When the groups were drawn, Team Empire deliberately took on International runner-up Natus Vincere in an attempt to avoid them in the first playoff round. It did pay off, as they managed to place second. However, many people expected them to claim the first spot. Na'Vi ended their winning streak in a very convincing manner. Both teams showed classic CIS traits and played very aggressive.
Fan favorites Wehsing 'SingSing' Yuen & Co would not be in the tournament, if it wasn't for James '2GD' Harding. However, they are paying every penny back with performance and scores, placing first in their group. A shocking result, as everybody expected Moscow Five to advance through easily, yet the Russians struggled and couldn't make it work in the end. Skånes Elit, or now Pulse Gaming, showed once again that they are a force to be reckoned with and placed second in the group.
| Group A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Score | W/D/L | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 Natus Vincere | 6 | 2/0/0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 Team Empire | 3 | 1/0/1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virtus.Pro | 0 | 0/0/1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Group B | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Score | W/D/L | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 The GD B-Team | 7 | 2/1/0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 Pulse Gaming | 6 | 2/0/1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moscow Five | 2 | 0/2/1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 MeetYourMakers | 1 | 0/1/2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The games will continue tomorrow at 15 CEST. Na'Vi will face off against Pulse Gaming, whereas GD B-Team takes on Team Empire. Check out the rest of the coverage here.
