M80 and Wildcard secure European trip to Thunderpick World Championship
Ahead of the Thunderpick World Championship 2023 North America Series 1 Final tonight, both Wildcard and M80 can't be too disappointed with whatever result transpires. Both sides are locked in to compete in the Thunderpick World Championship which is scheduled to kick off at the end of October. While the tournament will be in an online setting, it gives both teams a chance to head across the Atlantic to gain some valuable time in Europe to practice, which is rare for ESL Challenger League-level teams.
M80 may have only entered the scene three days ago with their North American project roster, but they have already made a big splash. Centered mainly around Guatemalan Mario "malbsMd" Samayoa and former ATK rifler Michael "Swisher" Schmid, the team had to take down formidable opponents in the shape of Ex-Snakes Den and Party Astronauts to reach the finals.
M80Party Astronauts| M80 |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ethan 'reck' Serrano |
70 - 53 | +17 | 98.2 | 80.0% | 1.36 |
 Mario 'malbsMd' Samayoa |
65 - 51 | +14 | 86.9 | 81.2% | 1.31 |
| Adam 'WolfY' Andersson |
63 - 43 | +20 | 76.7 | 78.8% | 1.26 |
| Michael 'Swisher' Schmid |
60 - 53 | +7 | 80.9 | 68.8% | 1.16 |
 Marcus 'maNkz' Kjeldsen |
36 - 54 | -18 | 55.0 | 62.5% | 0.81 |
| Party Astronauts |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh 'PwnAlone' Pigue |
74 - 53 | +21 | 92.2 | 75.0% | 1.36 |
| Connor 'chop' Sullivan |
51 - 59 | -8 | 72.8 | 63.7% | 0.92 |
| William 'spek' Smith |
43 - 63 | -20 | 62.4 | 62.5% | 0.81 |
| Wesley 'viz' Harris |
45 - 63 | -18 | 67.8 | 62.5% | 0.81 |
| Ben 'ben1337' Smith |
41 - 60 | -19 | 59.6 | 61.3% | 0.77 |
Their opponents tonight have had their core for longer, but Wildcard has been no stranger to changes either. Bringing in Matthew "d4rty" Paplawskas a month ago, the change seems to have worked positively for the team. Taking down FLUFFY AIMERS and Nouns to reach the finals, Wildcard will be hoping that their synergy will shine through against the newly formed M80 to earn them the extra prize money at stake, as well as perhaps earning an edge over their future opponents when they head to Europe.
WildcardNouns| Wildcard |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keller 'SLIGHT' Nilan |
74 - 43 | +31 | 92.1 | 74.7% | 1.48 |
| Brett 'brett' Rhein |
64 - 51 | +13 | 81.7 | 73.4% | 1.20 |
 Adam 'freshie' Paterson |
53 - 49 | +4 | 79.3 | 81.0% | 1.13 |
| Matthew 'd4rty' Paplawskas |
34 - 44 | -10 | 45.1 | 74.7% | 0.83 |
| Matthew 'Cryptic' Whitmore |
36 - 52 | -16 | 54.2 | 65.8% | 0.80 |
| Nouns |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Edgar 'MarKE' Maldonado |
54 - 46 | +8 | 73.1 | 72.2% | 1.11 |
| Christopher 'cJ dA K1nG' Jones |
56 - 54 | +2 | 73.5 | 67.1% | 1.09 |
| Brendan 'Bwills' Williams |
50 - 49 | +1 | 76.2 | 68.4% | 1.01 |
| Bobby 'stamina' Eitrem |
36 - 52 | -16 | 50.6 | 69.6% | 0.79 |
| Carson 'nosraC' O'Reilly |
42 - 62 | -20 | 63.6 | 55.7% | 0.76 |
For Wildcard, this will mark their first transatlantic expedition as a team since their formation at the end of April. Forming after the conclusion of the BLAST.tv Paris Major Americas RMR, it has been a mixture of Cash Cups and qualifiers for Wildcard, with their highlights coming with their 3rd place finish at the ESEA Cash Cup Circuit Season 1 finals, as well as a respectable 5th-6th placement in ECL Season 45.
As for M80, the individuals on their roster are no strangers to European trips. Both Swisher and mabsMd have spent time in EU with both competing last year at the Americas RMR for the IEM Rio Major. As for their colleagues, Adam "WolfY" Andersson and Marcus "manKz" Kjeldsen will both return to their residential continent, having lived in Sweden and Denmark respectively. The only member of the team who will be entering uncharted territory is Ethan "reck" Serrano who joined ATK after their ESL Pro League Season 17 campaign in Malta back in March.
Wildcard and M80 will square off tonight at 08:00PM.
