Group A
Results
Lithuania 6 - 0 Slovakia
Norway 1 - 5 France
Overview
Group A is settling into the arguable favourites, France, to progress through to the playoffs in 1st. However, a plucky Norway side came into this week feeling quite anxious after talking to their Engineer, ThaZimmer. Although they may have lost their starting Medic, Ace, for the match, as well as Qnx having to leave after one round of Upward, they did make the French drop their first point in the season, by securing a round win, meaning France won the map 2-1. With a very large proportion of frags coming from Exon and Tek, the French have a solid combo fitting with their Medic, K3. In comparison, the Norwegians were going in strong the first round, with Niak pulling out a 10-kill streak and 10.5k damage. On top of this huge damage output, faNNY has had a solid Nations Cup so far; in the first round, he managed to level Flippy in the Sniper vs Sniper, with 7 frags on each other. Gullywash, however, was a different story. The French and their 6v6 experience helped them to a 4-0 victory, where Fl1p managed to rack up 4 dominations and 34 frags by the end of it. Topping that off was great display from all of France. Although the Norwegians were going to go in hot this cup, and I would have said they would've had a chance to top their group, that dream is over. Although they have probably secured 2nd place, the other match in Group A was interesting.
Lithuania played Slovakia in the other Group A game, with the Lithuanians pulling out a 6-0 victory. Another great combo of Demoman and Heavy, Evokje and Warden, cleaned up a lot of people against Slovakia on Upward and Gullywash. In particular, Evokje chucked out 41 frags, and Warden put out nearly 500 damage per minute. Cleaning up the frags on the flanks for Lithuania are CrazyBwai and Glebis, both of whom had very good games against the Slovakians, with 34 and 44 frags respectively. As for the last week, with the map being koth_pro_viaduct_rc3 and cp_gravelpit, the matches could go either way: Norway have an easier schedule for Week 3 as they play a most certainly disheartened Slovakian side who've probably guaranteed that they'll be at the bottom of Group A, with little to no points. However, if Lithuania want to leapfrog the Norwegians, they'll have to beat France by a considerable margin, or Norway have to mess up severely. Or a combination of both. But we will see what this week brings. It'll be a good one folks!
Group B
Results
USA 6 - 0 Croatia
Austria 1 - 5 Portugal
Overview
This group. Is very, very interesting. In the first week, the USA were extremely dominant against Portugal, cementing a solid 6-0 victory. However, the Portuguese stepped up their game against Austria, coming away with a 5-1 victory, only dropping a point because of the Austrians taking a round off of them on Upward. In a game where Kiler4funN top scored above his Medic with 3 dominations, and Haunter going 23:8 in the same round, the Portuguese look... reborn. The victory against Austria leaves them 2nd in the table with 5 points. Below them are Austria, with 4 points, and Croatia, with 3 points. This is why the group gets interesting. The USA have guaranteed a spot in the playoffs with their 2 solid victories against Portugal and Croatia. This week they play Austria who will hopefully be looking to leapfrog the newly-born Portuguese for the final week. However, Portugal play Croatia in a somewhat easier matchup for them. Against Austria, the Portuguese managed to score a whitewash on Gullywash, with a 5-0 victory. With Kalhó playing against the Austrians, he managed to do a lot of work although the points don't show it as well as they can be perceived. Haunter on Gullywash went 26:6 as well. I think the Portuguese may progress if they don't slip up against Croatia, who this week had a tough time against the behemoth that was the USA. A 6-0 loss means Croatia currently sit in last place with 3 points. Although that may seem bad, they can claw back in this last week. If they manage to beat Portugal sufficiently, and the Austrians cause shock against the US, they could pull back a 2nd place, meaning they would qualify. Their new Pyro for this Nations Cup, Candle, has done some stunning work throughout, and apparently made Stabby Stabby "cry" on stream. Now that's something you don't do every day is it, ladies and gentlemen. The Croatians look a bit half-sided though, with some players doing a lot of work. Conversely, it's the opposite for some players on the Croatian team. Their opponents this week, the USA, had a fairly easy time. Combining Sigafoo and his 4 dominations and Xalox's 13.5k damage on Gullywash pretty much sums up the tough time the Croatians had. In comparison, USA should be going into the final week of the group stage pretty relaxed, as they've booked a place in the playoffs. Watch out for the other 3 teams in Group B though. The 3-way battle for that coveted 2nd playoff spot is still in reach for all of the remaining teams left.
Group C
Results
Russia 0 - 0 Poland (not played, playing 21/7)
Romania 6 - 0 Hungary
Overview
With the decisive 1st/2nd place matchup not being played until the 22nd, Romania have a possible opportunity to leapfrog Poland, and possibly Russia this week. They played a Hungarian side who are arguably the worst in Group C, but had some good runs beforehand. However, the decisive victory came out to Romania, who won 6-0. Although it wasn't all fun and games. Gullywash was extremely close with a 1 round difference to the Romanians, with the final score being 2-1. The thing that struck out the most in the Gullywash game was the Romanian Pyro, Fresh'z. Cranking out 10.1k damage and 30 frags is extremely impressive. For a Pyro, you would expect, maybe, 5k damage in the circumstances? But he proved that wrong and had a very solid game. On top of the insane damage output, the Romanian Scout, Chopper, cranked out 31 frags, 6 being Medic picks, and over 7.6k damage. An impressive feat indeed. Conversely, Hungary are currently the only team in Group C without any points. And I don't think that will change for this Highlander Nations Cup. They play Russia, the supposed favourites to win Group C, who will be hoping to qualify for the playoffs. However, the Hungarians have gone all out this Cup, and some big damage from PingWIN7 and Mici gave them a boost throughout. However, I think the Russians will be hoping to finish the Week 3 match quick and painless. Although, Russia still haven't played the last team in Group C, Poland. To me, I think that will be the gamechanger in Group C. The Poles have been looking very strong throughout in scrims as well as officials, and should put up a great fight against the Russians. Boasting some amazing players from the old Premiership team, Max-Play, the Polish look in good shape. Conversely, Russia have some amazing 6v6 and 9v9 players, with tons of experience. Players like Irfx and Fire! have some of the best DM I've seen so far in this Nations Cup. With the match being played on the cusp of being nullified, or maybe even agreed after the "nullification", this matchup will probably decide the standings of the top 3. If Romania manage to draw or win against the Poles, this could all change. But what I can tell you is: this group may get very interesting very quickly. Russia should, SHOULD, qualify with fair ease, but Poland and Romania still stand in the way of them, and each other. Expect big plays, big action and big... uh. No, not that. Eww. BUT. Expect this to be big, ladies and gents!
Group D
Results
Belgium 6 - 0 Greece
Finland 6 - 0 Canada
Overview
After some potentially close groups, Group D is a bit different. On paper, the 2 teams that stick out are where they should be: Finland and Canada are probably the 2 teams that will qualify, I'll say that now. However, the Canadians slumped to a 6-0 defeat to the hands of the Finns, ditching them into 3rd place. Obviously, the Canadians would have been at a disadvantage from the get-go: having 100-150 ping to a European server isn't the best thing in the world when registering shots via hitscan and projectile interps. Whilst they did lose 6-0, and the score on Gullywash being 5-0, I still think Canada will bring their game to the last week. Promising displays from Alfa and Killing against the Finns give me good hope they'll bring their A-Game for their last game, against Belgium. On the opposite side, Finland currently top the group with 12 points, and 0 losses. With their 100% record intact, it'll probably stay for the group stages. Playing Greece this week, the Finns should be going into this confident and should practice at least a little. Greece were a new nation coming into this cup, and it does show at times. Not scoring a single point against any of the teams, the Greeks show some of their "newbieness", so to speak, in this Nations Cup. Sadly, it's not going to get any better, against a Finnish team that look set to go very far in this competition. Whilst the Greeks have some solid players like Shas'la and BnB, they're completely outclassed by the Finns in the same classes, in this case, Rake and Santtu, both of whom have either had Div 1/Premiership experience in ETF2L 6v6, to my knowledge. The Greeks will find it tough to salvage anything against the Finns. In the other match for Week 3, Canada going up against Belgium, could be interesting. New Belgian pickups like XVisuals, an extremely underrated Heavy, and Wic', an underrated Medic, could possibly help Belgium a lot. However, the Canadians should be looking for a win here to make them progress into the playoffs in a solid 2nd place. Whilst the Belgians could upset them, I think it's pretty unlikely. The power of Canada on a map like Viaduct could mess with Belgium a lot. But we will see what happens, ladies and gents.
Group E
Results
Sweden 6 - 0 Kazakhstan
Latvia 3 - 3 Scotland
Overview
In a brief summary, Group E got really interesting again. After an expected 6-0 to the Swedes against Kazakhstan, the other match played still hasn't decided who could come away with that all-important 2nd place. Scotland and Latvia were always somewhat overlooked in my opinion, and this matchup between them was a great one. With the points being split 3-3, Latvia took Upward 2-0, whilst the Scots took Gullywash with an easy 6-1 victory, making this next week look very interesting. In the Upward match, Atomic- picked up 53 frags, and put out over 1100 damage per death. In comparison, the opposing Demoman, Fenrir, got 40 frags and just under 700 damage per death. However, on Gullywash, some great plays by Kermit in the last round secured them that victory. As well as this, Danielsasquatch top fragged on Gullywash, with 35, which was 7 more than the next highest out of anyone. Since both teams are relatively on-par with each other, and no clear cut win, this could turn out interesting. An expected win for the Scots against Kazakhstan should propel them with 9 points. But, I think people would expect Latvia to lose to Sweden pretty convincingly, leaving them with 9 points. What decides that outcome then? This is why Group E got interesting; these little things can make a huge difference in the later stages of the group stages. If Latvia manage to score any kind of point or points, they will qualify. But if Scotland mess up in any way whatsoever, it could be tournament over for them. Turning the tides in the later stages is so tense - I get too excited by this sort of thing! But, it all boils down to how the other 2 teams do. Sweden swept past a pretty weakened Kazakh side, with TviQ scoring 30 points and 3 dominations on Gullywash. With the combined support of Zebbosai and Ryb, the main combo for Sweden played really well together. Sweden have guaranteed themselves a playoff spot, so they can rest easy, against a plucky Latvian side that have unfortunately drawn the short straw in the scheduling; since the Scots already played Sweden, they have an upper hand in the last week. I'm looking to see whether the Latvians can pull an upset and get themselves a playoff spot; they've played really well throughout this Nations Cup, and I want to see more.
Group F
Results
England 6 - 0 Belarus
Spain 6 - 0 Bulgaria
Overview
It was a normal day at the office for England. They turned up against a Belorussian side, who were actually leading the table after the English dropped a point against Spain in week 1, which couldn't contest to the English firepower. The score was 6-0 in England's favour, throwing them up top of Group F, with 11 points. Shintaz had another excellent game, going 15:5 on Gullywash with 730 damage per death. Kaidus had a whale of a time, pumping out 700 damage per minute, and picking up 17 frags in the process. The English look very strong going into the final week, where they play Bulgaria. Sadly, the Bulgarians lost this week to a Spanish side that look co-ordinated and confident. The score was 6-0 in the favour of Spain, who have managed to put themselves back up to 2nd place in Group F. With Spike, the Spanish Sniper, having a 6.7 KA/D and 14 frags in around in less than 15 minutes on Gullywash, the Spanish must use him wisely throughout the competition. A few slipups and Spain could fall once again. Other than their "wonder" Sniper, the Spanish look pretty solid going into the final week. Their DM was stepping up once again versus Bulgaria, in which HarryHook picked up 22 frags along with his Soldier partner, Pescanova, who picked up 11. The flanks should be feared as the Spanish pick up their pace and game throughout the Nations Cup. However, Bulgaria currently lie in last place, without a single point. And sadly, I don't see them going anywhere after a mullering from Spain. The Bulgarians showed some bad performance against them, and whilst they can prove to be good against a few teams in the Nations Cup, their drawing just doesn't suit them. Whilst the Bulgarians are solid players in their own right, I feel like they might be compromised by their communication and metagame issues. For example, Agent 0 and MattDog play 6v6 in Division 3, if I'm correct, and they could change how Bulgaria wants to push, hold, execute maneuvers, just general things that teams should iron out. But that's just me. The last team is Belarus, who managed to pick up a win against the Bulgarians, but fall on their faces against England this week. Currently, they sit in 3rd place, 1 point behind 2nd place, Spain. They play this week on maps that both teams can use to their advantages. With Belarus having some great experience from Alex_jj, and an amazing Sniper, Tracker, they can use these little to large options that could give them an upset over Spain. However, I think the Spanish will be looking to finish the group stages comfortably, with a win so they can progress to playoffs. The other match between England and Bulgaria is a no-brainer. England would have to slip up very very hard to get themselves into a losing position. And that shouldn't happen.
Group G
ResultsItaly 6 - 0 Turkey (ffw for Italy)
Italy 3 - 3 Ukraine (Week 5)
Netherlands 3 - 3 Estonia
Turkey 0 - 6 Netherlands
Overview
What a group we have. An extremely close fight for the 2nd spot, Group G has turned into a complete bunfight, with 4 out of 5 teams in contention still. Let's start off with the shock this week. An extremely powerful Dutch side played Estonia, a team arguably weaker than their opponents. The Dutch took Upward 2-0 in convincing fashion. But then came Gullywash, where Estonia pulled off a shock win 4-3. This tied up the points at 3-3, meaning the Dutch, who could go on and win this group, may have potentially dropped 3 crucial points in the battle for playoffs. Demsii had a great time against the Estonians, picking up 53 frags, with 9 of them being Medic picks. However, Estonia didn't have that much of an advantage with raw DM. In some cases, it was the complete opposite. But, Raiku and Blackbeard pulled out a lot of damage and fragging power against the Dutch that earned them those oh-so important 3 points. In the other match that ended in a draw, Ukraine squared off against an Italian side without any practice or their main Demoman. Sadly, the Italians may have paid the price, as they won 3-2 on Lakeside, but ultimately lost 2-0 on Gravelpit. As this was a Week 5 game, the Italians still need to play their Week 3 game. Carnifex had another solid performance against the Ukrainians, and at one time pulling off a 7 kill streak. F0rest had another good game too, showing why he is proving to be one of the best Heavies in this Nations Cup. Conversely, Ukraine were showing some great plays with their DM. With Kenzi top fragging against the Italians, they have a solid level of DM. Sadly, the other match Italy were going to play was forfeited by a Turkish team that look slightly unprepared and a bit... off. Losing out 6-0 to Ukraine in Week 1 and then another 6-0 to Netherlands leaves them bottom of the group with 0 points. Without a win, it's likely they'll be stuck at the bottom as they've had no points on the board so far in this Nations Cup. In a game where the Dutch Sniper, Lucky Luke, had a 9 kill streak on Gravelpit, the Turks must have been doing something wrong throughout that match. Maybe they still are. Maybe they've fixed things. I just don't know! But all I can say is: this group is great. With an extra team battling it out for the same amount of playoff spots, this could go any which way. Whilst the Italians top the board with 15 points, the 2nd-4th placed teams currently have a game in hand, making more exciting twists and turns, possibly. It's too chaotic and too much of a cluster about what could happen at the moment. But all I can say is now, stay tuned.
Group H
Results
Israel 3 - 3 Denmark
Denmark 6 - 0 Iceland (Week 5)
Germany 6 - 0 Iceland
Israel 6 - 0 Ireland (ffw for Israel)
Overview
Much like Group G, Group H is turning into a 3-way contest. With Ireland and Iceland sitting at the bottom with 0 points each, we have to turn to the next 3 teams. The 2 teams arguably battling it out for the 2nd spot, Denmark and Israel, squared off against each other this week, leaving with 3 points a piece. To me, these teams are extremely evenly matched, and that outcome was possibly the best they could've gotten for each other. I guess you could say "Danmark slightly Vinder'd", but I don't know, I didn't watch the game sadly. The Quad pistol was out in full force, and worked very well; Quad went 49:35 on Upward where he top fragged and got 4 Medic picks out of it. Over on Israel, the new pickup of Retsh0ck on Demoman and the roster shuffling seems to work well. On top of SorroW putting out exactly 14k damage on Upward, he top fragged over in Israel's side, with 41 frags and winning the Sniper vs Sniper battle against Helberg, albeit it was close. Crucially, Israel have already played the strong favourites, Germany, whilst the Danish still have to in the last week. The Israelis play an Icelandic side which joined extremely late, and sort of flopped. Losing out all their matches 6-0 leave them bottom of the group. Taking a slight beating from Denmark and Germany this week won't help either with their quest to get some points. Speaking of Germany, the winners from the last Nations Cup, they only played one match against lceland this week. This leaves them with a game in hand, after playing 2 matches, whilst the Danish have played 3, who top the group. The Germans play the Danish on some well-known 6v6 maps, meaning the 6v6 classes on both sides should have a lot of fun. On Denmark, Quad and F2 should have a blast on the newly-revamped Viaduct_Pro, whilst Brego and Homer J. could get a lot of work done for the Germans. To me, I feel like that the matchup between Germany and Denmark could decide a lot on what happens. If Israel have an easy time against the Icelandics, they could leapfrog Denmark into that 2nd playoff spot. But we need to see how it pans out. The last team in Group H, Ireland, are in the same situation as Iceland. Currently, the Irish have 0 points and sit in 4th place. Whilst they have some great talent like Funkadelic and Cribby, it just... hasn't been working out for them. The draw they've had is extremely strong for the Irish, and that could make them suffer. Although they may get some points against Iceland, they can't do anything else but sit back and see what happens. And that saddens me. Group H looks to be a very promising tie between the top 3 teams; whether the other 2 can make something happen, I don't know. We'll have to spectate and ask, ladies and gentlemen. For our good needs of knowledge!
That's it for the recap of Week 2, ladies and gentlemen. Tune in next week for an interview with an unknown team leader, a recap of the last week of the group stages, and a playoff preview! See you there, maybe,
~TJB
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