Cloud9 won a showdown over FURIA Esports in a battle of unbeatens and cemented first place in Group D on Saturday at ESL Pro League Season 16 in Malta.
Cloud9 took home a 2-0 sweep in moving to 4-0 in the group, dropping second-place FURIA to 3-1. With one match left apiece in the stage on Sunday, Cloud9 would maintain the top spot because of the head-to-head victory in case of a tiebreaker.
In the other matches Saturday, Evil Geniuses (2-2) earned a 2-0 sweep by dumping last-place Movistar Riders (0-4) while Eternal Fire (1-3) claimed their first win in a 2-0 sweep over Team Liquid (2-2).
The $835,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event features 24 teams vying for a $175,000 first prize and a berth in the BLAST Premier World Final. Only the Season 16 champion will clinch a spot in the $1 million Final set for Dec. 14-18 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The Season 16 winner also nabs a berth in the $1 million Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023, scheduled for Jan. 31-Feb. 12 in Poland.
The Pro League teams were divided into four groups for the initial round-robin phase. The four group champions advance to the playoff quarterfinals, while the teams that come in second and third in each group move on to the playoffs’ Round of 12.
All matches in the group stage and the playoffs are best-of-three until the best-of-five final on Oct. 2.
Groups A, B and C action have been completed. Group D will be played through Sunday. MOUZ won Group C, G2 Esports cruised in Group B as did Team Vitality in Group A.
Cloud9 cruised in their opening map, winning 16-8 on Mirage for a 1-0 lead. FURIA trailed 8-2 but fought back and led 14-13 before Cloud9 closed out a 16-14 victory on Overpass. A pair of Russian players, Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov and Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov, led all with 42 kills each — with sh1ro producing a match-high plus-22 kills-to-deaths differential.
The Geniuses had an easier time, as a map-ending 8-1 run provided them a 16-9 triumph on Overpass over Movistar Riders. EG then shot to a 9-1 lead on Nuke before claiming the match with a 16-8 victory. American Timothy “autimatic” Ta topped both squads with 48 kills and a plus-24 K/D differential.
Eternal Fire endured three lead changes for an opening 16-13 win on Vertigo, then rallied from an early 7-2 deficit on Inferno to claim a 16-11 win. Ozgur “woxic” Eker was the dominant force for Eternal’s all-Turkish unit, posting a whopping 65 kills and a plus-37 K/D mark.
Group D action concludes Sunday with three matches:
–Cloud9 vs. Team Liquid
–FURIA Esports vs. Evil Geniuses
–Movistar Riders vs. Eternal Fire
ESL Pro League Season 16 group standings
Group D
1. Cloud9, 4-0, +55, 12 points
2. FURIA Esports, 3-1, +29, 9 points
3. Team Liquid, 2-2, +4, 6 points
4. Evil Geniuses, 2-2, +2, 6 points
5. Eternal Fire, 1-3, -34, 3 points
6. Movistar Riders, 0-4, -56, 0 points
Group A
1. Team Vitality, 5-0, +40, 15 points
2. Fnatic, 3-2, +36, 9 points
3. Natus Vincere, 3-2, +6, 6 points
4. Team Spirit, 2-3, -9, 6 points
5. Ninjas in Pyjamas, 2-3, -31, 6 points
6. Endpoint, 1-4, -42, 3 points
Group B
1. G2 Esports, 5-0, +73, 15 points
2. FaZe Clan, 4-1, +39, 12 points
3. Outsiders, 3-2, +27, 9 points
4. BIG, 2-3, +3, 6 points
5. MIBR, 1-4, -62, 3 points
6. FTW Esports, 0-5, -80, 0 points
Group C
1. MOUZ, 4-1, +32, 12 points
2. Heroic, 4-1, +26, 12 points
3. Complexity, 3-2, -4, 9 points
4. Astralis, 2-3, +14, 6 points
5. ENCE, 1-4, -25, 3 points
6. HEET, 1-4, -41, 3 points
–Field Level Media