The European Masters Summer 2018 tournament has entered its second stage and sixteen professional teams have entered a tough competition to reach the finals. After two days of play, we can already see some clear trends that will likely carry through to the final stage.
Recap of Day One
Day 1 of the #EUMasters Summer 2018 Group Stage is now LIVE!
📺 https://t.co/nDliHzWNiG pic.twitter.com/MnjM2Z43sf
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) September 17, 2018
Day One concluded after six highly contested matches took place. Group A saw Ninjas in Pyjamas go up against Illuminar Gaming, in a match that lasted 40 minutes, with NiP ultimately coming out on top. After that Outplayed tested their mettle against eSuba in a what would be the longest match of the day, lasting 53 minutes. When it came down to it, Outplayed managed to pull off the victory, but not without significant effort.
Group B matches were much less exciting, with clear favorites across the board. The first game was between ASUS ROG Elite and Misfits Academy, which did not even make the 30-minute mark before the ASUS team destroyed the enemy Nexus. Gentside went up against Team Echo Zulu and despite putting up some resistance, Echo Zulu were not able to withstand Gentside’s assaults.
Group C and D only featured one match per group, with the results coming in as a surprise to some. Szata Maga+6 faced Panathinaikos A.C. eSports in Group C. The Polish team performed great in the Play-Ins, coming in at first place with a score of 5-1. Therefore, it was a shock when the Greeks beat them just before the 26-minute mark. Still, SM+6 do have the opportunity to come back from this loss in the next two days.
Turing eSports did enjoy some success against GamersOrigin throughout the game, considering that they have only existed as a team for less than 30 days. However, the more experienced French team ultimately took control of the game and put down Turing just before the 40-minute mark.
Recap of Day Two
Day 2 of the #EUMasters Summer 2018 Group Stage is now LIVE!
📺 https://t.co/nDliHzWNiG pic.twitter.com/enRCBjklTd
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) September 18, 2018
Day two only solidified the trends established the previous day. Group A featured a single match between eSuba and NiP, which only lasted for 27 minutes and saw NiP dominate the whole time. As a result, NiP now stands as the best team in Group A, with a score of 2-0, while eSuba is headed for elimination with 2 losses.
Group B featured a repeat of the previous day, with both Gentside and ASUS ROG Elite trading opponents and overcoming Misfits Academy and Echo Zulu, respectively. Both winning teams now boast a record of 2-0 and it is clear that they will advance to the next stage. Though, not before breaking the tie and deciding a clear winner between the two. The match between ASUS ROG ELITE and Gentside is scheduled for 20 September.
Group C did not see much action on the second day, with the only game to take place being between MAD Lions and Team Atlantis. Both teams made their debut in the Group Stage, but it was the more experience MAD Lions who took the victory. So far, Group C does not show clear favorites considering that all teams have played only one match. The following two days will prove more eventful for this group.
The second day of Group D did include some of the more interesting match-ups of the day. The first game was between GamersOrigin and EURONICS Gaming and it lasted for an astonishing 55 minutes. Both teams did their absolute best, but ultimately GamersOrigin snatched away the win and have become the clear favorite for Group D, with a record of 2-0. The other match in this group and the final for the second day saw For The Win Esports go up against Turing eSports. In this match, Turing eSports made up for their loss the previous day and won against the Portuguese team.
