Weeks 1-5
OakWith two spots in the Tournament of Position up for grabs in Oak, competition is fierce among the top players. There are some unplayed matches, so the division is a bit tough to suss out, but InfamousCupcake, Legorve Genine, Monaters, Yglini, and Dels all have realistic shots at the Tournament, especially the first three; Legorve, in particular has yet to lose a match. Other players are still in it, but most will need both lots of wins and considerable help from others to get in.
Matches to Watch: Legorve Genine v. Monaters, Week 12 – This match could easily decide who’s in and who’s out, especially if Cupcake keeps up her impressively strong play.
ObsidianThe top 4 players in this division (Daheadhunter, Ascendbeyond, Juliusb, jd105l) have, together, played 25 matches and have an astonishing 23-1-1 combined record. But Silverthorn is not far behind, Sergioc89 has made a roaring comeback after a slow start, and Tflamee is still very much alive going into the second half of the season.
Matches to Watch: Daheadhunter v. Ascendbeyond, Week 8; Juliusb v. jd105l, Week 8; Tflameee v. Sergioc89, Week 8 – There are lots of matches up coming between the top players, but keep your eye on week 8, which has lots of them all at once and should give us a clearer picture of where the division stands after the dust settles.
IronAlmost nothing has been settled in Iron, where there’s not much distance between the top 6-7 players in the division. Dbdkmezz has looked strong and may be your prohibitive favorite, but a host of other players (Thesmiddy, Magicdoer1, Portalfreek, Howiie, Dukit, Kotte) have a good shot at the Tournament. Magicdoer and Kotte, notably, are undefeated.
Matches to Watch: Thesmiddy v. Dbdkmezz, Week 7; Kotte v. Dukit, Week 13 – Some of the division’s best players face off in week 7, while undefeated Kotte takes on Dukit, the only player to defeat Dbdkmezz in week 13.
CopperThe top half of this division is clumped pretty closely together. Max Edward Snax has lived up to his sobriquet of Max “EZ” Snax, earning 6 wins and 1 draw against impressive competition. Only Alexare, currently in 2nd place, has earned any points against him. Iggythegrifter and Zerodoom (who has more matches left to play), the latter tied for 2nd, have also looked impressive. Calvin Schoolidge, in 3rd, is undefeated and has a greater number of matches remaining, while Kmars133 is on the bubble but still has a good shot with a strong second half performance.
Matches to Watch: Iggythegrifter v. Kmars133, Week 7; Alexare v. Zerodoom, Week 7; Calvin Schoolidge v. Max Edward Snax, Week 8 – The real action starts right away for the second half of the season.
BronzeDavidw has looked strong in the early going, as has Sheph. Degran and Turnipboy are also easy contenders for the Tournament, as are Ryooo and Pox, though those latter two lag behind due to unplayed matches, giving them both more potential and more risk. It’s almost certainly going to take at least 18 points (out of a possible 24) to make the Tournament here, but more slots may be available here than in the lower divisions.
Matches to Watch: Ryooo v. Davidw, Week 8; Pox v. Turnipboy, Week 11. Week 8 is another eventful week in this division, but Ryooo vs. Davidw should be the highlight. Meanwhile, Pox taking on Turnipboy is a late-breaking match that could resolve much ambiguity.
SilverAs many expected, Dowsey has been utterly dominant, and has thus far run the table. What’s more, some of his wins have already come against a some of the division’s tougher opponents. Watermeat and Skrewwl00se have also looked strong. Pofke is a bit behind but already has the indomitable Dowsey off his schedule. Jyaty, a predicted Silver front runner, has had a disappointing start, but has turned it around in recent weeks with a hard-fought draw against Skrewwl00se and a win over Sgnurf, and is still in position to compete if their strong play continues. Notably, a large number of players still have unplayed games that could vault them into the picture; look out for Mintyrug, ml726, and Cartwright.
Matches to Watch: Skrewwl00se v. Watermeat, Week 10; ml726 v. Jyaty, Week 13 – With Dowsey’s slot all but assured barring a second half meltdown, it’s all about the matches between the players of the wave behind him.
GoldYeesh looks like the clear favorite to win promotion out of Gold. With Royalflush and Turnout8 having seasons to forget, the real action is between OpiWrites, Wodar, and Lazybear, who’re fighting for the 2nd through 4th positions, where possible promotion to Platinum and possible demotion to Silver are all at stake. Lazybear seems to have the hardest route to the finals.
Matches to Watch: OpiWrites v. Lazybear, Week 8; OpiWrites v. Wodar, Week 10; Royalflush v. Turnout 8, Week 8 – Lazybear needs to get wins over Opi or Wodar to have a realistic shot. Opi needs to avenge his week 1 loss to Wodar or else look at some harsh tiebreaker math. Royalflush and Turnout each need to prevail over the other to stay away from automatic demotion to Silver.
PlatinumPwndnoob, another preseason favorite, has fulfilled expectations, going 5-0-0 so far and looking to carve his way to Diamond in short order. Scallions, Slappydavis, and Bananaconda are mired in the bottom of the division in a close race to stay out of the bottom 2. That leaves Falconhit and Yerand as contenders for the remaining playoff spot in this division. After a week 5 win, Yerand holds the tiebreaker and a one point standings lead over Falconhit. The bottom 3 players are all quite strong enough to play spoiler, so every match here remains worth watching.
Matches to Watch: Falconhit v. Yerand, Week 9 – The absolutely critical match of the division. There aren’t a lot of plausible paths for Falconhit that don’t involve a win or draw here.
DiamondMagician1099, WarningTrack, and Cleetose have all lost more than they’ve won, with no draws. Track has more matches to play and could claw his way back into the picture with a win over KrazyCaley in a postponed match. Canadianbacon has taken a tumble in recent weeks with defeats at the hands of the division’s top two, KCMmmmm and KrazyCaley. The only likely questions in the division are these: 1 – Of Track, Magician, and Cleetose, who will avoid possible demotion, and 2 – Will Bacon be able to struggle back into the top 2, and if so, will it be KCM or Caley that he brings down?
Matches to Watch: CanadianBacon v. KrazyCaley, Week 6; CanadianBacon v. KCMmmmm, Week 7; KrazyCaley v. KCMmmmm, Week 9 – Bacon has to get on the board against Caley or KCM to have a shot, while Caley and KCM are at the top of the division and have its only draw so far.
For full standings and replays, visit the SCL Manager.