ESL One Cologne NA: FURIA to Playoffs

After a decisive loss at the hands of FURIA, 100 Thieves will have to pack their bags and leave their playoffs hopes behind. FURIA, on the other hand, snatch the last remaining playoffs spot in Group A.

On Inferno, the Brazilians went for the win almost immediately. Without much ado, they won the pistol round. In the first gun round, they set themselves on top of 100 Thieves and soon amassed a gigantic lead. The Thieves were unable to muster any real defense. In round 12, they finally got a round win on the board, but couldn’t string any more together. 100T lost the first map with an incredible 1-16 deficit. Vinicius “VINI” Figueiredo locked in a 2.57 rating with 28 kills in just 17 rounds!

Having been dealt such a sound beating, the Australians didn’t want to immediately concede the match. On Mirage, they fought their way back into the game and, courtesy of Sean “Gratisfaction” Kawai, they got a 16-13 victory. However, their success was nullified instantly. With a 13-2 T side half on Vertigo, FURIA were almost as dominant as on Inferno. Despite a pistol round win in the second half, 100 Thieves were unable to grind the deficit down. Yuri “yuurih” Santos carried his team over the finishing line with a decisive 16-7 victory.

ARE FURIA THE NEW MIBR?

While MIBR are in historically bad shape right now, FURIA manage to deliver convincing matches and tournament victories. Obviously it’s difficult, if not impossible, to compare these teams in the online era. After all, MIBR are exclusively playing against European teams in their bootcamp. But still, there’s a crass difference between FURIA winning DreamHack Open Summer NA and MIBR losing to Wislaw Krakow at Nine to Five. While the FURIA player alternate with one another in delivering star performances, the MIBR players take turns underperforming against inexperienced Tier 3 opponents.

Made in Brazil will be fighting for survival in Malta Vibes Week 9 tomorrow, while FURIA can prepare themselves for some exciting playoffs fights at ESL One Cologne.