The Double Eliminator Cup kicks off this GW! I believe it has been a 9-year hiatus, but the DE-Cup is similar in concept to Blech's Eliminator Cup, except that (a) you compete in round 1 only against the teams in your own league and (b) it is more forgiving than the BE-Cup in that you pick up a "strike" the first time you finish at the bottom and are then only eliminated when finish at the bottom a second time. Got it? If I've counted the weeks right, league winners will be crowned by GW19 (and possibly GW18 if someone runs the table in their league without getting a strike). We will then take a break for 2 or 3 gameweeks, after which seven teams (the individual league winners plus all of the second place finishers plus the third place finisher in Small) will move on to a champions league round, which will be same format with 2 strikes required to be eliminated. The tie-breakers are the same as the BE-Cup, and I, as commissioner, will resolve any disputes or make up any new rules as needed. Assuming that I've counted the weeks right, the champions league round will conclude by GW34. Then, we'll take a one week break, and assuming that the same team doesn't win both the BE-Cup and DE-Cup, there will be a Super Eliminator Cup between the BE-Cup and DE-Cup winners to be played in GW36 and 37 (pointed from the 2 weeks combined). Good luck.
And, away we go.... GW5 was opening day/GW of the DE-Cup. Here is the league-by-league summary. First strikes are as noted below. Continuing a rough start to the season, FC Epikoinis immediately grabs the first strike in VSR, while Top Shelf grabs the strike in Small strike and Hakuna Arteta sees the first Sand strike, with just one point separating Hakuna and Stormin Gunners. But, there is still hope for all as teams are not eliminated until they get their second strike. SMALL –Top Shelf (31 points – gw5) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (7) = ChrisSuttonsSlippers (--), ColdDogSoup FC (--), Glorydaze (--), Journeymen (--), Real Newark (--), Sasha Juniors (--), Tangers FC (--)] *[1 Strike (1) = Top Shelf (gw5)] *[Eliminated (0) = None] VERY SMALL - FC Epikoinis (21 points – gw5) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (7) = BiggerBoat (--), blechs_dawgs (--), Bunch of Muppets (--), FC St. Pauli (--), Keysersoze Wanderers (--), Morning Glory (--), Soccer Steve (--)] *[1 Strike (1) = FC Epikoinos (gw5)] *[Eliminated (0) = None] SAND – Hakuna Arteta (33 points – gw14) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (7) = Aviators (--), Kicking & Screaming (--), Kopite Jrs (--), Lokomotiv Lewisham (--), Parraraiders (--), Stormin Gunners (--), Virgil Reality (--)] *[1 Strike (1) = Hakuna Arteta (gw5)] *[Eliminated (0) = None] Also, not relevant today as there were no ties, but for both the BE-Cup and DE-Cup, I am adding a new 1st tiebreaker, which is to remove all points from chips! "Triple captain" and "bench boost" didn't exist back when the tiebreakers were originally created. To be clear, I'm not banning them -- you can play your chips and have those points count for that week in the Eliminator Cups; BUT if you're going to do so, you better get to safety. If you ended up tied for lowest points with someone who didn't play a chip, you've just lost first tiebreaker. This bumps down the remaining tiebreakers and the tie-breaker list is as follows: (a) remove points from chips, (b) remove points from captaincy, (c) remove points from autosub, and (d) compare whose bench scored higher (lower bench score is eliminated)
GW6 had a bunch of teams in close proximity, as well as a tie in VSR that saw FC Epikoinis avoid a second strike by virtue of having fewer points from his captain (2 for FCE to 5 for Morning Glory). First strikes as well in Small and Sand, so the strikes are beginning to pile up, but no eliminations yet. In addition to the tie in VSR, CDS was just two points clear of Glorydaze in Small and Aviators was all of five points clear of Kopite Jrs in Sand. SMALL –Glorydaze (27 points – gw6) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (6) = ChrisSuttonsSlippers (--), ColdDogSoup FC (--), Journeymen (--), Real Newark (--), Sasha Juniors (--), Tangers FC (--)] *[1 Strike (2) = Top Shelf (gw5), Glorydaze (gw6--)] *[Eliminated (0) = None] VERY SMALL - Morning Glory (30 points (TIEBREAKER) – gw6) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (6) = BiggerBoat (--), blechs_dawgs (--), Bunch of Muppets (--), FC St. Pauli (--), Keysersoze Wanderers (--), Soccer Steve (--)] *[1 Strike (2) = FC Epikoinos (gw5), Morning Glory (gw6)] *[Eliminated (0) = None] SAND – Kopite Jrs (32 points – gw6) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (6) = Aviators (--), Kicking & Screaming (--), Lokomotiv Lewisham (--), Parraraiders (--), Stormin Gunners (--), Virgil Reality (--)] *[1 Strike (2) = Hakuna Arteta (gw5), Kopite Jrs (gw6)] *[Eliminated (0) = None]
GW7 provides us with our first DE-Cup elimination (in Small), while a couple new pick up strikes in VSR and Sand and now need to be extra careful the rest of the way. The closest contest was in Sand, where the two teams carrying strikes -- Kopite Jrs and Hakuna Arteta -- ended up tied at 44, only to be saved from having to turn to the tie breaker with Kicking & Screaming coming in at 41. (Had it become necessary, Kopite won the tie breaker and would have been safe). And, VSR also had an elimination close call, as the 2nd lowest score -- Morning Glory at 48 -- was carrying a strike from last week, but was a full 9 points clear, so perhaps it wasn't really that close. With strikes being issued to teams at 39 and 41 points, the bar was definitely raised this week! SMALL – Top Shelf (31 points – gw7) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (6) = ChrisSuttonsSlippers (--), ColdDogSoup FC (--), Journeymen (--), Real Newark (--), Sasha Juniors (--), Tangers FC (--)] *[1 Strike (1) = Glorydaze (gw6)] *[Eliminated (1) = Top Shelf (gw5/gw7)] VERY SMALL - FC St. Pauli (39 points – gw7) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (5) = BiggerBoat (--), blechs_dawgs (--), Bunch of Muppets (--), Keysersoze Wanderers (--), Soccer Steve (--)] *[1 Strike (3) = FC Epikoinos (gw5), Morning Glory (gw6), FC St. Pauli (gw7)] *[Eliminated (0) = None] SAND – Kicking & Screaming (41 points – gw7) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (5) = Aviators (--), Lokomotiv Lewisham (--), Parraraiders (--), Stormin Gunners (--), Virgil Reality (--)] *[1 Strike (3) = Hakuna Arteta (gw5), Kopite Jrs (gw6), Kicking & Screaming (gw7)] *[Eliminated (0) = None]
GW8 has no one eliminated as the low scores return to the 30 and under region. Journeyman (26), Soccer Steve (26), and Stormin Gunners (30) were the lowest scores in each division. The next lowest in Small was Glorydaze at 49 and it was a 10-point margin in Sand to get to Virgil Reality at 40. In Small, the margin was so large that even if there was any truth to the remarkable story about magical shots that go through the GK's gloves so fast that they cannot be seen (there isn't any truth to it, but even if there were), the result wouldn't change... The VSR contest was closest, with FC Epikoinis and FC St Pauli tied 6 points away at 32 points, a close call since both are carrying a strike. (FYI, Had it been necessary, FCSP would have lost the tiebreaker this week with FCE). SMALL – Journeyman (26 points – gw8) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (5) = ChrisSuttonsSlippers (--), ColdDogSoup FC (--), Real Newark (--), Sasha Juniors (--), Tangers FC (--)] *[1 Strike (2) = Glorydaze (gw6), Journeymen (gw8)] *[Eliminated (1) = Top Shelf (gw5/gw7)] VERY SMALL - Soccer Steve (26 points – gw8) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (4) = BiggerBoat (--), blechs_dawgs (--), Bunch of Muppets (--), Keysersoze Wanderers (--)] *[1 Strike (4) = FC Epikoinos (gw5), Morning Glory (gw6), FC St. Pauli (gw7), Soccer Steve (gw8)] *[Eliminated (0) = None] SAND – Stormin Gunners (30 points – gw8) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (4) = Aviators (--), Lokomotiv Lewisham (--), Parraraiders (--), Virgil Reality (--)] *[1 Strike (4) = Hakuna Arteta (gw5), Kopite Jrs (gw6), Kicking & Screaming (gw7), Stormin Gunners (gw8)] *[Eliminated (0) = None]
GW9 has a tie-breaker come into play and a couple of eliminations. As is often the case, elimination in the BE-Cup means a strike in the DE-Cup. There was no exception this week, as Real Newark (33) picks up the strike in Small. CSS and Journeyman were tied at 47 with the next lowest scores in the top division (with CSS winning the tiebreaker IF it had mattered), but nothing close here with both of them 14 points in the clear. Fortunately, it was only the first strike for Real Newark, so the extra cushion of the DE-Cup is gone but Newark live to fight another day. For now. The same cannot be said in VSR and Sand, where we have eliminations this week. Last week in VSR, FC Epikoinis and FC St. Pauli tied at 32, with FC Epikoinis holding the edge on the tiebreaker, but both spared the dreaded second strike when Soccer Steve came in at 26. This week, FC Epikoinis and FC St. Pauli end up tied again! This time, at 34 points. But this time, Soccer Steve holds the tiebreakers, with FCSP's captain only scoring 2 while FCE's captain scored 3. And, this week, there is no one below them. With the second strike, FCE is eliminated. In Sand, Kopite celebrated a 1-point escape in the BE-Cup, but lands bottom of the table in the division. This was a second strike and means elimination. Kopite faced a number of issues this week, not the least of which was Mo Salah's self-isolation due to Covid forcing him to join the injured Antonio and TAA on the bench, while the effort to find a new captain didn't pay off when Barkley left Villa's game after just 4 minutes with an injury of his own. The next closest team was Aviators at 43. SMALL – Real Newark (33 points – gw9) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (4) = ChrisSuttonsSlippers (--), ColdDogSoup FC (--), Sasha Juniors (--), Tangers FC (--)] *[1 Strike (3) = Glorydaze (gw6), Journeymen (gw8), Real Newark (gw9)] *[Eliminated (1) = Top Shelf (gw5/gw7)] VERY SMALL - FC Epikoinis (34 points (TIEBREAKER) – gw9) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (4) = BiggerBoat (--), blechs_dawgs (--), Bunch of Muppets (--), Keysersoze Wanderers (--)] *[1 Strike (3) = Morning Glory (gw6), FC St. Pauli (gw7), Soccer Steve (gw8)] *[Eliminated (1) =FC Epikoinos (gw5,gw9)] SAND – Kopite Jrs (34 points – gw9) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (4) = Aviators (--), Lokomotiv Lewisham (--), Parraraiders (--), Virgil Reality (--)] *[1 Strike (3) = Hakuna Arteta (gw5), Kicking & Screaming (gw7), Stormin Gunners (gw8)] *[Eliminated (1) =Kopite Jrs (gw6,gw9)]
In the spirit of giving, a small change in the Round 2 format has been approved. No reason for "off" weeks now that we've started, and no reason for elitism between divisions as we can use the additional teams to fill the off weeks. So, the third place finalist in VSR and Sand will now also qualify for the Champions League round, to make it 9 teams in total (final 3 from each division). Assuming that I've counted this right, this round will start GW20 and will conclude in GW36 (unless someone wraps it up a week early by winning with no strikes). This will push the Super Eliminator back a week, and it will now be GW37-38. Carry on.
GW10 has a couple of tight contests and one blowout, and sees another elimination. . In Small, Cold Dog Soup (26) picks up the strike, finishing just 2 points behind ChrisSuttonsSlippers (28). A showdown of two squads separated only by a middle letter in their abbreviations.... CDS takes a first strike, so not the end of the DE-Cup road, but Lobo will be pondering what might have been with a 2-point defeat and points from Foden (4) and Reguilon (5) unused on the bench. On the other hand, Fraser had numerous unused points on the bench as well, but was shrewd enough to field starters who didn't play, autosubbing in Ayling (5) and Brewster (1) and then adding an additional 2 from Aubemeyang via autocaptaincy -- an 8 point positive swing for CSS after the matches ended to jump from 20 to 28! A strike for CDS while CSS keeps a clean record. In VSR, Bigger Boat (21) has a dreadful week, and lands 3 points behind Morning Glory (24). Morning Glory was on a strike, so quite close call. All eyes were on Leicester for this one, with Bigger Boat fielding Vardy and Morning Glory giving the captaincy to Maddison, in what looked to be a juicy attack-fest that could have been a big swing in either direction, only to be derailed by a resilient Fulham performance that yielded only the late Vardy assist. That assist made it close, but it was not enough for the Boat to close the gap and Morning Glory stays alive while Bigger Boat is now also on a strike. In Sand, Hakuna Arteta (15) is packing bags with the double whammy of elimination from both eliminators simultaneously. Unlike the close contests in the other divisions, this one was a blowout, with Lokomotiv Lewisham (36) over 20 points clear. It is two weeks in a row that Sand has seen an elimination as the competition begins to thin out. SMALL – Cold Dog Soup (26 points – gw10) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (3) = ChrisSuttonsSlippers (--), Sasha Juniors (--), Tangers FC (--)] *[1 Strike (4) = Glorydaze (gw6), Journeymen (gw8), Real Newark (gw9), ColdDogSoup FC (gw10)] *[Eliminated (1) = Top Shelf (gw5/gw7)] VERY SMALL - Bigger Boat (21 points – gw10) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (3) = blechs_dawgs (--), Bunch of Muppets (--), Keysersoze Wanderers (--)] *[1 Strike (4) = Morning Glory (gw6), FC St. Pauli (gw7), Soccer Steve (gw8), BiggerBoat (gw10)] *[Eliminated (1) =FC Epikoinos (gw5,gw9)] SAND – Hakuna Arteta (15 points – gw9) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (4) = Aviators (--), Lokomotiv Lewisham (--), Parraraiders (--), Virgil Reality (--)] *[1 Strike (2) = Kicking & Screaming (gw7), Stormin Gunners (gw8)] *[Eliminated (2) =Kopite Jrs (gw6,gw9), Hakuna Arteta (gw5,gw10)]
There are no eliminations this week in the DE-Cup as the first strikes continue to pile up. In Small, the tight contest between Tangers (34) and CSS (31) is addressed in the BE-Cup as they squared off there. In VSR, Bunch of Muppets (26) has another down week landing in the 20s for the second week in a row, while Keysersoze (40) was a distant second. In Sand, the low scores were impressively in the 40s, with Lokomotiv (40) picking up the strike while Virgil Reality (46) and Parraraiders (46) tied for second, with VR being the team that would have lost out on the tie-breaker had it come to that. SMALL – ChrisSuttonsSlipper(s) (31 points – gw11) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (2) = Sasha Juniors (--), Tangers FC (--)] *[1 Strike (5) = Glorydaze (gw6), Journeymen (gw8), Real Newark (gw9), ColdDogSoup FC (gw10), ChrisSuttonsSlippers (gw11)] *[Eliminated (1) = Top Shelf (gw5/gw7)] VERY SMALL - Bunch of Muppets (26 points – gw11) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (2) = blechs_dawgs (--), Keysersoze Wanderers (--)] *[1 Strike (5) = Morning Glory (gw6), FC St. Pauli (gw7), Soccer Steve (gw8), BiggerBoat (gw10), Bunch of Muppets (gw11)] *[Eliminated (1) =FC Epikoinos (gw5/gw9)] SAND – Lokomotiv Lewisham (40 points – gw11) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (3) = Aviators (--), Parraraiders (--), Virgil Reality (--)] *[1 Strike (3) = Kicking & Screaming (gw7), Stormin Gunners (gw8), Lokomotiv Lewisham (gw11)] *[Eliminated (2) =Kopite Jrs (gw6/gw9), Hakuna Arteta (gw5/gw10)] With very few first strikes remaining, we are approaching what will become a mandatory elimination phase with a flurry of games about to arrive. Be prepared to address player rotation and good luck.
Three tight contests and one elimination this week. In Small, Tangers (27) was on the right side of a tight one with CSS last week but the wrong side with CSS (31) this week. Note: CSS was consistent with 31 each week, but Tangers dropped from 3 points above to 4 points below to pick up the first strike. In VSR, FC St. Pauli (36) would have been fine in any other division this week, but not here. Blechs_dawgs (39) sneak by. It's elimination for FCSP. In Sand, Parraraiders (27) picks up the first strike with Kicking & Screaming (33) in the next position. SMALL – Tangers FC (27 points – gw12) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = Sasha Juniors (--)] *[1 Strike (6) = Glorydaze (gw6), Journeymen (gw8), Real Newark (gw9), ColdDogSoup FC (gw10), ChrisSuttonsSlippers (gw11), Tangers FC (gw12)] *[Eliminated (1) = Top Shelf (gw5/gw7)] VERY SMALL - FC St. Pauli (36 points – gw12) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (2) = blechs_dawgs (--), Keysersoze Wanderers (--)] *[1 Strike (4) = Morning Glory (gw6), Soccer Steve (gw8), BiggerBoat (gw10), Bunch of Muppets (gw11)] *[Eliminated (2) =FC Epikoinos (gw5/gw9), FC St. Pauli (gw7/gw12)] SAND – Parraraiders (27 points – gw12) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (2) = Aviators (--), Virgil Reality (--)] *[1 Strike (4) = Kicking & Screaming (gw7), Stormin Gunners (gw8), Lokomotiv Lewisham (gw11), Parraraiders (gw12)] *[Eliminated (2) =Kopite Jrs (gw6/gw9), Hakuna Arteta (gw5/gw10)] 5 teams have been eliminated, 5 teams have no strikes, and 14 teams have one strike and no further room for error. Good luck.
One elimination this week, and three crazy tight contests. From the three divisions combined, the difference between the team getting the strike and the next closest team was THREE points in total!!! In Small, Journeyman (33) and ColdDogSoup (33) ended tied, with CDS surviving on the second tiebreaker, who scored better after deducting autosub points. Both teams got 2 points doubled from their captain, but while CDS got 33 points from its starters, Journeyman had to use autosub Townsend's 4 points to get to 33. In VSR, the difference between a strike and safety was 2 points, with Keysersoze (23) getting a first strike and Bunch of Muppets (25) avoiding elimination. In Sand, one point separated Aviators (30) and Lokomotiv (31). It's a first strike for Aviators. SMALL – Journeyman (33 points (TIEBREAKER) – gw13) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = Sasha Juniors (--)] *[1 Strike (5) = Glorydaze (gw6), Real Newark (gw9), ColdDogSoup FC (gw10), ChrisSuttonsSlippers (gw11), Tangers FC (gw12)] *[Eliminated (2) = Top Shelf (gw5/gw7), Journeymen (gw8/gw13)] VERY SMALL - Keysersoze Wanderers (23 points – gw13) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = blechs_dawgs (--)] *[1 Strike (5) = Morning Glory (gw6), Soccer Steve (gw8), BiggerBoat (gw10), Bunch of Muppets (gw11), Keysersoze Wanderers (gw13)] *[Eliminated (2) =FC Epikoinos (gw5/gw9), FC St. Pauli (gw7/gw12)] SAND – Aviators (30 points – gw13) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = Virgil Reality (--)] *[1 Strike (5) = Kicking & Screaming (gw7), Stormin Gunners (gw8), Lokomotiv Lewisham (gw11), Parraraiders (gw12), Aviators (gw13)] *[Eliminated (2) =Kopite Jrs (gw6/gw9), Hakuna Arteta (gw5/gw10)] 6 teams have been eliminated, 3 teams have no strikes (one in each division), and 15 teams have one strike and no further room for error. Good luck.
Three eliminations this week! With only three teams not yet having their first strike, eliminations are going to be the norm from this point onward. In Small, I have no words, other than "I'm sorry, dude." I don't recall seeing a score this low. Even the captaincy moving to Chilwell as Vice-Captain backfired when he left the game after 10 minutes. Seriously, "I'm sorry, dude." This one was brutal. ColdDogSoup (52) was in second position. In VSR, with Morning Glory completing a variation of the great escape (and the two lower scores already out), Soccer Steve (43) ends up at the bottom notwithstanding a fairly strong score. Bunch of Muppets (46) and Bigger Boat (46) were in second position. In Sand, Aviators (39) goes back-to-back, grabbing a second strike in a row for an unexpected early exit. Stormin Gunners (43) was in second position. SMALL – ChrisSuttonsSlippers (7 points – gw14) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = Sasha Juniors (--)] *[1 Strike (4) = Glorydaze (gw6), Real Newark (gw9), ColdDogSoup FC (gw10), Tangers FC (gw12)] *[Eliminated (3) = Top Shelf (gw5/gw7), Journeymen (gw8/gw13), ChrisSuttonsSlippers (gw11/gw14)] VERY SMALL - Soccer Steve (43 points – gw14) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = blechs_dawgs (--)] *[1 Strike (4) = Morning Glory (gw6), BiggerBoat (gw10), Bunch of Muppets (gw11), Keysersoze Wanderers (gw13)] *[Eliminated (3) =FC Epikoinos (gw5/gw9), FC St. Pauli (gw7/gw12), Soccer Steve (gw8/gw14)] SAND – Aviators (39 points – gw14) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = Virgil Reality (--)] *[1 Strike (4) = Kicking & Screaming (gw7), Stormin Gunners (gw8), Lokomotiv Lewisham (gw11), Parraraiders (gw12), Aviators (gw13)] *[Eliminated (3) =Kopite Jrs (gw6/gw9), Hakuna Arteta (gw5/gw10)] Soccer Steve's 43 sets a new mark for highest score that still gets a strike. We are down to five teams in each division. In addition to winning the division title, champions' league spots up for grabs for the top 3, so we should have that sorted in the next 2 or 3 weeks.
Two eliminations this week, and now only two teams without a strike. In Small, Glory Daze (31) picks up strike #2 with Salah failing to fire in what looked like a favorable match with WBA. After a silver and gold in the last two weeks, it was a quick tumble. Tangers FC (46) was in second position. In VSR, blechs_dawgs (24) was another Salah owner not smiling this weekend, but fortunately it was only strike #1. Bunch of Muppets (34) continues to live dangerously, landing in second position for the third week in a row. In Sand, Kicking & Screaming (44) sets a new high mark for a strike and exits the competition. Virgil Reality (47) was in second position. SMALL – Glorydaze (31 points – gw15) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = Sasha Juniors (--)] *[1 Strike (3) = Real Newark (gw9), ColdDogSoup FC (gw10), Tangers FC (gw12)] *[Eliminated (4) = Top Shelf (gw5/gw7), Journeymen (gw8/gw13), ChrisSuttonsSlippers (gw11/gw14), Glorydaze (gw6/gw15)] VERY SMALL - blechs_dawgs (24 points – gw15) **FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (0) = ] *[1 Strike (5) = Morning Glory (gw6), BiggerBoat (gw10), Bunch of Muppets (gw11), Keysersoze Wanderers (gw13), blechs_dawgs (gw15)] *[Eliminated (3) =FC Epikoinos (gw5/gw9), FC St. Pauli (gw7/gw12), Soccer Steve (gw8/gw14)] SAND – Kicking & Screaming (44 points – gw15) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = Virgil Reality (--)] *[1 Strike (3) = Stormin Gunners (gw8), Lokomotiv Lewisham (gw11), Parraraiders (gw12)] *[Eliminated (4) =Kopite Jrs (gw6/gw9), Hakuna Arteta (gw5/gw10), Aviators (gw13/gw14), Kicking & Screaming (gw7/gw15)]
Elimination Adjustment Due to GW18/GW19: As noted in the BE-Cup thread, GW18 only has 5 games currently scheduled. The DE-Cup resolution is going to be different because the DE-Cup schedule has no open weeks. In order to finish on the current schedule, the final DE-Cup division round strikes will be as follows: *If THREE teams are still alive in the division after GW17, then we will skip straight to GW19 where we will issue strikes to the bottom TWO (2) teams using the combined scores of GW18 and GW19. As everyone will already have one strike, this will result in a double elimination, with those teams finishing 2nd and 3rd, and with the top team becoming the division BE-CUP winner. *If TWO teams are still alive (i.e., one team still has no strikes, as it currently the case in Small and Sand), then we will play it straight and have a strike for GW18 (and then another for GW19 if necessary). This gives a well-earned advantage to any team that has run the table up until that point. While this will potentially impact who wins the division DE-Cup, as a practical matter, all of the teams will advance to the Championship round.
Three eliminations this week, the two teams without a strike keep their streak going, and we have identified the final three for the championship round in Small and in Sand. In Small, ColdDogSoup (18) got hit hard by the game cancellations to pick up strike #2. Real Newark (27) was in second position. In VSR, blechs_dawgs (27) was also hit by game cancellations as well as holiday season rotation, picking up a strike for the second GW in a row and going quickly from the last team with no strikes in the division to a quick exit. BiggerBoat (39) was in second position. In Sand, Stormin Gunners (34) not only has game cancellations, but sees the mighty triple captain chip backfire, all of which means a second strike and an untimely exit from the competition, missing out by one week on the champions round. Virgil Reality (39) is, again, in second position -- second week in a row and fourth time overall in this spot. SMALL – ColdDogSoup FC (18 points – gw16) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = Sasha Juniors (--)] *[1 Strike (2) = Real Newark (gw9), Tangers FC (gw12)] *[Eliminated (5) = Top Shelf (gw5/gw7), Journeymen (gw8/gw13), ChrisSuttonsSlippers (gw11/gw14), Glorydaze (gw6/gw15), ColdDogSoup FC (gw10/gw16)] VERY SMALL - blechs_dawgs (27 points – gw16) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (0) = ] *[1 Strike (4) = Morning Glory (gw6), BiggerBoat (gw10), Bunch of Muppets (gw11), Keysersoze Wanderers (gw13)] *[Eliminated (4) =FC Epikoinos (gw5/gw9), FC St. Pauli (gw7/gw12), Soccer Steve (gw8/gw14), blechs_dawgs (gw15/gw16)] SAND – Stormin Gunners (34 points – gw16) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = Virgil Reality (--)] *[1 Strike (2) = Lokomotiv Lewisham (gw11), Parraraiders (gw12)] *[Eliminated (5) =Kopite Jrs (gw6/gw9), Hakuna Arteta (gw5/gw10), Aviators (gw13/gw14), Kicking & Screaming (gw7/gw15),Stormin Gunners (gw8/gw16)] Sasha Juniors, Real Newark, and Tangers from Small and Lokomotiv Lewisham, Parraraiders, and Virgil Reality from Sand all secured top 3 finishes and booked their places in the championship round. Four teams still remain in VSR, and we await this coming GW's elimination to lock the championship round.
Three more eliminations this week, the two teams without a strike keep their streak going, and the championship round is set. In Small, Tangers (26) goes out in a blowout. Sasha Juniors (56) was in second position but it was not even close and Sasha Juniors now has two chances to clinch the title against Real Newark. In VSR, Bunch of Muppets (28) also departs in a blowout. BiggerBoat (42) was again in second position for a consecutive week, but this wasn't close either. The three teams remaining will now combine theirs GW18 and GW19 scores for a double elimination, winner take all. In Sand, Parraraiders (49) puts up an impressive score -- a DE-Cup strike record for the season, but it wasn't enough Lokomotiv (54) finishing second. Lokomotic now must win two-in-a-row against Virgil Reality to take the divisions title. SMALL – Tangers FC (26 points – gw17) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = +Sasha Juniors (--)] *[1 Strike (1) = +Real Newark (gw9)] *[Eliminated (6) = Top Shelf (gw5/gw7), Journeymen (gw8/gw13), ChrisSuttonsSlippers (gw11/gw14), Glorydaze (gw6/gw15), ColdDogSoup FC (gw10/gw16), +Tangers FC (gw12/gw17)] VERY SMALL - Bunch of Muppets (28 points – gw17) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (0) = ] *[1 Strike (3) = +Morning Glory (gw6), +BiggerBoat (gw10), +Keysersoze Wanderers (gw13)] *[Eliminated (5) =FC Epikoinos (gw5/gw9), FC St. Pauli (gw7/gw12), Soccer Steve (gw8/gw14), blechs_dawgs (gw15/gw16), Bunch of Muppets (gw11/gw17)] SAND – Parraraiders (49 points – gw17) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = +Virgil Reality (--)] *[1 Strike (1) = +Lokomotiv Lewisham (gw11)] *[Eliminated (6) =Kopite Jrs (gw6/gw9), Hakuna Arteta (gw5/gw10), Aviators (gw13/gw14), Kicking & Screaming (gw7/gw15), Stormin Gunners (gw8/gw16), +Parraraiders (gw12/gw17)] The "+" symbol identifies the 9 teams who will advance to the championship round, same format, beginning in GW20. Reminder on the altered format for the next two GWs. In Small and Sand, there are two teams left in each division and the competition will proceed using the same format, even with there only being 6 games in GW18. (If games get canceled and it goes to 4 or fewer, I may reconsider). Sasha Jrs. and Virgil Reality are yet to get a strike, so they can win the title in GW18, and then will get a second chance in GW19 if necessary. In VSR, there are three teams remaining, so no elimination in GW18, but those points will count and will be added to GW19, and then we'll have a double elimination and crown the winner of this division at the conclusion of GW19.
The teams with no strikes came through in GW18 to take advantage of their superior position to close out their league DE-Cup tourneys and grab top spot. Sasha Juniors thumped Real Newark 41 to 8 to take the Small title, and Virgil Reality edged Lokomotiv Lewisham 23 to 19 to win the Sand title. In VSR, it is is a two-leg format with the bottom two facing elimination, and they'll head to the final week with first-leg scores as follows: Morning Glory - 46 Keysersoze W - 27 Bigger Boat ---- 17 Morning Glory has a nice lead, but having fielded 10 in gw18, he may now find himself on the bottom end of the game count in gw19, so plenty of possibility for scores to flip, especially if someone finds the right captain. SMALL – Real Newark (8 points – gw18) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = +Sasha Juniors (--)] *[1 Strike (0) = --] *[Eliminated (7) = Top Shelf (gw5/gw7), Journeymen (gw8/gw13), ChrisSuttonsSlippers (gw11/gw14), Glorydaze (gw6/gw15), ColdDogSoup FC (gw10/gw16), +Tangers FC (gw12/gw17), +Real Newark (gw9,gw18)] VERY SMALL - TBD BASED ON GW18+GW19........... Summary: *[No Strikes (0) = ] *[1 Strike (3) = +Morning Glory (gw6), +BiggerBoat (gw10), +Keysersoze Wanderers (gw13)] *[Eliminated (5) =FC Epikoinos (gw5/gw9), FC St. Pauli (gw7/gw12), Soccer Steve (gw8/gw14), blechs_dawgs (gw15/gw16), Bunch of Muppets (gw11/gw17)] SAND – Lokomotiv Lewisham (19 points – gw18) **SECOND STRIKE - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (1) = +Virgil Reality (--)] *[1 Strike (0) = --] *[Eliminated (7) =Kopite Jrs (gw6/gw9), Hakuna Arteta (gw5/gw10), Aviators (gw13/gw14), Kicking & Screaming (gw7/gw15), Stormin Gunners (gw8/gw16), +Parraraiders (gw12/gw17), +Lokomotiv Lewisham (gw11/gw18)]
DE-Cup League Winners (2020-21) Small - Sasha Juniors VSR - Morning Glory Sand - Virgil Reality 2nd place teams advancing to Champions Round: Real Newark, Keysersoze Wanderers, Lokomotiv Lewisham 3rd place teams advancing to Champions Round: Tangers FC, Bigger Boat, Parraraiders ================ With Small and Sand already completed, we only had the DE-Cup title for VSR on the line this GW. Morning Glory had a healthy lead having put up the highest score in GW18, and closed it out fairly easily with the highest score in GW19 to take the league title with a combined total of 143 points (46+97). Keysersoze Wanderers was eliminated in a distant second place with 122 points (27+95) and Bigger Boat was eliminated with the third place finish with 84 points (17+67). As noted previously, all three advance to the Champions League round. VERY SMALL - BASED ON GW18+GW19 - Bigger Boat (84) & Keysersoze (122) - Second Strikes - Eliminated Summary: *[No Strikes (0) = ] *[1 Strike (1) = +Morning Glory (gw6)] *[Eliminated (7) =FC Epikoinos (gw5/gw9), FC St. Pauli (gw7/gw12), Soccer Steve (gw8/gw14), blechs_dawgs (gw15/gw16), Bunch of Muppets (gw11/gw17), +BiggerBoat (gw10/gw18+19), +Keysersoze Wanderers (gw13/gw18+19)] While the GW19 games didn't matter in Small and Sand, Sasha Juniors posted a 96 and Virgil Reality posted a 101, as the DE-Cup league winners took a victory lap and appear ready for the next round. The Champions Round commences immediately in GW20 with 9 teams, the top 3 from each league.
Champions Round - Keysersoze (36 points; gw20) - FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (8) = Sasha Juniors, Morning Glory, Virgil Reality, Real Newark, Lokomotiv Lewisham, Tangers FC, Bigger Boat, Parraraiders] *[1 Strike (1) = Keysersoze Wanderers (gw20),] *[Eliminated (0) = The Champions Round of the DE-Cup kicked off in GW20. Keysersoze landed at the bottom for a first strike with a score of 36, edging Parraraiders who had 38.
Champions Round - Sasha Juniors (32 points; gw21) - FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (7) = Morning Glory, Virgil Reality, Real Newark, Lokomotiv Lewisham, Tangers FC, Bigger Boat, Parraraiders] *[1 Strike (2) = Keysersoze Wanderers (gw20), Sasha Juniors (gw21)] *[Eliminated (0) = The scoreboard tracked the BE-Cup report, with Sasha Juniors (32) picking up the strike, edging Lokomotiv (35), Morning Glory (36), and Real Newark (39). Asked for a comment, Tarv responded: "So, this is what a first strike feels like?"
Champions Round - Bigger Boat (30 points; gw22) - FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (6) = Morning Glory, Virgil Reality, Real Newark, Lokomotiv Lewisham, Tangers FC, Parraraiders] *[1 Strike (3) = Keysersoze Wanderers (gw20), Sasha Juniors (gw21), Bigger Boat (gw22)] *[Eliminated (0) = Another double whammy week, with Bigger Boat exiting the BE-Cup and picking up the first strike here. Three teams now on the brink of elimination.
Champions Round - Bigger Boat (27 points; gw23) - SECOND STRIKE - ELIMINATED Summary: *[No Strikes (6) = Morning Glory, Virgil Reality, Real Newark, Lokomotiv Lewisham, Tangers FC, Parraraiders] *[1 Strike (2) = Keysersoze Wanderers (gw20), Sasha Juniors (gw21)] *[Eliminated (1) = Bigger Boat (gw22/gw23)] Our first Champions Round casualty, as Bigger Boat gets back-to-back strikes in match days 3 & 4 for an early exit.
Champions Round - Real Newark (50 points; gw24) - FIRST STRIKE Summary: *[No Strikes (5) = Morning Glory, Virgil Reality, Lokomotiv Lewisham, Tangers FC, Parraraiders] *[1 Strike (3) = Keysersoze Wanderers (gw20), Sasha Juniors (gw21), Real Newark (gw24)] *[Eliminated (1) = Bigger Boat (gw22/gw23)] Parraraiders (51) and Lokomotiv (55) sneak by. Parraraiders got 5 critical points from auto-sub along with 1 additional point for Pickford's saves to make the difference, while Real Newark ends up short 1 point with no healthy defender available to come on for Webster.