Fragadelphia x Tap 2 group stage preview
Fragadelphia x Tap 2 is set to kick off tomorrow, October 18th, with 30 teams set to compete in the $10,000 event, with a number of ESL Challenger League, ESL Impact, and ESEA Advanced teams in attendance.
Fragadelphia's second event at the Tap Esports Center this year features the now-classic eight-GSL groups that are used at modern FRAG events, meaning sixteen teams will end up in playoffs by the end of the group stage. This time around Groups A and B only have three teams due to two teams dropping out while every other group has the full four teams.
The full team list can be found here.
Group A: timbermen, Leftovers, Blue Otter Karma
Group A is the first of two mini groups with only three teams, with timbermen being far and away the best team in the group. While the team is playing with three subs and are essentially a mix, the roster still consists of five ECL players and should be a safe pick for playoffs. Leftovers meanwhile is a mix of ESEA Advanced players while Blue Otter Karma is Emmalee "EMUHLEET" Garrido's tried and true ESL Impact squad.
Between Leftovers and Blue Otter Karma, Leftovers likely have a slight edge as Advanced players, it is worth noting the Karma squad struggled mightily at the previous Fragadelphia CS/DO event, meaning they really need to come out swinging tomorrow.
Group B: Penance, Sedated, TSM 2.0
Group B consists of some truly unusual rosters as Penance is essentially the Phoenix core with REKMEISTER and Copenhagen Wolves owner Jared "Outback" Habib standing in while TSM 2.0 is two TSM Impact players alongside Austin "Austin" Meadows and two Advanced players.
Finally, Sedated is a mix of lesser-known players with the very notable exception of M80 VP of Esports Donald "SyykoNT" Muir, who is set to take to the server tomorrow after casually playing ESEA leagues for a number of years. The former VALORANT coach will hope to add some spice to a group that is otherwise likely going to see Penance and TSM 2.0 advance, although with every team being a mix, everything is on the table.
Group C: MIGHT, Revel, 4 naders and a shite entry, Brain Destroyer
Compared to the first two groups, Group C has two very clear favorites with MIGHT being an extremely experienced and pedigreed team while Revel have always performed well at FRAG LANs and are no slouches. Admittedly, we know very little about the other two teams in the group and the onus will be on them to know up tomorrow and grab our attention.
Group D: Take Flyte FRAUDS, Slugy’s Shekel Squad, Planet Express, Just Pick One
In Group D Take Flyte FRAUDS are the likely favorites as the core of the previous iteration of the roster found a top twelve finish in ESEA Advanced Season 50. The remaining squads are all mixes so the field is somewhat open, however Bradley "Slugy" Kohler's squad is a good shout as it packs the most firepower and experience of the remaining three teams.
Group E: After Hours, Amped, Boiler Boyz, Goslin
Group E features two strong ESEA Advanced lineups in the form of After Hours and Amped, with those two teams having the expectation of making playoffs on their shoulders. Group E also features Boiler Boyz who count caster Cole "xner" McHenry among their ranks. The ECL and CCT mainstay is here to have fun, but he has been known to "que ota" from time to time, so keep an eye on him.
Group F: Alter Iron, Derpy A$$ Kids, dumb dogs, The Kings Men
ESEA Advanced squad Alter Iron head into this event after recently winning Off Season Shenanigans Season 5 over Akimbo, giving them some serious street cred to make playoffs this weekend. Outside of them, the field is legitimately open as players from NOVUM, LAG's Nick "nicx" Lee, and a flurry of LAN regulars litter the group.
Derpy A$$ Kids are perhaps the favorites based on the core's time together and LAN experience, but that remains to be seen tomorrow on the server.
Group G: MCS, Spin The Block, Not My IGL, Overlooked Entertainment
To be completely honest, outside of MCS this group is a complete enigma, with no other teams or players jumping off the page, so in that case we will have to see what happens and let the best teams win.
Group H: Redacted Society, Tsunami, Enigma, Aura
Redacted Society (formerly Tricksters) and Tsunami (Fisher College) are the clear favorites in this group based on their experience in ESEA Advanced. Redacted Society have also been playing much better lately after struggling last season after being dropped by DETONATE.
For those curious, Fisher College is playing as Tsunami at this event as Shilen "K1NG" Patel offered some travel support to the team. However, make no mistake as this squad is still the European-majority lineup that honestly has the experience to potentially become the second collegiate squad to make ECL.
Fragadelphia x Tap 2 begins tomorrow at 09:30AM.
