Recap - Group Stages: Week 3

Once, a little bird whispered into my ear that there was to be tension coming around the corner in this Nations Cup. And there is. Whilst the main drama was focused this week, there are still a few matches to be played that decide who goes through to the gold-studded playoffs. For Week 3, the maps that were played were koth_pro_viaduct_rc3, and cp_gravelpit. Both maps are very well-known in the Highlander scene, with Gravelpit boasting a large amount of strategy to be put in, and Viaduct being known for a heavily DM-centric map. As most of the groups have decided the top 2, who will be progressing to the playoffs, I will produce a playoff preview during the "catchup" week, which is in a few days time. On top of all the playoff hype, 2 countries have dropped. Shame on them. Until then, what happened in this week of the second Highlander Nations Cup?

Group A

Results

France 6 - 0 Lithuania

Norway 6 - 0 Slovakia

Overview

For France, it was always certain they would qualify, even before the matches began back in Week 1. However, they had already guaranteed their spot by the end of Week 2, with a 6-0 and a 5-1 victory against Slovakia and Norway. Now it was just a question of whether they could pull a large point gap in the last week against their last opponents, Lithuania. Fortunately, the outcome for the French was another 6-0 victory, meaning they only dropped one point in the entirety of their group stage campaign. With Plapla having another excellent game, by going 29:14 on Viaduct and generally annoying the Lithuanian side with his antics, and Flippy giving himself another solid game throughout both maps, the French look in good shape coming into the playoffs. Whilst they did drop a point to Norway on Week 2, on pl_upward, I don't think they'd be too disheartened. If France played around with their somewhat large roster, it could reap different rewards for them. However, their main lineup is something to be feared. With Exon going 15:3 and over 4k damage in one Gravelpit round, you can see the French have extremely strong DM. With the 6v6 experience within the team, the maps this week would have helped them even more; Gravelpit, being an old 6v6 map, and Viaduct being a new 6v6 map must've helped the French in some way. Conversely, for Lithuania, they finish in 3rd place in Group A, with 6 points. Their only victory came from Slovakia, in Week 2. Whilst their roster boasted talent such as eSky, Pr3d and Evokje_, it didn't work out for the Lithuanians in the end. In my opinion, Group A was one of the toughest groups to be in; having a powerhouse that was France, with a newly-revamped Norway, it would've been tough to break through the barrier the 2 countries made themselves. Which brings me onto the other match: Norway must've been feeling confident, as they had already played the French, and were about to play the bottom team in their group, Slovakia. Fortunately for the Norwegians, their toughest fight was out of the way, and they could relax a little. Even more fortunately, Norway came out with a 6-0 victory, leaving them with 13 points, making them finish 2nd. According to their Engineer, ThaZimmer, it was apparently "a roll". Well, I can't particularly tell if there were no logs to record this "roll". Who knows? It could've been really close, and there was no proof! Although the screenshots where Ace was using the newly-buffed Quick-Fix, and E-thug and DrLeon MVP'ing just below their Medic, you can tell the Norwegians had a good day indeed. Sadly for Slovakia, it's all over. Losing every single game without scoring a single point, the Slovakians leave empty handed. Whilst some may consider them the nicest team in the competition, there's no going forward for them. For the Slovakians and Lithuania, it's all over. But for France and Norway, it only gets tougher and tougher. The French are expected to get far in this Nations Cup, after losing out in the final to Germany. But the Norwegians may have a point to prove after just missing out on the playoffs last time. Expect it to be good!

Group B

Results

USA 6 - 0 Austria

Croatia 3 - 3 Portugal

Overview

Congratulations to the USA, the first team to score maximum points in the group stages! Amassing 18/18 points, without even dropping any rounds in the 3 matches they've played, the US look very comfortable indeed. Playing against Austria this week, the US had already qualified by having a very large point cushion from the other teams in Group B. However they played like they needed to win every little detail. With Ruwin putting out 420 damage per minute and getting 21 frags, along with Xalox going 22:2 on Viaduct, the US had made it 3-0 in less than 15 minutes, and Gravelpit was up next. It was definitely what some people would call a roll in most cases. Gravelpit was slightly closer, but only slightly. With Sigafoo having some amazing stats on Gravelpit, going 28:9 as an Engineer, is a very good game for the US. Ruwin again was up there on the boards, with 26 frags and just over 7.5k damage. The USA must now look forward to their potential matchups in the playoffs, as it could be very easy for them if they continue to play like they have done in the group stages. Austria were 2nd by the beginning by this week: now sadly, they're in last place with 4 points. Their display in Week 1 against Croatia proved they could contest with the other teams - maybe not the USA, but you never know. It seemed like their performances fell throughout the group stages, going with a draw 3-3, then a 5-1 loss, THEN a 6-0 loss. An extremely blue end to their campaign, indeed. Players like Tommi and hB both had solid performances throughout the group stages, but sadly, the performances could not carry Austria to any sort of victory. Conversely, the other matchup between Portugal and Croatia was crucial. If Croatia came out with any sort of win, they would qualify for the playoffs. However, the Portuguese needed to keep their buffer of 2 points that way, so they had to either win or be extremely lucky with a draw. It was all or nothing for the Croatians for this week, as they had to win to get through. Sadly, it was a very close affair, with the scores being even at 3-3. This led Portugal ending with 8 points, and Croatia ending with 6. This meant the Portuguese qualified into the playoffs, with Croatia being oh-so close behind them. The first map was Viaduct, where the Portuguese won comfortably 3-0. Kiler4funN' top fragged again for Portugal, with 32 frags, not to mention the near 400 damage per minute he was putting out. On top of a bustling flank, the main combo of Haunter and kAsh had a great day too. With 28 and 22 frags respectively, both players had a great game on Viaduct against a Croatian side that looked... weak DM-wise. It took 6 Portuguese players before the top fragger of Croatia, FlagsYu, was on the scoreboard. Although the rounds were close, the Portuguese muscled their way through a very DM-heavy map, which turned out in their favour. However, Gravelpit was a different story altogether. The Croatians came out with a 2-0 victory, handing themselves 3 points. Although Croatia may have done well in the playoffs, I have to say Portugal look the better team. Their players have been performing solidly throughout, and they can only look forward to playing stronger teams. 

Group C

Results

Russia 6 - 0 Hungary

Poland 6 - 0 Romania

Overview

For Romania, it was always going to be an uphill battle. After a shock win for the Polish against Russia, they had to beat Poland without dropping any points to even stand a chance to qualify. Sadly, it was completely the opposite. A 3-0 loss on Viaduct and a 2-0 loss on Gravelpit meant the Romanians lost 6-0, grabbing no more points in their campaign. With the Poles topping Group C with a maximum 18 points, they must be feeling confident. After a shocking first campaign, Poland have stepped up their game, arguably the most stepped-up team in this competition besides Italy and Estonia, they should be looking confident going into playoffs. Along with just under a week's break, they can prepare with whatever necessary, although I don't think DM is a problem. With Wonder topfragging on Viaduct with 30 frags, and Lamei pumping out 10k damage makes the Poles something to be feared. With most of their players coming from the old Max-Play community Highlander team, that used to play in the Premiership and Division 1, they have experience of a high level, as well as being together. Romania was always a team I would look out for. They had a lot of potential within their ranks to cause some shocks. However, it looks like it didn't happen this time around. Conversely, Shampoo and MonkeyBone had some decent games this week against the Poles. However with their only victory coming from Hungary, they finish 3rd in the group, with 2 wins and 4 losses, resulting in 6 points accumulated. Sadly for the Romanians, it means their campaign is over. But they can look back positively - not many people can say they played for their country and manage to come away with points, do they? I wish I could. But I'm just not good enough. The other match played in Group C was Russia going up against Hungary. Going into the match, the Russians were the arguable favourites, boasting talent such as Irfx, Pala4 and unHuman. Fortunately for the Ruskies, after their shock 6-0 loss toward Poland, they took away a 6-0 victory, leaving them with 12 points out of a possible 18. This means that Russia and Poland qualify for the playoffs, leaving Romania and Hungary out, meaning their campaign is over. The Romanians had a very reshuffled team from last time out, meaning they had new players and possibly new playstyles to work with. It was like they were a newborn team, like Hungary were. The Hungarians were a new team to this competition, like Slovakia and Kazakhstan, for example, and sadly they didn't get far. Whilst promising plays from PingWIN7, Zhoxk and Bunny may have helped them in the short-term, the Hungarians scored 0 points, and only picked up one round in 3 matches, where the score was 2-1 on Gullywash against Romania, back in Week 2.. Sadly, it is over for them, and can only concentrate on either improving for the next Nations Cup, or going back to 6v6/Highlander to train themselves up.

Group D

Results

Canada 6 - 0 Belgium
Greece 0 - 6 Finland (ffw for Finland)

Overview

Sadly, the match between a few of my old teammates never actually happened. Finland had already guaranteed their spot in the playoffs in Week 2 by taking a 6-0 victory over Canada. Now, much like France, they were just playing to show off. Playing against Greece this week, they had one of the more easier matchups in Group D. However, before the match started, a few of the Greek players wanted RouHe, an unknown Sniper with CS:S professionalism under his belt, come into the Finnish national team after apparently quitting the game beforehand. However, the Finns did not take their pleas at all. Which could have been a good thing. However, the match was then forfeited by Greece, because of lack of starting players. This means the Greeks finish bottom of Group D, with 0 points. For the Greeks, it may be a sad time that their campaign is over, but they were a new country coming into this Nations Cup, and were in one of the toughest groups to contend with. On top of the dominant forces Finland and Canada were, Belgium were also showing some revitalization within their ranks. For a new country, Greece would've found it hard regardless of the situation. Sadly their campaign is over, and we have to see if they come back stronger for the next Nations Cup. This means that Finland topped Group D, with 18 points, meaning another 100% win rate for another team. It's getting exciting here! What 100% team will crash first?! It's why playoffs are such an amazing thing ladies and gentlemen. You get to see the best of the best, and whether the qualifiers were worthy of such an accomplishment. But, the other match played this week was a more interesting one. A Belgian side that looked pretty confident with themselves, after a 6-0 victory over Greece, who played Canada, who might've been feeling blue after a slight roll from the Finnish. Canada came out of the starting blocks hot on Viaduct, taking a 3-0 victory in just over 15 minutes. The combination of Invite players from the Canadian roster really helped them. Squid going 24:14 and Bryan unloading over 11k damage on a map like Viaduct shut down the Belgians. However it wasn't all shiny for the Canadians. Some letdowns on the team, like Mangachu, everyone's favourite "shitlord", going 13:21 as Engineer no less, could have hindered the Canadians slightly. On Gravelpit, the dominance from the Canadians shined through again, with another 3 points being picked up for Canada, resulting in 6 points being taken. Although Belgium may have crashed out in 3rd place, they should be happy. After having a good match against Greece, and contesting with some of the top countries in TF2, they should be proud of their performances and results. Whilst the camera may lie to the countries that did qualify for the playoffs, people should still look at the countries that didn't make it. After all, they did provide some great entertainment and plays for any viewer, no? And we should thank them for their efforts and supports toward the community's viewing.

Group E

Results

Scotland 6 - 0 Kazakhstan

Sweden 6 - 0 Latvia

Overview

One match was always going to decide the seedings. And the matchup between Scotland and Latvia just showed. With teams more than likely going to be level on points after this week, Latvia had a somewhat uphill battle in the last week. Playing a Sweden side who were in full swing and in the playoffs already, as well as their main rivals, Scotland, having already played the Swedes, they had the harder time this week. All the Latvians needed was just one point to progress. And against Sweden? It would've been difficult. With a map like Viaduct where it's a guaranteed 3-0 points, they needed to win at least one round of Gravelpit to get themselves through into the knockout phases. Sadly, Latvia lost 6-0, meaning they were stuck with 9 points. With Sweden having a great game, they topped the group with 18 points, maxing out their 100% win rate. Jukebox and Ryb had excellent games throughout, with Jukebox going 28:11 and Ryb outdamaging his opposing Demoman, Atomic-, by 2k on Viaduct alone. Gravelpit however, seemed a bit one-sided in favour of the Swedes. With a 3:48 time on the first round on offence, it would've been hard for Latvia to break through. Sadly they did not, and within that round of Latvia attacking, Jukebox was on fire again, putting out 5 frags and over 1.5k damage under 4 minutes. The second round started off with the Latvians attacking, and a 13:00 cap time did not help their causes. By that time, Sweden were in full force, putting that time into the dust with a recap of 3:05, meaning the Swedes had taken all the points with some style. At this point, the Latvians had to wait to see if the new and plucky Kazakhstan could take any sort of points off of Scotland. The Scots had to win 6-0 to see any sort of chance to qualify. Fortunately, a 6-0 victory against the Kazakhs meant they had a chance of going through. On Viaduct, the combination of Gozo and DanielSasquatch, with Dendocror as their Medic, wiped past the Kazakhs in just over 10 minutes. Both Gozo and DanielSasquatch picked up over 20 frags each, and both had over 10 kill streaks at one point. The flanks of Wux and Fragm3nt3d had another great effect for the Scots on Viaduct, with both getting over 20 frags as well. Gravelpit was another one sided affair for the Scots, picking up a fairly easy 2-0 victory. This meant they had 6 points to add to their 3 beforehand, meaning they had 9 points. But, so did Latvia. How was it going to be decided who gets through and who doesn't? Well, I simply don't know. The catchup week, to be played between the 28th - 2nd, will probably decide who goes through. Both these teams drew 3-3 when playing each other on Week 2, meaning they're extremely close contenders. But there can only be two teams, not three. Sweden already booked their spot in Week 2 to go to the knockout phases, so we must wait for the Scots and the Latvians to duke it out again. And for the little country that could, Kazakhstan? Sadly, they did not pick up a single point, nor a single round. So for them, their journey is over. They shouldn't be disheartened though; this was their first outing on such an experience, and being in an extremely tough group did not help either. However, we can only wish them luck for the future.

Group F

Results

England 6 - 0 Bulgaria

Spain 6 - 0 Belarus

Overview

Well, the match between England and Bulgaria was very very interesting. In particular, this hilarious moment between the Bulgarian Engineer, LaMqTa, and England's Scout, Stark. You have to watch it in its full glory. One of the best moments I've ever seen. Back to the match itself, the English had already qualified for the playoffs with a comfortable point cushion. Now, again, they were playing for showing off their skills. With Kaidus playing Medic on Viaduct, and Shintaz playing Engineer, you could see England may have been slightly relaxed in this situation. And they did not disappoint. Taking Viaduct with a score of 3-0 made England look as dominant as ever. With Saaaad Pandaaaa (did I get the correct amount of As in?) going 26:8, the English took Viaduct in less than 14 minutes. Their dominance showed greatly with their DM, as Shintaz, the arguable star of the English team, going 23:6 as an Engineer on Viaduct. The outstanding qualities shined through on this map, and continued onto Gravelpit. Taking a 2-0 victory on Gravelpit as well, this meant England took the maximum points, finishing with a 6-0 victory. This meant they topped the group with 17 points, only dropping a point to Spain on Week 1. Now that England were top of the group comfortably, what would happen to Bulgaria? They finish the Nations Cup in last place, without scoring a point throughout their campaign. But, you could understand that, as they are a new team coming into this competition, who had no previous experience against these countries. We bid farewell to the eager Bulgarians, who had quite a large amount of potential to upset. In the other match, between Spain and Belarus, it was possible Belarus could qualify. However they had to take home 4 or points against an extremely impressive Spanish side that wanted to finish the job easily. On Viaduct, Pescanova was back to full strength, going 29:16, and with Pl0 backing up, but offclassing as Heavy, the Spanish took Viaduct in convincing fashion. A combination of pure DM and gamesense helped the Spanish cruise to victory. One unknown player on Spain, Vaynster, has provided some scintillating plays for his team, as well as providing crushing DM by topfragging on any map from what I've seen. He is really needed in this well-coordinated Spanish side. Spain do qualify in 2nd place with 13 points, only losing to England, but a pretty hefty 5-1 loss. With this the Spanish qualify again for the playoffs. (Yes! My country is good at something other than football!) As for Belarus? Well, they finish a respectable 3rd place, with 6 points. However, their only victory came against Bulgaria, and their losses were quite hefty from England and Spain. This is probably one of the best performances from a new country coming into the Nations Cup, as they've managed to get solid points on the board as well as good, solid work being put into the team. And I respect them for that, heavily.

Group G

Results

Netherlands 6 - 0 Italy

Estonia 6 - 0 Turkey (ffw for Estonia)

Ukraine 0 - 6 Netherlands

Estonia 1 - 5 Ukraine

Overview

Group G was an extremely interesting group to look at. On paper, 4/5 countries could contest for the playoffs. Now that TWO of those countries have dropped, it opens up a much easier path for the other countries. Italy were sitting pretty in 2nd place after an amazing revival of their players by bringing in experience and gamechangers. Players like Rock, Sphnyx and Carnifex all have brought their assets towards Italy and their chances of qualifying. However, a match between Ukraine and the Netherlands was going to be crucial. The Ukrainians were sitting in 3rd place, just a point behind the Italians. They had to score highly against the Dutch to secure another spot in the playoffs. It was an extremely close affair at the top, with the Dutch, Italy and Ukraine all within 2 or 3 points of each other. However, the Dutch came out on top, taking Barnblitz 2-0 and Lakeside 3-0 in a 6-0 victory over the Ukrainians. This meant the Dutch had guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. Sadly, for Ukraine, the stress may have gotten to them as well as frustration; they dropped immediately after the match was played, meaning the results they played were still kept.. Their hard work, with wins and losses, was all put into a dropped cause. A sad time indeed. In another interesting matchup between the bottom 2 teams, Turkey and Estonia, it could've gone either way. I was extremely shocked when I heard the Estonians grab 3 points off the arguable favourites, the Netherlands, and they were extremely happy and going strong according to their leader, M2R. Such shocks must encourage the underdog, and they went into this week facing a Turkish side who already gave a FFW previously. On top of that, they had scored no points whatsoever; to me, I thought Turkey may have been able to contest with some of the teams in Group G. Sadly that didn't seem to be the case. Turkey gave away another FFW for unknown reasons to Estonia, meaning they had to drop from the competition according to ETF2L rules. All teams that played against them were also nullified, meaning the point difference between the other countries may have either gotten closer, or possibly further away, meaning closer or farther contest. On top of claiming useless points, Estonia had to play against Ukraine, which resulted in a 5-1 loss, with their only point coming from a round win on Gravelpit. With the Ukrainian Sniper, Kensi., having an amazing game on Viaduct, going 53:21, with 5 Medic picks, he certainly had something to boast about after that game. Blade for Ukraine also put out 16k damage on Viaduct, meaning a lot of frags to follow up for his team, and himself. The Estonians also had some great players, with Raiku going 45:26 and Sheff grabbing 3 Medic picks on Viaduct as well. Both teams looked pretty even, although the score did not imply that it was. With the Estonians taking their point from an amazing captime on Gravelpit, they had some shining qualities. However, Ukraine took away the majority of the points, 5 out of 6 infact, meaning they were still in contention to qualify. The Estonians, were not. They had some absolutely amazing results, amazing plays, but, it did not work out. And it's a shame. Underrated teams always show the best matches, and the Estonians certainly showed us that. The final match played was between the top 2 teams, Netherland and Italy. The result was a commanding 6-0 victory for the Dutch, after the Italians had a slipup with their main roster and no practice. However, the results beforehand for the Italians meant that they qualified along with the Netherlands. Very interesting affair, indeed. I think both the teams from Group G who qualified have the potential to upset a lot of the "bigger" teams in this competition - whilst some may consider the Dutch and Italy to be big contenders, I feel like they would need to practice A LOT to contest with the likes of Finland, USA and Sweden. Although, it's still all up in the air. We have to wait and see what happens.

Group H

Results

Germany 0 - 0 Denmark (being played 27/07)

Ireland 6 - 0 Iceland (ffw for Ireland)

Israel 6 - 0 Iceland (ffw for Israel)

Overview

The final group, Group H, had its fair share... of default wins. Iceland, a new team into the Nations Cup, had issues due to their leader having issues with his PC, meaning it was difficult to communicate and organise. This meant they had to give away 2 default wins to Ireland and Israel, thus meaning they had to drop from the competition according to the ETF2L ruleset. Unfortunately, this meant the previous results were nullified, and the points were basically reset. With little matches being played this week in Group H, it's hard to judge. The match being played on this day, which will decide the 2nd place for the knockout phases. Denmark currently sit level on points with Israel, who were top of the group via TWO default wins. That's either extreme luck and convenience, or being pretty damn cheeky, Fortunately, it was the former. As the Icelandics have dropped from the competition, one of the default wins was nullified, and the Israelis were back to level points with the Danish. However, Denmark play the winners of the last Nations Cup, Germany, who haven't dropped a round nor point at all so far. The Germans look like they want to maintain their crown in the Nations Cup, after commanding and dominant victories in the previous weeks. In short, the Danish NEED to score at least one point to get through. Otherwise, a possible tiebreaker match may have to be played to decide who goes through between Israel and Denmark. When these 2 teams met up in Week 2, they drew 3-3, meaning they are still very close together. If there were to be a tiebreaker match, I suggest you drop everything and watch it. It'll be very good entertainment. As for the last team in Group H, Ireland, I feel very sorry for them. After complete mullerings from the other teams in Group H, they could've redeemed themselves with a victory over Iceland - however, after Iceland dropping, their score was dropped from 6 points to 0, after their default win was nullified. Sadly for the Irish, it's another pointless (quite literally) Nations Cup; after being paired up with the US and Canada in the first one, their luck didn't get any better in this one. They scored no points in this, officially, and go back to their respective teams. Whilst there were some hilarious moments in their campaign, it didn't mean much. So for Ireland, we take their hats off to them and bid farewell.

Speaking of farewells, I'll see you all sometime later. Expect a playoff preview to come out over Tiebreaker Week, and a few interviews with some players! See you then!

~TJB

Recap - Week 2.

With only a week left to go in the group stages, the battle intensifies for that all-important playoff spot. Or spots, in some cases. The majority of the groups have a clear-cut winner of their division, but a few have some great competition going into the final weeks. This week's maps were pl_upward and cp_gullywash_final1, both very well-known Highlander maps. As well as being well known, they were in the last season of ETF2L Highlander and UGC. In particular, Gullywash is known for a very heavy DM-coordinated play to get to the final capture point, and Upward is an extremely long map, one of the longest in the standard map rotation in TF2 to my knowledge, but can be finished very quickly if the right calls, picks and pushes are made. But what happened in the groups this week, ladies and gentlemen? Well, you're about to find out!

Group A

Results

Lithuania 6 - 0 Slovakia

Norway 1 - 5 France

Overview

Group A is settling into the arguable favourites, France, to progress through to the playoffs in 1st. However, a plucky Norway side came into this week feeling quite anxious after talking to their Engineer, ThaZimmer. Although they may have lost their starting Medic, Ace, for the match, as well as Qnx having to leave after one round of Upward, they did make the French drop their first point in the season, by securing a round win, meaning France won the map 2-1. With a very large proportion of frags coming from Exon and Tek, the French have a solid combo fitting with their Medic, K3. In comparison, the Norwegians were going in strong the first round, with Niak pulling out a 10-kill streak and 10.5k damage. On top of this huge damage output, faNNY has had a solid Nations Cup so far; in the first round, he managed to level Flippy in the Sniper vs Sniper, with 7 frags on each other. Gullywash, however, was a different story. The French and their 6v6 experience helped them to a 4-0 victory, where Fl1p managed to rack up 4 dominations and 34 frags by the end of it. Topping that off was great display from all of France. Although the Norwegians were going to go in hot this cup, and I would have said they would've had a chance to top their group, that dream is over. Although they have probably secured 2nd place, the other match in Group A was interesting. 

Lithuania played Slovakia in the other Group A game, with the Lithuanians pulling out a 6-0 victory. Another great combo of Demoman and Heavy, Evokje and Warden, cleaned up a lot of people against Slovakia on Upward and Gullywash. In particular, Evokje chucked out 41 frags, and Warden put out nearly 500 damage per minute. Cleaning up the frags on the flanks for Lithuania are CrazyBwai and Glebis, both of whom had very good games against the Slovakians, with 34 and 44 frags respectively. As for the last week, with the map being koth_pro_viaduct_rc3 and cp_gravelpit, the matches could go either way: Norway have an easier schedule for Week 3 as they play a most certainly disheartened Slovakian side who've probably guaranteed that they'll be at the bottom of Group A, with little to no points. However, if Lithuania want to leapfrog the Norwegians, they'll have to beat France by a considerable margin, or Norway have to mess up severely. Or a combination of both. But we will see what this week brings. It'll be a good one folks!

Group B

Results

USA 6 - 0 Croatia

Austria 1 - 5 Portugal

Overview

This group. Is very, very interesting. In the first week, the USA were extremely dominant against Portugal, cementing a solid 6-0 victory. However, the Portuguese stepped up their game against Austria, coming away with a 5-1 victory, only dropping a point because of the Austrians taking a round off of them on Upward. In a game where Kiler4funN top scored above his Medic with 3 dominations, and Haunter going 23:8 in the same round, the Portuguese look... reborn. The victory against Austria leaves them 2nd in the table with 5 points. Below them are Austria, with 4 points, and Croatia, with 3 points. This is why the group gets interesting. The USA have guaranteed a spot in the playoffs with their 2 solid victories against Portugal and Croatia. This week they play Austria who will hopefully be looking to leapfrog the newly-born Portuguese for the final week. However, Portugal play Croatia in a somewhat easier matchup for them. Against Austria, the Portuguese managed to score a whitewash on Gullywash, with a 5-0 victory. With Kalhó playing against the Austrians, he managed to do a lot of work although the points don't show it as well as they can be perceived. Haunter on Gullywash went 26:6 as well. I think the Portuguese may progress if they don't slip up against Croatia, who this week had a tough time against the behemoth that was the USA. A 6-0 loss means Croatia currently sit in last place with 3 points. Although that may seem bad, they can claw back in this last week. If they manage to beat Portugal sufficiently, and the Austrians cause shock against the US, they could pull back a 2nd place, meaning they would qualify. Their new Pyro for this Nations Cup, Candle, has done some stunning work throughout, and apparently made Stabby Stabby "cry" on stream. Now that's something you don't do every day is it, ladies and gentlemen. The Croatians look a bit half-sided though, with some players doing a lot of work. Conversely, it's the opposite for some players on the Croatian team. Their opponents this week, the USA, had a fairly easy time. Combining Sigafoo and his 4 dominations and Xalox's 13.5k damage on Gullywash pretty much sums up the tough time the Croatians had. In comparison, USA should be going into the final week of the group stage pretty relaxed, as they've booked a place in the playoffs. Watch out for the other 3 teams in Group B though. The 3-way battle for that coveted 2nd playoff spot is still in reach for all of the remaining teams left. 

Group C

Results

Russia 0 - 0 Poland (not played, playing 21/7)

Romania 6 - 0 Hungary

Overview

With the decisive 1st/2nd place matchup not being played until the 22nd, Romania have a possible opportunity to leapfrog Poland, and possibly Russia this week. They played a Hungarian side who are arguably the worst in Group C, but had some good runs beforehand. However, the decisive victory came out to Romania, who won 6-0. Although it wasn't all fun and games. Gullywash was extremely close with a 1 round difference to the Romanians, with the final score being 2-1. The thing that struck out the most in the Gullywash game was the Romanian Pyro, Fresh'z. Cranking out 10.1k damage and 30 frags is extremely impressive. For a Pyro, you would expect, maybe, 5k damage in the circumstances? But he proved that wrong and had a very solid game. On top of the insane damage output, the Romanian Scout, Chopper, cranked out 31 frags, 6 being Medic picks, and over 7.6k damage. An impressive feat indeed. Conversely, Hungary are currently the only team in Group C without any points. And I don't think that will change for this Highlander Nations Cup. They play Russia, the supposed favourites to win Group C, who will be hoping to qualify for the playoffs. However, the Hungarians have gone all out this Cup, and some big damage from PingWIN7 and Mici gave them a boost throughout. However, I think the Russians will be hoping to finish the Week 3 match quick and painless. Although, Russia still haven't played the last team in Group C, Poland. To me, I think that will be the gamechanger in Group C. The Poles have been looking very strong throughout in scrims as well as officials, and should put up a great fight against the Russians. Boasting some amazing players from the old Premiership team, Max-Play, the Polish look in good shape. Conversely, Russia have some amazing 6v6 and 9v9 players, with tons of experience. Players like Irfx and Fire! have some of the best DM I've seen so far in this Nations Cup. With the match being played on the cusp of being nullified, or maybe even agreed after the "nullification", this matchup will probably decide the standings of the top 3. If Romania manage to draw or win against the Poles, this could all change. But what I can tell you is: this group may get very interesting very quickly. Russia should, SHOULD, qualify with fair ease, but Poland and Romania still stand in the way of them, and each other. Expect big plays, big action and big... uh. No, not that. Eww. BUT. Expect this to be big, ladies and gents!

Group D

Results

Belgium 6 - 0 Greece

Finland 6 - 0 Canada

Overview

After some potentially close groups, Group D is a bit different. On paper, the 2 teams that stick out are where they should be: Finland and Canada are probably the 2 teams that will qualify, I'll say that now. However, the Canadians slumped to a 6-0 defeat to the hands of the Finns, ditching them into 3rd place. Obviously, the Canadians would have been at a disadvantage from the get-go: having 100-150 ping to a European server isn't the best thing in the world when registering shots via hitscan and projectile interps. Whilst they did lose 6-0, and the score on Gullywash being 5-0, I still think Canada will bring their game to the last week. Promising displays from Alfa and Killing against the Finns give me good hope they'll bring their A-Game for their last game, against Belgium. On the opposite side, Finland currently top the group with 12 points, and 0 losses. With their 100% record intact, it'll probably stay for the group stages. Playing Greece this week, the Finns should be going into this confident and should practice at least a little. Greece were a new nation coming into this cup, and it does show at times. Not scoring a single point against any of the teams, the Greeks show some of their "newbieness", so to speak, in this Nations Cup. Sadly, it's not going to get any better, against a Finnish team that look set to go very far in this competition. Whilst the Greeks have some solid players like Shas'la and BnB, they're completely outclassed by the Finns in the same classes, in this case, Rake and Santtu, both of whom have either had Div 1/Premiership experience in ETF2L 6v6, to my knowledge. The Greeks will find it tough to salvage anything against the Finns. In the other match for Week 3, Canada going up against Belgium, could be interesting. New Belgian pickups like XVisuals, an extremely underrated Heavy, and Wic', an underrated Medic, could possibly help Belgium a lot. However, the Canadians should be looking for a win here to make them progress into the playoffs in a solid 2nd place. Whilst the Belgians could upset them, I think it's pretty unlikely. The power of Canada on a map like Viaduct could mess with Belgium a lot. But we will see what happens, ladies and gents.

Group E

Results

Sweden 6 - 0 Kazakhstan

Latvia 3 - 3 Scotland

Overview

In a brief summary, Group E got really interesting again. After an expected 6-0 to the Swedes against Kazakhstan, the other match played still hasn't decided who could come away with that all-important 2nd place. Scotland and Latvia were always somewhat overlooked in my opinion, and this matchup between them was a great one. With the points being split 3-3, Latvia took Upward 2-0, whilst the Scots took Gullywash with an easy 6-1 victory, making this next week look very interesting. In the Upward match, Atomic- picked up 53 frags, and put out over 1100 damage per death. In comparison, the opposing Demoman, Fenrir, got 40 frags and just under 700 damage per death. However, on Gullywash, some great plays by Kermit in the last round secured them that victory. As well as this, Danielsasquatch top fragged on Gullywash, with 35, which was 7 more than the next highest out of anyone. Since both teams are relatively on-par with each other, and no clear cut win, this could turn out interesting. An expected win for the Scots against Kazakhstan should propel them with 9 points. But, I think people would expect Latvia to lose to Sweden pretty convincingly, leaving them with 9 points. What decides that outcome then? This is why Group E got interesting; these little things can make a huge difference in the later stages of the group stages. If Latvia manage to score any kind of point or points, they will qualify. But if Scotland mess up in any way whatsoever, it could be tournament over for them. Turning the tides in the later stages is so tense - I get too excited by this sort of thing! But, it all boils down to how the other 2 teams do. Sweden swept past a pretty weakened Kazakh side, with TviQ scoring 30 points and 3 dominations on Gullywash. With the combined support of Zebbosai and Ryb, the main combo for Sweden played really well together. Sweden have guaranteed themselves a playoff spot, so they can rest easy, against a plucky Latvian side that have unfortunately drawn the short straw in the scheduling; since the Scots already played Sweden, they have an upper hand in the last week. I'm looking to see whether the Latvians can pull an upset and get themselves a playoff spot; they've played really well throughout this Nations Cup, and I want to see more.

Group F

Results

England 6 - 0 Belarus

Spain 6 - 0 Bulgaria

Overview

It was a normal day at the office for England. They turned up against a Belorussian side, who were actually leading the table after the English dropped a point against Spain in week 1, which couldn't contest to the English firepower. The score was 6-0 in England's favour, throwing them up top of Group F, with 11 points. Shintaz had another excellent game, going 15:5 on Gullywash with 730 damage per death. Kaidus had a whale of a time, pumping out 700 damage per minute, and picking up 17 frags in the process. The English look very strong going into the final week, where they play Bulgaria. Sadly, the Bulgarians lost this week to a Spanish side that look co-ordinated and confident. The score was 6-0 in the favour of Spain, who have managed to put themselves back up to 2nd place in Group F. With Spike, the Spanish Sniper, having a 6.7 KA/D and 14 frags in around in less than 15 minutes on Gullywash, the Spanish must use him wisely throughout the competition. A few slipups and Spain could fall once again. Other than their "wonder" Sniper, the Spanish look pretty solid going into the final week. Their DM was stepping up once again versus Bulgaria, in which HarryHook picked up 22 frags along with his Soldier partner, Pescanova, who picked up 11. The flanks should be feared as the Spanish pick up their pace and game throughout the Nations Cup. However, Bulgaria currently lie in last place, without a single point. And sadly, I don't see them going anywhere after a mullering from Spain. The Bulgarians showed some bad performance against them, and whilst they can prove to be good against a few teams in the Nations Cup, their drawing just doesn't suit them. Whilst the Bulgarians are solid players in their own right, I feel like they might be compromised by their communication and metagame issues. For example, Agent 0 and MattDog play 6v6 in Division 3, if I'm correct, and they could change how Bulgaria wants to push, hold, execute maneuvers, just general things that teams should iron out. But that's just me. The last team is Belarus, who managed to pick up a win against the Bulgarians, but fall on their faces against England this week. Currently, they sit in 3rd place, 1 point behind 2nd place, Spain. They play this week on maps that both teams can use to their advantages. With Belarus having some great experience from Alex_jj, and an amazing Sniper, Tracker, they can use these little to large options that could give them an upset over Spain. However, I think the Spanish will be looking to finish the group stages comfortably, with a win so they can progress to playoffs. The other match between England and Bulgaria is a no-brainer. England would have to slip up very very hard to get themselves into a losing position. And that shouldn't happen.

Group G

 Results

Italy 6 - 0 Turkey (ffw for Italy)
Italy 3 - 3 Ukraine (Week 5)
Netherlands 3 - 3 Estonia
Turkey 0  - 6 Netherlands

Overview

What a group we have. An extremely close fight for the 2nd spot, Group G has turned into a complete bunfight, with 4 out of 5 teams in contention still. Let's start off with the shock this week. An extremely powerful Dutch side played Estonia, a team arguably weaker than their opponents. The Dutch took Upward 2-0 in convincing fashion. But then came Gullywash, where Estonia pulled off a shock win 4-3. This tied up the points at 3-3, meaning the Dutch, who could go on and win this group, may have potentially dropped 3 crucial points in the battle for playoffs. Demsii had a great time against the Estonians, picking up 53 frags, with 9 of them being Medic picks. However, Estonia didn't have that much of an advantage with raw DM. In some cases, it was the complete opposite. But, Raiku and Blackbeard pulled out a lot of damage and fragging power against the Dutch that earned them those oh-so important 3 points. In the other match that ended in a draw, Ukraine squared off against an Italian side without any practice or their main Demoman. Sadly, the Italians may have paid the price, as they won 3-2 on Lakeside, but ultimately lost 2-0 on Gravelpit. As this was a Week 5 game, the Italians still need to play their Week 3 game. Carnifex had another solid performance against the Ukrainians, and at one time pulling off a 7 kill streak. F0rest had another good game too, showing why he is proving to be one of the best Heavies in this Nations Cup. Conversely, Ukraine were showing some great plays with their DM. With Kenzi top fragging against the Italians, they have a solid level of DM. Sadly, the other match Italy were going to play was forfeited by a Turkish team that look slightly unprepared and a bit... off. Losing out 6-0 to Ukraine in Week 1 and then another 6-0 to Netherlands leaves them bottom of the group with 0 points. Without a win, it's likely they'll be stuck at the bottom as they've had no points on the board so far in this Nations Cup. In a game where the Dutch Sniper, Lucky Luke, had a 9 kill streak on Gravelpit, the Turks must have been doing something wrong throughout that match. Maybe they still are. Maybe they've fixed things. I just don't know! But all I can say is: this group is great. With an extra team battling it out for the same amount of playoff spots, this could go any which way. Whilst the Italians top the board with 15 points, the 2nd-4th placed teams currently have a game in hand, making more exciting twists and turns, possibly. It's too chaotic and too much of a cluster about what could happen at the moment. But all I can say is now, stay tuned.

Group H

Results

Israel 3 - 3 Denmark

Denmark 6 - 0 Iceland (Week 5)

Germany 6 - 0 Iceland 

Israel 6 - 0 Ireland (ffw for Israel)

Overview

Much like Group G, Group H is turning into a 3-way contest. With Ireland and Iceland sitting at the bottom with 0 points each, we have to turn to the next 3 teams. The 2 teams arguably battling it out for the 2nd spot, Denmark and Israel, squared off against each other this week, leaving with 3 points a piece. To me, these teams are extremely evenly matched, and that outcome was possibly the best they could've gotten for each other. I guess you could say "Danmark slightly Vinder'd", but I don't know, I didn't watch the game sadly. The Quad pistol was out in full force, and worked very well; Quad went 49:35 on Upward where he top fragged and got 4 Medic picks out of it. Over on Israel, the new pickup of Retsh0ck on Demoman and the roster shuffling seems to work well. On top of SorroW putting out exactly 14k damage on Upward, he top fragged over in Israel's side, with 41 frags and winning the Sniper vs Sniper battle against Helberg, albeit it was close. Crucially, Israel have already played the strong favourites, Germany, whilst the Danish still have to in the last week. The Israelis play an Icelandic side which joined extremely late, and sort of flopped. Losing out all their matches 6-0 leave them bottom of the group. Taking a slight beating from Denmark and Germany this week won't help either with their quest to get some points. Speaking of Germany, the winners from the last Nations Cup, they only played one match against lceland this week. This leaves them with a game in hand, after playing 2 matches, whilst the Danish have played 3, who top the group. The Germans play the Danish on some well-known 6v6 maps, meaning the 6v6 classes on both sides should have a lot of fun. On Denmark, Quad and F2 should have a blast on the newly-revamped Viaduct_Pro, whilst Brego and Homer J. could get a lot of work done for the Germans. To me, I feel like that the matchup between Germany and Denmark could decide a lot on what happens. If Israel have an easy time against the Icelandics, they could leapfrog Denmark into that 2nd playoff spot. But we need to see how it pans out. The last team in Group H, Ireland, are in the same situation as Iceland. Currently, the Irish have 0 points and sit in 4th place. Whilst they have some great talent like Funkadelic and Cribby, it just... hasn't been working out for them. The draw they've had is extremely strong for the Irish, and that could make them suffer. Although they may get some points against Iceland, they can't do anything else but sit back and see what happens. And that saddens me. Group H looks to be a very promising tie between the top 3 teams; whether the other 2 can make something happen, I don't know. We'll have to spectate and ask, ladies and gentlemen. For our good needs of knowledge!

That's it for the recap of Week 2, ladies and gentlemen. Tune in next week for an interview with an unknown team leader, a recap of the last week of the group stages, and a playoff preview! See you there, maybe,

~TJB

Recap - Group Stage: Week 1

The majority matches of Week 1 have been played - the maps being pl_badwater and cp_steel. Some matches have been close, but many of them have been either one-sided, or extremely drawn out. There have been some great comebacks, but a few flops in the process. But what exactly happened in this Week 1 of the Highlander Nations Cup?

Group A

Results

Slovakia 0 - 6 France

Norway 6 - 0 Lithuania

Overview

Group A is turning out to be a tale of two halves: the obviously dominant France at this point brushing past Slovakia with a lot of ease. To my knowledge, Slovakia actually played the match with 8 people, already giving them a disadvantage over a likely candidate to win the Nations Cup. The French should be looking to get through to the playoffs with fair ease, and that could be possible for "Le Revolution". Next up for France is Norway, who managed to beat Lithuania with a 6-0 victory. Qnx topfragged throughout the entire match on Badwater, with 41 under his belt, giving the Norwegians a supreme deal with DM. On top of this, Niak had a solid game, with over 16k damage and 35 frags on Badwater. On Steel it was the same affair with Norway; their 6v6 classes did a lot of work throughout, with E-thug getting 27 frags, 5 of which were Medic picks. JoakimMos managed to pull off 5 Medic picks for the Norwegians too, as well as providing a few key picks. And did I see faNNY outsniping Pr3d a little bit on Steel? Or am I going mental? As for Lithuania, I don't think they'll be too disheartened with the loss. Playing Slovakia this week on Upward should give them a comfortable win where they can look to try and upset France on the last week of the Group Stages. Evokje and Warden both had decent games against Norway, so hopefully they will continue their DM machine through into the opposing Slovakia side who are still looking to pick up points, in a rather tough group. Supposedly, they were extremely nice people against France, with great sportsmanship and were very friendly, according to Flippy and Mista. . I didn't watch the game sadly, so I don't know what happened! Best of luck to all the teams this week.

Group B

Results

USA 6 - 0 Portugal

Croatia 3 - 3 Austria

Overview

I like Group B. You have that one team everyone expects to get through with ease, in this case, USA, but then you have games that could turn the tide at the last week. For example, the matchup between Croatia and Austria was tied up 3-3. It was a fairly tense affair, with both maps going to BO3 - Austria winning 2-1 on Badwater, and Croatia winning 2-1 on Steel. The Croatians performed well in scrims, and in one particular, Candle managed to go 31:18 and nearly 7k damage. For a Pyro, that's damn impressive on a map like Steel. However, I feel like these 2 teams might regret drawing - whilst they have retained points right at the beginning, it's possible just an extra point or two could decide who could finish above one another. The other match that was played, USA and Portugal, ended with the most likely winners of Group B winning 6-0. I think the Portuguese wouldn't be too surprised with this loss, due to the fact the level of talent over on USA's roster compared to Portugal. To me I think the Portuguese didn't utilise their roster enough - Kalhó nor Coinz were playing against the USA, and that could have let them slip in the communication and general presence department. The next week of games should be crucial into seeing who could contest for a playoff spot from the USA. Austria play Portugal on Upward this week, and this should show whether the nPortuguese can saver a few points before their last match against Croatia. Conversely, USA should be preparing to play well against the Croatians this week, so they can relax a little against Austria in the final week. I'm looking forward to seeing this group fall into place, as it could be very close-knit near the top, as well as the bottom. 

Group C

Results

Russia 6 - 0 Romania

Poland 6 - 0 Hungary

Overview

Poland certainly stepped up their game from last Nations Cup, wiping past Hungary with a 6-0 victory. On Badwater, every single class except for the Medic had a positive K/D. The Poles have some astounding DM with them. Against Hungary, SIX players from Poland were higher than the top fragger of Hungary. Phroblem, in typical fashion, was on fire against the Hungarians on Badwater, getting 11 Sniper frags, and 36 in total. Alpine.47 topfragged for Poland with 37, and put out 3k more damage than Hungary's Demoman, PingWIN7. For Hungary, I think they could be able to beat the other losers from this week, Romania. I think the Polish will be able to get far in the group stage, but to beat the powerhouse that is Russia? Maybe not this year. Speaking of Russia, a comfortable victory against Romania put them top of the group. Unlimited, the Demoman for Russia, put out 17k damage and picked up 36 frags. In my opinion, the DM over on Russia is pretty intense, with players like unHuman and Irfx. Pala4 against Romania on Steel died only 5 times, and had 32 assists. In comparison, Romania's Medic, Nuklear0, had 12 deaths on Steel, and 8 less assists. This week, it's the time of Poland to see if they can beat the Ruskies on Upward. The match between Romania and Hungary is probably pivotal to see who will finish bottom of Group C. To me, both the teams are not at the same level as Poland or Russia, and can't really improve quickly enough to contest against their dominance in the group at the moment. I have a feeling the Poles will upset the Russians a little bit, but only time will tell. Expect a class matchup this week to decide who qualifies for playoffs from Group C, although it could be extremely one-sided, or pretty damn close.

Group D

Results

Belgium 0  - 6 Finland

Canada 6 - 0 Greece

Overview

Group D seems to be a division once again. Finland and Canada showed their dominance as well as experience by both claiming 6-0 victories. Having a strong core of players from the Premiership team, Colony, Finland showed their worth against Belgium. Nappr, Yonus and Zoob all had solid games, and worked well with their team. Strangely, Luzzu from Belgium hardly died at all on Badwater - only 7 times. Potentially, Belgium have either set themselves up to finish somewhere in the middle. They are capable to beat Greece, and could possibly contest with Canada. However, I think it will be all down to the matchup between Finland and Canada that define who goes to playoffs. The Canadians looked very promising against Greece, with solid performances from Tri, Killing and Pulse. The Greeks are going to have to pull their socks up against a Belgian team that have potential to contest to one of the top teams in this Cup. Droso had a very solid game against Finland, and  had an extremely commanding role as the Heavy Weapons Guy. And on a map like Upward, assassination classes can be key. Prophet should have a rampage on a map like Upward, and I'm expecting Greece to give it their all against a Belgian team that are pretty damn good at this game. On the other hand, Finland and Canada square off against each other on the same week. Finland should be able to take this convincingly, and Zappis had a very good game against the Belgians - going 20:11 with 10 assists is promising on a map like Badwater. The match between Finland and Canada will probably shed more light on who will make it to the playoffs, although pings will be interesting into what server they'll be playing on. To me this group seems very... interesting. Like it could go any which way. And that'll be interesting to see.

Group E

Results

Sweden 6 - 0 Scotland (default win to Sweden)

Kazakhstan 0 - 6 Latvia

Overview

This week, I was surprised to see the first FFW given to a match that had great potential. Sweden were looking to win this, but Scotland wanted some action and hunger for points. However, roster issues and little commitment from some of the Scottish players ended up with a forfeit loss. Fortunately, some of the Scottish roster has been moved around, and the players drafted in show a lot of commitment and passion towards this Nations Cup. Which is a great thing. In the other match with Kazakhstan and Latvia, it was extremely one-sided. On Steel, Atomic- for Latvia pulled off 50 frags, 7 deaths, 18k damage and... a 23 kill streak. Very nice game from him, indeed. With a great tag, l33tland, Latvia looks promising going into this week. Smadd picked up 45 frags and had a 5.0 KA/D by the end of Steel; looking promising indeed. In this week's matchups, Sweden play Kazakhstan, and Latvia play Scotland. In the latter, I think this will be a great matchup between 2 nations that some may call underdogs. The "unseen" talent on both teams can shine through in this match, with both teams looking to get some crucial points before the last week. However, Latvia arguably have the toughest schedule, playing Sweden on the last week, making it more difficult to pick up points consistently. In the other match, if Kazakhstan thought Latvia were hard, well... they ain't seen nothing yet. Sweden are looking to get their first proper points on the board, and should hopefully acquire them fairly easily. With TViq playing his oh-so controversial Sniper, the Swedes are in good comfort in this group stage so far. It's pretty much obvious Sweden will get through, but by what margin and how easily? Maybe not so. Latvia look in very good shape going into Week 2 of the group stage, and playing the weakest team in the group first give them a nice healthy point advantage at the beginning. But will they keep up that streak? I don't know. We'll have to find out!

Group F

Results

England 5 - 1 Spain

Belarus 0 - 0 Bulgaria (not played as of yet)

Overview

Sadly, only one match has been played so far in Group F. And fortunately, it was a fairly interesting one. England, arguably one of the favourites to win the Nations Cup, played a Spain side that looked in some shape. For Spain, Spike picked up a Sniper Rifle and clicked on many heads through the duration of the matches. HarryHook also had some decent plays and a somewhat ok game too, and TausoN was a very useful Engineer. However, England looked pretty dominant throughout. Picking up 5 points was maybe not intended, due to a victory on Badwater by the Spanish, but they still won regardless. Tuning into some of the game, England seemed to be pretty confident; after watching CUBE's stream, he can still play Engineer very well, and the team seem to be working well, although under different calls constantly. A star for me against Spain was Shintaz, who performed very well on Badwater as well as Steel. Whilst the other Week 1 match hasn't been played yet, Bulgaria and Belarus are contesting to get a one-up on each other in the early stages. In particular, a Belarus side that have unseen talent according to their leader, Alex_jj. Boasting one of the most unknown Snipers, Tracker, that is supposedly GOD DAMN AMAZING, we'll have to see how they perform against a relatively unknown Bulgarian side, that seem to be very... cautious, if that's the right word. Having a fairly large roster with little to no names that stand out, Bulgaria could be a country to watch out for. In Week 2, the Bulgarians play Spain, and England play Belarus, in an arguable battle to see who can get through to playoffs. As England are the most likely candidates to get through, they would have to slip up hard against Belarus, and the opposite to happen for Spain. Group F looks to be a promising battle throughout the group stage, and will hopefully provide a lot of entertainment throughout its duration.

Group G

Results

Ukraine 6 - 0 Turkey

Estonia 0 - 6 Italy

Netherlands 0 - 0 ? (No match for .nl)

Overview

Group G is the first group to have 5 teams in, instead of 4, making the playoff battle even harder, or potentially easier, for some teams. Starting off with Italy, who managed to pull off a very convincing victory against a waning Estonian side. Carnifex managed to go 19:6 on one round of Badwater, and a total of 45 frags on both rounds. For a Sniper, uh, yeah. That's like, totally amazing. As for the entirety of the Italian team, I feel they can cause some upsets - their newly revamped roster gives them large boosts in gamesense as well as DM ability. The experience on top of this helps a lot too. Conversely, Estonia went in confident, and sadly, came out with no reward. Disappointing? Maybe. Expected? Possibly. In the other match of Group G played this week, Ukraine managed to waltz past a struggling Turkish team 6-0. The Ukrainians look like they can pose a threat in a group where the playoff position could potentially go to anyone at this moment in time. Crucially, Netherlands have a game in hand so far, and can come back to get the points are any dying second. Their first match is against Estonia, which has the potential to be a pretty close game, and could define what team has a good advantage going into the later weeks of the group stages. Conversely, the Turkish seem to be... struggling. Like they can't contest with the teams in Group G as much as they'd like to. After quite a bashing from Ukraine, I think the Turkish could be slightly disheartened from the Nations Cup, and might fall flat when they need to step up their game a little. Italy, the arguable favourites to go through at the moment, play the Turks this week on Upward, which should be a fairly easy victory for the Italians, who probably have the best tag, "Pizza!". Group G though, is still open to any team competing in it. Expect the action to get more intense as the group stages go along, folks.

Group G

Results

Denmark 6 - 0 Ireland

Denmark 6 - 0 Iceland

Germany 6 - 0 Israel

Overview

Finally, we have Group H, where 3 matches were played instead of two; Denmark decided to play their Week 5 match extremely early on against Iceland, where they managed a 6-0 victory. On top of this, the Danish also won pretty convincingly against a very disheartened and discouraged Ireland. (Although this happened against Oneflower, who I feel extremely sorry for.) In the other match, the former champions Germany wiped past an Israel side that looked to be pretty promising. However, a few roster cuts and changes to the Israeli team may make them a little stronger going into the coming weeks. Swapping out Delta for ThunderSin on Pyro may be extremely beneficial. For Germany, their roster is still as strong as ever; Brego picked up 49 frags on Steel and put out just under 17k damage in both rounds. The pivotal point wasn't actually in the match, but some... things were said in the cast of this game. But we won't go into that. The Germans look unstoppable again, and are probably going to progress to the playoffs with little sweat broken from their large, scary brows. Conversely, the likes of Ireland and Iceland may be slightly nervous. After, some would say, shocking displays by the Irish, people would probably count them out and toss them aside. Possibly with Iceland too. But I think they'll be able to scour some points here and there, just to boost their chances. I'm expecting Denmark and Germany to get through with ease, and then have a belter of a game against each other. IT looks like a very promising matchup between these two teams, and it will be, I guarantee you, a classic. As for Israel? Well we'll have to see. I think they may just be able to scrape a couple of points off of Denmark to redeem some status in Group H, and be able to beat the likes of the Irish and Icelandic. Other than that? Group H seems to be set in stone, ladies and gentlemen.

So that's the end of Week 1, what will Week 2 bring? Surprise, shock and serenity? Maybe not serenity. This is videogames we're talking about here.

~TJB

Match Markers: Week 1 - 10th July.

Match Markers, a series where several matches are played in one day, with predictions and general info to boot. Enjoy!

Many countries came to fight: only one will come out victorious. In Week 1 of the Nations Cup, the maps being played are pl_badwater, and cp_steel. Both popular Highlander maps in ETF2L, UGC and Wireplay, teams should be accustomed to maps that have been around for a while. For the 14 teams playing today, 6 points are up for grabs. It could go 3-3. 4-2. 5-1. Maybe the classic 6-0 we see so often. But how will it turn out, ladies and gents? Well, you'll have to tune in to the streams, or wait until the results are published. Enjoy the first installment of Match Markers!

Group A: Slovakia vs. France

Arguably quite a big skill gap in Group A, Slovakia have most likely the toughest opponent in their group first off in Week 1. Although, I haven't seen the French practice much so far - no logs indicate any sign of dedicated practice, but France could be keeping it quiet. As previously mentioned, I think Slovakia have the hardest challenge in Group A, just because of past experience from the other 3 teams in their group. If France turn up to the game warmed up, I think it'll be a pretty quick game, although 2 rounds of Badwater and 2 rounds of Steel still could take a long time. But, France, the 2nd place from last season, won't be going into this Nations Cup lax. Whilst a relatively unknown team of Slovakia could pose little threat, they still could give the French a run for their money. I'm still calling France to take this as a 6-0 victory, but I think the Slovaks will put up a little resistance.

Slovakia 0 - 6 France

Group B: Austria vs. Croatia

Both teams, to myself, look like underdogs. So this could be an interesting match to see due to the fact the teams didn't do so great last Cup. For the maps, I think it would be relatively equal - players like Weinzey on Austria and Candle for Croatia would certainly provide great entertainment for any viewer. The Austrians have a lot of 6v6 players on their team, as well as some dedicated Highlander players. In particular, Tommi playing in Div 3/4 6v6, and Div 3 Highlander, giving Austria a big firepower. Conversely, the team Guru Gaming from 6v6 has moved some of its players over to Croatia, lending the team more of a variety of players. To me, both these teams are relatively unknown, and I'd get to know more as the Cup progresses. But, I can say now, I think Austria will take a win on this, although Croatia will pick up a couple of points. The Austrians look like they have a solid roster, and are hopefully looking to do well in this Nations Cup. I think on a map like Badwater, the core 6v6 classes can do some solid work with damage output and frags, thus I think Austria will get an advantage over the Croatians. I'm going to say a 4-2 in Austria's terms.

Austria 4 - 2 Croatia  

Group C: Hungary vs. Poland

I actually got invited to watch this game, but sadly I could not view it. I feel like Poland have come to this Nations Cup a lot more prepared, and with a lot more players to choose from. Several players from the ex-Premiership/Division 1 team, Max-Play, open up Poland to a lot more variety in their plays. In particular, Steve, who is claimed to be one of the best Pyros Europe has ever seen after his adventures in Premiership and beyond. Wonder and Phroblem, also both notorious for their Scout and Sniper plays respectively, in particular Phroblem, who has had several calls out for hacking. But he doesn't. That means he's good. Anyway, over on Hungary, the Hungarians look to be... odd. I feel like the potential is there to have a good go at scraping a few points off of Poland, but sadly, I don't think it'll happen. To my knowledge, I know the Polish have scrimmed a couple of times, giving them advantages. And Phroblem on Badwater 1st? Fuck me, I'd be so scared to venture out of spawn. Poland are going to come out hot from this one, so I predict a 6-0.

Hungary 0 - 6 Poland

Group D: Finland vs. Belgium

If Finland weren't so damn good at this game, then I'd call it pretty close. But sadly no. Damn Finns are so good at everything. Anyway, going into their first match, Finland have an easy ride. The variety of high-level 6v6 and Highlander players give the Finns an advantage over Belgium. Badwater has always been a nice map for Spies and Snipers, so Rake and SabaSaba, both well known in 6v6 and Highlander respectively, will have a blast. Possibly on Steel too, if they manage to get past the Belgian combo. Conversely, I feel Belgium have potential to go for points this Cup, but against Finland? Maybe not today. Whilst Droso, Prophet and Ni-Pur Ling Ling provide great DM and support for Belgium, their core of players, to me, seems weaker than Finland. Kurates and Muffinz both come from very experienced backgrounds, and should know the trials and tribulations that come through this Nations Cup. I think Finland will take it pretty convincingly, but the Belgians will have something to show against them. A 6-0 for Finland.

Finland 6 - 0 Belgium

Group F: England vs. Spain

I'm torn here. I live in England, but I have Spanish origins. Why do you do this to me, ETF2L? Plague me with torture and disgust? But, I have to make a decision. Starting with Spain, their roster mainly consists of the newly-reformed 27. A solid group of pure Spanish players that managed to win Division 1 and 2 back in the earlier Highlander seasons. One person who sticks out from that team, Pl0, who is mental enough to name most of his items "27", has been around for a while in the TF2 scene, as well as most of Spain. However, England have a point to prove. Some players have come from the ever-dominant SNSD, with a few ragtags from mainly 6v6 backgrounds. Kaidus and his men certainly have a point to prove throughout the Cup as it progresses, and they might be stumped by a Spanish that, on paper, don't look as strong, but have some solid teamwork and communication skills. However, that won't stop England. I have a feeling this game will be pretty one-sided, although 2 rounds of Badwater AND Steel would just kill me. Expect England to provide some great entertainment on the streams, and for Spain to give it their all. I'm expecting England to win this, with some Spanish passion flow through their veins.

England 5 - 1 Spain

Group G: Estonia vs. Italy

These 2 teams and their captains I've known for a while. They're passionate about the game and are always looking to improve. Italy, whilst packed with a roster last Cup, only scored 1 point out of a possible 18. Not good, is it. Fortunately, they've revamped the roster they've carefully built, with additions of high-level 6v6 players. Raine, Carnifex and Rock should certainly prove that Italy have returned as a strong nation in this Nations Cup. I'd love to call this the match of the day, but we'll see what it brings. For Estonia, I think it'll be an uphill struggle. Whilst not necessarily having the players to counter Italy, I think there may be some issues with the team itself, but that's just me. Estonia are probably going into this match as the underdogs, but they might not be. Players like OhYeah and Ocx. give Estonia big DM powers through their 6v6 classes, and I think this'll shine on King of the Hill maps and 5CP maps. Expect it to be slightly close, but I have a feeling Italy can get the advantage on points. Players who have played together for so long like F0rest, Matrix and F0rest help Italy by providing a solid combo of players. I think it'll be a 4-2 to Italy.

Estonia 2 - 4 Italy

Group H: Denmark vs. Ireland

Another match that could go either way, both teams are looking to score high in the initial early stages. For Denmark, their 6v6 players, like F2 and Quad must intimidate Ireland in some way. Their presence in 6v6 should transfer over to the Highlander metagame and format, no? Or is that just me being awe-inspired by their skill. Moving on, Denmark with their lack of proper "Highlander" players may make it slightly harder on a map like Steel. For Badwater, I could see the Danish winning pretty convincingly. Conversely, for Ireland, they've practiced a lot for the first match. In PCWs against the likes of Belarus, they've performed... shoddy, to say the least. Ireland have the players, but the teamwork and co-ordination? No clue. With their high-level HL players like Bulow, Day, B33p and MurlocJonny, they have the experience to show that the Irish can contest. Sadly I think time will tell whether Ireland can pull up their socks to try and get out of the group stages this time. Although Denmark will probably win this, I have a feeling Ireland will come out all-guns blazing, and at least pick up a point. Which is why I'm predicting a 5-1 to Denmark. In this case, DANMARK VINDER!

Denmark 5 - 1 Ireland

Cheers for tuning into the first installment of Match Markers. The purpose of "MM" is to get a roundup of all the matches played on one particular day, and my predictions. Stay tuned for Saturday, where there will be a recap of all the matches played, and the current standings. See you there!

~TJB

ETF2L Highlander Nations Cup #2 - Preview

ETF2L: the grand home of European competitive TF2. Whilst mainly focused on 6v6 to an extent, the organisation always brings its fair share of Highlander, providing prize money for the Premiership division via external sources, and providing fancy in-game medals to display proudly among one's chest.

The first Highlander Nations Cup was brought to our computer monitors in the Summer of 2012, with 30 countries entering the scrap to become the best nations for Highlander in Europe, with a few cross-continent appearances. After gruelling weeks, Germany shined out as the best of the best, clinching the victory in 2 maps from Team France. Obviously, this can all change in the blink of an eye this time around: with 34 countries entering, there's always a battle, always a climb, always a shock, in the 2nd version of ETF2L's Highlander Nations Cup!

But what countries have entered? How have they been seeded? What are their likelihoods of going through all the way to become champion? Let's run through the teams.

Group A

Lithuania

Back last year, Lithuania did well in their group, but sadly did not progress to the playoffs. Losing to Team France made them fall into 2nd place, making them not progress into playoffs. However, a convincing win against Poland and a default win from Turkey gave them a total of 12 points out of 18. With a roster full of talent, they may be able to go further than usual - if Pr3d and eSky pick up their rifles, many a head will be lost on their opposition. Both notorious in the top levels of Highlander, they could certainly help out their country to many victories. An addition of Evokje into the mix is a huge advantage, as he proved his worth against top teams in the last ETF2L Highlander season. On top of star-studded notoriety, P1NKY, who is currently playing in UGC Platinum with Beasts From The East, has got great potential in this Nations Cup. Other than that, I have little to note about the team. As the championship goes on, we can see how the little country that can, can do.

Team France

Little introductions are needed for Team France. Boasting a huge amount of Premiership experience in 6v6 as well as Highlander, these behemoths are to be feared! Mainly coming from the victorious Premiership team, DAROUTOUTOU, France certainly have some gifted players in TF2. Consisting of an Auto-Aim Sniper, one of the best roamers in 6v6 right now, a legendary crossbow Medic, and some sweet accents across the board, the French are ready to rock and roll. Individually, all of these players have shining talents, and should be feared with every step they take. As a team? Same proposition. I'd expect them to go very far, as they were oh so close to winning last time, the French are up for another battle to become the best of the best. Viva le revolution! Wait, that's not right... anyway! Expect the French to go far.

Norway

Norway look like the underdogs in this group of supreme talent. Whilst showing a good roster to all, with players like Ace, Issun and E-Thug from 6v6 backgrounds, they look to be strong in this group, but undoubtedly fearful of their opposition. An addition of Qnx to their ranks boasts high DM with them, and with a little Crouton in the mix, this team has the potential to do very very well. Highlander players like Lazybear, Niak and Rudi, who are all from the same team, show even more class acts than a classy act himself. Managing a consistent balance of high-level 6s and HL players may help the Norwegians into going far - but with the French in their group, that could fall flat whenever they match up. Although no denying, all the teams here are good - I mean, they're the best of the best in their country, for heaven's sake. Why would they be bad? Good luck to Norway in their adventures. 

Slovakia

Probably the weakest in Group A, Slovakia have a hard act to follow with the other teams in their group. Whilst being a new team, I can't judge on their strengths, but they have the potential to go far. Although they have one of the smallest rosters in the cup, there's no denying there could be strength in there - I guess time will tell. With little Slovak I know, "veľa šťastia".

Group B

Portugal

The Portuguese look strong going into the cup; after missing out on the playoffs by 3 points to Israel last season, Portugal have added some new and ripening talent to their roster. Promising Demoman in 6v6, Kaneco, has been added to the ranks, with a few names from seasons ago still around. Last time I heard, Trinita was the best Spy in Portugal. I wonder if he still is going into the cup. Other than that, it seems like Portugal have a solid lineup in their possession. 6v6 players like Kalhó, Coinz, Kiler4funN' and Haunter add a whole lot more firepower to the passionate Portuguese. Undoubtedly though, there's one country in their group that scares the living daylights out of me, and they're up next... good luck to the Portuguese on their quest to become champions. 

United States of America

A collective of the best North American players, USA have some of the strongest players ever to have graced TF2. Running through the roster, all are well known for their skills. I could mention every one of them, but: AbeLincoln's a damn good Engineer. Harbleu's probably one of the best roamers and Medics to have fallen into this game, and Max? Well, he's Max. Basically, USA are crazy good this year, and are probably going to go very far. However, Finland managed to beat them in the Quarter-Final last season, with a 6-0 victory. I think the US are looking to come out of the starting gate fast and hot, and continue the momentum. You're probably looking at the winner of Group B, and they haven't even played a game yet! Oh well... good luck anyhoo.

Croatia 

In the last Nations Cup, Croatia didn't get out of the group stage, with their victory only being against Romania, a 6-0. Now, they look a lot more stronger. The inclusion of Candle into the roster is a very solid one, as he's proven himself to be an extremely capable Pyro in high levels of Highlander. (You see what I did there? No? Okay...) Croatia also provide a few mid-level 6v6 players, in particular, from Guru Gaming. Croatia have potential to get some upsets out there, but to get through to playoffs? Sadly, I don't think they will this time. Good luck to the team though - I have faith in some shocks.

Austria

The Austrians are a funny bunch. I always got confused in Geography lessons with other countries, but that's beside the point. Last time out, Austria lost all of their games and finished bottom of their group. Would they replicate that again? I wouldn't think so. Players from a variety of 6v6 and Highlander backgrounds should make Austria a potential threat. Players like Tommi, who I've seen to be a very capable Scout and Sniper, and experienced Highlander players like Weinzey should make the Austrians bumped up from their failures last year. Viel Glück!

Group C

Russia

Ruskies. They've always been notorious for negative reasons, for some reason, and I don't know why. They're perfectly nice people. Anyway, Russia have always been known for exceptional players across the board. High-level 6v6 players like Galant add a whole level of uniqueness toward Russia. However, Russia boasts everyone's favourite Russkie, Irfx, who I've seen to be one of the best multiclassers in TF2 history. On top of this, a newcomer from the depths of Russia, Crow appearing gives me hope, as she is one of the most profilic Pyros in "lower" divisions, who's showing her ability. Diego$ and Pala4 from one of the top teams in Europe, Turbopoop Esports, fill off the roster as Medics. I feel like Russia didn't show all their worth last time, after losing in the Quarter-Finals to Germany last time round. Hopefully that can change, and everyone's favourite Euro-Asian country can go further this time! удачи!

Hungary

One of the most unknown teams to me is Hungary, who picked up only 1 official point last cup, with the other 6 coming from a default win against Austria. Quite literally, I have little to say about the Hungarians. Nothing to pick out and talk about, sadly. Good luck to the country, surprise me this time out. Sok szerencsét!

Romania

Ahh, Romania. You're one of those countries I can never exactly pinpoint.  But, the players in this case? Absolutely! After a change in leader from Nigh to Shape, Romania have a potential to do better than last time. Revamping the roster of sorts, varied talent is across the board. Ranging from Chopper on Scout to MonkeyBone on Spy gives Romania a wide variety of high-level players to use. For once, there's more main Highlander players than 6v6 players. How can this be!? One person I'm on the look out for is Rat, an Engineer with an extreme amount of talent in his ability, so I'm expecting him to do a lot of work for Romania. I have high hopes for the revamped Romania. I feel like they can do well. But with Russia in their group, it's going to be difficult. Noroc!

Poland

I think this team has a similar roster to the UGC team of Team Poland, who are currently competing in UGC Platinum. The Poles have always been somewhat underestimated, in my opinion; they have extremely good players, like Phroblem, Steve and Mikki. Sadly, on their last outing, Poland didn't get out of their group, and only won one game out of three, with their victory coming from Turkey. Potentially, the Poles are capable of going far. Sadly, they have a mountain to climb against Russia, and possibly Romania if they're all guns blazing. Poland's players have no problem communicating with each other, as a lot of them were on the ex-Premiership team, Max-Play. I have no worries they can do well in this group, but to get out and into playoffs? Prove me wrong. Powodzenia!

Group D

Belgium

Off the starting block, Belgium don't seem to be one of the most noticeable in their group, or in general across the groups. But, carrying the Scout powerhouse that is Droso, and well-known Spy, Prophet, hands Belgium a few tricks up their sleeve. Adding in a new kid, Winterz, gives Belgium a good variety of players in their roster. In the last Nations Cup, they won only 1/3 games, with their losses from Scotland and Sweden, and their victory from the small country of Luxembourg. Belgians in TF2 are always this: good. Regardless of the situation, Belgians are good at this game, although rare and hard to come by. I'd like to see Belgium provide some upsets, so I wish "veel succes".

Finland 

Finland have always been good at this game. In every which way. 6v6, Highlander, maybe even 7v7. Last time out, the Finns were beaten by Team Sweden in the 3rd place playoff. Finland have kind of always had a national team, though unintentional - Colony. A lot of the players from Colony are on this Finnish roster - Zoob, SabaSaba and Yonus stick out. But, the man with little known about him, RouHe, is sniping for the Finns. If you've ever found RouHe with your head, you should probably hate me, as I found him. Thank me later. But that's beside the point. The Finns are definitely a top 4 team, but will they best 4th this time round? Their roster has stayed relatively stable throughout, with Suqp3r and RouHe coming into the lineup. Their roster boasts talent and experience, and the Finns are just what they seem: pretty fucking good. Onnea!

Canada

Canada are much like the USA, but more... Canadian. Mainly consisting of Invite 6v6 players, Canada still has the Highlander experience. Take Blaze, who won Season 5 of UGC Platinum with Gangsta Gang Gaming, and Kapoww, who played on Baby Punching Marathon, the 2nd place of Season 9 in UGC Platinum. No denying that Canada can get far this time. In particular, a little Spy called Pulse has rocketed into the scene, providing lots of stabs for his Highlander team, BPM. Overall, Canada look pretty strong, and they haven't even played a game yet. They were knocked out in the first round of playoffs to Russia, in a 6-0 defeat. Looks like they could potentially go further in the 2nd cup. Good luck!

Greece

Greece are a funny lot. They've come in nearly last-minute, with a pretty lacklustre lineup. The Greeks did not compete in the first Nations Cup, probably due to a lack of players, or money to power their toasters. (I'm sorry, I'm not good with satirical humour.) Most of their players have come from a Highlander team called Plasma, who competed in the last ETF2L season, in uh... Division 6. Yeah. Oh well, the lesser the more. I feel like Greece can provide an upset, with some promising 6v6 classing - BnB, Timillar and Slayer have all played on the same team before, and work extremely well. Here's a fun fact, folks: it was my team! That's beside the point. Καλή τύχη!

Group E 

Team Sweden 

The 3rd placers from the first Nations Cup, Sweden are looking to get back into their groove. Providing us with some solid entertainment throughout several seasons of ETF2L, some Broder and some Zaibatsu/Crack Clan have teamed up, with a mix of other high-level 6v6 players. In particular, the addition of Ryb and 2nuts on their mains have shaken up Sweden's power. Both have proven to be excellent in 6v6, but in Highlander? We'll see, ladies and gentlemen, against their first match against Scotland, which is being played as soon as I write this. Expect Sweden to go far, and they will do in a lot of style. Lycka till!

Scotland

Ahh, Scotland. So much stereotyping towards a beautiful country. As for TF2 ability? I don't know - are they all Demoman mains? (Horrific humour right here, ladies and gents.) To me, Scotland look like they can prove to be an upset in this Nations Cup. Boasting a variation of 6v6 and Highlander players, the Scots look particularly strong. From the HL side, Oodles and Ritalin stand out as playing in Division 1/2 teams for Highlander. 6v6 wise, Gozo and Russian Guyovich, who conveniently play on the same team in 6v6, are capable players, with lots of potential. As Scotland are playing Sweden, arguably the most toughest in Group E, it'll be a good indication to see how the Scots can do. Guid Luck!

Latvia

I love Latvia. The people there are pretty damn funny. TF2-wise, they have a lot of strong players. In particular, Dr. Kaka6ka, who is arguably the best Engineer at the moment, on Latvia's roster. Atomic-, who was recently added, is a powerhouse, who was a top player in 6v6 seasons ago, to my knowledge. Other than that, Slonjara and Clark are well-known in their respective "communities", but to me? Um. I don't know them, sorry. Latvia got into playoffs last time, but suffered a forfeit loss against USA, dropping them from the cup. Hopefully they can go further - Vēlu veiksmi!

Kazakhstan 

Certainly a country I did not expect to see, Kazakhstan have entered their ranks into battle. And sadly, I don't know anything about them. Well, uh, this is awkward... Іске сәт!

Group F

England

England have always been known for their fine TF2 players ever since competitive TF2 began. Fortunately, they arguably boast one of the strongest rosters in this Nations Cup. The captain, and everyone's favourite Demoman, Kaidus, leads his English mob into the furore and chaos. Immediately showing some key SNSD players, like CUBE and Hurri, show England that they are dominant in the field. Sadly, the English were knocked out by Sweden  in the first round of playoffs in the first Nations Cup, and I hope they can do better this time. Players like Stark, Gubbins and Greg provide huge damage numbers in England's arsenal, and they'll be looking to capitalise straight away in Group G. G'luck!

Belarus

Another new team entering, Belarus have a mixture of... players. To be fair, I only know the leader, Alex_jj, who is capable at the Heavy Weapons Guy, as well as a few other classes from what I've seen him play. And one notorious person, who goes by the name of Tracker, who is supposedly one of the best Snipers in this cup. He can click heads very well, from what I've heard. Other than that, I can't really tell - they look to be solid, have a wide range of players to pick from, so I wish "Ўдачы!" to them.

Spain

Team Spain are essentially a Premiership making their return from Season 4, 27. They lost all of their games this season in the Premiership, sadly relegating them. From the last Nations Cup, Spain managed to get to the first round of playoffs, and then lost to France 6-0. I'm looking forward to seeing Spain in action - players like Hiper and HarryHook are very very good consistently from what I've seen. And, this is my home country. So, ¡Buena suerte!.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria are another new team entering the Nations Cup, with quite a large roster. Sadly, for me, I hardly know anything about the team. The only player I can justify is MattDog, after playing with him months ago.. so that's kind of irrelevant. I expect the Bulgarians to give it their all. На добър час!

Group G

Ukraine

Ukraine are a team that managed to get into the Quarter-Finals, who then lost to France. The Ukrainians have some solid players in their lineup, who are highly experienced Highlander players. UNBRKBL and Eliman in particular, who play on the same team, KillSwitch. On top of the 2, ADIOS and Jorman are solid players as well. Ukraine seem strong, although I have yet to be shown about how strong they can be. We shall have time to see how they develop though, ladies and gentlemen. Удачи!

Netherlands

Netherlands are a team with a ton of experience under their belts, both in 6v6 and Highlander. Players like kKaltUu and MDNZ, alongside Demsii and Quell, prove that Netherlands mean business in this Nations Cup. In the first one, they got to the Quarter-Finals, only to be bested by Sweden 6-0. They managed to beat through the likes of Spain and Lithuania beforehand, and I think they will do again. I'm looking forward to see the Dutch back in their stride for the 2nd Highlander Nations Cup. Expect them to get far. Veel succes!

Estonia

Estonia are a returning country for this Nations Cup, after their failed attempts last time round. Losing all their games and not picking up a single point in them made them last in their group. Conversely, their players have proved themselves throughout the previous seasons of UGC and ETF2L. Players like Blackbeard and Ocx. have been insanely good on their ETF2L team, Playmate. The other team some players originated from, Chaotech, have returned to compete for their country. M2R, Mad and Sheff in particular, who were recognised in their Highlander "adventure" in Season 9 of UGC. I think Estonia have a chance of redeeming themselves, and it is possible they can get out of their group. Fortunately, 5 teams in Group G and H means there's 2 promotion spots, to my knowledge. So I can only say to Estonia... Õnn kaasa!

Turkey

Turkey last season... kind of pulled a turkey. Losing 2 of their 3 games, then giving a default loss away put them at the bottom of their group, with 0 points. A sad day, indeed for the Turks. With relatively unknown players to myself, I can say that the solid players I know of are Hagi, Turkuaz and Kardanadam, who have all had Highlander experience to my knowledge. I'm looking for Turkey to disprove me on their "adventure" this time - İyi şanslar!

Italy

Italy were a team with a lot of potential, that kind of fell flat on their face in the last Nations Cup. Picking up only 1 point from a possible 18 was a shocking display. However, that should all change. The additions of an extremely promising and known Scout and Sniper in 6v6, Carnifex, boosts Italy in the scare factor as well as DM factor. Other than the "Carni-Carry" as I like to call it, additions of Raine and Rock from 6v6 backgrounds give Italy an even bigger advantage. Original players like F0rest and userid_ivan are still there, giving the traditions of the Italians there. Honestly, I want Italy to do well. Because they can. You will see it, I guarantee you. Buona fortuna!

Group G

Germany

Germany, the victors from the first Nations Cup, are back to represent and defend their title. Arguably with the best roster for Highlander and 6v6, the Germans have accommodated the best of their country. Newcomers like Solid, Schmuse and Der_Milchmann from Highlander backgrounds, complimenting the likes of BasH and Schocky, possibly the best Scout duo in Europe at the moment, make Germany a force to be reckoned with. The likes of Anoobis and Bighomer in the utility classes give Germany a huge boost in support from front and behind enemy lines. Expect Germany to go far. How far? Possibly retaining their crown far. They can still do it even after a year has passed. Viel Glück!

Ireland

Ireland is notoriously known for its drinking. And that's also the case with TF2 players as well. Cutting as well as adding in a pile of new players gives Ireland a slight newbie factor coming into the competition. However, the players are not newbies. Adding in the likes of B33p, Day, MurlocJonny and Bulow give Ireland a healthy core of players to pick and adapt with. Let's not forget about Admirable either, who has been proven to be one of the best dusters of shoulders Europe has ever known. Ireland certainly have some great potential to work with - let's see if they can go further than the group stages. Granted, it was a tough group last time round, with USA and Canada in. Ádh mór oraibh!

Israel

Israel is known for its gifted and knowledgeable TF2 players across the leagues. Bringing in players from across the leagues, Israel is back for another fight in the Nations Cup. And surprisingly, the only one from the Middle East. I think Israel have quite a powerful lineup. In particular, the Israeli contingent from the now-dead One Round Wonders, ThunderSin, Vigi and Wig, who have been playing for seasons together, should fit in well with the others. SorroW is notorious in his 6v6 team, 2kal, and is also a pretty beastly Sniper from when I've played against him.  בהצלחה!

Iceland

Iceland are a team that have recently entered the Nations Cup, after a plucky volunteer elected to lead the small country into the battle. Hardly any of these players stick out to me, except for Durrwwp, who is currently playing in UGC Platinum. I wish Iceland the best of luck, as I have no clue how well they can do. Gangi þér vel!

Denmark

Finally, the last team to compete are Denmark. Some of their players span from seasons back, whilst other are the "new" guys on the team. In particular, Tutorial, who only joined around a week ago. Bless him. In comparison, you have F2, who has been playing TF2 for years and years, and was mostly known for his Medic skills in Epsilon ESports back in the day of about 5 unlocks. Other than that, Denmark have some great 6v6 players, like Deathliger and Quad. On the opposite side, Zen and Tutorial have played in Highlander before, and in pretty high levels. There was always that old saying, right? DANMARK VINDER? Well, they could do this time. Although this is their first time running in the Nations Cup, they can bring a lot of surprises and upsets with them. Held og lykke!


And that ladies and gentlemen, is the end of the ETF2L Highlander Nations Cup Preview. I don't know how I'm exactly going to update this, as the matches can be played at any day, any time. I could just do a recap of everything every few days, methinks. Oh well. Call this a trial run, if you will. Until next time,

~TJB