ESL Pro League Season 4 - Group stage recap

As the ESL Pro League Season 4 LAN Finals hit the playoffs, we take a look at the group stage results and performances of the two respective groups.

The past three days were heavily packed with best-of-one matches across the board. Teams from both groups showed spectacular results, all of which we will be briefly reviewing below. Mousesports and SK Gaming were able to surpass all opponents hence securing placements in the semi-finals of the tournament. At this point the tournament has entered the playoffs stage, where a round of six will determine the teams to face the respective group toppers.

Group A





The European mix of Mousesports makes it through to first place of group A, as the team was able to overcome all but one match on their way to the top. Team Liquid and OpTic Gaming fell short of Mousesports, allowing for a strong early lead in map score. The roll was however blunted as Immortals were able to overcome the EU mix, preventing the team from securing an undisputed first place. This called for a match between Team EnVyUs that sported an identical score. Upon settling the match Mousesports proved to the Frenchmen that they indeed deserved the slot.

In second are Team EnVyUs, that were successful in securing a placement in the round of six in the playoffs. The Frenchmen dominated their matches up until the map against Mousesports, to a point where their opponents - Immortals, Team Liquid and OpTic Gaming were incapable of securing a double digit round score.

Representatives of the Americas were unfortunate in their respective paths, as neither was able to challenge the European representatives of the group, therefore forfeiting the race to first place.

Group B





A solid performance from the tournament favourites, SK Gaming. The Brazilians had the crowd behind them, a very strong ally as per the words of the players themselves. The morale boost seemed to have given the team a breath of fresh air, resulting in a successful run through group B. Initially SK set out on a negative note after losing to the Ninjas in Pyjamas. After composing themselves overnight the Brazilians were back on track, demonstrating unrelenting dominance against FaZe Clan, Cloud9 and Team Dignitas. Finally the team went on to overcome NRG eSports, securing their placement in the semi-finals. SK Gaming now await their challengers in a strong position.

Cloud9 were second in line as the team was able to perform up to par for the tournament. Their run kicked off on a close map score against FaZe Clan, where the team just about clinched it last moment. Following this performance was a solid win against NRG eSports. Next was a match against group #1 SK Gaming, where the Americans didn't stand a chance, unfortunately. Finally the Cloud9 roster was able to overcome both Ninjas in Pyjamas and Team Dignitas, securing their place in the round of six.

The refreshed FaZe Clan roster, Team Dignitas and NRG eSports are sent packing, as neither team was able to put up a performance quite like that of the group's first, second and third contenders.

The round of six will be taking place tonight, here's the schedule for both best-of-three map series:

Saturday, October 29th - Quarter-finals

(M1) 18:50 - Team EnVyUs vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas

(M2) 22:40 - OpTic Gaming vs. Cloud9

Sunday, October 30th - Semi-finals and Grand Final

(M3) 15:00 - Winner of M1 vs. SK Gaming

(M4) 18:50 - Winner of M2 vs. Mousesports

(M5) 22:50 - Winner of M3 vs. Winner of M4

Images courtesy of ESL