With less than 10 days to go until the ECL LAN Final and following the announcement that the bilateral match-up will now be a ménage à trois affair, let’s see how the teams are shaping up.
This edition looks at the formats that will (and won’t) be played and analyses each team’s chances.
4 v 4
One thing we won’t see at the ECL LAN final is a 4v4. Many spectators will be disappointed that the largest available team game format will be absent from the finals, but which team will be most disadvantaged by its omission?
While they may consider themselves fortunate just to be there, the lack of a 4v4 is a big blow to the chances of the Finns. The more players, the more Suomi thrive; Winning one and reaching the final of the other 4 v 4 rounds during the ECL season. On their way, they beat both AM and Secret in this format.
Verdict: A non-existent win for Suomi. If only there weren’t so many teams, they must be thinking!
3 v 3
4 into 3 won’t go for Suomi, at least as far as matching up with Aftermath is concerned. AM lead the head to head 3-0 and have a tournament victory in the Middle East stage under their belt.
AM also have a win in this format against Secret, but can’t match the table-toppers 2 tournament wins at this discipline. Secret look imposing (winning 50% of the ECL 3v3 tournaments) but they did suffer losses to both of their LAN opponents.
Verdict: Secret to beat AM and AM to beat Suomi.
2 v 2
This is the format that should give AM and Suomi the most cause for optimism. Secret failed to win any of the 2v2 ECL rounds, twice being the beaten finalists and once losing in the first round. TheViper played in all 3 attempts, but whether it was partnering Slam, DauT or TaToH the winning formula eluded them.
Top of the points chart for 2v2 is Suomi. TheMax played the role of immovable rock while Zuppi, Rubenstock and Villese all rotated in. With one win (Max+Villese) and a final (Max+Zuppi) they have the pairings to backup a 2v2 World Cup win with more success here.
AM also picked up a tournament win in this format, thanks to the pairing of Lierrey and Nicov. But when MbL and Hearttt were paired with the Austrian things went less well (two first round exits). Will AM be prepared to experiment on the biggest stage of all to try to find a winning formula for their second pairing or persist with tried and tested teams that they know have come up short in the past?
Verdict: Prime pairings of Lierrey+Nicov, Max+Villese and Viper+TaToH will hope to avoid each other with Zuppi coming in to win best supporting role for Suomi.
1 v 1
Based on their ECL results, TaToH should be Secret’s number 1 pick for this format. An outright win and a losing finalist, he has shown consistency and beaten players from rival teams in the final. Few will question the inclusion of Viper as their other 1v1 representative. The world number 1 is a trump card for Secret and will be favourite against whichever opponent stands in his way.
Nicov’s ECL record in 1v1 is almost as good as TaToH’s; 1 win and 1 semi-final and should be the first name on AM’s team-sheet. MbL made a final and has shown he is playing at a high level recently; however, he was eliminated early in the Europe West round. With Hera rising fast and Liereyy clinging on to past glories, it may not be a straightforward decision but MbL must surely fancy another crack at TaToH and Viper.
For Suomi, the equation is simple for the 1v1 phase; their stand-out players are TheMax and Villese with a final and semi-final appearance each. Max and Vilesse have beaten Viper recently (in Europe West and Mangrove Shallows Cup); Suomi will be hoping that their highest rated players can draw confidence from this and overperform.
Verdict: With more stages than any other format, it’s no coincidence that performance in 1v1’s reflects the teams standings…. Secret ahead of Aftermath ahead of Suomi.
That’s it for now, but keep your eyes out for a follow-up piece that looks at all the individual players from each team
This edition looks at the formats that will (and won’t) be played and analyses each team’s chances.
4 v 4
One thing we won’t see at the ECL LAN final is a 4v4. Many spectators will be disappointed that the largest available team game format will be absent from the finals, but which team will be most disadvantaged by its omission?
While they may consider themselves fortunate just to be there, the lack of a 4v4 is a big blow to the chances of the Finns. The more players, the more Suomi thrive; Winning one and reaching the final of the other 4 v 4 rounds during the ECL season. On their way, they beat both AM and Secret in this format.
Verdict: A non-existent win for Suomi. If only there weren’t so many teams, they must be thinking!
3 v 3
4 into 3 won’t go for Suomi, at least as far as matching up with Aftermath is concerned. AM lead the head to head 3-0 and have a tournament victory in the Middle East stage under their belt.
AM also have a win in this format against Secret, but can’t match the table-toppers 2 tournament wins at this discipline. Secret look imposing (winning 50% of the ECL 3v3 tournaments) but they did suffer losses to both of their LAN opponents.
Verdict: Secret to beat AM and AM to beat Suomi.
2 v 2
This is the format that should give AM and Suomi the most cause for optimism. Secret failed to win any of the 2v2 ECL rounds, twice being the beaten finalists and once losing in the first round. TheViper played in all 3 attempts, but whether it was partnering Slam, DauT or TaToH the winning formula eluded them.
Top of the points chart for 2v2 is Suomi. TheMax played the role of immovable rock while Zuppi, Rubenstock and Villese all rotated in. With one win (Max+Villese) and a final (Max+Zuppi) they have the pairings to backup a 2v2 World Cup win with more success here.
AM also picked up a tournament win in this format, thanks to the pairing of Lierrey and Nicov. But when MbL and Hearttt were paired with the Austrian things went less well (two first round exits). Will AM be prepared to experiment on the biggest stage of all to try to find a winning formula for their second pairing or persist with tried and tested teams that they know have come up short in the past?
Verdict: Prime pairings of Lierrey+Nicov, Max+Villese and Viper+TaToH will hope to avoid each other with Zuppi coming in to win best supporting role for Suomi.
1 v 1
Based on their ECL results, TaToH should be Secret’s number 1 pick for this format. An outright win and a losing finalist, he has shown consistency and beaten players from rival teams in the final. Few will question the inclusion of Viper as their other 1v1 representative. The world number 1 is a trump card for Secret and will be favourite against whichever opponent stands in his way.
Nicov’s ECL record in 1v1 is almost as good as TaToH’s; 1 win and 1 semi-final and should be the first name on AM’s team-sheet. MbL made a final and has shown he is playing at a high level recently; however, he was eliminated early in the Europe West round. With Hera rising fast and Liereyy clinging on to past glories, it may not be a straightforward decision but MbL must surely fancy another crack at TaToH and Viper.
For Suomi, the equation is simple for the 1v1 phase; their stand-out players are TheMax and Villese with a final and semi-final appearance each. Max and Vilesse have beaten Viper recently (in Europe West and Mangrove Shallows Cup); Suomi will be hoping that their highest rated players can draw confidence from this and overperform.
Verdict: With more stages than any other format, it’s no coincidence that performance in 1v1’s reflects the teams standings…. Secret ahead of Aftermath ahead of Suomi.
That’s it for now, but keep your eyes out for a follow-up piece that looks at all the individual players from each team