Captain Lust's WNL Key Match Preview - Week 10 
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| Defenders of Wonwokie vs Order of the Rising People - Week 10 Match Preview [size=10pt] These are difficult times for both teams with Defenders of Wonwokie shrouded in controversy over their default win against Heroes last week and Order of the Rising People recovering from a period difficulty, seeing the departure of star player Vivar, from their roster. Who has it about them to pull together and take the win in this match? Wonwokie's last result to speak of is their 11-5 win against Irish Rebels who, while not the team they looked at the start of the season, have maintained a solid record and a good position in the table. It's a good win for them and the convincing score suggests Wonwokie are genuinely making strides as a team. One of Wonwokie's strengths is their small active playerbase, which means they don't need to rotate players or have many frustrations about who gets to play. They still haven't really scratched anyone from the top pack but that discussion can wait for now, since oRP aren't exactly there either. oRP's last played game was in week 8 too, with a 9-7 win against Kharakternyky. They had a postponment for their match against Guard of Istinar, which left them with a worse spot in the picking order than they'd have got otherwise. Simply put, it's hard to believe they're the same team as they were when they started the season. The question will be how far have they fallen and how high have Wonwokie risen. Anthony is known as a player who can create brilliance under pressure when it's needed the most. He has an attitude that doesn't let his performance drop in those key moments and his situational awareness is outstanding. He will be crucial in this match which has the potential to go right to the wire. Looking at the maps and factions, it's hard to call it decisively for either side. The evidence suggests that oRP performed well on both Frosty Battle and Shariz Village the last time they played the maps, while Wonwokie struggled somewhat. Realistically, though, it's hard to guage that since that's also affected by their opponents. With no previous meetings between the teams, this match is going to be a real eye opener about the current standard of both teams. Going to say Wonwokie win this but it all depends on how oRP can rally and deal with playing two matches in one week. Certainly not ruling out the German side. [size=12pt]Kharakternyky vs Guard of Istiniar - Week 10 Match Preview Kharakternyky are a team that have suffered terrible inconsistency throughout this WNL season. When they're playing well, they look like a team that can take a slice out of the very best but on their off days, they don't like a team at all. Guard of Istiniar the polar opposite. They've been fiercely consistent throughout the season with a brilliant record however their dropped points, this season, have come in the form of losses against Sons of the Emperor and Legend, with a draw against KHR themselves. IG did a brilliant job of rallying in that match and holding the draw but their issue is always that they don't look like a team which can play above their level. Ruthless organisation is their greatest strength and their worst enemy at the same time, since they just don't give the impression of a team who can bring out an inspirational perfomance when it's crunch time. KHR are fresh off a cruised win against Druzhina, taking a comfortable 11-5 score against their eastern rivals, a massively unexpected result after their lacklustre 9-7 loss to oRP the week before. Have KHR found form or is this just another fluctuation in their unpredictable performance this season? The KHR mounted threat won't do KHR much good on Shariz Village but it will have an impact on Frosty Battle. IG will have a hard time dealing with R1CH, a player who is a relentless tyrant on horseback that will not allow opposing footman to have an easy time in any game he plays. IG's squad is still a star studded beast though. KHR will really have to do something special every round they want to take off of the European giants. Especially on Shariz Village, which is a map that can be controlled with meticulous planning and good preparation. It's perfect for IG and KHR stand to take heavy losses here unless their own preparations are up to scratch. IG are the favourites. They're my prediction for the win here too. Heroes vs The Kingdom of Swadia - Week 10 Match Preview [size=10pt] Heroes found a win in 3 games. The Kingdom of Swadia have come out on top in their last 4 fixtures. This is another story of a rising team against a falling one. Granted Heroes, lost their match last week to a default win and it's still a sensetive matter but the truth is that they haven't looked like a real threat for a long time now. While the list of defeated teams on Swadia's current warpath is hardly a who's who of the strongest teams right now, it's impressive to have taken all those wins against teams who basically underestimated them. They're now 5th in the league, something no one would have predicted looking at their results in the early season. Losing 13-3 to AE is no matter of shame but in week 7, FIN stomped Heroes 14-2 and the Russian side just looked hopelessly disorganised, crumbling after an average start. There's very little about Heroes to inspire faith in their ability to perform right now and their stunning perfomance (despite the loss) against AE, at the start of the season, seems a million miles away. Here's a statistic: The Kingdom of Swadia have a round win/loss ratio of 1.33 with Swadia and 1.19 without. That doesn't really mean much without added context but it is a statistic nonetheless. Swadia appear once this week, facing up against Rhodoks on Frosty Battle. A perfect chance to boost up that ratio. It's time for Heroes to show why they were considered a strong team at the start of the season. Right now, no one is taking them seriously but they're probably still going to be tougher than any team Swadia has beaten so far. Do they have what it takes to deal with Heroes' (sometimes) brilliant cavalry and the fearsome Dennor. Are Swadia now a team that should be looked at twice before casting aside? This is the match we find out. I'll say Swadia. It could be a terrible mistake but Heroes are not in a good place right now at all and in the meantime, Swadia are proving points every week. full article written by @captainlust |
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