Analysts of StarSeries S4 summarize the group stage and make suppositions about the playoff

 Janko "Ynk" Paunović

First of all, let’s sum up the group stage. Who did disappoint you? What did surprise?

I was very disappointed by Fnatic. They looked super strong at the Major and here to drop out on the last place - that’s something that has never happened with them in the history of the core of the lineup. Gambit disappointed a little, I guess. They had a roster change and have a lot of things they have to fix right now. And you can’t believe that Cloud9 played so. They lost to SK Gaming, FaZe and mousesports. Renegades are the only suprise in the playoffs, I believe. They actually did pretty well with a stand-in, considering a bit of unluck in the drawing.

What are your predictions for the playoffs?

It’s going to be interesting how G2 is going to perform in the playoff game because mousesports is looking really strong at the moment. Both teams play de_nuke. So are we gonna see that? I wanna go with mousesporth because G2 disappointed a couple of times in the past. Then we have a potential for the rematch between SK Gaming and mousesports, the match that has been played at The Summit. I think FaZe will have an easy game versus Renegades and I give the edge to Astralis in the match Na’Vi vs Astralis.

Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill

What can you say about the results of the group stage?

I think Gambit was disappointing in the sense of that it’s their home event. I think they would have wanted to advance to the finals to get to play against fans or, at least, to represent the CIS region in terms of having a roster change and having a new in-game leader. In the context, it’s not so bad but I think the way they lost matches was a bit upset. The biggest one is Fnatic, going out in the last place. This is for the first time for the core of the roster. KRIMZ, JW, flusha hadn’t experienced that before. There is a rumor of the roster change by replacing Golden, which I think would be a mistake. And then Cloud9 but in the context, they played against really hard teams. FaZe, SK Gaming and mousesports look really hot right now. Those are the three that were interesting. And I am really happy that Renegades has made its way to the playoffs. That’s the biggest surprise of the top 8.

What are your predictions for the playoffs?

In the playoffs, I think we probably gonna see victories from the usual suspects. I think the closest match will probably be SK Gaming vs Team Liquid. I think that’s going to be the one that could definitely go either way. And I think SK has a lot to prove in that matchup.

Who do you think will get to the top 4 of the tournament?

I think Astralis will beat Na’Vi, SK will beat Liquid. G2 vs mousesports will be close but G2 will win. And FaZe should beat Renegades.

So who will be in the final?

The match FaZe vs SK Gaming would be the dream. I love that final, I love to see that time and time again.

Joona "natu" Leppänen

Can you sum up the group stage? Who did disappoint you? And who made you happy?

Obviously, Fnatic going 0:3 was pretty shocking. They have been playing pretty good recently. So it’s kinda surprising to see them drop the ball massively. It’s surprising or not but Na’Vi were just chaotic a lot of the times. It’s good to see mousesports go through. They actually look very strong now. Mainly the usual suspects have gone through and I think that’s because of a bo3 format in the Swiss system.

And what about the playoffs? Do you have some predictions for them?

Mousesports vs G2 is going to be a great rematch for sure. I think mousesports were really close to beating G2. They were like 15:13 on the second map but lost in the overtime. The match SK Gaming vs Team Liquid definitely can be good as well. Talking about the match Na’Vi vs Astralis, Astralis has shown that they are really well ready, so I think they will take down unless Na’Vi comes with the idea that the day is everything worth to them.

Do you think that even the home crowd will not help them?

Listen, buddy. They have played so horribly today that there is no crowd in the world that can help Na’Vi, unfortunately. The match FaZe vs Renegades, unfortunately, but is going to one-sided. FaZe will win that.

Do you have thoughts about the grand final? Do you suppose it to be SK Gaming vs FaZe?

I guess that would be sort of the dream final. You know, they are the top 2 teams right now. I think they have the biggest map pools. But most definitely, we have seen some weakens from SK on de_inferno. That’s for sure. So I think it would be fine for SK and FaZe to meet each other in the final.

Oleksandr "Petr1k" Petryk

Let’s summarize the group stage. Who disappointed you? Who surprised you?

Perhaps, Renegades surprised me more than anybody else. I didn’t expect that they could come back this way, especially after 2 losses, and also the guys played with Fnatic not well enough. I thought the Australians could get to the Top 8, but not after the losses. Later I was surprised at the absence of Fantic and Cloud9 in the top. I hoped that the level, which “Cloudy” had showed at cs_summit and ELEAGUE Major 2018 would be enough for them, but it didn’t happen – the guys lost against the strong opponents, so I don’t feel ashamed for them. As for the rest, the others went as I expected.

What are your thoughts about the playoff?

FaZe Clan have a very easy bracket, so they will win over Renegades, no other way, and Na’Vi and Astralis are very convenient opponents for them, especially Natus Vincere. I think, FaZe will get to the final, but we shouldn’t forget about the factor of home stands as this is the only thing which can help “Born To Die” and baffle FaZe. If stands cheer on Na’Vi, they can win for sure, but otherwise, FaZe Clan and G2 eSports are the favorites. The French look imperturbable now and I hope that the thing which happen to them at the playoff stage, as for example at ELEAGUE Major 2018 won’t happen again. Mousesports mustn’t be a problem for G2. As for SK Gaming and Team Liquid, I can say that this meeting will be super interesting and the match will be equal for both of the teams. Here all the favorites get to the semifinal and this is the reason why this tournament is great: there is no unexpected guest at any stage, but maybe it is bad. I don’t know.

Who will win at the championship?

FaZe are more likely to win, but we shouldn’t underestimate G2 and SK Gaming, in other words the winner of the semifinal can cause huge problems for Guardian and the team, especially SK. I can’t say for sure, as there are a lot of teams of the same level and I wouldn’t say that FaZE do stand out – they play in the way which can let the, down. When something goes wrong, the guys have no backup, no super tactics so any trained team as SK or G2 can win over them easily, they just need a good topic. Na’Vi can do the same, but it isn’t for sure.

Alexey "yXo" Maletskiy

Let’s summarize the group stage. Who disappointed you? Who surprised you?

Everything is standard. Fnatic and Gambit can be emphasized, as they could have played at the tournament better than they did. Gambit started perfectly, and in general, I liked the way they played. I expected more from them and Fnatic are a complete disaster – they played on 7 maps and six of them were losses, a terrible result for them, especially taking into account that they gained the status “Legend” at ELEAGUE Major 2018. But the Major tournament wasn’t bad. I liked their match against SK Gaming, literally it was one of the most fascinating games at the tournament. HellRaisers made a very good attempt, returning to the game after the replacement and the score 2:0. They came back, but it wasn’t clear what happened at the match against Renegades as they didn’t fulfill their potential. Cloud 9 haven’t left the group losing against Mousesports, but it was an equal match and won the people who have nerves of steel. Also, Cloud9 had a fall of motivation after the Major.

What are your thoughts about the playoff?

Making suppositions is not a grateful thing but it is just taking a stab in the dark. Natus Vincere had a very strong opponent Astralis. FaZe Clan had to win over Renegades. G2 vs. Mousesports was a very interesting match. The French showed unsteadiness, they can play awfully at some matches, but find some strength to get their act together when they really need it. I think it will be a great game, they will play on three maps, but it there will be only two maps, it will be worth watching. SK Gaming do have something to show after cs_summit 2, where the Brazilians lost against Team Liquid. SK’s participation in StarSeries i-League Season 4, especially the match SK vs. Natus Vincere proved, that the team has no problem at the moment. Yes, sometimes they had no results recently, but during the match they were very convincing and cool. These are the SK I worship and I think it is the best team in the world and it is out of the question.