Group 2 Preview

Derbyshire Electric – managed by MTS1972
MoC record so far: 8-3 (0-2 in playoffs)

Electric had a dominant group stage in MoC IV, losing only to the Bears from Styria, but saw their run end when they encountered Chelsea in the playoffs in a brutal 6:40 affair. They also played in the first MoC (as Burton Redskins) also being one-and-done in the playoffs against their divisional rival SpringHeel Jacks. Derbyshire had their best run during S7-8 with back to back divisional titles in the Admirals 1.1. They went to the SC playoffs for the last five years in a row, and advanced to the round of 16 in S6.

While never being a dominant team across all units, one constant was always the trademark of this team: A great passing game behind QB Wolfram Arnold who might just break the 15.000 career passing yards barrier his weekend.

SimKonville Fraggles – managed by SimKon
MoC record so far: 6-10 (0-1 in playoffs)

One the few teams to have played every MoC so far, the Fraggles finally cracked the playoffs for the first time in Episode IV, only to lose to Urshult closely. The Fraggles are a powerhouse of the Thunder region, even though they (like Chelsea) relegated fairly late up to the 1.1. Since S8, they are 45-8 and 3-2 in the playoffs, with one Bowl appearance and two SC playoffberths to boot.

Some thought WR Wulf Hipfl’s retirement might bring about troubles in the passing game, but as long as QB Stuart McLaren has WR Vittorio Schneider to through to, those ideas remain a pure fantasy. The Fraggles pride themselves on great line-play, so one WR does not make or break their offense. Their defense also likes to dominate in the trenches, and their pass rush will force mistakes: Their 74 INTs since S8 rank them fourth in the Thunder 1.1 and MLB Faruk Windischgrätz is one of the best at his position and a potential future Hall of Famer.

SpringHeel Jacks – managed by razor34
MoC record so far: 7-9 (1-2 in playoffs) – RUNNER-UP MoC I

Also a MoC subscriber, die Jacks lost the very first MoC final by 4 points but have been a competitive guest ever since. They are divisional foes of Derbyshire in the Admirals 1.1 so them being together in this group is a nice flavor. The Jacks won the division the last two years, and advanced to the Divisional playoffs two seasons ago, but are currently sitting at 1-3, one game behind Derbyshire.

The Jacks have probably the best Special Teams Unit in the field and can cause nightmares because of that. Those nightmares mostly revolve around K/P Gilles Pasqeut, who is averaging 41+ Yards per Punt AND 27 Yards per return. Up and coming star pass rusher Vince Mack is coming off a 9 Sack season, and likes to introduce himself to new QBs.

Portlanders – managed by interloper
MoC record so far: N/A (first time participating)

Welcome to the Portlanders form the Fire 1.1! The Portlanders are in the 1.1 since S8 and have a tough division to play in. They have been victims of a ASU Ducks/Mykop Dynamos perfect season for instance, but still managed to develop well and cracked the playoffs as a wildcard for the first time last season, to go along with their first SC playoffberth.

The Portlanders are well-rounded and have a knack for big guys: While their skill position players are somewhat quiet, they FBs rushed to the loud tune of 1600 yards last season, and their leading receiver was Pablo Soler, a TE. Not to be outdone though, their Defense has found a new star in DE Waylon Mosier, who turns out to be an amazing steal at the bottom of the third round of the S8 Draft.

Rivalries:

Derbyshire lead the Fraggles 2-0 in two meetings in earlier MoCs, a 10:6 thriller in MoC I and a 34:0 rout in MoC IV. There’s unfinished business there. Also in that same group was SpringHeel who lost to the Fraggles by a bitter 59:0 and are looking for revenge. But the biggest rivalry in this group is of course between Derbyshire and SpringHeel. Their MoC meetings are split at 1-1, with Derbyshire winning in MoC IV, but SpringHeel taking that MoC I playoff game. Derbyshire have an overall edge of 9-6, including a 7-5 mark in the league. Those two teams know each other very well, and this should make this group quite fun to watch.

great analysis mate - excellent to see someone putting in some extra effort into their friendly comps.

Very good read

ive got to say this is the best pre competition read I have read.

Group 3 Preview

Quarry Bay Raiders - managed by Mark_C666
MoC record so far: 12-4 (2-3 in playoffs) – RUNNER UP MoC IV

The Raiders played in every MoC so far, incredibly having a winning record in every group stage so far. It took them a while to get their first playoff win, but last time saw them advance to the final, where they lost to Chelsea. Definitely one of the best MoC teams so far. The Raiders come from the Thunder 1.1, where they are a three-time divisional champ and playoffs mainstay (although they did miss out on them last season for the first time ever). They went the the SC playoffs three times so far.

The Raiders were always a run-heavy team with a great defense. Their RB Radek Franks has fumbled only three times in his career, which is sort of unheard of for a guy with over 600 carries so far. Their Defense is lead by veteran LB Pattama Wongrutiyan, who is 10th all-time in Thunder history regarding INTs.

Vienna Falcons – managed by me
MoC record so far: 8-8 (3-2) – WINNER of MoC I

The other Falcons in the tournament are the host of the MoCs and won the first edition. But MoC IV saw a new low for my guys, as we stumbled through a tough 2-5 group stage. MoC I is, fittingly, still the only final the Falcons ever won: Their ability to botch the big game is rivaled only by their idols from Atlanta. In the Thunder 1.1 the Falcons are a five-time divisional champ, but never got to the Bowl. In the SC they went to the playoffs four times, reaching the final as wild card in S9, where they, of course, lost.

The Falcons try to be balanced, their passing attack revolves around WR Eckehard Fingerlos (“the one without fingers”) who might become the franchise Catch TD leader during this season, even though only being in his fourth year with the team. Their run game is anchored by multiple all-pro RB Günther Senner, who broke the 10.000 rushing yards mark recently, and a good OL around “the weakest LT” in the league, Konrad Wilfing. Undersized MLB Betram Sykora (5th all-time in INTs) anchors the Defense.

tomahawk de velilla – managed by ttato
MoC record so far: N/A (first time participating)

Another new team to the MoC world, Tomahawk come from the Claymore region, where they have a vicious divisional rivalry with the Saker Falcons, including a narrow playoff loss two seasons ago when they qualified for post season for the first time. They have been to the SC playoffs two times so far.

Tomahawks attack centers around one of the best RBs in all of RZA: Augusto Ripoll was an all-RZA all the way selection back in S5 and has won multiple awards since then, all while becoming the all-time #1 rusher in Claymore history. But you should not sleep on his backup Dámaso Giménez, who himself was an second-team all-pro last season (behind Ripoll) after rushing for 1300 yards and a whooping 22 TDs. Add to that consistently great TE-play (another fantastic one-two-punch behind all-pros Demetrio Otegui and Bernardino Iglesias) and a OL who might be a future Hall of famer in Adolfo Pastor, and it’s clear that there’s a lot of big-guy-identity going on with this team.

Wild Thangs – managed by stizz
MoC record so far: N/A (first time participant)

The Thangs play in a tough division in the Thunder 1.1 where the perennial champ of their Conference Slavia has dominated for years. Nevertheless the Thangs haven’t had a losing season in ages, and even wrestled the divisional title away from Slavia in S8. They are also a mainstay in the SC playoffs, with four appearances so far.

The Thangs are also a very balanced team and above average in almost every category. They have good passing game behind QB Carrol Kozlowski who surpassed 10.000 career passing yards recently. Thanks to creative Safety blitzes (watch out for veteran SF Jere Stanford!), the Thangs have been one of the better pass rush teams of the Thunder. Last year, that tactic and incredible depth led to a fourth place finish in INTs too, with ten (!) different guys nabbing picks in a defense that works together like no other in the region.

Rivalries

With three Thunder teams in there, there are of course some familiar matchups in this group. The Thangs lead the Falcons 4-3 all time in their series, with the Falcons winning their two league matches, and the rest being friendlies. Quarry leads the Thangs 4-1 overall, with all of them coming in the league. The only rivalry with true MoC history is Quarry Bay – Vienna. Quarry and Vienna have met 5 times in total, with Vienna winning three, including two wins in their two league matches. In the MoC the series is split, with Vienna winning the MoC I playoff match, and Quarry winning the more recent MoC IV group stage bout.

Group 4 Preview

Styrian Bears – mananged by Buddy Ryan
MoC record so far: 6-4 (0-2 in playoffs)

The Bears have played well in the last two MoC, reaching the playoffs each time. They are the reigning Thunder Champ and perennial playoffs team ever since promoting in S7. Back then they also had an incredible run in the Champ of Champs Cup, only being stopped in the final. They have been to the SC playoff four times, reaching the round of 16 in S8.

The Bears might just be the team without any weaknesses at all. QB Dorsey Cone is a proven, perennial all-pro with a ring on his finger, calmly shushing away any notion that he might be replaced soon. Good luck trying to stop a brutal Gun-heavy rungame behind maybe the game’s best FB in Darrel Bernard (who has player awards across regions, that’s how good he is) and at the same being sound against WR Jean-Noel Dalecký, who might already be among the best three WRs in Thunder history. And when Dalecky is not enough, his heir is Kevin Mäntylä, one of the best red zone threats in the league (9 TDs so far in 5 games). Their OL is anchored around veteran Till Pfeifenberger, who is “only” a two-time All-Pro. He gets mocked by his team mates for that low total Jonathan Martin-style. Their D is amazing – they are, after all, the Bears – and LB Jose Andres Rosillo is already a Top 10 LB in Thunder history with just 25 years of age. Add in the pass-rush from DL Wolfgang Meyer and the insane run-stopping qualities of Vincenzo Winkler, and you kinda wonder, if there is any hope at all.

Phalanx – managed by oneknee
MoC record so far: N/A (first time participant)

The Phalanx come from the Admirals 1.1 and share a division with Derbyshire and SpringHeel. The promoted after S8 and have already been to the playoffs, so they have definitely found their footing. They also went to the SC playoffs last year, where they unfortunately lost to the eventual winner Free Agent Mascots.

Phalanx is a well rounded team (just look at their logo!) lead by a veteran QB in Diego García. Also a FB heavy team, they have lost over 50% of their rushing yardage last offseason but seem to not mind at all, with WR Rolando Bobo returning to his old and dominant ways after a down year in S10. Their defense spots a very talented SF corps and a solid all-round troupe that was Top 5 against the run and the pass last season.

Die Verdammten – managed by lawinenhund
MoC record so far: N/A (first time participant)

Another Thunder team, the damned promoted two seasons ago, and play in the same division as Chelsea. Certainly one of the least experienced teams in the fold when it comes to postseason play (they have on SC playoff berth so far and two playoffwins in the 2.2 plus a won relegation match), they nevertheless built a winning team at the highest level, knocking out a few heavily favored veterans along the way (just ask the Falcons from Vienna about that). Their talent development is scarily fast which is usually the first step to further postseason success.

Die Verdammten spot a fantastic veteran pass-rush from all-pro DL Gabino Caballero who is coming off a 10 Sack season. LB Guerino Balzano rarely misses a tackle and has also some pass-rush moves. Offensively veteran QB Larry Tedenberg was a Top 5 QB last season, passing to a very deep WR corps with six (!) different guys catching over 400 yards. If you want to shut down one of them, Aleksandr Murdoch might be your first choice. Their one-two punch at RB between Lucio Abrams and Oliver Holler is averaging over 5 YPC so far this season, so there’s not much value in any “discount the run” gameplan against die Verdammten.

Oban Bay Broncos – managed by scottishbronco
MoC record so far: 1-2

After MoC III, this will be the second try for the Broncos who come from the Claymore 1.1. They have been there since S4, but have only one winning record and one SC playoff berth (both in S6) to show for it. Determined to prove that their ready for the next step, they are right now again on course towards a winning season on the back of stingy pass defense.

How stingy? How about nine (!) guys having multiple sacks last season? The Broncos come at the QB from every level of the Defense with DL Dacey Munro leading the charger. He also has already two fumble return TDs on the season, so running at him might also not be the wisest idea. Also keep an eye out on veteran SF Ryan Buchanan and Yong Tjhia. They have a knack for big plays and have earned all-pro honors before because of that. On Offense they recently found a new identity in great line play with OL Innes Harris earning his first all-pro mention last season. The Broncos have healthy rotation on the line, but he can take over games at times and is nightmare to prepare for.

Rivalries

Incredibly, none of these teams have ever met outside of friendly settings. The Bears and the Broncos were together in Group 2 of Moc III which had one of those odd endings: The Magpies swept the group, with the Broncos winning a stunning OT thriller against the Bears. But with the Bears blowing out the BobKats (and losing less bad against the Magpies than the Broncos) they still had a chance at the playoffs even though being 1-2. If the Broncos lost the last game against the Bobkats, the Bears would be in on PD. Sure enough, the Bobkats jumped to a 21:0 first quarter lead, and the Broncos battled back, including 17 points in the fourth, but still lost 28:27 in one of the most thrilling finishes to a group stage in MoC history. So, even though the Broncos beat the Bears back then, they still (and weirdly) are out for revenge on that.

Awesome preview! looks like a very even level of competition across the board, should be great fun!

good look to everyone

Yes, i think there will be some exciting games!

tough game for me but my players came through in the end and I start with a W. But getting sacked 5 times is raising a few questions and is something I have to look to improve on if I want to progress in this tournament