Glad to see a Western team make such a deep playoff run. I'd like to see EnVy take this one on the 4th of July and advance to the grand final, but it will be a close match. EnVyUs 4-3 KDP
I think if EFFECT can get to the back lines they have a chance at winning this. Lack of defending their supports led to KDP losing their first match vs LH and the Mighty AOD one.
In the end though I have to give the edge to KDP because they've been battle tested a bit more this season in my opinion
Bo5:
KDP 3-2 nV
I think many people want EnVy to win. I personally feel like throughout this season, they still haven't showed us their peak performance tbh, even though they made it to playoffs. They still looked spectacular, but hopefully with this match, they will return to their former glory of how they almost never make any mistakes and extend advantages at every opportunity. That is the EnVyUs I enjoyed watching.
Hoping for some good matches!
KDP has the potential to be a very strong team, but they rely too much on the prowess of Rascal and Birdring rather than working as a team. EnVyUs will absolutely tear this flaw apart, because based on their matches vs Meta and X6, it's their coordination (plus the hard carry from Effect) that is pushing them through this tournament. EnVyUs takes it 4-2 or 4-1.
This is showing up as a Bo7 everywhere I look but every time the APEX caster talk about it they mention the finals being the only Bo7. If it doesn't indeed end up being a Bo7 I'd still give the edge to KDP since nV has looked like they've had trouble adjusting to though opponents on the fly. I think nV gets two maps, possibly three but I'll be rooting for them to win this regardless.
Bo7:
KDP 4-2(3) nV
What I'm hoping for:
KDP 2-4 nV, or any nV win.
Don't understand why people are instinctively marking KD Panthera as the favorites.
They're an extremely inconsistent team that hasn't really proved themselves yet. In group stages, they gave up a 2-0 lead to Lunatic-Hai, and then lost 3-2 to Mighty AOD, a team with very little coordination and only a few good players. (Fate and KariV). In the playoffs, they got extremely lucky to face a Lunatic-Hai that was using Gido for the first time; Kongdoo Panthera was almost guaranteed to win that. Then, they faced an extremely weakened LuxuryWatch Blue when Luna was on main tank. They got lucky and cruised by with both of these ones. The only team that Kongdoo has legitimately beat was Rogue, but that's pretty much all they've done.
EnVyUs, on the other hand, has lit a new fire beneath them, and is currently cruising with stellar individual play and coordination. It would be a bit surprising me for me if Kongdoo took this away from Envy.
EnVyUs 4-2 KD Panthera.
That argument makes very little sense given EnVy have had the easiest route to the semifinals by far of any team - they've only faced X6 twice, once losing in a close game, once dominating, and then beaten a struggling Meta Athena in groups. Other teams in groups were BK Stars and RG Wings. Couldn't have planned a simpler route this season almost.
It could quite easily be 4-2 nV at the end but I don't agree that it would be shocking if KDP won, or that they have had an outstandingly easy road. They could have very quickly gone out in groups and their performances against L-H and Rogue should not be forgotten. Also think you're mad underrating Mighty AOD, they were a good team stuck in a horrible group.
Not saying I disagree with you here. However, at least during the playoffs, while EnVyUs on paper has had to go up against easier teams, the fact that Kongdoo Panthera went up against severely weakened teams makes them a little less powerful then they might seem. The main point that I'm trying to get across is that most people are calling Kongdoo Panthera as guaranteed favorites, and I'm saying that no one should be underestimating Envy and I expect Taimou and co. to take a victory.
And yes, maybe I am underrating Mighty. They did seem like a good team that had a lot of potential going forward, but unfortunately the west struck first. (Which I'm happy about, I'm an Immortals fan :P)
Overall, nV still hasn't faced any great teams. And I think most people are correct to assume that KDP is the favorite here...because well, they are at the moment. nV has yet to be tested, whether it be in their group where only Meta posed a challenge while they were adjusting or in the quarters where they dropped the ball against X6 only to come back and prove they were a class above them.
KDP on the other hand has been tested. They beat Rogue, who beat nV albeit without EFFECT, they got their revenge against LH, and then dispatched LWB, though they were weakened by the loss of Janus. Do note that KDP has now survived two groups of death, so they're battle tested and deserve to be called favorites.
That of course doesn't mean nV can't win this. Like you I'm rooting really hard for them. But right now they're the ones with something to prove more so then KDP imo.
If KDP win it's gonna be a stomp 4-0, if they lose I think it'll be a 3-4.
It's clear at this point KDP and LH are the "good" teams and if you haven't played vs them you haven't played vs a good team yet in this season of Apex. Could have easily been AoD, LH, KDP, and Rogue in top 4 if they all weren't literally in the same group at the very beginning of the tournament.
nV is a bit of a wild card though as they're getting better and better as the tournament progresses. I wouldn't say nV at the very beginning of Apex would stand a chance vs KDP, LH, or possibly even Rogue, but as EFFECT has been working with his team, Taimou is flexing onto the right character at the right times, improved tank play and the Harryhook factor... they have a good shot.
If nV beat KDP, it'll be a good game and they can easily win the whole tournament. Or they'll just get stomped 0-4 ala the AFB/LH match from this morning. I think both predictions are very possible.
12 more hours hype!!!!
But seriously, this is a really, really, hyped match. If EnVyUs wins this, then they prove a lot, but Kongdoo Panthera isn't as good as we thought they were. If Kongdoo wins, then they're Tier 1 for sure, which makes EnVyUs maybe not as good as we thought. Either way, undoubtedly going to be a intense match with (hopefully) more than 4 maps.
I love Envy, and yes they have had a great run, but Kongdoo Panthera has looked like an unstoppable force. I feel like Mickie is going to have the hardest task of shutting down the two brilliant dps players of rascal and birdring. I predict a Kongdoo Panthera stomp (4-0), although I really hope Envy shows us something we haven't seen yet, and pulls off a miraculous victory just like season 1.
Rogue got outplayed but honestly I feel like nV would have been in the same boat had they been in Group A. I don't think either of the western teams had the tools to take down the current finalists.
They're also playing under tough condition as mentioned by Taimou and Winz but in the end they just lost to more prepared teams. It happens.
EFFECT did as much as he could but KDP had a solid plan to contain him; Void was much better at peeling for his back line with Matrix and making sure both EFFECT and Taimou couldn't do their thing. Birdring and Rascal also did an amazing job when playing Tracer who was also able to help keep tabs on EFFECT and then moving to de-mecking Mickie.
I do believe nV has the better Tank/Supports and their DPS are equally strong but KDP's execution was several cuts above and nV's carry potential just wasn't enough to overcome it. This is very similar to the LH vs AFB match where the losing team was strategically dealt with and ultimately dismantled.
I do think nV should do well in the west though, the coordination they showed is on par, if not better, than what most of what the NA/EU showed aside from Rogue, and more recently Immortals.
https://www.twitch.tv/taimoutv
supposed to be being vod reviews but at this point its just top five soldiers and esca LULs
OMG, I wasn't expecting nV to get rolled that hard. I haven't had the time to watch it, super busy with work, so don't downfrag me to hell if it was actually close. I'm gonna watch it now. :P But damn, 4-0 is rough, nV was looking great with EFFECT...
Well, this series confirmed that all the shit talking on Rogue was very much undeserved. At least they had a close match vs KDP, the same can't be said about nV. Still looking forward to that Contenders Rogue vs nV to see how they stand against each other now.
It was a close match, they played really well in the first two maps and could have taken those. Especially Oasis I thought they had in the bag watching it, two minor mistakes on City Center. Hanamura they got wrecked by KDP aggression, they were way more coordinated, and I feel like they'd lost the faith by the time Route 66 came around.
It's set up for an amazing final though with a super aggressive KDP against a defensive stonewall L-H.
I'm no analyst, so maybe you are right, but the way I saw it, EFFECT had some great plays but was mostly countered and eventually he started to play alone, Mickie was kind of useless, Chips kept getting picked (not saying it's his fault though), Taimou wasn't convincing (probably burned out, this is a very real issue for foreign teams in APEX) and Cocco was well.. unremarkable, but then he kinda always is, even as Rein I always found him too passive. Route 66 was painful to watch, but yeah, they most likely had lost faith already and Taimou looked tilted. I also don't get why the tactical pause was focused on EFFECT when IMO he was the one playing best for nV. They didn't get stomped like some are trying to frame it, but I wouldn't say it was close either, nV tried different things and nothing ever seemed to work.
KDP vs LH should be a great final indeed.