Welcome once again to the CDL’s bi-annual playoff predictions. This year of CDL action provided hours upon hours of dramatic dodgeball action. The action culminates this Saturday at 11AM at Roy Stibbs Elementary. All teams have a shot at dodgeball gold, but there can be only one champion(or five… whatever)
Here’s who one CDL Executive, one eight-sided dice, and one imaginary penguin think could go home with the pride of victory.
L is for Party Tier
It’s Saturday morning at 11AM. So PVR those cartoons and head on down for some early tier dodgeball action. 8 up and coming teams will make their case for the first championship of the day.
Finals- (2) Targets def. (4) Blue Ballers
In an early morning match-up of veteran party teams, the twin-infused Targets take on the colorful antics of the Blue Ballers (that works on so many levels). The Targets take advantage of a hung-over Blue Ballers squad and finally capture that long coveted championship.
Darkhorse Pick- Run Forest Run
Pushy the CDL Penguin’s Party Pick- Ballbarians. Newer teams always pull off bigger upsets!!
D is for Party Tier
The largest tier in the tournament, D is for Party Tier hosts a range of teams with various strengths and levels of experience. Despite its larger size, D Tier is shaping up to be one of the most interesting and exciting tiers of the day.
Finals- (5) Balls Against Humanity def. (1) Fog Duckers
A powerful mix-up of former A tier champions and talented rookies, the Fog Duckers look poised to make a serious run in a deceptively deep D pool (holy alliteration batman). Look for the steady catching hands of Balls Against Humanity to derail the otherwise dominant Duckers. Balls Against Humanity wins two straight sets in the finals to steal this title.
Darkhorse Pick- The Port Moody Wailers
Pushy The CDL Penguin’s Party Pick- Cam Tucker, Metro News… Just kidding, let’s go with Justice League
C is for Party Tier
Aka “The Executive Tier”, 6 of the 7 confirmed teams in this tier boast a CDL Executive on their roster. Who will win this battle of the orange shirts and emerge with internal email bragging rights?
Finals- (1)Chicken Saowce def. (3) Dragonball D
It’s been a rollercoaster year for Chicken Saowce who have pitted their skills against teams from almost every tier. With playoffs finally upon us, the top seeded favourites possess the right combination of strong throwers, quick catchers and savvy veteran leadership that usually paves a smooth path to victory. The ever dangerous Dragonball D have the guns to muscle their way to the finals and could very well push themselves over the top. This one is a toss-up. Chicken Saowce has more experience against higher ranked teams, so we’ll give it to them.
Dark Horse Pick- Little Lebowski’s Urban Achievers
Pushy the CDL Penguin’s Party Pick- All of these top teams are traditional playoff chokers. Gotta Catch’em All is riding a huge wave of momentum. I see these Pokemaniacs stepping up big and bringing home their first ever championship.
B Tier
B tier is traditionally the CDL’s most competitive tier, and this year is no exception. With 7 teams (maybe 8) that all have a real chance of bringing home gold, it may very well be a case of not only who is the best, but who is the most on their A game.
Finals- (2) Pyjama Brigade def. (6) CDL’ers of Catan
Perennial sandbaggers, the CDL’ers of Catan have placed themselves in a good position to make a serious run as a low seeded contender. A team that is stacked with power up front and upper-level catching, the 2nd Catan team look to devastate their way through CDL’s most competitive tier. In the finals, I expect them to run right into the brick wall that is Pyjama Brigade. The Pyjama party has spent all season battling, and upsetting some of the top A tier teams on a weekly basis. Pyjama Brigade has put in a full season of hard work and improvement. Look for them to take the fight to the CDL’ers, and ultimately, bring them down in a wildly exciting match-up.
Dark Horse- DTF
Pushy the CDL Penguin’s Party Pick- Seriously, am I the only one picking Big Ball Theory?? These guys are ranked number one for a reason. They’ve won before, they can win again, and they have a vicious combination of skill and experience. I like Big Balls for this one.
A Tier
Throughout most of this season, A tier was considered an almost 1 team tier. That said, several teams have made a sizeable push in the last few weeks. Now it looks like any number of teams are possible of getting the plays they need to make a serious push. One team in particular has made such a dramatic leap in play, that they may have even edged their way back to the top as the betting favourites.
Finals- (1) Settlers of Coquitlam def. (2) FTW
After a long day of dodgeball, we will finally settle in with Coquitlam’s 2 best teams going at it in a head to a head throw down. The Settlers of Coquitlam are maybe the most balanced team that the CDL has ever seen. After Matt Hung’s dramatic Lebronesque “decision” to unite with last season’s champions, the Settlers, this crew has sleepwalked their way to their number one ranking. FTW has had an inconsistent year, but have truly shown their full power and potential in the past 2 weeks. FTW boasts a simple strategy, over powering their opponents, which lately they have done with relative ease. This one is so close that it could come down to a game 5 show down. FTW can steamroll any team on any given day, but if I have to pick one team to win one series (or two) it has to be Settlers.
Dark Horse- Taste the RainBro
Pushy the CDL Penguin’s Party Pick- PWNIES have been the second most consistent team all season. They have 3 CDL MVP awards between them and always up their game under pressure. I predict they knock both front runners into the loser’s bracket, and then pick up the pieces after FTW and Settlers wear each other out in the loser’s bracket final.
On behalf of Pushy and the dark horse, we wish everybody the best of luck come playoffs.
Party! Party!! Party!!!