BS is spread in the forums by those who think they can play it smart and by their friend who hides his online status.
This is honest.

Edit: my third point applies here.

Kanar, I won't agree. In the middle of it all there are just some posts that are not worth reading. All in all the forum is just as busy as in the last seasons, eventually even busier and with very good posts.*

This being said, we will be happy to have you back soon to witness the duck tales from a close distance

*and corrected I stand only seconds after posting this message Well, I got a whole lot wrong today anyway, but more about this in some minutes

It is not hard.
It just cannot be tolerated.

Freedom does not mean anarchy, unless rules are useless in RZA.

Arrogance comes before the fall. What the hell happened today ? I really believed I could go 13-0.

AS Roma Wolves vs. BobBoy Magpies
20-23
1-0
Objects may be closer than they appear. Extremely close win. The wolves may go down. but not without a fight.

Chelt Nam Bobbers vs. BoneCrushers
17-35
1-1
The curse...

Comeback Kids vs. Hell Hounds
13-31
1-2
Before I said "Kids love to play with dogs." It seems dogs love even more playing with kids.

DC Washingtonians vs. Salt City Pirates
20-30
1-3
Salt City outran, outpassed and outscored the No.1 team of Elite. Very impressive win by the former champion who seems to be serious to go all the way this season. By now the Pirates are the last team without a loss.

Diorite Lions vs. Bradford Bulls
41-27
2-3
As expected the Lions show the Bulls their current limits. They probably will meet again in season 43 and I am not sure it will be the same kind of result then. the Bulls are clearly one of the biggest surprises this season.

Dumbarajko Elephants vs. LoneStar Armadillos
34-20
3-3
Some like Elephants, some do not. But everyone needs to tip their hat to this impressive first half off their season going 6-2.

Gardians vs. GLADIATORI ROMA
10-16
3-4
In Ancient Rome the Gladiators greeted the emperor "Morituri te salutant" meaning "those who are about to die salute you". Deemed dead before this match, the Gladiators fought for their honour and succeeded a surprising win.

Green Mark Packers vs. BU Terriers
16-12
4-4
This week I I did well to be a Packer backer.

Home Malones vs. Peoples Republic of Yorkshire
28-22
5-4
The Malones continue to impress.

Lyon Eagles vs. Catalunya 1714
37-28
6-4
While Atzucat invited his team to some cold Paulaner after the match, the Eagles flew back home to celebrate their win with some champagne.

Social Distance Runners vs. Black Dragons
27-7
7-4
This was the kind of match with tons of missed opportunities on both sides. For both there is a lot of work to do as both teams don't come up to their normal standards right now.

TigerCats vs. Willemstad Bridges
17-34
8-4
Let me just post a quote : “If you are good at building bridges, you will never fall into the abyss!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan.

Valiant Pinoys vs. Leeds Celtics
20-27
9-4
I knew it. I always believed in you Johnny ! Congratulations to your first win !

9:4. I believe I just got siloed to see this as a bad result. Actually, I like that the matches have been a bit less predictable today. This being said, I will shoot for a perfect score again for Saturday.

Match Day 1 11:5
Match Day 2 9:7
Match Day 3 10:4
Match Day 4 11:3
Match Day 5 12:2
Match Day 6 12:2
Match Day 7 9:4

By the way, Kanar, just look at these scores. You must admit that the quality of my predictions improved.

I disagree with you.

Everyone LOVES Elephants

Just like you there are a lot of Elefans

6-2 so far. One more "easy" game ahead of me and then start of hell.

So I'll try to get 7-2 and fight hard not to finish 7-9

Clearly we have a new top team in Elite. Your offense dominated my defense keeping my offense off the field, LuLuba. Hope I get a chance to avenge the loss like last season (by the way, last year I lost the regular season match by 14, so this is an improvement?)

There has been a real tide change in the Elite league over the last several seasons with the emergence of some new teams and the demise of others. I've de-emphasised the bot teams and you'll see that the only multiple league champs are from long ago (Free Agent Mascots & SD Blitz). Who is the new top dog? I think it could be a few different teams...

Elite League Championships

7 Wilmersdorf Wadenbeisser (S24, S28, S29, S31, S32, S34, S38)
4 Styrian Bears (S18, S25, S27, S30)
3 Free Agent Mascots (S14, S16, S17)
3 San Diego Blitzkrieg (S21, S22, S23)
3 OrangeCrush (S33, S35, S36)
2 michigan state spartans (S20, S26)
1 Black Dragons (S15)
1 Carrickfergus Knights (S19)
1 Helsinki Gangsters (S37)
1 Salt City Pirates (S39)
1 Willemstad Bridges (S40)


Steve
SD Blitz

We're halfway done! There hasn't been many upsets this season. The teams at the top keep winning and the power rankings don't get to change much. Time to answer some questions and see what's in store for the second half.

"Are the Elephants, Bulls, and Malones legit contenders?" Yes, no, We'll find out this week.

"How did Buzi suddenly get so good at prognosticating? Where was this when he was trying to keep his fingers attached last season?" Clearly he's being fed information from Pete and both need to be prosecuted for insider trading.

"Are the Terriers, Wolves, and Dillos playing opossum or are they actually dead?" I hate to say it, but yeah... I think they are dead.

"Do the Bobbers have the best shot at going undefeated?" cough...

Had some great games with double conference championship rematches. The Pirates won regular season in S40 but lost in the playoffs, they win regular season S41 and DC is hoping the trend continues. The Bridges handled the TiCats again and seem to have their number. Gladiatori Roma hits a hail mary to tie the game and then snatch a win in overtime. And of course the Bobbers somehow give up 4 tds in the 4th en route to their first loss.

We're going to add a ranking just for the midpoint here, (Which at least some teams are going to really enjoy) rating how well a team is doing compared to my pre-season expectations.

1. (8-0) Salt City Pirates (2)
LuLuBa's squad remains the only unbeaten as he runs the Sea Devil table for the week knocking off the Runners and DC. This team looks like they are on a mission.
Preseason prediction 13-3 - - - 4.5 Swayzes!

2. (6-1) DC Washingtonians (1)
ptdoc can't be too upset or worried with the loss considering how the NC ended up last season.
Preseason prediction 12-4 - - - 4 Swayzes

3. (5-2) Willemstad Bridges (3)
Never in doubt as the Bridges had a commanding early lead. Bridges seem to e rounding into form as we hit the midpoint of the season. They only have 4 more games against teams with winning records, I might have suggested too many losses for them.
Preseason prediction 12-4 - - - 3.5 Swayzes

4. (6-1) San Diego Blitz (4)
"Big game on Saturday as he can all but eliminate the division rival Terriers" He did, and Tuesday he can finish the job by beating them again. Before that, he gets to try out the hot but mostly untested Malones team.
Preseason prediction 13-3 - - - 4 Swayzes

5. (6-2) Comeback Kids (5)
Kids lose to the Hounds again and might be wise to avoid them in the playoffs if at all possible. They are off Saturday, but they'll need the rest for an important matchup against the Ticats looming on Tuesday.
Preseason prediction 13-3 - - - 3 Swayzes

6. (6-1) Chelt Nam Bobbers (6)
"Can the Bobbers turn the NC on it's head and go undefeated?"

*Curse Emote*

Preseason prediction 11-5 - - - 4.5 Swayzes!

7.(4-3) Social Distance Runners (7)
Almost had the Pirates and is currently 1.5 games out of the playoffs. The big positive is team Buzi plays both the Malones and Elephants. Beat them and the Runners are in great shape to return to the postseason.
Preseason prediction 13-3 - - - 2.5 Swayzes

8. (6-2) Dumbarajko Elephants (9)
No one and no fan group is more excited to receive the elusive rating of 5 Swayzes. I was wrong. This team is legit and will challenge the Runners and Malones for the WC spots. Unless I just cursed the team and the elephans are going to burn my house down because they still play the Kids, Bobbers, Blitz x2, Packers, and Runners.
Preseason prediction 3-13 - - - 5 Swayzes!

9. (5-2) TigerCats (8)
"Big one Tuesday against the Bridges! The last two didn't exactly go well" Make it three. The Ticats just can't cross the Bridges up. Ticats vs Kids on Tuesday is a big one for seeding and bye weeks.
Preseason prediction 12-4 - - - 3 Swayzes

10. (6-1) Home Malones (11)
"Big game Saturday against the Dragons..." The Malones showed up in a big way and are currently holding down the top WC spot in the NC. They get the Blitz and a rematch against the Dragons to see if they are a legitimate contender.
Preseason prediction 9-7 - - - 4 Swayzes!

11. (5-2) BobBoy Magpies (10)
Magpies havent looked great the last couple games. Tuesday's match against the Bridges (who they beat last season in the Supercup) will be an excellent gauge of where this team sits ion the AC hierarchy.
Preseason prediction 13-3 - - - 3.5 Swayzes

12. (5-2) Rome Centurions (12)
"Get your wins now, because it's about the get a lot tougher." And they are. 5 in a row at the moment. Rome is currently the 7 seed, so they'll need some big wins to cushion the difficult schedule coming up. Gotta watch out for the Bonecrushers before the all-Italian Roma/Rome bowl.
Preseason prediction 9-7 - - - 3.5 Swayzes

13. (5-3) Hell Hounds (15)
"I never have any idea what the Hounds will do." Two impressive wins in a row over the Kids. The Hounds and Lions are looking like a fun divisional race and possible wildcard competitors.
Preseason prediction 10-6 - - - 3 Swayzes

14. (5-3) Diorite Lions (13)
The Lions crushed two young upstart teams and have now won 4 in a row. Last season the middle was great for the Lions before falling hard down the stretch. I don't think this team follows the same path. Hounds and Lions play next Saturday, so we'll need a week to see who's on top of Claymore.
Preseason prediction 9-7 - - - 3.5 Swayzes

15. (5-3) Green Mark Packers (14)
Packers keep winning to keep pace with the rest of the division. They get a week off before running with the Wolves. They'll need to get that one to stay in the race or they'll have to pull a number of upsets.
Preseason prediction 4-12 - - - 5 Swayzes!

16. (5-2) Lyon Eagles (17)
"No reason to think this team won't be 7-2." Got 2 of those 4. 7-2 will make it really difficult for the Bonecrushers to keep up. Going to be a fun race with Rome, Kids, Magpies, and even Lions/Hounds for the final 3 spots.
Preseason prediction 10-6 - - - 3.5 Swayzes

17. (5-3) Bradford Bulls (18)
"Contenders or pretenders?" Pretenders. For now... The Bulls hung around DC for the first half, the Lions weren't as forgiving. Clearly a team on the rise, just not quite ready for this season.
Preseason prediction 5-11 - - - 4 Swayzes!

18. (3-4) Bonecrushers (19)
"Hounds, Bobbers, and Rome. Getting one of those three will certainly be a success..." Great success! Played the Hounds tough, four 4th quarter td's to defeat the Bobbers. Doing just enough to stick around in Fire if the Eagles or Ticats falters.
Preseason prediction 8-8 - - - 3 Swayzes

19. (3-4) Black Dragons (16)
"This is a really important stretch for the Dragons." It didn't go well. They've lost 3 of their last 4 and need quite the second half rally to continue the impressive elite streak.
Preseason prediction 9-7 - - - 2 Swayzes

20. (3-4) Växjö Gladiators AFC (20)
They've only beaten teams at the bottom of the rankings. Sea Devils will need to wait until the Ravens come back to reclaim three playoff teams.
Preseason prediction 6-10 - - - 2.5 Swayzes

21. (1-6) BU Terriers (21)
"What happens if they start 1-4?" Bad stuff, like ending up 1-6. There isn't a team I overestimated more than Boston. Looks like the Terriers have been replaced by larger mammals.
Preseason prediction 10-6 - - - Half a Swayze

22. (2-5) Werewolves (23)
"Werewolves, Gardians and Dillos all still vying for another shot at elite." This hasn't changed. They all still play eachother and the Werewolves currently have a small lead.
Preseason prediction 3-13 - - - 3 Swayzes

23. (1-7) People's Republic of Yorkshire (22)
"2 of the next 3 games are against division rivals. The Yorkies will know how close they are after those games are played." Well, the Lions told them they aren't close. The dream of sticking around elite for next season is over. At least they get a supercup shot at the stupid guy running that Kraken curse.
Preseason prediction 6-10 - - - 1.5 Swayzes

24. (2-5) Catalunya 1714 (24)
"Catalunya is hanging around waiting to strike." It didn't go well and the Lions and Hounds keep winning. Good for Claymore, bad for Catalunya.
Preseason prediction 3-13 - - - 3 Swayzes

25. (1-6) LoneStar Armadillos (25)
"Taking a break from Dillofacts this week, maybe it'll help them focus. They need to beat the Elephants to keep hope alive." It didn't, and they didn't. I was obviously very wrong about their success this season. Good news is no one wants that second spot in Dragons.
Preseason prediction 9-7 - - - Half a Swayze

26. (2-6) Gardians (26)
A heartbreaking last second/OT loss has the Gardians behind the Werewolves instead of a small lead for the 2nd spot in the division. This is an interesting 3 team race to not get relegated.
Preseason prediction 4-12 - - - 3 Swayzes

27. (1-6) AS Roma Wolves (27)
"must-win game against the Magpies." And I really thought they were going to get it. Scratobones needs to start planning for his return strategy for season 43.
Preseason prediction 7-9 - - - 1 Swayze

28. (1-7) Leeds Celtics (29)
Jonny is off the schneid! At least he's (and his daughter!) in the limelight for setting up the most anticipated friendly cup ever!
Preseason prediction 6-10 - - - 1 Swayze

29. (2-5) GLADIATORI ROMA (30)
A crazy hail mary and subsequent OT score steals a victory from the Gardians in a wild way. We might see this team back in elite in the next few seasons.
Preseason prediction 5-11 - - - 2 Swayzes

30. (1-6) 16_horsepower (28)
Time to plan the season 42 Galaxy gauntlet.
Preseason prediction 2-14 - - - 2.5 Swayzes!

31. (1-6) Deflators (31)
They put up a tough fight against the Eagles, maybe things are improving in Deflator land.
Preseason prediction 6-10 - - - 1 Swayze

32. (0-7) Valiant Pinoys (32)
Filipinofacts week 2! The Philippines has 7,641 islands. That's a lot of waterfront property!
Preseason prediction 0-16 - - - Ghost

Congratulations for surviving half the season! Unless you didn't then good luck in D1 next year so you can make it back. Scorigami is dumb, but Roadhouse is pretty amazing so pderekdactyl isn't always completely wrong. And hopefully the guys at the top of the NFL pick'em slip up so I can snatch 1st or 2nd.

"This keyboardcast is copyrighted by RZA for the private use of our audience. Any other use of this keyboardcast or any pictures, descriptions, or accounts of the game without RZA's consent is prohibited."

What a honor

There is nothing to be cursed. There won't be any burning downs

As I said there is one more "easy" game for me on Tuesday. But everyone saw that I can lose from anyone, even some of the weakest teams in Elite, as well as I can beat anyone.

And after that 7 very tough games that can generate 7 losses. Very easily.

PO spot is a long way to go, my priority is to stay in Elite. I still got a lot to learn, I still got to make better playbooks, I still got improve myself and my team.

Main reason to stay in Elite: such a great forum

P.S.: Tomorrow my life is going back to normal. After 10 months without job (I had to take some time off, it has been really hard past 15 years working in country name Serbia), tomorrow there is new beginning for me. So there will be less time for RZA
So all of you that want to beat me, here is your chance

Thanks Rufio for Swayzes. All 5 of them
At least 6-10 is my minimum. 100% over your predicition

Very good write-up again Rufio, the amount of research you must do for each team makes reading your Power Ranking extra enjoyable, thanks for the continuted efforts