Nothing for POZY, until the very end. Both teams were grouped so this match was meaningless, but at least 4AM don't struggle against the worst of the league. MVP: LyDA
Nighthaven Labs (POZY): 4AM 7-2 POZY
Fortress (4AM): 4AM 7-2 POZY
Border: Not played
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
Heartbreak. Titan start out electric with Arcox frying Leviatán on Clubhouse to take a promising 7-2 map victory on the favourites pick. So much hope was in the air, but Lair was a tale of frustrating last second losses. Clutches and 1v1s all went in favour of the Beast and took all the wind from the heroes sails, as they went down 0-6. Two defenses were found, but it was still dire as they now needed to win Kafe 7-3 or better to beat out One Coin on round differential. It seemed doomed as they dropped all three in a row and were left with no wiggle room. A fourth attacking win to end the half sealed their fate. But despite that, they wanted their dignity and pushed the mighty Leviathan to overtime and win the series. Shadow finished on 17 kills and Rusher on a whopping 19 in this barn burner to earn the MVP. Titan finish on 11 points and -19 round differential, missing playoffs by two round wins.
Clubhouse (LEV): TEC 7-2 LEV
Lair (TEC): TEC 2-7 LEV
Kafe Dostoyevsky: TEC 8-6 LEV
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
No heroes here. Only good ass team play. It's an uphill battle from the start as Tyloo look in form, but OC are trying their hardest. It doesn't net anything on Nighthaven, but Fortress is their playground as their creativity gets them round after round and the map in the end. The momentum carries over into Consulate and Mingoran's boys get a solid 2-4 attack split, but Tyloo are ever the Wildcard and eat up three defensive setups in a row. The game ends on a bizarre round with a Cav play that almost works out and a bunch of people lying downed. One Coin earn one point and extend their lead over Titan Esports Club, who will need to win convincingly in the next game to make playoffs. Tyloo jump into second place, locking KZ into third, AG into fourth and Leviatán into fifth. MVP: Songla
Nighthaven Labs (TYL): TYL 7-1 OC
Fortress (OC): TYL 3-7 OC
Consulate: TYL 7-2 OC
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
Bank (MQ): KZ 7-1 MQ
Nighthaven Labs (KZ): KZ 7-5 MQ
Lair: Not played
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
EDG have done it! They have finished the Group Stage undefeated and likely denied AG top 2. Carpe DEMOLISHES AG on Consulate as the best entry in the region. But the gunners in red decided they would not go down easily on their enemies map pick and gave it all they had, building on an even first half and going up 5-3. However EDG have plot armor and brought it to match point. Until the last second of round twelve they seemed to have won it, but YaZ gunned them down in the clutch to take it to OT. And yet, the killing machine was not to be disrupted and Direction & Soldiers took both the attack and the defense, winning a 1v1 post plant and closing out this highly anticipated series. For nuking AG on Consulate and maintaining his energy on Clubhouse, Carpe earns the MVP.
Consulate (AG): EDG 7-4 AG
Clubhouse (EDG): EDG 8-6 AG
Nighthaven Labs: Not played
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
One Coin collect their righteous Pozy-tax. OnJuly and owo aka SDGundam lead the charge in winning Clubhouse while it's Mylett who goes big on Nighthaven, with once again SDGundam joining in in the last rounds to close it out without a sweat. POZY had nothing to win but OC jump into sixth place with this win, grouping 4AM. It will be down to the final playday to decide whether they can make it into playoffs over Titan. MVP: SDGundam
Clubhouse (POZY): OC 7-3 POZY
Nighthaven Labs (OC): OC 7-2 POZY
Consulate: Not played
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
Tyloo take Fortress easily with a pretty even effort. Not a single attack was found by Titan after a 2-4 half. But if the underdog team likes one map, it's Bank. And they like it a lot today. The typical intense time scrambles play out and TEC are on top in them, wrenching away their own map. They started on the favourable site on Consulate, but Tyloo's attacks were sharp and the half ended even. Once again, none of Tyloo's defenses fell and the map ends with the favourite winning. MVP: Songla
Fortress (TYL): TYL 7-2 TEC
Bank (TEC): TYL 5-7 TEC
Consulate: TYL 7-3 TEC
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
Entry demon LyDA is the talisman for 4AM on Border as rounds seem to stand and fall with him. MQ fought the uphill battle and actually dragged it to OT, where it seemed like it was going to go all the way. But Txonly pulled out a cheeky 4K on the top floor to close out the map and take it to Lair.
The clutch seems to have ignited something in Tx and he joins LyDA in the top performance. They lead the charge in finishing the map quickly and LyDA earns the MVP.
Border (MQ): 4AM 8-6 MQ
Lair (4AM): 4AM 7-3 MQ
Clubhouse: Not played
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
With this, EDG are locked in for top two and will get a bye in the playoffs. Leviatán seemingly didn't seem to take it all too hard as their chances of getting grouped aren't zero, but may as well be. Direction and his boys can look towards tomorrows clash with regional favourites and fellow top two team All Gamers with confidence. Still undefeated, they leave Leviatán in the mid-table. Reif does what he does and earns the MVP.
Kafe Dostoyevsky (LEV): EDG 7-4 LEV
Lair (EDG): EDG 7-1 LEV
Nighthaven Labs: Not played
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
Massive Upset! KZ take down the demons in red for a full three points! KzB delivered a phenomenal performance, especially on Lair where he dropped 22 kills and earned the MVP. (I can't believe I missed this game)
Lair (AG): KZ 7-5 AG
Clubhouse (KZ): KZ 8-6 AG
Nighthaven Labs: Not played
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
POZY almost do something but alas, Rusher says no. They lose 0-2 for the seventh time in a row, even if Nighthaven looked close. TEC don't look all that sharp either and will have to produce a big upset against TYLOO or Leviatán to have a real shot at making it out of groups. SeiNov9 denies his own org a spot in the playoffs and Rusher earns the MVP.
Kafe Dostoyevsky (POZY): TEC 7-1 POZY
Nighthaven Labs (TEC): TEC 8-6 POZY
Clubhouse: Not Played
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
One Coin get a win they desperately needed. SDGundam went huge on Bank to make sure no map is dropped. Lair was easier, though still looking a bit shaky, ending on a 50/50 1v1. But a win is a win. If the top teams beat My Queen and Titan in the next playdays and they themselves don't lose to POZY, they will be able to clinch playoffs. Akira was their talisman in many rounds and earns the MVP.
Bank (MQ): OC 8-7 MQ
Lair (OC): OC 7-4
Clubhouse: Not played
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
Gods can bleed! Tyloo are the first team to take a map off EDG and end their flawless run. Bank looked close as Carpe and Reif were gunning as they do, but Tyloo proved to be the better team on map one, with Ex-DW-Duo Jackywu and Songla leading the charge.
Still, Reif does Reif things and guns down Tyloo on Nighthaven, despite a really solid effort. Rounds were all but dominant but they still go to Lair with the wind blowing in EDG's Direction.
It looked dire as the favourites went 5-1 up in their defending half. Tyloo found no answer for the stalwart setups and Carpe's gun. But then they pulled it back until it was an even 5-5! Patience and tight angles rewarded them as they burned through EDG's time and heads. Yet in maximum regulation, EDG finally find the openings they need and finish it 7-5. Animated as they have not been all stage, they jump out of their chairs and celebrate.
Bank (TYL): EDG 5-7 TYL
Nighthaven Labs (EDG): EDG 7-4 TYL
Lair: EDG 7-5 TYL
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
The alarm clock rings at 4AM, but KINGZERO woke up early! After going up 6-3 on Lair it looked like the disciples of Gotti were back, but KZ brought it back and won five rounds in a row! The former top team get buried at Clubhouse as they can only muster a single defense and a single attack. Clutches, time scrambles and shenanigans, this match was utter chaos at times and utter brilliance at others. Fiber finished on a 2.0 K/D and a 4-0 entry performance to earn the MVP.
Lair (4AM): 4AM 6-8 KZ
Clubhouse (KZ): 4AM 2-6 KZ
Nighthaven Labs: Not played
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
The Leviathan burns in the MoonL1ght. Despite mostly having good ideas of what to do, the difference gun power is simply too high for underdogs to match. It was a tall task to begin with. They suffer their first 2-0 and AG top the groups until later today. SoloMiD backed up his team on Chalet and really turned it on on Labs to earn the MVP.
Chalet (AG): AG 7-1 LEV
Nighthaven Labs (LEV): AG 7-3 LEV
Clubhouse: Not played
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
In my mission to bring more eyes to the, in my opinion, excellent China league, I'm asking you to give me a couple of paragraphs to sell you on this playday. I want to tell you some storylines and hype up these three matches that will most likely be of excellent quality.
First of all: Best of threes! CNL actually has them throughout the entire Stage, so if you want a break from the bo1s, come in and be refreshed!
Now about the games.
All Gamers are the roster that beat Furia at the Major. So far they have stomped the bottom table teams without so much as a sweat, however they have been proven to be beatable. A week ago, they lost to Tyloo in an absolute nail biter and their opponents will be looking to replicate the same success.
Challenging them are Leviatán. The org that, during Kickoff, fielded possibly the worst tier one team we've ever seen in Siege have bought out the Wolves team that technically made Salt Lake but couldn't play because of visa issues. They've replaced two players with Ex-Asia league players Shadow and Binbin, and it seems to have elevated them to a new level. They look competetive, clinical, yet a bit inconsistent. But the team just has that spark that on their day, they can beat anyone. Will that anyone be the AG tomorrow?
Four Angry Men, the team that beat Daystar in Utah. They were once challenged by nobody but AG, but this stage they have been struggling hard. Last week however, they finally looked back in shape, taking their first win of the Stage. If they are truly back, they'll need to show it tomorrow or they will most likely miss playoffs. Can the top team recover quickly enough?
If anyone has something to say about that, it's Kingzero Esports. You remember MomoRINS? From Asia? No? Well he's leading this bag of surprises. The first to "import" from Hong Kong, KZ fell short of expectations when they missed Salt Lake despite arguably being the fourth best team in China. They have been doing well so far and really want this win against 4AM to make playoffs all but confirmed, especially since they still have to play AG. Is this the time to step out of the Shadows of their competitors?
The last matchup has to be the most exciting one. EDward Gaming have been shooting up the region, no prisoners, no mercy. After dropping Mentalistc and OnJuly, they picked up Pau1 and Reif, one of the best gunners in all of China. This squad has been doing dark magic, not losing a single map so far and only dropped more than four round on a single map where they were playing with a sub. Direction and Reif are essentially the LikEfac and Shaiiko of China and they'll do their best to keep their flawless streak alive.
Facing them are my favourite CNL team at the moment, Tyloo. An absolute dark horse, this team has been surprising everyone after reuniting Ex-Dire Wolves JackyWu and Songla. They play incredibly close, fast paced games and yet, like their oppenents, they are undefeated this Stage. They beat All Gamers in a massive upset and they're looking to counterspell some magic again and knock the floating EDG out of the air. It's clear they can do it. But will they?
Now, I realise that many of you are in a difficult timezone for this league, but I'd argue it's worth checking the VOD for these matches. And if you have time to watch live: the official broadcast is on bilibili, but ESIX_France Co-streams it on Twitch. Both are linked in any CNL post match thread. Now, I know what you're thinking. No english coverage? Well, technically no. BUT ESIX_France welcomes English chatters too and answers in English to his viewers that do not speak French. And whether you understand the man or not, the vibes are always immaculate.
Whether you haven't been following the league at all or have only been checking in here and there, I really think tomorrow will be a banger of a playday. So let me invite you to something new and let it entertain you. What can go wrong?
When you play game of throws, you win or you die.
Despite a solid fight from MQ, TEC looked like the better team most of the way through. KY was the Queen's only living subject on Clubhouse, but the team fought better on Bank, dragging Titan to overtime by the skin of their teeth. But they wouldn't be a bottom CNL team without a bit of fumbling shenanigans and they absolutely throw the round 13 post plant against Rusher. TEC return the favor however and lose the five second time scramble to make it max OT. On a Basement defense, MQ manage to quickly clear the roam and burn util for a plant and narrowly win Bank.
All bets are off on Lair as the fumble of Bank seems to have left TEC out of steam, as MQ burn through their setups on attack. Unable to mount enough pressure, Titan fall on the decider map to a heater from J1ahao, wantto and Ky. What a game! MVP: KY
Clubhouse (MQ): TEC 7-2 MQ
Bank (TEC): TEC 7-8 MQ
Lair: TEC 4-7 MQ
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
Death Deliverer Direction and his squad of running guns claim another victim, one that nobody had any doubt they would stomp. They breeze through Fortress and despite solid timer and retake work by POZY in the first half of Labs, they take it easily on defense. Except for 4AM on Clubhouse, nobody has gotten more than four rounds against EDG on any map so far. Reif finished Labs on 17 kills, which is enough to earn him the MVP.
Fortress (POZY): EDG 7-0 POZY
Nighthaven Labs (EDG): EDG 7-4 POZY
Clubhouse: Not Played
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia
A bizarre affair from One Coin. Their Lair defense seemed impenetrable until KZ cracked it just in time to get a decent 2-4 split. On attack, the struggling Qualifying Series champion couldn't find any answers to KZ's stalwart setups and MomoWINGS & company floated through five straight defenses, winning seven rounds in a row. Bank looked just as unstable and rigid from OC. An irritated sounding Mingoran tried to talk some sense into them about adapting better to KZ's ideas and it was enough for OC to get from 4-6 to OT, but at 7-7 they fell short in a round that was essentially won by KzB just wasting time on the roam. The Ex-SEA player remained consistent to earn the MvP.
Lair (KZ): KZ 7-4 OC
Bank (OC): KZ 8-7 OC
Clubhouse: Not Played
Stats: R6 Esports | Sixstats | Liquipedia