The ESL Pro League Season 18 Group Stage is over for the main team, as they, with their most recent win against FURIA, have secured a spot in the Playoffs!
Great matches have been played, impeccable clutches won, and frustrating moments forgotten; here's your recap of everything you need to know about the Danish squad's journey through the Group Stage.
The Danes kicked off their Group Stage run against Swedish NIP in the Upper Bracket of Group A.
Being in the Upper Bracket meant fewer matches if they wanted to secure a spot in the Playoffs. Unfortunately, things went south against the Swedes, and the Danes were relegated to the Lower Bracket, where more matches awaited.
The Lower Bracket opponents were no match for the main team, as they steamrolled over ORKS, owned GamerLegion, and showed great prowess against FURIA.
The Danes dominated the Lower Bracket to prove they deserved a spot in the Playoffs, as they didn't lose a single map!
Having qualified for the playoffs early in the group stage, the main team now has plenty of time to practice and prepare for the matches running from September 26th to October 1st.
In case you missed out on any of the matches, here's a recap and compilation of the most important points from all the matches.
The main team's match against NIP was intense in many ways. Clusters of round wins for both teams made each map unpredictable. Despite great efforts, particularly in the pistol rounds, the Danes fell short in the end and were eliminated from the Upper Bracket.
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The first match in the Lower Bracket was straightforward for the Danes. Nuke was the first map, and the Danes dominated in both halves, with Victor 'Staehr' Staehr and Benjamin 'blameF' Bremer massively bullying their opponents. Overpass was a walk in the park, and with Christian 'Buzz' Andersen putting on quite a show, the main team sent ORKS to the "last chance" stage.
Up next was GamerLegion. Yet another insane display from blameF and Nicolai 'dev1ce' Reedtz saw the Danes equally dominate their opponent in another 2-0 win. 27 frags by the IGL, blameF, on Vertigo sent GamerLegion over the edge, while a 15-1 half on Inferno proved too hot for the Danes' opponents.
The final and deciding match of the Lower Bracket was against FURIA. Two map wins stood between the Danes and the Playoffs. In a similar fashion, the Danes overcame their opponents without losing a single map. Though Nuke became somewhat of a nail-biter, there was no doubt that the Danes would take home the win.
A poor start to the Group Stage clearly didn't affect the Danes, who go into the rest of September with joy ahead of a lot of preparation for the Playoffs.
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