Hello friends we have come a long way since embarking on this season and a lot has happened. Teams have formed, reformed and finished out the 21st season of ETF2L. But for some there is yet battle to be done, a last stand for glory and some money prizes. Many teams have reached their respective playoffs but for the Premiership tier there are only three left. Three teams that have weathered the storm and emerged ahead of the pack.

In our first bout of the evening we have in the red or blue corner (can’t tell you ahead of time) weighing in at a combined 39 medals for individual skill: Se7en! Se7en is the only returning team from Season 20 where they finished third, but after some roster changes they now have a plethora of past gold medalists on their side to help them reach first place. Which came in handy a few days ago when they defeated nerdRage.tf2, in one of the most highly anticipated fixtures of the season. One which we will have a repeat of tonight. Will KnOxXx and his Epsilon comrades be enough to echo that performance and secure the gold as well?

And in the other corner the Frankenstein super team of rollerblading-baguettes and newly made underdogs: nerdRage.tf2. They may not have the quantity in medals but there is no doubting their skills. Zebbosai alone has finished second in Prem countless times and achieved the same at i49. Backed up by another i-series silver medalist in Tek these boys are looking for the big prize this time and they won’t let Se7en get in their way to the Grand Finals.

Tune in at 19 CEST to see this semi-final.

Waiting in the grand finals is The Last Resort, boasting a near perfect record only losing a single map throughout the season. There still seems to be doubt about HYS’ crafty team. They have attempted several different playstyles so far so there is no telling what they will bring on any given day. But this is the biggest game of the season and the sly strats may prove too high risk to execute when the pressure is on. Will they surprise the masses and earn the praise that’s been lacking? Only this game will tell.

Tune in with Sideshow and Gecks for the pinnacle of European TF2.

And if this text is not inspiring you to tune in, maybe Beater’s video will:

Staff Changes

We are saddened to announce that due to taking a back seat in the TF2 scene ondkaja will be stepping down from his position on the AC team. For the past 9 months ondkaja has been a valuable asset to the AC team bringing an unparalleled work ethic along with his vast knowledge base to the team; he will be missed. We wish him well in all his future endeavours.

Bans

These players have been caught with VAC bans affecting TF2, and will be banned from the league for one year:

• ezfireworks
• UnhappyAngel
• LennyFace
• Mleczny
• Warden

As these players have not been caught cheating by our staff, their match results are not affected.

The following players have been caught cheating by our Anti-Cheat team. They will be banned from ETF2L for one year:

• Haxor – Aimbot
• Greasy Owen – ESP, Aimbot
• Rainford – Aimbot
• ČernoBílej – Aimbot
• BlackWhite – Alt account of ČernoBílej
• Matthew Pipe – Alt account of ČernoBílej
• Zeus – Triggerbot
• Comrade Logic – ESP, aimbot

Rejoice, mercenaries! Valve have fixed their various little oopsies and Season 21 can continue unhindered as we look towards the playoffs. Tonight we have nerdRage.tf2 looking to steal the top seed from The Last Resort. Standing in their way are Epsilon eSports Se7en.

kaidus and company need a 6-0 victory tonight to secure the second seed from their opponents, so nothing but a perfect victory will do for the new-look [R]eason. After the blow of Kiler4fun dodging LAN mere weeks after joining the team, familiar face schocky steps in tonight to try to stake a claim for that open i55 slot. The rest of the roster remains consistent, with Mike displaying his usual feats of rocket magic on roamer and Hafficool back to playing Scout after moonlighting as the subject for some questionable fan fiction.

In the nerdRage.tf2 corner, Starkie will be sitting on the bench after destroying his monitor in a cereal-fuelled rage, with Zebbosai once again turning to nukkye as his wonder merc for the evening. Despite this last minute change and Tony’s impressive performances in the season so far, Tek has been in fine form and ryb remains the undisputed master of Granary, pro or otherwise.

You can of course watch all the action live with our friends over at TeamFortressTV, with DavidTheWin working the camera, Sideshow manning the mic and HYS providing insight and analysis on his two closest rivals for the Premiership crown. Just remember to pay your €5 to Admirable!

Match Overview
Se7en vs nerdRage.tf2
Week 7 (Premiership)
Thursday, July 9th 21:15 CEST

cp_granary_pro_b9

3 - 0

cp_badlands

6 - 1

OVERALL
Se7en [6:0] nerdRage.tf2

It’s the penultimate game of the regular season and LEGO are not in desperate need for points to avoid relegation, having caused an upset against 4-25. Meanwhile The Last Resort are sitting just shy of first place so getting points here could prove instrumental if they want to have the top seed going into playoffs. LEGO are reunited with their star player from last season sorex looking to fill helberg’s shoes. But will they be able to stop the speeding train that is The Last Resort. Who have only given up 4 points so far and seem to be growing stronger and stronger. With Valve changing tons of things this is prime opportunity for you to see how it affects our beloved game at its highest level. And how will the Black Box balance affect ShaDowBurn and his insane antics? Will LEGO end the season on a whimper or a bang? Tune in with Twiggy, misha YB`g and Suyoooon the camera to find out.

banner by Yggdrasil

July has come and so has the summer to heat us all up. What would be a hot month without hot DeutschLAN 2015 Showmatch-action? Last week we took a breather… just long enough for Valve to announce a big update with a bunch of balance changes. You want to see how these will affect competitive gameplay? We can help with that by once more bringing you two of the best teams in Europe!

This sunday, July 5th at 20:00 CEST:

Fair Enough vs Samsung Galaxy Gang

While Fair Enough honour us with their second appearance already (rightfully so, as they are attending LAN), Samsung Galaxy Gang volunteered to challenge the LAN-favourites. Currently leading the charge in Europe´s UGC Platinum by being undefeated after 5 weeks, they are looking to prove UGC Plat teams can compete with Premiership.
“UGC Plat is a joke!“, you say? Well, Samsung Galaxy Gang surely could easily join prem if they wanted! Our sources reveal their main roster includes multiple Highlander Season 8 award winners, such as Steve!,  BreakfasT_Jr and  Spreijer with Scout of the Season  Lazybear and, amongst other titles, Season 8 MVP-Award winner blub only on back up spots.
The rosters seem quite strong, but there will be the unknown factor of the upcoming update. Who will adapt faster to the balance-tweaks?

This sure sounds like we are in for a treat on sunday, when Blackout TV with Caster of the Season CeeJaey and Haydn on the microphones as well as Jon on camera goes live at 20:00 CEST!

Donate to DeutschLAN!

As per usual, you will have the opportunity to donate to our DeutschLAN 2015 Fundraiser or donate on stream to get your message/question shown live on air as well as a chance to win an unusual hat!
We are also accepting item donations!
We will set up a bet at Saloon.tf as well for everyone who is looking for even more thrill while watching. Bet on this match to contribute to DeutschLAN- a cut goes towards our fundraiser!

General news regarding DeutschLAN

First of all: You can still sign up your team for LAN! To do so, or if you want to go to DeutschLAN 2015 but not play in a team, please add me. Do not just use the signup link that we provided you with previously!
Any Highlander-, LAN- or Funteam of any skill-level is welcome!

As you already know: to successfully register your team you only need to transfer 50% of the singup fee right now. Many players approached us asking when the rest of the amount would be due. After talking to our tenants, we agreed this deadline would be 2 weeks prior to your arrival at LAN, the 28th of August 2015. 

DEUTSCHLAN? WHAT IS THIS?

For those of you new to and interested in this event, check out our official announcement post, the previous fundraiser announcement and, most importantly, the official DeutschLAN forum thread here on ETF2L.org. Spread the word and let the world know!