This article is part of our CS:GO Recap series.
With playoff spots on the line, there was plenty of action and hotly contested matchups to be had on Day 2 of ESL One New York. Of course, it also wouldn't be a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive major without its shares of surprises and upsets, of which there were plenty on Saturday.
Na'Vi and SK Gaming continued to impress on Day 2. Determined to show that Day 1 was not a fluke, Na'Vi kicked off action on Saturday with a monumental win over SK Gaming. Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev put the team on his back with a huge 28/10 KD performance that rocketed Na'Vi into the semifinals. It seemed as though SK Gaming ran into a buzzsaw during the 16-6 win, as it was never able to get into a groove of any kind in the game. Na'Vi was able to just kick back and relax while it waited to see who would fill the remaining spots in the semifinals.
With the loss to Na'Vi, SK Gaming were forced to play another game to lock in its spot in the semifinals. It went up against Virtus.pro in Round 4 and faced a bit of oposition in the first half before coming out incredibly strong in the second half to take a 16-8 win and punch its ticket into the semifinals. Fernando "fer" Alvarenga and his 128.5 ADR was just what the doctor ordered for SK Gaming, restabilizing the team after its trouncing earlier. It will now take on Virtus.pro in the semifinals on Sunday.
Virtus.pro did manage to find its way into the playoffs, but it took quite awhile. After going 2-2 through the first four rounds, it had to face off against OpTic Gaming for a shot at the semifinals. Virtus.pro's veteran experience paid off during the closely contested tilt, as VP managed to pull away for a 16-14 victory. While OpTic Gaming did end up falling just short of the playoffs, it should be proud of its run in this tournament. It took down G2 pretty handily and even defeated Astralis 16-12. Many didn't give this team a fighting chance in this series, but the Green Wall proved that it was able to hang with the big dogs.
Team Liquid is the final team with a seat at the playoffs table after it defeated Fnatic 16-12 in Round 5 to secure its spot. The tournament started off a bit rocky for the team, as it was 1-2 after the first three matches. Liquid seemed to refocus after though, winning two straight games against Fnatic to earn a spot in the semifinals. Liquid will face off against the hottest team in this tournament, Na'Vi, on Sunday.
G2 Esports and Astralis both entered ESL One New York as favorites to win it all, but reality certainly hit both teams hard on Saturday. These two teams only secured one win between the two of them, and that win was Astralis over G2. Neither team got a win in its other five matches. G2 opened play on Saturday with a lopsided 16-7 loss to OpTic Gaming, and Astralis lost to both Fnatic and OpTic Gaming to get bounced from the tournament. A disappointing finish for two stalwarts in the CS:GO scene.
The playoffs will kick off Sunday morning with a big matchup between SK Gaming and Virtus.pro. That match will be followed by the second semifinal between Na'Vi and Team Liquid. Will Team Liquid complete its cinderella run at the tournament? Will SK Gaming win its third straight major tournament? Will Na'vi finally break its tradition of falling just short of the gold? All these questions will be answered Sunday when the playoffs commence at 11:00 AM EST.
