EWC Playoff Preview: A tale of two brackets

EWC’s playoff bracket has drawn a lot of attention, and it’s easy to see why.

One side of the bracket is comparable to a high-budget no-name TO event, with some quality and some tier 2 teams. The other side of the bracket, meanwhile, could easily pass for a major playoff. We’re not complaining, as it’s just a guarantee for some amazing Counter-Strike.

But since this is the obvious divide, we’ll cover both ends of the bracket.

Side A: FURIA’s free hit

God must be a Brazilian, because fortune keeps favoring FURIA.

Just like at the Major, they've got a perfect opportunity to make the finals here at EWC. Their opening matchup against Aurora won't be easy, of course, but the newly international squad has already shown some growing pains, and if FURIA plays to their level, they should be the better team. That’s not to say this bracket is easy, as there are no easy brackets in an event this stacked.

But the competition is flawed. For one, G2 are a question mark right now with r1nkle. What is the ceiling of this team, and will they be able to perform as they did at the Major? Second, MOUZ are still auraless, despite their BOUNTY win. Not that they’re not a competitor, but it just doesn’t feel like they are. Their best bet is the fact that FURIA are definitely winding down slowly, with FalleN’s retirement inching ever closer, so it’s no guarantee they match their expected form.

Still, the Brazilian side will probably be somewhat disappointed to walk away from here without a finals spot at minimum.

Especially when you see:

Side B: Death, Doom, Despair

Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but with the world's #1, #2, and #4 on the same end, it’s always spicy.

NAVI and Spirit both have it somewhat easy in their opening games, as NAVI should beat Legacy 99/100 times, and whilst Spirit are a bit shaky at times, they’re a much better team than B8. There obviously is a world where someone gets upset, but we’re not sure it’s this one. In any case, the winner of these matches won’t have it easy.

There are basically no good results in their mirror matches for NAVI/Legacy and B8/Spirit.

The former will have to face off against either Falcons or The MongolZ, and while obviously you’d rather play The MongolZ, if they just beat the Falcons at the event they’re defending, I wouldn’t be confident. Falcons should be winning that match though; as Major champs they should be the favorite for this whole event, and the groups didn’t give us reason to believe otherwise.

The same can’t be said for their counterparts in FaZe vs Vitality.

These two teams have very different recent form. FaZe Clan are back in the upswing, suddenly a top 7 team again after missing out on the last Major. They’ve got a chance to prove themselves to be a contender at this event. Meanwhile, in the yellow corner, Vitality are doing everything possible to keep their era on life support. With the news of apEX and mezii both becoming dads, it was inevitable Vitality would fizz out eventually, but this tournament is their final hurrah with this roster, and it’s been kind of disappointing. This match will shape whether their group’s loss was a fluke or a sign of things to come.

Though wouldn’t it be poetic if FaZe ended the Vitality era after ropz’s exit started it? Even if they’d probably lose to Spirit in their next game…

In any case, this playoff promises to deliver banger after banger. If you’ve got the time, tune in, because there’s a good chance this will teach us a lot about the scene in the coming months.