Group A
Starting things off with group B where things are going along somewhat as expected except for of course Brent's ugly 0-3 start. Brent was probably the favourite at the start of the season to take this group but now he'll have to win his last two and get lucky to have a chance at playoffs. David and Brian are both sitting out front with matching 3-0 records. With that early start both of these guys will be moving onto the next round and they'll be looking to win even more to grab a higher seed for the playoffs. Nish and Derrick are both sitting on 3 points each but Derrick does look like he has the inside track on 3rd at the moment as Nish is left with some pretty tough sets. JT isn't completely out of it as he only has 2 losses so far but he's not really looking all that great.
Two key sets to watch:
l3_lvl_x vs spc_shogun - Well obviously this is the one to watch. David is showing some pretty good form in his best start ever in the competition while Brian is also showing top form after a little time off. Both these guys should be making the playoffs but the winner of this set should win the group.
disclosure vs pro.ch0ker - Both of these guys definitely have some hope of making the playoffs as they have sets remaining but this is pretty much do or die time. Should be a pretty interesting contrast in styles as Nish will try to slow down Derrick's run game. This set might be a little more important for Derrick but Nish will have a really tough time advancing after a loss too.
Group B
Fairly interesting group here as a lot of sets have already been played. The favourite (Chris), has been replaced by another dangerous shooter in Matt. He's already looking up at a few of these guys as a lot of points have been won. Adam is sitting up top with 9 points and a 3-1 record, if he can pull off a win in his last set he'll win the group. Ryan and Nick have both grabbed a couple wins so far to sit in 2nd. Nick has the inside track as he's played one fewer set and one of his wins came against Ryan. Steven isn't completely out of it as he's managed to get 3 points with 2 sets left to play. Should be interesting to see how Matt does as the last time he played he was a finalist in the competition. He should make the playoffs and we might see 4 people qualify from this group.
Two key sets to watch:
adambuddy vs ya_maybe_bro - These two guys know each other fairly well as they often play together in inters. Both of these guys can run the table pretty well and it should be a pretty good one to watch. Matt doesn't have any points yet but he's sure to be near the top by the end of the group stage. Adam needs this win to seal first place in the group and a top seed in the playoffs.
haters vs ya_maybe_bro - Not sure if these guys are familiar with each other very much at all but hopefully they are or there could probably be some pretty neat chirping going on at this table. Matt is definitely going to expect to win this set but Ryan is no pushover. This is Ryan's last set and it pretty much looks like it's a must win if he's going to advance to the playoffs.
Group C (by JT)
Probably one of the more interesting groups that I can see in the competition. There hasn't been a whole lot of action so far with Stephen leading the way with an impressive 3-0 record. Stephen has gotten tough wins against probably the best players in this group, so look for him to coast into the playoffs. The only other person in this group to play more than 1 set is Alex, who right now is sitting at 1-2, but with 14-13 record, he still has a chance to make the playoffs. He'll likely have to beat both Jon and Jammy though, so it will be tough. Nhan is basically in 2nd right now, having only played 1 set but winning a close one against Alex. I saw Nhan play recently and he looked pretty solid, so look for his sets against Jon and Stephen to decide whether he can qualify for playoffs. Jon is 0-1 but he was last season's finalist and he's had slow starts before but almost always bounces back. Jammy is 0-1 as well, but honestly I haven't really ever seen him play, so I can't say a whole lot about him. I've heard he's good though, and an old school player, he only lost 5-4 to Stephen, so could cause some trouble still. There is also Derek, who won div B last season still in the mix with his only set being a loss to Alex. Honestly I think this group is going to be tough on him, but you never know. With few of the sets played, it's hard to tell who else will make playoffs here besides Stephen. Basically all of the sets left are important, and I imagine 4 people finish 3-2 or better, so games w/l should be important.
Two key sets to watch:
Drunk_Canuck vs x_i_am_me_x - Alex likely needs to win both of his sets to make the playoffs, so this will be an important set for him. Jon is solid but I've seen him have some off days, so if Alex shows up to play, he has a chance to win. Jon is 0-1 so it will be important for him as well. I think both players need this win, and it should make for a close set.
nhanxx vs sicc.stoned - Nhan has a good shot at playoffs if he can win this set, as Derek is arguably the weakest player in a very tough group. If Nhan wins he could be sitting at 2-0, so he would only need one more win to make playoffs. Nothing really against Derek though, I just think even after winning Div B, it's a huge step up. This will be an important match for him as well, as Nhan plays a very aggressive game (from what I've seen), it's possible he gets some breaks and pulls out a W. Both players have something to prove in Div A, so it could make for a good set!
Group D
This group is a little bit of a ghost town with only 4 sets played so far. Two players haven't played a set yet but Safdar has promised that he's back and Chris could magically appear or might be replaced. What drama!! Well so far in those 4 sets played the two wins have been split down the middle with JD grabbing 2 and Andy as well having 2. Andy did beat JD though in one of those wins so he's got the edge for first place. Ben is a sleeper in this group as he's only played one so far which was a loss. Hope isn't completely out of it yet but the two losses weren't the best way to start. This group will really need to start getting some sets played as any amount of points could lead to a playoff spot if things stay this lean.
Two key sets to watch:
X_STRIKE_X vs fhm_champion - Well it's hard to say how important this set really is with Ben not seeming to be overly concerned about getting sets played yet. His 0-1 record isn't really a big hole to dig out of and we are talking about last season's champ so he's still the favourite in his 4 remaining sets. Andy so far is leading the group with a 2-0 record and he's got the kind of skill to at the very least give Ben trouble and maybe win outright. Should be a fun battle to watch.
safdarbandali vs Oh My God! - Hoping that Safdar is actually back to make this set happen. JD is off to a great start this season after coming off the not so good season 4. So far it looks like he's in pretty good position with the 2 wins especially at the rate everyone else seems to be playing. While there are definitely some other challenges in this group for Safdar this one looks like it might be a key one in his efforts to clinch a playoff spot.
Group E
Here we have a group with lots of sets played and there's a clear outlook on how the group might shape up. The clear number one right now is Craig who has raced out to 4 wins with still one set remaining to play. Behind him there is still a lot to be decided. Scott has second place so far with 2 wins with only one set left to play where he's expected to get the win. Among the 3 players tied on one win Matt and Steve look like the standouts who really have a chance as they both have 3 sets left to play and were playoff players last season. Chad isn't completely dead yet but he'll need to win his last set to have any hope. Jason has said he won't finish his sets after losing his first 2.
Two key sets to watch:
Skills_ vs mvp_n00b - These two guys are consistently good in this competition as they've both made several playoff appearances. Craig is looking to possibly finish with a perfect 5-0 record which might put him into the #1 overall seed for the second time. Steve only has the 2 sets played so far but he's coming off a great playoff performance where he went all the way to the quarter-finals. He'll be the underdog but a loss to Craig won't give him much wiggle room with the rest of his sets.
mvp_n00b vs ImThatGood - This one is going to have huge playoff implications. Both players sit with identical records at 1-1 and are expecting to make a return trip to the playoffs. Matt's road is a little bit easier with exception to this particular set. Steve is an experienced player and will put up a pretty good fight as he'll need this win. Tough one to call the winner on so it should be good to watch.
Group F
This group has a little over half the sets played already and there are a lot of big players who haven't made their moves yet. Pita is out to an early lead and could take 1st place as he's got 4 wins still with a set left to play. He's handled all the challenges very well so far and the results have been impressive. Joey proved he's for real with his win against Travis and has 2 wins with 2 sets left to play. Dan has only played 2 sets so far and has the other 3 points in the group. Should be interesting to see how Travis and Mike finish the competition as they each have 4 sets left to play including one against each other. AJ looks dead in the water as he's already picked up 3 losses with only tough sets left.
Two key sets to watch:
dwaechte vs witheaze - Pretty important set for Dan here as he almost has to win two of his last 3 to be comfortably into the playoffs. Joey has proven he's got some game with his two wins so far but the loss to Pita shows there are some weaknesses. Dan will definitely be aware of the importance here and we should see a strong showing. Will it be enough though, should be a good one.
Travis vs mike_the_champion - Two guys who generally do pretty well in the competition. Mike is coming off a great group stage last season where he grabbed the #2 seed and Travis has basically never missed the playoffs. Eventually they'll have to play each other and the loser will be on two losses which isn't quite as comfortable of a position to be in. Both are pretty strong players who have versatile games which will make for a good show.
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