Roster:
- Keven "AZK" Lariviere
- Philippe Olivier "PEX" Crepin
- Mason "mason" Dickens
- Bobby "kEEN" Aihama
- Kevin "Legend" Binette

Predicted Finish:

sapphiRe's prediction: 11/16
Mike's prediction: 11/16

Composite prediction: 11th Place, 6-9

How They Got Here

As the 6th place finisher in season 6, x3o has returned with a revampedm line-up featuring some familiar names. There hasn't been much to report about x3o as of late since the team has been silent for a few months. How bad is it? The biggest news we've seen out of the x3o camp is that PEX has once again grown out his 'fro, which appears to have doubled in size.

Unlike the majority of CEVO-P teams, x3o didn't compete in the CGS Pro-AM. AZK and PEX were ineligible due to their Quebec residency. While missing out on a few matches shouldn't hurt the team, two roster changes, along with being idle for some time, will make this season an uphill climb.

Joining x3o this season are kEEN and Legend. kEEN is a veteran CS 1.6 player, having played for notable teams such as GX (1.6), Pandemic (1.6) and United 5 (1.6 and Source). Legend, while being absent from the game for awhile, was previously teammate to AZK and PEX when they played for eGe/Frantic.

Add mason to the list, and that makes for a roster capable of being a playoff contender.

Looking Ahead

I had a hard time putting x3o this low in the standings given the individual experience this team has. I've also played on LAN with AZK and PEX and was thoroughly impressed by their skill at a time when there were many doubters due to their lack of LAN experience. Coupled with their great attitudes and superb communication, I think these are two players bound for success in the future.

On the other hand, the pick-up of Legend is questionable at this point. The positive side is that in the past he was a good player, and taking into account his established teamwork with friends AZK and PEX, he should be able to fit in rather easily. But from what I've heard, he has been absent from high level competition for some time now which has its obvious problems. This is an unconfirmed rumor, but it's still enough to put a small damper on their outlook.

x3o should be able to dominate some of the rookie teams without much effort. Going up against the big boys of CGS will prove to be a more difficult task. I wouldn't be surprised to see them pull out 1-2 wins over CGS teams but I think inconsistency will be the team's biggest weakness.

As a fan, I do like this line-up and hope that they can in fact be playoff-bound. However, until I'm able to watch them in action against some top teams, I'm placing them just a few spots shy of the playoffs.

--sapphiRe