RC EMS One Fall playoff preview

As day one wraps up in Cologne at the RaidCall EMS One Fall 2013 Finals, we take a look at the playoffs, which are set to begin tomorrow at 12:00 .

Today saw VeryGames expectedly top group A while Markus "pronax" Wallsten's n!faculty were knocked out, setting up the decider match between Copenhagen Wolves and fnatic at 12:00 .

In group B the favorites NiP prevailed with two wins over mousesports and Na`Vi. mouz were sent packing, and Universal Soldiers will take on Na`Vi tomorrow at 13:00 for the fourth spot in the playoffs.

With both NiP and VeryGames having been invited to DreamHack Winter's $250,000 tournament, the decider matches in the group stage also serve as qualification games for the event, as top two finishers who don't already have spots will be invited.

That adds a lot more on the line as spots for the event are hard to come by, and it could mean the difference between competing for a $100,000 or watching GOTV from home for any of the four teams.

fnatic have a tough test in the afternoon

Copenhagen Wolves / fnatic vs. NiP

Nothing has changed here for me since the tournament started; Copenhagen Wolves are still clearly a superior team in comparison to fnatic in my opinion, and I can't really see the Danes going out in the final match of group A. Even though fnatic put up a much better fight versus VeryGames, I don't think their style meshes at all with the Wolves and the Danes will benefit more from having tonight off to prepare for tomorrow's game.

NiP looked dominant today, even without their own gaming equipment, and if Adam "friberg" Friberg can continue racking up entry kills like he did today on de_dust2, it'll be extremely tough to beat the Swedes. Neither Copenhagen Wolves or fnatic can match them in the individual skill department, the former didn't exactly look promising today versus VeryGames and the latter's struggles as terrorists don't seem to be nearing any kind of an end.

It's impossible to predict NiP as anything else but a 2-0 favorite in this match. If this match were to take place two weeks ago I would say the Wolves would take a map and probably play a close series with the Swedes, but given the Danes' recent results I can't imagine them showing up tomorrow in good enough shape to make NiP lose any sleep tonight.

Prediction: NiP vs. Copenhagen Wolves 2-0

Wolves must elevate their play to compete with NiP

Universal Soldiers / Natus Vincere vs. VeryGames

VeryGames looked like a team who could once again defeat NiP this weekend in their Copenhagen Wolves game, even if the match against fnatic was full of struggles and made some people doubt the French-Belgian side. I think both Na`Vi and US could potentially take a map off of VeryGames if they get a favorable draw in their vetoing and win some pistols, but I would be extremely surprised if either one could make the favorites sweat.

The rematch between Filip "NEO" Kubski's US and Danilo "Zeus" Teslenko's Natus Vincere on the other hand is a lot more intriguing. The former Counter-Strike 1.6 rivals went toe-to-toe today on de_dust2 and it took them fifty-nine rounds to determine who were the better team, as they went into three max rounds five overtimes before a winner could be settled. Today the key was Sergey "starix" Ischuk, who posted a +23 K-D difference, but tomorrow it could be different.

I originally predicted Universal Soldiers to finish second in the group stage so I will stand by that, although it really is anyone's game. Neither team should pose too much of a threat for the dream final the objective fans are all eagerly waiting for, which Virtus.pro robbed us of during last season's finals. The Counter-Strike fan in me wants Adil "ScreaM" Benrlitom and company to win the semi-final.

Prediction: VeryGames vs. US 2-0

Heavy favorites to win the second semi-final

Grand final

This is the one we've all been not-so-secretly waiting for since VeryGames' victory at SLTV StarSeries VII Finals. Pending no major upsets take place Sunday afternoon we will get another VeryGames versus NiP grand final, and with $12,000, a massive confidence and morale boost and bragging rights on the line, both teams will definitely be giving it everything they got.

As mentioned in my "players to watch" section of the group stage preview, I believe Adam "friberg" Friberg and Nathan "NBK" Schmitt are the players capable of swinging this series one way or the other, while both teams will absolutely need their star players, be it Patrik "f0rest" Lindberg and Christopher "GeT_RiGhT" Alesund, or Benrlitom and Richard "shox" Papillon, to put up their usual numbers to stay in the race.

Normally you wouldn't expect either team to be specifically prepared any more than usual, but considering the psychology in play here leading up to DreamHack Winter, I think this match actually holds more weight than usual. If you're VeryGames you want to beat NiP again and prove the win in Kiev wasn't a fluke, and if you're NiP you want to prove that is the case. This one's worth more than $12,000, and I hope the players feel that way too.

The Ninjas looked devastatingly good on de_dust2 in their both games today, while VeryGames struggled massively in their opener against fnatic before becoming the killing machine we're used to seeing in their second game, both of which took place on de_inferno. Maps will likely play a reasonably big role in the outcome of the series, and we all know how VeryGames feels about Valve's de_mirage, while they were clearly superior on de_mirage_ce the last time the two met.

Despite knowing NiP has gained an advantage in terms of maps since the last time the two met, I'm going to go with my gut and predict VeryGames to come out on top. NiP's gear arriving should give them a tiny boost as well, although Robin "Fifflaren" Johansson might want to consider sticking to Andreas "MODDII" Fridh's gear. Should be a great game, let's hope it goes the distance and we see three maps. Preferably with overtimes.

Prediction: VeryGames vs. NiP 2-1

These guys can fix all of NiP's entry fragging issues

Who do you think will lift this season's RC EMS One trophy tomorrow evening? Leave a comment below with your predictions and let everyone know what you think will happen.