Updated Playoff Picture for Region 1

Posted by: MarkDolven

There are only two nights of matches left in the Region 1 Regular Season and we're starting to see the dust settle before the playoffs. Currently only the New York 3D and Dallas Venom have guaranteed spots in the big dance, but San Francisco, Chicago and Carolina are all still eligible. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, their winless record eliminated them from the playoffs years ago. There are a plethora or scenarios that could happen, so in this article we are going to walk you through them so you better understand the race.

Playoff Schedule:
July 2nd: Seed #1 vs Seed #4
July 2nd: Seed #2 vs Seed #3
July 7th: North American Final

Tiebreakers:
- Head to Head Records
- Point Differential (rounds for minus rounds against)
- Number of Total Games Won (all five games combined)

CGS Region 1 Regular Season Standings

Team Name	Wins	Losses	PF	PA
3D New York	10	1	266	240
Dallas Venom	7	3	236	193
San Francisco Optx	6	5	236	239
Carolina Core	4	6	233	212
Chicago Chimera	4	6	222	245
LA Complexity	0	10	177	241

If the playoffs started today, the defending champion Chicago Chimera would not make the playoffs because they are currently sitting in the fifth position. Fortunately for them, they have a few games left to make up some ground, including a showdown against the Optx. The second place team from last year's World Final, the Carolina Core, is in control of their own destiny. If they win both their final matches, they're in. The Venom is in as well, but the Optx are still barely on the bubble of losing their spot, but they're more than likely in. There are some freak scenarios that could eliminate them. Let's talk about everyone's situations individually.

3D New York
Record: 10-1

Remaining Match (overall record) [record vs]
June 30th vs LA Complexity (0-10) [1-0]



New York has played lights out all year and because of this, they will be rewarded with the top seed in the playoffs. Even if they were to lose to Los Angeles somehow in their last and only game left, they would be the first seed. At this point, all 3D is playing for is momentum heading into the playoffs. They need to win their last game for the sole reason of keeping the train rolling.

Dallas Venom
Record: 7-3

Remaining Matches (overall record) [record vs]
June 29th vs Chicago Chimera (4-6) [1-0]
June 30th vs Carolina Core (4-6) [1-0]


The Venom currently sit at the second seed and will likely finish there heading into the playoffs, but there is a miracle chance they could fall to the third seed. If they were to lose their final two matches to Chicago and Carolina respectively along with San Francisco winning their final match, the two teams would be tied. The two teams would then be put through the tiebreaker system for the second seed. They have each beat each other once, so the tiebreaker becomes points for and against. Heading into the final matches, the Venom hold a 46 point differential advantage over the Optx, so unless Dallas gets severely blown out in both of their matches and the Optx blows out their match, the Venom are the second seed no matter what. The one thing that is important for Dallas is that they play both Chicago and Carolina. These two teams are fighting tooth and nail to get in, so they're both coming out swinging against Dallas. Because of this, the Venom pretty much controls who gets in that fourth playoff spot by how they perform coming in.

San Francisco Optx
Record: 6-5

Remaining Match (overall record) [record vs]
June 30th vs Chicago Chimera (4-6) [0-1]



As the current third seed, the Optx are in control of their own destiny. If they beat Chicago on Sunday, they are in the playoffs as the third seed no matter what. If they lose however, things start to get shady and out of their control. If they were to lose, they would finish the season at an even 6-6 record. If Chicago and Carolina both win their last two matches, all three teams will finish the season at 6-6. The three-way tie would then be broken by points differential because the Optx beat the Core twice, the Chimera beat the Optx twice and the Core beat the Chimera twice, so the head-to-head would be out the window. That means the points differential would be the decider and as it stands now, the Optx are in good shape there. The Core would be in for sure because they are already +21, but because of the scenario, the Optx would have lost to the Chimera and the Chimera won their last two, it's impossible to predict what the points differential between those two would be. Right now, Chicago is 20 points behind the Optx, but after a victory over the Optx and another win over Dallas, they would likely make up significant ground on that ratio. Obviously this scenario is a long shot, but because it exists, the Optx aren't in the playoffs "yet."

Carolina Core
Record: 4-6

Remaining Matches (overall record) [record vs]
June 29th vs LA Complexity (0-10) [1-0]
June 30th vs Dallas Venom (7-3) [0-1]


The Core is in control of their own destiny yet again. They seem to have endless chances on getting into the playoffs, but they are running out of them quickly as well. They enter their final two games on a three game losing streak, so they have to stop the bleeding first before even worrying about the playoffs. They play the winless Complexity on Sunday and a win here would go a long way for the Core's chances. If the Core wins both their matches, they're in for sure. They currently hold the tiebreaker over Chicago because of the head-to-head series, so if they do lose, they could still be okay. If the Core loses one and Chicago wins their final two matches, the Core is out. If both teams win one and lose one, the Core is in. If both teams lose out, the Core is in. On Sunday if Chicago loses to Dallas and Carolina beats Los Angeles, the race will be over and Carolina is in before Monday night even happens. In the Optx analysis you can read about a crazy three-way tie that would enable the Core and Chimera to both be in, but it's likely that its either Core or Chimera.


Chicago Chimera
Record: 4-6

Remaining Matches (overall record) [record vs]
June 29th vs Dallas Venom (7-3) [0-1]
June 30th vs San Francisco Optx (6-5) [1-0]


It's step up time for the World Champion Chicago Chimera. Because of their loss to 3D last Wednesday night, they are not in control of their own destiny. They need to win both of their final two matches and pray for the best. They also need to not only win the matches, but win them big so they can improve their point differential. You can read in both the Core and Optx's paragraphs for all of the specific scenarios, but the Chimera are for sure fighting an uphill battle. A win against Dallas tomorrow would be a great start, so that's agenda item number one.

LA Complexity
Record: 0-10

Remaining Matches (overall record) [record vs]
June 29th vs Carolina Core (4-6) [0-1]
June 30th vs 3D New York (10-1) [0-1]


Playoffs? Nope.

First pick in the 2008 draft? Yep.

The ability to ruin dreams? Yep.

Complexity might not be in the race for the playoffs in any form, but they can be a home wrecker. When they play the Core on Sunday, Carolina really needs that win. Not only does Los Angeles want to get any victory this season, but they'd love to bring someone down with them.

Conclusion:
The top seeds are confirmed, but the battle for the bottom two spots is in full swing. No one could have predicted that the battle for the last playoff spot would be between last year's #1 and #2 teams in the world, but that is the reality of the situation. It is gut check time for both teams. It is now or never for both teams. It is a million cliches for both teams. Stay tuned starting tomorrow for the insane finish.