32 matches of Counter-Strike have been played at ESL Pro League Season 20 so far, as Groups A and B draw to a close. Malta is currently playing host to one of the most exciting CS2 tournaments of the year – here’s how the action has unfolded after the first week of play.
Unconvincing Spirit and FaZe make Lower Bracket runs
Credit: ESLCS on X
In the Lower Brackets of each group, it was FaZe Clan and Spirit who made it through to Playoffs at ESL Pro League Season 20. These are two teams that have gone through a turbulent period of late, and you could see signs of struggle in both through the Lower Bracket. Still, neither bombed out in disastrous fashion, making this an improvement on some of their recent results.
For Spirit, you’ll never guess who the star of the show was. That’s right: donk. Alongside NAVI’s iM, donk has been the best player of EPL S20 so far, and his staggering performance never fails to amaze. FaZe have been helped by a great tournament from frozen so far, although a resurgent ropz also makes a massive difference to their wilting form lately. Both teams will start the Playoffs from the Round of 16, but after their recent performances, neither will complain too much.
Heroic and The MongolZ scrape through to Playoffs
Credit: Viola Schuldner | © ESL
During any ESL Pro League event, the Last Chance Bracket is always the most intense. Season 20 has proven to be no different, with Heroic and The MongolZ qualifying from Groups A and B respectively. You have to give a lot of credit to both – these Last Chance Brackets are always a marathon, and the teams who make it through have had to grind hard through the gauntlet to qualify.
Heroic’s final match came down to a rematch against Sangal. Last time out, the latter won out in a close 2:1 affair. But when it really mattered, Heroic came out on top in a tough 2:0 series. Heroic won’t necessarily be best pleased with how they made the Playoffs, but all that matters is that they’re there. Then, there’s The MongolZ, who finally managed to beat 3DMAX 2:0. In recent times, 3DMAX have been somewhat of a bogey team for the Mongolian roster, and what a time to overcome it.
G2 and NAVI secure Quarter-Finals
Credit: Igor Bezborodov | © ESL
As two of the Upper Bracket teams in Groups A and B at ESL Pro League Season 20, G2 and NAVI have already managed to secure their spots in the Quarter-Finals of the event. While G2 faced MIBR and NAVI had to beat Eternal Fire, the end result was the same, with both teams putting down a convincing 2:0 series against their respective opponents.
From G2, we saw another NiKo masterclass, but how many times have we said that over the years. Some things never change. NAVI had a monstrous performance from jL to thank for their spot in the EPL S20 Quarter-Finals, standing head and shoulders above his teammates in this series. It was just the 60 kills across two maps for jL – not bad from the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 MVP.
With Groups A and B now complete, next week will see Groups C and D begin, where we’ll see teams like Vitality and Astralis take to the server in Malta. Stay tuned for our coverage!
