Talon Esports surprised most by taking Element Mystic to a Map 5 series. Most expected Element Mystic to wipe the floor with Talon, but Talon put up a solid fight. Patiphan “Patiphan” Chaiwong, Bo-hyun “Bashful” Kang and Ji-Yoon “Gogora” Lee played out of their minds. Bashful’s Reaper, in particular, was one of the best highlights of the entire night. Although Element Mystic wound up taking the series, Talon would make a massive comeback through loser’s bracket. Defeating both HSL Esports and XL2 Academy, Talon would take the second seed in Group A.
Unsurprisingly, Element Mystic wound up taking the first seed. Despite their close match with Talon, Element Mystic would return in fine form for their game against XL2 Academy. Many expected Yeong-han “Sp9rk1e” Kim’s Doomfist to dominate the night, but it would be his teammate Dong-ha “Doha” Kim who would steal the show. However, the game was much closer than the 3-1 score would indicate. XL2 Academy put on an excellent show for Day 1. Nicholas “Speedily” Zou’s Doomfist, alongside Kai “KSP” Collins’ Reaper, took out HSL Esports with relative ease for their first match. Going up against Element Mystic, the duo struggled against Sp9rk1e and Doha, but the fact that XL2 were able to take a map off the Korean powerhouse is a significant feat.
Unfortunately for HSL Esports, their Gauntlet journey has come to a close. Both XL2 and Talon dominated against the Lions, handing them two crushing losses in a row. Although Nikolaj “Zaprey” Ian Moyes made some incredible plays on Bastion and Reaper, HSL struggled to find their footing. However, a couple of the maps were a lot closer than the 0-3 scores would suggest. HSL can walk away from The Gauntlet with their heads held high, knowing that they gave their all.
Standout Moments
The Ojee Beat
He didn't have to do it to em
But he did it pic.twitter.com/07Hq9F0nZ6
— Contenders Community (@Contenders_OW) October 9, 2019
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Reaper?
The IQ of these plays are SKY HIGH
@TLN_Bashful popping OFF right now! pic.twitter.com/MY3wZy82vH
— Contenders Community (@Contenders_OW) October 9, 2019
Doha on Doomfist. That is all.
There are 2 insane Doomfist players on @ElementMystic. pic.twitter.com/zH2SIpKa3P
— Contenders Community (@Contenders_OW) October 9, 2019
Patiphan Saves the Day
Some clutch plays from @patiphanow and @Talon__esports will tie the series 2-2!
We go to a Map 5 to end the night!https://t.co/4Ebd4Qrb6g pic.twitter.com/qrgxCIQIH5
— Contenders Community (@Contenders_OW) October 9, 2019
Group B Preview
TEAM ENVY / GLADIATORS LEGION
Tonight four more teams will face off in Group B. In the first match of the night, NA West will meet NA East as Team Envy takes on Gladiator’s Legion. Team Envy dominated NA West, only dropping a single map throughout the second season. After securing British Hurricane’s former tank line in Seb “numlocked” Barton and Hafþór “Hafficool” Hákonarson, Team Envy has become pretty much unstoppable. They also have an incredible DPS player in Jason “Jaru” White.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Gladiator’s Legion barely secured their Gauntlet spot. Although Min-sung “Water” Lee has been a standout player for the team, he can only do so much, especially going up against a team like Envy. While their head coach Thomas “maid” Mok is confident in their abilities, they’re going to have a tough time going up against their next opponent should they manage to defeat Envy.
GEN.G / LGE.HUYA
For the second match of the night, Gen.G will be going up against the only Chinese team at Gauntlet, LGE.Huya. Out of the three Korean teams at Gauntlet, Gen.G is considered to be the weakest. However, placing third in Korean Contenders is nothing to sniff at. Gen.G has an abundance of talent on their roster; Seok-woo “Wekeed” Choi is a player that many will keep an eye on.
At the Pacific Showdown, LGE.Huya struggled against their opponents and ultimately lost their region a second spot at Gauntlet. After the Pacific Showdown, LGE.Huya would continue to struggle through the season after losing their star DPS player Zhong “Haker” Haotian. Many have them placing as either the third or fourth seed in their brackets. Out of everyone, they have the most to prove going into tonight’s games. For fans of Chinese contenders, many are hoping that desperation will light a fire in the team, and help them pull through.
Make sure to tune in tonight as Group B takes the stage! The first match begins at 11 AM KST/ 7 PM PST.
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