CRL WEST WEEK 1 - WHAT DID WE LEARN?

The first weekend of CRL West has been completed, and only a seer of the calibre of Nostradamus could have predicted all the correct results. You could argue that all four underdogs got the dubs, though I'm sure Tribe and SSG supporters would have ranked their teams differently. I wrote last week that one of the hurdles facing Liquid would be a world championship hangover, but it seems like they are more comatose at present rather than just suffering the ill effects of some heavy celebrating. In my opinion, their loss to Cream is one of the biggest shocks in CRL history. Then SK, the other "captain" team, came out and lost as well. This too was an upset according to the bookmakers, but not that great of a shock. I did warn that this Misfits outfit were capable of anything and that Wings was probably the most underrated player in the game. This type of thinking spawns from something I've noticed is common in the Cr community..."you're only as good as your last game". Consequently, people remember Wings for his last season and quickly forget that he was a god in earlier seasons. Even the greatest champs have off days, that is the beauty of sport, but never right them off. The same can be said for 2v2 duo AC & Rf. After an average season by their standards, they have bounced back to their very best, and they just might be the best pair in the game presently. So, apart from forgiving the past failings of great players, what else did we learn from week one? I've narrowed it down to three key points: *forget the rankings and play your best team *2v2 is more than crucial *meta meta meta FORGET THE RANKINGS AND PLAY YOUR BEST TEAM This is a cutthroat season of CRL. The new group format means teams only have four games in which to qualify for the playoffs. There is little to no room for errors as a 2-2 record might not be enough to qualify. In essence, our first round losers are now already sitting on the brink of potential elimination. In the case of Liquid, they only have themselves to blame. Sure, I'm assisted by hindsight, but that's why we are having this discussion. We now know that the pre-season power rankings established in the group draft, mean nothing. In other words, every game is not only essential, but tough. You HAVE to play your best team and cannot afford to flirt with form. Liquid didn't do that. Instead of running Surge and Kanny in the 2v2, the combo which won them a world championship, they changed it up, and I hate to say it, but because they thought it would be an easy win. I don't blame them. As mentioned earlier, I thought it was an easy win too. My point is, lesson learned going forward. You have to put it all out there in every game, meaning your very best. There was a lot of talk pre-season about the reduction of teams, but we are seeing the benefit of that, as spectators, now. The standard of comp is the highest it has been due to the lack of easybeats. I sometimes feel like these players aren't just performing for themselves, but for the survival of their org in CR esports. That $300k is more than prize money. Sidenote: Props to the Cream team for putting egg on all our faces and proving us wrong. There were some hints in the lead up events that Pedro, with wifi, was very dangerous, and he showed what he can do. 2v2 IS MORE THAN CRUCIAL I mean, we all knew how significant 2v2 is before the season started (apart from SC who still won't give it to us in a competitive format) but week one has shown that it is absolutely crucial, and then some. As I assess the form to make predictions for the rest of the season, it pretty much comes down to the 2v2s. This is why SSG are now one of the real teams to look out for. There is no doubt that AC and Rf have their mojo back, so I expect them to run at 80%, at worst, which means a long road for the teams trying to beat them. This is also why people who do tiers and put AC down low have no idea when it comes to the competitive scene. Players like him are priceless to a team. Managers are finally learning the team balance required to be a serious threat in this format. Having an established 2v2 allows you to interchange your 1v1 guns based on form. Thus, if Lapo and Sammy bring it this year, SSG can suddenly go all the way. In my preview from last week, I tipped Tribe to take it all out. This was on the premise that Jupiter and TNT would play the 2v2. Instead they rolled out Azilys and Bouef, and it might have made them even stronger. The former is a very experienced 2v2 gun and Charlie is capable of anything. They will only get better with more games under their belts. If egos are kept in check and everyone plays their role, ala lessons that Liquid learned, Pat's boys can most definitely go all the way. The only question mark is TNT in KOTH, but even if he is a weaker link, they could carry him. If the new 2v2 duo performs, not many will trouble Jupiter at the moment, so the matches will be all over. This topic forces me to raise an eyebrow at Queso. They don't have time to fiddle with the balance and ego issues aforementioned. Put simply, Benny and Cuchi are their best 2v2 and JP will have to share 1v1 duties with Ruben. If this doesn't happen, I struggle to see them winning it. I expect Liquid to return to their regular 2v2 and Morten and Sam to quickly get over their hiccup. So both teams remain in the race as serious contenders for me, along with SSG, Tribe and Misfits. Don't underestimate the skill of Razzer and big George. The former is one of the outstanding pairs players in CRL history, so any duo of his will be formidable. META META META I don't expect the coming balance changes to play a significant role in our current meta, apart from perhaps less Royal Delivery. In other words, it is going to continue to favour the cycle gods with the best defensive skills above everything else, far more than any other season of CRL. We've seen it in the 2v2s to begin with. Miner, skelly barrel, spells, rinse n repeat. It has quickly become so prevalent that SSG and Queso basically played a mirror match. Almost unheard of in 2v2. I think the only difference might have been rocket for fireball, which proved decisive at the end, with the faster cycle prevailing. As for 1v1, beware of the Lapo type players who can defend a 15 elixir push with a torn sock, and then still have some riposte for a counterpush. Sadly, and this is one of my personal gripes about how the game is balanced, archetypes like beatdown have become purely match up based. The players are so good now that there's no wiggle room for skill to help a beatdown player overcome an unfavourable match up. The days of Royal stunning us all with his macro are gone. As for siege, forget it. Mortar is on one of Trump's ventilators and Xbow is having a drink with Jeffrey Epstein. I wish we could have a meta where there are 30 viable decks in CRL 1v1 as opposed to a handful. From a spectator's standpoint, it would be so much more interesting to watch. Much of how this game is balanced is influenced by Average Joe and keeping him happy, and from the business perspective, I understand. He pays the bills. Perhaps, just as we have a dev build, we could maybe have a CRL build with a few tweaks to encourage the usage of many other cards. I'm sure that low ladder rogue wizard would love to step into the competitive arena one day. I'm sticking with Tribe as my tip, but if you're an investor like Bufarete, my advice is to get some SSG stock. Buy Buy Buy.