Here is my take on the Bronze league as it stands now. In all of NA, most of the uncertainty lies here, and certainly the best fights can be found in ranks 16-24.
Keep it clean. Keep it interesting. Keep it fun! and for the love of god none of us (correct me if i’m wrong) want any giant guilds hopping down to ruin our very competitive league!
Kaineng
The biggest wild-card in the league. Though some have accused KN of tanking intentionally, my understanding is that is not the case. It seems a mass-exodus has occurred and this coupled with a match against E-bay has left the remaining players with little incentive to fight this week. Their expected rating, inaccurate as it may be, is to be top of Bronze league – and due to drama on other servers KN may just receive a last-minute influx of bandwagoners. Aside from that in its current state I predict their numbers to be slightly less than the top Bronze servers, however with much different coverage spots that may just be enough to make them still one of the most difficult servers to beat.
Henge of Denravi
HoD probably has an inflated rating due to matches with higher ranked servers, and more realistically is very even with FC and SF and DH (and maybe KN) in population. This leaves them with a slight advantage simply due to the battle-hardened-ness of fighting outnumbered, but will their recent server drama caused by opposing viewpoints of which league they want(ed) to aim for cancel out these advantages?
Ferguson’s Crossing
After spending an entire year in Tier 8, in the last 2 weeks FC has boosted itself up to T6 including their first ever wins against SF and DH. For a low rank, low pop server, FC’s coverage (recently) seems better than similarly ranked servers, and their recent success is mostly attributed to their few WvW guilds attracting and training PvE players. Absent transfers their numbers are still growing, but the biggest server they’ve fought in recent weeks is NSP. Can FC’s veteran players effectively rally their recruits and pull off a season 1 upset? 4-5 weeks ago nobody would have thought so… but now the question begs an answer.
Darkhaven
DH’s numbers in NA prime are quite substantial and enough to overwhelm many of the bronze servers, however their overnight presence has been virtually zero as of late. Positioned at #4, if they want to medal this season they will need to overcome this gap either through countless energy drinks, some lucky transfers, or their heavy PvE population chasing meta achievements. While they have been on a decline, their NA prime numbers are large enough that even a band-aid on their coverage issue will be enough to make them a top contender
Sorrow’s Furnace
Take Darkhaven, add ~15% to their coverage, reduce their potential PvE influx, put a target on their heads, and you have Sorrow’s Furnace. Despite a recent last-minute loss to FC and a current bashing from Yak’s Bend, SF in their prime time can pretty much overwhelm any bronze server and is not to be underestimated in the least. SF’s fate in this league will most likely largely be determined by how the match-ups fall and who focuses on who.
Eredon Terrace
Take Ferguson’s Crossing, take away the momentum and replace it with sprinkles of the experience from some higher-tier matches, and you have a picture of ET. While ET is a bit out-manned compared to 16-20, they are also less likely to make themselves a target as well as more willing to defend. If ET can force the higher servers into a 1v1 and then feed off the opportunities that creates, they do have the coordination and numbers to make a run at a top 3 finish if not first. But if the rumors are true about a few ET guilds planning to transfer, they could be taken out of the running.
Devona’s Rest – Gate of Madness – Anvil Rock
I have combined these servers because while their communities and personalities and tactics and coverage may all be slightly different, their situations are all the same – each server over the summer has taken a nose-dive into the bottom of the barrel, so to speak. At this point it seems each server has stabilized and is no longer bleeding players. They still lack the overall numbers and coverage to take the higher servers head-on, but they will not be blown away by anyone, and in many matches these 3 will have the power to determine who wins if it’s not going to be themselves. These 3 servers will also be a potential prospect for any disgruntled high-tier guilds to want to hop down to and cause chaos in bronze league, and while Kaineng is the biggest wild-card, these 3 worlds should also be considered wild-cards as it will not take much to bump them up in the ranks.
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