 |  Spotlight Matches Team Angry Face (#1) had it's first challenge last week against mi. They barely escaped with a tie, allowing them to continue on as the higher seed. This week, they face off against a strong Triple Nipple (#9). Was last week's match a wakeup call for Angry Face, or a sign that they aren't as strong as they seem? I'm guessing the former. Prediction: Angry Face brings their A-game, and wins 60-39. Speaking of Monkey Island (#16), they face off in the bottom bracket against kuklandet (#34). After two weeks of controversy, mi would like to see a match decided not by lagouts or tiebreakers, but rather by the skill of the teams involved. They'll get their wish. Prediction: Monkey Island 57, kuk 20. There are two Cinderella stories thusfar in this tournament, the more surprising of which is probably the Legion of the Avatara (#19). In the last two weeks, they've disposed ofWolfpack and Evil Inc., two of the elite teams in Myth history. They only have one blemish on their record so far -- a loss to Glue the Moose (#6) in the Qualifying Round. Unfortunately, they face gtm again here. Is it time for their run to end? Prediction: Glue the Moose 66, LoA 31. The other surprise of the tournament probably won't sneak up on teams anymore. After winning every match in the QR and taking out Cirque last round, noone believes Iron Chef (#15) when they say they suck. Normally, I'd say they couldn't beat the Northern Paladins (#3), based on Np's history and experience. But IC has burned me too many times in this tournament already. Will they be cursed now that I pick them to win? Prediction: IC's cuisine reigns supreme, 54-43. Aesir (#12) is in an interesting situation, having been relegated to the bottom bracket although they've never lost in the tournament. Two ties, the second coming last week against CI,are all that stands between them and perfection thusfar. This week they get a scrappy BoB (#18), who will provide a challenge, but shouldn't stand in the way of Aesir's bottom bracket march. Prediction: Aesir wins comfortably, 46-23. Crouching Ghol, Hidden Wight (#22) has been picked way too many times for spotlight matches, haven't they? Maybe I just like the name. They've also only lost once so far, a fact that doesn't bode well for the Cacrajou Circle (#25). Cacra will put up a fight, but they're no match for cghw. Prediction: cghw 43, Cacra 21. Spotlight Match of the Week This week's Spotlight Match pits a definite favorite against a team that barely made it into the 4th round. Men of Rohan (#4) have won several tournaments, but haven't been able to make a serious run at a Myth World Cup title yet. While they've performed well the last couple years, both attempts ended well before the final round. Cagey Inquisition (#5) barely survived a tie against Aesir last round, thanks to their higher seeding. MoR has had a magnificent run through MWC 2001 so far, dropping only a single game in thier first 8 matches. They are a favorite in any tournament they enter, up there with the likes of Civil and BMF. Another convincing win this week would make it seem very likely that they'll take home a cup this year. CI is no stranger to MWC success, however. In fact, Spanish Inquisition came very close to taking the cup in last year's tournament. While they may not be a true contender, capable of pulling off several wins in a row over top quality teams, they can play with anyone in any given match. I think that Cagey Inquisition might just win 3 of the 5 games in this match, yet still lose to Men of Rohan. Overall, MoR has more talent and more tournament history then CI, and it's hard to ignore that, especially with the run they've had so far this year. This will be MoR's first real challenge, but expect them to step up to the plate and deliver. Prediction: Men of Rohan 52, CI 50. |
