Reflections on Border Battle - Part 1

    The much-anticipated Border Battle at Commando Paintball was well worth the wait. This was an extremely exciting event in all divisions with many surprises and some astounding upsets. Players and fans alike were thrilled with the exciting matches and the great sponsor prizes that were handed out during the always delightful pod tosses. A special thanks to all of the sponsors, Commando Paintball and the amazing BuyPBL and CXBL staff that made this event a hit! 

 Sunday's Pod Toss

Sunday's Pod Toss

CX4 player Klayton Morris collecting his GoPro Hero II camera from Eric Mayeu, GoPro representative

CXBL Elite

Most exciting game to watch – Medonte Ntwo Factor Vs. Tremblant Cowboys

     Few predicted the correct outcome for this match. Everyone who I spoke to thought that without a doubt Tremblant’s pros would easily manage a win over Medonte’s former MXL players. I, however, had a gut feeling that Medonte was ready for a big win and I must admit that I was absolutely thrilled to see these guys step up and prove their strength during this match! While this event had many exciting matches, this one was not only exciting but also the biggest upset of the season so far.

     I am sure that the spectators and Cowboys alike were shocked to see Ntwo swoop in and take the first point of the game. Tremblant quickly came back to take the following point leaving the score at a 1-1 tie with 19 minutes remaining in the half. It was amazing to watch Medonte throughout this half; they began most points with 3 or 4 players alive in their bunkers and played smart paintball, making key bumps which allowed them the upper hand. So much so that Cowboys were forced to towel the next 5 points leaving Medonte at a 6-1 lead with less than 2 minutes left in the half. At this point in the match, Medonte’s Alex Lyness let his emotions get the best of him, shooting at the mesh toward the Cowboys’ pits, earning himself a match misconduct. Lyness was suspended from play and the committee is to review his misconduct this week to determine the extent of his suspension. Shortly after Lyness’ major penalty, Medonte took a minor penalty which allowed Tremblant to take the final two points of the first half leaving the match at a 6-3 lead for Medonte. Continuing to make the most of Ntwo’s penalty, Tremblant took the first point of the second half and used their momentum to take another two points bringing the match to an exciting 6-6 tie with less than ten minutes remaining. Medonte wasn’t willing to roll over and allow the bigger names to take their hard earned game. They came back strong forcing Cowboys to towel 3 more points. This meant that Tremblant would need to take 4 points in just over 2 minutes to manage a win over Medonte. Ntwo did not allow this to happen. They played an aggressive point with Medonte’s Tom Guest running the flag in with only 1 second to spare; A beautiful ending to an astounding match. Ntwo, I raise my glass to you on a well-earned win! I am sure victory has never tasted so sweet!

 Medonte Ntwo Factor

Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski

Most surprising game – Mirabel Impact Vs. Scarborough Hustle

     While, admittedly I picked Hustle for the win here, it wasn’t Mirabel’s success that surprised me but rather the point spread at the end of this match. Theoretically, this should have been two well-matched teams competing and one would expect a tight game with a small point spread. This match started off as one would expect - with the two teams going back and forth with point wins and minor penalties leaving the score at 3-2 for Impact with six minutes remaining in the first half.  However, the six minute mark proved to be the tipping point as Hustle took two minor penalties in close succession forcing them to towel two points to Impact ending the first half with Scarborough trailing by 3. Hustle went on to towel the first four points of the second half with Keith Choi taking a major penalty. Thanks to their aggressive and sometimes unpredictable style of play, Impact went on to win yet another point leaving them with a 10 – 2 lead with less than 9 minutes remaining in the second half. In a long 5 minute point, Hustle’s Brett Robinson took a 5 minute major but the team still pulled through forcing Impact to towel the point. The match sat at 10-3 Impact with 4 minutes remaining on the clock and this is precisely where they would finish as neither team took another point. As I said, it wasn’t Impact’s win that was surprising as I think most would agree that these two teams should have been well matched. Instead, it was the fact that Impact won by a whopping 7 points that made this match such a surprise.

 Impact's Marc-Andre Caron and Sebastien Dubois

Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski

Most Impressive team at this event – Windsor Lockdown

     Lockdown’s former Rage players are easily some of Ontario’s best. They are strong, smart paintballers who know when to play conservatively and when to be more aggressive. Sure, they have a lot of egos and many of them are known for taking penalties due to their aggressive nature but overall, these guys live and breathe this sport and they know what it takes to win. For several years, they have been highly competitive in Canadian paintball making them the team to beat. That being said, even the strongest in Ontario felt the need to bring in some help from the states and prior to this event, they added a line of Damage players. In some ways, this brought even more strength to their team and they confidently rolled through Drummondville Daytona, Scarborough Hustle, and despite a slow start, Mirabel Impact with some significant point spreads.

     While they certainly proved a force to be reckoned with in the above matches, in my opinion, their American help became more of a hindrance in their match against Cowboys. It is an absolute shame to see Ontario’s best warming the bench (so-to-speak) rather than running in points as they should. If I remember correctly, the former Rage players took the field for about 3 points throughout Lockdown’s match against Tremblant and I am sure you will agree that this match was not typical “Rage ball”. In fact, I would argue that had the Canadian talent had more opportunities on the field, playing their typical smart yet more aggressive style, this match may have ended differently. Lockdown is an impressive team but they were already impressive without their Damage players. I suspect that without the added help, they could have gone 4 and 0 this event. I am certain few would disagree that the event 1 Lockdown line up could have certainly accomplished the wins against Daytona, Hustle, and Impact. I am also confidant that had they played their typical style of paintball, they would have enjoyed a close win over Cowboys also. As I said, it was terrible to see some of Canada’s best holding down the pits rather than fighting it out on the field. I hope to see some good ole’ Rage ball again at Elite Event 3.

 Windsor Lockdown

Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski

Weakest team – Scarborough Hustle 

     Honestly, I wish that I could be writing about a different team. After Hustle’s struggles at Elite event 1, I sincerely thought that they would take what they learned and come back stronger than everyone expected at Border Battle. Undoubtedly, Hustle played some incredibly challenging teams this event including: Tremblant Cowboys, Windsor Lockdown, and Kitchener Recon. As a result, they suffered some significant losses at this event including a 14 point spread against Cowboys and an 18 point spread against Lockdown. Hustle certainly has some good players but they lack the depth required to compete in this highly competitive division. The team’s plus/minus is sitting at -72 which certainly puts them in the lowest seating and will likely leave them fighting against relegation. Next event, they face Medonte (who certainly proved their strength at Border Battle), and Rockstar. The Rockstar match may be their only hope of a win this season. In fact, this will be THE match to see who will be relegated – Hustle or Rockstar. 

 Hustle's Brett Robinson

Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless

Team to watch out for at event 3 AND team to most surpass expectations- Medonte Ntwo Factor

    I am certain that no one will disagree that Medonte proved their strength and determination at Border Battle. Coming up at Elite event 3, Medonte faces Scarborough Hustle and Windsor Lockdown. I have no doubts that this team can manage a significant win over Hustle and their win over Cowboys suggests that with continued hard work and few to no penalties, they have what it takes to beat Lockdown as well. This team has been highly under-rated this season and they will continue to allow their passion and determination to colour their matches with success.

 Medonte Team Chat

Photo Credit: Dale Brezinski

Other reflections:

     I am not sure about you, but I love to see a good solid penalty call now and then. Like any competitive sport, we can expect to see some cheating and some aggression out on the field and it can be oh-so-satisfying to see the red and yellow flags fly for penalties (especially when it happens to be your competition spending time in the box)! Out of mere curiosity, I’ve done some research to find out just how much time teams are spending in the box. Here are the teams listed from most penalty minutes to fewest thus far in the season. Some interesting stats if you ask me! 

1.       Scarborough Hustle

      Matches Played: 6

      Penalty Minutes: 54

2.       Medonte Ntwo Factor

      Matches Played: 6

      Penalty Minutes: 48

3.       Windsor Lockdown

      Matches Played: 6

      Penalty Minutes: 46

4.       Drummondville Daytona

      Matches Played: 5

      Penalty Minutes: 39

5.       Toronto Rockstar

      Matches Played: 6

      Penalty Minutes: 37

6.       Mirabel Impact

      Matches Played: 6

      Penalty Minutes: 32

7.       Kitchener Recon

      Matches Played: 5

      Penalty Minutes: 25

8.       Cambridge Raiders

      Matches Played: 6

      Penalty Minutes: 25

9.       Vancouver Thunder

      Matches Played: 4

      Penalty Minutes: 22

10.     Tremblant Cowboys

      Matches Played: 4

      Penalty Minutes: 2

Well, that’s all for today folks! 

Signing off,

The Paintball Wife

P.S. Just in case you were wondering, out of the 13 CXBL Elite matches, I predicted the correct outcome for 10 of them including the little expected Medonte win over Cowboys. Not bad if I do say so myself!