Closer matches = better matches | ESL Impact S5 NA Week 3 - Highlights and Recap

Only FlyQuest RED remains unbeaten in Season 5 of ESL Impact NA, but the queens of NA CS have seen far easier days, as competition seems to be getting more and more fierce. Although most of the maps were highly contested, there were some blowouts in there too, just to make things diverse.

In this article you can find a recap of the four series of the week, the top three highlights and performers of the games.

The first day started with FlyQuest RED maintaining a flawless record with a win over Limitless Angels, in a series that ended 2-0 but could have ended any other way, as the Angels put up an incredible fight. Fragadelphia CS/DO buff? cleanup crew were able to beat WG Bandits in three maps, in one of the most exciting and balanced series we have seen this season.

The second day opened with Nouns fe keeping things clean against COVEN as they took the 2-0 win with two comfortable maps, although it's clear to see COVEN's progression and evolution. To end the week, Shimmer steamrolled Karma on Nuke, but the experienced squad almost pulled it back on a 13-11 Ancient loss. Nonetheless, Shimmer won the series 2-0.

Top 3 Performances

#3 Natalie "ashe" Betts - Nouns fe

For the first time ever, ashe is featured in the Top 3 performances of the week after another solid series. She was the top fragger for Nouns fe and, more notoriously, ashe finished the series with a 1.97 rating, 113.3 ADR, and 97% KAST.

#2 Paula "paula" Ramanauskas - cleanup crew

paula was incredible this week, claiming 48 victims across three maps. She was a difference-maker and her plays were crucial for cleanup crew, as they defeated WG Bandits 2-1. paula is back like she never left.

#1 Mounira "GooseBreeder" Dobie - FlyQuest RED

Of course, it had to be GooseBreeder. The Canadian rifler has bounced back from a less positive week with a 50 bomb. She was unstoppable and was one of the main reasons FlyQuest RED are able to continue their ESL Impact NA journey without a single loss.

Top 3 Highlights

#3 Paula "paula" Ramanauskas (cleanup crew) - Collateral + 4K to hold the site

paula is back to ESL Impact and she is back with a bang. She was crucial in this week's cleanup crew win against WG Bandits, and that performance was crowned with this amazing play, showing she still got it after a year away from competition.

#2 Phoebe "phoebe" Winters (Shimmer) - Pistol round ACE

There aren't a lot of plays that are as beautiful as a pistol round ACE. This is a pistol round ACE, a pistol round ACE with Dual Berettas, which makes it so much more amazing. Cowperson style from the Tasmanian Devil.

#1 Lynn "Lx" Clarke (Shimmer) - 1v3 Clutch to win the series

Lx might not be the first name that pops into your mind when people talk about Shimmer, but you know she is also a difference-maker. This time, Lx put Karma to sleep on the 24th round of Ancient with an amazing 1v3 clutch to win the series.

Shot of the week - Paula "paula" Ramanauskas (cleanup crew) - Collateral

We are not done with paula. The AWPer gets one more clip as she hits another collateral. This play shows just how much confidence paula plays with, coupled with a lot of aggressive pushes like this one.

Week 3 Results

FlyQuest RED 2-0 Limitless Angels
cleanup crew 2-1 WG Bandits
Shimmer 2-0 Karma
COVEN 0-2 Nouns fe

Week 4 Schedule

Shimmer vs. cleanup crew - March 27, 2023 07:30PM
Karma vs. Nouns fe - March 27, 2023 07:30PM
FlyQuest RED vs. WG Bandits - March 28, 2023 07:30PM
Limitless Angelsvs. COVEN - March 28, 2023 07:30PM

Standings after Week 3

1st - FlyQuest RED - 3-0
2nd - Nouns fe - 2-1
3rd - Limitless Angels - 2-1
4th - cleanup crew - 2-1
5th - Shimmer - 2-1
6th - Karma - 1-2
7th - WG Bandits - 0-3
8th - COVEN - 0-3