ELEAGUE Season 2 - SK Gaming and Astralis to semi-finals

SK Gaming and Astralis have secured their placements in the semi-finals of ELEAGUE Season 2 after defeating Team Dignitas and Ninjas in Pyajamas respectively.

With the playoffs of ELEAGUE Season 2 underway, the Brazilian and Danish rosters of SK Gaming and Astralis have surpassed their respective opponents in the quarter-finals. Both of the series went to three maps, with close scores across the board; however opponents Team Dignitas and Ninjas in Pyjamas were not able to perform up to par and have hence been eliminated from the race for first place.

Below you will find a concise recap of the two series that took place:

ELEAGUE Season 2 - Quarter-final #1

SK Gaming vs. Team Dignitas

Winner: SK Gaming

Maps: de_Dust2 - 10:5, 6:1 (16:6); de_Mirage - 4:11, 0:5 (4:16); de_Overpass - 11:4, 5:10 (16:14)

MVP: Marcelo "coldzera" David

The first quarter-final of the playoffs saw a series between tournament favourites SK Gaming and title challengers Team Dignitas. The teams kicked off on de_Dust2, with the Brazilians commencing on the T side of affairs. Unsurprisingly the team got off to a stellar start on the aggressive, securing a whopping 10:5 half time finish. Team Dignitas seemed rather lost on the map, as the team wasn't able to retaliate throughout both halves, securing but a total of six rounds. SK Gaming went on to effectively defend on the CT side, landing a 6:1 second half finish. The map switches after a 16:6 score was attained.

Next on the agenda was de_Mirage, where, contrary to the previous map, SK Gaming seemed lost and Team Dignitas demonstrated a fantastic performance, some would say one better than their opponent's initial map. The Danes kick off on the T side, where the feel little to no resistance on entry to bomb sites. Executes were effective, trade kills were exchanged and the advantage was consistently in the team's favour. This lead to an 11:4 for Team Dignitas. After switching over to the CT side the team kept the momentum rolling, to an extent where they didn't concede a single round to the opponent. A strong second map for Team Dignitas as they reignite their performance with an astonishing 16:4 score.

The deciding map was de_Overpass, one that came down right to the final round. Off the get-go SK Gaming demonstrate a stoic defence on the map. The team was effectively able to shut down the predominance of the Danes' advances, placing the team in a comfortable 11:4 lead going into the second half. Having switched onto the T side the Brazilians started feeling the pushback of Team Dignitas. The Danes were not about to go out without a fight. And a fight we saw, with a total of fifteen rounds played out in the second half. Despite getting back into the game the prior deficit was far too extensive for the team to come back from, as Team Dignitas fall to the Major title holders at a nail-biting 16:14 score.

SK Gaming advance to the semi-finals, whilst the Danes pack their bags for the journey home.

ELEAGUE Season 2 - Quarter-final #2

Astralis vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas

Winner: Astralis

Maps: de_Cobblestone - 8:7, 5:9 (13:16); de_Train - 13:2, 3:0 (16:2); de_Overpass - 9:6, 7:4 (16:10)

MVP: Markus "Kjaerbye" Kjærbye

The second quarter-final saw a clash between the Danes of Astralis and the Swedish roster of Ninjas in Pyjamas. The series commenced on de_Cobblestone, where both teams seemed equally capable of securing the map. During the first half we saw a level play from both teams, with Astralis on the defence. No particularly large lead was amassed by half time, as the Danes pull slightly ahead with an 8:7 score line. Contrary to the prior half, the Ninjas in Pyjamas kick-started their performance. The Swedes created an impenetrable barrier for the Danes. Whilst they did prove crafty enough to secure five rounds, ultimately NiP took the map away with a 16:13 finish, setting a good pace going into the second map.

Next was de_Train, a map that proved to be a total disaster for the Swedes. Astralis start on the CT side of the map, immediately asserting their defensive capabilities. NiP seemed unable to come up with solutions against the Danish defence, barely rubbing two rounds together to show by the end of the half. Astralis roll over the Swedes in the first half, securing a ridiculous 13:2 lead. At this point the pistol round would determine whether or not the Ninjas had any chance at the map, unfortunately for them it didn't work out, as Astralis took the pistol, along with the two following rounds to take away map two with a flabbergasting 16:2 score.

The final map of the day was de_Overpass, where the second semi-finalist would be decided. The Danes kicked off on the CT side and showed a formidable performance against the aggressors. Ultimately the score came down to 9:6, one that didn't entirely dismiss a potential upset by the Swedes. Having switched to the T side, Astralis started to dictate a more commanding presence, overpowering the CTs on several occasions. The Ninjas were out of answers and the situation called for a "now or never" performance, which unfortunately we didn't see from the Swedes. Astralis go on to close out the second half at a 7:4 surplus, concluding the first day of the ELEAGUE Season 2 playoffs with a 16:10 finish.

Astralis prepare for their match against SK Gaming, whilst the Ninjas watch the matches in the comfort of their pyjamas.



Following are the matches scheduled for tonight, which will determine the last two contenders to be present in the semi-finals of ELEAGUE Season 2 (all times expressed in CET ):

20:00 - mousesports vs. OpTic Gaming

23:00 - Virtus.pro vs. FaZe Clan



Images courtesy of ELEAGUE

