ESL One: Cologne 2016 - Main qualifiers day 1 recap

With day one of the main qualifiers for ESL One: Cologne 2016 concluded, we present a brief recap of the matches that took place.

FlipSid3 Tactics vs. Renegades – 9:6, 7:3 (16:9)

Winner: FlipSid3 Tactics

Maps: de_Mirage

MVP: Georgi "WorldEdit" Yaskin

Kicking off the day were FlipSid3 Tactics on the T side of de_Mirage. A very solid performance from the Ukrainian roster, whereby the team was able to successfully dismantle the Aussies round by round. A diverse approach to round strategies allowed the team to catch their opponent off guard, allowing for a 9:6 round surplus upon conclusion of the first half. After they switched to the CT side of the map, FlipSid3 were able to simply hold sites, preventing Renegades from securing much needed rounds. Said performance meant the Aussies weren't able to land over the course of the second half, closing the match out at 16:9.

HellRaisers vs. Splyce – 9:6, 7:3 (16:9)

​Winner: HellRaisers

Maps: de_Cobblestone

MVP: Tomáš "oskar" Šťastný

The second match of the day saw an incredibly sloppy performance from both sides. A plethora of mistakes were to be seen from both teams, however in the end someone had to land the win. HellRaisers commenced on the CT side of the map, showing a decent performance all-in-all. Splyce weren't able to consistently aggress onto sites, stopped by the defence. The European mix takes the first half with a 9:6 round surplus. In the second half we saw some misplays from both teams; however it seems the European team made less of them. The latter half of the match progressed with a bias towards HellRaisers, ending at a 16:9 score.

Cloud9 vs. Team Empire – 8:7, 8:5 (16:12)

​Winner: Cloud9

Maps: de_Cobblestone

MVP: Jake "Stewie2K" Yip

Up next was another de_Cobblestone draft, where Cloud9 bested the lesser-known Team Empire. The home representatives kicked off on the CT side of the map, where they saw a mediocre start to the game, allowing Empire a decent lead for the initial portion of the first half. Slowly, the Americans were able to come back into the match, returning from a round deficit, claiming a 8:7 finish upon half time. Team Empire were slowly pulling themselves back, effectively holding bombsites and preventing Cloud9 from entering. In the end, however, Cloud9 were able to take it away at 16:12.

Mousesports vs. Fluffy Gangsters – 7:8, 8:7, 4:1 (19:16)

​Winner: Mousesports

Maps: de_Dust2

MVP: Johannes "nex" Maget

De_Dust2 saw an amazing performance from Fluffy Gangsters, however the favourite persevered, as Mousesports took away the map. The German roster kicked off on the T side of the aim-heavy map, giving away quite a few rounds to their opponent. It seemed like the team was still warming up, losing quite a few rounds to the Russians. By the end of the first half Mousesports were able to bring it back, landing a 7:8 score. The second half saw Fluffy Gangsters shoot for the sky, on several occasions outplaying their German opponents. Despite this, Mousesports secure a significant lead, placing themselves a single round from closing out the match. As retaliation the Russian roster mounts a comeback, securing a 15:15 score, pushing the match into overtime. The extra rounds didn't see much retaliation from the Russian underdogs, where they secured a single round on their CT side, the rest of which went in favour of Mousesports.

Team EnVyUs vs. IMMORTALS vs. – 9:6, 7:0 (16:6)

​Winner: Team EnVyUs

Maps: de_Dust2

MVP: Dan "apEX" Madesclaire

Another best-of-one series on the old fashioned De_Dust2 between the French Team EnVyUs and the freshly-signed Brazilian IMMORTALS. The Frenchies started on the CT side, where they were able to grab quite a decent amount of rounds fending off the aggressing opponents. The round score was swaying quite the bit in favour of IMMORTALS, however EnVyUs composed themselves and started securing much needed rounds. The team managed to secure a 9:6 half time score, allowing for an easier T side. After switching onto the aggressive side, the Frenchmen truly started to shine. If the first half was decent, the second half had an amazing performance lined up for Team EnVyUs. Round after round went by, where the Frenchmen absolutely thrashed their opponents, rarely giving breathing space. They managed to constrict their opponent entirely, securing six consecutive rounds on the T side, closing out the match at a cool 16:6.

Gambit Gaming vs. OpTic Gaming – 4:11, 12:3 (16:14)

​Winner: Gambit Gaming

Maps: de_Cobblestone

MVP: Ivan "spaze" Obrezhan

A real emotional rollercoaster of a match, where Gambit sway from a serious deficit to a full blown win. The Russians started on the CT side of the map. Things weren't too hot for the team as OpTic Gaming were consistently able to overpower the defence on the B bomb site, grabbing round after round. Gambit found themselves in dire straits, facing a 4:11 half time score. After a lacklustre performance, however, the Russian roster brought their A-game to the T side of the map. OpTic were absolutely lost, unable to read plays made by the opponent. Gambit went on to crush the Canadian team on their T side, securing an astonishingly close 16:14 win.

FaZe Clan vs. Team Dignitas – 10:5, 6:3 (16:8)

​Winner: FaZe Clan

Maps: de_Mirage

MVP: Håvard "rain" Nygaard

A linear game for the European mix of FaZe Clan, where the team were able to defeat their opponent in a fairly quick succession. FaZe kick off on the CT side of de_Mirage, where they were able to demonstrate a formidable defence, preventing Dignitas from obtaining a decent round surplus going into the second half. Rounds went in significant favour of FaZe, culminating in a 10:5 first half finish. On the T side the European mix were very dominant, securing entry frags and executing bomb sites with efficient trades. Such a performance meant that they were simply able to force Dignitas into awkward positions, pushing their opponents over the edge. FaZe Clan take away the best-of-one 16:8.

G2 Esports vs. TyLoo – 7:8, 9:1 (16:9)

​Winner: G2 Esports

Maps: de_Cache

MVP: Richard "shox" Papillon

The final match of day one saw a beautifully tense game between the two contenders. TyLoo kicked off on a positive note, leading the score on their CT side. G2 Esports at first seemed to struggle, unable to effectively secure rounds against the Chinese, but this ironed out as the match progress, most noticeably after the team took a time out to reassess their situation. After this pause, the team got back into the game, bringing it back in at 7:8. Over the course of the second half we saw an incredible CT side from the Frenchmen, where TyLoo simply weren't able to successfully storm sites, causing an uphill struggle that wasn't quite fruitful. Finalising the day, G2 Esports beat TyLoo 16:9.