Gfinity eSports
Six epic weeks down, just one left. Some teams punched their ticket to the playoffs this weekend, some had their seasons ended prematurely, and some now face an anxious final week as the battle for the playoff places goes down to the wire. Here’s the tale of the tape for Week 6!
Friday got underway with a pulsating clash as table leaders, Prophecy, beat Method 4-2. This match truly had everything; action, high stakes, and even a moment of drama as Packz’ controller disconnected in the final round of Game 4. Shivryuken agreed to a rematch, and from there Method threatened a comeback before Zera eventually edged out Verdoyance in a thrilling finale. Victory for Prophecy seals their playoff place; a nervous final week awaits for Method.A massive upset followed as Reason toppled Envy 4-3. Ki113r_7 made his debut to a huge ovation and promptly brought the house down with a game 1 victory over Confz. From there, Reason, roared on by teammates and fans, battled hard as the match swung back and forth. Nassim-Claw led Envy’s charge, but Reason’s MVP Boltstrike clinched a heart-stopping final game as they recorded only their second win of Season 2. A losing bonus point mean Envy are still qualified for the playoffs regardless of this result.
Another shock result followed as Epsilon broke their drought with a confident 4-1 win over Endpoint. It was the team performance Epsilon have been looking for all season, with Keftaroz backed up ably by Brick and Takamura. The timing was terrible for Endpoint, however – as it stands, their playoff hopes hang by a thread.
Last up, exceL took a crucial 4-2 victory over Infused to remain firmly in the playoff race. Infexious anchored his team in a tense contest before Brian avenged an earlier loss to his adversary and friend, Gunslinga to see exceL through. The result moves exceL up to 4th in the table; conversely, despite the loss Infused should only need a point next week to seal their playoff place.
Rocket League
Reigning champions, Endpoint started Saturday by beating exceL 3-1. From losing their first two matches of Season 2, Endpoint have now won four in a row and look to be peaking at just the right time to mount a challenge for back-to-back titles. exceL will not be joining them however – this result ends their campaign for Season 2.
In the battle of the bottom teams, Epsilon triumphed 3-1 over Infused to break a six-game losing streak and register their first win of Season 2. With nothing on the line aside from pride and franchise points, both teams played with flair, but Epsilon’s superior teamwork and passing plays saw them home.
Next up, Envy overcame Method 3-2 in a must-win game. Method were missing several key players on RLCS World Cup duty, and Envy needed no second invitation as only a victory would do to preserve their playoff hopes. In the end, even that wasn’t enough; Method’s losing bonus point puts them out of reach, and Prophecy’s tiebreaker advantage means Envy are out of contention.
Finally, Reason swept aside Prophecy 3-0 in a major statement of intent from the league leaders. In theory this should’ve been a close contest between 1st and 2nd in the table, but unbeaten Reason extended their win streak with a formidable display from star trio Rix Ronday, Borito B and Tigree. The shutout means Prophecy slip to fourth, but tiebreaker advantage over fifth-place Envy means they are safely into the playoffs regardless.
CS:GO
Endpoint defeated Epsilon 16-14 in Saturday evening’s opening contest, one which played out as predicted – an exciting contest which went right down to the wire. Playing on the rarely-used Nuke map, it was Endpoint who adapted first to the unfamiliar surroundings and raced into a 10-3 lead before Epsilon fought back to level it up again. From there Endpoint dug in, refocused and closed out the victory to seal a playoff place.
Infused needed a win to stay in the playoff hunt; they got just that against Prophecy, prevailing 16-12 over the bottom side. It was far from smooth sailing for Infused however; Prophecy kept them honest throughout and were much improved after previous poor results this season. Ultimately it wasn’t enough, but a losing bonus point is fair reward for their endeavours.
Saturday’s third match was effectively a knockout contest; whoever lost would be out of playoff contention. Ultimately it was Envy who vanquished exceL 16-8 and kept themselves in the hunt. A promising start for exceL was quickly erased as Envy powered into a 13-4 lead, a position they never looked like relinquishing. They will move on to face reigning champions Epsilon next week as they attempt to qualify for the playoffs once again.
The last match of Week 6 saw Reason triumph over Method 16-13. We expected a fierce duel between these two sides, and it didn’t disappoint; both teams had periods in the ascendency, but ultimately Reason’s superior execution helped them clinch a fifth straight win. They join Endpoint in the playoffs. As for Method, they join Epsilon, Envy and Infused in an epic four-way fight for the last two playoff places next week.
WHERE TO WATCH
As we go into the final week of league action in Season 2, there’s a huge amount still to be decided – you won’t want to miss any of it, and you can watch all the action LIVE on Twitch! Street Fighter V starts at 6pm Friday, Rocket League 10am Saturday and CS:GO 4pm Saturday (all times BST.)
Watch live video from GfinityTV on www.twitch.tv