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NHLGamers, The versus sides of our leagues are equally important compared to the 6v6 games that our community is more known for, but unfortunately are rarely covered in news stories and articles as much, due to the enormous amount of players and the quicker pace of the tournaments. Therefore, it's now suitable to take a moment to overview where we're currently at in the FCL 1v1 tourney. This years FCL 1v1 started off with around 200 participants, and it's a joy to see so many eager to challenge for the biggest prize in Finnish 1v1 NHL. Naturally, such a big number of players calls for some infrastructure in order to weed out the eventual top contenders. Here's an overview of how that was done this year: Group stage - around 200 participants 15 groups with 13-14 players One game against each opponent Eight players from each group advance (120 players in total) 2nd round - BO5 playoffs (120 players left) players were seeded into the playoffs based on the following tiebreakers: group stage placement, head-to-head result, goal differential, goals for and wins in regulation. Third round - BO5 playoffs (60 players left) Fourth round - Finals group stage (32 players left) <--- WE ARE HERE! Invitees Kristian @kriketski17 Veijola and Arttu @Artuzio Mustila join the tournament Players are placed into eight groups with four players each Two games against each opponent Two players from each group advance into the top 16 Fifth round - BO5 playoffs (16 players left) players are seeded into the playoffs based on the following tiebreakers: group stage placement, head-to-head result, goal differential, goals for and wins in regulation. FINALS - Friday, 9th of October @ twitch.tv/NHLGamer - BO3 playoffs (8 players left) The tournament structure was changed from a top 4 final event to top 8 - the finals will be online and streamed through NHLGamers Twitch-channel. Who's still in? I'm not going to make intricate predictions of the tournament simply due to the fact that I have no clue about how the 6v6 skill of some of these guys translates to the versus-side and I personally haven't touched that game mode since NHL 19 or 18. Despite that, We're going to be able to highlight the performances of some probable contenders based on their runs so far in the tournament. Obviously we need to note that the defending champion @kriketski17 and the European GWC champion @Artuzio are now joining the competition to fill out the remaining player pool to the full 32 players. I'm unaware of how much these guys have played, but at least Artuzio has recently also qualified for the top 16 in the eLiiga Näytön Paikka-tounament, beating some solid opposition such as Vainö @Pikkardz Pikkarainen and Eemil @Sokkelo__ Soikkeli along the way. I caught up with invitee @Artuzio for some quick questions about entering the tournament at this stage: Is entering the tournament midway more difficult in some way and how did you stay in form when the others played their FCL group stage games? - I don't think it's harder at all, maybe even the opposite. I kept up my form by playing wagers against other top players after my GWC run. I think that's a good way to practice since you have something to play for that will spur you to give your best. You started off good with two wins, is there someone you wouldn't want to face moving on and who is your biggest challenger? - There's no one I'm really worried about facing, but the biggest challenger in this tournament is definitely @Eki. This far into the tournament, we've also got two players who remain undefeated throughout the group stage and the playoffs. To no surprise one of these guys is Erik @Eki Tammenpää and the other one is equally skilled Roni @MrNipsuli Kajan. Players who have pushed through to the top 32 against some heavy odds are Tuomas @Tumpp1A Aaltonen after finishing 6th in the group stage and going into the playoffs with seed 81. Also Niko @Naikou88 Heikkilä can be seen as making a surprise run so far, placing 5th in the group stage and entering the playoffs at seed 70. Due to my limited knowledge, I decided to consult someone who's actually played these guys in order to get an understanding of who could be the guys to look out for and who are some black horses. Here are the predictions for the finals group stage by Jiska @jorma2001 Näppä: Note that predictions were made in the afternoon of the 29th of September, before a majority of games were played/reported. Group 1 Advancing: @kriketski17, @Oxdogolli (Dementoitunu) @Pikkuroger stands a good chance at surprising. Group 2: Advancing: @Artuzio @buranaburana, @Emppa988 and @Xteemuz are fighting for the second spot with equal chances. Group 3: Advancing: @Kemppane_ @OsquuG and @JesseL2002 are both solid players who can take the second spot, whereas @Wpaanane has the skill but needs to be consistent. Group 4: Advancing: @MrNipsuli, @Spearzz_ @Hullued has been in great form as of late and has a shot at advancing. Group 5: Advancing: @Eki No clear favorites to take the 2nd spot. Group 6: Advancing: @xDoumi, @Krisutus @Limu95 and @Borjendahlen are good players that are skilled enough to advance, but the favorites are clear nevertheless. Group 7: Advancing: @NikkeDangles and @Beniittto are favorites. @luosttin is more of a wild card than @viba2008, but the youngster stands the chance of a total upset. Group 8: Advancing: @Vattu__ has been in great form as of late and should advance. The remaining three players share equal chances of taking the 2nd spot. Above: Last year's TOP3: #2 Erik "Eki" Tammenpää, #1: Kristian "kriketsi17" Veijola & Tuukka "@FlyerKungen" Kuha | Photo credit: SEUL ry / Arttu Kokkonen What are your thoughts on the remaining players? Do you think @kriketski17 will be able to defend his title or will we see a shift in power?