EPICENTER sees Liquid to playoffs and Swole Patrol eliminated
Group B at EPICENTER commenced today, with both Liquid and Swole Patrol taking part. With the format, only the first two rounds of games from the group took place, the opening matches and the elimination game.
First up saw the two North American teams face off in their group opener, with the two teams deciding to face off on Nuke, Inferno and Inferno. Swole Patrol started the game off on Nuke with the pistol round, but it was Liquid who truly got the ball rolling after picking up the second round before pushing on to take the lead with the next seven rounds. The end of the half saw the two teams ping-pong for round wins, with Liquid going in 10-5 ahead.
The second half was all Liquid, as they picked up all six rounds on their T-side for a 16-5 win, with Keith "NAF" Markovic and Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski high-flying for the team with 1.98 and 1.94 ratings respectively.
Inferno followed, and this time Liquid were in control from start to finish, picking up the pistol round and the five rounds that followed before Swole Patrol were able to get a foothold into the half. Liquid would limit these wins to just two rounds, with the North American mixture taking a dominant first half, going in at the break with a 13-2 lead.
The second half wasn't much better for Swole Patrol, as Liquid were able to secure map point in the first two rounds. They were prevented from getting the win immediately, but it would just be a three round break until Liquid went through with another 16-5 win.
LiquidSwole Patrol| Liquid |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Keith 'NAF' Markovic |
45 - 15 | +30 | 102.6 | 88.1% | 1.86 |
 Jonathan 'EliGE' Jablonowski |
37 - 24 | +13 | 106.3 | 78.6% | 1.55 |
 Epitacio 'TACO' de Melo |
35 - 21 | +14 | 89.4 | 78.6% | 1.46 |
| Nick 'nitr0' Cannella |
28 - 26 | +2 | 68.9 | 78.6% | 1.18 |
| Russel 'Twistzz' Van Dulken |
31 - 19 | +12 | 64.4 | 73.8% | 1.18 |
| Swole Patrol |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braxton 'swag' Pierce |
25 - 34 | -9 | 77.4 | 59.5% | 0.86 |
 Edgar 'MarKE' Maldonado |
27 - 36 | -9 | 73.3 | 54.8% | 0.77 |
| Austin 'Cooper' Abadir |
23 - 31 | -8 | 55.0 | 57.1% | 0.75 |
| Jordan 'Zellsis' Montemurro |
20 - 37 | -17 | 51.0 | 45.2% | 0.50 |
| Ryan 'freakazoid' Abadir |
10 - 38 | -28 | 39.0 | 40.5% | 0.30 |
The elimination match beckoned for Swole Patrol, and they were to face NiP after the Swedes lost 2-1 to AVANGAR. The two teams vetoed to play on Overpass, Nuke and Train as a decider. Overpass began with NiP taking the pistol round and following anti-eco. Swole Patrol came in on the third round, but a reset from the Ninjas forced them back ahead. From there it was NiP's half, save for three rounds in the middle of the half, as the Swedish team went in 11-4 ahead.
The second half started off well for Swole Patrol, with the Americans taking the first two rounds but it all went away on the third round. Patrik "f0rest" Lindberg was the leading performer for his team, picking up a 113.5 ADR, as NiP went in 16-6 winners.
Nuke followed, and this was a much closer map. It didn't look it from the outset, as NiP started off with a five round run on their CT-side, but once Swole Patrol got into gear on their T-side, Ryan "freakazoid" Abadir and co. constructed a neat attack that meant they were able to keep it close. Swole Patrol narrowly lost the chance to be in the lead at the break, but it was only 8-7 in favor of the Swedish team.
NiP once again started the half, but this time it was only for two rounds before the Americans were able to answer in and even the game up again. NiP were the controlling force on their T-side, as they claimed match point first, but it would be a fight for them to avoid an overtime. With the game at 15-14, it was NiP who'd take the round for a 16-14 win to remain in the competition.
Ninjas in PyjamasSwole Patrol| Ninjas in Pyjamas |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Patrik 'f0rest' Lindberg |
54 - 30 | +24 | 102.8 | 80.8% | 1.58 |
| Fredrik 'REZ' Sterner |
37 - 33 | +4 | 76.4 | 67.3% | 1.18 |
| Dennis 'dennis' Edman |
37 - 35 | +2 | 77.5 | 71.2% | 1.15 |
| Christopher 'GeT_RiGhT' Alesund |
37 - 32 | +5 | 66.5 | 75.0% | 1.07 |
| Jonas 'Lekr0' Olofsson |
31 - 33 | -2 | 73.0 | 73.1% | 1.00 |
| Swole Patrol |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan 'Zellsis' Montemurro |
37 - 40 | -3 | 85.2 | 67.3% | 1.00 |
| Braxton 'swag' Pierce |
37 - 37 | +0 | 72.8 | 57.7% | 0.97 |
| Ryan 'freakazoid' Abadir |
31 - 43 | -12 | 75.3 | 67.3% | 0.93 |
| Austin 'Cooper' Abadir |
33 - 39 | -6 | 72.9 | 57.7% | 0.89 |
| Edgar 'MarKE' Maldonado |
24 - 38 | -14 | 54.7 | 53.8% | 0.69 |
This results mean that Swole Patrol have been eliminated from EPICENTER 2018. Liquid are to play AVANGAR tomorrow at 1PM EDT in the winners' match, with the winner heading straight to the semifinal on Sunday and the losing team going to the quarterfinal on Saturday.
