Returning teams forming rivalries, new teams stirring the pot, one player launching 36 shots over a 3-game series, and a tiebreaker to determine the winner of Segment 1’s $200 prize pool. A pivotal Week 2 of the Turbo Tuesday Summer Series took place we have so much to talk about. Let’s get right to it.
OVERALL RESULTS
As the final week in Segment 1, all teams pushed a bit more earnestly in an attempt to top the Standings to secure the prize money. To best capture the impact that new teams had in the overall results at the end of the segment, we’ll separate the new teams from returning teams and cover the most head-turning topics of each group.
Our New Teams
Summer Series Week 2 newcomers may have missed out on points in the inaugural week, but it doesn’t take a quintessential season finish to catch up. For instance, a one-week performance of just 2 wins and 1 loss (70 points) would already bypass a team finishing a two-week run at [0-3] and [1-2], totalling just 55 points.
Team AMONG US seemed to grasp the task at hand, edging out a tough STELLAR team (3-2) in Round 1, and adding another (3-0) victory to head to the final round with a chance to go [3-0]. Their run would fall a little short, and Among Us would finish the day [2-1]. More details of that deciding match to come later.
Taking the opposite route to a [2-1] debut record was STIPPY-KUN (SK). Matched up against REGIMENTGG (RGG) in Round 1, a strong start would require next-to-perfect defense against the supreme striking capabilities of Spyder and Spookyy, with Kirin serving as the mastermind behind opening up their shooting lanes. SK was able to take one game off of RGG, but dropped the series (3-1). It’s tough to win games when your opponent averages 4 goals a game as RGG did. SK would regain their focus and even their record in Round 2. Then, in Round 3, came alive to find an admirable (3-0) win against 1THOUSANDVOICES (1TV), a team with high expectations coming into the night at [2-1] in overall games.
Our Returning Teams
Of the three returning teams that went [2-1] in Week 1, only two were able to keep that same pace here in Week 2. After being upset in Round 1 against Among Us, Stellar regrouped to finish the day at [2-1] as they did last week, bringing their full Summer Series point total to 140. RGG worked their way into their group’s Finals match for a chance at the prestigious [3-0] weekly finish. For them, reigning Week 1 pool winners GnS would stand in their way. Again, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. More on that matchup is provided below.
Congratulations to GnS for a second straight pool win! DOODLE BANGERS (DB) would also repeat as winners of their pool thanks to their efforts in Round 3 to defeat the dark horse, #11 seeded Among Us. Knight, lucaaa, and skies of DB were excellent again, so a high commendation for them as well in Week 2. Let’s take a look at how both teams were able to keep the fire alive.
THE PATH TO 3-0
GnS
Every week, the top seed matches up with the lowest seed in their respective pools for Round 1. So as a top 2 team in the Summer Series, the first match up becomes a must-win series to keep peak status. GnS stormed through not only that match (3-0), they also followed it up with a (3-0) sweep on 1TV. Words escaped us all when that match was reported. GnS didn’t allow a single goal to 1TV, a group who averaged 8 shots per game over the course of the night. No time to rest though, as the GnS defense would face an even tougher test in their final pool match of the night. RGG’s Spyder and Kirin won the Top Striker and Top Playmaker awards respectively in Week 1. Spookyy, their teammate, earned a nomination for Top Striker this week as well. Despite the tallest of tasks, all of the passing lanes connecting the RGG trio were nullified. A large portion of great shot opportunities were broken up before they were released. The GnS defense played lights-out and took the title in 4 games.
DDB
Déjà vu in a few ways here for team DDB. First is the most obvious; their perfect [3-0] record within their pool. Secondly, their teamwork stood supreme. In their 3 pool games, 21 of their 28 goals were assisted (75%). Quantity of goals was the final similarity in comparison to last week, as they were the only team to have all three players in the top 12 in goals per game in both weeks. Breezing through Round 1 as expected, DDB strutted into Round 2 still undefeated in all games in the Summer Series. Leave it to IceBorg, mercii, and Spookii of Funky Bois to show that DDB is mortal after all. To be fair, let me stress that the final series score went in favor of DDB [3-1] and that every game DDB won was by 4 or more goals. But Funky Bois handed DDB their first loss in a game in the Summer Series to that point. Remember this moment as it may truly have been a difference maker in the Segment Tiebreaker below. As mentioned above, the 11 seed, newly entered Among Us roster was making waves and would be the final pool match for DBB. In this Finals, DDB extinguished the flames, holding Among Us to just 2 goals in the 3 games it took them to end the series.
SEGMENT WINNING TIEBREAKER
The Segment 1 prize pool goes to the team accumulating the most points over the course of each two week segment. With GnS and DDB winning their pools each week, this meant they were tied atop the Standings at 202 points for the segment. What does this mean? A high-stakes, winner-take-all Best-of-5 tiebreaker between the two. It played out exactly as you would expect a game with such implications would.
Both teams were undefeated in matches to this point. They played conservatively to begin the series in an attempt to detect certain play-styles and tendencies from the other side. Goals were hard to come by early because no team was willing to show their hand before the other. As the series progressed, key goals by Phoenix were found only as a result of perfect touch passing by anti and DankMemeHub. A marginal 2-1 win, followed by a 2-0 win put GnS on top of the series lead, but after Game 4 we found ourselves dead-even at (2-2) with a Game 5 on the horizon. Speaking of dead-even, both teams had 6 shots and 3 saves in Game 5. Both teams saw the clock hit zero with 2 goals on the board, and overtime would decide the winner of Segment 1. DankMemeHub was a defensive menace throughout the series, but it was time to shine offensively. “DMH” had the two goals for GnS in regulation time in Game 5, and would notch the game winner to give GnS the title, as well as secure MVP status for Week 2 of the Summer Series.
PLAYER AWARDS
TOP STRIKER
Name: TKO
Team: STELLAR
SPIN Rating: 7.709
Notes: TKO averaged an unprecedented 2.82 goals per game this week, outpacing the next on the list by almost an entire goal per game (Spookyy of DBB - 1.90). TKO also tallied the most shots per game at 5.64, including an unheard of 36 shots in Stellar’s 3-game Round 2 series.
TOP PLAYMAKER
Name: ICEBORG
Team: FUNKY BOIS
SPIN Rating: 6.070
Notes: Outstanding single-game performances and overall consistency in the assist department earns Iceborg the Top Playmaker award. A 6-assist game in Round 1 set the tone for Iceborg, who finished the night a top the rest with 1.30 assists per game.
TOP SAVIOR
Name: INSTNT
Team: AMONG US
SPIN Rating: 3.775
Notes: Honorable mention to Iceborg who also topped the saves per game list. However, instnt earns the Top Savior award for placing second on that list in the team’s Summer Series debut. Instnt’s smothering defense was an integral part in Among Us’ upset to begin the night, and their overall [2-1] record.
For more information including rosters, match results, and leaderboards, click here. If you would like to sign up your team for Week 3, it’s not too late. Click here to register today!