Results of Groups A and B at ESL Pro League S20: Which Teams Will Shine in the Playoffs?
The first 16 teams have played in the group stage of the anniversary season of EPL, and 8 teams are already waiting for their playoff opponents, while the other half have left Malta. Let’s break down the results and try to predict the future of certain teams in this tournament and on the pro scene in general.
Group A: FaZe Clan falter again, while the Turks make a name for themselves.
- Advanced to the Quarterfinals: NAVI
- Advanced to the Second Round: Eternal Fire
- Advanced to the First Round: FaZe Clan, HEROIC
As expected, NAVI easily took first place in the group, with no real suspense. The team didn’t lose a single map, although they did face some challenges during their matches. The most intense moment came on Anubis against Eternal Fire, where it took three overtime rounds to determine the winner.
Eternal Fire managed to steal the spotlight with their bright, if inconsistent, play. The team occasionally returns to their prime form from the first CS2 Major, where they made it to the top 8. Aggressive and sometimes reckless individual plays by the players have caused opponents to lose focus, and only Born to Win, backed by Blade, were able to handle them. The Turkish roster will start their playoff journey from the second round and will likely be favored against most opponents. In a short time, Eternal Fire has climbed 8 spots in the rankings, and it’s not out of the question that they could end up in HLTV’s top 10 after the EPL.
FaZe Clan continues to struggle, losing their first match of the group stage, making life difficult not only in this phase but also in the playoffs. Karrigan’s team made it through the lower bracket, but advancing past the quarterfinals will be tough. It’s still unclear why the team has lost its competitive edge and why some of the world’s best players only turn up at the last minute. In the EPL playoffs, there won’t be a second chance, and the team doesn’t look prepared to survive four stages without a loss on their way to the finals.
HEROIC started the tournament with a painful loss to NIP, where they lost a map due to TeSeS’s SnapTap function being enabled. They then lost to Sangal but won a rematch against them in the Last Chance final. The team also got revenge on NIP, sending them home, which shows both the roster’s inconsistency and their ability to learn from mistakes. The team definitely has synergy and well-prepared strategies, and if the break before the playoffs is used productively, we can expect a few surprises from them.
As for the eliminated teams, the results were mostly as expected, with Sangal being the only surprise thanks to their tenacious character. The star of the team was former Eternal Fire player xfl0ud, who topped the scoreboard in every BO3 series. The team gained valuable experience and might be able to qualify for a few more LAN events thanks to their newfound confidence.
NIP, Lynn Vision, and FlyQuest were predictably much weaker, and even two chances at defeat weren’t enough for them.
Group B: Another Favorite Faces Problems
- Advanced to the Quarterfinals: G2
- Advanced to the Second Round: MIBR
- Advanced to the First Round: Team Spirit, The Mongolz
It seems that all the rumors surrounding NiKo and his signed contract with Falcons haven’t affected the team’s focus. G2 still looks like the strongest team in terms of firepower, with malbsMd not hesitating to take the game into his own hands, sometimes overshadowing Kovac and Osipov. A deserved quarterfinal spot, especially after their decisive victory over MIBR.
The Brazilians somehow managed to beat Team Spirit in the semifinals and completed their main task of reaching the playoffs in just two matches. It’s more accurate to say that the Dragons handed them the victory and created problems for themselves. Assessing MIBR’s form is difficult because anything can happen in a South American derby, followed by an unexpected win over Spirit and a lackluster performance against G2, where the Samurai were clearly taking it easy.
Even more questions arise about the recent BetBoom Dacha winners, who didn’t perform as convincingly in the group stage. They dropped a map in almost every match, suggesting that the young players struggle with long tournament marathons. This seems to be the reason behind their withdrawals from certain tier-1 events, but the positive takeaway is that the management is aware of the problem. Given that the team will have to wait over a week for the playoffs to begin, and the stage itself is quite lengthy, it’s hard to count on them winning.
The Mongolz created problems for themselves by losing to 3DMAX in their opening match, then drawing Team Spirit in the lower bracket. Despite the challenges, they achieved their main goal. It feels like they’re closing out some maps thanks to their experience and substantial LAN tournament exposure. What lies ahead is uncertain, but no team will have an easy time against the Mongols, as they’ve proven time and again.
Of the eliminated teams, 9z, Wildcard, and 3DMAX, the most sympathy goes to the French, who performed admirably throughout the tournament. They gave G2 a tough time, took a map from Spirit, but simply ran out of energy for the final stretch. The team still survives mainly on prize money, keeping the legendary tag alive through sheer enthusiasm, which deserves respect.
So far, ESL Pro League S20 has lived up to its reputation as one of the most competitive tournaments, with a lengthy group stage giving us plenty of surprises while the overall results remain largely predictable. Tomorrow, on September 10, the matches for groups C and D will begin, and on September 16, the final week will kick off with the playoff stage.