The Qualifier for MLG Columbus is ready and set to be staged from 26th-28th, we will once again go through the groups and try to take a shot at guessing who will advance to the next major tournament.
G2 Esports vs. Tempo Storm
This might be one of the toughest matches to watch. Many hopes have been set in the NA hope from Brazil (irony intended), but they might be stopped cold by the French squad in just the first match. They have the advantage of the underdogs in that particular scenario, surely, but on the French side everybody seems to be hitting their shots right now. Their experience within the game, as well as their time together as a roster is something that TS have not been challenged with in their domestic area or the North American leagues. This will be the decider of extent to which Tempo Storm are strong as a team and as individuals. It is not impossible for them, remember that there was another Brazil team just a few months ago that was able to bridge the gap between NA success and international dominance and is now residing within the top five of CS:GO.
FlipSid3 Tactics vs. Selfless (ex-Enemy)
This is another very interesting matchup, not in terms of high skill clashing, rather because these two are teams that have had mediocre success in the past in their regions. It is hard to say how they will react to each other. Kenneth “koosta” Suen is a standout player for the ex-Enemy team, but he will not remain on it for long, as his transfer to Liquid has already been arranged but held back due to the rules of MLG Columbus, which state that he can only play for the team he qualified with.
All in all these initial matches will probably boost G2 to the winner’s final and book them a direct ticket to the major, as neither F3 nor Selfless are any sort of match for them. Tempo Storm will then have to walk the road of the lower bracket, but their individual skill should help them succeed over the others and reach the major as well.
Mousesports vs. Team YP
Although the Germans have struggled to display any kind of proper tactical awareness in-game recently, there is no doubt in regards to who will win the first match of the group. The raw aiming capacities of the mouz individuals are just stellar in comparison to what YP have to offer.
HellRaisers vs. Team Liquid
The CIS team has been in an undeniably big slump in recent months. But Liquid themselves really do not convey positive vibes as well. Going into this tournament, they have swapped out adreN, their IGL, and until now could not decide on a fifth man. There are rumours that he will, despite recent affairs, still play for them at the major, but if it doesn’t suddenly give him a performance boost, he will probably underperform. Both teams are heavily damaged prior to this event. We will be seeing soon what this matchup can present us in terms of action, it will probably be close.
Yet again there is but one decisive favourite for this group. Mousesports are the prime contenders for a spot in Columbus, Liquid and HR will have to fight it out to decide who may come along.
Counter Logic Gaming vs. SPLYCE
SPLYCE have come in as a spontaneous substitute for the MongolZ squad which was unable to attend due to visa issues. Unfortunately, this means one of the most interesting teams to watch has dropped and made place for a team that has had string of bad results in the ESL Pro League recently. CLG have not had the chance to fight against them yet, but it is to assume that the new addition to the group will not put up that much of a fight.
SK Gaming vs. Vexed Gaming
Vexed have recently managed to rise a little from their recent drop-off, but will it be enough to counter the Danish squad that has had some very strong performances against top-tier competition recently? SK have won over Natus Vincere twice in the ESL Pro League. as well as fought hard and strong during Leipzig. It could end in a narrow fashion, but it is to assume that the Danes will be able to make it to the winner’s final, even more considering the fact that Vexed will even have to play with a substitute, Oskar "oskarish" Stenborowski. Facing CLG there might be the tougher task if you were to take into account their recent performance overall. Judging from their very recent online meddles, they are not in the form anymore that granted them their advancement over G2 in the GEC finals.
Either way one or the other should subsequently get their major pass, SPLYCE have made the group fairly easier for the rest.
Cloud9 vs. Gambit
This matchup is close to unpredictable. Not because these two teams are so alike in terms of skill, but because the current state of C9 is a big mess and Gambit are a mostly unproven and imponderable squad. To get to this qualifier, they had to face virtually no competition. But keep in mind that C9 almost lost to a low-tier CIS squad in the GEC finals and Gambit actually boasts an interesting line-up of old veterans. In addition to that, the terrorist sides of C9 have been underwhelming to say the least and in general they seem to not really have figured out how to adapt to situations mid-game. This could potentially be the upset of the tournament.
Team Dignitas vs. Renegades
In contrast to the aforementioned situation, this is an absolutely predictable one. Dignitas should be taking this one with ease, and it is very unlikely that Karlo “USTILO” Pivac and co. will impede them from doing so. The Danes have beamed themselves into the top ten and, according to Duncan “Thorin” Shields, are one of the teams responsible for the resurgence of strategy-based Counter-Strike. Renegades won the RGN Finals last year and secured second place at IEM: Taipei, however there is no disguising the fact that they were thrashed by The MongolZ, a new face in the Asian scene. To be fair, their recent ESL Pro League matches have shown signs of improvement, with USTILO fitting in well, but this nonetheless should not be enough.
Cloud9 need to wake up again and plan their executions properly. If they were to show up as good as they usually do on their CT side, then they will undoubtedly receive at least the second seed in this group.
*Disclaimer: Keep in mind that these are merely predictions and should not be used as a guideline for betting on GosuGamers.net or on any other site. The statements here originate from statistics and previous matches and can thus not be held evidential for the win or loss of a team. The author, as well as GosuGamers.net, hereby distance themselves from any responsibilities in regards to betting losses.
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