Empire and Secret struggling, Rogue reactivated, NaVi reigning - EUL 2021 Stage 1 Review

After exciting match-ups and some unexpected results, the first stage of EUL 2021 has concluded. In this article we will summarize the first stage for each team and give our predictions for the next stage and the upcoming Six Invitational 2021.

- Article by Tentix

1. Natus Vincere

Since their tournament victory at the ESL Pro League Season 10 Finals, NaVi made various changes to their roster, but the team could not reach the heights of the past. It was unclear what we could expect from the newest iteration of NaVi, in which they removed Joe and Kendrew from the team in favor of Secretly and Nathan. As it seems, Secretly and Nathan were exactly what the team needed: Two strong support players to free up aggressive players like Doki and Saves. On the one hand, the team looks way more coordinated and structured now, but on the other hand the team can still be flexible and aggressive when necessary. Although their appearance in the first stage was not flawless, they proved that this roster has a lot of potential and could achieve new heights. They also have a big advantage for the second stage of EUL: Unlike other teams like BDS or G2, NaVi was unable to qualify for the Six Invitational 2021. While BDS, G2, VP and Empire need the off-season to prepare for the Six Invitational, NaVi has a lot of time to rest and prepare for the second stage - another first place finish in the second stage of EUL 2021 is definitely not unlikely.

Full statistics for Natus Vincere

2. Team BDS

The team at the top of the EUL Standings is not Team BDS this time, which is surprising. They have finished first in both stages of EUL 2020, won the August Major and came close both in the November Major as well as in the EUL Finals. Although they have been often criticized for their lack of complex strategies or their mediocre utility usage in the past, they were still able to overtake all other teams in Europe. Especially since the fall of Rogue in Stage 2 of last season, there has been no real rival for BDS in 2020, which allowed them to have a strong lead over the rest of the teams. However, this time they had a new contender: Natus Vincere. NaVi has been the only team to beat BDS in Stage 2 of EUL 2020 and they have done it again this season. But not only NaVi could beat BDS this time, also Cowana Gaming and Virtus Pro were able to defeat them. Although BDS has looked very solid throughout the season and the team has definitely improved various aspects of their gameplay, their two losses at the end of the first stage cost them their first place.

Full statistics for Team BDS

3. Cowana Gaming

Cowana Gaming has had an incredible run in 2020: From winning the Challenger League Open Qualifiers, to barely qualifying for the Challenger League Playoffs and going into it as clear underdogs, to dominating the Challenger League Playoffs and qualifying for EUL. In 2021, their great run doesn't seem to end: A top 3 finish in their first stage of EUL is a great result, especially considering they even got a new player on board before the start of EUL. Although the team has been known for their aggressive and loose playstyle in the past, they have shown this season that they can also be a very strategic and structured team, similar to NaVi. Just like NaVi they also won't participate at the Six Invitational, which allows them to work on their few mistakes and come back for the second stage even stronger.

Full statistics for Cowana Gaming

4. Rogue

Rogue's fall in the second stage of last season has been one of the most shocking twists in Siege esports history. Not only did they finish the stage without a single point, but they also had to fight in relegation for their survival in EUL. There has been much speculation whether Rogue could climb the standings again or if they would continue their fight for survival, but luckily for them, they look revitalized. Although they did not dominate like they did in the past, they showed that they still are a worthy opponent for each team in Europe. Especially in their games against G2, Secret and Virtus Pro the team looked very solid. It was also a decent stage for their newest member cryn, although he showed in the past that he can do even better, but of course it takes time to fully embed a new player into the team. If they want to rival top teams like NaVi or BDS next stage, they will need all of their players in their best form, especially their support players ripz and LeonGids have been struggling in some matches this season.

Full statistics for Rogue

5. G2 Esports

G2's performance in EUL 2020 has been a rollercoaster: From almost winning the August Major to not even qualifying for the November Major to winning the EU Finals - their results have been alternating heavily. This trend seems to continue in 2021: In some games, G2 looked almost flawless in their gameplay and dominated against strong opponents such as their 7 - 1 win against Cowana or their 7 - 2 win against NaVi, in other games G2 has looked uncoordinated or even sloppy, such as their 3 - 7 loss against Rogue. As Kantoraketti stated on Twitter, their consistency in playing as a team has been a big problem for them and it shows. If they want to have an impact at the Six Invitational, they can not rely on CTZN or Virtue to win the game with pure gunskill, instead they have to focus on their teamplay and communication.

Full statistics for G2 Esports

6. Virtus Pro

Another team that faced some difficulties has been Virtus Pro. They have made roster changes almost every season since their 3rd/4th place finish at the Raleigh Major 2019, however no change could drastically elevate the team so far. This season Virtus Pro acquired Estonian player karzheka, who has won the Raleigh Major with Team Empire before eventually joining Rogue. Their season started with substandard results, only two out of nine points could be collected during the first three matches. However, the team adapted well and started improving: Three regular time victories against BDS, Secret and TrainHard as well as close Overtime losses against NaVi, Vitality and Cowana gave them enough points to finish 6th, equal in points with G2 Esports and Rogue. It seems like there is only an inch missing to finally get VP over the edge, maybe the Six Invitational is the place where this finally happens.

Full statistics for Virtus Pro

7. Team Vitality

After only mediocre results in the 2020 season of EUL, Vitality decided to give up on their dreams of a mixed European superteam. Instead, they decided to go back to their roots to a full French-speaking lineup as they acquired former Tempra Esports players P4 and Shiinka as well as former Penta player Kaktus. Although they only placed 7th in the first stage of this season, the team showed a lot of potential. Close losses against BDS and Rogue as well as victories against NaVi, G2 and Virtus Pro proved that this new iteration of Vitality has what it takes to become a top team in Europe again. It is also worth mentioning that Vitality has been the most balanced team throughout Europe: All of the players had impact in their games, none of them couldn't catch up. This is not only an advantage to the team in terms of morale, but also makes the team as a whole more stable and reliable.

Full statistics for Team Vitality

8. TrainHard eSport

With the resignation of Tempra Esports after the end of EUL 2020, Ubisoft invited a new organisation into EUL: TrainHard eSport. They combined their old roster with players of Tempra Esports to create a new French star team. On paper, their roster looks extremely promising: Experienced support players like Chaoxys or Spark that can lead and coordinate the team, combined with young talents like BlaZ or NoerA. However, it became clear that the young talents could not keep up with long-established ones. Both BlaZ and NoerA had performed very poorly at the start of EUL, the team could not stand their ground. However, this changed towards the end of the first stage, where the team became more and more coordinated and more players where able to have an impact on the games. From only three points in their first six matches to seven points in their last three matches, the team improved immensely. If they can improve their teamplay and structure in the next stage even further, a placement in the middle or even the top of the standings could definitely be possible.

Full statistics for TrainHard eSport

9. Team Empire

A team that has also been very promising before the start of the season has been Team Empire. Since their tournament win at the Raleigh Major in 2019, the team has been in a decline. This changed in the second stage of EUL 2020, where Team Empire finally managed to end in the top 4 again and surprised even more people when they eventually won the November Major - against Team BDS nonetheless. So expectations for Team Empire in EUL 2021 were high, but unfortunately they could not match these expectations. Only a single regular time win and two overtime wins could be collected, as well as a single overtime loss and five regular time losses. However, unlike some of the other bottom teams, almost all of their losses were very close: A 6-8 against VP, a 5-7 against NaVi and a 5-7 against Rogue. The fundamentals seem to be working for Empire, just the fine-tuning seems to be missing. Especially their defences were very weak this season, only 21 rounds out of their 48 were won in defence (which is especially worrying considering they were often playing defence-sided maps). There is not much time left until the Six Invitational, so it will be difficult for Team Empire to fix these things quickly, but we all know how strong Team Empire can be if they gain momentum.

Full statistics for Team Empire

10. Team Secret

Team Secret has received a fair amount of criticism before the start of EUL. The reason: They have dropped two of their players, pacbull and SHA77E, after only four months with the team, as well as the majority of their coaching staff (Lazzo and Omerta). Instead they have picked up SlebbeN and Gomfi, who have previously played for Susquehanna Soniqs in North America. From the outside, this looked like Team Secret followed a trend that has been going on since 2020 - drop your primary support players to pick up players with more firepower. However, as so-called superteams like G2 Esports or Team Vitality had to witness, this change often does not work out as intended and Team Secret is no exception. After a 6th place finish and a result of 4 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses in EUL 2020 Stage 2, they now finished in last place with only 2 victories and 7 losses. Although one of their newest acquistions, SlebbeN, has performed really well in this stage, their second new player Gomfi had a very disappointing showing. Multiple role changes in the team during the season could also not help the team either, a true support player seems to be missing. It will be interesting to see whether the team will do changes to their lineup once again or if they will continue to work with the current roster, especially considering the individual talent this team has to offer.

Full statistics for Team Secret

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