My predictions, based on my possibly poor perception of the grid and its modern teams due to my inactivity - copied from my post @
http://www.unaclan.smfnew.com/index.php?topic=454.0:
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Ladle 41 brackets have been posted at
http://wiki.armagetronad.net/index.php?title=Ladle/Challenge_Board! Time for predictions and discussion!
This Ladle will be, initially, quite intense! uNa will pull off two major upsets to make it to the Quarter Finals; SP Will have 3 teams in the semi finals, two of which will be facing each other – not to mention this will grant them 3/4 seeds! And while I don't predict it, this leaves open the possibility that the finals will be one SP team facing off against another! But unfortunately, this will all build up to an anti-climactic Championship, in which the team who has won the top of the brackets, be it R or CTA, will have a decisive victory.
Opening Round:
DS (1) vs
TX (2) [a deceptively difficult match for TX - I've seen some of the DS guys recently, and they are not nearly as disorganized or inactive as people may perceive]
uNa (2) vs Pru (1) [the first of uNa's two upset victories this ladle – uNa has been practicing intensely recently, and I haven’t seen enough of Pru to believe they’re a big threat, though the server advantage will help them win a match]
Sweet Sixteen:
CTA (2) vs TX (0) [a bit shaken by the opening match, TX will face an impossible round 2]
Rogue (2) vs uNk.Team (1) [this will could be close, but I give R the win based on how frequently I see large numbers of their players practicing]
YIDG (1) vs
CTB (2) [Liz has a strong team, but I don’t see her team – which seems to number 5 right now – taking on players such as MB53 or Empha; but the lag will be entertaining!]
ID (0) vs
SP (2) [what is possibly Tron’s friendliest team simply won’t stand a chance in this match-up, especially due to the German server]
Team.uNk (2) vs Tu (1) [this will be a deceptively difficult match for uNk – Tu has their stuff together, and will pick up at least one match win against uNk like they did vs SP in Ladle 39; and while I don’t expect Tu to win, I would not eliminate that as a possibility – definitely a fight worth watching!]
SP Sunshine (2) vs Still Alive (0) [I have seen some of these SP players on the grid a great deal recently, and have not seen too many of the SA sumo players - though I’ll admit I’m not too familiar with the SA team]
Mixed Dark (0) vs
SP ASL (2) [a quick victory for this SP team who, while they don’t have much experience together, have been practicing a great deal individually recently]
uNa (2) vs Oracle (0) [uNa learned a great deal in their defeat against Oracle last week, and will not be making similar mistakes – the matches will be close, but uNa, now better prepared for the German lag, firmly wins 2-0 against this rather disorganized team; uNa’s second and final upset victory this Ladle]
Elite Eight:
CTA (2) vs R (1) [this match is a complete toss up, and I give CTA the victory because simply because I trust they’ve prepared like crazy to tie the “Win Three Ladles in a Row” record of SP – but I will say now, in deja-vu of Ladle 34:
whichever team wins this match will win the Ladle, regardless of how the rest of the brackets play out]
CTB (0) vs
SP (2) [this CTB team is stronger than it has been in the past, but simply won’t be able to take on SP]
Team.uNk (0) vs
SP Sunshine (2) [this SP team is quite the force to be reckoned with, and Team.uNk, a bit shaken by its fight with Tu, will find itself prematurely eliminated from the Ladle]
SP ASL (2) vs uNa (0) [uNa’s victory streak comes to an end here, facing off against this deceptively, but now well proven, tough SP team]
Final Four:
CTA (2) vs SP (0) [definitely going to be a great match – almost definitely more intense than the finals - with SP racing to prevent CTA from tying their three-in-a-row record; based on what I’ve seen of these teams on the grid, I give CTA a definite advantage]
SP Sunshine (2) vs SP ASL (1) [a close match between two relatively evenly matched teams skill-wise – but SP Sunshine’s greater experience as a team will give them a firm advantage]
Championship:
CTA (2) vs SP Sunshine (0) [this match will be a decisive victory for either CTA or R – whichever one makes it to the top slot in the brackets; while Sunshine looked unbelievably strong to this point, they simply won’t stand a chance against the well-rehearsed CTA team, who will now have tied SP’s three wins in a row streak]
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