Would Sudden Otters be able to extend their Minor League lead, or would the likes of Exodunks and Footwork charge ahead and swipe the top spot? It was all to play for as the second week of the Minor League matches kicked off on Thunderdome.

Make Amarr Great Again vs Templis

The early death of the Algos gave Templis a quick head start, but it ended up a two-for-two trade as their Oracle and Dragoon fell with just the Algos and a Maller to show for it. Make Amarr Great Again were able to get the most out of their Hyperion’s damage output before it finally got caught and controlled by Templis, though it was the MAGA Ferox that would be the next to fall. Despite best efforts, the three remaining Templis ships would eventually claim the Punisher but not the Hyperion- first win of the day to Templis.

Sudden Otters vs Offline

With no logi on their side, Offline’s Hurricane managed to run away in structure as his team threw everything they had at the Rokh of Sudden Otters. With the battlecruiser safe for now, the Otters switched onto the Tempest and Burst, making short work of the frigate and taking the battleship down as their Rokh dropped dangerously into low structure. With an Osprey to keep it alive, Sudden Otters just had cleanup duty to do on the Hurricane and Caracal, claiming the first domination victory of the day, their second of the tournament.

Nasty Boyz vs Footwork

As Footwork’s Scythe ran from an early barrage of fire, her teammates picked off the Algos of Nasty Boyz and freed their Cyclone from being tackled. The Cyclone would eventually fall as it was caught again by the Rifter of Nasty Boyz, the Footwork team just falling short of breaking the Rifter under Augoror reps. The Scythe and Talwar would be the next victims, both being in range of the Nasty Boyz Prophecy and held in place as they were blown apart. It was all down to their Slasher and Rokh but were unable to claw back another kill. Victory and 3 points to Nasty Boyz.

Power Ducks vs Make Amarr Great Again

The Prophecy and Algos of the Amarr team hit armour fairly quickly as the Power Ducks split damage, while their Scythe and Thrasher were similarly pummeled. The Power Ducks Scythe was the first to drop, the MAGA Prophecy a few seconds later, with the Power Ducks losing both their Thrasher and Merlin just a few seconds after that. They were able to get a kill on the Algos of Make Amarr Great Again, but the Exequror reps were just enough to keep his team alive between target switches as the Power Ducks Tempest finally hit structure and went down. Despite tipping the MAGA Megathron into structure, as the Ferox fell it would be a first win for Make Amarr Great Again.

Exodunks vs Templis

It was a tentative match from both teams, with only two explosions as the match ran to time. The Dragoon of Templis was taken out within the opening minute, but from then on it seemed to be a test of patience as both Exodunks and Templis swapped targets for control and damage, trying to find any chink or misplay to take advantage. Templis’ Rifter went dangerously low into structure before being caught by the Exequror, but the only other death of the match would be the Oracle of Templis, saving the Exodunks Hurricane from hitting structure. The whole Exodunks team escaped relatively unscathed as they claimed their win, while the severely battered trio of Templis survivors were enough to prevent a domination victory.

Footwork vs Power Ducks

Footwork had a single victory under their belt as they went up against the yet-to-score Power Ducks, but it was the Ducks who took first blood as the Footwork Slasher went down near the end of the second minute of the match. Footwork replied with the death of the Power Ducks’ Algos, moving on to try and take out the Hyperion but losing their Osprey in the process. With Power Ducks repairing the Hyperion and applying all damage to the Tempest, it was looking like the Ducks would finally get some points on the board. Talwar down and just Drake left on the field, Footwork just didn’t have the damage to take anything down with it as it died. A win (and some happy quacks from host Elise) for the Power Ducks.

Sudden Otters vs Exodunks

Both teams had already picked up a win earlier in the evening, and both were eager for a second as they faced off to finish off the night’s matches. Positioning and repositioning and tactical testing of ranges made up the first half of the match, patience paying off when Exodunks got a huge burst of damage onto the Thrasher of Sudden Otters, taking it from half shields to scrap metal in just a couple of seconds. Otters would lose a Naga, followed by their Burst without anything in trade, struggling to get through the shields, good positioning, and repairs of the Exodunks team. The Rokh was the next to fall into the sights of most of Exodunks, while their Cyclone peeled off to one-on-one with Sudden Otters’ Caracal. The brave Rokh of Sudden Otters looked like he might hold out to the end of the match, but with just 4 seconds to go and not so much as a scratch on their armour, Exodunks earned themselves a domination victory that propelled them up the table.

Sudden Otters did manage to keep their lead, but Exodunks are now hot on their heels with just a single point separating them. Every team has now picked up at least one win, giving a four-way tie at the lower end of the table. There is still plenty of time for things to change, as these teams return to fight another day on March 5th

A full rundown of the match results and points scored is available over on our Arena site, along with information on the rules and ship fittings of this season’s Championship.

The Major League teams are back in action next weekend, so join us on Twitch on February 26th for more spaceship combat!