Last week marked the thrilling conclusion of the UKIC League’s regular season as the participating teams battled it out in hopes of securing a spot in the playoffs, or in the case of Division 4 — promotion. Season 2 has been a rollercoaster for many teams, which concluded in an epic six-way tie for the top division, with teams only securing playoff places through round differentials (for more information on how the UKIC league is formatted, you can find it here).
Division 2 was equally competitive with the top three teams securing playoffs on the same record in which their seeds were based off round differentials. Divisions 3 and 4 continued to deliver excitement and consistent performances by Crimson Elite and Into the Milk, resulting in a perfect season for both. Unfortunately, fan favourites The Binmen weren’t able to advance this time around.
Division 1, yet again, saw Verdant and ex-K10 top the standings with impressive performances, including an almost perfect season from Verdant falling short at the last hurdle to none other than ex-K10. Raptors showed consistent form, only losing to the two aforementioned teams, which was enough to secure third place and improve upon last season’s fourth spot finish.
The Last Resort recovered from their mid-season dip in form with remarkable performances from James “Flicky” Errington and Connor “Bigun” Suddons, securing a top-four spot and a place in the playoffs. Despite their best efforts, winning all their games in week five, ROYALS lost out on a playoff spot to EXO and Halal5.
The EXO core of William “dobbo” Dobson, Aaron “bevve” Slinn, and Adam “Adam9130” Ahmad look to make a repeat from last season where they placed 5th and fought their way to claim victory. The trio, then playing under The Neighbours banner, faced up against K10 in the Grand Final of UKIC Division 1 Season 1 which was held at the Insomnia Gaming Festival. Despite losing the first map, the Neighbours were able to complete the comeback and claim the title — only time will tell if they can repeat their accomplishment. Within Division 2; Reason Gaming, Shaman and Team Sodality topped the standings with 7-2 records over the regular season. They are closely followed by Bluejays Royal and Dreams to Legends, who look to improve on their inconsistent form ahead of playoffs.
Division 3 provided us with impressive records as the teams looked to make their mark and carry their momentum through playoffs and into Division 2. Of the four teams who claimed the top spot in their groups (Crimson Elite, Into the Milk, CRTL, and Klaze Clan), only the latter suffered a defeat. With 14 teams (12 top teams in Division 3 as well as eighth and ninth of Division 2) the Division 3 playoffs held the hardest run for teams to gain promotion or maintain their places, as is the case for YondaleAthletic and Arise.
Division 4 provided a much simpler and less stressful time, where the top-four teams (Gxmambas, Viseria, Abhydenfanclub, and Lost Rogues) in the regular season automatically gain promotion to Division 3 replacing those with the worst record. However, since both are Open Divisions the teams will be sorted into leagues next season according to ELO.
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