The final Counter-Strike matches in Group B ESL Pro League Season 16 have wrapped up, with an unexpected undefeated run from the upgraded G2 squad. The international roster starring dominant rilfer Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač didn’t drop a map throughout the entire group stage, with the last map against Outsiders pushing G2 to the brink.
G2 took Outsiders down in two maps, with an incredibly assertive performance on Inferno (16-2), absolutely decimating the CIS squad on their own map pick.
The second map, Ancient (19-17), was significantly closer, with Evgenii ‘FL1T’ Lebedev keeping the Outsiders squad in contention. But, by this point, it was too late: NiKo had taken over the map and closed out the series with ease.
FaZe handled the German superteam BIG in two maps. Twistzz tapped heads left and right, dismantling BIG’s defense with ease on Dust II (16-11).
Map two saw the same scoreline on Nuke. Krimbo almost pushed the German squad across the line, but FaZe proved too hot and clinched the two-map CS:GO win.
MIBR held their own against FTW, beating them 2-0 in a scrappy bout featuring two close encounters. MIBR won Vertigo (16-12) with only a few key rounds deciding the outcome. The second map, Nuke (19-17), showcased an amazing performance by new pick Henrique ‘HEN1’ Teles, who carried his squad over the line and stopped FTW in their tracks.
G2, Outsiders, and FaZe have made it through to the ESL Pro League: Season 16 playoffs, alongside fellow Counter-Strike heavyweights like Vitality, Fnatic, and NAVI.
Group C has yet to start, and will begin with MOUZ against Heroic later this week.
