UNITY
Team Presentation
Since the beginning of the competition, it was made clear that four teams were considered favorites to make it to the semi-finals.
Unity is one of them. After toping their group with ease, they went on to face Ferocious Trident Wielders in the quarter-final and once again they steam-rolled their opponent, dropping only three rounds in total.
The group gathered by Paulo is a mix of long-term members of Unity, and a few veterans brought in to fill the gaps making this team looks extremely powerful and explosive. So far they haven’t been really contested by anyone the WSC, therefore facing Apis Europae will be a whole new challenge for them and with a ticket for the final at stake, no wonder the pressure will be at its maximum for them.
The last time Unity faced AE in an 8v8 tournament format was in the last season of the WNL - a semifinal as well - where they were dominated from start to finish, having to satisfy themselves with a bronze medal. In the ECS Season 3, they were once again defeated just before reaching the final by Freelancers, on a much closer score line this time. And once again, they would come on top of their opponent in the bronze match, taking the third place.
If anything, facts are here to prove that if Unity is without a doubt a Tier 1 team, they do struggle to rank themselves further than third in major tournament. This time however, their team look potentially stronger than ever and their new additions could very well be the element Unity was missing to get themselves a major title.
Menethil, former Freelancers core member, could very well be the solution to their problems as he is one of the most experienced players from the scene and could have a lot of input in such a high-pressure scenario. He will be joined by Maximou and Kane who are also two deadly rangers and accomplished players.
The rest of their roster is a bit more map specific when it comes to which class each player occupies. Khefren, Kellerman and Caius are most likely always going to stick as infantry and form a powerful trio capable of handling AE’s infantry. Brian and Thorr are both familiar with infantry and cavalry and could potentially switch depending on Unity’s composition. Paulo, their captain, is in a similar situation as he has been seen playing infantry in certain occasions but should be playing cavalry rest of the time.
Last but not least, Ciiges is their main cavalry player and as we saw during the past matches, one of their heavy carries. If he can keep such a high level coming against AE, he could have a huge impact on the whole match and one of the key factors influencing Unity victory or failure.
| | APIS EUROPAE
Team Presentation
On the other hand, stands Apis Europae. As it is often the case, some doubted AE were still a major team when they entered the tournament, as they looked certainly rusty. Being placed in arguably one of the most complicated group of the whole tournament, the bees proved that they were still capable of coming on top of dangerous opponent such as Sacrosanct or Polish Eagles. If the first match was certainly close, the second proved AE clear superiority in Group A while it qualified them for the Quarter Finals.
In said Quarter Final, they found themselves to face once again Aequalitas, a team which had caused them problem not so long ago, in the last season of the Warband Pro League. However, Apis Europae would quickly show it was ancient history as they would prevail over their opponent in a convincing manner, 12-2.
Facing a strong-looking Unity team, Apis Europae know that there might be more at stake than there appears to be. A loss against the francophone team would put them in the difficult situation of not reaching the grand finale, something which has never ever happened in AE’s history. If it is a possibility which has to be considered by Deacon and his men, Apis Europae has always been playing for nothing else than the title and any other result would certainly come to be disappointment in their eyes.
One of the reason why it was unclear how good AE would perform when they entered the WSC was the loss of one of their superstar player, Peter. However, with the return of Swedish veteran Shemaforash and the good form showed by axL throughout past matches, AE know that if they might not look as dominant in the cavalry area as they used to be, they’re still capable to handle Unity cavalries in a confident manner. As per usual, Mitchell and AZAN will join their stooges to complete a strong cavalry line-up.
Looking at their infantries however, the lack of Scar could very well be felt for Apis Europae especially when looking at Unity’s roster. Nontheless, AE will be able to count on Deacon, Anchor, Bloody_Death and M to hold strong and that still is a deadly infantry core to face.
Their ranging department will be completed by Razer and LeRoux, joined by OGL who seems to adapt very well within AE ranks and Anders, an old player from the team.
This match promises to be a hell of a fight and could potentially be one of the closest encounter we have seen in the tournament so far. Both teams will only satisfy themselves with a victory however only one can stand when the match ends. Who will that be? Find out on Greedalicious Twich Channel in a few minutes!
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