Who Will Survive the Groups at ESL One Los Angeles 2020 (Europe & CIS)
Published: Apr 10, 2020
In the European & CIS region, ESL One Los Angeles 2020 Online is underway and we still have an entire week of matches left to be played. I this article, I will take a look at what has happened so far and offer my predictions for who will qualify for the Playoffs.
ESL One Los Angeles 2020 Current Standings
Currently, we’re in the 7th competitive day and another 7 days of matches are yet to be played. Here’s what happened so far.
Group A
- 1st place: Virtus.pro: 4 W – 0 L
- 2nd place: OG: 2 W – 1 L
- 3rd place: Vikin.gg: 2 W – 2 L
- 4th place: Team Nigma: 2 W – 2 L
- 5th place: HellRaisers: 1 W – 2 L
- 6th place: Gambit Esports: 1 W – 2 L
- 7th place: Cyber Legacy: 1 W – 2 L
- 8th place: B8: 1 W – 3 L
Group B
- 1st place: Team Secret: 3 W – 0 L
- 2nd place: Chicken Fighters: 2 W – 1 L
- 3rd place: Team Spirit: 2 W – 1 L
- 4th place: Natus Vincere: 2 W – 1 L
- 5th place: Alliance: 1 W – 2 L
- 6th place: Team Unique: 1 W – 2 L
- 7th place: Ninjas in Pyjamas: 1 W – 2 L
- 8th place: Team Liquid: 0 W – 3 L
Playoffs Participants
Based on what we’ve seen so far, these are the teams that are most likely to advance to the Playoffs Stage.
Virtus.pro (Group A, Upper Bracket)
VP is starting to look like the old VP. After struggling for the first half of the season due to the loss of 3 important players, it seems that Solo and No[o]ne have finally managed to find the success formula again. Arguably, the new VP roster, with iLTW, Resolut1on and Zayac instead of RAMZES, 9pasha and RodjER is weaker than the one that finished 2nd in the DPC in 2018 and 1st in 2019. But not by much. Solo is clearly trying his best to educate the new players about how the game should be played and what his strategies are all about. And with enough practice, there’s a good chance that Virtus.pro will reach the heights of success once more.
OG (Group A, Upper Bracket)
Another team that seems destined to reach the Upper Bracket of the Playoffs is OG. The two-times TI winner is playing with 2 substitutes. But so far, it managed to perform quite well and get 2 victories out of its first 3 matches. And even the defeat against Vikin.gg came as a result of two Alchemist cheese strats. It’s unlikely that OG will fall prey to such strats in its next matches and the team has already defeated Nigma with ease. Based on that, I think the second place in Group A should belong to them at the end of the Group Stage.
Vikin.gg (Group A, Lower Bracket)
Vikin.gg showed exceptional qualities during the first week of ESL One Los Angeles 2020, beating both Gambit and OG. Based on these performances, the team has a very good chance of finishing 3rd – 4th in Group A and securing a place in the Playoffs.
Team Nigma (Group A, Lower Bracket)
It would be a huge surprise if KuroKy and his team somehow missed the Playoffs at an event like this. The competition doesn’t have that many teams that can play at their level and furthermore, many of them are not even in their group. So far, Nigma has 2 wins and 2 losses. With 3 more matches to be played, the TI finalist from 2019 will likely get at least 2 more victories and secure a Lower Bracket ticket for the Playoffs. Or, who knows, maybe even an Upper Bracket one.
Team Secret (Group B, Upper Bracket)
It looks like nothing can stop Secret at this point. Puppey’s team is having a field day at an event like this, where most opposition is frail and poorly prepared. When you take one of the world’s best teams, whose roster has many months or even years of experience in competing together, opponents that formed their roster just a few weeks or months ago are just a punching bag. So far, Secret hasn’t lost a single game in its first three matches.
Natus Vincere (Group B, Upper Bracket)
Na’Vi seems to be the most likely candidate for the second Upper Bracket spot in Group B. The team has excellent players and managed to create problems even for Secret. So far, their only loss came against this formidable opponent. Everyone else doesn’t seem to have much of a chance.
Chicken Fighters (Group B, Lower Bracket)
CF is one of the competitors that have surprised people at this event. SoNNeikO is clearly a much better captain than some had believed and his team has managed to beat both Team Spirit and Ninjas in Pyjamas at ESL One Los Angeles 2020. The only loss so far came against Na’Vi.
Team Spirit (Group B, Lower Bracket)
With 2 victories in its first 3 matches, Team Spirit looks like a good candidate for one of the Lower Bracket spots in Group B. Its main rivals for this spot are Team Unique and Alliance. But since they’ve already defeated Alliance, only Unique seems to be a threat at this point.
