The entire regular season of this year’s ESEA Main is slowly drawing to a close. However, many teams are still playing matches that will determine whether they are relegated, stay up or qualify for the play-offs. Unfortunately, Constrict Gaming are performing significantly worse this season than last, and as a result, they are teetering on the brink of relegation to the Intermediate league. We ended our last article with the conclusion of a match in Round 7, when our partner had a record of 2–5. We now have the results of the next five matches, which are looking a bit better.
A turnaround after three consecutive defeats!
As a reminder, the defeat in Matchday 7 continued an inglorious run of three consecutive losses. However, the next match was played the very next day against Paju’s team. They, too, hadn’t been performing particularly well this season, so it was the perfect opportunity to secure a win and boost morale. The map was also quite well-suited to our partner, as it was Train. The first half didn’t go the Snakes’ way, though; they unfortunately lost it 4–8, and the second half was their chance to make a comeback.
They got off to a very good start, raising hopes of a quick equaliser that would bring them closer to victory. And that’s exactly what happened: the equaliser came very quickly, and with it, the lead. They held onto it for most of the second half, and thanks to that, the result of the match turned out to be a positive one. Constrict Gaming won 13–10, thereby adding a third victory to their record.
The joy didn’t last very long…
We had to wait just under a week for the next match, and the opposition was no pushover: the Huskies eSport team. A German side that has been in the Main league for several seasons now, though never without making the play-offs. This time, the map was a different affair, as it turned out to be Ancient, a map on which Constrict also performs quite well. The first half, however, did not go well, as the opponents proved stronger and took a 7–5 lead. After switching sides, the Poles gave it their all to get back into the fight for another victory, but their opponents refused to give in. As a result, the second half ended in a 6–6 draw, but thanks to their stronger first half, the opponents won the match 13–11. They were just one round short of forcing extra time, but not this time.
Back to winning ways
The next opponent standing in the way of our partner’s bid to stay in the Main league was the Romanian team Altiora Esports. The match was once again played on Ancient, though this time it unfolded differently. The first half suggested this could be a very evenly matched contest, as it ended in a 6–6 draw. After switching sides, however, the tide turned, as Constrict Gaming began winning numerous rounds, thereby taking the lead. Their opponents were unable to respond before the end of the match, and as a result, Constrict secured another victory – their fourth so far.
More of the same
So far, a pattern has emerged in which Constrict alternates between winning and losing matches. According to this pattern, the match against Finland’s Pelia was supposed to be a loss. Unfortunately, the pattern proved correct once again, as our opponents crushed our partner on the Overpass map, winning 13–2. At first glance, we can’t see any reason for such a heavy defeat, though it may have been down to our partner not being fully prepared for the map.
A good finish
The most recent match so far was against another team from Scandinavia, this time called Split ESC. This is, of course, yet another team fighting for survival in the Main league. We returned to one of the maps most frequently played by the ‘Snakes’, namely Nuke. As is often the case with Constrict Gaming, we didn’t see a strong start to the match, and this time the first half ended with the opposition leading 7–5. However, it’s not how it starts but how it ends that matters. Here, our partner shows that their belief in victory is truly strong. They won the match 13–11 and improved their record even further.
Here are the relegation matches
- vs
NoSurrenderGG, today, 19 November, 7.00 pm - vs
Cerberus Esports, Thursday 20 November, 8.00 pm
Constrict Gaming (x.com — Facebook — twitch.tv — team profile)
English 
Polish 