Things are starting to wrap up here in the Guild Wars 2 Pro League. With just one week left in regular season play, things are intense! With two teams fighting over that top position, everything else in EU seemed secondary. Whereas over in NA, the bottom teams are desperate to keep themselves in the running. Let’s see how this week went down.
Europe
The Civilized Gentlemen vs. Purple Noise
This week was very important for The Civilized Gentlemen. With just one more week left in season 1, they can’t drop a single map. This matchup was, perhaps, a godsend for TCG, as their opponents Purple Noise have not taken a game as of yet.
With a two cap coming off quickly, TCG held an early advantage. Purple Noise weren’t letting the game get away from them, however, consistently holding one node under their control - but TCG picked off Purple Noise players to take the triple. Their points stacked up, and The Civilized Gentlemen took game one decisively.
Purple Noise went for the early cap, defending it with all their might, but, again, TCG pushed for the double to take the lead. Only 30 points behind, Purple Noise managed to flip mid, but TCG took three players out at once to open the map up for their taking. Purple Noise tried valiantly, but TCG took the set with a boss kill.
Orange Logo vs. Car Crashed
These two teams had everything on the line, and were battling it out for 4th place. Orange Logo have such a significant history, but have seemingly struggled for the past few weeks. And Car Crashed have struggled to take out the giants in this series, but have shown so much promise. They were looking to prove themselves in the standings at this late stage.
Car Crashed held onto the only cap for almost six minutes, building a 223 point lead - but when their streak was broken, it was broken by a series of kills by Orange Logo. oRNG started to close the gap with a double cap and Stillness, and kept that momentum going. But at the last second, Car Crashed secured the double cap to push to victory, 502 - 420.
After more than four minutes of trading kills, Car Crashed secured the first cap of the game. Orange Logo weren’t far behind, absolutely decimating Car Crashed’s ranks for points. Finally, Orange Logo managed an amazing double, and a boss kill to take the lead. In an amazing comeback, Orange Logo took map two.
Car Crashed brought the pain, taking out two players very quickly, and pushing for the double before oRNG could get points on the board. By consistently holding onto that double, Car Crashed absolutely dominated, taking the set by almost doubling oRNG’s score.
Chaotic Contingency vs. Vermillion
Chaotic Contingency had their work cut out for them, after such a decisive victory last week. Vermillion have been undefeated, having not lost a single map in the Pro League, and have already all but solidified their place in the finals.
Chaotic Contingency did take the first cap, but lost out in the first team fight. Vermillion took advantage of the space, building up to a triple with Stillness. With Vermillion 350 points ahead, ChC managed to clear the board, but Vermillion took Tranquility for an easy full cap. Even just holding one cap, Vermillion took the game 503 - 36.
Again, ChC managed the first cap, but some heavy control by Vermillion solidified their lead. With a fairly consistent double cap, Vermillion pushed ahead very quickly. With five and a half minutes left, Vermillion’s points hit 500 to take the set.
More Guns Than Roses vs. Rank Fifty Five Dragons
With a very unfortunate set last week, More Guns Than Roses went into this week with a very fun attitude; such a non-meta setup against such a powerhouse in the Pro League.
Fairly predictably, the first fight went in favour of Rank55, with a four-man wipe on the side of GnR. With a triple cap under their belt, Rank Fifty Five Dragons took advantage of the weaknesses in GnR’s team comp to wipe four more out. Rank55 took the game quickly, 501 - 0.
GnR switched back to a meta comp for game two, and were able to give Rank55 a run for their money. But they lost their momentum, and Rank55 were able to deny GnR any point income. With about six minutes left on the clock, GnR pulled out a double cap. But Rank Fifty Five Dragons were already too far ahead, and they took the game for the set.
North America
Apex Prime vs. The Abjured
Unable to find a sub, Apex Prime had to forfeit due to ineligible roster this week. This leaves The Abjured in the unique position of remaining undefeated in Season 1 of the Pro League.
Team PZ vs. Zero Counterplay
Zero Counterplay are sitting at zero points, even at this late stage in the season. But a roster mix up this week was cause for hope, with some old faces in the mix to try and turn Zero Counterplay’s luck around. But Team PZ have everything on the line, having to completely dominate these next two weeks to have any hope of making it into the finals.
Zero Counterplay held their own for a close first game, but Team PZ maintained a steady lead by roaming the map in a group. They were able to pick off players, and shepherd them from spawn into a corner, controlling Zero Counterplay’s movements to take a consistent double. Zero Counterplay managed to turn the game around, taking out three players at once. But ultimately, Team PZ took back their double, turning it into a triple to take the game.
Getting the kills off to take a double cap, Zero Counterplay took an early lead. But Team PZ employed some great portal play to take over map control. By trading doubles for most of the mid game, Zero Counterplay kept the game close - only 30 points behind in the final minutes. The gap could have closed with a final Chieftain kill, but Team PZ stole those 25 points, and holding onto their nodes, took the win, 500 - 406.
Never Lucky vs. Final Form
One of the closest matches possible in NA, with both teams siting 2-3 in the standings. Final Form was expected to do well in the Pro League, but have not been able to adapt to the new meta as well as their opponents. Never Lucky have really picked up steam in the last few weeks, and are looking to prove themselves.
It was a close early game, but taking the first cap, almost three minutes in, started the Never Lucky snowball. Final Form could not get a foothold, only managing 3 kills, until a late double cap started to close the gap. Only 200 points behind, Final Form took a triple for just a few seconds, until Never Lucky flipped enough caps to take the game.
Final Form set the tone of the game two with an early double cap. By keeping on top of kills and dominating team fights, FF pushed their lead over 200 points, and maintained at least one cap at all times. But Never Lucky managed to wipe three Final Form players to take a sudden triple cap - crushing that point gap to just 40 points before FF could reply. Final Form couldn’t get back their control, and Never Lucky rode a triple cap to the win.
Spoookie vs. Ez Pz Lemon Squeezy
With Ez Pz Lemon Squeeze sitting in the bottom half of the standings, things were looking grim. Against them, Spoookie, who have been looking to get out of the tie to push into second place. Despite a solid loss last week to The Abjured, Spoookie were the favourites coming into this set.
EzPz left the map open for Spoookie to take the first cap. Maintaining the control over team fights gave Spoookie the opening for a triple cap, and pushed them well into the lead. EzPz tried to recoup, but couldn’t get the upper hand in any significant way - Spoookie cruised right up to 500 points with an easy double cap.
Some early kills really gave EzPz the chance to take the upper hand, but some miscommunication essentially handed Spoookie a double cap. But EzPz didn’t let up on the pressure, staying only 50 points behind for most of the game. A boss kill in the last seconds gave EzPz a real chance of victory, but Spoookie still held one cap, and took the game 500 - 449.
Join us for the next matches!
Tune in on Monday the 25th of January for the last games of Guild Wars 2 Pro League Season 1! Visit the Pro League’s official website for all the latest information and follow ESL Guild Wars 2 on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates.
