[iCTF.I] Exceeding Expectations: ArchAngels

[Monk]

In this article we'll take a look at the progress of a team that has exceeded expectations in the season. I intend to make this a regular feature across the seasons, and it will hopefully not end up being a PACO promise ©.




In the inaugural edition of this feature it's the (It's a silent h, like ghost - appropriately). RickJames was actually probably one of the most experienced captains in the draft, so should have been a strong favourite to progress. However, a history of less successful teams and his assertion that he would be starting himself this season left many people doubting him. RJ's team got drafted into a group with choc, Berts Owned Well and Big Powerplay. Most people (myself included) had this team down as a no-hoper. In the two power rankings that were done by and , this team sat a lowly last and there was nobody outside of the ArchAngels putting their hand up to disagree with them.

Now we sit at the playoffs and RJ's team have themselves a quarter final match up against the Haymakers to prepare for. So lets take a look at how their season went and just how they proved all the doubters wrong.



Over the course of the season, RJ's reg team won all 3 of their matches. They lost 2 maps but always came through on the tiebreaker, and only 'Big Powerplay' having a 100% dev record denied the ArchAngels top spot in the group.

In week 1 RJ lined up against choc, a formidable looking team which a lot of people had high hopes for. ArchAngels got the better of them not once, but twice after the map debacle. In week 2 they went down a map early to the PP's before kyle got bored and went to the store - true story. After that they made kyle regret his decision to prioritise frozen pizza over his team mates and took the next two maps to see them all but qualify for the playoffs.

They sealed the deal in week 3 with yet another 3 mapper against the Berts on the tiebreaker BrokenLimits (a map they played in every match this season).

Lets take an in depth look at the underlying stats:





All of the numbers in the above tables are averages per map. The numbers in brackets for caps and assists are the totals across the regular season.

Unsurprisingly, we see snap at the top of the standings for efficiency on the team. He has averaged the most frags per map and died the least times. On the offence front, all 3 of them chipped in fairly evenly. Xeno's lack of deaths compared to gzt and Cy probably suggests that he has been doing the dirty work of falling back and helping out his defence. The team's average frag count is actually the 2nd lowest of all 16 teams in the regular season (may be affected by overtime).

On the flag kills front, clearly snap has been the stand out performer, as you'd expect from a first pick anchor defender. RJ has also been weighing in, and Cyrax and Xeno have been providing a fair bit of fall back with an average of nearly 6 flag kills per map.

Returns wise, snap has clearly decided to let RJ handle that, as he heads off to kill more people.

Cyrax has clearly been a big part of why this team has been so successful this season. Overlooked by many captains and devalued due to inactivity, Cy has been rolling back the years and currently sits at the top of the overall flag cap standings with 10 caps so far this season. Infact, looking at the capture counts for the whole team gives a clue as to how this team has been playing and how they have been successful. They are the highest capping team in the tournament so far with 26 - 6 above 2nd place (Lethal Formula).

Gzt's contribution to the team hasn't gone unnoticed either. Often the subject of favourable words on the streams as we catch him pulling off yet another cap making play, gzt has a whopping 8 assists to go with his 6 caps, and has therefore contributed to 14/26 of this teams caps.

When he isn't busy assisting or capping, gzt has also found time to be the joint highest coverer on the team. The fact that snap is also tied with him for cover counts suggests that snap has also been helping out the offence when he has the chance with some timely pushups.

On the flag grabs front, Cy of course leads the way with a stunning average of over 17 per map. Gzt is a little further behind with roughly 12 per map, and Xeno's 5.5 is lower than his average flag grabs meaning he's a fame lucker.

Flag pickups is where gzt has come into his own. Clearly, this team have had good comms on offence as gzt has been able to pick up the flag nearly 3 times per map after it was dropped by his team mates. In fact every other member of the team has also contributed in this department, as the team has worked together to bring those flags home - even RJ on D has contributed to 6 caps so far.

Lastly, a quick look at the killing sprees per map is unsurprising to see snep at the top as he is playing as a defender. RJ will be disappointed to have less than all 3 of his attackers, but it hasn't made a difference so far.



Next up, RJ's team actually play against a team who had a worst reg record than themselves, as they lost their opening game of the season - The Haymakers. It should be a very interesting match up. On paper, the Steel Rummy combo looks like one of the best offences this season, and the results show that the ArchAngels have the best offence so far this season. With both teams having considerably more invested in their offence than their defence, we should have an aggressive entertaining game on our hands at 5pm EST on Sunday.

This team that everybody wrote off as having no hope managed to not lose a single reg match, a record bettered only by AdapT. There's no reason to start doubting them now, and if form is anything to go by then you wouldn't bet against this team heading to a semi final.

[RickJames]

Thanks for this! Love seeing this kind of thing

Really love my team m8s and excited about the upcoming matches

[snap]

Great roundup Monk

I must say my team also exceeded my expectations. At first I wasn't sure about RickJames as my defense partner. I guess because we haven't played much together in the past I wasn't sure what to expect. But looking back at the league games we've played so far he really did a good job. Fragwise he might stay a little behind but he makes up for that with excellent coms and making the important shots.

Our offense is in good balance. Cyrax is like an assassin: he's in and out with the flag before you know it. Gzt will be there for cover and deals the most damage, but also runs flags properly which make them a good duo. Xeno is our controlling attacker and provides the necessary fallback. But he also manages to keep the pressure on enemy defense. Another quality is his zen way of keeping team spirit high.

As for me, I think I did alright but I'm not performing at my best. Also had some server problems and the tunnel has been screwing me over several times now. Besides that I'm really enjoying this season!

[KillEmAll]

Great read Monk and Good job ArchAngels.

[flowX]

gj

[rain]

Great writeup!

[kud]

grats rj & co. good read monk

[snap]

Thanks for this season guys. Really enjoyed it shame it's over now. GGWP haymakers.

[Bas]

yea u guys were excellent best oppo so far this season was so close thanks for a good game!

[kE-]

is this the start of the "exceeding expectations write=up by monk" curse?

pls dont make one of pp monk pls

[Steel]

Incredibly stout offense. Haven't had to play that scummy in years. GGWP.

[InfamousRaider]