SSCam Season 2/11 Group Preds Div B

Division B

Welcome to the division B portion of the new season. Last season our champ was Nish and he did that in fairly convincing fashion winning by comfortable margins in the playoffs. The good news for you all is that he's stuck in div A this season. We've added another group to the division with 30 total players in. This season is your last chance to qualify for the first prize tournament by making it all the way to the finals so good luck to everyone.

Group A

IndianGangsta - Niks is venturing into his first sscam competition so will be interesting to see how that goes. He's a pretty good player who wins most of his games in the league. Has a lot of interlg experience so definitely not a stranger to going up against quality opponents. Looking at how he has fared in 8brcam's div B hopefully that's not a true indicator of his set skills. This group is fairly top heavy and he could crack the top 2 but I think its more likely that he battles with Joe for 3rd place in this group.

restless.rabbit - So Rom is greener than grass when it comes to camtasia competitions. Has been a pretty consistent player in the league for some time now, not overly impressive but definitely gets his fair share of wins. Playing sets in this competition has put players on a nice course for improvement so it's not out of the question that we'll see that here. I think his current skill set might be a little lacking to do anything significant in this season but should be useful to see how some of the players in this group play to improve.

xxxx_ivlaster_ivlind_xxxx - Joe is back for his second go around in the competition. The first season wasn't a complete disappointment finishing with a 2-3 record despite predictions of grandeur from the one and only voodoo pooler, Peter Laveau. I don't see the winning prospects improving too much in this season but I will at least acknowledge that he will win some games and could very well have an opportunity to finish in the top 3 in this group.

PSYCHOJASON - So after many seasons of failure Jason was finally able to break through and show his skill making the playoffs last season. Unfortunately the way the draw worked out Nish was his first opponent which wasn't a great matchup. I think from now on Jason should be a mainstay in the playoffs and it will be interesting to see how he performs there in a more favourable situation. Could win the group outright, and the set to watch should be his vs Sterlo.

no1truckwitt - Had some decent expectations for Graeme going into last season and he managed to keep his positive aspirations alive with an ok performance. Doesn't seem to lose by much when he does which would suggest that he's competing in all sets giving himself a chance to win. Will need some bounces to go his way in this group. Might have an outside chance at the playoffs but will need an upset win or two to put himself in that position.

Top__Dawg__ - Sterlo is another player who is finally showing some promising glimpses of skill. Last season he put in a strong effort to go all the way to the semi-finals before being blown out there. I don't think there's anyone in the competition who really should be blowing out Sterlo based on the way I normally see him play but he definitely has another ugly side to his game where the losses seem to come in bunches. I have him in the playoffs but the success of his season will be measured once he gets there.

Pecking Order - 1.Sterlo 2.Jason 3.Niks 4.Joe 5.Graeme 6.Rom

Group B

G_O_D99 - Last season was fairly disappointing for Rich after only managing to get one set win. A new season though and it brings with it a new set of opponents (for the most part). That blank slate is definitely a nice way to start though as anything can happen from here on out. This season however would be considered a failure if he can't at least double his win total and have a chance to play for a playoff spot. Not the most challenging group but most will be thinking they can advance past this round.

_sexy_honey - Jenni seemed to be on the up and up after another strong group stage until she got smoked in the playoffs by Adam. It's no longer going to be good enough to just make the playoffs anymore as the early exits there aren't exactly satisfying. I think Jenni is still improving with her game and she'll need it to get that extra boost. She's going to contend in this group for the top spot and should be in the playoffs again.

en_dk - Nigel is back in the competition for the second consecutive season. Last season he had a strong showing in the group stage and managed to win one round before being ousted by Sterlo in the quarter-finals. He'll be looking to prove that performance was no fluke with another good showing here. I think this group is a little more competitive so he'll definitely have to come to play with his top game. Hard to pick against a guy who seems to come out on top in close sets fairly consistently.

make_the_final_cut - Another research candidate here, Rob is entered into his first SScam. Brand new members rarely get the benefit of the doubt in this competition and this won't be the exception to the rule. Not sure what kind of previous cam comp experience Rob has if any at all but he's in a group here with good mix of quality and experience. Not much to base this prediction on but will have to guess that the playoffs are unlikely.

geert_heart_man - Geert is another first timer in the competition which is always nice to see. Has been an active member in ss for quite a while now with over 500 games played. Loses more games than he wins over that span so I'm not expecting a whole lot in these sets. Definitely a solid learning experience to get a chance to see how the competition works for the first time. Mental notes should probably be taken and maybe some expectations can be developed for the next time around

EddieS56 - What a pleasant surprise we have here with the one and only Eddie making an appearance in sscam. Eddie is a pretty solid player with above average running ability. Most recently he was able to qualify for the division B playoffs in 8brcam which is a positive result. I actually have Eddie down to win this group without really knowing how well he's been doing lately. I just think that in general he's got more experience playing against good competition and that will show here.

Pecking Order - 1.Eddie 2.Jenni 3.Nigel 4.Rich 5.Rob 6.Geert

Group C

Skater__G - Good to see Tyler back in the competition again for the first time in a while. Generally speaking he doesn't do all that great in cam competitions but lately I've noticed that he's at least opening up tables a little better than before. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like he's able to finish off very many of his good efforts which leads to a lot of losses. Shouldn't be overwhelmed by the competition in this group and could surprise to advance to playoffs.

spr34d_th3m_f0r_m3_b4by - Is it fair to make predictions simply based off of someone's choice for id? In this humble reporter's opinion... yes. Never has anyone with so many numbers in their id ever made the playoffs in any competition ever. Look it up. But on a more serious note, in the lg Anthony loses almost twice as many games as he wins so this competition might be a decent tool to learn some new tricks. All I can say is hopefully the format is fun.

shelle4461 - There's always a lot of pressure when writing public comments about evil dictators. Luckily Shelle doesn't fall into that category so we'll let loose here. Shelle hasn't been in the playoffs in a long time. She seems to get better still although the improvement doesn't seem to be quite as drastic as it was when she first started in this competition. This isn't a terrible group for Shelle to be in, I think there are a couple set victories that are likely for her which would mean she'd only need 1 upset win to advance past playoffs. In previous seasons it seems like she's trying to get all her sets played on day 1. Maybe spacing them out a little better with better preparation might help... just saying. She'll be fighting for the playoffs.

n0_0b - After a two season foray into Div A Musti has been kicked to the curb and has once again found a home in div B. Right off the bat I'd have to say he's one of the favourites to win this half of the competition. I think he'll be challenged by Andy and DJ in this group but a playoff spot is nearly guaranteed. He really wants into that prize tourney so we'll see how that plays out.

zl_noob_lz - DJ is back again. Seems like he's been in every one of these things. Last season DJ had one of his stronger group stages in recent memory that ended in a playoff loss to the eventual champion Nish. As previously stated at least Nish isn't an obstacle this time around. DJ has proven in the past that he's going to be around in the playoffs and this season shouldn't be any different.

KillerS_96 - Andy is not a player I have an easy time tracking down any records for. I know that he has a ton of interlg experience and I have even seen his name pop up in cam comps before just not exactly sure how they worked out for him. I think that his experience alone makes him a contender in this group. Andy's ss lg record is fairly strong too which is always a good sign. While I don't consider him a lock for the playoffs I'd say going into it before any sets are played that he has the inside track on 3rd place in the group.

Pecking Order - 1.Musti 2.DJ 3.Andy 4.Shelle 5.Tyler 6.Anthony

Group D

lawbubba - Junior is back for a second attempt at the competition and lots of respect is deserved for that. His claim to fame from the previous competition was an upset against last season's div A finalist David. Unfortunately that's about the only good that happened in the last competition. He can definitely sink shots and work the ball around the table decently but I think to pull off some set wins there is going to need to be some luck.

PROP37 - Dorie surprised many with her showing last season. After an undefeated group stage unfortunately it all ended quickly with a loss to Kerry in the quarter-final playoff round. Just to prove that last season wasn't a fluke we've beefed up div B with some extra talent. Based on what she did last season I'd be surprised if Dorie wasn't once again playing in the playoffs but don't expect her to win this group.

ecrooster03 - Elton is entered into the competition for the first time and unlike most first timers I think he has got a decent chance. Based off of what I see from him in the league he's a really good shooter and can sometimes display some decent english skills. Out of the players in this group I'd guess that AJ is the only player who can outrun Elton but other parts of the game will come into play too. In order to win these sets he's going to need to hit the same great shots under pressure that he hits in league matches.

ItsAJ - Is it rude to say AJ bailed out of div A because he was tired of the constant beatings? Clearly not, it's important to expose people who simply leave kitchens that they consider to be too hot. Anyways, being a doormat in div A actually translates into being one of the favourites in div B and I'd be surprised if AJ managed to lose a set in this particular group.

mindset_cue - I haven't seen Tanz in quite a while so it's hard to say too much here. Has been in a number of sscams in previous years where he made at least one playoff appearance. Tanz is a pretty good shooter who manages to keep his sets close and within striking distance. Depending on how much he's played lately he should really be able to compete with anyone in this group and the playoffs are a strong possibility.

darth_v4der - Jan is back for his second season after surprising me with a playoff appearance in his first. While there will be a couple sets up for grabs in this group I don't see it being as easy of a road to get back into the post season again. I think he'll need to show some improvements to be able to stay in a set with a player of AJ's quality and he's already shown that he knows how to take his lumps from Dorie. This group is actually fairly wide open with some question marks next to a couple names in here. Could finish in the top 3 but it won't be easy.

Pecking Order - 1.AJ 2.Dorie 3.Elton 4.Tanz 5.Jan 6.Junior

Group E

Sacha98 - Sacha is coming off a fairly disappointing season where he was unable to make the playoffs. Fairly surprising considering his run to the semi-finals a couple seasons back but consistency isn't always easy to find. Within the league it seems like nobody plays more tournaments or games in general and he seems to end up winning most of the ones he plays. I think the draw in this season works out a little better for Sacha and I should get a chance to write about him in the playoffs.

snowmanbody - I thought that if I went back far enough in the archives I'd be able to find this name somewhere but apparently this is Snow's first attempt at the competition. The fact that I've seen his name pop up in other competitions has to be a positive sign right? Well the results really haven't indicated that. I don't think he's overmatched in this field but it won't be a cakewalk. Might have to fight Chrissie for a playoff spot.

xl_bankqueen_lx - Well here we have Kerry who was a finalist in this division last year. She had a pretty impressive run, knocking off higher seeded players the whole way before eventually losing to Nish. Kerry's game is definitely solid enough that she shouldn't have to worry about missing out on the playoffs if she manages to play her sets. For Kerry though the playoffs won't be enough.. she'll want to do one better than finalist.

Sm0ked0gg - Well last season John played a couple sets, which he lost, then forfeited the rest of his games. I guess maybe winning is the only thing. Not too sure if that was an indication on how this season is going to go but it's not really very promising. Wish him the best of luck, hopefully playing against good players like Kerry and Sacha will help improve his game.

rubiiiiiiii - Moon is back for another kick at the can. Last season went ok for her with one quality victory that actually came against Sacha. Unfortunately the rest of the sets didn't go all that great and to be honest they weren't close. It's positive to see that she's taken her game over to MCC to get in a little more set practice so hopefully we'll see some kind of improvements on this time around. 2 set wins would be a good showing for Moon and I think she could pull that off.

_White_Rabbit - What exactly are we supposed to expect from Chrissie. You can't say that she hasn't been around the block because she has. She's been fortunate to have the opportunity to be around good players quite a bit with inters and games being played in the lg. All that exposure has definitely rubbed off a little but it might need to rub off a little moreso before we can see some consistency in that game. I'm picking Chrissie to finish in 3rd here but who knows.

Pecking Order - 1.Kerry 2.Sacha 3.Chrissie 4.Snow 5.Moon 6.John

SSCam Season 2/11 Group Preds Div A

Division A

Welcome to yet another season of SSCam. The previous season saw Ant taking his second SSCam title in a row beating David in a closer than expected finals. Coming into the new season we have another wide open competition with some new faces and old ones looking for some wins to advance to playoffs and potentially win the title. This is the last season for qualification into the prize tournament. Semi finals or better will qualify you for the tournament so good luck to everyone. Predictions done by me (Jon) and group D was written by TJ (xxl_stud_lxx).

Group A

lvlanchester.l_lnited - So I guess Nish is a div A player after all. Last season saw Nish win the division B title fairly easily cruising through the lower competition there in the playoffs. It's always hard to tell how that success will translate into div A because it definitely takes a different mentality to play against this competition. The top two seeds from last season's playoffs are in this group so that definitely speaks to the quality but beyond that there are definitely hopes for Nish to sneak in if he plays well in this group.

Banner_Knight - It's always most fun to make a prediction entirely based on research. The only thing I can find on this guy are his SS stats and those are pretty impressive with a pretty high win % thus far in league competition. Not always a guarantee that those numbers will translate over to success in sets here but it does show potential. It's a pretty tough group so the playoffs are no guarantee but I see him competing for top 3 or a wild card birth.

l3lack_jesus - Timm is back for a second go around in this competition. Last season he had a great group stage which earned him the top overall seed going into the playoffs where he lost to David, the eventual runner up. I think probably Timm will be competing with Matt for the top spot in this group and the playoffs are almost a guarantee in his case. Will definitely have to take all opponents seriously though as it seems like anyone could really sneak out some wins amongst these players.

win-win-win - Definitely thought I'd have something more positive to write about Matt's previous season in this prediction. After a strong group stage where he earned the second playoff seed the postseason ended before it even began for him as he was unable to play the first round set. I think Matt has the quality to win enough of his sets here to be a shoe in for the playoffs once again and hopefully we'll get to see him actually play in them this time.

n00bsquad_rees - Rees is back in SScam after a couple season hiatus. Last time around he had some pretty impressive results which is why he has ended up in div A against tougher competition. Not too sure how much he's been playing lately or what kind of form he's on. Might be a little overmatched in this group but he definitely has the knowhow and some craftiness to be able to stay in some sets and maybe even steal one or two. Will be a longshot to make the playoffs.

c_h_4_m_p - Dante is a pretty good player. Last season he was able to qualify for the playoffs before being eliminated convincingly in the second round of the playoffs. Not really getting much help from the group maker here being placed into one of the most competitive groups top to bottom. Although he's displayed some pretty good skill with last season's performances a playoff spot here isn't going to be easy to grab by any means. Sets against Stephen and Nish will be key towards seperating himself from the pack.

Pecking Order - 1.Matt 2.Timm 3.Dante 4.Nish 5.Stephen 6.Rees

Group B

l2ack.em_up - Chris is back for his second season in the competition. The first one being last season was fairly non-descript with only two sets played, both being losses but neither a blowout either. Prospects are decent for this upcoming season as the matchups in this group tend to be a little easier. Any of the players in this group could come away with a playoff spot and the top ranked players in this group aren't really guarantees to perform so that is optimistic. In the end it would still be a surprise if he's able to nab a top 3 spot here.

nxs_skills - Well Cam is no stranger to competitions and here he is again. Lucky for him I needed a replacement in Div A and that just so happened to be his preferred division. Not exactly sure what to ever expect from Cam anymore. He goes through stages where he's obviously not trying and I haven't really seen many positive results from him in a while. Having said that we all know that he can be a top player and if he's playing to his potential in this group then he'll definitely contend for top spot.

black_stallion009 - Can anyone say former champ? It seems like it's been a long time since Irfan won this competition in the first season from last year. Since then the competition has gotten stronger but it's safe to say Irfan has gotten stronger too in that time with some good results in other competitions as well as usually faring well in this competition. The big question mark next to Irfan is that he's coming off a fairly long period of not playing. Most would agree that for a player of Irfan's quality that it's only a matter of time before that same skill level returns and I expect to see enough of it for him to be moving into the playoffs here.

complete - Here is a player who I wouldn't have had too much to write about before we actually played in MCC last season. I was pretty impressed with what I saw. Being able to clear challenging tables consistently is a pretty solid skill to have. Not sure to what level of consistency that happens for John but the potential is definitely there. Has a pretty solid english game not really doing anything spectacular but a steady approach is definitely valuble in sets. Complete will compete for playoffs.

i_always_own_you - So Shane is getting a chance to play in Div A for the first time in a while. Not really too sure how this is going to go... I'm hopeful that he can win most of his sets just so that I can save money on migraine medication but lets be realistic. Shane does seem to be improving and putting up some good results in competitions but this particular competition doesn't feature many average players. The only saving grace for Shane is that this is a fairly wide open group with the question marks next to Cam and Irfan. In the end I don't see Shane taking more than 2 sets total.

mvp_n00b - What can we say about Steve. Is pretty much a guarantee to be into the playoffs no matter what the competition is and there should be no difference here. He has a pretty good chance to go undefeated in this group if Cam and Irfan aren't on top of their games. Last season Steve had some great results in the group stage before getting an unlucky draw getting stuck against Kevin in round one of the playoffs. Lucky for Steve there is no Kevin in the competition this year. Should cruise into the playoffs and look for him to get a good seeding.

Pecking Order - 1.Steve 2.Irfan 3.Cam 4.John 5.Chris 6.Shane

Group C

chad. - Chad's first effort into the competition here and bam you're stuck in div A. Not really an intimidating task considering the kind of quality games he can put together. From what I've seen Chad seems to be an all out runner which can sometimes lead to some spectacular runs. That kind of skill is always an x-factor in any set when you can steal games. Chad should be able to get his name in the win column here and compete for a playoff spot.

pro.craig - Craig seems to be all over the place these days putting together a great run in 8brcam's div a playoffs losing in the finals there. He's never missed the playoffs in this competition including a number one playoff seed in a season last year. This group plays right into Craig's strengths and I'd probably have to say that he's a heavy favourite to win the group and walk away again with a high seeding. Hopefully that elusive playoff success will follow this time around.

UN_NATURAL - Trey sure does take some licks in this competition but he keeps coming back so have to respect that. Last season was only a 1 win season for Trey with another playoffs missed. He's by no means a bad player seems like the luck isn't always there and great shots are often times followed by terrible ones. The sets are pretty short so if he can get off to some good starts then anything can happen. This is a pretty decent group for Trey, he'll take a loss or two for sure but no one is going to overwhelm him. Best of luck though any bad luck will be a killer.

safdarbandali - Did I really see this guy playing in 8brcam's div B? Not sure how he'd lose to anyone in that field lol. Safdar is a pretty good player and was a semi-finalist in the competition last year. Every season so far for Safdar has ended in the playoffs and this one shouldn't be any different. Not the toughest group in the world should qualify comfortably here. The set with Craig should be pretty interesting but I'm not sure that matchup favours Safdar all that much. Should see him in the playoffs, looking to improve on final 4 appearance from last season.

lx_mike_xl - Mike had a pretty solid last season qualifying for the playoffs on his first try. His loss in the playoffs ended up coming to Ant which doesn't really tell us all that much... just considering everyone loses to Ant. I really like Mike's game and in this group I think he has the inside track to a 3rd place finish. Nothing is a given as the competition is tough but Mike's style of play matches up pretty well against anyone so look to see him have success again this season.

br0nz3 - Always started expecting good things from Scott ever since his div B finals appearance where he was wrecking pretty good opponents. Haven't really seen it yet in the one competition since then. I always thought of Scott as a scrappy player not the flashiest but definitely knows how to get it done. Should have a pretty solid chance to find his way back into the playoffs here but it'll be tough.

Pecking Order - 1.Craig 2.Safdar 3.Mike 4.Chad 5.Scott 6.Trey

Group D

All the love in the world - Well, I’ve seen JD play many times and quite frankly I am not impressed at all. He misses quite a few shots and as for finishing runs he goes for, it never happens. With Jon and Brent in this group, he will have a tough time picking up wins.

FreeJackpot - I’ve seen Bryan play a few times and he makes some good shots. I haven’t watched him enough to know how he is consistently, but I believe he has the capability to finish in the middle of the pack in this group. Of course, it’ll all depend on who all plays their sets, etc.

sykology - Ah, my boy toy Brent. I expect him to beat the likes of JD easily and have a few close sets with JT and possibly Bryan. He will have a tough time with Jon, but it could turn into a great set. Brent’s shooting real well lately and I expect it to continue into this cam competition.

ll_eskimo_ownage_ll - Petey can make some good shots but misses some simple ones as well. I can see him doing well in this group as long as he stays focused and doesn’t rush anything. I see him finishing in the middle of the pack here losing a few sets, but making the upset over JT.

R_ook - I have seen JT play a little. He can play well and has lately, but I don’t see him doing well in this group. This is solely my prediction, and I don’t believe JT’s as solid as some say. That’s really all I have to say about the kid.

crazy_cananuck - Jon’s proven to be a really solid snooker player as well as runner. He can bank just as well as any of the top bankers today. If he plays his solid snooker game, I don’t see him being touched in this group other than Brent providing some good games and a possible upset.

Pecking Order - 1.Jon 2.Brent 3.Bryan 4.Petey 5.JT 6.JD

Group E

eat_pinaples - Last time Hope was in the competition she was talking about and showing that she should be playing in div A. Not too sure how active she's been since then as it has been a while. Hope can definitely play really well at times and has beaten good opponents. Her fatal flaw that will be tough to overcome is the really bad mistake. Seems like she can do all the grunt work but consistently costs herself wins on easy mistakes. I think Hope is overmatched in this group but wouldn't be surprised to see a set win or two.

dwaechte - Dan is back after a successful first season where he made the playoffs and advanced to the quarter-finals before losing to Ant. Lucky for him Ant is in this group too so there's a nice chance at revenge. In this season Dan will need to win more than 2 sets to be playing in the playoffs. There's definitely winnable sets here but at the same time no pushovers. I think a return to the playoffs will be unlikely.

ArkansasGator - I feel like all my kind words last season were wasted after Scott delivered an 0-5 goose egg in the group stage. Definitely not a reflexion of Scott's actual skill level as can be seen by strong results in other competitions. Scott is the kind of player who on his day can compete with and beat a player of Ant's quality so I'm going to once again guarantee a playoff spot. If he cares then he should be one of the top contenders in the competition.

TlNO_NICA - First off I'd like to mention that Tino is a pretty bad person and you won't enjoy playing against him at all. His foul comments will probably ruin your day and usually spill over into lobby drama. Aside from those obvious details Tino is a pretty good player who can compete with anyone on his day. It's been a little bit of a while since we've seen him in the playoffs here but there's a decent chance in this group. Should be able to battle with David for a top 3 spot.

underdogg_ - Do we really need a prediction here? The answer to that question is a resounding yes! The day I run out of things to write about Ant is the day I die. Ant has been battling a neat reputation where he seems to be on the decline of his pool playing career as if all that mouse clicking is finally catchup up to his creaky mouse finger. Not sure what kind of magic rehab program he's managed to gain access to but as it stands right now the man on the decline is the current 8brcam div A champ as well as the back to back champ in this competition. Playoffs? Yes sir.

l3_lvl_x - Runner up and finalist in the same group? Who does that seriously. David had a great performance last season riding a wildcard playoff birth all the way to nearly knocking off Ant in the final set of the competition. Not really too sure what to take from that. It would definitely be a stretch to say he was the second best player in the competition but that run does show that this is the division he belongs in and there is potential for improvement. Pretty hard to build on a finals appearance but making the playoffs here will be a good start. If his form is anywhere near the same we'll see him in there again.

Pecking Order - 1.Ant 2.Scott 3.David 4.Tino 5.Dan 6.Hope