NRG trounce Sharks to top ECS Season 8 NA week 1

NRG have claimed victory in the first week of ECS Season 8 following a dominant 2-0 victory over Sharks in the grand final.

After recently completing their journey to North America, Sharks looked to impress as they joined seven other teams in the inaugural week of ECS Season 8. The team made short work of their fellow Brazilians from INTZ in their first round matchup, but their real potential showed in their ensuing semi-final bout against Liquid, where Ignacio "⁠meyern⁠" Meyer helped his side net a narrow 2-0 victory over the current No.1 team in the world.

NRG had little difficulty navigating their way through their side of the bracket, only dropping a map to Singularity before cruising to a series victory and then making short work of Cloud9 for a spot in the grand final.

A pistol ace on the offense from Tarik "⁠tarik⁠" Celik helped NRG get things underway on Nuke, allowing the team to push up to a 3-0 lead. An eco victory by Sharks gave the Brazilians a chance to answer back, with the team briefly managing to steal away the lead from the opposition. Once they had returned to rifles however, NRG remained firmly in control of the half, winning seven rounds straight and only conceding one at the end for a 10-5 lead as the sides swapped over.

Peter "⁠stanislaw⁠" Jarguz and company continued in their winning ways as another pistol victory saw the team move up to a 12-5 lead. Sharks answered back by taking a trio of rounds for themselves, but NRG replied in kind to quickly cruise to match point. Sharks were able to briefly forestall their execution for two additional rounds, but it wasn't long before NRG took the map over the line with a 16-10 scoreline.

Vincent "⁠Brehze⁠" Cayonte took matters into his own hands as he helped NRG to win eight rounds straight as a part of their opening gamut on Mirage, with Sharks finally putting a halt to the streak with two rounds of their own. A back-and-forth trading of rounds saw the Brazilian side attempt to fight their way back into the map, but an 11-4 halftime lead for NRG was too much to overcome as stanislaw and company gave up only one additional round on the road to a 16-5 finish.

As a result of their win over Sharks, NRG have put themselves in position to claim the first North American spot at the ECS Season 8 Finals. Their position isn't assured however, as the team that accumulates the most prize money over the first two weeks of play will be the one awarded the spot. All following weeks will see the weekly winner directly qualify for the main event.

With NRG and Liquid in attendance at DreamHack Masters Malmö during the second week of play, Sharks and Cloud9 will have the opportunity take the lead in the prize money standings should they signup to play. If neither team manages to pull ahead, NRG will face off against the winner of week two for a spot in the main event.

Week 1 standings:

1. NRG - $12,500
2. Sharks - $7,500
3-4. Liquid - $2,500
3-4. Cloud9 - $2,500
5-8. INTZ
5-8. Singularity
5-8. eUnited
5-8. ex-Luminosity