Nethercore came out on top despite a slight draft disadvantage (-374). At this level, small matchup gaps rarely decide the outcome.

Nethercore fields a noticeably stronger squad by leaderboard rank (★14068 vs ★17366), giving them a tangible individual skill advantage heading into this match.

The matchup matrix leans in favour of Air Defence (-374), though the draft is far from one-sided — execution will matter more than the numbers suggest.