power rankings playoffs (perils in paradise)

introduction

PLAYOFFS? YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT PLAYOFFS? PLAYOFFS? YOU KIDDING ME? I JUST HOPE WE CAN WIN A GAME! We’re at the end here, folks. It’s playoffs time. This will be our final power rankings for the Perils in Paradise era. As a reminder, we use internal data calculated into a formula called PAR to create these rankings. PAR calculates data such as win/loss, game win rates, and strength of schedule. Feedback is welcome as we continue to iron out the kinks in the format and stylizing of this blog series.

legacy

The end is nigh. The ever-competitive Legacy series is entering its final moments. Obviously, I have some bias here going into the playoffs. How could I not? McMarin’s is going to eat everyone else alive. From an objective standpoint, I think the most likely upset we could see in round 1 is McMarin’s over The Dog Ate Our Team Name. I only say this because I feel like the other matchups are going to go the way they’re seeded while with this matchup we have 2 teams that are very evenly match with only a slight numbers advantage on one side. Could we see FiddleFyre Festival taking out JUSTINx4? Sure. Do I think it will honestly happen? No. Do I want it to happen? Yes, but the Justins are just too strong I fear. This is going to be a very interesting playoff race to keep an eye on whether you’re in it or not.

​​-Mako

hero

Playoffs are here and only our top 4 teams remain! Alternative Pet Merchants easily made it with an impressive 15 point advantage over Defias. Mistah Lah Vistah, Baby had a close call, but clutched a 16-8 win in the final week before playoffs securing their spot. Player wise we gotta give credit to Fsorace1! Not only is he our top player of the week but they made playoffs in Legacy and Pro as well! Alternative Pet Merchants has almost their full team on our top player list this week. Playoffs are always an exciting time in the season and any team could go all the way. We will have to see which team comes out on top over the playoff weeks!
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​-amazingoo

pro

We have a playoff cut, let the real games begin!

Congratulations to Cheese Mongers and F2L for clinching the top two spots and the bye that comes along with it. Enjoy the week off while the rest of us figure out if we still force Big Spell Mage or not.  Onto the matchups:

Staff of the Five Dubs vs The Terrible Tourists

Kudos to the Tourists for grabbing a playoff spot in this field of top competition.  They've played well throughout the season, winning big when it counted to finish with an even record.

All that said, I don't see them topping the Staff this week.  Staff had three players contending for the undefeated record most the season (Empol, Copa, Pace).  And while each of them ended 5-1, I don't see multiple upsets happening for the Tourists.

Whodack's Baseless Educated Wish: Staff 17 - Tourists 11

A Possible Miscalculation vs BrushyTuna

I hope they stream some of this series.  RonMexico v CalebEM? Fsorace1 v Dagda?  Yes, please!  This series has the makings of a THL classic.  And, I see it coming down to the last match.

I'm going to give BrushyTuna the edge on this one.  RonMexico is still on an undefeated streak.  And when McBanterFace is your 4 seed your team should be well positioned for a good playoff run.

Whodack's Baseless Educated Wish: BrushyTuna 15 - APM 12

-Whodack

wild

layoffs have been set in stone for a long time.  The top two teams, Sunburnt Shakers and F2L: Viridian, have been terrorizing wild for a long time, but both went out in the semis last season.  Does that signal a shift in the meta?  I’m not sure, but both Staff of the Five Dubs and Wild THL Fanatics place multiple players in the top ten.

When it comes to players, we finish the season with only one undefeated player - and to everybody’s surprise, it’s not Lorthos, who picked up a loss in the final week to push his record down to 5-1, but rather kvlt, a regular presence at top legend who showcased why he belongs in the running for THL Wild MVP this season.  Well done to kvlt!  (Checks my opponent this week…oh no).
In second and third are two of the Shakers’ pillars, both sitting at 5-1 and proving why some want these overpowered teams broken up.  OTZaixia and Tigereye habitually sit near or at the top of the leaderboards each and every season, and Season 13 is no exception.  Well done!  In fourth place, we see our first Dub in Nice Jewish Owl, whose opponents may disagree with the “nice” moniker, as he has stomped over the competition without much trouble.  In fifth place is…Devalion!  That’s me!  I missed a week due to my trip to Poland but I’m still sitting comfortably in the x-1 bracket: I’ll take it!  My teammate Superbase takes a solid 4-2 record into 7th place, where he will face 8th-place Itachi in what may well be the most even matchup (at least, as per power rankings formula) of the entire semifinals.  Naturally, all who are on the side of light and goodness believe in Superbase.
In ninth place is one of THL’s best fine-tuners, Sinferno, sitting comfortably at 4-2 and a lethal weapon in the 3 seed who could very well power the Staff into a shock upset.  And, finally, we round out our power rankings with its only 3-win player, ForChrist, but look at the murderer’s row of opponents he’s had to face!  After a week one victory vs CosmicGhost, it’s all been heavy hitters from there: a loss vs NeonHeron (who frankly I’m surprised didn’t make it on the list, he’s had a cracked season and his opponents should be…shaking…in their boots (ba dum tsh) in a tight 5 game series, successive defeats of Nice Jewish Owl and rebobson, and another 5-game loss vs the always-scary nhlnjfan.

My predictions: Wild THL Fanatics beats F2L Viridian by 1 point (there can surely be no bias in there, no sirree), but the miracle run ends in the finals where the Sunburnt Shakers show the world why they’re the favorites each and every season as they roll to yet another championship, losing only one match each series.  But rest assured, BOMD and the boys will do all we can to make sure those predictions don’t come to pass!  DOWN WITH THE SHAKE-IARCHY!

​-Devalion​

duos

No more meme predictions. This is the final week of the regular season for Duos. It’s time to lock in. TIHCWWPICWP IS GOING DOWN THIS WEEK! For real though, Duos has been very competitive in its first season. We’ve seen a consistent top 10 from week to week with barely any new duos entering. As a reminder for playoffs, the top 2 teams from each division will make playoffs. As of right now that is tihcwwpicwp, W9SH(ED), Bop, Death Hunters, Staring at Bros Vol. 1, purple, and bone block. With this final week, those teams could change but most of those teams are locks at this point. The most likely change would come in the 2 seed from the Turquoise Division, right now being held by W9SH(ED) by a very small margin.
-Mako