Welcome back to another recap article as we hit the midway point of the online groups! There's been plenty of exciting action across the regions, so pull up, grab a snack and your favourite beverage and let's jump on in!
Europe
Our first headline match in the region was a classic - NAVI Javelins vs 9 Pandas Fearless - two teams no stranger to each other, having clashed in the ESL Impact Season 2 playoffs (where the Pandas won) and at the ESL Impact Katowice qualifier (where the Javelins got their revenge).
This time around NAVI Javelins took control early with a strong defence on the Pandas pick of Mirage - the map they eliminated NAVI on in Season 2. It seemed like NAVI had learned their lessons, with vicu putting on an A+ performance on both sides of the server. Though t4tty and Victoria both had good moments on the CT side, it was not enough to hold back NAVI from taking their map.
NAVI Javelins were given the option to pick into their home turf of Nuke, as 9 Pandas opted to ban out Ancient (where they'd been defeated 16-6 in their last match-up). NAVI had built a reputation on Nuke over 2022, but did find defeat at the hands of Nigma Galaxy at the Katowice Grand Final, as well as vs G2 Oya in the opening week, plus went double OT vs Angels on the same map. Cause for concern? Apparently not, as the Javelins - powered by Angelka and vicu once again - were indomitable, dropping just 7 rounds across the map to take the series.
The following match of the day between G2 Oya and Angels led us to a very interesting veto, that started out on Anubis, a map Angels have proven their capabilities on. And indeed, it looked like the new kids were going to take the veterans for a ride as uulis and Katherine stepped up in spades, but the individual consistency and clutch play of kr4sy, supported by kyossa, just about got G2 over the line in regulation.
Overpass was much less contested, with Angels looking very impressive on their map pick in a convincing 16-10, to take us to the decider of Vertigo. Up on the 51st floor there was one name above all others, and that was kyossa! G2's rookie put on an incredible display on the CT side, and though the score line read 16-8 for G2, this was one of the most highlight heavy maps of this season so far! This victory has big implications on the playoffs eligibility of two teams, as we'll dive into down the bottom.
The community stream matches for the week saw Nigma Galaxy pick themselves up another win, taking down Aces, this time in a 2-0 fashion, though kudos to Aces for fighting back into Overpass after going down 13:2 at the half to end 16:10. And BIG EQUIPA continued their flawless streak with a win over newly signed Team Spirit. Worth highlighting Zana's 52-27 KD across the 51 rounds played too!
North America
Up in NA, we had EG Gold going up against Starfish, with both teams having suffered a loss to Detonate SparX and a win over Factory Ruby. And well it's safe to say that EG Gold outclassed the underdogs in this series! Mirage started a little bit closer, with an 11:4 half going the way of EG, but that would be all Starfish would muster. It was much the same on EG's pick of Overpass, with a 13 round attacking side more than enough for EG to quickly close out the series 2-0. Big props to M1lky for maintaining 108 ADR across the series!
Thursday's big match saw the titans of CLG Red versus byte, with the latter on the hunt for their first season win. It was always going to be a long shot finding it against NA's finest, as they quickly found out on their pick of Ancient, being run over by GooseBreeder and BiBiAhn for a fast 16-4 victory for CLG Red. Overpass was a bit more contested, with a fantastic T side from byte's kalecat, but a lack of footing on their defence made for a difficult fight. Byte were able to make double digits on CLG Red's pick at the very least, which is great signs for relatively new squad.
On the community streams we had Shimmer and Saints, an important match-up for Group A as CLG Red storm ahead and byte fall behind, these two fight it out in the middle. Shimmer came in off the high of taking a map off CLG Red, and outshone Saints in a clean 2-0. On the other side, Detonate SparX continued their unbroken streak by dispatching of Factor Ruby in a close first map but a decisive second, driven forward by a great series from Andrea.
South America
In South America we started off with Black Dragons and ENDGAME, with the former slowly finding their wings as one of the stronger teams in the region. Unfortunately a power outage meant their AWPer cAmyy missed the first half of Ancient, but it didn't stop the Dragons from doing damage with a slight lead at the half that allowed them to take over once the full squad returned. With ENDGAME losing their pick, the series quickly got away from them, and Black Dragons had no issues closing on Nuke thanks to annaEX and Babs running riot.
One of the most exciting games of the week took place between W7M and MIBR, with both teams coming into the match-up with losses to FURIA and wins versus Parabellum. The two teams have each made roster changes in the lead-up to the season, and the battle for second place in Group A will likely be between them. And this contest was definitely a close one!
W7M's pick of Overpass started great for them, with a compelling 9 rounds on the T side. They had little difficulty converting on the defence, with contributions across the team. Inferno was a whole other story. MIBR looked great out the gate with their own 9 round T half, but both teams excelled on the attacking side, and W7M fought right back to push overtime - but couldn't muster enough to close there. The deciding map of Mirage was where the real excitement took place, with MIBR's AWPer yodinha2k putting on a spectacle on the CT side for an 11 round half, but the pendulum again swung both ways, with Samys and hera giving back in kind for W7M. OT was inevitable, not just once, but twice, and this time W7M were able to muster the strength to win out the gruelling series.
For the B stream side, B4 Demons and LRV took to the server, with B4 easily taking LRV's pick of Anubis. They were slowed on their pick of Nuke, finding themselves down 12-14 at one stage thanks to one heck of a performance from lulitenz (who went 35-19 on the map!!), but B4 were able to close in regulation in the end. Meanwhile, FURIA got a freebie over ex-Parabellum.
Playoff positions
With three weeks under our belts the brackets are shaping up and we can begin to look at the playoff positions for each team. For some, the results of this week have ended their chances, but for others, plenty of opportunity still exists. Note that for Europe, the team that tops their group skips the playoffs and goes straight to the LAN finals.
In Europe, BIG EQUIPA and NAVI Javelins currently top their groups at 3-0. This doesn't lock either team in, but does mean if they pick up one more win in their last two games they will secure playoffs at minimum. Nigma Galaxy, NIP, G2 Oya, and 9 Pandas Fearless all sit with 2 wins a piece, though NIP have only played two games - so they have the most opportunities to clear the rest. And indeed, if BIG EQUIPA provide an upset win over NGX this coming week, NIP have a serious shot of making playoffs over the number one team!
GUILD and Astralis sit 1-1 and have a difficult battle, as the former still have NAVI and G2 to face, and the latter have NIP and NGX. Sadly, for Aces, Team Spirit, and Angels, their path to playoffs ends this week. Even with wins in their remaining matches, they lose out the H2H against the potential 2-3 tiebreaks. Flames Shieldmaidens need to go perfect and some very specific matches to play out!
In North America, both groups mirror each other, with the 3-0 teams (CLG Red and Detonate SparX) just needing one win to secure playoffs. Shimmer, Saints, EG Gold, and Starfish all still have plenty of opportunities, whereas Factor Ruby and byte need a minimum 2 wins but more likely all 3 if they wish to proceed.
South America is exactly the same as NA. B4 and FURIA just need the one win, W7M, MIBR, Black Dragons, and LRV likely need a couple, and ENDGAME and ex-Parabellum need to be perfect.
