SK Gaming Eliminated in Quarterfinals of DreamHack Masters Malmö
Last weekend at DreamHack Masters Malmö, SK Gaming, the highly acclaimed CS:GO team from Brazil, suffered a devastating loss in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.
The Brazilians entered their quarterfinal match against G2 Esports as the favorites, especially after winning the first map, Cobblestone, with a score of 16-11. They were just one point away from victory on the second map, Inferno, with a score of 15-10. However, things took a turn for the worse.
Despite being ahead by five rounds on their Counter-Terrorist side, SK Gaming made a critical mistake when João “felps” Vasconcellos and Fernando “fer” Alvarenga flanked G2 Esports. They were easily eliminated by Alexandre “bodyy” Pianaro, allowing G2 Esports to quickly rotate to the empty B site. G2 took advantage of SK Gaming’s weakened economy and successfully defeated them in the round.
G2 Esports continued to dominate by sending two players to lurk around A and successfully eliminating the remaining SK Gaming players who were saving weapons. SK Gaming lost the round and the map due to their weakened economy. This blunder left SK Gaming’s captain, FalleN, shaking his head in frustration during the tactical pause.
G2 Esports ultimately won Inferno with a score of 19-17 and stunned SK Gaming on Mirage with a score of 16-11, eliminating them from the DreamHack event.
Analysis: What went wrong for SK Gaming?
SK Gaming started the round with a common three A, two B default setup. However, G2 Esports manipulated the play by faking a quick hit and slowing down the pace. SK Gaming fell for the fake and arrived too late to defend the site. G2 Esports executed clean and fundamental Counter-Strike to secure the round.
G2 Esports’ aggro-fake at alt-middle and SK Gaming’s mistake at banana ultimately led to SK Gaming’s downfall on Inferno. It appears that G2 Esports is changing the aggressive meta in the CS:GO scene.
Nathan “NBK” Schmitt of G2 Esports mentioned in an interview with HLTV that they reacted to SK Gaming’s strategies and worked to get the first picks. He also stated that they are trying to break the aggressive meta that many teams follow by using different tactics.
Conclusion
SK Gaming’s elimination in the quarterfinals of DreamHack Masters Malmö was a result of G2 Esports’ strategic play and SK Gaming’s mistakes. G2 Esports’ aggro-fake and SK Gaming’s failure to defend banana were key factors in their loss. It seems that G2 Esports is challenging the aggressive meta in CS:GO.
Related keywords: SK Gaming, G2 Esports, DreamHack Masters Malmö, CS:GO, esports, quarterfinals, playoffs, round, strategic play, aggressive meta