Who Can Still Win in EPL Group C?

Unlike in Group B, there are definitive frontrunners in Group C of ESL Pro League Season 13. At this point, Gambit and FURIA are sitting on the top of the standings, but their positions are not set in stone. NaVi and Cloud9 can still close in on them.

One last match day separates the teams of EPL Group C from the playoffs. Three teams can qualify and four teams still have the chance to acquire the necessary points. Gambit Esports are leading the charge, who have put up an impressive display for almost an entire month now.

GAMBIT REMAIN UNDEFEATED

The winners of IEM Katowice have dominated the bracket so far. Even though their individual wins weren’t always decisive, they have eventually secured four points and are thus leading Group C. Their victory run kicked off with a 2-1 over MIBR, in which they secured two one-sided map wins and were never really in danger of losing in the first place. After that, they fought through another 2-1 versus Cloud9, which, after a weaker outing on Overpass, went their way on two strong maps.

Their Best-of-Three encounter with NaVi became their first big test. On Dust2, they entered double overtime, which they actually conceded on a 19-22 scoreline. To follow that up, however, Gambit secured two consecutive 16-11 victories and finally took down Natus Vincere. To complete their 4-0 winning streak, they mounted two 16-5 maps over Team oNe.

There is no way for them to lose their playoffs spot now, but they can still be dethroned. Should FURIA win their last match against Gambit, both will be tied for points on a 4-1 score. This game would also set the head-to-head comparison for the two teams and send FURIA to the top. So despite their impressive performances so far, Gambit are by no means safe in first place.

NAVI AND C9 FIGHTING FOR 3RD PLACE

Natus Vincere, favorites of Group C in their own rights, are having a tough time right now. In four matches, they recorded two losses against FURIA and Gambit, respectively, which has put them into third place. Boasting the same amount of victories as Cloud9, though, they would have to win their last remaining match if C9 were to win as well. So what are their chances?

NaVi have gotten quite a lucky draw in the form of Team oNe, who are 0-4 in the bracket right now. The Brazilians have failed to attain a single match victory, but Natus Vincere shouldn’t underestimate them nonetheless. The same happened to G2 Esports and mousesports in Group B, which eventually forced G2 off the throne. But now that oNe have lost out to every other opponent in the group, a victory at the hands of NaVi seems all but inevitable.

Cloud9 are facing off against MIBR and there is no clear favorite in sight. The shaky performance of Alex “ALEX” McMeekin’s squad doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in them. Most recently, they confidently went into battle against FURIA and ALEX managed to put up a career-defining performance with a 2.27 rating on Nuke. But there’s no guarantee that he will be able to do this again on the last match day.

So the last match day is full of exciting games and storylines. Gambit can end the league phase in first place, but they could also descend to second place. NaVi and Cloud9 are both in contention for third place. While Team oNe and MIBR have lost their shot at playoffs, they can still massively shake up this playing field.