top teams. Guard of Istiniar are 4th in the league and on a 4 match winning streak themselves. Something has to give this week. Popular opinion would probably suggest IG are the favourites going into this. Even now, their lineup is absolutely star studded and they still haven't lost that immense depth which their roster always possessed. IG_Harman has shown himself to be a strong leader and having old maps this week will make his job nice and easy, allowing him to focus even more on his own game. Which is good because he's not a bad player either. Legend are a relative team of unknowns. Names like Garym conjure up memories of strong French Nations Cup performances and leader Paulo can be seen topping scoreboards for Legend each week. Legend_Paulo has been active on the forums throughout the competition and one can only assume that his and his teammates' motivation in the competition is high. However Legend as a team have been hard to predict. A 16-0 win against WH last week is so hard to read and likely says more about WH than it does about Legend. Their 10-6 win against AB is less than many other sides have managed and 9-7 against DRZ is less than convincing. They've also avoided picking a high up team at every turn until this week where they've been forced. This is basically the next step for Legend. Can they make something happen here and become another team that threatens the top flight or will they just be another team tossed back down to the mid table, when met with a real challenge. For IG, a loss would be devastating. They're not expected to lose and they need all the points they can to keep the pace being set by the front runners and achieve their high goals. However if IG win, the result will be forgotten before the Week 9 pick. It's going to be interesting to see what Legend can pull out of the hat but IG are the favourites and I predict they'll win. full article written by @captainlust |
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