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ESL Pro League S17: Group A concludes without many surprises

The first week of the ESL Pro League S17 has already ended, and we have the conclusion of Group... Eduardo | 27. February 2023

The first week of the ESL Pro League S17 has already ended, and we have the conclusion of Group A. As we have mentioned on different occasions, in this edition of the EPL, the groups do not start their matches until the previous ones are finished. This means that Group B’s teams must be fully prepared because they jump into action in the next few days.

This great tournament’s first week witnessed many emotions, surprises, and disappointments. Although there were not many surprises regarding the playoff qualifiers, there is no doubt that the early elimination of Evil Geniuses was an absolute failure.

No surprises in Group A playoff qualifiers

As we mentioned, there were not many surprises regarding the four qualified teams, as Cloud9, Outsiders, G2 Esports, and Fnatic were the favorites of the Group to advance to the playoffs.

However, we can’t fail to mention that teams like IHC, Eternal Fire, and MIBR put up a nice fight throughout the entire group stage. On the other hand, EG is still in free fall; the team’s lack of performance keeps them from being among the best, and rumors of an exit from the CS:GO scene grow louder.

A pleasant surprise was given by Cloud9, as they managed to dominate with much solvency this Group A winning the three matches they played, and one of them was against G2 Esports (2-0), which sent them to the Mid Bracket. In addition, Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov showed an exceptional level in this group stage, achieving a mind-blowing rating of 1.49, according to HLTV.

G2 Esports suffered but managed to qualify

Undoubtedly, the Samurai were the favorites to qualify for the playoffs of this ESL Pro League S17. However, they had to suffer more than they had known for almost three months. G2’s loss to Cloud9 in the semifinals of the Upper Bracket and then the loss in Nuke (4-16) to Fnatic set off alarm bells for the #1 team in the world. But, thanks to Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov and Nikola “NiKo” Kovač, the team reacted and got into the playoffs. On the way to G2 were Eternal Fire, MIBR, and Fnatic.

Outsiders also showed exceptional play by losing only two maps in the entire group stage, which were in the Upper Bracket Final to C9. Finally, Fnatic made it to the final game of Group A after coming from behind against the Turkish Eternal Fire in the Lower Bracket Final.

Of the eliminated teams, we can say that the Turks are the ones who deserved to be in the next phase. Eternal Fire has shown in the last few weeks that they are playing at a high level and that the team can be among the best shortly.

Group B

After a two-day break, the ESL Pro League S17 action returns, and we will have the emotions of Group B. Heroic and MOUZ look like the favorites to qualify for the playoffs. Still, teams like FURIA, Imperial, and BIG itself, could give the blow on the table.

This Wednesday, the action resumes, and we will have the following matches to start Group B:

  • Heroic vs. Movistar Riders – 16:00 CET
  • BIG vs. Complexity – 16:00 CET
  • FURIA vs. Imperial – 19:00 CET
  • SAW vs. MOUZ – 19:00 CET

Header: ESL