DIVISION C WEST
Analyst: Valkamer
It’s pandemonium in C West. Eight matches were played this week, resulting in all sorts of early season upheaval in the standings. C West now has the most games played of any NGS Division at thirty-four (C East has thirty-two.) Sixty heroes from the roster have been played at least once with Blaze as the most played. We have at least one match every day but Sunday in Week Three, so the action is set to be a freight train’s worth of fun.
Match Recaps
CEEEEEEEEEEEEBBB!!! pulled off a reverse sweep against Spooky Ghosts in a match between two juggernauts. The match was so well played, it looked like one from a higher division. Late game holds and some staggered picks in game one gave Spooky Ghosts the chance to come back and seal the win – it included a base race against some winions. The pressure of TLV proved too much in game two. Wind Tunnel turned a late game team fight into a core rush to end game three. An incredible matchup.
Macro Machines came out on top of a rather intense match with The Nine Avatara, splitting the series 2-1. Game one included fancy footwork by Whitemane, limiting kills from The Nine Avatara to just two. Game two was the shortest map, The Nine Avatara held off Macro Machines with impressive performances by Thrall and Valla (crazy stacking for such a short game). A final push with a Zerg wave and the boss brought a swift conclusion. Game three on Infernal Shrines was heavily in The Nine Avatara’s favor through most of the match. The Nine Avatara had some trouble ending and Macro Machines was able to win enough late game teamfights to be able to finish with a punisher through mid.
Spooky Ghosts defeated Rolling Thunder 2-0 on Wednesday, showcasing their prowess as former Grand Champions. Both maps felt controlled and Rolling Thunder found it difficult to bring their aggressive style to bear.
Can’t Counterpick Stupid pulled off a daring close to seal their 2-0 victory over Clouded Minds. Both games felt very down to the wire and included rowdy teamfights, Mighty Gusts from each team, and some big saves.
The Nine Avatara claimed their first match victory of the season with a 2-1 over Bork Side of the Moon. Bork Side of the Moon had a massive swing in game one with a Dwarf Launch from Matloc to set the death wobble into motion for The Nine Avatara. Fantastic pressure during a Punisher resulted in several kills for The Nine Avatara to wrap up game two. Towers of Doom was the final battleground and went very back and forth. The Nine Avatara recaptured the game and were able to take the boss after killing both frontline of Bork.
COSMOS came out swinging this week and scored their first points with a domination victory over Cats On My Keyboard. Game one was a very low kill game on Tomb of the Spider Queen and game two appears to have been a high octane slugfest on Braxis Holdout with one of the shortest map lengths on the week.
CEEEEEEEEEEEEBBB!!! withheld Roll1 Esports on Thursday to take the 2-1 victory. In a strange twist, Map Pick was particularly bad in this match, going 0-3. Blaze did not fare well. Falstad did.
The match between Ana Maniacs and Roll1 Esports has not yet been reported. We do know it is a 2-1 result for Ana Maniacs.
Standings
(Rank, Team, Points, Maximum Possible, Movement)
1. Can’t Counterpick Stupid 7, 47, ⬆️
1. Ana Maniacs 7, 47, ⏺️
3. CEEEEEEEEEEEEBBB!!! 6, 42, ⬆️
4. The Nine Avatara 5, 41, ⬆️
4. Bork Side of the Moon 5, 45, ⬇️
4. Roll 1 Esports 5, 45, ⬇️
4. Spooky Ghosts 5, 45 ⬆️
8. Clouded Minds 4, 44 ⬇️
8. COSMOS 4, 44, ⬆️
8. U.S. Army Esports 4, 44, ⬇️
11. Macro Machines 3, 43, ⏺️
12. Rolling Thunder 1, 41, ⬇️
13. Cats on My Keyboard 0, 40, ⬇️
The Playoff Hunt
- We will continue to see more diversity in the standings as the weeks build. Week Two is too early to make any predictions.
- No tiebreakers are being calculated for my standings at this time as it is too messy/incomplete.
- No teams have sealed a playoff position at this time. The requried number to lock a spot currently sits at forty-four points.
Week 3 Schedule (26 Feb – 3 Mar 2024)
(All times are posted in Pacific time. Welcome to the West.)
Monday – 7:30 PM – Spooky Ghosts vs. Clouded Minds
Tuesday – 7:00 PM – COSMOS vs. CEEEEEEEEEEEEBBB!!!
Wednesday – 7:00 PM – The Nine Avatara vs. Cats On My Keyboard
Thursday – 7:30 PM – Roll1 Esports vs. Rolling Thunder
7:30 PM – Ana Maniacs vs. Macro Machines
9:00 PM – Can’t Counterpick Stupid vs. Cats On My Keyboard
Friday – 7:30 PM – COSMOS vs. Macro Machines https://www.twitch.tv/valkamerccs
Saturday – 7:00 PM – Macro Machines vs. U.S. Army Esports https://www.youtube.com/@krushcasts/live
Sunday – No matches scheduled.
Highlight Match of the Week
Superfight on a Saturday night! Macro Machines and U.S. Army Esports clash for the first time ever. It is all going to be showcased by NGS broadcast veteran, Krushinator at https://www.youtube.com/@krushcasts/live. 7:00 PM Pacific.
Final Notes
- Big first two weeks for broadcasting. C West has had eleven out of fourteen matches broadcast. It is natural to have a surge at the beginning of the season. NGS needs you! Become a broadcaster today! Go to the #caster_sign_ups channel in the NGS Discord to participate!
- Flex matches! Two have been played. Another three are scheduled. We have eighteen total. After week three, one third of the season is essentially through. Remember to get those Flex Matches in.
- I am looking for a video editor. Ever wanted to try your hand at highlight clips? Are you an experienced veteran that can snap together a reel like nobody’s business? We need to talk.
DIVISION C EAST
Analyst: Hoku
Roundup
Dominations continue to be the theme of this division, as only 2 out of the 8 matches played this week went the full 3 game distance. Fortunately for those who like a good series, both of those were casted. Unlike last week, the smaller maps had their time in the sun, with Braxis Holdout, Battlefield of Eternity, and Tomb of the Spider Queen being featured in many of the matchups. Even so, bruisers continued to be popular, with several triple front line comps being seen, with a memorable conclusion to the Game of the Week between Hot(s) Dads and Deep Waters featuring both teams busting out heavy duty front lines on Infernal Shrines.
My Crystal Ball Sometimes Works
As expected, Johanna and Mei did continue to be popular picks, and we did see an increase in Varian picks, although not always against one of the two. We did see a few of the classic Varian/Stukov combos, so that may be something to be aware of as the season progresses.
Clips of the Week
First up, we have The High Inquisitors taking on Business of Ferrets: CCS9 (what is this a cross-over episode?) in an action-packed 3 game series, casted by Shadonis. The climax of the match was a throwdown in the throw pit.
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxrIP-6s0q9TC8wvGgxIBRuEaeoPdjTW1S?si=SN2Iib-XLbjkym85
In our second clip, Shadonis provides another entertaining cast, this time featuring Frank’s Furters going up against Xul Gin Distillery. A tense fight towards the end of the game sets up the win condition.
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx1_VxcRvf-PotyiozOLijEjzr_cAzwC36?si=vlcpL1VOIiFzlKGJ
In our final clip for the week, from the Game of the Week, peldor casts the showdown. Although she isn’t in the meta, don’t count out Auriel with the Angel of Hope’s Dope Rope of Nope!
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxQpAiPomdHO0OlefKQ2-PTGkPu6qmr9Ma?si=7UwEzGBAjGC5M45U
Fun Fact of the Week That May Only Be of Interest to Me
With Heroes Profile completing their update and site refresh, there are new stats being tracked, one of which amused me more than it should have. For the season thus far in Div C East:
Things to Watch for in Week 3
Div C East still plays a lot of double bruiser/tank comps, and I don’t see any signs that will change. we can expect to see even more of the tank-buster heroes prioritized, including Tychus, Leoric, and possibly more from Zagara with her devastating level 16 Corrosive Saliva.
Game of the Week
While they aren’t in the top of the standings (yet!), CM Daybreak and Protectors of Shakuras are two teams with very large hero pools, so we could see some interesting drafts and spicy strats. Even better, this match is scheduled to be casted by Krushinator. Tune in Friday, March 1, 2024 at 9:30 PM (eastern) for all the fireworks!
Final Note
Thanks to the casters who have stepped up this week. Don’t forget, you can sign up to be a caster yourself at any time, you don’t have to be registered before the season starts! Just visit the #caster_sign_ups channel in the NGS Discord!