We are just over halfway into season one of the Guild Wars 2 Pro League! Week four saw pure dominance from the top ranked teams in both Europe and North America. With such a rigid meta, the teams coming out on top really had to prove their mastery of the game, resulting in some fresh new plays and revisiting old favorites. Let’s take a look at how things played out!
Europe
More Guns Than Roses vs. Vermillion
More Guns Than Roses won in a surprising upset against oRNG last week, and were set to be strong coming into week four. Having been playing with Vermillion up until the Pro League, GnR’s Zuik had something to prove against his ex-teammates. But Vermillion were looking dominant, having come up 3- in their Pro League career.
It was a surprising start, with More Guns Than Roses opening with a Lord rush - but Vermillion denied the kill, boosting their points with three back-to-back player kills. With such a bunker composition, GnR didn’t have the damage to put any pressure on until late game. But by that point, Vermillion were over 200 points ahead. Vermillion continued to rack up points via kills, taking the game 250-0 at time.
It was neck and neck coming into game two, with both teams taking a kill and a cap straight off the bat. However, taking a double cap gave Vermillion the lead, increasing it to 208 points before GnR could respond. Another double cap cemented Vermillion’s win, putting them 4-0 for the Pro League.
Rank Fifty Five Dragons vs. Chaotic Contingency
With the top of the scoreboard versus bottom of the scoreboard, the outcome of this matchup was already set in stone. Rank Fifty Five Dragons are still looking strong coming into week four, having only dropped one game so far. Chaotic Contingency haven’t taken a single game.
Rank Fifty Five put the first points on the board, taking a cap and a kill early on. Keeping ChC down a player at all times gave Rank 55 the opening for map control. Chaotic Contingency finally got points in the board almost 6 minutes into the game, but Rank 55 quickly turned things back in their favor. Despite managing a kill in the late game, ChC couldn’t get a foothold, and Rank Fifty Five Dragons took the game with a Lord rush.
ChC fought harder in this second early game, getting kills but proving unable to take benefit from their man advantage. Rank Fifty Five’s constant cap put them solidly in the lead, and wiping three ChC players twice in a row gave them the opening for a double. A triple cap was the nail in the coffin, and Rank Fifty Five Dragons became the second team to come up 4-0.
Orange Logo vs. Purple Noise
After a disappointing show last week, Purple Noise’s chance of a comeback was slim. But WTS champs Orange Logo have also been on the back foot, taking their only win for the Pro League in the first week. This week, their new team (and their hairstyles) showed a glimmer of oRNG’s former glory.
oRNG put the pressure on for an early double cap, keeping Purple Noise at only a two or three-man threat. Purple Noise, with some good portal use to get the decap on mid, tried to get any advantage they could. However, oRNG with a triple cap was too much for them to handle, and the points from a Lord Kill pushed them well over 500 points.
Even with oRNG getting the first points on the board, Purple Noise weren’t giving up this game as easily with some decent defense. Orange Logo taking a double cap started the snowball and, despite some great portal decaps by Purple Noise, pushed them well into the lead. Purple Noise managed some kills on key players but were unable to capitalize on their advantage. Orange Logo took the game with a late triple cap.
Car Crashed vs. The Civilized Gentlemen
The pressure was on The Civilized Gentlemen to win against underdogs Car Crashed this week. After dropping one week already, every set matters to keep TCG in the running for the finals.
Car Crashed gave TCG a run for their money, contesting all nodes and holding their own - until TCG took the first points of the game 2 and a half minutes in. With such a slow early game, TCG’s lead was only minor. Car Crashed finally found an opening for a cap to put points on the board, but eventually a half wipe gave TCG the double. In the final minutes, TCG pushed for Lord to distract CC and reinforce their win at time.
The next game saw another slow start, with TCG taking kills to get the ball rolling. Inevitably the first cap went to TCG, but Car Crashed put up a strong fight to deny the cap for almost 5 minutes. After almost 5 minutes with nothing changing, Car Crashed managed two kills and a cap - but it was all too late. TCG defended their point income until the train pulled into the station and took the game.
North America
Never Lucky vs. Team PZ
Over in North America, the opening matchup was two of the most promising fifth place teams going head to head. Team PZ looked strong, having taken a game off both The Abjured and Apex Prime, but finally winning a set last week against Spoookie. Meanwhile, Never Lucky had their first win against Apex Prime last week.
With Never Lucky on the defensive and Team PZ pushing hard, game one was a stalemate - until Team PZ forced the first kill at 4 and a half minutes in. PZ pushed their advantage to get a cap, riding that point income into a massive lead. Never Lucky managed a few kills and the decap, but it wasn’t enough to beat the timer.
Team PZ rode that momentum into game two, with two early kills giving them the first cap. Never Lucky answered with a cap of their own for just a few seconds - until Team PZ secured a double to take a massive lead. Never Lucky couldn’t get a foothold, and Team PZ took the game 501-30.
Apex Prime vs. Spoookie
After an upset last week, both Apex Prime and Spoookie came into this week on the back of a loss. Neck and neck in the standings, this match meant a lot in terms of standings heading into the new year.
Spoookie started strong, taking out Apex player after player to open the map. With the only cap, Spoookie had a 100 point lead before Apex could even put points on the board. Even taking a node Apex couldn’t catch up, and not even a Lord kill would have saved them.
The next game saw an amazing opener for Spoookie, with some great portal play overwhelming Apex Prime. Spoookie replicated their strategy from the last game, taking mid to start the snowball. And, in another echo, Apex managed to get back into the game with kills and a cap, closing the point gap to less than 100 points. However, Spoookie’s lead was overwhelming, leading to them taking the game.
Zero Counterplay vs. Final Form
Zero Counterplay hasn’t found a victory in the Pro League, despite taking a few maps in the past few weeks. Final Form had everything resting on this match to give them a chance to climb the ladder.
In an unconventional opening, Final Form put most of their forces in at mid, and despite some players in the downed state, took the first few kills. Zero Counterplay held their own, however, and denied any caps until the stalemate was broken by Final Form over 10 minutes into the game. Zero succeeded in a Lord rush, putting them ahead for the first time all game. However, FF almost immediately countered with a Lord kill of their own, giving them the points to take the game by just 100 at time.
Zero Counterplay headed for teb off the bat, handing Final Form the first cap in just seconds. 2 minutes in, Zero Counterplay forfeited.
Ez Pz Lemon Squeezy vs. The Abjured
Ez Pz Lemon Squeezy looked strong coming into week four, sitting pretty at second place and having lost only one game so far. But up against the powerhouse of The Abjured, who have remained undefeated in NA for over a year, their chances were slim - even with The Abjured playing an unfamiliar comp.
The Abjured stumbled slightly but were able to keep the pressure on Ez Pz, taking the first kill and using that momentum for a double cap. Behind by almost 250 points, Ez Pz managed to flip quarry, but The Abjured stalled their points before Ez Pz could make any significant comeback. With a triple cap, The Abjured soared to 500 points.
Heading back to basics, The Abjured had a comfortable advantage from the start, with an early double cap. Ez Pz weren’t looking for a repeat of the last game and pushed hard for a cap, managing some kills to level the field. With the only cap at 5 minutes left, Ez Pz were hard pressed to turn the game around, but The Abjured took back their double cap to take the game.
Join us for the next matches!
After a short break, the Guild Wars 2 Pro League is back on Monday the 11th of January 2016. Be sure not to miss any of the exciting matches to come - visit the Pro League’s official website for all the latest information and follow ESL Guild Wars 2 on Twitter and Facebook for updates!