Now that the third North American Arena World Cup is complete, we know all the teams going to the summer finals from North America: The Move, Super Frogs, Method Orange, and Super Rejects. Many expected Method Black to be the favorites going into the Summer Finals, but The Move demonstrated they can match them blow-for-blow. Super Rejects Sneak Into the FinalsWhen the Super Rejects showed up at the beginning of the summer season with a fourth-place finish, consistency was going to be their key to the finals. An extremely consistent—albeit underwhelming—season followed, and Super Rejects finished fourth twice and third once. Many doubt we’ll see upsets from the Super Rejects, since they lost twice to Super Frogs and once to Method Orange in elimination matches. Don’t let the close results deceive you—Super Rejects could shoot for the podium come the summer finals. Method Orange UnderwhelmMethod Orange had a dominant spring, topping the region easily—but fell well short of their lofty ambitions in the summer, finishing second, seventh, and third. While that isn’t the end of the world, and Method Orange’s aggressive style suits itself to one off tournaments, the team’s volatile results raise questions. Which version of Method Orange will show up—seventh or second? Overall, Method Orange will look to achieve greater results in the summer finals, avoiding another 2-and-out. Super Frogs Stay HotSuper Frogs finished the spring season in third and got fourth at the spring finals. The summer season, then, was a smooth improvement for the Frogs. Finishing fifth, first, and second saw the Super Frogs come in as the silver medalists for summer, and one of the hottest teams in the world. While Super Frogs might not be number one going into the summer finals after falling to The Move, this team has the skill and wherewithal to challenge the very best. The Move Blow Away the CompetitionThe Move finished fifth in North America in the spring, but have absolutely run the region in the summer. Two golds and a silver medal saw The Move manage to keep up with the overwhelming pace of Method Black from Europe, with both teams ending on 480 points. The Move didn’t make the spring finals but should absolutely be considered one of the top contenders for the summer finals. Perhaps the most impressive thing about The Move is their versatility—in cup one they won with an aggressive split pressure Rogue/Priest/Shaman. Cup two saw the same composition falter, so in cup three they came out with a melee cleave (featuring a Survival Hunter) to sweep Super Frogs. The Move are serious and could challenge Method Black in the summer finals. With the AWC done until the Summer Finals, check the MDI Global Finals June 22 through 24 at 9:00 a.m. PDT. The AWC will resume in Katowice, Poland for the summer finals on July 14 and 15. |