Mercedes Svenz Post-Season Review
Well, here we are — the end of the road for my team. This season was a lot of firsts for me: first Fluffy Hat season and first time being a captain/drafting, and now my first bloggo. While it’s the ending none of us would have preferred, I’m still immensely proud of my team and know that, sans intervention by Lord Gaben himself, we were capable of really amazing things.
Those less informed may remember us as The Lowest MMR Team In The League, or That Team That Got Cumstered And Dumpstered By A Smurf Week 1, or 4 Guardians and Milo. We started our season 0–6, which was frankly pretty demoralizing. However, after our first win following an inspirational speech from PapiMuchoFuego, we were invigorated with a fighting spirit that lasted throughout the season. It’s amazing what some confidence, and a touch of humidity, will do.
Now I’ll go into the meat of this bloggo, where I describe the players of my team and talk some mad shit. As I’m contractually obligated to do, I’ve also come up with a part of the brain that best exemplifies each player, because if I have you here you will learn something about neuroscience.
Pos 1: Sylmarien
Syl was one of the people I really wanted to draft from the outset. While you can call me biased (understandably), I truly think syl plays way above his rank. Anyone who slept on this guardian shitter was real quiet when this man played Monkey King. Honestly, there are few heroes I have seen him play where I don’t think he’s way better than I’d ever get (low bar though tbh). In addition to carrying us through some incredible comebacks, syl also picked up my slack when my grad school workload was too high, scouting teams and helping draft, which he never signed up to do. I was, and remain, extremely grateful for all the extra work he put in. Syl plays the game to win, and while exasperation can strike (as it does to all of us) he knows better than anyone I know how to come back from a dismal start. I can’t wait to see what syl can do in the future and if his exponential curve of improvement can ever be stopped.
Brain area: The hippocampus. This area is usually known as the memory center of the brain, but it’s also a powerful central pattern generator for the brain. This means that the neurons fire together in particular rhythms that influence all other brain regions. Much like the hippocampus, Syl led the direction for many of our moves in-game, and was the source of memory for our draft plans and strategies.
Pos 2: Milo
Milo was my first drafted member in this team. Hearing great things from the previous FHDL season and some of my friends, I wanted to know what this kid was about. Turns out, he’s a college kid in Alabama playing with a vehemently toxic roommate in the background and ripping bongs between games. Don’t let that fool you though, Milo plays some nasty mid lane. Ensuring that his pool eats up 1–2 first-phase bans every game, he was incredibly useful in getting us the drafts we wanted. His magnus gameplay was the most exceptional of the ones I’d seen of him, even if he’s known as a dirty arc warden/shadow fiend/TA spammer. While I doubted his mid grimstroke pleas, the one game we pulled it off was so dirty that I still don’t feel clean. Smurfs notwithstanding, I could count on Milo to leave mid in a good position. Once we hit our stride after the first few series we played, it became amazing to see what he could do both solo in lane and in teamfights. I look forward to seeing more of his spam-queues in ranked in the future.
Brain area: The hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is the area of the brain which has connections to the hormonal system and serves to keep everything in a state of balance. Milo’s performance in our games would change the shape of the game either way, much as the hypothalamus alters bodily state, for feast or for famine. Either way, he served as an integral role in our team to help keep the balance and shift gameplay towards its goal.
Pos 3: Ghouls
Ghouls is someone who I’ve played a lot of games with, 345 if you’re counting. Having so much experience together, I knew that I could count on ghouls to do his best and always keep it PMA. Seriously, I’ve never heard this guy get angry at anything, even when he’s getting wrecked in a game. He’s definitely undervalued if you’re looking only at his MMR or hearing him talk about his skill. While he may not admit it, ghouls has some sick plays in dota. Give this man a razor and he’ll give you a solo kill on an enemy carry, multiple times. While he never got to play pudge in league (thanks BetaBits), it’s still an iconic hero that I now associate with him. I have no regrets about drafting ghouls, because through the power of friendship he faced some of the top players in the league and did it with no complaints. I really look forward to more sick plays (hopefully with pudge) by ghouls in other seasons and leagues.
Brain area: The brain stem. The brain stem is, evolutionarily, the oldest part of the brain. Yes, that’s a boomer joke. But also, it’s vital for bodily functions which we can’t control but keep us alive, such as heart rate and breathing. We sent ghouls out into the abyss against monster carries, and, like the brain stem all the time, he fought tooth and nail to maintain our vitals.
Pos 4: Cranberry Sprite
When I drafted, cranberry was someone I had no clue about, at all. I saw pos 4 on the sheet and decided to give it a go, and boy, I am happy that I did. His sign-up sheet said he was 100% an ape, and I should have listened to this much earlier. I was giving him heroes like shaman or mirana, but what he really needed was an apelike hero to deliver him to the astral realm — earthshaker. Cranberry’s lore grew when he consumed beef boa and became a clockwork god, helping us to win our first game in the season. However, his work as shaker is what I’ll take away from all this. With some tide-turning echo slams, including a solo kill on an enemy carry, I am really astounded with how much cranberry has improved since the season began. I look forward to seeing all his content in the future, and can’t wait to see what he pulls out of the spirit of beef boa in upcoming leagues.
Brain area: The ventral tegmental area. The VTA is the area of the brain most closely related to reward. The neurons there signal when reward is predicted, and are an integral part of maintaining reward feedback. Much like these neurons in the VTA, cranberry was always able to sense a reward and would sacrifice his life to bring the tide of the game to our advantage.
Pos 5: Bananigans
Well we have come at last to me. I learned a lot this season and have definitely had my ups and downs. I tried my best to keep up morale in the Dark Days, and to reward with memier games when we did win. In terms of gameplay, I died a lot. While it was often a sacrificial death, I am very glad that my teammates stuck by me and supported me in game and out. I do love playing warlock, and think it was probably my most successful hero this season. Getting to drop a rock on a team’s head was just too satisfying, and I’m glad that I got to do it so often.
Brain area: The cerebellum. Okay, so this one is a bit of a cheat because it’s the area I actually study. But the cerebellum is in charge of fine motor movements and tuning, and I like to think that I helped to take the ideas given by my teammates and produce something a polished. Much like the cerebellum, I had learned and failed along the way, but in the end it turns out as it should.
And that’s that, I am incredibly proud of my team and am very thankful to all those who supported us, namely our coach AfroPenguin. When he wasn’t teaching me the magic of abaddon or telling us we need to go smack some enemy heroes, he was going over our games and giving helpful advice. Overall, I am excited to see what more Fluffy brings for me and all my teammates, and, as leshrac says, to a future of grief!
-Bananigans
