Article:5 Things We've Learned from Week 1 Division B Stage 2

The Global Pro League returns for Week 3, and the first of Division B, where CWL Seattle champions Rise Nation attempt to hold off all challengers, not least a rejuvenated OpTic Gaming line-up.

The Titans are Crushing

Division B started off as expected, with Rise Nation and OpTic Gaming brushing aside their competition as the week kicked into life. The initial signs support the idea that this group is very top-heavy, as neither Unilad or CompLexity could take a map off Rise on day 1. OpTic dispatched of Unilad 3-1 in their first game as a team, and went on to 3-0 Tainted Minds on Wednesday. OpTic and Rise end the first week with a 20-5 total map count, and despite Rise’s game 5 loss to eUnited in their final match of the week, your CWL Seattle champions and OpTic Gaming are staking their claim as the top dogs.

eUnited have Top-Tier Potential

Felony has now had time to settle into the eUnited system, and they started off hot against LG on Tuesday, going up 2-0 in the series. However, FormaL’s Luminosity answered back quickly, completing a devastating reverse sweep in game 5 round 11. Their losing streak continued on Wednesday, falling in map 1 to Australia’s finest Mindfreak, before the series was once again turned on its head; eUnited won 3-1. The inconsistency of this lineup is frankly startling, as after looking down-and-out against Rise on Thursday down 2-0, eUnited wrestled their way to a map 5 victory on the back of heroics from new recruit Felony. Defeating Rise Nation is no easy task, but I feel both Felony and Prestinni will require stable performances if eUnited are to win a championship.

Unilad Recover Well

Zed was announced by Unilad as Skrapz’s replacement only hours before matches begun, and things did not get any easier for Unilad fans, playing Rise and OpTic on day 1. With Red Reserve and Splyce out in Columbus for Division A, Unilad have had limited quality practice at home, so it was hardly a surprise to see them lose both series convincingly. However, Unilad showed signs of life towards the end of the OpTic match, which they should have stretched to game 5 if not for some heroics from Scump. They are also the only team to take a map off OpTic, defeating them handedly on Ardennes CTF. Led by Wuskin’s main AR, Unilad brought this momentum into an important series against compLexity, winning both hardpoints in a 3-1 victory. Alexx and Seany also showed their class, dismissing Tainted Minds by the same scoreline to finish an respectable 2-2 considering their fixtures.

APAC Fall Just Short

The Australian derby rounded out Tuesday’s action, in an almost identical series to their match at Relegation. Mindfreak opened with a crushing HP, only to lose the next 2 maps, before showing composure to win in game 5 fashion. Unfortunately for APAC fans this would be the only series victory of the week for their teams. Tainted Minds showed some promise, especially in a close map 1 and 2 against OpTic Gaming, but still leave the week winless. Mindfreak came closer, taking a map off eUnited and despite a 2-0 advantage against complexity, Censor’s team mustered some impressive form to complete the reverse sweep. Shockz and Denz demonstrated their world-class potential yet again, but if they fail to convert some series soon their Playoff chances are already dwindling.

OpTic Gaming Look Imperious

Three matches into OpTic’s Stage 2 campaign, and they have only dropped a single map. The line-up opened up against Unilad, showing an impressive intensity in communication on their way to a 3-1 victory. They also overcame a strong test in map 1 and 2 against Tainted Minds, eventually running away with the CTF to complete the sweep. Despite the strong start, these results were entirely expected; their first true test would come in the form of Luminosity Gaming. Octane’s LG eliminated OpTic 3-0 at CWL Seattle, and shredder Larew would repeat the trick again on the opposite roster. In a questionable veto process, LG steered the series towards Gibraltar HP and Forest CTF, maps which Octane and Methodz respectively have commanded so far this season. OpTic were hardly challenged, a 3-0 decimation that will hurt former OpTic darling FormaL, thoroughly outplayed by his replacement in this series. The level of form OpTic showed here will be hard to top, but I feel those claiming OpTic are already the best team in the game are being too quick to the punch – OpTic vs Rise will be the first match to give us a reliable insight: 6:30pm EST on Thursday 7th June.

The Global Pro League returns this Tuesday 5th June at 2pm EST, with another great set of matches. eUnited will seek to continue their hot streak against an impressive Unilad while Rise take on Tainted Minds. Mindfreak have a tough day, looking to take down both LG and division-leaders OpTic Gaming, who also face a struggling CompLexity line-up.

Published on 01. Jun 2018

Written by Arran Francis / Twitter - @TheTacticalRab'

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