[LIVE] Liquid, FURIA, EG, and Eternal Fire fight for playoffs in Malta

18:55 Liquid, FURIA, Evil Geniuses, and Eternal fire are still in playoff contention

Only Cloud9 secured their post in the playoffs heading into the fifth day of play in Group D at ESL Pro League Season 16, with the race for the last two qualifying positions still wide open.

The only team out of contention is Movistar Riders. The Spaniards came into the event with very little practice with Antonio “⁠Martinez⁠” Martinez, and it showed. Four losses on the bounce means they sit at the bottom of the group and will play only for pride against Eternal Fire later today.

Cloud9 4W-0L
FURIA 3W-1L
Liquid 2W-2L
Evil Geniuses 2W-2L
Eternal Fire 1W-3L
Movistar Riders 0W-4L

FURIA just needs one map

The Brazilians of FURIA are on the brink of securing their presence in the knockout stage. Taking one map away from Evil Geniuses will see the South American squad through without any issues, while a Cloud9 victory over Liquid would also see them advance even if they lose.

The only scenario which has FURIA miss on playoffs is if they lose to Evil Geniuses 0-2 and Nick “⁠nitr0⁠” Cannella‘s men beat Cloud9.

Liquid with a number of options

The situation is a little more complicated for Liquid. A victory over Cloud9 would secure the North American squad a spot in the playoffs, but even a single map win would see them through if both Eternal Fire and FURIA win. This scenario, however, does not apply if both the Turks and Brazilians sweep their opponents, in which case Liquid would be eliminated.

If Movistar Riders and FURIA win, nitr0‘s men will seal their spot in the playoffs, regardless of their own result. Another elimination scenario activates if Liquid lose to Cloud9 and Evil Geniuses beats FURIA.

A 2-0 secures Evil Geniuses playoffs

Things get even trickier for Evil Geniuses. Sanzhar “⁠neaLaN⁠” Iskhakov‘s men’s are out of playoff contention in most scenarios, but even a single map win against FURIA improves their chances of advancing significantly.

They guarantee a top 3 spot if they defeat FURIA 2-0, but even a 2-1 sees them through as long as Cloud9 win against Liquid. If Evil Geniuses lose the series 1-2, they would need Vladislav “⁠nafany⁠” Gorshkov and company to sweep Liquid and Eternal Fire to beat Movistar Riders.

Eternal Fire with theoretical chance

Engin “⁠MAJ3R⁠” Küpeli‘s men can only advance to the playoffs if they beat Movistar Riders and both Cloud9 and FURIA win their respective games. The Brazilians must sweep Evil Geniuses for this scenario to activate, any other variations will see the Turkish squad out of contention.