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The Complete Overview For EUL Season 2!

European League Season 2 is right around the corner! Ten teams are fighting for prize money and Global Standings... Fabio | 17. March 2021

European League Season 2 is right around the corner! Ten teams are fighting for prize money and Global Standings points. This time around, the Top 4 will not get a spot at the Six Major, but the prize money has been boosted substantially.

The Six Invitational had to be moved from February to May, where it will replace the Six Major that was originally scheduled to take place then. The teams who have already qualified will retain their spots. This means that EUL will not award any Six Major spots for the first time ever. Nonetheless, there is quite a lot on the table for these teams. 150.000€ are waiting for them and Stage 1 will already award points for the Six Invitational 2022. Moreover, the new rosters will try to take control of the European scene. So who are these teams in attendance and what are their chances against the rest of Europe?

TRAINHARD ESPORT

Earlier this month, Tempra shocked the world with a surprise exit from EUL. The players hadn’t extended their contracts, the organization failed to retain its league slot, and suddenly there was a vacancy. TrainHard eSport have now been awarded that vacant slot by Ubisoft and will field another French lineup. Christophe “Chaoxys” Soares and Dylan “Dirza” Brigitte transitioned over from the old Tempra roster. Martin “Sparx” Eberhard had spent an entire year on the Vitality bench, and the other two players have not yet had any EUL experience. Arguably, this team will struggle to compete with the established and experienced rosters of EUL.

COWANA GAMING

The league’s second set of newcomers managed to advance through the Challengers Relegation process. While they did succumb to Rogue in the Grand Finals, their second-place finish granted them a slot in EUL. However, they soon lost their in-game-leader, Jordan “Kayak” Morley, to G2 Esports. They have secured a former NaVi star in the form of Luke “Kendrew” Kendrew, but that will likely not help them against the top brass. This young and rather unexperienced team will try to place somewhere within the middle pack of EUL.

TEAM VITALITY

The organization was rumored to complete a major roster overhaul for a long time, but days before the start of the season they finally made it official: Fabian “Fabian” Hällsten, Lucas “Hungry” Reich, and Daniel “Goga” Mazorra Romero are out of the team. In their places, they signed the Tempra duo of Nicolas “P4” Rimbaud and Axel “Shiinka” Freisberg. Medhi “Kaktus” Marty fills the last vacant spot and gives the team plenty of raw talent to bring the heat to the top teams. But it isn’t obvious immediately as to who will actually take up the leading reins. Without Fabian at the helm, the team might struggle to make the leap to the top.

VIRTUS.PRO

After a horrible end to the year under Rogue, Eugene “karzheka” Petrishin left the team and looked for opportunities elsewhere. Virtus.pro didn’t hesitate and made way for the Estonian star player by moving Artyom “Shockwave” Simakov to the bench. Over the last few years, karzheka has really established himself as a top tier talent, which is why this switch definitely makes sense. VP had a great 2020 run already and this roster move will only elevate them further.

ROGUE

The majority-German team had a stunning start to 2020. After a Pro League victory and a first place in EUL Stage 1, they were set up perfectly for the August Major. But suddenly, they broke apart completely. Their Major slump unfortunately lasted well into Stage 2, which they finished in last place. Without a single victory to their name, they were sent into relegation, which they eventually survived on the tiniest of margins.

Following the departure of karzheka, Pascal “cryn” Alouane has made his way to the team. The German had some promising moments under Chaos and also made his short stay with G2 Esports a worthwhile experience. But is that really enough? Will this one move actually address the deep issues that this roster has been facing? The first few match days will show whether Rogue will finally be able to overcome their curse and perform decently again.

TEAM SECRET

Rogue are not the only ones to have caused disappointment last year. When Ville “SHA77E” Palola and Peter “pacbull” Bull joined the team, Secret were suddenly elevated to a stunning level of play. They secured victories over most of the favorites of EUL Stage 2, but they ran out of steam right before the finish line. A 4-7 loss to Empire barred them from entering the November Major – even though they had worked so incredibly hard to achieve this. In the Six Invitational Qualifier, they failed to impress as well and have since become just another average team.

It stands to question whether the signing of Alex “SlebbeN” Nordlund and Santino “Gomfi” de Meulenaere will actually change anything. The two players were unsuccessful during their North American campaign and barely managed to compete against the US Division playing field. So the future of Team Secret is already built on a rocky foundation.

NATUS VINCERE

For a year, the team has unsuccessfully tried to penetrate the Top 4. They missed out on both Majors. They only advanced to the EUL Finals because the Top 4 had changed drastically between the two stages, but they still ended up in last place at that event.

The team that had competed in this bracket just two months ago has already been overhauled. Kendrew now competes for Cowana, and Joe “Joe” Crowther has left the active lineup. Nathan “Nathan” Sharp and Rickard “Secretly” Olofsson have come on board instead. Playing for MnM Gaming, Nathan only narrowly missed out on qualifying for EUL and will now have to try to match NaVi’s level of play.

BDS ESPORT

The French roster hasn’t changed a bit – why would it? With a first place in the August Major and another first-place finish in Stage 2, they dominated the European competition of 2020. Even though it was eventually not enough to secure another Major trophy, the organisation has no reason to doubt their lineup just yet.

Towards the end of the year, the Frenchmen lost a bit of steam, but they’re still capable of competing against the likes of Empire, G2, and Rogue. This gives them all the tools they need to set themselves on top of their opponents in this Stage 1.

TEAM EMPIRE

The November Major winners are eager to make 2021 their own. Just like BDS Esport, they haven’t committed to any roster changes, since there is really no reason to. Over the last 12 months, they have slowly ground their way up and at the November Major, they proved to be worthy of the limelight once more. EUL Stage 1 will show us where these teams are at now. Arguably, a lot has changed since November, which means that the fight for the top spot in Europe remains just as open as ever. At the EUL Finals, G2 were actually the ones to beat everyone else, but will the same hold true for the 2021 tournament circuit?

G2 ESPORTS

Kayak has to fill some mighty large shoes. Niclas “Pengu” Mouritzen has established a lasting legacy both as a competitor and as a person, but Kayak will be thrown into EUL with the task to replace him and lead the arguably most famous R6 organization to the top again. There’s no knowing whether he can actually do this. Cowana Gaming’s performance indicates that the young man has quite a capable brain. If the other star players on the G2 roster can deliver their part of the equation, they have a shot at surpassing BDS and the rest.

The European League 2021 will already have some exciting matches on offer just on the first match day. Right out of the gate, the new Secret roster will have to prove itself against G2 Esports, and BDS will be challenged by the new Vitality lineup. TrainHard are facing Natus Vincere and Rogue will lock horns with their relegation rivals, Cowana Gaming, for a second time.