CRL WEST WEEK 3 DAY 1 WRAP UP

No, I'm not drunk. No, I'm not blind. Well, not THAT blind. No, my 2006 photo editor is not broken. I deliberately placed my banner pic in such a position because last night the CRL world was turned upside down with the worst team in history, Dignitas, defeating Liquid, the reigning world champions. Were we ALL wrong, especially me? Do we actually have to take Dig serious for the first time ever after two wins against powerful rosters and a close defeat against SK? Yes we do. That is an incredibly strong form line, and with three of the best teams out of the way, technically speaking, the rest of their schedule should be easier. Imagine Dig at world finals? OMG, there's hope for Grampa Gaming. I'm going to eat my humble pie and then jump on the Dignitas bandwagon by adopting them as my 2nd team. To be honest, we should have seen it coming. 2020 has been so bizarre that Dig winning CRL West should have been expected rather than a surprise. As for Liquid, their only option is to work harder. They need to keep grinding 'Among Us' even more than they have been, in the hope that it somehow helps their CR. I'm just a humble writer and not a coach. I'm sure EB7 knows what he is doing. Some observers might notice that he is tweeting about "haterz" and consider this is a sign that he is rattled. I hope not, because once you get emotional and lose focus, it's all over. Before we get into the matches and staying on the subject of underdogs, I want to send out a quick shoutout to young Mr Boss after a fantastic sweep in KOTH against a formidable Nova Line-up. I'm sure everyone has been watching him in East and hoping for the best. It started well with a huge win against Mugi, but then got a bit messy. I'm delighted we got to see the real Boss. I know I just said I'm not a coach, but for the life of me I cannot understand why he wasn't allowed to ride the momentum into the deciding 1v1 set, and instead the "expert" coach used their worst player. Such a shame... QUESO vs CREAM - Can one player carry a team into playoffs? Each week I tweet out my fantasy guide and the players you should consider for selection. As an avid Fantasy player himself, Belli always responds with his own input. *clears throat* YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME YOU WERE RUNNING GOLEM CLONE!!! 3 delicious crowns just flying away with the butterflies whilst my boy Lapo is in spectator mode twiddling his thumbs. Fortunately, Bad Boy Michy was a beast. A great reverse sweep in the 2v2 then a huge win vs Rubes in KOTH. All he had to do now was go through the motions, beat Cuchii, and deliver 4 crowns to me and a win to Cream...

^This picture was taken moments after Rich exclaimed, "GG! WELL PLAYED CUCHII CUU!!" The good Rubes turned up in 1v1 and this match was all over. I rated Cream highly at the start of the split because they have four 8/10 players. On paper this looked better to me than Queso's pair of 6/10s supplemented by a 9 and a 10. We all know that 2v2 is crucial, but can a team with a head to head gun like Rubes overcome a deficiency in that area simply by essentially winning the other 2 sets on his own? Given today's results, obviously they can, but over time I'd rather bank on an even team balanced like Cream. Rubes is not going to sweep KOTH week after week, and I don't think they can rely on their 2v2 guys like they did today with Cuchii. SUMMARY - This was the match which could have had any result. If they played again tonight, Queso could easily win 2-0 or lose 2-0. We know what the Cheese is all about. One man is currently carrying Spain on his shoulders, and as I've said many times, this can weigh down upon him. As for Cream, it has been a poor start but there's no need to panic. Their 2v2 is top tier and their individual talent is also there. They will turn this around quickly. SSG vs CHIVAS - The return of AC Somewhere in a deep abyss in the mind of Trainer Luis, lives a thought which reads, "I wish it was a 15 match ban" AC returned to the big stage wearing his SSG beanie (that's what we call them in Australia) It certainly wasn't his thinking cap, coz he and Rf got smashed by Pomp and DiegoB. I'm so glad Rf's mom didn't convince me to add AC in my fantasy team. I thought long and hard about it. This loss is gonna hurt extra hard. One thing I know about the SSG boys is that they hate losing to their enemies, but they hate losing to their friends even more. It's how I think too. When I beat my enemies, it's simply, "Thanks for the game", but when I beat my friends, it's time to hit Twitter and start with the banter. Fortunately SSG recovered to take the match meaning AC can keep using social media for now...

Lets not forget how good Pomp and Diego were together. This is not a new 2v2 duo despite the latter's recent move to Chivas. These guys played together for Mexico in No Tilt Worlds and I have no doubt that they will develop into one of the world's best pairs now that they will be practising together all the time. Underestimate them at your own peril. KOTH exposed the problems within this Chivas roster. Rf swept them in a procession. They desperately need to find two solid 1v1 players or continue investing in Richard and look for one more. I don't want to keep the heat on Adrian week after week, but those Ls are starting to pile up. The fact that he got a 3 crown in a 75-25 MU carries little weight. Sometimes you gotta accept that old age has finally caught up with you and it is time to make the transition into CRVL. I hate that Luis is a good coach. After last week, a bad coach would have sent Lapo into the 1v1, and I would have picked up crowns, but Luis did the right thing in sticking by Sammy and giving him the opportunity to redeem and quickly regain his confidence. SUMMARY - Nothing to see here and nothing new was learned. Despite the surprise in 2v2, everything went as expected and SSG took the dub. DIGNITAS vs LIQUID - Will the blue boys actually miss play-offs? Right at this very moment, somewhere in the world, Razzer is slouching in his chair and thinking, "I know how you feel, Diego". Last night he got paired up with Fortnite Goblin after a couple of dismal performances with Kanny. Frankly, I just don't get it. You win a world championship with one particular pair and then you split them up? What followed was a lot of poor results and Diego was made the scapegoat. The fact that history is repeating with Razzer illustrates that the blame was placed on the wrong person. I'm starting to think that chemistry is just as important as skill in 2v2. All the great pairs have it, but right now, the only people I can see blending with Surge and Kanny is themselves. Poor ol' Razzer must be missing his mate Diputs. I've already spoken about Dig in my intro. These guys are a definite play-off chance now if they can settle into roles. I do see Kodigo and Flash as their 2v2. Remarkably, the latter performed best for them in the Spring split with a 64% win rate shaped by the fact that he went undefeated in 1v1, yet as it stands, he is their fourth ranked singles player right now. This makes them very unpredictable and a bit of a nightmare for analysts. Gareth Bale is now thriving. The move to Tottenham away from the toxicity at Real Madrid has given him some freshness and energy. I was equally as pumped as he was after he beat Egor to seal the win. It was great to see. I would have loved to have heard it to. I have joked about these guys being on steroids to explain some of their early round performances, but they are really starting to put it together. This is good for the health of the competition. All of a sudden 'Dignitas vs Anybody' no longer looks like a boring match to watch. I hope the bubble doesn't burst. SUMMARY - Dignitas have finally arrived, but it is time to send the helicopter to Liquid headquarters to pick up their squad and fly them off to Walter Reed Hospital, coz right now they are as sick as Trump, and El Presidente actually has more chance of recovery. *************************************************************************************** Predictions for tonight: Cream 2 Pain 0 - Even though it is only week 3, Cream's season is almost on the line and they will be desperate to win. Pain has some quality, no doubt, but they need more experience to turn from ugly ducklings into swans as Dignitas have done. SK 1 Tribe 2 - Really looking forward to this one. Put simply, if Morts and Sam lose the 2v2, it's all over. I think they can get past Azilys and Boof, but it is tough to see them getting the wins in the individual sets. Tribe are beasts in that department. Misfits 0 SSG 2 - My prediction is the most obvious, but I am always wary of this Misfits outfit. On their day, they are capable of beating anybody, and I mean anybody. Put simply, if they won, I would not be surprised. Final Word Early in the week, I wrote my "Why I Hate CRL Pros" piece. So far it has been the most read article I have written by miles. It was encouraging to see so many people engage in the subject because it shows there is some hope in CR blogging. People will read if the content is engaging. I just want to clarify the headline and the content. Obviously, it was part clickbait and I wrote it in my semi-comedic/semi-serious style. I don't hate pros. I consider many of them to be friends. Those whom I talk to, I appreciate the time they give me in their world. It was actually that time which inspired me to write what I wrote. I want others to feel a connection, even if it is a small one, to a team, because that is what will build the brand. I also don't think they are stupid. Okay, so some of them are, but don't ask me to name names. Just watch them play Among Us and you'll easily tell who the morons are. Jokes aside, I think they are stupid/mistaken for not doing more to build the popularity of CRL. If my wage was dependent upon other people rather than me just turning up to work, I'd be making sure they loved me. Thanks for reading, Gramps.