Baaaramu vs. Asine Hitama’s Team
Both winners of their first matches, these teams were each looking to cement their places in the winner’s bracket on their march to the final. Baaaramu brought a hard-hitting setup of a Vindicator battleship and two Talos battlecruisers with combat cruiser support, but notably no logistics to provide repairs and only seven ships in total. Asine Hitama’s Team were more balanced, with three Vargur battleships and frigate support with electronic warfare capability. They also had no logistics support. This was likely to be a quick match.
Starting 50km apart, Baaaramu needed to get close to make their high damage capability count quickly, but they dallied and started getting picked off by the longer ranged Vargur salvoes from Asine Hitama’s Team. A Baaramu Arbitrator cruiser quickly fell, followed by a Talos battlecruiser. Only a Kitsune frigate was lost for the other side. A second Baaaruma Talos exploded as the smaller ships engaged each other.
Two Asine Hitama’s Team Sabre destroyers were subsequently taken down in the fray, but with Baaaramu‘s last remaining heavy ship, the Vindicator, being smashed by the three Vargurs, the match quickly swung in Asine Hitama’s Team‘s favour. No further losses were suffered by them as they efficiently pounded the remaining Baaaramu ships to space dust.
RESULT: Baaaramu 11 – 70 Asine Hitama’s Team
8 CAS vs. Deepwater
Untested 8 CAS arrived with a fleet with high damage-dealing potential; two Vindicator battleships with frigate and logistics support. A more mobile but still tough fleet setup from Deepwater saw them with two Machariel battleships and similar logistics and frigate support. The arena warp-in points chosen by the teams telegraphed their intent. 8 CAS were as close to the centre as possible, whilst Deepwater were sitting back.
As the match began, Deepwater went evasive as the 8 CAS team ploughed straight for them. The 8 CAS Vindicators used their quickly managed to catch a Machariel and started tearing into it as a frigate dogfight erupted elsewhere. A Deepwater Jaguar frigate exploded quickly, followed by its wingmate and two Slasher frigates. The Machariel finally withered and died under continued barrage from the Vindicators.
At 32-0, 8 CAS had emphatically seized control in under four minutes as their frigates went in pursuit of the Deepwater logistics cruiser. Meanwhile their remaining Machariel managed to take down one of the Vindicators before it too died, along with the Scimitar logistics cruiser. Only a Keres frigate remained for Deepwater and, as the fastest ship in the arena, was able to survive until the clock ticked down. But his lone act of defiance did nothing to change the result.
RESULT: 8 CAS 65 – 20 Deepwater
