Warrior General Games

Here's my much-too-early look at the Eastern Conference, starting with the eight teams least likely to make the playoffs (in no particular order):

Likely to miss the playoffs

Manitoba Matadors (last season 8-7-1, 9th?)
It looks like a tread-water season for this perennial Canadian powerhouse. Here's to hoping they have another run in them in the future.

mokan jayhawk (last season 11-5-0, Reg Pro #6)
Nebraska Maniac Gorillas (last season 11-5-0, Reg Pro #7)
Both teams made the premature (possibly involuntary?) leap to the nationals before they were ready. Most teams make the move for the recruiting edge, but mokan is still struggling to fill a roster, while Nebraska is seriously outclassed. Look for the winner of their game to have a one-season reprieve from demotion.

Calgary Destroyers (last season 4-12-0, 10th+)
The LEGION's Thunder Bay Wolverines (last season 4-12-0, 10th+)
Calgary is only in their second CPL season, yet with two more seasons of plateau to go, their best days may already be behind them. Thunder Bay is a long-time CPL team that's just been passed by. Neither team should be taken lightly, but don't expect either one to improve on last season's win count.

The Bastard Sons of Doug Flutie (last season 9-7-0, 8th)
Saskatoon Silverbacks (last season 9-7-0, 7th)
Algoma Arena Rockers (last season 10-6-0, 5th)
This is where we move into the grey area. These are teams that made the playoffs last season and could very well do it again. I just have a gut feeling that a lost interconference game or tiebreaker will have all of them on the outside looking in. What will make it sting even more is that each team probably will have a win over a team that does make the playoffs. Yeah, it's like that this season in the East.

And now, it's time for the Projected Playoff Seeds

8. Queen City Black Cats (last season 10-6-0, 7th[West])
The Black Cats returned to the East during the offseason. Historically, that would be grounds for improving their record and playoff season. However, the conference has an unusually strong freshman class, starting with...

7. Axis: Serenity (last season 10-6-0, Reg Pro Elite #1)
Serenity is the first of the Regional Pro Elite alums on this list. They also happen to have the top average player value in the conference. If there's any knock on them, it's that they have a bad habit of losing games they should win. I wouldn't be surprised if they win their first-round playoff game.

6. Omertá † (last season 14-2-0, Reg Pro Competitive #4)
This team has the same name as last season's 4th seed, but it's really just the farm team made good. They were above average as they rose through the age levels, excelling against mediocre competition while having trouble when grouped with the perennial elite teams. You might say "lolminors," but with the parent organization's merger with (or takeover or?) the WL-bound Durham Ice Odyssey, I'm not expecting any great leaps in performance. They either need to win early against Amsterdam to show they're serious... or defeat Victoria in their opener.

5. Sainte-Foy Nordiques 3.0 (last season 12-4-0, Reg Pro Elite #1)
I'm not going to Mary Sue this. I'm not going to Mary Sue this. I'm not going to Mary Sue this... crap.

4. GD: Chicago Outfit (last season 13-3-0, Reg Pro Elite #1)
The former Ft Wayne Lil' Gurupies have seen much success since their rebirth with the Globedotters. In fact, given that they will play the next three teams on the list at home, I'm probably grossly underestimating them (again). This is the third RPE#1 alum on the list (Sainte-Foy was the second). All three came from #1 West, which produced nine pro-worthy teams. To think this conference has three of those nine!

3. Arkham Asylum Jokers (last season 13-2-1, 3rd)
The good news is that the Jokers probably won't tie the Matadors this season. The bad news is that they will play the next two teams on the list on the road. Those will be the tiebreakers that keep Arkham in third.

2. Fredericton Mima Mounds (last season 14-2-0, 2nd)
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, eh? They're running out of time at key positions, but this isn't the season that the Mima Mounds go all the way, at least not in the regular season. Maybe next season they'll win a conference final rematch against the Ice Odyssey.

1. Amsterdam Space Cakes (last season 10-6-0, 6th)
I give Amsterdam the nod here because they get Fredericton at home, and that should be enough to give them the tiebreaker. I actually expect the Space Cakes to lose their interconference game to Queensland and lose a conference game to some playoff-bound team not named "Fredericton" or "Arkham."

The top three were the hardest to sort. I have little doubt (save Chicago) that they will finish 1-2-3, so I relied on home games to tip the scales ever-so-slightly. And, no, I don't have playoff predictions. It's very much too early for that.

Nice work for sure! Great season everyone...good luck to Amsterdam in the WL!!!

Originally posted by CDZYO
Maybe next season they'll win a conference final rematch against the Ice Odyssey.



Originally posted by CDZYO
1. Amsterdam Space Cakes (last season 10-6-0, 6th)

Amsterdam was the main team I didn't want to face in the playoffs last season. I guess because of SP values and not knowing what they might have added when they hit plateau late in the season. I think Fredericton's playoff win over them makes them the favorite for this season for gold though.

Originally posted by TrevJo
Amsterdam was the main team I didn't want to face in the playoffs last season. I guess because of SP values and not knowing what they might have added when they hit plateau late in the season. I think Fredericton's playoff win over them makes them the favorite for this season for gold though.

lolWest has gold locked up.

Originally posted by TrevJo
Amsterdam was the main team I didn't want to face in the playoffs last season. I guess because of SP values and not knowing what they might have added when they hit plateau late in the season. I think Fredericton's playoff win over them makes them the favorite for this season for gold though.
Fredericton had the home advantage for both games last season, and I think they would still beat Amsterdam on neutral turf this season. My reasoning for rating Amsterdam just ahead is that the Space Cakes should win the regular season game with their homefield advantage (and whatever promotions they pony up for), which would give them the head-to-head tiebreaker come seeding time. And, yeah, Amsterdam absolutely got better as last season went along. That's one of the reasons that, for example, I'm not certain that Fredericton would win a first-round game versus Axis: Serenity. IMO, there's eleven legitimate teams in the East that, should the cards fall just right, could win the conference.

Originally posted by CDZYO

Fredericton had the home advantage for both games last season, and I think they would still beat Amsterdam on neutral turf this season. My reasoning for rating Amsterdam just ahead is that the Space Cakes should win the regular season game with their homefield advantage (and whatever promotions they pony up for), which would give them the head-to-head tiebreaker come seeding time. And, yeah, Amsterdam absolutely got better as last season went along. That's one of the reasons that, for example, I'm not certain that Fredericton would win a first-round game versus Axis: Serenity. IMO, there's eleven legitimate teams in the East that, should the cards fall just right, could win the conference.




Do you legitimately think homefield helps in this game? LOL

Originally posted by Homage
Do you legitimately think homefield helps in this game? LOL
When the teams are that evenly matched... yeah, I do.

All CPL teams should sign up for the GLB tournament: http://goallineblitz.com/game/tournament.pl?tournament_id=1 It's free, but I only count 10 of 32 CPL teams registered. Deadline is Day -4 (three days away).

Originally posted by CDZYO

When the teams are that evenly matched... yeah, I do.


what exactly is the advantage in your mind? because in reality there is none.

Hometown Hero VA? That's about it.

I was thinking more along the lines of "Morale Bonus: 10" or "+.5% bonus to their attributes on game day" tbh.

Originally posted by CDZYO
I was thinking more along the lines of "Morale Bonus: 10" or "+.5% bonus to their attributes on game day" tbh.

Because every game consists of the helmet promo?

Originally posted by Homage
Because every game consists of the helmet promo?
An away team doesn't have access to any promos beyond the season-long ones, which are more expensive per +2n morale such that it's the rare team that maxes them out at +15 morale. Even if it does, any home team worth its salt has already maxed its season-long promo for +10 morale, and would only need the Nachos to pull even at +15; any premium per-game promotion would meet and/or exceed that. Am I not connecting the dots?

Good stuff CDZYO.

lolpromos