Photo courtesy of PGL's twitter
The first day of the PGL European Minor Championship has concluded, and the semi-finalists have been decided. Here’s a brief look at the day’s events.
The group stage of the PGL European Minor Championship, taking place in Bucharest, Romania saw eight teams battle it out for one of four semi-final spots. The teams were split into two goups, with the top two teams from each group moving forward.
Group A:
Space Soldiers
GODSENT
Team LDLC
ALTERNATE aTTaX
Opening Matches (Bo1):
Group A started off with Space Soldiers taking on ALTERNATE aTTaX on Cobblestone. Despite a good start from the Germans, Space Soldiers came back in the second half to take their first match 16-14. Next, GODSENT faced off against LDLC on Overpass. While LDLC managed to take a hefty lead in the first half, they stumbled a bit on the T side and the game went into overtime before they could finally close it out 21-19.
Winner’s Match (Bo1):
Having won their initial encounters, Space Soldiers and LDLC met on Cobblestone to decide the winner of Group A. Despite losing the pistol round, Space Soldiers put together an 11-4 half and managed to subdue an attempted comeback from LDLC to win 16-11 and secure their place in the semi-finals.
Elimination Match (Bo3):
The two teams that were unable to take their first games, GODSENT and ALTERNATE aTTaX, faced off in a best-of-three to decide who would be sent home. The first map was Cobblestone, and although the first half was fairly even, GODSENT stepped it up on the T side and took the map 16-10. The second map, Train, again got off to a balanced start, with the Swedish squad finishing the first half with a narrow 8-7 lead. Despite a little resistance from the German team, GODSENT managed to close out Train 16-11 and send ALTERNATE aTTaX packing.
Decider Match (Bo3):
Having lost to Space Soldiers, LDLC took on GODSENT for the other semi-final spot. The first map was Train, on which GODSENT put up an impressive 11-4 lead on the T side. LDLC wasn’t able to do any better in the second half, and the Swedes took Train 16-7. The second map, Dust II, was much closer, with LDLC taking a 9-6 lead in the first half and making it nearly to map point before GODSENT took the map 16-14. With their victory, GODSENT will advance to the semi-finals.
Group B:
Epsilon eSports
HellRaisers
ENCE eSports
Heroic
Opening Matches (Bo1):
Group B began with Epsilon and Heroic facing off on Cobblestone. Both teams posted 11-4 CT sides and the game went into double overtime before Epsilon finally closed it out 26-22. For the second opening match, ENCE took on Hellraisers on Cache. ENCE took the lead early on, winning the first half 9-6, and eventually taking the match 16-14.
Winner’s Match (Bo1):
Next, the two Opening Match winners, Epsilon and ENCE, went head to head on Mirage to decide who would advance to the semi-finals. The Swedes took a noteworthy 10-5 lead on their T side, and in the second half they allowed ENCE only three rounds before taking the game 16-8 and securing their semi-final spot.
Elimination Match (Bo3):
Heroic and Hellraisers, having lost their opening matches, were the next to do battle, with the loser being eliminated from the tournament. The first map played was Train, on which Hellraisers took the CT pistol and won the first half 11-4. Although Heroic managed to put a few rounds on the board, Hellraisers eventually closed it out 16-9. The second map was Nuke, and this time Heroic took charge early on, winning their CT half 10-5. Hellraisers put up a fight in the second half, but after a quick adjustment Heroic took the map 16-10. The final map, Cobblestone, saw Hellraisers take the lead early on a secure a 10-5 lead in the first half. The Danes answered back by taking the pistol and nearly tying the score before Hellraisers recovered and clinched the map 16-10.
Decider Match (Bo3):
After sending Heroic home, Hellraisers had one more hurdle to surpass as they took on ENCE for the last semi-final spot. The first map played was Mirage, and although ENCE looked strong on their T side, winning the half 8-7, they fell flat on CT and Hellraisers took it 16-9. The second map, Cobblestone, was almost identical to Mirage. ENCE got off to a good start, winning their T side 9-6, but went missing in the second half as Hellraisers mounted a comeback and took the map 16-11, securing their place in the semi-finals.
The semi-final matchups will be as follows:
