Here’s our new resident Intermediate Division oracle taking you back to the future:
Mobility Gaming
vs The Jabronies
This will be a close one. Both teams have been around for a season, and both teams changed up their rosters in the off season. The Jabronies made a good pick up with kwazi on demoman; but these last second pickups will hurt their team play in this match. Expect Giffy and Rando to do well on Mobility, and expect Kwazi and Panic to do well on Jabronies. I haven’t watched many scrims of these two teams recently, however, I think Mobility will play smart and narrowly escape with a victory.
5-4 Mobility Gaming
Match of the week #1
Xensity
vs Mayhem
Mayhem is on their third season in IM, but getting progressively better. Xensity relies on strong ex-inviter pickups and heavy amounts of DM. The MVP in this match will be the map; Badlands. On most other maps, Mayhem would have an upper hand due to their developed team play and cohesion. However, this is Badlands and any player at this level knows how to play Badlands well. Expect Xensity to take a win here with strong plays from their scouts and soldier TicTac. Expect Mayhem to make good plays and Gemaud and Caidh to put out lots of damage as a demo/soldier combo.
5-3 Xensity
Match of the week #2
Leviathan Gaming
vs tf2 is for fapping
I’m not entirely sure f2p will even have 6 paid and ready to play by the time of the match. However, regardless of if they play or not, expect a fast match. It is rumored that f2p is going to be just joking around all season so I would assume that they wouldn’t be scrimming between matches or anything of that sort. On top of that, LG is one of the top IM teams this season. They did well in IM last season and made some good roster changes in the off season.
5-0 Leviathan Gaming
LASER BEAMS
vs KINGS CREW
I believe both teams are still finalizing their 6 on the roster at the time of writing this, however, plan on this match being good. Both teams are composed of smart, ex-invite players. KINGS CREW is looking more and more like the old AG-Invite, and has the upper hand when it comes to their medic; it will be up to Sigma to make smart decisions for this team. Expect YMR to also put up big numbers. However, I don’t know if it will be enough to stop the strong DM that the LASER BEAMS possess.
5-3 LASER BEAMS
STFU Mom I’m BOWFLEXING
vs THERES STILL HOPE
Interesting match up here. BOWFLEXING (aka 90lg) has apparently been having some roster issues with m0nster backing down for a while due to college. With that said, I don’t believe I have been seeing THERES STILL HOPE scrimming very often. 90lg definitely has the upper hand when it comes to experience as a team, but STILL HOPE has some strong DM’ers. Expect both demos to do well, but 90lg’s scouts will be the deciding factor here.
5-3 STFU Mom I’m BOWFLEXING
Vector Gaming
vs Tiger and Friends
Both of these teams are coming over from last season’s open playoffs. Tiger and Friends did surprisingly well last season and are becoming a good team. Vector Gaming has kept a pretty steady roster all season long, but jumped medics a few times. I am unsure whether osvg or fel are playing medic for Vector, but that shouldn’t really make much of a difference. Expect Tiger of Tiger and Friends to go huge like always and put up bigger numbers than anyone in the match. However, I don’t think that Tiger alone will be enough to stop the strategies and team play of Vector Gaming. Expect boulder to do well on Vector Gaming, putting out the damage his team needs for them to roll in and get the kills.
5-2 Vector Gaming
Farmers Market
vs Kawaii Kings
Farmers Market is a new team with many good players; however Kawaii Kings have been around for multiple seasons now. In terms of team play and strategies, expect Kawaii Kings to have the upper hand; but it is badlands which means that most players already know what to do. The experience Kawaii Kings have will not be enough to stop the power and DM of Farmers Market. Kawaii Kings is outclassed DM-wise at nearly every position here. Expect the scouts of Farmers Market to do really well and making plays.
5-1 Farmers Market
I don’t know anything
vs Xensity
I don’t know anything (formerly Incestual Princesses), are in their third season of IM in a row. Xensity is full of experienced players, but a newer team. Both teams have made heavy amounts of roster changes in the off season. Expect TicTac to do well and put up big numbers for Xensity. With shear DM and the fact that it is badlands; Xensity will take an easy victory.
5-1 Xensity
Pinball Wizards
vs Mayhem
Prediction by anonemouse
Pinball Wizards is starting the season strong, rolling through many high level IM teams and winning plenty of rounds against some lower invite teams. With a solid scout duo that has been playing together for a couple of seasons now, a very strong demoman, soldier pair, and a medic that certainly knows what he’s doing, the Wizards should take this easy. Mayhem’s recent additions include an experienced iamRoot and Zephyr. While Mayhem has been around even longer than Pinball Wizards, the team hasn’t quite gotten to the level of the Wizards. Overall, I can see almost every one of Pinball Wizards out playing Mayhem on every class. I could definitely see a mid or two go in the favor of Mayhem’s, but overall Pinball Wizards has this in the bag.
5-1 Pinball Wizards
Tf2 is for fapping
vs LASER BEAMS
Unfortunately for f2p they are going up against two of the stronger teams in IM this season for their first two matches. LASER BEAMS is full of strong, smart players so expect them to take this one easy against f2p, who probably won’t have even played together yet. That is, if f2p manages to even get 6 on for the match.
5-0 LASER BEAMS
Leviathan Gaming
vs. Pinball Wizards
Prediction by anonemouse
While LG’s new pickups include Ta “Reptile Jr” gg, and Z “amazing scout” clipse, Pinball Wizards new lineup includes vha “shottie2hottie” lin, swe “I hate ponies” ater, and k “carrier of teams” bk. It will definitely be interesting seeing Chompa returning to his destined class, and Grillz returning to medic after both not playing their respective classes in quite some time. LG has the upper hand here in terms of soldiers DM wise, but we’ll have to see if Chompa and Tagg can play as smart as vhalin and Cannon. Grillz is definitely a more experienced medic than kbk, although it might not be a deciding factor in this match. The real deciding factors in this match are the demo and scouts on Pinball Wizards. Sweater is quite far away from Magus game sense wise, as he is often found overextending or out of position. The same can pretty much be said about tang and squid versus chaaz and Zclipse. You don’t see many scout duos these days that have as much chemistry and talent as squid and tang, and if they each play their position carefully, they should be able to out match LG’s scouts quite easily. This match will definitely settle early who is the favorite of IM, and Pinball Wizards should win this handily.
5-2 Pinball Wizards
STFU Mom Im BOWFLEXING
vs I don’t know anything
BOWFLEXING (aka 90lg) has a strong scout pair, and a strong demoman. I don’t know anything (aka Incestual Princesses) consists of all well rounded players. Both teams made many roster changes over the off season; but with 90lg missing their super star medic m0nster, shadowpuppet will really have to come up big with some smart calls and decisions. Expect this one to be relatively close, but in the end 90lg will take it with their DM.
5-2 STFU Mom Im BOWFLEXING
Tiger and Friends
vs KINGS CREW
KINGS CREW has an extremely strong combo and demoman with sephy and YMR. Tiger and Friends has a strong combo with Tiger taking the majority of the heals. Expect Tiger to shut down mostly everything that comes at him with his team to help put out some damage as well. In the end, it will not be enough; KINGS CREW will overtake them with overall stronger players and strategies.
5-1 KINGS CREW
THERES STILL HOPE
vs The Jabronies
The Jabronies have been getting a lot stronger recently. They took a hit with the loss of Zclipse, however after picking up fox and kwazi they are once again looking solid. Expect Panic and Kwazi to do well of the Jabronies. The Jabronies also have an upper hand due to the fact that they played all of last season, and THERES STILL HOPE is a new team, whom I am fairly certain does not play much. Expect Jake Rockwell will put up big numbers for THERES STILL HOPE, but it will not be enough.
5-1 The Jabronies
Vector Gaming
vs Kawaii Kings
Both teams have good amounts of team play and experience. Both teams will play very smart, so that will not be a deciding factor. This match will be all about the DM and key picks. Expect milehighmilitia and thrickstr to get good picks and get a lot of frags with the help of boulders damage dealing. Chambs and Caspian will do well for Kawaii Kings but it will not be enough to overall win them the game. Even though Vector Gaming fell to Kawaii Kings in the MGE Cup, they will redeem themselves here in a close one.
5-3 Vector Gaming
Farmers Market
vs Mobility Gaming
This one will be very interesting. Mobility Gaming is team of good aspiring upcoming talent, while Farmers Market is a team consisting of strong DM ex-inviters. Mobility Gaming has a clear advantage when it comes to drogo making good calls on medic against dchow being new to medic for Farmers Market. MobilityGaming has overall well rounded players but so does the Farmers Market. The Farmers Market will lose a few rounds to Mobility Gaming’s team play, but it will not be enough for Mobility Gaming to take the win from this heavy hitting DM squad that is Farmers Market.
4-2 Farmers Market
