Since Mr. Geospliced isn't here and there's like an hour before this match starts, I shall take the introduction role
CN Kickoff Play-In: Trace Esports vs Titan Esports Club
TE Brief Information: They got sent down to the lower bracket of Group A after a hard-fought series against FPX, which the latter eventually won for a direct playoff spot. TE then proceeded to demolish NOVA for the play-in spot, dropping only 9 rounds in the entire series. Though everyone on Trace showed up that day, FengF and Kai contributed the most to that dominant series, as both players had a +19 kill differential. TE has become a top 4 team in the Chinese region since the end of 2023, and hope to retain that spot by making the playoffs.
TEC Brief Information: After a close loss to the Ascension winners DRG, who qualified for the playoffs, they barely squeezed out a win against JDG in the Group B decider match, with the standard scenario of stew top fragging but his teammates all having negative KDs. Rb has shown to be pretty consistent with his new team, showing that he's still one of the most flexible players in the Asian regions. Abo struggled a little bit in the JDG rematch but we've seen that when he's feeling it, he can be a force to be reckoned with. For being one of the younger teams in China, this team has already proved a lot and can make deep runs in the league.
TE Players to Watch: FengF is insanely good on Raze, which means he goes bezerk on this Raze-favored mappool. Kai was also an oppressive force in his match against NOVA.
TEC Players to Watch: Rb has put up pretty good numbers throughout the entirety of the group stage, and intends to continue that trend going into the play-in stage. Additionally, Abo can absolutely wreak havoc if he gets a good start to the game.
Prediction: 2-1 TEC. Both teams have shown pretty strong Lotus gameplay, so we might see an OT if a team picks it.
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