Playoff Predictions: 2020 S1 Pre-Quarterfinals

There's no better time for wild prognostication and breathless commentary than the thrilling Third Act of any Parity season. It's playoffs, baby! And that means it's prediction time!

I called the past two playoffs with 66% accuracy overall, so that's the mark to beat this time around. Those following along on Slack over the past few months may have noticed that my regular season predictions went an uninspiring 51%, but rest assured the prophecies decreed below are of a different sort altogether (they're in the hallowed Parity forum, after all). I present these predictions with all the confidence of a 4-year-old in a Batman t-shirt. Enjoy!

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Week 9: Prequarterfinals (January 13)

Mussel aTrophy (Sully) (20) vs. Caughtfish Defence (Gela) (21) *universe*
Laura S’cored (Laura) (21) vs. Toasted Defender Karbon Tax (Mehmet) (20)
For the Injustices of Fat Hadrians everywhere (Kate) (20) vs. Kelseys Grammer: A Sub Par(ity) Performance (Kelsey) (21) *universe*
Burnt Toast (John) (22) vs. UnFourTwoNat (Nat) (23)
... - --- .--. - .... . - .-. .- .. -. (Mikey) (22) vs. Trout on toast (Morgan) (20)

Two universe point game calls? No games decided by more than 2 goals? Woof. My algorithm's already making me sweat. After one of the closest regular seasons in Parity League history—every team had at least 2 wins and 2 losses—it looks like we're set for a barn burner of a playoff.

But the prognostication parade must go on! By my numbers it looks like Laura has the strongest roster heading into playoffs and she should edge out Mehmet tonight. Simon Walker's flashy offense and winning smile have put Brian Perry on notice. Is there a new Parity King in town?

After Laura, I expect Kate and Kelsey to be in the best form following the last round of trades. Shame they play each other so early! Watch for big games from young gun Cameron Kennedy and the criminally undervalued Martin Shiu. The winner of this toss-up is a good bet to make finals.

Sully and Gela are both riding long winning streaks and either team could win tonight. Perennial all-star Josee Guibord will be a handful for the dynamic duo of Rachel Ng and Rachel Young and those defensive matchups could decide the game.

Mikey should escape the 7-10 bracket alongside Nat (but only thanks to John's defensive woes), setting those teams up for difficult quarterfinal matchups.

Good luck out there, everyone! And don't worry, even if none of this stuff pans out I'll still be back next week :)

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Note on methodology: I'm using the same prediction algorithm as last year, which is outlined (along with some major caveats) in this post. For the latest individual player ratings, check out: http://bit.ly/HMKParityRatingLeaderboard