Hello car soccer enthusiasts, Doodle! Here bringing you something a little different than your run-of-the-mill playoff writeups. I decided that instead of giving you my thoughts on how things might turn out, I wanted to give all of you guys, the readers, a bit of insight on teams competing in the 3s play-ins for MLE. Hope you guys enjoy it!
I’ve done my best to compile interviews with players from each team to give a bit of insight on their teams and expectations heading into the postseason.
Orange Conference Match 1 [twitch.tv/mlesportsgg @7:00pm est]
#2 Outlaws [31-19] vs. #7 Dodgers [28-22]
Starting off the ML3s playoffs we have the Outlaws teeing off against the Dodgers. Without further ado, let’s get this show on the road. Starting with SergeantBBQ for the Outlaws, and W. for the Dodgers.
How would you describe your team’s path to the playoffs? Was it easy? Was it tough until the end? If you could explain in as much detail as you’d like.
SergeantBBQ: It was hard fought. Out of all our series losses, we managed to at least squeeze out 2 wins in all but one single series.
With the current eligible players on your team, do you think your teams could make a deep playoff run? Or are y’all just going in and hoping for the best?
SergeantBBQ: I think we are capable of making a deep push. We lost one of our starting players late in the season which sets us back slightly, but the next man up has filled his role really well.
Looking at the schedule it seems that you guys are facing off against each other this Saturday. Anyone on the opposing roster that you or your team are particularly worried/concerned about?
SergeantBBQ: We didn’t play the Dodgers through the season so it’ll likely be a learn/adjust on the fly type of series. Although W. played really well in the doubles play-in so if he’s in the standard lineup, he might be one to keep an eye on.
*W. from the Dodgers elected not to comment*
Blue Conference Match 1 [twitch.tv/mlesportsgg @8:00pm est]
#2 Hive [32-18] vs. #7 Ducks [29-21]
The next match is actually a week 10 rematch between the Hive and Ducks. Joining me from these teams are GoldenLuigii from the Hive and Alex from the Ducks.
How would you describe your team’s path to the playoffs? Was it easy? Was it tough until the end? If you could explain in as much detail as you’d like.
Golden: We never had any issues all szn so making playoffs was easy.
Alex: It was more difficult than I think it should’ve been. We started off the season extremely hot and then with the holidays and having to play different lineups we struggled in the middle of the season. Unfortunately we also miscounted a player count and went from 5-0’ing the Hawks and having the #2 seed to getting an 0-5 NCP and dropping to 4th seed.
With the current eligible players on your team, do you think your team could make a deep playoff run? Or are y’all just going in and hoping for the best?
Golden: With our best roster we should be favorites to win it all.
Alex: For 3s it definitely seems like the tougher challenge. We have some availability issues that may affect the lineups we play. No matter who we have playing, we’ll have to play a very solid game to beat the Hive in round 1. We went 5-5 in games and 1-1 in series against them when we played during the regular season but they got the most recent win over us. If we advance past the Hive, I’m pretty confident we can ride that wave in a deep playoff run.
Looking at the schedule it seems that you guys are facing off against each other this Saturday. Anyone on the opposing roster that you or your team are particularly worried/concerned about?
Golden: No one. We 3-2 them last week but could’ve been an easy 5-0 if we were fully focused.
Alex: We don’t tend to focus too much on individual players in general but the Hive have 3 good players so it’d be silly to worry about one anymore than the other. All of them have the ability to peak and carry a series if it’s their night. Luckily we have a couple of guys like that too but, still not as easy challenge.
Blue Conference Match 2 [twitch.tv/mlesportsgg2 @8:00pm est]
#4 Lightning [29-21] vs. #5 Sabres [32-18]
Up next we have another set of teams that are rematching in the playoffs. With the Sabres taking the past series in a 3-2, Lightning are looking to get revenge from week 7. Here we have A1ANDYx from the Sabres and GoldFish from the Lightning to tell us more.
How would you describe your team’s path to the playoffs? Was it easy? Was it tough until the end? If you could explain in as much detail as you’d like.
GoldFish: We started off the season in a really solid position, but it definitely was not easy. Every match we played was hard fought and every team we beat was definitely a challenge. Our first match of the season was a 4-1 against the Eclipse and that really boosted us into a good spot for the majority of the regular season. Near the last couple weeks, however, we lost some tough matches and actually got 0-5’d by the Blizzard – our closest Storm rival, which put us in a really dangerous spot 2nd in our conference. We needed to beat the Blizzard by 2 games in the last week of matches to clinch a guaranteed playoff spot, so that last week was pretty scary. We actually ended up getting an NCP in favor of us, which put us in the exact spot we needed to have a chance at playoffs. After nervously waiting for a few days, the Blizzard-Hurricane match was posted. It was a 3-2 win for the Hurricanes, which gave us a 1 game lead on the Blizzard and got us a playoff spot. It was definitely a roller coaster of emotions leading up to playoffs, but we are extremely glad we are here.
A1ANDYx: I wouldn’t say it was easy because there were a lot of good teams we crossed paths with, but our team had a few members that have been playing with each other for a long time now, which made things go smoother and had a couple great additions to the team this season. We all gained chemistry together really well, which made things much easier of course. I think another thing that provides advantages for our team is that we all have similar personalities and are at the same point in life so we related very well which just formed good bonds. I think being #1 during the latter half of the season made us complacent, which ultimately lost us the 1 seed in 3s.
With the current eligible players on your team, do you think your team could make a deep playoff run? Or are y’all just going in and hoping for the best?
GoldFish: With the roster we are putting out for playoffs, I definitely see us making a deep playoff run this season. We are putting out the best possible roster for the matches, and I’m really excited to watch them play. We are putting out 2 extremely fast and mechanical players in Jheart and Shade and a solid and cautious play-maker in Maseface26. I know these 3 can play extremely well together and I’m super excited to see how they compete!
A1ANDYx: I truly think our team has something special in the making and can make a deep run in the playoffs. We are gonna play our hardest because I know everyone on the team is wanting the championship title. No one is selfish or toxic and wants the best for the team so it wasn’t hard picking playoff lineups. It was a mutual agreement that I am very appreciative for. I try to instill a mindset into my players minds of not underestimating anyone. I think that has been one of our greatest aspects to a successful season. We are looking to make a good playoff run for sure.
Looking at the schedule it seems that you guys are facing off against each other this Saturday. Anyone on the opposing roster that you or your team are particularly worried/concerned about?
GoldFish: It’s going to be nice having a rematch against the Sabres. We played them back in Week 7 and lost a close series 2-3 due to a poor performance by me. The guys will definitely be watching out for an extremely mechanical player in Liotta, but we are definitely on the lookout for the entire Sabres roster. I’m super excited to see what Jheart, Shade, and Maseface can do against them this Saturday!
A1ANDYx: We have played them once this season and it was a very competitive match all the way through. We took the 3-2 win, but we know what the lightning are capable of so there will be no underestimating them. They are a very good team and this should be a fun match to watch. I think Shade is one of their best players so we can’t give him much space, but I don’t worry about the other team that much. A little scouting report and that’s about it. If our team does things right and plays to the ability that they can, I think we can beat anyone.
Orange Conference Match 2 [twitch.tv/mlesportsgg2 @7:00pm est]
#3 Demolition [30-20] vs. #6 Sharks [29-21]
Making our way back to the orange conference we got the Demolition taking on the Sharks. Joining me from these teams are Flycker_ of the Demolition and WATER from the Sharks.
How would you describe your team’s path to the playoffs? Was it easy? Was it tough until the end? If you could explain in as much detail as you’d like.
Flycker_: I would say that our path to the playoffs was hard-fought, but well deserved. We have multiple talented players on this team that all mesh well together in different lineups, which made it very easy for us to have confidence in who we were fielding on any given week. We certainly did our best to make sure we sat towards the top of the division and to never fall more than a single series away from a Mystic Division title. Around week 7 we started to run into issues with our availability for our main 3s players, however between the strategic placement of players each week by Axion (our captain) and the determination of all of our players to win our division we were able to have an incredible final 3 weeks by going 14-1 in divisional matchups.
WATER: We had a bit of a stressful path to playoffs. We were in a great spot heading into divisional matches, but tough losses to the Flames put us in jeopardy of not qualifying for playoffs. We needed two wins and we were in, any less and we would be eliminated. We managed to put ourselves in a very stressful situation by going down 3-0 in the series to a very strong Pandas team. Thankfully, we were able to fight for the final two wins and sneak into playoffs, but it was very close. I’m very thankful we were able to keep our heads and turn it around to get those final wins- they definitely didn’t come easy, but the team clutched up.
With the current eligible players on your team, do you think your team could make a deep playoff run? Or are y’all just going in and hoping for the best?
Flycker_: Every team in the playoffs is here to fight until the end, and we are certainly no different. Our starting lineup has great chemistry and a willingness to adapt to each other as well as to our opponents, as well as a desire to push ourselves as far as we possibly can. I personally believe that if we continue to put in the commitment to our practice, replay analysis, and team chemistry that we have been giving for the last few weeks, then you can expect to see us in the Conference Finals and potentially even the Grand Finals.
WATER: I think we’re a bit of a question mark this playoffs with our eligible players. We’ve got a very solid top four in Tommy, Craymin, Vaan, and myself, so we’ve got the flexibility to do what we need to. Craymin was a great midseason pickup, and he and Tommy got a ton of wins in 2s through the middle of the season. They also looked pretty solid last Saturday to get a 3-1 over the Shadow, which speaks to the fact that these guys do have a good amount of talent. All four of us lean towards 2s, so the 3s playoff run is a lot more of a “let’s see where we can go” thing- if we’re on I think our skills translate pretty well, but I guess we’ll see this weekend. I think we have the individual skill to be a great team, so long as the nerves don’t get to us and we’re able to keep good comms and a general good mindset.
Looking at the schedule it seems that you guys are facing off against each other this Saturday. Anyone on the opposing roster that you or your team are particularly worried/concerned about?
Flycker_: We have taken the time to watch multiple replays of series between the Sharks and teams that they have found success against and I have utmost confidence that we can find success against this team. Tommy seems to have the most mechanical potential, however he struggles to find connections with his teammates at the midfield. Craymin has great defensive positioning and defensive touches, however doesn’t pose much of an offensive threat. Water has shown that he is a solid all-around player, but often finds himself out of position during offensive drives. I anticipate a low-scoring series with the Demolition emerging victorious in this battle of the defenses.
WATER: So I’ve joked before that I have a player database for a brain, it’s nice I finally get to use it haha- the Demo have quite a few solid players that I wouldn’t really want to see on the pitch. Cain, Agent of Chaos’ stats are absolutely absurd, and Flycker_’s aren’t far behind. I’ve also played against Script in some collegiate leagues, as they live not too far from me, and they’re a great 3s player. Axion’s also got solid stats, and if I’m not mistaken they play more 3s than 2s, so they could end up being a very solid third option. I’m really excited to play against DEM though, Deejay is a friend of mine and has been for a while, and I really like their team. It’ll be a fun series this weekend, and I’m looking forward to it!
Orange Conference [twitch.tv/mlesportsgg2 @9:00pm est]
#4 Tyrants [29-21] vs. #5 Bears [30-20]
Heading back into the orange conference we have a match between the Tyrants and the Bears. Joining me is Squintle from the Tyrants and Cheese from the Bears.
How would you describe your team’s path to the playoffs? Was it easy? Was it tough until the end? If you could explain in as much detail as you’d like.
Squintle: Well we were missing our top player until the last 4 weeks of the season, which set us back in terms of having to make a pretty big comeback to the playoffs, for us to clinch our division in our last game was amazing and I think the last WW we had was super clutch to get Doodle.
Cheese: Since we only have 5 players on our roster, our team did struggle a bit to get into playoffs. Our first 4/5 weeks were pretty simple, then we had to drop one of our players who would become inactive. This made us rush to get the player, Toasty, who has been a great help since. Had to completely revamp our schedule after picking him up.
With the current eligible players on your team, do you think your team could make a deep playoff run? Or are y’all just going in and hoping for the best?
Squintle: I think, if we make it past round 1, which I propose to be the hardest matchup, we will go to the finals, and I also think we will have a good chance at winning the whole thing.
Cheese: There are two ways I see our playoff run going. If we beat the tyrants, I think we will make a solid playoff run as I think they are the toughest team in our conference; however, we do play them 1st round so we have a chance of getting knocked out early in 3’s.
Looking at the schedule it seems that you guys are facing off against each other this Saturday. Anyone on the opposing roster that you or your team are particularly worried/concerned about?
Squintle: I think Arju is considered to be one of their best players, but from experience Judgemental not only won the ML 3s last season, but is a common contender in playoffs and always does well. I think that no matter what round 1 is gonna be a huge game and I could see the winner of this matchup going to the final.
Cheese: Nope. I am a confident player and fear no players at all. Just excited to play and meet more people who play Rocket League.
Blue Conference Match 3 [twitch.tv/mlesportsgg @10:00pm est]
#3 Knights [30-20] vs. #6 Aviators [31-29]
And rounding off the night for ML3s is none other than the Knights, readying their swords (or in this case, cars) to take on the pinnacle of aviation, the Aviators. Our last two interviewees are pretty well known in MLE. We have Alton from the Knights and Ripperr from the Aviators closing off the show with me.
How would you describe your team’s path to the playoffs? Was it easy? Was it tough until the end? If you could explain in as much detail as you’d like.
Alton: Looking in the standings, we definitely had an easier route than some to the playoffs, however I wouldn’t say it was easy. Our beginning was actually a whole lot harder than the end to be honest as we started to mesh a bit better toward the end of the season. I don’t want to discredit ourselves and the people we played though, we played some really tough people. Shoutout to the Jets obviously, they tore us up this season and they were a really hard opponent.
Ripperr: I wouldn’t say easy, but for most of the season we were in the top spot. Towards the end we had some tough matchups that we needed to at least get a couple wins in and we were able to do so. I think it is good to see a group of guys come together, practice and want to get better at the game. Helped us lots throughout our season.
With the current eligible players on your team, do you think your team could make a deep playoff run? Or are y’all just going in and hoping for the best?
Alton: Of course I think we can make a deep playoff run! Our 2s matchup was rough last week and we went out first round. Obviously we think we are better than that and for the 3s coming up later this week, we have high hopes for ourselves. I’m not ignorant to the fact that there are other insanely well put together teams, I do think that we can compete with those teams though and I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes!
Ripperr: The aviators 3s lineup has done lots of work together the last couple weeks to ensure we can be ready as best as possible for the playoffs. I think if we play solid and play our game we will be able to make a run at the championship. However, there are lots of good teams out there!
Looking at the schedule it seems that you guys are facing off against each other this Saturday. Anyone on the opposing roster that you or your team are particularly worried/concerned about?
Alton: I wouldn’t say that anyone actually playing for us this weekend is worried about the Aviators, I am though! However I won’t be playing. Enigma to me is one of the most talented players in Master League, and I think that he’s going to be a tough one for us to try and beat. I do think that we will win the series, however it will be close!
Ripperr: I think Hornet has a lot of individual skill speed, he would be my biggest worry. However, that whole roster is very good and it will not be an easy match. I have played against Mike for a couple seasons now in MLE and he is a fierce opponent. They have a good mix of mechanical ability, rotations and defense.
There you have it folks. This wraps up all of playoff week one for ML3s. Any of these player statements catch your eye? Well if yes, then you’re in luck because you can catch all of these games on stream Saturday, February 12 from 7pm est to 10pm est on twitch.tv/mlesportsgg and twitch.tv/mlesportsgg2. I’m Doodle! This has been a blast creating this. And I wish all of you a very wonderful rest of the week and best of luck to all those in playoffs. Later.
