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Category: CS-GO

How to watch: IEM XV Beijing Online – NA & EU

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

The highly anticipated IEM XV Beijing will be kicking off today, and with NA teams recently moving to Europe for end-of-year events it will certainly be an exciting event. Here’s How to watch: IEM XV Beijing Online, for NA & EU.

Tournament’s background

The Intel Extreme Masters (abbreviated as IEM) is the longest-running global pro gaming tour in the world. This is the 15th year that IEM will be hosting CS:GO events, which is why the name of the event is stated as IEM XV. This is the 2nd Beijing IEM event as last year we had IEM XIV Beijing in which Astralis were victorious.

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Credits: ESL

How to qualify for the main event

For the most part, the majority of the teams were invited to the event; however, 2 slots were left for the teams that passed through the closed qualifiers of IEM XV Beijing.

Prize distribution

There will be a total of $200,000 to be split between both regions. The majority of the value ($150,000) will be distributed between the European teams, whereas the rest ($50,000) will be distributed between the North American teams. Here below is a full list of the prize distribution for both regions:

Europe:

  • 1st – $60,000
  • 2nd – $30,000
  • 3rd/4th – $12,000
  • 5th-8th – $5,000
  • 9th-12th – $2,500
  • 13-16th – $1,500

North America:

  • 1st – $35,000
  • 2nd – $15,000
  • 3rd/4th – $6,000
  • 5th-6th – $2,500
  • 7th-8th – $1,500
Esport March
Credits: Andrzej Grygiel

Tournament format

Europe & North America:

Group Stage

  • Two double-elimination format GSL groups
  • 8 teams in each group (EU)
  • 4 teams in each group (NA)
  • All matches are in a best of 3 format
  • Top 4 teams of each group advance to Playoffs (EU)
  • Top 2 teams of each group advance to Playoffs (NA)

Playoffs

  • Single-elimination bracket
  • All matches except Grand Final are in a best of 3 format
  • Grand Final is set in a best of 5 format

Teams Participating

There will be a total of 16 teams participating in Europe, whereas in North America there are just 8. Here below is a list of all teams participating, sorted in their groups and regions respectively:

Europe:

Group A:

  • Team Vitality
  • Team Spirit
  • FaZe Clan
  • OG
  • Natus Vincere
  • MAD Lions
  • Complexity
  • Fnatic
Europe Group A
Credits: ESL

Group B:

  • Astralis
  • BIG
  • Ence
  • G2 Esports
  • Heroic
  • Mousesports
  • Ninjas in Pyjamas
  • North
Europe Group B
Credits: ESL

North America:

Group A:

  • Chaos Esports
  • Team Liquid
  • New England Whalers
  • Rugratz
Group A NA
Credits: ESL

Group B:

  • Evil Geniuses
  • Rebirth Esports
  • Team oNe
  • Triumph
Group B NA
Credits: ESL

Schedule list

The event will be running for a bit more than 2 weeks as it is ending on the 22nd of November. Here below is a schedule list of all the starting matches.

Europe:

Group A

  • 15:00 CET – Team Vitality vs Team Spirit
  • 18:30 CET – FaZe Clan vs OG

North America:

Group A

  • 22:00 CET – Team Liquid vs Rugratz

Streaming platform list

With regards to streaming, the event is set to be streamed via ESL’s official Twitch and Youtube channels. It is worth noting that these channels will only offer english commentary throughout the tournament.

Watch the IEM XV Beijing Online stream on esportsguide.com

You can also watch the IEM XV Beijing Online live stream via our very own website. Providing an extensive list of the biggest esports together with streams for each esports match live today or upcoming matches.

IEM XV Beijing EU
IEM XV Beijing NA

Predictions

With online CS:GO being as random as it is, it’s going to be very hard to predict which teams will come out on top. However if we had to base our predictions off of recent results, I’d say that either Heroic, Vitality, or Astralis will be dominating Europe and Evil Geniuses or Team Liquid will dominate NA. We’ll just have to see what the teams have in store for us at IEM XV Beijing Online, and if they’ll manage to keep up their performance all throughout the event!

Be sure to keep yourself updated with www.esportsguide.com for more esports news!

WePlay partnering up with ESIC

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

Tournament organizer WePlay has just announced that they will be partnering up with the ESIC (Esports Integrity Commission). Here is their announcement:

Why is this big news?

As you all may be aware, the ESIC has recently held several investigations regarding competitive integrity in the CS:GO esports scene because of recent issues that emerged. With the coach spectator bug, and multiple match fixing cases, the ESIC haven’t had a break. With this news, the ESIC will be directly reviewing all games and matches during WePlay Esports events.

This is what General Manager of WePlay, Oleh Humeniuk, had to say about their partnership:

“We are happy to have such a formidable ally in the enforcement of fair play in WePlay Esports events. Participation in ESIC shows to both players and partners that we are taking competitive integrity very seriously and apply a zero-tolerance policy to match manipulations of any kind.”

Source

Credits WePlay
Credits: WePlay

WePlay partnering up with ESIC – What’s next?

This isn’t the first time that WePlay worked with the ESIC , as WePlay assisted them during the coach spectator bug. So it was only natural that these two partnered up.

Hopefully with this partnership, the ESIC will be in more events with more and different tournament organizers to aid in finding any actions that go against fair play.

Be sure to keep yourself updated on www.esportsguide.com for more esports news!

BLAST Premier Fall EU Group 3 – Preview

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

With BLAST Premier reaching its next stage of the event, we have to go in details and expectations. In this article we’ll be going over all the details heading into the 3rd group of BLAST Premier Fall EU.

BLAST Premier Fall EU Preview

Today, we’ll be seeing some spicy matches as the Danes will be taking on the new MiBR Brazilian roster in a best of 3. Then in today’s second match, we’ll be seeing the dominant Furia take on the newly revamped G2 esports. Here are today’s match schedules:

November 2nd 2020

Game 1 @ 16:30 CET

  • Astralis vs MiBR

Game 2 @ 19:30 CET

  • FURIA vs G2 Esports
Credits BLAST
Credits: BLAST Premier

Talking points

With G2 recently acquiring NiKo we’ll be seeing his first appearance in the black and white versus Furia. G2 have still not announced who he’ll be replacing, but it’s between Jackz and Amanek.

Another talking point is Astralis returning to its original roster, as Xyp9x concludes his lengthy break from CS:GO. Have the Danes recovered from their recent roster changes after parting ways with es3tag? Or do they still have to adapt? We shall see once they take on MiBR today in the 3rd Group of BLAST Premier Fall EU.

MiBR’s new roster is definitely a spicy one, and as their newly appointed coach has stated “The pressure is on Astralis; we are doing the most we can with the time we have”.

Players
Credits: BLAST Premier

Predictions

So many unexpected things can happen; however, if I had to side with the tournament’s talent for once, I’d agree on their Astralis pick. For the sole reason that MiBR is a completely new roster, and they haven’t had much practice. As for the second match, despite NiKo joining the squad with his immense firepower, I can’t help but favor the dominant Furia in this matchup.

Be sure to keep yourself updated with www.esportsguide.com for all your latest esports news!

G2 esports sign NiKo – YNk Departs FaZe

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

G2 esports are claiming that they have made the biggest CS:GO signing in history, as they sign NiKo to their CS:GO team. Here is their announcement:

G2 esports sign NiKo – Why is this big news?

As mentioned above, G2 are stating that they have made the biggest CS:GO signing in the history of the esport. This is not only meant by financial value, but also the impact it will have on a team like G2. There are several factors which define this as big news, some being: 

  • NiKo being a top fragger consistently
  • Excellent In-game leading skills
  • Placing #2 in the top 20 players of 2017
  • Placing #3 in the top 20 players of 2018
Niko Credits ESL
Credits: ESL

He will also be playing alongside his Serbian cousin huNter in the lineup, and this will certainly have a huge impact in not only their performance in game, but out of the game as well. This signing will definitely rival the Coldzera to FaZe signing, which was reportedly worth $1,000,000.

Here is G2’s announcement video:

Did anyone else depart FaZe?

With NiKo departing the roster, so has coach Janko “YNk” Paunović as he expressed there were “recurring issues in and out of the game”. Janko has also added that his plan is to take a break from coaching until the end of the year and hope he gets another opportunity in 2021.

YNK
Credits: FaZe Clan

What’s next for FaZe?

FaZe has been going through multiple roster changes and player shifts, and now with both the In-Game leader and coach leaving the team, it means that the entire lineup must go through an overhaul. Hopefully they sort it out just in time for upcoming and end of year tournaments.

Be sure to keep yourself updated on www.esportsguide.com for more esports news!

Olofmeister set to return to FaZe roster

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

According to a report made by Tomasho for www.cybersport.pl, the swedish superstar  Olofmeister, is set to return to the FaZe main roster. Here below is the report:

Olofmeister set to return to FaZe roster – Why is this big news?

A few weeks ago, we covered another report stating that G2 will be acquiring huNter’s brother, NiKo from FaZe. According to this report and many others, this deal is no longer a matter of “if” but “when” as the deal is basically confirmed. Olofmeister’s return to FaZe is crucial for this move, as this allows FaZe to compete at the BLAST Premier Fall Series without the Bosnian.

Credits ESL e
Credits: ESL

Olof back at FaZe, NiKo to G2 – What does it mean?

NiKo has been with the FaZe roster since 2017 and has always been the backbone of the lineup. This will mean that we will have the cousins competing together under one legendary organization, G2 esports. We’ve only had one similar instance of something like this in the past. And it is with HEN1 and LUCAS1, back when they were with Immortals. However even they, are now separated.

Niko Credits ESL
Credits: ESL

Olofmeister has been on a very lengthy break, stepping away for at least 5 months. Hopefully in this career break, he has managed to regain his strength and motivation to be at the top of the game once more.

Be sure to keep yourself updated with www.esportsguide.com for more esports news!

Heroic win Dreamhack Open Fall 2020

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

With the weekend coming to a close, we saw Heroic claiming the win at Dreamhack Open Fall 2020. The team has had quite a few successful results lately, and have climbed up the European ranks. 

Heroic win Dreamhack Open Fall 2020 – How did they do it?

Last week, we went over the first stage of the event, which was the group stage. Here we saw Heroic struggling quite a bit, as they placed 3rd in Group B with a 1-2 scoreline, just enough to get them in the lower bracket.

Playoffs

This is where they met with North, a team that placed 1st in group D, but lost versus Fnatic in the 1st round of the bracket. Heroic had a tough time beating the other danes, as games went to overtime, but in the end Heroic were victorious. They then progressed forward to meet with Sprout. Matches went back and forth, but Heroic managed to clutch it out and take the last map to advance forward versus BIG.

BIG was one of the favourites heading into the event; however, they were no obstacle for the danes, as they won their series 2-1. After their win vs BIG, Heroic matched up versus the Ninjas In Pyjamas to see who was deserving of a lower bracket final spot. NiP took the first map 16-8, but Heroic instantly replied with a 16-3 win on Train and another win on Overpass, 16-11. Their victory over NiP progressed the team into the lower bracket final, where they would meet their danish rivals, Astralis. The series was very close, but after Heroic’s loss against Astralis recently, the entire squad was determined to win the series out. After their series win, Heroic had completed the Lower Bracket run, and arrived at the Grand Finals versus Team Vitality.

Grand Finals

Vitality started out strong, winning their first map of the best of 5 series 19-17 on Overpass. The Frenchmen felt that a defeat like this would destroy Heroic’s mentality, but it only strengthened it. The Danes bounced back on map 2, as they won 22-20 on Nuke. In the 3rd map, Heroic had another dominant performance to get series-point, as they won inferno 16-11. Vitality somehow recovered on Vertigo as they evened the score line with a 16-10 win on the 4th map. Then came Mirage as the final map, where Heroic had their best performance yet. We’ll just leave this clip here:

With their win at Dreamhack Open Fall 2020, Heroic are currently marked 1st in the World on the HLTV CS:GO rankings:

Be sure to keep yourself updated on www.esportsguide.com for more esports news!

ESIC handing out match-fixing bans to 7 players

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

The ESIC (Esports Integrity Commision) has announced that it will be handing out match-fixing bans to 7 players. Here is their official statement:

Why are their receiving bans?

The ESIC alongside ESEA have been investigating multiple cases of breaches in the Anti-Corruption code of the MDL (Mountain Dew League). With this investigation, they found that 7 professional CS:GO players have placed bets on the league (MDL) and in other CS:GO matches. Which is a clear breach of both the ESEA rules and ESIC Code.

ESIC handing out match-fixing bans to 7 players – Who are the banned players?

Here below is a list of all the banned players mentioned in ESIC’s statement. (Sorted by teams)

LAKERS

  • Stephen “stvn” Anastasi

Ground Zero

  • Daryl “Mayker” May (Ground Zero)

Rooster

  • Akram “ADK” Smida
  • Corey “nettik” Brown

Rooster 2

Page of ESIC statement Credits ESIC e
Page 2 of ESIC statement
Credits: ESIC

How long are the bans?

As stated by the ESIC, the players have been marked with a 12-month ban from any CS:GO competition. The ban length is quite similar to the coach spectator bug which was investigated only a few weeks ago.

Match-Fixing is an ongoing issue in esports, especially CS:GO. Hopefully with these recent bans and investigations players become less prone to match-fixing, and play in a healthy esports environment.

Be sure to keep yourself updated on www.esportsguide.com for all esports news!

Gen.G to sign Liazz to CS:GO roster

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

After Gen.G’s most recent CS:GO changes, it was inevitable for them to get another player to their lineup. This time round Gen.G is set to sign Liazz to their CS:GO roster. Here is Dekay’s report:

Gen.G to sign Liazz to CS:GO roster – Who is Liazz?

23-year old Jay “Liazz” Tregillgas has been playing CS:GO professionally for about 4 years when he joined Tainted Minds. Since then he has played under numerous rosters; ORDER, Renegades, and most notably 100 Thieves. He has been recognized as the next Aussie star player and will certainly be a great addition to Gen.G if the deal goes through.

Best achievements:

Credits Starladder e
Credits: Starladder

Gen.G to sign Liazz to CS:GO roster – What’s next?

With rumors of Liazz joining the team, this is how the roster could potentially look:

Players:

Coach:

This means that the squad is still looking for another player, and who better than oBo right now?

We will probably be getting additional information about what Gen.G’s plans are for the future, but until then, make sure you keep yourself up to date by tuning in to www.esportsguide.com for all your esports news!

Furia crowned champions of IEM New York 2020

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

With the weekend reaching its end we saw Furia being crowned champions of IEM New York 2020. They had an exceptional run and have shown the world once more why they are the best in North America.

Final Standings + Winnings

  • 🥇 – $25,000 – FURIA Esports
  • 🥈 – $10,000 – 100 Thieves
  • 🥉 – $5,000 – Evil Geniuses
  • 4th – $5,000 – Team One
  • 5th – $3,000 – Team Liquid
  • 6th – $3,000 – New England Whalers
  • 7th-8th – $2,000 – Triumph
  • 7th-8th – $2,000 – Chaos Esports
  • 9th-10th – $1,500 – Rebirth Esports
  • 9th-10th – $1,500 – Mythic
  • 11th-12th – $1,000 – ImPerium Esports
  • 11th-12th – $1,000 – RBG Esports
Credits Furia
Credits: Furia

Furia crowned champions of IEM New York 2020 – How did they do it?

At the start of the tournament, Furia were positioned into Group A, alongside teams like Evil Geniuses, Triumph, Rebirth and ImPerium. Furia kicked it all off by placing 3rd in their group, winning games versus Rebirth, Triumph, ImPerium as well as Evil Geniuses.

Playoffs

Their position in Group A, gained them a spot in the Quarterfinals of the Playoffs. In the QuarterFinals, Furia had to face off the fearsome Team Liquid. After a very long series, having 105 rounds played in one best of 3, the match ended in Furia’s favor. This progressed Furia through to the Semifinals where they would meet EG, and beat them with a clean 2-0 score line.

In the meantime, 100 Thieves had been already placed in the Semifinals due to them finishing 1st in group B. They faced off Team One and beat them 2-0 after a close series, and advanced to the Grand Finals versus Furia.

Finals

Heading into the Grand Finals, we had already seen the Brazilian squad’s dominance in very recent times, so predicting the outcome of this tournament was not so hard. Despite this, 100 Thieves shook Furia after winning the first map (Nuke) 16-9, showing that the Aussie squad was ready to do all it takes to win IEM New York. Even though they had a very good start, Furia came back with 3 outstanding results – (Inferno 16-14, Vertigo 16-4, Mirage 16-11). After this win, Furia earned the first slot at the IEM Global Challenge in December.

What’s next for Furia?

Furia have been the most dominant team in North America for the majority of 2020. Even with the recent coach ban for Guerri, the team is still eager to win more trophies in the very near future.

But until then, make sure you keep yourself updated on www.esportsguide.com for all your latest esports news!

Current state of Dreamhack Open Fall 2020

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

Last week, we posted a How To Watch article about Dreamhack Open Fall 2020. This time round we will be covering what went down so far at the event.

Current Group Standings:

Screenshot e
Credits: Liquipedia

Group Stage

Group A & B

Starting with Group A, we have some very expected results. Vitality topped the leaderboard with a 2-0 score, whereas Fnatic are close behind in 2nd with 2-1. In Group B we had a small upset, as Heroic, which have been dominating European tournaments have lost in 2 best of 3’s, one vs Astralis, and another versus G2. This does beg the question, whether Heroic were deserving of that number 1 spot on the official rankings.

ESL Coaches Featured
Credits: Dreamhack

Group C & D

In Group C we have BIG once again leading the pack with a 2-0 score, winning versus FaZe and Godsent. In this group we saw Godsent pulling the upset of FaZe as the decider match ended in Godsent’s favor. Lastly, in group D we have a very disappointing Ence, finishing last with an 0-2 score, and being eliminated from the event. No doubt they had a tough group, facing both North and NiP, but it does bring up questions about the finnish roster and if they’re still able to compete at this level of Counter-Strike.

Credits Ence e
Credits: Ence

What’s next?

Dreamhack Open Fall 2020 is set to continue today, the 19th of October with the Playoffs stage. Matches are set to be played out all throughout this week, ending the event on the 25th of October with the Grand Finals.

Make sure you don’t miss out on any important esports news by keeping yourself updated on www.esportsguide.com!