TNL Season 9 Midseason Review

Here's a look at how each team has fared so far midway through TNL's ninth season.

No. 32 - Seattle Surge (3-13, L1, 695 pts)

For Seattle, it's another season of rinse-and-repeat. And not in the good way. Ever since Season 4, where the Surge failed to make it into the Play-In Tournament by virtue of less points, they've been nowhere. It's been a slow burn that's only gotten worse. This season, it seems to have bottomed out — in points per game, the Surge rank dead last in both Stage Two and Stage Three and sit just 18th in Stage One.

Possibly the only silver lining is that Seattle can reload and try to make a push for Season 10 — if it's active enough to do that.

No. 31 - Las Vegas Jackpot (3-13, L1, 880 pts)

Though Las Vegas has been mediocre for almost its entire existence, it's still disappointing to see a team regress even further. Though 24th isn't great, it's better than second-to-last, which is where the Jackpot are at right now. Though Las Vegas has two competitors in the top 100 individual rankings, No. 24 (Moritz Hans) and No. 66 (Dillon Gates) aren't able to do much to save a team that lags behind in both Stage One (25th) and Stage Two (31st).

The Jackpot are really in a holding pattern, like with most other backmarkers. They're a team that doesn't have much tied to its current core, but simultaneously, it's hard to expect them to jump out of their pattern of mediocrity. After all, except for one season, that's essentially all they've known.

No. 30 - Chicago Cyclones (4-12, L1, 807 pts)

After a 16th-place finish two seasons ago, Chicago has failed to capitalize on any of that momentum, winning just four of its first 16 games so far this season. Though it has four players in the top 100, it's scored just under five points per game less than Las Vegas. The main reason why is its Stage Three, which ranks third to last ahead of only Cleveland and Seattle. The Cyclones have just one player in the top 50: No. 50 Matt Bradley.

There's a step to redemption — but like with almost every backmarker, it's the same: tear it down, try again and hope it works.

No. 29 - Cleveland Crowns (4-12, W1, 900 pts)

Ditto for Cleveland. For yet another season, the Crowns have found themselves in the tail quarter of the season. This season, it looked like it would be different. Aaron Maggiacomo and Kenji Takahashi '09 were hailed as a duo that could at least bring Cleveland to a decent standing, if not to the playoffs.

But so far, through 16 games, it's been the same brand of standard mediocrity for the Crowns. Maggiacomo and Takahashi '09 rank just 73rd and 93rd, respectively, second-to-last of all Stage Three duos. One saving grace for Cleveland? This season, the Crowns rank sixth in points per game for Stage One. That's the stage that pays the least points, but it's getting somewhere. If Cleveland can add an ace this offseason, it could be in position for its first run. But that's a lot of "ifs", "ands" and "coulds".

No. 28 - Detroit Chargers (5-11, L6, 826 pts)

Bar Season Six, where Detroit made the Play-In Tournament before falling to Houston, the Chargers have simply been obscure. Like last season, Detroit's season was punctuated by streaks — the Chargers walk into the All-Star break on a six-game skid.

Detroit ranks as the fourth-worst team by most metrics, which falls in line with how it's done so far this season. The Chargers don't do anything particularly well, not ranking above 21st in any stage in terms of points per game. As always, it's a task of when Detroit tears this roster down — if it even chooses to do so. Expect mediocrity this season, and perhaps next season as well.

No. 27 - San Antonio Shurikens (5-11, L3, 861 pts)

For being 5-11, this team has surprised on several occasions this season. And despite ranking 30th, 28th and 24th in each stage when it comes to points per game, San Antonio also took down No. 12 Toronto. However, the Shurikens just aren't equipped with enough firepower. In its last three games, San Antonio's three opponents have averaged 91 points per game.

That's obviously a top-flight number, given that the leader in PPG (No. 2 Alaska - 79.3) is more than ten points behind. However, it's not unreasonable to assume that with the way TNL's numbers have started to even out. The league is far more balanced this season than it was last season. No team is on pace for less than six wins, while the top teams are currently projected to hit around 22 to 23 wins. It's a lot more condensed, but at the same time, that makes it easier for any other team to step up on a consistent basis.

San Antonio has done that in spurts, but not consistently. It'll need to do that if it wants any hope of tasting postseason glory.

No. 26 - Oklahoma City Lightning (5-11, L1, 885 pts)

Sitting at 3-0 three rounds in, Oklahoma City was on top of the world. In the 13 rounds since, the Lightning have gone 2-11. Still, five wins at this season's midpoint is more than the Lightning tallied all of last season. At minimum, it's a rebound from rock bottom. One smart decision that the Lightning made prior to this season was signing No. 42 Sean McColl to a one-season deal. It gives Oklahoma City flexibility and also allows them to move to keep McColl if they like his production.

Unfortunately for the Lightning, he's just about the only one delivering that production. Their next three closest players rank 92nd, 99th and 136th. To put it bluntly, a team's fourth option shouldn't be averaging under six and a half points a game. Unfortunately, that's where Oklahoma City's at right now. They've taken a step forward, but that's very easy to do when last season was a 4-27 misery. Next season will offer a truer test as to just what exactly this Lightning team is made of.

No. 25 - Los Angeles Eclipse (5-11, L3, 987 pts)

Now that Jay Lewis is gone, Los Angeles may start to slip even further into irrelevancy. It's arguably been there for a time, manifesting itself in what could be the Eclipse's third straight missed postseason and fourth in its last five. This season looks to be its worst yet. Though Los Angeles has three players in the top 75, it has none in the top 35.

The Eclipse have a lot of good secondary pieces — No. 38 Yamamoto Yoshiyuki, No. 59 Max Gorner and No. 61 Kazuhiko Akiyama '99 — to build around. But by trading away Lewis, Los Angeles may have sentenced itself to another postseason spent watching from the shadows.

No. 24 - Denver Dynamite (6-10, W1, 1172 pts)

Like with the team ahead of it (Tampa Bay), Denver's had a truly baffling season. The Dynamite rank ninth in points per game (73.3), yet sit 24th. A glaring issue is the discrepancy between its Stage Three and the remainder of its lineup. Denver's two current best players are No. 7 Kaden Lebsack (21.88 points per game) and No. 13 Paul Anthony Terek (19.40). The next closest? No. 122 Charlie Robbins (7.85).

It's a situation that's led to a Stage Three consistently slotting in at the top most weeks, but with the field spread growing tighter, TNL is more about balance now than ever before. Unfortunately, the Dynamite don't have that — and they're running out of time to find it.

No. 23 - Tampa Bay Thunder (7-9, W5, 1086 pts)

After a 14-3 season, Tampa Bay returned almost the exact same roster to get nowhere near as much production. Stumbling to a rough 2-9 start has placed the Thunder in danger of going from the top spot of the league to the bottom quarter a season later. Last season's calling card for Tampa Bay was its Stage Three, which ranked first of all teams in Season 8. This season, it's ranked just 12th.

With totals of 20th and 16th on the first two stages, it's a massive step back for a team no longer considered to be among the league's elite. If not for a five-game winning streak, the Thunder would be firmly in the league's basement. And right now, they still are in danger of staying there. The money specs don't help Tampa Bay much either; with $60 million tied between Caleb Bergstrom and Makoto Nagano '06, the Thunder's hands are essentially tied with regards to building a more complete and balanced roster.

No. 22 - New Jersey Generals (8-8, W1, 1028 pts)

After two good seasons, New Jersey has now found itself in the league's vast section of mediocre teams simply treading water. A 5-2 start was followed up by a 1-5 stretch in a season that's been a rollercoaster for the Generals. With just two players in the top 90 — No. 35 Loik Fortier and No. 58 Xavier Dantzler — it's been hard for New Jersey to generate any consistent scoring, as it sits just 22nd in scoring.

It's not all bad; New Jersey captured the Gauntlet (explained in my "How does TNL work? A Beginner's Guide to The Ninja League" article) in Round 16, the final round before this midseason review was published. But with an up-and-down season, which ensures that New Jersey cannot lose five or more games in the final 15 rounds of Season 9, it's hard to envision this Generals group crawling into the Play-In Tournament.

No. 21 - Houston Ignition (8-8, W3, 1047 pts)

For Houston, this season has been underpinned by the same issues that doomed last season, the first that contained a postseason without the Ignition.

The main reason why is it Stage Three, which ranks at No. 25 with 27.75 points per game. The Ignition have struggled to find a consistent option in the Third Stage, toggling between options such as Charlie Ball, Miska Sutela and Kevin Rodriguez. Some have been more successful than others, but overall, the experiment both hasn't fully worked and has disrupted any potential consistency.

Houston is starting to dial in, though, accumulating three straight wins. But if its Stage Three remains as anemic as it has been throughout this season so far, the Ignition may be doomed to watch the playoffs from the sidelines for the second straight season.

No. 20 - Dallas Wranglers (8-8, W4, 1126 pts)

For Dallas, the problem was initially worse, but was on Stage One rather than Stage Three. The Wranglers' Stage One ranks 28th of 32, while their Stage Two ranks fourth and Stage Three, sixth.

Even with the subpar Stage One, Dallas still ranks 12th of all teams when adding up the ranks for all three stages (Rank of Stage One + Rank of Stage Two + Rank of Stage Three).

On the weeks where points are harder to come by, the Wranglers' Stage Three is one of the best in the league and can carry it to multiple wins. But to truly have any shot at the postseason, the Wranglers will undoubtedly need an upgrade to their Stage One before the trade deadline passes.

No. 19 - Indianapolis Horsepower (8-8, W2, 1165 pts)

On Indianapolis' end, it's been solid but unremarkable. The Horsepower compiled a 4-4 record through the opening eight games and sit at .500 16 games into the season.

It's undoubtedly an improvement over last season, though. Indianapolis has already improved its win total from Season 8. Though the outlook remains that it will miss its fifth straight postseason, the verdict is that the Horsepower's chances at reaching glory in the future are no longer as low.

No. 18 - Atlanta Falconhawks (8-8, L5, 1176 pts)

Contrary to the mood centered around the past couple teams, Atlanta's outlook is more so doom and gloom. While they started the season near the league's top echelon, beginning 8-3, things looked bright. But after a five-game losing streak, Atlanta hasn't just fallen out of the postseason conversation — but has devolved into a complete freefall.

Atlanta's stats don't look too bad — third in Stage One, 11th in Stage Two and 18th in Stage Three — but that's moreso due to it having a stellar first 11 weeks. Since then, it's been all downhill from there for the Falconhawks. Expect this team to continue to slip in the coming rounds.

No. 17 - Charlotte Sting (8-8, W2, 1207 pts)

In what's turned out to be a fresh surprise, Charlotte seems to be a serious contender. The Sting have been one of the top franchises this season, averaging 75.4 points per game (fifth). But that hasn't always come with the prize of wins. Charlotte went through a four-round stretch where it dropped 61, 68, 101 and 74 points — and it lost all four games.

For the Sting, games like that will happen on occasion. Charlotte simply needs more luck to go its way in the final 15 rounds.

No. 16 - New York Nightmares (9-7, L1, 971 pts)

The record and points are far more generous than this team has performed. It's an improvement from last season (5-12 in first 17 games), but with an inexperienced rookie captain, this team has triumphed more off its schedule than anything. New York's opponents have scored 978 points — the fourth-lowest total in the entire league.

And there's not much to write home about with this roster. No. 56 Naoki Iketani '02 and No. 89 Lucas Reale highlight a squad that just has no real 'oomph' to it. Ashton Jeanty has been a pleasant surprise, averaging 13.40 points per game, but with the ban on overpowered sportsmen (those that have no affiliation to Ninja Warrior, rock climbing, etc.) from the league, his starring may be a moot point sooner rather than later.

Regardless, New York needs more Jeantys. The Nightmares may even need to replace their existing one. Expect the same brand of New York mediocrity that's become synchronous with the franchise ever since its Season Three championship run.

No. 15 - Philadelphia Freedom (9-7, L1, 1000 pts)

For the first time, Philadelphia looks like it could mount a charge. Yes, it's No. 15. Yes, Philadelphia has only one player in the top 50 (the next closest are No. 55 Anton Fomenko and No. 63 Philipp Gothert). But behind the power of No. 5 Asa Reynolds, the Freedom haven't just bene revitalized but also reborn.

This is a new Philadelphia team. And while there's still some obvious flaws and gaping holes in this roster — most notably, its last-place Stage One, 21st-placed Stage Two and average 14th-place Stage Three — there is something. That is something the Freedom haven't been able to say in a long time. But to make the playoffs, they need to make a move to center someone around Reynolds and also build up its first two stages. If not, then that potential playoff push gets exponentially harder.

No. 14 - Minnesota Blizzard (9-7, L2, 1054 pts)

Throughout its tenure in TNL, Minnesota has been a quite volatile squad. This season, it's ranked 2nd in Stage One and 11th in Stage Two. On its own, that would be great numbers — discounting the fact that the Blizzard rank only 27th in Stage Three. Another problem for this Blizzard core is inability to play outside of its main six.

Minnesota employs just eight on its roster and hasn't made a single swap this entire season, running the same six-person lineup each and every round. While it's good for consistency, it hasn't borne any significant fruit and has begun to backslide. Coming into the All-Star break, the Blizzard have lost five of their last seven. They're in need of a jumpstart — or they'll be watching the playoffs from home for the second consecutive season.

No. 13 - Austin Strike (9-7, L1, 1078 pts)

Austin's past few seasons can be summed up by the old adage, "close, but no cigar." That perfectly illustrates the Strike's previous season, which ended in the Play-In round to eventual semifinalist Toronto — and it does with this season, too. Austin dropped three of its final four contests before the break, which knocked them outside the playoff.

If anything, Austin has the same problem as No. 20 Dallas. Like the Wranglers, Austin slots in near the very bottom of Stage One (29th of 32), while ranking in the top ten of both Stage Two (No. 7) and Stage Three (No. 9).

While Austin has four players in the top 100, its two lowest — both on Stage One — have combined for just 8.81 points per game. The Strike's Stage Three has done well so far, with Gavin Obey sitting in 18th and Mickael Mawem in 32nd. But that Third Stage hasn't been enough to entirely counteract Austin's anemic opening. For the Strike to have a true shot at the postseason, that'll need to change — and quickly.

No. 12 - Toronto Titans (9-7, W1, 1140 pts)

Originally, it looked as if Toronto would simply reload and refresh. But this team has done anything but that. The Titans completely retooled their lineup, swapping out Kazuhiko Akiyama '99, Brett Strong and Nacssa Garemore for No. 23 Geoff Britten, No. 37 Jordan Jovtchev, No. 39 Max Feinberg and No. 48 Iurii Prokudin.

And so far, the new experiment has been a mixed bag. While Toronto has played five of its players through all 16 rounds and each of them has averaged over double-digits, it hasn't come with wins. The Titans currently are averaging 71.3 points per game, good for 13th in the league. While that's solid, it does leave a small amount to be desired for a team that made the semifinals last season.

Looking at the advanced statistics, Toronto's Stage One is decent (No. 11), its Stage Two is elite (No. 5) and its Stage Three sits right in the middle at No. 16. For the Titans to improve, they'll have to improve the most valuable stage. If they can't do that, it'll be a postseason miss for a team that was one of the final four teams just a season ago.

No. 11 - Baltimore Bandits (9-7, W4, 1143 pts)

Baltimore has been one of the most surprising teams this season. It begins with the meteoric rise of No. 10 Evan Lavallee. Lavallee has broken onto the scene in Season 9, compiling just over 20 points a night en route to a possible All-TNL selection come the end of the season.

Though Baltimore sits one game outside the top ten, it's also only a game over a .500 record and there's also not an alpha player to surround Lavallee. Baltimore's next two highest are No. 65 Joseph Meissner and No. 76 Araki Naoyuki. It's not horrible, but the Bandits could undoubtedly use a better No. 2 option in the Third Stage to propel it over its current No. 10 ranking.

That problem could be solved, but in the meantime, Baltimore can hold its heads high knowing that it's one of only two teams to be in the top 10 in each stage. The other? A perennial contender — No. 5 Oakland.

No. 10 - Pittsburgh Iron (10-6, L2, 1077 pts)

Pittsburgh's championship defense season has been quite odd. The Iron made the choice to trade away Kaden Lebsack to receive Matt Bradley, whose dreadful season has him slotted at No. 50 at the midseason, then dealt him away to receive Bryson Rosewood, who ranks No. 121.

Simply put, this season has been one of bad moves for the Iron. And yet, they still are in the top 10, with six losses to their name. For now, expect the Iron to be OK — but nowhere near the championship aspirations they held at the beginning of the season.

No. 9 - Tokyo Kaiju (10-6, L2, 1142 pts)

Though the road to the All-Star game ended on a sour note for the Kaiju, who lost two straight, it's been mostly smiles so far for Tokyo. The Kaiju went on a rampage to start the season, stringing together six straight wins. And while, they've cooled off, dropping three of their last four, it's still firmly in the playoff echelon.

No. 16 Evan White has headlined Tokyo all season, leading it to its best record after 16 games of all time. His 19 points per game have carried the Kaiju, lifting their Stage Three to twelfth. If not for Clement Gravier ranking No. 45, the Kaiju likely would have more wins.

As it stands, Gravier is a player that Tokyo likely will need to trade to have a chance of making it into the top six. As it stands, they're in a very solid situation — much better than any season before it.

No. 8 - Sacramento Shadows (10-6, W1, 1182 pts)

For Sacramento, it's been quite an odd season. Though the Shadows sit one game above the playoff cutline, they dropped four of five at one point in the season. Since then, they've gone 6-2 and look to be back to their old selves.

That eight-game stretch included two triple-digit outbursts. It's thanks to efforts like those that the Shadows have triumphed. Sacramento has the best Stage One and the fifth-best Stage Two in terms of points per game. Where the Shadows are lacking is on their Stage Three production, which sits at 17th-most.

A big reason why is the regression of Noah Meunier. Meunier, currently sitting at 26th in the individual rankings, finished fifth in last season's MVP rankings. While Meunier's slide isn't a dealbreaker, Iliann Cherif's decline has been. In the individual rankings, Cherif's at No. 43 — 17 spots below Meunier and one spot below Sacramento's top Stage Two option, Toshihiro Takeda '03.

Other than Stage Three, Sacramento's in a great situation. If it can get its Third Stage dialed out, a second straight Finals appearance could be on the cards.

No. 7 - DC Defenders (10-6, W1, 1210 pts)

There's two phrases that have recently been synonymous with the DC Defenders in TNL: Yuji Urushihara '10 and a likely playoff exit. Until last season, the Defenders hadn't made the playoffs since Season 5 — Season 6 was dashed in the Play-Ins by eventual finalist Houston, while DC failed to make the top 10 in Season 7. In Season 8, the Defenders finally broke through, only to be swept by Oakland in a four-game rout.

This season, DC's formula seems to be the exact same: Build around Urushihara '10, keep the Japanese star and hope that things fall the right way. For the Defenders, it's mostly worked this season, as they're the first team outside the top six. However, with their Stage One and Stage Two sitting at 21st and 24th, respectively, DC will be looking to avoid any signs of atavism in its Stage Three.

If that regression does come, it'll be likely to either doom the Defenders to either their third missed postseason in four seasons or an early exit if they do make it.

No. 6 - London Glory (11-5, L1, 1096 pts)

London has been a newer version of DC. Its Stage One (No. 25) and Stage Two (No. 23) rank four spots above and one spot below the Defenders', respectively. Its ace, Ryosuke Miyaoka, ranks ninth and its second option, Koji Hashimoto '10, ranks 29th (DC's No. 2, Katsumi Yamada '99, ranks 28th).

For whatever reason, London's formula has worked, but with not as many points. The Glory have ridden a hot streak, winning four out of their last five with their most previous week being to No. 2 Alaska, who scored 110.

If not for that loss, London would be the top team in the league and facing Miami in the All-Star game. That's just how tight the league really has been this season. For the Glory, they'll be hoping for the same thing as the Defenders — no regression and improvement from their first two stages. If either of those come, or the teams behind can't make any headway, London is in a decent position to make its first postseason in franchise history.

No. 5 - Oakland Invaders (11-5, W1, 1199 pts)

Oakland has always been a team that's gotten off to a slow start. This time, the Invaders dropped two of their first three matches and were 3-3 through six rounds. After nine, they sat at 5-4. But then, Oakland did what Oakland does. Now winners of six of their last seven, the Invaders walk into the second half of the postseason with their swagger back.

It comes without franchise mainstay Sean McColl, who was taken by Oklahoma City during free agency. In his stead, Jan Tatarowicz (No. 46) has stepped up dramatically, notching 14.27 points per game and being a reliable Stage Two piece.

His consistency is a big reason that Oakland is in the top five of TNL's "Total Rank" statistic (rank of Stage One points per game + rank of Stage Two points per game + rank of Stage Three points per game). If he continues this torrid pace — and if No. 11 Jackson Erdos and No. 22 Vance Walker continue their stellar starts to the season — Oakland could finally hoist its first championship trophy.

No. 4 - Boston Hustle (11-5, L2, 1227 pts)

For most of the season, it was Boston ruling the roost. It's a formula that can be applied to the Hustle, or perhaps Oakland at this rate: a team that shines in the regular season, but can't quite get it done. A few weeks after losing their sixth seven-game series in franchise history, the Hustle topped the standings for 13 of the first 16 weeks. And yet, they didn't even make the All-Star game.

That came courtesy of a late slump, where Boston dropped three of its final five to fall two spots shy of the All-Star game. And the Hustle started the season on an 8-1 tear. Since? They've gone just 3-4 and look far more human than the beginning of the season.

A big part of why is their Stage Two, which sits 15th in the standings. Average isn't bad — but in TNL, with such fine margins separating the top teams, every spot matters. And right now, Boston finds itself slowly beginning to slip down the standings. If it can correct the rut, it's got the deepest team in the league on paper.

But as we've seen many a time on TNL, what's "on paper" doesn't always translate in the simulator.

No. 3 - Portland Riptide (11-5, W1, 1267 pts)

Portland's Stage Three has been electric and a big reason of why it's been a contender once again this season. Led by No. 2 Morimoto Yusuke and supporting by No. 20 Ryo Matachi '11, the Riptide have been near the top of the board.

Portland's main area of improvement is likely its Stage One, which ranks 17th.  But with four players in the top 90, it's hard to dispute that this team is undoubtedly one of the favorites for the championship. As long as the Riptide can stay the course, they could be en route to championship No. 2 in May.

No. 2 - Alaska Aces (11-5, W4, 1269 pts)

If not for Miami having one extra win, it would be Alaska sitting atop the standings. The Aces have arguably been the better team, so far this season. Behind the three-headed dragon of No. 17 Oliver Luttman, No. 31 Levi Meeuwenberg and No. 34 Tom Alberti, Alaska has retooled from last season into a true championship contender.

It’s much like what Boston looked like last season — an elite Stage Two combined with strong performances in Stages One and Three. Alaska's main focus should be on either finding a No. 2 option to complement Luttman or to trade up to get a new No. 1. Regardless, the Aces are already firmly in the championship conversation.

No. 1 - Miami Blaze (12-4, W11, 1051 pts)

In essence, Miami's 11-game winning streak does all the talking for this unit. In Round 5, it was looking bleak for a 1-4 Blaze squad sitting near the bottom of the standings. But since then, Miami has gone on a heater. And they're looking to get even hotter, having traded for No. 12 Jay Lewis a couple days prior to the All-Star festivities.

Their captain, Rysins726, has been consistently retooling his lineup to address any possible weaknesses. While his moves haven't always been perfect, it's undeniable that he's truly stepped up his game this season.

Where this team's problems lie is that while it's won a lot, the wins haven't been 100 percent because of Miami's skill. Despite leading the league, the Blaze sit just 20th in points per game and have just two players in the top 100 (No. 12 Jay Lewis and No. 21 Nacssa Garemore). While part of that is because the Blaze have experimented with their lineup, it's also a testament to the Blaze's record inflating this team's true skill level. Once Miami's winning streak ends, it'll become easier to see where this team truly lies.

TNL action will resume with the TNL Invitational and the TNL All-Star Game on Thursday, April 17, and the regular season will start back up on Friday, April 19, with Round 17.