Closing out the first stage of EPL is Group D. It will see a competitive fight for the playoff spots and two relatively unknown teams challenge some of the biggest names in Counter-Strike.
Gambit
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Gambit is locked in a close battle with Na'Vi as to which team is the best in the world. The Russians started the year off strong, with an impressive victory at IEM Katowice and more silverware at IEM Summer and the BLAST Spring finals. Na'Vi has looked more dominant in the past few months, but Gambit are set to return to the top.
Ninjas in Pyjamas
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The ninjas have done okay in their recent tournaments. But you don't acquire one of the best players to ever touch the game just to be average. It's time for this roster to expect more, become better. Toppling Gambit might be too tough of a task, but reaching the playoffs is a necessity.
Team Liquid
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Has Liquid finally found the solution to their leadership problems? Watching shot call duties switch between Stewie and falleN has been more straining to my neck than going to a tennis match. This has to be the last try for this iteration of the lineup.
Entropiq
Entropiq
Entropiq has had some decent results in the lower tiers of CS and even managed to surprise many viewers by beating Ence to win their most recent tournament. The team shows once again how deep the CIS talent pool is. Calling them candidates for a playoff spot is too far of a stretch, but I've been proven wrong before.
Furia
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I really want to put faith in a positive result for Furia. The team still has one of the most exciting ways of playing the game but under the current circumstances, it's hard to see how they will be competitive. New signee drop was registered too late, meaning that the team is forced to play with coach guerri. It's yet another event where Furia is written off before playing a single game.
TeamOne
Starladder
TeamOne now has had a couple of opportunities to stay and compete in Europe. The Brazillian team stayed under the radar for a long time, as they don't have one of the 'traditional' big names from the scene on the roster. It's hard to tell how the team will perform at EPL, but expectations have to be lowered.
