Bowen and Smackrock Step Up Again

by Romulocks · March 2, 2025 · 8 views · Season 26 · Evolution

Was this writeup helpful? 👍 8 👎 0

💡

If there is one thing this league should be thankful for, it's Bowen and Smackrock. Not only are they both staff members who are doing everything they can to keep the wheels on the bus behind the scenes, but they are also now combining forces to bring another squad to this league, and they've enlisted a number of old friends and teammates to accomplish that goal. The result is a team full of some of the kindest people (truly) in the game, all of whom are focused more on fun and enjoyment than on winning, although they wouldn't mind getting the win to boot. Bowen has changed his name to Bones officially, which is the most suitable name change in the history of Infantry in my book. At the end of Season 25 he set out to create a true learning squad, enlisting several of the guys who regularly play with ThatDude and Smackrock, and combining them with veteran skirmish elements. ThatDude's crew has been familiar to us for a while now - Chica, Doghouse, Traximillion, Smackrock, and even MP are known commodities in this league at this point. But ol' Bones brought with him some faded legends in Mosh, Draco, Caved and Stoink. It's an odd group to see together in some respects, but I am confident that this group will have fun together and enjoy the experience even if they are pitted against K Dude. Currently, I don't predict that Evolution will have a ton of success in the win column. I definitely think they will have had more success than Bowen and Smackrock have found in seasons past due to the competition level in the bottom four squads. And if they can hurry and find some chemistry in the ranks they might be able to snake out a win early with some coordination and solid individual performances from their heavyweights - Draco, Mosh, and Stoink. Weaknesses however abound on this team. They don't really have a natural leader, although I think Bowen will do a serviceable job at that role with the assistance of Smackrock. I do think it leaves them wanting in that area though. Medics are real problem for this team, although the addition of Caved should help a lot and Chica did a much better job at staying alive in Season 25. But ThatDude should absolutely consider making this a marine season and bow out from the class altogether, leaving Doghouse as the 3rd string medic. Probably the biggest X Factor is Military Police, who has games where he murders, followed by games where he is on the receiving end of that murder. A little consistency from anybody would go a long way for Evolution, but I get the feeling it's going to be rough going for them, particularly against juggernaut squads like K Dude and Cocaine. Look for Dracolich to be the best marine and best player on this roster and maybe he'll finally get the accolades he has long deserved. Overall: 5.0/10 - #6 Squad in Romulocks Power Rankings for Season 26

👥 Player Notes

Draco

Draco is the best player individually on this roster, and it isn't even close. A tremendously underrated flanker and lethal marine, he can hold a position by himself against superior numbers in a way that few other mid-tier players can. He has a very decent vision for the entire field and frequently will get battle opening kills from LAWs or AR bullets when opponents don't respect him enough. Draco is going to be required to have a big game every week for Evolution to be successful, and he is certainly capable of that but a little help from the bottom of the roster would go a long way to making him even more successful.

mosh

Mosh has a lot of in-game talents he brings to any squad he plays for, but none are bigger than his positive attitude which is infectious for any team chemistry. He has never really returned to form since coming back to Infantry, likely because he is sporadic in his practice time. That translates to poor positioning at times and delayed pushes on offense. But when Mosh is playing well he is a very above average marine and solid rifle for team shooting / focus fire. He frequently gets unexpected LAW kills and looks to bail teammates out of tough spots. Evolution needs him to have a big week every week, and that might be too much to ask of the faded legend - but one can only hope he is up to the task.

shit ass

Stoink is a killer. An absolute predator. He acquires his target and pursues them, come what may. Frequently that leads to him biting off significantly more than he can chew when he launches into positioning that he can't possibly survive from. But put a medic behind Stoink and he will absolutely get kills and he has the potential to be the most effective offensive player on this roster if he comes into these games in the right mental space. He needs to focus this season on team shooting and survivability and there really isn't a limit on how good he can be.

Caved

Below is another faded legend recently returned to the game. He did a bang up job as medic for Birds in his first season back to the game taking home a Championship Ring, and now he's taking his talents to Evolution in Season 26. He is going to have a huge task of keeping these marines alive in the face of superior opponents virtually every week. That's not small feat, but Below is their best chance at being up to the task. The best thing he could do for his team is be one of the last players to die and use that medkit non-stop. If he does those two things, Evolution could snake games that many people would count them out of on paper.

Bowen

It's no secret that Bowen has struggled in the past several seasons to get his game back to form. He also struggles with consistency, which leads to games where Bowen sort of disappears entirely from the board, and occasionally where he is a detriment to the team. Generally speaking - Bowen understands the mechanics of this game, he knows what his role is, and how to accomplish it. It comes down to execution which varies night by night. If someone else could take over the leadership reins of this team, I think Bowen could do more to contribute as a killing marine than anything else, and his best role would be standing in the middle of Main leading the charge next to Mosh and MP, with Draco and Stoink on flank. If Bowen can contribute significantly to the total killcount, Evolution call pull off some upsets. If he fades into the shadows and doesn't perform, Evolution will lose. It really is that simple.

smackrock

Smackrock has done a fantastic job at throwing together squads and keeping the team momentum and energy high throughout the season. Unfortunately, his individual gameplay hasn't improved and progressed as fast as I would like to have seen. He charges into situation where he has no business putting himself, and is often the most exposed element of his team - leading to early, costly deaths. If he could work on positioning and focus fire this season from behind his other marines, he would be much better off this season. And while no one expects him to put up huge numbers, the more he contributes the better the results will become for his squad.

Harrigan

A decent marine and better ripper, MP struggles with consistency on the field but if focused on team shooting can be a quality asset for a team. He gets LAW and grenade kills on a fairly regular basis and does a good job holding against pushes. He struggles significantly in positioning and team movement, and really needs a solid leader to help micro-manage his location from time to time. I'd like to see major improvement from MP this season, because he probably should be more of a mid-tier marine than he currently is based on talent alone.

chica

Chica had a fantastic Season 25, staying alive well after her medic counterpart and generally being called on to heal the entire team time and time again, which she did an excellent job of attempting to accomplish. Chica's worst quality in the past has been her susceptibility to LAWs, grenades, and AR in the opening moments of a battle, and she has gone a long way to minimizing those problems to a large degree, and Evolution's success this season will largely depend on her ability to keep up with that trend. Below and Chica isn't a bad medic team to build a team around, and she is going to have her hands full trying to keep these guys alive and fighting this season.

ThatDude

ThatDude is a serviceable marine, ranger, demo and AT. He is a terrible medic, and should not play the class as he just doesn't appear to have the mindset for it. He frequently wants to engage in team offense and his positioning works far better as a solo/flank marine than anything else. I'm not sure exactly how he fits in this team, but I'm sure Bones will be experimenting with the best use of his skills, and possibly as a flex player in the 8th spot.

3KWEREWOLF

Doghouse was really solid a few seasons back as medic, but inactivity really plays havoc with his effectiveness in game. He still makes some elementary mistakes leading to costly deaths, and he needs to really consider positioning a lot more than he currently does. But Doghouse has only shown improvement in recent seasons, and Evolution need him to be a strong 8th man or sub off the bench.

Trax

I must give Trax credit for the way he contributed to his team last season. He was getting kills even when all hope seemed lost, sometimes when his team was already in the process of being wiped. If Trax would listen to team commands, stay in formation, and fall appropriately - he would vastly improve his stock overall and become an asset for Evolution this season. But can he do that consistently - this remains to be seen.