EU Masters 1v1 Qualifier #1 Recap

After 4 weeks of competition determined the top 8 to be invited into EU Masters, today saw the beginning of the battle to be the best of the rest, with 2 of the final 8 slots given out in the first 1v1 qualifier. Who rose to the occasion, and who faltered when it mattered most? Here’s our recap from the day’s play.

Artyrus A No Show

A part of the legendary FC Ultirus and a semi finalist in week 2, Artyrus came into the event as the #1 seed, with high expectations on an immediate qualification.

But for reasons unbeknown to us, Artyrus didn’t turn up to today’s qualifier, instead opting to forfeit his match. Whether it’s the case of deciding to focus on 2s, a loss of interest in the game, or something else, it’s still worrying for his qualification as potentially one of Europe’s best, and now opens the door ajar to others.

Grathis Upsets Leny

Leny was incredibly unlucky to miss out on qualification, just 10 points off top 8, and came into the qualifier with huge form, having made top 4 in the final week of the events.

Yet after a reasonably comfortable run to top 16, Leny was pitted against new Belgian player Grathis. The Belgian may not have been well known in a competitive scene prior to today, but his come from behind 3-2 victory over Leny more than proves his worth, eliminating the top seed from that bracket of the draw, and putting his name forward as a contender for future qualification.

Spineur Continues Hot Streak

Coming in as one of the event’s top seeds, Spineur was keen to follow up his back to back top 8 performances in week 3 and 4 by booking his ticket for the EU Masters.

In the early stages of the bracket, Spineur dominated his opposition, exhibiting why he came so close to direct invitation by not even dropping a game en route to the qualification match.

At the final hurdle, Spineur was faced with Team Mystic’s rising star, Lonnas, who had conquered some big players in his path to their matchup. From the get go, Spineur appeared slightly out of sorts, with some overcommits and lack of boost management costing him his first loss of the day in game 2 of the series.

But with the series tied up, and qualification chances on the line, Spineur adopted a goal line defensive game style, which had Lonnas looking incredibly uncomfortable. Paired with his perfect, high gold shots, Spineur quickly bounced back in the matchup, wrestling the series from Lonnas’ grasp to take the win 3-1, solidifying his spot at the EU Masters.

DerLotus Holds Off Late Gus_Gamer Charge

Two of the consistent achievers of the region, this matchup boasted a huge opportunity for both to cement their place within Europe’s best. After each had a minor mishap in the earlier stages of the bracket, this Western Europe series promised to be a great one.

Although both appeared nervous under the circumstances of playing in front of hundreds and an EU Masters ticket on the line, shown especially through Gus’ early overcommits, it turned out to be a series fought tooth and nail.

Despite DerLotus seeming to pull away early, nailing his high gold shots and putting away his chances off his opponents errors, the 2-0 lead was quickly dwindled as Gus brought the series back to 2-2 off some slow, hesitant plays from Lotus.

But with the series on the line, and the game locked at 2-2, Lotus rose to the occasion, nailing a gold shot from the ground and finding a perfect defensive clear to secure the game 4-2, sealing his spot in the top 16 in Europe.