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