StarLadder have announced the groups for the CS:GO EU Minor and things are looking tough for favorites Mousesports and North.
The EU Minor is set to kick off on July 17, with eight teams battling for just two Major spots and one spot in the last chance Play-In qualifier. Normally, the favorites would expect to face weak opposition but this time things won’t be so simple.
In Group A, favorites Mousesports face Cr4zy, Sprout, and NoChance. A few weeks ago Mousesports may have found this group relatively easy, but the recent form of Cr4zy and NoChance means that it will be a tough test.
Cr4zy will be Mousesesports’ toughest opponents. The Serbians have had impressive results lately, beating Mouse in the ESL One New York qualifier on July 9, as well as taking down Vitality and Heroic in June. All it will take is one slip up from Mousesports and Cr4zy will be able to fully capitalize on it to take the group.
Meanwhile, NoChance are a wildcard that could cause some trouble. This squad is fairly underrated, but they bring a ton of experience and high-level skill through two veterans, Mikail ‘Maikelele’ Bill and Martin ‘Styko’ Styk. If they are given a chance to really get their engines going then they have a very good shot of not only stunning the group but also taking a Major spot.
Mousesports will need to be extremely careful around these two teams if they want to advance in the tournament. Even the underwhelming Sprout squad could pull out something special for this event and are not to be overlooked.
In group B, North’s opponents don’t look as formidable as the team’s Mouseports will be facing, but they could still ask serious questions of the Danes. They will be going up against German team BIG and fellow Norfic outfit Ancient, but it is Fnatic who will provide the toughest challenge.
The main challenge for The Danish favorites will be Fnatic. The Swedes are no strangers to premier events and will be giving it their all to attend another Major. They have also been very active recently, and while their results haven’t been the greatest, they have been consistently battling it out with the best.
Fnatic have a great legacy and North will need to be wary of veterans Freddy ‘Krimz’ Johansson and Jesper ‘JW’ Wecksell, two legends of the game who are always able to bring game-changing performances, especially when the stakes are so high.
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The remaining teams, Ancient and BIG, don’t pose too much of a threat. Both of these teams have been in poor form and have not had any notable results since they qualified for the Minor. They may be able to bring something special for this event, but North’s real threat will come from Fnatic and the teams advancing out of group A.
StarLadder Berlin EU Minor Groups
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
| Mousesports | North |
| CR4ZY | Fnatic |
| Sprout | Ancient |
| NoChance | BIG |
The full Schedule (in CEST) for the StarLadder Major Berlin 2019: Europe Minor is as follows:
July 17:
- • 16:00 Mousesports vs NoChance | Group A | BO1
- • 16:00 North vs BIG | Group B | BO1
- • 17:15 CR4ZY vs Sprout | Group A | BO1
- • 17:15 Fnatic vs Team Ancient | Group B | BO1
- • 18:30 Winners’ match | Group A | BO3
- • 18:30 Winners’ match | Group B | BO3
July 18:
- • 16:00 Elimination Match | Group A | BO3
- • 16:00 Elimination Match | Group B | BO3
- • 19:00 Decider Match | Group A | BO3
- • 19:00 Decider Match | Group B | BO3
July 19:
- • 16:00 Semifinal #1 | Playoffs | Upper Bracket | BO3
- • 19:00 Semifinal #2 | Playoffs | Upper Bracket | BO3
July 20:
- • 16:00 Semifinal | Playoffs | Lower Bracket | BO3
- • 19:00 Final | Playoffs | Upper Bracket | BO3
July 21:
- • 18:00 Final | Playoffs | Lower Bracket | BO3