LiViD best Variance to claim first seed at ESEA Proving Grounds
The first ESEA Proving Grounds open qualifier has come to an end, with LiViD claiming the first seed at the Proving Grounds after beating Variance, and the latter team securing the second seed for their troubles.
The first four rounds of the qualifier proceeded without any notable upsets as a number of Advanced and MDL squads worked their way through the bracket without much trouble. In the quarterfinals, Variance played a close 16-12 game against Advanced mix team Fragging Boomers, while Rugratz' new roster made quick work of imperial (ex-Lowkey) in a 16-4 win. Up next, LiViD picked up another 16-4 win to best Read like a fiddle while RBG closed out the round of eight with a 16-12 win against Man I Love Fragging.
In the semifinals, two MDL teams met for the first time as Variance and Rugratz faced off on Mirage. With "sus" as a stand-in, Variance got off to a strong start ending their CT-side up 9-6. After switching sides, they further entrenched their lead by winning the first five rounds in a row before outpacing Rugratz to take the map 16-8. On the other side of the bracket LiViD faced off against RBG on Inferno, where RBG managed to keep things surprisingly competitive, with the squad closing their T-side down only a single round. However, once LiViD moved onto their own T-side, the recently promoted team overpowered RBG to take the map 16-11.
In the finals, Variance squared off against LiViD on Mirage with the French Canadian side starting the map off by winning their opening CT pistol before locking Variance out of the bomb sites to take the half with a commanding 12-3 lead. With the finals looking all but over, Variance launched a major comeback, taking ten out of the opening twelve rounds to nearly secure the lead. In Round 23, LiViD finally managed to recompose themselves and secure map point before closing out Mirage 16-13 to take the first seed at the Proving Grounds.
Six more teams will have chances to qualify to the Proving Grounds, with the second qualifier set to begin next week on July 28th. As always, you can use the Dust2.us Calendar to keep on top of events in North America.
