Two major upsets last week shake up our rankings, as Machi and AHQ Esports took down previously second ranked Flash Wolves. The race to the playoffs is no longer as clear-cut as it has previously been, as four teams look to be in contention for the final two spots. This upcoming week of play will test if Machi is the real deal, while also providing Blank Esports with their most challenging opponents over only two days of play.
Miles Ahead:
1. Blank Esports 9W–0L:
The rich got richer in week 4 as Blank Esports took home victories without losing a map. Most importantly Blank were able to completely shut out HKA, after nearly dropping a game to them in their last matchup. The Australians even won their Assault map, previously a noticeable weakness in their fixtures against top four teams. The teams mechanical skill and hero pool has looked second to none in the tournament. Trill was perfectly comfortable moving from tank heroes to Genji in triple DPS lineups, alongside the quality DPS talents of Aetar on Soldier 76 and ieatuup on Tracer. The ability to not miss a step while running triple Tank, 2/2/2 or triple DPS provides Blank with the flexibility to run lineups that counter their opposition, a concept that other top teams have struggled to put into practice so far. Blank should enter week 5 confident in their ability to win against AHQ, Flash Wolves and Machi, despite having to face all three of the playoff hopefuls in two days.
Teams to Beat:
2. AHQ Esports 8W-2L:
AHQ took a huge step in their victory over Flash Wolves, overtaking their rival as the best team in Taiwan and securing second place on the ladder. This was certainly an impressive turnaround after the teams 3–0 loss to the Wolves in the beginning of the competition. The team played with Keres in all of their week 4 games, with support EDIBOSS designated to the bench role. This appears to be the right decision for the team going forward, as Keres’ Ana play has looked superior to that of his benched teammate. C0wman’s ability to play multiple DPS and Tank heroes effectively has allowed for DizZy to thrive on the hitscan role in many different limeups. DizZy outperformed Flash Wolves’ Zonda and has thrived on his squads’ improved team-play. AHQ face their toughest match off the round on Friday facing off against Blank Esports, followed by a match against resurgent team Machi Esports. A victory over Machi is likely but AHQ will enter their fixture against Blank as the clear underdogs.
3. Flash Wolves 6W-3L:
I wrote a more detailed article on Flash Wolves’ week 4 struggles here.
Previously second ranked Flash Wolves had a week they’d like to forget, dropping games to AHQ and Machi. The rest of the competition has seemed to improve as the Wolves stagnate, struggling with a shallow hero pool. As HKA and Machi closing in on the last playoff spot, Flash Wolves will need to stabilize if they wish to take part in the post season. However, talent is clearly evident on the roster and their is no need to hit the panic button at this time. The Wolves should comfortably take their matches aginst FireBall and DeToNator, while most likely losing heavily to Blank Esports.
In the Race for Third:
4. Machi Esports 5W-5L:
Machi pulled off the surprise upset of the tournament, coming out of nowhere to defeat Flash Wolves in a close 3–2 bout. They then used the momentum from this upset to roll through the weak Japanese teams in successive 3–0 victories. After a less than impressive opening round, in which the team only picked up victories against SunSister and DeToNator, the team has bounced back. Benching struggling DPS player Rai may have been a key factor in this improvement, shuffling support and flex players onto DPS heroes to fill the gap. This could prove a problem in their upcoming matches, teams have often struggled without a star DPS player to take on the ‘carry’ role. Nevertheless such an impressive win cannot be discounted, moving Machi up the rankings. The team will need beat HKA and FireBall this week if they wish to solidify their chances of making playoffs.
5. Hong Kong Attitude 6W-5L:
Hong Kong Attitude could have easily taken 4th place in this weeks rankings, with a better win/loss ratio than Machi. However, the team has not been able to steal a win from the top tiers of the competition, despite close matches against AHQ and Blank. Falling 3–0 to the Aussies in their first rematch doesn’t bode well for the team going forward, fans will hope this was an indication of Blank pulling away from the rest of the competition and not HKA’s play taking a dive in quality. While victories against Machi, Fireball and the two Japanese squads in round 1 are encouraging, HKA will be unable to take a playoff spot without winning against the current top three. An interesting rematch against Machi on Saturday should allow us to see if HKA really have been overtaken as fourth on the rankings.
Looking to Turn Things Around:
6. FireBall 3W-6L:
Things are starting to get desperate for FireBall, as the Thai squad has only been able to pick up one victory outside of Japanese teams. FireBall hasn’t managed to win a map since being swept by Flash Wolves in week three, currently holding a nine map wins, 19 map losses record. The team certainly hasn’t been afraid to try new strategies in their search for a winning combination, employing niche tactics and heroes such as their use of Orisa on the first point of King’s Row. OpuTo just hasn’t had the support needed to translate his proficiency into results on the standings, despite swapping between any DPS hero required of him. Matchups this week against the Japanese teams will likely provide easy wins but FireBall will fall to Flash Wolves barring another major upset.
Outclassed:
7. DeToNator.GOLD 1W-9L:
DeToNator should focus their efforts this week on taking a map in their two matches. Despite looking thoroughly outclassed so far the team still has time to win some maps and build some team chemistry. A reasonable place to start will be their matchup against FireBall, the weakest non-Japanese team so far.
8. SunSister 0W-9L:
Despite a winless record and only two map victories not everything is doom and gloom for SunSister. XQQ arrived in Taiwan in late April and has been a bright spot in the teams otherwise low tier play. SunSister would be smart to re-sign the DPS player when his contract expires at the end of the competition, if they can prevent other Japanese teams from prying the skilled player out of their hands.
Week 5 kicks off on the 5th of May and will be broadcast in English on FullCircle, a schedule for the tournament can be found here.
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