Title image courtesy of ESL
Two more teams bid farewell at the end of the group stage for ESL One Katowice 2019 and they were both from North America.
With the conclusion of the group stage, two more teams were eliminated from ESL One Katowice 2019 before they could even hit the main stage.
For compLexity Gaming and Forward Gaming, the buck stops there. The two North American representatives both ended with a 3:7 record in the group stage, falling into the second-to-last spot in the rankings. A place that was designated for early elimination.
compLexity Gaming has been dealing with a myriad of issues in regards to player visas and has had a draining few weeks leading up to the event. It isn't surprising that a team with members from two different regions and difficulties getting them all in one place together for their training would falter early. Even with the addition of Murielle "Kips" Huisman as their new coach couldn't salvage things - given she was only recruited in the witching hour before the big event.
Forward Gaming has no such excuses for their results. The team has been a strong presence in the North American region but seems to have trouble translating those results to the big stage. They have three weeks to train and revamp their approach before appearing at DreamLeague Season 11 Stockholm Major.
Meanwhile, the playoff stage has already begun, witnessing Team Secret crush Ninjas in Pyjamas 2:0 sending them to the lower brackets and the rise of Gambit Esports who has had an impressive performance with no signs of slowing down.
The playoffs will continue on Friday, February 22nd at 12:00 CET with Round 1 of the Lower Brackets. Three more teams will bid farewell to the tournament by the end of the day.
