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I guess changing up the offense worked for me. Gonna have to tweak somethings now that I've had 1 1/5 disappointing seasons following a trip to the semi finals.

Last edited by biggest knick fan at 01/16/2018 22:23:02

Well I sure know how to pick 'em...

Congrats to biggest knick fan, Toki Wartooth, and the absent simone7! You shredded my predictions and came up winners.

In my defense, I'm pretty sure I Volt would have beaten the 'Sticks if Santana hadn't gone all thug on Salazar and injured him in the first period.

The knicks are showing some unpredictability, and Thunderhorse has reminded us all that they are the team to beat. A good night of BB!

Looking forward to Thursday's cup matches in the Big 8:
The most interesting matchup is TicTacShack's– not because it's competitive in any way. They host a bot franchise whose former glory includes a stint in the NBBA (Ssn17-21) and an appearance in the cup quarterfinals (Ssn 24).
Thunderhorse hosts a bot.
lélé hosts a bot.
MeHiCans host a bot.
Bluehawks will be botsmashed by a team from IV.19
BuryYourDead will be botsmashed by a team from IV.59

Last edited by Rhyminsimon (USA NT assistant) at 01/16/2018 23:54:48

Once again, for the Great 8, all of the humans drew bots for their next round of cup games. Everyone should win. Next round promises to get more interesting.

It's time for another set of completely subjective power rankings to make all of my fellow managers mad at me!

Season 41 Week 2 Power Rankings

1. Thunderhorse - 4-0 Previous Ranking: 2
Thunderhorse was able to beat TicTacShack @ home, but in an even match-up I expect the home team to win. I moved Thunderhorse to the top of the rankings, but I am not ready to declare them the team to beat until they show that they are willing to log on regularly in order to be able to properly manage their GS and Enthusiasm.

2. TicTacShack - 3-1 Previous Ranking: 1
I have a sneaky feeling that TicTacShack could still be the team to beat if they chose to play to their strengths as they kept it close against Thunderhorse while out of position training one of their guards at center. Having played all of the non-bot teams in the Big 8, they will be coasting for the next week and a half.

3. lélé - 3-1 Previous Ranking: 3
Two easy victories against bots, not a very interesting week for lélé. A matchup next Saturday hosting Thunderhorse will be their last chance for a while to prove they belong with the top two teams.

4. The Golden Bricks - 3-1 Previous Ranking: 5
The Golden Bricks won two games they should win if they want to be the best. However, Matchstick Men's rough week makes their loss last week even more concerning. This team has two big games left in the first set of conference games to prove if they deserve this high of ranking.

5. I Volt - 2-2 Previous Ranking: 6
I Volt continues a disturbing trend from last season of losing all of their close games. This team is better than their 2-2 record indicates. The upcoming game hosting The Golden Bricks can go along way to right the ship.

6. Hot Boyz - 3-1 Previous Ranking: 9
Hot Boyz had a big win at home over Matchstick Men, and seem poised to withstand any negative side effects from their CT, but brooklyn knicks broken a season long funk of predictability and the last undefeated team in the Great 8 fell. Regardless, this was a week where Hot Boyz announced they belonged in the playoff conversation.

7. brooklyn knicks - 2-2 Previous Ranking: 7
brooklyn knicks' management finally took some steps to make their team less predictable and it immediately paid off. The potential is there for this team to play better than they did against The Golden Bricks as proved by their home victory over Hot Boyz.

8. Matchstick Men - 3-1 Previous Ranking: 4
Getting blown out on the road and barely winning at home, Matchstick Men seem like a team that is fading fast. Other teams are starting to catch up and lack of management is starting to hurt this team.

9. The Boxers - 2-2 Previous Ranking: 10
The Boxers were able to pull out a surprising road victory over I Volt with a little bit of luck and the return of the missing feistiness that I mentioned last week. I have a feeling that this team will remain hard to predict going forward.

10. MeHiCans - 3-1 Previous Ranking: 8
Getting blown out by TicTacShack did not do much for the confidence of this team, neither unfortunately did beating up on a bot. This team seems content right now to play second fiddle to the other teams in the Big 8.

11. Sinking Ships - 1-3 Previous Ranking: 11
Sinking Ships went toe-to-toe for the first twenty minutes of their game against The Golden Bricks, but in the end they just do not currently have the talent to keep up with the other teams in their conference.

t12. Bluehawks, BuryYourDead, Dejags, new york celts, OpTicNation
Still bots...

Saturday, January 20th

GAME OF THE NIGHT
1. Thunderhorse @ 2. lélé (TV)
Thunderhorse looks for a second straight win against it's biggest competition in the Big 8. lélé meanwhile really needs this win to prove that they belong, having already lost at home to TicTacShack. While neither team has logged in over the last week, Thunderhorse's GS is a disaster while lélé's is actually pretty good. I think the GS advantage plus being at home is enough for lélé to pull off the upset. Winner: lélé

Big 8

5. Bluehawks @ 3. MeHiCans
MeHiCans wins easily in what is their last bot game of the first half of conference play. Winner: MeHiCans

4. TicTacShack @ 6. OpTic Nation
TicTacShack is lagging behind in PD so far but only has bots left on it's first half schedule. Look for them to quickly close that gap. Winner: TicTacShack

8. BuryYourDead @ 7. new york celts
Two evenly matched teams, with BuryYourDead still... oh wait it's bots. Winner: new york celts

Great 8

1. The Golden Bricks @ 4. I Volt
Despite I Volt's rough week, I Volt is not a team to take lightly, only a season removed from making the finals. On the surface, these teams are pretty even, but in this specific matchup both GS and enthusiasm seem to favor The Golden Bricks. I Volt is not able to catch a break as both of their league opponents this week have their other game against the bot so they can expect the best in both of their matchups. Winner: The Golden Bricks

6. The Boxers @ 5. brooklyn knicks
Who wins this game will come down to what quality of team each manager decides to use as both teams might decide to save something for their cup game. Assuming that both teams play their A team, it looks to be close and could come down to which manager is more adept at predicting their opponents moves and as a result picking the correct tactics/GDP. This feels like a tossup, but the poor GS update for brooklyn's best players might be the tipping point. Winner: The Boxers

7. Sinking Ships @ 3. Matchstick Men
Matchstick Men's GS is predictably poor due to still being in the cup and their manager's inactivity, but it was not as poor as Sinking Ships might hope. If Handy was healthy and in good GS, I might be tempted to predict the upset, but I do not think Sinking Ships has enough to get it done. Winner: Matchstick Men

2. Hot Boyz @ 8. Dejags
Hot Boyz looks to take back over 1st place in the standings with a game against the "Oasis of the Great 8". Winner: Hot Boyz

Nice predictions, Rufus. All of your picks won except the bots, which was a 2-point game. (and who cares about them anyway... they're bots.) You're obviously way better at this than me...

I'm not sure I'd say better... My predictions were pretty poor the first two weeks. Looks like both conferences have some good competition at the top. Makes for an exciting season!

Tuesday, January 23rd

3 MeHiCans @ 2 Thunderhorse
Thunderhorse is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. After making the whole TicTacShack shimmy last Tuesday, they fell to lélé on Saturday, leaving the question unanswered: Who is the best team in the Big 8? With injuries to McNamara and Grayson, Thunderhorse look a little vulnerable. But since MeHiCans is essentially a bot now, the outcome of this game is pretty much a foregone conclusion. Adios, MeHiCans.

5 I Volt @ 2 Hot Boyz
Ranked fifth for the first time since early in season 38, I Volt is looking to stop their three-game skid with a win over the Hot Boyz. For their part, the Boyz just escaped Saturday’s bot game with their dignity intact after only dressing five players in preparation for the week’s D.III cup opponent. They will be looking to prove that their loss to brooklyn last Tuesday was just a hiccup, and not a sign of real weakness. Considering GS, Healy’s injury and HCA, I think this one goes in the Hot Boyz’ column.

3 Matchstick Men @ 4 The Boxers (rival)
After not seeing simone7 for a month, Matchstick Men have become essentially a superbot. But that superbot may still have enough momentum to take down The Boxers. Will the Boxer trainees be enough to topple last season’s top seed? HCA, rivalry, and pride incite me to say so. But my guess is it’s a close one that could go either way.

6 brooklyn knicks @ 7 Sinking Ships (TV)
The Ships kick of a three-game home stand by welcoming the knicks. Both of these teams are fresh off disappointing losses where they played better than the score indicated. Cannon and the knicks are looking to prove their mettle, since their only wins this season were a CT-weakened Hot Boyz and a botsmashing. But GS woes continue to plague their top players. In an attempt to make up for the injury to Handy, the Ships have added aging Turkish PG, Hasan Eksioglu, who was adequate, but not overwhelming in his debut against the ‘Sticks. This one could be quite a close game. But despite some sub-par GS, I think the knicks pull this one out.

———
In other action…

8 Dejags @ 1 The Golden Bricks
The Golden Bricks have put out the “y’all come” for their old-fashioned bot roast.

1 lélé @ 5 Bluehawks
lélé will visit Golden Globe Arena to give a lecture about the dangers of unprotected gaming.

6 new york celts @ 4 TicTacShack
A crowd will gather at ALittleOldPlaceWhereWeCanGetTogether to watch a B-52 firebomb a bot under a rusted tin roof.

7 OpTic Nation @ 8 BuryYourDead
The season’s fifth episode of RobotWars will be hosted by BuryYourDead.

I look forward to these. I kept checking the forums throughout the day to see if your predictions has been posted yet! Thanks for doing them!

Great 8 Cup coverage - Week 3

The Golden Bricks @ Snow Blizzards (D III - CR: 239)
Snow Blizzards played their regular starters full minutes in their two league games, based off of lineups used in previous cup games though, their backups are as good as The Golden Bricks starters. The Golden Bricks had a bot game, so they look to field a competitive lineup. This looks to be a pretty even matchup, but Snow Blizzards will have HCA. Normally I go with the team with HCA in a close match-up and perhaps it is just hope on my part, but I think The Golden Bricks pulls off the upset. Winner: The Golden Bricks

Hot Boyz @ Connecticut Helos (D III - CR: 514)
Both teams look to have saved their best players for this matchup, and Connecticut Helos D III salary looks like it might be just a little much for Hot Boyz. I expect Hot Boyz to hang around, and with a little luck they might be able to pull off the upset (I almost picked them to win), but I have to go with the home team. Winner: Connecticut Helos

Detroits Pistons (D IV - CR: 877) vs Matchstick Men
These teams both have similar GS problems as both teams seem to play their A team for all of their games in the week. However, Matchstick Men is a deeper and better team and is at home. Detroits Pistons hopes to be able to make up the gap with management that is actually around, but in the end it's too big of a gap to overcome with GDP and tactics. Winner: Matchstick Men

Iowa Fighting Goats (D IV - CR: 659) @ brooklyn knicks
This game hinges on if Iowa Fighting Goats is willing to blow their starter's minutes out of the water in order to play for the cup victory. If Iowa Fighting Goats plays their starters, or some combination of them, they'll win, otherwise brooklyn knicks should win. I'm guessing they won't play their starters. Winner: brooklyn knicks

larrys cable guys (D IV - CR: 509) @ The Boxers
larrys cable guys has a pricy roster, but poor GS on all of their top players. The Boxers seem ready for this fight though and look to have the defense to contain larrys cable guys. This game will come down how many extra possessions larrys cable guys can get from their FCP and how well The Boxers can score. Winner: The Boxers

I Volt @ Two Os in Goose (D IV - CR: 292)
Two Os in Goose has a pretty high country rank for a D IV team, and some pretty high salary players to go with it. Neither team has good GS, but Two Os in Goose seems like the better team. Both teams will probably play their starters, but that will not be enough for I Volt. Winner: Two Os in Goose

In your face (D II - CR: 75) @ Sinking Ships
Sinking Ships drew the hardest matchup in the Great 8 and it looks like In your face left some of their better players minutes to play in the cup. Not much Sinking Ships can do, as any team in the conference would lose to In your face. Rough draw. Winner: In your face

Big 8 Cup Coverage - Week 3

lélé @ 2 Dollar Bills (D IV - Bot)
lélé has been rolling ever since their loss to TicTacShack. And this cup match should be no different, as their opponent is a bot. Winner: lélé

TicTacShack @ 476 MonkeyKid Maniacs (D III - CR 476)
MonkeyKid Maniacs from III.15 have saved it for the cup. TicTacShack is up against a tough one. It’ll be something on the order of a miracle if they make it through. Winner: MonkeyKid Maniacs

Thunderhorse @ Washington Waves (D IV - CR: 674)
The Waves have saved a few players for this game. Thunderhorse has a few decent players with minutes to give. But unless they login, they’ll be using their default roster. So… Happy trails, Thunderhorse. Winner: Washington Waves

Baggers (D IV - CR: 364) @ MeHiCans
MeHiCans are half in the bag. Baggers have a solid B-team and an undefeated record in IV.4. Baggers have this one in the bag. Winner: Baggers