What to expect from M80 v. Apeks

M80 are making their debut this morning at ESL Pro League by taking on Fragadelphia 17 and BLAST.tv Paris Major Semi-finalists, Apeks. For Michael "Swisher" Schmid, this will be a revenge match for Fragadelphia 17 quarterfinals where ATK lost 2-0 against Apeks, despite taking the first map to a close overtime. During that match, Swisher finished at the bottom of the scoreboard, so he will certainly be hoping that he can reverse that today.

New Kids on the Block

What to say about M80 other than that they are smashing all the expectations held for the squad. M80 as an organization have come into the scene and seemingly brought up not only some of the best players in North America, but provided them with substantial support which gives the squad an opportunity to present their skills to the international scene.

• Let malbsMd continue to do what he does, as he is in top form

• maNkz will get tested, but needs to remain calm against top opposition

• Swisher has to show why he is the star of this squad

Apeks coming back to Earth

Yes, a Major Semi-Finals appearance is nothing to scoff at, but time has past since then and this new team has not truly looked the same since then. During the Major they looked invincible and now they appear fallible. It is entirely possible, especially with new coach Torbjørn "mithR" Nyborg leading the squad, there is still some figuring out to do.

• STYKO needs to continue his top IGLing ability at this stage

• CacaNito has to use this game to get back to his fragging self

• jkaem is an important utility tool for STYKO, he has to be unlocked today

Previous Matchups

Swisher is the only remaining member from the ATK team that played Apeks at Fragadelphia 17 Semifinals. So while no data exists the two, I wouldn't count out Swisher for not wanting just a hint of revenge.

Likely Vetoes

Vetoes actually matchup pretty well, with Apeks hating Vertigo and Nuke, while M80 hate Mirage and Ancient. So let's see how it might all come down.

• M80 ban Mirage

• Apeks ban Nuke

• M80 pick Vertigo

• Apeks pick Ancient

• M80 bans Anubis

• Apeks bas Overpass

• Inferno is the decider

M80 v. Apeks starts at 10:00AM this morning.