The Defense: week 1 overview

The first week has flew by, and we've seen some surprising results, unexpected turns of events, but all-in-all an action packed start to the group stage as teams battled against each other for the grand prize of 6.000 euros. Today, the fray will continue, and hopefully we will see even more amazing matches, but before then, let us quickly recap on what happened during the first week.



Group 1

The first group has perhaps the most variety in regards to nationality, with a rich mixture of playing styles. The group favourites are on top, with Evil Geniuses in the lead closely followed by Team Infused. EG are so far undefeated and even though they have two more games to play, they are looking quite strong and playing with much synergy, and their position in the next stage of the competition is almost guaranteed. Infused have played the most games so far in this tournament, however, their situation does not look so promising - with two defeats and most of the other teams still waiting for many matches to play, they are in a dangerous position.

We've also seen zNation playing very aggressively, but despite their best efforts, they've accumulated three losses, basically consigning them to an early exit. We also have We Haz Asian in the bottom two at the moment, who still must show us what they are capable of. Mousesports and Darer Entertainment are currently tied, and both teams will go against Infused today and then play against each other tomorrow, giving plenty of opportunity for them to get an advantage over the other.

Group 2

This group has shown many surprises, specifically uebelst-gamynG taking an early lead. The team were invited as a replacement for Virtus Pro, and while some may have been skeptical of them, they have shown great potential and may prove to be a strong opponent. compLexity Gaming have also shown great results, but in contrast to the first group, all teams still have three matches ahead of them. Which makes for a dangerous situation for both 4 Friends + Chrillee and Hydra. The newcomers have a rough road ahead of them, and may need to improve their gameplay if they want to stand a chance to get to the later stages of the competition. Absolute Legends and Moscow Five also stand toe-to-toe. This group isn't an easy one for any of the teams, and even the Australian squad and the Russian giant should take care if they do not want to suffer an early fall.

Group 3

Perhaps the strangest thing in this group is the fact that the very first match from one of the strongest teams, Natus Vincere, was a loss. The champions of The International still have plenty of opportunities to make a recovery since the third group has played the least amount of games and Na'Vi still has 4 games ahead of them. Meanwhile, we can see Storm Games Clan taking the lead in a convincing fashion and show the other behemoths on their group such as mTw and NEXT.kz that newer and less famous teams have also been training, and are more than ready to take the challenge to them. Nevertheless, as mentioned before, this group's final results are very uncertain and anything can happen in this situation. The possibility of a comeback by Fnatic RC and especially Team Empire hinges on their skill - and there are many chances for them to do so.

Group 4

The fourth group is arguably one of the most interesting ones. Here we will see newcomers such as HelloMoto and Power Rangers show what they are capable of. HelloMoto has already done so, effectively winning their first match against Keita Gaming. The Swedish team, however, encountered problems and had to leave the event as previously documented. Power Rangers were able to take their place, and in a graceful display of sportsmanship, took the result of Keita for themselves, starting their group stage with a handicap. We eagerly wait for their matches and what they can show us. Counter Logic Gaming, however, took the leading position with just one loss and are looking very promising in this competition. We can also look forward for amazing plays from Copenhagen Wolves, who just recently acquired sponsorship. Also of much interest will be the gameplay of the north-American teams POTM Bottom and Quantic Gaming. Both teams are powerful contenders and have great chances of taking the top positions by providing excellently played matches.




More matches will be played today, at 18:00 CEST. Get some snacks and drinks ready and enjoy a deserved Friday evening resting from work or studying by tuning into The Defense!

Sources: Keita and VP leave The Defense