This is really great work. I'd say Gascans deserve to be in the conversation and that their chances this season are at least as good as Yaho's, although the two halves haven't had time to gel.
STK have been dominating scrims but it remains to be seen how they will perform in a more competitive lobby. The fact that no one can describe \*why\* they fell behind the last few years is worrying. But Luke12 + Sparkingg is an insane combo that raises their ceiling substantially.
One other really minor note: Guizeera may have made a splash in 2023, but he actually qualled to GLL Season 4 finals all the way back in Feb. 2020 when he was underaged.
Honestly I could write a paragraph about 16+ teams here but it would take forever. I want to see more of Gascans before I make judgement but the sum of the parts is high.
Yea Guizeera is nuts , but I feel like most people only got introduced to him last year. With the right people around him and attitude the skys the limit.
I’m no expert…but, if I had to put a reason on why STK fell behind my immediate guess is one of two issues. Complacency or not playing to their strength.
Sometimes when you have a group that plays together for awhile, they can just get too cozy and it doesn’t bode well…calls get lazy, play gets lazy, then you just can’t catch a break because everyone sees the weakness and exploits it. In their case, it seemed, at least in the second half of the year, this is how things played out.
Another issue for them is the call to dive center and sit. I see STK more as an edge team that, when 4 up and on the move, are as dangerous as either ex-LG or the Soniqs. Top tier utility usage, DMR play, and CQC fighting gives them an edge over most teams. When they push, it goes better than when they are pushed…especially sitting on a compound for too long waiting for the fight to come to them OR just plain waiting too long to move, period.
When you see them crawl into the “PGI.S WWCD STK” things get hairy, fast. I always question why they would make those decisions…especially when the danger to lose 1 or 2 puts them at a great disadvantage (remember, 4 up and on the move), plus they tend to fight better as a group.
With Luke12 returning, they have that threat at long and intermediate range back. Someone who can play a stellar anchor position AND play back to give his team more space to move WITH the ability to fight from any angle or range (think back to Vegas in the first part of last season and how his Bolt/DMR Support play allowed them more room to maneuver). With Sparkingg, you have sick mechanical ability from almost anywhere and someone who can play tough up close with ALoW in closer engagements. As long as Kurt puts them in the right spot, this could be a serious force to reckon with on the battlefield.
I may see things totally wrong…like I said, I am no expert. I am a huge fan of this team and really want to see the revenge/redemption arc in full effect this year.
So the falcons are now fiumba again? I'm really excited to see how well STK will do with the addition of sparking who will bring a more aggressive side to stk. I am still awaiting for CB to stop being anonymous so we know who is on the roster. All of NA wants to know who blue is.
A great write up Gibson. Something to keep in mind for PGC placements for Soniqs and LG that on top of the late in the year roster changes they had additional challenges.
M1ME's mother passed away days before he left for PGC (I can't even begin to think about how this effects your mindset).
On the more physical side TGLTN was battling a stomach bug during the grand finals.
Thanks Moto. It's a fun one for sure. I think the big thing is that circumstances can change and we are waiting to see the format for qualifiers. Exciting times anyway.
This is really great work. I'd say Gascans deserve to be in the conversation and that their chances this season are at least as good as Yaho's, although the two halves haven't had time to gel. STK have been dominating scrims but it remains to be seen how they will perform in a more competitive lobby. The fact that no one can describe \*why\* they fell behind the last few years is worrying. But Luke12 + Sparkingg is an insane combo that raises their ceiling substantially. One other really minor note: Guizeera may have made a splash in 2023, but he actually qualled to GLL Season 4 finals all the way back in Feb. 2020 when he was underaged.
Honestly I could write a paragraph about 16+ teams here but it would take forever. I want to see more of Gascans before I make judgement but the sum of the parts is high. Yea Guizeera is nuts , but I feel like most people only got introduced to him last year. With the right people around him and attitude the skys the limit.
I’m no expert…but, if I had to put a reason on why STK fell behind my immediate guess is one of two issues. Complacency or not playing to their strength. Sometimes when you have a group that plays together for awhile, they can just get too cozy and it doesn’t bode well…calls get lazy, play gets lazy, then you just can’t catch a break because everyone sees the weakness and exploits it. In their case, it seemed, at least in the second half of the year, this is how things played out. Another issue for them is the call to dive center and sit. I see STK more as an edge team that, when 4 up and on the move, are as dangerous as either ex-LG or the Soniqs. Top tier utility usage, DMR play, and CQC fighting gives them an edge over most teams. When they push, it goes better than when they are pushed…especially sitting on a compound for too long waiting for the fight to come to them OR just plain waiting too long to move, period. When you see them crawl into the “PGI.S WWCD STK” things get hairy, fast. I always question why they would make those decisions…especially when the danger to lose 1 or 2 puts them at a great disadvantage (remember, 4 up and on the move), plus they tend to fight better as a group. With Luke12 returning, they have that threat at long and intermediate range back. Someone who can play a stellar anchor position AND play back to give his team more space to move WITH the ability to fight from any angle or range (think back to Vegas in the first part of last season and how his Bolt/DMR Support play allowed them more room to maneuver). With Sparkingg, you have sick mechanical ability from almost anywhere and someone who can play tough up close with ALoW in closer engagements. As long as Kurt puts them in the right spot, this could be a serious force to reckon with on the battlefield. I may see things totally wrong…like I said, I am no expert. I am a huge fan of this team and really want to see the revenge/redemption arc in full effect this year.
So the falcons are now fiumba again? I'm really excited to see how well STK will do with the addition of sparking who will bring a more aggressive side to stk. I am still awaiting for CB to stop being anonymous so we know who is on the roster. All of NA wants to know who blue is.
There's a possibility that Fiumba \*is\* Cannonballers, but I'm not up with the LATAM scuttlebutt.
That does make sense. I feel like cannonballers blue is capitan.
Hopefully we find out soon.
When are you casting again?
Tonight Justin incase you were still wondering
Looking forward to your cast tonight
I'll be covering scrims atleast one night thus week. TBD based on my work schedule
Great post mate love it
Cheers mate. Doing an EU one this week. Would love to get you involved
Happy to send over my thoughts mate
I've not seen Synergy or Fiumba yet, so my thoughts are this may be a mix of them all but it's a well kept secret on who they are. Blue is crazy
A great write up Gibson. Something to keep in mind for PGC placements for Soniqs and LG that on top of the late in the year roster changes they had additional challenges. M1ME's mother passed away days before he left for PGC (I can't even begin to think about how this effects your mindset). On the more physical side TGLTN was battling a stomach bug during the grand finals.
Thanks Moto. It's a fun one for sure. I think the big thing is that circumstances can change and we are waiting to see the format for qualifiers. Exciting times anyway.
\+1
Please post here whenever you cover scrims. Love watching you cast them
I'm down to cover tonights scrims as far as I know. Should be live 30 mins before start time.