We are now just about two weeks to go, before Copenhagen Games starts. The participation list is nearly full, but the staff at CPHGames have decided to move the deadline a bit – so last chance to register and play is now the 7th of April.
In this article, I’ll be taking a look at this year’s competitors to win CPHGames – Therefore, I’ll split the teams into three different categories:
– High seed
– Mid seed
– Low seed
Let’s start out, by taking a quick look at the high seeds:
Ninjas in Pyjamas:
The Swedes from Ninjas in Pyjamas are on the hunt for both revenge and victory. In their last two LAN events, they’ve been defeated by both Fnatic and Virtus.Pro – the Polish team surprisingly destroyed the Swedes at home during IEM Katowice. NiP are therefore in an intense race to prepare new and unseen tactics that will help them that last step, to go home to Denmark as winners.
Player to watch: Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund.
Christopher is famous for his very precise aim and his ability to grab insane, game-winning clutches. It’s normal for him to be in the top of the leaderboard when we speak about k/d ratio during tournaments, and he is an important piece to Ninjas in Pyjamas’ victories.
Titan:
The former Team VeryGames squad became Titans, but they really disappointed at Katowice though – as they didn’t qualify for the playoffs. With players like NBK and shox, it shouldn’t be a too big of a challenge for them, by having these stars on their team. Ex6tenz and his spikey hair are ready to lead his team, to more than the group-stages.
Player to watch: Richard “shox” Papillon
Shox made a name for him self at Copenhagen Games 2012, where he played with 3DMAX. Already at that time, his aim was no like no one else. He became a member of Team VeryGames and they became a really strong team in CS:S.
Virtus.Pro:
After a convincing victory in the grand final of IEM Katowice, Virtus.Pro will need to hold their position as one of the biggest contenders for the first price at CPH Games. Their ability to turn a match around is incredible, and will be useful to them during the playoffs. They showed that they could still win a LAN, even after they changed two of their players before the event.
Player to watch: Jaroslaw “pasha” Jarzabkowski
Pasha or pashaBiceps as he’s known as, is one hell of a player. 25 years old, but with a biceps that could break several monitors – he’ll play an important role, to make sure that Virtus.Pro stays in the lead.
–Mid seed
Fnatic:
IEM Katowice wasn’t Fnatics event. After their first groupstage game, featuring a loss against the Danish Reason Gaming – Fnatic proceeded to the quarter finals, to face LGB eSports – making an end to them. At DreamHack Winter 2013, they had the upperhand against their rival – Ninjas in Pyjamas. They showed no mercy, by winning the grand final right in front of HeatoN and his boys. They haven’t had much luck online as they could’ve hoped for, but maybe a LAN event is all that’s needed to turn the losing streak into a winning streak.
Player to watch: Jonatan “Devilwalk” Lundberg
His roll as “staying alive” can play a huge factor for Fnatic. Devilwalk is able to make great plays both with and without the team by his side.
Team Dignitas:
Danish Team Dignitas made one hell of a debut on the European scene. After leaving Copenhagen Wolves after DreamHack Winter 2013, nobody had really seen them playing – they didn’t participate in any online tournaments. But then they’re invited to IEM Katowice, and just dominated – they made it all the way to the semi-final, knocking HellRaisers out, but then went on to lose against the Swedish ninjas. They’ve definitely got potential to go far at CPH Games.
Player to watch: Nicolai “device” Reedtz
Device is one of the younger players, who has made a big impact on both national and international stages. As calm as he is, during clutches and close-call situations – he’s ready to help the rest of his team to win.
– Low seed:
Reason Gaming:
IEM Katowice was their first event after they added Karrigan and Friis as their two new players. It looked great when they started out by defeating the fan favorites, Fnatic – but with a loss against Dignitas and Fnatic getting revenge – it was over. Now the team have had time to prepare for this event, and hopefully they’ll be prepared for the battles.
Player to watch: Nikolaj “EXR” Therkildsen
During the games at Katowice, the entire team played very well actually – but especially EXR made it clear, that when he hits the day – nobody gets in front of him. He has potential, Reason just needs to use it.
3DMAX:
If you follow the Danish CS:GO scene, you would know by now that there have been many roster changes. And of course those changes have hit 3DMAX, Nille replaced raalz and now we have the almost exact lineup as they had in Blight Gaming & Anexis eSports. They’ve had their trouble, but let’s see how well they can do at CPH Games.
Player to watch: Philip “aizy” Aistrup
When aizy was picked up, only some people knew who he was. But holy molly, he has shocked the scene. He has proved that he can hit like everyone else, and that he was worth taking the chance with. If he can keep up with his own skill, he can be a vital factor for this team.
