Decent recovery from JDG but it's going to take a lot more to convince me that they're still on the same level as Rare Atom. NOVA blew my expectations out of the water and after matchday 1 there was just no chance that they wouldn't break in TYLOOs knees.

I mean, that's what makes it so interesting no? The potential upsets, the potential cinderella storylines, all those shebangs. Ig it's in my nature to try to predict these things but you're absolutely correct.

No, I think it was boring last year but rather entertaining this year.

EMEA's gotten much more entertaining

EG 2-1 G2

EG 15-13
G2 13-11
EG 13-9

Yeah, EMEA looks so much better than they did last year.

I think EMEA looks great right now, even Team Heretics look like they can compete in a major. As for EDG, it all depends on how they're doing. If they play like they did during the off season, GENG could probably stick several forks into them and set them alight; but if EDG is playing like they did at Tokyo then EDG should probably win. Oh well, we'll see how EMEA playoffs turn out and how EDG is very soon!

EMEA actually looks great this year, I don't think GENG could beat the 2nd seed coming out of EMEA.

Against the 2nd CN seed

Yeah I really thought a team was going to sign him.

Should've picked up Zero1

Yes

Yeah, but yours still look better than the majority of people's.

TYLOO just looked so much less convincing.

JDG 2-1 TEC?

Absolutely. They definitely need some more time to get used to someone who isn't yoman calling.

🫵🐐🫰

He'll probably stick to the Sova.

Ninebody past his prime, LuoK1ng past his prime, ICEKING past his prime, AAK has never been very convincing, hfmi can't carry an entire team :(

I hope they prove me wrong.

I disagree. I prefer Valorant and I think it is better than cs2.

Yeah, can't wait for LOUD-Lev 🤩

They played some great series today.

I mean, it really can go both ways tbh, I think there's just as good of a chance of TE taking this 2-1. But yeah, the players you listed are pretty cracked in terms of aim.

Holy cow Zerphyr you might've actually done it.

They put a smile on my face.

I'm alright, how about you?

CN Kickoff Group B: Titan Esport Club vs DRG

DRG Brief Information: Played quite well against AG, especially on Ascent. Very entertaining gameplay and vo0kashu and TvirusLuke’s aiming abilities were just wonderful to watch. nizhaoTZH cooked. As expected from Ascension winners, I hope they go on to do great things.

TEC Brief Information: Really sat JDG down in a chair and wheeled them into the retirement home. Rb was great and Abo was amazing. LockM and the rest also put in delightful performances. TEC might become a heavyweight in the Chinese region.

DRG Players to Watch: vo0kashu, TvirusLuke, nizhaoTZH

TEC Players to Watch: All of them.

Prediction: I like TEC but I think that if DRG replicates their performance against AG it might very well turn out to be a 2-1 win.

I read some fun forums and wanted to participate in the community.

This is factual.

Yeah I didn't know too much about him so I didn't think a lot about him, but he played amazing today.

I've stated this many times, but I can say it again. I don't do in-depth analyses. I give previews of series and provide brief information about the teams, including who is the favorites to win and whatnot.

I don't think I was close, but thanks nonetheless! ❤️

CN Kickoff Group B Elimination: JD Gaming vs All Gamers

JDG Brief Information: ⅘ Rare Atom core plus jkuro. Didn’t play to standards against TEC, failing to take a single map. Some moments felt very uncoordinated and irrational from them, and unless they fix their mistakes things might go very wrong for this highly-regarded core.

AG Brief Information: A newly formed team that put up a decent fight against DRG. They were alright. Once again, several good ideas and moments of brilliance but ultimately failed to show anything too important to talk about imo.

JDG Players to Watch: stew is one to watch but jkuro should also continue to be observed to see just how he does.

AG Players to Watch: bunt and monk played quite well.

Prediction: JDG should be favorites and win. By how much I don’t know but they should probably be winning this. AG has a chance though.

Honestly, I should've seen it coming, because TEC core did take out a semi-strong BLG within just 1 month of getting together. I still think that JDG stood a very good chance before the series began and probably should've played better.

I appreciate it rainvindce123, I try my best 💪

What about meteorites?

As is with all sports tbf.

I'll take your word 🤗

Minor mistake, but on the 5th to last paragraph, TYLOO is mentioned instead of NOVA.

Susanto

State sponsored or not, esports + sports is quite popular in Russia, and such an event will definitely be a fun addition to the Russian life.

Pasta! 😋

If I go to Australia for Uni in the future then I'll make sure to try.

I think I've visited the north once when I was a small child. I haven't been there since so I haven't been able to evaluate the food there with my current standards :(

He was on Breach. Maybe he's destined for duelist...

CN Kickoff Group A Elimination: NOVA Esports vs TYLOO

NOVA Brief Information: NOVA surprised me and probably a lot of other people. They weren’t completely garbage as many had anticipated and actually showed some moments of brilliance. Very cool strats from 24K.

TYL Brief Information: First game jitters or whatever, but they got demolished hard by TE. Had some ideas here and there but failed to make any significant plays. This might be the end of the line for TYL.

NOVA Players to Watch: GuanG wick is going to GuanG all over the place.

TYL Players to Watch: Not a single one of the players stood out to me. Ig just look out for alphabet bro again.

Prediction: NOVA could actually take this 2-0 if TYLOO does what they did again.

CN Kickoff Group A: Trace Esports vs Funplus Phoenix

TE Brief Information: Produced a dominant Ascent and demolished TYLOO on Sunset. They had several good trap plays and have reinforced their stature as one of the top CN teams.

FPX Brief Information: NOVA gave them a run for their money but they came out victorious in the end. Autumn played duelist on both maps and Life moved to play the Chamber. Lysoar was great on Lotus and AAAAY tried the Gekko again (it was alright).

TE Players to Watch: FengF is always interesting to watch, he’s a great player. Kai continued to be hyper aggressive (which proved to be good in some situations).

FPX Players to Watch: AAAAY is great, I also liked what Lysoar showed against NOVA especially on Lotus.

Prediction: FPX should look to take this 2-1 but I'm expecting a highly competitive series.

Barcelona for tapas and Valencia for paella 😋

Spanish food is so underrated imo. Favorite dishes have to be paella and tapas (too many good ones to name).

German food is very interesting imo. Big fan of Schweinshaxe and Currywurst, sauerkraut is also pretty nice but I know many people who dislike it. Only bone to pick with it is how salty some of the dishes can be.

As for Vietnamese food, I've never had it in the country itself but I've been to some "authentic" restaurants recommended by local Vietnamese people in Paris. Quite refreshing to say the least. Rice paper rolls are amazing.

For sure.