CS:GO
The group stage of ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018 is over and therefore it is time to look ahead to the playoffs which will be held inside the Agganis Arena in Boston. The top eight teams will travel from Atlanta to the East coast of the United States to determine who starts the New Year as Major champions. Before we preview the clashes of the eight best rosters, we will take a look at their paths to the playoffs and examine the course of the first phase of the tournament. The beginning of the event had several surprises in store and the final stage of the competition should be no different.
On Saturday, our squad will go head to head with
Fnatic in the last quarter final. Before we get to that matchup between the last remaining organizations who entered the Major with "Legends" status, we focus on the face offs which will take place on Friday.
2018-01-26 16:00 - CET
FaZe vs. mousesports:
FaZe (Ranked No.2):
Lineup and rating at the Major:
Ladislav 'GuardiaN' Kovács (Rating 1.53)
Finn 'karrigan' Andersen (Rating 1.06)
Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač (Rating 1.37)
Olof 'olofmeister' Kajbjer (Rating 1.41)
Havard 'Rain' Nygaard (Rating 1.15)
Coach:Robert 'Robban' Dahlström
Performance in the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.40
Record: 3-0
Results:
16:12 vs.
SK Gaming on Cache
16:3 vs.
Vega Squadron on Train
16:8 vs.Fnatic on Cache
Head to head record vs.mousesports :
All time: 9:15
Since the addition ofGuardian and olofmeister in July 2017: 4:2
Analysis:
FaZe did their role as the top dog justice. They swept through the group stage with ease, did not lose a single map in the process and dealt our Brazilians a loss in the clash of the two top ranked teams in the world. On paper, they have all it takes to win the title. The Europeans have the experience, motivation, firepower, chemistry and structure to win it all. However, the final stages of big tournaments have often been their kryptonite and they still have to prove their dominance in best of threes at this event.
mousesports (Ranked No.7):
Lineup and rating at the Major:
Chris 'chrisJ' de Jong (Rating 1.04)
Tomas 'Oskar' Stastny (Rating 1.48)
Martin 'ropz' Kool (Rating 1.20)
Martin 'styko' Styk (Rating 1.06)
Miikka 'suNny' Kemppi (Rating 1.13)
Coach:
Sergey ‘Imbt’ Bezhanov
Performance in the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.23
Record: 3-2
Results:
16:13 vs.
Space Soldiers on Mirage
14:16 vs.Quantum Bellator Fire on Train
16:3 vs.Vega Squadron on Mirage
12:16 vs.SK Gaming on Mirage
16:2 vs.Astralis Denmark on Cache
Head to head record vs.FaZe :
All time: 15:9
Since the addition ofGuardian and olofmeister in July 2017: 2:4
Analysis:
It has been an up and down road to the playoffs for mousesports. Each of their victories were followed by a loss. Thanks to their final win against Space Soldiers, they advanced with a record of 3-2 and will look to break the streak of losses after a victory in this battle of European teams. Of course FaZe are no push overs and should be considered the favorites but the players of mousesports will seek justice for their defeat at the final event of last year. At the ECS Season 4 Finals they went 1-2 in the grand final against their upcoming opponents. Back then, they jumped out to a 1-0 lead but lost two back-to-back overtimes for a devastating infamy.
2018-01-26 18:30 - CETNaVi vs. Quantum Bellator Fire:
Natus Vincere (Ranked No.11):
Lineup and rating at the Major:
Ioan 'Edward' Sukhariev (Rating 1.24)
Egor 'flamie' Vasilyev (Rating 1.35)
Alexander 's1mple' Kostylev (Rating 1.39)
Denis 'electronic' Sharipov (Rating 1.19)
Danylo 'Zeus' Teslenko (Rating 0.92)
Coach:Mikhaylo ‘Kane’ Blagin
Performance in the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.26
Record: 3-1
Results:
16:7 vs.Fnatic on Inferno
16:9 vs.
Team Liquid on Overpass
16:1 vs.
BIG on Inferno
5:16 vs.
Gambit Gaming on Nuke
Head to head record vs.Quantum Bellator Fire:
16:8 on Inferno at ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018 Main Qualifier
Analysis:
In this skirmish of CIS teams, NaVi is the undisputed frontrunner. Besides their opener on Nuke against the reigning Major champions, they have not shown any weaknesses and clearly won all of their remaining matches. The talented electronic showed sovereign performances in clutch situations and the young star players perform to their full potential. If they have used the past few months to expand their map pool and can keep up their group stage form, this crew could quickly develop into the dark horse of the tournament.
Quantum Bellator Fire (Ranked No.28):
Lineup and rating at the Major:
Gregory 'balbIna' Oleinik (Rating 1.00)
Kirill 'boombl4' Mikhailov (Rating 0.98)
Savelii 'jmqa' Bragin (Rating 0.98)
Nikita 'waterfaLLZ' Matveyev (Rating 1.22)
Aurimas 'Kvik' Kvaksys (Rating 1.09)
Performance in the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.02
Record: 3-1
Results:
16:14 vs.mousesports on Train
4:16 vs.
G2 Esports on Cache
19:16 vs.Gambit Gaming on Inferno
16:3 vs.
Virtus.pro on Cache
Head to head record vs.Natus Vincere :
8:16 on Inferno at ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018 Main Qualifier
Analysis:
So far, the Russians are the feel-good story of the tournament. The underdog came through big time and delivered in two nail biters against the eliminated Major championsGambit Gaming and in a showdown versus mousesports that went the full distance of thirty rounds. Thanks to courageous and unpredictable performances, they have fulfilled their dream of making it from the Minors all the way onto the grand stage of the Agganis Arena. From here on out, anything will just be a bonus. Instead of being pressured by the playoffs, it will provide nothing but joy and excitement for this squad and they will soak in the experience when they take on the favorites of NaVi.
2018-01-26 21:00 CET -G2 vs. Cloud9:
G2 Esports (Ranked No.5):
Lineup and rating at the Major:
Dan 'apEX' Madesclaire (Rating 1.05)
Alexandre 'bodyy' Pianaro (Rating 1.24)
Kenny 'kennyS' Schrub (Rating 1.36)
Nathan 'NBK' Schmitt (Rating 1.51)
Richard 'shox' Papillon (Rating 1.30)
Coach:Edouard 'SmithZz' Dubourdeaux
Performance at the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.37
Record: 3-0
Results:
16:4 vs.Quantum Bellator Fire on Cache
16:8 vs.Team Liquid on Inferno
16:8 vs.Cloud 9 on Cache
Head to head record vs.Cloud 9 : 8:3
Analysis:
After two years of being eliminated during the group stages of Majors, the French have finally snapped their negative streak and ended their drought by dominating the first three games. They are in-sync, have a deep map pool and each individual is excelling in his role. Shox is doing a better job of utilizing his teammates and more importantly himself in an efficient fashion. He does not force the large burden of having to do too much himself like he did in the past and has finetuned his squad to perfection. If they can transition their performances of the best of ones to the best of three format, they should be a top candidate for the remainder of the event. Considering their strong start and their earlier victory against this opponent, they should be oozing with confidence.
Cloud 9 (Ranked No.5):
Lineup and rating at the Major:
Timothy 'autimatic' Ta (Rating 1.19)
Will 'Rush' Wierzba (Rating 1.25)
Tyler 'Skadoodle' Latham (Rating 1.12)
Jake 'Stewie2k' Yip (Rating 1.17)
Tarik 'tarik' Celik (Rating 1.18)
Coach:Soham 'Valens' Chowdhury
Performance at the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.20
Record: 3-2
Results:
16:4 vs.Vega Squadron on Mirage
16:6 vs.Astralis Denmark on Train
16:7 vs.Virtus.pro on Mirage
13:16 vs.Space Soldiers on Cobblestone
8:16 vs.G2 Esports on Cache
Head to head record vs.G2 Esports : 3:8
Analysis:
This quarterfinal is the clash of the two top teams of the Main Qualifier. Both of them have sliced through the competition during the Qualifiers but only one roster was able to maintain this level of superiority. While the French handled the first stage of the Major with ease, the Americans had to take the opposite road and showed great moral and tenacity after starting 0-2 in the group phase. Over the course of the event, Rush stepped up for his teammates and will try to elevate his game even further to lead the revenge for his team's loss in their opening match of the Major. The crowd will definitely be behind them and could turn out to be a force that impacts the match as Cloud9 enjoys home-field advantage as the last remaining American roster.
2018-01-26 16:00 CET -SK Gaming vs. fnatic:
SK Gaming (Ranked No.1):
Lineup and rating at the Major:
Marcelo 'coldzera' David (Rating 1.23)
Gabriel 'FalleN' Toledo (Rating 1.06)
Joao 'felps' Vasconcellos (Rating 1.05)
Fernando 'fer' Alvarenga (Rating 0.99)
Epitácio 'TACO' de Melo Filho (Rating 0.97)
Performance in the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.06
Record: 3-1
Results:
16:10 vs.Gambit Gaming on Overpass
12:16 vs.FaZe on Cache
16:12 vs.mousesports on Mirage
16:13 vs.Space Soldiers on Mirage
Head to head record vs.Fnatic since October 2016: 5:1
Analysis:
Our players entered the quarter final after close outcomes in the group stage. There have been rough patches in which our men struggled heavily, but you could also observe phases during the games in which they annihilated opponents in a vicious manner and left them no chance. You could argue that these inconsistencies are concerning but the new Major format will benefit the Brazilians in the long run. Keep in mind that our squad had almost no time to practice with felps before the competition started and had to adjust on the fly. Usually there are almost only one or two days off between the group stage and the playoffs. This time our players will have five days to train and prepare for the opposing side. Before the start of the semi finals our crew will take the stage on Saturday for the last quarter final and is going to be well prepared for the battle between two legendary franchises. We came out on top against the Swedes in the past and our deep map pool should work in our favour in the upcoming matchup. IfGabriel 'FalleN' Toledo can optimize the processes within the team and practice efficiently with his counterparts, the quarter final will not be the only match our players compete in on Saturday.
Fnatic (Ranked No.6):
Lineup and rating at the Major:
Robin 'flusha' Rönnquist (Rating 1.22)
Maikil 'golden' Selim (Rating 0.91)
Jesper 'jw' Wecksell (Rating 1.07)
Freddy 'KRiMZ' Johansson (Rating 1.50)
Jonas 'Lekr0' Olofsson (Rating 1.10)
Coach:Jimmy 'Jumpy' Berndtsson
Performance in the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.14
Record: 3-2
Results:
16:2 vs.Gambit Gaming on Mirage
7:16 vs.Natus Vincere on Inferno
16:8 vs.Astralis Denmark on Mirage
16:6 vs.Virtus.pro on Inferno
8:16 vs.FaZe on Cache
Head to head record vs.SK Gaming since October 2016: 1:5
Analysis:
Ultimately, this duel between the last remaining squads who entered the competition with “Legends” status could come down to nuances. KRIMZ is as good as he has ever been. He was playing lights out during the first phase of the event and was the nail in Gambits coffin when the Swedes eliminated them in the last matchup of the group stage. To control him will not be an easy task, but fnatic has had problems with us in the past and one player will not make a difference against great teams. Both sides have lost against FaZe at this competition and won twice on Mirage. If both decide to play Mirage for a third time, it could turn out to be the deciding factor.
These playoffs will provide everything you wish for. Underdogs, newcomers, favorites, revitalized rivalries, breathtaking individual efforts and flat out awesome Counter Strike. It will be a worthy first spectacle of 2018 and you should not miss it. Our players are highly motivated and will do everything they can to get their hands on their third Major trophy. Make sure to support them on their road to the title by cheering them on at the venue or via social media by using the hashtags #VAMOSSK and #RUNSKG.
On Saturday, our squad will go head to head with
Fnatic in the last quarter final. Before we get to that matchup between the last remaining organizations who entered the Major with "Legends" status, we focus on the face offs which will take place on Friday.2018-01-26 16:00 - CET
FaZe vs. mousesports:FaZe (Ranked No.2):Lineup and rating at the Major:
Ladislav 'GuardiaN' Kovács (Rating 1.53)Finn 'karrigan' Andersen (Rating 1.06)Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač (Rating 1.37)Olof 'olofmeister' Kajbjer (Rating 1.41)Havard 'Rain' Nygaard (Rating 1.15)Coach:
Robert 'Robban' DahlströmPerformance in the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.40
Record: 3-0
Results:
16:12 vs.
SK Gaming on Cache16:3 vs.
Vega Squadron on Train16:8 vs.
Fnatic on CacheHead to head record vs.
mousesports :All time: 9:15
Since the addition of
Guardian and olofmeister in July 2017: 4:2Analysis:
FaZe did their role as the top dog justice. They swept through the group stage with ease, did not lose a single map in the process and dealt our Brazilians a loss in the clash of the two top ranked teams in the world. On paper, they have all it takes to win the title. The Europeans have the experience, motivation, firepower, chemistry and structure to win it all. However, the final stages of big tournaments have often been their kryptonite and they still have to prove their dominance in best of threes at this event.
mousesports (Ranked No.7):Lineup and rating at the Major:
Chris 'chrisJ' de Jong (Rating 1.04)Tomas 'Oskar' Stastny (Rating 1.48)Martin 'ropz' Kool (Rating 1.20)Martin 'styko' Styk (Rating 1.06)Miikka 'suNny' Kemppi (Rating 1.13)Coach:
Sergey ‘Imbt’ BezhanovPerformance in the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.23
Record: 3-2
Results:
16:13 vs.
Space Soldiers on Mirage14:16 vs.
Quantum Bellator Fire on Train16:3 vs.
Vega Squadron on Mirage12:16 vs.
SK Gaming on Mirage16:2 vs.
Astralis Denmark on CacheHead to head record vs.
FaZe :All time: 15:9
Since the addition of
Guardian and olofmeister in July 2017: 2:4Analysis:
It has been an up and down road to the playoffs for mousesports. Each of their victories were followed by a loss. Thanks to their final win against Space Soldiers, they advanced with a record of 3-2 and will look to break the streak of losses after a victory in this battle of European teams. Of course FaZe are no push overs and should be considered the favorites but the players of mousesports will seek justice for their defeat at the final event of last year. At the ECS Season 4 Finals they went 1-2 in the grand final against their upcoming opponents. Back then, they jumped out to a 1-0 lead but lost two back-to-back overtimes for a devastating infamy.
All the pressure, all the thoughts that came back to our minds, after giving away a 13:2 lead earlier; and then this nail-biter against SpaceS. But the sweet feeling of triumph makes up for ALL of that. Thank you to all of you who believed in us! We're not done yet. #ELEAGUEMajor pic.twitter.com/DkWt3EYXUC
— mousesports (@mousesports) 23. Januar 2018
2018-01-26 18:30 - CET
NaVi vs. Quantum Bellator Fire:Natus Vincere (Ranked No.11):Lineup and rating at the Major:
Ioan 'Edward' Sukhariev (Rating 1.24)Egor 'flamie' Vasilyev (Rating 1.35)Alexander 's1mple' Kostylev (Rating 1.39)Denis 'electronic' Sharipov (Rating 1.19)Danylo 'Zeus' Teslenko (Rating 0.92)Coach:
Mikhaylo ‘Kane’ BlaginPerformance in the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.26
Record: 3-1
Results:
16:7 vs.
Fnatic on Inferno16:9 vs.
Team Liquid on Overpass16:1 vs.
BIG on Inferno5:16 vs.
Gambit Gaming on NukeHead to head record vs.
Quantum Bellator Fire:16:8 on Inferno at ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018 Main Qualifier
Analysis:
In this skirmish of CIS teams, NaVi is the undisputed frontrunner. Besides their opener on Nuke against the reigning Major champions, they have not shown any weaknesses and clearly won all of their remaining matches. The talented electronic showed sovereign performances in clutch situations and the young star players perform to their full potential. If they have used the past few months to expand their map pool and can keep up their group stage form, this crew could quickly develop into the dark horse of the tournament.
Quantum Bellator Fire (Ranked No.28):Lineup and rating at the Major:
Gregory 'balbIna' Oleinik (Rating 1.00)Kirill 'boombl4' Mikhailov (Rating 0.98)Savelii 'jmqa' Bragin (Rating 0.98)Nikita 'waterfaLLZ' Matveyev (Rating 1.22)Aurimas 'Kvik' Kvaksys (Rating 1.09)Performance in the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.02
Record: 3-1
Results:
16:14 vs.
mousesports on Train4:16 vs.
G2 Esports on Cache19:16 vs.
Gambit Gaming on Inferno16:3 vs.
Virtus.pro on CacheHead to head record vs.
Natus Vincere :8:16 on Inferno at ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018 Main Qualifier
Analysis:
So far, the Russians are the feel-good story of the tournament. The underdog came through big time and delivered in two nail biters against the eliminated Major champions
Gambit Gaming and in a showdown versus mousesports that went the full distance of thirty rounds. Thanks to courageous and unpredictable performances, they have fulfilled their dream of making it from the Minors all the way onto the grand stage of the Agganis Arena. From here on out, anything will just be a bonus. Instead of being pressured by the playoffs, it will provide nothing but joy and excitement for this squad and they will soak in the experience when they take on the favorites of NaVi.I can't realize that we are legends, for me it was a difficult way. We came from open quals which i played in a computer club because internet in my house was not playable. For 2 weeks every day i was driving to the club early and went home in midnight. Thanks my team for support
— Gregory Oleinick (@balblna) 23. Januar 2018
2018-01-26 21:00 CET -
G2 vs. Cloud9:G2 Esports (Ranked No.5):Lineup and rating at the Major:
Dan 'apEX' Madesclaire (Rating 1.05)Alexandre 'bodyy' Pianaro (Rating 1.24)Kenny 'kennyS' Schrub (Rating 1.36)Nathan 'NBK' Schmitt (Rating 1.51)Richard 'shox' Papillon (Rating 1.30)Coach:
Edouard 'SmithZz' DubourdeauxPerformance at the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.37
Record: 3-0
Results:
16:4 vs.
Quantum Bellator Fire on Cache16:8 vs.
Team Liquid on Inferno16:8 vs.
Cloud 9 on CacheHead to head record vs.
Cloud 9 : 8:3Analysis:
After two years of being eliminated during the group stages of Majors, the French have finally snapped their negative streak and ended their drought by dominating the first three games. They are in-sync, have a deep map pool and each individual is excelling in his role. Shox is doing a better job of utilizing his teammates and more importantly himself in an efficient fashion. He does not force the large burden of having to do too much himself like he did in the past and has finetuned his squad to perfection. If they can transition their performances of the best of ones to the best of three format, they should be a top candidate for the remainder of the event. Considering their strong start and their earlier victory against this opponent, they should be oozing with confidence.
Cloud 9 (Ranked No.5):Lineup and rating at the Major:
Timothy 'autimatic' Ta (Rating 1.19)Will 'Rush' Wierzba (Rating 1.25)Tyler 'Skadoodle' Latham (Rating 1.12)Jake 'Stewie2k' Yip (Rating 1.17) Tarik 'tarik' Celik (Rating 1.18)Coach:
Soham 'Valens' ChowdhuryPerformance at the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.20
Record: 3-2
Results:
16:4 vs.
Vega Squadron on Mirage16:6 vs.
Astralis Denmark on Train16:7 vs.
Virtus.pro on Mirage13:16 vs.
Space Soldiers on Cobblestone8:16 vs.
G2 Esports on CacheHead to head record vs.
G2 Esports : 3:8Analysis:
This quarterfinal is the clash of the two top teams of the Main Qualifier. Both of them have sliced through the competition during the Qualifiers but only one roster was able to maintain this level of superiority. While the French handled the first stage of the Major with ease, the Americans had to take the opposite road and showed great moral and tenacity after starting 0-2 in the group phase. Over the course of the event, Rush stepped up for his teammates and will try to elevate his game even further to lead the revenge for his team's loss in their opening match of the Major. The crowd will definitely be behind them and could turn out to be a force that impacts the match as Cloud9 enjoys home-field advantage as the last remaining American roster.
Check out the first episode of #C9CSGO's new series and catch them in action later today at the #ELEAGUEMajor!
— Cloud9 (@Cloud9) 22. Januar 2018
https://t.co/ovlSRZ9hSb pic.twitter.com/KQi5axm6WI
2018-01-26 16:00 CET -
SK Gaming vs. fnatic:SK Gaming (Ranked No.1):Lineup and rating at the Major:
Marcelo 'coldzera' David (Rating 1.23) Gabriel 'FalleN' Toledo (Rating 1.06) Joao 'felps' Vasconcellos (Rating 1.05) Fernando 'fer' Alvarenga (Rating 0.99) Epitácio 'TACO' de Melo Filho (Rating 0.97)Performance in the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.06
Record: 3-1
Results:
16:10 vs.
Gambit Gaming on Overpass12:16 vs.
FaZe on Cache16:12 vs.
mousesports on Mirage16:13 vs.
Space Soldiers on MirageHead to head record vs.
Fnatic since October 2016: 5:1Analysis:
Our players entered the quarter final after close outcomes in the group stage. There have been rough patches in which our men struggled heavily, but you could also observe phases during the games in which they annihilated opponents in a vicious manner and left them no chance. You could argue that these inconsistencies are concerning but the new Major format will benefit the Brazilians in the long run. Keep in mind that our squad had almost no time to practice with felps before the competition started and had to adjust on the fly. Usually there are almost only one or two days off between the group stage and the playoffs. This time our players will have five days to train and prepare for the opposing side. Before the start of the semi finals our crew will take the stage on Saturday for the last quarter final and is going to be well prepared for the battle between two legendary franchises. We came out on top against the Swedes in the past and our deep map pool should work in our favour in the upcoming matchup. If
Gabriel 'FalleN' Toledo can optimize the processes within the team and practice efficiently with his counterparts, the quarter final will not be the only match our players compete in on Saturday.Fnatic (Ranked No.6):Lineup and rating at the Major:
Robin 'flusha' Rönnquist (Rating 1.22) Maikil 'golden' Selim (Rating 0.91) Jesper 'jw' Wecksell (Rating 1.07) Freddy 'KRiMZ' Johansson (Rating 1.50) Jonas 'Lekr0' Olofsson (Rating 1.10)Coach:
Jimmy 'Jumpy' BerndtssonPerformance in the group stage:
Team K/D ratio: 1.14
Record: 3-2
Results:
16:2 vs.
Gambit Gaming on Mirage7:16 vs.
Natus Vincere on Inferno16:8 vs.
Astralis Denmark on Mirage16:6 vs.
Virtus.pro on Inferno8:16 vs.
FaZe on CacheHead to head record vs.
SK Gaming since October 2016: 1:5Analysis:
Ultimately, this duel between the last remaining squads who entered the competition with “Legends” status could come down to nuances. KRIMZ is as good as he has ever been. He was playing lights out during the first phase of the event and was the nail in Gambits coffin when the Swedes eliminated them in the last matchup of the group stage. To control him will not be an easy task, but fnatic has had problems with us in the past and one player will not make a difference against great teams. Both sides have lost against FaZe at this competition and won twice on Mirage. If both decide to play Mirage for a third time, it could turn out to be the deciding factor.
AGORA COMEÇA O NOSSO CAMP!
— SK Gaming (@SKGaming) 23. Januar 2018
This Saturday we'll face one of our esports arch rivals @FNATIC for the #ELEAGUEMajor Quarterfinals in Boston!
Este Sábado enfrentamos um dos nossos arqui-rivais dos esports, a Fnatic, valendo lugar nas semis!#RUNSKG #VAMOSSK pic.twitter.com/ffAX0iNTg1
These playoffs will provide everything you wish for. Underdogs, newcomers, favorites, revitalized rivalries, breathtaking individual efforts and flat out awesome Counter Strike. It will be a worthy first spectacle of 2018 and you should not miss it. Our players are highly motivated and will do everything they can to get their hands on their third Major trophy. Make sure to support them on their road to the title by cheering them on at the venue or via social media by using the hashtags #VAMOSSK and #RUNSKG.
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