The Delta Reports
Opening
Welcome everyone to week 2 of the Delta Reports. This week we’re going to do some stuff a little differently then last time. For now on Delta’s Reports we’ll have analysts to help me rate and examine the teams and various other topics in the report. These analysts will include our two permanent analysts Proj3ct Snake and LBCountry, as well as our guest analyst for this week from Grunts of Fury Blade B48, and of course myself Delta Force. Also this week we will have a couple of interviews the first of which is between myself and Blade B48, and the second is Proj3ct Snake interviewing the grifball community. Hope you enjoy.
Grifball News
Grunts of Fury defeated That One Team.
This game wasn’t all too exciting as both bomb carriers seemed to take as few chances as possible and depended a lot on their tanks. Also both teams had almost identical styles of play and because of that it quickly became apparent that the grunts were a better team as they took the first eight scores without giving up too much ground. That One Team did gain some momentum in the 9th round scoring the last goal of the game and taking away the grunts’ shutout opportunity. The game ended with a final score of 8 to 1 in favor of Grunts of Fury. Congratulations to both teams and a special congratulation to Grunts of Fury for becoming the Spring League Champs.
Interview
Delta Force interviews Blade B48
Delta Force:
So after you lost the championship game in the winter season, what changes did you make to help give you that edge in the spring season to win it all?
Blade B48:
Going into the winter league and losing at the finals is not one of the best feelings one could have. When spring league rolled around, the Grunts of Fury were ready to go for it all, and achieve a Championship Title. I and my co-captain Shadow realized that a lot more effort would have to go into the Spring League for us to do better. There were three main areas that needed attention. First off we started fully analyzing every opponent we were going to come up against next, figuring out who there players were, how they worked together, and what style of playing they had. This was a huge asset, because as That One Team proved, you can never underestimate an opponent. Secondly we started developing new strategies as a team, some of these were made for every game played, and others designed for facing certain teams. I feel these strategies helped give us an edge over our competition. The final thing we decided to do was play strictly the 4 best players we could possibly field. If I was doing under-par on any certain night we had a game and the team felt someone else should play over me, that’s what we did.
Delta Force:
This question might be a little bit of a difficult question to answer but right before the spring league started they raised the roster size to an 8 person roster. So my question is if the roster size didn’t change what player would you have got rid of?
Blade B48:
Pie. no question about it….hehe -but seriously, For the Winter League we had a 7 man line-up of myself, shadow, el driver, youngnastyman, funkysteam, protoplayer, and wonderboy. All of the members of our team are friends in real life, and we all live in the same small little town, (aside from protoplayer, who lives in the town el driver is formerly from). At the end of the Winter League I had decided to remove wonderboy from the team because of personal reasons, and due to lack of involvement. This left pie a free spot on the team. When the 8th spot became available we gave it to our friend Astro. While he has never played in a league game, he acts as a sort of mascot and motivates us to do better. If the 8th spot had not become available though, I would not have made him an official member. Looks like I dodged the bullet from this question though. 
Delta Force:
Going into the playoffs as a number 1 seed put in a high position over you contenders but what team in your line to victory did you have the most trouble with?
Blade B48:
L.I.E They are an amazing group of players, and let me say this: In all of the countless and intense games I have played against them I have never experienced lag, so for the people that call them L.A.G., I cannot agree on that at all. Back to the playoffs though, when we faced L.I.E. in the Winter League semi-finals they showed us they were a team to be reckoned with. The players have amazing individual skill, as well as the team working as a whole. When we faced them again in spring, it was apparent that both teams had massively improved. They were the hardest team we faced this season, and i feel that if they had beaten us, ninj0 would be doing this interview, because they would have taken it all. I’m sad to hear the team is splitting up and all going there own ways, but hey it happens right?
Delta Force:
And what team are you glad you didn’t have to cross paths with in the playoffs?
Blade B48:
Most definatly……BYOB…………:P
No really there wasn’t a team we were worried about, some will say yes, cannonball beat you, but it didn’t intimidate us in the least. Going into Spring League we new the only team that had beaten us was Cannonball, but in no way did we believe that another match up would result in a loss. You have to go into these things with confidence, or you will never come out on top. So to answer your question, nobody.
Teams
Shut Your Lips and Learn
I did my own review last week on this team but now that the analysts are here lets see what they have to say about this power house.
Delta Force:
Rating: *****
My opinion on this team really hasn’t changed since last week. I still think they are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the summer season and I’m going to stick with my five star rating.
LBCountry:
Rating: *****
Normally I’d condemn a team built of all stars that is generally expected to win by the masses and mention that teams only win if they work well together, something shown many times in the past. However, these guys play together on a regular basis, mesh well together, and have proven their worth with a string of flawless victories at Clantrocity.com.
On the topic of “super teams”, I see them as a necessity for grifball to go forward as a competitive sport. Teams are bound to lose original players or wish to drop players that were not committed to the game, and it gets to the point that you need to combine two or three such teams in order to put forth a roster you can count on and you like. Other teams have done it, and SYLaL is the simply the first of the teams to be made up of well known, proven, and generally scary players.
Any team with as much depth as SYLaL will do quite well in the summer league, especially against teams with a starter who is not committed to the game and weaker than the rest of the team. Remember people, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and no amount of strength around that weak link can solve the problem.
Proj3ct Snake:
Rating: *****
Grunts of Fury + Zeg & Flowers = One hell of a team. After Cannonball’s loss in the playoffs, it seemed like Grunts of Fury had a straight shot at the championship (Considering American Dream was no longer in the running). Now, take the best players on a championship team, and add an amazing tank (Zeg), and an all around great player (Flowers), and you have team Shut Your Lips and Learn. I’m guessing that they’ll go all the way and win the championship (again).
Blade B48:
Rating: *****
Honestly being a member of this new team make me feel a little bias, but I’m giving a 5, based on individual player skill. It will also be interesting to see all of the players start learning how the other members play, and adapting there old style of playing to a new one.
Overall Rating: *****
9th Wonders
9th wonders did well last season making it a decent way into the playoffs before getting knocked out by Team Russia. Since last season however a lot of changes have took place which includes Zeg723 leaving the team and the addition of HBO into the lineup.
Delta Force:
Rating: ***
Honestly what it comes down to is sure they got a lot of good but as of now I don’t see any four player combination that would make this team go all the way and win a championship. With that said I do think this team will make the playoffs and who knows maybe they will get an upset here or there and do better then my 3 star rating predicted but as of now I’m sticking with the 3 stars.
LBCountry:
Rating: ***
I’d like to give something of a history of 9th Wonders from my perception. In the winter league they were an above average team overall but had too many weak points to really be considered one of the better teams in the league, between seasons they picked up Zeg, and rallied around new tanking strength they set out to become better. They have succeeded. In my opinion they don’t have the depth to be a consistent top performer, but over the last season they’ve become a team that was unignorable.
Concerning the HBO merger I think it’ll add depth, but having played with most people from both teams, they shouldn’t have TOO big an increase in talent. They’re both quite good teams, and both improved massively since the winter, but the addition of HBO isn’t exactly adding ringers to the already good roster. They are adding depth, and that’s very good for them, but they aren’t expected (in my eyes at least) to steamroll teams as much as a team like SYLaL is. They WILL, however, have the ability to keep up with SYLaL in games against each other if they work well as a team.
Proj3ct Snake:
Rating: **
I’m not going to lie here, 9th Wonders was carried by Zeg, and everyone knew it. I see this team getting knocked out in the first our second round of the playoffs. They’re honestly not much of a threat without Zeg. Also, x0 Pie x0 (Of Shut Your Lips and Learn) has better stats than almost every player on 9th Wonders, and 90% of the time Pie is flying through the air while playing grifball.
Blade B48:
Rating: ****
I have to go with a 3.5 for them; I feel the nines have only gotten weaker with the loss of Zeg. The team is now half HBO half ninth wonders, but I just don’t know how they will do mixing together. Plus if princess plays in any games, it can only hurt them.
Overall Rating: ***
Gold Venom
Gold Venom was formally Rule 76, but from there current roster you might not realize that since only 2 of the originally rule 76 members stayed and they added 4 new members 2 of these being rookies. So will Gold Venom make the playoffs like they have in past years or will they fall to being a shade of there former self.
Delta Force:
Rating: **
This team has talent but I just feel that they don’t have enough of it. Overall I got a feeling they are going to lack depth in their lineup and fall in the teamwork aspect. If by some chance they do get great chemistry together before the next season starts then this team could take off and live up to their past but as of now I think they deserve a 2 star rating.
LBCountry:
Rating: **
This is another harsh rating, for another team with potential. I can’t help but love the resolve and positive attitude of Spud Head and Doerstopper in the face of their entire team either leaving grifball or relocating to SI, and they’ve made some smart pickups that, with work, could propel them to a relatively good rookie season (team wise that is).
Venom’s largest problem is their distinct lack of depth on their current roster, but with community members as well liked as Spud generally is on their roster, they have the potential to get a pickup or two before the summer league kicks off.
I think that if these guys play smart, get a lot of practice in, and get a few breaks along the way that they have a shot at making playoffs, but in their current state they shouldn’t go too far. Which is unfortunate considering the personalities of the team and how generally friendly they are? Regardless of how they’ll do, they’ll have fun, and as long as you have fun you’ve achieved what everyone’s goal should be.
Proj3ct Snake:
Rating: *
Who? Your better off worrying about if George W. Bush will find a loop hole in the system allowing him to get reelected for a 3rd term.
Blade B48:
Rating: ****
I have played with all of these new team players individually, but I have no idea how they will do together. I think a lot of people are going to underestimate them, which will end up hurting other teams. Gold Venom has something to prove. With that, I give them a 4.
Overall Rating: **1/4
Interview
Proj3ct Snake interviews the Grifball community
Proj3ct asks: If you were commissioner what thing would you change?
Zeg723: I would ban the super team of 9th Wonders and HBO.
Blade B48: I would change the roster size to 10 players.
YoungNastyMan79: I would make Sgt. Johnson an unlockable character.
xo Pie xo: I would change the gravity to 50% and put the court on sandtrap.
Shadow: I would ban xo pie xo.
El Driver: I would make the championship game a 2 out of 3 series.
II TRICKK II: I would make myself Team Russia’s waterboy and ban twizzter.
Special Ed FTW: I would add a Grifball Yearbook.
Goomba Ownage: I’d make everyone have unlimited grenades.
Grif256: I would make smaller league sizes.
Andrew Panton: I’d add an invisible flying moose mod that I could ride during Grifball.
Pwnguinmessiah: I would make it so in first round of tourney 1st place teams from hammer would play the 2nd place from sword and etc.
Cofrog: I would give extra tiebreaker points for shutouts etc.
Player of the Week
This week there wasn’t that many games played but there was one big one and that being the grifball championship game. In this game were Grunts of Fury dominated there opponent there was one grunt that stood above the rest. So without further ado I would like to give Blade B48 the player of the Week award as well as the Delta’s Reports’ Grifbowl MVP. Congratulations to Blade.
Closing
And that brings a close to this week’s Delta Reports. I hope you all enjoyed what you saw and thank you to our analysts and a special thanks to Blade B48 for being a guest on our report. Also if you would like to have your team reviewed by our expert analysts or if you want to be a guest on the report just send me a message to InsaneJ on RoosterTeeth.com.