This article is part of our Game Side series.
Cloud9 Conquering CS:GO
As DreamHack Austin 2016 shutters its doors after its first full day of competition, the excitement level for what lies ahead continues to grow with rapid progression. The people of Austin and its guests packed the Austin Convention Center in hopes of seeing some outstanding esports play. They were not disappointed.
With some of the world's best players participating in seven esports on the marquee for this event, it was the Counter-Strike:Global Offensive, Heroes of the Storm and Hearthstone teams and crowds that made the most noise. Cloud9 is off to a good start at DreamHack in its CS:GO and Heroes of the Storm divisions and while there was very little in terms of upsets it was the disparity in some of the scores that had some heads turning.
Checking in with CS:GO, in Group A Luminosity Gaming beat Spylce Gaming 16-5 and in what could be considered a minor upset, and Cloud9 absolutely gave a clinic in how the game should be played, destroying a very good Counter-Logic Gaming team, 16-1. However in the Group A winner's match Luminosity secured its spot in the semifinals with a 16-3 drubbing against Cloud9.
It will be Splyce and CLG playing at 11am EST to see who will be sent home first, and who will move on to face Cloud9 at 7pm EST for a spot in the semifinals.
In Group B, Tempo Storm took it to NRG, winning 16-5 and in the closest match of the day, Team Liquid beat a motivated Selfless team 16-10. This would pit the two winners against each other and it would be Tempo Storm besting Liquid 16-10 in that match. This sets up an NRG versus Selfless match starting at 4pm EST to determine who will be ousted from Group B and who will get the chance to play Liquid at 10pm EST with that winner advancing to the semifinals.
Nine of the top-10 rated players in the tournament thus far have come from the two Brazilian teams with only Cloud9's Mike "Shroud" Grzesiek checking in at number nine with a 1.24 rating according to HLTV.org figures.
Gale Force eSports Traverses Group B
Moving over to Heroes of the Storm, parity seems to be the name of the game as, Cloud9 was able to advance to the semifinals with two, 2-0 wins over both Team Higher Consciousness and Team Naventic. In Group B would be the tougher road to the semifinals, but one Gale Force eSports would traverse, earning a ticket to the pivotal match thanks to a pair of 2-1 wins over COGnitive Gaming and Astral Authority.
In the Group A bottom bracket losers' match, Panda Global was eliminate by THC and will take on Naventic to advance to the semifinals In Group B, while Tempo Storm lost to COGnitive Gaming and is now eliminated. With the win, COG will play Astral Authority for a chance to advance to the semifinals.
The group decider matches, semifinals and Grand Finals with take place on Saturday starting at 12pm EST.
New Format, New Rules
In Hearthstone news, this tournament has brought back the Last Hero Standing format which has not been seen for quite some time. The format paired with the newness of the expansion and the wide variety of decks have made for a very entertaining event at DreamHack. Just the first five of the initial nine rounds have been played and by tomorrow night the teams for the round of 16 will be decided.
Check back in tomorrow with more updates and coverage at DreamHack Austin.
