There’s a $250,000 first place prize on the line this week at the SSE Arena at Wembley in London, England, when eight of the best CS:GO teams in the world participate in the Esports Championship Series Season 3 Finals.
FaZe Clan, Astralis, G2 Esports, Fnatic, Cloud9, SK Gaming, Team Liquid and OpTic Gaming are the teams taking part and have been split into two groups of four in what shapes up as an incredibly stacked event from top to bottom. The teams who would appear to have the best shot of winning are FaZe Clan, Astralis, SK Gaming and G2 Esports, but, while Astralis are in Group B, the other three are matched up in Group A.
The top two from each group will progress to a semifinal stage, with the winners here facing off for the title in the Finals. This means one of the favourites will be eliminated ahead of the playoffs.
G2 Esports looking good
G2 Esports come into the tournament riding on a wave of momentum after capturing first place in their two most recent events (ESL Pro League Season 5 and DreamHack Tours). The French super team are finally firing on all cylinders, with kennyS at the forefront. He has returned to the status of best AWPer (sniper) in the world, giving G2 an unbelievable edge. G2’s only question marks come from how consistent role players apEX and NBK will be when performing against the likes of SK Gaming and FaZe, particularly in group play.
Both FaZe Clan and Astralis come into the ECS Season 3 Finals with some potential rustiness given their lack of attendance at recent events. However, although out of the limelight for upwards of a month, both Astralis and FaZe have had plenty of time to prepare to face the teams at this event, not least in the European qualifiers.
Turning to FaZe, everything rests on the newest addition to the team; superstar NiKo. Globally recognized as one of the top two players in the world, NiKo’s raw mechanical prowess and sense for the game give FaZe Clan a huge advantage heading into any map. Look for FaZe Clan to utilize force-buys (in which with little money you purchase upgraded pistols/SMG and armour in the hope of upsetting the round) given their track record of impeccable pistol play.
Brazilians need coldzera on form
SK Gaming are the only real threat coming out of the American region, with all eyes on coldzera to perform. Coldzera has been seen as a top two player for quite some time now, but his most recent event was his worst, which is concerning fans of the Brazilian outfit. While not a poor showing for most, coldzera must perform at the peak of his ability if SK are to have a chance against the likes of G2.
Little is expected of OpTic Gaming, particularly given the recent news that coach hazed will play in place of jasonR, who is stepping away to focus on streaming. OpTic also have the unfortunate circumstance of being placed in a group with three of the top four teams and so will do well to win a single game.
Fnatic a dark horse
All things being equal, Astralis should have a fairly easy road to the playoffs, given their draw in Group B against Cloud9, Team Liquid and Fnatic. However, Fnatic are a dark horse to make a deep playoff run at ECS Season 3, taking advantage of their fortunate draw. Ever since putting their old line-up back together (KRiMZ, olofmeister, flusha, JW and dennis), the Swedes have steadily improved. The addition of Inferno into the map pool has been an incredible asset for them due to their previous strong form on it. Streaky AWPer JW is key to Fnatic’s success, given his ability to dominate the map with his aggressive play style.
One of the top teams in the world, Astralis have a myriad of ways in which they can come out on top. The key to Astralis’ success is the ability for every player to play well consistently, giving their opponents as little room for error as possible. When coupled with their incredibly deep map pool (as they’re willing to play essentially every map), the Danes become incredibly potent so don’t expect the aforementioned rustiness to have a huge impact.
Two North American sides, Team Liquid and Cloud 9, have upset potential within the group stage too. While it’s difficult to see either team making a run through the playoffs, each outfit has shown some positive signs as of late.
For Team Liquid the acquisition of stanislaw and Twistzz has been incredible, with Twistzz gradually emerging as a star. He has provided consistency in terms of kills and ability, while stanislaw has given Liquid a single voice and leader, something the NA side have lacked for some time. Look for fellow star EliGE to perform well with Twistzz if Liquid are to pull an upset in the group stage.
Skadoodle the key for Cloud9
The joker in the pack is Cloud9, a team that are incredibly momentum based, allowing them to play spoiler given the right situation. Star player Stewie2k has recently returned to in-game leading, meaning Cloud9 will revert to the incredibly aggressive play style they have previously used.
The key for Cloud9 is Skadoodle, who recently enjoyed his best tournament in months at the Americas Minor Championship 2017, where Cloud9 took first place. Skadoodle was once seen as a top two AWPer, but he has slowly deteriorated in skill and presence over the last year. However, if Skadoodle can continue to perform well then Cloud9 could sneak out as the second seed in Group B.
It all stacks up as one of the better tournaments in recent memory and with three very good teams in one group, at least one is going to be disappointed once the semifinal line-up is determined. Expect this one to be ultra-competitive.
