Missing In Action (Team MiA) were a team who I personally thought would have a much easier time making it to the playoffs - but it goes to show that if you find yourself caught out on just one bad day then things can get very close. In the final week of the league they defeated The Dead Generation 4-0 to stay above Gravity in the standings and squeeze into the playoffs. Having talked to their manager throughout the Season (who was really awesome and kept the Group C Liquipedia page up to date!) I knew he would have been very disappointed if they had not made it into the Playoffs, even against the tough competition which awaited them in the Group.

Cascade. Out of all of the teams who made the playoffs or who gave us surprising performances, I cannot help but feel Cascade gave us the most surprising of all. They came out of Group A - the Group of Death - in first place with an astounding map score, dropping on average one map for every team they played. They had two defeats in the Group Stage - an unexpected forfeit to iD due to miscommunication and a 3-4 loss to mYinsanity in the best series we saw throughout the whole of the SC2ITL Group Stages.

ESC Gaming went into Group C looking as though they were probably the favorites to win the group - but they ran into some heavy and unexpected resistance from Nuit Blanche and Vega Squadron to be denied the top two spots in the group. Having to settle for third place they find themselves in the upper half of the bracket where they will play ReG Gaming, the underdogs, before meeting Cascade in the RO8 if they win. It’s not as tough a road as the lower half of the bracket, but Cascade have proven to be one of the powerhouse teams in the groups and ESC are going to have to bring their absolute best if they want to move on past them.

Nuit Blanche are a French a team who came out of the gates strong and then never stopped in Group C of the SC2ITL. Going unbeaten in the groups shows that they are not a team to be messed with - but with a potential match against mYinsanity looming in the RO8 it is going to be an early wrench in their gears as they get started in the playoffs.