After moving from a bottom place 0W-2L record in the UKEL Season 4, feeling is good in the Viperio camp after picking up 2 wins in Week Two of the league’s regular season against Munster Rugby Gaming on Thursday and Hyve Central on Saturday. The wins move Viperio back into a contenders position within a highly competitive season, with Viperio currently joint 2nd-6th with LDN UTD, Mythos, NerdRage & Lucendi.
This week’s victories can be attributed to a number of factors. Many individuals, including Viperio reserve mid-laner 🇬🇧 Jack “B3rry” Berry, believed that Viperio had always been playing well, however overcomplicated game plans, and draft picks were letting the team down.
Going into Week Two, this was a strong consideration for both the players and staff, who were looking to help turn things around. Alan Reid and the support staff were keen to simplify things, playing off the player’s current individual strengths rather than looking too far into the future.
The Viperio organisation is also lucky to have a 10 man roster, meaning that our starting five have an internal practice squad to regularly play against. Our Reserve line-up, which was announced just before the start of the UKEL Season 4, is a competitive line-up with the ability to compete within the UKEL, which has played a large role in testing for weaknesses in our primary roster.
We knew we had to step it up against @HyveCentral and we gave them a lot of reverence and respect. I'm sure they'll find what works for them very soon. This win comes from our backend staff, @DanHoltCoach, @OfficialZeroFTG, and our backup team, pushing our main team. Thanks lads
— Alan Reid (@itscoldbolt) January 30, 2021
Two victories in Week Two means that Viperio’s pool of data from the league so far is expanding. In previous seasons, where the regular split only had 7 matches, it was harder for data to be used to identify areas of interest for analysts, as one there was a sizeable pool of data, the season was already going into playoffs. The 14 match season means that our analysts can study our performance, and make a difference from mid-season and beyond.
Feels good to be able to pull data from a win.
— James Woodland (@OfficialZeroFTG) January 30, 2021
While the atmosphere in the Viperio camp is glowing, the team definitely aren’t relaxing. With 5 of 8 teams all with a 2W-2L record, and the bottom place teams only one victory behind, the UKEL is still very much all to play for. While Demise Academy is emerging as a potential regular season winner, they are ineligible to qualify for the promotion tournament into the UKLC, meaning increased odds of promotion for the remaining teams more than ever before.
Viperio will look to continue their win streak in their next match on Thursday, against the also 2W-2L Mythos Gaming.