The current ESEA Main season certainly did not go to plan for our partner teams. Both Constrict Gaming and Superion Gaming saw their campaigns come to an end during the group stage. Both teams played fourteen matches each, and the season as a whole delivered some very solid performances as well as a few painful moments, which ultimately affected their final positions in the table.
In the case of Constrict Gaming, for a long time it looked as though they were in a genuine battle to achieve a positive win-loss record and keep pace with the teams at the top of the table. The team repeatedly demonstrated that it could compete on equal terms even in very demanding matches, but it lacked consistency and the ability to close out closely fought matches more effectively.
Superion Gaming, on the other hand, started the season in truly promising fashion and, after the opening rounds, could look forward to the rest of the competition with great optimism. The second half of the season, however, proved far more difficult, and several costly losses of points significantly complicated the team’s situation.
Below, we summarise both teams’ journeys through the ESEA Main regular season and highlight the key moments of their season.
Superion Gaming – a strong start and a difficult end to the season
Superion Gaming began the season with some truly promising results. Even their opening matches showed that the team was capable of competing against tough opponents and winning matches under pressure. However, their final record of 5–9 does not fully reflect the course of the entire competition, as for much of the season Superion remained in contention for a much better result.
Over the course of fourteen matches, the team had the opportunity to face both European mixed teams and more high-profile organisations. There was no shortage of thrilling overtime matches, convincing victories and a few very painful defeats. The middle of the season proved particularly crucial, as the team lost valuable points through walkovers, which made their subsequent battle to improve their position in the table much more difficult.
Despite being eliminated after the regular season, Superion Gaming showed that it is capable of competing at ESEA Main level. The team had its moments, and several matches demonstrated that, with greater consistency, the results could have been far more favourable.
A strong start and early victories
The start of the season was quite promising for Superion Gaming, and after just a few rounds it seemed the team was capable of challenging for more than just a mid-table finish. Although the campaign began with a 9–13 defeat to Sosban Fach on Overpass. The match itself looked really solid at times, and the round difference wasn’t particularly large. However, the subsequent matches looked much better, allowing the team to quickly get back on track.
One of the most important moments of the early season was the victory over Rcave. The match, played on Mirage, was incredibly thrilling and only ended after a very long overtime period with a score of 22–20. Winning such a closely fought match must have boosted the whole team’s confidence, particularly as Superion Gaming showed a great deal of patience and composure at crucial moments during the clash.
Shortly afterwards, the team also defeated INCEPTOR 13–7 on Nuke, demonstrating quite good game organisation and effectiveness on both sides of the map. Their next victory came by walkover against DZIADGI, which further improved their position in the table and kept their winning streak alive.
The most one-sided match of the first half of the season turned out to be the fixture against EK CSKeisari. Superion Gaming controlled the match on Mirage from the outset and ultimately won 13–4. This marked one of the most convincing victories of the entire season. After the first few rounds, the team’s record looked really good, and they could look forward to the rest of the season with optimism.
At that point, Superion gave the impression of a team that could realistically challenge for a place in the play-offs. However, problems arose in the following weeks of the season, as the team began to drop valuable points and found it increasingly difficult to maintain their earlier momentum.
Walkovers and a run of tough matches
Two walkovers proved to be among the most significant – and at the same time most problematic – moments of the entire season for Superion Gaming. The team had to concede victories to Radian Esports and Insiders Esport without playing the matches, which significantly affected their position in the table. Losing points in this way was particularly painful, as in such a closely contested season, every match won could have been of immense importance in the battle for the top spots.
Following these events, Superion Gaming also entered a decidedly more challenging phase of the competition. The team first suffered a very one-sided defeat against EsportBERG, losing 1–13 on Nuke. It was one of the team’s toughest matches of the entire season, as their opponents took complete control of the match practically from the start.
Subsequent matches also failed to bring a breakthrough. Superion had to concede defeat to both aAa and GENESIS. Unfortunately, both matches played on Dust 2 ended with the identical score of 6–13. Although at times the team managed to put up a fight and win individual rounds, their opponents showed greater consistency and capitalised more effectively on Superion Gaming’s mistakes.
However, the match against ARROW proved to be the most painful. The match was extremely evenly matched, and for a long time neither team was able to establish a clear lead. Ultimately, the contest only ended after extra time with a score of 17–19, and Superion Gaming were once again left without any points despite putting up a very good fight. Defeats of this kind often have the greatest impact on team morale, particularly when victory is so close.
Shortly afterwards, Superion Gaming also faced Vitality Academy. The match ended in a 7–13 defeat on Ancient. However, against a much more high-profile opponent, the team managed to look really solid at times and produced some good spells of play. Nevertheless, the run of poor results made the team’s situation increasingly difficult as the season drew to a close.
The end of the season and a missed opportunity for a better record
The end of the season brought a glimmer of hope for an improved final tally and a more positive conclusion to the campaign. After a difficult spell, Superion Gaming managed to get back to winning ways, defeating SPIRIX 13–7 on Anubis. From the outset, the match went quite well for the team, who at times looked far more confident than in previous rounds. The win kept their mathematical chances of improving their record alive and gave the team a bit more confidence ahead of the final match of the season.
However, the clash against Delta FIRE proved to be of crucial importance. The match, played on Mirage, turned out to be one of Superion Gaming’s most thrilling encounters of the entire season. For virtually the entire match, the two teams were neck and neck. Neither side was able to establish a comfortable lead. Once again, the outcome was decided in extra time.
This time, however, Superion Gaming failed to see the match through to a successful conclusion and ultimately lost 14–16. It was yet another extremely painful defeat by the narrowest of margins, which ultimately sealed the team’s final record at 5–9. Looking back at the season as a whole, one gets the impression that it was precisely these kinds of matches that had the greatest impact on the team’s position in the table.
A few defeats following closely contested matches, mid-season struggles and two forfeits meant that the 5–9 side were unable to build on their strong start to the season. Nevertheless, the team showed flashes of truly solid play and proved capable of beating tough opponents. If the team retains its current core line-up and improves its consistency, future seasons could look far more promising.
Constrict Gaming – solid moments and a wasted finish
Constrict Gaming finished the regular season of ESEA Main Season 57 with a 6–8 record. Although this record was not enough to secure a place in the play-offs, the team remained very close to a positive record for much of the season and regularly picked up points against opponents of a similar calibre.
Constrict’s season can be described as very inconsistent. The team were capable of winning convincingly and dominating their opponents, but at the same time lost several crucial matches by the narrowest of margins. The start of the season in particular showed that the team had the potential to compete for higher honours. However, a lack of consistency meant that the end of the season proved much more difficult.
Throughout the league, Constrict Gaming played many matches on Nuke, which became by far the team’s most frequently selected map. It was on this map that the team recorded both some of their best and worst results of the entire season.
A run of close defeats at the start
The start of the season proved exceptionally challenging for Constrict Gaming. Although the team’s actual performance did not always reflect the results on the scoreboard. The campaign began with a very narrow 11–13 defeat to PARTIZAN on Anubis, where individual rounds decided the final outcome. Shortly afterwards, the team lost 10–13 to LifeEbars on Nuke. Once again, they showed that they can compete on equal terms, but lack the ability to close out matches effectively.
The clash with Armitra Esports proved even more thrilling. The match, played on Nuke, was incredibly close and only ended after extra time with a score of 16–19. This was Constrict Gaming’s third consecutive defeat, yet each of these matches followed a very similar pattern… The team came very close to tipping the balance in their favour, despite putting in a solid performance throughout the matches.
The next match also failed to bring a breakthrough. Constrict lost 11–13 to Rcave on Inferno, which further highlighted their problem with closing out closely contested maps. Although the record at this stage of the season looked unfavourable, the course of most matches suggested that the team was still capable of competing at ESEA Main level and fighting for better results.
Following a run of tough and very closely contested matches, the team was awarded a bye… This allowed them to catch their breath for a while and prepare for the next rounds of the season, aiming to stage a comeback later on in the competition.
Constrict Gaming’s best moment of the season
The middle of the season proved to be by far Constrict Gaming’s best period, marking the moment when the team demonstrated its greatest potential. First, the team confidently defeated SPIRIX 13–7 on Inferno, displaying organised play and good control over the flow of the map. Shortly afterwards came another victory, this time against Melilla Titans, also ending 13–7 on Nuke. These two matches allowed Constrict to gain momentum and significantly improve their position in the table.
However, it was the clash with dragS that made the biggest impression. Constrict Gaming completely dominated their opponents on Ancient, winning 13–3 and leaving their rivals with little hope. It was one of the team’s most convincing victories of the entire season. Moreover, it was the moment when the team began to look like a side capable of challenging for a much better final result.
Unfortunately, after such a strong run, there was a marked dip in form. Constrict lost 6–13 to Z17 on Anubis, and then went down 7–13 to GOAL Esports on Ancient. Particularly tough was the 4–13 defeat against DTL on Nuke, which was one of the most one-sided matches of the entire season and clearly disrupted the earlier positive trend.
Despite these setbacks, Constrict Gaming remained in contention to improve their record. The team tried to get back to winning ways and keep pace with the higher-ranked sides, hoping for a strong finish to the regular season.
The end of the season and a 6-8 record
The final phase of the competition brought a few more key moments for Constrict Gaming, who showed that, despite a difficult season, they could fight right to the very end. One of the most crucial matches was the clash with INCEPTOR, which ended in a 16–14 victory after overtime on Nuke. It was a high-stakes match that showed the team could keep their cool in crucial rounds and close out an extremely evenly-matched contest.
However, this success was followed by another setback. Constrict lost 8–13 to TOOMUCHVIDEOGAMES, which once again complicated their position in the table and reduced their chances of a better final record. Despite this, the team remained motivated and put in a strong performance in their final match of the season, defeating DZIADGI 13–6 on Nuke. It was a solid end to the regular season and, at the same time, one of the team’s most convincing performances.
However, their final record of 6–8 meant they failed to qualify for the play-offs, despite Constrict Gaming having repeatedly demonstrated that they are capable of competing at ESEA Main level. Their biggest problem turned out to be inconsistency and a lack of effectiveness in closing out very evenly matched games, particularly in the first half of the season.
Looking at the bigger picture, Constrict can nevertheless take away a few positives. Successful runs midway through the season and several victories in tough matches demonstrated the team’s potential. Furthermore, they confirmed that the team is capable of holding its own against demanding opponents.
A season without a happy ending for Constrict Gaming and Superion Gaming
The end of the ESEA Main season saw neither Superion Gaming nor Constrict Gaming secure a place in the play-offs. This was despite both teams having moments where they displayed a level of play that gave real hope of a better result. However, in the crucial stages of the competition, they lacked consistency, which proved decisive in such a closely contested league.
Superion Gaming may particularly regret the points dropped in very close matches and the walkovers they conceded, which had a significant impact on their final record. Constrict Gaming, for their part, were repeatedly on the verge of tipping the balance in their favour in closely fought matches, but were unable to capitalise on these opportunities. Nevertheless, both teams gained valuable experience at ESEA Main level and showed that they can compete against tough opponents. This, in turn, may pay dividends in future seasons.
Constrict Gaming
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