EG Gold bounce back, CLG Red and SparX continue to dominate

After the first week where EG Gold fell to Detonate SparX and the new look Saints got destroyed by CLG Red, the second round of games came with no upsets or surprising blowouts.

CLG Red and Detonate SparX were able to maintain the lead of their respective group, while Saints and EG Gold managed to have better showings that culminated with victories for both sides.

The second week of the group stage opened with EG Gold facing Factor Ruby in a series where EG had to prove themselves after a loss against Detonate SparX to start the new ESL Impact season. Factor Ruby was also coming from a loss, against Starfish.

The series started on Ancient, where EG Gold were able to control from the very beginning. A final score of 16-10 on the map would send the women from the Seattle-based organization to Anubis feeling confident. And that confidence was shown, as they were able to take Factor Ruby's pick 16-9, comfortably. With this result, EG Gold are now 1-1 in their group, while Factor Ruby are down 0-2.

The other game set Saints against byte, both teams that had lost the previous week, as well. The new look Saints are still smoothing out the edges and it was shown during this series.

The match started off on Ancient, picked by byte, who managed to win it comfortably 16-11. Saints went to the second map, Overpass, fearing another 2-0 loss and going down 0-2 in the group, but thanks to Iuliia "sckrafft" Gerasimova's 1.78 rating on the map, that was averted. Overpass ended 16-8 for Saints. To close the series, the teams would go to Vertigo, where Saints completely dominated byte. The final score of the map was 16-2 and Saints are now 1-1 in the group, while byte fall to a 0-2 record.

The second day of matches started off with Detonate Sparx battling against Starfish, both winners from week one. The former Chimkin squad was looking to prove its worth after some people claimed that their win against EG Gold was an upset.

Detonate SparX made really quick work of the Starfish team. 16-4 scores on both maps, Ancient and Inferno, sealed the deal. Once again, Cecily "Chowdzz" Johnson was the MVP of the series, just like she had been against EG Gold. This time, the rifler had a 1.71 rating with 99.2 ADR. SparX are now 2-0, while Starfish are tied with a 1-1 record

In the other group, a big game was expected from CLG Red and Shimmer. The latter squad has been climbing the ranking of women's NA CS and has been looking strong.

The series started off on Mirage, with CLG Red winning their pick 16-6, as Vivienne "BiBiAhn" Quach put up 20 kills with 11 deaths. Things turned a bit south for the legendary organization, as Shimmer was able to comeback from an 11-4 deficit to a 16-14 score on Overpass, as the whole team was firing on all cylinders. To close the series, the map would be the classic Inferno, but the score would be a little despairing for Shimmer, as CLG Red took the series with a 16-4 score on the last map. CLG Red continue undefeated, and Shimmer now have as many wins as they have losses, one each.