CRL WEST GROUP B PREVIEW

Every four years at the FIFA World Cup, the 32 teams who have qualified are drawn into groups of 4, and at every world cup this draw leads to one group being labelled "the group of death" because it is so much tougher than all the other groups. In CRL terms, group B is certainly this season's group of death. Whilst I think predicting the outcome in group A doesn't look too tough, it's a whole new ball game in group B. The final standings will not be determined by skill alone. Luck, strategy, planning and practise will all be huge factors too, far more than normal. Rest assured, there will be some hard luck stories for the teams who do not make the playoffs. SK - Like their great rivals Liquid, SK have returned with an unchanged roster, but also with an added determination to right the wrongs of that heartbreaking 1hp loss. I think they have made a mistake. Unfortunately, I believe that Sergio will continue to be a weakness for him, and it is tough to go all the way when you are carrying one member. They'll qualify on the strength of having one of the very best 2v2s in the world, who also happen to be outstanding 1v1 players, and Javi who is starting to find his best again. Misfits - A lot of experts will probably be predicting Misfits to finish bottom of this group. Not me. I believe these guys are the smoking gun of group B, the underdogs who can cause the biggest shock. Razzer brings with him lots of 2v2 experience, and success, and so their fortunes depend upon the relationship he can build with Wings, who, in my mind, is one of the most underrated talents in the game. Both can perform in 1v1, as can Airsurfer, who I feel is far more suited to the online format than the big stage. Ultimately it will come down to big George, not only with his improving game play, but also his first class analysis. As I said in my opening, factors like this will determine the fate of many group of death teams. Pain - See Cream review. Pain are no different. They are comprised of a line up of second and third best players and lack a champion to take them to the playoffs. I expect them to finish bottom.

Queso - The Cheese have come into this season with a formidable crew. Both Ruben and JP have been in smoking hot form, and with Beniju and Cuchi they have a solid 2v2. I believe the key to beating them will be to take out that first set because the deeper the match runs, the more it turns in their favour. They are also blessed in that they have been able to get together in a house to prepare, a privilege not afforded to many other teams. Can win it all. Spacestation - The artists formerly known as Immortals return to CRL with a new team and new member. After their huge success in the inaugural season, Luis' crew have been a bit of a disappointment. Many expected them to do big things when they recruited Lapo, but the opposite happened. I love these guys. Their "my" team, the team I support and cheer for, and I even consider AC to be a friend, as far as friendships go in the world of social media, but I'm not going to sugarcoat my opinion for that reason because good friends are honest to each other. They sucked last season. I felt AC and RF were under-prepared with their 2v2 decks, and then the deck choices by players in 1v1 were horrific. It was like "Game 2, better use my best deck". They were so predictable that Lapo was smashed in one of the most memorable snipes in CRL history. So that's the bad news. Time for the good stuff. Since then we've seen the 2v2 boys rediscover their magic in No Tilt Worlds and RF has grown to be in the top 5 players in the world, and on recent form, you can argue for him being the best. So it comes down to Lapo and Samuel. I think the former will learn from his past. As for the new boy, Luis has very cleverly been giving him as much game time as possible in lead up events. The truth is SSG could win this group and they could just as easily finish fourth. I hope it is the former.

GROUP STANDINGS Queso SK SSG Misfits Pain I'm really only confident in my prediction of pain finishing last. The top three could all rotate positions and Misfits can easily also sneak in. There will be pain for Pain and also one of the group of death teams who miss out.

OVERALL There are 5 teams who can win this season's CRL: Liquid, Tribe, SK, Queso and SSG. I'm not sure on the playoffs format as yet, so instead of ranking them in order, I'll pick the team I think will win it all: Tribe.