October 8, 2013 by in News with 12 comments
With the release of the seedings for the 2013 Club Championships in the Mixed division, there are a number of surprises in the lower tiers of teams. The shake-up could have some interesting effects on the eventual bracket, given the new format. In what is typically the most explosive and unpredictable division, it is no surprise to see so much movement outside of the overall top six.
The biggest surprise is the seeding of Seattle’s The DOH Abides. The Northwest regional champion snagged the pool B two seed, making them the overall seven seed. Despite lacking any wins against the other teams in the top eight — in fact, they are 3-1 against the field at all — Seattle showed enough with their 23 wins and just two losses to get seeded this highly. Instead of being seeded in a pool with CLX and Mischief as Ultiworld had projected, they’ll draw matchups with Cahoots and Ambiguous Grey, the two teams they’ve beaten in the Championships field.
That seeding change pushes Drag’n Thrust, Cosa Nostra, and Wild Card down, including making the latter two teams pool three seeds. Cosa Nostra becomes the Pool D three seed, stuck behind two elite teams in The Ghosts and Slow White. Austin is a combined 0-3 against those two teams.
Two other surprise placements were for the 7’s: New York 7 Express and Los Angeles 7 Figures. New York captured the Pool A three seed, rather than a bottom seed in a pool. It is surprising reward for a team that was ranked #31 in the regular season by USAU, but emerged from the difficult and deep Northeast region. Los Angeles drops a couple of spots, going from a potential pool three seed to a four seed. With wins over Mischief and some strong Southwest regional competition, they are battle tested, but have a tough road to travel.
This leaves us with four challenging pools each with their own pitfalls.
POOL D: The Ghosts, Slow White, Cosa Nostra, Steamboat
Per usual, Pool D’s talent level makes it very unpredictable. The overall four and five seeds, The Ghosts and Slow White, know each other well, having already played three close final games against one another. Cosa Nostra is a spotty performer, but the format may benefit them if they can deliver another one game performance like they did beating Polar Bears at the Pro Flight Finale.
POOL A: AMP, Drag’n Thrust, 7Express, Odyssée
Pool A and overall one seed, AMP, looks primed to have a great year as the tournament’s top seed, but it’s been a while since they’ve been tested by elite competition. The three other teams are talented but inconsistent. Odyssée has failed all season to live up to the bar they set by winning the US Open, but has beaten both 7Express and Drag’n Thrust. For their part, Drag’n Thrust has some nice wins, but puzzling losses, unable to use their depth to put on reliable performances.
POOL C: Chad Larson Experience, Mischief, Wild Card, 7 Figures
Pool C presents an intriguing match up at the top. The pool one seed is Chad Larson Experience, one of the division’s powerhouses and a year-in, year-out contender. They have just two losses this season – to the overall top two seeds – and have already beaten pool two seed, Mischief, at the Pro Flight Finale. Mischief has a strong resume and is looking to make a second straight semifinals appearance. While they are 2-0 against pool three seed, Wild Card, they are 1-1 against pool four seed, 7 Figures. Los Angeles’s win over Mischief was very early in the season, but their game at Southwest Regionals was very close.
POOL B: Polar Bears, The DOH Abides, Cahoots, Ambiguous Grey
Pool B is not without its traps either. Pool one seed Polar Bears may be happy to see an unproven The DOH Abides as their pool two seed, but they won’t look past the rest of the pool. Pool three seed Cahoots took Polar Bears to double game point at the US Open. Ambiguous Grey doesn’t have the best record, but at that same tournament, they beat Mischief, and have wins over Cosa Nostra, 7Express, and Wild Card, meaning they are capable of beating a team seeded above them.