Roster:
- Matt "ChEekz" Csikos
- Stephen "sasquatcH" Csikos
- Dan "railm0" Locilento
- Justin "jettt" Thacke
- Joe "dubs" Wishnia
- Miles "Scorpion" Carmello

Not Active Roster:
- Todd "anger" Williams
- Keith "KwicK" Wickenhauser
- John "___" Miller
- Derek "nibbler" Gangi
- Kurt "K187" Langjahr

Predicted Finish:

sapphiRe's prediction: 9/16
Mike's prediction: 9/16

Composite prediction: 9th Place, 7-8

How They Got Here:

Devastation should be a team that any Source fan recognizes. Like Bilbo Baggins, they've been There and Back Again. (I hope Lord of the Rings references aren't too nerdy...)  

But I do mean that quite literally. Over the years I think they've been through name changes, roster changes, more name changes, more roster changes, and God only knows what else. The two constants have been sasquatcH at the helm and a lot of wins.

Which brings us to how they got here: winning. They earned a berth in this season's CEVO-P field by taking 4th place last season after losing in overtime to Carolina and losing to the '94 Knicks. Not exactly within a hair's breadth of the winner's circle, but close enough to get them back for another season, and deservingly so.

Looking Ahead

If I had to pick one team to disappoint on our predictions, Devastation would be at the top of the list.

There are two reasons for this. First, I don't think they're clearly and significantly better than the teams right behind them. More importantly, I'm not sure what to make of their roster. I appreciate any team that has enough players to scrim against themselves, but it's a little strange because I'd consider some of the player listed as "Not Active" to be stronger starters than the people on the "Active" list. Maybe that's just me.

As you can see from ranking them ninth, I still think they'll be in playoff contention. I wouldn't even be surprised if they made it in. But I'm not sure where that extra win will come from. There are seven teams ranked behind them. If they beat all those guys, we'll arrive at our projected win total. To surpass that they'll need to upset a CGS team, the '94 Knicks, or the Zomblerz. Maybe they pick up one win (or two, if they're lucky and/or on a hot streak) there, but Dynamic beat them in the Pro-Am, and there are other quality teams below them. One slip-up and they're right back where they started.

Basically, even if I give them the benefit of the doubt, it just seems like they're in a precarious position. They'll have a fight on their hands this season in both directions. They need to stave off the hungry, up-and-coming teams below them, and scratch-and-claw for every round on the teams ranked ahead of them.

Can they pull it off? Sure. They've got the track record and talented players. But I think it's more likely they finish just short of an eight-team playoff bracket.

There was a small update here. Remember how I said that some of their players on the Not Active list made more sense as starters than backups? Well, it turns out that is the case. railm0 is actually starting for them. This is logical considering he's A) extremely good B) been on different iterations of Devastation in the past and should have good chemistry with the team. This improves their outlook quite a bit, in my mind. I'm not sure if I'd change the rank or not, but I'd definitely have to reconsider.

Anyway. Sorry for any confusion. I think keeping track of starting rosters in Source would require a full-time, paid employee. Anybody wanna volunteer for the job? And does anybody wanna volunteer to fund the position?,

--Mike