LSNZ INVITATIONALS 2019 PREVIEW

Welcome to the 4th Laser Sports New Zealand Invitational tournament! Inspired by the Australasian Championship’s “Sinc’s List”, the following is a preview of the players and teams attending this year’s competition. Please note this preview is only the opinion of a couple of players and is not meant to be taken as law. It is intended to give you some insight into teams or players you may not be familiar with, while hopefully serving as a good read and providing you with some entertainment along the way. It is unlikely to be 100% accurate but we are hoping it will be as close as humanly possible!

This tournament uses a grading system and enforces a maximum strength for each team. Therefore, this review will use the official LSNZ grades, rather than speculative grades created by the reviewers.

A | 7 Points

B | 6 Points

C | 4 Points

D | 3 Points

E | 0 Points

Total team score is calculated by adding the five strongest players. The cap for this tournament is 23 points.

Thank you to tsia, Popeyes, Crouchy, iiii, and Ace who helped out with this review. If you have any questions or concerns about anything in this document, please contact Annie “Arcane” Aitken. Enjoy!

Annietude

Arcane | A

Mouldy | A

Nitro | C

Napqueen | D

Dalek | E

21 points

Team review: Annietude is lead by two Cobras, Arcane and Mouldy, who are playing their third consecutive Invitationals together. Arcane has a first place teams trophy in this maze – albeit, the maze has changed a bit since 2014, but a lot of the interbase play has not. Mouldy just finished up his first year captaining the Cobras at ZLTAC so should provide some much needed leadership to this crew. NapQueen completed her first ZLTAC this year so has gained some valuable competition experience that really benefits newer players. Nitro is a consistent player that could prove vital to this team doing well. Dalek has been playing on and off in the North Shore league scene for a number of years but this will be her first national competition.

The opening strategy of this team is likely to be Mouldy holding the reins out on attack with Arcane controlling the defensive calls. Arcane and Mouldy have become the masters of third place in Invites – can they pull off another third? It’s unlikely, with 5 teams ahead of them in the points rankings. This team will likely take out some games, climbing the ladder with second places but will inevitably fall short from making finals.

How to beat: At 21 points, this team will have a little less firepower than the top contenders. 23 point teams should be able to beat them with a strong standard strategy. A weaker team’s best chance is probably trying to exploit Annietude’s weaker players. This team may have a hard time pushing their weaker players through bases without giving up a lot of defence.

Side events: Both Arcane and Mouldy have strong triples teams (Arcane, Ginny, Ace, and Mouldy, vDark, Popeyes), all consisting of either A or B players. Mouldy is also teaming up with vDark for doubles, who should be a shoo-in for finals. Napqueen has a solid triples team (Feel… and Sparkle_Suit) who have a chance of getting close to finals if they can pick up the elimination format quickly.

Invites trophies: 9

Where they will place: 5th

UnBelievable

Crouchy | A

vDark | B

theLeg | B

Gryffo | C

Nimlet | E

23 points

Team review: There has been some questions asked about player rankings being altered for the team cap, but the high table has spoken and the rankings for this team are official. This team is likely to be fairly defensive, with some fast power plays and quick bases. vDark (forever more known as bDark) will probably be steering the ship and allocating players where he wants them. Gryffo is an experienced player from Australia that should adapt quickly to the Mt Wellington maze (having played it back in 2014) and be looking to beat her partner’s team (DarkPassion from Fred’s Daggs). Nimlet has only really attended Invites and doesn’t play regularly at all due to living in Tauranga. The success of this team may greatly depend on the performance of Nimlet. Nevertheless, it would be highly surprising if this team did not final.

How to beat: This team is going to be the favourite in almost every match up. Try to catch them out with some unexpected strategies or play them off against the third team. Best chance is to play a high base game but prevent Nimlet and possibly Gryffo from getting free bases.

Side events: Crouchy, theLeg and vDark all have highly competitive doubles and triples teams that should all make finals. Individually, they should all final solos too.

Invites trophies: 2

Where they will place: 1st

Fred’s Daggs

Darkpassion| A

Goofy | B

Fred | B

Ginge | D

Jimmy| E

22 points

Team review: While this team aren’t quite sitting at the points cap of 23, one could argue that nearly every one of these players is at the top of their rank. Darkpassion and Fred have won ZLTAC in this maze before, and Darkpassion has won 4 ZLTACs in a row. Goofy can produce some big numbers on the scoreboard and could help to be the deciding factor in some games that come down to a few pack points. Jimmy (Fred’s brother) is a fast player so expect this team to be flying around the arena at a great rate of knots. He has been playing for a couple of years now and is comfortable playing a dynamic role which can be hard to teach some new players. Ginge has been playing regularly lately and improving greatly, well deserving of a D ranking.

It’s hard to pick who is going to captain this team in game, but we could see some base dumps and control style of play. As long as the A and B players on this team can help the other two players from hemorrhaging too many denial points on attack, Fred’s Daggs should have a very good chance at a trophy.

How to beat: This will be a difficult team to beat with strong home maze advantage and solid picks at every grade. Best chance is to try strategies that don’t come up too often at league nights and force the game into unfamiliar territory. There are a couple of players on this team that are not afraid to put shots into a base. Play a patient game and you’ll likely get a few denial points out of them, hopefully forcing them to put the brakes on and rethink their strategy.

Side events: Goofy is the only player currently signed up for side events. He will be one to watch out for in solos, and could sneak into doubles finals with thebmw if things go their way.

Invites trophies: 3

Where they will place: 4th

Hamburglars

Hahjay | C

Beggor | D

Enpointe| D

Decoy | E

Maz | E

10 points

Team review: This is the first time that Enpointe has captained a team outside of a more social setting. She has the ability to keep cool under pressure and make decent decisions. She has been improving slowly over the last few months leading up to the competition. The combination of Enpointe and Hahjay on attack may surprise teams as they both have a similar playstyle and are both relatively sneaky. When it comes to defence, Beggor is a solid unit and knows how to use his tree-like limbs to his advantage. Maz and Decoy are relatively new to the scene. Maz has developed some key communication skills for in-game calls and is slowly developing as a balanced player. Decoy is improving steadily also and proving to be quite a key player in a more defensive role but isn’t afraid to put the pedal to the floor for a quick dodge or a run to the other side of the maze.

The home maze advantage should help this team get one up on the Dunedin teams. They should milk this for all it’s worth, as their main competition will be mainly non-Auckland teams.

How to beat: Theoretically the weakest team, for most teams winning this match up will just involve not making mistakes. Don’t try anything flashy and worry more about the other team. For the other low ranked teams where this is a close match up – try to play a balanced game. This team doesn’t have any real carry players so it should be possible to hold a solid defence for most of the game.

Side events:  Decoy and Hahjay aren’t playing side events. Beggor and Maz are playing doubles together but we’re unlikely to see them progress too far with a lot of other strong competition.

Invites trophies: 0

Where they will place: 10th

LIIT

Ace | A

Ginny | A

Arrow | B

Mintie | D

Caboose | E

23 points

Team review: Three out of five of 2018’s Ironing Maidens are back with two different D and E players for 2019. The 2018 champions will be wanting a back-to-back finals appearance.

There should be good chemistry between Ginny and Ace, providing a solid foundation for this team. Both of these players are highly respected at ZLTAC and can expect to put on a show. Ginny is a strong individual player who performs well in LOR every year at ZLTAC, so should bring over some valuable Worlds timing skills. With Arrow now having a good few years of experience under her belt, she is sure to bring her A game to this competition. Mintie has played leagues for a couple of years and could be unpredictable in the maze. Caboose has been playing in the North Shore league scene for a few years but not super regularly. With some coaching and strategic placement, Caboose should find a role in the maze that can make the most of his strengths. Ginny would probably take the captain seat and if the others follow his command they could possibly reach finals but may just fall short if they’re not lucky.

How to beat: This team has a very high pack scoring potential. Try to starve their defence, especially when Ace and/or Ginny are defending.

Side events: Ace had a monster Invites 2018, taking home a teams, doubles, and solos first place. Expect to see Ace and Ginny feature highly in solos. The pair are teaming up for doubles too, so will be one of the strongest teams on paper with two A players. Adding another A player for their triples team, Arcane, this team should see a top 3 finish almost for sure. Mintie could surprise a few people and final in solos if he stays away from some of the big names in the early rounds.

Invites trophies: 12

Where they will place: 2nd

Pure Dunnaz

Lt. Traitor | C

Joker | D

insomnia| D

MySuitIsMyS | D

Simper | E

13 points

Team review: With Pure Dunnaz being the only “pure” Dunedin team in this year’s Invitationals, they have some high expectations of themselves to do well. With Lt. Traitor, Joker, and MySuitIsMyS all being on the same team in 2018, we’ll see if they can keep up the teamwork and communication they gained in 2018. Lt. Traitor and Joker will be the leaders of the team with Lt. Traitor having a lot of experience at Invitationals tournaments in the past. Simper is a brand new Dunedin E player who has quickly shown their natural skill and ability for the sport.

Pure Dunnaz are likely to sneak in some cheeky seconds and maybe the odd first depending on how well they adapt to playing in a foreign maze.

How to beat: This team has no carry players and no experience in this maze. For strong teams, these guys should be safe to ignore while you focus on bigger threats. For weaker teams, stick to the standard Mt Wellington meta and play a clean game.

Side events: Lt. Traitor could sneak into solos finals if he plays a smart game.

Invites trophies: 0

Where they will place: 11th

Sad Clowns

Margie | A

Hatman | A

Rogue | B

Sadlamp| D

Trogy | E

23 points

Team review: This team of Hamiltons (two, soon to be three) is one of the three teams with a full 23 points, so you’d expect to see this team in the final. Three of these players are normally on Trogy and the Burninators who have been attending Invitationals since 2017. They missed out on finals last year, but you would be naive to think this trio would miss out on finals again. This team’s invites trophy total is only matched by one other team, LIIT, so they have a strong Invitationals success history.

Margie and Hatman are a solid Cobras duo who will likely walk as many steps pacing out in the foyer arguing about strategies as they will during a game. Rogue has improved greatly since returning to the scene more regularly than in previous years, so she will be a real asset. Sadlamp is a solid Australian pick up and is value for money points-wise. It will be interesting to see if Sadlamp has picked up any new skills, training with the likes of DarkPassion and vDark in New South Wales. Trogy has impressive Nexus timing for an E player, although his team will need to encourage him to be a bit more gutsy when taking a base if they are playing in a high base game.

If this team can keep internal arguments down and stick to straightforward strategies, they are a sure-set for a trophy.

How to beat: Margie has a history of losing to weaker teams in mixed skill comps. Wait for this team to try

something reckless and then punish them.

Side events: Margie and doubles partner Popeyes have a ZLTAC doubles trophy together (2017) so expect them to be huge threats. Hatman and Rogue should do well in side events, depending on who they team up with for doubles and triples.

Invites trophies: 12

Where they will place: 3rd

Sad Hedgehogs

tsia | C

Sparkle_Suit | C

thebmw | C

Feel…| C

Cpt_Hamfish | D

19 points

Team review: Sad Hedgehogs features two of the players from Dunedin’s 2019 ZLTAC Development team. Hopefully the knowledge tsia and Sparkle_Suit have gained proves useful to leading this team with the help of thebmw – a good pick-up from this year’s Australian players. Feel… was a member of the Ironing Maidens at last year’s Invitationals and helped them to pick up a first place trophy. Now accurately ranked as a C (previously an E), Feel… will be a real asset to this team as a strong attacker. Cpt_Hamfish only competed in side events last year, his first competition, so it will be interesting to see how much experience he’s gained playing the team format.

How to beat: This team doesn’t have any power players and most serious teams should be able to take them comfortably running standard strategies. With their most experienced player being from Australia, this team is likely to be lacking some cohesion. They probably won’t be able to deal with mid-game strategy shifts.

Side events: Together tsia and Sparkle_Suit made doubles finals in 2018 (tsia’s first competition) so we’ll see if one or both of them can make the cut once more. thebmw is teamed up with Goofy who should be able to get close to finals, if not feature in them.

Invites trophies: 1

Where they will place: 9th

A Team Has No Name

Rooboo | B

Lycan | B

Gregosaur | D

Tenko | D

Markosaur | D

21 points

Team review: There is team RAWR! and then there is team Dinosaur… This team has one player that has been playing at Mt Wellington since the Pterodactyl became extinct (cough Lycan) and one that has worked at Megazone since the beginning of time (Markosaur). The other players are fairly new, with a couple years experience. However, all players on this team have great experience in the Mt Wellington Maze and could easily cause some upsets. Expect RooBoo to be playing at 110% and being the point scorer for this team. Gregosaur will sneak up when unexpected and Tenko will be hiding in the base ready to deny the next unsuspecting victim. There has been rumours that RooBoo will be getting his annual Invitationals tattoo. Possibly a Lycan face tattoo if they win the comp, but this is yet to be confirmed.

How to beat: Amongst the 20+ point teams, this team has a weaker than average top end but a stronger than average bottom end. Think carefully about how you distribute your players in relation to these guys to try to carve out an advantage on attack and defence at the same time. This team is likely to come up with some crazy strategies. Weaker teams may be able to take advantage of this by studying this team and coming up with some counters to pick up some cheeky upsets.

Side events: None of these players are playing side events, so zero trophy potential here!

Invites trophies: 5

Where they will place: 7th

Team RAWR!

Popeyes| A

T_T | C

Zygorhiza | D

Cyborant | C

Gravey| C

22 points

Team review: At 22 points, this team with mostly Cs makes for quite a balanced combination. The lack of maze experience will hurt this team initially but once they’ve played a few team games, they should start winning a few. Gracey has been steadily improving in the ZLTAC scene, so as soon as she adapts to the maze, she will be someone Popeyes can rely on when he’s not there. T_T and Cyborant are two of the stronger Dunedin players both offensively and defensively, and they will undoubtedly hold their own against the stronger Auckland teams. Zygorhiza competed in side events last year and subbed in for a couple of team games at the end of the competition, but this year she has a spot on a team.

Hopefully Team RAWR! can come together and manage the pressure of competition.

How to beat: With only one high-tier player and not much experience in the maze, this team is likely to struggle balancing their attack and defence. Try to work out where they are weak and punish them.

Side events: Popeyes and his doubles partner Margie should cause some havoc in doubles. Other solos finalists should beware, as Popeyes will likely try to scam you out of drinks, making you bet on your finals performance when he is 99% sure he’s just won himself a trophy.

Invites trophies: 5

Where they will place: 6th

Wholesome Wholewheats

Big Red | B

JASS| B

Xeta | C

Gumby | D

alt_Psymon | E

Chris.E | E

19 points

Team review: This is the only team in the competition that is formed of Australian, Auckland, and Dunedin players. We can expect this team to take a couple of games before they find their feet in the maze. They lack any A grade players, but make up for it with a solid selection of players from the B-C grade range. Big Red will most likely be taking control of game strategies with JASS at his side. JASS and Gumby have been playing this maze for years, so this will be helpful in coaching Big Red and the Dunedin players. Xeta is one of the best Dunedin players, so as long as he picks up the maze easy enough, he’ll be a strong third player in this team. al_Psymon (from Dunedin) and Chris.E (from Ponsonby) are relatively new to the scene. Hopefully they can get a fair amount of game time (due to this team being a 6-man team) so they have a fun and enjoyable learning experience.

How to beat: This team is likely to be lacking cohesion, so a few strategy shifts throughout the game should throw them off. Keep an eye on their strategy choices throughout the competition as mixed teams like this often fall into the trap of repeating a limited number of strategies.

Side events: Xeta won himself a doubles first place in 2018 with partner Ace, but he’s teaming up with Cyborant this year which is unlikely to guarantee himself a trophy in the event. JASS is doubling with tsia who should have a good run at finals. Big Red, Xeta and JASS should all be chasing a solos finals appearance. Big Red could do well in doubles depending on who he teams up with.

Invites trophies: 3

Where they will place: 8th

Final predicted rankings: