ESL ESEA Finals: Group A

GROUP A

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Cloud9 had an incredible showing this season with a 19-3 record and secured the number one spot in North America. The core of the original squad is still intact with

Sean “sgares” Gares growing into his role as in-game leader,

Michael “shroud” Grzesiek consistently holding down bombsites, and

Jordan “n0thing” Gilbert pulling off clutch rounds to ensure the team victories. This season, however, brought two new members into the fray:

Ryan “fREAKAZOiD” Abadir and

Tyler “Skadoodle” Latham. The two were drafted for specific roles with fREAKAZOiD fulfilling the duty of the entry fragger and Skadoodle claiming the AWP. Even though the five men in this crew are still getting to know each other, they've shown improved synergy and can consistently beat the best of the best in North America. CS:GO may be a team-centric game, but there is one player that stands out and gives Cloud9 the edge they need to pull ahead of other contenders.

Tyler “Skadoodle” Latham - The Golden Boy

Skadoodle is considered the best AWPer in North America and very few can contest him on the title. From flick shots to superb positioning, the latest addition to the Cloud9 roster takes every opportunity to make plays and start momentum for his team. What makes him more than just an incredible AWPer but an overall amazing player is his versatility. Many other players in the AWP position only flourish when they are playing their role of sniping, but Skadoodle has shown his proficiency and his skill when equipped with a pistol and or rifle. Unlike other AWPers that end up being liabilities when forced into uncomfortable guns, he is able to duel other riflers and win firefights on his own. The fact that Skadoodle can operate as an additional rifler when an AWP is unneeded or unavailable allows Cloud9 more flexibility in their strategies. His stature grows with each passing game as he grows more familiar with his team and gathers more experience on a global scale. Keep an eye out for him, because he is about to set the world on fire.

Recently Cloud9 attended the Gfinity Master Summer tournament and their placing was less than stellar. Since this was their second LAN together as a team, expectations were high and fans were hoping the new and improved squad could get out of groups. Yet it was not to be. After losing to both

Virtus.pro and

Team EnVyUs, the North American team had to settle for last place and the throes of disappointment. However, the boys in blue and white now find themselves in a group of redemption with Virtus.pro, Team EnVyUs, and

Luminosity Gaming—whom they have a 2-0 record against in the EEPL this season. Cloud9 will have to fix their mistakes quickly if they want to turn things around and not have a repeat of Gfinity.
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<div id="csgo_body">Heralded as a mainstay of top European CS, Virtus.pro has had a weird year as they continued to shuffle in-game leaders around with

Filip “NEO” Kubski now in the helm. Meanwhile,

Jarosław “pasha” Jarząbkowski has been unable to find the same form he had in 2014, which weakens the dynamics the team had in the explosive AWPer. Overall, VP has not seen much success offline aside from a close win against

Fnatic in the ESEA Season 18 finals. They did well in this league, however, finishing just under Fnatic and tying with them in overall wins at 17-5. This LAN will be an important landmark for Virtus.pro for the second half of the year, and there’s one man that will be largely responsible for the end result.

Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski - The Mastermind

Also known as the smoke master, Snax thrives in chaos and is usually named one of the smartest players in the scene, and for good reason. He makes incredibly calculated plays and can dismantle a team in a manner of seconds thanks to his cunning. His ability to read situations and correctly respond to them instantly is what makes him a scary player to be pitted against in the clutch. What he lacks in raw firepower, compared to

Paweł “byali” Bieliński, he makes up by setting up ambushes, flanking the opposing team or simply outsmarting them. Both Snax and byali will need to perform above and beyond if they want to take home the trophy this weekend, however, as a five-man effort will be crucial for getting past their European rivals.

Fortunately, they have a favorable group draw as they meet up with the Americans in Cloud9 as well as Luminosity Gaming and EnVyUs. Though they had a poor showing at the latest Gfinity Masters, losing out to German upstarts

mousesports, they trounced Cloud9 handily and are known to perform better at big events, such as this one. There is no real doubt that Virtus.pro will make it out of the group stage, barring a tremendous effort by one or more NA teams, but even then—given the format of the groups—they will more than likely make it out to the brackets. What is more concerning is the potential semi-final match-ups that VP may end up drawing. Both

Team SoloMid and Fnatic are frightening for the Poles and will end up being hurdles they will need to jump over if they want to secure another tournament win.</div>

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<div id="csgo_body">Luminosity Gaming had a good showing this season with a 16-6 record, which allowed them to snag the third place spot. Two of the original members of the Mythic acquisition in February, captain

Alexander “LeX” Deily and rifler

Todd “anger” Williams, have stayed to see the team’s success, but the team decided to field three new members this season.

Jacob “pyth” Mourujärvi,

Peter “ptr” Gurney, and

Keith “NAF” Markovic are now sporting the Luminosity Gaming tags and together, they are climbing North American ranking lists and showing their potential to become a real competitor on a global scale. The team has consistently placed high in recent tournaments such as the iBUYPOWER Invitational and ESWC 2015 MSI USA Qualifier, but they have so far come up short of crossing the finish line in first place. These results show a team on the ascendancy and their individual skill is nothing to dismiss. NAF’s solid rifle plays and ptr’s AWP skills have allowed the squad to mesh and work well, but the the Swedish player's decision to come across the pond and play in the North American region gives Luminosity Gaming their edge.

Jacob “pyth” Mourujärvi - The Foreigner

The European scene has held dominance over the Counter-Strike scene for some time. For a Swedish player to travel overseas and play for a North American team is a big deal within the scene. pyth previously played for

Team Orbit and

SK Gaming, so his transfer to Luminosity Gaming was treated with great excitement. pyth has played a large role in keeping the team at top tier shape, but it isn't only because of his immense skill. Due to his experience playing against the cream of the European crop, he is able to bring a different perspective in figuring out strategies and playstyles when in competition. His game knowledge and ability to perform in high intensity situations makes him one of the deadliest clutch players in the league.

The North American team will arrive at this tournament as the underdogs. Falling into the group with French favorites Team EnVyUs, the strong arm of Poland Virtus.pro, and North American heavy weights Cloud9, Luminosity Gaming has quite the mountain to climb. Yet with a new gaming house in Canada and promising results, the squad and fans have something to look forward to. This will be the first international LAN they are attending as the new team and anything could happen. Luminosity Gaming could cause a few upsets and maybe squeak out of groups. If no one is paying attention, this North American team could come and blind side the competition, but as things are, Luminosity are certainly the underdogs to make it out of Group A.</div>

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<div id="csgo_body">The French masterminds, Team EnVyUs, were able to finish third place with a 16-6 record overall in the European division to squeak ahead of Team SoloMid. The former LDLC squad, led by

Vincent “Happy” Cervoni, has had a great year ever since they were picked up by their new organization.

Fabien “kioShiMa” Fiey.

Nathan “NBK” Schmitt,

Edouard “SmithZz” Dubourdeaux, and

Richard “shox” Papillon have flourished in both online matches and LAN events as a team. Team EnVyUs has managed three first place wins in the first half of this year with a sprinkling of second and third place finishes as well. Each player’s ability contributes to their success, but a certain member of the team deserves a special kind of nod for his skills.

Vincent “Happy” Cervoni - The Revolutionary

Happy is currently one of the best all around players in the world. Aside from being their in-game leader, he can wield an AWP, rifle and pistol at a high level and impose his will on the team in order to keep them focused and determined throughout a match. The Frenchman has shown time and again that he is a top tier player that knows how to shine on the big stage. Happy is especially dangerous on the Terrorist side and he can work his tactics like a refined general. Whether it's creating space, lurking and making calls for kioShiMa and shox to work their magic or entry fragging to get NBK and SmithZz into position, Happy utilizes his teammates to their fullest, allowing them to shine in their own light while giving himself a piece of the limelight as well.

EnVyUs recently attended the Gfinity Masters Summer 1 LAN and took first place over

Ninjas in Pyjamas and Virtus.pro, the latter residing in the same group for the ESL ESEA Season 1 Finals. Confidence is high for the team and they should be able to use it when they enter Cologne this week. Group A will have its share of hurdles, but no one will expect anything less than the top position from the mighty Frenchmen. They are one of the favorites to win the tournament, and this group should only be a bump in the road.

Writers: Wunder, climax
Editors: lichter, Souma
Graphics: InsidiA, Souma</div>
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ESL ESEA Finals: Group A

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