Just as we expected, Team Spirit and Team Vitality are proving to be the strongest teams at ESL Pro League S21. The tournament gave both of them the chance to showcase their prowess and so far, they didn’t disappoint.
Just one month ago, Spirit and Vitality faced each other in the Grand Final of IEM Katowice. Danil “donk” Kryshkovets had the chance to win the tournament for the second time in a row but the squad led by Dan “apEX” Madesclaire simply obliterated his hopes, winning 3 – 0.
But now the two teams look destined to reach another Grand Final. There are very few competitors that can realistically stop them. Natus Vincere, G2 Esports, and Team Liquid are the only ones, assuming they qualify.
I could also add MOUZ, but they’ve already been defeated by Vitality in round 3. Perhaps Spirit would find them more challenging, perhaps not. We will find out in the playoffs.
To finish stage 2 with a perfect record, Spirit had to defeat TYLOO, SAW, and The MongolZ. Arguably, only the third victory is relevant here because the first two teams are unlikely to advance to the playoffs, being relatively low rank at this competitive level.
In Vitality’s case, we have a similar situation. Their victories against MIBR and 3DMAX were impressive but they don’t really count. Only the one against MOUZ is relevant for the playoffs.
Who Else Might Qualify
If everything goes according to plan, these are the other six teams that will qualify for the playoffs of ESL Pro League S21:
- MOUZ
- Natus Vincere
- The MongolZ
- G2 Esports
- Team Liquid
- Team Falcons Or Eternal Fire Or 3DMAX
Right now, it looks like the battle for the 8th place will be won by 3DMAX because their current record is 2 W – 1 L while the other two teams are one defeat away from elimination. In round 4 we will find out more.
