The MODUS Super Series returns for Week 3 of Series 15, and this week's line-up offers exactly the sort of mixture that makes the competition so interesting.
There are players with considerable experience at the top level, some currently trying to fight their way back towards the PDC circuit, emerging names making progress on the Development and Challenge Tours, and others arriving with excellent form away from the PDC system.
And when I put the field through the Q4QS database, there isn't necessarily one overwhelming favourite.
Paul Krohne is the highest-ranked player in the field in the Q4QS data at No.21, but there are plenty of reasons to look further down the list – not least Dylan Slevin arriving as a brand-new Challenge Tour champion and Llew Bevan bringing an extraordinary recent winning record.
Paul Krohne Sets the Q4QS Benchmark
Krohne probably deserves to start as one of the major names to watch.
The German sits 21st in the Q4QS rankings, with a rating of 711.31 and an overall database average of 89.56. More importantly, he has demonstrated winning form.
His recent Swiss Open & Helvetia Open title came with a 91.87 tournament average, while his five most recent recorded tournaments also contain two further quarter-finals.
Short-format MODUS matches can be unforgiving, but Krohne appears to have the combination of scoring and consistency required to make a serious challenge.
Slevin Arrives as a Challenge Tour Champion
Perhaps the most timely storyline of the entire week belongs to Dylan Slevin.
The database already shows the Irishman reaching a Development Tour 19 semi-final with an 87.14 tournament average, as well as a quarter-final at Development Tour 20.
But he has subsequently gone one better on the Challenge Tour.
Slevin won Challenge Tour Event 19 on Saturday, going through seven rounds and claiming his maiden Challenge Tour title. That is significant form to take straight into a week of MODUS competition.
He's certainly one I'll be watching closely.
Don't Overlook Andy Baetens
Andy Baetens is another player whose recent record deserves attention.
His overall Q4QS database average stands at 89.03, and there is a reassuring consistency to his recent tournament numbers.
Baetens averaged 92.25 during a run through a PDC European Tour Host Nation Qualifier, 92.29 in reaching a Belgian Open quarter-final and 89.04 during a Denmark Open & Masters semi-final run.
He might not have the freshest title next to his name, but his underlying performances suggest he could be very difficult to shift.
McEwan Back on Familiar Ground
Jim McEwan immediately stands out for another reason – he knows exactly how to win the MODUS Super Series.
McEwan is already a former weekly champion, having won Week 5 of Series 14, and he comes into this appearance with some excellent numbers behind him.
He's 8-2 across his last ten matches in the Q4QS database and recently reached an Isle of Man final with a 93.65 event average.
Perhaps even more eye-catching was a 103.08 average in his most recent recorded event.
Experience of this particular environment shouldn't be underestimated either.
Llew Bevan – The Form Player?
If we're looking purely at momentum, Llew Bevan is impossible to ignore.
His Q4QS ranking of 299 doesn't tell the full story.
Bevan is currently 10-0 across his last ten recorded matches, while his recent tournament record includes multiple titles. He averaged 93.27 when winning the Towy Vault Break Round Robin 2 and has individual recorded performances of 107.36 and 109.98.
The obvious question is how that form translates to the MODUS stage against a deeper international field.
That's precisely why he's one of the most intriguing players of the week.
Cansdale Continues to Progress
Asa Cansdale provides another interesting storyline.
He's 8-2 in his last ten and recently reached the semi-finals of the ADC Winmau Championship South Event 11 with an 85.21 tournament average.
His recent results also contain an 86.04 average during a Development Tour Last 64 run, demonstrating that he can compete effectively in different environments.
This feels like another opportunity to see how far that progression has come.
Plenty More Beyond the Leading Six
And that's what makes this field particularly difficult to call.
Ciaran Forde is 7-3 across his last ten and has produced a 94.52 individual match average, while his recent calendar has included plenty of Development Tour competition.
Former Grand Slam champion José de Sousa needs little introduction. His more recent database results haven't matched the heights of his best years, but there's still evidence of his scoring ability, including a 93.94 match average during Q-School.
Mike Warburton is another fascinating one. His recent Challenge Tour results have been inconsistent, but his database contains a remarkable 110.51 match average, showing exactly what he's capable of when everything clicks.
Killian Heffernan comes in at 7-3 across his last ten, with plenty of recent Development Tour action behind him, while Darren Webster brings vast experience despite having much less recent data available in the Q4QS database.
Arne Spee completes the line-up, although there isn't currently enough information within this Q4QS export for me to make the same sort of data-backed assessment of his chances.
A Difficult Week to Call
There are arguments for experience, current form and raw numbers throughout this field.
Krohne has arguably the strongest overall Q4QS profile. Slevin has the freshest major result. Baetens brings consistency. McEwan knows how to win here. Cansdale continues to progress.
And then there's Bevan.
A player arriving 10-0 in the database after a succession of excellent performances away from the major professional circuits is exactly the type of story I enjoy following with Q4QS. Now we get to see how that form translates to the MODUS environment.
It should make Week 3 of Series 15 well worth watching.
