What the LA Guerrillas M8 need to improve

The LA Guerrillas M8 have faced a rough stretch, struggling to find their footing as disappointing results continue to pile up. While the Championship winning core gives hope of potential, key weaknesses are holding them back. In this article, we’ll break down what’s going wrong and what adjustments they can make to turn their season around.

📸 Photo by @Gentlemates

Hardpoint

Hardpoint has been an inconsistent mode for the LA Guerrillas M8 thus far. The numbers show promise, but other metrics show why the team struggles for stretches.

While they have a 7-9 record in the mode on the season, there is evidence that the team could turn around. Over the last 10 maps, the team is 6-4 with an average margin of +24.7 per game. They’ve been hot as of late, currently riding a 3-map winning streak in the mode. To top it off, LA is 3-1 in Hardpoint against OpTic Texas.

📸 Photo by @CODLeague

On the advanced analytics side, they are the #1 team in net points per hold opportunities at +15.8. This means that each time the team wins the rotation, they average 15.8 more points compared to their opposition. LA also ranks top 4 in both Hold & Break efficiencies. These numbers paint a picture of a team that should be a good Hardpoint team, so what gives?

Two major factors are contributing to their struggles. First, the minor issue, that could be resolved. Their slaying is weaker compared to the top teams, which can make the margin of error small. They are 7-2 when outslaying opponents, while 0-7 while being outslayed. Can they step up in slaying without a roster change or win while being outslayed? That will be the big question for Stage 2.

The big issue though for the Guerrillas M8, the map pool. They are 5-3 on Skyline while being 2-5 on the other active maps. That includes 0-4 on Vault and 0-0 on Red Card. Major map pool issues will plague this team until they can expand it. Maybe Hacienda (1-0) or Protocol (1-1) can fill that need, but it will be the most important Hardpoint issue to focus on heading into the Major 2 Qualifiers.

SND

While their Hardpoint has shown life as of late, their SND has been the weakest mode for LA by far. They are 4-9 on the year, ranking dead last in the CDL. The team is in desperate need of ice, as they are 0-4 in Game 5s. That is just the tip of the iceberg, so let’s break it down.

📸 Photo by @Gentlemates

By the numbers, there are major concerns. In the early rounds, the team is a mess. They are 12th in the CDL with a 46.6% opening duel win rate. Even when they win the first fight, they are converting just 65.5% of rounds, ranking 11th. Their attacking is lacking, currently ranked 12th with a 40% win rate. LA struggles to get the bomb down, planting in just 53% of rounds, 11th in the CDL. When they do plant, they win just 53% of rounds, 11th in the CDL.

The map pool issues that plague the Hardpoint, are alive in well in SND as well. The team doesn’t play Red Card (0-0) for some reason while having a losing record on both Hacienda (0-1) and Vault (1-3). They are 1-1 on Protocol and 2-2 on Skyline, but that doesn’t inspire confidence going into any series.

The positives? At least they are 4-5 in Map 2s. Everything needs to be reevaluated going into this Stage if the Guerrillas M8 wishes to turn around their season.

Control

There has been one big positive to LA’s season thus far. That is how well they’ve been able to play in Control. They have the 2nd best record in the mode, currently sitting at 6-3.

📸 Photo by @Gentlemates

It hasn’t been by luck either, as the team has good statistics across the board. On offense, LA has the 5th best attack, sitting at an 8-12 round count (40% W%) and is 3rd on Vault. They are 4th in average life margin (-1.4) and 2nd in average ticks per attack (4.2). Then on defense, the team ranks 3rd with a 12-5 record (71% W%) and is 9-2 on Vault.

The squad has achieved this success without heavily outslaying, currently having a 1.02 team K/D. Matthew "KiSMET" Tinsley has shined, leading the team with a 1.15 K/D in the mode with a 1.20 attacking K/D. They are 1-3 while being outslayed, meaning they’ve outslayed in 5 maps, which should give some promise to their Hardpoint woes. If they can keep their form in Control up while improving in at least one of the two modes, KiSMET & Co could find more success in Stage 2.

Upcoming Matches

What’s next for the Guerrillas M8? Their Major 2 Qualifier schedule is relatively easier until the end of the stage. They play the other 3 teams ranked in the bottom 4 early on, leaving both Atlanta FaZe & OpTic Texas for the final week of the qualifiers. Here is their schedule for the stage:

○ February 15th vs Boston Breach
○ February 21st vs Miami Heretics
○ February 22nd vs Vancouver Surge
○ March 7th vs Cloud9 New York
○ March 9th vs Vegas Falcons
○ March 15th vs Atlanta FaZe
○ March 16th vs OpTic Texas