Most players will never publicly admit that the taste of payback is almost as sweet as the taste of victory. But the truth is that if there is something better than settling an old score with a team you dislike, then doing it when the entire world is watching is it. And to rub even more salt into the wound, you eliminate them at the earliest stage possible.

ESWC Masters is the perfect event for that - Paris will be dripping revenge kill blood from in every group in the first phase of the event.

GROUP A (Fnatic, MIBR, Roccat, dimension4, Spirit of Amiga)

Tomi "lurppis" Kovanen’s view:


The luck of the draw has been very nasty for the Fnatic as the ghosts of Extreme Masters II are back to haunt them. The Swedish team very painfully bombed out in the group stage of the Extreme Masters II finals with Made in Brazil, Roccat and Spirit of Amiga. The ones directly responsible for it are SoA and it was spectacular:



Fnatic have been unconvincing and haven't won an event since then. While their results were not terrible, they probably could not recount one weekend when they went home satisfied with how they played.

ESWC Masters is a good opportunity to end a four-month silverware drought, but Fnatic are up against teams that are not only skilled enough to take them down but also have their own scores to settle. Roccat plays against Fnatic nearly every time. MIBR will gladly avenge themselves for the Kode5 Grand Final where the wounded Fnatic got past them after a very intense match.

If there is a place to get redemption, then Bercy is it. But there is not enough of it to go around for everyone.

GROUP B (MYM, Mousesports, aAa, Team Alternate, nEophyte)

Tomi "lurppis" Kovanen’s view:


This group has got two exciting stories tied together. Meet Your Makers are the clear favourites of the group and they are playing to qualify for the ESWC Grand Final in San Jose. The top three teams in Paris among those that have not qualified will earn berths to the finals in August.

While it would not be the end of the world for SK or Fnatic to slip at this stage, it would be a tragedy for MYM. That is why it will probably not happen.

The other teams cannot rely on MYM playing badly so they are all practically fighting for the the same spot in the playoffs. Among those teams are the Mousesports and Team Alternate who are perennial rivals for the number one spot in Germany. And that means it is going to get ugly.

The only love Mousesports has for Alternate is the love of seeing them beaten. And Alternate loves them just as passionately. Their rivalry is like the game between Celtic and Rangers in Glasgow. For one of those teams beating the other and eliminating them from the event at the same time is like a dream come true.

That is unless aAa or nEophyte step in and do something about it or if MYM doesn’t want to go to San Jose.

GROUP C (mTw.dk, eSTRO, Evil Geniuses, DCC, Get2Gev)

Tomi "lurppis" Kovanen’s view:


Group C cannot dream of having as much drama as any of the other groups. In comparison, it can almost be called boring. At the same time, this group has got one of the main contenders for the championship in mTw.dk. The Danes are looking like the clear favourites and the rest of the group seems unpredictable and that makes it exciting.

GROUP D (SK Gaming, emuLate, Hellway, excello, x6tence)

Tomi "lurppis" Kovanen’s view:


The fourth group has one of the most exciting matches in the first stage of the ESWC Masters. This time it is not through one of the teams‘ painfull tournament history but because of famous the e-Stars poll controversy from a couple of months ago.

Team emuLate was invited to e-Stars over SK Gaming thanks to votes cast in a faulty poll. Part of the community has made it an SK vs. emL matter and unless there is a draw, the fans of one team will definitely have a ball. The players on both sides will definitely want to win as well, just to prove beyond doubt that they deserved to be invited, not the other team.

The other matches in this group will be in the shadow of the SK and emL game, but it does not mean that Excello or x6tence cannot make it through to the playoffs.

Sasha Tsapaev's view:



THE PLAYOFFS
That the tales of revenge will be over by the time the playoffs start does not mean that the drama will end. The lineup of world class teams gathered in Paris will make sure of that.

The playoffs are where the real fun starts. Finishing high enough in the ESWC Masters is the only way into the Grand Final in San Jose for Meet Your Makers, Roccat, mTw.dk and Team EG. Drama will be plentiful.

What we will see in Bercy will not be just another tournament. To play in a final put up by those people is a dream for most of those players. No doubt, ESWC Masters will be hotter than the month of July.