Clan Malfunction vs. Campbusters:

CMF are so strong that I think it will be a triumph for CB if they can take even one game from shiva_the_destroyer_god and his manly finnish clanmates. CMF seem to have the desire to go down in QW history as one of the best squads to ever handle rocket launchers; utterly cutting their opponents to bits is all part of this. CB has one thing going for them: no one expects them to beat cMF. But I don't think cMF will go into the arena overly confident, they will just lubricate their manly rocket_launchers in a business-like manner and proceed to thrust them into any orifice on any CB player :p I hope that CB can prove me wrong, but I do expect this game to be a 2 game series for cMF. They seem to have that quiet confidence; and they appear hungry for battle and eager to feast among the spoils of their enemies! So watch out if fifi brings his fork and spoon... :p


=X= vs. Disorder:

X has the manly vladich playing; he is to X what pietro was for FF: a match_breaker. On dm3 this X squad must win. Then things will have to work out well in the lottery that is dm2; for I see no team taking down DS on e1m2 when they play with nabbe and aKKe_powah. If DS are to take this series, they will have to get a monster game from mrlame and riker on dm3; that is, I take for granted, that they will not relent on e1m2. X will be hoping that nabbe doesn't start to practice and that DS keeps to its rather lazy way of practising. DS will be in tough against X on dm2, for as mrlame once told me, "xhrl, dm2 is more of a 2on2 map". Which means of course that dm2 is a treacherous task master to play in 4v4 much like the sea is for a sailor, at one moment your crew seems in control of it, the next moment dm2 can be a blizzard_storm of activity all out of control. X is well aware of this fact about dm2 of course, but I think it is their best map to win this series on provided they can take dm3. I do think this series will be the most competitive and close of the first round match ups.


EarthQuake vs. FiringSquad:

FS will use the wooden_shoed_flying_dutchmen, that is blixm and reppie, to beat down these e2m7 experts.
I don't think the loss of blitz will affect FS on dm2 too much in this round. But I think drejfus will serve FS very well on dm2. EQ will not bring as much big game experience to this series as will these defending ClanBase Champions. Many I have talked to feel this FS squad is going to be in the final versus cMF. But I think FS has to settle down and just play each opponent on its own terms, EQ included. Listening to the cheering voices of the FS fans will not be a good thing; instead it will only inflat the FS sense of skill and perhaps lead them to underestimate an opponent. EQ is a worthy opponent and earned the right to stand among the elite; I think FS know this and will just go about its business with its feet snug in those wooden shoes, firmly on the ground. I should add that if EQ can take e1m2, FS may have trouble against EQ on dm2, the lottery map.


Slackers vs. AntiQuad:

ParadokS is out for the first round. That is what SR will have to deal with. I bet they will go all_Finnish against diki and the men of AntiQuad. I like AQ a lot. They play a solid game on each of tb3, though I fear it will not be enough to take down the Slackers even without ParadokS. My biggest concern about SR is their attitude of late as I witnessed it through the person of Goljat. When I questioned Goljat about playing X in the last regular season game, he merely answered, " no, it doesn't matter whether we finish 2nd or 3rd." Well this comment is exactly what guys like HangTime mean when they argue the playoffs devalue the importance of the regular season. What is more to my point here, however, is that this comment indicates a rather 'devil_may_care' attitude; and if this view is common among hib and the other SR players, then I can see SR heading out of the playoffs early. I used to think nerves were the SR_killer; now I am thinking indifference may kill the killer spirit of the most winning tdm "clan" over QW history. AQ may not realize it, but without a definite sense of purpose the Slackers, as it is the case with any clan, can easily be fragmented. Now, if I were one of those SR fans, I would actually hope that AQ gives them a solid series of games to rekindle that competitive desire and that sense of purpose in their victories. For if ParadokS' hand injury were actually serious, for example if his cut were to get infected or reopen, etc., then I think SR will need something to motivate them.

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