Loaded vs. Pure eSports

Ignore what the bracket says, this is not a best of three. Ignore more, there is no mp_strike tiebreaker. In what appears to be a late change of format, the tournament will conclude with single-map games by sticking with true double elimination. That is to say Loaded will require two wins to become champions while Pure need only win once. As necessitated by fairness, each side was allowed to select a map and I believe Loaded's map will go first. Their selection for the evening is mp_crash. Following their 13-0 disposal of Carnal Gaming on the same map just a week ago, this choice is unsurprising. Pure's map choice is mp_crossfire. A rather unpopular map for many, it is still eligible for selection because it was a part of the event in earlier rounds. Furthermore, Loaded had a bye the round it was played while Pure defeated Carnal 13-8. Loaded and Pure have battled through a field of 80 teams to reach this night. It will also mark the first time these two teams have matched in this event, how appropriate. Tonight's game has all the makings of a classic.

A big reason for the excitement leading up to this match is that both of these teams are truly in top form right now. Despite all their strength, neither team was an inevitable finalist. Pure have a couple of 13-11 wins in their recent history and Loaded were facing a rematch with the Nexus team that sent them to the lower bracket. The dissolution of Nexus, while disappointing, isn't entirely surprising. I'm sure Loaded were looking forward to getting another shot at them but they're happy to be in the grand final just the same. So what's it going to be then, eh?

I won't waste your time with ambiguous signs that, upon summation, will reveal my hidden favorite. I might as well title this article "Why Loaded wins March Madness" or "Why, win or lose, I'll be hearing about this from hitman for a while." Last week, Loaded played mp_crash about as perfectly as you can. Is Pure preparing for Crash? Does it matter? Will they put everything they've got into locking down Crossfire? The answers to those questions are yes, no, and perhaps more. Pure will put up a much better fight than Carnal, but I would be surprised if they finish the map with more than 9 rounds.

mp_crossfire is a whole other story. The variability in this map is second only to Vacant in rounds won by nades, smoke picks, wall bangs, and ninja defusing. Better judgment prohibits me from rattling on about how Loaded has this, that, or some other advantage. Pure has every opportunity to come out on top on this map as do their rivals. I similarly think it would be too cowardly on my part to simply say the luckier team wins. So how to bridge the gap? Not being bound by any burden whatever to explain myself, I could simply say crown Loaded now, but where's the fun? The one thing I can promise is that both teams want badly to win. It isn't the prizes, it isn't the entry fees, it's the sheer competitive drive that attracts each of us to tournament gaming in the first place. If anything can be said to be a Loaded advantage, it may be the act of winning the first map. While it obviously confers no actual physical advantage moving forward, a confidence boost of that sort can do wonders. Frankly, I'm as interested as everybody else to follow this match and for the tournament to be over. Season 5, anybody?

PTW: rob-wiz, -47-!