Group A (by Dante)
Well Tyson is undefeated with strong wins over Eddie, Timmy, and wait, Sid? Just kidding, he beat Vain. Tyson seems like he wants to win something. Maybe this guy is just either streaky or lucky, cause the few times I've played him, he isn't terrible, but not a Div A Title player either. But, with these statistics he's putting out, maybe he does have what it take to jump in and give lessons. Sid appeared in as a replacement, giving him one loss to Tyson, but won't stop him from making the playoffs. Jeremy has a nice win over Andy, but their both in the same boat here, having Sid and Tyson left to play in their remaining two sets. Jeremy may have some trouble with Tyson, would be a nice matchup. If Jer loses to Tyson, just kiss the playoffs goodbye. Andy has a controlled game, and should run over tyson, leaving Sid with a nice set to play with.
Two key sets to watch:
overachieving vs Hawkeyestriker - Sid really needs to win this, since he already has one loss from getting in as a replacement. He needs to keep his eyes sharp, hit his shots on cue, and don't choke. Just complete your runs and you'll be in the clear here. Andy so far is sitting at a nice 2-1 record but this set should be important to him as well either to get into the playoffs or to improve his seeding.
oh.tyson vs pro.jeremy - With Tyson 3-0 right now, it's not looking good for Jer. However, I know Jeremy can play great, and I think he's a better player than Tyson. It all comes down to who is playing their best. This is probably Jer's only chance at getting into the playoffs, so he needs to win this.
Group B
In Group B there have been about half the sets played so far with a few contenders emerging early. Trav is sitting at 3-0 in first place although he's got his two toughest sets remaining. Joining him in being undefeated so far is Steve who is looking like he's possibly returned to good form after 2 good wins. Gary is looking to prove his playoff trip was no fluke and so far so good as he has two more chances to grab his 3rd win sitting at 2-1. Luiz definitely has the ability to change the shape of this group the most as he has only played one set and really he's got the skills to make some noise. On the outside but not 100% out yet Irfan and Ryan have both hit 3 losses already but if the group ends up not being so active one of them could sneak in.
Two key sets to watch:
trav_the_king vs mvp_n00b - Nothing really important here except deciding who gets the higher seed and places higher in the group. Other than being a pretty great match up, this doesn't really dignify much in my opinion. Trav and Steve have the playoffs in grasp
xlx_chex_xlx vs GaRy_Is_My_NaMe_PoOl_Is_My_GaMe - Gary is looking to make it back into the playoffs for a second season in a row this might be his best chance here against Luiz. Luiz so far has only played one set with that being a loss to Irfan. He's going to need to come through with 3/4 wins to have a chance at making playoffs and that means that he's going to have to go through Gary to get there. If this set gets played then Luiz will have the upper hand but Gary has a way to muck things up and make his sets close.
Group C
So far there's been a lot of action played in this group but at the same time there is still a lot up for grabs. Alexx has the early lead in the group with 3 early wins with only Stu left to play against. Speaking of Stu, he hasn't played a set thus far but has been given an exemption to finish out his sets so unfortunately no such luck for those hoping for a replacement. Stu will still be the favourite here until he loses a set. The other two players with inside track on a playoff spot are Stephen and Cal who both sit with 2-1 records. There could easily be 4 players who qualify in this group while Jason isn't out of it yet he's got a tall task with two must win sets remaining.
Two key sets to watch:
zl_stu_lz vs x_i_am_me_x - Well this is a highlight for obvious reasons. We have a player who somewhat surprised by racing out to 3 early wins against one of the consistent standards of good pool in Stu. Alexx does have the early lead in this group but Stu remains the favourite and this set will be key for Stu to maintain that position. On the other hand this gives Alexx a chance to improve his seeding for the playoffs and give himself a better playoff matchup.
x_majik.shots_x vs british_pool_wizard - These two players were sort of expected to finish towards the bottom of the group mainly because of long layoffs without too many results to back up their past reputations. This will possibly be a matchup with playoff implications and probably a must win for both. The loser of this set will only have Stu left with a chance to salvage their seasons. Cal has the inside track with two wins in this group already but Jason will be looking to even things up with his second win here.
Group D (by Petey)
Here's a group with 5 players where any of them can be at the top. So far Nick, Nish and Dan have been able to reel off 2 wins and find themselves at the top. Nick however only has one set left, that against Craig, while both Nish and Dan have two left, where they should be able to win at least one. Both Jon and Craig could easily sit one two, but neither of them have played more than one set, and while Jon might be able to make a push, it's hard to see Craig taking this seriously, especially with his recent YPPC performance. Regardless, Nish and Dan are both in a position where they should be able to finish 1-2, and Nick in third barring a massive Craig/Jon comeback. With most of the matches that have yet to be played by Jon and Craig, the two biggest matches will be for Nish and Dan, against Jon. Unlike Craig, you know Jon will do his best to complete all his sets, but like Craig, Jon is a great player who can easily beat both Nish and Dan. If one of Nish and Dan beat Jon, the other will have to follow suit or their #1 aspirations fall. Seeing as how Dan has already lost to Craig, and Nish may very well grab archives over him. Dan will need to beat Jon to lock in first place.
Two key sets to watch:
nick_ownzz vs Oh My God! - If this happens, it's a must win for Nick, so he may very well just be hoping to pick up archives. A loss here will put Nick in a position where he prays the rest of those sets aren't completed, but a win almost guarantees him a spot, pending Jon winning 3/4 of his remaining sets.
_Cue vs leafed_leafs - With 4 players having the same win %, and three sharing 6 points, this match here is massive. If Jon wins, you may as well start the comeback train leaving Nish in the same position that Nick is now. Should Nish win he pretty much guarantees himself a spot in the playoffs, especially a big win, while Jon is left reeling behind hoping for a miracle.
Group E
Not a whole lot to talk about here yet. This group happens to star a two time former champ in Chris and he's doing his thing yet again so far with a 3-0 record as expected. Scotty is the other player who is holding things down so far as he's managed to grab two blowout wins to leave him in a great position to qualify for the playoffs. There really isn't too much to worry about yet for any of the other players as everyone else who remains has only one set played with the result being a loss. Any of these players has a chance to raise their level of play to make a run at the playoffs.
xlx_s_p_g_xlx vs _Brimstone_ - This will be a pretty important set for both players as Scotty is looking to strengthen his position while TJ is looking to get back on track in the group. So far Scotty's wins haven't been a huge challenge as he's put up big numbers in his two wins. The key in this set is that TJ needs to stay in the game. As long as he can keep things close he'll be a tough challenge but he does have a tendency to not be the strongest player from behind. Not a must win for TJ but would go a long way towards getting season back on track.
_Brimstone_ vs l2ack.em_up - These are the two players who have the strongest pedigree and therefore best chance to turn around their 0-1 records. Chris still isn't far removed from his impressive group stage and he still has time in this season to turn things around. This set will be more important for Chris because he still has the other Chris left to play and a loss here would all but end his season. On the other side TJ is probably the more skilled player on a normal day but he's going to need to take this challenge seriously.
Group F
This group has more than half the sets played so far and nothing has really gone according to script which will set up a thrilling finish. The old man Pascal is showing some top form lately running out to a 4-0 start with some great set wins including over Brent and Kenny.. he has pretty much clinched first place. Brent had a bit of a shaky season managing to pull of a must win victory against Kenny in his final set he's sitting ok with 3 wins and all his sets complete. Kenny and Matt look like they're the guys in the running for top 3 and they both might end up qualifying with one receiving a wildcard. Trey is still alive with only one loss so far but for him to grab 3/4 set wins might be a minor miracle.
Two key sets to watch:
the_pool_professor vs R_ook - Well really not many sets left in this group so had to pick one that's actually already in progress. Right now Kenny leads 2-0 so JT is in an early hole already. This set is very important for Kenny and it's good that he's gotten out to a good start because a loss here could take him out of the playoffs. JT is no slouch even though his results from last season and this season might say otherwise. Coming back against Kenny isn't easy but JT can get hot and Kenny could get cold. Either way hopefully JT will finish out this set and have a chance to play spoiler.
ImThatGood vs UN_NATURAL - Two players who weren't exactly predicted to do well in this group happen to be two of the players fighting to grab the final playoff spot in this group. Matt has been the surprise of the competition as it's only taken him 2 seasons to find his footing in div A and the former div B champ is just one set win away from the playoffs. Trey has only lost one set so far which keeps him alive but if he really has any chance this is one he'll need to win. The remaining sets in this group won't get any easier for him so this will be an important place to start.
Group G (by Petey)
In this group you have the two favourites leading the way with third almost already decided. Ant leads the way to no surprise with Ben in close pursuit making their match a quite tasty one. Mike is sitting as the only other player with a win and he should be able to take out DJ who is kinda not even playing pool anymore, and David as well. Mina hasn't had much heavenly smiles fall his way as he sits 0-2 with a 3rd loss to Ant waiting. For David, he picked a bad place to start playing against Ben and Ant, but is certainly capable of challenging Mike for that third playoff spot. While Ben vs Ant will be a great match, both will make playoffs with ease so it really makes no difference how that goes, especially since the best players dont always get the best seeds in these comps.
Two key sets to watch:
l3_lvl_x vs mike_the_champion - Well, pretty simple. The winner here should have no issue finishing third as one has already beaten Mina, and the other is capable of following suit. Mike has a much better chance at beating Ben then Dave did so a loss for Dave here will do nothing but seal his playoff hopes. A loss for Mike however will put him in a sticky situation as he'll need to beat both Ben and DJ to guarantee a spot, but with Mikes better win/loss, this set is much more important for Dave.
x_ant_x vs fhm_champion - While it doesn't matter as much, having the higher seed will more often than not make your route to the finals easier, and the winner here will no doubt finish first as long as they finish up their sets. Ant did have a little bit of trouble in his match with Mike, so while Ant is the on paper favourite, betting on the side of Ben isn't all that dumb. This set will go down to the wire with whoever winning gaining that better single digit number, woohoo.
NEW GROUPS
Group H
TOyBOy2Die4u - You may not know who Kazi is but that's only because you haven't been around long enough. Kazi is back in the competition for the first time in a long time. While he falls into the category of former great player who hasn't necessarily played much lately he should not be taken lightly. Kazi was a finalist in this competition just last year in one of the earlier seasons so he's shown he can be good. He might have a hard time in this group with all the great players he'll have to play against but it wouldn't be the biggest surprise to see him squeak into playoffs.
gators.rape - Scott is coming of his first sscam season where he had any kind of success. It wasn't exactly the kind of success that would really meet his potential but finally making the playoffs was a solid step. Scott still hasn't managed to break through and compete against the stronger players in this competition and that will be a key storyline in this group because there is no easy path to the playoffs here. He'll need to not only take care of business but also knock off one of the stronger players in the group to advance.
AzN_PrIdE_LuVa - Pita is back after a very successful season where he grabbed a very high seed in the div A playoffs. He's been playing a ton of competitions lately and has had success in most of them. He's established himself as a player who can compete against anyone and a lot of the time the only person who can beat him is himself. Definitely some big challenges in this group and he won't be the favourite to repeat as a group winner like last season. Should qualify for the playoffs again but will need to bring his top game.
aka_hero - Well I'm glad to see Kevin back in the competition. Not so sure about the rest of his group though. Kevin is instantly a contender to win any cam competition he enters and this one is no different. While there are challenges in this group Kevin will be the clear favourite and there is an opportunity to go 5-0 and get one of those high seeds for the playoffs. He should win this group and has a strong chance to repeat his finals performance from last year and could even go all the way.
ll_eskimo_ownage_ll - One of the more underrated/overrated players around yahoo pool these days and its hard to say which one is more true. Petey definitely plays a lot of pool and has a front row seat to view one of the best teams around in all inters so one thing is for sure... that he knows what he's doing out there. Petey has the ability to shoot very well and control the cue just as well as anyone at times but really the big thing is consistency. Consistency will be the key here to compete in 9 game sets so while Petey won't be overwhelmed by his competition here his bright spots probably won't happen enough to come away with more than one or two set wins tops.
adambuddy - Adam is a wildcard in this group especially after his performance from last season. Adam only played 3 of his sets finishing 3-0 and getting into the playoffs only to not play and be dq'ed. Definitely leaving a little bit to be desired. This group is a little more challenging this time around but Adam is no stranger to top competition and he should manage a playoff spot and could even be the guy to knock off Kevin. You never truly know what you're getting with Adam but his top game does compete with the best.
Pecking Order - 1.Kevin 2.Pita 3.Adam 4.Scott 5.Kazi 6.Petey
Group I
safdarbandali - Safdar is back in the competition after a couple seasons off. The man has a great track record in this competition in past seasons being a playoff player 3 seperate times with one run all the way to the semi-finals and an appearance in the prize trny. Hasn't really been seen in cam competitions much lately but he's been working on his game just the same and has been making a lot of noise in inters. He's the kind of player who will find a way into the playoffs and look to do his damage there.
ovvnage - The only thing standing in the way of Dante and the playoffs are eligibility requirements. No joke whatsoever as he missed out on playoffs last season because he decided to reset his stats midseason. On top of staying eligible he's also going to need to play some good pool as there are some good challenges in this group. You can say that Dante is definitely in the top 4 here but top 3 requires at least one strong performance against one of the better players in the group. Dante has been back playing sets for a while now and should be in a position to use his strong overall game to squeak in here.
p00l_charlie - Introducing the first ever SScam champion we have pool Charlie back in the competition for the first time since 2009. If he'd gotten in at the start of the competition I might have mentioned the possibility of a little rust but he's gone on to prove in 8brcam that he's definitely not too far off a very high level of play where he might be ready to win titles again. Having Charlie back in the competition definitely spices things up and it would be a shocker to not see him in this playoffs as he'll probably win this group.
sergio_zarate_7 - Sergio is probably back for his last chance in div A after coming off two consecutive poor seasons he's got this chance to prove himself. Sergio has always been an average player in div A but lately he just hasn't been able to win even one set against any of the players in his group. There might be a couple opportunities for set wins in this group but this one is probably even more challenging than the one he didn't win in last season. He's definitely an old school shooter with an outside chance at catching fire but he's the long shot.
pud'n - Shan is another pleasant surprise to have around in the competition as he returns for the first time in a while. Shan has always been a really strong player with my earliest memories being some great play for SS on inter teams a long time ago. Never really known Shan to be a great set player and although he does have an 8brcam div B title to his name that was a while ago and he's never put up great results against the top players. He definitely has a chance to do better than the projection here but his only chance at a set win might be against Sergio.
joosed_up - Yet another player from pfn inters who has decided to make an attempt to make some noise in this competition. The others before him all made noise last season so Brian is definitely another to look out for. He's definitely made a name for himself through solid results over the years and most recently he's won MCC and made a little noise in 8brcam's playoffs. Should challenge to win the group here with Charlie and he shouldn't have too much trouble making the playoffs.
Pecking order - 1.Charlie 2.Brian 3.Safdar 4.Dante 5.Shan 6.Sergio
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