Cloud9 vs G2 Esports

ELEAGUE Major 2018 Group Stage,

Oh boy oh boy, it's finally here! The group stages of the ELEAGUE Major 2018! Strap in and grab your favorite snack and get ready for the highest level of Counter Strike the world has to offer. In this first round match up we will be taking a look and predicting the winner of the two teams that actually went 3-0 in their qualifier showing. Both of these teams had hard fought games but persevered and came out victorious. These two teams are North America's own Cloud9 and the French super team G2 eSports.

Cloud9 :

With this 3-0 victory in the qualifier I believe that Cloud9 have solidified themselves as the number one team in all of North America. They have shown time and time again that they can compete with the top tier European teams such as Gambit, SK gaming, and the up and coming team Mousesports. I believe Cloud9 have the opportunity to get to the Legends spot by the end of this event. The pick up of ex-Optic's own Rush and Tarik have helped the team become solidified, and I for one am surprised to see how well Tarik has been performing since the roster change, being their best fragger on LAN since his arrival.

Cloud9's map pool is a diverse and high stated one. We start from the top with the map Mirage, which has a record of 13-5, Inferno follows with a record of 10-3, Train is at 9-3, Cobblestone is at 10-2, Cache at 5-1, Overpass at 2-4, and Nuke is Cloud9's perma ban.

G2 esports :

G2 won their 3 qualifer games in a very shaky and unconvincing fashion. Taking 3 would be easy wins and extending them out way farther than they should've. I believe G2 feel that they are a team that should win every match they play, but don't put in the time to really study the enemy team. They look like they just wing it and win solely based on their skill and the carry of KennyS' AWP.

G2's maps are as followed; Cobblestone at 5-6, Inferno at 6-4, Overpass at 5-4, Cache at 4-3, Mirage at 2-2, Nuke at 4-1, and finally Train is G2's perma ban.

Map Pick/Ban :

With Train and Nuke being the perma bans for each team, those will be the two maps gone. Cloud9 will ban Overpass as they have not had success with that map and G2 have. G2 will respond with a similar ban of the map Mirage. The remaining three maps are going to be banned out based on preference, but if I had to choose in this best of one, I would think Cobblestone is the likely favor.

Final Thoughts:

My final thoughts on this match up and this overall game is that G2 have relied to much on their own skill and their brand to carry them into events that they would otherwise not be able to qualify for. I feel Cloud9 have put in a lot of work and have dedicated themselves on bringing North America into the spotlight of the CS scene, if Cloud9 continue their work ethic and can pick apart the defense of G2 on a map like Cobblestone, I predict and snowball effect to take place and that Cloud9 will win 16-9. This will be an enjoyable game as always and even more fun for the potential drops that await!