Entering the third week of competitive play, NLTP is heating up as teams rush to defend, or exceed, their expectations. With Fiend and Velocity in play, we’re likely to see some fast-paced games. One thing to watch this week: Whether anyone has finally figured out how to use the team tiles at the bottom of the map on Fiend.

Match 1 : ThunderCaps vs. Soviet Ballers

Soviet Ballers

ThunderCaps

Match 2 : Blockwork Orange vs. Block the Capsbah

Blockwork Orange

Block the Capsbah

Match 3 : Balls on Parade vs. Gate Registration

Balls on Parade

Gate Registration

Match 4 : Balladega Nights vs Whitecaps

Balladega Nights

Whitecaps

- Sheldon, #Frozen- Willie, FozzyThe Soviets put up a solid performance on IRON before struggling and losing to the Whitecaps on Fiend.I think the main reason we saw a breakdown from the Soviets last week was due to a host of risky and ill-informed decisions, on both the offensive and defensive side. Their solid performance on IRON could be in part attributed to teamwork on both ends of the map, patience, and positioning. On Fiend, we saw a poor usage of boosts, a strong attraction to spikes, and just some issues in getting ahead. The most worrisome aspect for the Soviets, to me, is that on a team of such relatively experienced players, they haven’t been able to fully utilize it as an advantage over two “newer” teams this season.Despite some of the issues present on Fiend, the starting four did continue to show that their mechanical skills were present on the map, and that their chemistries were developing each week. Sheldon and #Frozen again worked as a good support system for one another, with the flag nearly constantly out of their opponent’s base. On defense, the various duos did put up strong prevent numbers (even on Fiend), though again seemed to have a few issues in getting the returns. As a team, they also had a fairly good control of powerups, and were able to use them effectively in most circumstances.- d0pe, THE DOT- Gargantua, honeybearThe ThunderCaps continue to defy pre-season expectations entering the third week. Their performance on IRON left them with a close overtime loss against the Balladega Nights, followed by a second defeat on Fiend.d0pe and THE DOT continue to have moments in which they shine - but also demonstrate reasons as to why the team is struggling. There appears to be a slight overconfidence in juking abilities, often leading to being placed into a risky situation, or a careless grab. With their confidence comes the natural inclination to rush into base, often without a flag or blocks present, Statistics wise, they appear to be constantly outheld - while this could be partially attributed to defensive struggles, impatience on offense is a contributor All 4 members could also display a bit more discipline on offensive D, as a lack of awareness frequently led to them being out of position. The team maintains the lowest amount of caps in the league, with the amount of caps against the team doubling their own - a ratio that will need to change soon.Gargantua and honeybear worked better this week than the prior, and showed a bit more comfort working with one another - I think the main issue noted in their game against Balladega was a tendency to break contains and blocks early. Sometimes, it was done with a specific reason, such as grabbing a pup, though others there appeared to be no logic behind.Against a talented offense, it proved to give Balladega an additional advantage, and led to the TC often pressured into uncomfortable situations. Moreso than natural, the defense often found themselves behind due to these situations, and as such struggled to get the quick returns to meet the pace of their offense. While I clearly have no way of knowing, certain circumstances on both ends of the map appeared to be the result of a communication breakdown or misinformation. As stated last week, I think the main issue of this team continues to be the individuality.of team members, not in personality, but in gameplay.I think both teams have some areas to work on in advance of this week - with all 8 members on the map able to carry their own weight, the advantage will come from now an advantage in playing skills, but from minimal mistakes and errors. I wasn’t expecting either team to struggle as much as they did on Fiend, which could raise signs for the second offensive map, Velocity. Disappoint performances in the first two weeks also weigh heavily.- Dance, Steez- NotEvenMex and Papa JohnLast week, Blockwork Orange rebounded from a Week 1 sweep with a pair of victories over Balls on Parade.Entering Week 2, the burden was on the Blockwork Orange offense to adapt their playstyle. While the defensive duo on the team could certainly improve and change certain playing quirks, the greatest possible change would stem from shifts in offensive play from week 1 - and it did. Steez and Dance played significantly smarter, and their offensive defense proved to be a much stronger aspect of their game. Steez started his shift away from pub-habits, and began to put a bit more thought behind his jukes, allowing for an easier time maneuvering around the BOP defense. I think the largest issue this offense will face in coming weeks could be their tendency to rush into base. Unlike IRON and Boombox, Fiend and Velocity are a bit harder for a defense to set up blocks on, due to either team tiles or boosts that allow for an opposing team to get ahead. While the fast-paced aspects of the map could complement their fast-paced play, it could also prove to be an issue partnered with a defense that continues to be return-focused.Having seen a shift from their offense, it remains to be seen whether we’ll see a similar one within the defense. While the Balls On Parade offense was able to get off a fair number of grabs against the defense, Mex and John did a solid job of exerting the pressure and getting the quick returns. While they perform well in challenging opposing teams’ offenses, their struggle is in supporting their own - often unprepared to block or unable to communicate effectively. It could prove to be an issue on Velocity, though we might also see an aggressive gameplay make up for it.- Some Man 7, Crossover- Doris, TurdFergusonBlock the Capsbah saw a pair of contested losses to the disciplined Gate RegistrationI see a huge amount of similarities between the two teams in this matchup and in the roles the players find themselves, with a number of risk takers on each team. I’m a bit surprised to see Crossover and Some Man 7 with the lowest combined hold in the league, as they’ve been playing fairly well together the past two weeks - though they have been playing against two coordinated defenses comfortable in blocking. They’re comfortable in working with one another in support within the base - though do struggle in finding themselves in ideal situations to do so, with their own flag out of base. I don’t suspect they’ll have a huge issue grabbing this week, though I’m not confident about their abilities to maintain the hold while out of base and alone.I was fairly hyped about the defensive pair on the team pre-season. Doris and TurdFerguson have both had strong performances in the past, and I was excited to see their aggressive gameplay pan out this season - but it often struggles to work out. While their risky snipes and swipes have allowed for them to both appear on the top 10 leaderboard for returns, it’s also allowed for their team to have the highest number of caps scored against. As their two opponents in the past have shown, an offender just needs to be patient to find themselves easily past both, as it won’t be long before a backwards snipe is made. If one defender starts to account for the other’s risky moves, I think this team can make a notable turnaround, allowing their talented offense room to act.#bias- Lou Williams, yearofme- Tonto, PinstarBalls on Parade saw a pair of losses to Blockwork Orange last week, but also saw a massacre beyond the map, dropping a number of players. While their depth will certainly take a hit with the moves, I’m hopeful we’ll see some smart pickups that might allow for some experimentations.Yearofme and Lou Williams didn’t play poorly this week, they just weren’t able to excel as they did the prior week. The two did a good job of putting themselves in positions to get out of base, but then struggled to do so, I think partially due to the pressure exerted by Blockwork’s defense. Both play smartly, and I think their gameplay is aided by a slower-paced game in which they have time to make decisions. Each were clearly looking for openings in their holding, but their patience in doing so allowed Blockwork to push for the quick returns, giving BOP few opportunities to get to their base. I think they might be a bit more comfortable against Gate Registration’s defense, provided they get out of base, and given the large map of velocity, will have the room to maneuver past opponents. One area this team needs to improve on: powerups. They maintain one of the lowest percentages in the league, and are finding themselves against a team on the opposite end of the spectrum, that has shown a control and proper usage of them.I think the defensive combo on Balls on Parade needs to be looked at - while both Pinstar and Tonto are talented individually, their playstyles aren’t meshing well. Individually, they each had less than 7 minutes of prevent during their matches this past week, and Lou Williams is the player with the second most returns on the team, partially attributed to the constant need for offensive defense. On multiple occasions, Pinstar abandoned a chase to go for a flashy boost snipe - but boosts never appeared in time for him. Tonto does a good job staying ahead, but can’t cover the area of two defenders, and isn’t confident enough in moving for the returns. Combined, these factors allow for the opposing offense to control the flow of the game, and seriously inhibits the ability of BOP’s offense to make plays and move the team forward. Unlike their offense, I think they’re going to struggle this week on Fiend and Velocity - offenses already have the map advantage, and I think some of the struggles from the defense will help them out- Beast Mode, Destar- Fuzzywuzzy, OpponentPerhaps the most disappointing result from the beginning of the season is that people are being forced to start acknowledge that Gate Registration is actually a good team! They continued their strong early performance with another sweep of Block the Capsbah.Destar is currently leading the league in caps, with Beast Mode not far behind. Beast and Destar are able to get quick cap conversions, rarely needing to backtrack or take laps across the map, as other offenses might. In supporting one another, they’ve easily and repeatedly find themselves in situations past three, leaving little pressure to face on their side of the map and for easy caps. A main strength the two display is their game awareness - coupled with their ability to read blocks and situations, they are constantly exerting control over the game. The relative discipline they show in playing has been a huge advantage against the untested and risky defenses they’ve played thus far, and I think they’ll continue to find success this week against another impatient defense. In a first, I’ve decided to interview Gate Registration member Fuzzywuzzy. When prompted regarding his offense, he responded “they are trashhhh”. Thanks for the wise words - even trash can be successful at times.While the two offenders put up the best numbers in the league, I’m going to attribute their success to the defense of the team anyway. Both Opponent and Fuzzy match their counterparts, appearing as #1 and 5 respectively in terms of prevent numbers over the span of the two weeks of play. Their flag is consistently in base, and their blocks are always well-set, rarely requiring the offense to wait to enter base. One of the reasons the team has been able to control powerups is Fuzzy’s constant presence on both his own team’s and the middle powerups of the map - he’s one of the few defenders to lead the league in powerups. Out of base, Opponent and Fuzzy are both fairly patient - attributes which I think work well for the BOP offense, in that it provides them the time to set up the situations they excel at.While I think the Balls on Parade offense will be fairly reliable on Fiend and Velocity, I think their defense is going to struggle heavily on containing Beast Mode and Destar - an offense that works better together than a defense poses a significant problem on two offensive maps.- solf, Tantrew, Randy Marsh- Devious, JubjubsBalladega found another overtime victory on Iron, followed by a more comfortable win on Fiend.Solf slowed down a bit this past week, playing a half of of defense iin addition to his two on offense - while he didn’t find the same success as the prior week, Randy Marsh stepped forward, leading his team in caps. Despite having now watched the team for 80 or so minutes, there’s not too much that can be said about the team. While their trio of offenders isn’t overly flashy, it's a solid three players that work well together, play smartly, and have the mechanical skills to challenge defenses across the league. Their patience in holding is proving a major asset, in contrast to most other offenses across the league.Devious and Jubjubs continue to refine their defensive chemistry, once more proving a challenging duo for offenses - with only 12 caps against, it's the fewest in the league. I still believe that their main challenge is chasing, as it’s a much more noticeable issue than their play in base. They once more face a fairly jukey offense, and on a map such as Velocity, will need to work slightly harder in getting the quick resets, ending the regrab train, and finding their comfort in base once more.- Acapuck, ball murray.- eltenelliott, P0PThe Whitecaps found their first win of the season with a strong performance on Fiend against the Soviets.The Whitecaps offense saw a noticeable improvement this week in comparison to their performance during week 1 - longer holds, greater patience, smarter decisions, and better conversions. The offense definitely looked to be acting more carefully in base, limiting risky grabs and staying in safer game positions, limiting the options for the Soviets. They’ve started to make better use of powerups, and to take advantage of situations opened from the opponents’ defense. As an offensive duo, I think they’ll play with ease on Velocity, but as a team, they may run into issues in running the scoreboard.I’ve heard the WC defense has finally settled on a pair, after two weeks of rotations - and it’s a pair that did help them with their first win. P0P put up great numbers in his limited play, finding returns in the crucial moments for his offense. Elten put forward a consistent presence throughout his 40 minutes of play, and his caution and decision-making helped the team progress and stay competitive. The main worry I have regarding this team’s defense is their tendency to overcommit. While the displayed decent blocks and positioning, there were hard swipes that left them moving backwards as many as 5 or 6 returns, making any advantage in position fruitless. On Fiend, they were lucky in that the team tiles allowed them to quickly rectify any errors - on Velocity, the missed swipes could lead to a Balladega chain.While I think both offenses will have a fairly comfortable time out of base, BDN will be able to notch the resets and plays against a still-developing partnership.Tune in next week to see how wrong my predictions are!