Admirable — An interesting prospect arrived at my virtual door just yesterday when a deep throat ESEA Invite insider pressed in to my hand a bloodied dossier of player profiles and rankings detailing the top four teams due to be attending the LAN Finals in Dallas at the end of the month.

I can only assume that many Bothans died to bring us this information, so I feel it is my duty to publish it on these hallowed pages over the next six days; Julian Assange, eat your heart out.

Invite Insider — This is a breakdown of the performance of the top4 teams’ specific players. Included in the ranking is the teams ranking, momentum building into LAN, and their overall performance over the season. Enjoy.

Criteria

Aim – Characterized as ability to consistently hit shots, coming up with big shots in big moments, and not missing a lot. As well as dodging/healing for medics.

Awareness – The ability to determine what direction to be looking in, what target to be shooting, and knowing what is going on all around you.

Strategy- Being able to counter strategies, execute plans, and understand the game.

Teamwork- Being a strong part of your team. Either the damage dealer or the kill stealer you get the job done.

Pocket Soldier

1.  Harbleu (Mihalys Flow) – Based on his team’s 15-1 ranking, the fact he was a medic last season, and that harbleu is the most successful LAN player in TF2 History, harbleu takes #1.

Aim: 9.1

His aim is consistent, he doesn’t go for airshots, but does he have the aim to compete with Platinum?

Awareness: 9.4

Harbleu, since having played two seasons of Medic, has turned his mid+ soldier game into a High soldier game. He knows where people are, he knows when to backup and when to press.

Strategy: 9.0

Harbleu loves playing highly aggressive. I would have given him a higher number here, but Flow was not able to complete their perfect season and that was largeley do to both Flow soldiers getting tossed around like ragdolls by b4nny.

Teamwork: 9.5

Harbleu plays for the team. He is a big-time team player and while he might come off selfish, he understands what it takes to be a good teammate and who around him is being selfish.

 

2.  Platinum (Classic Mixup) – Shaky at the start of the season, Platinum has now found himself hitting the meat and getting heavy damage numbers every single match. The Machine is back and his name is not oPlaiD.

Aim: 9.5

Platinum seems the strongest out of all the pocket soldiers in invite right now. His aim is coming to form. And his shotgun is devastating.

Awareness: 9.3

Platinum does a very good job of protecting his medic. Gives his medic a very nice cushion. He uses ubers for his team and is not selfish at all. Fast-sens equipped, it is hard to kill his medic and wipe his whole team.

Strategy: 9.3

The team is in third place, but that’s largely due to their roster being lackluster for most of the season. But have no fear, Invite TF2 politics paid off with Plat securing a much better medic and a roamer who is comparable. Nice strat, platinum.

Teamwork: 9.0

I could not keep giving you 9.3 and 9.5s. I do not see a weakness in your teamwork, however I feel your chemistry with smaka is not as good as it once was.

 

3.  Boomer (srsly br0) – Consistent and cool, no one would mind having this stud on their roster as pocket soldier. Can he hang with Platinum and the rest on LAN?

Aim: 8.5

Boomer has consistent aim but seems to be outclassed from a soldier standpoint when it comes to Harbleu and Platinum. Your record is very impressive but I feel this is due to Yz50, dummy, and blaze.

Awareness: 8.8

Boomer is a passive pocket. He is normally setting up the play for blaze to go agro and their team to push in together as a nice blob. He protects his medic very well. But can he handle heavy sticky damage, meatshotting scouts, and rockets whizzing past his face all at once at LAN?

Strategy: 9.0

Your team is in 2nd place heading into LAN and you’ve got a star studded roster. Hit your shots, don’t get outclassed, and your team could be sitting pretty in the finals. Or out first at what is being called the “most anticipated LAN” since in many seasons.

Teamwork: 9.3

Boomer plays for his team. He is not the difference maker but he knows how to keep his ducks in a row. He spams well and is able to keep his demoman alive for dummy to inflict crazy amounts of pain.

 

4.  Tyrone (Quantic Legacy) – Oh how the mighty have fallen. Tyrone is ready to shake the rust off and show people what’s up in Dallas in a month.

Aim: 8.0

Two season ago Tyrone had some pretty good aim. Impressive at times. Last LAN it was lackluster and this season it has been poor at best. I expect Tyrone to up his game at LAN and not look like a waste of space. But for now his aim realllllly needs to step up to win LAN finals… clockwork can’t carry all the time.. or can he?

Awareness: 8.5

When your aim is not great and your team has been dealing with many roster changes it is going to be hard to be a part of a system that you feel very comfortable with. Coupled with real life commitments, simply put, Tyrone is a solid pocket who should be much better right now.

Strategy: 9.0

The one thing that Tyrone can do, even in the thick of storm, is that he can command his troops. He knows how to support b4nny and create space for his awesome sticky damage. His adjustments are minor and if you knew what they were you would probably facepalm, but Tyrone is the pocket for one of the most celebrated teams in TF2 history. Big ups Ty.

Teamwork: 9.3

Reiterating what I last said, Tyrone knows how to run his team. He know who the strengths are and how to place them correctly. Even when his aim is god awful, and it has been, he manages to be in the right spots. Maybe now that b4nny is supposedly calling he’ll have some time to work on tightening up his aim. But as for teamwork, Tyrone is doing well.

Catch the second part right here tomorrow as we sort the wheat from the chaff in the field of Roaming Soldiers…