Open Stars Under the Radar

To mark the midpoint of season 22, I'm bringing you a brief feature on some relatively unknown open players who have caught my attention.  No snubs are intended, just well deserved accolades for up-and-coming competitive TF2 players.  They aren't all necessarily the flashiest, but they fill crucial roles on their respective teams.

I worked with a few ground rules: 2 per class (except 3 scouts), maximum 1 player per team, and relatively low amount of ESEA experience.  So, unfortunately, I couldn't just list the entire roster of Milters.  Without further ado:




Apt, Shutup Mom im Bowflexing

Several of Apt's teammates - and non-teammates besides - have come to me recommending Apt for his sheer dedication and work ethic.  Says scout partner Dreamboat, "I don't think there's anyone harder on him than himself. He's super driven and has come miles even since the season started."  Pocket Tino agrees, saying that "after scrims or matches or games he always asks what can he change, why did a push fail?"  Apt's drive to improve and understand the game on a deep level makes him stand out among countless open scouts, and his dm ability certainly isn't lacking either.




averted, Hurricane Watch

A practically new player who was picked up by Hurricane Watch late in season 21 after his former team died just 2 games in, he is already having a profound impact on their games.  He has great gamesense that often keeps him alive seemingly against all odds.  Perhaps more importantly, his frequent comms and "nutty" dm (as put by a mystery member of Bearly Alive on Percy's stream) make the jobs of pocket nessie and medic Queyh much easier, making averted's key contributions sometimes get overshadowed by nessie's DPM and frag count.




Conky, MintyFresh

Conky has been an absolute standout this season, even on a solid mid+ open team like MintyFresh where his teammates are certainly not shlubs.  He nearly always leads the server in both damage and frags, and is a large part of the reason his team has a 6-2 record.  Expect to see him going far in the next few seasons.




coughy, The Westbrook Effect

I almost couldn't believe it when I saw that coughy doesn't have a single season of ESEA experience.  He does an absurd amount of work every game, matching or even outperforming his teammates that have Intermediate experience.  Checking ESEA stats reveals a DPM that rivals most demomen and pockets - truly impressive.  He also seems to be genuinely humble, and should be able to easily cut it in IM next season.




Fabulous, Every Villain Is Lemons

The single most frequently suggested player on this list.  After playing pocket soldier for mid open team Polish Pizzeria last season, Fabulous has been catching eyes this season as one of the best medics in open.  His mechanics and positioning are always on point, and he is definitely a big part of the reason EVIL have been able to come out of so many 5-4 games on top.  Says pocket Faust, "he yells at me when I'm being retarded and is pretty slippery," which sounds like a ringing endorsement to me.




fusionn, Bob-omb Squad

Basically new to medic after switching off roamer and already turning heads with his surfs and crossbow aim, his fantastic ability to survive has been key to Bob-omb Squad's win streak.  Teammate Ether believes he could honestly be one of the best medics in open this season, and has much potential to improve.  From watching their recent matches, I'd say he's correct.




gTurtle, Gardening Club

Brand new to ESEA open this season, gTurtle (at the time of writing) impressively leads the entire division in rocket frags despite his low-mid team having several 5-0 losses.  Team leader and medic Gollywobbler says he brings a "crazy consistency and levelheadedness" to their team, and I look forward to seeing him make a name for himself in the near future.




Lights, Milters

Having fast rollouts, top notch positioning and being very difficult to kill allows Lights to pump out huge amounts of damage every game, making the job much easier for his hotshot scout teammates.  He is without a doubt among the top demomen in open, and is really coming into his own this season, which can be seen reflected in the superb 7-1 record Milters has so far.




mostlybacon, Not Around Bears

In only his second season of ESEA, mostlybacon already shows an impressive aptitude for the role of roamer.  According to medic Differ, "he's probably the best of anyone on our team at making the smartest and most useful plays he can based on what others are doing and comming, which is a huge contribution to our coordination."  Mostlybacon's dominance of the flank helped them make playoffs last season, and he has only improved since then, ensuring that Not Around Bears is one of the absolute top teams in open.




negasora, Cant Predict Stupid

A remarkably intelligent and cool-minded scout who still has phenomenal dm.  After 2 seasons on low-mid team The Petting Tzu, I'm thrilled to see negasora finally have a well-deserved spot on what should be a playoff contender team.  He also comms well and knows his role inside and out, and is always a pleasure to be in mumble with.  Negasora will find himself going places in comp tf2.




Paladin, CantBelieveItsNotBuddha

Life's tough for a mid open team with a difficult schedule so far, but roamer Paladin has looked impressive in all their games, including topfragging in many of them.  According to former demoman and current backup Ly, he puts in a ton of work that typically flies under the radar, he's very dedicated, and he has the smarts to back up his excellent DM.  Coming off playing 5 of the toughest opponents in their conference in a row, I fully expect CantBelieveItsNotBuddha to start winning more games, and it will be largely thanks to the contributions of Paladin when they do.




As always, feel free to contact me on tftv, steam, or the comment section here regarding errors or feedback.