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ESL Pro League Group C Lower Bracket Begins

The third of four groups at the ESL Pro League Season 18 is underway with their triple-elimination bracket to determine the four representatives from the group that will be seeded into the Playoffs bracket.

Imperial Esports, 5yclone, 9z Team, and M80 have all lost twice since play started on Wednesday, meaning they are all one loss away from elimination as they kick off the Lower Bracket this weekend.

There is still plenty of Counter-Strike to be played in Group C, and you can catch it all on both Twitch and YouTube.

M80 vs. 9z Team

  • When: Saturday, September 16th – 6:30 AM ET
  • Odds: M80 (+167) vs. 9z Team (-205)

The first game kicking off the weekend will be between the last two winless teams in Group C M80 and 9z Team. Neither team has been able to win a single map so far this tournament and will need a complete turn in play for them to even think about making it to the Playoffs. 9z Team was able to keep their first map with FaZe Clan close in the opening round of the tournament.

However, FaZe Clan dominated them on the second map 16-3. Even though both of their games with Imperial Esports were close, they were unable to find a win in either game.

M80 fell in the opening round 0-2 to Apeks in a match that also started out rather close. They’d then lose in the Middle Bracket to 5Yclone 0-2.

Fnatic vs. Apeks

  • When: Saturday, September 16th – 10 AM ET
  • Odds: Fnatic (-165) vs. Apeks (+127)

Fnatic and Apeks will compete in the Middle Bracket Finals for a spot in the Playoffs, with the losers facing the winner of M80 vs. 9z Team in the Lower Bracket.

Fnatic has been in a ton of close matches so far, starting their tournament with a 2-1 win over Imperial Esports before losing to FaZe Clan 1-2 after winning the first map. In the Middle Bracket, they were able to bounce back with a 2-0 win over 5Yclone, setting up their match with Apeks.

Apeks’s first match of the tournament was a 2-0 over M80 before they fell to Natus Vincere 2-0. Once in the Middle Bracket, they won an incredibly close 2-0 match against Imperial Esports.

5Yclone vs. Imperial Esports

  • When: Saturday, September 16th – 1:30 PM ET
  • Odds: 5Yclone (+130) vs. Imperial Esports (-170)

Though both 5Yclone and Imperial Esports find themselves in the Lower Bracket, they’ve both had moments of competitiveness throughout their tournament runs so far.

In their losses, both to Fnatic and Apeks, Imperial Esports has looked competitive and held their own on every map. Success may be just around the corner for this squad.

5Yclone is a team that has been playing well even in their losses. They held their own against both Natus Vincere and Fnatic and shouldn’t be overlooked here as we near the end of Group C.

FaZe Clan vs. Natus Vincere

  • When: Sunday, September 17th – 10 AM ET
  • Odds: FaZe Clan (-130) vs. Natus Vincere (+100)

Of all the teams competing this weekend, FaZe Clan and Natus Vincere have the least amount of pressure, having both already qualified for the Playoffs. Regardless of the result, both teams are moving on and only are playing each other to determine seeding.

FaZe Clan got to the Upper Bracket Final via wins over 9z Team and Fnatic, while Natus Vincere got here via wins over 5Yclone and Apeks. Oddsmakers and fans agree this should be a close match, one any Counter-Strike fans won’t want to miss.