ESL Pro League S16 Group C preview

The ESL Pro League Season 17 is going on in full swing and eight teams have already made it to the playoffs from Group A and B. The event will resume today featuring supercharged matchups between some fan favorites and emerging teams. Before the event begins, here is a quick preview of the group including the favorites that are likely to make it to the next stage:

FaZe Clan will aim to regain their winning form

FaZe’s trophy cabinet, which has been dry since July 2022, demonstrates that the team has failed to maintain its early 2022 level of dominance. After a disastrous performance at the IEM Rio Major, where they placed 15th-16th, they went on to post a string of respectable finishes, including taking second place finish at the BLAST Premier: Fall Finals and third-fourth at the BLAST Premier: World Final.

They’ve kept on showing vulnerabilities here and there, suggesting that the team is no longer capable of taking home significant trophies. The final blow came last month when the squad missed out on another opportunity to capture the Grand Slam at IEM Katowice 2023.

Their group stage performance at the event was easily good enough for a sixth-eight place finish and $24,000 prize money, but their goal of winning a Grand slam has not yet been realized. It won’t be difficult for them to make the Pro League playoffs, though, as their firepower will be sufficient to outperform the rivals. The team is anticipated to completely destroy the Australian team Rooster in the first game before facing other elite teams like paiN and NIP in the subsequent rounds.

Ninjas in Pyjamas have a lot to prove

Ninjas in Pyjamas will compete against the North American team paiN Gaming in the second game. With new AWPer Daniil “headtr1ck” Valitov and stand-in rifler Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke, NIP recently competed at IEM Katowice and showed great promise against well-known teams like MIBR and Team Spirit.

Even though the team got knocked out of the event in the group stage after losing to Vitality and Outsiders, they fought well during those two series, especially against the Russian team, where the IGL headtr1ck led the leaderboard with 63 kills.

On the other side, paiN Gaming, one of the most dynamic up-and-coming CS:GO teams, has had a respectable performance in their recent outings. After placing third in the North American closed qualifications, the DreamHack Melbourne 2022 champions advanced to the Blast.tv Paris Major Americas RMR. The Brazilian team also made it onto the HLTV top 30 team list in February, placing them among the front-runners in Group C for a playoff position.

OG will face 00 Nation in the opening match

OG significantly improved their performance in recent months, winning three of the last five games at IEM Katowice 2023. Nemanja “nexa” Isakovi’s recent departure from the roster has left the German team without its full-time in-game leader, though, so there would be some uncertainty around their performance at the Maltese competition.

On the other hand, 00 Nation appeared to be having a tough time the last time they participated in an S-tier competition, which was the IEM Rio Major. After suffering three consecutive losses to IHC Esports, FURIA Esports, and Bad New Eagle, the squad was eliminated from the Brazilian competition during the Challengers stage. 

Additionally, their current form shows no sign of improvement. The Brazillian team, which features two Major champions, barely escaped a setback and qualified for the Paris Major Americas RMR after winning the 7th Place Decider at the South American closed qualifier.

With Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Vitality, and FaZe also in their group, qualifying for the Playoffs may be a tall order for 00 Nation, especially with stand-in Leonardo “n9xtz” Santos, who hasn’t played competitively in 3 months. Although it is doubtful whether the Brazilian will be able to upset some of the best teams in the world and win the trophy, a tough matchup with OG in the first round seems guaranteed.

Vitality will try to secure a second consecutive Pro League title

Following some adjustments made last year, Vitality has developed into a formidable CS:GO squad and is the favorite going into their opening group-stage encounter against Grayhound. Spinx has given the team a tonne of firepower and a killer instinct that they previously seemed to be lacking.

With the Spanish player, the seasoned ex-Astralis core, and French phenom Matthieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, Vitality gained significant notoriety in recent months thanks to their performance at the ESL Pro League Season 16 and BLAST Premier: Spring Finals 2022.

Without losing a single series and only giving up three maps throughout the competition, Vitality finished their Pro League campaign as the champions. The team’s journey to the title wasn’t simple either; their toughest challenges included Outsiders, FURIA, G2, and Team Liquid. Other than G2, they were the only team in the group stage to go undefeated 5-0. In their debut game at the Pro League S17, Vitality will be looking to build on their recent success as they take on the Australian underdogs, Grayhound.

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