This Saturday, the Metro North district once again earns the “North” part of its name, as teams head up to Uncle Sam’s in Troy, NY. Only one more regular season stop before the position round finale in mid-June, and the fight for the top 4 spots is a heated one. Here are this weekend’s matchups:
Da Royalty (7th | 213-227) vs BOA (9th | 199-241)
Da Royalty’s season isn’t over yet. Right now they are sitting right outside the bubble, and a successful match here could possibly mean an end of season run at a playoff spot. BOA isn’t lagging far behind points-wise, and they definitely have put some things together in the second half of this season – 138 of their 199 points have come in their last 5 stops.
Prediction: Both of these teams have some pretty decent momentum right now, but Da Royalty has the added advantage of hosting BOA in their home center. I believe that this will be the difference, and Da Royalty wins a hard-fought battle.
Controlled Chaos (3rd | 273-167) vs Royalty On Da Lanes (5th | 235-205)
After the last stop, Controlled Chaos dropped from first to third place. Meanwhile, RODL climbed from sixth to fifth. This is an extremely important match for both of these teams, and may very well determine their postseasons.
Prediction: I bet against Chaos last time and they still managed to lose? I guess that had nothing to do with me after all. Tell ya what, guys – I’ll give y’all a second chance. Royalty On Da Lanes wins this one, with a possibility of jumping into fourth place with their fate completely in their own hands come the position round.
Class aXe (4th | 248-192) vs Area 51-8 (8th | 207-233)
This isn’t a rivalry – that much is clear. Apparently me not being in the lineup is causing all sorts of feelings and ridiculousness as well, like a silly notion that I’m scared. Nah. It’s just that I’m not the only Alien that wants to beat this team… I literally have a roster full of people who want that. Also, I trust my team. Area 51-8 isn’t a place where individuals think they gotta do it all themselves – we’re a real team, baby. Oh, and my bowlers are better than theirs.
Prediction: The lumberjacks like numbers, so here you go. Area 51-8 wins, taking 50 points. Negative 10 for Class aXe.
Devilz Rejects (10th | 192-248) vs City Morgue (1st | 297-143)
Morgue might be tempted to feel like this match is a layup. That, in my opinion, would be a mistake. Sure, they’re the stronger team. But last season they did a lot of damage as the underdogs – enough to make it all the way to Battlebowl, in fact. And like I’ve been saying for months, those Rejects are much stronger than last season.
Prediction: You’ve read my previous articles. You know what I’m going to say. Morgue holds onto first through this weekend, with a high probability of locking a guaranteed playoff spot, regardless of the ensuing position round.
Team Beloved (12th | 88-352) vs Secret Invasion (11th | 174-266)
In another reality, I would’ve predicted an absolute blowout here. Here we are, though. Secret Invasion is a shell of their last season’s selves, and Team Beloved is… let’s just say they’ve had a rough year. But they came very close to pulling off quite the upset against a playoff contender in their last match, so they are capable – but this match is incredibly unpredictable for lots of reasons.
Prediction: I’m rooting for you guys, Beloved! Secret Invasion, in my opinion, is absolutely the stronger team here, but damaged pride is incredibly dangerous and I know how hungry y’all must be.
The Tribe (2nd | 281-159) vs Apocalypse (6th | 233-207)
Impressive win earlier this month, Tribe. Second place, within striking distance of first, and a chance to really insulate yourselves inside that bubble. Apocalypse – you guys went from in to out, dropping two spots down to sixth place after our last stop. I don’t have to tell anyone reading this how important this match is.
Prediction: Momentum. I stuck around a few weeks ago and watched how Tribe’s match ended. They’re pretty locked in. But they need to stay locked in because they have another tough one this weekend. I think they’ll pull it off, and I predict the top 2 spots will remain the same. Everything else in this division is completely up for grabs.
People have questioned why I do this. At the beginning of the season I was asked by UBA – it was to give the rest of the association a look into our 2-year old division… which is something I thought we both needed and deserved. Almost an entire season in and I’ve realized something – I do it mostly because, like all things UBA – it’s fun. I enjoy doing this, and I know there’s a bunch of you out there that enjoy reading what I put out. To the haters who say I’m wasting my time doing this, I have two things to say to you. First, this isn’t a waste of time at all. It takes me about an hour at most to whip these things up… sorry if it takes you longer to read them but that’s not my fault, or my problem. Second, if you truly think I’m wasting my time writing them, what exactly are you doing by reading them? Hahahaha!!! I win.
-Gabrius AKA Urethanos AKA Jellybean AKA 新緑G