SO... This was originally just going to be a follow-up to my mid-season <b>medic</b> power rankings, but I figured I'd take it one step further and just morph it into award predictions. I'm sure the nerds over at USL Live might have a similar segment, but who cares about those dorks (save for Romulocks)? Not enough glazed donuts or something from what I hear. Fatties. No glazing necessary. Everyone sucks.

Anyway, let's get to it, yeah?

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<b>Fairfax's Redoubt (Medic Award)</b>

Where the fuck else would I start? Kaga's still a dork who only had one medic on his impact ratings, but the only thing impacted is Kaga's head from what I can tell. Anyone see him vs PayPigs last Sunday? Yikes. In any regard, medics. This one probably comes down to three true contenders of which I outlined below.

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<b>Iron</b>
3-7, 3,168 Healing vs Warhawks
5-3, 3,690 Healing vs Crap Shooters
5-4, 3,710 Healing vs Warhawks
-
<i>13 Kills, 14 Deaths
3,522 Healing Average (2-1 Record) vs Playoff Squads
Standout Game: 5-4, 3,710 Healing vs Warhawks</i>

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<b>Sov</b>
6-2, 1,778 Healing vs PayPigs
4-6, 4,116 Healing vs Warhawks
2-2, 2,688 Healing vs PayPigs
4-4, 2,926 Healing vs Warhawks
-
<i>16 Kills, 14 Deaths
2,877 Healing Average (3-1 Record) vs Playoff Squads
Standout Game: 6-2, 1,778 Healing vs PayPigs</i>

--

<b>Stavudine</b>
2-2, 2,638 Healing vs Crap Shooters
1-4, 2,755 Healing vs Anything To Win
0-1, 3,059 Healing vs PayPigs
2-0, 5,098 Healing vs Crap Shooters
4-6, 2,976 Healing vs Anything To Win
0-7, 3,804 Healing vs PayPigs
-
<i>9 Kills, 20 Deaths
3,388 Healing Average (5-1 Record) vs Playoff Squads
Standout Game: 4-6, 2,976 Healing vs Anything To Win</i>

---

<b>Prediction:</b>
<b>1.</b> Sov
<b>2.</b> Stavudine
<b>3.</b> Iron

-

This was closer than expected solely due to the fact that Sov and Iron don't have a complete set of games vs play-off squads whereas Stavudine didn't miss a match. Should Stavudine get extra credit for being the only one to three to play medic in every game vs playoff squads? Judgement call. In the end, Sov had the best stats, an extra game over Iron and on top of that was leading while he did so. Iron might win the eye test over the other two but I don't think it's enough to keep his title. He'll just have to win it back next season.

<b>Honorable Mentions:</b> Dennis Reynolds, Flash, havok, sntr

--- --- ---

<b>Champion's Deadly Touch (Deadliest Player)</b>

This is another one that looks like it has three primary contenders though if easoe (God) played in the last game, it may have had four and could have even vaulted him to the top. As it stands though, the three horse race appears to be between kaga, Rio and Sad. Who had the best overall showing though?

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<b>God</b>
2-4, 518 Points / 331 (64%) Assist Points vs Paypigs
3-5, 737 Points / 460 (62%) Assist Points vs Warhawks
10-1, 1,524 Points / 298 (20%) Assist Points vs PayPigs
15-2, 2,504 Points / 604 (24%) Assist Points vs Crap Shooters
7-6, 1,169 Points / 455 (39%) Assist Points vs Warhawks
-
<i>37 Kills, 18 Deaths (2.06 KDR) - (4-1 Record vs Playoff Squads)
6,452 Total Points / 2,148 (33%) Total Assist Points
Standout Game: 10-1 vs PayPigs</i>

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<b>kaga</b>
11-2, 1,627 Points / 563 (35%) Assist Points vs Crap Shooters
15-4, 2,015 Points / 424 (21%) Assist Points vs Anything To Win
6-2, 1,219 Points / 322 (26%) Assist Points vs PayPigs
15-1, 2,635 Points / 763 (29%) Assist Points vs Crap Shooters
5-6, 866 Points / 393 (45%) Assist Points vs Anything To Win
12-11, 1,068 Points / 112 (10%) Assist Points vs PayPigs
-
<i>64 Kills, 26 Deaths (2.47 KDR) - (5-1 Record vs Playoff Squads)
9,430 Total Points / 2,580 (27%) Total Assist Points
Standout Game: 15-4 vs Anything To Win</i>

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<b>Rio</b>
6-2, 768 Points / 266 (35% Assist) vs Crap Shooters
7-3, 1,201 Points / 421 (35%) Assist Points vs Anything To Win
13-1, 2,070 Points / 501 (24%) Assist Points vs PayPigs
16-5, 1,801 Points / 454 (25%) Assist Points vs Crap Shooters
8-8, 917 Points / 214 (23%) Assist Points vs Anything To Win
8-4, 1,010 Points / 197 (20%) Assist Points vs PayPigs
-
<i>58 Kills, 23 Deaths (2.52 KDR) - (5-1 Record vs Playoff Squads)
7,767 Total Points / 2,053 (26%) Total Assist Points
Standout Game: 13-1 vs Paypigs</i>

--

<b>Sad</b>
4-5, 673 Points / 373 (55%) Assist Points vs PayPigs
11-5, 1,953 Points / 644 (33%) Assist Points vs Warhawks
6-3, 992 Points / 525 (53%) Assist Points vs PayPigs
10-2, 1,583 Points / 537 (34%) Assist Points vs Crap Shooters
4-4, 798 Points / 394 (49%) Assist Points vs Warhawks
7-3, 1,219 Points / 503 (41%) Assist Points vs Crap Shooters
-
<i>42 Kills, 22 Deaths (1.91 KDR) - (5-1 Record vs Playoff Squads)
7,218 Total Points / 2,976 (41%) Total Assist Points
Standout Game: 11-5 vs Warhawks</i>

---

<b>Prediction:</b>
<b>1.</b> kaga
<b>2.</b> Rio
<b>3.</b> Sad

-

I was a bit surprised by how close this one was between kaga and Rio, but the tiebreaker for me was kaga's stellar (15-4) performance vs the #1 Seed Anything To Win that included a few highlight reel plays. That's not to knock Rio's equally impressive (13-1) performance vs #3 Seed PayPigs, but the competition factor wins out here. Jordan (Sad) likewise had very good numbers and a strong (11-5) showing vs #2 Seed Warhawks, but in the end, kaga and Rio noticeably performed better from a deadliest aspect. I suspect this won't be the last we see of Jordan though.

--- --- ---

<b>The Gift's Support (Best Support Player)</b>

Best Support Player? This award description is pretty convoluted. `Support` can be taken in a multitude of ways. Best Support Marine? Best Support Class? Best Mental Support after a tough loss? I don't know. It seems the last couple seasons have pointed at it being a support marine award, so maybe that's the direction it's heading now? Whatever. Remember what I said above?

--

<b>Sad</b>
4-5, 673 Points / 373 (55%) Assist Points vs PayPigs
11-5, 1,953 Points / 644 (33%) Assist Points vs Warhawks
6-3, 992 Points / 525 (53%) Assist Points vs PayPigs
10-2, 1,583 Points / 537 (34%) Assist Points vs Crap Shooters
4-4, 798 Points / 394 (49%) Assist Points vs Warhawks
7-3, 1,219 Points / 503 (41%) Assist Points vs Crap Shooters
-
<i>42 Kills, 22 Deaths (1.91 KDR) - (5-1 Record vs Playoff Squads)
7,218 Total Points / 2,976 (41%) Total Assist Points
Standout Game: 11-5 vs Warhawks</i>
-
Easy copy and paste. I said we'd see Jordan again and here he is with 41% of his points being Assist Points. This probably has a lot to do with Sov and Iron being killing machines from the medic position and a few potentially leeching marines on Anything To Win. If we're judging it by this alone, there's no competition. I don't think anyone else is even remotely close and Jordan has already won it.

--

For sake of keeping it somewhat interesting though.. let's throw out a few other candidates.

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<b>Romulocks</b>

Not only does this guy support the whole fucking league with USL Live, but he also supports his squad with mad healing. I mean if you put the whole league on your back for the sole purpose of entertaining everyone, surely that warrants some consideration, no?

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<b>Sov</b>

Goes between killing classes and healing (but still killing) classes seamlessly. ..And all of this while leading? That might give him the best case for support award, or maybe that just makes him MVP. We'll see down below.

--

<b>Tactical</b>

I'm not going to throw any stats out for Ernie, but this guy played Marine, AT, Sniper and Demo this season and did all four exceptionally well. Did anyone else even play three classes, much less four? I could be wrong but I don't think so. Maybe Sov or Mountain. Speaking of which..

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<b>Prediction:</b>
<b>1.</b> Sad
<b>2.</b> Absolutely No Idea
<b>3.</b> Absolutely No Idea

-

As much as I'd like to say someone like Ernie (Tactical) should win this, I think it's being looked at as a support marine award and thus Jordan is the winner. Don't get me wrong: Jordan will be a worthy winner if he wins, but as mentioned, support is super subjective and doesn't really have a defined definition here. I get we're a mostly marines/medic league, but I personally think the award should revolve around support classes and could potentially get a few others to play them. Maybe an LMG would just win if this was the case. Is an LMG support? Fuckin' eh.

<b>Cavebeast (Best Performer on a "Lower" Squad)</b>

This one is another one that I think was recently changed, though I'm not sure why. Was it just to give someone on a "Lower" (yikes at this term) squad a chance to win an award? Probably. It's a nice gesture and all but almost feels like a participation trophy when defined in this manner. In any regard, let's take a look at the three biggest contenders here...

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<b>posty</b>

This guy is like kaga jr. Super aggressive, good aim, almost no awareness. THERE'S KILLS TO BE HAD. The only difference? Kaga's on Warhawks and posty isn't. After kaga breaks China's law and has a second child, Warhawks will probably need a replacement (if we survive into next season) and posty can step in. Jokes (sort of) aside, if posty wants, he can definitely become a good player with more practice and a better supporting ca.. KILL AHEAD, GO.

--

<b>sntr</b>

Let's be clear here. I think sntr <i>should</i> be the run away winner of this award. He performed exceptionally well on a squad that only managed two wins and is very deserving of the award, should he win it. My only gripe? Is Nexus really a "Lower" squad? Record says yes, but with players like Fausto, Bowen, sK, dp, etc, Nexus has no business being considered such. I'm not the first one to say this nor will I probably be the last, but either way, top notch season from sntr and I imagine he might join the ranks of a "Higher" squad in future seasons.

--

<b>ThatDude</b>

Did ThatDude `ball out` per say? Nah. He's got a lot of areas he can improve on, but what he did do was captain a "Lower" squad, show up for all ten games and helped keep the league balanced and without Byes. What's that dork ass quote? Your best ability is availability? Some shit like that. Without ThatDude leading a squad and showing every week, a bunch of you stat whores wouldn't have the chance to brag about your sweet stats because they'd probably look like shit without him and his squad. Thanks ThatDude.

---

<b>Prediction:</b>
<b>1.</b> sntr
<b>2.</b> posty
<b>3.</b> Absolutely No Idea

-

This will probably just come down to sntr vs posty. I think thiz has an outside chance, but it's unlikely. I see sntr winning, but wouldn't be shocked if posty ended up taking it. Either or would be a worthy award winner.

---

<b>Eric's Prestige (Best Staff Member)</b>

This is another super subjective award. Who deserves best staff member? The person who reffed the most games? The best analyst? The admin or co-admin who did a bunch of work behind the scenes that few people know about? As a 50 season SBL admin (number may not be accurate), Trench/Hardcorps PL admin (yes this existed for a few seasons), a multi-season USL admin and more, I know better than most that staff is usually a thankless job. Well here you go, friends! A meaningless award that you can try putting on your resume but you're likely just going to get weird looks from your potential employer. Anyway..

--

<b>Military Police</b>

Does anyone else even make/edit maps? I don't think so. I may not be a fan of a lot of the newer/(edited old) maps but some people are and the variety is a benefit to the league. On top of that, I'm pretty sure he does all the class editing on top of that, not to mention the weekly uploaded videos, etc. MP is a huge benefit to the league and doesn't get nearly enough credit for all his work.

-

<b>Romulocks</b>

What more needs to be said about Romulocks? USL Live keeps things entertaining on a week-to-week basis and I'd even wager it's helped keep this season alive. Despite dwindling activity across the board, we have USL Live and the weekly videos to keep us entertaining along with commentary for every game. Romulocks is the man to thank for this and may Pope bless Kentucky with #9 to thank him for it.

-

<b>Tactical</b>

Do you know how many times I checked discord only to see a message something along the lines of "These fucking idiots - Do I have to do everything?" Maybe once, but I wouldn't blame Ernie if he said it more often. I don't know when Ernie stepped in as co-admin, but from what I understand, he gets a lot done in place of Fausto who's smart enough to allocate his time to making actual money and not USL Cred. I think Ernie is a big reason USL has ran smoothly this season even if a lot of people don't know it.

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<b>Prediction:</b>
<b>1.</b> Romulocks
<b>2.</b> Military Police
<b>3.</b> Tactical

-

All three of these guys are deserving of the award, but if I had to guess, it'll fall in the above way. Ernie might be replaced by one of the referee's who reffed a bunch and that's fair too. GJ meds.. err I mean, GJ staff. (Meds are still more important though.)

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Sov's Deafening Screech (MVP of the League)

Ah, the MVP award. Everybody knows this goes to the best quarterback because fuck every other position, amirite? Oh. Wrong ?sport? .. Um .. I guess this should go to the best leader? Or maybe the best medic? Or the best marine? Shit is subjective as fuck. Maybe we just say "If you remove this player from this squad, the drop off is steep". Who fits that description?

--

<b>Rio:</b>

Comes back after not playing for a while. Is the best marine on the #2 seed squad. Co-leads and shot calls alongside tg. Makes big plays in crucial situations. Has a cute cat. What else could you ask for? MVP material right here.

-

<b>Sov:</b>

Still the best leader in the game and unlikely to be dethroned unless he quits infantry (lol, yeah right). Was, in my opinion, the best medic on Anything To Win despite ATW having med god Iron. Kills everything when he's not medding and sometimes even when he is medding. Has real good discord soundboard lines. Don't know if he has a cat, but he should if he doesn't.

-

<b>The Mountain:</b>

(I'm not calling him somera period.) : Honestly, I'm not sure if PayPigs survives without him. As far as I'm aware there was a bunch of ?mid-season? drama that cost them nearly half their squad, but Mountain stepped up in the captain role and kept them active throughout the week and competitive throughout the season. Solid up and coming leader who's stats probably suffered a bit because of it. I dunno if he has a cat or not either. If not, why not?

--

<b>Prediction:</b>
<b>1.</b> Sov
<b>2.</b> Rio
<b>3.</b> Absolutely No Idea

-

Let's be honest.. this is probably going to Sov. Best leader, Best med -- he brings more to the team than anybody else in the game. There's a reason Sov squads are so hard to beat and his impact is a known quantity. As for others? It's harder to tell from an outside perspective, but going back to the original ending statement: Remove Sov from ATW and they look a lot more vulnerable. Warhawks and PayPigs could probably survive without Rio and The Mountain respectively though both would be worse off if they had to do so, but Sov probably has the biggest overall impact if he's absent.

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<b>Dark Prince's Golden Gobblet (Championship Squad)</b> and <b>Yosh's Campaign (Championship Team Captain)</b>

First off. What's a fucking gobblet? Asking the real questions here.

Secondly, Warhawks and tg respectively will win these awards Not biased at all and certainly not planning to DDoS Sov and Iron on championship weekend. Anything To Win/yosh also have a chance to win these, but it's real unlikely. I don't even know if they'll make it past Crap Shooters/P with Sov and Iron not there for some inexplicable reason. Paypigs/The Mountain may also have a say in this, but I suspect The Mountain will be lagging and specced out at an inopportune time for his squad. Shit happens.

--

<b>Prediction:</b>
<b>1.</b> Warhawks / tg
<b>2.</b> Crap Shooters / P
<b>3.</b> Paypigs / The Mountain

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<b>Tactical's Efficiency (Kill Threshold)</b>

Just rename this award to stat whores, yeah? What's Efficient about base raping a "Lower" squad? I'm schleep, cuz.
--

<b>Prediction:</b>
Stat Whores on ATW, Warhawks, Paypigs and Crap Shooters.

<b>Aerith's Flowers (Team MVPs - Unofficial Award)</b>

This award will be given to each teams MVP as determined by me, Aerith. The best player of all time in every zone, no questions asked, fuck off.

--

<b>Anything To Win - Champion</b>

Shocking, right? Hear me out though. Yeah, Sov is probably going to win MVP, but he's a dork and talking about him some more is zzzz. Let's talk about Champion instead. This guy didn't show to one match this season which already makes him an MVP at life since he isn't wasting his time, but it also makes him ATW's mvp because they had to get stronger and not rely on him carrying their asses yet again. That said, he'll probably show for play-offs and demolish everyone, but it was good while it lasted, right?

-

<b>Warhawks - Stavudine</b>

Again, you're probably thinking.. Shouldn't this be Rio? ..and while yeah, that might make sense, I don't fucking care what you think. Stavudine showed to every match, medded his ass off, has a mega awesome cat, is the nicest guy not only on infantry, but in existence and somehow healed kaga to what I believe will be deadliest win for him. Do you know hard it is to heal kaga when he's charging four people by himself? Thanks Jason. You're the only reason Warhawks is still around.

-

<b>PayPigs - G</b>

If there's anyone more beneficial to PayPigs, I don't know who it is. Night after night squads gather to SB and we'd all go non stop for hours on end, if not for this hero right here. Need a piss break? No problem, Split's in his garage anyway. Need to cook dinner? That's cool, Split's still in the garage. Family emergency? Take your time, Split isn't back yet. I'm not sure anybody realizes it what with us all being nerds who play an old ass game, but taking breaks is healthy and a lot of us wouldn't take those necessary breaks if not for Split. Thank you Split.

-

<b>Crap Shooters - Brillhart, chica, Flash, negativezero, Universal Solider 2k</b>

I'm not sure if I've ever seen a squad start so many medics in my life, but here we are. Because of this, I'm not sure who the actual starting medics are or if it's just a medic by committee thing. I'm assuming the latter and thus all of these guys (and lady) are Crap Shooters MVP. Here I was over here thinking Warhawks had the most meds in the league but Crap Shooters gave us a giant "Fuck You" on that one. GJ Meds.

-

<b>Nexus - mosh</b>

My pal Rich is a man's man. What do most of you do with your hard earned money? Pay rent? Buy Food? Take the lady our for dinner? Yeah, well. Rich said fuck all that and spent $30,000 on a Pokimane Meet and Greet. From what I've been told, nothing amped up Nexus more than this knowledge and in the end, they managed to have a respectable final week showing.

...Er, I just got word that Rich actually lost the Pokimane meet and greet auction to a vtuber. What the fuck, bro? .. I guess let's just give this award to Romulocks. Sigh Rich. The dream is dead.

-

<b>kNock Your Punkass Down - The Whole Squad</b>

Is this a cop-out choice? Probably, but you know what? If you don't like it, make your own fucking fake award nerd. Props to NYPD for (almost) showing enough to every game, despite knowing that a lot of nerds were going to try and statpad you as hard as possible. It's not easy being `that` squad, but much respect for helping balance out the league and allowing everyone to avoid the dreaded BYE weeks. Hopefully everyone/most everyone had fun and sticks around, save for Infinite. Ain't no way, bruh.

---

<b>Pre-Playoff Mailbag Questions:</b>

A lot of you have submitted your questions and I'm here to answer them truthfully and honestly, without bias, unlike those nerds over on USL Live. Let's get to it, shall we?

--

<b>Q:</b> Will there be more than four squads next season?

<b>A:</b> No.

-

<b>Q:</b> I'm new to Path of Exile. What should I play?

<b>A:</b> Lacerate like every other dork.

-

<b>Q:</b> Does easoe exist?

<b>A:</b> I'm still skeptical on this one. I proposed that easoe was a Champion AI last season and this might still be the case. Ever since being outted as the man behind the curtain, Champion has gone missing, whereas easoe is now active. Coincidence? I think not.

-

<b>Q:</b> Should 7's or 8's be the norm?

<b>A:</b> You're a bitch if you intentionally go 7's and have 8's, 9's, 10's available.

-

<b>Q:</b> Will backs make it through all of next season without being banned?

<b>A:</b> Unlikely. He'll probably get banned in the off-season.

-

<b>Q:</b> Should we convert to a draft league to promote better competition?

<b>A:</b> No. Stacking with friends is a necessity for league survival.

-

<b>Q:</b> What map should Military Police bring back next?

<b>A:</b> Tank-O-Drome, but maybe add some trees.

-

<b>Q:</b> Will Eric retire only to unretire again?

<b>A:</b> He's a big fan of Tom Brady, so probably.

-

<b>Q:</b> Should ripper have been nerfed after two weeks?

<b>A:</b> Clearly. Everyone dominated on it and it was deterimental to Anyth.. I mean the league.

-

<b>Q:</b> Should I sign up for the next forum mafia game?

<b>A:</b> Only if you want the opportunity to hang Fairfax.

-

<b>Q:</b> Dead Game?

<b>A:</b> Dead Game.

Damn not even consideration for staff award? But agreed on almost everything else

This was a fun read! Thanks for taking the time to put this together.

This kinda stuff always makes me want to pen some infantry shit too.

I'm legit crying at the Q&A.

Thank you for that.

I missed too many stat pads to even be considered :< sadge

No bully PLZ :(

Sorry pal - since I'm not directly involved with staff, I don't know who does what.
Maybe you do all the work for all I know and Ernie takes the credit. Scumbag Ernie.

True - this was the only reason I didn't include you, otherwise you woulda been right up there. :<

Big heart to Rom, honorary Warhawk. @_@

Hello Deadliest my old friend

It's okay pal <3

can't believe kaga paid manu to die with 250 nrg just so he could win most kills :(

great write-up. kaga still got it after all these years, legend

great write-up. vc15 still got it after all these years, legend

Shoutout to dp and the other refs for handling all the matches this season per usual.

Shoutout to Aerith for being the most underrated Marine in the league.

After this write-up, how could anyone resist the next Forum Mafia game Staley is hosting?

This is just a teaser of the chaos that will ensue.

Lets play Forum Mafia just so we can kill dave again night 1 please.