Nick Pitts looks into the first round matches before the action kicks off on Saturday.
GotFrag.com - With the KODE5 USA Finals kicking off in Dallas, Texas on Saturday, GotFrag's Nick Pitts decided to take a closer look at the opening round matches. Straight from the start we have high quality games between some of America's best teams. Can America's ESL Grand Finals representatives shake off the disappointing placements they received last week in Hannover? Will a new team upset the accepted "Big Three" and establish themselves as a competitor for the single Moscow spot?
To help shed some light on those questions and countless more, this breakdown will give you an idea of what you can expect in the premier round of the event. In addition, check out our
in-depth team preview as well as the
KODE5 USA melee and scoreboardfor a complete look at this weekend's action. On top of all that, expect to see some great content from our online coverage team as well as interviews and updates from Nick as he covers the event live on-site in Dallas!
KODE5 USA Finals Round 1
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| Team EG 
vs eMg 
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Match Start: March 14th, 11:00am EST
ScoreBot: #gf.cs1
HLTV: gotfrag.electrifyservers.net:3101
Right off the bat, eMg is going to be fighting an up-hill battle against arguably the best team in the nation. EG has the fancy footwork of hanes accompanied by n0thing's amazing precision and accuracy (yes there's a difference). The other players have a chemistry which has been unmatched in North American since that bond was formed years ago, in my opinion. Everyone on this team can carry their own weight and have an amazing work ethic. Not to say that eMg is a bad team, because that is definitely not the case. They have all been teammates or friends for quite some time. They blamed part of their poor performance at the qualifier on fatigue which is understandable, but everyone was tired. In order for them to take this match, they will need to all have the game of their lives and some how strat and counter-strat the hell out of EG every round.
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| Frag Dominant 
vs CompLexity 
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Match Start: March 14th, 11:00am EST
ScoreBot: #gf.cs2
HLTV: gotfrag.electrifyservers.net:3102
We have all been disappointed by coL's less than stellar performances recently, but that's online. I'm hoping this LAN will show a different side to the team, a side we have all been waiting to set our eyes on since they came together. Then again, it is their first outing. They need to start meshing together... fast! Zid's awp will get those crucial picks and is definitely a force to be reckoned with. If FD manages to take him out, they still have sunman's insane skills to deal with. FD picked up aZn and evolution a bit ago. I feel this LAN was a huge factor in that decision. There is no doubt aZn is always a dynamic player on whatever team he's on. Always on top of his game, and has a ridiculous desire to win. If evolution has stayed on top of his game, his awp will be there to match zid's round after round.
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| Gravitas 
vs TX Allstars 
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Match Start: March 14th, 12:15pm EST
ScoreBot: #gf.cs1
HLTV: gotfrag.electrifyservers.net:3102
TX Allstars has a different roster than they had at the qualifier, which will not playout to their benefit. Without zid they will especially need to pick up the slack. If hazard plays anything like he does online, they should definitely have a chance against this strong Gravitas team. Hopefully they don't play like they did against EG.ca this week. On the other hand, they are up against a top three national team who just got done getting beaten down by Euro's like their name is Rhianna after spilling dinner on the carpet. They are going to enjoy this drop in skill level while taking advantage of every mistake TX makes. Goodfornothing, Hostile, AND impulsive will be putting up big numbers while TX will be searching for a window of opportunity and running with it.
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| X3O 
vs Pandemic
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Match Start: March 14th, 12:15pm EST
ScoreBot: #gf.cs2
HLTV: gotfrag.electrifyservers.net:3102
X3O's play style is nothing short of unique and plays a huge role in their success. The way they work maps and break them up is a bit different than other teams and has worked for them tremendously. Pandemic has played them in the online leagues but will get an even better taste of this once the hit the offline circuit. Hopefully they have prepared for this, or can adjust to it. Both teams are made of all-around top-notch players. Pandemic seems to be getting back into the groove of things with jfogle's awp leading the way, and everyone knows hero is just that to X3O at times. This should be an awesome match, or at least an interesting one as it is Pandemic's first test at LAN, and it's about as difficult as an O-Chem final.
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Full Team PreviewMelee/Scoreboards and BracketTournament Seeding AnnouncementKODE5 Adds Four to Finals
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