The European mixed team beat a total of three teams on the Intel Grand Slam scoreboard with a 2-0 against Evil Geniuses in the first round of playoffs and a 2-1 against Astralis in the semi final.

Ever since Team Liquid won the second Intel Grand Slam no team has managed to win two Masters level tournaments. Liquid won Intel Extreme Masters Chicago, EG won ESL One New York, FNATIC won DreamHack Masters Malmoe and Astralis won IEM Beijing. All of the above teams are still in contention for the $1,000,000 prize.

A team needs to win four Masters level tournaments if one of them was a Championship ESL Pro Tour event. Otherwise a team needs to win six Masters tournaments to complete the Intel Grand Slam.

Team Liquid have the most narrow window to complete their Intel Grand Slam as they have five tournaments left. If they win IEM Katowice (a Masters Championship) in March 2020, they will need a further two Masters titles to do it.

Team Liquid won the tournament completing the Intel® Grand Slam and taking the lion’s share of the $300.000 prize money with their victory at ESL One Cologne on July 7.  The North American team accomplished it with an unprecedented four consecutive tournament championships inside sixty-three days.

This puts Astralis’ achievement of winning the first Intel Grand Slam in a completely different perspective. It took the Danes 323 days to do so, with four victories inside a total of seven attempts. Liquid’s run to the $1,000,000 check was 169 shorter, which is an achievement that might never be improved on.

Liquid’s trophy haul was:

• Win No. 1: Intel® Extreme Masters Sydney (May 2019), edging out Fnatic 3-2. 
• Win No. 2: DreamHack Masters Dallas (June 2019), beating ENCE 2-1. 
• Win No. 3: ESL Pro League Season 9 (June 2019), defeating G2 Esports 3-1. 
• Win No. 4: ESL One Cologne (July 2019), overcoming Vitality 3-1.

Congratulations to Team Liquid.

The Group Stage

The Dota 2 kicked off straight away at the St.Regis Hotel, with two groups of four teams playing over three days. Team Team from NA made an excellent showing, going 4-0 against their opponents Natus Vincere, TNC Predator and compLexity Gaming. Meanwhile Keen Gaming was also set to impress, likewise going 4-0 against Mineski, The Pango and Signify. There were loads of crazy and exciting games during the groups, but it would be during the Main Stage where there would be real pressure to perform.

The Main Stage

The first day at the NSCI Dome was not without casualties; compLexity were narrowly knocked out of the tournament by The Pango, while local Indian team Signify crashed out against TNC Predator, who then went on to knock out fan favourites Team Team, despite their dominance in the Group Stage. Keen Gaming, who had been sent into the Lower Brackets by Natus Vincere, showcased their desire to win by promptly beating The Pango and TNC Predator, culminating in a repeat showing between them and Navi in the Lower Bracket Finals. This time, the Chinese team were determined not to lose again, and sent Navi packing with a clean 2-0.

Meanwhile, Mineski proved to be a force to be reckoned with in the Upper Brackets, having beaten Team Team and Navi to make it into the Grand Finals. Both Mineski and Keen Gaming had a chance to win the coveted ESL One Mumbai Trophy and the lion’s share of the $300,000, but only one could win.

In a true fairytale ending, it was Keen Gaming who, despite being sent into the Lower Brackets, came into full force in the Grand Finals. Their drafts and gameplay were clean and clinical, with Mineski simply unable to either draft and play for late game, or play for an early finish. Keen Gaming swept the SEA team 3-0, despite an impressive performance from Mineski. As such it was the Chinese team that walked away as ESL One Mumbai Champions.

The next stop for ESL One is Birmingham, so make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest news and updates!

Results

Group A

Group B

Playoffs

Tournament Highlights

S1MPLE ARE YOU OK!?@s1mpleO #ESLOne pic.twitter.com/cFW4OF2aK7

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) July 6, 2018

GOD ALLU@alluCSGO #ESLOne pic.twitter.com/lCayujgjY4

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) July 5, 2018

TARIK!!!!!! Keeping @Cloud9 in the game@tarik#ESLOne pic.twitter.com/s59tGbYXUu

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) July 4, 2018

WHAT ON EARTH IS THAT SPRAY @TARIK???#ESLOne pic.twitter.com/DZCC2591Io

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) July 4, 2018

A POWER SURGE! What a play from @electronicCSGO!#ESLOne pic.twitter.com/Gd2sNKmiGu

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) July 8, 2018

When it @FaZe_rainCS it pours#ESLOne pic.twitter.com/KB64s8C0Vh

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) July 3, 2018

#ESLOne Cologne 2018 champions, @natusvincerepic.twitter.com/Zu36joK6lV

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) July 8, 2018

After some competitive matchups, the five day long competition concluded on Sunday with Faze Clan and mousesports provided the passionate Brazilian crowd with a thrilling match. At the end, it was the European Powerhouse FaZe Clan who was able to beat mousesports 3:2 and secured another win counting towards the Intel® Grand Slam series.

The sold out Mineirinho Arena, which was partly granted by the Secretary of State for Sports of Minas Gerais in order to show the state’s support and foster the growth of the local esports scene, welcomed 11,500 fans on each of the three main event days. ESL One Belo Horizonte clocked more than 43 million sessions with the peak concurrent viewership reaching over 583,000 viewers. This marks an impressive 166% increase in the total number of sessions and a 53% growth in peak concurrent viewership compared to the CS:GO Pro League Season Four Finals that took place in Sao Paulo in 2016. Overall, more than 7,5 million hours of content were consumed by the online audience.

“The Brazilian crowd surely lived up to the expectations as the Mineirinho Arena started shaking when the local heros SK Gaming entered the big stage,” said Ulrich Schulze, Senior Vice President of Product at ESL. “South America and especially Brazil has and will be an important part of the esports industry, and we are very proud to actively support the growth of the local community.”

“The Brazilian fans were great, which is sure to be marked in the history of esports. I believe the result of everything we accomplished wit ESL One Belo Horizonte is very positive! We are very proud to be able to provide this unique experience to our community and we hope to repeat all that success very soon”, said Leo De Biase, CEO of ESL Brazil.

Up next in the ESL One event series for CS:GO is ESL One Cologne 2018, which is set to take place in the Cathedral of competitive Counter-Strike, at the LANXESS Arena in Cologne, Germany on July 6-8. Followed by ESL One New York 2018, ESL’s North American flagship event and the biggest esports tournament on the East Coast, which will be held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on September 29-30.

For more information, visit the official ESL One website and be sure to follow ESL CS on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest updates. 

For the first time in the history of IGS, a team is just one win away from completing the US$1,000,000 obstacle course – if FaZe Clan win ESL One Cologne this coming weekend, they will also take the first ever Intel Grand Slam. We chatted to Guardian about this and more.

ESL: Hi there and thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Let’s start with the fast approaching ESL One Cologne – what is the mood like in the team ahead of the event?
Guardian: Hello. The mood in the team is always the same: we want to do our best and win the event. Of course, we feel that we are very close to winning the Intel Grand Slam but at the same time, it means a lot to win ESL One Cologne itself. The event is one of the best events you can attend as a player, and as a spectator as well. There is so much happening in Cologne every year, and I am sure this year won’t be different. Looking forward to it a lot!

ESL: What kind of a feeling would it be to complete the Intel Grand Slam at ESL One Cologne, of all places?
Guardian: That would be a feeling that no one in the team would be able to describe. IF we complete it, it will be a crazy journey finished, since we played the last 4-5 IGS events with stand-ins. I think we will be very proud of ourselves and proud of our team, that we have managed to do something like that. But we are humble and with feet on the ground, so lets do it step by step and then we will think about feelings, haha.

ESL: This year, the tournament is extra spicy as you are just one win away from claiming the first ever US$1,000,000 Intel Grand Slam, with Astralis being the favorites to stop you. Have you been discussing the Intel Grand Slam before your recent events? How much of a goal is it?
Guardian: I don’t feel like we paid that much attention to IGS, since we are a team that wants titles and it doesn’t matter if its IGS or any other event. We want to win as much as we can, and that is what matters the most. Of course IGS is as prestigious as Majors but, as I said, for us what matters is winning.

ESL: How much extra pressure is there for every event you play in with the presence of the $1,000,000 reward and Astralis right at your tails?
Guardian: We do not feel the pressure yet and it is hard to say when it will come. Maybe it will come right in the group stage or in the finals, or maybe it will not come at all.  I wish to play the Cologne finals against Astralis, the game would be full of emotions and I am sure both teams would do their best.

ESL: Is it fair to say that if you don’t close it out in Cologne, momentum will be on the side of Astralis to complete the Intel Grand Slam?  They have more chances left.
Guardian: I wouldn’t say that Astralis will have the momentum, since we will still have one more chance left. And I am sure that at DreamHack Masters Stockholm we will have a full lineup, and we will be very well prepared. After that, if we wont close it out these 2 events, I am sure they will have huge advantage.

ESL: What do you think it says about the first team that manages to complete the Intel Grand Slam?
Guardian: Have no idea honestly, haha. Probably that the team is the best in the world, winning 4 events out of 10 possible chances is something amazing. It will be a historical moment and a successful journey for both the winning team and ESL as an organisation.

ESL: What are some of the contrasts and similarities between you and Astralis?  What makes this rivalry so interesting?
Guardian: There are few differences between these two teams. If we talk about Astralis, their team is based on tactics and teamplay. Our team is based on individual skill and explosive style of game.

ESL: Thanks for your time and good luck in Cologne! The last words are yours.
Guardian: Thank you. To all who believe in us, regardless of not having a stable lineup, we will do our best to close out the IGS and do our best to achieve it.

See you in Cologne!

ESL One Cologne will take place on July 6-8 in the legendary LANXESS arena – be sure to join us at the cathedral of Counter-Strike (very few tickets are left, so better hurry)!

For all the latest updates, remember to follow ESL CS on Twitter and Facebook.

The Kingdom’s first Major will also be the penultimate major event for this season, effectively making it one of the most stressful events for the teams competing – at least for some of them that is. Out of the twelve participating teams, four are ineligible for an invite to The International 8 due to roster changes, two have safely secured a spot – Virtus.pro & Liquid, while the remaining six will have to battle it out as for some of them this will be their last chance for this year’s International; looking at you Fnatic and OpTic!

Group A

• Virtus.pro
• Fnatic
• Evil Geniuses
• Team Spirit

Sitting on top of the DPC ranking throne, Virtus.pro not only have already secured their invitation to TI8 but are also the strong favourites of this group as well. They’ve had an exceptional performance throughout this season, winning two back to back ESL One Majors – in Hamburg and Katowice. Team Spirit, who got their spot as Na’Vi’s replacement, would have to really surpass themselves in order to stand a chance against VP. The second duo of the group though, Fnatic vs EG, is the one with the most interest, as Fnatic have not only signed Universe, EG’s former for four years offlaner, but also Aui_2000 as their coach.

If I were to rank them on who has the most chances of getting to the playoffs, the Virtus.pro would certainly be number one, but when it comes down to slot number two, things get a bit tricky. There are insufficient data to compare the results of the two teams, as since Fnatic’s newest additions the two teams have only met once in GESC where Fnatic took the game for themselves. Nonetheless, I would give EG a small advantage as their experience slightly surpasses that of Fnatic, as at the… dire moment experience might kick in and give them the win.

Opening Matches:

• Fnatic vs EG
• Virtus.pro vs Team Spirit

Group B

• Team Liquid
• Vici Gaming
• OG
• paiN Gaming

Group B is a little bit less interesting than both Groups A & C, not skill-wise of course, but from the side of mathematics. Much alike Virtus.pro, Liquid have already secured their invite to TI8 while Vici’s position at the 6th spot of the DPC ranking can’t be really threatened. On the other hand both Dota’s talent incubator, OG and paiN Gaming, will not be able to directly join TI8, and they’ll have to go through the qualifiers. That being said, the hefty amount of $500,000 is not a prize pool that can be ignored, it is just that not that much of heavy action is expected from this Group.

Given all of the above, it is not entirely impossible to see OG and paiN try to overcome their respective obstacles and make it to the playoffs, but the most realistic scenario is that Team Liquid and Vici will be the ones joining the other competitors for that sweet half a million.

Opening Matches:

• OG vs Vici
• Team Liquid vs paiN Gaming

Group C

• Mineski
• Optic
• Newbee
• LFY

Now, one might argue that this group features the highest levels of interest amongst the three of them. As previously discussed, Group B can be considered, to an extent, as more relaxed, due to its drawings, and Group A has at least one slot pretty much secured. On the other side of things though, Group C is probably the most controversial, mainly due to the shaky performance of the participating teams. Kicking it off with TI7 silver medalists, Newbee, the Chinese have shown some true potential throughout the season having won ESL One Genting 2018 last January, but they barely got a 9-12th spot at EPICENTER XL and DAC 2018. Despite all though, they are comfortable at the 7th spot over at the DPC ranking with more than 500 points separating them from VGJ.Thunder.

On the other hand there’s Mineski who have been struggling throughout the season, and then out of nowhere won DAC 2018 by beating LGD in a thrilling Bo5. Then there’s Optic whose performance has been steadily improving over these first 5 months of 2018, but their 3rd place finish at the NA Qualifiers for China’s Supermajor made ESL One Birmingham their last chance to secure a spot to TI8 through a DPC event. That being said, they would have to win it which by itself makes it a longshot, but Pajkatt, Zai and ppd do have the necessary experience required to at least make it to the playoffs.

It is genuinely really hard to try and make predictions about Group C. As previously mentioned, all of the teams have had pretty shaky performances throughout the season, but they way the matches were drawn – Newbee vs Optic & Mineski vs LFY – makes it a tiny bit easier to say that Newbee will be the first Group C competitor, and in case Mineski are able to keep on the momentum they earned during DAC, they will be the second team to see Birmingham’s arena.

Opening Matches:

• Optic vs Newbee
• Mineski vs LFY

Get ready!

Thousands of passionate UK Dota 2 fans have always travelled abroad for european ESL One events, making the UK the second largest visiting region. Arena Birmingham, in the heart of Birmingham city, promises an unprecedented esports experience for UK and international fans alike – with some of the country’s best Dota 2 talent involved.

“This is a dream come true for the ESL UK team and a fantastic win for the UK scene,” commented James Dean, managing director at ESL UK. “Dota 2 was the very first tournament we ran just after starting up in 2012.  We are honoured to have this opportunity and hope to make the Dota 2 community extremely proud. We look forward to being an integral part of the success of this event, and to the potential of having ESL One back in Birmingham next year.”

Birmingham has already hosted other ESL UK events, including the ESL Arena, the largest esports activation ever held in the UK to date. Held at EGX 2017 in Birmingham NEC, 80,000 gamers had the opportunity to witness national and european game-play over four days. The decision to host ESL One in the heart of England marks the next step in ESL UK’s commitment to making esports accessible for more UK fans.

“It’s tremendous news for the city to be playing host to such a prestigious international esports event,” said Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands. “Birmingham is renowned for major sporting events such as the World Indoor Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games, so we very much look forward to welcoming the Dota 2 community. As the second largest city in the UK, Birmingham has a huge amount to offer and hosting the UK’s first Dota 2 Major adds to the city’s fascinating history.”

“We are thrilled to have been selected to host such a prestigious event for Dota 2,” said Ian Congdon, Head of Venue Sales – Arena, NEC Group. “Our award-winning Arena Birmingham is one of the busiest and most well-connected large-scale indoor venues in Europe. With our unique canal-side location, in one of the UK’s most vibrant cities, it’s the perfect place to bring the gaming community together.”

ESL One Birmingham will feature a wider festival celebrating Dota 2, as well as opportunities for fans to get involved in making the major special. More details will be coming soon.

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!

Follow ESL One Dota 2 on Twitter and Facebook to receive the latest updates regarding ESL One Birmingham.

A total of 16 teams, 8 invited and 8 qualified, are set to clash for a chance to grab the lion’s share of the astonishing $1,000,000 prizepool and the 1,500 Pro Circuit Points! Followed by the three day long group stage, the event’s playoffs will be played between the 23rd and the 25th of February; so buckle up and prepare yourself for some of the best Dota we’ve seen this season!

Group A

• Team Liquid
• Effect
• OG
• Vici Gaming
• Mineski
• compLexity Gaming
• OpTic Gaming
• Virtus.pro

Click to enlarge

Team Liquid

It is always pleasing to the eyes watching Team Liquid’s performances. Even before their TI win in August, the squad has been delivering exceptional results in every event they participated. With less than 700 points separating them from Team Secret and their astounding results this past month – 1st place at iLeague Season 4 and 2nd at ESL One Genting – Team Liquid is on a well-lit course in bringing another major title back home.

Effect

Even though Effect is one of the newest teams competing in Katowice this year, having formed roughly one and a half year ago, they have shown some potential during the CIS qualifiers were they outbested reputable names in the Dota 2 scene such as Team Spirit and Vega Squadron. And only a few days ago they managed to qualify for yet another Major in DAC 2018, showing that their ESL One Katowice qualifier run was anything but a fluke. Other than that, the fact that this is the squad’s first ever major event in combination with the limited professional experience of the roster, it’s really hard to place any bets on them.

OG

The talent incubator. Literally. OG is one of those teams that when you see them competing you know that they CAN finish at the top spots, no matter what their roster is. Unfortunately, though, we haven’t seen much of OG’s previous glory shining in any major event that took place after TI7. While they have managed to qualify for various minor and major events, they unfortunately fell below expectations in most with the exception being MDL Macau. It feels like even though they have the potential to bring results and return to the spotlight, the current roster is struggling to do so, despite the immense individual experience they all have. Much alike Effect though, I wouldn’t bet my money on them unless they find a way to adapt to the current Dota 2 status quo.

Vici Gaming

Things are starting to get tricky now. Vici Gaming has risen to once again become one of the strongest teams in the world, but as always context plays an important part in Dota 2. Even though they managed to snatch a 5-6th place finish at ESL One Genting and a couple of major silver medals, it is still unknown whether they will be able to stand against titans in the likes of Liquid and VP. Their first matchup is against OG and chances are that they have what it takes to defeat them but coming up next they will have to face Team Liquid and it still debatable whether they are able to overcome this obstacle.

Mineski

Mineski’s roster has the potential of a world-class team and is undoubtedly the strongest five-man squad in SEA. Despite that though, as discussed in a previous article, Mineski are shaky and the roller-coaster they had for results stands there to prove it. They got a really poor finish at ESL One Genting 2018, finishing 9-12th, and one week later there they are, grabbing a bronze medal at StarLadder i-League Season 4, thus making it impossible to say whether they earned a momentum they can hold or whether it was just a spike in their performance. That being said, with a win-rate of roughly 60% in a total of 262 games, they do have higher chances of beating compLexity Gaming, even though on their head-to-head confrontations they stand tied.

compLexity Gaming

Hailing from North America, compLexity Gaming made it to the top 16 teams and for those that keep an eye on the scene, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Despite their mediocre results at Captains Draft 4.0 (5-8th), ESL One Genting 2018 (9-12th) and StarLadder i-League Season 4 (5-6th), compLexity gaming have been consistently trying to keep a steady level and improve.

OpTic Gaming

We’ve seen this whole concept of forming All-star teams and have them compete quite a few times in the past, and OpTic Gaming is no different. Having former TI level players like Pajkatt, zai and ppd in your roster raises the expectations but the big question still remains: are they ready to take on Virtus.pro? The answer is not that simple as one might expect. Individually they all have more than it takes to clash with VP, but on the other hand this is a team that lost twice to Animal Planet, now signed by Iceberg Esports, and barely won during the Last Chance Qualifiers for Katowice.

Virtus.pro

There’s not much to be said about Virtus.pro either. They are currently playing some of the best Dota we’ve seen from them, following their top spot finish at ESL One Hamburg 2017, they have also seen a number of 2nd to 5th place finishes, including one more Gold medal at Dota Summit 8. It’s uncertain though, if they are able to take down Group A favorites, Team Liquid. On their more recent battles, Virtus.pro can be found on the losing side of the line with a mere 43% win ratio. That in addition to Lil’s very recent departure from the team and his replacement by RodjER raises some doubts as to whether he was given enough time to practice and blend with the team.

See you in Katowice

Tickets to the event are available so be sure to join us for Poland’s first ever Dota 2 Major held in the legendary Spodek arena! For all updates, follow ESL Dota 2 on Twitter and Facebook.

Together with Twitch and ReedPOP, the organizers of the New York Super Week, ESL will once again deliver the biggest esports event the East Coast has seen. Last year, the Madison Square Garden Theater saw many memorable esports moments and top-level play from the world’s best Dota 2 teams. The event provided all of its participants with an unforgettable experience in addition to the over 2 million viewers who tuned in to the ESL Twitch channel.

Ulrich Schulze, managing director of pro gaming at ESL, said of the event:

“Bringing esports to the iconic Madison Square Garden last year was a dream come true, and our incredible fans have inspired us to make it a tradition. We’re dedicated to making this event even more legendary as we continue to tap into the $1 million prize pool we set aside for ESL One Dota 2 competitions.”

This year, ESL One at New York Super Week will offer attendees unprecedented access to professional players which will include autograph signings, exclusive strategy sessions and opportunities to play with some of the best gamers in the world. All of the exciting games will be broadcast live on Twitch, with joinDOTA to provide on-air talent for the show.

Kevin Lin, COO of Twitch, said:

“Esports have reached the point where stadium events are the norm, not the exception, while millions of remote spectators want to follow the action live on Twitch. By continuing to partner with ESL and ReedPOP for events like ESL One at Madison Square Garden, it ensures our global audience gets the premium content they crave from the fastest growing sport.”

Besides the Twitch livestream, ESL One at New York Super Week will also be shown in movie theaters worldwide as part of the global ESPORTS IN CINEMAS project, its goal being to bring esports to even more audiences all over the world. ESL One at New York Super Week will be the second ESL One event to be shown on the big screen, with more events to follow suit in the future.

ESL One at New York Super Week will be a real treat for all Dota 2 and esports enthusiasts – expect incredible games, most skillful plays and an unforgettable experience!

Last year’s attendees get the chance to be the first to purchase tickets in the pre-sale starting on June the 5th at 12:00 EDT and ending on June the 7th. Tickets will be available to the general public from June the 8th.

Get your ticket here!

For all the latest information about the event, be sure to visit the official website.