In the Northeast Corner of the Bracket, our first match sees NSG Black, the first seed out of Division 3, take on the Division 4 forth seed in Hyperion Gaming. Let look at how each got here.
How NSG Black got here:
NSG Black was rated as a bubble team coming into the BOL season. Some people had them in their playoff picture, and some did not. As the season, the looked to be firing on all cylinders, sweeping EOU Midnight week 1. In between week 1 and week 2 however, they replaced their mid laner, playing 2 different mids the following 2 weeks. In those 2 weeks however, they struggled to find the same success, nearly escaping Primal and Crimson Dolphins, 2-1 in each series. As we moved into the second half of the season, they settled in with 1 mid, and we saw them return to their dominate form, as they found another sweep against Arcanist gaming. Finally, in their final 2 weeks of the seasons, it saw them limp across the finish line, getting by Chubby Babies Cinder and Oasis Octane. Oddly enough, the team experienced another roster change, as season long ADC, dropped himself from the team. They were able to get a replacement before roster lock and it will be interesting to see how he performs. Although this team dropped multiple games, over the course of the season, they escaped Division 3 unbeaten in series play.
How Hyperion got here:
Hyperion started the season looking shaky at best. They dropped week 1 to CB Frost, and nearly lost to NSG Amethyst week 2. They started found a consistent roster the following 2 weeks, however, they split series, winning versus division bottom TES, and losing versus Division top 3-0 Esports. Being 2-2 going into the final 2 weeks, this team needed every point they could get, and they sat under Scarlett Miracles and VBU Argon. A reschedule versus the Scarlett Miracles saw Kappa Krusader, return to the lineup and the team finally looked complete. They beat Scarlett Miracles 2-1 and dominated VBU Argon 2-0. Although a fourth seed, they definently are on the rise.
Prediction: NSG Black (3) v Hyperion Gaming (2)
I think this will be closer than most think and by far the most competitive round one match up. I think that NSG Black has a few more weapons and its arsenal and should be able to get past Hyperion to make it into the quarterfinals. Some words of wisdom for NSG Black, come out swinging, Hyperion have been in the situation where they are the underdogs and have proved everyone wrong, if you give them an inch, they will take your nexus.
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