Celestial Tournament LiveBlogging: MH vs one

16:15GMT: And the first match is up on obs mode. It's iQ vs LaG, game one. Followed closely by MH vs [one]. I'm guessing it's a blowout since it's up so fast but I can't stand to wait any longer, let's get going here. Let's check out MH since I hear iQ's running SBRI.

16:15GMT: Loading screens suck. This is another edition of Blindingly Obvious Observations.

16:16GMT: Loaded 45 seconds into the match (My kingdom for a rewind button!). Doesn't look like much has happened yet.

Match #3 - Game One
Mostly Harmless vs [one]
Jade Isle

MH
Me/E - Expel Hexes with Shatter Enchantment, Diversion
D/A - Melandru
D/A - Melandru
Me/Mo - Migraine with Mantra of Persistence, HumSig
Me/E - Migraine with degen hexes. Haven't seen it but I'm guessing GLe and possibly Gale.
E/Mo - Water runner.
Mo/E - Healer's Boon
Mo/E - Divert Hexes

one
A/W - Shadow Prison BoA
A/W - Shadow Prison BoA
N/Mo - Reaper's Mark Necro
Mo/A - Shield of Regen
R/W - RaO Thumper
R/W - RaO Thumper
Mo/E - Healer's Boon
Mo/A - ZB prot

[one] looks to be set up as a split build. Sucks for them they loaded onto Jade Isle. MH is some kind of degen hex pressure with Shatter Hex/Enchantment spikes. So, looks like the higher seed does get first map choice.

16:19GMT: Teams are trading deaths. Interestingly neither team's capped yet. Neither even has the flag up at the scrum even.

16:20GMT: I take that back, [one] just ran a flag in.

16:22GMT: [one] takes a slight lead in morale, and, more importantly, they're pushing the fight past the flagstand and onto the ramp to [MH]'s base. And, yep, they just boosted.

16:24GMT: Push proved costly as [one] just took three deaths in a row - their morale boost is nearly wiped out now (although having their sigs back can't hurt) although MH hasn't managed to push heir flag out yet. NPC count: MH is down an archer and that's it.

16:25GMT: [one] just broke. Near party wipe, they're down to three players - only one a Monk - and MH is pushing them into their base. THIS IS KRYTA BITCHES!!! Rez, in :20, MH is pulling back but they just took the morale lead back and will likely boost here.

16:27GMT: [one] just got rolled at the flagstand again. [MH] has another boost here and things aren't looking good for the Koreans - Monk #8 just got killed after the auto-rez and there's the whole MH team between him and someone getting him back up.

16:30GMT: They're really on the ropes now. :5 to rez and they only have three players up, only one a Monk. Almost all the outer NPCs are gone and [one]'s turtled around the the Lord.

16:31GMT: I wish people would stop dying so fast, it makes it hard for me to check out their build...

16:33GMT: [one]'s snuck their Sins into [MH]'s base. Unfortunately they seem to have been pwned by the Archers.

16:35GMT: Mostly Harmless seems to have noticed their base is under attack and they're streaming back. Narc gets there first at base (Base rez? I didn't notice) and he wrecks some havoc.

16:37GMT: VoD time. The split Sins have done their damage and the NPC picture is nearly even. [MH] is way up on morale though. [one] just lost their Bodyguard and wiped seven players - Looks like the Necro and the Monk in the 8th spot are DPed out. GG.

16:39GMT: [one] is gone with a minute to rez. This one ends with them resigning.

16:40GMT: Checking back with #gwp, iQ seems to have won 2-0. Split in the second game. Also, both iPod and Meow are having connection problems - both had non-loads in their matches. Bad pings is the word, too, looks like the Euros are having server issues.

16:41GMT: Lots of matches to pick from on obs mode - all the first games are up now. I'm going to watch MH/one Game 1 again in hopes of catching their builds while I wait for Game 2 to go live.

16:43GMT: About the nonloading thing. Isn't that cause for a restart? I'm pretty sure the game's rule state that you can restart the match as long as the doors don't open if there's lag issued involved. Are we not doing that or something?

16:52GMT: Been whispering with some folks now that the matches are in the books. One thing that's come up is what's going to happen with the upcoming Automated Tourneys. The common wisdom is there's going to be a lot of shuffling now that the CTs are over. At the same time, there's that stupid 30 day waiting period to play in the ATs hanging over everyone's head. As the always depressing Ensign said "I trust Anet to do 10% of what they should do, two months too late." But as I said, I don't see why players can't move freely between guild inbetween seasons, as it were. A 30 period to prevent excessive movement between guilds makes sense but only once the season has actually started.

16:57GMT: Gah, rezzed into Great Temple of Balthazar with local chat on. My eyes will never be clean.

16:58GMT: #gwp update. [EW] over [SpNv], [tag] over [acid] (Sigh...so much for my gut feeling), and [eF] over [SiN]. 2-0 all.

16:59GMT: [MH]/[one] game 2's up. Heading in now.

Match #3 - Game Two
Mostly Harmless vs [one]
Jade Isle

MH (Same build as first match as far as I can tell.)
Me/E - Expel Hexes with Shatter Enchantment, Diversion
D/A - Melandru
D/A - Melandru
Me/Mo - Migraine with Mantra of Persistence, HumSig
Me/E - Migraine with degen hexes. Haven't seen it but I'm guessing GLe and possibly Gale.
E/Mo - Water runner.
Mo/E - Healer's Boon
Mo/E - Divert Hexes

one
A/W - Shadow Prison BoA
N/Mo - Reaper's Mark
N/Me - Spoil Victor with Life Siphon. Went slash Me for Arcane Echo apparently
N/Mo - Spiteful Spirit with Convert Hexes, hardrez
N/Mo - Minionator with Scourge Healing, Convert Hexes, another hardrez
N/Mo - Healer's Boon Necro Monk
N/Rt - Weapon of Remedy spirit shitter
R/Mo - Oath Shot trapper with some rituals - caught Fertile Season and Quickening Zephyr

Jade again. Still pretty sure it's [one] who issued the first challenge but not quite as certain - maybe if I knew which side was the visitor's on Jade I'd have a better chance here. Anyhow, [MH] stick with what worked. [one], on the other hand, have gone completely nuts with a wacky halls-esque soul reaping/spirit build.

17:05GMT: Looking like a replay of the first match. It's fairly evenly matched at the 3 minute mark but [MH]'s hex pressure is getting to [one]. [MH] is degening like crazy but they're not getting killed off like [one] is. I'd give them a few minute before they break.

17:09GMT: Well, I was wrong I guess, as they'r still hanging in there. Two people down now so this might be the point where they collapse. And, yep, they're retrating back to their base and taking heavy loses.

17:14GMT: Yeah, the rout is on at this point and the word on #gwp is [MH] takes this match. I've gotten a good enough look at the builds so it's time to find something else to watch.