There will be an unexpected entry at ESL One: New York 2017 in September joining the six previously invited teams and North American qualifier Cloud9.
In an absolutely shocking turn of events, Team EnVyUs claimed first place at the ESL One New York European Qualifier and earned themselves a trip to New York, where they will join Cloud9, Astralis, FaZe Clan, Team Liquid, Natus Vincere, SK Gaming and Virtus.pro.
Continuity the Secret This Time
Team EnVyUs were one of the few teams heading into this qualifier without roster changes, giving them a chemistry edge heading into the weekend’s matches.
EnVyUs opened up against HellRaisers on Cache, dominating their CT-half to the tune of 11-4. EnVy struggled to find success on their T-half, losing the opening seven rounds. However, they were then able to stabilise in impressive fashion, claiming five of the next six rounds for the 16-12 win. RpK had a stand out performance for the French side, amassing 27 kills in the 28 rounds. Map two was a complete stomp in favour of EnVyUs, as they cruised to a 16-3 victory on Nuke.
EnVyUs Stun G2
Team EnVyUs then faced off against their fellow Frenchmen in the semi-finals, G2 Esports. Heralded as the French super team, G2 Esports were the heavy favourites to claim first place at this event. The first map was Inferno, where G2 and EnVyUs found themselves in a back-and-forth battle. Neither side could chain a significant series of rounds together, leading to a halftime score of 8-7 in favour of G2. After losing the opening round of the second half, G2 bounced back with seven of the next nine to put themselves on map point. Three rounds later they found success, giving G2 the 16-12 victory.
Team EnVyUs stabilised on the second map of Cache, which played out in stark contrast to the previous map. EnVyUs claimed ten rounds in their CT-half, primarily on the back of winning eight out of nine rounds. G2 then went on a run of their own in the second half, claiming seven of eight. EnVyUs pulled off one last run, securing the final four rounds for the 16-12 win.
The final map was less contested than the previous two as EnVy dominated on Cobblestone. EnVyUs came out swinging on their opening T-side, putting up an impressive ten rounds even while losing three of the last four. EnVyUs gave no room for G2 to get back into the game as they dropped only one round in the second half for the shocking 16-6 stomp.
Gambit No Trouble
Awaiting Team EnVyUs was Gambit Esports, the most recent Major winners. Gambit entered initially with major question marks, given the recent departure of in-game leader Zeus to Na`Vi. In Zeus’ place was fitch, while filling the role of in-game leader was the Major MVP, AdreN.
While initially impressing to open the tournament, Gambit struggled to find any success against EnVyUs. Starting off on Nuke, EnVyUs came barreling out of the gate with six round wins in a row on the less favoured T-side. After dropping three of four, EnVyUs recovered to claim the final five rounds for a staggering 12-3 T-half. Gambit secured six of the opening seven second half rounds, but EnVyUs were able to claim the final three rounds necessary for the 16-9 win. ScreaM had a solid display for the French side, with 24 kills in the 25 rounds of play.
The final map was Train, where EnVyUs had an even more dominant showing. EnVyUs once again came out of the gates on fire, garnering six of the first seven rounds. Gambit rebounded nicely, however, obtaining four of the final eight rounds to give themselves a fighting chance in the second half. It was not to be, however, as EnVyUs completely shut down Gambit in the second half, securing all six rounds to achieve the 16-5 victory. Happy and RpK led the way for EnVyUs, amassing an absurd 26 and 25 kills, respectively.
All in all, the qualifier was a stunning turn of events, with EnVyUs heading to New York rather than G2 Esports. ESL One: New York 2017 will get under way at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in mid-September, in what already sets up as a very interesting tournament.
