TITAN LEAGUE: RAT BRIGADE VS 82 TEAM

On Sunday we saw a division one clash between top-flight teams 82 Team (82) and RaT Brigade (Rat) in the Titan League tournament.

The small ‘18 vs 18’ format tournament accommodates a much different play style than the more common large ‘36 vs 36’ format. The absence of Fobs, armoured vehicles and commander assets means that gunplay and squad teamwork are a priority in achieving objectives. This being acutely emphasised in this latest match-up.

In round one we saw standard openings from both teams. The vehicle assets on the map, a Tigr and MATV, were used to reach the hill as fast as possible. The only capture point being on that hill, making this particular layer a ‘capture the hill’ game. Rat captured and held the hill for most of the round after the initial skirmishes. 82’s efforts to take and retake the hill throughout the round resulted in a bloody back-and-forth. The team was unable to shake the per-minute ticket bleed, and the constant trading on the cap meant that 82 was working on borrowed time.

The bleed increased 82’s ticket deficit despite some good fragging and gunplay, left Rat with a comfortable lead throughout most of the round. Toward the final moments of the first bout, 82 attempted one last big push with only a handful of tickets remaining. Combining a forced push in the centre with a backdoor hot drop from their MATV that saw 82 burn all of Rat’s centre rallies. The manoeuvre was incredibly successful wiping out Rat and forcing them to a full reset out of main. The only issue being that 82 had gambled their last remaining tickets on being able to hold out for the remainder of the round. Gunfights started to go in favour of Rat and their backdoor players managed to flank and wipe out all of 82’s centre rallies, we quickly saw 82’s numbers dwindle and eventually be wiped out. With no tickets and no respawns left for 82, we saw Rat take round one with a 44-ticket lead.

Round two was a different story, with a similar opening again from 82 Team. Rat this time sought to press the advantage by rushing their MATV into 82’s backdoor and dropping their backdoor squad immediately into the centre to burn as many rallies of the start as possible. Attempting to force a reset and overreaction out of 82. The play saw some success but was quickly dealt with as 82’s flank players managed to burn Rat’s rally. Overall, the play did not really have an impact on 82’s ability to hold the hill which they had subsequently managed to capture despite Rat’s early aggression.

Rat Brigade’s attempts to recapture the hill saw a lot of tickets go to waste, with 82 keeping a firm grip on the southern part of the hill for a large chunk of the round. Key gunfights on the cap constantly went in favour of 82 and despite good efforts by Rat to take advantage of numbers and frags, 82 was always able to retake and push Rat back. The heavy aggression from Rat came at a cost, with the important gunfights not going in their favour, many of Rat’s incapacitated players were forced to give up. Increasing the ticket deficit being inflicted upon them through the ticket bleed and leaving only small pockets of Rat players to try and win out gunfights against a more coordinated 82 Team. The solid gameplay by 82 eventually resulted in a significant win in round two by 76 tickets, taking the victory despite the initial loss in round one.

In conclusion, both Rat Brigade and 82 Team made some really good efforts to win. 82’s more coordinated round two being the deciding factor in their victory. However, both teams also showed weaknesses. The lack of clear communication at times is apparent, especially in key moments when clearing out and holding positions. The little use of the vehicles was also an obvious error as they could have, with enough preparation, been used to burn enemy rallies and create chaos. The lack of use of smoke by both teams, whether it was from a grenade launcher or thrown, to cut off sightlines and create windows of opportunity was something that could have been pivotal at times. It was not used enough.

That being said, the match was exciting. Both teams did not give up and we saw solid performances. 82 Team will go undefeated in the division alongside their rival team Full Wipe. Setting the stage for an eventual showdown should these teams remain undefeated.

Only time will tell.