TNTL Week 1 Recap

Vet 3 Event's first week of the Top Notch Teams League kicked off with flying colors!

In an encouraging display of commitment, each team completed their scheduled matches without conflict this week, signalling good things to come in the weeks ahead.

If you are unfamiliar with the format of this 2v2 League, check out the video below, or read the paragraph under it.


Top-Notch Teams League(TNTL) is a Company of Heroes 2 league. 16 teams will fight tooth & nail throughout the season to win the right to compete in the playoffs. Competing teams are divided into two groups, A and B. Each team is matched against all other teams in their group once, with points awarded or taken away for a win or loss. Only the top 4 ranked teams from each group go on to the finals.



Our first stream of the season, hosted by Stormless and Von Kluge, saw Big Woods face off against Hearts of Iron. They battled it out in an epic fashion on Rails and Metal. Game 1 witnessed 120 kills on Brickman's Stuka. In an impressive display of perseverance, Big Woods ground out a hard fought victory, clawing their way back with less than 100 VPs against double Calliopes. Taking the lead 1-0. In game 2, Big Woods took down HoI in decisive fashion, proving why they are one of the top teams in the game. Granting them them a top spot in Group A, together with RtN and Good Luch Have Fusilier.


In the other games across Group A, North America, we came across some interesting match-ups.

Dusty and Lemon, affectionately known as DustyLemon, is a highly regarded 2v2 team from North America. They have an extremely impressive 205-18 wins-losses record in Automatch, making them a favorite to qualify for the playoffs.

However, they found themselves taking on more than they bargained for. A stealthy team of unknowns, calling themselves the the Aqua Teen Hunger Force, surprised DustyLemon.

Well coordinated pushes from ATHF caught Dusty and Lemon off guard in many critical engagements over the course of the game. And they found themselves unable to rally out of an early hole, unable to coordinate assaults of their own. Their series started extremely rough, with a loss to ATHF's Allies in game 1.

But in Game 2, Dusty and Lemon turned their fortunes around. With the help of TRIPLE mortar pit build, fuel cache spam, and patience, they unleashed a double Cromwell spam strategy against ATHF, smashing them into a game 3 ace game. Winning faction selection in the process.

This did not phase ATHF, however, who came out with an extremely bold double Wehrmacht, triple mortar build to counter and decimate the mortar pit spam strategy from Dusty and Lemon. Once again, like Game 1, Dusty and Lemon found themselves unable to recover, as the rapid loss of their mortar pits on top of the bleed from the now uncounterable 3 mortar build snowballed into a tall mountain that they never threatened to scale. DustyLemon tried a furious rally late, and gave a good fight, but the damage had been done. Aqua Teen Hunger Force managed to hold on, securing an upset, and winning Game 3 with their backs against the wall, despite being steam-rolled in game 2. Talk about #adapting.



Magpie842 & FestiveLongJohns brought us two great match-ups, casting a series from Group A and B.


RtN brought Momo4sho and Ciez to their week 1 showdown with the USF All Stars, MomCie having a considerable amount of experience as a team. The USF All Stars fielded CookiezNcreem, Looney & Thunderhun.

In Game 1, RtNs Momo4sho and CieZ valiantly held their ground against the tide of Looney and CookiezNcreem. Despite losing early map control, and some unfortunate RNG, RtN remained cool and vigilant. They sunk two Calliopes, and displayed impressive team work using their Command Tanks and Recon-off maps. They survived to the late game where they won over the Stars.


RtN broke out their feared USF-UKF wombo combo in Game 2. The All-Stars substituted Thunderhun for Looney and opted for a double OKW lineup. With the game neck and neck, Thunderhun's Sturmtiger was on a rampage, taking out a moving Comet and a Sherman tank. Ultimately it did not prove to be enough, as RtN managed to turn and take the lead for good, killing a Vet 5 Walking Stuka, finishing off the Sturmtiger, and using well-timed Calliope barrages to wipe out large amounts of Axis infantry in their base.

RtN advances to 1-0, and will play the red-hot Aqua Teen Hunger Force in Week 2.
The USF All-Stars fall to 0-1, and will limp their way into a pivotal week 2 vs Blame Canada.


Co-Belligerents, led by the experienced 1v1 tournament player Talisman, is ranked 188th as the Allies with his partner Panic on the 2v2 AT Leaderboards.

Their opponent this week, 37th Kokonut, is relatively unknown. Despite the lack of community exposure, they do have tournament experience. They competed in both Clan Clash Season 1 and 2. 37th Kokonut are 173rd on the arranged team ladder.

Game 1 saw the 37th Kokonut as the Allies, with Co-Belligerents as the Axis, squaring off on Crossing in the Woods. 37th Kokonut took the initiative early with an unorthodox WC51 Jeep opening. The extreme early pressure allowed Goradan, playing the UKF, to place a Bofors directly on the middle VP.


The combined pressure of the WC51, Bofors, and allied infantry allowed the Kokonuts to tick down 300 VPs off Co-Belligerents in the first 15 minutes of the game. The Allies kept the pressure on, forcing the Axis players to react. But the Co-Belligerents was never able to recover and fell to 37th Kokonuts in game 1.

Undeterred, Co-Belligerents were ready for revenge in game 2. Having a much stronger Allied rank in 2v2, the Co-Belligerents started the game looking confident, with Talisman playing the British Forces and Panic the Soviets.

37th Kokonut, feeling good after taking game 1, decided to get creative. Goradan locked in the Feuersturm Doctrine despite the lack of garrisons on Crossing in the Woods. Kokonuts looked a bit out of sorts and did not display the same synergy they had in game 1. They fell, putting the score 1-1.

With Co-Belligerents being the VP leader between the 2 games, 37th Kokonut were forced to play Axis again. Despite losing rather decisively in game 2, they used the same strategy in game 3. This time they executed their early aggression much better, again ticking down Co-Belligerents to nearly 300 vps in 15 minutes. 37th Kokonuts pulled out an impressive win in the Ace game, placing themselves in 4th place after the three way tie for first between Black Phoenix, Gold Path II, and The Power of Awakening.

• Gold Path II took down Rage Squirt 2-0.
  
• Power of Awakening beat Forgotten Defenders 2-0.
  
• Blame Canada lost to Good Luch Have Fusiliers 2-0.
  

Our next stream will be with Stormless and FestiveLongJohns on Thursday night, 11/2/2016.



In week 2, we will stream on Relic Entertainment's Twitch channel, casting two nights a week of Top-Notch Teams League! It will be on Mondays & Thursdays at 19:00 GMT.