Written by Jordan “analyze” Schultz
CEVO-P Week 9.1 Predictions
Map: de_forge
Team Pandemic (9-7) vs X3O (13-2)
Winding down CEVO-Professional’s regular season, our last week of matches is now upon us. As week 9 is arguably the most crucial week of CEVO preceding the playoffs, team Pandemic is currently sitting in the 3rd spot on the standings list. They are on a 5 match winning streak, but only 1 of the 5 matches they have won contains a top 5 team, Gravitas Gaming. They definitely have what it takes to be a top contender, and are worthy of the 3rd spot on the table. X3O on the other hand are in 1st place. They have only been overcame by 2 teams, Gravitas gaming(2) and EG.usa(4). In their past 3 matches in CEVO they have played exceptionally well. They pulverized Gravitas gaming, 16-3 on de_russka. The only problem with X3O at the moment is they shook up their roster, getting rid of my favorite player of theirs, Mehler. They have picked up Dboorn in place of him… I don’t see what the point of this move was, placing second at KODE5, and currently leading the CEVO-P charts.
And the winner is: Well, although I don’t agree with their changes, they still have a strong base. Last time these two teams met up, the score was 16-11 in favor of X3O. I am going to have to go off the record and say: X3O 16 – Team Pandemic 12.
Player to watch: Derek “14” Boorn, or better known as dboorn. He had been missing for quite a while, and now is entering back into a top level American team. It will be interesting to see what he can do.
EG.ca (9-8) vs eMazing Gaming (6-10)
Sorry guys, I was a little late on this prediction. I was in Las Vegas, Nevada on some business.
Winner: EG.ca 16 – eMazing Gaming 12
GG No Re (5-12) vs EG.usa (9-4)
The question on my mind and probably a lot of yours is: Why is GGNR still in CEVO-P? I am not trying to be rude, but really… When you only have 5 wins in 17 matches, and 2 of them coming from FFW’s you need to do something… They have taken no action towards their team, nor does it look like they are going to. They are riding the last position in CEVO-P at the moment, and are 1 win and 2 losses back from the second to last spot being held by eMazing Gaming. EG.usa has also been a disappointment to some. Their expectations being very high, many people hoping they could pull USA’s Counter-Strike 1.6 out of the dust and back into the international scene. They were proved wrong in Intel Extreme Masters, only coming away with one victory over opposing American team, X3O. KODE5 was also a major disappointment, losing fairly early and going home. All lies aside, creating a prosperous team takes time, and they will need their time just as other teams needed theirs. They are sitting at four on the standings with a record of 9-4, and they have a lot more matches to play.
And the winner is: Well, I was going to use the last time these teams met up to help me in deciding a score… But as it turns out, EG.usa received a FFW, so that does not help me. But this one, in my opinion, is common sense. A top tier team vs a bottom tier team for the first match of the final week. EG.usa 16 – GG No Re 5.
Player to watch: Tyler “storm” Wood is the player I will be watching during this match up. And you may ask yourself, why? Well… Let me explain. This is strictly my opinion, and I don’t mean to offend anyone. Storm has progressed greatly as a player, and in my opinion, is currently the top player in North American counter-strike. He is insanely smart with precise aim, making him the phenomenal player he is now.
Gravitas Gaming (10-5) vs WinOut (8-5)
Gravitas Gaming is currently sitting at the #2 seed in the standings with a record of 10-5. But, as of lately in CEVO, they have not been looking so hot. They have lost their past 3 matches, with only 23 rounds for and 48 against. They are looking to turn things around in this last week and proceed into playoffs with some major momentum. This week is not important for the wins, but more for the momentum factor in CS. CS is a very mental game, and if you have confidence, you have a great advantage over your opponents. In saying this, Gravitas placed #1 in KODE5, not losing a single match. They lost one map in the finals to X3O, but bounced back strong steam rolling them 16-3 on the final map. They also placed top out of any US team in Intel Extreme Masters, so they are feeling very good about their chances. WinOut, (ex-Frag Dominant) is looking very sharp themselves. They placed 3rd at KODE5 USA with their brand-new pickups, aZn and evolution. This team looks very convincing and could go far if they stick together. The only thing wrong is they have 4 on their roster… And you all know you need 5 to play. Who is missing? You may find yourself asking… Kevin “aZn” Wang is your answer. I have yet to see him join this CEVO roster, so we will see what is to come of it. This is definitely a team to be weary of if they do get all 5 on the roster in time. I will also be declaring this my match of the week.
And the winner is: Well, to be quite honest, I had a very hard time deciding this one. If the match does end up being played, I am going to have to say Gravitas Gaming 16 – WinOut 13.
Player to watch: Kevin “aZn” Wang, he has absolutely stunned me with his outstanding play. He top frags, but not only that, he makes it look crazy too. I will be watching him this week.