eXtv is coming at ya tonight as ESEA-Open post-season comes down to the wire, and we’re getting a double-dose of cp_badlands! This map is a community favorite, and we saw a great turnout for Washed Up Gaming vs. the dinosaurs last night, with STV alone peaking at 108. Tonight we’ve got a close matchup: this season’s #4 Carl Sagan Foundation defends their right to stay in the game against #5’s WITNESS 40lb, with both teams ending the season with 12-2 W-L. Come for the action, stay for the commentary!
Click the jump for match info! Now with results and download links!
Match info:
Carl Sagan Foundation vs. WITNESS 40lb
Map: cp_badlands
TONIGHT, Feb 9 @ 10:30pm EST
The one and only time these two officially met up in Season 10 was on tonight’s map cp_badlands during Week 1, and it was close (WITNESS 40lb > Carl Sagan Foundation 5-4). Since then, they’ve both managed to rack up twelve seasonal and four post-season wins each for an even 12-2 season and 4-1 playoffs record going into tonight’s match. Of these wins, however, WITNESS has shown a much higher proficiency for this style of map with a four-win lead over Foundation on a capture point map count.
Carl Sagan Foundation (Cosmos) do seem to have difficulty countering highly-aggressive medic picks, which may give WITNESS 40lbs (40lb) an advantage in mid-battles since faceronin (demoman for 40lb) makes a pretty decent pocket, allowing both soldiers to play offensively. WITNESS scouts sterfire and phife like to play defensively, and after taking out the Foundation demo (who may push too far from the health pack in house without enough backup) will likely spend time capturing mid and defending their own demo-combo, and with the help of sticky-and-pipe backup could counter the highly aggressive Cosmos scouts, sc0nes and top-shot-tab. I expect these battles to go quickly.
Once nendsal, Foundation’s medic, goes down his teammates may have difficulty re-syncing with him. I’ve seen him hike across maps without an escort, and if any 40lbers can get behind enemy lines he should be a pretty easy pick. By the end of the season-in-earnest, WITNESS was showing a markedly greater level of coordination than Foundation was, keeping their positioning such that mypocketblows had constant buff-and-uber-building opportunities (including Boston Basher-wielding scouts during slow moments) and—although I have never been in their mumble and cannot verify this—they seem to have a high level of constructive communication.
When it nears time to uber, nendsal from Carl Sagan Foundation tends to focus-heal his pocket, leaving a lot of other team members with draining health, and I can’t help wondering if there is also a lack of attention that could lead to cosmos losing much of their force to focus fire from 40lb while the cosmos combo prepares to uber.
All things considered, to come out victorious tonight I think Carl Sagan Foundation would have to legitimately out-DM (death match) WITNESS 40lb during the majority of their encounters, as well as pull off some insane air shots or snipe-picks. Considering these teams just formed this season, and much of the WITNESS 40lb roster has playoff or even ESEA-Intermediate experience, I’m guessing 40lb managed to pull themselves together this season, and that they’re walking into tonight’s match much more prepared than when they last faced Carl Sagan Foundation.
My guess (and I myself may be a bit aggressive here):
Carl Sagan Foundation < WITNESS 40lb 2-5
If you missed the cast, here are the links!
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