The main results of the group stage of the WePlay Academy League

The two-round group stage of WePlay Academy League Season 1 has ended, as a result of which three teams secured a place in the LAN-finals, scheduled for the end of August. However, mouz NXT, Young Ninjas and BIG Academy will be joined by another team that will be revealed over the weekend after the playoffs are over. But even without that there are several interesting topics for discussion, suitable for summing up the intermediate results of the tournament.

Ahead of the whole planet

The group stage winner was mouz NXT, which was formed only at the end of June. Few expected that the team, assembled bit by bit from the European FPL, would be able to establish itself against the background of sufficiently experienced and strong teams. So at the start of the tournament, mouz NXT lost two matches, showing that she was not well organized. However, the team's failures quickly ended, since later torzsi and the company issued a seven-match streak of victories, gaining a foothold at the top of the standings. And even the defeat by Young Ninjas towards the end of WePlay Academy League Season 1 did not become a cause for concern, since further mouz NXT continued to gain points, moving by inertia. Nevertheless, the youth of the collective as a single mechanism is visible. And if the team doesn't look at their attack from a different angle, there is a chance that the LAN final will turn into a failure.

The main favorite of the championship seemed to be the Swedish team Young Ninjas, which appeared on the radars at the beginning of the year. At some point, the team looked good at the TIER-2 stage, and even won the Elisa Invitational Summer 2021 Regionals. However, the perpetual rearrangements in the roster made themselves felt, since the start of WePlay Academy League Season 1 turned out to be very gloomy for the Swedes. Moreover, after the first five rounds, Young Ninjas confidently dangled in the tail of the peloton, having collected three defeats. But here the mechanism adapted to the academic game, after which the team lost only once, failing to cope with VP.Prodigy on the very unexpected choice of Ancient. Nevertheless, even the confident ending of the championship did not help the Swedes to break into the leaders, for which it is clearly worth reproaching the long buildup. Although in the future there is every chance to believe that it is Young Ninjas who will fight to win this tournament.

The third victorious youth came from Germany, where BIG finally decided to show the world their academy. The start turned out to be very smooth, because it was BIG Academy that took the lead. And the first round can be called even for the team, since the guys lost only two matches to the equator of the competition. But here something went wrong, because the team did not look so convincing after that, even if it was able to jump into the top three at the end of the group stage. Nevertheless, two devastating defeats to direct competitors leave room for thought, since it was Mirage that was where BIG Academy looked the worst.

NAVI Junior again did not meet expectations

Here is another team from which a lot was expected. However, the terrible instability that followed the team throughout the championship made itself felt, because in the most important segment, NAVI Junior missed precious points, depriving itself of joy in the form of getting into the top three.

But it is better to start with good news, because at the end of the championship, m0NESY became the best player with a rating of 1.65, which stood out from all competitors. And we can say that it was thanks to the actions of the 16-year-old Russian that the team turned out to be so high, having won several beautiful victories.

Nevertheless, it is worth moving from good to bad, since the rest of the NAVI Junior players are difficult to praise for the tournament. And here the situation is similar to that of mouz NXT; the lack of variety per attack greatly hinders a team that is too dependent on one person.

Worst teams of the tournament

The main failure is the FURIA Academy team, which, after a loud start, bothered to lose eight matches in a row at once. But even without that, the Brazilians looked damp, obviously not expecting such a high level of play in the youth tournament. As a result, the team began to pack their bags even before the end of the last match, since everything became clear long before the championship final.

Another disappointment of this tournament is Astralis Talent. The Danes presented their youth squad in the winter, since then they have not shown anything interesting. But WePlay Academy League Season 1 is a clear reflection of the mediocrity of Danish youth. As a result, the main achievement of the team at the championship was two victories over NAVI Junior. But is it worth to rejoice when there are no noticeable stars in your line-up who can take a place in the main team over time.

Pen test for Fnatic Rising and VP.Prodigy

Before the start of the championship, another team with a big name, Fnatic Rising, has grown before our eyes. The organization did not start from the Swedish youth, having assembled a combined hodgepodge of those who, for whatever reason, did not take root at the TIER-3 level. As a result, a completely combat-ready squad was obtained, which looked very worthy until the middle of the championship. However, the lack of experience played a role, as after the equator, Fnatic Rising won only three fights. Nevertheless, this unit has a perspective for growth, because it was she who was able to provide the most resistance to Young Ninjas during the two meetings.

As for VP.Prodigy, the Russian team had a fairly even tournament, failing in three matches. The rest of the team showed convincing consistency, every now and then causing problems to much more stellar opponents. And if VP.Prodigy had a little more experience, the team could become the opening of WePlay Academy League Season 1.

Group Stage Summary Table

Playoff Schedule

• Saturday 7 August: VP.Prodigy - Astralis Talent.
  
• Saturday 7 August: NAVI Junior - VP.Prodigy/Astralis Talent.
  
• Sunday August 8th: Fnatic Rising - TBD.

It is in these three fights that the last participant of the WePlay Academy League Season 1 final, which will be held from August 27 to 29 in Kiev at the WePlay Esports Arena, will be determined.