What a crazy competition it has been so far, and we’ve only just finished up the semi-finals. Here’s a quick wrap up of what’s been happening lately to bring you some hype for the grand finals!
Starting off with Division 3. We’ve seen PayChannel and DespicableUs battle it out. PayChannel steamrolled with a 5 - 0 score on Granary, and a 7 - 2 victory on Badlands. l8r nerds and Azure Celista fought a closer, more intense game. Azure Celista secured a 1 - 6 in a valiant match on Granary, but l8r nerds actually brought it back for Badlands with a score of 7-3.
The tie breaking Ashville turned out in Azure Celista’s favor with a scoreline of 4 - 1. Better luck later (l8r), nerds! The Japanese PayChannel and Korean team Azure Celista will be fighting tooth and nail for victory in the finals – who will prevail and emerge the top Div 3 team?
Next up on the list we have our Division 2 teams. Our semi-finalists were TSP vs Team InAdequacy and Color Gaming vs. A Clockwork Enigma. The strategies of Clockwork Enigma weren’t so much of an enigma after all; easily unpicked by Color Gaming, the team saw a somewhat predictable loss of 5 - 0 to Color on Badlands and 6 - 1 on Granary. Nevertheless, considering the dearth of experience in their players, they put up a commendable fight indeed.
TSP and Team InAdequacy put up a good show. Both teams have humble beginnings in Divsion 3, and InA’s previous life as Team EXE saw them clinching 4th place in Division 3. Scaling the steep skill and strategy curves, both teams meet again at a whole new level of gameplay, holding top spots in Divsion 2. Despite InA defeating TSP during the regular season, TSP has been sweating their little butts off. They brought a roaring victory of 5 - 0 in Badlands, and won 4 -3 in Granary yet again, albeit with a more suspenseful match. TSP has really surpassed most people’s expectations but now the question is, is this enough to beat Colour Gaming?
And finally who could forget, our dearest Divsion 1. If you didn’t catch it, make sure to catch a record of the LIVE broadcast on the TEAMFORTRESS.TV stream, casted by Admirable and Yuki! VOD’s are already up on www.youtube.com/teamfortresstv and you can catch up on the action there. The matches were played between For Freak’s Sake vs. Muk Eun Ji and Kuso Scout vs. Lust Lust Lust.
FFS had a good run against MEJ, but alas it ended in a 5-0 Badlands and Granary roll, in favor of MEJ. That’s not to say nobody cheered for FFS, though. Being a relatively new team playing against what the pros consider to be the cream of the crop in the Asian TF2 gaming scene, it was a good game – as the Soldier says, “Every one of you deserves a medal!” Good effort FFS!
The second match between Kuso Scout and Lust Lust Lust (pity the casters on this tongue-twister) was definitely more exciting. A close game on Badlands turned out 5 - 3 in favor of Kuso Scout, but if you were there with us on the live stream you can testify – that game certainly was close! Rounds were traded relentlessly back and forth, but Kuso Scout managed to pull through and emerge victorious. Granary was a bit less of a nail biter as Natapon claimed that “they’ve shaken off the rust and gotten a hang of the Kuso Scout style again”. The game ended in a 6 - 1 to Kuso Scout, but you really have to congratulate Lust Lust Lust and FFS for coming so far. There were a lot of tough opponents along the way; big shoutout especially to Team Kill Friendly Fire who I personally expected to be in the semi-finals. It wasn’t easy; respect to them for doing so well!
Don’t tune out just yet though, we’re still yet to witness the EPIC conclusion to AFC 7. Kuso Scout vs. Muk Eun Ji – definitely a battle to watch out for. Will the Korean super team – seasoned, dynamic and complex as old kimchi, emerge at the top? Will the Kuso Scout scouts be enough to pull the rug out from under MEJ?
There’s also Color Gaming vs. The Systematic People to look out for; will the Japanese team that has stuck together around for so long beat the first and only HK team in the finals? Which country will reign supreme?
And who can forget PayChannel vs Azure Celista? Our Div 3 teams don’t deserve any less attention. Who are the hopefuls that will move onto division 2 next season? The Japanese or the Koreans?
All the months of hard work have been distilled to three final matches between the most resilient teams. Only one question is left on the tip of all our tongues – WHO’S GOING TO WIN?!
