Road to the Playoffs: Ragnaros League

It’s that time of the season once again.  It’s the final week of Ragnaros Season 9.  It’s time to make the last push and win those last few matches to get your team to the playoffs.  A few weeks ago we looked at the final week for Sylvanas.  This week we take a look at Ragnaros Week 9 and see who’s in and who’s in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Blue/Purple Conference
Who’s In:
Thermic Whims – 157 points
The Whims are in and will be the 1 seed for the Blue/Purple conference.  They’ve had a great season and deserve to be the top seed going into the playoffs.
Collective Mayhem – 142 points
Mayhem are definitely in.  They have an 11 point lead over Hot Pepper for Purple and a 19 point lead over Team Next Level and Xnergy.  The question is if they can take care of business this week in order to get enough points to secure Purple or not.  They have a tough week ahead of them as they take on the Whims.
Who’s in the Hunt:
:hot_pepper: - 131 points
Hot Pepper have an 8 point lead over Team Next Level and Team Xnergy and a 14 point lead over Prep Coin Concede.   They play the Noobs this week so if they can take care of business they lock in their spot as the 3 seed.  However, with Collective Mayhem playing the Whims this week, it’s possible that with a big week against the Noobs, Hot Pepper could win Purple to get the 2 seed.  We will likely see a Collective Mayhem/Hot Pepper matchup in round 1 of the playoffs either way, but it’s still interesting to see who can at least win the Purple division.
Team Next Level – 123 points
TNL is right in the hunt for the wildcard spots.  They are sitting at 123 points so they are 8 away from Hot Pepper and also tied with Team Xnergy.  This week they play the Really Nice Guys and with a solid week against RNG, they can secure their spot in the post season.
Team Xnergy – 123 points
Xnergy is right in the hunt again.  They are in the same spot as TNL as they have 123 points.  This week they have a tough challenge in Prep Coin Concede who also have a shot at making the playoffs.
Prep Coin Concede – 117 points
PCC are currently 6 points behind Xnergy and TNL and 14 points behind Hot Pepper.  It’s not likely that they catch the peppers.  But with a big week against Xnergy and if RNG can hold off TNL, then they can take the last wildcard spot.  They need some help, but if they take care of business against Xnergy, they have a shot at the last spot.
 
Gold/Red Conference
Who’s In:
Vote of No Confidence – 156 points
VONC is the 1 seed for the Gold/Red conference.  Like the Whims in Blue/Purple, they’ve dominated everyone and have earned their spot as the top seed on this side of the bracket.
Saronite Pain Gang – 137 points
SPG are a lock for the playoffs.  They just need a few points this week to secure that.  With a 14 point lead over BRF, it also looks like they have likely closed out Gold to lock down the 2 seed.  But this week they take on ATL who are looking to make some noise and take a playoff spot so any points will be earned and not given this week.
Who’s in the Hunt:
BRF – 123 points
BRF is in the hunt.  The best way to fight the board is with a championship and BRF are trying to make the playoffs to do just that.  They have a 4 point lead over Maple Syrup Inc and a 7 point lead over ATL.  This week they take on Defias Brotherhood.
Maple Syrup Inc. – 119 points
MSI has held down the last wildcard spot for the last several weeks and look to maybe make a move this week to take the 3 seed from BRF.  MSI is 4 points behind BRF and 3 points ahead of ATL so it truly comes down to this last week for not only securing a playoff spot but also for seeding.  This week they take on Team Mox.
Always Topdeck Lethal – 116 points
ATL looked to be out of the playoffs a few weeks ago and then came roaring back and have made a push for the post season.  They are currently 3 points behind MSI and 7 points behind BRF.  This week they need a big showing against the Pain Gang to lock their spot in the playoffs. 
 
So we’ve got 3 teams fighting for 2 spots in Gold/Red and 4 teams fighting for it in Blue/Purple.  Regardless of how it all shakes out, this should be another exciting week.  With the post season in sight, who will step up and rise to the challenge?