TNC Predator vs Vici Gaming

Yet another endlessly interesting clash between two incredible teams — TNC Predator taking on Vici Gaming should definitely bring a lot of fireworks.

Both of these teams dominated throughout the group stage, with TNC winning all of their matches and Vici Gaming going even with two wins and two losses. That said, both teams kept performing at an incredibly high level once the playoffs started.

TNC has shown nothing but exceptional play and have lost just a single game since the beginning of the tournament. They have definitely proven that they’re versatile and highly dangerous both when ahead as well from a deficit, as evidenced by their clash against Alliance.

When it comes to team comps and hard carries, TNC prioritizes durable burst damage-oriented picks like Night Stalker, Naga Siren and Bristleback for their primary carry Kim “Gabbi” Villafuerteis. Gabbi was often their biggest catalyst, but the rest of the team deserves a shout out as well as they’re always prepared to step up and carry their share of the weight. Their team-wide cohesion and immense mechanical prowess are staggering and have taken many teams by surprise recently.

Opposite them, we have Vici Gaming, a top-tier team in their own right. A team that — while inherently flawed — should never be underestimated. They are an extremely talented bunch and their synergy as a five-man unit is absolutely stellar. Vici Gaming is a team that reacts to everything. There’s never a lull when they’re involved and they give nothing away for free. You know you’ve won against Vici when you’re literally last-hitting their Ancient, whereas anything before that point is always up in the air.

Throughout the whole tournament they've dropped just three games out of eight they’ve played and have shown more than enough to warrant our benefit of the doubt. They’re a talented challenger, but they’re also inconsistent at times.

Their most recent clash against Evil Geniuses was an absolute barnburner. EG drafted poorly in game one which quickly came back to haunt them. They were simply outmatched across the board in what was as one-sided a game as possible.

Once the second game came along, Vici Gaming struggled a fair bit. EG fought to the best of their ability and were highly successful in focusing Vici’s carries and catching them out of position in the mid-game. It was an exciting back-and-forth affair with EG finally showing signs of life.

The third game wasn’t much different entertainment-wise, although it was Vici who were able to clutch things out when it mattered the most.

In the end, we have to side with TNC Predators. They're still riding high after their incredible ESL One Hamburg 2019 tournament win and have a metric ton of hype and momentum behind their backs. Whenever they played in Chengdu they showed immense confidence and bravado, and their strategic flexibility often gave them an upper hand from the very get-go. This series should, in theory, be no different.

That said, Vici Gaming never go down without a fight, and they definitely have all the right tools to make this into one insanely competitive Best of 3.