Bad News Bears, Triumph, and oNe claim spots in ESEA MDL Season 33 Global Challenge
ESEA MDL Season 33 playoffs has come to an end tonight, seeing Bad News Bears, Triumph, and oNe claim spots in the Global Challenge.
After being knocked into the lower bracket on Tuesday, Recon 5 were the first squad to be eliminated following a 2-0 loss to Rugratz. With Adam "mada" Pampuch standing-in for Nathan "leaf" Orf on Overpass, Rugratz found themselves up 9-6 following a strong opening half from mada. From there, Rugratz further entrenched their lead winning four out of the first five rounds in a row on their CT-side before holding firm to win Overpass 16-12. On Train, Rugratz continued to keep the pressure up as they decimated Recon5 on their map pick, winning their CT-side 10-5 before taking the map 16-6.
RugratzRecon 5| Rugratz |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Adam 'mada' Pampuch |
46 - 33 | +13 | 104.1 | 78.0% | 1.43 |
 Alexander 'zanz' Diaz |
40 - 24 | +16 | 77.6 | 82.0% | 1.34 |
| Erik 'penny' Penny |
41 - 30 | +11 | 98.1 | 70.0% | 1.32 |
| Tyler 'tweiss' Weiss |
36 - 30 | +6 | 74.4 | 84.0% | 1.21 |
| Joshua 'Hunter' Madore |
31 - 30 | +1 | 60.3 | 76.0% | 1.05 |
| Recon 5 |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin 'AAustiN' Urb |
34 - 38 | -4 | 68.1 | 58.0% | 0.90 |
| Riley 'Reality' Fusch |
29 - 36 | -7 | 68.0 | 64.0% | 0.89 |
| Dominick 'JazzPimp' Dimpfel |
30 - 40 | -10 | 70.3 | 64.0% | 0.88 |
| Paytyn 'junior' Johnson |
30 - 38 | -8 | 57.1 | 62.0% | 0.81 |
| Carson 'nosraC' O'Reilly |
24 - 43 | -19 | 62.7 | 50.0% | 0.66 |
Continuing on in the lower bracket, Chaos also had a relatively easy time advancing as they dispatched Mythic with a quick 2-0 on Overpass and Inferno. After winning the opening T-side pistol on Overpass, the map quickly began to go awry for Kaitlin "Keiti" Boop and co. as Chaos outpaced and outfragged the stream team to win their CT-side 10-5. Mythic had a minor resurgence as they won four out of the first six rounds in the second half, but Chaos never let Mythic regain the lead as they went on to win the map 16-12.
Chaos' map pick of Inferno proved be an even stronger map for the team as British import Owen "smooya" Butterfield and Joshua "steel" Nissan led the way for their team to post a 12-3 T-side, before going on to eliminate Mythic with a 19-6 scoreline.
ChaosMythic| Chaos |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Owen 'smooya' Butterfield |
56 - 31 | +25 | 105.5 | 77.8% | 1.63 |
| Joshua 'steel' Nissan |
50 - 33 | +17 | 95.4 | 77.8% | 1.42 |
| Anthony 'vanity' Malaspina |
42 - 35 | +7 | 83.6 | 64.8% | 1.13 |
| Cameron 'cam' Kern |
29 - 36 | -7 | 61.4 | 68.5% | 0.93 |
| Matthew 'mCe' Elmore |
24 - 33 | -9 | 55.4 | 64.8% | 0.79 |
| Mythic |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaitlin 'Keiti' Boop |
53 - 43 | +10 | 98.0 | 70.4% | 1.22 |
| Donovan 'zNf' Froid |
37 - 38 | -1 | 75.2 | 63.0% | 0.96 |
| Corbin 'C0M' Lee |
27 - 40 | -13 | 68.7 | 53.7% | 0.80 |
| Erik 'fl0m' Flom |
31 - 44 | -13 | 57.2 | 57.4% | 0.73 |
| Adam 'Polen' Polen |
20 - 36 | -16 | 47.7 | 57.4% | 0.64 |
The next match to come to a close saw Bad News Bears continue their recent string of strong form by taking down the new-look oNe lineup 2-0. Starting the series off on Dust2, oNe was seemingly ready to run away with the map as they won nine out of the first ten rounds in a row before putting Bad News Bears against the ropes with an 11-4 half.
As the two teams switched sides oNe claimed their CT-side pistol, putting them within striking distance of claiming the map in a decisive fashion. However, in an incredible change of fortunes, Bad News Bears went on to win the next twelve rounds in a row to take oNe's map pick 16-12. During the second half much of the heavy lifting can be credited to Michael "dapr" Gulino, with the player racking up 19 kills and 124.7 ADR.
After a dynamite end to Dust2, Bad News Bears seemed reenergized heading onto Inferno with dapr once again putting up big numbers as the team won their T-side 9-6. A pistol win and subsequent conversion gave Bad News Bears another two rounds before oNe fought back, bringing themsleves within one round. From there however, oNe were left with no chance to take the map as Bad News Bears won the next five rounds in a row to book North America's first spot to the Global Challenge.
Bad News BearsTeamOne| Bad News Bears |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael 'dapr' Gulino |
61 - 32 | +29 | 110.4 | 77.8% | 1.73 |
| Mitch 'mitch' Semago |
43 - 29 | +14 | 80.8 | 74.1% | 1.33 |
| Jonathan 'Jonji' Carey |
42 - 32 | +10 | 81.7 | 81.5% | 1.25 |
| Austin 'crashies' Roberts |
29 - 32 | -3 | 74.7 | 74.1% | 1.08 |
| Peter 'ptr' Gurney |
31 - 28 | +3 | 65.2 | 79.6% | 1.04 |
| TeamOne |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bruno 'b4rtiN' Câmara |
39 - 41 | -2 | 75.2 | 63.0% | 0.92 |
| Matheus 'prt' Scuvero |
36 - 41 | -5 | 70.1 | 63.0% | 0.90 |
| Alencar 'trk' Rossato |
31 - 41 | -10 | 69.0 | 63.0% | 0.87 |
| Matheus 'pesadelo' Panisset |
28 - 43 | -15 | 68.4 | 61.1% | 0.76 |
| Pedro 'Maluk3' Campos |
19 - 40 | -21 | 37.1 | 53.7% | 0.57 |
The final upper bracket match of playoffs went to three maps as Triumph battled against Under 21 in an extremely close 102-round series. Starting on Vertigo, Triumph began their CT-side up 4-0 before Under 21 began to run away with the half, winning seven rounds in a row before Triumph pulled it back to trail 6-9. After switching sides, Triumph had their turn in the driver’s seat as they started off their T-side by winning eight out of the first nine rounds to lead 14-10. With their back against the wall, Under 21 finally found their footing in the second half, winning the next five rounds in a row before Triumph sent Vertigo into overtime. In overtime, the two teams were relatively evenly matched until the 36th round where Brendan "Bwills" Williams managed to prevent a second overtime and take the map 19-17.
After narrowly conceding Vertigo, Triumph looked to make a statement on Mirage as they mounted a strong CT-side, winning the half 10-5 thanks in part to strong play from Logan "Voltage" Long and Peter "Asuna" Mazuryk. Once Under 21 moved onto their CT-side they quickly worked to avoid a blowout on their map pick as they held Triumph off, only letting the team win four out of the first twelve rounds to close the gap to 13-14. With the prospect of another overtime looming, Triumph managed to find map point before claiming a 16-14 and forcing the series onto Inferno.
With the series tied up, Under 21 were now ready to take the series home and book a ticket to the Global Challenge as they decisively won their opening T-side 10-5. Down once again, Triumph attempted to regain control of the map as they won the opening pistol round and the following eco, but Under 21 ramped up the pressure as they won five out of the next six rounds to secure map point. Unfortunately for them, Triumph were not out of the game yet as they rallied and won the next seven rounds to force the series into overtime once again. Much like on Vertigo, overtime was a close affair, but it was Triumph who ultimately won the 36th round to close out the extended series and force Under 21 into the lower bracket.
TriumphUnder 21| Triumph |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabe 'Spongey' Greiner |
80 - 62 | +18 | 81.6 | 73.5% | 1.23 |
| Michael 'Grim' Wince |
76 - 74 | +2 | 87.7 | 72.5% | 1.17 |
| Logan 'Voltage' Long |
74 - 60 | +14 | 63.6 | 71.6% | 1.09 |
| Peter 'Asuna' Mazuryk |
62 - 70 | -8 | 73.2 | 76.5% | 1.01 |
| Alan 'Shakezullah' Hardeman |
61 - 66 | -5 | 75.6 | 72.5% | 1.01 |
| Under 21 |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David 'cynic' Polster |
79 - 66 | +13 | 77.0 | 71.6% | 1.13 |
| Rahul 'curry' Nemani |
63 - 72 | -9 | 71.6 | 71.6% | 1.05 |
| Erick 'Xeppaa' Bach |
67 - 72 | -5 | 73.5 | 72.5% | 1.01 |
| Brendan 'Bwills' Williams |
59 - 67 | -8 | 62.1 | 70.6% | 0.94 |
| Justin 'FaNg' Coakley |
61 - 77 | -16 | 66.7 | 65.7% | 0.91 |
The next series between Chaos and oNe also went the distance with the two teams battling on Nuke, Mirage, and Overpass.
On Nuke, Chaos outpaced oNe to win their opening CT-side 9-6 before oNe managed to win the second half, only allowing Chaos four more rounds as they won their map pick 16-13.
Mirage was far closer as oNe narrowly won their CT-side 8-7 before Chaos gave them the same treatment, claiming an 8-7 CT-side of their own to take the map into overtime. There, Chaos extended the series onto Overpass by narrowly edging out a 19-17 win.
After the first two maps were very close, Overpass started off as a far more one-sided affair as oNe won eleven out of the first twelve rounds to decisively take the half 11-4. With a massive hurdle to overcome, Chaos were not ready to give up, winning nine out of the first ten rounds to almost tie the map up with oNe. However, their comeback was not meant to be as oNe won the next four rounds to take the map 16-13.
ChaosTeamOne| Chaos |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua 'steel' Nissan |
79 - 66 | +13 | 92.1 | 66.0% | 1.23 |
| Owen 'smooya' Butterfield |
69 - 68 | +1 | 78.5 | 77.7% | 1.16 |
| Anthony 'vanity' Malaspina |
66 - 60 | +6 | 79.9 | 67.0% | 1.07 |
| Cameron 'cam' Kern |
51 - 67 | -16 | 63.9 | 68.1% | 0.87 |
| Matthew 'mCe' Elmore |
47 - 68 | -21 | 50.5 | 66.0% | 0.77 |
| TeamOne |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matheus 'prt' Scuvero |
70 - 62 | +8 | 82.6 | 74.5% | 1.17 |
| Bruno 'b4rtiN' Câmara |
71 - 61 | +10 | 80.0 | 63.8% | 1.17 |
| Pedro 'Maluk3' Campos |
69 - 61 | +8 | 74.6 | 72.3% | 1.15 |
| Alencar 'trk' Rossato |
64 - 64 | +0 | 73.3 | 74.5% | 1.06 |
| Matheus 'pesadelo' Panisset |
55 - 64 | -9 | 62.8 | 66.0% | 0.89 |
The second to last match of playoffs saw Under 21 take down Rugratz in two maps to meet oNe in the lower bracket finals.
Starting on Train, Under 21 started the map off 8-1 on their CT-side before Rugratz closed the gap by winning the next six rounds. A similar story played out in the second half as after Rugratz won the first two rounds, Under 21 answered by taking the next eight to find map point. Rugratz however were able to hold firm and force overtime as they won the next six rounds in a row. The first overtime was indecisive as Rugratz managed to prevent an outright win for Under 21 and force a second overtime. After being denied victory twice, Under 21 overpowered Rugratz, only allowing them one round to take Train 22-19.
After a close game on Train, Inferno was a surprising blowout for Under 21, with the team winning their T-side 10-5 before going on to claim the map 16-6, eliminating Rugratz and setting up a final series against oNe.
RugratzUnder 21| Rugratz |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erik 'penny' Penny |
48 - 45 | +3 | 82.4 | 74.6% | 1.10 |
| Nathan 'leaf' Orf |
46 - 54 | -8 | 79.9 | 65.1% | 1.00 |
| Joshua 'Hunter' Madore |
40 - 48 | -8 | 71.2 | 71.4% | 0.94 |
| Alexander 'zanz' Diaz |
38 - 47 | -9 | 69.6 | 61.9% | 0.89 |
| Tyler 'tweiss' Weiss |
38 - 52 | -14 | 70.5 | 65.1% | 0.82 |
| Under 21 |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David 'cynic' Polster |
53 - 35 | +18 | 84.4 | 84.1% | 1.36 |
| Rahul 'curry' Nemani |
50 - 49 | +1 | 96.8 | 77.8% | 1.29 |
| Erick 'Xeppaa' Bach |
49 - 44 | +5 | 77.8 | 74.6% | 1.17 |
| Brendan 'Bwills' Williams |
45 - 40 | +5 | 80.1 | 81.0% | 1.13 |
| Justin 'FaNg' Coakley |
49 - 42 | +7 | 75.5 | 68.3% | 1.13 |
After a number of incredibly close series, the final playoffs match between oNe and Under 21 was a one-sided win for the Brazilian lineup.
oNe burst onto Train, overpowering Under 21 to win their T-side 11-4 before only conceding two more rounds to take Train 16-6.
After being rolled over on Train, Under 21 fared far better in the opening half of Inferno, holding oNe at bay to take their T-side 8-7. They continued to keep the pressure up on their CT-side as they found the opening pistol before an anti-eco victory by oNe spelled the end of their comeback. Following this, oNe won the next six rounds in a row before overpowering Under 21 to take the two out of the next five they needed to secure the final North American spot in the Global Challenge.
TeamOneUnder 21| TeamOne |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alencar 'trk' Rossato |
41 - 30 | +11 | 79.7 | 76.0% | 1.29 |
| Matheus 'prt' Scuvero |
42 - 33 | +9 | 88.6 | 74.0% | 1.26 |
| Matheus 'pesadelo' Panisset |
41 - 37 | +4 | 84.4 | 72.0% | 1.16 |
| Bruno 'b4rtiN' Câmara |
34 - 33 | +1 | 77.8 | 84.0% | 1.15 |
| Pedro 'Maluk3' Campos |
29 - 32 | -3 | 69.3 | 78.0% | 1.05 |
| Under 21 |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David 'cynic' Polster |
38 - 37 | +1 | 93.4 | 82.0% | 1.20 |
| Erick 'Xeppaa' Bach |
41 - 39 | +2 | 86.8 | 76.0% | 1.19 |
| Brendan 'Bwills' Williams |
32 - 35 | -3 | 70.0 | 80.0% | 1.02 |
| Rahul 'curry' Nemani |
30 - 38 | -8 | 64.4 | 66.0% | 0.88 |
| Justin 'FaNg' Coakley |
24 - 38 | -14 | 52.2 | 64.0% | 0.72 |
With the North American season coming to a close alongside the European season, the Global Challenge team list currently looks as follows:
 Sprout |
 AGO |
 Japaleno |
Triumph |
| Bad News Bears |
oNe |
 TBD |
 TBD |
