The ninth season of the ESL Pro League has come to an end. World number one Team Liquid did battle against hometown heroes G2 Esports in what was a thrilling end to five days of top Counter-Strike action. Let’s take a closer look at what happened in Montpellier.
When the ESL Pro League Season 9 Finals Groups Revealed a few weeks ago, we predicted Team Liquid to top their group. Instead, the Americans fell at their first hurdle when they faced off against North; dropping them down to the lower bracket. They picked themselves up quickly as the stringed victories against TYLOO, HellRaisers, and MIBR to advance to the playoffs.
With their advancement to the final bracket, they took down Astralis, mousesports and finally G2 Esports. All of the information can be found here.
Liquid on Top
Since taking the top spot of the world rankings from Astralis, Team Liquid have been the team to beat. The North American roster did battle with the French of G2, in what was an incredible best of five series, eventually taking the championship 3-1 after two of the maps went into overtime.
With this latest win, Liquid now only need one more tournament to secure the Intel Grand Slam and a $1million purse to go with it. Could they wrap up the Grand Slam at ESL One Cologne? It’s certainly a possibility.
Photo courtesy of Team Liquid
A Valiant Effort from G2
While many were expecting a resurging Astralis to make an appearance in the finals, G2 came out swinging in front of the home crowd, defeating FaZe and NRG on their way to the finals. Kenny “KennyS” Schrub once again showed his brilliance with the AWP, hitting some incredible flicks throughout the tournament.
The Pro League Finals seem to be a step in the right direction for a team that has had to rebuild after previous success. Along with Team Vitality, things for French Counter-Strike are certainly on the up after a few years of uncertainty.
Next up for the majority of the Pro League teams is ESL One Cologne. Counter-Strike returns to the cathedral for one of the most highly anticipated tournaments of the year. Will Liquid secure the Grand Slam or can another team stop them from winning yet another tournament?
Photo courtesy of Team Liquid
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Gamescom 2019 is rapidly approaching and we expect to hear more news about the future of CSGO. Read more about Gamescom here.
Written ByJon Nicholson@MrJonno_95