It won’t be business as usual inside OGN Super Arena this weekend, because the first ever NPL Royale will commence. A slight change of pace from the standard format we’ve seen these past three weeks. I can’t help but pull for the underdog as 16 teams from Contenders are set to clash with the 16 teams from NPL.
The event will allow us to gauge how teams from Contenders will stack up against the NPL field. It wasn’t too long ago that these 32 team were battling for a top 16 finish to make the inaugural season roster. Will we see similar results to that of the preseason back in early January, or see teams adjust and surprise us with their plan of attack? Personally, I’d love to see the ladder. I think we’ll see the top Contender teams put everyone on notice and maybe even knock NPL teams on their heels. Mainly, those dominant top three teams that have a choke hold on their leaderboard. Those teams of course being Mustache Dave, ReinvenT, and Elevate. Here’s a look at the numbers between the Top Three teams in NPL and NPLC:
Average Points Per Game
9.375 - Tempo Storm
9.375 - Mustache Dave
9.250 - ReinvenT
8.125 - Elevate
7.290 - Cloud 9
7.120 - Shoot To Kill
What can we expect from a competition aspect? Well, there is a $80,000 prize to be split amongst the final top six teams after three days of play. It’s been announced that the winner will bring home $40,000 of the prize pool, with the remainder being split amongst the other five teams. So in an event that means nothing in regards to the leaderboard or which series you’ll be playing in next week, players should still have plenty of motivation to put on a good show! If not for money, then for practice, if not for practice, then for pride. And if not for pride, maybe they should just stay home.
The 32 teams have been divided up into two groups, with each group made up with 8 NPL Teams and 8 Contenders teams. Here’s how those groups were drawn:
If we’re going to see a surge of Contenders teams in the finals on Sunday, I fully expect it to come from Group B. Although Mustache Dave (the leading NPLC team) isn’t in this group, the team that’s only behind by a single point, is. ReinvenT and Elevate will have a great opportunity on Saturday to move into the Finals on Sunday when you look at how the groups align. Mustache Dave is playing great, but they’re up against the number one and number three teams from NPL. Which is setting up an awesome match-up that I can’t wait to see!
Is it game time yet?!