The Return
The Group Stage of the Australian eSports Federation League has just come to a close, ending a seven-week round robin consisting of eight of the best teams that Australia has to offer. With only four places in the LAN Finals available, the battle was tough, particularly for the fourth and final spot.
In a change from last season, the scoring was reworked, with a 2-0 win in each best-of-three series now worth three points rather than two. This meant that every clean sweep became increasingly important.
The eight participating teams were Natural 9, Water (previously Pecado Drop), Ponlul, Team Focus, AEF Leftovers, Seventh Heaven, Fox Gaming and Sugoi Squad.
Let’s take a look at the qualifiers…
Natural 9
The favourites heading into the competition, defending champions Natural 9 were aiming to live up to their reputation as the best team in Australia.
They started tentatively in Week 1, securing a 2-1 victory against Seventh Heaven, and questions were soon being asked about whether the other teams were catching up to them. These fears were partially dispelled after their Week 2 2-0 victory over Sugoi Squad, but a 0-2 defeat to Water the following week only resulted in those questions resurfacing.
They answered them unequivocally as they stormed through the rest of the Round Robin stage after that, with impressive performances from mid-laner Xemistry in particular. They did not drop a single game for the rest of the tournament and ended the Group Stage on 6-1, with a hefty 17 points.
Water
Water were the only team to beat Natural 9 and ended up being their closest competitors.
They started off well, picking up three 2-0 victories over Sugoi Squad, Team Focus and N9, an impressive feat considering the team hadn’t competed here last season. Splicko and Matino stood out in particular, managing to get heavy leads and make plays all over the map.
However, things started to fall apart after this. They stumbled in Week 4, gifting Fox Gaming their first win of the competition, and then in Week 5 they gave Seventh Heaven their first win too after four straight defeats.
They did manage to bounce back though, winning their final two matches to place 2nd overall, only two points behind Natural 9.
Ponlul
Like Water, Ponlul also started off well by managing to win their first three matches, but only one of these was a straight 2-0 success. Week 4 put them up against a renewed Natural 9 outfit and they were unable to stand up to the reigning champions, succumbing 0-2.
They bounced back in Week 5 by claiming their second 2-0 win of the campaign, but their season ended rather disappointingly with two defeats, including one to Seventh Heaven, the team that seemed only to do well against the top sides.
This saw Ponlul secure a 4-3 record, leaving them in 3rd place with 11 points. Given that iG Vitality’s Meracle played for the side in the opening three weeks, their chances in the LAN Finals are in doubt, especially seeing as their only win after his departure was against the worst team in the league.
The Final Team
While the top three qualified pretty comfortably, the battle for the fourth and final slot was considerably tougher.
Everything hinged on Week 7 performances, along with a delayed Week 6 match between Seventh Heaven and Fox Gaming which was to round off the Group Stage on 29 March, seven days after the final Week 7 game.
Team Focus’ win over Sugoi Squad in Week 7’s opening game put them in 4th place, giving them a 3-4 record and 10 points. Fox were eliminated in the second clash as they fell 2-0 to Natural 9. This meant they couldn’t get enough points to pip Focus even if they secured a 2-0 win in their delayed match against Seventh Heaven.
Water’s win over AEF Leftovers in the third game removed another contender and although it seemed Focus were home and dry, Seventh Heaven’s surprising 2-1 win over Ponlul meant that they still had a chance come the delayed clash against Fox Gaming. However, Fox had other ideas and secured a 2-0 victory over them. This meant Focus were untouched in 4th and it pushed Seventh Heaven down into the relegation zone.
Overview
While Natural 9 have shown they are still a top team, their loss to Water suggests that talent in Australia is improving. This was also highlighted in the fierce battle for 4th place.
The finals will be held at the University of Melbourne from 7-8 April, with a share of a $4,850 AUD prize pool on offer. It will be interesting to see whether Natural 9 can defend their crown successfully or whether the gap between them and the other teams has narrowed.
