Continuing the series that will preview the ECL LAN Final and following an analysis of how the teams shape up across the different formats (which you can read here), the next editions will look at all of the players from each of the three represented teams.
In this installament, Team Aftermath.
Aftermath (AM)
Hearttt – The rising star of 2017 looked set to become a regular top 10 contender after reaching the semi-final of King of The Desert. Since then, his star has faded as he pursued other interests. Frequently partnering Liereyy in team game tournaments, AM will be hoping that Hearttt’s recent activity on the ‘RM - Team Game’ Voobly ladder will be enough to get him back into top shape. In his last appearance, he was eliminated in the ECL Europe East knock-out stage by Matteus and his recent withdrawal (along with Liereyy) from the Two-pools Tournament does not fill us with optimism. He might feature in at least one 3v3 game and could be a surprise inclusion for a 2v2, but so much time away comes at a cost.
Score (out of 10): 5
Hera_ – Hera has quietly (some might argue, loudly) acquired a flourishing reputation as a future star. After closing in on a 2600 rating on the ‘RM - 1v1’ Voobly ladder, he took his first major scalps in competition beating Lyx and Viper in June 2019 (in MSC and Nomad Summer Showdown). A criticism of Hera is that he hasn’t beaten top players often enough. While racking up wins against Project_Belgium, Spring and Matteaus, those aforementioned victories are his biggest tournament results. A late addition to team Aftermath following his early season switch from Heresy – does he have the backing of colleagues to perform in team games; or is there a trace of dissent lingering from his former employer?
Score: 7
Liereyy – Once the crowned prince, now the fallen angel. In the Number 2 tournament we saw how even a small dip in performance can give your opponents all the edge they need. With the quality of competition at the LAN guaranteed to be high, will Liereyy have time to recapture the form that took him to so many tournament finals? A great foil for big cavalry players in team games, his micromanagement of ranged units is lauded and applauded. If this is to be Liereyy’s swan song he will want to go out on a high; however, if AM choose not to respect reputation and pick players based on form, will Liereyy get his opportunity? I’d be surprised if he doesn’t feature heavily, but more surprised if he plays a decisive role.
Score: 7
MbL – Consistently at, or near, the top of the RM 1v1 ladder; his travails in tournaments, however, are something I’ve previously written about – at least this time he won’t have to come up against his nemesis. No opponent gets an easy ride against MbL and it is a testament to his style and skill that players regularly nominate him as their least favourite opposition. Whether he can take games from TaToH and/or Viper in the 1v1 will be huge for his team’s chances and his own confidence. He lost in the ECL South East Asia 1v1 final to TaToH and the rivalry between this pair has been riveting over the last 12 months. An experienced team game player, he will have a big say as to how AM perform in the 3v3.
Score: 9
Nicov – At times, Nicov must feel like calling his team-mates parents to request a salary for child-minding services. In this extremely youthful team, Nicov stands out as an obvious captain; using all his experience and calm demeanour to act as general to his young charges. He emerged as the winner of ECL Europe West 1v1 with a dominant tournament performance and came close in the ECL Middle East semi-final. He also tasted success in the 2v2 and 3v3 stages of the tournament and I expect Nicov to play his full quota of games in the final. Selecting his pairing for the 2v2 rounds might be giving his own team more headaches than their opponents; most success has been achieved with Liereyy as his partner, but with the Austrian so obviously out of form, will a change be disruptive or productive? He has narrow shoulders, but a lot will rest on them for his team.
Score: 9
Total = 37
In this installament, Team Aftermath.
Aftermath (AM)
Hearttt – The rising star of 2017 looked set to become a regular top 10 contender after reaching the semi-final of King of The Desert. Since then, his star has faded as he pursued other interests. Frequently partnering Liereyy in team game tournaments, AM will be hoping that Hearttt’s recent activity on the ‘RM - Team Game’ Voobly ladder will be enough to get him back into top shape. In his last appearance, he was eliminated in the ECL Europe East knock-out stage by Matteus and his recent withdrawal (along with Liereyy) from the Two-pools Tournament does not fill us with optimism. He might feature in at least one 3v3 game and could be a surprise inclusion for a 2v2, but so much time away comes at a cost.
Score (out of 10): 5
Hera_ – Hera has quietly (some might argue, loudly) acquired a flourishing reputation as a future star. After closing in on a 2600 rating on the ‘RM - 1v1’ Voobly ladder, he took his first major scalps in competition beating Lyx and Viper in June 2019 (in MSC and Nomad Summer Showdown). A criticism of Hera is that he hasn’t beaten top players often enough. While racking up wins against Project_Belgium, Spring and Matteaus, those aforementioned victories are his biggest tournament results. A late addition to team Aftermath following his early season switch from Heresy – does he have the backing of colleagues to perform in team games; or is there a trace of dissent lingering from his former employer?
Score: 7
Liereyy – Once the crowned prince, now the fallen angel. In the Number 2 tournament we saw how even a small dip in performance can give your opponents all the edge they need. With the quality of competition at the LAN guaranteed to be high, will Liereyy have time to recapture the form that took him to so many tournament finals? A great foil for big cavalry players in team games, his micromanagement of ranged units is lauded and applauded. If this is to be Liereyy’s swan song he will want to go out on a high; however, if AM choose not to respect reputation and pick players based on form, will Liereyy get his opportunity? I’d be surprised if he doesn’t feature heavily, but more surprised if he plays a decisive role.
Score: 7
MbL – Consistently at, or near, the top of the RM 1v1 ladder; his travails in tournaments, however, are something I’ve previously written about – at least this time he won’t have to come up against his nemesis. No opponent gets an easy ride against MbL and it is a testament to his style and skill that players regularly nominate him as their least favourite opposition. Whether he can take games from TaToH and/or Viper in the 1v1 will be huge for his team’s chances and his own confidence. He lost in the ECL South East Asia 1v1 final to TaToH and the rivalry between this pair has been riveting over the last 12 months. An experienced team game player, he will have a big say as to how AM perform in the 3v3.
Score: 9
Nicov – At times, Nicov must feel like calling his team-mates parents to request a salary for child-minding services. In this extremely youthful team, Nicov stands out as an obvious captain; using all his experience and calm demeanour to act as general to his young charges. He emerged as the winner of ECL Europe West 1v1 with a dominant tournament performance and came close in the ECL Middle East semi-final. He also tasted success in the 2v2 and 3v3 stages of the tournament and I expect Nicov to play his full quota of games in the final. Selecting his pairing for the 2v2 rounds might be giving his own team more headaches than their opponents; most success has been achieved with Liereyy as his partner, but with the Austrian so obviously out of form, will a change be disruptive or productive? He has narrow shoulders, but a lot will rest on them for his team.
Score: 9
Total = 37