Clean's Top 30 AA Competitive Team Descriptions

It�s been a long wait and I had to go thru 7-8 weeks of match stats to get this list complete. Once I compiled all the match stats I started re-doing the rankings and I put most of the emphasis on the league matches. I can�t say the list is perfect, but I think it might be my best one yet. Unfortunately I wasn�t able to reach everyone for interviews, but I gave everyone the means to find me via msn chat or IRC, and I�ve been too busy to chase everyone down.

I had to split this into two separate articles because of the size limits on the TWL forums.

Clean�s Top 30 North American AA Competitive Team Report for Feb 1st, 2006.

IoG has started to dominate the leagues and ladders again and only lost 1 ladder match to Quietus. They won almost every one of their 15 quality matches with relative ease. Iog, you da men!

blacklabel: I feel our performance in the league has been subpar, but feel confident we will do well in the playoffs. Next season should be even stonger with warpain and spyder in the line-up. The CAL season has started off smooth and the new divisions should be pretty fun.

overRated has had a perfect season thus far and to make things even harder on the rest of the competition they merged with the #1 ranked intermediate team Uninstall. oR knocked down all 7 invite level opponents they faced. Before the merger, Uninstall had a 12-1 record since last time with a 105 RW and 28 RL, winning 6 of 7 QM's, 2 upset wins, and only 1 "bad" loss to BmFb.

scarface: We are content with our league performance considering we lost players such as drattus, nex & osiris and we still managed to pull off wins in every match. Albeit some were ugly, but it's the bottom line that matters. I think that we will bow out in the playoffs pretty quickly. If we still had osiris on the team then I think we would go pretty far but now that he is gone and the chances of us fielding 4 for our matches becomes even slimmer. Our recent roster changes won't be as good for now, but hopefully we can get back to the same level. For CAL, I think we will lose to iog on thursday and probally take a few more losses during the season but will still make the playoffs. From there I can't predict anything because a lot changes in 10 weeks

Enervate Gaming has taken down all competitors they faced except for losing 3 of 4 matches to Ice Nine. They won all their league matches since last time, and overall winning 11 or 14 quality matches with no bad losses means they have earned this spot in the ranks. It is still a little difficult to differentiate the strength between some invite teams because of the 2 divisions.

General: We could not be happier with the way this season has gone, it's been a lot of hard work but it's worked out pretty well this far and we are very pleased with the results. We still got a ways to go before we get to the level we want to be at but it's going to be a interesting playoffs and we look forward to them. During the CAL season we�d like to get stronger and closer and make the playoffs. It's been a bumpy road to get to where we are right now. I've learned a ton about how to run a team, some of those things I learned the hard way but we as a team have learned that teamwork, hard work and close friendship is the key to winning and as long as you work really hard, do your best and have fun doing it, then you can't ask for anymore from your team.

Ice Nine has become stronger and stronger over the past few months. They came up with several impressive wins over teams such as Fight Club, Just Cause Project, Enervate Gaming. All their recent losses were to teams in the top 10 of the list, and were all close matches.

karnifex: We had a really great start to this season, but since then, we lost madd who was really more than just 25% of our roster. I know from the outside it looks like we started losing as soon as we lost him, but really we have had some very close matches, and come on man, these teams we are playing are the best of the best. We are looking to pick it back up and finish like we started. With us being in 2 ladders and 2 leagues plus a cod league we need to change our focus to excel in the leagues. I would like to thank Rhitty and his crew for making finally getting the Invites right. This is the way it should be, less teams, less divisions, brings higher level of competition.

Just Cause Project went thru a pretty bad period of inactivity during the mid-season, but has continued to play well and won 2 head to head matches against Slow Reaction. They fell to Ice Nine and overRated, but against oR they didn�t have a full team. With the recent acquisition of nearly the entire Quietus team jCp could very well be the next team to move into the top 3.

se^no`mor: Well for #team-jcp right now twl-i is hurting, with the somewhat recent not actually publicly announced retirement of -jCp.sE^nO`moR, till certain real life issues are resolved and the inactivity of -jCp.sTan.. and also the fact that -jCp.ru1n was forced off the twl-i roster doesn�t look like the team will be at full force. We are performing the best we can with our setbacks and look to do better in CAL-m. Right now while in the absence of -jCp.sE^nO`moR.. , -jCp.Crazykj and -jCp.diNgY.. are doing a great job managing and leading -jCp.aa

Slow Reaction has performed pretty well for their first season in the invites. Recently they were able to take down Fight Club twice, and Ice Nine once, but they have struggled in ladder play recently with their only impressive wins coming against Red Dawn and Team Annex. Their toughest league opponent seems to have been Just Cause Project who took them down twice. They haven�t faced one easy opponent in the past 2 months so I�m sure it�s been difficult, but a good learning experience too.

Snooze: Well to be compeletly honest we went in with our heads held high now and it slowly went down. Due to inactiviaty and a late merge we were stuck fielding the same team for almost every match, and we went into most matches with no practice. We should do better in CAL with our full roster signed up. We just had a big meeting, and we realized we need to work on a lot of stuff and I think people will dedicate themselves more. We added a lot of active players that made our roster a lot stronger than it was before, of course we lost some good players, but I think the team we have now is stronger then it ever was.

Red Dawn has had a tough season only managing wins against No Potential and Quietus in recent matches. They have had better results in ladder play although all of their quality wins were against intermediate level clans.

Mr. Furious: RD has been struggling in the leagues. We're having problems with inactivity and the desire to practice, so that hasn't helped. We don't have set rosters for matches and we frequently haven't practiced by match time. As a result, this "shooting from the hip" has damaged our ability to really perform to the level where I think we're capable of.

Fight Club has had a tough season, losing their top player on what can be blamed as a mental error. They�ve lost all their matches, but they�ve stuck it out, and made a few of them close. They also struggled even against some intermediate teams in ladder play, and their only upside right now is that epic is back with them for CAL and they started off with a victory.

kensh1n: fc's roster has changed tremendously. In fact, only split, myself and hatorade remain from the roster that existed when fc won CAL open. It�s obvious we haven't been doing well in the TWL leagues. With some members leaving and others busy with work/college we got to the point where we gave up trying and just try to field a team in respect for the other teams preparation. As for CAL, we're slowly getting back into the groove of actually prepping for our matches, and have a stronger roster. fc is always open for free secks and Led will gladly e-date anyone because he's desperate like that, but split�s still the love-sugardaddy of the team . We're mainly about being decent but not pushing ourselves to the point that we turn into one of these teams that burns to the top, makes one loss and breaks up, its pretty much whats kept fc around for so long.

The Biomedical Firebears squadron has had an excellent performance in the TWL intermediate league thus far. With upset wins over Over Kill, Ice Nine, Fight Club, Uninstall and Frozen Chosen they have flew up the ranks and if they continue to succeed and grow as a team they could be a potential invite contender in the future. Their only blemish was a very close loss to Quietus.

rainmaker: We�re happy with our season so far, our match vs uninstall was pretty frustrating, but besides that we have wrapped everything up. We�ve had 5 of our inactive players come back to AA, but we picked up nobody as well so our roster is pretty strong again. We expect to have similar results in CAL-o to those we had in TWL-inters. I�d also like to say the TWL admins have done a great job of running the leagues.

Team Annex has struggled to put up wins against any invite caliber teams in both ladder play and CAL-m, but they dominated in the TWL-inters winning all their matches. They will need to continue to be successful, and pick up more upset wins if they want to hold their new spot in the top 10.

ubeen: We feel good about our chances in the upcoming 4v4 league although we would have preferred 6v6 since it involves more teamwork. We tend to perform very well against inter/open teams since we dedicate a lot of time to practice for the matches, work well as a team, and have decent strats, although we may need to adjust some with 2.5. We have improved as a team with each and every match. Match play vs invite caliber teams can be very frustrating with their pinpoint accuracy and perfected strats. We plan to focus on the 4v4 obj and 4v4 league for the next little while.

NATO has not been very active in the main competitive ladders and won�t be participating in CAL. They haven�t had a very good season in the invites, only pulling off wins against No Potential since the last list.

Slayer: We�ve had a disappointing season. We've struggled to even get enough players on game day, let alone find four to practice. This is due to key members either being unable to make the default match time, or their interests currently lie in other games. Lately we've basically turned into a "pub it" team, which, for obvious reasons, doesn't cut it in the invites. We still have experienced/skilled guys that play aa, so even though we've blown this league, if we get our shit together, we should be back in full force for the next. Ohh�and Naphcon is gay

No Potential has been very inactive, and lost half their roster after a merge between iT and OOP went sour. They managed 1 upset win over Red Dawn a couple of weeks ago, but have had a very bad season aside from that. I�m not sure what their future as a clan is.

Over Kill has had a pretty good season in the intermediate league. They came up with nice wins over Next Level, Team No Name and No Hesitation and an upset over Volatilis Infensus in ladder play. They did suffer 6 bad losses, but they were to pretty decent teams.

Screwtape: Our performance has actually exceeded our own expectations. I'm not talking really about the outcome, but the attitude going in. Until recently we might practice and scrim the maps once, but for this league we've been actually trying to play 2-3 different teams (at least) a week, and usually have a somewhat prepared plan going in. As far as roster goes, Sl@yer brings a large map diversity to our traditionally poor-outdoor team. Chris and faceless continue to be the core of our starting squad, and sauce is still spicy hot, but he's had to move and got a new job recently so his activity has been diminished. Being that it's our virgin season in CAL-M, I will be delighted if we could manage a 5-5 record. There are some teams I feel we can beat, and others I know are way ahead of us. Our team is pretty stoked about being there and I think we'll definitely perform at our highest level, but it is some beyond-tough competition for us and we will struggle. However, against the predictions of some, we have already managed to draw first blood.

1st SOG (BWC) has been the most active clan in ladders/leagues the past 2 months with a grand total of 21 matches. They weren�t able to come up with a win against invite clans during this time, but they had 3 upset wins over Over Kill, No Hesitation and Frozen Chosen. We�ll see how they perform in the inter playoffs next.

Jackson: Our performance in the league started off poorly, but since the third week we have turned it around by scrimming and practicing a lot more. I don�t expect we will go far in the playoffs with the likes of annex and overkill in our conference. I'd just like to say that I think the admins have done a really good job with the league this time around.

No Hesitation is relatively unknown, but after roster issues at the start of the season they quickly turned things around. They managed 4 upset wins although all 4 were against vI so they weren�t exactly upsets in the end.

Frozen Chosen hasn�t had a superb season, losing some close matches to good teams. They have struggled against all the tough competition they faced in th 4v4 ladder, but have been pretty successful in the 6v6 ladder.

Bad Karma failed to make the playoffs after a very slow start, but they have picked up their play in league matches lately. They came up with 4 upset wins since the last list which helped them move up the ranks.

Badboy: We started off rough but we are slowly getting better as time goes by. Practicing and scrims have definitely helped. All of our matches have been very close if you look at the scores. On CAL we have added liquidsmoke for the season along with rEnO and dza from 23 and possibly more to come. Other than that, alot of our "old" roster has fallen to World of WarCrack, but our team is slowly building back up. Well, I'd like to ask everyone to check out Manihack's gossip thread and thank you to you Mr.Clean for making these toplists.

Next Level had a pretty strong showing in their first season together in the intermediate league. They have had a tough time against some of the top teams, but things are looking on the upside.

liquidsmoke: For this season, our first, I feel that we did an excellent job. Our teamwork has been great. Playoffs we face neX, its going to be a tough one, but if our teamwork keeps up we should be able to put up a fight. I think considering the rocky roads we've had and surpassed we are bringing it to The Next Level.

Innovation is back�again. Who knows how long they�ll last and how serious they�ll be this time. They have quickly moved up the ladders and started off CAL strong. So far they already have �upset� wins over jCp, Quietus and Team SF.

Darkstar: We're pretty happy with the way we've been doing and have been trying new things but we are determined not to choke in some crucial matches like we did last season. We'll do well in the playoffs if we get lucky with the map selections and teams much like last season. Our new members are relatively new to competition on the main/invite level but we're confident they'll perform well. We hope to work out some kinks in the team and continue to do well in CAL and TWL next season.

Team Envision is a brand new young team that has had great success right away. In less than 2 months they already racked up 5 upset wins over Team No Name, BORG, Over Kill, Frozen Chosen & Team Regeneration. With their only loss to a strong w00t team.

aziatik: I'm very satisfied with my team's performance, overall we've done fairly well considering we are a relatively new team. We always try to perform to the best of our ability and hope to continue doing so. I expect great things in the playoffs, I feel we have what it takes to go far if not take the whole thing, there will be some fierce competition to look out for, but I think we can handle it. Well as you know 3 teams from open have been moved up this should make things a little bit easier for us. We're very comfortable with our division and are focused on having a good season and eventually going to the playoffs. There are some very tough teams in open but we will come prepared and are ready to meet the challenge.

Quick Reaction Force nearly split up half way thru the season, but they stuck through and earned a playoff spot. In match play they managed upset wins against BDK & No Hesitation It�s hard to tell what their future is at this point, but time will tell.

With 2 upset wins against Over Kill and several wins against decent teams, Global Impact earned their way back on the list with their very impressive 15-3 record. If they continue to practice/prep like they do, they should keep moving up the ranks.

Killer Instinct is a pretty new team, but they are a dedicated and skilled team that wants to prove they can compete with the best. They�ve dominated most of their competition so far and the biggest test will be their performance in CAL-m.

Store: Obviously I feel good about our undefeated record in TWL-open. I hope our good luck keeps with us until the finals. We expect to run into some major opposition against GI, enV and w00t. Jose is back and aided us with his additional skill otherwise, we have just been doing our thing and our wins can only be because of our teamwork, not one player. We are setting expectations pretty low for CAL. We know we playing with the best and we don't expect much. All we can do is practice, hope we improve and dish out some upsets. If we were to stay in CAL-O we would have been going for the title, not in main. I think we have been an overlooked team the past couple months. We really have not expected a leap to the top, rather a steady climb. We are still on our way!

w00t.aa is comprised of a few solid players that are good friends and a few new additions of very skilled players. They have excelled in the Open League so far with an upset win over BORG and is a top contender for the playoffs.

Scrappy: w00t has been doing a lot better then we expected. The players have been learning to play with each other and our teamwork is improving extremely fast. I think we can reach the open finals, but tough teams like eNv and GI might stop us. Our roster has been solid since the beginning and I expect it to stay that away unless the perfect player comes by, we are already used to each other's game play and an addition to the roster might need extra adjusting. As far as CAL goes, there are some great teams in this league. I expect it to be a bit harder than TWL, but I'm sure we can at least reach the playoffs.

Aud!gy has performed pretty well in the ladders and made a spot in CAL main, but it�s been a bumpy road as far as the roster goes. They have already put up a win against Over Kill, but in TWL they haven�t beat anyone very strong yet.

With BORG�s lack of activity in competitive ladders and zero quality matches, with 3 bad losses they took a huge fall and will need to prove they deserve a spot if they want to stay in the top 30 next time.

Volatilis Infensus has struggled badly in the past month or so and recently had to drop all ladders until activity comes back. They had a very poor season and lost all their quality matches in both league and ladder play to teams below them such as No Hesitation (4 times), Over Kill, Next Level & Bad Karma. We�ll have to see if they can get a solid roster back intact and compete with the better clans again.

Mr.Clean: In the league, 2 of our top match performers went MIA after we started 2-1, then our best cqb player went to make money playing halo 2, plus our top killer in ladders during fall went to play WoW, so our roster has become less experienced and weaker and we just go with the 3 or 4 guys on TS which had led us to 4 straight losses. Aside from the bad news, one of our top players has come back, but we need to recruit more experienced and dedicated players to compete again. For CAL, our clan is doing well and we are in a weak division, but if we continue to practice I�m sure we can make the playoffs and hopefully have a good run. I like the way the league has been run this year, as far as tourney mode, maps & map times, plus the write-ups were a good idea.

It was a bit of a gamble to put this team in the top 30, but they have done well in ladder play so far and practice a lot, so we�ll see if they can keep it up.

Team Regeneration had a slow start in the Open League, but picked it up down the stretch. They had a pretty good record over the past couple of months, but they did suffer 4 bad losses and only managed 1 �upset� win over a declining Operation Mayhem team. They seem pretty dedicated and if they continue to succeed they may be able to move up the ranks some more.

Criminal Intentions is the least known team here, but I put them in due to their solid record recently with their only loss coming against Innovation.

Originally posted by: [SF]Russkie
We are in TWL Inters and have a decent record on 4v4 obj. How are we not on this list? We should at least be somewhere in 25-30. We were on the list the last time you do it and we really didn't do anything to fall down 10 slots and off the list.

Lol whatever

Originally posted by: [SF]Russkie
We are in TWL Inters and have a decent record on 4v4 obj. How are we not on this list? We should at least be somewhere in 25-30. We were on the list the last time you do it and we really didn't do anything to fall down 10 slots and off the list.

Lol whatever

Originally posted by: Crazy?
To Cal-aa|PD it is, sir.

i9.chunladesh
"Redefining Excellence"
TeamIceNine.com
#i9 @ GameSurge

|Sponsors|::|Holdouts.com|::|ZenuTech.com|

Originally posted by: -=]FC[=-Dead Zombie
Nice job Clean, as usual.