Flashpoint Season 2 Analysis - Let's Look At The Teams
After having a successful tournament debut, Flashpoint is ready for Season 2, starting November 10. With a combination of twelve teams and seven of them being founders, the latest event from Flashpoint should gain some massive views. Season 1 was a hit with MAD Lions finishing in first after beating out MiBR in the finals - they went through multiple loser brackets but managed to come out victorious. Season 1 also had FunPlus Phoenix as a founding member along with four qualifier teams including Orgless, Chaos EC, HAVU Gaming, and Copenhagen Flames. Since their deal fell through with Heroic, FunPlus Phoenix closed their doors and will not be participating at Flashpoint Season 2. Not to worry though, the newest lineup of teams look intriguing.
FOUNDING TEAMS
The first team to analyse is Cloud9. Besides placing fourth at Flashpoint Season 1, Cloud9 has had a rough year. They went through almost ten roster changes, won zero tournaments, and invested millions into their team. Their ATK roster was mediocre at best and didn’t show too much passion when playing. The ESL Pro League was a disaster where they lost six out of seven matches. With Cloud9’s newest lineup, Patrick "es3tag" Hansen is someone to look out for. Based on their current roster, Cloud9 shouldn’t struggle to place fourth once again.
One of the lesser-known teams, c0ntact gaming, will most likely have a tough time at Flashpoint. They have zero earnings and often lose most of their matches. The only promising part of their team is that they signed some new players. Since doing this, they placed first at a recent DreamHack qualifier. For c0ntact, this is a huge step up. The only orgs they have a chance against includes Dignitas and Team Envy. Placing ninth or tenth would be reasonable for c0ntact gaming.
Next is another team that’s been falling off lately, which is Dignitas. A team that hasn’t produced numbers since 2016. Since picking up Haris "H4RR3" Hadzic and Ludvig “HEAP” Alonso, nothing has changed. Dignitas placed dead last at the Elisa Fall Invitational after losing two sets in a row. Keep in mind this was a B-Tier event, and they lost to Lyngby Vikings. Eleventh or twelfth place seems like a solid prediction for Dignitas.
Team Envy has been inactive for a couple of events, and that might show at Flashpoint Season 2. They’ve earned five grand within six months of playtime and placed second to last at Flashpoint Season 1. Nikola “LEGIJA” Ninic transferred to a player position while Thomas “Thomas” Utting was acquired from Endpoint. Neither one of these players are team deciders leaving Team Envy at a last-place prediction.
Another founding member that will also be playing is Gen.G. A team that started off with a bang after placing first at the DreamHack Open in Anaheim. Since Damian “daps” Steele and Sam “s0m” Oh stepped away from Gen.G, the team’s performance has weakened. At Flashpoint, they’ll have two subs including Richard “Xizt” Landström from Dignitas. Because of this, Gen.G should place near the bottom four.
Click to enlargeSTEADY COMPETITION
Now for the current Flashpoint champions known as MAD Lions. Besides their first-place finish at Season 1, the team has had a pretty underwhelming year. They’re currently ranked thirty-first in the world and won’t even be playing with their original roster. Instead, they picked up two players from x6tence but have won five out of six matches in October. A top-three placement at Flashpoint Season 2 is definitely in the picture for MAD Lions.
The last founding member who placed second at Flashpoint Season 1 is MiBR, a team that was rising through the Brazilian ranks leading up to 2020. They have three new players who have shown promising stats over the past month and are constantly learning. While they lost two out of three sets at BLAST Premier Fall, MiBR made a lot of good highlights. Placing fourth or fifth is more realistic since they scrambled to find a new roster.
NEW TEAMS AT FLASHPOINT
Following the founding members will be the three invited teams. BIG has had a solid year so far, which is why they’re ranked sixth in the world. They’ve won eight events and fifteen out of twenty sets in October alone. BIG signed two players at the start of 2020, and it’s paid off. They’re looking like a top-three team and possibly a first-place finish.
Fnatic has had one good placement this after signing their newest player Maikil “Golden” Selim. Besides beating Mousesports at ESL Pro League Season 11, their journey has had a lot of bumps in the road. OG has been one of their biggest opponents after they lost three sets in a row to them. Every other S-Tier event outside of ESL has been exhausting for Fnatic. Top five at Flashpoint Season 2 would do this team justice.
The last invited team is OG, and they’ve been popping off recently. At BLAST Premier Fall they beat NAVI twice earning a ton of blast points and twenty-five grand. Before their fall event, they also placed second at IEM New York winning two out of three sets. Most importantly, their roster hasn’t changed since early 2019, meaning the team has lots of experience together. Placing second or third at Flashpoint Season 2 should be a breeze.
The last two teams that fought through qualifiers will be Virtus.pro and forZe. Both teams have had equivalent performances this year, dominating B-Tier events. Neither V.p nor forZe have found success at an S-Tier level but have promising futures. Anywhere between fifth and sixth place at Flashpoint Season 2 wouldn’t be a huge surprise. Either way, this will be a great event with a load of teams. With a million dollars on the line, viewers are expecting some good matches.
Images via Flashpoint
