FCL: Round one recap

If you missed the action from the first round of the recently started fnatic PLAY league, you've come to the right place. In this extensive recap we take a closer look at all the matches, individual performances and how it affected your Dreamteam.

The competition consists of two groups containing six teams each, which means that 6 matches will be played in each round. Those matches are split over two days, and the rigid schedule caused a number of stand-ins to be used and some surprising results to take place.

Before we dig deeper into every match, let's take a look at the results from the first round and the current standings.

Group A

#	Team	W	T	L	RD	Points
1.	Lemondogs	1	0	0	16:5 (+11)	3
2.	Alternate	1	0	0	16:9 (+7)	3
3.	Wikipediots	1	0	0	16:13 (+3)	3
4.	Natus Vincere	0	0	1	13:16 (-3)	0
5.	ESC Gaming	0	0	1	9:16 (-7)	0
6.	E2G	0	0	1	5:16 (-11)	0

May 1, 2012	Lemondogs	vs	E2G	16:5	Click for further info
May 1, 2012	Alternate	vs	ESC	16:9	Click for further info
May 3, 2012	Wikipediots	vs	Na`Vi	16:13	Click for further info

Group B

#	Team	W	T	L	RD	Points
1.	WinFakt	1	0	0	16:3 (+13)	3
2.	fnatic	1	0	0	16:6 (+10)	3
3.	SK Gaming	1	0	0	16:12 (+4)	3
4.	Anexis	0	0	1	12:16 (-4)	0
5.	Moscow Five	0	0	1	6:16 (-10)	0
6.	myRevenge	0	0	1	3:16 (-13)	0

May 1, 2012	fnatic	vs	Moscow Five	16:6	Click for further info
May 3, 2012	SK	vs	Anexis	16:12	Click for further info
May 3, 2012	WinFakt	vs	myRevenge	16:3	Click for further info

 

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Lemondogs vs E2G
Result:	16:5 (11:4; 5:1)
Map:	de_tuscan
Stage:	Group A (Round 1)
Media:	HLTV Demo
Fans' MotM:	Frej "kHRYSTAL" Sjöström (42%)

Match report

Group A's bottom seeded squad E2G had a hard time confronting the team-play oriented Lemondogs. The French did display some individual skill, going up 3-1 despite losing the first pistol-round, but as full buy-rounds came into play, Björn "threat" Pers made all the right calls, orchestrating Lemondogs' timely pushes and perfect setups on the CT-side, which brought them the next 10 rounds.

E2G took the last round of the first half, and it also seemed the second pistol-round might go to them thanks to Michel "mshz" Nguyen's excellent headshots, but his teammate didn't manage to defuse the bomb in time. That practically spelled the end of the game, even though the French did take their first buy-round, with Nguyen's nice couple of AWP kills, but Lemondogs closed the deal right after that.

Match statistics

Individual performances

During the deciding ten-round winning streak by Lemondogs in the first half, several of their members stood out. The fans' man of the match Sjöström earned most of his votes thanks to this peroid, as he made some excellent eye-pleasing shots.

Team-leader Pers also had his moments, including solid clutch play in a couple of rounds, while Niklas "niko" Johansson was the most consistent performer in his team, always getting something done in a round.

The team's star Emil "FYRR73" Karlsson was as good as asleep in the first nine rounds of the match, but then he woke up and even finished sharing the top fragging spot with 21 kills and being by far the best entry killer in the match (7-2 entry score).

On the opposite side, Nguyen showed the most skill, while the team's latest addition Fabien "KIOSHIMA" Fiey had a few solid rounds and should be kept an eye on in the future.

HLTV.org's MotM: Niklas "niko" Johansson

Seeing as all Lemondogs players had their moments in this match, which is one of the reasons for such a convincing victory, it's hard to chose one as the best. With all things considered, I'll go with Johansson due to the fact that he was ever present throughout the match, while the rest of the team went on and off. Johansson hardly ever made a mistake, and even though he was rarely the first one to confront the opponent he did record 3 entry kills.

Dreamteam - Who you should have had in your team

Player	Pre-match price	Value increase	Role bonus
niko	108016€	+5450€ (5%)	Sprayer (+935€)
FYRR73	105835€	+4250€ (4%)	First Fragger (+1000€)
kHRYSTAL	105693€	+3400€ (3%)	Tac Leader (+825€)

 

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Alternate vs ESC Gaming
Result:	16:9 (12:3; 4:6)
Map:	de_dust2
Stage:	Group A (Round 1)
Media:	HLTV Demo, POV Demo (approx)
Fans' MotM:	Manuel "approx" Zeitz (61%)

Match report

In the first of two surprising results in round one, German team Alternate defeated the IEM6 champs ESC Gaming. Although the Poles are known to significantly underperform online, Alternate has shown that on this day and on this map, they were the better team.

Alternate took the opportunity to start on the favored T-side, which turned out to be one of the key points of the match, as they started racking up a big lead early on. After getting the pistol-round and the first buy round, Alternate's Manuel "approx" Zeitz came onto the stage and firstly won a 1vs2 situation, following it up with two excellent AWP kills at the very beginning of the next round.

If ESC wasn't in trouble being down 7-0, they lost the next four rounds too, without even having much of a chance to win them and the score stood at 11-0 in favor of Alternate. Until the end of the half, the Poles somehow grinded out 3 rounds with aggressive play, mainly thanks to their star Filip "Neo" Kubski.

Facing a 3-12 deficit wasn't anything new for the Golden Five, but they really needed the next pistol-round in order to begin their comeback. However, Alternate was up to the task and they completely closed down the Poles not even allowing a bomb-plant.

ESC didn't give up though when the score stood at 14-3, as they won the first buy round and slowly but surely started stringing rounds together, with Jarosław "pasha" Jarząbkowski standing out on few occasions. Alternate kept their composure the whole way, not allowing the Poles to take full control, and they finally took their chance at 14-9 scoreline.

Zeitz's AWP was crucial again as he took out two opponents inside the B-bombsite, leaving Manuel "Tixo" Makohl in a 1vs1 situation against Jarząbkowski, which the German clinched to get his team onto match point. Aggressive setup in the next round caught the Poles off guard and that brought the match to an end with Alternate on top 16-9.

Match statistics

Individual performances

Alternate showed very good teamplay throughout the clash, but without a few individual moments of brilliance the score could have easily went in a different direction. The prevailing factor was probably the performace of Zeitz, whose 19 AWP kills were unrivaled in the opposing camp, as he played an almost perfect first half. In the end he finished with an excellent 1.74 rating (44% above team's average), carrying his team to this upset victory.

He had solid help from Makohl, who wasn't as explosive as him, but played stable from start till the end, including that important clutch to bring Alternate to match point.

ESC Gaming's Kubski had a few flashy rounds that are expected of him, but was mostly unsuccessful throughout the match. The team's in-game leader Jakub "kuben" Gurczynsky was the only one putting up a fight on a regular basis, while Jarząbkowski kept their hopes of a comeback alive in a few rounds of the second half.

HLTV.org's MotM: Manuel "approx" Zeitz

There isn't much need to explain this pick, since Zeitz evidently carried his team to this unexpected victory. He was on fire from start till the end and his AWPing was the deciding factor in numerous rounds. He had an important clutch moment when the lead was still developing and he helped put the nail in the coffin near the end.

Dreamteam - Who you should have had in your team

Player	Pre-match price	Value increase	Role bonus
approx	108437€	+7600€ (7%)	Sniper (+1000€)
Tixo	111841€	+3050€ (3%)	Camper (+1000€)

 

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Wikipediots vs Natus Vincere
Result:	16:13 (4:11; 12:2)
Map:	de_tuscan
Stage:	Group A (Round 1)
Media:	HLTV Demo, POV demo (coloN), highlight (coloN)
Fans' MotM:	Morten "coloN" Johansen (71%)

Match report

In the most interesting clash of the first round, the Danish squad Wikipediots, recently strengthened with Martin "trace" Heldt, managed to defeat undermanned Natus Vincere who turned up without their star player Yegor "markeloff" Markelov.

The favorites from Ukraine started off as if they were in full composition, taking the pistol-round and gaining money control early on, after allowing Wikipediots to snatch one round at 3-0. With great play from Ioann "Edward" Sukhariev and Sergey "starix" Ischuk, Na`Vi quickly climbed onto a 9-1 lead.

At this moment, Wikipediots seemed crushed, but Natus Vincere's mistake in the 11th round gave the Danes a helping hand. After easily entering the B-bombsite and having a 5-on-3 situation in their hands, Ischuk instructed his team to hold off with planting the C4 in order to hunt down the remaining opponents. However, Wikipediots managed to get the next two kills before the plant, so they quickly charged for the retake. After a short battle in the site, Morten "coloN" Johansen clinched a 1vs1 situation with a nice quick-scope AWP shot and brought his team their second round.

That gave wings to the Danes and they went on to win two more rounds thanks to some nice play by the league's youngest player Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth. However, they then changed from the retake mode into aggressive style, which Natus Vincere took advantage of and brought their lead up to 11-4.

No one probably believed just yet that an upset is in the making, but Wikipediots took the pistol-round convincingly and began their return. Although Na`Vi took the first buy round in flawless fashion, the Danish team replied with two rounds and took control of the economy. Wikipediots equalized the score at 12-12 before Natus Vincere took the lead again, but another timely reply put Timm "ArcadioN" Henriksen's side in the driving seat before the close finish.

After an eco round by the Ukrainians with the score standing at 14-13, it all came down to a 2-on-2 situation during which Johansen made a crucial AWP kill on flanking Sukhariev, giving Wikipediots the match point. In the last round, under-armed Na`Vi tried being aggressive, but to no avail as the Danes secured an impressive upset win of 16-13.

Match statistics

Individual performances

Wikipediots' in-game leader Timm "ArcadioN" Henriksen led his team to a big comeback victory, not only with good calls, but also with good example in the fragging department, as he was the top fragger in the second half (19-4 score) while they were overturning the result.

The highest rated player from the recent major event Copenhagen Games, Morten "coloN" Johansen, had a special night himself as the best rated of this match and with an impressive 20 AWP kills. He was later selected as the Fans' Man of the Match with 71% of the votes, surely in part thanks to his impressive shots such as in the almost won 1vs4.

16-year-old Anders "Xyp9x" Højsleth had a satisfying performance too, especially in the first half when he was the team's best player.

Despite not playing up to his standards, Martin "trace" Heldt will be particularly happy with this victory, as it is the first time in his career that his team managed to defeat the Ukrainian giants. Granted, they did play without their star player, so Heldt might have some more proving left to do.

Markelov's replacement in Natus Vincere, Kirill "ANGE1" Karasiow, had a very disappointing night and many blame his poor performance for the loss, as he recorded a measly 6 kills in total.

Their bright spots on the other hand were Ioann "Edward" Sukhariev thanks to an excellent first half (22-7 score), and Sergey "starix" Ischuk, who clutched a couple of rounds and was the best entry killer of the match (6 entry kills).

HLTV.org's MotM: Morten "coloN" Johansen

I wasn't nearly as sure as the fans were about the MotM pick, seeing as Wikipediots' in-game leader Henriksen made quite a good claim for it with his second half performance and definitely deserves some praise.

But, Johansen still appeared to be more influential with several important entry kills and clutch plays, on top of the 20 AWP kills. And let's not forget his impressive highlight, even though he didn't win that round. So after all, my pick does go to the fan-favorite.

Dreamteam - Who you should have had in your team

Player	Pre-match price	Value increase	Role bonus
coloN	119447€	+6000€ (5%)	Sniper (+1000€)
ArcadioN	109030€	+4600€ (4%)	Sprayer (+680€)

 

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fnatic vs Moscow Five
Result:	16:6 (12:3; 4:3)
Map:	de_dust2
Stage:	Group B (Round 1)
Media:	HLTV Demo, POV Demo (MODDII), highlight (xek)
Fans' MotM:	Andreas "MODDII" Fridh (72%)

Match report

In the opening match of the fnatic PLAY league 2012, the organizer's squad met with Moscow Five from Russia. Fnatic's Rasmus "Gux" Ståhl reportedly lost internet shortly before the match was about to start, so he was replaced by Tommy "tacky" Mosgaard. There was a stand-in in the other camp as well, as Moscow Five's star player Mihail "Dosia" Stolyarov was unable to play so Alexander "xek" Zobkov was called up to help his old team.

The map choice came down to de_dust2 and fnatic earned the right to start on the favored T-side by winning the knife round. Before long, the Scandinavian lineup went up 5-0, and even though Moscow Five then got themselves on the scoreboard, fnatic replied right away and established complete money control over the map.

In the next buy round Moscow Five's stand-in Zobkov pulled off some amazing shots and won a 1vs2 situation to bring his team their second round at 7-2. However, fnatic once again reset the Russians' money system which caused Moscow Five to be equipped only with famases even after an eco round. That presented an easier task for fnatic and they got up to a 12-2 advantage before dropping the last round of the half.

The second half wasn't about to be just a formality though, but fnatic secured the pistol round thanks to Michael "Friis" Jørgensen's great positioning at long-A and that practically ended the match. Moscow Five's stubborn and unsuccessful deagle-buys didn't bode well so they faced match point at 15-3. The Russians did make a final attempt at a comeback once they got rifles in their hands, but three rounds later it was all over with a 16-6 scoreline.

Match statistics

Individual performances

Fnatic's stand-in Mosgaard actually had a solid display and barely did anything wrong, but it was their new stars Andreas "MODDII" Fridh and Finn "karrigan" Andersen that led the way with 26 and 23 kills, respectively.

Fridh ended up with the highest rating of all players in the first round (1.93), while Andersen played a very good supporting role as he was often found flanking the opponents and performing solo tasks.

DreamHack Winter MVP Jørgensen was quite ineffective in the first half (only 4 kills), but there was rarely much need for his AWP, and he slightly made up for it in the second half pistol-round.

Moscow Five's stand-in Zobkov was actually his team's only bright spot, as his moments of brilliance were the main reason behind the few round-wins they had.

The Russians' latest addition Roman "hacker" Abramov made his debut in front of international fans on this occasion, but he won't be too happy with what he showed having the match-lowest 7 kills.

HLTV.org's MotM: Andreas "MODDII" Fridh

Looking any further than Fridh when searching for the best player of this match would be pointless, as I have to agree with the 72% of the fans who picked him. In the early stages of the match, he dealt the decisive strikes in a few rounds to bring fnatic the control of the match, and he kept himself on top of the scoreboard all the way till the end.

Dreamteam - Who you should have had in your team

Player	Pre-match price	Value increase	Role bonus
MODDII	121864€	+8800€ (7%)	Hacker (+1000€)
karrigan	118593€	+5950€ (5%)	Sprayer (+935€)

 

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SK Gaming vs Anexis
Result:	16:12 (7:8; 9:4)
Map:	de_mirage
Stage:	Group B (Round 1)
Media:	HLTV Demo
Fans' MotM:	Marcus "Delpan" Larsson (63%)

Match report

SK Gaming and Anexis met twice in the past six months and both times the Swedish squad secured an easy victory. This time they would both enter with refreshed lineups, as SK brought back Marcus "Delpan" Larsson, while Anexis recently, and not yet officially, introduced new talents Jonas "zanoj" Velling and Frederik "LOMME" Nielsen.

Robert "RobbaN" Dahlström's team started on the CT side of de_mirage, which they are notoriously successful on. But the hungry Danes went into the match with excellent mindset and after winning the pistol-round they fought off a tough deagle-eco and a surprise 3rd round buy by SK. Anexis also won the first full-buy round and in no time they were up 6-0.

SK then pulled their ranks together and started getting back into the game, primarily thanks to amazing AWPing by Larsson who took out at least two opponents with the big green in six of the next nine rounds, which helped his team only be down by one at the half.

The Swedes continued their run as Larsson took out three players and Patrik "f0rest" Lindberg two in a 3-on-5 situation in the second pistol-round, to even the score at 8-8. A few eco rounds by Anexis and one buy round later, SK was up 12-8 and it seemed the match is over. But, the Danes were apparently given a fresh breath of air when 18-year-old Velling won a 1vs1 situation against Lindberg with an excellent AWP headshot through a box, which spurred on their comeback to 12-12.

In the 25th round of the match, the decisive moment took place, as SK was down in numbers and without the C4, but Johan "face" Klasson pulled off an excellent clutch play. In a 2-on-3 situation, he took out one member of Anexis before being left alone against two opponents. He took out another one and grabbed the C4, immediately heading to the other bombsite, where after planting he chose the perfect position to clinch the round and bring his team back into the lead.

Losing that round seemed to crush Anexis' spirits as they didn't put up much resistance in the following rounds, so this surprisingly interesting match concluded with a 16-12 victory for SK Gaming.

Match statistics

Individual performances

Although SK's superstars Christopher "GeT_RiGhT" Alesund and Lindberg didn't have their best matches, they still positively influenced on the outcome of a number of rounds. Their usually overshadowed teammate Klasson is perhaps more deserving of praise thanks to stepping up when it mattered most, but SK's main star on this occasion was certainly Marcus "Delpan" Larsson.

His AWP caused all sorts of trouble for Anexis, as he recorded an incredible 26 kills with it. Overall, he topped the scoreboard in both halves and in the end had 34 kills in this match (league high so far).

Velling was overall the most stable and the best in Anexis, as the youngster won a couple of clutch rounds and displayed promising skills. Their other new face Nielsen also showed promise against the Swedish giants, but the team's star Nicolaj "Nuggi" Larsen had the most influence in their round-wins. Although unstable, Larsen had a few excellent rounds in the first half and was heavily involved in his team's second half minor comeback.

HLTV.org's MotM: Marcus "Delpan" Larsson

It's enough to simply realize that Larsson's 1.77 rating was 51% above his team's average to make him the obvious pick as the Man of the Match. But even without that statistic backing him up, seeing how much almost each of his many AWP kills helped his team win rounds, especially in the first half when they had to get back in the game, made him stand out high above the rest.

He also showed his aggressive style, which was one of the reasons SK needed him back, recording a 4-0 entry score (each of those in buy-rounds with the AWP). His performance also included a plethora of quick-scope shots, which is all the more reason to be sad that he didn't record a POV.

Dreamteam - Who you should have had in your team

Player	Pre-match price	Value increase	Role bonus
Delpan	115105€	+10600€ (9%)	Sniper (+1000€)

 

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WinFakt vs myRevenge
Result:	16:3 (12:3; 4:0)
Map:	de_mirage
Stage:	Group B (Round 1)
Media:	HLTV Demo, highlight (maKz)
Fans' MotM:	Timi "aslak" Verkkoperä (44%)

Match report

In the most straightforward match of the round, WinFakt overran myRevenge 16-3 on de_mirage. Both teams used a stand-in, as for the Germans Max "avenue" Höltgen was unable to play and was replaced by Sebastian "zorn" Weber. On the other side, WinFakt had an empty spot due to Tomi "lurppis" Kovanen's inactivity and their Copenhagen Games stand-in Miikka "dRiim" Toroi's unavailability, so they called upon the hot prospect Janne "Metaphor" Halinen to fill in.

The Finns took control of the match at the beginning, winning the pistol-round and exchanging the following buy rounds, but the Germans forced them on an eco after getting their second round (4-2 score). However, Aleksi "allu" Jalli and Halinen had saved rifles from the round before and they made great use of them to unexpectedly increase their team's advantage.

From that moment on, WinFakt never looked back and ended the half with a 12-3 lead, only dropping another round due to great AWPing by Rainer "maKz" Hofmann-Wellenhof.

At the start of the second half, WinFakt won a tense 2-on-3 situation in their T pistol-round which enabled them to bring the match to a close quickly against Germans' semi-buys that followed.

Match statistics

Individual performances

All of WinFakt's members enjoyed a good performance, which is testified by their high ratings. The fan-favorite and Fans' Man of the Match pick Timi "aslak" Verkkoperä was actually his team's lowest rated player, but he did make some flashy and important kills throughout the match, especially with his AWP.

The team's recently appointed in-game leader Kimmo "BASiC" Fagerholm had a slow start, but he caught speed mid-match and even stringed two 4-kill rounds, ending up as shared best fragger with 21 kills.

The stand-in Halinen started brilliantly, getting 11 kills in the opening 9 rounds of the match, but he turned quiet after that.

As far as myRevenge is concerned, the aforementioned Hofmann-Wellenhof displayed great ability with the AWP, even winning one round almost on his own. Apart from him, Jan "jaenson" Stuhldreher also shouldn't be too disappointed with his performance, but their stand-in Weber definitely could have done better, as he amounted to only 3 deagle kills in the entire match.

HLTV.org's MotM: Aleksi "allu" Jalli

Our Man of the Match pick goes to Aleksi "allu" Jalli, the top rated player of this encounter. Jalli was in charge of holding the B-bombsite while WinFakt was defending, and he closed it out completely, not allowing myRevenge to even enter the site on any occasion they tried to.

He also did great in the two pistol-rounds, getting entries in both and gathering 5 kills total. Adding to that an excellent 1vs2 clutch with the AWP in the last round of the first half, and the match-best 4-0 entry score, should justify the pick.

Dreamteam - Who you should have had in your team

Player	Pre-match price	Value increase	Role bonus
allu	110958€	+6950€ (6%)	Hacker (+1000€)
BASiC	113895€	+5750€ (5%)	Sprayer (+1000€)

 

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Only one thing remains before the end of this article, and that is to together select the Player of the Round.

[playerpoll=25]

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below about any of these matches, teams, players and of course, your Dreamteam progress.

We hope you like the new format of the recap, but if you have any suggestions don't hesitate to express them. And of course, stay tuned to HLTV.org for full coverage of the league, as we will keep you up to date with matches, demos and statistics.