Dragonflight S4: TGP Group A Preview

By Gogogadgetkat — Jul 4 20:00 UTC

The final TGP of Dragonflight is HERE! The Proving Grounds have concluded, the 12 qualifying teams have been determined, and the action starts NOW!

This weekend, we’ll watch Group A battle it out to determine which three teams will secure tickets to the Global Finals! Read on for a brief overview of some new changes to the TGP format, info on each of the Group A teams, and our predictions for this weekend’s tournament.

Dragonflight’s Season 4 TGP starts at 10am PST / 7pm CEST, and you can watch it live on the Warcraft YouTube Channel, or the Warcraft Twitch Channel. If you aren’t able to tune in, we’ve got you covered with LIVE updates and highlights all weekend long with our TGP Highlights page!

TGP Format Changes
Group A Teams Preview

Group A Predictions

TGP Format Changes

Over the past few years, TGP has had a very static rulebook, but Season 4’s event promises to switch things up a bit! Blizzard has finally had enough of the 1 tank, 4 DPS shenanigans taking place in high-end key-pushing, and has now mandated that each TGP team must have 1 tank, 1 healer, and 3 DPS at all times.

Additionally, viewers can expect that the first day of both Group A and B will be significantly more exciting. Now that teams will only have to work on prepping push keys for three dungeons on Day 1 instead of the usual four, we should expect to see push keys happening much earlier on Day 1 this time around. Then, teams will receive a fourth and fifth dungeon on Day 2, and a final 6th dungeon on Day 3!

So how do we think the rule changes will impact the tournament? Check out our Inside Look for our thoughts and hot takes!

Group A Teams Preview

Group A looks to be highly competitive, though we expect that the first two spots in the Finals will easily go to Mandatory and Perplexed.

Besides the two major veteran teams in Mandatory and Perplexed, Group A also hosts some completely new teams, like Exposed, Shinra Tensei, and Pedros Per Hour. However, even in the newly formed teams, there are a number of experienced players who have had multiple seasons of Mythic+ tournament experience. The only truly new team to the scene is Exposed, who are also our lowest seed.

On the other hand, we did have a very surprising placing in the Proving Grounds, with Perplexed finding themselves in 9th place, despite being a powerhouse veteran team that almost always lands in the top spots. Are Perplexed off their game, or were they just giving themselves a breather through the Proving Grounds stage?

Group A is going to be an intense battle for those hard-won Global Finals spots, and we’re all looking forward to it!

Reigning Season 3 MDI champs Mandatory are back for redemption after their disappointing finish in Season 2, which saw them eliminated first in the Finals. However, the new TGP rule changes certainly work in this team’s favor, as their previous TGP elimination was the result of mere seconds of lost time and thus, slightly smaller keys in comparison to their competitors. As no eliminations will occur on the first two days of the Grand Finals this season, this frustrating mishap (hopefully) won’t happen again! The squad’s roster is still quite consistent, with the sole newcomer being Hopeful, who previously played with Legendary in Season 3’s MDI.

Mandatory certainly played the Proving Grounds in style, scoring a blazing fast 59:44 accumulated time that allowed them to nab the first seed just under the wire, a few minutes before the Proving Grounds closed. This puts them ahead of Missed Count, and also two spots ahead of typical competition favorites, Echo, both of whom are in Group B. After defeating Echo in the MDI, Mandatory may very well be primed to do the same this season! They have to make it to Globals first, however.

Pedros Per Hour are ready to boogie as the first NA team on the leaderboards, where they ended 4th after the Proving Grounds. These bandits certainly showed some promise in the Proving Grounds stage, as their accumulated time was only 2 minutes and 30 seconds slower than rank 1 team Mandatory.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about this team (besides the adorable raccoon), is the roster, especially the prospect of welcoming back mage legend Imfiredup, who returns to the competitive Mythic+ scene after having taken a break back in Shadowlands! Imfiredup is joined by “Mythic+ guy” Yoda, guildmate Sanghelios, and MDI Champion Crims, a Mandatory alum. Drohgoh, who played with Last Hope in Season 3’s MDI, rounds out the raccoon squad.

Madge is a new name, but the team members themselves are certainly not new to competition at this level. Previously playing in Season 3’s MDI under the name dawgs, Madge has now added talented healer Roiben to their roster. She joins dawgs original members LeMike, Sjele, Drjay, and Soda. Season 3 was not kind to these dawgs, as they came in last in the Global Finals after being 0-2’d twice in a row, but perhaps a name change and a slight roster mixup is exactly what the vet ordered!

Coming in at a very respectable 5th place after the Proving Grounds, Madge were about 3 minutes slower than the first place team. Their performance in the Proving Grounds is certainly nothing to scoff at, but if past events are any indicator, Madge may struggle to keep their footing, if not in the intense Group A bracket, then perhaps once again in the Finals.

Madge may have the competition experience and team chemistry over a new team like Shinra Tensei, but there are several big names in this Group A weekend who will not give up their Finals spots without a fight.

Shinra Tensei are our second NA team to make it to the group stage. The team came in only 1 second behind 7th place team, Dratnos Guild Team. Not only are Shinra Tensei the second NA team, but they’re also the second team to boast a major player comeback - gamer dad Nerftank makes a return to competitive Mythic+ this season! His teammates are all relatively unknown in the world of Mythic+ tournament play, but they are all rank 1 NA key pushers on retail: Dxm, Riley, Phu, and Dax.

Though individually, the players of Shinra Tensei are clearly talented and very experienced in a high-pressure key-pushing environment, it remains to be seen whether they yet have the team trust and chemistry necessary to be wholly successful at this level of competitive play. Group A boasts a truly impressive list of teams – even if Shinra Tensei are able to survive the first day of the event, making it into the Top 3 will be a tall order for the newcomers.

Consummate professionals and longtime competitive Mythic+ veterans Perplexed are practically an institution in Mythic+ tournament play. With their incredibly consistent roster and history together, Perplexed are certainly a scary team to face, and we know they are fully capable of menacing any and all of the newer teams in Group A.

However, we are surprised to see where Perplexed landed after the Proving Grounds – though they typically tackle any trial phase with gusto and flair, they seem to have taken it a little easier this time, ending up in 9th place. While they had the 4th fastest Brackenhide +21 at 33:56, the squad also nearly depleted their Ruby Life Pools +21. We’re not yet sure whether this stumble through RLP was simply a clever choice to take the Proving Grounds phase easy, a way to work out some kinks with the route or team comp, or an actual struggle.

Still, Perplexed have such a vast trove of MDI and TGP experience, that we expect the team to show their full power in the Group Stage and showcase why they have made it into the Global Finals in almost every single MDI and TGP since Battle for Azeroth.

Exposed are another new team on the scene. However, if you’re interested in the Race to World First and Mythic raiding scene, you may recognize this name as the Czech guild that placed World 11th in the Amirdrassil race. While the guild Exposed has been around for a bit, their Mythic+ team is very newly formed, only starting up last season. With the exception of Yont, who tanked for Last Moment in Season 2’s TGP, none of the players on this team have had any experience in tournament play.

Unfortunately, Exposed looks to have had a bit of a rough go of things in the Proving Grounds stage, as they narrowly nabbed the 12th spot as the only team with 39 points to get into the group stage. They ended two key levels behind the top 9 in Brackenhide, and one key level behind in Ruby Life Pools, putting them a full 3 points behind most of their competitors.

This is probably not the group stage Exposed was hoping to land in as a brand new team with little previous experience; Group A is going to be highly competitive! In all likelihood it will be extremely difficult for this squad to land in the top 3 here, although they are certainly capable of making it through the eliminations on Friday and Saturday.

Group A Predictions

Only three teams from Group A will be qualifying for the Grand Finals. Keeping in mind the performances of all teams in previous MDI and TGP events, the first two Finals spots seem like a bit of a foregone conclusion. Mandatory will almost certainly be among the top teams of the weekend, and if they show up with the incredible power we know they’re capable of, Perplexed will join them at the top. Both teams have been consistently ahead of the rest of their competitors in previous events, and their extensive MDI and TGP experience will surely be of value along the way.

The most exciting moments will likely take place in pursuit of that coveted third spot for the Global Finals. Among the other teams in Group A, there are a number of well-known and highly-respected competitors who have faced off in tournament-style play before; Madge and Pedros Per Hour both looked strong in the Proving Grounds stage, though Madge may find themselves with a slight advantage, given their extensive experience from playing high-keys on retail together for such a long time.

As for the remaining teams, we would certainly love to see them upset one of the veteran squads, but if history is anything to go by, we have rarely, if ever, seen it happen. Still, you’d better join us on Friday at 10 AM PST/7 PM CEST for Group A of Dragonflight Season 4’s The Great Push to see how it all plays out!

Thanks for reading our Group A Preview, and be sure to visit the OFFICIAL TGP Dragonflight Season 4 hub for info on the rules, prizes, teams, and the LIVE events coverage!

About the Authors

Gogogadgetkat has been playing WoW since late BC, and has been the GM of her guild Propaganda since its creation in 2014. As a career healer, Kat has a number of CEs and old-school heroic kills under her belt, all on a variety of healing classes and specs—she’s a serial altoholic! In addition to Mythic raiding and a little Mythic+, creating safe, inclusive spaces in gaming is her longtime passion; Kat has been an admin for the Perky Pugs community since late BfA, and is also a founding council member and the community manager for the DEIBAJ initiative VISAGE. She is excited to bring her wealth of experience and love of writing to the Raider.IO team.

Picco is an old-fashioned WoW gamer that started back in Vanilla and has played ever since. She is a healer by heart and is currently maining Restoration Druid. She loves Mythic+ and has a great passion for events like the MDI and TGP. Picco is part of the KeystoneMasters team and enjoys jiggling around with ideas for fun new formats of community tournaments. She is also a Mod for several streamers and guilds, particularly during the RWF. Outside of WoW, Picco is a Sprout in FF14, where she explores with her Lala Summoner.

About the Editor

VitaminP (VP) is the Content Manager of Raider.IO. VP holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and has worked for Raider.IO since the formation of its News Section in November 2018. VP specializes in tanking classes and has loved doing competitive Mythic+ on and off since early Legion.