Esports Update: WESG Europe 2017 is shaping up to be an incredibly entertaining event, with a combination of star-studded lineups colliding with standard tier-two European squads.
Virtus.pro and Fnatic the Ones to Watch
In terms of teams that are competing that also retain the same five-man roster outside of this event, Virtus.pro and Fnatic stand above the rest. Even amidst an extended slump, Virtus.pro, representing Poland, are always a threat. While VP will almost certainly drop a match or two in the group stage, where Russia and EnVyUs are prime threats to upset VP, this could be just what the doctor ordered for the Poles. With continuity on their side, given their extended play together, VP will look to break out of their slump at WESG.
Fnatic, on the other hand, are attempting to prove they belong as a top-tier team, given their continued dominance of online, or non-LAN, events. Fnatic do have a stand-in, Brollan, who is replacing KRIMZ – who has had a nice return to form as of late – but the core of the team remains intact for this event. With new in-game leader Golden, Fnatic have continually defeated lower-tier teams while posing a threat to those considered above them. While not particularly stylish, Fnatic play a consistent brand of CS that they hope will translate well to this offline event.
Germans Could be BIG
One team flying under the radar are BIG, who represent Germany. While not playing incredibly well as of late, BIG also play a tactical-based style, something that could thrive in an event with mixed teams. BIG’s fragging power essentially comes from one man, tabseN. Long the threat of the German side, tabseN will need to come up huge if BIG are to leave group B in first place; not an unreasonable goal considering the fairly weak set of teams alongside them.
Two of the most stacked rosters for this event include Team Ukraine as well as Team Russia. Team Ukraine has three Na`Vi members, Zeus, s1mple, and Edward, as well as Tyloo’s bondik, formerly of HellRaisers, and markeloff, currently with FlipSid3.
The two key members of this team are s1mple and Zeus, for entirely different reasons. Zeus is the brains of the team. Touted as one of the game’s best in-game leaders, Zeus’ ability to lead the troops will be key if Team Ukraine are to go far in this event. Alongside the tactical prowess of Zeus is the raw skill and ability of s1mple, one of the best players in the world. Despite performing for a struggling Na`vi lineup, who hope the addition of Electronic will assist them, s1mple’s brilliance across the board cannot be understated. Look for s1mple to dominate the competition and lead Team Ukraine on a deep playoff run.
Team Russia also have representatives from Na`vi in flamie and electronic, as well as seized and WorldEdit from FlipSid3, with Gambit’s Dosia rounding out the roster. Electronic plays a similar role to s1mple in being an incredibly gifted star, yet with arguably less talent around him compared to Team Ukraine. However, Team Russia do still have their positives, including having an IGL in Dosia, as well as support players such as seized.
Team EnVyUs a Possible Contender
Another team with influence across multiple sides is Team EnVyUs, who represent France & Monaco with four of their team members, while ScreaM also is seen on Team Belgium. Replacing ScreaM for France is kioShiMa, who has been absent from the competitive scene since his benching from FaZe Clan, where olofmeister took his spot. For France, the questions primarily focus on RpK and SIXER, with each player currently trending in the opposite direction.
RpK has been the star of the team for the last few months, continually performing against even the highest of competition offline. SIXER, on the other hand, has been dreadful, particularly so given that his role as the AWPer is of the utmost importance. If SIXER can give any semblance of decency, or Happy uses the AWP instead, Team EnVyUs have a real chance to make it out of the stacked Group C.
How the mixing and matching of teams and players plays out is really the question at WESG 2017 European Finals. Will the continuity of Virtus.pro and Fnatic help them carry the day or will one of the other teams pull a surprise?
