#imawards

Usually the way this would work is Conductor and I would poll team captains that were in playoffs on who they would think was the best whatever, and then see who came out on top for each category. This time I'm just going to decide who I think is good for each category based on who I played with and against. 

Best Scout Pair

Antwan & Lambert (AG Chilluminati)

The stupid thing here is that I really tried to think of a better scout pair in IM this season other than the dudes on my own team, but it was hard to find any. Monkey Suit and Oobii were a scout pair that constantly surprised me in scrims and matches, Oobii especially showing that she deserves to be on a good Main/IM+ team. Gls and Ringo were another pair that I thought did a great job this season, but their heavier classes were a little lacking and was the reason their team couldn't win out when it came down to DM fights. Individually, Insom and Kev were also scouts that did a great job, with solid but not spectacular scout partners. 

Its kind of a cop-out to say that Antwan and Lambert were the best scout pair seeing as how they were the scouts on my team, but watching these guys play was amazing. Fun fact is these guys live together (they're cousins) and sat next to each other during scrims and matches. The chemistry was amazing, the DM was fucking phenomenal, and I can safely say they are a gigantic part of how successful our team is. In terms of raw DM I don't see scouts outside of Invite that can really fuck with them when they're on their game, and because of this we really didn't have to take this season seriously until the post-season. 

Best Pocket

Tidy (Off Top)

Tidy was someone that wasn't on my radar until Off Top started getting really fucking good. Even though I was bitter when they picked up Insom after he got cut from our team for hacking in CSGO, their team transformed into this threat that nobody could ignore. Tidy was one of those pockets that seemed to do well with ubers and made plenty of space for James.Shocka to take all the heals and do like 400 DPM every match. I could have said Tri or Okie for their amazing DM and all that shit, but Tidy was one of those soldiers that I thought took a difficult role and made it work really well for his team. 

Pocket is one of those things that people play but usually aren't very good at. There's plenty of decent pockets out there in all the divisions, with the best of them at the top of Invite (duh). But watching Okie hit all these crazy airshots and then his team somehow still loses the round, or knowing how much time BlueberryVillain has dedicated to theory crafting but still makes these weird mistakes that cost them rounds, its obvious that good players don't always influence their teams with their strengths enough to be these crazy standout players. While Tidy may have been underwhelming when it came down to stats, it is my opinion that his pocket play was smart and he hit crucial shots, but selflessly made the decision not to hog the heal beam so James could do the clean up damage. He made the decisions that won his team matches, and that's something I think most pockets don't quite understand.

Best Roamer

Delpo (Speedy Cheetahs E-Sports)

This is one of the harder categories for me, mostly because there was a lot of talented roamers this season. Trisk, Lunacide, Xep, Insom (for half a season anyway), and Thrasher were all good roamers that could hit some fucking crazy shots, and at one point or another I'm sure they've all jumped me and either made me pop or killed me. Delpo, however, was one of those players whose performance either won or lost them the game. Our first match against Speedy Cheetahs on coalplant was lost because of his game saving plays, killing me every time during transitions to secure uber advantage for his team. Later during the post season on gullywash, I ended up getting forced by him at least once per round, mostly because he is one of the few soldiers I would give a "respect pop" to because no matter what you would have to count on him hitting his second rocket for 100 damage. 

Delpo was this amazing pocket in Open last season that decided to play roamer in IM. A lot of my friends have questioned this decision, thinking it made their team weaker. Tooth is a good fit in the pocket role for that team, and I think giving Delpo the freedom to make some big plays was the right decision. I know they will be staying together this next season, and I expect them to do really well in whatever division they end up in. 

Best Demoman

Mausy (Tonight's Entertainment)

Seeing as how he is the sole reason why they destroyed us on viaduct during the IM Finals, I have to give this award to Mausy. Every single time this award comes up for the division he is in, its pretty much a guarantee that I'll give it to him. Playing against this team, I almost feel like he is the only reason why TE stays competitive season after season, but I have to give credit to the rest of his team for playing around him so exclusively. On a 5cp map I don't think their strategy really works any more, anyone who has played them a few times knows how to counter the play style, but on KOTH maps this kid is pretty fantastic. He's mostly known for his good pipe aim, but his strength lies in baiting his team to put out massive DPS in my opinion. 

Who else was good? Fuck. Puff and James.Shocka both are good demos, but with extremely different play styles. Outside of these 3 players I wouldn't really think there are other demos that are stand out players. Ques, Conductor, DrGilburt, and JDMYoshioka are all warm bodies in the role, but to say they were at the same level is a bit of an overstatement. Mausy just won IM for his team, plain and simple. Puff probably hates me for not putting him here, but whatever. Can't deny it.

Best Medic

Caboose (Off Top)

I used to think Caboose was fucking terrible, I'm just going to say it straight up. Last season he was constantly out of position, dying at random stupid times, and his post-ubers were god awful. This season was a complete 180 for him, and he's come a pretty long way since. He surfs, he milks uber, he gets out when he needs to, his positioning game is extremely conservative (good and bad in some ways I guess) and his mechanics are solid as fuck. I'm pretty sure I was the only other person that could have been considered for best medic but I'm all too aware of how fucking bad I am. 

Yeah there wasn't a whole lot of competition for good meds in IM this season. Bopper has been consistent the entire time I've played against him. Deer seems to be a solid medic that can do all the things he's supposed to do. Peyote quit the game before playoffs, but he would have been my choice if they had played. He's got some great knowledge and is one of those players I constantly feel like I have to out think when I play against him. Oh well. Good job, Caboose. You came a long way and earned my respect. It doesn't mean anything but there that is.

Most Improved Team

Speedy Cheetahs E-Sports

This team was pretty okay at the end of last season, and then throughout the course of their first season in IM they got pretty good. I'm not going to say that it was their pick up of Monkey Suit that really changed their team dynamic, but its obvious that this group of people has fun together and that is integral to improving. If you don't want to play with the rest of your team then you probably won't strive to improve. 

Oobie is a player that is pretty underrated in my opinion. She has become a fairly DM heavy scout that plays the aggressive role really well, and with Delpo on the flank they have the potential to make gigantic plays for their team. I joke with Monkey about how she carries him a lot, and I'd like to go on record to say I'M NOT JOKING. SHE DOES CARRY YOU. Their soldiers are solid, Tooth seems to fit in really well with this team and I hope he decides to stick with them. His experience is probably appreciated with a group of "newer" players but by this point I would hope that they're all on the same page. I see this team getting really good next season if they continue on their current pace. Maybe not the next Street Hoops but potentially could be the next Rent-a-Homies.