(GotFrag) - American Counter-Strike fans were fairly disappointed over what transpired with x3o in the 2nd group play of ESWC, and feel they were cheated out of seeing their home team advance to bracket play.

EG was unable to make it out of the first stage of group play at ESWC, Team 34 the same, and MoB also went down in the group of death with x3o. The American teams played well against the Europeans but the debate of whether U.S. teams can truly compete with the Europeans rages on.

Let's take an in depth look at what went right and what went wrong during x3o's two crucial matches against the might of Europe, mTw and mYm.




Right off the bat in this match, x3o did something that seemed very risky. Their pistol round consisted of stacking 3 people inner and holding them there even though they had no signs that mYm would be going to that site. This is reminiscent of trick plays in the NFL with a head coach taking a gamble on a risky play. If it works they look like a genius, if not they look like a fool. The gamble did not pay off as mYm did the exact opposite of what x3o were expecting. mYm overloaded alley and attacked the A bombsite, catching "goodfornothing" off guard while he rotated from spawn ramp to the bomb train, and gained great positions versus x3o to make the score 1-0 in the Europeans favor.



The pistol round seemed to set the tone for this match; x3o would be playing off what mYm was doing instead of making them react to what they were doing. All great teams make their opposing teams adapt to what they are doing and x3o was definitely not doing this.

Round ten was a defining moment that more than likely cost x3o the match. mYm did an inner strat and was able to get in the bomb site while only losing one player to an entry frag. Despite x3o getting the majority of entry frags this match, they let mYm do something they shouldn't have. Instead of pinning mYm in the back of inner bomb site and retaking it with authority, x3o hung back and let mYm push up on them. They lost the round and it put them down 4 to 6. x3o would prove to be resilient however and fight back to win the half 8-7.




x3o would lose the 2nd half pistol round and give mYm the lead at 10-8, something they would not relinquish the rest of the match. Overall, their offensive side seemed very sloppy and x3o didn't get their groove going. Round six of the second half shows the contrast between the two teams. mYm does something extremely risky on defensive side with a fast push inner, not knowing whether there is a stack waiting for them around the corner. This is something x3o did not try a single time during their defensive side. mYm's push was successful as they caught x3o off-guard, split the A bomb site, and killed their ladder guys winning the round.



Two rounds later presented a completely different x3o team. It presented a team that was in control of the match as they dissected mYm's defense and played with great teamwork. x3o covered all push points, effectively taking and winning the A bomb site. They would go on to win another round but after losing both pistol rounds, they were down too many rounds and a come back would be nearly impossible. x3o would lose the match, 16-10, giving up both pistol rounds. Had x3o won their opening pistol round, this match would have turned out completely different. x3o could have put up a 11-4 or 12-3 first half which could have changed the outcome of the match.


x3o vs. mTw and Conclusion on next page