| |
| | |
|
After a long group stage and four rounds of playoffs we have finally reacher the final stage of the league. In the first exciting semifinal we watched how provi denied Purri the opportunity to reach the final game for the 4th time in a row. It took 5 maps to determine which one of the players had what it takes to play in the final and to surprise for many, it was provi who came out on the top.
Second semifinal between our defending champion Damiah and the swedish aim-machine zORRE was not as close match as the one between Purri and provi, but it was close nevertheless. ZORRE really kept a maximum pressure on Damiah on the first two maps and were not so far to win atleast one of them. Damiah who committed some amount of little mistakes really had to play until the very last moments on those maps to be sure of his win. The score 3:0 still describes what Damiah is up to: to take his third consecutive win in EDL and to continue his years of dominance in q2 dueling scene.
Read more and find out my personal predictions by clicking More and comments.
Seeing Damiah reaching the final game is nothing new for anyone, but it is something new for Provi to get that far. He has always been close but never he has been able to hit the jackpot. After finishing 4th in EDL#1, 3rd in EDL#2, skipping EDL#3 and now making his way all the way to final in EDL#4, I am sure he will not be happy to finish second. Simply the fact that he won Purri in the semifinal shows us how ready he is to challenge anyone there is to stand on his way. The opponent he gets for the final game is however not a person to be taken lightly. Damiah has been on the top of the duelling scene for years and is considered by many as the best 1on1 player quake2 has ever seen. Hes dominance in the duelling has been so tremendous that he - in fact - has not lost a single map in the last 11 games in EDL and his last defeat dates all the way back to 14th of march, 2004. That row of victories is now 27 games long and includes games versus opponents like Purri, Dimmo, zORRE, Bubkez, Assasin , Lucas and many more. Noone in the world can match to what Damiah has done, but will his magic fail him this time? Provi has nothing to loose and everything to win. He has aim that only few players can match or even come close to. He has the speed and experience of years of practise. He is ready and determined to go all the way to the victory.
Game like this is never easy to predict. If we look at the last seasons final between Damiah and Purri which was widely sucpected to be very even and tight and to go all the way to the 5th and deciding map, but instead it ended in crushing 3:0 victory for Damiah. If nothing before that had tought us to respect Damiah's skills in duelling, it was that game that opened everyones eyes. If even Purri can't win a single map versus this monster then WHO can? I think that there is noone who is as capable of beating Damiah as Provi is right now. Undoubtly Provi has developed his duelling skills to a whole new level and is now ready to challenge the so long undefeated champion - Damiah.
I will not guess the final score for the game because I feel that my guess does not matter a slightest bit, but I will give my odds for the winner on each map on our maplist.
q2rdm2 has always been a great map for both of the players but I think we can all agree that Damiah still is the favourite to win this one. He knows the spawns better than anyone else and he has the ability to break the opponents map control by some stunt he pulls out from his arse. I predict 60/40% odd for Damiah to win this one and I also predict that this map will be the number 1 mapchoice for Damiah.
q2rdm7 is not so played and popular as q2rdm2 is. It's a map of low amount of health and it favours the player with better aim. For me it is hard to predict the odds in this one since I have not seen Damiah's performance on this map, but after watching how Provi plays here, I think it is fair to predict that Provi has the odds in his side. 55/45% for Provi to win in here.
ptrip is a map that has been around since the early days of quake2. It is a map where everything is possible but it also happens to be a map where a skillful player can avoid being fragged even if the opponent has the total control of Red armor and RL. All it takes is sneakyness and good rail aim. Damiah has evolved his skills in this map a lot in the past two years and is now considered by many as one of the best players on it. However in my opinion he has not shown in it anything else than his skills to spawnfrag his clearly weaker opponent and he has not faced a real challenge on it at all. As an opponent Provi is totally of an different magnitude from the weak players Damiah has raped here and I suspect Provi to even have the upper hand in here. My odds are 55/45 in favour of Provi.
q2dm1 does not need any presentation. Neither of players do not need any presentation on this map. The both know it from the heart and the both know every little tiny detail of it even with eyes closed. Damiah and Provi facing here will be dream come true to many and I think that is exactly what we are going to see. Provi is most likely going to pick this map and in my opinion, it would not be a bad choice. Provi is a class 1 q2dm1 monster and if Damiah wants to beat him he really needs to show his best. My odds are 60/40% in favour of Provi.
q2dm2 is again in the map list and for me it is a shame. This map is the campers paradise and it bores me to death. BFG has no room in duels due to its nature - one shot can kill any enemy regardless of the amount of health and armor they are wearing. This is one of the strongest maps in favour of Damiah and my odds would be 65/35% for Damiah.
q2dm3 is really an oldschool duel map and has been played since the beginning of time. Purri has been the dominant star on this map for ages but that changed when Damiah showed what brains can do in a duel. Damiah is in my mind the favourite to win this one even though Provi might have something to say about that. My odds are 65/35% in favour of Damiah.
q2duel5, also known as "the polish map". Not very popular in scandinavian countries but it still is a strong map for both of our finalists. Due to the nature of the map, fast and furious, it should fit better for Provi than it does for Damiah. If Provi starts his dominance here, it won't be nice for any opponent. Damiah has the skills to put up a real fight for the win, but I still would give the odds in favour or Provi here. 65/35% are my odds.
ztn2dm2 has been hard map for Damiah previously and I think he does not like it too much. It is small and it is packed with lots of armor and health. Timing in this map is crucial and the one who is able to take the RL and Armor most is also most likely to win in here. Provi is good player in here and I would presume that he should have the odds in his side because he propably can overaim Damiah in here. 60/40% in favour of Provi.
ztn2dm3, the rage, has been very popular all around the europe. It is a map where aim is everything. Long corridors, open spaces, lots of armor and lots of health. The one who has better aim on a certain day will most likely win in here. I can't think of a person who has advantage here, so I will split my odds even and give both players the same opportunity to win. 50/50% is my prediction.
As said before, I will not say any particular score that I would predict this game to end, but I am pretty sure it will be a great, great game between two monsters of quake2. Tune in to #edl.q2 channel in thursday, watch the crowd roar and feel the heat of the excitement! The EDL champion is about the be crowned! | |
| | |
| |
| | |
|
| |
| | |
| |
| | |
|
You have to register/login first. Register | |
| | |
| |
)
no chances for Provi 
Wizard one of best duelers in .fi/world and tm of Provi know best in what shape is Provi now. 
great job sya
