European League Stage 3: Everything You Need To Know

_{Banner image: Ubisoft / Joao Ferreira}

Siege is back in Europe starting from tomorrow, Sep. 12. Keep on reading to find out what happened after Berlin, and what’s to come.

Rogue

Rogue’s success in Berlin just three weeks ago puts the team as the favorite in the region to qualify for the November Major. Experience and youth have melded perfectly, with their most recent championship coming without any scrimmages and a “light schedule”.

All eyes will be on William “Spoit” Löfstedt and Tom “Deapek” Pieksma, who were brilliant in what was their first international event. Overall, viewers have high expectations around the current Six Major champions.

G2 Esports

After five games, G2 Esports’ hopes for qualifying for their Major were almost non-existent. But, against all odds, the team overturned the situation. G2 ended up finishing among the best eight sides in Berlin and were sent home by the eventual champions, Rogue. 

On top of that, they were having personal issues, as Kevin “Prano” Pranowitz revealed in his TwitLonger, where he mentioned he had taken the decision of leaving G2 “before the stage even started” as it was a that “[he did not] want to be a part of”.

G2 Esports are yet to announce Prano and legendary coach Thomas “Shas” Lee’s replacements, but the announcement should come tomorrow.

Wolves Esports

Wolves’ second stage was as good as it could be. By play day five, the French squad were still unbeaten with 15 points to their name. A week later, the team certified their presence at the Berlin Major.

Eventually, Wolves Esports would fall in Berlin against the Brazilian-majority roster of XSET, losing 2-0. Wolves’ progression throughout the last months has been strong, however, with the players learning from their experiences without needing roster changes. They will now focus on qualifying for their third Six Major in a row, which would also qualify them for the upcoming Six Invitational.

MNM Gaming

MNM are possibly one of the most exciting rosters in Europe. After half a year in Europe’s top-flight league, they have certainly adapted to the demands of the competition. 

Throughout the second stage, Fatih “Solotov” Türker established himself as one of the greatest entries in the region, with Josh “Yuzus” Pritchard ending up among the top five players of the split.

MNM Gaming couldn’t make it through the group stage in Berlin, but defeated both Astralis and FURIA Esports once to go home with some strong performances. With the team getting experience while achieving their international goals, they are not just one of the favorites to qualify for the November Major, but also for the Six Invitational 2023.

Team BDS

After missing out on an international event for the first time since their promotion to Europe’s top-flight, the French squad decided to drop Adrien “RaFaLe” Rutik. His replacement is still unknown, but BDS need a good third stage to avoid any possible complications in the Six Invitational Global Standings.

Heroic

Heroic’s first stage was a shock everyone in the competition, with the team winning eight of their nine matches. With 24 points to their name, they recorded the highest ever tally in a European League stage.

However, the second split was completely different and the team missed out on the Berlin Major after a final-week loss against G2 Esports. Georgi “GorgoNa” Stoyanov and Jake “Sloth” Brown parted ways with the team after the end of the stage, with March “Jume” Steinmann and Maxime “Meloo” Cahagnet their replacements. Both players will be making their professional debuts on Monday.

Natus Vincere

Despite a promising start to the second stage, NAVI  couldn’t keep up with the top four and finished in seventh place – five points behind fourth-placed G2.

Heading into the final stage of the year, they have made two changes to try and qualify for the November Major. Pedro “Thuunder” Muniz was the first who parted ways with the team, while Byron “Blurr” Murray also left. Signed in their stead were the tier-two players of Jake “Leadr” Fortunato and Edoardo “T3b” Treglia.

Team Secret

Team Secret head into the final stage of the season in a complicated spot, hence why the team has made three changes to the team. 

Following the departure of Szymon “Saves” Kamieniak, who joined the team before the second stage, and the benching of Keenan “Keenan” Dunne, Secret have opted to sign Dawid “Gruby” Marciniak and Reece “ASTRO” Lambert. Things are looking up for them with the fresh blood, especially with their new esteemed coach, former FURIA man Marlon “Twister” Mello.

Outsiders

Outsiders have picked up three former Team Empire players in Dmitry “Always” Mitrahovich, Danila “dan” Dontsov, and Danil “JoyStiCK” Gabov with the goal of getting back to international competitions. JoyStiCK, however, is ostensibly a coach.

This is as only two of the trio can officially play, as Ubisoft’s rules state that teams can only sign two players per transfer window. However, teams are allowed to also sign a coach, who is only allowed to play if a player from the starting lineup cannot play due to "exceptional circumstances".

TT9 Esports

Formerly PWNZ (Team Empire), TT9 head into the final stage of the year without making changes to the squad. Team Empire parted ways with their roster on Sep. 6, with TT9 announcing their signing of the team on Sep. 11.

Their time in the EUL has already been difficult; SiegeGG reported on the players' struggle to keep playing throughout the 2022 season after sanctions in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine hit Team Empire. The organization subsequently failed to pay its players "since March", said team manager Igor "TheRealestRussian" Obukhov.

Their player Nikita "Niko2k" Rusyaev also revealed that he "should be paid" but he "didn’t know now" and said that the situation became so dire for him in Jul. that he was forced to "eat (just) bread for the 2-3 days" after complications with his bank. He also mentioned he had to "sell some of (his) things, mouses or keyboard, to have money as well."

However, with TT9 signing them, things might be looking up and they could be getting some much-needed stability.