PGL Cluj-Napoca preview - Vitality set for back-to-back wins?

PGL Cluj-Napoca has flown under the radar a little bit, but this is a genuine top tier event.

Despite the notable absence of Team Spirit, most of the big boys are here to play along with a choice selection of challengers from the tier below - though it's worth saying there's not a whole lot of new blood.

All 16 teams played at IEM Krakow, so it's unlikely we see too much variation from the theme in terms of who is good and who is not, but there's plenty still to get excited about as the top four are still glorious to watch face off against each other.

Any chance we get to watch FURIA, Falcons, Vitality and MOUZ on LAN, we will take and we will enjoy.

Cluj-Napoca uses a full BO3 Swiss system group stage straight into playoffs, which is a format that we're very partial to. Eight team playoffs are always a relief after IEMs, and the Swiss system does just seem to create great drama and storylines, regardless of your personal gripes and potential flaws with it.

Vitality come in as the big favourites, as they sauntered (as much as one can) to a win against FURIA in the grand final of IEM Krakow. It was relatively close on paper, but it always felt like Vitality were coasting a little bit, not least on Nuke, and FURIA only took a map in which Vitality bottled a massive lead. They look indubitably the best team in the world, and it would be an upset were they to lose to anyone, even another top four team.

FURIA and Falcons come in next, and if Vitality are to not win, it will likely be one of them. molodoy's form at the start of this year has proven that he wasn't just a six month purple patch, and he legitimately is one of the best players in the world. His ability to take a game by the scruff of the neck and bend it to his will is near-unmatched outside of the two S+ tier players, and one of them isn't here. He isn't consistently the third best player in the world, but his aggression and unpredictability mean he can hit those heights quite regularly, and he's given total freedom on this team. He's an absolute must-watch in every game he's in, and the main reason FURIA are an elite team, and the mean reason they're so damn fun to watch.

Speaking of being a delight to watch, Falcons are inconsistent, underwhelming, and have some map pool issues, but they also have one of the most outrageously gifted trios ever. NiKo/kyousuke/m0NESY is an ostentatious flaunting of Falcons' wealth, and pull, and once again a team you cannot miss. They probably won't win the event, because they're too quicksilver, but when they do win it's a glorious watch.

Outside of the top teams (you know all about MOUZ by now - GOAT team in group stage, OG in the playoffs), there's a little intrigue around a handful of teams.

Aurora's run at Krakow showed they might just have refound some of their best form of the last 18 months, but still with the dodgy track record in playoffs. They totally capitulated in the quarter-finals, and now have some pressure again to show that this wasn't a flash in the pan. soulfly is an enigma, who was pretty rubbish against the weaker teams and stepped up massively against some of the better teams, but that doesn't feel sustainable.

We'd love to be proven wrong.

FUT are their first game, and they are interesting too. They're very young and seem to be going from strength to strength, with dem0n in particular looking filthy in Krakow. They're a team you should watch a lot of, because they're one of the few teams you don't know everything about, and their trio of wunderkinder will be on eliter teams very soon, at this rate.

PARIVISION continue to bedazzle and bemuse in equal measure, and finding out where they're going to land is intriguing. B8 have another new player, quelle surprise, and that's going to be interesting for the three series they play in.

That's a joke! They might play at least four.

Astralis looked very good in Krakow, and we're now expecting a lot more than before. We've been let down by them in the past, but maybe this one isn't a false dawn. Maybe. Please. For crying out loud.

The full list of games can be found here, but personally we're most interested in Vitality vs G2 and Aurora vs FUT. We've outlined both Aurora and FUT above, but Vitality vs G2 is just a fun watch because... well, there's loads of good players on the server, quite simply.

HeavyGod and MATYS have been lighting it up recently, but they'll need a superhuman performance to stop a rampaging Vitality. If anyone can pull off a crazy win over Vitality, though, it's G2, although they'll probably lose the next two. C'est la vie.

This is an event worth sticking on this weekend, even if you did have other plans. Apparently, the 14th of February is a big day for some people, but not for us.

Unless you mean because of PGL Cluj-Napoca, of course.