Welcome to “clootch unwraps 2016”
In this series, we will recap and highlight different aspects of the past year in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Today, we will focus on the best and most surprising tournament upsets of 2016.
OpTic Gaming’s incredible win at ELEAGUE Season 2
In a fully-offline event, OpTic Gaming defied all expectations to emerge as the champions. With top teams from around the world in attendance, no one predicted OpTic’s victory. Their journey through this stacked event was truly shocking and one of the biggest upsets of the year.
The tournament featured all the best teams, including double-major winners SK Gaming, recent ESL One New York champions Na`Vi, and ELEAGUE’s Season 1 champions Virtus.pro. The community expected these championship-winning teams to dominate the competition. However, OpTic, the underdogs, surprised everyone and made it to the grand finals.
Some may argue that OpTic had an easier path to the finals, facing slumping teams like EnVyUs and Fnatic. But the truth is, OpTic won fair and square, defeating every team that stood in their way. Their victory was well-deserved and a testament to their skill and determination.
OpTic’s win at ELEAGUE becomes even more impressive when you consider the teams they beat. They defeated mousesports, who had beaten Cloud9, the reigning ESL Pro League champions. They also defeated FaZe Clan, who knocked out Virtus.pro, the Season 1 champions. Finally, they overcame the reigning world champions SK Gaming in the semifinals. OpTic Gaming truly earned their victory.
The buzz around OpTic Gaming will fade, but their incredible underdog story will be remembered for a long time. If ELEAGUE hosts a third season, we will eagerly await OpTic’s performance.
Cloud9’s triumph at ESL Pro League Season 4
Cloud9, a North American team, had been steadily improving before their victory at the Pro League Finals. The dynamic duo of Stewie2k and autimatic had propelled Cloud9 back to the top of their continent.
Cloud9’s win at the Pro League Finals wasn’t as shocking as OpTic’s, mainly because they were seen as a strong team. However, the absence of top teams like Na`Vi and Virtus.pro due to failing to qualify online did take away some of the event’s credibility.
Despite this, Cloud9 finished the tournament in spectacular fashion, defeating home team SK Gaming in the best-of-three finale. It was the perfect ending to their fairytale story.
Credit must be given to Cloud9 for defeating some European giants in the group stages. They found victories over NiP and Team Dignitas. In the grand finals, they showed their mettle by defeating the kings of the scene, SK Gaming, in a convincing best-of-three.
Cloud9’s victory was deserved and worthy of recognition. They proved themselves against tough competition and bested the major champions at the last hurdle.
Team Dignitas survives EPICENTER’s battle royale
EPICENTER was a tournament with no weak teams, making it a tall order for underdogs like Team Dignitas to win. However, they managed to walk away with the title.
Team Dignitas had been on a hot streak prior to EPICENTER, thanks to the addition of Emil “Magiskb0y” Reif. They defeated top teams like Virtus.pro and Na`Vi on their way to becoming the champions of EPICENTER.
Since their win, Team Dignitas is now considered one of the top teams in the scene. Their success in Russia surprised everyone and proved that they should not be underestimated.
What tournament result shocked you the most this year? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @GAMURScom.