Week 3 has just come to a close for ELEAGUE, this post will be contain scores and summary of each match that took place.

Tuesday, June 7th - Round robin

Astralis vs. NRG eSports – 6:9, 10:3 (16:12); 7:8, 9:6 (16:14)
Winner: Astralis
Maps: de_Cache, de_Train
MVP: Nicolai "Device" Reedtz

Cache started out with Astralis taking the initial 3 rounds with ease, followed up by a strong 6 round streak from NRG. Leading up to the half things primarily went to the benefit of NRG except for a eco win coming in from Astralis on the 14th round. TabseN then, coming off the half, landed two amazing "one-deags", but to no avail, NRG however lost the opening pistol round. In the 19th round NRG managed to get their first win of the half, but was quickly reset by an ace by Device in the 20th round. Although NRG took the lead briefly it was all Astralis in the end with a 5 round winning streak to settle it at 16:12.

Train showed a remarkable first half, both teams pulled back and forth multiple game streaks but could never get their economies stable enough to build a significant lead. Astralis took the first round of the second half however they fell to a 6 round win streak coming from the NRG side T side. When all seemed lost for team Astralis they managed to rally up and pull an 8 round win streak to close out the second map 16:14.

? CLG vs. SK Gaming – 3:12, 0:4 (3:16); 12:3, 4:11 (16:14)
Winners: ? SK Gaming, CLG
Maps: de_Nuke, de_Overpass
MVP: ? James "Hazed" Cobb

SK took complete control of the first half of Nuke. A few rounds were peppered in by CLG to break up the streak, however they weren't even able to score two back-to-back rounds. It seemed as though CLG were completely demoralized by half time, which didn't get remedied as they went 0-4 for the remaining rounds and lost it 3:16.

Overpass took a much different turn with CLG winning the opening 7 rounds. Their CT side was overpowering and there was very little SK could do with their economy in shambles for almost the entire opening half. In the late stages of the second half SK's CT side managed to tie it up in round 28 with a score of 14:14. Round 29 had CLG with a forced eco but they executed onto the B bombsite perfectly securing that round and the following to win the game (16:14) and tie the series.

? Astralis vs.  CLG – 13:2, 3:0 (16:2); 9:6, 6:0 (16:6)
Winner: ? Astralis
Maps: de_Train, de_Dust2
MVP: Marcus "Kjaerbye" Kjaerbye

Train was first off in the rotation for the day's final matches. Astralis absolutely demolished CLG in every aspect. Although there were quite a few rounds that ended up a 2v2, 1v1 type situation CLG just weren't able to get the high impact or the clutch frags necessary to take down the behemoth from Denmark. The first 6 rounds went in favour of Astralis whom lost one, then went on another 7 run streak and closed out the half 13:2 and with quick work managed to close out match one as well at 16:2.

Dust 2 was next and the finishing map of the first day of the Group C round robin. CLG performed a bit better than their previous match, but not well enough to stop team Astralis. The first half showed how lethal Astralis can be on T side with their coordinated peaks and pushes, distraction smokes and quick rotates, they closed the first half at 9:6. At the opening round of the second half Zonic (coach, fill-in for Karrigan) got 4 pistol frags and begun the rally which took Astralis to a quick win at 16:6.

Wednesday, June 8th - Round robin

? CLG vs.  NRG eSports – 10:5, 6:2 (16:7); 6:9, 8:7 (14:16)
Winners: CLG, NRG eSports
Maps: de_Train, de_Dust2
MVP: Justin "jdm64" Marzano

To start off the day we look towards train. It looked as if NRG were going to pull away with a significant lead as they managed to win 3 of the first four rounds. However that hope was soon demolished as CLG went on a very impressive run, only allowing a couple wins from NRG until the 20th round when gob b got an impressive 3 kill with the swag 7 and the 21st round where the Germans were able to come back from a 3v5. CLG closed the match out in the 23 round at 16:7.

Next up was Dust 2 in which both teams performed very well. The spread was very even in the first half of the map but CLG's CT side quickly fell after the first few pistol rounds and only managed to get a few more rounds onto the board. They did come out strong though for the second half, storming sites and playing a very fast CS their T side won 8 of the first 9 maps to put them at 14:10. However, NRG wasn't going away and they fought back with a 6 round win streak to end the match.

? Astralis vs. SK Gaming – 3:12, 3:4 (6:16);  10:5, 6:2 (16:7)
Winners: Astralis, SK Gaming
Maps: de_Train, de_Overpass
MVP: Nicolai "Device" Reedtz

SK Gaming's T side on Train was a force to be reckoned with. They only allowed Astralis 3 rounds in the first half while pulling multiple 5+ round win streaks. The half ended at 3:12 with Astralis' ego in what appeared to be shambles after being forced into awkward buys and ecos for nearly 15 rounds straight. The second half was a bit more balanced but it was too little too late and SK was able to close out the map 6:16.

The second map was Overpass and SK took an early lead but quickly found themselves staring at a deficit that only grew larger. In the 13th round Device was on a 1-tap roll getting 3 quick headshots with the AK-47 and was "playing deathmatch" according to the announcers. Magiskboy opened up the 1st pistol round - of the second half - with 2 frags which led to a much needed win from SK gaming where they walked freely onto the A bombsite. Astralis answered back immediately with a forced eco in which four of their members bought deagles and they pushed that round to a win as well as the match at 16:7.

SK Gaming vs.  NRG eSports – 8:7, 8:1 (16:8); 11:4, 5:1 (16:5)
Winner: SK Gaming
Maps: de_Nuke, de_Cobblestone
MVP: Andreas "MODDII" Fridh

Nuke for the first of this Bo2 which is a map we haven't seen much of during this group stage. The first half was remarkably even ending in an 8:7 with Magiskboy taking advantage of a silo plant on the B bombsite to hold down a 3v1 clutch to win round 14. But once SK gaming got onto their CT side, there was little that NRG could do to stop them. They had complete dominance over the economy and on most rounds they wouldn't lose more than 1 or 2 players leading to very cheap buys in the following turns. The match ended quickly at 16:8.

We all know Cobble has become a T sided map, so it's no surprise that SK came out with a very strong lead going into the second half at 11:4. They were very aggressive, controlling the pace and keeping NRG from stringing more than 1 round win consecutively throughout the entire match. Without much delay after the half-time break SK closed out the final match of the group stages at 16:5.

Thursday, June 9th - Weekly semi-finals, Bo3

? Astralis vs. NRG eSports – 9:6, 7:7 (16:13); 9:6, 6:9, 4:1 (19:16)
Winner: ? Astralis
Maps: de_Overpass, de_Cache
MVP: Nicolai "Device" Reedtz

Overpass, semi-finals, rematch between Astralis and NRG. The Germans came out strong winning 5 of the first 8 rounds but fell short to the defensive coordination of Astralis. The young Denmark team was able to push through via smokes, or lack of T side presence in certain areas which gave them a lot of information on what was happening. Also nearly every T to CT encounter Astralis would have 2 member's peaking at once. The first half finished at 9:6. The latter half of the game was exciting, neither side running out of control. Rounds were coming down to the wire and neither team were able to stabilise their economy to a comfortable level. Despite NRG's best efforts (much better than on Tuesday) they lost the first match 16:3.

In typical Astralis fashion they pulled ahead with an early half-time lead. They were able to manage their money well by keeping most players alive at the end of rounds and utilizing Xyp9x as a strong support. NRG had a fantastic 15th round forced eco they turned into a win to keep it at a marginal 3 round deficit 9:6. NRG's defensive CT side proved to be much more formidable this time around and they were able to keep Astralis from closing out the match. They traded rounds back and forth eventually bringing the game to overtime, the first of this group stage. Kjaerbye nearly clutched a 1v2 in the 2nd round of overtime but Legija was able to get NRG their only overtime round win. Three rounds later the match was over, Astralis took it 19:16.

? CLG vs. SK Gaming – 3:12, 3:4 (6:16); 7:8, 9:2 (16:10); 12:3, 4:11 (16:14)
Winner: ?? CLG
Maps: de_Train, de_Cobblestone, de_Overpass
MVP: Justin "jdm64" Marzano

The first match (Train) was an echo of what SK did to Astralis in the group stages. Their CT side was too much for CLG to handle and although the round wins weren't perfect they were winning those clutch situations and consistently making their impact frags. CLG began picking up some momentum in the late stages of the game winning 3 straight rounds to bring the score to 6:14, however once SK was able to buy again and recuperate themselves it wasn't much of a chore for them to end this game at 6:16.

Cobblestone granted a very exciting first half with both teams playing well and keeping the round scores close. Most specifically on round 14 CLG managed to win a forced eco with a very crucial play by JDM hiding in an unchecked corner of the A bombsite whom got two quick frags. Round 15 came to 2v2 and looked to be in the favour of SK gaming, however Friis, who hadn't been playing exceptionally well, missed a point blank AWP shot which cost them the round. The half closed at 7:8 favouring SK. The last half of the map was ruled by CLG and Pimp, from SK Gaming. Pimp was phenomenal on the AWP but with him alone the only performing player of SK, CLG was able to win 9 out of the 11 rounds with an incredible 25th round by JDM where he got 4 kills and the clutch win. CLG ran away with the second match 16:10.

The deciding match was to be Overpass, also, the last match of the semi-finals. Winner to go onto face Astralis tomorrow in a Bo3. The CT sides dominated this map, firstly it was CLG ramping up 12 wins in the first half. Round 5 JDM got a collateral double kill with the AWP, a play that involved a teammate of his throwing an HE grenade at the door towards B site, blowing it apart exposing 2 lined up SK players. The second half of the matched looked as if CLG was going to bring it to a quick end; they won the first two rounds bringing the score to 14:3. However SK managed a forced eco win in the 18th round and went on to bring the score closer with an 8 round rally of consecutive wins towards the end of the game. Despite the efforts of SK they fell just short of the win, 16:14.

Friday, June 10th - Weekly final, Bo3

? Astralis vs.  CLG – 11:4, 5:3 (16:7); 9:6, 6:9, 1:4 (16:19); 7:8, 9:3 (16:11)
Winner: ? Astralis
Maps: de_Mirage, de_Dust2, de_Overpass
MVP: Marcus "Kjaerbye" Kjaerbye

Mirage went as expected. Astralis played with a heightened game sense and team tactics leaving CLG with little room to make plays or capitalize off certain encounters. After 15 rounds JDM was the only player on CLG to have kills in the double digits, Tarik managed just 3. Certain rounds such as round 13 should have went to CLG being that they had the better buy, however Astralis kept them stunned with a flurry of flashbangs and it was like paper to the shredder as CLG tried to storm the A bombsite. The second half of the map was over fairly quickly, each team had some momentum and strung some round wins together but the deficit was too much to come back from and Astralis took map 1 at 16:7.

CLG took command of the beginning of Dust2 by winning 6 of the 7 opening rounds. That momentum was short-lived and they were held at those 6 rounds for the entirety of the first half with Astralis winning the next 8. The wins weren't as graceful however, CLG seemed to be putting up a much more convincing fight. The economy was never stacked against them, they weren't losing rounds on end with the entire Astralis team left alive. In the likeness of CLG's T side, Astralis now took command of the beginning of the second half putting the match and final at match point 9:15. However CLG stepped up, crushing round 25 on a forced eco and using that momentum to tie the game and send it into overtime. CLG started on the CT side and managed to win all 3 rounds, mainly due to an exciting mid battle which they typically came out on top of. Although Astralis came out with a quick CT side win the match was over very soon thereafter 16:19.

The last game of the final, winner to move onto the playoffs. It was all on Overpass. CLG stuck to their trend and put 7 round wins up rather quickly leaving Astralis with only 2. This momentum was answered with aggression from Astralis as they clawed their way back round after round. Partially due to the fact that CLG couldn't get a clean win, each round was extremely costly and therefore their money situation never grew much past a couple thousand. Astralis closed out the final round of the half against an eco-ing T side, 7:8. The second half seemed a bit odd to watch, CLG were playing an extremely passive defence. To the point where they nearly let them walk onto the bombsite and plant before engaging in a fight. The rounds weren't coming as easy as they could have, Karrigan clutched a 2v1 in round 20 from B site connector that was absolutely insane. It took CLG 6 rounds before they could put one on the board and by that point you could feel it was too late. Astralis was on fire, they let up just a bit and CLG capitalized on it, bringing the match to 11:13. However that's as far CLG would go. Astralis took the final game 16:11 and move onto the playoffs to fight against the other group-stage finalists.

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