GotFrag.com - After several months of qualifiers, the KODE5 Grand Finals in Moscow, Russia are finally upon us. With the brackets drawn and the teams set to compete this Saturday, we will finally see who has the strength and will power to fend off the best teams in the World and capture one of Counter-Strike's major titles.

With the exhilarating conclusion of last weeks ESWC Masters event in Cheonan, Korea, fnatic was able to pull away with their second title of the year and claim the overall #1 seed at the KODE5 Grand Finals. However, with several of the World's best teams in attendance such as SK, mTw, Wicked, and mouz, fnatic will have more than enough opposition in their way as they try and capture their 3rd major title of 2009.

Now with the stage set for the best of the best to butt heads in what has become one of the most anticipated events of the years, GotFrag will take you on a journey through the teams and matchups at the KODE5 Global Finals and what you might expect to see in the coming days.



Seeded: First

The top seed at KODE5 is coming off back to back titles at two major tournaments this year. After destroying all opposition at the EM III Grand Finals, fnatic fought their way through the competition at ESWC Masters looking just as impressive. Now with the KODE5 title within their reach, it is hard to say if anyone or anything will be able to stop them.

What it will come down to for fnatic is being able to stay consistent with their aim and teamwork all the way through the bracket. A more than favorable draw in the upper portion will likely have them cruising easily to a semi finals match up with Wicked, before actually having to make a run at the rest of the top tier teams competing at the event. As long as f0rest, GeT_RiGhT, and GuX continue to frag as hard as they have been at the last two events, there should be no reason why fnatic should not reach the finals at KODE5.

Key to Victory: Stay calm and focused as they navigate a relatively easy portion of their bracket and turn up the heat when they need to; pretty much play like they have been playing.



Seeded: Second

mTw came out of the gates strong at the EM III European Finals before being ousted by Wicked in a hard fought match finishing 3rd at the Grand Finals. Last week at ESWC, mTw ran into fnatic in the first round of bracket play and lost two close matches in the BO3 format to be knocked out and finish just outside of the top 4. Now the Danes will look to get back to the top of the World with a win here at KODE5.

Of all the teams entering this event, mTw matches up best with fnatic and has the best chance of knocking them out. To do that however, they will need to reach the finals, which is guarded by several strong teams in their portion of the bracket. If they can get solid play from their stars, especially Sunde, there should be no reason why they can't make it to the finals. No other team at the event has their teamwork, and few can match them when it comes to consistently winning strats. mTw will just have to take it one match at a time and keep focused on the prize ahead.

Key to Victory: Play their game and overpower opponents. Stay focused and use their incredible teamwork to secure rounds and keep the other teams struggling to play catch up.



Seeded: Third

Coming off of a 4th place finish at EM III, and a solid 2nd place finish behind fnatic at ESWC Masters, SK will look to take their game a little bit further this time and try to come away with their first title of 2009. For SK to do this however, they will need to have consistent strength from every player on the team throughout the entire event.

While the legendary team from Sweden has played quite well lately, they will need to pull out all the stops at KODE5 if they want to win. With a tough first round draw against EG, and then a seemingly endless gauntlet of top teams in their way before a chance to reach the finals, SK is going to have to stay motivated throughout the brackets if they are going to continue on. Also, everyone on the team will have to step it up and produce frags, instead of having to rely on one or two people per match to carry them. With these things taken care of, SK should have a decent shot at placing high at KODE5.

Key to Victory: Stay motivated. Don't let a few rounds here and there break confidence. Everyone will need to step up and play their best to secure passage through the lower portion of the bracket.