ESL Pro League Finals - Day 1 Recap
Be it Liquid missing their connecting flight, Fnatic flirting with elimination, group A seeing their first team drop out, we’ve got you covered for everything that happened day one of the ESL Pro League finals. The LAN finals at Odense features 16 of the best teams across the entire world of CS:GO
Group A - Immoral Yellow Domination
Click to enlargeWith three teams from each bracket moving forwards into stadium play, the team which comes out on top in the upper bracket will move forward to directly occupy a semifinal slot. Group A saw the best-of-ones go swiftly in favor of each favorite team. With the only matchup considered contentious being between Evil Geniuses and Fnatic, ranked 2 and 4 respectively going into the game, all else were fairly cut and dry.
EG however, dominated Fnatic in a 16-3 series, before proceeding to wipe the floor with 100 Thieves in a quick 2-0 best-of-three series. Seemingly unchallenged, this was very much an EG revitalized from their loss at CAC 2019 in China.
The other side of the bracket saw a resurgent NaVi, who - albeit with a much easier path - were able to breeze by Tyloo and MiBr in quick succession, losing an average of 6.66 rounds across three maps. NaVi and EG will face off against each other tomorrow to decide who is seeded directly into the semifinals from group A. With S1mple and Electronic looking explosive, and EG seemingly stabilized, that should be a finals-worthy series.
The losers of Group A were painstakingly clear, Fnatic were taken to the brink Heroic in a three-game series where Heroic managed to sweep the floor with them on Inferno - their own pick. After having lost to EG in the upper bracket 16-3, this could have spelt the end of the road for Fnatic had they not come back against the Danes on Vertigo with a monstrous performance from Golden, to have Overpass close out 16-13 in favor of Fnatic. Heroic were eliminated from the tournament.
Fnatic/Heroic are going to be playing MiBr in an elimination series. Although MiBr has looked better as of late, it’s still a shaky series that could go either way.
Tyloo were also swiftly eliminated - though not before exposing FaZe’s weak inferno.
Ultimately the big storyline from Group A is going to be 100 Thieves versus FaZe, with both teams having something to prove. FaZe are going to have constant criticism levied against them with their players should they not make top four at an event, and 100 Thieves who have to show that they can’t be brushed aside by teams in the lower echelons of top 10.
Group B - Wet, Star-studded, Mousey Baguettes
Click to enlargeWith Group B not having any contentious matches, all the results coming forwards were practically as expected.
Liquid’s jetlag and delayed flight forced changes in schedule which made it so only the initial four best-of-one games were played, and no teams are eliminated just yet. Despite there being question marks about their ability to hold their own against North given extenuating circumstances, they were able to come out on top.
Renegades - the former Greyhound roster - would be joining North, ATK and Sharks in the lower bracket for Group B. Meanwhile, we’ll get to see Astralis face off against G2, and Mousesports get a chance at a still-weakened Liquid in the upper bracket games for tomorrow.
The game to keep an eye out for us is definitely between Mousesports and Liquid, with Mousesports having to show that CAC 2019 wasn’t just a one-off. Should Mousesports not make it to playoffs at this event, it would be a particularly bitter pill to swallow for their fans. Similarly, Liquid is still likely suffering from jetlag and travel fatigue, making them a more vulnerable target than their rank may suggest.
If you haven’t tuned in to the ESL Pro League Season 10 finals yet then you can watch them on the ESL CSGO Twitch channel. Games for day two start at 11AM GMT/12PM CET. The finals will be held on the 8th of December at the Jyse Bank Arena in Odense.
Main Image Credit - ESL
