With all of the group fixtures finally coming to a close, the KGL Pro League has moved into the elimination phase, where four teams will battle it out for the number one spot.

Even though it might not consist of the teams that immediately spring to mind when you hear the word "pro", the elimination bracket of the KGL Pro League still contains some fierce competitors. All of the teams involved will be wanting to showcase themselves and show that they are pushing into the top tier positions in the UK, behind FragMasters TOXIC and Epsilon.

The elimination brackets are to be played out in a best-of-three single elimination format, whereby one team will emerge victorious to claim to £150 prize. The losers in the first round will go into a third place play off to determine the final standings of the playoffs. Here are my predictions as to how they will end up.

TwistedPlay.H2O

ShiGeru, PEZ, fearLess, Callisto, w1p

TwistedPlay.H2O have passed through the group stages unscathed, without losing a single game and with the game against their only first place rivals, BBoMM, finalising with a default draw, it is still somewhat unpredictable how the team are currently performing online. The team managed to make it into the semi-finals of the 4th EPS season with a slightly different lineup, but the recent addition of PEZ seems to have cemented them into an even better form, with a great 4th place finish at the most recent iSeries.

Unfortunately for them, LAN and online are two contrasting environments, meaning sure-wins could become narrow losses, or in the favor of others definite losses could become soaring victories. As a team that seems to thrive on the LAN environment, TP.H2O may not meet expectations in the online battlefield, however, coming in as one of the most experienced line-ups in the elimination phase they will be looking to show that they have what it takes to compete with some of the big dogs in the game by overcoming their opposition to bag the number one spot.


TwistedPlay's recent addition at work

Player to watch: Luke "fearLess" Morris

I feel that fearLess has become a slighlty underrated player, as I firmly believe that he could be one of the greatest on-form players in the UK. He has shown great individual performances at i42 as well as versus Epsilon in the online qualifiers, and he can certainly bring about game changing momentum if he steps up to the mark. If fearLess comes into the games with the form he has been showing recently, I fear that there is not much that can be done to prevent them from smashing their way through to a 1st place finish.

Prediction: 1st

Bindips Band of Merry Men

Tucker, quiver, acky, peakz, debaser

BBoMM have been together since November last year without a single change up in the roster, meaning they should have impeccable teamwork and the capabilities to push their way past any contenders, however, they have recently shown mixed performances managing to only finish 8th at i42, where they beat Team Dignitas heavily only to lose out to fellow qualifiers, Link Gaming. This was a large contrast from the 2nd place finishes they achieved at the two events prior to it, though granted the attendance at those events left much to be desired.

Like TP.H2O, the band of merry men are also unbeaten due to the default tie at the end of the season, therefore meaning that they will be looking to prove that their slip-ups at the iSeries were a one time thing and that they are in fact capable of making an appearance in the final. Unfortunately, I think they may be stuck with the silver medal yet again.

Player to watch: Tom "quiver" Griffiths

Tom used to be one of the best awpers that the UK could offer, however, since playing in BBoMM I feel that his form has somewhat dipped slightly and that he may have been under performing compared to his "usual" standard. This may just be due to him being overshadowed by the mad-fraggers that are debaser and acky, however Tom really needs to start stepping up to show his worth in the BBoMM side. If he can pull himself back up to par he will be able to plow through any side like an over sized wrecking ball.

Prediction: 2nd

Link Gaming

jagg, batham, bashx, mini, z3d

Over six months ago, seeing the likes of Jack "jagg" Graham on the front page of Cadred would have been laughable, however in the last 5 months he and his group of up and comers having been turning heads as they smashed their way through teams that should have shut them out with ease. With two top 5 finishes at their last two events, as well as a now guaranteed top 4 in the KGL Pro League, Link Gaming have shown that putting the effort in will get you far.

Having recently had another roster change and picking up a very talented awper in the form of bash, many will be keen to see if the experience that he brings will brush off onto the team and see their improvements continue. However, with him being a very new addition I can firmly bet that their practice has been limited. If they manage to step up and bash performs well, Link could definitely be strong contenders for this tournament.

Player to watch: Andrew "bashx" Christodoulou

Link Gaming have been without a solid awper since their formation, and despite their decent performances at the last few events, it will be good to see if bringing in a consistent awper will push them up the ranks even further. Bash only recently stepped into the team, but having a podium finish at i39 as well as coming 4th in the 3rd season of the EPS, he is definitely capable of taking Link to the next level. He has consistently been a key player for the teams he has been a part of managing to get MVP nominations at many of his past events, meaning he could potentially be the difference between 1st and 3rd place for Link.

Prediction: 3rd


Link Gaming at the recent iSeries

TwistedPlay.ZOWIE

Gom8z, zesty, maarc, arf, bramley

The TwistedPlay fans amongst you will be pleased to know that TwistedPlay have two teams present in the final four of the KGL Pro League. Gom8z and his group of old-schoolers have managed to make it to the elimination after topping their group, managing to take down Link Gaming in the process. With the former CSA legend arf as well as some other talented players they have shown that they might not quite be "has-beens" just yet.

I feel they may come into the brackets as the unknown quantity, as they are perfectly capable, on their day, to take down any one of the other teams present. If they put the effort in and make sure they keep their hours up they may manage to win a game, however, with it being a best of three one lucky win wont quite cut it, they are going to have to take two maps in a row.

Player to watch: Mark "maarc" Hammond

Mark failed to impress at Epic LAN 5 where he and the rest of the former TLR players fell short of expectations. He has recently made his way back home to the warmth of the TwistedPlay community where he may feel a bit more comfortable, possibly allowing him to reach the same level of performance that he did back when he played with planet6. I have high hopes for Mark, and I hope he manages to turn some heads, however, I do not believe that TwistedPlay.ZOWIE will make it any higher than fourth place.

Prediction: 4th