The other bear writing rankings for the other conference in MLTP. It's a bit more in depth than Honeybear's, but I think it's well worth it. Don't be salty if I take some shots. Or do, it doesn't really matter because these are purely speculative and basically only written for my own enjoyment and to generate some conversation about MLTP. If you don't like where I put you, then prove it come week 1.

Western Conference Rankings

1) Tears: A

Death, taxes, Tears. It's basically guaranteed that Tears will compete. Troball reminded everyone why he is one of the best captains in MLTP history by choosing another extraordinarily strong lineup. Shrewdly opting to be a NPC, he snagged Fatal, who is probably the best individual offender in the game right now, though a strong argument could be made for Dino. Opposite Fatal will be Grant (aka AnnaKendrick), who's still just as good as he was season 7 when he led Tears to the conference finals where Tears nearly knocked off what looked like the best team that season, The Capitalists. Troball did well listening to Grant, as he nabbed DudeMcGuy for his defensive partner and these two are very good pals and have a lot of inherent chemistry primarily stemming from all the movies they watch.

The only question mark here is Mathnatsium, who stagnated on a bad SOAS team last season. He's definitely not the strongest offender, but Fatal is one of the few offenders who can make anyone look decent alongside him. This team will excel and though I have some doubts about their longevity when they playoffs come around, I'm still sure they'll be there.

2) Merballs: A-

Dino just wins. Period. It doesn't matter if it was when The Holy See was the most popular map in TagPro or if it was yesterday in a ranked PUG. If you can surround him with a remotely competent lineup, it's hard to mess it up. Pair that with the fact that his squad is being overseen by KPow, an excellent captain, then you've got yourself a solid base for a great team. Throw in an elite offender making the switch to defense with an above-average defender, then you have a very strong team.

People have brought up issues regarding Legman and Arbybear's compatibility as a defensive duo, but I really don't see where a problem would arise. The idea that there can only be only one aggressive defender while the other is "contain" is outdated and aggressive play from both defenders is going to win games this season. And the worst case scenario is that Dino has to switch to defense, where he's almost as good as he is on offense. This team will be very good, but watch out for ping issues, as 3 of the 4 players are based on the east coast and they'll have to play on sphere some this season, albeit against weaker teams.

3) Holdin' Gate Warriors: B

Homer alert: I'm on this team. As such, you have to take this with a large grain of salt (borrow some from the MTC). I put this team at 3rd in the west because we're playing in a weaker division. BMX2 may be a stronger team overall, but I think that with the way the schedule will play out, HGW will have an easier schedule and therefore a better record. On defense, Ibis will be a stud like he always was. 51 was a very good deal in the draft and gave Curry a lot more wiggle room when filling out the rest of the lineup. He made a shrewd move taking a tanked dodsfall who, despite the trollish tendencies, has been on a top team for two season. bigbird will fill in for the first two weeks and will be solid, as he can hold his own against almost anyone. Once they get into a groove, dods and Ibis could be one of, if not the best defense in the West.

The offense on this team will be less spectacular, that's not especially surprising. Neither Curry nor I are known for our explosive play, but we'll be good at executing important aspects of play such as offensive defense and powerup control. Tpr carried me last season, but I feel like I grew a lot during that wild piggyback ride. Meanwhile, Curry had a really solid season with 48 caps. We won't be great, but we'll be good enough. What gives me faith in this team is Curry's capability as a captain. Though new to MLTP captainship, Curry's captaining record is impeccable. He played a large role in Lava Monster's success last season and has cultivated a lot of quality talent in both his seasons as an NLTP captain. Curry's set on creating a competitive atmosphere that will focus on playing often so any of the potential problems can be addressed. If he can do so effectively and everyone follows through, I see HGW winning the Pacific divison.

4) BMX2: Electric Ballaloo: B

BALLstar has crafted a very solid squad here and I have them below HGW only because of the division they're in is stronger than the Pacific. lukemoo and F2P could be a great pairing if they put the time in, as lukemoo is basically a chameleon and can defend well with almost anyone while the option of playing BALLstar on defense is also viable if things don't work out. bad and eee on offense would be serviceable on offense, but I think that BALLstar and either one of those players would be stronger than luke and BALLstar on defense.

This team is going to be solid all around, most likely carried by its defense, as there are a lot of potent defenders in the potential lineups. They will compete in the West as a whole, but have the potential to slip up in the Central divison, which could complicate their playoff chances. Ultimately, I think this team's fate boils down to BALLstar's willingness to establish a culture that is conducive to winning. The parts are there, but it's up to him to assemble them in an effective manner.

5) Texas Hold'em: B-

The lone Sphere team in MLTP this season, Texas Hold'em are looking to put the precedent set by previous Sphere teams behind them. It looks like it's possible, but there are some question marks. Altiger is elite, there's no two ways around it. He demonstrated that in his run up to the Superball last season. However, he was playing alongside Milk Steak, an exceptional player in his own right who complemented Altiger's playstyle well. This season, it's unclear who's going to fill that gap on offense. ooo kill'em (the defensive one) seems set on playing offense and doesn't plan on being especially active (according to his signup comment). He also lacks a mic and though Altiger is used to that since Milk is on the quieter side, he had lots of time to iron out any communicative deficiencies by practicing frequently like all Tears teams do. Moreover, kiil'em is first and foremost a defender. I'm unsure how much his offensive ability has developed. If they're to set up a solid duo, Altiger and ooo kill'em are going to have to work hard at making it so, otherwise things could go sour.

On defense, Dalek and SIDE look like a solid combo on paper, but SIDE may not be too happy about playing on a Sphere team again since he was looking to break into the east after a strong showing last season as a conference champion. I'm sure Dalek ironed that out with him, though. Otherwise, we could see a trade pretty soon. This duo could be very strong, but it could also be pretty weak. I'm not very familiar with Dalek's playstyle honestly so I'm not looking to make too many rash judgments, but he hasn't played on a strong team in a few seasons (though EZEX was kind of a mess last season). Regardless of the defense, the fate of this team rests on Altiger's ability to flourish in a system other than Troball's, which is basically all he's known in competitive TagPro.

6) Origin Ducks: C

okthen did really well to draft Crippy, though I feel it could've been a bit of an overspend. However, Crippy's still one of the strongest players in the west and immediately makes a team a contender. I only suggest that he may have overspent because the supporting cast he's put together isn't especially strong. Ty has been on the MLTP scene for a long time and season after season the same proclamations of an imminent breakout season in MLTP are made but there's never any substance to back that claim up. I don't really see it happening this season, either. As such, the offense will have to depend on okthen, who's still got some developing to do and is a solid majors player at the moment, but I am unsure whether or not he'll be able to put an offense on his shoulders with some questionable decision making skills.

The 4th spot seems to be a tossup between donuts1 and aardvark1. aardvark got some very valuable experience stepping in for Khaleesii after her sudden disappearance for 30SMB last season, but the team wasn't especially strong when he was out there. donuts had a pretty toxic experience last season with SOAS and he's looking to put that past him. It'll come down to who can pair up better with Crippy and at this point I have no real clue who it'll be. However, regardless of who gets the green light January 10th, it's going to be an uphill battle, as Crippy will have to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

7) Roll Models: C-

This team on paper looks like it'll be better than 7th out of 8 in the west, but I'm still unsure about its strength. Koala excelled last season alongside WowSuchPro, but that's WowSuchPro. He's a very quality offender and dywz, though solid, isn't in the same league. That pairing would be solid but unspectacular. apopalypse is a viable option, as well, though I'm unsure of his ability to keep up at the majors level. On the defensive side of things, Sundown could pair himself up with either apopalypse or Ignitius. Neither pairing would be especially intimidating for the majority of western offenders but apop showed off some strong play last season and when filling in on PBP while Ignitius did the same when playing for SOAS. Hell, Koala could also play defense since she's a strong two-way player, but I'm really just not sure about how this team is going to be organized.

I guess my reservations about Roll Models lie in Sundown's ability to establish an effective lineup that can consistently execute the fundamentals of top-tier TagPro. Sundown sees himself as a two-way player, which isn't inaccurate, but that perception can warp a whole team's identity, generally for the worse. Koala is a strong addition to this lineup, but her status as a two-way player could actually be a detriment to the team's performance. As the last few seasons have demonstrated, a consistet lineup with clearly articulated roles for all players is a formula for success. An emphasis on fluid two-way play from multiple players can disrupt the establishment of a rhythm for all 4 players and can lead to lapses in positioning and communication. If Sundown goes down that road, I don't see this team winning very much at all. If he opts for a more conventional strategy, this team could perform well, but I'm still unsure due to fall off in skill for the 4th ball on the team.

8) Angry Balls Redux: D+

Though I have this team this far down in the rankings, I don't think it'll be a repeat of BNB for Spiller. He's a solid captain with the experience necessary to keep up with everyone else. However, I have a hard time seeing how the overall distribution of skill on this team is stronger than any other team in the west. bluemonday (formerly mc ride) is solid on offense, but there's issues in terms of communication and I'm not sure he's great even as a second option on offense. His partner will most likely be ooo killem, who's had some success in the past 2 seasons but has never been a standout player. He and Curry were successful last season, but they had to adjust their playstyles accordingly and there were definitely growing pains. He said in his comment that he won't be as active this season, so that could be an inhibitor to the team's success. Maybe wayne or even alvin could fill in for either of these offenders if things go sour, but as it stands, there doesn't seem to be an especially riveting lineup among the offenders here.

Spiller is good at TagPro, but he hasn't had much success in the past few seasons, participating in the BNB disaster last season and captaining a mediocre 12AB team season 7. He's not had a solid partner is a while, either, so perhaps more stability here will enable a more successful team. However, I don't see Uno being that player. He was probably the weakest player on a weak Roll Models team last season and it's only intuitive to doubt that two players from weak teams will combine to create a stronger lineup. Spiller seems determined to prove people wrong, however, and he may have some tricks up his sleeve to show why he won't be in the cellar at the end of the season.