Circus Maximus Tigers (6) vs (6) Dragonspiral Tyrants
SV OU: JJ09LIE vs Mada - Quiet, but deadly, run from Mada. 4-0 with a 2-0 record in the playoffs is no joke. I feel like his stocks are up recently while JJ's stocks have been continuously going up for a while, which makes this one exciting. Going to go with Mada because I trust a bit more in the Tyrant's team selection here, but should be close.
SV OU: Storm Zone vs myjava - Rough match-up for the Tyrants here as I think I would bold java against any of the others. Storm has just been an absolute beast lately, showcasing a new level of consistency across OST. I think he has branched out with some team picks, too, which makes it a bit harder to account for everything, especially in this metagame. The highlight of the series for me.
SV OU: S1nn0hC0nfirm3d vs Poek - Both looked solid last round and S1nn0h has had the better tour. S1nn0h in general has been a beast dating back to last year, but Poek is one crazy final turn away from being 2-0 in SV and I really like the Tyrant's approach in this metagame. Going to side with Poek mainly because of that in a game that could go either way.
SV OU: Trosko vs Luispeikou - Trosko admitted to getting a little messy in the tiebreak game, but things broke his way and now he has another chance to prove he is meant for the spotlight. I know he is an elite player who uses some strong teams, so I have a lot of faith in him to rebound and pick up another W here. Rough match-up for Luis, but I think he is still growing as a player and needed some fortune to get past xavgb last time. Cool to see a Spain on Spain game; I feel like they are one of the best countries at finding conistent players tbh.
SS OU: Garay oak vs damien the genius - Speaking of clutch Spanish players, Garay oak is an absolute monster in playoff situations. He has proven it before and I see no reason why he will not do so again. Damien has been steady, going even this season in a tier he seems to like, but Garay just has the playoff winning aura.
SM OU: c0mp vs DonSalvatore - c0mp quietly going 6-3 with some clutch wins down the stretch has saved the Tigers season arguably. This guy has been around for a while and keeps getting a little better with each opportunity. I saw it in him last year, but I am very glad z0m and the Tigers gave him an even bigger opportunity this time around. He has earned it and will solidify that further here. I think he has even improved throughout the season; some sloppier games and fortunate wins have turned into more consistency the later into the season we got. Don is a great opponent and deserved a ton of praise for his run in Masters all the way to holding his own in SPL, going 4-4, but this will be a hard one to prepare for I feel.
ORAS OU: London Beats vs CrashinBoomBang - Total gut pick. CBB is 2-8 and has some rough losses under his belt. London has the same amount of wins in 6 less games. But you just gotta feel like CBB will rise to the occasion when called upon for a Tyrants franchise that needs a chip.
BW OU: sensei axew vs SoulWind - Some frustrating games for SoulWind lately, but he is still the best here and I think he will prepare well.
DPP OU: Le Don vs Dridri457 - Rough showing from Le Don in the tiebreak while I have enjoyed Dridri's DPP debut season. Predicting DPP is hard, but going with vibes here. Love Le Don's insights, but I think he is the underdog here and I am not sure where his confidence will be going in.
ADV OU: M Dragon vs pkThunderbolt - M Dragon looks like a great player like usual this tournament. ADV has been a struggle for the Tyrants and I don't know that they can change their fortunes against one of the best.
GSC OU: RealJester vs Rubyblood - I think Ruby has the higher ceiling, but Jester has been refining his GSC form all year after getting off to a rather unfortunate debut last year. Jester is an underrated player who was able to live up to his potential with a good record this season. Ruby can be a top player like he showed in SCL, but moving between tiers is not always easy and he fell short in his first true GSC test last week vs a very good opponent. His first two wins are reassuring, but I think he was always going to be favored against those opponents. I worry he will find a similar outcome this week with Jester's current level, but maybe I am wrong. I was conflicted here and my gut says Jester + tiebreaks are more fun.
RBY OU: Green on fire vs Heroic Troller - Gotta bold Troller.
Tiebreak
SV OU: Trosko vs myjava
BW OU: Garay oak vs SoulWind
ADV OU: M Dragon vs CrashinBoomBang (maybe?)