So you made it into the Minor League Esports server. You filled out your application, made it through your interview and your orientation, and have accepted the invite to the server. You might even already have a “free agent” tag on your name. Congratulations! Welcome to the wonderful world of being an MLE free agent. But you’re only halfway to playing in the league.

Now that you’re eligible how do you get on a team? How do you get all those Franchise Managers(FMs) and General Managers(GMs) to notice you? There are so many players, how do you stand out from the pack and get picked? Luckily we’re here to help guide you through the process and make sure you’re on everyone’s draft list. Here’s our official guide to ending up on everyone’s draft board and more importantly not ending up on anyone’s “do not draft” list.

How The Draft Works

Before you can get on a team it’s important to understand how teams pick players. At the start of every new season, the league goes through an official draft. Every league and every team takes turns picking players during a streamed draft event. There will be three rounds of the draft which means three picks for every team. After the draft, teams can sign free agents to fill out the remaining spots on their rosters. It’s important to know that the draft is just the first stage of Franchises filling out their teams. After this draft, there will be many spots available for free agents.

There are two factors to keep in mind when it comes to the draft. The first important factor is salary cap.  When you enter the league you’re given a salary. In each league, there is a salary cap that determines what combination of players a team can pick up based on their salary. (the one exception being the premier league which has no salary cap). This is important to know because based on how a GM or FM is planning their roster they may only be looking for a certain salary or salary range.

The second important factor when it comes to the draft is retentions. At the end of each season, GMs have the option of picking up a certain number of players from each league to keep on their roster for the following season. These are called retentions. During the draft, you will see these retentions on the draft board as they represent picks already made for that team.

How a Team Is Structured

Part of the fun of tryouts is getting to know people throughout the league. Although this may seem intimidating, you’ll soon find that the staff of current teams are some of the most friendly people around. Each team is composed of an FM who is head of the team and will be responsible for making picks during the draft. They control the final draft list for their team. Next, you have General Managers and Assistant General Managers(AGMs) that help out the FM and can be a great resource when it comes to scouting. Teams may also have team captains or scouts that run tryouts and scout for their team. When you come across any of these people remember that they’re the people that are going to speak for or against you when the FM or GM makes their draft list.

Each team and by extension their FM will have their own style and team environment. Although every team wants to win, some teams have certain things they look for in players. Some teams value players that are active and like to grind the game. Some teams value players that are more casual and focus on the social side of being on a team. If you want to know what team “vibes” with your style, the best thing to do is to simply talk to the scouts and team members about their team.

How Tryouts Work

Tryouts can be intimidating for a lot of players. Part of this is due to the different styles that teams have for scouting players and the different ways players can make themselves known to GMs and Scouts.

Team Tryouts

Teams will hold individual tryouts in a variety of different forms. Some teams will host small private lobbies throughout the pre-season that you will sign up for. Other teams will host larger lobbies with a lot of players rotating in for one or two games. A few teams may even invite you to a private tryout to play with them and get to know you better. And you will even find that a few teams hold no tryouts. They do their scouting through other mysterious means. Regardless, you’ll want to join the MLE tryout server which you can find in the main server, and keep an eye out for teams running public tryouts as this is the most direct way to get scouted.

The most important thing to remember about tryouts is that you don’t only have one chance to get onto a team. If you play poorly in a tryout it is not the end of the world. Lots of teams will be holding a lot of tryouts and you will have multiple chances to show what you can do. It’s also important to consider that some scouts may not notice or particularly care about how many goals you scored or how many times you whiffed. Many scouts are paying closer attention to things like your personality in the voice chat and if you do well in communicating with your teammates. There are a ton of stories throughout MLE of players who got drafted to a team after they thought they bombed that particular tryout. So have fun, be yourself, and try to make friends.

Scrims

The MLE has, as of season 11, relied on a scrim system to determine players’ salaries. This system is largely built to help determine what league players are supposed to be playing in along with ensuring they’ve played enough games to be eligible. Additionally, there will be some teams that look at scrim results and stats to fill out their draft board. If you are performing well in scrims there is a good chance that teams will take notice. Scrims are a great way to meet other MLE players and get your name out there. You can find the scrim channels in the Discord section titled “Emilia’s Scrim Scram Jamboree.”

Dos and Don’ts of Trying out

Let’s start with the Don’ts because in some ways I think they’re more important. If you are active within MLE and you put yourself out there, odds are good that you will find a team eventually. But if you commit one of these don’ts then you may get a bad reputation in the community and it will be hard to recover. Something new players may not know is that FMs will share info and chat about players they’ve seen. This means that if you leave a bad impression on someone they won’t be afraid to tell other FMs that you’re bad news and wouldn’t be a good pick for their team.

Don’ts

Don’t be a Jerk!

It sounds simple but you would be surprised how many people either find it hard to get a team or flat out get kicked from MLE because of a bad attitude. MLE is a community formed around having a non-toxic place to play and it takes that mantra pretty seriously. If you are bad-mouthing other players in a voice chat people will take notice. If you’re toxic to opponents or just toxic in general people will notice.

Don’t annoy FMs or GMs!

Franchise Managers, General Managers, and Assistant General Managers have a lot to do in the preseason. They are looking at a ton of players across multiple leagues. They also have lives outside of MLE and can’t spend every minute hosting tryouts for you. Be courteous of their time. Pinging the tryout server relentlessly asking “when are tryouts” is a good way to annoy a GM and have them not want to pick you even before they’ve seen you play. And when GMs do post tryouts try to follow instructions. If a GM says that a tryout is full and you show up in the voice chat anyway and ask if you can play, you are being disrespectful to both the GM and the players that followed instructions and you aren’t going to make any friends in that tryout.

Don’t Pitch yourself too hard!

This one isn’t as egregious as the last two but I’ve seen it burn a fair number of players before. Nobody likes the cocky person in the lobby. If you spend the whole tryout talking about how good you are you’ll likely end up with a lot of players who don’t want to play with you. Pitching yourself is generally good. You want to make it known that you’re a solid player and that you’ll do well on a team. But try to let your play do the talking. Remember that GMs are looking for players that will do well on a team and getting along with others is an important part of that team chemistry.

Don’t Get Discouraged if You Don’t Get Picked!

Since the addition of 3s rosters have been expanded to a possible 8 starting spots. During the draft, teams will only pick their first 3 spots. That’s a potential 5 slots that will still be open on a team when the draft is over. That’s right, I did the math so you don’t have to. There will be plenty of opportunities to find a team after the draft is over. And throughout the season players will rank up or go from rostered spots to free agents which opens up new starting spots all the time. So if you continue to be active throughout the season opportunities to find a team will open up.

Dos

Do be Active!

MLE drafts go quickly and FMs often exhaust their list of potential picks before the final round. The difference between making a team and not making a team can sometimes be as simple as if a GM has chatted with you or seen you be active within the community. Active members quickly make friends not only in tryouts but in the general chat as well. And do you know who hangs out in General chat? Those really active members of MLE who often know everyone and are sometimes AGMs and Captains who have the ear of the FM. Being active within the community is the simplest way to make sure you end up on someone’s draft list.

Do show interest in a team!

If there is a team or teams that you really want to play for, don’t be afraid to approach that team yourself. Showing an active interest in a franchise is a great sign that you’ll be an active player. Join the team’s discord server, introduce yourself to the team, let them know you’re excited to try out. Just don’t copy-paste the same message to every team in the league. People will catch on and that will backfire.

Do try your best!

I’ve put a lot of emphasis on showing your personality and not worrying too much about your play. At the end of the day, however, most teams are looking to draft the best players in the league. Especially if you want to end up high on the draft board you’ll want to impress at your tryouts. Make sure you’re showing off what you can do best at each tryout. Do communicate with your teammate and focus on winning the game. Don’t try to steal all the goals or show off with only ceiling shots. But play the game the way you feel you would if you were trying your best to win. Your style will naturally come out, you don’t have to try to emphasize it.

HAVE FUN

MLE is a great community and joining a team is a great way to not only play Rocket League but to find friends with a common interest in the game. I truly hope that everyone who wants to gets to experience being a part of an MLE franchise. Remember that the MLE is only here as a resource for people to have fun playing the game we all love.

So you made it into the Minor League Esports server. You filled out your application, made it through your interview and your orientation, and have accepted the invite to the server. You might even already have a “free agent” tag on your name. Congratulations! Welcome to the wonderful world of being an MLE free agent. But you’re only halfway to playing in the league.

Now that you’re eligible how do you get on a team? How do you get all those Franchise Managers(FMs) and General Managers(GMs) to notice you? There are so many players, how do you stand out from the pack and get picked? Luckily we’re here to help guide you through the process and make sure you’re on everyone’s draft list. Here’s our official guide to ending up on everyone’s draft board and more importantly not ending up on anyone’s “do not draft” list.

How The Draft Works

Before you can get on a team it’s important to understand how teams pick players. At the start of every new season, the league goes through an official draft. Every league and every team takes turns picking players during a streamed draft event. There will be three rounds of the draft which means three picks for every team. After the draft, teams can sign free agents to fill out the remaining spots on their rosters. It’s important to know that the draft is just the first stage of Franchises filling out their teams. After this draft, there will be many spots available for free agents.

There are two factors to keep in mind when it comes to the draft. The first important factor is salary cap.  When you enter the league you’re given a salary. In each league, there is a salary cap that determines what combination of players a team can pick up based on their salary. (the one exception being the premier league which has no salary cap). This is important to know because based on how a GM or FM is planning their roster they may only be looking for a certain salary or salary range.

The second important factor when it comes to the draft is retentions. At the end of each season, GMs have the option of picking up a certain number of players from each league to keep on their roster for the following season. These are called retentions. During the draft, you will see these retentions on the draft board as they represent picks already made for that team.

How a Team Is Structured

Part of the fun of tryouts is getting to know people throughout the league. Although this may seem intimidating, you’ll soon find that the staff of current teams are some of the most friendly people around. Each team is composed of an FM who is head of the team and will be responsible for making picks during the draft. They control the final draft list for their team. Next, you have General Managers and Assistant General Managers(AGMs) that help out the FM and can be a great resource when it comes to scouting. Teams may also have team captains or scouts that run tryouts and scout for their team. When you come across any of these people remember that they’re the people that are going to speak for or against you when the FM or GM makes their draft list.

Each team and by extension their FM will have their own style and team environment. Although every team wants to win, some teams have certain things they look for in players. Some teams value players that are active and like to grind the game. Some teams value players that are more casual and focus on the social side of being on a team. If you want to know what team “vibes” with your style, the best thing to do is to simply talk to the scouts and team members about their team.

How Tryouts Work

Tryouts can be intimidating for a lot of players. Part of this is due to the different styles that teams have for scouting players and the different ways players can make themselves known to GMs and Scouts.

Team Tryouts

Teams will hold individual tryouts in a variety of different forms. Some teams will host small private lobbies throughout the pre-season that you will sign up for. Other teams will host larger lobbies with a lot of players rotating in for one or two games. A few teams may even invite you to a private tryout to play with them and get to know you better. And you will even find that a few teams hold no tryouts. They do their scouting through other mysterious means. Regardless, you’ll want to join the MLE tryout server which you can find in the main server, and keep an eye out for teams running public tryouts as this is the most direct way to get scouted.

The most important thing to remember about tryouts is that you don’t only have one chance to get onto a team. If you play poorly in a tryout it is not the end of the world. Lots of teams will be holding a lot of tryouts and you will have multiple chances to show what you can do. It’s also important to consider that some scouts may not notice or particularly care about how many goals you scored or how many times you whiffed. Many scouts are paying closer attention to things like your personality in the voice chat and if you do well in communicating with your teammates. There are a ton of stories throughout MLE of players who got drafted to a team after they thought they bombed that particular tryout. So have fun, be yourself, and try to make friends.

Scrims

The MLE has, as of season 11 relied on a scrim system to determine player’s salaries. This system is largely built to help determine what league players are supposed to be playing in along with ensuring they’ve played enough games to be eligible. Additionally, there will be some teams that look at scrim results and stats to fill out their draft board. If you are performing well in scrims there is a good chance teams will take notice. Scrims are a great way to meet other MLE players and get your name out there. You can find the scrim channels in the Discord section titled “Emilia’s Scrim Scram Jamboree.”

Dos and Don’ts of Trying out

Let’s start with the Don’ts because in some ways I think they’re more important. If you are active within MLE and you put yourself out there, odds are good that you will find a team eventually. But if you commit one of these don’ts then you may get a bad reputation in the community and it will be hard to recover. Something new players may not know is that FMs will share info and chat about players they’ve seen. This means that if you leave a bad impression on someone they won’t be afraid to tell other FMs that you’re bad news and wouldn’t be a good pick for their team.

Don’ts

Don’t be a Jerk!

It sounds simple but you would be surprised how many people either find it hard to get a team or flat out get kicked from MLE because of a bad attitude. MLE is a community formed around having a non-toxic place to play and it takes that mantra pretty seriously. If you are bad-mouthing other players in a voice chat people will take notice. If you’re toxic to opponents or just toxic in general people will notice.

Don’t annoy FMs or GMs!

Franchise Managers, General Managers, and Assistant General Managers have a lot to do in the preseason. They are looking at a ton of players across multiple leagues. They also have lives outside of MLE and can’t spend every minute hosting tryouts for you. Be courteous of their time. Pinging the tryout server relentlessly asking “when are tryouts” is a good way to annoy a GM and have them not want to pick you even before they’ve seen you play. And when GMs do post tryouts try to follow instructions. If a GM says that a tryout is full and you show up in the voice chat anyway and ask if you can play, you are being disrespectful to both the GM and the players that followed instructions and you aren’t going to make any friends in that tryout.

Don’t Pitch yourself too hard!

This one isn’t as egregious as the last two but I’ve seen it burn a fair number of players before. Nobody likes the cocky person in the lobby. If you spend the whole tryout talking about how good you are you’ll likely end up with a lot of players who don’t want to play with you. Pitching yourself is generally good. You want to make it known that you’re a solid player and that you’ll do well on a team. But try to let your play do the talking. Remember that GMs are looking for players that will do well on a team and getting along with others is an important part of that team chemistry.

Don’t Get Discouraged if You Don’t Get Picked!

Since the addition of 3s rosters have been expanded to a possible 8 starting spots. During the draft, teams will only pick their first 3 spots. That’s a potential 5 slots that will still be open on a team when the draft is over. That’s right, I did the math so you don’t have to. There will be plenty of opportunities to find a team after the draft is over. And throughout the season players will rank up or go from rostered spots to free agents which opens up new starting spots all the time. So if you continue to be active throughout the season opportunities to find a team will open up.

Dos

Do be Active!

MLE drafts go quickly and FMs often exhaust their list of potential picks before the final round. The difference between making a team and not making a team can sometimes be as simple as if a GM has chatted with you or seen you be active within the community. Active members quickly make friends not only in tryouts but in the general chat as well. And do you know who hangs out in General chat? Those really active members of MLE who often know everyone and are sometimes AGMs and Captains who have the ear of the FM. Being active within the community is the simplest way to make sure you end up on someone’s draft list.

Do show interest in a team!

If there is a team or teams that you really want to play for, don’t be afraid to approach that team yourself. Showing an active interest in a franchise is a great sign that you’ll be an active player. Join the team’s discord server, introduce yourself to the team, let them know you’re excited to try out. Just don’t copy-paste the same message to every team in the league. People will catch on and that will backfire.

Do try your best!

I’ve put a lot of emphasis on showing your personality and not worrying too much about your play. At the end of the day, however, most teams are looking to draft the best players in the league. Especially if you want to end up high on the draft board you’ll want to impress at your tryouts. Make sure you’re showing off what you can do best at each tryout. Do communicate with your teammate and focus on winning the game. Don’t try to steal all the goals or show off with only ceiling shots. But play the game the way you feel you would if you were trying your best to win. Your style will naturally come out, you don’t have to try to emphasize it.

HAVE FUN

MLE is a great community and joining a team is a great way to not only play Rocket League but to find friends with a common interest in the game. I truly hope that everyone who wants to gets to experience being a part of an MLE franchise. Remember that the MLE is only here as a resource for people to have fun playing the game we all love.

After a long season with more games than any previous, we’ve reached championship weekend for season eleven of MLE. This season we expanded to five leagues which means five champions will be crowned and a lot of history will be made. Seven franchises have a shot at winning their first ever championship. Both the Elite and Tyrants have a chance to be the first team to hold four titles, while the Outlaws are looking to be the fourth team to enter the three title club. There’s going to be a lot to play for so be sure to tune in to catch all the action on the MLE Twitch Channel.

foundation League Final

By Kickpuncher

#3 Demolition vs. #3 Hive @5PM EST on MLESPORTSGG

The Demolition and Hive are two teams that have yet to win a championship. After the Foundation League finals, one of them will take home their first. And what better way to do it than with a pair of players fresh to the franchise as well as the league. These rookies are only beginning to learn the history of their teams and will now be shaping it. Whether this brings more pressure or less only they can say. 

On every Foundation League team, there is a fair amount of turnover. That’s the simple fact of having a low-level league, players are going to improve and move up. But the Hive has seemed to be a revolving door of players this season. Yet despite that, they have each time found new players that are able to maintain the level of competitive play to keep them on top.  Perhaps it is the brilliance of the Hive franchise that they have ended the season with two of the best players in the Foundation League this season.  Woah and Sir Lunix looked confident in their first series of the playoffs. In their second series, they looked superb. Combining for 19 goals on 41 shots in a 4-0 sweep is what I would define as a dominating Foundation League offense.

Both are beginning to show the mechanical ability that not only makes them a good bet for their playoff match but should also have some Academy League scouts paying attention for next season’s draft. Watching them grow in their comfort level in the air and on the walls from their first match to their second match was incredible. It was as if the Jets had been given one week to prepare while the Hive had been given a month of grinding in between the first and second round of playoffs.  If they continue on this trajectory of building chemistry and confidence in their play it may be all double touches and redirects in the finals.

The Demo conquered two playoff favorite teams in the league to get to where they are. They stunned both the Outlaws and the Spectre with solid defense and great counter attacks. What has impressed me the most about the team’s wins is just how they’ve been able to break down their opponents with team plays. In the conference finals, Sobe and UhSpicey combined for 11 assists on 19 goals. Everything that the Demo did seemed to be to help their teammates make the play. This pair looked in sync for the majority of their 4-0 sweep and not just on the offensive side. Facing off against the number one dribbler in the League the Demo pushed up and challenge Lavar Ball early, dominating the midfield and giving the Spectre no space to make a play. They face off against talented mechanical players in the final but if their chemistry and team play holds strong they’ll end up controlling the possession and the series.

Both teams look primed to have a great final but only one can take the championship. In a best of seven series look for these players to push the limits of what people have seen from the Foundation League. You’ll see aerial solo plays, team passing plays, and aggressive bump plays. And at the end of it all, we’ll have two brand new champions who are sure to cement themselves as future MLE stars.

Academy League Finals

By Kickpuncher

#7 Tyrants vs. #2 Puffins @6:30PM EST on MLESPORTSGG

No matter who wins the Academy League Finals on Saturday it will be another history-making moment for MLE. If the Tyrants take the victory they will be the first 7 seed to win a championship. If the Puffins win it will be the first title in the franchise’s history. Each of these teams wants this win for their franchise as well as for themselves but only one team can walk away the victor. Who will finish off an amazing Academy League playoffs with a win?

What seems to be the strength of the Tyrants throughout their playoff run is the consistency of both Cheeto and DDia on offense and defense. Both players appear composed on both sides of the pitch. They know their rotations and know when to boost steal, which happens swiftly and often. The story of this Tyrants team has been an underdog tale but perhaps one that most people never saw as unexpected. DDia and Cheeto have put up stellar performances throughout the season and their record didn’t quite reflect the talent at the top of this roster.

But they proved their worth in facing off against the 2nd and 1st seeds in their first two rounds. They managed to stun high powered offenses and staunch defenses. The pair has been faster than all their opponents beating teams to the challenge and never hesitating to watch a play develop. The other stand out has been their dominance on the 50/50. Even during close games plays seem to pinch in their favor with a consistency that speaks to how strong these two players are at the challenge game. This is a team that has been forged in fire and won’t be thrown off by any attack. If the Puffins don’t have an answer for their viper like strikes they may just shock yet another high seed and snatch the title for themselves.

The combination of Bango and AubreyE has been a duo with chemistry and momentum that most in the Academy League knew could make a playoff run. Within the Puffins franchise, however, that feeling of being the underdog has never gone away. Having put together a number of potential teams that fell short, the franchise is still searching for its first franchise title. If ever there was a team to push them to victory it’s Bango and AubreyE.

Bango is the flashier of the two and is the most likely candidate for highlight plays of any person left in the final. Their comfort in the air and shot placement is what helped them take down the first seeded Hawks in the conference finals. But the silent backbone of the team has been the defense and playmaking of AubreyE. AubreyE has put in a slew of great goal-line saves throughout the playoffs and has been feeding backboard passes to Bango throughout the series. It’s a team with very specific roles but they play them both very well. When the Puffins are allowed to play their brand of Rocket League they can control the game and take on any opponent. It may be just a formula that wins them a championship.

This matchup is a clash of two different seeds and two different speeds and two different styles. But despite that I expect this to be a back and forth series. Both these teams have a lot of determination and they won’t be giving up easily. There will be many close series this weekend but If only one goes the distance I expect it to be this one.

Champion League finals

By iAndray

#1 Elite vs #7 Hawks @8PM EST on MLESPORTSGg

This is truly a match to behold. If any of you reading this are also hockey fans it might remind you of the St. Louis Blues vs. Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Final last year. It sure does for me. The Elite has been in the upper echelon of the Champion League for the whole season while the Hawks squeak in as a low seed and have done all but win the season 11 trophy for the mantle. Only one final challenge remains for the Hawks and it is a doozy. 

The Elite play Champion League Car Soccer like no other team I’ve seen. Usually, players will haphazardly fall into rolls for a game or two but it seems to me that Pandamazing and Wubby had a plan from the get-go to make Wubby the playmaker and Panda the striker. The synergy I saw from them last weekend was a whole new level from what I’ve come to expect; full-field lobs into redirects, cross-seam grounders into steamers directed at a shell shocked keeper, and reads off of clears from their teammate that proved their spot at the top to be completely legitimate.

My only gripes with this team are simply that they played too well to accumulate that crunch-time experience that the Hawks have. Possibly they won’t need that experience if their play continues on how it has but rarely does a final come and pass without a clutch play or two. The last thing I’ll say regarding the Elite is their lack of motivation to play to their full ability when a team is sluggish and not playing very well. In the series against the Tyrants, a massive win in the first game should have bolstered them on to take this series in a dominant fashion. And while they did sweep the Tyrants, it could have very well gone the other way due mainly to the Elite letting off the pedal as the series went on, resulting in three one-goal games, the final going 2-1 to the Elite.

Oh Hawks, what a franchise you’ve built, 4 championship finals in your history, and now a very good chance at taking home a title. Winning a series in 7 games is exciting, exhilarating, and will surely push these players to give their all for that trophy win. I’ve been having a hard time keeping my eyes off of Orange Monkey, his play reminds me so much of Flakes. Not only do they both choose the oddest cars to take onto the field no matter how big the task ahead is, they both see the field in a similar manner. I noticed early on in watching Orange Monkey play that he avoids 50-50s at all cost and takes as much time as is given to him. Not to mention his pre-disposition to flicks and dribbles, a connoisseur of the art even.

KillingHabits is such a gifted player as well. I only hope that we can see a bit more consistency coming out of his play come game time. I love watching him do twirls in the air and make flip reset attempts just for the pure joy it gives me in holding onto hope of seeing it land and a “This is Rocket League!!!!!” moment. But, in being an impartial observer I am always hoping for the closest, most tightly contested game possible. That means returning to base mechanics and outplaying his opponents as easily as I know he can.

Master League Finals

by Rolo

#6 Outlaws vs. #3 Jets @9:30PM EST on MLESPORTSGG

The Outlaws were able to clinch the Orange Conference Title with a 4-1 series win over the Spectre. The series was much closer than what the scoreline would suggest, with games three and four going down to the wire. Games one and two were back and forth contests, with the Outlaws taking the first game in convincing fashion and the Spectre returning the favor in game two. Spectre came out incredibly shaky in the first game and responded well in the following contest. They took that momentum into game three, dominating the field, putting up immense pressure, and forcing the Outlaws into seven saves. The Outlaws were able to squeeze out a tying goal when tragedy struck for the Spectre and a runner the other way from the Outlaws gave them the game-winning goal with under 5 seconds left.

Game four was wilder still, believe it or not. The Outlaws were up 3-1 with under 20 seconds remaining and the Spectre were able to tie up the contest, with Blackwatch hitting a sublime redirect to force overtime. Both teams looked off and disorganized in the overtime contest, with the game, unfortunately, being decided by a heartbreaking own goal by Blackwatch. Game five went as game one did for the Outlaws as they were able to secure the victory in a convincing last period.

The Jets booked their ticket into the Championship Final with a 4-0 series sweep against the Hive. As was the case with the Orange Conference Final, the series scoreline is not entirely indicative of how the series went. Both games two and four went into overtime, with game three being a 1-0 bout. In the overtime periods, both teams buckled down on defense, with a lot of back and forth in the midfield. The Hive could have taken either of those games but committed one too many defensive errors and the Jets capitalized. The only more lopsided game was game 1, in which the Jets went up 2-0 quickly, never relinquishing their lead, on route to a 5-3 win.

Going into Championship Saturday, the Outlaws must be ready for the sheer offensive pressure that the Jets will bring.  In their 3-1 series win against the Hurricanes, they put up 47 shots. Against the Hive, they put up 47 shots as well. Averaging nearly 12 shots a game, the Jets look to keep their opponents disorganized and imbalanced. What is of concern for the Outlaws, is that Ripperr is starting to put up bigger numbers, and the offense is not nearly all on Bond Brother. Ripperr finished the Hive series with a 5.35 MVPR and 7 goals, both highs in the lobby.

If any team can neutralize this pressure, it is the Outlaws. In the Spectre series, their defense bent but did not break, and came up huge when needed. Blackwatch and Light finished with 5 and 8 goals, respectively. However, 3 of Blackwatch’s goals came in game four, and 4 of Light’s goals came in game two. The Outlaws were able to mitigate the damage and not allow the Spectre to put up multiple games of high offensive output. The Outlaws will also be looking to balance out their own offensive output and not have Llama being the sole teammate putting up high numbers. KyleSpanx finished with a 4.27 MVPR against the Pandas, but only finished with a 3.57 MVPR against the Spectre, the lowest in the lobby. Look to them wanting a bounce back series against the high flying Jets.

Premier League finals

by Kickpuncher

#1 Bulls vs. #1 Wolves @11PM EST on MLESPORTSGG

With the MLE expansion to five leagues, the Premier League isn’t new in name but it feels as if this title is a new level of prestige for the inevitable champions. The addition of a league with no salary cap has brought top talent into the fold. Now we’ve seen these players compete for a full season and throughout the playoffs, two teams have emerged as a rung above the rest. The Bulls and the Wolves have breezed through the first two rounds going 7-1 and 7-0 respectively. Now we see the face-off that we’ve waited all season to see.

I’m struggling to think of what I can say about the Bulls that I haven’t said already. The Bulls are good. It’s that simple. They execute plays with consistency and speed. The greatest example I saw of the Bulls play came in game four against the shadow. Canadiyan and Braided Axe were charging on offense when Canadiyan went ahead for the bump while Braided Axe attempted to flick for the score. Not only did the Bulls manage to make the save, they turned around on the counter-attack and executed that exact play the Shadow just attempted but Comp buzzed the net, cutting off Canadiyan and Deluxe banged a flick top corner. They stole the playbook from the Shadow and showed them how it was supposed to be done. Comp has been unstoppable in the playoffs posting a 7.094 and a 6.040 MVPR over two series. He is as clutch on the goal line as he is air dribbling from the wall to the air.

The Wolves are the team that seemed to be the perfect match for the Bulls. In watching every game from the Wolves two playoffs series I can’t recall a single play where the Wolves looked panicked. During game two of their series against the Eclipse, Lotty Lettuce was forced to dodge a demo and was unable to prevent a ball from rolling across the goal line. Without a jump or a dodge, Taki simply swooped in and drove the ball cleanly into the corner then drove it all the way back down and passed it out of the opponent’s corner to Lotty Lettuce who was waiting to bang in a shot. At times it has looked as if the was team practicing without opponents. The Wolves look cool and calculated at all times. There are no double commits or wild dives present in their game, just solid smart play. Lotty Lettuce is expected to carry the weight of the team with their 20 Salary but at an 18 salary, Taki has been a huge factor in this team’s ability to play an evenly spaced out attack. In this playoffs, they’ve put up 10 goals, 9 assists, and 17 saves. That’s enough to draw attention to them and away from the mechanical play of Lotty Lettuce.

The composed team attack from the Wolves may be the answer to the Bulls’ flashy offense. But the Wolves may be tested with a level of team they haven’t encountered before. There will be a lot of pressure on both teams to bring home the title but it’s a pressure that these players are used to. All four made a playoff appearance last season. But only Comp has held the title of Premier League Champion when they won season 10, beating out none other than Lotty Lettuce in the finals. Will history repeat itself and give Comp another championship or will Lotty Lettuce get their revenge?

The first round fo the new Premier League has finished and the Conference finals is about to begin. Four teams remain and the Talent level of each player on the field is higher than we have ever seen in MLE. Who will rise above the other and prove to be the best? Let’s talk through the contenders as we cover the Conference Finals of the Premier League playoffs.

Orange Conference- Saturday, Dec. 12th

#1 Bulls vs. #3 Shadow @ 10PM EST on MLESPORTSGG

The showdown in the Tropic Division was a great match to watch last weekend. As promised TrashVan and BraidedAxe had their fill of highlight plays. Danger and Trashvan took to the air in game one. The Shadow had to win in overtime with a very defensive style of game. In the second game, the Sharks kept coming and managed to shut out the shadow and tie the series. In game three, it was perhaps the Shadow that smelled blood in the water. Both players seemed to make a conscious effort to speed up the pace of play and a back and forth game commenced. Every time the Shadow came down with a stellar play the Sharks would have a miraculous save right at the point of the shot and answer with their own attack. Both teams raced back and forth for just shy of eight minutes before the Shadow got the OT series winner.  What we expected in this series was for Braided Axe to be the playmaker for his team but what has perhaps been the storyline of last week was just how well Canadiyan is playing under pressure. If both players can keep up the level of play they showed in shutting down the Sharks they have a decent shot at an upset this week.

On the other side, the Bulls seemed to have an easy time with the Elite. In a dominant 3-0 sweep, there was never a doubt that this was the Bulls series to lose. Comp and Deluxe mechanical abilities seemed to be a great fit. The pair combined for 15 goals in just three games. Often times it was Deluxe making a play to set up Comp or just beating both defenders and allowing Comp to clean up. But it seemed on both offense and defense the duo outclassed the talents of the Elite. With Comp coming back to the league late in the season and Deluxe putting up top numbers throughout the season it seems we are only now beginning to see the top level of what the Bulls are capable of. That’s a scary thought when you see the numbers the team was putting up without this top lineup. It’s hard to bet against the Bulls at this point with just how good they look. But each match will be a new test and Each of the three teams left is hoping they have an answer to the style of play that these two players bring to the table. 

The Shadow stepped up big in their match against the Sharks, but now they perhaps face the toughest test of the tournament. Both players will need to bring their best game against the Bulls. I’m not saying that the Shadow can’t overcome this dominant Bulls duo. But if you’re looking for a long shot in your pick’ems this is the one.

Blue Conference – Sunday, Dec. 13th

#1 Wolves vs. #3 Eclipse @ 10PM EST on MLESPORTSGG

First, we should perhaps address the orange and green elephant in the room. The Eclipse moved through to the conference finals by way of the Hurricanes not making the match and handing their opponents an NCP. This was unfortunate for the fans and for the Hurricanes Franchise. There is not much more to say about the Eclipse after last week’s preview. The team is fast, accurate, and was surely capable of taking the series had they gotten to play their match. They will no doubt be scrimming and continuing to keep their eyes on the prize of taking home the first PL Championship. Expect them to come into this weekend’s match looking to prove that they would have won their first round no matter what. 

For the Wolves, they did have to play a match last weekend however it looked to be business as usual rather than the trial that was expected. A comfortable 3-0 sweep for Taki and Lotty Lettuce, that seemed to go exactly how they drew it up.  The Wolves took the series thanks to rotational play, defensive awareness, and accurate shooting. It was a series largely won in the midfield with both teams not making a lot of mistakes nor committing to too much offensive pressure. But when the Puffins did present threats against the Wolves net it was Taki who came in clutch with 11 saves over three games. Lotty Lettuce was of course an expected offensive force with 8 goals on 14 shots. Nothing about the Wolves’ win seemed overly flashy and they didn’t lean toward any specific style of play but it appeared that they didn’t have to. They played with the composure of two players in a casual lobby just doing what they do best and mixing up their approach from time to time.

This Conference final might have people guessing because I believe both teams haven’t shown their full hand just yet. Look for this match to go to the team that comes out hot and sets the bar higher than these players have had to play so far these playoffs.

Everything is on the line for the final four. A chance at being the Conference Champion and more importantly, a shot at the ever so elusive MLE Championship Title. Find out this weekend who will prevail over on the MLE Network.

There are upsets galore as the competition in the Champion League playoffs heats up. The Conference Finals promises more high-level plays and even more tightly contested matchups. Can one of the underdog teams take this Cinderella run all the way to the league title or will the top seed take the day and prove why they were the number one from the beginning? Lets take a look at what’s in store for this round of the Champion League playoffs.

Orange Conference – Saturday, Dec. 12th

#1 Elite vs. #5 Tyrants @ 8pm ESt on MLESPORTSGG

There’s one top seed left in the Champion League bracket but as we get further into the playoffs it seems the underdogs have all the momentum. Will the Tyrants continue the streak of upsets or will the Elite prove to be just that, Elite in the Champion League?

When the Elite are on form, it seems like nothing can get in their way. Their offensive playmaking and shooting ability are at the top of the Champion League. Mushu and PANDAmazing combined for 20 goals on 34 shots in the back and forth series. The Demolition seemed to give the number one seed a tough challenge, however. The Demo took two games off the Elite and appeared in game four to have their number. The Demo met every challenge from the Elite and simply gave them no space to set up a play. When the game came down to defensive play and winning challenges it seemed to go to the Demo. In game five the Elite were able to find space again and get the 4-3 overtime winner. Give the Elite the opportunities and they will make the play every time, but if they want to win the championship this season it seems that the Elite will have to work hard to make the space themselves. No team left in this bracket is going to give it to them. 

The Tyrants hit their stride against the Comets in the Orange Conference Semi-Final. We knew that this team would be aggressive and push up for the challenge. What the Comets were perhaps not ready for was the speed of this Tyrants team. The Tyrants constantly caught the Comets upfield and punished on a counter-attack against the one shadowing defender. The way TSR and Trusolja were able to transition offense to defense proved lethal in this four-game series. They stumbled a bit in game two when the Comets brought on shot after shot to keep the Tyrants on the back foot. But the Tyrants are a team not to be shaken. They continued to play solid both offensively and defensively and capitalized on their opportunities. Trusolja was the MVP of the series with 8 goals and 11 saves on the series but what makes the Tyrants so lethal is that both players have the potential to pop off in a series.

Blue Conference – Sunday, Dec. 13th

#6 Sabres vs. #7 Hawks @ 8pm ESt on MLESPORTSGG

This season’s playoffs has proven to be the most unexpected in MLE’s history. Not one but two Conference Finals has a 6th seed matching up against a 7th seed for the first time. But when you break down the Sabres and The Hawks you can see why these two teams have talent that far outweighs their low seed.

The Sabres have the mechanical ability that can burn you individually. But What I like about the Sabres is their team chemistry and awareness on the field. Every time the Sabres have the ball they seemed to slow the pace down and assess where their space was while other teams would be tempted to race into the defense and take the 50/50. Both players not afraid to take to the air with the ball but often sought to work the backboard and trust their teammate for the cleanup. Lil Lettuce has been a key offensive player throughout the season but accuracy plagued them throughout the season. But Solrak came in clutch and was able to finish off enough of the plays that lingered in the offense. The Sabres dropped games two and three due to missed opportunities but were able to put enough home to secure the win. If the Sabres want to make the final they will need to execute more of the same but with better shooting accuracy.

There are two things I know about Orange Monkey, they play their MLE matches in a Merc and their dribbling and flicks are some of the most lethal in their League. It was those very flicks that won them an AL championship title for the Hurricanes in Season 10. You can see that the Hawks have embraced Orange Monkey’s style. Most of the series versus the Puffins was a back and forth battle of two teams trading dribbling plays at a supersonic pace. But after two seasons of this style, it seemed for a moment the Puffins had caught on to their opponent’s tactics. As many times as Orange Monkey’s flick burned the defense, they also got challenged early and had to rush back to the defensive. The most lethal attacks from both sides came from aerial plays which burned the boost of these two great defenses. KillingHabbits proved to be the X-factor in this department as they often elevated the ball to keep the Puffins on the back foot.  But it seemed to take the Hawks till game four when they changed their pace and let the Puffins take the offensive that they took control of the series. They focused on winning defensive challenges and striking from the counter-attack which produced results immediately. They finished out game five in a dominant fashion. This team has a polished offense but can turn to their defense when they need to. That could make all the difference as they face off against the high powered offenses to come.

Everything is on the line for the final four. A chance at being the Conference Champion and more importantly, a shot at the ever so elusive MLE Championship Title. Find out this weekend who will prevail over on the MLE Network.

The Academy League Conference finals have two top seeds battle it out in the Blue Conference while the 6th seed faces off against the 7th seed in the Orange Conference. Regardless of their seeds, all final four teams have proven they have the ability to dominate play and win games. Only one team can take the championship and each of these four will continue to prove this weekend why they deserve the title. Let’s take a look at the final four teams in the Academy League Playoffs.

Orange Conference – Satruday, Dec. 12th

#6 Outlaws vs. #7 Tyrants @ 7pm ESt on MLESPORTSGG

I try not to show my personal opinions too much when writing but there’s one thing I think should be made clear. I love underdogs. No matter my personal views, these two teams should give everyone a reason to be excited. The 6th and 7th seeds may seem like they have a slim shot at the final. But if you watch their play from last week you’ll see two teams that are ready to take home the trophy for their franchise.

Full disclosure as a Bears player that bleeds blue the Tyrants vs Bears match still hurts to think about. To say the Tyrants stunned the Bears seems like an understatement. They took on the best offense in the conference and held them to just seven goals in four games. DDia and Cheeto came out of the gate in game one like they were the top team and the Bears were the Monstars from Space Jam, but before they transformed and they were just goofy cartoons that couldn’t dribble. At no point in the first two games was any respect given to the considerable mechanical ability of Bacon and Nty. The speed of play from both DDia and Cheeto was not at all what the Bears were comfortable with and any attempt to slow the play down was met with an immediate challenge. And those challenges were dominated all series long by the Tyrants. In Game three, the Tyrants let off the gas slightly and the Bears seemed to find the space they needed to show why they have dominated the league. But after one overtime win for the Bears, the Tyrants simply answered back with their own impressive shooting and composed counter attacks.

The Outlaws have yet to lose in the first two rounds of the Academy League playoffs since they joined the league in season 8. So if nothing else, I think this should be the beginning of the #NerfStovvads movement because clearly, he is somehow OP as a General Manager. When the Wizards and Outlaws both won in game five overtimes I predicted that this series would be a close five-game matchup as well. And boy, did this series not disappoint. This time it was the Wizards with the confidence out of the gate. They quickly put the ball on the Outlaws backboard and made sure to keep it there until Mario_RL could go up to find the back of the net. After the Wizards went up two games, the Outlaws knew they had a tough task ahead of them. But in game three we saw the power shift that can happen with the simple act of controlling the kickoff. The Outlaws took the offense to the Wizards first and the speed of FlaMEz and Daywalker immediately changed. The Outlaws began attacking the play and taking the ball up the boards.  On the defensive side, Daywalker became a solid wall, putting up 14 saves including a few in game five to send them to overtime.

These two teams aren’t affected by the play of their opponents. If anything they’re elevated by the level of play they face. The Tyrants will come into the conference finals with a salary advantage. But the history of both these franchises proves that you’d be a fool to count either of them out before the game is over. 

Blue Conference – Sunday, Dec. 13th

#1 Hawks vs. #2 Puffins @ 7pm ESt on MLESPORTSGG

The finals of the Blue conference will be a clash between styles and mentalities. While both teams have proven why they’re the league’s top teams they both showed flaws in their game with the Hawks dropping two games to the Ducks while the Puffins dropped a game to the Sabres. Now as these two teams face off, who will be able to expose their opponent’s mistakes and who will be able to adapt and overcome to make it to the Championship Finals

The Hawks came out hot in their series against the Ducks. After winning the first two games 8-2 and 8-5 it looked like the match was going to be the Hawks show. More specifically it looked like it was going to be the Lawrence show. Lawrence spent the first two games glued to the ball. Any time a Ducks car even got close to a possession, Lawrence was right there to put in a challenge. ITSLAPPY was perfectly content to sit back and watch his partner pressure the opponents, effectively cleaning up any free ball that pinched into the open. It seemed like a perfect strategy until the Ducks adjusted their pace in game three and were able to find quick touches around the pressure defense of Lawrence. Once ITSLAPPY began to get stuck with a few 1v2s it was clear that the Hawks gameplan changed quickly and not for the better. Once the number one team fell behind, the double commits came out, the trust left the team and Lawrence went from ball possession to ball chasing. But all credit to the Hawks who must have had a pow-wow in between games 4 and 5 because they were able to regroup in a game five decider, spread out their positioning to give them both space to make mechanical plays and shut out the Ducks to take the series.

The Puffins duo didn’t come out with quite the same statement game of the Hawks. But it did look as though Bango and AurbeyE came out with a clear game plan and were able to execute it successfully for the first two games. Once this Puffins team had the ball they continually worked the offensive corner rotation and their opponent’s backboard until the Sabres defense crumbled under the pressure and the lack of boost. It’s a classic strategy but it’s time tested and the Puffins seem to do it better than anyone. It helps of course to have a player like Bango who seemed to be automatic in putting away any ball coming off the Sabres backboard. However, just as the Ducks did to the Hawks, The Sabres seemed to find answers in game three to combat the Puffin’s strategy. Long clears and long shots burned the Puffins time and time again. As game three began to slip from their grasp they seem to only double down on their offensive pressure and would often get caught with the last man diving for a ball at midfield rather than shadowing the play.  It only took the Puffins one game to regroup and find their rhythm, with the help of some incredible saves form both players they held off the Sabres and got back to their relentless offensive rotation for long enough to pull ahead in game four.

The Hawks have individual mechanical plays and a weapon like Lawrence who will dive bomb a wall to air dribble in an instant. The Puffins have a relentless team attack and a weapon like Bango who takes shots off the backboard with pinpoint accuracy. These teams are some of the best Academy League has seen, yet neither is invincible. What will be the difference maker is which team will be able to do what they did last week and adapt to their opponents when they face adversity. The first team to do that will be the team that punches their ticket to the final.

Everything is on the line for the final four. A chance at being the Conference Champion and more importantly, a shot at the ever so elusive MLE Championship Title. Find out this weekend who will prevail over on the MLE Network.

MLE has the bragging rights of helping many lower-ranked players shoot up from Gold and Platinum to Champion ranks in record time. The Foundation League Playoffs are often where you see these players who have been learning new skills and grinding the game transform into mechanically gifted players who are soon on their way to the top ranks. This season is no different as we have seen in the first round. The skill level of these players is at a higher bar than ever before and the longer we go into playoffs the more competitive it will get. Let’s take a look at what action lies in store for the Conference Finals.

Orange Conference – Saturday, Dec. 12th

#3 Demolition vs. #4 Spectre @ 6pm est on MLEsportsgg

In the Foundation League, the landscape of the competition can change rapidly. Come playoff time it doesn’t matter who has dominated the during the season, it matters who are the best players on the field in that round. In the first round of this season’s FL playoffs, the Demolition and the Spectre unseated two teams who had been clear favorites the majority of the season. They did so with individual performances and smart team play. Now they will have to see whose late-season strategy is more effective.

Defense wins championships seems to be the mentality on this Demolition squad. Sobes and UhSpicey held the Outlaws to just five goals in four games, including a game four 1-0 shutout in overtime. It seemed the answer to the offense of the Outlaws was a composed rotational defense and solid shadow plays. The Demo executed several key challenges at the point of the shot and limited any double commits on their side of the field. That kind of diligence and team chemistry earned them the majority of possession. The Demo of course had their fair share of offense to complement their defensive performance. Sobes often looking for UhSpicey in space and UhSpicey making several key goals including a mind game chip shot around a goaltender and a couple of great flicks.

The other side of the orange bracket was perhaps a battle of MVPs and what a showdown it was. BeanMachine and Lavar Ball have been regular fixtures on the player of the week from week one. If there was going to be a difference-maker in the series it was going to come from one of these two players and it was Lavar Ball who answered the call in game two and put on a true playoff performance. Lavar Ball showed a combination of physical play and first touch ability that began to dominate the midfield during the series. Meanwhile, his teammate in Idjo proved why they were perhaps the most underrated player this season, getting booming clears over the attacking Rhinos and setting up backboard plays for easy put aways by Lavar. This team has the potential to control any game with their playstyle, keeping the ball close and never giving away possession. In a Foundation League where games just as often decided by the mistakes you make rather than the plays you make, the Spectre won’t be making the mistake of giving their opponents possession of the ball.

Blue Conference – Sunday, Dec. 13th

#1 Jets vs. #3 Hive @ 6pm est on MLESPORTSGG

Someone should tell the Jets that their players are under salaried for their matchups because clearly, this team is playing like they don’t know or care how good their opponents are. The number one seed played two 9 salary players against the two 10 salaries of the Hawks and made their opponents look inferior. Meerkat and IguanaParty held ItsGogurts, who was 9th overall in goals scored, to zero goals for the entire series. The defense of this team has led the league all season and still, teams are struggling to find the answer to how to get by them. Couple that with their individual offensive abilities and these two players have a formula for stunning teams. After some back and forth play in the first game in which both teams were feeling out the pace of play the Jets came to life in a 6-2 win and from that point on seemed to be playing their style for the remainder of the series.

The Hive had a slightly different path to a four game victory. After coming out hot with a 6-1 win, both teams settled into a close battle with three one-goal games. Starters Woah and Sir Lunix are still new enough to the team that they are feeling out how to perform together in league matches but you wouldn’t know it by how they played on stream in round one. Both players were spacing out well and always rotating back to be there for the clean save. They showed great patience to simply push one player up and keep one waiting on the clear ball until they saw an opportunity where the Knights were out of position. This clean play gave them full use of the field and allowed them to frustrate the Knights offense who didn’t get many opportunities on over commits or counter attacks.

These two styles will clash in the Conference Finals and it’s hard to say which will prevail in the Foundation League but you can be guaranteed that neither team will go down without a hard-fought series.

Everything is on the line for the final four. A chance at being the Conference Champion and more importantly, a shot at the ever so elusive MLE Championship Title. Find out this weekend who will prevail over on the MLE Network.

The first week of Academy League playoffs showed us exciting game five overtimes, a big upset, and several highlight plays. This week the number one seeds enter the bracket and it’s sure to only get more competitive from here.

Blue Conference – Saturday, Dec. 5th

#1 Hawks vs. #6 Ducks @ 6pm on MLESPORTSGG2

The battle for the Sky Division is shaping up to be a must-watch match this weekend.  As playoffs often do, the first week has shown just how tough it will be for any team to win handily in the postseason.

The Hawks weapons strangely mirror their orange conference counterparts for the number one seed. They finished 2nd in goals scored, just behind the Elite and in front of the Bears(by 3 goals). In goals allowed they also finished 2nd, just behind the Bears by 6 goals). Perhaps the biggest difference between the two top seeds is the most exciting one to note. The Hawks finished the regular season with a perfect 14-0 series record. The Hawks achieved this by having four top players on the starting line up. With no player sitting below a 12 salary, ITSLAPPY, Lawrence, Vecinzz, and Anarchy make up a roster that could be virtually interchangeable and still make a deep playoff run. The notable offensive leader is Vecinzz who was 3rd in MVPR this season with an average of 5.33. But with 4 stars on a team, I hesitate to have any expectations beyond a dominant team.

The Hawks will face a tougher test than they perhaps expected in the form of a soaring Ducks team. Schwartzy and Aflamingtruck surprised a good amount of the league with a 3-0 sweep over a favored Jets team. Not only did the Jets enter with a superior record, but the Ducks also entered a starting line-up that was a full one salary point lower than their opponents, which is frankly pretty rare in a postseason dominated by 12.5 salary players. The Ducks achieved the win thanks to team chemistry and lethal counter-attacks. Both Ducks struck long-shot goals from their own half in game three to take the wind from the wings of the Jets and leave them sputtering.

The Undefeated Hawks took both series in the regular season but looking at the matchups closer, they were hard-fought series. The Ducks went 2-3 in both matchups and the total scoring differential across both series was +3 to the Hawks. If the Hawks hope to continue their undefeated season to a championship finish, their division rival may be their toughest hurdle.

#2 Puffins vs. #5 Sabres @ 7pm on MLESPORTSGG

On the other side of the Blue conference is yet another division rival that promises explosive plays and a tough fight to the finish. The Sabres weathered the storm of a high-powered Hurricanes offense in the first week of playoffs. Sammy and The Big C combined for 25 saves in a back and forth series. The goal-line defense held off a shooting heavy attack from the Hurricanes. Despite the Hurricanes outshooting the Sabers 46 to 31, it was the Sabres who were able to capitalize on more chances. The set up plays fromThe Big C to Sammy made sure that each counter-attack was a lethal one.

When it comes to the Puffins, Bango is the name-o. While the Puffins have put together a stand-out team performance to return to the academy league playoffs this season, their deep run looks to be coming from the highlighted potential of their star player Bango who put up seven goals in a confident 3-0 sweep against a tough Knights team. To take nothing away from team captain AubreyE who has been a long-time staple of this Puffins team and appears to be putting together the best season of his Puffins career. The two players managed to control the pace of play and possession for the majority of the series, holding the Knights to just six goals. Though the game appeared to be back and forth at times, the match always seemed to be the Puffins’ to lose.

With this game being a division rivalry there will be a lot on the line. In the two regular-season matches the Puffins took both series 4-1 and 3-2. With both teams seemingly gaining confidence in their first-round matchups, this series is sure to be anything but chilly for these Arctic division teams.

Orange Conference – Sunday, Dec. 6th

1# Bears vs. #7 Tyrants @ 6pm on MLESPORTSGG2

The top seed of the Orange conference vs the seventh seed may seem like the most cut and dry of the second round. But there’s plenty to watch here and will be an interesting test for what is shaping up to be the first test for the conference favorites.

The Bears really know how to bear down on their opponents. That’s really all I wanted to write for this preview. And when you see the Bears pinning their opponents into their own half in the playoffs you will know what I mean. The Bears allowed the least goals in the league this regular season, averaging just 2.1 goals per game. Despite the impressive defensive stat, there are zero Bears players on the top 10 in saves. This means that the Bears’ defense starts at the midfield and they are very successful at shutting down opponents’ offense before it starts. The Bears team took a blow with a late-season rank out of Ex but Nty, Bacon, and team captain Brokarian have all put up impressive numbers over the season that are perhaps too many to mention.

The Bears’ first test will come from a Tyrants team that is coming off a big upset and is now looking to turn that first round into a Cinderella story run. The pair of Cheeto and Glyphss started out shaky and a bit inconsistent but as the series went on they visibly grew in confidence and closed out a five-game series with a 4-2 and 4-0 win. The defensive performance from Cheeto was a big reason for the Tyrants taking a crucial game two overtime victory and staying alive in the series. Last season’s FL champion, Cheeto brings in a good amount of playoff experience and his 9 saves and 6 assists helped the Tyrants overcome an Elite team that was number one in scoring during the regular season. Now the Tyrants face off against the defensive leaders in the league and it will take a whole new strategy to overcome this next obstacle and prove they can be the ultimate underdogs.

#4 Wizards vs. #6 Outlaws @ 7pm on MLESPORTSGG

Though I want to break down the Outlaws and Wizards matches from round one, I will start by saying that these were series that you should really just watch for yourselves. Both teams won close game fives. Both had three overtime games and won two of them. Both series would probably make a list of 10 all-time best MLE playoff games purely for their level of close competitive play throughout the series. I can’t stress enough that these matches are the reason MLE streams every playoff series.

The Wizards kicked off the mainstream action for the weekend and it looked as if the series was going to be a disappointing one for the franchise. Losing the first two games close to a solid Bulls team. Mario_RL was patient and shooting well throughout all five games but it wasn’t until game three that his teammate in NinjaTurry seemed to come alive and spark an incredible reverse sweep. NinjaTurry began to hit shots with power, find his positioning in crucial goal-line stands, and feed Mario_RL the ball for what continued to be inspired offensive finishes. Mario_RL finished off a game 3 overtime with a clutch mind game on the defenders that seemed to shake the Bulls so bad that they never quite recovered to the level of their first two games.

The Outlaws series shook out a bit differently. The Sharks took the first game 2-0 and the Outlaws responded with a 3-1 win of their own. The next 3 games were hard-fought overtime games, finishing off with an OT lasting almost four minutes. Flamez’s clutch defensive plays kept the Sharks’ chances to a minimum while Daywalker’s consistent flicks burned the Sharks’ defenders time and time again. Ultimately it was the midfield play and the team chemistry that gave the Outlaws the edge. Even though both teams fought hard for their week one wins, one team must go home in week two. It’s hard to say who has the edge in this fight but I can promise you neither side will relinquish the series easily.

You can watch all these matches and matches from each league at MLESPORTSGG and MLESPORTSGG2. Support your favorite teams and MLE by watching the stream. And good luck to all the playoff teams.

The Premier League is the pinnacle of talent for MLE and the first round of the PL playoffs promises some of the best competition MLE has ever seen. From favorites to underdogs to the dark-horse contenders, let’s break down everything you’ll see from these top teams.

Blue Conference – Saturday, Dec. 5th

#1 Wolves vs. #4 puffins @ 9PM on MLESPORTSGG2

The Premier League Blue Conference is a battle of two rivalries and the rivalry between the Wolves and the Puffins is a matchup you can’t miss this weekend. And though the Wolves come in as a league favorite, their last regular-season loss was a 1-4 series against non-other than this tenacious Puffins squad. 

The Wolves have a lot of superlatives both for the individual players as well as the team. The team brags the league’s best offense, averaging 4.1 goals per game. On the defensive side of the pitch, the Wolves finished 2nd in goals allowed, one goal behind the number one defense of the Bulls. Lotty Lettuce is the first starter on the team and will likely be a constant throughout the playoff run. They finished 6th in the league for goals scored and 1st overall in assists. To say that the team is all on Lotty’s shoulders would be a mistake. Taki, LottyLettuce, and MattRochie amounted for 5th, 6th, and 7th place respectively on the top MVPR list. The Wolves have a record and stat sheet that speaks for itself. This is a team that can produce goals and win games. To top it all off each of these players has had their names pop up in last season’s Premier league playoffs.

The Puffins know that their opponents are favored to make a deep run this season but they also know that they have the players and the talent to steal this matchup from them. They’ll likely do that by shutting down the offense of the Wolves and winning low scoring games. The puffins finished 3rd in the least goals allowed. They did that with the help of a great late season effort by their star player Perma. Perma finished the season 1st in OMVPR and although they didn’t chart any other superlatives. It’s most likely owed to Perma only making the team on the back half of the season schedule. Perma’s likely partner, Moloka finished 10th in saves with 72 and was a big part of the reason the pair won their second to last game of the season, against the Wolves. These two players have a tough road to repeat their regular season result. But from the Wolves’ perspective, their biggest hurdle on the road to a championship may just come from their first-round match.

#2 Hurricanes vs. #3 Eclipse @ 10PM on MLESPORTSGG

The second rivalry game in the Blue Conference is another that has been debated among power rankings throughout the season. These division team also split their matchups with the eclipse taking the first series 3-2 and the hurricanes flipping the script in the second matchup by winning 3-2. Both games were close and hard-fought and the third matchup promises to be no different.

The Hurricanes have been heavily favored to take the championship from the day after the draft. Simply put TestGravity and Chimpanjay are some of the best players in MLE and the Hurricanes made a lot of smart moves in the pre-season to get them. The pair, along with their third Smrf, has combined for the second-best team in both shooting and scoring. Chimpanjay’s spot as 6th overall in assets means that many of Testgravity’s 82 regular season goals have come from great setups by his teammate. But if the team was a shoe in for the championship in week one, they’ve come a little short of expectations throughout the season. The team finished third overall but with a 9-11 game record against winning teams, it seems the Hurricanes have had one or two stumbles during a tough regular-season schedule.

The Eclipse are a team built to be giant killers. The team doesn’t make a splash on team statistics but this roster has impressed many people with individual performances and clutch wins against key teams, including an all-important week 3 win against the Hurricanes. Vitali is the team captain and top salaried player on the team. With a top-three MVPR finish it’s clear that their leadership has been crucial to their success. But counting out either of Vitali’s teammates as a threat would be a fatal error. Lazarus is an all-around star and great passer with 40 assists on the season and Atokad finished 3rd overall in shooting percentage with 48.6%. Vitali and Atokad both have past playoff Experience but I would not be surprised to see MLE rookie Lazarus in a starting line-up. The eclipse have a 3-1 series record against winning teams. That’s something that they’ll want to keep in mind as they start their playoff run against a Hurricanes team that is eager to prove why they were the early season favorites.

Orange Conference – Sunday, Dec. 6th

#1 Bulls vs. #4 Elite @ 9PM on MLESPORTSGG2

How do you assess a matchup between a team that is heating up and a team that is known for shutting opponents down? A glance at these two teams might lead you to predict a sweep for the number one seeded Bulls but counting out the Elite here just might leave your bracket busted in the first round.

The Bulls finished one game behind the Wolves to secure the number one seed in their conference. They got the majority of their wins by only allowing a league-best 2.56 goals per game. They managed the league’s best defense while recording fewer saves than other league leaders like the Puffins or Hurricanes. This means that the Bulls shut down offensive plays before they even have a chance to streak across their net. Deluxe has led the team this season with many superlative to their name, including 77 goals on the season(2nd overall in the league).  And though Scapegoatrl has proved to be a great potential partner for Deluxe in the postseason, it’s the late-season acquisition of Comp that has everyone talking about the Bulls. In just three series Comp has put up an MVPR of 6.40. Together Deluxe and Comp make a duo that could be lethal to any team.

The Elite are the underdogs on paper in this match up. In a league dominated by 20+ salary players, the Elite do not have a player above a 19 salary. They finished with a 26-24 record and aren’t in the top 5 on any major team leaderboard. That’s the bad news. The good news is the Elite are a team that is heating up at the right time. They enter the playoffs on a five series win streak, the longest in the league right now. The even better news is that the win streak includes a recent 3-2 win over the Bulls. Gumbachi and Pops are the two likely starters for the series and as they were the paring that beat the Bulls a week ago they will no doubt be trying to replicate their strategy for the playoffs. Could this team be the Achilles heel of the number one seeded Bulls or will the Bulls prove they were the best all along and win the series that matters?

#2 Sharks vs. #3 Shadow @ 10PM on MLESPORTSGG

The Sharks and Shadows are two teams that the real reason the Playoffs are played. The teams sit a 6th and 7th place in the league With no major team stats to tout. But make no mistake that these two teams have the potential to make a run in the playoffs. It only takes a few good performances at the right time and a team can get an upset win. So let’s break down what these two dark horses have going for them.

The Sharks finished with two series wins to secure their playoff spot. That may not look like much of a streak but for the sharks faithful it signals a turnaround for the team at just the right time. New starter Danger came onto the roster from the Dodgers to help the Sharks finish out the season and has been as phenomenal for them as he was on his previous team. Danger is 4-1 on series this season across both teams with a 5.52 MVPR. This new addition could be the key the Sharks need to aid their seasoned starter, Trashvan. TrashVan will be making their second playoff appearance for the Sharks after season 10 ended with an early exit. Judging by the numbers, TrashVan has been doing everything they can to get back to the postseason. With a 5.15 MVPR and 99 saves on the season, this player will be a big x-factor come game time this postseason.

The Shadow finished with a 4-6 series record and a goal differential of exactly zero. Of their 10 series this season, only three did not end in either a 3-2 win or a 2-3 loss. They have a 17-13 game record against winning teams and a 10-10 record against losing teams. No matter who they are playing, the best PL team or the worst PL team, the Shadow will somehow play a close series. But if the Shadow can hang with any team in the League then maybe all they need to push them over the edge is a solid performance from a stand-out player. That player for the Shadow is Braided Axe. Braided Axe finished 5th in the league in OMVPR and had an impressive 46 assists on the season. In what is sure to be a close series, look for Braided Axe to be the playmaker that could make all the difference.

The Sharks and the Shadow played each other to open and close the season. Both matchups went 3-2 to the Sharks. In both series, Trashvan was a key ingredient in holding the Shadow to 2.2 and 2.4 goals per game. But have either of these teams put together their best lineup for this playoff match before? Is a Sharks win a foregone conclusion or are the Shadow lurking in the uhh . . . Shadows? The only way to find out is to tune in to the stream and watch all the action unfold. 

You can watch all these matches and matches from each league at MLESPORTSGG and MLESPORTSGG2. Support your favorite teams and MLE by watching the stream. And good luck to all the playoff teams.