5 naive questions about ESL One Cologne 2017

Why is the tournament really important for Virtus.pro, what is the arena in Cologne famous for and what is this football match everyone is talking about?

What does the tournament in Cologne mean for Virtus.pro?

After a spectacular victory at DreamHack Masters Las Vegas other events did not go so well for our team. Especially Intel Extreme Masters XI, where NEO and company did not make it out of group. Although the tournament in Katowice is a landmark for our team—the Poles started their career in Virtus.pro with a win in 2014. After the winter’s DreamHack Masters our team could only boast a victory at the show event Adrenaline Cyber League 2017 held for four teams, so ESL One Cologne 2017 is really important for the team resultwise. Moreover, it’s a great opportunity to try out new positions and strategies in Cologne at a serious event before the home Major in Krakow.

Who should we look out for?

Matches between Virtus.pro and Astralis have become the most crucial and long-awaited rivalry, but we are not going to witness it at ESL One Cologne 2017. The Danish players are not going to Cologne in order to prepare for Krakow’s event better. Two main threats for us besides Astralis are SK Gaming and fnatic. The Brazilians have obtained consistency after their roster changes, advanced to semi-finals of almost every tournament, and their leader coldzera is in an insane shape. The Swedes have finally gained momentum and were one step away from stopping SK Gaming in the final of DreamHack Summer 2017. Keep FaZe in mind too: they won the StarSeries in Kiev and placed second at IEM Sydney.

Who can surprise us?

In the first place, G2 Esports. The French recently won ESL Pro League Season 5 Finals and they are likely to place first at the LAN qualifiers for The Krakow Major. The guys are in a great shape, however, they are not to be considered the event’s favorites. They lack consistency and are absolutely unpredictable. 2017 is a lot better for G2 Esports than the previous year, in which the team won only one tournament.

What is the arena where the event will be held is famous for?

ESL One Cologne will be held in the Lanxess Arena — the most capacious hockey pitch outside North America. Last year there were 14,000 attendees, and the arena can accommodate up to 20,000 people. In the Lanxess Arena, Germany’s national team became a world champion in handball and placed the highest (fourth place) in the country’s history in hockey. The Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Wladimir Klitschko won two champion titles there. Stars from Madonna and Elton John to The Scorpions and AD/DC performed in the Lanxess Arena.

What is this football match everyone is talking about?

The idea of a football match appeared in Twitter when pashaBiceps offered SK Gaming to visit Poland and see “what football is”. The game against SK was supposed to be held after IEM Season XI — World Championship, but it was rescheduled for summer. The match will take place on July 10 right after ESL One Cologne 2017. Unfortunately, Solo won’t be able to come to Cologne due to preparations for The International, but the Dota roster’s captain told not to get upset and support the other guys. pashaBiceps, TaZ, Snax, NEO, Kuben, and Paranoia will be on the field, so you will have someone to root for.

Author: Gleb Chernyavskiy

“I can show some bicycle kick”: pashaBiceps on the football match vs SK Gaming