Fire and Ice: CWL Stage One Playoffs and Gears Vegas Open Recap
By: Zachary Lange
eUnited’s Gears of War and Call of Duty squads were back on the battleground this weekend during the 2018 Gears Pro Circuit Las Vegas Open and the CWL Pro League Stage 1 Playoffs, claiming 7th-8th in Las Vegas and 5th-6th in playoffs.
Pool play to loser’s bracket
eUnited Gears of War started off their weekend in Sin City 3-0 in pool play against World Best Gaming, Supremacy and open bracket challenger Gosu Crew, dropping only one match combined against the three opposing teams.
This event marks the second tournament together as a full team led by Chris “Lava” Anderson, who continued to lead the way even as the squad struggled to find their rhythm. Against Gosu Crew, a hot 7-0 victory during Game 1 was quickly countered by a Game 2 victory in favor of Gosu Crew, leading to a deciding match that would end in a 2-1 victory for eUnited.
But in the first round of the winners bracket, eUnited was swept by a Ronin Esports 0-2.
After a 2-0 victory against Fable Esports Latin America in the losers bracket, eUnited was faced with the tough task of trying to knock out OpTic Gaming, who had won the past five open tournaments. Unfortunately, the team fell 0-2, ending their losers bracket run.
Roaring on mainstage
Over in the Stage 1 Playoffs, eUnited began the weekend against Rise Nation, who the team defeated 3-0 a week before during the 2018 CWL Birmingham Open a week prior.
It would be the exact same result again in the playoffs, with a Round 1 victory over Rise Nation 3-0 with James “Clayster” Eubanks letting the opposition know about it.
eUnited would then go on to face the tournament victors at Birmingham in Luminosity Gaming in a Winners Bracket Semifinal matchup. Despite claiming the opening Game 1 Hardpoint, it was Luminosity who flexed their muscle to take the series 1-3.
Being in this position in previous events, eUnited looked to a losers bracket run to get on the right track. However, a tough Game 5 Search and Destroy loss to FaZe Clan sealed the squads fate and sent eUnited home with another top-6 placing.
What’s next?
For Gears of War, eUnited will look to gain some valuable insight for the next event, which is currently unannounced, in practice scrimmages against other top teams in the community.
Call of Duty will have a much shorter turnaround time, with the 2018 CWL Seattle Open taking place from April 20-22.
Be sure to stay tuned to all eUnited social media platforms for the latest updates.