Vindicated vs Cyber-Revolution ESEA invite

[Aries]

Vindicated vs. Cyber-Revolution
Week 2:2 ESEA Invite
Prediction and Discussion
Scheduled for Thursday, july 7th at 9:00 pm on de_dust2

Vindicated is on a 3 win streak out of the gate, and has been playing brilliantly. Their cohesion in set strategies is Dynamic-like, and their ability to correctly play non-standard in-game situations has been marvelous so far.
I believe paradox is calling for ViN this season (egg on my face if that’s not so) and it shows. They have a dedication to simple fundamentals (e.g. stick together. Play the advantage, etc.) that allows them to capitalize on the errors that other teams make.

Perhaps my favorite thing about ViN (besides the fact that paradox is playing OMGOMGOMGOMG) is that each player seems to have a very well defined role. Darth (Emilia) likes to be aggressive, and does so regularly. That aggression is restrained though, and generally only unleashed with a well positioned support player. Paradox is generally in the midst of the main thrust of the strat. Whether he is calling or not, he is consistently wherever the push is happening. On CT side dust2 he rotates fast and often, usually managing to get into good positions in time. BigCountry and ptr awp their little hearts out, and ptr’s rifle is quite good when he picks it up. If this team gets enough momentum to get comfortable in a 2 awp setup either half they are hard to stop. HLX has been serving an interesting role so far, but he will be sitting this match for retuning starter jsd, so the story there is how will jsd fit into the team (I realize this is only how I see it because I never watched ViN in main) He has some big shoes to fill; HLX has been performing well.

ViN’s deagle saves are definitely to be feared as well. They have 2 awpers, who are usually great with the dugie, in addition to paradox who is a star (as always). They seem to have good opening plans for their deag saves, and more importantly follow them up with solid late-round tactics and with strict adherence to the fundamental principles I mentioned earlier.

I see ViN going places, especially if jsd returns and has something of value to add. If this team sticks together we WILL see them in next season’s finals, and truth be told I expect them to get there this season, despite it being the team’s rookie invite season.



Cyber Revolution. O boy. In the pre-season I predicted them as a shoo-in for Dallas. I said that the real story would be whether they could beat Dynamic, not whether they could make playoffs. The thing is, I think I was wrong.
First there was the loss of DaZeD. He’s an amazing awper and the sort of player that wins rounds single-handedly because he knows how to play this game. He’s got that feel for the push and pull that exists between the teams and he seems to know where and when the least amount of pressure will tip everything over. And now Crev doesn’t have that. But that’s not why I changed my mind.

Then there’s the fluctuating fifth, which I won’t talk about much because I don’t do journalistic research (I’m lazy and nobody pays me) and I don’t know what their base 5 is. Marlin and xperience are both great players and I don’t think it makes all that much difference to this team who plays. It’s unfortunate to have to start different people and to practice with different people. But that’s not why I changed my mind.

There was the loss to Forbidden, which was just a loss. No extenuating circumstances, no excuses. CRev was outplayed. Again, that’s not why I changed my mind.

The reason is that CRev hasn’t got cohesion. They don’t look like they are in-tune with one another as they move through the round, especially on T-side. Everything is fairly fundamentally right, don’t get me wrong; these players are some of the best in the game, and they know how to put together a site take. There just isn’t a sense of togetherness. It’s hard to describe, but when you watch a team like ViN, or Dyn, or Check-Six (last season), you get the feeling that they have enthusiastically talked about their strategy over and over again. You feel like they are one mind. Some call it chemistry, but it’s finer than that. CRev works well together, they just don’t have that extra thing, that indefinable X-factor to their teamwork that makes a team great.
All is not lost of course. Maybe CRev will settle down into a groove of practice that’ll bring them back up to snuff. Maybe the phenomenal individual skill of the players (especially steel) will be enough to carry them to Texas again. I sure hope so.



ViN 16-14 CRev




On a side note: Owen’s Power Rankings.

1. Dynamic- CSS
2. Vindicated
3. ForbiddeN
4. Cyber-Revolution
5. Lion Crew
6. Check-Six Gaming
7. eMazing Gaming
8. Just Cause Project
9. Pockets aint empty cuzz (ex- X5K or whatever)
10. Icons of Vanity
11. fighting Irish
12. Summit CSS

[French]

awesome, so what was the final score bud? If you were right, I'm starting placing bets on your predictions

[SickOne]

Nice work, Owen. Final score was 16-9 Cyber-Revolution. Good match, regardless.

[Aries]

I was wrong wrong wrong :-(

Fun anyways

[French]

Need. Better. Pundit.

Owen, you're fired