KOI out of Kickoff, Gentle Mates to take on FNATIC

Gentle Mates Gentle Mates Europe Rank #25 K4DAVRA Thomas Johner RobbieBk Robbie Boerkamp Minny Patrik Hušek Zyppan Pontus Eek Click Haydem Ali have eliminated KOI KOI Europe Rank #40 grubinho Grzegorz Ryczko sheydos Bogdan Naumov Filu Dawid Czarnecki flyuh Xavier Carlson soulcas Dom Sulcas from EMEA Kickoff after defeating them in the Lower Round 1. Their victory confirms them as the next team FNATIC FNATIC Europe Rank #4 crashies Austin Roberts Boaster Jake Howlett kaajak Kajetan Haremski Chronicle Timofey Khromov Alfajer Emir Ali Beder will face in their lower bracket run next week.

Haven started off in nearly the same fashion as the previous Team Liquid Team Liquid Europe Rank #24 paTiTek Patryk Fabrowski kamyk Maks Rychlewski nAts Ayaz Akhmetshin Keiko Georgio Sanassy kamo Kamil Frąckowiak and Apeks Apeks Europe Rank #2 florescent Ava Eugene hype Tautvydas Paldavicius MOLSI Michał Łącki AvovA Auni Chahade batujnax Mehmet Batu Özaslan series: a first-half steamroll. The Mates seemed almost unstoppable on defense; Click and K4DAVRA displayed great shooting capabilities, with the rest of the team trailing not far behind. By the end of the half, KOI were looking at a rough 2-10 scoreline, seemingly impossible to survive.

Even after losing the pistol, Mates simply won the eco and closed out the map strong with a 13-3 scoreline. Nobody was able to step up to the plate on the side of KOI, with the highest performer taking the form of a 12-14 Filu , who ended Haven with a 0.83 rating. On the other end of the stadium, Gentle Mates' lowest performer, Zyppan , cruised along with a 0.92 rating on Breach.

Every other player on Gentle Mates ended Haven with above a 1.35 rating, a feat normally reserved for pop-off instances. K4DAVRA – the only remaining player from last year's roster – in particular excelled on the Controller role, dropping a 20-6 K/D and a 1.93 rating that dwarfed the performance of the rest of the server save Click.

KOI's pick of Lotus was their last hope late into the series. Facing elimination early on, the team brought out a peculiar double-Sentinel, Tejo, Omen, and Yoru composition. The questionable move seemingly caught Gentle Mates by surprise early on in the series, as KOI won the first five rounds of the half convincingly, prompting a timeout from the Mates.

Despite picking up some rounds in the first half, Gentle Mates looked uncomfortable and outpaced compared to their enemies. Haven was not enough to beat down the mentality of KOI, who handled rounds fairly organized with a methodical approach, aided by the leadership of flyuh . By the start of the second half, KOI were up 9-3 against the Mates.

In a repeat of Haven, a comeback seemed nearly impossible. This time, however, KOI held the reins, ready to take the series to a third map. Although Mates did not come quietly, there was nothing they could do but prepare for Pearl after KOI closed out Lotus 13-7.

After a quiet Haven, soulcas stepped up and lead his team with a stellar performance on Vyse, netting him a 1.55 rating to accompany his three first deaths. His site holds and survivability were crucial to KOI closing out their defensive half and shutting down fast executes.

A close pistol on Pearl saw Gentle Mates emerge victorious, but KOI answered back with a thrifty the very next round courtesy of a 3k from flyuh. Neither team wanted to exit Kickoff winless, and it showed all throughout the third map. Rounds came down to the wire, with outcomes being influenced by single plays and crucial decisions.

However, the first half slowly slipped in favor of Gentle Mates, as the French representatives ended defense with an 8-4 lead. Their retakes backed by Zyppan's utility and a fired-up Minny allowed them to snatch rounds away from KOI.

The hero of Pearl, however, materialized as Click. His aggressive playstyle and snappy shots opened up rounds for his team, denying a pistol conversion from KOI in the second half and taking his team to a 10-5 scoreline off a thrifty 4k. After a well-planned B site hit brought Gentle Mates to 12, KOI called a timeout, but it was already too late. One timeout from goked was all the Mates needed to take the map and series 13-6.

Gentle Mates displayed extreme prowess and dominance on their winning maps. Minny flew under the radar at first, but ended the series with a 1.40 rating and 11 first bloods, all gained on the Sentinel role. Click followed shortly behind with a 1.33 rating, putting up nine first bloods and ending with a total of 56 kills.

As KOI take a well-deserved rest and reset for their next stage of competition, Gentle Mates will take on FNATIC in an unexpected early matchup next week. EMEA Kickoff will resume on Jan 29 with plenty more action.