 |  Without further ado -- your spotlight matches. note: all seeds given are those originally earned out of the QR round, not current ranks. Spotlight Matches Our first match pits top contender Np (#7) against a capable opponent in The Fallen Bishops (#26). Watch this match not so much to see if the Northern Paladins will win it -- they will --, but rather to see how well Np plays. If tfb fails to take a game or two, it could mean that big things are in store for Np. Prediction: Np 68, tfb 19. Another team that has a shot at the title is CI (#5). This week they get OMAG, a team that could give them some trouble. However, expect to see CI pull it out by a reasonable margin. Prediction: CI doubles up OMAG, 58-29. Monkey Island (#16) has a lot of talent, something noone will deny. But just how good a team are they? Thier QR performance was lacking enough to force them into a tough 2nd round matchup with the Cult (#17). While mi should win this match, tc is underrated and will make this one very close. Prediction: mi squeaks by, 48-39. One of the more interesting matchups could be Aesir (#12) vs. MCC (#21). MCC has always faired reasonably well in MWC competition, albiet never contending for the cup. The exact same scentence could also describe Aesir's history here. Both teams made it through QR with just one blemish -- a loss for MCC to Np, and Aesir's tie with 58th. In a match that could go either way, the only real way to settle it is to pick the team with more former members of ploaf. Advantage MCC! Prediction: MCC edges Aesir, 48-40. The most interesting match in the bottom bracket this week is Ascension (#33) vs. The Jenova Project (#57). Ascension seeded a bit lower then I would have guessed; ff, on the other hand, has been downright disappointing. This is thier last chance to redeem themselves before leaving the tournament. However, I'm guessing that they'll be going through the motions this week and are ready to be done with this tournament. Prediction: A finishes off ff, 51-16. One match that could provide some great films is GG (#13) vs. cghw (#20). The Greek Gods have been steady, winning every match thusfar (if not by the margin of some top teams). Crouching Ghol, Hidden Wight has done the same, entering this match without a loss. If not for another match that I find just a little more interesting, this could easily have been the spotlight match of the week. Either way, this could be the closest match of the round. Prediction: GG hands cghw it's first loss, 47-43. Spotlight Match of the Week Myth World Cup usually isn't quite as dramatic as, say, the NCAA Basketball Tournament. There aren't nearly as many upsets; this is mainly because there isn't as much talent to go around in Myth as there is in basketball. We've yet to have a Gonzaga-like run in MWC, where an unknown team has beaten or eliminated a few favorites and made it into the late rounds. This might just be the year it happens. Iron Chef (#15) has seemingly come out of nowhere to take this tournament by storm. Skeptics will say that they're only the 15th seed, and they haven't been destroying thier opponents by 50 points a match. So what? They've yet to lose in the tournament, and until they do, they have to be considered a dark horse to win it all. Besides, thier confidence is at an all-time high right now, which makes them all the more dangerous. Thier opponents this week are the Brotherhood of Bob (#18). BoB has made a more then respectable run so far, dropping only one match to 12inch. Contrary to popular believe, this is not a team that just wants to be laughed at -- although underestimating thier chat cannon could be dangerous. BoB has some talent, they play well as a team, and are worthy opponents for anyone. Will they contend for the Cup? No. Can they beat IC, or anyone else they play? Yes. This should be one of the better matches of the tournament so far. IC has more talent, but BoB can hang with them and make this a match. Look for the game score to be 3-2, and for the match to hinge on a couple of key moments in the last few games. Prediction: IC takes it, 48-37. Other matches to watch: 58th vs. Cacra, TN takes on BF, CiRQUE vs. kuk, Evil Inc. vs. Team Orleans, WP against LoA, and rm vs. MSH in a bottom bracket elimination match. Now the tournament really starts. The first non-forfeiting teams will be eliminated this week. I'd like to congratulate all the teams who have actually played out thier schedule so far, and encourage everyone to continue doing so. It makes the tournament a lot more fun and interesting for everyone. Good luck to all the teams still competeing for the Cup! |
