Hero season 12 PreSeason Predictions

Rebobson and basedinc walk you through a loaded set of hero teams for the upcoming season

What is up, THL. It’s ya boy rebobson, making a return to the preseason article game, and I have recruited the residing queen of content, basedinc, to do so with me for the upcoming Season 12 of THL Hero Series. We have each drafted the 6 teams we most want to talk about, so sit tight with us as we walk you through what we both agree is undoubtedly the most stacked Hero division THL has ever seen. There will be thrills, there will be spills, and there will probably be at least one thing you angrily disagree with. Let’s rock (in alphabetical order):

Advanced Tactical Lackeys:

ATL, the long-standing Hero institution, continues their legacy of bringing together a roster which is solid from 1-5, with players who may not be the most exciting or strongest for their position, but also aren’t likely to let the side down. I don’t expect any of these players to do too badly this season, with Shunsui bound to do well in the 5 seed, but they may struggle to make it through to the playoffs without at least 2 of the roster hitting some unexpected exceptional form. I predict them to finish near the middle of the pack most likely. 

-rebobson

Annoy-o-Team:

On paper, this looks like a straight upgrade on last season, with Enthralimund replaced by a criminally under-PR RidiculousHat. Dusharmo had an exceptional season across all leagues, showing he is comfortable playing any format; however the question mark for me is whether RidiculousHat can keep the motivation while playing in 4 leagues, especially when multiple formats are involved. Dan0, Mattatarms and Jimphilos are all solid players for their seeds who perhaps underperformed last time around (going 4-5, 2-7 and 3-6 respectively), suggesting that the help in prep from the higher seeds perhaps wasn’t forthcoming. This team looks great on paper with some good players, so if Hat is in the game and the prep game improves, they could definitely improve on last time around. This could honestly go either way.

-rebobson

BOOZ Cruise:

A new captain this season but certainly not new to captaining, BOOZASAURUS has found a nice mix of returning talent and a fresh face to THL to power his cruise. They clock in at just 14 under the PR limit, but the numbers are not really my concern here. The question for this team is how quickly do they establish their sea legs and get rolling? The edges you gain in Hero by prepping and working with your team are monumental. The players can all certainly hold their own in their seeds with a possible struggle in the 1 just because it’s always a question when you don’t pack a max PR player in your team. I have faith in old Boozy to get these folks ship shape and I’m excited to see what they can deliver in the season.

-basedinc

The Burninators:

SilverTFoxDemon has returned nearly the entire roster from last season which will surely bode well for team morale and translate that into success. My big question mark is who replaced ShinyPants for The Burninators? Sage, a reigning champion that absolutely crushed the 5 last season and has moved up a seed? I guess he’s alright. This team’s chemistry is bound to be just a non-stop party, and I’m excited to see how that translates into card slinging. Last season’s runner-up is hard to discount, but we’ve seen the rest of the field improve. The player quality is high across every seed, and I think team chemistry is something people are underestimating the value of coming into this season. The Burninators might be quietly sitting on a gold mine in that regard.

-basedinc

The Cult:

The Cult is another team of returning talent with two very notable additions. Heatshock and S4nguine are no strangers to THL and a big boost to any team. They replace some other well-known and valuable players so I’m not sure what the net gain really is, but all I know is Heatshock is certainly ready to hold down the one and S4nguine in the 4 is a scary prospect for every opposing team with maybe DadLegend as the exception. They narrowly missed playoffs last season, and I’m fairly confident in saying we’ll see them in that running at the end of this season. All hail the all-powerful leader Quaz and praise be to his ascension to his rightful throne. I’m not brainwashed; you are.

-basedinc

DadLegend:

It’s incredible that we have a team of returning champs with an almost completely unchanged roster, and the field has changed so much that I could easily see them not even make playoffs. TerdHerder replaces Sage in the 5 seed as the only change on the title-winning roster from last time around, with an otherwise proven and strong 1-4 bringing it back again. HockeyBoyz3 has a lot more competition this time around for the title of ‘most broken 4-seed’, and they may not be able to bank on quite as many points from their 3 and 4 this time around. The field is a lot more stacked this season; however, this is a proven team of LHS players with an existing team dynamic. That could be the edge these players need in a field of great, but new and untested teams. 

-rebobson

F2L: Black:

Ah yes, the reigning champs of the PR-less format have come to terrorize the PR capped folks. This season marks the beginning of a multi-format brand of F2L, and this Hero team is kicking that off with quite a bang. They have chosen (been forced into) a top-heavy PR spread with a good chunk of their Pro players as well as some new & old players to round out the last two seeds. This team (or family of teams) will surely be trying to get these newcomers up to the speed of their established brand. I would put my money on the F2L style branding is a powerful advantage in prep for all of their teams. Hero is the place that is most likely to pay off. If they’re successful in getting their last two seeds ready to take on the many powerful 4 & 5’s F2L may just be unstoppable.

-basedinc

Licensed to Illidan:

NAS-Dormu are returning for another season, with nothing changing except the name. Though I will say, the new name is fantastic. Last season saw them make playoffs with this roster, however there were no particular stand-out performances, and instead they made it as far as they did with all their players breaking even or close. The field of teams looks to be stronger this time around, so this group may have to up their game from last season to keep up, or they are going to struggle to emerge from the pack. A lot is going to hinge on whether TrippyToad can transfer their good form into the 1 seed, and whether Donde finds life easier in the 2 than they did in the 1. 

-rebobson

NoProsHere:

This team gets my pick for best-looking team unit, if not best individual players; though the Burninators run ‘em close. Pasca is a proven captain, while Disco is a great addition behind the scenes to any team. Electabuzz may be the strongest 5 seed in the division, and SKIttLeZ and AgentPWE are solid for their respective positions. Though they are unchanged on the team that made it to top 4 last time round, I can see the consistency and work behind the scenes give them a strong start out of the gates while the newer teams find their feet, and see them through to playoffs at the very least. 

-rebobson

Spies that Flies:

It’s somewhat ironic that I feel everything I saw about Spies that Flies, basedinc is going to have said about F2L: Black, and we are the two who have wound up writing this article. A very stacked 1-3, with a returning, presumably much improved 4 seed and a decent 5 seed to round things out almost exactly mirrors my own composition; this roster might just be the most stacked to be coming out this season. The only question marks are going to be how quickly they gel as a unit, how well they grasp Last Hero Standing, and how much those top players help out the lower seeds in their prep. This team are frontrunners to take first place, and I would be very surprised if they don’t at the very least make it to the playoffs.

-rebobson

Tan Pam’s Surf Slam:

After a rough last season, Tan Pam’s Surf Slam is back with a mix of new and old. They’ve returned two players, added a THL veteran and brought in two fresh PRs for the 1 and 2 seeds. Always makes you a little nervous seeing two new PRs in either of the first two seeds and especially in both. But both these players have considerable competitive experience (including a Pro season for A2Battleship) and a veteran cast supporting them which definitely eases the pain. The key to this team’s success will be tied to the success of their new 1 and 2. I’m excited to see how this team bounces back and if we can have a 1-2 punch of rookies at the top challenge a top-heavy slew of teams.

-basedinc

Young Guns:

The teens are back and armed in another Diamond production. Only Catman is returning from last season alongside some more than teens. Dabs making a rookie appearance in the one is sure to raise some eyebrows for anyone that doesn’t know him, but I am privy to the knowledge that Dabs will have no problem adjusting. This is a sneakily top-heavy team that a lot of folks probably didn’t think twice about in the reveal. I think my only real concern is how will this team come together and work as a team. There are connections here from other teams, but will it translate? Oh, also there’s a pesky curse hanging about Diamond keeping Diamond from getting in the playoffs so maybe they should have the party Cleric prepare Remove Curse.

-basedinc