Photo Credit: ECS
This coming weekend, some of the best CS:GO teams will make their way to the Anaheim Convention Center and Arena for the ECS S2 Finals and a chance to win part of the $750,000 prize pool. There will be eight teams total, the top teams from North America and Europe after the end of the regular season. The four North American representatives are SK Gaming, Cloud 9, Immortals, and OpTic Gaming. The European teams are Astralis, EnVyUs, FaZe, and dignitas.
Group Stage Format
Group A: Astralis, OpTic, FaZe, Cloud 9
Group B: SK, dignitas, Immortals, EnVyUs
Although the teams are divided into two groups, the format of the tournament is basically a head-to-head playoff style bracket throughout. The group stages will be double elimination with each team needing two wins or two losses to move on or be eliminated from the tournament. In Group A, Astralis will play against OpTic first followed by FaZe taking on Cloud 9. Group B’s matches consist of SK playing dignitas and Immortals facing EnVyUs. The starting and winner’s matches will all be best-of-ones while the elimination matches will be best-of-threes. Today (Friday’s) matches will be played behind doors and without a live audience while the Saturday and Sunday matches will be played at the convention center.
Playoffs Format
Four teams will make it out of the group stages and be placed into a head-to-head bracket with the second place team from each group facing the first place team from the other group. All of these matches will be played in a best-of-three format culminating in the grand finals on Sunday which will also be a best-of-three.