In the ESL Pro League Season 14 tournament, the last teams to enter the fray will be Gambit, Entropiq, Ninjas in Pyjamas, FURIA, TeamOne, and Liquid. Unlike other groups, there are two teams from the CIS region here. While Gambit is almost guaranteed to advance to the playoffs, El1an and his team will have it very tough. The first games will start on September 1.
Gambit Esports
Every esports fan has likely heard about the rapid rise of the team to the pinnacle of the professional Counter-Strike scene. The squad has reached 8 finals of major tournaments, winning 5 of them. Over this period, they’ve earned over a million dollars in prizes, spent 14 weeks at the top of the HLTV.org rankings, and their only setback was the recent ESL Cologne, where Gambit lost to FaZe Clan and finished 5th-6th alongside Virtus.pro. In the last three months, their win rate is 80.6%. Their strongest maps are Vertigo (100%, 12 games) and Mirage (75%, 8 games). Tournaments:
- IEM Cologne — 5-6.
- StarLadder CIS RMR — 2.
- Blast Premier Spring Final — 1.
Predicted place in the group: 1. The tournament will be online, so there won’t be the nerves or unfamiliar environment like in Cologne. Gambit will keep winning.
Ninjas in Pyjamas
The Swedish team, after bringing in Nicolai «dev1ce» Reedtz, hasn’t achieved the results they hoped for. The player himself has underperformed compared to his usual standards, occasionally delivering standout matches. Moreover, their academy player recruitment strategy seems ineffective. Despite the poor form, the team sits at 7th in the world rankings. Their win rate is 56.5%, with strongest maps being Vertigo (100%, 1 game) and Dust 2 (62.5%, 8 games). Results:
- IEM Cologne — 9-12.
- Gamers Without Borders — 5-6.
- Blast Premier Spring Final — 4.
Predicted place in the group: 2. The team consistently makes it to the playoffs and looks strong compared to the other opponents in the group. They recently beat their main rival, Liquid.
Team Liquid
Like their compatriots from Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid has lost ground, selling Twistzz, who later complained about the team atmosphere. They brought in the legendary Brazilian player Fallen. As Fallen had previously been the in-game leader, many expected him to call plays in Liquid, but early in the year, Stewie2K took that role. Under his leadership, the team secured podium finishes at IEM Katowice, DreamHack Open March NA, and won cs_summit 8 NA. Their win rate over the last three months is 66.7%, with strongest maps being Overpass (75%, 4 games) and Nuke (66.7%, 6 games). Their last three tournaments:
- IEM Cologne — 9-12.
- cs_summit 8 — 1.
- Blast Premier Spring Showdown — 9-16.
Predicted place in the group: 3. The team has now made Fallen the in-game leader, which should be a positive change.
FURIA Esports
The Brazilians decided last winter to add a dedicated sniper to the roster. Finding one in Brazil proved difficult, so they signed junior and switched to communicating in English. Unfortunately, the newcomer didn’t meet expectations and was put on the transfer list. They then brought in honda, who had played for FURIA in one tournament but didn’t impress. Notable results include third place at ESL Pro League Season 13, second at cs_summit 8 NA, and winning Elisa Invitational Summer. The team’s win rate is 57.9%, with strongest maps Nuke (63.6%, 11 games) and Mirage (55.6%, 9 games). Recent tournaments:
- IEM Cologne — 9-12.
- Elisa Invitational — 1.
- Spring Sweet Spring — 5-8.
Predicted place in the group: 4-5. The Brazilians stick to their aggressive, fast-paced Counter-Strike style, making it easy for opponents to counter them.
Entropiq
Three months ago, the Czech organization dropped their roster and signed the former Winstrike lineup. Since then, the team has won a couple of Tier-2 events and earned RMR points at EPIC League CIS. At the StarLadder CIS RMR, Entropiq had a good chance to gain more points but lost the decisive match to ForZe. They qualified for ESL Pro League through ESEA Premier Season 36, beating the Portuguese team Saw in the final. Over the last few months, their win rate is 66%. Strongest maps are Nuke (77.8%, 18 games) and Overpass (65.5%, 29 games). Results:
- Pinnacle Cup 2 — 9-12 place.
- Elisa Invitational Summer — 3-4.
- StarLadder CIS RMR — 6.
Predicted place: 4-5. The dark horse of the group, capable of upsetting anyone, even Gambit.
TeamOne
The Brazilian organization, like Entropiq, qualified for the tournament through ESEA Premier, but in the North America region. They also competed in the previous ESL Pro League season from March to April, losing every game and finishing last. Since then, one change occurred: skullz left, and xns from Santos joined. The switch didn’t bring standout results. TeamOne’s win rate is 39.1%, with strongest maps Mirage (71.4%, 7 games) and Overpass (60%, 5 games). Tournament results:
- IEM Cologne Play-in — 13-16.
- Pinnacle Cup 2 — 17-18.
- ESEA Premier Season 37 NA — 1.
Predicted place in the group: 6. The Brazilians may be a force in North America, but they struggle against European teams, as seen in recent qualifiers for IEM Cologne and Pinnacle Cup.
