Wednesday saw the culmination of ELeague Season 2 kick off with the start of the ELeague Season 2 Playoffs. Four of the eight teams who managed to qualify for the event -- SK Gaming, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Astralis and Dignitas -- took part in the opening day of competition. Just a single best-of-three series would decide who would advance in the tournament, with SK Gaming and Astralis earning the first spots in the pivotal semifinals.
SK Gaming Prevails
The first best-of-three series of the day was no easy task for SK, who had a long road in their series against Dignitas. The two teams started the best-of-three series on Dust2 where SK dominated their map pick to a 10-5 lead at half. That dominance continued into the second half as the Brazilians allowed just one round against them while taking six of their own to claim a 16-6 Map 1 win. However, Dignitas showed off their dominance with their map pick in Game 2, featuring Mirage. The Danes took a convincing 11-4 lead at the half and then shut out SK in the second half for a 16-4 win. Dignitas' Emil 'Magiskb0Y' Reif led his team with an impressive 19/9 kills/deaths ratio (KD) and 109.6 average damage per round (ADR).
Approaching the third and final map of the series, SK looked to seal the deal on the deciding map, Overpass. SK took the first half with a huge 11-4 start, however, Dignitas weren't going out that easy. The Danes came back in the second half thanks to Kristian 'k0nfig' Wienecke and Magiskb0Y who put together a great defensive performance to get Dignitas within two rounds of taking Map 3. Although SK struggled late in the second half, Dignitas gave up the last three rounds to SK due to a few errors made holding the bomb sites. The Brazilians overcame a frantic final few rounds in the deciding map to claim a 16-14 win, earning themselves a spot in the semifinals.
Astralis makes their mark
The second best-of-three series of the day was much like the first series. Coming off as IEM Oakland 2016 Champions, Ninjas in Pyjamas looked to continue their streak in the ELeague Season 2 Playoffs. All that stood in their way was a red-hot Astralis squad. With the first map pick, NiP selected Cobblestone and immediately took a hold of the series. The battle was a real thriller in the first half of Map 1 as the Danes and Swedes battled to a near draw in the first half, with Astralis just barely gaining an 8-7 advantage before halftime. NiP had a slow start to the second half but quickly turned around after giving up three rounds to secure a 16-13 win.
Down 1-0 in the series, Astralis looked to rebound with their map pick, Train. The Danes had a brilliant performance on Map 2 thanks to Nicolai 'device' Reedtz, who dominated with a 23/6 KD and 110.2 ADR, aiding Astralis in a 16-2 blowout. The series tie went onto the third map, Overpass, where both teams have had equal success. However, it was all Astralis in the first half, as they jumped out to a huge lead before NiP came back to level the record to 9-6. NiP started the second half strong taking the initial three rounds but quickly fell to Astralis, thanks to Markus 'Kjaerbye' Kjærbye's stellar performance on the offensive side for a 16-10 win. The Danes will move onto the semifinal to face SK.
The second day of the ELeague Season 2 Playoffs will continue Thursday showcasing two best-of-three matches featuring Virtus.Pro, OpTic Gaming, mousesports and FaZe Clan. Day 2 will begin with mousesports and OpTic facing off and immediately after Virtus.Pro will take on FaZe Clan. The winners of those matches will then head to the semifinals to join SK and Astralis. The action will kick off at 2:00 PM EST on Twitch.
