By Stuart Brooks

After the third and final match day for the first group stage, eight teams are staying here at the World e-Sports Games in Korea, while four teams are making an early exit. Two of the teams are huge surprises as NoA, the defending champions, and mTw, one of the early favorites, are both going home this week.

With the new group stage beginning, two groups of four teams are being made.

Group A
GamerCo (2-0)
AbitStrike (1-1)
4Kings (1-1)
wNv (1-1)

Group B
Catch-Gamer (1-1)
Astralis (2-0)
Pentagram (1-1)
Begrip (2-0)

The new group stage will have every team play three matches each. After those three matches are played, the top two teams from each group will move on to the semi-finals with a chance to play in the WEG2 Finals in Busan, Korea.

Who Stays
GamerCo - GamerCo really silenced all of their doubters by having the best performance in the first round, by any team. Winning both of their matches 13-4, and not losing a single round on Terrorist side has got many people talking about a WEG2 Finals appearance. This team is very different from the team we saw in WEG Season 1. With the addition of Ruben “DarK” Bielenberg, GamerCo has an added tactical side that has not been there for a very long time. DarK not only brings strategy to GamerCo, but has so much experience, its almost sickening. Expect GamerCo to be in at least the top four again, here at WEG2.

AbitStrike - Abit really proved to a lot of people that they should be feared and respected. Abit played great against mTw on inferno, showing off their teamwork and strategies. It looked like they would do the same against Astralis on nuke, after fighting to even the score in the first half, 6-6. Abit will have to work on a few things if they want to move on, as they have three very good opponents in their group. If they can win against GamerCo or 4Kings, expect AbitStrike to move on to the next round.

4Kings - The 4Kings looked absolutely spectacular against Pentagram on dust2 on Saturday (Match Day 2). They moved as a team, with not one player dominating for them. It was a true team effort, as each member chipped in for the win. Fast forward to Sunday (Match Day 3), and they looked nothing like the team we saw the previous day. I think the fact the every single member of 4K was out until 7 a.m. Sunday morning really affected how they played against Team EG. Expect 4K to look much like the team we saw on Saturday, and not the team we saw play on Sunday. 4Kings should be moving on to the next round, if they stay focused on playing CS and not drinking.

wNv - Team wNv surprised a lot of NoA fans by beating them 13-10 on nuke. They showed an uncanny ability to stack where NoA was going, and with skills like that, wNv could be the dark horse of Group A. I think that if they can pick up a game early in the group, they might have a chance to squeeze themselves into the top four. It looked like wNv was having some problems matching up against Begrip on Sunday, but they do have a week to work out any problems they might have had. I just think that GamerCo and 4Kings (when they are not staying out until 7am the morning of the match) are playing too well to be knocked out during this group stage.

Begrip - Begrip really has showed how much they want to win this season of WEG. They have been practicing the most of any team here, so far. Begrip has played two very good matches against world-class opponents. With the type of players they have on the team, I really do not see Begrip making an exit at this group stage. Great play all-around has this team as one of the favorites to win WEG2. Begrip has the desire and will to win it all.

Astralis - Despite all the online accusations against this team, they quickly dispatched a strong AbitStrike after a flawless 7-0 as Terrorists on nuke, and again won decisively against mTw, 13-4, on dust2. If I had to name the top two teams in Group B, Astralis would definitely be one of them. Astralis does need to work on some of their CT setups, though, as they cannot afford to give up a lot of rounds. Sooner or later, that is going to catch up to them.

Pentagram - Pentagram really got lucky with the whole EG situation. A team winning only five rounds in two matches, they are going to have a hard time finding a way to win. This is especially evident with names like Catch, Begrip and Astralis in their group. I really expected a lot more from this team, as they had played very well up until WEG2. If they want to move on, they will have to practice very hard to take rounds against very good teams. I am not saying they cannot do it, but I am saying it is unlikely for them to really come out of this second group stage and take it to these teams.

Catch-Gamer - Catch looked pretty strong against GamerCo on their Terrorist side. They surprised GamerCo with a third round buy, securing the third and fourth rounds. Catch and GamerCo exchanged the next two rounds, and then Catch completely shut them down. Catch is going to have a hard time in the next group stage, but I think they have a high probability of at least being able to win one match. Catch will have to put a strong emphasis on their pistols rounds for success.

Who Goes
NoA - Quite possibly the biggest surprise of the tournament so far has been that the defending champs are being sent home after a disappointing 0-2 record. NoA just did not seem in it against wNv, taking too much time to execute their strategies. Naikon seemed to be the only one reminding them on time. This was probably the last tournament we will see from this NoA team, as rumors are flying heavily about their demise. These include ShaG going to EG for CPL, Xeqtr going to NiP, and Method’s possibility to join 4K, or even retire.

Team EG - EG really played their hearts out against 4K, but sadly it was not enough for them to secure a spot in the second group stage. It really goes down to how the rules are interpreted and executed. Everything went down, and they will move on, after winning less than six rounds the entire tournament. Hopefully next time (if there is a next time), EG will be able to prove exactly how good they can be.

mTw - Just a few short days before mTw was ready to leave for WEG2, they were dealt a blow from which they could not recover. One of their star players had jumped ship to join the new NiP team with the lovable HeaToN. I thought mTw would have made a better run here, but those are the breaks when you have to bring in a new player just before a major tournament. Look what happened to NoA.

Project - Project played a lot better than most people expected from a team that was completely unknown except to other Asian teams. Project can use this as a learning experience for ESWC Korea, where they can use the knowledge they have gained for a chance to play more of the world's best in France.