[WPL2] [EU] Pundits - Weekly Power Rankings
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Winter Ranking - Part Three
8th. Aequalitas
Aequalitas is a team mainly composed by former Malta players, and around since September 2015 when they joined the WNL5, and where they had a really good record and almost qualified for the playoffs, sitting on a 9th in favor of Ferocious Trident Wielders. Since then, they have established themselves as a solid tier 2 team and due to their recent performances in the WMT, they were considered to become part of the top teams, would they keep on going with such convincing results.
This WPL was clearly a real test for them and Aequalitas held on to the expectations, to say the least. They got matched versus BNS first week and closed the match easily by beating them 12-0. Wolfpack was arguably a way stronger opponent, so was Ferocious Trident Wielders, but both failed to take more than 5 rounds to ** during week 2 and 3. We had to wait week 4 to see them being defeated by Wonwokie, and yet again, it was a on a very close score-line (10-7) proving that ** was becoming more and more of a danger for tier 1 teams. Their upset potential was truly seen during the fifth week, when they came facing AE and absolutely destroyed them 6-0 on the first map, closing the match on a score without appeal of 9-3. If this match definitely enlightened AE’s struggles of this season of the WPL, all credits must be given to ** who perfectly took advantage of it, and will probably remain in Warband history as one of the rare (if only?) team who took a map to Apis Europae without conceding a single round.
End of the tournament was somewhat a bit disappointing as they couldn’t quite catch up in their match against IR, loosing on the exact same score they won against AE, and making the EU teams ranking a bit more messed-up. Losing their last match against Random was sadly a bit expected yet what remains the most problematic is the fact they could only take two rounds through the whole match and being matched up against them again in their quarter final - they will need to show a way better performance if they want to believe into victory.
Their roster is based on a solid and coherent line-up of 6-7 players, the whole thing lead by Gaius and Unicorn. With Disturbed, Motthe, Habimana, Sunny and Spartacus, players which no longer needs to be presented, their squad relies on teamplay and cohesion as much as individual skill and prowess. And that’s actually just a part of their roster.
All in all, I believe ** are where people expected them and they didn’t fail to impress us throughout the whole tournament. Now, realistically, I still believe they are a bit short coming against team like Random and I fail to see them upsetting this quarter-final. But as often, I’d love to be proven wrong. The upset potential is here. It’s about being capable to use them against any team.
-Tardet
7th. Wonwokie
Wonwokie is a well-known team that has been around the scene for a very long time, even if they had their breaks. They're a very competitive team who has always aimed to win everything they could, they’ve proven several times that they’re a really serious team, and a huge candidate to win WPL2. Since their fall in WMT2, in the quarterfinals against Fearless, they’ll probably be anxious to show off their skill in this competition, and will use all their tools to beat one of the best teams of the tournament, GP, in their first playoff match.
Wonwokie’s principles are structure and work ethic, they’re led by Zach, an experienced player who uses good tactics that helps the entire squad follow his instructions. These tactics are based on teamwork, communication, and teamplay between all three classes. They may have had issues in some previous matches during the ladder stage while trying to execute everything as they would have wished, but it’s really clear that if this team plays like a unit they’re unstoppable.
The majority of the players that follow Zach in this team are all well-known and very skilled players that have been playing together for a long time. Those along with some new additions like Khefren(Really strong infantry that can switch to cavalry in open maps), Warhammer (Very solid infantry with huge skill), Kane (One of the best archers in the scene) and Sir Alecks (A rising Spanish star cavalry that has had one of the greatest progressions ever seen on his class in the scene, and is starting to sound as one of the best cavalries in the game) really form a balanced squad where their great archers (RD/Matafiks/Kane) and cavs (Relaxan and Siralecks) act as damage dealers while their infantry stack(Zach,Warhammer,Khefren and Horace), become a huge wall with huge survival ability.
In conclusion, it’s obvious that Wonwokie has had a bad time recently and lot of people may consider it a bad luck streak, while some others think that they just can’t really overtake some of the better teams in the tournament. We’ll have to wait and see Sunday if this awesome team can leave behind their poor constancy, and turn from a trembling hand with no destination, into a hard fist to try and strike down their opponent…or fall attempting it!
- Charlini
6th. Heroes & Inquisition
Heroes & Inquisition, the eastern elite is what they could be called. Heroes & Inq is some of the best player that eastern Europe can offer, they have proven individually and team-wise that they are not to be messed around with while also being a big part of the native scene in the early years.
Heroes & Inq was originally two separate teams in Warband's early days but with the time moving on and the lack of players for both teams they emerged into one.
Veteran players like Arni who is highly regarded as a top infantry. Bendetto which is feared among players for his accurate shooting, together with Grifon and Max. Heroes and Inq is not just a team full of individual talent, but also veterans with Grifon steering the ship. With additions like PuffTheDragon, Woj and Colonel to fill the gaps in the areas they feel they're lacking.
Heroes & Inq is among the top 8 and qualified for the playoffs, their way there might not been the hardest but they got to prove themselves at some points. With big victories over teams like Wolfpack and Emnity showed their prowess, but they also had to face some bigger challenges like Random Potatoes and Geese Pack which they both gave up a lose to. Towards the end of the regular season Heroes & Inq gave up what could be seen as a weak lose towards TT which might be a sign of lack of training or lack of motivation or simply just that they got out played.
Moving into the playoffs I believe Heroes & Inq will show more effort than what has been given from they thus far since it's single elimination up next. Heroes & Inq had 3 players in the top 25 in the statistics table, and Woj making it to 4th place which might give teams they're facing a better picture on who to shut down. Facing Apis Europae will be a hard task for Heroes & Inq, I wish to believe that it will be a close fought game since AE's performance lately has been a bit lacking and if Grifon can be able to use his players individual skill to the fullest I do believe a upset might arise. But we all know that teamplay is usually what wins championships which AE has proven many times.
Heroes & Inq vs AE is a must watch!
- Horace
5th. Irish Rebels
Irish Rebels came in at 5th place for the regional Single-Elimination stage. IR has had one of the most interesting tournaments in their history both in terms of the variety in scores and in their scope.
In week 1 IR were met with one of the toughest teams in the tournament, Random Potatoes, to whom they lost. Despite a powerful performance by RP on the first map IR looked capable of pulling the game back into their favour only to fall short in the final set. Though starting on a loss could dampen the morale of some teams it seemed to have an innocuous effect on IR who came back to win three consecutive games before an eventual second loss in week 5. Notably in week 4 IR scored their first ever official victory over Apis Europae thereby substantiating themselves as a real contender for the title. Their week 5 loss was to the undefeated Geese Pack who as a new team of experienced players were also looking to prove themselves as a contender. In week 6 IR had a strong victory over Aequalitas and in week 7 they attained a pyrrhic victory over GP.
IR enter the knockouts in a good position with many expecting them to defeat TonysTanks in the Quarter-Finals after which they will face either Random Potatoes or Aequalitas for a second time. They have a real chance of making and even winning the finals if they can overcome RP who have gone into the knockouts as the rank #1 team having suffered just one loss in the League Stage.
IR's strength is spread across all classes with few clear weaknesses. Superlilli, Eder and Kellermann are an intimidating force to go up against in melee. Though Sebek seems to have taken the backseat from the infantry class he is still an excellent player in reserve alongside Iovca, Boris and Dragz, all of whom are experienced and skilled individuals. The breadth of the IR ranged force is perhaps their most devastating weapon; Virus, Yona, Attila, Blade and SpheRe make it easily the largest assortment of elite-tier archers on any roster. The potential here to crush the opposition has been witnessed time and time again throughout the duration of the tournament and will undoubtedly be a driving force in IR's play in the Single-Elimination Stage. Cavalry is the domain in which IR could be considered to be lacking – if not in talent then in size. Hopkiin, Viktor, Firunien and Dopey are the key players in this mobile force – Dopey especially has proven invaluable to IR on multiple occasions; the cavalry has meritorious individual skill and weaves itself into an impenetrable lattice composed by the capacity for excellence already witnessed in the League Stage. Sjtaf, Nici and Sebek bring up the remainder of the cavalry roster and are certainly no weak players in and of themselves though they are yet to demonstrate the capability to have the same impact as the aforementioned key four.
Irish Rebels certainly have the potential, the roster and the skill to win the WPL2 but against tough opposition they will have to give it their all to the take the title.
- Gibby
4th. TonysTanks
TT, Tony´s Tanks, has been one of the foremost upsets on the middle stages of the tournament. A relatively new team to the scene, they have had lows and high points all throught their short lifepspam, including a recent disband. But TT has managed to show their true potential by making it to the playoffs. Can they bring it one step further?
TT´s roster includes a mix of new rising talented players with a lot of potential and old rugged cracked veterans from the golden age of Warband. Anthony is the captain and main leader of the clan. He is a gifted infantry, solid in melee and with excellent situational awareness. His match tactics may seem unorthodox at times yet he has managed to bring this group into an advanced stage of the tournament. Another important factor inside the footmen squad is Treode, an experienced player who has been going since 2010. Charlie brings the heavyweight during melees by keeping himself alive at all times and scoring frags left and right when their enemies make the mistake of losing their focus on him. Their archers consist of players like Maximou or Chaff, who can get the work done and carry the team. In the cavalry department, we can see new faces like Crusader, Conan, Meldo and a famliar member of the community named Harman.
The main strongpoint of TT without any doubt is their infantry, but if they wanna get further into the league all the team will need to cooperate and bring themselves together both in skill and dedication. TT has an opportunity wich many other clans would have wished to have, they are on the spotlight. Now is up to them to leave their mark in the game or step back into the shadows.
- DarkLight
3rd. Apis Europae
The bees are back in the game and they have secured a very safe third position in the Regionals making them face the eastern lads of Heroes & Inquisition. Despite having a very bad mid-phase during week 4 and week 5 and heavily loosing against ** and IR it seems that if AE needs to sting back, they are more than ready to do it, and they have shown this during their last match against Wonwokie securing a relatively close victory.
But we can't just focus on the "bad things", AE performed at top notch during the rest of the weeks, having very good scores specially during week 3, where they played against Random Potatoes on a very one-sided match, finishing with a 12-2 victory, but with a roster that big, veteran and especially that impressive in terms of skill it was something to be expected.
There's really nothing these guys lack of, as cavalry you've got the deadly Peter, Axl and Shemaforash trio along with Azan (as long as he is not commanding) and Mitchell, a feared infantry block built around Scar, Deacon, Cleric, M and Gibby which undoubtedly has adapted himself perfectly to AE with his new partner OGL for the archery department, speaking of which, we can't just forget this fellas because they've been doing an outstanding job as well with people such as Leroux, Tomy and Nele.
And despite not having one of the best results they could have pulled with all those players and arguably not performing at their best I am sure that AE has learnt from their mistakes and will be in an excellent shape during this single-elimination stage. And though finishing in third position might have not been on their initial plans we can say that it has left them in a rather advantageous position away from the main contenders to the title, that being said, it's not going to be a walk in the park either, especially since both GP & Wonwokie are around the corner potentially giving AE a good run for their money.
Overall, and this is not a surprise, Apis Europae has got all the potential needed to become the next winner of the WPL2, even if some people say that they are rusty one thing that this tournament has clearly shown us is that teamwork, communication and good leadership is what wins rounds and these guys sure have a lot of those.
So, to end this, let's point out that a wise man once said: "Learn to love your defeats, for they will build you. It is their defeats that will give flavor to their victories". We'll have to wait until Sunday to learn if AE's able to overtake their struggles, and give us a godlike show against Heroes & Inquisition.
- SirAlecks
2nd. Geese Pack
Now, freshly formed Geese Pack have a pretty interessting story. After Guard of Istiniar closed their native branch, captain Oliveran gathered a couple of well-known players from a few different teams. Obviously, some of their players had already known each other, and combined with their wealth of experience, Geese Pack started out better than probably 95% of the teams in the communities’ competitive history. They went on a huge win streak, only dropping 18 rounds to their opponents in 5 matches.
At that point we had them down as shared first place in our pundits alongside Random Force, who they would go on to face in the following week. 7-9 to Random was the final result, and even though it looks quite close on paper, the players said nothing had worked out for them that day. Losing for the first time is always rough, especially when you have been flying the weeks before that - but, it is bound to happen eventually. Maybe their expectations on themselves were too high or the mood in the team went sour after the loss because of an argument, but since then they seem to struggle. They went on to lose to Irish Rebels in the following week whom they had beaten pretty convincingly 9-5 just two weeks before.
On paper, nothing has changed though. Geese Pack's infantry veteran's Cristo and Oliveran alongside DarkLight and Anchor are still a lineup to be feared. Cristo and Oliveran can fall back onto a rich history of playing together, and are or were (depends on who you are asking I suppose) considered world-class infantry. They are the foundation this team is built upon. Both Anchor and DarkLight joined the native competitive community not too long ago, or let's say later than most other infantry in the knockout stage, but they are performing solidly nonetheless.
With old Castellan rangers Rainbow and Pepper they can fall back onto another strong bond between two important players in the same class. Together with Kiano, who is completing the triplet and the only player captain Oliveran took with him from Guard of Istiniar, you can't determine a lack of skill in the ranged department either.
And in the cavalry department we have Turkish graphic artist and long-term player Belendor alongside Dutch duo Watly and Surkan. The later ones have both had their own team at some point and will surely be able to provide Oliveran with assistance, especially during this first rough period for the team.
As for my prediction for the quarter final, I'm sure Geese Pack will have used the break well and spend some time together to figure and iron out what is has held them back these last two matches. I hope they have found a solution and implemented it in their recent trainings so we get to see them at full potential again against Wonwokie. I predict a very close match, we have two teams of quite similar structure, but completely different background and history. Whether Geese Pack will be able to outweigh Wonwokies advantage in terms time playing together, we shall see on Sunday.
- Scar
1st. Random Potatoes
After a disappointing loss to Castellans in the previous tournament, Rayden decided to keep the core group together and only add Zoyka and Nomes to the starting lineup. Allowing them to start the tournament with a solid foundation has proven to be a wise move in terms of team building. They played with the consistency expected from a top contender and took out all teams but Apis Europae in solid if not brilliant fashion. How far their journey will go this tournament will come down to whether they will be able to keep their good teamplay and calling up. After the loss in the quarter finals last tournament they have even more experience in dire moments to hang onto, which will surely come in more and more handy the further the tournament goes.
With Brian, Thorr, Zoyka as well as Menethil who recently switched from ranged to infantry and mid-season pickup Sifon, all their infantries have what it takes to play at the top level. Brian and Thorr usually manage to take advantage of their aggressive playstyle and pick up a ton of vital kills, whilst Zoyka and SifoN soak up damage and play more supportively. This diversity of styles makes their infantry lineup difficult to play against because a simple opponent-switch during an engagement will throw most players off and make them feel uncomfortable.
Their ranged department, even after Menethil's switch to infantry, is still top tier with veteran PriNcelele and captain Rayden himself. Both of them have won numerous titles in their carreer and have a depth of experience to fall back onto that only a couple of others players in the scene can match. Most importantly, Rayden is able to perform up to his usual high standards despite leading, something people saw as potential problem when Menethil switched classes. As long as they can make sure both PriNce and Rayden will be able to turn up to their matches, they will be fine.
And their cavalry? Nomes, relaX, Shingen and at times either Tyhke or Brian - pretty much writes itself. After Sikici disappeared and Trebron retired, Rayden managed to find worthy replacements in Nomes and Shingen, that have since both performed to the same high standards we were used to from the old guard. The cavalry teamplay and communication seems to be just as good as during old KURWA times.
As for the quarter finals, I predict them to take down Aequalitas in just the same dominating fashion as they did three weeks ago, in their last regular season match before the christmas break. In my eyes, they are better in every department of the game, and unless they choke out massively, I don't see them giving this away.
-Scar
It became a trademark with myself it seems to constently be late with literally everything I do. Anyways, here are the rankings, part three.
It was a really tough task to lead this project I had to make as many people participate into the last part of pundits. I can't thank DarkLight, SirAlecks, Charlini and Horace enough as they offered to help this week. Glad to have Gibby on board once again with us. Scar, you're a madman. Its the first time for many of them, and I personally find their work extremly good so I do hope you won't forget to commentate and share your love with their work.
As we got late, and had very little time, the pundits aren't proof-read yet, for a huge part of them. We still believed it was better to post them this way rather than not post at all. We do apologize for the incovenience, people who will read it a bit late might see less mistakes as I'm gonna proof-read it until matches start.
Was still a pleasure to do this, despite the difficulties. Good luck all teams for tonight, lets play some warband.
It was a really tough task to lead this project I had to make as many people participate into the last part of pundits. I can't thank DarkLight, SirAlecks, Charlini and Horace enough as they offered to help this week. Glad to have Gibby on board once again with us. Scar, you're a madman. Its the first time for many of them, and I personally find their work extremly good so I do hope you won't forget to commentate and share your love with their work.
As we got late, and had very little time, the pundits aren't proof-read yet, for a huge part of them. We still believed it was better to post them this way rather than not post at all. We do apologize for the incovenience, people who will read it a bit late might see less mistakes as I'm gonna proof-read it until matches start.
Was still a pleasure to do this, despite the difficulties. Good luck all teams for tonight, lets play some warband.
Pumpkin Lord
Great work there, was really fun reading. Also interesting to see different angle of views (different authors)
