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.

Don’t you love this time of the year? The anticipation is growing, tryouts are happening, and League Ops is way overworked. It’s the change from Season 11 to Season 12, and with it, new faces, storylines, and scrim bots will make their mark on MLE history. It can be argued that the beginning of every MLE season starts with the selection of franchise managers, or even when the rulebook is released, but I respectfully disagree. Each new season doesn’t feel like it has truly arrived until the MLE Draft Lottery. It’s the first stream of the season, it’s the first bit of hype, and most importantly, it’s the first time we get to hear Sleegi’s beautiful voice. This is where trades are born, dreams come to fruition, and hopes will die. It’s the first step of a new chapter in MLE’s illustrious history, and it’s one we should all be excited for. 

So what is the draft lottery?

A draft lottery is a randomized way to determine the draft order for each league. Each team that didn’t make the playoffs in a given league, and in FL and PL’s case new franchises, are put into a weighted lottery by their previous season’s record which determines the draft order. The weighted system is linear and pretty easy to follow. The worst team in AL, CL, and ML the season before gets 36 chances to win the lottery. The second-worst team gets 34 chances, the third-worst gets 32, and so on. The team with the best record that barely missed a spot in the postseason only gets 2 chances.

When you add it all up, that creates 342 total chances for teams to get picked. The format for the lottery is also simple. When a team gets picked, their remaining chances are discarded, and a new team is picked until all 18 teams are chosen and the draft order is set. For example, if the worst team the season prior was randomly chosen to get the first pick, their other chances are discarded, and we are left with 306 total chances to determine the second pick.

FL and PL have the same format, just the weighted system is a bit different. There are only 4 teams that missed the playoffs that still have a team in those leagues (since every two seasons, franchises switch having FL and PL teams), so out of those 4 teams, the worst record among them will have 8 chances, second-worst has 6, third-worst has 4, and the team that had the best record of those 4 only has 2 chances. The 8 franchises that will debut this season in each league get 5 chances each, putting them right in the middle of the pack to ensure fairness, creating a total of 60 chances each for each of these 2 lotteries. 

What does this mean for the Draft?

The implications behind the draft lottery are huge, especially because MLE has reversed course from the snake draft they did last season. Having the first or third pick puts a franchise in a much better position than having the fourteenth or eighteenth pick would, and because it is a standard draft format, a team would have the added benefit of choosing early in the second and third rounds as well. A higher draft pick also means teams have more leverage in trades because the first overall pick has much more value than the sixteenth pick. Moving back or forward in the draft is very possible based on how the lottery goes.

For teams like the Hawks and the Elite, who had all leagues make playoffs they will have zero teams in the lottery. This means it’ll be very hard to get picks better than what they have. PL’s lottery is especially intriguing, because with no salary cap, the best PL players will go off the board first, and as we saw last season, that can really impact your chances of winning a title. Finally, for teams that have not locked in retentions yet, the draft lottery could be important in making those decisions. If a team wants to retain three players but gets the first pick in the draft, is it still worth retaining all three? Or do you decide not to retain a player so you get the first choice in the draft? The lottery has a chance to impact the league in ways like this and could go on to help or hurt a team later on based on their decision. 

So how do I predict this draft?

Now that we know how important the draft lottery is and how it works, I’m sure you are thinking about where certain teams might land. You may be asking yourself questions like what are the chances the Bulls get the first pick in ML? Luckily for you, I decided to do the math. A lot of math. Way, way, way too much math, just so you don’t have to. With help from DK, we answered a list of some of the lottery’s biggest questions: what are the odds a team wins the lottery in a certain league, what are the odds a franchise gets at least one number one pick, and where will my team probably be picking? I’m here to help, so sit back, buckle up, and enjoy the ride.

Chances to Win Each Lottery

So, what are the odds the Bulls win the first pick in ML? In order to calculate this, we take their placement in the league last season, figure out how many chances they have, and then divide it by the total number of chances for the league. This one was pretty easy to calculate, the harder math comes later on. So here are your odds for AL, CL, and ML.

There is a lot to dissect here in this graph. The first thing to notice is even the teams with the best chance to land the first pick only has a 10.53% of getting it, which means there is an 89.47% they don’t. A lot of the top teams will fall towards the middle of the draft because there is a relatively low chance they get picked early on (more on that later in this article). That being said, the first pick is always the one that has the most variance, as a lot of teams could make a claim to get it. Even the team with the tenth best odds still has over a 5% chance to get the first pick.

This is what makes the draft so exciting because there are so many ways the lottery could go. One scenario that seems very unlikely though is the bottom teams winning. At just a .58% chance, the Rhinos AL team, Knights CL team, or Puffins ML team winning the lottery has a 1 in 172 chance of happening. It’s a safe bet that it won’t happen this season, but nothing is impossible, stranger things have happened in MLE. Don’t worry FL and PL, I didn’t forget about you, your odds are below.

The first thing to point out with these odds is the fact that the bottom teams, Aviators FL and Tyrants PL, have a much higher chance to get the first pick than their counterparts in AL, CL, and ML, 5.7 times more likely to be exact. There’s a decent chance we see a bottom team jump a higher team in at least one of these drafts because of this fact. Speaking of the more likely teams, the team with the best odds may only have 8 chances to get the first pick, but because there are only 60 chances total, their odds of getting the first pick are actually better than those in the higher leagues. Eleven of the twelve teams in the lottery have above a 5% chance to get the first overall pick, so every team believes they have a decent shot. This will make for a ton of drama by the time the lottery comes.

Franchise Odds

If you are part of a franchise’s staff or even just a retention, I’m sure you have a stake in what happens during the lottery. Every franchise dreams of having at least one number one pick, so what are the chances that happens? To calculate this piece of nifty info, we took every team’s odds of getting the first pick league and flipped it, and we ended up with what the odds were that they don’t get the first pick for a given league. When you multiply those all together, subtract it from one, and change it to a percentage, you end up with the table below. 

This chart tells us what the odds are that a franchise wins at least one lottery. First, let’s have a moment of silence to commend the Hawks and the Elite. Both of these franchises got all of their teams to the playoffs last season and do not switch between FL and PL this season, so they come into the lottery with no teams in it, hence the 0% chance. They can kick back and watch every other franchise freak out over their picks. As for the other 30 teams, these are your odds.

There are six franchises with at least a one-in-four chance of going home with at least one number one pick, the highest being the Dodgers, who have all four teams in the lottery. They have a whopping 33.41% chance to get the first overall pick in at least one league. The Ducks come in with only three teams, but still, have a massive 29.26% chance of landing at least one first pick. The Jets, Sabres, and Sharks all had their AL, CL, and ML teams make the playoffs last season, and since they will have a team entering either FL or PL for the first time, they come in with the same odds.

The Puffins and Knights had two of their three AL, CL, and ML teams making the playoffs, and have a team entering FL or PL this season. However, their teams that missed the playoffs were about the same, with the Knights being the best team to miss the CL playoffs and the Puffins being the best team to miss the ML playoffs, so their odds are equal. Twenty teams have odds over 10%, so there may be a lot of wishful thinking come lottery time, you do not want to miss it so definitely tune in!

Average Draft Position

We have talked extensively now about the first pick in the draft, but there is so much more on the line than the first pick being selected. There are 18 picks determined by the lottery in AL, CL, and ML, and 12 picks in FL and PL. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could know where teams will pick for each league on average? Well, that’s what I set out to do.

I first googled to see if there was a website that could do it for me to no avail. I then decided that I would run 250 simulations of the draft by hand, type in the results, and share it with you all, but after seeing that 250 was not a big enough number to get accurate data, and me being bored of typing numbers, I knew something had to change.

So, I reached out to the best spreadsheet people I knew and asked them to help me on my journey. Enter DK, my savior and a man who knows his way around Google Sheets. He made a program that simulated a draft lottery 100,000 times and logged each and every one of them. This program assigned a number to each pick, one for the first pick, two for the second, etc. When the 100k simulations were done, he added them up, divided the total by 100k, and we had an average draft landing spot for each team in the lottery. 

That is a lot of data, and hats off to DK for being able to come up with this glorious finished product, but I’ll start combing through it. Let’s start towards the top of the chart where the Express, Dodgers, and Ducks have the most chances for their respective leagues. Even though they have the most chances, they still on average will pick around sixth. That’s a big drop for the teams that are supposed to have the best odds.

Most GMs or FMs watching may be disappointed if they drop to sixth when having the best odds, but that is still better than what they were calculated to finish at, which is why this table is so important. Comparing a team’s final position to this chart (and the one below for FL and PL) tells a team how fortunate or unlucky they were in the lottery. The average picks toward the top of this list are so close together, that there is virtually no difference, making the beginning of the lottery so tough to predict. As you go down, however, you’ll realize that the gap between teams starts getting bigger and bigger.

It’s hard for teams with fewer odds to jump up because they are constantly outnumbered, so there’s a better chance they stay towards the bottom. For example, let’s say the Pandas and the Rhinos are the last two teams left in AL. The Rhinos will only have 2 chances while the Pandas have 10, making it 5x more likely the Pandas get selected. In over half of the simulations I did by hand, the team with the least amount of chances picked last. So while the teams at the top of the chart may fall a lot of picks, it’s very unlikely the teams at the bottom will rise much. Let’s take a look at FL and PL quickly.

One problem with running a simulation as many times as we did is that numbers may not be 100% accurate. Look at the middle eight teams in the chart, even though they have the same amount of chances, and therefore the same odds, the average draft pick positions are different (just by a tad). The more simulations you run, the more likely the odds even out, but apparently 100k simulations were not enough to accomplish this. In reality, each of these teams has an average draft position of 6.39. I wanted to keep the data set so you can see how we did it, but that aspect of the data is not completely accurate, however, it is very close.

When we look at the data, the teams at the bottom are much more likely to move up than their AL, CL, and ML counterparts. This is because the total number of changes in these lotteries is so much lower than the others, 60 compared to 372. That means the 2 chances for the Aviators and Tyrants are way more significant, however, they still will probably get a low pick. The Ducks and Lightning, who are at the top, will have an average pick position of about fifth. Going from the highest odds to mid-draft on average isn’t ideal, but it’s still not bad.

That was a lot of information, but now you know pretty much everything you’ll need to know for the MLE Draft Lottery. The start of the season is officially around the corner and this is just the beginning, so you won’t want to miss it! The Draft Lottery will stream live Sunday, March 21s at 5 PM EST on https://www.twitch.tv/leachylive

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.

Wow, what an incredible weekend of Minor League Esports playoff action last week. Out of the four Semi-Final match-ups for the Master League, three of them went to a deciding game 5. With the Conference Finals, however, five games may not be enough, for we are now in the best of seven territory. Seeing how close and competitive the Conference Semi-Finals were, the Conference Finals look poised to go all seven games as well. So buckle up, strap yourself in, and get ready for the absolute barn burners that will be the Conference Finals.

Orange Conference – Saturday, Dec. 12th

#1 Spectre v. #6 Outlaws @ 9pm EST on MLESPORTSGG

The Spectre defeated the Shadow in their Semi-Final matchup, in arguably the most exciting series so far this MLE postseason. The Spectre went up 2-1 in the series, with a game three overtime win. In game three, the Spectre were down 3-1 with under a minute left and were able to force the overtime period. The Shadow were then able to respond with a 3-1 win in game four. Game five came down to the wire, with another overtime period. The would Spectre take that game 4 to 3. Being able to clutch multiple overtimes will service the Spectre well in their playoff run, knowing they will not buckle under the pressure. The Semi-Final defeat definitely stings for the Shadow, knowing those overtime periods easily could have gone the other way. They can rest their hat on their brilliant performance, however. Akina was sublime in the air, posing a threat every time they took the ball off the sidewall. They also posted a staggering 5.67 MVPR, the highest in the lobby. Nyyankeesrd was no slouch either, assisting 7 of Akina’s 11 goals while showcasing their own mechanical prowess. In the end, however, it was not enough for the Shadow. Blackwatch and Light were just too effective in limiting the damage. Moreover, they both produced strong, nearly identical, offensive numbers. Light finished with a 5.12 MVPR, 8 goals, 6 assists, 8 saves, and 25 shots, while Blackwatch posted a 4.61 MVPR, with 7 goals, 4 assists, 9 saves, and 23 shots. The Spectre looks scary going into the Conference Finals. They are resilient, defensively sound, and offensively balanced. All of which will be troublesome for the Outlaws.

The Outlaws, without the need for super-sub Stovvadz, were able to squeak out a close 3-2 win over the “pan // das”. The Pandas and Outlaws traded blows in games one and two, with the Outlaws taking the first contest convincingly, and the Pandas taking game two in a convincing manner. The Pandas were able to win game three in overtime and looked strong throughout the whole series. The Outlaws had different plans, however, taking game four 4-2 and game five 1-0. Llama and KyleSpanx came up huge in the game four and game five wins. KyleSpanx in game four put up three of the Outlaws’ four goals, while Llama posted the game-winner in game five with four saves to boot. Llama being the offensive catalyst for the Outlaws this entire season, we knew they would produce in crunch time. KyleSpanx showed up in a massive way for the Outlaws, which makes them a duel threat against the Spectre. KylesSpanx finished the Pandas series with a 4.28 MVPR and 25 shots. Credit is due to the Pandas though, who gave a valiant effort. They gave themselves multiple chances to close out the series but were unable to do so this time around.

With just how close the Conference Semi-Finals were for both the Spectre and the Outlaws, this series looks to go the full seven games. Both teams have shown the ability to come back from a deficit, so do not count out either team if one of them goes down by two to start the series. The Spectre and the Outlaws field similar teams, with both pairings bringing a balanced offensive approach. The Spectre will need to keep an eye out for KyleSpanx on the dribble, for they like to take the ball onto the hood of their car and beat the first defender out with a quick flick. The Outlaws will need to play deep or reduce that open space in the midfield to shutdown KyleSpanx offensively. For the Outlaws, they need to focus on Light and their mesmerizing ability in the air. They have the ability to have complete control of the ball while in flight, which creates major issues for defenses.

Blue Conference – Sunday, Dec. 13th

#1 Hive vs. #3 Jets @ 9pm EST on MLESPORTSGG

The number one seeded Hive were able to punch their ticket into the Conference Finals with an impressive 3-2 series win over the formidable Knights. The Knights were up two games to one after a game three overtime win. The Hive were able to adapt and rebound effectively, taking game four 3-2, and taking the series winner in a convincing 6-2 fashion. Besides game five, in which the Knights gave up two very unfortunate goals, each game was decided by a one or two goal margin. The Hive found success in putting the Knights under immense pressure, outshooting them 34-24 across the entire series. This is even more impressive, considering the Knights were able to put up an astounding 41 shots against the Sabres in their Wildcard matchup. Easyp and Uh Steve were able to snuff out the Knight’s offense while putting up similar numbers on the offensive side. Both finished with an MVPR around 3.70 and both finishing with nearly identical shot totals (18 for Uh Steve, 16 for Easyp). The Hive will need to continue this collective offensive pressure and defensive crackdown against the Jets if they hope to be playing for an MLE title in over a week’s time.

The Jets were the lone team able to win their series in under five games, defeating the Hurricanes 3-1 in an incredibly close contest. Game one ended in a 6-5 overtime win for the Jets, in which both sides traded blows. Game three was the lone blowout, with games two and four being decided by two goals each. As expected, Bond Brother carried the Jets’ offense with a crushing 6.86 MVPR with 11 goals on 30 shots. Ripperr took the place of Indy, who played for the Jets in their wildcard series. They performed admirably, posting a 5.11 MVPR and assisting 8 of Bond Brother’s 11 goals. What may be of concern for the Jets’ is Ripperr’s offensive consistency, for out of the 17 shots they posted, 10 came in a high scoring game one, while they averaged a little over two shots per game for the rest of the series. Part of this may be attributed to the solid play of Nerr97 and Privileged Pear for the Hurricanes. Nerr97 looked threatening every time they were in the air and both players posted MVPRs around 5.0 against the juggernaut Jets.

The Hive will undoubtedly be the Jets’ most difficult opponent so far during this postseason. They come in as the first seed and showed immense resiliency against the Knights with the comeback win. We know the Hive will remain cool and collected during pressure situations, but we cannot say the same thing for the Jets. They have yet to be down in a playoff series, so we will see if the Jets possess the same ability to respond if they go down at any point. The key for the Hive will be able to neutralize and/or mitigate Bond Brother’s offensive footprint, forcing Ripperr to put up big numbers. Inversely, the Jets are not looking to reinvent the wheel, and hope to continue with their blueprint; a high octane offense that showcases the team’s ability to solo play, as well as finding the open player infield.   

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.

Foundation League may be the lowest league in MLE, but make no mistake, the passion, heart, and will to win is still there. Eight teams remain after a tumultuous season whittled the field in half, and every team finds themselves alive with a chance to take home the title. Which player will step up, which upset will inevitably occur, and who will take home the glory? Let’s talk about the teams and matchups to help answer this question. 

Blue Conference – Saturday, Dec. 5th

#1 JETS vs. #4 HAWKS @ 5pm on MLESPORTSGG2

The Forge Division winning Jets come into this game the favorite, but the Hawks are no slouches, going over .500 this season. Unfortunately for them, they run into a 37-13 Jets team who haven’t lost a series since week one. The key for both teams will be dealing with late-season roster changes, something that is a common occurrence in the Foundation League.

The Hawks come in a balanced team, with not stats that really jump out at you, but they do have one thing the Jets do not: a 10 salary player. Actually, they have two. GAMBro and ItGogurts will both look to set the pace for this talented squad. ItsGogurts is 2nd in the league with saves, having a very impressive 58 on the season. GAMBro is newer to the league and will be the biggest mystery. If he pops off, the Hawks have a real chance to seal an upset.

That will be very tough to do though, as the Jets defense is one of the best in the league. They only gave up 115 goals, second-best in FL. Meerkat! and KaptainKillazz also are tied for 3rd in the league in OMVPR. This defense is very solid and will look to hold the Hawks at bay. In addition, these two players have chemistry as they have been on the team all season long, this will no doubt be an advantage, but will it be enough to overpower the 10 salaries they’ll have to play against? Tune in tonight to find out!

#2 Knights VS. #3 HIVE @ 6m on MLESPORTSGG

This might be the best matchup of the first round, as both these teams have exceeded expectations for this season. The Hive won the Sky Division, but their reward is facing a Knights team who actually had a better record than them, coming in at 34-16. The Hive have dealt with adversity all season, dealing with lots of rank outs and roster changes as the season went on, but they still found a way to gather win after win, and come into this series with a boatload of confidence. They hold the 3rd highest number of goals scored this season, and the 4th lowest team OMVPR. Woah will be the player to look out for. He only played in two series but scored an impressive 2.3 goals per game in his limited action.

Unfortunately for him, he will have to go up against the best defense in the league in the Knights, who gave up only 110 goals this season, the least in the league. During the FL draft, I made a comment on stream about how I believed SovietShark was the best 8.5 salary (now a 9.5) in the league. Not only was I right, but he exceeded even my wildest expectations with his amazing stats. His 78 goals this season were the most in the Blue Conference, and he has one of the most dangerous dribble/flick combos the league has ever seen. Combined with Hawkeye, who scored 33 goals and made 27 saves in 4 series played, and you may have the most dangerous lineup in the league. If they play this lineup, the Hive better watch out. It should be a great battle between two teams who have everything to play for, so be sure to fire up Twitch and watch!

Orange Conference

#1 Rhinos VS. #4 SPECTRE @ 5pm on MLESPORTSGG2

The Rhinos may be the number one seed, but a late-season rank out to team leader Bukkets may be what decides this game. His 78 goals will be missed, but the Rhinos still have a very good duo without him. The Spectre on the other hand have a (not so) secret weapon that led them to the playoffs, but I’ll get into that more in a minute.

The Rhinos deservingly got the number one seed, posting the best record in FL with a remarkable 38-12 mark, and winning 8 of their 10 series. Also as I mentioned, the team still has two players who can pop off at any moment. BeanMachine is a 10 salary who will look to come in and make his mark. His 63 goals (T6th) and 32 assists (4th) are both in the top 10 for the league. In addition, CrazyCow did one better, with 33 assists, 3rd in the league. He is no slouch either, putting up 50 goals of his own. The chemistry this team has is unbelievable, and should not be underestimated going into this series.

On the other side, Idjo led the league in assists with 45 and will be a great second man for this side. In addition, the Spectre boasts arguably the biggest steal of the draft, and the best player in FL this season. Lavar Ball made his mark by scoring an unbelievable 105 goals this season, by far the most in the league (2nd place was 25 goals behind him). He controls the game as well because his constant offensive pressure limits the pressure of the other team, demonstrated by his 3.44 OMVPR, which is 10th in the league. Lavar Ball is someone other teams should be scared of, and he’ll look to punish the Rhinos Sunday afternoon, but will he? Watch to find out!

#2 Outlaws VS. #3 DEMOLITION @ 6m on MLESPORTSGG

The Outlaws were just behind the Rhinos in the standings, and for good reason. This team plays really well together and has had very little roster turnover all season, leading to increased chemistry and good teamwork. The Demolition will look to make their own mark though, with a very good top lineup and are a team the Outlaws can not underestimate.

For the Demo, Sobe has 54 goals this season, which leads his team. UhhSpicy was a midseason pickup who has made a great influence though, as his MVPR (9th) and OMVPR (7th) both rank in the top 10. In only 20 games played, this new Demo star has shown he is capable of a lot. As a lineup, this team has the chemistry to really make an impact.

For the Outlaws, a fantastic all-around lineup has led them to the promised land. Manic is the lone 10 salary and has great all-around stats, including having 34 assists, 2nd best in the league. Flipps may also be a player to look out for though, as his 5.42 MVPR was 4th in the league. One thing for sure is team captain Jacobjtl has done a great job putting this roster together and deserves a lot of credit. This should be a dogfight, with two great teams put up against each other, who will win? You’ll have to tune in to find out. 

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 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 Champion League promises more high flying, high scoring action in it’s second week of playoffs. The Number one seeds enter the draw and we get to see just how well the rest of the field can stack up against our top contenders.

Blue Conference – Saturday, Dec. 5th

#1 Puffins vs. #7 Hawks @ 7pm on MLESPORTSGG2

In their first match, the Hawks took the 2nd place Jets by force, sweeping the series and showing tremendous amounts of skill in the solo play scenarios; whether that was dribbles, aerials, or any sort of outplay, leading to a 2v1. This Hawks team proved their capability in facing down the Jets in a dominant fashion. Now they have had the chance to get their stream nerves out of the way (not that they showed any at all) and take on a team with only one more win than their past triumph.

A place where I believe the Puffins may actually have the edge over their contemporary is putting the ball away, a stat that favors the Puffins by 26 goals in total this season. This is a faction of gameplay that the Puffins will need to use to their advantage, especially when the league leader in saves, Orange Monkey, stands guard in the Hawks net. The Hawks are no slouch in the Offensive end either and boast a 43.9% shooting percentage throughout the regular season, they showed their sniping prowess vs. the Jets as they took seemingly every opportunity they found, converting far more than their opponents.

Finally, the question of preparedness comes to mind, the Hawks played a, while short, hard-fought series and the Puffins got a by into this second round. That being said, I have been seeing 5dollarvodka ask around for scrims at all hours, seemingly every day. If they were successful in finding scrims then their preparation may be enough to handle the feisty Hawks in this series.

#4 Lightning vs. #6 Sabres @ 8pm on MLESPORTSGG

This is one of my most anticipated series of the weekend. We will get a chance to see if Lil Lettuce’s 4 goals per game performance continues after the two-week break. We also get the chance to see the winners of one of the closest, most tense games of the past weekend set in action again. I have no doubt in my mind that Lil Lettuce continued to put in the work, grind those ranked games, and hopefully, get some scrims (if potential challengers weren’t scared to play him, that is).

However impressive, and admittedly frustrating, it was to watch Lil Lettuce perform aerial acrobatics over my head and score as much as is humanly possible, I could see the Lightning taking the Sabres off-guard. The Lightning play the game with speed and tenacity unknown to many at the Champion level and while this leads to over commits once in a while, I believe that the Lightning will put pressure on the Sabres in a way that the Hive just couldn’t do. This will either be shoot out after shoot out or one of the most tightly contested, low-scoring series of all time. And if it is, indeed, a long series that goes the distance, then we know the Lightning have that second wind needed to take the win at the end of it all.

Orange Conference – Sunday, Dec. 6th

#1 Elite vs. #6 Demolition @ 7pm on MLESPORTSGG2

I talked before about the Puffins being active in the scrims chat, looking to keep themselves warm and ready for the threat the Hawks pose. The Elite, as far as I’ve seen, are not as active. Scrims are not the be-all and end-all of maintaining consistency and preparing oneself for a match, but they help a ton.

The Demolition seemed to get away with murder in their first series. Don’t get me wrong, they played well but the Pandas were unable to convert on a lot of sloppy defense from their opponents. Perhaps we were seeing stream nerves because nearing the end the act cleaned up and they really began capitalizing on chances. A big part of their success in switching momentum was demo plays. After a regular season that saw this team be very low in the demo category, we finally see them living up to their team name. In game four alone, while they did lose it, the Demolition scored twice on demo plays to cut the Panda lead to a single goal.

Some weak points for the Demolition that could help them with facing such a daunting task would be; communicating ball touches, taking time when it is given, and forcing the issue in midfield rather than letting the ball carrier gain control. For the Elite I can’t give much advice besides using your teammates. These guys seem to have a knack for team plays and could catch the iffy Demolition defense off-guard by putting the ball to a teammate instead of shooting right away. Pretty much, don’t underestimate the Demolition, I see huge potential in this team.

#2 Comets vs. #5 Tyrants @ 8pm on MLESPORTSGG

The similarities between these two teams baffle me. Both base their game on solid touches, clean-cut plays, good rotations, and it worked really well for them in the first round as they both swept their respective series’. They also share some league favoritism as well. Comets’ PeytonEli was one of the Champion League All-Stars this season and the Tyrants received an enormous 90.7% of votes to win it all in the bracket challenge.

When it came to their opponents though, these two teams did differ in the level of difficulty. What I saw was a very tough series for the Comets, that included a tough overtime finisher. Some sloppy defensive play was the main deciding factor for the Comets not sweeping their series versus the Sharks. Luckily, ThunderBug was a rock in the back end and that led to PeytonEli dominating from then on out. For the Tyrants, there was more of a team mentality involved when they were on the field. The combination of Trusolja and TSR was a force to be reckoned with, they played with the utmost calm, collected, composed plays I have seen so far these playoffs.

One of the notes I made while watching this series was: “Tyrants play is solid, solid, solid” and that really seemed to be their game plan. A plethora of open-net goals meant that the Pirates, their first-round opponents, would get a small opening and over-commit on it because of the frustration built up through having to play such a consistent duo. I’m looking forward to how the Comets can improve and if the Tyrants can continue the performance they showed us in round one.

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.

Wildcard Weekend was everything fans of Minor League Esports wanted and then some. Across all three leagues, there were 18 match-ups total and half of them went to game fives. The Conference Semi-Finals are poised to be even more competitive, as more is on the line: a trip to the Conference Finals. Let us take a deep dive into the two matchups within each conference and see how each contest may unfold.

Blue Conference – Saturday, Dec. 5th

#1 Hive v. #7 Knights @ 8pm on MLESPORTSGG2

The Hive received a first-round bye, finishing the regular season with an astounding 53-17 record. They were nearly perfect against losing squads, going 29-1, while simultaneously having a winning record against above 500 teams, going 24-16. This resounding success can be largely attributed to Noah, who ranked out into the Premier League towards the latter half of the season. Even after their departure, they led the team in goals, assists, saves, shots, and demos, while posting a 6.32 MVPR, good for fourth in the league. When a team’s star player ranks out, there are always concerns and questions on who can fill the void and be that offensive catalyst moving forward. The Hive found their player in easyp, who was acquired via trade from the Bears. Easyp started the season as a Knights reserve (interestingly enough) and they spent no time in showing why the Hive traded for them. In their two regular-season matchups with the Hive, they went 9-1 posting an average MVPR of 7.28. Alongside uh steve, who is a 16.5 salary player, the Hive will be a formidable opponent.

If there is a team that can match the Hive step for step, it is the Knights. Arguably the strongest seventh seed in recent memory, the Knights were able to reverse sweep the number two seeded Sabres, in a thrilling five-game set. Going down 0-2, and with game 3 going into overtime, the Knights were able to clutch out a necessary game 3 win and ride that momentum into an exciting series win. As was expected, the Knights pairing came out as a two-headed monster, with both Prosperity2K and MikeisMyIke putting up MVPR’s around 5.50 against two Sabre players who finished in the top 10 of OVMPR during the regular season. The Knights showed incredible resiliency and poise, while also putting up solid numbers against the defensively staunch Sabres.

The Sabres against the Knights was a complete toss-up and the Knights against the Hive in round 2 is a subsequent toss-up. All four players have a salary of 16.5, with explosive offenses, and the ability to suppress their opponent. What we can expect is a close contest, looking to go the distance.

#3 Jets v. #4 Hurricanes @ 9pm on MLESPORTSGG

The Jets and the Hurricanes were able to secure wildcard wins, with a 3-1 win and a 3-0 win, respectively. The Jets fielded the impressive duo of Bond Brother and Indy, who between the both of them, they averaged 11 shots per game. Despite this offensive pressure and the series scoreline, the Aviators made it a tight contest. All three Jets’ wins were by a one or two-goal margin, with the Aviators close to snatching a win in game 2. They were up 1 with under 40 seconds remaining in the game, but the Jets were able to scrap back and take it in regulation. The Aviators played more compact on defense and hit their opponent effectively on the counter. They unfortunately overextended on their challenges at times and when they did, the Jets were able to punish them every time. The Jets’ ability to constantly switch up their playstyle, between looking for the infield passes and taking turns on the solo offensive opportunities, kept the Aviators imbalanced. The Jets’ will be looking to copy that adaptive playstyle, with either Indy joining Bond Bother once again, or Ripperr taking to the pitch instead for their post-season debut.

The Hurricanes had a far easier time in their wildcard matchup against the Hawks, sweeping them in convincing fashion, and limiting them to three goals across three games. We all knew going into the series that the Canes’ offense goes through Privileged Pear, their offensive juggernaut during the regular season. What is wonderful news to Canes’ fans is that nerr97 stepped up huge against the Hawks, leading the pair in goals (6) and MVPR (5.39). The Canes’ will be more well rounded going into the Conference Semi-Finals, which will bring problems for the Jets, knowing they cannot simply focus on a single player to shut the Hurricanes down.

However, questions still surround this Canes’ lineup. In their last regular-season series against the Lightning’s ace pairing (Bob and Maseface26, both of 16.5 salary) the Hurricanes lost the series 3-2 and would have lost the best of 5 series 3-1. Privileged Pear and nerr97 both posted MVPRs under 4.0 to a pairing that is arguable stronger than what they faced in the first round. Moreover, the Canes’ have a 40% win percentage against winning teams during the regular season. It is yet to be seen if the Hurricanes can turn that trend against an utterly dominant squad in the Jets and secure their ticket to the Conference Finals.

Orange Conference – Sunday, Dec. 6th

#1 Spectre v. #7 Shadow @ 8pm on MLESPORTSGG2

The Spectre were able to clinch the first seed in the Orange Conference with a 49-21 record. Part of their successful regular season was due to the valiant efforts of their top pairing of Blackwatch and Light. Light was brought on early in the season when the Spectre’s playing General Manager, Kunics, ranked out into the Premier League. Since then, Blackwatch and Light have gone a collective 13-2 across three contests, posting impressive defensive numbers. They averaged 5.13 saves/game as a unit, while both averaged an OMVPR around 4.2 for the entire season. The Spectre were just as solid on the offensive side of the ball too. Blackwatch led the way with 75 goals, but Light came in at the 92% percentile, in terms of their offensive involvement. We can expect that on Sunday that both Blackwatch and Light will carry their own weight and hope to beat the Shadow by committee.

The seventh-seeded Shadow came out of the wildcard round with a massive 3-1 upset win against the second-seeded Elite. The unknown pairing of Akina and Nyyankeesrd, who played their first series together as a team, produced a dazzling performance and very much made their presence known within the Master League. In their three wins, they were able to limit the Elite to just 4 goals and keep Hotwiredbug and Elegance to an MVPR around 3.0, respectively. Akina showed instances of mechanical brilliance in the air, while Nyyankeesrd led the pair with a 3.98 MVPR.

The Spectre cannot go into this matchup taking the Shadow for granted. Like the Elite, the Spectre finished the regular season with a record barely above 500 against winning squads, going 16-14. Moreover, the Spectre and the Elite are both well-rounded teams, that do not overly rely upon offensive output to win games. Knowing this, the Shadow match up nicely, if they can stifle the Spectre’s offense while producing enough offensive pressure themselves.

#4 Pandas v. #6 Outlaws @ 9pm on MLESPORTSGG

In the first round the pan // das were able to avoid the reverse sweep at the hands of the Demolition, winning game five after losing games 3 and 4. Going into that contest, it was well known that dan720 would be the man for the Pandas, and if they faltered at any point, so would the team. However, dan720 stepped up huge, and more importantly for the Pandas, so did Unforgiven. They led the pair in MVPR with a 5.14 and set up dan720 consistently, potting 7 assists. They were down two goals in game one with under a minute left but were able to battle back a squeeze out a crucial 5-4 overtime win. A balanced offense and relentless determination will serve the Pandas well going into the Conference Semi-Finals.

Super sub Turbopolsa, I mean Stovvadz, came up clutch against the Rhinos for the Outlaws. KyleSpanx was unable to take to the pitch last minute and the General Manager for the Outlaws did not disappoint. Alongside Llama they were able to squeak out a 3-2 series win against a tough Rhinos lineup. What is most impressive is that for the Outlaws’ three wins, they limited the Rhinos to zero goals. The Rhinos were unable to sustain any amount of pressure for those three losses. The Outlaws were beyond proficient in their ability to absorb the Rhinos’ initial offensive strike and quickly transition back downfield, forcing the Rhinos back onto defense. If the Outlaws can continue that quick transition play with KyleSpanx, the Pandas will have their hands full.

This series will come down to individual matchups. We all know Llama and dan720 will come out and produce a strong performance. Questions arise around Unforgiven and if they will be able to have a repeat performance under a higher-pressure situation and if KyleSpanx can slot into the lineup with limited hiccups after not playing two weeks ago. Of note, the Pandas will have to watch out for the Outlaws deceptive kickoff game, in which they frequently engage in a hard cheat kickoff, which netted them several key goals in the Rhinos series.

The playoffs are a marathon, not a sprint. For the Hive and the Spectre, they are just starting their first leg, while the others are 10km deep, looking to reach the halfway mark on a strong note. All the Conference Semi-Final matchups are looking to be incredibly tight, with any team being able to defeat the other. Will the seventh seeds from both conferences continue their quests towards playoff glory? Will we have more theatrics with compelling game 5 nail-biters? 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.

The season 11 playoffs of Minor League Esports officially get kicks off this Saturday, with the Conference Quarterfinals in Academy League, Champion League, and Master League. Each Quarterfinal matchup will be a best of five, unlike a series of five during the regular season. Knowing how close the regular season is across all leagues, no favorite should be considered right from the outset. So let us do a deep dive into Master League, looking at each matchup in the Blue and Orange Conference and making a claim as to which team may make it through the first round.

Orange Conference

#2 Elite vs #7 Shadow: Saturday 8 pm EST on mlesportsgg2

The Elite clinched a second seed with an impressive 46-24 regular-season record. Their three-headed monster of Swellz, Elegance, and Hotwiredbug secured them a 10-4 series record while going 5-1 through divisional play. Elegance led the way with a 30-10 game record while being in the top 10 of OMVPR with a 3.85. Swellz and Hotwiredbug also threw up some impressive numbers. Hotwiredbug leading the team in goals saves, shots, and MVPR (5.15) with Swellz not far behind (4.52 MVPR). Elegance will most certainly be taking to the pitch come this weekend and whoever has the hotter hand between Swellz and Hotwirdbug may be joining them.

The Shadow comes into the playoffs as a #7 seed, with a 39-31 regular season. Their top player for most of the season, M0rg, ranked into the Premier League before week 10. Before their rank out, M0rg was their offensive catalyst, who sat with a 22-8 overall game record, with a 5.95 MVPR and 3.95 OMVPR. Even after their departure, they lead the Shadow in goals and shots at the end of the season. More importantly, they finished with a 17-23 record after M0rg’s rank out, with Akina stepping into some pretty big shoes. Based on salary, their top pairing would be Akina and Nyyankeesrd at a 16.0 each, with Nyyankeesrd coming off the reserve bench mid-way through the season. However, based upon their sub 500 record since M0rg’s rank out, the Shadow may just play the pairing with the greatest synergy, which may be Euronate and Fruity, both being on the main roster since the beginning of the season.

Whichever pairing the Shadow end up going with, they have a tall task ahead of them. The Elite are 2-2 against winning teams, but with those two losses coming from their lower pairings. Knowing they will be sending out a dynamite roster to the pitch, and the Shadow’s struggles to end the season, the Elite look poised to take this one.

#3 Rhinos vs #6 Outlaws: Saturday 9 pm EST on mlesportsgg

The Rhinos were able to grab the third seed, with a 43-27 record. They are a bit of an enigma, going 28-12 against winning teams while going 15-15 against losing squads. We will have to wait and see which Rhinos team takes to the field, but we do know this, their star player RED will not be taking to the pitch. Similar to M0rg, RED ranked out of Master League and into Premier League after week 10. RED left the Master League with a very impressive 6.53 MVPR, averaging over 700 points per game, while not losing a single series. Filling into the top pairing for the Rhinos, alongside Reverse Fridge, will be Xequter001. The pairing of Reverse Fridge and Xequter001 went a modest 7-8 during the regular season. However, they took a close 3-2 series win over the Outlaws’ top pairing only a couple of weeks ago.

The sixth seed Outlaws, with their top pairing of KyleSpanx and Llama, look for a sweet case of revenge against the Rhinos to take the first-round win. The Outlaws finished with a 41-29 record, going 10-4 in series overall. Of some concern is their winning percentage against winning teams, clipping in under par at 45%. This being said, a major bright spot for the Outlaws has been the play of Llama. Coming in at a 16.0 salary, Llama currently sits fourth in the Master League for MVPR at 5.89. Finishing with a 7-1 series record, the Outlaws will continue to look for Llama to carry the offensive workload. He finished the regular season in the 95^th percentile, in terms of his involvement in the Outlaw’s offense for the entire season.

With their last series being a close contest and both squads finishing with nearly identical records, this series aims to be incredibly tight. In the previous 3-2 Rhinos’ win over the Outlaws, four out of the five games were decided by a single goal. To come out on top this time around, the Outlaws will need to watch out for Reverse Fridge’s speed. He led the Master League in time spent supersonic at over 3000 seconds. The Outlaws will need to match that speed or look to neutralize it, by not overextending and giving Reverse Fridge space to attack. If Reverse Fridge and Llama can go toe-to-toe and both put up solid numbers, this series may be decided on how Xequter and KyleSpanx perform in crunch time.

#4 Pandas vs #5 Demolition: Saturday 10 pm EST on mlesportsgg

The “pan // das’’ come into the season 11 playoffs sporting a 39-31 record, with dan720 looking to carry them on a deep playoff run. Dan is the man, leading the Pandas in every meaningful offensive category including shots, goals, assists, and MVPR.  Who will join dan720 this weekend is uncertain. Both Unforgiven and Zona finished with nearly comparable numbers. Unforgiven with a 4.26 MVPR while Zona finished with a 4.28 MVPR. Zona finished with an overall game record slightly above 500 and Unforgiven was slightly below 500. Knowing this, along with Zona’s lower OMVPR, Zona may be the one to start alongside dan720. This is good news for Panda fans, as the pair went 9-1 across two series this season.

The fifth-seeded Demolition, alongside the Rhinos and Shadow, also had their star player rank into the Premier League. GoldenLuigii, who was drafted first overall this past Master League draft, posted impeccable numbers. Posting a 28-12 game record, with a 5.89 MVPR and smothering their opponents with a 3.75 OMVPR. GoldenLuigii was also a massive aerial threat, leading the Master League with time spent high in the air, at over 700 seconds. Losing a player of GoldenLuigii’s caliber is a tough loss for the Demolition, but they hope to fill that void by bringing in Dye, a previous reserve for the Bears. Dye is an unknown, not having played in a single series all season, nor is there any relevant 4mans stats that can be gleaned off of. Joining Dye will be Miko, who ended the regular season with a strong 4.71 MVPR.

Many unknowns surround this series. Who will be joining dan720 and will they be able to contribute offensively? How will Dye fair in their first MLE series? Will Miko and Dye be able to develop the chemistry quickly enough, to the levels that Miko and GoldenLuigii exhibited? The answers to these questions will be made known come Saturday.

Blue Conference

#2 Sabres vs #7 Knights: Sunday 8 PM EST on mlesportsgg2

The Sabres come into playoffs as the #2 seed in the Blue Conference, securing a 44-26 record. A welcomed but surprising bright spot for the Sabres this season has been the play of Godkitty. Godkitty started the season on the bench but got onto the starting roster a little over halfway through the season, after the departure of their previous star player, JSMR. Since then, they have been on an absolute tear, going 18-2 with a 5.90 MVPR. Joining Godkitty will be Phoenix, a prior starter on the Bears who was released after week 6, and subsequently picked up by the Sabres on waivers. The pair of Godkitty and Phoenix have done well in two series, finishing with a 9-1 record. Just as impressive, both players finished top 10 in the league in shooting percentage.

The Knights were declared the number one team in the Master League, by the Power Rankings Committee, at the start of the reason. Such high favor, before any games were played, was given out for good reason. The Knights sported a highly balanced team filled with incredible talent. Therefore, coming into the playoffs as the seventh seed may not have been the regular season results they were hoping for. Regardless, they qualified with a 41-29 record and are poised to make some noise. Their offensive juggernaut, Prosperity2K, will look to lead the way. They finished top 5 in goals, top 10 in shots, and posted a solid 5.73 MVPR. Now who will be joining Prosperity2K is more uncertain, simply based on the strength of their collective roster. Anyone of Galaxy, Barry Allen, or MikeisMyIke, could step in and put up stellar numbers. Galaxy led the team with a 3.81 OMVPR, which means the Knights could look towards Galaxy shutting down the Sabres’ offense while Prosperity2K keeps the offense moving forward. However, Galaxy also posted the lowest average opponent salary on the team, with a 15.79 average opponent salary. MikeisMyIke has a 16.5 salary, like Prosperity2K, so sporting their highest salary pairing may be the play. There is also Barry Allen, who finished with a 4.40 MVPR, with his average opponent salary coming in at 15.96.     

Whoever the Knights end up fielding this weekend, the Sabres have a difficult task ahead of them. The Sabres can hold faith in the fact that the Knights this season finished with a sub-par record against winning teams, only going 14-21. Compound that fact with Godkitty’s lights-out performance down the stretch, this one looks to be an incredibly close contest.

#3 Jets vs #6 Aviators: Sunday 9 PM EST on mlesportsgg

The Jets go into these playoffs wielding a three-headed monster of Bond Brother, Ripperr, and Indy. All three of them put up impeccable numbers. Bond Brother and Ripperr both finished top 10 in MVPR, with a 6.52 and a 5.82 MVPR, respectively. Indy finished not too far off with a 5.31 MVPR and a 18-7 game record. The Jets were second in the league in total goals and third in winning percentage against winning squads. The Jets were flying high most of the season and look to continue their ways with any pairing they decide to field.

The Aviators clinched the sixth seed with a 42-28 record. Like the Jets, their offensive output was executed by committee, with Mario, Jdubbz, and Craymin all playing key roles. Mario led the team in goals, Jdubbz led in assists, saves, and MVPR, while Craymin led in shots, demos, and OMVPR. Their well-balanced attack resulted in 252 goals, which was good enough for fifth in the league. They may go with the more winning pair, considering their team balance, meaning Craymin and Jdubbz would suit up on Sunday. Both players finished with a commanding 5-2 series record. However, is that both losses for both players came from the hands of playoff-bound teams.   

The Aviators and Jets both have well-rounded squads, which is key to achieving regular-season success. Come playoff time, that necessity becomes less meaningful, with teams looking to field their ace line ups each series. What makes the Jets scary is they can legitimately claim two “ace” line ups, which puts the Aviators in a tough spot. Craymin will need to continue to his defensive stance for this Aviators squad and try to neutralize the Jets’ offensive chances. The key to this series is Jdubbz, who had the second-lowest opponent average salary (among starters) at 15.57. If the speed of the higher salaried Jets’ catch them off guard, with it being something they are not used to, the Aviators’ hopes at a deep playoff run may be short-lived.

#4 Hurricanes vs #5 Hawks: Sunday 10 PM EST on mlesportsgg

The Hurricanes were able to clinch the fourth seed, with an overall record of 40-30, while going 9-5 in series played. They had a sub 500 record against winning teams but were able to make the playoffs with their divisional play, going 20-10 against their divisional opponents. Everything the Hurricanes do goes through Privileged Pear. Coming in at a 16.5 salary, they finished top 10 in the league in goals, saves, and shots. A very impressive campaign for Privileged Pear, who looks to cap off a successful regular season with a dominating playoff run. To make that a reality, their 16.5 counterpart, Nerr97, will need to match Privileged Pear’s play. Nerr97 looks poised to do so, leading the team in assists at 37 and demos with 39, going 5-2 across all series played.

As we have seen with other playoff-bound Master League teams, the Hawks had their star-studded player rank out during the regular season. Pletheros led the league with an astonishing 6.82 MVPR, going 6-0 in series played while scoring 2.5 goals per game. To replace Pletheros, the Hawks grabbed Plumato from waivers after the Wizards moved them to reserves. Plumato has had a more disappointing season, going 5-15 with the Wizards and 2-8 with the Hawks in games played. This does not paint a full picture, necessarily, for Plumato went 2-3 against the Aviators, a series that went to three overtimes, and a sweep at the hands of the top pairing from the number one seeded Hive. Plumato will look to have a strong playoff start alongside Bandi, who finished with a 5.17 MVPR.

The #4/#5 matchups in both conferences are surrounded by unknowns. Will Plumato be able to step up and be that offensive catalyst the Hawks need them to be? Will the Hurricanes be able to perform at a higher level against a winning team? Both Plumato and Bandi finished with an OMVPR over 5.0, so will they be able to neutralize the pressure Privileged Pear will bring? This series aims to be an absolute barn burner, with the Conference Quarterfinals wrapping up Sunday night.

No matter who you’re rooting for, you can catch all the playoff action on both twitch channels MLESPORTSGG and MLESPORTSGG2. Support your favorite teams and MLE by watching the stream. And good luck to all the playoff teams.

With the start of the playoffs comes one of the most exciting weekends of the season. Six matches will be played across each league. Wild card contenders will fall to favorites or start their cinderella runs. Four seeds will face five seeds in close knock down drag out best of fives. We’ll see highlight goals and overtimes. We’ll see upsets and blowouts. The only thing we can expect is that it will be unpredictable. But to give you a preview of what you might see this weekend we’re here to breakdown each matchup of the opening round of the Champion League playoffs.

Orange Conference

#2 Comets vs #7 Sharks: Saturday 7 PM EST on MLESPORTSGG2

Starting with a classic; David vs. Goliath, 2nd seed vs 7th. This series, despite what it says through the standings and final placement could turn out to be a very close one, indeed. To start, the Sharks are a team that plays well against winning teams despite their overall record. They have a respectable 28-22 record there with a goal differential (GD) of 24. If they are to succeed in such an underdog scenario they’ll need to play their star player Hobo1104. Hobo has been a huge reason for the team squeaking into a playoff spot. Hobo leads the categories of goals, saves, shots, and demos for his team. The rank out of Mushypancakez does raise some questions for the sharks but with Kkube and Thepope870 both sitting at 14.5 salaries they have two solid options come playoff time. 

The Comets seem to have an even easier recipe for success; putting Occam on the field. Occam tops his team in all stats except for goals and OMVPR. His 69 goals and 55 saves on the season show that he can produce on both sides of the pitch. with a 4.78 MVPR and a playoff appearance in season 10, it’s likely that GM Thunderbug will make up the other half of this playoff pairing. But I also wouldn’t count out seeing Peytoneli who put up 73 goals this season and finished with a 45.9 shooting percentage.

The main distinguishing factor I can see between these two sets of players is that the Sharks have a defensive poignancy that the Comets are missing. If it is indeed a matchup between Occam and Hobo1104 then the Sharks should fair much better in dealing with pressure in their own third. I expect excitement in this deceivingly lopsided series.

#3 Pandas vs #6 Demolition: Saturday 7 PM EST on MLESPORTSGG

Here is a series that looks, from the standings of both teams, like it could be close. But one big figure jumps out at me as very telling of where the Demolition could take advantage. The Demos have placed 3rd in shooting percentage and are 3% higher than the league average of 40.5%, a huge stat to consider. They don’t only shine as snipers, though, because they are ahead of the league average by a considerable amount in most stats except for, ironically, demolitions. Shay leads the team in assists but It’s PalmBreeze and Climax that will likely be the starters of their team. Climax had 76 goals and 74 on the season while PlamBreeze finished the season with 78 goals and an impressive 5.44 MVPR. 

The Pandas are not hopeless here though, they excel in the Goals Against (GA) department being a whole 23 GA below the league average while the Demolition are a measly 3 GA below the average. Considering that both teams have a very average amount of saves I’d give the Pandas a great advantage in the defensive end. When it comes to clearing the ball they have great skill but lack the ability to capitalize with a shot conversion rate of 38.9%. Both BroskiJazz and Purpplehippo are MLE rookies this season so the team may rely on the experience of Gualbertos who had a playoff showing last season.

Despite the 3 and 6 matchup I can see the Demo taking the edge in the series. Look for the Demolition to put on a lot of shots against the tough defense of the Pandas. If the defense holds the series belongs to the Pandas but if the Demo are shooting well they may be able to stun their opponents and start running away with enough games to take the series. 

#4 Pirates vs. #5 Tyrants: Saturday 8 PM EST on MLESPORTSGG

Despite the large gap in League Standings, these two teams are 4th (Pirates) and 5th (Tyrants) in their own conference. To save myself sounding like a broken record I’ll simply say that the GD stats between these two teams are astronomical; The Pirates finished with a GD of 0 and the Tyrants producing an incredible 59. 59! With a stat like that under their belts, it’s no wonder why they’re in the playoffs this season. 

The Tyrants have another impressive figure to their name, a 75% series win percentage vs. the Orange conference. They should have no problem with the comfortability of playing a team in that same category. Tyrants GM TSR has had a standout season with 63 saves and a 5.37 MVPR. The rest of the team has held up their end as well and any one of them could see playtime in the playoffs. Gogurt has had 65 goals on the season and sports a 5.14 MVPR. Trusolja scored 69 goals and leads the team with 33 assists. Gamestrike only played in three series this season but averaged an OMVPR of 3.31. 

The only chance I can see the Pirates having in this series is if their one-horse team of NoKompass can pull off the series of a lifetime. He leads the Pirates in every category except OMVPR. Both teams have player stats that trend toward the middle of the road but a keen eye might see the weakness the Tyrants possess in the demo category and try to exploit that in the coming series (ahem, Pirates, ahem). But in all fairness, the Pirates are still under the league average here and could benefit greatly from playing a couple of rounds of demo derby to hone their skills and take the Tyrants by surprise.

Blue Conference

#2 Jets vs #7 Hawks: Sunday 7 PM EST on MLESPORTSGG2

The battle over the skies will take place in the first round of the playoffs as the high flying Hawks take on the cloud soaring Jets. Despite the 2 vs 7 matchup, this series has the potential to be a tricky first round for the Jets and has all the makings of a classic series.

The Hawks come in as a clear underdog at the 7th seed. Despite a solid 10-4 series record they only have a goal differential of +14 and have dropped a good number of games within each of those series to scrape by with the last spot in the blue conference. The team is led by an all-star player in Orange Monkey. Orange Monkey finished the regular season 1st in goals and saves with 89 and 114 respectively. They are also 2nd overall in MVPR at a 5.94 which means they flat out produce results against any and every opponent. They’re exactly the kind of player that makes a difference in the playoffs. Just ask the Hurricanes who took the AL title last year thanks to none other than Orange Monkey. The rest of the team, while all solid players have no superlatives to speak of. Look for KillingHabbits, JordanMG, or Rtbick to mostly be facilitating their partner.

If there is a team that won’t be flinching against the leading scorer in Champion League, it’s this Jets team. The league leaders in Defense, the Jets have put together one of the more impressive shutdown seasons in MLE. They finished 1st in the least goals allowed (157) and OMVPR (3.50). To put that into perspective, the league average is 217 goals allowed and a 4.40 OMVPR. The team would no doubt be a heavy favorite for the finals if it weren’t for the late-season rank out of one of their defensive leaders, Silence. Fellow starter Mople and now PL reserve Silence finished 1st and 2nd in OMVPR respectively. The jets picked up Britzue to replace Silence but it’s ShuTingYu that may be Mople’s partner for a playoff run. ShuTingYu finished 6th in the league for shooting percentage with exactly 50%. This makes them a fitting complement to the defensive Mople. While the Jets will try to prove that they’re as good as their seeding, the Hawks will be looking to begin an upset run in the first round.

#3 Hive vs #6 Sabres: Sunday 7 PM EST on MLESPORTSGG

As a member of the MLE content team, I feel torn about this matchup. There is a potential that two fellow writers in iAndray and RoyalGrace may be matching up against one another. And I don’t want to pick sides less I make things awkward in the discord. But instead, here are a few reasons both teams could come out on top.

The Hive doesn’t have any individual players on the major leaderboards this season. But with an average team MVPR of 4.71 the Hive is a team stacked top to bottom that knows how to dominate offensively and keep the ball in their opponent’s side. They are 1st in shots and 4th in total Goals. Their shooting percentage is low but that seems to be mostly due to the style of play which involves shooting the ball at every chance. Both team captain Black and GM DLEW19 have a proven chemistry that took them to an AL final in season 10 against the Hurricanes. Playoff experience is valuable but the Hive may very well turn to their two higher salary players in Beninem and iAndray to surprise opponents.

As a team, the Sabres fall outside the top ten in almost all major stats. The notable exception here is one stat that may matter more than any other come playoff time, series win percentage. At 9-5 the Sabres have made their way into the playoffs by edging out close games and competitive series. And in a best of 5 matchup that gives the Sabres the edge. Add to that the potential for a player like Solrak to have a stand out performance and you have the makings of a dark horse. Solrak put up 80 goals this season (4th in the league) with an impressive 46.2 shooting percentage. With a 3.79 OMVPR, Solrak is a player that can make a difference on both sides of the pitch. 35th and Lil Lettuce could both make an appearance as Solrak’s teammate but my money is on RoyalGrace who has finished 2nd in Demolitions this season with 59 and could prove to be a thorn in the sides of opponents. 

#4 LIGHTNING vs #5 Foxes Sunday 8 PM EST on MLESPORTSGG

The Foxes are another team that has a deep roster of talent. With an average MVPR of 4.70 there is no combination of players that would give opponents an easy matchup. The Foxes are one of the best teams in the league at converting their scoring chances. They finished 2nd in shooting percentage and 4th in goals. Their offensive productivity is partially due to the playmaking ability of Lack who came in first overall in assists with 44 and 7th in Demos with 43. The Foxes seem to have chemistry with any pairing but with Zeta finishing 8th in shooting percentage with 49.6% there is a good chance the team will turn to them to clutch out a competitive series.

During the CL Lightning’s last game on stream in week 11, caster GrantCFO was at a loss to describe the Lightning’s play during their match against the Eclipse, at one point calling it “unconventional.”  This might be due to the Lightning’s pressure in the midfield which leads to as many mistakes as goals. DomRM14 is their star player with a 4.76 MVPR and 80 saves on the season. The team has three well-rounded players in Arunos, DudTheBomb, and Seanwilllaugh that could all make an appearance alongside DomRM14. The Lightning are a team that plays fast and offensively but across the board, their shooting could be the thing holding them back. The team averages a 37.1 shooting percentage, tied for 3rd worst in the league. Seeing as they are the only winning team with a shooting percentage in the bottom 5, it seems that if the Lightning can start capitalizing on their opportunities this team has the makings of a great underdog and a fun team to watch.

The stats may lean in favor of the Foxes in this four vs five matchup but anything can happen in the playoffs. The unpredictable nature of the Lightning and their ability to apply pressure on offense could easily throw off the Foxes.

No matter who you’re rooting for, you can catch all the playoff action on both twitch channels MLESPORTSGG and MLESPORTSGG2. Support your favorite teams and MLE by watching the stream. And good luck to all the playoff teams.

On August 8th, players across two and a half leagues figured out what teams they would be going to with the Season 11 MLE draft. One of those leagues was Academy League (AL), and in the 105 days between the draft and the start of the playoffs, a lot has changed. Every team came in with the hope that this was their season, but now, the picture is a lot more clear. 18 teams are eliminated and only 14 remain, we have the favorites and the sleepers, and most importantly, the playoff puns are back! Who will be the Cinderella story, which giant will fall early, and who will come out on top? Let’s take a quick look at the matchups to help answer those questions. 

Orange Conference: 

#7 Tyrants vs #2 Elite: Saturday 6 pm EST on mlesportsgg2

Expect this series to erupt, and not just in an offensive way. These two teams are both in the Volcanic Division and have already played twice this season. The Elite took both series on 3-2 wins, including their matchup last week. Neither team used both of their two highest salary players though, so it will be interesting to see the lineups they come out with. The Elite are the favorites coming in, at 48-22 (11-3 series record), they boast the 3rd best overall record in AL. In addition, they scored a whopping 274 goals, 24 more than the next highest team, which helped them achieve a +89 goal differential, the most out of any AL team playing this weekend. They also led in demos with 139 so watch out for the physical play.

Elite will be relying on their high scoring offense to push them past this Tyrants team, and they definitely have it. Gidders (46), NoVa Matty (38), RWB (34), and Achilles (46) all have put up a good number of goals. Since Achilles is a 10.5 salary, I don’t believe we’ll see him play this weekend, but no matter who they choose, the Elite have to feel like they will get great offensive production. The biggest concern is they will need to be able to move past the late rank out of ex-teammate Froggy, who scored over 80 goals, to really get over the hump, but as they proved last weekend, they can definitely do it.

For the Tyrants, the key will be slowing the Elite down. This is definitely possible with DDia’s defense, as he made 64 saves this season which was just outside of the top 10. He also scored 74 goals this season, which tied for 8th. The Elite hasn’t gone up against him since week 1, so the addition of DDia may throw them a curveball. The rest of the team is really balanced, consisting of 11.5 and 12 salaries, so it’s tough to say who will play, but Cheeto is a good guess, as he racked up 76 saves on the season and 52 goals, second for the team. This game should be great, and it will be a battle until the clock hits 0. Definitely tune into this one. 

#6 Outlaws vs #3 Sharks: Saturday 5 pm EST on mlesportsgg2

The first of two odd matchups in this conference, the #3 seeded Sharks are the team with the worse record and got their high seed due to winning their division. At 35-35, the Sharks are no slouches, but it’s not what you would normally expect from a highly seeded team. These two teams did play in match 14, and the Outlaws came up victorious, but like our matchup above, it was a close 3-2 series. And much like the above series, the possible matchups are up in the air because each team is filled with high caliber, high salary players.

Let’s start this in-depth look with the Outlaws, who had a great season at 44-26 overall (10-4 series record). If you like team play, this is the team to watch, because they led the league with 120 assists. FLaMEz led the team in this category with 38, 3rd in AL. Daywalker gathered up 32 of his own, but he is more well known for his other stats. His 79 goals ranked 6th in AL, and his 3.33 OMVPR was good enough for 5th. Expect to see him play this weekend, as he was a part of the maximum 8 series for this Outlaws team.

As for the Sharks, they had a rough go, as their schedule was one of the hardest, yet still finished with a .500 record both overall and in series. Overall most of their team stats are in the average range, although they do have a -19 goal differential. The stat that jumps out to me though is the 37.7% shooting percentage, which was the worst in the league. With Daywalker’s low OMVPR for the Outlaws, the Sharks may find themselves in a tougher than normal position to score, so the key in this series will be to convert the shots they get, as they can’t continue to shoot at the low clip they are. As for the players they have, Kjintroverted and Peech are their two main scorers, each scoring over 50 goals a pop. If they want to win, they’ll have to come together and step up to the challenge. It should be a good series, but will the Sharks be able to pull the upset? Tune in to find out. 

#5 Bulls vs #4 Wizards: Saturday 6 pm EST on mlesportsgg

If you thought the Sharks were a little lucky winning their division with a .500 record, wait until I show you the Wizards, who grabbed the Mystic division crown after going 32-38. This is a team though that can’t be overlooked, as they won 8 of their 14 series. Bad losses and close wins made this possible, but it means they know how to win, and that should mean this is an interesting series against a strong Bulls squad. 

The Bulls come into this series at 47-23, tied for the 4th best record in all of AL. Unfortunately, they finished a game behind Elite, and are stuck with the 5 seed. When you think of a bull, you think of an aggressive animal, and these Bulls are definitely aggressive, with 110 demos to their name. They are also aggressive on offense, tallying 245 goals, 4th in the league. The great thing about this team is that they don’t rely on any one person to carry them, they have a great all-around team. Chxppa is probably their best player and is also their highest salary at 12. With 51 goals and 60 saves, expect him to be the go-to guy for this team. ItsKai should also make an appearance in this game, as he has 58 goals himself, and should figure to be an offensive power.

For the Wizards, they have a good all-around team as well. Mario_RL is the main man. At a 12 salary, he balled out with 74 goals and 58 saves, and did I mention he is 7th in MVPR? NinjaTurry will probably be his number 2 with 55 goals and 47 saves of his own. These two have played together for a while now, so expect the chemistry to be high. The problem with this lineup though is they don’t have a high shooting percentage, but considering how many goals they have, expect them to throw a lot of shots on target and test the Bulls defense. Even though they don’t have a great record, I believe the Wizards match up well in this series and it should be a classic, so be sure to tune in!

Blue Conference

#7 Knights vs #2 Puffins: Sunday 6 pm EST on mlesportsgg2

As the last team in, the Knights won’t go into the night without a fight (sorry I really wanted to rhyme). They squeezed into the playoffs with a 36-34 record with two teams just behind them at 35-35, including the Foxes who held the tiebreaker over them. That being said, the tiebreaker wasn’t needed, and the Knights earned themselves a date with the #2 seeded Puffins, a fan-favorite franchise. The Puffins did win this regular season matchup 4-1 but expect a better lineup from the Knights as they did play their lowest salary player in that matchup.

The Knights come into this match with nothing to lose as they know they are the underdog. At 240 saves, this team led AL in that category, so expect them to play good defense, and find their chances on the counter-attack. With three players at a 12.5 salary, the Knights have choices to make with their lineup but expect Gristly to make an impact in this one. He has 75 goals (7th in AL) and 60 saves on the season. He also makes an impact by trying to blow up his opponent’s rotations, as he is 5th in demos and leads the league in shots with 187. Tez and Gabronies are the other two players who may appear, and you can’t go wrong with either one, but I’m placing my bet on Tez to play this game. He is a save machine, with 67 on the season, which is the 8th highest in the league.

The Puffins come in at 47-23, and have proven to be a force this season. Their whole lineup is 12 salary or higher, and they have made their mark on every series they have played. Get out a glass, because there will be shots pouring from all directions. The Puffins had more shots than any team playing this weekend, which is a perfect complement to the Knights’ strong save numbers. Bango led the team in shots, with 182 (3rd in AL) of them this season, and while he only scored 64 of them, the offensive pressure he created might be enough to lead this team to victory. AubreyE would be a perfect pairing, as he has also scored a lot this season with 61 goals, but his save total at 56 is what really separates him. With two of the top three shot leaders, and the team leading in saves facing the second-place team in shots, you shouldn’t miss this battle. 

#6 Ducks vs #3 Jets: Sunday 5 pm EST on mlesportsgg2

The quack attack is back in the playoffs and will go up against the Forge Division winner, the Jets. The Ducks come in with a respectable 39-31 record, winning 8 of their 14 series. The Jets on the other hand come in at 45-25, and won 10 series. They didn’t play each other during the season, so that should add some intrigue to this match.

The Jets shoot the ball very well and have the 2nd highest shooting percentage of any team in the postseason. This is in part due to BurnWanSahn being 4th in the leaderboards in that category, hitting a 51.9% clip. He will probably play alongside Grand Master Papi, who is 2nd in the league in assists with 38, and had 59 goals. This combo can potentially be very dangerous. Watch out for Grand Master Papi setting up BurnWanSahn for some shots.

The Ducks don’t have an elite finisher like the Jets, but they do have someone that loves to shoot. Schwartzy was 5th in goals this season with 81, and 4th in shots with 181. He will be an important piece if the Ducks want to pull off the upset. Expect Shnozz to start alongside him, as he scored 57 goals and had 63 saves. It is possible we see FlyinHi or Aflamingtruck too, as they are both very good players who helped the Ducks get to this point, but my bet would be on the first two I mentioned. As a team, the Ducks were 3rd in total shots (565), so expect them to try to take the offensive in this series. All in all, each team has a very good lineup and should make for a series that you’ll need to see to believe.

#5 Sabres vs #4 Hurricanes: Sunday 6 pm EST on mlesportsgg

The last game for our overview features the defending AL champions: the Hurricanes. They start their journey for back to back titles against a Sabres team which will be a tough out. The Hurricanes finished 41-29, and the Sabres 42-28, but the Hurricanes won the regular-season meeting between these teams 3-2. This might end up being one of the closest series of the first round.

As a team, the Hurricanes come in with the 8th lowest OMVPR, which will be very helpful when it comes to shutting the Sabres down. They have three very capable players who may play in this game. Frogfor20 is tied for 6th in saves with 68, and had 64 goals to go along with that. Hellfire joined the team late in the season, but made a big impact during his two series, going 7-3 overall. We may see a possible third option in Blitz who had 57 goals on the season. Any combination of these players will leave the Hurricanes in good hands going forward.

The Sabres finished the season 6th in goals, so they tend to score a lot. This is due to their two key players, The Big C and Sammy. The Big C is an all-around leader, scoring 63 goals, 31 assists (just outside the top 10 in AL), and 69 saves (tied for 4th). Sammy is their goalscorer, scoring a league-best 87 times, and added 29 assists and 68 saves (tied for 6th). This duo is a well-oiled machine, and has the talent to possibly go all the way, but will the Hurricanes’ stout defense slow them down? Only time will tell, so don’t miss this clash!

No matter who you’re rooting for, you can catch all the playoff action on both twitch channels MLESPORTSGG and MLESPORTSGG2. Support your favorite teams and MLE by watching the stream. And good luck to all the playoff teams.