KCP Chronicles: KCPods Shows Potential and Growing Opportunities with Top 32 Placing in Mannheim

KCP Chronicles: KCPods Shows Potential and Growing Opportunities with Top 32 Placing in Mannheim

Written by Trey Donovan

From August 29 through September 1, the ALGS was in Mannheim, Germany for the Split 2 Playoffs. The KCPods were invited after a solid run that saw them place 11 in Split Two. Heading into Germany the squad wanted to get both the LAN experience under their belts and to make some noise in the ALGS.

They would be placed in group C with Gamin Gladiators, Furia, Complexity, and Mkers. The first group stage match would pin them against group D and start on World’s Edge. In the POI – point of interest – draft the KCPods would pick Big Maude as their drop point.

Game one would be a solid start to the weekend for KCPods with three KP – kill points – and placing eighth. They would get into a fight with Mkers and start with Deeds getting downed, however, Onmuu downed Zickky and Dexter in response and finished off Mkers with a mastiff. It was a solid start to the group stage, but then a change of pace happened for game two.

Shortly after the start of the second game, a ton of squad got into the action quickly KCPods included. With at least five team fights happening early, the KCPods were fighting SWQ. Deeds and Onmuu teamed up for a double knockdown and soon after Gent found the last player of SWQ and finished the team wipe. While setting up a rotation the KCPods were ambushed by GoNext Gaming and Deeds fell setting up a tough situation for them. Forced to make a longer rotation they would have to fight FOXX and SSE.

In a twist, however, Fennel would join in the fight and Gent got a quick kill to add to the total. They would place 11 with five KP to continue building a solid point total. Game three wasn’t as great for KCPods as they would place in 14 and get one KP before switching over to Storm Point. The KCPods would land at Downed Beast for the back half of the match.

Game one wasn’t the greatest start for them as they would bow out in 13 with no KP. Game five would be their best game in this match. They wouldn’t get into the action until the later ring stages. The KCPods would get into the fray, scrapping with Reject Winnity. Gent alone would wipe the team before he would get another two kills on Furia. To secure the top four, they would fight former Pioneers Gnaske’s team Legends. Onmuu and Gent would get two kills, and another team would finish on Legends. They would also place third with Bleed falling to Mkers.

In the last match, KCPods would add two more KP and place 12 finishing the first group match in ninth. The next group match for KCPods would be Group C versus Group A. They would start strong with a three-KP game placing in seventh, however, they would not have great games in the first half of this match. They would finish the first half of this match with 12 points. In the second half, it would be much of the same minus game five.

Game five would see KCPods place fifth with four KP looking to add more points in the last match. That would not come to fruition and they would finish this match with 21 points and placing 15.

The last group match for the KCPods would be Group C versus Group B. The KCPods would start slowly with an 18 placing in game one. Then game two they started to get some kills to go their way. They would place in fifth with three KP to get their flow going. Game three would leave them with three more KP and a 12 placing. With the map swap to Storm Point, the KCPods would go on some killing sprees.

While they wouldn’t have another top-five placing on a map, they would have three games with five KP or more. They would place 12 in game four, 7 in game five, and 11 in game six. To offset the placement points they would have five KP in game four, 6 in game five, and 5 in game six. This would place them in ninth, but they just missed out on the winner’s bracket by six points. With a losers bracket run needed to make it the Championship Sunday, the KCPods had to play their best.

The first round of the loser’s bracket started hot for KCPods. With a higher draft spot in the POI draft, the KCPods would land in Skyhook West on World’s Edge. They would try to third-party a team outside Skyhook East but took too much damage, so they had to rotate back through Skyhook West. They would rotate into a weakened Dreamfire team and Gent started the fight downing one of them. Deeds would land a grenade to get another down and also finish off Dreamfire.

While rotating into the Monument zone, Deeds would pick off the last member of XNY to add more KP. They would play on the outskirts of the zone to potentially get some third-party opportunities. The KCPods would get a down on GHS Professional from Onmuu before GHS got third-partied. While still playing on the outskirts, KCPods would fight the F/A Kids who were rotating into the zone. Onmuu would get a down before F/A Kids were third-partied, again. With a top-five placing secured, the KCPods would regroup before fighting SWQ for the win. A good push with Crypto’s EMP, a good grenade, and two downs from that SWQ would win the fight and the game.

The rest of the match would not be the greatest as losing that match might have taken the wind out of KCPods. They would place 13 with no KP in game two then place in eighth with two KP to end World’s Edge. On Storm Point they would get zero KP in three matches while placing 16, five, and sixth in games four, five, and six. The lack of KP would be their downfall as they would finish in 12 in losers round one, meaning they were heading home. They would have needed six points to place in the top ten.

While the LAN didn’t go to plan for the KCPods there were a lot of signs showing they can make plays against the best in the world. This team is still young and has room to grow before the Last Chance Qualifiers on September 13. With a chance to go to a Championship, the KCPods have a shot to redeem their Split 2 LAN performance. Best of luck to the Squad heading into the Last Chance Qualifiers.