HooXi tops the board as G2 take down Lynn Vision in EPL opener

Lynn Vision gave G2 a scare on Anubis, taking it to overtime, but the European side eventually came out on top in two maps.

G2 have started their run at ESL Pro League Season 18 on the right foot with a 2-0 victory over Lynn Vision. The series wasn’t a straightforward affair, however, as the Chinese side took their European counterparts to the brink on Anubis, 19-16. The scare didn't make G2 fret as Jan "⁠Swani⁠" Müller’s men smashed their way to victory on Inferno, 16-5.

Fantasy players who picked Rasmus "⁠HooXi⁠" Nielsen due to his cheap price will be beaming as the Danish in-game leader racked up 49 kills and topped the board with a 1.36 rating. "It’s been a month since we played, so we were a bit rusty," HooXi said in an interview on the B stream after the series, "but it was nice to get some kills for once!"

G2 started hot on the T side of Anubis, usually the easier of the two sides on said map, and sped off to a 10-1 lead, but a late resurgence from the Chinese squad put a wrench in the works for G2's plans of running away to victory.

Trailing 5-10, Lynn Vision won the second pistol not only to keep the dream alive but brought it back to a tie with Zhe "⁠Westmelon⁠" Niu leading the way. Late in the half G2 regained the 15-11 lead, but a final push by LV which included two AWP clutches by Dongkai "⁠Jee⁠" Ji made it all even by the end of regulation.

Overtime was another affair and the experienced superstars of G2 imposed their will to win four of the five rounds played in extra time despite starting on the CT side.

A dualies ace by Junjie "⁠EmiliaQAQ⁠" Tang defending the B site marked the beginning of Inferno, but by the second round it was HooXi and his men who took the reins, winning the forcebuy and running away with another massive early lead. In a similar way to Anubis, Lynn Vision came alive late in the half and went from 2-10 to 5-10.

Those last few rounds didn’t help the Chinese side’s case after the half, however, as G2 didn’t give up a single round on the way to victory on the CT side. The map was sealed 16-5 to end the series 2-0 then and there.

The European squad will now face the winner of the Liquid vs. Virtus.pro series for a spot in the playoffs, while Lynn Vision will go up against the loser pf said series in the first round of the lower bracket.