Welcome to the Guild Wars 2 Pro League! We saw fierce competition in our first week in the Mists, with old and new faces alike across both Europe and North America. There was a definite advantage to the veterans of ESL’s Guild Wars 2 cups, but the newcomers definitely proved their right to place in the biggest Guild Wars 2 League yet! Here’s a breakdown of this week’s matches.

Europe

Car Crashed vs. Vermillion

Car Crashed showed up strong in the qualifiers but were no match for ESL veterans Vermillion in this first match of the Guild Wars 2 Pro League.

Despite a fantastic start for Car Crashed, the score remained neck and neck until Vermillion dominated in a team fight at Keep. From there, Vermillion took advantage of holes in Car Crashed's rotations, taking control of the map with a triple cap and winning the match.

Both teams were cautious coming into game two. With an impressive three-man wipe in their favor, Vermillion’s focus on player kills allowed for an early triple cap. With a full decap just 30 points from end game, Car Crashed were only delaying the inevitable. An instant double cap brought the game back into the hands of Vermillion.

More Guns Than Roses vs. The Civilized Gentlemen

TCG have been consistent Go4GuildWars2 cup winners and WTS contenders - and it really showed in this matchup. More Guns Than Roses pushed their way through the ranks to make it into the Pro League, but their mettle was tested in their Pro League debut match.

With an early double cap, GnR looked confident they could take on the greats. However, TCG lived up to their reputation, scoring an early triple cap and maintaining it until GnR called GG just 5 minutes into the game.

An aggressive start for game two set the tone for the entire match. TCG kept on top of player movement, and asserting their dominance on kills meant a two or three-man advantage at all times. With a triple cap under their belts and nothing on the board for GnR, TCG added insult to injury by taking out the Lord for an impressive 533-point victory.

Orange Logo vs. Chaotic Contingency

French underdogs Chaotic Contingency came into the Pro League expecting a challenge, and were put to the test against WTS Cologne champions - and fan favorites - Orange Logo.

A fantastic start for oRNG, using a bait tactic to take out three CC players within the first seconds, allowed oRNG to take all three nodes just 2 and half minutes into the game. Supplementing their point income with kills, the champs took the game in just 7 minutes.

Chaotic Contingency showed their potential early in game two, but oRNG turned the tables on them very quickly. Three minutes in saw oRNG with a triple cap plus an opening for a Lord rush. CC managed to rally far too late as oRNG had a hefty point advantage from an early Lord kill, ending the match 500-102.

Rank Fifty Five Dragons vs. Purple Noise

Having confirmed their roster just before the qualifiers, newcomers Purple Noise really had a challenge on their hands with one of the best teams in ESL Guild Wars 2 history - Rank Fifty Five Dragons.

And it was an intimidating opening by Rank Fifty Five, who pushed fast and hard across the map to contest Purple Noise’s home node. Purple Noise held strong for only a few moments, before suffering a two-man wipe in what would become a Rank Fifty Five Dragons snowball. Absolutely decimating Purple Noise’s ranks, Rank Fifty Five swiftly took complete map control and the game.

Game two began - and ended - in absolute domination by Rank Fifty Five Dragons, with two kills and a double cap within the first minute. Purple Noise rallied late in the game, taking one node for points on the board, but Rank Fifty Five quickly took map control back to maintain a massive lead. With three Purple Noise players down, Rank Fifty Five took out the Lord, boosting their points over 500.

North America

Final Form vs. Ez Pz Lemon Squeezy

We saw some familiar faces in a new composition in Final Form, set against relatively recent addition to the ESL Guild Wars 2 circuit Ez Pz Lemon Squeezy.

An aggressive start from Final Form. Despite seemingly dominating the early game, FF were more than 80 points behind. However, managing the first kill, Final Form used their advantage over Ez Pz to push for a double cap. Maintaining the double for the rest of the game with a strategy of distraction, Final Form pushed their lead to victory in the first game.

Final Form continued their advantage in the second game. With some great portal play coming out, Final Form had consistent control over the map. A misplay at Waterfall could have turned the tides in Ez Pz’s favour, but Final Form skillfully regained control, holding on to their lead until the end.

Never Lucky vs. Spookie

An interesting matchup between some familiar faces. Both teams made their way through the October Go4GuildWars2 ranks but did not face each other in the monthly finals. However, whereas Never Lucky made it through on Go4 merit, Spoookie battled it out through the qualifiers to prove their place in the Pro League.

Opening game one, both teams took their home nodes and went all in for a messy team fight at mid. Spoookie came out on top, and with a double cap took the lead. However, Spoookie overextended for a triple cap and Never Lucky retaliated, taking out four players simultaneously. While this could have turned the match on its head, Spoookie regained their double to take the round.

Spoookie really shone in the second matchup. With an early double cap, Spoookie focused on keeping the teamfights at mid, denying any decaps by Never Lucky. After securing a triple cap, Spoookie made an early push to take the Lord, moving the teamfight there until their points climbed high enough that the Lord kill gave them the game.

Team PZ vs. Apex Prime

An amazing meeting of newcomers Team PZ and old faces Apex Prime in the most intense show of matched skill of the week.

Despite a high-action opening, the early game was slow until Team PZ took control of the map. With messy teamfights and no structure to the match, it seemed as if a Team PZ win was guaranteed until, with just 3 minutes left in the game, Apex cut off PZ’s point flow at 450 points. In the biggest upset of the Pro League so far, Apex pushed their advantage to just one point behind, and in a clutch play took out the Chieftain to take game one.

With such high stakes, game two could have gone to either team. Apex Prime maintained around a 20-point lead for a majority of the game, despite PZ taking control of the map for short periods. But with less than 5 minutes on the clock, Team PZ finally overtook Apex. Both teams headed for their opponent’s Lords simultaneously, but Team PZ made the kill first.

Our first look at Kyhlo in the Pro League was a neck and neck battle, trading kills and nodes in a desperate fight for advantage. Stretching the action to the final minutes, Apex Prime pushed ahead by over 100 points to take the best of three!

Zero Counterplay vs. The Abjured

With a last minute forfeit by Zero Counterplay, this week fell in favor of WTS champions The Abjured.

Join us for the next matches!

The Guild Wars 2 Pro League resumes next week on November the 30th. Be sure not to miss any of the exciting matches to come - visit the Pro League’s official website for all the latest information and follow ESL Guild Wars 2 on Twitter and Facebook for updates!

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