The first week of the ELEAGUE Season 1 playoff bracket is upon us, serving as a last-hurrah for the season, after the conclusion of the Major at ESL One Cologne 2016, and the culmination of CS:GO's first televised league.

It also serves as an interesting alternate Major or a "what if" scenario, with the exclusion of the Cologne Major champions SK Gaming. Let's break down each of the quarterfinal matchups, and take a look at what to expect going into the playoffs.

Team EnVyUs vs. Fnatic

Head-to-Head

EnVy(4) Map Fnatic(5) Tournament 14 Cache 16 ECS Season 1 8 Mirage 16 ECS Season 1 7 Train* 16 ESL Expo Barcelona 13 Cobble* 16 ESL Expo Barcelona 16 Train* 10 ESL Expo Barcelona 16 Cache* 5 ESL Pro League Season 3 4 Inferno* 16 ESL Pro League Season 3 16 Train* 7 SL i-League 16 Mirage* 8 SL i-League

*Before EnVy roster change

Top Performers

Team Player Rating Maps Fnatic olofmeister 1.14 85 Fnatic flusha 1.11 123 EnVy kennyS 1.10 110

This matchup will likely be the most contested series of the ELEAGUE quarterfinals. Not only have these two teams faced off the most number of times compared to the other quarterfinal matchups, but they also have a dead even split in their head-to-head. However, this ratio changes when you exclude the games without EnVy's latest addition in Timothée "DEVIL" Démolon.

While both teams have slumped in their own way during the Summer season, Fnatic have resurged for the most part following the return of olof and a Top 4 finish at ESL One Cologne 2016. The same could not be said about EnVy, who finished in last place at the same tournament. A vintage kennyS will be a threat in ELEAGUE, but Fnatic as a unit will persevere.

Natus Vincere vs. Cloud9

Head-to-Head

Na`Vi(1) Map Cloud9(0) Tournament 16 Train* 9 MLG Major Championship: Columbus

*Before Cloud9 roster change

Top Performers

Team Player Rating Maps Na`Vi GuardiaN 1.14 103 Cloud9 shroud 1.1 129 Na`Vi flamie 1.1 107

There are a fair number of questions marks going into this series, largely due to the two teams having faced off only a single map since the start of the year, but all expectations and signs still point to Natus Vincere taking down the remaining American contestant in the American-based tournament.

Cloud9's silver lining comes from the CIS squad showing some vulnerability in the Cologne Major, after dropping to the American squad Team Liquid — flamie was all but non-existent in the series. But C9 have slumped harder after missing out on the Major completely. Both teams will be hungry to make up for their Major shortcomings, but it's Na`Vi's match to lose.

Astralis vs. mousesports

Head-to-Head

Astralis(5) Map mouz(1) Tournament 16 Mirage* 3 ECS Season 1 16 Train* 13 ECS Season 1 5 Dust 2* 16 ECS Season 1 16 Dust 2* 4 ESL Pro League Season 3 16 Mirage* 12 ESL Pro League Season 3 22 Mirage* 19 DreamHack Leipzig

*Before Astralis roster change

Top Performers

Team Player Rating Maps Astralis device 1.19 139 mouz NiKo 1.18 119 Astralis Kjaerbye 1.13 156

Though Astralis have not faced mouz with their latest roster, they have a pretty lopsided advantage in the head-to-head as it stands and Astralis have arguably gotten stronger with the addition of Kjaerbye. But it's worth noting that mouz earned this position after upsetting both G2 Esports and FaZe Clan in the ELEAGUE Last Chance Qualifier. Another upset in this matchup is not outside the realm of possibility.

The stars aligned for the mostly-German squad during the ELEAGUE LCQ, with chrisJ and nex adding some much-needed firepower to NiKo's frontline, and they will need to do the same to go forward in the bracket.

Virtus.pro vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas

Head-to-Head

VP(2) Map NiP(4) Tournament 25 Mirage 22 ECS Season 1 16 Cache 12 ECS Season 1 12 Train 16 DreamHack Masters Malmö 12 Cache 16 DreamHack Masters Malmö 11 Overpass 16 ESL Pro League Season 3 2 Cache 16 ESL Pro League Season 3

Top Performers

Team Player Rating Maps NiP GeT_RiGhT 1.1 109 NiP f0rest 1.1 108 VP snax 1.02 117

This matchup between two old CS legends is one that comes with an interesting storyline given the recent Major. VP finished in the Top 4 to retain their Legend status, albeit a hollow victory for the Poles, while NiP, for the first time ever, did not make it to the playoffs for the Major.

It's unknown which teams will arrive to Atlanta, ones that will be hungry to make up for their shortcomings at the Major, or ones that have been broken for the time being and are simply playing out their last tournament of the "season." While NiP have an edge in the head-to-head, VP will likely be in higher spirits and have shown stronger performances in their recent games.

Stats aggregated from HLTV.org on July 20, filtering games only from 2016.