[Boromir88]

GROUP B

4th. The Havens (OFF: 29, DEF: 24, GK: 13)

The Havens' best player is their keeper, Amandil. He's a solid stopper, but TTN projects he can only save between low 70 to mid 70 %, and that's not good enough to be in the Top 10. For The Havens to advance the rest of the roster is pretty weak and only an elite goalie will make up for the deficiencies in the rest of the team. The attack relies on a quick rhythm passing game, but The Haven's problem becomes they have no consistent finisher who can put it into the net. Falastur is rated near the very bottom of our rankings and Cirdan is a good aerial threat, but the defenses in this group are all able to control the skies (Erebor - Meneldor and a fellbeast, Doriath has Carcharoth's exceptional leaping ability, Angband and their Balrog). Olwe leads the defense with 3 stout Numenoreans, so they'll be hard to wear down, but they're not great defensive stoppers. Their defense won't be pushed around, but that won't stop Doriath's creativity with Eol and Angband's evil power from scoring, and in the end it's a matter of if you can't keep your goal clean, will your offense be able to outscore the opponent?

3rd. Erebor (OFF: 21, DEF: 21, GK: 27)

For as much as Erebor has cut payroll, they've been wise in keeping costs under control and still keeping a competitive team. Erebor could be the dark horse in Group B, but the Achilles heel of the team will be their undoing - GK Brand. It'll be fortunate if he saves 60%. Until Erebor invests more in improving their goalie, they can't advance. With that said, Erebor's not going to be an easy snack in this group. Girion leads the defense and he can defend well against beasts and monsters. Paired with a tireless and fearless Nazgul, and 2 defenders to control the aerial threats, Erebor has a diverse defense that can stand up to various threats. On offense, Smaug and a Nazgul aren't going to go goal crazy, but they are nearly impossible to shut out. The problem remains Brand, Doriath is similar in having a balanced team and diverse defense, but they just have better talent. And while Dior is only an average GK, that's still a significant difference from a woeful Brand.

2nd Doriath (OFF: 19, DEF: 13, GK: 17)

Doriath's fielded a decent team this year, but they won't be any talk of serious championship contenders until investing in a better GK and better FWs. Dior is just average enough to stop enough goals, and will be bolstered behind a strong defense. Melian's foresight and spiritual power puts her up near the top of defenders, right up there with Morgoth. Her supporting cast just isn't quite up there with Morgoth's supporting cast. Carcharoth's got all the ability of its werewolf cousins from the Isle, but doesn't have the ability of a Balrog. Doriath's forwards aren't in the same area code as Angband's, and from our TTN ranks Smaug and Nazzgul 7 are better. Now we've ranked Doriath's overall offense slightly ahead of Erebor's because of the addition of Eol. Eol's creativity makes him the #1 ranked midfielder this year. Some might argue how much was Eol's productivity boosted by Feanor and how much does it drop off with Mablung and Thingol? As Eol's most productive years have come with a top rated striker (whether that's with Feanor, Turin, or Maeglin) and he simply won't have that this year with Doriath. It's good enough to advance out of Group B, but Doriath won't be making any deep tournament runs until signing a better FW and/or GK.


1st. Angband (OFF: 7, DEF: 11, GK: 3)

Angband will win games from their fearsome defense and spider between the posts. When it comes to goalies, Ungoliant is 1-teir below Elrond, which is no slight to the spider, Elrond's in a class of his own, Ungoliant will still save at least 80% of shots on target. Morgoth is one of the premier defenders, and then comes one of the Balrog's always rated in that 12-20 range amongst defenders. Angband's going to be able to stop most teams from scoring. After a few years of being outshined by its fellow dragons, Ancalagon has been reborn to having the hottest fire. Ancalagon knows how to power it past the keepers. Telvildo brings dexterity and elusiveness to pair with Ancalagon's power. Morgoth prides playing lockdown defense, but Angband will be able to score at least one on anyone and 2 goals on most. The problem for Angband hasn't been winning their group, it's been the playoffs. Many would argue they've consistently underperformed by getting beat in the 1st knock out round, and it won't be any easier this time, as they'll have to face whoever comes out of the "group of death" in the 1st playoff round. We'll see if putting Ungoliant back in goal is enough.