| SEMI FINAL: MATCH PREVIEW FRONTLINE TACTICS vs. AEQUALITAS
TEAM PRESENTATIONS The second semi-final of this BladeCast Masters will oppose Frontline Tactics to Aequalitas. Both teams were invited to the Main Event and they both succeeded into asserting their positions of favourites by making it to this stage of the competition. While Frontline Tactics didn't get the chance to play their match as their opponent Rising Rivals couldn't gather enough players; Aequalitas offered the BladeCast Masters viewers a nail-biting series in their match against Blackened which they only managed to close out on Winterbug, during the overtime. When it comes to that semi-final, things happen to be rather different than the encounter on the other side of the bracket between Unity and KROWA. Frontline Tactics definitely appears as the favourite coming into this match-up with a roster stacked with the best players of the scene in pretty much every category. Since their rather unfortunate exit out of the BoB Qualifiers, their results have been speaking for themselves as they systematically made it to the grand-final of every competition they attended, with the exception of the Warband Blitz League. On the other hand, Aequalitas is no stranger to the highest level of competitive warband as the German squad slowly developed within the months, from being capable to regularly upset arguably stronger opponents, to becoming one of the very best teams of the current scene. Their results have been rather solid so far but in a similar fashion to the Frenchmen from Unity, Aequalitas is yet to claim their first major trophy and put an end to the dominance of Frontline Tactics. This match is another occasion for Aequalitas to prove that they have what it takes to beat the best players of the scene and build a legacy of their own. But the task ahead of them is huge. If their infantry core has shown some undisputable qualities, one could wonder how it will play out coming against the likes of Scar, Arni, Gibby and Charlini. These four names assembled together provide one of the best infantry line-ups the warband scene has ever seen and if the talent of the Aequalitas squad cannot be dismissed that easily, Spada, FiSk, Motthe and LaPache will have a lot to do if they intend on containing them. Aequalitas is not forced to look for a direct engagement, however, and they might want to try a different approach consisting into making the best use out of their rangers or cavalries while avoiding an early confrontation with FT's infantries as such fight is likely to turn into the latest's favour. But at this level of the competition and despite the advantage certain factions can offer in close combats, synergy and tactical decisions are two massive aspects of an engagement and every player on each team are skilled enough to avoid being getting picked in early fights. The difference maker cannot be excepted by the infantry only but results in a perfect cohesion from all different class departments. If the cavalries of Frontline Tactics are arguably superior to the ones of Aequalitas, the difference is not as clear when it comes to their rangers. Kane and Menethil are undoubtedly part of the best shooters at the moment and will be rather complicated to deal with but Apollo and Yona both had some stellar performances in their match against Blackened and played a huge part into preventing Aequalitas from sinking on Field by the River. If they alone cannot win the match, their success will be a decisive factor for Aequalitas to stay alive. MAPS AND FACTIONS On FrostHaven, Aequalitas will start as Swadia which give them a chance to take an early lead instead of being forced to run after the score. If the Swadian awlpikes combination between their cavalries and infantries is one of the deadliest assets among all the different advantages each faction possess, they can be contained by a good use of crossbows and anti-cavalries. Rhodoks infantries are not to be underestimated but offer rather limited upgrade possibilities compared to the Swadian side which is why the latest definitely has the upper hand in a regular match-up. But this semi-final doesn't have much of a 'regular match' and Frontlines Tactics will certainly look at crushing Aequalitas from the start and this regardless of the faction superiority. A strong start is imperative and the German structure cannot allow themselves the same kind of sloppy start they had against Blackened as it is expected Frontline Tactics will know how to capitalize on it and kill the match as early as possible. Motthe and Lapache were the two infantries on Field by the River for Aequalitas and it is expected they do play the same role on FrostHaven were their capacity to survive will be of a paramount importance. Verloren will be another story as Frontline Tactics infantry will come into play and certainly cause Aequalitas great difficulties. Both teams can opt for a classical composition but also have the capacity to surprise their opponents and run a cavalry or infantry oriented roster. No matter what their choice is and despite not being favourite, Aequalitas cannot give too much respect to their opponent. They have the tools and the right mentality to give FT a run for their money and if they managed to keep things even on FrostHaven, it wouldn't be surprising to see Aequalitas going full-in. If the Nords have the upper hand on pretty much any close maps, the Vaegirs faction is certainly the most balanced one and on a map like Verloren, the use you can do of their rangers and cavalries has been proven rather efficient in the past. Once again, I expect Yona and Apollo to be the deciding factor for Aequalitas and give a hard time to the FT team. But will it be enough to overcome such a threatening FT team? The answer tonight. MATCH BROUGHT TO YOU BY BLADECAST, ARTICLE WRITTEN BY TARDET, FORMAT CREATED BY TARDET, GRAPHICS BY ROSSLINGTON |
