We’re well into the second half of the ESL Pro League S20 Group Stage, with Groups C and D now underway. After a few days on the server, there have already been a few surprising developments in Malta – read on to find out what’s gone down!
M80 and Imperial secure surprise Playoff spots
Credit: Igor Bezborodov | © ESL
Realistically, looking at Group C in ESL Pro League Season 20, we didn’t exactly have M80 and Imperial down as the teams to make it through the Upper Bracket. However, that’s exactly as it has transpired, with both already locking in their spots in the EPL S20 Playoffs.
M80 were made to work hard for their spot, winning out a North American clash against Complexity, before pushing through a legendary marathon match against Fnatic. This Fnatic match will go down in history, with the two teams requiring eight Overtimes to decide a winner for an eventual score of 37:34 in favor of M80. In the process, they set a new record for the most rounds in a professional CS2 map, with 71 unlikely to be beaten any time soon.
Imperial’s run is impressive in other ways. Their opening match against BIG required mental resilience in a reverse sweep, while they would later beat ESL Pro League holders MOUZ in a comfortable 2:0 series. This young team is looking strong, with decenty among the tournament’s best-performing players. Now, both Imperial and M80 will face off against each other for a chance to lock in a place in the Quarter-Finals.
Liquid and Vitality live up to expectations
Credit: Igor Bezborodov | © ESL
Group D of ESL Pro League S20 is looking a little closer to what we expected would happen. There, both Liquid and Vitality have emerged victorious on their side of the Upper Bracket, joining the other qualified teams in the Playoffs of EPL S20.
Liquid have gone flawless so far, taking down ENCE and Virtus.pro without dropping a single map. Is this still Twistzz’s IGL honeymoon phase, or is this a sign of things to come? We think at this point, it’s more likely to be the latter, but let’s see how they get on in the Playoffs. Once again, ultimate is showing he’s a real star, and other teams in the scene will be left wondering how he went unnoticed before Liquid took a chance on Roland from Poland.
Vitality are in the same boat. They’ve reached the Playoffs with a clean record, although their match against ATOX came a little too close for comfort on map one, considering the opposition. Their win against FURIA was impressive though, reacting to a slow start with an enormous streak of rounds spanning both maps in the series. Vitality’s momentum from their Cologne win rolls on.
MOUZ and Astralis drop to Last Chance Bracket
Credit: Igor Bezborodov | © ESL
It’s been a disastrous event so far for both MOUZ and Astralis, who find themselves fighting in the Last Chance Bracket of Group C together. Our ESL Pro League S20 power rankings had these teams right at the top of Group C, and how wrong we were.
Frankly, MOUZ have been the most disappointing team at the entire event. The back-to-back ESL Pro League winners were just two kills away from losing their opener against Rooster, before xertioN bailed them out in a 2v5 clutch. It was a lucky escape, and a sign of things to come. Against both Imperial and Complexity, MOUZ have failed to win a single map, with only xertioN consistently showing anything close to his best. They need to wake up fast, or it’s an early exit from Malta.
Joining MOUZ in the Last Chance Bracket is Astralis. We spoke of Twistzz’s IGL honeymoon earlier – well, dev1ce’s has been truly over for some time now, and it’s only getting worse. Consistent underperformance all around from Astralis ensures the Danish team doesn’t even look capable of winning any map at the moment, no matter the opponent. Losses to Fnatic and Complexity here have been rough, and we don’t see it turning around. Not at ESL Pro League S20, at least.
Our coverage of ESL Pro League S20 will continue as the Group Stages conclude, right through to the Playoffs – stay tuned for more!
