ESEA Not-the-MDL Season 27 recap and playoffs
The regular season of ESEA Season 27 has officially concluded and all qualified teams now await for their playoff matches to begin. Below we take a quick look at each of the lower divisions to see who came out on top, as well as how their playoff brackets are shaping up.
Main
With a nearly flawless record, Bravado ended the season as the number one ranked team in Main, a record that was soiled by a single forfeit loss to Apes With Feelings at the start of the season as the team moved to the US from South Africa. Yesterday it came to light that their match against FakeOut Nation had been purposely thrown, with the perpetrating team being banned for a season as a result.
Bravado was last seen at the WESG World Finals where they took a respectable 13-16th placing and are one of the most recently invited teams to our second Dust2 Masters taking place this coming weekend.
Following close behind the South Africans in the rankings were Glockoma, Stacked Like Pancakes, and Quickhands. All three teams ended with 14-2 records, nearly tying for second and only a handful of round differences separating them.
Glockoma will be looking for redemption in this seasons' playoffs, as they came up just shy of an MDL spot with a 5-8th place finish after falling to eRa, the team who would go on to take first in the post-season.
Intermediate
Leading the charge as number one seed for Intermediate playoffs is the aptly named MDL or Bust. Their numerous close matches and overtime wins are indicative of how hard this team fought for their 15-1 record. Their only loss was to the fourth ranked team The Savages, a team they will likely see again as the playoff bracket progresses.
Several teams trailed close behind the division leaders, to include: Altruist 5, TMR, The Savages (as previously mentioned), and TEMPLE. Similar to their Main counterparts, these teams too had 14-2 records, only separated by minor round differentials.
Open
With a decisive and flawless 16-0 record, Bears Snake Exhibit have stolen the show in Open this season. A quick glance at the teams dominant match history leaves little to be said about the strength of this team, as only four of their matches reached double-digit scorelines for their opposition. They will undoubtedly head into playoffs as the favorite to win, but with so many teams in the Open division, and so few to have been played against, the chance for an upset is ever-present.
While many teams follow close behind the division leaders, such as: The Sinking Gingers, ArrowWings, CoastalGG, Squirtle Squad, and Bad Intentions, it was Tea Time who went on to place second in Open. Tea Time was the only team which claimed a 15-1 record, sullied only by a loss to CoastalGG.
Playoff Information
Playoffs for all divisions will be played out in Bo3 single-elimination brackets that can be found below:
- Main - 32 teams, matches begin April 3rd
https://play.esea.net/index.php?s=league&d=bracket&id=7006
- Intermediate - 64 teams, matches begin April 2nd
https://play.esea.net/index.php?s=league&d=bracket&id=7007
- Open - 256 teams, matches begin March 30th
https://play.esea.net/index.php?s=league&d=bracket&id=7008
For a more information regarding ESEA playoffs, be sure to check out their recent post that details all aspects of the post-season play.
