The first season of the ESL Euro Series is coming to its conclusion at the ESL studios in Cologne, Germany, this weekend, with two teams to go head to head to prove who really is very best at S.K.I.L.L. - Special Force 2 in Europe. Here’s a list of six great reasons why you should tune in!
Two teams, one winner
First thing’s first, it’s just going to be two teams, not your regular finals, where two teams clash in a best of five battle. You might ask what’s so great about that - well, for starters those two teams have had time to prepare for each other. They will know their opponent’s every strat, position and trick by the time we go live. Wouldn't that make it boring? Hell no - you get to see the counter-strats coming into play, as well as how well the teams have adapted from the online phase to the offline one.
Blasting
If you’re new to S.K.I.L.L. - Special Force 2, the game mode itself needs examining here. Looking at S.K.I.L.L. at face value, you may see something very similar to your more standard search and destroy, but you might be surprised. Let’s cast our minds back to 2005, when Call of Duty 2 was released upon the masses. There, hiding in multiplayer was a brilliant feature - on the Allied (attacking) side, you were all able to plant the bomb, very similar to S.K.I.L.L. - SF2. This creates the opportunity for anyone to pull off the perfect round. No matter the odds stacked up against you, there is a chance - you can draw the opponent to one site, rotate to the other and do what you please. I can assure you the amount of 4/1 splits and quick but well-executed rotates will be in full effect this weekend!
The players
These teams house some of the best players in their region. Let’s take a look back at the history of just one: Ted “Kowa” Hansson. This Swede has put his hand to many titles and usually come out on top, and was formerly both a Shootmania player for Team Dignitas and Call of Duty 4 player for Infused, being accomplished in both. Having picked up several LAN wins throughout his eSports career, he will be my player to watch through this tournament, especially as in theory he shouldn't feel the pressure that some of the newer players may do being in an offline environment for the first time.
Learn from the best
Whether you’re a veteran or a relative newcomer to S.K.I.L.L. - SF2, this weekend is made for picking up tips and tricks from the best. This is going to be where the teams bring out their A game, with all the tricks they picked up while preparing also on display. A new ‘nade, a brand new rush route, a different way to hold the site - all the small things you can pick up from watching the tournament will make a difference to your game.
The rivals!
I can’t count how many times I’ve seen these two going head to head in the various finals throughout the Go4 season and many other European leagues, but you cannot deny how well Death.Energy performed during the run-up to these finals. There is going to be a huge point to prove here, with one team fighting up through the lower bracket and the other knocking down one of the expected teams to make it to the finals.
The underdogs
I mentioned the performance of Death.Energy through the stages leading up to the finals above - they went undefeated and looking stronger than we have ever seen them before. I think anyone aware of the S.K.I.L.L. - SF2 scene would have put Senpai or Penta above Death.Energy, but against the odds they pulled it off, knocking both down to take the lower side of the route.
Speaking of that lower side, the shock of the strength of Death.Energy’s performance put Team Senpai into the lowers, with the team then going on to work their way back up to the finals by pulling out some truly hearty performances.
Both of these teams have worked harder than all of the others, beating their own demons on the route to the finals. I honestly believe it will come down to who just plays that 10% better on the day, and I cannot wait to find out who it will be.
The S.K.I.L.L. - Special Force 2 finals kick off on Saturday at 15:00 CEST - tune in here!
