Division A
Ok so after a very short break to get the prize tournament under way we're back in business with a third season of the year. Thanks to everyone who joined, I really like the look of the depth of players in Div A this season... playoff spots should be at a premium. To be eligible for sets you must have 2 trny games played within the past 7 days so make sure you're eligible as random checks will be made. Without further ado here's some writing about you folks that I hope you'll like... so far we have myself (Jon), Dante and Matt in on the div A preds.Group A (D)
dwaechte - ahh, dan. you seem to be a hot/cold player. i've seen you upset quite a few pro players, and then i see you lose vs kerryanne. no, i'm not bashing that kerry is awful, she's quite good, but i think you're clearly better than her, and how you let players like that stomp you, i don't know. i think your down fall is your shot selection. if you play smarter, you'd be a fantastic player. you're already one of the up-and-coming players. you can run tables, saftey when you need to, and know how to use decent spin. all you need to focus on is shot selection. if you play like i know you can play, i say you'll finish 3rd, maybe battle against ben for 2nd.
xlx_skill_xlx - jordy is a fantastic player. i was always intimidated by you because i saw what you could do. but everytime i race you, you take a strong lead, then i come back and either win, or almost win. i don't know what it is. maybe you sit back and take it easy when you gain a big lead? i wouldn't do that here. on a skill level, i say you're better than everyone in this group, and over half the people in this whole competition. but this group can capitalize on a few mistakes. if you get into chill mode with a 3-0 lead, expect a comeback. play hard all the way through and you should take 1st.
i_always_own_you - shane, bro. you're too much of a bamf for yahoo pool. i don't know why you still play this game, but i also don't know why you're hated so damn much. lmao. i personally think it's funny, and i laugh at a lot of it. anyways, onto the prediction part. i honestly think everyone in this group has you beat on a skill level. you can keep it close with mike and chad, but i think that's it. if you can beat them, you still one extra win to make playoffs, and i don't think you'll get it. good luck man.
fhm_champion - ben. i know you're good. well, i know you were good, when i saw you play. i haven't seen you around the past seasons in any comp, so i'm not sure how your playing at them moment. but no one can just forget how to play pool, so you obviously still know what you're doing. i don't think this is a too hard of a group, going to battle jordy for 1st, and dan could upset you for 2nd place. finish your runs, and i think you'll whoop the others.
pot - hi, chad. you seem to get mad a lot? sort of like craigs replacement, since he went and got a life. congrats craig, if you read this. anyways, i'm getting sidetracked. you are pretty good no doubt, but like i said, when you get behind, you get into a fuck everyone mood, and only causes you to fall behind deeper. when you're down by three games, chill man, and just play like you would as if it were tied. i see you and mike battling for a wildcard spot. i'm not sure who to pick. either of you could get it. i'm going with mike, prove me wrong man.
lx_mike_xl - pretty cool dude most of the time. he's like a half noob player, half skilled player. you can make good shots man, but you mess up a lot of your runs by pool shot selection and fail cue control, such as shot power and english. nah, i'm not saying your bad, i actually think your one of the best players active in straightshots. i use to team with you often, and i don't team with straight up garbage pool players. definitely have potential of doing well in this group. you can do it, but i don't see it happening. like i said, going to fight chad for the wildcard spot, and i think you'll get it
Pecking Order - 1.Jordy 2.Ben 3.Dan 4.Mike 5.Chad 6.Shane
Group B
br0nz3 - While Scott was originally asking for div B I managed to trick him back into accepting a spot in div A. To be fair he's been there and done that in div B and has been consistently in the div A playoffs since then. It seems like Scott's biggest challenge is actually sticking around for the duration of the competition and getting his sets played. There is definitely room in this group to squeeze into a playoff spot but he'll need to beat some quality opponents. Still a good chance that Scott will be standing next round.
mvp_n00b - Another player who doesn't really get all his sets played usually in this competition. Steve actually hasn't been heard from too much in other competitions lately either. At one point not too long ago he was beating just about everyone and now it seems like he's either playing great or simply terrible. Another big factor is that he's a lot more prone to quitting or giving up when things get down. Steve is going to need to start out his sets well to have any chance... either that or find ways to stay positive while losing. On skill alone he should definitely be in the playoffs but he isn't a lock because of that stuff.
_Cue - Well luckily to bring some balance to this group, here we at least have someone who is known for playing their sets.... well at least last season. JD was able to qualify for the playoffs last season in a wildcard spot and turned that into a first round win. Definitely showing some pretty good potential to knock off good players although his game isn't quite as refined as you'd like at this point. Should be a dangerous player nevertheless and he can really knock off any of these players in a short set. JD could finish as high as 3rd or as low as 6th.
__God - This group is just chocked full of dudes rocking the undy apparently. Craig is most recently coming off a season where he won just enough to get in...including some archive wins and then was unable to participate in the playoffs. Craig has always been a strong performer in this competition and is one of the better players this time around once again. Should have a great battle with Matt for top spot in this group and a playoff spot should be expected even though the sets will all be tough.
boston.bruins2011 - Here we have the wildcard among all wildcards in Gary. This guy burst onto the scene in ss as one of the most dominant tourney players in recent memory and I was excited to see how that would translate to cam sets. While it wasn't a complete failure, playing only 3 of the 5 sets will not be a good strategy this time around. I get an odd feeling that this could be a breakout competition for Gary and that he could surprise a few people by grabbing a playoff spot here. I'm never like to make my picks too far out of the box though so I'm throwing him into the fight for the last playoff spot.
ta.lent - Matt has been one of the most consistent players in sscam in recent memory and is back to take it one step further here. Last season was Matt's second semi-finals appearance and he seems to be knocking at the door for a finals appearance and maybe even win the whole thing. Before looking ahead to that this group stage is definitely no cakewalk and this might be one of the more underrated groups. Can't guarantee that Matt will win his group like he usually does but he should be one of the 3 to move on.
Pecking Order - 1.Matt 2.Craig 3.Steve 4.Gary 5.Scott 6.JD
Group C (Lasko)
siccster - This guy can actually play pretty well sometimes from what I've seen using pretty good english and actually thinking the game reasonably well, but that said I really can't see him making it out of this group without a fair amount of luck. He had a pretty strong group stage last season finishing 3-2 but the problem is that he tends to take care of easier opponents with a good a mount of consistency but hasn't really shown that he has what it takes to pull off an upset against a better opponent which is just the kind of play that I think will land him in 4th place in this group.
X_STRIKE_X - Well, to say that Andy has been playing ypool for a long time would be a pretty huge understatement, this guy has been around pretty much since the dawn of time. Not really sure how his form is of late, hopefully he doesn't take literally 25 minutes per shot anymore but god only knows. I think his play will at least be good enough (if he's in any sort of good form for him) to get him a playoff spot in this group. He certainly takes his time and tends to take care of easier opponents well and doesn't make a lot of stupid mistakes so I think he'll have no problem making the playoffs out of this group coming in 2nd place.
eat_pinaples - First off gotta give props to Hope for signing up for division A, "hope"fully (ya I went there, what of it) she'll actually be able to play more than like two sets this season and actually show the ypool world what kinda game she has. There is no doubt in my mind that Hope has the skill to pull off some upsets in this group, she has certainly shown in the past that she can play with the best of 'em on occasion but sadly I think this group will be too powerful for her to win more than one or two sets. I'd look for her to finish pretty close to the bottom in 6th place.
adambuddy - Definitely glad to see AB back in the mix here. This man has proven himself to be one of the better players in ypool, he's been playing for a really long time and has been playing well fairly consistently over that time making playoffs in cam comps quite regularly through in my knowledge (I may be wrong) I don't think he's ever really made a deep run though I definitely do think he has the skill to take down the best players at the moment. I'm defeinitely looking for him to finish towards the top of this group in 3rd place.
ImThatGood - Well, I must admit I literally have no idea who this guy is but apparently he won div B last season which I guess is an achievement while at the same time not being one at all. I guess it would show that he's consistent at taking down less opponents which is definitely crucial in group stages but the problem here is that there aren't really any lesser opponents in this group. He's also at the top of the PRO mvp standings after one week not like that means anything but I'm just trying to think of stuff to fill space here. I'ma look for this guy to finish up in 5th place.
leafed_leafs - And that brings us to Jon AKA the current reigning champ of sscam by taking down mvp_sicc in the finals last season so huge props there man. Wehter or not Jon wins generally rests completely on what kind of game he brings. He can, at times, have one of the more overpowering run games out there right now making banks and other kinds of rediculous shots with a fair amount of consistency saving himself from bad leaves or bangs gone awry. However he can at times bring a pretty weak game as will happen with anyone who likes to run a lot of tables when the balls aren't rollin' their way. Either way, I definitely think he'll keep up his run from last season and take down 1st place in this group.
Group D
nish_is_my_name_choke_is_my_game - Nish is coming off a fairly strong season where he was able to beat a few quality opponents before finally falling in the playoffs. The challenge might be greater in some of the sets in this group but there are definitely wins available here. Nish at least has the advantage of knowing what he's going up against with Scott and Chris and will have a chance to slow them down. As for the rest of the group Nish has proven himself capable enough to possibly beat those guys out for the final playoff spot.
Sc0t_ - Hot off the presses I have a direct quote from Scott that said "ima play this shit this time". That must be referring to the previous two disappointing seasons where he literally lost to everyone and was seemingly pretty quick to give up at times. Hopefully a lack of focus can explain the previous two failures in this competition because most of the people here should know that in Scott you're dealing with one of the better players around. Assuming that we see the old Scott here.. taking down Chris wouldn't be out of the question but he'll at least sit solidly as the #2 contender for now.
mr_camtasia - Can anyone take out Chris? I used to know a guy who knew a guy for this job specifically but then he changed his phone number and that was the end of that. Chris is currently a semi-finalist in sscam's prize tournament where he's on quite a tear against some decent competition so far. Chris is a former champ in this tournament and no one would be surprised if he managed to do it again here. I'd say Scott is the only player who has a chance to beat Chris in a race here so he'll definitely be a lock for the playoffs and a top seed. Should finish the group stage 5-0.
TlNO_NICA - Well everyone always likes to talk about how Tino is such a nice guy. Personally if I were him I'd go on an internet rampage just so that people would start talking about something else. Tino hasn't been into the playoffs in a long time and unfortunately this group doesn't help out his chances at all. But as always when you have a player of Tino's quality who has been around forever and has seen all these players before you always have a chance. Tino has recently had a strong run in mcc's playoffs and he's going to need to keep that momentum going here to have a chance.
l2ack.em_up - Chris has had one really bad sscam season and one really good sscam season. Unfortunately his good one ended with no match being played at all as he missed the playoffs deadline last season. Chris was sitting pretty at 4-0 last season with some good good wins it was too bad the only loss was forfeited. This time around he's been tossed into an even better group than last time and 2-2 would actually look like a decent record. Chris definitely has a chance to fight for a 3rd playoff spot in this group but it won't be an easy fight at all.
sykology - Who else could really be in this group? Well to round out the 6 we have Brent who is always the consumate pro. Based on reputations alone heading into this competition Brent is the guy who I'd say is the favourite to take the 3rd seed. We know that Brent will definitely bring a high quality of play to most of his sets but the challenge here might be is there anyone else who can bring it even a little bit better. I think that if Brent respects the opponents that he's favoured over here he should be fine but it will be a fight for the last spot.
Pecking order - 1.Chris(mr_cam) 2.Scott 3.Brent 4.Nish 5.Chris(l2ack.) 6.Tino
Group E
complete - Well despite having a bit of a rough last season I had to ignore the request from John to play in div B mostly because I think he's too good to be there. Despite the poor showing last season John has had a lot of success in other competitions such as mcc where he was the top seed in the playoffs this past season. He's shown in those competitions that he's able to play a pretty good overall game and win fairly consistently. This group is probably even tougher than the one last season but there are some opportunities for wins. Playoffs will be tough but he should be in the fight.
TryMeGuy - Most of the time when I think of having to play Derrick I think of the fact that half the time I'm probably going to get a dq win because dude disappears consistently in the middle of competitions. Hopefully that will be enough of a poke to get one of the better players in the competition to play enough to have an impact on the final outcome. Derrick is mostly a run first guy who has great control and a creative arsenal of shots that isn't rivaled by many in the competition. I think he'll probably only fall short of first in this group because of a missed set or two.
ItsAJ - AJ is back in div A... easy wins for everyone! Just kidding of course. While AJ hasn't always had the most success in div A he is coming off a season where he crushed almost everyone in div B to get a little confidence boost. He's coming off an appearance in the prize tournament where he beat Craig and pushed Kenny into a 24 game set so those have to be positive signs. AJ has been around forever and it might be hard to believe that he can really improve that much but playing against the better competition definitely brings out better play in him so I think he'll be ready to at least compete in every set. I'd be surprised if he collected enough points to advance past here though.
R_ook - JT has done a pretty good job proving himself in this competition's group stage. He's routinely beaten strong players and has finished towards the top of the groups. Next step of course would be some playoff success as he has faltered there in the last couple seasons against opponents he probably should have taken advantage of. He seems to be able to master that sense of urgency in the group stage but the playoff pressure has been too much so far. JT is a pretty entertaining player to watch and his run game is air tight but this is a tough group and he's going to need to play well in almost every set to move on.
l1_stephen_1 - Where are all the easy players in this group..... next up is Stephen. Over most recent competitions Stephen has established himself as a pretty strong player and definitely a consistent playoff qualifier. I've never really been able to put a finger on what about his game I like but its hard to argue with the results. He's definitely still looking to make some kind of a breakthrough against better players in the playoffs but that should come in time. For now the focus is on making it out of this tough group and before any of the games are played I'm thinking that if Stephen can get his sets played he should move on.
trav_the_king - Well Trav has been doing a lot of good things lately, including winning mcc back to back and a deep run in 8brcam a couple seasons ago. Lately I've noticed just a little bit of a slump bowing out of some competitions against player I would have expected wins against anyways. It's easy to get distracted in sets when you don't really sense much of a threat from your opponent and having said that some focus would be wise here. If Trav cares and is playing well then he's going to finish in one of the top two spots in this group.
Pecking Order - 1.Trav 2.Derrick 3.Stephen 4.JT 5.John 6.AJ
Group F
n00bsquad_knight - Well we found out who this guy is in the last competition and he's back again to improve on the 1st round playoff exit. Stephen showed some pretty strong play coming out of a tough group winning more than half his sets. In a group that lacks proven talent he should be able to find his way back into the playoffs again. The key set to watch I think will be against David to see who can advance.
dx.hype - Well look who we have here. This guy might just be stuck here because of a strong performance 2 seasons ago. The strength of the competition actually got a little better since then and unfortunately Jack has not. I still have to admit that I'm surprised with his play at times and he does have the ability to get on a roll against the best of players at times. He's just too inconsistent really to finish high in this group.
l3_lvl_x - Always a really tough guy to predict because I really don't know how good he actually is. He's been a cam comp finalist on two seperate occasions, here and in mcc so some skill is definitely required. For whatever reason I figured he'd just start beating everyone but that hasn't exactly been the case. He's already got a loss to Pita which isn't the end of the world at all but it means that the rest of the sets are pretty important. I think he should get at least 2 set wins here but will that be enough to advance?
the_pool_professor - Here we have Kenny who is a former champ in the competition from last year. He's been off for a little while but has been back playing enough to regain some pretty good form. His only recent set results have been in sscam where he just barely managed to get past AJ in the second round. Everyone in this group is hoping that might be some indication of weakness but I seriously doubt it. Kenny vs Pita will be a great set but Kenny vs everyone else and you're going to see a difference in skill. Its really a toss up for the top two spots in the group but that still gets him into the playoffs.
o0_GoKu_0o - Sergio is back for another kick at the can. No clue how much Sergio is playing lately I haven't really seen his name popping up in very many places. He's had some pretty average performances in this competition missing the playoffs in his previous two attempts. Have to acknowledge that the guy has been around for a while and can definitely play at this level. There are wins available here but I think Sergio will be finishing towards last.
AzN_PrIdE_LuVa - Well before I start this prediction its probably nice to mention that he's already won his first two sets against Jack and David. Those aren't really much of a surprise considering its Pita. We haven't really had a chance to see Pita play a whole sscam in a while so this should be good to watch. When he's on his game he can be one of the best players around so he shouldn't have too much trouble with the rest of his sets. He really only needs one more win to make the playoffs but he'll be looking to take down Kenny for the top spot in the group. Should probably get 4 wins and a great playoff seeding at worst though.
Pecking Order - 1.Pita 2.Kenny 3.Stephen 4.David 5.Sergio 6.Jack
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