May 11, 2018May 11, 2018 by Nolan Evans

SMITE Masters: Spacestation Gaming day two recap

In the second matchup of North American vs European teams this season, Europe once again came out the victors.

In similar fashion to their regional scrim partners eUnited, Spacestation Gaming lost their quarterfinal set against Team Dignitas 2-1 at the SMITE Masters LAN event. The loss places Spacestation into the losers bracket in the tournament, giving them a win or go home, three-set path to the final. That path will potentially include yet another face-off between Spacestation and eUnited, two teams that know each other well. However, Spacestation must first get past the Latin American representatives in Nocturns Gaming, a team that looked the strongest in a relatively weak international field.

Game 1 – (Dig)

SSG picks:

Solo: Ryan “Aquarius” Oh Neill – Achilles (2/2/6)

Jungle: Andrew “andinster” Woodward – Ravana (3/1/7)

Mid: Woonyoung “Baskin” Kim – Poseidon (2/2/7)

Support: Rosario “JeffHindla” Vilardi – Sylvanus (1/2/7)

ADC: John “BaRRaCCuDDa” Salter – Jing Wei (3/4/5)

SSG bans: Terra, Sobek, Hercules, Fafnir

DIG picks:

Solo: Harry “Variety” Cumming – Aphrodite (1/3/4)

Jungle: Anders “QvoFred” Korsbo – Serqet (4/2/3)

Mid: Joakim “Zyrhoes” Verngren – Janus (1/0/5)

Support: Jeppe “Trixtank” Gylling – Amaterasu (0/2/7)

ADC: Kenny “Arkkyl” Kuska – Rama (5/4/6)

DIG bans: Athena, Ullr, Geb, Artemis

In order for Spacestation to have won this game, they needed to get off to a strong start. The picks they made were all about the early pressure, with the hopes of snowballing to a quick and decisive victory.

Dignitas on the other hand drafted a dream late game composition. Their main goal was to keep it close until Aphrodite, Rama and Amaterasu could take over the game.

Unfortunately for Spacestation, they were not able to build a large enough lead to avoid going to the late game. Dignitas won the objective war, securing two Gold Furies, zero Pyromancers, and two Fire Giants. Spacestation however secured only one Gold Fury, two Pyromancers, and one Fire Giant.

This back and forth close action was exactly what Dignitas wanted, as they were able to take complete control of the game around the 30 minute mark.

QvoFred on Serqet proved to be a real thorn in Spacestation’s side. However, it was Variety’s superb play on Aphrodite that will leave a sour taste in Spacestation’s mouth.

Spacestation had the opportunity to snowball on Aphrodite’s weak early game, but Aquarius and andinster were not able to turn their pressure into invades to put the squishy mage far enough behind. That failure led to Dignitas closing out the game in 38 minutes.

Player of the game: Variety

Game 2 – (SSG)

SSG picks:

Solo: Ryan “Aquarius” Oh Neill – Achilles (4/4/5)

Jungle: Andrew “andinster” Woodward – Serqet (9/1/9)

Mid: Woonyoung “Baskin” Kim – Apollo (8/3/10)

Support: Rosario “JeffHindla” Vilardi – Sylvanus (0/2/13)

ADC: John “BaRRaCCuDDa” Salter – Hachiman (3/3/11)

SSG bans: Janus, Terra, Ravana, Ratatoskr

DIG picks:

Solo: Harry “Variety” Cumming – Sobek (1/2/10)

Jungle: Anders “QvoFred” Korsbo – Nemesis (10/3/2)

Mid: Joakim “Zyrhoes” Verngren – Discordia (1/6/4)

Support: Jeppe “Trixtank” Gylling – Fafnir (1/6/6)

ADC: Kenny “Arkkyl” Kuska – Rama (0/7/7)

DIG bans: Athena, Ullr, Jing Wei, Artemis

The story of game two was all about Spacestation’s ability to invade Dignitas’s red buff. Repeatedly, Spacestation was able to group to get a four man invade into the Dignitas left side jungle, coming away with kills and the coveted buff.

Their strategy not only gave them a lead, but gave them pressure on the left side of the map. This pressure turned into complete objective control, as Spacestation secured all three Gold Furies in the game.

QvoFred and Variety did all they could to keep Dignitas in the game, but andinster on Serqet was too much for Dig to handle. The initiation, mobility and burst damage that Serqet provides could not be adequately countered by either team in this set.

Ultimately it was Baskin piloting Apollo that denied Dignitas from two Fire Giant attempts, allowing Spacestation to build their lead and close out the game in 33 minutes.

Player of the game: andinster

Game 3 – (DIG)

SSG picks:

Solo: Ryan “Aquarius” Oh Neill – Achilles (1/3/0)

Jungle: Andrew “andinster” Woodward – Ravana (1/7/2)

Mid: Woonyoung “Baskin” Kim – Jing Wei (0/2/0)

Support: Rosario “JeffHindla” Vilardi – Sylvanus (0/2/2)

ADC: John “BaRRaCCuDDa” Salter – Jing Wei (1/5/0)

SSG bans: Janus, Terra, Amaterasu, Aphrodite

DIG picks:

Solo: Harry “Variety” Cumming – Sobek (1/0/7)

Jungle: Anders “QvoFred” Korsbo – Serqet (11/0/7)

Mid: Joakim “Zyrhoes” Verngren – Thoth (2/2/11)

Support: Jeppe “Trixtank” Gylling – Kumbhakarna (1/0/14)

ADC: Kenny “Arkkyl” Kuska – Rama (4/1/10)

DIG bans: Athena, Ullr, Apollo, Poseidon

It was the QvoFred show in game three. In a third straight game of Serqet dominating the field, QvoFred was able to do anything he wanted. His early gank on duo lane completely shut down Spacestation’s strategy of invading Dignitas’s red buff, and ultimately gave Dignitas complete control of the map.

Without the same level of pressure and map control as in game two, Spacestation quickly lost in both kills and objectives. Wherever QvoFred went, a kill was likely soon to follow him, as he was involved in 18 of Dignitas’s 19 kills in a 23 minute game.

This game was a sloppy performance by Spacestation, closing out an entertaining set in a disappointing fashion for the top North American seed.

Player of the game: QvoFred

Takeaways

Spacestation showed that while they are capable of putting forth a competitive set against European competition, they still are not able to take that next step to win. Games one and two were close games that could have gone either way, but game three was all Dignitas.

While Baskin did not have a bad set, Dignitas was able to do enough to keep him from controlling the game in games one and three.

Don’t expect andinster to go back to the Ravana for the rest of the tournament. While the god itself is not bad in the jungle, two straight poor performances will likely force Spacestation to look at other options.

High mobility was king in this set. Gods like Serqet, Amaterasu, Apollo and Janus dominated their respective roles. Expect to see a lot more of this style going forward.

Double hunter and four physical compositions proved to be viable in game two. With the strength of anti-tank items and the objective shred capability of hunters, having a balance of magical burst damage is not necessarily required in this meta. Look for Spacestation to go back to this strategy later in the tournament.

BaRRaCCuDDa looked to be refreshed in his first LAN set of the season. After struggling to provide an impact throughout much of the spring split, the North American ADC showed flashes of greatness in games one and two.

If Spacestation wants to keep their LAN dreams alive, they can’t afford to have a repeat of their game three performance.

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Top image courtesy of Hi-Rez Studios.

April 23, 2018 by Brian Quisenberry

Week Six: Luminosity Gaming’s Current Standing

With only one week left to go in the spring split, Luminosity Gaming has continued to show time and again that they deserve their spot in the pros. Unfortunately, with only the top two teams moving on to Masters in May, it’s unlikely that LG will be moving on for the spring split. That said, matches have been very even in North America versus the European rankings with every team performing remarkably well. Let’s take a look at the moving parts and see how the Luminosity machine is running as we move into week six.

Solo

What started out as a very safe, slow solo lane has slowly evolved as Ismael “KikiSoCheeky” Torres has become more comfortable with what his team can handle. His god picks have remained fairly consistent, favoring guardians such as Artio and Cerberus over more traditional warrior picks. With how strong magical gods and assassins presently are this is not terribly surprising, but it’s always exciting to see.

Mid

Keegan “Keegsmate” Twoeagle has been one of the most interesting players to follow this season. After transitioning from console, he has continued to show that he can just as easily contend on the PC. While he’s no Baskin, Keegs is certainly no slouch either. His form on god picks such as Poseidon and Scylla have been impressive to watch. He consistently brings the damage for the team and has no problem following up on opportunities when presented. You can see a great example of this from week five’s match up against Splyce. The Kraken follow-ups on Poseidon to NotGeno’s Dharmic Pillars on Ganesha to keep Divios’ Cerberus shut down during team fights were masterful.

Carry

Conor “Clout” Roberts, formerly Vetium, is a relatively fresh face but no stranger to the scene. While never underperforming, much like the rest of his team, he has continued to improve with each passing week. With picks like Sol and Hachiman, he has continuously brought the pressure in dual lane. Clout has shown he has no problem out pressuring his opponents and certainly deserves his spot on the team. It’s refreshing to see the new blood, Clout and Keegs, holding their own in North America.

Support

Michael “NotGeno” Lukashin, the support of Luminosity, has been a solid foundation for the team. With regular god picks of Athena and Sylvanus, Geno has done well applying pressure and keeping his teammates alive consistently. Between Geno and Kiki, the amount of sustain these two are putting out makes it difficult to take down LG when they come together for late game pushes. The biggest concern with Luminosity has been reaching that comfort zone as a team, and Geno is certainly there. He knows when to initiate, when to setup, and when he needs to protect his team to secure objectives or get them out of a fight.

Jungle

Kurt “Weak3n” Schray has made a very interesting transition in the weeks since the spring split began. When Luminosity started the season, they were a team finding a way to work around Weak3n. His Arachne was dominating the jungle, and his team was helping to make sure he could secure those gank opportunities. Now, while still a strong component to the team, Weak3n is more of a utility and less the whole tool. Given the opportunity though, Weak3n excels at his role. Not only that, he has been one of the few players to utilize Achilles to great result. Should he continue to show how dangerous he can be with the Hero of the Trojan War, it will be difficult for opponents to find a way to keep him from dominating in the jungle.

Week Six

This coming week, Luminosity will have their rematch with eUnited. The defending champions didn’t look too strong earlier in the season when they faced off but have returned to fighting form. Much of whether or not LG can secure another victory against EU will be that team element. Both teams have players that have proven they can excel in their individual roles. Who can make the better calls and is able to secure more objectives will be the deciding factor. The way that Luminosity has shaped up coming onto the scene , it won’t be easy match for eUnited.

You can find all of the hot plays during week six live on Mixer. The broadcast will be streamed exclusively through the SmiteGame channel on Mixer.

You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Brian Quisenberry.

April 23, 2018April 23, 2018 by Nolan Evans

SPL: Spacestation Gaming week six preview

After clinching their spot for the SMITE Masters LAN event last week, Spacestation Gaming (7-1) is primed to play spoiler for the remaining teams in the sixth and final week of SPL spring split action.

Image courtesy of esports.smitegame.com

Counter Logic (4-4), eUnited (4-4) and Trifecta (5-3) all have an opportunity to secure the second and final North American spot for the spring LAN in May. Both eUnited and Trifecta face off against Spacestation this week in a rematch of week one sets. Along with playing spoiler, Spacestation has the chance to clinch the first seed in North America this week with a single set win.

Much has changed since the teams played in week one, with both eUnited and Trifecta turning their seasons around. With Spacestation in their way, neither team will have an easy path into SMITE Masters. Trifecta controls their own destiny with their goal being to win and they’re in. eUnited on the other hand will require some help from Spacestation, Counter Logic or Splyce in conjunction with victories in their final two sets to secure their spot.

eUnited: Apr. 27, 2018 6:45 ET

Solo – Aquarius (SSG) vs BENJI (eun)

Ryan “Aquarius” Oh Neill has more than proven himself to be a stud solo laner for Spacestation this season. Week after week, the 19 year old Canadian has turned in a solid performance. This culminated last week in a dominating game two against Counter Logic, proving that he is capable of carrying the team out of the solo lane, solidifying himself as a top two solo laner in North America.

This week he will be tasked with going up against the other player in the top two discussion in Ben “Benji” Mckinzey. Benji has been the most consistent member for eUnited this year, and his presence is sure to be felt in this pivotal matchup against Aquarius. This is an incredibly close matchup that ultimately goes in eUnited’s favor.

Most contested god: Cerberus

Advantage: eUnited

Jungle – Andinster (ssg) vs screammmmm (eun)

For eUnited, success is heavily tied to their jungler Lucas “Screammmmm” Spracklin. Inconsistency issues that have plagued his career have resurfaced in season five, leading to a shaky split for eUnited. When he is on his game it is not hard to argue for him as one of the best players in the world. Going into the most important week of the season, Michael “PolarBearMike” Heiss is going to need to make sure Screammmmm is in the right mindset to avoid a devastating loss.

Going up against Andrew “andinster” Woodward is going to require Screammmmm to play a mistake free set if eUnited wants to win. The Spacestation jungler has had a fantastic set in the spring and looks to have found his old form. This game may come down to which jungler shows up on Friday, and in a close matchup the advantage goes to eUnited.

Most contested god: Nemesis

Advantage: eUnited

Mid – baskin (ssg) vs venenu (eun)

This split, Woonyoung “Baskin” Kim has proven himself to be on the shortlist for best player in the world. While that discussion is tricky, the discussion for best North American mid laner is not. Baskin has performed clearly above his competition this split, cementing himself as the best at his role.

This week he will be in for a tough matchup against the reigning SWC MVP Brandon “Venenu” Casale. Both players are going to play an aggressive style that should provide a lot of action in the game. However, Venenu looks to simply be outclassed in a matchup of that style, and he will need help from his team to keep Baskin from carrying Spacestation to victory.

Most contested god: Janus

Advantage: Spacestation

ADC – BARRACCUDDA (SSG) VS PANDACAT (EUN)

Neither John “BaRRaCCuDDa” Salter nor Maksim “PandaCat” Yanevich have had themselves a stellar spring split. In the case of BaRRaCCuDDa he hasn’t needed to provide his usual impact with the rest of his team playing so well. PandaCat on the other hand needs to step up and provide an impact when Screammmmm and Venenu aren’t able to carry. He has shown this ability in recent weeks, and it looks as though the eUnited ADC is finding his fall 2017 form that helped eUnited to win the 2018 SWC.

This is a matchup between two fantastic ADCs in a meta that has the role at it’s weakest in years. The advantage here does go to eUnited, but the overall impact on the outcome of the game will not be high.

Most contested god: Hachiman

Advantage: eUnited

Support – jEFFHINDLA (SSG) VS POLARBEARMIKE (EUN)

Rosario “JeffHindla” Vilardi has been the best support in North America this split. Similar to ADC, the support role has been a struggle. Itemization and farming have left a tough role in a tougher position. However, JeffHindla has seemingly not cared about any of this. Week after week the 24 year old American has put on clinics on how to have an impact as a support. Whether through peeling, setting up, stealing objectives or controlling the field, Jeff can do it all.

This week will feature another rematch between the only other support in North America that can match Jeff’s pedigree. PolarBearMike has been the de facto leader of eUnited with some of the best playmaking ability in North America. This is yet another extremely close matchup, but with how consistent Jeff has been, it is hard not to give Spacestation the advantage.

Most contested god: Athena

Advantage: Spacestation

Prediction

These two teams are much closer than their records indicate. eUnited look to have gotten past their early season struggles, giving them a good chance to come out the victors in the week six rematch.

2-1 eUnited

Trifecta: Apr 27, 2018 8:30 ET

Solo – AQUARIUS (SSG) VS SCARYD (TFECT)

The questions surrounding Ronnie “ScaryD” Belair in week one appear to have been answered. Like Aquarius, ScaryD has showcased his ability to put the team on his back and carry them to victory. In their first set, ScaryD was the only player keeping Trifecta from being blown out. While they did eventually lose that set, the Trifecta solo laner has continued to make his impact felt moving forward. He will once again be put to the test going up against the red hot Aquarius who looks to have the advantage in this matchup.

Most contested god: Hercules

Advantage: Spacestation

Jungle – ANDINSTER (SSG) VS MASK (TFECT)

Since joining Trifecta, Suharab “MASK” Askarzada has continued to prove why he is considered one of the best junglers in the world. Similar to last season with Luminosity, the 19 year old American has dominated his North American competition. His impact has been a major factor in Trifecta being in the strong position they find themselves in to control their own fate. Going up against andinster this week will be a tough matchup for the Trifecta jungler. Both junglers like to play an aggressive style, but in online play, MASK has the slight advantage.

Most contested god: Ratatoskr

Advantage: Trifecta

Mid – baskin (ssg) vs metyankey (tfect)

In what was originally a lopsided matchup in week one, Baskin against Michael “Metyankey” Fasciano has turned into an intriguing pairing in week six. This has come through the solid play of Metyankey who has shown that he should not be considered a weak link on the Trifecta squad. Unfortunately for Metyankey, he is just simply not on the same level that Baskin has been playing at. That fact is true for just about every player in the world right now. With that in mind, the advantage goes to Spacestation in this one.

Most contested god: Thoth

Advantage: Spacestation

ADC – barraccudda (ssg) vs zapman (tfect)

Similar to BaRRaCCuDDa and PandaCat, Steven “Zapman” Zapas has not had himself a stellar spring split. Like the two mentioned previously, this is more due to the state of the role compared to the skill of the player. Zapman is still an incredible ADC that will give teams a headache if he is given the chance. Unfortunately, it is hard to see this as being the case when the role is in such a weak spot. BaRRaCCuDDa gets the slight advantage in this one, though the importance of that should not be high.

Most contested god: Ullr

Advantage: Spacestation

Support jeffhindla (ssg) vs neirumah (tfect)

Neil “Neirumah” Mah has continued to climb the ranks of SPL supports. The 22 year old Canadian has shown great resiliency in the support role, coming back in games to make fantastic plays. This week will require him to keep up with JeffHindla, as Spacestation is not prone to letting their opponents back into games. Neirumah needs to do everything he can to match Jeff’s control of the field and positioning is Trifecta wants to have a chance.

Most contested god: Ganesha

Advantage: Spacestation

Prediction

Trifecta has been an underrated team this year. If not for two coin toss Fire Giant steals in their last set against Spacestation, Trifecta would be tied for first going into week six. However, Spacestation has only gotten better as the season progressed. This set is expected to come out as a close fought victory for Spacestation.

2-1 Spacestation

Things to watch

Don’t expect to see any Terra this week. Spacestation has shown they highly prioritize her in the first banning phase, and there is very little chance a team will allow JeffHindla to pilot the goddess in her current state.

Watch how the junglers on each team decide to start their pathing. It will give an indication of where they will want to apply pressure on the map. This decision may dictate the outcome of the game as was seen in game three against CLG last week.

Keep your eye on how the teams work to get their ADCs farm. This has seemingly been a bigger focal point for teams to attempt to increase the potential of a beleaguered role. These efforts may have a big impact on the ability of other roles, so watch the level disparities.

All games are available exclusively through SmiteGame on Mixer.

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Top image courtesy of Hi-Rez Studios

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April 22, 2018 by Philip Cole Young

Smite Season Ticket predictions: Week 6

Moving into the last week of the Spring Split, we’ve got some interesting matches lined up.

On the EU side, it will be exciting to see how Obey Alliance will perform. After their upset against NRG, they’ve proven they have what it takes to stand up to Europe’s best teams. And with match-ups against Team Rival and Dignitas, we’ll know how they stack up against the best by the end of the week.

Over in North America, it’s still intensely even competition in the Spring Split. After finding their footing in week three of the split, we get to see how far EUnited has come. With matches against the teams that obliterated them in the first week of the split, Luminosity and Spacestation, EUnited has their chance at redemption.

With that, let’s go to the picks.

Tuesday

Team Rival vs NRG Esports

Team Rival

Both of these teams are around the same skill level. However after dropping a game to Obey Alliance last week, I have to give this one to Rival.

SK Gaming vs Mousesports

SK Gaming

Mousesports are having some trouble finding their playstyle as a team. Everyone enjoyed watching their crazy picks at the beginning of the split. And while it may not have worked out for them in the short run, it’s better to be the meta definer coming up with new strategies if you aim to be a top team. In the past week, though, Mousesports have been picking fairly conventionally. And they haven’t seen any more success than when they were picking Janus Jungles and Chaac Mids. I don’t anticipate this being a good direction for the team, and I can’t see them finding their footing in the last week of the split.

Wednesday

EUnited vs Luminosity

EUnited

While Luminosity took this match up 2-0 in the first week of the split, EUnited is stronger than they were back then. While I don’t doubt Luminosity’s skills either, I think EUnited can manage to pull a win this time.

Splyce vs Counter Logic Gaming

Counter Logic Gaming

Splyce is still having trouble finding wins in this split. And while they’re not a weak team by any means, CLG is still looking stronger right now.

thursday

Team Dignitas vs Mousesports

Team Dignitas

Again, Mousesports are having identity problems. If they can’t manage to beat SK gaming, there’s certainly no reason to change my mind in a match-up against the EU powerhouse Team Dignitas.

Team Rival vs Obey Alliance

Team Rival

I want to believe that Obey can take these matches. They’re definitely the team to root for if you like underdogs. But I pick with my brain, not my heart, and my brain says Team Rival.

Obey Alliance vs Team Dignitas

Team Dignitas

Again, I would love to pick Obey here. But with the information we have, Dignitas is just the stronger team.

Friday

Trifecta vs Counter Logic Gaming

Trifecta

CLG has been underwhelming lately. They’ve fallen from grace after looking like the strongest team in the split half way through. On the other side of the spectrum, Trifecta has been fairly impressive. Taking wins off of both EUnited and Luminosity, Trifecta has had a strong showing in the past two weeks. Because of that, I have to predict Trifecta.

EUnited vs Spacestation

Spacestation

This is another match-up where I want to vote for EUnited, but I just can’t. Spacestation has seated themselves on the throne of the SPL, and while EUnited certainly has a chance to take this I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Spacestation vs Trifecta

Spacestation

Just like with the last match, Trifecta is a strong team that has a chance. But it’s hard to deny that Spacestation is the strongest team in North America right now.

Summary

Team Rival > NRG Esports

SK Gaming > Mousesports

EUnited > Luminosity

Splyce < Counter Logic Gaming

Team Dignitas > Mousesports

Team Rival > Obey Alliance

Obey Alliance < Team Dignitas

Trifecta > Counter Logic Gaming

EUnited < Spacestation

Spacestation > Trifecta

You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Philip.

Top Image courtesy of Smitegame.com, SPL logo and Esports Team logos courtesy of Esports.Smitegame.com

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April 22, 2018April 22, 2018 by Nolan Evans

SPL: Spacestation Gaming week five recap

Image courtesy of esports.smitegame.com

In week five, Spacestation Gaming became the first team in North America or Europe to clinch their spot at the SMITE Masters LAN event.

After going down in their first game against Counter Logic (4-4) on Wednesday, Spacestation (7-1) came back to win the set convincingly 2-1. On Friday, they went on to defeat an inconsistent Luminosity (3-4) team in a 2-0 set. With the victories, Spacestation separated themselves from the rest of North America as the team to beat going into the spring finals LAN event in May.

Spacestation Gaming vs Counter Logic Gaming

Game 1 – (CLG)

SSG picks:

Solo: Ryan “Aquarius” Oh Neill – Artio (0/4/2)

Jungle: Andrew “andinster” Woodward – Nemesis (1/5/0)

Mid: Woonyoung “Baskin” Kim – Ullr (1/2/1)

Support: Rosario “JeffHindla” Vilardi – Athena (0/2/1)

ADC: John “BaRRaCCuDDa” Salter – Jing Wei (0/1/1)

SSG bans: Terra, Janus, Achilles, Odin

CLG picks:

Solo: Alec “fineokay” Fonzo – Sobek (1/0/7)

Jungle: Alexander “Homiefe” D’Souza- Ratatoskr (3/0/9)

Mid: Tyler “Hurriwind” Whitney – Sol (6/1/5)

Support: Connor “Jigz” Echols – Fafnir (0/0/12)

ADC: Evan “Snoopy” Jones – Hachiman (4/1/4)

CLG bans: Camazotz, Da Ji, Serqet, Cerberus

Game one of this set saw little competition as Counter Logic snowballed their way to victory. Spacestation fell behind early due to the pressure that Homiefe was able to provide by playing Ratatoskr.

With a Fafnir and double ADC on their side, Counter Logic was able to turn their early pressure into objectives. Those objectives allowed Counter Logic to dominate the team fights and win the game game convincingly in 29 minutes.

Player of the game: Homiefe

Game 2 – (SSG)

SSG picks:

Solo: Ryan “Aquarius” Oh Neill – Artio (4/2/12)

Jungle: Andrew “andinster” Woodward – Nemesis (2/2/8)

Mid: Woonyoung “Baskin” Kim – Ullr (9/3/6)

Support: Rosario “JeffHindla” Vilardi – Athena (0/2/13)

ADC: John “BaRRaCCuDDa” Salter – Jing Wei (4/1/10)

SSG bans: Achilles, Terra, Ratatoskr, Janus

CLG picks:

Solo: Alec “fineokay” Fonzo – Sobek (0/1/6)

Jungle: Alexander “Homiefe” D’Souza- Awilix (6/4/4)

Mid: Tyler “Hurriwind” Whitney – Sol (3/5/5)

Support: Connor “Jigz” Echols – Fafnir (0/5/6)

ADC: Evan “Snoopy” Jones – Hachiman (1/4/5)

CLG bans: Da Ji, Serqet, Camazotz, Cerberus

Game two saw almost a direct replay of game one picks from both teams. The only difference came after Spacestation banned away Ratatoskr, forcing Homiefe to select Awilix. While Awilix’s ultimate counters Jing Wei and Ullr, the missing global presence from the Counter Logic jungler was felt.

Spacestation’s early game execution prevented a repeat of game one, as Aquarius was able to put the team on his back and front line his way to victory. Artio’s cripple field proved too much for Counter Logic as Aquarius was able to lock down his opponents for his teammates to clean up. This led to the game going in Spacestation’s favor, 33 minutes in.

Player of the game: Aquarius

Game 3 – (SSG)

SSG picks:

Solo: Ryan “Aquarius” Oh Neill – Odin (0/4/2)

Jungle: Andrew “andinster” Woodward – Serqet (1/5/0)

Mid: Woonyoung “Baskin” Kim – Ullr (1/2/1)

Support: Rosario “JeffHindla” Vilardi – Geb (0/2/1)

ADC: John “BaRRaCCuDDa” Salter – Sol (0/1/1)

SSG bans: Thoth, Terra, Discordia, Janus

CLG picks:

Solo: Alec “fineokay” Fonzo – Cu Chulainn (1/0/7)

Jungle: Alexander “Homiefe” D’Souza- Camazotz (3/0/9)

Mid: Tyler “Hurriwind” Whitney – Hel (6/1/5)

Support: Connor “Jigz” Echols – Fafnir (0/0/12)

ADC: Evan “Snoopy” Jones – Hachiman (4/1/4)

CLG bans: Athena, Da Ji, Artio, Achilles

In a complete reversal of game one, Spacestation dominated Counter Logic from the start.

Homiefe and Hurriwind teamed up to make repeated mistakes early in the game, allowing Baskin to build an insurmountable lead. First, Homiefe went for an early invade of Spacestation’s blue buff instead of clearing his own. The invade came up empty handed forcing Homiefe to go back to finally clear his own buff. This allowed andinster and Baskin a free gank onto an out of position Hurriwind in mid lane for the first blood.

To make matters worse for Counter Logic, Homiefe followed this up with dangerous pathing that led directly into Baskin and andinster waiting around the corner for the second kill of the game.

At this point Baskin’s two level lead on Hurriwind turned into a quick third kill as Hurriwind was once again caught out of position by a ganking andinster. At only three minutes into the game, these three kills gave Baskin an enormous lead on a character known for snowballing. Spacestation went on to dominate the rest of the game, leading to the quickest victory in the SPL this season at 19 minutes in.

Player of the game: Baskin

Spacestation Gaming vs Luminosity

Game 1 – (SSG)

SSG picks:

Solo: Ryan “Aquarius” O’Neill – Cerberus (0/1/6)

Jungle: Andrew “andinster” Woodward – Da Ji (3/1/5)

Mid: Woonyoung “Baskin” Kim – Apollo (5/2/3)

Support: Rosario “JeffHindla” Vilardi – Athena (0/1/8)

ADC: John “BaRRaCCuDDa” Salter – Sol (2/2/7)

SSG bans: Janus, Terra, Discordia, The Morrigan

LG picks:

Solo: Ismael “KikiSoCheeky” Torres – Artio – (0/2/4)

Jungle: Kurt “Weak3n” Schray – Achilles (3/2/2)

Mid: Keegan “keegsmate” TwoEagle – Poseidon (0/2/4)

Support: Michael “NotGeno” Lukashin – Sylvanus (2/3/3)

ADC: Conor “Clout” Roberts – Hachiman (2/1/4)

LG bans: Ullr, Camazotz, Jing Wei, Odin

Luminosity got off to a strong start in game one, getting the first blood along with an early team fight victory. While this put them up 5-1 in kills, they were not able to capitalize on this by capturing objectives. Instead it was Spacestation securing the big objectives on the map, allowing them to stay in the game.

As the game went on, Spacestation continued to outclass Luminosity. Objective after objective went in Spacestation’s favor allowing them to close out the game in 26 minutes.

Player of the game: Baskin

Game 2 – (SSG)

SSG picks:

Solo: Ryan “Aquarius” O’Neill – Odin (7/0/10)

Jungle: Andrew “andinster” Woodward – Da Ji (4/4/7)

Mid: Woonyoung “Baskin” Kim – Apollo (8/2/8)

Support: Rosario “JeffHindla” Vilardi – Geb (1/1/9)

ADC: John “BaRRaCCuDDa” Salter – Sol (2/1/4)

SSG bans: Janus, Terra, Discordia, The Morrigan

LG picks:

Solo: Ismael “KikiSoCheeky” Torres – Camazotz – (0/5/1)

Jungle: Kurt “Weak3n” Schray – Achilles (4/6/3)

Mid: Keegan “keegsmate” TwoEagle – Raijin (0/6/4)

Support: Michael “NotGeno” Lukashin – Ganesha (0/3/6)

ADC: Conor “Clout” Roberts – Hachiman (4/2/0)

LG bans: Ullr, Camazotz, Jing Wei, Odin

It was all Spacestation in game two as Baskin continued to show why he is in discussion for being the best player in the world. Once again Spacestation’s objective play outclassed Luminosity’s allowing Spacestation to quickly finish the game in a dominating 20 minutes.

Player of the game: Baskin

Takeaways

Baskin continues to show he can make anything look overpowered in mid. Whether it be Camazotz in previous weeks, or Apollo this week, Baskin has proven his god pool has no limit.

Aquarius has been noted by casters as a role player in recent weeks, but he continues to prove that analysis wrong. The 19 year old Canadian has the ability to put the team on his back and dominate from the solo lane.

As two teams that started the split hot, Counter Logic and Luminosity are both in danger of missing the first LAN of the year. The two teams need to iron out their inconsistencies if they want to be considered as true contenders in the upcoming summer split.

All SPL games are available exclusively through SmiteGame on Mixer.

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Top image courtesy of Hi-Rez Studios.

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April 16, 2018April 17, 2018 by Nolan Evans

SPL: Spacestation Gaming week five preview

Spacestation Gaming (5-1) look to keep up their momentum in their week five rematch sets against Counter Logic Gaming (4-3) and Luminosity Gaming (3-4).

Image courtesy of esports.smitegame.com

Counter Logic took the first set in a decisive 2-0 manner, but since then the two teams have taken divergent paths. Spacestation has won their last three sets since the March 28th meeting, while Counter Logic has gone 1-3 in that same span. This week, both teams will be looking to put themselves in a commanding position for clinching a top two seed in the 2018 spring split.

Luminosity has shown regression since losing 2-0 to Spacestation in week two. The roster mixed with fresh and old faces have shown inconsistencies this year on a week to week basis. After a strong 2-0 win against Counter Logic last week, Luminosity needs to prove they are capable of being consistent against North America’s best. Time is running out for LG this split with only three games left to move from 5th to 2nd in a competitive North American landscape.

Clinching Scenario: If Spacestation wins their two sets this week, they will clinch a trip to the SMITE Masters LAN event in May.

Counter Logic Gaming: Apr. 18, 2018 6:45 ET

Solo – Aquarius (SSG) vs fineokay (clg)

Ryan “Aquarius” Oh Neill has shown he is not to be doubted this season. The 18 year old Canadian has done more than hold his own in the solo lane. He has shown the ability to play both an aggressive style to capitalize on pressure, as well as a passive supportive role.

This week Aquarius will get a rematch of the week two matchup that saw Alec “fineokay” Fonzo come out on top with the help of seemingly constant ganks on the right side of the map. If Spacestation want to avoid the same fate this time, they will need to do more to support Aquarius in lane, either through ganks from the jungler, or through the selection of gods with global presence. After their first matchup, fineokay showed he has a slight advantage.

Most contested god: Achilles

Advantage: Counter Logic

Jungle – andinster (ssg) vs Homiefe (clg)

Andrew “andinster” Woodward’s return to the jungle has been seamless this split. After a shaky start, the Spacestation jungler has been a force for his team in tandem with Woonyoung “Baskin” Kim. His opponent in the jungle this week is Homiefe, one of the best junglers in North America this season. Homiefe was far and away the best player in the week two set against Spacestation earlier this split.

If Spacestation wants to avoid their second loss of the season, they will need to find a way to shut down the Counter Logic jungler. The goal for Spacestation should be to keep Homiefe off Baskin at all times. It was clear in week two that if Homiefe could get to Baskin, the fight would go in Counter Logic’s favor. Spacestation and andinster need to find a way to control Homiefe and keep him playing from behind. This means they will need to draft more control and movement to ensure Homiefe is not sticking to their carries.

Most contested god: Nemesis

Advantage: Counter Logic

Mid – Baskin (ssg) vs Hurriwind (clg)

The matchup in mid for this set will feature the rematch between two of the best mid laners in the world. Tyler “Hurriwind” Whitney has been incredible in the midlane for Counter Logic, while Basking continues to make his case for being the best player in the world. It is clear that the game plan for Counter Logic will be to shut down Baskin and get him out of team fights as early as possible. So far this season, Counter Logic has been the only team capable of doing so. Now, Spacestation will need to adjust and allow their best player to have a clean playing field.

Most contested god: Thoth

Advantage: Spacestation

ADC – BaRRaCCuDDa (SSG) VS sNOOPY (clg)

It has been a quiet split for John “BaRRaCCuDDa” Salter. Few ADCs in the league have been able to provide an impact in a meta that sees the role struggle to get farm. BaRRaCCuDDa and Evan “Snoopy” Jones once again are no strangers to each other. The two are not only having a rematch from week two, but have faced off as opponents and played together as teammates. As with previous weeks, don’t expect a big impact out of the duo lane. However if Spacestation is able to get BaRRaCCuDDa going, it will substantially take pressure off of Baskin and andinster in the midlane.

Most contested god: Jing Wei

Advantage: Spacestation

Support – JeffHindla (SSG) VS Jigz (clg)

Rosario “JeffHindla” Vilardi has been putting on a clinic in his games this split. From stealing objectives, to setting up kills, to peeling for his team, the Spacestation support has done it all. In his match this week comes a counterpart that JeffHindla has seen a lot of in his career. Both he and Jigz have been battling out the support role since season two. The two play a similar aggressive style of game that sees a lot of rotations around the map. Overall the advantage is in Spacestation’s favor as JeffHindla has been the top support in North America this split.

Most contested god: Terra

Advantage: Spacestation

Prediction

This matchup is one of the closest in the entirety of the SPL. After getting beat in week two, expect Spacestation to come back and get revenge on the Counter Logic squad.

2-1 Spacestation

Luminosity: Apr. 20, 2018 6:45 ET

Solo – Aquarius (SSG) VS KikiSoCheeky (lg)

The matchup between Aquarius and Ismael “KikiSoCheeky” Torres features two players that enjoy playing guardians in the solo lane. Don’t expect to see a lot of action here if the trend continues.

In their first matchup, Aquarius dominated in lane both as Camazotz against Terra, and as Terra against Camazotz. In that set Aquarius outclassed Kiki in every facet of the game. The Luminosity solo laner will need to change that this week if he wants his team to have a chance at the win.

Most contested god: Camazotz

Advantage: Spacestation

Jungle – andinster (SSG) VS Weak3n (lg)

As the outspoken and charismatic leader of his teams, Kurt “Weak3n” Schray has drawn the ire of many fans throughout his career. This season it has been clear he has a chip on his shoulder to prove wrong those who doubt him. However, he will need to improve his consistency playing against one of the league’s top junglers in andinster. If the Luminosity jungler is allowed to control the game, Spacestation will be in for a rough set. Spacestation showed it was possible to shut down the Luminosity jungler, and they need to show the same this week to pull out a win.

Most contested god: Serqet

Advantage: Spacestation

Mid – Baskin (ssg) vs keegsmate (lg)

Keegan “keegsmate” Twoeagle has been living up to the hype since his spectacular week one debut. The rookie mid laner has put forth dominating performances against some of the world’s best. This week though, he is put up against the best mid laner in the world in Baskin. Luminosity will once again need to focus on shutting down Baskin if they want any chance at winning. The advantage in this game goes to the incredible experience and skill of Baskin.

Most contested god: Thoth

Advantage: Spacestation

ADC – BaRRaCCuDDa (ssg) vs Clout (lg)

Conor “Clout” Roberts has been arguably the best ADC in North America this season. The Luminosity ADC has shown the ability to take over games, which is not a common thing for other players in the role. BaRRaCCuDDa will need to match that level of play and not allow Clout to snowball early. After their first set, Clout showed he is more than capable of matching up with BaRRaCCuDDa, and you can expect a similar result until the Spacestation ADC can figure out a way to break through.

Most contested god: Sol

Advantage: Luminosity

Support – jEFFhINDLA (ssg) vs nOTgENO (lg)

As another newer face, NotGeno has been proving he can compete with the top supports in the league. He has had a promising start, outplaying many other top supports in the league. Both teams highly value Athena for her global presence, and you can expect to see her a lot in this set. If JeffHindla is able to continue making the MVP level impact he has had so far, then we should be in store for a repeat of the 2-0 set we saw in week two.

Most contested god: Athena

Advantage: Spacestation

Prediction

Luminosity has looked too inconsistent this season to favor, especially compared to the dominance Spacestation has displayed. Spacestation should take this one in a clean two games.

2-0 Spacestation

Things to watch

Expect to see a lot of Achilles and Terra in picks and bans this week. The changes to Terra have been a big boost to her stock, and it would be surprising to see her get through very often. Achilles on the other hand has been valued by just about every team in just about every role.

Watch out for how the teams treat the Fire Giant this week. In recent weeks there has been more fights around the Fire Giant pit, and it will be interesting to see if that trend continues this week.

All games are available exclusively through SmiteGame on Mixer.

You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Nolan Evans

Top image courtesy of Hi-Rez Studios

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April 15, 2018April 15, 2018 by Philip Cole Young

Smite Season Ticket predictions: Week 5

Now that we’re done with rerun week, I can start actually predicting things instead of regurgitating last weeks results. Which would be more fun in a different SPL climate. But this split’s North American teams are so even that it seems practically impossible to make clear power rankings.

EUnited beat Counter Logic Gaming, Counter Logic beat Spacestation, Spacestation beat Luminosity, Luminosity beat EUnited… All of these teams are in the same tier. It’s great for watching games, but stressful for predicting them.

At least the European side is a little easier. There seem to be two distinct echelons of EU teams, with Rival, NRG and Dignitas being top teams and Obey, SK and Mousesports being lower. But if teams from the same tier face off in EU, it can be just as hard as an NA game to predict.

Oh well, you’ve gotta pick someone. Let’s get into the picks for week 5.

Tuesday

Team Rival VS Team Dignitas

Team Dignitas

Rival and Dignitas are both great teams, and both could easily take this. But for my money, Dignitas comes out on top. Dignitas are still the standout team of the European Pro League, even if they’ve recently lost some sets.

Obey Alliance VS Mousesports

Obey Alliance

Two of the weaker teams square off in this set. But Mousesports is too inconsistent, and their drafts can get a little too crazy. And while I like experimental drafts as much as the next guy, they don’t translate cleanly into wins.

Wednesday

eUnited VS Trifecta

eUnited

It’s hard to vote against eUnited in these match-ups after their Week Three comeback. Last week they looked as strong as they did in the World Championship. And while I don’t doubt that Trifecta could take this, the same could be said for the team I vote against in practically any North American match-up. They’re just too even.

Spacestation VS Counter Logic Gaming

Spacestation

On the opposite end of the spectrum, before eUnited’s comeback CLG was looking like the best team in the world. But after taking a loss from not only eUnited, but from Luminosity, they don’t look so tough anymore. Spacestation, on the other hand, is a consistently great team.

Thursday

Team Dignitas VS SK Gaming

Team Dignitas

This is the day where that short tier list I made starts coming in handy. Dignitas is in the top three, and SK is in the bottom, which makes this prediction easy.

NRG Esports VS Obey Alliance

NRG Esports

Thursdays in the EU SPL seem to be the designated strong team versus weak team days. NRG is good, Obey isn’t. Easy FP.

NRG Esports VS SK Gaming

NRG Esports

I like the low stress environment Thursday is creating here. I don’t have to think very hard. But there’s also not much to write about. That tier list is pretty real; so far none of the lower echelon teams have managed to take even a game off of the top three, let alone a whole match. It would be exciting to be wrong about these matches. But it also wouldn’t be responsible of me to predict SK.

Friday

Trifecta VS Splyce

Trifecta

This is the battle of teams I’m not quite sure what to think of yet. Splyce has a number of talented veteran players that we haven’t seen in action for a while, and I’d love to see them find their footing in this match. But for right now, they’re not great. Trifecta in the short term is a pretty lukewarm team. They never seem to look that strong or that weak. But in the short term, I have to give this one to Trifecta.

Luminosity VS Spacestation

Spacestation

This is the match that I’m most unsure of. Spacestation is still a consistently strong team, but Luminosity had a strong showing last week. But when in doubt, vote for Spacestation. That way at least John “BaRRaCCuDDa” Salter fans won’t get mad at me.

Luminosity VS Splyce

Luminosity

I’m still reluctant to give Splyce my vote, and to repeat myself Luminosity has been looking incredibly strong lately. This is probably about as easy to predict as North American matches can get. And even here, I have no doubt that Splyce could take the game. It’s really anyone’s league in North America.

Summary

Team Rival < Team Dignitas

Obey Alliance > Mousesports

EUnited > Trifecta

Spacestation > Counter Logic Gaming

Team Dignitas > SK Gaming

NRG Esports > Obey Alliance

NRG Esports > SK Gaming

Trifecta > Splyce

Luminosity < Spacestation

Luminosity > Splyce

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Top Image courtesy of Smitegame.com, SPL logo and Esports Team logos courtesy of Esports.Smitegame.com

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April 10, 2018 by Brian Quisenberry

Can Luminosity Outsmart Counter Logic in Week Four?

Luminosity rounded out week three with an interesting set against Counter Logic Gaming. LG may not have secured the victory, but they certainly performed better against the at the time undefeated North American powerhouse than anticipated. Let’s take a look at how the game played out and what it might mean for week four.

Overview

Maybe it was Arachne-phobia?

While an initially surprising at first, Counter Logic choosing Arachne as a first ban was likely what kept Luminosity from being able to clench the victory in game one. This season, Weak3n has continued to show just how well he can perform with this god and every match she has been on the battleground has resulted in a win for LG. Choosing to put heavy focus on Weak3n from the start kept the jungler from being able to capitalize on the gank opportunities that the team has done so well setting up for him since week one. Despite this, LG played exceptionally well, showing they were more than capable of holding their own against CLG. Unfortunately, by the end of the game Luminosity was struggling to find a way to close out the match. Continuing to keep pressure on Weak3n allowed CLG to alleviate much of their late game pressure and it showed.

Eventually, the gap was too wide for Luminosity come back from. Following up a close game one, the picks just weren’t strong enough from LG to contend with the superior team composition. Between Homiefe’s Mercury pick effectively countering Weak3n’s Da Ji, Hurriwind’s Discordia mid continuing to burst down the team and a tenth pick Cu Chulainn from solo Fineokay, Luminosity struggled to find their footing. Counter Logic Gaming took a quick and decisive game two to close out the set.

THE RESULTS

LG Picks:

Solo: Cerberus (Game One 2/4/5), Nemesis (Game Two 0/5/1) – KikiSoCheeky

Jungle: Serqet (Game One 2/2/2), Da Ji (Game Two 0/4/4) – Weak3n

Mid: Ullr (Game One 3/7/1), Janus (Game Two 2/4/1) – Keegsmate

Support: Athena (Game One 1/0/3), Sylvanus (Game Two 1/1/1) – NotGeno

Carry: Jing Wei (Game One 0/3/2), Cernunnos (Game Two 1/4/2) – Clout

LG Bans: Game One – Sol, Thoth, Janus, Geb / Game Two – Sol, Thoth, Osiris, Nu Wa

CLG Picks:

Solo: Camazotz (Game One 4/3/5), Cu Chulainn (Game Two 3/1/8) – Fineokay

Jungle: Da Ji (Game One 3/1/7), Mercury (Game Two 7/0/7) – Homiefe

Mid: Discordia (Game One 3/1/6, Game Two 5/0/4) – Hurriwind

Support: Fafnir (Game One 3/2/11), Athena (Game Two 0/1/14) – Jigz

Carry: Hachiman (Game One 3/1/8), Hachiman (Game Two 3/2/7) – Snoopy

CLG Bans: Game One – Arachne, Nemesis, The Morrigan, Poseidon / Game Two – Arachne, Camazotz, Ullr, Jing Wei

Winner: Counter Logic Gaming 2-0

Predictions

Moving into week four, we will see Luminosity rematch Counter Logic Friday, April 13. This is a great opportunity for the team to figure out how to adapt if Weak3n can’t gank. There needs to be more focus on strong picks during draft that also gel with the rest of the team. They need to try and adapt to their opponents’ choices to really play off god picks and read into strategies to keep themselves in the game. As long as they play similarly to how they did in the first game and we can see more confidence from the rest of the team to perform regardless of their jungle’s presence, it’s possible we could see the results just as easily tip in LG’s favor as they did CLG. Perhaps after their loss to eUnited, this will be the start of a Counter Logic losing streak?

Regardless of the outcome, just like the rest of the North American split has been, it’s guaranteed to be an interesting game. Before CLG though, Luminosity will be once again be facing off with Trifecta.

You can catch all of the week four action live on Mixer. The broadcast will be streamed exclusively through the SmiteGame channel on Mixer.

You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Brian Quisenberry.

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April 8, 2018April 8, 2018 by Philip Cole Young

Smite Season Ticket predictions: Week 4

At first this looked like a hard week to start on. Not only am I late, but accurate predictions of NA match-ups are getting harder. With EUnited’s comeback, North American teams are so even that it’s nearly impossible to tell who will win in these match-ups. And Europe, while not as bad, is still harder to predict than past SPL seasons.

But looking at the next week’s schedule gave me déjà vu. Which is probably because they’re the exact same match-ups as last week. I don’t understand why, but it does make predicting the winner pretty easy. Just vote for the team that won a week ago. So let’s get into my Smite Season Ticket predictions for the next week of the Spring Split.

Tuesday, April 10

NRG Esports VS Team Dignitas

NRG Esports

Well, at least this whole rerun week makes the picks pretty easy. Remember last week when NRG beat Dignitas? I’ve used my expert deduction skills to decide that that will probably happen again.

Obey Alliance VS SK Gaming

Obey Alliance

Both of these teams have been a little weak so far. And while Obey took this match-up last week, it was incredibly close. This game could easily go to SK as well. But Obey’s chances are still a little bit better.

Wednesday, April 11

Luminosity VS Trifecta

Trifecta

Trifecta won last week, and I don’t see any reason to doubt them this time. Last week they won the set but lost game two. Trifecta learned a valuable lesson during that second game: Ban Nemesis. Even if she winds up in solo lane, you still need to ban Nemesis. And as long as they remember that, they should be able to beat Luminosity again.

SpaceStation VS Splyce

SpaceStation

After the last week, Splyce has been looking like one of the worst teams in the league. Meanwhile SpaceStation looks like one of the best. It’s not quite that simple, though. Splyce is full of team members that have been out of the SPL for a while. And as they continue to readjust themselves to competitive play and learn to work with their new teammates, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Splyce rise above SpaceStation. But that’s in the long term, and this match is next Wednesday. So I have to give it to SpaceStation.

Thursday, April 12

Team Rival VS SK Gaming

Team Rival

Unfortunately for SK gaming, they just don’t stack up to Rival. Last time we saw this match it went 2-0 to Rival, and I don’t see any reason that would change.

NRG Esports VS Mousesports

NRG Esports

Thursday is going to be a whole day of strong team versus weak team. And unfortunately for Mousesports, they don’t give Fantasy Points for voting for underdogs.

Team Rival VS Mousesports

Team Rival

It’s bad enough that Mousesports is having to face Rival, but they also have to play two matches in a row. And they’re likely coming into this match after losing to NRG. And they lost both of these matches 2-0 last week. This match will probably feel like a recurring nightmare for Mousesports. But who knows? Maybe they’ll win against NRG and bring that momentum into this match. That scenario’s a little too unlikely to get me to vote for Mousesports, though.

Friday, April 13

EUnited VS Splyce

EUnited

EUnited proved last week that they’re still a powerful team, taking a decisive victory against Counter Logic Gaming. While this match was fairly close last week, EUnited are sure to be more confident after that comeback.

Luminosity VS Counter Logic Gaming

Counter Logic Gaming

Don’t let their loss against EUnited distract you: Counter Logic Gaming is still a force to be reckoned with. And while Luminosity certainly isn’t a bad team, I don’t see any reason to vote for them over CLG.

EUnited VS Counter Logic Gaming

EUnited

I was really hoping that I would get the chance to play devil’s advocate and vote for last week’s loser at least once. But after the dominance EUnited showed in this match-up last week, I couldn’t possibly vote for CLG. The message of this game last week was clear: EUnited is back, and they’re still the world champs.

Summary

NRG Esports > Team Dignitas

Obey Alliance > SK Gaming

Luminosity < Trifecta

SpaceStation > Splyce

Team Rival > SK Gaming

NRG Esports > Mousesports

Team Rival > Mousesports

EUnited > Splyce

Luminosity < Counter Logic Gaming

Eunited > Counter Logic Gaming

You can like The Game Haus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Philip.

Top Image courtesy of Smitegame.com, SPL logo and Esports Team logos courtesy of Esports.Smitegame.com

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April 5, 2018April 5, 2018 by Philip Cole Young

What’s wrong with eUnited?

At the beginning of the spring split, eUnited was the team to beat. Riding the wave of their victory at the Smite World Championship, most people ranked them as the best team in the world. Over 80% of spectators predicted that eUnited would win their first match of the split against Luminosity Gaming.

But it didn’t go the way everyone expected. After their shocking loss against Luminosity, a team widely considered much weaker, most people called it a fluke. But two weeks and a couple Smite Pro League matches later, and eUnited has yet to find a single win. In fact, they haven’t managed to win a single game, let alone a whole match. It wasn’t a fluke; eUnited just isn’t playing well in season 5. Which leaves Smite Esports fans with a question: What’s wrong with eUnited?

Drafts

Photo courtesy of smite-esports.gamepedia.com

A consistent error in eUnited’s play this season has been their poor drafts. They let powerful gods get picked by the enemy team, construct team compositions that lack synergy, and just make some strange picks. A good example of this is game two of their match against Luminosity gaming.

Looking at eUnited’s draft, they picked up both Athena and Cerberus. These gods form a strong set of initiations with Athena’s Taunt and Cerberus’s Ultimate. But they didn’t pick any gods with strong follow ups to those abilities. They picked The Morrigan without providing her any particularly powerful Gods to transform into. In the duo lane, eUnited let Luminosity take Sol, one of the most powerful gods in the ADC role. But their most questionable decision was picking up Bakasura for the Jungle role.

Bakasura is a weak character that hasn’t seen competitive play in years- and for good reason. And while many strong Jungle picks had been banned out, the powerful Assassin Camazotz was still available. EUnited’s Jungler Lucas “Screammmmm” Spracklin had shown he was capable of playing Camazotz well in the first game of the set. There was no apparent reason why eUnited chose Bakasura instead. This problem continues into most of their games, picking up bad compositions and letting powerful gods slip through the cracks and into the enemy team.

Metagame

Photo courtesy of smite-esports.gamepedia.com

Alternatively, eUnited could just be having trouble adapting to the new meta of season five. With the many item and jungle changes, along with the entirely new map, the season five Patch is one of the biggest changes to the smite metagame ever. And while eUnited has made an effort to pick Gods that mesh well with the changes of season 5, those Gods might not mesh well with eUnited’s playstyle. In addition to that, at times their objective play has been significantly weaker in season 5, which could be caused by the increased size of the map making it harder to respond to objective calls.

Spacestation Gaming’s ADC John “BaRRaCCuDDa” Salter predicted their performance would suffer for this reason before their Las Vegas Esports Arena Showmatch, saying “I think [eUnited are] still a little stuck in season 4.” The world champions could be having trouble finding their place in the new metagame, leading to poor performance in the early matches of the spring split.

Conclusion

I don’t know everything about eUnited. These are just theories from an outsider trying to explain their sudden drop after the World Championship. And while I’ve presented two likely problems, there are a slew of possible problems the team could have behind closed doors. But one thing is certain, eUnited needs to change something to start looking like the world champions again.

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