Cloud9 take Top Spot: ESL Pro League Season 17 Group A Recap
ESL Pro League Season 17, the bi-annual month-long CSGO event organized by ESL, kicked off on February 22 with Group A matches. The group featured eight teams: IHC Gaming, MIBR, Eternal Fire, Evil Geniuses, Outsiders, Fnatic, G2 Esports and Cloud9.
ESL Pro League Season 17 features a new format with 32 teams instead of 24. The teams are divided into four groups of eight each. Each group plays a round-robin format with best-of-three matches. The playoffs will be played in a double-elimination bracket with best-of-three matches until the grand final which will be best-of-five.
The tournament boasts a prize pool of $750,000 USD. And offers points for ESL Pro Tour ranking and BLAST Premier circuit. It also serves as an opportunity for teams to showcase their form and strategies ahead of the PGL Major Stockholm 2023 which will take place in March.
Top Teams:
Cloud9 dominated the group with a near flawless 6-1 record, dropping only one map along the way. The CIS-American squad showcased their firepower and teamwork, defeating some of the top teams in the world such as G2 and Outsiders.
The second place in the group went to Outsiders, who finished with a 5-2 record. The Major winners had a stellar performance, winning some convincing matches against IHC and Fnatic. they keep reminding fans and players alike that they are not a force to be trifled with.
G2 secured the third place in the group with a 6-1 record, losing only to Clou9 and being dropped to the Mid Bracket. They had a good start but could not manage to take a single map off of Cloud9. However, they bounced back in spectacular fashion to make it to the play-offs.
Fnatic displayed their resilience and experience, overcoming strong teams such as MIBR and IHC Esports. They faced Eternal Fire twice, beating them both times in the Mid Bracket and the Lower Bracket. They took the final spot in Group A to qualify for the Play-offs.
The teams which qualified to the playoffs are:
- Cloud9
- Outsiders
- G2 Esports
- Fnatic