PPS-SFO Practice [3-31-2019]

It’s almost go-time for tournament paintball players here in North Texas, as the United States X-Ball League (USXBL) kicks off in less than a week. Hosted at X-Factor Paintball Park in the greater San Antonio area, the “Planet Eclipse Open” will see 58 teams spread across two days of tournament play.

Players ranking from Division 5 to Semi-Pro will be competing for the top spot in four different divisions: Premiere X-Ball, Division 5 Race-to-3, Division 4 Race-to-2, and Division 4 X-Ball. While these formats share many similarities, the level of play in each can vary greatly depending on the team’s skill and coaching. Most notable is the increase of teams inside the Premier Division compared to last year, which will add a new dynamic for teams competing in the lower levels.

However, while this shift upwards in play would leave one to believe that lower divisions are now weaker – that is not the case. As teams diversify their rosters each season, the ranking system becomes somewhat of a game in itself, as managers and coaches fight to make teams fit guidelines put forth by the USXBL. Along with the Premiere Division not accruing points onto players, the ability to play multiple divisions without an additional cost is always an inevitability.

Personally, we at PPS-SFO will have 5 lines at this event, consisting of:

- PPS-SFO (Premiere Division)

- PPS-SFO Dirty (Division 4 X-Ball)

- PPS-SFO Riot (Division 4 X-Ball)

- PPS-SFO Rumble (Division 5 Race-to-3)

- PPS-SFO Mayhem (Division 5 Race-to-3)

As a whole we are excited to start the USXBL season, and happy with where our team sits going into the first event. After this last weekend practicing the layout, many of our players exhibited confidence in knowing how the field will play overall. On that note, we did experience polarizing types of play across all levels of play. From games finished within a minute to drawn out games stretching past the 5-minute mark, we are curious to see how the tournament plays out in the end. We would not be surprised to see games deeper into the tournament go to time with less than 3 points on the scoreboard.

USXBL Planet Eclipse Open Layout

Being as this is Texas, we are hoping that the typical spring time weather will be generous for this weekend, as thunderstorms have been known to plague the first event of the year. Lastly, we look forward to finally getting back into the swing of things and competing with some of the best divisional teams in Texas.