Tag: mle

Season 17 PL Playoff Previews

Season 17 PL Playoff Previews

In the vast expanse of the universe there are an incalculable number of realities and laws by which we must exist. The first being that every PL season has to be a banger. Welcome to the PL playoff preview. From returning hopefuls, to new faces, from the kings upon which the crown lies to the usurpers that would claim the title, PL is filled to the brim with aspirations this season.

Our dreams begin in the blue conference for 2s. Having started week 1 as the 1 seed, the shadow have defended the conference title for 10 consecutive weeks going into their playoff matchup against the 4 seeded Jets. The lefty, pain duo has yet to see defeat this season in 2s, but of course, there is no easy round in playoffs. Awaiting them in the first round is the consensus most talented roster in the blue conference. Exy and Ryker will be taking to the field against this top seeded shadow. A dominant start followed by a series of late hurdles has seen them wind up in the 4 seed for playoffs, below where they’d hoped to be. But in the end it is not the condition in which you make it to the mountain, but how high you climb. They will have a tough peak to climb to start their playoff journey. Very high level matchup, either team could be the favorite.

Their opponent will be the winner of the Hive vs Hurricanes slug out. The Hurricanes may be the belle of the ball, but the Hive are cinderalla. Staring into the abyss at 6-19, the Hive have clawed and scrapped their way to a playoff roster in the simplest way possible. Crush. Everyone. Pandy seeks redemption with long time friend Slyr in 2s as they are 19-1 so far this season in 2s, and have shown no sign of stumbling. But the Hurricanes are a dominant franchise for a reason. Some of the best playoff performances in recent PL memory have come from this franchise. Led in 2s by Reagfam, a midseason addition, and Bolio, a returning 3s champion. This team has the experience, but can they provide a bulwark against the impending hive team that has caved in every roster they’ve played thus far.

Now, while the blue conference is coated in storylines, from a talent perspective the orange conference is covered in sheer brutality. It starts with the 2 seed vs 3 seed matchup of Express vs. Bulls. The express are attempting the zero to hero after finishing dead last last season, to now attempting to win a 2s championship. They have the roster to do it, heralded the night of the draft as maybe the most talented 2s team ever assembled post rankout with ChimpanJay and Deity on the same team. They have all the potential of slamming everyone and snatching the crown. Who can stop them? The list is short, but the team at the top of it is their first round matchup, the PL Bulls. Led by 2 time defending 2s champion Steez and returning player Danger, the Bulls are the best chance at taking down the Express in this round 1 bo5. There will be 4 top 10 players in the league on the field in this 2s game. It will probably be the most mechanical matchup ever put together in PL, and is THE most exciting match you could be tuning into week 1. I’m not saying that all playoff teams aren’t built equal, but whoever wins this match will own the road to the championship.

You’ll notice how I said 2 vs 3 seed though, and that’s because the 1 seed was earned by the Conference topping Rhinos. While R E D has a habit of building for 3s normally, he took a chance on drafting 2 historically 2s mains in the league in his first 2 rounds. Nezyy and Wenegade Waida have worked together with the very deep Rhinos roster to put together a 1 seed campaign. Both have playoff experience, but are relatively unproven going into their round 1 matchup, considering they are 0-2 as a duo this season. Back in the 4 seed is a familiar face, the Outlaws. Last seasons orange conference 4 seed pulled off an unexpected win over the at the time harlem globe trotter looking team of the elite. This season they’re still the 4 seed, but not for lack of talent. AMP and Evyhn is as talented as a 2s team can get. They compliment each other, and both are consistent 1800 performers in ranked. With good chemistry and the momentum that they’ve been building the more they play together we may get to see AMP and the Outlaws play spoiler to another top seed.

While the 2s defending champion Bulls are looking to defend their throne. The 3s seat is left empty as the Hurricanes failed to make 3s playoffs this season, meaning a new champion will be crowned. In fact, only 2 players, Taelo and Algix, are in playoffs and have ever previously won a PL 3s championship as a starter. The 3s talent has truly been dispersed this season in the league. And every team has a story to be told in their seasons and how they got there. As usual, lets head on over the left side of the bracket and check out the blue conference.

While the orange conference is about dominant teams, the blue conference has provided all the drama and standings changes that define PL. This season the blue conference top 4 standings changed every single week. The top 4 never stayed the same, as every week had an upset. And the kings of the chaos, the ones flying high into the 1 seed? The Aviators. A team that struggled at .500 well into the season, the aviators found their footing in the last few weeks of their season. Spending more time than other teams building team chemistry and playstyle, they are on the longest 3s winstreak in the league heading into this series. This top roster of Algix, Flashasaurous, and Afterburner are an underdog story that decided to be the 1 seed and keep the chip on their shoulder.  Their reward is a bitter one though. They play against again the best on paper team in the conference, the Jets. Exy, Ryker, and EllectroZx. The jets survived a late season collapse in 3s that saw them end the season on a slide that almost knocked them out of playoffs if not for a game 5 week 10 win against the hive. This matchup looks to be a pure 3s matchup of chemistry and hard work vs talent and mechanics. Look for Algix and EllectroZx on the field as the important players to watch. Both of these guys play will have a big impact on their teams potential.

 

Easily the most up and down team of PL this season, the PL Wolves. They dropped their second round pick after 2 weeks, then signed new players, then had their top 2 players not get eligible, then made last second pickups while being as low as 13th in the league, and then 5-0’d the lightning in week 10 to steal a win and steal a playoff spot. They’ve been scrapping together wins every week steadily for 3 weeks now and have found a real late season gem with PandasCafe. Against them is the struggling 2 seed Shadow, who have lost 4 series in a row in 3s, but kept their playoff spot and division lead by a small margin. They have the depth to be a good 3s team, but with the longest losing streak in playoffs, they are on the wrong side of momentum going into this match. Key players will be PandasCafe and Pain, both players that have massive upside who’s play this series could be the tipping point for their team.

Bringing it back to the orange conference. We have some titanic matchups lined up here, full of heavy hitting teams that all have good momentum going to playoffs. First up is the 2 vs 3 seed matchup. Knights vs Rhinos. Knights were a surprise division winner in a conference that had a lot of talent in it with the outlaws and express in 3s, but the knights pulled out key wins against division opponents and didn’t let the those struggling teams catch up, holding onto the division lead for the last 7 consecutive weeks of the season. Late addition Distant has provided the last spark needed to light this team up for playoffs, and with Beast Distant and Guapo, there is a team that has real upside to potentially make a final. Look for fast pace play, upfield passing, bumps, and just massive pressure to be a major factor for this team. This playstyle is unfortunate for their opponents, the Rhinos. The rhinos won the most games in the orange conference this season, but that’s a depth stat. Now it’s their top 3 finally united in 3s for only the second time who have to bring it home. Nezyy, R E D, and Wenegade Waida, will have to put together a big run for this team to find that ever elusive title. While they have plenty of talent, playstyle might be a factor for this team. All 3 of these players are more used to a 3rd man playstyle that focuses more on enabling. They’ll need First round pick Nezyy to become their offensive linchpin and run the offense through him in order to dictate the pace of the games better. Against this fast paced knights roster, they could see themselves get bogged down if they aren’t able to reliably sustain their own offense.

I talked about in 2s how it looks like The Express vs Bulls series looked liked the 2 favorites meeting round 1. Sadly for the Bulls, it looks similar in 3s. The 4 seed Bulls will travel to the Pandas in week 1 of the playoffs in a match who will see the winner be the favorite to advance and win the championship. The Pandas have as much 3s firepower as you can possibly fit on a roster under cap, with FM Taelo flanked by 2 arguably top 5 3s players in the league, Insanity and Arju. This team has been destroying during the regular season with their 3s depth, finishing 8-2, their only losses being to the Bulls in week 9 and Knights in week 7, both games crucially missing Arju, a top 3 player in the league. The Bulls stand opposite them, hoping to reach another 3s final and avenge last seasons loss. The team has been upgraded since, with another top 5 player Danger being added to the roster on top of Steez. Sulace rounds out this 3 man hit squad as they look to take the field. High pressure passing and midfield suppression is the name of their game. The pandas look to employ a playmaking style reliant on their goal line defense, and Arju’s mechanics and Taelo’s fast paced pressure style to score a wide variety of goals against whoever they play. Key players to watch for this series will be Sulace and Taelo. We know that the top 2 on each of these teams are insane, but can the 3rd players provide that consistent presence on the field, and propel their team to another level come playoff time.

Season 17 FL Playoff Previews

Season 17 FL Playoff Previews

The good, the bad, and the ugly (and everything in between)

Season 17 has been one heck of a rollercoaster from start to finish, and I’m here to help break down a couple of teams that have made it one step closer to the promised land… A.K.A. a chance at the coveted MLE Championship and the prize of a glorious thirst quenching case of your favorite gaming beverage, BAWLS Guarana!  To help catch you up to speed on the most interesting and fun to watch league in all of MLE (Foundation League), I will be breaking it down into 5 different categories; a team I like, a team I dislike, a team to keep an eye on, an underdog story and one team that you shouldn’t buy the hype for (queue overrated chants)!  So buckle up and prepare for the disaster-piece of… Quilli’s thoughts on Foundation League playoffs!

 

Overrated

What better way to start a Quilli decided list than to kick it off with some controversy.  The most overrated team is… the #1 seeded Comets Standard team, HOLD FOR GASPS!  I know what you’re thinking… “How could a 30 win, #1 seeded, with a top 3 goal differential be overrated?!”  Well, may I interest you in the fact that they are the ONLY team in the entirety of the FL playoffs with a negative series record, or the fact that 3 out of the 4 series wins they have are against teams that aren’t even in the playoffs.  They are a team that has been keeping series close with teams below them in rankings, but unable to find the series wins more than finding the series loss.  On top of that, their 3 highest salaried players (Papercut 9.5, 1337 8.5 and Swanson 8.0) have played a single series where they dominated their 3rd place divisional rival Eclipse that didn’t even make playoffs.  So assuming this is the roster they send out they are lacking the in game preparation you’d expect out of a #1 seed.  I believe their opponent, the 4 seeded Puffins, will be more than a challenge for them.  They faced earlier in the season in week 5 where the Comets took a 2-3 series loss against the Puffins in a matchup where both teams sent out 2 of their 3 most played players in the Standard gamemode.

 

Comets GM ‘Stoofy’s comments on their Standard roster: It’s been a wild season, they dominated 2s but started 3s with a 1-6 series record, but still cleared 30 wins and a #1 seed. Everyone on this FL roster is over 30 years old, proving even the retirement home community still has hands.

 

Keep an eye out

 

Alright, now that I’ve stirred the pot a little bit with a hot take, it is now time for some simplicity.  A team I think you should keep an eye on going into these playoffs that I think has an interesting chance at making something happen is the Tyrants Doubles team.  Before you get up in arms about me naming the FL team of the team I’m on, just hear me out first.  This #2 seed is no joke, boasting a 76 goal differential, a 7-3 series record and 2 of the best players for chemistry and comms between ‘TyTheGuy’ and ‘Yenyen’. Now one of those two names has been on fire all season, Yenyen is a powerhouse in both doubles and standard, and after losing their teammate ‘Lanxbaby’ in a controversial end of season rank out, it is now a next man up scenario where Ty now has prove themself to this league as a more than capable second man in this gauntlet of a bracket.

 

Tyrants Interim FM ‘YTStorm’s comments on their Doubles roster: They have been a feisty team all season with many road bumps with all that happened this season and they stayed together and played really well.

 

Underrated

 

So now that I got the two most controversial takes out of the way, it’s time to show some love to an under the radar team.  Some would even say they’re… dodging… the spotlight… THAT’S RIGHT, I’M TALKING ABOUT THE DODGERS!  Ok, I know what you’re thinking, “Quilli, how do you expect the team with the worst record, third worst goal differential and  in the FL standard playoffs to do anything?” Well I rebuttal you with the fact that they are the only team in all of standard playoffs with a 7-3 series record!  Do they have the 3rd worst goal differential?  Yes.  Did one of their arguably best players (Pikachew_RL) rank out into the Academy League?  Yes.  DO THEY HAVE THAT DOG IN THEM?  ABSOLUTELY!!!  Sometimes a good gameplan, a chip on your shoulder, and some good ol’ fashion will to do what it takes to win could be a recipe to upset the heavy favorite.  There’s an old saying in the sports world, the only thing scarier than someone with everything to lose is someone with nothing to lose.  ‘Stickly’ at a 10.0 salary and ‘ImDemoing’ at a respectable 8.5 with whoever they select for a third have their backs against the wall and will be tested on their fight, but boy do I believe!  Don’t let this team get hot!

 

Dodgers GM ‘DeathShadow’s comments on their Standard roster: The Dodgers are ready, they have all beaten ‘NotADuck’ in a 1v1 in preparation for this week.

 

Dislike

 

That’s enough being nice for now, let’s hop back into the toxic territory, the team I don’t like… coming in hot we have the Ducks Standard team!  A #3 seed that I am doubting, which makes it even worse on my end when i mention they are the 2nd place team overall in standard.  But hidden in the grass, they are tied with 6 out of 8 teams at a 6-4 record, so while not looking special there, they have the WORST goal differential in all of FL standard at just 1.  In the final week of matches, the Ducks just barely beat the first placed Pirates 3-2, but the Pirates only played 1 of their top sals, while the other two players were a 7.0 and a 6.0 sal.  So to struggle to get a defining win in the final week against a (statistically) lesser opponent is not moving me in a positive direction when choosing favorites to win it all!  I still love ‘DeskJockey’ though.

 

Ducks GM ‘Thunderca’s comment on their Standard roster: I Think we have what it takes, because even though our roster has changed numerous times with rank outs and trades, i believe the core players we based the team off of are more than good enough to take the chip, but it’s anyone’s game here in the much more heavily stacked orange conference.  So anything can happen, But i’m confident in my ducklings.

 

Quilli Approved

 

Last, but certainly not least, a team I like and a potential Quilli favorite to win it all in their respective gamemode… the Sharks Doubles team!  What’s a safer pick than picking the only team with two 10.0 salary players?  There isn’t one, but that wasn’t the leading factor in my decision (but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t help).  On paper though, this team being just at the #3 seed has a lot left to be desired as a pick for a ‘favorite to win it all,’ I am very aware.  While they may have a goal differential of -3, something I’ve been harping on a lot in this read, I believe theirs has a lot to do with sharing the load on player uses.  ‘Narutox’ has a more than impressive 19-6 record in doubles as an active Sharks player, only suffering 1 series loss to the (#1 seed) Duck’s Doubles team.  This absolute dominance just shows what they are capable of when they’re on the pitch.  With a fellow 10.0 salary as their teammate in ‘September’, who has definitely struggled throughout the season, I firmly believe that this duo has what it takes to do it all and get the Sharks a highly sought after MLE Championship!

 

Sharks FM ‘Kkube’s comments on their Doubles roster: I think they have a great chance this season! They have been on the grind especially down the stretch and they have put themselves in a great position to potentially bring Sharks their first championship!

 

Team I Like: #3 seed Sharks 2s

Eyes On: #2 seed Tyrants 2s

Underdog: #4 seed dodgers 3s

Overrated: #1 seed Comets 3s

Dislike: #3 seed Ducks 3s

Season 17 ML Playoff Previews

Season 17 ML Playoff Previews

Sixteen teams remain in both doubles and standard as we prepare for the start of the Season 17 playoffs in MLE. With this season comes a brand new playoff format that removes the first round bye for the #1 seed of each conference. Now, it’s the four division champions and the next two highest teams from each superdivision squaring off in what is likely a much more tightly contested playoff. Without any further ado (trust, there’s five of these previews), let’s get straight into it!

 

Doubles

#1 COM (33-17)  vs #4 AVI (26-24)

 

The Comets come into this matchup chasing the franchise’s second championship as one of the favorites to take it all. This was a lineup made with all the intentions of putting the ball in the net. They lead the Blue Conference in Goal Differential with 52, which is second in ML only to the Ducks. Though the Aviators finished 7 games behind the Comets, they only have one series victory less than the Comets. In series, the Comets are 7-3, Aviators are 6-4. These two teams did not meet in the regular season.


Likely players for Comets: ItalianGini, Jolo, Stingray
Likely players for Aviators: Shiesty, Remy, Jayyy


Boog’s Prediction: Comets in 4

 

#2 SHD (25-25) vs #3 TYR (26-24)


Shadow managed to steal the Storm Division from the Lightning by a single game, which is why they are the #2 seed despite the Tyrants having a better record. Although they are a division champion, Shadow may not be in for a deep run due to the .500 record, negative series record of 4-6, and negative Goal Differential of -7. The Tyrants are not without their own regular season woes. They boast the lowest Goal Diff. of -13, a series record of 5-5. This match will either be a blowout or extremely tight.

 

Likely players for Shadow: P2K, Cool, MikeIsMyIke
Likely players for Tyrants: SolarSide, YTStorm, Coley

Boog’s Prediction: Tyrants in 5

 

#1 JETS (34-16) vs #4 SAB (25-25)

 

The Jets are bringing the thunder against a .500 Sabres team. The Sabres are about as statistically average as a team could be, as they have a .500 record, near 0 Goal Diff and 4-6 in series. The Jets, on the other hand, are bringing a moderate 28 Goal Diff, which is not the highest in ML, but is definitely respectable. The Jets have an ML best 68% winrate this season, and a 7-3 series record. All things on paper are pointing to a very short playoff run for the Sabres. 

 

Likely players for Jets: ThunderTung, Bamboo, Frehgrunce
Likely players for Sabres: Sparcnova, Halibut, Yoky

Boog’s Prediction: Jets in 3

 

#2 FOX (28-22) vs #3 HUR (26-24)

 

The Foxes find themselves against a franchise that has had a knack for finding ways to the Grand Finals (See: Season 10)  in the past. Only time will tell if the Hurricanes can keep up with that trend. The Foxes may have a better record, but the Hurricanes have a much better Goal Diff with 35 than the Foxes 13. Both teams boast a series record of 6-4, so keep an eye on this one to be the best match of the first round. This will likely be another tightly contested match.

 

Likely players for Foxes: KeylessCreature, Ac3, Genesis

Likely players for Hurricanes: Jay Jr, Snakpak, Morgan

 

Boog’s Prediction: Canes in 5

 

#1 BUL (30-20) vs #4 HAW (26-24)

 

The Bulls once again are a Master League powerhouse as they look for yet another championship. The Bulls of the last few seasons have been a force to be reckoned with as they have made several Grand Final appearances. They draw the Hawks in the first round, who squeaked out one more win than the Rhinos and Pandas for their playoff spot. Both teams have positive Goal Diff, so look for this to be a defensive masterclass on both sides of the pitch. Stats favor the Bulls as they have a Goal Diff of 55. It should be noted that the Hawks are 1.5 points below cap. 

 

Likely players for Bulls: Welendish, ImLeo, CheffReaper

Likely players for Hawks: TS_Celestial, Timmy, ScreaminAce

 

Boog’s Prediction: Bulls in 4

#2 DUC (30-20) vs #3 EXP (28-22)

 

The Ducks won what appears to be a statistically weak Tropic division, and their prize for doing so, is the team that lost the Forge Division tiebreaker: Express. This looks to be one of the closest matches of the first round as the Express are going to come out hungry since losing the tiebreaker. The Express have the better series record of 6-4, but a smaller Goal Diff. These numbers scream that if Express can keep the scoring low on both sides, Express will prevail. The issue? The Ducks boast a Master League best 66 Goal Differential. The Ducks, if the offense is firing on all cylinders, will fly right through the Choo Choo Train.

Likely players for Ducks: EliteInferno, Wolfie, Tuhlur

Likely players for Express: Hermod, K5Marky, 1AMRamen

Boog’s prediction: Ducks in 3

#1 DOD (33-17) vs #4 OUT (26-24)

 

Far and away the best team out of the Orange Conference is the Dodgers, having only dropped a single series in ML this season. The unfortunate team facing this uphill climb? The Outlaws, who finished 3rd in the Forge Division. Though they put up positive numbers, the Outlaws are staring down probably the toughest draw of the whole bracket for 2s. Both of these teams ended up finishing the regular season with their salaries raised over the cap with the Dodgers up to 84.0 and the Outlaws up to 83.5. The ML cap is 82.0. Obviously both teams have improved massively, so we’ll have to wait and see how it shakes out.

 

Likely players for Dodgers: NotADuck, KoD, Kaydo

Likely players for Outlaws: Blahdat, SyrupBlood, Jatron

 

Boog’s Prediction: Dodgers in 4

 

#2 KNI (28-22) vs #3 FLA (31-19)

The Knights, winners of the Forge Division via tiebreaker, draw a lower seed with a better record in the Flames. It’s not often the higher seed is facing the uphill battle, but it is odd that it’s already happened twice and we haven’t even touched threes yet. The Forge Division was extremely close in doubles, and the Volcanic Division was extremely top heavy. Though the Flames are 31-19, their series record is only 6-4, so many of the losses must have been tightly contested 2-3 series. The Knights also have a series record of 6-4 and even boast a better Goal Diff.

Likely players for Knights: Styzzi, Rayinator, JKFrost

Likely players for Flames: K-lub, Pops42, RedNovaUltimate

 

Boog’s Prediction: Flames in 5

 

 

Standard

 

#1 WIZ (30-20) vs #4 BLI (25-25)

 

The Wizards are the lone representative of the Mystic Division in threes and they face the Blizzard, who finished second in the Storm Division. Neither of these franchises made the cut in doubles, so all of the effort will be put into a playoff run over here in threes. The Wizards are 8-2 in series with a respectable Goal Differential of 33. The Blizzard is 4-6 in series with a -2 Goal Diff. On paper, it looks like the Blizzard limped into postseason play, however, don’t count out this roster as they have two former champions in JDogg and MattAnderr on the roster.

 

Likely players for Wizards: Snipe, Precision, Dewby

Likely players for Blizzard: JDogg, MattAnderr, Mercantile

 

Boog’s Prediction: Blizzard in 5

 

#2 LIT (31-19) vs #3 PUF (27-23)

 

The Storm Division winning Lightning square off against the Puffins in what I anticipate will be probably  the most physical first round matchup in all of MLE this playoff. The ML Puffins have some of the most physical players in all of ML on the roster in Moxen, Spidey and Torston. If they can capitalize on this, the Lightning will struggle to capitalize on the mismatch in salary as the Puffins have nobody above 16.5, while the LOWEST player on the Lightning is a 16.5.

 

Likely players for Lightning: Any of the four of them

Likely players for Puffins: Torston, Moxen, Spidey

 

Boog’s Prediction: Puffins in 4

 

#1 AVI (32-18) vs #4 FOX (24-26)

 

The Sky Division Champ Aviators will face off against the Foxes. These franchises are looking to make deep playoff runs in both modes, but how will they fare knowing they have to play in both modes? Will burnout become a factor? Probably not in the first round, at least. The Foxes may have a losing record, but they’ve won six of their ten matches. They have found ways to win and it has gotten them this far, however, I don’t know that they have what it takes to take down the Aviators, who seem to be unable to stop winning. 

 

Likely players for Aviators: Shiesty, Remy, Jayyy

Likely players for Foxes: KeylessCreature, Ac3, Genesis

 

Boog’s Prediction: Aviators in 4

 

#2 SAB (29-21) vs #3 WOL (28-22)

Another team gearing up for two playoff runs in the Sabres will meet up against the Wolves. These teams are separated by a single game, and have similar Goal Diff numbers. This is going to be an entertaining match as This looks to go the distance as either a defensive masterclass or an offensive showcase. Either way, this series is a viewer’s delight. This Wolves team is built for threes as they finished last in the Storm Division in doubles. I wouldn’t be surprised if either of these teams go on a deep run. 

 

Likely players for Sabres: Sparcnova, Halibut, Yoky

Likely players for Wolves: FlyFyre74, Shraxl, Collobir

 

Boog’s Prediction: Wolves in 5

 

#1 BEA (32-18) vs #4 SHA (23-27)

 

The Battle for Land and Sea takes place as the Bears are heavy favorites to take a chomp out of the Sharks. These teams are separated by almost ten games, which is almost unheard of in an MLE playoff matchup. The Sharks limped into the playoffs with the lowest record of all teams in ML to earn a postseason berth, as well as a negative Goal Diff. The Bears could make MLE history with a perfect sweep if they show up ready to go. With a Goal Diff of 49, it’ll be hard to stop the Bears. 

 

Likely players for Bears: Limon, Canadian, Crypt

Likely players for Sharks: Dimensions, Water, RONA

 

Boog’s Prediction: Bears in 3

 

#2 DUC (27-23) vs #3 PAN (29-21)

Yet again, we have another 3 seed with a better record than the division champion they face. The Pandas are looking to make a run into the second round as the Ducks have to put their eggs in the nests of doubles and standard. The only statistical advantage the Ducks hold is series record. The Ducks managed to win 7 of their matches while the Pandas only won 5. The Pandas also have a marginally better Goal Differential. I expect this matchup to be rather close, though not the closest match in round one.

 

Likely players for Ducks: EliteInferno, Wolfie, Tuhlur

Likely players for Pandas: Jarhead, Drakob, Deuce

 

Boog’s Prediction: Pandas in 4

 

#1 DOD (36-14) vs #4 BUL (27-23)

 

The Dodgers have turned into somewhat of a superteam this season, boasting the best ML record in threes and the second-best record in doubles. They matchup against another team making two playoff runs in the Bulls, who won their division in twos, but not threes. I expect this matchup to be electric as both teams are high-caliber and consistent across both modes of play. Although, I believe the Dodgers’ have what it takes to win it all in threes. They are my pick for the Orange Conference. The only thing holding back the Bulls’ standard lineup is that tough -8 Goal Diff compared to the Dodgers’ 42. 

 

Likely players for Dodgers: NotADuck, KoD, Kaydo

Likely players for Bulls: Welendish, ImLeo, CheffReaper

 

Boog’s Prediction: Dodgers in 3

 

#2 OUT (28-22) vs #3 FLA (32-18)

 

The Flames would have either won or been tied for a division crown in literally any other division in ML. They finished second to the white-hot Dodgers in the Volcanic Division. The Outlaws won a weak Forge Division, earning them their spot at #2. Though the Flames have 4 games up on the Outlaws, the Outlaws actually have the better Goal Differential at 26, granted that isn’t too much higher than the Flames at 22. Both teams have the same series record at 7-3. This matchup is one to keep an eye on, but I believe the Flames have had a much tougher schedule. After all, they did have to play those pesky Dodgers twice.

 

Likely players for Flames: K-lub, Pops42, RedNovaUltimate

Likely players for Outlaws:  Blahdat, SyrupBlood, Jatron

 

Boog’s Prediction: Flames in 4

 

And that’s all the first round matchups in Master League! Of course there will be plenty to cover across the entire playoff as matches happen, so be on the lookout for either myself or other writers to crank out more previews as the playoffs continue. If you’re in the playoffs, GLHF. If you’re just reading this for funsies, thanks for sticking around and be sure to watch the playoffs on stream whenever you’re able. This new format sets up exciting matchups all the way through the bracket.

Season 17 CL Playoff Previews

Season 17 CL Playoff Previews

The CL Shakedown

The Champions League (CL) has once again delivered a season filled with intense battles, unexpected upsets, and remarkable performances. As the regular season draws to a close, the playoff race has already reached a fever pitch, with teams from every division vying for the ultimate prize. The journey to the championship has been a rollercoaster, with each conference and division showcasing its own set of standout teams and thrilling storylines. From the icy competition in the North to the fierce heat of the South, the resilience in the East, and the unpredictable weather in the West, the CL playoffs are set to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of how the top teams in each region have positioned themselves as they enter the final stretch towards glory.

The Cold North

Doubles

This Super Division has seen strong performances from all teams, with the Puffins ultimately clinching the North Super Division Champion Title. They had a remarkably steady season, never falling below second place in their division, and finishing with a 31-19 record (7-3 in their last 10 games). Their consistency and strategic play have made them a formidable force, and they’ll be a team to watch in the playoffs. The Puffins are set to face the Shadow in the first round, a team that has struggled in the latter half of the season. The Puffins’ balanced approach and consistent form make them the favorites to advance, but they’ll need to stay focused to avoid any upsets from the Shadow.

The Sabres, on the other hand, had a rocky start to the season. After struggling to a 4-11 record in the first three weeks, they found their rhythm in Week 4 with a narrow 3-2 win that boosted their confidence. Their turning point came in Week 5 when they swept the Eclipse, propelling them to a 12-13 record. From there, the Sabres maintained a strong run, although they stumbled in Week 9 against the Puffins and lost again in the final week to the Foxes. Despite these setbacks, they managed to secure their playoff berth, proving their resilience. The Sabres will face the Hive in the first round, a team that managed to clinch the second spot in the South Super Division despite having a negative record. While the Hive has shown some late-season resilience, the Sabres’ recent momentum and stronger overall performance make them the favorites in this matchup.

The Tyrants, the third Arctic team to make the playoffs, had a season marked by significant changes in leadership. Despite the upheaval, they held their ground and fought fiercely, ultimately edging out the Eclipse for the final playoff spot by a single match. The Eclipse had a chance to force a tiebreaker, but the Wizards thwarted their efforts with a 4-1 victory, dashing the Eclipse’s playoff hopes. The Tyrants will face the Lightning in the first round, a team that has shown dominance throughout the season. The Lightning’s strong finish and consistent play will make this a tough challenge for the Tyrants, who will need to bring their best game to stand a chance.

As for the Wizards, they were dominant throughout the season but stumbled in their final series against the Eclipse. Even with two of their highest-sal players on the field, they couldn’t secure the win, raising concerns as they head into the playoffs. The Wizards will be up against the Wolves in the first round, a team that has been consistent and strong in the latter half of the season. Given the Wolves’ momentum and the Wizards’ recent falter, this matchup could go either way, making it one of the most intriguing first-round battles.

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The North Super Division saw intense competition in the final weeks of the season, with several teams battling hard to secure their playoff positions. The Sabres emerged as the top team, clinching first place in dramatic fashion. Their star lineup, consisting of Pander, NocturnalNeon, and Snow, delivered a flawless 5-0 performance in Week 9, followed by a solid 2-3 result in Week 10 with Lolman stepping in. These crucial victories not only solidified their position at the top of the standings but also demonstrated the depth of their roster and their ability to perform under pressure. The Sabres have been a dominant force all season, and they’ll be a formidable opponent in the playoffs. They are set to face the Shadow in the first round, a team that has struggled towards the end of the season. The Sabres’ consistent form makes them the favorites in this matchup, but they’ll need to stay sharp to avoid any upsets.

Close behind them, the Eclipse secured the second spot with a series of decisive wins. The team, featuring SynlessX, Ruthless, and Krafty Cola, edged out the Wizards 3-2 in Week 9 and followed it up with a 5-0 sweep over the Spectre. In the final week, DakkyBoi, Ruthless, and Stagg continued their momentum, overtaking the Comets and securing their place in the playoffs. The Eclipse’s late-season surge was critical, as they leapfrogged the Comets to earn their playoff spot. Their resilience and strong finish make them a dangerous contender as they enter the postseason. The Eclipse will face the Jets in the first round, a team that has shown they can compete in close matches. This matchup could be one of the tightest in the quarterfinals, with both teams having a lot to prove.

The Puffins, another top performer, have been one of the most consistent teams throughout the season. Ending their regular season with a 4-1 win in Week 10, the Puffins have shown that they are a team built for the long haul. Their steady results and balanced play make them a strong candidate for the championship. With talent spread across the roster and a proven track record, the Puffins are well-positioned to make a deep playoff run. They will face the Hurricanes in the first round, a team that barely made it into the playoffs. Given the Puffins’ consistency and the Hurricanes’ shaky finish, the Puffins are expected to advance, but they’ll need to maintain their focus to avoid any surprises.

On the other hand, the Foxes experienced a rollercoaster finish to their season. After Week 9, they held the number one spot, but a 1-4 loss in Week 10 saw them plummet to fourth place. Despite being a top team throughout much of the season, this late stumble raises concerns about their momentum heading into the playoffs. The Foxes have the talent and the potential to compete, but their recent drop in form could signal trouble if they don’t regain their footing quickly. They will face the Blizzard in the first round, a team that has shown strength and consistency. The Foxes will need to overcome their recent struggles and bring their best to the table if they hope to challenge the Blizzard.

The Sweaty South

Doubles

Lightning clinched the South Super Division Championship with an impressive final push, going 7-3 in the last two weeks of the season. Week 9 saw them deliver a flawless 5-0 performance, while Week 10, though ending in a 2-3 loss, was marked by close games that kept their goal differential near zero. The duo of Fighting and Poke played a crucial role in maintaining their team’s momentum and consistency. As they prepare to face the Tyrants in the first round, the Lightning are poised to strike down their opponents with the same ferocity that earned them the top spot. Given their recent form, the Lightning are favorites in this matchup, expected to advance with ease.

On the other hand, Hive secured their playoff spot in dramatic fashion, finishing the season with a 5-5 record over the last two weeks. Despite being the only team across all leagues and divisions to make the playoffs with a negative overall record (24-26), they clinched the top spot in the Sky Division, which placed them second in the South Super Division standings. Paullyng1 and RevoltingHades led the charge in the final weeks, with a narrow 3-2 win in Week 9 followed by a 2-3 loss in Week 10. While they may have scraped through to the playoffs, their upcoming matchup against the Sabres poses a significant challenge. The Sabres, who have been fearless and dominant in the second half of the season, are unlikely to be brought down by the Hive, making this a difficult series for the Hive to advance from.

Wolves, another top contender, finished the season strong with a 7-3 record over the last two weeks. ORIYN and AON spearheaded their efforts, securing a 4-1 win in Week 9 and a 3-2 victory in Week 10, ensuring a solid playoff position. The Wolves’ consistency throughout the season has been one of their greatest strengths, and they now face the Wizards in the first round of the playoffs. Given the Wizards’ recent struggles, the Wolves are well-positioned to capitalize on their momentum and advance to the next round.

The Shadow team, however, has had a rough end to their season. After a consistent performance throughout most of the year, they stumbled in the final stretch, going 2-8 over the last two weeks. A 0-5 loss to the Lightning in Week 9, followed by a narrow 2-3 defeat to the Blizzard in Week 10, highlighted their struggles. Now facing the Puffins in the first round of the playoffs, the Shadow will need to rediscover their earlier form if they hope to compete. However, with the Puffins’ strong performance this season, it seems likely that the Shadow’s playoff journey might end early.

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Blizzard asserted their dominance in the final weeks of the season, going 8-2 to clinch the top spot in the South Super Division. After a stellar 5-0 performance in Week 9 and a 3-2 victory in Week 10, they solidified their place as the team to beat. Drafted with a clear focus on 3s, the Blizzard lived up to their expectations, with Oddety, Raygozia, and SofaMalofa leading the charge. Their consistent performances were crucial in securing this first-place finish, particularly after a disappointing doubles season. Now, with a favorable matchup against the Foxes, who have been struggling in the latter part of the season, the Blizzard are well-positioned to advance to the next round and continue their quest for the championship.

Jets finished second in the division after a mixed performance in the last two weeks, going 5-5. A 2-3 loss in Week 9 followed by a 3-2 win in Week 10 was just enough to maintain their lead in the Sky Division and secure the second seed overall. LT Dan, Drewsky, and Sharkhax took charge during these crucial weeks, showcasing consistency that has been key to their success. However, their playoff journey won’t be easy, as they face the Eclipse in the first round. The Jets’ recent matchups have been closely contested, with three losses and two wins in their last five matches, all decided by narrow 2-3 or 3-2 margins. If they can maintain their form, they have the potential to upset the Eclipse, but it will be a hard-fought battle.

Shadow have had a challenging end to their season, losing both of their last two matches with a 2-3 scoreline. Despite these setbacks, Flump, Myzair, and Chex form a strong team that no opponent will take lightly. However, their first-round playoff matchup against the Sabres presents a daunting challenge. The Sabres have been one of the most consistent and dominant teams this season, making Shadow’s prospects in the playoffs uncertain. While the Shadow have shown resilience throughout the season, they will need to significantly up their game if they hope to advance past the first round.

Hurricanes (often referred to as the ‘Canes’) narrowly made the playoffs, edging out the Lightning after a 5-5 performance in the final two weeks. A 2-3 loss in Week 10 and a 3-2 win in Week 9 were enough to keep them in the race, thanks in part to the Lightning’s unexpected 1-4 loss in Week 10. Woozle, Sihnez, and Tearless Goose fought hard to secure their spot, benefiting from the Lightning’s poor performance when it mattered most. The Hurricanes’ playoff journey will be a tough one, but their determination and recent form give them a fighting chance.

Beasts in the East

Doubles

Bulls have been a dominant force throughout the season, losing only two series, both during the midseason. Since Week 7, they have been undefeated, striking fear into the hearts of their opponents. The Bulls secured their number one seed with back-to-back 3-2 victories in the final two weeks. However, their seemingly impenetrable armor showed a crack in Week 10 when they dropped two games to the Rhinos, one of the league’s bottom teams. This slip-up suggests that while the Bulls are formidable, they are not invincible. As they head into their first-round playoff matchup against the Dodgers, they must bring their A-game. The Dodgers, known for their scrappy and unpredictable play, could potentially upset the Bulls if they don’t maintain their sharp focus.

Spartans had a challenging start to the season, losing three of their first five games. However, since Week 6, they’ve turned things around, going undefeated and often dominating their opponents. TV On Fire and Aaidan8tor are expected to lead the charge in the playoffs, though their Week 10 matchup against the Knights was closer than they would have liked, ending in a narrow 3-2 victory with only a +2 goal differential. While the Spartans are in a strong position, they face a tough opponent in the Demolition in Round 1. The Demolition are known for their stacked roster and won’t go down without a fight. The Spartans are favored to win, but it’s likely to be a hard-fought battle.

Outlaws are a team that always seems to find their way into the playoffs. Despite losing two of their last three matches, their dominant midseason performances secured them the third seed. Recoon and Kazuto will lead the team in the playoffs, and while they have a solid chance of advancing, their first-round matchup against the Hawks will be anything but easy. The Hawks are a tough, well-rounded team that won’t give anything away easily. The Outlaws will need to dig deep to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Pandas clinched their playoff spot in dramatic fashion in Week 10 with a sweep against the Bears, securing the fourth seed. Brodysseus and MasterFB are their key players, but Lyvesauce has also been a standout, playing well above expectations this season. The Pandas have strong chemistry and are riding high on their Week 10 momentum, making them a dangerous opponent. Their first-round matchup against the Flames is one to watch, as these two teams were fierce rivals in previous seasons. Despite the new season structure, the rivalry continues, promising a fiery and intense battle. Pandas also seek to go back to back from their last season’s doubles Championship.

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Knights have been the dominant force in the division, finishing with a 33-17 record and clinching the highest win total in the league. Their 7-3 series record reflects their consistent performance throughout the season. Project Muffin, Shazam, TwinkieGod, and Dz were instrumental in their success, especially in the final two weeks where they fought hard to secure the Super Division Championship. With a strong roster and solid momentum, the Knights are well-positioned for a deep playoff run. They face the Pirates in the first round, a team that made the playoffs by winning a tiebreaker. While the Pirates may try to field a stronger roster for the playoffs, the Knights are expected to advance with relative ease.

Bulls also finished the season strong, going 7-3 in the final two weeks. Their roster, featuring Rover, David, Robzz, and AndyMcMuffin, showed flexibility and depth, though it’s unclear exactly who will start in the playoffs. The Bulls benefited from playing in the Sun Division, which was less competitive this season, but they still demonstrated their dominance. Their first-round playoff matchup against the Elite promises to be a thrilling contest, as both teams have talented players, a storied history, and plenty of momentum heading into the postseason. This series could easily be one of the most exciting matchups in the playoffs.

Outlaws, known for their relentless pursuit of victory, finished third with a 31-19 record. Led by Reccoonn, Ricochet, and TheEvilIsBack, the Outlaws have been a formidable squad, even though they finished behind the Knights. Their performance over the last three weeks, going 10-5, was impressive but not enough to dethrone the Knights from the top spot. The Outlaws will face the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. Despite the Hawks being technically higher seeded, the Outlaws are favored to win this series, likely in four games, given their strong form and tenacity.

Pandas clawed their way into the playoffs, much like they did in doubles, with a dramatic finish to the regular season. After being swept in Week 9, they knew they needed a miracle to make the playoffs. They delivered in Week 10, sweeping the Bears to secure their spot. Brody, Lyvesace, and MasterFB have proven to be an incredible team, full of drive and determination. Their first-round matchup against the Demolition is one of the most anticipated games of the playoffs. Both teams are strong, and this series could go either way, but the Pandas have the momentum and the desire to pull off an upset.

Unpredictable Weather in the West

Doubles

Flames finished the season strong, claiming the top spot in the West Super Division with a 30-20 record. Their Week 10 victory was crucial, as it allowed them to overtake the Dodgers for first place. Despite a 2-3 loss in Week 9, the Flames bounced back when it mattered most. SkyGuy, UnknownNinja, and Yz have been the backbone of this team, bringing great chemistry, complementary playstyles, and a strong mindset to the table. After falling short of a playoff berth last season, the Flames came back with renewed determination, proving they have what it takes to lead the division. With their main roster firing on all cylinders, the Flames are set to make a deep playoff run.

Hawks have been on a tear, going undefeated in their last four weeks to take the top spot in the Tropic Division. The roster, consisting of D_Matt, Lonewolf, King J Beats, and Quark, has shown tremendous resilience and growth, especially after a shaky start to the season. They’ve rebuilt their momentum piece by piece, turning their early struggles into a surge of victories. The Hawks now face the Outlaws in what is expected to be a fierce first-round battle. While the Outlaws are a formidable opponent, the Hawks’ recent form gives them an edge, and they are likely to take the series.

Dodgers narrowly missed out on the top spot in the West Super Division after a heartbreaking 2-3 loss to the Flames in Week 10. With a 29-21 record, the Dodgers were in contention for first place until the very end. The core trio of Truck, OwnerOfTheWhiteSedan, and Brionyx have played together for multiple seasons, creating a legacy in CL built on chemistry and skill. This seasoned team knows how to bring out the best in each other, which will be their greatest asset as they face the Bulls in Round 1. Despite the Bulls’ strong roster, the Dodgers are poised to leverage their experience and move into the second round.

Demolition rounded out the top four, finishing with a 27-23 record and securing their playoff spot with a dominant 8-2 run in the final two weeks. Their performance highlights the Volcanic Division’s dominance over the Tropics, with three of their teams making the playoffs. C2X and Dasstri are the key players for Demolition, expected to lead the team throughout the playoffs. However, their first-round matchup against the Spartans presents a significant challenge. The Spartans are riding a winning streak, and Demolition may need to pull off a miracle to advance. Regardless, their strong finish to the season has shown that they have the potential to surprise.

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Demolition have been the team to fear all season, finishing with a strong 32-18 record and a 7-3 series record. They went 6-4 in the last two weeks, continuing to show their dominance over every team they faced. The trio of Dasstri, C2X, and ClayHD have been a formidable force, working together with precision and power. As they enter the playoffs, they face the Pandas, a team known for their hunger and tenacity. While the Demolition are favored, they must not underestimate the Pandas, who are capable of pulling off an upset if given the chance. This matchup will be one to watch, as the Demolition aim to solidify their status as the team to beat.

Hawks finished the season with a 31-19 record, marked by a strong goal differential. However, their final weeks were a mixed bag, going 5-5 overall. A disappointing 0-5 loss in Week 9 dashed their hopes of securing the top seed, but they rebounded with a 5-0 sweep in Week 10, regaining some of their lost momentum. The roster of D_Matt, King J Beats, and Quark is similar to their 2s lineup, which has been effective all season. The Hawks now face the Outlaws in the first round of the playoffs, a team they are also meeting in the 2s playoffs. The Hawks are determined to shut down the Outlaws completely and make a deep run in both formats, but they’ll need to maintain their momentum and focus to do so.

Elite ended the regular season with a 29-21 record, going 5-5 in the last two weeks. A close 3-2 win in Week 9 was followed by a 2-3 loss in Week 10, a shift in momentum that could be concerning as they head into the playoffs. Lucy, Sinder, and Cozyboy will need to bring their A-game against the Bulls in the first round. The Bulls are a strong team that won’t make it easy for the Elite, so they’ll need to play their best roster and keep constant pressure if they want to advance.

Pirates secured the final playoff spot through a tiebreaker against the Dodgers, finishing with a 26-24 record. Their season has been less than spectacular, with no sweeps and only two 4-1 victories. Despite these challenges, TramplingCow, OnePopShop, and Twisty are not going to give up easily. They face the Knights in the first round, and while the Pirates are the underdogs, they have the potential to peak at the right moment. To succeed, they’ll need to pin down the Knights and capitalize on any mistakes, turning what might seem like a one-sided matchup into a potential upset.

As we move into the playoffs, the stage is set for some of the most intense and closely fought matches of the season. The journey that these teams have undertaken—marked by ups and downs, moments of brilliance, and instances of sheer willpower—has all led to this point. The playoffs are not just a test of skill but also of strategy, determination, and the ability to handle pressure. Whether it’s the frontrunners looking to cement their dominance or the underdogs aiming to defy the odds, every team has its eyes on the prize. With so much at stake and so many potential storylines waiting to unfold, fans can expect nothing less than spectacular competition. Let the games begin, and may the best team emerge as the Champions League victors!

Season 17 AL Playoff Previews

Season 17 AL Playoff Previews

Rickrolled or Steamrolled?

 

The Choo-choo Express lacked no steam this season (starting or ending it). Acting like a runaway train barreling uncontrollably downhill, they flattened any team that got in their path (the Bulls being the exception as they handed the Pain Train their only series loss this season); not even Denzel Washington could stop this one. They kicked off season 17 with a 4-1 series win over those dastardly bandits the Outlaws, and would not lose a single game until week 5 against the Rhinos, but even that was a 4-1 victory in favor of the Express. It caught the eyes and attention of everyone in the AL because who in their right mind would want to go up against a 20-ton machine that bowled over every opponent they faced? Certainly not this writer, but my fears have come true as the season has ended and all the playoff spots have been decided. 

 

The Elite squeaked into this season’s doubles playoffs with a modest 27-23 record, winning the tiebreaker against the Ducks. With that in mind, Elite landed the 4th seed in the west super division, pitting them (or us, rather) against the red-hot Express in the first round of playoffs. Not to say that this is a David vs Goliath story, but the odds do seem to be in favor of the 38-12 Express. Winning nearly 40 games in a season, while sporting a rotating roster, speaks volumes about their depth and skill. They can play any line-up and win. I don’t care who you are, that is tough to beat. 


But let’s not go off the rails just yet. In the final two matches of the season, the Elite squad did manage to post 4-1 series wins against the Dodgers and Demolition (we don’t need to talk about weeks 7-8 that saw Elite go 1-4). So, this team is certainly capable of meeting the task. The question remains: will they? Will the Express be able to defend their doubles season 16 championship and pull off the repeat? Time will tell. Sports history is full of stories where teams dominate the regular season, but then cannot deliver the goods come postseason. I would provide some examples, but I’m being told it’s better to be safe than to be sorry. Suffice it to say that the list is a long one.

 

The question is: will the Express fall into the land of what-could-have-beens? Or will they prove to all that there is no Rick Astley cut-away meme here and win it all? Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen, because it’s about to get spicy. Honorable mention to the Comets for posting a 34-16 record. Weeks 4, 7, and 8 saw them post perfect sweeps of 5-0 against their opponents. They finished just 4 games behind the Express for the best record in AL doubles. And that’s another team added to the list of players I do not wish to face in the postseason. 

 

Bulls in China Shops and Other Fun Creatures

 

While there is no stopping a runaway train, the same could be said for the Bulls. Raging through their season and smashing everyone to bits like so many dishes of fine China, they clinched, not only their division but secured the best record in the AL when it comes to standard play (36-14, next closest was Elite, Pandas, and Lightning at 30-20). Much like the Express, the Bulls trampled their enemies into the dirt in weeks 3, 5, 7, and 8 with clean sweeps of those series which left the rest of the AL shaking in their wake. Now, the perfect nightcap would be the standard AL championship… Do the Bulls have what it takes to charge through the postseason and claim what’s theirs? Or will defending season 16 AL standard champs Elite block their path? 

 

We can’t call this a ‘review’ without talking about a few other teams (Shadow I’m lookin’ at you). While Shadow may not have had the bombastic start to the season or results that the 2s Express team had, they certainly emphasized their playoff ticket stamp. Winning weeks 9 and 10 with 5-0 sweeps. Talk about clinching a playoff berth dramatically, eh? And, really, who saw that coming? THEY WERE IN THE SHADOWS! Ah ha! Captain Kslr certainly had his work cut out for him.

 

I mentioned the Comets briefly, and that’s not fair. They were every bit as good as 1st place Express. However, week 10 saw them drop a tough 0-5 against Spectre, and week 9 saw a 2-3 loss to Wizards. Is the Comets’ tail all flash and no spark? Will it run out of gas and burn up into nothing before they make it to the end? 7 other teams will make sure that it does, bet your bottom dollar on that. 

 

Perhaps the scoreboard didn’t explode with 5-0s, or Brazils or Barcelonas, but that doesn’t mean getting into the playoffs was any less exciting. Between the middle of the pack teams, it was a knockdown, drag em’ out, slobber knocker of a fight. Sabres (26-24) clinched their Arctic division by barely edging out the Foxes (who still managed to make the playoffs at a .500 record). 

 

Foxes weren’t the only ones waiting on the final results a few days after the last matches were played. Among them were the 25-25 Spectre, and the 27-23 Ducks (I know! It’s crazy that a 27-23 record isn’t an automatic punch to your postseason dreams, but I digress). It was a close call, though, as the sweat rolled in beads down those long bills of theirs, guaranteed, as it came down to a tiebreaker with the Hawks. The Ducks won the tiebreaker by winning their head-to-head match-up. So the next time someone tells you “It’s okay we lost the series 3-2, we’ll get em’ next time.” Slap them. Ok, maybe not resort to violence, but tell them that we play all 5 games here at MLE, and all 5 games matter. 

 

It’s also crazy that the Pandas don’t win their division at 30-20, but they have the unfortunate luck of basking in the same Sun as the Bulls, and we already talked about what kind of destruction they can bring. Knights were able to squeeze by rather sneakily (despite the heavy armor) and FORGE their way to victory and the postseason at 26-24, while the rugged Outlaws were able to steer clear of the tracks that Express train is on and take 2nd place in their division. 

 

We also can’t forget about those car sharks. No. Not ‘card’ sharks, CAR Sharks… as in the Rocket League team… Y’know what… forget it. In all seriousness, Sharks proved their bite was much worse than their bark (how do you know sharks don’t bark?), and they chomped up the competition, posting a very nice 28-22 record which was just enough to beat out the Ducks in the Tropic division. 

 

All in all, the season was a fantastic one, and I certainly had a lot of fun playing in it. It was full of ups and downs, twists and turns, and insane matches that will go down in the annals of MLE history. As I wrap this up, our editors wanted us to predict playoff winners and the like. I’m not going to do that. Anyone who has ever heard me cast a match for their team knows that as soon as I open my mouth, I hex someone. I’m not going to be held responsible for the premature end of someone’s season. Instead, I wanted to touch on as many teams as I could. Also, I don’t want my prediction to age like milk, thank you. 

 

In all seriousness, though, I want to thank everyone involved in the MLE, from the players to the people behind the scenes, for making this organization what it is. I would also like to wish all of the teams who made it to the postseason luck, and don’t forget to have some fun out there!

 

*Update: Okay. So, maybe Sharks don’t bark after all, and their bite wasn’t enough either. On the contrary, the Pandas are the first AL team to advance to the quarter-finals, winning the series 3-1. A truly stellar performance from Dragoneyes as they posted a 71.39 Sprocket rating! A whopping 17 points over 2nd star Hungi (54.28) and 18 points over 3rd star Clifford (53.33). The Sharks’ 17 saves weren’t enough against an onslaught of shots (36) by the Pandas. It was a valiant effort, but all good things must come to an end, much like the Sharks’ post-season dreams of glory. Final thought: If the Pandas continue to play like that? Good luck everybody else!

 

*Update 2: The Bears were able to withstand the heat brought on by the Flames, clean sweeping the series 3-0. I’m not sure what game resulted in a complete Goomba stomp of 10-2, but holy cow, that’s impressive! My heart goes out to the Flames, we’ve all been there before, and you’re not alone. Patchy and Sixt were within 1 point of each other in Sprocket ratings (65.78 and 64.67 respectively), slamming the Bears with 29 shots while the Flames answered back with only 18. This series also saw Kyoko come in for a game to try and turn things around, but it was too late. Much like the Sharks, their hopes of capturing an AL Championship were dashed and went up in smoke like a 5-alarm fire. Who will be next to fall? Who will be next to advance?

 

*Update 3: And so it goes, the Elite’s standard team have been eliminated from the playoffs, dropping a heartbreaking loss to the Outlaws who’ve completed the reverse sweep. The Elite took the early series lead 2-0, but a Brazil in game 3 in favor of the Outlaws saw the defending Standard Champs stumble and fall. It was a huge blow to the confidence and mentals, one that the team of DK, Atomic, and yours truly could not recover. ItzSmalls led the charge with a 64.02 Sprocket rating, Cheeto posted a 56.2, Granticus posted 54.17. Ninji started the game but was subbed out following the completion of game 1 after a request to change the snowy Beckwith park map selected by home team Elite was made. Elite won game 2, but in typical Outlaw bad guy fashion, they came back and stole the series in an intense game 5 OT. I will say that game 5 OT was forced by a last second effort to tie the game with a goal from Atomic after Onyx dribbled the ball around several defenders and got the pass off the backboard to a pre-jumping, pre-flipping Atomic. Dramatic for sure… but it wasn’t enough after Onyx got caught out of position after a wall shot from Cheeto that beat the last defender for the series clinching goal. 

 

Personally, I could not have gotten out of that lobby fast enough. I stayed just long enough to say “ggs and gl in the playoffs,” but after that? I was outtie 5,000. A big congratulations to the Outlaws for completing the reverse sweep comeback (much like the Elite did against the Flames in season 16). If you’re the Flames, it’s got to feel good to see that sweet poetic justice being served on a cold dish.

SEASON 15: BIG EXPECTATIONS

Many teams are racing towards their goal and as season 15 begins all are wondering if they will get the OPEN NET. Most teams have a plan of how to get the cup, and some are ready to wing it as the underdogs. Many captains are ready to SAVE the championship date. Here is your guide to the best teams (on paper) in each league.

Starting off in the Premier League(PL) the Rhinos have been seen as the team to beat this season. R E D the Franchise Manager of the Rhinos confidently stated, “As a team we are looking to go the distance. The Rhinos PL team got our first taste of the championship last season and we hope to finally bring it home.” The first thing they plan to do is commit to improving as a team. This means setting up scrims throughout the season, going over replays to help pick out any flaws or mistakes that they need to focus on, and continually building team chemistry. R E D says “We want to be as competitive as possible this season and I believe this team is ready to do that.” Ending our interview, the Rhinos concluded with this emphatic statement, “We are very excited for this season to get underway and look forward to all the amazing competition that we will face along the way. Lastly, Stamp and crash, tramp and bash, the Rhinos are here to clash!

The Bulls Master League(ML) team has been a force to be reckoned with. Snipes, a player for the Bulls, has an ambitious goal, “I think I can speak for the team when I say that we mainly want to focus on a championship win. However the Bulls have one of the hardest schedules, so first we need to survive a lot of games against top teams, but our main goal at the moment is to make the playoffs and win every series we can.”  The Bulls ML team is fortunate to have higher salary guys that want to prove they are the top of ML with a blend of lower salary guys who want to prove that they were undervalued in the draft and in free agency. They hope that their body of work this season will reflect how important this goal is not for just the team, but for every player on their roster. Acyke, one of the Bulls Assistant General Managers, provided the franchises final thoughts ahead of the new season, “Our biggest goal every year is just to have a group of guys who like being around each other. We like to play a bunch of games together, and I like to think that we are just a big group of friends who enjoy gaming together.

 

One team in the Champion League(CL) that has gained a lot of attention in the off season is the Tyrants. Talking to the team ahead of the season they had a clear if somewhat blunt goal, “We’re winning the chip. Both. Cope.” Now while I was not sure what that meant I can only assume they are going for the championship. The Tyrants Franchise Manager, HyperCoder, has a plan to help accomplish their goal, “Our team has been playing together nearly every day so far; scrims, ranked, casual, in-houses, anything, as well as getting coaching and replay reviews from ML players. We plan to keep this going to make sure our team plays as well as we can together.” Hyper concluded our brief interview with a “friendly” warning to their competition, “We wish everyone the absolute best of luck; you’re going to need it… It’s #TyrantsSZN!

 

From a focus group survey the Flames were voted number one Academy League(AL) team. In a short interview with the Franchise Manager Crazy, he made it clear he wanted to go for the championship, “We’re looking to get over the final hurdle and win a championship. We’ve been to the Playoffs the last three seasons, Conference Finals twice, and came close in Season 12 but fell short in the finals and are looking to win it this season.” Describing his team Crazy said, “Skill wise I feel like we are a very well rounded team and having four of us be on the same franchise for three seasons our chemistry and cohesiveness as a team has a solid foundation. So if we sharpen the edges and fine tune everything I believe we can bring the championship home.” There’s no doubt Crazy is looking forward to the season ahead, “I am very excited for this season to start and see what it will hold for us. The Tropic Division is always a very competitive division and I know that we’re going to have to fight every week. But we are very strong and I’m extremely confident in our entire team and know that we can get the job done!

 

In the Foundation League(FL) this season, keep an eye out for the Spartans, they have big plans! The Spartans have weekly scrims planned and Captain TorDad is at the helm after leading them to second place in Standard last season. With his leadership skills and a team that’s looking to get comfortable playing with each other, they’re also aiming for the top spot. The Spartans will undoubtedly face tough competition, but their determination and preparation may give them an edge in the Forge Division. TorDad built a team that made it all the way to the championship last season. He was such an amazing captain last season and he will be an even better one this season! Well in the great words of the FL captain TorDad, the goal is “To win it all.” For ThePiggyBuggy, Spartans Franchise Manager, her goal is one not just solely based on success, “For me I would like to see everyone get comfortable playing with each other and become stronger throughout the season.


While all the teams are going for Season 15 championship titles, they all have different plans to reach their goal. Some are planning scrims and practices, others plan to hang with each other playing games. But who will actually taking their respective championships home come the end of the season? That is something only time can tell…

 Season 15 of Minor league Esports starts Thursday 9th March!

Championship Series Jersey Giveaway

To celebrate the Season 14 Championship Series weekend, courtesy of our friends at Guardian Proline we are giving away one quality MLE Praetorian jersey!

This prize is only open to current MLE community members. To enter simply do the following:

1. Follow @mlesportsgg on Twitter and/or Instagram
2. Like and retweet (for Twitter) either or both of these posts: Twitter post , Instagram post
3. In the comments reply with #MLEChampSeries

If you follow the entry instructions on both Twitter and Instagram you will get two entries! You only need to like and comment on Instagram post for valid Instagram entry. For full terms & conditions of the giveaway please see below:

Terms & Conditions:

    • Prize is for 1 Praetorian style jersey from the MLE collection of the winners choice only.
    • Prize can not be swapped for something of similar monetary value.
    • Entrants are only permitted to a maximum of 2 entries (1 for each successful Social Media platform engagement).
    • Multiple entries using different/alternative accounts is not permitted. Any entrant found to have exceeded the maximum no. of entries will have all entries invalidated bar 2.
    • Winner must be a current member of the MLE community (i.e. in the main Discord server).
    • Prize is limited to NA and EU residents. MLE reserves the right to refuse winner on behalf of Guardian Proline if logistics of shipping prize are problematic.
    • Entrants should ensure MLE is able to identify entrants from their Social Media accounts to their Discord profiles within the MLE server. Where possible Social Media accounts should be linked to Discord profiles.
    • MLE reserves the right to invalidate an entry.
    • Entries close on Monday 22nd November at 12pm ET.
    • Winner will be announced within the next 7-10 days.

Big thank you to Guardian Proline for working with Minor League Esports, providing fans and the community with excellent merchandise.
Good luck folks!

And don’t forget to tune into the MLE Network this weekend from 6pm ET Saturday and Sunday for the Championship Series weekend.

Season 14 Playoffs Are Here!

13 gruelling weeks of boosts, goals, demos, flips, screams, sweat, tears and much more have led to one thing… PLAYOFFS!

Seasons 14 Playoffs promise to be the most exciting yet. With 10 Championships up for grabs across 5 leagues and 2 game modes, come the 20th November there will be a lot of jubilant celebrations from those lucky enough to claim Championship glory.

31 of the 32 franchises had at least one team qualify for the playoffs with only the Jets missing out altogether. No doubt the Jets will be back next season determined to prove they are “top guns”.

With 31 franchises all vying for triumph the competition will be fierce with many feeling deserving of the title of Champions. But only a few can prevail.

To see who succeeds the live action starts on the 29th October from 6pm ET on the MLE Network and continues every weekend up to and including the grand Finals weekend on the 19th & 20th November.

Playoff Live Schedule:
29-30th October | Play Ins
5-6th November | Conference Semi-Finals
12-13th November | Conference Finals
19-20th November | Grand Finals

Community Interview: Maple

Season 14 rolling right along and there is no better time to continue getting to know our great players and staff. Let’s take a light-hearted look at those that make up the great MLE community.

In this interview, it’s time to get to know Maple!

What role do you play in MLE?
I am the director of the Development Team, an advisor to League Operations, a member of the mod team and I help out with Production whenever Leachy let’s me.

Wow! You do a lot of stuff! What does the Development Team do in the grand scheme of MLE?
Thank you! I do love to help. Development is responsible for two core areas. The first is all of our code, so our bots that provide scrims and replay submission and so much more. The second is Data Sciences. That group tracks all stats, helps tune elo, and help league Operations with information needed to help keep competitive integrity. They also do lots more, like babysit Adi. 

What brought you to MLE and how long have you been here?
Ripperr brought me here. I used to run another community, MiddleAgeNoobs (MAN) and was looking for a place to play. I’ve been here for close to 2.5 years.

2.5 years is impressive!
Thanks. I love it here, and can’t wait for the next 2.5 years! 

What team do you play for currently?
I’m non playing this year, but I am the General Manager of the Sabres. Go SAB!!!!!

How long have you been a part of the Sabres?
This is my third season. I started out as a Foundation League Captain, then became GM last season and again this season!

What aspects of MLE do you love?
Almost everything. I love the non-toxic part the most, the people are amazing, Raspberries and Water took me on a BBQ date, the quality of play and the professionalism of our entire staff are exciting. 

What other ways do you think MLE sets itself apart from other leagues?
The fact that we play all 5 games, that we are draft based, and that our staff are the best in league and community management are big. But by far, the biggest thing that sets us apart is our community and our members. MLE’s community is second to none! We also have TyTy and he’s pretty awesome! We also have the active support and participation of Phoebe, a Ubisoft Nadeo Dev who believes in MLEs community and values, so that’s saying something!

The non-toxic part was huge for me as well. My wife basically told me, “If you don’t start having fun… I’m going to break the disk.” Finding MLE was huge for me in that regard. That aspect really sets MLE apart in my opinion. 
I couldn’t agree more Brava. I think that there are tons of communities out there, but MLE rises above for me.

What caused you to have a desire to help out?
I love to help, it’s just in my nature. There was a spot in Admissions open and I applied. I still think that whole admissions team is amazing. Love ya Deejay! 

What has been your favorite or most fulfilling time on staff?
This is a tough one. I’d say joining League Ops and helping bring 3s in, and also working with Shuckle, Adi, Riz and Zach on Emilio and now Sprocket has been extremely rewarding. The scrim system alone has helped mle rekindle its community first focus. 

Silly questions: Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Yes. If it makes you happy, why not? 

What do you consider rule 1 to be?
Sacred.

Have you ever broken it?
Only in the playoffs. Otherwise, you never break rule 1. 

What’s your opinion of demos?
The more the merrier. I’m a huge fan of Rocket Sledge and think demos are an important part of the game. 

Rocket Sledge is definitely a hero of mine! Demos add excitement to the gameplay in my opinion. Have you had a favorite demo play in an MLE series?
I was playing in a 2s series with Goosen, who is a Sabres Captain now, and an incredible friend that I’ve made through MLE. He was out middle waiting for a pass, so I passed and then got a double demo so that he had an open net to score on. That had to be my favorite play!

We’re only a week in but what is your prediction for the Academy League championship? Who’s in it and who takes it?
Sabres take it in 7, against… whomever they play!

I want to thank Maple for all of the amazing work that is done here at MLE and for taking the time to do this interview.

Keep a look out for more community interviews over the course of Season 14 right here on our website!

MLE at RLCS ’22

Unless you were hiding under a Rocket League inhibiting rock last week then you were probably aware it was the Rocket League Championship Series World Championship (RLCS Worlds as the cool kids say) in Forth Worth, Texas. It’s the jewel in the RL Esports calendar crown, an event that always offers up plenty of action and excitement. This year was no exception!

What made the event even more special is that it was the first World Championships post COVID. With that in mind you could count on swathes of RL fans across the globe making their way to the state of Texas come hell or high-water!

With such a passionate, RL loving community of our own, Minor League Esports was well represented with a plethora of community members in attendance. We thought we would take this opportunity to provide the perspectives and experiences of some of our members who were able to attend.

For a number of our community members, such as BoogerBear (Shadow), Royalty (Express), iAtomic (Sharks) and stoofy (Comets), RLCS Worlds 22 was their first RL event. AnOddFellow (Tyrants) was unsure about what exactly expect“I had never been to anything like this before so I wasn’t sure what to expect other a lot of Rocket League fans and seeing content creators and players wandering around.” Hey that doesn’t sound like the worst way to spend your time. Others, such as Zack (Bears), had a bit more experience in terms of live events, “I’ve been to a few CRL tournaments, but this was my first RLCS.”

Plumato (Lightning) knew what he was looking forward to, “I was very excited to watch another LAN and get the full experience of a world championship for the first time (I was going to go to RLCSX which got cancelled). I was definitely looking forward to seeing some insane gameplay from the up and coming teams such as Furia and Falcons.” But arguably the MLE community member with the highest expectations for RLCS Worlds was Guchu (Hive), This was my first Rocket League event and I expected to go to the event and then go back to hotel and be done with the day after everyday.”

Regardless of whether this was their first event or not there’s no doubt everyone was excited for the World Championships.

There were a total of 24 teams that competed across Worlds but who were our community rooting for? Some, like Plumato hedged their “bets” when it came to their support, “Version 1, SSG, Furia, Moist, and Endpoint. I like to keep my options open so I’m not too upset if my favorite team loses.” But there were a few teams in particular seemed to be quite popular amongst MLE attendees, “I was supporting NRG and Furia” said Royalty. BoogerBear was also in support of Furia amongst others FURIA, Falcons, KCP. Minor regions are insanely fun to cheer for and are finally catching up to the NA/EU skill level” and Zack also jumped aboard the Furia hype train “Furia definitely won us over!” he exclaimed. Indeed Furia were definitely one of the talking points of RLCS, the first non NA/EU team to reach the semi’s of RLCS, representing South American Rocket League Esports fantastically but falling just short at the semi-final stage to eventual Champions Team BDS.

Stoofy, Paully and Rolamin. This must have been before Stoofy hugged and screamed Paully and Rolamin into therapy.

Sticking with Furia and looking at the highlights of RLCS, their rise in popularity could somewhat be attributed to their Quarter-Final series vs Moist Esports in which they edged a game 7 decider in dramatic fashion! benven (Dodgers) was in no doubt about their favoruite moment of the championships “Furia beating Moist for sure.” A sentiment echoed by other MLE community members “Furia vs Moist Quarter-Final match. That was the best series I’ve ever seen live.” said Zack and stoofy, definitely had no doubts about his favoruite moment, “Furia upsetting Moist in Game 7. Paully, Rolamin, and I were jumping, hugging, and screaming when Yan put the dagger in Moist. That entire series was bonkers. Easily the most electric moment I’ve ever been a part of.” It’s believed Paully and Rolamin are still recovering to this day.

One MLE member, dad (Spartans), offered a more tactical perspective of Furia and the match, “My favorite part of the event was watching how Furia was able to adapt their play style so well based on which team they played against. Wether that meant they could play their relaxed rotations and high mechanical plays or such as against Moist being able to tighten their defensive rotations and catch Moist out of position.” 

While the Furia vs Moist series was unequivocally the highlight of the Championships among many attendees for others their highlight was, well all of it “There was no one favorite moment, it was all an incredible experience.”  says AnOddFellow. I imagine the vast majority who attended wouldn’t disagree with that statement.

Tater & goyo the greatest bromance never to be told but soon to be.

But events like RLCS Worlds aren’t just about the gaming action, no they are an opportunity for people to make memories. Catch up with friends or make new ones. Perhaps even get a significant other invested in a passion of yours like benven did, “Personally, (my highlight) it was that my wife got super into it after dragging her all the way to Dallas.” he said, “Even found her checking out the esports subreddit and she remembered all the players names and everything. It’s now something we enjoy together!” 

For many in the MLE community RLCS represented to meet in person the friends they had made in MLE “I met Adi, Raspberries, Miss Ginge, Water, TheBigC, and others from MLE (I think we had a table of 15) at this Korean BBQ and it was so much fun.” said iAtomic making this writer now want Korean BBQ food.

RLCS for goyo represented the perfected opportunity to meet one of his long-term online friends in person,“One of the highlights was meeting lots of people that I have known for years online. Tater was one of them. It was great to finally have a face to his name and give him a big hug. Dude is a legend.” Guchu (Hive) also got all emotional on us regarding their personal highlight, ready the tissues folks, “Getting the big group picture. When we were all lining up for the picture it just kind of set for me, this truly wasn’t just a community about a video game, it was a community that made me feel like I had a second home.” I’m not crying you are.

Left to Right: Idjo, Me, Phi Sig, Alphomega17, Wray, notorious, Ondo, Achilles, B++, Crey2k, Fayrose, TrashPanda

RLCS also presents a great opportunity for people to meet and mix with famous people within RL Esports scene and for some community members, these moments were their personal highlights. stoofy was able to pounce on fan favourites Furia, “It was surreal meeting Furia as we were leaving the arena and getting to take a Comets x Furia style picture with them.” he said, adding “Great dudes, I wish them the best!”  AnOddFellow donned on his best swim trunks“Going to SunlessKhan’s Pool Watch Party the last day of groups and just mingling with pros/content creators/casters/friends I’ve never met in person before.” Anyone else want to namedrop? Oh go on iAtomic what/who you got for us? “Another highlight was me speaking to kronovi when he was at our AirBNB for a party and we spoke about Content Creation for half an hour.” Kronovi? Never heard of them. They play psychedelic rock or European electronica? Jokes aside (call them jokes?) the MLE community certainly had a memorable time.

So as the remnants of ticker tape have all but been cleared from the Dickies Arena floor it’s left for our community members to provide their final thoughts. “It was a blast. I would do it again in a heartbeat” said BoogerBear, “9/10 I had a fantastic time would go again” emphasised Guchu… only 9/10? tough crowd…  “10/10.” said goyo, that’s more like it! “Practically it’s the best experience I could ask for as a Rocket League fan and would most certainly do it again given the chance.” says Royal who’s positivity was mirrored by dad’s summary “I loved the experience. It was a chance to meet people in person that I’ve played with for a long time and meet others that I’ve played with for a short time. I would 100% go to another RLCS event!”

Pretty much everyone was glowingly positive about their overall experience though benven did have one criticism “I loved it but the last day was WAY too long.” benven is now no longer permitted to attend any RL LANS but his wife still can. stoofy definitely had a good time though “Absolutely insane! Despite spilling vodka on my head trying to do one of B++’s waves on my first day, I’d say this was genuinely one of the greatest experiences in my lifetime. I’ll 100% be coming back for more LANs.” I wonder if he ever perfected B++ wave (please note B++ wave must not be attempted at home and can only be safely performed by trained professionals).

There’s no doubt the MLE community will be out in force at future RL events and that is something we can all agree can only be a good thing. A big thank you to anyone who attended RLCS Worlds from the MLE community and who represented MLE & it’s community in the way it should be – friendly, respectful and passionate. Also big thank you those who have contributed to this article with their quotes, experiences and photos. Without the community there is no MLE. Here’s to next time!

Here’s some more photos of intrepid and wonderful community members at RLCS!

Smiles all around for Guchu and Grantcfo
Back Row: Kenga, dad, terpstra, Driptain Front Row: Schultzy, KeyNorth, Gala
Plumato and Maseface representing the Lightning at RLCS!
Guchu smiling again, this time with Achilles.
Rolamin, Stoofy and Paully with Furia Esports
MLE Community at large at RLCS! So many great people in one photo!

Playoffs Day 5 – Quarterfinals

Playoffs Day 5
twitch.tv/mlesportsgg


Academy League Doubles – 6:00PM EST

 

Aviators Logo  Spartans Logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Conference

#2 Aviators vs #3 Spartans

    The Aviators are coming into this matchup after a solid 3-1 result in the Play-In round. They were able to get past the #7 seed Eclipse and are looking to take down the #3 Spartans as well. The Aviators scored 13 goals and assisted on 7 of those. The Aviators had 35 shots. They had a shot percentage of .371 and their on target percentage was .857. (This is calculated by: goals+opposing saves/ shots.) The Aviators are looking to keep up that on target percentage against the Spartans.

    The Spartans were able to win 3-1 against the #6 seed Lightning. Against the Lightning, the Spartans scored 14 goals and assisted on 9 of those. The Spartans also put up 30 shots, with a shot percentage of .466 and their on target percentage was .833. The Spartans want to keep up those team plays to get past the Aviators.   

    The biggest difference in this matchup is the assist percentage. The Aviators are slightly over .500, while the Spartans have a .642. The Spartans have a slight edge here.
Prediction: Spartans 3-2

Academy League Doubles – 7:00PM EST

 

Bulls Logo  Sharks Logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange Conference

#2 Bulls vs #3 Sharks

    The Bulls swept the #7 Flames in the Play-In round. They are looking to do the same against the Sharks this week. The Bulls scored 13 goals and assisted on 9 of those. The Bulls had 26 shots on goal and had a shot percentage of .500 and their on target percentage was .846. The Bulls are looking hot and like they could trample their way to the Championship. Can the Sharks slow them down?   

The Sharks are coming off a great win against the #6 Demo. They went 3-1 in the series and are looking for a similar result against the Bulls. The Sharks scored 17  goals and assisted on 8 of those. The Sharks shot the ball 32 times. They had a shot percentage of .531 and their on target percentage was .906. The Sharks look to have the hot fin on shot percentage and on target percentage. Will the Bulls be able to cool them off or will the Sharks shoot their way to the next round?   

The Bulls getting the sweep is impressive and they have the better assist percentage at .692. (The Sharks are slightly under .500 at .471.) The Sharks may have the lower assist percentage but the Sharks have the edge when it comes to putting the ball in the net and on target.
    Prediction: Bulls 3-2 (Picking them because of the team plays.)

 

Academy League Doubles – 8:00PM EST

 

Hurricanes Logo  Foxes Logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Conference

#1 Hurricanes vs #4 Foxes

    The Hurricanes have stormed their way to their 4th Academy League playoff appearance. The Hurricanes are 36-14 this season with a series record of 8-2. They have a +53 goal differential. The Hurricanes have been the #4 seed twice in Season 8 and Season 11. They also have been the #1 in Season 10 and they won the Championship that season. The Hurricanes have a 17-12 game record and a 4-2 series record in the playoffs. The Hurricanes are looking to repeat their success from Season 10 but first they have to get through the Foxes.

    The Foxes are coming of an awesome win against the #5 Hawks! (I played for the Season 6 Foxes and got beat out of the playoffs by the Hawks, so this one felt nice! Congrats!) They went 3-0 in the series and are wanting to do the same against the Canes. The Foxes scored 12 goals and assisted on 6 of those. The Foxes had 19 shots. They had a shot percentage of .631 and their on target percentage was .842. (This is calculated by: goals+opposing saves/ shots.) The Foxes look to keep the the team plays and keep up that high shot percentage against the Hurricanes. Will the Foxes weather the storm and take home the series win?

This one is definitely tough. The Foxes had a great series against the Hawks but the Canes have been dominant all season long. It should be a good series! (I will not deny my bias with this match up and I am picking the Foxes.)
Prediction: Foxes 3-1

 

Academy League Doubles – 9:00PM EST

 

  Elite Logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange Conference

#1 Comets vs #5 Elite

    The Comets have blasted their way to their 4th playoff appearance. The Comets are 34-16 this season with a series record of 7-3. They have a +58 goal differential. The Comets were the #4 seed in the Season 8 and 10 playoffs and they were the #2 in Season 4. The Comets have a 6-11 game record and a 1-3 series record in the playoffs. This is the first the time Comets have been the #1 seed and are looking to have more success in the playoffs than previous seasons.

    The Elite are coming off a great performance against the #4 Bears. They went 3-1 in the series and are hoping to get the series win against the Comets. The Elite scored 16 goals and assisted on 10 of those. The Elite bombarded the Bears with 48 shots. They had a shot percentage of .333 and their on target percentage was .895. (This is calculated by: goals+opposing saves/ shots.) The Elite had all of those shots and the Bears saved 27 of them! Will the Elite be able to keep up that amount of pressure against the Comets?

    The difference in this game could come down to the amount of pressure being put on the opponent. If the Elite somehow are able to get 40+ shots against the Comets, I could see the Elite coming home with the win. The Comets have been dominant all season though and it should be an exciting series either way!
Prediction: Elite 3-2

 

Champion League Doubles – 10:00PM EST

 

  Wolves Logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Conference

#1 Blizzard vs #6 Wolves

    The Blizzard have frozen out the competition to get to their 3rd playoff appearance. The Blizzard are 38-12 this season with a series record of 9-1. They have a +43 goal differential. The Blizzard have been the #4 seed in the Season 8 playoffs and the #1 in Season 7 playoffs. The Blizzard made it to the Conference Championship game both seasons but fell short of making the League Championship. In the playoffs, the Blizzard have a 12-12 game record and a 3-2 series record. The Blizzard are looking to make their 3rd Conference Championship game but have to get past the Wolves first.

    The Wolves are coming into this game after a hard fought series against the #3 Aviators. They went 3-1 in the series. The Wolves have already taken down one higher seed and are looking to take down their 2nd straight. The Wolves scored 19 goals and assisted on 8 of those. The Wolves had 35 shots, with a shot percentage of .543 and their on target percentage of .886. The Wolves shots are definitely hitting and they are hoping to bring that pressure against the Blizzard.

    The Blizzard have been the dominant team in the Blue Conference this season. Will the Blizzard make their 3rd Conference Championship game? Or will the Wolves take down another giant? Series prediction: 3-2 Wolves

 

Playoffs Day 5
twitch.tv/mlesportsgg2

 

Foundation League Doubles – 6PM EST

 

Sharks Logo  Pandas Logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange Conference

#2 Sharks vs #3 Pandas

    This should be an exciting matchup to watch! The Sharks and Pandas are facing off in a divisional showdown to determine who makes it to the Conference Championship.
The Sharks have bitten their way to their first playoff appearance. The Sharks are 29-21 this season with a series record of 6-4. They have a +30 goal differential. The Sharks are appearing in their first ever Foundation League playoff game and are looking to get their first win as well.

    The Pandas have fought their way to their 2nd playoff appearance. The Pandas are 29-21 this season with a series record of 7-3. They have a +8 goal differential. The Pandas have a 5-6 game record and a 1-1 series record in the playoffs. They are looking to beat their Tropic foe and make it to the Conference Final. Will the Sharks take a bite out of the Pandas or will the Pandas fight their way to victory? Series prediction: Pandas 3-2

 

Foundation League Doubles – 7PM EST

 

Lightning Logo  Foxes Logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Conference

#2 Lightning vs #3 Foxes

    The Lightning have shocked their way to their 2nd playoff appearance. The Lightning are 33-17 this season with a series record of 7-3. They have a +37 goal differential. The Lightning were the #1 seed in the Season 8 playoffs. The Lightning have a 0-3 game record and a 0-1 series record in the playoffs. They are looking to get their first ever playoff win in this series.

    The Foxes have clawed their way to their 2nd playoff appearance. The Foxes are 29-21 this season with a series record of 5-5. They have a +16 goal differential. The Foxes were the #2 seed in the Season 9 playoffs. The Foxes have a 10-9 game record and a 2-1 series record in the playoffs. The Foxes are looking to win this series and hopefully run their way back to another League Championship game. I won’t lie, I am biased for the Foxes in this matchup.
    The Foxes are going to have a tough matchup here. The Lightning are coming in as the clear favorites in this series. Will the Lightning strike the Foxes down or will the Foxes run away with it?
Series prediction: Foxes 3-1

Foundation League Doubles – 8PM EST

 

Bulls Logo 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange Conference

#1 Bulls vs #4 Tyrants

    The Bulls have rushed their way to their 2nd playoff appearance. The Bulls are 31-19 this season with a series record of 7-3. They have a +42 goal differential. The Bulls were the #1 seed in the Season 10 playoffs. The Bulls have a 0-3 game record and a 0-1 series record in the playoffs. They are looking to get their first playoff win.

    The Tyrants have roared their way to their 3rd playoff appearance. The Tyrants are 29-21  this season with a series record of 5-5. They have a +49 goal differential. The Tyrants have been the #1 seed in Season 9 and the #2 seed in Season 10. The Tyrants have a 22-11 game record and a 6-0 series record in the playoffs. In the Tyrants only 2 appearances in the playoffs, they have been crowned the League Champion. They won the Season 9 and 10 Championships.

    While the Bulls have the better record, the Tyrants may have a slight edge here. They have a slightly better goal differential and they also have not lost a playoff game. Will the Bulls run the Tyrants out of the playoffs or will the Tyrants continue their march to a 3rd Championship?
Series prediction: Tyrants 3-1

 

Foundation League Doubles – 9PM EST

 

Wolves Logo 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Conference

#1 Wolves vs #4 Blizzard

    The Wolves have howled their way to their 2nd playoff appearance. The Wolves are 34-16 this season with a series record of 8-2. They have a +61 goal differential. The Wolves were the #4 seed in the Season 9 playoffs. The Wolves have a 6-5 game record and a 1-1 series record in the playoffs. They made a Conference Championship appearance.

   The Blizzard have chilled their way to their 4th playoff appearance. The Blizzard are 27-23 this season with a series record of 5-5. They have a +17 goal differential. The Blizzard were the #3 seed in Season 8, 9, and 10. They have a 3-9 game record and 0-3 series record in the playoffs. The Blizzard are looking to get their first series win.

    The Wolves look to be the clear favorite here. They have 7 more game wins with 3 more series wins. The Wolves also have almost 4 times the Blizzard’s goal differential. Will the Blizzard’s drought in the playoffs end? Or will the Wolves move on to the Conference Championship?
Series prediction: Blizzard 3-2

 

Champion League Doubles – 10PM EST

 

Demolition Logo  Rhinos Logo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange Conference

#1 Demolition vs #7 Rhinos

    The Demolition have destroyed their way to their 3rd playoff appearance. The Demolition are 37-13 this season with a series record of 9-1. My hat goes off to you for the awesome season! They have a +46 goal differential. The Demolition were the #4 seed in the Season 9 playoffs and the #6 seed in Season 11. The Demolition have a 6-8 game record and a 1-2 series record in the playoffs. The Demo are looking to blast their way through the playoffs this season.

    The Rhinos are coming off a great series against the Pirates. They were able to take down the #2 seed and are looking to take down the #1 as well. The Rhinos scored 22 goals and assisted on 11 of those. The Rhinos were putting on the pressure last game with 51 shots. They had a shot percentage of .431 and their on target percentage was .843. The Rhinos are looking to keep up the pressure against the Demo in this series.    

The Demolition definitely have been the dominant team this season. This showdown should be a really fun one to watch though. Will the Demo continue to dominate the Orange Conference or will the Rhinos take down another giant? Series prediction: Rhinos 3-1

New Affiliate Announcement: ExpressVPN

Minor League Esports is proud to announce a new affiliation with ExpressVPN, the world’s largest premium VPN service provider! If you’re looking to surf the web safely and securely then a VPN is essential. Well, ExpressVPN has you covered!

ExpressVPN is a privacy and security tool that encrypts users’ web traffic and masks their IP addresses. With easy-to-use apps for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, as well as platforms that other VPN companies do not support. ExpressVPN offers best-in-class encryption with over 3,000 servers in 160 VPN server locations, in 94 countries

There are many benefits that come with using ExpressVPN. Here’s just a snippet of some the great advantages ExpressVPN has to offer:

  • The only provider that unblocks streaming services not just on the VPN, but also using MediaStreamer on devices such as Apple TV, PlayStation, Xbox, and smart TVs that cannot run any VPN.
  • A strict privacy policy. No activity logs. No connection logs.
  • Access content anywhere, free of geo restrictions on all of your favorite streaming services such as Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, ITV, Sky Go, and more.
  • Next-gen Lightway protocol offers greater speeds, security, and reliability, especially on mobile.
  • Reliable service in high-censorship places where other VPN providers are blocked.
  • 5 simultaneous connections.
  • A Stream Sports Guide that lets users know how to watch live sporting events with a VPN. Learn the best ways to stream sports on your computer, mobile device, or big-screen TV and get the best prices for sports streaming by comparing services.

Sounds good right? If you want to find out more about ExpressVPN you can do so right here. As part of our affiliation with ExpressVPN we have a great offer for anyone who signs up. Sign up for a 12 month package now and you will receive 3 whole months extra for absolutely free! Every sign-up helps support Minor League Esports and revenue generated from the affiliation is invested back into the league and our amazing community. So there’s no better time to get yourself protected online!

Thank you for your support and thank you to ExpressVPN for supporting Minor League Esports.

Impostors Raise Money for Charity

Last month Minor League Esports hosted a special charity stream in the name of raising money for good causes!

Raising money for Extra Life and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, we put on a special Among Us charity stream, which saw members of the MLE Council take to space and merrily accuse each other of “impostery” (a word we definitely didn’t just make up) in the hopes of raising a few cents for the charities… and our community did not disappoint!

Big gg’s to everyone who supported the event. You helped to raise a total of $646 which means each charity will receive, after GoFundMe fees, $310.91 each! This is a great result and the money raised will go to supporting invaluable services and support for those who need it.

If you missed the entertainment you can watch the whole stream back here. And we are happy to report that, despite the wild accusations and frequent sabotage that occurred during the event, the Council are all still friends… for now.

Season 10 Playoffs: Conference Finals Preview

After two weeks of postseason teams are beginning to see the finish line. But as we arrive at the Conference Finals, every match will be a tough challenge, and players will have to be at their absolute best if they hope to have a chance at the title. We’ve seen our share of upsets and we’ve seen the top players show why they’re the best. Now we will see who can continue to win and who will prove that they want it more than their opponents. Let’s breakdown each of the matchups you’ll see this weekend and talk about who has what it takes to bring home a victory for their franchise.

Foundation League
Season 10 Foundation League Playoff Bracket

Orange Conference: Tyrants(2) vs Bears(4)

The Orange Conference finals are a tale of two stories. On one hand you have the Season 9 champions in the Tyrants. They managed to hold onto one player from last season and now find themselves on the road to a second championship. The other side of the matchup is the Bears team everyone has been talking about. The father and daughter duo made a splash in their first matchup with definitive 3-0 followed by a very wholesome post-match interview. In that interview, Cardinal made it clear he intends to see this story to a victorious finale, “I don’t see why we’re any worse than any of (the playoff) teams, and I think that we can go all the way with this team.” The Bears showed last week that they had the play to back up that statement. They dominated a 1st seeded Bulls team with tight rotations and impressive aerial plays by HyperFangHyena. But to win it all they first have to get through a Tyrants team that will be up to the task of battling the Bears. The duo of TheLouzer and Detto took on a very streaky Outlaws squad and won a crucial game five to take the series. The Tyrants seemed to absorb any pressure the Outlaws put on them and threw it right back on the counter-attack, often scoring multiple breakaway goals off of key saves. The Tyrants defense will be tough to break and so will the Bears determination. 

Blue Conference: Knights(1) vs Hurricanes(2)

At the end of game two it looked as if the Hurricanes’ Achilles heel had been struck. The 2nd seeded team that looked so promising had begun to fall apart, losing 0-6 to a Blizzard team that had beaten them twice during the season in close 3-2 matches. And with Blizzard star Face scoring five unanswered goals, the Hurricanes seemed to be unraveling. Commentator and caster BigMacDan even stating in the post-game, “There is absolutely no way I see the Hurricanes taking this series anymore if the Blizzard keep this pace up.” And how did the Hurricanes respond? They turned the tables on the Blizzard in game three and for the next five minutes, FROGDOG and Bombin kept almost all of the possession with a single-minded drive towards the back wall of the Blizzard and didn’t allow a single shot on their net for the entirety of the game. The Blizzard would come back in form but the Hurricanes now knew they could weather their opponents and take the series. The Hurricanes will now move on to face the Knights who didn’t have to endure the same battle but won a comfortable 3-0 sweep. Kingkris32 peppered the express backboard for three straight games as Gabronies watched and waited for the Express to misplay the clear before collecting and scoring. It was a formula the Knights executed quite well. Now we will get to see the 1st and 2nd seed Blue conference teams battle it out to prove who it the best.

Academy League
Season 10 Academy League Playoff Bracket

Orange Conference: Flames(1) vs Outlaws (5)

By the second round of the playoffs teams are either falling apart under pressure or rising to the challenge. The Outlaws and Flames have both showed they are getting into their peak form when it matters most. Both teams showed trust in their partner on the backline. Both teams were patient and limited offensive double commits. Both teams took down tough opponents in 3-1 victories. For the Outlaws it was solid rational play and capitalizing on the mistakes of the Elite that won them the series. ITSLAPPY and PAV3K are beginning to show flashes of brilliant team plays. Perhaps none better than ITSLAPPY hunting for demos while PAV3K flicked the ball in to close out the series. On the Flames side it was a confident midfield defense that appeared to be the difference-maker. As the Flames pressure built, Bippers and DV2890 took turns holding the midfield line and simply waiting to collect the clear from the Wizards before mounting another offensive onslaught. They managed to pin the Wizards back more and more throughout the series until the pressure was too much for them. The team that wins the AL Orange conference will likely be the one that can maintain the trust and team play that these two pairs have built.

Blue Conference: Hurricanes(1) vs Hive(2)

The Hurricanes matching up against the Hive for the Conference Finals may have been picked by quite a few people but who will win this matchup is sure to be hotly debated. The Hurricanes proved in their sweep of the Puffins that despite being put in high-pressure situations, they’re most comfortable playing in the eye of the storm. They came back from two-goal deficits in the first two games and never looked panicked. Soop Feared showed patience and poise, taking the time to dribble players in late-game comebacks. The final game they fell behind late but scored with 19 seconds to take the game to overtime, where they won with another dribble play from Soop Feared. The Hive had a tougher time in their match against the Foxes as they traded high scoring games before winning in a definitive game 5. Black and DLEW19 continue to adapt to pressure from their opponents. After dropping games three and four, the Hive knew they needed to pick up their pace to return to form. DLEW said in the postmatch, “we’d rather overcommit and play fast than play too passive again.” That adjustment proved to be the answer as they took the last game and the series. Can this Hive squad continue to adapt and find an answer to the Hurricanes or will the Hurricanes roll through another team on their way to a final?

Champion League
Season 10 Champion League Playoff Bracket

Orange Conference: Pandas(1) vs Shadow(5)

The CL Orange Conference final is a matchup of two styles. Do you go with the team that has a clear role for each player, executing the same plays and solid rotation game after game? Or do you favor the team that follows whatever player has the hot hand (or hot car in this case)? The Pandas players Zach and Unforgiven seemed to have the right game plan for taking on an offensively aggressive Outlaws squad. Zach put up a solid defensive performance while finding his teammate, Unforgiven, in the backfield who then struck with fast counterattacks that shocked their opponents. Unforgiven managed to execute this game plan so well that they put up 14 goals in four games. The Shadow didn’t appear to have the defined roles that the Pandas had, but what they did have was a pair of players that pulled off highlight-worthy 1v1 plays time and time again. After a close game one, it was Euronate who stepped up and pulled off a hat trick in game two to pull ahead of the Dodgers. In game three, Lightning took the torch and showed off his dribble plays with a hat trick of his own to close the series out in a sweep. These two teams will both have an arsenal of weapons at their disposal but will the streaky play of the Shadow surpass their foes or will the game-plan of the Pandas successfully shut down the offense of their opponents?

Blue Conference: Wolves(1) vs Hurricanes (5)

In a matchup between two teams coming off 3-1 wins, we’ve seen that the Wolves and Hurricanes have come up against tough tests and both have proven their talents. For the Hurricanes they had to outpace a scrappy Aviators squad and establish corner pressure to force mistakes from their opponents. Goldentornado17 put in another solid offensive performance with nine goals on four games. The Wolves also came up against an opponent that had the ability to throw off top teams. The confidence from Clvn and Ripperr never faltered, however. It was the synergy from the Wolves that seemed to be too much for their Arctic division rivals as both players assisted on 10 of their 14 series goals. Ripperr, of course, also aided in the win with a few key highlight level plays including a stellar redirect off a long pass from Clvn. As these two teams fight for the Blue conference title it may come down to who can assert their dominance in the series and get to play their style of game.

Premier League
Season 10 Premier League Playoff Bracket

Orange Conference: Pirates (1) vs Outlaws (5)

The Outlaws have continued the strategy that made them successful in the regular season, put the ball toward the net at every opportunity. They swept the Spectre with their signature offensive pressure, putting 34 total shots on net compared to the Spectre’s 17. The Outlaws crashed the net time after time with a devastating one-two punch. Lotty Lettuce put in an MVP performance, taking difficult highlight level shots and placing them brilliantly. But the Outlaws offense will now have to face their white whale, the division rival that bested them twice this season. The undefeated Pirates looked as confident as ever in their first postseason game. The Wizards came in with attack after attack but were never able to set up camp offensively against the Pirates. It was the consistent hard clears from defense and quick transition speed of Tater and Taki that never allowed both Wizards to be on offense at once. The Pirates defense only allowed three goals in as many games. Will they continue to stifle the offense of the Outlaws, or will the Outlaws finally break the Pirates defense along with their winning streak?

Blue Conference: Blizzard (1) vs Knights (4)

When the season ends and the postseason begins the dynamics of strong teams can change. During the regular season, one strong player can’t guarantee you a run at the finals. In the Playoffs, however, a star player can make all the difference in a tough matchup. The Blizzard and Knights had just the right players last week to dominate their opponents. Comp scored 14 goals to take the Blizzard to a 3-1 victory over the Puffins. His speed to the ball and deft air dribbling quite literally lifted him over the competition. In a series that often went punch for punch and goal for goal, it was Comp who always seemed to have the last big play in the game. Jay proved once again to be the star player the Knights needed him to be. After getting shut down early in the series by the Aviators, Jay woke up in game three and put in four goals to win 5-1. From then on, it was the Jay show as he put on an incredible performance offensively and defensively with 11 goals and 13 saves on the series. In order to win the championship Prosperity2K and MapleSurrup will also need to continue their run of great play, but when the two teams meet this weekend you can expect to see a battle of star players looking to run up scores and pull off “play of the week” worthy goals.

Each team only has to win two more matches to take the title for their franchise. It’s going to be two more weekends full of action-packed excitement. Don’t miss a minute of it as the Conference Finals kick off on the MLE Network

Conference Finals Broadcast Schedule

Season 10 Playoffs: Conference Semi-Final Previews

Only half of the original 42 teams survived opening weekend but more importantly, my playoff bracket didn’t survive. Upsets and close matches shattered my bracket rather than busted it. As we all collectively mourn the loss of my post-season picks, let’s look forward to all the exciting matchups that are scheduled for the second week of playoff action, including the first week of Foundation League playoffs. 

Premier League Orange Conference

Pirates(1) vs. Wizards (6)

The number one seeded Pirates take the field against the wild card winning Wizards. If you still think the Pirates have an easy road to the final, you weren’t watching the stream this weekend as the Wizards went punch for punch with the Tyrants in the opening round. Smurf and JustTuck combined for a flurry of offensive pressure which ultimately won them a close game five upset. But can Wizards play the same high scoring offensive style against the number 1 seeded Pirates? This Pirates team has met and won against every challenge so far but the toughest challenge is to win the last game of the season.

Outlaws (5) vs Spectre (2)

The Outlaws vs Spectre is sure to be a knockdown drag-out fight in the premier league. The Outlaws players MattRochie and Lotty Lettuce took the sharks in four games after a five and a half minute overtime in game two. Ultimately the Outlaws took the series by putting on shot after shot while not giving the Sharks any time to possess the ball. The Spectre also took their series against the Bulls in four games. They won the first game 5-2 but lost the second 4-8. In games three and four they were finally able to settle down with WeTakeLs and Snip playing ball control to close out two low scoring games. Look for dribble plays to be on display in this battle two teams who prioritize ball possession to secure their wins.

Premier League Blue conference

Knights(4) vs. Aviators(6)

The Aviators have made it to the second round of playoffs untested due to an unfortunate NCP but make no mistake the players are ready for the next challenger. That next opponent will be the Knights who are looking to build off their win over the Eclipse. The Knights were slow to get going in the first round, dropping their first game before wing three close games(including two overtimes) to take the series. Both teams bring in players with highlight potential so look for Jay or Kilt to pull off the show-stopping plays and give their teams the edge late in the series. 

Blizzard(1) vs. Puffins (7)

Maybe someone should inform the PL puffins that they’re the underdogs this postseason because the way they swept the Ducks last weekend you would think they were on cruise control. Opening the series with a smooth double touch from Cali and finishing with a play, the Puffins never once trailed in three games. Their next test will be the first seeded Blizzard who are eager to get in on the playoff action and show why they’re the team to beat. Lead scorer Mapplesurrup and his squad may should things more difficult for the Puffins.

CHAMPION LEAGUE Orange Conference

Pandas (1) vs. Outlaws (7)

A lot of upsets took fans by surprise this weekend. Maybe none more than the Outlaws win over the 2nd seeded Pirates. Not only did the Outlaws sweep their division rivals, but they managed to hold them to just three goals and zero assists. If they Outlaws can continue their streak of shutting down top offenses they have a good shot to build on their win. If the Pandas have anything to say about it, however, that playoff run will be short-lived. The first seeded Pandas are a balanced team with a stalwart defense that may be the perfect counter to the hot hand of the Outlaws. 

Dodgers (6) vs. Shadow (5)

The upsets continue in the Orange conference with two teams that won close five-game series to move on in the postseason. Smalls and Furphy proved to be a defensive force for the Dodgers, absorbing 51 shots on the series and outscoring the Bulls 23 to 16. If the duo can come close to their impressive 62% shooting in the next series, they could be the giant killers of the CL. The Shadow had their hands full with a Comets team that was passing brilliantly but in the battle of the playing GMs, it was Euronate who proved to be the more clutch, with two epic game five saves to keep their title dreams alive. Both pairs look like their team chemistry is improving with every game. Look for this series to be a battle for momentum as each will be hoping to come out and dominate the series. 

CHAMPION LEAGUE Blue conference

Puffins(7) vs Wolves (1)

The Puffins found a winning strategy last weekend by discovering that if you simply don’t let a team score, they can’t win. In a 3-1 series, the Blizzard put up a total of 6 goals, and 1 assist on 27 shots. Bazed and ArcaneLizard never gave the Blizzard a chance to get going offensively and they got an upset victory for their efforts. Now they face off against their division rivals and the number one seeded Wolves. Of course, the Wolves are the 1st seed for a reason. Their high scoring offense will be a whole other challenge for the Puffins. Can they repeat their strategy or will the Wolves get to play their game? 

Aviators (6) vs Hurricanes (5)

The Aviators played a series that was closer than it’s 3-1 series record shows. The Ducks put up a fight in a tough division match but Artemis and RapidChampion managed to get into a solid rotational rhythm that kept them composed in the face KingDuff’s 19 shots on net. Once the Aviators pulled ahead in games 3 and 4 they were able to hold onto late leads and close out the series. The Hurricanes took their round one win in a definite fashion. It wasn’t just the sweep that made a statement but also the Game one goal where Goldentornado17 popped the ball toward the goal and proceeded to tackle C0P3X out of the way. That is the style with which the Hurricanes took the rest of the series. Now we will see if the Hurricanes can bully the Aviators or if the Aviators will continue to keep their cool on the way to a conference final. 

ACADEMY LEAGUE Orange conference 

Flames (1) vs Wizards (7)

The Flames come in as the number one seed. Something that would be more comforting if it weren’t for how many upsets there have been already in this playoffs. They will need to bring their best game against a Wizards squad that looks in very good form. Legit and TourneyEarnie seem to have found chemistry late in the season. That chemistry helped them to a 3-2 win over the Tyrants. But this Flames team appears up to the challenge as they enter the playoffs on a nine series win streak. 

Outlaws(5) vs. Elite (6)

The Outlaws and Elite both put up 3-0 sweeps in the first round against higher-seeded opponents. Outlaws’ player ITSLAPPY pulled off a dominating offensive performance with 10 goals on 20 shots. For the Elite, it was Rebel who did all the scoring but notably, Fraud assisted in 5 of Rebel’s 9 goals while putting in none of their own. Will the teamwork of Elite give them another win or will the offensive duo out PAV3K and ITSLAPPY be too much for them. 

ACADEMY LEAGUE Blue Conference

Hurricanes(1) vs. Puffins (6)

The AL Puffins not only shocked the league with their upset over the Express but seemed to shock the Express themselves during the match. They held the express team to just 17 shots in 4 games to take the series. This Academy League team seems to have continued the Puffins trend of cool confident wins in the postseason. But just like the rest of their franchise brethren they now have to face a number one seed for their efforts. That number one seed comes in the form of a lethal Hurricanes squad. This test may prove to snap the Puffins out of that confidence. 

Hive(2) vs. Foxes (4)

Being the 2nd seed has proven dangerous in this year’s playoffs. Only two 2nd seeded teams have managed to dodge an upset. But the Hive survived a close five-game series with an impressive defensive effort and solid team play. Black and DLEW19 combined for 23 saves and 10 of their 18 goals were assisted. On the other side of the matchup, the Foxes denied the upset by swiftly sweeping their opponents. The Foxes seemed to never let the Jets get going offensively, allowing only ten shots in three games. Look for the Foxes to try to keep their possession offense going against the Hive. But the Hive may have the perfect defensive backline to counter that pressure. 

FOUNDATION LEAGUE Orange conference

Bulls(1) vs. Bears (4)

The Bulls have the highest goal differential in the league and come in with the exciting emerging star player of Wonderwulf. As the number one seed, this Bulls team is expected to be the favorite in the playoffs. On the other side of this matchup, the hopes of the entire Bears franchise have landed on the Foundation League this season. And the story of the father-daughter duo in FL has spread throughout the league. Will the Bears story have a storybook ending or will the Bulls prove too daunting a foe?

Tyrants(2) vs Outlaws (3)

The firepower of Foundation League will be on full display in this match up. Both teams have players with excellent goals per game averages. Both teams finished their season by winning out their last three division games. But only one of these teams will get to continue their winning streak into the conference finals. One way or another this will be a tough match that we will likely see go the distance in a best of five series.

FOUNDATION LEAGUE BLUE CONFERENCE

Knights(1) vs. Express(4)

In a playoff season already riddled with upsets, the Express are looking to keep that train rolling (I’m trying to quit the habit, I promise). They find themselves staring across at the Knights who are heavy favorites in the matchup. The Express will be relying on early pressure to take the momentum away from their opponents. But Whyuacow may not be thrown off their game so easily as so far they look like a contender for league MVP. During this wild postseason, anything can happen and this matchup has the potential to be yet another shocking series.

Hurricanes(2) vs. Blizzard(3)

The Hurricanes edged out the Blizzard to take the division title and the second seed in the playoffs. During the season the Blizzard won both matchups against the Hurricanes in close 3-2 series. At the end of the season, this rivalry can only be settled with a best of five, winner goes home match. This is sure to be the game you can’t miss this weekend. Will Face put up another star performance for the Blizzard or will the team play and fast rotation of the Hurricanes dominate the pitch?

You can catch every Conference Semi-Final series on the MLE Network this Saturday and Sunday from 6pm ET.

Season 10 Playoffs: Foundation League Preview

The Foundation League is in its third season and even though the level of gameplay isn’t Grand Champ, the desire for a Championship is just as strong. Which teams will fall short and who will rise to the challenge? Who will make the glorious run and win themselves an MLE Championship? Where will I decide to include the single pun that I am allowed to use per my very detailed contract with MLE? To help you get geared up for another thrilling weekend of playoffs I’m back to break down the teams and tell you which players to watch out for as eighth Foundation League teams make their run for the title.  

The Underdogs 

Express (Blue Conference 4th seed)
With a 5-5 series record and a -14 goal differential, this Express team enters the postseason as the clear underdogs. But the nature of the Foundation League means that player turnover is likely and the introduction of new starter JoKEN could give the team new life in the playoffs. After the rank out of leading scorer Kenbennedy, The Terminator, who is averaging 1.3 saves a game, is likely the new star who will have to lead the team. Look for this defensive player to hold the backline as the Express aim to surprise a few FL front runners. 

Bears (Orange Conference 4th seed)
Putting aside the stats, the thing the Bears really have going for them is a great storyline. In the FL draft, it was revealed that the Bears successfully drafted the first father-daughter duo in MLE. Cardinal and HyperFangHyena have since been building up both fans and wins with the help of their solid third in KaptainKillazz. HyperFangHyena does lead the team in scoring with 1.4 goals per game and has an impressive 51.04% shooting percentage over 35 games. But if you’re looking for an x-factor, the answer is in the family synergy being the reason this team could clutch out playoff wins. 

In The Hunt

Blizzard (Blue Conference 3rd seed)
Some FL teams are the product of a season-long campaign of stalwart play. For teams like the Blizzard, it’s always about the next man up, as rank outs result in turnovers and new starters taking up the mantle. Face and ItsGoguts joined in the middle of the team’s campaign and have gelled nicely with Audacity to create a well-rounded team. But as this team continues to battle into the playoffs, look for Face to be the emerging star. They’ve already managed to rack up 39 goals over 20 games, proving to be an offensive cannon that can be the difference-maker in the postseason. 

Outlaws (Orange Conference 3rd seed)
The first of the returning champion teams in the playoff hunt, the FL Outlaws boast the first-ever FL champions title. Like true Outlaws, this team is attempting to steal back the title and bragging rights for the best Foundation team in the league. The team is led by the well-rounded captain OuttaBoost who averages 1.7 goals a game and 1.8 saves per game. At 1.7 goals a game, Hoosier_Daddy23 will likely be the other half of the duo. Not only are the two players 2nd and 3rd in the league for scoring, but they both also have at least 50% shooting on the season. We don’t know if the title will return to the Outlaws this season, but we do know they have the weapons to challenge any FL team. 

Hurricanes (Blue Conference 2nd seed)
When it comes time for playoffs, most MLE teams can be assessed by the star players that will show up to carry their team to a championship. But the Hurricanes have built their season around the three-headed hydra that is Stanless, Bomnin, and FROGDOG. With a 3.97, 4.46, and 4.25 MVPR respectively the Hurricanes roster has turned out to be one of the best teams top to bottom in FL. While this has served them well throughout the season, will their lack of a high scoring star be a hindrance to them come playoff time? Other teams will be leaning heavily on their best player to come in clutch. But the Foundation League title may very well fall to the team that remains the most consistent on offense and defense and for that, I would look to the Hurricanes. 

The Favorites

Tyrants (Orange Conference 2nd seed)
The Tyrants have remained a front runner for this season’s championship while never being a frontrunner in their own division. That’s a tough hill for any team to climb but this season’s FL Tyrants have a little extra motivation to keep them going. They could be the first-ever Foundation League back to back champions. The Tyrants General Manager, Majik, is no doubt eager to see his team cement themselves as the best once again and has done a stellar job developing a new group of players to be just as lethal as last season’s champions. The only returning roster player, TheLouzer, has been far from a loser while putting up over 1.6 goals per game, making him 2nd in the league in total goals scored. That doesn’t mean that their defense will be lacking though, as the first overall saves leader in FL is none other than Detto

Knights (Blue Conference 1st seed)
Score more goals seems to be the mantra of the FL Knights this season. While they’re 10th in the league for least goals allowed, they have scored a whopping 157 goals, which is the 2nd most in the league. This is owed to the high-powered duo of team captain Gabronies and Whyuacow. Whyuacow is currently the league leader in scoring followed closely by Gabronies in 4th. The team may lean on the more well-rounded assist leader, Kingkris32, to facilitate plays from the backfield in the playoffs, but if the strategy of all offense all the time got them the division title, don’t expect them to step off the gas in the playoffs. 

Bulls (Orange Conference 1st seed)
If I hadn’t already used my one pun, I might write something here about the rest of the league chasing the Bulls instead of the Bulls chasing anyone. This Bulls team has been the frontrunner all season long but the playoffs are a different story and the Bulls of the early season look slightly different from the Bulls going into the playoffs. The team is led by Omnikron and DarthRedRaider who have both been key to all 9 of the series wins for the Bulls. Those looking at the roster may notice a missing piece as their star scorer, VuMa, has recently ranked out. But he has quickly been replaced by someone who may be a new breakout star in WonderWulf. WonderWulf has come on to the team and scored 25 goals in just 10 games. Whatever their roster, the Bulls have combined for a +74 goal differential this season. The next highest differential is +56. The ability to maintain a stalwart defense while putting on a flurry of offensive pressure is what makes the FL Bulls a strong favorite for the championship title. 

The Foundation League playoffs are one round shorter than the rest of MLE so when all eight teams kick off this weekend they will only be three wins away from a championship title. Which of these up and coming players has what it takes to win three straight series and prove they are the best team of the Foundation League this season? You can find out by catching all the action this weekend of the MLE Network!

Season 10 Playoffs: Premier League Preview

It’s playoff time and in MLE that means the best of the best will be facing off in a do or die bracket to determine the Premier League champions. It’s like Clash of The Titans if the Titans all drove rocket-powered cars and knew how to do double taps. To break down the madness and get you hyped for the start of the postseason I’m going to brief you on each of the playoff teams and star players that you’ll get to watch this weekend.

Season 10 Premier League playoff bracket
Season 10 Premier League playoff bracket
The Underdogs

Bulls (Orange conference 7th seed)
In any sport, people know that it’s not about how you start the season, it’s about how you end it. This PL Bulls team was determined not to end it before the playoffs. With three division games left, they sat at 28-27 game record. Still in the playoff race, but looking on track to just miss out. They won all three remaining division games with a 10-5 game record to clinch the last wild card spot. This is a team that is getting hot right when they need to. They’re led by star player, Gumbachi, who not only put up the 2nd highest league save total with 104 but also ended 5th in goals scored with 89. This team may be the 7th seed, but they’re hungry for an upset in these playoffs and they have the talent to do it.

Puffins (Blue conference 7th seed)
A great writer once said, “A win fades away, but memes, memes are forever.” Okay, maybe that was me who said it. And okay, I didn’t so much say it as I put it in a Parks and Rec meme and gave it to the Puffins GM. But as a former Puffin, I stand by my statement. The Puffins have learned not only to dominate the MLE meme culture but also to feed off that hype and use it to win games. And that’s exactly how this Puffins team have found themselves in the last wild card spot. Sure, Grizz1y is 3rd overall in assists. Sure, Dog and Grizz1y are defensive stars with 2.1 and 2 saves per game respectively. Sure, team captain, Cali has averaged 2 goals per game. But I think the Puffins care less about stats and more about what meme they’re going to use to brag about their playoff wins. When your priorities are straight it’s easier to do what you need to do and get the win.

Wizards (Orange conference 6th seed)
There are four teams in this year’s PL playoffs with 7-7 series records. But only 1 of those teams comes in with a surprising +63 goal differential. The Wizards may have only figured out how to win series in the latter part of the season but they always know how to score goals. The Wizards enter the postseason 4th highest in total goals. Led by JustTuck who finished with an even 100 goals on the season. Their other likely starter, Smurf, also averages 2 goals per game as well as 2.45 saves per game. With a duo like that this team has the potential to shed the image that their series record shows and make a deep run in the playoffs.

Aviators (Blue conference 6th seed)
The Aviators are another team that needed some last week heroics to clinch their playoff spot. They seem to be counting on their star player, Kilt, on both ends of the pitch, averaging 2 goals per game, and 2.1 saves. Newcomer, Justify, has played in only four series but has put up an impressive 6.89 MVPR. They’ll have to prove in playoffs if that stat was earned against tough opponents. Aviators finish the season 9 and 5 but with a marginally positive goal differential of +1(yes 1 goal). They haven’t been dominant but they’ve done enough to earn a chance at the title. Now we just have to wait to see if they take that chance and run with it.

Sharks (Orange conference 4th seed)
Say what you will about the PL Sharks, but this squad is here to entertain. Sure they could have run away with the Tropic division but instead, they dropped 4 series in a row and came within a game of losing their top spot, all so they could clinch the division in the final week. I say that’s calculated. The team has had its struggles but that shouldn’t take away from the stellar season Mattybananas is having. With 81 goals over 35 games, he finishes 10th in goals scored this season. The Sharks come into the playoffs with a 7-7 series record and a -7 goal differential but as they’re the only playoff team coming from the Tropic division it’s up to them to prove how tough the division was by upsetting teams and making a run for the final.

In The Hunt

Eclipse (Blue conference 5th seed)
There’s a lot of Motion on this PL Eclipse team. (I get one pun per article as dictated by my contract.) I’m not talking about the fast rotations or the speed of the cars. I’m talking about Motion, the captain of the PL team who averaged 2.1 saves a game and 1.6 goals. The team is a defensive roster that seems primed for the kind of swift counterattacking that can surprise any team in the league. The other half of this defensive duo is Toby, who averaged 1.8 saves per game. The pair helped the full roster to place the team in 6th for the lowest number of goals allowed. In a league with so many high scoring stars, the Eclipse will try to make a run at the playoffs by not letting offenses get going. It may not be the most flashy strategy but it got them a 43-27 record in a tough storm division, so I’d count on it being effective in the postseason.

Outlaws (Orange conference 5th seed)
At the beginning of the season, Outlaws General Manager Stovvads called his team into a conference room and had a quote up on the whiteboard that read, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take -Wayne Gratzky -Stovvads” Okay, maybe I stole that story from The Office TV show but it seems possible considering the number of shots this team puts on net. Scoring leaders, Lotty Lettuce and MattRochie, have a combined 440 shots on the season, the most for any PL team duo. Placing third overall in scoring means that their strategy seems to be working. But is it enough to take down the other offensive heavy hitters come playoffs? I don’t know the answer to that but I do know that this Outlaws offense will be thrilling to watch in the playoffs.

Knights (Blue conference 4th seed)
So, with four weeks left, your team is 25-25 with a 4-6 series record. How do you make playoffs? Just win four straight and go 15-5 to finish the season, obviously. The Knight’s season-saving run is due, in no small part, to Jay who came in late and put up 62 goals in those four series and finished with the 2nd best MVPR in the league. The Knights now appear to have the star player to continue that run into the postseason. The rest of the team is stacked with solid talent but look for team captain MikeIsMyIke to be the other half of the duo. MikeIsMyIke leads the league in assists with 51, making him the perfect complement to the offensive canon of Jay.

Tyrants (Orange conference 3rd seed)
The Tyrants do not have anyone on the league leaderboard top 10 for goals, assists, or saves. There’s no runaway star and they don’t have the flash of a player like Taki or Deluxe. What the Tyrants do have is the ability to play any starter in their line up and win a series. The four starters in Snoopy, Majik, Moog, and Kaito have an average MVPR of 4.91. Their lowest scoring player still averages 1.5 goals per game. There’s not a weak link to be found on the Tyrants. How do you prepare for a team that could play anyone in the playoffs? A division winner without a known league star has all the makings of a dark-horse run for the Tyrants in these playoffs.

Foxes (Blue conference 3rd seed)
With two weeks to go in the Arctic Division it seemed like no one had a lock. The Foxes might have been favorites, then they dropped a series 1-4 to the Wolves in week 9. With one week left the Foxes found themselves in a three-way race. So what did they do? They called up Deluxe, their star scorer who put up 18 goals and 15 saves in one series to give them a 4-1 series win and clinch the division. Deluxe averages the 3rd highest MVPR (7.05) and the highest of anyone with a full season of series played. He’s dominant offensively and consistent defensively. He’s the kind of player that could put in an MVP performance and take the title away from some of the other heavy favorites. If you’re watching the Foxes in the playoffs look for Deluxe to be the difference maker and showstopper for the series.

The Favorites

Spectre (Orange conference 2nd seed)
The Spectre franchise currently has a Premier League player from Cuba, A Champion League player from Puerto Rico, and an Academy League player named AmericasF1nest. I’m sure there’s a joke in there but sadly I wasn’t able to find it in time for this article. The point is WeTakeLs is a Cuban MLE player and lead scorer on a stellar Spectre squad. No starting player has below a 4.8 MVPR and the team is captained by Assistant GM Blackwatch, who has put up an average of 1.9 goals per game. Yet, that still might not make him a starting pick, as that puts him in third for totals goals within his own team. From top to bottom the Spectre are putting up consistent numbers in goals saves and assists. They look like a team that plays well on both sides of the field and can start plays from anywhere.

Ducks (Blue conference 2nd seed)
Did you know the D in Ducks stands for Defense? That’s right, Ducks is an acronym. I’ll tell you what all the other letters stand for some other time. But this Ducks team has built a winning formula on solid defensive play. The team Averages 1.9 saves per game with their star defender Wockit Kah himself putting up 72 saves on the season. Also, in classic Ducks fashion, Wockit Kah wins the title of the best name in MLE, hands down. Because have you heard the casters call a series with Wockit Kah? It’s hilarious. Knitt rounds out the likely starting duo, leading the team with an impressive 71 goals on the season.

Blizzard (Blue conference 1st seed) 
The right pick up can make or break a season. And if there can be a “best signing of the season” accolade we’d have to give it to the Blizzard who picked up Comp late in the season only for them to break an MLE record. Comp broke a record for the highest MVPR in a single series with 9.68. With that kind of dominant play in one series teams will have to be wary of the kind of run this Blizzard team can make in the playoffs. The team doesn’t just have one star player. Mage and Vandy have both proven to be top tier players but its leading scorer Maplesurrup, with over 2.4 goals per game, that will likely complete this dangerous duo.

Pirates (Orange conference 1st seed)
I must confess that I started sections of this article before the last week of the season. But when I got to the preview for the Pirates I paused. I’m not generally a superstitious person but when I saw that 13-0 series record I didn’t dare type the phrase “perfect regular season” before it happened. You just don’t jinx a team like that. But this Pirates roster came through with a truly remarkable feat this season. They made it close in the last series only winning 3-2 over the Bears. The rest of the season, however, was not as close. With a +145 goal differential, they finished 1st in both goals scored and least goals against. To not talk about Taki when talking about the Pirates would be an oversight. Taki put up 111 goals on the season, averaging 2.77 goals per game. They also finished in the top ten for assists and saves. Taki leads the race for MVP this season but what Taki and this Pirates team really want is a championship title. And with them having yet to lose a series, they seem to be the clear favorites.

There’s a lot on the line for every team in this bracket. We’ll see star players pulling off amazing shots. We’ll see an undefeated team trying to cement themselves as the best. We may even see a cinderella story emerge from a wild card team. But you can’t see any of these amazing stories play out unless you tune in this weekend to watch the start of the playoffs. The action begins from 6pm ET on mlesportsgg2 and from 7:30pm on mlesportsgg Saturday & Sunday!

Season 10 Playoffs: Champion League Preview

The Champions League playoffs are here and the playoff teams have been decided. They’ve battled it out for 10 weeks and 14 matches to determine the 14 teams worthy of competing for the title. But before you jump into the playoff matches and start spamming your favorite team name in the twitch chat I’m going to give you all the info you need to know on each playoff contender.

Season 10 Champion League Playoff Bracket
The Underdogs

Outlaws (Orange conference 7th seed)
The Champion League wild card was a nail biter this season. The Outlaws will no doubt be ecstatic that they snuck in on a close win. This 7-7 series team has had an up and down season but having a shot at a playoff run is not something they’re looking to throw away. Austinsanity could be key to an underdog run, with an average MVPR of 4.71. Theevilisback could be the other half of their playoff team as he’s proven to be well rounded, clocking 1.6 goals and 1.45 saves per game. We know that their playoff games will be close, but we don’t know yet if these players have enough to eke out ahead at the end of the series.

Puffins (Blue conference 7th seed)
Maybe the Puffins franchise likes to be the underdogs. Maybe they enjoy the sweat and nerves that their fans get watching them sneak in at the last moment. All three Puffins teams won their series in the final week to clinch a wild card spot. None of them had a more nailbiting season than this CL team. The team finished the season with an 8-6 series record, despite having a total goal differential of -1. The lack of positive goal record may be due to the teams’ lack of a defensive player. If the Puffins can get their leading scorer, Bazed, on a roll, they may not need a defensive stalwart. But having Bazed at 10th in scoring for the league means the team may need something more for a deep playoff run. The Puffins have managed to come in clutch in week 10 with every team. But will that trend continue into the postseason?

Dodgers (Orange conference 6th seed)
Yet another team that was able to clinch a last-minute spot in the playoffs, the Dodgers snapped a three-game losing streak to win 3-2 over the Tyrants and clinch the 6th seed. They locked in that spot with the offensive firepower of Jaytee and defensive clutch play of Furphy. With Jaytee ranking out right before the playoffs, who will Furphy take on their playoff run? They need a shooter to step up on the team and it could come from any of them. But with 82 saves on the season, expect the Dodgers to build their playoff run on Furphy holding the backline.

Aviators (Blue conference 6th seed)
When a franchise has a Champion League title in their history, as the Aviators do, you’re constantly expecting them to make a run back to the finals. When a team’s Captain is named RapidChampion it’s expected that they’ll put their money where their Gamertag is. RapidChampion has certainly put his team in contention with 1.97 goals per game. Finding a championship-winning formula requires two players, however, and the Aviators are looking at the other starters to help their star. The rest of the team all average under a 4.0 MVPR so they may need a surprise turnaround from one of the remaining three. Look for Rapid to be the star of the Aviators show as they try to get their first league title since season six.

Shadow (Orange conference 5th seed)
The last of the 7-7 teams to sneak into the playoffs, the Shadow takes the 5th wildcard seed with 38 game wins. Unlike the other wild card teams, this team is limping across the finish line with a two-series losing streak. This Shadow does have the tools to make a run despite their recent downturn. GM Euronate finished the season with a 4.85 MVPR and placed 3rd in the league for saves with 90. The other probable starter is Lightning who put up an impressive 4.59 MVPR with 58 goals and 53 saves on the season. On paper, this duo can make a run in the postseason, if they could just shake off their current form and turn their momentum around.

In The Hunt

Hurricanes (Blue conference 5th seed)
There’s a lot of chaos in the Champion League. The team 2nd in the league in scoring won’t be making playoffs. Another team will be making playoffs without a winning record. The Hurricanes are 10-4 with a +88 goal differential and that isn’t enough to clinch their division. Still, tough league races can often galvanize a team. And now that playoffs have arrived the Hurricanes want to prove that just because you’re a wild card, that doesn’t mean you’re not a heavy favorite. Their likely starters, Squanchy and Goldentornado17, certainly make a case with a 4.68 and 5.22 MVPR respectively. This Hurricanes team will look to make a grand finals run not only with a defense the was second in least goals allow but with a high powered offense that helped them put up that +88 goal differential on their opponents.

Express (Blue conference 4th seed)
The elephant in the room that is the CL playoffs is the Express getting into the postseason by way of two NCPs in the final five weeks. That doesn’t mean that this Express roster doesn’t deserve a shot and that’s just what Playing GM C0P3X will be out to prove come game time. C0P3X leads his team in goals with 57 and also holds down his teams’ defense. The rest of the team hasn’t put up truly inspiring numbers but as Gualbertos has shot 50% in just four series maybe this player just hasn’t had enough time to pad those stats. Now that they are in the playoffs, look for the Express to throw everything at their opponents to try and show us all why they’re the rightful owners of the Forge division title.

Comets (Orange conference 4th seed)
General Managers are leaders of their franchise. They’re there to set an example for their team, while also being managers for scheduling and rosters. In the case of GM Thunderbug, leading your team also means leading in scoring and saves. With 80 goals and 89 saves on the season, Thunderbug is setting the pace for the CL squad. The rest of the starting four have followed suit with solid season performances. Zeta and Snugglable finished with 4.42 and 4.74 MVPRS respectively, while TheLegend27 has turned in an average of 1.6 saves per game. At 11-3 it’s a team that knows how to win a series and with a 3 series win streak coming into the playoffs they intend to keep winning all the way to the CL title.

Ducks (Blue conference 3rd seed)
The CL Ducks have the worst overall defense of any of the playoff teams, allowing 234 goals on the season. But who needs defense when you have a player like KingDuff? KingDuff put up 98 goals on the season and shot 50% over 40 games, that’s a decent argument for offense over defense. Even more so when it wins you the division title. The Ducks also have a choice of three more offensive weapons in DudTheBomb, AwsomDixie, and ChaosSpike. ChaosSpike is the favorite to complete the team with an average of 1.7 goals per game. Whatever their line up, look for the Ducks to spend each of their 5 minutes racking up high scoring games.

Bulls (Orange conference 3rd seed)
Sporting the best win streak in the league, this Bulls team is heating up at just the right time. Every starter on the team has an MVPR over 4.0, proving that this roster has depth. The leader of this team and the likely player to look at for those highlight plays would be their captain, Chaser. Chaser has 65 goals and saves on the season as well as 28 assists. While Chaser isn’t exactly a league leader in any category, they’re enough of a team leader to captain any talented second into a deep playoff run for the Bulls.

Pirates (Orange conference 2nd seed)
I know three things about Jamaica. They have Usain Bolt, they have a bobsled team, and they have Crey2k. Crey2k, who has a 5.86 MVPR, who is the 5th leading scorer in the league with 84 goals, and who is 2000 times Crey (that’s a lot). The team also has a standout player in Jansen24 and a newcomer in Speedy. The wild card of the team is AGM Miller_Ball_22 who is well known in MLE and who I would say is secretly angling to take not only the championship but also the GM spot from Tater, but I also just found out he’s Canadian so he’s far too nice for that. Let’s hope this team can be aggressive enough to steal some games off the competition.

The Favorites

Blizzard (Blue conference 2nd seed)
Have you ever been caught in a Blizzard on the side of a mountain? I have and let me tell you, it can be terrifying. If the snow is heavy enough, and the wind is bad enough, you can’t see what’s going on five feet in front of you. That’s the way I feel when I try and analyze this Blizzard team. I don’t know what’s going on or where this team is getting wins. They’re 10-4. They have the fourth-best goals-against record in the league but fall below the middle of the pack in scoring. They have no leaderboard players to speak of but they have Hiimly and Bledsoe. Bledsoe averages 1.56 goals per game and Hiimly averages 1.65 saves. Those don’t seem like league-leading stats but it’s gotten them the second-best record in the Champion League. So maybe the secret is that’s all you need. There’s a lot of chaos on the pitch in a Champ League game and, in that chaos, this Blizzard squad is usually ahead at the end of that five minutes. Maybe the other teams just can’t see through the Blizzard.

Pandas (Orange conference 1st seed)
The Pandas have won their division, not by being the most flashy team, or the highest scoring, but by being solid on defense and closing out series. They don’t have a single player in the top ten for scoring but they do have an average MVPR of 4.68 and, more importantly, a 12 and 2 series record. The Pandas have won a good amount of these series due to defensive stand out player, Zach, who has a league-high 101 saves. With play coming from the defense first, look for the Pandas to survive the offenses of most teams and win games off smartly timed plays and counter-attacks.

Wolves (Blue conference 1st seed)
Sabres starters Adi and A1Andyx played the Wolves in week 8. Puffins starters Bazed and ArcaneLizard played the Wolves in week 14. I mention those names while talking about the Wolves because if I was any other CL team I would want to figure out what those players did to beat this dominant Wolves squad. Because no other teams seem to have an answer to the Wolves offense. The Wolves have 275 goals in one season. A goal differential of +147, which is higher than the total goals of one CL team. I’m not typically a salty player but if I had to play against the CL Wolves, you can bet I’d be screaming “oh come on, they gotta be hacking!” into my coms because this team is unbelievably ahead of the pack (I get one pun per article, per my contract). All of their players boast amazing stats including their star scorer, Ripperr, who is averaging 2.5 goals per game. But the only real stat you need is this, they’ve won 56 games this season. This season of Champion League play has been a season of chaos so I’d never say the Wolves are a lock. But what I am saying is that if I was a betting man. . . well, you know the rest.

There are 14 teams in the Champion League playoffs this season but only one can walk away with the title. Who will break through this tough bracket to prove they are better than the rest? Will it be the dominant favorites or a surprise underdog? Will leading scorers prove why they’re the best or will an unknown step up to be the playoff MVP? You can find out the answers to all these questions and more when you tune into the MLE Network this weekend! The action starts from 6pm ET on mlesportsgg2 and from 7:30pm on mlesportsgg Saturday & Sunday!

Season 10 Playoffs: Academy League Preview

It’s everyone’s favorite part of the season once again. The dust has settled on the regular season and the best teams will be battling it out for the title of Season 10 Academy League Champions. With the adjustment of salaries for this season of MLE, the Academy League will now feature Champion ranked players among the rosters fighting for the AL title. This change has not only risen the style of play but the competition among teams that are hungry to win it all. To help you get excited for the MLE Playoffs, I’m here to break down the teams and tell you why each team has a shot at the final.

Season 10 Academy League Playoff Bracket
The Underdogs

Wizards (Orange Conference 7th seed)
A late-season change can make or break your team come playoff time. In the case of the Wizards, all eyes were on the recent pick-up, Legit in week 10. Before ranking out, Shult was a powerful offensive force for the Wizards with over 2 goals per game and also served as an outstanding facilitator showing off an impressive .8 assists per game. Mario_RL, TourneyEarnie, and Krihg have all been dependable for contributing to the Wizard’s winning record. But they needed help from Legit to get the 4-1 win over the Demo and clinch a playoff spot. Now GM LilRock has to decide if he will ride the hot hand of Legit and TourneyEarnie or look to one of the other starters to step up and pull off an upset on what the Wizards are hoping will be a cinderella run at the title.

Lightning (Blue Conference 7th seed)
The Lightning were tested in their last three weeks of division play but when they needed it most they managed to pull together a 4-1 win during week 10 to clinch a wild card spot. The team has had an up and down season to get into the playoffs. They’re the only playoff team with a negative goal differential. But with an 8-6 series record, they’ve managed to give themselves an outside chance at a playoff run. To make that run they’ll likely lean on DC9708, who leads the teams in scoring and defense. DC averages 1.4 goals per game and 1.8 saves. Those are impressive numbers but are they good enough for championship MVP?

Puffins (Blue Conference 6th seed)
Teamwork makes the dream work in the AL Puffins squad. That’s the mantra that team captain AubreyE has led this squad while putting up a league-high 42 assists. The rest of the team has followed suit and ElCuchinero Cuh also placed 6th in the league for assist with 32. This style of play no doubt helped them score a shocking sweep over the Wolves in week 10 to snag their wild card spot and clinch the 6th seed in the playoffs. But if the Puffins want to continue a run of upsets, they’ll have to turn to GM and leading scorer B1 to stay on track of averaging at least 2.1 goals per game.

In The Hunt

Elite (Orange Conference 6th seed)
The Elite squad seems to be building up steam as they head into the playoffs. Their first few weeks were rocky, getting off to a 4-4 start. But they finished the season on a six-series win streak, capping it off with a statement 5-0 win against their division rival, the Bulls, to lock in a wildcard spot. A +32 goal differential isn’t as convincing a number when compared to some of the AL favorites. But their star players Rebel and Frawd have both ended the regular season with an average MVPR of 4.57. With the current form of this team, it doesn’t seem right to call them underdogs. Can they continue to show they’ve shed all memories of their shaky start and keep this streak going all the way to the finals?

Jets (Blue Conference 5th seed)
The Jets are another team that has been helped into the playoffs by a late-season pickup. The new starter, Sangy, has put up 16 goals over 10 games and helped his team to a 5-0 in the last week to clinch a wild card spot. The newcomer will be tested in the playoffs, however, as they face tougher opponents and stingier defenses. None of the remaining starters have an MVPR over a 4.0 so they’ll be looking for someone to step up if they’re going upset opponents. But the good news is for as much as the Jets look like the underdogs, they have found a way to win series.

Outlaws (Orange Conference 5th seed)
The Outlaws lost a tiebreaker for the division title. That alone doesn’t look bad until you see that they lost it by getting 5-0ed by their division rivals and eventual winners, the Rhinos. But the Outlaws still have weapons that could help them bounce back in the wild card round. ITSLAPPY is third in the league in saves, leading a defensive-minded team. The other half of the likely duo is team captain PAV3K, who averages 1.57 goals per game. The Outlaws are looking to get back to the finals after winning the AL title in season eight. The Outlaws GM, Stovvads, knows that if they want to get back to the title game they need both defense and offense to get them there.

Comets (Orange Conference 4th seed)
It was a close race for the Mystic division title this season. The Comets were able to scrape out a win thanks to having the 5th highest-scoring offense. To say that MattyIce2110 is their star player might still be an understatement. Having the number one scorer in AL with 110 goals in 40 games is enough to make any opponent afraid of playing the Comets. Add to that he has 7th highest number of saves and you have the makings of a league MVP frontrunner. With RWB being the AGM as well as an Academy League starter, it’s unclear if he will play. But whoever ends up being the other starter in the duo will have a very important job, get the ball to Matty-Ice2110.

Foxes (Blue Conference 4th seed)
Team turnover in the league is natural throughout a season. Often a star player leaving can cause a slide at the end of the season. But the Foxes have managed to hang on to the division spot thanks to strong leadership and good scouting. Tyler remains their star player with the most experience and, at a 4.10 MVPR, is a well-rounded player who could be key to winning in the postseason. The only question is, who will the Foxes choose to help Tyler make a run? With Khaos only playing a single series but putting up 10 goals in 5 games, he may be the secret weapon the Foxes need.

Rhinos (Orange Conference 3rd seed)
There are two types of stats. There’s putting up a lot of saves because your team is constantly on defense, and there’s putting up a lot of saves because your defense is a brick wall. I won’t oversell you on the Rhinos and say they’re a brick wall. But the Rhinos have put up impressive defensive numbers as a team and that team defense has resulted in the lowest goals allowed in the league. The team averages 1.27 saves per game with team captain IMichael putting up 55 saves and 76 goals on the season. With IMichael, the team has scoring potential, but it’s clear that the Rhinos start their plays from a strong backfield.

Express (Blue Conference 3rd seed)
Is this a good time to say that I like the Express? I like their star scorer, CommanderSushi1. I like their GM, C0P3X. I really like their hype videos. What I don’t like is their series record in AL this season. They somehow managed to win their division with 7 series losses. It’s a team that appears on paper to be able to win matches but has struggled to close it out in games. Still, with Sobes tied for 4th in the league for assists at 34 and CommanderSushi being second in league MVPR with 6.01, this team has the tools to win. They just have to show they can close out a best-of series when it counts.

The Favorites

Hive (Blue Conference 2nd seed)
There’s a lot of buzz around this Academy League Hive roster (contractually, I get one pun per article). But when a team has two players in the top 15 in goals and a top 10 player in both saves and assists it seems appropriate. This team is top-down full of well-rounded players that could pop off in playoffs. With DLEW19 as a GM and Academy starter, he has put together a team that is one of the favorites to take home a championship. And with star defender Black putting up 1.9 saves per game, they have a solid duo to take on any team.

Tyrants (Orange Conference 2nd seed)
Let’s just run down a checklist for the Tyrants real quick. Top two scoring team in the league? Check. Three players with over 4.9 MVPR? Check. An English player? Check. An Irish player? Check. A player with food in their name? Check. That’s a solid checklist for a team making the run for an AL title  Gogurt is third in the league in assists with 39. If Gogurt is the playmaker, then GameStrike208 is the shooter. Averaging 2.1 goals a game, GameStrike208 has the accuracy to put in the passes that Gogurt feeds. That’s a formula for a championship-winning duo.

Hurricanes (Blue Conference 1st seed)
The Hurricanes seem to be a lot like their Blue Conference companions, the Hive. They both have a stacked group of well-rounded players. They both put up solid 50+ goal differentials during the season. They both start with H. But what the Hurricanes have that the Hive doesn’t is Soop Feared. Soop has the second-most goals in the league with 88. The Hurricanes also boast a stalwart defense with Soop Feared and Krosis averaging 1.7 and 1.8 saves per game respectively. A star offensive player and a good defense are enough to help you win against any opponent. It’s a combination that could carry them all the way to the title game.

Flames (Orange Conference 1st Seed)
It’s a tough road to be the top team in the league. It’s even tougher to go all the way through the playoffs and win a championship. If you’re going to do it, it helps if you’ve done it before. The Flames are looking for their second AL championship in a row and it looks like they have just the team to do it. They’re the highest-scoring team in the league, finishing the regular season with 251 goals. Bippers and Vague are the likely pairing to take the championship. Bippers finished 2nd in assists with 41. Vague leads his team in scoring with 69 goals over 35 games. The one-two punch of these two players has helped the team finish with a nine-game winning streak. That’s a lot of momentum that this team could use to carry them to a 2nd consecutive AL championship.

The Academy League playoffs are sure to be a wild ride. Will we see an underdog make a shocking run to the grand finals? Will there be a two-time champion franchise in the Academy League? Will we see a dark horse player make an incredible run and take the title? Whatever happens, it’s going to be an event you can’t miss. Be sure to tune into the MLE Network this weekend! The action starts from 6pm ET on mlesportsgg2 and from 7:30pm on mlesportsgg Saturday & Sunday!

Inside MLE: April Monthly Insight

Welcome to the latest instalment of MLE Monthly Insight; an in-depth look behind the scenes at the different areas of MLE. In these articles we will look to give you, the community a peep behind the scenes, to see what’s happening and potentially what’s coming. With playoffs literally just around the corner it’s been a busy time behind the scenes so what’s been going on? Let’s find out…

Community

With franchise logo reveals now well underway, there were two community surveys published to gauge community reaction to 10 of the revealed logos. We received a decent number of responses to both surveys, though the more feedback we get the better perspective we have of community opinion. Generally the consensus on the logos revealed so far has been positive, with a few caveats, which we will touch upon.

So how were the last 10 logos revealed received?

From the infographic there’s clearly one “anomaly” in comparison to the rest of the logos. The Spectre, Spartans and Bulls logos were all well received, with strong positive like to dislike ratios. In particular the Spartans, which no one ranked below 3. The only main criticism of the Spartans logo was the “mane”, which some people felt went too far around the helmet. The Bulls logo received a fair amount of praise for its shading and use of colours but there was some uncertainty regarding the “white circle backdrop”. The Spectre logo was commended for its design and use of colours though there were some who felt a different design would have suited the franchise more.

The one “anomaly” in the pack was the Flames logo. Before the logo was revealed we had a hunch that the logo may divide opinion due to it’s relatively minimalistic nature. It appears from the feedback that the simplicity of the logo was the main criticism, with lack of shading and detail cited. It’s clear the logo didn’t meet a number of people’s expectations and we are reviewing the possibility of changes.

The Eclipse, Hawks, Hive and Wizards also had their logos revealed this past month, let’s see what the community had to say about them?

As with the previous four logos the reception was generally positive. The Hawks logo was complimented for its design and detail with people stating the Hawk looked fierce and aggressive. One of the main points of contention raised was the general size/proportion of the logo due to its width. The Wizards logo, with a like to dislike ratio of 7.6 to 1, was praised for its general design and its “relatability” to the franchise. A few people felt the secondary colour of the franchise, yellow, could have been incorporated more into the logo. The Hive divided opinion somewhat, with the design being the focal point for divide in opinion. A number of people liked the angular design and sharp edges but there was some criticism of the use of red in the logo. Lastly the Eclipse is one that has split opinion right down the middle with a 1-1 like to dislike ratio. Majority of people felt the colour scheme gave the logo a clean and bold look. The main issue a number of people had was with association and relatability. A portion of people felt the logo didn’t symbolise what they expect when thinking of Eclipse.

Lastly the Sabres and Express also received new logos…

The Express received the honour of joining the Spartans in receiving no “dislikes” (i.e. a rating of 1 or 2). The main compliments of the logo were the level detail of the use of colours. There was a proportion of people who felt the steam wasn’t necessary or could be reduced but there were no common complaints regarding the logo. The Sabres was also generally well received, with people liking the general design however there was a common theme regarding certain changes such as incorporating white fur to increase association with Sabretooth tigers. The nose was also a contentious point of the design, with a proportion of people feeling it didn’t look right.

Overall the feedback to logos has been generally positive so far. We will discuss the design of each logo a little bit more in-depth in the media section. As many in the community will be aware after recent discussions and a community poll, we have decided to change tact in terms of revealing logos. We had been revealing a few each week on stream. However with playoffs starting next week (9th May) there was a desire, especially from a Broadcast perspective, to have all the franchise logos ready to use come the start of the playoffs. With this in mind we will be broadcasting a special reveal stream this Friday (time tbc) on the MLE Network.

Of course the Community the team has been busy elsewhere. Admissions continue to run smoothly and the team are gearing up for the inevitable increase in applications that come with the playoffs. Below are admissions stats for the month of April. Big GGs to the admissions team for bringing in fresh meat to the community!

Recently, the Events team has still been attempting to rebuild and improve event player numbers. The team are planning on utilizing the off-season survey to hear community suggestions on the future of MLE Events. Two events are currently being planned for the playoffs. The first is another Crew Battles event and we hope to put on a Call of Duty Warzone competition event. More info on these will be released soon. The team are confident that with the feedback from the community on this seasons off-season survey that they can bring enjoyable events for everyone.

The Power Rankings Committee, with the assistance of  a couple of community members, are working on a community feature to be run during the playoffs. The feature is hoped to bring an extra level of interest and engagement into every playoff series. More details will be released this week once the idea has been finalised.

LEAGUE OPERATIONS

It’s been largely business as usual for League Operations this past month, ensuring things run smoothly and rules around league play are enforced appropriately. Focus obviously has now turned to playoffs and ensuring everything is set from a League Operations perspective. The League Ops team have compiled a Playoff document that will provide useful information for players and teams. This will be released within the next day.

BROADCAST

It’s been exciting times in the Broadcast department. As the team start to get pumped up for the playoffs, there have been several improvements to Broadcast operations and output. Behind the scenes we have recently invested in VMIX. VMIX allows for greater flexibility and efficiency when it comes to running broadcasts and will allow us to take our broadcasts to new heights. This investment wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our great community!

On screen you will hopefully have been seeing some of the improvements the team have been working on. One in particular we are very happy with is the implementation of player stats during series. See the clip below from the Blizzard vs Hurricanes Foundation League series to see it in action!

The Broadcast team are continually working to implement extra features that improve the quality and presentation of streams. There’s lots more in-store for broadcasts for the future! The team feel there have great strides made this season and there are some “massive projects” in the works for next season.

In the nearer future Broadcast are working with Media team to ensure all franchise logos are incorporated into assets for the playoffs. Don’t forget we will have a special stream this Friday showing off the remaining logos yet to be revealed!

We hope these improvements will create greater engagement with streams and in tandem, increase viewing figures. There was a small increase in viewing figures during April compared to previous months. We hit a new peak for maximum viewers for the season and the average number of viewers for the month was up on the seasonal average.

Broadcast viewing and revenue stats for April & Season 10. Viewing figures do not take into account draft shows, revenue stats taken from 1st January.

Those figures don’t take into account the week 10 viewing figures, which saw a strong increase in viewing figures, with a new peak viewership achieved of 225 and an average viewing figures of well above 100 for the weekend. These figures also don’t take into account those who tuned into mlesportsgg2 over the weekend. Broadcast hope to utilise mlesportsgg2 much more frequently next season. We would like to take this moment to thank everyone for their support by tuning into streams, the support has been amazing!

Lastly here’s a look at some of the scheduling distribution stats. These stats include week 10 streams. All franchises were broadcasted at least once, with 27 out of the 32 franchises broadcast at least 3 times during the season. In total, 70.31% of teams were broadcast this season. We are relatively happy with the spread over the course of the season but realise there are a few gaps. We are looking to make significant changes to scheduling and series distribution for next season to allow for a more “even spread”.

Broadcast scheduling distribution for season 10.

And lastly, while Broadcast is focused on providing the best experience possible during the playoffs, the wheels are already in motion for Season 11. The team are always on the look out for new talent and support. If you fancy our hand at casting or broadcasting or perhaps supporting the team behind the scenes, feel free to reach out to one of the Broadcast “heads” about getting involved. The team are committed to supporting and developing talent, so don’t worry if you haven’t had much experience.

MEDIA

With the regular season drawing to conclusion the media team have been concentrating majority of their effort on playoff assets. We are looking to make this Seasons playoffs the “best looking” yet and a number of assets are currently in production that will be revealed on streams, website, social media, etc. over the course of the playoffs. To wet your appetites and provide a sneak peek, check the tab below here for a preview of “Road to Champion Series” graphic. These graphics will show each team in the playoffs “route” to the playoffs… and maybe Championship Series!

Road to Championship Series graphic

As promised, let’s take a deeper dive into the recently revealed franchise logos mentioned earlier. Our objective with the franchise logos was for a relatively clean style that erred more to a relative simplistic but focused look. One that would give each franchise a clear and unique image but one that fit in with the overall presentation of MLE.

In last months insight we went into some detail regards Spectre and Flames logo. Our own opinions and thoughts regarding Spectre logo have not changed and the feedback from the survey cemented those thoughts. The Flames however has seen a fair amount of discussion since the release and reception of the feedback from surveys. While we generally don’t want to make any drastic changes to many if any of the logos revealed we are not wholly opposed to changes if we feel necessary. Based on the feedback of the Flames logo we are looking into possible changes, however at this moment there is nothing concrete to announce.

The Spartans logo was pretty much an instantaneous hit upon first reveal. The design we felt while immediately obvious, was strong and bold. The logo did undergo one small alteration before being finalised to the logo that was revealed to the community. In the first draft of the logo the mane had a white “tip” that curved around part of top of the main. We felt this detail wasn’t necessary and also the extra colour didn’t fit with the overall design of the logo.

The Bulls logo was one logo that actually underwent a major redesign. The first draft of the logo was a “head on shot” of a Bulls head. While the logo wasn’t bad it was generally perceived to be not in keeping with our design and presentation objectives and requirements. One of the main criticisms was it felt a bit generic and aped a “Texan” aesthetic. The designer went back to the drawing board and came up with the current design, which met our expectations. One aspect we really like and think is key a component of the new logo is the sense of motion/charging, making it more dynamic than the previous design.

Bulls logo change

The Hawks logo underwent a few changes from its first draft. Those changes being the inclusion of white (the white eyes in the first draft are actually transparent) and the double outline. We felt the outline and the inclusion of white gave the logo more pop, helping to define its features such as the feathers and talons. These changes we felt improved the logo considerably. There were some concerns on the size, particularly the width of the logo however we feel it can be incorporated into MLE. This logo is one that has grown on TheGamingBear (President of MLE) considerably over time, “fun fact” for you there!

Hawks logo changes

Despite the Eclipse logo receiving mixed feedback, upon being revealed by the designer it was well received. We particularly liked the themes and feel of an Eclipse were present in the logo without being too obvious. While we know the design has split opinion in the community we feel over time a number of people will become more accustomed to it. We expect this to happen with a few of the logos. As they start to be incorporated into the league people will start to associate and relate them to the franchises over time.

The Wizards logo didn’t undergo much change from first draft to final design, with the only change being made in the beard department. The first draft had more “curly” elements to it, which was something we felt didn’t quite look right and the beard was made much smoother and fuller.

Wizards logo changes

The Hive logo made an instant impression on us when first shown by the designer. We felt the design was bold and striking. One element we particularly liked about the Hive logo was the somewhat “honeycomb” inspired outline. There wasn’t really anything we felt needed changing with the Hive logo so the design that was revealed was in fact the first iteration of the design shown to us.

The Sabres logo didn’t undergo any revisions from its first draft. There were some concerns regarding the nose however we felt it gave a “snarling”, fierce look to the logo.

The Express logo did undergo a few changes from its first draft. We felt the first draft provided a good foundation to develop the logo a bit further. We felt the inclusion of steam gave the logo more depth and identity, whilst changing the outline colour gave the logo more definition. Lastly we felt the train element of the logo was a bit too “wide and short” and the shape was adjusted to it’s final design.

Express logo changes

MARKETING

In the Marketing department, work has been ongoing to improve promotion on Social Media. It’s likely we will be looking for additional support in this area over the playoffs. Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement.

We will be looking to reinvest some of the revenue generated from different streams (merch, Twitch, etc.) into advertising and promotion going forward, as we feel it will help increase the exposure of MLE.

With the upcoming reveal of the remaining franchise logos, preparation is well underway to incorporate all the franchise logos on the store. All being well products will be available soon after the reveals. We know there has been a continuous interest in jerseys and this is something we are continuing to explore. It’s important we find the right supplier and distributor for such a product therefore it will likely take sometime before we come to a decision, most likely at least a few months. We can’t give any definitive time frames but we are committed to making it happen.

SPONSORSHIP

Not too much to report from a Sponsorship perspective, the team are settling under new guidance from Mobgaz. Emphasis right now is on reaching out to potential sponsors whilst maintaining existing sponsorship relationships. Don’t forget you can get free shipping on any order of BAWLS Guarana by using the promo code “MLE”. Perfect for some refreshment during the playoffs!

We had 3 community PowerA giveaways last month! Each lucky winner the recipient of a Spectra Enhanced Wired controller courtesy of our friends at PowerA. Check out the stats from each giveaway below!

PowerA controller giveaway community winners for April
WEBSITE

Over the past month the development team has been working closely with our broadcasting team to brighten up the scoreboard. By using the endpoints available from the website, we can pull in franchise and player data directly into the broadcast. SimpleAOB has been working on a robust control-board application for our casters. The team has also been working on a “Playoffs landing page”. Stay tuned for an announcement later this week. Looking further down the road, the team plan to add player’s salary, rank and other data to each profile.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

April saw a large amount of investment into MLE, most notably the final payments for franchise logos as well as a sizeable investment for broadcast. We are committed to ensuring revenue generated through Twitch, Patreon and merch is reinvested back into the league that improves the quality of our output and also benefits the community as a whole. Now that franchise logos are complete we can focus on other areas such as broadcast, where we can reinvest revenue. The infographic below shows the distribution of revenue reinvested for the season so far.


And that concludes the Monthly Insight for April! It’s been a busy month behind the scenes. We hope you have enjoyed this insight behind the scenes. We strive to make them as informative and interesting as possible. If there is anything you would like to see or hear about please feel free to send your suggestions via the usual formats.

As we enter the Playoffs and concluding weeks of the Season, the excitement grows and we can’t wait to finish the season with a bang! There’s lots in store and we wish all those competing in the playoffs the best of luck. And to those teams and players that didn’t make it we hope you enjoyed the season regardless and are itching for Season 11 to come around. So folks, fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride! It’s destination Season 10 Playoffs!

Thanks for reading,
from everyone at Minor League Esports

Inside MLE: March Monthly Insight

Welcome to the latest instalment of MLE Monthly Insight; an in-depth look behind the scenes at the different areas of MLE. In these articles we will look to give you, the community a peep behind the scenes, to see what’s happening and potentially what’s coming. So let’s get to it…

Community

There’s been a fair bit going down on in Community Town this past month. No doubt many of you will have seen some of the surveys going out including the “sentiment survey” and the recent logo survey. Thank you to all those people that have responded to either or both of the surveys. The feedback provided has been very insightful and is helping to structure some of our plans and and shaping our internal discussions.

The sentiment survey has given us some very useful feedback and highlighted areas where we can make improvements. The survey did highlight some concerns, criticisms of the communication regarding logos, which we believe was largely based on communication early on in the process (Season 8 and fair portion of Season 9). We agree communication could have been better during that period but since then we have made continual improvements, especially since the release of the “logo limbo” insight article posted August, 2019.

Segueing into the logo survey, we received a good level response. We will be looking to publish survey for each “batch” of logos revealed. This gives the community a better chance to digest each logo and provide clearer feedback for us. We will “talk” a bit more about the design elements of logos later on in this article under the media section but we wanted to take this opportunity to share general consensus so far.

The general consensus based on the feedback has been generally positive with some great feedback been provided on not only our communication and the logos process but on the logos themselves. We’ve seen a fair amount of conflicting opinions this past week since 6 of the franchise logos were revealed. The infographic below gives an overall summary of general consensus on the first 4 logos revealed, which formed the bulk of the survey.

Ratings for each logo from the survey so far. Like-dislike ratio based on ratings of 1 & 2 being dislike and 4 & 5 being like. Ratings of 3rd April.

Looking into the feedback at more detail for each logo revealed some common themes. For the Aviators logo, the community generally liked the simplicity of the logo in particular the clean lines & “wings” element of the logo. A proportion of people were unsure of the A/chevron and a few people were hoping the logo would incorporate a plane or pilot in some form.

The Blizzard logo was the most divisive. People generally liked the level of detail and the colours of logo but the biggest area of contention was with the use of a Yeti for the logo, with a noticeable proportion of people saying they didn’t really associate the image of a Yeti with the franchise.

The Comets logo has received a positive reception with most people liking the simplicity and bright colours of the logo. One notable criticism made was the use of the letter c being used to represent a comet itself.

Lastly the Demolition was the best received out of the 4. People generally agreed the style and design suited the franchise, stating the logo gave the franchise character. The main criticism of the logo is the colour scheme itself.

So that’s a summary of the voting so far. A big thank you to everyone who provided feedback. But what does this feedback mean going forward? Well it’s unlikely to have any immediate and direct changes. While we know there have been contrasting opinions on the logos, some more than others, the general consensus appears to be positive, which we are happy to report. Of course this doesn’t mean these logos can’t or won’t change over time but for the immediate future we want to give them, and those still to be released, time to embed into MLE. As we saw during the MLD era logos did develop and evolve over time and we are always committed to improving where possible. For now though we hope people are enjoying the reveals and we look forward to revealing more over the coming weeks.

Of course Community isn’t just about surveys. One area of MLE that some people may not think about is the admissions process. Our admissions team have been working consistently throughout the season to ensure a steady stream of new faces join the community, so a big welcome to all those that have joined us this past few month. We thought we would use this opportunity to provide some statistics and a brief overview of the process that give an insight into how involved the admissions team are.

The admissions process is essentially split into 3 phases:

  • Application: where a person applies to join MLE. Their form is then reviewed & processed by admin team. During this phase the admin team will be looking through all relevant information provided on the form, such as RL tracker, Twitter, Steam account, etc. A decision on whether to approve an application will then be made.
  • Interview: after an applicant has been approved and joins the admission server they are then interviewed by a member of MLE admissions team to see if they are a good fit for the community.
  • Orientation: after being interviewed, should an applicant be deemed as a good fit they are then invited to an orientation session. Here a member of the admissions team provides important and relevant information to support and help applicants before they join the MLE server.

Hopefully those stats give an indication of the work load of the admissions team as well as the amount of people “coming through the doors”. A big thank you to our admissions team for all their work in keeping a steady stream of new, excitable faces into our community.

LEAGUE OPERATIONS

Not too much from League Operations perspective to report this month. It’s all relatively business as usual as focus is on day-to-day operations such as scheduling, transactions (roster changes, rank ups, etc.) and resolving any issues that arise from competitive action.

There are two points worth noting though. The first being the new ineligibility system, which required rebuilding the database and spreadsheet structure entirely to be able to account for salary on a daily basis. Huge shout out to Peytoneli for his work on this. The second point is the Statistics Team bringing on kcscrag to help with data entry, and Squanchy to rebuild his excellent standings sheet in MLE-form. Expect that to be released in the coming days.

Focus will soon start to turn to playoffs and ensuring everything is in place to ensure as smooth operation as possible. This will include coordinating with broadcast team to determine scheduling responsibilities and ensuring General Managers are aware of the structure and any relevant information they need to know and pass onto their players.

BROADCAST

On a broadcast front improvements are continually being made and we have some exciting things in the works we are looking to bring in the near future that we think will increase the level of production.

This past month we put out a broadcast survey to gauge community opinion on broadcasts. A big thank you to everyone who replied so far, we had over 30 responses to date. For those who put their Twitch ID on the forms the free 100 reward points have been added to your accounts. Here are some of the key figures/results from the survey.

Results for following questions: “how often do you watch MLE streams?” (top-left), “on a scale of 1 to 5, how much do you enjoy MLE streams?” (top-right), “How would you rate the promotion of broadcasts?” (bottom-left), “Overall how would you rate the quality of casting?” (bottom-right)

Those are just some of the “key” results from the survey, there’s obviously a fair amount of feedback and ratings provided that we will detail. But a general summary from the survey can be that the results are positive with a few areas of improvement.  Obviously the results are from a small sample of the community but they provide a general indication of thoughts. We know not all 1400 community members watch streams, though we always hope they might :). 30 responses essentially reflects about 30-50% of viewers based on average and peak viewing figures. What’s great to see is nearly 75% of those who completed the survey said they watch 3 or more streams a month. This gives some validity to the results, as the majority of feedback is being provided by those who have more exposure to streams and therefore likely to be able to form stronger opinions.

Stream enjoyment is definitely something we are interested with. We want to make sure people enjoy watching the streams. Simply put, if people do they will likely tune in more. It’s clear though there is a proportion of people who feel we could be doing more to make streams more exciting and we are continually looking at ways to do just that.

Steam promotion is one area, which based on feedback could do with some improvement with the main points being about consistent promotion as well as ensuring broadcast schedule is posted well ahead of time. Ideally we want to have the broadcast schedule out by Friday of each week although there have been a couple of instances where perhaps we have not delivered to this timeframe. Something we will aim to rectify going forward.

Although not shown on the graphic, the survey included a number of questions regarding the presentation of broadcasts. The ratings were positive across the board, “good” counts as a rating of 4/5:
82% rated the quality of graphics at least good or better
87% rated the scoreboard at least good or better
91% rated the scoreboard at least good or better
90% rated the image quality of streams at least good or better
90% rated the smoothness and stability of the action at least good or better

Great results across the board and a true testament to the fantastic work behind the scenes to make our broadcasts look awesome! But we won’t rest on our laurels here, you can be sure we will continually be making improvements over time.

In terms of casting, the response was generally positive as well however a few issues were brought up, which the broadcast team will be looking to address. Primarily there will be even more focus on caster training and development, ensuring budding casters aren’t “thrown into the deep” end too soon. That being said the availability and levels of resource when it comes to broadcasting talent can sometimes be limited. It means we have to give those with perhaps as not much experience a chance. That concludes our look at the broadcast survey, please don’t be afraid to submit more feedback or fill out a form if you haven’t already done so.

Moving on from the survey. We know the broadcast schedule can create some debate and discussion in the community. The majority of franchises and subsequently the teams and players that represent them all hope to feature on stream. From an organisational perspective we try to balance giving each franchise exposure, each of the four leagues coverage and also try to put the best match ups on stream. Before we go into this in more detail let’s look at some stats surrounding broadcast scheduling for the season up till the end of March.

At the end of last month, 75% of franchises (24 out of 32) had featured on stream at least once. During March, 7 of those franchises featured on stream at least once, meaning 96.8% (31 out of 32) franchises have been streamed. The Sabres, the only franchise to have not been streamed, were streamed this weekend (April 4th) so that figure now sits at 100%, which is great, with still 3 weeks of regular season broadcasts left. It’s difficult to ensure an even spread amongst franchises due to the flexibility of our scheduling system, which allows series to be scheduled any time within a set period, Thursday-Saturday, not including “double header series”. The only way to ensure an almost even spread would be to implement hard-scheduling however this would restrict players to only be allowed play at certain times.

We are continually looking at our scheduling system and seeing where improvements can be made. It’s definitely something that will be reviewed in the off-season to see if any improvements can be made that benefit and balance things from an organisational, franchise and player perspective.

Lastly over to viewing figures for March. They were slightly down compared to the rest of the season however we are not too concerned and are confident viewer numbers will pick up going into the business end of league play. Big thank you to anyone who choses to tune into the MLE Network at any point. We appreciate the support and hope you enjoy the content.

MEDIA

Naturally there is a lot of focus on the franchise logos currently as they start to be revealed. So far 6 logos have been revealed: Aviators, Blizzard, Comets, Demolition, Flames & Spectre. Hopefully these logos have given everyone an idea of the general style we have tried to implement. Our vision and objective with the franchise logos was to have clean, relatively simplistic logos that gave each franchise an identity, whilst still feeling part of MLE. We wanted to stray away from the “generic” esports style logos that seem common place, as we felt they don’t really fit in with the identity of MLE. We thought we would take this moment to give a brief insight behind each logo revealed so far. The people involved in MLE hierarchy with the logo process were all Leadership and Council members, including advisors, as well as Goofy (Media coordinator) and Sleegi (Broadcast & Marketing coordinator).

The Aviators logo was the first logo created. This was done back in September 2019. We felt the simplicity of the design was one of the main positives. Not encumbered with too much detail but something straight, clear and bold. The “wing” element and the stylised chevron give the logo that identity and relatability to the Aviators without being directly obvious.

The Blizzard logo took many of us by surprise at first as like many, we didn’t naturally think of a Yeti. That being said it immediately became obvious to us and we could see the relevance. It soon felt like a unique twist, avoiding the trappings of the old snowsept mountain logo. It has divided opinion in the community however we are confident with time it will grow on people.

The Comets logo was one that pretty much was universally liked upon the first design being shown. The bold, bright colours mixed in with the imagery felt a natural fit for the franchise. The logo did undergo a small revision however as the “trail” was much longer and we envisioned this may be problematic for merch, graphics, etc. and so the designer reduced the length of to it’s now current state. For a bit of fun, we have popped the original logo below (behind a spoiler, what teases!)

reveal logo
original Comets logo

The Demolition logo was also well received upon being shown to us by the designer. We felt the mischievous look of the logo felt in keeping with the Demolition franchise, one that is associated with a bit of craziness and mayhem.

The Spectre logo, revealed this past weekend, dubbed “lil’ spooky boi”, was also generally well received. We all felt the logo had personality and seemed to fit the identity of the franchise; spooky but with a hint of playfulness that avoided the logo being too “dark” and out of touch with the overall presentational style.

Spectre logo
Spectre logo

The Flames logo, revealed on last night’s stream, was one of the more divisive logos amongst those of us involved in the process. Some of us really liked the simplicity and the fact the flames were stylised to look like an F, while others felt perhaps it needed more detail. We decided to keep the logo as it was for the time being. Throughout the process we have been conscious about time and we wanted to ensure time wasn’t being wasted “perfecting” a logo, when that time could have been used to start/develop others. Of course this doesn’t mean we said yes to every 1st draft going, the Flames was one of the logos which did undergo a slight tweak, which saw the Flames being made thicker.

Flames logo
Flames logo

After revealing these logos we have had many questions, enquiries, etc. around the whole logo design process, especially from the survey. If you have not seen it already a new channel, #logo-faq, has been created in the Discord server to answer some of the common questions asked. Hopefully this provides more clarity to the process and giving an extra level of detail to it. Don’t forget all logo reveals can be viewed on YouTube too!

Lastly we have seen some misinformation stated regarding the cost of logos. Previously we have held back discussing this however now that logos are starting to be revealed we know feel it’s the right time to offer some insight to this. Both designers we are working with offered very attractive and fair rates, which worked out at $62.50 per logo. Simple maths $62.50 x 32 is $2000. We are very happy with the quality of output in relation to the cost of production, especially considering some quotes we received while researching were 2-3 times higher than this. We would like to take this moment to thank both designers for their efforts and are looking forward to giving them the acknowledgement and respect once all 32 are revealed.

On the subject of revealing the logos we are currently revealing two a week, one at the end of every stream. We are hoping to increase this rate with a view to having all 32 released by the Championship series, though this is dependant on time and resource available. Regardless of if we can make that target, all 32 logos will be ready to go (barring any unforeseen circumstances) for Season 11.

Of course Media isn’t all about logos. The team have been working as always to ensure weekly tasks are completed and focus is now starting to shift towards playoffs. Behind the scenes Goofy is in coordination with Broadcast to bring some exciting things to stream, which we hope to bring to you in the near future. There is also a focus to automate some assets to allow for more efficient processes and working. This last week the Conference standings graphics you see on screen can now be automatically filled with the relevant stats, saving time and resource that can be spent improving elements. Big thanks to AOB for his work on making that happen.

MARKETING

It’s relatively quiet in terms of Marketing the team are currently looking towards playoffs and beyond in terms of plans. We are also reviewing our Social media interactivity and processes around it. The aim is to create a more streamlined and productive way of working, which will help us be more consistent in our promotion and activity on Social Media.

On the merch side of things the store saw a very quiet month with only 1 sale. This was to be predicted somewhat as new logos start to roll into town, there’s no doubt people will be waiting for these to be released before purchasing merch. We are hoping to add some new designs in the meantime however so keep your eyes peeled for further news on that. Unfortunately due to current coronavirus pandemic, Spreadshirt has stopped promotions (i.e. sale periods) for the foreseeable future. This is to ensure they can meet demand while also ensuring safe-working. More information can be found here.

Latest merch info. Please note there was an error with total no. of sales shown on Februarys graphic that didn’t account for 11 sales.
SPONSORSHIP

There has been a change in the Sponsorship team. Therealmobagz (yup not that fake one) has recently come on board as the new Sponsorship Coordinator taking over from Scoobert. We would like to take this moment to say thank you to Scoobert for all his work and effort during his time as Sponsorship Coordinator. Mobagz has been on the team for a while and we have full confidence he will help lead and direct the Sponsorship team.

Things have been inevitably quiet for Sponsorship whilst the change took place. The main priority for the team during this time is to maintain existing relationships and ensure any agreements are suitably met and delivered.

There was just one PowerA giveaway last month due to the bye week. VoidRL was the lucky community member who won themselves an awesome Spectra Enhanced Wired Xbox One controller. Due to the changes in the Sponsorship team there was a delay on sending out the controllers but they will soon start to be sent out to winners. We still have more PowerA giveaways coming, with 4 more Spectra controllers to give away over the course of the regular season! Congratulations to Atokad, who won this weekends giveaway!

WEBSITE

Our website is a key component of league for many reasons and there is always something happening behind the scenes when it comes to the development of it. This past month TeaBoneJones joined the website development team and he will be working on an exciting feature. Each player’s salary and rank will be available on their profile and be updated frequently so the information does not become outdated. This is something we know a number of people have requested.

We are also considering getting the content train back up and running again. If you have a passion or interest in journalism/writing and feel you could produce regular, engaging content on behalf of MLE for the website then please reach out TheGamingBear.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

As our community has grown there has been increasing interest in how things work behind the scenes and specifically where the revenue generated from Twitch, Patreon and merchandise is used. As stated frequently, revenue has mainly been used for the creation and development for logos for our 32 franchises. But we thought we would give a bit more insight into where the revenue is used and how it is essentially split. The information provided in the graphic below doesn’t account for all revenue, but more the distribution of the revenue that has been used this season.

Not all revenue that has been generated has been used. We essentially have managed revenue for future investments and projects. We are conscious of using any revenue wisely, ensuring any use of the revenue is beneficial and worthwhile. As you can see from the infographic revenue so far this season has only been used for a small number of aspects. As we near the completion of logos we can now start to look at other projects and potential investments.

In last month’s insight you may remember a brief mention regarding Patreon and a purpose to breath new life into it. As you know the world has somewhat changed this past month and we felt it best to hold off any changes for the time being. We didn’t feel it quite right promoting Patreon during this period of uncertainty. Of course we know Patreon is completely voluntary but at the same time we want to ensure people focus on what’s really important.

For those current Patreons we appreciate your continued support and we aren’t forgetting about you we can assure you. Your support has directly helped MLE, helping us fund such projects as franchise logos and ensuring we can keep services such as the website running. And while we but plans to refresh Patreon on a small hiatus you can be rest assured it gives more time to improve those changes.

So lastly we wanted to take this moment to reflect a bit on the state of things and how it effects MLE. Obviously as an online Esports organisation our operations aren’t really affected. However we know the situation is affecting many of our community members. While MLE can’t solve everyones’ problems we do want to encourage people in community to come together and support one and another through it. We have a great community built on respect and strong values, and in such testing times the strength and value of the community can be a great source of support for the people in it. So remember be kind, be respectful. Have fun and most importantly right now stay safe.

Thanks for reading,
from everyone at Minor League Esports

Inside MLE: February Monthly Insight

Welcome to the latest instalment of MLE Monthly Insight; an in-depth look behind the scenes at the different areas of MLE. In these articles we will look to give you, the community a peep behind the scenes, to see what’s happening and potentially what’s coming. So let’s get to it…

Community

Since the last insight Stovvadz has been installed as Community Director. The primary reasons behind this was to give Stovvadz more responsibility within MLE and to bolster Community operations. We are placing more than ever a greater focus on the Community, working on improving engagement and interaction. Part of those improvements have seen the Community team discuss potential surveys, which saw the release of a community survey regarding the Discord server. From this survey we have made a few changes such as merging two training channels into one, removing the redundant coaching role and looking to breath new life into the Hall of Fame amongst other things.

A new Community survey is planned to be released within the coming days. This survey will allow the Community to provide feedback on topics such as transparency, staff interactions with the community, and various other important topics. We appreciate any feedback we get and the more people that provide it the better we can act upon it and look to make improvements from it.

The Community team is also hard at work looking at how to improve how suggestions are handled. We were looking into using EMILIO (Riz’s lovechildbot) to create a new suggestion system. This has proved trickier than first thought and would be difficult to implement all the functionality we would require. Instead of implementing a bot system some upgrades have been made to the current suggestions tracker based on feedback & suggestions.

We are delighted with the response and attendance to the Council Q&As. We hope the Community have enjoyed them so far. Going forward we will look to try hold these at least bi-weekly if not more often, with at least a couple of Council members in attendance at each Q&A. Some of you maybe wondering if this signals the death of the Town Hall? Well after reviewing our operations we have decided to focus Town Halls for the off-season, when there is usually a greater influx of new members to MLE, as well as a number of organisational changes (i.e. rules, structure, etc.).

Elsewhere in the Community team, the events team has not had much success with events so far this season, with low sign-up numbers a problem. The team are committed to providing engaging and entertaining events for the community and are looking at ways to make events more attractive.

Admissions has been running smoothly, with a steady flow of new people joining the community. As always we welcome those joining and hope you enjoy being part of MLE.

Play of the Week activity has been slightly disappointing in terms of voting this season, with approximately 20 valid votes each week. We are looking at ways to improve visibility of Play of the Week and make the process more straight forward. Don’t forget You can see all the Plays of the Week winners from this Season and previous ones on YouTube.

LEAGUE OPERATIONS

Now the Season is well under way, the primary “grind” for League Ops has started. The bulk of League Ops daily work is transactions and ranks, ensuring these are dealt with efficiently and processed correctly. The start of the season always provides a few unique challenges. One of the main ones this season is a result of the change of uploading replays instead of result screenshots. There’s been a few struggles acclimating to this change but things have improved over the past few weeks and the process has become almost routine for all involved. This is only possible thanks to the efforts of the statistics team and General Managers, so thank you to all involved for their work & co-operation.

League Ops is always looking at General Managers responsibilities and how they can be simplified/made easier. With this in mind the team implemented new GM support roles including Captains & Public Relations support. These additions appear to be well received and the League Ops team is very pleased with the results fo far.

One issue the team encountered in Week 1 was with regards the server reset rules. The team addressed these by rewriting the “Once Underway” section of the rule book to better explain the process following a reset request. To our knowledge, no issues akin to what happened in Week 1 have occurred since.

Looking forward, League Ops current goals for the coming weeks include upping support for the developers team, in an effort to begin displaying on our website the work stats team has done assembling MLE’s historical data in a readable and usable fashion. This process is likely to take quite some time, but it is a daily effort from the developer team and stats team alike. They are also working on a way to open up the replays we’re collecting for community use. And finally, EMILIO is an ongoing project that League Ops intend to, one day, appoint as Supreme Ruler of League Operations.

BROADCAST

The Broadcast team has had a good start to the Season, and despite a few minor issues, have set a good foundation going forward. Very recently our Broadcast operations received a big boost thanks to Simple_Aob who has developed a system, which essentially automates key parts of our broadcast such as transitions. This system will mean, in theory, we have a greater pool of broadcasters to call upon. It also will help deliver a more consistent quality of broadcasts. So a big “nice one!” goes to Aob for implementing this for us. We have also implemented a new system for updating our scoreboard, which also simplifies the process for Broadcasters. These improvements have given us a strong platform to build upon and we are now looking at ways how we can improve our output.

Viewer numbers for the Season so far have been decent however we would like streams to consistently achieve an average of 100 viewers. We are always looking at ways to increase the attraction of broadcasts and are open to suggestions. We would like to encourage more people, especially franchise accounts, to retweet the official broadcast schedule posted on Twitter each week. This will help provide more exposure, especially in the Rocket League community. The infographic below shows viewing figures for past month and Season 10 as a whole up to now, as well as revenue generated (please note this does not take into account any commission Twitch receives).

Broadcast viewer and revenue figures. Seasonal viewing figures do not take into account draft streams but revenue figures taken from 1st January. Figures correct as of 6th March.

The Affiliate program has had a good start to the season as well, with Riyo doing an excellent job leading that side of Broadcast. We currently have a good number of people in the program close to becoming verified, which will mean more Affiliate Broadcasts! We are looking into ways we can improve the exposure of verified broadcasts. Part of the “problem” is Affiliate Broadcasts don’t follow a set schedule as do Official Broadcasts. This means we are not always sure how many Affiliate Broadcasts there will be each week and when they will be. This makes promotion a little less straight forward but not impossible. Two ways we will promote such streams are through announcements, as well as posting Affiliate Broadcasts for that week in the broadcast-schedule channel.

One element of Broadcast operations that has been discussed in the community recently is that of Broadcast series scheduling/allocation. We understand there’s a desire for teams to get a fair share of screen time and we will endeavour to achieve this were possible. Due to the manner of how series are scheduled it is not straight forward to ensure an equal spread of series amongst teams. Bearing in mind there are only 6 “stream slots” each week, which means a total of 12 teams can be streamed each week. With 10 weekends of broadcast action, which essentially means there are 60 stream slots, so there are 120 opportunities for a team to be selected. There are 112 teams in MLE (split amongst the 32 franchises), which means in theory each team could be streamed once, but for that to happen would there would need to be “perfect scheduling” (i.e. teams scheduling in broadcast times every week). Therefore it’s somewhat an impossible task so we have to strike a balance between fairness as well as ensuring the best matches are shown. The infographic below gives some detail on the broadcast spread so far this season.

Broadcast series scheduling information for the season so far.
MEDIA

Our media team has been mainly focused on cranking out the weekly assets, such as Stars of the Week, Play of the Week, etc. We have also implemented Conference standings graphics for each league, which those who tuned into the Week 3 Broadcasts will have seen (see example below). We are looking to implement more stats/info based graphics as the season progresses.

Academy League Standings going into week 2.

The team has undergone a small restructure with the addition of Wheezy to the team, whilst Porkchop and TeaBoneJones stepped down. We would like to take this moment to thank them both for their support. Wheezy brings years of expertise and knowledge that we hope will help improve our visual output.

We know everyone is eager to know more logo progress. We currently sit at 16 of the 32 logos complete, halfway there! We are really happy with the quality of the logos produced so far and look forward to seeing the remaining 16 completed. We know progress has perhaps been slower than people hoped/expected and in full honesty we would have liked the progress to be a bit quicker but we didn’t want to compromise on quality & style. With that being said we are looking into speeding up the development, with an eye to ensure all logos are complete by the end of the Season and ready to roll out for Season 11, if not earlier.

MARKETING

The Marketing department has had a somewhat slow start to the season but plans are in place to increase productivity and output. The merch store will see some new designs coming in the near future. We had planned to release them in good time for RLCS, to give anyone who was attending an opportunity to rep MLE and their favourite franchise. Sadly with the cancellation of RLCS has somewhat hampered our plans but we still plan on releasing these designs soon. We are quite happy with the results of the merch store in terms of sales since its “doors opened”.  We would like to thank all those that have support MLE via buying merch, your support has directly been invested into MLE. You can see some interesting merch data in the infographic below as well as upcoming offers. While we are generally happy with the merch store we are exploring the possibility of changing our store front as we recognise some of the limitations our current store has.

Revenue as of March 6th, 2020

In terms of Social Media, we are looking at increasing our output across all forms: Twitter, Instagram & Facebook with a view to becoming active on others. Hellyaman is currently revising the workflow in terms of Social Media output to ensure there is a consistent quality and frequency of content. In a recent meeting, franchise activity on Twitter was discussed. We are generally pleased with the levels of activity shown by franchises on Twitter and hope this continues through the season. We realise that Tweetdeck isn’t the most functional platform to post content on Twitter and are looking at how we can improve this interactivity those tweeting on franchise accounts have.

The Marketing team are also already looking ahead to the off-season and Season 11 with a view to generating more interest in and exposure for MLE, utilising visual media, such as hype videos, where possible.

SPONSORSHIP

There’s not too much happening with Sponsorship team at the moment now the Season has started. Focus is on ensuring the agreements and relationships between MLE and our sponsors are maintained. The team had hoped to acquire another sponsor for this season but ultimately a deal fell through. However we are very happy to continue to work with BAWLS & PowerA.

The community PowerA giveaway seems to be going well, with decent number of entries for both draws. There will be 6 more community draws during the regular season as well as 4 draws during the playoffs, which will be open to those outside the community. Check out some interesting stats behind the 2 giveaways. Just goes to show anyone in the community can win, regardless of how many tickets you acquire.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

We are currently in process of refreshing our Patreon with a view to offering more incentives and rewards. So far, the majority of revenue generated so far from Patroen, Twitch and merch has gone towards logos. We are now starting to focusing on ways we can invest future revenue and have a number of ideas/plans. We believe Patreon can be a great way to generate such revenue providing the community a level of transparency in terms of goals and rewarding them for their support. The finer details of this “refresh” are being ironed out with an announcement expected to happen in the very near future.

We are continually looking at ways to improve our website and have a few plans in place, such as a Community section. However priority right now is to sort out a few minor issues on the website, most notably the player “team issue” i.e. where players are assigned to the wrong teams.

And lastly back to the franchise logos. Our plan was to announce/show all 32 in a big, exciting event once they were all complete. However we have decided to change our tack and over the course of this season will be showing off a few at time. And what better time than now to show off one of the first logos that was created… the Aviators! We will let the logo do the talking first…

REVEAL LOGO


So there you have it; the first revealed franchise logo. This logo incorporates the presentational style we wanted; clean, relatively minimalistic but bold. We feel the presentational style applied to all logos allows for each franchise to emphasise their identity whilst feeling part of the MLE brand as a whole. We hope you like it and are looking forward to seeing more logos down the line. Please note while we will be releasing these logos they won’t be incorporated into MLE (I.e. Twitter pfps, on website, in graphics, etc.) until all 32 have been revealed. Thanks once again for your patience and most importantly your support during the logo creation process. The end is in sight and we can’t wait to see all the new logos in “action”.

So there you have it folks. We hope you enjoyed this insight, we took no board feedback from the last insight as well as analysing areas we could make it more informative and insightful. Till next month, have fun out there!

Inside MLE: January Monthly Insight

Welcome to the first MLE Monthly Insight; an in-depth look behind the scenes at the different areas of MLE. In these articles we will look to give you, the community a peep behind the scenes, to see what’s happening and potentially what’s coming. So let’s get to it…

Community

On the back of recent discussions in the community, we have been reviewing how we interact with the community and how we can improve such interactions. One way we communicate with the community is via Town Halls and when these have been run they have generally been quite successful. That being said there have only been a few Town Halls since their introduction and it has become apparent that perhaps the format of Town Halls isn’t quite as productive as it could be. We are currently revising Town Halls and looking at ways we can improve them.

As you will have seen we are introducing weekly Council Q&A’s. These will be smaller, less “all encompassing” meetings than Town Halls held by council members on a weekly basis. These Q&A’s will allow for community members to ask questions directly to the council. The first Council Q&A will be held by TyTy tonight at 7pm ET.

This doesn’t mean Town Halls will disappear completely but the introduction of the Q&A’s will allow for more focused opportunities for the community to interact with MLE. There are plans to improve how suggestions submitted via submission form are handled, with a view to implementing status updates on suggestions. Lastly we will be looking at having more concentrated community surveys throughout the season to really gauge community opinions.

On the events front, the team have taken this off-season to review operations, hence why there haven’t been any events since “12 Days of Christmas”. Captains Clash will return this season but will now happen on Wednesday evenings. The events team are also looking to run a pre-season event for each league as we build up to the start of the season. There are plans to try do some events based on different Rocket Leagues modes however these can only happen with enough community interest & participation. Hopefully we can increase the levels of participation this season and the introduction of an “opt-in” Events role should provide more direct attention to events. If you are interested in taking part in MLE events type the following command into the #command-center channel: !rank Events.

Lastly, Fittz is working on the return of the MLE Fantasy League and will have an announcement within the coming days.

LEAGUE OPERATIONS

With the draft now done & dusted, League Operations will now start to shift their focus to day-to-day operations; player trades, roster, changes, etc. The League Ops team still have a few things to implement and announce. One major new addition to Season 10 will be a Scheduling Server for GMs. The aim of the server is to provide an environment that centralizes communications between franchises for match scheduling.

The MLE Multi-Tool, a spreadsheet that acts as a quick reference for season fixture schedule, match times and dates, and pairing uses/reserve uses is close to being completed. The League Ops team are also close to finishing work on the MLE Scheduler, a tool for GMs to use to help coordinate their players’ schedules within the franchise.

Lastly League Ops are exploring additional support for GMs. As MLE has grown the demand, responsibilities and expectations on GMs has also increased. We want to ensure we do our best to help those who are passionate about MLE and the franchise GM’s definitely fit this criteria. We will provide more info when the exact details of the additional support have been finalised.

BROADCAST

The Broadcast team has slowly been taking shape in this off season and a new organisational structure has been put in place to ensure Broadcast Operations run smoothly. Sleegi & Theevilisback have come on board as Broadcast Coordinators, whilst Riyo will be overseeing Affiliates and InanimateJ has come back into the fold in an advisory role.

The main objective for Broadcast this season is to ensure a consistent quality of broadcasts throughout the season, which will help to provide a platform for Production for which to develop on. On top of this we want to help nurture broadcast talent, providing a pathway for talented and enthusiastic individuals to become involved with Official Broadcasts. We are hoping the application form posted in community announcements this week will help attract such individuals. We will be reviewing the applications received so far this week, thank you to all those that have applied.

There are unlikely to many drastic changes to Broadcasts this season, at least in the short term, bar a few aesthetic changes here and as of writing Broadcasts will follow same structure as last season; 3 series Saturday & Sunday evenings starting from 8pm ET.

MEDIA

Whilst we patiently wait the creation of the new team logos, the Media team has been focused on reviewing and updating assets as well as looking to implement a few new things on the way. Whenever assets are updated or created the aim is to always ensure the presentational style is consistent. No doubt you will start to see some of these improvements as we near the start of the season. We will have an update on franchise logos very soon.

MARKETING

With the recent addition of Gogurt as Marketing Coordinator, the Marketing team are currently discussing and devising plans for the season ahead and beyond. While there is not much to report as of this moment we can assure you there will be a much better focus on marketing efforts. It is important for the growth and future of MLE to ensure we are always attracting new people to the community and increasing the interest in MLE as a whole.

SPONSORSHIP

We are hoping to retain BAWLS and PowerA as sponsors for Season 10 and discussions are on going at present. Both BAWLS & PowerA have become synonymous with MLE these past few seasons and hopefully this will continue going forward. Negotiations with both sponsors are close to being finalised, with BAWLS expected to continue sponsoring Play of the Week. The sponsorship team are also looking at possibility of bringing in a few other sponsors as well but as of this moment there is nothing definitive to announce.

FINAL WORD

That wraps up the first MLE Monthly Insight, we hope you enjoyed the content & insight into MLE operations. We will look to produce these on a monthly basis to keep you, the MLE Community, updated on what’s going on behind the scenes. Obviously some months some areas might have as much to report but where possible we will keep you as informed as much as we can. Going forward we will try incorporate a bit more media when possible to make these articles more engaging.

Thank you for reading, we hope you found the information interesting. Please feel free to provide any feedback/suggestions on these Monthly Insights. Your opinions will help to shape the content, structure, etc. Until next time… have fun!

 

MLE News: Season 10 Update!

the festive is season is coming to a close but as the New Year draws near so does Season 10…


Season 10

2020 will see the start of 10th season of MLE and it promises to be an epic one! We know a lot of people have been eagerly awaiting the announcement of the start of the season and we are happy to announce that the competitive action will start on February 13th! Below is a list of key dates for Season 10 (please note these dates are provisional and maybe subject to change).

Season 10 Key Dates:

Player Drafts: January 25th & 26th
Week 1: February 13th-16th
Playoffs: Begin weekend of 9th & 10th May
Season 10 Championship Series weekend: 30 & 31st May

Full schedule for Season 10 will be released soon. The date for the Draft Lottery, which decides the order for each League’s draft, is to be confirmed.

If you are interested in joining our community with the possibility of playing in Season 10 fill out an application form! There’s nothing to lose and you could be representing one of the 32 franchises in Season 10!

There will be lots more info coming regards Season 10, including important changes.


FRANCHISE LOGOS

10 franchise logos have now been completed with a further 2 currently in creation. Progress has been somewhat slower recently due to other commitments and projects undertaken by the designer but we are very happy with the quality of the logos. We are an adopting a quality over quantity/speed approach. The franchises with completed logos so far are: Aviators, Bears, Blizzard, Bulls, Comets, Demolition, Dodgers, Eclipse, Elite & Spectre.


SEASON 9

As Season 10 starts to take shape you will notice some changes on the website, most notably the archiving of Season 9 standings & stats. Don’t worry they won’t completely disappear but will be moved to the “Season” section.


COMMUNITY NEWS

 

BROADCASTING & MARKETING COORDINATOR OPPORTUNITIES

As we prepare for Season 10 a couple of coordinator positions have become available (please note these positions are only available to those in the community).

Broadcast Operations are undergoing an overhaul, with a new team in place to manage & oversee operations. As part of the restructure we are on the look out for a new Broadcast Coordinator who will join the current team; Sleegi (Broadcast Coordinator), Riyo (Affiliate Lead) & InanimateJ (Broadcast Advisor). The main objective of a Broadcast Coordinator is to ensure the smooth running of Broadcasts; making sure each Broadcast has sufficient support & those involved have the right information & support. If this sounds like something you can do and you have an interest in Broadcasting, Production, etc. as well as strong organisational and communication skills we want to hear from you!

We are also on the lookout for a new Marketing Coordinator. We are looking to improve our the consistency and quality of our promotional output, looking to further the exposure of MLE as a direct result of such. The Marketing Coordinator is instrumental in helping to achieve this as they will help create, lead and manage promotions and campaigns with the assistance of the Marketing team. If this sounds like something you can do and you have a strong interest in Marketing along with an enthusiastic & proactive attitude then please fill out an application form linked in the corresponding post in Discord.


SEASON 10 FAQ CHANNEL

Keep your eyes peeled on the Season-10-FAQ- channel in Discord under “MLE Home” category for updates regards Season 10. This channel will act as reference for those in the Community of all the vital information for Season 10 such as key dates, team salaries, etc. We will also be updating the League-Info channel soon!


FINAL WORD

2019 is nearly over but we just wanted to take this moment to wish everyone a Happy New Year and start getting everyone excited for the upcoming season! Lots is happening behind the scenes and these efforts will soon become apparent.

As always keep those peepers peeled to this site as well as our Twitter account for the latest news & happenings. Until next time…

Have fun & Happy New Year,

Minor League Esports

 

MLE News: New Champions, All-Star Series & More!

roll up, roll up! It’s an MLE news extravaganza!


SEASON 9 Champions Crowned!

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past week then you will know 4 new champions were crowned the weekend before last!

Foundation League Champions: Tyrants

Academy League Champions: Flames

Champion League Champions: Rhinos

Premier League Champions: Elite

The Flames and Rhinos both managed to break their “Championship ducts” by winning the first Championship titles in their history. The Tyrants added to their Season 8 success when they won the Champion League, by adding the Foundation League trophy to their cabinet. And last but not least the Elite added another success to their illustrious history. Winning the Premier League title gave the franchise their 3rd Championship trophy, after winning Championship titles back in Season 1 & 3.

It was a great weekend of action with 3 of the 4 Championship Series going to game 7 deciders! If you missed any of the action, check out our YouTube channel where you can see not only all the Championship Series but every broadcast series from this season!


POWERA GIVEAWAY WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

Our good friends and sponsors of MLE, PowerA, generously provided 14 Fusion Pro Wired Xbox One controllers to giveaway over the Championship Series Weekend! A big congratulations to the following…

Aida-Aposta, Americas_F1nest, antonioo77, ChefBaker,  djleance, Kirstiekfg, NoJuiceFTW, Ondofir, SINdalu, suzakutwitch, Therealmobagz, Tido4The5Gun, TrullsRohk, Wolfpack523

The winners are currently being finalised and all being well prizes will be shipped out soon. A big thank you once again to PowerA for their support.


ALL-STAR SERIES RETURNS!

Season 9 isn’t over yet! This Saturday evening the best players from each league face off in a “Battle of the Conferences”, as the Orange Conference take on the Blue Conference. Last season the Orange Conference took the bragging rights, beating their Blue counterparts over 20 games, 11-9!

This time around ZeeBee, General Manager of the Ducks, will seek revenge for the Blue Conference, as he leads his Blue stars into battle. Tasked with retaining Orange’s honour is Wizards General Manager, Isosolo. Who will come out top in this end of season showpiece? Tune in this Saturday from 7pm ET on the MLE Network to find out!


PLAY OF THE WEEK WINNERS!

The competitive play is over for another season, bar the All-Star Series, but there’s small matter of announcing the last two winners of Play of the Week (in case you missed them). A big thank you to BAWLS for their continued support this season and for sponsoring Play of the Week.

Conference Finals Winner: Cearu (Elite)

Championship Series Winner: O.G.S.R (Rhinos)


FRANCHISE LOGOS

There’s been some progress on the franchise logo front! 4 more logos have been completed with the overall total now sitting at 8, that’s a quarter of all the logos for all those mathematicians out there. Those 8 franchises are: Aviators, Bears, Blizzard, Bulls, Comets, Demolition, Elite, Spectre! Of course we will not be revealing the logos until all 32 are complete! Currently there’s no definitive timeline for when this will be but hopefully all 32 will be complete in the near future.


SGT & SCOOBY TAKE A BREAK

Wondering where those “loveable” scamps have been these past couple of Monday evenings? Well yes you would be right in thinking they have been shirking their responsibilities! No need to worry folks, Sgt. & Scoobs are taking a break from the “Sgt. Scooby Show” during the off-season. They will no doubt return in Season 10 and who knows they may do the odd special show before then.


COMMUNITY NEWS
COMMUNITY SURVEY

With another season done & dusted we want to get your thoughts. Accompanying this article in Discord will be a link to the Community Survey. Please take your time to fill this in as best you can. We appreciate all the feedback we receive and look to use it to improve what we do.


FINAL WORD

Phew what a season and what an end to the season! Big GGs and well played to those who competed in the Championship Series. Each final was full of dramatic moments, clutch plays & great teamwork. Full credit to all players for their efforts.

We would like to take this moment to thank everyone in the community for their involvement this season. From players to those helping out behind the scenes, Minor League Esports would be nothing without your support.

It’s been another great season and we are enthusiastic to start Season 10. The date of which is being finalised as we speak but expect it early next year. As always keep your eyes peeled here for the latest news and updates!

Have fun & see soon,

Minor League Esports

 

Championship Series PowerA Giveaway!

The MLE Season 9 Championship Weekend just got even hotter as our generous sponsors PowerA are supplying 14 quality Xbox One controllers to giveaway!

We will be giving away 7 PowerA Fusion Pro Wired Controllers for Xbox One (White variant)* on Saturday & Sunday! The giveaway will close at 9pm ET both nights with winners being announced at the end of each night’s stream.

To be enter Sundays giveaway visit here! *Winners from Saturday are ineligible to win for Sunday’s giveaway.

Saturday giveaway winners: Americas_F1nest, ChefBaker, Ondofir SINdalu, suzakutwitch, Therealmobagz & Tido4The5Gun.

A big thank you to PowerA for supporting us with this fantastic giveaway as well as their support throughout the season.

Don’t forget to tune into the MLE Network Season 9 Championship Series Weekend for all the action & excitement. Streams start at 7:45pm each night!

*Prize has been updated since launch of giveaway, original prize was for PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One.

MLE Season 9 Championship Series Preview

With two days to go the Season 9 Championship Series weekend, it’s time to take a look at each series…


12 weeks of play has come and gone with hundreds of players representing the 32 franchises across 4 leagues. There’s been goals, whiffs, demos, high, lows, drama and a boat of load excitement but now only 2 teams remain in each of the four leagues. These teams now have one last series to overcome to be crowned MLE Champions but who’s fighting for the coveted crown? Let’s find out….

The Battle of Cunning vs Power

Both the Foxes and the Tyrants experienced Championship success as franchises last season; the Foxes claiming the Premier League title and the Tyrants taking the Champion League crown. Those glories signified each franchises’ first Championship win and no doubt they will be both hungry to add to it.

The Foxes could be seen as slight favourites having finished 2nd in the overall regular season standings, 1 place above the Tyrants, winning 4 more individual games. In reality there isn’t much to separate the two teams, this is the Championship Series after all! The Tyrants will be hoping GameStrike, who joined midway through the season, will continue his impressive form shown since joining. He will likely be paired with TheLouzer, the pair teaming up for their Orange Conference Semi-Finals win against the Pandas. The Foxes will likely field the pairing of FasterThanFalcon & K03, who played in both the Blue Conference Semi-Final & Conference Final victories. Their experience in big-game situations may come clutch come Saturday evening!

The Foundation League Championship Series will kick off the Championship Series Weekend at 8pm ET on Saturday!

 

Fire meets fight in the academy league

Two franchises who have yet to experience Championship glory have the chance to rectify this fact and write their name into MLE history!

The Flames go into the championship on the back of a very successful campaign not losing a series so far! Despite a slightly less impressive but still respectable 7-3 series regular season record, the Spartans only lost 1 individual game more than the Flames. The Flames will likely call upon the pairing of coversum & Eazuu who have played in each of the previous rounds and have been on the team for the vast majority of the season. They will no doubt go into the series full of confidence with nothing to fear.

The Spartans, having to come through one extra round than their opponents, have fielded 3 of their starters during the playoffs; Burrie, Deli (Saprtans GM) & Eclair and it’s likely it will be a combination of 2 of these 3 that will feature in the final. All 3 have performed well during season, all averaging over 4 MVPR so the Spartans will be confident in whoever they field.

The Academy League Championship Series follows the Foundation League series on Saturday evening, approximate start time is 9pm ET!

CHAMPION LEAGUE HEAVY HITTERS CLASH

A new Champion League winner will be crowned on Sunday and it will be a hotly contested affair with the two franchises being represented both clamouring for their first title.

The Rhinos charged their way through the regular season, ending it in style with a perfect 10-0 series win record. They also scored a massive 209 goals on their way, an average of 4.18 per game! They will certainly hope their attacking prowess doesn’t desert them against the Knights. O.G.S.R & Yeet are likely to line-up for the Rhinos on Sunday after both playing in each of the previous rounds, helping to dispatch the Bears & Pandas in clinical fashion.

The Knights while not quite matching the Rhinos in terms of series won during the regular season (8-2) are certainly not here to make up the numbers. The 5th best offence and 3rd best defence during the regular season the Knights definitely have the steel and power to cause the Rhinos problems. The Knights will most likely field two out of Lil’ Q, MikeIsMyike & Taels. Each player has performed well over the season, with Taels in particular being one to watch if selected after recording an MVPR of 6.28 for the season.

The Champion League Series begins Sunday evening at 8pm eET!

PREDATORS LOOK TO TAKE DOWN ROYALTY

The Premier League Championship see’s two iconic franchises battle it out for the ultimate prize. The Elite already have two Championship Trophies to their name, winning Championships in Season 1 and 3. They have yet to win a Premier League Championship since the league’s inception in Season 6 but have the chance to write another chapter in their history this Sunday.

They do come into the final as somewhat underdogs. Finishing 6th in the overall standings and with a 6-4 series win record, the lowest of any team competing this weekend. On paper the Elite have a tough task ahead of them. But to dismiss the Elite would be foolish especially after they battled through 3 rounds of playoffs to make it. Those spirited displays will put them in good stead going into the final where the tension will be at fever pitch! Cearu & El Diablo Rojo who have played together in every round are expected to take to the field once again as they look to immortalise themselves into MLE folklore.

Looking to stop them are the Hawks. They finished 2nd in the overall standings with a 7-3 record, an indication of the competitiveness of the Premier League. TestGravity & Zayo will likely represent the Hawks, a pairing who played in both the Blue Conference Semi-Finals & Blue Conference Final. TestGravity will definitely be a key player, finishing the season 3rd for MVPR, playing 30 games and averaging 7.04. The Hawks have come close to success in previous seasons but this long standing franchise have never been better set to fly!

The Premier League Championship Series follows the Champion League series on Sunday evening, approximate start time is 9pm ET!

So the wait is nearly over! The players will no doubt be getting in their last games of practice as they prepare for their series. It’s going to be a fantastic finale to what’s been an awesome Season. You won’t want to miss the Championship Series weekend so tune into the MLE Network Saturday & Sunday from 7:45pm ET for all the action & excitement! See you there!

MLE News: Playoffs Begin! PowerA Giveaway & More!

The Season 9 playoffs are here! Read on to find out what happened in the Wildcard weekend…


PLAYOFFS

The first weekend of playoff action saw lots of thrills and spills as the “Wildcard Weekend” aka Conference Quarter-Finals took place. But who prevailed and who fell at the “first hurdle”?

Academy League

In the Orange Conference, #6 Orange Conference seed the Pirates took on #3 seed Elite. A series that ebbed and flowed finally ending with Elite snatching a 3-2 series win to clinch their place in the next round and a meeting with last seasons Champions the Outlaws! In the other Orange Conference tie, #5 seed outmuscled #4 seed the Spectre 3-1 to set up a tie against the #1 seed the Flames who finished the regular season with a 10-0 series record.

In the Blue Conference, #3 seed the Spartans saw off a spirited #6 seed the Hive with a 3-2 series win. For their efforts the Spartans will face the Puffins. The other clash in the Blue Conference section saw the Hurricanes and the Wolves fight it out. And things blew in the ‘Canes favour as they managed to put losing the 1st game behind them to win the series 3-1. Their “prize” for victory is a meeting with #1 seed the Ducks, who finished top of the regular season standings.

The 8 remaining teams contain some illustrious franchises with the Elite, Ducks & Outlaws all winning the Championship title at Academy League level in previous seasons. If the Outlaws were to retain their title they would be the first franchise to do so since the Wizards in Season 6!  History counts for little though and no doubt the other 5 teams will be hoping to make glorious tales of their own!

Champion League

#3 Orange Conference seed, the Pandas, continued their search for a first franchise Championship win with a 3-1 win over #6 seed Demolition, themselves also without a Championship to their name. The Pandas will face their Tropic Division rivals the Sharks in the next round, a team that just pipped them to the division title by a single game win. The other tie in the Orange Conference saw the #5 seed the Bears beat out #4 seed the Bulls in a 5 game thriller. With a total of 34 goals scored during the series, it was the Bears who triumphed, winning game 5 4-3! They will take on #1 Orange Conference seed the Rhinos. The Rhinos charged their way through the regular season winning all 10 of their series as they also look to add a first Championship trophy to their cabinet.

Over in the Blue Conference two historic franchises battled it out for a place in the Conference Semi-Finals. The Ducks, a franchise no stranger to success, overcame a spirited 6th seed in the Wolves, winning 3-1 and setting up a clash with #2 seed the Knights. In the other Blue Conference tie it was the Jets who soared, putting in an impressive performance to defeat 4th seed the Eclipse. The Jets now face the not so envious task of taking on #1 seed the Puffins, a team which went unbeaten during the regular season.

No one will be taking the Jets lightly after their display though! 8 teams now remain left in contention with only 1 franchise, the Ducks having ever won a Champion League title in their history. Can they add another feather to their impressive achievements as franchise or will one of the 7 plucky contenders stuff their ambitions?

Premier League

Not content with having 2 teams make the Conference Semi-Finals in other leagues, the Bears also progressed into the next round in the Premier League. The #4 seed put out the Flames hopes with a 3-1 series win to arrange a clash with their “brothers from another mother bear”, #1 seed the Pandas. In the other Orange Conference tie the Elite defeated the Demolition 3-1 in their quest to add their first Premier League title to their trophy cabinet. Standing in their way in the Conference Semi-Final is the tricky Wizards.

In the Blue Conference #3 seed the Wolves overcame #6 seed the Spartans in a fiercely contested series that ended 3-2. Victory for the Wolves means they progress to face #2 seed the Hawks. The other Blue Conference Quarter-Final saw #4 seed the Eclipse joust #5 seed the Knights from playoff contention with a 3-1 series win. The Eclipse now face the steamrolling #1 seed the Express who finished top of the overall regular season standings.

No team left in the Premier League Playoffs has won the Premier League Championship before though the Elite and Wizards as franchises have won multiple MLE Championships across other leagues. The Premier League was closely fought this season, with the top 5 in the overall standings only separated by 5 game wins and 4 of those teams are still involved going into the Conference Semi-Final stage! It’s going to be one wild battle to the finish!

Foundation League

There are 8 teams in contention for the Foundation League Championship. If regular season form and results indicate anything it would point the way of the Blue Conference, in particular the Hurricanes and Foxes who finished 1st and 2nd respectfully. The Hurricanes in particular come into the playoffs in hot form on a 5 win streak and winning 9 out of their 10 series. Should the Hurricanes turn this regular season success into playoff triumph it will mark their first Championship win as a franchise!

There are 4 other franchises in the Foundation League Playoffs who have yet to taste Championship success, the Pandas, Shadow, Wolves and the Blizzard. The Pandas finished the highest in the overall regular season standings out of the 4 teams, ending the season 4th overall with a 29-21 record. Although the Foundation League is the lowest competitive tier in MLE you can be sure all 8 teams left in the playoffs will be gunning for glory and pulling off some great plays in their bid for Championship greatness!

The Foundation League playoffs start this weekend; 26th and 27th October with the Conference Semi-Finals.


PowerA Playoff Giveaway

Our good friends at PowerA have once again come up with the goods and will be providing not 1, not 2, not even 3 but… 14!!! enhanced Xbox controllers to giveaway during the playoffs. Details of the giveaways will be posted on here and Twitter so keep your eyes peeled for more news later this week!


Franchise Logo Update

Another update on the logo front and another franchise logo has been completed! The Bears are the lucky ones, joining the Aviators, Blizzard, Elite and Spectre to receive a fresh logo. Of course we are keeping said logos under wraps until all 32 have been completed and as always we will keep you updated with any significant progress.


PLAYS OF THE WEEK

Missed the last couple weeks of Plays of the Week presented by BAWLS Guarana? Don’t worry here’s a recap for you all. Don’t forget you can vote for your favourite plays from the Playoffs. Just submit your clip to Twitter using the #MLEPotW for it to be considered. Community members can also used the PotW channel in Discord to submit plays!

Week 9 Winner:  Pops (Express)

Week 10 Winner: Zeebee (Ducks)

 


Community ANNOUNCEMENTS
NEW SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

We would like to announce the appointment of Hellyaman as our new Social media Coordinator. Hellyaman will be coordinating and organising the Social Media team to help improve MLE’s output and exposure on social media platforms. We know he will do a great job and look forward to working with him.


NEW ADMISSION AGENTS

There have also been additions to the Admissions team! We would like to welcome Alton, AtoMic, Deejay, Hershey, Krosis, RainbowNoms & Taelo to the team. no doubt they will soon have their hands full as we near the off-season and the usual glut of applications we receive!


MESSAGE TO THE COMMUNITY

We just wanted to take this moment to thank everyone who turned out for the playoff streams this past weekend. We reached over 100 viewers both nights which is great to see and we really appreciated the support. Hopefully as the playoffs continue those numbers continue to grow!

Good to luck to the teams remaining in the playoffs. Whatever happens we know you will give it your all! Don’t forget to tune in this weekend folks for the Conference Semi-Finals. The action starts at 8pm ET Saturday and Sunday on the MLE Network! Until then…

Have fun & see out there,

Minor League Esports

MLE News: Logo Update, Playoffs Imminent and More!

With two weeks to go before the playoffs it’s all go in Minor League Esports…


IT’S BUSINESS TIME!

The race for the playoffs is nearly over and with just one week of the regular season left it’s make or break for many team’s playoff aspirations!

Don’t forget to tune into the MLE Network this weekend to catch some intriguing, potentially season defining series. The live action starts 8pm ET Saturday & Sunday evening!


PLAYOFFS INCOMING!

As the regular season reaches its climatic conclusion thoughts are definitely turning to the playoffs and with that in mind we can confirm the dates as well as structure for the playoffs.

The Season 9 playoffs will take place over 4 weeks starting from 19th October. As the Foundation League playoffs will have only 8 teams competing in them, the Foundation League playoffs will consist of 3 weeks, starting from the Conference Semi-Final stage.

The majority of playoff series will be broadcasted on the MLE Network. Dates and stream times are detailed below. It’s going to adrenaline-fuelled to end of the season as we look to crown four new Champions!

Conference Quarter-Finals: 19th & 20th October (Stream time: Saturday & Sunday from 8pm ET)
Conference Semi-Finals: 26th & 27th October (Stream time: Saturday & Sunday from 8pm ET)
Conference Finals: 2nd & 3rd November (Stream time: Saturday & Sunday from 7pm ET)
Championship Series: 9th & 10th November (Stream time: Saturday & Sunday from 8pm ET)

Don’t forget you can check out who’s in contention to make the playoffs for each league here and you can also check out the wildcard standings here. Also keep an eye out for a wildcard report from Deejay!


FIRST LOGOS IN

Work is well underway on creating new logos for the 32 franchises and we are excited to announce 4 logos have been completed! Now we are going to be teases here as we are keeping those logos under wraps until all 32 logos have been completed. While you ready the catapult of rotten fruit aimed in the direction of MLE HQ, we can tell you the franchises who’s logos are complete… And its the Aviators, Blizzard, Elite and Spectre who have the honour of being the first franchises to have logos made! But who will be next? You will find out soon as we will keep you updated with any significant progress made.


PLAYS OF THE WEEK

Missed any recent BAWLS Plays of the Week? No worries we’ve got you covered! Checkout the top 3 plays from the past few weeks!

Week 6 Winner: Delisys (Spartans)

Week 7 Winner: Adiously (Blizzard)

Week 8 Winner: Dewy413 (Spectre)

 


Sgt. Scooby Show GETS A New Time!

The wonderful, weekly Sgt. Scooby Show will now air from 9pm ET on Monday evenings! Don’t forget to tune into the MLE Network tonight as the guys have a “special guest” on their show!


FINAL WORD

It seemed like only yesterday Season 9 began but low and behold 9 weeks of seasonal play later and we come to the final week of the regular season. To all those teams and players still in contention to make the playoffs we wish you luck and to those who have fallen short this season we commend your efforts and hope you had a blast. Behind the scenes are thoughts are turning towards Season 10 but before we release any information regarding Season 10 there’s still lots to look forward to this season. Anyway, until next time…

Have fun & see out there,

Minor League Esports

MLE News Update: Merch Launch! New Show & More!

We’ve just passed the halfway point of the Season 9 regular season and what an eventful week it’s been…


MLE MeRch Store Launches

Last Wednesday we announced the launch of our new store! If you haven’t checked it out already then what are you waiting for?! There are tons of great products on offer allowing supporters to represent MLE and their favourite franchises. And don’t forget for the next 7 days there is 15% of all orders, just use the redeem option at the top of the store page! All proceeds raised from the store will go back into MLE, primarily franchise logo commission. We want to take this moment to thank all those who have shown their support so far. At the time of writing we have amassed over 70 sales!

What’s more from tomorrow, after community requests, we have decided to allow a level of customisation to products. From tomorrow you will be add to add text as well as additional logos to products! Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement for the “launch” of this feature.


SGT & SCOOBY TAKE OVER THE MLE NETWORK

New to Monday nights on the MLE Network is “The Sgt. Scooby Show”. MLE community members sgtmc50cal and Scoobert Doobert will be bringing their fun weekly recap to the MLE Network every Monday evening. So tune this Monday evening at 7:30pm EDT for interviews, league updates, memes, sweet plays and general tomfoolery courtesy of Sgt. & Scoobs!


BAWLS PLAY OF THE WEEK | WEEK 3

Though week 5 may have just concluded this weekend just gone it’s time to announce the winner of week 3. A big well played is in order for Troubadour (Bulls, Academy League). You can see their winning play below as well as the other top two plays from week 3. As week 4 was a break week there was no play of the week competition. Find out next time who was the BAWLS Week 5 Play of the Week!


COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

NO FORFEITING PLEASE!

There have been a few instances of players quitting mid-series this season. We deem this to be unsporting behaviour and as such will be handing out severe disciplinary action to anyone guilty of this. We pride ourselves on providing a fun, friendly and respectful environment for our community and such individual actions & behaviour have an unfair effect on others. Any player found guilty of quitting and forfeiting will be suspended for 10 weeks of season play (not including playoffs). We are also looking at retroactive disciplinary action for those who are guilty of such action before this week, once a decision has been made we will let you all know. Please remember when competing in MLE to be play respectfully and sportingly.


COORDINATOR POSITION AVAILABLE

We are on the look out for a new social media coordinator. If you have an interest in leading the social media operations of MLE, helping to promote MLE and working with other departments such as media & marketing to ensure communication across social media platforms is clear and presentable then you maybe just the person. Keep an eye out over the next couple of days in the Discord server for how to apply for the position.


MODERATOR POSITIONs

We will also be advertising for additions to the moderation team so keep your eyes peeled in the Discord server for an announcement regarding this.


SUGGESTIONS OVERHAUL

As you may have seen the way we handle community suggestion has undergone a bit of an overhaul. The new system we have in place will make it far easier for us to handle suggestions as well as offer the community clearer visibility on the responses to every suggestion posted. For more information on the changes see the recent post in Community Announcement channel.


WEBSITE UPDATES

There’s been a few small updates to our website you may have noticed. Firstly the league standings have been updated so win % is now the defacto method of sorting followed by head-to-head. The standings also now have streak & form columns and you can click on the individual wins or losses in the form column to see the relevant match results & stats. You can now also see which league every player is competing in, neat huh? There’s going to be a few more additions and improvements in the coming weeks too! Big thanks to Stevo for his continued work with the website.


Final Word

And that’s the news for another week folks! Not too much to add really but be sure to check the Sgt. & Scooby show tonight on Twitch. Show them guys some support for the great show they will be putting on. We hope everyone enjoyed the return of the live broadcasts this weekend, we know they were some technical issues that affected Sunday night stream. Unfortunately this was out of control, blame those pesky Twitch servers. Nevertheless onward & upward they say. Anyway, until next time…

Have fun & see out there,

Minor League Esports

MLE News Update: Week 3 Woes, Play of the Week & More!

We are already over 3 weeks into Season 9… time flies eh? Here’s a brief news update…


Week 3 Broadcasts

We would once again like to apologise for the lack of official broadcasts this past weekend. Unfortunately we were unable to fulfil our schedule due to a number of circumstances. A big thank you to all our affiliates who provided the community with some fantastic MLE action! On the back of this weekend we are reviewing our broadcast schedule/format going forward as we want to ensure we can fulfil the schedule and provide a great selection of action without compromising quality. As planned there are no official broadcasts this coming weekend however we may have something special lined up!


BAWLS Play of the Week | Week 2 

Dewy413 (Spectre, Champion League) was the first winner of Play of the Week sponsored by BAWLS Guarana but who would be the Week 2 Play of the Week winner and the lucky recipient of a refreshing case of BAWLS? Step forward Vitali (Aviators, Premier League)! See his winning play below as well as the the 2nd and 3rd best voted plays from week 2!


TOWN HALL

The town hall bell tolls once again! This Sunday at 6pm EDT several MLE admins will be on hand to answer your burning questions. For more details on the Town Hall please read the recent announcement in Community Announcement on Discord.


ML3’s CAPTAIN CLASH – SIGN UP NOW*

Looking for some weekly, competitive Rocket League action on Tuesday evening? Then look no further than the ML3’S CAPTAIN CLASH! To play in the event sign up here. Once you have signed up be sure to check in at 7:30pm EDT (30 minutes before start of the event).

The event works as such: there will be a Draft to select teams, then play a Double Elimination bracket right after. Highest ranked players will be captains. This whole event will take a few hours. Winners Bracket is a Best of 3, Losers will be a Best of 1. The event is open to all MLE Community members so why not give it a go?

*Event for community members only


INSIDE MLE

We hope you enjoyed the first instalment of “Inside MLE”. We have had a couple of suggestions regarding possible content for next instalment and after some deliberation we will be looking at the semantics of expansion; how has MLE grown over time, what is our current disposition on expanding and what are the plans/hopes for the future. And don’t forget if you have any suggestion for content you would like to be explored in-depth for Inside MLE feel free to suggest it here.


Final Word

Well folks week 3 was certainly an eventful one. We were just as disappointed as our community with the cancellation of the week 3 Official Broadcasts. Unfortunately we had to make the difficult decision to cancel as we were left without any alternative. Hopefully people’s disappointment will soon shift to excitement as we have a number of things in the works and soon to be revealed but to mention them now would spoil the surprise.

On a side note from our majestic President, TheGamingBear, who definitely didn’t  write this. He would like to inform the community his availability this coming week will be somewhat unpredictable as he is begrudgingly prodded out of his current dwelling to a more spacious “hovel”.

Well that’s a wrap for this update, until next time…

Have fun & see out there,

Minor League Esports

MLE News Update: Season 9 Starts, Sponsors news & More!

Season 9 is up now up & running and with it comes whole host news…


SEASON 9 IS A GO

Oh yes! Season 9 of MLE is well underway as the first week of action concluded on Sunday. There was plenty of fantastic live action for people to enjoy with Premier League & Champion League series broadcasted on mlesportsgg and Academy League & Foundation League matches broadcasted on the mlesportsgg2! It’s still very early days in the season but a number of teams were intent to make their mark early on. You can see who made strong starts the season in the league standings below. Week 2 action starts tomorrow. Don’t forget to tune into mlesportsgg from 8:30pm EDT Saturday & Sunday as well as mlesportsgg2 from 8:00pm Saturday & Sunday for more enthralling MLE series!

Premier League Standings | Champion League Standings | Academy League Standings | Foundation League Standings


Suggestions GET AN OVERHAUL

Our new community coordinators; Galaxy & SSS, along with League Operations coordinator; Riz, have been hard at work implementing a better system when it comes to handling your suggestions. Going forward we will be posting regular summaries of suggestions on the website along with relevant responses from MLE council members and coordinators. We believe this will provide much more visibility with regards suggestions and ensure none get overlooked. The way community members can provide suggestions remains the same but the way we handle them will be much more effective. Keep a lookout within the next week for the first post!


DISCORD NAME TAGS

We realize that with the addition of cross-play, system tags are no longer needed for names in Discord. It was brought up as a suggestion to change them to something else at the end of last month. We sent out a survey to see what everyone thought about it. We received many great suggestions and we want to thank you for submitting them. After much consideration we have decided to go with ‘nothing’ as our system tag replacement i.e. DOD | Player … that’s it. Nothing fancy but we feel this option is very clean and direct. We’ll be instituting this change over the next couple of weeks.


BAWLS & POWERA ARE BACK!

As we are sure you are aware by now our good friends at BAWLS and PowerA have once again agreed to sponsor us for this season. We are forever thankful for their support and the great prizes they offer to our community. This season BAWLS will once again be sponsoring Play of the Week, rewarding each weeks winner with a case of refreshing BAWLS! On top of this they will also be providing 1 case to each Championship winning team! PowerA will be providing lucky winners this season with their quality controllers and headsets so be sure to keep a lookout for giveaways. We feel privileged to be supported by these great companies once again and look forward to continuing our relationships.


PLAY OF THE WEEK

Speaking about MLE Play of the Week sponsored by BAWLS Guarana, don’t forget to vote for your favourite plays from week 1. You can do by submitting the form linked here. Please note voting is only open to community members. We are looking at ways to better present Play of the Week clips that are up for vote so if you have any ideas or suggestions please let us know. Don’t forget to clip plays during streams and post them in the Play of the Week channel on Discord so they can be considered for that week’s vote!


FRESHLY VERIFIED

A big well played goes out to community members DK & TeaBoneJones who have become the latest Verified Affiliate Broadcasters! They will now be able to broadcast any MLE series outside of Official Broadcast times on their channels helping to increase the exposure of MLE whilst giving them support and promotion as well. Anyone interested in getting involved with broadcast such contact Broadcast Director: Hunted or Broadcast Coordinator: Riyo.


INSIDE MLE

In case you somehow missed it, please check out our brand new feature “Inside MLE”. Inside MLE will be dedicated to providing an insight into hot topics in MLE, giving in-sight and perspective into decision making and operations. The first instalment of Inside MLE tackles the engaging topic of Franchise Logos and our current situation with regards to getting them produced. You can read all about it here.


SEASON AWARDS

So we know there was some confusion as to what happened with the “Well Played Award” for Positive Contribution to the Community for the Season 8 Awards show. Good question. It’s not that it was forgotten far from it, it was more the fact the votes were very spread out across a large number of people so there was no conclusive winner. That being said we are still looking at doing something for it. Obviously talk about Awards will instigate questions regarding the seemingly ill-fated Season 7 Awards. Fear not they too have not been forgotten and they will be resolved in the very near future. We apologise for the delay and any confusion on these matters.


FINAL WORD

Well there you go folks Season 9 has started! We hope everyone has enjoyed it so far, whether you got chance to play, watch or just be involved in some capacity. There were a few hiccups, that’s par for the course, but we have no doubt as the Season progresses you will see a number of improvements. We continually look to develop and enhance what we offer to our community and we are confident Season 9 will be one of the best yet, if not the best.

If you have only just found about MLE, where have you been? No but in all seriousness even though Season 9 has started there are still plenty of opportunities for people to get involved. So please don’t hesitate to sign up! Right onto week 2 and it promises to be another banger!

Have fun & see out there,

Minor League Esports

Inside MLE: Logo Limbo

Hey there curious wanderer! Welcome to “Inside MLE”; a new feature where we offer you, the lucky reader, an insight into the workings of MLE. We thought it might be fun, as well as interesting, to offer our community a perspective into aspects of Minor League Esports, from reasons behind decisions made to the operations of MLE.

For the first instalment of Inside MLE we will be looking at a hop topic in the community; franchise logos! Oh yes that tasty little subject, so without delay let’s get into it.

A Blast to the Past

Before we dive head first into the current situation, let’s take a trip to the past using our imaginary time machine. More specifically end of Season 7. As many of you know Minor League Esports was previously known as Minor League Doubles. This was the case going into the off-season and the future was looking promising. 6 new franchises were ready to be fully-unveiled with new logos (Goblins, Hive, Sabres, Shellbacks, Spectre, Tyrants – the Goblins and Shellbacks were subsequently changed to Express & Shadow post rebrand). Plans were in place to make Season 8 the best yet.

Alas best made plans and all that. As many people reading this will be aware, MLD underwent an unexpected rebrand during that off-season, which is how Minor League Esports was born. This isn’t 100% true as there were plans to rebrand MLD to MLE but the events that unfolded fast-tracked that. We are not here to talk about those events however but more what that meant for franchise logos and the current state of play. 

An unfortunate result of the events and the necessary rebrand we lost the rights to use the franchise and league logos. This was a huge blow, which caused the off-season to last much longer than initially planned. As we scrambled to organise and prepare for Season 8, franchise logos took a back seat. When you run a league and have an active community priority must always go to ensuring the competitive element; league play, is delivered. It is the main reason why people sign-up at the end of the day.

Despite franchise logos taking a back seat discussions were happening and research was taking place. A number of different options were considered and after much deliberation and we decided to reach out to a shortlist of designers. The plan was to have a few designers working on a set number of logos each, working towards common objectives and requirements. Unfortunately we did not get past this stage of negotiations as focus was abruptly shifted to league operations & community aspects. Again this was a case of prioritising the fundamental elements of the league. This was in part due to an unwelcome coincidence where several members of the council personal situations suddenly changed. Long story short; the availability of those in important administrative positions drastically changed and it caused potential operational problems that needed to be resolved.

The rebrand before Season 8 also saw a whole host of changes such as reducing the length of the regular season in half, the implementation of coordinators and the introduction of the Affiliate program. Arguably perhaps we tried to do too much at once and this obviously had a knock-on effect on the commissioning and production of franchise logos but during and after the rebrand we had a renewed sense of purpose and excitement. We didn’t want MLE just to be MLD, we wanted it to be better!

You said “Hey… What’s Going On?”

So that’s the brief history lesson out of the way. Now fast forward to the start of this season. Going into Season 9 we know many in the community are eager and somewhat expectant to see logos this season. Often questions arise in our community regarding franchise logos, with members “thirsty” for any updates or news. Franchise logos are an important aspect for community members, especially for those who saw the development and improvement of franchise logos in the “MLD era”. We are sure those that do remember agree that the logos were unique and of high quality. They gave MLD a real sense of identity, one that helped make it stand out from the competition.

With franchise logos being fundamentally important it’s crucial we get them right. This is one of the main reasons time is being taken. We want to ensure the logos are to the standard we expect, that fit with the overall presentation of MLE & give each franchise a unique look. Referring back to the community’s desire to see updates and progress, it’s no surprise that many have started to offer ideas and even dream up a few ideas of their own. This is fantastic. We love to see our community passionately invested in MLE and the franchises that represent it. Some will even point to designs and say “Hey, this is good. We should use this!”. We are never ones to discourage feedback or suggestions but it’s worth reiterating our intentions and desires in terms of franchise logos.

For our 32 franchise logos we want them to be unique. We want them to authentically and seamlessly fit the overall style and presentation of MLE. We want to ensure they look good, so good that players associate & relate to their franchise even more and want to buy the sweet merchandise that will come once they have been completed. This generally means we are looking at getting them professionally sourced i.e. graphic designers. While the designs and ideas provided by some of our community members have been great they are not quite up to the standard or style we are looking for and those using templates have limitations. Therefore the only realistic route we foresee is getting them professionally sourced.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

We know many people will just want an answer to a simple question? “When can we expect franchise logos?” Not to be party poopers but the answer is not for a while. It’s very unlikely franchise logos will be completed and released before the season is out. We know that news won’t be met with much excitement but we have to be realistic and to make false guarantees would not be fair to our fantastic community.

What we can announce is that discussions and negotiations are well under way. We have approached a designer we have previously interacted with with a view to getting a small selection of the logos produced. We felt that rather than try and overload a designer with numerous logos to start with, that, it would be more beneficial to commission them to produce a small sample. The benefits of this approach are that it offers a greater focus on each franchise logo. We don’t want to end up with any inconsistencies when it comes to logos so having a more focused approach will help us meet such an objective. By starting “small” it gives us greater scope to make adjustments over the course of the design & production process.

There is no set amount of time it takes a designer to create one logo. During our research and investigations we were generally quoted approximately a week per logo but obviously this varies. To give further context, the MLE logo took a few weeks from conception through to release. Now some of you reading this will think it will be the middle of next year by the time we see all 32 franchise logos however our intentions are to deliver them in a reasonable amount of time. Not sacrificing any quality or consistency along the way. Again we can’t give guarantees but we are committed to ensuring the new franchise logos will be worth the wait.

Cost is also something that gets mentioned in the franchise logo discussion. We know a good portion of our community has stated they would fully help support and invest in any fundraising if necessary. We are forever grateful for such statements and support. Our community has already shown incredible levels of support through Twitch subscriptions, donations via Patreon as well as bits on Twitch and much more. Suffice to say the revenue we have acquired since the end of Season 7 has been saved for investment, such as the commissioning of franchise logos.

We do have a decent size pool of funds from that revenue ready to invest into the production of franchise logos. While we do not wish to reveal the actual amount or discuss costs of commission we can safely say we have accrued a decent portion of the likely total costs. We do not expect anyone to personally fund such a venture or feel obliged to donate/financially support us, to those that do we offer our most heartfelt gratitude. If, for whatever reason, we feel we need to do fundraising for any venture/project, the details of which will be fully transparent to our community. Of course if we decide to go down that route we will endeavour to let our community know.

A Final Word… or Two

Well we think thats enough talk for one day. Hopefully you have enjoyed this insight into MLE and one of the hottest topics inside the community. If you have any suggestions of content you would like to see in these features please let us know. And if you have any feedback regarding this article we would greatly appreciate it. The plan is to try deliver such features at least once a month, not including the regular news updates. So if you enjoyed this feature and want to see more let us know! All comments, opinions & ideas are welcome. We will keep our community updated whenever there are any significant updates regards franchise logos you can be sure of that. Until next time, have fun out there!


If there is a topic or part of MLE you would like to be explored in a future “Inside MLE” feature please use this form to submit your suggestion. You can also use the form to provide feedback on the feature too!

Power Rankings Returns for Season 9!

Just on the surface alone, this season is probably going to be the most well-fought for in the history of Minor League Esports. So many strong and capable teams are ready to take the field this weekend. But since there are just so many rosters, and so many styles being utilized, which one stacks up the best among the rest? Let me tell you.

First off, the Power Rankings Committee has grown quite a lot since last season, so all decisions are from a larger group than you’re probably used to. At the moment, we have 4 Foundation Power Rankers, 6 for Academy, and 8 for Champion and Premier. Decisions are based more on what the collective thinks rather than one or two people having incredibly disproportionate rankings. Now let’s get into the good stuff.

Who have climbed their way to the top?

Starting with Foundation League, the Foxes received a large amount of consensus as a top tier team, never getting ranked below 3rd. zFLaME, Superflame, Avo, and Darkfire on paper seem like a dastardly squad that can dominate whenever they choose to. Let’s hope they do that to start off Week 1.

Foundation League Power Rankings

Next with Academy League, it’s quite a close race for the top spot between the Shadow and the Puffins. It was a half and half split between our 6 rankers for placing these teams at the top spot, which goes to show just how close they appear to be. For their respective conferences, they’re miles ahead of the rest of the competition. Jordak, Faker, M0rg, Shual, and Carl for the Shadow, and Aubrey, Tuxedo, MouseRat, Obsidian_Bear, and The Street Pharmacist for the Puffins. Both have incredibly experienced players on their team that can hopefully lead the rookies to glory, if they truly are the best conference teams.

Academy League Power Rankings

Something that struck me as very odd with Champion League, is that everyone agreed on a selection. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much consensus on one team before. That team being the Knights, as 1st overall. When you know the Knights’ roster consists of MikeIsMyIke, Lil Q, Primed, Taels, and tehblister, that makes it even more apparent. Blue Conference teams beware, because this is the team to beat if you want any hope of a championship title in a few months.

Champion League Power Rankings

Finishing it off with Premier League, it ended up being the polar opposite of Champion League. Very little consensus on many teams, and the top team was only voted as such by 2/8 rankers. Before you ask, no I don’t rank Premier League, so don’t say I’m biased while the Bears are the team to beat. The Bears do have quite the roster of players that have been quite notable throughout many seasons of play. KILT, Atokad, Koalemos, and Mage. Whether it stands up to scrutiny is all down to these first few weeks. I sure hope it does…

Premier League Power Rankings

What players are looking strong?

There’s a new section of Power Rankings now. The spiritual successor to Fantasy League, the PRC are now able to rank individual players in the same way we do teams. Now, do be aware that since this is preliminary rankings, individual player rankings are going to likely be way more inaccurate than team rankings. This is just to introduce the concept, and to let people know just who looks like they’re pumped, and ready to kick some butt.

Foundation and Academy league have abstained from ranking players until Week 1 in order to wait for more important data. Champion and Premier League both have done rankings to varying degrees.

For Champion League, unsurprisingly the top player also happens to come from the top team, Lil Q has definitely proved themselves to be the most valuable player taken during the draft. Very close behind are other incredibly valuable picks, such as Keiko for the Sabres, Phyrexius on the Wizards, Thunderballs on the Outlaws, and GreatGodZeus for the Sharks to round out the top 5. These 5 have proven to be quite hte opponents during the offseason, some of them on the verge of ranking up into Grand Champion, even moreso proving their worth. They’re quite clearly the star players for their respective teams and hopefully we see them put to good use. To finish out the top 10, 6th goes to Water on the Bears, 7th to Bones on the Flames, 8th taken by the Knights GM Mike, 9th to Ezra on the Foxes, and ending off 10th with a three-way tie between Soul, Vandy, and Rushy.

I did lie somewhat about Premier League before, as instead of having a consensus on a best team, they decided to do it for best player, which they gave to 2nd overall pick to the Hawks, TestGravity. Having ranked up to an 18 salary, he’s no doubt going to be the player that brings the Hawks’ game to a whole other level. The only player that’s vaguely in Test’s ballpark is Zack, the Wolves’ star 17 salary. From their the top 5 rounds out quite nicely with the Puffin’s Bolio, the Hive’s Satsz, and the Comets’ Erayne. Had the Comets stayed in the Blue Conference, all top 5 players at the start of the season would have come from there. Thankfully the rest of the top 10 is rounded out by mostly Orange Conference players. Bits and Smurf taking up 6th and 7th, Maple being the lone Blue Man in 8th, and 9th and 10th finishing us off with Red Line and Lotty Lettuce.

Final Words

Since we’ve got nothing else to go on other than our own thoughts and ideas, I guess we have to wait and see if we’re right. There are many ways you can achieve that this season. The main way is to follow and keep up with the streams on the MLE twitch accounts, and yes that’s plural accounts. https://www.twitch.tv/mlesportsgg for all of your Champion League and Premier League content, and https://www.twitch.tv/mlesportsgg2 for your Foundation League and Academy League content.

However, if you want even more than that, there’s going to be two ‘MLE Monday’ or ‘Behind the Goal’ style shows for you to watch during the intermission between weeks. Scoobert and sgtmc50cal will be streaming their Sgt. Scooby Show on Monday evenings, the first having gone live at 7:30pm Eastern. They explained everything they had planned for the future in their first instalment, so go check that out here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/463102347

The other option will be my own stream every Tuesday at 8pm Eastern where I’ll be going over primarily Champion League action, and a lot of statistics, so if you’re into that kind of stuff, here you go: https://www.twitch.tv/zytabyte

Check in next week to see how the Power Rankings have changed after the first week of action!

MLE News Update: Season 9 Schedule, New Coordinators and More!

The start of the Season 9 Regular Season is nearly upon us and there’s lots of juicy news to announce…


Season 9 Draft

It’s over! The much anticipated Season 9 Draft played out last weekend and now the 32 franchises have filled their rosters for the season ahead. Congratulations to all that were drafted. A full list of current rosters can be found in the link below. Good luck to all those drafted to play in Season 9. For those not selected or joining MLE after the draft don’t panic, opportunities to play will arise throughout the season.

Season 9 Rosters: view Rosters here


Fixture List & Broadcast Schedule

A new season means plenty of changes and we have decided to implement a Broadcast Schedule for Season 9. What that means is for weeks 1-8 of the regular season, excluding week 4, series have been pre chosen for broadcast. We decided to go down this route as this will allow for better organisation and setup as well as giving franchises fairer opportunities of exposure on broadcast.

No series have been selected for week 4 as, in a first in the history of the MLE, we are introducing a “double header” week. Week 4 falls on Labor Day weekend and as a result we have decided to give franchises the option to schedule two series during week 3 if they wish.To keep things simple and clean in terms of presentation only week 3 series will be broadcasted during the double header week.

The fixture list will be viewable on the website soon.

Fixture List & Broadcast Schedule: view schedule here


New MLE Twitch Channel!

Season 9 will see 11 series broadcasted every week (technology permitting). With four leagues on show it can lead to a slightly confusing viewing experience. With all this in mind we would like to announce a second Twitch channel! For Season 9 we have decided to divide content and broadcasts between two channels, with mlesportsgg broadcasting Premier League & Champion League action and the newly acquired mlesportsgg2 (inventive name huh?) hosting Academy League & Foundation League series. These changes will ensure more streamlined & focused broadcasts as well as providing a greater spotlight for all four leagues and the players within them.

Both channels will stream Saturday and Sunday evenings (ET) every week. On Saturday from 8:30pm, mlesportsgg will be broadcasting 3 Champion League series whilst mlesportsgg2 will be broadcasting 2 Foundation League series from 8pm. On Sunday from 8:30pm, mlesportsgg will broadcast 3 Premier league series whilst mlesportsgg2 will broadcast 3 Academy League series from 8:00pm.

mlesportsgg: Saturday 8:30pm, Sunday 8:30pm
mlesportsgg2: Saturday 8:00pm, Sunday 8:00pm


Rulebook Updated

We can officially announce the MLE Rulebook has been refreshed and amended ahead of Season 9. There have been a number of amendments and changes in the rulebook so when you get chance please read to ensure you understand. Any questions from community members should be posted to the #help-desk channel in Discord. Those reading this and currently not part of MLE can direct any questions to mlesportsgg@gmail.com

Rulebook: view rulebook here


New Coordinators

Thank you to everyone who applied for the Community & Marketing Coordinator positions. We have made our decisions and we are excited to announce the following appointments, first our new Marketing Coordinator…

Congratulations are in order to Sleegi! Sleegi has made a profound and positive impression since joining the community, becoming an established caster for MLE, a General Manager for the Hawks franchise and a well respected member of the community. We have full confidence he will excel as our new Marketing Coordinator, here’s a few words from the man himself:

“I am so excited that the council has entrusted me with this role, and can’t wait to get started! I expect to help grow MLE like we’ve  never seen before, get started with merch that you won’t be able to resist picking up, and focus on pushing the image of our wonderful community out to as many eyes as possible!”

Over to the new Community Coordinators and we are happy to announce that SSS and Galaxy have been recruited! Since joining MLE, SSS has provided a great deal of support and help, especially with Admissions. Galaxy has become an active and productive member of the community and showed a real desire to improve community operations. Here is what both of them had to say about being appointed:

“Hello everyone, for those who don’t know me, I’m SSS! I am very excited to step into this new role as community coordinator to see the growth of this league and community as it continues to thrive. As I step into this role, I invite those who would like to share their thoughts on the league with me in professional manner. This will not only help me to help the community, but I know that many people here have some fantastic ideas that may be too shy to share them publicly. I just want to say thank you and I look forward to working closer with you all.” -SSS

Hello everyone! I look forward to being one of the two new community coordinators in MLE. I look forward to meeting everyone, if I haven’t already, and I am super excited to help our talented staff team. I am almost always able to be contacted through Discord most of the time so don’t hesitate to send me a message if you have any questions. Again, I can’t wait to get started and help continue to make this community grow!” – Galaxy

The Broadcast team would also like to announce the appointment of Riyo as a Broadcast Coordinator. Riyo has shown great initiative and character, working his way to become an Affiliate broadcaster to helping run and broadcast Official Broadcasts. There’s no doubt Riyo has been a great addition to the Broadcast team and is certainly excited about what lies ahead:

“I can’t wait to get this new season started. I want to help bring the best broadcast possible to MLE and make sure as many games as possible get on a stream every week. If you ever have any ideas or questions feel free to message me any time. Hope everyone has a good season.”

We wish them all well in their new roles & look forward to seeing what they can do. 


Beware Hackers!

Folks please beware of any links you receive in private messages on Steam & Discord, if in doubt do not click them as your account may be compromised. If you receive a suspicious DM from a member of the community please inform a member of the council or community coordinator immediately.


Final Word

We are just one week away from the start of Season 9! We don’t know about anyone else but this off-season has flown by! The 32 franchises have now drafted their rosters for each of their teams and the time for talking is nearly over. We would like to take this moment to thank everyone who has helped us get this far and has supported with the preparations for Season 9.

Now it’s the time we have all been waiting for, the moment when players turn on their engines and take to the field to battle it out with the ultimate goal of immortalising themselves in MLE history! You won’t want to miss out any of the action this season so make you sure you tune into our Twitch channels each weekend for live MLE action and follow us on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook so you don’t miss anything!

Thanks for reading folks, until next time…

Have fun & peace out,

Minor League Esports

 

MLE News Update: Season 8 Awards, Season 9 Drafts & More!

We are just a few days away from the Season 9 Drafts. Find out about them and much more in the latest MLE news update…


Season 8 Awards Show

The votes have been cast and now it’s time to reveal the winners…. Well not right now but this Friday evening! Tune into the MLE Network at 8pm EST to see who won what in the MLE Season 8 Awards Show! Thank you to all those that voted! See you all Friday!


Season 9 Drafts

This weekend also sees the much-anticipated Season 9 Drafts. Each of the four leagues have their own draft where General Managers take turns to pick Free Agents to represent their team for the forthcoming season. Saturday will see the Foundation League draft followed by the Academy League draft and on Sunday the Champion League draft will take place followed by the Premier League draft. All drafts will be live on the MLE Network stream start times listed below.

Saturday 27th July, 7pm EST: Foundation League & Academy League

Sunday 28th July, 7pm EST: Champion League & Premier League


Community & Marketing Coordinators Wanted!

MLE are looking for some new Community Coordinators as well as a marketing Coordinator. Coordinators are an integral part of MLE and we are always looking for active, determined individuals within the community to help support our organisation. Coordinators are fundamental to the operations of the areas they operate in and help shape how MLE runs. For anyone interested in a Community Coordinator position or Marketing Coordinator position please read the Coordinator Information document linked in the Discord post. (Please note only Community & Marketing Coordinator positions are being considered at this moment). To apply for either position please fill out a form linked in the Discord post. Applications close at the end of this week so don’t delay!


MLE World Cup Mixer Champions Declared

Last Friday 16 illustrious nations, such as Brazil, China, North Korea and Zimbabwe were represented by MLE community members in the MLE World Cup Mixer… even a certain Presidential Bear who captain plucky underdogs to a respectful quarter-final appearance! In the end there could be only one winner and it was the mighty Poland represented by Miller_Ball_22, Oni & Rook who lifted the metaphorical trophy. Big GGs to everyone who turned up to play and those who organised the event. 


Alberta Rocket League Event

This “announcement” comes courtesy of MikeIsMyIke:

Attention Alberta MLE Members! Salt Mines 2019 is Calgary’s premier Esport tournament series and this year they’re adding a Rocket League 3v3 tournament! Full PC gaming setups will be provided on site, so you’ll only have to bring your own controller! The $30 competitor pass gets you entry into 20 different tournaments throughout the weekend including Rocket League, so you can play in as many events as you’d like! And if you’re a fan of Smash Bros, this is Alberta’s most stacked event yet! The event is held the weekend  August 3rd / 4th Full information can be found here https://smash.gg/tournament/salt-mines-2019/details or alternatively DM MikeIsMyIke for further info.


Final Word

Right folks this is it. Draft Week, the biggest week of Season 9 so far! To all those Free Agents looking to be drafted we wish you well. Some of you will be lucky and get drafted whilst otherwise will not and have to hope they get a chance during the season. To those that do fall into this second category don’t be too disheartened, each season there have been numerous opportunities to get picked up by a team during the season as players rank up, leave rosters, etc. So if you don’t get drafted it’s not the end of your season, far from it. There will also be plenty of community events throughout the season for you to enjoy as well.

As we approach draft weekend we would like to thank everyone who has helped push applications this past week. It was looking a little close to the line with some of the leagues in terms of player numbers but this past week we have seen a surge in applications and admissions into MLE and we would like to take this moment to thank everyone involved with making that happen, from the admissions team to those who simply helped promote MLE in anyway, your support is greatly appreciated.

So all that is left to do enjoy the rest of the week, be sure to tune into the MLE Network this weekend for the Awards Show and Drafts if you can. Those Drafts can be extensive affairs so I know the Broadcast team will appreciate your comments and support. 

Thanks for reading folks, until next time…

Have fun & peace out,

Minor League Esports

MLE News Update: Draft Lottery, Applications & More!

We are hot off the heels of last night’s Season 9 Draft Lottery, which saw our 32 Franchises learn their respective fates for the upcoming Drafts. With the Season 9 draft only a few weeks away there’s a lot of news to bring you all! So without delay here is the news…


Franchise Fates Decided

Last night the Draft order for each of the four leagues was decided on stream. But who did the wheel favour and who ended waiting till the end. Let’s find out…

It was the Sharks who got the luck of the draw in the Foundation League. This will be the Sharks first season in the Foundation league after not being involved in the inaugural season of the Foundation League in Season 8. The Pandas and Blizzard were next out of the hat at 2 & 3 respectively. For one of the founding franchises of MLE, the Elite, it wasn’t such good news as they got dealt the card of having to pick last in the upcoming draft. 

Foundation League Season 9 Draft Order

In the Academy League, 32 teams eagerly awaited to find out their fate and it was Season 7 Academy League runners-up, the Jets, who flew in as first pick. They will be hoping 1st pick will improve their fortunes after a tough Season 8. The Pandas once again struck lucky getting the 2nd pick again, drawing ahead of Season 6 & 7 Champions the Wizards. Last Seasons Champions, the Outlaws have a slight disadvantage going into the defence of their title being picked last but one, that “honour” falling to the Tyrants.

Academy League Season 9 Draft Order

With the Tyrants winning the Season 8 Champion League Championship in their inaugural season, the chances of them being picked first were slim but they again had the blow of having to pick last in the upcoming draft. On the flip side, the Spectre enter their 2nd season as a franchise with renewed optimism after being drawn first. They are followed by Season 6 Champions the Aviators in 2nd and the Outlaws in 3rd.

Champion League Season 9 Draft Order

And last not but not least the Premier League teams were informed of their place in the upcoming Draft. With the addition of 16 teams this season, their will be plenty of places up for grabs and it was the Bears who will get first pick. In bizarre circumstances the Pandas once again got drawn in 2nd & the Spartans received some luck from the wheel after being drawn lowly in the Academy & Champion League draws. Last seasons Champions, the Foxes, were last “out of the hat”, pipped to 31st place by the team they defeated, the Bulls, in last season’s Championship Final.

Premier League Season 9 Draft Order


Season 9 Important Dates

In case you missed last week’s Community News update don’t worry, here is a friendly reminder of a couple of important upcoming dates.

Draft Weekend, Saturday & Sunday 27th & 28th July 

Draft weekend is always an exciting and nervous time for those hoping to get picked up by one of the teams. Full times, details, etc. regarding the Draft Weekend will be released nearer the event. 

Season 9 start, Thursday 8th – Sunday 11th August

Week 1 of Season 9 is provisionally planned to start on the “second weekend” in August. Full fixtures and season structure will be released in the near future once details have been finalised.


Foundation League Players Wanted

MLE is a great place for players new to Rocket League or those looking to progress from the lower ranks. Many players who started out in Foundation league have improved their skills and rank, whilst having a lot of fun along the way, so if you are ranked Platinum 3 or below and are looking for a supportive & competitive environment, MLE is a great environment to develop… if we do say so ourselves. To apply for the chance to play in Season, click here.


Follow MLE

Did you know MLE has an Instagram account? MLE is present on several platforms so why not check us out and give us a follow.

Facebook: @MLEsportsGG

Instagram: mlesportsgg

Twitch: http://twitch.tv/mlesportsgg

Twitter: @MLEsportsgg

Website: https://mlesports.gg

YouTube: Minor League Esports


Final Word

With the Draft Lottery completed the 32 franchises will be hard at work trying to scout players ahead of the forthcoming drafts. Season 9 is on course to be the biggest yet and as these next couple of weeks unravel there will be lots of information to digest.

Don’t forget to keep out on league announcements for any updates, as well as the website and Twitter.

Thanks for reading, until next time…

 

Have fun & peace out,

Minor League Esports