This article is the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Los Angeles compLexity or its parent companies.

Who's Hot & Who's Not

Written By: Mike "Peawok" Fleming
With the regular season over, I'm clearing the "Hot or Not" list from the season. It's all about the playoffs now.

Carolina Core > 3D.NY 26-13

Mystik

After a terrible 5-0 match against Coolsvilla, Mystik had her back against the wall. She was essential to a Core victory and she came out swinging. She won the match a perfect 5-0 shutout, giving Core a crucial five points. Mystiks win here proves that she is arguably the second best DOA Female in the league.

Offbeat Ninja

Offbeat Ninja, too, played incredibly well. In the second to last match, he needed to shut down Chappelle to guarantee a Core victory. He did just that, winning 5-1. Though most of the rounds were very close, Offbeat came out on top and won the match.

Core Forza Team

The Core Forza team, the top Forza team in the league, took on the second place 3D squad. With only several points separating the two, Carolina needed to come out big to help their team. They did just that, taking first in the race and winning the game 4-3.

Core Source Team

After a mediocre season, Carolina was looking to get back to their World Final level. As the last match of the season, Carolina needed to hold back a potential shutout from Carolina. They did that and more, winning the game 10-8. Part of the reason why they won was because it was all over already, but Carolina finished off the match with a perfect five game shutout.

Anomaly

Anomaly had an average season. He suffered six unfortunate shootout losses, so he was looking to end this match before overtime. He was unable to score in the first half, but then took two goals to beat Wizakor 2-1. This solid play, reminicent of his World Final play, is exactly what Mark Dolven was expecting the entire season.

Not

Coolsvilla
Dave Chappelle
3D Source Team
3D Forza Team
Wizakor

Dallas Venom > San Francisco Optx 24-22

Dallas Source Team

With Source being essential in this matchup, Dallas was looking for solid play from their squad. After winning nine straight and clinching the first seed in Source, Dallas again proved they had it in them, winning their match 10-8 and finishing off the franchise match.

NinjaCW

NinjaCW had the challenge to take down the near undefeated MASTER, and also get redemption for three unfortunate losses in the season. He did just that, finishing the match 5-4. This match was essential because it begun the franchise match, and Optx needed the momentum going into the next matches.

Phoenix

Like NinjaCW, Phoenix played incredibly well against a near unbeatable Vanessa. Phoenix proved that the first time wasn't a fluke, winning her match 5-3 and helping clinch the franchise match. Phoenix has now ensured that she is undisputably the number two, and arguably the number one female. If she can perform even better against the other girls next season and at Worlds, she will definitely challenge Vanessa for the number one female slot.

Dallas Forza Team

The Dallas Forza team came back strong after an average season, winning 4-3 through strong play by both Muffinman and Cha0s. Dallas's Forza team hadn't proved much during the season. Hopefully they can continue their success during the remainder of the playoffs and Worlds because that would give Dallas another consistent team.

Stermy

Stermy continued his strong play, winning his seventh out of his last nine games in a 3-1 shootout over Barmoa. Stermy has been a huge surprise this season, coming from a terrible 4-8 record to a strong 8-4 record. With his potential final match against Wizakor, Stermy will need to come out strong and take a solid victory.