EPL Conference Sees Two Exits After Day Two

Day two of the ESL Pro League Season 15 Conference has come to a close, seeing the second round of the upper bracket played out while two matches have been played in the first round of the lower bracket. With this, Belgian side eClub Brugge and Mongolian squad Team Renewal have been sent packing, while Extra Salt, MAD Lions, GODSENT, and Movistar Riders have earned a day or two off while they wait to battle for the two upper bracket spots to the main event.

Today’s action kicked off with MAD Lions vs LDLC in the first upper bracket series. LDLC claimed Nuke with ease 16-7, but MAD Lions rallied back to take the series 2-1 thanks to a strong effort from Justinas ‘jL’ Lekavivius, leading his team in performance over the final two maps. Their comeback was sparked by their dominant CT-side on their map pick of Mirage. They closed out nine of eleven second-half rounds to close the map 16-10. The Lions currently boasts a 67% win rate over the last three months and can take that forward momentum into the playoffs against an Extra Salt lineup that currently holds a 23-5 record since the addition of Ricky ‘floppy’ Kemery. As for LDLC, having fallen into the lower bracket they’ll face off against the winner of ORDER and RBG on November 25th. 

The upper bracket quarter-finals continued with a clash between Renegades and Extra Salt. Inferno was close through the first half, but Extra Salt was able to widen the gap right as the second half started and ultimately close the map out 16-13. Extra Salt were able to hit another level on Dust2, closing the half up 10-5 and not looking back. Following the 2-0 victory, Extra Salt will square up against MAD Lions. Renegades will take on the winn between Wisła Kraków and Eternal Fire in the lower bracket on November 25th at 7:30 AM EST.

Movistar Riders took the victory in a competitive three map battle over Anonymo. The Polish squad took the first map of Mirage and played Nuke tight, barely losing 13-16. However, the Riders were able to weather the storm, finish out Nuke and take map three Inferno with relative ease, 16-8. Movistar was able to secure the playoff spot against GODSENT off the back of a balanced team effort. As for Anonymo, they will have to get back to form in the lower bracket against a Sharks team that saw overtime against a significantly lesser-known team in EC Brugge. 

The upper bracket was closed out by what was nearly another major upset for the new look Endpoint. After a stellar performance in the first round from newcomers Guy ‘Nertz’ Iluz and Mohammad ‘BOROS’ Malhas, they were prepared to bring it to GODSENT. The two teams traded their map picks Vertigo and Inferno, with both teams winning in convincing fashion, bringing it to an Ancient decider. The two teams exchanged blows through the 27th round, keeping the map neck and neck at 14-13. Ultimately, it was the Brazilians who edged out the final two rounds off the back of a stellar performance from star Eduardo ‘dumau’ Wolkmer. GODSENT secured an upper bracket playoffs spot against Movistar Riders. Endpoint will begin the journey back against a strong opponent in Sprout tomorrow. The two teams have played twice this year, with Endpoint taking both series 2-0. This is the first time the two squads are set to clash in nearly six months, and the first since both teams made roster changes in the leadup to the event.