"They're here" became an iconic movie line for fans of horror when creepily spoken by young Carol Anne in the film 'Poltergeist'. Why am I telling you kids this? A: Because I couldn't think of another way to say "They're here" in reference to CRL World Finals. Still, check the scene out on Youtube. It's not quite as creepy as Bobtherock's hair, but it comes close. After a long, long, long season, including months and months of qualifiers, they most certainly are here. I'm not going to lie. I've been very critical of the new format for a plethora of reasons which do not need going into again, and it led me to cease spectating CRL like many others, but I am genuinely pumped for these finals. Honestly, I can't help but think that we could have both, a teams event AND an individual world championship. Golf does it with tournaments and the Ryder Cup/President's Cup. Tennis does it with tournaments and the Davis Cup. Why not us? As I look through the day one battles, I'm salivating at the thought of watching many of them. Then there are some names that I'm completely unfamiliar with, much like many of the offspring I spawned in the 80s during my rampant playboy days. If Keef knocked on my door, I wouldn't know whether to expect, "Hi, I'm playing in the world finals" or "Hi, I'm your son". So let's go through them one by one. I assume the chart above is the order of play, but I could be wrong. I hope it is because what better way to open up such a huge event than with the hot favourite, Mo Light, in an elimination battle against a very experienced player in Rad. The tension is going to be incredibly tight as almost everybody's favourite battles to reach the double elimination stage against another much loved player, who will undoubtedly have massive support from Japan. I really like Momo Salah and want him to do well, so I'll be sweating like a paedophile at a Wiggle's concert during this one. I'm going to predict that young Mr Light will prevail, because in the course of winning almost everything this year, he has demonstrated that he has the calm head required to prevail under pressure. Match two pits the enigmatic Miniminter against Furkan, a very solid player from Turkey (can you tell I don't know much about him?) Back in the day, I used to ask people, "Why doesn't Mini have a team?" and the most common response was, "He can be difficult in that type of environment". As I delved deeper into those replies, I learned that what people really were saying is that he was intense, driven, and demanded a lot of his team-mates. Like it or not, these are the qualities of a champion. Ronaldo is like that. I like a person who gets 'white line fever' when they enter the battle arena, so for this reason I'm tipping Mini to get through. About two days ago, I posted a tweet about these finals asking people who they wanted to win. My response was 3M - Mo, Mini and Morts, and remarkably they are in the first three battles. We all know Morten's story and the history of bad luck. When he finally quits CR, he could get work as a cooler in casinos. Regardless of the past, history is always broken, so what has been before really means nothing, unless Morts carries that luggage and begins to second guess himself. He won't. He's 1000% professional and driven like Mini. His answer to the disappointments was to just work harder. Nobody grinds more, which can only spell bad luck for whoever he's playing. Oh, it's Kodigo. At least the Colombian will be able to say that he was one of the first to collect a cheque from these finals as he packs his bags. Cruelly the draw has pitted the only two Chinese players to clash in the elimination round. What a match. Both of these guys are at the absolute top echelon of players in the history of the game. I can't pick a winner. It might come down to Emperor Xi's internet and who has the most luck with it. All I know is that every time I face a Chinese player on ladder, there is a 50/50 chance they will disconnect. I think I'll go with Higher. He still seems to be at the top of his game whilst Lciop, as talented as he is, is getting old like me. He might be struggling to see the troops on his phone. Don't be surprised if he turns up with a Zimmer frame and wearing glasses. Lucas is playing some unknown Mexican called Hasiel. I don't want him to win because he whines too much on Twitter about beatdown, or basically anything which counters him, but he will win. The next match is a belter. I think Airsurfer and Line are two of the most underrated players in the game. I know the pros think highly of Jack, and Line, despite not being a huge name, has won some of the biggest individual events. I cannot write him off here. Airsurfer goes in as the sole representative for the mighty USA. A recent study has shown that double vaxxed players perform 15% better in world finals, and you can trust science, so that is my concern here. The US is trailing most of the first world in vaccination rates. Oh shut up, you KNEW I was going to throw this in somewhere. Get the jab. Line to win. If this next game was played in Anaban's imagination, much like his hot, older girlfriend, he would win. Alas, it's not. If this next game was played on ladder where Anaban could snipe an unsuspecting Vitor, he would win. Alas, it's not. This game is actually being played in the real world where both have the chance to snipe each other, so it doesn't look good for Anaban. Plus, Vitor is one of the fastest improving players in CR. I think he'll win, not because I dislike Anaban, but because he's better. The final battle on the blue side of the graphic is a cracker. This could easily be a semi-final instead of a round one elimination match. Pandora will need to open his entire box of tricks just to get past Michy. It's a legitimate coin toss to try and predict the winner but I'll go with Pandora. By now, after watching all these battles, you'll probably start feeling sleepy, especially if you're like me and the schedule doesn't suit your time zones. Thus, the Sandbox vs Keefy match up is the perfect time to go and grab yourself a coffee and some nice biscuits. I don't care who wins. I'm sure you don't unless your name is Sandbox or Keefy. Let's hope that the latter pulls of one of the shocks of the tournament so I can keep talking about him as one of my illegitimate children. Wait, this can't be right? A beatdown player actually made the finals in a world dominated by cycle and control. In my eyes, whatever happens to Famous Kid, he's already a massive winner just for being there. My BBB, beloved beatdown brother. I hope he destroys Gromit, but he's definitely got his work cut out against one of the best currently going around. I want to tip with my heart, but I always tip with my brain, so I'll take Wallace. Hopefully the dreaded Grampa curse kicks in and Famous gets the dub. The next match is easy. Two things are certain: 1) Ruben will destroy Framisto 2) As Fram realises his tournament is over, he will begin spamming Ram Rider emotes just to piss off Surg TS There was a time in the world of Clash where Mugi was a myth. People spoke of him and his skills in whispers. He appeared in the same stories as unicorns and Middle Earth hobbits chasing rings. Then he finally became old enough to play CRL and we learned that though he was very good, he was also very human. He doesn't have a horn coming out of his forehead. Reichert is going to be far from a pushover. He's got plenty of skills and Mugi might have to come out with more plays than William Shakespeare to beat him. I think he will. Only just. Two of the players who could surprise the hell out of everybody by winning it all meet in the next battle. Viper is one of those guys I've kept a quiet eye on. In that time he's gone from one-trick to a major danger. Even if you know what he's playing, he's still good enough to find a way to win. Hajime can beat anybody on his day, but he has what I call 'Benzer Ridel Syndrome'. He can just as easily turn up and have a stinker. If he comes in confident and puts it together for 3 days, look out. I'll stick with Viper though. I expect Egor to continue his complete disinterest in CR by running a deck containing a can of baked beans, a blunt pencil, and a Squid Games bobblehead of contestant 456. Add to that a mortar and it will be enough to beat Griko. Bassotto and Bob meet up in the 'Battle of the Bangs', our penultimate contest of round one. I think whoever can keep their hair out of their eyes for the longest will win. Sammy has been quietly sliding away from the game whilst Bobbo, despite all the skills, has the mental application of Forrest Gump, but without the dumb luck. I hope Bobbo wins, because I know he will read this and it will trigger him, and I'd like the opportunity to continue that in my preview of the next round, but I'll tip Sammy. Are you still awake? We've reached the final battle. By this time the casters are all 10 yrs older. AC is fat and has 3 kids with Erick's sister, his daughters Crypto & Ennefftee, and his son, Craaap Jnr. It has also taken the full decade for Surg to calm down after seeing Fram's battle. This is another lottery that can go either way. KK is the more consistent player but I think Surg is the more brilliant player. I'll trust in Surg to bring his best and get through. So that wraps it up. Good luck to all the players, but more importantly, good luck to the people who will actually decide the winner, the analysts. Thanks for reading, Gramps.