Thursday, July 25, 2013

Reflections on Border Battle 2K13 - Part 3



RXL
                The RXL division switched things up a bit at Border Battle with an exciting mix of close matches and stomp shows. The top teams have maintained their positions while the bottom teams have shifted slightly. It will be interesting to see if there are any upsets at Event 3 as the season draws to a close and teams look forward to NAX. 

Most Surprising Game – Essex Distortion VS. Guelph Silence

                After last event, Essex was tied for the lead in the RXL division with Silence rounding out the bottom of the pack. While I thought for certain that Guelph would come out strong this event, I didn’t expect this match to be such a close one. Silence is after all the only team to have lost to Vaughn in the 2013 season. Additionally, Distortion had already had one tight match against Rampage earlier in the day which should have added fuel to their fire. Either way, this game was surprisingly close with a final score of 8-7 for distortion. 

Strongest Team at this Event – Joyceville Hustlers


  Hustler's Chris America
Photo Credit - Sheldon Carless
     I wouldn’t say that Hustlers came out overwhelmingly strong this event, stomping teams like they did at Event 1. However, they pulled out wins against Demolition and Beast Mode, proving they still belong at the top of the RXL standings. Joyceville will have the absolute pleasure of facing off against 420 Army and Vaughn Vipers at Event 3 where I suspect we will see them stepping up their game just for the fun of boosting their +/- to secure their position as 1st in the central division before heading into NAX!

Weakest Team at this Event – Vaughn Vipers


  Vipers' Billy Jones
Photo Credit- Sheldon Carless
        It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that Vipers have found their way to the bottom of the RXL barrel as this was their position throughout the entire 2012 season. However, I did expect more from them this year – especially considering the amount of experienced players added to their roster this year. It seems the ridiculous amount of penalties Vipers have taken is a little counter-productive to winning. Who would’ve guessed?  

Team to watch out for at Event 3 – Niagara Rampage and Brockville BeastMode


   Niagara's James Kraft
Photo Credit - Sheldon Carless
     Ahem. Can I take a second to give myself a little pat on the back? I told you all that Rampage would be your team to watch at Border Battle and these boys did not disappoint! First of all, they didn’t just win against Vaughn Vipers, they squashed them like a little bug with an 11-0 win! Then they proceeded to give Distortion a run for their money coming out of that match down by 1 point in Essex’s tight 6-5 win. Niagara is on what I’d like to call…wait for it…a RAMPAGE! 


   BeastMode VS. Vipers
Photo Credit: Sheldon Carless
             BeastMode has been quietly sitting on the bubble all season long. These guys have only lost to the top two teams in the RXL division and have taken some close wins over Silence and 420 Army. It looks like they are getting bored of being quiet though as they certainly made some noise when they beat the King City Royals 12-4 at Border Battle. I won’t be surprised to see them feast on Vipers at Event 3 but their match against Niagara will be worth the watch!

Team to Most Surpass Expectations – Guelph Silence

                Guelph’s losses at Event 1 were not enough to leave this team feeling defeated and ready to give up. Instead, Silence came back at Border Battle and brought with them their a-game. In their match over the King City Royals, Silence was silent no more! The Guelph group gave the Royals a good old fashioned beating with a 13-4 win and then went on to put up a solid fight against Distortion. I expected Guelph to bring a little more gusto to Event 2, but they truly outdid themselves! I do suspect that they will be playing for a win against 420 Army at Event 3 but Niagara will be a very challenging match for them. Who knows, maybe they will continue to surpass expectation! 

Signing off, 
The Paintball Wife

P.S.  My RXL predictions were pretty accurate. 8 for 8 in terms of wins and losses - although, the point spreads were not quite what I imagined!

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