What's the memorable thing about Group D at ESL Pro League Season 17
Elen StelmakhGroup D of ESL Pro League Season 17 has come to an end, with FORZE, ENCE, NAVI and Team Liquid all making the play-offs. In turn, Astralis, Team Spirit, Rare Atom and ATK were left out, putting their ambitions on the back burner. That said, the group had a few memorable moments, worth talking about in the context of each participant.
FORZE
The most important breakthrough not only in Group D, but also in the whole group stage was the FORZE team. The Russian side have been training in Malta for quite some time, as they took part in the CCT Central Europe Malta Finals in February. Nevertheless, the boys' recent results definitely cannot be called positive.
However, already from the start of the group stage of ESL Pro League Season 17, Fierce's wards splashed out a sensation, immediately beating NAVI. But the team kept on surprising, closing down Team Spirit, and two days later they crushed ENCE.
As a result, FORZE were able to prove that targeted training and a strong motivation can produce results. And we cannot say that we are facing an outstanding team. Someone just adequately assessed their chances and took advantage of the opponents' weaknesses.
ENCE
Now let's talk about the most controversial team in Group D. Yes, ENCE solved all their problems on the second day already, having outplayed ATK and Rare Atom. However, we must judge objectively - sAw's wards were very lucky with their opponents. Had the boys found themselves in a more difficult net, we would have talked about the team's play in a different tone.
However, the last game against FORZE clearly showed that it's too early to mark ENCE as favourites and return to their former positions. Moreover, the transfer of NertZ did not pay off, despite the strong statistics against the outsiders.
NAVI
There's no point in saying anything at length here, as Born to Win continues to experiment and rack up some bumps. In other words, NAVI are trying to create a new team, building on the great potential of the npl. However, this potential has never been unlocked, and s1mple alone is long gone.
So it turns out that the team had big problems in the group stage, starting with the gifted game against FORZE. Then NAVI had problems with Astralis and Rare Atom, where the team had to bounce back and could not find a common denominator for a long time.
One would like to believe that in the playoffs, Born to Win will find stability. Given their lack of success in the past, we're having trouble believing it.
Team Liquid
Another heavy favorite, who managed to cause problems on the first day of play as quickly as possible. Frankly speaking, Team Liquid did not deserve to make the playoffs, but they were able to find themselves at the end of the group stage and put on a few good performances.
However, the opening games against Rare Atom and Team Spirit left their mark, and the team itself acknowledged their shortcomings. Now we can expect the Liquid to spend two days in preparation. But so far Team Liquid gives the impression of a raw team, which banally lacks a mobile sniper.
Astralis
We must now finally admit that Astralis has outlived its usefulness as a team in its previous form. Clearly, when it comes to complex situations that require experience, the Danes are excellent. However, in the default game, the squad has been floating around for a long time and cannot compete.
In terms of results at ESL Pro League Season 17, the team jumped over the top, managing to reach the final match. However, even there the Danes had chances to clinch on Mirage, but gave up a serious advantage to their opponent.
All in all, Astralis need to think about global reshuffles. And if the three of dev1ce, Buzz and blameF can somehow sit on their chairs, the other veterans can obviously be worried about their position in the team.
Team Spirit
Team Spirit was perhaps the biggest disappointment of Group D. Given how many chances the team created for themselves and how poorly they used them, not making the playoffs is the logical outcome.
In other words, the Dragons could easily have solved their main task on the second day, but they were defeated by FORZE. From there the Russian squad continued to inspire hope, outplaying Team Liquid.
However, the final matches hit Team Spirit hard. And now that the team is virtually frozen at one point, it becomes unclear where and in which direction to go next.
Rare Atom
Group D is the most interesting team. The Chinese team started to please the public right from the start and literally crushed Team Liquid. What's more, the Chinese team made at least some sense, something that hasn't happened for about five years now.
Nevertheless, Rare Atom failed to claw their way back into the game. Otherwise, the team didn't quite make the playoffs, playing slowly and well from distance. Still, the squad deserves kudos, as we haven't seen the Chinese team play like that in a long time.
ATK
Here we saw one of the worst teams of the whole championship. Perhaps along with Rooster, the representatives of North America could fight for the title of the underdog of the tournament.
And to talk about the game ATK makes no sense, as the team has regrouped several times during their stay in Europe. And objectively there is nothing to highlight - the guys played to the best of their abilities.
ESL Pro League Season 17 takes place from February 22 to March 26 in Malta. During the championship, 32 teams from CIS, Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Oceania are fighting for the total prize pool of $850,000, as well as trips to IEM Cologne 2023 and BLAST World Final 2023 for the winner.
Interim results for ESL Pro League Season 17
- 1st place: $200,000 + 3,000 points + entry to IEM Cologne 2023 and BLAST World Final 2023
- 2nd place: $90,000 + 2,000 points
- 3-4th place: $50,000 + 1,200 points
- 5-8th place: $35,000 + 500 points
- 9th-12th place: $25,000
- 13th-16th place: $20,000
- 17-20th place: Eternal Fire, BIG, Ninjas in Pyjamas and Astralis - $15,000
- 21st-28th place: MIBR, IHC Esports, SAW, Complexity Gaming, Grayhound Gaming, OG, Rare Atom and Team Spirit - $8,000
- Place 29-32: Evil Geniuses, Imperial Esports, Rooster and ATK - $4,000
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Elen Stelmakh is a creative individual dedicated to advancing gaming culture through articles and visual design. As a full-time EGamersWorld author and designer for a gaming website, Elen not only creates content but also infuses it with energy and creativity.